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James watched as the introductions continued, huffing out a laugh as Jack’s name rang out. Max drew out another laugh, Havok and him dangling in the air. If anything was the perfect symbol of the Underground and their efforts, it was Max’s powers; always a little wrong but they got there in the end. Harry was just the opposite, hurrying from the stage. There was a lot hanging over everyone right now, James knew, and a little bit of positive attention wasn’t going to fix everything but hopefully, Harry would realize he was somewhere he could actually take his time and heal.

Andy’s declaration of her name made James think. He’d never bought into the code name business; he agreed it was necessary while out but plenty of them used the names even in private, safe settings. He understood why they found it appealing. Separating themselves from trauma and suffering and establishing an identity that gave them autonomy and control over themselves and their situation was normal and here they could officially shed the one given to them in favor of the one they’d chosen. He didn’t feel the need. Life had taken a lot away from him now―Family, friends, stability and safety―but he wouldn’t let them take away this. James was who he was and Caduceus only ever a name. He’d need to make a note of exactly what everyone said.

Though The Thundering Champion was certainly memorable.

Casper’s wink drew him from his considerations, James’ brow quirking in response. Casper wasn’t being particularly flirty so that meant he was plotting something and James only hoped it wouldn’t end in a trip to the hospital. There was a moment of panic when Casper suddenly launched himself in the crowd but after him squealing, James only laughed and clapped as the crowd bore him around. He’d laughed more today than he had in the past few months and he could feel a little bit of the tension in him ease away. It’d take more than the Underground waking up and a moderately uncomfortable but hilarious public event to make up for everything that had happened but at least it was a start.

And then it was time for… a gift? James was confused but accepted the meteorite with a quick thanks.He felt distinctly uncomfortable and stared at it, concern quickly bubbling up. A meteor colliding with a planet to wipe out a species was violent and destructive and with individuals so intelligent choosing this as a gift sent shivers down his spine. Somehow, James felt that what they held now was more a promise for the future than a reward for the past.

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Embarrassment ran through Max, coloring his cheeks with a tint or red. Of all the moments for his powers to disagree with him, why did it have to be now? Why couldn't he do the simplest of things for even just a moment? He'd thought back towards every other instance of his levitation, realizing each one was done out of survival rather than for fun. The only time he'd managed to do it without being in peril was while attempting to contemplate on the spell and purposefully meditating alongside it. Max wanted to grip his hands in frustration, but if Selene was out here, he didn't want to show her any more weakness than he already had.

Just as Max was about to attempt to untangle the magic again, he felt his connection snap, right as he turned to see a dark figure talking in a language he didn't understand. He fell down onto the stage, eyes still fixated onto her as she told him to meet her at the witching hour. Max watched the shadows before him, noting how much time he likely had before this encounter, and turned to look at Jack as he stood up. He didn't speak, didn't say anything, just gave the man a reaffirming nod to indicate that he would allow him to show him where this Glade was. Max brushed his clothes, taking off invisible dirt in an attempt to settle himself back into his mind and away from what had just occurred.

Max tried not to roll his eyes as Magneto gave his speech. He appreciated the gesture of the gift, having been into space himself, but the notion that mutants were the finale in the evolutionary chain? He was certain humanity thought themselves that way once too. Life will always find a way. Max carefully grabbed his case, opening it slightly just to peer inside and see the object for itself. He began to wonder what properties it might hold for his powers, if he could perhaps forge it into a wand and use it to help him cast. His nerdier side wished to make a sword or dagger like Sokka, but he didn't wish to take any lives.

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Harry wasn't sure what he had planned. Hr was on a foreign island, surrounded by mutants, with the eyes of their past nemesis watching their every move at the moment. He had nowhere to go, no place to call home here, no friends to run to that weren't grand standing on stage. As he took another step towards the edge of the stage his vision began to blur, the world seemed to spin around him as nausea hit and panic slowly made its way in. He didn't get far into his feelings, seeing his twin appear before him and holding his hand. At that moment she acted like an anchor to him, and all he could do was stare into her eyes and try not to focus on the strange yet beautiful island.

Harry took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly before speaking. "Ça va? Ça va? Je suis sur une île à des kilomètres de chez moi sans nulle part où aller, sans but, je vais très bien!" He spat out in a stage whisper, hoping the telepaths weren't projecting anything being said here. Harry sucked in air before looking at Veil's eyes once again. "Are you not the least bit concerned? What are we doing here? What even is the point if mutantkind has this now? I...what was it all for?" It wasn't fair to ask so much of his sister, but he didn't know what else to say.

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Her name being shortened to Thunder didn't bother her. It rolled better off the tongue so she didn't blame the crowd. She caught the chunk of meteorite from Magneto and looked at it. Havok threw his and stormed off the stage. Andy figured he was annoyed at both Max and the situation. It seemed no one in the group except Sunshine was happy. Everyone was bristling against this place. She looked over the Quiet Council and then gave a nod. She didn't look at Selene twice or notice the similarities between their faces.

Andy noticed that Zari was looking at the meteorite and something else and she stepped over to her. "Everything okay?" She asked. Hoping that whatever had caught Zari's attention wasn't something that was going to try to kill them. Though it would be nice to have something to punch.

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Havok turned on his heels, looking Waverley dead in the eye. "Everyone is acting like we're on fucking vacation, but Magneto runs this place. It has to be a death trap. And everyone's just too stupid to see it," Havok complained. "We're all going to die here and people just want to get pina coladas and hear a bunch of probably brainwashed people cheer their names like they're pop stars or some shit!"

Veil and Echo were close enough to Havok and Feedback that people would be able to hear their voices quietly, although Veil was keeping them invisible. Veil listened to what her brother had to say, before nodding slightly. It was something she thought about sometimes - what happened after the Mutant Underground - what happened after mutants were safe? The thought at times made her uneasy, as she realized that her entire life was based on the idea that she had to help other mutants to safety, and she didn't know what to do if she couldn't do that. "J'ai million questions," Veil whispered. "Et je ne suis pas certaine de mes réponses," she then admitted.

Her brother had then switched to English, so did she. "We all dreamed of a time when mutants didn't have to live in fear - that's what sustained us, kept us going... Maybe this is that dream realized, sooner than we had expected. And maybe just being here is our way of honoring those who couldn't be," she suggested. She wasn't really sure though. She didn't know how many mutants were actually able to get to Genosha. Was it really for everyone? Or did the Hellfire Club have some way of being selective? But there were so many in that crowd... assuming it hadn't been a telepathic manipulation of course... that Veil felt they were likely genuine.

On stage, Reeva bade farewell to the audience, and the Quiet Council members departed the stage. Selene, Reeva, and the Three in One waved slightly at Havok and all as they left, with the Three in One blowing a kiss in sync to Waverley. The crowd at large was starting to disperse, with Casper scrambling back up onto the stage. "Wait for me!" he shouted, before running towards the back of the stage - only to slam straight into Magneto.

"Oops, sorry, I didn't see you there - maybe you should wear one of those reflective vests?" Casper suggested. "I do think white is a good color on you, but it also makes you look like La Llorona. She's not real - I think."

It was hard to read Magneto's expressions at times, but he was definitely glaring at Xavier's son.

"Casper, leave him alone - the dude's a serial killer," Ben warned, coming up and standing right next to his friend, prepared to jump in if Casper needed some back up against the master of magnetism.

"You should watch where you're going... Casper," Magneto warned. His helmet cast shadows on his face, making him look like some sort of eerie phantom. It was difficult to even see much beyond his eyes. But then, Magneto did something entirely unexpected. He removed his helmet. He removed his helmet on an island filled with telepaths. His long white locks fluttered lightly in the breeze and his face, while aged, was intense. He had seen the little trinket Zarina was holding up high. "And you, Valkyrie, I expect you at the House of M for tea tomorrow, 3 pm sharp."

Then, with all the pomp and ego, Magneto used his powers to levitate and fly off.

Sunshine was completely unfazed by it. People flew places all the time on Genosha. Most mutants had figured out a way to try flight with their powers. Hell, even Sunshine had been working on it some with Renegade, trying to use her disease powers to propel herself through the air. It was just convenient to travel under one's own power. Of course, those who couldn't fly could always ask Forge for a pair of hover shoes - those were incredibly popular though and meant waiting on a wait list.

Sunshine moved on over to Thunder and Valkyrie, raising a slight eyebrow. "If you two are done making out, think we can take you to where you'll be staying and all," Sunshine explained. "Well, that's if you don't wanna be part of the Akademos - or the Academy if you wanna use the flatscan word for it," she added with a shrug, before moving back towards where the others were.

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Callie turned around to where Waverly and Havok were and started to make her way over towards the two of them, overhearing what Havok was actually saying. She was still really weary of this place seeing so many of their enemies or former enemies now she guessed, were the ones who created this place in the first place. Still holding onto the chest that contained her little trinket in her hands, and gently rested a hand on Havok's shoulder as she looked towards her. "Hey listen I totally get it and understand where you are coming from." Callie said to Havok and Waverly.

She watched for a moment as the crowd slowly started to disperse now along with the Quiet Council, hopefully once they found out where they will be staying they all could talk privately. "We should at least stay alert for the time being and maybe do a bit of snooping around just to make sure that this place is actually safe." Callie said softly hoping that no one else really heard what she was actually saying, she watched as Magneto started to fly off.

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Kristina tucked the little chest under her arm as she watched some of the crowd starting to disperse now, and turned to see Casper bumping into Magneto himself. She half expected to see him attack Casper but that never came really, seeing Zari holding something up and Magneto telling her to meet him the next day. She wondered why but decided not to ask she watched as Magneto started to fly away, flying always did make her feel free since her primary mutation was flight and it was always really nice to just fly through the air.

She decided to approach Sunshine, Zari and Andy, since the three of them were more or less closer to her age than the other members were actually. Kris was also really curious what the place they were staying at was really like as well to, and wanted to get settled in as well. She was curious about the Akademos actually was other than knowing that it was some sort of academy on the island. "Whats the Akademos exactly? Other than it being an academy of sorts?" Kris asked as she followed her to where the others were now as well.

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Waverley pulled back a little as Havok spun around and begun his rant. She’d assumed that his rage had been one of humiliation, but it sounded like it was more one of worry. As he quieted, Waverley let out a deep sigh, nodding her head in solemn understanding.

”I…I get what you mean. If you’d told me a year ago that I’d share an area code with the Magneto, I’d have…”she began to say, eyes shooting to Magneto, though she was quickly distracted by the trio of blondes who collectively blew her a kiss as they walked past. The action caused blood to flow to her cheeks in a ferocious blush, a wide, dorky smile spreading across her lips as she lifted a hand, replying with an awkward wave. She stood there like that for a few seconds too long, her hand limply raised up. She was pulled back to reality by Callie’s voice, seeing her standing there with her and Havok. She cleared her throat as she did her best to shake the daze off.

”Right, yeah, what Spark Plug said. It’s not like America is any safer…or morally superior, for that matter. Only difference is here, there’s a chance we might be able to have some amount of say in how things are done. So let’s just…see how it all goes, and worse comes to worse, we can dip and put the ‘underground’ back into ‘Mutant Underground’,” she suggested, giving a warm smile and a half shrug to Havok.

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James tucked the box under one arm and turned to Max now that everything was finally coming to an end. This could have easily been a telepathic message honestly but it wouldn’t have painted the big and powerful in the image they wanted. James was glad it was over. He bumped shoulders with Max briefly, sending him a smile as he did. “I can hear the gears turning in your head, my dude, and I’d like to gently remind you we are on an island so we have nowhere to run if you accidentally conjure a flaming space rock.” James teased, recalling the “helpful” time Max sent the roof on fire. “But seriously, tell me you have something useful to do with these because this is just going to sit around my apartment and collect dust. Maybe make a paperweight if I’m ever an actual adult who uses-”

James stopped speaking as he watched his boyfriend, the love of his life and the child of Professor Xavier, sass the fuck out of Magneto. Which on one hand, hilarious. James didn’t think most people could stand face to face with a cold blooded killer and joke at them but on the other hand, terrifying because if Magneto decided it was Casper’s day to die, there were not a lot of people here who could stop that. “One second.” He said to Max. James made his way to Casper with exasperated fondness written across his face and fitted his fingers between Casper’s. “Babes, darling, love of my life, please don’t endanger yourself already. I just got you back.” James laughed, leaving forward to press a quick kiss to Casper’s cheek. “Come chill with me for a second and then maybe we can check out those places I wanted to show you.” James suggested as he made his way back to Max.

“Now, I know it was probably an accident but what do I need to do to get you do fuck with Havoic like that again?” James asked Max, only half joking. He held one hell of a grudge against the man and he wasn’t feeling particularly mature about handling it. Havoc fucking up his name to a crowd and then dangling in front of them helplessly was incredibly therapeutic and he wasn’t above manufacturing another slip up for the sake of his own pettiness right now.

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"Oh what me? Yeah I'm fine, just was looking at something else Magneto gave me when he showed up to the Underground or whatever right before they left with Havok's ex or whatever... Not sure what it is or anything like that..." she said to Andy with a slight shrug, before slightly showing her the strange red thing that was in her hands. It was a weird thing, and Magneto's words about it when he gave it to her initially stuck out to her. Especially since it made her think more about her prophecy or whatever it was that she was trying to do.

Of course, to Jack, leave it to his brother to cause problems and everything, especially with Magneto. That wasn't all to surprising considering the fact that Casper had never really cared or whatever with regards to his father, so why the hell would he be careful when it came to being around his father's worst enemy? "Casper maybe you should be a bit more careful don't you think? At least at the moment?" he couldn't help but comment to his brother with a bit of an eye roll as everyone headed backstage now.

Miranda meanwhile when the crowd started to disperse decided to head towards the backstage area to perhaps catch up with the group, though they might obviously be guided by James, Jack and Sunshine, but she might as well catch up with them, and then she might head back to where she herself stayed, which was also in the same home as Magneto, big surprise with that when you think about it. She was heading backstage, when she saw the bit of commotion with Casper running into Magneto, and she rolled her eyes slightly at Magneto clearly needing to prove he was better or something like that.

Turning to look at Casper and Magneto, Zari listened to the commotion, before Magneto commented to her before he flew off, after for some strange reason he had taken off his helmet to address her. "Tea time? Ooooh that sounds like fun," she said, not too sure what to think with regards to that invitation. It might prove interesting, that would be a fun experience, then again where she came from they were Asgardians and tended to drink a lot, not like her mother ever really let her do that though. Tea would be a new experience for her. Glancing at Sunshine, she rolled her eyes before heading to where everyone else was now.

She heard what Erik had said to Valkyrie, and walked over after the girl had walked backstage. "Well that is an interesting thing, he doesn't typically give out those sort of invitations lightly, I'm a little curious as to what that is about myself," Miranda said to the girl, once again giving her a kind smile. This was an interesting situation to say the least, so she was curious as to what Erik was thinking, or how the entire thing would likely play out.

Glancing around at everyone else, Jack figured that they probably should get moving, at least others seemed to be in agreement with regards to that sort of thing. Sunshine mentioned the Academy sort of thing that they had on he island, so that was something at least. Though really it was only something useful that might interest the younger members of the group as far as he knew (vaguely), that being mainly Andy and Zari. It was still a little strange to him to hear everyone else say what they wanted to be called or whatever being different than what he was used to.

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Max turned to face James, giving him a bit of a weak smile as his mind continued to run. He wanted to glance back to where the council was previously. Wanted to see Selene one more time, ask her questions while she was here, but she wasn't. They had all begun to disperse already, and Max already had a meeting with her later in the day. He ran a finger over the box, chuckling softly to what James had said. He was about to answer his question, when James' attention was suddenly pulled away by Caspers antics. So he waited patiently for him to return, opening up the case and seeing the meteorite inside once more.

Once James finally returned Max rolled his eyes at him playfully. "Well to answer your previous question, I'm not entirely sure. I was going to ask Selene about it later, see if maybe I can make it into a wand, use it as a focus for my powers. Or perhaps something a bit more fashion forward and I can replicate that sling ring Runa had, just instead of it making portals, it channels my magic. Maybe we can make a nice bracelet for you two, or a weapon, or some...rings." Max said as he arched an eyebrow at James.

All playfulness ended however, when James mentioned the little slip up with Havok. "That… was my power coming through again." He let out a heavy sigh. "I thought… they were working so well when I awoke, and it felt so different, the control was almost there, but up there on stage...they just went back to their own chaotic self. Part of why I want to meet with Selene, see what she can show me and see if I can create an object to help me wield my powers. Buuuut I did purposefully leave that homophobic asshole with a penchant for trouble up there. He deserved it."

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Harry couldn't comprehend what his sister was saying. It made sense, it was logical, but still none of it made sense. It had been less than a year since his fiancé died. Less than a year since he joined the Mutant Underground in order to avenge her in a way that he could, by helping other mutants like her while spitting in the eye of those who would hurt them. But now, in such a short time it has all come to a close. His hands were trembling at the thought, he wasn't ready to let go just yet. He wasn't done grieving. And it all felt so selfish.

Harry wanted to say something, a thought flashing across his mind that gave him such pause it scared him. Maybe I don't want to honor them this way. Maybe the purifiers should still pay for their actions. His eyes went wide for a moment, turning to glance at Magneto as he rocketed away. Harry knew he couldn't think like him, but for the first time ever he wondered. [I]How much pain is hidden behind that helmet?[/i
"Maybe…"

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Andy looked at the red coin-like thing that Zari showed her. She didn't know what it meant, but it seemed important to Zari so she smiled. But the smile was quickly erased when Sunshine told them to stop making out. Andy turned bright red and was really glad Kristina asked what the Academy thing was. She wanted to know, but she did not want to ask Sunshine. Sunshine seemed...changed somehow from before.

She did want to see where they were staying, and at least this sort of felt like she was invited and belonged. Magneto had only invited Zari to tea. And the one lady had invited Warlock to something too. Andy was just..there. She thought about the talk about destiny she had had with Zari.

Zari had said whatever her path was, it was a good one. She also said if she needed help she'd ask her first. So it didn't matter about anything else. She'd be there when Zari asked for help, and she'd do whatever she could to help her. It didn't matter what Sunshine said. So Andy looked to Zari and said, "After you."

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"The Akademos isn't an academy in the same sense of what it is for flatscans - like, there aren't any math tests. Whatever knowledge you need a telepath can just download for you. You'd be surprised how many mutants there are with crazy degrees on Genosha - they just sorta loan out their info and the telepaths copy it for us," Sunshine explained. "It's how I learned to read and write English. So like, what we focus on at the Akademos is mutant knowledge - how to use our powers, not just alone but in groups to make what we call mutant circuits."

"I think the magic people do something similar," she then mused. "But I'm not really sure. Renegade's one of the teachers at the Akademos - not that we really have teachers. It's more of if you figure something out, you share it with everyone else, so everyone learns and everyone teaches."

Havok didn't look convinced at Spark Plug's words - or Waverley's, given her obvious newfound crush on the Three Bitches in One. However, he also knew that shouting wasn't going to get him anywhere. There had to be a way off of this island. He'd find it and he was going to get the hell out of here. Being one of Xavier's X-Men would be better than this.

Casper, of course, had more or less melted into James. It was so easy for him to swoon at James' words, and even though it hadn't felt like very long since he had seen him, Casper was more than excited at the idea of chilling and checking out some of those places James had mentioned. "I don't endanger myself - that's Ben's job," Casper protested, earning an eye roll from his ghostly friend.

"So convincing..."

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A little while later, they were back at the Magda Memorial Housing Complex in the Omega Building. They didn't go to Renegade's apartment this time however. James, Sunshine, and Jack had been living in one apartment together. It had six bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. Most of the bedrooms were empty. Some of them would have to double up, but the Mutant Underground would be able to live together under one roof - again.

Veil sat on the table, her legs dangling off of it as she looked around at everyone. Casper was practically in James' lap on the couch, and Sunshine was perched on the opposite end of the couch. Havok was standing in the corner, looking as angry as ever.

"... So ... Who wants to start?" Veil asked.

"What's there to talk about?" Sunshine asked stubbornly. "You all can live here on Genosha and be happy and safe, without any fucking flatscans trying to kill us. It's paradise."

"The views do seem really awesome... Is there rum here?" Casper then asked, as everyone knew rum was key to island life.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's the blood in the fucking soil that makes everything seem so perfect," Havok snapped. "We aren't seriously going to stay here."

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Callie had followed everyone else back towards the Magda Memorial Housing Complex with everyone else, she was surprised that they had a place all together now which was a good thing. She was sitting at the table next to Veil and leaned forward as she thought about this place, she wasn't sure what to actually think of this place. It looked like it was an actual paradise, though she wasn't sure if she could trust the ones who were on the Quiet Council. Since they were the ones who had killed mutants in the past like the Morlocks back in DC's sewers as she turned to look at Veil as she spoke.

"I think we should be a bit cautious, maybe look around and try and find out more about this place, and the ones on the Quiet Council?" Callie suggested as she looked towards Sunshine for a moment, her James and Jack had been here on Genosha the longest, she wasn't sure if they knew what happened around her behind closed doors. Callie looked towards Havok for a moment as he voiced his own concerns, having a feeling that his mind was already made up. "Whether you all want to stay here or not should be our choice though." Callie said she didn't really want to go back and deal with groups like the Purifiers again, but this was the safest place for mutants right now.

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Kristina followed everyone back to the apartment building, she was leaning back and sitting on the floor for a moment looking at everyone else in the room. She was one of the newer members of this group right now, and didnt have any real opinions on what had happened with the group before she had joined. Though she had an idea that they weren't sure about the people who were running this place, as she thought for a moment, the Akademos seemed to be really interesting to her and wanted to go and see what the place was actually like before speaking.

"The place seems safe for everyone, though if you guys think it isn't safe here then maybe go, but we should learn more about it." Kris said giving a slight shrug. "Also I kind of don't want to get shot up again by any agents or Purifiers again either." Kris said giving her two cents in.

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”And what exactly are we hoping to find by snooping? Some singular big secret that’ll prove that this place is evil? And are we gonna be content if we find nothing?” Waverley asked, rattling off the hypothetical questions one after the other. Rather than taking a seat anywhere, she had opted to instead alternate between anxiously pacing around the living area of their new home, and forcing herself to stand mostly still, inevitably fidgeting and chewing on her nails as she did.

”I just think…I just think it’s worth giving this place a try. At least for a little while. Who knows, maybe we learn that we can help most here, right?” Waverley continued with a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. Despite the subtle suspicion that she’d felt upon waking up in Genosha, the suspicion which still itched away in the pit of her stomach, she wanted to believe they had a future in Genosha. And while the root of that desire was Sunshine’s vehement endorsement of the place, it had only grown with the ceremony. She’d always told herself that doing the right thing for its own sake was all that mattered, not fame. But after a taste? She had to admit that she could see the appeal. Sure, the spotlight terrified her, but she loved…well, being loved. It was an exciting new feeling for somebody who’d been a nobody to most everybody they’d ever known. It was…addictive.

”Whatever we decide to do, though…we should do it together. We’re still the Mutant Underground, even if we aren’t super underground at the moment,” she paused for a moment, before lowering her hand to her stomach. ”Also…anyone else down to discuss this over some lunch? I feel like I haven’t eaten in, well, five months.”

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Max was appalled at how freely everyone was talking after the initial silence of Veils question. Sure there were things that needed to be discussed, but they were on an island full of telepaths that could do countless things Max couldn't even imagine before today. Along with an entire section dedicated to mutants with magic just like him. He knew what he was capable of thanks to Wanda. The scrying, snooping, the potential for countless mutants who could easily be in The Council's pocket scanning them for conversations like this. Max pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation before pulling it away, his look of annoyance replaced with one of conviction.

Max scanned the area, checking every room as he walked through and briefly took it all in to examine their space while everyone talked. When he finally finished he caught the tail end of Waverly's words before placing one cupped hand over the other and creating a small orb of swirling magic. Small symbols began to form like tiny constellations, swirling around the orb as it grew with each breath. Max slowly expanded his hands and allowed for the magic to grow, flowing over everyone and everything as it perfectly fit into the nooks and crannies of the apartment, effectively giving it a second layer before seeping into the walls, floor, and ceiling. The trim was peppered with small runes that danced across the beams, the same patterns echoed at the top of each wall along the edges, and the corners of the ceiling.

Once Max felt his magic click into place he let out a long sigh. "If you insist on being paranoid on an island full of telepaths and magical mutants, feel free, but at the very least let me set up some wards to prevent them from spying onto our conversations and reporting them back to the very people you're so concerned with." He was beginning to feel frustrated with his powers now more than ever. Having moments ago struggled to make a good impression only to now effortlessly ward their entire home without so much as a bead of sweat. "I don't know whats going on here, we've only just arrived, and I can't figure out why the FUCK my magic has felt so damn easy but when I needed it to impress the head witch it falters and fails JUST LIKE ALWAYS!"

He looked at everyone in front of him, his shoulders dropping slightly, and letting out another sigh. "Sorry I'm just...I'm frustrated. Oh, and I protected the house by the way. No magical or telepathic spying can happen within this space we now live in."

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Harry had remained fairly silent towards the beginning of the conversations. Half listening, half in his own mind about what was going on. He shot glances at his sister every once in a while when she wasn't looking. As if he was trying to figure something out and he just couldn't quite get the last piece. Nervously he began to shake his right leg, gently tapping his toe against the floorboards. "Maybe Waves is right. We shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. I know I'm knew to this all but… is there maybe a chance that you've spent so much of your lives running, hiding, and searching for monsters around every corner that maybe, just maybe, you're unable to stop?"

Harry made his way towards an open wall and leaned against it. Maybe he was projecting a little with his recent events, or maybe he had a point. He didn't know. He thought for a moment, placing a finger against his lower lip. "We're all new here but they aren't. We have a literal detective and a guy with a very leveled head having spent months here and they haven't said anything to the contrary. Maybe you're just...afraid to stop the fight? Afraid of the silence."

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James traced a simple pattern over where his hand rested on Casper's. He gladly sank into the couch once they were shut away from all the commotion and he smiled contently as Casper joined him. He took in the sight of everyone in the apartment and he felt himself choke up a little bit, tightening his hold on Casper. It was one thing to see everyone up and about, talking and moving and breathing, but it hit differently seeing them in the space he called home. It was the final confirmation and it took a lot to keep himself from weeping in relief that at least one nightmare hadn't crept into reality.

The relief twisted into resignation as Veil brought the conversation around to something he wasn't ready to discuss. He understood, he really did. They just woke up from a five month coma, stepping from their last day at the Underground right into this strange situation. It wasn't unreasonable that all of the survival instincts they'd developed at the Mutant Underground and beyond were screaming. They hadn't had time to process or explore their issues and new environment. It was to be expected.

And at the end of the day, James agreed. A terrorist group ran the island and he wasn't naive enough to believe this would satisfy the Quiet Council. Magneto alone aspired to global power, considering Princess Wanda’s reality. It'd take very little to whip the mutants of the island into a frenzy if he decided to actualize that reality and with all the frantic motivation of a homeland and new, experimental power combinations behind them, Magneto would turn the world on its head. And that was just what he knew; with the ethical limitations of their brand of freedom fighting non-existent, any number of dark, underhanded plots could be boiling in the Council.

As the inevitable and endless bickering started up, James couldn’t help but chuckle at Max’s outburst. “Don’t worry, Max. One in four dudes suffer the same problem. Stress has that effect sometimes.” James offered before turning to more serious matters. “Guys, it’s been all of two hours since you’ve woken up. Yes, the Hellfire club runs this place and yes, they have a nasty habit of violently ruining everything for us eventually. But can’t this discussion wait until you’ve had a few days to process and relax? I know it's not a luxury we’ve had but Sunshine, Jack, and I have been up for three or four months already and we’re not being manipulated into anything, we’re not being forced to do anything we don’t want to, so I think a few days of just downtime isn’t unreasonable. Anything you decide on is going to be based on what you woke up from because for you guys, that was yesterday but the situation has changed, where we are and what’s going on is entirely different from the terrorist act we tried to prevent.” James sighed.

“And we went for a long time honestly believing you guys would never be able to wake up. I bothered them a lot about the process, about the cryostasis, about the challenges of maintaining you guys and waking you guys up. I’m grateful they were as honest about it as they were but until a month ago, maybe a little bit less, I honestly believed you guys were never waking up. It was just dumb luck that you guys did.” James stared around the room, his fingers tapping anxiously. “I just think everyone needs a moment to get their feet under them. Do whatever you want, check out the island or hide away and sulk or just chill and talk, but everyone should have a chance to take some time before any decisions are made.”

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Zari listened in as Sunshine explained somewhat what the Academy or whatever it was, and how people shared knowledge using telepathy or whatever. It was a bit odd, she wasn't too sure what to really say in response or whatever. That sort of thing wasn't something that she really cared about though. Using her powers in conjunction with others was not something she really cared about doing, preferring to just sort of be by herself with her powers, well by herself with her two robots, that was all that mattered to her really.

Jack was fairly quiet as they left the area and then headed towards the apartment, figuring that soon they'd be able to talk about everything that has happened currently. Since aside from a few questions about Genosha and what it was like, the others weren't really saying much with regards to the situation or whatever. Of course, as soon as they reached the apartment everyone was talking at once about whether or not the Hellfire Club could be trusted, which was definitely an interesting question to keep in mind really.

She instantly went over to sort of look out the window, Zari was glad that they seemingly had a place to stay currently, so that was something. The others were starting to converse about what they could do or really should do with regards to everything. "...I don't really care either way, this place seems cool. And personally why not give it at least somewhat a chance with regards to everything?" she finally said. She wasn't saying much more than that, since she had her own reasons for wanting to stick around on Genosha, she had a prophecy to deal with after all.

The conversations around him were interesting as people were discussing how best to go along with everything that was happening. "Maybe take a few deep breaths, if you think something might be wrong here, then maybe stick around to see how everything is ran. That's always the best way to get some info, if you want to figure out if something is amiss. Just saying..." Jack commented, though there was something that he wasn't telling the others. Truthfully he didn't fully trust this place, but he was keeping his mouth shut currently about it since he was truthfully trying to figure out everything about the island while he was there.

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Miranda watched as the group more or less took off leaving, walking away from the stage, likely back to their apartment to talk about everything that was happening at the moment. There were a few other things she really wanted to see about doing currently, one involved a bit of a phone call. It was going to probably not really be an actual conversation, but it was one that she really wanted. She wanted to at least be able to hear one of her children's voices, even if they didn't really know that she was there, or who was on the other end of the line really.

Reaching back home to Magneto's palace, which she hadn't mentioned really to the remnants of the Mutant Underground that it was where she lived. They'd find out soon enough, but no matter, she wandered over to a chair and took a seat, pulling out her phone and flipping to a number, before hitting the dial button. "It'll be fine... Maybe you can actually say something this time..." she muttered to herself, waiting to hear (hopefully) the sound of someone picking up the phone. Miranda heard a click as someone answered.

"Hello?" a voice came on the other end.

She was about to say something, but couldn't find the words to really say. What all could she say really? There was no way she could just tell him who she really was. They'd never met before, aside from the one time when Wanda had warped reality. She didn't know how he would potentially react to her telling him the truth.

"Hello? Anyone there?"

Miranda remained silent on the phone, and eventually there was a sound of the guy grumbling a bit about scam calls or something, before there was a click and the line went dead, and she hung up the phone too. She knew that she needed to maybe reach out and try talking to her kids, both of them, but her mind kept telling her that no matter what, they were probably better off without her.

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Andy sat awkwardly trying to find a place in the group. She ended up standing at the edge, leaning against a wall. Did she have a right to be in the room with this group? They had, for the most part, been working together longer than the time between when they got frozen and now. She looked down at her feet.

"I think I'll give it some time." She said quietly. Andy only included herself in what she said. She didn't want to insult the group, well maybe Havok. Andy wanted to give Genosha a chance. She was still staring at her feet. "I'm not ready to deal with humans again. Not after..." She trailed off. Did she mean the fight in DC, or the death of her adoptive parents? Even she wasn't certain.

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Veil tensed ever so slightly as Max began flexing his powers, creating the magical barrier to protect all of them. It was an involuntary reaction, purely born out of witnessing previous attempts where Max tried to push his powers too far. She had known a lot of mutants like him over the years, those who set their sights on huge impossible feats and could never master the little things - the little things that really made all the difference when it came to life and death. But... maybe that wasn't something they needed to worry about here. Maybe this was a place where it was okay for Max to be a little extra when it came to expressing his powers - a place where powers didn't have to be treated as weapons and assets.

"Why would they spy on us?" Sunshine asked defensively. "This isn't a place ran by stupid flatscans - we're free here, no one's going to spy on us, no one's going to hurt us. I get it, you all just got here, but I promise, this is the good place," she argued. "If they wanted to hurt us, we'd be dead already. So, there." She hadn't seemed very phased by Max's little explosion - if anything, it looked like his mini fit had made her nostalgic.

"Oww, can we keep the volume down? My ears feel like virgins after being on ice for so long," Casper complained, sticking his fingers in his ears for dramatic effect - even though it meant he had to let go of James' hand temporarily. "Ooo, I wonder what else of me feels like a virgin..."

"Casper," Ben groaned.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Ben, I clearly meant my asshole!"

"... How is that any different than what I didn't want you to say?" Ben asked, confused and a little grossed out by all of this - it was definite TMI.

"I thought you were thinking about my dick," Casper explained.

"... Just stop it!"

Veil wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry, or sigh - Casper was a lot pretty much all of the time and it was beginning to dawn on her how very ~go with the flow~ he was. He pretty much just coasted through life, letting himself end up in weird new situations without a lot of conscious choice. It made sense to her that he was so ready to accept Genosha - he already had accepted other things, like even the Mutant Underground. Her attention shifted to her brother and his words - they felt like a brand. They brought up a deep sense of shame, as if he had been speaking directly to her, rather than everyone else.

"You also have me, asshole," Sunshine pointed out to Echo, irritated he had focused on the guys and not included her.

"Yeah, because when I look at you, Plague Doctor, I feel so fucking reassured," Havok muttered. "Also, what do we even know about you?" he added, staring at Jack. "Or even you?" he said, turning his gaze to James. "We barely knew either of you before all of this. And now, who even knows if you're still the same - or if you've become as fucked up and twisted as the rest of the Hellfire Club."

"... I like the exploring idea," Casper chimed in, supporting his beau as always.

Sunshine snapped her fingers after what Andy said - not in a mean way, more of a signal for going 'yass bae' more or less.

" ... Okay. I'm fine with staying for a little bit - goodness knows we all could use a break," Veil admitted. "Havok, if you --"

Havok cut Veil off. "I'll stay - if only to prove to you that this place isn't paradise, it's hell."

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Magneto was off with the Quiet Council, attending to matters of state. However, that didn't mean that Miranda had the place to herself. There was another person who lived at the House of M - Lorna Dane aka Polaris, Magneto's daughter. Lorna was wearing a green and black dress with an X motif. Her green hair had grown out to be long, rather than the short cropped look she had gone for before. She hesitated a moment, before walking right up to Miranda, a bit of fear in her face. "Miranda... I need your help..." Polaris admitted.

"... I'm late..."

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Callie watched as Max started to use his magic to make the room a little bit more secure for all of them which was good thing then and they could have private conversations without being spied on. She listened to the others as they said their thoughts, Sunshine already had her mind made up, maybe this place was actually good. But she could only really see the bad that the Hellfire Club had done, they were the ones who killed the Morlocks after all in the first place.

Though they all have spent years fighting and hiding as well to, and this was probably the only time that they could get some time to breathe James did make a good point on that. "I'm alright with taking some downtime and learn more about this place then I guess." Callie said, though she was going to still be on her toes a lot of the time, she trusted the people around her, just not the people on the island just yet. Callie turned to laugh slightly at Casper as he spoke to Ben and shook his head slightly, her friend was always a go with the flor type a lot of the time anyway.

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"I'm fine with staying around seeing what this place has to offer." Kristina said, she was outed as a mutant now anyway and knew that she couldn't go back to DC and go back to classes like nothing happened now at this point. She watched as Max used his powers to ward the place off, so that they could be protected from telepaths and other magic users. She didn't know Max all that well really as he complained about the use of his magic sometimes going haywire and messing up. "Maybe try to relax sometime and not be super flashy all the time Harry Potter." Kristina said teasingly as she looked over at Sunshine.

"If you could sometime show me that academy place or whatever later?" Kristina asked Sunshine, she was curious and wanted to use her powers more freely here as well to. Being a mutant in DC wasn't fun at all really having to hide who you are for the most part and avoiding stores and restaurants that had mutant detectors inside of them. She listened as everyone else continued to talk and give their thoughts about this place as well to.

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Waverley's lips jutted out as she waited for an answer to her lunch inquiry, dropping her arm from her stomach when it seemed no one was going to comment. For her, the decision was pretty much made up for the time being, and the idea of food was much more appealing than the idea of continuing a discussion in which she had already decided her side. Much like Veil, Waverley tensed up at Max's magic, though for different reasons. Part of her prepared to lash out with a sonic blast in case this was when Max finally snapped, but when the magical light instead created some sort of shield around the inner walls of the apartment, she relaxed. So much so she snorted a little at James' joke.

"I think there's a spell for that...try Accio Viagra," she added, unable to fight of the smirk that overtook her face. It faltered, though, when Havok began pointing fingers at those of them who'd awoken early. She stepped towards him, hoping to cash in on any good will she'd earned by checking on him earlier to calm him down. "Dude, if you really think you're in a country of enemies, treating your friends like shit is probably a bad call," she warned, before letting out a sigh. It seemed like a decision had been made. With a hopeful tone in her voice, she added, "Soooo...a yes to staying, and a maybe to food?"