The Lonestar Mutant (Rose)

[Rose North]

Rose let out a sigh, suddenly realizing how…. Evil what she had said sounded. ”I’m sorry. Humans and I…. Don’t get along.” Bit of an understatement. Tell them her real last name, they’d try to kill her. Tell them she was a mutant in general, they try to kill her. She’d been running from humans her whole life. For as long as she could remember. She had very few memories of humans that were… pleasant. ”Let’s just say, there are a lot of humans out there that would be far too eager to kill me if they had the chance. After a while, you kind of lose your sympathy for them.” Ice queen or not, Rose needed to watch herself, especially around possible new recruits. She was already crazy, didn’t need to confirm it.

She watched in eerie silence as he showed off an aspect of his power. Extreme strength. Interesting. Afterwards, she barely caught the part about worse mutations. Deciding not to push the subject, her trade mark icy smile touched her lips, not saying anything.

”Ah, neither. Xavier’s works a little differently from most schools. I teach, sort of. Classes are run a little differently at Xavier’s. We have a mentorship program. A handful of students to each X-man or woman- That’s what we call anyone that’s part of the staff.” Rose paused for a moment, running her fingers through her hair. ”You can’t exactly call some of us teachers though, since we’re only a few years older than students. Hell, I was one last year.”

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[James West]

"It's no problem, believe me, I've been on the wrong side of the law more than once myself. I've only avoided getting killed so far because my mutation isn't as... Pronounced as some of the people my da... The people around here hunt down." James said, catching himself before he completely let it slip. It wasn't very common knowledge, but Ethan and James' father had secrets he kept that were far more dangerous than being a 'mutant' in hiding; he had blood on his hands.

James snapped out of the train of thought as she began talking about the school, "Sounds very interesting." James admitted with a thoughtful tone as a charming smile began to spread across his face, "So I could end up being taught by you, hmm? Is there any... Chemistry in your cirriculum?" The flirting was getting a little more bold, but Rose hadn't said anything to stop it, almost encouraging it earlier. So why stop now?

As he smiled charmingly, a strange tingly feeling came into his hand, forcing him to glance down quickly. When he did he saw that his hand was an unnaturally pale tone, Not again.... He thought to himself, it was happening more frequently now, occurring several times a day and sometimes lasting for hours at a time. He quickly stuck his hand under his leg to hide the discoloration, "So, then, what exactly was the offer you were talking about earlier?" James asked all to calmly considering he was now sitting on his hand awkwardly...

[Rose North]

Heh, Wrong side of the law? Yeah, that was a very nice way of putting it. Humans were disgraceful. How would they like it if mutants decided to start picking them off just because they were different? Now, Rose didn’t support the Brotherhood, but sometimes, she could really see why they did what they did. She believed it was wrong, of course, but she couldn’t blame them. Keep poking the caged lion, and it will lash out.

Rose shrugged when he mentioned the teaching system being interesting. ”I will say it’s never a dull day around there. Always something crazy going on.” She paused for a moment, staring at him as a wicked grin touched her lips. She was fine with him flirting. Hell, not a lot of guys were willing to flirt with her, especially after finding out who she was. As long as it stayed just flirting though. ”You might. I’m not sure you’d survive the first week though.”

His behavior suddenly went from flirtatious to nervous. As if something had suddenly put him on edge for some unknown reason. Like before, she wouldn’t push it. His problem, not hers. ”Basically? Professor Xavier would like to know if you’d be willing to transfer to the school.” She paused for a moment. ”We help others like us learn to control their powers, if that wasn’t already obvious. But what’s most important, is the school was built, for mutants like us. To help us grow, and discover what we can do. To be who we are supposed to be, and not what society wants us to be.”

”Your family wouldn’t be told anything about what the school really is. We’re a very prestigious academy to the public, one of the best schools in America actually. With a full ride scholarship. That’s if you agreed, of course.”

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[James West]

It was very true, James had a bit of a reputation as a trouble maker and thrill seeker. He never did anything like drugs, and never would, but street racing, running from the cops... flirting with the wrong man's daughter... What seemed dangerous and reckless to most was practically a game to him. When it came to killing though, things go serious. He had no problem with it, so long as the "right people died" so to speak. Humans killing mutants was wrong, mutants killing humans was wrong, but sometimes certain individuals did deserve more than a beating. Perhaps, to put it more bluntly, they didn't deserve to live...

"A school full of people with incredible powers all being controlled by their hormones... Sounds like a party to me." He said with a slight grin, it definitely didn't sound dull. Not to mention James never had been to a big "city" before so going to New York would be quite the experience. This school was starting to sound very good, "Well so long as you kept a close eye on me I think I'd be fine... Maybe a close eye on each other." If James had any idea of the dangerous grounds he was crossing by flirting with a Nightshade... He'd probably just have more of a reason to do it...

"Well, that all sounds really great, but I mean... That's a lot to ask to simply up and move to the other side of the country. I mean, what where would I sleep.[/color]" It was a very weak excuse for not going, but James didn't want to say the real reason why he was hesitent, "Besides, my dad... I don't think... It could potentially be dangerous if I tried to leave here." James truly did want to go, it sounded great, not to mention that they of all people could help with his unnatural... problems, such as his pale skin and constantly coughing up black blood... Maybe even cure it! However, if he tried to leave without his father's permission... He'd kill james...

[Rose North]

Rose was smirking. "Oh, it is. If you consider constant explosions, flooding in the kitchen, fires in the living room, and students walking on the ceiling a party." That was, quite literally, a very watered down version of the day to day occurrences. She hadn't even mentioned the Danger Room yet... She'd save that for the tour if he decided to come. "As chaotic as it is though, the place ca really grow on you."

The fact that all of them at least had a vague understanding of how hard things were for you helped. And having teachers who didn't put you through life or death situations was always a plus... Okay, most teachers. Rose, and a few others, were bound to put their Cohorts in some pretty crazy situations. But it was also the fact that, they didn't have to hide at the school. You could have purple polka dots for crying out loud, and most students wouldn't even bat an eye.

"I'd think you'd be fine even without me 'keeping an eye on you', but I supposed I could fit it into my very busy schedule." Rose rarely flirted with guys. She was the Ice Queen, for crying out loud! Maybe it was purely because he didn't know her reputation that made it so easy to respond to his advances with her own...

Slowly nodding at what he said next, that almost flirtatious smirk turned into an understanding smile. "That's understandable. I'm not here to sway you're decision, merely to pass on the knowledge. That, if you desire, there is a place for people like us." It wasn't unheard of for some mutants to refuse to come to the school. Maybe he would be one of those mutants?

When he mentioned his father, Rose slowly blinked, that smile slowly vanishing. "What exactly do you mean by that?'

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[James West]

Just imagining such a place almost seemed like fantasy to James, like some sort of fairy tale school of insane hijinks. The only thing was this one actually existed. "Yeah, that does sound like a party to be honest." He said with a laugh. Most would probably be hesitent to enter a situation like that, but considering what Rose saw James doing when she first got here, it wasn't that surprising for him.

Though the conditions under which he would be going to the school were... Depressing to say the least. To be honest he didn't want to be a mutant, he just wanted to be normal. Sure it all sounded fun by at the end of the day it also meant this world around him, everything he had grown up with and known, would be gone forever...

"A woman as attractive as you? I'm sure your schedule is very busy. Perhaps you could fit me in, along with maybe a dinner for two?" If someone had told James that most men were terrified of Rose, he would call them a liar. She was attractive, head strong, and seemed fun under all that icy demeanor. Then again, James was known for flirting with and being with girls he should never be with, so he wasn't exaclty ignorant... Just bold.

"Well I will definitely keep it in mind and let you know of my decision as soon as possible." He said with a smile, truly he wanted to go right now and fly back with her tonight but life wasn't always that simple. At her next question, his smile faded slightly, "I'm not sure if it's my place to say to be honest. My dad is a... complicated man." Complicated meaning a raging alcohol abusing mutant killer...

[Rose North]

Rose was grinning. "Sadly, I'm the same way." She'd grown up with that sort of chaos. THat really was a normal day for her, a boring day actually. She was so used to all the chaos of Xavier's school, most the world was boring to her now.

You know, flirting with a guy that would possibly join the school probably wasn't the best idea. He could be in her cohort, after all! And student-teacher relationships never worked, even if she was, technically his age... Ugh, her age was such a confusing matter. She was used to going by her physical age by now, but at the same time, she saw people her 'real' age, and instead of thinking how much younger they were then her, she thought of them as classmates... As she said, a very, very confusing matter. "We'll see. Can't be getting your hopes up, after all."

Complicated? Hah. He didn't understand waht that word really meant. Complicated was when your parents wanted you dead, along with several other relatives, and, on top of that, you technically being dead. "Well, for what's it's worth, you aren't the only one with parent issues." She didn't say anything else. Slowly she rose to her feet.

"I'll let you think. If you change your mind, you have our number." Pausing, she held out her hand to shake his own. "It was nice meeting you, but I best get going." He needed time to think, after all. Couldn't do much of that with her there...

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[James West]

It was nice to meet a fellow trouble maker, or at least to an extent, a trouble maker. Obviously she had run-ins with the law as well, and apparently had a problem with authority just like him. Probably not to the extent that he did mind you... Regardless, everyone around here was a goody-two-shoes that was afraid of a little conflict. Something told him that the entire school was probably full of people like this girl. After all, most of the mutants he met weren't afraid of alittle conflict.

James smiled charmingly at what she said next, his smile finally taking affect now that all the dirt was gone, and complimented his handsome features. "Well, there's a problem there..." He said with a slight grin, "My hopes got up the moment I saw you outside. You wouldn't want to ruin the hopes of a simple country boy now would you?" He asked flirtatiously, the charming grin still spread across his face... The very same grin that got him into more trouble than it was worth.

Having to live in the same household as a man who frequently went out and hunted down mutants, even killing some people that James knew, and being a mutant was like a mouse living with a cat. James never knew if one day he would wake up and his father would know. Right now wasn't the time to ponder about it though, not right this second anyways. He would have plenty of time later for that decision, and it's consequences.

As she stood up he stood up as well, shaking her hand, "I do have the schools number but, let's say I needed to talk to someone and skip the middle-man... I don't suppose there's a number I could reach you at, directly?" He said with a slight grin. Did it bother James knowing that if he did go to that school that this woman could possibly be his teacher... Not in the least. Made things a bit more interesting, besides, it's not like she was that much older than him, she said that herself... Besides, it was a school of mutants right? Strange things were common-place, or so it would seem.

[Rose North]

All mutants were troublemakers in someway or another. Trouble followed them, where ever they went. And, when they had powers that could be used in offensive ways, like, Rose, most the time it made you fearless of the trouble, turning to face it every time. Rose personally couldn't live a peaceful life. Fighting, war, pain... It was programed into her. If trouble didn't find her, she went to find it.

Rose chuckled, shaking her head and giving him a wicked grin. "Oh, really?." She paused for only a moment. "I'm pretty sure you don't want to know the answer to that question. you wouldn't like it." Her tone, though flirtatious, was slightly different just then, almost as if she was warning him that she could, and just might, squash him like a bug. Was she serious though? Now that was the question...

Laughing at his final question, she shrugged. "Well, I suppose I could give it to you. I'll need a pen and piece of paper, though." It didn't really matter if she gave him her number. She didn't use her phone all that much, after all. Most the time, she actually ignored it. Right now for instance, it was out in the car she'd rented, completely forgotten about up until this point.

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[James West]

"I don't know about that ma'am." James said with another charming grin, "I have firm belief that if you don't do something don't occasionally do something that could hurt you to find out what's on the other side of the fence, life isn't really worth living." It truly was a metaphor that James stuck to his whole life. Without any risk, what's the use of a reward after all? Though, if he knew what was on the 'other side of the fence' when you got someone like Rose to like you well... Sometimes the reward is more dangerous than the risk.

James smiled slightly again as she agreed to give him her number. Whether they ever would talk privately or not didn't really matter to him. He collected phone numbers like trophies, rewards for a succesful hunt. Unfortunately, it lead to more than a few broken hearts and nights of a sweet girl waiting on a phone call that never came. Cruel? Maybe, fun? Definitely. Now that he thought about it, he did seem just as sick as his brother always made him out to be...

"No paper but..." He slid a pen out of his pocket and handed it to her, holding out his left hand so she could write on it, "Let's just say I don't mind you putting a mark on me." The flirtatious undertones, and somewhat sexual undertones, were a bit bold perhaps; but that was James. He was a man that saw something he wanted and went for it, unafraid of what the consequences might hold.

After a few moments, the door to the mansion suddenly swung open. James glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Ethan walking in, closing the door behind himself. Almost immediately James could tell something was wrong, there was a slight limp to his brothers step and when he looked closer he saw that his right cheek was bruised and a bit of blood was coming from a split lip.

"Dad's home..." Ethan said blankly, just glancing into the room that James and Rose were in before he headed upstairs. The look on James' face suddenly turned serious as he turned back to Rose.

"Well... Looks like it is probably time for you to go, ma'am. Let me walk you out to your car." James said, stepping to the side to let Rose walk in front of him. It was a gentlemenly thing to do, walk her to the car that is, but James was doing it more for her protection... and his, to make sure he could distract and divert his father if he was outside the house...

[Rose North]

Rose just smiled. At first, it would seem like she found what he said was funny, and might flirt in return. But… There was a small touch of sadness in her look. He wouldn’t say that if he knew what her side of the fence looked like. It was only there a moment though, as Rose masked the emotion quickly. ”I suppose you’re right.” To bad most people who tried to set foot on her side usually ended up dead….

Taking the pen, she didn’t even hesitate, reaching out to hold his arm still as she scribbled down her number in that elegant, almost calligraphy like handwriting of hers. Smirking she handed the pen back. She would have responded, if the older brother, Ethan hadn’t burst through the door right then. Her reaction was lightning fast, almost like a trained soldier. As if… She had been taught to always expect an attack. She had. This young woman’s whole life revolved around people trying to kill her.

Something was obviously wrong, Ethan looking as if he’d gotten in a fight. Her expression was deathly still, and impossible to read, especially when she heard him speak. That infamous Nightshade temper flared, wanting to go out and teach the human a lesson. You didn’t hit your kids. Ever. But, she remained calm, her expression never betraying her anger. Instead, she just nodded. ”Thanks. Be sure and call if you need anything.” Still emotionally blank, her gaze hardened slightly when she said ‘anything’, making sure he knew she really meant anything.

Finally, she smiled, hiding her temper behind yet another mask as she stepped in front of him and opened the front door.

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[James West]

If James wasn't mistaken, it looked as though Rose was a little upset by what James said. Perhaps not upset, but hesitent? As if she doubted that James really meant what he said. Unfortunately for her, he meant it completely... Or perhaps unfortunately for him, he meant it completely. Even more unfortunate was that he never stayed on the other side of the fence for very long, so to speak. He liked to taste the other side and then return to the freedom and comfort of being alone on his side of the fence. Some people may call him a player, or womanizer, but James preferred the term "Confident Socializer of the Opposite Sex"...

A small smirk broke out on his face as Rose quickly took the pen from him to write her number down. Her handwriting was elegant, far more so than James. When James wrote something down it looked like a monkey had gotten ahold of an ink pen, he often had trouble reading his own writing. When she finished, he took the pen back and glanced at the number before letting his hand drop to his side. With how fast she reacted to Ethan entering the building, her body tensed up and she was watching the door before it even registered to James that someone had come in, it made him jump a little.

Shaking his head, he followed her to the door. When she spoke, he knew immediately what she was talking about, but instead he simply smiled charmingly, "Anything?" He said with a slight grin, "Well that's handy, because it does get lonely here at night." He said with a flirtatious tone once more, but his smile suggested he knew what she was talking about, he just wasn't going to talk about it. As she opened the door, he slowly followed her back out to the blazing sun, and in turn, her car.

"Thanks for coming out to meet with me. I can't promise that I'll come, but I can't say I won't come either. I'll be sure to think about you until then." With the way James said the latter part, it sounded as though he meant he'll think about her offer until then, but once again the flirtatious undertones were apparent. He really didn't stop once you got him going...

[Rose North]

If only this guy knew what he was getting into. If only he realized that this was the stupidest mistake he could ever make. That he shouldn't try to even get somewhat close to this girl. Oh well. She'd just have to push him away if he tried to get to close. Scare him off like everyone else.

"Anything reasonable" She added, somehow thinking he might called Rose at three in the morning just to irritate her. "Call me at crazy hours, I'll have to come back down here to kick your ass." As flirty as it sounded, she was dead serious. The girl had anger issues. She just might beat him up if he bugged her.

As long as he knew he could call her about that problem, she was somewhat fine leaving. Somewhat. She'd probably get a room in a hotel in Austin and stay in the state a few days, just in case. A little paranoid, yeah, but understandable. Rose didn't trust humans. Especially violent ones.

"Well then, I hope to hear from you soon." She paused for a fraction of a moment. "Remember to... mention it to you're parents...." Opening her car door, she pulled out the folder she'd had before. Handing him a pamphlet, it looked more like a college then prep school. It had all the information parents might need... With out mentioning the whole 'mutant high' part.

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[James West]

"You'll come all the way down here just to do that huh?" James asked with a slight grin, "Well, sounds pretty fun to me, should I rent a hotel room?" He asked with a grin, completely skipping the flirtatious undertones and going straight to sexual. Was it wrong to flirt with someone he just met so aggressively, and especially someone who could end up being his teacher? For most people it probably was, for James though it was almost expected.

The woman seemed nice, the school sounded great, and the Professor that called seemed very understanding. The adventurous side of James wanted to go right now and not look back, the realistic side knew that it would probably never happen though. There was no way in hell that his father was going to let him set one foot in New York, and worse, he would have the army hunting him down if he just ran away. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place...

"Parent." James corrected her as he took the pamphlet, "And uh... I'll try to figure out how to let him know." He said stuffing the pamphlet in his back pocket, "Be careful on the way back, and if you break down on the way well... My bed is quite comfortable, especially for two." He said with a charming smile once more, slowly taking a few steps backwards toward the house. "It was a pleasure meeting you Rose." James nodded his head toward her slightly, and just as he turned to face the house he heard his name being yelled from the barn by a deep voice. His father... He glanced back at Rose, a look on his face that seemed to show how bad he wanted to go. He waved slightly before walking toward the barn... This was going to be a long night....

[Rose North]

Rose just shrugged, about to come up with a witty remark, she suddenly heard what he added. She glanced at him in surprise. He'd been flirting pretty heavily up until now, but that... That was beyond flirting. It almost left her dumbstruck. Almost. "Sorry, but the rooms I stay in... I seriously doubt you have the cash to even pay for half a night." Her smirk was actually sinister right there as she totally shot him down.

Nice? Her? If only. If he came to the school, he'd understand that this whole time, she'd been putting on a 'somewhat' act. She wasn't anywhere near as nice as she came off to be... Though she'd let a few things slip that kind of pointed to her real behavior... Thankfully he was to dense to catch it.

Parent. Singular. That meant no mom. Somewhat expected, she hadn't heard him mention a mother at all during their conversation. "If you wanted, I could try to talk to him." Rose could be very charming when she wanted to, which was probably why she got stuck with recruiting. Acting like a former student(which she was), and telling the parents how wonderful her experiences were at the school. Something about hearing from graduated students helped parents agree to sending their kids across the country more then if actual teachers approached them.

"You probably just jinxed me." Everytime people told you not to do something, it always happened. And even though he hadn't necessarily said 'don't break down', the hint was in there.

Nodding a farewell, she slid into her car, turning the key and putting it in reverse. She paused for a second, leaning out the window. "You know, a lot of us have crappy parents. You don't have it nearly as bad as some people I know. But that doesn't mean you and your brother should just put up with it." Smirking, she pulled her sunglasses off of the top of her head and shielding her eyes from the sun. Foot on the gas, she spun the car around way to fast, put it in drive when she was facing the long dirt road, and pulled away a little to fast for most people's comfort.

Ten minutes out, she came to a stop, sighing and shaking her head. She hated, flat out hated, leaving James there... But what was she supposed to do though? She couldn't make him come... All she could do was wait and see if he called. Glancing at her phone that sat on the passenger side seat, she sighed again, putting the car in drive once more. She didn't speed this time. She wanted time to think...

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