fandomhigh | Ethics [Tuesday, January 6, 2nd period]

Anakin walked into his classroom precisely on time and gave the students assembled there an appraising glance as the door clicked shut behind him. If you were late, you weren't getting in. "I'm Master Skywalker," he said in a voice that was intended to carry, "this is Ethics, and we're going to skip the introductions--I'll figure out who you are--and move straight to our first discussion."

He paced around the room, cloak flaring out behind him, as he handed out the syllabus. "Today's topic," he said. "Self sacrifice: knowing the difference between saving people and being a pretentious twit."

"Any time I ask a a group of people what they would do to save someone they love, they all blither on about how they would set the world on fire, lie, cheat, steal, kill, die, et cetera, et cetera. I've been at this school too long to believe that half of you haven't already been put into this situation and I'm in no mood to hear adolescent ramblings about how wonderful you were or might hypothetically be. We're going to ground it in reality.

"Last summer there was a woman who was in charge of this school. She had been placed in power legitimately, was allowed to punish in accordance with that power, and began pushing the boundaries of her authority almost immediately. She called students to her office, punished them for slights genuine or imagined, and began escalating the severity and frequency of her punishments, going over the line into what was no longer acceptable."

Anakin crossed his arms over his chest, the scars across his face very evident in the light coming through the window. "It eventually took a team of highly qualified adults to take her out. Today's topic: when do you draw the line? When do you admit to yourself that a problem cannot be solved, that to sacrifice yourself isn't a statement, it's merely pointless? How long does it take for you to realize you can't fix everything by yourself?"

He would hear the replies and choose his TAs from there.

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"Ah," Peter said, relaxing a little. "It's possible that there are powers that I've got that I don't know I have. But of the ones I know about include self-healing, healing, invisibility, telekinesis, molecular manipulation, water manipulation, fire manipulation, flight, some telepathy, ability to unlock doors, and I draw the future."

Anakin stared at him. "You have been busy," he said dryly. "If you pick up prophetic dreams as well, that's me. And stay out of my head. I'll know if you try."

"I have dreams that might be prophetic," Peter said. "But that was before I came here. Actually that was part of why I came here. And if I read your thoughts it won't be on purpose."

"You haven't learned shielding yet?" Anakin asked.

"Been working on it," Peter said. "My last priority was trying to get some kind of control over the drawing. Mind reading normally takes effort on my part."

"That's another difference, then," Anakin said. "I have to work to turn it off. You wouldn't believe the useless drivel that pass between people's ears."

He shrugged. "I've gotten good at teaching how to keep people out, if you're ever interested."

"Sure," Peter said. "If you don't mind. Any control I can get is a plus."

"For everyone," Anakin said a little pointedly. "Teenagers running around with unchecked powers make me nervous."

"It's not like I want uncontrolled powers," Peter replied in kind. "The last thing I want to do is hurt anyone."

"That makes two of us," Anakin said. "I can't help with the flying if it isn't in a ship or the painting the future," painting the future?, "but the rest...maybe. We call it something different, but a lot of what you can do, I can do."

"I took art classes," Peter said, giving Anakin a wry look to indicate he so did not get the future-painting thing either. "It was the best I could come up with. And yeah, sure, whatever you've got. Please."

"We can start in my office," Anakin decided. "If things advance from there, I'll talk to Zoe about maybe borrowing the Danger Room."

He smiled. "She got upset the last time something went through my door."

It was a someone, Anakin.

"Luckily I have better control of my TK than that," Peter said.

"I'd been aiming for the door," Anakin said with a tiny smile. "What's the biggest thing you can lift?"

"Never tested it," Peter admitted. "Mostly it's been small stuff. Nothing you couldn't lift with your hand. Oh!" Peter facepalmed as he remembered. "Strength. That's another one. I haven't used it much. Oh and I can multiply but I don't like using it so I try not to."

Sadly Peter wasn't like other former students of Fandom High who would've taken care of the problem of remembering all their powers by writing up a spreadsheet.

Anakin nodded, mentally running a tally. "We'll start from stuff I'm used to," he said, "and go from there. With fire, can you repel it, or do you shoot it?"

"Shoot," Peter said. "Never purposely tried repelling it but I do have some control over it."

Peter would've demonstrated but he didn't want to startle Anakin. Peter was adorable like that.

Aww. How cute.

"I can only repel," Anakin said. "It's not exactly fun to learn how."

"That's where the self-healing comes in handy," Peter said.

Anakin smiled. "I have a feeling I'm going to grow very annoyed by that particular gift."

"You wouldn't be the first," Peter assured him.

Ethics [Tuesday, January 6, 2nd period]

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