Adrienne, Hope and Sue: Hobbies.

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Following the e-mail earlier today Adrienne and Sue go to talk to Hope about what she meant.

Hope's email had concerned Adrienne. Particularly the part about chess not being 'appropriate for a young lady.' And she didn't seem to be replying to Adrienne's query about it. After mulling it over for some time, she finally decided she couldn't just leave it and found herself knocking on Sue's suite door. "Hey, do you have a minute?" she asked when the girl came to the door.
 
Sue blinked owlishly at Adrienne, the teacher was the last person she had expected to see outside her door. Teachers just didn't knock on their students doors, did they? "Umm sure?" she spared a quick glance at her suite to make sure three wasn't anything incriminating left out, not that she or Layla ever did anything incriminating, but you never knew. "What's up? Have you finally come to your sense and realized that the Yankees are the one true baseball team and you were wrong not to have been supporting them all this time?" she asked mischievously gesturing Adrienne into the suite.
 
"Ugggh, I think I just threw up a little in my mouth," Adrienne shuddered, making a face. "No, this is about another game. Chess. The club? Hope emailed me back about it. And it was... a little weird. Had she talked to you about the club before I sent the email around? When you were feeling the other students' interest levels out?"
 
Sue grinned at Adrienne, "You can't run from the truth," she intoned in her best wise-man voice, "You'll have to admit it sooner or later". The girl flopped down on the couch and at Adrienne in confusion, "Hope sent you an e-mail about the chess club? Umm I think she said she knew the basics but her father didn't think it was a game for a 'real lady'" she replied making a face. "What does that make me?" she muttered to herself in anger. "What did she tell you?" 
 
"Much the same; lady stuff," Adrienne muttered uncomfortably, staying in the doorway. "I don't know what that makes us," she smirked. "But this proper lady stuff? It's weird.  I was hoping maybe we could go speak to her?"
 
"If were not ladies does that mean I get to be an rude crude lewd wench," Sue teased, "with a tattoo and everything?" She grinned at the older woman before sobering up her expression. "Sure I guess, but why do I have to come talk to her? You're the teacher."
 
"Because I want to get to the bottom of this chess club thing, and you're the Team Captain," she reminded Sue pointedly, smirking. "And sure, you can be a... rude, crude, lewd wench with a tattoo if you want to. Once you've graduated," she added, realizing she probably shouldn't be giving permission for Sue to get a tattoo while still underage. She led the way to Hope's suite and knocked on her door. "Until then, I'm sure you can find some middle ground between Victorian 'proper' lady and... that other thing." It was too long to repeat again. "Miss Abbott, can we speak to you for a moment, please?"
 
Hope looked up from her assignment for French, surprise clearly visible on her face. "Of course. Please come in." She stood up when her teacher and fellow student entered the room. "Ms. Frost? Sue? What can I do for you?" 
 
 
"We'd like to talk to you about the school's chess club," Adrienne explained, smiling. "I received your email earlier, but I must admit I was a little bit puzzled by what you said, so I thought perhaps Miss Storm and I could discuss things in more detail and maybe try and convince you to join."
"Uhm... of course. Please, have a seat." Hope gestured to the couch, though she looked a little puzzled herself. "May I ask what it was that puzzled you?" 
 
Sue sat down on the couch next to Hope and smiled comfortingly at her. "Well I guess what we'd really like you to explain is why you didn't want to join the chess club? You seemed kinda interested in chess last time we talked."
   
"Oh, I might certainly be interested in learning one day. But I am afraid I cannot devote the proper attention to mastering a new skill at the moment. I have just chosen two new skills to my repertoire and they do take time and attention." Hope explained as briefly as possible, keeping her hands tightly folded in her lap. "I also still need to pay proper attention to my school work, powers training and my violin lessons." 
 
 
"Well, no one's expecting you to 'master a new skill,' just to come out and have fun with your peers, but that's fair," Adrienne nodded, taking note of Hope's tone and posture. "Students certainly live busy lives and can't make time for everything. What are your two new skills?"
 
"I have been working at learning some new art skills." Hope remained vague, still not sure why a teacher and a student had come to convince her to join the chess club. "Both calligraphy and embroidery. They are refreshingly different from the standard forms of visual art." 
 
"Calligraphy?!" Sue burst out in shock, "Does anyone still do that? I thought that was what monks used to do back in the dark ages, why do you want to do it today?"
 
"There are many people who practice the art, Sue. You learn to create something beautiful with your own hands and develops your artistic side. In certain regions of the world calligraphy is one of the most esteemed art forms. It is a different art form then painting or drawing, but no less valid."
  
Sue shook her head, it wasn't that she didn't see the value in drawing and art, but to her it was something personal a way to relax. "Well calligraphy and embroidery are both pretty solitary pastimes," she pointed out. "Chess club would be something a little more social, a way for us to just hang out and have some fun, besides it's always good to have a variety of interests. You never now, you might enjoy it if you give it a chance."
 
"I won't argue that calligraphy and embroidery aren't... worthy pastimes," Adrienne commented, "and we certainly aren't here to force you into joining a club you feel you don't have time for. But I feel I should comment on the fact that, as you said, both calligraphy and embroidery are visual art forms. As such, they're rather similar as far as pastimes go. For example, as Miss Storm mentioned, they're both rather solitary. They also both require significant use of your hands. And then with violin lessons as well? You're going to have really sore hands," she pointed out with a wry smile. "Chess, on the other hand, only requires significant use of your <i>brain.</i> It's a very useful pastime in terms of developing skills for managing people, for organizing one's life. It also develops skills for interacting with people in the form of giving you an opponent."
 
"Perhaps you are right, Ms. Frost." Hope nodded. "But I have chosen to dedicate myself to those pastimes now. And school work and my other studies give me quite some mental challenges as well. They have unfortunately priority above learning to play chess, I am afraid."
 
"Alright, well I'm sorry I couldn't change your mind, Miss Abbott," Adrienne answered with a nod and a small smile, getting up to leave. 
 
Sue pushed herself off the couch and turned a smile on Hope, "If you just wanna come by and see if you like it or just hang out then that'd be awesome," she told the other girl as she started to follow Adrienne towards the door.
 
"Thank you offering, Ms. Frost, Sue." Hope stood up to show them out. "I will certainly consider stopping by when time permits. Chess club is just not the right place for me now."
 
"That's fine," Adrienne repeated, turning in the doorway to face Hope again. "As long as this really is about time constraints and not about it being 'inappropriate,'" she added. That statement was still worrying her, but Hope hadn't brought it up with the two of them yet.

 "It is truly about time constraints, Ms. Frost. Chess is not inappropriate, just not the most appropriate. If I had the time I might have considered it, but now I have to choose the most appropriate activity for me." Hope simply replied.

"And embroidery and calligraphy are more... appropriate for you... because you're... a young lady?" Adrienne inquired. That was what the email had said, right? Was she understanding that correctly?

"No, Ms. Frost. They are more appropriate because they are more helpful to the lady I wish to be." Hope replied formally, her shoulders stiff and her hands slightly folded. 

"Who say's they're more appropriate an activity than anything else?" Sue asked a touch coldly, "What kind of lady do you want to be anyway?"

"They are more appropriate for me, Sue. For others, it might different. I am sure it is appropriate for the person you wish to be and embroidery or calligraphy would be far less suited. Everyone has a different path to walk." Hope's knuckles almost turned white from where she was gripping her hands together. "I hope you can accept my decision, even if you do no fully understand it."

Sue nodded, "I can accept you think that way even though I don't really understand it" she confirmed, "but you're avoiding the question. What kind of lady do you want to be?"

"I am..." Hope's hand tightened even more, the familiar lightness beginning in her head. 

Paying close attention to Hope's body language, Adrienne tugged on Sue's arm and pulled her close. "Bit too pushy, Jeter," she muttered in a whisper. She then reached out and took Hope's hands in her own, hoping the gesture would get her to relax. "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I think we're just both kinda surprised by your attitude because it's not that common for someone your age to talk about wanting to be a lady, you know? Not these days, at least. But it's cool. If that's what you really want, if being a lady makes you happy, we're not gonna judge or anything." 

Taking a cue from Adrienne Sue stepped back and gave Hope and apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I got carried away" she acknowledged sadly. "It's just, like you said I really don't understand, but I want to." She looked down at the ground miserably, she really hadn't meant to upset Hope she just couldn't wrap her head around the other girl's ideals.

"It is what I choose. And I am happy with it." Hope replied, carefully focusing on her breathing in an attempt not to ghost out. "I will be happy to try explain more at another time, but if you will excuse me for now... I have a lot of homework for French..." She wanted them out, so she could try to regain some form of composure.

"Okay, as long as you're happy," Adrienne said pointedly as she ushered Sue out of the room. "Have a good night." She closed Hope's door behind them. "She doesn't seem all that happy to me," she murmured to Sue in a worried tone

Sue waited until they were out of earshot of the door before slumping against the wall. "I don't think she is," the blonde agreed. "I..I just don't get her Adrienne, but she seems, well sad almost."

"Yeah, she does," Adrienne sighed. "But she clearly doesn't want to be talked out of it right now. So I guess all we can do is be there to help her when she does."

"Yeah, if she wants us were here, but" Sue nodded at the closed door, "I don't think she's ready to talk to us just yest." Sue held up a hand to Adrienne from where she had slid down the wall, "So, do you want me to school you in a game of chess then?" the girl asked innocently. 

"I want you to try," Adrienne snorted.