xp_logs | Hank and Hope | Tuesday afternoon

Hank meets another mansion resident and they discuss privilege, obligation, and really cute girls. Or maybe he just thinks that last part.

Hank knew the value of a good routine. It was far easier to be productive with a set schedule to follow, though of course even the best laid plans of mice and men could be led astray by a particularly interesting piece of reading or a recalcitrant experiment. Still, he tried his best to stick to a routine, which is why after returning from campus he made his first stop the kitchen to pick up a snack before heading to the library for a few hours of light reading.

He was partway through a scintillating re-read of The Aromatic Amino Acid Synthetic Pathway and its Regulation that afternoon, his notebook quickly filling with rapidly-dashed screeds - some repetition of what he had just read and some question raised by his reading that he would have to cross-reference later.

Trying to keep her heels from clacking to loudly on the wooden floor, Hope searched for a spot she could work quietly. With her favorite spots already taken up by the influx of students, she had to find another spot to sit down and look through the various bids. Unhappy with the most recent caterer, she had branched out to see if she could find someone new for a small event.

Finally she spotted a spot at a table where only a young man she didn't recognize was sitting and quickly moved over. "Excuse me? Is this chair taken?"

Hank glanced up and for a moment was speechless; was every woman in this place gorgeous or did they keep the less attractive ones locked away somewhere? "I, um, right, no," he stammered ineloquently. Then, "I mean, no, no one's occupying that seat. You're welcome to it." Though of course, if she did sit there his productivity was going to plummet...

"Thank you. The spots I usually use were all take, so I am glad there is one left here." She turned a gentle smile towards the flustered young man and tilted her head. "I do not think I have met you yet? Or maybe just on the journals. I am Hope Abbott."

"H-henry McCoy. But you can call me Hank," he offered with a shy smile.His eyes flicked to the folders in front of her. Academics was always a safe subject. "Are you a student here?"

"Hi Hank, it is nice to meet you." Hope took a seat and pulled the various folders close. "And I used to be. I graduated in June and now I work in the New York City for a year. And how about yourself? How did you come here?"

"I'm studying in the city and living here while I do. Oh, and helping Dr Grey and some of the other scientists down in the labs as well. I'm hoping I can parlay that into credit for some of my classes but we'll see, it may just be an extra-curricular."

"What kind of science are you studying?" She pushed her folders aside and focused on the young man across from her. "I will be honest though... Science has never been my strongest suit, so I might not be overly familiar with it." She admitted with a small blush on her cheeks.

"Oh, well," he said, clearly warming up to the subject, "I'm studying Molecular Genetics, which is basically looking at the structures that make us - all of us - who we are and how they interact with one another. Obviously it's an interesting field of study because of the mutant gene, but even beyond that it's a fascinating topic."

Hope nodded thoughtfully, trying to remember what she has been taught during her 'Mutation and Genetics' classes. "What would you hope to do with it in the end? I mean, I imagine it is much more then just the X-gene. Would it also work for illnesses with a genetic component?"

"Oh, well, as I'm sure you're aware it's very rare for an illness to be tied to only a single gene - Huntington's and anchondroplasia and hereditary haemochromatosis aside, most illnesses are confounded by multiple factors. So any investigation into the genetic component would be about teasing apart those links and seeing how they impact one another. It's my hope to be able to do something like that with the X-gene, but it's quite a big undertaking as I'm sure you'd agree!"

"I can only begin to imagine how much work it is." Hope quickly demurred. "Like I said, I do not know a whole lot about it. But what if you do tease the genes apart, but then on the X-gene... what would you in the end hope to do with such knowledge? It seem like there is also something of a dangerous angle to it."

"Knowledge is always dangerous, but then so too is ignorance," he said solemnly. "I understand your concerns and I'm not trying to say they're not justified, but... there's also a lot of good that could come from such research. And it seems like this is the best place to do it, with brilliant researchers who have the best of intentions for mutantkind."

"No, I cannot deny that a lot of good can come from it, but in the current climate I cannot help but wonder how such research can be used for nefarious purposes as well. There are a number of people here who have had negative experiences with that part in the past." Hope replied after a few moments of careful thought. "But I also know there are people who are hurt daily by their mutations and you would be able to do a lot of good for them."

"Exactly. Non nobis solum nati sumus," Hank quoted.

"I am sorry, Hank, but I am afraid I never mastered Latin, though it does sound familiar." Hope replied, just a little hesitant. "Would you mind translating for me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! It just means, uh... we're not born for ourselves alone," he told her bashfully. "It's usually meant to encourage people to contribute to the greater good. It just sounds more impressive in Latin."

"It's alright. And no matter what language it is in, it is very true. We all do have a responsibility to assist our fellow man." Hope tilted her head a little. "Personally I have always strongly subscribed to the concept of 'Noblesse oblige'."

"Oh?" Hank asked politely. "I suppose it's only right to expect those in positions of power and privilege to accept the responsibilities therein. Though it seems the nobility, as it were, often like to restrict those responsibilities to chosen groups, thus making the practice nepotistic and self-defeating."

"That is how one could see it in history indeed and how it traditionally has been used.." Hope quickly agreed. "I choose to interpret it in a broader sense. When one has been given something, be that money, talent or indeed a more powerful position of responsibility then that makes that one has a greater responsibility towards his her fellow man to do something with it. Even several mutant abilities fall under that for me."

"It's certainly a worthy dogma. What, uh... what abilities do you think would count?"

"I would say it varies from person to person. It is not just a certain kind of mutant ability. For example, I have a privileged life here and I am in a position to give back with my abilities. And if the world choose to accept them... let's not forget that factor. But if I were living on the streets, it would be very different." Hope spoke after a moment of thought.

"Though even less-privileged people have a great deal to give others. I suppose it's not just about money, or medicine, or mutant abilities."

"Of course not." Hope shook her head. "They have very much to give. And they should do that if they desire to do that. It's just see it as more of a duty to those of us who are more blessed." She quickly clarified.

Hank blinked and reached up to adjust his glasses, obviously unsure of what he should say to this. Eventually he settled smiling and nodding. "Well, that's very admirable, Miss Abbott. I hope more people start to see things the way you do, the world would be a far better place for it."

"Please, it's Hope." She blushed a little. "I know it all sounds very lofty, perhaps even elitist. And far harder to put into practice then to speak these words."

"So many things are. But I'm sure you'll manage." Hank glanced down at the folders she had set aside. "Is that what you do now?"

"In some way. I work for Julian Keller as a personal assistant. He manages the charity work of his families foundation on this Coast, so I am involved with a lot of fundraising events and those kinds of things." Hope explained.

"Ah, I see. Well, it seems you are certainly putting your money where your mouth is. Or somebody's money, anyway."

"That paints me in a far better light then I am, honestly." Hope looked kinda uneasy. "It's also a very interesting opportunity for myself, learning skills and giving me the chance to explore which kind of profession would suit me best before I start college."

"I can imagine so. I worked in a lab for a year after I graduated," Hank volunteered then. "It's good to be able to get a real feel for what a career entails before committing several years' study and tuition towards its pursuit."

"That is very true. Even when I go to college next year, I hope to be able to keep up something like this." Hope replied. "When you worked in the lab, was it like you had imagine?"

For once Hank seemed lost for words, frowning and looking down at his hands splayed before him on the table. "Not really," he said eventually, though he didn't elaborate on the answer. "That's why I'm glad to be here, working with Dr Grey and the others. I think it'll be far more like what I imagined it could be like."

"There might also be a somewhat larger age range of people here who use the labs. I know Susan Storm often uses them, but there are others as well." Hope added with a smile. "You might want to be on alert for Amadeus Cho though, if I have to believe the rumor mill."

"Oh? Why's that? Is he the resident mad scientist?"

"I would say he is mostly young and very enthusiastic. Perhaps lacking some experience and common sense, but quite smart." Hope clarified, thinking back to the journal posts she had seen.

"Ah, well, I'll be sure to keep my eyes peeled for any experiments gone awry," Hank replied with a growing smile. "Provided I don't cause a panic with any of my own. Not that I'm planning to," he added hastily.

"Explosions here are not unusual, with all the mutant abilities around. Would make for a nice change of pace." Hope returned his smile, carefully feeling her way through the banter.

"Indeed. And speaking of which..." Hank looked back at the textbook in front of him, then returned his attention to Hope. "This conversation has been a very pleasant diversion, but I should probably get back to my reading, and allow you to get on with your work. I wouldn't want to stand in the way of a good cause."

"I suppose I should." Hope pulled one of the folders closer, along with her note pad. "Good luck with your studies, Hank. I enjoyed talking with you."

"As did I." Normally he found it quite easy to block out distractions and read, but if he was perhaps slightly distracted, glancing up every so often and then ducking his head back down as soon as he caught a glimpse of Hope, well, that could be forgiven, couldn't it?