Jax had managed to grab 'Talon-girls' ankle to stop her using her foot claw to slash him up, but they had fallen backwards, with her ankle still caught she seemed to be trying something new - but with his strong grip almost locked around her ankle he could tell it would be no use and she yelled 'Yield!". Trusting her he had thrown her backwards with the aim she would move into a backwards somersault.

The blue guy then made his move - and vanished, it was a strange thing, this house seemed to be teeming with powered people - but why would one abandon the other two? This question was soon answered as the smoke and brimstone once more assaulted his senses and the blue tailed person was back, along with a slightly aged and bold wheelchair bound man. Jax didnt could tell he was powerful. and this was the end of his line.

Xavier: "Greetings, I am Charles Xavier. Welcome to the Institute for higher learning."

Before Jax could even think about doing anything to get the three others off him the wheelchair bound man spoke again:

"Talon, Bamf, Discharge - could you let Jax up; he is a guest, not an intruder." his sight fell on Jax, who in the fight had lost his shades looked back at the man. "I see you followed the dreams then Jax."

"He'll live. He may spend some time alone with his hand but he'll live." Sarah assured Bloom with her typical audacity, "It's his own damn fault for being so easily flustered."

Laura was flung forwards, bracing with one arm against the ground before pushing off with the inertia and twisting around. She backed up a couple steps, but stood up straight and retracted her claws when she noticed the professor. She almost snarled, upon learning that Xavier and the boy were somehow connected - there wasn't time enough in the day to deal with that sort of thing. Her thoughts reflected her agitation, but her demeanor remained placid. With the subtlest of eye-rolling she turned down the hallway and simply walked off - hands back in her pockets.

There wasn't a reason for her to be there, the mansion was obviously secure enough for the Prof to simply let random new students float in of their own free will. Potentially endangering other students and staff with their antics. She knew what she smelled, the boy was going to attack. What if it hadn't been her? He was strong, he could've seriously hurt some of the other students. With a pause in the hallway, she bent her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, before brushing her palm across her face and brushing her hair back in one trudging motion.

Discharge looked up as the smell of brimstone filled her nose. Bamf had vanished from the light. "Excellent" she grinned, as she began absorbing electricity. It didn't take much time for her to pull enough to activate her taser touch. Wasting no time, she was about to leap onto Bug-boy and drop his ass, when a tell-tale noise reached her ears. Blueberry had returned… with the Professor. 'Oh, snap. It's over now' she thought, dropping her charge. There was no point in fighting anymore.

But instead of seeing Buggy fall to his knees, Aya was surprised when the Prof. mentioned he was guest. "Wait… What?" she asked, as Laura began stomping away in a huff. Oh, great. She was pissed. The woman was scary enough calm. "Hang on. If he's a guest, then… Oh, My God, of course" she face palmed "Heh… Heheheheh… no wonder the defenses didn't kick in! Hahahahahahahah!!!!!! Welcome the Mad House, Buggy! Two words of advice. That girl that just walked away? Don't piss her off. And relax. Enjoy yourself. Laters! Oh, I'm Aya, by the way!" and with that she took off down the hall, laughing all the way at the sheer ridiculousness of the whole thing.

Aya didn't stop laughing until she got back to her room. She had been one of the lucky (or unlucky, however you look at it) few whose powers had been deemed too dangerous to share a roommate with, so she had the whole thing to herself. Well, now she did, once the Staff realized just how hazardous her nightmares could be to other's health. Undressing, Aya carefully took her sponge bath (Stupid, fucking water) and brushed her teeth, then took care of her hair (Crimmy's just gonna skip this part. Being a guy, he has no clue how women take care of themselves). Finished with her nighttime routine, she settled into bed, grabbed her stuffed bunny. Carrots. (tell anyone and I'll kill you with a spoon), and turned off her lights. The minute her head hit the pillow she was out, her exhaustion from the day finally catching up with her...

When Bloom failed to reply, Sarah shrugged an popped a piece of the sushi that Magnus had whipped up into her mouth. That was Bloom for you. She spoke out- and spoke loud when she had something to say but otherwise said little. Things were getting boring here. Starry Eyed had run off. The cat person thing hadn't said a word and was standing like a bump on a log. Honestly, weren't cats supposed to be more playful?

"Gotta go," Sarah said to those remaining, "I've studying to do."

Right, studying, that was about as likely as a flying chicken. Then again, what was to stop a mutant chicken from actually flying? Mutant Chicken? Were there such things as mutant animals? Sarah couldn't reason why not. Whales predated man by at least tens of thousands of years. She'd have to ask Dr. McCoy or somebody that wouldn't laugh at her for asking such a stupid question.

Striding through the living room, past a half dozen young people watching television, surrounded by a half dozen reading textbooks, Sarah entered the front hall and mounted the staircase to get to her room, golden tresses streaming behind her as she took the stairs two at a time. That was one of the advantages of being an X-Man, even if she was a rookie; She got to have her room inside the main building instead of the student dormitories at the periphery. Mind you, it also meant she'd be in the frontlines in any attack against the mansion. That part sucked.

Once in her room she grabbed her duffel bag full of costumes before quickly turned on her heel and heading down towards the danger rooms. The costumes had been crafted in the facility below. The costume fabricator, a piece of alien technology, was capable of producing a surprising variety of different articles of clothing and could be custom programmed if one knew how. Of Shi'ar manufacture, the original fashions were a little- ostentatious.

She descended through one of the hidden elevators and under the recessed lighting of the facility's corridors until she opened the reinforced hatchway leading into the danger room. It opened into a medieval city, wooden structures, and cobblestone streets. Empty for the moment but when she told the program to begin the rabble and riff raff of the fantasy world would materialize first appearing as silhouettes composed of random bits. Then they would resolve themselves into their proper images like a television antenna picking up the signal.

Asha looked at her reflection in that bowl for what seemed like a long time. Or had time stood still? This was the tipping point. Be the same old mouse, or be someone new. Someone new.... Someone strong and outgoing. Someone who shone brighter than all the stars in the night sky. The girl in the water smiled up at her. Someone new...

"Ah..." She tipped the bowl with a slight twitch of her hand. The water spilled out and washed around her. Like it was trying to embrace her, envelope her. She could be that person, the one who smiled so beautifully up at her. Putting a hand on her face she shook just a bit. Could...a monster really turn into...something beautiful? If it tried its hardest? She could try... Trying wouldn't hurt anyone right?

Laying back on the sand she stared up at the sky. Her glowing skin was softly beating shades of so many colorful stars. A part of the night... Her gleaming hair in a halo around her head, her slender arms soaking in the sky. Her black tunic covered her like a normal girl's dress, but on its own it could not hold her light back.

The sand was cool and soft. The water lapping against the lake shore, the rustle of gentle wind through trees. The sound of crickets in the night. The moon shining bright. She had forgotten what it felt like to be outside and not be scared. It was so....beautiful. Her eyes closed, soft shimmering lashes against soft cheeks. It felt so good to be free.

Magnus was... underwhelmed. Here he brought the most powerful telepath in the world with a great entrance, and Xavier didn't bat an eye with his ever calm demeanor. If that was his one unsettling trait, it was that Xavier never lost his temper. Even in his home-realm, Xavier was deadcalm eye of the storm as the world raged and humans soldiers shot each other. It always reminded him of a poem he learned in this realm:

"Demons run when a good man goes to war
Night will fall and drown the sun
When a good man goes to war

Friendship dies and true love lies
Night will fall and the dark will rise
When a good man goes to war

Demons run, but count the cost
The battle's won, but the child is lost
When a good man goes to war"

His memory of humans killing each other snapped back when Xavier spoke. "Talon, Bamf, Discharge - could you let Jax up; he is a guest, not an intruder." The other two took off leaving him on the floor, Talon in a huff not unlike her father, Discharge in a cackle not unlike her power. This left him to walk around Xavier's chair and approach the newest guest to help him up with an azure hand. Magnus' solid black eyes stare down into Jax without shimmer or glisten.

"Magnus, Son of nightcrawler, Son of ScarletWitch, Grandson of Magneto, Grandson of Mystique, Grandson of Azazezal. I hate to tell you this, but your first night has to be in a holding tank, eight hours of being scanned and evaluated to find out your powers and placement in the school. After that, then you get a roommate if you can live with someone else and start in on regular classes for the first week while letting all the shock wear off."

Jax watched as the two girls walked off, slightly huffy, but the blue boy stayed and helped him up, introducing himself; quite in depth at that.

"Name is Smith, Jax Smith. Nice to meet you Magnus." back on his feet now he flexed his wings once, twice just to try and assess what feeling he had in them after shock girls attack before turning back to the aged Xavier and Magnus. "Thank you - that is....understandable, but before this; I would appreciate some food,"

As he talked, Jax removed his shades to wipe them on his less then clean top, still looking at the two before him, " I would just like a bed, room mate or not, Is there a gym or something in this place?" Jax may be strong but he would like to refine his fighting technique a fair bit, feeling that he didnt need to hide himself here he place his shades so they hung from the collar of his torn Tee shirt.

"Holding tank? I can tell you my powers - I am very strong, I can fly and my eyes allow me to see in a sort of slow motion."

Xavier:" Magnus, Ill leave out new guest in your hands now that things have been settled. There are things I need to attend too."

---

John was starting to feel the day catch up to him, his talk with the professor was helpful, a good start to gaining control of his powers. He took off from Xavier's office for his own room, just wanting the comfort of his bed and to rest after the (in his eyes) failure that todays mission had been. He got there after a brisk walk, got changed and passed out the moment his head hit the pillow.

(Leon)

Suddenly looking up, Leon noticed a few people were absent. "Huh? What? What happened? I kinda spaced out there for a bit" he looked up at the clock "Oh, damn! Is it that late already? I gotta get to bed. I have an early Danger Room session tomorrow!" he cried out and took off out the door… only to immediately slink slowly, carefully, cautiously, stealthily, and another -ly word I don't even know, back into the kitchen and behind Lina. Snatching a piece of sushi, you could practically hear his eyes sparkle in delight as he popped it in his mouth. Satisfied, he darted back out and into the hall, dodging and weaving throughout the students that were heading off to bed.

Soon enough he reached his room, glad his roommate was at home with the folks. He immediately stripped of his damn pants and threw them across the room. Drawing a bath, Leon cautiously poked at the water. Gently he eased in, desperately fighting the urge to struggle and bolt. Last time he failed to do that, he got the entire floored soaked. After what felt like DECADES, he was finally clean enough to get away from the demon-spawn called water. "Bleh! I hate that stuff!" he growled, shaking himself… mostly dry. He had to take a towel to get the rest. He brushed his teeth and combed his fur, then left the bathroom and started patting the fluffy rug. After finding his favorite spot, he curled up and drifted off, dreaming of belles, red dots, and Catgirls.

Adrenaline surged through Laura's system still, the need to fight and come out victorious had been cut short two too many times today. Perhaps, she thought to herself, a session in the Danger Room would calm her nerves. Aggravation gripped her as much as the adrenaline did, but the feral need to unwind and destroy led her room to grab her "bug out bag" before heading down and down into the belly of the manor once more.

From the nearly empty changing room she hung her father's jacket up once more, stopping for a moment to assess the damage to her civilian boots. Laura's shoulders dropped and she sighed before shaking her head and setting them aside to be dealt with later. In the spirit of tattered things she donned an older outfit, black and silver - her favorite. It was doubtful that anything would remove the faint smell of blood from it, but even so (and not in addition to) it was still her favorite look.

She noted a slight snugness that hadn't been present previously, but deigned to ignore it in favor of her rapidly waning sanity.

That sanity ceased entirely for a moment, as she entered the danger room. A flash of confusion and the lightest outpouring of rage came in the form of a low, animalistic growl. The room was, apparently, already occupied. The simulation wasn't one she recognized, but she adapted immediately.

An old city like nothing she'd ever seen sprawled out before her. Beautiful and terrible all in one digitized brush stroke. The dramatic juxtaposition between the clean, sterilized smell of metal and the look of utter poverty and degradation before her played hell with her mind as she tried to adjust.

Laura stood in the mouth of an alleyway staring out into a bustling street where children ran barefoot through real enough muck to make her feel unclean. Even their smiles were touched with black and brown, rot and decay lay in amply supply everywhere. Besides that, the hum of commotion gave her enough pause to close her eyes as she adjusted to the ambiance. It sounded as though there was a large body of water near as well. She focused on the brushing of the waves against the shore and slowly opened her eyes.

As she did she bore witness to a group of dirty, shirtless men maneuvering a rather large crate onto a wench before hefting it with a block-and-tackle into the back of a wagon. X took a moment to appreciate all the detail before taking a step back into the shadows and assessing the alleyway itself. She noticed for the first time that the room had digistructed a costume for her, black form-fitting leather with a white robe over it and...what appeared to be, was it? Yes it was. A hood.

Laura smiled for the first time today as she began to scale the wall, hood pulled perfectly over her jet-black locks.

The overcast sky rumbled, threatening rain. Lightning scored the clouds, momentarily limning the grey with a shock of silver light. The buildings haphazardly leaned against one another, as if they were too weak to stand by themselves and as a result presented many a shadowed nook to take refuge within. Few windows possessed glass. Most of them were simply shuttered with wooden slats. The shingles beneath crouched fingertips mostly wood; only the more affluent were able to afford clay tiles.

As the young mutant peered across the nearby square she looked past several evening stragglers and was greeted by the sight of a shock of golden hair. It's colour brilliant against the dingy mud spattered town. A figure was in the middle of the square, a female silhouette hanging from a wooden scaffold. A rope was affixed to the overhead spar and it reached down, circling the figure's neck, holding her aloft, several feet from the cobblestone below. She was curiously attired. Pale slender limbs ensconced in fine sheer ebony harem style silk sleeves and leggings. Rope creaked as the woman swung softly, bare feet dangling, black painted toenails pointing towards the gutters. Laura could not see the woman's face, not with her head hanging down on her chest and the golden tresses serving as a funerary veil. Her leather mid-riff revealing bustier had failed to contain her bosom, one breast was openly displayed, having presumably been shaken free by the force of the short drop and sudden stop. More curiously, was what appeared to be a single piece of coin tucked in tight between the slope of breast and bustier.

X narrowed her eyes at the golden-haired corpse, first amazed that something like that would be in a Danger Room simulation and then curious. She wondered, as she leapt to a roof nearer to the gallows, if perhaps she should feel something other than curiosity for a corpse. Laura stared down into the streets from the crest of a particularly shamble-fueled roof. In pulling herself up, she knew she'd be exposed for a moment, but she needed to see down into the streets for a path - there was no way she could let the poor girl hang there.

Lithely Laura moved across the roof, marking out an indirect, but hopefully concealed route to the gallows as she leapt from the roof with a sickening crunch. One of her ankles broke upon impact, but healed almost instantly.

Like a shadow in the dreary day she danced from the alleyway, moving under a cart, rolling behind some boxes - the contents of which looked like they should have smelled quite horribly. Laura gave a silent thanks that the immersion wasn't entirely complete, even if it was disorienting and somewhat blinding.

Laura took a quick glance around the square to make sure the coast was clear and hoisted herself up onto the gallows themselves, but...there was something familiar about this lifeless body. She pushed the familiarity away and made her move, unsheathing a single claw and moving to cut the rope before pausing on something glinting from the woman's half-exposed bust.

Something compelled her to grab the coin before cutting the woman free.

Sarah hung, completely limp, her jaw slack, staring down at her black painted toenails as they pointed towards the cobblestone below. Her own legs were about all she could see with her death stare. It was quite relaxing really. One would think the weight would be completely upon her neck but she was floating, held aloft in the Danger Room's gravity fields. The sudden drop was rather startling and she was embarrassed to say that she had squealed in fright but the danger room had buoyed her entire body and protected her from any form of incidental harm. At first it had been interesting, listening to the conversations of those around her but now that the spectacle was over the crowd had mostly dispersed.

She wasn't sure what was supposed to happen next. Takashi hadn't really explained what she were supposed to do in this situation. If this were video game this was where you'd be prompted to revert to a saved game and continue. Was she supposed to just hang here for the rest of eternity? She didn't really want to risk a glance about. A dead body raising her head and looking about would be most out of character and there was no telling how the Non-Player characters Taki had created would react.

She was just about to give up and give Taki a piece of her mind when she spotted soft leather boots, the type a padfoot would wear upon a job. She couldn't see much else of the person with her hair obscuring her vision like golden drapes before a window. Was this what she was waiting for? Someone come to take her dead body and revive her so she could continue the adventure? A thin arm, reached out from beneath some sort of white robe or cloak or something and snatched the holographic coin from her bosom. Typical, Sarah thought, for a thief. Then the thief did something she didn't expect and reached up to slash at the rope above. Sarah suddenly became heavy and she fell onto the figure who supported her only long enough to lower her to the scaffolding's platform in a crumpled mass.

Now her vision was reversed, she could see only the sky above her. The moody clouds that perpetually threatened rain were now all she could see as she stared blankly towards them and past the looming figure that had cut her down and was bending over to get a better look at her corpse. She couldn't see anything inside the recesses of the hood, not who it was, nor if it was one of the students. One of the students? She hadn't considered that possibility. Suddenly she realized how she must look and if this was one of the guys and not an NPC she'd never hear the end of it- and yet... the dead didn't move... To hell with it, if it was one of the students covering up now wouldn't help.

Corpses didn't palpitate, Laura observed initially as she set Sarah's limp body on the ground. "They haven't noticed just yet," she whispered seemingly to herself, shifting her head away from Sarah to see if anyone had noticed them just yet. Half of her face lit up by way of whatever sun bit through the cloud's hard to ignore protesting.

It was Sarah, of course. She knew she recognized the breasts, not that she made an effort to look. It was more that the woman seemed to use them like Laura used her claws. Of course, she hadn't ever seen that much of the blonde. For the most part Laura didn't register the detail as important.

Regardless, the entire scenario was quite puzzling. Laura imagined this was some sort of...odd vacation for her, but she couldn't exactly judge; she'd been planning to kill an endless horde of samurai.

Since the simulation had already played hell with her senses, Laura pressed two fingers to Sarah's neck to double check. Best to confirm a pulse with every bit of sense she had, she could of course smell that it was Sarah and hear her breathing and her heart beating, but it was quite difficult to trust in a strange place like this. But it all begged the question...

"What were you doing up there?" Laura asked the would-be corpse.

Recognizing the voice first before anything else Sarah's azure eyes settled on Laura's face inside the shadowed hood. Well, of all the people it could have been stumbling in on this scenario she could have imagined a lot worse. It could have been Cannonball, Sunspot or Bamf...

"What did it look like," Sarah whispered, staring up blankly, not moving a muscle beyond what she needed to respond, "I was dead. Taki, y'know, Takashi Matsuyo? Wheels? Anyways, he's been working on a Danger Room version of a MMORPG and I Taki asked me to help him out with his justice syst..."

Sarah looked at the blank stare Laura was giving her. Right. Laura was a clone, brought up and raised to be an assassin. It was most likely the only role playing she knew was when she was trained in impersonation to get closer to a target. The idea of spontaneous acting and playing a part in a grand story probably was a bit beyond her limited experience. Not that she wouldn't understand, Laura seemed scary smart to Sarah, only that it might take a little longer for it to get through all that conditioning.

"It's a combination of both improvisational theater and paintball only with swords and spells." Sarah attempted to explain though, hearing it spoken she wasn't quite sure if the explanation did it any justice.

"Well, in any event, I'm playing this character named Assallya and I got caught assassinating a duke's son and was promptly executed," she further explained, "I'm just not sure what is supposed to happen now. I mean, if you didn't come along... would I just keep hanging there and where the hell is Taki anyhow?"

Come to think of it, Laura shouldn't have been able to get into the Danger Room at all. Which meant... Taki must have stepped out, or rolled out in his wheelchair, for a minute, probably to grab some food or go to the washrrom and Laura had chosen just that moment to enter. Wonderful!

It had been a long day for Sarina and one full of many changes which one would hope would not be to overwhelming, She was picked up by Kitty Pryde late the previous night and did not return till the early hours after a long chat and reassurance to the fire maiden that the Charles Xavier for higher learning was a good a place to be and call home, A place where she can be among others of her kind, Be safe and of course learn to control her abilities. Like many others before her, Sarina would have to start from somewhere and go from that point and to tell the truth she was a little excited but worried at the same time of this unknown but she began to slightly trust the mutant that Professor X sent and allowed Shadowcat to bring her in.

Due to the time and nature of her arrival, Shadowcat showed the Sarina to her new room with her stuff, the place was dark and quiet mainly for people resting asleep, Fortunately a room was set up in the girls dormitories specifically for herself due to the nature of her powers it was best not to share a room with a fellow mutant in case of a little mishap. Either way Psylocke was on hand to to help the teen settle in also upon arrival and with what luggage the the red head did have on her and some change of clothes from the burn't ones she had, She would need to get some well deserved rest and work on the settling in and tour at a later time due to the fact she was be out of sync with the others who would go about there daily business within the grounds of this great large place and it was early hours of the morning, it did look intimidating but awe inspiring at the same time and Sarina didn't know really what to make of it and see how things would go.

Later on the following morning (Today.) after a long well needed rest and probably the best sleep Sarina has probably ever had, She spent the morning getting sorted putting her clothing away in the appropriate places before taking a moment to look out the window to see the mansion was alive with students and teachers alike, It was kinda hard to think that there was this many others that where mutants and shocked her at how little she knew or took notice of until now. Sarina went and got cleaned up with a nice soak in the bath enjoying the feeling while washing herself, It helped her feel relaxed for a little while before getting out and drying herself of before wrapping a towel around her body while she went about brushing her teeth followed up by brushing her hair, Sarina did stop briefly to look at her red eyes she now had, That would take time getting used to. Soon she got dressed for the morning and sorted her hair out with some hair straighteners taking her time and care before there was a knock at the door, It was Shadowcat to show her around the school.

The first stop was of course the cafeteria or kitchen for a spot of breakfast and a little get to know each other chit chat before going up to see Professor X for a talk there for a while, It helped Sarina to understand that it was something to do with the gene within the human body, told her of the school and of others like her, feel safe and live alongside others of her kind. That last part was certainly a strange one to hear, but he help keep Sarina's mind calm and not to overwhelm the teen to much. Soon they were on the move again meeting some of the other teachers, while getting looks from other students. The tour went on, showing the main building and the two dormitories which of course one she could not enter for it was for males, The front and back areas where shown, Sarina loved the fountain and the availability of the sports recreation and swimming pool around the back and even a horse stable was surprising to see. After a little time of chilling out and chatting back at the fountain Sarina was a happy that she came to such an amazing place and had a slightly warmth that came with it over her Olive skin.

Soon Sarina was taken down to the most important area to help students train, learn and to understand there unique gifts. The Danger room was certainly a sight and a bit intimidating, The room didn't look that much until a program was activated. That was a overwhelming experience to see and hear when Shadowcat explained its purpose and what it could do, Fortunately it was emotionally overwhelming and not wanting to cause an incident Shadowcat took Sarina out to get a drink and some fresh air to let it sink in. It had been a long day for the fire maiden and was much to take in on the first day. but being shown pretty much every part of this place and what it has to offer Sarina knew this would be the place for her and only hope on the following day when she met some of the student that she could at least get on with them... And not set fire to something, She was shown back to her room where she was given a key and a map to help her find her way round the school and was reassured that help is always round the corner and no long would the mutant feel alone.

"I will be having a talk with Matsuyo later," she whispered almost fervently. Gazing down at her teammate, the corpse. "So...you are a character in this simulation that people will play for...fun?" Her sensitive hearing caught on to those around the pair that had noticed a hooded figure standing over an assassin's corpse. Not the best way to make a first impression on the town, but neither was attempting to assassinate a duke's child.

"Since you are 'dead'..." she processed the idea and took but a moment to decide how to proceed, still not quite grasping why anyone would want to do this whole thing, she also didn't want to compromise her teammates dedication to the role. However banal it might seem to her...although, she had to admit, it was quite interesting.

"Brace," she said, and scooped Sarah's body up, standing and tossing her over one shoulder, unsure of exactly where to run, except back into the alleyway.

The commotion around them began and she reacted as if it were life-or-death, some semblance of understanding formed after she broke into a sprint, belligerent shouting coming from behind them as Laura stole away the assassin's corpse.

It wasn't easy, and couldn't possibly have been comfortable for Sarah, but Laura scaled the wall with her claws, setting her body on the shambled roof and preparing for any sort of resistance. "So...you have no idea how to 'come back'?" She asked, not wanting to admit she was already immersed.

Sarah suppressed a gasp as Laura pulled the corpse up and lugged it over her shoulder. She'd completely forgotten how strong Laura was, a testament both to her genetic heritage and her supreme physical training. Draped over Laura's shoulder with arms and legs dangling, Sarah bit her lip when Laura adjusted her burden, placing a hand upon her buttocks to steady her. Then she took a running leap at a wall and bounded up using her claws as pitons. Sarah was bounced mercilessly.

Goddamn Laura was so hot right now... Sarah couldn't help but feel flushed. Laura's long black hair, which Sarah almost had a mouthful of, smelled simply wonderful. A girl as pretty as Laura but with all the mannerisms of a guy and a guy's strength to boot. Sarah could just melt into that.

Blushing hotly, Sarah realized that Laura might be able to smell what she was thinking. First the arousal and now the fear that came with it, the fear of being discovered. Being set down was even more terrifying. What Laura had smelled? What might she discern looking into Sarah's eyes? She was almost relieved when Laura asked a seemingly innocuous question.

"No idea at all," Sarah admitted, "Taki's not finished this thing yet. He's planning on marketing this thing when VR tech hits the mainstream. He meant this thing to be persistent...so maybe there is no coming back?"

Sarah paused a moment, thinking. Finding it difficult with Laura hovering over her so closely, almost protectively. Laura could probably ravish her and there wasn't a damn thing Sarah would be able to do to stop her.

"Uh... Whatever. Let's take you to something that is finished," Sarah said after several moments. "something I think you'd enjoy

"Danger Room. Set character status of Assallya Kressair to Dead, save and end. Boot up the Assassin's Creed program aboard the Ebon Raptor."

There was a wash of colour as and Sarah closed her eyes. The Danger Room changing programs was like washing away the world and replacing it with something new. It sometimes made her stomach queasy. In mere moments they world rearranged itself and became the aft castle of a ship, complete with wheel. It was a medium sized vessel,
a brig, with the speed of a schooner and the firepower of the much larger frigate.

Almost dancing over the wooden planks on her bare feet Sarah caressed the wheel and realized she wasn't quite in the right costume. That was in her duffle bag. Oh well. The programmed sailors wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The false wind stirred her loose tresses but she couldn't quite feel the spray of water on her face. No, there was no real water about.

"This is my baby," Sarah said as she approached the railing next to wheel and looked out across the deck, "the Ebon Raptor. She's a brig, not a brigantine- that's something else- and with her I plunder the Mediterranean. This thing's not like the other. There's no real story save what we make. Some of the other rookies and even some students are running around. If you are killed, by either an NPC or another player you just start all over again. I started out with nothing, stole a small ship and took larger and larger ships until I got this one. Then I started adding guns and armour until it's what you see now.

"This is the one you should play. You board ships, slash about with a holographic sword, kill NPCs and other players and take their stuff. It's as simple as that but it's also training."

Laura's eyes moved from the edge of the roof and into the square to Sarah almost cautiously, her head turning slightly to face her teammate. Her sensitive nose, naturally, picked up on Sarah's arousal, but it was mostly met with confusion. X glanced down at herself for a moment and then quickly focused back on the square; scent is quite personal after all.

"Something I'd...enjoy?" She stood up straight as the world shifted and reformed around her; she retracted her claws and folded her arms across her stomach. Laura observed Sarah dancing about the ship, barely suppressing a grin and the urge to join her. There was something about being on a ship, real or not, that was almost freeing. It helped remind her of an old friend, whether or not that memory was surrounded in blood and confusion.

A moment of peace floating aimlessly in a sea of sanguine memories.

Laura folded her arm and placed her hand on her chin, pensively rubbing her jawline with her index finger. A rarely seen smile curled up on her lips. "I think that you are right. I could enjoy this," she spoke thoughtfully, taking a look around the deck, up the mast and across the sea. She sidled up to the edge and looked into the water, it was impossible to tell it wasn't real besides the smell and, truly, the heaviness of air that should have been present.

X wondered for a moment if she couldn't help design more realistic simulations by communicating the intricacies of scent and feeling for true immersion. The thought was filed away for later as she noticed what she was wearing. Her eyebrow arched. "A...dress?" she queried with an audible frown.

She stood there on the deck of a glorious pirate ship wearing a digistructed pale yellow dress, slightly dirtied and rather ragged with a slightly loosened corset. Though...on her hip rested a rather rusty-looking rapier, the program must have compensated for her atypical starting point and saw fit to grace her with a weapon regardless. It felt real enough, she noted, as she rested her hand on the hilt. That could be lived with.

"It's better to swim in the sea below, than to swing in the air and feed the crow," she quoted at Sarah with what could have passed for a sardonic grin.

[Aya]

Floating in a sea of nothingness, Ayame Denzan slowly opened her eyes. Confused, she looked around. Her bed was gone. In fact, her whole room was gone. "What the fu-" but before she could finish her swear, she felt a tug deep in the back of her subconsciousness, and suddenly she was... there...

The cold, pristine white floor stretched from one wall of stone to another, enclosing a giant circle about the size of a football field. Splashed across the floor were hundreds of stains of all colors, but mostly a light brown and a dark yellow. Blood and urine. The smell would've gagged Hedorah, but all the... "performers" had grown used to it. About 100 feet up was the ceiling, bright lights burning down, illuminating the whole arena. Roughly half way up the walls was a circle of reflective material... a one-way window. And behind it? The masterminds behind this little game. But not only them, oh no. There were also Scientists. Senators. Emperors. Kings. Presidents. And a whole other mess of Rich Swines. Humans... Mutants... all of them... their "Clients". Despite how it looked, the window was completely unbreakable. All who have tried, have failed. At one end of the colosseum was a huge hole, cleverly concealed by wall, but everyone knew it was there, with it's partner standing proud opposite. As the walls slowly parted to a loud rumble, the only thing Aya could say was... "Ah, great. Not this crap, again. Fucking nightmare...". Looking behind, she saw herself, about a year younger, standing proud and egotistical, no fucking idea what she was about to endure. "Heh, foolish brat" Real Aya muttered, reaching out her hand and fusing with Dream Aya.

Standing there in the other door was a mutant Aya knew all too well, in every way possible. Her name? Well, Aya didn't know. She always just called her "Ariel" due to her hydrokinesis. Aya could feel her Dream self's horror as realization dawned. 'Impossible. We're in completly different branches. Why? Why is Ariel my opponent'. Real Aya could hear the thoughts of her counterpart loud and clear, as her own memories started to sync up. "Ariel" just stood there, glaring at Aya with a look of sheer determination, as a voice came over the loud speaker, "Ladies and Gentleman, for your viewing pleasure. Mutant 24242012 and Mutant 52794389. As of this moment, all betting is closed. Thank you, and enjoy this Death Duel". 'Heh... I always did wonder what the tables looked like. Consider it's water vs electricity, I probably had the most bets, but Ariel most likely had the greater payout' Aya thought, not even paying attention. She had been through this enough to know the outcome, no matter what she did different.

"Ladies... You may... BEGIN!!!" And with that... Ariel charged...