Sorry for the Cold Shoulder

Posted on Wed Feb 22nd, 2023 @ 10:38 by Cameron Johnston & Kaylee Ashton BSc
Edited on on Wed Feb 22nd, 2023 @ 10:41

Chapter: Prologue: Dawn of Avalon
Location: Institute Garage
Timeline: Day before attack.
1694 words - 3.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Making her way down to the garages that Cameron had pointed out the last time they talked, Kaylee wanted to apologise for her odd behavior she displayed during their conversation. She wasn't proud of her outburst and the last thing she wanted to do was to create any form of tension between herself and the other members of faculty that she would hopefully be working with for the foreseeable future.

Peering around the large metal roller doors that lead into the garage, Kaylee tried to spot Cameron before calling out to a potentially empty room, "um, hello? Anyone home?" she asked in a slightly nervous tone.

Despite the fact that he could theoretically be anywhere on the grounds within the blink of an eye, there were usually a handful of predictable locations that made tracking Cameron down a relatively simple task. Since the prototype jet had arrived, there had been a little more division of labour between his workshop and the subterranean hangar, but he tended to leave working on Nessie for the wee small hours when everyone else was asleep and his brain was still churning. Last semester, it had been working on Lulu that had chained him to the garage after hours. Now he had three projects to rotate between and only the incessant growl of his stomach to remind him to surface for breath once in a while.

He was currently bent over the hood of a very distinct looking car.

"Just dodge the oil stains," he called out, not lifting his gaze yet from his furrowed analysis.

A little confused at Cam’s response, Kaylee quickly made her way over to where he was working, paying no mind to any of the oil stains or other puddles she stepped in. This was definitely not the first time she’d been in a shop like this, though the ones she’d been in before were much larger.

Peering into the engine bay, Kaylee tried to get a look at what part Cam was currently wrestling with, “so what’s the prognosis Doc? Will she live?”

"Eventually," came the muffled response, the current attempt at trying to work loose a part at a crucial stage that didn't permit a full spectrum of best manners. Cam turned his head as best he could and winced as he applied additional pressure to the stubborn nut. "Once she stops trying to fight me on it."

“Maybe you need a little more leverage? Have you got a spare piece of pipe or something like that?” Kaylee asked, glancing around the workshop. “You could use it to lengthen the handle on your spanner.”

"Too tight a squeeze," Cameron said through gritted teeth and then relaxed visibly as the small wrench finally won the battle. Pushing himself up on the heel of his palm, he wound his arm out gently and then rolled back the shoulder to coax residual cramping into submission. Surveying the open hood, he gave a huff that resembled a chuckle and shook is head. "That's one." Then, finally able to turn proper attention to his visitor, Cam set aside the wrench and picked up a rag to wipe his hands on. "Not quite as organised here as your classroom," he admitted with a grin. The space wasn't chaotic so much as it was just home to a lot of projects in a perpetually incomplete state.

Kaylee shook her head, “oh don’t worry about that. I’ve seen less organised workshops believe me” she said as she quickly looked around the shop. “Actually, I wanted to apologise for my behaviour the other day. It was unprofessional and you didn’t deserve it. It was a simple misunderstanding”

For a moment, Cameron looked confused. At the time, there had been something a little off about the woman's mood but he'd reflected on it briefly and decided that it was probably just a case of trying to find her feet. At the very least, it wasn't typical of the man to hold grudges and, though he would have been fretful had he genuinely thought he'd done something wrong, Cameron had more or less chalked the occasional snippy remark up to bad timing. His hands found his hips, shoulders relaxed, and he smiled in a way that was intended to be reassuring.

"I don't know, there's a couple of people around here'll tell you if I didn't deserve it this time, just bank it until I do."

Kaylee was a little confused by Cam’s response. She expected him to accept the apology or something like that, but it would seem that he hadn’t been insulted by her actions. After stammering for a moment as she collected her thoughts, Kaylee eventually found her tongue, “oh, um….sure? I guess I can do that.” She said, staring to feel a little nervous.

“oh god, how did you ever get a Boyfriend” the voice in Kaylee’s head said. Kaylee could ‘feel’ that her other half was getting some kind of perverse pleasure out of this situation. Swallowing her nerves, Kaylee tried to return Cam’s smile, “well, since I’m here, how about you show me around? What projects have you got lined up for the students?”

"Automotive studies is an elective," Cam explained, "So you'll see mostly the older kids in here, starting with S4. Some of the S3 kids will end up doing special projects here later in the year, and my personal favourite, we turn over the entire design and tech department to the S1 and S2 kids for Science and Tech Week." He grinned, despite the fact that he'd clearly just spouted a heap of non-helpful half-explanations. "Prepare for a whole lot of toasters that will never work again."

“Oh come on, I’m sure you’re a better teacher then that” Kaylee said, giving Cam a smile, “or are these just outdated toasters that don’t actually work anyway?”

"The point is more for them to figure it out themselves, and investigate ways to either adjust or modify. We've had a few interesting outcomes. Last year, one of the kids managed to launch one onto the roof of the gym, and I'm still not clear about how that was even possible."

Kaylee smiled, “The ingenuity of kids never stops amazing me. If only we could still think like them, imagine the wonders we could create.”

Cam smiled at that. "They're a bright bunch in general, exceptional for more than just what their mutations offer. It's sometimes a bit of a struggle to get them to see that though."

For a moment, Cam considered his newest colleague, aware that perhaps, after a glimpse into some of her more anxious traits, she might have benefited from that same message during her formative years. Either way, she'd certainly get it here; one of the things Cameron loved most about Claire was her dogged refusal to let anyone become a slave to imposed destinies.

"How'd the classroom set-up go anyway? Manage to squeeze in your pendulum?"

Giving a sigh, Kaylee shook her head, “alas no, guess I’ll just have to fall back on throwing a ball around the class. Same principle, just not as flashy” she said as she gave a shrug, “maybe next year. Speaking of which, I had a thought that maybe we could teach a class together as a special treat for the kids. Like you could have them rebuild an engine and I could help explain how the engine produces power for the car. What do you think?”

The expression on Cameron's face gave the idea due consideration. "We can probably work in some practical demonstrations, though you might want to meet some of these kids before you start volunteering them for direct involvement in combustion energy." Being head of an elective that only the older children could opt for did end up isolating Cameron more from the younger students than he liked. Cross-collaboration sounded like a way around it.

Giving a smile, Kaylee gave a shrug, “that probably a good idea, though out of all of the teachers, I might just be the best one to deal with combustion energy situations”

There was another thoughtful pause, though this time Cameron's mind wandered to a completely unrelated pondering that stole his attention purely because it was the first time he'd thought about it. "Have you met Jon yet?" As much as there was plenty of mileage to be made out of opposites attracting, Cameron had a more thoughtful reason for wondering. "He's our resident firebug, struggles a bit at times with worrying he'll catch cold and set the bed on fire." Which wasn't really a threat as far as Cameron was concerned, he'd never seen a mutant put more effort into controlling the random elements of their powers. "I think having you around might actually be good for him. And vice versa, of course." He grinned. "Though the pair of you together are going to make a lot of mud."

Kaylee shook her head, “No I haven’t met him. I’m sure there are quite a few of the faculty that I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet. Maybe you could introduce us?” She said, quietly thinking to herself how dangerous this ‘firebug’ could be to her.

Glancing back and what he'd been working on, Cameron nodded slowly. "Sure, you want to go try hunt him down now? Probably got his nose buried in a book trying to plan the upcoming term. He's one of our English buffs," he added as an explanation, moving to lower the car's hood and pull over her protective cover.

Giving a shrug, Kaylee figured why not, “sure, it’s always good to have someone to introduce you to a new face”

"Take my advice and don't ask him about Kerouac," Cameron remarked cryptically, fussing over the car's bedsheet before leading the way out. "Though you should definitely ask him about the social context and narrative dysfunction inherent in The Very Hungry Caterpillar." Holding the door open, the mechanic grinned. "He loves that."