It had been more than an hour ago since Shin had left him to unpack his belongings and begin the process of settling into his new home. As he finished personalizing his room, he felt something move. His stomach... the poor thing had been grumbling for lack of nourishment for some time now. Glancing at the alarm clock sitting atop the bedside table, Lance was surprised that it was already past lunch time. No wonder his poor stomach had been complaining. He had been too preoccupied with settling in that he completely forgot to have lunch.

After a quick shower and a fresh change of clothes, Lance headed out of his room. His destination was the kitchen of the school and whatever edible stuff was in the refrigerator.

The kitchen showed signs of recent use. Must be one of the students sneaking in for a snack in between classes...

Rummaging through the fridge, Lance found it stocked with freshly bought food stuffs. Eyeing the number of available ingredients there, he was tempted to cook something heavy for his lunch. Though for a moment, he doubted whether he was allowed to make full use of the kitchen, being a new resident in the mansion. His stomach let out a protest, which brought Lance back to the business of deciding what to have for lunch.

His stomach was obviously in a hurry to be satiated, that cooking was clearly no longer an option. So he settled for a light lunch of four peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Taking out the ingredients he needed plus a carton of apple juice, to the counter, Lance began the serious business of preparing his lunch.

He was working on consuming his third sandwich, contemplating on whether to make more after he consumes the fourth, when another resident of the mansion walked into the kitchen.

Amber had just finished with one of her favourite classes of the day, biology, and was in less than one short hour going to enter one of her least favourite subjects of the day, math. Before tackling that nightmare of a subject, however, the one subject she could truly say she struggled with, she needed a snack. A snack in order to steel her nerves to take on the evil that was numbers, fractions and decimals.

As Amber made her way from the top floor where her class was down to the kitchen, it struck her just how comfortable she had become with her life. Only a few short months ago she couldn't have imagined actually being happy to be alive and contented with her reality but, she realized, she finally was. It was tough sometimes, being a mutant, but between actually having a family and going to school in a place full of mutants, she didn't have all that much to complain about. Except for the occasional disrespectful human or angry mob, of course.

Entering the kitchen, all Amber wanted was something sweet, maybe she'd even luck out and someone would have made some cookies or something. It was surprisingly empty when she got there, inhabited only by one person who appeared to be a few years older than she was and whom she had not yet met. In the past she would have been too shy to say a thing, but she was working on that and actually making some real progress.

"Hello." Amber looked at him a moment with her pitch black eyes, before opening a cubbord in search of baked goods.

Soft footfalls and the faint swishing of cloth on the floor were the only indications Lance had that he was no longer alone in the kitchen.

The newcomer, clearly female by the sound of the voice, greeted him with a friendly “Hello.”

He responded with a “Hi.” and a friendly smile.

Her attire reminded him of women coming from Middle Eastern countries and his mind began listing all the Middle Eastern countries that require such attire, in case it comes up during conversation.

But it was her eyes that drew his attention. It was somewhat disconcerting, admittedly, to stare at them, being pitch black and all that. “You do know that it’s rude to stare, right?” his inner voice reminded him. Lance prudently shot a glance towards the door, hoping that the girl did not notice and if she did, will not take offense on, his lapse of etiquette.

She was rummaging through the cupboard when Lance looked at her once more.

“Need help?” he offered. Putting the half-eaten sandwich down on the plate, Lance stepped down from the counter stool he was sitting on and moved towards her location.

Amber was made just a little bit uncomfortable by the man in the kitchen staring at her and she knew his eyes were drawn directly to her eyes. One would think she would have gotten used to all the stares by now, but some things one never got completely used to. It wasn't her fault that her eyes disturbed people though at least the man in the kitchen didn't stare for too long.

"I'm j-just looking for cookies," Amber replied, shooting the guy a quick smile. Just because he was rude didn't mean that she had to be. It was all about being the better person, not stooping down to their level. No one would see Amber staring like that because she knew exactly what that felt like and it wasn't pleasant.

Opening up another cupboard, Amber finally found what she was searching for. The cookies, chocolate chip, were hidden behind a box of cereal. Some student, obviously, had been trying to prevent anyone from finding the cookies so they could have a snack later on but the kitchen was common ground and that meant anything found there, hidden or not, was for anyone's use or consumption.

"C-cookie?" Amber asked, placing the plate on a table and taking one for herself. See, no one could accuse her of taking things too personally.

The girl turned down his offer of assistance by explaining that she was only looking for cookies, which she soon found in another cupboard behind a box of cereals.

Lance was still hoping that the girl had not noticed his unintentional stare a while ago. But basing it on the way she politely turned down his offer, it seems that she had not noticed.

Lance returned to his perch atop one of the counter stools and started making two more sandwiches before picking up the one he was eating a while ago.

>>> "C-cookie?"

Lance smiled at the offer. He took one of the cookies from the plate and placed it among the sandwiches he had on his plate.

“Care for some?” Lance, in return, offered his sandwiches to the girl, bringing the plate over to her table. “By the way, my name is Lance. I just moved into the mansion this morning.” He introduced himself with a smile, extending a hand towards his kitchen companion.

Exchanging cookies for sandwiches sounded like an excellent plan to Amber and she happily took a sandwich from Lance. Maybe she had been just a tad hasty in her initial judgement of him and his rude staring. He seemed to be acting nice now, with the offering of sandwiches and all. Besides, she knew that her eyes and general appearance were a little on the unusual side, even in a mutant school, so maybe it was just normal. Maybe she needed to get used to the fact that people were going to stare no matter what she wanted.

"I'm Amber," Amber replied, smiling back at Lance. "What d-do you think of the Mansion so far?" She settled herself down on a chair and pulled it up to the table. No reason to stand around awkwardly when there was a perfectly good table and chair just waiting for her.

"I've been g-going to school here for about a m-month now. I d-don't live here though. You have a roommate?" Most of the students that Amber had met both went to school at the Mansion and lived there. Many, she knew, weren't able to return home because of anti-mutant sentiments and some didn't even have a home. For the lucky few, they actually chose to live here in order to learn about their powers but were still welcome at home.

Lance was glad that his kitchen companion had accepted his offer of his sandwiches.

>>> "Im Amber," Amber replied, smiling back at Lance.

”Amber.” Lance repeated the name. ”Beautiful name...” he complimented her. The compliment was sincere and he backed it up with a smile.

Amber had settled herself on one of the chairs situated around the kitchen table.

Lance settled his plate on the table near Amber in case she wanted more of the sandwiches. He went over to one of the cupboards to retrieve a second glass. Passing by the counter, Lance brought the apple juice carton as well as his now half-empty glass over to their table. Another trip to the counter was needed to bring over the bread and the jars of peanut butter and jelly. ”I hope you wouldn’t mind company,” he quipped as he sat on the chair across Amber.

>>> "What d-do you think of the Mansion so far?"

Lance considered his answer carefully. ”So far, it has been an okay experience,” he answered, while nibbling on his fourth sandwich. ”Shin had been an excellent guide earlier, touring me around the mansion’s premises.” he added.

>>> "I've been g-going to school here for about a m-month now."

Lance nodded as Amber told him that she had been going to the school for about a month now. He was still looking at her face, no longer out of curiosity for her eyes, but rather to show that he was interested in what she was saying. ”And how was your experience here?”

>>> "I d-don't live here though."

Lance was a bit surprised by that. He had thought that all students in the school resided there as well.

”So, if you don’t live here, where do you stay?”

>>> "You have a roommate?"

Lance felt that the spare bed in his room was more than just that... a spare bed. Amber’s question confirmed his suspicion. But so far, he still had the room to himself. ”No. I don’t have a roommate yet,” he answered. ”But I’m sure they’ll eventually get around to assigning one...”

Lance grabbed the carton of apple juice and refilled his glass. ”Apple juice?” he asked, tilting the carton towards the still empty glass near Amber.

Amber blushed at the compliment of her name, her normally ashen pale cheeks turning a bright red colour. He hadn't really just said that, had he? "Um, thanks." He was weird, she decided. Nice enough, but still weird.

"I d-don't mind at all," Amber offered up a friendly smile as Lance sat down near her. It was always fun to meet new people, especially new mutant people, even if they were weird. She would like to have been able to say that it was fun to meet new human people too, but most of them either wanted nothing to do with her or wanted to chase her with pointed sticks and torches. Figuratively speaking, of course. Or perhaps not in some cases.

"Shin saved me from an a-angry mob once," Amber replied, shuddering a little at the memory. It was one of the first times she had used her powers and it had been a complete accident, before she really had any control over them. Apparently most people had a problem with dinosaurs running down the street, even if it was a small dinosaur that hadn't been hurting anyone.

"I love the M-mansion." The enthusiasm could be heard clearly in Amber's voice. "I l-love being around so many mutants and actually g-going to school and learning things and p-practicing my power. Its wonderful." Better than she had ever expected growing up. She accepted the offered glass of apple juice gratefully, taking another bite of her sandwich.

His brows furrowed a little and a look of concern crossed his features for a split second when Amber mentioned her experience with an angry mob. Although he has not had any similar experiences, Lance could only imagine the fear that Amber must have felt then. His own fears when he first discovered his power came to mind... and he did not like it.

Amber quickly moved on to a more pleasant topic, namely her experience here in the mansion.

The way she talked about her experiences in the one month she had been studying in the mansion, Lance could not help but be infected with the overflowing enthusiasm. His smile broadened.

”It’s the same reason why I’m here,” he replied, taking a sip from his glass. ”My aunt was the one who recommended this place. She said that it was boarding school for mutants and would be the perfect place for me to learn more about my ability and how better to control it.” he added.

Lance fell silent for a few seconds, considering how to properly state his next question to Amber without offending her. ”If you don’t mind my asking, what is it that you can do?” he asked her finally, taking the last bite on his sandwich and washing it down with a gulp of apple juice.

Amber appreciated the expression of concern on Lance's face at the mention of her encounter with an angry mob. Most people, mutants in particular, could appreciate how unpleasant such a situation was. In fact, most mutants that she'd met had all had at least one negative experience due to their mutations. She was just one of the lucky ones that seemed to have repeated negative experiences. And she didn't even have a dangerous power either!

"Oh, they're g-great here," Amber assured the boy. "They've done w-wonders for me. I didn't used to be able to c-control my power at all." And getting stuck in the form of a dinosaur that couldn't even talk wasn't a fun experience either. Better than being chased by angry mobs, maybe, but still not fun. At least now she could mostly control when she shifted, both in and out of her various forms.

"I change into d-dinosaurs," Amber answered proudly, taking another cookie off of the plate. She wasn't going to hide her power, that was for certain. Why should she when it was so obviously awesome? "How about you?"

Lance nodded as Amber explained how the school was able to help her control her ability. He was glad that the school’s reputation of helping their mutant students master their abilities was true and not just some publicity gimmick.

>>> "I change into d-dinosaurs," Amber answered proudly, taking another cookie off of the plate.

Lance was floored by Amber’s answer to his query. ”You change into dinosaurs?” he just had to repeat that, to make sure he heard it right. ”That is so cool!” he added. Lance was visibly awed by Amber’s ability and it showed in his expression as well as his tone of voice.

>>> ""How about you?".

Lance was already expecting Amber’s question to pop up during their conversation. Heck, the conversation wouldn’t be complete if they did not ask about each other’s powers, at least. But he found himself still unprepared with an answer to the question when Amber popped it.

His demeanor dampened a little. He was still not comfortable talking about his ability with others. More so, since it brings back certain memories that he’d rather forget.

”I... I can produce sound waves of the infrasonic kind.” Lance answered, somewhat hesistantly. ”They are undetectable by the human ear... and so far, all I can do for now is blow things up...” he added somberly.

The turn of the conversation had brought to the surface unwanted memories and Lance found himself drifting back to the time he first discovered his power... that night when his mother died.

Lance instinctively looked away so as not to show Amber the pain that he was sure was evident in his eyes.

"Why th-thank you," Amber answered, grinning at Lance's enthusiasm at her power. She just happened to think it was pretty awesome also and she had yet to find a power that she'd prefer over the one she had. After all, they were dinosaurs and dinosaurs were just about the most awesome things ever!

When Lance mentioned the blowing of things up, Amber could only think of the little girl Kaitlyn, back at Sanctuary, who also happened to blow things up. Sometimes large numbers of things completely accidentally. It reminded her of just how thankful she was that her own power wasn't destructive in nature. True, sometimes she ended up hurting herself indirectly when it didn't obey her commands, but it wasn't something that could really hurt others.

"I'm sure the p-people here will help you," Amber replied to Lance, as kindly as she was able to. Every mutant, it seemed, no matter their power had their bad memories associated with them. Hers mainly involved the reactions of others, to her accidental shifting and to her black eyes. Maybe his involved something more sinister, but unless he choose to share it with her she wasn't going to ask. After all, they had just met and some people weren't comfortable sharing their personal secrets with almost complete strangers.

There was an uncomfortable silence that fell between the two kitchen companions, as Lance became lost in his memories. It took a while before he realized that he had drifted off into that corner of his subconscious where he kept the skeletons in his closet. The silence was palpable in the kitchen.

”S... Sorry about that,” Lance apologized, as he drifted back into reality.

>>> "I'm sure the p-people here will help you," Amber replied to Lance, as kindly as she was able to.

Lance actually smiled at Amber’s reassurance that the people in the mansion will be able to help him with his ability.

He was expecting Amber to press the issue of his sudden change of mood. But she didn’t... and he was all the more thankful to her for that.

His eyes fell on the nearly empty plate of sandwiches. He made two more and refilled their glasses of apple juice.

”So, uh... What subjects are you taking this summer?” he asked, trying to deviate the conversation.

"Its all right," Amber replied with an understanding smile. She knew exactly what it was like to get lost in thought, especially when those thoughts weren't exactly happy. In public she normally tried to be happy and posative, but in privat and when it came to her opinion on her own life and likely fate, she was nothing but pessamistic. Because life, for her at least, wasn't meant to be a happy shining place. That was something reserved for others.

"I'm t-taking biology," Amber stated with a grin, thankful for the change in subject. Biology just happened to be one of her favourite subjects and that had to do only partially with the nature of her mutation. Dinosaurs, as much as she loved them, weren't the only fascinating things to be found in nature, not even close. There were all sorts of fascinating animals and plants to be discovered and, probably, one day she'd actually become a biologist of some sort. She just hadn't decided what kind yet, although archeologist was probably the most logical choice.

"And math." A grimace accompanied this last statement. Math was the one subject in school that she had never embraced and never been particularly good at, despite all her best efforts. "How about y-you?"

Two different subjects, two different opinions... at least from what Lance could gather from Amber’s reactions.

His kitchen companion seemed ecstatic over Biology, but at the same time showed certain distaste for Math. A small smile played on his lips. He can empathize with Amber, Biology being one of his favorite subjects... not as much as Physics, but certainly among his top picks for favorite subjects.

As for Math, although Lance was not initially fond of that subject either, it kind of grew into him over time especially since Physics involved a lot of numbers, computations and mathematical formulae — it was not long until he developed a certain liking for it.

Amber turned the table on him by asking what subjects he was taking, or rather, what he will be taking.

”I haven’t really checked my schedule for this coming school term yet,” Lance confessed. ”After unpacking I headed out here to the kitchen to grab lunch,” he added nodding towards the sandwiches.

Remembering her reaction with regards to Mathematics, ”If you need help with Math...” Lance started. He left the offer hanging between him and Amber. Lance hoped that she will not take offense with his offer, as some others have before. He was not a genius with numbers but he felt that he can at least help Amber with her assignments.