>>"Yup, all in my brain. Unfortunately, the one big thing is that they don't feed or mate or really die like normal animals. It's all through me. So the more constructs I make, the more I need to eat. Heh, normally I'd hunt or have one of the constructs hunt for me but man New York is almost as bad as the desert. Nothing but pigeons to eat. I'd go after the rats too but you know diseases, I can't really risk it."

"Smart" Gawain nodded. The kid knew the extent of his powers and was smart enough not to put himself in too much danger using them. He seemed like a clever guy, especially for someone without any supervision. And he was not scared of his own abilities, or ashamed of them, from what he could tell.

>>"So...what happens now? I mean earlier you said this wasn't a donation, there's gotta be a catch then, right?"

"Well, yeah" Gawain smirked "More of a possibility than a catch, really. Five years ago when I got to New York City, I got into a bit of trouble... My mutation... um, lets me sneak into places. Anyhow, I got picked up by people from Xavier's. It's a school in the city, for mutants. Well, most of a safe haven really, I haven't exactly been attending a lot of classes..." he chuckled, scratching his neck "Anyhow, it's a home for mutants. A lot of people like us run away and have nowhere to go, and... well, the team at Xavier's is really good at providing a home for them. So, if you are interested, I can give you the tour, and see how you like it there."

>>"More of a possibility than a catch, really. Five years ago when I got to New York City, I got into a bit of trouble... My mutation... um, lets me sneak into places. Anyhow, I got picked up by people from Xavier's. It's a school in the city, for mutants. Well, most of a safe haven really, I haven't exactly been attending a lot of classes... Anyhow, it's a home for mutants. A lot of people like us run away and have nowhere to go, and... well, the team at Xavier's is really good at providing a home for them. So, if you are interested, I can give you the tour, and see how you like it there."

He blinked, looking at Gawain owlishly before pulling a look of disbelief. "I...I don't know if I buy that. You mean this whole time there was place I could have gone, a place I could have called to help me out, and never once heard about."he said. He poked the older man in the shoulder in a friendly manner, grinning, "My stranger danger senses are going off. Heh, how do I know that this isn't a trap of some sort? Ya devious con-man."

He was teasing of course, though it really did sound too good to be true. A place that magically wiped away the very thing he was running from and provided him a place to actually stay. He almost didn't want to believe it. It had been three years, with thousands of miles travel under his feet and never once did he hear about this safe haven. Okay, so he didn't exactly keep up with the new in all that time. So something might have slipped by him in all that time. But still, this run in with a kind stranger was turning into some sort of weird coincidence.

>>"I...I don't know if I buy that. You mean this whole time there was place I could have gone, a place I could have called to help me out, and never once heard about. My stranger danger senses are going off. Heh, how do I know that this isn't a trap of some sort? Ya devious con-man."

"Well, you got no money to con you out of, and you're not my type" Gawain smirked "But I do understand your concern. Believe me I thought the same thing when I met Twyla five years ago. But it's real. We probably gotta work on our publicity so people can find out about the place... at the same time, the less people are aware of the mutant school in the city the better. Not everyone likes the idea."

And some of those people had explosives.

"It's the real deal, though. A home, food, education, training, you name it. I got no idea how it is staying afloat like that, but it is. You are welcome to see for yourself."

>>"Well, you got no money to con you out of, and you're not my type."

He chuckled and nodded, "This is true."

>>"It's the real deal, though. A home, food, education, training, you name it. I got no idea how it is staying afloat like that, but it is. You are welcome to see for yourself."

He thought for a moment, giving Gawain another look over. It was times like these he wished his mutation could sense intentions. It would be handy in times like these. However, as it was, the guy didn't look malicious. If anything he was more akin to a knight in shining armor. Still, that didn't make him the damsel in distress. If need be he could defend himself.

"Alright, lead the way. Let's see this miracle house." He spoke after a long pause, shifting the backpack on his shoulders.

>>"Alright, lead the way. Let's see this miracle house."

The guy still seemed suspicious, and Gawain was fairly sure he had an escape plan if he needed one. Good thing Mirror did not intend to harm him. He seemed like a smart kid.

"All right, c'mon" he nodded, extending a hand "If you trust me enough, I can get us there in no time. Or we can take the longer walk. Your call."

He meant it. Not everyone was keen on teleporting through the mirrorworld, or teleporting at all. Gawain was prepared to take the longer way if Alex decided so.

He looked from the extended hand to Gawain and back. So far, this guy didn't seem too bad. Honest and he had a kind look about him. Yeah he could trust him.

Shoulders slumping, releasing some tension from his body, he took the other guy's hand, "Alright, I trust you. So you're a teleporter then? Must have had an easier time traveling cross country then I did."

It certainly would have made a few things easier, that was for sure.

>>"Alright, I trust you. So you're a teleporter then? Must have had an easier time traveling cross country then I did."

"Sort of" Gawain smirked, pulling Alex along to a nearby shop window, made reflective by the night lights "I'm a mirrorwalker."

With that, holding on to his hand to make sure he did not get left behind, he pulled Alex into the mirrorworld. Gawain made sure to take his time to let Alex adjust to being two-dimensional as they hopped from mirror to mirror all the way back to the Mansion. They exited the mirrorworld though the mirror hanging in the Mansion' foyer, as good a place to start a tour as any.

"Ta-da!" Gawain grinned, letting go of Alex's hand to make a grand gesture "Welcome to Xavier's."

>>"Sort of...I'm a mirrorwalker."

And then suddenly he was being pulled into a mirror, like some weird scene out of Alice in wonderland. The sensation of being flat, 2D he guessed, was like nothing else and he wondered what the effects of being in here for a long time would be. A momentary thought that quickly pop out of existence when they returned to the real world. Which was comprised of a huge entry way that was, to say the least, fancier than any place he had ever been to.

>>"Ta-da! Welcome to Xavier's."

"Holy cow, are you sure we didn't just break into some old dudes mansion?"he said turning around to get his bearings. He felt overwhelmed, just slightly out of place, but mostly excited. He looked over at Gawain and smiled at him, "So, uh, where do we go from here?"

>>"Holy cow, are you sure we didn't just break into some old dudes mansion? So, uh, where do we go from here?"

Gawain grinned, realizing how proud he felt of his long-time home. It was a good feeling to introduce others to it, especially kids who had been living alone for too long. He knew the feeling, and it was good to be the person to change it.

"Well, I'll give you the tour" he offered "And if you make up your mind to give the place a chance, I can register you in. I'm... well, I've got an office."

An office that he shared, but an office none the less.

Gawain turned and headed for the living room.

"Living room. TV. Couch. Open for anyone anytime. You make a mess, you clean up. Don't let Miss T see you eat in here. Next up, the kitchen..."

Walking into the kitchen and flicking the lights on, Gawain noticed an all too familiar wave of goosebumps on his skin. He turned to glance at the clock.

"Damn." he muttered "Almost midnight. Hey, um... Alex? How about you grab yourself some food, I'll be right back. Gotta run to the bathroom. All food is fair game, unless it has a name on it. Make yourself at home."

Alex followed Gawain about the mansion. The decor was really nice but here and there, there were signs of people living there, so it didn't feel exactly like a museum. He wondered if this place had curfew since they didn't run into anybody yet. Though they only made it as far as the kitchen.

>>"Damn... Almost midnight. Hey, um... Alex? How about you grab yourself some food, I'll be right back. Gotta run to the bathroom. All food is fair game, unless it has a name on it. Make yourself at home."

"Uh, yeah, thanks."he said watching the other hurry off to the restroom. What was that about? Shrugging it off he turn toward the fridge, weighing the option of cooking or not. He probably shouldn't. Given that Gawain would be back soon. So opening the fridge he looked for something edible to snack on.

Checking the packages for names he picked a little container of raspberries along with a couple snack cheeses. Nothing big, despite being starving he knew better than to gorge himself on the available food. He'd only end up making himself sick. Best to stick small things.

Gawain left Alex to his own devices in the kitchen, and mirror-hopped back to his room just in time for the shift. He could feel the drowsiness that came with it, but magaed to stay on his feet and awake.
A couple of minutes past midnight, Maya walked back to the kitchen to find Alex eating at the table. Good boy.

"Hey. Sorry about that." she smiled, pulling out a chair for herself to sit "We can go on with the tour whenever you're done eating."

Alex nearly jumped from his seat when a new voice greeted him. Blinking at the girl it took him a moment to realize that those clothes were awfully familiar. "Gawain?"he questioned. Did the guy shift genders? He didn't understand why he would do that. Maybe it was out of his, or rather her control.

"So the mirrorwalking comes with some extra's I guess?" He popped another raspberry in his mouth as he thought. Some mutations defied explanation, while others were simpler puzzles for one to figure out. Well as simple as these mutations could get. This, for him, was one of those.

>>"Gawain? So the mirrorwalking comes with some extra's I guess?"

"It does" Maya grinned, eating a raspberry "You can call me Maya. Most people find it easier to have a girl name for a girl. Or you can call me Mirror, that one works either way."

Alex seemed to be taking all of these in stride, which was good; Maya still half expected new people to get hung up on the gender shift. At least this guy noticed. Unlike, for example, Sam.

"Ready to continue the tour?" she asked, standing up "It's late, so everyone who's not nocturnal is already asleep, but I think you'll get the general idea."

>>"You can call me Maya. Most people find it easier to have a girl name for a girl. Or you can call me Mirror, that one works either way."

"Right, Maya, I'll keep that in mind."he murmured. Rolling around the hows and the ways in his brain as he ate the last of the cheese snack he had grabbed from the fridge. He would ask later, for the moment, he'd do the polite thing and just let the question sit in his brain for a moment.

>>"Ready to continue the tour? It's late, so everyone who's not nocturnal is already asleep, but I think you'll get the general idea."

He ate a couple more raspberries before closing the half empty package and putting it back in the fridge. "Yeah, lead the way." He gestured for Mirror to do so. He had nearly forgotten the time, though to be honest he was getting pretty sleepy himself.

Maya led Alex around the Mansion, pointing out the main parts of interest.

"Offices. You can find people here all the time, if you need anything official taken care of. That one's Miss T's. She's the guidance counselor. Awesome lady, but she has an aura that cancels mutant powers, so be aware of that... This way down the hall is the Infirmary... We have a healer, but you'd better have a good reason to go to him, he doesn't like to be bothered... That way down in the basement is the Danger Room, for training, it's locked down, you need supervision to go in there... That way's the girls' dorm... And this one is the boy's dorm."

Maya stopped at the end of the fast-track tour and turned to face Alex.

"If you want to stay the night, I can check you in as a guest and give you an empty room. You can figure out tomorrow if you want to stay longer. Any questions?"