Office Hours, Saturday, 10/3

[tyler_gone]

Tyler was in his office, and more than a little curious about what this year's crop of parents might be like.

He'd fill the time until anybody showed up by trying to read the xkcd archives.

Comments

[gothamlights.livejournal.com]

Barbara paused in the doorway to ask, "Excuse me, are you Mr. Durden?"

[itwaslogical.livejournal.com]

"Mr. Durden?" Amanda checked, smiling from the door.

[tyler_gone]

"That would be me," Tyler said, glancing away from his screen. "You're ... one of the guests?"

[tyler_gone]

"I am," Tyler acknowledged. She was a little older than him, but very pretty, so she got a smile. "Are you a guest?"

[itwaslogical.livejournal.com]

"I am. Amanda Grayson, I'm Spock's mother," she said, coming forward with her hand out to shake his. "How is he doing in your class? He said he was enjoying it, even if it's not what he's used to."

[myname-isalice.livejournal.com]

"Hey," Alice said, striding in. "I hear you have K-Mart in class?"

[tyler_gone]

"Nice to meet you, Amanda," Tyler said. "And Spock is brilliant at the hard science stuff. He gets a little .... fuzzy when we're being looser."

He cocked his head. "You do not look much like him, I have to say."

[tyler_gone]

"I do," Tyler grinned. "You're her ... older sister? Guardian?"

[itwaslogical.livejournal.com]

"Fuzzy how? Uncomfortable?" Amanda checked, then nodded, used to this and unphased. "Yes, Spock looks much more like his father. The Vulcan physical genes were much more dominant in him than the human ones were."

[myname-isalice.livejournal.com]

"Guardian, I guess," Alice said. "Alice." She sat down, feeling a little edgey about not being armed. "How's the kid doing?"

[tyler_gone]

"Uncomfortable," Tyler confirmed. "If he doesn't think a class exercise makes sense, he gives me this look like I've lost my mind."

He nodded at the rest of what she said. "Oh, okay. He hadn't mentioned" -- vague waving of the hands -- "any of that."

[tyler_gone]

"Hi, Alice. She seems like she's having fun in class," Tyler said, and cracked a smile. "Especially anytime we do anything that could be turned into a weapon."

[myname-isalice.livejournal.com]

"Now that's a balanced education," Alice said. "You do a lot of that?"

[itwaslogical.livejournal.com]

"Good. He needs to have his assumptions challenged." Amanda gave Tyler a very slightly mischievous smile. "Vulcans are collectively brilliant, rational scientists, Mr. Durden. But they have trouble thinking outside the box. It's not that my son can't imagine new approaches, but he doesn't understand why you'd follow up on them. He's been told his whole life that logic and proven methodology is the only way. I wanted him to have the chance to be, well. Looser." Her smile turned a little sadder. "And no, I wouldn't expect he'd mention that he's half human and half Vulcan. He would deny it, but... it's made life difficult for him, sometimes."

[tyler_gone]

Tyler shrugged. "Depends on the class. Usually we do at least Moltov cocktails and nitroglycerin. One term I did cannons out of trees," he said. "... you aren't freaked?"

[myname-isalice.livejournal.com]

Alice just laughed. "I take it K doesn't exactly talk about home."

[smokin-guardian.livejournal.com]

"You're 'Tyler-sensei'?" Asuma asked, leaning against the doorway, an unlit cigarette in one hand. "More recently 'Mr. Durden', I'm guessing?"

[tyler_gone]

"Tyler is fine," Tyler told her absently, as he listened to the rest of what she had to say.

"Sounds like this school might be good for him," he speculated. "It's ... a lot easier on the oddball kids than most places. Everybody's weird so no one is, y'know?"

He wondered how a human woman had ended up marrying a Vulcan, but that seemed a tiny bit personal as a question.

[itwaslogical.livejournal.com]

"Tyler, then. And please call me Amanda." She nodded, looking hopeful. "Vulcan is very strict, with very high standards, socially and academically. And Spock has lived up to those standards. But they're a very homogenous people. More variation, as there is here-- well, it can't hurt, can it?" Amanda smiled wryly. "Even if Spock thinks everyone here is crazy. I hope you won't take it personally."

[tyler_gone]

"She's mentioned fighting zombies," Tyler shrugged. "Just wasn't sure if that was a guardian-sanctioned activity."

[tyler_gone]

"... yeah," Tyler said, on his guard. "Tyler's fine. And you -- aren't Ino's dad. He came last time."

[smokin-guardian.livejournal.com]

"He got called off on a mission," Asuma said, sizing up the man. "I'm Sarutobi Asuma--Ino's squad commander."

[tyler_gone]

"Please, a lot of humans think I'm crazy." Tyler said. Probably because he was, but -- details. "I'll try to challenge your son, at least a little."

[tyler_gone]

"Asuma," Tyler said, rising enough to offer his hand for the man to shake if he wanted. "She's mentioned you. Pleasure to meet you."

He was assessing Asuma, too, and debating what the man wanted to hear about Ino's activities.

[itwaslogical.livejournal.com]

"That would be very much appreciated." Amanda smiled more widely. "Anything else I should know? Or that you'd like to ask me? It's such a pleasure to talk to teachers who don't sum up his progress with 'he is proceeding satisfactorily, and is achieving at the upper end of the classroom population' for a change."