Shockingly, Topher wasn't pulling Ilya's leg. While he knew how to have a good time, confusing the new kid had never been his way of doing it. Newly-minted mutants had way too much to deal with already.

"Trust me, dude, there's a lot you're going to have to get used to," Topher said. His tone was still warm, but there was an edge of seriousness to it. "But we're here to help you out with that. I know it's weird and stuff - I get it. My mutation scared the hell out of me when it first kicked in, and I grew up around mutant powers. But the important thing to realize is that you're not alone in any of this."

Topher noted his powers. "Rachel's got the telepathy and telekinesis down. A lot of people here do, actually. It's probably one of the more common powers." Which was good. It meant that there were many, many people who could teach Ilya. "The healing factor, we've got people with that too," he added. "Honestly, I think you have less to worry about here than you think." Then again, Topher generally was a glass half-full kind of guy.