Kurt and Topaz || Sunday Afternoon

[xp_topaz]

Kurt finds Topaz coming back from a run, and the two chat.

Grey, overcast days weren't good for much, but as far as Topaz was concerned, it was perfect running weather. She hated running in the sun and when it was too hot, and with summer coming she was going to take advantage of the overcast days as much as she could.

She was just returning from a run, rolling her shoulders as she made her way up the path to the mansion, her earphones tucked securely in her ears. It was a rare moment of being totally unaware of anything around her.

Kurt was sitting in a tree at the edge of the path, and seeing the wires coming down from her ears, decided the best way to get her attention was - well, by dropping leaves on her head.

"What-" Topaz looked up, confused, and smirked. "Funny," she called, taking her earbuds out, "What're you doing?"

He shrugged. "Taking the air, for as long as it is not raining. I rather enjoy cooler weather."

"Better than the heat," Topaz agreed. "How are you?"

"Ah, well enough", he said easily, hopping down from the low-ish branch and landing on his feet. "Not to jinx it, but things have been relatively peaceful."

"Amazingly peaceful." Topaz snorted. "Especially considering Amanda's been gone. I figured her ducklings would go nuts without her."

"She left you in charge of the class, yes? And they have not been too much trouble?"

"The fear of Amanda's wrath runs deep. Even when I'm the one she leaves to look after things."

Kurt laughed. "She will be returning soon enough, yes, so I suppose that would still hold true."

"Can't get back soon enough. Not that I don't like the class or anything," Topaz added quickly. "I think I'm better as the assistant, though."

"There have been no disasters with you in charge", Kurt pointed out. "And perhaps they have even learned things it would not occur to Amanda to teach."

"Like I said, Amanda's wrath." Topaz shrugged. "I can't imagine there's much I can offer that Amanda wouldn't already have covered, to be honest."

"Nonsense. Every person has experiences of their own that no other can speak of."

Topaz shrugged. "My experiences are pretty limited to 'get in trouble and need someone to bail me out.' I'm definitely an expert on that."

"Well, if nothing else", and his voice said he didn't believe there was nothing else, "you know the pitfalls you could not avoid."

"I'm a cautionary tale, for sure." Topaz pointedly ignored the tone. She was good at reading those.

"You have never considered that you might have ducklings of your own, one day?" He'd let her ignore the tone. For now.

That earned Kurt a proper laugh. "Not as long as Amanda's around. And even then I wouldn't trust me with kids."

"Why not?" Kurt asked simply. "Amanda does."

"Temporarily, sure. But she'll be back and she'll take the class again. I'm more of a sub than anything."

"She still trusted you to take the class without her supervision", he pointed out. "And I think, would trust you as her successor should she ever need one."

Another shrug. "She's never gonna need one." The words were simple. Topaz was sure of it - and a little relieved. Being in charge of people was too much for her.

"We can all hope for that", Kurt agreed quietly. "But tell me, then, what have you been teaching them?"

"Not how to bring things to life, she'll be grateful for that," Topaz said with a smirk. "We've mostly been working on shielding. I think they're a bit bored but hey, a good shield's saved my life more than once. And they're all trouble prone enough to need it."

"I think all our children would find that useful, if they were able to", he agreed ruefully. "What was that business with the stones, that I saw mentioned on the journals?"

"We can just put a bubble around them ourselves and be done with it." Topaz rolled her eyes. "Oh... I'm not sure, to be honest. All the magic folk somehow mysteriously acquired black and white rocks. No one's been able to find anything out about them, though. They're just weird rocks as far as we can tell."

"But they just appeared, with no explanation?" He didn't like the sound of that. "No prank anyone has confessed to?"

"Yeah, really out of nowhere, too." Topaz made a face. "Mine pretty much dropped onto a textbook when I looked away for two seconds. They're definitely not normal."

"But I suppose you and Amanda between you have run every possible diagnostic spell, with no results?" He frowned. "I think perhaps these should be gathered and locked away, if they would not just come back."

"As far as we can tell, there's absolutely nothing magical about them, aside from how they just appeared," Topaz said. "Amanda wants to keep them apart, just in case putting them together activates something, but we're keeping them out of the way and not touching. Mine's locked up in a little safe box in my dresser."

"If it has stayed there, and not reappeared as it did the first time", Kurt agreed, "I suppose that will do. It just begs the question of why?"

"Hopefully we'll figure that out soon." She paused, then added, "Hopefully we'll be the ones to figure it out and not have the answer dropped on us."

"It would certainly be better that way. We have had quite enough of invasions around here."