Owner	Pose
Jean Grey	After being notified about Drake, and Betsy's decision to bring him aboard, Jean has let the kid have more or less a free run for a few days, before eventually taking the time to meet him in her office. "So...Drake, you've been with us for a few days, what's your impression so far...?" She's not dressed like a menacing headmaster, if anything, she's just wearing a very casual jeans and green blouse.
Drake Riley	Drake Riley has, indeed, been having a fascinating run of the place. It's far nicer than anywhere else he'd ever lived. It makes him think of those ritzy boarding schools from the movies, usually named Snootiers (that's "snoo-tee-ays", mind you!) or something - or perhaps even like people living in a museum. He'd gotten looks, but it's not been for his mutation. No, he easily passes for a regular human on the outside. These looks were due to his rumpled and frankly beaten-down wardrobe. Running away isn't glamorous work, but a good samaritan did take it upon himself to tend to his laundry the first night he was here. You know, while he slept like the dead in one of those things he hasn't experienced more than once in several weeks - a bed. But here he is, evidently in front of the person who's going to make the decision on his future. Though she isn't dressed in anything approaching an intimidating manner, the trepidation he's feeling is clear behind those expressive emerald eyes. "It's.. huge. And really nice. And, ah.. I don't know. It's not like anywhere I've ever been before." He spares a glance to the side and brushes a hand over the back of his neck. "But the best part's just being around people like me. That's what I was hoping to find when I came out here." The eyes zip back to Jean. "What's gonna happen to me now? I- I know the situation's weird, and that me running away and not being, like, emancipated or whatever could make things hard, but..."
Jean Grey	"What did you make of the people?" Jean offers a guiding question, "places come and go, but it's who you're with that makes or breaks anything in your life. Does this seem like a place you would like to be at? Do the people seem like ones who might become a family?" "The choice is yours...what would you like your future to be? What person would you like to become?" Jean asks intently, for the most part, looking more interested in what Drake might actually want, than what she or Xavier's in general might offer him.
Drake Riley	The question gets a blink from Drake. The people? He's met very few of them, erring on caution and the residual fear of rejection keeping him at bay. Between everyone looking more or less comfortable with each other and the posh setting, a part of him feels like an intruder. But that's not really the question, is it? "The woman who brought me in - she went by Psylocke. The costume, the fact that she used her mutant abilities to 'stop' me - she took what the world's called a problem and is making things better with it. That's awesome to me. That's something I wanna do. I have no idea what her connection is here, but if she's any kind've example of the people you have here...," he pauses to cant his head, "...of what person I could become... this is really the place I wanna be." "Besides." His shoulders hunch inwards and his head bobs in a modest would-be shrug. "People like you are all I've really got. My parents don't want me. If I don't have a place with you people, what place /do/ I have?"
Jean Grey	"She is a faculty member," Jean puts it in simple terms, it'll be a while before Drake could learn about the X-Men. But starting with good intentions has its own focus. Good to know he wasn't a regular criminal, rather, he was a survivor. "That it is, a place of learning, improving oneself...looks like you have the drive for it. If you like, I could have you enrolled in the school...you'll get room and board, but you'll also have responsibilities. Attending classes, doing homeworks, and practicing control of your abilities." Jean looks intently at Drake when relates his feeling of abandonment, to which he'll hear her reply echoing in his head, <<whatever place you happen to be at any given time is a place that you have. Nobody gets to tell you that you belong or not, that is up to you, and you alone.>>
Drake Riley	It should be immediately clear that Drake is /not/ used to telepathy. His eyes widen briefly, then his brow knits in confusion as he gives her an odd look. He glances over his shoulder, then to the corners of the office, and finally back to her, as if questioning whether or not he'd actually heard something. He attempts to play it off by going right back to what he /does/ know she said. "Homework and classes, huh?" He gives a dry, subdued little scoff. "If it means having a future and people who don't just hate me, it sounds like a bargain."
Jean Grey	"In that case, welcome to Xavier Institute, Drake," Jean extends her hand towards Drake from over her desk, "I am Jean Grey if you weren't told already, you can feel free to look me up if you ever need advice or guidance on anything. I'm here to help." She doesn't offer a formal title, but from deference about the school alone, it's clear she's a higher up in faculty.
Drake Riley	Drake Riley had gathered this simply by the fact that she had an office to herself. Normal faculty tend not to get those. But he's not really thinking about that right now. He's staring at her hand, then back up at her face. "Really?," he asks. His hand inches forward before taking hers. "That easy? What about the, uh.. cops? You know, all that?"
Jean Grey	Jean smiles, "I already took care of that," she mentions without really elaborating on what she had done, "no reason for a student to suffer a record due to harsh circumstance. Just make sure not to partake in crime from now on, promise?"
Drake Riley	"I- I only did it to get someone like Psylocke's attention. Had no idea how else to do it! But-," Drake pauses and slows down. "What about my parents? What's gonna happen?"
Jean Grey	Jean leans back in her seat, crosses her arms, and looks directly at Drake, not offering an easy answer. "What would you like to happen...?"
Drake Riley	Drake Riley looks confused at the question. "I-.. uh.. I dunno? They didn't want me. My dad told me to not come back. But will the cops be cool about that?" After a beat, he offers decisively with a bitter tone, "Lemme be clear, I'm /fine/ if I never see'em again."
Jean Grey	"Why are you worried then...?" Jean doesn't seem to get a sense of trouble. His parents don't want him, he doesn't mind not seeing them ever again. Doesn't seem like a reason to intervene to her. "You should just accept some of the challenges life presents you."
Drake Riley	Drake Riley tilts his head faintly to the side, those rakish bangs hanging a little further over his eye. "I'm here, right?," he posits pragmatically in response to accepting challenges. It was certainly no small feat getting here and surviving as long as he had, not to mention abandoning everything he knew in life. "I guess if you're not worried, I shouldn't be either. Cool."
Jean Grey	"Worrying is the most useless thing you could spend your energy on," Jean concludes, before getting up, "welcome aboard...next time we meet, we'll go over your abilities," sounds like a promise, as Jean moves to hold the door open for Drake.
Drake Riley	Drake Riley quickly gets to his full height. "Yeah, totally. I get the feeling I'll be doing less of that now." A small, tentative smile tugs at the corners of his lips. "And I look forward to showing someone what I can do without having'em freak out." And by the time he finishes that statement, the smile has grown a bit more. He makes for the door, only to pause. "Hey. Thanks. Really." And then he'll dip out to get out of her hair.