451/You Were Looking a Little Green...

You Were Looking a Little Green...
Date of Scene:	12 March 2020
Location:	11C - M'gann and Xiomara's Dorm
Synopsis:	Colette checks up on Megan after her rapid exit from class. Megan manages not to ask why the hell the TA's mind is wrapped in psychic concrete.
Cast of Characters:	M'gann M'orzz, Colette O'Connail

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M'gann M'orzz has posed:
     Wednesday night. Halfway through the week. Megan had finished her homework a few hours ago, and was now exploring the wonders of Netflix and the Internet. Which was /so/ much better than only getting to watch what people beamed into space inadvertently. And she could pause it for bathroom breaks, and there's no commercials... Her microwave had just beeped on a bag of popcorn, when there's a knock on the door. A quick look through the peephole reveals... Colette? Swallowing nervously, the redhead opens the door. "Hello... how can I help you?"

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    Colette greets Megan with a big smile. She's holding a print-out and looking quite relaxed. Compared to the rather formal style she presented in the study group, it takes about 0.5 seconds to notice the difference there. "Hey there Megan. Because you missed the end of the study group, I thought I'd bring you my notes to look over, I thought that might be helpful for you finishing up that essay. Also I wanted to check in on you and make sure everything's okay now. May I come in?"

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
     Blinkblink. Well, that /would/ explain things. Megan opens the door further, nervousness fading into a grateful smile as she accepts the notes. "Thank you! I really appreciate it. And sure! I'm sorry about the smell, I know some people don't like popcorn." Indeed, there's a steaming bag of popcorn sitting in a bowl on her table. "Should I sit on the bed, or...?"

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    There's a soft laugh and a 'feel free' wave of the hand. "It's your room, Megan. Sit where you like. And anyone who doesn't like the smell of popcorn has a strange sense of smell, as far as I'm concerned." She hands the print-out to Megan and takes a seat on the couch. It might occur to Megan that the print-out could very easily have been e-mailed to her and is probably more of an excuse than anything else.

    "I wanted you to know I appreciated your contributions to the study group very much. You're a thoughtful person. Your theme of the question of non-terrestrial heroes is a fascinating one and I'm really looking forwards to seeing your essay." Another smile. "However I did really want to check up on you after you left the class in a hurry like that. Now..." she spreads her hands out. "I'll be honest, I did wonder whether you were making an excuse to get out of the room. You were starting to look a little upset at some of the things other people were saying. There was this whole arms-crossed, glaring thing." Colette crosses her arms and glares, in demonstration, then breaks into a big grin. "Kinda like that. Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to tell you off or anything. You're not in any trouble. I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
     Megan pulsl her office chair out from behind her desk so she can see Colette well, and settles into it. She noms a few kernels of popcorn, nodding along and returning the TA's smile when she's complimented. That... does feel good. WHat follows, though. is slightly more nervewracking. Think, Megan! "Well... I was a little upset about people insulting my favorite heroes. But then I realized that I wasn't feeling good and I needed to go to the bathroom, so I ducked out. I'm sorry..." Her gaze falls to the floor, shoulders hunching a little as the teen folds in on herself.

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    "Megan, there's no need to apoligize." Another smile, and Colette leans back in the couch, looking quite relaxed. "I already told you, you're not in any trouble. You're new to the school, I know everything must seem quite challenging and intimidating. And some of your classmates... well, there were some quite strongly opinionated people there. Which isn't a bad thing! But I can see that discussions on subjects people are passionate about are going to get a little intense at times. Don't be afraid to tell them when you think they're wrong, okay? Just because someone has a loud voice doesn't mean they have more to say that's worth listening to. In my experience, often the quieter voices hold the most weight, because the nosier people are talking instead of thinking, and the quieter ones are thinking instead of talking."

    Colette spreads her hands flat on her knees. "You know Megan, I'm very new to this too. This is my first teaching experience. I'm actually still a student myself, and I'm only a few years older than you. When I go into the staff room I sometimes catch myself looking around guiltily and expecting someone to give me a detention." Out comes the grin again. "So... I understand. And I want you to know that if you have any problems... not just academic ones, mind... you can come to me. I'll always be sympathetic, okay?"

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
     ...Okay, phew. Not in trouble at all. "I /do/ do a lot of thinking. I didn't really have a lot of friends to talk to growing up. ...But I also talk a lot?" Argh. This is complicated. Popcorn, however, is /not/ complicated, and Megan should clearly eat more of it. "Well, I think you've been doing a pretty good job of teaching so far!" That's offered with a friendly smile, along with the bowl of popcorn in case Colette wants any. The last question... Nah, she shouldn't bring it up with the TA. She doesn't know who's cleared for what, and she's supposed to avoid outing herself. This might be a test, after all...

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    Megan isn't the only one who appreciated a compliment - being told she's doing a pretty good job gets the biggest smile out of Colette yet. "Thank you, Megan!" She says, taking a handful of popcorn and leaning back. "For the popcorn, and your faith in my teaching ability." She grins, throws a kernel in her mouth and munches.

    "You know, I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but..." she looks around as if checking there's nobody else in the room, then leans forwards, eyes glinting conspiratorially, but grinning like the whole thing's a joke. "Well, given the subject of your essay... I might know somebody who could uh... answer one or two questions. No promises, and it would have to be off the record, as journalists put it. But if there's a question or three you'd like to ask someone who might be in the..." she weaves her head from side to side a little. " .../kind/ of position you're discussing in your essay, I might be able to get some answers for you. You could email me something if you like."

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
    "You mean... I might be able to meet Martian Manhunter and Supergirl?" M'gann's face lights up, and she leans forward in her seat, popcorn momentarily forgotten. She just has to channel the excitement she felt when she first picked up a reply to her signal on that irst flight... "Ohmigod I could do an interview and then I'd have SO MUCH GOOD INFORMATION for the essay! They'd /have/ to give me a good grade then!"

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    Colette laughs and leans back. "No, this is someone else. I'm afraid neither of those two are on my What'sApp. It's someone a bit more secretive than those two, and as I said it would be off the record, not an interview. Now you could try writing the Justice League and see if one of them would find the time for an interview and that would get you an excellent grade, I'm sure. Trying to get that organized in time to get the essay in would be hard though, so don't get your hopes up. Come to think of it I do know a journalist who managed to arrange an interview with Captain Marvel in a very short space of time, so it's always possible. Of course she's human, though she has spent time off Earth." She gives another smile. "If it's a subject that really does interest you though, why not write and try? Maybe you can use it for another essay in the future."

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
     "...Okay, now I'm curious. But I don't think sending a few emails would hurt..." Popcorn bowl is returned to the desk, and Megan scribbles down a few notes. Names of capes to look into. "Any chance I'd have heard of them? I'd like to do a little bit of research beforeheand so I know what kind of questions to ask..."

Colette O'Connail has posed:
Colette tilts her head to the side thoughtfully. "Not everyone is as... public as someone like Supergirl or Batman. I am sure you appreciate that there are people who ahhh... have reasons to not advertize. As yet there isn't really a non-terrestrial community on Earth, the way immigrant communities have traditionally formed. There are some who have managed to blend in quite well, Megan. I mean, consider Supergirl. Would you know she wasn't human if she hadn't said so? So... well, you /may/ have heard of this person, but it's not someone who seeks out headlines. I'm not even able to promise this person will answer your questions - remember I did said no promises. But it would be a perspective that might help you shape your essay."

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
     "Okay. I'll keep it in mind, and I really appreciate your help. I'll forward an email to you after I write it up?" Megan doesn't want to push /too/ much, after all. More resources is a good thing for her essay, and she can't use any of her own knowledge... "Thanks again for stopping by to check in! I've got more ideas for this now."

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    Colette nods her head and stands. "Great, Megan. If you have any questions for me about the subjects we discussed in the group, or if there's anything in those notes that you'd like to ask about, include that in the e-mail, okay?"

    Colette stands and takes a moment looking around the dorm room. "These are nice rooms, huh? I can see you're already making it feel homely. That's good. " She stops at the door. "I'll leave you to get on with your work now Megan, but please don't forget. If you're having a hard time, or feeling that things are getting on top of you, you don't have to keep that to yourself. The staff here all want you to succeed, and... not just academically. Don't be afraid to talk to me about... anything you need to. I'm not here every day, but you can e-mail me any time."

M'gann M'orzz has posed:
     "Yeah, I found some good decorations. I've been trying to find stuff that I think Xio would like too, but no luck so far. And I definitely won't forget!" Megan nods eagerly, giving a wave before turning back to her computer. Lots more notes to take now...