It was still all so new big rooms bigger bathrooms and the grounds, the grounds were what he liked most of all. Golden wings flapped once under the bight sun as he felt the heat hit his back. Customized clothes for those with wings and a tail were hard to come by but for a while now Carrick had become skilled in the art of making holes to fit his limbs that made him who he was. A thick flannel and a pair of jeans covered his body as he circled the grounds of the mansion that he had come to love so much.

One day since he had come here and one day since he had left his makeshift home and friends from the circus, there was tear with his departure some from him most fro others but it was time he moved on, despite the fact that he knew he would long for the excitement of the circus he felt himself being pulled towards the place he circled as if the invisible hand of god or someone else beckoned him there.

Eyeing his shadow from above Carrick noticed it was becoming smaller as his body started to descend, not quite ready for the land Carrick flapped his wings twice and gained some altitude the feeling of his hair tossing and turning in the cold wind as his eyes remained closed. Feeling a strong wind upon the air Carrick tilted his wings down and felt him be pushed to the grounds.

Opening his eyes and whistling the way a bird does in the morning Carrick landed one his legs and folded his wings behind him before turning over and falling on his back letting the warm sun heat himself up. The only problem he had with the cold was in his human form, his Gryphon form had no problem handling this chilly fall day. Hearing something off in the distance Carrick tilted his head up and spotted a squirrel off in the distance. Looking at it for a moment his stomach growled, with the way things are now he knew it wouldn’t taste to good but if he shifted… the Gryphon would greatly appreciate the snack.

Jewel was out jogging. She took up the habit after her X-men training started; not only because she knew it would help her gain some strength and keep up with her teammates, but also because she found she liked physical training. When she spent too much time indoors she usually got a strong feeling she needed to go outside, and... run. And so she did.
It was a chilly day outside, but with beautiful sunshine; she stared out wearing a sweatshirt, but she soon took it off, wrapping it around her waist and was down to her black tank top and leggings. The Mansion grounds were mostly empty, with some kids scattered here and there; she liked the place, it was big enough for everyone. Whoever designed this place knew what a 'special' school needed most.
The shadow of a... bird?... crossed her path, and she smiled to herself as she sped up, chasing it for a couple of seconds before it disappeared. Lily turned a corner, and slowed down a bit, climbing a slope...
And then she saw an angel.
Even though the school was full of people who would be called weird in the outside world, she was still not quite used to surprises like this. So she did what most people would do when they see a boy with wings: she missed a step, stumbled, and rolled downhill with a surprised yelp before coming to a halt, lying on her back.
"Ouch." she muttered, lifting her head to see if the... angel?... was still there. He was. Lily frowned. People usually see things like this after they hit their head, not before.
People in the outside world, that is.

Juka was bored. Bored and...concerned. He wouldn't ever admit that he was afraid, couldn't do that not and still be Juka Miami but...to himself he might be willing to do just that. It was his powers and the fact that they weren't acting quite the way that they were supposed to. He still had no problem bubbling of course and the weather remained utterly outside of his bubbles when he did. But there were other things, things that he simply could not explain. Like the way that his hair had grown an entire foot in the span of a couple hours the other night. Or the fact that he hadn't slept in 3 nights and didn't feel the least bit tired. This, after sleeping an entire night and day because he couldn't shake his all encompassing exhaustion. If he understood why such things were happening to him he woudln't be concerned but the fact was that he didn't have any clue what the hell was going on and that distrubed him. Greatly. What if his powers did something really regretable?

Juka had been spending a lot of time in his bubbles lately, probably more than was healthy given his power troubles. However, it was the only way he could really think effectively, when he was floating in the air far away from any distractions and from the prying eyes of those lesser humans and mutants far below him. It was the only time he didn't have to worry about how he came off to others, the only time he didn't have to be perfect. But, in a rare moment of common sense, he decided that perhaps he should float around the Mansion grounds instead of around the city. At least that way if something went wrong there would be people around that would be able to help him out. People that knew about powers.

And as Juka floated, his mind deep within his own brooding and worried thoughts he caught a glimps of a bird far below him. And then revised that opinion rather quickly as he ralized that it wasn't just an ordinary bird but a giant bird and it wasn't that far below him after all. Curiosity piqued and worries temporarily forgetten he decided that he simply must investigate. They were in the Mansion grounds so that meant it was probably a mutant right? Maybe it would be his friend? He had always wanted a birdy friend and since he all ready had his Master Kitty, Birdy was the next creature on his list.

And then the giant birdy...turned into an angel? Juka was delighted and confused and fascinated all at the same time. In a final moment of decision, Juka floated over to the angel bird, hovering a foot of the ground right in front of the creature, and bowed gracefully before it. "It is a pleasure to see you fly, my most beautiful Angel of the Avians." His skirts gracefully fell around his feet and he remained in an obesient position until the creature bid him rise. It only seemed right to treat such a beatiful marvel with such respect.

A tail twitch and his eyes averted to a women falling down near the area he was sitting and he was on his feet ready to help however as his wings extended and folded behind him when ever he got up Carrick turned his head as a male voice addressed him. Carrick blinked once to see he was hovering and then a smile touched his lips as the man touched down his dress touching down with him. “uhhh… hello…” Carrick responded with his Irish accent slightly confused by everything going on.

Then it hit him the man/woman was complementing him and bowing… bowing! Carrick let out a small laugh as he extended his wings and returned the bow one wing folding with his arm as his tail lifted high in the air (his version of a bow). “It’s a pleasure to meet you…sir” Carrick said as he guessed the things gender hoping not to offend. Rising up from the bow Carrick eyed the thing still slightly confused but grateful all the same.

Turning his head to eye the woman that tumbled Carrick looked back to the thing wearing a dress and said, “If you would pardon me for a moment…” Carrick bowed again trying to be polite the man was smart after all appreciating Carrick’s flight.

Bending his legs and jumping high into the air his wings helping the height gain. Turning to the woman Carrick glided to her and landed by her feet and smiled, “Are you alright? Nasty tumble you took there!” offering his hand to help the woman up his tail swayed behind him as his wings stretched out then folded behind him.

Jewel watched as the angel landed... and then suddenly there were two of them. Well, apart from the flying/floating/gliding thing, they did not have much in common. The second one was taller, more colorful, wrapped up in a bubble and wearing a dress.
Lily rolled her eyes and almost laughed out.
Juka. Leave it to him to hang out with angels at the Mansion.
Raising herself on her elbows, she watched with admiration as the winged boy glided over and landed next to her. She'd never seen anything like this before, and she found it truly fascinating. Not to mention beautiful. She could imagine it would draw Juka's attention.
“Are you alright? Nasty tumble you took there!”
She smiled at the boy and sat up, rubbing the back on her head.
"I'm fine, thank you. No big deal."
The boy was... young. Lily watched hit trying to avoid staring as she glanced over the wings, the tail, and the cheerful eyes. He looked truly... unique. Cute.
"Lily stood up, dusting herself off.
"Um... nice to meet you, by the way." she offered her hand to the angel boy "My name is Lily. Are you new to the Mansion?"

Juka beamed happily at the angel boy and rose to a standing position. Now this was just the sort of person he needed for his band and he couldn't help but wonder if the angel boy could perhaps play an instrument? Something to ask later to be sure. "You are posatively beatuiful," Juka gushed in open admiration, and it was rare for him to admire someone equally to the degree he admired himself. Or at least almost equally. Now if only he could grow himself a pair of wings...Maybe his new powers, whatever the might be or however they might work, would allow him to grow a pair?

When the angel boy excused himself, Juka followed silently behind him only to find that Jewel was on the ground and had apparently taken a fall. "Oh my wonderful Jewelly, are you ok?" He floated hurriedly over to her, de-bubbled and bent down beside her. He went to touch her head in order ot see if there was any visible bumps on it. "Are you hurt? Can I help? Do you need immediate medical attention?" He breathed an overly dramatic sigh of relief when she said she was fine.

Juka turned back to the angel boy. "This is my most special friend Jewel," he said with a dramatic gesture in her direction. "And I'm sure you will love her just as much as I do. Do you have a name? And can I have a feather?" He didn't even pause to think that such a question might be considered a little strange.

As the woman took his hand he was stunned by her beauty till he remembered the words of his father, ”Be wary of pretty faces, beauty is only skin deep” a small grin twitched on his lips as he looked to the woman then to the man or woman in a dress. Carrick still couldn’t tell if it was a he or a she so he decided to hold off on addressing it so it wouldn’t become upset, then again it didn’t respond negatively to sir when Carrick first responded to him.

”Lily or Jewel?” Carrick asked as his head tilted repeating the two names both people have given him for the same person. The man certainly had a thing for theatrics thought Carrick as he smiled to the pair and spoke again, ”Flew in a day ago” Carrick smiled and let out a small laugh as his wings extended to help emphasize his little joke as his tail drooped low on the ground behind him. ”Name is Carrick… what’s yours?” Carrick asked to the dressed man curios for the name and to discover his special talent that allowed him to float about.

The next eccentric question the man asked was one he was used to but often ignored for personal reasons. His feathers weren’t that of a peacock one that could be left aside or collected and stored, they were apart of him a piece of him. ”Ummmm…” Carrick said as he took a step back and extended his wings to see if he had a loose feather that was about to fall off. Could he have one, yes, the man could but if Carrick did have any ready to fall off he didn’t feel like plucking one from his wings, not only did it hurt like hell but he always felt like his flying was a bit awkward if their was a feather pulled.

Not spotting any as he looked up and down his wings Carrick looked back to the man and said, ”You’ll have to wait if you want one, I don’t like pulling them cause it hurts but seeing as I just moved hear I think the change will force me to drop a few feathers hear and there…” normally the man’s request would have fallen on deaf ears however, the man seemed nice despite how odd he was, ”Though if I change soon you might have a chance to receive a feather soon rather than later…” said Carrick as his wings folded behind him and he looked up to the few white clouds in the blue sky.

”Lily or Jewel?”
Lily blinked, then chuckled.
"I respond to both. Jewel's a nickname, you see."
She raised an eyebrow when Juka asked for a feather. So typical. The boy didn't look offended though; he expanded his wings and examined them. Jewel smiled in awe. She decided Carrick had the most amazing mutation she'd ever seen.
"Juka! You can't just ask someone to pull a feather, silly." she shook her head at her friend in disbelief, and looked at the boy "Sorry. We haven't seen..."
Another thought popped into her mind, interrupting the first one.
”Though if I change soon you might have a chance to receive a feather soon rather than later…”
"Change? Change into what?" she asked curiously, then blushed. Damn, I sound like Juka.

Juka grinned happily at the prospect of getting a feather from the agnel boy. And then his face proceeded to fall with the intensity of his disapointment as he discovered that he would not, in fact, be getting himself a most valued feather today. And then it rose again as he was told that he would eventually get his feather after all. He could be patient. Occasionally. And he wished, not for the first time, that he had something to give the angel boy in return. But alas, he could not really give a portion of his bubble to the angel boy and his usual gift of flight didn't really seem appropriate seeing as how he could fly as well. Oh the dellemas.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, most beautiful Carrick. I will call you my Angel. And I am Juka, at your service my feathered one." Juka did another bow, this one far less formal than the first and ended it with a sort of dramatic twirl that caused his skirts to flutter prettily around him. "If you need anything, anything at all, I am here for you."

Juka turned and gave Jewel a consipiritorial wink. He was about to give her a speech about how people asked him about his bubbles all the time and he didn't see how that was any different when he was distracted by her own question about him changing into something. A skill he had, only moments before, decided that he simply must learn. No matter that mutant powers didnt' really work that way, that it wasn't likely (or possible for that matter) that he could simply will his powers to develop in a certain direction especially one radically different than they all ready existed in. "You can transform?" His voice was tinged with awe.

Nodding his head Carrick smiled, ”I like Lily, my moms favorite flower.” letting out another small bow Juka’s way Carrick folded his wings in a bow and said, ”….If you want…” not many called him angel, there was a few back at the circus and a few elsewhere but the ones elsewhere were all religious nuts that thought he was the angel of death.

Shaking his head and taking a few steps back Carrick, ”Yeah, but… I don’t like people watching the change, it freaks them out…” Carrick said remembering all the times he had scared those close to him during the shift, the were never prepared for his skin to ripple and shift about until his skin turned into feathers and fur. ”I could tell you, but it would ruin the surprise!” Carrick said his wings folded out behind him.

Jumping backwards and flapping his wings Carrick took to the air and looked back to the pair, ”Wait here, I’ll be right back promise!” spotting the trees not to far off from his first shifting on the grounds Carrick landed and then leaned forward on all fours as he activated his other ability. Feeling the warm bubbling sensation across his body Carrick’s voice let out a shrill hawk screech as it progressed to get louder and louder. Fingers shifted into talons, skin to fur, nose to beak and arms to legs.

After he shifted Carrick let out a few clicks with his beak and looked for a loose feather before flapping once and jumping into the ground. A gust of wind blew leaves up from under him as his bulky frame took to the air. Letting out another loud screech Carrick barreled rolled high into the air so the pair he left behind could see his other form.

Normally he didn’t dare show off his Gryphon form with out a full audience of people who paid to see him but he decided this was the easiest way to make friends and seeing as he was starting from scratch it wouldn’t show off.

Exiting his upward barrel roll Carrick’s massive wings extended and was brought to his side as he dived towards Lily and Juka. Letting out another screech Carrick swooped overhead and landed a few feet from them his wings slowing his decent till he could trot onto the ground. Once his paws were on the ground Carrick let out a few clicking sounds and bowed his head towards Juka as his wings mimicked the bow he did earlier in his human form.

Rising up from the bow Carrick folded his wings at his side and sat down his tail behind him now longer than it once was swayed in the cold grass as his eyes trailed from the pair to gauge their reaction.

Lily rolled her eyes at Juka, but curiosity took over, and she turned back to the boy.
”I like Lily, my moms favorite flower.”
Isn't that adorable. The kid just earned himself a brilliant smile. She raised an eyebrow as he flew away, and glanced at Juka. Now that Carrick told them the transformation would 'freak them out', she grew even more curious about the whole thing. She hadn't met many shapeshifters, and only once did she see one actually change shape (and that was Kaz showing off), so she couldn't help but wonder what Carrick would look like when he got back.
The screech that grew louder made her jump in surprise; it was a voice only heard in fantasy movies, and still, somehow it fit the Mansion environment. Go figure.
And then the gryphon appeared.
It... he... looked unbelievable. Jewel's jaw dropped as she watched him fly over them, and then land a couple of feet away. She felt like a little girl who suddenly found herself in a fairy tale.
When Carrick bowed, she still couldn't find the words to say, just stared at him with eyes gleaming in wonder.
"Wow."

Juka could barely contain his excitement as Angel Boy flew off to transform himself into something else. He almost went floating off after the boy, quietly of course so he wouldn't be noticed, but one look at Jewel told him that he probably shouldn't do that. He simply couldn't bare to have her disapproval and he knew that if he did that she would probably either lecture him horribly or not talk to him for days. So, barely, he managed to stay where he was, though his impatience manifested in a bubble and some mini bubbles containing various leaves and twigs that he made dance around his head and body.

When finally Carrick returned Juka could do nothing but stand there floating in his bubble, in awed silence. And when his awe wore off half a minute later, he clapped his hands excitedly. "You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen!" Juka gushed. He guided his bubble closer to the griffin, just out of reach of its wingtips and proceeded to observe it from every possible direction, grinning all the while. The sticks and leaves of his boredom were entirely forgotten, though if he had bothered to notice them he would have seen the leaves slowly regaining their healthy green colour. As it was he was oblivious to everything but the griffin before him.

"Can you teach me to do that?" Juka asked, finally returning to Jewel's side, though remaining within his bubble. "I've always wanted to turn into a bird. Or a cat. Or anything really." In his mind he knew it din't work that way but it didn't hurt to ask. And transforming had to be better than...whatever had caused all his kittie's fur to fall out the other day right?

His large fuzzy tail lifted and flopped onto the ground behind him as he let out a small few clicks as his large eyes blinked. Pools of blue and grey reflected the pair as he his ears perked up behind his head. He liked their reactions, both Lily and Juka seemed to be smart for ordinary mutants. Opening his beak and letting out a small exhalation (a yawn if he could yawn in this form) before lifting his paw up and placing it on Juka’s leg as he bowed again. No nails were extended for he didn’t plan on killing or eating the man, he just wanted the man on the ground and out of the cool looking bubble he had created.

Then turning his attention to Lily and lowering his head Carrick crawled over to her the way a dog does when he wants attention. Nudging her hand with his giant beak Carrick let out a small cooing sound and laid down his tail swishing behind him. He liked attention and demanded it almost anywhere he went.

As he tilted his head back to Juka, and blinking in his direction Carrick let out a small click as he shook his head in disagreement. He wouldn’t know how to begin to tell someone how to shift into something else. He barely had a grasp on it himself, the only thing he knew how to do to activate the shift. If he wants to go fast or be strong, or get attention all he had to do was lean forward stretch and dig his hands and feet into the ground.

As Juka said cat Carrick’s eyes focused on the man as the gryphon lifted his giant wing and pushed it into Juka. He hadn’t forgot about the feather request but if he was going to compare his awesome transformation to that of a cat Carrick was not going to give the man a feather. Carrick let out a few clicks again as he nudged the man inside in the bubble till he got up on all fours and moved about his tail wagging swaying behind him as his wings folded into his sides. Carrick wanted to play.

"I've always wanted to turn into a bird. Or a cat. Or anything really."
Lily dropped from daydreaming back to reality and rolled her eyes at her friend.
"Juka, you are a cat. You are just not that fuzzy." she grinned. But she soon turned her attention back to the gryphon that was crawling his way over to her.
Fascinating.
Lily was a dog person, and could easily recognize the signs of a playful puppy... or whatever grpyhons are called when they are young. Smiling, she bent down and sat on her heels, reaching out one hand tentatively. She was not sure what she was supposed - or allowed - to do; after all, this one was not only a mythological creature, but also a human, and a Mansion student at that. She didn't want to do something wrong and hurt his feelings.
Her hand touched soft fur under his beak; it felt surprisingly real. Lily didn't spend much of her free time wondering about how it would feel like to pat fantasy creatures, but it sure wasn't what she expected. Looking at the mismatched eyes for permission, she scratched the gryphon under the beak, then wove her fingers into the fur on its neck and ran them up to one ear to scratch some more.
She giggled.
"You know, Carrick, I have to agree with Juka. This is the most amazing ability I've ever seen."
When Carrick turned his attention to Juka, she sat back on the grass and watched with a dreamy smile. Who would have thought she'd see something like this one day...

Juka was beginning to get the impression that his beautiful griffon angel was unable to speak in his regal griffin form, but that was not a problem. After all, his kitties could not talk in human speak either but they still had an understanding, he and his Pokemon kitties. With a happy grin, he proceeded to click back at the angel bird (though he had to admit that he really did have to work on his griffon speach, it wasn't nearly up to the level of his kitty speach).

For one so in love with animals of all sorts, kitties being the top of his list of course, it didn't take long for Juka to figure out that the Carrick wanted to play, though he wasn't exactly sure how one played with a giant bird. When his kitties wanted to play he would pull a string around and they would chase it but someting told him that Carrick would find that prospect insulting. There was just something regal about the griffon, something that went beyond mere cats and strings.

"Of course I will play with you, you glorious beautiful creature," Juka replied to its urgings. He floates his bubble further into the air, just above the griffon. "But...um...how does one play with a griffon?" It was quite the dellema really, but he thought such an amazing creature as that must surely have an answer for him.