They landed the borrowed plane in an open clearing in a dense jungle. This particular part of Africa went between dry barren waist land and jungle by the mile, but Chris thought Obsidian, preferring her humanoid states, would like the jungle cover better. She had been born in a village about a quarter mile from where they landed, and Chris was willing to bet she wasn't too far a way. Her village had been burned to the ground, the lands salted, the animals slaughtered when she was 12 years old. Enough neighboring villages had seen glimpsed of her for the general population of the area to come to believe that a devil haunted her village and destroyed its home in hopes of killing it. Obsidian had lost her home, her family, and her identity in that village and unless drawn away by a cause she had a habit of haunting it like the spirit so many feared she was.
Chris and Kurt exited the aircraft alone much to the nervousness of Logan and to some degree Piotr. Chris knew that Obsidian would recognize her, but it was Kurt's presence that she thought would interest her enough to show herself to them.
Four and a half hours later however, Chris was less sure of her ability to track the woman down. She would be an older woman now, somewhere in her fifties, although the purple skin marked in silver patterns made it hard to tell her age even in her natural form. Abandoning the idea of Obsidian coming out on her own Chris and Kurt made their way out into a bright open patch of ground too far a way for Obsidian to see them from the shadow of the trees while it was yet too light out for her black haze form to be concealable. Chris suddenly spun to face her shadow and started moving her limbs in drastic random motions and as she expected her shadow had a hard time keeping up. "Hello Obsidian." Chris said smiling at her own shadow.
The shadow moved and shifted leaving her natural shadow behind to form a puff of black mist before them, "Hello Chis." She said in her ethereal voice.
"You know it's rude to posses a friend's shadow without asking." Chris chastised playfully.
"It is also rude to out those who do not wish to be found." she responded cooly.
"Well you see I wanted you to be found, so I kinda had to. Sorry about that. So are you going to actually come out or are we going to be talking to the clouds all day?" Chris asked.
"Petulant child." The cloud muttered, "Who is your friend?" she asked.
"My name is Kurt Vagner M'Lady. I am a teleporter." Kurt responded with a slight bow to the puff before them.
"He actually kinda reminded me of you when I saw him… well as much as anyone can be reminiscent to you, but you know blue, forked tail, leaving puffs of purple smoke around behind him."
"I do not show myself in the sunlight here, it tends to cause an uproar. May we retreat into the shadows once more?"
"And deprive us of your beauty? I don't think so. We won't be here long and we are more than capable of protecting you if anything happens, not that you need it." Chris teased.
The cloud huffed and began to solidify into a humanoid figure. She had dark purple skin with intricate patterns of silver dots all over, black eyes, and long black hair. It was apparent that the inside of her mouth was as purple as her lips when she spoke, "Tell me then. Why have you come for me."
"The war." Chris responded simply.
"I want no part in your war." She said her voice ringing with a tone of finality that was beyond the normal expressiveness of the human voice.
"You think I want any part of any war? No. I want to settle down with my mate, have a family and teach tactics and french to a bunch of little mutant kids, but this war is coming and there's nothing we can do about it. It brings with it the genocide of an entire race and that is not something we can allow. You've seen what it's like when people decide to destroy something simply because they don't understand some small part of it, and you know as well as I that we can't allow the Mutants to wipe out the rest of the humans." Chris argued.
"I have nothing to give to the cause. I can win no great battles, nor can I convince the Mutants and humans to stop fighting and since I can do no good I will not be involved."
"You can help us," Kurt jumped in, "We are building recognizance teams to try to break down the systems from the inside out and to try to plan how we can disable both sides without as much bloodshed. We have asked Deadpool to join us, and everyone knows he works alone; we need you to be his partner. You are the only one that can stay unseen yet keep tabs on him and help him with his work. We don't have anyone else. Besides that we need someone with a moral compass straighter than his to guide him and keep him from turning this into a blood bath. I would volunteer myself, but I can not because I can not hide what I look like."
Obsidian considered what Kurt said for a long moment before nodding her head slowly, "I will see what you are planning. Where are you based?
"Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, we are teachers there." Kurt explained.
Obsidian's bell like laughter rang out creating etherial reverberations as it bounced off of things, "You were serious then about settling down and teaching. More's the pitty to whomever got you as a mate child."
Chris scrunched her nose, but let it slide as Kurt said under his breath, "I think you will retract your sentiment when you meet her mate."
Obsidian followed them back to the plane, but stopped short at the edge of the clearing sniffing the air, "Who else is here?"
"My mate, Logan, and one of our graduated students Piotr. They're piloting for us." Chris said.
Obsidian shifted side to side nervously before following them into the clearing and onto the plane.
When the group landed back at the mansion, the Professor, Jean, Remy, Rogue, and Kitty stood waiting for them. "Professor, I would like to introduce to you Obsidian." Chris introduced as the purple woman stepped forward and shook his hand politely.
"Welcome, Obsidian, to The School for Gifted Youngsters." The Professor said, "I would like to introduce to you two of our Professors: Remy LeBeau, Chris' brother, and Jean Gray and two of our students: this is Rogue and Kitty Pride. You may also have yet to meet Logan, Chirs' mate and Piotr one of our graduated students."
Obsidian looked around at the different people before her for a while. She looked at Logan where he had joined Chris a hand at her waist, to Piotr where his shadow cast a protective cloak around Kitty within seconds of departing the plane, and Remy where he stood at Rogue's elbow her cape billowing against his side. Her brows furrowed in confusion, "You allow your Students to sleep with their teachers?" she asked with a since of curiosity.
Jean gasped, Logan snorted, Remy seemed to choke on his own saliva, Rogue blushed, Piotr looked awkwardly to the side away from Kitty and Kitty lifted her chin and looked Obsidian dead in the eyes. The Professor let out a dry cough, cleared his throat and said, "Some of our older students have formed attachments to other adults here at the school, but physical relations between any underaged couple is strictly forbidden here."
Obsidian still looked confused but shrugged and said, "Life is not such a predictable thing as to waist what little good it gives us. War makes it even less sensible therefore one should always be aware of one's own heart because it is heart and determination that wins wars not faceless bodies. It does not matter whom it is you fight for so long as you have someone to fight for. Denying such a drive simply because of age is unrealistic in the world we live in."
"You are ver wise Lady." The Professor said nodding his head in respect to her.
"And your care taker is very unyielding in her beliefs." Obsidian said disapprovingly in Jean's direction.
Jean pursed her lips in anger, but the Professor interjected, "Jean has known many of these students long before they were old enough to understand such passions and it is therefore hard for her to come to terms with them as easily as many of us have. I for one would be in the same mind if not for the fact that I can read the sentiments in their own minds."
Obsidian shook her head, but acquiesced, "She is young, she has yet to learn."
Hoping to end this line of questioning Chris said, "Are Storm, Hank and Scott back yet?"
Remy shook his head and the Professor said, "Storm is in Japan awaiting Hank's return as we speak. They will return by dinner time, but she thinks they might already have caught Deadpool's attention. It seems he called ahead."
Chris nodded her head, that was a good sign.
Obsidian was lead to her room, which was next to Storm's, by the professor and Chris told the others to meet her in the danger room. Once they had all congregated Chris split them up into groups saying, "Ok guys, I know it's the weekend, but war doesn't wait and we are by far the less experienced group. I want everyone to start on the rock wall with me then once you finish to my satisfaction you will go train in weapon maneuverability with Kurt."
Kitty raised her hand. "Kitty this isn't grade school anymore, if you want us to treat you like an adult act like one. You don't see Logan or Remy raising their hands to ask a question do you?"
Kitty shook her head and said, "will any of us be using projectile weapons? I mean the other team has Ethan and Deadpool, but all we have is Remy's exploding stuff."
Remy pouted and said, "I'm not enough?"
In response Chris took the next ten or so seconds to throw 4 knives, 8 throwing stars, and her machete in a perfect vertical line down a pillar 40 feet away only having to manipulate them with her will twice to place them exactly. "My brother isn't the only one who knows how to throw shit." Chris explained the group at large.
"I know, but Deadpool has bullets. I mean you're really good and so's Remy, but knives just aren't bullets." Kitty argued.
"Ya I agree." Chris admitted, "Maybe we can work with Bobby to see how fast he can sling a shard of ice."
Kitty nodded and with no further questions the group moved to the rock wall. Kitty was a little hesitant as were Piotr and Logan, but soon they were all fitted with harnesses and hooked into self belaying rigs facing the rock wall. "Ok so you're all standing in front of what I hope will be a skill appropriate wall. The left is the hardest,"
"Thanks." Grumbled Remy who stood in the place in question.
Chris chuckled but continued, "and the right is the easiest." to which Piotr whooped. "Piotr this rock wall won't hold you if you 'metal up' so go at it as you are. You get too comfortable with the idea of being indestructible and that's what will kill you in the end. What if you ever need to climb a tree? Not gunna happen as Mr. Metalo." Piotr huffed but nodded. "Good, I want everyone to at least hit the middle lane today so Kitty, Rogue and Remy once you finish your lane in under 5 minutes today you are done. There's no moving backwards only forewords; Rogue I know you may not be used to this, but if you are going to be going alongside my brother you need to be able to keep up with him when he's infiltrating buildings." Rogue nodded and Chris called for them to prepare to climb and watched as from left to right Remy, Rogue, Kitty, Logan, and Piotr took a foot hold and grabbed their first hand holds.
"Ready, Set, GO!" Kurt counted down and the climbers began their assent. Chris chose to free climb the hardest course twice while they were working their way up, but she was only half way up the second time when Remy reached the top. Looking over and up she yelled, "Good Rem, Climb the decent too, don't let the harness take you." to which she heard a raspberry being blown and soon after a whirr grunt as Piotr lost his grip and dropped back to the start again.
By the time Chris made her second lap and touched back down on the ground Remy was almost low enough on the wall to make a safe drop and Rogue was almost to the top. Kitty was making decent headway, but she was halting too often to look down. Piotr was only a quarter of the way up his muscles bulging as he held himself to the wall for dear life, and Logan was about half way up, but not doing much better.
"The key is to just focus on moving one hand and one foot at a time. It's ok if you're not pressed right up against the wall, the only muscles you need are your toes, legs and fingers; relax your arm muscles. Kitty quit looking down it's only gunna get farther way. It's gunna suck if you fall no matter what so instead of concentrating on how far you're gunna fall concentrate on the next hand hold and foot hold so you don't fall. Nice job Rogue! Same thing as Remy climb your way back down, you'll need a little more arm muscles for this to lower yourself softly, but as long as you grip with your toes you'll be fine. One minute left before time is up, better hurry if you don't want to have to do it again Rogue. As for everyone else who isn't gunna make it you still have to make it to the top before you can try again." Chris instructed.
Remy came to stand beside Chris and couldn't help but stare at Rogue's ass a little as her cloak was for once removed and the harness molded her pants to her. Chris elbowed him in the ribs and he shook his head slightly now paying attention to her progression on the wall telling her to let go and drop the last 8 or so feet. Rogue made it with mere seconds to spare and the pair moved on with Kurt to the training mats to work on their fighting skills. Remy and Kurt taught Rogue hand to hand combat and to fight with Remy's staff while Kurt honed Remy's staff work in more complex situations.
Kitty only needed one more try to make it in the time limit and was admittedly making much better progress now that she caught her self from looking down and kept her eyes glued above her feeling for her foot holds instead of looking. Down was a bit harder for her than up because she had to look, but the fact that she was getting closer with every step was motivating enough to keep her moving. Logan was only a few seconds late this time, but Chris made him do it again despite his dark muttering and poor Piotr had yet to make it all the way to the top. Eventually once Logan had moved on the the middle lane and Piotr was still stuck three quarters the way up the first Chris ordered him to fall back on the harness and let it carry him back to the matts. Hooking on her own harness to the middle path's automatic system Chris helped guide him up the wall making him move his chest back so that he held the wall and arms link and pushing him to stretch for higher foot holds and use his legs better. It took fifteen minutes or so, but Piotr finally made it to the top and rode the harness back down. On his third attempt Logan reverted to his old habit of digging his claws into her rock wall and Chris promptly climbed up beside him, kicked his ass, cussed him out, and pushed him off the wall to start over again.