[center]Ali kept her posture steady as the burly man sheathed his metallic claws and crossed his own arms against his powerful chest. She tilted her head slightly to one side at the mention of his name. Wolverine was not something one would typically associate as a human name. She mulled over the thought for a few moments in her head and took note as he met her curious gaze. She winked playfully after seeing a smirk appear across his face. The gesture definitely smoothed out his rougher features and gave him an overall more welcoming and handsome appearance. Just as Ali was about to step forward and introduce herself, another man strode confidently into the room. He greeted the group with a charming smile and light-hearted words. Ali suddenly became aware of the sheer amount of people beginning to inhabit the recently vacant space. She straightened up and refocused her gaze as the sound of voices trailed up from the basement. 

One she recognized as Charles Xavier, but the other was unfamiliar to her. The Professor introduced the other man as Erik and excused himself abruptly from the rapidly increasing group of individuals. The burly man, Wolverine, followed in tow behind the seemingly fragile Charles. Ali smiled weakly at the limping man, her admiration for him growing with each encounter, and waited for the silence of the room to disperse. The room grew darker with a swish of Erik's hand and Ali tightened her muscles defensively. In the dimly lit room the faces of her guests faded into the background. Ali watched in amazement as the coins lifted from the table and swirled through the air as Erik spoke. She herself had not even began to experience the true potential of her own "powers", and was quite excited to see Erik displaying his skills openly. Her body surged with excitement as she listened intently to his words. 

Although the Professor had briefly spoken to Ali once before about his Institute and intentions, the mysterious man had been rather vague, which had led her to investigate the matter further on her own. Now she was standing here with a handful of others, her mind racing with the thoughts of what each in the room had to offer, and more than willing to truly discover her potential. As Erik ended his motivational speech the coins floated back to their place on the bar. Ali took a small step backwards to stand at man's side who had startled her earlier. She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes and raised her eyebrows questioningly. She wondered if he could read the questions on her mind clearly from the expression apparent on her delicate face. 

A rather short man stepped forward and spoke timidly with Erik. Ali could register a shakiness in his tone, but he approached the man with a mask of confidence. She was surprised that he was asking for the group, rather than simply himself. Ali realized this spoke more to his character than his unsteady series of questions. She smiled and blew out quietly through her nose as her face looked towards the cold floor. She looked back as his questions ended and decided to throw her own voice into the unstable mixture. Standing tall, she spoke up proudly from her place at the other stranger's side.

"Honey, I think we're all past the point of 'basic needs'."

Ali looked at Erik and tilted her head innocently to one side as her eyebrows raised. The tension in the room was thick, but Ali was used to being in front of a crowd. Her blue eyes twinkled in the faint light of the room as she patiently awaited further responses from her new "comrades".[/center]