Pilatus

X-Men: The New Era - Avalon Rising

Kaylee Everose & Coleman St John

---

Walking along, Cole hadn’t said much since they left his office. The conversation seemed to take a break to some idle chit chat about the weather and other normal topics, however he was going to get his question in and at least, to some extent, felt a little better about sensitive ears that might have been eavesdropping on their talk back in the office. Sunlight filtered through the trees as they walked the perimeter of the Institute as the branches rocked slowly in a steady breeze. “At some point, I want to have a meeting with Professor Finn,” He said looking ahead at the small pathway in front of them. “I know he can look into the past, I want him to see my memories and maybe I can put some of the pieces back together. I think it would answer a lot of questions.”

The breeze pulled at Kaylee's dress gently and pulled her hair across her face. "If you have something from your past that's easy enough. If it makes you feel more at ease."

Kaylee blushed lightly, her own questions she wanted answers to revolving around Cole were much more personal in nature and dialed into the present. Pulling her hair off her face and tucking it behind her ears she attempted to clear her throat. It was a soft sound as if she didn’t really want to intrude on a moment.

“I don’t know,” He shrugged. The thought of feeling more at ease wasn’t the appeal. It was more about filling in spaces in his mind. Like a puzzle that had been assembled, but the pieces had been broken up and some lost. They walked on in silence for a moment. He could tell she was waiting for him to finally ask something and decided it was time. Not far ahead the path would curve around towards Ashford’s cottage and it seemed a fitting subject. “What exactly is Ashford’s mutant ability?” He said not turning his glance towards her, but still looking ahead as if he were considering the answer as he spoke.

Kaylee blinked. "I didn't expect that. Ashford's power is..." She blinked again. Kaylee ran her hands through her hair. "It's… It's quiet like Heidi's power. His brain processes things faster than most everyone. Why did it take me so long to remember that?"

Her odd hesitation caused Cole to regard her with a slight raised eyebrow. For a moment she looked genuinely baffled, which was a look he had never observed in her before. He started to speak, but again considered his words knowing she would end up being her own worst skeptic. His eyes instead focused on a small section of visitor parking spaces towards the middle of the courtyard. The walking path diverged towards the sparse lot. Being a Saturday, there were few cars, but one stuck out in particular: a black Targa Porsche. His quizzical expression remained as they walked closer. “That’s his doctor’s car,” He said tilting his head slightly. Knowing the statement in itself meant little to Kaylee, he continued, “Her pass only works during the weekdays.” He looked at the tag, the unmistakable California cursive font and the stamped lettering INDIGO. “Somebody let her in,” He said. “And they didn’t bother to tell me.”

Kaylee looked over at the car. "Yes. I wasn't aware that she had an appointment. Surely it isn't an emergency do you think? I would think that if it were we both would know."

Looking concerned Kaylee turned to look at Cole. She raised an eyebrow at Cole. "I wasn't told anything." She checked her phone. "I don't have anything listed in my schedule. Well besides spending time with both the girls. I need to get back there soon."

Cole crossed his arms and looked over towards the small cottage. “No, we would have both got a notice by now.” He shook his head and motioned towards a shadetree where his Explorer was parked. “Only a few people have unlimited gate access and other than you and me, there’s only two others here today that have it.”

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

Paige Kennedy

The small safehouse the Marshal service had offered Paige after the attack at her apartment was really nothing more than a cottage hidden down in a fairly ordinary neighborhood not far from the university. With just one bedroom, a living room, a galley kitchen and full dining room, it was very awkwardly layed out, feeling both big and small at the same time. Tucked at the end of a slowly curving street inside an alcove of trees, it was inconspicuous and easily defensible and though that was the point, Paige absolutely hated it.

The furniture inside was no less unassuming and bland. Many of the few items she had brought over from the apartment were still in boxes in various places on the floor, some still marked with her writing from Florida having never even been opened since her move to Sol. The whole house felt like the refuge of an aged recluse and the loneliness therein made her spend more and more time at Milo’s shop. Even if he wasn’t there, his shop still felt more like a home and the aromas of molten metal and gun oil just carried an air of familiarity. While on the surface, she had no doubt in her abilities to defend herself, she couldn’t deny, down deep, that being around him satisfied an innate need to feel secure.

Her phone sat on a small wooden vanity that she was sure was much older than her, hooked in from the charger playing another familiar 80’s list. Fresh out of a shower, she sat in front of the mirror brushing out her hair. Her lips moved with the words and though there was no one else around, she couldn’t stand the sound of her singing voice. Fleetwood Mac wasn’t really her favorite, but while her hands were busy she let it play though. She could handle the soft harmony of Christine McVie, but the raspy echoes of Stevie Nicks were something else altogether. Still, being a female from the South, there was some mandatory ritual about not dissing the most coked-up and scandalous “rock” band in history. She couldn’t help but sing a long a little bit louder, just over as whisper as her hand pulled the brush through a tangle.

Siobhan was over at the university. She could swing by, pick her up, go by the office downtown for a bit and then have dinner with Milo somewhere. After the impromptu party down at Joel’s, she was holding on to every minute, seeing in her mind the time that was coming after which nothing would ever be the same again. Her hands worked blonde lockes into a loose braid that hung over her shoulder while for a moment she looked at herself in the mirror, her own stoic expression staring back at her as the music played and her fingers worked. Her eyes glanced away and she shook her head, finishing the braid with her hands.

Throwing on her leather jacket, she dug in the pocket and pressed the keyfob hearing the car chirp happily outside. The driveway, like the rest of the house, was oddly placed, wrapping around the back of the house at an angle that hid the car from view. The old concrete step was uneven out the back door, but she was used to it glancing down at her phone, not expecting the sharp blow that landed across her head.

X-Men: The New Era - Avalon Rising

---

GM Post

There was a small, two story farm cottage on the Institute property left over from Malcolm Ashford’s acquisition of the land. Tucked away in an alcove of shade trees, it was almost unnoticeable behind the main dorms and administration building. Rather than having the old structure demolished with the new construction, Ashford had instead renovated and modernized, turning the house partly into his personal residence, office, and with the various bedrooms, a resting place for important guests or even potential students. The rooms were small, left in the style of early 1900s architecture while the decor was finely furnished in a similar manner with traditional dark hardwood themes and exquisitely crafted furniture that matched the time period. Steps inside the residence seemed to move and reverberate as the building welcomed people with bright white paint and soft lighting that showed warmly over paintings and novelties from around the world.

Ashford’s office was by far the largest room. Converted from what once appeared to have been a parlor, the dark oak furnishings carried over to his large desk and leather chair. It was much dimmer than the rest of the house, but with a touch of modernity in flush ceiling lights around a textured skylight just above the desk. The walls were lined with books placed in recessed shelves that had a studious archway flourish that ran along the ceiling save for the fireplace and the windows just behind his desk while the furnishings were much more personal and the workplace slightly disheveled from regular use. The smell was something like old parchment, aged leather and the cleanliness of atmosphere that came through central air.

A dark haired woman sat in the window seat behind the desk glancing out through the blind; unimpressed with the Dean’s office. She had seen it many times before. Her sharp complexion and superbly tailored clothing presented nothing short but an air of the highest echelons of Los Angeles society. She turned her gaze to the man sitting across the desk from her on a deep red Victorian sofa.

“So this is an… ‘office’?” He asked in a deep baritone.

“Yes,” She answered. “This is how they conduct their business, usually in these settings.”

He nodded slowly, his face showing the pitiful novelty he found in the setting. Like her, his clothing was also expertly fitted, though he mostly preferred black. He sat with one leg propped broad on the other and an arm stretched out over the top of the sofa. Even sitting, it was evident he was tall, well over six feet and built firmly like a workman.

“You look nice.” She said with a tiny smirk.

The man grinned back at the comment and ran a hand along the side of his head, feeling the converging scars of an ancient marking that continued around the back of his neck. He continued to look around the room before the door opened, bringing his eyes back to her briefly as two men entered.

Pierce and Ashford entered the room. The woman in the window seat watched them carefully, studying their expressions and mannerisms with only the faintest hint of a smirk. The man on the sofa did not turn his head, only letting them come into his view as they stood between the pair at the desk, neither taking a seat.

“Well, I have to give you credit already Dr. Ashford,” The man said. “You’ve accomplished what very few have ever done, made me wait.”

“You’re Finvarra.” Pierce said. The statement was neither accusatory or defensive, but carried a tiny sliver of apprehension that even Pierce had not intended.

“I am,” The man replied with a small nod, looking back steadily at the young professor. “And you are…?”

“A pet,” The woman chimed in.

“Pet?”

Pierce glared back at the woman who no longer made any attempt to hide a grin. Ashford motioned calmly with one hand to clear the air. “This is Professor Adam Pierce, he serves as my Director of Training here at the Institute and my closest confidant.”

Finvarra looked back slightly quizzically at the woman. “I thought you said his second in command was a woman?”

“She is, but she’s only in charge in as much as she knows about.” The woman replied. “Dr. Ashford doesn’t trust her with the truth. He keeps mister Pierce around because he’s loyal, like a dog.”

“Why don’t we get down to business,” Ashford said, placing the same calming hand on Pierce who crossed his arms and leaned against the bookshelf behind him. “And leave the critical review of my staff members to me.”

“Where is Una?” Finvarra interjected nearly as soon as Ashford had finished speaking. His dark eyes trained heavily on the Dean.

“Here in our training center, just across the courtyard,” Ashford said. “I’m sure you will be taking her back today?”

“No, I will not, I have things to attend to in Avalon that could put her in danger, so unfortunately my stay here will be brief this time, but I will see her before I go.”

“Of course,” Ashford replied with some hesitancy.

“Don’t worry doctor,” Finvarra gestured dismissively. “I won’t upset the balance of what you have contrived here, just yet. Sena tells me you have several potential candidates to continue your work?”

Ashford raised one hand to his chin in contemplation and crossed the other over his chest. “Yes, several of them have displayed a very high level of potential, but even from that small group, we have some stand out candidates, particularly from the events last night.”

Finvarra nodded slowly, but gave a distant glance before his eyes drifted briefly back towards Sena, looking over her figure and again to Ashford. His fingertips drummed slowly on the top of the sofa. “I also understand the medicines we have provided are becoming less effective?”

Ashford gave a slight sigh, “Yes, it seems I am slowly building an immunity to its effects. It’s a problem that I have not been able to fully understand given the circumstances, but I am confident our work will be completed well before I am unable to continue in this arrangement.”

Finvarra smirked and shook his head. Watching him, Sena smiled slyly from the window seat seeing the familiar look of distaste across the man’s face. “There’s also the issue of the other one you’ve invited on your staff. He is not from this realm. How is that possible?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t be coy with me, doctor.”

“What is he talking about?” Pierce piped in.

“He’s talking about your new security officer.” Sena said darkly. “He’s not from this reality and he’s not from ours either. So how did he get here when you control the only gateway?”

Pierce looked on dumbfounded as confusion overcame his obvious disdain for the person in question.

Ashford shook his head. “I… I don’t know,” He said finally, clearly disappointed in still be perplexed by the question in spite of the time that had passed.

“That’s the wrong answer.” Sena chirped.

Ashford turned his eyes hard at the woman who merely responded by tilting her head and glaring back nearly as a challenge. “I could sense the rift that brought him here when it happened and it was as if he was simply drawn towards us steadily, whether it was somehow by me or perhaps one of the students. I thought we could gain more knowledge by fostering a relationship and bringing him close enough to study.”

“You have someone in this work right now?” Finvarra asked.

“He does, but she just doesn’t know it yet.” Sena replied, keeping a slight smile, turning her gaze back through the window blind.

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

Joel Nicolosi

The engine howled happily with a downshift and settled into a gentle pur as Joel approached the small fold-up tent. The nose bobbed slightly in front of his view as the suspension rolled over divots in the concrete tiles composing the taxiway of the crosswind runway at Old Sol International. His eyes glanced up and down, partly watching his approach while also checking the readouts on the steering wheel display: Brake temps, tire temps, oil and water readings. The Aston’s V12 snarled heartily as he dropped one more gear into first. He popped the DRS one more time just for fun glancing in the mirror to see the wing open and seeing the function come active on the small screen before it snapped shut with another press of the button. He glided beneath a second tent flanked by toolboxes and bordered by the massive hauler that Tommy had bought, still emblazoned with #75 and Joel’s 300ZX, although the words Sol City GP Champions and picture of the trophy had been added.

Stepping out, Joel removed his helmet along with the tethers from his Hans device and set the whole apparatus on the roof of the car, running his hands vigorously through his matted hair before pulling his ear plugs. Music played from the hauler’s speakers, dropping in and out randomly as they had also tuned in with ground control. Joel glanced over his shoulder in the distance at the sound of heavy underwing engines whistling with steady throttle as a UPS 767 eased in on approach on the main left, north-south runway, gear down and flaps extended, the wingtips rocked with each adjustment by the pilot. Joel glanced past as the tires touched down, watching the steady movement of the clouds of midafternoon as sunlight blinked shadows over the open expanse. It wasn’t a busy afternoon and getting the time on the unused area of the airport was no problem, he turned to a small table with a laptop and slid a pair of sunglasses on to shield the brightness of the concrete pads from his eyes.

The keys rattled beneath his finger prints while a voice came up from behind:

“Well, how’d it go?” The Neo City accent of Joel’s old crew chief, Lou, was unmistakable. As usual, he had a headset halfcocked off one ear and a tablet in one hand.

Joel shrugged, “Definitely nice having the engine back in front of me again,” Joel chuckled. His eyes scanned the laptop screen without looking back. “Fronts don't wanna get up to temp fast enough, I don’t wanna burn through tires before we learn anything,” He said, his face twisted quizzically at some of the data. “The Brits definitely build a different car than the Germans.” He said scratching his head.

“Otha guys workin’ on ya ride, gotcha soft eh?” Lou chuckled. “Looked good from where I was sittin’.”

“Ha!” Joel cackled. “They do what they get paid to do and I… I do what I get paid to do.”

“Drive and look pretty, huh?”

“Yeah there ya go,” Joel smirked. He turned and lifted an air hose from the ground and hooked it into the hood port. The car immediately jumped up a few inches onto its jackstands. Kneeling down, he ran his fingertips over the shape of the right front tire and tilted his head slightly looking at the suspension. “Brakes felt good, seemed like they were right in the range, we can probably close the ducts up some more, we’ll be going wide open long enough to keep them cool I think. Bump stops could probably be shaved, give us some more flexibility…”

“Whad else is on your mind?”

Joel snorted at the question and shook his head, not looking up. Lou knew him about as well as anyone. “Nah, nothin.” He said with a shrug. “Same ol’ shit ya know.”

“Women gotya inna bind again? I thought you had settled on the redhead.” Lou asked.

“No, not that,” Joel said standing up and wiping his hands. “Just seems like the city’s changing and I don’t know if it’s for the better.”

“You been listenin’ to that conspiracy crap in the middle of the night again?”

“Nah, all you gotta do is read the paper now, it’s been that way for a while,”

Lou chuckled a bit, “Well that’s the way it goes sometimes, why yous thinkin about gettin out?”

“Yea, before they raise my taxes any more.” Joel snickered. The breeze across the airstrip picked up a bit and he breathed it in heavily. “Just feels like I’ve got everything I can outta this town lately, might be time to do somethin’ different.”

X-Men: The New Era - Avalon Rising

Kaylee Everose & Coleman St John

---

“I’m not a mutant.” Cole answered. His expression was unchanging, looking straight at her. “But you already knew that.” He relaxed back a bit, shaking his head: “It’s something else entirely.” Things would have been a lot easier to explain if she had seen Heidi. He considered his words again, but still decided to just go with whatever came naturally. “A while back I had an accident on my last bike, way before I came here,” He said. “I still can’t remember certain parts of my life before that, but that was when things changed.”

Kaylee started as Cole said he wasn't a mutant. She tilted her head slightly and nodded as he made a valiant attempt to explain. It was overwhelmingly apparent that he was unsure where exactly to start. Kaylee sensed the difficulty in Cole's hesitation, not as willful but slightly overwhelmed. She looked him in the eyes; she waited a heart beat with their eyes locked, she moved toward satisfying part of her curiosity surrounding this man. "Alright. This seems like it would be easier for you if I just asked questions until my curiosity is satisfied. If that's the case how did you get this power?"

Cole drummed his fingers again for a moment. His lips were pursed. There was a wave of relief that crashed headlong through his mind into another that screamed STOP, but the cat was out of the bag, or very nearly. He breathed in and rested his head on the back of the chair, exhaling through his nose and looking at the ceiling for a moment. “Power isn’t the right word.” He said, bringing his gaze back down to her. “It’s more like a calling.” He crossed his arms and thought some more. For so long he had wanted, badly, to tell someone; for someone to be able to at least listen. There would likely never be a more receptive setting than the Institute, but even with Kaylee, past reservations still flooded his thoughts and whether or not the information he was going to give her would put her in danger. With some hesitancy, he continued: “It wasn’t long after my wreck that it first happened, like I just knew what to do.” He said. “Out on 40, it couldn’t have been too far east of Barstow, middle of night, like 3am or some, ungodly hour. It was a guy in a McLaren sportscar on his way back from Vegas.” Cole shook his head as he recounted the vision. He feigned difficulty in the memory, but it was actually easy to recall. His expression became a grim determination and he looked ahead at the desk no longer focused on Kaylee, but on the scene that replayed vividly through his mind. “He was some Arab prince, cousin of a cousin, or some bullshit like that, he trafficked children.” He finally looked back up at her directly in the eye. “I’m not talking about... like our students here, I mean kids, little babies even. Don’t ask me how I knew,” He said. “I just knew.” His hands had become slowly clenched into fists on the desk. “I ran him off the road, the car flipped a buncha times after the nose dug into the sand.”

Kaylee was unfamiliar with this part of his background and listened intently. "And they call us monsters. What happened in the first wreck?" She sensed that was the important part of the conversation. As much as she'd love to hear about how he brought the scum to justice she felt that whatever happened in the wreck was far and beyond important.

Frequently it was traumatic events that caused a latent mutant gene to activate and Kaylee was determining if that was the case with Cole. He'd been through a lot. More than he should and be this well put together. As she waited for him to answer her eyes took in his expression, his presence and what he revealed as he spoke.

Cole thought about it for a moment, relaxing a bit. It wasn’t the line of questioning he expected and he was a little relieved her rational side was catching up to the conversation. She was analyzing the information. Even though he said he was not a mutant, to her it didn’t necessarily prove anything, which brought back the question of what role he was actually playing in the grand scheme. He knew he was right, but he also didn’t know what that meant. He shook his head. “I don’t remember much,” He said. “I was on the Coastal, but I woke up lying in the ditch, just for a minute because I can remember seeing the stars, the next thing I remember I was in the hospital.”

Kaylee’s brow puckered. “Nothing else? That is odd. Usually a manifestation is a bit more jolting than that. Then again it could be explained by the fact that you have a very controlled demeanor. I actually get to see your aura very often. I thought it was due to your control. So you knew about the trafficking small children, and that was the first instance of your power. Was that all? Just a knowing? Your aura has more than one color that normally indicates to me multiple facets of power.”

Kaylee enjoyed talking about the subtle differences in powers. She had years to figure out what was what color in a person’s aura. She had been stunned with the complexities in Cole’s aura. It was such a wondrous combination of colors that she had broken through her normal reservations.

“I dont know.” Cole replied. “If I try to think back on it, it’s like I was just, there, like put there, like the memory just sits in my mind on its own.” He said. “I can remember certain things before it happened, like how to ride or where things are in the grocery store, but people and some of my family memories, I had to…” He paused in some consideration. “I kinda had to relearn them, almost like they were new to me. It’s weird.” He gave a small smirk as she talked about his color aura. It was interesting, but something he had no concept other than her words. The way she and some of the students could see the world was completely opposite to the way he could. “I guess it was about a month after that, and no, I don’t just know all at once. It’s a feeling that builds up, like I said, it’s not a power. When the time comes, I can’t deny it. That’s the way it was when I left you at Avalon.”

“That sounds more like it controls you. As if it possesses you when it has to. Interesting. Almost like what happens to Una when she is unconscious. Do you lose complete autonomy? Is it like a runaway horse that you can’t control? As if you were the rider at it’s every whim?” Kaylee was fascinated and she leaned into the conversation.

“No, it’s not that at all.” He said. A part of him felt a twinge of warning in his subconscious to be careful what he said next, but the words continued on. “When it happens,” He shook his head again, unable to hide a look of almost satisfaction. “I’m almost glad,” He said. “It’s not something that just happens, it’s something I get to do.”

Kaylee tilted her head. “That’s good. So what does this have to do with you setting fire to Nocturne?” She was following but more in an esoteric way. His answers weren’t straight out evasions and he skirted the line of the answer not actually being an answer. She had nothing to call him on and he was letting her get away with a lot more questions than she was answering.

“Fire is just what happens when I get there,” Cole said looking back at her. “It’s not a reason, whether it’s Nocturne or a scumbag out in the desert or wherever.”

Her look turned intense.“Alright so what exactly happens?”

@Almalthia

X-Men: The New Era - Avalon Rising

@Espada Emi

I understand there was some confusion over this being moved over before it was reviewed, but after talking with the other GMs, these are the items we'd like to see addressed for the game and they will need to be changed/amended in the character tab prior to joining the game:

1. Regeneration will need to be dropped. We think that is going to be a little too much. Some low-grade healing factor would be an acceptable balance.

2. Loss of Control is not a weakness. I have never once seen this trope used in a believable way. We're not going to require it be changed as you have described it, but just note that this is going to be watched closely. This has come up in some other apps as well and same applies there.

3. Violent past. Much like above, we're willing to let it go for now, but this will certainly be the last app for a while that will get to carry this flag. Characters with violent history (ie.: mauling or killing people, committing crimes) prior to coming to the Institute carry a certain level of plot baggage that we then have to bend our established plans to accommodate.

Once these points are addressed/understood, we can go ahead and give the approval for you to start playing him.

~P

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

24 Hour Time Skip Warning

Jumping to THURSDAY - MORNING TO EVENING

Any questions please let us know.

As always, if you feel that you are not ready to skip. PLEASE speak up!

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

formal skip announcement coming up tomorrow, probably a midweek jump

X-Men: The New Era - Avalon Rising

---

GM Post

Ashford’s face is stern as she speaks; his lips forming a thin line of concern at Aya’s recounting of the night before. “I understand fully,” He says sternly. His tone is both comforting and securing. “You’ve taken your first glimpse into a much larger world.” His eyes move towards the corridor seeing how far Pierce has walked ahead of him before turning back to Aya. “Right now I am working on a project that will keep those beings out of here forever.” He touches her shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t be afraid,” He says calmly. “You are one of our best, continue your work here and leave the rest to me.”

-At this time, Ashford has left the Danger Room complex to go to his planned meeting with Pierce-

@c3p-0h

X-Men: The New Era - Avalon Rising

Kaylee Everose & Coleman St John

---

Kaylee blinked. "You started the fire." It was a statement not a question. "For what purpose? To what end? You had to know that there was a child in the building. Did something go wrong or get out of control? I don't see you as someone who would risk a child's life when you were there to extract her. Something doesn't add up Cole. What exactly is going on in that beautiful mind of yours?"

Kaylee smiled knowing that his explanation would be amazing. Sometimes you just knew to trust someone. All of the things Kaylee had seen in her life lead her to believe she could trust Cole. Maybe it was the way he held himself or the way he spoke. Or it was just the fact that she trusted her powers that much.

Cole raised a professorial finger from his coffee mug at the barrage of questions. "Not your turn." He said calmly; a little surprised at her eagerness to trust him. He wondered a bit if her emotions were overcoming her normally sharp discernment. “Have you spoken to Heidi since last night?”

Tilting her head Kaylee took a deep breath. "I had planned on it later today, but no I have not yet. I also planned on seeing Uná as well. How did the fire start and weren't you in danger?"

Cole nodded and glanced away back out the window. “Like I said, I started it. There was no danger.” He started to continue, but stopped, thinking about the words and that he had never actually told or even tried to explain anything about what or how it happened to anyone. Exhaling a small breath, he drummed his fingers once on the desk. Several lines of questioning spread out in his mind like hydra. “It’s hard for me to really describe,” He said looking back at Kaylee. “Who I was when I left you at the club, was not who I was when I got to Nocturne.” It sounded good when it came out and likewise his mind stayed carefully on course with as delicate an explanation as he could compile. “I was still me, but not.” Plenty of times before he had debated with himself the best way to put into words how it happened, but none of those solo rehearsals seemed to come to mind in the least. “I know that doesn’t make a lot of sense and that’s why I asked if you had seen Heidi,” He said with almost a hint of foreboding. “She saw most of what happened and got Una out.”

Raising an eyebrow Kaylee waited for his question. When it wasn’t forthcoming she leaned forward bracing her forearms on the desk. "Actually it makes more sense than you realize. After all you are talking to a mutant school counselor. The only reason it would be hard to describe is if you've never analysed it. That can stem from one of two things. Either a refusal to accept the truth, which I don't believe about you, or a lack of experience. So narrowing it down to lack of experience let me ask you… No I'm sorry it is your turn to ask. Ask please."

Cole could see her trying to pivot back to a rational scientific method, but there was no account in science that would garner a rational conclusion to what happened when those tires caught fire and the hellish chorus of another world called out for blood. Her words were more for herself than for him. He leaned forward on the desk across from her. The moments of the night before flashed behind his eyes: the sound of the bike, the rush of fire, the completeness of vengeance satisfied as he erased a mutant’s soul from existence in a screaming afterburner. “You think it’s ‘lack of experience’?” He said as his gaze set locked into hers. “No. Go ahead and ask it.”

He'd never looked so aggressively intimidating. It sped her heart rate but not out of fear. Kaylee looked down and ran her fingertips around the top of the desk. "Okay no more back and forth hinting at what I really want, no, need to know." She looked up at him. "What have you wanted to tell me for awhile now and haven't had a chance to?"

@Almalthia