Tait stepped out of the cab he had taken from the airport. His hair was in a messy fashion that almost looked as if he had planned it to look that way. His hazel orbs scanned the gates as he walked up his black Jack Purcells kicking up some dirt that was on the ground before he stepped onto the sidewalk leading up to the mansion.

He scanned the gates, scratching his head a bit as he wondered how he was supposed to get entry into this place. "All roight... Well pops sent me ta this place and I can't even get in..." Tait spoke to himself sarcastically as he turned to walk away from the iron gates. He wasn't about to tear down the gates to a mutant academy, who knows what kind of defenses they had there. As he stepped off the sidewalk onto the gravel path he hear a squeeking, turning around he saw the gate opening by itself. "Hmmm...?"

Tait turned back and headed inside the gate seeing a large fountain in front of him. As he walked around the fountain he approached a smaller staircase leading up to two large wooden double doors. "Well, looks loike I'm gunna have to make an appearance in this joint" He said with a grin as he walked up to the doors pulling one of them open.

He stepped in the large room that looked like a lobby to a hotel. "This place is huuuge!" He whispered to himself a bit as he looked around at the mansion. "Helloooo?" He called out his Australian accent echoed through the seemingly empty halls of the mansion as he scanned around the rooms. "Wonda whe'e everyone is?"

"Nooooo!" The word was a wail brushing through the entry way with enough power behind it that it rather felt like a slither against the skin. There was a great deal of shuffling before one of the doors opened hard enough to slam against the outer wall. Curiously no one was behind that door either. Not at first anyway.

Ghost darted out from the library, hardly visible in her ethereal form and definitely not touching the ground. She went right for Tait, obviously headed for the main stair, and then... right through him? In actuality her molecules went around the more solid teen and she recombined on the other side, but it wasn't like Ghost to walk through strangers. In fact, the ghostly form of the girl stopped some paces after passing through Tait and paused as if she were just now recognizing that someone were there.

"Who is it?" She didn't turn around, but the barometric air pressure began to increase around Tait's form and most of all his face. She spun around then, eyes wide and the pressure let up. "I do not recognize your face -- Are you new?" If possible her eyes became wider and she bowed deeply. "Forgive my rudeness, I -er- my paper. It died and it's due in an hour." She was shaking her head back and forth, light colored hair swinging. This was the first visitor/resident she'd greeted and she was messing it all up!

She sighed and righted herself, bare toes still drifting just off the ground. The paper was a lost cause, but the new person wasn't. "Welcome to Xa-vi-er's (She sounded the name out carefully so that she did not botch it) School for the Gifted. Are you looking to become a student or resident here, Mr....?"

Tait spun around hearing the eerie wail his eyes darting wildly from corner to corner of the room searching for something, or anything really, that could have made that sound. Nothing. Then suddenly a door burst open, slamming itself against the outer wall, which instantly put Tait into a defensive position. He flexed his arms a bit, feeling that all so familiar tingling in the nerve endings as he was readying his power.

"Croiky!" Tait yelped out as he extended his arm forward at the being attempting to immobilize it.

As the ethereal being darted toward him he flexed his arm even more trying his hardest to stop this thing that seemed to be coming right toward him. The tile below the being began to crack slightly as the force around it was beginning to become to great. He realized his power had no effect on the translucent being and he braced himself for an impact with it. "Great..." He mumbled right as it hurled toward him, and directly through him?

Tait stood bewildered by what had just happened, a little surprised being as it was his first impression of this place, but then again excitement is just what Tait loved. "Uhhh..." He turned to face what seemed to be a rather normal looking girl, although she was barely visible, almost as if she were a Ghost. Tait thought to himself for a moment <i>Must be her power? It is a mutant academy...</i>

As he began to answer her question he felt the air around him become more dense. Somewhat like what he could do, but he did it to solid objects, she did it with air. He noticed when it returned to normal and grinned a bit impressed with the girl's ability. "Ye' I'm not from around he'e" He said the carismatic grin still placed across his lips. He noticed her uneasiness as she spoke the first couple words to her. "Don't worry 'bout it, doll." He said chuckling a bit.

When she spoke the name of the school Tait nodded his head a bit. "Well, at least I'm in the roight place." He said with a smile as he extended his hand slowly toward the girl, not knowing if he could physically touch her, being as she just phased through him. "Name's Tait. Tait Creed. And you are?"

"Ye' I'm not from around he'e" Ghost tilted her head as she recognized the accent as foreign. "Don't worry 'bout it, doll."

Ghost dipped her head appreciatively when she noticed Tait's hand extended for a shake. She just shrugged and smiled. She wasn't much of a toucher even when she was solid and now she had a nice excuse. "Name's Tait. Tait Creed. And you are?"

"Ghost." She replied with a smile. "I can help you in just a moment, Mister Tait. Let me get solid." Ghost backed up a bit so that she wasn't within easy reach and began the process of pulling herself together and condense into a more solid state, though she was never entirely solid.

Her toes touched down against the cracked tile and then her heels as she came into her weight. Ghost shook her head and smoothed her skirt reflexively. Now that she was more visible, it was apparent that she was wearing a ruffled skirt, good for twirling, and a short sleeve shirt. The cold didn't generally bother her.

"I'm glad you made it to the right place! We have a form for you to fill out if you could follow me..." She hopped gracefully out of the cracked tiles and onto some unbroken ones. "Oh, I'm an air elemental, by the way. I'm sorry if I scared you, I just can't see that well when ghosted."

Tait nodded to her as she gave him her name and wondered if that was her real name. "Ghost, eh? What kinda name is that?" Tait said joking a bit with her. He was never one to be very shy with people and would always openly joke with other people. He grinned a bit to show that he was being a little sarcastic.

Let me get solid? Tait thought to himself and before he could ask what she meant she was already 'pulling herself together.' Now that she was clearly visible, Tait saw a young woman who looked only a bit younger than himself. "Thank ya much." He said when she offered to help him.

He followed her down the hall looking at the cracked tiles on the ground as he walked. He thought to himself as he continued walking, Already breakin' stuff the first five minutes, eh Tait? He scratched the back of his head again as he followed her down the hallway. "What kinda papers do I need ta fill out?" Tait asked still looking around curious as ever about the mansion and the people that lived there. "Oh don't worry 'bout it, I understand whe'e you're comin' from, lovie." He said with a smile implying the fact that he has some mishaps with his power as well.

"Ghost, eh? What kinda name is that?" Ghost blinked back at Tait for a moment wondering if he was serious, but now that she could clearly see his smile she felt a bit relieved. "It's as true as any other name, Mister Tait." She smiled politely as she lead the way. She would probably need to let Neena know about the entryway tiles.

"What kinda papers do I need ta fill out?"

"Well, let's see.. do you just need a place to stay or something a bit more permanent?" Ghost walked down the administrative office hallway though it looked a bit more like prancing. She was ever light on her feet. "If you'll be staying, I'll need to get you a New Resident Form. It is pretty simple really, the most important parts being 'What is your mutation?' and 'Is your gift possibly dangerous to those around you?' though I've never known the mansion to turn anyone away even if they were supposedly dangerous."

She paused in front of some doors motioning to one then the other. "This is our headmistress' office, Her name is Tricity. This is the assistant headmistress' office, her name is Neena. They're both rather busy with school right now. You actually found your way in while classes are in session, that's where most of our residents are right now."

Tait continued to follow Ghost down the hall finally seeing tiles that were not broken anymore. "You don't have ta call me mista. Tait's fine." He said with a smile again trying to establish a more casual relationship rather than a formal one with the only person he knows in the United States. "Well... I'm supposed to stay he'e for a whoile, but I dunno how long that'll last." Tait said pondering his situation. It seemed like a nice place that he could get used to, but his personality doesn't seem like it could fit in, in such a nice looking place. It was worth a shot.

"I guess I'll just stay he'e as long as I can, if that's okay?" He said in somewhat of a questioning tone, although he pretty much knew the answer. When she asked what his mutation was he began to state it, but then listened as she spoke more. Can it be potentially dangerous to those around you? Tait cringed a bit as he flashed back to his last week in Australia, and to what Lovenhal looked like after he was done with him.

"Gift, huh? I neva heard it described loike that." Tait said looking down at the ground a bit as he remember some of the criticisms he would get from others about being a 'freak.' "Um... I guess it's dangerous. I'm pretty well practiced with it though." Tait said as he looked around for something to use as an example. He always liked being able to show people his powers rather than just telling them.

Tait then saw something perfect. Something he could replace easily because he was most likely going to break it. An empty water bottle sat on a table in the hall, probably from one of the students setting it down and forgetting about it. "He'e I'll show ya." He held his hand out palm facing up and his fingers curled a bit. All the muscles in his arm were tensed and some of the veins were showing. The water bottle then began to levitate off the table, but not moving around just straight up in the air. Most people he showed though he was a telekinetic because of the way he made it float, but in reality he just took the gravity away from it.

"See." Tait said as he let his arm back down at his side and the bottle remained floating in the air. He walked a little closer to it snapping his fingers on his right and and catching the bottle as it fell out of the air with his left hand. "I can do a buncha stuff to it. Loike this." He set the bottle back on the table and stood with his arm extended out his fingers pointed at it but his palm was facing at it a bit to like his hand was on a slant. The bottle jiggled a bit at first then eventually a loud crunch was heard as the bottle was smashed into a pancake.

"I can take gravity away from stuff, or give it as much as I'd loike it ta have." Tait said a grin placed on his face as he was somewhat impressed with the ability.

"Tait then." Ghost was raised in a very formal household and then went through high school in one of the most formal societies still in existence today. She didn't call anyone by their first name without their permission first.

"Well... I'm supposed to stay he'e for a whoile, but I dunno how long that'll last.... I guess I'll just stay he'e as long as I can, if that's okay?"
"I'm sure we're glad to have you. Feel free to stay as long as you need." She went up on her tiptoes to rifle through the papers in the plastic box on Neena's door finally coming up with an Empty New Resident form. Ghost handed it to Tait, "Just return it here when you finish." She pat the plastic case on Neena's door.

"Gift, huh? I neva heard it described loike that."
"We're a community of gifted people, Tait, I think you'll find a lot of unique and positive thinking goes on here at the school." Ghost smiled. She liked it here for that very reason.
"Um... I guess it's dangerous. I'm pretty well practiced with it though." He seemed unsure of that statement. "He'e I'll show ya."

And then he did. He buoyed an empty water bottle into the air. It was like a trick of levitation, similar to how Zephyr had levitated a pen, once, though no relation to her element. And then he proceeded to crush the bottle.

"Very interesting."

"I can take gravity away from stuff, or give it as much as I'd loike it ta have."
"Seems like we have some things in common then. I can't manipulate gravity, but I can create a vacuum with a similar effect." She motioned to the crushed bottle. "I actually wouldn't mark that you're dangerous, Tait." Ghost smiled. "I mean, I'm sure you are plenty dangerous when you want to be, but I don't think that's the intention of the question. I think they mean if you cannot help yourself. There's a kid that emits radiation all the time and has the potential to combust... but he can't seem to choose when he explodes, that kind of thing. You seem to have control over your ability just fine."

Ghost took a step down the hall and then paused. "Oh, I guess you'll need a room. Do you have any things? and... uhm.. can I ask how old you are?" If she had to guess, Ghost would have said they were somewhere around the same, but she wasn't a very good judge of age. "And I'm guessing that you've uhm.. graduated high school? maybe?" She hoped that she wasn't offending him, but it did matter for room placement.

Tait took the paper out of Ghost's hands and glanced over it a bit before looking back up to her. When she mentioned him being able to stay as long as he wanted it brought a warmth to his heart. Almost as if he was back home as a kid with his family. Although he has only been gone for a few days he missed his family and friends a great deal. He nodded when she asked him to return it once he had finished.

"A lot of powerful muties he'e?" He asked, realizing that it was kind of an awkward question being as it was his first time at the academy and it could seem like he was prying for information, but he didn't care much he was just curious. He ruffled his hair a bit still looking around, but making sure to remember this area because he knew he would have to bring the paper back there eventually.

"I understand. How do they deal with those li'le guys? The ones with uncontrollable powers that is." Tait asked very curious about how they would go about helping them. He knew someone like that who had to live with his family in seclusion and he knew there had to be some way to help him control it, but there was never an opportunity for him to get close enough.

"Uhm... Ye' a room would be noice." He said smiling a bit feeling a bit more comfortable now that he knew he had a place to stay. "I have a few things, but me dad hooked me up with some money for some new threads." His dad was a very wealthy man back in Australia, owning one of the leading technology companies all throughout the country. "And I'm 19, but haven't graduated, got sent he'e before I could. Long story." He said scratching he head a bit embarrassed now that he had told her he basically got sent here against his will.

After Tait took the papers, Ghost helped him flip through to the important parts. "The mansion is a pretty big place so there's a map in the back so you won't get lost so much. Here we are now." Ghost pointed out where they were standing before she flipped a few pages. "Aaaand here is some information about the school just in case you'd like to enroll. If or when you'd like to do that you can stop by Ms. Neena's office, she's sometimes hard to find, but typically easier to find than the actual headmistress." Really, they all kept so busy these days, but, Ghost supposed that exams were rather trying.

"A lot of powerful muties he'e?" Ghost looked started for a moment until she actually deciphered what he'd said. "Ah. Powerful people? I suppose so. I feel like most everyone is more powerful than me anyway." It wasn't modesty exactly, Ghost just didn't see herself clearly. Also her complete lack of ambition and the fact that she wasn't willing to use lethal force made her powers seem much more defensive or supportive.

"How do they deal with those li'le guys? The ones with uncontrollable powers that is." Ghost was so glad he clarified that statement, because she was getting quite addled when he spoke. She was just so used to clear enunciation, this less formal way of talking begged a lot of assumptions.

"Well, for starters we have a doctor on campus, DocProf, and if someone's gift is hurting themselves, our capable healer usually has some way of helping. One resident had massive seizures almost guaranteed after he used his power, but DocProf helped him tame the seizing and I don't even think he has them anymore." Ghost smiled a special smile for Garrett, one of her first and best friends at the mansion. Possibly boy... friend material? She shook the idea away.

"Oh, emergency numbers, including a number for DocProf, should be in your packet too. As for the people that are too dangerous even for DocProf to help, well we all do what we can. Sometimes people's gifts can sort of cancel each other out or... someone is usually protected enough to help somehow. It's only possible to help them since we're all here and willing to do what we can."

"Uhm... Ye' a room would be noice." Ghost suddenly noticed that they were still standing in the administrative hall. "Oh right!" And she danced ahead a few paces, beckoning Tait to follow.

"I have a few things, but me dad hooked me up with some money for some new threads."
"That's good to hear, though, if you didn't have anything we do keep a few spares stashed around. Some people's gifts leave them ... ehm... a little less than fully clothed." Ghost lead him through the halls and to the kitchen.

"And I'm 19, but haven't graduated, got sent he'e before I could. Long story."

"Well, we're the same age then! You can get your diploma here, don't forget, and this," Ghost motioned to the kitchen complete with island, stools backed up to bar at the back of the sink area, and a nice big kitchen table. "is the Kitchen. Unless you're hungry, we're just passing through to the stairs," Ghost motioned to some stairs near the pantry door, "that lead up to the residency halls. Uhm, I think you'll be in the boy's hall if that's okay."

Tait flipped the paper over as she spoke looking at the map then looking back up and her and folding the paper up and kind of jamming it into his pocket. He was never really a "paperwork" kind of guy. He was always the kind of person to find out the hard way, or learn his way around by himself. He kind of sighed lightly remembering that he had to enroll at the school also, because he wasn't allowed to stay in Australia to graduate.

"Hmmm" Tait said nodding his head a bit after she talked about different powerful mutants. He was just wondering, because he was sure he'd be sparring with them within the first few weeks and he wanted to make sure he had a decent challenge. When she mentioned the doctor he was kind of relieved. He didn't have to worry about him own powers going out of control, but one of his biggest fears is facing something he could not control. Being in control of gravity he could do amazing things and basically immobilize people. When this wasn't possible it definitely scared him.

Tait smiled a bit seeing the kitchen. Eating was definitely one of his favorite things to do. At his old school he was known to take girls out to a large variety of restaurants being very high in the prices, being as his family was wealthy and he definitely loved his food. "Ye' I can check it out lata'" He said as he followed her toward the residency halls. "Ye', the boy's hall sounds okay. I mean, the girl's hall would be betta', but I'm foine with anything." He said grinning a bit as he joked with her.

Ghost tried not to cringe when the folder crinkled unnaturally after being shoved into Tait's pocket. Everyone has their neurosis. Ghost liked things to be tidy (though not necessarily organized) and that typically meant taking care of papers and things too. Ah well. Not everyone felt that way.

"Ye', the boy's hall sounds okay. I mean, the girl's hall would be betta', but I'm foine with anything." He said grinning a bit as he joked with her.

Ghost had the decency to blush slightly. How silly of her to think that he would know that they actually had three halls. One of boys, one for girls, and one for "adults." "I uhm... well, people around our age are kind of borderline for living in the adult hall, but if you'll be finishing your degree here I thought it may make things easier if you lived with the other students?"

Ghost lead the way to the stair case taking two steps at a time and pausing to smooth her skirt at the crest of the stair. Being an air elemental meant that her element didn't typically leave her exposed no matter the length of her skirt or the frivolity of her movements. "This one is the girl's hall. It's where I live." Ghost motioned to the hall on the right. "There are the adults." She motioned to the middle hall. "And we're headed this-a-way."

More light stepping brought them to a hallway not unlike that of a hotel. "I don't usually do this, but I think it'll be okay if you settle into one of the empty rooms. All of the rooms are doubles so if you want a roommate you can mark that on your form." Ghost lead them to where she thought the residents ended and knocked on one of the doors. No one answered, but then again they were all supposed to be in class.

She opened the door and fast as lightning shut it again. She'd caught a whiff of rot and saw evidence that this one was inhabited. "Ooops! Guess we've gotten some new onces since I least heard." Ghost danced a few extra doors down and knocked again. This time the room was revealed to be empty much to Ghost's relief.

"Ah. Here we are." Ghost opened the door wide to reveal a double room as advertised. Both beds were made and ready, though the room was stark with only dressers and desks and a door that lead to the bathroom beyond the beds. It was every bit the mirror of the room Ghost currently occupied except flipped since it was on the other side of the mansion.

Ghost remained at the door, not knowing if she was allowed in or if that would be intruding or something. "Anything else I can do to help?"