Meeting: Marie, Ororo, and Scott

[x-traction.livejournal.com]

Having taken a couple days to think things through, Marie realizes she needs to act on a decision she's made.


"...so you see, Ah don't think Ah can keep being an RA, not being a good one. If Ah want to pull my grades up and still help out with the team and working...well, Ah'm gonna start dropping balls accidentally and Ah'd rather gently place one down on purpose first." Marie looked nervously at the two people sitting across from her. They were her friends, but at this time, they were her bosses more than anything.

Scott gave Marie a long, steady look, doing his absolute best not to smile. "It sounds like you've been doing some serious thinking about your workload and how to maximize your effectiveness," he said.

"Ah have," she said, starting to feel more confident in her decision. Neither Scott nor Ororo appeared to be disappointed in her, which has been her greatest fear. "Ah've even thought of someone who might be a good replacement for me."

"Who do you have in mind?" Ororo inquired curiously, trusting that Marie's recommendation would be worth pursuing.

"Well, Ah was thinking it might be something good for Jan. The kids relate to her well and Ah know they'd have no problems coming to talk to her about stuff. I really think that's one of the key parts of being RA, y'know? She's still young though, so it might be a good experience for her to learn about responsibility. Ah honestly don't even know if she'd be interested, but it could work well. Or honestly, it could be a disaster. But Ah think it'd be worth a shot, to see how she adapts to it."

It all seemed to come out in a bit of a rush, and Scott repressed his smile. "Well, she's old enough for it - definitely approachable. I've been impressed in general with her common sense as she's been training..."

"And she certainly seems popular with the other students, so there would be no cause to worry that they would not accept her in the position," Ororo agreed. "I think it would certainly be a good idea to speak with her, and see what she thinks. Though even if she does not choose to right now, you should still do what is best for yourself," she added, looking at Marie. "There is no need to overwork yourself over this at all."

"Definitely," Scott put in, to reinforce that particular sentiment. Don't be us. "I think you're right, it's worth a shot to ask her." He smiled at her. "I've always thought you were a good judge of character."

Marie shot an incredulous look at Scott, knowing how he felt about her best friend. At the same time, it was nice to know that 'Ro and Scott trusted her more than she had expected. Not that she had any reason to expect they wouldn't, she just couldn't help still feeling like a runaway teenager in front of them, considering how they'd first met. "Anyways, Ah wasn't sure if Ah should talk to her or if one of you would prefer to approach her."

"Perhaps it would be best if you did, at least initially," Ororo replied. "She is sure to have questions, and who better to answer them but the person who has been doing the job?"

"Yeah. Feels weird," Marie said, "To be doing this. Guess Ah'll be moving to one of the general grad or staff suites. Ah'm just trying not to burn myself out and..." she trailed off before finishing her thought of and go crazy again, instead saying "and get too stressed. Thanks for being so understanding about all this."

"Marie, you've been a great RA - I was about to say that goes without saying," Scott said with a sudden, wry smile, "but it actually shouldn't. But you've got so much other stuff on your plate now, things that are just as or even more important. Prioritizing of your own accord is... just a sign that you're pulling off the juggling act with style."

"It's about time someone did," Marie said, relaxing slightly more. "After all, someone has to make all this look good." When all else failed, adjust a line from the movies to suit your purposes.