Kurt
—
Kurt dropped his hand to pat Rogue's calf in absent-minded reassurance when Mariko sat a bit too close and she flinched away. There really wasn't any chance that she'd hurt Mariko, but there was absolutely no convincing her of that. Gott knew he'd spent enough time in the last year and a half trying.

Kurt felt pretty bad about their response to Mariko's hippo statement when he saw the new girl's reaction. Verfluckt, talk about sticking your foot in your mouth, but at least his apology seemed to mostly smooth things over. He was almost tempted to explain about Mystique, just so she'd understand they hadn't been teasing her but...he really didn't want to go there. Explaining to someone that your mother was a psychotic international terrorist with megalomania issues wasn't really a great intro in his book...or something he really liked to think about if he could avoid it.

"It's not my real name. I think." and Kurt patted Rogue again at that little admission. The reminder that she couldn't remember her real name or parents and that Rogue was all they'd ever seen fit to call her wasn't really a pleasant one and he simply nodded his understanding at Mariko's explanation that her English was usually better as he felt Rogue fidget slightly. Obviously trying to inch away from the other girl.

"Kurt, get up for a second. I'm moving over." she commanded just as he started to shift his weight to accommodate her. "Nothing personal. Just don't feel like killing anyone today." she added by way of explanation as he sighed in resignation and climbed to his feet so she could shift. Uncomfortable hanging out in front of the new girl half dressed? Naaah, not at all...and if he happened to stand up a bit straighter than usual to avoid the obvious comparison to the housecat he was currently impersonating, well...

Of course, the second Rogue sat down again he flopped back across her lap...and realized as he did so that that was possibly more off-putting than the semi-nudity thing. Oh well, if it bugged her then that was life...

"So, uh... What are your magical wonderful splendid gifts?" Rogue asked as she started to work on his back again. Gott, there was probably something wrong with the fact that he enjoyed this so much, really, but he could live with that. His thoughts were cut off abruptly when Mariko answered, her voice tight with anger. Uh-oh, who'd said what how? He looked up at her in confusion, trying to figure out exactly how things had just gone so drastically pear-shaped.

"I can tolerate being near strangers, not just people I know without threatening to kill them, which is apparently kind of unusual. Oh, not to mention not making weird jokes to make fun of the new kid. Don't worry; I'll be nowhere near you." Oh scheisse, her voice had been climbing all through that little - not entirely unjustified from her limited perspective - tirade and now she was climbing to her feet.

"I just can't handle this right now." With a shake of her head, she turned to leave the room.

"Wait, don't go, bitte!" he scrambled to his feet, tail lashing anxiously. "We didn't mean it that way," he added apologetically. "Really. We're just used to everyone knowing about the weirdness factor around here is all. It really had nothing to do with you. Right, Schatze?" and he looked to Rogue for support, hoping today was going to be a supportive kind of day, rather than a let the new kid storm out with a chip on her shoulder kind of day. Gott, sometimes he really hated getting new kids, breaking them in to the whole Life as a Mutant Teen schtick got really old...

Rogue
—
Had it been anyone else but Kurt, she probably would have slapped them for even trying to reassure her by patting her. But then again, if anyone else had taken off their shirt and flopped across her lap, she'd have had an entirely different reaction as well. She figured that as far as similarities went, Kurt had more in common with the new girl than she did. She couldn't really talk about having to learn English and slipping up sometimes, so she let the two of them have their little ESL moment. Cute. Foreigners, bonding over hippos.

She sat next to Mariko for as long as she could, before giving up. Better to get that out of the way right off the bat, anyway. Kurt moved, flopping back down again as soon as she'd repositioned herself. Really, the boy needed to lose some weight. The nagging voice in her head urged her to be friendly and ask Mariko a question, and she pieced together the most obvious one. The powers question, really the simplest of all of the possible things to ask a new student at the Institute.

"I can tolerate being near strangers, not just people I know without threatening to kill them, which is apparently kind of unusual." FuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckFUCK. "Oh, not to mention not making weird jokes to make fun of the new kid. Don't worry; I'll be nowhere near you." She frowned, another stream of fucks running through her head, and a few fits of laughter from some of the more immature psyches. As the new girl stood up, she opened her mouth. What was she supposed to say? "I just can't handle this right now." She sighed, glancing at Kurt for a second, before getting ready to stand up. Why did people have to be so goddamn sensitive?

"Wait, don't go, bitte! We didn't mean it that way." She nodded in agreement, as his tail smacked her upside her head. Yeah, he'd pay for that later. "Really. We're just used to everyone knowing about the weirdness factor around here is all. It really had nothing to do with you. Right, Schatze?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Really. Like I said, it's nothing personal. I wasn't threatening you, I was trying to protect you. It's hard to get to know someone when they're de--" Maybe that wasn't the best way to phrase things. "I kill people with my skin."

Right, and that was sooo much better. "I... And the hippo thing, it was only funny because of who our mother is. She's a shapeshifter. She really could have been a hippo at one point."

She paused for a second, forgetting why the hell she cared if this new kid liked her or not. After a brief, unappreciated pep talk from Jean, Kitty, and... she could have sworn that was Toad, she finished simply, "Sorry."

Mariko
—
"Wait, don't go, bitte!"

Mariko paused, turning to face Kurt. Her expression was strained and awkward. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but simply shook her head. It was easiest just to leave.

"We didn't mean it that way. Really. We're just used to everyone knowing about the weirdness factor around here is all. It really had nothing to do with you. Right, Schatze?"

That so wasn't even the issue. With a slight grunt of frustration, Mariko turned on her heel. Funnily enough, accusing her of intolerance was not the quickest way to her heart.

"Yeah. Really. Like I said, it's nothing personal. I wasn't threatening you, I was trying to protect you. It's hard to get to know someone when they're de--I kill people with my skin."

Hearing Rogue start to speak, Mariko paused, but did not turn to face her. Instead, she simply braced herself for the inevitable outburst. Rogue's apology, however was a definite surprise. Shoulders slumped, she turned around, still half expecting the other girl to start on her again.

"I... And the hippo thing, it was only funny because of who our mother is. She's a shapeshifter. She really could have been a hippo at one point. Sorry."

Guiltily, Mariko shook her head. "It's okay, I shouldn't have flipped," she said by way of apology, "I promise I'm not normally this touchy, but I'm just so tired." In confessing, Mariko seemed to let her guard down, inadvertently baring her feelings more than she would have liked. "Or this much of a pushover," she added with an annoyed roll of her eyes. "I don't have a problem with weird, Kurt," she said slowly, her voice strained as her hand burst into flame, "I think it's kind of a theme here." She extinguished herself before continuing, "If you want, I can still go? It might be best." She really hoped they'd say no though.

Kurt
—
Kurt watched, frustrated, as Mariko grunted and turned away despite his apology. They really needed to print out some kind of manual for this place. 'Don't take it personally if the girl with the stripey hair has personal space issues, don't ask the dude with the wings if he can put in a good word for you with The Man Upstairs, the fuzzy blue kid doesn't bite and won't sentence you to eternal damnation.' That sort of thing would make these awkward first meetings so very much less awkward, really. Or, well, they'd have to help a bit, anyway.

"Yeah. Really. Like I said, it's nothing personal. I wasn't threatening you, I was trying to protect you Rogue chimed in, and he nodded in agreement. So she was a bit neurotic about it and going overboard but there was probably something to be said for being extra cautious around someone who didn't know what they were dealing with.

"It's hard to get to know someone when they're de--I kill people with my skin." Oh, and speaking of neurotic. He snorted quietly and stuck his tongue out at Rogue.

"Drama queen," he muttered quietly, poking her in the shoulder with one thick finger as Mariko paused and turned back to face them. She still looked on her guard, but at least it was a start.

"I... And the hippo thing, it was only funny because of who our mother is, Rogue continued, and Kurt grimaced comically at mention of her while nodding his agreement. "She's a shapeshifter. She really could have been a hippo at one point. Sorry."

Guiltily, Mariko shook her head. "It's okay, I shouldn't have flipped," she said by way of apology, "I promise I'm not normally this touchy, but I'm just so tired. Or this much of a pushover," she added with an annoyed roll of her eyes. "I don't have a problem with weird, Kurt," she said slowly, her voice strained as her hand burst into flame, "I think it's kind of a theme here." She extinguished herself before continuing, "If you want, I can still go? It might be best."

"Coool," Kurt commented with a grin at her handy dandy little mutant party trick. Funny, though, how the X-gene seemed to be partial to fire...speaking of which, Mariko should probably get a heads up about the nutjob firefreak roaming the halls considering her mutation. But not now.

"And don't worry about it. Getting used to this place is a bit of an adjustment, and misunderstandings abound but, bitte, don't go?" He smiled encouragingly, fangs still neatly hidden because there was no reason to push the weird factor more than they already had. "We've got a movie, we've got popcorn, and I promise you the company's better than you might think. Weird, but you don't have a problem with that," he added with a wink before turning back to Rogue.

"Oh, and kill people with your skin? Pfft! Unconscious for a bit and a blinding headache after is so not dead...just wishing you were for a few hours," he informed her with look of comical long-suffering.

Rogue
—
She whacked Kurt on the back of his head with the brush, narrowing her eyes at him for calling her a drama queen. Because she wasn't. She was realistic, that's all. Even though she hadn't yet, she could theoretically kill someone. And she wasn't looking forward to the day when that happened. She watched Mariko, trying to decide whether or not the girl would accept her apology. Thankfully, she did. And what's more, she offered one of her own. Rogue nodded, trying to look like she understood. Of course, she had no idea where Mariko had just come from or what she'd been doing before they picked her up, so she really didn't know if the tiredness was real, or just an excuse.

"I don't have a problem with weird, Kurt," she said slowly, her voice strained as her hand burst into flame, "I think it's kind of a theme here." She extinguished herself before continuing, "If you want, I can still go? It might be best." And that, Rogue had to admit, was cool. It was like Pyro, except not crazy. And Mariko didn't seem to need a lighter. Of course, that meant that if she was around and using her powers, Pyro probably didn't need one either, but still. It was neat.

"And don't worry about it. Getting used to this place is a bit of an adjustment, and misunderstandings abound but, bitte, don't go? We've got a movie, we've got popcorn, and I promise you the company's better than you might think. Weird, but you don't have a problem with that." She nodded. The new girl could watch with them. She had no problem with that. "Oh, and kill people with your skin? Pfft! Unconscious for a bit and a blinding headache is so not dead...just wishing you were for a few hours." She had the sudden urge to smack him with the brush one more time. Instead, she took off one of her gloves, flexed her fingers and turned to Mariko again with a smile. "Would you like a demonstration? I believe Kurt has just volunteered."

She turned back to him, her expression hard. She didn't like the fact that he was downplaying just how serious it was. It was more than just someone becoming unconscious. She took a piece of them, and she knew it. She could feel it. There were tiny little fragments of people in her head, and she couldn't get rid of them. Pulling her glove back on, she reconsidered. "On second thought... Not sure I want you bouncing around my head today."

Anymore than he already was, at least.

Mariko
—
"Coool."

Despite herself, Mariko smiled. It was nice to hear that kind of reaction for a change; not that anyone had seen what she could do for a long time now.

"And don't worry about it. Getting used to this place is a bit of an adjustment, and misunderstandings abound but, bitte, don't go? We've got a movie, we've got popcorn, and I promise you the company's better than you might think. Weird, but you don't have a problem with that."

She was half convinced that leaving was the right thing to do. The chance just to hang out with popcorn and a movie was tempting. She smiled right back at Kurt before returning to the couch. This time, however, she sat on the arm, to make sure that she was giving Rogue enough breathing room. A different chair may have been safer, but it probably would have looked patronizing, too.

"Oh, and kill people with your skin? Pfft! Unconscious for a bit and a blinding headache is so not dead...just wishing you were for a few hours."

"Would you like a demonstration? I believe Kurt has just volunteered."

"On second thought... Not sure I want you bouncing around my head today."

Mariko grinned at the friendly bickering between the two. It was probably a safe bet that they'd both been here a while. Or had one of them said something about 'their mother' or had she misheard? Could she ask if they were without seeming insensitive? "Did you guys say you're like brother and sister?" she asked as she reached for another handful of popcorn.