2012-10-14: Coming Home

It's been a long time coming, but finally one of Xavier's own is finally making her way home. Danielle 'Dani' Moonstar is currently on a course to arrive at Xavier's Mansion and is just entering the 'airspace' above said Mansion. The winged stallion banks sharply to the left to begin a tightly controlled downward spiral, aiming the both of them towards Xavier's expansive lawns. As the two circle downward, Dani can't help but say with some amusement, "Lets hope the security measures remember us. I'd hate to be shot at today." Brightwind, for his part, simply tosses his head back with a faint snort, perhaps also finding some humor in his rider's words. A few more seconds of the descent and the two land safely, if heavily, down upon the ground with a dull thud. Dani doesn't immediately dismount, as she waits to make certain the Mansion's protocols don't react negatively to her and Brightwind's presence. For this day, she wears a heavy coat and clothing, protection against the winds at the higher altitudes they were flying at.

It has been a good year for former students returning to the Xavier mansion. Many of them that have been away for a while have been trickling back, including quite a number of those that were once known as the New Mutants. Another of the New Mutants besides Dani has picked today to make one of his infrequent but occasional trips to the mansion, one Dani is going to be surprised to see.

Even as the winged horse begins its downward spiral the soft whine of a high powered engine can be heard coming down the road leading to the school. It's not an entirely unheard of noise, given that a few of the residents there are known for their motorcycles, but the specific bike in question is a bit odd. Looking like something out of the movie Tron, but done in black with real gold trim and accents, with a driver wearing a full body suit with helmet also in black and gold, the bike hurtles towards the mansion at a speed a bit faster than most would take the road and barly passes through the gates as they open by remote access without incident. The bike does not head for the entrance as expected though. No, its rider noticed something on the way in that has him skipping past his normal entry point. The wheels change in subtle ways, so as not to damage the lawns, as the bike jumps a curve and aim towards where Dani has chosen to land.

As the bike and rider aim for Dani they both...change. The effect is almost as if both become liquid and fold into each other, while at the same time moving and shifting like one of the robots in disguise form a recent Michael bay movie. What they become, in the end, can only be described as something like an android built from mixed and matched parts of a dozen different robot toys of varying sizes that is running towords the woman on winged horse back yelling. "Self Friend Dani!" Back from the dead, and most recently back from New York, it's Warlock.

The whine of the motor is definitely heard, but Dani doesn't react outwardly to it not until both she and Brightwind are safely upon the ground, and the Mansion's security protocols don't attack them. It seems that her security clearance is still valid here, which is good. Quickly now, Dani swings a leg over Brightwind's back as she dismounts with well practiced ease. She'll place a calming hand on the stallion's neck as she turns to look in the general direction of the motorcyclist. A hand will even raise to cover her brow as she squints toward the black and gold motorcycle and rider. "I wonder who that is?"

No, she doesn't immediately connect Warlock's typical color scheme to him, because she still believes he's dead and so, when the motorcycle and rider begin to morph to run to her, she can't help but tense slightly. "What in the - " And that's about all she gets out as Dani finally recognizes a lost friend. It may take a moment, but finally Dani exclaims, "Warlock? Is that really you?!" Her hand drops from Brightwind's neck as she moves to meet the techno-organic being half-way, "Warlock, I can't believe it! But how? How're you here?" Brightwind for his part knows when to stay behind and so simply lowers his head to crop at a bit of grass.

Warlock's run does not stop till he has his arms around his friend in a gentle but firm hug. He has not seen Dani in a good long while, and while most of his memories of her are a bit jumbled or worse still missing he does still feel the emotions that the person that actaully did teach him about humanoid emotions engenders. After a second he lets her go and steps back with a slightly quizzical expression on his face. "Self drove here along..." He gives the quickest, and most efficient, route from New York into Salem.

Dani quickly returns the hug to a friend who was truly thought loss and that loss was one of the reasons she had left the Mansion and went on her walk-about. It's however at Warlock's explanation of just /how/ he got here, that Dani can't help but chuckle. "Oh 'Lock, you have not changed much, have you?" It brings back memories of better times, when everything was a little bit more innocent when it seemed like the world couldn't really hurt them. A pity that outlook was shattered for quite a few of them. With her expression now sobering, she continues with, "No, what I meant was we thought you had died." It's been long enough that she can actually say those words with very little emotion to them. She's had enough time to deal with it, that she can almost say those words normally, "But here you are. Alive."

Warlock grins at Dani, a real grin that shows his fondness for her and his happiness to see her again as opposed to his infamous confident reassuring smile which tends to be neither. He gives the same puzzled look to Dani again when she tells him he has not changed. "But self has changed, selfs physical form alters often and self is more than ninety nine percent new material grown and assimilated since self last saw self friend Dani." after she explains understanding dawns on his face, which falls a little. "Self's immolation caused great damage. Self took a great deal of time to reform, and self's memory was damaged greatly. Self left Earth still in fear of self's Siredam, but has returned recently after recovering memories of Earth and Self friends the New Mutants."

Another smile flicks Dani's lips upward again at Warlock's literal translation of her words. She, however, doesn't chastise him /at all/. It's something she hadn't heard in a long time and it was missed, and so she just continues to smile at Warlock.

His explanation of how he came back to 'life' as it were, and where he's been causes her expression to fall back towards a more sober look. "I see." And she does, too. "Either way, Warlock, I'm glad you're back. I honestly never thought I'd see you again. I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that you've come back to life. After all, " She says with some amount of humor to her voice as she gestures towards Brightwind, "I ride a winged horse, you're a techno-organic alien, we all have unbelievable powers. And I know even death can be beat, at times." She finishes with, reaching out to give Warlock's arm a quick touch, if he allows it.

"So, tell me what you've been up to since you returned."

Warlock nods at Dani, his mind quickly flicking to his meeting with his Self Soul Friend when he first returned to Earth when she mentions death being beat. he does not shy away from the touch, while touch means little to his people he does remember being taught many of its meanigns amongst humans. "Self is joyouse to see self friend Dani again as well. Self has been living as a human in New York." His whole body shifts, changing to be mroe human like and his normal coloring changes till he looks compleatly human with the exception of his eyes which are still jet black with gold irises. His face, though, is a mix of a few others most notibly that of his self soul friend Doug, with Sam Guthrie's jaw line, and a few details from another face. The effect, is probably slightly off putting to someone that knew Doug since he could well be an older version of him or a brother the age doug would be had he not died. After long enough for Dani to get a good look at the face he has been using he shifts back to his abnormal look.

"Really you're living in the city?" Is Dani's first question, "Not here at the Mansion?" She asks next, before Warlock shifts his features and body into his more human appearance. At his face, she does notice the similarities to their lost friend and it's enough to cause her to frown ever so slightly. Her head also cocks slightly to the side, as she takes his features in. It does make her slightly uncomfortable, with how close it resembles Doug, but she doesn't say anything about it. Only, "Your human guise looks good." She'll motion to her own eyes, "Just remember to wear some shades. Your eyes immediately give you away." And then perhaps to interject a bit of humor, she adds, "And do I detect a hint of Sam in there? I'm sure he'd be flattered by that."

Warlock grins at Dani and nods to her as they start up toward the mansion. "Self has based self's human face on those faces self is most familier with. Self soul friend Doug, Self friend Sam, and Self friend Agent Coulson. Sef has been offered lodgings-home at the Mansion again but Self has...wanted to explore Earth with greater depth." He has also wanted to stay close to known SHIELD offices just in case his Self Soul Friend had need of him, but can't quite mention that since he has promissed to keep his secrets. "Come Self would like to hear where Self friend Dani has been, and self knows there is a cheese cake in the kitchen that can be shared." How does he know? How else, by tapping the security systems at the school.