xp_logs | Career counseling

After meeting with Professor Xavier and Mr. Kuk, Forge's last stop of the day for official business is the headmistress' office. And for once, he's not in there because he's in trouble. Support is given for Forge's new career decision, and some discussion is had about WHY the school and the X-Men are important.

Forge paused at the end of the hall, almost instinctively turning right towards Mr. Summers' office. The papers that the Professor had given him felt heavy in his hand, spelling out a plan of training and official interning status that would provide some sort of direction for his continued presence at the school in more than just a resident status.

Smiling confidently, he rapped on the heavy wood door, sticking his head inside quickly. "Ms. Munroe?" he asked cheerfully, "Got a moment?"

Ororo glanced up, smiling as she saw him in the doorway. "Yes, of course. Please, come in," she said, putting aside the glossy-paged catalogue she had been perusing. "Bunkbeds can certainly wait."

Striding into the office, Forge plopped himself casually in one of the chairs across from Ororo, folding one leg over the other. "So I was talking to the Professor today, you know, like I do. And he got me thinking about the future. I know you guys... well, some of you guys -guys and girls, women... the X-Men thing," he stuttered out awkwardly. "I don't think it's what I'm cut out for. But what you all do, even what little I've been able to be a part of... it's important, and I want to do my part to help."

Smiling pleasantly, Ororo leaned forward as Forge began to speak, resting her elbows on her desk. Her eyebrows climbed slightly higher as she listened, though she wasn't exactly sure what she was so surprised about. Of course Charles would've encouraged the new graduates to think about their futures; it wasn't even strange that Forge would want to stay affiliated with the school. "I am glad that you think that... and I am sure that the Professor has already helped you come up with a way to do so. What is it you have in mind?"

"Well, the Professor, and Mr. Kuk," Forge explained, his recent conversation with the mansion's security specialist still fresh in his mind. "They let me know that, well, as safe as we are here, there have been a few times..." he gestured in a pantomime of gunfire and shrugged. "Anyway, I talked it over with them, and Mr. Kuk's going to be taking me on as a sort of intern over the summer. I've already got a couple ideas for fine-tuning the security systems, and... well, it means a lot to me that this is a safe haven for us. For people like Julio who've only seen the horrific stuff that comes along with being a mutant."

He sat back, silently including himself in that list in his own mind. Even nine months later, his involuntary association with Magneto still weighed heavily on the young man's mind. "I can't take the fight to the folks that'd try and hurt us," he said, "but if they bring it here, I want to help make sure it's not going to be easy for them."

"That's wonderful," Ororo said, her smile growing as she heard about his plans. "Mr. Kuk does an excellent job, of course, but there is always room for collaboration. And I am thrilled to hear that you wish to stay with the school... it is always good to know we have not driven our students too crazy," she added, chuckling.

"Despite the current exodus," Forge replied with a wan smile, "I think I'll be staying on for quite a while. I just... this place, it means something, you know? Well, of course you know, you've been here forever, right?"

Ororo had to try very hard to keep a straight face at this. "Forever may be something of an exaggeration. Besides, there are other, older people, such as Mr. Summers, who have been here much longer than I have. But yes, I agree, there is something about Xavier's... I would not leave it for anything in the world. There is much to be done here, and I am glad you will be staying on to help."

Forge cocked his head. "You know, I've always meant to ask about that. With what you can do - you could be working to forestall famine in Africa, or help with research into weather patterns, hurricanes and tornadoes, all of that. Why'd you pick doing this, the X-Men, the school?"

The question had been weighing on Forge's mind for a while - so many of the people working at the school could be using their abilities elsewhere, but yet they chose to stay. "It's been on my mind," he explained. "Maybe, I thought, if I can understand why this place means so much to other people, it might help me figure out why it's important to me."

"That is an interesting question, and one I have not thought about in those terms for some time. It is true that there are many other things we could all be doing," Ororo said thoughtfully. "But consider this: When I came here, oh so long ago, there was nothing like it in the world. It was barely a school... the Professor did much of the teaching himself in those days, and there were only a few of us students. We learned so much together, both about our powers and about the world around us and how it viewed people like us."

Sitting back, she folded her hands in her lap, pursing her lips. "When it came time to graduate and leave, there was for some of us a clear choice. We could take what we had learned here out into the world, to make a difference however we could. There is no denying that the people who pass through here are capable of great things, and that whatever we chose we would be working towards the Professor's goal - that of showing the world that we are not something to fear, but rather people with extraordinary gifts who can do extraordinary things. But some of us realized that just as we had learned so much from our time here, there were many other people, children and otherwise, who did not have such a place to turn to. I knew that personally, it was important to me that the school continues to flourish and grow, so that we could welcome more and more students and teach them how to do great and extraordinary things."

"Perhaps this is too long an answer," she said then with a smile. "But that is why I am here, because I see this school as one of the most important endeavors I can contribute to, even without using my powers. For all it pains me to see starvation in the world, and natural disasters, I know that in some small way I am contributing to their removal with the work I do here. We cannot save the world on our own, but with others on our side... we may have a chance."

"We all use what we can to help," Forge said slowly, an idea percolating in his head. "And you're right. I've come to realize that no matter how much I might want to, I can't find a fix for everything. Not on my own, at least. That's part of why I want to be here, to help out. Because I still have so much to learn from everyone. And speaking of learning, I think I have some calls to make."

He stood up, extending a hand across the desk to Ororo. "Thanks a lot, Ms... Ororo. Sorry, this whole breaking the habit of the teacher-student thing is taking some getting used to. The Professor keeps asking me to call him 'Charles', but I don't think I'd ever get used to that."

Standing, Ororo gave Forge's hand a shake, chuckling. "Give it time," she advised him. "Soon you'll be breaking into his office when he is not there to steal some of those little biscuits he serves with tea. Not that I would know they are kept in the left middle drawer behind the folders marked 'Research and Implementation'."