New York City, the city that never sleeps. Home to many rich and famous, businesses, along with many homeless and extremely high parking meter prices. It was also the center of many mutant related issues due to there being such a high number of mutants here.

And I never thought I would end up returning here. Alex thought as he looked out the taxi window as it transported him through the city. Had it truly been 5 years since he was last in this city? It sure didn't feel like it... it felt much longer. Last time he had been here he had opened a pottery shop in an attempt to make a living, and had several interesting guests, ranging from a little child that had a mutation that could transform her into a full grown woman with super strength, along with a wannabee deity that had a serious issue with wanting to know absolutely everything about everyone she met even if they didn't want to share... and almost everything in between. He even helped bust an M-drug dealer or two.

But still, it was hard to believe it was only 5 years ago that this had happened. After falling in love, moving halfway across the state, getting married, have a daughter, losing all of that because of the grudge of an old enemy, and working with the FBI and MRC to catch them, Alex felt like it had been at least 10 years or more. All that stress certainly had made him age 10 years mentally, and underneath his clothing he was far more scar tissue then clear skin now. However he was still more than capable of holding his own all things considered. Sure he was an emotional train wreck on the inside but that didn't mean he wasn't useful.

Looking out of the other window now, the malachite manipulator could see his destination in the distance; the mansion that was the home of the New York City X-Men. He had been here before when he had last been in the city, wondering if he could join, but that had ended on a sour note due to him not being able to communicate properly. He also lacked self-esteem back then. However he was a different man now, so he hoped he could be of help to them now.

And if not he could always work for the police since his consultant certification was still good. He was sure they'd take him since there weren't many around that had experience in taking down mutants that were trained for war. And if that failed too, he'd return to owning a pottery shop and produce rather elegant statues and works of art. It earned him some serious coin back in Rochester, it would do the same here.

However he would prefer to help the X-Men. He didn't have to be one though, heck he wasn't even going to request to be one until he had built a level of trust with them. What he was hoping to do was build that trust with them by becoming a custodian for them. It might be a simple job that many wouldn't want, but it was an important one. After all in Alex's opinion a doctor's job was to cure the sick, while a custodian's job was to make sure you didn't get sick in the first place.

Once the taxi finally came to a stop outside of the mansion, Alex climbed out, gave the taxi driver the requested payment and a 50% tip, and started the hike up to the mansion main gate. He guessed that they already knew that he was here. Why wouldn't they have security cameras? And if not, he could do what he did last time he was here; ring the doorbell that was on the front gate... and hope that the person that came to greet him wasn't rude unlike that last one had. Just because that kid was on crunches didn't excuse his poor attitude.

When Rook was almost to the gate he saw a piece of paper caught on the wind on its way to fly into the mansion grounds. Not wanting the litter to spread, he held out his hand towards the paper, and his eyes quickly started to glow green. An instant later a rod of malachite extended from his jacket sleeve at 16 miles an hour, grabbing the paper out of the air with a three fingered hand that was at the end of the rod. The rod quickly retracted, but Alex didn't grab the paper with his hands from the malachite he was manipulating until he had pulled a small garbage bag out of his backpack to put the paper in.

That done, his malachite fully retracted, and his eyes no longer glowing, Alex continued to the gate and promptly pressed the door bell.

It was a beautiful day out. Choices choices. Go to history class or enjoy the weather.

Now, that was a no brainer. Allegra would probably get into some kind of trouble for ditching another class and of course her mother would be called. Thankfully the staff at Xavier's hadn't figured out that Allegra's mother could care less.

Allegra thought about hitting the pool but her dogs were giving her their sad puppy dog looks. Having actual puppy dog faces was a huge advantage in that department. So Allegra put on a pair of shorts over her bikini, threw on her shoes and grabbed the leash and went out to enjoy the day.

Running was an almost religious experience for her. There was the runner's high, of course, and her dogs loved running beside her but it was Allegra's quiet time as well. She was able to sort out all her thoughts and forget the rest of her crazy life.

After a three mile run around the mansion grounds, Allegra saw a cab pull up. Who could it be? Allegra was hoping for the chance to greet a new student who hadn't had a chance to ingratiate himself or herself into the many cliques yet.

The guy who stepped out seemed a little old to be a student. Too bad. That didn't mean he couldn't be a potential new friend, though. After all, Xavia turned out to be awesome despite the fact she was ancient. She was like 30 or something.

Allegra watched as a crystalline arm seemed to shoot out of the newcomer's jacket sleeve and catch the flying paper. As mutant powers went, that wasn't too freaky. At least he wasn't a dead dinosaur or a giant scary prawn.

Allegra ran over to him with her dogs following obediently behind. "Cool trick," she said. "Can you make a flyswatter too? That would come in handy."

She smiled waiting for his reaction. "I'm Allegra, by the way. Are you meeting a friend here or just visiting. Either way, I can let you in. Just promise me you're not evil, okay? I'd get in a lot of trouble for letting someone evil in."

The number of seconds that went by before someone had responded to Alex pressing the doorbell could've been counted on one hand and still have fingers left over, and for a split second it made Alex feel a bit of respect for the mansion to have such good security and service. However when he realized that the person coming towards him was just a teenager walking her dog, he realized that he had jumped to conclusions. He had to be more careful about that.

What she said though made him smile. "It's one of a couple hundred I've got." he said with a shrug. However when she asked about a fly swatter, he chuckled as his eyes started to glow green again, and using a pair of crystals he grew a fly swatter with a foot long hand in his right hand. "One fly swatter." he said with a smile, and suddenly got the urge to show off. Meh, why not? He thought and then held up the malachite fly swatter at eye level. "But you know, in my experience they always take off before you can hit them, so something a wee bit bigger always works for me." he said, then grabbing the fly swatter with both hands so he could use both bracers, Rook grew the fly swatter so it had a seven foot long handle, while the paddle of it was five feet tall by five feet wide. "Like this! This one works first time, every time!" he said with a goofy smile. With the super sized fly swatter in hand, and the big grin on his face, Rook looked like he belonged in the Loony Toons show.

However he didn't stay like that for long, quickly recalling the gigantic flyswatter back into his malachite bracers hidden within his sleeves, followed by the green glow of his eyes vanishing to reveal his cyan eyes once again. "Nice to meet you Allegra. Name's Alex, but I prefer Rook. As for why I'm here, I'm actually hoping to find work here. Maybe not as an X-Men, but another pair of hands couldn't hurt." he said with a warm smile. However her evil comment made him chuckle. "Looks can be deceiving, as can words. So instead how about I prove to you that I'm not evil instead?" Alex stated as he pulled his wallet out of his rear pocket, and from it he pulled out the MRC consultant and held it out for her to see. "If I was evil, they wouldn't want my help and instead would've gone after me instead."

It wasn't until then that he finally looked down at the dog. "And who is this cute pooch?" he said as he knelt down to get a closer look at the animal. "What breed is he?"

Allegra watched as the newcomer showed off his power. There were quite a few people here that enjoyed doing that so he should fit right in. Allegra, on the other hand, was ashamed of being a mutant and afraid of her power especially after she had killed one of her best friends using it. Sure, he came right back to life but that wasn't much consolation.

This guy’s antics did make her feel better, though. Unlike most mutant show-offs, he was actually funny.

“I guess if we have a really annoying helicopter buzzing around our heads, we just call you,” she said looking at the giant fly swatter.

“Nice to meet you, Alex. Or Rook is it?”  There were some mutants here who insisted on going by ridiculous ‘mutant names.’ They claimed that rather than take the name given to them by their human parents, they would choose their own mutant name to symbolize the rejection of the oppressive human culture and the choice to take a name that reflected their mutant heritage and power. Allegra really hoped this guy wasn’t pompous like that.

“Well, Rook, if you’re looking for a job, I guess you’ll want to talk to Dr. Rudolph Kipperling. But everyone calls him Ruddy,” Allegra said. “He’s the headmaster. His mutant power is making clones of himself. So if one of them says no, just ask another one and eventually one of them should hire you. So exactly what kind of work are you looking for? They really need some help around here. They even make me do my own cooking, cleaning and dishes. It’s just awful.”

She looked at his MRC ID and had no idea what that even stood for. “Malicious Real Corrupt? Yeah, I guess that proves you’re not evil. You can come in. Nice picture, by the way.” Allegra typed in her passcode and swung the door open. Her dogs flew inside knowing they would be given a treat.

“Where’s my manners. I forgot to introduce you to my babies,” Allegra said pointed to the white Shih Tzu with light gray mask and ears who was already running around Rook sniffing him. The other dog, a black shaved Brussels Griffin, ran to hide behind Allegra wrapping the leash around her legs in the process. “This white one's Sparkle and my brave protector here is Chocolate. Don't worry. They don't bite.” 

“I’m going to go to the kitchen to give them some treats so if you want something to eat or drink before your big job interview,” she offered. “I love playing welcome wagon so I’ll answer any questions if I can. ”

Her helicopter comment made him chuckle, though when she tried to decide on which of his names to use, he thought he picked up something in his voice and saw something in her eyes. He didn't have a clue as to what he saw though. "Eh, either one is fine. I just prefer the nickname my Pops gave me when I was six. Said I was a lot like his favorite chess piece." he explained.

Upon hearing Dr. Rudolph Kipperling, Rook nodded. "Got it, but I'll only call him Ruddy after I'm hired. Might as well keep it professional, right?" he stated, then smiled when Allegra started to complain about doing chores. "Well, cooking is a good skill to have. It comes in handy so you don't have to waste a bunch of your money eating out. Not to mention that this is your home after all. You should help out with taking care of it." he said in a kind tone, hoping that what he said won't be brushed aside. "As to what I am hoping to be hired for, well I've done a bunch of work as a custodian, so I thought I'd try to get that job here. While you guys are protecting our human brothers, I'd be protecting you from sickness. And before you say that's a doctor's job, keep in mind that a doctor's job is to cure your sickness. My job would be to preventing you from getting sick in the first place."

Her reaction to the MRC card however was rather funny. "Not exactly, but basically I'm a go to guy when law enforcement need help." Alex stated, however he was well aware that this didn't make him a good guy OR a bad guy. Depending on the mutant you asked, this could make him a hero in the eyes of a law abiding mutant... and a traitor in the eyes of the mutants who believe that humans are no longer needed. Am I ever going to be in a situation in where I'm never viewed as a traitor? As she walked in Alex followed, attempting not to get knocked over by the flying balls of fur that were underfoot. After glancing around the kitchen, he decided to keep his pack on since he didn't want to be rude and put it on someone's designated chair.

As Allegra started to introduce her pets Alex knelt down and held out his hand so the dog that was sniffing him could smell his hand, and maybe so the 'braver' of the two dogs could see he wasn't a threat. "They are adorable. I take it mommy is proud of her babies?" Alex asked with a smile up towards the young woman as he stood up. "I had a soft-coated wheaten terrier when I was growing up named Sam. He was cute but the poor thing was afraid of everything. The only thing he wasn't afraid of was his own shadow. But he was really good at herding sheep." Alex stated.

Turning his attention back to Allegra as she asked if there was anything he wanted to know. Crossing his arms in thought, Alex quickly came up with some questions. "I think the first thing to know is what the rules are. Along with which of the residences should be avoided."

"Okay, well Rook then," Allegra said. "I don't know much about chess except that if you knock over the King and say 'Checkmate' then you win."

"Yeah, you should probably call him Dr. Kipperling but he's pretty laid back. You'll see. First time I met him, he asked me if I wanted to go on a trip bungee jumping. He's different but kind of cool."

Allegra rolled her eyes when Rook suggested that she should help taking care of the home. "Why can't we just hire people to do that?" Allegra asked even though she had a feeling that wouldn't be greeted too warmly. Most people here didn't grow up with servants like Allegra did and could not comprehend how cooking and housework were demeaning to her.

"I'm not protecting my human brothers," Allegra admitted. "Or sisters. I just go to school here. I found out I was a mutant and this was one of the few places that I felt could help me. But it sounds like you've got a good go-getter work ethic. They'll like that. I'd hire you."

"I'm kinda curious. If you work with law enforcement, why would you want to get a job as a janitor?" she asked. "Or I guess they're called Sanitation Engineers. Whatever. It still sounds like a big step down for you. Are you gonna be satisfied pushing a mop instead of chasing bad guys?"

"Oh, mommy is so totally proud of her babies," Allegra smiled as she watched Sparkle get to know Rook better. "She really likes you. Sam sounds adorable. Where are you from where you were herding sheep? You've certainly had an interesting life Mr. Chess Playing Secret Sheep Agent."

"Most of the rules are stupid and should be ignored as much as possible," Allegra laughed only half joking. "I can get you a flyer and the link to our website. You're not allowed in the basement area where we've got a jet and something called a Danger Room and a War Room, if you can believe it. But I bet you have that kind of crazy stuff in the MRC too." She pulled out some chips and salsa. "I can get you something to eat if you'd like or I can give you a tour of the place."

"Bungee jumping?" Alex asked with an eyebrow raised, clearly puzzled. He then shuttered and shook his head. "El nope! Not me! I get enough of an adrenaline rush from swordplay thank you very much." Alex stated flatly. There were some things he could do, and something his just wouldn't approach. In his opinion bungee jumping was the activity of adrenaline junkies, and he wasn't one. Now sky diving was something he could do, but not for the thrill of it, but in case he had to dive headlong into danger.

The instant that Allegra asked why they couldn't just hire someone to do the dishes, Alex stared at her for a moment until he realized that she didn't have a typical life growing up. Technically he didn't either: he came from a family that owned a mansion out in tornado alley. "Well, not everyone actually has the money to spare in order to hire someone to do the dishes or do to all the cooking." Rook answered as he gave the answer his dad had given him when he had asked the same question. "Also it is possible for you to go from having the money to hire someone to do your chores to not having the money in a heartbeat if something happened that took away all of that money, like an expensive operation for example. In that situation you might have to let the cook or cleaner go leaving you to do the cooking and cleaning. It would be good for you to know how in that situation. Besides," Alex continued and then shrugged "There's something satisfying about making your own meals."

When the law enforcement question came up, Alex went silent for a moment and he looked away in thought... and to hide the tear that had formed in his eyes. "My time with law enforcement had been rough... rough enough that I saw enough blood spilled to last a life time. And if I start helping the X-Men I might end up seeing more. I'm taking a custodial job because it will allow me to help a group of heroes while building my tolerance for seeing red again." Rook responded, and finally turned back to face her after he wiped away a tear that had managed to fall halfway down his cheek, and attempted to focus his attention on the young woman in front of him so he wouldn't be thinking about his dead wife and daughter.

So when the conversation was switched to the dogs Alex almost let out a sigh of relief. "I grew up in Kansas. While Dad and I lived in a suburb, the family mansion was out on a plot of farmland where there were several herds we helped raise, like cows, pigs, and of course sheep." Alex stated, then paused before saying. "Incidentally, why is does the saying 'sweat like a pig' exist? I can tell you from personal experience that pigs lack sweat glands! That's why they roll in the mud, it's their only way to cool off!" Alex asked as he started to have a very autistic moment. However when he realized he was he quickly cleared his throat and shook his head to get his focus back.

"I think I can guess what happens in the war room and danger room. I'll keep my distance. Yeah I'd like that website link. And thank you for the offer of food but I'm fine-" Alex began to finish when his stomach growled loudly. Alex blushed out of embarrassment as he glanced down at his gut then slowly raised his eyes to look at Allegra. "Don't you hate it when your body turns you into a lier? I'll take an orange." Alex stated as he scratched the back of his head, hoping that his cheeks stopped turning red.

"If you want something small I'd suggest crackers and peanut butter. It sticks to your ribs a bit longer."

Alex nearly jumped out of his shoes when someone spoke up from behind him, and he quickly whirled around to see a man standing there, leaning against the door frame. "How...?"

"How did I sneak up on you? You were a little too focused. I'm Dr. Kipperling. Sorry for startling you." The man said with a smile, then glanced over Rook's shoulder to look at Allegra. "So, what's your first impression of this guy? Should I bring him on?"

"Swordplay?"Allegra asked. "Is that.... playing with swords? Real swords?" Sometimes she wasn't too quick on the uptake. "I think I'd stick with the bungees, myself."

"Sure, not everyone can hire help but this place can," Allegra said. "You've seen how huge it is. Whoever is running this place is loaded. They should pay to get someone to cook and clean so I don't feel like I'm doing slave labor.  No, there is nothing satisfying about slave labor."

Allegra could see that thinking about his old law enforcement job brought up a lot for him. "I don't think I could ever do a job like that,"Allegra said. "I can't imagine what it's like to put your life on the line every day and see your friends do the same thing. I'd rather be sweeping the floors too. I just gotta say that I think you're really brave having done a job like that. I mean for whatever that's worth. I'm sorry if you've seen some really bad things or lost someone close to you."

"OMG! You are the first person I've talked to that knows pigs don't actually sweat," Allegra said. "I'm a big animal lover so I know a lot of things about them. I would have loved to have been around pigs and cows and  even sheep when I was a kid. I even wanted to live in Kansas after seeing the Wizard of Oz. I thought if I lived there, a tornado would  come and take me to see Glenda the good witch. I was kind of a crazy kid."

"One orange coming up," Allegra offered when Dr. Kippering walked in. He had snuck up on Allegra as well.

"Even better, apples and peanut butter," Allegra said. She grabbed an apple and a corer. "You both gotta try it. It's awesome together."

Allegra liked how Ruddy related to the students. He didn't look down on them and she felt honored that he was asking her for her opinion.

"Yes, sir. Definitely," she said. "He's got my glowing recommendation. And not just because I don't want to do any of the cleaning around here."

Alex shook his head. "Nah, not real swords." he said as his eyes started to glow green, then grew a katana with his malachite. "Why carry a real one when I can 'em?" he said with a wink and a smirk before retracting the blade and the glow in his eyes vanished. When she mentioned slave labor Alex's smirk vanished. Was that how some people viewed doing simple house chores? "Or you could ask them to give you an allowance for doing the dishes. Besides just because they are loaded doesn't mean that all that money is designated for specific uses. Perhaps all of that money is going into something, like say the special needs of specific mutants. Heck I once knew a mutant that could only digest gold. Extremely expensive diet but on the other hand he had to live."

With the topic going back to his old job Alex sighed and nodded. "It's a hard life, it takes a lot of sacrifice, and in some cases it doesn't give back for those sacrifices. You don't do it for the pay, but to help people... at least that's why I did it." he said, but a little ball of guilt started to well up inside of his heart. He had done it to avenge his wife, daughter, and father. As a result some would say that he wouldn't deserve to have a badge... and he would have trouble arguing the point.

The instant that Alex had mentioned the pigs though, he thought he set of a talking bomb within the girl in front of him. It was like he got hit by a wall of sound... overjoyed sound but still a wall of sound. "I'm sure a few farmers would love to have an extra set of hands to help around the place. However be advised that pigs are all muscle, not fat like many seem to believe. If one gets mad and charges, never let it catch you." Alex said as he rolled his left shoulder. "Also make sure that if you jump out a window to get away from the pig that you know how to take a fall."

"What in the world happened to make that pig run after you?" the doctor asked, now curious.

Alex nibbled on his bottom lip before saying "I was giving her piglet a few apple slices and another piglet want a slice so it squealed loudly... and as a result the mother thought it was in distress and thought I was the cause." Alex started to rub the back of his neck. "Lesson learned. Always stay outside the pens when giving the piglets treats."

He then turned his attention to Allegra. "Speaking of apples and peanut butter, those are good but what are really good are bananas and peanut butter. Especially on a sandwich. A PB & B." That got a puzzled look from Ruddy. "That's an odd combo. I'll have to try that."

However when Allegra gave her opinion of Alex, the doctor smiled before looking at Alex. "Alright, there's your first reference. Got a second one?" In response Alex quickly opened his backpack and pulled out a forest green folder, opened it up, and pulled out an envelope. "Would a letter of recommendation do?"

"That it would." Ruddy said with a smile. He took the envelope, opened it up, took out the letter of recommendation... and Alex swore that if Ruddy's jaw wasn't attached to his face it would've gone through the floor. "How did you get a letter of recommendation from the head of the FBI?"

"Keep reading." Alex said, and Ruddy did so.

"Ah. That's how. Okay that makes sense. A couple of questions though. First off, why should I hire you?"

Alex was ready for that question, but he didn't expect it to be asked now. This was going to be one of the most unorthodox interviews ever if they were doing it right now. "Well I'm dedicated to my work, I always look for ways to improve the quality of my work, I'm happy to lend a hand when ever I'm asked to, I'm willing to work overtime, and I never stray from my ethical commode." Alex said, then blinked before he realized his tongue had slipped. "I mean code! Ethical code!" Alex almost wailed as he slapped himself across the forehead.

Ethical commode. That was really rich Alex. Swift, as in not to.

Ruddy however had started to chuckle.

Allegra stared at the malachite katana. “Have you ever used that to… hurt someone?” she asked in a nervous voice that trailed off. She meant to say 'kill someone' but that wasn't really the conversation you had with someone you just met.

Allegra didn’t need an allowance and was offended at the suggestion that she did. The idea of special needs  mutants did seem like a good point though. “I don’t know about gold but I’ve got a friend with an incredible metabolism so she has to eat all the time. Must cost the school a fortune in grocery bills. I should have told them I need diamonds in order to live. I wonder if it’s too late.”

“It takes a special kind of person to put their life on the line like that,” Allegra said. “What made you decide to make that kind of sacrifice. I like to think I’m a really generous person but I could never be a cop and worry about getting killed all the time.”

“Feeding pigs sounds more dangerous than being a cop,” Allegra laughed when Alex explained how he found himself in such a dangerous situation. It probably wasn't funny at the time but Allegra was getting a laugh at the thought of him being attacked by Mama Pig. "When Bacon Strikes Back."

“Oh yeah! Peanut butter and bananas are yum!” Allegra said. Ruddy didn’t seem convinced but he was the type that would try anything. “Grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches are awesome. I think Elvis used to eat them.”

Allegra was curious how Alex got a recommendation from the head of the FBI. She didn’t want to interrupt the unorthodox interview so she walked her dirty dishes over to the sink, stopping to look over Ruddy’s shoulder on the way. It was pretty obvious what she was doing but she had to find out.

Allegra laughed at the commode line. “See, he’s thinking about cleaning toilets before he even has the job,” she said to Ruddy. “You gotta hire him.”

Alex looked down at the blade when that question came up. He had fought several dozen people with his power... some where simply held at bay, while others were hurt... and there were quite a few that he had killed. How could he tell this kid that he had spilled blood several dozen times? The answer was he couldn't bring himself to say it, so he simply stated what he had done with the katana construct. "Just once, and that was when I first discovered my power so I didn't know how to control it back then."

As Allegra spoke up about needing diamonds to live, Alex couldn't help but give her an 'oh really?' look as he recalled the katana and turned his powers off. [colore=green]"Careful kid. Greed has a way of biting one's self in the rear."[/color] Alex said with a look that said 'I tried that an it backfired.'

Then Alex smirked. "Yeah, pigs can be hard to handle, but they can be cute as well." Alex said, then Ruddy chuckled. "Nah nah nah. Revenge of the Pork." Which promptly earned a grin from Alex. "Attack of the swines? Allegra your up for the next Star Wars movie name changed to being pig themed."

"But you know, I'm curious myself as to why you took that consultant job. Having the position as a consultant for the MRC and the FBI is something that is almost unheard of." Ruddy asked, causing Alex to look back and forth between the two before he let out a sigh and answered honestly... if a little vague. "My... wife and child... they got caught in the cross fire between a group of mutant extremists and law enforcement. I... I didn't want anyone to suffer that type of pain again but I also didn't want everyone to view mutants as killing machines." Alex stated before looking over at Ruddy. "Having a mutant bring those mutants to justice would send a message; not all mutants are evil, and don't judge the whole by the actions of a few." Once Alex had finished Ruddy had remained silent for a moment before placing a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Dude, sorry. That's rough." Alex only nodded before saying "Can we... change to topic?"

So the topic got changed to the cleaning position, and once again Ruddy was chuckling, followed by him winking at Allegra. "I think I might!" Ruddy said, then Alex shrugged as he said. "Sorry. The pressure of a sudden interview left me feeling a little... flushed." This was followed by Alex perfectly mimicking the troll face grin.

Allegra could hear the pain in Alex' voice. "Hey, I had a hard time when I first discovered my power too," she said. "The first time really freaked me out. The guy was a jerk but I could have seriously hurt him. The second time I kind of killed a good friend. Just for a few seconds but he was dead. He's perfectly fine but I'm still not sure I can forgive myself."

"Greed?" Allegra laughed. "I'm not talking about greed. I'm just talking about stuff I rightfully deserve." She was joking but there was a bit of truth in it. Allegra could be more than a little entitled.

"Oh pigs are adorable!" Allegra said. "I could never eat one ever."

She just smiled when Alex mentioned Star Wars. She'd have to talk to her geek friend,Alice, about that because she didn't understand Star Wars at all. All she knew was that there were Klingons in Star Wars. Klingons were monsters that had their own language that nerds tried to learn. Nerds also often dressed up as the monsters and would say things like "May the Force Be With You" in Klingon. Allegra didn't even know what that meant in English.

"Attack of the Swines. That's funny," Allegra said with a forced laugh because she didn't want Alex to think she didn't get the joke.

Allegra stopped trying to look over Alex' shoulder when he mentioned that his wife and child got caught in the crossfire. Allegra didn't know all the sacrifices and loss he had experienced. Now she was starting to learn.

Thankfully the mood got lighter and turned back to Alex' potential employment. "Interviews do suck but I think he's a great candidate, huh?" she asked Ruddy. "I can't think of anyone better, can you?"

Hearing Allegra mention what happened when she first discovered her powers Alex gave her an apologetic look. "Geez. Sorry. to hear that. That's rough. It ain't easy to get over either, if ever. I've found that the next best thing to do is to figure out how to put these wacky powers for good. It ain't easy and the world might still hate us for being born differently, but we're trying." Alex stated, and Ruddy nodded in approval. "Well said. A bit preachy but well said." Alex only smiled and shrugged... and chose to not respond to the 'rightfully deserved' comment that was made since that sounded like blind greed to him. He wasn't working here yet, so in truth he didn't have the right to school her on how selfish that line of thinking was.

Though he had to smile again when she mentioned how cute pigs were. "Well maybe you'd want a miniature pig as a pet. They really don't play fetch like puppy dogs, but they are very intelligent. You just need to make sure that you give it a bunch of water. Seriously, they are notorious for getting into anything to get a drink of water."

Finally Ruddy nodded. "I can't think of anyone else better either. That and no one else has asked for this position. Just one question last question for you Alex; you are aware that some of the stuff you'll have to clean up will be unusual due to our mutant students, right?" To that Alex smiled again as his eyes began to glow green. "Don't worry, I've got it. Besides if I need another pair of hands, I can get them..." he said, and then his malachite bracers grew out to cover his hands, then seemed to crawl up his sleeves, and then finally growing into another pair of arms with fully functional hands that were attached to his shoulders. Tiny bits of gemstone were still in contact with his skin though. "... in more ways then one."

Ruddy only chuckled... then stared when Alex said "By the way, how did neither of you get that earlier pun? I accidentally said commode and then made a flushed pun. How did neither of you catch that?" Ruddy groaned as he executed a face palm that was bound to leave a bruise. "Because it was a horrid pun!" Alex only grinned. "Expect way more of them if you hire me."

Allegra listened to Alex' suggestion to figure out how to put her powers for good. That seemed easy for him. His power actually seemed pretty useful. At the very least, he could use his gemstone construct thingies to change the channel if he ever lost the remote. Allegra's didn't have too many practical applications.

"I really can't think of any good use for mine," she said. "I never know what's gonna happen after I use them. I could end up killing someone or turning them into a turnip or god knows what."

She looked up to Ruddy to see if he had any better ideas. Sure there were mutants with even worse powers, but Allegra still felt ripped off in the mutant lottery.

"I think I'd love a pig as a pet," she said. "When I was younger I had a pony." Allegra was a bit embarrassed for admitting that. Every little girl wants a pony. Allegra was one of the few that actually got one. There were enough people around here that thought she was spoiled. Best not to admit stuff like that. "So did you ever have a pig or anything unusual for a pet?" She directed the question at both of them. Ruddy probably only had unusual pets.

"If I don't have to do as much cleaning anymore, I'll listen to horrible puns all day," Allegra said. It was more than a fair trade.

Hearing that Allegra's power was uncontrollable and unpredictable, Alex visibly winced and gave the girl an apologetic look. He saw the effects of people with powers that couldn't be controlled, and the results in almost every case was the mutant dying. If it was from the hands of the mutant committing suicide or another person killing them however was different from case to case.

"Unusual pet... well... would a Clydesdale named Gilgamesh count?" Alex asked as he smiled, dropping the name of one of the largest horses on the planet. It was the same breed of horse that pulled the Budweiser carriage seen on TV all the time. It was his favorite breed since they were known to be gentle for their size and thanks to their strength he could ride them while using his power in anyway, shape, or form... and they could handle it.

"Well Alex, if you really want the job, I'd say it's yours. Now technically this wasn't an official interview so you might end up doing another one with one of my... brothers... but it should be relatively painless." Ruddy said with a smile as he held out his hand for Alex to shake, which the gemstone manipulator promptly did. "Thank you sir." Alex stated, but as soon as they ended the handshake Ruddy held up a finger. "However this doesn't make you an X-Man. If you want to become one you'll have to go through the same exact process that every single one of them went through. Having combat experience doesn't give you a free pass." To this Alex nodded in understanding. "I can more then agree to that. I don't like getting the special treatment. I've worked for everything I ever had and I want to keep it that way."

What Ruddy said next however made Alex lift an eyebrow, clearly puzzled. "Also I don't want you trying to teach any of the residence anything along the lines of mutations. Life lessons I'm perfectly happy with, but nothing related to mutation." "Now that's a little surprising. I know quite a bit and even have some experience with teaching new mutants how to control their powers." Alex mentioned, and Ruddy cleared his throat before he explained. "You clearly have combat experience with your powers, but I don't want the younger generation of mutants here to focus on using their powers for combat only, if you know what I mean."

Alex did know what he meant. It was written in Ruddy's eyes that the guy could tell that Alex had killed before... and he had, enough times that he occasionally had trouble sleeping. They had all be murderers and terrorists, but blood was blood. Ruddy didn't want Alex to teach anyone here how to kill and take it lightly.

"Understood."