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]

[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.

[tadeadshi]

['A few good nights', there's a joke if he ever heard one. Even with it being legal and all, he still just isn't a drinker and hasn't gone seeking it out.]

Nah, not really. And it's fine, honest. We didn't really do much for it, just uh. Me and Hiro and Aunt Cass having a dinner together.

[pushtheboundaries]

[you have the majority of your peer group here, Tadashi. and while you're not a drinker, in his experience, it Happens at least once. still, he seems to take the thought of them going out for dinner well, brightening up at the mention]

Still a good night by the sound of it. How is she doing?

[tadeadshi]

She's fine. Still settling in to the whole 'registered hero' thing. But I think we're working on helping her open a cafe here, so she'll be doing even better after that.

[pushtheboundaries]

So she did register? I hadn't asked. [is he the only one in their little group that hasn't? even Krei...] I can't see her going out as much as some of them, but if she's going to be opening a cafe...

[tadeadshi]

I think she did? I'm not sure.

[It hadn't really been his business...]

Mm, yeah. Me and Hiro are going to help sponsor it. All she's got to do is find the place she wants it and we'll pay for it.

[pushtheboundaries]

[frankly, someone with Cass's personality...he sees her doing much more good on the home front, so to speak, rather than out in the field. support, as opposed to the forward force.

and considering that had been Robert's own role, with his combat experience, he doesn't look down on that whatsoever.]

That's probably a change she'll appreciate, considering she'd been supporting you before - scholarships aside. Although...I'm sure she didn't expect the sort of thing to happen for a few more years.

Not that it's a bad thing, mind.

[tadeadshi]

Probably. [He smiles a little; he's glad they're in a position they can support her, after everything she's done for them for the last decade. It only feels right that they do it.]

Sounds like you've gotten to talk to her some since she's been here?

[pushtheboundaries]

A bit. We spoke at the beach, and...while some of the mess was going on. [that seems like a good way to refer to it. he'll stick with that, for now.] She's a good woman. I'm honestly surprised she never found someone.