[ Alright. It's late at night, and Miya's alarm goes off to get her up to call her parents. ] * Miya smacks the alarm, as she was having trouble sleeping anyway. Stupid jetlag. * Miya pulls herself out of bed, landing softly on her feet. She straightens her pajamas, then starts sneaking out her room and to the phone. No sense waking people up at three in the morning. Miya sneaksneaksneaks down the hall! She is pleased to note a lack of creaky boards in the floor. * Miya is very pleased! And impressed. Someone knows how to build a mansion. Miya reaches a phone! Downstairs, away from any bedrooms she knows of. * Miya picks up the phone and hesitates for a moment, then dials the number for home. The computer operator tells you how much someone's gonna end up paying for this call, and then puts you through. (Heh. It ain't my money. ^_^_v) ( And Chuck seems like he can afford it. ^_~ ) (He said it's okay! *puppy eyes*) After two rings, someone picks up. It's Miya's dad. "Moshi moshi?" * Miya speaks into the phone, in Japanese. "Hello? Dad?" "...Miya." Um, yes. * Miya fidgets, suddenly wishing Hikaru were here. "I... um. I'm okay. I thought you wanted to know where I am, and... stuff." "...very well. Where are you?" In- in the States. Grandma wouldn't take care of me, so... * Miya bows her head. Her father doesn't sound too happy to hear from her. "...You are in America?" Y- yes. Nobody... * Miya swallows. "Nobody I knew would take care of me." "I... see. What are you doing in America?" I- some people said they would help me. Because... because of the way I am. So... so I came here, and I'm at a school here, and I have a phone number for you to call, if you want to talk? After a moment, there is a sigh. A little relieved, a little exasperated. "Alright. What is the number?" * Miya gives her father the number. "Very well. We may call. Your mother will be relieved to know you are... alright." Okay. Um. I miss you, Da- father. "I... miss you too. Remain dilligent in your training." I will. "Very well." So, um. I... guess I'll let you go now. * Miya tries not to let any emotion through the phone. "Bye." "Good Bye, Miya." *click* * Miya drops the phone onto its rest dully. So her dad didn't want to talk to her after all. She shudders, and tears start to well in her eyes. * Miya turns and runs down the hall, crying, towards the gym Gambit pointed out to her earlier. For some reason, she doesn't really care that it's three in the morning anymore. Miya reaches the gym! * Miya bursts in and immediately homes in on the gymnastics section. She vaults onto the balance beam, completely forgetting that she's in her pajamas. Miya vaults in her pajamas! But since they're loose-fitting, they don't rip or anything. * Miya starts a routine she's been working on for the regionals this year, going through contortions and jumps that would make full-bodied adults wince in agony. Not once does she place a foot or hand wrong. * Miya does a back handspring off the balance beam and lands successfully. She's immediately on again, starting the routine she did *last* year. (And I'd like to say, loose-fitting pajamas are your friends. ^^) ( Indeed. ^.^ ) While Miya's at it, Hank walks in in shorts and a tank-top. His blue fur apparently covers his whole body. He notices Miya's routine, and watches, seeming impressed. * Miya does a twist off this time, somehow sticking the landing. She doesn't notice Hank as she wipes at her eyes. Hank applauds. "Very nice. You're good at this. And in your pajamas, no less!" * Miya jumps and turns to Hank. She smiles almost nervously, but not quite, which is a far cry from the last time he saw her. "Thanks." "I had no idea you were such an accomplished gymnast, Miya." * Miya smiles a bit more confidently. "They were maybe going to see about getting me in the Olympics. I mean, before all of... this... happened." She runs over to the uneven bars and vaults up there, grabbing them with surety. A few swings and she's going. (Vault? Spring? Something like that. ^^) * Yu-Mei nods. "I'd say ou were good enough for it. How did '...this...' happen, anyway?" * Miya grabs onto the higher one and something occurs to her. She spins herself up into a giant, then carefully - very carefully - manages to get her feet onto the bar, so she's more or less perched. She gingerely removes her hands. Um... it's kinda... well, I was gonna be hit by a train, so I sort of... wished I was home. * Miya pulls her hands to the sides, then starts to stand. Hank nods. "And then you were." Meanwhile, hank begins his own little acrobatic routine on another set of bars. He's pretty darn good, too. * Miya smiles, nervously this time. "Yeah." She blinks and lowers her hands, then starts walking back and forth on the bar. "I guess this *is* a power." "What is, your agility?" "Or balance?" Um, the second one. I'm still not sure about the first. But normal people can't do this, right? I bet I could cartwheel on this thing if I really wanted to. Hank breaks off his routine and lands with surprising grace. "Oh? Give it a shot. I'll catch you if you fall." * Miya tilts her head at Hank, then decides not to doubt his statement and nods. She gives it a try. * Miya manages to do the cartwheel without difficulty. She stands on the other end of the shaky bar and blinks. "Wow." Hank gives an I-am-impressed nod. "Wow, indeed." * Miya decides to get down now, so she walks to the middle of the bar and hops down, grabbing it with her hands. A couple swings and she's over to the other one, then one more and she's safely on the ground. Hank nods. "You've been at this for a while." * Miya looks at the ground. "Since I was three. And father started me on martial arts soon after that." A flash of anger crosses her face. Hank tilts his head. "What is it?" I called him, and all he could say... all he'd tell me was to continue my training! It's like he didn't want to talk! He didn't say anything about me being in America, or Grandma not taking me in, or anything! Hank frowns. "He's the one that 'suggested' you leave, yes?" Him- him and Mom. They love me. I *know* they love me. They have to. But... Yeah, but. +"" * Miya storms over to the mat for the floor routine and starts in on a kata. She's obviously pissed off, but the kata itself is remarkably controlled. She speaks while doing so. They gave me the money they were saving for school and stuff. I don't think they want me to get hurt. But... it doesn't make sense! "Of course not." "The fear of mutants is by and large and irrational one. Irrational things aren'y supposed to make sense." * Miya doesn't even look at Hank. "And Grandma... Grandma tried to say the same stuff, but she was angry. I knew she was." * Miya blinks, but keeps going. "They're afraid of me?" "Well, yes. You can do things they can't." Like gymnastics? I could always do that, and they couldn't. Why does teleporting have to be different than gymnastics. It saved my life! They should be happy! "Well, someone can learn gymnastics given time. Somoene can't just up and learn to teleport." You can learn gymnastics, but you can't do it the way they want you to in the competitions if you're fully grown. I had *that* hammered into me. "Ah. Not normally, no." Right. Not unless you're a mutant, when they'll go and ignore you and be scared of you and want to hurt you and stick you in a camp for being the way you are. * Miya finishes. She starts another one right away. "Exactly. *I* could do that. But then, I have claws and fangs, too. Kurt could do it easily. Have you met him, by the way?" Kurt? He's the one with the same power as me, right? He said something about playing tag. Hank chuckles. "Teleportation tag. Now *that* would be something to see." * Miya kicks at the air viciously. "That's what Bobby said. It's not fair that he gets blue fuzzy stuff and I only get funny eyes. Shouldn't the same powers give you the same... I dunno..." "Sadly, no." He smirks. "And are you complaining about not being blue and fuzzy?" * Miya seems almost amused, but keeps speaking in that matter of fact manner that she has since she started the katas. "No, I just mean it doesn't make sense." "Rarely does. I didn't always look like this, surprisingly." "Mutants sometimes have strange physical side-effects. Charles went completely bald in his middle teens." * Miya glances at Hank out of the corner of her eye, though it looks like her eyes don't move at all. "Did you get it when you... I mean, I didn't always have white eyes." "No, actually. I learned about my powers long before I looked like this. My powers were just brought futher out by an accident." Oh. Okay. * Miya kicks one last time, then does a swan into a tumbling routine across the mat. She goes to one side, then the other, and looks over at Hank. "Does this mean I'm going to get blue fur, too?" He shrugs. "A lot of people look strange before they discover their powers, tho. Or some look strange but never have powers." Hank chuckles. "No, probably not." ( But you might get kickass pink tatoos! ) * Miya starts yet another kata. The girl knows a lot of them, and she doesn't seem nearly as tired as she should be. "That's not fair." "Nope. Life isn't, generally. Sorry." I *know* life isn't. And sorry doesn't help. It's just that, I don't know, something should be done about it. Maybe. "Well, that's another part of what we're here for." Really? I thought it was hiding and school. * Miya tries not to sound bitter. She really does. Well, that to. The Xavier institute has long tried to foster a better understanding between humans and mutants. I do some of this too, in my capacity as one of the world's better-known genetic scientists." * Miya shrugs between punches. "I guess that works. I didn't know you were a scientist." "I am. I hold two doctorates in medicine and genetics. I hope to one day use my talents to make people realize that mutants aren't something to persecute, although I don't know how far off that goal is." * Miya sighs and finishes. She drops her hands, and suddenly seems to crumple in on herself. "But still, it's not fair," she says, her voice approaching its normal tone. * Hank sighs and walks over to Miya, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know." * Miya sniffs and wipes at her eyes. "It's not! I- I don't know if Mom and Dad love me anymore." "Nonsense! Of course they do." How... how can you know? They sent me away. Daddy didn't even- didn't even say he loves me on the phone. "That doesn't mean it isn't so. He could feel pressured to not express it." * Miya closes her eyes and draws a shuddering breath. Okay, so she's crying again. "But- but why? It's on the phone." Hank sighs. "I don't know. " * Miya bursts into tears and crumples to the floor. "It's not fair. The whole thing's not fair." "It never is." * Miya slams her fist against the mat, which isn't nearly as cushy as the one beneath the uneven bars. She stays that way for a while, gradually calming down. I- I'm sorry. * Miya wipes at her eyes again. Don't be. Hank gives Miya a little hug. * Miya blinks. Is this what being hugged by a giant teddy bear feels like? ( More or less. ) * Miya manages to get to her feet, wiping at her eyes again. "So what are you doing awake right now?" "My schedule's been off since I got back from Scottland. I was coming down here for some exorcise to tire myself out so I could sleep normally." * Miya laughs slightly. "I guess I ruined that, huh?" "Nah, don't worry about it." * Miya blushes a little. "Well... when did you get so good at gymnastics?" Hank shrugs. "Since I moved in here. Practicing acrobatics is part of learning to master my powers." Oh. * Miya thinks that over. "Did you come here when you were fourteen, too?" "Nope. Eighteen. Lived here while attending college." "That was before I turned blue, natch." * Miya nods, thinking about that. "So if you have, um, all those degrees in genetic engineering, does that mean..." She bites her lip. "Does that mean you can figure out what my powers are?" Hank shakes his head. "Nope. We have ways we can try that, and they're all painless, but none are guaranteed to work." Oh. But they don't hurt, right? * Miya blushes. "Because, I mean, if it's anything like my balance, I don't want to try it and screw up and break my neck or something." Hank chuckles. "Don't worry. It's mostly scanning and analysis and sciency stuff like that." Oh, you mean like in Star Trek! * Miya covers her mouth. Hank grins. "Xactly! 'Scept I'm the *other* Dr. McCoy." * Miya giggles. "So do you have that scanny... um... tri-thing?" "Nope. We have a big clunky one downstairs. It can sense some potentials for mutant abilities. We're working on an adaptation that would allow it to detect mutants at longer range." Ooh. * Miya nods like it made perfect sense to her. And since Hank was using relatively small words, it mostly does. * Miya rubs at the back of her head and glances at the balance beam. "So, um. When do I start school?" "Whenever you like, really. We can start tomo..." he checks a wristwatch. "...later today, if you like." * Miya smiles sheepishly. She looks up at the uneven bars. "I wonder..." "Hm?" Um, well. * Miya just decides to give it a try. She vanishes in a flash of light, then reappears on the bar, balance not wavering in the slightest. "Hey, cool!" "Heh." * Miya giggles and disappears again, teleporting to stand on the balance beam this time. She drops, sitting on it. * Miya swings her feet back and forth as she considers. "Hey, Hank? Is Storm the same person as Ororo?" ( Er, intentional? ) (Yup.) "Hm? Yes, she is. Storm's her, well, nickname. We all have one, really." I know Remy's Gambit... * Miya frowns a little at that. "Why?" Hank walks over to the balance beam. "Why what? Storm's nickname? Well, her power is to control the weather. Now that she's gone, we'll likely get some of that rain that's been sweeping in off the atlantic." No, I mean... well, okay. That's good to know. But why does, um... why does everyone have a nickname? Hank shrugs. "Don't honestly know. Different reasons, really. I got mine playing highschool football. It just happened to be 'The Beast'." * Miya blinks at that, then laughs a little. "I guess that works." She blushes. "No offense." Hank smirks. "None taken. Let's see..." "Bobby's nickname is 'Iceman', because he has ice powers. Makes enough sense. Piotr can turn into living steel, which actually makes him even bigger than he normally is, and so he earned 'Colossus'." * Miya nods. "Kurt is 'Nightcrawler', although I'm fairly sure he picked that name before he knew what it really meant. Scott is 'cyclops', and you wouldn't really know why until you saw his visor. Jean used to have a nickname, but she gets annoyed whenever anyone uses it anymore." Beast chuckles. "Logan's Wolverine, which he was named when he was working for Alpha Flight up in Canada." Ooh. * Miya brushes some errant strands of hair from her face. "That's really neat. Does... um, does this mean I need one, too?" "Let's see... you haven't met Rogue yet. Her name could come from the fact that she steals other people's powers, or that she was an outlaw for a while." * Miya nods. Hank grins. "You don't *need* one. But if you don't pick one yourself, someone will probably give you one later." * Miya fidgets and looks at her feet, which are still swinging back and forth. "I dunno if I should let someone who... um, who named himself 'Iceman' name me. I'll probably end up with Teleportation Girl or something." Hank chuckles. "Or something lame like 'Teleportra, Master of Space.'" * Miya grimaces. "Eew, no!" If anyone says that, I'll kick them in the face! Hank laughs. "That's the spirit." * Miya pauses, but her threat didn't sound very threatening. "I will!" Still not threatening. * Miya folds her arms. Anyway, it's not like... what was Jean's nickname, anyway? "Promise not to tell her you know?" * Miya nodnods and crosses her heart. "'Marvel girl.'" * Miya blinks. * Miya blinks again. * Miya bursts out laughing. "I kid you not!" That's... it's... she let people call her that? ^^ Hank grins. "Well, it sounded cool at the time." * Miya keeps giggling. Okay. Okay. No way am I letting people call me Marvel Girl. Or Teleporta. Or... um... She changed her mind eventually, tho, and so now we just call her "Jean". That's her real name, right? Not a nickname with pants or something? Hank chuckles. "Nono. Real name. Jean Grey." Jean Grey. Oh. Okay. * Miya frowns a little as she considers this whole nickname business some more. It's hard! ( It is! ;_; ) * Miya gives up. "I dunno why you guys like nicknames so much anyway." She hops up onto the balance beam and does a roundoff and flip, more for lack of anything better to do. * Retrieving #X-Mini info... Hank shrugs. "Actually, anyone with metahuman abilities tends to get one. I have theories about why, actually." * Miya stops and walks on the beam back over to Hank. "Really?" Hank grins. "Yes. I believe that having superpowers affects one's brain in adverse ways." * Miya gasps, her blank eyes going wide in horror. "Oh no. My brain's gonna turn into pudding!" "Yes! And then you'll think names like 'Marvel Girl' are cool!" No! Hank keeps grinning. "Yes! Bwahaha!" * Miya puts a hand to her forehead and falls backwards, onto the balance beam. Evidentally, though, she's learned *how* to fall, even though she claims she never actually did, as she doesn't seem hurt at all. Kick me in the face if that ever happens. He nods sagely. "See, that's my biggest life goal. To make a vaccine that keeps people from thinking names like 'Marvel Girl' are cool." * Miya sighs dramatically. "My hero." Hank chuckles. Okay. So, um. First thing I need to do is get more clothes. Second thing I need to do is get a nickname before someone gives it to me, and before I start thinking Marvel Girl is cool. Hank nods. "The Professor will gladly pay for new clothes." He smirks. "And when Jean and Ororo get back they'll probably insist on helping you pick something out." * Miya blinks, then blushes. "But... they don't need to." "Oh, I agree. They'll still want to. It's just their way." Oh. They just wanna play dress up. * Miya nods sagely. "'Xactly!" * Miya lays one leg flat against the beam, the other dangling off. She tries remembering what she can about the ladies' fashion sense. "Should I be scared?" "Nah. Storm and Jean have pretty good fashion senses, as far as I can tell. But boy, can they shop." He nods. "We can consider it endurance training." * Miya giggles and tilts her head, looking over at Hank. "So who's gonna carry stuff?" ^^ "If you're lucky, Scott will come along." Um, okay. * Miya thinks. That was the guy back... right. "And, um... if I'm not?" He smirks. "Then try to get one of them to carry it." * Miya suddenly gets the feeling that it might be hard to do, despite being a tiny fourteen year old. "I hope Scott comes along." Hank chuckles. Hank yawns, then. * Miya blinks. "Sleepy?" "A little. Are you?" Nuh uh, but I guess I should try anyway. * Miya rolls up to her feet, runs to the end, and hops off. Hank nods. "Couldn't hurt." Um hum. * Miya hugs the big furry guy. He really is kind of like a giant teddy bear. "G'night." Hank hugs back. "G'night, Miya. Sleep well." * Miya blushes and nods. "Okay. You too." She waves and heads off for her room. Hank waves back and heads off to his room. [ End Session. ]