They won't even remember me.

That is what Mettaliar was thinking the whole time as he walked that down oh so familiar road. That road that lead to a place he called home. A place he hadn't seen for a long long time. Why hadn't he? He didn't know the exact reasoning behind it, but he just... left. Didn't even take msot of his belonging with him when he left. He just did. Maybe he was trying to find something else to do. Maybe he was out longing to reunite with his friends that he had left. Something along those lines was his guess. It had been a little more than four years since he had last seen them. He wanted to know how they were. His best friend, Mike, was probably a rock star by now. His ex, Jessica, was probably that baker she always wanted to be. As he approached the Mansion, he remembered why he hadn't gone forward with his plan. The same reason why he was nervous to return to the mansion again. They wouldn't even remembered him.

And plus, even if they did, what was he to say? That he had ran away, lived in some mansion, had been kidnapped and experimented on, met other amazing mutants and fought them as well. Pfft. Hell, they'd probably have a hard time getting over he was still alive. They may not even take the time to believe it. For some reason, he didn't care. They thought he was dead, and were probably happy to accept it. Four and a quarter years is enough time for them to do it too. Best not to disrupt they're eternal ignorance of his existance.

As he approached the Mansion gates, he sighed and thought why to go in. Would the same fate be the same here? Than where would he go? Anywhere? It was mind-blowing how he dealt with the thoughts that buried themselves in his head. He sighed again and stepped through the gates and walked along that oh so familiar yard. Hands in pockets, he clinched his fists and continued to look down as he pondered. Hopefully reality would be kinder than what his thoughts guessed. The only way to find out was to see. See what would happen. Now.

A taxi drove up to the mansion gates and Fade leaned forward to pay the man. Finally, she was home. Her search for her boyfriend, well, she would have to get used to calling him her ex-boyfriend was a failure and the lonely nights spent in bars and abandoned warehouses exhausted her. It was time for the little mutt to go home, well, she wasn't quite so little anymore. Then again, it had only been a bit over a year, she was 19 now, 19 and a recovering alcoholic. The gently breeze kissed her a welcome home, but she was scared of what everyone would say when she returned. Then again, it was the X-Men, if they didn't open their arms to greet a lost X-Men, then they were not the organization she once devoted herself to a year ago.

As she clambered out of the cab, her backpack full of clothes that needed to be washed and her mind heavy with memories she longed to live again, she saw a figure walking up the road. Funny how she did not see him when she drove by in the cab, then again, she did not look out the window. Upon a glance, she recognized him, but could not remember if they had any sort of relationship at all.

"Hey there," she called as he walked up, striking up a conversation, something she hadn't had in a while other than with a street cat or a taxi driver, or a fellow homeless nut.

Mettaliar walked up before hearing a warming "Hey there" come from behind him. He stopped and lifted his head and turned around slightly. He caught a look at the woman, recognizing slightly. Very, very slightly. The name was a complete crap shoot, yet he did remember her as he lived in the mansion. Nice to see someone who he barely knows approach him as such. He smiled a little to himself and waved at her.

"Hey there." He saw the taxi cab she had apparently gotten out of drive away. "You coming back from somewhere too? Or are you new here, cause I swear you look strangely familiar to me. You live here too, right?" He was hoping he wasn't making a large mistake by saying such things. Would be weird to be approached by someone and speak such gibberish. Hopefully he was right and she did live here. It would be nice to have a conversation with someone again. It was too long since he had a nice discussion with anyone.

Yup, he was definitely a returning X-Man, she just did not remember his name. Heaving, she pulled the packpack off of her shoulder and onto the ground. "Yeah, I've been gone for about a year, just sidetracked. But I'm back now, it's the only home I know, ya know?" She asked, looking up and to the right at the repetition of the word 'know'. "I remember you, just a bit, but not too well. I'm Jenny, but everyone at the Mansion and well, pretty much everywhere else in New York calls me Fade. I'm sorry, I know you are familiar, but I can't remember your darn name!"

Trying not to be rude, she kept her body turned to her fellow Mansion-Dweller as she moved backwards until she reached the call button and promptly pressed it, hoping that Tricity would come rushing out to welcome the two. Her return did not feel as dreary as she feared after running into another ex-X-Man.

As he listened, her words seemed to match the thoughts. Something that really touched Mettaliar on the inside. Small things like that were helpful to his soft core. He saw that she pushed the call button to get Tricity out there. By her words he could tell she was nervous. Hell, being gone for a year would do that to someone. He had been gone for a while, but surely not for a whole year. He chuckled at her last words and decided to introduce himself.

"My birth name is Mark, but everyone calls me Mettaliar. Pleasure to meet you Fade. Nice to see someone as friendly as you after a while of traveling. Best that I'm not going to be totally outcasted when I arrive, I guess." He was kind of shy, yet he seemed interested in her nature, so he quickly thought of something that might drag the conversation on a bit more. "So, why were you out for so long?" He quickly realized that it MIGHT not have been the best filler question and tried to save himself from it. "Unless, of course, it's too personal. No need to say anything." Mettaliar knew he'd be kicking himself over that one.

Fade listened to his name and bit her lip when it familiarly rang in her ears. Of course! Good ol' Mett she mentally slapped herself. "Well if the X-Men aren't known for their friendliness towards fellow good-hearted people and mutants alike, I think we wouldn't be known as the X-Men, more like the Xcluding-Men," she chuckled softly. Stupid pun, Jenny, waaaaay lame. "You don't have to worry about being an outcast here, we're all pretty much outcasts, except those that don't have any physcal signs of a mutation, like my claws and eyes," she said, holding up her hands that had dark, raptor like nails.

When he asked what she was doing while she was away and why she had left for so long, she paused and contorted her face slightly. Of course, she wouldn't go into that much detail primarily because she did not want to relive it, so she answered simply: "oh, just trying to find out where I fit in the world and which lifestyle fits me. I found the answer though, so that's good, it's also why I am back and here to stay."

Her currently purple eyes trailed back to the Mansion and she looked through the bars to her old home with a warming smile. "Best place I've ever lived, and I've lived in hundreds of different places," she laughed. "Anyways, what about you? Why did you decide to return from your adventures?"

Mettaliar chuckled a bit at Fade's pun, though was quite a bit silly. He didn't care though, it was nice to hear someone joke around for once. The last remembrance he had of this house, it mostly involved fighting friends. Not always the best way to do things. Yet now those memories can somewhat be put back with more comfort. It was easier when someone comes back to greet you in a friendly way like Fade was. Always good for the heart. It was also interesting when she pointed out her physical features, especially her hands. He nodded, mostly to himself, when he saw her long, ferocious nails. He was not intimidated by them, or did he even flinch at them. He's seen weirder in normal humans. Plus, the scar on his right eye usually got to him than most things anyway.

As she answered his question about her trip. He stood and listened, hearing the kind of response that meant "I went somewhere, don't wanna talk about it." He understood. A one minute conversation wouldn't really open a person up right away. Better to just accept it and move on to more pleasant things, he guessed. That was until she fired back to him the same question. Should have been expected such. Yet for some reason it caught Mettaliar off guard. He had similar thoughts to Fade, probably. Not really good to ramble into much detail. Just tell a bit of the facts and let her ask for more if she's interested.

"Well, my original intent was to check out my old hometown in New Jersey and see if any of my friends could remember me. I guess as I got closer and closer, I had second thoughts. Eventually, I turned around and decided to stay here for a while, or maybe a lot, longer." He blushed slightly, causing him to look down so she wouldn't see. He was shy about this kinda stuff, so he naturally would blush while describing. "Like you said, best place I've ever lived in. So it made sense to come back. The people here don't treat me like-" he paused and rethought what he was about to say. "Like other places I've been. The people here are nice. Mostly cause we're alike in a lot of ways, with one common feature." With that he nodded down and sort of signaled the whole "mutant" thing. "People with similar interests usually get along, so it's only natural a school of mutants would hold some sort of peace." He stopped, mostly cause he realized he had been rambling again. Hopefully he didn't bore Fade half to death. If so, boy, would the shy one blush like anything.

Fade listened intently on what Mett had to say about why he disappeared as well. What would it be like if Fade went home? Well, I guess she'd have to have a home first, then again, she knew exactly what it would be like if she went to her real home, cause she was standing in front of it at that very second! "I know it's kinda cheesy to say, but they say that 'home is where the heart is', and if New Jersey was where you once lived, it may not be your home. I've lived in multiple places, but they've been Previously Occupied Locations, not home." Wow, that was pretty lame-o she mentally shook herself. Well, best complete the my part of this talk with something...even MORE lame! Now she was joking with herself in her mind. Funny how lost she was when she was not at the Mansion, and how she immediately kicked herself in the head so she'd gain some sense the second she saw her home.

"Hmmm, you ever notice how the school is called 'Xaviers Sister School for Gifted Youngsters'? That's cause this isn't a school for mutants, the word seems kind of degrading, like we're some kind of sewer rats at a nuclear plantation that the world needs to get rid of. No, we aren't mutants, we're gifted. What kind of nuclear rat can control electricity so that if there was a blackout, we'd still have power? What kind of nuclear rat can tap into people's mind and plead them to calm down? Certainly no rats I've ever met. You're not a mutant, you've got a powerful gift, and a good heart, so that makes you an X-Men!" She smiled. "Hope my weird examples aren't gonna assign me the nickname Lame Dame or Uneasy Cheesy. I'm still Fade," she chuckled. Sheesh, you really are the Lame Dame, Jenny.

Mettaliar smiled as Fade went off in her own little rant. He leaned against the steel bars and listened deeply to her words. He put his hands into his trench coat pocket and relaxed. This was the first time in a LONG while he could relax. Conversation usually did that for him, yet his most recent conversations made him more tense than most stable times. Plus his most recent "vacation" left him with barely any conversation. Just mostly some with random truck drivers and bartenders. Yeah yeah, he was 18. Looked 21 though, so a few times he'd end up on Plasterd Street. Hopefully that wouldn't be for a long time. Or at least when it did happen, it would be with friends and while good times would be ahead. Was it too much to ask for? Maybe. But if anything, this school would provide many friends to have some sort of party with.

Mettaliar nodded his head at the last remark about the terms mutant and gifted. He even felt a little blush come up when she mentioned him particularly. It was nice to get a compliment from a nice new friend. He flicked a bit of his hair from his left side away, still keeping the right side covered. He smiled and decided to speak up a bit on his own opinions. "True true. I think people like us everywhere need to start keeping with that mindset. Especially with that one idea our oh so great government had of rounding us up to get rid of us. People hear mutant and think fear, while 'gifted' brings peace and enlightenment. People need a change of thought. Hopefully you and the rest of the X-men will do it peacefully before others jump in to take it to a full scale war. Man... I wish I could be part of you guys. Would be an honor to fight alongside you and the others." He stopped as he blushed greatly, causing his head to go down again. He finally admitted he wanted to join SOMETHING. He was tired of doing nothing but sitting around and getting caught in random street fights. It was time for him to get serious about his art and make something of it. This was his chance to at least progress in one direction. He hoped Fade would say something encouraging again.

He leaned against the gates, must be pretty comfortable around here, not like Fade could blame him. Come to think of it, she would be perfectly happy doing the same, but she didn't want to look like some sort of copy cat, so she just stayed still...like a statue...but a very intrigued statue. Hmmm, so he would like to become one of the X's? I wonder what he does... When he was finished, he looked at her in the kind of way that said "please?" and Fade couldn't help but smile and get an idea.

"Well, I'm just now returning and at one point, I was in charge of deciding who would be a great addition to the team. Dunno if I still have that power, but I'm sure once we get in, I'll be able to speak to Tricity. I'm sure a session or two in the Danger Room will give us an idea of your control over your power and if you'd be a great addition. You definitely have your mind in the right place, and so long as you've got a desire to help the gifted, we're going to start incorporating that word into the English Dictionary to replace Mutants," she added as a side note, "then you'd make a great X-Man, or at least become a Trainee. I'll see how I can help you become one."

A slight frustration aroused, they were just standing outside of the Mansion and she wanted in. "I think I have an idea," she smiled before putting her hands up to the bars and slowly phasing them through. She was much better at that. Once her hand was through, she closed her blue eyes, fearing the security system. It beeped once or twice, but only beeped, she had about 10 seconds, best make it fast. Quickly, she phased her entire body through and found the keypad. Dreading that she no longer knew the code, she pressed in the code she once used and another beep sounded before the keypad spoke in a computerized voice. "Previous codes require identification."

"Jenny McCullen, Absentee X-Man, codename Fade and guest," a few more beeps and the keypad spoke again "Accepted, please report immediately to the Gatekeeper to inform him of your return." The gates opened and Fade walked out to grab her back pack. "Care to join me?" She asked Mettaliar with a gentle smile sort of mixed with a smirk. She wasn't showing off, but she was proud of how she was able to enter the grounds.

Mettaliar smiled as she explained her prior position as part of the X-Men. He was happy to have had this person approach him. Almost like a career jackpot! He chuckled and sighed. Finally, he was getting somewhere in this place and not mouching off of the fridge for some Mountain Dew. Was deffinatly a change he was willing to handle. He always wanted to fight under a banner; especially a banner that stood for progression and advancement. Not like some other organizations who use regressive tactics to try to take power. This was just not a political battle, but a social one. That is why he went to this school and was treated with due respect.

He spoke up at Fade, who was seemingly preoccupied with other thoughts. "Thanks, Fade. I feel honored to at least be considered for it. You seem like an amazingly awesome indivi-" Suddenly, to Mettaliars surprise, he saw Fade press against the gates and phase through it. First her hands and than her whole body. Mettaliar, who was left with a raised eyebrow and a dropped jaw, watched as she rushed to the security panel and turn off the alarm. Soon enough, the gates opened with Mettaliar stepping back and closing his mouth though his eyebrow was still raised. "-dual." He walked through as Fade grabbed her bag.

Seeing the oppurtunity to prove that he was still the King of Lame, he moved his hand out of his pocket and quickly started to make a wooden flower sculpture. It was little, but still resembled the features of a rose. He held it out innocently toward Fade and smiled. "Thanks for the way in." He smiled. Soooooooo lame.

A sudden feeling of guilt crept upon her as she had interrupted his compliment. "Oh, I'm sorry, thank you so much. It was great running into you, I didn't really wanna walk in by myself." As she was gathering her belongings he made her a wooden rose. Her eyes widened a bit and her cheeks grew as red as her hair. No one even knew that roses were her favorite, although rather cliche, flowers. With a large smile on her face, she accepted the rose and kept it within her gentle fingers with treasure. Mettaliar happened to be one of the firsts in her life to give her a present, most of her presents were at bars from older gentlemen that enjoyed her red locks. "Wow, thank you, a lot. I mean it," with that, she felt compelled to pull him into a hug, praying he wouldn't kill her on contact, there were some gifted that she could not hug.

With that, she began the walk to the Mansion doors. "Soooo, you are a wood carver? That's amazing, I've never seen someone be able to make something so intricate in a matter of seconds!" Her walk was slow, making sure she didn't go running off in excitement. "As you probably could tell, I can phase, but that power is just now being developed. I'm not too great at it and I can't phase other objects, well, my clothes, that would have awkward," she laughed. "But I can also turn invisible, and I can turn other people and objects invisible as well, just not too many. More for stealth, but it gives me the advantage of sneaking ahead of the X-Men and the battle to grab whatever we are trying to get from our enemies. Not fun when other gifted can sense me or find me somehow, takes the fun outta things."

Mettaliar blushed A LOT brighter as Fade pulled him into a hug. He was frozen for a good while, until instinct kicked him in the face and screamed, HUG HER BACK DAMMIT!!!! And so he did. He was rarely ever spoken to, let alone allowed to come into contact with. However, Mettaliar could tell by Fade's face beforehand that the rose, while simple, was also very touching to her. Interesting. A gift made just as an act of kindness could bring such joy. Sometimes Mettaliar would curse his birth for giving him such a mutation. It was days like this, however, that he blessed his powers. Bringing people joy was a great satisfaction. Girls in particular made him really happy to impact with random acts of kindness. It was in his nature, he supposed.

As they walked in, he listened to Fade explain her powers, raising eyebrows and giving slight chuckles along the whole way. He enjoyed her sense of humor a lot. It was interesting and very similar to his. He related to a lot of what she said most of the time as well. Mettaliar figured over time Fade would be a real close friend of his. At least he hoped so. Always nice to have one person to chat with on bad day in this house.

As they walked he figured he should expand Fade's knowledge of his powers. "Well, yeah I have a fine wood ability. At least others tell me so. That's not all, though. I also have another power similar to that. Here, I'll show you a quick preview. Don't blink." He quickly reached his hand over to the rose in Fade's hand and waved his hand over it. While he didn't need to, he felt it to be a nice touch. He replaces the petals on the rose to be metallic. He removed his hand to reveal the new improvement. Luckily, he had made sure the ends were dull so she wouldn't accidentally cut herself with it. "There ya go!" he said quite cheerfully. He smiled at Fade to see her reaction.

As they walked up the steps to the Mansion, Mettaliar explained his powers. Wood carver, woah. And he makes wooden...nope, take that back, metal flowers! She held the rose up to her eyes and watched it sparkle in the sunlight. "Holy...tacos...that's SO cool! Can you make like a pin on the back so I can put it on my...wait" she paused and focused on her phasing powers. With great concentration, she phased the rose partially through her backpack and let go. Luckily, it stayed! Success!

"Got it!" A small gurgle sounded from her stomach. "To the kitchen?" a year on the streets made her accustomed to McDonalds too often and she longed for some good ol' mac'n'cheese.

((SUPER SERIOUS BRAIN FART! SORRY!))

Mettaliar smiled greatly as Fade reacted to her newly edited flower. He chuckled at her most "interesting" exclamation as they continued to walk into the Mansion. He enjoyed making people feel good. It was a goal of his for a long time and will continue to do so as long as he drew breath. This was especially true to girls. He was a sucker for making a cute girl laugh or smile. It was just his personality to do so.

What touched him more was when Fade phased the rose onto her bag. It was amazing for him to see that. It was really the first time someone took something he made and kept it with them like that. It was special. Maybe he could make a living off of creating things like those and selling them. Though he had thought about it before, the thought of saving his power to make things for people that truly mattered seemed like the better thing to do. Money didn't matter to him, especially since he lived at the Mansion. It was making people happy, his goal, his dream, that mattered the most to him.

When Mettaliar heard Fade's stomach and her cutesy little suggestion to go eat, he agreed. Immdiatly. "Of course!" he answered. He had been thirsty for a while and also a bit hungry for some good old Mansion food again. After a long time of walking and pondering, it was good to sit and relax and eat. He kept following Fade, taking that oh so familiar route to the kitchen.