STAGE 1 ERIK "Magneto, huh? Awesome name, dude."

...had Charles really failed to teach his students that they were enemies? Erik was careful to keep his jaw tense, in case it threatened to fall to the floor. These new students of his didn't know him as their enemy? He guessed that was for the better at the moment; still, it was likely a meager attempt on Charles' part to make his students see him as one of them. He groaned and rolled his eyes; this would be hard to explain once everyone was cured and safe.

If everyone was cured and safe.

He listened politely as the group introduced themselves: Sparks, overenthusiastic and perhaps too trusting; his quiet and suspicious-looking sister, Bits; Jean, looking trapped and feral but wanting answers; and a newcomer, Anole, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, piquing the Metalbender's interest. Whatever that was, it was an astonishing mutation. Putting his thoughts of them aside, he returned them to Charles, and worry flitted into his features. A drop of blood was on his old friend's cheek; where had that come from? He felt something on his brow, and realized with a sinking feeling that the spurs on his forehead were growing further, ripping his skin and sending a trickle of blood down the sharp line of his cheek. He swore under his breath before speaking: "Lovely introductions and all, but if you don't want your Professor to suffer permanent brain damage, I need to get to the infirmary. Would you please lead me?" He aimed the last sentence at the friendliest of the lot, Sparks, thinking that if a loud mouth was good for anything, it was for guiding around new places.

"Yes, of course. Follow us," Sparks said, concerned about the Professor. He started walking, Bits still holding on to one of his hands. She squeezed it, glancing back at Magneto carrying the Professor. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Bits. When has the Professor ever gotten more than a cold, right?" She frowned. "Yeah, okay, we haven't been here a month yet, but still. Things will turn out all right. Sometimes you just have to believe things are going to turn out for the best." Bits shuddered slightly. Just trust in things to go right? A lot of good /that/ had done her -- No, she wasn't going to think about it. She locked the memory back up in its chest and let it plummet to the bottom of the ocean. That was in the past. It wouldn't happen again.

Jean followed behind everyone, watching with glinting green eyes. She muttered softly as she scratched at herself under the sheet. She sighed audibly when once again, things started moving around her and Sparks was hefted up into the air. "Sorry" Jean said berating herself for being unable to control it. It was getting easier to adjust as she saw the others and new that they were weird too. Especially the metal bender.

"Sorry, but I dont know how to make it stop" she said to Sparks as he floated along with everyone else, pulled by Jean's uncontrollable power. Now everyone would know That she could not only talk but move things with her mind. Great. Looking around it seemed most had only one ability. Not two. So she was a freak of freaks.

She shook her head and looked at the one who called himself Magneto. "You said i needed to calm my mind before. Do you know how to get this stuff to stop happening?" she asked hopefully before seeing the blood dripping from the man's face. She squeaked and quickly tore off part of the sheet, handing it to him to staunch the bleeding. "Here, take this" she said holding up a scrap of the sheet while hiding under the other part.

Sparks actually laughed as he was lifted into the air. "Cool ability, Jean!" Bits' reaction was far more negative. She paled, her grip on Sparks' hand turning white-knuckled. "Bits, relax. She's not hurting anything. Ease up on my hand, would you?" But she didn't. Someone who didn't know how to control her powers was /dangerous/. And such a powerful ability quite frankly terrified her. "Bits, ease up." There was a small trace of annoyance in Sparks' voice, but Bits picked up on it all too well. She abruptly let go of him, her free hand going to join the other in pulling the towel tighter around herself as she picked up the pace and all but ran off down the hallways to the infirmary. And to those observant enough, there was a slight unevenness to her gait. Sparks sighed. "She'll meet us there. Sorry about that, Jean. Bits can be...touchy." He understood why, of course, but it wasn't his place to say anything until Bits decided she wanted to share that particular piece of their past.

[/color][color=#003300] (( Status: Stage 1 ))

Victor walked slowly following behind Sparks, Bits, and Magneto. His eyes remained on the Magneto the entire time, trying to figure out why this man was even here in the first place. Had the professor invited him? Or was he here for some other ulterior motive? With the professor unconscious, Vic was going to treat this man with caution. "What's wrong with the professor?" he eyes filled with worry. Things didn't look good. It was like the Professor Xavier was decaying. He wondered if now was a good time to mention the strange cracklines on his skin, hidden underneath his clothes. It was too bad the professor never recruited anyone with a healing ability.

He listened as Sparks assured his sister that things will be fine. Sparks, ever so optimistic. Vic didn't have as hopeful an outlook, but he didn't have a positive outlook about society in general. It didn't come easy when you lived in a time where you're treated as an outcast for being different. And Vic was different in more ways then one. Ways only the professor would know if he ever ventured deep into Vic's mind.

His eyes finally strayed away from Magneto when suddenly, Sparks started floating in mid-air. He stopped walking and looked to the female telepath when she apologized. "How are you doing that?," he started to say but stopped abruptly before figuring out her ability. "You're telekinetic," he realized and then looked up to Sparks and then to Bits who ran off to the infirmary, upset. He would have ran after Bits, but he was set on keeping watch on Magneto since he was the second eldest of the current group and he felt it was his responsibility to keep the others safe. Bits was the oldest, but had a very timid nature. The other older members like Alex and Hank weren't around, probably out somewhere doing a mission.

STAGE 2 CHARLES, STAGE 1 ERIK "T-telekinesis."

Charles groaned and shifted a bit in the arms under his back and knees, much to the surprise of the person carrying him. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Erik couldn't help joking as Charles made a displeased sound in the back of his throat and weakly swatted his shoulder. Erik was carrying him? How long had he been out? He called for his raven, looking worriedly at the cracks in the walls of his study; the bird came to him nervously, huddling close to his cheek and gazing warily about. There was no doubt that he was infected, and Charles' heart sank as he accepted it.

"S-shove it up your arse," he quipped back to Erik, turning to gaze blearily about; where was he? Why were his students here? Ah, they must be headed to the infirmary -- he recognized the sterile scent steadily growing stronger as they advanced. Erik's arms tensed around him, hitched him closer to the Metalbender's broad chest, and Charles' heart both warmed and grew oddly heavy as he felt a bony spur dig into his ribs. Did Erik know his skeleton was overgrowing?

It was then that he recalled Jean's question to Erik. Despite being unconscious, his birds had been flying freely, listening and watching and acutely aware of the situation -- they were the source of Charles' constant knowledge of situations that seemingly occurred with he slept. He fought a wave of dizziness and nausea as he turned to look at her. "I'm afraid there's no easy answer to your question, my dear," he began, his voice thin and trembling as it left his lips, normally so red but now oddly bloodless. "Once a mutant's abilities shine through, there isn't any way to get rid of them; but there is a way to control them."

Erik took the scrap of sheet and dabbed at his forehead discretely, not wanting Charles to notice the blood on his cheek.

~Jeans eyes flitted towards Sparks as he was dangling up in the air. "Ummmm how do I put him down before.." Jean winced in sympathy as her ability suddenly stopped and Sparks crashed to the floor. "Before he falls" she finished lamely as it had already happened. With a sigh, she extended her hand to the fallen mutant to help him up. "Sorry about that" She said. She scratched at herself again with her other hand. Yes, she was definitely itching. Was it an allergic reaction or something? Yes. It had to be. Good thing they were going to what seemed to be the infirmary. Maybe she'd have them look at her after the professor.

Sparks just laughed it off, accepting Jean's hand up with a grin. "No biggie, Jean. I used to shock people all the time -- y'know, like a static shock? -- before I figured out how to control it." He lifts a hand, letting a tiny filament of lightning run between his fingers. "I got picked on a bit because people thought I did it on purpose. But I just didn't know how to control my ability. I'm much better at it now. Hardly ever shock anyone by accident anymore. You'll get better at it too -- especially with the Professor to help you. I had to do most of my learning on my own." Sparks let the static electricity in his hand dissipate. "Here, you want to see something cool?" he asked, taking a step away as they continued down the hall. "Check this out!" He focused, and small arcs of static energy started arcing between the spikes in his hair. Sparks let the effect increase, until it was like he was wearing a helmet of miniature lightnings. "Cool, huh?" he asked keeping the light show going for a few moments before pulling the potential energy back into his braid to store.