Sam stood awkwardly in his office as Juliette exited abruptly and ran down the hallway. Doc never needed help, paperwork maybe but he didn’t complain about having too much so when Juliette ran off to help him yelling out an apology and how she’d make it up to him Sam wasn’t exactly sure how to respond so he blinked and watched her quickly vanish through the corridors or the mansion.

”Kay…” was all Sam could mutter before he felt another figure move down the hallway towards him. It must have been Devon. They other guy Juliette invited to grab lunch with.

He was one of Juliette’s friends and Sam only met the mutant once so he wasn’t exactly sure what to say to the man. Was he supposed to go out with the man and grab a burger without Juliette, even though the only reason they were going to hang out was because of her? Sam scratched his head slightly and stepped back into his office. Sam needed a moment to process what was going on but without a Twix he wasn’t sure how to do that so he did what he always did in situations like this he poured himself a tall drink while preparing a second class in case his girlfriends friend wanted one.

Juliette wasn’t around to give him a dirty look at him for drinking, she was too busy helping Doc with his paperwork.

Devon had a few patients at the mansion now and helping Juliette by helping Cold Steel talking through things, whether in a formal or informal way, was no bother. He was happy to help Juliette and doubly so for Cold Steel considering all he did for the X-Men. Of course, he’d told Juliette there was a matter of privacy and honesty in the situation he’d have to bring up.

But then there was also another matter he needed to discuss with Cold Steel, one Juliette was aware of though greater detail needed to go to someone in charge. A few topics in one meeting might be best, depending on the man’s desire to even talk out his issues. Devon didn’t know the man well; they’d only really talked in a group back in September during the block party but even then it was clear there were some things going on.

Devon knocked on the office’s open door, noting the X-Leader was already pouring himself a drink. At least he was pouring another, hopefully not for himself. That was likely a conversation topic all in itself. “Hey Sam,” Devon said with a warm smile. “How are you? We waiting for Juliette or did she already excuse herself?”

When Devon entered the room he wasn’t surprised at all not only could he feel him from down the hallway but he was expecting him. What he wasn’t’ expecting was the fact that he knew Juliette already excused herself. ”Oh she told you already she had to do some paperwork for Doc?” Sam asked as he pushed the second now full glass towards Devon. If the man drank or not he wasn’t sure but he felt like he had to offer anyways. He was a friend of Juliette’s so Sam felt obligated to be polite.

”Good though, yourself?” Sam took a seet and looked at a pile of paperwork that was waiting his approval. Abby probably organized it and Juliette probably looked it over to make sure everything was in order. Eventually he’d need a desk for both of them if they kept doing work for him.

”Wish she told you sooner though.” Sam said sipping his glass and raising it, ”Felt bad you came out all this way for her to bail last minute.” Sam said hinting that he wasn’t sure what he should do now about the situation.

>> ”Oh she told you already she had to do some paperwork for Doc?”

“Ah, no,” Devon shook his head while glancing at the glass. At least it was after twelve. He smiled, gave a quick nod, and picked up the glass. “I was assuming she’d be here,” which was true at least to start. Having to go help with paperwork suddenly seemed coincidental.

>> ”Oh she told you already she had to do some paperwork for Doc?”

“Good,” he nodded in reply while shutting the door behind him and heading toward CS’s desk. Looked like he had plenty to do, though it was a good sign how nicely organized things were. That showed he wasn’t neglecting anything and wasn’t likely feeling overwhelmed by work.

>> ”Felt bad you came out all this way for her to bail last minute.”

“Ah, yeah that’s okay,” Devon chuckled. “I have something – or rather someone – I wanted to talk to you about in the meantime,” he nodded. “Juliette knows of him but it’s reached a point I needed to talk to you about it. It’s best if she’s not here for that; I think she’s been a bit put off by him anyway.”

Slipping into a seat, Devon glanced outside and then the office door before returning his azure gaze on the icy blues of Sam. “Have you met Rico?”

Sam tried not to notice when the door was shut. He suddenly got the feeling that this was more than just about getting to know one of Juliette’s friends better. Sam took a swig of his glass and looked down at some papers and started to shuffle them about for no particular reason than just to distract himself. ”Someone other than myself is off putting to her.” Sam half joked as he looked up from his desk and now ignoring his papers.

”Rico?” Sam asked repeating the name to himself a few times as he turned his head slightly towards a few filing cabinets off to the side of the room. ”Heard of… not met. Might have bumped into him in the hallway.” were there two Rico’s now? Sam silently wondered to himself as he set his glass down and turned back towards Devon.

”She’s having a problem with someone in the school?” the room reflected his concern as the temperature dropped slightly. Putting both hands on his desk Sam stared at Devon hoping for a little more of an explanation.

>> ”Someone other than myself is off putting to her.”

Devon chuckled, “I guess it’s possible.”

He gave a nod at the name though it was clear Sam didn’t really know him. Met sounded right. Rico wasn’t exactly a stick his head up guy, but when he had issues well it was hard to miss a dragon flying around. Cold Steel would likely remember that.

>> ”She’s having a problem with someone in the school?”

“No,” Devon said, “That’s not exactly what I mean. It’s more he has ongoing problems, it’s not her job to help him through them, and he certainly has an issue with authority.” He nodded slowly, frowning slightly, and made an open handed gesture. “I’ve been working with him since I called the X-Men regarding his case. Juliette helped handle the transition here.”

“Rico has a polymorphic mutation. He becomes a dragon-like creature. On top of that it seems to further affect his mental state, either hormonally or somehow else. Animalistic tendencies like not liking eye contact – seeing it as a challenge – or difficulty remaining in one place. There’s a further complication that someone was experimenting on him and others possibly,” his eyebrows narrowed, “And it sounds like it may have been connected to Ragnarok but that could have been from something he heard on the news. He mentioned them from an idle memory, though it’s disjointed and really there isn’t proof.”

“His issues are real, however,” Devon nodded. “I’ve reminded him of the X-Men’s help, that the Mansion is a safe place for him to gain control, and suggested some meditative techniques. I also want to get blood work done and some other tests, so we can tell him more about himself. I can’t reveal any of those results to you or any diagnosis we suggest to him clinically,” he shook his head. “HIPAA protects his rights there. But in his best interest it behooves us to take steps to protect him and others. I’m not sure how open he’ll be to further help, especially from…” he gestured forward and then around. “Others, I guess.”

“Considering he’s a resident, student, and patient,” Devon leaned back, frowning slightly though his tone hopeful, “How do you, the Mansion, the X-Men, whatever typically attend to those who have problems or issues you want to help them work through but they chafe or deny at the idea?”

Sam sipped his glass as Rico was explained to him. Sam had met a dragon like creature before and given the state he was in when he found him Sam shifted in his chair uneasily like he too was suddenly feeling chained. When the experimenting was mentioned the room dropped a few degrees more than Sam wanted. That was something he didn’t like to hear. In fact that was one of his major triggers, no child should be experimented on. Human or mutant.

Sam took a breath and slowly set his drink down bringing both hands before him. If he didn’t they probably would be in fists while he waited to hear a possible location. That wasn’t how Devon was explaining things though so he regained control over the temperature and got it back to normal as he listened further.

Sam finally grabbed his glass and took a swig. ”We have Gemma. She’s good at talking, me not so much. I’m more action. My go to response was get the kid throw him in the danger room and let him get some aggression out in a controlled environment till the kid wants to listen…” Sam shrugged, ”How I was raised.” if he could call that being raised. More like groomed.

”The experimenting on however is a more serious accusation.” Sam pointed to his eye, it was a form of torture but that’s what he typically associated with ‘experiments’ he only focused on his patched eye because that was something everyone could see. ”I take matters like that very seriously. I do a lot of work with police to prevent stuff like that from happening. Was there anymore information that was given other than Ragnorok?” Sam asked hating the name more and more every time he heard it.

Sam shook his head slightly then added, ”But you are here right now for Rico.” Sam scribbled the name and mutation down and then put it dead center of his desk then circled it. ”I’ll pull his files and do a little reading up on him before I talk to him. I’m not a thearapist but I know troubled kids, me being one a former. I’ll get Gemma involved as well if you’d like. All the kids here adore her.” Sam reached in his desk for a card then offered it up to Devon.

Devon didn’t react to the drop in temperature if he noticed it. He said nothing of Sam’s slow breath or his change of posture to one of center, hands before him. He needn’t say anything that it showed a person’s attempt to be in control and speak rationally, calmly. Things didn’t escalate; Sam didn’t react strong; the temperature returned to normal. Devon merely nodded.

Another nod followed about the danger room exercise. It certainly sounded like Sam had firm, almost military childhood but clearly there was something else there. The eye and the experiments – ah that made sense – was an important topic. He was more interested in discussing Ragnarok. It was certainly the bigger concern, the big picture item, but not one Devon could really add detail to.

In response, Devon shook his head and Sam moved back to Rico.

Devon accepted the card from Sam with a smile and a nod. “Thanks. I think the Danger Room idea isn’t a bad one. I didn’t realize you had a more troubled background; forgive me if that’s more public knowledge. I try not to pry into such things unless invited,” he tilted his head and shrugged a shoulder. Of course, right now he’d been asked to do so though not by Sam.

“It might be something that might help in talking to Rico. Authority he doesn’t like but the action,” Devon nodded slowly. “I think he could get behind that. I think it’s hard for him to deal with difficult subjects but I think he could empathize. The training idea… Good possible way to meet with him too. If the topic of experimentation is that personal to you then I’m sure he’d appreciate, possibly even empathize with you. He struggles with association, that emotional relation, and I do not want an avoidant tendency to develop toward others or his problems.”

“That’s no good for anyone,” Devon shook his head slightly.

Sam shrugged and then pointed to his eyepatch, ”I was told this fashion choice screamed, troubled past.” Sam said with sip of his glass, ”Was forced to grow up early so I understand kids who have had a rough childhood.” Sam said trying to be somewhat descriptive but still vague about his earlier life. ”I have a soft spot for kids who have had a rough childhood. Kids should be kids… ya know?” Sam said with another sip.

”He wouldn’t be the first kid I took in for special training, I found if they are to exhausted to fight they try other things. Like talking… for a while couldn’t get Gawain to shut up.” Sam said with a little smirk.

”Guess not. I think things would have been a lot different if it wasn’t for this place. I was already pretty far gone till I came here. Didn’t know how far sometimes but… Danger Room… lot of stuff to hit.” Sam said completely oblivious to Devon possibly hinting that Sam had something similar going on.

”So…” he said finishing his drink then tapping his desk slightly.

>> ”I was told this fashion choice screamed, troubled past.”

Devon chuckled at the comment, smirked, and shrugged the shoulder. He listened to Sam’s tale, trying to read between the lines, and considered too what had set Sam off earlier. Experimentation. Control. Being used. Rough childhood indeed.

A series of quick nods showed Devon agreed exactly with Sam. Work out the energy, the anger, and what’s left is an exhausted individual with mental turmoil still boiling and churning. That usually brought out the talk. It seemed Sam agreed to that sort of training and therapy.

The Danger Room here sounded quite useful. He’d never seen it but he’d heard of such. The X-Men trained hard, ready to go out as mission demanded. They worked well for that need, even if there were too many eyes upon them. Devon had confidence people like Cafas, Juliette, Ghost, and Cold Steel were doing all they could within the limits around them.

>> ”So…”

“So I think it might be good to have a training program set up for Rico. Maybe based on my experience with him, you and I could go set one up? I’d like to know what we’re going to present him with and I think I can suggest some good measures considering what I’ve seen and know of him,” Devon suggested. “Though I have to admit, I wouldn’t mind seeing what you and I could do together too. If you’re interested anyway.”