-X Mansion-
After Peter talked with Professor Xavier, the Professor was more then happy to lead him to Head Mistress Darkholme's office to help with his transfer into their school. Unfortunately, Professor Logan wasn't around to help with his power testing so Professor Xavier postponed it.
The professor left him after leading him into the waiting room, luckily they made it just as Headmistress Darkholme entered and after briefly introducing the Peter to here, Professor Xavier made his way out to his next class.
Peter's meeting with Headmistress Darkholme was interesting to say the least, she was a tall woman with short brunette hair, sharp features and ember eyes. She also had a professional demeanor, curt and formal.
The strangest thing about her was that she did not exist anywhere outside of the school, Cypher was thorough with his background scans, it was nothing personal, it was what Cypher did with everyone Peter met, a quick scan for the person to build a profile which was then stored away in his mind and built upon with new information as time went on. An impulse that Peter felt necessary for his safety, and he felt that he was right to do so because even professor Xavier had a few blemishes in his others wise pristine background in the form of classified black op's operation with a classified branch of the American government.
Headmistress Darkholme's blemish was that all her records pointed to her being the Headmistress of Xavier's School for the Gifted and nothing more then that. Peter decided it was in his best interest to keep a close eye on her. It didn't help that she seemed a little on edge around him, like she knew something about him , it was the little details, micro expressions that humans probably wouldn't even notice but Peter wasn't all human.
He did have a 'computer brain' and said brain was buzzing particularly loud around Ms. Darkholme.
On the bright side though, she was incredibly effective at her job, With her help Peter's transfer from Midtown High school to Xavier's school for the Gifted was completed under the hour.
…
"This is your student ID, and the Keys to your new room and your locker, we can sort out the finer details of your transfer later, as for your extra curricular activities with the school," She gave Peter a knowing look, " Well, we'll get to that when your good and ready, Charles informed me that there a few things you want to sort out before officially joining the 'school', I understand that the transition may be hard, if you need anything, anything at all, just… feel free to let us know. With that, Uhm, allow me to be the first to welcome you to Xavier's School for the Gifted. " Headmistress Darkholme said evenly as she handed Peter his new ID and the Keys to his new room.
Tracer Node-px 02, tracking chip detected in card, function; Power source: low-frequency radio wave harvester, micro-GPS transmitter, thermal masking, remote activation fitted with basic temper alarm. Altering tracer node signal... So, the X-men weren't all that trusting after all, they chipped his ID with a tracker chip. Not that it would help them in any case now that Cypher got his hands on it.
" If that is all Mr. Parker, you can leave now."
"Oh…Okay then, um, thanks I guess." Peter stood up to leave after briefly thanking the headmistress before he called out to him.
"Oh, and Peter, " Peter stopped and turned to her, he was already half way out her door. " Do be careful out there, not everything is at is seems, we are all mutants after all, Charles-Professor Xavier may think of us as lost or broken children in need of guidance and as much as I respect him I think he may have been a tad bit wrong there, a lapse in judgement if you will. "
"We do need guidance that much is true, but we mutants are neither lost nor broken, no, we are dangerous, we are a danger to ourselves and to those around us. This school helps you control that, helps you become less of a raging inferno and more of a controlled blaze-dangerous and deliberate, powerful yet precise. However, a controlled threat is still a threat. Remember, just because we look human doesn't mean we are human, don't forget that, normal people-humans certainly won't let you forget it. Mutant and proud Mr. Parker, Those are the words we live by. Mutant and proud. " She gave him an smile, something between amusement and anticipation, there was that glint in her eyes again and this time it wasn't just a trick of the light, her eyes were actually glowing a bright golden yellow.
" I'll keep that in mind. I'll see you around Headmistress Darkholme." Peter gave her a respectful nod before walking out the door.
…
Peter spent a few more hours wondering around the school with no set destination in mind. He didn't need to check his room out right now because he wasn't moving in yet and until the next Monday he wasn't an official student of this school so he spent the next few ours just wondering aimlessly around the school.
Peter soon found himself sitting on a bench overlooking the large lake that was next to the school. With nothing else to do and no one around him Peter decided it was a good time for him to dive into the expensive hunk of space junk he got his hands on.
He closed his eyes and dove back into his own psyche, feeling his link to Cypher just about to reestablish itself before he stopped himself, someone had stepped into the range of his senses. He could tell they were walking right to him. It wasn't long before they stopped right in front of him, he couldn't see them because he had his eyes closed the entire time, he hoped in doing so they would just ignore and walk right by.
"Your him aren't you, the new student from New York, your pretty famous you know." The person spoke with a thick southern accent. Her voice was soft and deep.
Damn it.
"That's me...uhm, could you move, you're blocking the sunlight." Peter tried to sound a little annoyed.
"Your siting in the shade." The voice casually replied.
Ah… So smart yet so, so stupid, Parker luck one, Peter zero. Peter heard clothes ruffling and he guessed she was folding her arms. He wasn't wrong.
" Then your blocking the view." Peter retorted curtly .
"And your eyes are closed." She sounded annoyed, Peter could care less.
"You don't say… I didn't notice."
" You know, they say everyone's entitled to act stupid once in a while, but you're really abusing that privilege right now."
The edges of Peter's lips twitched up lightly into a subtle smile. He peeked at her through his left eye.
She was tall, she had long dark brunette hair with short white streaks and grey eyes, she was dressed in simple black hoody and had ripped black jeans on with black boots to complete her gothic look.
"Got that from a dog poster didn't you?" He asked her with a knowing smirk.
The girl just stared down at him with an expectant gaze. " So what if I did, doesn't make it any less true."
"I guess not…" Peter breathed, both eyes open.
She reached out first with an open palm. " Anne Marie, everyone calls Rogue."
Peter glanced at her outstretched hand then back at her before propping himself of on his feet.
He reached out and shook her hand casually. "Peter, Peter Parker, some people call me Pete."
Peter paused for a moment, a pulling sensation washed over him, nothing physical but the sensation lingered, it came from his hand; his Imagine Breakers passive ability was in effect. Mutant? He glanced at his hand then back at the girl. Imagine Breaker was not only passively in effect but it's unique properties were being absorbed, taken from him like a sponge absorbing water. Interesting.
Cypher was quick to provide his input.
Imagine Breaker passive in effect, subject confirmed human-mutate, possible energy absorber, more data required- statement amended, power effect not limited to energy absorption, effect range extended, psychic and esoteric absorption are possible, statement amended, psychic and esoteric absorption confirmed, possible threat, beginning profiling-
They stood like that for a short moment, Anne or Rogue fell into a brief trance. What Peter and Anne would later realize was that although Peter's Imagine breaker prevented her from absorbing Peter's powers, Anne's ability wasn't only limited to power absorption, it also absorbed attributes, memories and other qualities of the person she was in contact with and in this moment, she was absorbing attributes of Peter's mental state, which partially dampened his human emotions and enhanced his logical thought process, streamlining his into something between a man and a machine.
To Peter it was a normal state of mind but to a normal human, it was something akin to short sustained bursts of anesthetics without the physical effects related to said medication, it dulled the emotions and sharpened the mind. It was what Rogue was experiencing in that moment and to her the sensation she was felling could be described as serenity.
Rogue's eyes dulled faintly and her tense shoulders relaxed with her breathing, she suddenly seemed more in control- a steady calm spread throughout her body, her mind became free of clutter, thoughts flowing slowly and smoothly, it was a sensation of being entirely present, with no rush or weight of the past or future, a weird sense of balance and harmony, as if the world stood still and she was in perfect alignment with it.
"You ah, gonna let go of my hand there anytime soon." Peter expressed curiously.
She however didn't not reply, she squeezed his hand lightly, studying it with her gaze before she looked back up at Peter. After a few seconds of having his hand held and studied by the strange goth girl and out of sheer curiosity Peter decided to simple humor her and observe her actions while also silently analyzing the effects of the girl's ability.
It left him with a strange sensation, whatever her abilities did may be mistaken for energy abortion but it was an more than that, she was syphoning Imagine Breaker, sure it was not active but and the passive ability was severely weaker than the active state but the mare act of absorbing it was another matter entirely as imagine breaker wasn't anything tangible that could be absorbed, it wasn't physical, spiritual, or magical, it wasn't any type of energy, it was a concept given form, the crystallization of an idea so to speak, and she was syphoning a tiny piece of it, like drinking a drop of water from an ocean.
Then she abruptly let him go. Rogue blinked rapidly and pulled her hand back into the pockets of her hoodie.
"Sorry about that, don't what come over me there." She quickly turned her gaze away from him, feeling embarrassed with herself.
Peter laughed it off and offered her a friendly smile. "Hey we all have our quark's, mine's my charming personality and God-awful luck, yours must include the long and awkward hand shake." Peter shrugged nonchalantly, "I don't Judge."
She returned the friendly smile and joked. "You could say that...Let me guess, first day in our prestigious school of societal rejects and runaways?"
"Yep, not officially though, I'm still thinking things over."
"Thinking things over?" she raised an eyebrow, her smile still there, though it felt a bit more hesitant now. "You planning to join the circus or something?"
Peter chuckled, shaking his head. "Not exactly, but I'm definitely considering my options. This place is... interesting, to say the least." He glanced around, his sight settling on two teens playing with on the lake. "A little too prestigious for my taste, honestly. Everyone has a story, mines a little complicated right now."
She nodded, her gaze flickering toward the exit, as if she was tempted to leave this conversation before it got any deeper. "I get that. It's not really my scene either, if I had the option to choose, I'd be anywhere else but I don't and trust me it's better than the alternative. You get used to it eventually, it grows on you."
Peter raised a brow, sensing a shift in her mood. "What's the alternative?"
She hesitated, then shrugged, her face tightening just a little. "Nothing great, to be honest. Same old, same old. But, you know, it's not all bad here. You can blend in and keep to yourself."
Peter noted the way she looked away, the hint of discomfort she was trying to hide.
"And.." she continued "Well, if you're ever in the mood to not blend in…" she paused. "You could always hang out with me. I promise I'm not as much of a weirdo as I seem."
She let out a small, reluctant laugh but didn't quite meet his eyes.
"Thanks, Rogue, right? I appreciate it... but, I think I'll pass. For now. I should, uh, get going. I've got… stuff."
"Right," she nodded, masking her disappointment easily, but her smile stayed in place. "Well, if you change your mind, I'll be around."
"I'll keep that in mind." Peter waved as she turned to leave.
With a final glance at him, she stepped out, leaving Peter to his thoughts. Peter stared after her for a beat longer, Cypher churning in his head, neither said anything about what transpired during their hand shake, she didn't explain it and Peter didn't feel the need to bring it up.
Shaking his head, he decided to shrug it off—people were complicated, and life was just one long string of awkward moments anyway, no need to stress himself out about nothing.
With nothing else to do in the school today, Peter decided it was best for him to leave for now before he came across any more awkward meetings.
He still had to go check up on the Ancient One and little McGrath. She should be up and about some time soon.
-Chapter End-
So, story's not dropped yet, still here. Updates gonna be really slow since my laptops been busted for a few weeks now and there ain't no internet where I'm at but whenever possible amma put a chapter up. Thanks for Power stones to those loyal followers of my fiction, your support is the reason this fictions still ongoing.