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The Spider Sees All (Hat thread); Specter; Open
Topic Started: Mar 18 2014, 12:12 PM (437 Views)
Anansi
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Spider physiology
March 18/2014
11:45AM

Anansi had managed to get a message to the school and to Avery who he remembered was a nurse. It was about his sudden and drastic mutation into what he was now. He didn't know who else to turn to but he felt safest letting someone like Avery and the school staff look over his body. He had a few friends at the school and people he had worked with, but other than that he had no other real reason to stick around the school. Anansi definitely had to admit that they had a very nice living place. It was solid, dependable and defensible. More than anything else he had but he didn't really care about what others had and what he didn't. He was alive and that's all that mattered to him.

So leaving at an appropriate time, the spider leapt his way through the countryside along the path that he took when he was apart of the hunters. Arriving at the mansion at the time about fifteen minutes earlier than when he was going to meet Avery, he checked in with the front desk that he was at the school and they gave him a badge. Checking the time he headed back outside to walk around the school grounds. Heading out back towards the large deck, pool and baseball field he looked around at the size of the place. Always in wonderment Anansi kept walking eventually coming to an outdoor sitting area. Taking a seat he rested his arms and his back spines hung loosely. Almost in a habit he reached down to draw a knife before realizing that he had left them in his home.

He almost never went anywhere without his knives on his person so it was strange for the spider to not feel their comfortable weight around his body. It was one of the few things that he actually had that he really cared about. So instead of sharpening his knife like he was going to, he removed a small notebook and a pencil and began jotting down some small sketches of the area. A small spider caught his attention and he bent down to allow it to climb onto his hand. It was a jumping spider just like him and they stared looking at each other, each regarding the other, their heads tilting to the side in slight communication. It was times like this that he appreciated his connection to nature and with her creatures. His mandibles seemed to form a smile before the sounds of yelling made the spider jump away. As it drew nearer, he caught sight of a smaller boy with what looked like shell of some kind on his back being chased by a group of bigger kids. The turtle boy tripped and fell to the ground and huddled in on himself as the other boys started to pick on him.

If he could have narrowed his eyes he would have. Slipping away the notebook and pencil in his knifeless vest, the spider stood as he heard one that sounded like the leader say "get up little turtle freak." For a school that was filled with different type of mutants, that was incredibly hateful and it spurred Anansi to action. Thumping his heavy frame towards the gathering, the kids facing him gaped and stared as his spines arched over his body looking menacingly. The leader suddenly got quiet as Anansi's shadow fell over him.

Before the kid could do anything he reached out a single hand and picked the boy by his collar, turning him to face his mandibled mouth. The expression on the boy was priceless as it turned to fear. "Why are you tormenting that boy?" he asked with a snarl through his mandibles "You are bullying him because he looks different? Would you like to bully me? I bet you think your tough don't you? Well guess what you will not speak to that boy like that again." Still holding the boy he crouched slightly helping the turtle boy to his feet. An expression of thanks crossed his face as he stepped behind Anansi, looking at the other boys.

"I'm sorry.... I didn't mean to... please don't eat me," the boy stammered to trying his best not to cry or wet himself. "Eat you? Well I never thought of that," he growled watching the youth's face pale "but I won't eat you. I'll turn you and your friends over to Rahne or Jack or any of the other teachers for them to deal with you. I'm sure that they won't be happy to hear that you called a fellow mutant a freak." At the mention of Rahne, their faces sank even more and he placed the boy back on the ground keeping a hand on his shoulder. With a click of his fangs he surveyed the area for any of the older students to help out.
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Specter
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It was pretty typical for Dallas to spend his breaks out in the open air. Even when the weather had been at its harshest, he could usually be found outside during the thirty minute break he was granted during his shifts in the school kitchen. Anyone would think he was a fan of being freezing but that wasn't the case. It was the daylight he was after. Bright light strengthened his shadow to its optimal point and that was something that always lifted Dallas's mood, always made him feel stronger and recharged. It was all psychological though. Light did indeed strengthen the shadow, but the source of that light wasn't relevant. He was pretty much as strong in the cafetorium as he was outside. But Dallas felt better under the sun and that was enough to drive him to brave the elements.

Today wasn't quite so bad though. The worst of this horrible, polar vortexy winter seemed to be behind them and the weather was slowly getting used to the idea that it should probably be a little less unpleasant outside. Dallas was glad of it. He'd returned to work hunched over and with numb fingertips more than enough times. It was nice to be able to take a deep breath in and not lose all feeling in his nostrils.

As was his usual habit, he was wandering around somewhat aimlessly as he used up the free time allocated to him. While most people liked to sit down and take the weight off their feet on their breaks, Dallas was different. He preferred to keep moving. He loved the adrenaline rush he experienced in the hot, busy kitchen and he hated losing that while he was away for half an hour. Much better to keep the blood pumping in his veins so he didn't have to push himself to get going again once he got back to work, he could just attack the saucepans and pots with almost the same enthusiasm and energy he'd had before he left. Today, he'd drifted quite far from the cafetorium and found himself striding along the edge of the baseball field, lost in his own daydreams as he sucked on the little straw stabbed into a carton of apple juice. He'd already thrown a sandwich down his neck and soon he'd need to turn around to ensure he wouldn't be late back from his break.

It would be nice if Dallas was busy contemplating philosophy or literature but really he was thinking about a girl and those thoughts had been enough to block out the rest of the world for the most part so he'd noticed other people very little on his walk. It was only now as he came to a slow stop and gulped down the last of his juice, planning to return to work, that he took the time to absorb his environment. It didn't seem to matter where he went on the school grounds, it was never less than awe-inspiring, beautiful. He smiled to himself as he squashed the carton and allowed his gaze to drift around him. It was all so lovely. The sky, the trees, the enormous spider attacking some kids in the distance... wait a second.

Dallas froze for a moment, wondering if he was misinterpreting what he was looking at, as if his brain might have glitched and shortly he'd realise he was looking at something perfectly normal. But no. That was a huge spider... man. Well, it wasn't Spider-Man, certainly. He was pretty sure Spidey didn't have those spines and those arms and those eyes. This was more of a... man-spider. Which would be fine. Extreme physical mutations weren't frequently spied around the mansion but they weren't unheard of. But this was a guy he'd never seen around here before, and he was pretty sure this was one mutant he wouldn't glance at in the halls and instantly forget.

More to the point, the mutant was holding one of the boys by the collar while the other kids cowered. They were under attack. How? The school had defenses to prevent this kind of thing, didn't it? And who would think it was a good idea to attack a building full of X-Men solo? This didn't smell right. And yet, his eyes weren't lying to him. This guy had already reached a group of kids so Dallas had no time to alert the X-Men. He had to protect the children first. Like every adult at Xavier's, the safety of the students was his top priority.

Tossing the carton aside, he yanked his shadow towards him and it climbed his body like a snake, slithering its way over his clothes, over his skin, his hair, his lips, his eyeballs, until it fused into the cells of his body, boosting his strength and speed in the process and leaving him a figure of almost complete black, a living shadow. The whole process took just a second and then Dallas was racing across the baseball field, a blur of deep grey. He felt a little absurd charging towards trouble in an apron but he clearly didn't have time to change into his uniform.

By the time he reached the group, the man-spider was placing the boy back upon the ground, though he retained a grip on him. Skidding to a stop just a few steps away, Specter kept his black eyes trained on the unknown mutant.

"Kids, get behind me." He'd been back at the school for six weeks or so at this point, hopefully long enough that the students would recognise him as one of the good guys, even in his shadowed form. He certainly recognised them. Even that adorable kid with the turtle shell had become mixed up in this. Specter's fists tightened as he stared at the spider guy, feet parted, ready to strike first if one of those mandibles got too close to one of the children. "You. Let the boy go. Right now."
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Anansi
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Spider physiology
Anansi kept his hand on the young man as he tried to squirm away from him. "Don't make me pick you up and put you in a tree," he growled to the boy. At that comment the boy stopped squirming and slumped standing there humiliated. His eyes constantly scanned 360 degrees around him looking for any member of staff that might point him in the direction of a teacher. Not seeing much right away the spider sighed and turned to look at the turtle kid. "Are you alright? Do they always tease you?" he asked him with a twitch of his mandibles.

The boy nodded before answering "they tease me alot because I'm not a cool mutant like them and they write stuff on my shell." Turning back to look at the group of kids he clicked his fangs angrily. "You tease him because he is a turtle! You are terrible," he grumbled to them. One of his eyes caught a movement in the distance and as it grew closer he managed to make out what it was. It was a greyish black blur heading towards him at a very fast speed. He had no idea if this was a student or a staff member, but the spider kept his spot still keeping a hand on this troublemaker.

As the man skidded to a stop opposite him a few feet away, the spider tilted his head as he demanded he let the kid go. It seemed like the man thought he was an enemy attacking the kids. Anansi could definitely understand why he would think that. With one hand he held up the guest pass and spoke at the same time. "This isn't what you think," he snarled unfortunately due to his mouth composition "This boys here were teasing the little turtle boy and when they called him a freak I intervened. I did not think it was appropriate for them to be calling another mutant a freak and so I stepped into to help. I was going to take them to Rahne or another teacher."

At that point the turtle kid spoke up from behind him "It's true Mister Shadow, I fell and they started laughing and teasing me. Then Spider-Man helped me up and told them not to make fun of me." Anansi reached one arm to pat the turtle boy on the shoulder and nodded to him "We different mutants need to stick together," he growled through his mandibles fist bumping the guy. "So I'm sorry for making it seem like I was attacking them, but I figured a teacher would like to hear that their students were verbally abusing another fellow mutant just because he looked different."

Extending a hand to the man in a handshake he introduced himself "I am called Anansi nice to meet you. I know Rahne and a few others at the school. Do you know Artie? He is my younger brother so to speak. I was apart of the Morlocks that he came from. I'm here to meet Avery for some medical tests." Letting the boy go he pointed a finger at the kid warning him to stick close and behave.
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Specter
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Dallas could feel the shadowed hairs on the back of his neck bristling as he eyed the interloper, his black eyes narrowing. The kids weren't moving behind him as he'd instructed, perhaps scared stiff or maybe just unwilling to recognise his authority since he didn't have any. And why was the turtle boy sticking so close to the bad guy? There was something off about this scene, something which made him question if he'd steamed in too quickly and should maybe have taken a moment to watch what was going on before getting involved. Did the spider guy have the kids under some kind of hypnotic control? Was Dallas about to fall sway to the spider's will too?

He didn't have time to mentally question the situation further as the unknown mutant started to move an arm. Every muscle in Dallas's body tensed, expecting an assault at any moment...

...But then, instead of slashing at him or punching him or initiating some form of bizarre arachnid mind control, the spidery fella lifted up a card Dallas immediately recognised as a guest pass. ...Oh. Still, he'd seen the guy lifting one of the kids by his collar. That was hardly the friendly act of someone who was just visiting. Was it? Confused, Dallas hesitated, staring at the card for a second before the man began to talk. Despite the snarl in his voice, the mutant seemed very reasonable. Nice even. Not what Dallas might have expected from an evil mutant supervillain. So, uh, maybe he wasn't a bad guy after all.

The spider-guy explained that this was a misunderstanding, that the boys had been teasing the turtle kid. He even referred to Rahne Russell by her first name, something which in itself suggested a level of familiarity with the denizens of the school which a bad guy wasn't likely to possess. Then the little lad backed up the man's claims, adorably referring to them as Mister Shadow and Spider-Man, and the look of shame and humiliation written in the features of the other boys was the final proof Dallas needed to know that this guy wasn't a threat. It was also the final proof that Dallas was an idiot.

Specter's fists slowly relaxed as he regarded the group before him, embarrassment setting in. He might have over-reacted a teeny tiny bit. "I... yeah, I know Artie. He's awesome. And Avery." His words came out in a monotone because he wasn't thinking about what he was saying at all, just how much of a spectacular jerk he'd been. With a quick shake of the head to snap himself back into the moment, he disengaged the merge with his silhouette. It rapidly slithered off his body, pooling at his feet like a regular shadow, leaving behind the reality of who Specter was: not a big scary X-Man, just some guy in an apron. Awkwardly, he stepped forward to shake the man's hand when he introduced himself as Anansi. "Specter. Or just Dallas, that's my real name."

A frown crossing his brow, he turned his attention to the bully looking sorry for himself beside Anansi. "Is all this true?" he asked, disappointment and disapproval written all over his face, shaking his head. "You should know better than to use words like that. Mrs Russell is gonna be very unhappy to hear about this."

Drawing in a breath and looking decidedly embarrassed and uncomfortable, Dallas shifted his gaze back to Anansi. "Listen, man, I'm so sorry about charging over here like this. I mean, I saw you lifting the boy up and I just thought... I thought... Man, I feel like such a knucklehead. Thanks for stepping in here, I'm just..." His shoulders slumped and Dallas puffed out his pink cheeks for a moment, his expression the embodiment of 'd'oh!'. "I'm really sorry."
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Avery
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Botanical Manipulation and Biology
The brisk pace of heels could be heard echoing through the institute halls up until it reached the central part of the main floor. There it blended in with dozens of other rushing feet as students and staff alike headed towards their next destination. It was nearly noon now and while a majority of them were heading to the cafetorium, some headed back to their dorms and others for some fresh air. Narrowing dodging students as she headed for the main entrance, Avery was busy with a table in hand, slender fingers flickering through schedules and to do lists to ensure everything on her end went smoothly. Her wedding was only a week away and granted most things were already taken care of (which she had both her family to be and her large Xavier family to thank for) but there were a few small, but nonetheless important, details that had to be addressed. Billy and Tommy's birthday was in a few more days and they would be heading to Wundagore to celebrate and stay before the wedding. She had to be sure everything was done and ready to go before then.

However, she still hadn't taken leave from the infirmary just yet. There was one more day to go and she was expecting a particularly special patient to drop by. Anansi's sudden request for medical assistance was surprising and being that he wasn't overly well known at the institute, and wasn't familiar with the mansions layout, she promised him that she would meet him at the front door to escort him down the the infirmary. Looking up from her tablet she soon realized that he was not there.

She frowned a little, knowing that she had deliberately waited a little to come up to ensure that he was waiting on her and not the other way around. "Hmmm…maybe he's having trouble at the gate." Again going back to her tablet, she closed her applications to access the basic security logs. It had confirmed that a visitor had arrived which more than likely was Anansi. So buttoning up her lab coat, she went outside.

It wasn't long before she spotted him, for even from far away he was easy to distinguish, and another man chatting. Some kids lingered around but chances were that Anansi's arachnid physiology had attracted their attention. She lifted her hand in the air to wave as she called his name, "Anansi!"

Announcing her arrival, she quickened her pace to reach the men, the other she then realized was Dallas. She smiled as she came. She should have realized it was him by his attire. She liked him, though he was still pretty new in her eyes. He was an all around nice guy with wholesome goals and aspirations and a pleasure to be around. Honestly, meeting such a person was a rarity in these days.

"Dallas!" she greeted in cheery tones, her hand just lightly cupping his arm. "Thank you for keeping him company for me."

Then moving to Anansi she moved in to give the spider man a hug. It had been a long time since she had seen him. "How are you?" She asked giving him a tight squeeze. Of course she realized he had an appointment for a reason, but it was still nice to ask how people were regardless.

Slipping away she looked between the two men, feeling something in the atmosphere but not being able to put her finger on it. It was sort of like a tenseness but not really. She had missed the little misunderstanding, however despite it being resolved she just had this feeling that something hadn't been right. That and Dallas's cheeks were kissed with a shade of pink that wasn't an indication of the cold but a flush caused by either anger or embarrassment.

"Did I miss something?" She asked with a little bit of an awkward chuckle.
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Anansi
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Spider physiology
Anansi stood watching and observing the man opposite him as he listened to the facts the he and the kid had presented to him. After awhile the shadow that seemed to cover his body shrank back over his body and then back to the ground. He watched amused and amazed forever at how different nature gave different mutants their powers. His was being a spider and yet this man could meld with his own shadow. As he shook the spiders hand and introduced himself, Anansi spoke back "Nice to meet you Dallas." As he turned and chastised the other boys, the turtle kid moved around him to stand beside him. Noticing some marker on his shell, Anansi reached down and rubbed it off with a thankful grin from the little boy.

When Dallas turned back and offered an apology for what had happened, Anansi nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. His back spines relaxed and hung behind him like a bony cloak. When Dallas was finished he was the perfect example of embarrassed and his mandibles twitched in amusement. "No apology needed Dallas, it is something I am very accustomed to," he grumbled to him "Looking like the way I do, people generally assume that I am the bad guy. I have gotten used to it and I am accepting for it. Though it can be a little difficult from time to time." Before he could continue talking to the man he heard his name being called.

Using his rear eyes he caught sight of Avery coming towards them in a lab coat. Happiness flooded through him at seeing her. It had been so long since they had spoken, almost a year and with everything that had happened it was amazing at how he had never seen her earlier. Lifting an arm he waved back to her as she drew closer. When she greeted Dallas, he watched and observed every feature. She seemed happier for some reason, an almost aura like appearance surrounding her. Catching sight of some jewelry on her left hand, his large eyes focused on the ring on her finger. Ah it all made sense. She was engaged, a great reason for happiness.

As she turned to embrace him in a hug, Anansi hunched his huge frame over her smaller one. He dwarfed her by a few feet, and it was amusing to the spider. "I am good all things considered," he growled to her "though I am now single. Apparently I wasn't good enough." Shrugging his shoulders he looked down at her as a confused look crossed her face. "Oh well these four boys," he grumbled indicating the bullies with an arm "were bullying this kid here. I stepped in to intervene and Dallas here thought I was attacking them. It was all a misconstrued view, but we got it sorted out. How are you doing?" Shifting from taloned foot to taloned foot, he looked around anixous for some reason as if only now realizing where he was.
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Specter
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Anansi was decent enough to shake Dallas's hand without reluctance, despite the face-off they'd found themselves in moments before. Still, Dallas felt awful, a sensation which only grew worse as the spidery guy described how he was accustomed to people jumping to conclusions about him, how they always assumed he was a bad guy based on the way he looked.

His stomach twisted uncomfortably. Was he the kind of person who judged people on appearance alone? The kind of prejudiced ass who looked at someone with an extreme physical mutation like Anansi and couldn't see past it? Was he that guy? Dallas thought of himself as open-minded, always had. That quality, above pretty much any other, had been drummed into him by his grandfather all his life. But here he was, instinctively thinking the worst just because someone was different. Sure, that someone had been holding one of the kids in the air by his collar at the time and maybe later Dallas would come to the conclusion that he wasn't so nuts for panicking, but right now he felt pretty disgusted with himself.

His lips parted so that he could apologise some more because, despite Anansi's assurance that he didn't need to, he was going to anyway. Before he could, though, a familiar voice cut him off. Tilting to the side a little, he saw the minty figure of Avery Doyle approaching, waving to them. He managed a sheepish smile as she arrived at his side but his discomfort was probably obvious. Under normal circumstances, he'd be delighted to see her, but at the moment he was acutely aware that he was about to have to expose his shame to someone he respected. Maybe he should just make his excuses and beat a hasty retreat. He probably had burgers to flip back in the cafetorium or something.

Of course, he didn't do that. He might have screwed up but he was willing to face the consequences. As Avery greeted Anansi with a tight hug, Dallas took the opportunity to throw a frown in the direction of the bullies, just so they knew they hadn't been forgotten.

Avery questioned the reason for the tension in the air and Anansi filled in the blanks for her, generously avoiding the apportioning of blame on Dallas's shoulders. The young man nodded, confirming Anansi's story. "Basically, I was a total bonehead," he clarified, wanting to make sure there was no misunderstanding about Anansi's culpability in the matter. "I got completely the wrong end of the stick and came dashing over here, full shadow and everything." He shook his head at his own idiocy, one hand rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck. Dallas was cringing so much that he could've folded in on himself like crumpled paper. "I really am sorry," he offered again, somewhat feebly.

Not wanting to get in the way of what appeared to be a reunion of sorts, Dallas quietly stepped to the side, moving a little closer to the boy with the turtle shell on his back and gently placing a hand on his shoulder. As much as Dallas felt he'd slighted Anansi, the turtle kid was the actual victim here. "You doing okay now, buddy?"
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Avery
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Botanical Manipulation and Biology
Her frail frame slipped from Anansi's larger one and she smiled up at him as he said he was good. A smile that quickly faded into a sad frown as he confessed he had been dumped. Relationships were difficult for the physically mutated. Why even finding someone that liked you the way you are could be a feat in itself. To have that and then get dumped was a harsh blow. Avery understood that. She knew how much a person such as Anansi would put his heart and soul into a relationship and how much that stung when it didn't work out. Avery had lucked out in terms of the physical mutated department, people thought her to be beautiful, unique or exotic…like something from Greek mythology or at least a Forgotten Realms novel. However, young Avery did not see things that way. She didn't think she was much to look at and spent the early years keeping mostly to herself with her nose in her texts books. While there were hot, foreign blonds roaming the halls what guy would give a weird green elf girl the time of day.

Over the years she had grown out of that mentality for the most part, she still had her bouts of insecurity but even with getting married in a week she could totally sympathize with Anansi. She patted his arm. "Aww, sorry sweetie. That's too bad, but you don't need that either." She consoled but had the feeling that he was past the worst part, or at least that's what she gathered from the shrug on his shoulders.

Inquiring on what had just went down, Anansi was first to explain about the picked on child. Violet eyes flickered to the bullies in question and she gave them a serious, level gaze of disapproval. It was odd to see such a look on her face, especially directed towards children. They all looked pretty guilty and probably putting much thought upon the consequences of their actions. But at least the boys had been disrupted and the little misunderstanding between Anansi and Dallas was quickly resolved without any real damage done. Well, except for Dallas feeling like a first class heel, to which he confessed to Avery his part and apologized again.

"I'm good," She replied finally to Anansi's question, obviously giving the short answer as she wanted to deal with things first. Her eyes swept back to the group of boys again. "Gentleman, you are dismissed. I suggest you return to the mansion and get ready for your next classes. I will be personally informing Mrs. Russell and Mr. Worthington of this incident and you will be dealt with according. Off you go then." Avery let the air remain heavy and silent as she watched the small group go, before she smiled to the smaller turtle boy whom Dallas spoke to.

"Gosh it's hard being stern…I always feel so bad afterwards," Avery placed a hand at the side of her mouth, speaking lowly as she confided in the two men. She didn't care if turt- no…she remembered his name, it was Mark…She didn't care if Mark heard her, just as long as the rest didn't.

"As for you Dallas," She began. "Don't be too hard on yourself. Anansi seems fine, he understands that it was just a misunderstanding. Honestly after all this school has been through it's not often that an unfamiliar visitor is welcomed with open arms. I probably should have met him at the gates. We all make ourselves look foolish now and again…"

With that she smiled, grabbing Dallas's arm and then one of Anansi's and turned them into a walk back towards the the mansion before letting them go. She looked up to Dallas. "As you'll recall our first meeting, I said some dumb things about your shadow and felt bad…You forgave me." Of course she was referring to calling his shadow an imaginary friend, but didn't want to repeat it again out loud.

She then smirked as she turned to look up at Anansi. "And at least you didn't poison Anansi, like some people here. So….alls well, right?"

"Oh!" Avery said as her thoughts jumped, and dug into her large lab coat pocket to retrieve an envelope that was tucked in there with her small tablet. "This is for you. I didn't have your address or knew how to get it to you."

Avery handed him the invitation that had been printed on beautiful leather pressed, tanned paper. "I know it's short notice and all, just a week away. But the wedding is in Transia, in the valley of Mount Wundagore…and maybe a change in scenery would be nice. Hmmm? Plus the invitations are enchanted, as you can see, by Pietro's sister, it's so exciting. I'm thinking it'll be a good time for all. Food, drinks, dancing…more drinks, a bonfire and then camping out all night under the stars should people want to stay a bit longer. It's totally up to you, though."

She then tilted her head to Dallas. "My friend Dallas here is helping to cater the whole thing. I'm excited to see what treats our kitchen staff turns out. Not every day you get to prepare for a wedding." Food was very important at an event and who else would she trust than those under her own roof. They already knew what was popular with both adults and kids alike and besides the cake, Avery had given them free reign over the food and treats. Have fun and be creative, she said. While she knew it was a day for herself and Pietro, she wanted everyone to enjoy the day. That was just Avery.
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Anansi
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Spider physiology
Anansi shrugged when Avery's smile turned into a frown as she heard of him being dumped. Her consoling was nice to hear but unnecessary as it had been a while since any real pain. "No need to worry, is over and done with time to move on," he grumbled as he looked down at her small green frame. She then turned and being as stern as he had every seen her, Avery scolded the boys, gave them their punishment and told them to go back to class. Looking at Dallas, he shrugged again listening and watching Avery use her authority. Looking like the boys had gotten the message, she turned to them both again almost instantly turning back to her jovial self. "Sometimes sternness is required with young ones," he said crossing his arms and nodding.

Pausing when he realized that he sounded like an elder. Chuckling to himself he listened to Avery talk to Dallas about how things were alright and the security about the school. While being an outsider, he wasn't one to say anything since he technically didn't live here though he could definitely understand the need for better security. When he lived in the tunnels security was a very important thing. Still standing looking like a slight idiot staring off into space, he shook his head when Avery grabbed his and Dallas's arms and turned them back towards the school. With thumping footsteps he let her lead him towards the school and when she looked up at him and made a reference about poisoning him, he chuckled a deep weird sounding laugh from between his mandibles.

"That is right, I remember being poisoned by that thorny monster you created when we sparred. That was back when I wasn't such a giant spider as I am now," he grumbled as he remembered that incident "the toxin had a more adverse affect on my physiology then we thought." Still chuckling he looked over at Dallas "no need to worry friend, all is good. No harm no foul." Looking at Avery as she remembered something and then dug into her coat, he watched interested at what she had to say. "Oh yes about the address, I currently don't have one, I'm in a transition currently," he said as he looked down at the small little envelope that she handed him.

Holding it in his hand he looked at it as she explained what the invitation did. Feeling the upraised writing on the leather envelope, Anansi nodded at it's detail before looking down at the little green woman. "I would love to come to your wedding. I noticed the shiny ring earlier, though I didn't say anything," he said as cheerfully as his mouth would allow "I will do my best to come to the actual ceremony, but if not I will make it to the reception for sure. Though I am unsure how I am going to get these limbs into a tuxedo so I may have to make some modifications, but I will definitely come. I am very happy for you and your fiance. I do not believe I know him, but he must be a good man to have someone as caring as you." Finished with his little speech, he again reached down and picked her up in a giant hug that dwarfed her little frame. This hug was a friendly and loving hug, one suited for happiness and celebration.
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Specter
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Dallas put a frown on his face as Avery admonished the bullies, wanting to back up her air of adult authority by looking similarly grave. He hadn't known Avery well for long but even he could tell this was out of character for her. She pulled it off beautifully though, the naughty kids sloping off in misery, fully aware that Rahne and Warren shaped doom was in their future.

The turtle-shelled lad raised a thumb in reply to Dallas's question, a big old smile on his face. Little Mark had probably had the best day of his life, considering he'd been saved by (in his eyes) Spider-Man, and his bullies had been firmly dissuaded from troubling him again. "Good," Dallas said, offering the boy a warm smile. "You'd better get yourself off to your next class now, buddy. But hey, stop by and see me in the cafetorium later, okay? I might be able to whip up some special homemade ice cream for you." The little fella beamed happily and dashed off in that unguardedly enthusiastic way only kids could muster, all arms and legs and stompy feet.

The little boy's cheer helped to brighten Dallas's own mood, taking the edge off the embarrassment which was still warming his cheeks. Avery's sage words of comfort regarding the unfortunate incident of mistaken identity were the next thing to lift him out of the doldrums. Avery Doyle was a wise woman and she soon had him smiling, ducking his head in acknowledgement that he was being silly. He'd over-reacted when he'd come racing over here to confront a potential attacker, sure, but he was also over-reacting now by crucifying himself with guilt over it. It was better to let it go and move on, especially since Anansi didn't seem to be holding it against him. This wasn't the first time the mint-hued nurse had raised his spirits when he needed it, which only added to the hefty amount of good will he felt towards her.

Avery took hold of his arm and began leading both him and Anansi towards the school. Despite his disquiet, Dallas couldn't help grinning. Avery had that effect on him. Anansi, too, reaffirmed that he bore no hard feelings, so the young man offered the two a grateful smile. "Okay then. Thanks, guys. I promise I'll make it up to you though, Anansi. Any time you need a good meal, I'm your man. Cooking's pretty much all I've got to offer," he grinned. He could probably beat someone up for Anansi too but pizza would be more fun.

He quirked a brow at the poisoning story. That sounded like an anecdote worth pursuing another time. "Remind me not to get on your bad side, Avery."

Conversation moved on to the subject of Avery's wedding, which was all it took to wash away the last of Dallas's discomfort, replaced by a flood of excitement and enthusiasm. "Oh man, there's such a buzz in the kitchen right now," he laughed, when Avery mentioned that he'd be helping out with the catering on the big day. "We never get to do stuff like this, everybody's full of ideas. Some of the stuff we've got lined up is just... I tried some of the test dishes yesterday and man, they blew me away. You'll love it. It's gonna be the best day, Avery. I cannot wait." He wasn't alone among the kitchen staff in feeling that way either. It was safe to say the wedding guests would not go hungry. It was funny, Dallas had braced himself for some hard times upon his return to the mansion, realistic enough to know that trouble was often never far from the school's doorstep. Yet the first big event of his second stint at Xavier's was one of joy. A good omen, he hoped.

Dallas quickly disentangled his arm from Avery's when Anansi swept her up into another hug, a smile on his face as he watched them. When Anansi mentioned that he didn't know Avery's intended though, Dallas's smile only grew bigger. Fanboy mode activated! "Oh dude. He is just the coolest. Seriously. I mean, I haven't met him myself yet but believe me, he's so awesome. I can't believe I'm gonna get to see him in the flesh next week, I'm so excited," he laughed, shaking his head at himself. He was embarrassing himself with his hero worship but he didn't care. He'd already humiliated himself once today so now there was no stopping him.
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Avery
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Botanical Manipulation and Biology
With encouragement from Anansi and Dallas backing her up, it was the little confidence boost that she needed now and again. Avery was normally one to take charge or an assertive role only in the infirmary in serious situations. It was a role she had learnt to shift into once she was in that room and wore that uniform, because saving lives and making people feel better did not call for a meek girl. It was a gradual development, mind you, but after many years down in the infirmary it just came to her. She could carry an air of confidence and authority that she didn't mind throwing about down there. But upside? …Not so much. Avery wasn't a leader and she rarely stood up to take charge of anything. Sometimes out on missions she could take charge, in knowing what needed to be done, but most of the time she left it to someone else. It was more so Avery's opinion that leaders weren't made, they were born that way.

However, every now and then it was kinda nice to take charge and have the kids look up to her or heed her words. On the other hand, it made her feel suddenly old. Funny life.

But her attempts to lighten the mood worked as she highlighted her moments of looking like an arse. Of telling about poisoning Anansi, the spider just laughed it off and Dallas seemed a little surprised, or perhaps intrigued to hear she had done something like that. Cheekily he joked not to get on her bad side and Avery's smile dropped.

"No. It'd be safe if you didn't" She told him flatly, in deadpan seriousness. It almost seemed she would follow with a 'you wouldn't like me when I'm angry' but instead she flashed a smile. She couldn't stand the thought of people thinking that was an actual threat.

Then moving on to more happier topics Anansi looked over his invitation and while with his physiology she couldn't really tell he was happy, his words and tone was more than enough. Scooping her up, he embraced her carefully as not to crush her fragile frame and when she was sat down she let out a laugh. "Please…please…I just want you guys to be there." She looked between the two men. "You don't have to fuss or go through a lot of trouble for me. You don'r have to dress real fancy, just show up as you are and I'll be happy. It doesn't have to be a grand affair…just a day we can all be happy and celebrate together."

Dallas however was more than excited about the big day and Avery grinned as he spoke. She just had to somehow introduce him to Pietro. Since he was going to be putting so much effort into their contribution to the wedding it was the least she could do to fulfil the promise she made the day they met. Avery just knew it would make his day. Hearing him gush over him was absolutely adorable, she just wanted to pinch his cheeks. But she didn't. Because that would be weird.

"Really I'm looking forward to seeing the cake. I'm really happy that the wedding gives the culinary staff something to be excited for, something new and different to do. Still, please don't stress over it too much. There'll be lots of food, sometime for everyone." Avery reassured Dallas. "Mind you, I expect that a lot of Pietro's traditional dishes will be meat heavy so, being vegetarian and all I'll be counting on you guys to cater to those like me. …okay, I'll be honest. I'll be heading for the desert table as soon as I can so as long as theres cheesecake or trifles or tarts I'll be happy. Oh! I should mention to have some bread made because…well it is a wedding and all and Avery here is going to click, click" Clicking her tongue, she tipped her thumb to her mouth and tipped her head back in an international sign for throwing back booze. "And I'm going to need something to soak it all up. Maybe one of those bread and spinach dip trays. Mmmm…spinach dip. Just promise me you'll load me up with sweets and I'll be happy."

Continuing their walk towards the mansion, Avery sighed contently to herself for a while not feeling the need to speak. Well, until she looked up to Anansi and curiosity got the better of her. "So Anansi?" She began carefully, her tone setting up her question that she was meaning to be careful in talking about what might be a sensitive area. "When did this..change happen? I haven't seen you in forever so… Was it an overnight deal or….?"
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Anansi
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As Anansi placed Avery back on the ground her all smiles, he looked at Dallas as he went into a tirade of all the things the kitchen is doing and all the things that were made for this wedding. He couldn't really smile anymore but he could definitely understand the happiness that a wedding brought to friends and family. That was pretty much what the people at the school was it was a giant family that all worked and lived together. It was a good setup for kids that needed to learn and those that needed to grow up in a safe environment. From the wedding part, Dallas started another rant about Avery's intended husband, some man named Pietro.

Shrugging his shoulders accidentally causing his spines to rustle against each other with a bony noise, Anansi just shook his head. "He sounds like a good man for you Avery. I hope he treats you like a queen like he should, because that is completely what you deserve," he grumbled through his mandibles "but as long as he makes you happy that is all that matters." Again the food talk dominated the conversation which he didn't mind at least. Avery indicated having many drinks, and he chuckled a deep throaty sound also knowing that drinking was very important at weddings. He had never been to a wedding and this was going to be very interesting to attend. Anansi just hoped that he didn't stand out to much.

Resuming their walk again towards the school silence permeated the air around them and it was a nice relief to the talking. His eyes looked around him in their 360 degree vision field and before long took notice of Avery looking at him. Her question and the way she asked him, knew immediately what was coming. The questions she asked would have brought a smile to his lips if he had one. "No this was not an overnight deal. It was a sudden change almost instant. I was close to the epicenter of Spiral's bomb thing in New York when it happened. A wave of green energy hit me and then I started to feel ill," he grumbled through his mandibles "I didn't pass out for the change, I stayed conscious feeling my body rearrange itself and it was not a fun experience. My lower arms disappeared, I grew these spiny limbs. I got more muscle mass, got heavier and taller, lost my human mouth, got four arms and these clawed feet which makes climbing a little awkward." Digging his feet into the soil to emphasize his point. "I'm just thankful my eyes stayed in relatively one place, though the larger ones moved up my head more and the one disadvantage is I now growl and snarl when I speak," he said again snarling a little bit.
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For the briefest second, Dallas felt his insides grow icy cold as Avery's features became grave, warning him to stay on her good side. A flash of panic tore through his mind. Had he just mortally offended Avery? Lovely, sweet Avery? Before he had a chance to seriously consider flinging himself off the roof as penance, a smile broke across her face and he clued in that she was yanking his chain. For someone so nice, this lady had a streak of the devil in her. Colour returned to his cheeks as Dallas broke out into a laugh. "You're as bad as Terry. You guys are so mean to me," he grinned. He loved them both more for it, of course.

When she moved on to suggest that the two men didn't need to make a fuss for the wedding, Dallas's grin remained. "Well, I might not be taking your advice. I might even have bought a bow tie for the occasion," he declared, fiddling with the collar of his chef's whites as if the bow tie was actually there and he could twirl it. But it wasn't. Only a faint gravy stain could be seen on his collar, which wasn't such a hot look. At the wedding though, he would look dapper and might even try to go home with a bridesmaid. Time would tell!

Avery's chatter about the food for the wedding was music to Dallas's ears. Food was basically his favourite subject. "Don't worry, there'll be more sweets than you know what to do with," he promised. "And bread is on the schedule too, I'm pretty sure we're offering a selection. We've got vegetarian options in the works as well, and a few things for people with unusual dietary requirements." By this, he didn't mean vegans and the like, though they would be catered to. Rather, he was referring to mutant residents of the school. There were a handful who couldn't digest regular food and needed specific alternatives. The kitchen staff provided those oddball meals every day though, so it didn't feel strange to Dallas that he'd needed to come up with recipes using ground up glass or live insects or sulfuric acid as ingredients. He just had to make sure those dishes would be a little more grand and special than usual. Everybody deserved to eat well at the wedding, no matter how curious their tastes.

"And as for the desserts, well..." A proud smile settled upon Dallas's lips. "That's my specialty, so that's what I've been doing the most work on. I was making some tweaks to the cheesecake last night, in fact. You're gonna love it, I promise you that. Nothing but the best for you on your special day." Dallas was fully capable of doubting himself on practically anything, but not so much when it came to his job. He might make jokes about the standard of his cooking but the truth was, he believed he knew exactly what he was doing, that he could provide fine dining experiences with the best of them, and had complete confidence that the food for the wedding would be outstanding. Everyone else would just have to cross their fingers and hope that his confidence wasn't misplaced.

As the three walked along in the direction of the school, a comfortable silence settled across them. Dallas was now fully over the embarrassment of his behaviour towards Anansi, mainly because their green-hued friend now had him thinking about food and the exciting few days that lay before them. These were happy times and after everything they'd all been through, both as a community and individually, it felt good to just enjoy them.

Avery asked Anansi about the current status of his mutation, and Dallas suddenly realised this was a conversation he probably shouldn't hang around for. He knew Anansi was here to visit Avery in her professional capacity. That meant the spidery dude was, essentially, a patient, even if he wasn't poorly, and so he deserved patient confidentiality. It wasn't appropriate for Dallas to listen in on his private medical details and, more to the point, he didn't want Anansi to feel like he had to hold back on anything just because someone unfamiliar was around. If the guy was here for help, even if that help was just reassurance that his health wasn't in danger, Dallas absolutely didn't want to get in the way of that.

"Actually, I think you've got an awesome voice, man," he smiled, once Anansi had finished listing the physical changes he'd been through. The young man paused though, and gently touched Avery's elbow. "I, uh, I should probably leave you guys to it though," he said, offering her a meaningful look in an attempt to convey that he was trying to be respectful of Anansi's medical privacy rather than just brushing them off. "They're probably wondering where I am in the kitchen." ...Which was actually an excellent point. He was on his lunch break, which had been nearly finished when he'd first spotted Anansi. How late was he now? Probably best not to check his watch.
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