Carrying his heavy bundles once more C.J. longed to be relieved of their weight for good. He moved with the tentative footsteps of those following signs, which was a rather appropriate gait to be using given that he was. He held a form, an application for residency, and was hoping he could make it in ASAP, one, he wanted somewhere to leave his faithful baggage, and two; he needed a shower something awful. Not sure what to expect from a mutant institute C.J. tentatively approached the doorway the signs directed him to and knocked on the doorframe.

'Maybe everyone is out, you shoulda stayed with Arielle downstairs. Nah, the front desk needs to be manned; I doubt I'm the only mutant that is going to drop in today.'

No one was immediately apparent within the area and Alchemist refused to go prying, it wasn't his place, and if anyone wanted to speak with him, they would. Instead he leant against the entrance as much as he dared given his recent run of luck with remaining standing, which sucked. Blood still soaked into his jeans from the knee, the stain spreading outward through the cotton fibres.

'Don't you ever get sick of standing around awkwardly? On the contrary I am leaning with self confidence. No, this is not what that looks like. Are you sure?'

C.J. tried not to make a habit of arguing with himself, he found he always came to a draw, or left it unresolved, yet still it was more common to him than dirt. Seeing as he had a large amount of dirt on him, that's a big figure. Cafas stood for a while longer, waiting for anyone to pop up or spring from a shadow, his light scanning coming to nothing more than concluding the room was too dark for his liking despite the fluorescent globes.

’Maybe everyone is in class, or busy, it’s a reasonable thought. No I’m sure there would be someone here, the flow of mutants in can hardly be so predictable that they know exactly when people will start arriving. Or perhaps it is.’

Streak walked around the mansion. He heard someone walking with labored steps. It sounded like someone had arrived and was carrying a lot of baggage. Streak followed the noise and he was getting close when he didn't hear it anymore. The mansion was quiet so it wasn't hard to find people especially new ones that were carrying luggage. He came across a new person. It was obvious but he new here... And bleeding? Streak walked up to the new guy. "Hi there. Ya alright?"

The silver eyed mutant looked the guy over. "You must've just arrived. Let's go to the infirmary, get your leg looked at and we can talk." Streak said walking closer to him. "Here let me help ya with your stuff." He continued as he picked up some of the guys belongings. Streak waited for this guy to start moving before he went to far ahead to the infirmary.

"Hi there. Ya alright?"

Cafas started from his sentinel watch of the room and turned to see another man standing in the corridor with him. "Um, hi, yeah I'm fine, fell on the stairs. C.J. inspected his jeans leg. He really did regret having no other good clothes left. It made him feel somewhat low. This new guy looked like he belonged in a comic book. Athletic physique, brown wavy hair, kept short, he had it all. He was wearing a shirt and jeans, he didn't look formal.

'Still, looks can be deceiving.'

"You must've just arrived. Let's go to the infirmary, get your leg looked at and we can talk. Here let me help ya with your stuff."

"Well, okay, but really it isn't anything, probably a split knee and a nasty bruise. Oh, yeah, thanks, I appreciate it. Readjusting the heavy pack on his back, but now with a balance hand free Cafas began to follow this new acquaintance. "I'm Cafas by the way, Cafas Johnson, friends call me C.J." Falling in just behind the slightly shorter man. Alchemist dropped his sunglasses in the pocket of his jacket, the lighting not warranting them.

"Nice to meet you C.J." Streak began again after the introductions had been made. "I'm called Streak." He actually wasn't goign to give him the option of calling him Shawn. Most people didn't anyways so it was kind of like telling people your middle name even thought they only call you by your first name. C.J. was only slightly taller than him and looked about the same age, if not a little younger. Streak started heading towards the infirmary it wouldn't take long for DocProf to get this guy fixed up.

The silver manipulator decided to get the little interview going while they were doing other things. "So how'd ya hear about the mansion?" Streak asked starting with the basics. Once inside the infirmary Streak went to talk to Doc. Pretty soon Streak reappeared with DocProf. "Well, let's take a look at that leg." The doctor said to Cafas getting out some tools of his trade.

(OOC: DocProf is an NPC so feel free to use him if you want)

C.J. considered the name, it seemed people were fond of their aliases
around here, well, if that was going to be the way, he guessed he would
join in the little tradition. But now he was being spoken to again.

"So how'd ya hear about the mansion?"

'Odd question but fair enough'

"Internet search, typed in mutant and safe haven and clicked the first
link, found the Xavier institute site, linked me to this site. As he
finished answering he was led into a rather white room, which he assumed
too be the infirmary mentioned by Streak, who promptly disappeared,
returning with a certain professional looking person carrying a box of
medical implements.

'This ought to be good, a split knee and I'm in hospital.'

"Well, let's take a look at that leg."

Cafas felt the leg of his baggy jeans being rolled up past the injured knee and a small sting as the broken skin was rubbed by the denim. He winced slightly and turned to Streak in an attempt to ignore the pain he was sure would come. "Anything else?" C.J. fought back the urge to scream as some form of disinfectant was pressed to his injured joint and looked back to see the older man with his eyes closed and a hand rested over the injury. A small nod and a gold glow began from under the hand and Cafas didn't know what to do. When the glow disappeared he noticed the wound had completely mended. "There you go, and in future, try not to carry too much." The man had a kind air around him and C.J. had trouble not trusting him. "Thanks, I'll keep it in mind." A genuine smile split across his face and his dimples, that he tried his hardest to conceal, were very apparent.

[/i]'What is it with the people here, they have all the signs of a cult, a nice exterior, fancy membership privileges, kinda scary.'[/i]

Alchemist stood and offered a hand to the mansion's doctor, or at least what he assumed to be their doctor. "My name is Cafas and I hope to see you around" His hand was shaken in a warm manner, like he was an old friend and the feeling that he was being drawn into something sinister again overcame him, but he brushed it aside. C.J. turned back to address Streak.

Anything else?

Yup there was plenty more that he needed to ask this guy. Standard questions that he asked everyone when they wanted to live at the mansion. "Internet huh? I didn't realize that we were on there. Though it does make sense." Once the doctor was finished Streak continued talking. "Now that we've taken care of that...I have a few more standard questions that'll help us figure out what you're trying to get out of this place." Most of the students that were there seemed to be there for one reason or another. Mostly it was their powers but some just wanted to be safe and not have to worry about getting arrested or killed.

"One. What exactly are your powers? What can you do? We just need to know so that we know if your powers are dangerous or not." Streak started explaining to C.J. They were easy questions but Streak could see how they could be taken the wrong way. Streak didn't want to give anyone the wrong impression of this place and unfortunately he had that effect on people sometimes.

"Internet huh? I didn't realize that we were on there. Though it does make sense."

'They didn't know? Huh...

"Yeah, just about anything is on the Internet these days, it's convenient but sometimes scary. C.J. rested an elbow against the bench and used it to help him support the bag. Streak spoke again, this time confirming further questioning, which made him wonder why they didn't just put it on the form.

"Now that we've taken care of that...I have a few more standard questions that'll help us figure out what you're trying to get out of this place."

'Out, nothing, I want to get into this place, oh well, let the nice man speak. Streak... Speak..'

Cafas chuckled a little internally and adjust himself to a more attentive pose, ready to answer. He felt it would have something to do with powers, after all, how could it not be, given the situation. But he didn't like assumptions. Perhaps it would be more personal information. He settled on the later. He wasn't totally comfortable giving too much information to a complete stranger.

"One. What exactly are your powers? What can you do? We just need to know so that we know if your powers are dangerous or not."

'Is it just me, or does that always happen, in tests and stuff.'

His internal monologue however, was required to end by the courtesy of answering. He just thanked his lucky socks that it wasn't more personal. He also thanked his mind for not actually having lucky socks. " Well, I think, as far as I can tell, I can manipulate the properties of metal, the melting and boiling point, magnetic output, you know, like, for getting through metal detectors, conductivity, heat and electricity from experience... I can alter density, and by carefully altering the density I can minorly reshape it. Gotta be touching it at the time though. I can heat it up with the conductivity too, but again, touching."

'And how long did that take you to figure out? A year or two, for such basic information.'

Having finished his spiel C.J. awaited the response. He was hardly dangerous, as a mutant anyway, so that could cut questions out, but he didn't want to tell these guys his life story, or that he knew how to handle himself in a fight, people may expect something bad from him.

He smiled a little. A metal manipulator huh? Well we could have a lot of fun together. Streak thought. At least his power wasn’t dangerous. That makes life a lot easier. “Your powers are interesting. I’m sure we can find someone here that could help you get better with them.” Streak was actually thinking of himself; however considering his powers and this guy’s power it would definitely be hard to tell who would win in a fight. It would also be interesting to see how both their powers would interact with each other. Would it be bad or good?

“C.J. you look like you’re about 18 or so. I’m pretty sure we’ve got rooms available so would you like a roommate or do you want to be by your self?” Streak asked. By this time they were practically at Streak’s office. A few steps later and there they were. Streak opened the door and walked inside. “Come on in for a second.” Streak ignored the other empty desks and sat down behind his desk. They’d probably talk a little bit more before Streak took him to see the rest of the mansion. It was basic information that he needed to get down.

“Your powers are interesting. I’m sure we can find someone here that could help you get better with them.”

'Better? Well that would be nice I guess, but do I need to get them better? Well simple answer, yes, I'd like to not feel pain any time I try to operate over 3 feet from contact point'

They had started moving, through the corridors back to the office area. C.J. was keeping up pretty well, the pace wasn't an issue, but the weight was really really getting to him, his knees aching from the constant use. He was rather happy though, he was getting somewhere, and they were offering to invest time in him. That was almost as good as handing him a key. As the door came into sight Streak spoke again.

“C.J. you look like you’re about 18 or so. I’m pretty sure we’ve got rooms available so would you like a roommate or do you want to be by your self?”

'Thats a good estimate. Hmm a room mate or alone. Well so long as my room mate isn't going to get all uptight on me, sure, company is nice.'

“Come on in for a second.”

'Chairs! I love chairs!'

Alchemist did not in fact love chairs, merely hadn't had enough sitting in the last couple of days. Entering after Streak C.J. followed him to a desk and placed himself opposite. He lay the application with its very basic array of answers upon the desk. "I like company, so I'll be happy with a room mate, however I'll need to ask, if I feel the need to change can I? Oh and on the topic of staying here, is there a gym or something?" Cafas knew that he would probably have been told in the near future anyway, but he felt getting it over with quickly would be best.

"I like company, so I'll be happy with a room mate, however I'll need to ask, if I feel the need to change can I? Oh and on the topic of staying here, is there a gym or something?"

"Great. We've got a few students that would like a room mate. I can set ya up in one of those. You can always get a single room later on if you don't like your room mate. Our gym's a bit different than the ones you find in other schools. It's called a Danger Room. It's a high tech room that you can use to simulate basically anything you can think of. You can use it as a weight room or use it to train up on some other type of skills and powers." Streak paused for a moment as he jotted down some notes in the powers section of the form. "Do you have anymore questions or would you like to see your room?" Streak asked. He could always give this guy a tour but he thought that he was old enough to be able to find things by himself if he needed to.

"Great. We've got a few students that would like a room mate. I can set ya up in one of those. You can always get a single room later on if you don't like your room mate. Our gym's a bit different than the ones you find in other schools. It's called a Danger Room. It's a high tech room that you can use to simulate basically anything you can think of. You can use it as a weight room or use it to train up on some other type of skills and powers."

'Danger room, interesting, once I'm settled in I might head down there, although weights really aren't my thing, a good old fashioned sparring match would be good.

C.J. watched Streak write something on his form and smiled, he could relax, he could get some sleep. He could shower! His bag, on the floor next to him, shifted slightly as he moved his leg, the clanging sound of metal on metal ringing softly in the room through the layer of canvas. The office itself was rather empty, and he was forced to wonder if they even used it on an ordinary day. Cafas frowned slightly as he thought, not consciously, but as an unavoidable part of him, but was brought back by Streak, who was apparently happy with what he had written.

"Do you have anymore questions or would you like to see your room?"

'Where to start? Well, narrow it down to two or three.'

"Well, just a couple. First, I met a woman whilst in New York today, she was either a cyborg or a mutant because she was probably fifty percent metal, she mentioned a 'Sanctuary' and 'Proactive' mutants. What did she mean? Also, what are the rules to living here? Like, regarding weapons? And lastly, are showers in the dorms or somewhere special?" Having finished his barrage Alchemist, who was beginning to regain some confidence, leaned back on his chair slightly, using his toe to keep balanced.

"Well, just a couple. First, I met a woman whilst in New York today, she was either a cyborg or a mutant because she was probably fifty percent metal, she mentioned a 'Sanctuary' and 'Proactive' mutants. What did she mean? Also, what are the rules to living here? Like, regarding weapons? And lastly, are showers in the dorms or somewhere special?"

Ah good questions. They were always a good thing especially when you're in a new place. Oh great he's met Meld. Well at least he's here and not with her I guess. Streak thought quickly before answering C.J. "I guess that means you've met Meld. That's her name. She belongs to a group called the Order. The Sanctuary is where they live. They disguise themselves as a homeless shelter. If you're a mutant then they let you into their group. They believe in Mutant Supremacy. They think that humans should be subservient to Mutants." Streak informed him. The silver mutant was going to leave out the parts about attacking the X-Men and the mansion, or just plain attacking any mutant that doesn't see things their way.

Shawn figured that CJ didn't need to know that. He would figure it out if he stayed at the mansion long enough. Rules... Huh. They didn't seem to have many rules. But most people seemed to follow whatever they were pretty well. If someone asked Streak would say that the rules were probably more of like unwritten rules than anything else. "The rules are simple. One. Don't kill anyone. Two. Weapons are allowed as long as you use them for practice and not against other students. Three. If something major, like a battle occurs don't be a hero, let the people who are here to protect the school deal with it." Streak started counting on his fingers. "That's pretty much it. If I've forgotten anything then I'm sure the students around the mansion will be able to fill ya in on them. There are showers in the rooms. So ya don't have to worry about communal showers or anything like that." Streak hoped he'd answered his questions well enough. He too leaned back in his chair and waited to see if CJ had any other questions or needed clarification on anything he'd just said.

"I guess that means you've met Meld. That's her name. She belongs to a group called the Order. The Sanctuary is where they live. They disguise themselves as a homeless shelter. If you're a mutant then they let you into their group. They believe in Mutant Supremacy. They think that humans should be subservient to Mutants."

'Obviously they're acquainted. Yeah that pretty much covers what Meld said, without directly referencing the order.'

Cafas nodded slowly, a reflex to indicate he understood, slow because he was thinking. He though about the number in his pocket and how despite her slightly scary attack on the man's face how genuinely pleasant she had seemed. Although that was most likely to do with his being a mutant, because she hadn't treated him with the same level of niceness before he had told her.

'Wow, that was really cynical'

"The rules are simple. One. Don't kill anyone. Two. Weapons are allowed as long as you use them for practice and not against other students. Three. If something major, like a battle occurs don't be a hero, let the people who are here to protect the school deal with it."

C.J. watched him keeping count on his fingers and did his best to absorb all the new information, the bit about not being a hero almost made him lose his composure but he struggled his hardest and kept his face straight, it wasn't exactly like him to follow the last one.

"That's pretty much it. If I've forgotten anything then I'm sure the students around the mansion will be able to fill ya in on them. There are showers in the rooms. So ya don't have to worry about communal showers or anything like that."

'Excellent, well then, I guess, given the fact he seems not to have any more questions, that is that.'

C.J. sat forward again and took a deep breath, letting a sigh out his nose, only a gentle one, more out of relief than anything. "Well then, I think I've got all that, thanks, one last thing, if you don't mind me asking, is there a particular reason everybody uses aliases around here? Two of three mutants that I've met have introduced themselves by and alias or codename, so I was just wondering." As if to say they could talk as they walked C.J. picked up his bag and shouldered it, grabbing his suitcase of clothes and waiting for Streak to move.

Streak took the hint CJ was getting at and stood up as well. He grabbed the key that he would be giving to him when they reached the room. Streak walked back around his desk and headed towards the door. "Not everyone here uses their alias. Actually there's only a few of us that use them. Obviously I'm one of them. But most people go by their real names. Ya know they're like nicknames. Some fit and get used all the time and some work but they're not the kind you'd use all the time." Streak answered him.

The mansion greeter walked out of his office and started walking down the hall. He was sure that CJ was following right behind him because he was the one that had suggested they get him settled in his room. "I'll just give you a quick tour while we head to the rooms. No real need to stop anywhere, I'll just point them out as we go along." Streak commented as they began their short trek down the hallways.

Alchemist was hot on Streak's tail, anxious to know who his room mate would be, and in a state beyond tired, a crippling level of exhaustion. He had not noted the key the man picked up, assuming it to be his own, perhaps some form of skeleton key that serves the whole mansion, one of those things you don't leave laying around. He recieved an answer to his question as they left.

"Not everyone here uses their alias. Actually there's only a few of us that use them. Obviously I'm one of them. But most people go by their real names. Ya know they're like nicknames. Some fit and get used all the time and some work but they're not the kind you'd use all the time."

'Fair enough, I can accept that.'

C.J. understood, and, in a way, felt he should share his, encase the greeter felt more comfortable remining on an alias basis. "I can undestand that, I have one for myself, it's just something that I gave to some people at school one time, my own personal in joke, but it stuck with me, Alchemist, I tend to react more readily to that than my own name anyway." He walked slightly behind the other mutant, and to the side.

"I'll just give you a quick tour while we head to the rooms. No real need to stop anywhere, I'll just point them out as we go along."

'Well, that's nice, I honestly didn't expect that.'

"Thanks Streak. Hey if you don't mind me asking, what is your mutation?" It was simple enough, and he was only wondering, but you never knew.