Michael stepped out of the cab and looked up at the institute gates. It had been quite some time since he’d looked upon the place. Two years ago it had all been a little too much. After the camps he needed time away to get his head straights. And so he’d gone travelling. He’d been all across the globe volunteering for various charities. It had felt good to just be helping people. More than once he’d used his ability to help out and while it brought fear and hatred on occasion most often he merely received thanks. It was all he needed.

No though he was back. It had taken him a while but he now knew that there was more to be done than just help out here and there. Mutants were still persecuted and he could do much more to help here than he could out there. Working with the X Men again would allow him to help the mutant cause the right way.

Hitching the duffle bag up onto his right shoulder as the cab drove away Michael pushed open the gates and walked into the grounds. They looked very similar to how he’d left them. Green grass, tall trees and mutant kids just playing and having fun. This was how he’d tried to remember it but the memory had been tainted by the violence that had visited here more than once. While he hoped that it would never do so again he vowed to be ready in case it did.

((hope you don't mind, I didn't see a tag anywhere. Let me know if it was not intended to be an open thread))

Reading had always been a tough thing for Fade to accomplish. Without the proper education, or in fact, any education at all, she was not the fastest reader. Still, admitting that she was severely undereducated was harder than actually reading, so she would bring books to practice with outside, usually up in a tree. The book she was currently reading was not exactly in her age group, but Doctor Seus books were the best to practice with. Not to mention, the book was full of more pictures than words to help her associate what they meant. She was flipping through the pages of How the Grinch Stole Christmas when she saw a cab pull up and somebody step up.

He simply walked through the gates, he must have been to the Mansion before for the security to allow him through, but Fade did not recognize him. Perhaps he was at the Mansion while she was on that long vacation she took trying to find Raph, though most of the journey was for herself as well. Closing her book, she tucked it on a branch and climbed down. Brushing any twigs or leaves that had settled on her clothes, she began walking towards the unfamiliar face.

"Hello there," she called, catching up to him. "Hi, I'm sorry, it's just that I don't recognize you. Do you need help with anything?" she asked, unsure of the reasons why he was here. She hoped she did not come out to be hostile, it was not her intention, but she had to be at least a little cautious these days. She had to make sure he would not cause any problems, though he had the benefit of the doubt, he looked completely harmless. "Sorry, I'm Fade," she added, sticking with the name she enjoyed to be called. She hated introducing herself as Jenny and she only tolerated it from parents or Sam.

Upon hearing a voice Michael stopped walking and turned to see who it was. A cute redhead was walking towards him. Stopping he smiled and waited for her to draw level with him. “Hi,” he said back, “I’m Michael Chase. I used to live here a few years ago. Used to be an X Man even. Now I’m back and looking to reenlist if they’ll have me.”

She seemed a little wary but he had just walked into her home uninvited so it was understandable. It didn’t surprise him to see someone he didn’t know. It had been almost two years. He himself had changed a lot in that time and he had suspected that the Institute would have as well. Still he hoped to see at least a few familiar faces around the place.

Ever since coming to the Mansion, only a few short weeks in the past, Raven had taken to watching people come and go from a rather lovely tree she had found herself. Truth be told she had taken to watching people long before she had ever come to the Mansion and to perching in trees. People she watched because people were fascinating, trees she climbed because, at her heart, she was half raven just as her namesake and familiar suggested. The Mansion, however, had even more fascinating people than most places.

It seemed that on this particular day Raven was not to be disappointed in her people watching as a stranger strolled through the gates. A second figure greeted the first, introducing herself as Fade, someone Raven recognized from around the Mansion but had not yet had the pleasure of speaking too. Despite the distance between herself and the pair of people, she could both see and hear the conversation perfectly.

It was the mention of the X Men that caught Raven's interest, a title she had heard before but never in detail. Without a second thought she jumped dextrously from her treetop perch and back onto the ground, approaching the pair. Blackwing continued to watch from a nearby tree, not half as interested in the newcomer as she was. "You're an X Man?" Raven asked the man, the moment she was close enough for regular people to hear her speak. She cocked her head to the side, studying him, appearing every bit the human raven that she was.

The man introduced himself as Michael Chase, a name she still did not find familiar. Since he did not seem to recognize her and said he was at the Mansion a while back, it could very well have been when she was away. He stated that he used to be an X-Man and wished to rejoin. She knew the feeling, when Fade returned, she was completely culture shocked. Only a few of the X-Men were part of the team before she left and were there to recognize her when she returned. Though the new faces were not too bad to get used to: Shin, Sam, Shawn, Luke, Raina and Maya. Deathstar was around from time to time, but no sight of Iris or Tricity and especially not Raph.

"Well I can get you situated and introduce you to the new leader of the X-Men. Were you part of the X-Men when Tricity was in charge or were you after that?" she asked, keeping the fact that she was an X-Man on the backburner. It was best not to jump up and say she was one of the X's. Not to mention, they were being watched. Another climbed down from a tree and joined their conversation, asking Michael if he was an X-Man.

That was another reason why she did not say she was an X at first. When she was younger, it would have been a bragging right, but she had learned the true meaning of being an X-Man and she did not flaunt it, it was a lot harder than others would think. Anger could never take over too much to the point of killing another or cruel and unusual punishment. It took restraint, control, compassion, and morality. Plus, these days, she did not like the attention too terribly much. So she looked to Michael, allowing him to tackle this one.

Michael nodded his appreciation to Fade. “Thanks,” he said with a smile, “I saw a little of Tricity when I was first here. I take it she’s no longer here?” He wondered who else had left while he’d been travelling. He also wondered if anyone had moved into his old room.

As he was about to continue wandering towards the mansion he spotted a raven haired woman drop from a tree and head over to them. Another new face. Seeing as he was in no hurry Michael waited for her to join them. This one had an odd manner about her but Michael found it endearing as she cocked her head to one side and asked about the X Men.

“I used to be,” he told her, “And hope to be again, if they’ll have me. The name’s Michael or Shield if you want to use my code name.” Out in the world he’d been using his real name for so long that it was only back here that he remembered the other name that he had. He wondered if they still had his uniform in storage down on the sublevels.

Raven didn't know much of anything about the X-Men outside of their name and their reputation. Weren't they supposed to be mutant pacifists or something like that? Or maybe they were supposed to be the good mutants that battled against the bad mutants? All the stories she'd heard about them tumbled around her head until she made the decision that the only way to know for certain was to stick around the two she had just found. Surely they would enlighten her.

"I'm Raven," Raven introduced herself with a bob of the head that couldn't really be called a bow. "What can a human shield do anyway? Block thrown objects for people?" Now there was a funny thought. Maybe she would have to experiment with that one day.

Raven turned her attention to the other woman next, who also seemed to have some knowledge of the mythical X Men. Everyone, it seemed, knew more than her and she was determined to change that. "Does a Fade fade from reality?" It was fun guessing powers based on code names.

He stated that he was there to see a little of Tricity, which would imply he was there while she was transitioning, so he must have been there after Fade left. Before she left, she was close with Tricity, but when she came back, she could not find her anywhere, she never really got to say goodbye. Nor did she get to say goodbye to Daria or Castiel or Glare, Neena, Iris...oh she was taking a walk down memory lane. She shook her head to focus on the here and now. Michael talked about how he used to be an X-Man to the ever curious young lady who kept tilting her head in an odd fashion. Though Fade had gotten quite used to mutations taking an effect on the mutant's behaviors.

The girl began the questions with Michael, about his abilities. Of course, code names hardly ever left much up to the imagination, they sort of gave away the mutant's ability the second you said them. Perhaps that was why using human names could be a better idea in some ways. No one could guess a Jenny could turn invisible, but Fade sort of danced the answer in the inquisitor's face wearing a bright pink tutu while holding a giant "I CAN TURN INVISIBLE" sign up.

The girl redirected her attention to Fade, asking if she could fade from reality. She sort of smiled, well, that was one way of putting it. "Not really from reality, but I can Fade from most people's senses," she said, making another mental note to work on all of those other senses she had yet to conquer, like heat signature. "I'm going to guess you're some kind of animal shifter, or something to do with an animal due to your headbobbing, and of course, you're name is Raven, so I'd say that's the answer there," she said, drawing conclusions of her own.

Michael couldn’t help but grin at Raven’s curious manner. She was an odd one to be sure but in a fantastic sort of way. “My power makes me pretty much invulnerable,” he explained, “So if people start firing guns at you then standing behind me is a good bet.” He wasn’t so hot on lightning bolts and fire balls but hey, nobody’s perfect.

Invisibility huh. Well that was an ability that many people dreamed of. Probably less likely to be misused in the hands of a woman but you never know. Fade might have sneaked into the boy’s locker room once or twice. Her assessment of Raven was pretty fair. No obvious features like Sara but she might shift or have some more subtle qualities of the bird after which she’d chosen as her moniker. “So are you both resident’s here at the Institute?” he asked as he began strolling towards the main building.

Invisible sounded like a very useful power and Raven nodded approvingly at the woman. It was certainly something that could help life become less complicated that was for certain. As occasionally helpful as murders of crows were, they had definate limitations. Lack of intelligence being primary among them.

"Oh, I have a raven familiar," Raven answered, gesturing vaguely in the direaction of Blackwing, although he was currently close enough to actually be seen. She didn't bother to mention the fact that she could also see and hear better than any mere human nor the fact that she could talk to crows. Just in case.

"Say, do you think if someone decides to try and shoot me I could hide behind you?" Raven asked Michael. Unfortunately it had happened before. More than once. Only her quick reflexes and willingness to hide and forget all sense of dignity had saved her a very painful and bloody fate.

Michael discussed his power in a broad, general form, which was fine. Detailing the specifics of your powers to someone you've just met was not really a good idea. There were plenty at the Mansion who did not understand the full power of her mutation, which was how she preferred it. Some people felt safe thinking that they could sense her through means other than their sight. Sometimes that was true, but it was rare. It made people feel more secure though, she couldn't imagine how some people felt using the bathroom or shower when they were aware an invisible mutant lived next door.

Raven seemed to feel a bit more secure with a man that bullets bounced off of. It was always good to have someone around like that, though Fade did not need the protection, at least not if she knew the bullet was coming. She always had her phasing powers if the gunman could actually find her in the first place. Fade looked over to the raven who was nearby, no doubt not wishing to roam too far from his or her mutant friend. With an odd gesture, Fade lifted a hand and waved a little to the raven, as if to say 'nice to meet you'.

"Yes, I've lived here for a while, but I think I was away when you were here. I took a personal vacation, a bit longer than I expected, actually, but I've been back now for about a year, I believe," she took a breath with a long, mental good lord! She'd seen Raven around but never actually spoke to her, thus she allowed Raven to speak for herself and answer that one.

“If the bullets start flying I insist you stand behind me,” Michael told Raven with a smile. Her powers seemed pretty interesting. The bird like quirks of Raven would draw attention to herself and these uncertain times people were likely to assume you were a mutant and react violently. While his powers allowed him to shrug most things off others were more vulnerable.

“I’ve been gone for a few years,” he told Fade, “It was after the camps. I needed to get my head straight. Now I’ve come back and am hoping to make a difference.” While he had been making a difference on his travels it wasn’t the same as he could do here with the X Men. That and he had people who he’d missed while he had been away.

Raven very much liked Michael. Very very much indeed. Because anyone that offered to let her hide behind them while there were bullets flying was good in her books. Even if he wasn't a raven and she hadn't yet ascertained his intelligence level, he had offered to be shot at for her. That was good. Maybe it extended to fists and baseball bats too? Something to be investigated for another day, yes indeed.

It was difficult for Raven to fathom being in the same place for years at a time, or even a single year for that matter. Her entire life, ever since leaving her mother's home, had been on the move. Ever few months, for varying reasons, she'd been forced to move on to a different town or city. Humans, however, often stayed in the same place for years she knew. "I hope I get to stay here for a while," she remarked. She liked The Mansion, as odd as that was to admit, and she didn't want to be kicked out.

Fade was not around much for the camps. Her mutation helped her escape that terrible fate and luckily, she did not have to go through what all of the other mutants went through. She nodded her head, not wishing to discuss the camps any further, everyone had a different affect from that conversation. "Well welcome back, we'll see what we can do to get you back into the swing of things," she said, avoiding saying blantantly that she was an X-Man. Hopefully he'd get it. He insisted on Raven standing behind him when the bullets fly, which was very nice, in an odd sort of way that only mutants could really understand, she took note of that.

"We all hope you stay, Raven," Fade said, smiling and offering warm feedback. Jenny had been in those shoes herself years ago, she never liked staying in one place, she even tried leaving the Mansion a few times, but the place sort of grew on her, it forced itself to become her home. It was comforting though, to actually have a place to call home, she never expected life to turn out like that, but it did, thank goodness. "Do you need any help getting settled in or finding a room?" she asked Michael, offering to take some of his stuff and help him carry it.

Michael smiled at Raven when she expressed her wish to stay. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing you around here for a while yet,” he told her. It took a lot to get kicked out of the Institute. He’d seen Iris flip out and full on attack the place causing massive damage and yet she was still welcomed back.

Fade’s comment indicated that she might be an X Man, or rather X Woman. She wasn’t explicitly saying that however. As for why Michael didn’t know, maybe it had something to do withy Raven. Whatever the reason she didn’t want to say it so he didn’t press it. “My old room’s probably gone to someone else by now,” he said, “I’ll just need another assigned to me and I can get set up.”