“Big” was all Steel had to say as he was standing outside the mansion with nothing but the clothes on his back. Steel walked around in front of the gates to be let in but no one was there yet, “Hello anybody home?” Steel waited for someone to respond, this place has been on his mind for a while, he was looking forward to sleep in a bed and get some food, and he did hear a bit bout the training room. Steel Started pacing and getting more and more anxious, he was going to look forward to this, new faces new freinds and from his understanding there were a few good looking girls here as well, and Steel was looking forward to that as well.

“Hello anybody home?”

The gate's motion detectors picked up activity near it, much closer than cars or other vehicles should be coming. It relayed the alert as programmed, to each of the greeters' phones, popping up the text message 'Front Gate' across the screen. In the kitchen, Neena had her head in the refrigerator, when her phone buzzed. After checking the alert, she responded before the others could with muffled, "I'm on it." Actually, with her teeth fully bitten into an apple, it sounded more like, "M'ah ih." The other must have figured it out, however, since she was the only one walking down the lane toward the gates.

Munching away contentedly, she noticed an youth pacing outside the gates. She waved as she approached.

"Hi! Can I help you?" She took another big bite of the apple, slurping a bit so as not to loose any of the juicy droplets.

“Hi! Can I help you?” Asked the women standing behind the gates eating an apple. Steel sized her up like he does with every mutant he meets, noticing her eyes first then the rest of her body. In his past experience Steel learned that the eyes tell more about a person than anything else on the body. She had kind eyes, and from what he could tell about her personality she seemed to be laid back. “Perfect” Steel thought the best kind of person.

Inhaling before he spoke he then relaxed his shoulders and said, “Heard this was the place to be if you’re a mutant and you need a place to stay.” Then before waiting for a response, Steel said “If it’s the wrong place, could you point me in the direction of mutant manor?” Steel knew this was the right place but he had to see how she would respond because past places he stayed that were supposed to be friendly to mutants, weren’t.

(OOC: Don't mind Neena's eccentricities. Just trying to make it different from the other greeting threads.

“Heard this was the place to be if you’re a mutant and you need a place to stay. If it’s the wrong place, could you point me in the direction of mutant manor?”

" 'Mutant Manor'?" Neena let out a small bark of laughter. "Never heard it called that before. You mean Xavier's place?"

She squinted at him a bit in the light, as if she couldn't quite see him. It may not have been too noticeable, but each time she blinked, her irises flicked through various tints. She cycled through her various visions, looking for tell-tale signs of common mutations, such as thermal to track excess heat, xray to spot extra limbs or hollow bones. She also scanning for concealed weapons or other gizmos that a normal person wouldn't have on them.

Finally she pulled her glasses down onto her eyes.

"Sorry," she apologized. "My eyes are a bit sensitive. So you're a mutant? You sure don't look like ones I've seen." she asked as she walked closer to the gates. Because of the way he worded his question, she wanted to be just a bit more cautious than usual. But her easy grin remained. If nothing else, she might come across as ditzy.

(OOC: different' good I like it, your the boss, do as you see fit.)

“You’re a mutant?” and “You sure don’t look like the ones I’ve seen.” Repeated in Steels mind, “So she wanted proof?” Steel thought. Steel smiled stretched his arms out a bit and then stretched his legs like he was about to run a marathon, sure none of this was needed but he felt like being dramatic. He also thought bout one of the rules in war, “If an enemy thinks they discovered your weakness, you then turn that weakness into a strength.” Steel hated all of things he remembered bout his old life, but that’s the burden he had to bear, and he didn’t want to live in the past.

A few seconds of stretching then Steel snapped back up and the clapped his hands, “So you want a demonstration, move to much and you might get frost bite.” Steel smiled at his last comment even though he still had full control of every action he does with this low fraction of his normal power.

It was a nice day, sunny and fairly warm 80 degrees about, well not for long. “I don’t know how bad your eyes are so instead of showing you I’ll let you feel it.” Trying to sound as nice as possible, Steel concentrated and the temperature in the air went from 80 to 60 and then to 40, after seeing the women’s breath Steel stopped using his power. The temperature shot back up to 80, “Well you get the idea, so do I pass? You going to let me in?” Steel waited patiently for her response while smiling the entire time watching every move she was making weather it was a facial feature or a twitch of a finger.

“So you want a demonstration, move to much and you might get frost bite.”

"Frostbite?" Neena reflexively shuddered. She didn't like the cold at all.

“I don’t know how bad your eyes are so instead of showing you I’ll let you feel it.”

"Thank you." Then she tilted her head. "Feel what?"

It didn't take long for her to register the temperature dropping, since she was still wet from working in the lake. She blinked into thermal vision to be sure, but yes, the ambient temperature had cooled considerably. She also noted the youth's body temperature had faded considerably as well. Since she couldn't locate any electronic device to be the source, she decided to opt for the most logical conclusion: he must have indeed been a mutant.

Another shudder shook her body, goosebumps visible on her dark arms. Then, just as quickly, she began to warm up again.

“Well you get the idea, so do I pass? You going to let me in?”

"I don't know. Depends on if you can make ice cream, too. Preferably pistachio." She chuckled and moved to key in the gate code. Once they opened, she held out her hand to shake.

"Name's Neena. I teach here. Nice to meet you...." She paused to let him fill in the blank. "Mutant Manor, eh? That's a new one. I kinda like it." She grinned.

Steel let out a small laugh at the ice cream comment, and then a thought occurred, “never tried that but need to. Steel then took Neena’s hand in a hake, and replied, “they call me Steel” Steel hesitated for a second, “But you can call me Sam.” Sam walked into the campus and immediately felt warm, he didn’t know what it was but he felt welcomed here. “So do you show me around teach? And what exactly do you teach her?” Sam felt like he was starting to ask to many questions, but one more isn’t going to hurt, se he then asked “is the food here free?” He ended his sentence with a laugh, because truth is told he had not had a lot of food in a while, and he didn’t want to spend a lot of money here, if he planed on leaving soon.

“they call me Steel, but you can call me Sam.”

"Nice to meetcha, Sam."

“So do you show me around teach? And what exactly do you teach here?”

Neena nodded. "That's m'job. And I actually teach control. Most of our residents haven't quite got the hang of their mutations yet, so I work with them on it."

“is the food here free?”

Neena let out a hearty laugh. "Depends on how big your appetite is and how fast your hands are. We've got some big eaters here." She tossed him a second apple she'd brought along. When they reached the front door, she motioned him in first.

"So, are you looking to enroll in the school, or just need a place to stay for a bit?" As she asked, she turned toward the kitchen, where she'd been when he arrived.

“Control huh?” Said Sam as his vision drifted to a girl running by, “I might need some control.” Sam said almost to himself. That was one of Sam’s biggest flaws, he could take down any challenge thrown at him but when it came to girls he often loosed focus.

Grabbing the apple and almost downing it in a few bites Sam said with a mouth full, “So what other classes do you have here?” Then Sam quickly added, “well not sure if I want to enroll in school never did…” Sam cut it off there feeling a bit uneasy, he didn’t want to reveal to much of his past. Then quickly regaining his charm Sam said, “I go where I feel, welcome, or where I am needed, or the wind takes me. Take your pick.”

On the way into what smelt like the kitchen Sam said with now a clear mouth, “you’re about to see how big my appetite and how fast my hands are.” Sam thought he was going to be super rude after getting an apple and now moving on to the main course, but to be fair, that apple was the first piece of food he had in a long time.

“Control huh? I might need some control.”

Neena's keen ears picked up the soft comment, and she bit into her apple again to hide her smile. If that was the type of control he was after, she figured the Mansion gals could teach him that, rather effectively, in their own way.

“So what other classes do you have here? Well not sure if I want to enroll in school never did… I go where I feel, welcome, or where I am needed, or the wind takes me. Take your pick.”

"Mmm," she mumbled through her snack. Then after swallowing, "Well, we offer schooling for kids up to graduating. Anything after that you'd have to go out or do online, but we can set it up easily enough. Plus there's a few general electives and fun classes and such. And, of course, mutation control is the main focus. If we ever want to live peacefully with humans, without having to hide, we have to learn to live with ourselves first."

“you’re about to see how big my appetite and how fast my hands are.”

Neena snagged a New Resident folder as they headed for the kitchen. From the way he wolfed down that apple, she guessed Sam she didn't doubt his words. And since she had been foraging for herself a few minutes earlier, she decided to go ahead and fix something substantial. She handed him the folder, and headed for the fridge.

"Hungry for anything in particular?" she asked, and then changed the subject back. "Take a look over that file. There's a map in the back, and we'll set you up with a room after lunch. 'kay?"

“Your absolutely right,” Sam said to Neena, “we should not have to hide, just because we are different.” Sam agreed with her one hundred percent humans and mutants should be able to live peacefully, and that was exactly what Sam wanted, peace.

Sam perked his ears a bit when she went to the fridge and asked if he had any requests for a meal. He had a few but didn’t feel like being rude, “I am up for what ever you have.” Sam said smiling at her then looking down at the file, he immediately looked at the map before anything else “a library, a pool and hmm... no gym bummer.” Sam thought then asked, "I don’t see a gym any where on here, you guys have something here I can break a sweat using?” Then doing what he usually does Sam threw out another question before the one with the answers could respond. “So…” Sam said looking over the file in curiosity asked, “Never good with paper work, what exactly am I looking at here?”

“Your absolutely right. We should not have to hide, just because we are different.”

"Hmm," Neena agreed, but added, "Problem is, there are too many out there that also thing they don't need to restrain themselves. It's one thing to be proud to be different, and quite another to lord it over someone. Even worse, violently. I have a feeling that's going to be deal-maker or -breaker."

“I am up for what ever you have.”

"You say that now," she joked, and began going through the leftover containers that were up for grabs. Since she cleaned out the fridge on a daily basis, there was hardly ever anything expired or near expiration within. Except for a few science experiments that once in a while sneaked in via a prankster. She found some meatloaf and mashed potatoes one of the gals had cooked the previous night, and pulled them out. She also pulled out a bag of lettuce, and various fixings.

“A library, a pool and hmm... no gym bummer. I don’t see a gym any where on here, you guys have something here I can break a sweat using? So… Never good with paper work, what exactly am I looking at here?”

Neena shot him a mischievous gin over her shoulder. "Oh, I'm sure we can find you something. I'll give you a tour after lunch." Between her expression and eyes hidden by dark glasses, she all but taunted, 'I know something you don't know!'

She began popping containers into the microwave, then pulled out a knife and cutting board to begin chopping.

“Now, as for the paperwork, you can fill it out and return it to me later, for our files. The main things I need to know are these here.” She twisted and pointed with the tip of the knife to a block of questions: What is your mutation? Is it dangerous to you or other around you?

"Also need age, so we know what set of rooms to settle ya in." She returned to her chopping as she spoke, which seemed to go quite a bit faster than normal, as if she weren't afraid of accidentally cutting herself. "The files are confidential, but we do need to know since the majority of our residents are minors." She turned and smiled. "But I'm warning you, these kids can be nosey. Expect to be pestered, but you can just brush them off. They'll get the point eventually. You allergic to anything?"

After Neena gave her feelings about powers being misused Sam quoted a phrase he was once lecture by one of the many agents he worked with, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Sam caught a glimpse that Neena was hiding something from him, he didn’t like it but he was a guest here so there was only so much he could do for the moment.

To answer all of Neena’s questions about himself he cleared his throat and spoke, “ Well I think I have full control of my powers, only lost control once and the only thing that was hurt was one of the hunter bots…” Sam caught his breath and continued, “ my powers don’t really hurt me at all, and to sum up what I do, well…” Sam hesitated for a second fearing that he would reveal too much of his past and would be kicked out for taking so many lives. Neena did say that she thought it was horrible that some mutants misuse their powers.

Changing the subject Sam asked while crack a smile, “smells good, I am not allergic to anything, and you don’t have to worry bout me with the kids…” Just then Sam stopped and saw a face of a little boy in the back of his mind. He’s been all too familiar with the face; he took the child’s life four years ago. Ever since he started to develop a conscience it became harder and harder for him to do his job that’s when he started to run away.

Sam just sat there oblivious to his surroundings and forgot where he was, as a single tear ran down his face.

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Neena nodded without turning around. "Mm. Acton's Law. I hear he and Murphy were good friends," she quipped.

“ Well I think I have full control of my powers, only lost control once and the only thing that was hurt was one of the hunter bots…”

"Ugh, you ran across one of those contraptions, eh? Glad you came out on the winning side." She wrinkled her nose and picked up a tomato.

“My powers don’t really hurt me at all, and to sum up what I do, well…" She didn't turn around, but Neena still picked up on the slight hesitation before he changed the subject. "Smells good, I am not allergic to anything, and you don’t have to worry bout me with the kids…”[/i]

Another heavy pause this time caused Neena to look around at him. Wherever his mind had wandered must not have been a happy place, if it pulled a tear from his eye. She set the knife down, and pulled a tissue out of the nearby box, and set it in front of him.

"You know, I think Acton also said something else, about how being able to look back upon one's past life with satisfaction is to live twice. I think most of us are still working on that first life." She winked, and returned to her chopping.

"So," she started as she finished the salads and began plating the rest of the food. "After you finish, we'll get you set up in a room, and cut you loose to explore on your own, 'kay? Oh! I forgot to ask if you want a roommate?"

She set the food down, slid into another chair on the other side of table, and began munching while she waited for his answer.[/color]

Sam snapped to as he pulled a tissue from Neena as she quoted Acton. Sam regained his normal personality and smiled and said as she set the food down and sat down, “Quoting Acton, you sure your not a philosophy teacher?”

Sam took a look at the food and took a big sniff; if paradise had a scent it was this.
Two minuets was how long it took Sam to down the food Neena had so graciously tossed in the microwave. “That was amazing Neena, or should I address you as Professor? Would my roommate be a student that has been here long or newbie like me?” Then Sam thought he did like his privacy and then quickly corrected himself, “if it isn’t to much trouble I wouldn’t mind rooming by myself, but seeing as how you’re a professor here you have the call.”