Introduction to the School

[notsogroovy]

1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, Westchester County, NY. Also known as Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters.

It was the site of hope for dozens of students built upon the bones of a lonely childhood. Two times the school had been opened. The first attempt had been destroyed by the war and by the patriotism (or recruitment) of students and teachers who felt they were doing what was right. The second attempt would prove to be more successful, run by a headmaster who had regained his own hope.

The school, the home, was no longer a place of loneliness. Instead, there were children almost always on the move, fluttering down from the top floor, walking through walls, or just appearing with a loud Bamf. There were darker things at the school, of course. Nightmares that could boil the walls of a room if left unchecked and homesickness, sometimes for homes that had rejected them. But there were also adults who mentored these children. Pain and heartache may have still been in the house, but so too were companionship and support.

It was an air that the teachers deliberately tried to invoke since many of them hadn’t had it in their own childhoods. They’d had to hide or were hidden or were even persecuted just for being who they were. It was the teachers who had all decided that they would try to make the lives of the children easier than their own.

But that didn’t come without a cost. There were layers beneath the school, layers where some of the students were trained to protect themselves and others and to fight. The world might have seen mutants in a different light after Mystique’s rescue ten years ago, but they’d also seen what Magneto could do. Mutants might have finally been in the light, but they still weren’t always safe and that was where the X-Men came in. Hoping for a better future, but also preparing for a worse one.

And that was really what Xavier’s was: a refuge and a place to forge the next generation of mutants, ones who wouldn’t have to live in the darkness their forefathers had. And it was up to their teachers to make sure they were ready for that future.

Comments

Raven

[notsogroovy]

She’d agreed to stay on because she saw potential here. In Hank for one. She’d always thought that he would follow in Charles’ footsteps of blind optimism, but time had tempered him. He was stronger than he had been and harder. It was a good look on him and between the two of them, they’d created a team to fight for the rights of other mutants. Most of that team was still young, but she couldn’t properly call them children anymore.

Still, believing that Hank had matured didn’t mean her relationship with him was any easier. In fact, none of her relationships were easy. Hank, Charles, Erik’s son, the other students who looked up to her in a way she’d never wanted. And then there was Kurt.

A part of her was still metaphorically leaning forward on the balls of her feet preparing to run. She hadn’t had a proper home, hadn’t had this home in twenty years. So it was no wonder that there were often nights when she couldn’t sleep. And when she couldn’t sleep, she wandered into the kitchen. A midnight (or 2am) snack always seemed to help her restlessness.

Re: Raven

[protectsthosewithout]

Charles was upstairs pretending to be asleep when he felt her move. He had general feelers out all over the house, mostly for nightmares, but he could tell that Raven was restless. He wheeled himself down to the kitchen, pausing in the archway for a moment, before rolling in.

"Would you like some hot chocolate?" He asked quietly.

[notsogroovy]

"Isn't that supposed to be my line?" she asked with a small smile. They'd done a redesign of some of the house since then to accommodate the sheer amount of people they wanted to house here, so it wasn't really the same kitchen, not in the way it had been when they'd been children, but she still felt a sense of nostalgia about the question.

"You should be asleep, Charles. Don't let me keep you up."

[mindseye]

Charles smiled slightly. "I was just borrowing my Dear," He said, wheeling all the way into the kitchen. He looked around, a little sadly remembering the past, but knowing that the future was now fraught with hope and possibility.

"You aren't my dear, I'm afraid I'm doing that all on my own. Why are you awake?"

[notsogroovy]

She shrugged. "Still getting used to normal hours, I guess. It's been a while since I was on what anyone would consider a normal schedule." She wasn't used to sleeping in this house, either. It felt familiar and different all at the same time and she was still coming to terms with that. Still coming to terms with all of it.

"One of the kids had a nightmare?" she guessed. Though she supposed that he could have been the one with the nightmare after recent events.

[mindseye]

"Yes, I suppose it is like that for all of us isn't it. It's not like any of us have lived normal lives have we?" He asked, as he poured himself a cup of tea. "Would you like some or do you feel like you'll be able to sleep?"

He paused, considering his response for a moment. He needed to stop treating her like his little sister and start treating her like his peer. It was difficult because he missed the days of them reading in the library.

"I was watching over Jean. The amount of power she unleashed, well to save us, there will be repercussions."

[notsogroovy]

"Sure, I'll take some." She wasn't sure that she'd be able to sleep any more after this encounter. Things with Charles were tricky. There were still the echoes of all the various feelings she'd had for him over the years, both the good and the bad. It seemed like every encounter in the school that wasn't with the students was like traveling a minefield.

"And there are always repercussions with mutations. But I suppose you never looked at it like that. You knew your own and you never really thought about mine." Because he was susceptible to it, but saying that would likely only cause another fight and she was tired of those, especially between the people who were supposed to be her friends.

"I'm still surprised that she seems to be more powerful than you are. I always thought you were the strongest telepath out there." She wasn't going to include the apparently oldest mutant.

[shadowblends]

Raven's not the only restless one.

The blue boy has tried to be mostly discreet about his midnight visits to the kitchen and thankfully, it seemed like other people would sleep during this time of night. He'd been able to slink his way down from his room without disturbing anyone, absently clutching a blanket around his shoulders as he stood in front of the refrigerator door.

There were plenty of things to choose from, but nothing that really caught his attention; he knew he wasn't hungry, but it was something to distract his addled mind from wandering back to the nightmares that had frightened him awake. He leaned in to grab the jug of fruit juice, nudging the door shut with his foot while slithering his tail up to the nearby cabinet for a cup.

It was the sound of footsteps that caught his attention first, making his head lift and whip in the direction of the entrance to the kitchen. He inhaled sharply and waited ... only to be greeted by Raven coming into the room. "Oh," he commented offhandedly, glancing at the container still in his hand, the lid gripped in the other. "Hallo, miss Darkholme."

[notsogroovy]

Raven blinked when she heard the name. She hadn't gone by that name in too many years to contemplate and she wondered where he'd heard it. Charles, maybe, or Erik. Growing up, she'd simply been Raven or, if she had to, Raven Xavier. She had, after all, been Charles' sister. She supposed she couldn't blame him for checking into her. She had saved his life at the fights. She just hoped he didn't look too closely into her past.

"Just Raven, please. You'll make me feel as old as I am."

She lifted an eyebrow at him. She wasn't sure how she should feel when he relaxed when she came into the room. She certainly didn't feel like a teacher, at least not like Charles was, but she should at least be an authority figure to the students.

"Shouldn't you be back in bed?"

[shadowblends]

He couldn't remember exactly where he'd heard the name, but it stuck in the back of his mind and happened to slip out at the most random moment. Normally, Kurt would have referred to her as 'Mystique' to remain as professional as possible; he wasn't quite sure why that decided to happen right now.

"Raven, ja. I'm sure you aren't as old as you are making yourself out to be."

The lifted eyebrow earned a confused look, brilliantly colored eyes darting from right to left then focusing back on her. Had he done something wrong? Was he standing in her way? He shook his head, finished filling his glass then recapped the juice before returning it to the fridge and shuffling out of the way.

"Probably. I can't seem to sleep, though."

[notsogroovy]

A real smile curled onto her lips. "I remember when I used to hate looking like I was younger than I really was. Mostly because I was almost thirty and I still looked like I was sixteen." Not to mention that it always seemed to her that was how Charles always seemed to treat her. Not like she was a woman who was only a few years younger than he was, but that she was still that same fragile girl she'd been when they'd first met.

"But now? Well, I'm in my fifties if that gives any indication. I'm older than you think I'm making myself out to be."

She burrowed through the cupboards until she came up with a box. "Cocoa?" she suggested. "I can make us both a cup." She should be in bed herself, really.

[shadowblends]

"Many people would most likely enjoy being able to continue to look that young, but I can see how it would become irritating." Taking into account that he probably looks far younger than seventeen sometimes. His eyebrows lift in surprise when she mentions being in her fifties, the hand he'd lifted to bring the glass to his lips hesitating.

"I would never have guessed that. Not that I've thought about trying, of course."

He tossed back the juice and set the cup aside, licking away any excess liquid then glancing over at her from beneath his bangs. "With milk, right?" Because really, that's the only way to have it.

[notsogroovy]

"According to Hank, I have the most incredible cellular structure he's ever seen. Or did a long time ago. Probably that's changed." Or maybe not. She couldn't imagine that he'd be performing experiments on the students, although he might check them out for their own safety. Some mutations had side effects that weren't immediately obvious.

By the time he mentioned milk, she'd already grabbed a pot and the cocoa. She hesitated when he spoke and frowned at him. "Why wouldn't the cocoa have milk?"

It wasn't like they were poor and had to have water. In that case, they wouldn't have had the cocoa either.

[shadowblends]

"Being a shapeshifter, that seems like an entirely logical statement. You can become literally anyone you want. It's ... an extraordinary ability." Hank hadn't inquired about any experiments on him, but if he were to ask, Kurt probably wouldn't hesitate to let the doctor work. Discovering side effects that might hinder his powers would be better than to just let them sort themselves out.

He absently shrugged his shoulders, moved to set the empty glass on the counter near the sink and returned to the cupboards to get out a couple of mugs for the cocoa.

"Some people make it with water when they don't have milk or if they want the drink to be less rich in chocolate flavor. An odd substitute for something that's supposed to be sweet."

[notsogroovy]

"I can look like anyone I want," she corrected. "Underneath, I'm still me. And I'll always know that if they knew what I really was, they'd be afraid." Maybe she should sugarcoat it for him. Charles certainly would. But she wasn't Charles and she didn't like lying to people when she didn't have a good reason to. Protecting his delicate feelings wasn't a good enough reason.

She made a face. "I only had it with milk or not at all." Which she then grabbed from the fridge. She poured enough for two cups and started to heat it.

[shadowblends]

He's never asked for things to be sugarcoated for him, yet most people still deem is necessary to do so - something about sparing him pain. Many of them hadn't heard much about his past, but if they took a moment to examine all the scars on his face, it might be somewhat obvious that Kurt's used to that sort of thing.

The fact that Raven was straightforward with him was a surprise, though he averted his gaze to his feet, trying to seem nonchalant about the whole situation. "At least you can hide your true form."

Fidgeting with one of the cups, he circled the bottom of it along the counter, sparing a glance from his peripheral at Raven then looking right back at his feet, the length of his tail faintly twitching.

[frankensteinian]

He finds it no easier to sleep than he did when she knew him before, so finding him wandering around the house in the middle of the night is nothing new.

He doesn't plan on staying too much longer, either. He had never intended to come back permanently. He just doesn't know how to tell anyone that. He can feel Charles' disappointment already.

He's not surprised to see Raven in the kitchen either, truthfully. In fact the only surprising thing about this situation is him going for the coffee, because that's the best option when he has a hard time sleeping.

"Raven."

[notsogroovy]

Raven let out a breath when she heard Erik's voice behind her. She straightened her spine and turned to face him. Charles might have been holding out hope that he'd stay, but she wasn't. He left. At least, he left her. Except maybe the last time, she'd left him. Neither of them had really seen fit to find the other and another ten years had gone by. She'd kept a rough track of him and he... She wasn't sure whether he'd done the same for her. If he even could have. She'd made it deliberately hard for anybody to find her.

The question was whether she wanted him to stay. For Peter's sake? Yes. She did. For Charles' sake? It might be best that those two have it out and get past their issues. But she wasn't sure how to feel for her own sake.

She still loved him to save him from himself, but she wasn't sure she could trust him to want him for herself.

"Erik. Can't sleep?" Which was obvious, but what else could she say?

[frankensteinian]

"I don't sleep much most nights." She knew that once, but there's no point in bringing that up now. She hasn't forgotten, he knows that, and it really adds nothing to the conversation.

He used to be a lot better at knowing what she was thinking. He misses that. But there's twenty years in between there, twenty years that have changed things. She's not the same person he remembers just as he's not the same one she remembers.

"It's a late night for you too."

[notsogroovy]

Once, maybe, but it'd been years since she knew him and he'd had a family since. Surely he wouldn't have been up half the night with her around. With his... No, she wasn't thinking about that. Either way, it'd been a long time and they'd both changed.

"I'm not really used to all the people." Which wasn't quite true. She'd kept herself alone, not inaccessible. She hadn't wandered off to some mountain retreat; she stayed in hotels.

"I suppose it's just one of the only times I can be alone, without the eyes of all the students on me." That was true enough. She'd seen awe in faces before when they saw her, but never like this.

[frankensteinian]

Truthfully, he had slept better on those nights, but only barely. Instead of the nightmares that Shaw's death had failed to eliminate, he'd been kept awake by worrying for their safety. Especially about what would happen to Magda and Nina if he were to be found.

And then it had happened, and he had found out exactly what would happen if his identity were discovered.

He doesn't fault her for wanting to be alone, either. "That is an advantage. I appreciate what Charles is trying to do here, and I hope it works out for him this time, but I'll be the first to admit that there's a reason I'm down here now instead of earlier."

[notsogroovy]

"You're leaving," she said, no surprise in her voice. If any emotion colored her voice, it was probably resignation. She'd known this was coming. In fact, she was honestly a little surprised that he'd stayed as long as he had. It was funny how the two men in her life she'd been closest to were the two men that she'd stayed away from for the last twenty years. Part of that, granted, wasn't Erik's fault. But for that year she'd been with him, she'd come more into her own than she had since that first year with Charles.

But things were different, now. He was still grieving the loss of something that Raven doubted she would ever have. She wasn't built for children, a family. And it wasn't like Erik and Charles could ever come to terms with things between the two of them. To be fair, she wasn't sure that she and Charles could come to terms with the differences in how they believe the world worked, but she was willing to work with Charles. At least for now.

"And you didn't want to be caught."

[frankensteinian]

"Charles knows. I'm not just going to sneak out in the middle of the night." He'll at least take his leave in person. He owes them all that much, after everything that's happened. He wants Charles to know that things are okay between them, for the moment.

He wants Raven to know something too. "I don't intend for it to be permanent. It won't be another ten years before you see me again. I promise."

This is a promise he intends to keep. He'll let Charles have his school, and stay out of that, but mutants need to stick together, and he'll be there when they need him. Probably sooner than that, too, but there's more than just the school building that he needs to fix.

[notsogroovy]

"Charles knows," she repeated and of course he did. Somehow, she shouldn't have been surprised. No matter how close she and Erik had become, there was always that bond between him and Charles that seemed to have grown deep and fast. It seemed as if the two of them had become closer in the weeks they'd known each other than in the year Raven had gotten to know Erik. Or in the years she'd known Charles for that matter.

"If I'd been in bed asleep, would you have let me know you were leaving? Or would you have just left?" She told herself that she wasn't hurt. She hadn't been a part of Erik's life in a long time. He didn't owe her any sort of explanation.

It was a lie, of course, and one that would have been screaming to Charles, but Charles wasn't here. At least that was one awkwardness she didn't have to deal with.

[frankensteinian]

Sometimes Charles knows things because he hears them in his mind whether he's trying to or not, although he seems to have more control over that now. In this case, he knows because Erik told him. He figured he should tell Charles that much, especially when Charles had asked him about staying.

"I'm not leaving right this instant. Of course I would have told you before I left." She and Charles are the ones he'll miss most, after all. They're what he's got for family now. He's not going to ignore that.

"I just can't clear my head with other people around."