IC INBOX; MoM

[pushtheboundaries]

"You've reached Robert Callaghan, Headmaster to the Heropa Organization for imPort Education. Please leave a message with your name, your phone number, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. As a reminder, my office hours are..."

Comments

[pushtheboundaries]

[Robert's really just starting to relax when the knock comes. he glances up from his book, gives a bit of a mental sigh, then sets it down before getting up to open the door and

blink.]

Tadashi? [beat] Is everything all right?

[no burns, no heavy bags under his eyes from lack of sleep - he could be opening the door to his office at SFIT, for all his manner and appearance.]

[tadeadshi]

[He definitely looks tired at the very least; still having some trouble sleeping, but it's gotten a little better since the psychic dive into his brother's mind. Just something else he wanted to talk about, get some ideas and suspicions out of his head about that.

Tadashi looks at him, then starts fiddling with the top flap of his bag.]

Uh -- Yeah, no, everything's fine. Just wanted to check on you. See how things are doing.

[Ah - he should just get it over with. He's only been twenty-one for a week so his first purchase obviously wouldn't be for himself. Carefully he pulls out a bottle of scotch with a little bow around the neck and offers it to him.]

Never got you a congratulations gift for the position before we left on the trip.

[pushtheboundaries]

[he can't blame Tadashi for how tired he looks, really. it's probably hit him harder than it did Callaghan, and that's with Callaghan's initial paranoid responses.]

As well as I can, all things considered. Your brother dropped by, the other day, and we had a good talk.

[and - wait. wait. that is- why does Tadashi have that. he accepts it with a furrowed brow, looking from one to the other]

Come on, you didn't need to do that.

[tadeadshi]

[So that's where Hiro went when he'd been brought back by that ... android. Go with android. Makes sense now. But with the comment, Tadashi simply shrugs.]

Figured it was only right since I pushed you to look into it. Also wanted to see how you were doing.

[pushtheboundaries]

Mmm. [he lowers the bottle, then, after a moment's thought, takes a step back] Like I said, well. Did you want to come in?

[tadeadshi]

Uh.

[For all he was planning to insist he look him over and use his healing to help, he still mentally stalls at being offered to come in. He'd expected resistance, considering how his conversation over the comm had gone when he last tried. Tadashi nods, then steps inside to look around the small area.]

At least you don't have to pay rent.

[pushtheboundaries]

[there doesn't seem to be any lingering injuries - at least, if there are, they're not the visible sort. and Callaghan certainly doesn't seem cagey, simply smiling a bit as Tadashi makes the comment]

I still pull my weight. More so, when summer's over.

[tadeadshi]

Hm. Still, it's a little better I'd think.

[Callaghan better believe Tadashi is watching his movements like a hawk for any giveaways. But when he sees none, he drapes his bag over the corner of a chair and sits.]

What other kind of stuff do you do?

[pushtheboundaries]

[Tadashi's close scrutiny is one of the reasons Callaghan invited him in. the sooner the young man realizes he's fine, and not faking it, the better. he takes a seat himself, after setting the bottle down on the counter.]

Mostly I work with the curriculums. It's slow right now, and there's only so many students who've enrolled, but there's still a healthy interest in the school - from more than just the Imports.

[beat]

Or did you mean outside of it?

[tadeadshi]

Either one. [He shrugs. It makes sense, to spend the summer working on the next year's curriculum, and Tadashi assumes he did the same thing at SFIT as well, along with summer classes. As long as Callaghan is keeping busy after all the mess...]

I'm glad you're doing well.

[pushtheboundaries]

[not as comprehensively - he's always planned ahead - but things are somewhat different when you're administrating an entire school. sure, it's no Institute of Technology, but it has its own challenges.

he nods, after a moment]

I've been taking it easy the past few weeks. Trying to find some stable ground, in the midst of...

[he makes a vague gesture. everything.]

[tadeadshi]

Good. I mean, it's about all we can do right now.

[He pinches at the bridge of his nose to breathe for a minute before smiling tiredly at him.]

We took care of Hiro. Whatever was in his head is gone now. So... It shouldn't be a problem again.

[pushtheboundaries]

[another nod. and - if not a smile, then at least a look of acceptance]

So I've heard. He mentioned you and the others were going to keep an eye on him, to make sure whatever- or whomever- started all this wouldn't have another chance.

[it's partly a query - but the real question is what, exactly, he's asking with it]

[tadeadshi]

Mm. That's the plan anyway.

[He has his own suspicions about who to blame for it, but he can't just jump out and say it, not without proof. And with this sort of thing, it's hard to get proof to show. But he takes a mental note that Hiro has spoken to Callaghan since they did the dive and it apparently went all right since neither are hurt or angry.]

Was kind of a rush though - I mean. We finished everything with Hiro and when we all woke up, it was midnight.

[Midnight of a very important date.]

[pushtheboundaries]

[he doesn't seem particularly distressed at all, really. though he does seem thoughtful, thinking over the words]

Would you mind if I asked how you did it?

[tadeadshi]

It's... Mm. [He rubs at the back of his neck.] One of our friends knows a telepath. She offered to come help, take all our consciousness into his mind and cleared it out mentally.

[pushtheboundaries]

[telepathy, by itself, prickles at Callaghan just by how impossible it strikes him - no such thing. that said, if he hadn't spent months here, he wouldn't be so quick to move past it - even so, he gives a half-glance towards the bottle of scotch before shaking his head and returning his attention to Tadashi]

By the sounds of it, you might need that more than I do. But do you want to go in to it?

[do you want to talk about it?]

[tadeadshi]

[In turn, something in him bristles at the thought of talking about it. His mind flashes back to the glimpses of Hiro's psyche that spoke out directly to him - Hiro's state was Tadashi's fault, seeing Hiro's memory of his own future death on repeat, that everything that's happened between everyone from their world was Tadashi's fault - and he shakes his head slowly.]

No, it's Hiro's personal business. His head and all. Either way, it's done and over and he's fine now.

[pushtheboundaries]

That's all that matters, in the end. [beat] I'm glad.

[and he is. after everything - he doesn't want Hiro as his enemy. he never actively sought it, but had accepted it back during...well. the worst of it all, and to be confronted with it again was...

upsetting.

he should change the subject.]

So. Twenty-one?

[tadeadshi]

I'm really glad too.

[Ah, that question though. He almost looks sheepishly embarrassed about it.]

As of midnight when we finished with Hiro.

[pushtheboundaries]

Talk about timing. [he can't help but chuckle, managing a smile as he leans forwards a bit.] I'm going to assume you were all to tired to do much to celebrate, then.

[tadeadshi]

Too tired and had a lot of other stuff we were doing at the time.

[Like making sure everyone was okay, healing any injuries anyone sustained, feeding everyone... They had their hands full before they all eventually passed out for the day.]

Lots of big stuff happening, it didn't seem like that big a deal, y'know?

[pushtheboundaries]

[well, there's only response he can give to that, after arching his brow

then smiling again]

It's big enough on its own. Happy birthday.

[tadeadshi]

[He ducks his head down a little at that.]

Thanks. 's been a week since then but. Thank you.

[pushtheboundaries]

What is it they say, better late than never? [he leans back, wry] I'm afraid I haven't much of a present for you, though I'm sure you've already had a few good nights since then.