| Xavier's Tour | |||||
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| What: Professor Xavier takes a group of students from The Academy of Tomorrow for a tour of The Xavier Institute. | |||||
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The Xavier Institute is very quite today. Bobby and Lorna have taken the kids to New York City on an educational field trip to the Natural History Musuem. The manison has been staffed with a skeleton crew today with a few of the teachers and advanced students who wished to remain behind for the Tour. Charles has rolled himself out of his office and into the Atruim.
He has placed very strong mental blocks on those who requested it like Calvin and Kwabena to give them peace of mind from curious eyes. Others have decided not to get the blocks, and some are skilled enough to know when preying eyes are touching people minds. Charles folds his hands in his lap with a comfortable look on his face as he awaits the guests arrival.
Calvin Rankin is sitting on a step of one of the stairways, waiting to see who shows up. Realities have many similarities. And many differences. It's wise to figure out what those are as soon as possible and this 'Academy' is one of the latter. Hence his curiousity.
Emma Frost, the headmistress of the Academy of Tomorrow, arrived for the tour with her students. She had them all driven over in a stretch limo. Because style. Just before they reached the door she looked over her shoulder at her students as she knocked, "Now /do/ remember that we are guests today, no getting into mischief. I'm looking at you girls. Just know that you are fabulous, and my vision for tomorrow.
Emma herself was looking quite posh, but then again she always made time to look fabulous. She was dressed in a simple white blazer, with a white and silver accented buckled corset, and a pair of tight white pants with thigh-high boots. Her hair was cut to a bob length, and her accessories for the day were a white collar with gloves. Not particularly what you'd see any normal teacher in, not that Emma was in any way normal.
For Kwabena, it's been a relatively busy day, both inside and outside of the Institute. He's only just returned from some affairs I. the city, and as such, he's still dressed in his riding leathers. The guy may be from Ghana, but he refuses to ride his motorcycle unless it's positively foolish, and the X-Men uniform he usually wears beneath his clothing offers plenty of protection from harsh things like Arctic Cells.
Entering the atrium, he still smells a bit like engine grease, covered over by some mildly tropical scent, a rarely used cologne from his home country. There's a touch of cigarette smoke in the mix somewhere. He's a man of many odors today.
Regardless of these potential shortcomings, he's got a mildly pleasant expression on his face. The hesitation to be around so many powerful telepaths has been stilled by a trust in Xavier's talents. "I am not late, I hope," he remarks. "Some peopah out dere don't know how to handah some few snow drifts."
The Five-in-One nod at Emma's little statement to them and then say, "Yes, Ms. Frost," in there melodic unison speech pattern.
Ms. Frost did know them rather well it seemed. They weren't exactly going to cause trouble... much... well okay they had THOUGHT about pushing the limits of Xavier's powers and see how he compares to them. But they weren't going to actually do it... promise.
The girls themselves are dressed identically, but not in some silly Academy of Tomorrow school uniform which they promise they adore Ms. Frost, truly. No the girls are instead dressed in identical studded black bustier that only covers to the navel with a lace see-through over shirt that is similarly short. Too add to that they are wearing rather short shorts, that barely cover their thighs at all, thigh high black leather boots with platform heels. To complete the look they wear dark makeup around their eyes, both eyeliner and eyes shadow.
As he looks up at Nate and says softly, "I am grateful your here, yet behave yourself." As he presses a button on his wheel chair the doors open to reveal Emma in all of her glory. He might be old enough to be her grand father but she is a beautiful woman. His smiles lights up his face as he says, "Welcome to the Xavier Institute. Please come in Ms. Frost." Charles seems to be in good spirits today, yet there are slight bags under his eyes. He did not sleep well last night it seems.
Among the people visiting from The Academy of Tomorrow is someone who well.... They sort of bridges both schools.
Sort of.
After a fashion.
This person is a lone person who is a student at Emma's Academy, but who has been seen at The Institute. A person who is an 'Ally of the X'. A person who knows the secrets of the Xavier Mansion, has access to 'the lower levels', and even went with them on the 'long term mission in Genosha' with the X-Men. A person who has family in the X-Men, and who are allied with the X-Men, who has also been 'adopted' as a 'sister' by a very unique group of students from The Academy of Tomorrow.
In other words, Hope Summers already knows the secrets of the X-Men (or at least some of the big ones), despite being a student at The Academy of Tomorrow. Secrets that she hasn't shared with anyone at The Academy. Not even with her 'Sisters'.
And yet, even as the limo arrives, the redhead isn't dressed up. She's not in her school uniform. She's not in her other 'Uniform'. Despite anything Emma may have said, she's just in jeans, sneakers, and a hoodie. If pushed though, she probably would of indicated that she would 'fix things when she gets there' if need be.
On the other hand, as The Cuckoos say they won't push things the redheaded teen quietly adds, "You too please Miss Frost. Last time I talked to Xavier he came off as very twitchy regarding this."
Miles Morales follows along after Emma and the others, giving a glance to the Cuckoos at the order for no mischief. Unlike the others, he is dressed in his Academy uniform. Likely because it's the most formal clothes he owns, and it does a decent job of allowing him to wear a certain other suit underneath. He looks around curiously as they step inside a moment before his attention turns to those waiting to greet them, giving a small wave.
Almost late. No, really. Nate got busy back in New York and one of these days he has to begin to pay attention to the time, seriously. Anyway, he just back just in time and didn't even had time to greet the others or being introduced to some new faces he is seeing. "Wouldn't miss it," (he almost did!) he says to the Professor.
He already knows most of the visitors, so he offers them a smile, but for now he lets the teachers and students do the talking.
Into the room bursts a young redheaded woman, straightening her blouse in a hurrt, looking worried since she might have missed the appointment with the Professor. As soon as she shows up Jean Grey realizes she might have been a bit louder than intended, those wide, green eyes beaming with energy and intent even as she blushes faintly from having drawn attention to herself and adding yet more footage to her blooper heel. Clearing her throat and pretending everything is fine the woman slowly walks up to Charles Xavier, nodding at him, and turning to look at the newcomers.
As much as Jean is a telepath and can certainly shield her thoughts, she is not as good of an actress, and the sight of the Cuckoos puts her off somehow, an eyebrow quirking instantly at the sight of the lookalikes despite her attempts to be welcoming.
<Okay, I'm creeped out.>, she says to Charles in his mind, her hand on the other telepath's shoulder. At the sight of Emma her other brow joins it's twin high on her forehead, the woman's clothes doing their best to shock the usually... less fashionable Jean. <What... do they teach there again...?>, she asks Charles in his head, now sure she should have prepared for this.
Cal stands as the doors open and walks down the couple stairs as he makes his way behind the Professor's chair, obviously ready to push it wherever the Prof wants to go. It's practically a habitual gesture, despite not having done it in much too long a time. As each person arrives, he takes their measure and offers a smile and nod of greeting. Emma, obviously the authority figure there, gets a small bow of his head.
Just before the doors opened Emma grinned at young Hope, "I'm /never/ naughty around students. Now come, this will be fun."
And when Xavier greets them she beams then moves to him, kissing on both of his cheeks in her oh-so-European manner. "So glad you are kind enough to open your doors to us."
She gestured towards her students, "I believe you are familiar with most of my little darlings, these are the Five-In-One, you know Hope, and the amazing Miles Morales."
Speaking of being late...
Megan Gwynn bursts out of her dorm room, hopping on one foot as she pulls a slipon shoe onto her foot, wings flapping where they stick out of her stylish green turtleneck. And modest plaid skirt, with stockings. Black barrette in her hair keeping that in order, Megan starts to kinda half-hop, half-flap down the hall from the dorms.
With shoes firmly in place, Megan leans forward, taking up off of the ground entirely, flitting her way through the halls and leaving a trail of sparkles as she goes - and as she draws near to the door that everyone was leaving out of, Megan lands on her feet, skidding to a bit of a stop, fixes her hair quickly - and puts on her most dazzling grin as she strides out behind the professor and his entourage, her eyes flickering to those from the Other School.
No. Hope /doesn't/ mimic anyones powers right now. All though as Emma says her little thing, the teenaged redhead can't help but roll her eyes and shake her head.
But she still doesn't copy anyones powers. Not even as she smiles at some of the people here. Most notably the members of her family.
"Nate. Jean."
Yeap. Both of those names are said with an actual warm smile. And yet, as she notices someone else flying not too far away.... There's another, similar smile and a wave towards Pixie as she recognizes the pink haired mutant. On the other hand.... Xavier just gets a silent nod in his direction from the teenaged Summers girl.
As the Academy students begin to arrive, Kwabena's smile brightens just so. However, there forms a curious look in his mismatched eyes, something more curious and inquisitive than distrustful. The truth, buried behind Xavier's telepathic block, couldn't be farther from the truth. It's not in the way any of the arriving party is dressed, but rather, more of a discomfort at the five-in-one and the way they seem to operate in perfect unison. Perhaps, given time, he'll find the beauty in it, but for now, it's just plain eerie.
Hope in particular receives a look of recognition, though for the time being, he stands behind Professor Xavier and Jean Grey, a bit off to the side. While waiting for the introductions to be made, however, he can't help but dart his head and eyes toward Megan as she arrives. And that arrival earns a good natured, toothy smirk. "Shoes' on de wrong foot, kiddo," he says to Megan, joking of course, but in an effort to show that they're a friendly bunch here at the Xavier Institute.
As he smiles up at Emma, "You naughty? Never!" Charles turns his attention to Emma's students as he smiles to Five-In-One, "Hello Five-In-One. An pleasure to see you again. You are looking...well." He can't help but think cold in that outfit but gives Hope a nod, "I am please your here Hope. I think you are the unoffical bridge that has linked our schools together." Finally Charles turns his eyes on Miles, "Welcome to the Institue Mr. Morales. Please allow me to introduce you to some of my teachers and advanced students. "This is Dr. Jean Grey."
His hand comes to touch Jean's as he says telepathically, <<Careful my dear. The sisters can read links better then most.>>
"This is Mr. Nate Grey. Calvin Rankin. Kwabena Odame. And the beautiful Ms. Gwynn."
As he smiles slightly, "We have refreshments in the Cafe if you are hungry or we can begin the tour. I am sorry yet the school is on an education field trip today so we do not have many here."
Oh crap. Hope is here! Quickly, Jean smiles at the girl, trying not to convey the awkwardness she feels, as the young beauty represents one of many futures in which she doesn't end up all that well. None of them do. Still, the Phoenix nods and smiles at the teen, even going so far as to wink at her, before looking back at the newcomers with a warmer but far less intimate smile.
To Charles she just responds <Their name is Five-In-One! Am I not supposed to be freaked out!?>, but in the exteriour she just smiles warmly at Emma and offers a hand for the aristocratic-looking woman to shake. "Call me Jean.", she says briefly, giving a smile even if her eyes betray suspicion. It is obvious the redhead is not a master of subterfuge, and that there is a whole lot more going on behind her eyes than she lets on.
"A pleasure to meet you all." Cal tells them, including the Institute student he hadn't met yet as well. "I hope you'll enjoy yourselves." Being a guest himself, he doesn't actually welcome them and instead watched the interplay between them all.
Problem with the Five-in-One is that they can't exactly turn off their telepathy, to them its their first language... the only language that is truly sufficient for them to get across what their hived mind is capable of... so yes they did hear the little psychic sharing between Professor Xavier and Doctor Grey, "Excuse us Dr. Grey. We'd like to inform you," said the first of the five girls.
"That the Academy of Tomorrow is a fully acreditted school from 1st Grade," said the second.
"To Doctorate level degrees in a variety of subjects," said the third.
"Also while we prefer to be called the Five-in-One," the fourth added.
"We also have names. We are Sophie, Phoebe, Irma, Celeste and Esme Cuckoo," said the last all speaking in the exact same voice, picking up the sentences immediately as the one before them finished.
Then to add to it at once they said, "And do not be alarmed, we exist as a hive mind and we are well aware that many people find us 'creepy' and 'unusual.' We have gotten used to it and take no offense."
Nate steps forward to give Hope a friendly ruffle, "good to see you, and," glance to the Cuckoos and Emma's outfits. Hmm. Maybe. No. "I see you are still clinging to your old style. Not yet full assimilated, I hope." Glace to the Cuckoos, "welcome anyway. And don't worry, they have already seen weirder we could imagine. The place has been around for years."
Megan Gwynn - being referred to as beautiful like that, does kinda pinch up her face with a bubbly smile, bringing up a hand to kinda fluff her pink hair out. Catching the smile and a wave out of the corner of her eye, Megan does lift up a hand, kinda waving it towards Hope, her smile beaming brighter. Lowering her voice to a stage whisper, although that was more or less pointless, considering that everyone could hear around them, "/Hello Hope/," she says, wiggling her fingers in a little wave to her, as if she were trying to keep such things secret.
Straightening up again, Megan clears her throat, glancing back to the Five in One, Megan kinda drifting towards... well, there weren't any girls her age on 'her' side, so she kinda drifts towards Jean. "They're all soooo pretty, and all fancy and rich looking. It's tidy, yeah?"
At the mention of a 'field trip' there is yet again an eyeroll from Hope. But she tries not to even think about it. At all.
And yet...
There's a smile and a nod at Jean again. And Kwa...? She flat out grins at him, before nodding once.
On the other hand, Cal gets a bit of n odd look, in large part because out of all the people here, the young mutant mimic doesn't recognize him.
On the other hand, Xavier does get a bit of a quirked eyebrow, and a slight smile. But well, before she can say anything she hears what The Cuckoos say, and well... She lets out a faint snort, right before she gets ruffled by Nate!
"You know me Nate. Contrary and resistant until the very end."
And yes, since Megan does come off like it's a secret, she flat out does not mention pizza. At all.
Charles Xavier pats Jean's hand in an attempt to soothe her, as he listens to Five-In-One's explaination, "Ladies...you are not creepy. You remember my reaction to you when I met you in London that night. It is different and takes a little getting use too. I have not told Jean about you ladies because she has been away on business and I have not been able to meet with her. So I hope you could expect some level of understanding. I am sure she meant no harm in what she said." He pats Jean's hand once more giving her the 'we will discuss it more in detail later' look before he turns his attention back to Emma.
Well, that didn't go well at all. Blinking while she thinks of a way of responding those girls without lying, as anyone would, Jean blushes without noticing, her pale cheeks flushing bright red before she swallows some and clears her throat subtly, nodding.
"I am happy to have you, Sophie, Celeste, Esme Irma and Phoebe... We are!", she says, before upping her mental shields to a point Charles might feel a slight buzz in the air, that white noise that is almost migraine inducing. Jean is nervous, he will know that, and a bit angry. All she shows for it is a stiff jaw, however, and using Megan as an anchor, she wraps an arm around the Welsh's shoulder.
"Tidy indeed!", although incredibly presumptuous, grinning at the winged mutant and smirking some.
Until Charles opens his mouth and starts apologizing for her. Megan will feel that her teacher's hand is now gripping her shoulder tightly and that Phoenix has that stiff look of someone who has momentarily escaped into her own mind. Bobby is the one always acting like a kid and demanding apologies from Charles, not her!
Miles Morales, after the introductions, gives another wave, "Hello." He looks back to the Cuckoos and grins as they do their thing, but doesn't make any comment. He fidgets a little, looking from one person to the next.
"How you doing, Troubah?" That is how Kwabena responds to Hope's grinning at him. Yeah, she'd been a thorn in his side with the Genosha operation, but it had turned out alright, and perhaps there's a part of him that trusts her now. Definitely a part of him. Then again, he wasn't asked to be here because of his ability to trust people, which is generally not that practiced. He was asked to be here for a different reason altogether.
Now, the Ghanaian pays particular attention to how the Five-In-One introduce themselves, and his head angles just so. "I couldn't imagine what it is like to exist as five peopah in one mind," he offers, hoping to settle things a bit. "It is a good thing you have found peopah who can undahstand you and be a paht of your lives. I think..." He casts a hesitant glance toward Charles and Jean before continuing. "...in many ways, dis school represents dat very venture."
Emma reached out to touch at Hope's shoulder, "She has an uncanny ability to make allies. Doesn't she? I believe she has the talent to lead one day, or perhaps today, even."
To Jean she returns her handshake, "A pleasure, Jean. I am pleased you would let us /intrude/ like this."
She smiles to Kwabena, "You all seem particularly close, like a family. It's quite sweet really. And surely not as dysfunctional."
"We come in all shapes, all sizes, all colors and combinations." Cal points out, giving the girls a smile. "I've often thought that we should adopt the symbol from Star Trek's Vulcans. Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination. I can't think of a group who exemplifies that more than we do."
The girls all smile at Nate as if they had just finally saw him, "Nate! We forgot that you were associated with the Institute," they say in there melodious unison, "And we doubt we will ever become complete individuals."
All five of the Cuckoos desended on Nate at once surrounding him for a big group hug, "You need to visit us more often either way. You're one of the only people who really understand us. Well you and Hope."
After hugs with Nate are over the girls look over at Megan with a big smile... they smelled project... or at least make over. They were still just flexing their new fashionista muscles and since they could convince Hope to dress like them....
Internally the impenetrable mind of the Cuckoos began plotting color schemes and outfits for this young pixie girl... what sort of make up would match those wings, what sort of clothing would compliment her hair. Oh the possibilities.
|"Hope? Why does Doctor Grey seem upset?"| The girls ask their adopted sister, they really do have problems with this emotions stuff. They don't know if they'd done something to offend.
Kwabena gets a small nod from the girls at last as one of them says, "We've been like this for as long as we can remember. It is actually quite nice."
The second one added, "We are never alone."
The next, "We always have an outlet for discussion."
"We can share our experiences and learn faster than most people." said the next.
"And the Academy of Tomorrow has given us a safe haven from those who might do us harm. It is a place where mutants, metahumans, aliens and humans can all live and learn together in peace."
The girls all beam large smiles as they proudly show off their school spirit.
Megan's eyes kinda pop open as the flushing Jean kinda grabs her like that. Megan didn't have a lot of weight to her as a general rule - wings give a little flutter as Jean grasps her, Megan kinda swiveling her black 'bug eyes' up towards the face of the other woman. Megan pauses a moment, glancing from her to the others across the way, and then back up again, kinda wincing one eye shut at the grasp.
With that kinda weird face on, Megan spies Miles, bringing up a hand to give him a cheeky little salute.
"Hey to you too Kwa." is said as that grin returns. And yet at Emma's praise... Hope pauses. And that pause lasts even longer as The Cuckoos 'show their school spirit'. Heck, her smile even fades away.
|"Long story."| is thought back at The Five in One, but odds are any... Even all the telepaths here could pick up that thought, if only because it's thought rather strongly, since well... the redheaded teen is trying /not/ to copy any powers right now. At all. No matter what. |"I'll explain later. Or what I know anyways..."|
On the other hand, she does notice the fact that Megan is grabbed, and well... Hope frowns slightly. But she doesn't comment on it. Not as the tour begins and she tries to let Xavier say what he needs to say and do what he needs to do.
As he looks at Five-In-One, and cocks an eyebrow as he whinces just slightly at Jean's grip. He decides to have her conduct the tour to distract her some as he asks, "Jean why don't we begin. You can lead the way and explain to our guests the rooms and structure of our family. It will allow everyone some time to get to know each other while we walk with you.
He folds his hands in his lap and remains in the back of the group as he says to Emma telepathically, <<Will you remain back here with me Emma.>>
"Oh yeah," Nate has to agree with Hope, chuckling. He arches an eyebrow to Emma's statement. He has also seen Hope's ability to infuriate people first hand. Then he is group-hugged by the Cuckoo gang. That makes for a grinning Nate. "I will. I have been busy with... you know. World-saving business. But I do hang around here often, I have family here, or as close as family as extra-dimensional exiles get. And some good friends too."
Emma does the "shoo shoo" motion with her hands towards the students, so they can join the front of the tour. She however remains behind to walk along next to Xavier, |"Of course, even though we /can/ have a conversation across the room. Unless you wanted to get an excellent view of my profile."|
She does however look about, "This really is a lovely home, Charles. How many students can you fit in here?"
Calvin Rankin glances over at Nate when he mentions extra-dimensional exiles. At some point he'll have to inquire further. As the tour gets moving, he pushes Xavier's chair at a sedate pace though listening to the coversations up ahead.
Upon noticing Megan's awkward stares, Jean's first reaction is asking if the girl is hurt or if she has eaten something rotten. It takes full five seconds for her to realize she is the source of hurt, and then she promptly takes her hands off of Pixie, covering her lips so she won't make a scene, looking at the flying girl wide-eyed. Hushedly, she whispers "Oh my God, Meggan, I am so sorry! Are you hurt? Did I hurt you!?", trying to keep up with the group.
Emma's smile stays in her mind, however. It is so perfect and... neat. This woman has trouble and wrong written all over her. Nobody this rich, beautiful and cultured is ever good news, and deciding, just like that, that the headmistress of the Academy of Tomorrow is not trustworthy, Phoenix frowns and looks down, knowing exactly why she has reached her conclusion: she's jealous.
Looking down at her own plain clothes, Jean sends a message to Rachel, wherever she is, telling they need to go shopping. Again. Asap.
She follows behind silently, just watching the others, careful not to act stupidly yet again.
<<How is their developement, Emma? They are taking on alot of -your- qualities. You are taking it slowly with them?>> Charles smiles as he lets Jean lead the way, and says outloud, "Thank you. We can have up to 50 students at any time." He knows the Institute can hold more but he isn't lying. The manison usually has about 50 people in it at any time.
"Considering how many members of our family are 'extra dimensional exiles, Nate..." Hope starts to say as she shakes her head, following the group. "I'm surprised that this reality hasn't imploded and we're up to our eyebrows with them."
Then, there's a bit of a belated nod at her 'sisters'.
"Considering 'Uncle' Nate, I shouldn't be surprised that he understands you girls."
But as Jean follows behind, the younger redhead does glance back, and casts an almost worried look at the older woman.
Aaaand Jean takes point, feeling that's what the Professor needs, steeling herself what promises to be a long, long day.
Miles Morales grins to Megan at the salute, perhaps losing a bit of his shyness but still not saying much, then looks around as the tour starts, turning to follow after the others. At Xavier's answer about the school's population, he comments, "That doesn't seem much for a place this big."
|"I suppose we can wait"| the Five-in-One thought to Hope |"Unless you want to mimic us and make us the Six-in-One. Though we understand why that might make you uncomfortable here."|
To Nate they just smile and say to him in unison, "Yes, we've heard that technically you have family in this world. We are glad you could find your place in our dimension. We are glad we found ours as well. And I suppose that means we are technically your relatives now too. Since we've made Hope our sixth sister."
The girls then look back at Megan again and add, "Also who is the beautifully adorable faerie girl? We simply -must- take her out clothing shopping." A glance from them back to Hope, "And we need to do that with you as well. Hope. Less hoodies, more dresses."
If Emma's mind was more concerned her face certainly doesn't expose it. She remains perfect and neat, and completely not trustworthy. Her own "voice" within her head does express concern, |"Actually...they came to me one night while I was sleeping, and 'took' what they wanted from my mind. Dating and 'adult life' things, they expressed. In turn their cadence now is identical to mine, but they say the fashion is inspired by Hope. I'm not one to wear cutoff shorts."|
However as their physical conversation continues she looks to Miles, "It's a more 'intimate' setting, and a good idea."
Megan reaches up a hand, kinda trying to grasp Jean's, just to squeeze it after Megan is released from the GRey Death Grip. Rolling her shoulder kinda awkwardly, Megan stretches out her wings behind herself, giving Jean a wink and a dazzling smile. "No harm, no foul, Miss Grey," says Pixie. Eyes drifting towards Miles again, Pixie gives him a smile, kinda waving towards him - but that wave turns about, and she points at her own nose. "I'm Megan Gwynn. From Wales," she says, hearing the sound of the girls talking, turning in place - falling back to walk beside Jean so she isn't alone in her awkwardness as she to the cuckoos - giving... well, she wasn't sure which to look at, so she kinda flicks her eyes between all of them, giving her best smile.
"Your right Mr. Morales. However, we have never been to full capacity." Again not a lie, but the school can hope up to 150 people. "We like to focus our education with smaller classes so our students can feel like they are getting what they need. It also allows the teachers to focus on what the student needs as well." Charles smiles at Jean and lets her continue to lead the tour as he follows his hands into his lap.
<<And that does not concern you Emma? I hope you are taking the proper procautions. Not to open old wounds but you do not need these five young women gaining your personality and...wild streak from your younger years.>>
"In some ways, it's more of a large extended family than a school." Cal adds in. "Shared experiences tend to bring people together and that helps in easing whatever troubles they might have experienced before coming here. One thing we can all say is 'I understand' and they know we do."
Meanwhile, Kwabena follows along with the others, remaining relatively silent, as if he wasn't much for conversation. Which isn't too far from the truth, all things considered.
Hope isn't one to wear cutoff shorts either. Heck, odds are she won't even wear shorts either. Just jeans. And hoodies..
|"If we go Six right now, it'll just set Xavier, and probably every telepath here, off..."|
Out loud though...
"I like my hoodies. And jeans. They work. So if we go shopping..." her eyes do start to drift towards Meggan, as if she's pleading with the pink haired girl somehow.
Nate hahs to the Cuckoos, "you are going to ruin her image of scrappy survivor," he says, talking about Hope. "On the other hand, maybe you would like it," he turns to Hope, his left eye glowing with power, and he contacts the Cuckoos hive mind, <<want to give Hope a nice dress? Guide my TK power and we'll see how she looks - She can change herself back just by copying me.>>
Jean is feeling nervous and raw, like she is making poor decision after poor decision, and that perfect ideal of the Original X-Woman is getting farther and farther away from reality. Ever since the Phoenix things have been difficult, more intense, different, too big, and often times, too little for her. As she goes into her own mind while presenting the School, it's only Megan's touch that brings the telepath back to reality. At first she is frowning, going into her auto-pilot Nice Mode, asking if Pixie is alright, but soon she understands why the girl is there, and a very genuine smile plays on her features as she leans to hug the girl with one arm.
"Thanks, Megan.", she whispers to the girl, "But you can go talk to your friends... I'll be okay.". Of course she will. She's the Phoenix. Right?
As expected Jean does the tour without a hitch, unless the whole human/mutant element gets in the way. Then she is probably getting confused and everything will be messy.
Miles Morales nods a little to Emma and Xavier's answers, looking thoughtful. The boy looks back to Cal and smiles at the added explanation and says, "That is cool." He looks back to Megan then at that introduction and grins, "I'm Miles Morales... from Brooklyn," he adds, in answer to her introductuion. Then he quiets again to listen to Jean as she gives the tour.
It wasn't Hope's actual style that the girls had gotten, it was her rebellious streak that made their clothing choices more alt/punk and less posh like their mentor's.
|"Fair enough"| the girls thought to Hope. She was right after all, if the Five-in-One became six and their omnipathy in that form kicked in, it could make pretty much every telepath here, and the students get a little freaked out.
One of the Cuckoos suddenly broke free from their little lock-step walk and went back to where Jean and Megan was and said, "Hello. I'm Phoebe. We... I... am pleased to me you both, Megan and Dr. Grey."
Only one of the Cuckoos smile at Nate's telepathic suggestion That would be Esme, only Hope and Emma would be able to tell though and Nate's TK powers are guided correctly to turn Hope's current jeans and hoodie look into a knee length, sleeveless, black dress with green lacing covering the arms and length of the outfit.
Another one of the Cuckoos said aloud That'd be Sophie , "Esme, we are supposed to behaving. But We have to admit she looks fabulous."
A smirk spread across Emma's lips,
She does however look to the back of Jean's head. The girl was visibly uncomfortable, but there was something about her that was incredibly interesting. If there wasn't a telepath every five feet within her, she would have peeked into the girl's mind. Perhaps she would pull her aside when the time is right.
Emma stiffles a laugh as Hope is changed, "Really, girls focus on the tour. And Nate you are a terrible influence."
Megan does lean into the hug a bit, although she takes a moment to look up towards Jean and give her another dazzling grin. "If you're sure, Ms. Grey," says Megan, honestly whispering this time. "You're doing great," she says, letting Jean work then as she kinda drifts away to... well... look back towards Miles, and grin towards him. "That's in America, right? One of the little cities around here?" she asks.
When one of the Cuckoos approaches her. "Hello, Phoebe," says Megan at first, although she waits a moment for Phoebe to finish. "I'm charmed to meet you as well! I look back and smiled at you because I heard my name - my name in regards to ~shopping~ perhaps? For fancy clothes?" she asks.
As Cal plays chauffeur to the Professor, he subtly glances at Emma walking beside them. "I"ve not heard of your school before, Ms. Frost. May I ask what prompted you to start it and what its long term goals are?"
As he presses his lips into a fine line, Charles says softly outloud, "You teaching Ethics?" He smoothes his features over as he adds telepathically, <<Not sure if I be concerned or interested.>> As he allows the students and teachers interact Charles looks over at Mr. Morales for a moment and asks, "Are you hungry Mr Morales? I could use a snack." He says a bit louder so Jean and the group can hear, "Why don't we head to the Cafe, Jean. We can take a break from all this walking."
"..."
And as Hope's clothing is changed, she almost trips up, trying /not/ to show her discomfort at the changes. Her head even snaps around for a moment so she can all but glare at the nearest Cuckoo. And while part of her does, sort of want to admit the dress is nice what she can see of it without a mirror , she consciously tries not to think that. Not as her eye glows as she gives in, and mimics Nate.
Thus her clothing changes back. Or mostly changes back. It's not as fast, but it does change. Only her hoodie now looks a little different. Instead of having a circular celtic knot pattern on the front it has a triangle celtic knot pattern, and the hood part appears to be slightly bigger as well.
Of course there is one other benefit of copying his powers. That being she can try to sneak a guarded telepathic message to The Cuckoos as well.
|"Jean... Dr. Grey, is sort of my Grandmother. But it's a mess due to time traveling and alternate realities and the like. She feels too young to be one. So well... I'm not sure how comfortable she is with me around."|
Jean smiles at Megan quite a bit, enjoying the girl's company for as long as she can before the flying mutant goes to talk to people her own age. The Phoenix does blushes some at the compliment, but she reacts very naturally, shaking her head and looking to the side, pride and shyness colliding as she thanks the Welsh.
Phoebe does get Jean's wary attention, but just as the girl has the courage to face the redhead all by herself, so does Phoenix summons some willpower to relax as much as she can. The doctor bit gets her off-guard, given her first warning, but... maybe she is getting old. Maybe she should just accept it. "it is a pleasure to meet you, Phoebe. You and yours, reall- Oh, sure, Professor.", and nodding some to Phoebe, as if excusing herself, the Original X-Woman goes about to lead them into the Cafeteria, looking at Phoebe quite a few times before asking.
"So... is... the headmistress your mother?", she asks, thinking the answer to be obvious. Emma probably has had quintuplets and still looks like a model. A woman like her doesn't have to worry about mortal matters. She's so perfe- And Jean stops herself. What has gotten into her?!
Esme idea, but it is Nate's golden power that washes over Hope, changing her outfit. "Hey, not bad," he comments, giving the young redhead an appreciative once-over before she has time to switch back.
To Emma, he grins, "Who? Me? You know, ethics is big here." Ethics and combat in X's school of mutant heroes. But he bites his tongue in the second. "Sometimes you need to cut lose, and Hope... well," she deserved it!
Phoebe, acting independently at the moment (mostly so that the girls didn't seem too off putting) smiled at Megan and said in her own estuary dialect that all the girls shared, "Yes we decided that we want to take you out shopping. Ms. Frost has been so kind as to give us a rather... large budget for clothing. We like to treat our new friends, especially when we just know how wonderful they'd look in fancy clothes."
Phoebe shakes her head, "Ms. Frost is not our mother. Firstly, we are natural blondes, she's not. We don't know who are parents were. We have amnesia from everything that happened to us until a year ago," Phoebe said openly and honestly to Jean. That's the thing when total open, honest, telepathy is your first language. You find very few reasons to lie, "She has been kind enough to take us in to her school and help us refine our telepathy. And to teach us about things like privacy, fashion and dating."
<We understand. We can see that being rather confusing. It's much like how we don't know where we come from... and there are other things we have to discuss with you Hope, soon. We have had some... unusual patterns start to come up lately.> The girls send back to Hope using the power of their collective to make sure that none of the other telepaths could hear Hope's thoughts. They didn't want to embarrass their intermittent sister more than they probably already did with the dress stunt.
"The conversation of Ethics plays a role in one of the classes I teach," adds Kwabena. "Criminal Studies. Seniors only." Beat. "It's an elective." The remark certainly warrants some additional explanation, which he offers for Emma's sake. "Many mutants do not know where to find demselves. Some few of dem end up in troubled circumstances. It's important to undahstand what drives de mind of a criminal, especially one with special powers, if one evah has a wish of turning dem from a life of crime to... something else."
Emma looked to Cal and gave him a warm smile, "An excellent question, though I might have to talk to my advertisers if you haven't heard of it. I wanted to create a school about the best of the best, in /every/ field, or at least had the potential to be. And so I've attracted all sorts. Long term, it's in the name, I wish to teach the future leaders movers and shakers of tomorrow."
And that's as direct as she was going to get about that second question.
Wait is Charles Xavier flirting with her? No way. How fun! |"You are more than welcome to sit in on any of my classes, or to be a guest lecturer yourself on any topic. You'd get quite the audience. Interested?"|
Her eyes wander to Kwabena, "Has anyone told you that your accent is terribly attractive? But more importantly, it is an important subject for those of 'unique' abilities, mutants especially. And something I feel quite strongly myself."
Emma's voice is heard mentally to the Five-in-one |"GIRLS. That is one of the no-no subjects. NO."|
Emma gets a particular and almost smug grin from Kwabena. "It's been mentioned befah," he answers, but does not expound.
Megan couldn't help but smile a bit as Jean reacts the way she does, giving the older woman a wink as she drifts away. Towards people her own age. Of which Phoebe is a member. Giving the young woman a bit of a grin, Megan glances past her towards Kwabena a moment, before she looks back towards Phoebe. "If you have a large budget for clothing - I haven't had the opprotunity to go shopping for quite some time! My friends have been a bit preoccupied with other things, so... it'll be nice to have new friends to shop with."
Megan pauses a moment, picking up a hand to point towards Hope. "Can she come as well? She's part of your group - I kinda met her at a pizza place once," she says cheerily.
"Oh, don't blame your PR people. I'm not from around here. I'm sure they do an excellent job." Cal reassures Emma then looks to Kwabena. "Revenge, hatred, despair. Sometimes greed but that's usually secondary. Find a criminal and you'll find someone who feels he was treated unjustly."
As the group enters the Cafeteria, the plehora of food laid out on a 12 foot buffet table is filled with all kinds of goodness. The various types of Italian, Mexican, and German foods have been placed beautifully for the guests to enjoy. As Charles rolls into the Cafeteria, he moves to the side where the table of desserts and coffee urns are displayed. "Please enjoy your fill and mingle."
Charles begins to make a cup of tea for himself, Earl Grey as he cocks an eyebrow at Emma.
<<That is nice Emma. I appericate the offer however my own school takes a great deal of mine.>>
As he looks in Jean's direction, Charles puts up his own blocks to allow a private message to Jean, <>
Miles Morales looks quickly towards Kwabena at the mention of the criminal studies class, "Really? You teach that here?" He sounds interested in the subject. Then they arrive at the cafeteria and, as he glances to the food, says, "Awesome." He's quick to join the line at the buffet to get a plate of food.
"Not her dau- Oh God. I did not need to know that.", and doing a sour face of someone who was just let on a piece of very awkward information, the very shut-in and prudish girl she is, Jean's mood quickly shifts at hearing about the girl's amnesia, not for once thinking it might be a ploy. "I'm sorry to hear that...", she offers, looking at the Professor and, thinking it might not be the best thing to offer his talents without asking, the redhead just smiles warmly "Maybe we could try and find something together, sometime?".
Yes, put yourself in a room filled with telepathic quintuplets, Jean, great idea. While berating herself, Phoenix's desire to help the young girls beats her worries, and she flashes Phoebe a smile before frowning.
There is WAY too much telepathy happening, too many blocks and countermeasures, too many words flying about, abstract thoughts and hidden intentions. Although Phoenix can't grasp their meaning, she can certainly feel her head buzzing, and as she opens the door to the Cafeteria she is nodding at no one in particular, looking down and frowning as if suffering from a migraine.
"Here's the Cafet... the Cafeteria. There should be something... set...", and taking a brief moment to answer a simple <We sure do...> to the Professor, the redhead leans back against the wall, remaining behind as the troupe goes in, needing a time to recompose herself, her head throbbing.
Yet again, Hope casts a glance back at Jean, as if trying to make sure the older woman is all right. But as she hears that question regarding the girls relationship with Emma, and how Phoebe responds... She winces.
Nate of course gets a bit of a belated glare, but no verbal comment.
On the other hand, there is almost an eyeroll at Megan, before the teen redhead says, "Once these girls get an idea in their mind, the follow through. So if they want me to go shopping, I probably won't have a choice. Of course if they do that and I end up with too many embarrassing clothes, I'll have to mimic a telekinetic and 'fix' them a little..."
And no, Hope isn't ignoring you Miles. She just honestly isn't sure what to say.
Nate tries to look innocent under Hope's glare, but mostly fails. Probably he should stop smirking first. And soon enough the cafeteria buffet table draws his attention. Never mind he ate just before coming to the school.
Charles Xavier looks in Jean's direction with a bit of concern. He excuses himself and rolls over in her direction. He takes a small packet from inner pocket and takes her hand gently, "Why don't you excuse yourself and go get some air." He places the aspirin in her hand, "Takes these and I will finish the tour. It's alot I know."
Emma makes herself a cup of green tea, and ignores the food for the moment. After a few moments of simply looking about the room she makes her way over to Jean and smiles, "My girls can be a bit overwhelming; I apologize if they did anything untoward. But they do honestly mean well, mostly."
She rested her back against the wall they've found themselves in and looked down at her cup, "My students are in general. I love that about all of them, but some days I want to go screaming for the hills."
Once in the cafeteria, Cal gets himself a plate and starts loading it with all the highest calorie selections. Looking over the students, he asks "So what are you all studying? Are you still doing general studies or do you have particular interests you're concentrating on?" Young they might be but obviously they're all bright.
Kwabena looks toward Calvin with an approving nod. "De first step in undahstanding dem, yes." Another look is given to Miles, to whom it widens to show his pearly whites. "It's not de subject for everyone, but I do hope some few find it enlightening, yes."
Once in the cafeteria, the Ghanaian goes straight for the coffee, pouring a cup for anyone else who may want some.
The Five-in-One are unique, that probably needs to come up now. It's not just that they have the raw power to rival the heavy hitter telepaths of the Xavier Institute... it's that their minds are so uniquely formed that they are literally a telepathic blind spot to nearly everyone here. Xavier and Nate probably can mildly sense that they are there, but beyond that...
Phoebe however smiles at Megan and says, "Hope's our sister. She's coming. And she's getting outfits that match ours, and some for herself as well. We tried to get her to dye her hair blonde but she refused." Yeah calling Hope their sister probably didn't help things for Hope, but honestly the Cuckoos didn't much care. They wanted to make sure these Xavier people knew how close they were to Hope. They were her Lights after all. Now that girls themselves were all a bit closer they went back to the melodious speech of the identical quintuplet, "And we've already been thinking of what we can do with you Megan. We love your wings and your hair and your eyes. We are sure we can do so much with you're look!"
They look over to Cal and say, "We are in our senior year of High School. We are looking to get a Doctorate in Psychitary, a Masters in Business, perfecting our violin playing to concert levels and a Doctorate in Art History and Literature. There are some students at our school who are training to be superheroes and rumor has it that we have several heroes as teachers... and well Tony Stark as well."
Phoebe then adds, "Also we have a member of the Kree race as a teacher as well. He's called Noh-Varr."
Jean takes Charles' medicine and peers into his eyes for a moment, tilting her head to the side. She wants to talk about the dreams that have been keeping her awake recently, about the new things she has been feeling, but... there are better venues for this, like Never In a Thousand Years. As such she just smiles and looks down, grinning.
"Thanks, Professor... I just need some rest, that's all...", and as soon as Emma approaches the redhead straigthens up on the wall, taking the pill in dry, raising her shields once again. Still, she smiles, even if Jean feels like the room is a bit too little for them both.
"Oh, no, your girls are great. All your students are.", she says with a dismissive gesture, smiling some. The blonde's confession gets Jean off-guard, though. It screams of some sincereity that Phoenix herself didn't share too much. If she had to be honest... she could use a little LESS responsibilities. Still, she smiles at the mention of how much Emma likes them. It is also annoying how Emma's only flaw so far is that she is not a natural blonde.
"You sound like a terrific teacher. I am sure they are in good hands...", she says sincerely, even going so far as shoulder bump with Ms. Frost, even if awkwardly, not all that used to being 'cool'.
And well, as they enter the cafeteria, Hope grins slightly. But she doesn't rush over to get food. Instead, there's a bit of a shrug at Cal.
"Right now, I'm looking more at surviving. And learning in general..."
All though at the mention of Noh, there's an eyeroll.
As for the bit about being called The Cuckoos 'sister'... Yet again there's a glance at Jean, as if to see if the older redhead heard that, and how she reacts to it.
It should have been creepy - and it really was, when the Five-In-One descend on her en masse. "Your sister?" asks she with a bit of thought, glancing from the Cuckoos back towards Hope, canting her head to the side. "Well, family should stick together," says Megan, grinning even more now as she looks to Hope - although her eyes flicker back towards the All-In-One. Well, Phoebe.
At least she thought it was Phoebe.
And again - it should have been creepy - but Megan did enjoy being gushed over. "Really? You really really like it?" asks Megan, glancing from woman to woman - searching for any deceit in her eyes. Which only seems to make her happier and happier as the moments tick by, wings lifting, smile widening. "Then yes - yes, very much yes. We can shop for each other. Like I know something that would look good on..." Megan glances between them again. "Pretty much all of you, but... um... did you guys wanna get some food? I'm /starving/," she says.
Cal nods at the laundry list of degrees the sisters intend to attain. It's obvious they're exceptional in more ways than one. But he pauses in munching a pastry to regard Hope. "Surviving should never be the goal. It should only be the first step towards achieving your goal. But what is it you need to survive here?" he asks curiously.
Emma has a perfectly custom made aspect of 'cool', and she would be delighted to know it was regarded as such, and smiles at the shoulder bump. She let's out an exhale before taking a long sip of her tea, "Thank you. Teaching is such a challenge, when you think you have a handle on it the little darlings throw you through a loop. And managing a school? Stress. Stress on stress."
Her eyes wander towards Xavier, "Yet I bet you take it in stride, of course."
She speaks to the both of them openly, as her attention goes back to all of the girls and Miles, "But I love it, and I love all of them. My dream since I was younger than my students over there, was to be a teacher. Which I am, to a degree. So I love it, the ups and the downs."
Charles Xavier nods as he smiles at Jean. He tilts his head suddenly and then looks upto the second floor. He brings two fingers to his temples and closes his eyes. As he opens his eyes he says, "Ms. Frost will you excuse me? I have a sick student upstairs in the boys dorms that I need to check in on. Kwabena will you allow everyone to finish eating and then finish the tour for Ms Frost? I will try and return as soon as I can." He looks at Jean and says telepathically to her, <<Let him finish the tour. You take it easy. Get some rest and we will speak later."
The Cuckoos thought encrypted thoughts to Emma |"Doctor Grey seems on edge around you. We think she might be jealous. That is why we told her that you weren't a natural blonde. We almost told her about the cosmetic surgery and the fake accent but thought it wouldn't be our place. You should try to set her at ease"|
The girls out loud told Megan, "Oh yes! We love your whole look. We have so much planned for a make over with you. We've gotten rather good with make up and fashion. We'll make a date and have you and Hope go out with us. We'll take you to all the expensive places, the ones where the t-shirts even cost a hundred dollars."
A glance at the teachers for a moment and there conversations and then back to those there own age, "We only recently became interested in fashion. Originally we were happy to just wear our school uniform all day every day. Even when we went out."
Since she hasn't stopped copying Nate's powers, Hope's eye glows for a moment as she looks at Cal, but she doesn't use the telepathy or telekinesis on him. Instead, she simply says, "It's a long story. And not one I think I should talk about right now. But it is why I'm at The Academy and not here, despite being a Summers."
Of course as The Cuckoos discuss fashion, there is a slight eyeroll.
And Megan? This is where she might get a bit of a telepathic message from the redheaded teen.
|"Before you run with the wrong idea, The Five in One adopted me as a 'Sister'."|
And yes, as she sends that message, Hope does glance at the winged mutant before offering an apologetic smile.
"A Summers? At your age?" Cal glances over at Jean then back to Hope. "I understand. Another reality. For some reason, this particular one seems to attract more than its share of problems and strangeness." For some reason, that makes him glance at the cheese danish he's eating and then laugh.
An eyebrow hooks upward and Kwabena feels a touch of concern for the sick student, but he easily nods his head at Professor Xavier's request. "Not a problem, boss," he answers. He takes a moment to glance about, considering where they should go next while giving the others a chance to converse for a few moments. Then, an idea seems to pop into his head. "Everyone should get something warm to drink and bundle up. I think our next stop should be outside. Rear grounds are a big hit among de students." He's got a bit more of a raw approach than the Professor, that much is certain. Not one for diplomatic niceties, as it were, but given his attire, this much just might be expected.
Megan kinda blinks a bit. "That's a lot - I mean," says Pixie, her voice kinda lowering. A beat, and she glances back towards Emma. Emma /did/ look rich, as mentioned previous. Leaning forward towards the girls, Pixie flicks her eyes between them. "Is it really okay? I don't want to hurt Ms..." What was her name again. Megan screws up her face. "...Diamond's bank account too badly," she says. Referring, of course, to her diamond-encrusted look - not so much any hidden knowledge of powers.
Only for Megan to hop in place, glancing over shoulder. "Did you guys do that?" she asks. Not that she was /totally/ unfamiliar with telepathy, but - her eyes track over her shoulder towards Hope. "How do I talk back? Can I talk back?" |"HIIII HOPE"| Megan nearly screams, telepathically.
Jean glances at Emma, and although all she hears is how difficult it is to take care of a whole school, all Phoenix can see is a woman who has tons of time for Pillates, dieting, perfect skin, great taste in clothes, has her nails done, incredible hair... there is NO way this woman can do it all and still be a headmistress to a superhuman school. It's impossible. It has to be!
"There is NO way you h-", and Jean's eyes go wide, as she realizes that's her voice saying her own thoughts out loud. As she looks at Emma to make SURE the blonde was paying attention, Jean suddenly realizes she is really losing it. Swallowing down some, and smiling like a 'I didn't do it' child, Phoenix looks the other way a bit.
"You... so! You teach Ethics, huh? Sounds... sounds complex. Teaching Ethics... to teenagers. Is it?", and she turns back to Emma, hoping to God the woman will let it slip.
Miles Morales, at Kwabena's words, finishes his food a little quicker and, as suggested, finds himself a hot drink from the buffet before stepping back towards the others again. Of course, he's clueless to the telepathic back-and-forth going on, so he looks to Megan and Hope curiously.
"Or time travel." Pause. "Well, mainly time travel, but possibly an alternate reality mixed in due to jumping back and forth a ton in a short period of time." is said as Hope nods at Cal. "As I said... It's a long story. And a mess. Fortunately I'm not the only Summers here like that..."
And well, before she can say anything about that, Hope hears what Megan tries to think back, and she visibly winces. And even /almost/ lets go of the powers she's 'borrowed' from Nate.
"And I need to stop copying telepaths.... Their powers always give me headaches." is said without a thought, before...
|"Hi Megan. Sorry about that."|
On the other hand, the older redhead might get a bit of a message from the teenager as well.
|"Jean.... Relax. She's as human as you are. And if you want a 'one up' on her? You're the stronger telepath by a wide margin. Trust me, I should know."|
And yes the Cuckoos picked up that message that Hope sent to Megan and frown a bit. They like to think that Hope liked being called their sister. To them it was an honor. They together were omnipathic and possibly the strongest mind on the planet. And then there was the recent revelation that there was another potential sister. That the Five-in-One could become the Seven-in-One with the right people around.
They do however laugh together when Megan does her little scene after Hope sent her message, "We didn't do it. Hope did. All you need to do is think words, she'll be able to hear you as long as she's listening"
And because why not they then thought to Megan in their echo-y voice of telepathy... which oddly enough didn't have the same British dialect that their speaking voice had |"When we speak to your mind, we speak as we do aloud. Many voices, one message."|
Oh not only that, but Emma Frost was the CEO of Frost International!
There is a smile that spreads across Emma's painted lips as she moves a bit closer to Jean, and touches her right hand's fingers to the woman's bicep. Emma's voice lowers, "I understand, it's hard to be in a room sometimes with this many...minds. I think you and I should meet tomorrow in a more private setting. I saw a cute little place on my way here, brunch? Much more relaxed atmosphere."
"You need to learn to shield." Cal suggests. "It's practically the first rule of telepathy, sub-heading 'How not to go insane'." Then what Hope said sinks home and he looks a lot more interested. "You copy other people's powers? What are your limitations?"
When Hope mentions time travel and alternate realities, a dark expression comes across Kwabena's face that he just can't hide. The subject was something he was personally at odds with, one side of it being very good to him, the other... like something he's half of mind to punch into a whole new reality. He just can't keep this from his expression, so he turns it away to take the lead, walking with forced ease toward the large doors that open into the rear grounds beyond.
As he opens the doors, a rueful look crosses his face. He glances back toward Hope, then lets his eyes drift amongst the others. "So many telepaths," he quips. "Don't tell me everyone has some kind of telepathic ability?"
Wondering if it might help to break the tension, he leaves the doors propped open for a moment, going further out into the cold. As he does, each of his hands begin to unfurl into so many thick tendrils of black smoke, trailing behind the sleeves of his jacket for a few inches. He casts a glance over his shoulder toward Miles in particular, and then toward Calvin, before letting his eyes wander toward whomever should bring up the rear. "Mind closing dose doors for me?"
Megan - upon catching Miles' glance, looks to him kinda importantly - points at the dessert table, and then mimes eating something, before giving him a hopeful smile. Closing her eyes, Megan lets her message kinda leak out of her head, |"IT'S OKAY, HOPE! YOU'RE ~ACES~," she says, thinking REALLY HARD about a picture of a Pug Puppy. And because it was her mind, it was wearing a party hat. And spinning, with fireworks, and a happy pop song in the back of her head.
"Did you guys see that? That's a ~really~ tidy power, I'm not going to lie. It's lovely," says Megan to the five in one. In her normal voice, of course. All the telepathy seemed to annoy people, but Megan seemed pretty much okay with it. "Do you think we should join the others? I mean. I might wanna go talk to Miss Frost, but... um..." Megan kinda scratches the side of her nose. "We're giving you a tour of the place? Are we trying to be all diplomatic and stuff?"
Oh. GREAT. AND she is the CEO of Fro- Wait! How does she even... and Jean looks at Emma right besides her, those fingertips grazing at her arms, those eyes telling a lot of story. For a moment Phoenix just nods, and instead of thinking back at Hope, she just says close to the blonde "Yes, I know, Hop-", and with an eyeroll, Jean doesn't even care anymore. She is just not wired alright tonight. At Emma's invitation, the redhead arches her brow, suspicious, but trying to avoid being crass, she smiles some.
"Who knows? Maybe a brunch could be nice.", her voice now somewhat hoarse from exertion as she feels awfully awkward at this woman's closeness. She's not even intimidated, just... this is not something Jean is used to at all.
<Thanks, Hope. I'll keep that in mind.>, she says into the younger redhead's mind.
Miles Morales shakes his head to Kwabena and says, "Nope, not me." Of course, he's not disclosing what powers he does have either. He follows along now on the way outside, sipping his drink but not seeming to mind the cold too much. His eyes go to those smoke tendrils quickly, but he grins, "Cool."
After yet another pause, this time as she bites her lip, Hope glances at Kwa and says, "No. Not everyone." as she catches his words. And yet as he takes off, she closes her eyes and winces.
Then, as she takes a deep breath, she shifts her attention back to Cal before saying, "It's unclear. Range is an issue. The closer the better. But supposedly my copies are near perfect. Usually... It's just one power at a time. Usually."
And well, if she's gonna expand on that, she doesn't get much of a chance, especially as she picks up that mental image of a pug, prompting her to let out an amused snort. One that she tries not to let become a giggle, or a laugh as she glances back at Miles and shakes her head, before pointing at Pixie.
|"Hey, you looked like you could use something over there. And it's not like you'd be willing to one up her with the other thing that you have that she doesn't."| is of course sent to Jean.
"Not at the moment." Cal answers Kwa. Which is for all intents and purposes true since it's rudimentary at best. The man's ability to turn to smoke is noted with interest and filed away. Moving over to the door, he holds it open till everyone has continued on. "Does the young man - Nate - come from the same reality as you do?" he asks Hope.
Emma breached into Jean's mind, |"I pardon for the intrusion, but sometimes this this just so much more natural, correct? Thank you for having myself and my students again at the school. My girls, the Five-In-One especially have trouble fitting in for obvious reasons. But ones like...'us' need people to fit in with, allies. No matter how strong we think we are. Your school would seem like a perfect fit, you specifically."
She moved to give Jean just a very soft kiss on the cheek again in her 'I'm so European' way, "I look forward to it, I'll pick you up in the morning.""|
Jean blushes yet again tonight as Emma plants her lips on the redhead's cheek, the words being as mysterious as they almost sound kind. It's weird to be told she is going to be taken out during morning, that she will have a meal with this strange woman, and although it happens too fast, deep inside the Phoenix enjoys it. It's a change of pace, the kind of change of pace she wouldn't allow herself before the Phoenix, a change of pace that her old self would not suffer.
Keeping her smile to herself, Jean simply nods as she watches Emma do her thing, her mind blocks slowly dripping away as she relaxes, and her migraine vanishes.
Oh Emma's words were equally as mysterious as they were kind, but that was basically her to a T. Jean after this evening would find a silver of paper in her pocket with a phone number along with "E <3"
For the rest of the late afternoon Emma mingled with the students and faculty present for the tour.
"No. Some sort of 'Apocalypse World'. Or something like that." is said as Hope adjusts her stance ever so slightly, looking more than a little unfomfortable.
"I... Don't know what the one I'm like, since my 'Dad' and I started running through time when I was a baby. But it doesn't sound like Nate's. There's a lot more.... Well, a lot more of a lot of things in Nate's than what little I know of the time, or reality I'm from. And Rachel's... Well, I don't know much about hers, but what little I know makes it sound like its similar to Nate's 'Age of Apocolypse', but I don't know."
But hey, she did answer her felloiw mimic!