He listened closely, feeling a little childish for not understanding the concept any sooner. Still, there seemed to be a lot more fights that required more than just running away than not. But he didn't say so out loud, it wasn't that important of a thought. At the end he nodded and waited for them to return to training. However it seemed Hades didn't want to push him too hard just yet.

"You look tired, you should get some rest. We can continue in the morning if you are up for it."

"Sure, it's not like I've got anything else to do tomorrow."he chuckled with a shrug. He wondered toward the stairs, intent on going up to the bed they had set up for him earlier. But he paused at the first step and looked back over at Hades. "So you're going to be sticking around this whole time to train me? You don't have work to go to or anything?" He was actually curious to know what Hades' work involved. Was he a security guard, a spy, an assassin, military? There were a lot of possibilities from what he's seen so far. But he was leaning more toward the wilder idea of a spy or assassin because of all the thinks he's seen.

>"Sure, it's not like I've got anything else to do tomorrow.So you're going to be sticking around this whole time to train me? You don't have work to go to or anything?"

Inwardly Hades afforded himself a small smile. Yep thd was a little insecure, but then again he was doing well all things considered. he looked like he had been through some tough times. Hades would not pry. He respected privacy and besides Alex would more than likely open up when he was ready.

"Alex, if I wanted to I could choose not to work another day in my life." He smiled at the thought. It was very true though. The thing about working in such a high risk job was that the pay was rediculosly good, the advantage of being a) very good at your job and b) very very hard to kill meant that Hades had accumulated A LOT of wealth. Of course it was hidden her and there, but he could retire if he wanted to and live out a life of luxury but those things never really appealed to him. he had worked those desires out of his system many many years ago. "And no, I will be comming and going. That gives you time to practice. I was intending to stay long enough for you to memorize the moves and learn about their usage and application. Then I was planning on vanishing for a few days or a week or so. When I get back we can spar." They would use blunted weapons of course but Hades would pull no punches and blunt as they were the weapons could still hurt. "I am also at a point in my... career that I can effectively choose what work to accept." Hades was not sure how much he would reveal to Alex at the moment. Alex was still in some way earning Hades's trust. Or more accurately, Hades was still learning about Alex's character.

"Sleep well, I will be here when you wake."

Alex nodded in understanding before taking his leave and heading upstairs. Going to sleep was harder than expected, nervousness still vibrating in his bones. Fears for the future plaguing him into his dreams. So when he awoke he felt just as tired as when he went to bed. But it couldn't be helped.

He got up, showering and dressing quickly. He grabbed his own breakfast, being sure to fuel up but not too much as to get sick later. He wasn't ready to attempt minimizing his intake just yet.

Training continued after that, learning by rote the moves and how to use them quickly and efficiently. He wasn't great at first, perhaps a little more tired this second time around. But he was getting the hang of it, slowly. Hades seemed patient with him at least, so he didn't complain.

For him he was still trying to figure out what was the catch in all this. So far Hades hadn't requested anything, hadn't even hinted what was in it for him. The man simply seemed interested just because. He worried about it if only on and off. He didn't really sense anything bad, no gut feeling warning him of danger. The older man definitely didn't give off a creeper vibe.

During one of the breaks he just had to ask. "So, not that I'm not grateful for everything, but why are you doing all this? So far you've only asked about my mutation and nothing else. So what's in it for you? As far as you know I'm just some kid, a nobody." And honestly that's what he was. He didn't have any connections or family, no money or resources to speak of. All of his belongings fit inside one backpack and his mutation, at least in his opinion, really wasn't combat ready and it definitely wasn't sell-able.

>"So, not that I'm not grateful for everything, but why are you doing all this? So far you've only asked about my mutation and nothing else. So what's in it for you? As far as you know I'm just some kid, a nobody."



Hmm perhaps now would be a good time to tell him a little more. He gestured for Alex to sit down and started. "You seem to be looking for a catch. Waiting for the other boot to drop as it were. You are probably also curious about my profession." Hades leant back on the step to the wooden floor of the training area and composed his thoughts.



"I am old Alex, far older than I appear, well into the triple digits and perhaps well into the quadruple digits. So to answer the unspoken question, "What do I need from you" the honest answer is absolutely nothing. I do not need anything from you. The only thing that I could potentially gain from this is an ally, but then that is your choice. You are free to leave at any time and terminate all contact with me. I will vanish and you will never see me again in your lifetime. Or, as your training progresses you may choose to maintain contact, and if you are interested and I am on a mission that would benefit from your skill set, I would contact you and you would get a portion of the rewards. Does that answer you question?" Hades paused. "As to why I am doing this, well, I saw you trying to fend off attackers, I observed your courage in the face of danger, and recognized that you had potential so I decided to give you an opportunity and see where it would lead. Perhaps I also see it as a chance to pass on some small portion of my knowledge to other people. Perhaps it might do some good. From what I can see, there are turbulent times ahead for mutants." 

Hades was thinking of the ominous things he was hearing from his contacts in the government. It seams at many levels of government there was a growing anti-Mutant sentiment going round. The last time something like this happened, the result was the mutant registration act. He hoped that people might have learnt a lesson from that, but then again Humanity tended to be very thick skulled in certain areas and terribly slow to grasp certain concepts.

Alex sat down in front of the older man. No apparently much older mutant, not by just decades, but centuries of time. This man must have seen the world wars, civil rights eras, the registration act. He was there for all of that and more. It was a ridiculous notion but not one that he could dismiss. There were mutants out there who lived just as long as Hades and have seen just as much. But he didn't think they were as powerful. He couldn't help but give Hades more respect that he already had.

But he still could wrap his head around the idea that the only thing Hades wanted out of this was a potential ally. Not even a guaranteed ally. Wouldn't that be a waste of time and resource? A risk that wouldn't really work it. He caught the questions on the tip of his tongue and waited until Hades was done speaking.

"Perhaps I also see it as a chance to pass on some small portion of my knowledge to other people. Perhaps it might do some good. From what I can see, there are turbulent times ahead for mutants."

He frowned and thought about this. "I guess you've seen a lot turbulence before, you probably have seen plenty of it before...Triple digits...God..." He leaned back, smiling a little, "I guess anything I tell you would be old news, something you've probably heard or seen before." No need for back-stories then, not unless Hades really wanted to hear it for some reason. Hades probably has heard enough tragedy in his lifetime. He didn't need his own on top of that.

>"I guess you've seen a lot turbulence before, you probably have seen plenty of it before...Triple digits...God...I guess anything I tell you would be old news, something you've probably heard or seen before."

Hades smiled at the youth. People tended to react differently when he revealed his actual age. "Oddly enough the most difficult times for mutants has been in the recent century." Hades remarked thinking of the mutant registration act. "After the mutant registration act, things quietened down a little but then things look to be primed for another flare up."

"Still I would like to hear your story, It also help me understand and know how to better train you, if you want to share that is."

"Still I would like to hear your story. It also help me understand and know how to better train you, if you want to share that is."

He looked a bit uneasy at the suggestion. Not entirely willing to spill his guts just yet. But Hades had proven to be a good guy. So it wasn't like he didn't trust him, the past was just comfortable territory he wasn't sure he wanted to talk about. Though he was supposed to help his training.

He kept going back and forth on this train of thought. Just like with Gemma, on an instinctual level he knew it could be dangerous but it was for his own benefit. "How much do you want to know? It's kind of a long story." There that ought to help. Narrow things down a bit so he doesn't have to tell the whole story.

At this statement, the youth looked slightly uneasy. It probably indicated that the youth likely had not made peace with his past. That he was probably driven by or affected bby perhaps traumatic events in his past. Hades would not press him to share more than he was comfortable with. However the more Alex shared, the better Hades would understand him. It was not as though Hades was going to light some hallucinogenic incense, release something that triggered Alex's deepest fears and force him to face them. Hades was not going to pull a dark knight on him. Hades suspected that the youth was driven perhaps by fear, fear of being hurt, fear of being vulnerable. Regardless Hades would train Alex. It was jsut that there were probably areas that Alex would not be ready for for a while. Areas such as how to properly channel emotion etc.

"I would be happy to hear as much as you feel comfortable sharing. As for length, I do not mind, we have time." Indeed at times it seemed to Hades was that he had far too much time. Over the centuries Hades had cultivated much patience. Hades was interested in what Alex would share. What he did not share would be almost as illuminating as what he did share.

"I would be happy to hear as much as you feel comfortable sharing. As for length, I do not mind, we have time."

Well that wasn't helpful. As much as he was comfortable with was less than what would help with train. Still he could feel Ace attempting to comfort him, share with this man. He knew the more that he repeated it, the more numb he would become to the past. It still didn't help but feel his gut twist nervously at returning to the memories.

He took a breath, prepared to settle in for the long hull. "I'll say this up front. My life kind of sucks but I'm not looking for pity. What's happened, has happened, and pitying me won't erase it." He pulled his knees up, resting his arms on them. "I started off in a foster home in a small town. So when my mutation showed up I really didn't have anyone to turn to. I spent three years hiding it before running away. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

He went on, sharing places and events but left out names. He shared when he had been shot with his first group, shared robberies he pulled with some other kid mutants, the travel into the desert, the man who helped him, but skipped past the murders that happened and events that led him to flee. He left a good portion of the time between the desert and his travels to New York untouched. Only saying that there wasn't much to say about it. He didn't say that after what happened in the desert, he kept his distance from people for a good long while.

He didn't say how he felt about these events, only that they had transpired. But from the look on his face, the way he avoided eye contact, the events still hurt to think about. It hurt to think that every time he made close contacts, people he thought he could count on, it always fell apart. He was worried it would continue to happen, no matter what he did he'd be alone.

(Ooc: I can go into greater detail if you want, let me know if you want me to edit. The link is to the solo I'm doing to expand on the details of his back story. It's not done yet so it doesn't have anything past arriving to the desert.)

Hades listened and watched. It was obvious that Alex had not yet made peace with his past. When Alex finished, Hades simply said. "Thank you for Sharing. You are obiousely still coming to terms and making peace with the events that happened. I will think on what you have said." He paused. "Now shall we get back to training. If you can run through the moves three times without error you can start practicing on your own."



Hades watched as Alex went through the moves. The youth almost had it down. Hades corrected where necessary. When Alex had finished and had sat down Hades said. "Well done, you should keep practicing. Another exercise is to work on the transitions from each move to every other move. For instance you would go form move 1 to move 2, 1 to 3, 1 to 4 etc then 2 to 1, 2 to 3 and so on. I will need to leave in a day or tow for a few days. If you need to leave for any reason here is an email address I can be contacted at."

[OCC: Sorry for the short post]

(OOC: It's cool, it feels like we're closing in on a wrap up anyway. So I'm just gonna go ahead and write the leaving part. Let me know if you want me to edit.)

Alex was surprised that Hades didn't push for more information or looked to discuss it further. Instead he just merely accepted it as a thing that has happened and moved on. Either it was an inability to address tragedy or empathize, or he really did understand that talking about it was not going to help matters. In either case they moved quickly back into training.

Over the course of a week or two Hades train Alex in the steps and forms, corrected and practiced with him. But soon the man was called out on a job and Alex was left alone to his own devices. He handled it just fine for a while, the training was enough to pull his focus from worry during the day. However, the nights were a different story.

Laying in bed with no distractions and nothing but his thoughts, he began to feel paranoia fill him. Follow him into the waking hours till mere sounds made him jump out of his skin. He couldn't take much more of this. Sleepless nights made it harder to train. Before Hades lend reassurances, that no one would find him, that this place was safe.

But he couldn't be sure of that any more. He needed to at least, step into the city, prove that he wasn't as much of a target as he thought he was. It wouldn't take long, he didn't even need to pack. So he only brought his knives for protection. Just a quick bus ride there and a quick one back, no big deal. Hades wouldn't even know that he had gone.