[Social] New Kid on Campus

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

"I get the distinct impression some people resent the University getting involved. At least one, anyway. A guy told me he sees you as elitists designing to help on some kind of whim. But, I mean, he was a aspiring drug dealer who attacked me, so he has a vested interest in things staying shitty."

At any comment about getting attacked, he said, "Don't worry, I shut him down. He's probably still cooling off in a holding cell."

[Naku Futomi]

At that comment, Naku shut it. He was about to ask, but Thrax provided an answer. "Least you're okay.... So are all of you from around here? I'm from America, state called Vermont," he mentioned before looking about. "Maybe there's a place we can go to talk more, if you both have time," he offered.

[Amy Myers]

"Seattle here. I got time to grab a coffee or something. Student Union or Mutant Town? The area around the portal's pretty nice and safe, generally."

[Naku Futomi]

"Let's stay on this side for now," Naku suggested with a glance to the portal. "Think I'll walk around, get more acquainted with the grounds before I visit the city. Er... town. That bakery still open?" he asked before just looking. It seemed early enough that that was the case.

Without waiting long, he gave a small smile to Amy and a motion of his head for Thrax to follow along before heading there. "The real question is what to drink. To try the fancy stuff or the hot chocolate is another one," he said, mostly to himself before trying to link things back to the pair. "Seattle's always been somewhere I wanted to visit. Starbucks HQ is there still, right? What about you, Thrax? Where are you from?" He turned, looking to the taller male.

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

Thrax sighed mentally. He wasn't a fan of deception. Maybe he should just take the risk. Surely the mutant community was the safest place for a non-human. But he'd feel that out a bit more before abandoning caution completely.

Here goes...

"I'm from Wakanda, originally, but I left years ago for reasons I'm not really looking to get into." ... because I haven't come up with a good lie yet.

[Naku Futomi]

The response from Thrax drew his attention. "I'm familiar with that place. Just a bit though. Do you ever miss it?" He wondered loud to him.

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

At least he could answer that without adding to his cover story. The less he had to make up, the easier time he'd have. That was just basic deception. Though he had no intention of being completely forthcoming about his feelings; such a thing would require him to not be allergic to emotional honesty.

"Of course I do. Home was... well, home. It hurt to leave but it had to be done," he responded after a moment of solemn silence. His story so far was enough to determine that, at some point, he parted ways with his family or perhaps he never had one. Wakanda didn't seem the place to mistreat mutants but perhaps the baggage that his hyena-like visage brought to the table became too much. The truth, of course, was far more tragic but he was happy to let them speculate.

[Naku Futomi]

They kept walking as Thrax replied. The silence was respected. Naku used it to gauge how he felt himself about home. Home was where Em was. He felt a pang of selfishness for coming here, knowing she wanted to be here. She wouldn't, because of him. Least as far as he knew. Should he ever return home to see their friends? They overlapped some...

"...At least nothing's stopping you from going back," Naku surmised. Perhaps it was projecting to some extent. To remedy it, he looked to the tall one. "... Right?" It was a poor attempt not to look like an ass by assuming.

By now, they at least were closer to the line of the coffee place. There seemed to be a few others present

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

You know what? This feels wrong. No one at this place is going to screw me over for being different. Next opportunity, I'm coming clean. Worst thing, they'll think I'm crazy.

Then he heard Naku's question and visibly winced. He had just decided not to keep up the lie that he was human and, if he wanted to honor that decision, now he had to risk pity. "No. I can't. I... fuck it. I'm not from Wakanda. You two seem cool—everybody here seems cool—so I'll level with you. The truth is much... weirder..." he responded, slowly pointing at the sky.

[Naku Futomi]

That response was odd. What was weird in the first place, being from another country? Naku turned his eyes upward to the ceiling. He waited. Maybe Thrax was about to make a point. Nakus gaze went ro Amy for a few moments. He tried not to stare, the uncanniness was wild, but he knew she wasn't Em...

His eyes went back to to ceiling as he waited for Thrax to say something. "...You're from the roof top? I'm not sure I follow," he ventured. He felt a bit slow. It really should be simpler than this. "Im not really good with 20 questions," he added for good measure.

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

"Way, way higher." He smirked. "As in if you hit Pluto you still haven't gone far enough."

[Naku Futomi]

Naku blinked, waiting still for a catch. He glanced to the finger again before looking back to the Hyena man."You're from... outer space?" It sounded weird to say. "...They have Hyenas in space?? I mean, heck, I've seen stranger," he fibbed. Naku was a horrible fibber.

His attention went back to the line they were in. The line was moving but he didn't feel like moving on just yet. "You can go ahead of us," he said to whoever joined the line behind them. In fact, he wasn't fully certain if that was Amy herself, he was infatuated by the idea of Hyenas in space.

"How long have you been here then? Not judging, just trying to... gauge where you are, if that makes sense," he added placing a thumb and a finger to his chin. "I suppose it doesn't.... What I mean is where you're at as far as getting used to life on Earth. Our customs, countries... things like that," he offered.

[Amy Myers]

"Oh, like Shari." Amy says as she take Naku up on his gesture of moving ahead in the line. "Please tell me there aren't any more lizard-people coming for the school?"

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

Naku's stammering reaction made Thrax laugh. "Oh, no, I mean, technically my genetic ancestor only resembles your Earth hyena. And I wasn't lying about only being here a little over a week. So... yeah, I don't know much and most of that is music related. I really am a musician. This guitar is borrowed, because I can't busk in town with what I'm used to playing. I'll have to show you sometime."

He smirked at Amy. "Believe me, if I had any inkling of her people invading I would have steered clear of this planet. If it helps, I don't think your world is even commonly known to exist. I pretty much just happened to catch a stray transmission and followed it here. I would have just passed through but my ship's engine had other ideas."

[Naku Futomi]

Naku just watched as it all sunk in. The line was moving around them until he caught the eye of someone looking at them like 'why are you having this convo in the middle of everyone' kind of way. He could have imagined it, but he gave a sheepish grin before looking back to his companions. "I'm just gonna... Drink. Then we can chat," he said before stepping back in line.

This gave him some time to process. He really wasn't doing it well. There were more and more questions popping up. He went over all the people he knew from his school, but none of them were actual aliens. And to hear from Amy that there were more! She took it like a champ.

The barista cleared her throat to let him know he arrived at the front of the line. "Oh.... a Mocha, please, with vanilla creamer," he added. After giving his name, he stepped to the side waiting for the trio to come back together. He spied a table they could sit at if they still wanted. He got his drink to go just in case.

[Amy Myers]

"It's a lot, isn't it?" Amy asks, holding her own decaf latte. "You just kinda learn to roll with it and don't question it. At least I try not to or I'd go insane." she laughs slightly. "There's at least one student who I'm pretty sure thinks she's a god or something. And for all I know she might be right but I also see her in class being, you know, normal. Everyone's just people, even the ones who are furniture sometimes."

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

Thrax soon followed and joined them at the table with a ridiculous looking drink that was as much—or more—dessert as beverage. He had realized, at the counter, that he had no idea what coffee was, much less how to order it. So he just pointed to a random patron and ordered whatever it was they were having.

"Oh! I know that guy!" he chimed in at the mention of sentient furniture. "But, yeah, sorry for blowing your mind without warning."

[Naku Futomi]

Naku settled into his seat more as he listened to the others. He didn't meet their gazes, feeling some kind of way about being so green to the alien thing. Who could blame him though? It was really bizarre!

"Yeah, no... Not your fault. Just... really hard to wrap my head around, crazy as it sounds.... Heh. I can get over a humanoid Hyena, but aliens are too much. Crazy," he said before taking a sip of his drink. "What did you all get?" he wondered aloud.

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

"Something I think was called bumpkin spice care of Mel frah pay... with extra whip," he answered, eyeing the strange concoction. "... I don't know what any of those things are. I just ordered what some girl named Becky had."

He took a cautious sip and ended up with aforementioned whip on his nose. "Wow... that's... something alright. I like it!"

[Naku Futomi]

Naku gave a smile, small as it was. "So sugars your game. Wouldn't really call that coffee, but... neither is what I'm drinking. Least you like it," he stated before drinking some more. "You have lots of time to explore it all.... Was there something either of you want to do? Like... a list of things you wanna do in a year," he asked sitting back.

After a moment, he paused. "..heh, sorry. That may be too big and ask for a coffee shop. We could talk about majors, or... better yet, what school's been like for you so far, Amy?" He wondered, looking over to her as he took another sip of his drink.

[Amy Myers]

"Weird and terrifying?" she jokes, but it doesn't take much to see she's not entirely kidding. "It took me a while to accept that any plans I had got thrown out the window when 'having a panic attack' turned into blasting a hole through the wall. And several ones behind that one. It's better now, but I still stick to decaf. Feel like I'm brimming with energy plenty on my own."

"But no one here judges you, for the most part. You can get extensions on classwork if you have a bad power day, get advice and support. I've been kind of a recluse this last year, trying to sort myself out. Someone suggested I volunteer for the orientation thing to ease myself in some more now that I'm less worried about hurting anybody. Not that I have! It's just... something I'm very cognizant of." she adds in a line that sounds an awful lot like therapy talk.

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

"Yeah," Thrax chuckled after licking the cream off his nose like a dog, "I caused quite a few localized storms before the monks got my control up to snuff."

Remembering that they couldn't possibly know what he was talking about, he quickly added, "Back home, when someone gains powers, they are taken to a monastery and trained as members of the order. Though we are given a choice once they're sure we won't cause problems, it's rare someone turns down the honor."

"Not the studying dry religious texts sort of order, though there is some of that. Functionally they aren't that different from your X-Men, only they serve the entire populace and sometimes entertain. Sort of wandering warrior minstrels."

[Naku Futomi]

As he listened, Naku drank more of his drink. Chocolate and coffee were a great combination in his mind. As each of them spoke, he took the time to consider them more. When else would he have an excuse to stare at them?

Amy remained to be something else. He could appreciate her appearance, very girls next door. It didn't even seem like she wore make-up, but her eyes stood out to him. More than her looks and behaviors, there was more that made her attractive in a way that made his stomach twist: her powers. He leaned forward when the mentioned what happened with her powers. To have that much energy.... could he do something with it?

"Glad you weren't hurt at least," he said softly, wrestling with himself as he toyed with the idea of what was possible with access to more energy. Why was he even considering it? Could he even control energy that wasn't his own? "Hope you're liking it so far. You're pretty good at it," he complimented before turning his attention to their resident Alien.

Thrax was impressive in his own right. Naku doubted anyone could disagree with him. He arched a brow at mention of monks, but the anthromorphic Hyena answered him quickly. "Gotta ask, what made you decide to settle here, the UK of of all places? Did you visit other places first?" he wondered, trying to pace his drink now.

Strange as his origins were, Naku couldn't help but want to learn more about his suite-mate. There would be plenty time for that he was sure, but timing and pacing were never his strong suit. The questions he wanted to ask each of them were separate, and he had to chide himself for even trying to move on from his ex with the first lady his age he met. Baka Naku.

Still, his eyes went between the two. "After this is done, where could I find you?" he wondered before giving Thrax a small grin. "Well, Thrax doesn't count. I know where to find you, we're in the same suite. So that leaves you, Amy," he said, turning to face her once more. "If we need help, can we reach out to you or... is it strictly orientation duty for you?" he wondered.

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

"I'd like to say something about rich culture but it's just where my ship went down. I'm just lucky I found this place and got my ship moved to the Point before the authorities got wise. The headmistress really saved my fuzzy ass a lot of trouble. As for why I enrolled: there's a good chance she can't patch up my ship so it seemed smart to learn more about what is, for now, my new home," the big guy answered.

"And yeah, we should definitely trade contact information... is what I'd say if I actually knew how to use the 'smart phone' the school supplied me with. I mean, I can operate a spaceship, so I'll figure it out. I just haven't yet."

[Amy Myers]

"If little kids can figure it out I'm sure it poses no issue for the spaceman." Amy chuckles, shaking her head.

"And hey, glad one of us thinks I'm doing a good job." she says, a bit caught off-guard by the look Naku gives her after admitting there's more to her power than the shaky flight she demonstrated. Maybe she'd pick up on the low-key flirting if she wasn't too neurotic about, really, a lot of things. She fixes her eyes on her coffee and takes an awkward sip. "What's your guys' numbers? I can text you real quick."

Amy's power doesn't quite follow the same rules as Naku's but with some effort he can make out a bit of the energy coursing through her. And at the moment it's kind of spiking twitchily. Or perhaps vibrating imperceptibly like two magnets just outside of range of each other.

[Naku Futomi]

He huffed out a chuckle to Thrax talk on the the smartphone before giving a verbal nod at Amys answer to it. He would pick up on it in no time, Naku also figured. He was too absorbed in the energy Amy had within her. It wasn't anything he could see, only sense. Very much like a magnet, he could sus out what was there. His mind was in a tizzy as he blindly recited his number to the pair.

At that, he realized he should be pulling out his phone rather than stare at Amy's arm. He hoped he hadn't been obvious. Such a weird spot to look at. He glanced to see what kind of phone Thrax had. Realizing he was familiar with it, he was quick to speak up. "If you need help now, say the word. As in... just ask for it. I don't mind helping," he managed to say.

His attention at this did go back to Amy. While he kept his ear out for their phone numbers, he wasn't about to press her for her digits. That would be too on the nose. What he would press her on was more pertinent. "So.... is there some area us students go to to try new powers? I can't help but wonder if I can help with your excess energy. Never really tried with other peoples though, so... Not sure what I'm thinking would work," he said, thinking more about the idea.

he averted his gaze back to Thrax to avoid seeming too interested in her. "Not sure I can do anything with your thunder and wind powers, but we should seriously play music together one day," he said earnestly. Music was one thing he could rely on after all these years.

[Amy Myers]

"I can let us into the Danger Room if no one's using it." she says as she types Naku's number into her phone, soon followed by a quick text message to him to share her number. "Is that what you meant with influencing people some? Affecting their powers in some way?"

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

Thrax quickly recited his number as he got his phone out. "Yeah, I'm curious what that means too. Influencing people can mean a lot of things."

He managed to figure out how to open the texting app but frowned at the tiny keyboard. "I think my fingers are too big for this interface. Maybe claw taps will work as long as I'm careful not to scratch the screen..."

"Ah-hah! Victory! Aaand sent!" he cheerfully exclaimed just before Naku's phone chimed.

[Naku Futomi]

Naku sat back, playing with the empty cup some. "Let me figure out a way to say it... Everything is energy to some extent. While I'm mainly good at adjusting my own energy, or chi, I've recently learned I can hold sway on others," he paused a moment making sure he was looking between the two, not staring at one or the other. He also tried to gauge what they were thinking of what he said.

"I'm still exploring what this means with other people, but... I can influence feelings. Vibrations is just a form of energy after all. How we feel is about what resonates with us. I can help people feel one way or the other, but that depends on how aware they are of their own Chi. Their life force and energy," he said before looking more hesitantly towards Amy.

"It's only for short amount of times. I'd have to connect with them somehow to have such a sway over another. There also must be intent," he said before looking to Thrax. "It's not something I delve into because it's taxing on me. Does that make more sense?" He said, fully expecting a no.

[Amy Myers]

"Sort of? Like how telepaths can influence people? Don't think I've ever heard any of them call anything... what was it, shee? But then I didn't really understand what the power testing folks told me about what kind of energy I have. I just know it's a kind of light that hits things? Like a laser beam but instead of heat it's... punch? Sorry, I was never good at physics." she says awkwardly and stops herself from actually putting her hand to the back of her head, instead setting it flat down on the table.

"Do not ask the head-mistress about how your power works unless you want to spend a day in front of a bunch of scanners and not understanding anything she's talking about anyway. Mrs. Kinney is much better if you want anything that actually helps you figure things out. She can be kind of intimidating but she's alright. Just intense. And if she helps you with power training you definitely don't need to hit the gym anymore."

[Naku Futomi]

"Hehe... noted. I'll wait on that until I'm really ready," he said with a soft smile. "Shee is close. Chi, almost like you're going to say 'cheat'. Telepaths might.... maybe? I always think of them sending thoughts to other people, not so much emotions. Because my power hinders on balance, I have to be careful. If I encourage someone to be happier, they may feel very angry or sad when I stop using my powers. The time of it depends," He said, looking to his hands.

"Think of Chi, or your internal energy, like a figure eight. It could be equal circles on each side, or you can make one smaller and the other bigger. I can affect those circles. It's just natural that it will go back to their original resting state. Then again, I don't use my powers that way much at all. I use it more for making myself faster, stronger, or influencing my senses," he explained, looking up to them with an apologetic smile.

"...Then too, my terminology might not be the best. My first school was more about exploring what we can do rather than explain it. Healing also comes at a cost. I can heal wounds by speeding up the natural healing process, but it causes pain, to myself or the one being healed. Handy for taking out opponents without leaving evidence behind," he said looking back to Amy. "Your energy interests me. I'm wondering if it's possible to make a shield with it. Either you can try on your own, or I can possibly assist," he mentioned at the tail end.

[Amy Myers]

"I'm not sure I can make a shield, it feels too... restless, if that makes any sense? But you can try if you want. Just maybe not here in case something goes wrong."

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

Thrax drank more of his sugary abomination while he listened to the power conversation. The idea of Chi was intriguingly similar to some of the more philosophical lessons he had been taught about regulating the body's natural energy flow. When the opportunity arose, he said, "I don't know if it would help—different species and all—but my abilities are all about taming restless forces. I could maybe give you a few pointers. I've learned that our powers come from the same place, so it might help."

[Naku Futomi]

Naku nodded at mention that it was best not to do here. He listened to Thrax, smiling a bit as he mentioned their powers orgin. "Something we can all look into. Definitelynot here thoigh. Maybe the danger room sometime. Not certain if today is the best day, but.... what do y'all thing?" he wondered, looking to the other pair.

[Amy Myers]

"I have a session in there tomorrow at 3 anyway. Meet me outside the Point then? If you don't have access yet I can buzz you in."

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

The large alien couldn't hide his disappointment at having to wait a day to see this Danger Room of theirs. Sure, he had seen similar tech before but he was excited to see what spin humans put on what was originally Shiar technology. Also, the patience required for delated gratification wasn't one of his virtues.

"Tomorrow? Well... ugh, right, I guess not everyone has my complete lack of anything better to do. But, hey, classwork will remedy that before long."

[Naku Futomi]

Naku typed it into his calendar while Thrax spoke up. "Yeah. Tomorrow works best for me. I'll be there," he said, having some time before his actual classes started up.

He turned to Thrax, pocketing the device. "Gives us time to get settled anyways," he said to the taller man who still had his suitcase with him. "You might like the dorms. We have our own apartment, but there are four bedrooms to it. I don't know our other roommates. Maybe we'll see them when we take your stuff up," he mused.

Turning to Amy, he asked one more question that was lingering on him. "How is the mutant sentiment around here, anyways? I assume the school is fine, but do we have any threats to here or Mutant Town?"

[Amy Myers]

"Maldon's generally fine and so's Mutant Town, obviously. Beyond that it's... iffy. No one's going to attack you or anything but people have definitely gotten asked to leave or had the cops called on them. And London is definitely not happy about Mutant Town getting much needed help. Last year there were a bunch of protests going both ways and you can imagine who the cops decided were the problem that needed attention."

[Thraxion Ord'Rakar]

"I'm having trouble getting used to the idea that the Gifted on this planet are treated poorly. On my planet, the Gifted are honored and respected. Though, to be fair to your species, it wasn't always that way. We were once just as divided but becoming a starfaring species does a lot to silence internal prejudices," Thrax responded.

"It also helps that we had our first alien contact early in our development, back when we were a bunch of scattered clans constantly at war. She taught us a better way and it stuck. Eventually. After a few more wars."

[Naku Futomi]

Naku gave a nod, now spinning his empty cup on the side. "Yeah, we arent ready for Alien interaction yet. The arms race for technology would be horrible. Though i trust theres protocolsand such for meeting less developed species," he mused before looking back to Amy. "Thanks for the info. I'll stay on alert just in case. We'll see where my studies take me... and our missions. Are there teams we are put in to work together, like the X-Men or anything like that?"