Madlaina had shuffled away from the house that was her former home, bitter and adrift. But she hadn't been lost for long. She had directions after all. Following them had led to help. At the time she had been obviously homeless, despite the beautiful coat on her shoulders. She wore so many layers of clothing it was hard to tell what was what. Sweaters and shirts, pants and sweats and skirts all piled together to create a strange shape. Her boots had been found in a dumpster… brown, worn from use, too big, and laced together with bits of string and rope.

And now, she stood staring up at…. a mansion. Madlaina never would have thought she would step foot inside such a place, much less live somewhere like this. She was in America, and was going to meet the X-men. She hadn't made it by her birthday but, she had made it with the help she had found. Glancing at the woman next to her, Maddy had a dozen scenarios running though her head about how this would go. Some were good and some were bad, but they all filled her with anxiety.

Maddy had put on some weight so she wasn't as thin and frail, she was clean, and her clothes kept her warm with only a layer or two instead of twelve. But she kept the boots. So she stood, in jeans and a shirt that weren't too horribly miss-matched, the blue coat which clashed strongly with the shirt under it, and the boots. She had gotten rid of most of her homeless clothing. But Maddy kept the boots for some reason, and put new laces in them.

Holding the small duffle bag, which itself held all her belongings, and shifted on her feet. With a deep breath, pushing back the whispering memories, she turned fully to her companion. "What for now?"

Garrett eased into the Mansion's driveway, the Iris van slowing to a stop. He had been driving between the two places for a week now and was already trying to find quicker routes. It seemed a natural progression, considering he would be a paramedic at some point, where each spared second could be a life saved. The engine cut out and he began arranging his study notes from his Anatomy classes. Having the ability to study one's own body via neural vision didn't hurt his grades a bit. Almost made a sort of cheat sheet that could always be carried.

Locking and closing the door, he slung a small bag over his shoulder full of books and notes. It was finally beginning to be shorts weather again, so he sported a pair of cargo shorts and an Iris Clinic T-shirt he had done at a local screen printer. Approaching the gates, he saw two women waiting there. One he had never seen before, the other he had ogled plenty. He stepped next to the pair, smiling." Alexandra, good to see you. I haven't seen you in the Infirmary lately. It's been sad." A wink left his eye along with a knowing grin.

Looking over her friend, he could see someone who had been on the streets. He imagined he looked about as worse for wear when he first arrived himself. He fondly recalled the shoulder bag he once held, pilfered from an unfortunate rollerblader." Who is your friend? Pleasure to meet you. Garrett Wills." His hand extended to the younger girl, who was nearly as alluring as her leggy counterpart.

Great. Absolutely great.

Alexandra stood starring at the Mansion as the cab behind her started to depart. The urge to turn around and run was something that she could hardly resist. To her side however, stood the reason she wasn’t calling the cab back to take her to her apartment. She had promised Maddy she would take her to the X-Men. Help her. And, unfortunately for the molecule manipulator, she was the only one who could speak both Romanian and English. And, even with the huge amount of hours she had spent with Maddy teaching her English, the younger girl still had troubles. A sigh left Alexandra’s lips as she glanced to the girl from behind the dark colored lenses of her sunglasses.

To make it short, Alexandra didn’t want the news of her arrival to be broadcasted around the Mansion from the first minute she had set foot on the Mansion’s grounds. Which was why she had dark sunglasses. Clothes different from what the Mansion people were used with. Also, she had high hopes that she’d manage to avoid facing a certain X-Man for a while. At least until she’d get used with being back in the Mansion… right? “Now Maddy, we-”

Contemplating the mansion and lost in her own thoughts, Alexandra failed to notice the fact that a car had arrived not long after their cab had left. Which was why, when she heard her name being called, she stood frozen for a couple of seconds before turning around to look at Garrett. A moment was spent to glance at the Iris Clinic van then at its owner. She flashed a smile, while her eyes remained hidden behind the sunglasses. A bit rude, however, Alexandra wasn’t wearing her contact lenses today and she wasn’t feeling very comfortable with her own eyes. The reason: not long after the camps, the natural color of her eyes has started to change. At first, it was difficult to notice, but now, intertwined with the usual brown, also stood specks of bright blue. Alexandra understood now, how mutants with visible mutations felt. Sure, she didn’t have a tail, or green skin but she often found people starring at her eyes, mutants and humans alike.

“Hello Garrett.” She nodded slightly in the man’s direction before allowing the smile she had put on before to fade slightly as she turned her head to Maddy. “This is Madlaina Elisabeth. Soon to be a new student at Xavier’s Sister School.” Due to the fact that for about three months she had spoken mostly Romanian, her accent was much more noticeable now. A fact she didn’t realize until now when she heard English being spoken by a native speaker. Alexandra frowned at herself mentally while her eyes were shifting from Maddy to Garrett.

As she looked at the man, a sole thought rose above the others. Her chances of keeping her arrival a secret might have just been blown to smithereens.

Maddy shifted nervously from foot to foot, feeding off Miss Alexandra’s nervousness. The older girl’s anxiety had been steadily growing more noticeable since they started getting closer and closer to the mansion, but Madlaina hadn’t asked and Miss Alex hadn’t told her anything more than generalities in their time together. Fair enough, everyone had their own secrets, and Maddy had more than enough of other people’s.

About to get the information she craved, info that would help her know what was going on and what to do, she was somewhat annoyed to have the explanation interrupted, and a small part of her was hoping to meet an X person. Wishing she knew someway to reassure the other girl, but her social and language skills failing her, Maddy dropped her eyes and kicked at the dirt with the toe of her boot. Glancing at the speaker it was clear he and her guide knew each other. Pretty boy, nicely dressed, flirt, used to girls like Miss Alex… What was the word? Preppy?

It didn’t seem right so Maddy mentally huffed and put him in the category of too good to be friends with despite it being a snap judgment, and made the equally quick decision to try her best with him until she found someone less…. Just less. Someone she didn’t secretly envy for seeming to have all that she didn’t.

With a sigh, she heard herself being introduced, caught the male’s name, and wished for a pair of gloves. Steeling herself and trying her best to tamp down her powers, not really wanting a dose of his memories, Maddy hesitantly, and somewhat petulantly, shook his hand. ”Madlaina.” Pulling away as quickly as she could from him and the whispering memory, her effort at blocking her powers hadn’t worked at all and she felt a bit defeated. She could feel the images waiting for her to explore, as if just under his skin. As soon as she broke the contact the whisper stopped, though all the whispers of her clothing still hummed away making background noise in her mind.

Busying her hands and shoving them in her pockets, she avoided eye contact, trying to look deep in her thoughts and not as if she were about to jump out of her body.

Alexandra looked like some kind of celebrity, going incognito to avoid incessant camera flashes. She kept squinting about behind her shades, her head moving around, as if she were looking for someone. It was strange. Why be a stranger when she worked here? Anyway, the important part was the girl she brought with her. A special girl who seemed out of sorts and out of place. He knew that feeling very well. It seemed that Alexandra's accent was thicker. It only made her hotter. Yes. Look at the new arrival instead.

As the two shook hands, Garrett had the distinct impression of deja vu. he also had an innate fear of touching when he arrived at the Mansion. Of course, he had little choice doing the fish dance. An excellent entrance, if there ever was one. Maybe it was just nerves or being uncomfortable. He looked into her eyes, smiling. " Hey. I understand if you don't like touching. My gift has to do with touching people and when I first came here, I didn't want to touch anyone, ever. Fortunately, the people here made me feel at home and I realized that all mutants have a fear of something. I hope one day we can live as humans do."

Garrett still had a problem saying equals. He was working on it as hard as he could, but the sights he had seen in his time away had really moved him. He might always feel superior to humans, but he had to remember that with great power came great responsibility. Seeing this disheveled girl and sympathizing with her plight seemed to be an excellent start. Wishing to move on, he pushed in the code that caused the gates to unlock and open. Walking through the threshold, he beckoned to both of them, though focusing on Madlaina.

" Come on in. We'll see if we can't get her situated." It had been some time since he had done the drill, but if he was rusty, they would never know.

Alexandra noticed the fact that Maddy had pulled away her hand quickly. She smiled a sympathetic smile toward the girl while letting Garrett talk. Only when he finished speaking and turned his attention to the gates, Alexandra’s hand traveled to Maddy’s shoulder. “Control will come with time and here you will learn to master your gifts much faster than on your own.” Alexandra kept her voice low as she spoke, in Romanian to the younger girl, a comforting smile lingering on her lips.

Garrett spoke again, making Alexandra to shift her attention from Maddy to him. Her hand fell back to her side as she nodded in Garrett’s direction. Picking up her own two bags from the ground, she started to walk, motioning Madlaina to follow her. Curious eyes, although not visible because of the sunglasses turned to Garrett. “Are you still working with the Doc, Garrett?” A slight smile appeared on her lips as she asked this question. If he did, she was fairly certain that the poor Garrett had been doing her job for at least a while during her absence.

Doing her best to keep her face in an expression of understanding as she listened to the male… Garrett… speaking. He was too fast for her to get much of it, so she tried to act like she knew what he was saying, and when he turned away she sighed in relief while trying to remember what he had said and translate it. Then Miss Alex spoke, putting a hand on her shoulder. At first it made Madlaina flinch, startled, but after a second she realized that she was covered and it became reassuring, like the older girl had probably intended. Her words helped even more.

While Garrett was still turned away, she nodded and responded in kind, whispering her own Romanian. “Do all Americans talk so fast? I only understood some of that…” She was breaking the unspoken rule she had put on herself, to not speak anything but English because she thought it would help her learn, but it was harder than she thought and had slipped. It took a few extra moments for her brain to translate the English, and she knew they weren’t talking any faster than anyone else, but she still couldn’t keep up yet.

Then they were being welcomed forward, Miss Alex and the man Garrett speaking to each other, and Maddy took the time to look around. Place was nice. Green grass, pretty gates, nice driveway, fountain, steps… all that stuff. The building, or at least the front of it, looked like it was made of light colored stone, the doors were a pretty wood, and there were lots of windows. And she didn’t miss the security. If she knew what it was she saw most of it; cameras and key pads and the like… Madlaina was sure there was more that she couldn’t see or wouldn’t even know what it was.

((Sorry for my long absence in this thread. I forgot to bookmark it.))

As he entered the gates, he could hear more foreign murmurs from behind him. He had no doubt failed his attempt at Mansion greeting. It was apparently an art form for people like Neena or Shin. He really thought there couldn't be that much to it, but it was painfully clear to him that he was not ready for diplomatic duties. He had taken this case up though and would see it through. It was especially nice considering that Romania apparently only produced beautiful women.

"Are you still working with the Doc, Garrett?” The lilting song of Alexandra's voice returned to his ears, brushing away his constant internal dialogue. " I am indeed. I don't know what will occur with both of us in there. I have done enough paperwork for a lifetime, it seems. I do get to take blood and vitals though, so it is some necessary training besides the monotonous writing." he looked back over his shoulder as they approached the front doors, sitting the luggage down long enough to open the door for the two ladies. " It will be nice to get to talk to you some more, though."

They were both so far out of his league that he wasn't even playing the same sport, more than likely. That seemed to be the eternal curse of the Mansion to Garrett. While constantly being surrounded by beautiful women, they were all either taken or so stellar in their appearance that it seemed to outshine his best efforts. Of course, he was too hard on himself about all of this. It was his nature, though. " Will she be staying with you or does she need her own room? I think I know where the forms are and I vaguely recall how to go about it. You have to realize, though, I've been away for some time myself. I am happy that they let me return at all, much less show other people around." Once they had entered, he closed the door behind them. " Why don't you two have a seat here in the living room, make yourselves comfortable. Would you like anything to drink?"

Garrett’s comment made Alexandra laugh. “Lucky you. I’m back so the Doc will probably burry me in paperwork as soon as I get past the Infirmary’s doors.” Chuckling, she glanced at Maddy to check if she was alright. Noting that the girl was analyzing the new environment, Alexandra shifted her attention back to Garrett. “And you are right. It will be nice to hear something else than the Doc’s mumbling all day long.”

Now inside, Alexandra stopped by the door, taking off her sunglasses. Luckily, no one else was around to spot her return and she was grateful for that. Must have been a lucky day for her. “Given Maddy’s mutation, I think she would be better if she has her own room.” While saying that, she glanced at the younger girl again. Besides the fact that Maddy would be overwhelmed with the memories of others in case she got to share a room with someone, sharing a room with her was probably the last thing the younger girl needed. Shifting her attention back to Garrett, Alexandra spoke again. “But if possible, pick a room that is close to mine.” She smiled briefly, before remembering Garrett’s offer. “And I don’t want anything, thank you. How about you Maddy?”

After waiting for Maddy to respond and Garrett to get the form, room key and drink in case Maddy wanted one, Alexandra leaded the girl to the living room and gestured toward the sofa while she took a seat. “Don’t worry about the language Maddy. You will see, the fastest way to learn English is to be … forced… to speak it.” Smiling, Alexandra crossed her legs and placed her hands on her lap before resuming her speech. “I had troubles understanding what Americans said when I first came. It gets easier every day.”

Madlaina heard the word 'Doc' and glanced back at the van the young man had arrived in and mentally linked the words 'Clinic' and 'Doctor,' and started trying to follow the conversation more closely. He mentioned blood and Maddy started straining her brain to understand. Miss Alex was right, the only way to learn was to force herself to learn. So with a sigh, Maddy listened to the exchange of words between the two people she was following.

He, Mr. Garrett she corrected herself, talked about… seeing Miss Alex more? They would be working together? That made sense. Then the topic of Maddy's room came up and she glanced back and forth between the two of them, hoping desperately that she wouldn't have to share and that she wouldn't cause a problem since this place was being nice enough to let her stay at all. When Alex took care of it, Maddy met her glance with an expression of relief.

Then a question was thrown at her. Blinking, feeling like she was caught in the headlights for a moment, she tried to answer a question that hadn't totally translated. Did she want ______? Must be something to eat or drink. Thinking quickly she blurted a flavor of soda that she liked. "lămîie var Frutti Fresh?" Pausing, realizing that the man wouldn't understand that she tried again, this time translating herself. "Um… white soda, yellow and green fruit taste." What she meant was clear soda, in a lemon lime flavor but… She was trying.

With an uncertain expression on Madlaina's face she looked at Miss Alex to make sure she had said the right thing.

"Lucky you. I’m back so the Doc will probably burry me in paperwork as soon as I get past the Infirmary’s doors .And you are right. It will be nice to hear something else than the Doc’s mumbling all day long.” Garrett pressed his lips together slightly to ensure his mouth wasn't open. " I think I've done all of it. I rearranged most of the files so that they were alphabetized and chronologically ordered as well. Makes it easier to find things. Not much to worry about as far as the old man. He takes more naps these daysw since I am there to do his job. He pretty much just does the advanced stuff like blood work. And of course the healing,which I cannot do."

He listened to Alexandra's requests and instructions concerning Maddy, as it seemed she would be called now. Garrett wasn't especially fond of nicknames. He blamed Peter for that. " Generally, adults are separate from kids, but I lied on my paperwork so I got my own room. Why don't we just do that again? Oh, also, I have no clue where your room is, Alexandra. We'll look over it when I return with the map. I assume you can give her the tour since speaking her native language would help more than I can." Poor Madlaina seemed so overwhelmed. When Alexandra asked her about her preferences for a drink, she just spouted outsomething, which Garrett assumed was a drink in Romania.

Once she said what she was after in English, he smiled at her. " Sounds like Sprite to me. I'll get you a can." With that, he excused himself and meandered down the hall to Neena's old office, which was now Sam's office. He tried the doorknob and it was open, so he let himself in. Thankfully there was a stack of the the welcome folders on a nearby desk or he would have had to search through the mess himself. That could make him look bad if caught. Besides, he doubted Sam alphabetized. Returning with the folder, he made a pit stop in the kitchen, finding a twenty ounce bottle of Sprite instead of cans. Whatever worked. he could hear the flow of the ladies' native tongues in the living room, so that is where he returned. First he handed the cold bottle to Madlaina, smiling again and looking at her. Then he turned to Alexandra. " i was going to have you do the paperwork, but I suppose Sam would know your handwriting and you don't seem especially pleased to be here. So, I'll do the writing and you can do the translation for me. Sound alright?" He pulled the map out of the folder and gave it to Madlaina to look at before taking a seat across from the two beauties.

Le pout. Was her attempt at sneaking inside the mansion that noticeable? Alexandra responded with a sly smile. “You caught me.” Bright side: now she had help. The smile on her lips broadened. “First the paperwork, now this. Garrett, you are my hero.”

Anyways. Leaving the praising-almost-flirting aside, Alexandra shifted her attention to Maddy and the map she held in her hand. A blink later, she tapped her finger on one of the rooms. “This is my room. And apparently the room across the hall is empty now.” After glancing one more time at the map, she looked back at Garrett.

“As for the paperwork, I’m going to let Maddy answer and if she gets stuck on something I’ll help. I want her to practice as much as possible and the paperwork is pretty basic.” Aware that the odds of Maddy not being be thrilled about this solution, Alexandra smiled at her in a reassuring manner. “Just remember I’ve taught you and you’ll do fine.”

When Garrett talked about where he worked, and where Miss Alex worked too, Madlaina understood the basics but was more interested in her surroundings. Then he went to get the paperwork and the soda, returning quickly, and Miss Alex pointed out rooms on the map. Looking at it closely, she bit her lip as she tried to locate where she was now. Tilting her head, Maddy quickly tried to memorize the basic layout though she couldn’t read the labels. Fingering the edge of the map, she glanced up at the two of them. “Mine?” Keeping the page would be very helpful and she would like the chance to translate the written words when she was alone and not rushed.

Following the flow of conversation between Alex and Garrett, Maddy realized that she was going to be answering Mr Garrett’s questions mostly on her own. With a somewhat deer-in-the-headlights expression, she nervously nodded. Madlaina knew she had been relying heavily on Miss Alex since they started the journey from Romania to this place. But she wouldn’t always be around and she surely didn’t want to spend so much time taking care of a messed up mutant teen. Madlaina shored up her resolve, faking some courage to fill the holes in her real bravery, and prepared to start taking care of herself. She had done it before, but she had gotten used to having Miss Alex as backup.

Looking at Mr Garrett, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her heels on the edge of her seat, she wrapped her arms around her legs and nodded again her voice’s confidence slightly wavering. “I talk okay…” She made a motion with her hand, going from Garrett to herself, gesturing that he would give the questions and she would answer. Miss Alex said she would help, but Maddy was determined to do as much as she could on her own. It was time to wean herself off the other young woman’s support.

Alexandra's hero? Garrett didn't say much to that except," My pleasure, Alexandra." It seemed a bit over the top. Garrett suspected that she was more than happy to have a tail wagging drone to do her work for her while she did whatever it was she did when she wasn't around. She was still Heaven to look at, though. So no reason to push it. He watched as Alexandra pointed out her room's location and the one across the hall. He thought it funny that his old room was only two doors down from Alex all that time.

" Well, sounds like we have a room squared away for her." he look over at Madlaina, who was interested in keeping the map. " Yes, yours, Madlaina.' He hoped she was warming up to him somewhat. Garrett didn't like feeling like a figure of authority when he wasn't anything like that. He also didn't want to appear condescending to Madlaina, who was delicious in her own right. Until she could master the language more though, he wanted no part of exploiting her.

It seemed that she wanted to be involved in the process, which was a step in the right direction.Garrett was happy to oblige. He smiled and nodded at Madlaina and clicked the pen, grabbing a book from the nearby table to write on. " Okay, let's start with some easy ones. What is your full name and date of birth? also, what is your mutation?" he could ask many more questions, but he probably wanted to wait to see what kind of pace she would set. Plus, it kept the attention of two beautiful Romanians on him. Maybe he would speak even slower.....

Hearing that she could keep the map, Maddy folded the page, pulled her duffle up onto the seat next to her, and pushed it inside. Her hand brushed past the few things from her past that she kept, and for once the feeling of memories sliding over her skin was soothing. She knew these memories and objects, and they made up who she was and the life she lived. You are what you own…

After zipping the bag closed again, she gently settled it on the floor, picked up the drink, and turned her attention back to the young man. Fastening her violet eyes on his mouth, hoping that watching him speak would somehow help her, she listened carefully. When he was done she took a moment to think about the questions while sipping the soda he had brought her. He asked several questions so she took some time sorting through them. Starting with the words she knew, she worked from there, filling in the rest of the sentence with the likely things.

Name? He already knew her name so he must have meant her surname. Since she had given that up when she left the country, she had no last name any more, she would only give him her first and middle. And he had said ‘date’ and ‘birth’ so he must want her ziua de nastere. It felt like it had taken forever to work that out in her mind, but she knew it was only a bare moment. But now she still had to make an answer. Her name was easy. Birthday though…

After only a slight wait, she answered, trying not to rush and mess up her words, her hands tightening on the green bottle. “Madlaina Elisabeth, Martch on twenty-nine day… nine-ten nine three.” Her name was the most natural part of the sentence, the rest of the words had a slight strain to them; March was mispronounced slightly, and she had to work to say the year 1993 in English after a lifetime of saying it in Romanian.

Now for the hard part. Mutation. She knew that word and its other forms well enough. Madlaina barely understood her power let alone explain it to someone in a foreign language. Working slowly, she spoke, pausing when she struggled for an explanation and trying to use motions. “My skin… touch things, get….” Her hands moved around her ears indicating her head, and a frustrated look came over her face. “Amintirile… old thought?... I feel them and… go see?”

Letting out a sound of annoyance, muttered softly to herself in Romanian, before making another try. “I go be in the old time?” For a moment, Maddy thought about asking Alex for help, but then changed her mind. If Mr Garrett didn’t understand what she said, he would ask.