Martha had taken off for a time, perhaps a week. Any time she left, she usually went back to the mansion lot before dark because she was driving a hoopty and didn't want to get caught on the road, broken down, in the dark. Unfortunately for her, the car was dead and she was left stranded. Granted, she had been okay, she had been in a safe place, but she wasn't ready for living with someone, even if he had been very kind to take her in. She tapped into her saved money and bought an army duffel, a tent, and a sleeping bag from a consignment shop, and a plastic tote box with wheels on it to fit things in that weren't clothes, packed all of the belongings out of her car, payed for it to be towed, and finally, paid for the cab to take her back to the mansion.

She was dropped off by said taxi and her belongings pulled out of the trunk, she needed to find herself a clearing so she wasn't sleeping in a tent where all could see so more questions could be asked... Then again, did she really want to sleep on the ground? It was one thing to sleep in a car, but the ground got cold, didn't it? She sighed and sat down on the tote, deciding that today would be the day she finally asked for help to get an rv.... A used one was fine.. She would be perfectly happy in one. 

So she caught the attention of someone and asked if they'd do her the favor of going to find Gemma, she explained she really couldn't go into the mansion due to her anxiety and even offered to pay the guy, which he declined the money but went for the rest. Martha sat anxiously on the tote at that point and waited.

This was not the first time someone came running to tell Gemma that there was a strange girl outside the Mansion with a whole lot of luggage. Students arrived to Xavier's in all kinds of ways, this one by far not being uncommon. It was slightly more surprising that the girl had asked for her specifically; she did not remember talking to anyone recently about arrivals or move-in dates. Not that it mattered. Gemma went where she was needed, and right now, she was needed outside - the girl did not want to come in.

The moment she recognized the face, she also knew why. Gemma smiled gently as she saw Martha with all her belongings, and walked over to give her a hug.

"Welcome back, Martha" she said, looking her over. All the luggage, but no car "Is everything okay?..."

"I..." Gemma surprised her by giving her a hug and she was surprised that she really wanted the hug and returned it like a kid to a mom. Maybe she lingered for a bit, and then finally pulled back. "My car died. I bought a tent and a sleeping bag, but the thought of sleeping on the ground is worse than sleeping in the car, and... I don't know... Can I take you up on the camper? I can't sleep on the ground or in a car anymore!" Especially not after sleeping in Richard's spare bed for a few days even though it kind of freaked her out to do so.

"I will give the rest of my money just for an old rv. That is all I need." That was close enough to a home, right? It had a kitchen, it had a place to sit, it could be driven, there was a bathroom, a shower, and a bed! The thought of that was so nice that she wouldn't even care how ugly the furniture was, she would cover it up and decorate it and have a place of her own!

The girl hugged her back, and Gemma allowed her to take as long as she needed. Hugs were healthy, and good for people, and especially when one so reserved as Martha wanted one, she was not going to object. She could tell that Martha was still upset about something.

>>"I... My car died. I bought a tent and a sleeping bag, but the thought of sleeping on the ground is worse than sleeping in the car, and... I don't know... Can I take you up on the camper? I can't sleep on the ground or in a car anymore!"

"Of course you can." she nodded with a smile. The offer still stood, she had promised her that much.

>>"I will give the rest of my money just for an old rv. That is all I need."

"I'll tell you what. Hold on to your money, and let's see what we can find. I told you the Mansion has funds for it... but if you insist on paying for it, you can do it later, in installments, how is that?" Gemma smiled, pulling out her phone "Give me a minute, let's see what I can come up with."

Gemma had contacts. This was not the first time she was helping someone find a home of this kind. In fact, she knew an organization that renovated and decorated RVs for people in need, and sold them for low prices, using their income to renovate some more. They worked wonders, and created lovely little homes, clean, and with all the modern necessities. It took her a few calls to get through to them, but she knew exactly how to negotiate a short notice delivery, especially on Xaviers' funds. Hanging up, she walked back to Martha with a smile.

"Well, that's that. There is a place that has RVs ready for moving in. Would you like to go and take a look at them before we bring one here?"

"Oh my goodness, thank you..." she said as Gemma got through making her phone call. When Martha heard her ask if she wanted to see any of them first, she said, "I am grateful just to have one. It could be ugly as sin and I would still be grateful." And it was true. The car she had been driving might have been old and ready to go, but she had made something out of it, hadn't she? She was going to make it hers regardless of what it looked like.

"I tried to sleep in someone's guest bed, and he was sweet for letting me... But I didn't feel right about that either..." Even though he was glad to let her.

>>"Oh my goodness, thank you... I am grateful just to have one. It could be ugly as sin and I would still be grateful."

"Well... I am sure we can do better than ugly." Gemma chuckled, sending some messages from her phone. The guy knew her enough to know what she was asking for, and she asked for something nice and comfortable for a young lady. Whatever they delivered, it would not be ugly as sin. Of course, Martha would just have to contend with that when it arrived.

>>"I tried to sleep in someone's guest bed, and he was sweet for letting me... But I didn't feel right about that either..."

"We'll figure out what feels right." Gemma promised "But it is good that you know people like that. While we wait... would you like some tea, or some food?"

Did she even need to ask if she wanted food? Martha never turned down food. "Sounds good to me," she said quietly about the food. She took a deep breath and said, "What do I do? I don't want you to keep bringin' me stuff, Gemma. Do I have to stay in if I go in?" She was willing to try going inside if it meant eating, which was going to be hard but Gemma wasn't her mother and was most certainly not her maid, therefor she wasn't comfortable with asking her to get food for her again. She just had to try and pull her big girl pants on, right?

Martha licked her lips and stared at the mansion, then squared her shoulders and grabbed her duffel and tote. Enough was enough.

Gemma could tell that Martha was hungry, but she waited patiently for the girl to make up her mind. She did not like being inside the building, and Gemma was more than willing to bring food out, but it had to be her choice, either way.

>>"Sounds good to me... What do I do? I don't want you to keep bringin' me stuff, Gemma. Do I have to stay in if I go in?"

"No. You don't have to stay anywhere." Gemma shook her head "You can come in just to eat. In fact, the kitchen has a back door to the garden, I can leave that open if it makes you feel better. The weather is nice out here anyway."

She gave a nod and then said, "I can do this... I need to stop being weird." And then she, with a determined looked, grabbed the handles of the things that held all of her worldly possessions and started to walk toward the Mansion. The closer she got, the more hesitant she was, and she kept making sure that Gemma was with her the whole way. . It was like she really wanted to try, but part of her held back, though not enough to stop her when it came time to crossing the threshold of the edifice. Through the hallways, she had to let Gemma navigate, but they were soon in the cafeteria, and a shaky-from-nerves Martha stood there, sweat glistening on her face from the intensity of her nerves getting to her, but by golly, she was in there...

>>"I can do this... I need to stop being weird."

"As you wish." Gemma could see the determination in Martha's face, but she could also see the anxiety. She had to do this to herself, to prove that she could do it, and Gemma did not have to do anything other than support her as she worked through her fears. They walked quietly together, into the building and then on to the kitchen. Once there, Gemma opened the back door that opened to the little garden, and fresh air came in, mixed with some flowery scents. She pulled out a chair for Martha.

"Welcome to the Mansion building" she smiled, and set a glass of cold water down on the table "What would you like to eat?"

"I dunno, pizza..? Never had it. What's it like? I don't have to have that, just... whatever is available." She shrugged and had to keep her eyes cast downward and such because she was literally trembling at the moment, very clammy, and not having an easy time at all of being in there. She had to let go of her things at one point and sit down heavily on her tote even though chairs were available. Last time she had been in the building, she had the worst panic attack of her life and she was trying very hard not to have another.

Gemma could see that it took physical effort for Martha not to bolt out of the building. She sat down heavily, trying to stay, but it was not unlikely that she might pass out at some point, or get a panic attack. Gemma was prepared to deal with both, but she really wanted to see neither.

>>"I dunno, pizza..? Never had it. What's it like? I don't have to have that, just... whatever is available."

"Pizza?" Gemma checked the fridge "Only the frozen kind. It might take a bit."

She pulled the box out of the freezer, set the frozen pizza in a pan, and then put it in the stove with the appropriate settings. Once that was done, she walked over to Martha again.

"Do you want to sit on the stairs while we wait? It's nicer outside." she offered, nodding towards the open door, with a few steps leading into the garden.

Gemma didn't have to tell her twice. She was outside quickly, though left her stuff inside... She did, however, reach for her violin and a blanket to sit on, because... well... dirt. So she was laying down said blanket before sitting down with her fiddle, pulling it out of the case and looking at Gemma. "You said you wanted to see, right? I can show ya if you want." It would help her focus on something other than freaking out. The powers didn't necessarily have to happen, just... the music. It really did help to level her out when she was in midst of angsty, panicky feels like right then.

Yeah, she spent a moment tuning the thing by ear, and already relaxed.

Martha visibly relaxed as she walked outside, and picked up her violin. They seemed to be two things, fresh air and music, that made her feel more comfortable. She'd have to remember that.

>>"You said you wanted to see, right? I can show ya if you want."

"Yes, please." Gemma smiled. She was curious. About the music, as much as the powers, and most of all to see how Martha would change when she was not being anxious. She stepped back and leaned against the door frame, making sure she left enough space between herself and the girl for her to use her powers. If she wanted to.

She nodded, then took a deep breath. The violin was moved into place, as was the bow. She closed her eyes and just... played... She breathed into the music, relaxed, lost herself... It was like night and day, this girl who bared her anxieties without meaning to, poured a deeper part of her soul into the music, a deep part that sometimes even brought tears to her eyes depending on the piece. She moved gracefully, not faltering, not hitting a sour note, for it was a practiced song she had memorized. The violin was alive because of her playing, and within a small amount of time, even though she paid no heed to the objects around her, things began to move around her... There was hardly a breeze, yet the leaves on the nearest tree began to sway like the wind blew... The petals that had fallen from flowers began to circle through the air around her, aloft on some force that should have been wind. Her expression was that of angst, her heart poured into every note, measure, crescendo and diminuendo that she played.

Martha wasn't even trying to show off... she didn't like to show off... The things moving just happened. If she had wanted to show off, she would most certainly do so, but it was clear that the moving objects were not even on her mind like they would be for the onlooker. It was beautiful, possibly even breathtaking if one was so inclined to stop breathing for a moment. This was what she had used to escape the hurts in her world, this little fiddle in her embrace. Indeed, tears did roll down her face because the song was a sorrowful one and she cried because it touched her heart.