The time had come for him to join the mutant world. It didn't exactly seem like a new place for him. His bags were on wheels so it was easy for him to transport them. The airport security was very suspicious and ominous looking. The flight was long and he was feeling fairly nervous about moving so far away from his parents that he could only talk to them over his cell phone or his computer. This was a whole new experience for him. After finally arriving in the giant New York City airport, he was able to grab a taxi. Ted didn't know where he was going but the taxi driver certainly knew as soon as Ted handed him the pamphlet for the school.

About ten minutes later and the taxi pulled up in front of the mansion gates. He paid the driver and grabbed his bags out of the back of the car. Ted walked up to the mansion and saw that the place was huge. The grounds were nice and the sun made it seem like an even nicer day. He once became worried about the move because he didn't immediately see people running and playing outside on the giant grounds. He was sure to do that while he was here. Although he had promised his parents that he'd continue school while he was there. Ted only had a few bags. His parents were planning on sending him money and more of his clothes once he'd told them he was all settled in. Still no one arrived to greet him. How was he supposed to get in? A button. A button is to be pushed. A button cannot be ignored and thus the young boy pushed the button to see if it would bring someone that could let him in.

The Rottweiler's eyes widened as he focused in on whatever creature was laying on the chair. Another loud sound, he backed away from the recliner and skittered out of the library into the hall. Shin yawned. Another good stretch, he smacked his lips, shifted the text book that lay open across his lap, and looked blearily around at the racks of books. Last night had been massive. What had he—

“Oh dear.” It seemed he’d fallen asleep in the library while he was studying. That was a first. The only person he’d known to do something like that before was Ghost, and she was—probably waiting for him at Full Circle, wasn’t she?! He leaped up out of his chair, folding the text book under his good arm, then ran, ran, ran, to his room! A hurried shuffling of papers, folding and unfolding of clothes. No time to shave. He rushed to the sink and slapped his face with cold water to wake up. This was bad, he couldn’t be late. He… he looked up at the calendar pinned to the bathroom wall beside the mirror. Today was circled as his day off. Sam or Streak had mansion greeter duties today, and Shin was free from the book store’s call. He slapped his cheek a few times to be sure he wasn’t dreaming. “Ow!” Nope. Definitely awake.

He took his time putting on his clothes after that. He pulled on a yellow T-shirt, then threw a white dress shirt on over that, taking careful consideration of his cast. A green-tea-colored scarf trailed from his neck as Shin bent to tie his orange tennis shoes. He smirked at the black and white checkered pants he'd selected for the day. It took a whole lot of moxie to wear those pants Kokoro had given him for his birthday. He still hadn't worn them enough to feel stylishly-satisfied. Today, he'd change that.

As he put the finishing touches on straightening his collar and scarf, Thor, the Siberian husky, padded up to nudge the back of Shin’s calf with his nose. Shin glanced down at the dog with a warm smile. “I guess you’ll be wanting your day off too. Well come on, then. Let’s grab your leash.”

~*~

Thor and Shin made their way out into the front lawn of the mansion that morning with a song in their hearts and a bounce in their step. Freedom tasted nummier than the waffles he'd made that morning. He'd even managed not to botch the recipe! Thank goodness for Circe and Dom's help in being his willing test subjects for every practice waffle he'd made. He'd really improved. As he walked along the path towards the main gates, he caught sight of a young boy with short straight blond hair waiting patiently for some soul to give him aid.

Shin puffed out his chest and approached. If Sam and Streak were busy, it would be his pleasure and duty to offer such aid, even on his day off. "Greetings," he smiled. "Need any help?"

Ohh a bird. Ted watched the animals flying around outside as he waited for someone, anyone to let him in. Finally his attention was brought back to the ground by someone that had come out of the mansion. Ted didn't think that they were able to bring animals to this place but apparently they were. That was cool because it'd be easier for him to blend in. "Um. Yeah. I could use some help I suppose." Ted answered the man who was greeting him.

"My parents sent me here to take classes. I...I think." Ted was shy. This whole experience was new to him and he wasn't quite sure he was even in the right place let alone here for the right reasons. Ted gripped his luggage a little tighter. They teen didn't want to let go of any of the stuffed animals that he had with him. He hadn't had time to practice with all the ones he'd had so he thought he'd bring them along and practice with them whenever he got into the school. "I'm looking for a place to live right now. My parents sent me with this pamphlet and I think I'm at the right place." Ted was unsure about basically everything and there was only one way for him to find out if he'd come to the right place.

"Indeed, you are." Shin replied curtly with a knowing smirk, and reached forward to press a button on his side of the wall. The iron gate swung open smoothly. He ushered the boy in. "This is the right mansion. I'm a greeter here. Say hi to Thor."

The Siberian Husky took a step forward, sniffing at the kid's shoes. Shin eyed the bags and took note of the way the boy carried them. It seemed like he was holding them tighter than one normally would. Perhaps he couldn't bare to let go? Thor looked up at the brunette with a happy bark and wagged his tail, sitting down.

"If you need help setting up your stay here, I can offer it. We also have classes, if you need schooling, and actively help students gain mastery over their gifts.”

Shin let go of the leash and extended his left hand for a shake. "My name's Shin. And you are...?"

The young man in front of him seemed nice enough. His dog certainly was. Ted let go of one of his bags and bent down to pet the dog. "Hey Thor. You're cute." Ted replied scratching the dog behind its ears and under its chin. "Help would be great. I don't really know what's going on here. And I'm sure my parents would love to know that I'm taking classes here." Ted thought he was rambling a little so he stopped.

After the short pause of staring at the dog he looked back at the friendly young man who introduced himself as Shin. Ted released the bag from his left hand and shook Shin's. "Hi. I"My name's Ted. Nice to meet you Shin." The young boy was trying to be as polite as possible because after all, you only got one shot at a first impression. The young boy really didn't want to come across as a snobby or whiny kid. He was new to the whole doing things without a parent to guide him along. Were all mutants forced to grow up so early in life?

"Nice to meet you, Ted." Shin nodded, with a firm shake. He let go, and dropped to pick up the leash again. Thor got one gentle tug. The dog rose and walked over to stand on Shin's right. He looked up to Shin, tongue lolling out. Shin ruffled through the dog's scalp and scratched behind his ears. Thor grinned at the attention.

"So, I suppose we should go sign you in at the office and get you a room for your bags." The Asian nodded to the luggage. "Need any help carrying them?" Even though he had his hands full with the leash and a cast, Shin still offered.

As they exchange hand shakes Shin picked up the leash. It was then that Ted noticed the cast. If his cast was on the other arm he probably wouldn't have thought much about it. "Thanks but I've got 'em. They're actually not that heavy since they have wheels." Ted replied. It was a nice gesture even if they both knew that Shin wouldn't really be able to carry anything with Thor in tow and a bum arm.

Ted began to follow Shin and Thor up towards the mansion. It was nicer once he was on the inside the gates then it was looking in at the place. Ted's nervousness was beginning to wain as he walked with this new acquaintance. "So are there normal classes that are taught here or is is mostly to help us with our powers?" This question was mostly for his own benefit because he didn't figure that his parents would approve of him going to a school where he didn't learn the basics like Algebra or Chemistry. Of course they'd be glad that he would be getting better with his powers but he thought that they would prefer it if he learned things that were more in keeping with the norm.

Shin turned to face Ted as he walked, and spoke. "Well, the mansion teaches classes for grades K-12 in addition to those. Anything they'd teach for those grades, we have teachers for. We also have a self defense teacher, if you wanna get your karate on. If you want, I could give you a tour. We could go see him and say 'hiya'." He swung his cast arm down in a joking chop.

Thor walked along ahead of them, pulling Shin forward. He gave a sharp tug and Shin nearly tripped. Apparently, he'd spotted a squirrel. "Easy, boy..." Shin pulled back on the leash and slowed Thor's pace. He smiled weakly at Ted and nodded to Thor. "Sometimes, he gets ahead of himself when we give the full mansion tour. I think this time, he wanted to show you the mansion's fauna."

"That's good to know." Ted said to Shin. His parents would be interested in hearing that they also taught the normal classes. "I took some karate when I was back home with my parents." Ted said nonchalantly. He chuckled as Thor tried to chase a squirrel while Shin was still attached to him. Dogs were great at breaking the ice and making things comfortable.

"I'd be very grateful for a tour. This place seems to big to go wandering around here by myself. At least for the moment." Ted replied. He could eventually see that he'd have to know where to go around here by himself but he didn't have to worry about that right now. Right now all he was concerned with was making sure he had a place to rest his head, study, put his stuffed animals up, and a place to practice.

Shin nodded as they approached the front doors of the mansion. He held the door open for Ted and his luggage. Thor waited all-too-patiently as the young boy entered the main lobby. Shin popped in after him, closing the door. He crossed his arms and glanced up at the chandelier on the ceiling appreciatively. "This is the front lobby of the mansion. It's sort of the main hall. From here, there are two staircases that lead up to the second floor and the dormitories. Boys have one side, girls have another." He winked at Ted. He trusted the boy'd figure out his own. "The library is on the first and second floors of the mansion. I'll show you that in a bit. The classrooms are all on the first floor. Follow me."

With a tug, he walked Thor past the picture of Charles Xavier down the hallway to Streak and Sam's office. After a minute of walking, they were there. Shin walked into the room and dropped down into the swivel chair, turning to face Ted. "Please, have a seat." He gestured to the chair in front of the desk, then turned to pick some folders up from a nearby file cabinet. Thor sat patiently, watching Shin work. They'd done this enough times by now that the dog knew what to do here. No barking, no tail chasing, and this most certainly was not his territory, no matter how many times he hopefully made it so (which was never, thank God. Sam had taught him basic mansion manners, of which Shin was more than grateful). Shin opened the folder and pulled out paperwork, plucking a blue-rippled pen from a cup on the desk. He popped it to the ready position and looked to Ted. "So, what can you tell me about yourself?"

Ted was glad that Shin was already giving him a tour. It really was a big place and he knew for a fact that he was going to get lost for like the first few weeks before he finally got the hang of where everything is. Ted made a mental note to make sure he learned where the girls stayed for 'sleeping arrangements'. After walking inside, he fell in behind Shin again. This was obviously because he didn't know where he was going. The two of the soon entered an office marked, 'Streak and Sam's office'. Ted sat down in the chair in front of Shin. He set his bags down on either side of him and waited for him a to start talking. Shin pulled out some paperwork that Ted figured he needed to fill out. The young boy was surprised that the dog sat quietly as they dealt with paperwork.

"So, what can you tell me about yourself?"

Ted wasn't sure what he wanted to know. The question sounded pretty open ended so he decided to start with some information and let Shin ask for more details as they went along. "I'm from Florida and I'm a 14 year old mutant boy." Kind of sounds like pinocchio doesn't it? I'm a real boy! "I don't really know what you want to know." Ted admitted. He didn't really have anything to hide but he did need to know what Shin needed to know so he gave him the right information.

Shin wrote those first two things down quickly, then glanced up to smile at the boy. "That's a start. Basically, I'm looking for your full name, power, how much control you have over it, what classes you'd like to take, and a number we can contact your parents with to let them know your status." 'Or if we have any problems that require their attention,' he mentally added in.

Shin let the pen rest a moment, and turned towards the computer. He typed in a few keystrokes and brought up the listing of open rooms. He skimmed down the list, then stopped on a free one. Ah, there they were. He bent down to root through the key drawer and extracted the appropriate key, setting it down on the desk in front of him for later. He then turned back to face Ted, and steeped his fingers.

"Let's start simple. Tell me about your name and how you came about your particular gift." He assumed he'd get a description of the gift in-question with the answer to this as well.

"Well my full name is Ted Callahan. I don't know what the full extent of my powers are but I do know that I can turn into stuffed animals. As far as I can tell it doesn't matter what type of stuffed animal. I can turn into it. I also know that I have to touch them to be able to go turn into them. It's a pretty cool experience." Ted started off. He actually like talking about his powers. His seemed so unique that no one would really understand them unless they actually experienced it. "I'd like to mostly take the classes that any normal 14 year old would take in high school. I'd also like to take some of self-defense classes to. I've always been interested in karate. I've even taken some classes a few years ago and I loved it."

While he was thinking of something else to say he gave Shin his parents phone number. He figured it was more in case he was in trouble or if he needed permission for something that they were teaching here. "I'm sure ya know how it is. You get the choice between what mutation you want when your young and this is the one I chose. It was either turn into stuffed animals or something stupid like controlling silver." Ted smiled. He couldn't help it he thought his joke was funny. When he straightened his face he said, "I don't know I was born with it I guess. Anything else?" the young boy said simply. Ted bent over and petted Thor again. He was very soft and Ted couldn't help but pet him.

Shin sat bolt upright. A million-and-one thoughts poured through one ear and out the other. Turns. Into. Stuffed Animals. The applications for such a gift were truly endless. All the way from looking adorable on the couch to looking adorable on the front lawn. And then there was looking adorable on the kitchen table, carrying the plushie around through the park, sharing a PB&J sandwich with it, having a little tea party, putting two stuffed bears in a cage together to have a UFC-grade caged bear death match, and...

Shin wrote down Ted's full name on the sheet of paper, as if nothing had happened. "That's quite the interesting gift you have. I'd like to see it, if you're willing to give a demonstration." He inquired tactfully. He smirked at the thought of 'choosing one's abilities'. If only such a choice were possible, kids like Cody wouldn't suffer from anemia and collapse due to their powers.

Thor's ears perked at the boy petted him. Thor enjoyed being petted. He sat up and walked closer to Ted, then sat back down in his primo petting location. 'Pet away~', he seemed to bark.

Shin finished jotting down the few classes Ted had listed, as well as the specific power and how long it had been active while the boy focused on Thor.

Ted was surprised that Shin had asked for a demonstration of his powers. He smiled. Ted liked to talk about his powers almost as much as he liked to show them to people. He hadn't expected to be asked for a demonstration so soon since arriving at the mansion. The only thing he was concerned about was becoming Thor's chew toy. "I'll do it on one condition." Teddy began. "Just make sure I wont become Thor's chew toy." He said smiling. Teddy stopped scratching Thor's head, which received a whimper from the dog indicating that he wanted more head rubbing.

Ted sat up straight and started to focus on the first stuffed animal that came to his mind. A beagle. The beagle was actually one of the first stuffed animals that he'd learned and it was also one of his favorites. At first it looked like there was nothing happening, when in fact there was quite a lot going on. So far he'd never been able to make sense of or find an order to the way the changes happened. The first thing that changed was his insides. His blood, bones, tissues, organs... everything turned into stuffing. Then the physical changes started to occur. the first things to change were his arms and legs. They shrank and turned into the animals four legs and paws. His face was next. As his arms and legs finished his fcae started to shrink and elongate to form the beagles head. His ears flopped down as they were still generally the same size as they were from when he started, only this time they were floppy and looked like dog ears instead of human ears. His eyes turned into beads as the rest of his body started to catch up with his legs.

As his body shrank his skin color started to change as well. His skin started to grow what looked like hair all over his body. He turned from his human pink skin to different shades. He turned into brown and white with a few patches of black. Finally he was completely transformed into a beagle. For a second or so he sat there while he made sure the change was finished. With a shake of his head he stood up on his paws and started to move around. Teddy was doing this to let Shin know that he was finished with the change. The entire process took about one minute. Since he was used to this one he was able to even jump onto the desk. Teddy's beagle mouth was hanging open and his tongue tried to hang out of his mouth. There wasn't much tongue there so it looked more like he was sticking his tongue out at Shin when in fact Ted was happy. No matter how fun it was to do it and play with his powers he wondered if Shin liked it.