It was a bright, cool day in New York. Winter was beginning to wane in order to make way for the upcoming spring. The sun was high in the sky and fluffy white clouds drifted by on cool breezes that came off from riding the ocean waves nearby. It was going to be a nice, calm, cool day, one that everyone could enjoy. But on this particular day, the warm rays of the sun beat down upon a crisp, green lawn that stretched out in front of a very famous and well known mansion: Xavier’s Sister School.

On this particular day, the school known to provide aid, care, and future for mutants had a new figure darkening its lawn. His shadows stretched a little ways to the side, a tall, punk-clad twenty-something with a frohawk and piercings made his way across the grass, a single duffle bag slung over his shoulder and a guitar case in his hand. His skin was a warm shade of brown and over his eyes he wore dark, expensive looking shades. However, behind the tinted glasses there was a clear visage of smoldering, yellow irises.

A cocky grin on his lips, the young man continued to make his way towards the school. His torn t-shirt bore the phrase “Too Hot to Handle” upon it, and his dark jeans were torn in just the right places to make it look edgy and cool, but not like he was trying too hard. If anything, this young man looked like he lived the aesthetic.

It is only as he moves closer to the school does his free hand move up and it is seen that he is carrying a cellphone. Holding it up, he taps the screen that seemingly opens an app and activates a livestream. As soon as his grinning face shows up, he gets notifications soon after others instantly joining the feed, sending him emoji gifts of presents, flowers, and thumbs up. He chuckles as he speaks up.

“Awright, awright, me ladies and gents! Welcome to Part 4 of my livestreaming journey hopping across the pond to see what the American’s have to offer,” He laughs and approaches the large doors. ”As you all know, home couldn’t handle me so I had to dip. No worries, no worries! I will make my triumphant return before you know it. But…a promise is a promise and I must see what kind of hell I can raise here.”

Climbing the steps to the school, Atticus Dashwood, better known online as TheHumanLighter, or Atticus, the lead singer of the Infernos, rings the doorbell, waits a second, and then begins to knock.

”Oy! Come on then!” he shouts and then winks to the camera. ”Can’t keep your future star pupil waiting, can ya?”

"Hold your horses!" Elizabeth said as she led a swarm of beasts down the main staircase in the mansion foyer. Her African Grey Parrot Nico swooped down and alighted on on denim jacket-covered shoulder as Zorro, her German Shepherd, gleefully trotted alongside her. Behind them, half a dozen bunnies came spilling over each other as they exuberantly bounded along. An opossum skittered down the banister mere moments before a trio of mice poked their brownish heads out of her wavy blonde hair.

It wasn't really important why all those animals were there with her - she always seemed to have a few strays around her these days, especially while it was so cold out. She drew a hard line against keeping them in the mansion overnight, but during the day it wasn't uncommon to see Liz with a retinue of wild creatures around her, following her slightest whims and obeying her every will.

The opossum hit the end of the banister and started to go sailing into the air only for Liz to expertly catch her in midair and cradle the marsupial in her arms, all without looking. She was practicing more and more with coordinating various types and numbers of animals, even trying to pull off complicated physical tasks like parkour, since becoming a member of the X-Men, albeit a trainee. Incorporating animal hit-and-run tactics into her martial arts training with Sam and Serena had just been a natural upgrade.

The bunnies splayed out behind her in a V formation and the mice ran out onto the shoulder apposite Nico as Liz reached the door.

"Hi there!" Liz said as she hauled one of the double doors open and saw a younger guy standing there. "How can I be of service? What's this about a star pupil?"

Why was he here again? He wondered silently as he bit into a steak sandwich the steak in question was elk and it was paired with a large tomato, some cheese and lettuce all wrapped up in some kind of artesian bread. Basically it looked like something from a cartoon, but it was different. He was eating it which made it even more reason why he was at the mansion.

This place had it all! Security, free meals and a place he could sleep when he was trying to avoid seeing the princess due to a black eye or a broken nose. A place he could rest and heal before going back to his new home to get lectured about how he needed to be more careful.

The little whistle from his nostril was the first obvious reason he was there followed by the slight angle his nose was at. The sandwich was what he distracted himself with, he took another big bite and walked down the halls without much purpose. His tail flicked behind him as he walked batting the end of his slightly beat up guitar that hung on his back.

>>>”Oy! Come on then!”

His elf like ears perked up and he started to walk to the source of the yelling. Was it a fight? Who was it with? He didn’t recognize the voice but he could hear it full of confidence. Was he the one he was going to bet on? He wasn’t a student anymore so he couldn’t get detention for gambling at school right? How much did he have on him?

>>>What's this about a star pupil?"

”Graduated already...” he said with a mouth full of a very expensive meal. ”But I’m here. Where is the fight?” Carrick asked looking from the new comer to the ex and her assorted animals. If he wasn’t already eating his stomach would have growled at the site of the cute little critters.

Were they going to fight? Carrick looked from Lizzy to the newcomer sizing him up and down. ”Got... ten on him.” he said confidently with less food in his mouth. Not because he didn’t think the newcomer could win against Lizzy but because Carrick wasn’t sure if he had the money. His nose whistled slightly as he reached into his back pocket to find his money clip.

>>”Hold your horses!”

Finally! Someone answered him. In all honesty he had not been knocking all that long but the firemancer wasn’t the most patient of people. Sometimes he wanted things unreasonable fast but that was something he was trying to work on. His mother often told him that not everyone was going to move at his pace so it paid to have a bit of patience. In the moment he would remember those lessons, but when he was out on his own, it was easy to forget – like he did not. He didn’t know who responded to them but, upon opening the door, they would certainly find a slightly soured expression waiting for them.

He would not be making a good first impression today.

But, as luck would have it, Horse Girl was actually pretty cute. The sourness diminished a small amount, only to be replaced by a cheeky grin. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.

>>”Hi there!...How can I be of service? What’s this about a star pupil?”

”Hello there, luv!” Atticus smiles a conceited smile. ”Had I known a pretty bird like you would be waiting on the other side of the door, I would have knocked a bit more gently.” He adjusts his guitar case, shifting it from one hand to the other. His mouth opened, he is about to state his business when another voice pipes in.

>> “”Graduated already...But I’m here. Where is the fight? Got... ten on him.”

A brow arches and Atticus finds himself looking upon another person, a young man with wings and a steak sandwich in his hands. The sandwich looked good but practically sensing the attitude on the other, Atticus could feel his guards settling into place. His expression gives no hint of this, however, and instead merely offers a mask of self-confidence.

”That’ll be ten well spent!” Atticus responds with a point and a wink. He then turns back to Horse Girl and smirks. ”Name’s Atticus Dashwood. Applying to be a student here.” He then holds up his phone, which is still livestreaming, as he turns the camera onto Horse Girl and Feathers. ”Surely you’ve all been waiting to roll out the red carpet for the lead singer of ‘Atticus and the Inferno.’ am I right?”

As if in response his phone pings loudly as several members of the live stream chat start sending messages, donations, emoji gifts, and comments that most consisted of compliments about him.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes amusedly as Carrick appeared out of nowhere with his customary obliviousness to what was going on. One of the bunnies gave him a severe stink eye, but Liz carefully kept the others from reacting at all. Instead she focused on the new arrival.

Who immediately started hitting on her.

Even as his expression changed from sour to smiling, Elizabeth's did the reverse. Her friendly and polite smile vanished, as did the excited mood across her small menagerie. Zorro stiffened at her side and assumed a guarding position. The stink eye bunny turned his gaze toward the new guy and finally Nico ruffled his feathers and fixed the man with a poisonous glare. "I am not a pretty bird," Nico rasped.

Elizabeth's eyes darted to the phone in Atticus's hand. It was clearly aimed at her, as if recording. She pointedly fixed her gaze back on Atticus and addressed him in a no-nonsense tone, "Atticus Dashwood? Doesn't ring a bell. A new student, you say? I wasn't aware we had a new arrival scheduled for today. Do you happen to have your student records and transcripts with you?"

He had an accent... and a guitar.... was the mansion trying to replace him as the best exchange student ever? No, Carrick was one of a kind and the man before him was waving his phone around and not a steak sandwich. Carrick took another bite, ”Awww, was hoping fer a good show.” his wings and tail drooped a little when he realized it was just someone showing up for the first time.

>>> "I am not a pretty bird,"

Mismatched colored eyes shifted over to the African Grey that he knew as Nico, Lizzy’s feathered shadow and shook his head. ”Awww, don’t say that. Yer the prettiest!” knowing compliments got him nowhere with the bird. Even when he and Liz were dating Nico wasn’t really a fan of his, and that was a decade ago.

”Careful mate, that there is a teacher.” he said with a mouth full. ”’used ta be fun but then she got older. such is life though.” he didn’t make eye contact with Lizzy it was still awkward. At least on his end of things. How do you go back to being normal around someone who once meant so much? Avoidance was his usual answer, along with smug comments and some attitude.

”Ya sure ya want to? I mean, there are other schools.” he said with another bite, ”Ones that get blown up less often.” he said smelling a fresh coat of paint somewhere in front of the building.

>>>”Surely you’ve all been waiting to roll out the red carpet for the lead singer of ‘Atticus and the Inferno.’ am I right?”

”Can’t say I have. Fun name though!” he said looking down at the lack of red carpet. He played in a band as well? His tail perked up behind him as the camera caught his image and he gave a mock bow opening his wings and tail. Never fully understanding social media nor having the attention span for it he was always a fan of getting out there. ”Hey! Hey!” his free hand reached up behind his ear and pulled out an ace of diamonds. A simple trick, and yes. He usually had some card up his sleeve just for this instance.

Another bite and he spoke, ”Carrick O’Conner! Lead singer of....” he looked around for some inspiration for a band name but found little in the form of inspiration. Liz was there and so was her parrot Nico, along with an assortment of other critters his other forms would normally call a snack. ”The snack pack?” he then shook his head. He didn’t have a band, normally he joined other ones to help when they were missing a vocalist or a frontman.

”Workshopping the name.”

>> "Atticus Dashwood? Doesn't ring a bell…”

Okay. That one stung a bit. Atticus was arrogant enough to think that most people had heard of him, or at least his band. He couldn’t count the number of times that people had waved him down or called out to him at pubs wanting an autograph. Sure it had not happened much since he entered the Americas but his social media had tons of followers who were literally from everywhere, even here in America! So it wasn’t too much of a belief that he would run into a fan here, at this school, especially a pretty one.

Unfortunately it seems he had said something wrong as the pretty smile simply vanishes from her face and an expression of deadpan annoyance. That…is unfortunate. A smile like that should not be used sparingly.

But, back to the conversation at hand. Atticus waves the question off dismissively before he replies.

”Ah no one needs that paper stuff anymore, love,” he says, taping his phone to minimize the stream and open up his email. The “sent” tab is tapped and the screen shows his transcripts and application had already been submitted. ”Already sent all that in, see? Supposed to meet with a counselor. Thought you might be her.”

>> ”Careful mate, that there is a teacher… used ta be fun but then she got older. such is life though.”

Atticus turns to Feathers and offers him a cheeky grin. A glance back to Horse Girl and then back to Feathers before he says…

”Nothing wrong with older, mate. I love meeting Cougars.” Another wink is shot at Horse Girl before he sighs and sets his duffle bag down and strolls into the mansion, looking about with a mixture of wonder and mischief.

>> ”Carrick O’Conner! Lead singer of....The snack pack? Workshopping the name.”

Atticus chuckles a bit. Pulling a lollipop from his pocket, he unwraps it and pops it in his mouth. The white stick dangling between his lips wags too and fro as Atticus continues to walk around. But, out of the corner of his eye, he looks at Feathers, now identified as ‘Carrick O’Conner’, and smirks.

”Keep at it. I’m sure you come up with something wicked, ya?” That turn, he turns back to Horse Girl, glances at all the animals and then sighs deeply and opens his arms. ”Well, do I just go pick out a room myself or you care to show me around. I might get into trouble on my lonesome.”

That grin just never seemed to go away.

For many predators, particularly those oriented toward ambush attacks, they were at their most dangerous when they were still. Motionlessness meant they weren't attracting attention, not betraying any body language to give a hint of when or what their next move would be. All that moved were their eyes as they tracked, analyzed, calculated and planned the attack. When the strike finally came, it would be fast and it would be lethal.

Liz had gone utterly still after Atticus made a crack about her being a cougar.

It was one thing for Carrick to make jokes about her. Sure, he was annoying, but it was almost loveable. Liz had known him for more than ten years and while he could get under her skin unlike anyone else, she was reasonably convinced there was nothing to it. He did that kind of thing to just about everyone. That was just Carrick. Besides, she knew she could throw him in front of a moving bus if he went too far and he wouldn't be banged up for too long.

This Atticus was not a known quantity. Carrick's jokes came from a shared past. This jerk's comments came from somewhere disgusting. The arrogance and the phone in his hand did not help.

She stared silently for a few long moments, not looking away from his eyes as she fixed him with the glare a hawk gave a rabbit. The actual rabbits mirrored the glare and Zorro's hackles rose. Since Atticus liked cougars so much, maybe Liz should introduce him to a real one....

She blinked the thought away, and then blinked away the temptation to slam the door in the guy's face. Instead, she simply turned in place as he walked in, refusing to move from her spot. Only then did her lips part and she bare her teeth, like a lioness's grin. "Carrick," she said in a cyanide tone as she continued to glare at Atticus, "Would you be so kind as to show our guest to an available room? And give him a proper welcome? I'm going to let Mrs. Cervantes know our new arrival is here."

Should Liz have been the one to welcome the guy and get him situated? Probably. She needed to confirm who he actually was though, as well as maybe cool off a bit. If the guy was trouble, Liz was confident Carrick could handle it. Besides, she couldn't think of anything more petty than leaving the guy alone with Carrick, so it was a win-win situation.

Having made her request, Liz strolled away in the opposite direction to the boys' dorm and pulled out her phone to check in with Gemma. "Hey Gemma, I have a question..."

>>>”Nothing wrong with older, mate. I love meeting Cougars.”

Despite another musician coming from across the pond Carrick was all about the situation. Atticus couldn’t replace him anyways. The shifter was a legitimate angel and it didn’t seem like the new comer had a set of wings meaning he had little to worry about. Another bite of the sandwhich and Carrick’s smile widened. This wasn’t the show he was looking for but it might have been better.

Liz went still.

The bushy tail behind the Irishman started to sway more occasionally brushing against the strings on the instrument attached to his back. This was perfect! He stopped chewing for a moment, eyes darting from animal to animal seeing who would be the first to strike the newcomer. The hairs on Carrick’s neck started to stand on end. ‘Flee’ Carrick didn’t move. Ignoring the instinct of self-preservation this was going to be a show!

Zorro was the first to show signs, the hairs rose on his neck and Carrick’s eyes shifted back to Nico then to Lizzy.

>>> "Carrick,"

The shifter practically jumped at the sudden mention of his name. What did he do? He wasn’t the one to call her a cougar. It was the tone he got from his mother when he got arrested for the first time. He swallowed a mouth full and practically started choking. Beating his chest a few times to dislodge the food he coughed out a ”Yes?”

”Wait... What now?”

Gemma's phone rang, and the guidance counselor popper up from the sea of paperwork spread out on every available surfae around her office. The Mansion had lost a whole lot of its records in the last explosion, and while most of it had been saved in digital form, she liked to have some hard copies to shuffle around and make notes on. Maybe it was a generational thing. Or just how her brain worked best. She leaned up, fishing for her phone, and picked up once she located it.

"Hello Liz! Ask away."

Atticus saw no wrong with his words. Horse Girl, err...Woman, was cute! He wasn't going to say no to her if his life depended on it. If anything he was sure that she would catch on to his flirtatious words and maybe bring that pretty smile back. Unfortunately it appeared as if he had been incorrect and she missed his meaning. Odd. Why did she seem so irritated and cold? Oooooh, he began to wonder if maybe --

But his thoughts were cut off by the death glare coming from several animals. Hey now, that didn't seem fair. His orange eyes shifted from the hackled dog, to the glaring rabbits, and back to the stone-faced blonde. Ugh, why did the pretty ones always have to give him a hard time? Especially when he went so far as to compliment them so nicely! He said he liked Cougars! Who didn't?! Fools...that's who. And speaking of...

>>"Carrick..."

Atticus shifted his gaze over to Feathers and arched a brow. The man seemed to be in mid-bite of a sandwich. Atticus turned back to address Horse Girl but found her storming away, her and her motley crew of animals. Hands shifting into the pockets of his jeans, he sucked his teeth, sighed, and then turned his head just enough to eye Feather's out of the periphery of his gaze. As he looked over the clearly confused, winged man, Atticus found his own irritation start to rise -- an effect which could be felt in the room as things around him began to feel just a tiny bit warmer.

He stared at the other for a few more silent moments before he shrugged. "Well, Feathers. Looks like just you and me, huh?"[/color] He pauses then, looking between Carrick and his bags, before gesturing with a bit of a cocky grin. "So...you gonna take my bags or...?" He shrugs then, waiting for Carrick to answer.

”....Guess so?” the shifter said wondering how he got set up to play tour guide. He didn’t even work here. Heck he only lived he once or twice a week when it was to risky to go back to his deluxe apartment in the sky.

Feathers? Not really an original nickname. Better than tail boy, or elf. Carrick smirked. ”Naw mate.” Carrick said biting his sandwich and a wave of a free hand. ”Someone else will grab them.” he didn’t specify who or when but someone would come to collect them. This was the ‘proper’ Carrick welcome. He was just doing what was requested.

”I guess I could show ya the room first or the grounds.... Got a full kitchen.” Carrick waved the sandwich showing it off before taking another bite before guarding it close. ”’ree food. It’s great!” the shifter started walking back the way he entered. Towards the kitchen and the classrooms and everything else that was communal. Mainly because he wasn’t sure where he was supposed to find a spare room. It wasn’t like he worked here.

He finished chewing and swallowed before continuing, ”Got a music room as well if ya are looking fer some free strings.” Carrick tapped his own beat up guitar on his back that was cradled between his wings. ”Couple of the kids here have jam nights, I show fer those on occasion. Good fun!”

Looking over his shoulder he was wondering if he should be showing off a bit more for the camera. ”Say Atti, ya still streaming? How many are watching?”

Hey Gemma, what are the school's policies on murdering visitors?

Hey Gemma, I have a science experiment I wanna show the kids. What happens when animals are fed on a human diet? No, like fed an actual human.

Hey Gemma, do we have any shock collars around? Not for me or my animals.

Elizabeth frowned and shook away her fantasies. Instead, she replied to the counselor in a far less bloodthirsty tone. "Hey Gemma," she said tiredly, "Were we expecting a new student today? A guy named Atticus Dashwood just showed up at the front door and said he'd already emailed all the paperwork and such. I had to step away to prevent a murder, so I left Carrick with him to start giving him a tour."

She wasn't too worried if anything went wrong. If she really tried, she could still keep track of Carrick and the new guy throughout the mansion. Few people tended to forget how good of ears dogs had. Through Zorro, Liz could still hear everything that was being said if she focused on it. Then if something happened she could be there quick, or send agents on ahead.

Liz's voice sounded somewhat strained.

>>"Were we expecting a new student today? A guy named Atticus Dashwood just showed up at the front door and said he'd already emailed all the paperwork and such. I had to step away to prevent a murder, so I left Carrick with him to start giving him a tour."

"Murder?" Gemma blinked, getting up off the floor to check records. "Atticus... Oh. Right. International exchange." Now her voice was sounding strained too. "Is this the kid who sent in a file with a guitar solo instead of a motivational letter? Do you need me to come down there and help?"

"Ah. Wicked." Atticus says as he drops his stuff on the ground. It was nice to see a place like this actually doing what it was supposed to do and catering to the occupants. He didn't know who the peon was that would be gathering his things, but Atticus would make sure to leave them a tip in the form of an autographed picture of himself. It was like printing money considering how famous he would be in the future.

His stuff abandoned, except for his guitar case, Atticus followed Feather's deeper into the mansion. The kitchen seemed to be a favorite of the winged Carrick, an idea punctuated by his continued gestures with his half-eaten sandwich. Moving from there to the classrooms, Atticus looked around with only semi-interest. Classes. Bleh. He knew that it would be something he would have to contend with here but there was a small part that had hoped it would be something different. At least there were music rooms. Atticus looked with interest towards those, happy to know there would be free strings when necessary.

"Can't say no to 'Free'," he mused aloud. And though he doubted the school had the talent he needed to rebuild Atticus and the Infernos in America, he still offered a gracious smile (so, so saccharine) in reply. "Ah. Yeah. Sure the sessions are...cracking."

His phone up, Atticus continues to stream the tour, including himself in the image as many times as he can. Though the audience was shrinking a little there was still a healthy number of them up. To Carrick's question, the heatmancer chuckled.

"You bet! At least a cool fifty!" He pans the camera again. "We'll uncover all the secrets, won't we?" He then zeroes in on Carrick again. "You know where the real aces stuff is, don't ya?"