Serena jumped slightly at the female voice coming from behind her. She let out a small squeak and then turned to see a tall woman, around the same height, maybe slightly taller than Emerald from the night before. She looked to the taller woman, she had intimidating stature, yet friendly body language.

She smiled at the taller woman shyly. "Hi... I'm Serena." She squeeked. Cookies did sound good.... but she also hoped that the woman would not judge her for being intimidated... she couldn't help it, she guessed she was still not really feeling herself after what had happened the evening before.

Serena took a deep breath to steady herself. "A cookie does sound good." She smiled at the taller woman.

Shin seemed like a very helpful person as he walked the small group through the mansion. He pointed out some areas Victoria had already shown Serena, but it might’ve been good for the older girl to see them again. Having been in the mansion for a few days already Victoria remembered most of the pointed out locations.

The offices were new though. Having all of her arrangements set up prior to her arrival Victoria didn’t ever go to the offices. Shin knocked on the door and mentioned a name that the girl hadn’t heard before. Gawain must only work in the offices and is why the girl never heard of him.

A new voice spoke up before Victoria could ask about this Gawain person.

Turning to the see who it was the girl found herself looking up more than she did for Shin or Serena. A very tall lady had approached the group with a smile. She offered cookies if they went with her to the kitchen. Victoria thought to herself for a brief moment. Emerald had offered them food from a hunt and now this new lady was offering cookies. Did Shin forget to offer them milk or something? Why couldn’t someone offer blood?

Following Serena’s response to the new lady Victoria tagged along to the kitchen.

The Asian glanced over his shoulder at the sound of a voice. 'Well, that explained it,' he thought. 'Off-duty, due to cookies.' Still, it wasn't the worst thing. It could definitely have been worse.

The girls seemed for the 'cookie thing', and it didn't hurt anyone.

"I suppose we could," he said. "I was just helping show these two around, and get one of them signed up to stay here. You should be able to help with that, after you've gotten them fed." He nodded. smiling slightly. It sounded like a good idea to him. "Come along, girls." He added, as he made to follow Mama T.

>>"Hi... I'm Serena. A cookie does sound good."

"A pleasure to meet you Serena. I'm Gemma Taylor, the school counselor."

>>"I suppose we could... I was just helping show these two around, and get one of them signed up to stay here. You should be able to help with that, after you've gotten them fed. Come along, girls."

"Sounds good to me." Gemma nodded as they walked down the hallway towards the kitchen, led by the smell of fresh cookies "So, Serena. What brings you to the Mansion?"

Apart from being a mutant, probably. It was good to start polite.

Serena forced a smile to Gemma. "Nice to meet you Gemma." She wondered what Gemma did for fun. She was a school counselor? So Serena assumed that she would be rather busy most of the time, especially considering she worked at a school with mutants.

As she stepped closer to Gemma, Serena felt an crushing pressure which she hadn't even noticed seemed to lift from her shoulders. It felt really good, relaxing. It was odd, she hadn't even noticed that feeling before, she felt so light now.

She turned the the taller woman to answer her question. She felt much stronger now, without that crushing pressure. "Well, my older brother was a detective who was killed last night, so I have no family left, a friend brought me here because she said it was a safe where a mutant like me could be safe." her voice was carefully controlled. Serena was clearly fighting off the grief as long as she could.

Following the group to the kitchen the smell of cookies filled the air more and more. It was a very pleasant smell if only such things mattered to the little blonde. She hoped maybe Serena would be able to sample the cookies and enjoy them.

Victoria listened as the new lady introduced herself. Her name was Gemma and she was the school’s counselor. School counselor…maybe she was the person others could go to when they were having problems understanding themselves and their mutations. Or was she the person to talk to when having trouble in a class?

The woman started to question Serena so the little red-eyed girl remained silent and listened.

The response given by Serena made Victoria’s jaw drop open. She had no idea the taller girl had lost her brother so recently. The little story made Victoria react without any warning as she moved quickly to Serena’s side and hugged her hoping to comfort the girl.

Following Mama T was... actually kind of really hard, seeing as how she was an Adaptoid, which meant when he was in her presence, he was practically blind. In fact, totally, if he was within her range. He noticed that the second he turned to face her, and saw nothing at all. With that in mind, the Asian kept an extreme gap between himself and her. He hugged the wall, and kept his eyes towards the ground. He remembered now why he had been spending less and less time at the mansions, and coming in at odd hours. It was to avoid the Adaptiod. Another problem she brought was that she broke his wedding ring. Kealey would probably just now have thought he'd died. Great.

Still, he kept on smiling. Because he was a nice person, and he could be polite, and he could deal with it. He was tough. He wouldn't let a silly little thing like that stop him from enjoying cookies (not that he'd be able to tell how many he had eaten, once he started eating them. Mathematics always got fuzzy then).

He focused on voices as he stumbled along. Voices were a good way to determine directions. He didn't comment on anything said, but he heard it, all the same.

>> "Well, my older brother was a detective who was killed last night, so I have no family left, a friend brought me here because she said it was a safe where a mutant like me could be safe."

Gemma stopped in her track, just as they entered the kitchen, and turned to face the girl called Serena. She could feel the tension in her voice. However casual she tried to sound, the weight of the admission alone was enormous.

The other girl - Victoria? she remembered seeing her on the student list - Moved to Serena and hugged her in comfort. Apparently this was news to her too. Shin had fallen back, Gemma assumed, to avoid her aura.

"I am very sorry to hear that" she said quietly, letting Victoria do the hugging "That is terrible. I am glad you made your way to the Mansion. You are welcome here."

Serena hadn't even notice Victoria walk up to her so she jumped slightly when she wrapped herself around Serena in a hug. Then the tension in her shoulders dropped even more and she wrapped her arms around Victoria, she felt much calmer when she was with the little girl, she didn't know why.

She cleared her throat slightly and looked to Gemma. "It's alright, and thank you. I've got it together, at least for now. My brother wouldn't want me to be all down right now, he'd want me to get myself sorted out so that I had a place to stay and maybe switched schools after finding out I was a mutant."

Serena's wave of sadness, which had been suppressed, was suddenly replaced with a wave of pride, her brother was managing to look after her, even from the grave Eh? She was so happy to have had such a great big brother. Thank you she silently thought to him.

A smile spread over Victoria’s face when Serena hugged her back. She hoped her gesture helped her older friend to feel better. It must be awful to lose someone so close. It was a feeling Victoria didn’t want to ever feel after seeing how it affected Serena.

Looking up to Gemma the little blonde offered her hand. “Hi! I’m Victoria! I’ve been here for a little while. Mr. Holloway was the one who greeted me and showed me around. Do you know him?”

Shin didn't notice no huggin', no sirree. And there certainly weren't any eaves dropping, here. Thankfully, everyone else in the room had things under control. Staggering forward, around Gemma, who he assumed was someone, but didn't know was Gemma, to find a table, and a chair. Finding a table and chair meant using his knees. It hurt. He could smell cookies, though, and that made up for it.

The chair legs scraped slightly against the floor as he pulled a chair out, and worked his way around, into the chair.

Once seated, he finally started listening. His head turned towards the sound of the talking. Even if he hadn't really met this "Holloway" guy, he knew of him. Mainly, as a new teacher. He didn't know much else.

Interrupting slightly, if carefully, Shin noted "Those cookies smell delicious."

>> "It's alright, and thank you. I've got it together, at least for now. My brother wouldn't want me to be all down right now, he'd want me to get myself sorted out so that I had a place to stay and maybe switched schools after finding out I was a mutant."

She was taking her loss in a stride. Gemma smiled at the girls, it was good to see students supporting each other, even if they had just barely met. She had no doubts that grief will be hard on Serena, but she seemed like a strong, balanced girl.

>>“Hi! I’m Victoria! I’ve been here for a little while. Mr. Holloway was the one who greeted me and showed me around. Do you know him?”

"Yes I do." she nodded "He is a very good teacher, I am glad you met him. Welcome to the Mansion, Victoria."

Shin stumbled around them and into a chair. He seemed disoriented. It took Gemma a moment to click.

>>"Those cookies smell delicious."

"I'm so sorry Shin" she said "It's my powers isn't it. Here."

She took the cookies out of the oven, and piled them up on a plate that she placed on the table, close enough for Shin to reach. With that done, she backed to the other corner of the kitched and leaned against the counter.

"I am an adapted, my aura cancels mutant powers. For some people who rely on their mutant abilities, that causes problems." she explained to the girls "Feel free to eat the cookies."

Serena wondered why Shin had been stumbling around and appeared to have no balance or sense of direction, as Gemma moved away from Serena and explained her jaw dropped "I've never heard of anything like that befo-" As Serena moved away from Gemma and towards the table with the cookies it felt as if a bag of bricks was dropped on her shoulders.

The wind was knocked out of her for a second. Then she shook herself off and looked back to Gemma "Sorry, I guess it must effect me too." She said between breaths. She slowly moved to the table and picked up a cookie and then nibbled on it.

Taste filled her mouth. This was the first thing she had eaten since lunch yesterday, and it tasted great. "These cookies are great! You're an awesome cook Gemma!" Serena said with a colourful smile on her face.

Victoria smiled as the woman acknowledged the girl’s inquiry towards Mr. Holloway. “Aitah! He’s very nice!” A nod followed the statement.

A stumbling motion from Shin distracted the girl’s red eyes towards the man. Did he trip on something? He looked as if maybe something was bothering his vision as she watched him. She hoped he was going to be ok.

That was when Gemma made an unexpected statement. An Adapted? She cancels mutant abilities? Was that a good thing to do in a place full of mutants?

Victoria looked at her hands for a moment while assessing things. She didn’t feel any different other than a slight tingling sensation, but that could be caused by something else for all she knew

Adaptoid, yep.

There wasn't much else for the Asian to do but stumble over to the cookies, and start helping himself. Not a pig, he took two, then shuffled towards where he expected tables and chairs would be, eyes closed. it was a good thing he'd had plenty of practice with it in the camps, otherwise this might have been a difficult feat.

Shin slid into a chair, and scooted himself up to the table. Then, he took a bite, and chewed.

"Very good," He said, after he'd finished his first bite. "And don't worry about it. I'll be fine once I'm out of your aura. I can leave these two in good hands."

Back to nomming, he went. the cookies were great.