Issue 1 Downtime

As the new year approached, the Xavier Institute was opened for its annual open house. Existing students and new students were invited, giving the existing students a chance to see their Dorm assignments and get an early start to moving a few things in, and giving the new students a chance to get used to the idea of the things they'd be doing in school tin the coming year.

Food and beverages were set out in the front lawn, barbecue style, and most parents were being led around by teachers to get a tour of the facilities while the students largely were left to mingle. The non-restricted facilities were opened for use, and most of the older students were taking advantage of them.

((This thread is mostly for socializing and getting the feel for your XI chars. No, the school year hasn't started yet.))

Alex was lounging on a bench under a tree, his back against the picnic table. His mother was off schmoozing with some teacher or other... really, let her talk to the teachers. He was at Mutant High, and was going to be for a while, and really... that was cool. Back home, Mom was always busy, Dad was always on call, which was fine, really. Those were their jobs, and they did what they had to do, but it didn't make for the most eventful home life. At least a boarding school, they could do their thing and not have to worry about him as much.

On the table, a six-inch glowing blue figure walked over to him with a can of Coke, which he took and cracked open as the figure vanished into a fading cloud of energy. Well, let's see who I'm going to be going to class with this year...

A young blonde girl wearing sunglasses sat down next to Alex.

"Hello," Dana said, her voice the usual flat tone she used, "Are you sitting alone because you have no friends?"

Alex blinked. The hell? "Guess so," he said. "Are you hitting up people who're alone because you don't either?"

"Yes," Dana says, "I don't know anyone here. It makes me anxious and intensely uncomfortable."

"Cool," Alex said. "Have a seat, we can act like we own the place and make everyone else be anxious and uncomfortable about us."

Dana sits down, "We would have to be older in order to own the place. People would see through our ruse instantly."

"Besides, I don't like being dishonest."

"So no pretending we're totally comfortable and make everyone decide that we're the cool kids before the school year starts?" Alex asked with a smirk.

"I would prefer not," Dana says, "However, if you would like to, I won't stop you."

"Nah. Chances are we'd find out that people here don't like the cool kids at their schools, and we'd be setting ourselves up to be social outcasts. Let's just live up being out of place." He offered her his hand. "I'm Alex."

"I'm Dana," Dana says, ignoring Alex's outstretched hand, "So, you're a new student here?"

Alex looked down at his hand a second, and tried to look casual retracting it. "Yep. I take it from the 'don't know anyone' that you are, too, then?"

"Yes," Dana says, "My parents felt this would be a better environment for me."

"Yeah, me too," Alex mused. "Or really, my mom was terrified I'd end up screwed up in the head if I stayed at a regular school."

"Are you prone to bouts of mental stability?" Dana asks.

"No, but my uncles apparently were when they didn't go to Mutant High, so mom's not taking any risks."

Kaydence had been dropped off by her parents who had then almost fled the school before anyone could notice they had any business with 'those people', much less that their daughter's one of them. So Kay ended up wandering around the grounds by herself, trying not to draw any attention while her own is intently focused on the ground and the hot dog she had grabbed from one of the tables.

And far be it from Alex to let a pretty girl pass him by. He noticed Kay and, with the downward angle of her face, didn't catch anything odd about her at first. Also, he completely misread what she was doing. "Oh, hey," he said, sitting forward a bit. "Lose something?"

Oh god, someone noticed you. Do something!

"What? No. Just..." she trails off, not really having a good answer to what she's doing. "...stuff." she finally adds, glancing up to see who's talking to her.

Alex did a double-take when she looked up, getting his first glance of someone who couldn't pass for human outside the school. And, of course, getting a look at her face made him notice her hands, which he mentally slapped himself for not seeing sooner. Well, didn't see that coming...

"Oh, you're new here, too?" he (lamely) guessed, relaxing a little where he sat since it looked like no, he wasn't going to need to get up to help her find something.

"Yeah... That obvious?" she snaps back a little.

Alex blinked. Whoa. Down, piranha girl... "Yeah, kind of. Same boat here, recognize the symptoms," he said. "Want to hide out here with us for a while?"

"Yeah, same boat, obviously." she mumbles. She doesn't sit down on the bench but doesn't walk away either, pulling on her sleeves to try and hide her hands.

Smooth one, 'Lex... "So anyway," he said, through the awkward silence, "I'm Alex." Again, he offered his hand, hoping it went better this time around.

"Kay." she says, still tugging on her sleeves while she eyes Alex' hand before quickly reaching out, shaking it and pulling her hand back all in about a second. Though he'd probably notice how cool her hand feels anyway.

You really have a way with the ladies today... "So... Where are you from?" he asked, knowing he was reaching. Talking about the mutant thing looks like it's out. Maybe we'll hit on something that's not a sore subject along the line...

"Michigan." she says, still looking like she's expecting to be pounced from somewhere. Or rather, waiting for the inevitable jokes.

"Ah, okay. Never been that far. Grandpa says Michigan's kind of like Jersey, but he's kind of an asshole and says that everyplace is like Jersey unless it's Manhattan," he said, rolling his eyes. "Including Philly when he's trying to tell us how we need to move to Manhattan. Like anyone should want to live in that dump."

"...okay?" she says carefully. "I've never been to Manhattan or Jersey or anywhere really."

"You're not missing much," he said with a smirk. "Maybe some good eating in Manhattan, I guess. But unless you like traffic jams... well, I've never missed it."

Jason had gone about getting food as his parents did whatever it is parents do at these things. Something lame he figured. Whatever, he was at Mutant High now, the land of awesome. And so he took a seat near the others, eager to meet his fellow awesome mutants.

"And dude, seriously, where the hell is the sun? Did it get stuck in traffic too?"

"I doubt it. The sun maintains an approximate distance of 149,597,887.5 kilometers from the earth," Dana says, she glances at Kay, "I like your gills. They must come in very useful."

"You... what?" she asks with her mouth open, almost instinctively pulling on the strings of her hoodie to close it more.

"I said that I like your gills," Dana says, a bit louder in case Kay hadn't heard her, "Over seventy percent of the planet is covered in water. It must be very useful to have gills."

Kay looks terrified at Dana's almost-shouting. "Not so loud!"

Jason looked increasingly confused.

She's scared? Why is she scared? I wish I could breath underwater.

"I thought you were having trouble hearing me," Dana says.

She just shakes her head.

"I do like swimming..." she admits carefully.

Alex, meanwhile, turned his head toward Mr. 'where'd the sun go'. "Let me guess... Californial?"

"Better. Hawaii," he smirked.