[IC] The Uncanny X-Men: The Next Evolution

[Lord Wraith]

---

---

T H E U N C A N N Y X - M E N:

^{T H E N E X T E V O L U T I O N}

---

---

^{| GMs: Lord Wraith & Hillan | Genre: Fandom, Superhuman, Modern Fantasy | Type: Sandbox with Linear Elements |}

[Hillan]

---

---

September 2016

^{Somewhere off the coast of Scotland...}

---

---

Rain poured on the Blackbird, droplets streaming over the windshield as the VTOL engines blasted the ground while the jet began to land. In the distance, the stone castle stood looming over the empty land, its long shadow casting darkness over the jet and its occupents. From the belly of the vessel, a landing ramp descended with the subtle hiss of hydraulics followed by a small 'THUD' as it impacted with the ground.

Emerging from the aircraft first came the X-Men's leader as Kurt walked onto the grass, his blue tail swishing back and forth as his amber eyes scanned the surrounding area.

"This smells like a trap." His words were plagued with a German accent that still weighed heavy on his speech even after years of living with Americans. Normally the X-Force would have been dispatched to deal with Brotherhood leads but Alex had yet to report in since the team had departed to Tibet nearly a week ago. That alone had Kurt worried but the idea of another Brotherhood Sect popping up again so soon was definitely enough to incite Robert Drake to send the X-Men into the field.

"I don't sense anyone inside." Came a male voice as James Proudstar came to a stop beside Nightcrawler.

"None the less, we go in armed." Kurt replied as he drew one of the three swords from his back. "Siryn, Warpath and Northstar, you three take point." Kurt ordered as the other X-Men began to exit the jet. "Sunspot, and Cannonball are with me. Blink and Hope, you take up the rear and ensure we can get back to the jet."

Continuing forward, the X-Men ventured into the dim castle, the setting sun casting the last few rays of sun through the stone walls. Suddenly a cry came from Blink as she dropped to the ground. Turning on point, Kurt's keen eyes scanned the darkness as something skittered through the shadows on the high walls.

"Light 'em up!" Kurt ordered as Sunspot nodded only to suddenly be dropped from behind. One after one, the X-Men dropped as they were struck from the shadows. Drawing all his swords, Nightcrawler angrily stood his ground. His jaw clenched as he surveyed the room with grim determination.

A pair of glowing eyes was the last thing he saw before his world too went black.

---

---

September 2016

^{The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning}

---

---

The sound of birds singing caused Lucas Pilgrim to stir in his slumber as the morning's first gentle rays of sun began to peek through his curtains. Outside the mansion, dark clouds hung to the western horizon, coating the grounds in a light drizzle that refracted the morning light. Jolting upright as his alarm went off, Luke shook his head before rubbing any remaining sleep out of his eyes.

Allowing his body to fall to the cold ground as he flopped out of bed, Luke caught himself in a push-up, quickly hammering out a rep of ten before jumping to his feet. With a mighty yawn and a groaned stretch, Luke made his way towards the shower, slowly dragging his heels beneath him. Dropping his pants in the middle of the room, he wrapped his lower body in bent photons should his roommate wake.

Ryan groaned as Luke's alarm went off, as the boy dropped to the floor to do push-ups, Ryan threw an empty can of monster at him. “Shut up man, some of us are trying to sleep.” He mumbled, before the second alarm went off. “Alright, I'm up, fuck” He sat up in his bed just in time to see Luke drop his pants “Shared space man, don't dat mean anyting' to you?!” Ryan shouted, throwing another can of energy drink at the teenager, hitting the door into the bathroom as it closed behind Luke. Ryan looked around the room, cans of soda and Monster scattered, cherry and Vanilla coke, the X-box controllers were on each of their night-stands they had in between their beds. The TV was still on, showing Mortal Combat X's logo.

Reaching for the remote, he turned the TV off before getting out of bed, walking to the monkeybar hanging from the room, he did twenty pull-ups while waiting for Luke to get out of the shower. “Come on now Luke, hurry up!” He shouted, picking out his outfit for the day.

Splashing his face with water, Luke looked into the mirror tracing his smooth jawline with a finger in hopes of finding some evidence of subtle. Looking away with disappointment, he grabbed his toothbrush and quickly shined up his teeth before rinsing.

"One second!" Luke called as he emerged, his hair was wetted in order to manage the mess his sleep had put it in and he was now covered by a pair of trackpants as he pulled a hoodie over his head.

"Shower so slow I was about to blow the door down." Ryan mentioned with a scoff.

"I'm going to hit the track, you want to come?" He asked looking outside as the sun fought back the ever threatening clouds.

"Sure, gimme one minute." He said, pulling off his tank-top as he walked into the bathroom, throwing his clothes into the laundry basket, the door closing behind him. He emerged two minutes later, a towel in his hand, one around his waist and another in his other hand. For a seventeen year old, all the time in the world could've been spent on making the perfect bed-head look. Puttin on a baseball T and some trackpants, he walked to put on his sneakers.

Making their way through the mansion as the other students began to stir from their slumber, Luke and Ryan burst out the backdoor onto the wet grass. Taking off with a generous boost of speed, Luke felt the warmth of the sun on his skin as the pale peach tones began to be replaced with blue as his feet hit the track.

"Three laps or five?" Luke called as he turned around into a backwards jog. "How many pancakes are we hoping to eat today?"

Ryan grinned at Luke's question. "How many can ya handle? Let's go for nine, we'll be late for breakfast." He said with a grin. "And ya think they even make enough pancakes?" He said, jogging ahead of Luke, his larger frame allowed him to put more distance into each step.

Shaking his head, Luke tore after Ryan as the taller teen passed him.

"I don't believe in such a thing as enough pancakes. And if I ever meet anyone who does I'll immediately cut them out of my life." He called as he pushed himself to catch up. "I'm a mutant, I don't need anymore negativity in my life." He said with a smirk as he pushed himself to pass Ryan.

"You're not wrong." Ryan said as he chuckled, Luke passing him. They were about one lap down the track, Luke a few steps ahead of Ryan as he pushed further ahead of Luke "Come on man, gotta go faster than that" he taunted.

"Not all of us are built with stilts for legs!" Luke called to him as he buried his head and plowed forward. Beads of sweats ran down his face as he passed Ryan again, only this time he didn't let up as he continued to run. Managing to keep his distance for another lap, Luke felt his stomach growl as he began to slow down.

Ryan grinned as Luke pushed past him, Luke was faster if he wanted to be, that sure was clear, but the other teen slowed down as Ryan caught back up to him, sweat running down his face, once he had passed Luke, he chuckled. "Watch dis." He spoke as he did a cartwheel past him, off the track and into the grass on the side to catch his breath. Despite being mutants, neither of them could run forever.

Seeing Ryan go onto the grass, Luke allowed his body to falter as he fell forward, tucking into a somersault and coming to rest on his back on the cold wet grass.

"That was colder than I expected." Luke muttered as he sat up, his breathing still slightly heavy as his stomach growled again. Looking towards the distant mansion and back to Ryan, Luke raised a mischeavous eyebrow.

"Race you to the breakfast table?" He asked with a slight smirk.

"Yep, definately a little too cool. Damn." Ryan exclaimed, annoyed that his shirt had gotten wet - thinking before acting really didn't occur to the two. Once Luke suggested another challenge Ryan knew he couldn'r resist. "I don't kno-" He said, crawling to his feet before he could finish his sentence and bolting towards the mansion.

Scrambling to his feet, Luke fell flat on his face attempting to take off after Ryan. With a mock growl, he rolled forward, landing on his feet before jumping forward into a run. Ryan's long legs had carried him quite a distance even before Luke was up to speed again, and now Luke's lungs and sides burned as he pushed himself to close the gap. Coming up alongside Ryan, Luke gave him a playful shove as he passed the older teen and continued forward. His breathing now audible as he ran.

Light shove sent him almost into another student, he quickly manouverd around, turning on his heels he lost a bit of distance from Luke, but he would catch up. Leaping over the railing to the stairs he caught back up, the dozen or so students heading to the breakfast hall was coming in. Ryan grinned "Hey Luke! Watch your step!" He shouted, as his eyes began glowing red for a second a small forcefield appearing in front of Luke's foot to make him trip.

Hitting the ground hard, Luke groaned as his hand began to glow.

"Ryan keep your eyes open!" He called as a bright flash erupted through the room, the students around them groaning with agony as many of them were barely half awake and even those who were awake were sent reeling from the flash bang. Ryan looked back for a second, chuckling as Luke fell on his face, just in time to get blinded and running right into the door, sending the large boy to the ground. Holding his face for a second he grumbled. "Surely you realize.. Dis means war" He said, quoting ancient cartoons.

Scrambling back to his feet, Luke rushed forward passing the felled teen. Sliding under the dining table, Luke came up to his feet before spinning around and landing in his usual seat beside Heidi.

"Mornin' Heidi, hope you're feeling fully charged together." He said with a playful tone knowing she'd appreciate the pun.

"If you don't mind Ryan, could you pass the syrup." Luke asked knowing full well that Ryan was still likely seeing spots.

Ryan sat down next to Allison, two seats down from Luke. Going into Allison's pocket on her jacket, he pulled out her sunglasses. "Hope you don't mind" he asked, sheepishly. Putting them onto his face, they didn't match his facial structure, but they did keep him from having a migraine. "Rough morning" He said, rubbing his head. He waved to his parents - sitting at the edge of the table.

Luke asked him for the syrup and Ryan grabbed the bottle and poured syrup onto his own pancakes, before sliding it down the table. Every fiber in his being wished he could've made the bottle explode - but alas, today was not the day that would be possible.

Chuckling at the ridiculous glasses, Luke thanked Ryan as the other teen reluctantly passed the syrup over. To be honest Luke had half expected it to be thrown at him but the timing wasn't in Ryan's favour as a hush fell over the room.

"Good morning everyone." The voice of Robert Drake rang out over the group of twenty five students. It was by far one of the smallest classes that Drake had seen outside of the original five. But alas, times were different now that Xavier was gone.

"I hope everyone's having a good morning so far, I'd hate for anyone to start the new semester on the wrong foot." He said as he continuing speaking while taking a chair at the head of the very large table. "I'm hoping this year will be as good for you as it is for me. I get the wonderful experience of seeing all of you learn, train and grow together as both friends and family. While we might be a bit of an unconventional school, I guarantee you that everyone here knows their subject matter and probably a bit more." He said with a small pause as a smile crossed his lips.

"I'd like to think our in field experience is a bit more rigorous than most." He said as some of the teachers and students chuckled. Having been a student under both Xavier and Drake, Luke could honestly say he missed Xavier. Where Drake was charming and surprisingly warm, Xavier had been inspirational and wise. But alas, things at the Institute had changed.

"And lastly," Drake's voice brought Luke's attention back to the present. "To those of you among us who are new. It's very 'ice to meet you." Drake to a combination of groans and cheers.

[FantasyChic]

Allison awoke to her radio turning on. It played an upbeat track by some up-and-coming singer. She cracked one eye open and looked around her room. The sun was shining bright as the light poured into her bedroom. She sat up on her bed and wiped the tired from her eyes. She yawned and stretched before she got up and made her bed. She walked toward the clock and turned the song off before going to the window to look outside. The sun was indeed shining brightly and it looked like today was going to be an eventful day.

She hadn't been at the school for long, at least not as long as some of the other students, but she felt that she fit in well. She was welcomed and made friends with a few of the other students. She was happy to be in a place that wouldn't freak out because she could predict a power outage days before it happened or could see there was going to be a pop quiz 5 periods before the class.

She walked towards the showers carrying her toiletry bag and her change of clothes. She was wearing an oversized T-shirt with some band on it she got when she was little from her father. She only had her underwear bottoms on underneath that. After a brisk shower she got dressed and did her make-up and hair. She put on a yellow tank-top with a light brown jacket over it, her favorite black jeans and yellow converse sneakers. After she put her face together she brushed her hair and tied it up in a ponytail. She walked back to her room, saying hello to a few of the other students she passed who were on their morning routines.

She dropped off her dirty clothes in her hamper and grabbed her sunglasses and put them in her pocket. She quickly walked down the stairs and into the dining room. A few other students were there, and she bid them a good morning, before she took her place. Shortly after she helped herself to some food, Luke and Ryan entered quickly. She imagined the two were just out trying to one-up. She looked at Ryan and felt her heartbeat go a little faster as she walked up and sat next to her. Unaware of his hand in her pocket, he grabbed her sunglasses and put them on. She looked over and giggled, "Yeah, go ahead. Pink is a really great color on you," she said playfully before Robert Drake came forward and began speaking.

Robert Drake was extremely friendly towards her, and his attempt at humor was met with groans and laughter from some people. She felt he tried to hard, but she couldn't help herself from laughing whenever he made a pun. She looked around the table at the other students there and couldn't help but feel like she was at home. That's what this school was to her now: a home.

[DrewVonAwesome]

Hearing the alarm clock ringing from his smart phone Darren groaned as he got up and seriously considered just going back to bed. He was out and about with a few other students hitting up spots in downtown NYC. Darren was more videotaping for the others than actually skating himself. Still considering they got back at around 4 am Darren wasn't thrilled about the early wake up time for something, while delicious considering pancakes are involved. Will be a bit boring and possibly a bit awkward considering the school's overall feelings on him. Sounds like a breakfast for only the most championshiped of champions.

Practically stabbing the snooze button on his smart phone with his index finger. Darren sighed deciding to just ignore breakfast and get a few more winks in before the day would start properly beginning.

Will hadn't set an alarm. He had spent time at the school over the summer but that was more living in house than actual school. He had been disturbed by Darrens late, or was it early? Return however hadn't paid it much notice. Even he needed some sleep. However as Darrens alarm clock woke up a large gust of wind pushed his bedsheets off him in conjunction with him throwing his hands in the air. He thrust his abdomen into the air before pulling it back down, throwing himself out of bed in a somersault, cushioning his landing as to not disturb anyone that may be in the room below them.

Turning to Darren he went to speak, mouth half open his face turned to a scowl when he noticed the actual student didn't even seem to be planning to get out of bed. Opening his mouth he took a deep breath, gathering it into his chest he blew it out again as a chill wind that blew Darrens sheets off. "Wake up lazeybones."

Humming in a warm snuggly delight the pleasure very quickly as suddenly a chilly gust of wind. Sending his blanket and sheets off the front of the bed and straight into Darren's face. Causing Darren to shake in bed flopping the blanket and sheet off of his face and back down onto the front of the bed. "Dude come on, seniority calls for you not doing that." Darren groaned not sounding like he was taking his own statement that hard. He had teased Will he was going to play the senority card like a fiddle, but in reality he didn't want the guy to have a rough experience.

"Okay okay I'm up... at least you didn't launch the air into my mouth like you did last week." Darren grumbled as he finally started to slide off the side of the bed. Clad in a surf t-shirt and his black boxer briefs. Trying to wake himself up with a vigirous face rubbing. Shaking his head and letting his blond hair swing back and forth.

"That was training. That was different, that's like blaming me for... uh. That guys ick-or stuff. Not my fault." He spun himself around as he began looking for clothes. "D'you want the shower first? I'm not much of a shower person. I suppose they're good to get you cleeeaaan. Better than baths anyway." He shuddered. "Anyway what was I talking about?"

"Yeah, take the shower. Then do you want to head for a run? I hear that some of the other kids go for a run before they head to breakfast. It's good for you, especially as it gets you out in the fresh air. Gotta love that cool morning breeze!" He flashed a slightly mischevhious smirk at Darren. "Right?"

Shaking his head Darren reached behind himself, grabbing one of his pillows before throwing it at William. "Man shut up..." He said with a slight chuckle. Of course he didn't mind the idea of a morning jog, good way to get a wake up. "Go ahead man. I can wait." Darren said to William as he started to get his toiletries from the nightstand next to his bed. Giving himself time to wait by turning on the large old CRT TV in their room and his Nintendo 64. Which he was lucky to have found with some games at a thrift store not that long ago for about 20 bucks.

Starting up some WCW/NWO Revenge Darren leaned back into bed as he patiently waited on William. Just mindlessly thinking about the day and year to come as he set a four way battle royal with Bret Hart, Mayan Inca King, Glacier, and Van Hammer for funsies. He wasn't looking that forward to the big breakfast, even considering pancakes were involved. The best kind of cakes... well maybe not fully but still. It was being around people who don't like him for the way he used to be. It always left him in a seriously difficult spot, he has to show he can be a better man. But getting cold shoulders and hate glares was tiring. Sometimes Darren had to bite his tongue and not say what was the first thing that came to his head. That was what old Darren did, and thats what got Darren in trouble. He felt like between his dumb powers, all the horrible things that have happened to the school, and the justifiable hate towards him. The year to come was going to be a tough one.

After Darren got his needed shower and woke up, he got dressed for a morning jog. Which he spotted Ryan and Luke doing from a small distance doing while he was out. The first thought that came to Darren’s head, and he knows his not the only one. Was wondering when Ryan and Luke were going to cut the rivalry stuff, and just make out already. After that Darren slipped back to his room with William, changing into a hoodie over the shirt he slept in, and a pair of jeans with a fancy pair of flip flops. Even in the dead of winter Darren was not one to wear normal shoes.

Slipping down to the dining room Darren patted Allison on the shoulder as he took a seat next to her opposite from Ryan and Luke, only giving them a very brief nod of the head in acknowledgment. Not at all meant as an insult or undermining them or anything. More because he knows where he stood with them, especially Ryan, and just be smart for now to stay out of their business. He listened to Bobby say the customary greeting to everyone as well as YET ANOTHER ice pun. Darren only shaking his head in quiet shame. "Man, these hack comics are ruining open mic night." Darren joked with a small grin that slowly faded as he got situated. Turning over to Allison as he started preparing his breakfast. “Well I know technically this is more your thing...” He started with Allison sighing a bit as he started preparing his food. “But man, just not feeling that great about this year... I don’t know what it is. Something is just nagging me right now.” Darren said as he grabbed a strawberry syrup bottle from nearby.

[Hillan]

Bobby's speech was excellent. The guy wasn't as fatherly as Charles, but since Cyclops - Xavier's protege is on location unknown, Drake had to step up to the plate. Ryan liked the guy, he was a little more 'hip' than the other teachers and proctors, and he did understand the struggle a lot of mutants went through. But it was clear that he after all did find it challenging to fill the hole left by Charles, and the sorrow of the loss of his old friends, Scott, Jean and Logan sure did weigh on him. During his speech, Ryan was eying his parents, his mother, Rogue chuckled at Bobby's joke, Remy gritted his teeth, to avoid saying anything. His father's eyes met his and in a silent moment they communicated.

This year was gonna be different than the others, his father was worried about something. Something he wasn't talking about. And it irked Ryan. It irked him a lot.

He had registered Allison's comment, but he didn't wanna respond during Bobby's speech, so he took off her glasses and put them on her head. "I know I look good in them - but you look better in them." He grinned, his black and red eyes meeting the world again without protection, still sore from the overexposure at the hands of Luke a few moments earlier. He missed Darren when he sat down, but quickly nodded in his direction upon seeing him. Sure, the guy was a punk - and not the cool kind, but he didn't do much harm.

He didn't enjoy syrup on his pancakes, but took them with whipped cream and jam - syrup was too sweet for him. Which was ironic, considering the amount of soda and energy drinks he consumed. Five pancakes where placed on his plate from the tray at their table, and he ate at a calm pace - he was a sophisticated young man - not an animal. He drank water and had a few slices of bread on the side, not really making too much conversation. He didn't really need it - and besides, he was nursing a headache.

[Hey Im Jordan]

Nathaniel Nicholas Anderson IV
Location: His room
Interacting with: Hollie -- @Pirouette

---

There was an alarm set in the room, but Nathan quietly turned it off whenever Hollie happened to be there, considering it the polite thing to do. Besides, by this point, he woke up on his own at the time it was meant to scream: 6:45 in the morning. As Nathan’s eyes opened to the lowlight of the sun peering into his--their, more or less--room, he resisted the urge to yawn widely, not wanting to disturb the girl next to him. He liked when she slept over, for a multitude of reasons, but he had learned one thing since they’d gotten together: Hollie needed to be woken up for breakfast, or they’d both be late and it just… didn’t look good.

After all, Nathan and Hollie both were meant to be paragons of good behavior, and he was for the most part with the nights that Hollie snuck in or he snuck to hers being his major slip up--but that was a secret. At least it was to the other students, Nate knew deep down that the teachers definitely knew what was going on, but for the most part, the sleeping together was in the clear. Besides, the teachers weren’t so ruthless to pick on them for it, at least not yet.

Nathan slipped out of the bed after placing a gentle kiss on Hollie’s forehead before he got down on the floor and set to his early morning routine: 75 push-ups and 80 sit-ups. Normally, there was a run involved, but never when Hollie was over. Nathan didn’t want to disturb her by opening and closing the door. Nathan let himself into the bathroom and hopped into the shower for what was meant to be a quick, brief rinse to get the sweat off of him, but ended up lasting much longer than that, almost 25 minutes as he spaced out while the hot water pounded on his body, thinking about many different things. The first day of school. How many new students would there be? He was sure there wouldn’t be many, not with the recent incidents. More curious to him was how Bobby Drake would handle the introductory speech given every year. Probably well, but Nathan knew he couldn’t handle another speech without Xavier. He decided then and there that he and Hollie could be late to the breakfast, and he’d simply accept the fall.

He didn’t want to get overly emotional in front of everyone.

The water stopped and he steed out of the shower, pausing in front of the steamed up mirror. Nathan reached an arm out and wiped some of it off, staring at his reflection for a minute before he held out his left hand; his dominant one. In his mind, the armory opened and he summoned the bow, instantly feeling the weight on his mind as the weapon appeared in his hand, the quiver hanging off of his back. It lasted only a few seconds before he dismissed, opting not to hold it for too long.

Every day, he was amazed by what the mind could do. By what his mind could do, more specifically. He wasn’t sure what his upper limits were, but he felt that he grew stronger every day, better every day. The training was paying off, and he hoped that soon enough he’d get an invitation to join the X-Men, which was the only thing he’d wanted since the day he’d met the team. To help people like them was a dream for Nathan, all he wanted to do was protect the mutants who could--or in some situations, wouldn’t--protect themselves. Unfortunately, he wasn’t on the team yet. All in due time, though. They could only deny his skill for so long before they gave him a trial period, or something. Most likely, he knew the reason they weren’t letting him on the team was his lack of interest in his telepathy ability.

Sighing, he left the bathroom and checked the clock. 7:45. If Hollie showered, they’d be kind of late. At least late enough to miss the speech.

Good.

Nathan walked over to his sleeping girlfriend and placed a hand on her shoulder, lightly shaking her. “Hollie,” he whispered gently, wondering if it would be better to just let her sleep peacefully. She looked especially cute like this, he had to admit, “wake up. It’s breakfast time. We’re already kind of late. Sorry. Take your time, though. If there isn't much food left when we get there, I'll take you somewhere nice for dinner."

[Heathen]

Danny Green

---

---

The red haired boy was usually the first one awake out of most of the students at the Institute. He was never one for sleeping in and actually enjoyed watching the sun rise along with tending to the garden out back. Danny had only been at the school for about year and he already felt like this was his home. Of course he missed his parents and got homesick like most kids did, but the atmosphere of the school was something he had grown accustomed to. Knowing there were others here like him where he could be himself without fear of prejudice was like a dream come true for him.

Danny made sure to grab a quick drink of water that he kept on his nightstand. He did this first thing in the morning as he woke up looking a little green from having no sunlight or water for 8 hours. When this first happened it obviously frightened him, but now it was quite normal. After his natural color came back into his skin from drinking an entire glass of water, he got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to get ready.

After taking a quick shower in his bathroom, he walked out into his room with a towel around his waist. Along his nightstand and window sill were rows of plants that he kept. It wasn't exactly a forest in his room but it was more plants that an average person would keep. His room was clean and tidy so it didn't appear to be a cluttered mess. Grabbing some clothes he laid out on his chair he put threw them on and and looked into his mirror to adjust everything. Today he was going to show off his love for Queen Bee by wearing one of her black concert shirts along with some skinny jeans and a green beanie. He adjusted it on top of his head to make sure it was on right, his bright red hair sticking out covering the top of his forehead. He didn't feel like being all dressy today as the weather called for a casual look.

Danny stepped out quietly not to disturb his sleeping classmates and made his way outside into the greenhouse that was next to the garden to watch the sunrise. As it did, the rays kissed his skin ever so gently as he felt his body start to revitalize and feel the best it could be. It wasn't the brightest sun at the moment since it was battling clouds and drizzle, but anything helped. For the next few minutes, he just walked around the rows of flowers and vegetation to make sure everything was growing correctly. The campus had already been beautiful when he first arrived but since he's been here, he made it look even more spectacular. Most of the new plants, trees, and vegetation was grown thanks in part to Danny. A lot of the fruits and vegetables that were in the mansion's kitchen were grown right in this very garden for students and faculty alike to enjoy. It wasn't asked that he did these activities but rather he just took the initiative and was appreciated for it. Other minor things he did was ask the teachers if they could have some recycling bins for appropriate management of waste products. Some of the students didn't take it lightly that they were being told how to throw away trash but it helped the school stay clean and positive. So they can get over it.

It wasn't before long that some of the male students came out for their morning run as if on cue. It wasn't a bad thing that he got a view of attractive guys taking their job even though most of them were the typical dude-bro-thick-in-the-head jock types. He loathed those types when he first attended public high school but learned to deal with it as they weren't all that bad. Knowing that those boys would soon run into the dinning room and eat everything in sight, it was Danny's cue to head inside for the big welcome breakfast. Saying hello to some passing students, he managed to make his way into the dining room where others were already sat down and took a seat quietly on the other side of Allison. She was practically his best friend here and someone that kept him from going insane.

"Morning," Danny said with a smile to the others who were already there. Looking forward, he noticed there were a stack of pancakes that were for vegans like himself and helped himself to a couple. Soon after everyone had arrived, Bobby gave his usual introduction followed by one of his ice puns that were either a hit or miss. Danny couldn't help but try to hide a smile behind his hand that was covering his mouth as he was chewing. Bobby was like that cool uncle that you had that tried to be hip and cool but ended up being cringeworthy. Nevertheless he was still a cool person.

The red haired boy noticed the withered flowers that were in a glass vase next to the stack of pancakes that stood in front of him at the center of the table. With a slight wave of his hand, the flowers that were slumped over were now standing up with the color returning to their petals almost instantly looking as if they were brand new. With a smile of accomplishment, he looked down to continue eating his vegan pancakes.

[Sep]

Will wasn't one for showers, in and out. Standing in the middle of the room he clasped his hands together and focused on pushing all the air out from his body. He was pushed off the ground for a split second before he fell back to the ground, water splattered everywhere... but he truly didn't dry off. He sighed as he grabbed a towel off the rack, muttering to himself as he dried himself off. He looked around the room at the water splattered everywhere and shrugged as he donned his usual outfit and walked out the room before looking at Darren. "You're up, I'll catch you after my run!" With that he took off down the corridor, running with surprisingly light footsteps, dodging around the less awake students in his beeline for the exit apologising as he brushed the shoulder of a couple of people before pushing himself out of the front door.

Smirking he pushed his hands behind, as a gust of wind pushed him forwards (and anyone behind him backwards). He was no speedster, in no way was he faster than a speeding bullet, but with the use of his abilities he could get up to reasonable speed. Without them he was outpaced by the more athletic students. He jumped over the small wall at the front of the property seeing a flash of red out the corner of his eye in the direction of the greenhouse, he threw a wave in the direction suspecting Danny was in the garden but whether or not he saw the actual wave was open for debate. There was so much open space here, he had only been at Xaviers for a couple of months during the summer after his mum let him come here, but he already loved the freedom of space and the ability to use his powers on the grounds... under the condition that he didn't do any damage.

Doing a quick lap before finally growing tired he basically stumbled up the front steps back into the mansion and back into his room. He nodded at Darren as he went into the shower room, shaking himself off and making sure he smelt as fresh as possible. Today was the day after all where the actual school days started. Impatient and eager he hurried out the door again down to breakfast. He was taken aback for a second, a frown on his face, when he noticed Nathan wasn't downstairs yet. Neither was Hollie, how comes they were always late compared to everyone else?

He greeted all the people he knew as they came in before sitting himself nearer the edge of one of the tables. Sure he knew people but he couldn't just go sitting beside them, and he was a bit too nervous to ask if he could sit next to them. Darren eventually came down and sat next to Allison blabbing something about expecting it to be a bad year before Robert Blake gave them all a welcoming greeting. Being unused to the ice humour Will laughed a little too hard, drawing looks his cheeks quickly turned a deep shade of red. "What? It was funny..."

[Garden Gnome]

Hedi Keller

---

Heidi woke up to the first rays of the morning sun shining in her face. As she slowly opened her eyes, she realised that either one of them must have forgotten to draw the curtains. But seeing as how her bed was the only one positioned to receive both the sun and the moonlight, she was the only one really affected by it. Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand to rid herself of the last vestiges of sleep from her person. Pulling the blanket away from her, she touched her feet on the smooth wooden floor as her energy returned to her. She was dressed in nothing more than black long-sleeved blouse and her underwear bottoms. With her room mate still asleep, Heidi began settling into her morning routine. After waking, one of the first things she did was a set of sit-ups. Thirty-five of them to be exact.

Keeping fit and staying in shape was something that she believed to be of great importance. She would usually supplement this with a few laps round the tracks, but she had decided to forgo those this morning. Done with her early morning exercise, Heidi grabbed her basic washing up necessities and headed into the toilet. As she stepped out of the shower, she took a quick glance and noticed that the mirror near the sink was all misted up like it should be. Sticking out a finger, she grinned to herself as she playfully wrote the name of her crush followed by a heart symbol on the mirror before leaving the toilet, feeling fully washed and refreshed.

Heading to her wardrobe, Heidi pulled out a olive-green jumper along with a form-fitting pair of dark-gray exercise pants that hugged her curves. Choosing to wear her long chocolate-brown hair down loose today, Heidi began to put on a basic application of make-up. She was not one to put on much cosmetics, limiting herself to no more than a simple black eyeliner and a dab of light blush, she stepped into her sneakers and left her room. Heidi had been at the school for several years now, and she'd never felt more home than anywhere else, not her home with her parents in California, and definitely not her home back in Germany. The girl had met a ton of people who she had come to like and love, especially a certain someone, a certain boy whom she first met when she had arrived at the institute. He had been exceptionally welcoming and was definitely one of the main reasons why the somewhat-foreign girl had adjusted so quickly to the school.

Heidi began to make her way to the dining area, just in time for breakfast. Today's menu was pancakes, and she smiled, knowing that it was something that Luke enjoyed. She wasn't the earliest there, but she was one of the first few. Taking her usual seat, she began scooping a healthy portion of piping-hot pancakes onto her plate before squeezing a generous portion of maple syrup onto her breakfast. Luke and Ryan made their presence known soon enough as they entered the dining area. Just by glancing at the state they were in, Heidi knew that the two of them had been at it again, just like always. She had been classmates with the two of them since she had entered the institute, and those two had been at it since day one. As Luke took a seat next to her, followed by a greeting, she gave him a grin as she answered him, beaming. "Oh, I'm positively recharged!" know that he would appreciate the pun, all the same. Her words were still accented by the tinge of her natural German accent, but it was not where as pronounced as it was when she first arrived in the USA.

When Luke's attention was focused elsewhere, mostly on Ryan, Heidi discreetly lifted a couple of pancakes from her plate onto his plate, hoping that he wouldn't notice. She knew how much he enjoyed his pancakes. Bobby Drake started speaking soon enough, giving everyone gathered at the breakfast table his morning speech. As the Iceman ended with a pun of his own, a series of groans and cheers rose into the air, with Heidi raising her hand to cheer and clapping in acknowledgement of the pun made, giggling as she did so.

[An Outsider]

William Irving
The Outsider

The Mansion Roof

The cold, pre-dawn rain felt good upon the puckered, raw skin of William's face. The icy, heaven-sent droplets massaged the tortured flesh in a way no mere man made ointment or cream ever could. The mutant teen always sweltered in the sun thanks to the heavy clothes he had to wear, and his mask misted in the snow or the metal grew too frozen to touch, but the rain? He loved the rain.

Unfortunately he could only ever really enjoy it at times like now, when the rest of the school slept sound in their beds, dreamily dreading the cries of their alarm clocks and breakfast calls. Through the day William had to always be on guard, careful of draining too much energy from those around him, of losing control of the careful filters on his powers and hurting those closest to him, or of dropping his mask and letting the world see just what a monster he had become. During the night he could be himself though.

Just like a real vampire he smiled wryly.

Like Quasimodo atop Notre Dame, William had claimed the high places of the world as his sanctuary, the places where he could go to be alone and mask-less, with little fear of judgement. He whiled away the lonely nights perched upon the mansion's roofs, an easy enough place to reach for someone with agility like him, with the added benefit that no one but those able to fly could reliably follow him, and even if they did it took him mere seconds to afix his mask and hide his shame once more.

In the distance the sun had broached the dim horizon, and was beginning to wash the world in a pale, golden dawn. He watched it dutifully, taking no real joy from the beauty of the sight. Some people could go their whole lives without seeing a sunrise. Others made a point of getting up with the sun just to enjoy it's magnificence. Not so William. He watched the daybreak like it was his charge, a responsibility that he just couldn't shirk. As long as he could watch that sunrise then there was hope that things could get better.

That's the idea, according to Hank at least. And if there's anyone more qualified on how to deal with being a monster than me, I guess it's the giant blue cat person.

The other students would be starting to rouse themselves soon, so William slipped his mask back on. The inside smelt stale, metallic, and uncomfortably familiar. Instead of climbing back down from the roof however he began to strip of his greatcoat and undershirt. He then folded them, wrapped them in a towel he'd brought up for that exact purpose, then placed them upon the ground. They'd probably still get damp, but he wasn't bothered unduly. I nearly killed my first love when I got too 'excited' and the world didn't end, so I doubt wearing a wet t-shirt's gonna start Armageddon. The masked mutant began to compose his breathing, before slowly slipping into the first of his stretches.

Piotr had taught him the stretches, at the urging of Bobby Drake. They were all designed to increase his speed, athleticism and flexibility, and especially geared towards developing a more acrobatic fighting technique that would allow him to one day be a more effective X-man. William wasn't especially interested in fighting, nor did he wish to become a X-man, but Drake and his school had given the vampire a home, and the least he could do was to try and meet Bobby halfway.

So he moved from one form to the next, supple limbs sliding gracefully into familiar patterns, elegant movements resembling something closer to a dance than the violent, confrontation ending maneuvers they could become. Faster and faster he became, the dance becoming more complex as it aged, leaps and twirls and pirouettes being incorporated into the exceedingly advanced caper, his balance always excellent and his form always flawless. The dance lead him out upon the balustrade around the roof, stones wet and greasy from the rain. The drop off the side was sudden, and any normal person would think more than twice about even stepping close to that precarious, probably fatal fall, but William didn't didn't falter. He gave no hint to acknowledging the needless peril he was placing himself in. His footing was sure, his focus sublime. If he felt nerves at all then he didn't show them.

He leapt into the air, back arched and leg kicked high, his foot scraping the sky like a ballerina, and for a moment everything was perfection. He forgot his troubles, his cold past, his bleak future. Body and mind came together in perfect harmony, nothing existing outside the there and the then. He was nothing but the dance.

It was, in a word, heaven.

But heaven isn't for the likes of me. I may strive for it, but cold reality will always reach out to lay claim to me once more.

Gravity reasserted itself, as it always does, and he came down hard, too hard, his foot losing traction upon the stones of the balustrade. He swung his arms wildly, desperately trying to reaffirm his balance, but with a sickening lurch his footing shot out from underneath him and he knew this was it. He closed his eyes, willing a quick end.

He hit the roof hard, squawking like a plucked chicken.

He lay there for a moment, panting in the wet, his body sore and his side screaming from the bad landing. It could have been worse though. If he had fallen to his left instead of his right he would have plunged straight over the side of the building, and ended up as no more than a bloody smear upon the mansion grounds. He rolled to his knees to peer over the balustrade at the paving stones far below. Yeah, he definitely wouldn't have been getting back up from that one.

"Still alive. . ." He muttered to himself.

It only surprised him a little how disappointed he sounded.

---

The Dining Room

"What? It was funny..."

He'd decided to shower after his fall, and due to this William had missed the big speech, though he didn't reckon that as much of a loss. Bobby Drake was nice enough, but he lacked Xavier's talent for inspirational public speeches, a fact that he tried to make up for with bad jokes. Usually ice puns. Incredibly old, tired, overused ice puns.

"I'm willing to bet it really wasn't." William said, his voice surprisingly deep and sonorous for his slight figure, though it was muffled somewhat and giving a metallic edge by the mask. He slid into the seat opposite the younger Will. "Morning kid. Excited for your big day?" William Alexander had joined Xavier's at the start of the summer, though this was to be his first school year, and if the masked mutant knew the younger boy half as well as he thought he did then he was willing to bet the aerokinetic couldn't wait to kick everything off.

If anyone thought it obscene that they contented themselves with the pancakes on offer while William broke his fast upon his fellows very own psionic energy then they were kind enough not to mention it.

[Pirouette]

Hollie Hollens had quite the summer. Her father was really trying to be Hollie's dad and he was finally appearing comfortable with Hollie's identity and status as a mutant. Even better was that he finally met Hollie's beloved Nathan! It wasn't as fantastic as Hollie had dreamed, as her father was obviously still uncomfortable with mutants, specifically Nate. It was likely that he still needed time, especially because a lot of people feared the worst that mutants had to offer. Clearly her father did not like the telepathy-mind stuff as that was the greatest offense that the previous two villainous mutants had committed. It was possible, Hollie's dad feared that Nate was controlling her or something but Hollie constantly assured him that she wasn't controlled. There was no way she could be controlled to be as blessed as this. Especially now when mister man was right next to the slumbering Hollie...

Slightly disturbed from her slumber by a gentle summons, Hollie groggily shifted her body underneath the covers with a long nosy inhale. She kept her eyes closed but she bravely sent her hand out from the warmth of the covers to respond to her lover's call. She gently placed her hand on his and gingerly rubbed her fingers across the the back of the man's hand. "Mmm... Alright." Hollie muttered with a satisfied smile on a her face. How could she be this lucky?

As Nathan's gentle words sank in, Hollie's smile cracked even wider as she finally opened her eyes and turned to her boyfriend. She giggled quietly at his offer for dinner, amused at the prospect. "A dinner with you or a breakfast with them... Well then, I hope there isn't anything left." Lucky, indeed. Hollie rolled to the side of the bed and slipped out from under the covers exposing herself to the cool chill of the air-conditioned room. She shivered slightly from the shock as she was naked to the artificial breeze. Hollie slowly slid to the side of the bed and got to her feet, before quickly turning to face her boyfriend. He was much taller than her but she got up on her tiptoes to give her enough reach to kiss him delicately on the lips for a brief moment before pulling away.

Appearing satisfied with her sneak attack, she gave Nathan a poke in the chest, biting her lip with a grin, before strutting off towards the bathroom. "You should probably head down there now." She called behind her as she crossed the room. The thought had crossed her mind that if both of them showed up at the same time this morning in front of everyone, that would rouse quite a bit of suspicion to the couple's "late night activities." It was best that they didn't know because as of right now, nothing was stopping them. She entered the bathroom but turned around, "Wouldn't want everyone to see us suspiciously show up at the same time this morning." She gave her boyfriend a wink before closing the door and beginning the process of cleaning herself up.

After the job was done, Hollie donned the proper attire for the first day of school, a semi-casual outfit, opting for a dresser black skirt to match white blouse. She, then, set out for the dining room. In all honesty, she wasn't overly enthusiastic about coming back for another year. She was too eager to move on with her life and try to move onto bigger and better things. Of course she did consider the possibility of her future here, but somehow it didn't feel like the right calling.

Hollie eventually made it to the dining room where everyone was sitting and having breakfast. Apparently she missed the opening speech but thank goodness she didn't have to endure the "ice pun" and the awkward conversation that usually followed. Hollie would obviously sit down next to Nathan, wherever he sat. It was still kind of too early for pleasantries but Hollie gave every that noticed her a half-heartened smile as her greeting, but for the most part, it was just another first day so it wasn't a big deal.

[Sep]

Will turned to William with a look of shock, waving the piece of pancake that was on his fork threateningly as he spoke. "Excuse me, funny is in the eye of the beholder. I am the holder, so it was funny." He burst into a wide mouthed smile, unable to hold onto his serious demeanor for long. He put the piece of pancake in his mouth and swallowed it, he still stood by that whoever did the group meals here really could cook. There was the ability to cook your own meals if you so wished, though he chose to opt out of beans and toast. On the topic of school, that was something he was interested in.

"Yeah! I mean, I've never actually been to school before. I'm sure some parts of it are as dull as it is on TV but I'm super pumped for it." He paused for a second, before realizing his own accidental joke and laughing to himself. "Though yeah, it should be good. Besides some of the classes are going to teach us how to use our powers. I don't know about you guys but I am excited for that, I mean I've been practicing but I still want to see what I can do. That way when I become the best I can be I can help people. Just like my Mum said my Dad did." He sighed as he brutally assaulted the pancake on his plate with his fork again.

"Besides watch this." Eating the pancake off his fork he put the fork beside his plate. Then spinning his hand around in a circular motion a tiny vortex appeared in the palm of his hand, with his other hand he put one of the pancakes off his plate on top and it hovered there. "Ta Da!" He looked at William with a smile on his face, but that lapse in concentration was all it took. The vortex destabilized and the pancake went flying right towards Darrens face, syrup and all.

"Yeah, it still needs a little work."

[Stein]

Llavi De La Rosa

“I think that…”

Don’t falter. That is the first rule. Commit to your heart, your mind will relay, your mouth will follow.

“I wanted to find you, find my happiness, in the sins I delved in.”

It was hard for him to swallow, finding no moistness in the arid expanse that had become his throat.

“Because, if I am honest, I did not think I would ever find redemption. For you. For me, running. For being what I am..” His voice found no purchase coming up, failing him.

Miss Frost squeezed his hand, urging him to continue. “Remember,” her voice was a cool whisper, calming his sweltered nerves, “there is nothing wrong with what you are.” She sat back.

“I never wanted to leave, never would have even left your side. And once I did, that’s when it felt cold. Cold on my own and without you. That was when the warmth seemed to come from a blacked out darkness. Places where I could stay in a stupor and remember times with you. That is all I thought I had in this world, anymore.”

The plethora of memories flooded his senses again. Angled sounds, rough touches, acrid smells, stale tastes and debaucherous sights. He gripped Emma’s hand a little tighter, pain sprouting from his stomach. He couldn’t do it.

Remember, the beauty in the past is that it is done. It can only hurt you if you let it.

“I just...I did not--could not make it on that lonely road alone. Not without you, boogita because you were the best of me. I am so sorry for leaving, that night and after. I needed to discover who I was, but I did not realize that I left you behind in the process.”

He tried to speak again but realized he did not know what to say. How to continue, until Professor Frost clasped his hand in both of hers. “I think that’s good for today, you can go ahead and breathe.”

Llavi De La Rosa sat back as air flooded him and he let out an exhausted chuckle. He wiped his eyes with back of his hand, waving off Professor Frost’s offer of a Kleenex.

“So, how do you feel, Llavi?” Frost asked him.

“I will be ready to talk to my sister soon, I know it. I just try not to worry about the after, just the act itself,” Llavi told her, his more relaxed demeanor settling over once more. “I cannot thank you enough, profesora Frost.”

“And you don’t have to, Llavi.” Emma smiled at him as she got up placed a hand on his shoulder. “You are part of a group, a family. We help wherever we can, and I want you to remember that okay?”

Llavi gave a shrug, “I know, I know. You want me to interact more with the students. But profesora, most of them probably still think my name is ’Lavi’” he forced an exaggerated American accent, evoking a chuckle from Miss Frost, “and I think they are nice people. I just...don’t talk to them. Besides, none of them know Spanish.”

Emma tsked him with a wag of her finger. “Now you know English hasn’t been a problem for you since before you arrived here.” Llavi’s face reddened in response. He had been caught. He gave sheepish smile as response. “Alright, my friend. I think it might be time to head out. They’ll be serving breakfast soon, and you don’t want to start your first day of the new semester on an empty stomach.”

Llavi donned his jacket, “This is true. I will see you next week?”

“Of course,” Miss Frost told him, as he headed to the mess hall. “Also, be on the look out for your new roommate. I think you’ll be surprised this year.”

---

Llavi loaded up on pancakes and even a few arepas one of the cooks had taken to making for him. Dousing them in syrup, he sat down at first open spot he found, giving him a few spaces breadth.

He would have to have his energy stockpiled if he was going to be using his abilities in the coming days more vigorously. He mused on the coming year as he ate, wondering what it would bring. He didn’t have long before, Headmaster Robert Drake was speaking.

"To those of you among us who are new. It's very 'ice to meet you."

Llavi chuckled at the play on words, he loved puns.

[Hey Im Jordan]

Nathaniel Nicholas Anderson IV
Interacting with: Hollie Hollens -- @Pirouette, William Alexander -- @Sep

---

Nathaniel accepted the sneak attack kiss from Hollie, smiling at her as she pulled away. He was, admittedly, spacing out while staring at her. As he watched her walk away with more interest than he probably should have had, it was Hollie’s words that finally broke him from his trance. “Oh. You’re right.” Nathan said when Hollie suggested that he leave now to avoid any ‘problems’ with their lateness, and he definitely agreed. Once the door to the bathroom closed, Nathan sighed at the visual loss of Hollie, and slipped on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts before he disappeared out of the door. When he arrived to the dining room, he was delighted to note that he had missed the speech, and there was a very small chance that anyone of note had missed either Hollie or Nathan, so all was well.

The man took a seat near Ryan and Luke just in time to watch a pancake meet Darren’s face, causing Nathan to frown slightly. “Maybe I should have gotten up earlier…” He muttered, shrugging. When Hollie sat down beside him, he turned and kissed her cheek, then looked at the food in front of them. “Sorry, Hollie. There’s still food left, so I guess I won’t be taking you out to dinner.” He kissed her again, this time on her lips in apology before he loaded his plate full of the three most important parts of any breakfast: pancakes, hashbrown potatoes, and bacon. He bit down on a slice of the bacon, chomping it up and swallowing before he smiled at her lightly.

“I’m just kidding, lovely. I’ll take you out to dinner anyway. No worries,” he said, before turning his attention to face the rest of the group, addressing them officially for the first time since Hollie had arrived on the scene. It was a pretty common side effect of her being nearby; everybody else seemed to fade into the background. The man cleared his throat and smiled, “so, is everyone ready and excited for another long and fruitful year at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters?” He turned to look at little Will, and gave him a nod.

“Welcome to the class, officially. It’ll be fun, don’t worry about anything. And if you have any problems, like, problems created by syrup… just come to me first.” Nathan explained, gesturing at the pancakey, syrupy Darren before he turned his attention back to his own meal, crunching on another slice of the bacon.

[FantasyChic]

---

---

~Allison Andrews~

---

---

Interacting with Ryan @Hillan and Darren @DrewVonAwesome

As Ryan gave her back her sunglasses, she felt the blood rush and gave him a warm smile. Despite his black and red eyes, which to anyone else might invoke fear or worry, Allison liked to believe she understood him. After all, Gambit was his father, it was only natural he'd share similarities to him. Especially that accent..

Before Allison could continue to daydream, she felt a twinge and entered her trance-like state, to others, she would just appear out of it, but she saw the dining room table and Will demonstrating a, rather silly, stunt in which a pancake flew off of the plate, landing square on Darren's face..

Allison returned and looked over to Darren as he was about to dig in, she noticed the the others that entered and resumed their places, keeping an eye out. Finally, she saw that Will was doing his trick. Allison's adrenaline kicked in and saw the myriad of choices in front of her. She could shield Darren by using her own, now empty plate, or her hand, which would be sticky, she could use her fork to catch it, or she could let it fly in his face. Allison decided that the "pancake incident of 2016" would be better if Darren didn't get hit.. Allison quickly grabbed her fork and, as the hot cake flew at Darren, she sprung forward, catching it on the edge of the tongs on her fork and plopping it down on her plate, inches before Darren's face.

Allison merely smiled at Darren "Sorry, just really hungry" she said before setting her fork down.

[DrewVonAwesome]

~Darren Grey~

Interacting with William @Sep and Allison @FantasyChic

-----------------------

All Darren was doing was taking his time, really enjoying the delicious pancakes. Allison was distracted by Ryan so Darren just quietly kept his worries to himself for the moment since at this rate he knew they were talking before he got there. Even though he was a bit bummed out that his worry went unnoticed.

Then all of the sudden Allison forked a pancake inches from Darren’s face. The pancake let a little bit of syrup drip onto his pancake before she gracefully let it slide onto her own plate. Darren just paused for a moment as his brain tried to understand just what the hell just happened. Finally he looked over and saw the sheepish grin on roommate Will’s face. Darren frowned a bit mad at Will’s carelessness or general dickery depending on what happened. In his growing angry huff his stomach began to puff out more and more. Riding his shirt up as his belly button became exposed. “Dude! What the fu-...” Quickly he stopped glaring at Will and made himself calm down. His stomach quickly shrinking back to normal as Darren had to calm himself. Sighing for a moment, he glanced back up at Will. “Sorry just... be careful man. I like pancakes but that doesn’t mean I want to wear one!” Darren joked to help ease the already mounted tension he felt on him.

Snapping at someone for that, no matter how justifiable, was what old Darren would do. He knew it, and everyone else at the table sure as hell knew it too. He realized everyone was looking at him, already rearing to go to judge him for getting mad at a new kid. So Darren had to stop himself before he said something mean. Sighing to himself as he let any residual anger in him slip away. He turned to Allison and gave her a smile and nod. “Thanks, always good to sit next to you.” Darren told her.

“Guess my worries about the year are already getting a little confirmed if I’m having hot cakes launched at me.” Darren noted to himself as he finished his pancakes, feeling awkward more still as he felt like people were glaring at him.

[Lord Wraith]

---

---

~L U C A S P I L G R I M~

---

---

^{I N T E R A C T I N G W I T H: @Garden Gnome, @Universorum, @Pirouette, @Sep, @FantasyChic, @DrewVonAwesome, @Hillan}

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 - T H E X A V I E R I N S T I T U T E:

"Glad to hear it." Luke replied with a smile as he turned his face away to shove it full of pancake as he hunger encouraged him to consume the contents of his plate. Noticing the stack of pancakes on his plate had grown, Luke shrugged as he continued to eat switching from the the flat pastries to the mixed batch of fried potatoes, peppers and onions before finishing it off with bacon caramelized with the sweet sensation of maple syrup from Quebec. The school always made plenty of food for the students, apparently mutant abilities burned a lot of calories often keeping some of the students in a seemingly perpetual state of hunger. Unfortunately for Luke he was among them.

"So Sparks," Luke began after dabbing off his mouth with a napkin. In front of Heidi he had to at least pretend to have some manner of decorum. "Are you excited to be returning to classes after a summer of nothing but leisure and relaxation?" Luke was going to miss swimming at Breakstone Lake as the weather got cooler. At least he and Heidi could still race the stable horses down Graymalkin Lane no matter the weather or season. "Did you want to go for a ride after class today? Take the horses out to the lake, maybe watch the sunset?"

Nearly gagging on what was left of his food as Nathan kissed Hollie, Luke averted his gaze as he watched a pancake fly from the new kid's hand before it was intercepted by Allison. Luke couldn't help but feel disappointed that he had been robbed of the opportunity of seeing Darren get smacked in the face by a pancake.

"Well that was just plain rude Allison," Luke said with a smirk as the currently blue skinned teen sat back in his chair, arms stretching out behind his head towards the window as he soaked up the photons that warmed his skin. "I was looking forward to seeing the aftermath of that pancake."

The clatter of dishes being cleared took Luke's attention away from his classmates as some of the other students began to leave the table. Pulling out his phone, Luke thumbed the screen until he found the screen shot of his class schedule for the year.
"Looks like we have a Danger Room Session next." Luke stated as he stretched before standing up. Gathering both his plates and Heidi's while she had turned her head away, Luke deposited them in the collection bin before catching up with Ryan and Heidi.

"What do you think your 'Daddy' has planned for us today?" He asked Ryan with a slight smirk as he slung an arm around on both Heidi and Ryan, nearly hanging off the taller boy. "You reckon we'll start off with a rousing game of capture the flag, I hear that's always a popular pick."

[Hillan]

R E N E G A D E

^{I N T E R A C T I N G W I T H: @Lord Wraith and @FantasyChic.}

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 - T H E X A V I E R I N S T I T U T E:

Breakfast had put a smile on his face, Allison sitting next to him did make him smirk a little. He liked the girl, but as always - he had no clue how to act around her, they didn't speak much during breakfast, but when the pancakes came flying for Darren's face - and Allison caught them, preventing hilarity, Ryan chuckled. "Nice catch. Been waste of food else." Ryan mumbled, breaking off another piece of bread from the basket, two pieces of sliced ham and a slice of cheese placed on top. Consuming his breakfast, it was almost time for class.
As Nathaniel and Hollie kissed, Ryan averted his gaze, looking at nothing.
Remy had gotten up from the table a couple of minutes earlier, put away his plate and headed over to Ryan, patted him on the shoulder. "See ya in class." He spoke softly, like he always did, his coat waving in the wind as he excited the breakfast room.

While Luke was putting away their plates, Ryan started walking out with Heidi. He was almost as awkward around Heidi as he was around Allison - partly because she was a girl, but also because he knew Luke had a crush on her, and romance - especially that of others - was just too difficult for the mutant to deal with. As Luke caught up, he slung his arm around Ryan, whom feigned fatigue. "Oompf, maybe you should lay off da pancakdes there, tubby."
"What do you think your 'Daddy' has planned for us today?" Luke said, his voice was almost trying to taunt Ryan and Ryan scoffed.

"Don't know, just hope it's something that'll make ya squeel." Turning his head around, he saw Allison walking behind them - alone. He grinned. "One second." Lifting Luke's arm from his neck, he backed up to Allison. "Hi. Thanks for da shades." He smiled at her, the kind of awkward grin he usually gave her. Come on Ry. You gotta have something better to say he was thinking.

[An Outsider]

William Irving
The Outsider

---

---

_{Interacting with: Read this shit and find out, you filthy animals}

---

---

T H E D I N I N G R O O M - T H E X A V I E R I N S T I T U T E

Will's enthusiasm was, as always, infectious, and William couldn't help but grin as the younger boy babbled about his high hopes for his school career. The masked teen found his own, time withered sense of optimism receive something of a boost as a result, allowing himself to dare to hope that this year might be better than the last. It was part of the reason he liked the younger boy so much. He reminds me that the world isn't all doom and gloom. An especially unique trick in a mutant.

Still, sometimes Will's boundless eagerness could do well to be tempered by some of William's stoic resolve, made abundantly evident when the aerokinetic tried to show off his powers, making one of his pancakes hover above his plate. It was looking pretty good, until a lapse of concentration sent the baked good flying towards Darren. The Aussie was saved at the last moment by the ever-gorgeous, just as vigilant, Allison, though William averted his gaze pretty sharply after that. He knew how much he made the girl uncomfortable, and endevoured to interact with her as little as possible, so as to be less of a burden towards her. Unfortunately that made him seem even more awkward than usual, a pretty colossal feat considering how high he'd set that particular bar. He turned his attention back towards Will so as to take his mind off his romantic short comings.

"In that case let this be your first lesson. We're not at Xaviers to just learn the extent of our powers, to see how far we can push our own limits. We're here to learn to control them, and a major part of learning control is learning when to use you're gifts, and when not to use them." At least Will's power could be described as a gift. William wasn't quite so lucky. "For future reference let's place 'levitating pancakes' in the 'not to use powers' column, at least for now. Fortunately I don't think it'll come up much." William smiled to offset the potentially preachy aspect of his speech, remembered it was a pointless gesture while he was wearing the mask, then blushed furiously in embarrassment. The mask actually helped him hide that though. Guess I got to take the rough with the smooth here.

"Now eat up. First day of term there's always an exercise in the Danger Room, and you wouldn't want to miss that. I'll meet you there" The masked mutant smoothly pushed himself up from his chair and began to follow the steady stream of students heading towards the Danger Room. He would have waited on Will finishing his breakfast, but due to the nature of his powers he didn't like to spend too much time with anyone person. He spotted Luke, Ryan and Heidi up ahead, and would have caught them up if Allison hadn't joined them. Instead he slowed his pace right down and let them build a lead, only grimacing a little when Ryan begin to chat to her, no doubt working his smooth-as-butter charm on the beautiful blonde. If only I still had a face, then that might have been me. He shook away the thought. It was better that way.

At least there was no chance of Ryan ever draining her dry and leaving her as a desiccated husk.

Instead he spotted the foreign kid, Llavi, walking on his own. William didn't know him well, a trait he seemed to share with the rest of the student body, but he'd resolved to offer the older boy a friendly hand. It seemed only right, after all, as William was an expert in knowing how painful loneliness could be. He coughed to attract the Spaniard's attention.

"Hey Llavi." He really hoped he'd pronounced that correctly. If he hadn't he would try to blame the mispronunciation on the mask. "How's it going? Looking forward to the Danger Room session?" William petered out. That's the problem when natural loners try to make new friends. They're usually not very good at it, for one.

[Sep]

William Alexander

_{Interacting with @DrewVonAwesome}

Wills cheeks flushed red, again. "Sorry I was just _y'know." He turned to William as he commented on what was going on. "I feel like levitating pancakes is an excellent use of my talents. Besides I can only make a small vortex right now..." He finished cleaning up his plate as everyone began getting up and filing out of the room. He wasn't entirely sure what the Danger Room was, the other kids talked about it a lot and most of the time they just seemed to be trying to make him worried. That wouldn't work on him, how bad could it be?

Seeing Darren Will made his way over to him as everyone was filing away, and Will gave him a friendly nudge. "Sorry about that, but I suppose it always works out when the pretty girl you're sitting beside wants to save you from a sticky fate." Will followed the flow of traffic through the school. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening. He was here, he was at a school. Not only was he going to learn all the normal things that people learned at school but he was going to learn how to control and use his powers! Maybe one day he would become one of the so called X-Men and he'd be able to help normal people and mutants all over the world apparently.

He felt like racing his way there, but he had kind of made things awkward for Darren twice today. So he'd stick with him.

"Anyway so what is the truth behind this danger room place?"