Mae could not sit still, even as she looked at herself in the mirror, Black dress pants and a white button down silk blouse with a black blazer over it. She was confident she could do the work but did fear what the Mansion might say on her relatively low experience as well as her only having her powers such a short time. She glanced at her wrists the skin flaps closed like trap doors but she could spot the lines separating the skin flaps from where the tendrils would slid out. As she focussed on them the infrared tendrils slid out the right one banging off the sink which caused Mae to yelp in pain and rub the tendril. She grimaced a bit at the strange lubricating liquid, it was mostly water though something it it made it cling to the tendrils. Rubbing it anyway she focused making them retract.

She made sure her hair was right one last time, secured in a prim and proper bun and left her apartment, checking her phone as it beeped to see her mom wishing her luck. She had never actually been in the mansion but had seen pictures of it and knew it was rather large and that most students and Teachers lived within which considering the rent in the city would be helpful on her pocket book as well. She glanced at her arms she could feel the tendrils
subtle movements in her arm and it sorta felt like a worm or snake was in her arm but she ignored it.

Making it to her car she was glad she had left early as traffic was a nightmare, still she arrived almost did teen minutes early and took a moment to check her purse to make sure she had everything, even a folder with her resume and accolades and proof she made it through collage though she doubted any of them were really needed as she had submitted all her info online.

All right Mae, remember English, stay focused and keep the tendrils out of control. won't look good to lose control well interviewing to help
mutant children learn the same thing"

[/color] she said to herself to calm her nerves as she waited for someone to let her in. She heard a
[/div]beep a few minutes later. "It's Mae here for an interview to teach history" she said in her most confident voice. She glanced through the bar's and saw a kid who looked to be made of sand and another who looked like a squirrel of some sort. She smiled brighter at seeing them and even noted a very patient Black at watching the two kids play at the far end of the mansion in her sight.

Gawain made an exhausted sound as the comm rang and he was told his appointment had made an appearance. This was supposed to be Mrs. Taylor-Cervantes' job, but Gemma was out for the day. Still, the Mansion needed new teachers, dedicated, good people, and the faculty was taking turns interviewing them. Today, it was Mirror's turn to substitute for Gemma. Hence, and appointment with a prospective teacher, a Miss... uhhh. He did not have time to read the file.

Iris was teething. Which was a painful experience to begin with, but today, it was especially exhausting: the baby's brand new canines had turned into... actual, feral canines. And so did Gawain's, who was now getting an inkling of what it felt like to be a werewolf. He hurried down the hallway so that he could at least meet the new teacher at the office door, pretending that he was on top of... everything. Iris, in the baby carrier, was making gurgling noises and happily chewing on a dog toy.

"Helloooo" Gawain huffed, running a hand through his hair as he noticed the well-dressed young woman in front of the office. Iris, who was facing out in the baby harness, blinked at the stranger curiously. "Sorry for the wait, I'm playing catchup today." he offered a hand, after wiping it on his shirt. "Gawain Morris. Mansion faculty. Welcome to Xavier's." he opened the office door for her. "Please, make yourself at home, uh, miss...?"

Her eyes were drawn not at first to the person coming to the office door but to the fact they had a child with them. It caught her off guard at first but as she considered it it did make sense, after all Teachers tended to live at the Mansion and so any children would need to do so as well. She had little experience with small children other then a few of of her nieces and nephews but had grown up an only child. She had never really considered children herself.

"Hello Mr. Morissen, it is good to meet you, My name is Mae Durchdenwald, Mae will be fine out of the class room. It is really nice to be here" she said, even as she felt her coils move within her arm. She looked around taking in the office and the Mansion itself. It would be an adjustment but one she was confident she could make, her mind almost itched for more however.

She went into the office with a smile and looked around curiously. "I want to be upfront, i have had my powers less then a month ago, in a fire that occurred at the school I was teaching at. I have known i was mutant for less then a month so I don't know how qualified i am on that front, but I'm a good teacher. she said her Portuguese accent. "I'm still working out what i can do, is all i mean" she tried to clarify.

She considered the baby again. "Must be a lively place even without a baby. How old? she asked curiously. Trying to break the ice before she started asking about rules, regulations and all the other fun stuff a boarding school entailed. Power use and the like most of all, after all she could only imagine the chaos all the kids and even adults could bring all using their powers every day in the place.

>>"Hello Mr. Morissen, it is good to meet you, My name is Mae Durchdenwald, Mae will be fine out of the class room. It is really nice to be here"

"Mae. Nice to meet you. Please, take a seat." Gawain smiled as they walked into the office. Iris chose this moment to spit out the chew toy, which had the marks of her tiny but surprisingly strong canines in it. Gawain caught the flying object on reflex and handed it back to her. Iris giggled.

>>"I want to be upfront, i have had my powers less then a month ago, in a fire that occurred at the school I was teaching at. I have known i was mutant for less then a month so I don't know how qualified i am on that front, but I'm a good teacher. I'm still working out what i can do, is all i mean"

"Oh." Gawain blinked as he sat down to. Mae was... new to being a mutant. That was not an issue in the hiring process, really, but it was interesting to know. Changing your life and changing jobs at the same time... "Well, we are mostly looking for new teachers, and it seems you are qualified for that. The powers, we can help with."

Iris made some flailing motions.

>>"Must be a lively place even without a baby. How old?

"Fifteen months. This is Iris. She transfers powers by touch, so don't touch her unless you want a smile like this." he added, flashing her his own wolf-like canines. Iris giggled, hearing her name, and nommed on the chew toy. "Sooo... What exactly happened, when your powers manifested?... If you don't mind me asking."

She sat looking around again her mind racing for input it knew might be there. She smiled when Gawain called her qualified for the job, it certainly meant a lot considering the environment she would be dealing with here. No matter the order they kept she could not see how chaos could not show up here often. It would be heaven for her sences she thought, so much to reach out and see.

"It's ok, I was teaching and a fire broke out, it was strange though spread so fast. I was trying to guide my students through the hallway, but the smoke got to thick and "s she paused a second held up the wrists of her large arms, with four wet squeaks as the four blue-green tendrils shot from her arm arcing up, as she recalled her control over them and wanting to keep them away from the child not sure how far power sharing went. She curled them back toward her but kept the tips toward Gawain. The outer two however formed small cracks and then the four quadrants of the last two inches of the tendril tip folds back revealing a Red eye in each one, both blinked in unison and Mae's whole body shivered from the additional senses. Then as she spoke, she moved them in a complete circle taking in the mansion threw them.

"They seem to see an the infrared spectrum, so they can see through walls, i kept them low and used them to guide us out a safe door. Their still investigating how it started and spread so fast. Their are others as well, Like another set can see like a microscope, another works like a telescope. Feels like i have worms crawling in my arms though" she mentioned as the red eyes closed and tips slid back into place. She opened the other eyes, their tips separating and this time opened a pair of silver eyes though she focused these out the window. A shiver passed through her as she took in the information on the yard. "My brain seems to crave sensory information now as well but to much can knock me out" she admitted as the tendrils glistened in the light. Then she closed her eyes the tips slid over the opened pair and all four sucked back into her arm with a wet sucking noise, the skin flaps on her wrists resealing.

"Does Iris get your power when she touches you? How many students typically are here at the school a time? I'm also assuming theirs more duties then just teaching here as well" she said airing her questions as she thought of them. She wanted a good picture of what she was getting into.

A lot of mutations manifested through traumatic events. Gawain's own had always been active, in part, but the mirrorwalking happened during a fight. It was likely that someone who had just learned about their powers this late in life had been through some kind of a bad thing...

>>"It's ok, I was teaching and a fire broke out, it was strange though spread so fast. I was trying to guide my students through the hallway, but the smoke got to thick and... "

"Whoa!" Gawain, against his better judgment, jumped as the tendrils appeared. Iris made a squeaking sound, abandoned the chew toy, and immediately reached out with both hands to grab them. The tendrils pulled back, and Gawain caught his daughter's hand in time. Iris still seemed mesmerized by the eye-tendrils, and so did Gawain. "... sorry about that. You can... see with those?"

>>"They seem to see an the infrared spectrum, so they can see through walls, i kept them low and used them to guide us out a safe door. Their still investigating how it started and spread so fast. Their are others as well, Like another set can see like a microscope, another works like a telescope. Feels like i have worms crawling in my arms though"

"That's... impressive." A whole range of vision, though additional eyes. Yet another cool mutation.

>>"My brain seems to crave sensory information now as well but to much can knock me out"

"That's... good to know." She would probably need the training to find the limits of her abilities.

>>"Does Iris get your power when she touches you? How many students typically are here at the school a time? I'm also assuming theirs more duties then just teaching here as well"

Gawain decided to take it one question at a time.

"No, Iris has her own set of powers that she sprinkles around." he chuckled "I'm a teleporter. And a gender shifter. We have... a hundred or so students, give or take, but the numbers chance constantly. And the other duties... well. There are more of those for faculty who lives on campus. And there are also always things that come up unexpectedly..."

She nodded and smiled a bit as Gawain jumped. "Not always sure what I'm seeing with them even when i do know what the eye sees. The tendrils themself's are quite sensitive to being hit, like hitting it on a sink" she said recalling the earlier incident well. It had happened a few other times to, controlling the speed of the tendril's deployment was tough once they started to move. It was very hard to just bring them out a few inches rather then the full length. However she knew she could do it with concentration sometimes.

One hundred give or take mutant children, it was certainly a recipe for excitement for sure. She could already imagine how many accidents this place had a week from kids losing control or school yard fights. She wondered what the places maintenance bills looked like. Not really hers to worry about she supposed but it was still an interesting thought. The numbers changing constantly struck Mae as odd until she considered the reasons for that and more then one those had a chilling vibe to it. she chose to leave that line of thinking for the moment..

[color-a7b8c9]"I can only imagine what unexpected means in a place housing so many empowered children. Or do you refer more to the incidents that seem to permeate this city. I have not experience any of it since i have been here but the concepts of an alternate earth, ohh just to have had a brief glimpse of how their history must have diverged from our own"[/color] she said her energy and excitement breaking through as she recalled reading about the incident that had occurred. It really did fascinate her to consider the implications of another of her running around.

"Sorry It was prolbely less fun living through it then reading about it. Prolbely more common to figure out how the refrigerator is actually running down the street or why the toilets floating on the ceiling" she joked almost bouncing in her seat considering it. "Teleportation must be fun but gender shifting seems awkward with a child" she said not wanting to ask what happened to a child whose mother suddenly became their father? That was prolbely personal though she she decided not to press on with the conclusions her mind was trying to draw.

The tendrils were a fascinating mutation. Not necessarily combat-oriented like some others, but as a teacher, she had just gained incredible powers of observation. Of course, all powers came with drawbacks, but they could work on those. Mae seemed very much excited about being at the school, at least. Self-hatred would have been a bad trait for a teacher.

>>"I can only imagine what unexpected means in a place housing so many empowered children. Or do you refer more to the incidents that seem to permeate this city. I have not experience any of it since i have been here but the concepts of an alternate earth, ohh just to have had a brief glimpse of how their history must have diverged from our own"

"Both" Gawain chuckled, handing the chew toy back to Iris. "I mean, the other universe and the... big things, they definitely have an impact. But the day to day chaos is pretty... colorful, too."

>>"Sorry It was prolbely less fun living through it then reading about it. Prolbely more common to figure out how the refrigerator is actually running down the street or why the toilets floating on the ceiling"

"We... have had one of those things" Gawain grinned. Apparently Mae was not completely new to child-generated chaos either. And at least she had a sense of humor about it.

>>"Teleportation must be fun but gender shifting seems awkward with a child"

"Oh, she shifts sometimes too. I'll give a warning on those days, not everyone wants to get gender swapped without notice." Although a surprising number of people proved to be more than curious.

"So... Teaching here, apart from being a good place to figure out your powers. What do you think you'll like about it?"

She found herself intrigued by the chaos of the place and thought if nothing else it might be a good for her new attention span. She knew they had a medical area on site and imagined whoever ran it must have been quite experienced as the verity of incidents and mutations they had to encounter. The place has lasted a long time from what she understood though, over a decade. So whatever chaos happened it was usually fixable she thought to herself.

"Children are chaos even without powers. We just have to try and manage it in positive directions" she replied considering that some of these kids likely did not have great home lifes at all. She had gotten her powers so late in life that she was independent and did not need to fear being kicked out of the house and the like.

She chuckled "I meant with a baby in the womb, but i will certainly take that warning to heart. Life's hard enough without having to learn to pee standing up," she joked. She could not help but wonder where the baby went when they were Gawain.

"Getting to know and help shape the paths of the kids whose lifes we touch. History teaches you to learn from the world yes, but also from yourself. A good education and structure can make gets into functional adults as opposed to criminals and since they have powers it's more vital. Not that every kid does not need those, they do, but the kids have powers and i would guess many of them could be lethal or used to harm and the stable hand i can provide may well prevent that" she said considering the question. "Do you take non mutant students? she asked curiously.

>>"Children are chaos even without powers. We just have to try and manage it in positive directions"

"Indeed" Gawain chuckled. Iris used both hands to stuff the chew toy into her mouth, but the canines kept her from biting it too deep.

>>"I meant with a baby in the womb, but i will certainly take that warning to heart. Life's hard enough without having to learn to pee standing up,"

"Oh. No" Gawain laughed, flashing his canines, shaking his head. "My wife Becca carried Iris. Our other daughter is adopted. That was one experience I managed to avoid." He added, before he moved on to asking Mae about teaching at the Mansion.

>>"Getting to know and help shape the paths of the kids whose lifes we touch. History teaches you to learn from the world yes, but also from yourself. A good education and structure can make gets into functional adults as opposed to criminals and since they have powers it's more vital. Not that every kid does not need those, they do, but the kids have powers and i would guess many of them could be lethal or used to harm and the stable hand i can provide may well prevent that"

Gawain nodded. That was a good answer. Anyone who just came to the Mansion to lecture on a subject was kind of missing the point. Academics here were never quite divorced from the kids' powers and everyday lives.

>>"Do you take non mutant students?

"Occasionally. But they don't tend to stay very long" Gawain nodded. Sometimes young people had thought shelter in the Mansion for various reasons. And now... "Recently, we have also gotten a few who are... magic users. That's new, even for us."

She nodded and left the question at that. Gawain seemed easy to talk with which was nice. She wondered if the rest of the facility were as kind but she knew she would find out in time. She glanced at the child again with a smile. She had not considered a family of her own yet, though it did have it's appeals. She could fell the tendrils in her arm move eagerly or maybe it just felt like they were. Part of her wonderd if she would gain more over time of if this was it, she kinda hoped against more as her arms were big enough as it was.

It made sense normal kids would not stay long. To be the only person in the school without powers, well kids could be very cruel and they wanted to be and she had seen kids use almost anything to make fun of others if they really wanted to. "Magic users? I don't know much about them at all. Their not just Mutants with magic like powers?" she asked though she was sure they had prolbely checked that already. Even in this world it seemed strange to her.

"Are people born with magic?" she asked trying to wrap her head around the idea. This world always seemed to have somthing new for them in store. Magic users might face some of the same discrimination mutants did, but she wondered how mutants would take them. The mansion had obviously accepted them but she wonderd where the public was on them.