Rinoa Heartilly (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
angelo_wings) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2015-01-23 12:18 pm
angelo_wings) wrote in fandomhigh2015-01-23 12:18 pm
Entry tags:
Powers, Identity, and The World; Embracing the Real You - Friday, Period One
Today when students entered the classroom, they'd probably be hard-pressed to miss the fact that one of their teachers appeared to be… well… on fire. The other, meanwhile, had accessorized her usual casual look with a gigantic pair of white, fluffy wings, extending from the middle of her back.
Neither seemed to look particularly bothered by this state of affairs. In fact, Jono was leaning back against the desk at the front of the room with his arms crossed in front of himself, ignoring the way the flames flicked up around them, same as he always did but with bonus fire. Rinoa was slightly more keyed up than her usual, a low thrum of excitement hanging around her, but that was subtle enough that it could be easily missed.
//What do you see, looking at us right now?// Jono took a moment to look at his students through the flame, eyes a pure white, fire tousling his hair as it crackled around himself. //No doubt, you're all thinking something different, something that relates to your own biases and experiences. Some might have a knee-jerk reaction, looking at myself and Rinoa, perhaps they'd think me to be a monster, and her an angel. Others might see her as the Sorceress, something to be feared, and me as something hollowed out and burning, to be pitied. I imagine there are at least a few of you who are looking at us right now and wondering how in the world we can stand to be here, showing what sets us so blatantly apart from humanity, without any sort of concern, or even any shame. Or maybe we're role models right now, embracing what we are and showing it off without fear.// He shrugged his shoulders. //Of course, given the past two weeks of classes, you all already know that these aren't the faces we usually present. I can't hide my voice, but I can sure as hell hide the fire. And Rinoa doesn't generally go walking around with her wings in view, though she very easily could.//
“The wings are part of how my power manifests,” Rinoa explained, pleased that her voice was steady. It had taken her years to master letting the wings out without giving herself fully over; she had a touch more magic flowing through her than usual, but she could handle that easily. Old hat. “The fire is part of Jono’s. Jono’s fire is permanent, while my wings only appear when I’m channeling more of my magic than just background noise. That means it’s easier for me to blend in. He can’t skip bundling up, but I can hold the wings in and look just like anyone else.”
Rinoa waved a hand dismissively. “We’re going to talk about when and how to blend in in a later class, as well as when and how to truly stand out. Both of those have their advantages. But this week isn’t about us: it’s about you. Maybe you look exactly like everyone else, and whatever makes you different is only internal. Maybe it’s easy to cover your differences, with a coat or long sleeves. The point is, you choose every day how to display yourself to others around you -- what to let them see, or not see.”
//Bear in mind that there are those who don't have any choice in how they present to others,// Jono noted, //at least to a certain extent. I've had people spit in my face before and worse, doesn't matter if I kept my head down. I spent a decent bit of time with blue skin… also not exactly simple to hide, for most. But in spite of how I looked at a glance, it was still up to me to determine how I interacted with those around me. More importantly, it was up to me to determine how I saw myself, if I was going to let other people's reactions to my powers define me, as a person. For a while, it did. And I was bloody miserable because of it.//
Rinoa was going to reach over and put a sympathetic hand on Jono’s back. Those had not been the best of days, no.
“It’s a choice,” Rinoa said. “Life is all about choices. What you let people see, and what you hide. That isn’t even just about powers. Sometimes we don’t let people see some of our vulnerabilities, our weaknesses, our secret selves. We all have labels: daughter, brother, friend, student, teacher, artist, reader, soldier, athlete. People see us through that one lens, but that’s only one side of who we really are. The way they see us affects us, shapes who we are around them, but it can’t ever define us, not unless we let it.”
She smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. “So first off: if any of you feel like showing off, airing out a little bit of what you don’t let other classes see? Feel free. Then, second, let’s talk about perception -- how people see you, and what they don’t always see underneath.”
//Remember, respect and comfort are our two biggest rules, here. Respect anything that people might show you here in class today, and no treating your classmates as 'other.' We're all equals here. Respect your own selves, too. You might perceive yourselves as lesser because of what sets you apart, but I promise you, you all deserve to be appreciated for who you are, regardless of what's hiding underneath.//
Neither seemed to look particularly bothered by this state of affairs. In fact, Jono was leaning back against the desk at the front of the room with his arms crossed in front of himself, ignoring the way the flames flicked up around them, same as he always did but with bonus fire. Rinoa was slightly more keyed up than her usual, a low thrum of excitement hanging around her, but that was subtle enough that it could be easily missed.
//What do you see, looking at us right now?// Jono took a moment to look at his students through the flame, eyes a pure white, fire tousling his hair as it crackled around himself. //No doubt, you're all thinking something different, something that relates to your own biases and experiences. Some might have a knee-jerk reaction, looking at myself and Rinoa, perhaps they'd think me to be a monster, and her an angel. Others might see her as the Sorceress, something to be feared, and me as something hollowed out and burning, to be pitied. I imagine there are at least a few of you who are looking at us right now and wondering how in the world we can stand to be here, showing what sets us so blatantly apart from humanity, without any sort of concern, or even any shame. Or maybe we're role models right now, embracing what we are and showing it off without fear.// He shrugged his shoulders. //Of course, given the past two weeks of classes, you all already know that these aren't the faces we usually present. I can't hide my voice, but I can sure as hell hide the fire. And Rinoa doesn't generally go walking around with her wings in view, though she very easily could.//
“The wings are part of how my power manifests,” Rinoa explained, pleased that her voice was steady. It had taken her years to master letting the wings out without giving herself fully over; she had a touch more magic flowing through her than usual, but she could handle that easily. Old hat. “The fire is part of Jono’s. Jono’s fire is permanent, while my wings only appear when I’m channeling more of my magic than just background noise. That means it’s easier for me to blend in. He can’t skip bundling up, but I can hold the wings in and look just like anyone else.”
Rinoa waved a hand dismissively. “We’re going to talk about when and how to blend in in a later class, as well as when and how to truly stand out. Both of those have their advantages. But this week isn’t about us: it’s about you. Maybe you look exactly like everyone else, and whatever makes you different is only internal. Maybe it’s easy to cover your differences, with a coat or long sleeves. The point is, you choose every day how to display yourself to others around you -- what to let them see, or not see.”
//Bear in mind that there are those who don't have any choice in how they present to others,// Jono noted, //at least to a certain extent. I've had people spit in my face before and worse, doesn't matter if I kept my head down. I spent a decent bit of time with blue skin… also not exactly simple to hide, for most. But in spite of how I looked at a glance, it was still up to me to determine how I interacted with those around me. More importantly, it was up to me to determine how I saw myself, if I was going to let other people's reactions to my powers define me, as a person. For a while, it did. And I was bloody miserable because of it.//
Rinoa was going to reach over and put a sympathetic hand on Jono’s back. Those had not been the best of days, no.
“It’s a choice,” Rinoa said. “Life is all about choices. What you let people see, and what you hide. That isn’t even just about powers. Sometimes we don’t let people see some of our vulnerabilities, our weaknesses, our secret selves. We all have labels: daughter, brother, friend, student, teacher, artist, reader, soldier, athlete. People see us through that one lens, but that’s only one side of who we really are. The way they see us affects us, shapes who we are around them, but it can’t ever define us, not unless we let it.”
She smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. “So first off: if any of you feel like showing off, airing out a little bit of what you don’t let other classes see? Feel free. Then, second, let’s talk about perception -- how people see you, and what they don’t always see underneath.”
//Remember, respect and comfort are our two biggest rules, here. Respect anything that people might show you here in class today, and no treating your classmates as 'other.' We're all equals here. Respect your own selves, too. You might perceive yourselves as lesser because of what sets you apart, but I promise you, you all deserve to be appreciated for who you are, regardless of what's hiding underneath.//
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
He had managed to grab a few anti-grav units, though. So help him, he was going to figure out a way to fly again if it killed him.
And it probably wouldn't kill him.
//I'm glad you stuck around today, Hanna. I have two things for you... One is somewhat less exciting than the other, granted. Which would you like first?//
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
He shrugged, because at the end of the day a phone was still just a phone.
//And if you're ready for the second thing, I have some printouts for you from an old associate of mine back home.//
It had taken some doing to get Hank to put his assessment of the forms Hanna had supplied into layman's terms, or at least terms that Jono could parse and translate himself, but in the end they had puzzled out something that could hopefully be of some use to Hanna. Jono made a reach for a folder sitting on his desk.
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
Slow even breaths. Ready for whatever the printouts said.
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
He opened the folder and held it out to her. In the front, there were the originals, the sheets that Hanna had handed to him. Just behind them, fresh printouts for her perusal.
//It should all be fairly straightforward. He threw in some speculations and observations of his own as well, and says if you have any questions, you can feel free to call him - his number's on the front printout - or use me as a proxy if you're more comfortable that way.//
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
She read through the first page silently, then stopped, trying to digest it. "This says that I'm human," she said slowly. "One hundred percent. But that there are -- anomalies? In my DNA."
First: relief. Maybe it was ridiculous, but if she'd found out she was part cat or wolf or something else, she wouldn't have known how to react to that. Second: worry. She flipped to the second page, and then sat down. "Have you read this already?" she asked, looking up at Jon.
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
//I had to make certain that Hank was making this accessible, not just paraphrasing it all at the same level that it was written on in the first place,// he explained. //It took a few tries. Looks like they did a hell of a number on you, luv, but it's nothing we aren't already at least passingly familiar with back home.//
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
It was selfish to feel lonely for them, wasn't it? Or futile. But still, it would have been nice, to have someone to have this in common with. But maybe Jon understood that, if his world had people like her.
"Unethical," she read aloud, lips thinning. "Risky gene splicing and ... no birth defects, no genetic defects." She looked up again. "I'm confused. How can that be unethical?"
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
"Do you think-- How long do you think, a project like this would take? How much money?" She wanted to run, or punch something, or scream. And wasn't quite sure why.
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
He hesitated for a moment, and then he couldn't help but ask, //How're you holding up, Hanna?//
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
Yes. That was it. She was shaking with rage that all those plans, those complicated science changes and goals for a perfect soldier or Olympic-class athlete were done, and they never planned for what would happen if the project failed. Beyond burning it to the ground. Because she had no idea what to do next.
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
He could have left it at that. Could have given her his condolences, but he felt at least partially responsible. He'd facilitated her finding out this much, after all. Hell, he was the one who drove her to the island in the first place. And she was his student.
//But you're not alone,// he added, //not here. You might never find somebody else exactly like you, but you're not alone. There are people who understand.//
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
"I will go running. And. That will help me be less angry." Another breath. "And-- it is good to know. That there are people like me, that I'm not the only one. This class," she said awkwardly. "It helps. It answers questions before I think to have them. I do not feel so unprepared, now." She slowly shut the folder. "Please thank your friend for me, for taking the time to do this."
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
He wasn't going to try to keep her any longer. If she thought what she needed was a good run, odds were she knew best.
Re: Talk to the Teachers [1-23]
How fast could she run before she felt it? The folder could probably tell her. But she thought she would rather find out for herself.