| The Six-in-One Arrive |
| Summary: | Jada Doakese arrives at Xavier's Academy for Gifted Youngsters, and is welcomed by Headmistress Frost and her designated guide, Linda Danvers |
| Date: | 2014-06-13 |
| Related: | None |
| NPCs: | Various Xaveir's staff |
| Scene Runner: | Emma |
| Social/Plot: | Social |
| Players: |
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Having arranged for the arrival of another new student, Emma Frost has been debating exactly how she is going to deal with - administratively speaking - the unique challenges of this particular student. Part of her solution has been a quick telepathic call to another student, even as she checks herself in the mirror to be sure she is presenting herself to the best possible effect.
« Ms. Danvers? I know you are ever so busy listening to your … music. But would you be so kind as to stop torturing your roommate's hearing, and come to my office? I have need of you, please. »
Out front, the oversized passenger van pulls through the large, ornamental - but still quite solid - iron gates, and transports the latest student up the long, winding and scenic driveway to the parking ring in front of the school, surrounding the rather lovely and fully-functioning fountain. Once the van has come to a complete stop and the emergency brakes are engaged, the driver exits the vehicle and comes around, ready to help each passenger out of the vehicle, and then start unloading the cargo in the back.
"No, Ma'am. No need to worry about any of that. All of this will be taken up to your room. If you just walk up those stairs to that lovely porch, someone will be right there to greet you." They always are. He does his best not to think about how damned creepy the coincidences of timing can be around here, if only because he hates the headaches that always seem to follow those thoughts.
"Got to go." Linda tells Lana. Who isn't being tortured. They're SHARING. Geez. "Not everyone can listen to fat women in viking helmets wail." She mutters. Then she heads down to the office. She's still in uniform, though her tie's in her pocket and her black blazer hangs open and the top three buttons of her white blouse are undone. Linda's in brunette form which means the whole outfit seems a bit large and baggy on her.
There's a knock on the door, then Linda opens it up and peeks inside. "You wanted to see me, Ms. Frost?"
It's quite a posse alright! First, it's a young woman who seems to be wearing capris and a white tanktop that gets out, with a patch on her jeans numbered '6'. Then an identical one with Tripp pants and a black hoodie with a big red '1' on the shoulder reaches out with her left hand to be helped. Another, identical as all the others, wears a 'Saints' jersey and basketball shorts. She is also a bit more muscular and wears a '4' on the left leg of her shoulder… And on and on in that vein, each with their own clothes and patches numbering them. They chime in as one,"Thanks! We appreciate it." Because in front of the man driving the van, they WOULD say 'we'.
She or… they? She takes the directions literally, skipping up the stairs, and calls back, with '1',"Thanks for the ride!" And then all six of them are sort of dithering on the porch… It takes less than ten seconds for them to get their cellphones out and start checking twitter and facebook while they stretch and twist, trying to iron out their kinks and and cramps.
Down the stairs and out through the main courtyard to the front door: the doors open as soon as Jada - herself - reaches the top of the stairs. Two moments, then three pass, and a figure appears in the doorway. If all six could communicate their thoughts instantly, they might notice there is just the tiniest hairsbreadth of difference in timing between when each of them begins to perceive the woman at the door, a moderate-height brunette dressed in a simple blue dress with a white apron that shows its wear but is still in excellent condition. "Good afternoon, dears. Please, do come in. Yes, yes. Right this way. You'll want to be seeing Ms. Frost. I'll take you up to her office. I am Sarah, the cook."
Or, more particularly, she is the telepathically-projected likeness of Sarah, the cook. And she leads the 'sisters' all the way through the building and up the stairs in the administrative section, until reaching offices on the second floor. Including one that has a particular young blonde peeking through it, while open.
"Yes, Ms. Danvers. I did. Please, come in. If you would be so kind, hold the door for the ladies behind you? Thank you."
Seated behind the gleaming desk of the office is the vision in white that is Emma Frost, Headmistress. Of course, 'Sarah' leads the girls to the door, and then ushers them through while fading from sight. Linda, with her senses, never saw Sarah. At all. But she would of course spot the six girls coming down the hall.
"Ms. Doakese, may I present Ms. Danvers. Ms. Danvers, our newest student, Ms. Doakese. And company, of course. Welcome, Ms. Doakese, to Xavier's Academy for Gifted Youth. I am the Headmistress, Ms. Emma Frost. You may, of course, call me Ms. Frost."
Linda steps inside and then, as instructed, holds the door open as one, two, three, four, five, six nearly identical women step inside. Unlike Emma Frost, Linda doesn't have the advantage of telepathy to know they're actually a single individual with six bodies. So, she's pretty glib about the sitution.
"I realize they're identical… whatever… quintuplets? Sextuplets. But you could at least introduce them individually, Ms. Frost."
The girl follows 'Sarah', but they're quick to communicate their confusion on the issue,"Uuuum… LOL… wtf… looking at you is giving me a headache. I bet it's superhard cooking for all these people." Yes. She never picked up the 'don't talk to the help' conceit of the rich. They made up most of her close human interaction, after all. Still, she's mostly quiet other than that.
Surprisingly, Linda gets a shy look, rather than immediate greetings, and a wiggle of fingers on 'One's left hand,"Thanks. 'Preciate it." It's a barely-there southeast-Louisiana city-accent that tinges her voice. The girl's sort of stack up in various positions in the office, then all curtsey, expertly surprisingly, to Miss Frost,"A pleasure to meet you Headmistress Frost. Er… Miss Frost."
At Linda's response, though, One finally clarifies for herself,"She did. Um… I'm Jada, and she's Jada, and so is she, and her, and her, and her. We're numbered for your convenience, if you feel the need to address us separately, though. You don't have to. LOL." Yes. She SAID LOL.
Only by main force of will does Emma prevent herself from twitching visibly when her new student spells out IM-speak. It's so hard being her. "I could indeed introduce them individually, Ms. Danvers. But since they do not yet identify themselves with differentiation beyond their numerical labels, neither can I." she offers, with a nod towards the group. "Ms. Danvers, I intend to assign you as Ms. Doakese' guide and liason. Do you feel that is a task that you can accomplish?" Hey, if not, Emma can always assign a metric ton of extra homework instead. She's flexible like that. Really.
"Oh. Your powers having six bodies. Got it." Geez. How the hell are she and Lana going to prank this one? "Yeah. I can show her around. Help her get to class. All that stuff. Ummm. Hey." She offers a wave to the six bodies of Ms. Doakese. "Ms. Frost, which rooms are you giving her, then? Since its getting late I can show her those and then, I dunno, the kitchen or the lounge or something. I think Bobby was holding a Smash Brothers tournament tonight."
One keeps her right hand firmly planted in her hoodie for the moment, but does offer her /left/ to shake with Linda, while 'Two' addresses Miss Frost,"Hey, can I, like, say thanks for all this… This is, like, super-nice of you all to have me. Ummm… I was wondering… I have, like, some armbands with the numbers on them. Are they, like, okay to wear with the uniform?"
Jada number One is meanwhile chattering at Lana suddenly,"Thanks for showing me around. Yeah, you got it. That's… sorta my power. Don't worry. I got a good memory. You won't need to show me around more than, like, once. If it's less confusing, I could mostly settle in the room so you only have to show… say… Six around? Six slept most of the trip here." Six is also basically looking at EVERYTHING in the office.
"You are quite welcome, Ms. Doakese." Emma offers in return. One cannot even tell she is gritting her teeth. Seriously. That's talent! "We at Xavier's exist to find and help young people like yourself to grow and adapt to the powers that are your birthright, and find your way to identity and citizenship." And power and world domination. But anyway. The beautiful blonde Headmistress is quite welcoming and accepting. Which doesn't mean she's warm and friendly. There's a rigid air of the proper about her. Just the sort of thing Jada's upbringing likely showed her, and she chose to rebel against. How teen of her.
Linda thinks about that. "Just one of you is probably a good idea. One of you can stay here and get the "these are your responsibilities lecture" and one of you can go on the tour with me and the rest of you can unpack or sleep or something." She claps the closest of the Jadas on the shoulder. Not hard, of course. She'd hate to break her fellow student's collarbone.
Jada can, 100% of the time identify the proper spoon to eat soup with. And 100% of the time, she will choose to drink it directly from the bowl anyway. "Oh. Right. My parents told me to give this to you when I arrived." The right hand FINALLY comes out. The click of the mechanical fingers as they place the envelope on Miss Frost's desk is surprisingly soft. Then One's hand is back in the pocket,"This is gonna be totes craycray."
The clap on Two's shoulder gets her nearl jumping out of her skin, followed by a sheepish expression of embarassment. Meanwhile, the clone with a big red 'six' on its left breast steps forward to indicate herself, One moves closer to the desk, and the rest array themselves near the door.
Of course, Emma accepts the envelope with a nod. "Thank you, Ms. Doakese." Of course, she knew about the envelope and its contents, and so does not bother to open it here or now. It isn't necessary, only the need to remind the young woman to deliver it.
"Very well. Ms. Doakese … Six. If you would be so kind as to accompany Ms. Danvers, she will give you a tour of the facilities. Ms. Danvers, the tour of the hiding holes in the woods can wait for another day, please. Thank you kindly. I will expect to see you ladies at dinner promptly."
Emma then turns to the original, with her prosthetic hand neatly put away again, and motions her back towards a chair. "Please, Ms. Doakese. Allow me to once again welcome you. Of course, we are here to help in every way that we can. But you should be aware that there will still be requirements demanded of you. Our educational programs will likely seem familiar to you in structure, as they are not terribly different from home schooling, save that we actually do have content experts present for most subjects. All of you will be engaged in study sessions and classes, every day. We will adapt your flexible scheduling as needed, certainly. But each of you will continue to study." In short, she won't be able to have one out by the pool all day, and another off shopping, while one and only one studies. That just won't fly. Emma's too much a product of that traditional 'hard working' school of thought.
"We have rules of conduct and attire, of course. Your armbands should be fine, though I would prefer to see them first, if that is acceptable." …
Linda rolls her eyes at Ms. Frost's admonishment. "Whatever. Come on, Six. I'll show you the mansion. Its huge and easy to get lost in." She motions and steps out of the room so Six can follow.
"Yes ma'am! I figure having that many of me working is just going to maximize the efficiency of the learning process." One settles in the chair, even as two through six file out to follow Linda back to the room. With the other girl gone, she seems to relax a little bit. She fishes in her pocket until she comes up with a black armband with a surprisingly neatly stitched red '1' on it, and offers it to Emma,"But for the numbers, they're virtually identical. It doesn't bother me if people don't treat the other me's individually… but I'm pretty sure some people are going to feel a need to address them separately."
Well. Even if she rebels against class, Jada has at least some respect for authority. "Um… this is… uh… delicate, but… do I take my medication in my room, or do you have a nurse or something who dispenses them, Miss Frost?" And uniforms? Well, she's intrigued anyway,"Uniforms should make picking out clothes easier. Are there staff, or do we have chores?" She's used to having staff, but the great and powerful internet tells her most people do not!
Emma extends her hand, accepting the armband, which she examines carefully. Then she nods, offering it back in turn. "Yes, that will be fine. Thank you kindly.
"I am sure that some may choose to address them differently and individualize them. If you are uncomfortable with that, you will have to express that to the other students. That is the best advice I can offer you." Emma responds.
"Your medication has already been taken to the nurse's office. Everything you need will be dispensed from there. Given the strength and importance, this is a course of treatment we prefer to keep an eye on, for your own health and safety of that of the rest of the students." Emma really doesn't say much more about it. She isn't bothered in the slightest. And there will be an invisible metric ton of bricks dropped on the first person - student or staff - to in any way belittle or otherwise verbally assault any of the Jadas on this subject. One can only barely imagine how razor-sharp vicious Emma can be if given a reason to let it out.
"You will find that both are true, Ms. Doakese. We have staff, here, including content specialist teachers, educators such as myself, and several others." Gardeners, repair crews, cooks and more. "However, every student has chores assigned as well. You will find that you have been entered into the chore rotations six times, for obvious reasons. Also, for ease of reference, I have assigned you to three rooms in close proximity, in pairs. Yourself and your second, your third and your fourth, your fifth and your sixth. Students do their own laundry. Students also help serve meals and clean up. In addition, students are often assigned other work details, either for educational or for disciplinary reasons."
Jada accepts the armband, though elsewhere in the school, at least two of her clones are busy eyeballing the uniform with a mixture of glee and poutiness one might expect from someone used to having more wardrobe selection. She does NOT, however, complain. Her parents did say it would be different. Still, she does get a bit fidgety,"I… thank you. That was always my deal with my parents. As long as I was responsible, they'd support me. I know how lucky I am. Ever since… stuff happened, I can't quit thinking about how lucky I am. I don't know how quickly I'll adapt, but I'm not going waste the chance to find out."
"I'm okay, by the way, with signing up for extra chores if there's ever any slack that needs picking up. I'm not used to chores, but I am used to a lot of class work, and my parents always said 'Service is the way the better-off make themselves worthy of their rewards.' as well as 'Those who can do more have a duty to do so.'." Pause. "They're expecting a lot of me. I don't want to let them down." Pause. "The rooms are nice, by the way. Cozy. I wasn't sure I'd like them, but they're… cozy."
"You are very lucky to be as gifted as you are, Ms. Doakese. You are lucky to have had understanding, accepting parents who have always encouraged you upon the path meant for you, despite anyone else's views. You are lucky now to be amongst others like yourself, who can understand, help, guide and protect you, nurture you into the young woman - or young women - you have the potential to become." Emma answers. In truth, she'd even consider Jada lucky for the loss of her fingers. It could have been so much worse. And at least they were all from one hand. Terrible to consider, but all too true.
"I am glad that you approve." Emma offers, with a wry momentary twist to her lips. Cozy? The rooms here are pretty luxurious compared to most educational institutions. After all, they are rooms in a mansion, and a huge one at that. "It is good to try to live up to those sorts of ideals." she answers. But her tone, to the keenly observant, would say 'Do as I say, not as I do'. Emma is not nearly so altruistic, no matter what Moon Maiden has to say about the idea. "You will find complete copies of the student handbook on the intranet, and already loaded on each of the StarkPads in your rooms. Familiarize yourself with those rules, especially the rules regarding off-campus time. In your case, I will consider each of you to be a separate student, with individual requirements for check-in, cover, and awareness." She has to keep them all safe, of course.
Either she doesn't catch the light sarcasm, or is too well-mannered to comment on it. All signs point to the first, though. Still, Jada wouldn't be herself if she weren't curious. "May I ask… Miss Frost, you've obviously got what my parents call 'breeding', and for them transition was easier to understand than my desire to become an educator one day. Why did you?" She's trying very hard not to use IM-speech. It has her talking slower, anyway.
She taps her head slightly,"If you ever need to find one of me, ask the nearest clone. Even if I don't know where I am, we can sort of feel where the others are in relation to one another. You won't have any security-issues with me. I… don't think I need to elaborate on why." That information shared, though, she has to smile. She was actually worried before seeing the mansion it would be unacceptably small. The total size of it probably exceeded even her every day expectations. "Three is reading the handbook right now, and the rest are running the Starkpads through their paces. They're very nice. You haven't spared any expense on educational tools."
It is a question that no other student has ever had the unmitigated gall to try asking Emma. But she doesn't slap down Jada for asking. "I became an educator, because Charles Xavier came to me, and offered me the opportunity to see to it no other child in this cime suffer for his or her powers. It was an opportunity to use my particular talents to their fullest extent, assisting students in fighting their greatest potential and battling the darkness, fear and confusion that build up within."
« If I ever need to find you, Jada, I won't have to ask. » Emma sends, her lips purposefully not moving as he watches Number One in front of her. "None of you leaves the campus without, at a minimum, a second one of you. And each of you carries a cellphone. You check in before ten-pm every night, confirming you are safe and your location. And you do not miss class sessions."
Emma smirks and nods. "We have not spared any expense, because we demand the best of our students. The only way to achieve that is to be prepared to invest the best in our students in turn."
It'd probably be like slapping a puppy anyway. It gets punished, and it has no idea why. Still, something sticks with about what Emma says. The only outside sign is the smallest of sniffles, quickly sucked away by whatever vestige of high-class stoicism she may have learned growing up. Still, there is a moment there when that 'darkness' inside of her rises up as it sometimes does, threating to swallow her.
It turns to wonder a moment later. "Oh. Oh, that IS handy. And yes… One doesn't usually go anywhere away from home without two and four. You won't have trouble enforcing any of those. I'm not exactly the kind of person who leaves home very much anyway." She needs to learn to branch out of course, but all things in time. "Thank you again, Miss Frost. I won't disappoint, really." Now she just has to resist the urge to say 'omg' when she's dismissed. First world problems.
Office 1 - Xavier Mansion
This is a generous sized office. The lower half of the walls are a burnished blonde wainscoting with the upper half decorated with a pale blue multi-hued colored textured wallpaper. Covering the floor is a plush carpet that matches the wallpaper.
Tasteful landscape paintings hang in a cluster on the right wall and against the wall to the left is an eggshell white fabric-covered sofa with another painting hung above depicting the New York City skyline.
In front of the office door are a couple of wingback chairs in eggshell white that face a gleaming neo-modern chrome and glass desk on which sits a holographic projection monitor and other desk things. Behind the desk is a white leather chair and a broad credenza decorated with plants, personal photos and books, beneath the wide window to the outside, flanked by two hutch tops.
Linda Danvers
Before you stands a tall, fit, strikingly beautiful caucasian young woman with a long-limbed hourglass figure. She appears to be in her mid- to late teens, or perhaps her earliest twenties, with modest but quite noticeable curves and a toned frame, subtly showing athletic musculature. Her face's high cheekbones, beneath wide azure blue eyes with neatly sculpted golden blonde eyebrows, framing a narrow and 'pert' nose above full lips and all positioned symetically and appealingly within an overall ovoid shape and smooth, blemishless peaches and cream complexion, framed by mid-back length bright golden blonde hair, completes a package that most would fairly call 'model quality' good looks. Her voice is a sweet soprano, with just the slightest hint of an accent from south of the Mason-Dixon line.
Her current attire really can't be imagined as anything less than a superheroine's costume. A relatively skintight deep blue top with wrist-length long sleeves covers her torso, the neckline a simple crew. The blue of the top frames a bold elongated scarlet-trimmed pentagon 'shield' shape of gold, filled with a matching scarlet 'S', a symbol almost everyone would recognize from the hero Superman of World War II fame. Attached around the back and sides of the top's collar is a flowing red cape that drapes down to mid-calf when it isn't billowing out around or behind her, an all-gold repeat of that S-shield emblazed across what would be her lower back. The blue top tucks under a gold belt that drapes over her hips, dipping down front and back, from which descents a pleated, flouncy matching scarlet skirt that reaches mid-thigh. Her legs are bare, down to a pair of almost knee-height scarlet leather-like boots with gold band trim along the tops echoing the belt at her waist, points raised a bit at the fronts just below the knees.
Jada Doakese
Short. Closing in on around five feet, she diminutive, and it's clear she doesn't seem remotely comfortable most anywhere. At a taller height, she'd probably be considered lanky. At her height, it works. With big blue eyes, she's a bit too angular of feature to be really very pretty or exceptionally feminine in appearance. One side of her head is completely buzzed, with her long hair all fold over on one side. A quartet of silvery studs march up the shell of her ear.
Over her shoulders is a black hoodie with an 'Old Rasputin' logo on it, and a pair of black Tripp pants sits about her waist, held up with a braided leather black belt. Big black combat boots serve as footwear. Overall, her shape is a bit overly curvy and girlish out of step with her otherwise petite size, and her posture is actually a little slouched. Low confidence? On the shoulder of her hoodie is pinned a black patch, with a big red number '1'.