LOG: [Nathan, Marius] Monday morning

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Marius picks a less than opportune time to ask Nathan about that independant study . . .



Nathan was finding it very difficult to concentrate on his work. Grimacing, he skimmed through the email from one of the Professor's contacts in Thailand. Nothing too terribly illuminating, but a few interesting anecdotes. He just couldn't seem to make them fit into the bigger picture...

There was a prefunctory rap on the doorframe, and an instant later Marius stuck his head in. He glanced at the computer Nathan was clearly occupied with, but didn't withdraw. "Hey, Mr. Dayspring. Got a moment?"

Nathan looked up, and it took a moment for him to refocus his eyes on Marius. He was tired. Very tired, and he was having enough difficulty sleeping that he didn't think he was liable to catch up soon. "I suppose," he said warily, not sure why this student, of all the kids in the school, was at his door.

Marius nodded, entering the room. He'd never actually been in Nathan's office before, and he was already entertaining the thought that it might be better not to repeat the experience. Every horizontal plane was piled with folders, books, and papers, while the presence of the vertical could only be inferred from the fact that no amount of maps could be supported by pushpins alone. One careless move on Marius' part would cause an avalanche.

"Have a question about classes," he said, pulling his attention away from a particularly impressive tower of unequally-sized books. "I know you're not teachin', but Forge mentioned something about independant projects. Was wonderin' if I could get in on that."

Marius? Wanted to do an independent study project? With him? Oh, why did I make that an open offer? "Sit down," Nathan said after a pause, then hesitated, looking around. Nowhere to sit, particularly. He concentrated, and a couple of piles shifted themselves off a chair, which moved itself to something approximating the other side of the desk. "There's a couch under there somewhere but I'm not particularly sure where."

"No worries," Marius said, with a private nod at having discovered how Nathan had managed to achieve the stacks in the first place. "Anyway. This project thing, what're the details? I know the topic's open, but Forge was a bit vague on the original specifics now he's expandin' his."

"Well, it would depend on what you have in mind," Nathan said cagily. "It needs to be something within the range of topics I've taught - basically, history, law, and geography, or any of the languages I've done. Then we work out a plan as to how to achieve it, including a specific number of hours that need to go into it to get you an official credit for your work..."

The boy nodded, unperturbed. "Already got an idea of the topic: legal angle of mutants in professional sports. In the States, at least. Australia's a bit dodgy on that sort of thing, but Forge was tellin' me about the Kelly laws." And not in a particularly complimentary manner, either.

"Hmph." Drat. He had an idea in mind and all. "That's within my purview, I suppose," Nathan said grudgingly. "I do have a law degree, and I have been paying particular attention to the laws that deal with mutants. Internationally, not just here." His eyes flickered around the teetering piles of documents.

Marius followed his gaze to the stacks. America was notoriously litigious, but had all these papers been the result of specifically national laws Marius would have been buying a ticket for the first plane home.

"Figured the States alone would give me enough, for the time bein'," Marius said, turning his gaze back to the other man. "America headlines global policy, which in turn has a significant impact on the international status and perception of mutants, and blah blah. Besides, this is where I'm livin' at the moment, so brushin' up on local law couldn't hurt."

"Putting limits on something like this can't hurt either," Nathan said grudgingly. "I've found that with other projects. People who cast their nets too wide have problems finishing." He studied Marius for a long moment, then finally succumbed to the urge. "Why me?"

Marius grinned. "Why not?" he countered. Then, because he wasn't completely devoid of common sense, he said, "This is a school, and so long as I'm goin' to learn somethin' it might as well be about a subject I'm interested in. Evidence to the contrary, I do have a modicum of respect for education. Anyway," he added, shrugging, "heard you were a good teacher."

"Well, I don't know who you would have heard that from," Nathan said, his voice brittle and his reddened eyes guarded, even if they stayed locked on Marius's face. "I had this bad habit of not finishing off the term. One of the reasons I opted for independent studies is that I can use the fact that I'm actually one of the better-qualified non-science-and-math teachers and yet not have to have anyone relying on my ability to be in class every day."

"Yeah, the bit about not actually requirin' regular class time didn't hurt either," Marius said. Nathan was giving him that Look again, but then, that seemed to be a permanent fixture in any conversation they had, so Marius didn't really give it much thought. "Dunno. Forge says you're all right, and his bullshit rarely extends to the realm of compliments. That's all."

"Forge." Nathan shook his head a little. "You'll have to do some reading before we can even start," he warned. "To establish what's out there. I'd want an annotated bibliography."

"I may've read a bit already, here an' there," Marius acknowledged. "May be a bugger to track down again, but I'll live. Annotation, eh? APA or MLA?"

"Chicago Manual of Style," Nathan said, raising an eyebrow. "There are style guides in the library. Shan has them at her desk."

Marius sighed. "You lot really are big on startin' from scratch here, aren't you? Ah well." He noted the eyebrow, and allowed himself a small smile. "What, surprised I knew annotation even had different styles? I don't spend all my time in sport."

"I'm surprised, am I? I didn't know you'd suddenly become a mindreader," Nathan said harshly, and then told himself to be nice. "I don't put up with dallying over one's work," he said. "Biweekly progress reports. Definite deadlines, unless something warrants an extension."

"Deadlines I can handle," Marius shrugged. His mouth assumed a sardonic quirk. "As for mindreadin', no, don't seem to be right now, but as you know that's subject to change."

"And I'm not a pushover," Nathan said, almost in a growl. "Whatever you might hear from Haroun, or a handful of other similarly misguided people."

Now it was Marius' turn to raise an eyebrow. "You're the bloke I saw throwin' half the gym around. Pushover isn't quite the word that comes to mind." Privately, Marius was becoming slightly confused -- not so much by the man's tone, which was familiar enough, but because he wasn't accustomed to his teachers referring to one another in such . . . well, personal terms, and certainly not to the extent of implying a colleague was misguided. Still, Xavier's was a bit different than his previous schools. Marius reasoned that any environment created by a group of people collectively powerful enough to erradicate a major urban center was going to be somewhat atypical.

"Then I want the bibliography in two weeks," Nathan said finally. "Precisely two weeks. As well as a one-page proposal for what you want to produce at the end of this in terms of format and length." He eyed Marius for a moment longer. "This is all about being a self-starter," he said finally, more tiredly than harshly, now. He didn't feel like being the ogre so much anymore. "I won't chase you."

"No worries, you won't have to." Marius shook his head, feeling a little less than enthused by Nathan's tone. "Look, Mr. Dayspring. Believe it or not, I have not spent the majority of my academic life truant. I don't believe in wastin' my time where education's concerned. I'd appreciate it if you'd believe I'm not tryin' to waste yours."

Nathan opened his mouth, nettled, and one of his mountains of files promptly tipped over, creating a domino effect. For all of his weariness and distraction, it took less than a moment's concentration for the files to begin righting and reordering themselves again.

It made Nathan take a moment to think about the way he'd been sounding, though. Any other week, he'd have been fairly guilty about it. "Sorry," he said curtly, instead. "I lost a close friend last week. It has me on edge."

Marius blinked, then had to suppress the urge to smack himself in the forehead. Stupid, stupid, stupid. The death and the funeral had both been public knowledge, but somehow he hadn't quite made the connection. Nathan hadn't been the only staff member to attend the service, but he had been the one to announce it. Marius should have known.

"Sorry," Marius echoed, knowing it was lame but unable to think of anything better. "I wasn't -- I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Nathan said a bit gruffly. "Life goes on, right?" He had to clench his jaw then, for a moment, and breathe very deeply and steadily to keep his expression level. "I mean it about the bibliography. That's the first step."

A bibliography. The man had just lost one of his best friends, and he was still able to talk about bibliographies. Marius couldn't even begin to comprehend that. Instead, he rose from the chair and nodded to the man.

"And I meant it about not wasting time," Marius said, for once his tone absent of flippancy or defensiveness. "Mine, or yours."

Nathan nodded. "Then this should be a productive exercise," he said quietly. "I'll talk to you when you've got that done." It was a dismissal, if a considerably gentler one than he might have managed five minutes ago.

Marius only nodded. There was nothing more to say. Marius turned and departed without another word, leaving his teacher to his work.