Tandy and Adrienne - College Talk (waaay backdated!)

[x-adrienne.livejournal.com]

Tandy and Adrienne take a break from Fashion Week to discuss Tandy's future.

Since it was Fashion Week, Adrienne had taken Tandy into the city after classes and the two of them were taking a break between shows to grab some dinner. She knew Tandy wanted to talk to her about something, so she wanted a proper sit-down meal... mainly so that if Tandy's news was something that was going to give her a deadly stroke, her last meal would have been a posh one. "Should we go French, Italian, or Sushi?" Adrienne asked as they walked up 7th avenue.

"I would say Sushi but that is my default answer. Let's go crazy and try French." Tan said as she was looking at the different restaurant signs. "What did you think about the last line? I felt there was a lack of creativity in the last two dresses that were shown. Kind of reminded me of what was shown last year."

"Good choice." Adrienne was constantly delighted by Tandy's knowledge of and opinions on fashion, and gave her ward an approving grin as she headed towards the French restaurant. "Absolutely. And did you see that hat on the third model? What the hell was that? It was like if a rocket ship and a squid had a baby and that baby was trying to eat her head!"

"I am sometimes worried about people's creative imaginations. What they call art, others might see disasters in the making. But yes, it did look something was attempting to eat her brains. Maybe it was for making a bad fashion choice."

"That would be justice, right there. If her hat really did eat her. We need to find someone with the mutant ability to make that happen," Adrienne mused with a smirk as they were shown to their table and sat down. "So you liked the Honor better than the Marissa Webb, huh?" she inquired with a raised eyebrow. "You're developing a really keen eye for this stuff, you know that?"

"Ask Billy. He can make almost anything that is impossible - possible." Tandy sat down across from Adrienne. "Yes. Honor had more unique styles." The blonde smirked slightly. "I am the daughter of a fashion icon, I am pretty sure it is in my blood. Plus my guardian happens to be an ex-model. Fashion is just drawn to me. But I don't think it is something I want to get into once I am done with high school. Which is what I want t talk to you about."

Adrienne was torn between feeling relief that Tandy's ominous discussion topic wasn't about being pregnant or addicted to whatever the kids were huffing these days, and feeling panic when it sunk in that Tandy was admitting she didn't want a future in fashion. Fashion was the only thing Adrienne knew, so she didn't have any idea on how to advise Tandy about pursuing other paths in life! Wasn't Father Micheal supposed to be the advice-giving half of this dynamic guardian duo? Still, she was the one sitting across from the teen right now, so she'd have to try her best. "Oh, yeah? So... does that mean you have something you do think you want to get into once you're done high school? Or are you feeling like you don't know what you wanna do, you just know you don't wanna get involved with fashion?"

"I do like movies, but after working on the set during the summer I don't want that kind of stress. And it was only for a small amateur movie. Imagine the real thing? I never really thought about really going to fashion. It was fun modeling but I don't think I can create anything. Not sure what I want to do really."

"Well," Adrienne murmured, pausing when the waiter came by to take their drink orders, which gave her time to digest the information Tandy had given her. "You're a pretty decent student. You could probably get into some trade colleges pretty easily. Or universities. When you say you don't think you can create anything, are you just talking about anything for the fashion industry? Or anything? Because that might limit you a little." Of course, Adrienne had never figured Tandy for an engineer or carpenter or a novelist or the like, anyway.

"I never really created...anything. I can't even draw. Does stick figures count?" Tandy smirked a bit. "I mean I like acting but I don't know it is something I want to do all the time."

"Well, part of me thinks I should give you the 'you should do what you like' answer, but the other part thinks I should give you the 'acting might never provide a steady income and I want to see you doing something where your future's secure' answer," Adrienne admitted, squirming uncomfortably in her seat. She'd been making a mental list of subjects Tandy could pursue, and was now crossing a few of them- Architecture, Marketing- off that list with Tandy mentioning how she'd never created anything. "I know you're not into the fashion industry, but how do you feel about the business world in general? You know, something like Accounting, or a Business? Or maybe Communications? There's also a lot of security in something like... I dunno... Pharmacy, or Dentistry? Social Work? And then there's always Computer Science? You do like video games," she pointed out with a shrug.


Tandy leaned on one hand, "Business world? Sounds kind of boring and a desk job. I don't see myself sitting down for 8 hours, I barely can do it now in high school. Computer Science? Doesn't that involve with math?"

Adrienne snorted at Tandy's comment about sitting down and nodded. "Everything involves math. Well, except maybe English. And History. But it's not like the majority of people with those degrees really make a decent career out of either of those. Besides, your math doesn't suck. At all," she assured the teenager. Tandy was in the unfortunate position of being in a class with a bunch of super smart or nerdy classmates, and their achievements overshadowed her own academic strengths at times. "We can find you some pamphlets about computer science, if you want. Even if you don't, we can go check out some university and college campuses to see what the different ones offer," she suggested.

Tandy made a face, "Everything involves math." Nodding slightly, "I suppose we can look at the different universities and colleges. But I rather stay close to here. I don't want to go back to Ohio." The teenager hadn't been back to her family home since the funeral. She was avoiding it at all costs.

"I don't blame you," Adrienne snorted, taking note of the comment but choosing to make light of it and maybe just mention it to Haller later, rather than discussing it with Tandy herself. "Ohio is snooze central. Do they even have universities there?" she mocked. "Do they even have electricity and running water?" She paused for a beat and then continued. "Nah, I'm sure there are some great schools around here. Besides, do any of the students who graduate from Xavier's ever leave? I think maybe if you graduate from the mansion, you have to go to a school close enough for you to keep living there. Maybe there's magic involved that makes that happen, I dunno. Hey, maybe that's what they're doing when they make all the seniors sit in a room watching a screen for twenty-four hours with their eyelids taped open. Subliminal messages to make them go to a school close by!"

"There is Ohio State University. I know how boring it is, I lived there for 15 years of my life." Tandy smirked. "I think they had running water, it isn't exactly the stone age." The blonde thought about what Adrienne said, some students still remained at the mansion. "Is it because the mansion is a safe haven?"

"Yeah, I suppose it is," Adrienne nodded. She paused when the waiter returned with their drinks and took their orders. When he turned away, she continued. "I guess a lot of students come to the mansion in situations like the one you were in. They, or their parents, have difficulty adjusting to the changes mutation brings to their lives, or they can't control their powers and someone gets hurt. Or they have to go somewhere so they can sort out some trouble they're in," she shrugged, not wanting to exclude the reason she'd come to the mansion, especially since she knew she wasn't the only one who had come to the mansion for that reason. "So yeah, it's a safe haven from some shit." It's just too bad it seems to be a target for other shit, she thought to herself, but didn't share. "Plus, I think the fact the Professor is uber-rich and lets students live there rent-free helps," she smirked. "Not that you need to think about the cost of college, though."

"I think rent free would have anyone in the right minds stay at the mansion. But don't they like join their little...superhero stuff?" She whispered the last part.

Adrienne nodded again. "I didn't even think of that, but yeah, close proximity to the mansion is definitely a factor in... that." She sipped at the bottle of Japanese beer the waiter brought and, because no one was looking, offered it to Tandy for a sip. "So, judging by the way you phrased that, I'm guessing you're not interested in joining that team?" she inquired, unable to hide the happiness in her voice when she asked the question. She already had enough to worry about with Garrison and Jean and Scott running around with the X-Men, in the middle of dangerous situations and making enemies left and right. And sure, there were plenty of things Tandy could do with her future that were dangerous. It wasn't as if Amanda or Vanessa or Emma lived lives that were particularly 'safe'. But if Tandy never wanted to be an X-Man, to be exposed to that particular brand of insanity, Adrienne would call that a win.

Tandy took the beer and took a small sip and making a little face, "That was interesting." Tandy thought about it for a moment, "I am not sure. I mean the New Mutant stuff is fun and I can do a lot of stuff that a normal teenager would do, but I am not a normal teenager. At least I got it under control."

"You did. And there are a lot of mutants that can't, or won't, get their powers under control, so good for you," Adrienne nodded. "That's definitely something to be proud of. And even though you're not a 'normal' teenager," she added with a shrug, "you can pass as one in any college or university, anywhere in the world. You could get far, far away from the insanity of Xavier's. But if you wanted to stay at the mansion to go to a school nearby, I'll consider my constant desire to be rid of you thwarted and reluctantly but gracefully accept the idea of keeping you around," she teased.

"Believe it or not. Xavier's is the first place I don't want to leave." Tandy looked down at her water. Her old home life was way different than how she lived now. She wasn't alone anymore and she had friends here. "But for colleges I am not sure yet. Maybe just send in applications and see who bites?"

"That sounds like a good plan to me," Adrienne agreed with a grin. "I'll make some calls and find out when people generally do visits and put us down for a few of the local ones, then." She wrinkled her nose at Tandy and said with a smirk "so can we stop talking about school and go back to talking about clothes now?"

"Okay. We can go and visit some of the local schools." Tandy looked up at Adri. "Did you see the fifth model's shoes? I thought for sure she was going to break an ankle."