X-Men: A Bright New World

[SortOfBeautiful]

"How long do we have before you have to get back to the city?"

Alison shrugged, looking around. "A few hours, I guess?" She nodded, knowing that it was still early enough to hang around, but she still had to give herself time to get back home, change, and get ready for work. "I need to make sure I can beat traffic, I have to work, and--I just have to work." She was repeating herself, babbling like a fool.

What? It was hard, being around him again. Being around people like her. And she was clearly hiding something, because she could barely look him in the eye, or speak clearly without stumbling for words. Alison Blaire was a horrible liar. But what was she supposed to do when he asked what she's been up to? Tell him that she was a stripper, and with money getting tighter living in the city, that she had signed a contract that promised her employer she would get paid to do more than just taking off her clothes?

God, it was embarrassing. Charles could never know. He'd never look at her the same.

"It's really nice to see you again." She was smiling back at him from across the table, sincere. He didn't talk to her about other things, or about his last visit in the city with her. But she guessed they'd talk about it, later. The butterflies returned in her tummy just thinking about it. "I heard about Fort Knox though, it sounds awful. I hope the authorities can figure it out. If it's not safe there, then none of us are safe." Alison slowly shrugged her shoulders, biting in to her scrambled eggs.

 

[tcost]

Charles

"The only good thing about the Fort Knox story is that it reminds us all that, really, while there is some protection, no one, anywhere, can ever be completely safe. It's always easier to destroy than it is to build. But that's what I'm attempting to do her, and -- without being too persistent, I hope -- I have wanted you to be a part of it for years, now. And, frankly, to give you a home, if you would accept that."

He reached out and took her hand again, sitting there in the dining room. "But, if you won't, please don't just close the door on me again, Alison. I want the two of us, at least, to have some sort of ongoing relationship."

 

[Tight_n_ready]

Wanda carefully refolded the letter, the paper was cheap and thin, the writing scratchy and faded,but it was the first time she had heard from her brother in months. And he wanted to meet her , he needed her to go to Europe, he had been brief in the letter, apparently not wanting to say much, but he mentioned their parents. She had to go.

Tucking the letter away into her bra, she stood in a rush, oblivious to her surroundings. As she stood and turned, in a rush to find the professor. It sounded like Pietro was in trouble, and though she knew he could look after himself he had found something about their parents, maybe he'd found some answers why their fathers mind had snapped and he'd abandoned them. But she was terrified of leaving the school, she could survive, she had for years, but her friends were here, and the professor had given her so much and asked for nothing in return. All that added up to explain why she bowled over the man walking past.

All of that and now she was assaulting complete strangers? She raised herself up to stare into the mans eyes in shock, that shock doubled when she saw that they were red. She gasped in surprise, almost forgetting why she was in a rush in the first place. "Who are you?"

Then remembering why this had happened, and not pausing to allow for an answer from the strange man beneath her. Planting a hand firmly on his chest she scrambled to her feet, leaping over him and racing off down the corridor. Unfortunately not before her powers had their say and as her hand snaked out the vase on the dresser toppled, exploding on the floor, showering them both with fragments of pottery and drenching the stranger with water. Wanda was already gone, her cry trailing out behind her. "Sorry!"

She burst into the kitchen, seeing Charles eating there "Professor... ummm..."

She trailed off as she realised he wasn't alone, she smiled uncertainly at the other woman before looking back to Charles, "sorry, professor, I really need to talk to you."

 

[tcost]

Charles

"Sorry, professor, I really need to talk to you."
***

Charles looked from Alison to Wanda, letting go of his guest's hand. "Of course, Wanda, what is it? You look upset."

He made a half-turn in his chair, shifting his focus. Maybe this interruption would give Alison a moment to stop and think about the situation, anyway. His eyes searched those of his student, trying to understand what was wrong without resorting to reading her mind. There were times like this when he sometimes wondered if the best, the gentlest and most efficient thing to do might well be to read someone's mind.

 

[Tight_n_ready]

Wanda

Wanda glanced uncertainly at the strange woman, clearly uncomfortable discussing this in front of a stranger, but eventually her sense of urgency overrode her misgivings. She moved a little closer to the Professor and lowered her voice, not that she explicitly distrusted the unknown woman, but this was private. It made little difference, she would be able hear everything Wanda said, they were simply too close as it was. She wished that the Professor had realised that, hell right now she would have been ok with him reading her mind if it helped.

"Professor, I just got a letter from my brother, I have to leave, now, I'm sorry, it's my brother..."

She trailed off lamely, he'd given her so much, unhesitatingly, without question, and he'd asked for nothing in return. Now she was just leaving? He'd always made it clear that she could leave whenever she wanted, but she still felt guilty about it, like she was taking advantage.

"I have to go to Europe..."

 

[tcost]

Charles

The professor's face fell. "Are you coming back?" he asked softly, taking a step further away from the table and drawing Wanda with him. "Do you have a valid passport? Do you need any money, or anything else? Do you need one of us to go with you? Just where are you going?"

He .did. realize that it was okay right now for him to read her mind -- his lips weren't moving. All of his words could be heard only within Wanda's mind, even as Charles Xavier still respected her privacy enough that he had to ask those questions without already having learned those answers for himself. She could reveal all in an instant, if she chose, or she could subvocalize her replies back to him as if in an oral conversation. It all went very much faster this way, too.

 

[Tight_n_ready]

Wanda

Wanda wasn't used to telepathic communication so she answered aloud instead of mentally, it hardly mattered, it wasn't going to reveal any more than she already had to this stranger after all. For a brief moment she wondered who the woman was, not that the thought remained with her long, quickly overwhelmed by somewhat more pressing matters. That all amounted to her speaking again, "I've got my passport from when I first came here and I've still got most of my allowance left, plus what I saved up from work, I'll manage."

His last two questions gave her pause however, this was personal, her brother, her parents. She couldn't easily share that with anyone, knowing that she was now sharing it with Charles was hard enough, let alone having someone accompany her. And where? Germany, after that she didn't know, Pietro had promised to meet her after all. "No professor, I have to do this alone, I just came to tell you."

She frowned apologetically then smiled uncertainly again at the strange woman, truly apologetic for interrupting... whatever this was. Then she turned, pausing at the door to mumble apologetically, "sorry Professor, I'll be back, I promise."

And with that, she was gone...

---

A few moments later she was packing, a small bag, just a few changes of clothes, one or two other things. She paused, looking around the room reflectively for a moment, she had a lot of good memories from this place, not all of them sexual, she was going to miss it. A thought hit her, and she grabbed pen and paper, scribbling a hasty note, slipping it under Theresa's door as she left.

'I had fun honey, don't forget me, I expect you to have missed me by the time I get back.'

 

[SortOfBeautiful]

Alison barely even had time to react. One minute, Charles was taking her hand and reminding her that he wanted her to stay here or at least keep him in her life, and the next, another girl was bursting into the dining hall, breathless. Something about her brother. And Europe. She didn't really get to hear more because Charles was taking the girl aside to speak privately. The girl had smiled at her, but only politely. No matter how nosy Alison was, she reminded herself that it was none of her business, and she turned her attention back to her food.

Oh, right. She guessed that Charles would want to continue where they left off. But...what could she say? No, Charles, I can't stay with you because I'm a stripper and signed a contract to basically whore myself who whoever my boss deems fit? And I have to work tonight. God, no. She was so embarrassed. She already didn't tell many of her friends about the strip club. All they knew was that she was a singer. But singing at open mics and in coffee shops for 25 people just wasn't going to pay the bills right now.

When Charles returned, she smiled over at him until he sat back down again. "Is everything okay?" She asked, doubting there was much she could do, but she offered her help anyway. She cared about Charles, and she'd seen the look of concern on his face for that girl. He cared about the people here too, and if she could see that, everyone could. It was...nice.

"And listen, about earlier. My decision is still the same, I'm so sorry. You know I can't stay, but we can work on our friendship. I won't disappear this time, I promise." She flashed another smile his way, just to keep things light. She'd made a point to use that friendship word, rather than relationship.

She was already in over her head at work, she'd rather not get in too deep in a relationship with another man when she knew he'd want nothing to do with her once he found out her secret.

 

[tcost]

Charles.

Resuming his seat next to Alison, Charles shook his head. "I don't see how there is anything that anyone can do," he replied, his words pitched to carry no further than his guest. "Her brother has summoned her back to Europe. Things are dangerous enough for mutants here. In some parts of Europe, they are much worse. In Russia, it's now illegal even to speak in favor of mutant rights."

When Alison told him that she was not going to relent in her decision, Charles actually frowned. "Once a month, Alison," he tried. "Come up here on a Friday or a Saturday once a month, and stay over. You don't even realize some of the things you can do, I'm sure. I can find out what they are for you, and I can find out how you can avoid getting hurt or exposed by them, or how to avoid hurting others."

He wanted to say that it was irresponsible of her if she did not submit to his experiments, but he was not that foolish. Nor did she need that sort of pressure.

"Aren't you even curious?" That didn't seem too dangerous, and it might work.

"But, that's not the main thing I even wanted to talk to you about, Alison. Obviously, it's very important to me, and I think that it ought to be just as important to you. But there is another matter that I feel has become even more important. That's something that we should discuss in private -- if you're through with breakfast?"

 

[SortOfBeautiful]

Are you even curious?

Of course she was! Alison's mind was reeling. There were so many people around her that she was sure had gifts like her. All different, maybe a few even the same. God, what if she found someone who could do what she could? She wanted to know everyone's story. And she wanted Charles' advice. She wanted to know how to keep control. Even know her true potential, despite the fact that the possibilities scared the shit out of her.

When Charles asked if they wanted to speak in private, Alison nodded. It was probably for the best. There were so many eyes on them, some curious and nosy like her. And she couldn't even imagine how many ears were listening in as well.

"Yes, I'm finished with breakfast. You didn't have to feed me, so thank you." There she was, smiling out of politeness again, and she stood from her chair. As she stood up, instinctively, she reached for his hand again. She didn't know[ why. She'd never held it before, not until today. But something that felt like gravity pushed her hand to his until her fingers were lacing and entwined with his own. His hand was much bigger in comparison to her smaller, softer one. But there was no doubt he could still feel the warmth from the light in her palms earlier.

"What's so important, Charles?" She asked, still when they were only in the hall. There were less eyes and ears of students, but still people passing. She couldn't wait to ask, and not knowing was killing her. "Are you sure everything is okay?"

 

[tcost]

Charles' eyes darted down to their hands when Alison took his in her own. That made him smile.

"Oh, I've learned long since that there's just never a time when everything is okay," he returned, leading her down the hallway. "So far as I know, though, most things are. At least three of my charges are in the midst of making love right now, which is usually one of the best signs of nothing being too dire."

With his free hand, he opened the door into his office, and, once she had followed him inside, he closed and locked it. "While it's true that I didn't need to feed you, I felt the urge to take care of you, Alison. I hope you don't mind me doing that?"

He turned back to fully face her again now, and his free hand went up to her shoulder -- and, if she did not resist, drew her closer. "I also hope," he added, much more softly now, "that you don't mind me doing this."

He kissed her, of course.

 

[SortOfBeautiful]

There was something important that Charles needed to speak to her about in private. What could it be? Was it about her car? Gambit? Or was he finally going to tell her why she heard her song playing in his office when she came pounding on his door? That question still needed to be asked.

"While it's true that I didn't need to feed you, I felt the urge to take care of you, Alison. I hope you don't mind me doing that?"

"Of course not. Ever since I've met you, you've always been far too nice, Charles. Probably more than some people deserve, I'm sure. But I've enjoyed it; I don't see too much of it in the city." She answered as she stepped inside his office. Behind her, she could hear him close the door, and switch the lock.

Why would he lock the door. Slowly, she spun and turned to face him. Within seconds his hand was on her shoulder, and she was being drawn closer, like gravity. So close, she could feel the warmth of his body. His breath on her face.

"I also hope," he added, much more softly now, "that you don't mind me doing this."

Alison was surprised to find his mouth pressing to hers. Charles fucking Xavier, was kissing her. She barely had time to react. His lips were surprisingly soft. Masculine. Powerful. Her head told her to push away. He wouldn't want to be kissing her if he knew anything about her. But...her body wouldn't let herself pull back, not even an inch.

If Charles thought about pulling away himself, Alison's arms that wrapped around him kept him close, deeping that kiss when she finally began to kiss him back. She kissed him so slowly, but deeply, and each kiss was followed or lead by a heavy inhale and exhale. He tasted divine.

"Is this what was so important, that it couldn't wait, Charles?" She whispered against his lips. This wasn't the mysterious, calm, collected Charles Xavier that she had met a few years ago. The Charles that flirted with her, but never made his move.

 

[tcost]

"Is this what was so important, that it couldn't wait, Charles?" She whispered against his lips.

***
"Of course it is. I should have done this years ago, Alison. Tell me that I'm wrong. Tell me that the arms you are holding me with don't want to go on doing that. Tell me that you don't want to be here. Tell me that you don't want to be with me."

He smiled then. "Even if you do, I won't believe you."

His own arms were around her, and he lifted her right off the ground, seemingly without effort, and carried her two steps forward until her back was against the wall. Then he pressed his body as closely against hers as he could, and kissed her again, and just went on kissing her for quote a long time.

 

[SortOfBeautiful]

Charles was right not to believe her. She'd wanted this for too long. And now that she had it, it was hard to let go. Feeling his mouth against her, tasting him, his hands on her, she never wanted it to end.

Groaning against his mouth as he lifted her, as if she weighed like nothing, she gasped when he pressed her back against the wall. Those long legs of hers instantly wrapped around him, and her arms held him tighter, even if she knew he wouldn't let her fall. Wearing that short skirt, she could feel his arousal beneath her, pressed against her. Being pinned to the wall like that, all she could do was kiss him back just as deeply, and let him press and grind against her.

Breathless kisses crashed against his wonderful mouth, and a part of her was ready to reach down. To undo his pants for him, push those panties of hers aside, and beg him to make love to her right there in his office, against the wall. But...that would be wrong. Fuck, she'd just had a one night stand last night with Gambit, and tonight she'd be having sex again, for work. This wasn't right. Charles deserved much better than this.

"Charles, let's...slow down a little bit." She whispered against his warm mouth, her voice not sounding convincing enough since her body was practically begging for his attention. "We shouldn't do this, not here. I...need to get back to the city." Her legs unwrapped from his waist, and he backed up a little so she could stand. Still sandwiched between him and the wall though. Her hands came down to her skirt, and she flattened it over her thighs with her palms.

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have..well, you know. I really like you, Charles, but this just can't work. Please don't make me explain why, I have to go." Alison spoke with regret, frustration, and pain, and she looked away from Charles, knowing making eye contact with him would only make it that much harder.

 

[tcost]

"Very well," Charles returned, softly. "I will not make you explain. But don't ask me to stay out of your life, Alison. I'm not prepared to do that unless you insist on it. You won't have to call the police about me, but, unless you do insist, neither am I going to leave you alone."

He had done that too many times in his life, already. He should never have let Moira marry another man, either, and yet he had stayed away and let it happen. He wasn't going to make that mistake a second time.

Without her ever knowing it, Charles Xavier read her mind. His own expression remained exactly as it had been, only his body language changed slightly, and Alison did not yet know him well enough to tell just what that signified.

"All right, Alison, I won't stop you. I'll see you later."

 

[SortOfBeautiful]

Dazzler.

And just like that, it was over. One minute, Alison had her legs wrapped around Charles Xavier, ready to beg him to take her right there in his office. And the next, the was on the ground again, and Charles was letting her leave.

Alison sighed softly, annoyed and frustrated with herself. With her situation. God, why did she have to sign that contract? Why did he have to come back into her life now? This was just a mess, and she didn't now how to get out of it.

"I'm so sorry Charles, I want to...but this is for the best. I wish I could explain. I'll call you, okay? I still have your number." She tried to smile at him, tried to be hopeful, but it fell flat.

Grabbing his hand to make up for it, for everything, she pulled him closer and pressed her mouth to his again. One last soft, but deep kiss. A promise. The only thing she could really give him right now.

When she was sure she had the strength to do so, she turned and left his office to find her car that Gambit had left her.

 

[Lachiyous]

Colossus

One Month Ago.

Outside. Near the lake. He always liked working here. Where it wasn't really 'work' at all....but rather it felt like under going a journey. An exploration. Of the soul. Of the heart. The mind. Each time. Each piece. Each bless-ed stroke of the brush, per se. Of...

Art. Art work.

And here, within the embrace of Mother Nature, one could truly...well....be free. To create. Any and every. Thing. From the sun and the sky. The moon and the stars. The Mallard Duck. Or the Eastern Painted Turtle. Even, hmm...

Friendship. A smile very slowly illuminated his face -- the source of the light. Her, of course. While he was drafting out the scenery before him, pencil onto the paper -- the might of the crisp lake in the afternoon's light -- she had begged to be a part of it. Heck, she INSISTED! Not that he would ever put up any sort of fight. Not with her. So it was. Before he could apply the first of the water colors, he sought to add the lone figurine. Poetically. And significantly. In the foreground. Framing the left side of the composition. Her lithe form facing the right. Shyly turned to the 'camera'. Larger than life. Light heartedness. Tank top and shorts. With flip flops. Her brunette tresses peaked from underneath. A wide brimmed, straw summer hat. Enwrapped in a bow. He had actually got that for her the spring before last. To protect her from the rays of the Sun. Piotr was elated she was wearing it now. In this moment. To be captured.

Forever.

The wind was just barely. Caressing. The skin. It must have been tickling. Her brown irises had a twinkle in them. From below the rim of the hat. As her lips began to curl, her nose twitched. She was becoming. Fidgety.

"You know you need to be still. For me."

"Peter. I'm trying. But wouldn't it look better if I stuck out my tongue?"

Perhaps it was the expression on his face. The sort of intensity he got. In his eyes. When he concentrated like this. Because she couldn't help but let out. A giggle.

"Katya.."

"Okay. I'll be good. Promise."

Katherine Pryde. Aside from the Professor, she was the one person that helped acclimate him. To life here. In the States. Over the course of two years, she became not only a companion. But a close friend. Near and dear. To his inner of essence. She was younger than him. Yet age was but a number. Of inconsequence. And he couldn't imagine being here at the school. Without her. And given this experience. This moment. Why, it was nothing short of...

Perfect.
========================================================================
That Evening.

Inside. The quiet of the encompassing Library. If books could talk, rather than. Listen in. On these two.

He made sure to sit her down, as he wasn't sure how this would go over. The painting was on the table before her. His gift to her. She said she didn't want it out of her sight. Her gaze was on it.

"I spoke with the Professor all ready. And cleared it with him..."

Brown eyes fluttered up. To peer at him. Inquisitively. "You cleared what?"

Swallowing, removing anything that would obstruct. His voice. "A trip. To my homeland. To see my family."

"Peter, you never told ME about any of this! That's....how. How long?" Her pulse began to race as thoughts poured into her mind.

"It will be for ten days. Two weeks at most."

"Hrm. I...I dunno. This doesn't feel right...." She closed her eyes. Slumped in her chair.

"I need to do this. Please understand. I haven't been to my country. In a long time."

"I know, I know. I know it. Which is why. I'm coming with you! Peter, please. You and I. We're a team, right? And teams belong together." She opened her eyes. Crazy excitement present there. Or was that desperation? He couldn't quite pinpoint it.

"Katya. It cannot be. You have classes. Finals are coming up." He reached out to take her hand. But by this point she had all ready gotten up. And burst over. To hug him. He readily encased her within his warm embrace. Tightly. Suffice it to say. More than anything. He was going to miss...

His best friend.

"Be home before you know it."

"Promise?" She nuzzled and squeezed him in return.

"Da. I promise."
========================================================================
****Again, this happened one month ago. Not now. Colossus has NOT been at the school since.****

 

[SortOfBeautiful]

Kitty Pryde.

Fingertips were drumming idly and boredly on the table in the cafeteria. Katherine Pryde had finished her meal, but currently had no where to go. She was surrounding by chattering and gossiping friends, but she still missed seeing her best friend at meal times. And most times, really. Piotr, her sweet Peter, her best friend, had been gone about a month now.

That meant there was no one left to annoy, no one to tease and make fun of her, and no one to confide in that she completely trusted. She had plenty of friends, just no one else she was completely comfortable being herself with yet. She guessed now, while the big man was in a completely different country, that this was as good as a time than any to start making new friends too.

But she wasn't off to a good start. Someone next to her cleared their throat, motioning to her small fingers that she had annoyingly been tapping out of boredom. The sound of her tapping fingers had carried through the large lunch room. She couldn't help it! This conversation was absolutely dull. Who cared about who was sleeping with who in this school? And who cared who the new blonde woman was that had been caught holding hands with the Professor? God, if she ever started dating (heaven forbid), then she hoped nosy bitches like this would mind their own business.

Careful not to piss off the whole cafeteria, her wrist remained pressed against the table as her fingers phased right through the wood, still drumming.

Also the smart ass.

But she couldn't still still. She had to be moving.

After breakfast, Kitty made her way to the library. She may as well do some reading. It was summer, and she had very few classes going on, but why the hell not? Her advanced classes had helped challenge her where other classes had failed to do so. But the good part about that was that it put her in the same classes with Peter, and some of the other older mutants.

Maybe if she went to the library, she'd find someone in there to help cure her boredom on that lazy, boring, Saturday afternoon.

Wearing a pair of blue jeans and a tight white t-shirt, her long hair bounced at her shoulders as she took the shortcut to the library on the other end of the mansion.

Through the walls.

 

[Dreamweaver28]

It had been two months since Kevin had been employed here at the Xavier school as a teacher's assistant and so far so good. He had no real serious complaints, but the eyes that looked at him sometimes felt worse than the eyes of norms. All here were different from the masses outside these walls, but he had quickly discovered that most of them at least could pass as normal. A bleached skin man, with no hair, no nose, and no pupils was an oddity among the odd. He knew they couldn't help it, that's what he had said about those outside the walls as well, but it still was attention he really didn't want. That's where his humor helped as well as his pranks. He may have been a teacher's assistant, but no one was spared from his games.

Kevin had quickly become popular among many at the school for with his morphing ability he had the ability to look like and sound like anyone. A television created the perfect late night game as did the impressions he did of other teachers and staff. He had been chastised numerous times but the more uptight of the school, but it had resulted in an even greater level of admiration from the more rebellious of the school. Often he'd pull just little pranks, the ones that didn't take much thought, but were goofy and brought a good laugh. Today he was walked by the cafeteria as the students were eating and looked over. Good, a captive audience. Some of the students noticed him right away and knowing him well enough they knew he was up to something. That he was.

The first time he just walked by, looked into the cafeteria, and walked on pass as nothing was up. Then, he turned around and shifted in a second and walked by again, this time only four feet in height and with such a ridiculous roundness he could have rolled on by. Immediately when he passed he turned around and shifted again, this time into the form of a walrus and clumsily shuffled on past the entrance. And finally, he morphed one last time and as the tall, hulking athletic instructor walked past suddenly a perfect copy was walking right behind him. Some kids snickered, but most tried to contain themselves as they all knew the man wasn't that into jokes, and especially didn't like being the joke.

The big guy stopped, looked at some of the teens that looked at him, and held up his arms. "What are you looking at?" The look in his eyes scared the group, but one couldn't help laughing as Kevin was standing right behind him doing exactly the same movement. Fortunate for Kevin, the man with an exceptional smell, couldn't even detect Kevin's scent as he didn't have one. As the instructor pointed at the teen to yell at him there was Kevin, right behind him, pointing at the teen as well. By now many were really trying to control themselves, but as Kevin leaned close, acted like he was sniffing the man, and then waved his hand in front of his nose to act as if the brute smelled bad many of the teens completely lost it.

There was so much laughing now that the man didn't know how to react and thus turned to walk away with Kevin right behind him. But, as he stormed off Kevin was behind and pranced away. That was it, one teen even had milk shooting from his nose as he had been laughing so hard.

And then, there he was, in his real form standing at the entryway taking a bow, to the applause of most in the room. Kevin smiled and this time walked off and left, heading to his room with a delighted smile.

 

[Remec]

Cannonball

"Idle hands, Sam. Idle hands"

A touch of free time was to be expected on a Saturday afternoon. More than a touch when the fact of it being summer break was factored into things. Although, "summer break" wasn't really a set-in-stone sort of thing at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, as Sam Guthrie had quickly discovered.

True, there were no actual set schedule of classes, per se; but a number of the teachers, professors, and teaching assistants had established regimen they sort of expected all the students to be following on a regular basis. Especially if you were among the older student population, or had been taken under the focused attention of a given teacher.

But Sam Guthrie, aka Cannonball, had not yet been assigned to anyone in that manner. He was, however, slightly behind compared to a number of the younger students since he had had to drop out of school early and work to help support his mother and siblings. He might have had to do so even if his father had not passed away, but Pa's death had left him the responsible male member of the Guthrie clan, and Sam was nothing if not responsible.

Case in point, Saturday afternoon...great weather...work detail already done for the day...and here he was, reading and studying in the library. He sighed to himself and set the advanced mathematics book down to review his notes. Sam leaned his chair back and set his long, lanky legs up--feet resting on the edge of the study carrel--and had just settled in when a body passed through the nearest wall.

"What the...ouch!" Sam exclaimed as he shifted the wrong way on being startled by Shadowcat's appearance and knocked his chair out from under himself. He sighed, somewhat more grumpy and noisily, and then laughed as he looked up at Kitty. "Man...ah think you might jus' be a cat who needs bellin' or somethin'", he said with a grin as he brushed his hair out of his eyes.
Long hair was something Sam was trying for the first time while at Xavier's, back home it was always crew cuts or Ma's bowl trims.

Sam was experimenting with different looks. He always thought he was a little too tall, too stretched...but work in the mine and the physical training he was receiving here had sculpted his limbs into something strong and strapping. He tried not to experiment too much with the uniform they'd been issued. Even now, during summer break, if he was spending the day doing school related things, like studying in the library, Sam was to be found in the slacks, dress shirt, and blazer they were given on arrival.

He looked at Kitty and his eyes wandered a bit, and he wondered if maybe he should rethink his wardrobe decisions a little.

 

[SortOfBeautiful]

Kitty Pryde.

Kitty did come out of no where. Through the wall, Kitty phased through the bookshelf against the wall as well before she stopped and heard a crash. Or at least, a fall.

Turning her head to the left, she watched as Sam fell out of his chair, and onto his ass as his ankles tangled in the legs of the chair. She couldn't help it. Kitty began to giggle and she erupted with laughter.

"Man...ah think you might jus' be a cat who needs bellin' or somethin'",

"That would defeat the purpose of sneaking up on people, wouldn't it?" Kitty grinned and knelt beside him to help get the chair untangled from his feet. "You okay, Sam?"She asked, now that she was done laughing at him. She wasn't extremely close with the older boy, but she had a few classes with him. He was usually a pretty friendly guy to everyone he met, at least that she noticed.

She didn't even remember what his power was, but she remembered that he was always warm. Even kneeling next to him now, she could feel some kind of warmth coming from him and radiating toward her. It made her smile as she pushed the chair to stand up again, and reached for his hand to help him back up on his feet.

"You're all dressed up." She noticed, once he was standing. She had to tilt her head back to look up at him. She had to do that to a lot of people. "It's Saturday, you know. Take that jacket off." She teased, and looked over at the table, noticing what he'd been studying. Or was going to study, at least.

"Oh, are you taking that class? I was in it last year, it was a breeze." She bragged, although Kitty's intelligence was no mystery. She might be tiny and cute, but she had brains.

 

[heartofcourage]

Psylocke

The slight breeze that blew across the front steps of the academy ruffled the pin straight black hair that draped down the young woman’s back. Betsy Braddock liked to spend her life with the head in the clouds…literally. Dressed in casually in a pair of jeans and an Arsenal Football Club shirt, Betsy relaxed back in the sunlight and stared up at the clouds from behind a pair of aviator shades.

It would be a perfect day for flying. In fact, she was about five seconds away from calling the small airstrip that her Cessna was stored at to ask if they could get it ready. She already had the route planned too. She would go north out of the city, around the heavily wooded areas on the outskirts and then back before dinner.

Standing from her lounging position, she stretched her arms over her head and turned to enter back into the mansion. The sounds of laughter floated in the air and it seemed that the place was filled with a joyful vibe.

‘My kind of place,’ she thought to herself.

She made her way to her room and snagged her leather jacket, pausing only for a moment to watch the screen of the television as the reports of the Ft. Knox break in filtered in. Something in her brain buzzed fuzzily, struggling to make a connection before the moment passed. Shrugging it off, she slipped the jacket on and snagged her keys.

“To the skies, if anyone’s interested in an afternoon in the clouds.” Her mental note touched everyone’s mind in the vicinity and although she’d never had someone take her up on the offer, she always thought it polite to at least ask.

 

[Tight_n_ready]

Rogue

Wherever they had been, whatever they had been doing, the team had been successful. She didn’t know what it had been, but she could tell when they were in a good mood, Mystique was nearly impossible to read, her inhuman eyes were always veiled, and she was always in control, whereas the others tended to telegraph their anger. One hand stroked her cheek absent mindedly, the mark was gone now, but when Mystique had first brought her to the base she’d got in the way of the Trapster after a mission had gone south, he’d nearly broken her jaw with an angry blow. Irene had been furious, the strange blind woman had always been kind to her, but she scared her, possessed a sense of power unrivalled even by Mystiques unique inhuman appearance. Mystique had broken three of the man’s fingers and made it clear that the next one of them to lay a hand on her would not be using that extremity again. It didn’t stop them leering at her taut athletic form when she walked past, but she’d learned to stay out of the way since then.

It wasn’t a comfortable life, but it was a life, not a miserable outcast existence, not knowing whether there would be a roof to sleep under that night, or a hot meal, or food of any kind. She’d not thought, she’d just run, packed a few clothes, and then hitched a ride on the first truck to pass her heading north. Mystique had found her in a café, a dump, she’d never told her how she’d found her, or how she knew so much about her, but she was sure that it was something to do with Destiny, the blind woman knew things she had no right to know.

She owed them a lot, but even though she had somewhere to live she hated being cooped up, she was restless, and though she was safe, she wanted to be out, doing something, anything. Helping Mystique, she didn’t really know what she did, but she’d guessed that whatever it was, it wasn’t exactly legal. She wondered sometimes if that was why Mystique didn’t involve her, but then why did she keep her here? Why had she shown her how to fight? Given her all the skills she had? Kept her here? She was grateful, but she needed to get out, Mystique had promised her she would, eventually, but that time never seemed to come, and she was going slowly stir-crazy caught up in here.

Mystique had shown her what she could do, her powers hurt people, but they didn’t just take their energy, their life force, they stole their powers too, for a time, Mystique had let her touch her for a half second, and Rogue had watched in wonder as her face shifted and changed in the mirror before her. She had a gift, or at least that’s what Mystique said. So why didn’t it feel like one?

 

[Remec]

Falling was something Sam had almost forgotten how to deal with. Since his power had first manifested itself as a form of transportation, he hadn't noticed that it had brought with it a significant jump in his general agility and, specifically, his dexterity when it came to moving his body through even the most cluttered of spaces. It wasn't that he was ungraceful before, but his kid sister, Paige, had teased him more than once on his ability to trip over pretty much thin air.

When Kitty asked how he was and offered a hand, he had given a sort of muttered, mostly non-verbal response as he towered over her. He hadn't spent much time around Kitty, even inside of class, so this was the first time really looking at her this up-close and personal. "You're all dressed up," Kitty remarked as she looked him over.

Sam's eyes went wandering a little more, and a small smile crept onto his face as he thought And you're dressed a lot more casual than I can recall. He didn't say anything, at first, because he was still learning about small talk and the like, plus Kitty had kept talking.

"It's Saturday, you know. Take that jacket off."

Without even thinking about it, Sam began slipping his school blazer off and replied to Kitty with a softly murmured, "Yes'm...um...yeah, Ah think you might 'bout dat." The older boy froze as he moved his eyes to Kitty's face and watched for signs that she'd caught his slip.

He began collecting the books and papers that had been knocked over when he fell and gave her a nod. "Yeah, Ah hear it's not so bad as it seems when you read the class syllabus. Even with my math skills, Ah was told Ah should be able ta handle it jus' fine." He gave a light sigh and shook his head.

"They said it would make the physics classes easier, and Ah need those to get a better handle on things my power might be capable of besides flyin'"

As if on cue, Sam's mention of flying was answered by the briefest of mental touches--not probing, just sending out a simple message from Psylocke, another female student Sam was just really getting to know. He looked at Kitty. "Did you hear that? Maybe we have been overdoing it for a Saturday, yeah?" Sam looked at Kitty's lack of books. "You working in the library or just passing through?"

 

[SortOfBeautiful]

Kitty Pryde.

Kitty smiled at Sam as he slipped off his blazer without much of a debate. Man. Why couldn't she get all the boys to take off their clothes like that? Oh, right. She had no game.

At least now he wouldn't have to feel so...overdressed, especially for just studying in the library. Kitty was usually dressed up in her uniform herself, or some kind of skirt, but today...Well, like she said, it was Saturday! If the professors were taking the day off, why couldn't the students? Of course, boredom had led Kitty to the library. She didn't know what had led Sam.

"They said it would make the physics classes easier, and Ah need those to get a better handle on things my power might be capable of besides flyin'"

Oh, that's right. Flying. That was Sam's...thing. She'd never seen him use his powers in person, but she'd heard stories. Being close with some of the professors, particularly with Charles and Piotr, she heard a lot. Whether it be gossip, rumors about other mutant's powers, etc.

"Just don't skim, read everything. Depending on which professor you have, there might be lots of opportunity for extra credit, too. If you ever need help, just let me know, okay?" Kitty didn't want to brag about her advanced classes, or taking class with the older students. But Sam was smart as well, and she liked that about him.

Some day, she'd have to ask Sam if she could see. Considering what she did was no secret to anyone. Especially when some of the students needed some help in...sneaking out at night. She was still learning how to phase other people with her, and right now, she hadn't completely got it down yet. Only objects. Until she could do it safely without hurting anyone, it was too dangerous.

“To the skies, if anyone’s interested in an afternoon in the clouds.”

Kitty froze, hearing the same words as Sam.

"Is that Betsy?" Kitty smiled almost immediately, knowing it was. The thought was tempting, especially since everyone around was practically looking for something to do. "I wasn't really here to study anything in particular. I was going to do a bit of reading and pass the time.' Get her mind off some things. Someone. "If you want to go flying, you should go! It sounds like a lot of fun, I just think I'm going to keep two feet on the ground today. I seem to be doing much better than you have, so far." She was grinning, obviously teasing the older boy about falling earlier.