2013-02-23 Not Kentucky

A warm, early-almost-not-quite spring-like day has blossomed this late morning in Westchester. Yes, those peppy birds are chirping, then sun slides its cascading blanket of warmth 'cross the land. At Xavier's school, there are numerous students and teachers inside, going about their typical days activities. And, while arrivals to the facility are certainly common, most frequently they are to some degree anticipated. This day, however, a remotely known but distant guest makes their way towards the front gates.
Paige Guthrie, a 17-year-old, thin farm girl strolls at a energized, healthy pace. She's been like this for the last hour, where her hitchhiked ride dropped her off a few highway exits back. It wouldn't have been this easy without the map, naturally. Walking past the first gate, she adopts a more measured speed--her eyes shifting into a more wondered, observant gaze. Since this is her destination, she ought to pay closer attention.
Even in winter, Anole had to move. The front lawn was mostly clear as he pumped his legs hard, and leaps into the air after a thrown Frisbee. His tongue rockets out from his mouth, stretching well beyond his reach to snatch the flying disk back to his waiting hands. "You can't beat the green!" He says, before tossing the flying disk back towards the other kids. Most everything stops, however, with a new person approaching. Vic (Anole) was slightly on edge, with the recent events. "Hey there!" he called out, raising a hand. "The name is Victor, how can I help you?"
Security at the mansion isn't what anyone would call 'lax' even on a weekend when students are coming and going. So when a farm girl shows up and walks through the gates, the people in the mansion know. Bobby Drake had just been preparing to gather students for some Danger Room time when he got a quick telepathic ping to see who it is coming in. So now he's stepping out the front door and heading for where this new girl is supposed to be to find out if she's a new student that's supposed to be there or someone that needs to be thrown out. A few students direct him towards the girl and he nods when he sees Vic already talking to her. "Hey," he calls out. Of course when he gets closer and sees Paige more clearly, Bobby's surprised. Sam had shown him pictures of his family when they briefly dated so he recognizes the girl even if he can't remember the name.
Paige can't decide if she should be scared or excited about her instant greetings upon walking in. This was her first time to the mansion, of course, but it's not as if she'd never heard of it. Her brother, Sam Guthrie had spent some time as a student. He even had one of those fancy code-names that Paige tried to emulate.... he was 'Cannonball'! The stories Sam told her when he'd visit home filled her with excitement, and dreams of life outside of the farm filled her head ever since. She decided she'd better make friendly with the new arrivals.
"Hey! Hey ya'll!" she called out, flashing a slightly overstated, Southern smile. Paige immediate felt an odd hint of shame--even in her brief time here she'd already been made to feel a bit odd being from the South. Northerners tended to look at her with some sort of unstated judgment... she noted that she might need to curb this. She moved closer, trying to not look crazy or threatening, towards Bobby and Vic. "This place is just a-bubblin' over with people, huh?"
"Well, its a school day. Most of us are here." Vic smiles gently towards Paige, "You family to someone here? I don't mean to be rude or anything, it’s just we have high security here." Victor, who could best be described as a Lizard-man, didn't have a hint of shyness or judgment to him. Who was he to judge someone on being a southerner? Mutant types like Victor tend to be pretty accepting of differences.
"What was your name again? Real pleasure to meet you." Vic offers his hand to be shaken. "If you've got a brother, or a sister here I'm sure someone will be around shortly so you could visit them." There he goes, making assumptions.
"She's got a brother here, Vic," Bobby speaks up as he overhears the lizard-like student. He's not showing any judgment of the Southerness, giving Paige a curious look as he comes over. Vic gets a quick pat on the shoulder when Bobby gets near and the icy teacher offers a smile. "You're one of Sam's sisters, right?" he asks Paige.
Paige hadn't really spent any time *looking* at the two across the way, but as she approached, she suddenly felt her obliviousness: this fellow, calling himself Vic, was pretty odd looking indeed. Instead of unsettling Paige, it got her smiling even more. It gave a clear confirmation that she was indeed at the right place, and it kind of reminded her of herself. After all, when Paige used her husking power, she too looked not-so-human, her skin and its texture changing entirely.
Looking over to Bobby, she nodded excitedly, "A-yeah, Sams my brother, yeah." She felt herself momentarily struck for lack of words. "I was trying to find him..."
Vic grows quiet once Bobby 'vouches' for the new girl. "Sam?" he asks, looking once more towards Mr. Drake as clearly, he was in the know. "Well, nice to meet you, Paige." he said, smiling still. Friendly little guy. "I don't think I know Sam, but he could be a grade above me or something like that."
"Mr. Guthrie," Bobby offers to Victor. "He's a graduate and teaches here," he further explains. He offers a hand to Paige. "I'm Bobby Drake and sorry but Sam's not here right now," he says. "You came all the way up here looking for him? Is something wrong?"
Paige couldn't help but glace over a bit, observing the building and scene surrounding them. It was bigger and nicer than she'd expected; Sam's crooked, odd-angled photos he'd bring home doing it no justice. It was almost like stepping into a story--Xavier's Institute being a place that filled Paige's teenage imagination: a place where mutants could work together, and could be more than the sum of their parts. She often related to the entire wave of Xavier's mutants as the preface to an amazing new chapter in humanity, and other such idealistic notions such as peace and justice.
"I'm not even sure if Sam's still in this place, t'be'honest," Paige admitted ungracefully, with a bit of awkwardness to her voice. "It's just that he hasn't communicated with the family in... weeks. I think maybe he might not even live here anymore, but I didn't know where else to go. Ya'll were the only place I knew about." Paige decided that perhaps it was not the time to talk about her own insecurities, or her own motives for the trip. She was going to try to appear altruistic.
"I'm not even sure if somethings wrong, but the family is all up in worry about him. Guess I'm the messenger." Nervous, realizing that she might seem impulsive for showing up like this, she unwittingly made it worse by trying to change the subject. Looking at Vic, she asked, "You're 'bout as mutant as they come, I reckon. How many students they got here?"
"Not a clue." Vic wasn't about to answer questions like 'How many students' or what have you. "More than ten." he offered, with a smile. " And yeah, I'm pretty mutanty. Just call me Kermit." So, Vic sang. "It’s not easy being greeeen…" with a little wink and a quirky half smile. "I'm sure we can help you find your brother though. A lot of us here at the school are like family to each other, anyways." To Vic, Paige was just a girl looking for her brother, even if she asked 'hot topic' security questions.
Bobby sighs a little. "He does still live here. At least he's got a room and a job when he wants it," he explains. "But he's taking time off for some personal stuff. None of us have heard from him in awhile either," he says. "We can ask the Professor if he knows anything," Bobby suggests, running a hand through his hair. He arches a brow as Paige changes the subject, watching her a moment. Vic handling the question gets a little nod of approval. "How about we head over there and sit down? Better than standing around the front lawn," he says, gesturing to some benches around a decorative fountain on the grounds.
Feeling a bit awkward, Paige stood in front of the two, momentarily realizing that she didn't really even have a plan. Not for finding Sam, not for ingratiating her way into Xavier's as a student, and not for greeting people with genuine and justified questions about her arrival. She decided to talk at them a bit.
"Been travelling here for the last two days straight," she started, "I apologize for sounding kinda wonky here," making some appeal to Vic in acknowledgement for her tactless question, "Haven't had too much sleep." The backpack on her back did look pretty weighty. "I'd love to sit down a spell!" she said eagerly to Bobby, "Got some tea?"
Anole smiles between the two. "Well, sounds like Mr. Drake has it well in hand. Real nice to meet you." he offered towards the new girl as he looked towards those he had been playing frisbee with earlier. "Hey!" he shouted. "Throw it up high!" Vic was off in a sprint, jumping and letting his tongue do the work once more. Yoink! Right out of the air. "Ahaha!" he laughs, as he tossed the disk back and gets into his weekend.
Bobby gives Paige a look at that news. "Does your family know you're here?" he asks. If they were just worried about Sam, couldn't they have called after all? He's getting the feeling that there's something more going on. "Tea? Sure, we can head into the kitchen instead," he offers, gesturing for Paige to follow. He watches Vic go back to the game and then turns to Paige and offers a smile. "Want me to carry that for you?" he gestures to the bag.
"Naw, I got this," Paige declared, her pride kicking in. She was tough, durn it, and even with little sleep she felt she needed to prove it. She, too, watched Vic head off, admiring his comfort with being who he is. Feeling a bit inspired, she turned to follow Bobby, moving a bit faster to catch up. "Thank ya," she said, trying to sound calm and casual. Inside, she was bubbling with excitement. She was getting inside after all!
"Yeah, m'family knows I headed out here. Ya can call 'em if ya want to," she says with a curious sincerity. "They got mixed feelings about me making the trip, but on account of my siblings gettin' older, they decided to trust me," she said flatly. Of course, they hadn't expected her to hitchhike to Westchester, giving her money for the train. Paige thought it better to save the money for some other purpose, making her free-wheeling gamble into a cash-in-pocket option.
Leading the way through the halls and cafeteria and into the kitchen, Bobby listens. Nodding a little, he heads over to the stove to set up the kettle for some tea. He's sure someone will be calling the Guthrie household today even if he isn't the one to do it. "So are you in town for more than the great Sam-hunt of 2013?"
Wide-eyed and trying to shake off the awkwardness of her arrival, Paige followed Bobby much like a perky little puppy, heading into the kitchen. "I guess this is... well, this is my first real outing outside of Kentucky," she admits, hoping such things won't elicit a judgment of her inexperience. "And I guess I just really wanted the chance to be elsewhere. To do something more with myself." She knew she was only dancing around the issue, "And it was a chance to see more mutants. Even though our familys got our share, it is kinda isolated out there, ya know?"
The awkwardness and perkiness don't bother Bobby at all. He's used to them from showing new students around and being a teacher around existing students. "First solo venture into the big scary world, huh? I know how that can be," Bobby replies. There's no judgment from him on inexperience. He's a young guy himself and he can still remember that first day he left Xavier's to see the world himself. There's a little smirk when Paige mentions more mutants in the family, Bobby considering her a moment. "Just curious about other mutants or looking for powers pointers?"
Afternoon tea was a ritual that was all too common in the Guthrie home--a momentary respite from the labor of the farm. With an eye on the tea kettle, Paige begins babbling, "Both, I guess. S'just that for all I know, Xavier's is just about the best thing I can ever think about for mutants to be in this sickly world," she declares, an air of pretention in her voice, "The world's most amazing exiles, working together. A oasis that ain't hiding under a rock, or off'n some island." She taps her feet a bit, revealing some of her nervous energy. She also finds Bobby Drank remarkably cute, but tosses that thought away. "I guess growin' up with all the stories that Sam put inna my head, I had to see it for myself. The X-Men has saved the world, s'far as i can tell, at least a few times. Ya'll are the most noble people I could ever imagine!" she declares, clearly still relating to Xavier's fold from the view of a highly-edited, fan-girlesque, idealized perspective.
Getting out a mug for the tea, Bobby leans against the counter as he speaks with Paige. Eyebrows shoot up as Paige starts getting fangirly about the school. It reminds him sort of his own views on the school in his first days. "If I didn't know better," he begins in a teasing tone. "It sounds like you want to stick around."
Poor Paige didn't even realize how obvious she was, and was flustered for a good five seconds from Bobby calling out her intentions. She didn't want to be that easy to read. "Oh. Well..." she started, trying to in vain to sound nonchalant about it, "...I'm definitely wantin' to look around a bit, and meet the different types of people here.... and it's just about time for me to start thinkin' about my next schoolin' choice..." If hints were bombs, Paige would've surely dropped enough to destroy a town. "I am a very good student, straight-A's," she added proudly.
As soon as she felt her tea ready, she started sipping with a certain fervor, the hotness barely phasing her. "Mm," she purred slowly, easing into the warm tea, and the moment. The place was big, that's for sure. She wondered for a moment about the various people shuffling about, and classes full of rainbow-paisley, lizard-like students like Vic chirping merrily at powerful and inspirational teachers. Was all this true? she wondered to herself. "Ya know I have heard of ya, Bobby. Just a lil' bit. Ice, right?" she grinned.
Bobby can't help but laugh a little at how flustered Paige looks there. He just keeps smiling as the hint bombs come in, waiting for the younger mutant to finish. "If you want to come here, I'm sure the Professor would be fine with it. You can ask him about it when you talk to him later," he offers.
When the tea is ready, Bobby sets it down in front of Paige, giving it a slight chilling to make sure it's not scalding hot. Snagging himself some coffee, he arches both brows as he's mentioned. "You've heard of me, huh? Good things, I hope," he offers. Of course to answer the question, he places his hand on the counter a moment. When he takes it away, there's a flower made of ice sitting there.
The sudden small, ice sculpture had got Paige surprised, and her eyebrows twitched, ending with an enamored little smile. Looking at it like an art piece, she took note (not out loud) that Bobby's flower design was original and creative--not taking any characteristics of common flowers found in the Americas. After a moment of observation, she snapped back into conversation, "I think I should love to give it a try!" she said, with a zealous tone, realizing just as soon as the sentence ended that her volume went up just a little. "Um. This school, it'd be an honor to check it out here. Are ya saying I can stay a few nights? I'd like that. Been a harrowing few days with all the travel," she stated. The stillness of the kitchen struck her as a comforting sort of calm--despite the fact that the building was full of people, this room didn't *feel* that way. The Guthrie home, which included eight out of nine of Paige’s siblings, was host to all manner of random noise, from talking to whining to cooking to the hurried sounds of farm work outside.
The increase in volume gets a little wince out of Bobby but no comment. He's glad the sculpture is liked. Like his pranks, it's something he puts more work into than most people might think. "That," he sips his coffee a moment. "Is something you'll need to ask the head honcho about," he remarks about staying for nights. "Worst case scenario, there's a great hotel in Salem Center," he says. "I don't think getting enrolled here will be an issue though. So..what do you do anyway? Sam didn't ever explain what other powers you all had."
"I'm not quite as flashy as Jeb, Jay, or Sam..." Paige started, dismissing her powers from the get-go, "...but Sam said something about me being 'omni-formed'--I guess you could say I shift myself under the skin, like layers. Called myself 'Husk', like peelin' corn." For the first time, as Paige said this aloud to Bobby, she wondered if she were a 'layered' person beyond her powers, emotionally. Or was she really just a wide-eyed, inexperienced little Southern farm girl that everyone might peg her for? She decided in this moment that she was going to have to work even harder to show that she was a strong mutant, instead of meekly dismissing her powers, as she had just seconds ago.
“With some study, my layers can be like elements. I can do stone pretty well, 'n glass. And some others. I guess that makes me kinda tough." She thought of lifting her arm up to comically flex, but decided that would look too dorky. She wanted to somehow impress Bobby, in spite of her age. "Sam says my power might not have a limit. I am still learning about new forms I can do... takes a lot of practice. I guess I ain't got enough control, 'cause sometimes I get husking even if I don't want to."
Bobby quirks a brow as Paige begins. New students usually go one way or the other, dismissing their powers as lame or acting cocky and arrogant. Sure there are some that fall in the middle but they're few and far between. He's pleased Paige isn't acting like her powers are a curse though. "Don't count yourself out there, kiddo. Sounds like your powers are pretty flexible. Flashy isn't always a good thing," he says. "And don't worry about control. That's somethin' ya can learn more about here."
"That's def'ly what I'm hoping for," Paige says with a little nod, finally straight-up admitting her intention to be enrolled at the school. She notices, but decides to roll with it. "But control--I dunno... I think my powers are a bit more... sci-en-tif-ic than a lot of mutants," Paige says, deciding to enunciate the word 'scientific' for no particular reason. "It's like I really gotta deeply understand a molecule or element if I wanna copy it. It ain't an instant kinda power," she admits sheepishly. "I do love your openness, here... thank ya for not throwin' me out the door... what, with me just showing up like this."
Bobby gives a little laugh. "Paige, everyone's powers have a w-way more sciencey side than they realize. I'm sure our good doctor McCoy will be happy to explain that part sometime. "We all gotta learn how to work our powers. You'll get it," he says. "If you weren't Sam's little sister, we probably would have shown you the door," he teases a little. "Though word of advice? You might wanna call ahead before showing up to a place like this."
Paige was impressed to hear that there was a doctor on staff, immediately thinking it was a medical doctor. As the two continued on for a few more minutes, she was pleased to learn more about the school's policies. They had really thought about everything, it finally hitting her the needs and facts of having a secure facility. Farm life had kept her a little ignorant of the level that many people had feared mutants, and the current need to keep the Institute relatively obscure. Instantly, a little part of her willed to change that, somehow. To help the public not be afraid--her youthful optimism fueling her passion. For as far as she knew, today was the first page (hah!) of the story of her life, and the future seemed like a bright beacon of hope.
After some time, her tiredness began to show, although not even Paige was aware of it. Her heavy eyelids began to slide lower, as Paige unconsciously resisted it, the push and pull of her slouched expression rising and falling like the tide. Had she realized her slow, creeping doze-off might've seemed rude, she would've said something. But instead she just continued the futile fight with herself, trying hard to listen to Bobby explain the school and chime in with her experiences with her powers.
Really, Bobby was wishing things could be more open too. He wishes all the hate and fear would just stop but he knows it'll be harder than just wishing. It's part of why he's an X-man, trying to stop that all and make the world better for younger mutants. He explained everything he needed to but pauses when he sees Paige getting dozy. He quirks a brow at that and places his coffee in the sink. "Hey, maybe you should get some rest before talking with the Professor."
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