Handling Your Powers, Tuesday

[not_a_whiner]

Students entering the Danger Shop today were going to find a very large kitchen instead of the usual gym set-up. And there was Kaidan, holding on to a pan and grinning at them. "Look, not everything I learned at brain camp was terrible," he said. "Some things turned out to be pretty useful."

He held up the pan. "Like cooking."

He put it down on one of the stoves.

"So today, we're going to make some actual food. With a challenge. I want each of you to try and come up with a way in which your powers could make the process easier - without destroying anything in the process." Beat. "Though it won't hurt if you do wreck something here. It's the Danger Shop and all the safeties are on. Though that's not a license to start throwing fireballs."

He pointed at the various stations. "We've got frying steak, boiling vegetables, baking a pie and making soup," he said. "There's also materials to make meatballs if that's more your speed. I want you to pick one that calls to you and go for it. Poke around. Experiment a little. See what you can manage with your powers."

He leaned back, smiling. "And as a reward, at the end of it, you get to eat the food. So, uh... don't blow it. Ask me if you've got any questions."

Comments

Re: Talk to Kaidan

[spin_kick_snap]

"I guess so," Kathy said, though she didn't look entirely convinced. "I waited an extra week to come talk to you, just to see if it would vanish like all the other stuff the island did. But it didn't, so I guess it's here to stay."

She took a deep breath and glanced up at him. "I know you've kind of touched on stuff like this during your lectures but, do you think that, well, having powers means you have an obligation, almost, to use them? I don't mean just not ignoring them and pretending they don't exist or whatever, but I mean, like, using them on a grander scale. 'Great power, great responsibility' kind of thing?"

Kathy had been using her downtime to read a lot of her Arachnid Guy comics in an attempt to come to terms with things.

Re: Talk to Kaidan

[not_a_whiner]

Well. Talk about a loaded topic. "I think it's always important to let your own principles guide who you are and what you do," Kaidan said. "Whether you have powers or you don't-- if you feel called to action, to do something, you should. To do something that matters, something that leaves a legacy of positive change."

He rubbed the back of his neck, then he took a deep breath. "And-- it's been my experience that people with powers who sit around and try to ignore it-- it doesn't always end well," he said. "In my universe, anyway, biotics are disproportionately featured in stats about suicide and drug abuse. For me, going into service with my powers - it kept me from locking myself in my apartment and just... stewing in it, you know?"

As well as stewing in other things, but: impressionable teenager.

Re: Talk to Kaidan

[spin_kick_snap]

Kaidan and Jono should be friends.

Kathy nodded slowly. "I don't think I'm in any danger of that," she said softly. "But then, my experience is nothing like yours. And I'm grateful that you're willing to share yours with us."

She realized she was hugging her elbows and let her arms drop to her sides. "Umm, I guess...any advice for the newly-powered? I mean, now that I have them, I don't know what to do with them. It's like lining up for a race and waiting for a signal, you know?"

Re: Talk to Kaidan

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan's mouth quirked a tiny bit. "Try to figure 'em out before you rush into anything," he said. "Accept that you've got them and that they belong with your body the same way breathing and walking does. Once you get there, then you can look around and see who needs you."

Kaidan'd had the luck of the Alliance waiting for him with open arms. He wasn't as sure about Kathy's situation.