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Jorge just sighed and nodded his head sullen. Yes. Yes they had entirely done that to him. Jorge was in his 40s when he first joined the X-Men, was a seasoned detective, had a firm hold of his abilities, and he was still slapped with the label of “Trainee”. It didn’t last too long, thankfully, as Jorge had gone on a number of missions with the team. But still it came up often enough as a joke among the group that even Jorge had become numb to it. Well, not entirely. But somewhat.

Ahem.

To Ashton he smirked. Jorge had a feeling he would make a good X. He may not be as young as most of the trainees, but he was far from the oldest now. The time would go by fast, especially if he were put onto a team with Sam. The more dangerous the mission the quicker you move up the ranks, in his experience.

When it came to the costume though, Jorge had to snort. ”Depends on what fits you and your abilities best. There is some uniform between them but they are always fit to what you need.” Jorge clicked his tongue. ”You’re coming at a good time, though. X’s got a special tailor that does the fittings now. I hear he’s the best. Wish I had that…” Jorge bemoaned. ”Tight leather and water abilities don’t exactly mix very well.”

Jorge was glad to see that costume burn.

But, shaking those thoughts off, he turned back to Ashton and nodded to the mansion. ”If you like we can head into the war room. See if there’s anything mission wise that could interest you. Sam is probably there already. He’s always looking for trouble.”

Jorge had to concede that point. He remembered when he first deaged how many times people tried to get him to remember who he was and the people that he had known. He was scared, frustrated, and after so many times of trying, it was just easier to start over again, no? Why not just start with a clean slate instead of all the pressure to remember faces you have no recollection of? For that, he did have to agree with Ashton and nodded his head both in respect and agreement.

It was time to start fresh. Especially if it seemed that Ashton's particular case world not end the same way his own did.

But back to the matter at hand. Why was Ashton out here? If he had nothing to do with the MRC anymore and he was back to a youthful age, why bother around the mansion? His question would be answered when Ashton revealed it was just mistaken identity. He came out here looking for an X. Jorge happened to be the wrong X.

Jorge nodded and smirked. ”Ah, looking for Sam I see.” He snorted. ”Easy to get us confused. Only two old men left on the scene.” It was a joke. Sam was no where near Jorge's age. He just happened to act like it sometimes.

In his periphery he saw movement. Two things hand changed places, chairs. Jorge was aware of Ashton's abilities but the last he had seen, they were as Ashton described, himself and another object. Now it seems his powers have evolved and, with Sam's help, Ashton was able to get a handle on them again. Jorge was impressed. Took him years to handle his own abilities and for Ashton to have managed them after so much trauma was a testament to his fortitude.

”Kudos to you,” he agreed. ”Very true there a lot of different ways to help without being a cop. X-Men isn't a bad path to take.” Jorge thought for a moment before he continued. ”You know if you need any help I'll happily offer. I'm a part-time member myself. If you're serious, that us, in joining. Though if youd rsther wait for Sam I one hundred percent understand.”

Jorge was astounded as he looked upon a man who assisted a shadow of himself. Though he didn't work with Ashton much, he had his own partner, he still respected anyone who or on the badge and did their job right. Ashton was one of the few who did and had earned the older detective's respect more than enough times. But to that he had succumbed to the devilish effects of the Well-Drinkers for a seemingly permanent amount of time…the much older detective felt sadness creep is way up in the back of his mind. But why was he really upset? Was it because it happened to a good man? Or because it almost happened to him?

He blinked as Ashton confirmed his identity. It seemed he had fully accepted his fate and alluded as much when he confirmed that he was just an electrician now. Jorge nodded understandably, the sound of swishing water in the pool blending in the with the sounds of the world around him. By the time he water settled, he took a deep breath and realized he was asked a question.

”Sorry. Yes…you wouldn't remember. Detective Jorge Cervantes…” he confirmed as he gestured to himself, mirroring Ashton's own. ”We, ugh, used to be colleagues. Somewhat. Worked in the same department.” Jorge nodded as he finally stood up. Awkwardly he played his pockets before continuing gesturing between the two of them. ”I…kinda understand what you're going through. Went through months as a 20 something again. Though…clearly didn't affect me as much as you. Was dicey for a moment there. But, seems like youre acclimating well?”

The summer was warm this year. The sun high above seemed to have gotten brighter over the years. Many would say they could remember being able to look directly at that glowing fireball in the sky for a least a couple seconds in the summer before having to look away. Now it seems as if someone had cranked up the brightness meter on the sun itself and simply glancing at it was enough to burn your eyes out of sockets. Some place the depletion of the ozone layer, some say people are remembering it wrong, others that they are just getting too old. In any case, it was a fairly warm summer day so none could be faulted for wanting to spend some quality time at the pool.

Xavier’s was no exception.

Except the pool was in no way busy today. For a place like Xavier’s, full of young mutants with a variety of powers and varying degrees of emotional well-being, it was a strange sight. Who wouldn’t want to be at the pool during a hot day. Well, the answer to that was simply that it was currently being reserved for a single person.

Jorge Cervantes, N.Y.P.D.detective and mostly retired member of the X-Men, needed the pool today. Not to sooth the beginning stages of arthritis he felt in his left hip, or for a private rendezvous with his wife, the school counselor, Gemma. No, it was a once in a blue moon occurrence where Jorge needed a private, calm place simply for him to study, to focus, and to channel his abilities.

A tall man with thin build, Jorge sat cross legged under the beating sun. His caramel hued skin toasting more so than usual under the rays, the grayish tanktop and unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt he wore over it did little to protect his skin from crisping. Khaki shorts adorned his lower half, protecting his posterior from the heating of the concrete ground beneath him. All the while, the detective kept his eyes closed behind a pair of dark sunglasses. He looked more like a businessman doing yoga on vacation than a mutant, but moments later that would change.

Sitting at the edge of the pool, Jorge was unmoving. There was barely a breeze and yet the surface of the pool itself was rippling with abandon. Turning and sloshing, the waters began to move with more wild freedom until they formed a little maelstrom of movement and began to lift out of the cement shell of the pool. Soon there was a massive bulge of water in the air, spinning and forming itself into a sphere. A few water droplets managed to escape, falling back down into the now empty pool but the rest seemed to be collected until Jorge’s grasp.

It had been decades since Jorge first discovered he was a mutant. Years that he had to hone his abilities. And it was practice like this that ensured that his skill remained sharp.

The floating ball of pool water soon began to change. The detective lifted his hands, fingers arched with the tips pointed towards a corresponding finger on the other hand. As he flexed his digits, moving them as if he were manipulating clay, the ball of water reacted and moved exactly as he gestured. First the ball smoothed out into a perfect sphere, then flattened out its sides into a cube, then an octahedron, and finally a dodecahedron before smoothing all out into a perfect sphere again.

And all the while, Jorge seemed unfazed by it. Unmoving as he manipulated the shape of all this water and keeping his concentration with barely another thought.

The detective, even in this watery state could feel the sheer powering coming off this mystic. It was no wonder he was saved for last. But the detective wasn't shaken. Jorge had faced worst, mutants and criminals of all kinds. And that's all this man was...another criminal.

The towering water elemental showed no fear at the forming of the plasma ball. Jorge was well aware of his weakness to it so he had to come up with a plan. Said plan wouldn't be fast enough...that is until he felt something different flowing through his body.

Being made of water was...confusing at first. It was a different way to sense the world, surely. Flowing and undulating, you begin to understand every part that flows throughout. Jorge remembered that from his time spread out across the ocean. Sometimes he could feel every grain of sand kicked up by the churning waves.

Sand. That one mystic, Serec, she had placed her hands into one of the pools of water surrounding him, flowing into him, and her magic was converting something. Changing the oncoming effect of the plasma. He was going to get hit, but what mattered was what was hit.

The first spike of plasma hit. A few seconds later there was a heavy thunk and shatter on the ground. A second and third hit and more follow. The offending Mystic, this Cataclysm, would see down and see...arching shards of broken glass?

Jorge smirked and shrugged. "Never heard of fulgurite?"

The plasma hit but instead of electrolysis through water it instead struck sand which Jorge had pumped, thanks to Serena, throughout his body and pushed to the front. Little arching spears of glass fell from the elemental's body, fulgurite, as he thinks of a way to get around this mystic.

Inspired by a former visit to Las Vegas while vacationing with Gemma, pillars of water began to shoot up from the ground, towering high in a circle around the Mystic. Suddenly Jorge, in human form, jumped from his elemental body and setting foot on one pillar, then leaping to the next, and the next, working his way around to the Cataclysm's flank as he summoned water from each pillar to form a massive fist of churning liquid. Only when he was in the mystics blindside did Jorge swing, sending the massive fist flying towards him...sand collected and amassed towards the front.

Grateful for the space on the stove, Jorge began to prepare the Migas. After tearing up some tortilla into stripes and cracking several eggs into a small bowl, he sprinkled some oil into a pan and threw in the tortilla and seasoned the stripped bits with salt. He let those crisp in the pan while he beat the eggs and nodded to same.

”Oh yeah, everyone’s doing good,” he said with a nod. ”Gemma and everyone set up at my old place for now but I’m sure Gemma is eager to move back in here to be near the students again.”

It was difficult for her. He knew that. Gemma was an active person who really threw herself into watching over these kids. They needed it and she had a big heart. So when the mansion was destroyed, the first thing after she began to work on getting those kids into places where they could feel safe. That was one of the things he loved about his wife, she had a passion and an energy the world needed more of.

He glanced over as more people began to arrive and gave them all a nod and a smile. ”Thank Shin. I was worried there wouldn’t be enough for everyone but seems everything is brining enough.”

As the new members began to arrive he greeted them with a smile and a hello, but for Carrick he had to arch an eyebrow. Those burritos looked awfully familiar to him. He eyed the griffon for a second before he smirked, gave him a slight nod, and then went back to cooking. A lot has changed.

Once the tortillas were crispy and seasoned enough, there was a hiss as the scrambled up eggs were poured into the pan and Jorge began to mixed the two together. The scent of frying eyes and salted tortillas filled the air as the eggs began to soak into and crust the torn up tortillas. It was a smell that instantly brought him back to his own home. In silence he continued to work, pulling out the ingredients to make his homemade salsa.

He blinked at the entrance that Shin made and had to smirk in relief as the airborne mystics were dealt with. He nodded his head to the golden armored man. "You do know how to make an entrance."

Hearing the crackle of that woman's comm in his ear, Jorge nodded as he felt the surge of water flow under his feet. Once the droplets began to hit him, he sighed in thanks. It was an amazing feeling and he chuckled.

Joined on the field with Becca, the detective smirked and nodded to her, suddenly lifting another sheet of water to douse a series of fiery birds flying at him.

He shrugged towards her. "Can't let you all have all the fun, can I?"

After his quip though, he hears the roar of engines followed by a clattering of noise. Gunfire and chanting is heard as Amelia comes on the line, warning them of a bigger attack. With a growl, Jorge starts running.

It doesn't take him long to find the spot where Ami is being overwhelmed. Charging forward, Jorge begins pulling a swirling mass of water behind him. While in front he puts up a moving shield of swirling water. It catches the bullets headed his way but nearly topples when it's surface is frozen by a spell. Jorge shatters that surface for more moving water and again another incantation freezes it. Over and over Jorfe repeats this until he has eyes on the one doing it. Then, just as he hears the incantation reach its end, Jorge suddenly drops the shield and swings his other arm as if pitching a baseball with his entire body. But this was no ball. It was a huge mass of water he had been accumulating behind him that suddenly was thrown forward. Instead of the shield turning to ice, the mass did and thanks to Jorge's momentum flew towards the ambushing party as he ran to Ami's side. Quickly he talked into his comm.

"This is Neptune. I got to Ami. Need extraction or someone to anti-magic the blindess! Now!"