The flight in wasn't long, no traffic in the air made the trip easy but cold and that was the pain of only flying at night. Carrying just a black backpack filled with what little clothes he saw necessary, his small bundle of cash that was a whopping $67, and his wallet. He left his phone with his mother, he didn't see a reason to try and make it any harder on her by keeping in touch. Landing lightly, after tucking his wings in just above the ground, he swung his dark leather jacket on over his wings to try and warm up slightly. This cold always did a wonder on him, teeth chattering and pain through his body, he pressed on towards the gates.

'Do they even let people in this late?'

Al was more stressed thinking about rejection and sleeping outside then he was about leaving his mother with just a note and a phone. As he reached the gate, he paused. Not only in awe of the size of the school, but in a slight sense of both satisfaction and fear. He had made it, a place where it was okay to spread his wings, no pun intended, but also a place of extreme prejudice in the world's eyes.

The gates are about eight feet, nothing fancy or capable of stopping Al, but he had a respect for them. He felt a sense of impenetrable security at just the sight of them. These weren't the cages of old, holding a bird and preventing it from seeing the sky, but instead protection. These old gates were just as welcoming as his mother's arms after coming home from a late night flight.

Looking around for a moment, he saw a buzzer. Nothing fancy, nothing amazing, just your standard looking gate buzzer with speaker. 'I'm guessing this is how you let them know you've shown up?' A few shuttered breathes and he buzzed in, waiting for a response.

While waiting for a response, Al pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and slide a lighter out from the front if his bag. His mother had always made it a point to tell him how much she disliked this things, and looking back on it now, that was really the only thing she ever truly had a problem with. Cigarette now in his mouth, he lifted the small lighter to the edge and lit it. A small cloud of smoke and a small red burning light were all the could be seen from the shadowy area next to the gate buzzer.
Al took this small moment of silence to relax for a moment, sitting down on the well maintained grass, he lowered his jacket and let his wings untuck a little. He reminisced on nights when he was younger, his mother used to rub the muscles between his wings, in that one little spot he could never reach, and how good it felt. And now here he was, Mr. Rebellious, smoking and and smiling like a five year old who got a new toy. Would be really embarrassing if someone saw this right now..
But his mother was truly and honestly the world to him, and leaving her the way he did may not have been the best choice, but in his heart it was the right one. 

What seemed like hours, was really only minutes. Al spent the time reminiscing about growing up..

As a child, Al's mother sheltered him. He was homeschooled by her, to the best of her abilities. His mother was only sixteen and had hardly paid any attention in school in her small town back in Sicily. Although spotty at best, he was always willing to learn more. His mother often told him stories of heroes of the past like King Arthur and Lancelot, of both Greek and Roman mythology. His favorite story of all was that of the man Daedalus, who made wings of wax and feathers and flew into the sun.
Alphonse remembers often telling his mother as a child that his wings were made of the same things and that one day he would fly to the sun and bring it to her, so she can be the happiest woman in the world. But as he grew up, he realized that not only was bringing his mother the sun impossible, but that his wings were real, and they weren't made, they were his.
He remembers his first flight, scared half to death his mother would be angry with him and that he wouldn't be able to fly at all. They lived above his uncle's restaurant on the third floor, he figured jumping out of the window would give him a good head start. He had spent the past few days in his room moving his wings around, stretching them and flapping here and there so no one would hear the burst of wind thrusted on the floor. But now, this was it, the moment of truth. Backing away a few steps from the window so he could get a light run before jumping through the window, he readied himself.
Light as a feather, stiff as a board.
The words of a child's sleepover dare were all he could think of before leaping through the window. A second pasted and he felt free.. Another second passed and he almost screamed. Snapping his wings out to fast, he winced in pain no 9 year old should know, and forcing them to flap sent another cringe through his body. But in moments he was in the air above his neighborhood, stretching never before used muscles and enjoying every moment.
As he made his way back home just before dawn, he noticed the light in his bedroom was on and a shadow was pacing against the far wall in his room. He should've known she was going to check on him, but he didn't care this time what so ever. Before coming to a complete halt in front of his room he stopped, he could hear his mother crying softly. He placed his feet on the edge of the window before tucking his wings close to his back and perching on the window sill.
His mother looked at him with a smile filled with tears. "My little angel, welcome back home." She whimpered towards him with all the strength she had left. He climbed down, a shirtless boy with hair tossed by the nights air, and walked slowly towards his mother. "I was afraid you wouldn't come back to me." She just about collapsed on the boy and wrapped herself around him. He didn't know how to react, his mother loved him,this he knew, but this affection, this pure form of adoration , was more then he ever expected.

He started himself back to reality and away from the memory. His cigarette , burned to the filter and slowly making its way towards his hand, was quick snuffed out on the bottom of his shoes. Dawn was approaching, the beautiful hues of a dying night danced around the rising sun and in it all Al just stared into it.
"Ti porterò il sole mamma, te lo prometto."
I will bring you the sun momma, I promise.

It wasn't even dawn yet, and someone was already buzzing in. Gemma rolled out of bed when the phone call came in from the office; someone needed to escort the new person in, and all the Mansion greeters were scattered to the winds and teens and young adults usually are.

The tall woman threw on jeans and a sweater and stepped into her shoes before wandering outside down the dark and quiet hallway, most of the students still asleep. She didn't run into a single soul on the way, although the lights were on in the kitchen, probably from the previous night. Opening the front door cold air hit her in the face and all the sleepiness was gone.

Walking down to the gates she opened them for the young man standing outside, smoking a cigarette.

"Good morning" she said with a smile "Welcome to Xavier's. Gemma Taylor. Guidance counselor." she offered a hand "Official greeting staff is still asleep, but I'm happy to show your around."

As the gates began opening, Al turned to face the now open arms of safety he had arrived to earlier. Now at the gates was a tall and very beautiful dark woman. She seemed to have just woken, maybe he had shown up a little early, and buzzing in at almost 5am probably wasn't helpful to her sleep either.

"Good morning" she said with a smile "Welcome to Xavier's. Gemma Taylor. Guidance counselor." she offered a hand "Official greeting staff is still asleep, but I'm happy to show your around"

"Buongiorno bella... I mean good morning beautiful, and my apologies for the early buzzing. If I had known the opening time, I would have had no problem waiting till then to ring in." Whenever he started speaking italian, he was always stuck in it for a moment, but he couldn't help it. The woman was very beautiful, and it was a good morning.

The teen was Italian, and also hitting on the guidance counselor. That's one way to start a school career...

Gemma arched an eyebrow and let the comment slide.

>>"Buongiorno bella... I mean good morning beautiful, and my apologies for the early buzzing. If I had known the opening time, I would have had no problem waiting till then to ring in."

"I get up early most days" she shrugged as he walked in, and noted the shape of the coat on his back. That reminded her of her usual greeting speech.

"You will notice that your mutant powers don't work around me. I am adapted, my aura cancels X-gene related abilities. If you are uncomfortable with that, you can keep a distance, I won't be offended."

She walked him back across the Mansion grounds to the building.

"Given the very early hour, would you want some some breakfast? I am guessing you traveled all night, Mr...?"

>>"You will notice that your mutant powers don't work around me. I am adapted, my aura cancels X-gene related abilities. If you are uncomfortable with that, you can keep a distance, I won't be offended."

He had started to feel a lot heavier from where she was standing. He decided it might be best to keep his distance, growing wings hurt as it was, regrowing them might hurt a lot more. Shaking the thought from his head of shrinking wings and them the excruciating pain of regrowth, he continued on behind her.

>>"Given the very early hour, would you want some some breakfast? I am guessing you traveled all night, Mr...?"

Before she had said anything, he had not even thought about food, but now that the subject was open his stomach responded for him with a few choice growls.

"Yes ma'am, a small bite to eat would be amazing. I had flown in late last night, early this morning, but it wasn't far. My mother lives in East Rocaway. And my name is Alphonse, Alphonse Angiolino."

((OOC: People with physical mutations, e.g. wings, usually just have them not work around Mama. It's your call, but they don't necessarily need to disappear.))

>>"Yes ma'am, a small bite to eat would be amazing. I had flown in late last night, early this morning, but it wasn't far. My mother lives in East Rocaway. And my name is Alphonse, Alphonse Angiolino."

"Nice to meet you, Alphonse." Gemma smiled and led him into the kitchen. The lights were on, but it was too early for students to start filing in for breakfast, so Gemma fired up the stove to cook, and also switched on the coffee machine.

"So, what brings you to Xavier's?" she asked, glancing his way. He only carried a backpack, which could have been a sign of a runaway, but she was way past making assumptions like that.

((OOC: He has no idea the severity of adepts abilities or the abilities of other mutants, been sheltered pretty much since birth. But thank you for more information on the matter ^_^ ))


She truly was a very welcoming woman, he was hoping everyone else here was just as nice as this woman.
As she moved around the kitchen area, and turned on the stove and then followed it up with starting up the coffee pot. COFFEE...He definitely was going to be just fine here.

>> "So what brings you to Xavier's?"

He knew the question would come up sees being as how he didn't arrive with a parent. But if it was anyone he would have liked to explain it to, it would have been this kind woman.

"I was born in Sicily, my mother said that my father was...il diavolo"Al pointed towards the floor, "and when the people from her town forced her away, she brought us to New York. I've been raised and schooled by my mother my whole life,no human or mutant interaction for a large majority of my life. I am 18 years old but I would like to receive a formal education, so i...left my mother's home after hearing about this scuola speciale."

>>"I was born in Sicily, my mother said that my father was...il diavolo. And when the people from her town forced her away, she brought us to New York. I've been raised and schooled by my mother my whole life,no human or mutant interaction for a large majority of my life. I am 18 years old but I would like to receive a formal education, so i...left my mother's home after hearing about this scuola speciale."

Well, that was... something different. Although not entirely new.

"I would love to say that you are the first one that has happened to" Gemma sighed "Or the last. Actually, we have had parents break in here before with a flaming Angel of Destruction." her lips curled up slightly "I punched him."

The adapted aura didn't exactly hurt either.

"You are in the right place." she added, working on breakfast that could probably have fed half a dozen people "We offer regular classes, and also special training with mutant powers. Since you are 18, you can sign in on your own. We'll get to the paperwork and the tour after breakfast." she glanced at him "Do you mind sharing what your powers are? We can leave that for later if you want."

>>"I would love to say that you are the first one that has happened to" Gemma sighed "Or the last. Actually, we have had parents break in here before with a flaming Angel of Destruction." her lips curled up slightly "I punched him."

Wow was honestly the only thought that crossed Al's mind at the statements he had just heard. Maybe this is exactly where he belonged.To avoid giving the counselor who has battled angels the widespread look of shock, Al approached the coffee pot and started slowly pouring himself a cup.

>>"You are in the right place." she added, working on breakfast that could probably have fed half a dozen people "We offer regular classes, and also special training with mutant powers. Since you are 18, you can sign in on your own. We'll get to the paperwork and the tour after breakfast." she glanced at him "Do you mind sharing what your powers are? We can leave that for later if you want."
 
Hearing that he could sign himself in lifted a weight off his shoulders, he wouldn't have to call his mother and go through the pain of hearing her voice just yet.

"I'm more then prepared to fill out any necessary paperwork, I cant wait to begin everything as soon as possible. And as for my powers..." Al shrugged his jacket off of his shoulders and fall to his hands as he let his wings breathe for a moment. The slight gray and black feathers felt the warm air of the kitchen and his muscles relaxed "I was born with ali..Wings. And from what I can tell my bones are a lot lighter then normal humans." 

>>"I'm more then prepared to fill out any necessary paperwork, I cant wait to begin everything as soon as possible. And as for my powers... I was born with ali..Wings. And from what I can tell my bones are a lot lighter then normal humans."

Gemma couldn't suppress a look of awe as the young man spread his wings. Quite literally. it was just her luck, talking about punching an angel when the person she had been talking to could have been seen as one. Oops. She smiled at the wings and feathers, they were really an impressive sight.

"That is fascinating" she nodded, turning back to the breakfast-in-making "We have some other students with similar mutations. Carrick should be around, he is... part gryphin, for lack of a better term."

In a mutant school, flying students were nothing new.

The look on the woman's face was similar to that of his mother's the night he had returned from his first flight, minus the tears. He knew he would be accepted here.

>>"We have some other students with similar mutations. Carrick should be around, he is... part gryphin, for lack of a better term."

Part Gryphin?!?! Al thought being part angel was hard, but did this Carrick have the whole beak and lion body thing as well as the wings? And how exactly did that work with...maybe he could ask them the exact scientific of it but the images in his head seemed a little too weird.

Sipping his coffee, he slowly pulled his wings back towards his back and relaxed a little bit more. Now was time to get down to it.

"So where can i find the paperwork that i need to fill out? I'm ready to get everything started as soon as I can."

>>"So where can i find the paperwork that i need to fill out? I'm ready to get everything started as soon as I can."

"Breakfast first" Gemma commanded in her best mother voice. She was not about to drop the half-ready meal to start on the paperwork; not before she finished her own coffee, anyway "In the meantime, I am happy to answer any questions that you have. Life around here gets weird more often than not, you know. We have a lot of students, and teachers, and... staff."

While some people were aware that the X-men were based in the school, there was no need to advertise it up front to eager teenagers.