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Even Morlocks Need to Learn; [Artie, Valyn, Anole, Open]
Topic Started: Jul 2 2008, 06:34 AM (1,043 Views)
Rosie
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Rosie beamed when Artie took her hand, glad that he was comfortable enough to do so, but anything that she might have said was interrupted when Rahne made her appearance. While Rosie was used to the young woman and could therefore take her half-wolf appearance in stride, Artie could not, and the little girl's face wrinkled as Artie tried to yank away.

"She's nice." Rosie tried to reassure him, squeezing his hands, but to her utter astonishment (and sadness) Artie burst into tears. He was a bigger kid, but the four-year-old knew that even big kids could be scared and lonely sometimes. Very awkwardly, she patted him on the back. "Don't cry." She whimpered, worried for her new friend (because even though they had just met, it was obvious that they would be friends).

With all the people around, she knew how scary it could be. Maybe there were too many people, and the little girl glanced around the room, trying to figure out what to do. Cookies would help him feel better, though how to get him away would be a challenge.

"ROSIE!!" [Valyn] suddenly exclaimed, abandoning his hiding place behind Callisto to hug his friend.

"VALYN!" Rosie squealed in return, snuggling into the hug. She'd missed her friend...where had he been all this time? "I missed ya too." She whimpered, pulling from the hug long enough to stretch her hand out for Artie to take. "We gotta get cookies." She whispered knowledgeably, worried for the crowded area. She didn't like her friends scared, no way.
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Blink
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Clarice wanted to do a lot of things right now. The most prevalent of which was disappear. She could, without hardly thinking, simply blink away from the scene, get away from the mass of people who had gathered. She had broken free of her shell, but she still wasn’t a social bug, or even a person who felt mildly comfortable around more than one or two people. She felt the desire to flee, to hide, to conceal herself from the entire situation. Still, she wasn’t about to give in to that… especially when it looked to her like they might need her help.

Clarice walked down the stairs fairly quickly, her green boots clicking on the woods as she did. Even though it almost actually pained her to do so, she forced her feet forward, closing distance between her and the children. She wanted to create a stable environment for the young boy, somewhere less crowded. It was intriguing to say the least to see him use his power, which seemed to be compensating for something. It was obvious when the boy started to silently cry that he was a mute, seeing that her Elvin shaped ears didn’t pick up any sound from him.

Walking over, she stooped down, close to the boy. “Let’s get you somewhere a little more quiet…” BLINK! “… there is a nice place right through here that you and the other kids can play for a while. Ms. Rahne will go with you and make sure you guys be good, OK?” She looked up at Rahne, hoping that this course of action would be OK, and almost asking ‘unless you have a better idea?’ with her eyes. The glowing pink portal led straight to the daycare room, or at least that was what she called it. It was a good neutral place for the kids to play in… and it would get Artie away from all the other people. “Don’t worry… it’s safe,” Clarice stated, waving them towards the shimmering pink portal.

Standing up straight, she looked towards Callisto. “My name is Clarice… but most people just call me Blink.” Her introduction was simple, and it was about then that the man known as Architech rounded the corner and made his appearance, seemingly knowing Callisto from sometime before. Still, the man unnerved her a little… he knew quite a bit about almost all of them… all the people in Xaviers, as well as a good entourage of others. That, and he seemed to be a little too nice sometimes… going around and fixing up the mansion, making repairs to things that needed maintenance… and having a ‘I’m smarter than you’ complex… but that was just her opinion.

Still, that wasn’t what unnerved her about him… it was the fact that no matter what, he always seemed to be analyzing… there was just something in his eyes. Most of the other people she had yet to deal with directly… and as such, couldn’t really make that call… but she had kept tabs on Travis Kable. There was just something about him that didn’t sit right with her…
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Callisto
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The fact that Rahne had wrinkled her nose at she and her Morlocks was not lost on Callisto.

Ironically enough, the tunnels in which they lived didn't smell bad at all. Unfortunately, you usually had to walk through places that smelled offensive to get there. They used manholes, subways, and a few other places that led below ground; travel through any was definitely not great.

She wasn't sensitive about other people's reactions usually, after all, she was a grown-up and she knew that the smell on their skin and clothes was mildly offensive to some. Usually it caused her to feel contempt and annoyance. But the fact that Rahne had hurt Artie's feelings...well let's just say that Callisto was like a lion. Mess with her cubs and she's ready to attack without question.

The Morlock leader caught the way Artie's large white eyes filled with tears, and she gave a visible sneer toward the wolf-woman. If Rahne was smart, she would proceed with caution.

Her offer came and Callisto promptly shook her head, her voice a low rasp, her tone slightly cross, "No thanks. We're fine where we are. Not all of us are so lucky to be able to shift out of our forms."

Blink introduced herself and from her words to Artie, Callisto realized that the red-haired woman must be some sort of caregiver. Just great.

"Exactly what do you do here?" she asked, quirking one arched brow. Callisto was particularly wary at the moment, since Rahne hadn't exactly started out on the best possible foot.

She placed a pale hand on Artie's shoulder, giving a squeeze as she said, "Don't worry Artie. No one here will hurt you. I'll make sure of that." There was an arrogance to Callisto's words, but she definitely meant them.

For a moment, Callisto questioned her decision to bring them here. It wasn't too late. She could still turn and walk right back out of their hoighty-toity school. The little girl, with her offers of cookies and physical displays of non-fear of Artie, showed Callisto something though. He still had the chance to grow up among other kids his age. Rosie, though younger, spoke pretty well, and Valyn, who was only five years old, showed himself to be a very thoughtful and intelligent little boy. Like any other, Callisto wanted Artie to be all that he could.

Someone appeared then that, had it not been for Callisto's normally stoic demeanor, might have made her drop her jaw. His name escaped her for a moment, but she had a good memory, and frankly, living in the tunnels didn't afford you to meet new people very often who weren't Morlocks. Travis Kable... She'd helped him deal with some thugs a while ago, and their encounter had ended on a highly physical note. Needless to say, Callisto hadn't expected to ever see him again in a city as large as New York. Obviously, she was proven wrong at the moment.

His physical changes weren't lost on her, her one good eye already moving over him to observe all of the changes. A scar she didn't remember was marring his neck, and the overall roughness...well Callisto didn't have any complaints. Whatever had happened during the past months had made him look older, more like a man than a boy. Though she'd made sure to make him one the very night they'd met, now he looked the part.

He remembered her, something that Callisto couldn't deny feeling pleased about, and she placed a hand on her jutted hip. "Travis. Didn't expect to see you here..." she said coolly.
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Engineer
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Fabrication/Reclamation, Intuitive Design
Travis walked slowly towards the pack, taking a path in which he wouldn’t have to ask anyone to move, walking around the main gaggle and approaching Callisto directly. She looked virtually unchanged… the twist of time being far more gentle to her than it had been to him. In the span of a few months, a lot had changed with him, and he had experienced far more than most in such a short period of time. It didn’t matter to him though… he wasn’t thinking of the past. He was looking at the woman in front of him, the want clearly stated through nothing but his eyes.

The rest of Travis, however, simply stayed calm… collected… and his mind worked out a million things at once. He tried to ease his heart, although conscious control of that particular organ was difficult at best… and he wasn’t able to do that at the moment. Hell, it was difficult enough to keep the rest of his body calm. Still, he had yet to respond to her question… “Trust me, I didn’t expect to see me here either…” he stated, attaching a warm smile.

“So… considering you would never leave your home without good cause, I am assuming you are here on official business… not just seeing a friend.” He then looked at the child, obviously uncomfortable in the situation, standing near a shimmering pink portal. Blink was still an interesting person… her power a little… odd… to him. But then again, his powers weren’t exactly run-of-the-mill either… so he couldn’t say much.

“My guess is that the kids here are in need of schooling.” He stated simply, having walked into the conversation late, not knowing that they had already discussed things… “Ms. Sinclair is a teacher for those still working on the more elementary levels of education… she does a good job at it, too. I have seen her also be quite protective of her students as well…” he stated, giving her a gentle and respectful nod. Travis had, in his time here, quietly eavesdropped on a class of Rahne’s, curious of her teaching methods… and that was how he had come to know she was quite the teacher.

Still… she didn’t trust him… but that didn’t bother him.

No one in the school, aside Ms. Callan, had really given him much of a chance in the ways of trust, but still, he was indeed letting himself fall into that. He hadn’t really interacted with much of anyone… had stayed below the general radar and gathered information from a 3rd party point of view. He had to… in his opinion. After his ordeal with SHIELD, getting involved in any organization was going to not be taken lightly. He wouldn’t let himself be used again, and if that meant looking a little suspicious, then so be it.

“Callisto… would you mind taking a walk with me?”
[align=center]Engineer; Travis Kable
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Redemption... for sins incalculable...[/align]

Also Plays: Blink; Clarice Ferguson, Flak; Aaron Marcus, Mirari; Sylvia White
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Artie
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Artie wiped his eyes as everyone started talking to him, trying to make him feel better. He didn't want anyone to talk to him right now. He wanted to sit someplace very quiet, and have some cookies and get used to the idea that everyone here was very loud and very talky. In the Alley, no one really talked a lot. Callisto herself was a good caretaker and he loved her one hundred and fifty percent, but she didn't talk a lot. The tunnels echoed and if people all talked as much as these people up here did, then there would be such a noise that it would be deafening.

When Rahne asked him his name, he answered in a very small hologram.

[align=center]Posted Image[/align]

Rosie and Valyn tried to coax him with more promises of cookies and things being ok and he squared his little shoulders and looked up at Callisto as she squeezed his shoulder. For her, he would be brave. She was more than his caretaker. She was his leader and his leader promised him things would be ok, so that meant things would be ok. He nodded at Callisto, and then, even though he knew that she was not the sort to like such things, he threw his arms around her waist and hugged her as tight as he could.

[align=center]Posted Image[/align]

Then, lifting his chin like the strong morlock survivor he was, he stepped into the pink portal.
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Wolfsbane
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"Well, h'llo, Artie. 'Tis a pleasure t' meet ye," Rahne says with a smile and a slow, slight nod of her head. She looks up to Callisto as the woman made her subtle threats and very visibly showed her disdain for the young Scot. Rahne couldn't exactly blame her, as she did not give them the best first impression she possibly could.

"Well, ma'am, I t--" she was interrupted, however, by Travis Kable, who promptly explained what her job was and all but told them that he was spying on her, which was something she didn't exactly appreciate. The man was not staff, not in the student body, and didn't have any official reason to be here, yet here he was, making changes to the technological infrastructure more or less without permission. She'd have to talk to Mister Summers about that, because it unsettled her in the least.

"Um, yes, well... that's what I do," she said with a nod of her head as she stood up. "I promise ye, on th' name o' God Himself, that I'll take as good care of Artie as anyone could."

She wasn't in the slightest bit expecting the woman to so resoundly turn down the offer of free shelter, and as such was a bit surprised, but tried not to show it too much. "Well, if'n th' time ever comes where ye do need t' stay, feel free t' come over, ma'am. It may nae be m' place, but from what I've learned, this school's doors are open t' those who need it."

She looked down to Artie, to Rosie, and to the new face in Valyn and nodded her head slowly. "And yuir Valyn, yes? Well, young man, I do hope ye know the worry ye've caused by runnin' off like that. Yuir very lucky that ye ran int' good souls out there. Now - we'll have no more o' this runnin' away business, are we clear?" She looked down at the boy with arms crossed at her chest. Her words were stern, serious, but not cruel or harsh. The boy had run off, and there were those who were worried for him. Granted, the immense disarray of the school after the events of recent past caused him to slip through the cracks, but surely, his sister was upset, wasn't she?

Rahne had been when she finally got word that a young one had run off like he did. By the time she even knew of it, he had been gone so long that if she were given a scrap of his clothing to track a scent with, the trail would have been long dormant.

"We'll talk t' yuir sister about where ye've been, Valyn... after the group of us goes t' get some cookies," she said, allowing a small smile to the kids. "Miss Ferguson, if'n ye dinnae mind, in m' classroom, in the desk, top left drawer, I've got a stack of purple papers. While I go help these dear hearts with th' baked goods, could ye do me a favor and get one of those papers f'r Miss Callisto t' fill out? 'Tis a simple questionaire that'll let me know what level Artie is at so I c'n best teach him. Sorry about th' portal, though. Cookies 're in th' kitchen, after all. Artie!" Rahne called into the portal. "Would ye like those cookies Rosie promised ye? I'll have 'em along in just a few moments!"

After that, she slowly began walking toward the kitchen. She may not be much of a cook, but she certainly knew how to put pre-prepared cookie dough into the oven for fresh, warm cookies.
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[size0]Say the dog and butterfly,
in the air they like to fly.
Dog and butterfly.
She knew she had to try,
and she float back down to the warm soft ground,
laughing - she don't know why,
but she had to try, she had to try.
Dog and Buttefly.


Avatar by Natalie, signature by Olga. My graphics set is complete again! Thank you so much!
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Cyclops
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Punches from the Punch Dimension
The commotion at the front door hardly escaped Scott's notice. He was in his office, as he was so often these days, immersed in work, trying to make up for the time that had been lost when he was out of his mind with paranoia, loss of identity and that strange feeling of integration with Jean. He had been trying to fix this school, to make things actually made sense around here, so that things could go back to normal or what passed for normal, when the noise of the growing crowd in the foyer simply grew to be too much to ignore. Why wasn't anyone taking care of all this? After all that had happened, he had expected the others to pick up the slack, for him to be allowed a little time to recuperate not only physically, but mentally.

No such luck though, and he had been forced, almost from the moment he was on his feet again, to get back to work, and in the wake of Jean's departure and his unhappiness regarding all that, it was probably a good thing. Scott Summers, in his best moments, was not one to rest on his laurels, and Scott Summers, in his worst moments, fell back on his work like a man possessed... though these days, that was not a proper way to think of it.

Sighing, and grabbing up his wooden cane, the tired man, whose temples were still prematurely streaked with grey from the physical stresses his body had undergone, and who still limped slightly from getting his knee shattered many months ago, and who still, even now, was the one who had to deal with everything, largely alone, joined the growing group in the foyer.

"Hello," he said, vaguely familiar with the eye patched woman, though he was not entirely certain where from, "Scott Grey-Summers," he introduced, "I'm not sure what's going on around here, but judging from the ruckus, it must certainly be interesting. Miss Ferguson, is your portal entirely necessary? There's nothing in this school so far away that we need to cause a scene by utilizing your powers to reach."
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Callisto
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Travis questioned her matters at the school, asking about her visiting friends. As if she had friends at this place. Either way though, Callisto didn't really enjoy explaining herself. After all, when you were your own leader, well you didn't answer to anyone. She was silent, responding by not answering his question. No one had ever said she wasn't rude.

His assumptions regarding the children she'd brought with her, were correct. But he was late and Callisto quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, I'm trying to handle that."

Callisto's eye shifted to the woman, Rahne Sinclair, as Travis explained that she was indeed the elementary teacher. The woman spoke earnestly, and though Callisto had been bent not to like her from the way she'd made Artie cry, well, it seemed that she was telling the truth. Callisto could read when people were lying to her, and nose-wrinkler or not, Rahne didn't seem to be lying.

The dark-haired woman gave a sharp nod at the were-woman, "I'll keep it in mind." Of course she knew that she would never take her up on the offer. The people in the mansion and the ones in the tunnels were worlds apart. Her kind had no reason to be up here... except for the kids. They needed to be educated, trained in their powers. Who knew what they could become with the right guidance. Callisto's ego was still fighting her on her decision, telling her that they didn't need this place. But she was leader for a reason. She always put her people first, even if that meant having to keep her pride in-check.

Artie stepped through the pink portal, and Callisto knew that it needed to happen. She'd never been the suffocating sort, her people free to come and go as they pleased. They had rules of course, but curfews weren't one of them. Artie had been out on his own many times, and though Callisto had worried slightly about him, he needed to grow up to be independent. She wouldn't last his entire life and someday someone would have to take over for her.

He stepped through the pink portal and Callisto watched him go, the school teacher yelling after him. She didn't make a move to follow though. This would become a home to him, whether she liked it or not. Rahne moved off with the children, the entry way emptying considerably.

Hearing Travis' question, Callisto quirked an eyebrow. He wanted to talk. She had a nagging feeling that she already knew what about. With Artie gone, there really wasn't any reason not to go though. And she needed to wait for Blink to return with whatever she needed to fill out. Scott's entrance was timely though, the wooden cane hitting the gorgeous floors with an audible clank signaling his arrival.

Callisto turned her attention to the man, noting the grey at his temples. It had been him that they had all gathered to stop at the battle, this much, Callisto remembered clearly.

"Summers. You're Havok's brother," she said. Alex had spoken about him the very first time they'd met, and Callisto didn't forget a fact easily. And of course he'd been mentioned quite a bit at the meeting at the halfway house. Scott was lucky. His people had remained loyal to him, even when he was trying to control them in the worst way. It spoke of his character.

"I'm Callisto. Leader of the Morlocks," she said evenly, giving a short nod at him. He had a way about him, that she instantly respected. Perhaps because she saw something in his demeanor that reminded her of her own. "I had been told the school was open to all mutants. I've brought a few of my own so they can be educated and learn to control their powers. I returned one of yours as well."
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Blink
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As Artie gathered his courage and stepped through her portal, she couldn’t be more pleased. The portal wasn’t really necessary, but it gave him the opportunity to make the choice on his own, and although it wasn’t that far of a walk, it also had some kind of sense of change. The boy was in a whole new world up here, and he had to make that choice to face that world or slip through the cracks and try to get back to Callisto. If Clarice ever got the chance, she was sure to want to go to the Morlock Sanctuary at least once, if for no other reason, so she could teleport Artie there for visits, or Callisto to the mansion. It was always nice to be able to get in contact with what she saw as an ally anyway.

Then the wolf-mutant and teacher extraordinaire, who seemed just as disgruntled about Travis Kable as she herself was, asked her to fetch some paperwork. With a smirk, she held her hand out, and the portal grew in size so she could easily fit through. “No problem, be back in a fla-” caught mid-sentence by the striking of a ever so familiar cane, she paused, looking back towards Scott Summers, their fearless leader type. He questioned her portal abilities… or rather her free use of them. “No Mr. Grey-Summers, it isn’t really needed… but it is a part of my training, as well as makes the commute from point A to point B a lot quicker. Be back in a flash, Ms. Callisto.” With that she stepped through the portal, and the portal itself closed, its pink hue fading quickly.

It only took her about 30 seconds to find the right paperwork, and she wasn’t about to cause as big a scene as last time, so she simply teleported the papers themselves right in front of Callisto on the ground, in between her and Travis in a slight flash of pink light.

-BLINK-

With that, she headed back to her room… the quick way.

-BLINK-

(Exit Blink)
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Engineer
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The slight silence from his first question made Travis wonder if she had offended her somehow, but then, reaching into the back of his mind and recalling all the information he knew on her, from both her file and personal experience, and knew that it wasn’t something personal, just in her nature. As such, he let it roll off his back, not effecting him in the slightest.

Still, it was interesting to see her ever so subtle body language and the way her good eye tracked the young boy, watching him carefully as he made his choice and stepped through the portal. She cared for him, and he wondered briefly if there was a hint of soft heartedness below the shielding over her heart that made titanium look like tin foil. That was something that could wait though… Travis wasn’t about to try to open that particular bag of snakes right here and now.

As Ms. Rahne moved away with the other children, the hall was only left now with himself, Callisto and the venerable Scott Grey-Summers. A hell of a leader… that much he knew… and an interesting bit of information he had found in his file. He was almost as bad as Callisto about his protective heart and harsh exterior game-face. But Travis had witnessed times in which he had exercised compassion and it was easy to see how he melted around Ms. Grey-Summers, but that was to be expected about husband and wife. Still, they had been tested… harshly, in their relationship from the very start. ShadowX was not exactly the Honeymoon.

Travis took a step back, allowing Callisto and Cyclops to talk. He was a patient man, and it wasn’t like Callisto was trying to dodge him… at least, not yet.

(((Kinda Short, I know. I apoligize)))
[align=center]Engineer; Travis Kable
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Redemption... for sins incalculable...[/align]

Also Plays: Blink; Clarice Ferguson, Flak; Aaron Marcus, Mirari; Sylvia White
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Cyclops
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"Summers. You're Havok's brother,"[Callisto] said.

Scott smiled slightly at this and said, "I prefer to think of Alex as being my brother, but, yes I suppose I am." She finished her introduction, and he was a little surprised to hear it. "The Morlocks... My wife has spoken of you and your people as well. You've kept a great deal of people who would otherwise have been hurt or possibly killed alive. It's an honor to meet you, Ms. Callisto, welcome to our school."

She told him of her purpose here and Scott watched her through his red glasses, not the best at reading subtle facial features but still watching to see what he could see. She was a strong woman and a stern one, and he saw a lot of his own leadership style within her. Both of them held their people together by will and determination under sometimes horrific circumstances, but he had the luxury of a visible life, a mansion, a fortune's worth of security, technology, and training. She was on her own and had done so much. He admired her greatly and Scott Grey-Summers was not a man who admired many people upon first meeting them.

"I appreciate your trust in bringing your children to us," he said, "We will, of course, do everything that we can to make their stay here save, productive and quite possibly rewarding. We'll teach them to not only utilize their powers properly and responsibly, but also give them the ability to exist in society as a whole, proper education, socialization, skill building. Your children will benefit from our school, and hopefully will be able to benefit your people in return. Whatever I or my staff here can do for you to assist the Morlocks, you need only let us know."

Blink 'ported the registration paperwork at their feet and he stooped to pick it up, a little awkwardly because of his knee, but he'd had months to learn how to adjust to his injury. He straightened and said, "We can have you fill this out in my office, if you wish. You said you returned one of our own? Which of our children did you have? The school has been in... transition lately, but I was under the impression that all our students were accounted for."

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Callisto
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"The Morlocks... My wife has spoken of you and your people as well.

Callisto cocked her head, quirking an eyebrow at Scott Summer's words, "Oh? Have I met her?" Callisto was not a trusting person and instantly she wondered how his wife might have known about the Morlocks. Havok had never mentioned his sister-in-law knowing about the Morlocks. It worried Callisto. Perhaps they weren't hidden as well as she thought.

He complimented her, surprisingly, and despite feeling slightly surprised, her pale face didn't show it. Callisto merely gave a short nod, closely assessing the man in red-hued eyeglasses. "I do what I can for my kind," she rasped quietly. It was never quite enough though. No matter how many mutants she tried to house, the newspapers always reported things she didn't want to read about. The ones that lived though, the ones that prospered, like Artie and Riptide, they were the reason she kept doing what she did.

The woman was not the picture of social propriety. She was terrible at things like 'small-talk', her manners leaving much to be desired. She hardly said thank you, and never said please. Even when she was being pleasant enough, she was still slightly rude.

Callisto gave a firm nod as Scott spoke of taking in the children, "Good. That's all I want." She was pleased that these people were taking in her kids so easily. "I want them to become strong mutants. Artie can't speak. He projects images instead. I think he could do a lot more though, with the right training."

He offered his school and his staff and Callisto ducked her head slightly, "...Thank you. I'll keep it in mind." She was aware of Travis still being present and she glanced at him momentarily. He seemed in no rush to leave without speaking with her. Well, he would simply have to wait then.

"Valyn. I don't know how he found his way into our tunnels. But he did. He was looking for one of X-Factor's members. I would have returned him sooner, but it wasn't safe." It wasn't forgotten that this man had been consumed by something evil before, and a part of Callisto worried that it could indeed return and endanger her kids. She planned to keep a close eye though.

The pink-hued girl teleported the papers to them and Callisto gave a small nod, "Certainly. Whatever needs to be done. I do have a question about cost. I imagine your fancy school isn't free." Her blue eye roamed the interior briefly, before settling back on Scott's face.

"When can I see them? I promised Artie I wouldn't stay away for very long," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
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Valyn
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Valyn Dacoras
Valyn fell silent as the entry way began to fill. There were a lot of people talking; a lot of them he didn’t even know… He definitely understood how Artie was feeling. Especially when a strange older girl scolded him for running away when he was scared. His bottom lip trembled slightly, but his soft brown eyes stared at her unflinchingly. He knew he shouldn’t have run away. He was too little. The little dragonboy mumbled that he didn’t want to go away again, voice barely audible. The thought that he scared his big sister made him want to cry.. he'd known she'd get upset, but.. he hadn't really thought of it. Panic had set in and the only thing he could think of was to run.

As even more people came and went, his eyes flickered from person to person. Was the school even more full than it was before? He was certain that half these people hadn’t been here when he’d left…

His eyes widened slightly when he realized that Mr. Grey-Summers was there, and talking to Callisto about him. His ducked his head, white hair hiding his pale face a moment before he gathered himself and looked up again. He’d done a stupid thing, and while he wasn’t happy about a strange woman scolding him about running off … the leader of the X-Men was one of the few people that Valyn looked up to. He hadn’t really understood what was going on before. He just knew that everything went wrong and people started disappearing and he got scared and confused. So he ran to look for one of the few people he knew and trusted to make everything better. Only, finding someone in the world outside wasn’t so easy..

In a very small voice, he said, "I couldn't find him.." It was too bad, he got lost. He knew that Pietro could have made everything better with the absolute trust of a child.
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Cyclops
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Punches from the Punch Dimension
Callisto seemed surprised by his mention of his wife and so Scott explained, "I don't know if you've met but several months back my wife Jean and one of our former students who is a nurse offered some of your people some medical assistance. I've meant to meet with you for sometime, but time has a way of slipping past us and, frankly, I got the impression you wished to be left alone from what Jean said. As long as you know that we exist, as long as you know that we will help you if you need us, we have no need to force our presence on you."

Callisto explained to him the nature of little Artie's powers and Scott said, "We've have other students here who's powers have been perceived as a handicap. My own abilities make it impossible for me to open my eyes without the shield of my glasses or a similar lens of the same material. Here at Xavier's we've prepared for such eventualities and will do everything we can to accommodate his needs, develop his skills so that if it is possible to teach him how to speak, that will be one of our priorities for him. He's in good hands."

She mentions Valyn next and he nodded at the little boy, suddenly understanding, "Ah, yes, now I see why his absence was not reported on my roster, he's not yet enrolled in school. We rely on his sister to keep him --" His voice suddenly trailed off as he realized what she had said. It wasn't safe. She knew. He knew now where he had seen her before. He'd watched through red powered eyes and a completely entwined mind as she fought against the Dream that would ultimately enslave the world.

Clenching his hands around the handle of his wooden cane, he looked her unflinchingly face to face and said, "Callisto, quite clearly you know the events of the past few months, and what has happened here. Let me assure you that we have taken every step possible so that what happened will never happen again. We are more than what you saw us as, and we will be working tirelessly to prove that. You've brought your students here, having seen us at our worst, so I thank you for this opportunity to show you our best."

He smiled at her question about paying and coming to see the kids, and he shook his head, "Xavier's is not a tuition school. We are supported by the Late Charles Xavier's estate as well as funding from several of our former students who have a certain degree of wealth. We are more concerned with making it possible that our people are able to survive in a world that hates and fears them than making a profit. The State of New York also provides funds and monitoring as not only an educational institution but as an authorized 'foundling home,' as many of our students have no home and no family. I am a certified emergency foster care provider, as was the Professor, who was incidentally my legal guardian from the time I was fifteen. We've followed all legal procedures to the letter and your children will never be investigated or removed from these premises by anyone other than yourself. As for visitation, all I ask is that it is not during school hours, so that your children don't fall behind in their studies."

Glancing down at Valyn, Scott put his hand on the little boy's white haired head and tilted his head up so he could see the child's face, "I'm very certain your sister is going to be very happy to see you, and very angry you ran away. I don't think I need to tell you how dangerous what you did was, do I? You're very lucky Callisto and her people found you. Thank her, properly, for taking care of you, and then run off to find your sister, please."
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Callisto
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Scott expanded on Jean's visit and Callisto gave a small nod, "I did hear that we had some mutant visitors. But we never met." Callisto made sure to stay informed on what was happening in the tunnels. Visitors, mutants seeking refuge... She was often patrolling the tunnels, checking on supplies and the people. Perhaps her teleporter hadn't been a member of the group that greeted Jean and her companion, otherwise he surely would've gotten her immediately.

The salt and pepper-haired man offered his faction's services, and Callisto gave a nod of her shaggy head. "Thank you. I...appreciate that. We do like to be left alone for the most part. But it's good to have ties in the outside world, just in case." She stood tall, "As you know, we have ties with X-Factor. When some of ours went missing, and some of yours, we managed to work together and get back all of our people in one piece." She knew that although he wasn't present, he must know about the mission to get everyone back safely from the mutant auctions. She knew she was still indebted to the Shroud, for without him she would never have found out where Artie and Marrow were being held. But she would worry about that when it came.

The idea that Artie would ever be able to speak, whether with a voice or telepathically seemed like a far away dream. She had hoped for it many times, especially with Artie so young. But Callisto tended to be a realist, and there was no point in getting your hopes up for something that might not ever, ever happen. "Do whatever you can. I want him to grow up to be able to use his powers. I can make him strong physically and mentally, but I can't help him learn the way your telepaths can." Her face was sober as she said, "I'm trusting you."

Of course, he knew that she was. And how big a deal it was after the fiasco of the months before. For anyone, let alone a leader who had taken part in the battle, to entrust their kids to the mansion and all of the people inside it...it was a big deal. Callisto was relatively impulsive in the heat of battle, but this decision hadn't been made overnight. She'd thought it over for weeks, mentally listed the pros and cons. In the end, she'd decided the mansion might be what her Morlocks needed. She hoped this decision wouldn't come back to bite her in the ass though. Things had a habit of doing that.

"I do know. But I will be keeping a close eye anyway. Your people trust in you though, even now. That says something," she said simply. She was internally very glad that she didn't have to pay for the school, but that didn't mean she didn't owe them something. In the way of Morlocks, you stole or you bartered. She had taken care of Valyn for some time, but it was nothing in comparison to how many Morlocks the Institute was taking, and how long they would undoubtedly be there if things should go as planned.

Scott spoke to little Valyn and Callisto gave the little boy a hint of a smile. It looked odd on her extremely pale face, scar over one eye and eyepatch on the other, and maybe it wound up looking a little more like a leer, but Callisto smiled rarely. That was as good as you were going to get.

"You're welcome. I think Artie was very pleased to have someone close to him in age. It can be very lonely for a little boy sometimes." She didn't pat Valyn or hug him goodbye, but merely nodded at him. Showing affection really wasn't her way, though Artie managed to draw it out of her every once in a blue moon. "Now you can keep him company here too."

Turning her blue eye on Scott, she said, "Now, you said I had to sign something?"
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