overconfidently

( He’s about to answer, but then she goes and says what she does about the school not existing and he looks to her with raised brows. Not… something he expected to hear? Granted, he never attended or stayed at the school, but. He knew about it and the sort of symbol it meant. )

What happened to it?

(Maybe some shit isn't for Nate to know. She's trying to lie less, be better, and at the same time, finding that the more people know, the worse it gets. It's not a great time for her on the morality side of things.)

I wouldn't worry about it. It gets demolished, exploded, invaded, or rebuilt every other week. You know Xavier or something?

Barely.

( The face he pulls at Xavier's name mentioned... )

I caught him spying on me and pulled him off the psychic plane to tell him to get lost.

( That's... more or less how it all went down. )

... Good, actually. A lot of us are either very much either 'fuck you, Xavier', or 'it's complicated, but also, fuck you, Xavier'.

(So, he's in good hands. The thing that brings her attention out of the conversation is the bar she finds around the corner. Maybe they could get some fries, but honestly, the minute she puts her eyes on the arcade downstairs, she's definitely forgetting all about food.)

He's afraid of me but wants me to join his X-Men. I'm not here to be a weapon in anyone's fight.

( He keeps going with her, clearly annoyed, though not at her. Just at the thought of Xavier being a little geek with his spying and wanting more people for his team or school or whatever. Hard pass, thanks. )

Magneto was the leader of the X-Men where I'm from.

Sounds like him. He just showed up at our little mutant haven a bit after I ended up here, wanted our help, needed it, "help clean up my mess", you know the drill. David kicked him out.

(Sir, she can feel that, which is why she gives his hand a little squeeze.)

Magneto... Is another divisive figure, sure. How was that for you?

( Honestly, he appreciates the squeeze of reassurance there — keeps him grounded and doesn't let his emotions consume him. )

I didn't really know him. ( He glances to her for a moment. ) I rescued him though. He seemed to have some idea who I was. Kind of like here, I guess.

( Where others know [of] him and he hasn't a clue who they are. )

I'm gonna go ahead and assume that bothers you.

(He can use her as a grounding, she doesn't mind at all. In her situation, she's known as a collective, which is fine, it doesn't bother her, except, well.

She's not currently one. It's fine, they drilled so much on the lack of individuality and coherence that at least people know what to expect from her to some degree.)

( He shakes his head at that, keeping alongside her. )

That I didn't know him? No, not really. Would have maybe liked to get to know him. But if you mean about someone else knowing or even having an idea of who I am while I don't know them? It's definitely something I'm trying to get used to.

( Especially here. )

It was definitely more about the latter, though, I'll say it's a boat that you're not rowing by yourself. Scott, Laura, even me to a much, much less dramatic degree.

(Finally, the bar is in front of them, and first, she opens the door to take a look around. Seems pretty empty, as she expected.)

Want in?

( A blink of those blue eyes as they end up in front of a bar, he looks over to her. )

Do I need an invite?

Never, actually. Let's go in.

(There are... Bots, so it should be fine, even if it drives her a bit cuckoo (hah) that they got no brainwaves. Nothing to pick apart or snoop around here, it's just them, so she's not even going to bother with manners.

The first table she sees goes.)

Ugh, this place has too many of these dumb bots. My range is not even ridiculous or anything, and I'm starting to feel weirded out all the time.

( Following along, he also picks up on how there's nothing to hear or feel from the bots in this place and, as someone who's always capable of hearing and feeling things, it comes across as a little... cold, really. Unsettling, even. )

They work for Aurora and Echo, don't they?

( The bots, he means. )

Yup, if you wanna put it that way.

(If he wants to treat it as a conscious choice, to 'work for', rather than possessive. They are Auroura's and Echo's, from where she stands. One comes to offer them the menu, and she takes a look through it before patting herself for her wallet —, oh right, no money.

Whatever, she'll just order everything and stick the leftovers in the fridge for everyone else at home.

Never say she isn't considerate.)

I think we mutants can deal with this place, if we don't all bicker to death first. Are you worried?

( He looks over the menu and the options both fascinate and confuse him. Never in his life has he seen so many choices for food and drink— well. Back in the world he's currently in, there's that, but. Even there, he's still coming to learn what this and that are concerning food and drinks when he has a chance to try things.

Glancing over to her, he blinks. Curiously at first, then a little thoughtful. )

About all the mutants here?

More about the 'do what I say or your world is kaput' of it all.

(If he sticks with her, he'll learn a great deal of things. The girl is up to everything, at all times.)

The mutants here... When it comes down to getting stuff done, we're fine. Pretty sure Julian wants to lead, which is fine by me.

I don't do teams.

( He says that without even looking up from the menu, still trying to figure out what to get. However, he knows a lot of the mutants here are part of do teams, so. )

No offense. They've just never worked for me.

None taken.

(She also isn't exaaaaaactly from a team as of now. She's not X-Men, she's NYX. They are a community-focused group to aid mutants and allies, who sometimes, on occasion, do some shit.)

You're gonna want to play ball to some extent, though, Nate. Rowing the same boat, and all of that.

I don’t know how to fit in with teams. Especially with people who already all know each other.

( He’s used to doing things on the fly. Not having to listen or answer to others without even questioning it. He’d been learning that with Forge back on his own world, but. Even then, he’d been impulsive and prone to doing what he felt was right and not necessarily what others thought. He doesn’t know how well that will work here. How well he will work with them here. )

Technically, you are getting to know people, aren't you? So at least, the latter is gonna disappear quite fast. The former, I guess, well. Up to you. You need me, you call me, I'm there.

(Although she isn't is sure Nate is never gonna need her, at least power-wise. She can hold his hand, guide him into more emotionally stable grounds, it worked once, she can keep trying to learn how to recenter him. She's good for that.

But what an Omega might need from a glitchy telepath? Beats her.)

( He eyes her some when she goes and brings up his getting to know people. Well. She isn't wrong, but. He still feels a bit like an outsider surrounded by people who have history with each other. Not that it bothers him really. He's used to being on his own now — sometimes thinks it's for the best, but. Still.

Looking back to the menu, he carefully considers what to get before he flicks his gaze back up to Sophie. )

Why does Julian want to lead? Because Scott is so young here?

(Eye her all you want, she's right. The way things go with mutants, he'll have his own history with each one of them a-real soon.

But, well, good question. One of her shoulders raise ever so slightly.)

Julian... Well, he just takes stuff upon himself. That's how he is. As for Kid Cyclops, that one is my responsibility, so I guess he's not leading shit. He's watching and learning, if he can drop the mad teen aura he got around.

Why is he yours?

( It's asked with a raised brow because... that's his dad. Jean's... husband. Cable's father. All three who are very much here. )

Let's see, maybe the fact I got nothing to do with him, so it's easier on my end. That said, if you want to put him under your wing, feel free to.

(And that's her mom's ex, Nate. She's not sharing any names, has no horse in this race, so there's a shrug. No reason to die on this hill.)

I don't even know the older version of him.

( It's already something he's trying to navigate here with being around a much younger version of the man he thought he could get to know. )

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