It was called "Mutant Social Services", but even so, Chase was still apprehensive. He sat beside Gemma, in the lobby, knees tucked to his chest. His recollections of social workers was foggy and skewed. Miss Valerie Skinner had been his social worker back before he'd run away, and once they'd relocated him, she'd been his social worker during the rest or the trial, up until it was decided that Gemma would be his new Mommy. Chase thought that the trial had marked the end of his visits with social workers, that they could just "forgive and forget" so to speak, and leave him alone.

But, apparently not-- a week prior to their meeting, Gemma informed Chase of the meeting. That he would be going to see a new social worker named Tasean Walker, and that he'd be talking to Chase. Instantly apprehensive, the shy child demanded as to what they'd want to ask him now, and Gemma placidly answered that they only wanted to know things like if Miss Gemma was being a good mommy, and if he was adjusting well, and if Xavier's was a decent home. Chase had avowed to all of this, but Gemma still insisted that they go to visit Mr. Walker.

Thus, a very-unshifted Chase sat scrunched into his chair, silently picking at his jeans.

"You'll be fine," Gemma assured him.

"Do I have to, Mama?" Chase whispered back, his meek voice muffled by the sleeve of his jacket.

"Yes, baby."

Chase looked towards the receptionist, and sighed heavily. It was just an interview, he was just talking to an adult, a social worker, a safe person-- but even so, the introverted child was apprehensive. Chase groaned and hid his face against his knees, to which Gemma only smiled quietly and patted his shoulder.

Tasean stepped out of his office, wearing casual clothes. He liked to dress casual when interviewing younger kids. Suits and uniforms only made them nervous, and Tasean would need Chase to be relaxed as possible. He smiled at the receptionist, a recent volunteer who would not get it through her skull that Tasean did not like women, and then turned towards Gemma and Chase.

"Well hello there Chase" he said, and then nodded towards Chase's adoptive mother.

Tasean gave the young boy a quick once over. He looked well kept and well fed, no visible bruises, and he wasn't shaking with nerves. That was all a good sign, but the interview would be the ultimate determining factor. One never knew what some people did to children behind closed doors, no matter how good of people they seemed to be.

"My name is Tasean Walker, but you can call me Tasean. Would like to come into my office so we can chat about somethings?" the young social worker asked, flashing a genuine grin, his eyes sparkling, as usual, with mirth.

It grew quiet, momentary calm settling on the lobby. Chase sat there and continued fussing with the knees of his jeans. He only paused in his endeavor to wear the knees out further when he heard the door that led out of the lobby and deeper into the office. A lank, athletic man with deep, rich brown skin came meandering casually into the lobby. It was only Chase and Gemma in there, nobody else, so the social worker's gaze went instantly to the shapeshifter and his adoptive mother.

>> "Well hello there Chase"

"Hello," Chase answered back, regarding the man, who was in turn regarding him. He looked at Chase from head-to-toe, making note of something, and Chase was certain that he was staring at his mutation. He was in Gemma's aura, and thereby didn't boast a human guise. Chase stared at the social workers' shoes. He didn't want to look at the man while the man was studying him. Chase must have passed the test, though, because the social worker continued talking.

>> "My name is Tasean Walker, but you can call me Tasean. Would like to come into my office so we can chat about somethings?"

Chase dared to lift his gaze from the mans' shoes, for that was what was polite, and Tasean gave Chase a warm smile.

Chase smiled back hesitantly, and nodded, "Sure."

Chase wriggled out of his chair, and glanced at Gemma a moment, "Be right back."

"I'll be right here," Gemma echoed back. The nine-year-old boy made his way over to Tasean, a stream of uncertain colors meandering through his eyes. Of course, he knew that this was a social services association for mutants, but old habits died hard-- such as self-consciousness over not being able to hide behind a human guise.

Tasean ushered the young mutant into his office, still all smiles. Thankfully Chase's file gave the social worker a heads up on his appearance, thought Tasean was a little shocked that such mutation showed at such an early age. Tasean's mutation didn't start activating until he was in high school, and he thought that was the norm. Still he wasn't too taken aback by young Chase's appearance. After you have met a man with a wicked looking beak on his face, or a girl with the hands and feet of an elephant, and tusks to match, nothing really could catch you off guard anymore.

Tasean closed the door to his office, and motioned for Chase to sit down as he took a chair opposite the boy. He took a couple of peanuts from a bowl sitting on his desk, and indicated that Chase could have some too if he wanted, but pushing the bowl towards the juvenile shapeshifter. On the desk were also a few bottles of water, and a bowl of different hard candies. Tasean knew that in order to get the complete truth out of Chase, he needed to make the boy feel as relaxed as possible. After all the Chase's file indicated he had been through, Tasean was sure the boy would be guarded, and any social worker worth his salt knew he had to break down the wall. Some preferred to break down the wall with force, but Tasean found that slow and steady won the race. He might not get the wall completely down in one interview, but if Chases left the agency today feeling even a little comfortable around Tasean, then the mission would be a success.

"So young man, how are you feeling?" Tasean asked, leaning back in his chair and throwing some peanuts in the air and trying to catch them in his mouth. Leisure was the way to go with kids.

Chase shuffled past Tasean, into the social worker's office. He could feel it in his skin, a gradual tensing, as he left his mama's aura. Chase was capable of shifting, and inclined to do so, but he didn't want to make a spectacle of himself.

Chase stepped aside as Tasean closed the door, and didn't take a seat until the social worker gestured to a chair for him to take a seat in. Chase sat down slowly, looking around the office, before watching Tasean sit down.

Peanuts were offered to the nine-year-old, and he took a modest handful of them. He didn't eat the peanuts all at once, though, but rather picked then out one at a time. It gave Chase an excuse to keep his attention on hands rather than Tasean.

>> "So young man, how are you feeling?"

Chase lifted his attention to Tasean, watching as the man tossed peanuts into the air and tried to catch them in his mouth. Funny, how a guy could be catching snacks in his mouth and addressing akid as "young man" all at once.

"'m okay," Chase answered, nibbling on a few of the salted peanuts, "Little nervous."

He didn't like not wearing a human guise, but Miss Valerie had always insisted upon talking to the "real Chase". So, as uncomfortable as it was, Chase sat there in all of his natural glory.

"How're you, Mr. Tasean?" Chase asked back. In a sense, he was just being polite, but it was also a test. Would Tasean converse with him, or was just interrogate the little shapeshifter and call it good?

Tasean sat up, and dusted the peanuts that had landed on his chest unto the floor. He'd pick them up later. The social worker mutant grinned at the young shapeshifter, glad that Chase was at least willing to make conversation.

"I'm alright. Not liking all this cold weather of course. I'm a Southern boy, born and raised. All this Antarctic weather up here in the Big Apple is freezing my blood." Tasean said, giving a visible shiver.

It got cold in North Carolina, but nothing compared to the winters here in New York. Tasean didn't think that he would ever get used to the, what he called, ungodly cold.

"What about you Chase? You like to cold?" he asked.

>> "I'm alright. Not liking all this cold weather of course. I'm a Southern boy, born and raised. All this Antarctic weather up here in the Big Apple is freezing my blood... What about you Chase? You like to cold?"

Chase shrugged with one shoulder.

"I'm from here," Chase replied simply, "Well... from Syracuse. I'm used to the cold." He didn't like the cold, but had grown accustomed to it. Now that Chase thought about it, was there anyone who liked being cold? He couldn't think of anyone. He nibbled on the peanuts more, letting his gaze rove around the room. Chase didn't have any questions to reflect back to the social worker, so for a moment, the conversation dropped-off awkwardly.

"Syracuse hm? Nice. How about your new home? Liking it there" Tasean asked nonchalantly. He wanted this conversation to feel like just that, a nice little chat between friends, and not some kind of formal interview. "Everything going ok with the family?"

Though the young social worker didn't have the years of experience that other people did, he was very much in tune with how other people felt. That was one of the traits that made he want to be a social worker. Not only did he feel how other people felt, he also wanted to help them and fix their problems. Like a typical Capricorn, he didn't believe anything could be done right unless he had a hand in it. Sometimes Tasean wished that his mutation gave him the ability to see other peoples emotions, rather than the physical worl.

>> "Syracuse hm? Nice. How about your new home? Liking it there? Everything going ok with the family?"

Chase nodded and fussed with the sleeves of his sweater, letting his gaze flicker up to Tasean before looking back to his sleeve.

"Yeah," he mumbled, "I mostly live at Xavier's, which is cool, 'cuz there are lots of mutants. Mama T's a good replacement-mama. Really nice."

Chase continued to fidget, though not as nervously. Sure, there were still anxious colors churning against the blacks of his natural eyes, but he seemed to be considering relaxing, if only slightly.

"Are you a mutant?" Chase inquired openly, on the subject of Xavier's. And this was "Mutant Social Services", so did that make Tasean a mutant, or just a nice human who wasn't afraid of Chase's real face? It was all pieces to the puzzle and Chase was curious... he was obviously a mutant, or else he wouldn't be there, and he wore his mutation on skin.

Tasean nodded, happy to hear Chase talk about Xavier's and Mama T in such a way. If everything went smoothly, as it seemed to be going, that would be Chase's permanent home and family, and it made the young social worker happy to know Chase was at least content with the choice.

He looked at the young shape shifter, grinning at the last question. "Why yes I am, nothing so totally awesome as changing shape but..." Tasean looked around, almost always at a loss for words to explain his mutation. Finally he got up and went to stand at the large window on the northern wall of this office. He motioned for Chase to join him by the big glass opening.

"Tell me what you see out there" Tasean told his young client.

>> "Why yes I am, nothing so totally awesome as changing shape but..." .

Chase allowed himself a faint smile. Like anyone, he liked receiving compliments, particularly compliments on his mutation. Curious eyes followed the social worker as he stood and went towards a window. Tasean gestured for Chase to follow him over, and Chase did—he unfolded himself from the chair carefully, and went to the window, running a hand through his black and white hair.

>> "Tell me what you see out there."

Chase looked out the window, arching his eyebrows. Was this some weird psychological thing, like what Miss Valerie had done after all his past events came to fruition? Where she’d have Chase look at the ink blots and tell her what he saw. Chase looked upon the courtyard below, and after a brief pause, Chase replied, “A courtyard?”

Tasean arched his eyebrow mischievously as he began to use his mutant ability. A cascade of colors dance across his eyes as his brain waves quickly synced up with the surrounding light waves, and sent his consciousness out. There wasn't really any physically sensation to riding light waves, but the young social worker always imagined himself as some type of unseen ethereal spirit floating through the air.

Tasean sent his mind down to the courtyard, taking in the seen his ability gave him. Large or small, if it the light bounced off it, Tasean could see it clear as day. Between the light waves and his own brain waves the mental image he got was up close and personal, every minute detail was in his mind. Once Tasean had some detail that he was sure young Chase would not have been able to discern from this height, he called his consciousness back into his body. There was a quick moment of disorientation, as his mind settled back into it's rightful place, but then he just smiled and pointed down to a bush on the far side of the courtyard.

"Down in that bush there is a whole nest of caterpillars hatching. By tomorrow, they'll have eaten half the plant unless I tell the lawn care guys" Tasean informed his young acquaintance, also making a mental not to warn the guys who kept the courtyard plants looking green and healthy.

Chase stared at the courtyard, expecting the plants to begin moving on their own accord, or for people to start acting strangely. Something dramatic. Something cool. When nothing dramatic happened, Chase looked up at Tasean. His eyes were glimmering with numerous colors, as if there was a rainbow glimmering within his eyes. Tasean remained like that for a few moments, wih Chase shifting his attention between the social worker and the courtyard, when Tasean finally spoke.

>> "Down in that bush there is a whole nest of caterpillars hatching. By tomorrow, they'll have eaten half the plant unless I tell the lawn care guys"

Chase leaned closer to the window, squinting his eyes at the bush.

“Nuh-uh!” Chase retorted—not so much in the sense of saying “no”, but more of an interjection, in the fashion that most would say, “no way”.

Squint as he might, Chase couldn’t see the caterpillar nest. He’d have to look when he and Gemma left.

“How do you know?” Chase inquired, a hesitant smile touching his lips.

Tasean smiled down at the young mutant. "Well it's kinda hard to explain, so forgive me if I confuse you," he said as he turn and took a few steps back to his seat "but it's like this. I can somehow sync up my mind with the surrounding light to expand my mind. So it's like I'm seeing everything as if I'm right there, though my body hasn't moved." Tasean said, simplifying the explanation of his ability as best he could. Truth be told, the social working mutant didn't know how to explain it properly on any level. He just did what he did, and that's all he knew about it.

"How about you? Every impersonate a police officer, or a teacher?" Tasean said with a wicked gleam in his eye. Oh the things he would do, for fun, if he was able to change his shape. "Or maybe a celebrity?" Of course he was joking, trying to lighten the mood further, and help young Chase not take this, and any future meetings tooseriously.

>> "Well it's kinda hard to explain, so forgive me if I confuse you, but it's like this. I can somehow sync up my mind with the surrounding light to expand my mind. So it's like I'm seeing everything as if I'm right there, though my body hasn't moved."

Chase blinked and inclined his head. It was a difficult concept for a kid to grasp, but he was doing his best to do so. He combed back his two-tone hair again, contemplatively, and attempted to clarify, “So it’s like… a light-telescope?”

>> "How about you? Every impersonate a police officer, or a teacher? Or maybe a celebrity?"

At the social worker’s own impish grin, Chase gave his own, though more subdued, mischievous smile. Tasean had guessed correctly. With this, he was rewarded with a display of Chase’s capacity.

“Teachers,” he answered simply, though not in his own voice. He spoke in Tasean’s voice, instead. It was easy to copy voices when Chase was undisguised. He laughed in his own voice, though, and quickly went on to say, “They never like it, though. But my friends think it’s really funny.”