Hotspot Arrival

[wifi]

The sun's heat had certainly washed oveR new York state because it was sweltering in the back seat of the yellow cab. the countryside was surprisingly gorgeous given the fact that the state was famous for glittering towers of glass and steel and wares that were fueled by mindless commercialism.

The green of the grass and the bright blue of the sky complimented each other perfectly but also made the day so damn unbearable. There wasn't a cloud in the sky so there was no place to catch a respite from the heat. Even in the back seat of the taxi, the rolled down windows to get a bit of air circulation was worthless because even the wind was hot. With no breezes to move the air around, the air had grown too hot to be comfortable.

Adam Argent, was leaning against the window trying to not be utterly miserable over the whole ordeal. He had long since resigned himself to the broken air conditioner of the cab. The driver had warned him but he had replied that it was ok and he'd put up with it. Now he wasn't sure if he regretted the choice.

Air conditioner. Why don't you want to work again? It's hot. Please for me? he mentally pleaded with the dashboard of the car.

Cuz I'm thirsty. I need my juice, Mr. Nice user. Can you put in the juice? This guy never puts in juices, came the raspy reply from the cooling system as they sped along. The dark haired youth sighed and tried to decipher the cryptic meaning from the air conditioner.

They turned down a tree shaded road a few minutes later and Adam stifled a moan as the air flowing past his outstretched hand changed to be significantly cooler. He was so happy for the change in temperature. In all honesty this had been one of his more enjoyable experiences inthe last few months because the ride took them through empty countryside. Not many electronic signals or devices for him to pick up on. See Adam was a mutant, someone born with the genetic potential to develop fantastical powers, and well he had definitely devloped a few. The less obvious one was the one that plagued his day to day life and left him in a pained mess most nights in the city now. He could hear machines and electronics and radio and tv signals and it turned out that in the modern age, that was as bad as being telepathic when everyone had a cellphone or i-pod or laptop on them all the time. They begged and computed and processed around him constantly and he could hear every bit of it in his mind. Sure it could be cool sometimes, but most of the time it made living a normal life impossible.

He felt himself perk up when the GPS system in the car chimed in that they were approaching their destination. He hadn't even noticed the wrought iron fence they'd been driving beside for a while now. The cabbie dropped him off and helped him get his bags out of the car before driving off. Adam was sure to tell him to get some Puron or freon for his car when he got the chance. it'd probably fix his problem.

Then he turned around and his eyes bugged out of his head. The Xavier mansion was huge... From his position next to the gate, he could barely see the actual mansion but what he could see was that it looked tiny compared to the grounds around it. He pushed the buzzer and stated who he was and why he was there and someone buzzed him in and said "Welcome to mutantopia". It sounded like someone around his age so he wasn't sure he he felt about the place yet.

He lugged his bags down the long drive trying not to over exert himself in the heat and was contemplating flying down the rest of the way just because it was faster but he didn't know the rules and didn't want to get in trouble for using his powers or something. Sure the place was for mutant kids but well someo f them had to have the power to blow stuff up too and that was dangerous, so he consigned himself to rocking out as hard as he could to his i-Pod. Granted rocking out involved Mmmbop byhanson during most of the brisk sweaty walk but what did that matter.

Even with the volume all the way up, he could hear the buzz of hundreds of electronic voices and conversations between devices and people and videogames and computers and just everything on the way. Adam just hoped these people could help him learn to shut it all out.

He finally made it to the front door, convinced he'd sweated out his deodorant but by then he was so hot he didn't care, and rang the doorbell, fanning himself with his hand trying to stay in the shade. He turned a little redder as the doorbell made a rather...inappropriate noise, as it chimed the new arrival to the rest of house. This was certainly going to be the start to one hell of an adventure

[leon]

Leon sat in a large leather chair with brandy in hand. His cigarette smoldered silently in an ash tray next to him. A few of the students who walked by gave him questioning looks, but he just stared at them in equal measure until they became uncomfortable and walked away.

He looked young, possibly in his early 20s. His blonde hair and his boyish looks gave the impression that he may not even be old enough to drink, let alone blatantly disregarding the school's no smoking policy. His demeanor however, hinted at how old he truly was.

He was truly part of the old guard at this school, and he had earned the right to be treated as such. Xavier had given him a job as professor, which in truth was more of an honorary title then anything. He held no classes, and he did no work in any official capacity. He just did as he pleased for the most part, and he kept an eye on the school. At Charles's behest he had done a bit of substitute teaching, as well as recruiting and reconnaissance in the name of the school, and it was because of Charles that he sat here today.

Charles had charged him with introducing a new student to the mansion, and its unique way of doing things. This was a job, which often required experienced, and capable individuals, especially when it came to the first meeting. Young students by nature were nervous and unpredictable. A bad first impression could often be the difference between a smooth transition, or the lack of an entrance hall.

Leon waited patiently, his eyes and ears trained at the door until the moment arrived. Draining the brandy from his glass he rose to open the door, and behind it he saw his pupil for the evening.

"Adam I take it?" His voice gruff, but not unfriendly as he ushered the boy inside the air conditioned hall.

The hall itself was spacious and decorated fairly lavishly with marble floors, and solid oak making up the majority of the surrounding walls. Directly behind them there were two identical oak staircases leading to a veranda overlooking the entirety of the entrance hall. On either side of them there were quiet sitting rooms adorned with furniture befitting a mansion. Soft music could be heard wafting from one of the rooms beyond.

Leon looked the kid over. From all appearances he was your typical teenage boy. Sweat dripped down his brow, and the apprehension was written on his face as he stood there, awkward in his own skin.

"I'm sure you already read the brochure, but here.." he said grabbing an assortment of pamphlets from a near by table "Is a crap ton more for ya. They cover all the basics...school Policy...Room and Board...Power usage...that sort of thing."

This kid clearly wasn't a perceivable threat, so Leon was inclined to get this over with as quickly as possible, and be on his way. He would keep up this farce of the welcoming instructor for as long as he was required to, and then he would go back to drinking. He was too old for this shit, and anyway he had more important things to do then play babysitter to kids who probably didn't need it.

[wifi]

"Yeah...I'm Adam. Hi. It's ...nice to meet you I guess?" came the reply which was accompanied by a flash of white teeth and raised, slightly nervous eyebrows.

Adam took a moment to look over the new details in front of him, most namely the man who greeted him. Tall and gruff looking. He smelled of smoke and a hint of alcohol, like someone's father after a long day at work. Adam wasn't the judgmental type so the fact that it was barely noon and the guy seemed to be drinking away his problems didn't bother him. He was, however, worried for the guy. Was life in this mansion so rough that the adults had to be intoxicated to deal with it?

Shrugging mentally, he took a step forward and offered a hand only to have it filled with pamphlets on various things. At this point he knew this man didn't really want to be greeting the newcomer but he was still doing what had to be done.

The dark haired youth immediately decided to try and make this as short as possible and get out of the man's hair before he got too annoyed. He just hoped his mouth could contain all of his questions before they just spilled out everywhere. The first hundred already threatened to burst out just from the sight of the interior of this place.

"Uhm, Yes I think I read the first one here. It was online and everything. Nice place here. Government funding or something to keep the mutant teen populace safe?" Adam asked subtly stepping forward in the hopes of exiting from the heat and getting to drop his bags off somewhere soon, realizing though, that he'd carry them the whole time if he had to. Heck maybe focusing on the weight would help him ignore the whir of mechanical voices in his brain.

[leon]

"We're privately funded mostly." Leon said as he moved to shut the door behind him. "The government likes to say they have a hand in us when things are going well, but as soon as things go south, they go with it. This" he said taking the pamphlet from his hand "is our public face. It appeals to parents with even the most conservative of values, and it allows us to take students and teach them to be responsible well rounded citizens, despite whatever unique abilities they may come with."

He smiled warmly at the last part. He had seen his share of abilities in his time and he knew just how unique they could be. Adam, he knew from his profile, did not have the most troubling of abilities. He was in many ways a blip on the radar fitting in quite nicely with the bulk of the school. The question that interested Leon was what kind of person he was, and what kind of person was he going to be.

The goal of this school (in part) was to create a safe and stable environment for people with abilities to grow. Out in the real world it was far too likely that they would become jaded and twisted, ostracized by the community they had grown up in. This was especially true when they were young, which is why it was essential that the school recruit them as soon as possible.

Leon turned to the kid taking the opportunity to study his face and his mannerisms as he went on. "No, the ones that are really interesting are these." he continued as he took 3 more pamphlets from his hands and fanned them out before him. They were entitled 'Faculties', 'Power Usage', and 'What Makes us Different?' respectively. "See this place doesn't really operate as a typical high school. Its very flexible with its students, and if anything its much closer to what you would find at a college or university. We have at our disposal pretty much anything you can conceivably imagine, and some stuff that I'm sure you can't. Students are free to use any and all of it provided they can demonstrate a need to do so.

We cater to each student's needs individually, meaning that your experience here is optimized just for you, and you alone. For a lot of students we find what they really need is a typical high school experience. Somewhere where they are allowed to be social without feeling excluded like they would out in the world.

This may be the case for you, but if not we will find something that works, we always do." for a teenager this could be a venerable paradise. The school allotted them a lot of freedom provided they were responsible enough to handle it. The idea that students may come and go as they please, even when restricted to the school's campus, was more than they could dream. "You will be assigned a guidance councilor whose job will be to go over your case and provide you with whatever is deemed necessary. They will check up on you from time to time to make sure that everything is going well, and they will make sure that you are reaching your established goals, whatever they may be."

"For powers the general rule is, if you aren't sure don't do it. Every student is required to take a class in which they learn to control their abilities. Unless you are certified by this class any use of powers is considered a violation. Once this class decides that you are competent enough to use your powers you will be allowed to use them if you use them responsibly. Got it?"

Leon looked at the kid as he nodded meekly attempting to retain all of the information he had just dumped on him. The kid looked tired, and who could blame him? It had been a long trip. Leon wasn't helping matters by lecturing him as he stood in the doorway all his bags in hand.

Leon relented shrugging slightly as he turned to leave. "Come on. I will show you where to put your bags."

[wifi]

Adam listened intently about how the school worked. It was important since he was going to be staying here for a while he hoped and try to remedy his problems. It was also interesting because this man was covering all the details of how to make a dream actually function. Most people would just gloss over the details but it fascinated Adam because he had dreams and aspirations of his own and he figured, details was where most dreams got stopped.

Grinning agreeably, Adam shifted his duffle bag up higher on his shoulder before asking: "Really? This place just lets the students do as they please? How many students are there? Don't kids being kids cause...you know. Trouble?"

The last word came along with an obvious hand sign as he spread his fingers apart, alluding to explosions. Sure he was more optimistic than your average person, but at a certain point even optimism gave out to logic. Giving a bunch of super powered teenagers free run of a place inevitably was going to lead to something going awry.


"So how do you guys go about...evaluating everyone's needs exactly? Like a psych evaluation or something or just go with the flow?" he asked despite himself. Hadn't it just been 30 seconds since he decided to keep his mouth closed?

As the conversation went on, the curly haired teen nodded his understanding, thanking whatever deity had gotten him here when he was invited inside finally. Then he almost regretted his arrival as soon as he stepped across the threshold. This place was loud to say the very least. At least it was to him. There were so many signals and electronic voices that bombarded his mind that he almost staggered. Holding up a finger attempting to be as polite as possible and not look completely helpless, Adam shuffled into the foyer and allowed one of his bags to slide off his shoulder and thud to the floor, freeing up his arm as he fumbled for the i-Pod in his pocket. He felt the near constant headache he had gotten used to over the last several months flaring up as the signals all intermingled to create a boisterous cacophony. He succeeded in extracting an earpiece after a few seconds of fooling around with doubled vision and shoved one end in his ear and hit play, pushing the volume as high up as he could get it to go.

"Ssorry. It's just um...loud is all. I'm fine don't worry about it. Sorry...just...sorry," he muttered, embarrassed, as he focused on the sound blaring in his ear and tried to ignore everything else, bending over to pick up his bags again and follow his tour guide to his new room. He just hoped that this guy didn't fuss over him. Adam hated it when people worried about him when there were so many more important things to fret over rather than one insignificant teenage boy.

[leon]

"While it is possible that a student could have free reign over the school, I didn't say that it would be very likely. You and your guidance councilor will come up with an individualized plan for you. This will most likely include scheduled classes and extracurricular activities etc. etc.

If your guidance councilor decides that you need something else, some kind of allowance or special privilege, it will be allotted to you. If not...well then you are out of luck...unless you are really good at convincing others.

That said though, you will still find Xavier's to be a much more relaxed school then most. There are several hours between classes most days..The food is a hell of a lot better then your typical fair, and there is always plenty to do providing that you are the adventurous type."

Leon listened politely to the boy's questions fulfilling his role, and responded accordingly:

"There is a preliminary psych exam...Nothing too evasive or anything. Just your basic behavior profiling and whatnot. Most of what we need we already know. We do our research...chances are we know things about you that you don't know yourself. The stuff we have ya take is more housekeeping than anything."

Leon grimaced as the boy flipped on his music. Of course he knew the reason for it even before the boy meekly murmured his apologizes, just how could he call that music? Leon could barely stand to listen to it, let alone have it blared at him at such an obnoxious volume. Maybe it was the obnoxiousness that drove the voices away. Leon hoped so for the kid's sake.

"Oh right....that." he said pointing his finger toward his ear mimicking the kid's headphones. His momentary grimace was wiped away replaced by a more congenial smile as he turned expecting the kid to follow him as he went.

The walk itself was fairly short. They went out of the left side of the building and into the courtyard where a smattering of kids could be seen preoccupying themselves in various ways. A few turned their curious glance there way intent on scoping out the new kid, but he was normal enough that most kids paid him no real notice.

They walked down a paved sidewalk flanked by a running fountain on one side and a small flower garden on the other, and turned right into the student services building. This particular building hosted the guidance councilors, the psychiatric department, as well as a public computer lab situated at the back of the building, none of this interested Leon however. What interested him was a small desk in the department of student health.

He pulled out from behind the desk an assortment of small metal wristbands, and turned toward his exasperated student behind him.

"These are power suppressors. They dampen the X gene's ability to communicate to the rest of your body to various extents. This small engraving here..." he said pointing to the bottom of the band where a roman numeral was clearly visible, this particular one etched with a II. "Determines the potency of the particular band. The higher the number, the more powerful the effect."

"The choice to use these are entirely up to you. A lot of people find that it encroaches on their individuality, but in your case I thought it might be worth looking at. Keeps those migraines at bay and what have you,until you have the time to properly train your powers yourself