Dotting I's and Crossing T's

Posted on Sun Jan 1st, 2023 @ 0:02 by Reagan D'Angelo & Jhanvi Dhar

Chapter: Prologue: Dawn of Avalon
Location: Reagan's Office
Timeline: Thursday, September 17th, 1992
2206 words - 4.4 OF Standard Post Measure

It seemed almost impossible not to get lost.

For someone who had navigated an intricate network of shanties and meandering alleyways for her entire childhood, Jhanvi was struggling to keep the far-more-orderly corridors of the Institute as a visual map. Experience had taught her that exploring would soon rectify that but it meant potentially encountering those who might find her presence odd. It was the newness of it all that was throwing her, it had been a while since she'd been forced to adjust to an entirely new setting, in an entirely new location, for an entirely new purpose, and without any of the usual support structures to fall back on. Diana wasn't gone but neither was she waiting at home to debrief the day's events. Rather ironically, independence had been the one thing Jhanvi had clung fiercely to in the early days of her foster placement. Now look at her.

You're being ridiculous.

For what felt like the hundredth time, she doubled-back to the junction she'd just veered left and and opted for the right-hand corridor instead. Clung to her chest, the manila folder of papers seemed a flimsy excuse for paying anyone a visit when email existed but Claire had been very encouraging about making efforts to meet the faculty before classes got underway. Jhanvi could see the sense in it, certainly had no desire to turn up to this social event the Head Mistress was planning with no faces to attach names to, but it didn't make her feel less awkward. Stopping in front of an office door and staring up at its number for several seconds to convince herself it matched the records she'd checked, the secretary exhaled and reached out to knock quietly.

"Come in," came a warm, quick reply to the knocking sound. Reagan was at her desk reviewing a lesson plan for day one of classes. Specifically, the youngest of the children were up first and thus she had to plan how to make biology fun for pre-teens. Back to the basics was always good for them, and so she had decided on a zoological focus. Who didn't love studying animals and then dissecting some frogs? She settled her pen down after those few seconds deliberating silently to herself before the door opened, eyes peering toward it expectantly. Who had she not greeted yet? Or perhaps it was one of the others with work requests or something less pleasant than catching up. She half-expected Claire with some stack of paperwork or another.

For a split second, Jhanvi contemplated rearranging herself to pull the material currently billowing around her shoulders up around her head. Whilst the sense of control and protection it afforded her was a considerable boon, it also wasn't the frank and open introduction that therapy had pushed as being so important in these foundational early days. Pushing back the urge, the quiet woman peered firstly into the room, poised on the threshold without committing to entering without absolute assurance she wasn't interrupting.

"Hello? Professor D'Angelo?"

Reagan didn't recognize the figure, and so her attempt at a more formal greeting sort of fell flat, mouth hanging open briefly before she could correct herself and offer a broad, cordial smile deserving of an introduction first. "That's me! I am afraid you have me at a disadvantage Miss...?"

She let her words linger there, asking the question and switching her tone to something warmer throughout as she took in this stranger. Timid, sure, but she didn't look so young as to be a student. And only a brave student might speak to her before school had even started (that or one who already knew her).

The measure of relief on Jhanvi's face was immediately obvious. "Jhanvi Dhar, adminstration." How many times had she rehearsed that as a response to this very situation? It sounded...fine, though a little lackluster. "I have the purchase orders you submitted last term. Most have been authorised, you should receive the deliveries within the next couple of days." Aware that she'd launched into an excessive amount of formality whilst still hovering in the doorway, Jhanvi ventured into the room and hesitated a moment before fumbling to hand over the folder she was carrying. "You just forgot to sign these two."

"Ah, a new face! Please, come in." Reagan stood from her chair then, maintaining decorum. Claire might have had her keep sitting, not wanting to interrupt her work. Same with some of her other colleagues. But a new face required a proper introduction. She waited patiently for Jhanvi to enter, offering a smile when the folders were handed over. It was an exchange then. Reagan took the folder to set on her desk and extended her other hand in offering for a shake. "Reagan D'Angelo. How long have you been with us, Miss Dhar?"

Another eventuality she'd prepared for and yet Jhanvi still hesitated. Now empty, her hands fidgeted a moment before she reached one towards Reagan to reciprocate the greeting. The glove it wore was form-fitting and close enough to her natural skin-colour to perhaps escape notice from a distance. Physical contact, however, left no doubt unless the woman's mutation somehow turned portions of her skin into a silk-blend. "I arrived yesterday," Jhanvi replied, quick to regain her hand. "My apologies for not noticing this sooner, there was quite a backlog to work through."

Reagan reminded herself to stay patient, warm, despite the eccentricities and her own curiosities about all the little details that came up; The silk feeling in the handshake, how the tone matched to a degree that made her second guess whether it was skin or some sort of covering. Neither would be completely unusual when dealing with new people at a school where the majority of the population were mutants. "And so quick to get to work? I do hope Claire didn't pressure you? Did she at least give you a nice tour of the grounds first?"

She let the apology slide, thinking it unnecessary and simply showing that in her actions. The conversation went on, and she sat back down to open the folder and look through the papers to see what needed doing, hand snatching a pen for the inevitable need. "I think you'll find that despite our private, posh seeming nature, we're quite relaxed on the whole strict timetable thing here, hm? You'll see once the students are all settled and classes have started. We'll all just sort of... settle into motion."

"I like to keep busy."

It was a weak response despite being the truth. Paperwork was socially undemanding, unwavering in its expectations and easily managed if you were methodical and thorough. After so many years, Jhanvi had yet to find meeting other people anywhere near as simple. There had been a general expectation, she had realised eventually, that relocation to London would open her eyes to the mutant reality and bring her amongst supportive kindred for the first time in her life. The trouble with that sentiment was that it had hinged, at least in the early days, on the supposition that she'd never met another mutant. Quite to the contrary, she'd met a number of them.

They'd just not been very...nice.

So the inherent distrust wasn't as potent as it had once been over a decade ago but she was neither naïve enough to expected automatic acceptance. She'd met those who abused their powers, and those who championed peacekeeping efforts, but the murkiness of the in-between had a tendency to throw up a lot of attitudes that were difficult to anticipate. Jhanvi accepted the advice with a nod but silently reserved judgment, having found a certain neutrality to have served her adequately enough so far.

"So it's been no bother and no imposition. Everyone's been very welcoming so far."

"That is something the two of us have in common then, Jhanvi! Although I have a feeling we like to keep busy in different ways, hm? At least you don't strike me as the athletic sort. Forgive me if I presume too much." As she spoke, she scribbled a few things on the forms in questions, her signature quick and flourished. Once satisfied, she picked up the folder and regarded their new administrator with curious eyes, handing it over with the forms facing Jhanvi.

"What do you like to do for fun, Jhanvi? And I hope that is to your satisfaction? Let me know if I forgot to dot any i's or the like."

"The signature was all that was missing," Jhanvi reassured, having already taken the time to thoroughly check the rest of the document. Pulling it to her chest again, arms folded around it as if it represented a life buoy, the secretary hesitated over the question and then willed herself to simply be honest. "I was far more active in my younger years. These days, I prefer to read. Or sew." Claire had already made overtures towards running textile classes, or jewelry-making courses, but none of that seemed necessary to mention.

"Very good." Reagan nodded assuredly and relaxed in her chair then, hands idly straightening all of her documentation again, finding her place in her lesson plan to get her mind back on track, even while her eyes shifted between that at the woman at her desk. "Ah, the quiet sort then? I can certainly respect wanting to find some peace now and again. You should come hiking around the loch with us some time, some very lovely and serene views where one can just lose themselves."

Jhanvi had already looked towards the loch and surrounds with a certain amount of wistfulness. More than anything, the location of the school had perhaps appealed to her the most, despite the fact she understood the importance of forging an independent life that was self-sufficient and purposeful. The streets she'd grown up in held nothing like the natural splendor and London wasn't exactly renown for its rolling hills either. For the first time, the woman smiled faintly and nodded. "I think I'd like that. Everything is very different here but quite beautiful."

Beaming another warm smile up from her desk, Reagan closed her lesson plan book and made to stand then, giving her arms a generous stretch. "Excellent! Do let me know when you might be free to do that some time, hm? I can be your solo guide, or you can come with a group of us. Certainly more once all the students arrive and I arrange field study trips and the like."

Every fibre of Jhavi's being screamed for a solo tour, except the threads responsible for her spoken response. "Whatever suits you best would be fine." There was a hesitation, a pause where the woman seemed to be about to add something else, but instead her next words were, "I'll go place these orders as a priority." Jhanvi held up the paperwork. "Everything ordered last term should be here very soon, is this where you'd like it delivered?"

That smile never really left the blonde's features, a gentle shrug given that more said 'I'm not too bothered with the outcome' than a flat 'I don't know.' "That should work fine for the lighter things. Heavier stuff in our storeroom for all things biology and chemistry. Just incase there's some frozen fish carcasses I forgot about or something."

Even as she continued speaking, Reagan moved past Jhanvi then and opened the door again, holding it for the administrator. "I will allow you to get back to work, I think it's about time for my restless self to go for a run."

"Of course," Jhanvi hastened to the door, took half a second to think through her willingness to flee, and moved to hold it open for the other woman. With considerable effort, she pressed forward to lead the conversation for the first time since arriving. "It was lovely to meet you, Professor. I'm sure I will see you at the...open mic..." The hesitation was due to the unfamiliarity of the term for Jhanvi still had no real idea what to expect of the event.

Reagan found herself pleasantly surprised by the gesture, gently bowing her head to Jhanvi as she passed into the hallway first. "And you as well, Jhanvi. May I call you that or would you prefer the more formal?" She brightened up with that mention though, giving a little wave even as she started down the hall toward her room. "That you will! At least you won't have my silly routine as a first impression this way!"

Jhanvi naturally slowed her pace to allow the woman to pull away, since it seemed preferrable to attempting awkward corridor conversation. Though she smiled at Reagan's humour, the teacher had ducked out of sight before Jhanvi could think up an appropriate response and the deflation of her posture to convey her relief was profound.

That wasn't so bad.

A veer to the left saw her unconsciously retrace her steps whilst, head down, she began the inevitable dissection of the interaction.

But why on God's Earth would she want frozen fish carcasses?