Disclaimer: For the last time! I don't own the x-men. The story is getting good now I promise.
Great. As soon as Driani had mentally prepared herself to go out and make a new life for herself, she was stopped by a little thing like not having any clothes to wear out. She was a flirt, but not so much so that she wanted to meet guys she didn't know in her nightgown. She checked the closet in the room the x-men had provided her with. Just the thing, a comfortable looking blue robe. Thus dressed, she made her way into the hallway only to be stopped by another 'little thing'. She had no idea how to find her way around the mansion. Defeated by fear of getting lost. As Driani turned to go back into her room, she saw the telepath out of the corner of her eye. "Good morning Rachel." Rachel was already dressed for the day in jeans and a T-shirt. "Good morning Driani. Do you want some breakfast?"
Driani: "Um, I don't think so but I'll come with you."
She followed Rachel down the hall to a staircase that led to the first floor, then followed another hallway to a spacious, bright kitchen already filled with the other occupants of the house. Driani was impressed with the grandeur and comfort of the mansion. The rooms were beautifully decorated and the building it's self seemed huge. It all left her with one burning question.
"What is this place?" Rachel and the others smiled and began to explain.
They told her the whole story of Charles Xavier's dream of mutants and humans living in harmony and how he formed the x-men (Xavier himself was during research work at a place called Muir island). They told her about the types of missions the x-men did and how they trained in the danger room. Then each of them introduced themselves to her. Hearing their stories she realized that none of these people had a real home to go back to either. She would fit right in here, if they would let her. When they had finished she realized that they were looking at her. "I guess you want to hear about me now, huh? Where do I start?" "Wherever you want sughah." Rogue said. "Well, I know I look 24, but I'm 130 years old. I've been all over the world. As for what I can do, would you like a demonstration?"
Kurt: "Why not? Let's go to the danger room."
Driani: "Could I borrow some clothes first."
Shadowcat: "Storm's uniform should fit her."
Driani; "is she the one in the pictures with you all?" Looking at one of the famed pictures taken of the x-men team on their graduation day she saw a woman a great deal taller than her and with a totally different build. "I don't think her stuff would fit me"
Shadowcat: "Sure it will, it's made of unstable molecules."
Setting her up with a basic training program used for practicing solo combat situations, Kurt and the rest of the x-men sat in the observation booth.
'I really want to join this team. I've got to do my best now, my future depends on it.'
With those thoughts, Driani morphed into her second form. Now six inches taller and with completely different features, Driani got herself airborne through the help of her bat-like blue wings. She was actually no more talented this way than in human form, she just wanted to show off. She sized up her opponents, four holographic images and a robot. Piece of cake. With a warrior's battle cry she flung herself at them, using all of her martial arts training and vampiric skill to overcome them in just a few seconds. She stood up and prepared for the next challenge. The holographs she had just so neatly killed got up and doubled. Double roundhouse, flying back kick, spinning hook kick and some knife hand strikes took care of them.
She landed on her feet crouched like a cat, then stood up slowly with her head last by using her snake like spine. Morphing back to human form, she looked up at the observation booth for approval. Voices came over the intercom:
"That was incredible! Where did you learn to fight like that?"
Brushing her hair out of her face with a smile she said, "The easier answered question is where didn't I learn to fight. I've traveled all over the world, picking up new techniques and styles everywhere I went. I'm also good with swords, knives, and staffs." After briefly conferring with his teammates Nightcrawler teleported down to her. "Driani, on behalf of the x-men I would like to invite you to join our team." 'Yes!' "I would love to." The grin on her face turned into a small frown as she continued "There is one thing though, my ahem, dietary restrictions. I can tell that all of you are worried about having a vampire on the team. And Kitty," she said looking up at the girl as she phased through the floor of the booth to stand next to Driani, "I'm sorry I scared you with my blood comment. I wasn't thinking clearly. I can drink blood, but I don't have to; I can eat regular food just like all of you. Forgive me?" Kitty still looked hesitant even as she said, "Sure, forget about it."
After she showered and put on a skirt and tank top borrowed from Rogue, Driani made her way down to the rec. room where Kitty was playing spider solitaire on her lab top as Peter and Kurt played pool. "Hey Kitty can I borrow your computer?" "Sure, what do you want to do?" Kitty handed it over. "I was hoping to get on-line." Kitty looked incredulous. "You know how to do that? Driani smiled. "If I told you I was a country girl at heart, I'd be lying. I've done all my shopping on-line since Internet shopping was possible."
Rogue came in to announce that "Dinners ready y'all. Hey sughah what'cha ordering?" Before she knew it Driani had a crowd watching her click and order things to her account. "Uh what is the address of this place anyway?" she giggled, finding it funny that she didn't know the address of the place where she was going to live. This wasn't so hard to start over, laugh. Her heart was still aching but she knew now that she could get through this. She went to the last page that displayed what was in her virtual 'shopping cart'. "Wow Driani I didn't think your tastes would be so...modern." Kurt was trying to delicately phrase his shock that she was buying jeans and sweaters instead of traditional black lace capes. "I do love all that gothic stuff, but I'm just as modern as the rest of you. If not more so," she teased, clicking on a very modern looking metallic dress. "Shall we eat now guys?"
'You know,' Kitty psi-said to Rachel, 'I think that getting to know Driani is going to be fun.'
They sat around the table in the elegant dining room. There was an awkward pause. "Do you say grace before meals here?" "Well I'm Jewish but we usually say something, um is that okay with you?" Kitty sounded scared, and for the first time Driani remembered seeing a necklace on Kitty before. Then it all clicked. "Oh the religion thing? I'm only a semi-vampire. You can say grace, wear crosses, and if I remember right Kitty you can put your Star of David necklace back on. Oh and Rogue, it would be okay to have put garlic in the spaghetti sauce. The only thing that's going to hurt me is the sun at noon and a stake through the heart." The x-men around her visibly relaxed. "And no coffin." "I'm very glad to hear all that Driani. Is there anything else about being a semi-vampire we should know?" Peter said. "I don't think so. Anything else I should know about being a x-man?" "Yeah the codenames. We all have an 'alias' that we go by so that our enemies don't know our civilian identities." Kurt continued Rachel's sentence. "I'm Nightcrawler, Piotr is Colossus, and Kitty is Shadowcat. Rogue is always Rogue, and the same with Rachel. Why is that anyway?" they shrugged at him. "Since sometimes people are unhappy with codename that other people picked for them," he grinned at Kitty, formerly known as Sprite and Ariel. She stuck her tongue out at him. "You can pick your own. Driani thought for a second, then looked up. "How about Vampira?" "Excellent! It suits you." Kurt raised his class. "May I propose a toast to the newest member of the x-men, Vampira!
psi speaking is a way of communicating with telepaths by letting them read your thoughts.
