6490/Wait - There are Service Ants

Wait - There are Service Ants
Date of Scene:	07 June 2021
Location:	Administrative Hall - Happy Harbor High School
Synopsis:	Madison gets more than she bargained for, when she tries to sign up for summer classes and meets Doctor Henry Pym instead.
Cast of Characters:	Hank Pym, Madison Evans

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Hank Pym has posed:
After school hours at Happy Harbor High. The corridors are silent and the main office... it would /be/ quiet except for a pencil sharpener being worked to death.

"Mo said she'd be back in a minute. That dang secretary said /she'd/ be back in a minute. Unless they are traveling close to the speed of light and experiencing time dilation I have been had. Oh thank you, Baudelaire." Hank takesa mug of coffee from the giant ant who then curls up at his feet.

"Hmmmph. Not enough sugar and I like oat milk, not almond. But you're doing better." He pats the ant's head and waits for the sharpener to cool down.

Madison Evans has posed:
    The door is pushed open by the diminuative form of Madison Evans - a newly enrolled student who still feels rather out of place in the unfamiliar halls of the school. The large buildings are laid out differently than what she's used to in California, where 'interior halls' are not a thing often used, and outdoor space is optimized thanks to the perennially perfect weather. Approaching the counter, she overlooks the large ant near the man's feet, as she glances around the room - but sees no one else. "...who're you talking to?" the girl asks. "And what's- time dilation? That's a thing?"

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym frowns. A student. Dang this job is way easier when the students aren't here. But if you want Hank Pym's attention ask him a question.

"I am talking to my presently giant-sized ant, Baudelaire or 'Bo' for short. He is quite well behaved and not a danger. Bo, say hello to the little girl." Bo obliges waving an antenna in greeting.

"Time dilation refers to passengers on a rocket moving close to the speed of light appearing to experience a slower passage of time. From Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity. Their rocket also seems to grow more massive and contract in length. What may I do for you?"

Madison Evans has posed:
    A giant-sized ant? What is he talking about. There's no- "...whoa," Madison breathes as her gaze lands on the creature. She watches it - hesitantly lifting a hand to wave back. "Is it... a robot?" she asks. It looks awfully real for a robot. "It's //coooooool//." That much is undeniably true.
    The rest she listens to with curiosity - but not much comprehension. It's all pretty foreign concepts to her. "So all that - it's just theory? Or did someone prove it somehow?" she asks in puzzlement - before realizing he asked her a question that, well, rather needs answering.
    "My mom wants me to try to take a summer class. 'To get to know the other students.' And probably to give me something to do and get me out of the house - you kno whow mom's are, yeah? - but only I don't even know what classes you have this summer so- ummm. Is there an equestrian class in the summer?" There's a lot of hope in that last question. //A lot//.

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym frowns a little. "That my dear is a living, breathing /camponotus/ or carpenter ant. Only much bigger than normal. Yes Special Theory as been proven in the lab, accelerating particles to near light speed preserves them from radioactive decay." He gets up, setting a very sharp pencil down.

"Equestrian club... no idea there are some brochures around here. I guess there aren't... listen, the Director or her secretary just stepped out for a bit. Why don't you take a seat and wait till they return. I'm sure they can answer your questions. I'm just keeping an eye on things. Some brute with wings made a mess of her office the other day. Crashed right through it. I'm Dr. Henry Pym by the way." He waits for the lack of recognition... ahh there it is he thinks.

Madison Evans has posed:
    Yup. There it is. Madison assumes this is, well, just a //teacher//. Even if - as her mother told her while trying to hype the move to her teenage daughter - this school was rather different. "I'm Madison Evans," she offers. "I'm going to be a sophmore - but we just moved here, you see." Her eyes stay on the man as long as strictly necessary to avoid being overtly rude - then locks back onto the ant with an undisguised curiosity. "How can a carpenter ant be //giant// though?" she asks. "Can I- do you //pet// giant ants? Is it smart? You were talking to it. I didn't think ants were very smart."

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym walks back over to the ant and pats him on the head. "For me perfectly safe. For other people, maybe not as safe if I'm not around. Let him taps your hand and maybe your face. That's how he smells you. Much like a dog. Then after he has sniffed you out, pat him on the head. Hard. He has an exoskeleton, and can't really feel scratches or strokes but he appreciates the attention and ants often bump heads to show friendship. Don't touch the antennae or his eyes needless to say. If he does bite... he's not but if he latches onto you don't move. I'll deal with him. He's just playing. Bo be nice to Madison." There is a silent 'or else' in there. the ant continues waving his antennae and shakes his wings out.

"And yes, ants are far smarter tham humans believe."

Madison Evans has posed:
    Madison nods - and there's a moment's hesitation as she offers her hand for the ant to explore, really hoping she's not about to get the //worst pinch ever//. "Hello, Bo," she greets him - before adding, "I wonder what his pinch feels like? I mean - I grew up exploring tidepools. I've been pinched by crabs more time than I can remember. Do they have tidepools on the East Coast? I mean, they mus-" The girls's almost mile-a-minute talking cuts off abruptly as she realizes something. "....horseshoe crabs." She can see horseshoe crabs now! "Yes."

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym nods, "You're a little late for the mating season but yes there are horseshoe crabs out... mating. Does he pinch hard... OK, let me take a minute to enlarge this pencil." Hank takes a pencil and it grows larger in his hand, until it's as thick around as madison's wrist and a foot long. "Show Madison what you can do, Baudelaire," Hank says, smirking a little.

<SNAP!> The pencil is bitten cleanly in half.

"Now fortunately he is a carpenter ant and not a man eating ant. Humans taste terrible to ants. He has no desire to bite... unless they are threatened or angry. But Bo... is chill."

Madison Evans has posed:
    Madeline's eyes go as large as proverbial saucers. First - as the pencil grows. Then - as the ant just //destroys//. "I- he- you... //It grew//!" the girl remarks, pointing out the obvious. To be fair, it's a reasonable response to that sort of thing. "...is that your power?" she asks in a quieter, almost awed voice. She looks down at the at, then at her hand, then back at the ant... before cautious reaching out to pat it on the head. A bit roughly, as instructed. "Umm. Thank you for not biting me, Bo," she adds. "That's- that's //way// worse than any crab I ever caught."
    There's a pause before she asks, "Are man eating ants //a thing//?"

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym points to the ant as he happily chews on the pencil. "How do you think the ant got that big. Hank Pym -the original Ant-Man. Then Giant-Man, Goliath, Giant-Man again... currently Fire Ant? Former Avenger" I helped enlarge Bushwick and then Genosha. I oh hell. Waspette is my daughter. I'm sure her you heard of." He starts picking up the wooden bits Bo left.

"Nice to meet you."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "...oh," Madison repeats, listening to all of that before offering with a little embarrassment, "I guess I should listen to the news more, huh?" She turns her attention from Doctor Pym, to watching the ant meticulously destroying a pencil. It's //fascinating// to watch. "It's like watching it under a microscope - only way less annoying," she says in an awed tone. "Is this what school is going to be like every day?" Maybe her mom was right. Maybe this move //wasn't// so bad. "Aww, man, none of my friends back home are going to believe //any// of this," she complains.
    "Oh. Nice to meet you, Mister- I mean, Doctor Pym. Sir."

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym gestures grandly. "This is a special school. We have all sorts of students, meta-human, Mutant, synthetics. All kinds. We don't ask about their abilities. All we ask is... don't be a jerk. Get along with each other. The staff is pretty eclectic as well. So you are bound to be surprised by something quite often. This is a safe place. We will risk our own safety for our kids. And we respect privacy. Students' abilities are their concern. They can be as private or open as they want. We don't out anyone."

" Oh, don't pet Bo when he wears his service animal vest though. He's working then."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Oh, well, yeah of course. I mean - it's like - it's the same thing with gender stuff, right?" Madison asks in a cheery voice. "If people want to tell you, they'll tell you. And if you're not sure what the right thing to say is, you ask. And if they don't want to talk about it, that's fine. Right?"
    The cheer fades into puzzlement as she tries to decide if this staff member might be //messing with her// a little. "...giant ants can be service animals?" I mean. She didn't know giant ants could exist at all until moments ago.

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym holds up a yellow vest.

"He passed the training. Would you tell me 'no'? He is my emotional support animal. The last time I left him tied up outside, he ate all the tires, off the bicycles at the rack and was sick for a week. I suffer from social anxiety at times. I'm getting better. Strangely, I don't have this anxiety with young people. though I did when I was your around your age. Then again... at fourteen I was in college /that/ will give you anxiety. Trust me."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "...is it okay that I'm really excited to tell my friends that not only did I meet a giant ant, not only did it destroy a giant pencil, not only did I get to pet it - but that it has a yellow vest and it's a service animal?" Madison asks. In fact - she shows this excitement by bouncing up onto the tips of her toes and grinning broadly like an idiot. The only thing she likes more than exagerating stories to such degrees that no one believes them anymore, is telling stories that are too ridiculous to be true - that are //absolutely// true. This is great!
    "I'm glad I came in here today, Mis- Doctor Pym." She's going to get used to that - eventually.

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym waves his hand again. "My identity was made public a long time ago. And kind of silly to have him made a service animal and keep it secret. Here, take a picture with us. Wait a second... " Hank shrinks out of sight and then hops up onto the ant's head a foot tall.

"The gate is unlocked. Come around... or you can climb on the counter. I won't tell," the tiny doctor confides. "Just hurry up some tattletale might show up."

Madison Evans has posed:
    "You're tiny!" Madison shrieks, letting out a laugh. This is //ridiculous. "They're going to claim I photoshopped it!" she complains - while still grinning wildly. But - she does pull out her phone, and manages to clamber up onto the counter to take a selfie with the giant ant, and the tiny teacher. "Man - Emma is going to //freak//," she claims with a grin.

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym says, "Video it. If they still doubt, let me talk to them on video. I hate it when people just doubt without good reason. I'm listed under faculty here. My career is online. Oh you have a friend named Emma too."

"Uhm, can you airdrop that to my phone please? I want to show this to my friends. They'll get a kick out of it. I won't put you on the internet or anything." He looks up at the phone when video is activated. "Hi, Emma! This is Hank Pym, former Avenger. I used to be Ant-Man. I teach here. Your friend Madison is quite epic. She pet a vicious giant ant. See?" Bo waves an antenna languidly.

Madison Evans has posed:
    "I do," Madison confirms. "Emma, and Aiden, and Cameron and me - we always hung out. We played games and stuff - you know?" For a moment, there's sadness on the chipper, exciteable youth's features - loneliness for friends that feel half a world away. But she quickly pushes that away as she flips the phone over to video mode. "Hopefully you can come visit me here for the Thanksgiving holiday! I miss you! And you too, Aiden and Cameron!" she adds - before switching off the video. Then - sitting up on the counter - she starts thumbing through her phone's controls so she can airdrop it.

Hank Pym has posed:
Hank Pym doesn't really know. He didn't socialize with people his own age ever really till he was in his mid-twenties. He just nods and smiles. Nice to meet someone without... extra for a change. He wishes Nadia... put that aside. You and she are Pyms. Abnormality was in our genes. She probably got more than her share when she linked herself to Janet van Dyne as well. Being a superhero was tough. Having a superhero daughter was even tougher."

Hank jumps up and away from Bo, growing till his feet hit the ground with no time to fall at all. He's Madison's size for a moment then his full six foot frame fills out. This is just as footsteps can be heard approaching. He motions at Madison to get off the counter. Offers her a hand, but looks a little worried.

Madison Evans has posed:
    Madison scurries off the counter with a brief giggle - and then makes her way hurriedly to one of the chairs. By the time the door opens, she's seated in it with a blatantly transparent attempt at a 'nothing going on here, honest' expression on her features. Oh, this kid.