Wide-Eyed ((Open))

[Shari]

Finding the University hadn't been hard. Maldon is tiny and everyone knows about the school and easily pointed her that way. It's evening by the time she finds her way to the gate at the outskirts of town, the surrounding forests mostly plunged into darkness. When the gate rattles and begins to open she dodges off the road and takes cover against the tall brick wall, watching as a group of what she assumes are students heading through the gate, chatting with each other as they disappear towards the bus station she'd seen not far down the road.

She sets down her backpack and pulls out a small compact mirror she props up on her backpack. Looking at her own face critically it starts to move and change. She brings her fingers to her cheeks and not so much molds herself but feels the change happening under her fingertips, which always seemed to help her be more aware of the changes. Finer control. It doesn't really matter if she just conceals herself, but if she's going to put on a new face she might use for a while she at least wants it to be one she likes. Being comfortable in her skin would help in passing herself off as a student should she get noticed, easier to lie when you're in a good headspace. Her cheekbones push up a little, eyebrows thin, hair grows on one side of her head and withdraws on the other, giving herself a sidebuzz as her hair turns blue. Her coat is unfortunately still recognizable, but she was going to try and avoid running into Basil and Colette anyway. She snaps the mirror shut and puts it away before slinging her backpack over her shoulder. Only one obstacle left to deal with. She stares at her hands and the tips of her fingers begin to flare out as green scales ripple down her fingers. Moments later she"s scaled the wall and hops down on the other side to explore the grounds, slinking through the shadows just off the gravel path that makes up the main driveway.

The people in Maldon had referred to it as 'The old Braddock Estate' but Shari had figured they just meant the grounds being extensive. What she hadn't expected was an honest to god mansion. She can't help but stare at the building and it's lit windows casting yellow rectangles of light across the gravel. This was way fancier than she had even expected, but that meant there might be some really valuable things in there. This looked like the land of genuine silver, well, silverware. But most importantly it reinforces her idea that this is not the kind of place that would accept her. Not cause she's a mutant but because she belongs her as much as a mutt belongs in a dog show. Still, that doesn't mean she wasn't going to... dig up some bones in their yard? This metaphor was falling apart.

She lurks around in the shadows for a while, watching people come and go, telling her that the doors are in fact open. She hesitates, not wanting to bump into anybody right in the door and so she waits until a couple more people have left the manor to head towards what she can only assume are dormitories before she builds up the courage to step out of the bushes. She hurries towards the door and tries the door handle, heart beating rapidly in her chest. Somehow she expected it to not budge for her, as if the heavy door would know not to let her in, but instead it swings open and she steps inside. Her footsteps muffled by thick carpet and the wooden panels on the walls she slowly makes her way through the entrance hall and into one of the hallways, marveling at the sheer ostentatiousness of the place. When she gets to one of the empty medieval armor sets she just has to stop and touch it as if to make sure she's not imagining things.


((Open))

[Tereza Rozanov]

A young woman with black and white streaked hair just the other side of wild wanders nearby, stopping to watch the girl about to touch the armor, as if she expects something to happen. She seems out of place with the decor, wearing a worn leather jacket over a t-shirt and blue jeans.

[Shari]

Shari does run her hand over the polished metal, then shakes her head in bemusement. This place was ridiculous. She turns around and almsot jumps back half a foot when she spots Tereza who somehow managed to sneak up on her. The blue-haired girl looks guilty for a moment, possibly about having touched what could be a museum-exhibit.

"Oh. Hey. What's up?" she tries to play off her surprise.

[Tereza Rozanov]

"Not much. Don't worry, I've touched them myself a few times," she says as she smiles conspiratorially. "I won't tell anyone."

[Shari]

"Right? It's so surreal, I almost expected it to be fake or something." she chuckles, trying to play her surprise off. "Either that or for someone to be hiding in there."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"Too much trouble to hide in them unless you can pass through solid matter. I've heard they hide in them on occasion. Never seen it myself. Tereza Rozanov," she says, holding out her hand.

[Shari]

Shari chuckles but it quickly peters out when she realizes that Tereza wasn't joking and a dubious expression settles on her face as she takes the offered hand. "Betty, nice to meet'cha."

[Tereza Rozanov]

Tereza shakes her hand with a surprisingly firm grip. "Pranking around here can get kind of crazy. Shapeshifters and telekinetics really up the game on that."

[Shari]

"Ha ha. Yeah, I bet!" she laughs a little too forced. "So everyone here's a mutant then?" she awkwardly changes the topic. Being used to mostly tricking humans she hadn't considered that people here might be much more expectant of that sort of thing.

[Tereza Rozanov]

"As far as I'm aware," Tereza lies, "A wide variety of powers too."

[Shari]

"Powers, huh? That what you call it here?"

[Tereza Rozanov]

"Powers, abilities, 'gifts'," she says, rolling her eyes at that last one."Those are the common terms anyway. Some of the medical types in the infirmary refer to 'mutations', but not many other people call them that."

[Shari]

"Beats 'condition'. Or 'messed up freako shit'. You don't think it's a gift?"

[Tereza Rozanov]

"I think I've seen enough people with serious issues with their abilities to not take the term 'gift' seriously. Not to say some people haven't lucked out, I mean, I don't have any particularly problematic side effects, but I can't say it's a gift for everyone."

[Shari]

""Course." Naturally this place was for the fortunate. She hadn't expected anything else. "Lots of 'side-effects' just translate into not fitting in with 'polite' society though."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"And polite society can get bent," Tereza says with a frown. "I'd rather people accept us regardless, but if they can't manage that, then fuck 'em."

[Shari]

"Huh... Good attitude." she says, surprised. Sure, easier said when you live in a place like this, but still.

[Tereza Rozanov]

"I'm originally from Russia," she says without a trace of accent, "but their brand of acceptance isn't better. In a lot of ways, it's worse. So until we can settle things on our own terms, there's safe places like this place, especially because sometimes stuff like this happens." She pulls up one of the sleeves on her jacket, making the dimly glowing blue lines under her skin more obvious.

[Shari]

"Really? Cause that's always what you hear when people feel fed up. Pack up and head to Russia. Pretty sure a couple people I've run into actually did."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"The Russians are shuffling people off into places where you can never leave. And they're brainwashing and experimenting on mutants. I've seen it first hand and I had to rescue a friend from one of those places. They talk a good game, but they're up to some really awful shit."

[Shari]

'Betty' cringes, brows knitting into a frown. "Is that for reals? Like what, they send 'em to the Gulags?"

[Tereza Rozanov]

"Something like that, at least the ones they think they can use or that don't make good poster children to talk about how 'wonderful' Russia is for giving them a sanctuary."

[Shari]

"That's some messed up stuff... Good thing you pulled some of them outta that. That can't have been easy." she says, forced to kind of respect that, if it was true. She's still a bit dubious but she's also not sure why Tereza would lie about that.

[Tereza Rozanov]

"You have to do what you can, you know?" She says with a shrug.

[Shari]

"So those glowy veins aren't just for show, huh?"

[Tereza Rozanov]

Tereza splays her fingers and the veins begin to glow a bit brighter. The air turns colder and ice weaves its way between her fingers. "I went by Glacier when I was out in the field."

[Shari]

"Nasty!" she says, involuntarily taking a half step back. "Doesn't that hurt?"

[Tereza Rozanov]

She shakes her head as the ice encases her hand like a glove. "Nope. Don't even feel the cold."

[Shari]

"Jealous." she says, peering at the icy glove but keeping her distance. "Bet that comes in convenient in the Winter. Or Russia."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"It has its moments," Tereza says, the ice rippling slightly as if to suggest claws on the fingertips before snapping back to the normal glove shape.

[Shari]

"Guess you need to know what you're missing out on to appreciate not having to freeze!" she laughs, clearly thinking Tereza doesn't know what it's like.

[Tereza Rozanov]

"Oh, I know what it's like to freeze. I wasn't always like this. I was 11 years old before this started."

[Shari]

"Oh. Yeah. Right." Other people have memories from before they were a mutant, dummy. "So hey, that worked out pretty well then, being in Russia and all."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"I was lucky enough to have some associates who broke me out of the place I was in and got me out of Russia. Lived with them on the road for a while before I ended up in the UK."

[Shari]

"You lived on the road before you ended up here?" she asks, looking around the corridor with it's wood panels and medieval armor.

[Tereza Rozanov]

"Was kind of forced to live that way. Most places on the continent don't like it if you can't prove who you are or where you come and I left in such a hurry, I forgot my passport." She smirks.

[Shari]

"And this place doesn't? Care about your identity and such, I mean. Cause lemme tell you, it looks like they would. A lot."

[Tereza Rozanov]

"They helped me file papers to get what I needed. Helped me navigate all that asylum stuff as well so that Russia can't just demand me back. And so long as I keep my nose clean and at least do decently on my grades, they pay for me to attend school. I mean, seriously, do I look like I could afford a place like this? And I'm not the only one they've done that for."

[Shari]

"Yeah, easy-peasy lemon-squeezy." Not that she feels at all confident she could fulfill those requirements. Hell she's barely aware of how she knows the thing she does. Her academic prowess was not going to open any doors for her. But this did mean that maybe she shouldn't try to break into the dorm and steal from what might be comparatively poor students. Which begged the question of where the real valuables are.

"Does make you wonder where all that money comes from though, am I right?" she jokes.

[Tereza Rozanov]

"Yeah, sometimes. I assume it's X-Corp, but some of the stuff here seems a little expensive for them to give to a university, even one with the X-Men stationed at it."