Downhill From Here ((OPEN))

[Freya Elensar Ashe]

Freya didn't try to hide her identity often, she just knew that sometimes it was better not to scream the truth at the top of her lungs. This teenager might not know who she was, but there had been several situations when her identity being announced had only led to more problems. Especially when she was dealing with trouble making mutants. They didn't want someone with her reputation coming after them, after all.

Her gaze flicked towards him when he spoke his broken French. Her expression was hard to read. Her body didn't tense though, and she was completely relaxed as she tucked away the change and her wallet back in her pocket. All the while she didn't look away. It was almost unnerving, her unwavering, but blank gaze just watching him. Finally though, she smirked. "Oui."

She turned to sit at the closest table, motioning him to sit across from her. Her smirk was almost taunting as her eyebrows raised. "And what, may I ask, do you plan to do with this revelation?" He wouldn't have noticed it before, but maybe now, knowing what she was, he might notice that the closer he got to her, the warmer things seemed to be. She wasn't just one of the sisters. She was the older one. The one who controlled heat. "I assure you, I don't hide it intentionally. My name would just.... cause a stir in a certain crowd." She didn't seem at all worried about him knowing who she was. She probably wouldn't have even cared if he screamed 'Mutant!' in here, and alerted the whole cafe to her presence. She didn't even look like she cared!

[argent]

Alex's mind was racing with Freya's confirmation. She was a mutant... and one who tried to stop Cain. Would that make her a good mutant? Even if she wasn't, she was extremely kind. Perhaps it was in his best interest to confide in her. He felt the need to trust her, even if he met her less than an hour earlier. He just needed someone to talk to, he guessed. And if he told her, perhaps she could at least direct him to someone who would help. Or so he hoped.

He sat across from her with his drink. Glancing at it, he found he was too excited to try it at the moment. He thought about how to answer her question. He decided to be direct: "Nothing really. Well, it does tell me one thing about you: you aren't anti-mutant, which is good for me. Because... I found out today that I am one," he said.

He watched her face to see how she'd react. He expected shock, a knowing look, a smile, or something along those lines. Quite frankly, he wasn't sure what she would do, but he knew he wouldn't be surprised. Absently, he sipped the warm drink and tasted it with shock. "Hey, this is delicious!" he exclaimed. He then realized that he went off topic and gave a sheepish grin as a way of apology.

[Freya Elensar Ashe]

The only reason Freya might look a little surprised, which she did, would probably be due to his actually joining her after knowing exactly who she was. Her surprise didn't last though, she just seemed to shrug it off. Why wouldn't an American teenager be even more curious knowing what she was? She didn't live in the country, but the more she came here, the more the teenagers surprised her. Finally she had just decided that teenagers were beyond her understanding, and would usually do exactly what she expected them not to do.

This teenager, Horatio, didn't seem at all terrified by her, instead he looked.... Was that excitement? Freya blinked right as he started to speak, and announced his big bad secret. If he was telling the truth then it would explain why he'd been sulking in the park in the middle of the night. But what if he was lying? Was he actually brave enough to lie to her about something like that?

With out answering, she brought her cup to her lips, and froze. A second passed before she scowled down at the liquid. With out any motion from her, steam started to rise. Obviously the 'Hot' Chocolate wasn't hot enough for her. Actually, she preferred most her beverages almost boiling... After taking a sip to make sure she was satisfied with it, she returned her attention to the teenager.

"I assume your telling the truth, if only because a human would be terrified of what I might do to them in case they were caught lying." She was suddenly grinning, as if humored by the... ridiculous idea... Sadly it wasn't that ridiculous. He just didn't need to know that. "I can also assume you want something from me, because you wouldn't tell me this unless you had some motive, because for all you know I could have been lying about my being part of the War. Who knows, maybe I'm an associate of Cain's?" She actually looked a little wicked as she said that last part. She was having fun with this whole thing...

With this next pause she took a gulp of her near boiling beverage. "So, care to explain why you were sulking in the Park now? Or shall I start guessing? Most newly discovered mutants follow one of two patterns. One, something bad happens when their powers magically show up, followed by them being terrified of the new ability and running away to protect themselves or those close to them. Two, same as before, something happened, terrified they tell someone, for help or assurance, and instead are completely and totally rejected and branded 'freaks'." Both her eyebrows were raised as she smiled at him. "Am I close?"

Freya chuckled then, her mood seeming to lift as she was reassured that he liked the taste. "I haven't found someone who doesn't like it yet. Good to know you aren't going to be the first."

[argent]

Alex noticed her looking at him with a peculiar expression. He knew that she as analyzing him, trying to figure him out. She was a bit confused, else she wouldn't be doing so, but she seemed to grasp the reason why he was interested. Lucky for him, he didn't have to explain his way of thinking to her in order to explain himself.

He nodded to her observation. "I'd really have nothing to gain in these times to lie about being one, after all of the prejudice that's sitting around in the world. And it's not that I want something from you, per sé, but I do have a question." He said. He'd wait until she asked before he asked it, since he didn't want to seem like he expected something from her... even if he realized that he quite did.

"More like the second one. All right, I was bringing my books to my locker after school when someone started messing with me with his annoying henchmen. It turned into a fight- for the first time in my life, by the way- and I ended up getting kicked on my ass, if you'll excuse my Fren--" he stopped for Freya's sake. He rethought what he was saying, then rephrased it. "Excuse my bad language, that is. Anyway, next thing I know, I do some weird thing with my mind, and they complain of headaches and call me a 'dirty mutant,' running and telling everyone," he said.

He stopped. The thought of the next part made him slightly depressed, so he had to blink back tears. "I went home, and told my parents what happened. They hate mutants, so they kicked me out and threatened to kill--" he had to stop again.

He chuckled a little this time. "They threatened to kill me. It's actually funny, I found out that I was a mutant, then my parents hate me and want me dead, and I'm homeless all of a sudden. Heh, sounds like a bad Lifetime movie," he said. "Anyway, I wandered around until you found me," he concluded. He sipped his beverage and looked at her for a response.

[Freya Elensar Ashe]

"Hm.... That's true. But if you had felt 'threatened' by my presence you could have tried to make me believe we were the same. Promote a... brotherly response if you will. Humans seem to think that being a mutant makes you unusually violent." She paused, a thoughtful expression on her face before she suddenly grinned. "Of course, that isn't saying some of us aren't. I'm pretty sure any one you ask would say I'm unusually violent... They're not wrong either." She shrugged then. Of course she knew she was violent. Everyone knew she was violent, it wasn't exactly a secret after all! "Not that you should worry, of course." She was still grinning, knowing most people wouldn't agree there. People just seemed to think she'd do the worst possible things with absolutely no motive. She was violent, but not that violent!

... Again, most people wouldn't agree.

"A question? What sort of question? Ask, and if I have an answer I shall answer." Freya shrugged then. She was used to questions.

Freya listened in mostly silence as he confirmed her suspicions, and actually shared more then she'd expected. Most wouldn't share that much detail. It seemed like he needed someone right now. She only smirked at his 'only' slip up'.

The more she heard, the more she felt for the poor kid. She hadn't gone through something like that. With a mother who was a mutant, she'd grown up familiar with her powers, and others, and was accepted for them. Him? He was facing the same problem most mutants did. "I hate to say it, but that's common. Most mutants face discrimination from those closest to them. Humans fear what they don't understand, and mutants happen to be just that. The same thing goes for mutants. Many mutants don't understand humans, which leads to fear and violence. Sadly, that only makes things worse, leading to more hatred and violence as neither side will back down." She shrugged, bringing her cup to her lips for a quick sip.

"Sorry, I'm not very sympathetic, if that's what your looking for. You learn pretty quickly in a world like this that there isn't much room for sympathy, what with most of humanity, and a psychopath after your head." Freya set her cup on the table to free her hands so she could rest her hand on her palms as she propped them on the table top. "I know you've heard it before, but no matter how bad things are, there is always a light at the end of a tunnel. No matter how dark things may be." Freya was suddenly grinning. Of course she knew what she should do now. Take him to Xavier's. Oh how she wanted to see his stunned expression when he saw the school. She'd wait until the perfect moment to mention the place.

[argent]

Alex didn't react much to the comment about violence. Even if many people said that she was violent, that didn't mean she was. He always based his opinions on someone after he met them and experienced their true selves. Of course, she did say that she was violent, but again he saw nothing of the sort. So he'd give her the benefit of the doubt for now.

For Alex to hear from Freya, an experienced mutant, that most teenage mutants went through what he did was immensely saddening. To know that they were shunned from their only homes, from the family that had loved them until the moment they were burdened with the disease of being a mutant... it was horrible. He felt a strange connection with the remainder of mutant youth at the moment... he'd remember the same feeling for the rest of his life.

Alex nodded. "I'm not looking for sympathy, per sé, but... I dunno. Some guidance, I guess," he said. After she spoke again, he cast his look downward at his hot chocolate. "They also say that if you're not at rock bottom, it could always get worse." He looked up at her again and forced a grin. "But I try to be optimistic."

"As for my question... Well... Which twin are you, the fire one or water?" he asked. It hadn't been the real question, but the thought occured to him. He assumed it was water, but based on the violence comment...

[Freya Elensar Ashe]

Freya didn't expect him to believe she was violent. Not until he actually got to know her a little better. The first thing he'd learn? She was a little bipolar. Second? You didn't want her mad at you. Third? Sometimes she was just violent because it was fun. Sadly she didn't help the stereotypical views of Mutants most the time.

"... Guidance?" Her head tilted a little, the corners of her lips twitching from a growing smirk. "And if I were to tell you that there is a place that could give you that guidance, what would you say?" Her eyebrows were raised as she waited for some reaction from him.

"What's left to make it worse? The life you knew is long gone. By now everyone at your school will know you're not one of them. You're parents will be trying to solve a way to explain your disappearance with out anyone questioning them. And you probably have no intention of even going back, even if you would be welcomed."

Wait, so he didn't know which she was? It made that trademark sly smirk of her's appear out of no where. "Oh. I wouldn't have thought it was obvious." She leaned back into her chair, still smirking. "I'll give you a hint, help you figure it out on your own." A short pause. "If you put me and my sister Tari in the same room, I'm more likely to start a fight with her, for two reasons. I like pushing her buttons, see how long it takes to crack her calm composure, and it's fun." Her eyebrows were raised again. "Which am I?"

Freya didn't care, or know, if her hint would help at all. In her mind though, it fit. Fire was often depicted as violent, crazy, and unpredictable. She'd admitted to all three.

[argent]

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that his life was long gone. He'd known it, but never really thought about it in such simple terms. Nothing would ever be as it had been before. His friends and family would shun him (at least, most of them), and anyone else would turn their backs on him. He had no way of telling who was pro-mutant in the world without asking, and things like that would grow people's suspicions. "I suppose so. It sucks, but that's how life goes," he conceded.

He listened to her hint, and it became obvious. "Fire. You seem sort of free-minded, not containable, and you live for the thrills," he answered. It was odd; she seemed to be the personification of fire. Or maybe it was only in his mind, since he knew. Odd, he never thought of fire as having a French accent. Maybe... German or Russian. French was too... kind... or sexy for fire. He had to give a single chuckle at himself for such odd thoughts.

"... Guidance?" Alex nodded. "And if I were to tell you that there is a place that could give you that guidance, what would you say?" He didn't even have to think about it, but he stopped before he spoke. 'Guidance' was such a vague term, and he didn't know if it was the kind that he was looking for. As he'd previously acknowledged, he still didn't know whether she was good or bad.

"I'd ask you to tell me about this place. What's it like?"

[Freya Elensar Ashe]

"Exactly. You've already hit 'rock bottom'. Now it's time for you to figure out what to do with yourself and your power." Freya shrugged, gulping down the rest of her hot chocolate and set the cup to the side to it was out of the way. She didn't mention that just being kicked out and shunned was a good thing. Plenty of parents tried to kill their mutant children, though most of them didn't succeed for one reason, when a newly discovered mutant was panicked they couldn't exactly not use their power. And a lot of times that ended in the mutant child accidentally killing their parents. Horatio really had gotten off lucky...

He caught on faster then she thought! His realization made her grin. "Aren't you a smart one?" Still grinning she paused, thinking about what he'd said, before shrugging. "Sure, I guess that's true. After all, it's not that much fun living if things aren't exciting." Hence why she was considered violent. If she thought she could get an exciting reaction out of someone, she'd do anything to do it.... If Freya had known he'd been thinking her accent strange for her power she would have laughed. She could be flirtatious, if a certain someone happened to be in the room. Then he'd understand how 'sexy' could fit her fiery nature.

Again, Freya shrugged at his question. "It's.... Chaotic, and crazy, and dangerous." She was grinning again.... "But what high school isn't? Especially one meant specifically for mutants." A short pause as she thought. "It's also one of the safest places for mutants in existence, if only because of all the mutants. Not many people have the guts to attack them head on, even if they do have more power then all the mutants there." She almost smirked then at the thought. She knew that if she and Tari were to attack the school for some reason, they'd do well for a minute, then they'd be completely overwhelmed by sheer numbers. "They educate mutants to control their powers." Yet another pause. "It's called Xavier's."

[argent]

Alex wouldn't quite say he was at 'rock bottom;' he could be a lot worse off. He could have been run out of town by a mob, or dead. At least alive, he had potential to be great. Or help others. He still wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to do with his life now. Super hero, vigilante, secret government agent. Of course, there were so many mutants that no matter what he chose he was sure to be intruding upon someone else's job. He need to think long anfd hard about an adult career... if he lived that long. Two years was a looooong time...

He shrugged and grinned at Freya. He knew that he was smart; it was a matter of everyone else realizing that. He wondered if he could use his intelligence with his powers in the future. It'd be cool to be able to join some sort of competition and distract his opponents with headaches while he finished early. Then again, it'd be incredibly boring and a waste of time. "It's not too bad living a non-exciting life; at least you mostly have reasurrance about what'll happen tomorrow, you know. I think security is one of my main goals right now, really," he responded.

Yes, high school was indeed chaotic, crazy and dangerous. With mutants, he could only imagine it being more so. Then again, there had to be a sort of honor system with using powers so that no one had an advantage over anyone else. Otherwise, it wouldn't even be worth thinking about. "Teaches mutants to control their powers... Then, they could tell me how to give people worse headaches? Or something else?"

He realized that he'd not exactly told her his power yet. "That's what I do by the way," he added. He drained his cup of hot chocolate and set it aside, waiting for an answer.

[Freya Elensar Ashe]

That was one of the biggest differences between Horatio and Freya. Being as powerful as she is, she'd learned very quickly, at a very young age, that she'd never be able to lead a boring, normal life. After a while, she'd actually grown to love not being able to be 'normal'. Now she was at the point where normal irritated her. If something exciting wasn't going on, she became very irritable. The longer things were boring though, the closer she got to making her own excitement. And most times? It proved very dangerous to those around her. "Sorry, but I have to disagree with you there. Maybe I'm insane, but I prefer getting in near death experiences then anything else..." She paused, blinking. "I think this war is getting to me." She chuckled. It really was. She hadn't been so keen on the 'near death' experiences before, it was more of she just liked getting in fights....

Of course there was an 'honor system' to discourage the use of powers on each other. Sadly, just like in regular high school there were those unwilling to follow. Even more so at a Mutant high school, if only because sometimes people lashed out with out meaning to. That was probably why the rules regarding powers weren't enforced that much. Freya shrugged at his question. "I suppose. They teach you to use your power to it's fullest capabilities. Or, if you're like me and still haven't found your limit after years of learning, they at least teach you to always stay in control of what power you do control." She paused for a few minutes, deep in thought. "Though.... Not all mutants have powers they can control. So they teach those mutants how to adapt to their environment so they don't accidentally kill someone."

"I figured that, seeing as you mentioned headaches when you explained what happened to you. It's a form of telepathy. If I guess right, I doubt you're done growing. You'll find more uses for your power." Telepaths were common, even if they weren't necessarily called a Telepath. She basically just meant he was a Telepath in the sense of his power affected the other person's mind, even if he couldn't read their thoughts.

[argent]

Alex shrugged again. He had never had much of an adrenaline rush before, so he wasn't sure he'd really know. The closest thing he came to it was a huge rollercoaster in Disneyland when he was younger. It was thrilling, but he could go without it again. After all, he did throw up for hours afterward. All in all, it was fun but painful. The rollercoaster and throwing up, respectively, anyway.

Using his powers to their fullest capabilities sounded like fun. Not because he liked to cause pain, but he wanted to see the full extent of that he could do. The idea of being a mutant was growing on him now, and he was liking it more and more. And to find that he had more potential than could be trained to... that would ne nice. It would make him feel special, if nothing else.

Alex already knew he could control his power, to an extent. It would be interesting, to say the least, to be able to do what he wished with it. "A telepath... I like the sound of that. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to read minds someday," he said with a grin. His mood was now considerably lighter. "So, where's this 'Xavier's'?"

[Freya Elensar Ashe]

He wasn't the only one curious as to just what he'd be capable of doing. Of course Freya wanted to know! Would he only just cause headaches of greater magnitude? Or would his powers morph into something else? Something different.... Perhaps the Professor would know, seeing as he was a Telepath expert, but she had no idea if he was awake yet. Ever since Cain attacked him the old man had been in a coma.

His definition of control was different then her's. For just discovering his power there was absolutely no way he could 'control' it, perhaps figure out how to use it, as he'd already demonstrated, but there was more to control then that. He'd learn that very quickly at the school. "Maybe. Maybe not. Plenty of Telepaths are incapable of reading minds. Mind reading is only a type of Telepathy after all." Freya shrugged.

"Oh, that's the fun part. It's in Westchester." Or more like 'funny'. For some reason Freya always thought the location was funny. It was in a nice neighborhood, in a nice city, low in crime rate, and most the crime was caused by the students or those attacking the students. Either way, it wasn't a place you'd expect to find a mutant school.

[argent]

If Alex had known how interested Freya was about the possibilities of his powers, as well as the possibilities themselves, he'd have excitedly talked about it. But none of the comics, books or shows he knew of actually had many telepaths, and even fewer had anyone with abilities which he could imagine himself having. Of course he had his stage as a superhero junkie when he was younger, but he had outgrown that... mainly. He still collected the comics and imagined himself as one occasionally. Well, he used to, anyway. By now, all of his belongings were probably burned.

'Control' wasn't quite the way he'd describe his ability to use his powers; it was just that: the ability to use them. Of course, how could he know that; he was new to being a mutant. Of course it was not a great thing to happen in today's day and age, but there were several possibilities that made it quite exciting... Alex wondered if other teenage mutants felt the same as he did. "Even so, it's interesting to think about possibilities with my powers, you know?"

After being told where the school was, he wasn't sure what she was talking about. "Westchester? I've heard of it, but not much other than the name. Where is it?" he asked.

[Freya Elensar Ashe]

It wasn't just the possibilities that interested Freya. Near everything she didn't understand held her attention... For a time. It wouldn't be long until she grew bored enough to start ignoring the subject.... Unless something happened to him power wise that caught her interest.

"You're right. Still, you won't know for sure until you learn control." Freya was a bit of a nut when it came to control over one's power. For one reason. She knew what would happen if she ever lost control of her power. She couldn't afford to ever lose control, but there were moments when she did. That was why the sisters tried to stay together as much as possible, because if one lost control, the other could stop everything their twin threw at them. Or... Most everything. "And who knows, with so many Telepaths, maybe you'll find someone with a power similar to yours. It's pretty easy to figure out what you might be able to do then." Might was the keyword though. It all depended on if there was someone close enough power wise.

"Well, technically it's in North Salem." Westechester was the county after all, and North Salem the city. "IF you want to go there, believe me, it's not what you'd expect for a Mutant school. It looks exactly like an ordinary Private school.... From the outside." Freya was grinning. Of course it was normal on the outside. The inside however.... That was an entirely different story.