Take the Press-ure off

Posted on Thu Mar 30th, 2023 @ 12:33 by Claire Cavendish & Jonathan Monroe

Chapter: Prologue: Dawn of Avalon
Location: Head Teacher's Office, Avalon Institute
Timeline: Monday, September 28th, 1992
2240 words - 4.5 OF Standard Post Measure

In the head mistress' office there was a large chesterfield couch with two matching chairs across from it. It was a perfect spot for her to meet with parents and their kids, sometimes with the help of one of the faculty. To explain to all of them what Avalon did, why it was the right place for their kid, and that they'd be in good hands. There had been many people already that had sat across from her on the large leather couch, two parents with the kid in the middle. It was only natural for them to try and be protective of their kids. There was a purple lady sitting across from them after all.

Today the couch had been empty before Claire had allowed herself to crash into it. The blazer she had worn during the press conference thrown over one of the aforementioned chairs, shoes kicked off on the short few steps between the chairs and the couch. The jade colour of her blouse contrasting with her skin and clashing with the dark red of the couch. Her head was still spinning from the press conference and the questions that had come after. Constantly wondering if she had done the right thing. If she had given the right answers. If she may have antagonised the Sherwood Rangers against them with her statements, or worse possibly yet the hidden hand behind the Sentinel.

When she heard someone at the door to her office she resisted the urge to fade into invisibility and hide. It was a reflex from her early years. It had given her solace and peace of mind. It was something that was not allowed to her in this moment. In this moment she had to be the strong willed head mistress of the Avalon Institute. She couldn't quite bring herself to get up and be that, but at least she was still visible, completely stretched out on the couch, feet touching one armrest, head laying on the other. "Come in, I'm over here."

Jonathan, somewhat 'out of uniform' in a pair of Levis jeans and a simple white tee, lowered himself into one of the seats, holding out a steaming mug for her.

"Coffee. Fresh blend, too. I figured you might need something strong, and it's probably too early to open a bottle of single malt." He leaned back, trying to get a sense from her face how she was doing. "Not exactly the way you wanted to start the new term, hmm?" he asked.

Claire sat up a bit, still leaning her back against the arm rest, reaching over to accept the offer of coffee. "Thanks Jon." She had considered the other alternative mentioned herself but didn't want to cross the line of drinking it during school hours. She took a careful sip of the dark brew and winced a bit. The bitterness and the heat were something she had not quite expected. It was difficult to get a decent cup of coffee in most of the communities she had spent time with. "What can I say, giant purple, military robot was not something I had on my 'start of semester bingo card'."

"At least the kids will have something to gossip about that isn't the new Drama teacher," he added with a good-natured smile. "But what about you? Things were pretty intense out there," He was referring to the action with the Sentinel, but it could also have been in reference to everything that came after. "Not to mention what could have happened to young Oliver. As headmistress you're bound to feel like it's somehow your fault...I'd hate for you to feel like that."

For a moment Claire thought over the words Jon was saying, if something were to have happened to Oliver she would probably not have been able to live with herself. "I think we were lucky that the mission was to search and recover. I don't know if we would've been on time if it had been search and destroy." Again not something she wanted to dwell on for too long. "Don't know what took more out of me, that fight or the questions from the press." She let out a long sigh before taking a sip from the piping hot tea.

"Yeah. I haven't gone that hot in a long time," Jonathan nodded. Normally he felt uncomfortable using his powers around others, especially so strongly. The risk of hurting someone had tempered his desires to really unleash what he was capable of for most of his life. With all that said, it had felt strangely satisfying to be able to put those abilities to use to protect rather than to harm. "No one expects the world from you. You understand that, right?" he said, looking over at Claire with concern. "I know it's hypocritical for me to talk about opening up, but trust me, bearing a burden on your own isn't healthy."

Claire's gaze was fixed on the liquid in her cup, she saw it shimmer and shake within her grasp. Her hands were far from steady and they hadn't been since Friday morning. The comment had sent her thoughts drifting away towards all of her responsibilities. Towards the faculty, the promise of security to the students and their parents. For a large part the promise of anonymity for some of the young mutants in their charge. It was something that would certainly take a hit. Avalon's reputation had grown and it had been starting to attract more and more attention from the right circles while deftly avoiding attention from the wrong ones. This press conference, and all the events leading up to it, did a lot to undo all of that.

When she realised that she hadn't responded in a while and her gaze lifted from the cup she gave a weary smile. It was one of those moments where she wasn't quite sure what to say, or even if she did it would've been difficult to determine how to say it. And there always came a point where perhaps it would become awkward to break the silence. He was right in that it wasn't a burden she had to shoulder alone, but in her position she had to shoulder quite a bit of it, and in the end it fell on her to protect those that trusted in her. Those that uprooted their lives to lend their time, their skills, and knowledge to the Institute. All to build towards that promise of a brighter future. And all of them knew it was going to be difficult, and that it wouldn't be done overnight. And yeah, sometimes it meant they had to get their hands dirty. But none of them would've expected it to be like this. Except maybe Phoebe. But that was cheating anyway.

"I know." After all of that, those were the only two words the head mistress was able to conjure up. And they didn't sound all that convincing.

"Good." He let the silence hang, not an awkward one but rather a comfortable moment of silent reflection. Over the last couple of years they had developed that unspoken understanding, where very little needed to be put into words. "How worried are you about the Sherwood Rangers?" he finally asked.

"It feels like I might've declared war on them. And they've shown what they're willing to do against those they deem the enemy." Claire was worried, quite a bit actually, but it wasn't something she could easily express, because it felt like she needed to have something in return. Something that showed everyone that she had things under control. That she had planned for this contingency and that they would easily come out on top. There had been no preparation, and looking at how far the Rangers were willing to go it wasn't assured they'd come up on top.

"I must admit, some of the language came out a little...confrontational," he noted, choosing his words carefully. "But we've got your back. All of us. Wherever it leads." They'd all come to the Avalon Institute for different reasons, but the philosophy Claire had given each and every one of them was what kept them there.

Claire nodded, she knew that she had her war face on when she was making the speech or answering some of the questions. But she wanted it beyond a shadow of a doubt that Avalon was in no way associated with the Rangers, and that they weren't going to be in the future. "Sometimes you need to show some fangs." She absentmindedly ran a tongue past her teeth after she had said that. "How are you holding up? I hope the battle won't be leaving any permanent scars." She was talking mostly about the physical ones, but she was also well aware that these people weren't soldiers, least of all her, and fighting a giant robot must've affected their psyche as much as it did hers.

"Nothing permanent, no," he said, a quick glance at his hands revealing nothing of note. "I actually forgot how liberating it is to let it burn hot, you know? Holding in the heat has become such a habit...it's hard to let that side of things out."

Another nod from the head mistress, "I know what you mean." Though for her the rapid succession of teleports and trying to obscure herself when thwarted by the sunlight was what had really done a number on her throughout the weekend. "Perhaps we can find ways for you to apply some of that to a more constructive part of the operation." She hated the idea that he would only be able to feel 'free' and able to let go when they were in danger. When they were fighting. She didn't plan on fighting, she knew they had to prepare for it, but she definitely never planned of having to use their skills in open combat.

"Uhhh..." He winced slightly at the notion. "I know I might have said 'liberating', but..." He righted himself in the armchair. "'I wouldn't say I'm still all that comfortable with the idea of doing a lot of fighting. We're still putting together this 'team' of yours, Claire. Let's not run before we can crawl."

"Oh. No. Not fighting. No." Claire really wanted to avoid fighting if at all possible. It spoke to her personality that the mutation had manifested itself into avoidance. Although one could also argue that her personality had formed around the avoiding nature of her mutation. "I mean. I don't know. Using the heat in more constructive ways. I'm sure there's some potential there." She sat up slightly from her slumped position, "The gas bill is huge for a place like this." she added in jest.

"So that's all I am to you now?" he smiled. "Want to start a pot farm while you're at it?" He was inwardly relieved, though. As much as he was capable of holding his own if it came down to it, he wasn't going to actively seek a confrontation if it could be avoided. "I think I'll stick to teaching English, if that's okay with you."

Claire shrugged a bit, it wouldn't be the first pot she'd have farmed... or smoked for that matter. "Fair enough." She smiled at the man. "Thank you for checking up on me. I appreciate it Jon." She lifted herself from the couch and stepped towards Jonathan with arms wide to give him an appreciative hug.

Jon paused for a moment, always hesitant to make physical contact with anyone, especially someone he might accidentally hurt. He held his breath for a moment, deliberately concentrating on controlling his body temperature as he awkwardly let her hug him. Just as quickly, he extracted himself again. "Always here if you need the chat. Or the tea."

"Next time, come after five, I have a 25 year old in desperate need of someone who can appreciate it." Claire gave a nod to her liquor cabinet. She barely noticed the bit of awkwardness at the embrace, though she knew where it came from with Jonathan. She wasn't afraid he'd burn her and she wanted to let him know she felt completely safe by giving him these moments of affection. They denied themselves too much in that regard. "And if you need anything from my side, my door is always open. Don't hesitate to come by."

"Offering flammable liquids to the man who sets things on fire..." Jon mused quietly, a faint depreciating smile on his face. "Thank you, though." He took a step away, still feeling like there was more that could be done or said, but now wasn't the time for any of that. Claire needed the space as much as she needed the support.

Claire shrugged a bit, she never really saw a threat in the people around her at Avalon, regardless of what they were capable of. She felt that all of them should live their lives as close to normal as possible. Even though 'normal' was a loaded term and aside from their abilities they were just normal people themselves. She saw Jonathan exit the room and felt a tension return to her shoulders. She was alone again, and responsible for the mess they were in. It was at least some consolation that she'd surrounded herself with people that would step up and help her. Come what may.