"T'at is an answer I cannot give you. I can only speculate on some t'ings since I am studying t'ese mutations. I have not heard of, nor seen any one person who could simply stop a growt' from happening. Perhaps you can learn to control t'e growt' like you would everyt'ing else. Using myself as an example, I know I do not want to end up stuck in a tree or somet'ing, but right now, I do not wish to harm my children by trying to train myself, so I can only speculate as to how it will go when I do start learning how to work wit' it." She paused and closed the binder since he seemed not to have interest in the object. Then Xavia stood and returned it to the book shelf with the rest of the studies she worked upon, like how she was trying to see what different mutant blood cells looked like and even trying to figure out if DNA had anything to do with this rise in mutant children.

She eyed him, wondering if he wouldn't mind giving her a blood sample to work with. If he was an extra terrestrial as he said he was, it would be fascinating to see what his blood looked like. But would he be insulted if she asked? She wasn't remotely interested in seeing what his innards looked like, she wasn't into the Area 51 typed bull, but studying blood wad fascinating and she didn't really single anyone out with that question... In fact, there was a box of slides on her desk with different blood samples, used for her microscope obviously. She decided to word the question differently for him since it was more delicate in nature for someone saying they were from another world. "Perhaps I might provide a better answer by looking at your blood? A small vial taken in the Infirmary, though I really only need a few drops for t'e microscope. I understand if your answer is 'no,'" she said with a tilted head.

For someone who had dealt with all sorts of difficult garbage, from foster families all the way to inadvertently causing the end of the faction devoted to the end of the world, Elliott just didn't know how to handle the situation. Or the woman. He would have thought a teacher at a school for mutants would know more about helping someone with new changes their body was going through. Mutation stuff. And, by vague connections, weird stuff similar to mutations, caused by freak evolution. But this woman was utterly devoted to cataloging and researching... with very little on the helpful advice side of things. So Elliott got real silent while she spoke. And maybe, for a few seconds after.

Also, when she'd put away the book, he'd gotten sad. Because he actually had been interested in the book. Just... not adding to the book. That would have corrupted her data. Elliott felt frustrated. He frowned. He continued to frown when the woman asked for a sample of his blood. As a rule, he didn't give out DNA samples. It's just common sense.

"No." Elliott said simply. He didn't elaborate. He changed the subject. "I don't really turn it on or off or control what I am at all. I'm really not sure what you mean by control the growth like I control everything else. I was kind of hoping you'd have some sort of suggestion for how to learn to handle something like that. I dunno. Mutant teacher words of wisdom. 'Control your ki.' 'Focus deep within you and find your inner strength.' That sort of stuff." He paused, and sighed, running his only free hand through his antennae. "That book might actually have had people in similar situations to me, and described how they handled themselves. I was interested in that. Just not putting non mutant data in a mutant data compilation. Sorry."

He felt utterly confused, angry, frustrated at himself for not being able to do something as simple as drop a damned knife. Maybe he would have been better off just sitting alone in his room, focusing on his goddamn chakras and trying to meditate on a solution?

She stared at him. The guy made her feel extremely frustrated. Everyone assumed that she had all kinds of answers when she was just another person who happened to get the job because the mansion was short handed on teachers, and biology seemed the best fit for someone with plant mutations. She'd spent the last few years researching and learning so she could do the job properly, found she actually had a knack for science even though she didn't have a degree. It wasn't a normal situation where one had spent years in college, earning some kind of degree to teach. Add to that, she was as new to the subject as he was... She could meld into trees all of a sudden, and she knew nothing about it.

She had offered to look at his blood, not because she wanted to stick him in some book. Those students had volunteered to let her look for the sole purpose of her being able to maybe find some answers, not because she planned on publishing her findings. All of those involved were old enough for consent, too, so there was no law breaking underway. She would never even keep someone's blood if they asked her not to. But he had said no, she wasn't angry that he had, just frustrated because he wanted answers and she wasn't a magic 8 ball or some sage who could give advice on a situation she knew little about.

Xavia sighed and dropped her head into the cradle of her arms on the desk top, counting to ten. Not having an answer bothered her as much or maybe even more than her not having an answer seemed to bother him. She pushed herself up and looked at him with a tired expression. "Look..." She started softly, having forced herself to calm down for the sake of not going into preterm labor, "T'e answer is probably staring at us in t'e face. I understand what it is not to know why somet'ing is happening, I do get it. I need you to help me to help you." And maybe not beat around the bush, she thought to herself. Come on, guy, give me something to work with, bruh. It was like he wanted to trust her but he couldn't trust her, and it was like he wanted to listen but her method wasn't helping his confusion any, and she totally got it... But she really couldn't do anything if he kept going back and forth on her.

In addition to being angry, confused, and frustrated, Elliott suddenly felt an additional emotion. He felt ashamed. He had expected a lot from her, but people are people, whether they're mutant professors or scamps off the street. Maybe her area of expertise was teaching biology, not training mutants to use their powers. And from her reaction, Elliott got the impression he'd frustrated her with his obstinance and brutal honesty. He had really stressed her out. Stress is bad for the baby. He, in layman's terms, was an ass.

Xavia tried, she really did, to explain herself. And to explain her spot in the situation. She needed him to go easy on her, to 'throw her a bone'? Could he do that? Throw her a bone? Elliott took a calming breath. Yeah. He could do that.

"I'm sorry," he began. "I'm stressed. That isn't a good reason to stress you. I guess... I guess you can take a blood sample, if you think it might help. If you get rid of it after we're done?" Yeah? Was that fair. He wasn't sure what blood would tell, but he hadn't had samples taken. Outside of childhood vaccinations for school, he'd kind of avoided the hospital scene. "Maybe we can even look at your books while we wait. Do we wait? I really don't know much about blood tests."

He had skipped out on college, and some of high school. He really didn't know all too much about the higher levels of science. Just bits and pieces he'd picked up, and from books he'd read.

"T'e only time I take a blood sample is wit' full permission, and t'ey have to sign a document for me to legally keep t'eir blood. You don't sign t'e document, t'e blood is destroyed. Simple. It isn't about putting you in any book... T'ese books are not even going to be published... I, for one, would like to find out what makes us all tick, not just as humans, but our mutation. Come, before I take any blood, let me show you what I mean." And then she handed him both of the books she had, one from each year of her teaching. She also unlocked the cabinet where she kept a mini fridge, and pulled out her own slide, then locked the cabinet back up. Then she guided him to her classroom.

Once in her classroom, she worked methodically to set up a work station on one of the stainless steel benches. She put a microscope down and fit the slide into it, then plugged it into the overhead socket. "Let me tell you about myself... A long time ago,
when I was a teenager, my friends were all killed because of what I am... I was kidnapped and experimented upon. Not once, but twice by t'e same people. I know what it is to be a lab rat, t'e last t'ing I would want to ever make someone feel is like a lab rat. I want to know what we are so I can teach kids what we are and maybe have a better grasp at learning how to work wit' our mutations better. I want t'em to have better t'an what I have, be safer t'an I was. T'at is why I made t'ese books and why if you look at t'e slide in t'e microscope, you will see me in t'ere. My blood. I -know- how it feels to wonder, because I am right t'ere."

She gestured toward the microscope so he could look at her slide, at the weird blood cells that brought on a revelation that she was half plant, half human. She took the first book, the older of the two, opened it up to the firs page where there was a picture of her, and all kinds of notes on herself. She pushed it toward him, then folded her arms over the round of her belly.

"If you still feel reluctant to give a drop of blood, by all means, don't. But know t'at I ask because I do want to help."

He took the books, and briefly glanced over them before his attention switched to what she was doing, then following her out of her office. It felt a little awkward doing so with a sock stuck to one foot and a bare knife in one hand, so he'd snagged the thing he'd wrapped the knife in earlier, and "sheathed his blade." Luckily, his hand didn't get stuck to the door when he closed it behind them. That would have been silly.

Barefooted, and barely barefooted, Elliott followed the plant lady down the hall. As he did, he pondered what sticking to things meant. Could he use it to make sure he never dropped anything again? Probably. Could he use it to stick to everything in his life, whether he wanted to or not. Most likely. But there was another idea that intrigued him more than it scared him, the idea of using it to cling to walls like some sort of tree frog. He imagined himself walking up the wall and around the ceiling in one smooth circular motion, only to come down on Xavia's other side. He didn't do it. But if he could have, that would have been neat.

He tried to focus on his breathing, and calm himself. They were moved by forward now. He was doing something. Maybe he'd take his own advice and meditate in a bit. That might let him cam down enough to drop the knife. Or maybe they could look at his hands underneath some scope. See if there were something causing it.

Once she'd set everything up, Xavia spoke to him. Her background story was unique, and he didn't fault her for her interests. He was thankful he'd never been subject like that. Elliott nodded politely, to show he understood. Then, looked in the microscope. He had no idea what it meant to have DNA that was part plant and part human. Nor did he understand that his blood would express frog and grasshopper traits, in addition to human traits, all tied up with an X gene bow. It'd look weird, but mutant. Not alien in origin.

Elliott moved on from the unique blood sample, wondering what plant "blood" should look like on its own. What he remembered from high school biology was hazy. Didn't plant cells have cell walls? Or maybe lacked them? He didn't know enough to have been able to determine any of that from the sample. Sometimes being uneducated sucks.

The pictures in the journal were more understandable to him. He didn't have any commentary on them, sure, but he understood them. And the notes. All in all all, fascinating stuff, but not quite his deal. He nodded when she asked him if he still wanted to look at a blood sample of his own, then raised her a commentary on how maybe they could even look at his hands after, to see if his skin had anything to do with his problem.

Once he looked into the microscope, he would, indeed, see cell walls around her blood cells. While he was distracted by all that, she went and got the stuff to get blood from him. It was just a lancet, a slide, a cotton ball, and an alcohol swab. That was it. She set all of those on a paper towel, then looked at him. "If you saw my blood cells had walls around t'em, t'at is only part of my mutation. I am half plant, t'ough, apparently. I don't know how it happened. Anyway, t'e reason I showed you mine is so you saw I wasn't just collecting dna to collect dna. All I need to do at t'is point is poke your finger, get a single drop and look. I will give you the slide to destroy as you want."

Assuming he let her, she took his non dominant hand, or rather, the one not stuck to a knife, prepped his index finger, poked it with the rubber encased lancet, then pressed his finger to the slide to transfer the blood. She then pressed the cotton ball to his finger and said, "T'ere, t'at's all."

She swapped out the slides... Looked in, and... It was as normal as a regular human. That was it. Normal blood. "You have t'e most normal cells I have seen out of all t'e people I have looked at. Look if you want, if not, just pull t'e slide out for disposal." She sounded kind of disappointed, maybe a little perplexed. He looked to have HUMAN blood cells even though he said he was extra terrestrial. She thought even that would make a difference, but it didn't.

She sighed and then said, "Here, let me try and help you unstick... so I can look at your hands, I guess."

"Yeah," Elliott nodded. "I saw your cells with the walls." That had been interesting. His blood would probably be similarly interesting. Super cool. Like radioactive green blood, or something. "Okay."

"Go ahead, Xavia." He said. He trusted her more now and was eager to see his blood. Let's get cracking.

He hadn't cried when she'd pricked him. He literally couldn't. When she told him he looked human as human could be, he felt like maybe he should have? That didn't seem right...

"Huh?" Elliot stared at her a moment, red eyes unblinking. Then he went and looked at the slide himself. "It... I guess I don't know what normal human blood cells look like." He frowned down at the sample. Looked boringly red, and round like cheerios or something. He didn't immediately stop looking, but kept staring down in disbelief. Elliott didn't really hear her offer to look at his hands. His focus was on the microscopic level.

Elliott wanted to zoom in, to find something, anything to prove her wrong. His entire world view was based on this one little detail. His status as an outsider. The fact he wasn't so concerned about humanity, or "laws". He didn't zoom, though. The vision of getting too close and smearing his blood all over the lens kept him scared straight.

"Isn't there supposed to be some sort of X gene or something, if it's mutant blood?" Elliott asked curiously. No. That was stupid. "If there were giant red xs in mutant blood, I'd probably have heard of it. That was a dumb question-- hold on."

Maybe his blood was like him. Paranoid, unwilling to show itself until it felt comfortable. Or maybe it had something to do with the unstable nature of the growth. Or maybe, just maybe, he'd been staring at it too long. But did the red blood cells have a kind of yellowish or greenish tinge to them? To hell with it. "I'm increasing magnification." They had to go deeper.

With the increase magnification, he could definitely see the tinge, and also... there was a purplish dot in the center of some of the cells. A dark purple dot in the center... "What is that? A Noocles?" He hadn't ever been much of a good student when it came to biology. So what if he didn't know how to pronounce the nucleus of the cell? Or its significance. He had found it. "I have no idea what this means."

Amphibians have a nucleus in the center of their cells. Grasshoppers have yellowish or greenish "blood"... though it's mainly used for transporting waste, since they've got an open circulatory system. But he sure as heck didn't know any of that. All he saw was weird red blood cells with a greenish tinge, and some of them had a noocles. He wasn't the biology teacher here. He was just the student. Maybe she could have a look. He stepped back to give Xavia room.

She blinked, then she took over looking into the microscope. Uhhh, how had she missed that?? She pulled away and was all... excited... "I t'ink you mean nucleus... You look to be bot' part bug, part amphibian. I t'ink t'at is your answer... Amphibians can stick to t'ings..." She pulled away, itching to take notes... And then the urge won out. She moved as fast as a twin carrying woman could to find a pen, opened the older book and wrote down a few notes... "T'at has to be t'e answer. How could I not have figured it out before... Our blood cells... Our blood... Different cells wit'in us, t'ey evolve, WE evolve...!"

She looked at him with that spark in her eyes, raking her fingers through her bright hair. "It doesn't answer how to train yourself how to control new abilities, I think t'at is a matter of practicing... But t'ink about, you can train yourself to climb like a tree-frog!"

"But don't tree frogs have mucus on their skin to help them climb? I'd much rather climb like a spider. You know? Do what they can?"

She was really excited. He didn't mean to be a Debbie Downer. But practicality is important. He had enough trouble with the saliva on his hand tongues. He didn't need to start leaking mucus through his pores. It would probably smell, too. And he'd need to keep his palms and feet hydrated, lest they dry out. It all seemed less useful that clinging to a wall like a bug.

"Bugs are cool, though. How about we check out my stuck hand under the scope to see if it's all hairy, or to see if there's snot making the knife stick?" Elliott suggested.

Hey, if she was all excited about science! He could give her an outlet to help her out. He was pretty sure his antennae made him more grasshopper than frog if her were a mutant. Which he wasn't sure on yet. But alien with human and frog and insect traits, sure. They could work through this on that thought.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look, but we need t'e big scope, your hand won't fit ot'erwise..." She pointed toward the big one that looked way too heavy for a pregnant woman to be carrying, but she went to get it unless he stopped her from doing so. She grunted at the weight of it and moved to set it on the table, unplugging the first and plugging the second. She gestured toward it then and said, "By all means," she was itching to write more notes without naming names, of course.

"I am sure t'ere are more factors t'an just blood, like all cells in your body contributing somehow. I knew it would be somet'ing staring me right in t'e face. Do you know how long I have tried to find t'is answer? It is maddening. T'ink of all t'e kids I can teach wit' t'is new information!" Indeed, that was what excited her. She was too happy at the moment for him to be able to burst her bubble or pee on her rainbow.

He certainly didn't want to piss on any rainbows. What he did want to do was help her move the heavy microscope. When she started moving towards it, he stepped up and assisted best he could with one good hand and a hand containing a wrapped knife. She was pregnant. She didn't need to be doing any heavy lifting.

Once they got it to where she wanted it, Elliott left setting up the microscope to Xavia. She was acting very happy scientist right at that moment, which was better than mad scientist because of the improved mood. While he didn't think she'd use his data for evil, or monetary gain, he kind of felt like risking himself, as a sort of 'thank you.'

"You can, uh... use my data." He started weakly. "If you think it'll be useful to you. If you keep me as anonymous. For science. And as a sort of thank you for trying to help me out." There. That had come out awkwardly enough, with him scratching his neck and standing there like a tool. But she was so happy, and she seemed to think it was the next best thing to the missing link. It would help people... and honestly, he was trying to do that more often, these days. Trying to avert cosmic karmic backlash.

Once she was done reacting, he stepped forward, rolling up one sleeve. "Now let's do this." He said bravely, sticking out his knifey hand and removing the wrap. He thrust it out for her to examine.

If she examined closely, she'd be able to note more similarities to a grasshopper (or other wall-climbing insects) than she would a tree frog. Without getting too deeply into scientific descriptions-- grasshoppers have pads on their legs that have air sacs, which help reduce impacts when landing, as well as provide a sort of grip or suction. Many creatures (such as spiders) have tiny hairs on their legs that allow them to grip the microscopic bumps and fissures on a surface. And certain animals, like flies, also secrete an oily substance around the tip of the hairs, which helps provide traction as well as stickiness for adhering to surfaces. Elliott had some weird bastardized pseudo-scientific mutant amalgamation of all of that. The end result was that his skin had tiny microscopic hairs, his skin had some insulation from impact via invisible air sacs on various pads on his feet and hands, and his skin's oil could be useful for sticking to crap. Or having it stuck to him. There. That didn't get too far into the science of WHY at all. If Xavia noticed even 1/10 of that, it'd blow her mind. But it probably wouldn't help Elliott learn the HOW of letting go. Maybe he'd need to try meditation and mind over matter?

Isn't science fun?!

She was... well... fascinated by what she saw... "I take it back, you can climb like a grasshopper." Her eyes were sparkling as she pulled away from the microscope. She took the handle of the knife, and said,"Okay... now...
If you are a grasshopper, imagine yourself climbing a wall. Close your eyes and picture yourself on t'e wall, pull your hand away from it." Hopefully the visualization would help him let go of the knife, she wanted to take more of a look without the knife.

"I already wrote it down wit'out specifying your name and the mutation. But t'ank you still. You have helped me immensely by asking me for help." She gave an excited smile and was going to take out her tape recorder out and record the notes to more of an extent. Man, science really was fun!

Frog, no. Grasshopper, yes! She was excited. What exactly did she see? He needed to take a look when he had a moment. He would have asked to look then and there, but Xavia was so enthusiastic about it all that she grabbed the knife handle and told him to try something out. It was a strange something. If he was a grasshopper, imagine himself climbing a wall... Well. It was certainly no weirder than him controlling it via his ki. That would have been neat. Maybe he could do both.

Elliott inhaled, and closed his red eyes. In his mind, he imagined his hand laid out like on a medical diagram. He imagined the various points on it, and mentally synced them up with the chakra points on the human body. Lines of energy ran through the picture in his mind, from finger tip down to wrist, and up the arm. They traveled throughout the body. He imagined the hand resting against a wall, then pictured himself moving it upwards like he were climbing. No dice. Maybe it hadn't worked because he wasn't actually against a wall? He said nothing. If what she was describing was him just using some sort of innate talent, accessed by envisioning himself doing an act, then maybe he could simplify it by attributing it to the right act.

As she walked away with her tape recorder, Elliott imagined something else. He imagined his foot, with a sock stuck to it. The foot was against the ground, as he stood. Elliott imagined stepping up, and away. He imagined leaving the sock behind. As he did that, he lifted his foot and loosened the muscles within it. He imagined the energy being withdrawn from the area, so it wasn't as focused. And the sock stayed on the ground.

Elliott repeated the same process, but with the knife. Since she'd gone off to mess with her tape recorder, he grabbed the handle with his free hand and pulled as he mentally "let go." The knife came free.

Well then. It was as simple as that. Mind over matter. Envisioning himself doing something. He set the knife down on the counter by the microscope, and looked to the professor.

"Should I try climbing a wall?" He asked.

".... Subject exhibits insect like abilities in that they can grasp and stick to objects using suction...." she said before hitting stop and pocketing the recorder. Damn, she wished she could take some pictures, but that would be going above and beyond what she was allowed to do with the information she had on hand. She mainly wanted to get things recorded so she didn't forget anything.

When she turned back, he had figured out how to get the knife and sock off of himself, which made her smile. Good, crisis resolved, right? Right. She looked at him as he asked her if he should climb a wall. "Maybe you should start practicing so you can learn to control your new abilities, perhaps. It is a good t'ing we did look under t'e microscope or you wouldn't know what to do at all. I am sorry t'at it frustrated you in t'e beginning and hope I helped in some way."

It was true, she did hope she helped him out because she knew how frazzled he'd felt earlier. "I would say to climb a wall wit' proper safety procedures to start... Don't climb high unless you know you can get down wit'out hurting yourself. If you t'ink t'ere is somet'ing else you can tell me about t'is, I would appreciate it... I will leave t'at up to you t'ough. Whatever you want to do." She gave a soft shrug and then said, "We should look at your hand now wit'out t'e knife..."

She moved back over and gestured, "You should look too, it's really neat."