A taxi pulled up in front of a very large building, a mansion. The engine did not cut off, but no one got out, at least for a brief period of time. However, after that a young man stepped out, garbed in a pair of Demin jeans, and a red t-shirt, with a trench-coat slung over one shoulder. In his free hand, there was a duffle bag, and on his face was a small amount of sweat and a pair of dime store sunglass. He looked around for a moment before he heard, “Hey buddy, you going to pay or what. Don’t make me get out of their taxi.” Karrl did not look over, at least the moment. He put down his bag and reached into the back pocket of his jeans before pulling out his wallet and paying the man.



However, after he had paid, “Mate, if you’d gotten out of that taxi it would be the last thing you ever did.” With that he looked over his shoulder lowering his sunglasses a little to look him in the eye, “Now f**k off before you lose more than a tip.” With that taxi driver sped off realizing that this young man might not be someone to mess with. The young man smirked before pushing up his sunglasses again, “Excellent choice, you’re smarter than you look.” With that he picked up his duffle bag and walked over to the entrance. Now, a normal person would just have rung the doorbell, but this young man was not normal, and not just because he was a mutant.



He judged the size of the gate before he took a step back throwing his duffle bag, and trench-coat, over the gate and took a running head start. It looked like he was about to run into the wall but right at the last moment he jumped and sprung off said wall before catching hold of the top of the gate. As soon as his hands touched the metal he vaulted over and landed into a roll. He smoothly got to his feet and looked around, “Well, that was fun, might have to do that again some time.” He chuckled to himself before picking up his bag and trench-coat, slinging the coat over his shoulder once more. He smiled and looked at the mansion a bit closer, “Well, let’s see whose home, hope there’s some cuties here, god it’ll be boring if there isn’t.”

[/b]

She'd just dropped Ro off in his classroom and was headed for a late breakfast when the X-men communicator buzzed from the waistband of Maya's skirt. That was odd considering it wasn't her turn to be on rotation...

Rather than answer the call in the hallway where nosy children might eavesdrop, she popped straight in to the security room.

"We have a visitor."

Maya cleared her throat to remind the X-kid at the helm of the security feed that she could not actually see what was on the screens in front of them.

"Oh. Oh! Uh. Some dude just jumped the fence. Like, over-over. He's got a bag, see?"

She didn't, but the X-man humored him.

"I'll check it out."

With a quick gasp, Maya ghosted into a cloudy mist. Forceful winds swept through the hallways and out along the Mansion grounds until she felt him out on the lawn. Whoever 'some dude' happened to be, she was about to find out.

Ghost swirled around him to get a quick grasp on what he was like— longish hair, young, with a coat and a bag— before she packed herself into a more human shape in front of him. If not for the abnormal wind-show she might have been mistaken for a hologram: mostly monochromatic and still see-through. Her feet dangled just above the ground.

'He has a bag,' she reminded herself. 'He likely did not intend to pose a threat.' Ghost summoned the most sincere smile she could.

"Hello and welcome to the Sister School for Gifted Youngsters. I'm Ghost and they sent me to make sure you're not here to murder children. Is there something I can do for you?"

Karrl stood there, not moving an inch. Not because he was worried about something, but, with the little show he had just put on he was sure they would send someone. He had put his bag down by his side though, just in case he did not to throw fists. However, from his research, unless they thought he posed a threat that was not likely to happen, but he would rather be safe and sorry, he had spent to many years as a hitman to let his guard down so easily. Never the less, he would not throw the first fist, he was there to change his ways, but if he needed to he would throw the last.

As Karrl expected something did happen, and a wind started to swirl around him. Karrl felt now imposing or threating action behind the wind, maybe it was just someone’s way of scouting him out. He did there not moving an inch, however there was a smile on his face, calm, confident, and if not a little bit cheeky. He waited to see what was about to happen, if the creator of the wind would appear from the building, or was it the mutant him or herself that was the wind. Karrl had come across, and killed wind users before, so it could be either.

When the wind stopped and a hovering woman appeared in front of him, sort of, she was sort of see through, but she was a cutie he could see that much. When she started to speak Karrl continued to smile, he guessed as much, she was there to make sure he did not pose a threat, something he did not really pay much mind too, after all it was a reasonable assumption, he spent years on the street, and had kept the same mentality, anyone he did not know could be a threat, and so, he understood, and even respected that way of thinking. He they had attacked him straight out, they might have gotten a different reaction out of him.

Using his free hand, he pushed his sunglasses to the tip of his nose, looking at the woman with his azure blue eyes, eyes that he had been told could peer into someone’s soul. It was not a mutant power or anything like that, they were so striking, maybe a little unnerving to some people, that he had been told, when he looked someone in the eyes, it was like he was peering into their soul. When he spoke, his London accent rang clear, Relax darling, I’m not here to kill anyone, unless you guys try and kill me first.” He paused for a moment before extending his hand, “The name’s Karrl, I hear you might have a vacancy.”

Lucky for Maya, she was immune to any piercing gazes since she could not see color or light, only a world of black and white and greys that made up the air and the blotches of mass around her. Her smile was polite, if bland. Here was another stranger who wandered in. She tried to be polite to every one of them.

"Killing people is not on my list of today's to-dos. I'm just glad you came during the day. Security at night's a bit tighter." She joked, but killing was absolutely never an option as far as she was concerned and his casual attitude toward ending a life had her concerned. Hmm.

"As for the vacancy, we always have rooms if you need help getting back on your feet or finding your way. This is, however, primarily a school, and we have some residency paperwork and a code of conduct we expect you to adhere to. Would you like for me to show you around a bit before you make any decisions or is your mind already made?" It would be nice, she noted, if just once someone thought to call ahead. Word about the Mansion tended to get out, so people were often familiar with their purpose.

Oh! She forgot to introduce herself! "My name is Maya, but most know me as Ghost. It's lovely to meet you, Karrl." Rather than offer her hand, which could not be shaken, Maya bowed shallowly from the waist.

Karrl smiled, he knew she was joking, well, he had a feeling. Growing up on the streets, and being a former hired hitman, he had learned to get a feel for people and quickly. He could not say for certain, as he was not a mind reader or anything along those lines, but Karrl got the feeling she was a genuinely good person, which, in his life was a rare thing indeed. Of course, he could be wrong, he was good at reading people, but, as stated before, he was not a mind reader. So, as a response to her comment he smiled a bit more and replied, “That’s good to know, I’d rather not have an altercation with someone as pretty as you.”

With that he pushed up his sunglasses, the sun getting too much for his eyes, not that the glasses did much they were not that good, he had bought them originally just because they looked good. Until he came to the US he had not needed a decent pair, since it was rare to have a sunny day. When she commented on there always being rooms for people to get back on their feet or looking for a path, he was kind of needing to do both. True he had made a lot of money as a hitman, plus he had inherited a reasonably profitable business from his father, but he was trying to leave the life of killing for money behind him, so, “I came from the UK here because I want to leave my past, well, in the past, I’m looking to put my skills to better use, so, I’ve already made my mind up, however, I’d wouldn’t mind a little tour.”

It was then that she bowed and introduced herself. Karrl was not easily rattled or anything along those lines, but the bow did make him react, and he burst out laughing, so much so that he doubled over a little bit holding his ribs. After a short while he managed to catch his breath raising a hand to do two things, ask her for a moment and to apologies. Once he had gathered himself he said, “Sorry about that, not used to seeing people bowing. However, you can relax Me Lady, no need to be so formal around me. But, if we are more known for codenames, you can call me Ch..” Damn, he almost blurted out his old codename, he then realised he did not have one just yet, “Well, I don’t really have one at the moment, but, if we need one, you can call me Infernal.”

Maya didn't know what to do with the compliment so she ignored it. On one hand it was rather patronizing. On the other hand, she wasn't wholly confident that she could incapacitate everyone. Just... anyone that needed to breathe. "Tell that to me again when we practice powers some day."

His laughter embarrassed her right out of her human shape. Ghost rolled into a cloud of white-ish mist, folding in on herself and roiling like no natural cloud would. He apologized and she was willing to move past it, but... m'lady. Really?

The cloud cleared her throat to clear any assumptions she was forming. First impressions were hard. She would give him all the grace that had been passed to her over the years.
"Let's start the tour outside then, shall we? Unless you'd like to place your things inside the office for safe keeping?" Formal and stiff was her default nature. Asking her to behave any differently was like asking her to stay solid. She just couldn't do it.

"Leaving a life behind can be more difficult than you think." She had noticed his wording stumble and empathized. "When I first showed up, I tried a new name, new outlook on life. Everything eventually caught to me, but it worked out okay. Okay-er than okay, actually." For all her mutation and health woes, at least all teh social stuff had fallen into place alright.

"So what does Infernal mean? What do you do?" The "ghost" part of what Maya did, at least, seemed obvious to her.

Karrl smiled a bit at her comment about saying that after power practice. The young fighter was not under any delusions that he had the ultimate power, hell, all things considered his powers were not all the super, he was just, well, good. However, his powers did support him in how he did combat, so, all in all, having a mediocre power like his that supported him was a damn sight better, in his opinion at least, then having something more powerful but was not supportive at all on how he chose to do battle. However, he did respond, “I’d like that, it’d be good to see what you guys can do.”



Once her embarrassment, and his laughter, was over, she continued, he had to give her credit, she was good on the recover. She commented on starting the tour outside, but asked if he wanted to go to the office first to leave his stuff in sage keeping. He thought it might be a good idea, then he realised that it probably wouldn’t, since he had his old gear in the bag. He did not know how far the Olympian’s fame had travelled outside of the Local area, he never really cared for such things, but, his gear was linked with Charon, and in turn the Olympians, so, “I’m good, it’s not that heavy, and I’d really like to see the grounds.”



However, it seemed she had a little more to say before they got the tour underway, and he was not too pleased about what she had to say, not that it could be seen on his face, he just stood there, behind his sunglasses and a, convincingly, fake smile. However, she seemed to have figured out what he had quickly tried to hide. However, what she said next, about it catching up with him, he really hoped that would not be the case, if people found out Charon was in the US, and he was said man, there would be quite a few people after his head. He just wanted to put it all behind him and get on with his life, like an ordinary semi-alcoholic, chain smoking teenager.



When she changed the subject on what infernal meant, and what he did, Karrl assumed that she meant what his powers were, he smiled, but this time it was a genuine one before he spoke, “Infernal is a something relating to a characteristic of hell. I was called a demon when I was younger, partly because I was a mutant, partly because I came from a different ethnic background, so, instead of being ashamed by it, I call myself Infernal, since a demon is and Infernal denizen, to own up and be proud of my differences.” Karrl paused for a moment before he spoke about his powers, “As for my powers, they are nothing special, I believe it was called Peak Human, strength, endurance and durability.”

You guys? "Oh. Are you interested in the X-men?" That actually made some of the things that he'd said make more sense. He seemed young, but not too young to roll with the team.

Any subtle emotions were wholly lost on Maya. The vision changes amounted to serious drawbacks while she ghosted. His reasoning for the name was a good one. "I can respect that, but don't sell yourself short. Every ability is special." So many people had negative opinions about their powers. The grass is always greener and all that.

And speaking of grass, let the tour begin! "Well, this is the front lawn. I think you've gathered that much already." He seemed pretty sharp. That was good. "Let's go around to the side. This way." Maya rolled ahead, still a nebulous cloud as she led Karrl around the side of the Mansion.

"There's gardens, a hedge maze way in back, and a basketball court. The kids usually play soccer in the open area around the other side, but I'll take us this way because once we go through the gardens, we can enter the Mansion through the kitchen. You should go through the front doors someday, though. The double staircase is maybe a little impressive."

She loved the gardens which thanks to the attention and care of their resident plant manipulator, Xavia, had exotic species and almost perpetual blooms. She wished that she could see the colors again... someday.

"Smells great out here, huh?" Up the deck and to the back door, Maya formed herself into the shape of a person again and motioned to the door handle which she could not grasp.

"If you wouldn't mind getting the door for us?"

Karrl shrugged at her comment about his abilities being special. He knew he was gift, and was glad for his gifts, but he was not under any delusion that his list of abilities was the most powerful out there. This was not a whole grass is greener sort of thing, more he was a realist and, even though he appreciated his powers he knew his mutation was nowhere near the strongest. However, on paper he and dealt with mutants who were stronger than him, but that was because of his experience and his skill with his mutation, well, what little skill he did need.

When they started the tour Karrl could not help but smile at her initial comment, about the front lawn, however, he felt that he had poked fun at her enough, at least for the moment so he let it slide. With that they headed around the side of the mansion. He was not sure why they did not go through the front, but maybe she wanted to show him around the grounds a bit, which he did not mind, he enjoyed nature well enough, in fact thinking about nature he thought about that little hottie he had in his hotel room a little while ago, Xavia, he wondered what she was doing at the moment.

As they continued he had to say he was impressed, the grounds were not only extensive, but well taken care of. He would have to inspect that hedge maze later on, he wouldn’t mind getting lost in there, if he had the right company. However, when Ghost said soccer it made Karrl cringe. He knew that he was in the US now and they called the beautiful game that, but his English nature could not be stopped when that word was thrown about. However, he tried to not let it bother him, too much at least, and so they continued with the tour.

After a trip through the gardens, which was stunning to say the least, not only was there a vast range of colours, but the smells were overpowering, but in a good way, it just let him be taken away to a better place. However, that soon ended when they reached the side door and, as Ghost turned back into her regular form he realised she might need a hand opening the door, so, within a word he took the handle and opened said door. Then, with a smile he said, ”After you M’lady.” He realised that he might of just given her a pet name, but that was just like Karrl.

For all the sense of bravado she'd gotten earlier, now he was mostly silent. One little m'lady was all she got. Maya's turn to cringe. No one spoke like that unless they were ancient or poking fun at her, and she'd had her fill of speaking with ancient mutants.

"I would appreciate it if you could call me Ghost, or even Maya is fine." She tried to be kind about the whole thing. First impressions, first impressions, first impressions. At least he got the door.

"In here, we have the dining area." Several small tables, large enough to fit a group, but not spanning the room as most school cafeteria benches did. "You can see the kitchen. The adults often cook en masse, but there's some ready made things to grab so it's not like the kid're hard up if no one cooks a meal."

There were several disappointed faces when it became obvious that Ghost was not there to cook.

"Oh. But you're not here for school. That's right." She had to remind herself. Just a living situation kind of thing. And X-men. Wait. Had he said he wanted to know about the X-men? "The living room and tv area is to your left. From here we can go grab your paperwork in the administrative hall or we could go see the lower levels. The X-team isn't exactly a secret. We work with the police in town, all official-like."