9413/Enter, Gwendolyn!

Enter, Gwendolyn!
Date of Scene:	03 October 2019
Location:	Salem Center, Westchester County
Synopsis:	Gwendolyn seeks help through Andrea's charity Starlight, and gets picked up by Shannon and Hank on a trip to Xavier's.
Cast of Characters:	Nightingale, Rage, Dragonfly (Armenteros), Beast

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Nightingale has posed:
     It felt nice for Shannon to actually be hanging out with a girl closer to her own age for a change. Just a nice, normal shopping trip to Salem Center. She'd washed up after a long talk with Andrea, and dressed in her favorite light blue jeans, white sneakers, and cream colored cotton poet's blouse. Her pale gold hair was long and loose, her pale azure eyes twinkling, and... there was no hiding those wings. But was there really a need to, in Salem Center? At her belt was tied a worn, brown leather bag with runes worked into the material in an eye-catching pattern; it almost looked otherworldly and ancient, all at the same time.

     She giggles as she nears the music shop with Andrea, making a big show of pretending to look at the sidewalk for something. "Damn. They filled in the dent my jaw made when it dropped coming out of here. Yeah, this is where it happened."

Rage has posed:
Out and about on this shopping trip is Andrea Jackson. Popstar. Actress. Model. Girl Next Door. Mutant Activist. Today she's wearing a pair of expensive designer flex jeans, white sneakers and a baggy NYU sweater that dangles off one shoulder. She also has on a pair of reflective shades over her eyes so to try and hide her appearance, though when you are this recognizable, she finds herself stopped for a selfie now and again for a young teenager, which she obliges each time. Flanked behind them is a man in a black suit and a pair of shades. He's strapped on the hip with a revolver and has a radio in his ear. He is a quiet hang-backer for the pair of girls. Assigned protection for the celebrity.

In Andrea's hands is her cell phone that she taps away with her thumbs at times. "Right here, huh? You got a bowling ball for a brain?" She teases her friend as she gives her a friendly bump, then pauses for another picture as she puts up the peace sign, then waves as she walks along again. "I brought a sharpie with me. Gonna autograph every CD of mine in there. Give someone a surprise when they go to buy it." She says with a grin on her face. "I do that at random music stores I visit for fun, then see how many show up on eBay."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
The distance to New York from a bit south of Louisiana is considerable. A flight could do it in less than three hours, while a bus would take nearly twenty. On foot? If a person had an average walking pace and a stint of twelve hours, it'd take a little more than a month to make that distance, weather and hazards notwithstanding. Gwendolyn Almenteros, thankfully, had enough saved up to get most of the way here on the bus and, despite a few uncomfortable nights in the cool Fall weather and a good amount of hungry days, the goal she was seeking was finally on the horizon. Salem, in Westchester County, was an odd destination for anyone that didn't have buisiness there and Gwendolyn, to her surprise, had a reason to go there. The only reason, really.

     Scrawled on the back of a notecard with physics homework on the front was a phone number given out in high school all that time ago. The Starlight Foundation, promising a friendly voice for people who suddenly discovered that they were a part of the Mutant population when, before, they weren't. And, as it may, or may not, be known, this caused issues with most families across the states when this was discovered. The voice on the other end - sometimes male, sometimes female - only asked for her first name and then just listened, giving advice when needed, directions to safe places when asked and had been a close confidant, even if it was just a faceless voice on the other end of the line.

     That morning, after a quick (COLD) bath in a stream and putting on her cleanest clothes, Gwendolyn had found a phone and told the voice that she was almost to Salem. She would be heading to one of the shopping centers there, hopefully to find a meal and a comfortable place to sit.

     What she's going to find is anyone's guess.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon bursts out giggling, and shakes her head. "No, but I think my lower jaw was made of cement. It sure did hit the ground hard enough. One second I'm just coming out of the shop with some staff paper and a few pencils to get working on some new music and next thing you know, I nearly mow the poor guy down!" She grins at that mischievous glint in Andrea's eyes, peering inside the music store. "Looks like a lot of instruments and supplies in here, as much as CD's or anything else. Could always try autographing a guitar and -really- make someone's day. Maybe be something of a hero to them, even if just a little bit." She runs her fingers through her hair and smiles, glancing around. Such a nice, quiet, /normal/ day. Right? Right!

Rage has posed:
As the phone of Andrea begins to ring in her Starlight ringtone, which happens to be Jem and the Hologram's theme song. Truly, truly, truly outrageous! Furrowing her brows as she slows to a stop, she brings the phone up to her ear and listens to one of her supervisors giving a bit of detail. "Gotcha. I understand. Just text me her details and I'll give her a call personally. I'm in the area with James and a friend. Also, if Maggie is on duty, can you have her geo track my phone and pull up any security cameras in the area? Let me know if we hit any trouble." Once she hangs up, she licks her lips.

"That was Starlight." She explains to Shannon. "There's a girl in the area who's been traveling across the country and been calling into the hotline. Said her name is Gwen." She waits for the text, then pops it up with a brush of her thumb. "I'm going to give her a call and see if she wants to meet us for lunch and see if she's okay. Is that cool?" She asks as her thumb hovers over the number.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
     Countryside slowly melts away, with buildings appearing more often as civilization, aside from the road, starts to make its presence known. Dressed in an oversized hooded sweatshirt and jeans, with fingerless gloves covering her hand and oversized goggles covering her eyes, Gwendolyn's pace could be described as steady. Step by step, she makes her way through the city towards the safe place that Starlight suggested that morning. A shopping center, of all places. Somewhere very public with a great number of entrances and exits. Somewhere that, according to a quick look on the web using her very limited data allocation, had a music store. That's as good a place to wait as any. Hefting her backpack, her violin case strapped to the side where it's out of the way, Gwendolyn made her way towards the location Starlight suggested.

Nightingale has posed:
     Really, if it wasn't Shannon running into one person at this music store, it was another! Just as she's looking aside to Andrea, with both girls right outside said establishment of tonal delights....

     "Ooof!" The angel-winged girl in her mid teens rocks back on her heels, her face flushing bright pink as, flustered, she reaches out to make sure the strange girl is alright. "Hey... you okay there? Sorry I just kind of rammed into you like that." She offers a warm, if somewhat sheepish smile.

Rage has posed:
Turning around to watch Shannon and Gwen collide with each other, Andrea blinks a few times. She tucks her phone into her pocket instead of hitting the dial button, then slides her shades up to the top of her head. "You're like an accident magnet." She says to her friend with a laugh.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
This was totally unexpected.

Turning the corner, Gwendolyn's head was down, keeping the weight of her pack on her shoulders and off the small of her back. She learned quickly that walking with your pack in the wrong spot was the perfect way to wake up aching, but that meant sometimes not being completely aware of your surroundings. That and hunger. So when Shannon collides with her, Gwendolyn's head jerks up and the sudden shift in weight sends her toppling backwards to land on her butt, her head rocking back once she hits the ground.

On landing, her goggles slip down and both Shannon and Andrea, if they're looking in the right spot, see some quite inhuman eyes peering back before she scrambles to get the goggles back into place. "No, no. I'm fine. I'm okay. Don't worry about me." Her voice is hurried and worried, the movements of her head and the way she tries to scramble to her feet an indication that she's very unsure of where she is and what's going on.

Normally she'd run, but that girl has /wings/

Nightingale has posed:
     Something about this girl drew a furrowing of her brows, as she looks at Gwendolyn with concern. She's careful to keep her empty, open hands in plain sight, so as not to spook her. Those large, feathery white wings are kept folded loosely behind her, almost like a close, minimizing her profile to hopefully make herself a little less intimidating. She bends down, holding out her hand to help the other girl to her feet. "I've got a bad habit of running into people here." She smiles warmly. "You sure everything's okay?"

Rage has posed:
Furrowing her brows at the sight of the girl's eyes, Andrea curiously looks down at her phone, then presses 'send' on the phone number that she was hesitating on earlier. She has a good feeling, wolf instincts kicking in. She doesn't speak for the moment, letting Shannon take point in this meet and greet of a new face.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Gwendolyn's phone is helpfully kept in the front where she can more easily grab it in the event that she gets a call or needs to look something up. When Andrea hits the call button on her phone, it takes around six to ten seconds before the little phone on Gwendolyn starts to buzz, a jaunty violin tune chirping out. Eight bars, a pause, then eight bars again. She just manages to get her goggles back into place, hiding her eyes but bringing....are those antenna on her forehead? Bringing her antenna into view for a second before the hood comes back down to hide it all, and then she's scrambling to her feet and taking a couple of steps back from the pair. She fumbles for her phone, finally hitting the 'end' button, watching the pair from beneath her goggles, holding loosely on to the strap of her backpack and nervously shifting from foot to foot.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles warmly, taking a step back, still keeping her hands in sight. "That's a really pretty ringtone." She pauses for a moment, tilting her head to one side, a look of almost child-like wonder on her face. "And even prettier eyes." Yep. She'd caught the slip of the goggles, but it did not seem to repulse her in the least. She glances between Andrea and the strange girl, her eyebrows going up. "My name's Shannon. It looks like we were meant to meet you... Andrea here was saying something about Starlight?"

Rage has posed:
"Cool. This saves us a trip of driving in circles." Andrea says as she puts her phone back into her pocket, then lifts her hand upwards for a wave. "I'm Andrea Jackson ... aaaand... I run Starlight. My team called me to let me know that you were in the area and I was going to call you to see if everything was okay and if you needed a place to crash, or someone to talk to. Shannon and I here was about to snag some supplies from the music shop and then get some lunch if you want to join us." She radiates a warm confidence about her as she holds her hand out towards her for a shake.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
The comment about her eyes was certainly noticed but the girl with the goggles doesn't say a word, remaining where she is, quiet, watching the pair standing there, studying them as best she can. "It's Beausoleil...well, one of their songs, at least." she offers quietly. "I got sick of the default ringtone and played my own. Took a little doing, while travelling, but I think it sounds...good." There's a lilt at the end of that statement, almost turning it into a question as she looks back and forth from one girl to the other, then down at the offered hand, almost like she's afraid it's going to bite her. So many have over the past few months.

"Starlight told me to come here. The person on the phone this morning said to come here for a meal and some help." She takes a shuffling step forward. "Are you really her? I mean...the her behind Starlight?" is the simple question, not believing her own eyes because this obviously is /the/ Andrea Jackson or a very good lookalike, and she's with a girl with /wings./ Gwendolyn is kind of hung up on that, leaning over to look /around/ Andrea at Shannon, then back to stand straight. Hesitantly, Gwendolyn takes the offered hand, giving it a delicate squeeze before stepping back. "I'm...I'm Gwendolyn. Almanteros." The last name is added almost as an afterthought. "Something to eat would be nice."

This is punctuated by her stomach audibly growling.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles, not blind to the girl's thinly veiled interest in her wings. Just to test the waters, she spreads them out ever so slightly, though nowhere near to their full span. Just enough to ruffle them a little bit. "Well, there's a couple good places here. There's a Baskin Robbins if you're in the mood for something sweet, a burger place if you like, and the pizza place here is pretty good, too. What strikes your fancy?" She tries to keep the tone light, remembering all too well where she herself had been not all that long ago. Uncertain. Afraid. Not knowing who or what to trust.

Rage has posed:
"Yup, that's me." Andrea confirms with a smile, then gives a tilt of her head towards Shannon. "The pizza here /is/ awesome, and we can get ice cream afterwards if you want. You gotta try out their garlic knots. They're fantastic." She shifts her shoulder purse to settle against her hip, giving a nod to James. "He'll bring the car over for us. It's nice to meet you, Gwen. That was me calling you by the way, so feel free to save my number in case you need any further help while you're in New York."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Food in general just sounds good to Gwendolyn, so anything that she ends up with in her belly now that she didn't have to find or beg for or use her meager funds to purchase is allright with her. Besides, she needs to pick something up which is why she looked this place up to begin with. "Really anything is fine. Pizza sounds good." Another grumble from her stomach at that, followed by a overly hard pat to get it to quiet down. "I'm afraid that if I eat too much sugar I'll go into a coma or something. All that sweet all at once. Maybe after." She swallows nervously at the sight of Shannon expanding her wings just a little. Something she never even considered doing for herself back home. "Is here..." She gestures towards shannon. "Is here doing that...okay?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and smiles, tucking her wings in behind her once more, with a light ruffling sound. "I think that's why Starlight directed you here. Salem Center's known as a mutant friendly area. Plus you've got lots of resources close to hand all in one place. Her own stomach growls in echo of Gwendolyn's imperative needs, and she grins sheepishly. "Great minds think alike, hmm?"

Rage has posed:
Nodding her head, Andrea smiles. "Yeah, it's cool. If anyone gives us crap, I'll just sign an autograph or sing a song or something. Or let James shoot them." She motions to the large man in the suit who is speaking into a radio as a black BMW pulls up in front of them. "I'll get shot gun and you two can get the back and get to know each other. Also means I get to control the radio!" James of course, sighs softly as he heads for the driver's seat to swap places with another man in the same suit and a pair of shades. It's going to be a throw-back Debbie Gibson drive to the pizza parlor.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
This is all happening so fast, Gwendolyn can hardly believe it. She's been on the road for so long and now she's here and she's meeting a star and another girl with wings and...

It's almost too much for the poor girl. "Just...just let me get some strings first? I broke one of mine and haven't had a G-string in about two weeks." She takes a step backwards, then another, using her backpack to push into the music shop where she stays for a good ten minutes, eventually emerging with a small white paper bag, half expecting to see the pair gone or, worse, police surrounding the entrance. She's pleased to see the car still there with the man in the front, the other winged girl in the back and the trunk open. Hesitantly she doffs her backpack and violin into the trunk, closing it with a muffled thunk before slipping into the back seat next to Shannon, watching with trepedation as the door is closed behind her, enclosing her in luxury that she's not been in for...well...ever.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon grins as she sees the violin case, taking more note of it now that things have calmed down a little bit, and Gwendolyn is with them. "Looks like we all have a common interest in music," she says. "Andrea here's pretty darn good on the guitar and she sings, and who knows what else. Me, I sing a little, play piano, and flute. And compose music." It's nice to see the new girl relax some, settling in to somewhere perhaps safer than where she came from. "Looks like you've been through some pretty rough times there. Do you have somewhere you can go? Maybe friends in the area? School? I don't know what sort of things Starlight has told you so far."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
     Gwendolyn seems smaller inside the plush seat than she was standing outside, curling into herself, trying to not touch anything because, while she did take a cold bath this morning, she's still not as clean as she'd like to be. Hard to get a shower on the road without paying for it or compromising your principles. OR getting lucky and finding a 24 hour gym that isn't manned very well. That happened once and she still remembers taking an hour shower and feeling clean for the first time in ages.

"My violin...kept me fed, pretty much. Played my way up the east coast on street corners. Dark ones, usually, but still..." she trails off, rocking a little as the BMW starts on it's trip towards the pizza joint, looking out the window, pensive, shaking her head in the negative. "When I found out what I was, it was better for everyone that I not be around." she says, her voice soft. "I'd taken a punch, arguing with Pop about mutants and all, but me being adopted meant that he didn't have no skin in the game, and I'd be made an example of the mutant menace sneaking into god-fearing homes." She sniffles, lifting her goggles a little to wipe one eye, letting them back down again without letting anyone see beneath them. "Didn't feel like dancing at the end of a short rope, so I ran." She lets that hang there, quiet, for a few seconds. "I had Starlight's number and, when they figured out I wasn't yanking their chain, directed me up here. And now..." She looks around the car. "I'm sitting in a limo, on my way to pizza, with a rock star and her winged friend."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slowly, a tear springing to her eyes as she hears Gwendolyn's story. Each word, each example of the hatred for mutants she had witnessed to some degree, stung like a red-hot dagger in her heart. It's all she can do to not draw the girl into a hug right then and there, but she was frightened--and understandably so. Her brows furrow, and she thinks for a moment. "I don't know how much I can say myself on this. But if you're willing to meet a friend of ours, then I'd like to call him in, and see if there's anything that can be done to help you." She smiles. "He's a mutant, too, just like us. No wings or anything, but, well... definitely no hiding it, either. Would you be willing to meet him?"

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
"Pizza first." Gwendolyn declares with a nod. She seems to be okay with meeting someone in regards to her being around here since there's really nothing for her anywhere else besides the crumbs that Starlight left for her, leading her to this part of the world. The story she told, of the escape, of living on the road, was told matter-of-factly, like she hasn't had a chance to really process it, the whole surviving and escaping thing being the more important part, rather than dealing with it in general. Get her a warm bed and a shower and Gwen'll probably break down for a few hours. Right now, though? She's wound tight.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and smiles. "Sounds good. Let's get you over to some pizza first, and while you're getting a bite to eat, I'll just make a quick call here." As Andrea's black-clad entourage drove the car over to the local pizza place, Shannon's slipped her phone out of her pocket, firing off a quick text message to Mr. McCoy.

<<Hey. Hate to be a bother, but got a kid like us in a bad way. Need help, please. Andrea and I on site. Salem Center, getting our new friend some pizza.>> She makes a note of their location, and fires off the message.

"Okay, got that message out, now let's get your belly taken care of. It's hard to think straight on an empty stomach." She grins at Gwendolyn as the car comes to a stop near the pizza place. "What kind of pie takes your fancy?"

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Any. Yes. Food on a plate is the best thing for her right now, and getting into the pizza joint, the smells are positively divine. Garlic and butter and cheese and baking bread almost makes Gwendolyn fall over with anticipation. The counter, with its selection of pies laid out under glass, sold by the slice, is what gets her attention first, the girl almost floating over, gazing at them like a child on the other side of a toy store window would on christmas eve. "Ohgod..." she swallows. "Just...that and that? To start?" She points at two slices - one with lots of meat, the other with what appears to be tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Classic and filling.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy gets a message, and replies to Shannon. "Coming out." The teacher does drive on out, even though he wasn't working at the moment, and was dressed accordingly. Driving out to Salem, he starts looking for Shannon, who generally isn't hard to find, and pulls up beside the group.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon grins and nods to Gwendolyn, encouraging her to indulge in what must surely have been a rare treat for her up till now. "The pies here are -heavenly-. No pun, with the wings and all." Sure enough, she is definitely not at all hard to find, with her wings in clear sight. When she hears someone else pulling up near the pizza place, she turns around to see who it is, and recognizes the vehicle. She utters a sigh of relief, smiling and waving over to Mr. McCoy. "Thank you," is all she can say.

Turning back to Gwendolyn, she smiles. "It's all good," she says to the other girl. "This is the friend I was just telling you about, Dr. Henry McCoy. He was a huge help to me when I came up this way, maybe there's some way he could help you, too."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Two slices of pizza - crusts and all - have disappeared into Gwendolyn by this point, and the third and fourth are being worked on, with a fifth - the dessert pizza - going through the oven right now. This is the first real meal she's had in about four days, aside from sandwiches from Subway which, to be fair, don't count, and she's really enjoying every bite that she can get.

When Dr. Henry McCoy walks in and is introduced, Gwendolyn sits up straight and just...well...stops. She wasn't expecting a blue furry guy in a hawaiian shirt to walk through the front door, but there he is. Thank goodness for the goggles, otherwise he'd definitely notice that she was staring. "Um..." She catches herself. "Hello there." And one fingerless-glove clad hand waves.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy brought a non-descript black SUV, and arriving he looks over the students, chuckling at Gwendolyn's reaction. "Hi. I'm Dr. Henry McCoy. You might remember me from such awards as the Nobel Prize, the Presdiential Medal of Freedom, and Here Comes the Metric System. Shannon here sent me a message. If you needed some help, there are things we can't talk about here. I can take you all someplace safe, and we can discuss matters there, Starting with what happened, and why you brought me over."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon breathes a sigh of relief, getting a few slices of both pepperoni and classic margherita pizza for everyone to munch on, keeping close by. "Mr. McCoy, this is Gwendolyn Almanteros. From what she's been telling Andrea and I, she got in touch with Starlight, and was sent up this way. She's been on the run, and it sounds like in fear for her life." She settles back to let Gwendolyn tell her own story, after filling Hank in on the basics. "Frankly... I've learned to trust you with my life, and if there's anyone who'd be able to help..."

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
When the Doctor settles in across from her at the booth they've claimed, Gwendolyn slowly and carefully tells her story again. Andrea and Shannon had heard parts of it on the way to the pizza place, sure, but the detail she goes into is...striking. A child of the system until age 10. Changing her name to be more appealing to the white parents who did the adopting. Waking up one morning at fourteen with splitting headaches. Having to wear sunglasses because lights were too bright and earplugs because sounds were too loud. A parent that was rabidly anti-mutant, that often resorted to fists instead of words when the arguments got too much for his liking. "I could deal with all of that." Gwendolyn said, packing up the rest of her pizza in the box. "It's when the physical changes started that I couldn't hide it anymore." She doesn't clarify, thinking that somewhere quieter might be best to explain those.

The tale continued - in Henry's SUV after claiming her backpack from the BMW, of how she would have certainly been seen as a 'mutant invader' and been made an example of, by her adopted father, in her small Louisiana town. She told of gathering her things, all the money she could, and setting out one cool night, heading north, with a cell phone purchased a few days earlier at a convenience store and the phone number to Starlight. "And that ended up with me here, literally running into Shannon, there." She jerks a thumb toward the winged girl. "And discovering that Andrea was the Andrea of Starlight and then...well." She shrugs her shoulders. "Dominoes started falling."

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy does listen carefully as he drives them out of the town center, and toward the school. "I see, I see. Gwendolyn, so tell me more about the changes that affected you. You're sensitive? Can you see, hear, and otherwise sense things that others can't? Have your... uh, physical changes give you additional strength, or speed? You've seen me, you can be blunt."

Rage has posed:
Having been listening to the conversation in silence, Andrea took the time to slam a number of dollars into the jukebox machine to play a number of her favorite songs, and then sing along with them to entertain a few kids in the pizza parlor. When they collect their pizza and return to the SUV, she sent James off with her BMW so that she can travel along with her friends.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon offers a smile of encouragement to Gwendolyn, keeping the boxed-up extra slices of pie in her lap for the ride back to the school--and some of the garlic knots that Andrea mentioned liking. "Hey. It's all good. We're used to the unusual." She ruffles her wings, and tilts her head as she looks at Gwendolyn. "I wound up with healing, and wings when my change happened. What about you?" I tell you mine, you tell me yours, yes?

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
thinking for a few moments, Gwendolyn finally answers with a nod. "Yeah, that's the polite way to put it." She doesn't sound happy or say about this - it is what it is, after all. "I...yeah, I can see farther, hear better than I ever could before. I'm wearing earplugs now just to have this conversation, and the glasses?". Those are tapped with a dirty fingernail. "Until I found these, I had to travel at night or on overcast days. The sun was too bright. felt like a dang vampire."

"Strength, I honestly never tested, and I have no idea if the wings even work, either. But one cool trick I can do?". she tugs off one glove and holds out her hand. her palm covered with a light green membrane that is almost unnoticeable.". Mind if I borrow your phone, Shannon?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon has to think for a moment and nods, slipping her phone from her pocket. She puts the phone in Gwendolyn's hand, curious to see what will happen. This... should be very interesting, indeed.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Settling back, Gwendolyn takes the phone carefully, letting it rest against that oddly-colored skin, her eyes closed for a second. "Well....your phone passcode is six numbers, ending in 26, and you...." she giggles quietly. "Baby pictures? someone likes spaghetti."

. the phone is passed back and Gwendolyn explains. "I can get echoes off things. what happened in the past with them. like a picture or a code or something." And she shrinks back into her seat. "Why I wear the gloves."

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy stops in front of the Xavier institute, and looks back to the kids. "Gwendolyn. I Think with your unique power set, there shouldb e no problem with you being brought in as a student to the institute, as long as you're sure your parents aren't going to kick up a fuss. If they're going to come after you, and might attack the school, then we have a problem in that case. Do you foresee that as a problem?" He'll then take out his phone and have the gates opened to let him drive in.

Rage has posed:
Having been playing with the knobs of the radio, Andrea is sitting up front to command the music. She is currently playing some Elvis down low, humming along and tapping her fingers against the arm rest to the 60's classic. She is just listening to them for now, not butting in.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon's face flames as she snatches the phone back quickly, looking as if she just wants to sink into her seat. "Oh gawd... MOM...!!!! Did you HAVE to send THOSE pictures?!" She scrolls through the last few pictures her mom's sent her from old family albums and groans softly. "Oh lordy... she even dug up the bearskin rug photo! I thought I got rid of that one!!!"

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
"Sorry." Gwendolyn really does sound apologetic. "I don't really have much of a choice on what I get when I touch. I bet you can guess how messed up it was the first time I grabbed a doorknob bare handed." She makes a face. "Let's just say I didn't know Pop enjoyed strolling the house au naturale, and that's an image I've been working on scrubbing out of my brain for a while."

Turning back towards the front seat, Gwendolyn shakes her head in the negative. "They don't know I'm even here, and being a mutant, they probably have already disowned me and struck my name from any record they had. Pop is lazy, too. I'm not worth the effort."

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy pulls up to the front, and stops the SUV. "Alright kids, end of the line. Gwendolyn, I'm sorry to hear that. We'll do what we can for you. Go inside, and I'm going to arrange for Mr. Summers or Miss Grey to come speak to you, and get your paperwork started, a place for you to sleep, and the rest. Welcome."

Rage has posed:
"Huh. You have powers a lot like Erika did. We called her Souvenir. Except when she touches something, she could borrow the skills that person had. Like if you touch a plate of cookies, you could suddenly learn how to make cookies. It was handy." Andrea says as she nudges the door open and slides out to look at the large mansion they are parked in front of. "Home sweet home. Welcome to mutie school, Gwen." She says happily.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles and waits for everyone else to tumble out of the SUV before joining them, finally stretching her wings to their full span. Home, sweet home, indeed! "And don't listen to what the other kids say about Mr. Summers and Miss Grey. They've got their serious side but they're really great people. Actually... I can't really think of anyone among staff here that isn't awesome, so far. 'course, there's probably one or two I haven't met yet, either." Bringing up the rear of the group, she glances over at Hank with a smile of gratitude. Maybe they couldn't help everyone out there, but if even one life could be touched for the better, then it was all worthwhile in the end.

Dragonfly (Armenteros) has posed:
Sitting in her spot in the SUV, Gwendolyn can only blink as the Mansion comes into view, surrounded by a high fence and manicured lawns that seem to stretch on forever. "It's like a plantation house..." she says, her voice amazed, disembarking after Shannon and Andrea, standing on the crushed granite driveway. "Wait, me? Go to school /here?/" She turns to look at the Doctor, incredulous. "You just met me. Not an hour ago and..." She's at a loss for words, just gesturing with both hands to 'here!'"

Andrea gets turned on next. "Mutie school? You go to school here too? Are all the kids mutants? What..." Gwendolyn takes a deep breath, bending at the waist, hands on knees, very close to hyperventilating.

"This is..." She gasps. "This is too much. I'm dead. Papa caught me and I'm dead."

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy lets out a laugh at the response. Reaching back to ruffle Gwendolyn before she gets out. "Don't worry. It'll be normal soon enough. You take care now. One of the two administrators will be with you shortly."

Rage has posed:
Waving to Doctor McCoy, Andrea turns to Gwen and Shannon with a grin. "We like to use the term gifted students. Also, this is a total secret. The world doesn't know about us here, or even that I attend this school, so... just know that social media is heavily monitored. It's important that we don't expose this school or else we'll become a target for big robots and bigots." She starts up the path to the front door. "I may get a shower in and then get some work in, but Shannon can show you all around. She's a great tour guide."

Nightingale has posed:
     "And that tour may start with the kitchen." Shannon chuckles softly, and continues. "Andrea's right, though. We've got to keep it on the Q.T. about the school. It's why I called Mr. McCoy in like that. They'll be able to teach you about stuff like image inducers so you can blend in if it ever becomes necessary. Heck, you get good at that, you could even have a little bit of fun with it. And speaking of fun... just wait till you meet Kurt Wagner, he's just gotten a drama class going here. Sam Guthrie's another one you'll want to meet, he's become like a big brother to me." She grins wide at Gwendolyn, and walks with her up to the front steps of the mansion. "You've just had a whole new world opened up to you. Enjoy it. Some call it heaven. We call it Xavier's." Insert pop culture reference here.