Picasso
By Maiden of the Spear
Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men and their counterparts… I do own any original characters
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!
Chapter Two - Mutants
"Good evening," said the professor as he wheeled into the dining room. Tell, who was following close behind, tipped his head in curiosity at the group of people already sitting at the table and their loud chorus of greetings to the crippled mutant. They stared at him, equally curious, but he saw no open hostility. He did, however, notice the small smile Scott offered him from his place next to a pretty red-headed girl, obviously still upset about Tell's previous outburst. Tell gave an apologetic smile back, then looked at the others.
"I would like you to meet the newest member of our team, William Everhart," the professor said. "You may call him Tell. Now, if you would introduce yourselves?"
"You already know me. I'm Scott Summers, also called Cyclops," Scott said with a grin. The red-head next to him spoke next.
"Jean Grey. Nice to meet you, Tell."
A perky Asian girl with cropped black hair and blue eyes grinned and waved. "I'm Jubilation Lee. Call me Jubilee."
"I'm Rahne Sinclair, also known as Wolfsbane." This came from a young girl next to Jubilee with a lilting Scottish accent. The boy next to her had a deep Southern drawl and a friendly open face.
"Hey, Ah'm Samuel Gunthrie, or Cannonball. Call me Sam."
Tell met the bright, cheerful orbs that radiated mischief. The brown - haired boy grinned. "Bobby Drake. Also called Iceman. Nice ta meet ya."
"I am Princess Amara Aquilla. I am also known as Magma, but you may call me Amara." The girl blushed at the pointed look given to her by Jubilee, then looked at Tell, who just grinned. She smiled back in relief that he had not been offended.
"I'm Roberto daCosta," said a black - haired boy with tanned skin. His accent spoke of Hispanic descent. "Also known as Sunspot."
"Ray Crisp, Berzerker." That was the only thing that the boy next to Roberto said, so the younger boy next to him shrugged.
"I'm Jamie Madrox," he said. "I'm also called Multiple. Nice to meet you."
Tell smiled at the younger mutant, then looked at the girl next to him. He blink at the unfriendly light in her bright, emerald eyes, then noticed her gothic appearance. Realizing that it probably wasn't him in particular that she didn't like, just the world in general, he grinned and winked. Her eyes widened slightly, then narrowed. "Ah'm Rogue. Don't bothah me, and Ah won't bothah you," she practically sneered. Tell jerked his head in recognition, although not necessarily in promise. She frowned at him once more then looked away.
"I'm, like, Kitty Pryde," chirped a brown - haired girl next to Rogue. She waved her hand dismissively toward the goth. "Like, ignore Rogue. She's not, like, as tough as she likes to make people think. Oh, and I'm also called Shadowcat." Her comment about Rogue got her a dark scowl that would have laid her six feet under if looks could kill, to which she just smiled sweetly.
Tell then turned his attention to the boy sitting next to Kitty, and frowned to himself when he saw the nervous expression on the boy's face. "I am Kurt Wagner," he said, with a thick German accent. "I am also known as Nightcrawler." Tell blinked then looked at the professor who smiled back.
"So, Tell, what do you think of our students?" he questioned. Tell grinned, knowing what the man wanted.
"Well, let's see. Scott obviously has some mutation that deals with his eyes, hence the glasses and the name. Jean didn't give a codename, which I think to mean that she has some kind of psychic power. Jubilee's mutation is something very flashy, Rahne is lycanthropic, Sam has some sort of destructive force, I'm assuming that he does by cannonballing, Bobby has ice powers, Amara's mutation deals with the earth's magma, Roberto has something to do with solar power, Ray has a mutation of some unpredictable thing, like lightning, Jamie can duplicate himself, Kitty can obviously go place quietly, like she's invisible or something." He paused looking at Rogue and Kurt. "Rogue obviously has some mutation that has cause most people to fear her, therefore the need for the frigid bi--uh, girl…act to protect herself, and Kurt is somehow hiding his true appearance or he wouldn't be so nervous."
Everyone around the table was gaping during the time of his oration. Tell looked at the professor questioningly, and the man nodded, smiling slightly.
"Almost completely accurate," he commended. "Very good."
"Extraordinary," a cultured voice came from behind Tell. He turned and found himself looking at a tall, ape - like mutant with bright blue fur. He blinked at the color, then grinned.
"Thank you," he retorted.
"Ah, Hank," Xavier said. "This is William Everhart. He prefers the name Tell. Tell, this is Dr. Hank McCoy, also called the Beast, for obvious reasons."
"Nice to meet you," he said, shaking his hand. Tell then turned back toward the dining room. "So…what did I get wrong?"
The professor chuckled as he took his place at the head of the table, and motioned Tell into a place beside an empty chair and Kurt. "Well, Scott's mutation does indeed deal with his eyes, optic blasts to be specific. Jean is telekinetic, as well as a telepath, Jubilee has sparkling fireworks, if you will, Ray is electrokinetic, and Kitty can rearrange molecules to walk through walls or other solid objects. Rogue, unfortunately, cannot control her mutation, which allows her to absorb the thoughts, memories, and even powers and personality of anyone she comes into contact with, skin to skin. A small amount of the person's psyche is absorbs into her mind." He looked at Kurt. "Mr. Wagner." Kurt looked decidedly uncomfortable, but he shot a look at Dr. McCoy, obviously remembering the lack of response the blue mutant had received by way of his appearance. He switched off the image inducer on his wrist and nervously fiddled with his fork without looking at Tell. There was a long moment of silence and he finally found the courage to look at the other boy. Turning his head, he found his face right next to Tell's.
With a perfectly serious expression, he said, "So, tell me…Was your hair always black or did you decide to get a little change from all the blue and dye it?" He leaned back and laughed at the startled expression on Kurt's face as almost everyone chuckled. Kurt grinned.
"Nein, my friend. It is natural. Oh, yes. I can also teleport," he finally said.
"So, what is your mutation, Tell?" Jean asked curiously.
"Yeah, are you, like, a telepath, too? How did you figure all that out?" Kitty added. Tell shook his head.
"Elementary, dear Watson," he quipped. "No, I just figured it all out by common sense. Or at least, it is common sense to me," he added with a grin. He looked around the room, then stood, and reached for his back pocket. Pulling out a folded piece of paper, he opened it and turned it around so they could see. An intricate likeness of a tiny water sprite was drawn in the middle of the paper, perched on a branch overhanging a serene lake. He sat back down and jiggled the paper a little, as a pale green sparkle gathered around his finger tips and spread into the drawing. The sprite suddenly came to life, peeling itself off the paper and hovering in mid - air as it's tiny glistening wings beat furiously. The cerulean - colored orbs of the minute creature glistened. Kurt leaned over and looked at the picture. Only the branch and lake remained. He then looked at the sprite and expressed what everyone was feeling in a simple, yet decidedly accurate word.
"Wow."
Thank you to everyone who reviewed…before ya say anything, no I have not forgotten about Logan….he's coming :p