School for the Unusually Difficult to Place (OPEN)

[Sarah Jane]

Dear Student

I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Sarah Jane Smith. I am writing in regards to the application you filled out for "21st Century School For the Unusually Gifted."

This may come as a surprise to you, but you have actually been accepted into "The Nodhaven School for the Unusually Difficult to Place." Because your very existence is of higher Information Classification than you actually have right now, the United Nations decided to keep a close eye on you all, disguising the jail they were going to put you in loosely as a 'boarding school'. A 'school' you would never get to leave. Needless to say, I objected. Strongly. In the end, they put me in charge. It turns out, according to the number crunchers, that it would have cost more to lock you up or have you assassinated than it would be to simply give you an excellent education, all expenses paid. All arrangements made.

Each one of you are growing up with the knowledge that we are not the only sentient creatures in the Universe. I think that knowledge and experience will give you special insights in the years to come. I think those who graduate from Nodhaven could be be the Extraterritorial Ambassadors of Earth's future. Many of you, I hope.

If you choose to be part of this educational program, I promise you it will neither be usual or easy. If you're not ready for the work, wait a while, and if you feel differently send another application. There is no shame in backing out at this point.

Those who are joining Nodhaven, please use the paid tickets attached to bring you to the Havelka Haven Airport in Texas. There you will meet your instructors and take a helicopter ride to your first classroom. If you don't have a head for heights, this is not the school for you.

In closing, I would like to say that each have been chosen for a reason, or many reasons. Each of you bring special talents and gifts to the table. None of you were chosen for compatibility with each other. Consider it your first assignment from me to try to learn to get along.

I hope to hear you have taken the plunge.

Most Sincerely,
Sarah Jane Smith
under the Auspices of
The United Nations

((Planning page for this Thread.
whoniverse-rp.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=sarahjaneadventuresooc&thread=5134&page=1#29751
All who are already welcome on the thread, please let Blue take the post after mine. Then please notice the order as you jump in, and lets try for a while going in turns with a regular line up. There is no set line up at this time, it will reveal itself. Please avoid OOC comments. Send PM's or put it on the planning page please. This thread will remain open for now, feel free to jump in late, though you may have to wait for them to return to Nodhaven proper. Please send me a PM if that is confusing and you wish to join.))

[Blue]

Blue stood at the helicopter pad, facing the crowd (well - it was a crowd for him) of students. He was nervous, to say the least, but that wasn't anything too unusual for the Djinn. He had been recruited as a teacher for the new school several weeks ago by its founder, a woman by the name of Sarah Jane Smith. Blue's current owner had insisted he go teach. And there he was, standing in Texas in his bank-telling uniform; a dress shirt and dark pants. As the last of the students gathered around the pad, he offered them a wide smile.

"Mornin'," he greeted, drawing up every ounce of charm and charisma the Djinn had in his body. He stepped closer to the group, pointing to the helicopter behind him. "Climb into this helicopter. We'll be taking a tour." He climbed into the helicopter after the group of students.




After the tour, he faced the students again. "You're all going to train to be astronauts for the day!" he said, forcing his voice to sound enthusiastic. He held up a piece of paper, silently counting how many had shown up. "The first thing you must do, however, is pick a job for you to do," he placed the piece of paper on a table, pulling a pen out of his pocket and putting it on the table alongside it.

Captain:
Pilot:
Co-Pilot:
Environmental Support Technician:
Communications/Interwebs for Satellite Positioning:
Medic & Space Walker/Engineer:

"Each job can only be taken once. Any questions?"[/font]

[The First Doctor]

He was running late, which mystified him. He was what he was and yet, well, one of his fellow professors and several of the students were already here.

He was an auburn haired man in a grey suit, one hand holding a silver-handled cane and the other gripping a stainless steel travel mug filled with steaming black coffee. The heels of his patent leather shoes and the silver tip of his cane clicked on the tarmac as he walked.

The heat appeared to have no affect on him whatsoever.

He tucked his cane under his arm as he approached, offering his hand. "You must be Blue. I'm Robin, Robin Goodfellow. Surely she mentioned me?"

[Malcolm Asutian]

Malcolm Asutian stuck his dollar bill in the soda machine at a gas station about eight miles south of where he really needed to be right now. Being who he was, he desperately needed a job, and in his interview he had blurted out the one job that he had believed needed no actual degree for.

And P.E. teacher he had recieved.

Cracking the lid and taking a sip from his coke, he elbowed his Vortex Manipulator and zapped into the front door of Nodhaven School for the Unusually Difficult to Place. He half-ran, half-slid down the halls until coming to the designated room. Stepping near two other teachers, he reached his free hand out to either of them.
"Hey, I'm Mr. Asutian. I'm assuming you're Blue, and you are?" he said, totally mixing up the two.

[Blue]

Blue widened brown eyes at the auburn man. He had been notified of other teachers that were to join him on the first day, but none of them had shown up. It had sent Blue into a flurry of antsy nerves.

"You must be Blue." At this comment, Blue nodded his head wordlessly. "I'm Robin, Robin Goodfellow. Surely she mentioned me?"

"It's very likely you were mentioned," he said, a diplomatic smile on the Djinn's lips. His memory often failed him when he was flustered. And Blue was described as 'awkward' on the best of times; groups of people weren't his forte. "It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Goodfellow," he shook the man's hand politely.

There. One formal, stiff introduction out of the way. He had just begun to collect his nerves again when another teacher ran up to them. Blue nearly jumped out of his skin, barely keeping his wits about him as he refrain from shifting forms. He rubbed his neck sheepishly, trying to force the nerves from his body.

"Hey, I'm Mr. Asutian. I'm assuming you're Blue, and you are?"

He frowned as the man looked at Goodfellow. Blue cleared his throat politely. "Actually, I'm Blue," he answered, biting his lower lip.[/font]

[Malcolm Asutian]

Malcolm eyes flared momentarily, embarassed. From the looks of it, this guy was easily startled. He never was one for first impressions, especially when he was late. He tried his best to remain calm, a relaxed, eased smile on his face.
"I'm terribly sorry, Ms. Smith didn't exactly send descriptions. Might I ask what subjects either of you'll be teaching?" he asked.

Asutian's hand retracted awkwardly into his coat pocket, as the two other teachers obviously had no intention of shaking it. He tried to tell himself he was improving his intially self-fouled impression, but Blue still seemed on edge. Skittish, that one.

[The First Doctor]

"Hey, I'm Mr. Asutian. I'm assuming you're Blue, and you are?"

Blue frowned as the man looked at Goodfellow, then cleared his throat politely. "Actually, I'm Blue," he answered, biting his lower lip.

Robin seized Malcolm's hand before he could put it away, and shook it vigorously. "And I'm Robin Goodfellow. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Asutian."

"I'm terribly sorry, Ms. Smith didn't exactly send descriptions," Malcolm said nervously.

"Very true," Robin said with a shrug. "I had just assumed it was an oversight in my case.

"Might I ask what subjects either of you'll be teaching?" he asked.

"Science," Robin answered. "Chemistry, physics, advanced maths, chronodimensional theory, causal relationships, and so on. Practical applications as well as theory. And yourself?"

[Malcolm Asutian]

"And I'm Robin Goodfellow. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Asutian."

"Pleased to meet you too, Mr. Goodfellow." he quickly answered.
Thinking back, he had always had trouble remembering names, so he made up something to remember them by.
Blue is easy, I mean, how can you mess that up? Mr. Goodfellow...good...fellow. Aha! He seemed to be a good fellow.

"Science, Chemistry, physics, advanced maths, chronodimensional theory, causal relationships, and so on. Practical applications as well as theory. And yourself?"

Malcolm kept his face calm, but that was seriously impressive. He wasn't sure what half of those words even meant.
"I oversee the Physical Education," he answered, trying to make it sound important, "And I'm the head of the sports program."

[Frankie Jones]

Frankie Jones was the quiet student standing off to the side, about a foot or two separate from all the others. He wore brand new clothes of the generic British quality of school uniform, but a size too large for him.

He watched this exchange with perhaps a bit too much interest. Only one of the teachers was even human... and he was teaching what? Sports?

He tried not to wonder if their 'sports instructor' would be able to outrun him... those competitive thoughts always led him to his more primitive and aggressive side, and it's really not that far from running a race to running away from the thing that wants to eat you.

He hated 'exercise', though... all but literally jumping through hoops for the sake of it just seemed so very pointless, and he couldn't help but purposefully mimic something that one of the human kids on the street he'd grown up on did a lot when something disgusted him... feign vomiting.

[The First Doctor]

"Pleased to meet you too, Mr. Goodfellow." he quickly answered.

Robin took a swig of steaming black coffee. "Please, we're going to be colleagues. Call me Robin." Another swallow. "Or Puck, if you prefer. I'll answer to either, and to a number of other names besides."

He grinned a lopsided grin, leaving it to the listener to decide just how serious he was.

"I oversee the Physical Education," was Malcolm's answer, "And I'm the head of the sports program."

Robin nodded. "Excellent. Cardiovascular and strength training I assume? I hope you plan to incorporate a regimen of gymnastics and martial arts as well." He looked at the students. "If you need any help customizing the student's training, I'd be happy to assist."

[Malcolm Asutian]

"Please, we're going to be colleagues. Call me Robin. Or Puck, if you prefer. I'll answer to either, and to a number of other names besides."

"Ok, Robin." he said as politely as possible.

Malcolm was questioning the sincerity packed behind his words, but he said nothing. He seemed like a strange man, but again, what could he say?

He took a sip from his coke, watching Robin do the same with his...coffee? That thing was practically on fire. It didn't seem to
affect him.

"Excellent. Cardiovascular and strength training I assume? I hope you plan to incorporate a regimen of gymnastics and martial arts as well."

Ah, this he could understand. He had had the sense to study Physical Education and Cardiovascular training after taking the job. He had even taken a year of training. Being a time-traveler really helped.
"Of course. I have experience in those areas. I took the liberty of privately purchasing a few exercise machines. I prefer to give them a good workout, then competitive racing, or a scrimmage match of some sort. I have another idea that I want you to give your opinion on." he inquired.

He leaned in closer to whisper in his ear.
"I want to bring certain challenges from time and space."

[Blue]

Blue winced as he saw the embarrassment on Asutian's face. He mumbled something about how it wasn't a big deal, shrinking back away from the other two teachers. "Might I ask what subjects either of you'll be teaching?" the man asked. The Djinn studied his feet carefully, shoulders still tensed.

This was not a very fun time for him. Too many people, and not enough doors.

"Science, Chemistry, physics, advanced maths, chronodimensional theory, causal relationships, and so on. Practical applications as well as theory."

Blue raised his eyebrows. "Chronodimensional? I wasn't aware time was a dimension," he said. But then again, Blue had only recently found out that one could grow sweet potatoes. It wasn't a rare occurence for him to learn something.

"I oversee the Physical Educatio, and I'm the head of the sports program."

The Djinn stifled a grin. It brought back vaguely terrible memories of one of his owners forcing him into the form of a dog, and taking him to a dog agility program. Blue scratched behind his ear, a nervous tic he had adopted as a dog. He was going to reply to Asutian, but sometimes he had trouble forming words at such a quick pace, and the man was already whispering to Goodfellow.

Blue went back to the table, and glanced at the sign-up sheet. He raised his eyes towards the students, and nearly dove for hiding when he realized another was already looking in his direction. He bit his lip harshly, kicking himself on the inside for being so jumpy. "Hello," he said, a little nervously but overall friendly.

"Have you signed up for a job?" he asked the student, spinning the pen fluidly between his fingers. He held out to the boy.[/font]

[Malcolm Asutian]

Malcolm was vaguely aware of Mr. Blue as he was talking to Robin.

"Chronodimensional? I wasn't aware time was a dimension."

He heard the strangely jumpy man comment. Ah, that was an easy question for anyone who had lived in the year 3000, if even for a week. Anyone with a Vortex Manipulator could tell you that, it was in the manual. Humanity was a few hundred years from hitting the "time-craze," where whole nations were obsessed. It was the biggest thing since Seinfeld.
"Ah, you see, when you travel through a vortex in time, you technically enter another dimension in space. I imagine he'll be teaching physics while there."

But the teacher was already distracted in something else. He said something about jobs and held a pen out to a boy.
"Whatever." he murmured under his breath.

[Frankie Jones]

Frankie stared, wide-eyed, at Blue. He had to reign in his defensive instincts, but his eyes might have slipped from grey to red for a moment. He hadn't expected to be noticed by one of the teachers. Adults on this planet tended to overlook the kids for the most part, and with the exception of his parents Frankie wasn't very comfortable with people who were taller than him.

"J-job?" he asked weakly, looking around nervously to see if any of the other students were to also be caught under this authority-figure's attention. No? Just him, then. Great.

[Douglas Aubrecht/Joshua Carter]

A young man stood by the table, glaring down at the piece of paper. His posture was bad and his body language screamed uneasiness. He looked quite awkward; just standing by the table.

His left hand was tucked into his black jeans back pocket, the other hand sorting his hair and black t-shirt. His center parted hair sat oddly at either side of his face, folding around the contours of his face. It shone a vibrant orange in the Texas sunlight, a frown coming from his lips and a real look coming from his blue eyes. His facial expression displayed annoyance and slight anger. The tour clearly hadn't amused the new student.

Sulking by the table, the young male didn't avert his gaze as people around him moved. He obviously did not want to be there. He muttered under his breath,
"This is already worse than regular jail."
Cussing quietly, he continued to look at the sheet of positions. Captain struck a real chord with him...

He knew why he didn't want to be here. Everything at home was falling apart. His New York family- the Thyrolian gang was crumbling at the ranks, their leader bowing out with no grace. She'd been the first to fall into chaos.
After being arrested for a petty robbery, she'd hit rock bottom. The courts had found out of her previous offenses she hadn't done time for and made sure she paid for it. She had her original sentence doubled. The minute the hearing was done, she'd been thrown into prison. She'd just turned 19.
Solitary confinement had been her place for a few weeks, before being moved out into the regular jail. It had completely broken her. The visits had killed her, they always ended in tears and injections. Eventually, he'd stopped going. He couldn't bear to see her fade so quickly. He could remember the reports he'd got from Douglas, her boyfriend, which too had got progressively worse. The last one before the journey to Texas was still ringing in Joshua's head.
"Her eyes are wide and red. She cannot cope. She says she is coming for you Joshua, that they cannot take you from her... I cannot take this much longer, I am going to snap Joshua... Enjoy school."

Josh glared at the paper. "Screw this." He thought to himself. This was not where he needed to be, as much as his family had convinced him it was. He did not need an education right now, he needed to keep his family of Thyrolians together. If the captain fell, it was his duty to take the lead.

The late teenager stormed over to a teacher who was standing with a smaller kid, dressed in a full school uniform. He looked English, was a blond, stuttered and didn't look at all comfortable. The teacher looked quite like a bank manager, Joshua knew one when he saw one. He'd held too many at gunpoint to not recognize one. The burly teen towered over both of them, interrupting them and speaking with a tone of arrogance and cheek in his voice.
"Hey, I have a question for you, Teach. I want to sign up to go home. Where do I write my name down for that?"
His true species colors were shining right through. He was acting very Thyrolian right now.