Taking control of the narrative

Posted on Mon Apr 22nd, 2024 @ 9:02 by Claire Cavendish & Phoebe Hunter

Chapter: Winter's Crest Festival
Location: Phoebe's personal quarters, Avalon Institute
Timeline: Tuesday, 15th of December, 1992
1862 words - 3.7 OF Standard Post Measure

The stress of the whole ordeal was definitely starting to dawn on Claire. She shouldn't have agreed. Not on such short notice. What was she thinking? But she couldn't back out now, they had time to dedicate to Avalon, they'd probably be inviting some talking heads, if they wouldn't provide their side of the story they'd be left with a one sided depiction of the institute. Odds would be it wouldn't be flattering. The sizzle in the air announced Claire's arrival, just outside the door of the one she had put in charge of the Quantum Knights initiative. They were obviously not going to reveal any of that to the BBC, but it would be good to have a conversation about what they would and wouldn't be saying. And how to get everyone on board with the narrative. Someone used to secret service and spinning information was the perfect person to help her do that. So the purple head teacher knocked on the door. "Phoebe, are you in?"

Phoebe had just gotten out of a shower after her run and mid attempting to get her hair to detangle when she heard the request. She glanced down at her pink fluffy dressing gown and shrugged, it was definitely not the worst piece of clothing she own. “Come in Claire!” The history teacher called knowing the door was unlocked.

With a hesitant push Claire opened the personal quarters of the history teacher. "Hi. I hope I'm not intruding." The normally confident head mistress seemed a bit flustered, "I could use some insights." She stood just inside the door for a moment.

“Come in Claire!” Phoebe repeated kinder this time and indicated the small sofa area that they could sit and chat together. The room was cosy and small but it was exactly what Phoebe liked about Scotland, it was large outside but inside it was cosy and warm. "In sight into what?" She wondered wincing as she put her hair up. The cuts were still stinging just a little but she needed to keep them hidden from the kids to not worry them having a fringe helped.

There was a moment of hesitance as she spotted the cuts and bruises as well as the current attire. "Are you sure now is a good moment? I can return later." She didn't move from her position just inside the door. After a moment she realised how that must've come off and was able to push away her stiff upper lip upbringing to ask; "Are you alright? What happened?"

“Friday night I was at one of the pubs in town and did not forsee until it was too late that there someone would throw a brick through the window.” The woman leaned over to show where the doctor in town had stitched her up. “I got hit by some of the glass.”

Claire felt anger bubbling up at that. The spree of anti-mutant sentiment had hurt multiple people that were close to her. Certainly several people in the employ of the institute, but more than that her friends. "Did you happen to catch them?" She was sure the local police wouldn't do much against them, but simply letting them go because of that wasn't really an option in her mind.

Phoebe shook her head. “I did not but they sounded like kids to me if I am honest. Most likely listening to their parents laments and though on a Friday night they would act tough. I am fine. My… I have a friend in town who helped me.” She explained blushing a little. It was going to come out eventually but she wanted it in her terms.

The sudden change of tone and the blush told Claire everything she needed to know about Phoebe's friend in town. "I'm glad you have someone you can trust and who watches over you." Not that Phoebe needed anyone to look over her per se. "Is he alright as well? Was it targeted at you?"

"He is a good man," Phoebe assured. She felt no evil from his future at all though she loathed to purposely seek out his timeline more than a few hours. It left her in a spot like she was with Cameron and that was getting more and more awkward by the moment. "And he is fine he was not close enough to be hit. It was not a target other than the pub being open to all. Several places seemed to have been hit." She had seen a couple of other businesses having spray paint or issues - even one of the Greggs.

"That's good at least." Claire felt some of the tension in her shoulders fade.

"The only awkward bit is he is a guardian of one of the kids," Pheobe admitted. She knew it was a bit of a grey area and she wanted to be honest about it all so they could get to the nitty gritty of why Claire was there.

Claire quirked an eyebrow, that was potentially awkward. It took her a moment to consider who it was that had a guardian, such a specific bit of nomenclature as well, in town. She couldn't really remember. "As long as we're being discreet and keep any rendezvous clear of the castle grounds I don't see cause for alarm."

Phoebe bowed her head in thanks. The students were the first thing in her mind and why she was keeping Matt so distant from her work. "But moving on what did you need from me Claire?" Phoebe brought the conversation back to the main point of Claire's visit. She should have told her about the incident before then but she had not wanted to cause too much alarm.

It was clear to Claire that Phoebe was uncomfortable lingering on the subject, even though there were many questions still about the circumstances of her injury, especially after having talked to Gabriella about the state of the bakery. "Yes. Quite right." She cleared her throat a bit, "I've invited the BBC over to get a tour of the institute, in an effort to have a broader view of mutants be shared with the world. They'll come in tomorrow and I'll give them a tour of the institute and all the different workshops we're giving in light of the festival. The item airs on Friday." There was a moment where she considered asking how that would end for them, but there were probably too many variables and the true reason she was here was for advice on how to shape the narrative in their favour. "Cameron is making sure the path we're taking for the tour is presentable, but I need to have a sparring partner with regards to what questions to expect and how to answer them."

The BBC? Well now that was something Phoebe had not thought would be happening but it was a genius move if it worked well for them and the BBC broadcast them in a positive light. "Okay..." Phoebe indicated the chair and sat down on her bed. "Sparing I can do." The woman assured gathering herself as it was something that she could do in many forms. She licked her lip and nodded. "How do you ensure the safety and well-being of mutant students in your school, considering their unique abilities and potential challenges they may face?"

"That's a very good question, thank you. We are all unique individuals and face our individual challenges. Without Avalon we would be forced to face those alone, with nobody to support us. The teachers here have all learned to connect with their abilities and control them. What they learnt through that process can be helpful in many different ways to our students. We have strict rules about the use of these abilities, and close connections with leading scientists in the field of genetics to help everyone understand and hone their skills in a safe environment." Claire gave a bit of a nod as a mental pat on her own shoulder.

"What measures do you have in place to address any discrimination or prejudice that mutant students may encounter within the school or from the broader community?"

"It's sad that minority groups, of whatever nature, encounter discrimination and prejudice at all. We believe that all people are equally valuable. These believes are reflected in our house rules and our staff and students are expected to live by those rules, both within these walls and outside of it. As for outside in the broader community, we do what we can to prepare students for interactions with those that hold different beliefs. We invest time into how they can engage in healthy debate, how they can avoid escalation, and self defence."

"Can you describe any partnerships or collaborations your school has with other mutant education institutions or organisations?"

Claire nodded at that, most of the collaborations were quite on the down low, spilling all of them in an interview would be very counterproductive. "We hold close ties with different organisations who might benefit from our unique perspective and experience. Likewise we have have organisations that we connect with that can provide us with the same."

"What support systems are in place for mutant students who may struggle with controlling or understanding their abilities?"

"One of the major things I've learned in helping people discovering new abilities is that patience is key. This goes for both the person guiding as well as the person trying to learn control. We've not come across someone that, when taking the time and putting in the effort, has been unable to control their new found abilities. One has to keep in mind that these things are naturally occurring, and it would be odd for one to develop something within their own natural body that one cannot control." She knew there were plenty of cases over the years that they could highlight. There was more than one student around wearing protective gear to prevent others from being harmed by their abilities at this time. But Claire was certain that given enough time and effort they'd definitely be able to control it.

"How do you prepare mutant students for integration into wider society, both in terms of their academic achievements and their ability to navigate societal attitudes towards mutants?"

"How do you prepare someone for life?" Claire smiled a bit. She had answered most of this by twisting Phoebe's earlier question more towards this anyway, and she found it a good opportunity to make an interviewer think of their students, and mutants in general, as people. "You teach them maths and biology and history and English and all that stuff. You hope they make friends and connections that last them a lifetime. You make sure they don't lose sight of everything that's happening beyond these walls. You teach them to walk and talk, hoping they'll learn to run and sing.

Phoebe smiled and raised an eyebrow at the woman. "And you were worried about not having answers. I think you will be fine." She assured not quite revealing if it was because she saw the future or she was just assured of it.