Henrietta had had her own room for quite a while now. If someone were to move in soon, it wouldn’t really matter. The brunette was a very tidy person and a very accepting person. She was good with most types of people and only half of the bedroom was really furnished. Henri had always suspected that she would get a roommate, though it hadn’t happened.

Lying alone in her room on her bed, she read a book by Darren Shan. She enjoyed his books, though they were quite dark. She guessed that most people wouldn’t think she would read such gory, graphically worded stories. She liked how different they were from most things. The brunette was still in her lime green, silk pajamas. She had showered already and had changed from one pair of pajamas to the other. Her long, brown hair lay splayed out on her pillow, creating a fan shape.

The girl sighed and laid the book down on her chest. She sat up quickly and her hair flew up. Standing up, she walked over to her dresser. The cell phone the Kabal had given her was on top of it. She picked it up and checked her messages and calls. There was still nothing. Henrietta wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed by the lack of Kabal’s need for her. She wasn’t really sure what they’d use her for anyway, but still. The brunette stared at the phone, her bedroom door wide open.

Since Amber had starting going to school at the Mansion she had just been given a temporary room, a place to nap when she needed to before going back home to Sanctuary. However it wasn't really her room, just a currently unoccupied room that she was permitted to use when she needed to. However, as the official start of the school year began to approach, she was informed that they had finally found her a room of her very own, although she was going to have a roommate.

Even though Amber didn't technically live at the Mansion, her sleeping patterns necessitated having a room of her own and even if she wasn't going to be occupying it full time, she was still nervous about the prospect of actually having a roommate. All she knew is that her roommate was female and a mutant, like her. Everything else was a complete mystery. What if her roommate hated her? What if they didn't get along? Then what would she do? She loved coming to school at the Mansion and didn't want anyone to ruin that for her, roommate or not.

Knowing that there was no other way to find out about her new roommate than to actually meet her, Amber took a deep breath and knocked on the door that was supposed to now be hers. She had a set of deep blue robes on that particular day but no veil, as she rarely wore her veil inside. Due to nightmares and a recent lack of sleep her eyes had taken on a raccoonlike appearance, dark circles appearing under them and for some inexplicable reason she had begun taking on a slightly malnourished look despite eating just as much as she always had. Sometime she would go see the Doc Prof about that, but for today she just wanted to meet her new roommate.

A knock came at the door and Henrietta spun around to look at it. She blinked and tilted her head to the side. Walking over to the door, she grabbed the handle. For a moment, the brunette just stood there. Her mind kept wandering and even now thoughts of the Kabal swam in her mind. What if it was one of them? Was there a way they could get into the Mansion in the first place? For some reason, Henri’s hand began to shake a little. It’s not like they’d hurt her. She was a member, right? Slowly she turned the handle.

When the door swung open, someone in robes stood before her. It was a girl who couldn’t have been much younger than her, though she was even paler than Henri. The girl’s eyes had large rings around them, and the brunette wondered how she got them. Was she just sleepy? Henrietta opened her mouth, making an ‘uhhh’ noise. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. She had never seen the girl around before.

After a few delayed seconds, a smile spread across the girl’s freckled face. “Hello there. I’m sorry. Excuse my rudeness. I wasn’t trying to gawk or anything.” The brunette glanced down at her pajamas and then felt a blush appear on her cheeks. “I’m Henrietta Braun, who might you be? Is there something I can do for you?”

As Amber waited for her new roommate to open the door, she forcibly tried to shove her nerves down into oblivion. Unfortunately she wasn't very successfull. She couldn't help the worry that bubbled up inside her or the slightly queasy feeling in her stomach as she thought about what kind of person her roommate might be. Even if her roommate did like her, what if she didn't like her roommate? The latter problem was almost as bad to think about as the former.

Thankfully, however, Amber wasn't left outside brooding for long as, half a minute later, the door opened revealing a woman and a room inside. The woman was, perhaps, a little older than she was and with a little more skin pigmentation and she didn't look too intimidating at first glance. Appearances could be decieving, however, and she wasn't about to let relief flood through her just yet. Not until she actually had a chance to talk to the woman and ensure that she was both not crazy and not homocidal, both of which would be very bad indeed.

"Hi, I'm Amber and I th-think I'm s-supposed to be your roommate." There, she had said it and the world hadn't imploded in on itself. She held her breath, waiting for the other woman to laugh at her, throw her out, or do something equally cold hearted. She really was that jaded when it came to other people.

The girl before her stuttered and seemed to be very nervous. Henrietta’s smile widened in an attempt to make her more comfortable. She tugged the door open wider and gestured for her to come in. “A roommate, huh? I had no idea I was getting one, but that’s great. I get lonely when my friend across the hall is gone, so it’d be nice to have someone to talk to.”

The brunette felt bad that she was so scared because Henri remembered when she was always so skittish and terrified to talk to people. She introduced herself as Amber and Henri glanced out the door and looked at the floor near her, seeing if she had anything she needed help carrying. “Um, Amber, do you have any things you’d like help with? I’d be glad to help if you needed it.” She stood in the doorway, waiting to see what she needed or wanted.

Amber smiled at Henrietta, seeing that her fears and anxieties were apparently for naught. The teen actually wanted a roommate and if she hadn't all ready condemned Amber, there was a pretty good chance that she wasn't going to. At least that's what she was hoping for anyway and she had been trying to be less pessimistic anyway, so that's the theory she was going to stick with.

"Actually I d-don't really have much stuff," Amber answered, looking to the floor. "I don't t-technically live here, I live at Sanctuary. B-but I stay here sometimes and I k-kind of have to sleep s-sometimes during the day so they figured I should have a room." As far as she knew, she was the only person who went to school at the Mansion from Sanctuary.

The other girl looked at the floor and stuttered as she explained her situation. A few moments earlier, she had received a smile, which was a good sign that the brunette hadn’t scared her. And if she had at all, it hadn’t been enough to make her run away. Amber told Henrietta that she lived at the Sanctuary. The older girl tilted her head slightly to the side, trying to think if she had heard of it before. After a second, she shook her head and smiled. “Well, come in anyway. It’s nice to meet you.”

Leaving the door open, Henri perched on the edge of her bed. The cell phone was clutched in her hand now. “So, what’s this Sanctuary place? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it.” The brunette couldn’t help but notice the girl’s paleness and black eyes. She didn’t stare in a way that was obvious, but looked at her in an attempt to hold a conversation. She was used to seeing so many different mutations, that something such as hers didn’t startle her too badly.

The girl’s hair rose into the air, to show Amber what her mutation was. “I guess you could say I’m a hair manipulator.” Henrietta smirked as a few strands waved to her new roommate. “It’s a very seemingly random ability. For the longest time I wasn’t quite sure what use it was, but I’ve gradually learned that it isn’t normal hair, besides the fact that it can move around.” With a smile, the girl motioned for Amber to come in.

"Nice to meet you too," Amber replied. All ready she was starting to relax around the other woman. It was a relief to find out that she was nice and not intimidating at all. It was only her own social paranoya that was getting in her way and she was trying her best to deal with that little problem.

"Sanctuary's k-kind of like a mutant homeless shelter. M-my father kind of helps run the place so naturally I live there too." Amber knew calling it a homeless shelter for mutants was probably not giving it its proper due. It was more of a haven than a mere shelter, but shelter was something that mor people could understand easier. Whatever it was, it was her home and she loved it.

Amber watched in fascination as Henri's hair literally waved at her and she grinned at the teen. "That's awesome!" Sure it wasn't turning into dinosaurs, but it was still pretty darn cool. "I turn into d-dinosaurs, although a demonstration is a little tougher I'm afraid." Her expression turned sheepish. Sure some of her forms were relatively small, but there was the problem of losing her clothing.

When the girl returned Henri’s kind words, the brunette smiled at her. She seemed to be less tense, which would be good if they were to live together and share a room. It made her happy to see and Henrietta leaned back so she was in a half-laying, half-sitting position. It was more comfortable that way and she also looked more relaxed. Seeming relaxed around nervous people was usually a good plan.

A homeless shelter? So it was kind of like Mansion, but not in a school form. The 17-year-old nodded knowingly so that Amber knew her point had gotten across. “That’s very cool. Your dad must be a really good guy.” Henri glanced down at the phone in her hand and flipped it open and closed. “I’ve never met my dad. My mom and I lived together in Springfield, Illinois. I’m not even sure what his name is or what he looks like. Mom gets weird when I ask about him, so I usually avoid that topic.” She looked up at her roommate and grinned, realizing she had gotten serious for a moment.

Amber loved Henrietta’s hair trick. The brunette laughed and her hair went back to being seemingly normal. “Thanks a lot. It’s different, that’s for sure. I’ve never seen anything like it. It makes me feel special.” The other girl told Henri about her mutation and the girl’s jaw dropped. “Well, that’s waaaaay cooler than moving hair! That’s not comparable at all.” She laughed once more and sat straight up. “You don’t have to show me if it’s difficult. I’m sure I’ll see it eventually.”

"He is," Amber agreed with a smile that was almost comfortable. So it might take her a little while longer to become completely comfortable, she had all ready made extensive progress. She walked over and sat on the bed in the room that currently wasn't occupied, relieved to find that it was actually fairly comfortable. Maybe the Mansion had a mutant with the power of comfortable and mutantly manipulated all of the beds in the place, just like the Sanctuaries delicious mutant. Yes, she decided to herself, that must be it.

"I w-was adopted," Amber explained. If her new roommate was willing to open up about her past then it would be rude of her not to do the same thing. Besides, just because she was socially awkward most of the time didn't mean she was the untrusting sort. "I n-never knew either of my birth parents. I l-lived in an orphanage until I was adopted a few m-months ago once I l-learned I was a mutant." She didn't go into how difficult it had been those first few weeks, after her eyes changed and before she was adopted, but it was something that most mutants seemed to understand, even those who would blend in to the world at large.

"Y-you are special," Amber agreed. Her sister and father always told her that to be a mutant was to be something special and she would be remiss if she didn't at least try to pass that wisdom on. "I p-promise to give you a demonstration soon. It's j-just kind of painful and I lose my clothes in the p-process." She giggled, knowing how embarrassing that could be. Usually she managed to deal with that particular issue, of course, but still.

Henrietta listened to Amber as she was told about her family. She said she didn’t know either of her parents. The brunette looked down, ashamed that she complained about not knowing her father, but at the same time she felt like she didn’t have any parents at all. It seemed stupid since she actually knew her mother. It felt selfish to want her dad too, but she did.

Even with her mother, it had been lonely and things only got worse when Henri’s mutation made itself known. “My mother and I haven’t spoken for about 10 months. She never calls.” The girl twiddled her thumbs and felt like she may cry. She hadn’t cried in front of anyone except Van and Twyla since she had arrived and none of it had been about her parents. She only did that when she was alone and trying to fall asleep.

The girl rubbed at one of her eyes and then looked back at Amber. She managed to hold back tears and smiled and waved her hand in a way as if to say, ‘no worries’. “You don’t ever have to show me if it hurts. I don’t want you to be in pain just so I can get a peek at your powers.” Henri tilted her head slightly to the left and grinned widely. “You lose your clothes? That sucks. I don’t really have that problem, obviously.” Her hair wiggled again. “See? Clothes are still intact.” She laughed.

Amber wanted to be able to make her new roommate feel better but she didn't really know how. She didn't exactly have a lot of experience showing empathy towards others. It wasn't that she was a cold hearted person, but people just didn't want to hear it from her. She was the freak, the weirdo, the one that no one wanted to talk to and no one wanted anything to do with unless it was her doing jobs for them that they should have been doing themselves. Now that she was in a different environment she figured it was about time she learn to actually do things like try to make others feel better.

"It c-can be hard being a mutant," Amber offered in sympathy, sitting on the bed that could now be called her own. "I'm lucky b-because my adopted family are also mutants, b-but I know it must be difficult for those who aren't so fortunate." The words seemed paltry to say, but it was all she had to offer.

Amber giggled at Henri's hair display, thankful for the change in subject and the lightening of the mood in the room. It wasn't that she didn't want to help if it was all possible, but it seemed better to start things out on a lighter note. "It c-can be a little embarrassing," she agreed with a sheepish grin. "B-but we all have a price to pay for our p-powers and if losing my clothes is my price then I'll p-pay it willingly." Of course losing her clothes was the least of her worries when it came to her powers, but it was the most amusing.

Henrietta gave Amber a smile, to let her know that the nice thing she said made her feel a little better. The brunette did imagine that having a mutant family was probably a lot easier, or at least having a more understanding mom. Sure, her mother had taken good care of her up until before her mutation surfaced, but it would’ve been great if that had continued. The girl’s mom had worked two jobs, sometimes more. She was barely ever home, but Henri knew she was trying to make enough money for both of them to live off. Their relationship had been steadily going downhill, but it hit rock bottom when her hair started squirming.

The other girl said that every power had a price. Henrietta wondered what her price was. She had never really noticed that she had one, besides the fact that her hair would sometimes seemingly think for itself. The brunette knew deep down that her subconscious was the thing moving her hair, but sometimes it seemed like she didn’t have anything to do with it. Henri tilted her head and made a ‘hmm’ noise. “I’m not quite sure I’ve found the price I have to pay. I’m not even sure if I really have one or not. When I’m under stress or really emotional, my hair freaks out, but I don’t know if that’s a price.”

The 17-year-old’s grip on the cell phone given to her from the Kabal tightened as she remembered a specific instance. ”I was mugged one time and my hair attacked the guy who had grabbed me. It wrapped around his wrist and tightened, so on some level I must’ve wanted to do it. Though, I didn’t plan it out and I was surprised by what was happening at that time.” Henrietta smirked. “He did let go of me pretty quick though.”

"M-maybe your hair sometimes freaking out is your price?" Amber suggested wish a shrug. "I d-don't think its always obvious. It m-might not even be directly related to your p-power. The p-price is charged by life, karma I guess, you c-can't always predict what it'll be." Her own price was obvious, it was in her very skin, but she knew not all mutants shared such an obvious price. Sometimes that was better for them and sometimes it wasn't. Life simply wouldn't allow too much good to happen without requiring some form of payment and if Amber's life required more payment for the good than most, there was still some payment required by everyone.

Amber noticed Henri's tightening grip on her cell phone as she relayed the story of being mugged and her hair taking over, knowing that despite the light tone there was something serious there. She decided not to comment on it, however, and grinned back. If she wanted to talk about it in more detail than she would, otherwise Amber wasn't about to press her on it. It wasn't always pleasant to be forced to talk about things you really didn't want to even think about.

"At least you just have to deal with your hair going crazy. Imagine accidentally getting stuck in the middle of the city as a dinosaur and all you can do is chirp at people." Although the memory of that particular incident was still hurtful, Amber nevertheless managed a grin. She was starting to come to terms with it and if it still wasn't something she wanted to think about in detail, she was starting to be able to see the humour in it.

Amber explained to her about how she thought prices for powers worked. The girl nodded as she listened to her theory. She seemed pretty certain she was right. Henri wasn’t really sure, but it was an interesting concept and she was always willing to hear what others thought. There were so many different opinions on just one subject. It was odd how people could be so similar, but yet so different at the same time.

Henrietta relaxed her hand on her cell phone when she noticed Amber’s eyes on it. The memories of being jumped were hard to think about. The men had chased her and Chris for a while until they finally lost them by jumping in a bush. The two mutants had tried to be quiet and barely breathe at all. It was one of the scariest things that the 17-year-old had been through thus far. The other thing was the time the Mansion students and X-Men had fought the giant clay monster in Central Park. It had almost managed to smother both her and Twyla. She had only lived in New York for a month when it happened.

The dinosaur girl told Henri about the time she had been trapped without a way to communicate with people in the middle of a city. The brunette saw the girl smile, though it did seem a bit forced. Henrietta could see how that would be a bit scary, but returned a small smile just to show that she wasn’t pitying her. People didn’t like pity, though sometimes the teen did wish that people would show her some. Well, maybe not necessarily pity, but some sympathy. Yeah, sympathy was what she wanted.