Can't Stop Looking (Leila)

[Leila Gold]

Leila made a face. "All right, point taken. Still. Shakespeare. Lots of using from other sources. Not that it's a bad thing, I mean, it's what makes it all that much better, right? And it's not like we don't all steal from him. Disney's a blatant one, but there's a bunch of others." Part of Leila just loved this sort of arguing--she didn't actually think it would have been better for Shakespeare to have written references to everything within his plays. Though actually having written them down himself might've been a good idea.

"All right, maybe you're right. The lack of reprogramming is good. Though it could be argued that we're being reprogrammed constantly, anyway. I mean, circumstances work on us to change our opinions of the world and the way we live...and just growing up with our parents would have done a lot to change us as well. Not that it's all in the nurturing, I admit there's some part of nature involved, but I guess I'm just a strong believer in societal influences shaping a person."

Leila nodded solemnly. "No, your English is good. I think it's really cool that you speak Zulu, though. I only took Spanish in high school, and I've even forgotten most of that. It must be so amazing to be bilingual! I always thought that I wanted to marry someone who spoke another language, so that my kids would be bilingual." Whoops, did that come out as forward as she thought it might have? Her neck flushed slightly as she realized what she'd said, and she took a large drink of her water before attacking her sandwich again. If her mouth was full she couldn't manage to stick her foot in it. She gave herself a minute before saying anything else.

"Well, I hadn't really thought too much about it...but I don't think I'd want to be on the city council. But nothing too big, I mean, I can't expect to run for the House of Representatives immediately or anything like that. But maybe a state representative, just for the county. And then I'd actually get to start influencing laws, instead of just fiddling around in the courtroom. I just feel like we're not getting anywhere because we don't have anyone on our side in legislation." She frowned and took a large bite of fries as she thought.

"I haven't really thought too much about my future. But I don't know that I just want to be a lawyer forever. I just don't really want to leave Blue alone. He needs me, even if he doesn't like to admit it."

[Dr. Terrence Jordan]

"Nurture and circumstance does change people," Terrence agreed. He had often wondered how his life would have been different if he had grown up in different circumstances; perhaps he would have stayed in South Africa and practiced medicine there. Perhaps Amos would have abhorred violence instead of suggesting it was a perfectly legitimate method of ending their oppression. "But we can take in the information and parse it how we will. Nobody is saying, oh, I know how to program you to make you think this, because I can live through something and someone else can and if we have different personalities or backgrounds we won't always come to the same conclusion."

"I daresay Spanish would be more useful than Zulu in America," He commented, munching thoughtfully on his sandwich. "Particularly if you want to go into politics. Perhaps the community college offers courses? Or you could take them online and audit them?"

He caught the blush after her mention of marriage and decided that it would probably be acceptable to ask her on a date at the end of this lunch.

Excellent.

"It would be easier if you and your husband both spoke the language, so your children would hear it spoken at home."

He nodded approvingly at her goals of influencing the law. "It is difficult sometimes to get people in office who agree with you. Even more so for them to make a difference once they get there if they are alone. But I am sure that as Meta rights gain more traction you will have more and more allies."

There was a pause and he added, "And hopefully without the need for massive protests or violence."

[Leila Gold]

"Yes, I suppose you're right. That would be why siblings sometimes come out so different, I guess," she mused. "I can't really say, it's not like I've studied it or anything. Or that I have any siblings." She shrugged. Part of her had always missed having a brother or sister, much as she did enjoy getting a lot of her parent's attention.

"I guess I could. It might be a good idea. I was never very good with languages, though. That was the class I only got a C in." She grimaced and bit into another fry. "I don't know, I still think Zulu is really cool. And Spanish isn't used so much all the way up here. I should just learn to speak cow or something, that'll be more useful." She knew Vermont had a lot of dairy farms, and maybe if someone actually knew what the cows thought it could be useful.

She didn't comment on speaking the same language as her husband. It was a good thought, but she just didn't know if she could manage it. Idly she wondered how hard it would be to learn Zulu.

"I think I could already have some powerful allies, if I focused on Pilot Ridge," Leila said thoughtfully. "A lot of the big wigs up at Hammel, for example." Then she looked up at Terrence with wide eyes. She'd forgotten that not everyone necessarily knew what type of institute Hammel was, and she wondered if it was a big deal. He seemed perfectly fine with metas, so it probably wasn't important. With a deep breath she forced herself to relax. "I know there are a lot of rich families that send their students to school there."

She frowned as she remembered all the violence in South Africa. "No, that's never been a good idea, in my opinion. So much of the time it just leads to more problems. But if we can get some people started in the government, maybe there will be some real change. All we need are some people willing to put in the extra effort to pave the way."

[Dr. Terrence Jordan]

"Languages are difficult if you aren't immersed in them," Terrence mused. He expected that if she found herself in another country she would learn the native language far quicker than in a course where she only spoke with the other students, or with the teacher.

He saw nothing suspicious in her comment about Hammel, except to wonder if perhaps they had some sort of Meta outreach program. They were supposed to be an elite boarding school, after all, so it made sense they would have wealthy donors, both alumni as well as parents of students.

"Networking is a fantastic idea." He agreed, polishing off his philly with a sigh of gratification. "Do you know, I had never heard of them before my residency at Maddock, but everyone says they're quite excellent. I think if I have children I will look into them."

There was a pause as he turned to his pickle with gusto.

"Although several of their faculty wound up at Maddock back in the spring, some sort of accident. I never saw anything about it in the papers and nobody who worked with them said much. I suppose it is nosy of me to wonder."

He shrugged dismissively before returning to the topic of violence.

"You can change the status quo quickly with violence, sometimes it seems more quickly than working with the system, but all you do is turn the tables. You do not create true equality, only resentment and fear. I would rather people treat me with respect because they realize I too am human than to be afraid because I have made them stop oppressing me with violence. But it is frustrating, being always on the bottom, and so violence often seems the easiest solution. I hope you can make a difference before that happens."

[Leila Gold]

"Even if you are, but you have no idea what you're doing, I bet it'd be pretty hard. And it's hard to pick up a language when you're older. I wouldn't trust my chances this late in life." She wasn't old, but she was old enough that she knew it would be difficult for her to learn another language fluently, or even partially. She should've done it when she was younger, but she hadn't cared then, and now she felt it was too late.

Leila froze briefly when Terrence mentioned looking into Hammel, but then she took another bite of her club sandwich--almost done, and soon she wouldn't be able to stuff her face with food to keep from saying the wrong thing. But when she'd done chewing, she'd come up with a response. "It's a good school--I attended Hammel--but it's not for everyone. It would depend on what children you have." There. Completely true, and it didn't give anything away.

He was down to his pickle, and Leila still had another bit of her philly to finish as well as some fries. Had she been talking that much? Hurriedly she went after the rest of her sandwich, downing it in a few bites and taking a big drink to wash it all down. This was probably a bad idea, as it meant that she nearly choked when he mentioned the problem with Hammel in the spring.

Yes, she was aware of some of what had happened, though she didn't have the complete story. But she knew enough from Josh and Cobalt's ranting to realize that it had caused massive waves in the metahuman underworld. And yet up in normal land, it raised barely a ripple. Incredible the sort of power metas could have when they wished it. And by the time she'd thought of something to say, the conversation had moved on. Which was probably for the better--no one needed her to speak up and draw extra attention to it.

Leila watched Terrence's face with interest as he spoke of the trouble that violence caused. She was almost done with her fries. "I hope so, too," she said with feeling. "I really, really do."

The foundations of a decision were being built in her mind, but she would have to go home and think about what she was considering before she made any commitments.

"Thank you for joining me for lunch," she said, wiping her mouth with the napkin. "I really enjoyed the conversation." She was only sad that it was drawing to an end. Maybe she could invite him somewhere else, soon.