The rational part of Andrew recognized that he needed to go and cool off and then get in his usual practice session. However the way Mat chuckled and smirked when he seemed to remember the man whose jaw he had broken only served to irritate the young man who tried to keep a cool head so often. On the bright side though Gemma was around and that would go a long way toward keeping Andrew from doing anything too stupid. Not to mention her presence took the pressure of the sole promise he bore off of his mind. Having been near her for a few minutes now he could recall a lot more about the woman he'd made it to but he still couldn't remember her name.

Gemma complimented Andrew on his handling of the situation. That was funny because Andrew felt it had been a mess. A human had gotten hurt after all. Not too mention the anti-mutant sentiment that had probably been stirred up by the incident. Not missing a beat, Andrew crossed the room when Mat overreacted to the mention of the cops. While the hungover man scrabbled at the window lock Andrew grabbed him by the back of his shirt this time and dragged him back to his seat.

"Sit and behave or so help me..."

Really, Mat was being such a handful this morning. It was like babysitting a child. Not that Andrew knew anything about that. It was sort of a guess really. Gemma would probably know but asking her right now would probably be strange. Gemma informed Mat that they would be having a chat and instead of sniping at them he got up and started doing as Gemma had said he would and cleaning up. He gave Andrew new glass of juice, with a glare of course. Then he started sniping at them. By accusing them of conspiring to turn him over to the police. Andrew dropped his head into his hands for a moment before shoving them backward over his head and through his hair.

"We aren't going to turn you over to the police Mat. You were drunk and the whole thing was an unfortunate accident. Gemma just wants to know what the police know and if it's going to cause trouble later."

Andrew went and grabbed the paper towels and tossed them to Mat.

"Forewarned is forearmed as the saying goes."

>>“My powers, that's your doing? So, you friendly people who are surrounding me, chat away. Although, depending on how much you actually want to know, you might want to delay turning me in to the police. Where do you keep your paper towels?”

"Yes, that's my 'doing'" she nodded with a smirk, not ready to tell him just yet that he could simply walk our of her aura, and get his powers back. He'd have time to discover that later "I am school counselor here for a reason, you know."

>>"We aren't going to turn you over to the police Mat. You were drunk and the whole thing was an unfortunate accident. Gemma just wants to know what the police know and if it's going to cause trouble later. Forewarned is forearmed as the saying goes."

"You'd be surprised how often I have to do that" she chuckled at Mat as she watched him start cleaning up. Things were getting back to normal after all the attitude "So, Mat, do you have a place to stay? Generally, I mean. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, but I'll need to know a few things if you want to stay here."

The rational part of Mat's sludge-dredged mind was now beginning to realise that these people weren't going to hand him over to the police. That they simply wanted to talk, to learn more about the strange vagrant who had managed to start a riot and pass out drunk on a school couch. That was fair enough, he supposed.

Maybe his aggressive-defensive tactic worked?

Gemma answered his question regarding his powers, and Mat felt a tiny shiver run down his spine. “That's some power you've got there. I bet a fair few mutants are horrified by that ability.” Not that it worried Mat. For now, all he needed to do was play nice. If things went sour, well then he could improvise. He was in a kitchen, for goodness sake. And he had his razor tucked into his sock.

Unless Andrew's power was making people's heads explode with a thought, Mat figured that'd probably work.

With a groan, Mat bent down and wiped up where he had spat with the paper towel. Then he made his way over to the sink. The sight of his previous visit, combined with the smell, was enough to set his churning stomach into convulsions again. His stomach having already been emptied earlier, Mat could only cough and retch up bile. Spitting out the taste, Mat tuned and gave a sheepish grin to Gemma and Andrew, then set about rinsing and wiping the sink.

>>> "So, Mat, do you have a place to stay? Generally, I mean. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, but I'll need to know a few things if you want to stay here."

Stay here? Well, that was a baiting question. Nice place. Pity the people didn't seem to like him much.

Mat gave a little smirk. “Why, I'm an open book. Ask away. I stay wherever I happen to be when my feet quit,” he shared proudly, the hangover making his accent come through stronger. He may have needed shelter this winter, but he didn't need pity. “Squats, mostly. Abandoned apartments and stores and stuff. When the weather's better my options aren't as limited, but this snow...I've never had to deal with a winter like this before.” Mat threw away the soiled towel and gave his hands a rinse in the clean-ish sink. Shaking his hands dry, Mat made his way back over to the counter and leaned against it, opposite from Andrew. “Sometimes, if I have the money for it, I'll find a hotel room or backpackers to stay in, but not often.”

“And yes,” he continued, anticipating their next question, “I do actually have a job. Self employed, but I make enough to keep myself going. Helping the economy and all that.” Mat rubbed at his stomach, which had calmed considerably since that foul concoction. In response, it gave a growl. Mat frowned at it, then shrugged to himself. “As for identification and shi-- I mean stuff, well, if you need to see it you're gonna be outta luck. I, ah, entered the country by...alternative means.”

Now that Mat was playing it nice Andrew saw no reason to interfere. He leaned against the counter again and let Mat converse with Gemma. So long as Mat played nice and answered truthfully, or with a humorous enough lie that Andrew would let it slide if he knew the truth, then he really had nothing else to do. Andrew took a drink of his new glass of orange juice and took a better look at the man he'd picked up last night. It looked like the man needed several decent meals and a weeks worth of sleep even after passing out last night.

So he was obviously from someplace that had a much milder winter than New York and he was an illegal to boot? That was interesting. When he wasn't drunk or horribly hungover Mat seemed like an alright guy. One that had had a hard life but an alright guy none the less. Andrew could have stood there and mused on why so many mutants had so much hardship in their lives but frankly he didn't want to be depressed this early in the day. It was the way of things and that was enough for now.

"You're welcome to stay here if you want. We won't force you to stay or go. Just a little bit of paperwork if you want to stay so we have a record of who's here and what power they've got."

Mat was leaning against the counter opposite of him now. The man hadn't really made much of a favorable impression on him so far but the circumstances hadn't exactly been conducive to that. Everyone could use another chance, right?

>>“That's some power you've got there. I bet a fair few mutants are horrified by that ability.”

"You'd be surprised" she smirked at him "It has a few advantages."

It had a lot, if one was trying to keep a schoolful of mutants in check.

>>“Why, I'm an open book. Ask away. I stay wherever I happen to be when my feet quit. Squats, mostly. Abandoned apartments and stores and stuff. When the weather's better my options aren't as limited, but this snow...I've never had to deal with a winter like this before. Sometimes, if I have the money for it, I'll find a hotel room or backpackers to stay in, but not often.”

Gemma nodded. He did sound like he needed a place to stay. She was not entirely comfortable with the thought of having him live with the kids, but she could not turn him away either. That was not what Xavier's stood for. Everyone deserved a second chance. or a third one. Or, maybe, even a fourth...

>>“And yes. I do actually have a job. Self employed, but I make enough to keep myself going. Helping the economy and all that. As for identification and shi-- I mean stuff, well, if you need to see it you're gonna be outta luck. I, ah, entered the country by...alternative means.”

Gemma smirked. If they could deal with him, they could deal with the rest too.

"You mean, alternative as in not legal, or alternative as in mutation-realted?" she asked. It was an important question. She was still not entirely sure about his powers.

>>"You're welcome to stay here if you want. We won't force you to stay or go. Just a little bit of paperwork if you want to stay so we have a record of who's here and what power they've got."

Gemma nodded. Andrew was getting good at this.

"You are welcome to stay" she agreed "This is a school, and it has a set of rules that apply to everyone." she looked at him "But we don't usually turn people away. And, you don't have to go to classes either if you already have." she added with a smirk.
That was also an important fact.

>>> “You'd be surprised. It has a few advantages.”

Mat nodded in agreement. For a teacher in a school chock-full of mutants, having a power cancelling ability would come in handy. Not just for the obvious reasons, what with powers flaring out of control and such, but also as a means of asserting control, and authority. Nothing says 'do what I tell you to do' better than cutting a mutant off from their powers, especially teenage and child mutants. Especially for mutants that rely on their powers like they rely on their limbs.

And nothing garners respect like the prospect of losing an arm or a leg.

“You mean, alternative as in not legal, or alternative as in mutation related?”

“Both,” Mat answered. “I found a mutant in Western Australia who could make long distance portals. We traded services, and I ended up here.” Which, considering the mutant had appeared to be a junkie, meant that Mat had convinced him to make the portal for cash. Mat wasn't stupid, he knew the money would go towards the guy's next fix. But his desire to leave the country had outweighed his guilt for enabling an addict.

>>> "You're welcome to stay here if you want. We won't force you to stay or go. Just a little bit of paperwork if you want to stay so we have a record of who's here and what power they've got."

>>> "You are welcome to stay. This is a school, and it has a set of rules that apply to everyone. But we don't usually turn people away. And, you don't have to go to classes either if you already have.”

Now, Mat was in a dilemma. He was being given the option of staying in a palace for mutants, out of the snow, out of the cold, and away from the derelict squats. So long as he danced to their tune, and filled out some paperwork. The thought of trapping himself on paper was enough to almost cause Mat to get up and simply leave. Until he looked out the kitchen window and saw the angry grey clouds, lingering like bullies after school, waiting for him to come out so they could pour their wrath directly onto his head.

Three months of winter. That was as long as he needed to last. After that, he could make his way back out into the streets. Back to freedom.

“Yeah, okay. Sure. I can behave.” Suddenly feeling awkward, having accepted charity, Mat picked up the ice pack and placed it back onto his injured face. “Um...thanks. For everything. I realise I've been a bit of a dick this morning, but to be fair, put yourself in my position.” He wasn't trying to start another argument. Now that his fire and vim had died down, he was in no mood for conflict. “And if it's any comfort to you both, I rarely drink like I did last night. You, ah, caught me in a bad moment.”

Not that he really regretted it. Getting drunk, abusing the crowd, smashing the guy in the face, if Mat had to do it all again, he probably would have gone about it the same way. It had all worked out in the end. And he was able to show a group of bigots that they didn't mean a thing to him.

Small victories.

“I've done most of my schooling, it's just the last couple of years that I didn't finish. So, ah, how much does it cost for rent in a place like this?” If it turned out to be too much, Mat would simply have to go back to his usual haunts.

Nothing gained, nothing lost.

A long distance portal creating mutant? That was interesting. Andrew watched Mat as he tried to decide whether or not to stay. He couldn't fathom that the decision would be that hard honestly. Staying here was much better than staying on the streets. Especially in winter. Eventually he did make the decision to stay. Probably enforced by the gloom in the clouds outside. Heck he even apologized for his behavior. Quite a turn around that was. It was enough to almost bring back Andrew's good mood.

Then Mat asked about the rent. Andrew just laughed. He couldn't help it.

"No rent Mat. It's free to live here."

That was something Andrew was mighty glad of. It meant that the money he earned as Sam's assistant could go to things other than rent. Over all, Andrew was very glad he'd come here. However, considering Mat's reluctance and what Andrew knew from his drunken chatter last night it probably wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on him. He might not stay too long. It was a shame but there wasn't much Andrew could do. Mat would end up doing whatever suited him best.

>>“Both. I found a mutant in Western Australia who could make long distance portals. We traded services, and I ended up here.”

"That's good to know about." Gemma nodded, and made a mental note to talk to Sam about it later. It was always good to know that mutants like that existed, and that there was a way to get to the US from Australia via portals. Information like that was gold.

>>“Yeah, okay. Sure. I can behave. Um...thanks. For everything. I realise I've been a bit of a dick this morning, but to be fair, put yourself in my position. And if it's any comfort to you both, I rarely drink like I did last night. You, ah, caught me in a bad moment.”

"Apology accepted" Gemma smirked "And if you are telling the truth, I see nothing wrong in letting you stay. We have had a few visitors who showed up under much worse circumstances..."

She did not mention the girl she hit with her car, or the young lady who invaded the mansion with an army of spiders. It was enough to say the Mansion has seen a lot of interesting people come and go...

>>“I've done most of my schooling, it's just the last couple of years that I didn't finish. So, ah, how much does it cost for rent in a place like this?”

>>"No rent Mat. It's free to live here."

"That is so." Gemma nodded, smiling at Andrew, then turned back to Mat "We will need to do the paperwork later, and find you a room. Andrew already has a roommate, I think." she added with a grin "Andrew, can you please give him the tour of the mansion? I have some things I need to take care of. I'll meet you in my office once you are finished with the tour."

>>> "Apology accepted. And if you are telling the truth, I see nothing wrong in letting you stay. We have had a few visitors who showed up under much worse circumstances..."

>>> "No rent Mat. It's free to live here."

>>> "That is so. We will need to do the paperwork later, and find you a room. Andrew already has a roommate, I think. Andrew, can you please give him the tour of the mansion? I have some things I need to take care of. I'll meet you in my office once you are finished with the tour."

Free? They did just say free, didn't they? Living in a mansion...would cost him nothing.

Suddenly, signing a piece of paper didn't feel quite as much like handing over a shard of his soul.

Mat grinned at the prospect of having somewhere decent to stay, without having to worry about selling enough of his sculptures to do so. He had to admit, his initial impression of Andrew and Gemma now seemed to be way off. He had given them both enough shit that kicking him out would have been warranted. Instead, they brushed it off and offered him a place to stay.

And Mat wasn't so prideful that he'd turn down help whenever he needed it. Now the cold, which had become his greatest concern regarding being homeless, would not be an issue.

“Thanks again, for all of this. If it's alright with you both, I was thinking we could skip the tour,” Mat grinned. “It'll be more interesting to wander around and explore, find things for myself.” Just because he wasn't going to be on the streets any more didn't mean he had to lose his sense of adventure.

The stampeding sound of small feet came from outside the kitchen. Sure enough, a group of kids, seemingly playing a game ran through the room, giggling and smiling like only children can. Mat's smile dropped suddenly at the sight of them. In his excitement about free accommodation, one important aspect had slipped his mind.

This place would be filled with mutants. Kids and teenagers.

His grin dropped, and he felt a leaden weight in the pit of his stomach. The last time he had lived with so many mutants had been when he was living in the commune. The last time he had lived with so many mutants, about three quarters of them had been killed. It was something he still hadn't quite come to grips with yet, and the thought of such a thing happening again was enough to send small tremors down his arms, and into his hands.

Regardless of Andrew and Gemma's assurances that this place was safe, Mat couldn't help but think that living in a place like the commune, filled with mutant children, was an invitation for the same tragedy to occur.

Not wanting to appear ungrateful for their offer, Mat slapped a half-smile back onto his face. If that time came, Mat would deal with it. He had dealt with it once before, he could do it again. Besides, on some level deep down, he was aware that his fears were merely displaced emotions about the commune.

Still, that did little to ease his now-rising discomfort.

Andrew half paid attention to Gemma's instructions to take Mat on the tour and then head to her office to finish things up. No he was more interested in Mat's expressions. The moment he learned that there was no rent to pay he lit up. Apparently the idea of getting to live here was very appealing when it was free. Andrew was about to offer to walk him around the place when some of the younger students ran through. Andrew paid them no mind but the very sight made Mat's grin drop.

That combined with the question Mat posed to him while drunk last night and his sureness that no peaceful gathering of mutants like this could ever survive worried Andrew. What on earth had happened in this guy's past to cause that sort of reaction to a mere group of children? He'd have to talk to Gemma about it later. The last thing he wanted was to be indirectly responsible for any sort of trouble Mat might bring to the Mansion.

Well in either case he'd said he didn't really want a tour so Andrew put those thoughts aside for now.

"Don't worry about it Gemma. I'm sure you've got plenty to be getting on with. I can handle getting Mat settled."

With that Andrew motioned for Mat to follow him. They made their way up toward the offices to take care of the paper work and getting Mat his room.