I Believe You Owe Me A Cupcake

[Charity Croft]

Charity wasn't actually sure if the pot was a prank or just a well meaning student gone awry. Reports differed depending on who you asked, and Charity hadn't been around long enough to really get at the bottom of things. Sure, it felt as if she'd been there for years, but that was only because of all the time she'd done as a student. Sadly that didn't really give too much authority when it came to actually being a teacher. You'd really think it would.

"We get spies from time to time," Charity admitted. "Can't entirely stop them, what with powers and all," she had to shrug at that. The whole powers business really made the whole being a teacher thing just that much more complicated.But like everything else, you just sort of got used to it. That was why so many more of them were mutants or something along those lines.

The thought of Jason in detention at all amused Charity, she had to admit. She'd done detention a few times, mostly because she'd had a friend or two. She might've gone on more about it if it hadn't been for the whole exploding sugar thing. "oh, it wouldn't matter. You could put me in a chicken factory and something would still explode," she took a few more breaths, glaring at the snake that had exploded out. At least it seemed to be fake. "Students prank stuff like this all the time, and I'm one of their favorite targets. Some of my coworkers say it's because they love me, but I'm pretty sure it's the exact opposite," she took a few more breaths before looking to the creamer. She stared at it for a few moments before looking over at Jason. Obviously it was too dangerous for Charity to attempt...

[Jason Campbell]

Jason tried to shrug off the fact there were a few students sneaking their way in here. “I bet they all left rather disappointed.” Some did the same at the hospital, wanting to see where the employees took their break and ate, certain they hid there or that it was super fancy. It was not really all that much better than any other area in the hospital where you could do that. As for the hiding... Jason knew he did not but he had to admit some looked like they sure did. “If I could sneak anywhere without being seen, it sure wouldn’t be my first choice.”

Charity was a strange woman. He did feel like she was about his age and they could connect with that but at the same time he had the feeling he talked to a teenager. Was it the fact she was always surrounded by kids and being a trainer she had to get close to them to have them trust her and work on their power? He was not sure, but that would be enough of an explanation if she gave him that to justify her attitude. She could also just be like that, since she said something of the like earlier.

He frowned, his expression rather amused at the image she gave him. “I don’t know if it’s safer having you here or in a chicken factory then.” It was a joke, of course, but he didn't want her to start thinking he questioned what she was doing here if she was that much of a danger. He didn’t think she was. He didn’t explode when they last meet and neither did he right now. “Maybe they just love the reaction you’re making when they prank you? Or you don’t punish them hard enough to convince them not to try anymore.” Somehow, he didn’t think it was because she was too hard on them but more because she was too soft.

He had the feeling, the way she looked at him, that the creamer might be trapped too. He took it from her, checked it out. It seemed pretty normal to him. Until he poured the liquid and a large bit of he didn’t know what fell in his cup. Did the cream turn? No, it was floating and not white at all. More like red. He picked it up. It looked like a little rubber ball or something. “I don’t know how you survive it, really.”

[Charity Croft]

"Most do," Charity agreed. They also clearly left little treats for the staff to deal with. She had to nod along with Jason though: this probably wouldn't have been her first choice for sneaking. It hadn't been, in fact, she'd been dared and her friends had been rather insistent and before she knew it, she was in here. No trouble though, not for Charity, who'd been a good student with a stellar service record.

And yeah, Charity could understand how other adults reacted to her. Too much time spent dealing with teenagers and smaller children had left her often talking like or acting like one. It didn't help that she sometimes felt like she hadn't figured this whole adult thing out quite yet and was utterly terrified that someone was going to call her on it. Especially considering that most of her fellow teachers and staff were at least a few years younger than her and seemed to have a lot more of their act together.

"Yeah, let's go with that," Charity said, still not entirely convinced. Her encounters with Lucy and Selina had left her fairly well convinced that there was definitely a contingent of students that would rather see the end of her. She did wonder about the punishing but, well. "most of the students I work with have enough problems without my adding more," she said, shrugging. "I'd rather just deal with this stuff and let them channel it or something," at least, that's what Charity told herself when she hugged her pillow at night (just the one time, really).

And something was... floating. "Hey, a ball's pretty light," Charity said, reaching down and plucking it out. "And I survive by being a hard woman, Jason. I'm a hard, battlescarred woman who just doesn't feel it any more," she had to keep a straight face, which was proving hard, but she thought she made the whole "I've seen some shit man" face pretty well.

[Jason Campbell]

Charity might look a little odd with the way she expressed herself, that is for an adult, but he didn’t notice anything mischievous in her. He saw more someone who was dragged into trouble than one who chased after it. If she ever ended up in a tight spot, he doubted teachers thought she did it intentionally. Because aside from all of her quirks, she appeared to him as a very kind person, if not a little naive. It was the kind of personality that more often than none turned you into the victim of pranks rather than the prankster.

It would seem his previous reasons were not exactly good enough for her. Saying she was so naive it turned her into the perfect victim didn’t sound too reassuring though so he kept it to himself. He nodded though at what she said about the students. “We all had to deal with far more than just puberty. It does not justify for you to do whatever you want but it explains why you might not want to add more on their shoulders.” He could understand that. And he would not blame her for trying to find other solutions. Yet, sometimes, you had to be hard for them to understand. Some people needed a good jab on the head.

Somehow, imagining her had a battlescarred woman was hard to believe. That she was hard or could be and not let things affect her too much, he could get it. A little. “I wouldn’t say you’re hard. That would imply you don’t care about what those kids do anymore and I don’t think you’re quite there. Or should ever be.” Yet that would mean whatever they did would affect her. “You don’t have an easy job at all.”

[Charity Croft]

Yes, there was definitely a lot of stuff to deal with, particularly for the students around here. Even if they hadn't been "gifted" with powers they would've had just being in a boarding school in what amounted to the middle-of-nowhere to deal with. Charity could definitely understand, hence why she was determined not to add anything further onto their shoulders regardless of what it meant putting on her own instead.

Charity tossed the ball she'd plucked as Jason continued. "Yeah, you've got that right," Charity admitted, catching it and smiling. "I'm never going to stop caring about these kids and all. Which is why I guess I don't care that so many of them hate me or take it out on more or whatever," Charity shrugged. "I remember what it's like, and I just gotta keep trying to be the adult I always wished was around when i was a kid," Charity paused then, pointing with the hand holding the ball, "which was kinda my dad, when I stop and think about it."

Charity gave the ball another toss, smiling and nodding at Jason, glad that she at least had some hand-eye coordination going for her. Probably just came from making a dramatic point. Fate had to be nice from time to time. "And you're one to talk about hard jobs, mister doctor," she said, lightly tapping him on the shoulder. She followed with a roll of the eyes and a corny smile. Adulthood, yo.

[Jason Campbell]

“I hear you,” Jason replied as Charity explained why she would never stop caring for the students here. He didn’t choose medicine only for the paycheck or social status that came with the white coat, he did it for the people. If he couldn’t stand them, he would have gone in research instead. Lord knows they needed more of that too! “When you’re taking care of someone during a rough time, you’re bound to get some insults every now and then. But in the end, the work you achieve is worth it. Even if you might end up with less of them thanking you.” That was luckily not his case. He had people thanking him a lot. But he too had his share of pain, anger and tears. Hard for it not to be the case when you told someone they may die and there was little you could do. They knew it was fairly untrue with Jason, with his ability, but he still could not heal everyone and everything. It was tough when you were treated harshly, but he tried to remind himself he was doing the best he could.

He had a soft chuckle when she mentioned her dad. She must not have known he was her dad then though. But she was right, her father did a lot to this school and even if it was what you could call tough love, in the end, it had the result required. And even more. “My father was a pushover. We had the same ability and he was hoping I’d get beyond his talent. Perhaps I did, I don’t know,” he shared with her. His gaze turned vacant as he thought of it but he quickly shook it off. Now was not the time to focus on that. Or the fact his father shared with him more than his ability but his obsessive behaviour as well.

He laughed at what she said. “Most of my patients don’t have hormones acting wild though. And they don’t prank me. But alright, we both have hard jobs.”

[Charity Croft]

"You are being way too nice about this," Charity pointed out, adding a quite literal point. "Considering that I just train teenagers not to kill each other while you're off saving lives and using Jesus powers," Charity nodded toward his hands. She knew full well what Jason was capable of; probably as much as he did if not more. Enough looking at him and her brain would essentially process precisely how it worked down to the very molecular, scientific levels. Which was always fun to sit there and consider.

Almost as much fun as talking about dads. Seemed like every other person wanted to know about Charity's, so it was sort of nice to hear about someone else's instead. "Guy---Dad, he and I had pretty similar powers too," Charity said, bobbing her head. "I think that helped when he was my trainer, and it made it a bit easier when..." she gestured, trying to use the slight hand movement to indicate the complicated meeting situation and everything that had come with it.

At least she knew enough to guess that Jason wasn't laughing at her gestures (not that Charity would've blamed him much at all). He at least admitted to them both having hard jobs, which had Charity nodding and saluting with her coffee. "Thank God for coffee and amiable conversation."