Just What Everyone Needs...A Goth

[Tobias Smith]

Tobias Smith has a nonchalant expression on his face, as he walks silently towards the doors of the Xavier Institute. He is wearing his preferred outfit of his black duster, sagging black jeans, black combat boots, plain black sweater, red-and-black striped fingerless gloves, and headphones over his ears. Despite the sounds of electric guitars, blaring screeches passing for singing, and drums pounding in his ears, Tobias can think clearly without distraction.

He thinks about what his life is about to become, and how weird it could possibly become. The Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters...Seriously! Who the Hell says 'Youngsters' anymore? What is this Xavier guy, some kind of old freak or something? Why couldn't it be like, 'Mutant High' or ‘A School for Mutants that Doesn’t Have a Weird Name’ or something like that? I guess that a school for freaks should have a freakish name…

For once, Tobias is not wearing the black eyeliner or nail-polish that usually establishes his place as in stereotypical history. He continues walking towards the doors before he looks down at the ground for no particular reason. Until this point, his eyes have a glazed-over expression, but they widen when he spots a lone spider crossing over his boot. He lets out a yell and leaps backwards, kicking at his foot with the other, trying to kill the spider or at least get it off of him. But as he screamed, he inadvertently tapped into his power. Around Tobias, what little movement there was came to an absolute stop, and the all-too-familiar pressure of being where creatures from the 3rd Dimension should not be.

Tobias does not notice that he essentially stopped time, until after he kicked the spider off of his person, and stomped and jumped on the spider at least twelve times. He pants as his body shakes with fear. Tobias looks around him, and swears when he realizes that he did it again. He walks the last remaining few feet to the doors of the Mansion, before closing his eyes, and shifting back into our plane. Tobias re-assumes his apathetic expression, and knocks on the door of the mansion. He debates whether or not he should just go in or not, but chooses against it.

[Warren Worthington III]

(( OOC: This is pre-Josh-in-Paris, insofar as it matters. ))

Warren had noticed the cab approaching the Institute a few minutes back, while circling the Institute with his camera. Now, as he finishes his loop of the grounds and returns to his starting point, he spies a tall, thin, Goth-looking kid coming down the path.

(He wonders, idly, what the cab companies must think of the Xavier Institute. The endless supply of teenagers is reasonable enough for a prep school, I guess, but we do seem to get the odd ones. And this new arrival seems no exception.)

Initially he decides to keep his distance – no sense in freaking out the new kid too early in the game – but then the kid looks down and just disappears, reappearing a few feet away by the Institute front door.

The first thing that catches Warren’s attention about that is that it’s different from Kurt’s teleportation… when Kurt ‘ports, Warren’s windsense picks up an implosion of air where he used to be, and a displacement of it where he appears. With this kid, it’s pure displacement in a kind of tunnel from his old spot to his new spot. What that means, he isn’t sure, but it’s interesting.

The second thing that catches his attention is the kid’s posture just before and after the teleport: a startled, jerky kind of body language that Warren has learned to recognize as screaming “I’m not in control of my powers yet!”, coupled to a suddenly-adopted “cool” face, like a cat pretending it hadn’t just been playing with a ball of yarn. Great, he thinks, untrained and unwilling to admit it. Maybe it’s not such a great idea to let him wander the Mansion without an escort…

Warren lands quietly a few meters behind Tobias as he knocks on the door. " Afternoon!" he calls out loudly, hoping to be heard over the sheer noise-level his augmented hearing picks up from the boy’s headphones. "Judging from that ‘port, I’d guess you’re our newest student? Nice to meet you." He approaches on foot, smiling cheerfully. "Name’s Warren."

An outside observer might be amused by the contrast in their clothing (Warren looks like he just got off of a country club’s tennis court, with white shorts, a modified polo shirt, and sneakers seeming better suited for mid-summer than late fall), or the way Warren’s deep tan stands out starkly against Tobias’ pallor.

Of course, such an observer would have to be fairly nonchalant about Warren’s wings, and not many people outside the Institute are. For his part, Warren doesn’t notice the contrast much, though he regards the whole Goth look with a deep skepticism he tries to keep off his face.

(( OOC: Tobias might recognize Warren; he’s been on a bunch of talk shows and TV broadcasts and websites and whatnot. Or, he might not. Your call.))

[Tobias Smith]

Tobias is first aware of Warren behind him, when the winged man greets him. He turns around silently, and takes off his head phones with his left hand, simultaneously hitting the ‘Pause’ button on the Mp3 Player in his pocket with his right. He kept his constant nonchalant façade, despite facing a man with large wings. He glanced at the man’s preppy attire, the wings, his face, the wings, where the dust was kicked up when he landed, the wings, and the wings of course. Tobias blinks once, then twice, regarding Warren with the same skepticism that he himself was probably regarded.

Tobias recognizes Warren. He had watched the news when the great Warren Worthington the Third leapt out of a window and flew away rather than taking the Cure that his father created. Tobias sighs heavily and speaks calmly yet purposefully. “In order: 1. I didn’t teleport. I simply stopped time and walked. 2. Yeah, I just applied not that long ago. 3. Likewise. 4. Tobias, Tobias Smith. 5. If those,” he refers to Warren’s choice of clothing, “are standard uniform here, I’m leaving.” As Tobias speaks, he raises a finger for each one of his points.

Tobias finishes, and takes a look around him. He first looks around the campus, then down the street, in any small nooks and crannies that a person could hide in, and makes sure that there is no-one else around. When he is sure, he reluctantly holds out his hand offering a handshake. However, Tobias thinks, Christ…is thus guy some kind of mascot for the school? That is so typical; put the millionaire mutant kid of the guy who made the Cure as the figurehead of a Mutant School. God, if anyone sees me shaking this guy’s hand; I swear to God that I’ll freaking cut myself for once…I wonder: why do the others cut themselves? I understand the fashion, but still. I hate needles, and blades, but that’s their problem. Mine is dealing with this little fairy...

[Warren Worthington III]

Warren just barely manages to keep the amused grin off of his face at Tobias’ recitation, though it still flickers at the edges of his mouth as he replies in as dry a tone as he can manage. "Stopped time, huh? Mm… yeah, that would explain the tunnel-effect. Useful trick, that... though I’m guessing that means you can’t get to the other side of a closed door except in the usual way, right? " He opens the door and holds it open for Tobias to enter.

"As for the rest of your list, you’ll forgive me if I don’t keep the indexing going, I hope… it’ll get really confusing after a few days, trying to keep track of which comment was 17-a-stroke-j or whatever.
But if it reassures you, nope, no standard uniform – well, outside of training sessions, anyway, if you decide to go that route – I just like to dress comfortably. You can keep the standard nonconformist outfit if you like, or a pretty pink dress if you can find one in your size… we get used to not judging by appearances around here; you’ll see why once you meet some of our odder-looking residents.
Anyway… welcome to Xavier’s, then. I’ll spare you the usual introductory spiel; you’ll get to hear it often enough before you’re done. Mr. Sheppard’s probably waiting for you… or, well, to be honest he’s probably forgotten you’re coming today but we’ll all pretend he’s waiting for you anyway. I’ll show you to his office, then."

As he starts walking down the hall, he adds over his shoulder. "Any special needs we ought to know about? Hyper-accelerated metabolism or anything like that? I think you’re our first speedster, but we’ve gotten pretty good at accommodating unusual physiologies around here. "

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

Josh closes the door to Jake's office, and begins to walk down the corridor towards the entrance foyer. When he turns the corner and arrives there, he finds Warren and another student. Oh!

In general, the two of them had given up on trying to surprise one another around the school - it just didn't work anymore. Well, it's always fun pretending... Josh grins a little at that. In any case, with some concentration it was fairly simple from his end to fine-tune Warren's presence in the back of his mind into a general location on the grounds. This time, though, he'd been lost in his own thoughts.

"Hey, hon." He crosses the short space to Warren, and kisses him briefly on the cheek. "I'm just on my way out. Jake and Ororo wanted me to drop this off at an office in New York City." Josh waves a thick manila envelope. "Must have to do with our new PR image..."

Josh then focuses on the other boy. Judging from the clothing... this is a new one. He's amused at the choices. It's in sharp contrast to himself - Josh is wearing a pair of jeans and a green long-sleeve thermal shirt. One of their unlabeled leather jackets is thrown over it. Hmm, he'll be right at home here. Black is one of our favorite colors... He turns to greet him.

"A new arrival, I take it? Welcome to the Institute. I'm Josh Dalton." He extends a hand in greeting. "Going to talk to Jake? He's in his office, but he didn't mention any new students today..." Josh takes a moment and sends a telepathic heads-up to Jake, raising a hand to his temple. "...but he knows now."

Hey, Warr... is it just me, or are the new kids getting odder and odder? The edge of his mouth turns up as he eyes Warren.


(OOC - Tobias might have seen Josh on the news coverage of the X-Men... but maybe not. The two of them have also been dodging paparazzi for a couple months.)

[Tobias Smith]

Tobias eyes Warren with a suppressed sneer, before he sighs, and walks into the Institute with him. He pays mild attention as Little Ms. Feathers (Warren) told him about the lack of uniforms, Thank God, but pondered what the man meant when he said "Training Sessions," something about a route, and Mr. Sheppard, Sheppard? Then who the Hell is Xavier? He shakes his head when he is asked about any special needs, but also wonders about what training and who Xavier or Sheppard are. He chooses on asking about it, but before he does, yet another preppy mutant comes along. If all of them are preps, God, just kill me now.

Tobias' eyes widen only slightly with clarity when this newcomer kisses Warren. So they're gay. Well, it all makes sense now. The veil lifted from my eyes, the truth revealed, the cat let out of the bag, and the homos coming out of the closet. Tobias rolls his eyes, and shakes Josh's hand before realizing who it was. Sense the Alcatraz incident, Tobias watched the news much more than he used to, and he recognized Josh now. He suddenly let his eyes roll upward has his mind connected the dots. Well, I feel stupid. X-avier, X-Gene, X-avier's Institute for Mutants...erm, "Gifted Youngsters," and X-Men. Well, that didn't take a genius. So that means that the training sessions are for X-Men. Hoo-ray for Anti-terrorism...I wonder if they'd me mess with their stuff...doubt it.

Tobias sighs while listening to Josh, then says, "Alright, just point me to the office, I'll get whatever needs to be done over with, get my dorm, toss in my stuff and sleep while you two...do whatever it is you choose to do in your free time. Fight mutant terrorists, teach classes, have gay love affairs, I really don't care. Long cab ride, no sleep, I'd just like to get this done so I can get back to my old life sooner."

Tobias then realizes that he left his suitcase back at the gates when he got out of the cab. He winces at his own stupidity, and says to the pair, "Sorry, be right back...left my suitcase." The dark-clad teen then closes his eyes, concentrating deeply. He opens them when he feels the pressure of the 4th Dimension, then runs out the still-open door, toward the gate, grabs his black, leather case with all of his belongings, then runs back to where he started, panting mildly due to the strain of the weight and pressure. He closes his eyes and concentrates again, letting time start again. To Josh and Warren, it would probably appear that in faster than a blink, Tobias appeared a few feet away from where he started with a suitcase and panting. He looks to Warren with a coy smile and says, "Told ya."

[nightcrawler]

Kurt had taken a much more active role in the coming and going of the affairs of the Institute and its inhabitants in the passing weeks since his return. When he had come here the first time, Kurt had been a shy introvert, choosing to stick to the sidelines and trying to figure out just where he fit in and belonged. It had took a while and a lot of help from the Professor for him to realize that he made his own place to belong and now with the help of his Bella, Kurt was almost a new person...um....mutant....whatever.

Kurt had been walking down the first floor (or is that the second....?) hallway, reading his worn leather clad bible as always, when he heard the front doors open followed by Warren's voice and then that of a new one, one he could not recall hearing before. Keeping with his slow methodical pace, Kurt marked his place in his bible and slipped the book into the vest pocket of the tan vest he wore, quietly stepping up to the railing of the balcony that over looked the ground floor. Josh's voice quickly marked the boy's presence and Kurt shook his head at the young boy's antics with Warren. Kurt wasn't one to agree with the lifestyle the two lead but it was not his place to put them down, after all, they all had enough persecution without the adding of more.

Quietly slipping up on the railing, balancing himself with such ease and grace, Kurt looked around quickly, losing site of the other new boy and then in a blink of an eye, the boy was back. Kurt flipped his tail about in the air and tilted his head to the side, smiling as he tried to place just what this newcomer could do. "There is no going back in life," Kurt said in his slight German accent just before disappearing in a cloud of purple black smoke followed by a distinct *BAMF*'ing noise, only to be followed by the same thing, only this time behind Tobias, "Only forward in a new path," he added with a smile and slight nod of his head. He was dressed in his usual multicolored pants, reminiscent of the circus, and a tan vest with a white dress shirt, the top two buttons undone of course and the cuffs unbuttoned to allow him to slip his rather large hands through the small openings. "Kurt Wagner," he said glancing back up to Tobias with upturned eyes and a nervous smile, holding out his indigo colored three fingered "hand" to the new boy.

[Tobias Smith]

Tobias, in all truth, cannot help but be surprised by both Kurt's grand entrance, and his appearance. Out of politeness' sake, Tobias only lets his jaw fall open just slightly while his head tilts to the side by just a fraction of an inch. He blinks once, then twice, mutters, "Huh...", before shaking his head and regaining his composure. He knows that he should have expected something like this, especially after the press conferences given by Dr. McCoy. Tobias almost thinks it ironic that both one of the most well-known mutants in the U.S. and the first other teleporting, Damn! Now I'M calling it teleportation!, that he meets are both blue.

The black-clad boy puts down his suitcase, then accepts Kurt's hand. He smiles slightly and says with the slightest hint of humor, "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Tobias Smith. Normally I'd say that one wouldn't see that," in reference to the teleportation, "every day, but I guess around here, one would." Tobias looks at Kurt's attire, thinks about saying something, but decides against it. He finds it strange shaking hands with someone with three fingers, but realizes that at this school, he could probably shake hands with a person who walks through walls.

He glances at Warren and Josh, then at Kurt, then around the large entryway. He yawns due in part to both the physical strain of going through dimensions, and the fact that he had been dead serious when he said that he had gotten no sleep since he left San Francisco. Tobias then asks all three of them, "Well, nice meeting all of you, I'd love to stay and chat, seriously, but I would really like to get the necessary stuff out of the way so I can get some sleep. So could any of you just point me in the right direction? P...Please?"Tobias pauses and struggles to get the word "Please" thanks to the sheer fact that he rarely ever uses it.

Tobias brings his free hand up to rub his eyes with his thumb and index finger, before he puts it in his pocket, turning his Mp3 Player off, as it had been paused this entire time. The deep bags under his eyes are larger than normal, and his eyes are slightly bloodshot. Tobias thought of how he spent the entire bus and cab trip looking out of windows, eating energy bars and drinking energy drinks, listening to music, drawing a few pictures in his sketchbook, and convincing a depressed girl running away from home to go back. He had figured that since nobody on the bus knew him, it would not hurt his reputation if he did. A small smile tugs on the edges of his lips.

[Warren Worthington III]

It’s obvious that Tobias is doing a lot of thinking, especially after Josh’s appearance, but Warren isn’t entirely sure about what.

> Hey, Warr... is it just me, or are the new kids getting odder and odder?

He grins at Josh’s telepathic question, amused at how it echoes his own earlier thoughts. <Hard to say, really. Have to give this guy a few weeks to see how he stacks up to Danny… and John… and Marie… and Riley… and Bobby… and, well, come to think of it, the ‘odd’ quotient around here is pretty high even without the mutations, y’know?>

> " Alright, just point me to the office, I'll get whatever needs to be done over with, get my dorm, toss in my stuff and sleep while you two...do whatever it is you choose to do in your free time. Fight mutant terrorists, teach classes, have gay love affairs, I really don't care. Long cab ride, no sleep, I'd just like to get this done so I can get back to my old life sooner. "

Warren shrugs at the attitude, settling on an amused chuckle and avoiding any first-day conflict. That Tobias is full of rough edges is clear even on a moment’s acquaintance, but he’s hardly the first or the worst. " Yes, I suppose three hours worth of jetlag is only made worse by all the time-stopping, huh? You’re kind of in your own private timezone. Anyway, Mr. Sheppard’s office is up those stairs and down the hall, door marked “Headmaster”. He’s not much for paperwork, I think he’ll just want to introduce himself and let you go… he’ll give you your room and class assignments and you can sleep, blow your eardrums apart, chase skirts, whatever floats your boat."

The demonstration of Tobias’ power is startling, though the tunnel-displacement effect, the front door slamming open confirms the boy’s earlier description: it really isn’t teleportation, it’s very high-speed travel… and, judging from his state on re-appearance, it takes a lot out of him. On the other hand, the precision departure and arrival calms a number of Warren’s fears about his level of control… apparently it’s not as bad as he’d thought.

Before he can comment on any of that, another pair of displacements catches his attention… one from the railing behind him, another in the air behind Tobias. He recognizes them as Kurt’s teleportation simultaneously with seeing the blue-furred elf’s arrival, and nods in satisfaction at Tobias’ rapid recovery from his initial startlement.

<Definitely some rough edges,> he thinks to Josh, < but I think he’ll do OK once he gets used to everything. >

> " Well, nice meeting all of you, I'd love to stay and chat, seriously, but I would really like to get the necessary stuff out of the way so I can get some sleep. So could any of you just point me in the right direction? P...Please? "

Warren finally lets himself laugh out loud at the struggle over Tobias’ final word. " Careful, don’t strain yourself… you might break something. Come on, let’s get you to Jake’s office before the rest of the crew comes out of the walls to say Hi. I can put off recruiting you until tomorrow." He starts making his way up the stairs before adding, over his shoulder, "…to my new Mutants and Politics seminar, I mean. It’s starting next Monday, and there’s still a bunch of openings."

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> the ‘odd’ quotient around here is pretty high even without the mutations, y’know?

<You know, you’ve got a good point. I suppose it’s not our place to judge, right? This place was made to be a haven for all mutants… even the emo ones.> Despite his words, Josh grins back in silent amusement.

> Alright, just point me to the office, I'll get whatever needs to be done over with, get my dorm, toss in my stuff and sleep while you two...do whatever it is you choose to do in your free time. Fight mutant terrorists, teach classes, have gay love affairs, I really don't care. Long cab ride, no sleep, I'd just like to get this done so I can get back to my old life sooner.

Tobias’ response to his attempts at friendliness bothers him a little. The Institute was supposed to be a place where mutants could feel safe. A frown crosses his face at this. I ought to hang you up by one of your emo boots, you little… He can feel himself getting defensive. Well, maybe lay off a little. The guy’s probably cranky from his trip. And what do I care what he thinks of us?

> … he’ll give you your room and class assignments and you can sleep, blow your eardrums apart, chase skirts, whatever floats your boat.

“Yeah, if you’d like to have any ‘love affairs’ of your own, go right ahead.” He makes sure to inject his voice with slight sarcasm. “We’re all pretty tolerant around here.”

The power display is… interesting. I wonder how it works, exactly. Visually it’s dissimilar to Kurt’s teleportations. Well, everyone’s mutation is a little different. No doubt I’ll find out more about it later. Almost as if summoned by Josh’s thoughts, Kurt teleports down into the lower foyer. Josh smiles at Tobias’ reaction, and nods over at Kurt.

“Hey, Mr. Wagner.”

> < ...but I think he’ll do OK once he gets used to everything. >

<Maybe. I didn’t gloss over our relationship for the media. I certainly won’t do it around here.> He thinks this to Warren, but infuses it with good humor.

“Good luck, Tobias. There’s a lot to get used to on the first day. I’m sure I’ll see you around.” He briefly squeezes Warren’s hand on his way towards the main doors. Absently, he readjusts his grip on the folder as a set of keys drifts across the room from a rack nearby. Josh plucks them out of the air, and opens the front door.

[nightcrawler]

Kurt nodded his head again as he shook Tobias' hand, smiling as always and glad to see that the boy wasn't too hung up on appearances...unlike some others around the Institute. Sure, alot of them had become used to seeing Kurt and those who shared very physical differences such as him, but dress still seemed to be an issue, perhaps more than ever. The way Tobias dressed was a bit odd, for those who weren't part of that social clique, but Kurt suspected that the boy and Marie would get along just fine and then through her maybe with the others.

The looks being exchanged between Warren and Josh caught Kurt's eye and he let his smile slip, he knew what they were doing, conversing silently to each other through the mind link they both shared, more than likely raking the new kid over the coals. Both boys were good kids, not that different really, but their attitudes could have used a bit of fine tuning. Warren seemed to have some of that high class still in him, but he wasn't too overbearing with it, just a bit too expecting in the way he should have been treated. Josh on the other hand had become way too arrogant and cocky as of late, but that was too be expected in a way. The boy's power had grown.....far too fast and far too soon for his own good. Youth was the epitome of arrogance and then when you add in a near limitless power and no real sign of it peaking any time soon, well.....things just only got worse.

"Zey are good people vhen you get to know zem.....trust me," Kurt said to Tobias as Warren and Josh both began to depart for their own day of activities, "If you need anything, please, let me know and I vill try to help," he added with a smile as he nodded in the direction of Jake's office and then with a *BAMF* Kurt was once again gone, leaving only a brief cloud of purple black smoke behind.

[Warren Worthington III]

Warren gives Josh a telepathic wave goodbye and waits on the stairs for Kurt to finish greeting Tobias.

It’s been a relief to Warren, watching Kurt taking on the unofficial “guidance counselor” role around the Institute… not so much because of the role itself, but because it gets Kurt out and visible and meeting students. Before that, he seemed to spend all his time lurking in the shadows, unwilling to let anyone see him.

Warren could certainly sympathize with that self-consciousness – heck, he’d spent years keeping his wings in harness for fear of people’s reactions, himself – but it’s still a relief to see Kurt getting over it. Part of the Institute’s role, after all, is to help young mutants learn not to be ashamed of who and what they are, and the best way to encourage that is to let them see other mutants being unashamed. Hank’s public life had been an inspiration to Warren when he finally came out as a mutant, and now that Kurt has stopped hiding Warren hopes Kurt will do the same for a lot of the students here.

Admittedly, he seems to prefer some things be kept shameful and shadowed – his discomfort around Warren and Josh was sometimes uncomfortably palpable, though he’d never actually said anything to either of them – but that’s not too surprising given the guy’s background. Maybe he’ll get over that, too, some day he muses as Kurt bamfs away, then shrugs. He's got enough to do worrying about mutant acceptance; the rest of it he's willing to leave to somebody else.

"Right through here, Tobias… " he calls from the top of the stairs, gesturing down the hallway with a wing to indicate Jake’s office. "… it is ‘Tobias’, right? Somehow you don’t look like a ‘Toby’. By the way, you’re handling all of this really well… a lot of new students freak out at first, and that’s even when they aren’t jetlagged. I look forward to getting to know you once you’ve gotten some sleep." He grins at Tobias as he knocks on Jake’s door and opens it.

"Mr. Sheppard? Tobias Smith is here to see you."

[Tobias Smith]

Tobias nods a goodbye to Mr. Wagner...er, Kurt (despite the fact that his head tilts and his jaw drops slightly when the entire black and purple cloud spectacle occurs), and Josh as they make their departures. He yawns, and covers his mouth with his free hand, simply out of politeness.

>… he’ll give you your room and class assignments and you can sleep, blow your eardrums apart, chase skirts, whatever floats your boat.

At his point Tobias' eyes widen slightly, and his hand drops as he faces Warren with a quizzical expression on his face before saying simply, "Touché Mr. Worthington, Touché." Tobias follows Warren up the stairs, noting a small interest in the Political Seminar, and raises an eyebrow with the hint of X-Men recruitment, but brushes it from his mind. He takes in all of the sights of the mansion that he passes while following Warren. He also wonders if there are any decent-looking girls here. He thinks about Claire back home, but remembers that she's simply a slut who shares mutual interests with Tobias. Meh, that's life.

The halls seem fairly deserted as he follows listening to Warren as he explains a few things. > "… it is ‘Tobias’, right? Somehow you don’t look like a ‘Toby’. By the way, you’re handling all of this really well… a lot of new students freak out at first, and that’s even when they aren’t jetlagged. I look forward to getting to know you once you’ve gotten some sleep."

Tobias replies, "Yeah, its Tobias. Nobody calls me Toby...ever. About the calmness: I'm from San Francisco...nothing surprises me. And, thanks...I'll see ya' around maybe...might stop by your seminar. Tobias grins slightly, and walks into the office.

[Jake Sheppard]

It’s an odd thing for Jake to be thinking, perhaps, but he’s definitely got way too much time on his hands if it’s only the end of November and he’s already exhausted every festive game OfficeMax has to offer… can’t be that he’s forgotten how to waste time, can it? No way.

Then again, it’s not inconceivable that he’d be out of practice. The last few days have been manic to say the least… as the telepathic poking he gets just as he’s ready to settle into a round of post-mission-dishing-out (heh… yeah. Getting the protégé to do the menial tasks. Brilliant) Reindeer Arm Wrestling and subsequent arrival go to prove. Given that he’s now sort of an ambassador for the school (sort of? No two ways about it, really… with Ororo taking over the X-Men stuff he’s practically the bloody figurehead) it probably isn’t quite right that Jake’s constantly surprised anyone would want to send their kids here… but for whatever reason they do, and the new students keep coming. Which means lots more work for him, whoopee-bloody-do. At least he’s sort of got a handle on the *New Student* spiel by now, though even that practice can’t stop a momentary eyebrow raise at the newcomer – which he’s not going to beat himself up over, thanks, because it doesn’t count if it’s not a mutation-based freak out. Nope.

He types some random garbage into the laptop so it looks like he’s been in the middle of working and not just skiving off and turns to face Toby, best *non psychotic* welcoming half-grin in place. ”Morning. Take a seat”

[Tobias Smith]

Tobias thinks himself as a master of faking out others into thinking that he actually works in class. Personally, he believes that he has mastered it into an art form. When in school in San Francisco, he runs an after-school class on the subject, "Faking Out Teachers While Killing Time and NOT Get Caught for Dummies 101." As such, he easily recognizes that this Jake Sheppard had just been trying to kill time. Tobias returns the half grin, and sits, before commenting, "Next time you try and make it look like you were working, make sure you have a purposely unfinished Word Document always ready to be brought up in less than a second. That way if anyone glances at the screen, it'll fool almost everyone except experts in the art."

Tobias looks around the office, fairly uninterested, bringing up his suitcase onto his lap. The raised eyebrow was not a surprise. Everytime Tobias walks into a room, there is always at least one person who does that. Even in Mutant Central, I'm the freak. God bless the U.S.A. Hmm...I wonder what kind of food they have here? God I'm hungry...new plan: eat, THEN sleep. Perfect. So simple. So efficent. So goddamned brilliant. Ha-HA! I'm even a sarcastic asshole in my mind! Whoopdee-freaking-do.

Tobias blinks the tiredness out of his eyes, and looks to the man sitting at the computer. He smiles a tired smile, and mutters, "Morning. I'm pretty sure you'd rather kill more time rather than chat with the freaky little boy in the dark clothing, so can we get what's needed to be done, done? Or if you want, I can teach you how to fool just about everyone except mindreaders, which apparently won't do much good here. So, Mr. Sheppard what needs to be done." The smile on his face is clearly fake, and Tobias makes it fairly clear that he would rather just get some sleep and get things over with.