Ellie quickly stepped back as she realized she'd managed to sneak up on the man, her hands clenching into motionless fists at her side to avoid accidental confrontation. It was an instinctive reaction - having spent the past few months being exposed to mutants of all varieties, you never knew how much control someone had over their powers. But aside from the flailing pseudo-Kung-fu, Bernie seemed to be all right. [i]He looks like he's in control. Not too volatile,[/i] she thought as he began to speak, but that train of thought stopped short when the man coughed. [i]Was that smoke?[/i]

She chewed quietly at her lip as she continued to listen to Bernie speak. His voice was quiet and raspy. The near-constant ringing in her ears was refusing to let up, and she had to strain to hear him over the tinnitus. A few too many shockwaves tended to damage one's hearing. It was comforting, in some strange way, to know that she wasn't the only one who felt wounded at being labelled 'useless'. "No, I pretty much deserve the 'useless' title," she confirmed. She gave an off-hand shrug, forcing herself to speak lightly about her own unfortunate abilities. "I knock myself unconscious every time I try to use my powers."

After a second's hesitation, Ellie offered a friendly smile to Bernie. Surely his abilities had to have some merit. "What is it that you can do? It can't be completely useless," she reasoned, trying to make light of the situation.