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Night in Westchester, in December. Cold, and a light dusting of snow covers much of the Institute's grounds and buildings. It's still falling, lightly, and Julian sits on the steps of the front door to the Mansion, huddled into a bit of a ball to keep warm; the jacket is apparently not doing as well as he had thought it would. Los Angeles doesn't exactly get a lot of snow, and while he's done his share of travelling he hasn't been many places that get a real winter, so it's a bit of a marvel to him. He's just sitting, watching the moonlight shimmer on the ground, and the very light, tiny flakes as the fall from the sky. It's almost idyllic, the gentle snowfall, the moon shining through thin clouds in the distance, and the absolute calm of the air. Inside just beyond those doors, no doubt there is activity, noise and perhaps even an element of chaos, but out here there is calm, and Julian is savouring the peace. He's even quietly humming, and if one is listening closely, the melody of "White Christmas" could be detected.
*
Bundled to the point of being almost unrecognizeable, a figure walks slowly across the serene Mansion grounds. The only identifying feature is the flutter of brightly patterned fabric peeking out under the drab coat's bottom hem.
The cold soaks into her bones more than she'd have thought it would, but Ororo will put up with the chill for as long as she can. The professor has been more than welcoming, giving her a place to stay and no judgements, but she's not spoken with anyone else in this place, and her room quickly becomes stifling in its silence. At least out here she can hear the crunch of the snow under her shoes, the faint rattle of tree branches moving in what little breeze she's allowing. But she misses the sounds of birds and insects. One can never feel lonely when surrounded by wildlife.
*
Julian spots the figure walking, and on a whim chooses to get up to meet the person to whom the silhouette belongs. Walking throught he snow does not appeal to him; he's not wearing at all the right shoes, and so he does not. He stands, and a moment later his body takes on a distinctly green aura, lifting him just a few feet from the ground; he floats swiftly, but not excessively so, toward where Ororo walks. When he approaches, but before he comes too close, he announces himself to the woman with a pleasant, if somewhat teeth-chattering tenor tone, "H-hello!" Yes, not built for the cold. Perhaps if he had been more used to it, he'd realize that walking properly would have warmed his body more than simply levitating across the distance. "It is a lovely evening for a walk through the grounds, isn't it. Do you mind a bit of company?" He sets himself down, the green light fading as quickly as it appeared. Julian offers a friendly smile, but keeps his distance in the event that company is not, in fact, welcome. He won't take it personally if she prefers her solitude.
*
Ororo looks over as the young man with the green aura calls out a hello. She smiles and replies with an uncommon accent, "Hello. I do not mind at all. Though, I suspect you are feeling the cold even more than I." And then she proceeds to unwind the scarf covering her pure white hair to offer to Julian. Her coat has a hood that'll work just as well.
*
Julian is a gentleman, and politely refuses the offer of the scarf before she has fully removed it. "No no, thank you, but I'm alright," he says, forcing himself to stop his teeth from chattering. "I am not used to the temperature on this side of the country, but I'll be okay, just gotta move around a little. I've been sitting watching the snow fall for thirty minutes, so I have no-one to blame but myself," he says with a warm smile. "I don't think I've seen you around, or in classes. Julian Keller," he introduces with an extended hand to shake, if Ororo is so inclined.
*
Ororo stops unwinding the scarf at Julian's refusal, then shakes his hand with only a moment of hesitation. "A pleasure, Mr. Keller. I am Ororo Munroe." She then moves to start walking again, because really, the best way to stay warm is to keep moving. "So you are from … California?" Yes, she had to think about that. "Is it really very different from New York?" Because it's most certainly different from her home in Africa.
*
Julian's handshake is firm, perhaps a little firmer than is appropriate when shared with a lady, but it's not like he's crushing her hand with his. "Good to meet you, Miss Munroe," he replies. "Very different. I barely knew the meaning of 'cold' before I left Los Angeles. Not really a winter there, to speak of, and certainly no snow. At least not in the two decades that I grew up there." He's heard tales of days gone by when the region got the faintest whisper, but never in his lifetime. He walks alongside the woman, hands returned to his pockets, because of course, he's not wearing gloves. But he keeps pace, and doesn't seem at all bothered by the fact that his feet are slowly getting damp, because it would be unbecoming to complain. "Are you a new arrival as well, or another person I've simply missed running into in the few days since I got here?"
*
Keeping the pace slow enough to allow for conversation but brisk enough to fend off the cold, Ororo nods at his description of winters in Los Angeles. "I've been here perhaps a couple of weeks? I am not a student, so there is little for me to do. I … mostly spend my days out here, somewhere on the grounds." She doesn't explain why, it's not something she willingly talks about. "Are you here to study, then?"
*
"I'm an instructor," Julian says. A junior instructor, with only one class to be responsible for, so far; he's hoping to gain more responsibility if it goes well, but that's not entirely up to him now, is it? "World History. Even if you're not a student, you'd be more than welcome to sit in," he offers, trying to sound as casual as possible about it. Don't try to pressure people into taking your class, Julian. "However, I am hoping that I'll also have the opportunity to refine my abilities, and perhaps help others learn to master their own, while I am here. I have had, I suppose, a bit of a tumultuous time learning control myself, and while it's far from perfect, if I'd had a school like this one when I was younger, it would have made all the difference." He can already feel his core warming slightly, thanks to the movement. Should have been doing this twenty minutes ago. "You say you have little to do, but is there anything you'd /like/ to do here?" He's asking first to determine if there's some way he can help her, and second, in the event that it's simply a case of not having considered what options there might be for the woman.
*
"I am … not entirely certain." Ororo knows that her current skills are not exactly the most publicly acceptable. "I know that expecting me to cook would result in disaster of the worst sort, but other than that…" She arrived in the United States so horribly unprepared. How did she even think she could get by? She will never stop being grateful to the professor for giving her a place to stay, but Julian is correct. She really should be doing something to contribute.
"I suppose I am not certain of what I can offer. What do you suggest?"
*
"Well, I've only just arrived myself, so I'm not perfectly clear on where everyone fits in, or what is accepted.. this is not exactly a conventional school," Julian answers with a bit of a smirk on his lips. "Perhaps if I knew more about you? Where did you come here from, what was going on in your life before you came here? If you don't mind my asking, what does your mutation involve?" Lots of questions, but his heart is in the right place, isn't it? Finding some way to contribute will expose the young woman to others, give her a sense of purpose, and perhaps give her an opportunity to become part of the community, rather than wandering the grounds alone, as seems to be the case.
*
Ororo takes a moment to consider how to answer Julian's questions. She tells him about the village where she'd spent most of the past ten years, and that she was considered either a goddess or a witch, depending on favorably (or not) the other villagers viewed her. And then to illustrate her powers, her eyes go from clear blue to solid cloudy white as she looks up, and the light dusting of snow falling from overhead suddenly thickens for several seconds before stopping completely. "I spent the majority of my time working to refrain from affecting the weather patterns around me, or intentionally manipulating them to be more favorable as desired by the village elders." So, she didn't really have to bother with mundane tasks such as cooking or cleaning.
*
Julian nods along, listening as Ororo tells her story. He's a good listener, doesn't interrupt and shows his interest in his facial expressions and body language. When she gives that brief demonstration, his eyebrows lift and his eyes go wide with no small amount of amazement. "That is a very powerful gift, Miss Munroe," he says, though he has little doubt she is aware of that very fact, given how seriously she has spoken of it already. "And it stands to reason that you should have better things to be doing than learning to sew," he says with a lighthearted smile, perhaps in an effort to bring a bit of lightness to the conversation. "I've been thinking about perhaps organizing some extra-curriculars for the younger students; not sure if there is much in the way of sports teams, or chess clubs, as yet. If there is not, would you be interested in assisting in some way?"
*
Ororo nods at that as her eyes return to normal. A few moments after they do, the light dusting of show begins to fall again, though the breeze has kicked up a bit. "I am not familiar with the rules of any sports other than football… I think it is known as soccer in the United States. And even that I only understand in passing. But I am willing to assist with those. It would be somewhat familiar." Football is, after all, a VERY prevalent sport in northern Africa, and having weather conducive to a rousing game was very likely on Ororo's list of common reasons for manipulating the weather.
*
"Soccer is an excellent way to start off, actually. Minimal equipment, easily accessible to most kids, fairly straightforward regulations," Julian muses aloud, his smile growing. "Team sport, good for building comaraderie. Great idea," he says, nodding. And he doesn't say it, but the idea that Ororo could ensure at least temporary breaks in any bad weather to facilitate practice certainly crosses his mind. "It is nice to know that there are others here whose powers aren't exactly indoor-friendly," he says after a moment. Because controlling weather isn't something you typically do inside, at least he assumes.
*
And, it gives Ororo more reason to not end up cooped up inside the building more and more. She smiles and nods to Julian. "I look forward to football practice, then." Their walk apparently was enough of a circuitous route that they've come back around to the mansion, and the steps where Julian had been seated earlier. "I think I am perhaps ready for some hot tea. Have you warmed up enough?"
*
And there's Julian's butt-print in the thin layer of snow on the steps. He regard it a moment, considering that it's not a bad butt-print; maybe he could stand to get some more exercise, though. Perhaps that's a factor in his desire to do something active with the students. Not that he thinks they don't get exercise themselves, but he wonders how much of it is just for fun, and not for training. "Excellent," he says to Ororo when she agrees to his suggestion. "I'll start planning, asking around with the students to see if we can garner interest. In the meantime, yes, I'm certainly ready to go back inside," he says eagerly. The movement is good for warming the core, and that's the most important, but his fingers are /freezing/, and he'll need to change his socks post-haste.
*
Ororo smiles and leads the way inside, presuming (possibly correctly) that Juilan won't want to touch a door handle with his bare hands right now. They may be ill-fitting and threadbare, but she IS wearing gloves. Once they're inside, she pauses by the staircase leading to the residential wing of the mansion. "Shall we meet in the kitchen in, say, ten minutes?" Now that she's back indoors, her coat and scarf and everything are just WAY too warm and she would rather leae them in her room than carry them around.
*
"Oh, thank you," Julian says when Ororo opens the door and leads him in. He was /not/ looking forward to the feel of cold brass on his tender fingers. He'll head in the direction of the kitchen once they've parted ways, since he doesn't have anything more than a jacket to worry about, and frankly keeping it on might be the best idea, for the purposes of keeping the warmth in once he's gotten a hold of it. He at least knows where the kettle is, and can get the water boiling while he waits for the young woman to deposit her things and meet him. "Ten minutes," Julian echoes before they go in separate directions, rubbing his hands together once they're in side to warm his fingers faster. Tea, warm mugs, unfrozen fingers.
*