Scott and Ari Niarchos, Friday

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

During Parents' Day, Scott has one of those inevitable chats with the concerned parent of one of his new trainees.


"This has to be one of the more subdued Parents' Days we've had," Scott said, managing to repress a sigh as he and Jennie's father headed down the path towards the lake.

"I cannot say that I blame them," Ari Niarchos said, casting a look to where a small group of children were showing their parents around.

"Neither can I." Scott looked sideways at the older man, wondering. He was almost sure that this particular parent had been in with Charles earlier, which suggested a plausible option or two as to what this conversation was supposed to be about. "Jennie's told you about her... plans?" Great euphemism, Summers.

"She has indeed," Ari said, running a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. "I cannot say for certain if I approve, but my daughter is 18 years of age and if this is what it takes to get her to be able to heal, then I support her." He paused, and then looked at the headmaster. "However, as her father I must also ask what will be expected of her. In great detail."

Scott took a deep breath and then let it out, silent for a moment as they walked. "I won't sugar-coat it," he said finally. "I never have, in conversations like this, and I'm not about to start." He paused again, to gather his thoughts. "The training is fairly intense, first of all. She'll be expected to achieve a level of physical fitness few of our younger trainees fully appreciate until they get into it. She'll be undergoing much more intensive powers training, including offensive uses of her power. Tactics and strategy, at least basic flight training, hand-to-hand combat..."

Ari raised an eyebrow. "So it is something like a millitary institution, is it? Forgive me, Mr. Summers, but the uniforms and the training of which you speak, it leans to this side of suspicious," he said, no hint of reproval in his calm demeanour.

"Again, I'm not going to be anything but straightforward with you." Scott, despite his calm tone, was rubbing at the scars on the side of his face. "We do fight, when we have to. Mutant criminals and terrorists don't tend to come quietly - the usual authorities aren't generally equipped to handle that sort of thing. But we also do other things. Riot-control, disaster relief, rescuing mutants who've found themselves in various dire situations..."

"As you seem to found yourself in an abundance of lately. One would say it's almost comedic, and yet I have a daughter who I encountered in my kitchen at 3 am on a Sunday morning who couldn't sleep and was 'fine' in spite of the evidence to the contrary." Ari held up a placating finger. "Not that I blame you and your institution in the slightest. You always hear horror stories of mutant children being tormented in the outside world. Here at least, there is at least safety and the promise of protection in case it is needed."

Sometimes we could do with fewer promises and more actual protection, Scott thought, but didn't say. "It's strange," he said instead. "We do get quite a few students wanting to train for the team. For some of them, it's very obvious years in advance. For others, it's a surprise. Jennie... was a surprise. I worry," he said, quietly but candidly, "about her reasons for doing this... hers and Marius's. But I also know how an experience like what they've just been through can change everything. Sometimes, the most... passionate members of the team have been the ones determined to make sure that no one else suffers in the same way they did."

"I did question her reasons when she approached me with this idea. Although she did assure me that my opinions were not going to influence her actions. She is so different, especially considering her last unfortunate incident with the Laverne boy." Ari sighed. "Last fall, she was hurt but she was intact. Now, I fear that some essential part of her has been lost, and this saddens me. If this is what it takes for her to reclaim herself and at least regain even part of who she was, then I will be happy."

Scott hesitated for a moment that dragged on for longer than he'd intended, as they kept walking. "I think it may," he said finally, quietly. "Jennie's been... helpless, a few too many times. She's chafed at that very openly, occasionally." Scott's smile was slightly twisted. "Apart from the really disastrous weekends, helplessness is not something the team very often has to deal with. Of course, there are cons to rushing in where angels fear to tread, too."

"Ah yes, this would be in reference to the week where you all misplaced your proper chromosomes." Jennie had called him shrieking with laughter and unable to tell him anything intelligible for several minutes. He smiled fondly at the memory. "But yes, that is also something I fear. You rush headlong into dangerous situations. Jennie does not quite understand that while she was deprived of my presence growing up, I was also deprived of hers. I would rather I have her present in my family for the foreseeable future."

Scott nodded slowly. "It is dangerous," he said, even more softly. "I won't lie to you about that, either. But I can promise you two things. One," he said more steadily, "that I will not send her into a dangerous situation until she is both fully trained and I've judged that she's capable of handling it. Two, that even when both those conditions apply, I will never give that order casually." There was tension in the line of Scott's jaw suddenly. "I've seen my friends brought back on stretchers - I've been brought back the same way. I can never take the responsibility I've been given lightly."

Ari nodded distantly as he looked out towards the lake. "Again, I am struck by how a parent must feel when they are sending a child off to the military. I understand the reasonings, and I applaud them. But that does not make me any less afraid." He sighed and put his hands into the pockets of his slacks. "Also as parent I feel I must impress upon you the importance of her schoolwork. This team will not interfere too much with her studies?"

"If it does, her studies come first." Scott forced himself to relax, let his arms rest normally at his sides. "Our young trainees may decide that this isn't for them, in the end. More to the point, what we do... it's a necessary evil, in a way. The world's changing, too quickly for the structures and institutions we know to keep up. The X-Men are a way of filling the gap, for now. That doesn't mean that we don't hope that there'll be a day, hopefully not too far down the line, when there's no need for us to risk our lives. I admire each and every single young person that comes to us and says they want to be a part of what we're doing, but I'm just hoping it doesn't have to be a long-term thing."

"Indeed, I must admit... my own opinions on mutants were strictly neutral before I learned that I had daughter who was one. I had always ignored the issue beforehand, because it did not concern me. Now I am keenly interested. Mr. Summers, my own family does not seem to grasp that a mutant in our famly, even an illegitmate one, promises that there will be more. I too pray that one day that your institution will become obsolete, for my own family's sake."

Scott's smile was odd, almost wistful. "My grandparents own a small airline, in Alaska. I sometimes dream of moving up there and working for them, or maybe in SAR..." He shook his head, his expression slightly sheepish. "Maybe someday. My wife and I are both mutants... any children we have are almost certain to be."

"Until that day comes," Ari said with a nod. "I for one am glad that you exist. You have done your best to protect my daughter, and as I am coming to grasp that is much more difficult than it should seem." He extended his hand. "You have my thanks, at the very least." And also a sizable donation given to the professor eariler in the day.

Scott smiled more naturally, and shook the older man's hand. "Thank you," he said simply. For all of it.

"As Jennie tells me, I am breaking the trend of evil parents." Ari replied with a smile, give Scott's hand a firm shake before letting go. "Although, I must ask. Is there really a giant squid in this lake?"

"J.K. Rowling has much to answer for."