nextgenerationmarvel | Seeking Good Home

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Seeking Good Home

So, it had been made official. Jeremiah was going back to Avalon. He'd offered up and down for Josephine to come with her, including multiple assurances that his Mother and Father would be happy to have her live with them, but she'd politely declined. Avalon was his home, and his life, not hers. If this dimension was her home, for another day or for the rest of her life, she was going to have to really make it hers.

Of course, that left the concern of where to actually live. The city was expensive, and even though the very nice allowance from Not-Mama was probably still something she could count on, living alone didn't appeal to her, and she didn't have any friends close enough for her to imagine sharing a place with them.

So, she did what any homeless mutant in the know would do.

She called Xavier's.

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The phone call was eventually routed to Rachel's desk. She was in the middle of checking over the week's paperwork for the massive remodels still happening all over the grounds. The phone floated out of the cradle and to her ear.

"Headmaster Ramsey."

"Good afternoon ma'am. How are you today? This is Josephine Blaire-Bennet. I've visited a few times before, and... I wanted to know if there was room for another student at your school." She bites her lip as she lets that drop right up front.

Rachel blinked. That was a bit of information all at once. She stopped focusing on the plans and paperwork in front of her.

"Well, I'm fine. Thanks for asking. There's always room for more students here. What kinda of education are you looking for?"

All at once is Josephine's usual mode of speaking.

"Umm... I'm kind of first looking for a place to live. My brother, well, half-brother, well, dimensional half-brother-- have Aiden and Hana ever explained? It's a whole alternate dimension refugee thing. But Jeremiah had to go home. Avalon, that is. That's where his family, his real family, lives.

So I don't have a roommate anymore."

She pauses.

"I'd also like to learn stuff. Mama told me stories about what high school was like."

"I'm from an alternate future. I understand how alternate dimensional refugees work." She tried to recall what she knew about the Blaires' half-sister. Rachel wasn't coming up with much quickly.

"We don't offer boarding to non-students here. You enroll as a student, you get a place to live." Technically, the X-Men got a place to live on campus, but Rachel figured that wasn't as likely to happen for the girl as enrollment was.

"I'd like to be a student. I'd also like to help people. I've been trying to do that since I got here, to be honest. Sometimes that means punching out dirtbags, sometimes it means helping at the soup kitchen or other shelters. Even if I'm living at Xavier's, is it still okay if I come back into the city to do stuff like that?"

"Helping people is not a problem. We have community outreach programs students can volunteer for. However, assaulting people in the city, even if they're dirtbags is frowned upon. We are a known school for mutants. We are under a massive microscope with people looking for ways for us to fail." She took a breath. As much as the redhead wanted to help, she needed the girl on the other end of the line to understand.

"If you wish to continue vigilante activities, you will find your stay here more abrupt than you'd probably like."

Ack!

"Oh no, that's not what I meant at all!I mean, yes to the outreach stuff, yay outreach. Good things. The dirtbags part was, um, well, you know how sometimes you're not looking for trouble, but you find it anyway? Or find other people in trouble? That's what I meant.

I don't even have a costume."

"Self-defense is not a problem as long as it stays within those bounds. We have courses on that topic in our curriculum." Rachel shifted a bit her chair like a small burr had been removed from the small of her back.

"As long as you are here for education and stick to the code of conduct, I don't see a problem with you joining us here at Xavier's. If I may ask, how old are you? Just to help me with class placement."

Ah, that...

"Umm... those are kind of different questions for me. I'm seventeen, but I've never gone to school. Mama and Papa taught me to read and write, in French and English, and some basic sciences, and I've tried to learn stuff since I got here, but... I'm probably kind of stupid." She fidgets at her end of the phone-call, feeling rather small now.

"You are from a dystopian reality. Lack of education does not make one stupid. We can put you on an academic course to catch you up to your peers. We do have experience with situations like yours," Rachel assured. Technically, she could have telepathically dumped all the information in anyone's head to catch them up. She didn't because shoving that much information into someone's head came with detrimental effects.

"I will let the staff know you are coming here. We'll give you room and board as you go to school here. Did your brother help you obtain proper paperwork for living in the United States?"

Josephine felt a huge weight fall off her shoulders. "Thank you... thank you very much, Headmistress. Not to be greedy, but is there someone that could help me with loading a truck, or maybe come by my place and let me know if there's anything I should be looking to get rid of first? Like my old bed and couch, I mean, that sort of thing.

Uh... proper-ish. Jeremiah gave me paperwork that said I was an orphan from Avalon that was adopted by his parents."

Rachel was quiet a moment as she considered her options. "I'll see which staff member is going into the city next and if they have time to help out. You will be provided with dorm room furniture here. So you can figure out some of the things you won't need to move."

She glanced down and noticed a spot of lint. Her eyes narrowed just slightly, and then the lint floated off her sleeve and into the trash can.

"Once you're here, we'll go over what paperwork you do have and make sure it is sound enough. If not, we have legal counsel to help with that."

"Thank you very much, ma'am. That's a big help."

She purses her lips, thinking over Rachel's words. "Would you like me to come over ahead of time to get stuff in order? I think I've got all the paperwork Jeremiah was leaving me. I don't really know much about legalities. Mama used to say that lawyers were the first up against the wall, when Apocalypse took over."

"You're welcome, Miss Blaire-Bennet." It was slightly more than they would do for the average student, but they were in a slow time until school started in a month. Construction outside not included.

She glanced at the paperwork on her desk. "That may make the transition to live here smoother. Whenever you would like to do it can be accommodated."

"Awesome! If today's alright, I can be up there in a couple hours, after I get the train and then a cab to the school."

What is she going to wear?! She has to look nice and respectable, and not like someone who goes out looking for trouble. So... are heels okay? Boots?

"Today would be acceptable. I'll notify the staff you're coming. So if I'm not available, someone will be around to assist you." Rachel sent off a few telepathic messages out to various staff members.

"Great! I'll see you soon... ish. I'll call back once I get to Westchester. Bye-bye!" She hangs up and runs to change.

She'd given them a heads-up when she got the cab at the train station, and now she looked over the campus. She'd been there before, but she'd never even been considering living there at the time. Now... it was going to be home?

She hit the buzzer.

Dolemeck opened the front door of the mansion, after hearing the doorbell ring. He blinked a few times, before opening the door all the way.

"Oh! Hello! You must be the new student, aye? It is a pleasure to meet you!" He gave a nervous smile. His English accent was still intact, though starting to get a little Americanized from hanging around the students at the mansion. "Do you need help with your bags?"

"Oh, I'm not moving in today. I'm just here to meet the Headmistress and start on some paperwork." Josephine extended a hand. "I'm Josephine."

He smiled, taking Josephine's hand in his own and giving it a friendly shake. "Dolemeck Night. I am one of the new students, me-self. Well... not too new. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Josephine!"

He chuckled nervously before moving aside so Josephine could walk in. His leg braces creaked a bit as he moved.

"Come along, I will show you to the main office, where Headmistress Ramsey is!"

"Thank you, Dolemeck." She follows along, watching his movements.

"Are you one of the X-Men?" She assumes he's recovering from some battle wound, looking at his legs.

"Not yet. Maybe one day I will be." he continued to smile. "I am one of the students, here."

It then hit him she may be looking at his leg braces.

"Oh! These are not from any battle. I was hit by a car three years ago. I suffered severe spinal damage from it. Without these braces, I cannot walk at all." He continued to sound cheerful as he walked with Josephine. "We're almost to Headmistress Ramsey's office."

"Oh... oh that's awful. I'm so sorry." She looks at him sympathetically.

She brushes herself off, making sure there's nothing on her from the train or cab ride. This woman is offering her a place to stay. First (not really first, but the first real one) impressions matter, after all.

"It is alright. It is an event in my life that happened, and it does not define me." That therapy he was taking for himself was really starting to help! Dolemeck stopped a moment to watch as Josephine was dusting herself off.

"Are you okay?" he raised an eyebrow before giving another soft chuckle. "No one here has cooties, I swear!"

"I just wanna make sure I look presentable... I want Ms Ramsey to like me."

"You worry too much!" He grinned. "May I?"

If allowed, Dolemeck moves a stray strand of Josephine's hair behind her ear.

"There you go! And you do not need to worry so much. The only way you can get on headmistress Ramsey's bad-side, is if you break one of the rules or if someone hurts one of us. She will not tolerate that in the least!"

"Yeah, but... isn't she insanely powerful? Kinda spooky." Josephine mutters, allowing Dolemeck to fix her hair.

Although Papa was probably stronger.

"Many of us here are "insanely powerful"." He grinned. "We're taught that we all have amazing gifts, and what we chose to do with them defines who we will become as we grow. As for spooky, I never thought of her in such a way."

He continued to lead Josephine towards Rachel's office. They were almost there. Suddenly two younger students rushed down the hall, nearly knocking over a vase and the table it was on. Dolemeck was quick to act. He reached his hand out and the vase and table began to float in mid-air. It then moved back into place.

"Again, you do not need to worry so much. We are all friendly here!"

"We wouldn't be much of an institute if we weren't a warm, welcoming place, it's true," said the green-haired woman standing in front of Rachel's office.

Three metal spheres hovered in the air around her, gently juggling, though once she had finished speaking, they unraveled themselves from their current state and went back to being the jewelry that the woman wore to complement her emerald green sheath dress. It was evident, just from that little display, that the woman was always ready for trouble, were it to strike at a moment's notice.

"After all, most of our students need a safe haven to protect them from where they have come from." There were, of course, always exceptions to the rule. Kitty Pryde had been one then, Brooke Wyngarde was one now.

"I'm Lorna Summers," she said, extending a hand to Josephine. "I apologize. Rachel had some business to attend to. Welcome to the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning, Ms. Blaire-Bennet. We hope you survive the experience."

Edited 2014-10-21 19:16 (UTC)

Josie's eyes widen at the sight of the woman, and she has to take a moment to remind her that this is not home, and this version of Mister Lensherr's daughter is probably not crazy and probably perfectly nice.

"Uh... yeah. Thank you, ma'am. I hope I can help people with what I learn here."

Lorna chuckled. She misread the wide eyes as a reaction to that last statement of hers. "Don't worry, our death toll has dropped drastically in recent years," she smiled. "Why don't you follow me to my office and we'll go over your admission paperwork and any other questions that you may have." She turned to the left and started walking towards her office. "I may not be headmistress, but we are family," she added. Lorna had also been aligned with the Institute for a very, very long time.

Lorna's office was only a couple of doors down from Rachel's. The metallic door knob turned with a little psionic nudging from Lorna and swung open. Lorna stepped aside and nodded at Josephine to enter. "Mr. Night, thank you for bringing Ms. Blaire-Bennet into the institute," she smiled. "I appreciate that."

"You are most welcome, Mrs. Summers. It was no trouble at all!" Dolemeck smiled, giving Josephine a small wave before turning about and heading off. "I will see you later, Josephine! Welcome to the Institute!"

Josephine follows Lorna into her office, taking a seat once the older woman does. "I guess my biggest question is what's expected of me. I mean, how much split is there between actual school stuff and that whole... uh... what was the phrase... protecting the world that hates and fears you?"

A metal jug of ice water and a metal cup - something more classy than you'd see in a prison cell - wafted over from the side table. A cold cup of fresh lemon-cucumber water poured itself for Josephine. This was joined by a plate of lemon curd and raspberry thumbprint cookies. "Please," she said. "Make yourself comfortable, Relax."

One of the drawers in Lorna's office pulled open and a metal file floated out, gently hovering before coming down in front of Josephine and opening up to reveal all of the paperwork that Rachel had prepared for the young mutant.

"It's not really like the old days," Lorna replied. "Back when it was just Cyclops, Marvel Girl, and the others. Back then, there was only one generation of mutants, and they had to do most of the heavy lifting. Others like me, my husband, Storm, Wolverine - we came later, in spurts." Lorna smiled. "But you're probably at least somewhat familiar with our history, right?" She knew enough about Josephine's brother. )He had, after all, broken her son's heart.) Through this, she also had learned a little something about Josephine.

"We have different tracks here now. You can be on the X-Men track - prepping yourself to be one of those who protects the world that hates and fears you - or you can simply be a student, learning how to control your powers and then going off to college and choosing a separate career of your own. Sometimes, like Iceman and Kitty Pryde, X-Men come and go. Others, like Wolverine (shockingly enough), tend to be lifers."

She nodded at Josephine as a metal pen floated across the desk and landed on top of the paperwork. "You have options, is what I'm attempting to say."

Josephine nodded her head, before hastily fishing out the papers she had brought. Passports, records of adoption, etc. All masterfully constructed, and avoiding the tiny fact that she wasn't native to this dimension. Or was it timestream? They originated at the same point, after all, she was given to understand.... but that's not the point right now.

She listens attentively to Miss Summers.

"I... I don't have a lot of book learning, like I already told Miss Ramsey. I'm probably going to need a lot of help there. I know some stuff though. I can handle first aid up to broken limbs, I know how to identify poisonous plants in most of North America and parts of Europe, I know how to set traps for small game and field dress them and larger ones. You know... practical stuff." She shrugs one shoulder uneasily, as she starts looking over the paperwork.

"I just want to be making a difference, if this world is where I live now."

Lorna accepted the documents that Josephine handed her and walked over to the copier/printer/scanner and scanned them, listening carefully as the girl spoke.

"Rachel explained as much to me," she said once Josephine was finished. "Don't worry. Between the staff and some of our more advanced students, you'll find all the help you need in those areas," she said, sitting back down. She handed Josephine's documents back to her. "Just don't let any of our telepaths upload your class information to your head," she warned. "Students have tried that in the past, and it doesn't always end well."

She nodded her head. "Your knowledge will also come in handy. There are things there that not all of our students know, and in case of any emergencies - sometimes field trips have a tendency of becoming prolonged adventures - you'll be a great asset, I'm sure." She smiled warmly at Josephine. "Whether you become a lawyer, a singer, a teacher, a doctor, or a mutant superhero, Ms. Blaire-Bennet, you will make a difference. It all only depends on how you choose to make that difference."

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Seeking Good Home

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