1963-06-23 - Interpersonal Explorations
Summary: A day like any other at the Institute, where people are met and powers are explored.
Related: None
Theme Song: None
alex bobby warren cannonball nancy 


To those attuned to its charms, there is no smell quite like that of greasy cooking. There's a tactile quality to it — heavy and adhesive, like Deep South humidity. This smell, this feel, has over the past half-hour become pervasive in the cafeteria, punctuated occasionally by the hiss of ingredients hitting cooking surfaces and drawling, bowdlerized curse words.

Finally, Sam Guthrie emerges from the kitchen, hefting a tray heaped with grits, eggs, collard greens, gravy-laden meat, black eyed peas, and at least three different varieties of bread. He sets the heavy tray down on one of the long tables with a clatter and a sigh, then seats himself before his feast, uncertain where to start.

*

With summer set in, Alex finds his days a great deal more free— with no need to teach, he can focus entirely on practicing, and for the last couple hours that's all that has has been doing. For those used to the place, the sight of Alex wandering in, garbed in his blue and yellow body suit with its strange circular element on the front, might not be all that surprising. For those not used to the place, they might think he just he's wandered in from a circus. Either way, Alex has an easy confidence about himself and doesn't pay any attention, he just strides—

What is this? Alex pauses, and eyes this new fellow and his collection of food that is decidedly not the usual Institute fare. He cooks himself something unique from time to time, but these smells are new, different. Arching a brow a bit, Alex tilts his head, and wonders aloud, "That's different. I was expecting sandwiches to be about the place."

*

Sam's fork was just about to spear into the collards, but Alex's comment derails his train of ingestion. He looks up at the newcomer, blinks his blue eyes once, then tries again, dropping his gaze to the boots and working his way up. His freckled features are still knotted with confusion when they're making eye contact again. "Uh. Sandwiches?" he finally says, deciding to skip the question of Alex's outfit entirely. Maybe that's just how people dress around here.

A quick glance over to the breakfast bar confirms that there are, in fact, sandwiches set out for the afternoon. "Wait — we ain't supposed to cook our own meals?" the new student asks. "Ah figured those probably belonged to somebody. Didn't seem right to just take one without askin'." Fork wavering indecisively, he continues, "Ah mean, if the meals are all communal, Ah don't mind if anyone wants to have some of mine. Or Ah can put it back…?"

Finally, his wide-eyed curiosity gets the better of him, and Guthrie asks, "You on a sports team or somethin'?"

*

"Oh no." Alex waves a dismissive gesture, shaking his head as he does so, "Everyone has free reign of the kitchens if they'd like. Sometimes I cook." He wrinkles his nose with some distaste, "Sometimes." Then he wanders a bit closer, eyeing the… grits? And from his expression he has no idea what the strange substance is. "The cooks will cook for those who don't, though. Most of the students are back home for the summer so that isn't such a big deal right now, but anyways. If you're here it's because the Professor wants you to be, so the grounds are yours to make use of."

This last question makes Alex pause, and purse his lips a bit, eyeing the fellow inquisitively, "It's a containment suit. It helps with channelling and controlling my ability, I've spent most of the morning in the Danger Room working on it." He's not shy at all about being a mutant. Then again, if someone is here on the Institute grounds, its because Xavier wants them to be, and that almost always means one thing. Mutant too.

He gesture sat the grits though, "What's that? Some kind of.. porridge?"

*

"Y'all got cooks? Just sittin' around waitin' to make you meals?" Sam skips past the quesiton about his food, paling noticeably. "Ah had no idea. Just how expensive is this place? Are they expectin' something from me, or…?" The Southern drawl trails off, the farm boy's shifty glances betraying just how out of place he feels — like there has been some kind of error, and he'll be sent back home when it's discovered.

Still, the best way to avoid that mistake coming to light is to keep people distracted, so he answers the Yankee's question. "They're grits," he answers cautiously. Alex could be hard of thinking, or he could be making fun of him. "Y'never had grits? They're like … the potatoes of breakfast. Go with anything." He slides the plate toward the older boy, and a spoon a second later.

Once again, his eyes drift down over Havok's outfit. "So, you got a container suit, and Nancy has those gloves… do most of the muties here get some kinda special gear?" he asks. "Ah sure wouldn't mind somethin' to help me steer, or slow down maybe. Or land a little softer." He winces and glances toward the window, a hand rising to scratch at the back of his neck.

*

"Generally." offers Alex as he decides to sit down across from the southern fellow, "The Professor doesn't expect anything. We're here to help. To train our people to master their gifts, to train to work together in times of need. But everyone is free to go whenever they choose, for whatever reason."

That said, Alex grins and shakes his head, "The cooks aren't just sitting around on our leisure. This is a school, first and foremost. During times when school is in sesssion, there's a lot of students who need to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. They can't possibly cook it themselves, so sure, there's cooks who make the major meals. That much staff isn't around as much during the summer, though."

He does shake his head, and eyes the grits a moment when they're offered, but takes the spoon, a scoop and… Huh. That's different. "Well. Potatoes of breakfast. I've never had any before, no." He laughs softly, "We don't all need suits, but those who do need them, our science people will try to develop something to help. Me? Without the suit? Bad day for everything around me. With the suit? Bad day for what I aim at. Perhaps if you're here long enough we'll be able to learn your ability enough to think of a way to augment or assist it with your own suit." He does add absently, "Mutants. Not 'muties'." A bit firm at that.

*

When his slur is corrected, Sam's blond brows inch together. "Oh, sorry. Ah didn't know there was a difference. Ah ain't never been much good at science." From the look of it, his ignorance is just as genuine as his eagerness to please. "Ah'm a real good cook, though, so if you ever want more grits or biscuits or anythin', just holler." He nods over at the pile of sandwiches, lips thinning, and comments, "Not that Ah'm one to complain about free food, but those don't seem all that substantial to me."

For his own part, he starts scooping up black eyed peas with his fork. Between mouthfuls, he continues, "So, y'all don't just have just cooks — you have people to build us machines to block our powers and people to train us to use the powers if we want to. Sounds like a lot of staff to me." He smiles around another forkful. "But hey, Ah ain't gonna look a gift horse in the mouth." He lowers his fork, picks up a biscuit, and starts swirling it in gravy. "So, if you don't mind me askin', what do you do that's so bad you need a special suit just to contain it?"

*

Alex makes a vague gesture of dismissal at the apology, waving it away as if it were nothing. "Well, if only for it being something different, if you feel up to cooking from time to time, I expect you'll be real popular." Alex smiles, his expression warm and friendly at that, "The benefit of sandwiches is you can run in and run out whatever your schedule is. Good when people are scarce and everyone's on their own schedule."

"Oh, its not just staff. We help eachother. Its not like the Professor can put out an ad for people to train mutants. So the Professor and various students who have learned things help others to learn their own abilities. Once we learn, we can teach. Some of us." Alex then purses his lips thoughtfully at the last question, "They call me Havok. I… well, radiate intense amounts of energy that make things explode, to put it simply. Naturally, all aroundme. Not so useful. With the suit?" He gestures to the circular panel in the middle of his chest, "I can aim it and incinerate what I want to blow up, instead of, say, the whole building."

*

"Well, that's swell — everybody helpin' each other out. Sounds like y'all got a real community up here," Sam says around a mouthful of eggs. "Not at all like Ah expected from Yankees. Heard y'all were rude and selfish, but everybody has been real nice to me so far, even when Ah was just cras— um, landin' around, tryin' to get directions to Westchester." He laughs loudly, adding, "Amazin' just how hard it is to get somebody to give you a compass direction instead of namin' a bunch of roads and turns."

He tilts his head, scratches at the back of his neck again, and asks, "You're called Havok? Huh. Ah'm Sam Guthrie." He extends a hand over his steaming plates of homemade southern food and asks, "So, you seem like you're old enough to have been around for a while. Do you teach younger guys the stuff you learned, like you said? Is that why you've got a funny name?" He flashes an apologetic smile and adds in a rush. "Ah hope that's not rude. Ah'm just asking because Ah ain't sure who my teachers are goin' to be. I met a fella called Mr. Logan, but he didn't seem like the teachin' type."

*

"Oh." Alex laughs a moment, "My name's actually Alex Summers. Some of us have codesigns, is all. Usually related to whatever our powers are. I usually mention my real name first then when we get around to talking powers… I was just distracted by the grits." He grins a bit ruefully, but he does nod otherwise, "This place is out of the way, so good you found it."

Alex pauses then for a moment, "Well, I teach two things. One, I've a masters degree in geophysics, so I teach some of the regular science classes to the younger students. But I also train some of them on various techniques to control their powers. Its not why I have a codename, exactly.. I have a codesign because… well. A bunch of us, the first students, decided it'd be fun." He grins, "If we're out in the field saving the world, who wants to be called Alex when you can be called Havok? In here, Alex is fine."

*

Although he isn't a regular around the cafeteria, Warren makes his way into the more expansive room with a casual gait. Those full, expansive white wings of his are tucked neatly behind his back so as to not knock anything or anyone over. At the moment, he's wearing a modified, off-white button-down and a nice pair of khaki's. With the wings and blond hair involved, he looks like he's glowing just about. Having business at the mansion today, he's decided to stop in for a sandwich himself.

As he begins assembling his lunch, he looks over towards where Alex and Sam are sitting. With a light smile on his lips, he finishes up and heads over with his plate. "Hey, guys," he says with a quick upnod. "How are we doing today?" The greeting is fairly sheery and warm.

*

"Oh, sorry. Alex, then. But… savin' the world?" Sam sounds impressed and, as he continues, envious: "Ah'd settle for savin' the landscapin' once in a while. So far, the best Ah've come up with is landin' pointed down instead of landin' pointed sideways." He shrugs and waves at Warren with his fork-holding hand as the man enters the cafeteria. "No promises with the science, but Ah'll do my best to get better at not blastin' everythin' to bits."

Once Warren gets within easy conversational distance, he answers, "Ah'm doing good, so far. Haven't broken anything, made myself a proper lunch, and…" His freckled nose wrinkles, then he sniffs the air a couple of times — and his bright blue eyes go wide with fear. "Awwwww shoot. Shoot, shoot, shoot." Now that he mentions it, there is a distinct, smoky tang in the air. He scrambles to his feet, knocking a small dish of gravy to the floor, and bolts for the kitchen. With an audible fwoomph, some of the grease he left on the griddle catches fire.

"Ah got this! Don't worry, Ah got this!" he yells as he ducks inside and yanks the fire extinguisher off the wall. Four long sprays later, the entire cooking area is filled with a flame-retarding haze. "Awww sheeeeee-oot."

*

"That's a sort of theoretical thing…" explains Alex about the saving the world bit, "It hasn't exactly come up yet, but what else is our abilities for?" Then there's a fire, and he's about to want to do something about it, but Sam's got that covered. He then turns his attention to Warren, tilting his head a moment and regarding his wings once more, "Hey, Warren." Pushing up from where he was sitting, he heads over to the counter were various sandwiches have been set out by the cooking staff, and grabs one to rescue it from the haze. "Hungry?"

*

Warren smiles to Sam in his warm fashion and nods his head to him. There are follow-up questions certainly, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of chance to get them out. Left blinking as Sam darts up to deal with whatever it is he had cooking, the blond man slowly pans his attention from Sam to Alex. "He seems like a nice guy," he states with a good-humored smile. In response to Alex's question, he lifts his plate with sandwich and chips settled on it. "I've got it," he says while he moves to the table he was sitting at. "How about you, my friend?"

*

"With school out, I've been.. luxuriating in not having to deal with teaching any classes. Its strange to not pick up a lesson plan at all. So, I've been spending some extra time in the Danger Room." Alex purses his lips and regards Warren thoughtfully for a moment, taking the sandwich over to settle back where he was, lifting it up for a bite. Once all chewed, he remarks, "I don't suppose you'll have much need to make use of that particular amenity. For you, practicing probably makes more use out of the expansive grounds."

As to Sam, Alex gives a nod and a shrug both at once, "Seemed nice enough, though his accent's a bit to get used to. Still, nice to have some new faces around here."

*

There's a quick raise of his brows to Alex then and he considers a moment. "My guess is that Professor Xavier wants me to come teach economics. Or donate. I've really got to discuss that further with him. Busy guy, though." Warren laughs then and cants his head to the side slightly. "Danger Room?" he asks, clearly not quite sure what that is. "That's where you train? It depends on how big it is, I think." He gives a roll back of his shoulders, also adjusting his wings behind him some. Looking back over to Sam once again then, he considers the other young man for a long moment. "Yeah, I think he said he was from somewhere down south. It is nice to see new faces."

*

"It's not really big enough to fly in… but yes, those of us with more dangerous abilities train there, as it's an old nuclear bomb shelter. There's very little chance of blowing up the mansion in there." Alex grins at that, lifting his sandwich for another bite as he considers for a moment, "Although I doubt he would turn away a donation, I'd be surprised if that was the point. The Professor's family was quite wealthy, as I understand it. Now, teaching economics?" He laughs softly, "That'd probably be more apt. Then there's always the possibility of you joining us." He gestures to his suit, "Though I can't speak for the Professor, of course."

*

"Yeah, I've been enjoying the grounds," Warren replies with the flash of a pearly smile. "Renovated bomb shelter? That doesn't sound quite as great for flying around. I could maybe help out with hand-to-hand combat and such. I had some of the best instructors and I'd be happy to pass it on. Self defense is pretty important for mutants, I feel like and Judo is fairly nonviolent." He nods his head again in response to Alex's summation of the situation. "Oh, I'd planned on donating anyways. I don't know how much you knew about my father, but let's just say he wasn't great to mutants." Clearing his throat then, he takes a deep breath inward and lowers his hand to take up the sandwich. "So, I've been busy sucking the poison out of my own company so that I can safely make Worthington Industries an equal opportunity employer."

*

Alex nods his head in agreement, "Oh yes, self-defense is part of our standard curriculum. We put a lot of effort into it. That said, someone else to help teach I'd expect would be useful. We like to be prepared." He grins a bit at that, "For me, I study krav maga. The israeli-developed martial art, if you haven't heard? Its fast and brutal, but I figure if I'm in a situation where I can't Havok someone then I'm in a situation that needs to end decisively and fast." He takes a moment to have a couple bites of his sandwich before adding, "Honestly I don't really know anything about your family, I don't pay a lot of attention to business affairs. It sounds good, though, what you're doing. With the way things are, it might be hard to make such a change. ESpecially with what's going on lately."

*

Warren looks impressed at the mention of Krav Maga, perhaps something he hasn't learned yet. There is a flash of familiarity with the martial art, though, showing understanding in what he's speaking about. Those impossibly blue eyes settle on Alex then, taking a bite from his own sandwich and chewing. Finally, he does speak up once again. "You might want to try Judo and Sanda on for size. Sanda's pretty brutal as well, but it's about as utilitarian as Krav Maga and might show you a couple of versatile tricks. If you need someone /away/ from you, Judo's a pretty good way to go. I'd like to pick up some of that Krav Maga, though." A nod of his head is given then. "I do a lot of fighting in the air, so…closer-range grappling techniques just sort of seemed to make sense. As for change…" Warren gives a brief raise of his brows. "I know. I'm fighting an uphill battle, but someone's got to make that stand."

*

"Versatility is never a bad thing." Alex muses thoughtfully, then smiles, "Maybe we can trade some lessons. You show me some of your moves, I show you some of mine. This Sanda sounds interesting. I'm not sure if I often need to get someone away from me, but then again, yeah, I'm not usually involved in aerial combat." After another bite of his sandwich to get his thoughts in order, he nods, "Change has to start somewhere. I just imagine it won't be a particularly popular set of changes to make, possibly with your own employees, even customers. It might be a dangerous thing to come out pro-mutant. I'm not trying to talk you out of it, believe me someone has to start, but its a risky proposition."

*

"Sure, I'd be happy to train with you a bit. Just watch the wings. They may not look it, but they're actually kind of dangerous." Warren smiles again to the other man. "I'm always picking up new techniques. Sadly, my social life has been circling the drain." There's a thin smile at that and a brief snort of laughter. "Actually, that's not entirely true." A hand is waved then and he clears his throat, continuing on. "I know the risks. I do. I could lose everything, but…what's the point in having it all if I can't do /something/?"

*

Alex can't help but eye the wings a little skeptically; wings being dangerous was never something he'd ever considered. But he finally nods, accepting it. Then he grins, "Oh? Have some lady showing interest?" he asks, curious. Gossip! He is always happy with the gossip. But otherwise he nods, continuing to eat his sandwich, "Good for you. It's brave, and I don't envy you the trouble. Then again, me? I don't really have anything. My whole life is pretty much wrapped up here, so I don't have anything to lose."

*

Warren notices the eying and then goes on to elaborate. "Strong enough to carry my weight and yours," he says with a nod and a lopsided smile. "They seriously are super strong." There's no sobriety to his tone and he seems rather happy to explain. "I've…broken my instructor's arm with them on accident. I'm /way/ better at control than I was then, but I thought it best to warn you before we train together." At the question of a possible lady friend, he gives a bit of a nod and then laughs quietly. "Well, it's only been the one date, but it went well." As for the business end of things, he sounds a quiet 'mm' and then speaks up again. "We've all got something to lose, but I know what you mean. Thanks. I'm going to talk to Charles about it first. It doesn't seem right or…possible to make a stand alone."

*

Alex nods his head slowly, "Oh, I guess that makes sense. I hadn't really given it a whole lot of thought. They would have to be strong, wouldn't they." Finishing of his sandwich, he stretches, "I recently ended up on a first date, too. First one for quite awhile, really. It was rocky, had its ups and downs, but it ended well." Then he's nodding more seriously, "You shouldn't have to make a stand alone, no. I can't speak for the Professor but I'm not sure he can help this way— after all, anonymity and secrecy is really important to keeping the school safe."

*

A smile forms on Warren's lips as Alex mentions having had a date. Inclining his head in a nod, he speaks up only after a moment or so. "That's good. I've been on /dates/, but most of those were just to maintain my cover. My mutation's a bit hard to cover with no clothes on, though." Laughing again, he gives a wave of his hand at his own slightly bawdy joke. "So this is a first in a while for me. She's extraordinary, though." Another bite of sandwich is taken as he once again mulls over the topic of standing up. "That's the main thing I'm worried about. Still, I did manage to hire a brilliant younger guy. Armando. He's obviously a mutant, but brilliant and very level-headed. I've got him working as my liaison between R&D and Marketing. I can do it one tiny victory at a time if I must."

*

Alex can't help but grin, nodding his head, "Yeah I imagine that it would be something hard to hide in bed. Heck, I'm not entirely sure how you manage to keep those things hidden even with clothes on." He pauses, and furrows his brow, "And you must have a huge shower. See there's all kinds of logistics to having wings that I've never considered before." He and Warren are seated, and sandwiches are laid out for lunch by the cooking staff. "Small victories are still victories."

*

Warren squints one eye and gestures back towards his wings with an upnod of his head. "Very, very compressed and uncomfortable in a harness for too many hours a day," he explains with a bit of a frown. "Well, it helps to be rich, I do have to admit that. Getting the bathroom designed to be accomodating was not an easy thing." Another smirk forms on his lips, but he seems to take it all in stride. "Well, once you triumph over the obstacles of having a sixteen-foot wingspan, the rest of the world is your oyster."

*

Bobby comes in from outside, pulling the sliding door closed behind him. In just a pair of gym shorts, a certain burgeoning pinkness to most of him implies he's been getting some sun. Possibly too much of it. "Hey."

*

There's a soft laugh from Alex as he regards Warren's wings thoughtfully, "It must be … relaxing, to be able to wander around the Institute with the wings just out then, I imagine. Just imagining those things all compressed gives me cramps and I can only imagine what its like." Upon hearing Bobby's voice, he turns a smile over at the guy and pauses, staring for a long moment before he blinks and stops with that, coughing softly into his hand, "Hey, Bobby. Looks like you've been sunning. Nice out there, huh?"

*

"Bobby," Warren greets the other young man with a pleasant smile. "Good to see you." The smile on his lips grows as he regards him, though he does go on to explain further to Alex. "Well, the nerve endings are different so it's not as bad as you might think. They do get awfully cramped, though." He rolls his shoulders back in a shrug and takes another bite of his sandwich. "It's why my office is up in the penthouse. I can sneak off for a quick fly sometimes."

*

Bobby looks down at himself, not that he needs the confirmation. "Yeah, I was. Pretty nice. I actually fell asleep for a little bit so I'm probably going to regret it. Anyone want something?" he asks as he heads into the kitchen area. "Soda? Iced tea?"

*

Alex totally doesn't check out Bobby's shoulders as the guy heads to the kitchen area. That was just a look, okay? Alex does look quickly back to Warren and he grins, "I'm surprised you manage to keep things secret in that situation. Seems like someone would notice a guy with giant white wings flying in and out of your building's penthouse at random parts of the day." Then a look back to Bobby, "Uhh, iced tea actually sounds great."

*

"Coca-Cola would be great if you have it," Warren calls back to the kitchenette where Bobby is. Sam is likely still taking care of whatever it is he was cooking and making a mess in the process. He smiles at Alex once more and considers, squinting his eyes. "Well, more people know than I like, I admit. It's really only a matter of time. I guess I'll just have to cross that bridge when I get to it."

*

"Iced tea and a cola." Bobby repeats on his way but as he gets to the kitchen he pretty much pauses. "Umm. Who are you and would you like a hand with that?" He casts a glance over his shoulder at Alex to make sure he knows there's a stranger in the kitchen, presumably trying to put a fire out and not start one.

*

The moment Bobby greets the stranger in the strangely hazy and smoky-smelling kitchen, the unfamiliar blond boy rushes him back out of it, nearly knocking him over in the process. He's taller and thinner than Bobby, about his age, and has stripped out of his white T-shirt, which he is holding by one sleeve and which is actually on fire at the other end. "Ah said Ah got this!" Sam Guthrie shouts as he stiff-arms Bobby out of the kitchen with his free hand. He looks down and notices the shirt fire, grunts an "aw, hell," drops the burning garment and stops on it repeatedly.

*

"That's Sam, he's…" Then the guy is coming out with his shirt on fire, and Alex stares a moment, and then he has to laugh. "If you burn the place down, Sam, the Professor is gonna be pissed." He then adds with a sidelong glance over at Warren, "You could always get a mask. Make sure it has a beek on it."

*

Another gracious nod is given to Bobby as he moves along over to where the grease fire is…doing what grease fires do. Warren looks over worried now as the thing seems to be getting /well/ out of control. Warren stands up and looks sidelong to Alex. "Oh shit…we should…" He rarely curses in public, but this just happens to be one of those moments. "Sam are you alright?" he calls out as he starts moving rapidly in that direction now. He really isn't aware of the extent of Bobby's powers.

*

Bobby's brows rise at pretty much being hit by a complete stranger. Not having a shirt on doesn't really make it better. "You really shouldn't do that again." he says, putting on a smile. Then as Sam tries to stomp out his shirt, he steps to the side and coats the stovetop in ice. No oxygen, no fire.

*

"Ah was tryin' to smother the flames!" the southerner explains in a ragged shout, voice cracking on the last word. He peels the shirt off of the floor and holds it up. It's sporting several large holes ringed with charring, not to mention an avant-garde pattern of sooty Converse-prints, but in spite of his teeth-grinding expression of embarrassment, the lanky boy seems satisfied enough that it's not actively on fire to slip it back on.

He spins on his heel, rushing after Bobby with his arms outstretched. "No, Ah told you, Ah got th— oh." He skids to a halt behind Drake, staring over the shorter boy's shoulder at the ice-encrusted stove. After a moment to be sure the fire is well and truly out, he slumps, arms dropping limply to his sides. "Maybe Ah don't got this," he mutters, putting a hand over his eyes and flopping against the far wall with all the grace of a sack of ladders.

*

Alex remains seated; the moment Bobby started towards the kitchen any danger of a fire vanished and he knew it. Still, he rests his elbows on the table and leans forward, "Sam, meet Bobby and Warren. Bobby and Warren, Sam. I'm not entirely clear if Sam is intending to be a student here or not, but…"

*

Warren watches Bobby as he puts the fire out rather easily with a thick coating of ice. Color him impressed. The tall, winged man seems relieved as it gets under control, though he does settle his eyes on Sam again. Exhaling, he holds up a hand. "I'm pretty sure it's fine," he says, though it's mostly just to sound reassuring. He has no idea how many lids Charles might throw. Still, he does try to look sympathetic at least. Meanwhile, he gives a sidelong glance to Alex. "Oh, yeah. I met Same already," he replies.

*

"Nice to meet you, Sam." Bobby tells him, continuing on his way to the fridge. "You want a drink? Nice shirt by the way." he adds with a grin. Is that a nipple poking out a hole? Could be! No longer needed, the ice on the stove sublimates to vapor in seconds. Pulling the door open, he takes out a couple bottles of soda and a pitcher of iced tea to pour a glass for Alex.

*

Nancy wasn't going to charge all the way up again. There had to be a middle ground between speed and understandability.

But moving at an unnaturally quick step was the young woman, each little motion she made, her breathing, even - like watching a video on fast forward. Walking at that brisk pace into the cafeteria, she was dressed in a modest green dress with white trim and piping, stockings, and boots. And her gauntlets, of course - the wires showing sparks through the side viewports.

And excess power leaked through her eyes - the normally brown gaze crackled with a bright blue, her eyes tracking across the others in the space of a few moments. "I smelled fire?" she says, the tone of her words and voice clipped and rushed, and maybe difficult to understand. "Was it from here?" she asks, pointing towards the stove. She seemed confused, but the ice had sublimated, yes?

*

Warren's reassurance and Bobby's friendliness don't seem to be having much of an impact. "Ah got a scholarship," Sam moans, dropping his hand but continuing to lean against the wall as though it's the only thing holding him up. "And a stipend! All Ah had to do was go up north to the mutie school and send the checks home to Ma and not get in trouble, and the whole family would be taken care of and we wouldn't have to sell the farm."

He slides down the wall, landing in a heap at the bottom. "Instead, Ah been here less than 24 hours and Ah've already blasted y'all a new swimmin' pool and practically burned the place down." Running a hand over his forehead and back into his unruly blond hair, Sam stares straight forward, eyes welling up. "Oh mah Gawd, Professor Zavier's gonna expel me! We're all gonna be homeless, all because village idiot Sam Guthrie couldn't keep it together."

When he hears Nancy, the tall boy rubs quickly at his nose and eyes with a loud, drawn-out sniff, then drags himself hand over hand back up the wall. "Yeah, Nancy, there was a fire. It was all my fault," he answers. "It was nice meetin' y'all, truly. I'm gonna head upstairs and pack up my stuff."

*

"Sam. Mutant. Not mutie." Alex says, voice firm once more, but he has to shake his head as he eyes the guy with an arched brow. He laughs. "Once the Professor gets his hands on someone, he doesn't let go easily. Believe me, the chances of you getting expelled for losing control of your powers is negative— we all do from time to time, that's why this school exists. The chances of you getting expelled for a grease fire is even less. You think its the first one in here? Sit down, you're fine."

*

Warren gives another look to Bobby finally as things seem to settle down. So does he for that matter and lowers himself back into the chair he'd been sitting at prior to the almost-catastrophe. The large, white wings are stretched carefully outwards once again so that he can settle them behind the back of the chair and sit comfortably. "Close call," he says. "Man, that's got to be really handy. I wasn't about to try to 'whoosh' it out with my wings because…that would have been a disaster.

Another smile is given to Sam's words about his scholarship and he cants his head just a little bit at him. "I doubt you'll be the first one to burn something," he says with a laugh to him. Warren then lifts his gaze to greet Nancy when she's finally not too blurry to get a bead on. With a polite smile, he lifts one hand and then pronounces /way/ better than yesterday: "Noriko." It's not perfect, but he'd thought to practice. "Nice to see you again." A nod is given to Alex as well, though he's busying himself with beckoning Nancy over to join them if she wants."

*

"Hiya Nancy." Bobby says as he takes the drinks out to the table and hands them out before sitting down as well. "Oh, calm down Sam. This is a place to teach mutants how to use their powers. You think it hasn't been nearly destroyed lots of times? If anything, a kitchen grease fire is the most boring way of almost trashing the place. And next time? The fire extinguisher is under the sink." Taking a drink from his soda, he adds "Handy AND fun." to Warren.

*

Nancy purses her lips, her eyes flickering to Alex as he speaks - but she glances towards Sam at that point.

Drawing a slow breath in and out (which looked like a normal breath), she glances towards the window, then back again. "Itis part of the perilsof havingmen in the kitchen," she says, "But donot worry, Sam," she says, voice and words still clipped. There was an electric socket at the countertop, just a little bit past Alex. "Excuseme," she says, quick-stepping to get past the man, and reach out her elbow - her fingers were covered with leather gloves - to lean forward and place the skin of her elbow against the thing. Blue energy sparks from her into the socket, and in the next moment, the lights glow just a touch brighter in the room, before fading back towards normal.

"Sooner or later, I am going to burn out the electrics here, Sam," she says, the speed and clippedness in her voice and actions slowing back down to a more 'normal' speed. "I would hope Xavier will be kind to me then - and I have every reason to expect that he will," she says, straightening back up and giving the man a smile. "You are fine," she adds.

Nancy glances towards Warren then, her eyes widening a bit with apparent surprise. And then a smile. "You've been practicing, Warren. Thank you for that consideration - it is nice to see you again as well. Is it a slow day at your work?" she inquires. "Bobby," she says. "As cool as ever, I see," she says, gesturing towards the stove.

*

"Mutant. Sorry," Sam echoes Alex, lanky frame brimming over with contrition. "And Ah was usin' the fire extinguisher." He peers around the small group, absorbing their reassurances. "Y'all really think he won't be mad?" he asks slowly, nose scrunched up and blond eyebrows peaking in the middle. He returns to the table and sits down, self-consciously smoothing his half-burned shirt with its new sneaker print pattern.

He watches Nancy's ritual to slow herself down with wide-eyed interest, but his mild alarm at her strange behavior actually seems to provide a functional distraction from his own dramatic woe.

By the time she has finished, he says to the gathered group, "Y'all talk about this Professor Za— um, Ex-Avier — like he's a saint or somethin'. Is he really as nice as y'all say?"

*

Alex smiles up at Bobby when he accepts his tea, taking a sip and watching the guy for a moment, then looking over to Sam, then just shaking his head in amusement over something or other. When Nancy needs him to move, he steps out of the way, and he tilts his head to the side to regard her, "What was that for? I mean, why did you do that? I'm curious." Then he grins at Sam a bit, "The Professor isn't a saint, no. But he has good intentions. And he thinks its important for us to help our own people, to stand together and protect eachother. Nice? Sure. He's nice, too."

*

Warren smiles as charmingly as always Bobby's way and gives him another nod in agreement. "Hey, fun and handy is the way to go. I feel the same about my wings, honestly." Some may have seen him performing acts of aerial acrobatics above the grounds and the mansion should they be the types of folks to look upward.

The smile is turned to beam at Nancy then and he gives his shoulders a gently roll back in response to her thanks. "You'd do the same for me. Besides, you have a lovely given name. It would be a shame if no one used it." The smile turns lopsided a moment and he gives her a playful wag of his brows before his eyes are once more panning.

They settle on Alex who he regards with the same more subdued smile. He's in the process of standing up while he watches the exchange between Alex and Nancy, watching particularly his reaction to her ritual. There's no small curiosity on his own part, but he takes a step away.

"I need to make a call, but I should be back in a moment." Turning then, he moves off towards where the phone is.

*

"The coolest." Bobby agrees, grinning over at Nancy before giving Sam a curious look. "Then why did you take your shirt off to beat the fire out?" Lifting his soda again, he glances at the bottle and it suddenly gets a lot more frosty before he takes a large swallow. "Your wings are so cool." he tells Warren. "I'd love to be able to fly." He gives the man a nod as he heads off then looks back to Sam. "You haven't met him yet? You'll find out."

*

Nancy pauses a moment, glancing up towards Alex. A little cant of her side, and it was her turn to seem just a little sheepish. "All the energy has to go somewhere. And back into the circuits is probably better than waiting for it all to just… bleed out on its own?" she says. "Or firing a lightning bolt in the kitchen," she explains. But while she was here…

Reaching up to open one of the cupboards, she draws one of the glasses out of the cabinets, leaving it empty as she turns about to face the group as a whole again. It is Warren that draws the majority of her attention at the moment. "I would, it is true," she says, when he further compliments her, her eyes draw downwards a handful of moments, and she leans forward just a bit, accepting that compliment a little embarrassedly with a nod of her head. Eyes track after him as he leaves to make the call, her eyes returning to Sam.

"He helped turn my life from a nightmare to something more… easily managed. He is a saint, in my eyes," she says, casting a grin Bobbywards as he agrees with her compliment. "He took his shirt off? Again?" she asks, looking back towards Sam.

*

Sam flushes deeply and starts staring fixedly at the tabletop when Nancy and Bobby turn their amused expressions on him. "Ah… well, Ah dropped it!" he admits "The fire extinguisher, not my shirt, Ah mean. It rolled away and Ah couldn't figure out where it went in the fog. Ah know you can put out a fire with a blanket, so Ah just grabbed the first cloth thing Ah had handy." At this point, his blush has turned his entire body into one big freckle. Unfortunately for him, the charred holes in his shirt make this especially obvious.

He starts worrying one of the smaller holes with one thumb. "He sounds real nice. It's just strange to me. Ah mean, the first time Ah used my powers, they fired me — even though Ah saved a man's life — for causin' property damage. Somethin' about how Ah 'compromised the structural integrity' of the mine." Sam's lip twists as he adds, "If it was all that structurally integrified, it wouldn't've caved in on us in the first place, Ah say."

*

Huh. Alex regards Nancy thoughtfully for a moment and suddenly grins, "Hey, want to try something? An experiment? I'm sort of curious what happens if you shock me. Ideally, with something not strong enough to kill me, because really, I like being alive. But I've never tried to absorb direct electricity before." He pauses, "Maybe we should put this off for the Danger Room, though." He looks very thoughtful. Then there's a blink over to regard Sam for a long moment, and he laughs, "That does sound like a not terribly reliable cave. Though I'm not clear what it is you can do, Sam."

*

"People can be major assholes, Sam." Bobby tells him. "Bet they're going to try to blame all the damage on you too. Don't know how they can do that if it collapsed before you did whatever it is you do but since you're a mutant, I bet they'll get away with it." Looking between Alex and Nancy, he asks "Why? If he has enough control to regulate her power, it'll be fine here."

*

Nancy watches Sam as he reacts, a smile, perhaps, dancing at the edges of her lips. "You are doing fine, Sam," she tells him. "And it sounds like you are a hero - this is certainly nothing to be embarrassed about, correct?" she asks. But her eyes track towards Alex. "You absorb energy, then?" asks Nancy of Alex, her eyes glancing towards him. A handful of moments more, and she taps her fingertip against the glass she holds idly in thought, the leather dulling the sound. "I think I would prefer the Danger Room myself - last time that Amara and I really played with our powers, a couple of dummies suffered for it - so perhaps we should schedule a time - just in case our powers combine to cause an explosion or something… unexpected," she says, intending that answer for Bobby as well, glancing to him.

"If you feel as though you can control it, we can try a mild shock here, however," she says.

*

"Explosions aren't unexpected, where Ah'm concerned," Sam explains with a mournful tone, since the guys seem curious. "That's kinda what Ah do — mostly from the waist down. But without actually explodin', because the explosion sorta wraps around me and protects me. Also, instead of just explodin' and bein' over, the explosion keeps happening, and the force of it sends me flyin' around like a rocket."

He wrinkles his nose. "That probably don't make much sense. Ah can just show you, if you'd rather." His gaze shifts from side to side as he adds, "It's safer if there's someone there to catch me, though. Now, what's this Danger Room y'all keep talkin' about?"

*

"Hmm. I seriously doubt that our powers would interact." Alex muses at Nancy, "But yeah, I absorb energy. I drink the sun and the stars, basically. But I've never tried to actually absorb electricity, so I'm pretty sure the outcome would either be you shock me, or I absorb it. I can't imagine it could possibly cause me to do a release…" Then Sam is explaining his power, and he blinks, "Huh. Well. The Danger Room is where those of us with destructive powers can practice without a lot of danger of blowing up the mansion. Though if your thing is flying, it doesn't have a lot of vertical space."

*

Bobby just… gazes at Sam a moment then begins to snicker. He explodes from the waist down. Sure he goes on to elaborate but still. He explodes from the waist down. "Catch you?" He considers and nods. "I think we can manage something. Let's go out back cause I definitely want to see you explode from the waist down."

*

"I know it was impressive that you… flew here from Kansas?" says Nancy. "So I would not count your power out just yet, Sam, it just might take…" Nancy kinda considers a moment, glancing towards the others. "…consideration," she says.

A beat, though, and she glances towards Alex. "Outside, then, as a happy medium?" she asks, looking from him towards Bobby then, a little bit of wryness in her voice. "I can charge on the way."

*

"My thing is very much not an indoors thing," Sam confirms, nodding gravely at Alex. "And not just 'cause of the explodin', there's also…" He trails off, perplexed, as Bobby starts to snicker. Appearances sometimes to the contrary, Sam isn't a complete idiot, and he has a picked-on kid's sometimes overactive instinct for when he's being made fun of. But he doesn't make the mental connection until Bobby echoes his words back at him. A blush starts in his cheeks and creeps outward to cover every exposed patch of skin. His jaw clenches and unclenches as he tries to work out a rejoinder.

Eventually, he instead turns to Nancy, head hanging, and corrects her in the tiniest possible voice: "Kentucky. Ah flew from Kentucky." He stands up quickly and heads for the door. Blasting away from this conversation at a couple hundred miles per hour suddenly strikes him as a very desirable course of action.

*

Lifting his iced tea, Alex nods amicably at Nancy, "Sounds good." And its not really until Bobby starts snickering that he realizes what was funny, but Alex manages very well to cover his mouth and cough. And so, he turns and heads towards the doorway out. Because he's not laughing at anyone at all. Honest.

*

Bobby takes a swallow from his soda bottle before standing up and following the others outside. He's still snickering a little at the mental images he has of it.

*

As for Nancy, she was uncertain what exactly was funny. Eyes narrowed, the odd cough from Alex was her first clue - along with Sam's embarrassment. Letting her eyes glance towards Bobby last as they start to head for the doorway out, she remains quiet a handful of moments longer - lifting her hand to adjust the fit of her left gauntlet a bit.

It was to Sam that she leans over, and whispers, "I apologize if Kansas is not… a good state to be from - I did not mean to insult you," she says, her tone of voice low, hushed, before she steps away from him after that apology - although her eyes do watch his features.

*

Warren takes just a little longer than he anticipated, but sometime after or before that phone conversation, he saw it fit to dress in a pair of sweatpants, sneakers, and a college la crosse practice shirt that is slightly mismatched with the grey of his pants. Those large, nearly incandescent white wings of his are still neatly folded down against his back so as to not cause any mishaps with hanging pictures or errant vases along the way.

When he does finally make his way back into the cafeteria, he takes a look around the room to take in the faces of the people still present. Delighted to see that the peopl he was so contently conversing with are still here. The sight of Bobby, Sam, Alex, and Nancy brings a smile to bear that lights up his handsome features. "Hey, guys. Sorry about that. After I made the call…I have too much energy." Pressing his tongue briefly between his lips to wet them, he also folds his hands in front of him. "It's a metabolism thing." With a slight hop on his heels and a rock forward, he grins to them all. "So who wants to be a free weight?"

*

"Aw, it's not an insult," Sam answers. He's obviously still embarrassed, but he gives her a grateful glance — not so much for the apology as simple relief that at least someone isn't laughing at him. "Ah just didn't know what else to say."

Warren's appearance is also a welcome distraction. He didn't even hear the offending comment. "C'mon, Warren, you're just in time," he says, waving the winged man over. "We're gonna mess around with our powers a little. Ah know you said you'd be interested to see what Ah can do." Blush? What blush?

The southerner leads the little cluster of people out onto the grounds, several yards away from any structures, and then holds his arms out to keep them at a decent distance. "Like Ah said, there's some explodin' involved," he says, avoiding eye contact with Bobby with almost religious zeal. "So y'all be careful when Ah'm about to take off."

*

Once they're outside, Alex leaves his drink by the door, rolls his shoulders and looks around. He smiles at Nancy, "So, I was thinking, hit me with something enough to knock me on my ass, but not enough to do any serious damage? Do you have that level of control?"

*

"When you're ready Sam, just head back this way and I'll get you." Bobby assures him. "It'll be best to like, be kind of high to give me some time to prepare but if you can't manage that, no problem." Warren's offer is so tempting but he's committed already. "Maybe in a bit? And Alex, start smaller. Something that might hurt a little but not a lot. Then once we know you can do it, she can try to knock you into the Bronx."

*

Nancy inclines her head towards Sam at his, as she follows after the group at large. "Well, very good," she says, taking a handful of steps away from him. Warren's return causes her eyes to glance up towards him. "We're going outside to do just what Sam said. And Alex… well… he wants to see how well he handles electricity," she says. A beat.

"What do you mean by free weight?" she says.

She was waiting as long as she possibly could. Once they were in the lobby, however, she draws in a breath, holds it a bit, and releases it. And the lights dim. At least in the lobby. Where they do not dim is in her eyes - and the wires in the gauntlets spark. And by the time Alex asks Nancy, she was back to her quick manner of speaking, "I donotknow," she says. "I haveneverbeen shockedbefore," she says. "Ifeel thatIhavenot charged upasmuch asIcan," she says, as if intending to comfort.

Bobby was looked to last - a nod of her head, her lips pursing.

*

Sam pulls a pair of goggles out of his jeans pocket: metal and leather, they're built to last, but still a bit worse for wear. He nods to Bobby, still avoiding eye contact, then his jaw goes slack as Nancy drains ambient electricity from every nearby source. "Dang, girl. You're a walkin' brownout," he says, impressed.

*

Warren first gives a grinning up-nod to Sam, easy with a smile for the younger guy. He's not quite as tightly-wound here around the mansion. One could suppose the reson is that he doesn't have to keep his wings bound. "Absolutely," he tells him. "I know you described it and I saw the aftermath, but…" As Warren walks along with the group, he claps a hand to the back of Sam's shoulder. Fortunately, he knows his own strength. "Let's see what you've got, law dart." He gives him a wink and then draws his hand back. "What's this about insults?" Those brows worry for just a moment, but then he's moving along outside with them.

That warm look is turned to Alex then. "Should I…do we have medical staff?" Again, he furrows his brows. It sounds dangerous, but if Alex seems to be okay with it, he'll just have to suffer through his masochism. "You'll be alright?"

As they're outside now, Warren holds his arms out to his sides and takes a deep breath in. "Great day for it!" he says loudly before turning his attention to Nancy. "Well, my physiology is…like a bird's. It's energy in, energy out. My body doesn't store fat. So when it's nice and hot out like this, I have to burn off the energy." Giving her a quick wag of his brows then, he breaks into another, less beaming smile. "So I need a passenger if I'm going to get it burned off. Otherwise I fidget." Rolling his eyes then to punctuate that statement, he pans his gaze to Bobby in the same motion. "Sure. In a bit is just fine."

When Sam pulls his goggles down, Warren just watches for the time being and prepares himself for this explosion he spoke of.

*

"What's the worst that can happen?" wonders Alex to Warren with a grin, "I bite my tongue off? Naw." He looks to Nancy, gesturing, "Besides, she's not all charged up. I've got a pretty good idea what's going to happen, but as long a Nancy pulls her punches, I don't think there's any real danger. Have to try it sometime." Then he offers an encouraging smile to Nancy, nods his head once, tenses, and says, "Hit me." With a quick smile.

*

Bobby walks over to Sam to clap him on the shoulder. "You'll do fine. Just relax. The secret is to not tense up and get all stressed. What you do is cool so enjoy it." Whatever it is.

*

"Thatiswhy IsaythatI willfrysomethingsomeday," says Nancy to Sam, affecting a smile to him - it was a couple seconds long, before she turns her eyes forward again. Eyes that, of course, were a brilliant blue now, pulsing with power. At what Warren asks about insults, Nancy purses her lips, leaning nearer to the man. By her demeanor, one might expect - or she might have expected it to be a slow and kinda deliberate motion, but in effect, she was in one place one moment, and next to Warren in the next. "Isaidhe wasfromKansas," she says, straightening up and running a hand through her own hair - sparks playing across it. It didn't seem to effect her beyond aesthetics, however - not even static lifted her hair.

"IfBobbydoesnot sayyesI wouldcertainlyliketo?" says Nancy to Warren, with a wryness. "Butinnaminute," she adds, a little pause coming from her. A sigh, and she pulls the glove off of her right hand, sparks tracking along her ungloved fingers. Her nails were uneven, short, and terrible, and her hand was pale, but still - she wiggles her fingers at Alex. "Heregoesnothing," she says. And in the next /second/ - she was moving fast with everything, and this was no exception. Electricity discharges from her, a main, thick bolt aiming towards Alex's chest. Little tendrils of discharge arc off of the main, as well, tracking towards the ground, back towards Nancy - and if anyone was in the near vicinity of Alex, they might get one of those tendrils as well. Those shocks would be mild, though, if unpleasant. Alex got the full force of the thing.

*

Sam was going to take off at Warren and Bobby's encouragement, but Nancy's buildup is too dramatic to pass up. Sam can't help but punch the air and let out an excited whoop as the bolt hits Alex, electricity cascading all around the sped-up Asian girl. "Well, hot damn!" he cries, with an immediate, equally enthusiastic follow up: "Pardon my French."

*

Warren stretches his wings out along with his rather nicely-muscled arms as the light breeze washes over the grounds. The warmth of the sun on his face has him closing his eyes just a moment, but he is rather interested in the outcome of Alex getting lightning shot at him. Blue eyes settle on the two of them ass he's able, watching closely.

Nancy's admission of the insult has him a little confused, to be sure. Then again, he was born in Centerport and has probably spent more time in the city than anywhere else. Such a thing does not register as an insult. "Huh," he sounds, mulling that over a moment. "I'll make a note to not…mention Kansas. Yeah, if Bobby's not up for it, I'll take you up. Or you can both have turns. Are you afraid of heights or rollercoasters?" This last question is asked with raised brows, though he does let it hang when Nancy lets loose that bolt of electricity at Alex's chest. "Oh. Shit." He utters, expecting the worst.

*

Alex is tensed and ready, having opened that part of himself that absorbs energy— he really doesn't know how this works, only that it does— and so when Nancy's lightning comes striking into him, it simply passes right into his body and is gone. There's no sign of any damage, he doesn't even have his hair standing up on end, which is a little unfortunate. His skin does seem just ever so slightly flushed, though, "Whooooa that tasted kinda interesting. Different. I'm used to drinking the sun and the stars, and that's… different. I can't describe it."

*

"I definitely want to go, Warren." Bobby assures him. "Right after Sam does his thing." He too is watching Nancy and Alex and nods at the results, the trainer coming to the forefront Good to know that works. "Do you really taste it?"

*

Nancy wasn't the type to curse. But in the moment after the lightning was released, she says something in Japanese that was sharp and biting sounding. A handful of moments more - and relief spreads across her features. "I'm… sorry. I didn't think it would be that… strong," she says, taking a moment to brush a hand through her hair. "It was as though I opened the current, and the energy, all of it - just rushed through the open door," she adds.

A moment more. She was peering intently at Alex.

"I am glad - very glad you are alright," she says. Eyes track along his face, noting the redness in his features. "…where does the energy go with you?" she asks. "Do you dissipate it, like the gauntlets?" she asks.

But Warren is looked to next. "I haven't been on a roller coaster - but it isn't heights that frighten me, but falling from them. Is your grip strong?" she asks.

*

Warren just blinks when the lightning bolt seems to just get…absorbed into Alex's form. There is still just a bit of a flinch, though and a wince. Despite these brief expressions, he comes around quickly enough to just watch in amazement. "Wow," he says, bringing his hands together in a bit of applause. "Both of you…that's just /awesome/." He's gotten a bit of an explanation of how Alex's powers work, but he

*

"Well, that went better'n expected," Sam comments, grinning from ear to ear. "Maybe you're nigh-invulnerable, too, Alex. Guess that means it's my turn, though." Goggles on, the southerner flashes another grin, this one a little more self-conscious, and takes a couple of steps back to put the mutants surrounding him at a respectful distance. "Okay, then," he says. "Here goes nothin'."

Guthrie looks upward, and with no further warning, is engulfed in harsh light — concentrated, as promised, over his legs — and earsplitting noise. There's only a clear view of the effect for a fraction of an instant, though: a concussive shockwave ripples over everyone around him, flattening the grass in an expanding circle, and Sam is just gone, a crackling, glowing trail of whatever he emits already fizzling before them.

The trail leads straight upward and arcs; then, the roar and the noise end simultaneously for several seconds. There's a distant 'aaaaaaaaaaaa,' then the rocket blast resumes, much lower, on a lateral path now. Soon, there's a golden halo orbiting the grounds as Sam circles over the school. He's traveling at well over 100 miles per hour and his steering is painfully gradual, so the effect is absolutely colossal in size, holding acres of land within its circumference.

*

Warren just blinks when the lightning bolt seems to just get…absorbed into Alex's form. There is still just a bit of a flinch, though and a wince. Despite these brief expressions, he comes around quickly enough to just watch in amazement. "Wow," he says, bringing his hands together in a bit of applause. "Both of you…that's just /awesome/." He's gotten a bit of an explanation of how Alex's powers work, but he doesn't look any less impressed. Nancy is still a bit of a mystery to him, though and he studies her a bit more carefully. "How does that work?" he asks, blinking.

Sam /is/ setting up for his thing, though so Warren's attention moves back to him. The question to Nancy is left to hang for now so that they can all look to the Cannonball. The explosion…was a bit more than he expected and makes him actually stagger backwards a step or two. Instinctively, an arm comes up to protect his face. He looks up just in time to see the trail arcing over the grounds and off into the distance. Even though his ears are still left ringing, he can't help but emit a long, low whistle. "That's new."

*

"Yes… and no." Alex answers to Bobby, pursing his lips thoughtfully, "I feel it and the best way I can think of to describe the sensation is taste, because its not like, a feeling on my skin… Its a sensation." Then he grins at Nancy and shakes his head, "I was pretty sure I'd be okay, so don't worry about it." Then he considers a moment, "I metabolize it. My body absorbs energy and converts it into plasma, and that's stored in my cells— as far as I can tell at least— until I release it… explosively. If I take in too much energy, my body does seem to dissipate it, because I've never been able to well… overload?" He shakes his head and smiles at Sam, "Its just energy. Hell, Bobby could freeze me to death and I couldn't do anything about it— cold isn't energy, its a lack of energy. Also shoot me in the head and I'm as dead as anyone. So, unfortunately, not invulnerable. I can swim in lava and drink death rays, but that's it." Whoops! Sam's probably going to miss that because he explodes. "… Did he mention something about having trouble landing?"

*

Bobby looks over at Sam as soon as he notices the light and then WOOSH, the guy takes off like a rocket. "Okay, that's kind of impressive." Tilting his head back, he watches the guy do his thing. "You should discharge on Alex, Nancy. No chance of blowing out the breakers in the school. And yeah, he did say that." Now he can see what Sam can do, he should probably prepare now. A layer of ice forms over him as he cranes his neck to crack it. Pointing both hands at the ground, he starts building a carnival ride that would bring all the boys to his yard, speaking of roller coasters. Once it's done, what looks like the mouth of a tuba is high in the air and leads into an ice tube that loops around and around and around about a dozen times, each one going lower until Sam would come out at ground level, slide along a sheet of ice and then hit the final upward ramp that will send him to land in… oh right. As an afterthough, Bobby makes a snowbank in the projected landing area.

*

"I was… definitely a little worried there for a moment," says Nancy to Warren. Of course, it was time for Sam's flight. Nancy jumps back with surprise as the explosion and shockwave ripplies over her, and she has to fight back the reaction to just… pull all the electricity from the lamps and things nearby with that.

"Oh my…" Nancy says as she slowly relaxes from that reaction, lifting her chin up to track the flight of the Cannonball.

But she gives Alex her fullest of attention as he explains his power. "But… you are turning red," she says. "It doesn't hurt? At all?" At Bobby's suggestion… "…well, while that seems like it would be safer for the school, it might be strange to try to find Alex every time I accidentally pull too much," she says. "Like I almost did when Sam took off. He is more than a Cannonball - he is a Space Shuttle, it seems," she says.

Nancy watches Bobby make his sculptures of ice, bringing up a hand to brush through her hair. "That is impressive - is that a way to help him land?" she asks.

*

Once Bobby's gigantic frozen waterslide is complete, the halo starts to fragment: in an effort to aim for the horn, Sam keeps cutting thrust and trying to reorient, then blasting again to keep his altitude up. It's a graceless process, necessarily rushed, and not altogether controlled: if anyone has sharp enough eyes to tell, whenever he's not blasting, Guthrie is just sort of waving his arms and legs around in an attempt to 'swim' to a new vector.

Predictably, the result of this process isn't perfect. Sam hits the horn at an angle, but not obliquely enough to simply slide along its surface. Instead, he hits hard and bounces off at a slight angle and tremendous speed, then bounces off another side in similar fashion, then again, then once more.

Once he is finally in the enclosed loops, he seems to be sliding headfirst, then sideways, then swinging around again, with no control over his orientation. After a while, hits the snowdrift cushion facefirst, hard enough to create a localized blizzard. Several seconds pass. Then, coughing; finally, a weakly called "Ah'm okay!"

*

Warren does look curiously at Alex's description of the sensations that take place. "Remarkable," he says with a hint of awe still coloring his tone. A glance to Bobby is given as well of course, though his attention does soon return to Alex. "So you can absorb and store all sorts of different energy," he muses. "That's cool." Once more, his blue eyes turn to Bobby and he lifts his brows at him as if trying to get his attention without flagging him down in other ways. While he looks like he's about to say something, he instead is distracted when Bobby makes the snowbank. "Ha! Nice catch…I hope!" And then he watches still. "He did say he had trouble…landing."

"Right. I've got him." With a smile then, Warren gives a hopping step and then unfurls his wings. The strong flap of them does muss peoples' hair and anything else about that's light and unrestrained. With no passenger, Warren is /fast/ and easily climbs to a hundred feet within moments. Justy to show off, as he catches a tailwind, he curls his wings in gracefully and does a quick barrel roll. When he rights himself, his wings pop outwards once more to catch the wind with a whooping beat. For a few moments, he glides gracefully with his feet pointed and arms to his sides. Sam's landing spot is noted and Warren begins to /swoop/ downwards. Those large wings tuck in and he falls into a dive down towards Sam.

Ominous as a bird of prey, that wide wingspan exlipses the sun as it's oriented for Sam's vantage point. "Ready?" Warren calls down to him, but he doesn't give him much opportunity. The beat of those wings is more heavy as he keeps himself slowed and aloft, looking for a part of Sam he can pluck up. Reaching down into the snow Sam is no doubt still partially buried in, he grabs him up underneath his arms and lifts him with just the smallest amount of strain. And then UP HE GOES. Ohgod.

*

"Oh. Hey. Awesome idea, Bobby." Alex grins at the guy, and sort of… stares for a long moment while he's making a landing ice park. Stares a bit too long, in fact. Then he realizes he's doing it, blinks and looks away, and grins over at Nancy, "Just a little flushed when I take in a good amount. And no, no pain, no discomfort even. I just feel a little warm inside, that's all." He nods, "And if I'm around, anytime you need to let off the release valve, I don't mind you dumping your excess charge into me. Heck, you might top off my reserves. They can run out. Just be sure not to surprise me with it." Then he nods up and watches Cannonball do his thing, but he nods to Warren, "Yep. Normally I just soak up cosmic energy throughout the day. The sun, the stars. Radiation. Heat." Then he has to applaud as Warren takes flight and goes and grabs Sam. He says, as an aside to Nancy, "Warren flew us the other day. It was quite an experience."

*

"Yes, you see each loop will absorb some of his momentum and slow him down." Bobby explains, making looping motions in the air with a finger as the ice coating disappears. "And it'll redirect him as well, slowly bringing him down to ground level, sliding across and then up into the air straight up where gravity will slow him down even more before he falls into the snowbank." After a moment, he adds "Damn, that sounds like fun. I've got to try it." And then Sam demonstrated just how fun it is. "Definitely got to try it." As Warren takes off to go get Sam, he looks from him to the top of the slide and grins.

*

Nancy winces at Sam's first impact, and then another when he slides along, at every bump and bounce her wince was growing.

"…are you sure we don't need a doctor?" she asks in an aside to Alex. Although one might assume the question was further about his absorbing the energy - she lifts her chin towards the snowpile to give it context. And then Warren takes flight. There was… something absurdly majestic about the whole thing.

"There is a reason he is called Angel," she says, sounding just a bit awestruck. "I think to be… fair," she says, "I would rather take a car. It must be exhilirating, however - did he carry more than just one at once?" she asks.

Bobby's explanation was likewise listened to - and at the end, she smiles to him. "If this whole mansion thing doesn't work, I know you would be a hit at waterparks," she says.

*

"Aaa-AAAAAAAaa!" Sam yelps as he is airlifted clear of the snowank. 'Partially' buried is a kindness: he had gotten his head, one arm, and a foot free before Warren cut short his zombie-like emergence. It's a little ironic that after blazing around at rocket speeds with only partial control, Warren's graceful aerobatics should alarm the nigh-invulnerable human cannonball, but there you have it. Sam flails, spits snow out of his mouth, and watches as the ground wheels below him. "Is this what it's like when Ah carry people?!" he blurts out.

*

Warren's grip is /quite/ strong and he seems to be able to lift and carry Sam with very little effort for all that the muscles on his arms flex. He's got him scooped up underneath his arms as he carries him aloft to a hundred or so feet up. "Just don't wiggle!" he calls down to him, adjusting his grip so that he has his hands curled up and around his shoulders and the majority of his weight rests on his forearms. At the question, he widens his eyes and then looks down to Sam. "Maybe a little more fear for life and limb? Don't worry, Sam. I won't drop you."

He's laughing when he brings Sam back within earshot. and comes in for that landing. It's then that Warren draws Sam in against him so that he can make the landing unhindered. The landing is gentle and easy when all is said and done and he deposits Sam down on the ground once again near the group. "You just need some flying practice, though. I'll help you out. I mean…who else are you going to trust with aerodynamics, right?" There's a laugh as he relinquishes the young man completely and he looks to the rest of the group. Those expansive white wings are still partially spread but slowly and easily fold to his back once more.

*

Alex grins at Nancy and shakes his head slowly, "I doubt we need a doctor, things rarely get too dangerous. Just dangerous enough. But yes. Angel is a very apt name. He's beautiful up there. Graceful in a way I can't even imagine being. Do you have a codesign?" Then at her remark to Bobby about waterparks, he bursts into laughter. "Bobby makes his own waterpark whenever it suits him. He's awesome like that. Our minister of fun."

*

Bobby watches Warren deliver Sam to them because Alex is right. Warren is beautiful. "Those wings are awesome." he agrees then grins at Alex. "Father Fun, that's me. Okay, I'm ready Warren!" He's not quite fidgeting but he wants to fly!

*

Nancy's eyes watch after Sam at his second flight.

"He's… fine," she says, the word fine a little dubious, "When exploding across the sky, but he seems just as nervous with the slower flight, no?" she remarks to Alex.

As for her codesign, Nancy glances towards him. "Surge," she says. "A bit well-suited as well, no?" A beat. "What about your own codesign?" she asks - her smile gentling when he talks about Bobby.

"We all make an excellent addition to this school - I feel that as far as class and staff goes - we could not ask for more, could we?" she asks.

*

Once he's had a few seconds to get over the initial shock (and be reassured that Warren's grip is reliable), Sam relaxes and starts to find the fun in letting someone else take over piloting duties for a while. And honestly, between the noise and the blurred scenery and the lack of steering, Sam's version of flight is a lot less pleasant to experience than the Angel's — not to mention a lot less safe.

He's sure not to wiggle, all the same.

His nerves return when Warren draws him in and the ground starts to get closer: the southerner grits his teeth and tenses all over, preparing for a heavy impact — but then it's a feather-light landing and a gentle release. He's at more risk of fall damage from his own stiff posture when his boots hit the grass than he was from Warren's landing. He adopts a wide stance, bends his knees a few times to loosen his joints up, and rubs at the back of his head sheepishly. He rubs at his side, winces, and looks down, then glances at Nancy and adjusts his half-destroyed shirt to obscure some of the purpling that is starting to develop.

"Thanks for the help, y'all," he says, turning to nod to Bobby and Warren in turn. "That's quite a thing to just build out of nowhere, but it sure seemed to work. And maybe with some training, Ah'll be able to land on my own one of these days." He flashes a hesitant smile at Warren, game but not quite sure how much hope to invest in the older flier. Grace is written on the man's every move, and Sam isn't ever going to be able to match that.

*

"I'm Havok." Alex clearly likes his codesign, "When I first got here when I threw my plasma arcs around, I tended to ruin everything around me. Nowadays, with my suit at least— and I think in time without it— I can aim, which is a major plus." Otherwise he grins, "But yes, Surge suits you well. Bobby's Iceman of course." Then he gestures around, his eyes on Bobby intently as he watches the guy get excited about flying, and not at all for any other reasons surely, "There's a lot of good people here, yeah, Nancy. And we all bring something different. Some in powers. Some in skills. Some in attitude and energy. Together we're stronger then the sum of our parts." But he grins over at Sam then, "What's your codesign, man? Rocketman?"

*

"My ears were burning," Warren says with a smile to Alex and a raise of one brow. Those impossibly blue eyes shift from him to Nancy and then back. Again, the corners of his lips tug upward into another chery sort of smile. "Well, I can feel the wind," he says and gestures to his wings. "I can make those little adjustments. But ah, thanks." The smile is still perfect and intact and a wink is given to Alex and then Nancy. Of course he looks to Bobby next and gives him a thumbs-up before glancing to surge once again with a smile. "Not having second thoughts, are you?" he teases her.

As he walks over towards Bobby, he also turns his eyes to Sam. "You're awesome, but you fly like a rocket. The cool thing? I noticed you could apply thrust to change direction and slow yourself down. Would you be okay with me working with you a little more on that?" He does hold up a moment for him to answer the question, but then he's moving to scoop Bobby up to cradle him in his arms if he allows. If he's allowed, he lifts Bobby with the same lack of strain that he had Sam.

"Want to try a loop?" he asks, raising a brow at Bobby. It really is hard to tell whether or not he's joking.

*

"Cut thrust, flip over, apply thrust." Bobby says. "Brings you to a halt in mid air. Then twist around and activate again. Should become second nature after enough practice." He helps train mutants to use their power and really, powers are just another way to play. "Sure!" he tells Warren. "Whatever you want, I'm up for."

*

Bobby also puts his arms around Warren's neck so he can hold on.

*

"Havok?" says Nancy. She seemed a little less into his codesign, but she reserves such feelings from affecting her features overmuch - restricting the affect to her eyes - a bit furtive in the way they glance down and to one side. "Of course, that is his name," she says. "And that is the strength of this place, overall, I feel. A place to belong - people to belong to - a family, of sorts," she says.

Nancy looks towards Warren. "Perhaps a bit. I'm feeling a little dizzy just watching poor Sam - I can't imagine Bobby's flight to be different. Would you mind if I take a raincheck? I think I need to get some water to drink," she says.

With that said - she was already beginning to edge back towards the entrance of the Institute.

*

"See ya, Surge." Alex gives a friendly wave, and takes to watching Warren fly Bobby, with a slightly odd expression on his face.

*

"Codesign? Ah ain't got a codesign," Sam answers Alex, eyebrows sliding up toward the dimpling center of his forehead. "Was Ah supposed to get one? Ah haven't really talked to anybody official. Ah'm just stayin' in his room" — he indicates Warren with a quick upward nod — "and waitin' for somebody to put me in a class or somethin'."

He puts a hand to the back of his head, stoops, and shifts his weight. "Ah don't know about 'Rocketman.' Makes me sound like some kinda guided missile, and all y'all saw for yourselves: that ain't close to true." He grins sheepishly at Alex. "But if that's what you think Ah should call myself, Mr. Havok, that's just fine."

He flushes again when Warren describes him as 'awesome,' but focuses his response on the question asked. "Ah'd be much obliged if you would help me out, sir," he says with a farm-boy grin. "Ah ain't made much progress on it workin' on my own, even with the whole trip up from Kentucky to practice."

Nancy's suggestion of a break, however, is the only suggestion that actually spurs him to motion. "Ah think Ah should probably head back inside, too. Lots of dishes to clean up, before somebody else needs 'em." Not to mention scorch marks before the kitchen staff return. With a wave, he heads back inside.

*

With a smile to Bobby, Warren gives a quick nod of his head. He was just about to encourage him to 'buckle up' when he does so. "I think we need community goggles like Sam's. Don't look directly into the wind or you might damage your eyes." Flashing a smile at him then, he does shift his eyes back to Nancy and he nods. "You get dibs next time," he tells her with a smile her way. Sam is also given a nod and an encouraging look. "Absolutely, Sam. We'll start bright and early on Saturday." Yup. He's taking his Saturday. Yoink. With that said, he looks back to Bobby. "All set?"

Naturally, he doesn't even really wait for an answer before those large, graceful wings unfurl with pristine control. Once again they start to cut the air with powerful beats as he carries Bobby quickly upward and into the sky. For a loop, he's definitely going to need a little more altitude so he climbs to about five-hundred feet. He does hold onto Bobby tightly so he doesn't shift too, much, though. This makes it possible for him to suddenly curl his wings in again and repeat the barrel roll from before while carrying a passenger this time.

"Alright! Hang on!" The words are shouted right before he starts climbing sharply upward as fast as his wings can carry him. Where there was no strain before, there is quite a bit of it now. Finally he reaches an apex and his perfectly-controlled, straight form bends at the back and he flips over.

Bobby gets the zero-G sensation for a good long moment as they plummet back towards the earth at an /astonishing/ 180 miles per hour or so. It's not until they're at the 100-foot mark that thoise powrful wings unfurl again and he slows them to a steady glide right over the heads of fellow X-Men and students alike. The momentum is used to cut back upwards over the mansion and then, presumably…depositing Bobby wherever it is he wants to go.

*

Bobby wants to go into the ice tube of course! And when Warren comes to a hover by the opening, he pushes off head first into it. WHEE! Around and around and around then across and up and a belly flop into the snowbank. "AWESOME! LETS DO IT AGAIN!"

*

"Maybe… Bullet?" Alex contemplates Sam thoughtfully, "And no you don't have to have one, its something us students— the first ones the Professor found, oh he's Professor X by the way, and Erik is Magneto— came up with. Now its more an X-men thing, but a lot of the students start taking them on too. Its a way to embrace our mutant identity." But Cannoball is heading off, so Alex shrugs, then grins over broadly at Bobby after his ride, "Fun, isn't it?" he asks knowingly, though his expression is a little odd still.

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