Enter: Binary-Heartless Man! (open)

[Christopher Bertrand]

((Open to everyone, Warren's presence is kindly asked on the basis of him having brought Chris to the Stute, at least for one post...at will))

The flight having been completely smooth, Christopher had lost himself in the silence that occurred after their last exchange, and was busying himself with the calculations of various heights, distances, directions, velocities, and forces which he could see all around him. He had already solved two such equations, but it was never enough. And then they landed and Chris could not help but feel a bit of regret that the flight was so short-lived. Pity...I rather enjoyed that.

It is only when his feet touch the ground that he realizes just how badly he reacted to this kind of flight. Subconsciously, he had stiffened his legs, and his arms were kept in the same position all the while. And now, as he tries to walk, they all protest in screaming agony. I need to make a note of that. The feeling of the flight was good, but the consequences should not be such.

And then, finally, he lays eyes on the manor, the grounds, and the large amounts of students going all around. Naturally, the first reaction to everything is the lighting of a cigarette, a process which takes perhaps five seconds of his time, a well-practiced move. He turns to Warren as they walk into the entrance hall. "Is smoking allowed in-doors?" he asks coolly, but hopes as hell that it is, otherwise there will hardly be any chance of catching him inside.

After the pains in his limbs calm down when he starts using them again, and the mist of excitement clears out from his mind now that the first and second impressions on flight Warren-style are some small amount of time behind him, he can start fully analyzing his surroundings once more. And the first thing that jumps out in plain sight is the hugely advanced computer network the Institute has. He closes his eyes for a moment, listening merely to what really is just the high-speed transfer of data, but to him seems like beautiful music. His brain integrates almost immediately with the closest computer, and he is now connected to the Institute's network. For a moment he feels something like a nudge to the back of his brain, but ignores it, and turns around to see the entrance hall, retracting from network once he is certain he can access it again without trouble.

None of his emotions, in the least bit the surprise and excitement, show in Christopher's posture and facial expression. In fact, if one was to judge from the young man's body language, they would probably gather that he is profoundly bored and unmoved by what all he has seen and perhaps felt.

"And what am I to expect to happen in sequence to our arrival? Am I to report to someone, meet someone, or just stand here aimlessly? I would have enough to do, mind you, with this exquisite piece of technology integrated into the whole building, but I am not quite certain as to what to do after I am done studying whatever I can find." he says as his eyes look up towards the ceiling, and then lower to the stairs and the doorways that are almost everywhere. He could easily find a blueprint of the building if he wishes, but he thinks he would prefer a tour the normal way. Keeping his hands off the computers and away from his powers is going to be difficult.

[Warren Worthington III]

Warren frowns slightly at Bertrand’s cigarette, somewhat more at the young man’s blasé body language, but doesn’t comment on either.

> " Is smoking allowed in-doors? "

"Er… not ordinarily, no. Tell you what… why don’t you stay out here for a minute, finish your cigarette and get your legs back under you. I’ll go let the folks in charge know you’re here, and we’ll take it from there. In the meantime, if anyone comes by feel free to introduce yourself and let them know you’re with me for the moment. I’ll be right back."

Of course, there isn’t any real need for him to tell anyone anything, since he’d already let Josh know the situation… but it probably wouldn’t be a great idea to emphasize that fact. So he goes inside and upstairs, knocking abruptly on Jake and Ororo’s office doors. "Are you guys ready to talk to our anomalous cyberpath?"

[Jake Sheppard]

There’s a new mind in the ‘stute.

Not just a new person (which isn’t a surprise anyway – word having passed from Warren to Josh and then to him along the telepathic grapevine that Warren would be bringing a passenger) but a new sort of mind. Or so it seems to Jake who, in those *blah* spaces during a particularly uninspiring run through Azeroth, has been idly monitoring for the new guy’s arrival by Air Worthington. And maybe it’s that Josh’s eagerness to learn is rubbing off, and maybe that he’s finally started growing up and stopped pretending he doesn’t really care about his powers, but it’s… kinda intriguing, in the way an eleven-legged spider might be; equal mixes of interesting and mildly disturbing in its freakiness. Which perhaps is far from the best way to think about any power, considering who he now is and what this place he’s supposedly leading is meant to represent, but that’s… how it is.

< Are you guys ready to talk to our anomalous cyberpath?
”Anoma-who in the what now wh…?” He shakes his head - ”Whatever”. Emboldened by the sense of intrigue, Jake sends Ororo a quick *ping* - I’ve got this – before offering Warren an unusually confident (verbalised for the benefit of the new guy, having learnt his lesson from enough new arrivals freaking out at the *voice in my head* routine) ”Send him on up”

[Warren Worthington III]

> " Anoma-who in the what now wh…?"

Warren grins and responds in a passable Brooklyn accent. "Ya know, da new guy dat youse wanted to see, da one what talks to gadgets, y’get me?"

> " Whatever. Send him on up."

"Youse got it, boss… one anomalous cyberpath, comin’ up!" Not very many people can actually say “anomalous cyberpath” convincingly in a Brooklyn accent… in fact, judging from Warren’s attempt, the total count may well be zero.

In any event, one trip back down to the front steps and back up again later, Warren is negotiating introductions, after a mild suggestion that this might be a good time to take a break from the cigarette chain.

"Boss, dis is -- " he laughs and shakes his head and starts over in his regular voice. "Jake, meet Christopher Bertrand; Chris, this is our Headmaster, Jake Sheppard. Jake, Chris owns the mutant signature that sent me off on that little scouting mission; apparently he interfaces psychically with computer systems, somewhat like our favorite super-senior used to.

Chris – Jake will give you more details about our little setup here, if you want them, and if you’re still interested in a staff position here I’m sure we can work something out.

In the meantime, though, I really have to get going… my wedding is in less than a week and we still don’t have the guest list finalized. Pleasure meeting you, Chris..."

As he steps outside he adds to this silently, but “thinking out loud” in the way he’s accustomed to around Josh, Word of warning – he’s just as tedious to talk to as Drake used to be after he drank Richards’ Miracle Elixir. Take it slow and steady with him, k?

[Christopher Bertrand]

He waits idly where he was left, not moving for a single millimeter. Patience is yet another thing logic and cyberpathy seem to inspire. It must have a connection to the bore of having to wait for old-time computers to load and finish all of their work. His eyes and hand seem to be the only parts of his body to move, the first in a search for new faces, more details, and further hints towards the size and layout of the building, especially interesting in this domain is the knowledge of where the computers might be, and the second in further consumption of the cigarette.

He finishes just as Warren arrives, and then returns the next one (which, yes, is already half-way to his mouth) at the other's suggestion, not displaying just how disgruntled he is, which is no change, considering how he has not displayed any other emotion either.

Up the stairs, he feels a whole new level of binary presence, but has to stop marveling fairly soon, as a door opens and a new face appears.

>"Jake, meet Christopher Bertrand; Chris, this is our Headmaster, Jake Sheppard. Jake, Chris owns the mutant signature that sent me off on that little scouting mission; apparently he interfaces psychically with computer systems, somewhat like our favorite super-senior used to.

Chris – Jake will give you more details about our little setup here, if you want them, and if you’re still interested in a staff position here I’m sure we can work something out.

In the meantime, though, I really have to get going… my wedding is in less than a week and we still don’t have the guest list finalized. Pleasure meeting you, Chris..."

Chris nods towards Jake, and listens silently the rest of the small speech. He offers a short "hmm" in lieu of a better response at Warren saying it was a pleasure meeting him, and then feels the urge to slap himself as soon as the door closes and the words "you too" come to mind.

Could have at least said "same"... he thinks shortly before turning his attention fully onto Jake. His blue eyes transfix themselves on the other's own, locking them in a piercing gaze with the focused intensity of a supercomputer not having anything to do rather than observe. Naturally, nothing comes out of his mouth, and he finds delight in preventing himself from taking out a cigarette- the difficulties of breaking a habit have always comforted him that he is still a human being, at least as far as they could. After a few seconds his eyebrow arches, as if to ask "well, what happens now?", but no other move happens. If someone was to watch Chris for the past fifteen minutes, they would surely think that he really is a catatonic person with the superhuman mutation of movement under high levels of concentration.

[Jake Sheppard]

The degree of effort it takes for Jake to suppress his snickers at Warren's 'accent' - along with the urge to applaud his 'anomolous cyberpath' for the sheer entertainment value - is far from small, but fades next to that required to keep his embarrassment at both hidden once Chris - no, Christopher, because it instantly feels wrong to try and render the name friendly (is Mr. Bertrand going too far?) - enters the room, even minor outburts feeling almost obscene next to that degree of blankness. It's not quite as disturbing as it was with Drake, because he's not expecting there to be a *normal* personality in its place (or at least, not expecting it in the same way) but still, Christopher's stillness and the intensity of his concentration are more than a little unsettling.

< Take it slow and steady with him, k?[/i]
Roger, wilco... Jake clears his throat, gesturing towards the (mercifully un-cluttered, for once) chair opposite. "Okay... right, well, take a, erm... take a seat"

Adding "I don't know how much Warren has told you about, erm, all of this...", Jake hopes Christopher has slightly more social skills than the aformentioned super-senior... enough, at least, to recognise that as a cue and take some of the pressure off him.

[Christopher Bertrand]

>"Okay... right, well, take a, erm... take a seat"

He pulls out a chair and sits in it, as per the request, but other than that does not provide any, even superficial, reasons to start a conversation. Instead, he settles on gazing off at the man in front of him, studying him carefully. One might get the wrong impression that he actually likes experimenting with just how uncomfortable he could get people to feel, internally laughing at the situation.

His thoughts, however, are more than slightly different. What do I do now? Do I start a conversation? About what? The weather? NO! That is the one that should be avoided... they swarm in a panicky haze, but his face is a cement block- eternally unchanging.

>"I don't know how much Warren has told you about, erm, all of this..."

His eyebrow travels higher yet, his thoughts come back into order, but he pursues further his mildly interested posture. Apparently, this man talks of his own accord, or perhaps whenever one looks at him. Confusion...that is the one emotion I have not faced in a long time. He seems to have it in abundant measures, however. How very interesting...

Deciding to make it easier on the man, Christopher finally starts talking.

"I am hoping that was not a question? If it was, the answer would be "not much". I do, however, perceive that you have a rather advanced computer network installed. The computers themselves are of rather high ranking as well." he pauses for a moment and glances at Jake's computer. A quick system scan tells him two things, one important, and one not so much. The important thing is that the computers at the institute do not seem to categorize his mind as a virus. Odd...I wonder why...

The second thing is the list of most recently run programs on it. "And you use it to play a game...it is rather ingeniously created, however, so I suppose there is no harm in it." he stops for a while to watch the man some more. I wonder what his mutation is...

Finally realizing that what he just said is not the best way to introduce himself, he coughs slightly. "I apologize, I should not have performed the check, and then later on criticized."