[video+]

[welcomeprofessor]

[The video feed here is set up very much like he's filming an orientation video; he knows little else other than strict formality here, but...when it comes to his school, he would say he finds the professionalism appropriate.]

The purpose for this is twofold, so I suppose I'll just get started.

Over the last few weeks of getting settled into this environment, learning its...well "intricacies" is a small word for it, perhaps eccentricities is better, I believe now more than ever that we need some tangible return to normalcy. I would like to have the school-- [and with the video feed he links something that looks very much like an old-school brochure, (which will very much omit the whole "subbasement" part of the post (and is not icly-literal).).] --up and running within the month. We have the faculties and facilities for a number of traditional subjects: literature, biology, philosophy, physical education [though it might sound like he means something very different by this] and a few other outliers, but we are still very much in need of some help in the history and mathematics departments. (Though I'll take more esoteric lessons under advisement).

[He pauses then, and his demeanor shifts entirely, shifting from cold to amiably warm like he's flipped a switch.]

As for the second point, and no less salient: it is my understanding that I am not the only one of my kind here, and that we are not, perhaps, the only ones particularly gifted. For those of you who may not identify as mutants, I would love the opportunity to speak with you about the nature of your powers.

[He pauses to consider that request for a moment, and follows up with an addendum:]

If any of you are comfortable doing so.

Comments

[wronganswer]

[ Her moment of relative vulnerability closes up into a composed, matter-of-fact tone. ]

It's rare for me to run into mutants that look as normal as I do. [ Unless they were part of the Hall of Justice brought in specifically to train her, or evaluate her, or invite her into the Psi Division... But that seems a little too much information to just put out there without context, and context would take more explaining than she feels like.

In the absence of that, she's not sure what to say. Wait, get more information. ] When you say it, what are you referring to? [ Because as he'd said, nothing is very expected, is it? ]

[welcomeprofessor]

We're far enough away from home, I wasn't positive I'd find anything familiar at all. [ He'd been lucky, frankly to find he hadn't been first. Hadn't had to parse all of this and establish himself in the situation and adapt, alone, again. ] Thankfully, that hasn't been the case. Like I said, there's a fair few of us from the world I'm familiar with. But that clearly isn't all that is here, so the lack of familiarity is true in part too.

[ There's a pause in that, and then: ] I'm used to many--not all, but many--mutants looking perfectly human. This isn't the case for you?

[wronganswer]

Well... no. The radiation can produce-- a lot of things. [ That's what mutant means, right? She's definitely not talking about some quirk of genetics that's somehow sprung up a thousand times in a thousand different people. That would be implausible. To Anderson, mutations happen because of nuclear fallout. ]

Not everyone ends up with abilities. Getting abilities and looking normal, it's like I won the lottery.

[welcomeprofessor]

Hold on. [He pauses for a moment, seeming to scrutinize the video. It's not her looks that have him disturbed--she is right about "normal" for all intents and purposes--it's simply a result of trying to parse what he's hearing. He shakes his head slowly.] You mean literal radiation?

We used to be under the impression that's where it started, but the timelines never added up quite right for that. It's a clever narrative, perhaps, but back home, that's all it's ever really been.