Layla & Lex | Wednesday afternoon

[x-mandelbrot.livejournal.com]

Lex asks to speak to Layla after class

Class had been exhausting, it was normally just a mild physical fatigue Lex dealt with after training the students in the art of defense. However, the past few sessions had been getting progressively more draining and he knew that he had to deal with the problem or he would invariably be driven to shocking one of his students in the middle of drilling - well, he probably wouldn't shock them directly but he might increase the ambient electrostatic charge in the air around them so that they would get shocked every time they tried to defend themselves.

As the students ran out of the room he stretched and waited. "Layla, if you would hold back for a moment," his voice was intentionally devoid of emotion, he didn't want to let on what he wanted to talk to her about. It was never a good idea to put children on the defensive before you get to your point, especially ones with powers that could bring things back to life.

That was totally fishy. Layla grabbed her messenger bag and then loitered. Loitering was something of an art and she had definitely perfected it, that was for sure. So she hung out around where the mats lived until everyone else had left, then turned her eyes to Male Person Number One. Or, as she liked to think of him, Mister Hamster Man. "What's up?"

Lex waited a moment, cleaning up some of the peripheral trash left behind before starting. "So," it was so hard trying to tell an innocent kid how annoying it is to be called by a codename that not only didn't make sense, but was also just degrading. However, if he had to endure another day of it he was going to need to run about the forest again, which to his credit he had not done in several months. "How did you come about the idea of calling me Mr. Hamster Man?"

Layla instantly went into Play Dumb Mode. Years of covering up for other kids in the foster homes or trying to keep herself out of trouble when she fucked up made it a flawless transition and one she kept up beautifully. She shrugged. "I dunno. Seemed to fit. Y'know, you teach kids self-defense and it's all repetition and shit. Like running on a hamster wheel, right? So...Mister Hamster Man. Totally makes sense. Callisto didn't seem like the hamster sort. More like a python. But calling her Miss anything just seems...wrong. You know?" She gave herself points for her nonchalance and complete bullshit.

Lex had seen that look several times, mostly in boot camp and once on the base when one of his platoon mates had stolen the commander's prized cigar collection. "So, you just thought that you would antagonize a veteran soldier with a made up nickname that is both derogatory to the position and to the man? I'm not sure that's a smart idea." The last was said with a bit of a mischievous bent.

"Who said it's derogatory?" she returned, half-defensive and half-retaining her previous casualness. "And, what? You being an ex-soldier makes you like super special or something? I need to bow down to the GI Joe? Besides, who doesn't like a hamster? They're fuzzy, arguably cute, fit in your pocket and do stupid things like running in a wheel which is weirdly fun to watch. It's not my fault you've got beef with hamsters or some shit. Did you have an unfortunate experience with a hamster and an ER? I mean, I hear they're a gateway rodent for people lookin' to work their way up to gerbils but you just didn't strike me as the sorta guy who was into that sorta thing."

The girl's reaction took him by surprise, she was being more defensive than he expected. He thought she might close up but it was completely another to assault him - even if her tone was meant to be playful. Without breaking stride he moved past her and continued cleaning. "It's derogatory for exactly the reasons you mentioned, arguably cute and they do stupid things? I'd be the first to tell you that violence is not necessarily intelligent, but learning self-defense is always important. I think you need to consider why you call me Mr. Hamster Man."

And that was when Layla pretty much checked out and wrote him off. "I think you need to lighten up and not take everything so seriously. You being an ex-soldier doesn't really matter here, does it? Maybe it's your badge of honor or whatever but it's not like you took out Hitler, did you? So let's take that off the table as being pertinent here. Which really means you've got beef with it for some other reason and that probably has something to do with you not having much of a sense of humor about yourself. Which, by the way? Is your problem, not mine." She really wasn't sure where the whole violence isn't intelligent point was coming from or where the fucking lecture mode was warranted, but she was pretty much done so Layla turned to leave.

She had missed the entire point of what he said, and he didn't feel like correcting her. Far be it for him to consider shattering the innocence of a student because they don't realize how idiotic they sound. So Lex smiled and let her go, it was enough to be reminded of the naivety of youth for him to dismiss her insistence on calling him Mr. Hamster Man. As she walked away he started humming the tune of the song "I Can't Decide" and preparing for his own work out. Let her have her beliefs, she'll realize someday that not everything can be a joke.