Martha wasn't feeling too keen on moving completely into the mansion. After pretty much passing out behind the wheel, she had made a deal with Iggy not to go far from the Mansion for too long, at least until she could afford to get herself a caravan trailer. It wasn't that she was living with a bunch of Gorgers that freaked her out, but really, after living in trailers her whole life, she couldn't imagine being in the Mansion. It just wasn't for her. And so it came to be that her dinged up pinto with the sun faded, avacado green paint, the dinky little vehicle... Became her home again.

On that particular day, she was not even feeling well. Her car had no AC, it was warm, so her doors were open to let out some heat, and her stuff had been moved to the trunk so nobody would be stupid enough to try and steal it from her. The keys were in her pocket, and instead of her car radio blasting away, she was listening to a little wind up radio.

The gypsy was laying in her back seat, napping, because she felt kinda sick. She was not sleeping, as her feet tapped to the beat of the music, and she, who sang beautifully, was singing along with one of her favorite songs. If one were to walk up to her car, they would probably find themselves quite puzzled, for the interior was spotless; so clean that one could eat right off the rugs... And the outside of the car, for all the dings and dents, and the ugly paint? Was also spotless... It... was a polished turd she lived in.

Gemma found out soon enough from various Mansion residents that there was a piece of junk (their words) parked outside with music playing, and that someone, a girl, was actually living in it, not camping, but, like living (some smaller kids were very excited about the idea). While she had a whole lot of things that needed immediate attention, people camping out in cars in the summer heat took priority, especially on Mansion grounds, so Gemma walked out of the building and went looking for the truth behind all the reports.

It did not take long for her to find it. The car was pretty obvious, even spectacular, in its appearance, the music was alluring, and it was easy to spot the young woman in the back seat, lying down. Gemma walked up to the car until she was positioned on the other side of the open car door - leaving some semblance of entering someone's home - and then she knocked with a knuckle on the window.

"Hello there" she smiled, hoping she was not waking the girl up "Welcome to Xavier's."

"Thanks," she said over the music, not wanting to turn the song off since it was almost over. She held her finger up toward the woman and jammed out for the last twenty seconds of song, and then she turned down the radio to a whisper. Martha scooted herself out of her car and leaned against it, though paused to straighten out the back seat blanket and her pillow out of habit. "What brings you to my... ahh... pinto?"

If she so much as saw bird poop on the window, the windex was coming out. But luckily, no bird poop... She continued to lean against hit and tilted her head to peer at the woman in a curious and guarded manner. "If mah music was too loud, I am sorry. I get caught up in it sometimes 'cause I was forbidden to listen to it before I left home."

The girl waited till the end of the song; Gemma could tell she was fully enveloped in the music. People all had their own escape, and she was not about to drag someone out of hers. She had time to wait. So she waited politely until the dark-haired girl climbed out of the back seat to talk to her.

>>"What brings you to my... ahh... pinto? If mah music was too loud, I am sorry. I get caught up in it sometimes 'cause I was forbidden to listen to it before I left home."

"No, the music is fine" Gemma shook her head with a smile, and then offered a hand in greeting. The girl was already in her aura; if she had complaints, she could step back, but they seemed to be okay for now "I just wanted to come out and say hi. My name is Gemma Taylor, I work at the school... they told me you have been living out here?"

There was an unasked question lingering in the air. She was living in her car, but on Mansion grounds, which was unusual (for anyone who was not Sam too drunk to come in from the garage). Gemma was curious who this newcomer was, and why she was so attached to the pinto...

She shrugged, "I guess." She rubbed at her forehead where a yellowed bruise was still sported from her little accident with a tree on the grounds. "I don't like it in there." She indicated the Mansion, "But I told Iggy I would stay for a little while. I'm Martha," she sighed and then squared her shoulders, "I guess I can go if it's a problem. I'm sorry." Her mouth curled down in a slight frown and ended up having to sit down on the back seat because her head still kind of hurt when she was up and about. Yeah, driving was a problem while she was healing from a concussion.

Martha was jumping to all kinds of conclusions right at that moment... Where exactly was she going to go? What was she going to do with her life? It was starting to feel like she had made a very stupid choice in life, leaving her community like she did without crap to her name, wandering about the country, first in a bus, then in the pinto, eventually to end up in NYC. She'd gone up to two or three weeks without food, sometimes days without getting to clean herself up, and now she was in a parking lot and would only venture into the mansion to eat, have some water, and to shower... But she would not stay in there. It was just.. Overwhelming.

>>"I guess."

Gemma moved around the open door to stand to the side. It felt awkward, confronting the girl face to face right at the door of her car, and she could sense that Martha was hesitant about talking to her to begin with. There was probably a reason why she lived in her car, rather than in a comfortable (and free) Mansion room, and Gemma did not want to push too far right away.

>>"I don't like it in there. But I told Iggy I would stay for a little while. I'm Martha. I guess I can go if it's a problem. I'm sorry."

"Oh no, it's not a problem at all" Gemma shook her head with a smile "We have students with all kinds of living arrangements. I just wanted to make sure that you are okay with yours... Is there a reason you don't like the building itself? Is it related to your powers?"

If it was something that needed to be fixed, she could make sure to fix it. If not... well, the Mansion grounds had seen a lot worse than a small car parked outside...

"Just... big. I am used to living in a camper with a buncha other people. I mean... Cause Gypsies do that, I guess. Plus, been sleepin' in my car since I left my community, weird to sleep on a bed." Besides, she thought, she would probably end up cleaning so many nooks and crannies of the mansion that she wouldn't have time to even play her fiddle, and that would suck for her since her power depended upon it.

She looked up at Gemma and tilted her head, kind of not sure what else to say for that moment seeing as it wasn't always fun to say, "Yo, I am a Romnichal, outta my way. Look at me, weeee!" -- That just wasn't how she rolled anyways.

The girl shuffled a little at her question, and Gemma was not sure she really wanted to answer, as nice as she had been asking. Some people found it harder to explain their living conditions or choices than others, and that was okay - as long as it was not something they were struggling with. As guidance counselor, Gemma needed to know when to step in, and especially if the Mansion was not fitting for someone with special needs or powers...

>>"Just... big. I am used to living in a camper with a buncha other people. I mean... Cause Gypsies do that, I guess. Plus, been sleepin' in my car since I left my community, weird to sleep on a bed."

"You are Romanichal?" Gemma blinked. That explained a lot, actually. As counselor at various schools, she knew the basics of the culture, and had met some kids from the community before, but she would not have claimed to be an expert. "Well... if you want company, a lot of our bedrooms are for more than one people, so you can have roommates. Or, if you don't like the Mansion rooms, we can also find you a larger vehicle and park it next to this one, if you want to be a little more independent but comfortable..." she smiled encouragingly, and held up a hand "If you want, that is. Anyway, you are welcome to walk in, eat, shower, whatever you need. Do you plan on staying around the Mansion?"

"I am. I hate to admit this but... Well... I get all tight in my chest when I am in there 'cause it is too much for me to take in... And then there are all them people in there. I left the community to get away from all that stuff, you know? Plus, my mom was tryin' to pressure me to find some gypsy boy to marry, 'before it's too late,'" she made the air quotes with that one, then she squared her shoulders and said, "They woulda hated me if they knew I had powers too. Anyways, I... don't know where to go, to be honest. That guy, Iggy... Well... He found me in the city and brought me here cause I had to do some crappy things just to get some food. I'm lost, really."

That whole thing had been told haltingly. It really had been hard for her to talk about. Well, she had yelled it to Iggy when she had hit her head. She was surprised Gemma didn't say anything about the car that backed into a tree about a week or so prior.

>>"I am. I hate to admit this but... Well... I get all tight in my chest when I am in there 'cause it is too much for me to take in... And then there are all them people in there. I left the community to get away from all that stuff, you know? Plus, my mom was tryin' to pressure me to find some gypsy boy to marry, 'before it's too late,'"

Once again, someone ended up at the Mansion, and even though what they had been running from was hard too, their first reaction was to be overwhelmed by the place, the people, and all they had to offer. It made a lot of sense, which is why Gemma had seen it often before. Since the car functioned as the girl's home, she took a seat on the grass outside the back door, so that they could talk more comfortably.

>>"They woulda hated me if they knew I had powers too. Anyways, I... don't know where to go, to be honest. That guy, Iggy... Well... He found me in the city and brought me here cause I had to do some crappy things just to get some food. I'm lost, really."

"He has brought you to a good place." Gemma said softly "As I said, you can stay as long as you want. That's what we do here... most people who find their way here have very similar stories. And I know that all of this... is very overwhelming at first. And it looks too good to be true. But it is my job to make sure that it is true, and that people have everything they need." she smiled up at the girl "There is no hurry in figuring out what that is, though. But if you have any questions, I am happy to answer them."

"I dunno how long I will stay... I mean... I ain't exactly feelin' right about eatin' food and doin' other stuff here if I ain't earnin' my keep." She gave a shrug and then moved from the car to the ground before she would end up with a crick in her neck. She looked kinda tired by that point. "I am tryin' to save up for a camper, I don't need much space." And it was true... She did not need a house or to live in a mansion, she was perfectly happy in a trailer. Ironic, considering her circumstances.

She peered at Gemma and continued, "I wanna be able to go all over sometimes, don't want them to find me. I crawled out the back window to get out of there." Annnnd her stomach growled because she hated walking into the mansion and grabbing free food even though that was why it was there.

>>"I dunno how long I will stay... I mean... I ain't exactly feelin' right about eatin' food and doin' other stuff here if I ain't earnin' my keep."

The girl joined her in sitting on the grass, and Gemma moved over so they could both sit comfortable in the shade of the little car. The girl was resisting the idea of taking the Mansion up on all that it could offer, but at least she was not running away just yet. Talking was a good start.

>>"I am tryin' to save up for a camper, I don't need much space. I wanna be able to go all over sometimes, don't want them to find me. I crawled out the back window to get out of there."

Gemma tilted her head. The girl's tomach growled loud enough for her to hear, and she arched an eyebrow at the sound.

"Would you like something to eat? Come on, let's see what's left of the kitchen after the lunch rush..." she chuckled, standing up, and nodding for the girl to follow her "It is nice that you want to earn your keep, but the Mansion doesn't usually require that. But if it makes you comfortable, we can always find work for you around here that you can do... What are your powers, by the way? If you don't mind telling..."

"Oh... Uh... I don't know, maybe I shouldn't..." She said, looking at the mansion and wringing her hands. She really did hate going in there for more than just a few minutes, it overwhelmed her so much! Her teeth worried at her bottom lip and she shook her head, "I can't... I mean, not that I ain't appreciative, yanno? But... I don't like it in there." It wasn't even just a matter of being just overwhelmed, it caused her so much trouble the first time she went in there, that she had fainted behind the wheel of her car trying to run off.

"I don't know," she repeated, and then grimaced when her tummy repeated it's growl.

The girl seemed more distressed at the invitation than she had been before. She really did not want to go inside, not even accompanied by Gemma, to get some food. The counselor could tell (not to mention hear) that she was hungry, but her worries were stronger than the need for food, at least for now. Gemma knew not to push when she was meeting resistance like that.

"Okay, that's okay" she smiled gently "Why don't you sit down here then, and I'll bring out some food? I make good sandwiches." she added with a smile, before she walked in through the Mansion doors. She reappeared a few minutes later with a plate, heaped with sandwiches, chips, pickles, and other side foods. "Let me know if there is anything you don't eat, or don't like. We have... a lot of options." she smiled, handing the place to Martha.

"Oh, um.. You d--- Okay..." she said as Gemma took off for the mansion. She opened her trunk up and pulled out the neatly folded blanket she used for sitting on outside. She spread it out and sat down... And then Gemma reappeared with sandwiches and chips and other stuff. Oh man, the lady knew where to hit with her. She hardly got to eat and that food looked so good. She had to keep her hands in her lap until the food was offered, and then she couldn't help but grab a sandwich, grab a bunch of chips and stick them in there.

She took a healthy bite, big enough for one cheek to be a chipmunk cheek, and she spent several moments chewing and swallowing the large bite, and paused long enough to say around said bite, "Thanks."

And after the bite, she went on to say, "You asked about what I can do... Um.. it's really stupid, but I can move junk by singing and playin' my fiddle. I mean, it has it's uses and stuff but... yeah, I am still kinda tryin' to figure it out."