Gemma could tell before Booker started talking that she had stumbled upon a painful memory. It was common for mutants to have traumatic experiences attached to the first time they manifested powers, but adapteds, at least in her experience, were usually better off, since negating a power was less likely to cause havoc than manifesting one. Still, she could read the non-verbal cues in Booker's stance and expression, even before he told her his story.

>>”Umm, it was college. A good friend of mind, Jamal, said he was a mutant. But that he was scared of his powers. Could makes things explode…I guess. Finals were getting rough, he was worried he was going to lose his scholarship, worried about telling his parents, etc.. And…at a frat party…well…he lost control.”

Gemma's eyes took on a compassionate look as she listened to the story. She vaguely remembered news about a frat house explosion from a while ago, but no mention of mutant powers was ever published about it, so it had flown under her radar. She felt sorry for Jamal for having powers that dangerous, and not knowing what to do about them; she also felt sorry for him being in a situation where he lost control, and where other people were harmed as a result.

>>”Frat house went up… Three guesses who walked out without a scratch?”

"I am sorry." Gemma said honestly, placing a hand on Booker's shoulder for a moment before she went back to making coffee. She instinctively made two mugs, and left one on the counter for Booker to pick up if he wanted "That is a difficult thing to go through...
and especially if you did not know you had powers before that."

It wasn’t Booker’s favorite thing to talk about but therapy and time had allowed the man the ability to actually discuss the events of that not on the rare occasion. It wasn’t something that he brought up all the time, but still, when he came across a situation like this, he could talk about it to a certain extent. Besides, he would have regretted not bringing up, honestly, how he had developed as an adapted. If not, this whole meeting would have been a waste. He wanted Gemma to know how he had discovered his abilities, it only so that he could have a better understanding what he was.

The best way to do that was with swapping stories and telling the truth.

>> "I am sorry."

He must have looked a bit downtrodden at bringing this subject up. An air of calm surrounded the older woman and soon enough he felt her hand upon his shoulder. He looked up, catching her eyes and giving her a soft smile of gratitude. He understood why she was a school counselor, it took someone with caring, compassion, and patience to work with kids; that was especially true with mutant kids. Honestly he couldn’t have been more impressed with the woman.

As she stepped away, a mug of coffee was left steamy off to the side. Shyly he looked between her and it when, when he got the feeling that it was okay, he reached over and carefully picked it up in his hands. It felt warm and safe, and really did smell amazing. Again, he was grateful to this woman as he lifted the mug up and took a careful sip. It was exactly what he needed.

>>"That is a difficult thing to go through...and especially if you did not know you had powers before that."

He nodded his head. ”Yeah, you’re telling me,” he said with a bit of a half-hearted scoff. He needed to push past Jamal and the incident. So he tried to think of more current instances. ”I mean, it has come in handy. Was a kid a few months back. I guess his powers developed when he got frustrated in the library I work at. Almost burned the place down but, when I walked up to him, he just…sorta smoldered off.” He shrugged. ”Not that it doesn’t have its challenges. Almost killed Rebecca once.” he snorted.

Again, he got back into the killing of a member of the X-Men. God, maybe he was a disaster after all. He remembered the incident clear enough. He had ben lounging on the couch in his apartment, unaware that his sister was expecting a guest. When she tried to fly in through the window, cutely, she immediately passing into his field. The clatter and scream she let off as she fell onto the fire escaped startled all of them. Rebecca learned from then to always go via the front door.

Another sip and she shared a smile with Gemma. He probably should explain. ”When Rebecca was dating my sister, she tried to fly through the window and didn’t realize I was there.” He a goofy grin plastered across his face because, even though it was terrifying, at least she was alive – and it was pretty funny. ”Luckily she managed to grab onto the fire escape.”

>> ”Yeah, you’re telling me. I mean, it has come in handy. Was a kid a few months back. I guess his powers developed when he got frustrated in the library I work at. Almost burned the place down but, when I walked up to him, he just…sorta smoldered off.”

Gemma nodded. Now that sounded familiar. She had put out literal fires before with her power, as well as figurative ones, by going near mutants who lost control of an ability, or their emotions, or both. It was not just about the aura; it was also about presence, something that needed practice and courage. It appeared that Booker - who was a librarian?... - knew how to use his powers for good. "I have had experiences like that too. They taught me how the adapted field can be useful for others..."

>>”Not that it doesn’t have its challenges. Almost killed Rebecca once.”

Gemma blinked, arching an eyebrow. Whatever kind of a friendship these two had, it had to be quite the story.

>>”When Rebecca was dating my sister, she tried to fly through the window and didn’t realize I was there. Luckily she managed to grab onto the fire escape.”

Gemma chuckled a bit, against her better judgment, and shook her head.

"Yes, that sounds familiar too... I usually announce my powers to mutants I meet before they walk into it, just in case. I still cause some trouble sometimes... But I also found many ways that I can help. Some are more heroic than others." she chuckled "There are kids who can only really sleep within my aura. So we set up a bed on the other side of the wall from my bedroom..."

Booker scrambled fast to explain his anecdote about almost killing Rebecca. That was twice he now mentioned amicicide with only the vaguest explanations. Gemma’s arched eyebrow was enough to prove to him that her suspicious curiosity had been piqued. He was lucky that was all it was and that the woman wasn’t actually just trying to lure him into the house so she could conk him on the head and leave him locked in some broom closet while the police arrived.

Wait, she dated a police officer, didn’t she? Great, he would probably end up knocked out and handcuffed within moments of walking in through the front door! So, seeing as he didn’t want to explain all this on the way to the precinct, Booker dove head first into an explanation…

It was fairly simply enough. Mistakenly, Rebecca attempted to fly into the Bookman apartment without realizing what Booker was or that he was even home. Upon reaching the window, next to the chair where he was already sitting, his adapted field had conflicted with her magnetic field and she felt. Booker was startled but reached fast enough to climb out and help the cursing redhead back into the apartment.

That had been a hell of a meeting between the two of them, who had only known each other by name and the briefest glance of pictures.

Gemma took his story in stride, even grinning as if to say that this was also something that she was experienced in. A breath of relief and Booker returned to sipping his coffee.

>> "Yes, that sounds familiar too... I usually announce my powers to mutants I meet before they walk into it, just in case. I still cause some trouble sometimes... But I also found many ways that I can help. Some are more heroic than others…There are kids who can only really sleep within my aura. So we set up a bed on the other side of the wall from my bedroom..."

He nodded, listening. It was true, to announce your presence was probably the best bet but it wasn’t as if he knew a lot of mutants. That really seemed to be a more recent development. Booker had run into so many mutants lately, not just on the street or randomly out in the world, but actual known mutants. Rebecca, Juliette, Maya, it just seemed like Booker was collecting experiences with mutants. Odd.

Grinning at admitting to allow students to sleep in an adjoining bedroom, Booker couldn’t help but shake his head. ”This is why you are an amazing counselor.” He beamed. However, thinking about how adapteds affected others, he couldn’t help but think of Juliette and the requirements of her mutation. He sighed at the realization of something he undoubtedly already knew the answer to. ”So…I…I guess that means there’s no way to turn it off…?”

>>”This is why you are an amazing counselor.”

Oh, the guy was definitely a fan, no doubt about it. Gemma chuckled, not missing the moment when he picked up the mug of coffee, and moved over to the living room to take a seat. It was more comfortable to talk that way. She suspected they had a lot to talk about; even if Booker had most of his power figured out by now, sometimes it was good to just converse with someone else who had the same experience. And Gemma was curious about the young man too, and his friendship with mutants. X-men among them.

>>”So…I…I guess that means there’s no way to turn it off…?”

"Not that I know of." Gemma shook her head "I have never met an adapted that could turn it off at will, and I don't think there is a power out there that... cancels out... cancellation? I do know about mutants who boost others' powers, but I never heard of the opposite."

The moved out of the kitchen and deeper into the mansion. Holding the coffee mug in hand, the very same that he had initially said that he didn’t want, the librarian followed Gemma timidly as he took a sip. They were going deeper into the one place he knew that many fans like him would have given both arms to experience. Of course Booker wasn’t going full fanboy on Gemma (not yet), but more he was being as respectful as possible. This was his chance to talk to someone who possessed his same abilities and who could probably best answer his questions. How could he not listen to her?

As they moved into the living room, Booker held his breath at the opulence that was on display all around him. Everything looks absolutely amazing (and expensive). Part of him had to wonder that, since this was a school with growing mutant powers, exactly how much of it was easily replaced. But those were thoughts for another time and clearly not appropriate to the nice woman who was taking time out of her schedule to show him around.

With her taking a seat, Booker did the same (after a quiet little jaunt around the room) and sat nearby. Across from the older woman, Booker sighed as he took another sip of his coffee. There actually was something he was hoping that Gemma could answer for him; was it possible for an adapted’s abilities to be turned off?

>> "Not that I know of…I have never met an adapted that could turn it off at will, and I don't think there is a power out there that... cancels out... cancellation? I do know about mutants who boost others' powers, but I never heard of the opposite."

He sighed and nodded his head. ”I figured as much.” He took a second, warming his hands on the mug, turning it slowly in his grip, before he lifted his gaze back to her. ”Don’t get me wrong. I mean, I’m grateful for what I am. Clearly I wouldn’t be standing here. But…” the topic felt a little awkward but he did feel a need to explain. ”…I’m kinda dating someone who is a mutant right now, and, when she’s in my aura she’s absolutely fine but onces she’s out…” His lips twisted a little sadly thinking about the pain Juliette seemed to go through the second she was away from him. ”…it’s not fun to watch. Just…” he tilted his head as he looked at her. ”How do you do it? Knowing you effect someone like that?”

They settled in the living room with coffee. It seemed that Booker was generally a friendly person, but it was especially easy for him to open up about his powers when talking to Gemma. He clearly had more questions and concerns than the AMA could answer; but his eagerness to talk more, and his friendly personality, made Gemma think that the means of the AMA might have been questionable, but the idea was not entirely wrong.

>> ”I figured as much. Don’t get me wrong. I mean, I’m grateful for what I am. Clearly I wouldn’t be standing here. But…”

But, he had more to say. Gemma nodded with a small smile. Of course he did not hate his powers. If he was here, he had already moved past that, even if he ever felt it. But there was more to the story.

>>”…I’m kinda dating someone who is a mutant right now, and, when she’s in my aura she’s absolutely fine but once she’s out… …it’s not fun to watch. Just… How do you do it? Knowing you effect someone like that?”

"Well... that's a tough question." Gemma admitted. "As you... probably know, my fiancé is a mutant too. We are lucky that his powers... don't cause a problem like that. Quite the opposite, actually." he added, musing briefly about the times she had kept Jorge together "But I have worked with students for whom it was hard, or even painful, to be in my aura... And it is not an easy thing to negotiate. I would imagine it is worse, when it is an intimate relationship... What are her powers?..."

Booker didn’t want it to sound that he only wanted to talk to Gemma for relationship advice. It actually was an honest and true concern of his. He liked Juliette, a lot, and the fact that he was causing her any kind of discomfort was not something that he cared for. Still, the only alternative if he couldn’t turn off his mutation would be the break up with her but…that was something he really, really, really didn’t want to do. Juliette was sweet, trusting, and the kind of woman whom he truly wanted to be with. Besides, he doubted that she would actually accept a break-up on such grounds.

Which he was actually thankful for. Of course that meant he needed to just develop a tougher skin and accept that this was Juliette’s decision. However, he could use advice for how to do that, hence his reasoning in asking Gemma. He recalled that he was with a mutant too, a police officer with a reputation that that preceded him. How did they make it work?

>> "Well... that's a tough question."

He smirked. Someone sadly as he took another sip. ”Tell me about it,” he said with a soft sigh.

>> "As you... probably know, my fiancé is a mutant too. We are lucky that his powers... don't cause a problem like that. Quite the opposite, actually…But I have worked with students for whom it was hard, or even painful, to be in my aura... And it is not an easy thing to negotiate. I would imagine it is worse, when it is an intimate relationship... What are her powers?..."

Booker was quiet as he listened to Gemma’s explanation. He was right, she was with a mutant, engaged too. However the difference was that his powers didn’t seem to have a negative effect upon him when negated. His lips twisted downward a little – some people have all the luck. Still, he didn’t begrudge the woman for having a less difficult time than himself. He didn’t know her whole story, so it very well could be far tougher than she let on.

He gave her a soft smile and raised his cup to her. ”Congrats on the continued engagement. I was happy to hear he returned.” He sat back in his seat, though, as Gemma inquired after his own love interest. ”You might actually know her. Juliette? She works here as the health teacher.” A slightly proud smile at that. ”But she has to absorb light and, if she’s in my aura for too long, when she steps out…well, it looks almost painful.” He sighed, slightly defeated. ”Just…sucks…you know? Like, I can’t even comfort her. I have to do it from across the room.”

>>”Congrats on the continued engagement. I was happy to hear he returned.”

"Thank you" Gemma smiled, a little surprised that he knew that much. Sure, Jorge's reappearance was definitely news, and if he had friends in the Mansion, he would have known about the engagement too. It was not like either of them was trying to hide it or deny it. Still... it was nice of Booker to remember that. And it was definitely nice to have Jorge back again. She could scarcely believe it.

>>”You might actually know her. Juliette? She works here as the health teacher.”

Yet another surprise. Gemma blinked at the revelation, a little confused. Wasn't Juliette dating... Sam? She had not talked to Sam for a while (or seen him around) - the icemancer tended to avoid her for various reasons, so it was not a surprise, but now that she thought about it, she had not talked to Juliette either. Booker seemed like a nice guy, though, who clearly cared about her.

"Oh. Yes, I know her."

>>”But she has to absorb light and, if she’s in my aura for too long, when she steps out…well, it looks almost painful. Just…sucks…you know? Like, I can’t even comfort her. I have to do it from across the room.”

Gemma nodded thoughtfully. It had to be hard, in moments when one would want to hold a loved one the most, not to be able to go near them. She could see the genuine struggle in Booker's face.

"That sounds difficult" she said honestly "Have you... do you have an idea of how it affects her? I mean, in detail... does it get worse with the time she spends in your aura?"

When Booker had read the news story that Jorge Cervantes had been found after so many years, he was actually a bit surprised. He remembered reading about the man on the Birdwatcher sites and had figured that he had died in the line of duty, like everyone else. But when he showed up on that beach and was brought back into the city, he couldn’t have been more surprised, or thrilled. From what he had read about Jorge, the man seemed like a good man. It would have been a shame to lose him, not only for New York, but for Ms. Gemma Taylor too.

However, his admission that he was happy for the woman seemed to quirk her interest. She gave him a rather curious look but seemed thankfully nonetheless.

>> "Thank you"

It was clear that she was suspicious. So, again, Booker found himself having to explain another part of himself. Of course he didn’t really have to, but he figured he owed the woman for being so nice to him and answering all of his own questions.

”Sorry. Again, I’m not a stalker or anything,” he said with a sweet smile. ”I have an eidetic memory.” Photographic memory, as some called it. But it was more than just remembering a picture, it was…remembering everything. ”I remember…pretty much everything.” He sighed, momentarily drifting back to that night in the college before he pushed it away for another drink. ”Both good and bad…”

But that was enough about him. Their conversation pushed on and Booker went into talking about the difficulty of dating someone who is a mutant and the adverse side effects his powers have on them. Gemma was kind enough to understand, even going on about how her powers kept certain students away from her. He was lucky that his abilities didn’t affect Juliette all that bad. And he hoped that would never be the case.

Oh but where were his manners? When Gemma asked about whom he was dating, he revealed that it was another staff member here at the mansion, Juliette Lawson . Gemma seemed…surprised.

>>"Oh. Yes, I know her."

Another proud smile. He suspected that she may have had more questions about that but Booker wouldn’t jump the gun. He would talk, but only when Gemma actually asked. But she seemed understanding. The compassionate look on her face when she heard how difficult it was for him was all Booker needed to feel good about discussing it with her.

>>"That sounds difficult…Have you... do you have an idea of how it affects her? I mean, in detail... does it get worse with the time she spends in your aura?"

Booker sighed as he chewed on his lip. Jules had explained it a little but it was difficult to explain. So, taking a minute to organize his thoughts and focus in on the one conversation about this topic, he picked out what he could from his expansive memory.

”She’s still trying to figure it out. But, I think it drains her. I mean, so long as she is in my aura, she doesn’t feel it.” he explained. ”But the second I step away, she looks like she struggles to maintain herself. I’ve seen her do meditation, though, and it seems like it helps.” He sighed, taking one more sip before he looked up at Gemma. ”My moral compass wants me to walk away…” Wouldn’t she be better off with someone who didn’t make her feel like crap the second she was out of his presence? ”…but…I really, really like her.” Just thinking about Juliette, the smile that appeared on his lips was enough to show how much he actually did care. Life was a *itch, it seemed.

>>”She’s still trying to figure it out. But, I think it drains her. I mean, so long as she is in my aura, she doesn’t feel it. But the second I step away, she looks like she struggles to maintain herself. I’ve seen her do meditation, though, and it seems like it helps.”

Gemma nodded, listening to the details of how their powers worked so far. She made a mental note to take the time and check on what they had in their records about Juliette's power set. There might not be a solution to every problem, but in her experience, mutant abilities tended to evolve around obstacles, or just evolved in time in general. She really wanted to give Booker some hope to go on. He looked like he needed it.

>>”My moral compass wants me to walk away… …but…I really, really like her.”

Oh, he did. That was clear from the smile, and the look in his eyes. Gemma had seen it enough to know he was not lying. Jorge got the same look in his eyes sometimes, and those were her favorite moments.

"Well... I am sad to say it, but it sounds like it's not your decision." she told Booker "It's Juliette that has to decide if she wants to take on the work with her powers, and I don't think she would take kindly to you making that decision for her." If she wanted to take the pain with the good, it was up to her. No woman ever thanked a man for walking away 'for her own good.' Gemma smiled a little. "But I'll tell you that I have seen people work around powers in all kinds of ways. And powers, especially in people your age, tend to evolve on their own anyway. I don't think this is a lost cause."

Booker couldn’t help but smile a bit whenever he thought about Juliette. Really their story was only beginning but it had so many twists and turns that he could barely count them. He never in his life expected to meet such a woman. It did very much remind him of all those stories he would read, those tales of kismet where strangers reached for same newspaper or ordered the last of the same item on a menu and had their nice, awkward meet-cute. Only their involved a head injury and some light cheating. To each their own, he guessed.

Still, Booker was drawn to the woman and whenever they were together it felt absolutely amazing. As cheesy as it sounded, he fully expected there to be cartoon birds and forest creatures dancing and singing around him whenever he thought about her. His thoughts must have been evident on his face as Ms. Taylor shared the same, soft smile with him.

However, there was still that nagging sense of chivalry that wanted him to walk away from Juliette. She should be with someone that shouldn’t cause her pain, right? Why right did he have to keep her to himself when he could possibly kill her? They didn’t know the full extent of what his abilities could do to her and, frankly, he was a little scared to even think about it. But could he do that? Could he just walk away from what they had? Doubtful.

>> "Well... I am sad to say it, but it sounds like it's not your decision…It's Juliette that has to decide if she wants to take on the work with her powers, and I don't think she would take kindly to you making that decision for her."

He snorted and nodded his head. ”Trust me, I know that all too well,” he said with a partially defeated sigh. He cared about the woman and while he wanted what was best for her, that kind of thinking was a bit too dark ages for him to actually pull off. As much as he entertained the thought, planned for the heartbreak and the anger, in the end, he knew it wasn’t a trigger he wanted to pull.

Besides, if he so much as suggested that he knew better than her, she’d probably kick his butt from one side of the country to the other, powers or no.

>>"But I'll tell you that I have seen people work around powers in all kinds of ways. And powers, especially in people your age, tend to evolve on their own anyway. I don't think this is a lost cause."

He perked a bit, smiling when Gemma offered him a kind of hope. She made it work with Jorge, didn’t she? So it clearly wasn’t impossible. Even though every couple was different, he liked to think that something in the universe was rooting for him and Juliette. It may not be exactly true, but, he was willing to accept that was a possibility right now.

”Thanks,” he said gently. He then smirked, sipping his coffee. ”I kinda wish I had you as a guidance counselor for me and my sister.” he snorted as he sat back again the couch, thinking about his atrocious parents. ”We definitely could have used someone like you. Even though we’re not mutants.”

Booker seemed relieved by what she said about their relationship. Granted, Gemma was missing a whole lot of information, so her opinion was not nearly as professional as it could have been, but she at least found some words that gave the young man hope. The rest was up to them, and from what she knew so far, it was not an impossible task to deal with at all. Sometimes people just needed a little reassurance.

>>”Thanks. I kinda wish I had you as a guidance counselor for me and my sister. We definitely could have used someone like you. Even though we’re not mutants.”

"I worked with students long before I started working with mutants specifically" Gemma smirked, sipping her coffee. Counseling was a whole lot of work, made more complex by mutations - but that did not mean that mutant kids, or adults, were all that different. Quite the opposite, actually. "And I am always here if you want to talk. I don't think... no one expected adapteds to pop up, back when the school was first started. But now that we are around, I think it is a good place for anyone with special gifts, or powers. I don't believe that humans, mutants, and adapteds have to be some kind of an oppositional triangle..."

It was amazing how at ease he felt around this woman who, in all essence, was a perfect stranger. Of course he knew of the woman, and he had seen her AMA a couple of times when he was first learning what he was. But other than that, she really was a stranger to him. Just a recorded voice on the internet that managed to help him out during some of the toughest times of his life. Though he wanted to feel like he knew that woman, he didn’t, but he was certainly glad that he was getting the opportunity to now.

She really was a hell of a counselor. He wondered, briefly, what it would have been like if she had been the counselor at his high school, the person that he and his sister, Vanessa Berry, could have turned to during their toughest of times. Booker found solace with the woman, surely his sister, who by far had a much tougher time, would have found her a calming presence as well.

>> "I worked with students long before I started working with mutants specifically"

He nodded his head. Yes, she had mentioned that she had been a counselor in a regular school before. Still, he had to chuckle. ”Yeah but somehow I think my sister and I enrolling now would be a bit awkward.” He grinned at his joke.

Always the best timing.

>>"And I am always here if you want to talk. I don't think... no one expected adapteds to pop up, back when the school was first started. But now that we are around, I think it is a good place for anyone with special gifts, or powers. I don't believe that humans, mutants, and adapteds have to be some kind of an oppositional triangle..."

Booker took a second to contemplate. It was funny how that worked, wasn’t it? It was like the evolutionary version or Rock, Paper, Scissors. Mutants are stronger than Humans, Adapteds can turn off mutants, and Humans could probably best an Adapted; so, what, the world was now a giant game of Pocket-Mon? Of course he would end up as a normal type. Wait, or would he by a Psychic-type time? Okay, totally off the thought rails now…

”Thank you. I appreciate your invitation to talk.” He gave her a beaming smile. ”I’ve never met another adapted before, but I’m certainly glad I got to meet you.”

>> ”Yeah but somehow I think my sister and I enrolling now would be a bit awkward.”

Gemma chuckled at the light-hearted comment. The Mansion had residents of all ages; some making up for education they had missed for various reasons, and some staying after their classes ended to teach, or take on a job, or use the Mansion as their home while they went to college in the city. It would have been overly simplified to call Xavier's a grade school. And yet, she did not know his sister, but someone like Booker enrolling would have definitely raised some eyebrows.

>>”Thank you. I appreciate your invitation to talk. I’ve never met another adapted before, but I’m certainly glad I got to meet you.”

"I am glad we met too." Gemma nodded with a smile; it was time to find out more about the young man "So... you mentioned that you work at a library?"