1964-08-17 - Seeking Higher Learning
Summary: Professor Xavier evaluates Vic to determine whether or not he can attend the institute.
Related: If there are no related logs, put 'None', — please don't leave blank!
Theme Song: None
vic xavier kellan kaleb 


A while back, Kellan had asked the Professor if perhaps Vic could attend the school, as he knew Vic wanted to learn badly and was close to mutant-like, and could use the socialization, safe space, and was eager to learn. The Professor had said that he would meet with Vic, and so Kellan reached out again to ask for that meeting, inviting the Professor back to Chez Miller. It's a quiet late afternoon and there is some iced tea set out and some food because the house always has food. Kellan is dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, casual and comfortable as he waits with Vic. He's been keeping an eye on Kaleb as well, but mostly allowing him to rest and recouperate.


Vic does rather need more friends who aren't actually friends of the dead guy whose body he's inherited, it's true. He's home from work, having taken the afternoon off. It's odd to find him home at this hour on a Thursday, and he looks around the place like he's not sure what to do with himself. He sits on the couch, in jeans and a white t-shirt, after having fought with the idea of getting fancier clothes, but no. The Professor sees through stuff like that, so he decided to just come as is.


The Professor, for his part, is dressed in his normal suit and tie, knocking on the door as he arrives, as usual, right on time. He looks rather relaxed, waiting patiently as this is the part of his work he enjoys. Bringing in potential students!


Kaleb was put together maybe too meticulously. His hair was done back instead of being somewhat disheveled. The slacks had the seems pressed in them, the waistcoat buttoned, the sleeves were rolled to the elbow and the collar button undone. It was still summer and it was hot. Sadly being a sonic, even a dysfunctional one, didn't make the Autumn heat go away.

As footsteps neared the door he was quick to mute the wall in that direction and pointed to it as if to alert without listening to the jarring bell sound before going back to sketching in his book in one of the padded armchairs.


When the doorbell rings, Kellan immediately heads over to the door and opens it up. He smiles when he sees Charles standing there outside and steps back to let him in. "Thanks for coming by," Kellan says with a warm smile. "We've got some iced tea and some snacks if you'd like anything." He's a pretty good host — not as good as Vic, but hey, he's practicing. "How have you been? I'm really excited about getting to take classes in the fall." He manages to curb the usual flood of questions down to the one as he heads into the living room.


Vic sits up, then stands when Charles walks in. He smiles and runs his hands through his hair. Sure, he's nervous. This is a bona fide professor of an important school here to talk to him. "Hi," he says with a wave of his hand. He gestures to a chair for Charles to sit, the comfiest in the apartment. "Here, if you want to take a load off."


Charles smiles, "Oh, why thank you. Good afternoon gentlemen." He gives Kaleb a nod, saying, "We should probably talk later. Nothing bad, I assure you." And he sounds very reassuring with that, as he then makes his way to the chair, and looks over at Vic, "So, you want to attend the school as well?" He tilts his head, looking at Vic to make sure he's understanding that correctly.


Kaleb watched the Professor whom, when last he saw him made a quite impressive entrance. He had to admit. The sonic though was vaguely on autopilot. The words were considered and as it made sense to him, finally nodded. His bloodshot blue eyes followed from the Professor to Vic curiously. His only fully formed thought was on observation that Vic seemed super nervous. Iiiinteresting. He went back to his drawing. He didn't pay attention to hear. That was going to happen regardless.


"Afternoon," Kellan says. He glances from the Professor over toward Kaleb and back. He looks a bit more concerned than Kaleb does, brow furrowing a bit, but he doesn't say anything on that topic for the moment. Instead, he moves over toward Vic and then takes a seat down near him, lending quiet support and letting him talk to Charles. He organized the meeting but this is all about Vic, and he grins broadly. There is, of course, the occasional glance in Kaleb's direction as well, keeping an eye on him.


Vic glances to Kaleb too, and his lips press thin with worry. He retakes his spot on the couch, leaning forward as he turns his attention to Xavier. "Yes, sir. I think I'd be a good student, and I'm looking forward to studying hard." So much boyish eagerness. "It'll be a juggling act with work, but I'll figure it out."


Charles nods, leaning back in the chair and steepling his fingers as he regards Vic, "Alright. Well, I think I can tentatively say yes… but you know what I'd have to do, in order to make sure of this." He smiles gently towards Vic, "You were here with Kellan and Kaleb, after all."


Kaleb remained quiet and occupied the living room because he lived there and he simply didn't seem inclined to get up. He worked on drawing in his book; some very fancy room that could be any number of ones across the Hamptons perhaps. The dusk blue 0.5mm Pentel mechanical pencil stopped scratching on the paper. It was loud as hell to him and like no one else, but the gesture was done all the same for Vic to think. There was a glance to the window and then back to Kellan and then Vic watching curiously.


Kellan reaches out and gives Vic's hand a little squeeze of support, as though to say that the whole process was a little overwhelming but not bad. But he doesn't interrupt with words, instead just being there. He glances over toward Kaleb when he stops drawing and then grins just a little over at him, before looking back to Vic.


Vic glances to Kellan with a soft smile, and he shoulder nudges him in a mindless gesture of mutual comfort. He's okay, honest. "I understand, sir," he says to Charles. "I don't mind if you do what you have to do. I don't think there's anything in my mind you haven't seen before." It's like seeing a doctor about an embarrassing condition, right? He's probably seen worse.


The Professor laughs softly, then places a finger to his temple, "Just relax…" Leaning forward, he then delves into Vic's mind, seeking out memories and just making sure there's no danger there, to Vic or the other students.


Kaleb flicked his gaze to Kellan who was smiling. Kaleb blinked at his twin. Echo was a facilitator. Sure he was cruizing on auto-pilot with his emotional self having hung a small 'gone fishing' sign on the proverbial door but the gesture was there. Kellan seemed to get that, though the smile was greeted by a blink, before he focused on Vic like a tiny hawk… okay hawk stunt double as Jay was out and unable to fulfill his hawklike duties.


Kellan gets up from the couch, remaining quiet while Charles and Vic do their thing, and he moves over toward Kaleb and puts a hand on his shoulder, just leaning against the arm of Kaleb's chair and keeping him company in silence. He glances down at teh work that Kaleb has been doing on the sketch and studies it.


Vic is nothing short of a miracle, or at least something that, in a rational world, wouldn't have happened. The mind inside this eighteen year old body is all of two months old, a mote of cognizance born of magic between Doctor Strange and Wanda Maximoff. His parents. (He has met Magneto, and he calls him Opa; he wants so badly to impress him).

There are mental images of another life, but those images are more like sheaves of scribbles and drawings rather than memories. That other life's last page is of being jumped in a prison shower. Vic-the-mote was exploring when he found this braindead body in a hospital. Like a hermit crab, he made it his home. After being sure it was thoroughly abandoned.

Vic wants to do good. He loves life! Loves being alive. Life has ice cream and pizza, and legs for long walks, hands for fixing things. He's a power that could have been catastrophic in its breadth but gave up all that to be a person. He loves Kellan (passionately), and his friends, his family. He's a mama's boy all the way. He helped with the rescue of Kaleb and Lorna both, and he's the guy who runs toward the bullets without thinking twice.

He's super strong, super agile, telekinetic, heals wicked fast, and can play with the energy that composes his being, using it to uplift someone from fatigue or to steal energy away to exhaust them. The downside is he occasionally accidentally shorts out electronics. He also eats. A lot. He has a constant need for fuel because of how fast his metabolism burns.

And oh, man, he wants approval. Mom and Dad are distant, but grandfather isn't so much, and for a pat on the head from Opa… well. He wouldn't turn evil, but he might start seeing things skewed. He's got a lot in common with a golden retriever like that. Still, he's a smart kid. it might not turn out so badly.


The Professor listens to it all, then says, "If you ever call me Grand-Uncle Charlie, I'm going to expel you." He then smiles wryly, "Vic, there should not be any problem having you join the school. And we'd be glad to have you."


Kaleb waited for a long, long moment and took a deep breath finally. He watched Vic's reactio; his joy, the calm return, the excitement for his bright new road. Good. He glanced back to watch his twin's relief weirdly catching bits of it by proxy as perceived. This was one thing not broken and ruined in the world. Good good good. There was a smallnow given to Vic in support. It was small but some of the tension went out of Kaleb's shoulders after verdict was passed and he went back to sketching in his book without interruption. Relief on that front was good. He made a mental note to bring- nope, to /have/ Jay pick up a cupcake for Vic. Who was he kidding, the kid could inhale a whole cake.


There is a little grin that touches Kellan's expression at Charles' first statement, and then a braoder one at the second. With another squeeze to Kaleb's shoulder, he then goes over to Vic and gives him a tight hug of congratulations, bright blue eyes lit up with pride that Vic would get to study with him. "It's going to be great," he exlaims.


Vic's eyes widen, and he grins, all dimples and bright-eyed. "Oh! Yes, sir! Er, I mean no, sir. I won't call you that." He turns that broad grin on Kaleb and Kellan, who gets wrapped up in a fierce hug, though Vic is careful not to make it a bone crusher. He's learned control. "I can't wait. I hope I can still work weekends at Saganaki, but if I can't, schooling's going to come first." After a moment, he looks back to Charles. His brow furrows, then he asks, "Are we related?"


Charles smiles a bit, "A long story. Erik… Magneto, and I, well, he's the brother I never had, and he feels the same. So his kids always refer to me as 'Uncle Charlie.'" He hrms, and looks over at Kaleb, a touch of concern for the boy in his expression there, then he glances back to the others, "So, yes, that's where that joke comes from. But that shouldn't be a problem, though the commute might be a bit difficult."


Kalebs drawing, for Kellan's sake looked like a room that could have easily been one of their own bedrooms growing up. It was huge, lavish, but it had none of the design or familiarity that either of them had growing up. Maybe it was future planning for interior design? Echo glanced back up to Kellan seeming at least aware completely of his brother's presence and didn't shirk his company coming or going. Kellan was Kellan was an extension of self and he'd really have it no other way.

When the Professor started talking about hi history with Magneto (hero of mutants, and cooker of pasta) he got Kaleb's attention. It was like some mythical story he was still wrapping his brain around. Vic wanted Xavier's approval, and Kalebs seemed to lash out historically but latch onto Erik.

There was expression that registered in the form of one eyebrow going up later to be joined by the other. Huh! Wasn't too unlike he and Jay. He tried to imagine them being old and being like taht story and vaguely wondered if Jay and Ninette ever had kids if they'd show up looking like those cherubs in those old paintings. Huh.

Kaleb looked back to Kellan and Vic celebrating, and really he by proxy. He was doing the paying-of-attention. The celebration got his vigil anyways. Vic was discovering family. That got studious curiosity.


Kellan grins over at Xavier and says, "That's really cool. Family's important." That look is shared with Vic and Kaleb who are apparently his family. And were Jay in the apartment, he too. He then nods a little bit about the commute and says, "Are there rooms available there? Dorms? Jay goes there, right? So I mean, we could all maybe, keep the apartment, but maybe have a room so that we don't have to commute while we're taking classes?" He looks thoughtful and glances to the others, "We'll figure it out.."


Vic's expression brightens further, if possible. "Oh! Oh, that's great. I won't call you Great Uncle, but I'm glad to know this." Oh, Charles, what have you done? The two month old cognizance hungry for family now has someone else to try to impress. "We'll find a way to make the commute work. I'll stay wherever Kellan and Kaleb do, regardless." He nods to Kellan, and he settles with him on the couch, holding his hand. "We could come to the city on weekends."


The Professor nods, "If you want to keep this apartment, we do have rooms available at the school. So something could easily be worked out. Though, if the school expands much further, we might have to actually break ground on some additional buildings." He shakes his head, thinking about the fact that the school, especially with it becoming a full 'college'… it will need more space. A lot more space.


Kaleb gave Kellan a skeptical look and was cool right up until the idea of living there. He still had cotton in his ears and was very clearly not thrilled about this idea. THen again the professor was in the room at the time when far too much noise input gave thekid a seizure when the med lab was shook like a snowglobe. For now? For now he seemed to reserve that judgement to be filed away in the 'will discuss with Kellan later' pile.


Kellan nods and says, "I'm sure we'll figure something out." He is more than aware of Kaleb's current state and it doesn't seem that he's committing for the whole group of them one way or another. "We'll all talk about it and figure out what the best plan is," he reassures both Vic and Kaleb, "Gotta talk to Jay about it, too." Since the fourth roommate also may have thoughts, and Kellan thinks about everybody. He smiles over at Xavier then and says, "But that's a good thing, right? I mean.. isn't that the point? To expand the school, get more students, help more people?"


"You know I'll go where you guys go," Vic says to Kellan. Making up his mind doesn't take all that long for him. Where Kellan goes, so follows Vic. He casts a concerned look to Kaleb. "We'll work it out," he says with a fleeting smile to Xavier. He nods along with Kellan. "The more the merrier?"


The Professor smiles over at Kellan, "Well, I suppose it is, but I never really thought of it in such a way, until it just became clear… we are expanding quite a bit." With that, he rises to his feet, "It was good to see you all, and definitely let me know what you end up deciding, because we do have plenty of room in the residential area for you. Now, I bid you all a good day." He nods around to everyone, and gives Kaleb another concerned look before he makes his way out of the apartment.


Kaleb didn't either have or wnat to share his mind on these things. With Echo it could really be anything, but there was a polite nod that seemed genuine in its minute expression. The door closed -quietly-. Kaleb looked back to Vic and asked quietly, "Better?" It speaks. On occasion anyways, but he wasn't going all Black Bolt on people and leveling the city block by voicing his opinions.


Kellan smiles when the Professor departs and he continues to hug Vic, "You were great, and now we can all study together. It's going to be awesome." Then he looks back over toward Kaleb and says, "And when you feel better, it's going to be good for you too. Fortunately we have a little time before classes start."


Vic hugs Kellan back and says, "This is great! We'll be a study group." He gives Kellan another squeeze, then rises to his feet and comes over to Kaleb. Laying a hand on his shoulder, he says, "But for right now, just take it easy. Do you need anything while I'm up?" Motherhenning, he's doing it.


Kaleb wanted to jsut study so bad. Buildings. Angels. History. THings that didn't involve peopleinterfering. At the assurance that something will get better going back there got a charge of a gaurded look from Kaleb. It looked like scowling but slightly different; One eyebrow went up and the roon didn't drop 10* from seething ire of disapproval. But Vic was there and Vic apparently needed something to do to improve this situation so he gave him something to do. "Coffee, two sugars. Cream." He could sympathize with Vic. He didn't know what to do about any of this either. "Well…" The thought formed a bit deflecting back, "Vic can figure out what he likes.If you need to get basics caught up we can probably help y- well Kellan can help you. You want Geometry or Trig though? Come see me." He wasn't going to pretend like he had Kellan on the majority of that. When Kellan could study four subjects adeptly at once? No contest, but no resentment either. It was simply efficient.


Kellan can feel the glower and he sighs just a little bit, but understands and he gives Kaleb another gentle squeeze to the shoulder before he drops heavily into the chair. "I am really glad that we are going to get to do this together, and yeah, Kaleb and I can help you with anything basic that you might need to brush on before clases start, and of course after, too." He then looks to Kaleb and says, "I wasn't committing to moving there or anything, by the way. I wouldn't make a call like that, not without talking to Jay either. I just.. wanted to know what the options were so we could all figure it out."


"My math could use some work," Vic admits. Because what Kaleb needs in all of this is a housemate who never passed high school Geometry. He offers them both a tender smile, then heads into the kitchen to put on coffee. "Honestly, I just want to be with you guys, so whatever arrangement you come to, I'll be happy with. I like the idea of having access to the city and maybe being around for Lambert, but education first, you know?"


Kaleb set his ajw trying to figure out how to share the very base of what was absolutely necessary and offered "There was a freak out. The entire med lab was shook like a snowglobe and slamemd back down with me in it. I don't… know… I trust the school to be condusive. The apartment is hard still." He looked over to Jay's bed, the patio, and the door, the patio. Jay wans't back yet. Jay also wasn't DUE back yet. It was still fine. All fine. Vic though, he looked to Vic an nodded with a slow, nod of solidarity. At least when he was in your corner he was completely in your fucking corner. "Vic, I don't understand the concept of living in a place you can't go."


Kellan nods in agreement and says, "You're going with us wherever we go," to Vic with a warm smile that goes right up to his eyes. He can't help it. He loves that mote. Then he looks back to Kaleb and says, "Lorna did that, not the school. Once we get your migraine from hell and super sensitivity under control, then the school should be fine, and all three of us will keep Lorna away from you." There's a definite flash of ire in Kellan's eyes at that. Woe betide. Woe, betide, motherfucker.


Vic grins over at the pair as he putters in the kitchen, helping himself to one of the laid out snacks as he waits on the coffee pot to fill. The mention of Lorna causes his expression to dim, and he ducks his head. "Yeah," he says quietly. "I think it's best for both of you to have that time apart." She's his aunt. He can't just cut her out of his life, even though it's Kaleb he's banding together with. Awkwardness abounds. "We'll take care of you, Kaleb," he says.


Kaleb didn't actually say anything of her. It stung though. For the world it stung and he called it at the table that someday it would end disasterously because it always does. And it did. It actually hurt though and that he wasn't quite expecting. He also wasn't used to giving a damn and he was trying hard, for everyone's sake, to get back to familiar territory to navigate from there. He put his trust in teh others for now and nodded.

"Well, at least we're helping Vic move forward in the world. This is…good." He took a deep breath and said vaguely, "I think that's… best." He wnated to say more but his input for the day was full. He was the asshole, sure, but he'd just like to not constantly be the bad guy for five minutes. At least in the apartment he wasn't. It got a little loud but it was at least safe and that was something. He gathered his book and the drink and admitted to Vic, "You do make the best coffee ya know that, right?" Close to a compliment as one might want. Vic wanted things to do. Kaleb needed things and needed Vic to feel effectual. Kaleb appreciated the things Vic gave him. It was an odd symbiosis. It wasstarting to get to him a bit and to that extent it was time for him to back out of the room until he got that underwraps. "I'm 'a go lay down for a bit. When Jay gets back send him over. I grabbed the new Connie Francis." Music was something he was working back to. Familiar distractions and creature comfort were good. Kaleb paused and gave Kellan a half hug, still holding his coffee and gave a nod to let him know he was as alright as alright was going to be and jsut went to go put his record player back on and zone out a while.


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