Academia - Part 6
#3 of Academia
Academia - Part 5
Copyright Zelphair/YaminoFoxie 2008
It was all he could do to keep from jumping halfway out of his fur at the door closing behind him, but Kaze dutifully took a seat in the much less ornate chair in front of the headmaster's desk. Although chairs in these types of offices were usually hard and uncomfortable - the better to intimidate visitors, he often suspected - he found himself settling into the light padding with some degree of comfort. At the very least, he could infer from the seat offered to him that the headmaster held some degree of concern over his students' comfort.
"I appreciate you coming to see me so soon after arriving," the wolf stated with a genuine smile. "I realize your arrival here was rather...abrupt, and there's certainly a period of transition that's necessary. For what it's worth, we didn't intend your admission to be quite so sudden."
"You had intentions for me?" the fox asked with a certain amount of trepidation. He was sick to death of people's plans and expectations for him.
"Only insofar as we keep track of most every Gift that manifests," the headmaster assured him. "Gifts generally begin to make themselves known in, and build during, the teenage years. We keep track of Gifted individuals from as early an age as possible, so we can bring them here to the Academy at the appropriate time."
"Well, in my case, I suppose I'm grateful," Kaze clarified, "but...don't people get a choice? Technically, you rescued me, but it could just as easily be called kidnapping."
There was a long moment of silence, as a pained look crossed the handsome wolf's face. "Sometimes, that is an unfortunate necessity," the headmaster replied sadly. The expression lingered on his pale lupine face a moment longer, before being replaced by the same kind but business-like demeanor. "Can you tell me what happened, leading up to when I found you? I think I have a relatively good idea of what occurred, but if you don't mind, I'd like to hear it from your perspective."
Slightly phased by the apparent non-sequitur, but careful not to show it, the fox described, as best he could remember, the events of that fateful night. He'd gotten his tears out earlier that morning, and thus it was much easier to simply dispassionately recount the entire ordeal. For all intents and purposes, despite the word "I" in his narrative, it may as well have happened to someone else entirely. He confided his feelings about his family, or at least, his feelings on that particular night, to a greater extent than he'd ever done before, and yet none of that emotion seemed to touch him in the here and now.
"I see," the headmaster said with a nod when the young fox had concluded his tale. "Your Gift reacted to your emotions, in this case fending off the attacker. That is precisely the reason those with Gifts come here. If you don't learn to consciously control your Gift, it will continue to simply react to your emotions." Once more, a shadow passed before the wolf's face, his features filling with deep and genuine concern. "Can you see how incredibly dangerous that would be?"
"I guess so," Kaze replied tentatively, "Although, in this case, didn't it do something good? My dad would've been dead if my...Gift hadn't reacted."
"That's true," the wolf agreed, "However, you were quite lucky. At the very least, you could have easily killed the attacker, instead of simply fending him off."
"That would've been unfortunate for him," the fox cautiously admitted, the events of that moment running through his mind again. "But...maybe he deserved that. He was more than ready to kill my father."
"Also true," the headmaster conceded, "and one of the things you will need to decide during your time here is when, if ever, it's acceptable to kill with your powers. That's different for each student, though the ones with few or no restrictions on that generally need to be...dealt with."
For someone who seemed so kind and helpful to talk rather calmly about murder was a bit disconcerting to the fox, but the wolf wasn't done talking. "Still, imagine, if you will, that you were truly angry with someone, perhaps a friend, perhaps your father, perhaps simply a relative innocent. If your Gift simply reacted to your emotional distress..."
The fox couldn't help but shudder, his fur standing on end. He'd always had a relatively active imagination, and it was all too easy to imagine the lightning that had come from him striking somewhere more vital than a paw, and someone more innocent than a burglar. It was an image that was sure to haunt his dreams for quite some time.
"Simply put," the headmaster continued bluntly, "as you are now, you are a great danger to both yourself and those around you. The goal of this academy is, through training and education, to make you less of a liability, and hopefully, in time, a valuable asset."
"So, you'll teach me to use this...Gift?" Kaze asked with a fair amount of nervousness. It was one thing to recognize his abilities as an abstract idea, an intellectual exercise. It was quite another to actually think of using them purposely on a day to day basis.
"Well, not me personally," the wolf clarified. "It's best that in-depth teaching be done by someone with the same Gift. But yes, one of our teachers will instruct you."
"I see. If you don't mind my asking, sir," the fox began diffidently, "what exactly is your Gift? I haven't seen a ribbon on you."
"So Dylan's already explained about the ribbons, hmm?" the headmaster replied with a chuckle. "It's quite alright to ask that sort of question. If I had a ribbon, it would be black. My Gift..." The wolf's eyes closed in thought for a moment, "well, perhaps it would be better to demonstrate."
Watching closely, Kaze could see that the headmaster's eyes seemed to unfocus just a bit, and his fur stood on end. The wolf reached out with his paw slightly, but there was no other movement. Seemingly of its own accord, and with exaggerated slowness, the book on the desk rose into the air, floated to the bookshelf, and filed itself neatly away.
"That's..." the blue fox wracked his brain, trying to remember all the comic books and fantasy he'd read over the years, "...telekinesis?" The wolf nodded encouragingly, but something else came to Kaze's mind. "That's not all, is it?" As the headmaster shook his head, the fox felt confident enough to guess. "Last night, when you saved me...I think I remember this...voice, inside my head. I think...maybe...that was you, which would mean you've got telepathy, too."
"Well reasoned," the wolf congratulated, but he soon frowned at the uneasiness showing in the fox's body language, past attempts to hide it. "Your trepidation is understandable. Your private thoughts are private, and you'd like to keep them that way, right?" At the fox's embarassed nod, the headmaster gave another soft chuckle. "I only intrude into the minds of others with permission, or in the case of an emergency." The wolf then looked his student directly in the eyes, blue eyes showing not a hint of mirth, his tone deadly serious. "I would never read your mind without consent, unless your very life or sanity was at stake. Different telepaths have different ethics, but for me, doing so would be a despicable invasion, tantamount to rape."
Kaze relaxed visibly, and could only nod at the wolf's assurance. He supposed last night had been a sort of emergency, and his life may very well have been in danger. Presumably, if the headmaster had "talked" directly into his head, it must have been because he was unreachable by any other means at that point.
"Why don't you wear a ribbon?" the fox blurted out, the abrupt change of subject seemingly the only way to alleviate the tension.
"Many teachers don't wear ribbons," the wolf explained, "just as they often don't wear uniforms. They have no real dress regulations, nor do non-Gifted support staff."
"Wait a sec..." Kaze reacted with a start, "I thought everyone here was Gifted. Isn't that what this place is supposed to do, train people with Gifts, and be top-secret?"
"All the students are gifted, yes," the headmaster clarified, "and a good many of the teachers. And yes, the primary purpose of the Academy is to train those with Gifts, and to that effect, it keeps its existence, like the existence of the Gifts themselves, secret. However, the Academy is also a place for these Gifted students to receive their university education, and is a fully functional modern community, with restaurants, shopping, entertainment, and all the other various amenities." (The fox couldn't help but picture a pitch like that in a brochure, much as that would ruin the secrecy of the place.) "There aren't nearly enough people with Gifts to fill all those positions, and even if there were, there are so many other places, both here and in the world at large, where their Gifts are required."
The fox nodded his understanding, a few more things making sense now. "I suppose if someone could be turning sea water into something drinkable, it doesn't make sense to have them flipping burgers instead."
"Precisely," the wolf agreed. "The Gifted are a very finite resource, and should never be wasted."
Kaze honestly wasn't sure what to think about that. On the one hand, he could certainly see the logic of the headmaster's words. On the other hand, though, especially now that he was free of his parents' influence, he wanted to achieve his own goals, live his own life. Not that he knew precisely what that amounted to at the moment, but he was fairly sure he didn't want the course of his life dictated by what he could do with these abilities.
"That's not to say that you won't be able to have a normal day-to-day life, pursue a career, raise a family, etc. if you so desire," the wolf clarified, echoing the fox's thoughts. Kaze was startled more than a bit at first, but managed to reason away his paranoia. Even with the headmaster being a telepath, he still would have needed to learn to read body language, if he didn't want to rely on his Gift in ways he found inappropriate. As easy as it was to be frightened for his privacy, the fox knew it was unfair to ever assume the wolf got information that way.
I can't very well rush to blame him just because he can do something, without knowing for sure if he actually did_. It'd be like people rushing to blame me whenever something got...struck by lightning or something._
"Being a graduate of the Academy," the headmaster explained, "is much like being...hmm...a National Guardsman, let's say. We train you, and you can go off about your life, but you're more or less constantly on call if there's a need for your Gift. And on the opposite spectrum, some people decide to focus full-time on the use of their Gifts, doing things like teaching here at the Academy, or providing assistance on projects, both domestic and military."
"Military projects?" Kaze asked incredulously, "I thought the Gifts needed to be kept secret. Blowing things up doesn't seem like the best way to stay hidden."
"We don't work with conventional military projects, no," the headmaster confirmed, "but we do work on more covert operations, particularly those involving attacks against or from those who are Gifted, but lack the ethics to use their Gifts responsibly. There are far more of those individuals out there than anyone's strictly comfortable with, unfortunately."
"But didn't you say a Gift had to be trained to be used consciously?" the fox asked. "Wouldn't that mean it's either not entirely their fault, that it just reacted to their emotions like mine did?"
"In some cases, yes," the wolf admitted, "and in those cases, we do our best not to judge, and to teach those involved to use their Gifts consciously and responsibly."
"And in the others?" Kaze asked, his curiosity honestly aroused, "Are the others all Academy graduates?"
"Not generally, no," the headmaster conceded. "Those who don't learn some degree of ethics to go with their Gifts...don't graduate, one way or the other. There are some who do 'go bad' at some point after leaving here, but it's rare, and just doesn't account for the amount."
"Then where are they getting training?" the fox continued to ask, definitely intrigued now, though trying his best to maintain a cool exterior. He was beginning to wonder if he should even bother trying to hide any feelings from the wolf, however. The guy was very adept at reading body language, right down to things he couldn't consciously hide.
"That, my young fox, is a very good question." The headmaster paused and seemingly thought for a moment, as if considering how much to reveal. "I think there may be some sort of shadow organization behind things, training and manipulating the Gifted for their own ends." His eyes locked with the fox's once again. "I would prefer, however, that you not share this with your fellow students. It's little more than speculation at this point, and there's no reason to unduly worry anyone. They know the emergency procedures in the event of an attack. I'd rather not have them dwelling on possibly having to use them."
"Fair enough," the fox agreed, "though it couldn't be easy to take this place, right? I mean, if it's a 'fully functional modern community', with a core of Gifted students, isn't it almost like a military base?"
"I suppose that's not an unfair analogy," the wolf admitted, "but the vast majority of the population here is the non-Gifted staff, and even of those who are Gifted, the majority are half-trained at best."
"Couldn't you arm the non-Gifted staff, if worst came to worst?" Kaze asked, his mind simply running through the possibilities as if it were some abstract strategy game.
"That's...complicated," the headmaster replied, absorbed in thought once more. "Consider my assistant, Ms. Paulson, the very efficient mink you met outside. In addition to being an excellent assistant, she's quite a good shot with the shotgun she keeps under her desk. She says it's part of her job to ensure my security. Can you see the issue with this?"
"Well, I get that you can probably defend yourself just fine," the fox admitted, "but a little extra firepower never hurts, right?"
The headmaster simply looked resigned and sighed. "Any force capable of breaching this place, especially getting to this particular office, would have to be extraordinarily gifted, a massive, heavily armed force...or both. In any case, her resistance, as well-intended as it may be, would not even be token to them. More seriously, she would almost certainly be killed without hesitation, whereas hiding might save her life."
"I...never really thought of it that way," the fox admitted.
"That's understandable," the wolf assured him. "You've never really seen combat. God willing, you won't see genuine warfare during your time here. Still, you'll need to learn to think that way. Anyone with a strong Gift does."
"Yes, sir," the blue fox responded with deference. He supposed in a way, it was like a strategy game where you had to try your best to keep casualties at zero, because these were real people. Their deaths were heartbreaking, and sickeningly permanent, and yet, sometimes necessary. Was that what he would have to become? Someone who could decide at exactly what point a real human death could no longer be avoided. It was a sobering thought, to say the least.
"Now," the headmaster began, his smile suddenly returning, "I've probably scared you more than is even remotely necessary, but as long as you apply yourself, I have no doubt you can master your Gift. Besides, that's only a small part of your larger education here." Folding his paws in front of him and leaning forward, the wolf yet again looked Kaze directly in the eyes, but this time, a glint of mirth lit the blue orbs. "So, Kaze, if I may call you that..." At the fox's nod, he continued. "...I've rambled on long enough. You must have questions, right?"
With an audible gulp, the young fox expressed the fear that had been in the back of his mind pretty much the entire time he'd been there. "Well, this all sounds really lovely, but my parents have cut me off, and well...I don't know how I can afford...tuition, I guess it would be."
The headmaster's face broke out in a lupine grin. "I just explained to you that the training is absolutely necessary. Did you think we'd leave that to chance? Believe me, funds will be found, for your tuition, as well as the student stipend for food, non-uniform clothing, and such."
"But...that sounds an awful lot like charity," the fox replied uneasily.
The wolf shook his head solemnly. "I can understand that, but really, think of it as an investment in your future potential. And if you still feel so guilty, we could always use another Air user on the energy generation team, once you've had a bit of training."
"But...yes, sir..." Kaze conceded. He still wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea, but it was clear the headmaster wasn't about to take no for an answer.
"Any more questions?" the wolf asked, the grin never leaving his muzzle.
"Well, I suppose the only thing left to ask is, where do I get my uniform?" the fox eventually replied.
At almost the exact moment that Kaze finished his sentence, there was a rather loud knock on the door. The fox really did jump this time, the fur standing on end making his tail look ridiculous. The wolf merely smiled, but not in a condescending manner that would suggest he was laughing at the young fox.
"That, I believe, is the answer to that question," the headmaster said, "and with unusually good timing, too. That would be the student I assigned to guide you to Laundry, and give you a bit of a tour. Come in!"
Author's Note: That's it for this time. To those of you who've been waiting, sorry for the wait. I realize this is once again a somewhat abrupt place to cut off, but the only more suitable point would've meant making this probably twice as long, and would likely have taken me at least that much longer to write. Please, please comment (the more people who comment, the more inspired I generally am to write more), and I hope to see you again in part 7.