It was a quiet day at Xavier’s Sister School for Gifted Youngsters. Nothing could be heard expect for the normal pleasantries: the birds chirping, the breeze rustling the leaves in the trees, and the slight hubbub of life such as occasional passing car or the odd distance noise from the Mansion itself.

Until the Scotsman showed up that is.

sssskkrrrrRRRRRRRECH!

Suddenly, a yellow taxi came roaring up from the west, its tires screeching as the brakes worked to bring the car to a stop. With a jerk, the cab managed to come to a halt in front of the Entrance Gate, and all noise went back do to what it was save for the loud rumbling of the taxi's engine.

The driver of the taxi make an obnoxious sucking sound with his front teeth, and turned around to face the occupant of his vehicle.

"That'll be $45.38 Scotty. You alright?"

The occupant, a ginger haired, sunglass wearing young man, didn't respond at first. His face was emotionless, and his knuckles where white from gripping the seat in front of him so hard. He took a deep breath, and nodded, speaking in a Mid-Northern Scottish accent.

"Aye, I'm fine." Max let go of the seat in front of him, shaking out his hands. "This the skail?"

The cab driver blinked "The what?" Max sighed and waved his hand dismissively.

"Nivvermind." Reaching into his pocket, Max took out a money clip and a few coins. Paying the driver in exact change down to the penny, Max grabbed his bag and pocketed his clip, nodding to the driver as he also grabbed his duffel bag.

After the taxi drove off, Max adjusted his shades as he looked the Front Gate up and down. Giving an impressed nod, Max said to himself, "Now that's a proper yett, nice and rustic. Gotta mean the rest o the place is even bigger then I thought." Max set down his duffel bag and reached into his back pocket and took out a half filled box of Marlboros and a rusty lighter. Quickly lighting a cigarette, Max look a drag. Letting the smoke out through his nostrils, he shifted his weight to his right sight. He had told the folks he'd be arriving today. Maybe he should have said around what time as well. Max made mental note to keep working on remembering important details like that. Looking to the left and right of the gate, Max shrugged, making a sort of waving motion with both hands. After nothing happened, Max brought the cigarette to his lips again, muttering

"Now wot?"

The sounds of squealing brakes filled the air and effectively sent all chirping happy life forms fluttering into the sky. Andrea winced, shutting one eye and hiking her shoulder to up near her ears as she waited in pained silence for the awful sound to stop. Then, there was a bang- like a car door shutting, and it went quiet until she head an engine roar back to like and fade off into the distance. The Greek sighed, closing her book, and stood from her seat to investigate the odd sounds. It had been a rather nice day- much too nice for her to sit in her room like a hermit. So, a trip outside, to bask in the sun and read had been scheduled, and carried out...

Her sandal clad feet brought her around to the front of the school slowly, for she was in no real hurry. The twenty two year old readjusted her t-shirt, then her gloves, before finally slipping her book into the pocket on her thigh. Cargo pants, a must for every book fiend. From behind her sunglasses the Gorgon spied a man on the other side of the gates. Standing, waving, looking generally confused. She glanced up towards the front doors of the school, wondering if she should wander in and inform them that the Mansion had another guest. She wasn't exactly dressed for preforming her own faulty introduction, nor did she really feel like her energy level would permit it... but, she couldn't just leave him standing there now that she knew he existed. Wrinkling her nose, the Greek pouted and marched towards the gate.

Once she was close enough, her nose wrinkled again. She could smell smoke, and she could see it was coming from the man. Her father had smoked cigars every now and then... and pipes too. She found them atrocious. A horrible habit. "Hold on a moment..." She muttered matter O' factly as she sidled up to the intercom and pressed its shiny little button. "Open the Gates please?" A moment later, after someone muttered a quick 'Alright' the large gates swung open. Andrea moved out of the way and waited, before raising a hand in greeting. "Welcome. Is there anything I can do for you?" How odd it was, too hear those words leave her lips. She was not the one who usually did this, which, brought her to wondering where those people were... At least she hadn't found this one in the kitchen like the last time...

As Max took another drag, the intercom on the wall next to the gate spoke.

"Hold on a moment..." said a female voice said in a matter-of-fact manner. Max tilted his head slightly, raising an eyebrow as he let out the smoke.

"Sure, I ain't gyan naewhere." Max said in his Doric drawl. As the gate opened, Max bent down and picked up his duffel bag with his left hand, flicking off the cinders from his cigarette with his right. Looking up, he saw a very strange sight indeed.

A green skinned girl with sunglasses approached the gate. She waved, and said "Welcome, is there anything I can do for you?" Max stood there for a few seconds, the smoke form his cigarette the only thing moving.

"Um...aye aye-min. This is Xavier's Skail, aye? I called a few days ago, telt the blokes in charge I wos commin. You one of them blokes?" Max took a few steps forward inside the gate, putting his cigarette in his lips. He then held his right hand outwards in greeting. "I'm Max, Max Livingstone."

Andrea wanted to stare... maybe blink a few times, then casually ask, 'What...?' But... she could not. Instead she smiled back, albeit it was a little bit of a cringe/smile. She had heard something akin to his...er... accent before, but the confusing words hadn't been directed at her. Slowly, even though her brain groaned and fought against her, she processed what he had said. "Uh... yes. Yes this is the Institute..."
Onto the next puzzling question... Was she... One of them blokes? The way he spoke rivaled Saphirus... She could hardly understand that man sometimes, let alone this new one.

"I am... probably not the one you are looking for." Tilting her head to the right, she reached out and accepted his hand gently. "I am Andrea..." After a brief pause, she added, "It is nice too meet you too." Releasing his hand, she resisted the urge to wipe hers off on her shorts and turned to face the mansion. "I could take you in to find who you are looking for though... If you would like?" An offer... another thing she hadn't expected to leave her lips. Her last few tours had been rather... odd. She did not want to go through that again. So, she would take him inside, find someone in charge, and head back to her room. Simple, right?

Released from the handshake, Max took another quick puff and held it in his now free hand. He noticed she was wearing rather thick gloves.

Must be an American trend. He thought to himself. Tugging at his designer sports coat slightly, Max nodded to Andrea as she turned towards the Mansion.

"Sure, sounds braw. Lead the way...um...." Max paused for a few seconds. This green skinned girl sure seemed nice. Looked weirder then the dog with five legs (a sight he had once seen before), but rather friendly. He was sure the rest of the people in the mansion would be just as nice.

"...Andrea." Max added quickly, a few moments to late. He followed her into the Mansion, not bothering to put out his cigarette as he entered.

She paused once to turn her head and blink at him when he 'Umed' at her, only once. Then, it was in past the front doors. Her mission; Find an elusive Mansion employee... Where she was supposed to start? She had no idea... Perhaps the living room? There always seemed to be someone in the living room... And after that, the office? Yes. That sounded like a plan.

"Where are you from?" She asked after a moment, already on her way towards the living room. She couldn't place the accent off the top of her head, probably due to her lack of energy. She glanced at him, and realized that he was smoking...still. Indoors. In the mansion. She blinked, and lifted a hand to point at him. "You, um... shouldn't be doing that."

To be more specific, "Smoking inside, that is." The Greek glanced about for somewhere for him to throw it away... and was sorely disappointed to come up with nothing. Where were all the trash cans?!

Max frozen, about to take a drag. For over three seconds, he just stared rather dumbly at Andrea.

"....wot?"

Finally, he realized where he was.

"OH! Right. Sorry." Max looked around the room. He couldn't see any ashtrays, or trashcans, but there was an open window in the room to his right him. The door was slightly blocking a straight shot, but it would do just fine. Max looked at the cigarette, and spit on it. The tip instantly turned black as it hissed softly. Leaning back slightly, he quickly made some mental calculations.

25 feet, few clicks topspin. 10 m/s

With a casual flick of his fingers, the cigarette shot out of his hand at a far greater speed then the motion of his throw should deliver. The white projectile hummed slightly as it spun end on end, curving around the doorway slightly and out of the window. Smiling at a successful throw, Max dusted off his right hand and smiled at Andrea.

"I'll try and keep that in mind, aye?"

The Raven haired woman grimaced. Spitting? How... icky. She watched, slightly curious, slightly worried, as he glanced about before gripping the cigarette and made a move to flick it. She was about to open her mouth and protest against littering, when the small object went spinning from the room like a mini boomerang. Woah... That had been unexpected, and fast! She turned wide, hidden eyes back to Max, and pursed her lips. Out of sight, out of mind... as they tended to say.

"It is alright. Mistakes happen." She returned the smile, and continued. Around the corner, though a doorway, and wala! ... An empty living room. Andrea stopped, glancing about quickly, before her eyebrows furrowed and she frowned. "Of course. The one time I need to find someone... No one is here." She turned an apologetic glance Max's way before turning on her heel and leaving the room again. "I am sorry, it looks like we will have to go up to the office to find someone..." On her way back down the hall, she turned once more to him. Assuming that he had brought his luggage because he intended to live at the school, rather than visiting, she asked the obvious. "Are you coming to live here, Max?"

Max nodded "Aye. Just got me claes and stuff here." Max held up his duffel bag. "Accents Doric luv, from Aberdeen. Scotland, ya naw." Taking off his glasses and folding them, Max looked at the furnishings.

Bloody Hell! This is one nice place! Max thought to himself as he smiled slowly. He then spoke again to Andrea, rubbing his temples.

"Naw chance I could git an Asprin or summin? I whalloped me heid on that gangrel's bloody seat on the whey up here. I swear that tumshie was stocious out of his meind."

ooc: I hope you don't mind me hopping in as one of those blokes in charge perhaps we could assume Raina was on the other end of the telephone. Just PM me if this post doesn't work for you and I can edit/delete.

Ic:
She could smell the cigarette smoke and it made her leap from her desk. Most of the mansion's residents did pretty good about the no smoking rules at the mansion but with a very dry spring Raina was concerned about brush fires.

She fumbled around her desk looking for the new admissions pack- she'd been chatting back and forth with a new arrival who should be coming anytime within the next few hours so she wanted to be prepared. Of course, she was heading out to check out where this stench of smoke was coming from.

She opened her office door just as Andrea and a man who smelled of the smoke walked by. "I have some asprin!" she called out down the hall fishing around in her purse to find it. "Hi Andrea." she smiled sweetly at the other mutant. She wasn't sure she and Andrea had officially met since her return from Australia but Raina made a habit since she came back of reading over all the latest files. Andrea's mutation was one of the neatest she'd seen though Andrea might not appreciate it being called neat.

She hoped the other woman recognized her for who she was and wasn't put off that Raina knew of her. It was her job to know who everyone was as well as what their mutation was.

She pushed her red hair out of her face and peered at Max with gray eyes. She passed him the pills. "I suppose you're Max Livingstone, we spoke on the phone. I'm Raina." she extended a slender hand. She knew Max was Scottish but there were a surprising mix of Scots and Irish in Canada so the accent wasn't too much trouble for her. Albeit a little thicker than what she was used to. "Welcome to the mansion, I'm glad to see Andrea here found you I wasn't sure what time to expect you."

She had to get a lot of information from Max about his mutation and his intentions at the school but it was always best to feel these things out. Though she, Andrea, and Max weren't teenagers it was still hard not to be a little immature in attitude when it came to nosey people asking about your mutation. "I'm sure Andrea let you know about the mansion's no smoking policy." she grinned with a little twinkle in her eyes.

Even just by the way he walked and carried himself she was sure she was going to like Max- and she was glad to have an actual excuse to spend time around Andrea besides the Im interested in your mutation excuse....

Max looked up as he rubbed his temples, seeing a redheaded woman open one of the doorways into the hall. He stopped and turned as she called out "I have some asprin!" Smiling, he walked back towards her as she rummaged around in her purse.

Max reached her just as she looked up, brushing the hair out of her face. She had gray eyes, but not the boring kind of gray. The kind of gray that seemed to calm you when you saw it. He liked them. Raina passed him the pills, saying "I suppose you're Max Livingstone, we spoke on the phone. I'm Raina."

Nodding while accepting the pills, Max replied "Aye, so you're the lady aye? Nice ta see ya look as fine as ya talk." With a smile and a slight wink, Max opened the bottle and swallowed two pills. He didn't need water. "Thanks for the pills luv, me head's just a bit sair."

Shaking Raina's hand while pointed to the green skinned girl with his thumb, Max explained himself "Aye, Mizz Andrea here has been a brawy good greeter. Told be 'bout the smokin rule and all. Kinda disappointin if ya ask me, but I'll regard it."

Well, that's two for two Max througth to himself Andrea and Raina sure seem nice. Andrea's a bit odd, but Raina sure makes up for it

Holding up his duffel bag slightly, Max said, "So naw wot? I wouldn't mind gettin this out of the way, but I'll just follow the twaa ah ya"

Aspirin! Andrea knew she had a good sized stash of the stuff hidden in her room, and in the kitchen behind some uneaten and unwanted fruit loops cereal. "Oh! Yes, I know just where to find some..." She turned, rushing down the hall, before a female voice blurted out that she had some and Andrea skidded to a halt and crashed into the wall next to her. After peeling herself from the wall paper, she fixed her glasses quickly and turned to blink at the owner of the voice. She had seen her before... but had never actually spoken to her. Her name was Raina... is her memory served her correctly. (which it often didn't) Adjusting herself further seeing as her hair had flung itself practically everywhere, the Gorgon joined the twosome and scratched at her cheek. "Hello Raina." A meek smile flashed across her features, before she dropped her hand and allowed Max to speak instead of continuing on with 'yes I did blah blah, glad to help blah blah'... The usual long winded explanations she spouted when she was flustered.

Instead, she listened, and blinked a few times when Max asked if he was to follow them around. She had figured she would drop him off with someone... but, she hadn't expected it to be Raina who stepped in. Honestly, Andrea found herself a little curious about the woman. Perhaps tagging along wouldn't be such a bad idea? Meeting new people was always fun, anyhow... most of the time. "I would not mind tagging along, if it is alright with the both of you?" Turning a questioning look Raina's way, she waited for her to answer Max's question. The twenty two year old didn't exactly have an answer for him herself.

Raina smiled at Andrea. She liked Andrea too because Raina would also be the kind of person to run into a wall. She had to laugh silently at that one. "Well I think it would be a good idea for us to stick together a bit, and maybe Andrea wouldn't mind taking you on a tour after the paperwork gets out of the way!" she nodded. "Come into my office."

She walked back to the door from where she came and motioned for them to follow. The inside of the office was bright thanks to the big open windows. There was a nice wooden book shelf filled to bursting with books. There were also many plants. She motioned for them both to have a seat in two large arm chairs that were adjacent to his desk. She plopped the forms down on her desk.

"Well Mr. Livingstone I've got a few things for you..." she handed him a map to the mansion and the grounds, a copy of the rules and regulations for him to sign, a schedule of campus events and an addmissions form. "We require that you fill out this admissions form with as much detail about your mutation as possible. This information will be kept confidential unless you decide to share it with others, however it's my duty to ensure the safety of yourself and the other mutants here. We do have quite a few minors as you can imagine." saying the word minor made her think of her recent exploits with Sam and she felt her cheeks redden just a bit. There wasn't suppposed to be any unlawful drinking on campus either... but maybe she'd just let Max read that rule himself.

"We do provide dormatories on campus in the upper floors however you do not have to use one you can always live off campus. While you're here we just ask that you respect the rules most of which are in place for the protection of the students." she smiled. It was nice to be able to sit down and do this as opposed to leaving it to the other greeters and trying to catch up later.

"Once you've had the opprotunity to fill these out Andrea and I can show you around or you can go off on your own if you like. Either way we should set you up with a bed for the night"

She wasn't sure what he'd heard of the x-men. Some mutants that came here never heard of them and quickly found out, others looked specifically for this school to join the cause. She'd have to feel it out but she had to admit to herself it would be awfully nice to have another on the team.

Max took the paperwork from Raina, forcing a smile.

Ah bumshite! Max thought to himself. He hated doing paperwork. Even when he was in college, he'd always tried and do as little of it as possible. Doing this managed to make Max a very efficient, to the point problem solver. However, filling out forms couldn't be fixed.

"Wheel, let me just take a lookie loo here, sign me name." Max said as he picked up a pen from Raina's desk and skimmed through the papers.

No smoking indoors. He would just have to smoke in windows then.
No unlawful drinking. This wouldn't be a problem. He always drank with the law on his side!

After 15 more minutes or so of reading and filling out the paperwork with rather poor penmanship, spelling, and grammar, Max handed the forms back to Raina, standing up.

"Here ya are luv, done it all I think. Anythin else you be needin?"

Plaess Gawd say naw maw bloody paperwork! Max thought, shaking out his hands.

Take a seat...? Alright. Andrea took a seat. She shifted her attention from one to the other, watching the exchange of papers and words. She remembered doing the same.. although, it had been rather broken up due to her unexpected appearance. A soft beeping reached her ears, and the Greek lifted her wrist to peer at her watch. She had set an alarm to wake her from her reading in the garden... no one wanted to fall asleep where hungry, mischievous squirrels roamed... Her tummy gurgled suddenly, a second reminder of her need to head either down into the kitchen... or into the city. Her eyes lifted, wrist dropping back into her lap, as Max finished with his paper work. After a curious glance Raina's way, she stood.

"Sorry to interrupt... But I fear I must be going." An apologetic smile (or maybe it was a guilty one) curled her lips slightly and she tiptoed her way back to Raina's door. "It was very nice to meet you Max... and Raina, Perhaps we should have lunch sometime? Seeing as we have never formally talked." Dipping her head in an informal bow, she ducked out of the room quickly. Hopefully she hadn't come off as rude... but, honestly she didn't think either of them would want to sit through a rumble session when her stomach wanted attention. That and she didn't like having company around while eating now days.... It was for their own good...

((ooc: I'm dropping Andy out so this thread will moooooove, because I am laggining it.... D; ))