Summer clung to the air, even this far north. The early September weather was hot and muggy, owing to a hurricane that had swept up the coast, dissipating around North Carolina but leaving a lingering low pressure cell that dumped rain nigh-continuously on the northeastern seaboard for almost a week straight.

The sun had finally broken the clouds yesterday, and some of the moisture on the ground had burned off, but that made it even more humid out...which made the heat unbearable.

Too bad that today was the move-in date for the new semester. Mutant students from around the country were finding their new home today at the Jean Grey Institute for Higher Learning. Some of the mutants had been found and removed from less-than-positive situations earlier than today, but travel time was travel time, and by serendipity, most students would be arriving at the mansion grounds today.

Jubilee stood ready. This year would be different. She would not fail. She was organized this year. So as each student came to her office, they got their room key and assignment with their map and schedule. Classes wouldn't be starting immediately, giving the students a couple of days to acclimate to their new surroundings and unpack before they were thrown headlong into their studies, but there was plenty of information to be disseminated without formal teaching...Like where the cafeteria was, and when meals were served (free of charge, even!), and the rules about the dorm floors being one-sex only and the opposite gender not being allowed on said floors after curfew times...and what those curfew times were, and...and...

Each student got the infodump and was sent on their way to their dorm room to stow their things away before they were left free to explore...leaving the harrowed dorm administrator to rehearse the schpiel with yet another student who walked through the doors of the mansion for the first time.

(Explore. Talk to each other. Find NPCs. Have fun. This is your introductory period.)

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Official Forum Mom

--[Intersection to the Dorms]--

The bounce of the bus stopping finally jolted Cassandra from her thoughts. Her saffron eyes peered warily at the academy building, but she found herself far more impressed than apprehensive; as she had when first this establishment was mentioned to her. Grabbing a dingy old back-pack with some faded, foreign cult-cartoon icon (it could be a yellow and red cat performing a thumbs up, if you squinted very hard) emblazoned poorly upon it and throwing it over her shoulder, she followed her fellow students out onto the grounds. They were informed where they should be heading and where to attain the necessary information to settle in, but Cassandra was hurried in her attentions. Nervousness was creeping across her flesh like needle-legged spiders; she had no haven here yet, no escape routes or safety nets. As soon as the students were let loose, Cassandra took to a swift, stiff-legged pace to find the information office.

It took quite a while as the blood pulsing against her ears had drowned out a lot of what the instructor had said, but she eventually stumbled upon the office with beads of sweat upon her brow, looking a little ragged and desperate. She calmed, thankfully, over the period of Jubilee's explanations, and soon grew far more confident. 'Knowing where everything is,' Cassandra thought to herself, 'is the first step to finding the right mask to wear'. She would leave Jubilee's office a different girl than when she entered, giving off a slight air of confidence now. The school seemed safe, and more importantly, familiar. It had the same Catholic rules she was used to. Familiarity was nice, it let her wear a lighter mask.

After unpacking her things in her dorm room, Cassandra would find the nearest restroom and the mirror it contained. She had been fitted with an appearance changing device that was working fabulously at the moment, but she still had that frightened appearance despite her more uplifted mood, like a deer caught in the headlights. With a deep breath, Cassandra composed herself, pushing her anxiety back behind a flimsy glass wall in her mind where it could glare through, but not be seen. Soon she appeared as pleasant a sixteen year old as you could ever meet. All smiles and normal expressions. With the hurt hidden behind this new mask, she slipped out of the rest room and found the stairs that led between the two dorms.

Resting her self against a wall, hands behind her back and a pleasant expression upon lightly painted lips, the dark haired Cassandra waited and watched as her fellow students moved past, taking a keen interest the older, stronger looking members of her year and keeping a watchful eye open for any teachers.

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Horror Roleplayer
"I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men."
Summoner Name: Owlcat, EU servers.

-Out in the Yard-

It was such a nice day. For too long there had been nothing but rain and gloomy skies looming overhead. It wasn’t to say that this type of climate didn’t have its charms, but Jaime much preferred the beautiful and exotic weather of many other places rather than this. Hawaii for example, that was one of his favorites just barely nudging out parts of South America and Africa. Though strictly speaking that was just in terms of the weather, each place that Jaime had visited had something about it to make it special. The young man was new to the institute however that didn’t mean that he needed to feel nervous or uncomfortable in his surroundings. Jaime was sprawled out upon the grass, laying flat on his back with his face pointed up towards the sky. He looked like a person who froze in mid jumping jack and fell back onto the ground. There was a bright smile plastered on his face, one that matched the sunlight that was now piercing through the sky.

“I can go anywhere, but seeing the sun is always nice…” the young man said to himself, taking in a deep breath and relaxing even further into the grass. Jaime had still yet to go searching for his room or any of the other essential locations. He had specifically tuned that part of Jubilee’s speech out of his head, it was much more fun to just go out on an adventure and find things for yourself. In the worst case scenario Jaime would have to ask someone for directions, which in the end wasn’t bad at all because he didn’t know anyone at this place yet.

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In the bus - Edger and Daniel

The air was...strained. Edger spent most of the trip staring out of the window, whilst Daniel spent it glowering in equal amounts, at the seat in front of him, everyone else, and Edger singularly. Making sure to stare down anyone that made eye contact and growl dismissively whenever he or they broke. Edger's neck prickled slightly but he ignored the feeling, focusing on the environment outside. Right before the end of the journey, he gave in and turned to stare down. Wow, quite a bit down, at the grumpy pygmy sitting beside him. Until the end of the journey, Daniel sent waves of loathing at the stupid-looking jock whilst Edger, slightly irritated let himself stare impassively back, an odd aggressiveness causing him not to want to lose this little staring contest. "Asshole." Daniel said under his breath, still glaring at Edger, before he sat up and barged forward. Shoving yet another giant to the side as he squeezed forward to get out and away from these mouth-breathers. "Git." muttered Edger as he watched Dan leave, shaking his head disapprovingly and waited patently for a lull in the bus crowd to allow him to easily get out.

Daniel stropped forward, trying to take the paths that kept him out of people's way as much as possible. The permanent grimace on his face ranked up a couple of notches. He flipped off some dude lying on the grass, but the idiot was probably too busy being high to notice or something, he looked like some kind of hippie. Anyway, he eventually got to the dorm ladies room, quickly cutting in front of some kid and swiftly shutting the door in their face. He got past the infodump with nothing more than a surly attitude, quite good for him. After that, he went to his dorm, dumped his bag under his bed and crammed his earphones in.

Edger, one of the last to step off the bus, making sure to thank the bus-driver. He looked around, going on tip-toes for a moment, then walked over to Jaime. He'd need a moment and that spot looked good. Striding with self-confidence and security, his long strides brought him over quickly. "Yo." He looked down at the sprawled surfer dude for a few seconds. "Mind if I join you?"

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“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”

Eye in the Sky -- Lu

A camera slowly turned, hanging some couple feet just above the door the new arrivals were using. It stopped as each student came up, fully examining them for the eyes of its anonymous master. It seemed like most any other security camera of the day, at first glance and from more than a couple feet away. But a close glance would give away that the machine was oddly constructed. In fact, one of the pieces of its body's 'shell' looked as if it came off the back of someone's cell phone.

Luis sat quietly in his chair on one of the many balconies, fingers resting upon the keyboard of his laptop, eyes glued to the subtle blue glow of the monitor as he watched the camera scan. It began reading off detailed measurements of the students; Height, weight, body temperature, age. The camera even had a secondary scan running that was using infrared to fully map out their muscular systems in precise details. He lifted a hand to scratch the bridge of his nose.

Average, basic, and mediocre... He thought to himself as he looked up to watch Jaime from his balcony view of the yard. There is much work to be done yet. No where near acceptable parameters... His eyes closed a moment as he stood up and turned, lifting his jacket off the back of the chair to sling it over his shoulder. The back of his white dress shirt shimmered a moment, almost glowing in the sun's light. His long hair began to lightly bounce as he walked back into the main building. Perhaps I should not use the elder residents as the base standard... Yes, I shall examine more and form new suppositions. As he walked into the shaded room, the shimmer on his shirt became clearer and seemed to be coming from under his shirt.

"Always so prepared..." Luis looked up a moment, pausing, denoting the slightly mocking tone that was used. "... Clumsy oaf." He stated aloud to the voice only he could hear.

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[Dormroom, then Intersection to the Dorms]

“You’re not just anyone, Kal.”

Kal lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling and pacing back and forth in the confines of his head.

There was something – something one of his parents had said – that wouldn’t leave him be. On the train his head had been full of bold imaginings; he was going off, away from home, into another world. Into adventure. He had tried his best to look glum and dissatisfied with the whole thing, tried his best to look like he was truly, in every inch of every corner of his heart, sad to leave his mother and father for the year, but he could barely contain the future that burned dazzlingly on the horizon of his mind. At the airport, though, his mother had looked like she was going to cry. She’d said some things – how much she’d miss him – and then his father had taken him aside.

“You’re not just anyone.”

His flight had been ruined. He’d sat there and, much as he did now, wrestled with a growing storm cloud of guilt. They were really going to miss him, and he was really going to miss them. They’d tried so hard to keep the secret and he’d just blasted all that hard work into nothingness. He didn’t feel wrong about that, though – he felt wrong about being happy about it. It had made him feel free. Free, after two years of pretending; two years of sick notes at PE, of being constantly careful, of watching other people live.

Slowly, on the tail end of his father’s words, all the small things he’d traded in for big things trickled back to him. They weren’t much on their own but together they were a lot.

He ruminated on what had been said. There had been a lot, but “You’re not just anyone” – that had stuck. What did that even mean, really? Was he disappointed? He didn’t sound disappointed. His father had been convinced that nothing good would come of his secret being unleashed. When it happened, he’d shouted – they had both done their fair share of shouting – but something had changed when he spoke to him at the airport.

This was going nowhere. Kal pushed himself off his bed and wandered out of his room. Around him, the school was slowly coming to life.

He meandered his way down the stairs, going nowhere in particular, and for the most part just watching the steady flow of cargo-laden students patter and in some cases lumber or drizzle by. Eventually his aimlessness took him to the entrance to the dorms, where he noticed a dark haired girl of about the same age as him, just standing against one wall and watching the comings and goings of the first day.

And for some reason – perhaps because he felt as though this person, like him, was a person stuck between places – he felt like he should introduce himself.

“Hey.” He said, as he stepped off the stairs. He waved and grinned a little tentatively.

“I guess you’re new here too?”

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[Front Entrance]

A motorcycle rumbled through the thrown-open gates to the grounds, driven by a man in a brown duster with dark eyes: like, black sclera dark eyes, with burning red irises and no pupils. His hands covered by gloves that had the thumbs, pointers, and pinkies cut off of them, he steered the bike to a slow roll and a stop before the steps up to the mansion.

The passenger, an older teen girl wearing jeans and a brown leather jacket, swung herself off the back of the bike and pulled the dirt-dimmed helmet off, shaking her long black hair out with a sigh as she offered the head protection to the man.

"Well, cherie...We here. You gon' have good luck now, y'hear?" he said in a pronounced Cajun accent, taking the helmet and opening one of his saddlebags, pulling free a small duffel which he handed to the girl before he stowed the helmet in its place.

She pursed her lips, looking at him with an unsure expression in her striking green eyes before she glanced at the ritzy building, then turned back to him again. "And you're sure they're not going to mind...you know...that stuff?"

"Mais, cherie...Mme. Frost, she sent me to find ya. If there was gonna be a problem, she'd'a told me. Now get gone, chere. You got a new home ta axplore, ya?"

"Heh. Yeah, sure. Thanks again, LeBeau..." she said turning and hooking her hand with the duffel straps over her shoulder, holding the bag behind her as she regarded the mansion with a soft frown.


* * *
[Basketball Court]

Behind the mansion, on the basketball court, a pick-up game of B-ball was in-session. A blonde young man in athletic shorts and a mesh tank top panted softly as he marked a slightly taller young man with red hair. Sweat glistened on the redhead's bare chest, his muscles carved out quite artistically under his pale skin, as he dribbled the ball, the large red wings on his back tucked in close, but twitching as he planned his next move.

Between him and the goal stood not only the blond young man, but a black-haired guy wearing headphones, who stood crouched over, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath, eyes trained on the winged boy.

Not far away, another redhead stood leaning against the building, frowning softly. His hair looked less natural than the boy-with-wings--a bleached and dyed fire-engine-red that didn't match his black brows. He looked older, too...early twenties as opposed to mid-to-late teens. Smoke curled upward from the cigarette he held in his heavily-tattooed hand, black tribal lines tracing up from his knuckles, curling about his forearms and biceps, to be barely hidden under the white undershirt he wore. A silver piercing gleamed at his eyebrow, and his ears were studded with jewelry from lobe all the way up the cartilage.

* * *
[Mansion Roof]

The tattooed smoking man was not the only one watching the basketball game. Up on the roof, a girl with shocking hot pink hair sat on the ledge as though it were a swing, looking down at the boys on the court with eyes that were completely black, and just a little too large for her face. Delicate-looking veined wings, like those of a dragonfly, stretched out behind her, occasionally flitting in the bits of breeze that she caught...She was smart enough to go up higher where there was the possibility of wind, because on the ground the air was almost stagnant.

* * *
[Staircase, Ground Floor]

The handsome black-haired star pupil of the school ambled down the stairs from the top floor with an easy grin on his face. Fresh blood was in the water, and like a shark, he was drawn to it...and for more than one reason. Mostly, he was interested in the new crop and what their abilities were. Maybe someone would have something useful enough to be pulled onto his team.

He paused on the stairs, arching a brow as he spotted the tall athletic young man talking to the fox with the red hair. His grin broadened--just a bit--as he took in the girl's appearance, from head to toe and all the curves of shapely girl-ness between. Oh, yeah, and the guy looked strong. Not that strength meant anything in the face of mutant powers, but...

* * *
[Cafeteria]

In the cafeteria, a young Japanese woman with dyed-blue hair sat for a snack with a young Latino woman and a blonde about the same age.

"So..." the blue-haired girl started, gesturing with a french fry toward the door. "How much chaos do you think we're going to have to wade through before things calm down?"

"How should I know?" snapped the Latino, which got a worried look from the blonde.

The blue-haired girl frowned and dropped her french fry, giving her friend a dry look. "Look, Sofia...just because you and Julian are kaput doesn't mean you have to be a bitch to your friends, okay?"

Sofia blinked, and then looked down at her food with a sigh. "You're right. Sorry. Things have just been...Kind of hard, lately," she said, her Spanish accent giving her soft words a bit of South American flavor.

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Official Forum Mom

--[Intersection to the Dorms]--

Divided focus consolidated with unusual speed as the girl's head snapped towards the waving lad, giving him the bizarre sensation of suddenly coming under her complete, unwavering attention. An initially apprehensive expression was quickly amended into an amiable smile.

"Greets, stranger," Cassandra offers in a chiming friendly tone.

"I'm fresh off the bus. Marvelous place is it not?"

How words spoken in such a cheerful tone could ring so hollow was disturbing. The girl looked the part of a friendly stranger, but subtle mannerisms revealed this to be nothing more than an act. Attentive eyes would notice how her body was angled ever so slightly to the side, a shoulder held in a vaguely defensive manner, posture ready to bolt at the first sign of aggression. All of this, hidden behind a pleasant smile. To those unwary or not expecting subterfuge, raven-haired Cassandra would appear the friendly sort.

"I've never seen a school this big. I had no clue there were so many of our kind right here in the heart of America."

An awkward pause in her speech later and she finally offers her name.

"My name is Cassandra. Who might you be?"

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Horror Roleplayer
"I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men."
Summoner Name: Owlcat, EU servers.

--Front Entrance--

"Oh boy, here we go. This will be interesting." Maxfield murmured to himself as he stepped past the front gates of his new...home? Yes this would be his home from now on. If one were to have heard Max's mumbling, they might have supposed that he resented his situation. In actual fact, the tall young man in the blue t-shirt (sporting a fierce dragon design) and jeans was really just nervous. Here he was, in a completely new place, surrounded by people who were "just like him". Except their "just like him" would be different for every person. While a part of him was apprehensive about this fact, another was genuinely curious as to what his peers could do. Of course he wouldn't just up and ask that...maybe. Well first things first, he made his way over to the info session. After the woman named Jubilee gave him everything he needed, Max ambled out of her office. As he walked, he took notice of a young man and girl striking up a conversation. He had no idea why those two particular people caught his attention, but he did not feel like intruding so he moved on. Walking back outside, he also passed two young men laying down and simply enjoying the sunlight. While the idea was tempting, he figured that three was a crowd, so once again he walked on.

Suddenly the sound of an engine caught his attention. Turning around, he watched as the teenage woman dismounted the motorcycle and proceeded to have a small conversation with the driver. By this point Max was already walking over. He figured that, seeing as this girl had just arrived, they could maybe get acclimated together or something. Despite the briefing he had received, Max still felt thoroughly lost, and having someone to be lost alongside seemed like an appealing idea. Plus, he was bored and didn't feel like going to his room yet. As he opened his mouth to speak, however, Max remembered he was terrible at random introductions. Too late. "Uh hey there, are you new as well? My name is Max and...oh hey you have really cool eyes! Ah crap wait that's a weird thing to say..um..sorry...uh...this is a bad start isn't it?" Max fumbled with an awkward laugh punctuating his sentence.

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[Front Entrance]

The young woman blinked at him, tilting her head as he introduced them smirking softly as he fumbled over his words. Social awkwardness could be so adorable sometimes.

"Max. It's okay, Max. I'm Marie," she said, and reached out to put a hand on his shoulder in a motion that was half matter-of-fact and half reassuring. "I'm new, too. And it's cute that you like my eyes." She let go of his shoulder, dropping her arm to her side as she tilted her head a little more and grinned. "Most guys are too busy noticing other things than to compliment my eyes, so you get points. Now..."

She turned to look at the building again, and sucked on her teeth. "You wouldn't happen to know where I'm supposed to go next, would you? My ride kind of left me hanging..."

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Official Forum Mom

-Mikael, Office Hallway-

The sound of pointless chatter seemed to surround Mikael as he left the office of this female mentor, most of what she said made little sense to him as there was little explanation to what she meant by them, the small trinket given to him held some sort of significance. What is some form of challenge? Was he meant to try and locate something or use it on someone? The trinket itself resemble like an instrument used for something beyond Mikael's understanding though he had seen others with them. Was it a weapon?
In his other hand were several pieces of papers with pictures, again much to his growing frustration they were without explanation.

He did remember the woman mention something about food though that was all he really heard her say as the rest of what she mentioned afterwards seemed to go over his head. Mikael shifted his right shoulder, feeling the weight of his bag reminding him that he had received clothing to change into when what he was wearing got too worn or dirty. The idea that he now had choice caused him to sneer for a moment, freedom was an uncomfortable thing. It wasn't simple, far from it in fact, in a way he preferred to be dictated in what to expect before the hunt began. To be given orders at the beginning of the hunt and in the end to be returned to the isolation cell should you make it back.
The Serbian clenched his hand, crumpling the pages he held as small groups of other mutants moved by, his eyes warily tracking their movements before backing away to ensure he remained out of the way. If he asked on these mutants they might lead him into a trap yet if he failed to find the goal what punishments would be inflicted on him?

With a quite growl of frustration he turned around and walked away from the larger groups, the hallway seemed to have more passages, all he had to do was to locate the little markings that matched those on the trinket in his hand. Perhaps then he could learn what the other items meant. If not he could always request assistance. Then again, he was advised to behave, meaning that he probably wasn't allowed to force requests of assistance on others...

[Parking lot -> Near the basketball court -> Front Entrance]

William was somewhat shocked by the number of kids, well teenagers, that were attending the Institute. The parking lot was almost barren of life and the grocery store from the next town over back home probably had more cars in it than here. That aside things here seemed much more normal than he'd imagined from the 'mutant stories' he'd heard back home, in fact the whole morning had gone by with out him seeing anything 'mutanty'. He didn't know a great deal about mutants of course, his small town had never to his knowledge produced a mutant before and it was a distant concern to most of the people back home... like public transportation. It crossed his mind that perhaps he'd fallen for a clever ruse in coming here, but he felt like he should give the staff the benefit of the doubt. The experience itself could be worth it even if he went home empty handed.

He was unloading the last of his luggage, an extremely long dufflebag that weighed nearly nothing compared to how it looked, having already taken care of the formalities earlier in the morning. While he'd taken the most direct path between the dorm and the parking lot on his previous trips, this time he decided to meander a bit more. This weather didn't bother him at all, he preferred it colder but the heat of summer had it's own little place in his heart, and the hat on his head kept his face and neck well shaded. He'd left his hotel late last night in order to arrive first thing this morning and frankly he was getting a bit hungry now, still he could make a trip around the grounds before going to the cafeteria. That was when he saw it; the metaphorical bobber going under in the form of the some guys shooting hoops. Well more exactly in the guy with incredibly noticeable wings, the subtle movements they made, even tucked in as they were, as he played telling William they weren't just costume. A smile of relief crossed his face for a moment as he was free to let go of his earlier doubts.

Still, he had no interest in basketball so he moved on taking that little experience with him. He moved his bag around him, as he passed by the man leaning against the building while he smoked, giving a slight nod to him perhaps only noticeable by the exaggeration of the movement caused by the brim of his hat. He looked in the windows he passed by, noting the various different rooms through the institute though left curious by why they all seemed so fancy the landscaping as well was something not familiar to him. Before long he'd ended up clear over by the entrance eventually having completely missed the cafeteria in his earlier fascination. “Dammit...” he muttered to himself. He overheard the end of the conversation between some recent arrivals as he was reflecting on having to walk back around campus. “There's a check in, room assignment, and a little bit of a lecture(?) to sit through. There were signs inside this morning, I wonder if some of the other students are playing games with us.” He said as he walked over to the pair casually, though sounding a bit unsure about his use of the word lecture.

[Boys' Dorms -> Front Entrance]

"Bye mum, bye Cecelia." With each name, the young blind boy loitering in his new dorm room kissed and hugged his goodbyes to the family member in question.

"Be good, sweetie. Remember to change your knickers, answer your phone, and remember not to stay up too late," listed the mother of the group. "And for heaven's sake, please be careful and have someone escort you when you want to leave anywhere. I don't want another staircase debacle."

Cyrus Hawkins chuckled with the reassuring grin of a teenage boy with far more confidence than he ought to have. He was clearly accustomed to his mother's nagging, but unlike most children his age, he really did appreciate it. Not many mothers would be as nurturing and accepting as his had been, and most certainly would always be; she had wholeheartedly raised a blind child, and never once thought of turning him away when he discovered he was a mutant. He knew in his heart he would always be proud to call her his mother. "Oh mum, don't be so dramatic, I only needed, what, three stitches and a bandage? Don't sigh like that, it was a joke! I'll be fine. You'll see. I'll make plenty of friends."

The younger of the two women in the room, Cecelia, beamed with pride. "I can't believe my baby brother's going to a boarding school. Such a fancy one, too! I do hope they don't force you to do too many silly mutant things. Are you sure you'll be alright here? Shall I knock out a few buff looking muties to make sure no one bullies you?"

Cyrus's grin turned meek; Cecelia certainly wouldn't hesitate to resort to violence if push came to shove. "Erm...that won't be necessary, Cici. Like I said, I'll be fine. Now go on, mum said she doesn't want to drive in the dark."

Mrs. Hawkins sighed and gave her son one last kiss. "I'm just a phone call away, sweetie. Don't lose it, okay? And if you ever need help--"

"Yes, yes, I won't hesitate to ask." He sighed, then smiled; this was the last time they would see each other for quite some time, so he noted to make it count. "I love you, mum. Love you, Cici."

With their final farewells dealt with and a few more kisses and hugs, the two ladies finally left the room and Cyrus was alone in his dorm. It had special accommodations for his affliction, of course, complete with braille labels on practically everything and rounded furniture that was bolted down so as not to fall over should he require a handhold. Though it wasn't entirely as necessary as the faculty may have presumed, the gesture was not ignored; Cyrus was a mutant, and one of his many abilities included swapping his blindness for the loss of another sense, but being blind from birth made him accustomed to a lack of vision. He much preferred blindness to losing his hearing, really. Then again, the first time he could use his eyes, he did bawl like a little baby. In hindsight, that may have defeated the point of the miracle he experienced, but Cyrus shrugged it off and decided it was best not to dwell on it now.

The blind boy extended his walking cane and began tapping it to the ground, letting it lead him past the door and down the hall. He had used his ability some time before to look at the school map and memorize its layout, so he knew generally where things were, and his hearing was sensitive enough that he could tell if there was someone to swerve around in front of him. Beyond that, he could just wing it. Cyrus smiled as the telltale commotion of students echoed around the front lobby as he entered it.

Things would work out just fine.

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-- Sketch Blog -- My Art Thread -- DeviantArt --

-Out in the Yard-

Laying on the grass bathing in the sunlight was very relaxing, far too relaxing actually. Jaime found himself at a point where he could hardly keep his eyes open. His mind had been drifting in and out of dreams, fighting to keep awake as he started to fall deeper and deeper. It had been such a busy few days for him, so many flights with hardly a chance to catch any sleep because of how much talking went on between Jaime and his parents. Had he not already been conditioned for such marathon talking sessions he might have had a sore throat, but he was far too used to how talkative his family was. Jaime’s eyes were closed when Daniel flicked him off, however they flicked open once he heard a voice directed right to him. A simple smile crossed his face as he leaned up to greet the newcomer, had he not been so utterly exhausted he might have already greeted ten other people by now, but it was enough that someone came to him first.

“Help yourself, on a day like today there’s no better place than being outside in the sun.” Jaime said with a bright smile, leaning up even further into a sitting position. It would have quickly became apparent that Jaime was excellent at keeping eye contact as he extended his hand ready to give a firm handshake.
“I’m Jaime, forgive me if I’m wrong but you look like you’re new here too, right? I haven’t had the time or energy to go around introducing myself yet, so it’s nice to meet a friendly face at the very least.”

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Max breathed a sigh of relief when the young lady did not immediately wave him off as a weirdo. "Sorry Marie, its a pleasure to meet you. Do the points matter? Cuz all I have ever heard is that they don't." He finished this sentence with a much more genuine laugh. He then realized that his new acquaintance might not have heard of such a joke. He also noticed that, yes indeed, this woman was attractive in multiple ways. This only served to further increase his inner awkwardness. In order to prevent more outward awkwardness, Max quickly moved on from the matter. "Oh, right you probably want to go to Ms....Jubilee, right that was the name, Jubilee. Her office is where the information rundown-thing is being held. I was just there, I can bring you if you would like." Max offered, gesturing towards the building with his hand. Regardless of whether or not the two began to move towards the school, Max followed up with "So who was your ride? I got a quick look at his eyes too, and they were pretty awesome. Seems I have a knack for noticing eyes." The young man asked, with a chuckle.

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Hallway to Boys' Dorm

Luis looked up from his laptop, standing underneath another of his personal cameras. He sighed and shook his head a bit, putting the computer down before laying his jacket over it. Has to be some interference... Likely someone on campus has a less than stable electrical power. He pondered as he grabbed the nearest piece of furniture to climb up and examine the oddly crafted machine.

He was just opening up the casing when he glanced down and saw a boy approaching. He thought it a bit quirky that someone would actually be using a cane, until he saw it wasn't just there to compliment their wardrobe. He quickly hopped down and slid the stand back into its place, careful of the vase he had placed on the floor.

He turned a bit to watch Cyrus in silence for a moment. "I saw your relatives as they were leaving," he stated, trying to keep his tone polite. Never know when someone may be overly sensitive. "You have a great family. Not too many come in to see the students get settled in."

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Nancy Coture ----Staircase, Ground Floor



_Hey You_

Nancy had just finished arranging her most elaborate collection of cute plush toys to date. Her latest addition to the family, a half black, half white bear. Each and every one of her plush dolls wore a handkerchief around their bodies in some shape or form, and her handkerchief collection was just as big. Nancy liked collecting things she found cute. Such things tend to brighten up her saddest days with their fuzzy little faces. A dorm room would never be complete without these fluffy guys. She couldn't help but make cute faces at a particular pink poodle.

Today was her first day at an actual private academy, an actual private academy with dorms that weren't shitty. She had just transferred from a community college and it was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She could still see the proud smile on her father's face clear as day. The last few years following the passing of her mother had been rough on the both of them, and she had to work hard to support her family since her brother was still to young to work. She had been surprised to learn how supportive her father was of her "disease", which was something she had kept hidden from her family throughout most of her young life. Her poor mother though, she had her fight with her own diseases, a fight which she had tragically lost.

She was going to prove to her father that mutants weren't just victims of any disease....somehow. She knew that a part of him was still not keen on having a mutant for a daughter. There was really nothing he could do to hide that reality from her.

However, what had once started out as a nerve wrecking experience had sooner turned into wonder. It was as if she had walked into a dream when the bus had pulled into the school grounds. The school environment fitted its description on the brochure to a "T", with a coziness that could be enjoyed no matter what type of person you were. Nancy had found herself daydreaming of spending her lazy hours outside in the gardens with a cup of herbal tea, and a sketchbook in hand. She nearly died of ecstasy when she found out they had a hedge maze. She was a child again, and this was her playground. She often wondered what sort of things they were going to teach her (certainly nothing of the ordinary at the very least). She certainly hoped they didn't expect her to swim. She had seen the pool while looking for her dorm room and the mere sight of it frightened her. Even worse, there was the lake. She would rather be trapped inside a tightly spaced room for an entire night than drown in all honesty. Giving her poodle a squeeze before placing it back on its shelf, Nancy reminded herself it was far too early to be thinking about extracurricular activities at the moment. 'Just focus on relaxing for the time being.'

She decided she would go out and mingle with the other students. There was no doubt in her mind of the academy's diversity, and she wanted to experience every minute of it. A nagging thought at the back of her head reminded her of how often people in high school were intimidated by her dominating personality. "It'll be different", she said to herself. "People here are just like me; strange rejects with no place in civilized society." Nancy smirked at the thought. Those were always her types of people.

First thing's first, however; Nancy was hungry.

While on her way to the cafeteria she found that one of the stairways was being blocked by a young man who appeared to have been distracted by a pair of mutants who were probably having innocent conversation with each other. "Hey you jerk, are you going to stand around on the stairs all day?" she called out towards him, a bit irked by how creepy the guy was acting. "This school can't be that pretty to look at." She felt awkward trying to waddle her way around the fellow. It seemed much easier to tell him to step off and get a move on. Not to mention she felt like protecting the privacy of whoever it was he was boggling with his eyes. The thought of it made her spine tingle.

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[Staircase, Ground Floor]

The handsome black-haired young man turned, arching an eyebrow at the girl that insulted him...He looked like he was ready to brush her off with some comment until he actually got a look at her...and then his demeanor changed. He shifted, reaching out to lean his arm against the wall, blocking her way entirely as he gave her an easy grin.

"Not looking at the school," he said, and then stepped back with a chuckle, leaning against the banister and letting her have most of the staircase. "Scouting new talent. Looking for heroes. Name's Hellion. You?" He refrained from calling her 'babe,' but damn...she was hot. And since he was single now...well, it might be nice to show his ex what she'd lost when she'd decided they needed a break.

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[Front Entrance]

Marie looked up as William neared, volunteering his information. She pursed her lips and looked around, as if trying to suss out the pranksters, but looked back to Max when he started talking again. She chuckled, nodding, and said, "The points are worth a ton, at least with me."

She glanced to William with a thin smile, seeming a little nervous about being here, but she was trying hard to cover it.

"So...Are we all going to Miss Jubilee's office, then?" she asked, and without waiting for an answer started toward the front door. "LeBeau?" she asked of Max, glancing back at him as she opened the door. "He's...Well, he's the guy that found me and brought me here. He's one of the X-men..."

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Front Entrance - Info Office

Samantha Carter skated through the front gate of the school with a smile. "Out of my way!" she called to the students in front of her. She carried only 3 bags, one on her back and a large luggage bag in each hand. Using the bags, she maintained most of her balance and she did ollies, kickflips, grinds and a multitude of other tricks on her way to the information office.

On her way, she began thinking about the girls in her dorm. Looking around, she saw a few cute girls. "I hope I have a cute roommate." she said to herself. Half-lost in thoughts, she tried to ollie up a small staircase, only to crash in front of a rather cute girl. (Marie)

"I'm sorry." she said standing and blushing. "I didn't hit you, did I?" She blushed softly, looking around for her skateboard.

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They taped over your mouth, scribbled out the truth with their lies, you little spies - You will release your life, joining with the god-damned world of the dead and the lonely. - Я сошла с ума, Mне нужна она
Innuendo Squad's Resident Lesbian
Mother of darkness, mother of light, earth beneath us, soul in flight, songs of love and love of light, guide us to our heart.
We all come from the Goddess and to her we shall return like a drop of rain flowing to the ocean.

Hallway to Boys' Dorm

Cyrus's sensitive ears picked up the sound of someone approaching. The voice that spoke to him came from slightly above him, so he tilted his head up and smiled widely at the source. "Mum and Cici are lovely, but I admit they can be a bit overbearing at times. Not that I don't appreciate it, of course. I just want to get the chance to become independent enough to repay them for their kindness in raising me. Oh, I'm Cyrus, by the way. Cyrus Hawkins. My mutant ability is that I see dead people!" The blind boy laughed heartily at his somewhat tasteless joke. "That's a lie, I don't see anything at all!" He waved his hand in front of his face with a playful grin. "Completely and utterly blind since birth. Can't see a damned thing. Oh, but I can do a few lovely parlor tricks, like say swapping my blindness for deafness. Neat, right? It doesn't last too long, though." The friendly boy seemed eager to converse, but his tone betrayed his nerves. His hummingbird heart zipped through beat after beat like an especially fast song. Clearly he was not quite accustomed to speaking with people and had lead a sheltered life before coming here, despite his valiant efforts to ease this first meeting with humor. "What is your name? You're awfully tall, aren't you? And a deeper voice...so I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you're older than me. Am I right?"

Cyrus seemed excited by the prospect of using logic to determine mostly meaningless facts. A white book poked out from the blind boy's messenger bag; from glancing at the spine, the words revealed the book was a collection of short stories by Agatha Cristie with her famous Miss Marple as the star. The most peculiar part was that the book had a number of raised bumps on the spine. It seemed the blind boy was fond of detective stories.

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Hallway to Boys' Dorm

Luis tilted his head a bit. Quick observations. But also quick assumptions. He hasn't informed me of his own age in order for me to answer correctly... He thought with a silent stare. But he already knew a way to check.

Luis leaned over and lifted his jacket to expose his laptop, watching the above camera display a quick estimation of Cyrus' age in years and months based on his body's growth progress. "Ah, you are correct. I am close to several months older, to be a bit precise." He lowered the jacket again and stood straight. He had a feeling that he was going to like Cyrus.

"And please, no need to force jokes... Just relax and speak your mind." He added, not having the heart to outright say he hated jokes. "Oh, and I'm Luis Neam."

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Hallway to Boys' Dorm

Sensing the hesitant tone of his conversation partner's voice, Cyrus laughed meekly and nodded. Perhaps his sense of humor was best left toned down a tad in this particular instance. It was a shame, too; he had at least ten absolutely brilliant blind jokes ready for telling at a moment's notice. Ah well. He'd save it for another person. "Pleasure to meet you, Luis. I'd like to be a stage performer some day, actually," he admitted, stroking his chin. "I'm not entirely sure what kind of stage performer just yet, but maybe...hm...well, 'The Blind Keytarist' has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" He waved a hand dismissively and grinned. "But enough about that. I didn't tell you how old I am. How old do you think I am, then, Lu?" Cyrus tilted his head with a dazzling grin, curiosity etched into his expression; despite his vacant eyes staring off into a different direction, his body language determined that Luis had his attention. It seemed the blind boy had already given his companion a nickname as well.

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Hallway to Boys' Dorm

Luis smiled a bit. Not a happy smile, but more an amused sort of grin. "You are sixteen. Well, sixteen and four months... The months may be off, though, I'll need to work on that." He turned and lifted his jacket to toss over his shoulder. "Sorry, I have the advantage on that... You can say it's my mutant power." He was hoping his tone was light enough that his vague remark wasn't too pretentious. He then picked up the laptop, closing it shut to give Cyrus better focus.

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Hallway to Boys' Dorm

Cyrus seemed to twinkle with amazement, smiling happily with the notion that someone somewhere didn't think he was far younger than the age Luis stated. "That's amazing! You're the first person whose ever guessed right! Everyone always thinks I'm twelve or so. Funny, that." The blind boy tapped the point of his left shoe on the ground; he had read on numerous occasions that staying idle was detrimental to one's health, so he had induced upon himself a number of fidgeting quirks that ranged from tapping his toes and fingers, tilting his head to some silent imaginary tune, and even twirling a pen between his fingers. He was also clearly very talkative, enough to make one wonder if babbling incessantly was his actual mutant ability.

"I heard a clicking sound. Was that a computer? I have one of those, too. Surprising, right? A blind person with a computer? I have to use headphones with it, of course, but it's quite easy to use. Er...if you know braille that is." He grinned meekly and scratched the star shaped birthmark behind his ear, a habit he indulged in whenever he felt nervous in any way. "Sorry, I suppose something like that wouldn't interest someone who can't read it. Oh, um...but I can teach you if you'd like. Not that it'd be much use to someone who can see. Oh, wait!" The boy's nervous attitude suddenly switched back to his prior cheerful one. "You could use it like a secret code between comrades! Like a spy!"

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[Front Entrance]

Marie stood there for a second, holding the door up and staring at the girl that had failed so spectacularly right in front of her...Then she gave the girl a sheepish smile, shaking her head. "No, I'm okay. You, ah...You alright?" she asked, making no move to help Samantha...but then her hands were full, one with her small bag still at her shoulder, the other holding the door wide for the boys.

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