Although the greater part of Zephyr’s attention was focused upon the blonde haired gamine gradually descending under his careful direction the merc still possessed a measured awareness of his surroundings, in particular the area surrounding his ethereal elemental partner; a region of air approximately five feet in diameter had entered an unnatural state of quiescence refusing to heed the presence of the slight breeze which caressed the remainder of the mansion grounds. However, once Katrina’s sandal shod feet brushed once more against the earth the anomalous air space swiftly dissipated as though a collective breath of tension had abruptly been released. It was a mildly interesting phenomenon and an errant section of the Kabal members thoughts wondered if Ghost were aware of how her emotions manifested themselves through her gift.

Emotions were perhaps both a mutants greatest strength and their most flagrant foible, for as an athlete will utilize adrenaline to reach a higher plateau of performance, a mutant could significantly increase their powers if their emotional state was intense enough. The flaw with such a course of action though was that many mutants were ill equipped to deal with such a surge of force whilst in the throws of anger or fear, they often lashed out violently, indiscriminant of friend of foe and lost whatever manner of control they originally held over their gift. Simon had seen it happen before, even experienced it himself on occasion and the results had rarely been favourable.

Shaken from his inner ponderings by Katrina’s abrupt exclamation in relation to her gravity defying experience Zephyr tilted his head and regarded the ashen eyed adolescent with a raised brow before speaking in a somewhat supercilious manner which was belied by the subtle grin about his lips, “If I recall correctly you were practically begging to be let down not 30 seconds ago. Are you always so fickle?” Although the elemental was all too obviously teasing the young child, part of him was pleased with her effervescent reaction; flying had been one of the activities he’d always intended to share with his true sister, however things being what they were he had never been given the chance to act upon it and so his brief test flight with Katrina had no gone no small way towards lifting his own spirits.

"Would you like to come in for something to drink, Mister Zephyr?"[/color]

Shifting his focus away from his perky protégé Simon eyes drifted towards Ghost and granted her a nonplussed expression, blinking once as he processed his pale partners words before responding. In all honesty the elemental was finding it difficult to recall the last time such an offer had been presented to him outside of a dining establishment, it wasn’t that he lacked acquaintances to make such offers, simply that he was rarely in a position to be on the receiving end of such niceties. And although his father had ensured manners were carved into his memory from an early age such lessons had faded with time though the knowledge was still there. In either case his slight hesitation seemed to have been unnoticed or ignored for Ghost swiftly moved on in her social discourse, recalling the merc’s lack of experience with the institute and drafting in Katrina for assistance with the role of tour guide, before momentarily excusing herself and wandering no more than a few paces before coming to an utter standstill as the air about her abruptly altered, to the common eye it would simply appear as the ethereal figure were becoming more in tune with world around it as her edges sharpened and her form become less translucent and more opaque. Simon however was able to observe with more than merely his eyes and once he had realized the change his companion was undergoing he had immediately concentrated his perceptions upon his element monitoring the shift air density as particles collided and were somehow absorbed gaining mass as the girl depositioned herself transitioning from gas to solid. The entire transformation had lasted at least a good 30 seconds yet for Zephyr the process had seemed to flash by as he struggled to assimilate and memorize what had taken place, by the time Ghost had concluded her shift though the Kabal member was left with no more than a vague understanding of a skill, which before today, he had believed impossible. His eyes narrowed momentarily as he fought the impulse to request that she repeat the performance, he would be patient, if their game were to continue he could petition her to undertake the transformation then, if not well… he would have ample time to practice on his own later.

With his thoughts thus decided Zephyr was able to offer his elemental companion a genial nod of acknowledgment as she faced them once again and offered to start her role of tour guide in earnest. “By all means,” the merc replied as he waved an arm in acquiescence, “lead the way.”

>>>“If I recall correctly you were practically begging to be let down not 30 seconds ago. Are you always so fickle?”

Katrina sensed that the brown haired air elemental's question was a rhetorical one. She pretended to give it serious thought by tilting her head to one side, pinching her chin with one hand, and looking upwards as if the answer to his question was written in the clouds or floating past on the wind that had so recently been suspending her in the air.

“Hmm. I suppose I have been known to change my mind from time to time. If I never did, I think I would get stuck in one way of thinking forever. My opinions wouldn't be able to keep up with the changes in the world around me if they weren't also somewhat flexible.” She had intended to give a smart alack response, but it ended up sounding kind of serious instead. That was no way to get back at him for teasing her, so she added, “As for you, are you always so sarcastic?” There. That would put him in his place. Or earn her another whirlwind ride through the air above the mansion as punishment for her impudence.

>>>"Would you like to come in for something to drink, Mister Zephyr? ... Or, I guess you've never been here... Kat would you like to help me show Mister Zephyr around?"

Dio had never been to the mansion before? There were so many cool things to see here. The mansion was perhaps less of a labyrinth than Mondragon Labs, but the twists and turns and nooks and crannies within the school had infinitely more character than the monotonous hallways of the former home of the Resistance. Katrina was already planning where she would lead the tour first.

“I'd love to! Let's start in the kitchen, because then we can get snacks on the way. My mom works in the kitchen now, so sometimes I get to help plan what everyone gets to eat for dinners.”

"I'll just be a moment."

They all paused a moment and waited for Ghost to turn solid again. To Katrina's perception, which was limited to visuals of the event, it merely looked like Ghost slowly turned from half invisible to fully visible again. The more visible she became, the lower she sank toward the ground until her feet touched gently down to the earth. Zephyr seemed to find it more interesting than she did, but he probably was paying attention to how the wind currents were affecting Ghost's transformation, or something like that.

>>>"Shall we?" Ghost asked once she had finished pulling herself back together again.

>>>“By all means, lead the way.” Zephyr waved them onward.

Katrina obliged. She grabbed the hazel haired aeromancer's hand as soon as he was done waving it and pulled him eagerly toward the side door of the mansion that led directly to the kitchen.

“That's the wall that Garrett and Ghost built,” the thirteen year old used her free hand to point out the handiwork of the snow haired air elemental and the mansion's resident Tao master and sometimes lawn chair occupant.

“That was during the reconstruction. I helped, too. One of the things I did was clean out the refrigerator. It was totally disgusting smelling! Anyway, this is the secret door to the kitchen. It makes a really good shortcut out to the pool so you don't have to walk all the way around the house. It probably would also be useful in sneaking around the house for hide and seek, too. I haven't had a chance to play yet, but I already know about twenty good hiding places, but I'm not going to tell you where all those are, just in case.”

"The kitchen sounds like a good plan." Ghost could tell Katrina was rife with excitement. It was cute to see her take the stoic Zephyr by the hand and ... well, man-handle him. Did Zephyr know just how far this thirteen year old had him wrapped around her little finger? She sure wasn't going to tell him.

Ghost led the way around the front of the mansion and toward the garden and pool where the side entrance was located. The yard was expansive and the garden still bloomed nicely despite the waves of heat that snaked up from the ground. Ghost smiled, inwardly pleased that people had noticed the rebuilding they had done and also pleased because it was physical proof of when Garrett and Ghost had first met.

Up the two or three steps and there was a small stoop with double doors. Ghost opened one and held it for Katrina and her ward. Somehow Ghost's guest was now Katrina's as well. Maybe Katrina's pinky finger was more powerful than Ghost originally imagined. She enjoyed the girl's narrations very much. "Didn't know you got saddled with the fridge. I bet that was almost as messy as the painting crew."

Ghost had been a brand new resident then and pitched in wherever anyone would let her. Some of the boy residents around Katrina's age had thought it funny to paint Ghost where she had fallen asleep. Ghost thought it was funny too... now.

"So this is the kitchen and living room area." That was pretty obvious, but she thought she'd announce it as a segue into kitchen area proper for a drink. Ghost waved at Katrina's mother who happened to be restocking the fridge, not an uncommon occurrence with so many eaters. "Hello Ms. Dumonde." Ghost took a seat at the bar that backed up the the kitchen's sink and range area. She'd let Kat do the formal introductions, though matrilineal parentage should have been evident by their resemblance anyway.

When Zephyr had first acquiesced to travel to the mansion the elemental had done so mainly out of curiosity; the institute was after all well known to nearly all those who resided in the New York area. Despite the schools close proximity to the city however Simon had never been able to construct a premise under which to conduct a visit; his education, due mainly to his father’s tutors, was already well above what would be considered high school level and thus the mansion could not assist the mercenary in his studies even should he choose to pursue them. Housing likewise was even less of a grounds for visitation considering the hessian leased several apartments around the city and could easily afford to continue doing so for at least the next ten years. Regardless of the fact that the institute had nothing to offer him directly though the mansion had remained a point of interest for the mercenary, even if it was only because an establishment geared towards housing and instructing adolescent mutants was bound to have something worth seeing.

Katrina’s enthusiasm, if anything, only served to reinforce such an opinion, judging by the blonde gamines animated palaver the child could hardly wait to actualize her guise of mansion tour guide. Zephyr for his part was at something of a loss as to how the girl managed to find such energy, still it was refreshing and the elemental found his lips curving upwards slightly as his shoulders shook under a suppressed chuckle. Once Ghost had finished ‘composing’ herself however and the go ahead to begin had been given Simon, to his own sudden surprise, found himself being all but dragged from his rather comfortable perch beside the towering timber as Katrina eagerly latched onto his arm and proceeded to pull him to a nearby side entrance in the mansions walls. Caught off guard as he was the normally adroit mercenary was forced to stumble the first few steps until his feet found their place and began matching the ashen eyed girls stride while his mind attempted to keep up and assimilate the child’s rather… unique, storytelling capabilities.

With all the talk of reconstruction the hessian couldn’t help but let his azure gaze wander once more over the mansions masonry, sure enough his argus eyes swiftly began to note subtle inconsistencies; sections of stone which were lighter than their surroundings, wooden doorframes which gleamed all too clearly under new coats of paint and patches of grass which had yet to reach the height of their fellows. All in all though the elemental was of the opinion that the institute had been vastly improved since his first visit; a somewhat illegitimate venture during which he had assisted in the abduction of a mansion resident by the moniker of Paragon. That particular endeavor had also caused the mercenary to confront, and nearly terminate a different mansion tenant who had proved foolish enough to pursue the Kabal group, as it was the asinine adolescents efforts had been brought to an abrupt halt once Antonescue had chosen to interfere… but such was a story for another time, one that most certainly did not include the hessians present company.

As the group at last made their way into kitchen Zephyr was treated to a ah.. ‘charming’ account of how his energetic protégé had assisted with parts of the schools indoor renovation before then rapidly being informed that he could not be enlightened upon the institutes more arcane locations, a comment which only caused the elementals lips to quirk upwards in what was fast becoming an all too common smirk. “Is that so? Well I shall to ensure I never play with you then, after all I wouldn’t to ruin your fun by finding you in the first five minutes.” The response was made idly but a teasing tone was all evident to those who cared to pay attention.

"So this is the kitchen and living room area."[/color] Ghosts announcement was accompanied by a vague wave of the hand to introduce the full scope of the room. The words themselves however caused Simon to raise a brow in wry amusement, indeed he had been on the verge of making a malapert style comment when the white haired sylphs cursory wave turned into a genuine greeting for a fourth occupant of the cooking area, who was swiftly resolved to be one Ms. Dumonde. The name caused the hazel haired hessian to pause momentarily as a flicker of recognition crossed his features, however before the surname could completely register within the mercenary’s mind the moment had passed, leaving the Kabal member with only a vague and assuredly aggravating sense of being unable to recall something just outside his mental reach. However as the elemental possessed no desire to have his somewhat odd reaction come across as rude to the woman who was undoubtedly Katrina’s mother, the slender hessian swiftly cast off the puzzled frown which had decorated his features and replaced it with a polite smile as he proceeded to nod his head in greeting while he waited for one of his two companions to begin introductions, if not such efforts were made however Simon would, of course, introduce himself.

>>>“Is that so? Well I shall to ensure I never play with you then, after all I wouldn’t to ruin your fun by finding you in the first five minutes.”

Katrina's mouth twitched downward at the corner, as did her eyebrows in the center. He couldn't really do that. Not if she really wanted to stay hidden. After all, she was an expert at hiding and even without that, she had a mutation that aided her efforts if she needed it to. Not that he knew that.

“Hmm, I doubt it,” was her response to that. “You better not brag too much, or I will have to challenge you to a game to teach you a lesson. Though it might be a rather boring one, since you would take all day to find me again.”

>>>"So this is the kitchen and living room area." It was a good thing Ghost was helping with this tour, or it could easily devolve into a sibling style argument over who was the better hide-and-seek player, or some other subject of a similar nature. Katrina had never had a sibling, but she imagined that having one would be a lot like having Dio around all the time.

In the kitchen was Katrina's mother, earning both of their rooms by keeping the kitchens running. It was still a little strange to think of her mother cooking, after they had been served dinner by their family butler for so many years, but Claire Dumonde was getting to be quite a good cook. She had taken the veritable army of hungry mutants in stride and was somehow able to keep them all fed. It was a job that seemed much bigger than one person could do, and Katrina was proud that her mother could do it. The young illusionist grinned and waved to her mother as she led in the miniature tour group.

Since she knew everyone in the group, she did the introductions, “This is my mom, Claire Dumonde. Mom, this is Zephyr. He's a friend from the Resistance who knows Ghost, too. He came for a visit so we're giving him a tour.”

The petite brunette woman stood from where she was crouching at the refrigerator and smiled warmly at the group her young daughter lead into the kitchen. “Welcome to the mansion, Zephyr! It's nice to meet you.” As far as Claire knew, he was the first 'friend from the Resistance' that had ever come to visit the mansion other than mansion residents who were also part of the resistance. It was a little strange to think that she knew almost nothing about that year of her daughter's life that she had missed. No one talked much about their experiences during that time, her daughter included. Somehow Zephyr standing there made that time seem just a little more real. It really had happened. How did one speak to the friends of your thirteen year old daughter who had helped plan and carry out a rather violent plan to break the mutants out of the New York area concentration camp? Was there a different etiquette than how she would normally respond to her daughter bringing home friends that were so much older and more mature?

Katrina inadvertently interrupted her mother's pensive silence, “Did anyone want a snack or anything? We have juice boxes or soda.” She wandered over to where her mother had just been refilling the contents of the ice box and looked inside. “We've got lots of variety and ice, too. Most things aren't very cold yet.”

Ms. Dumonde greeted Zephyr kindly, as Ghost had come to expect of the woman. It was strange to be friends with a child more than the mother, but Katrina had a charm all her own. Ms. Dumonde was kept hopping with Mansion business, but Ghost vowed to keep doing the little things she could to help.

In fact, Ms Dumonde was probably equally curious as to how Kat and Zephyr had become friends. Ghost knew how she became friends with Katrina. No doubt Ghost's simple mind was on equal footing with Katrina's sharp mind.

They'd shared a juice box and Katrina had bemoaned her mother's propensity for hands-on child rearing when she was a child who had enjoyed a time of near emancipation. Ghost realized she didn't really know much about the Resistance. She knew nothing of the mutants who had escaped the camps. Any time she'd met one, they seemed almost ashamed to admit they had been spared. Ghost'd been in the camps and it was so jarring to come back to America all of a sudden. She didn't stick around the Labs to learn much about how it had all happened, she was too busy trying to get her bearings again at the time.

"Juice for me, please." She just couldn't say no to sweet and non-carbonated. The camps hadn't been too long ago, but... it sure felt like forever. Ghost watched Zephyr curiously to see what he would pick and how he would respond non-verbally as well as verbally to Katrina's mother. A lot could be told about the measure of a man when meeting a mother.

When handed the juice box, Ghost took the straw and inserted it as Katrina had showed her last time. To Ghost, the effervescent corn syrup was the far inferior choice. The captured air tasted stale, forced, and often metallic. The juice did not offend as easily. Would the other air elemental agree?

The Institutes kitchen was, as one would expect, a rather large endeavor; easily measuring at least 20ft in length and 12ft in width at its widest point the room contained three separate ovens, each encased in an obsidian polymer cast. In stark contrast to the cooking facilities the kitchens countertops were wrought from what, at first glance, appeared to be polished alabaster marble, upon contact however an astute observer would find that the surface lacked the chill of the aforementioned stone, thus unraveling the artful pretense as nothing more than a well designed Formica covering. Beneath the counters and adorning the upper walls of the kitchen rested a series of what appeared to be mahogany carved cabinets, doubtlessly containing the mansions bowls, plates and other utensils. The rich wood had been stained to a pleasing auburn shade and gave off a light luster as it caught the light. Diverging sharply from these darker colours though the room’s refrigerator was snow white in design and, like kitchen itself, was a rather ambitious venture, doubtlessly twice the size of anything available on the consumer markets. Seeming to dominate the entire kitchen wall the storage facility easily the dwarfed the petit woman who had been diligently stocking it moment before. In the centre of the room rested a quotidian wooden table covered by what looked to be a simple linen cloth topped off by an aureate vase which accommodated a bouquet of fresh flowers.

The overall image managed to not only stay in touch with institute own ornate style but also convey a sense of familiarity, an almost soothing family style atmosphere. This may, in part, have been due to the presence of a certain mother daughter duo, however at best the two females only served to reinforce such an ambience. More than likely whoever had commissioned the mansion for its educational occupation had been charged an inordinate sum by avaricious interior decorators intent on capturing as large a profit as possible. Pessimistic thoughts aside though, if the kitchen were any indication then the institutes interior was well suited as an academic environment. The elemental had initially imagined the school would be somewhat bare and lacking in decorations, especially considering the nature of its charges, to have his assumptions so firmly rejected caused the hessian to pause and revaluate what he knew of educational systems in the west. Such ponderings however were swiftly discarded however were not truly suited for the mercenary’s current situation and so the Kabal member shelved his thoughts on the matter, resolving to return to them at a later point in time.

Katrina’s mother, Ms. Dumonde as Ghost had called her, possessed a slender figure comparable to the elementals own. The woman’s light chestnut hair was likewise analogous to British born mercenary’s, though his own locks were somewhat darker in shade. That however was where the similarities ended, the Dumonde matriarch was at least a head shorter than the hessian, barely reaching his shoulders, her physiognomy as well was dissimilar; possessing less definition around the jaw and ashen eyes consanguineous to her daughters. The brunette also managed to carry herself with a certain grace, an element of elegance which suggested a certain level of proficiency over her movements, akin to that of a dancer. Despite this though her decorum seemed somewhat ruffled, it was nothing impolite, her greeting had been far too amiable for that, no it was merely a sense of uncertainty. Given the context of the situation however such a reaction was perfectly understandable, after all very rarely did budding teenagers possess friends more than five years their senior. It was only natural that a parent would be at least slightly wary of such an acquaintance. Zephyr in fact considered himself fortunate that the woman was unaware of his current occupation, as he doubted few parents would allow their children to consort with someone of his background.

Inclining his head towards Katrina’s mother Simon offered the brunette a kind smile as he extended his hand in greeting, waiting a moment for the older woman to accept his grasp before responding. ‘What is it they say about first impressions?’

“A pleasure to meet you Ms. Dumond…”

‘Ah yes, you only get one, may as well make it count then.’

“I can see Katrina is going to grow into a fine woman.”

The additional comment was perhaps a touch out of character, and admittedly a touch cheesy, however the elemental was hoping to come across as slightly more sociable than normal. This, unfortunately, would require him to speak more often than was necessary, however, due to Ghost’s and Katrina’s presence he’d have to keep his affectations in check in order to avoid any remarks regarding his errant behavior. He’d presumably already roused Ghosts attention, though if he judged the snow haired sylph correctly the ingénue would likely refrain from any such awkward comments. Katrina hopefully wouldn’t pick up on anything provided she was kept occupied, and considering how easily the blonde gamine could be taunted/teased, that hopefully wouldn’t prove difficult.

Speaking of the ashen eyed child, the girl had just chosen to interject with a query regarding snacks, effectively ending the elementals communications with the adolescent’s mother. Ghosts responded with a request for some sort of juice another, without specifying the flavor, earning her a colourfully designed cuboid complete with straw which the pale girl accepted gratefully. For himself Zephyr found his appetite somewhat lacking, possibly a side effect of his journey here, but in any case he wasn’t certain how well he’d handle any of the carbonated beverages, juice however was something he typically only served with breakfast and so it felt somewhat odd having it at just past midday. A glass of pimms would have been perfect for a summer day such as this, however considering the age of the mansions tenants it was unlikely that there were any alcoholic beverages on site, officially at least.

“A glass of water would be fine, thank you.”

Accepting his drink Zephyr took a moment to drain a portion of the liquid, waiting to see if any further discussions would develop. When none appeared to be forthcoming the hessian turned to his fellow air elemental and questioned genially. “You never did tell me Ghost, how was it you came across the mansion?”

Claire accepted the young man's extended hand and shook it tenaciously. It was a well practiced hand shake, for the eleemosynary wife a senator got a lot of practice shaking hands. She hadn't officially been employed then, her chief occupations having been meeting, greeting, and donating other people's money to charities. It seemed like ages ago now, but the handshake was still automatic.

>>>“A pleasure to meet you Ms. Dumonde… I can see Katrina is going to grow into a fine woman.”

The sandy haired teen earned himself matching blushes from both Dumonde females, as well as an abrupt subject change to the topic of snacks from the younger of the two. A juice box for Ghost and a water for the one trying to make a good impression. Katrina helped play hostess by delivering the beverages and helping herself to juice box and a bowl of pretzels rather larger than she was intending to eat all by herself. The juice boxes went into the bowl for transport in one hand and Zephyr's water glass took up her other hand all by itself. Walking carefully so as to avoid spilling all over the pair of air wind manipulators, Katrina delivered the drinks, set the salty snacks within easy reach of everyone, then seated herself next to Ghost.

Zephyr took charge of continuing the conversation and Ms. Dumonde took charge of finishing her task of unloading groceries. She didn't mind working while she listened to the conversation. She could be perfectly sociable and productive at the same time.

>>>“You never did tell me Ghost, how was it you came across the mansion?”

Katrina listened, too. She didn't know how Ghost found the mansion either. She had just been here when Katrina arrived after everyone returned from the Labs. To the young teen, Ghost was as much a part of the place as the front gate and the main staircase. It was strange to think of her ever not being here.

Some unconscious tension seeped out through her fingers and toes as Zephyr behaved himself most admirably. She hadn't been expecting the lanky man to outright deck Ms. Dumonde or anything as crass, but Ghost had no idea what to expect from him. One moment exposing a girl's undies to the front lawn and the next trading pleasantries with her mother. Well, whatever the man was, at the very least he was polite and that made Ghost proud that she had not misplaced her trust in him.

“You never did tell me Ghost, how was it you came across the mansion?”

The question had caught Ghost mid-pretzel. She chewed a bit less thoroughly than usual and sipped her juice. "Ah-well, Not a whole lot to say there." The actual reasons for her reaching the mansion were actually a bit embarrassing. She scratched at the back of her head as she tried to think of how to frame her answer. She was unused to the rapt attention of others even if it was just Zephyr and Katrina.

"During the... liberation of the camps I met a man that told me to seek the assistant headmistress here. He gave me a general physical description and I found her at the Mondragon Labs place where everyone got dumped off. She gave me the address here and after a bit of recuperation I came here. Not straight away, but nothing too fancy, I guess."

She rubbed at her wrists and took a sip of her juice. "Nothing too fancy" included helping a winged man fly, breaking into a penthouse suite, stealing food and some cash, and holding onto a severed human tongue for a bit. It sufficed to say that things were better at the Mansion.

"Before the Registration, I was supposed to be attending NYU. Came from Yakota to the airport here and from the airport straight to an individual holding cell. I like it better here at the Mansion." She smoothed her skirt, brushed a crumb from the counter, and readjusted the straw in her juice box. Yes. Things were a lot better here.

Leaning adroitly against the kitchens extended counter a little ways away from his blonde haired protégé and elemental familiar Zephyr glanced momentarily at the somewhat large bowl of salted morsels Katrina had tactfully placed between the three of them before swiftly returning his attention to the snow haired ingénue. The girl appeared slightly out of sorts with suddenly becoming the center of attention, however the unease seemed to pass easily enough and the subdued gamine slowly began speaking, revealing knowledge of the camps though not specifying whether she had been an inmate or a member of the resistance. Simon was tempted to lean towards the former; Ghost did not express herself as the type who reveled in confrontation; it was unlikely that she was among the resistance who had assaulted the camps, thus judging by the way she spoke of “liberation” it was far more probable the gamine had been one of those liberated. The strongest evidence by far though was the subconscious stroke along her wrist precisely where the nullifying bracelets would have been placed.

Confinement could also have been partly responsible for the girls submissive nature, Zephyr had witnessed firsthand what the camp staff had been capable of, even aided a few of them in their less savoury endeavors. More than a few mutants had broken under the conditions they were forced to endure, Ghost however didn’t appear to be one of them, quiet though she was the hessian had already seen her laugh more than once since their initial encounter at the park and she seemed more than willing to utilize her mutation, something other mutants had held difficulty in doing after their release.

Closing his azure eyes and take another sip of his drink Zephyr dismissed his current ponderings, he was reading far too much into this, the sylph simply had a passive personality, likely from what he perceived to be her Asian upbringing. In either case there was no point dwelling on the topic, the registration camps were not a pleasant topic for any and there was little cause in deteriorating the present mood, a change of topic was needed, preferably one which would interest the majority of this little group.

"Before the Registration, I was supposed to be attending NYU. Came from Yakota to the airport here and from the airport straight to an individual holding cell. I like it better here at the Mansion."

Simons brow furrowed as he attempted to call upon what little he knew of world geography, unfortunately the name Yakota failed to resonate with any particular memory, however the simple structure of the name hinted towards a Japanese source and judging from what he’d seen of Ghost thus far such an origin would fall well within the hessians expectations. Giving a the equivalent of a mental shrug the mercenary placed his drink upon the Formica countertop as he thought about how to word his next query. They needed a change in subject after all and although it was perhaps unfair to continue focusing upon the pale ingénue Simon was naturally curious about the Asian region. Aside from a brief stint in China which lasted less than three days the elemental had never visited any oriental countries, and so his knowledge in that part of the world was rather lacking and he was therefore somewhat inclined to improve it.

“Yakota.. that would be in Japan wouldn’t it? How long were you there?”

The quintessentially quiet Ghost seemed slightly uncomfortable under the undivided attentions of her audience. On the spot, she seemed to squirm subtly. The winsome white haired wind wielder rubbed her wrists and sipped at her straw between the two segments of her story. Were there perhaps painful experiences excluded from the tale? It was difficult to determine. Zephyr closed his eyes, clearly contemplating something about the story.

>>>Before the Registration, I was supposed to be attending NYU. Came from Yakota to the airport here and from the airport straight to an individual holding cell. I like it better here at the Mansion."

The blue eyed British breeze bender furrowed his brow at the termination of her tale. Perhaps in a show of concern for the previous predicament of his fellow mistral manipulator. He didn't press for particulars of the gruesome gulag, and instead inquired if her hometown was located in Japan.

>>>“Yakota.. that would be in Japan wouldn’t it? How long were you there?”

“Japan, really? What was it like? I've never even been out of the country before.” The inquisitive ingenue picked up a pretzel, but paused before biting, “How about you Zephyr? You're from England? Why did you decide to come to the United States?” Someday she too would sojourn to countries outside her own. At least, she hoped she would.

"Yes, Yakota is where the American Air Force base is in Japan. It's not too far out from Tokyo." She coudn't help it, just mentioning her time in Japan brought a smile to her face. It hadn't been all fun and games, but as most recent high school graduates did, Ghost thought back on that time fondly. "My family was transferred to Japan when I started high school, so... four years, five years? Not that long really." She had to correct herself at the end there. She'd been delayed going to college because of her mother's death so that had kept her by her father's side another half year at least.

Ghost couldn't help but smile at Katrina's enthusiasm. "You would love it, Katrina. World traveling makes for a more well-rounded person I think. It makes you realize that it's more than just this little place, this little -or big- town, or even this country. There is a whole world culture that a lot of Americans are missing out on." She nodded more to herself than anyone else, those words an almost direct quote of her mother's.

Ghost winked subtly at Katrina as she asked the kind of direct question only a youth could. Naturally Ghost was curious too and turned to focus her attentions to the other world traveler present. Although, now that she was finished with her spans of talking, she was also able to give her juice box the attentions it deserved. Zephyr would just have to share those attentions. Because juice was tasty.

Ghost’s response to the taciturn mercenary’s query was both informative and relatively brief; depicting a highly structured upbringing which nonetheless managed to provide the shy sylph with a collection of pleasant recollections. The mention of an airbase raised additional inquisitive thoughts within the lean hessians mind; mainly speculations regarding the pale gamine’s relation to the armed forces and any possible talents she may have acquired due to such connections. Furthermore it also seemed as though the slender ingénue was roughly a year his senior, at least if his knowledge of American schooling was to be correct, he couldn’t be certain of course, not without asking her directly, however since such an inquiry would be of only limited value the British born elemental simply filed the idle information away for later possible use.

“Japan, really? What was it like? I've never even been out of the country before.”[/color]

Momentarily sidetracked the conversation shifted to the mercenary’s petite protégé whose natural curiosity about the oriental island nation seemed to exceed his own. It was hardly an unnatural acquisitiveness though; out of all the Asian nations Japan possessed a unique history which set it apart from the rest of the world.

Although perhaps not as ancient as China or the Korea’s Japan talent for innovation was astounding, living on a secluded group of islands the Japanese had chosen isolation until well into the late 1800’s, opting to discard any and all attempts of contact from the outside world. They had believed their country to be the center of the universe and the most advanced in existence, it was not until their nation had been forcefully opened by the United States that they had truly realized how far they had fallen behind; swords and bows were no longer sufficient in that day and age, indeed they were horribly inadequate compared to the firearms held by the rest of the world.

Unlike many of their oriental kin though, Japan chose not to resent the actions of America and the west; there were no government led rebellions or guerilla warfare, quite the opposite actually; they chose to embrace the way’s of the western world; allowing trade and investment to flow into their lands as they dispatched the younger generations to all four corners of globe in order to attain the technology they were so sorely lacking. A mere thirty years later though and the isolated islands, whom many had disregarded as an insignificant unknown, had decimated the Russian fleet, effectively annexed Korea and toppled the Chinese; a country whose population exceeded their own by at least fivefold.

The Japanese had been determined to build an empire which exceeded that of any other and indeed, had they not assaulted Pearl Harbor it was highly likely they would have succeeded. History being what it was though Japan’s imperial expansion came to an abrupt end at the conclusion of WWII, however in spite of this, or perhaps because of it, their people had managed to rebuild and driven themselves to make the most of their resources, consummating in the second most virile economy on the planet.

Ghost for her part seemed to share Katrina’s enthusiasm regarding foreign cultures and the worldly wisdom such itinerant intentions could bestow, a sentiment which caused Simon to nod his head in whole hearted agreement, a faint grin gracing his visage as he recalled his first week in Paris almost a year and half ago. “Too true Ghost, the number of misconceptions most hold about the rest of the world is almost laughable.”

“How about you Zephyr? You're from England? Why did you decide to come to the United States?”[/color]

Finding himself the apex of attention for the second time since he had set foot within the mansions weathered walls the hazel haired hessian azure gaze slid across the counter as it came to rest upon the inquisitive adolescent, arching a single brow as he fixed the percipient child with an appraising expression. “Very astute.” Rarely was the elemental identified by his British brogue, mainly due to his dislike of advertising such a trait, certainly there were situations where it was desirable, however for the most part an accent was memorable and for one in Zephyr’s line of work the last thing he wished to be was indelible, thus he had adjusted his inflection to the point where most mistook his cadence for a resident of Boston.

Katrina, it seemed, was more perceptive than most.

Leaning calmly against the counter Simon’s gaze lowered idly to his glass as he swirled the remaining contents, debating precisely what to reveal and how much should be authentic. Despite his profession the elemental disliked falsehoods, they only served to complicate situations and forced one to remember fictitious facts which would otherwise serve no purpose. “There’s not much I can say I suppose.” That much was true; he doubted his female companions would react well if they became aware of his questionable practices. “I lived in England for most of my life and only started traveling about three years ago. The initial plan had simply been to travel through Europe for a year, however due to an altercation of sorts with my father my journey has become rather extended.” Again this much was true, the fact that he had omitted his own fabricated demise along with a mysterious string of deaths analogous to his route were points the hessian didn’t feel were worth mentioning.

“As for how I ended up here… well, I felt a change of climate was needed after a two month stint in Russia left me unable to recall what warmth felt like.” A slight smile accompanied this last comment even though it was only a partial truth. For while the boreal temperatures of the country were formidable, the remuneration the mercenary had received for his services had more than compensated. The main cause for his departure had actually been a lack of work; the hessian had been fortunate to stumble upon the gelid nation during a time of political uncertainty, an event seen as an opportunity by some, especially the local mafia and thus crime had risen significantly. The government had responded swiftly however and the elemental had found his services in high demand and thus had worked on “damage control” for a little more than eight weeks. His efforts had been somewhat too effective though and by the end he had found himself without an employer which, considering the administrations vast reserve of funds, had been annoying to say the least.

Wishing to move away from the present subject Simon’s cobalt eyes shifted to the half eaten bowl of pretzels, his thoughts already focusing upon the surrounding air as his empty hand made a deft grasping gesture, causing a number of the salted snacks to break as they were crushed under the abruptly compressed air. Those within the elementals carelessly crafted sphere of influence however were slowly raised from the bowl and, with a slight twitch of a finger, summoned the slight distance to the hessians waiting hand. Yes he was showing off, if only mildly, however he was hoping that his actions would at least momentarily derail the current conversation. Should that fail though…

“As we seem to be going around, how did you end up at the mansion Katrina? When did your powers first flare up?”

For her question about Zephyr's origins, Katrina earned at wink from Ghost and a compliment from Zephyr. At least, it sounded kind of like a compliment.

>>>“Very astute.”

She hadn't realized she was being “astute”, nor had she realized he was trying to hide his original accent. If it had some Boston mixed in with the England, it just made it sound like he had spent a couple years there, too. Was there more England or more Boston right now? What had the ratio been when he'd though she was his sister back in the library of Mondragon Labs or when he had let his expressionless mask fall and had shown all of the emotions that were tangled up behind it or afterwards when had read some of the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to her? One didn't worry about accents in those situations, most likely.

She munched her pretzels while Zephyr gave his abbreviated life story. She wrinkled her nose at the part about the altercation with his father. She wasn't familiar with the word, but understood based on context. She'd had one of those with her father, too. She didn't dwell on it too long, though, as Zephyr decided that now would be an appropriate time to completely sidetrack her with his floating pretzel tricks.

“Woah! Cool! Is that they same thing you did outside?” Katrina waved her hand between the bowl and Zephyr's palm to see if she could detect a breeze. The small amounts of pretzel that had been crushed seemed to indicate that what he did this time was more like the second version of flying, the more pleasant of the two, in which he had used air that squeezed in order to hang onto someone, or something as was the case with the pretzels.

“Oh, my turn?” Katrina's glance met her mother's as the older woman was putting finished folding up grocery bags and stored them in one of the cupboards for recycling. The older woman nodded subtly at her daughter and began to take out the ingredients for that evening's dinner.

“It was about a year ago, right after the school year started that my powers first appeared. This school seemed like the best place for someone to learn about their powers, though I didn't want to come here at first. Then the school was raided during the Registration stuff, and I ended up taking shelter with the Resistance for until Spring. After everything died down again, everyone came back here.” She shrugged. The rest was pretty much history.

Flare up? Ghost simpered at Zephyr's choice of words. As if their mutations were a physical manifestation of some unseen disease. Like a cough might flare up or worse... She let the word choice slide however. It was not polite conversation to jibe at another's vernacular.

"I don't remember exactly when my gift first manifested..." She really didn't. With tensions so high about those things, her mother had spotted it before she had, Ghost guessed. And then under mom's tender care, she learned to practice in secret and hone her senses. It just felt as if it were always that way. If Ghost thought really hard about it she could think back to a time without her power, but it was so much a part of herself those young days were more like a fabrication than an actual memory.

"I do remember, however, the first day that I ghosted. It was a really stressful day and my dad did not want me to leave the house." Really stressful was Ghost's edited version of the day of her mother's funeral. She always glossed over the bits of her past that would perrferably be forgotten. It was not her right to burden friends with such gloom. Instead, she would share the story and only that. "I guess I was feeling stubborn or upset, but I just wanted to get away so very badly that I did... I slipped right out of his grip and also right out of my clothes and shoes. All right in front of my family, of course. It took me days to figure out how to get back. I was really hungry by then too."

She smiled a bit lopsidedly since the memory was a muddled mixture of feelings. Funny now. Not so funny then. "Obviously I know better now..."

"That was also the day my hair started growing white. I always used to keep it long, but had to cut it short since it looked so strange." She tugged on the locks of snowy perfection and looked expectantly to Zephyr. It would be his turn next in this little share circle.