Rivka slipped silently into the admissions office. She'd left her bags by the door at the suggestion of the guy working security who'd let her cab in the gate. Then he'd directed her up here. Abba had been called away on Official Business, and she'd had to make the flight from Washington to New York on her own. To make matters worse, getting her phone set up with a US cell provider had proven more challenging than expected, so she was in a strange country, without a working cell phone! How, exactly, did Abba expect his teen daughter to survive? 

All the same, she'd muddled through, and made it this far. He'd assured her that they'd be expecting her and everything would go smoothly. The security guy had squelched that though, when he said 'she wasn't on the list'. Not a good sign. 

Rivka's blue eyes darted about the office nervously, as she clutched the strap of her backpack for dear life. The petite girl waited for someone to take notice so she could figure out what she was supposed to do now. Abba told her she was enrolled. Maybe they'd spelled the name wrong? 

(open tag)

Things were hopping at the Mansion today. Some kids got into some mischief, some teachers went awol without canceling class, some paperwork, er... fell off the desk and got all scrambled. Maya had been dealing with things since early morning without taking a pause to get a bite. Eventually Ms. Taylor-Cervantes took pity on her and stopped by with a sandwich, but then Angua decided it was time for her to be let outside. Immediately.

Which is why, when the office door swung open, it was a slightly frantic Irish wolfhound who appeared first, narrowly avoiding the new girl, and barging down the hallway towards the exit; right behind her came the mirrorwalker in casual jeans and an X-men t-shirt, and a sandwich of considerable size stuffed into her mouth because damned if she was going to let go of her food right now. She also almost walked into the girl standing in the doorway, and had to do a double take before she realized it was not one of the usual suspects.

"Umpfh" Maya muttered, grabbing the sandwich with one hand "Sowwy. Dowg emewgency. Lookin fow somewone?"

Rivka took a hop back to get out of the way of the animal and avoid being run over, only to start to step forward and have to repeat the motion with the apparent owner. The new student's face scrunched up in worried confusion, as her eyes flicked from the enormous dog, to the woman with the sandwich and tried desperately to keep an eye on everything thing else at the same time too. Trying to interpret English was challenge enough for the girl, much less English ala Sandwich. 

She'd gone from holding on to the strap of the small backpack like a lifeline to something more defensive - a definite 'if that thing tries to eat me, I will club it with this bag' stance. She began to relax a teeny-tiny bit though, when the big slobbery... thing... made it clear it wanted out, not to eat her. Well, or a treat. Humans = Treats was pretty clearly written on its face, not to be confused with 'human As treat'. Still, she was pretty sure that kilo for kilo, the dog probably outweighed her. 

"Excuse? Am... new stuDent?" she hazarded, in thickly-accented English. She was wearing a white peasant-blouse, the top part of which laced up to a circular neckline that showed no more than her collarbones, and a dark blue midi skirt. She also wore a gold Star of David, which might help one pinpoint her accent as being Israeli in origin. 

Angua bolted for the door because she was a good dog who did not pee on the carpets, and left Maya alone with the girl she almost ran over. The teen looked a little lost.

>>"Excuse? Am... new stuDent?"

Maya blinked.

"Oh." she maneuvered the sandwich to the other hand and swallowed the bit as quickly as she could, before wiping her free hand on her shirt and offering it to the girl "Sorry about that. Hi. My name is Maya, I work here. I didn't... I don't remember a new student coming in today. Did you call ahead, or did you just walk in?"

Either was equally possible, given the state of the paperwork at the office. Maya kicked the door back open, and motioned to the girl to walk into the office and take a seat. Whatever the case, they would have to sort it out on the go.

Rivka gave her a worried little smile as she shook the woman's hand. 
"Please meet. Am Rivka Katzin" she replied, putting her palm on her chest to indicate herself. "Abba say, am registry as stuDent?" she explained to Maya, "security person, say am no record." She spoke slowly and cautiously, obviously trying to speak English correctly within her knowledge of it but struggling with words. Things like pronouns and adverbs seemed especially challenging if not downright lost on her. "Abba had duty, could no come" she concluded, shaking her head and wringing her hands. Her hair seemed to respond to the high-humidity by getting more curly, which caused it to bounce around her face when she moved. 

"Oh! Please forgive; Abba, it is father English" she clarified, or at leas tried to clarify. "United States few days. Never use English much but school class." The joy of trial-by-fire English as a Second language! In a strange country and city and a very strange school no less! She seemed to have a habit of often accenting the second syllable in a word, some more than others. 'Student' in particular was falling victim to this, making it sound like she was talking about someone from the old joke about "Stu Dent". 

She looked to be in her mid-teens, and carried herself pretty well, considering the rather overwhelming situation she'd wound up in. When she wasn't clutching the strap of the pack, she seemed inclined to talk with her hands. 

The girl was a new student, which was obvious from how she looked more than a little lost. She did not look like someone who just walked off the street, though. The Mansion got students of all kinds, who ended up at the doorstep for various reasons. Some of them actually applied and registered, like average people. Leave it to the paperwork to lose the one that did not just walk in the front door...

>>"Please meet. Am Rivka Katzin. Abba say, am registry as stuDent? security person, say am no record. Abba had duty, could no come"

Maya blinked.

>>"Oh! Please forgive; Abba, it is father English. United States few days. Never use English much but school class."

"That's okay, you're doing great" Maya smiled, shuffling through the papers on the desk "So, your father registered you with us?..." there had to be a record of that "Sorry, it has been a mess here lately. Give me a second." she sat down, turning the computer on to check "You are moving in, I assume? Would you like to tell me a little about yourself?"

"Yes, am board student" nodding as she replied, meaning she was living onsite as a boarding-school student, and not realizing how it sounded as she'd said it. Truth was, she was a bright student that would keep teachers on their toes, but she really was not difficult to engage. 
"Ab...ah, Father working the Israeli embassy Washington. No can, ah... what word? Go back, forth?" she continued, her big green eyes looking puzzled. She was sure there was a specific word, but couldn't remember it at first. "Ah! No can convolute!" Well, it was close at least. 

"Am 15, one child, birthday December. Discover am...different...week ago. Move US already plan. Is big, ah, job move?" she told the woman, her shoulders and hands indicating 'there wasn't anything we could do but move'. "Abba find school when arrive" Rivka explained. She'd actually let go of the backpack and set it on the floor next to her chair. Her hands were in constant motion now, as she tried to get her point across. She was sitting very neatly in the chair, not slouched like some of her peers. 
"No sure who father talk"

She took a deep breath, then blurted out "Control... bubbles" as if she were confessing to stealing state secrets or something. Despite her best friend Tamar's assurance that it was going to be okay, she was still sure she was going to be treated like a leper from now on. 


ooc: feel free to misinterpret and quiz to your heart's content.
Mirror Grey-Morris

Maya poked the computer awake, hoping that whoever registered the student logged it appropriately. It would have been embarrassing to start again from scratch. being new was hard enough.

>>"Yes, am board student. Ab...ah, Father working the Israeli embassy Washington. No can, ah... what word? Go back, forth? Ah! No can convolute!"

Embassy.
...
Very embarrassing.

Maya blinked.

"Um... commute?..."

>>"Am 15, one child, birthday December. Discover am...different...week ago. Move US already plan. Is big, ah, job move?... Abba find school when arrive. No sure who father talk"

The girl was just full of surprises. Also, Maya already forgot her last name. Dammit.

"Wait, you manifested a week ago?..."

>>"Control... bubbles"

Blink.

"... come again? Did you say bubbles?..."

"Apology. Not word want. COMmute" she said carefully. Convolute? Was it even a word? She thought perhaps it was, but wasn't sure now. She'd have to dig out her English-Hebrew dictionary later, unless Abba got her dratted phone working! 

Rivka quirked her head to one side. Mani...what? "Am sorry; man-na-fast?" she asked, looking genuinely confused. 

Rivka nodded solemnly, wringing her hands in her lap with her knees pushed together. The way she looked, one would have thought she was sitting at a detectives desk, being questioned about shoplifting or something. 

"Bought bubble, ah... soup?" she began to explain. Soup, soap... close enough, "ah... 8 day past? Blew bubbles balcony. Imagine in one...was in, look out. Float above pool when got out. Fell to pool. Splash!" She did move her hands to indicate the rather lucky splash-down that had saved her from injury, but not embarrassment. Then she folded her hands in her lap again, though she immediately began to fidget, looking apologetic and worried what this stranger might think, apparently forgetting that this was now the norm where she was living!

Mirror Grey-Morris

>>"Am sorry; man-na-fast?"

The girl had some trouble with English words. It had to be difficult, being a new mutant and also being new to the USA. Or boarding school. Especially all of the above.

"Manifest. It's when your powers activate."

But really, bubbles?

>>"Bought bubble, ah... soup? ah... 8 day past? Blew bubbles balcony. Imagine in one...was in, look out. Float above pool when got out. Fell to pool. Splash!"

Bubble soup?

Maya blinked, trying to pry the meaning from her account. She looked a little embarrassed about the whole thing, as if she had done something wrong, or if she thought her powers were lame. Because bubbles...

"Oh!" she finally caught on "You floated inside a bubble? I knew someone like that once..."

"Ah! Yes, power manna-fest week past" Rivka said with a nod and a sigh of relief that she was getting the gist of the conversation. A shy smile crept onto her face, as she was glad to have someone to talk to about this. Then it dawned on her to use a visual aid. She dug in her purse for a few seconds, and produced a bottle of bubble stuff. The writing was in Hebrew, but the pictures made it clear what it was. 

She held it up triumphantly, saying "Bubble soup!" Hopefully she wouldn't try sipping it. 

Rivka was actually getting past her shyness a little, holding up a finger for 'just a moment'. She took out the plastic wand and blew a couple of bubbles, then took control of them. She had them obediently float in front of Maya. 
"Touch. No break" she said with a little shrug and a nod at the bubbles which hovered in the air. 

Then what Maya had said sunk in slowly. "No...you see ah, ah... again?" She looked astonished and, well, relieved. CS Lewis once said "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What! you too? I thought I was the only one.'

>>"Ah! Yes, power manna-fest week past. Bubble soup!"

Okay so the communication was not going super smoothly, but Maya at least got the gist. Once the bubble stuff made an appearance, it was also easier to see what she meant by 'soup.' Soap bubbles. Now, there was a new one... Maya never ceased to be amazed at what nature came up with, in terms of mutations...

>>"Touch. No break"

Maya watched as the bubbles floated over to her, as directed. It was kind of eerie. She poked at one of them carefully.

>>"No...you see ah, ah... again?"

"Before. I've seen bubble powers before." Maya nodded "It was a while ago... I had a friend who could make his own bubbles. And float in them." she looked at the bubbles, then at Rivka "So... how do you like your new powers?"

"Am... no sure" she confessed, with an awkward half-smile, while her brow creased in a display of worry. "Easy before. Abba, ah..." she paused, correcting herself to the English word, "Ah - father - he find you school. No mutant, school close to your Washington?" she said, with a great variety of gestures to go along with it. Her meaning seemed to be that if not for being a mutant, she'd be going to school closer to Washington, presumably DC since there was so much more international activity there and it was only 4 hours away. 

"Float bubble fun...Float bubble is fun" she corrected her sentence, as she admitted to some fondness for this new ability with a tiny smile. Perhaps, as she learned to use it, it would get better? "No like when pop. Perhaps learn no pop?" she asked wishfully. If she could do that, they might have some value, but she couldn't count on getting lucky and falling in a pool next time! 

Mirror Grey-Morris

That was always the big question - did someone like their powers? Some people thought it was awesome to be a mutant, some thought it sucked, and some thought it was good, but did not like their own specific powers. Whatever the case, it was a good starting point for a conversation with a prospective student.

>>"Am... no sure. Easy before. Abba, ah... Ah - father - he find you school. No mutant, school close to your Washington?"

"So... you're here because of your powers." Maya summarized. She would have been closer to DC, had she not manifested. Talk about timing.

>>"Float bubble fun...Float bubble is fun. No like when pop. Perhaps learn no pop?"

"I am sure we will get there" Maya grinned "One of the things we do here, at the school, is help you learn about your powers, and learn how to control them. Maybe floating is not all you can do. We can work on that." she paused "So... what are your plans for the future? With the powers, or without them? Did you have any... um, careers you'd like to have?"

   >"So, you're here because of your powers?"
"Um Hmm" Rivka replied with a nod and a smile. She was nervous, but excited also. Even if she'd stayed in Washington, she'd of been in school somewhere, though perhaps not a boarding school. She wasn't dumb though; she knew her father probably preferred her not being around all the time, as he'd be busy and she'd be unsupervised. Here, there was a full time staff. 

   >"So, what are your plans for the future?" 
Deer in the headlights. She hadn't been expecting that question, and froze momentarily. Was this going to be on the record? 
"Umm... must serve IDF when graduate. Then, um, not sure. Would like be doctor; Abba like career officer. No decide yet." It was probably the biggest point of contention in her and her father's relationship. Ever since the formation of the country, there'd been at least one career military member in the Katzin family. But she was an only child, with thoughts and aspirations of her own. It would likely be the subject of a lot more 'discussion' before the matter was fully settled. The inner turmoil of the whole matter easily showed on the girl's expressive face. 

"No thought about use powers after school?" she said with a shrug and a slightly trapped look. She was only just getting used to the idea of having them. What to do with them hadn't really crossed her mind just yet.