ic Elevator Pitch

[angrydurf]

Mike nodded gratefully to Alex as she picked up his rather failed thread of advice and made much more sense of it.  "I would point out you earlier mentioned control of your condition was moot due to lack of interested parties."  he gently advised with a quick smile.  He didn't further press the issue however as clearly she was still processing precisely what it was she would even want should it be an option.

 

Mike frowned slightly at the revelation of the schools attempts to nullify and shook his head glancing to Alex with some uncertainty.  He'd been fitted with limiters in their time before Claremont, they had proven equally useful and left him even less certain what his strength was capable of.  "Well it may be worth examining not nullifying the ability to transform but regulating the stimulus?"  he asked looking to Alex for confirmation. 

[alderwitch]

"Well that stands to reason. I generally advise against utilizing a power nullification system for all-day, every-day use except in the most extreme of circumstances. It tends to lead to backlash of one sort or another, and - worse - prevents development of control and coping mechanisms other than the external system. There are a few individuals we've helped fit with something that extreme but its almost always part of a program that works towards other measures down the line." Alex agreed, her tone taking on a mix of excitement and investment that was certainly indicative of a personal investment, "I honestly think that's the route that they went with our daughter and led to some of her control issues in her teen years that we saw although I never did get to verify the theory before she went home."

 

Alex gave a little shake of her head, "Regardless, I'm sure Mike would be happy to give you his contact information too if you have any questions. You have a great deal in common, I think, with much of his personal trajectory - poetry aside," she added to the large man with a mischievous grin. 

[Gizmo]

Winifred fixed Mr. Harris with a withering glare, her ingrained stubborn pride beginning to win out over her awkwardness as the conversation went on. "It is several recursive layers of moot. It's hardly my fault that you refuse to accept the fundamental facts as I have laid them out to you." She was simultaneous certain that her ill-advised infatuations were not returned and that her condition made any  potential physical demonstrations an unacceptable risk for all involved anyway. Optimism aside she did not see what was so difficult to grasp about either of those points.

 

Those thoughts prevented her from appreciating what would have otherwise been an interesting exercise in hypothesis from Ms. Albright. Instead she huffed quietly. "I shan't be taking the bait and asking how you might have a teenage daughter. Life surrounding the Academy seems to delight in putting lie to otherwise reasonable assumptions." She frowned, narrowed her eyes and pointed a warning finger at Mr. Harris. "I did not mean my previously stated assumptions. I am on to your methods by now, sir."

 

That struck even her as absurd enough that her scowl broke into a small chagrined smile and she let her shoulders relax a touch. The occasional piece of advice would perhaps be not unwelcome, I suppose."

[angrydurf]

Mike leaned back in the couch nodding mute agreement with Alex's explanation.  "Certainly."  He agreed before the withering teen scorn washed over him though he seemed largely unphased by the small tirade.  "Well be that as it may if it is something you truly desire then it is worth working towards."  he replied with an easy smile.  He shrugged lightly at the commentary about 'their' daughter, "There was a time travel thing and..."  he shook his head, "Yea that's probably the safer approach."  He agreed as the exact nature of Zoe, her timeline and how it had so clearly diverged from their own gave him a headache and he'd been there.

 

He leaned forward slightly to offer a slip of paper he'd scrawled his cell number on, "Honestly though don't get trapped thinking it's impossible.  Each of us does impossible things pretty much every day."  he offers gently and leaves it at that for the time being at least, he'd clearly been spending too much time with Mark since coming out of his sabbatical.

[alderwitch]

Alex chuckled softly, her hand coming down on Mike's knee as he offered the paper in mute appreciation and approval although she didn't verbalize it. She really didn't need to. Conversation flowed easily along their bond when desired but most of the time it was a wordless, emotional connection that probably would have been uncomfortable, really, if they'd ever known anything else but neither Mike nor Alex had any memories of being alone in their own heads. 

 

"I'll work out the details with your teachers for the timing in your schedule for the internship and I'll have legal draw up the initial proposals to look over. I'll include an advance," Alex added as she floated her checkbook to her hand, "Because I think you really ought seek legal counsel to have them go over the contracts. I think it'll be an enlightening experience. Consider it the first assignment for your extra curricular courses." Alex said brightly, like the idea of an assignment was somehow motivation in and of itself. 

[Gizmo]

Winifred accepted the slip of paper and considered it for a moment before pointedly but without comment pulling out her mobile telephone and entering the numbers into the contact information application. She took too many notes in actual notebooks to throw many stones. "Paying me ahead of time so that I'm in an advantageous position to negotiate greater pay from your company going forward seems an inefficient business strategy but I am beginning to intuit that you have different metrics for success," she note dryly. In the emotional exhaustion that came from their more sensitive discussion, however, she didn't bother to hide a grateful expression. After a pause she added, "I, ah, expect I already know the answer but... I trust I can rely on your discretion on certain other topics?" She wasn't really sure who the couple was likely to speak to about her love life or lack thereof but she'd feel better for asking.

[angrydurf]

Mike smiled and nodded seeming entirely oblivious to the reaction over his rather archaic form of passing contact information.  Glancing to Alex side long he corrected slightly, "Better metrics really."  which could have been a nod to the noble endeavor of Alexs efforts in business or perhaps the financial cluelessness of one that thought his elementary school teacher salary had impact on their finances.  the truth was probably somewhere in the middle.  

 

Shaking his head quickly the mig man was quick to assert they'd certainly keep her confidence.  "Oh of course not."  he assured, "We'd never think of sharing the details of your condition or identity."  he nodded solemnly.