&&&
"You know Chuck most people would realize that having an Israeli and a Palestinian living together would be a bad idea." Logan commented later when the faculty had a meeting.
"We couldn't turn either of them away and you know it." Ororo reminded him. "Besides, it provides an ideal chance for the students to learn about conflict-resolution and dealing with the sort of difficulties that will arrive in the quest for human-mutant peace."
"'Ro, I think you're aiming your sights a little high if your aiming to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace here." Logan argued. "We haven't had much luck with solving conflicts at all…just look at us and the Misfits!"
"I'd say its even odds which one gets resolved last." Hanks sighed.
"I'm not trying to achieve a Middle East peace here, just to find a way for two people to get along." Ororo countered.
"How long do you think it'll be before we start getting hate mail for having a couple of Muslims living with us?" Warren asked. "We're already accused of being terrorists enough as it is."
"Considering the amount of hate mail we get already a little more isn't going to matter." Logan snorted.
"I don't know if it's right to think of Gilaad and Amira as our guinea pigs." Jean said, Scott nodding in agreement. "In any event, while we should try to foster good relations between everyone here I think it would be best if we minimized formal time together in classes or practice sessions. If they're going to interact, let it be at a time and place of their own choosing, or at least with the others."
"For now, I believe that to be our best option." Xavier agreed. "Before we forget we should call Tabitha and Rahne and let them know that we have new students with us."
"Should we cancel the Exchange Program?" Hank asked. Xavier shook his head.
"I have a…different idea."
&&&
"We've got new people at the Institute?" Rahne asked Althea after she got off the phone.
"Cool!" Tabby said. "Too bad we weren't there to greet them."
"That's debatable." Althea winced. "But since we don't want to call off the exchange program or deny you two the chance to meet the newbies, the powers that be decided that we should go have a sleep over at the Institute!"
"Cool!" Tabby repeated. "Maybe I'll get to spend some quality time with my Sammy!"
"Don't hold your breathe." Althea told her. "You'll get to see him, but it's going to be a girls night in. The guys are going camping."
"Why's that?"
"Well, Sooraya's a bit sheltered and really isn't comfortable around guys. And since she can't even take her burqa off if there are any guys around, we figure that the best way to make her comfortable was to kick them out for a night so we can get to know each other. Ororo and Cover Girl will chaperone."
"What happens if they guys try to crash the party?" Rahne asked. Althea grinned.
"Amira made it quite clear what she would do to anyone guy who violated her new roommate's honor. I wont go into details but it involves a tub of warm marmalade, a scythe, their—ahem—most treasured body part, and a fire." Rahne and Tabitha's eyes widened.
"I knew I liked that girl." Tabby whistled in approval. "I'll have to remember that one."
"How could you forget it?" Rahne shuddered. "When should we head over?"
"The boys will meet each other in the woods at around seven. We'll teleport over to the Mansion around then."
"Dare I ask what you've got planned for this party?" Rahne asked with a quirked brow.
"You'll see." Althea grinned.
&&&
As the X-Girls were setting up movies, snacks, and sleeping bags in the living room, the female Misfits made their appearance.
"Here we are!" Althea as she Wanda, Angelica, Spyder, Trinity, Rahne, Tabby, and Cover Girl arrived.
"Oh brother, I guess we better get this out of the way." Jean groaned. "Sooraya these are the Misfits. Or as we like to think of them, The Plague God Didn't Unleash On Egypt."
"Ha ha ha," Althea dead-panned. "Very funny. Nice to see you again Sooraya."
"Likewise." Sooraya dipped her head.
"I've missed you guys so much!" Lina said as she hurried over to greet her teammates.
"Same here." Althea said as she gave Lina a hug. "How've things been here?"
"Um, same old I guess." Lina said avoiding her recent abduction by the Monarch. "You?"
"Pretty crazy." Althea shrugged then her face fell a little. "Still a little sad that Arcade left."
"I know I feel the same way." Lina sighed. While there hadn't been a lot of time for the Misfits to keep Lina up to date on everything that had happened (and vice versa) Arcade's leaving was something that they had to let Lina know about.
"Well, for tonight at least the object is to have fun and welcome Sooraya to our little family of psychopaths." Tabby said, trying to inject some high spirits. "So what's first for the evening?"
"I think a little trip to the beach is in order." Althea grinned. "Everything ready girls?"
"You betcha!" Trinity said.
"Beach? But it's winter!" Cover Girl protested.
"Not where we're going." Althea said.
"We told you girls that you're not to leave the Institute." Ororo reminded her. Althea grinned.
"And we won't. Just get dressed for the beach and I'll explain."
As everyone got ready for their planned time at the beach, Sooraya expressed some…hesitations about the bathing suits the others offered her.
"I do not believe I can wear any of these." Sooraya said from the inside of her room. The others waited outside. Althea looked at Amira, who merely shrugged at the unasked question. Amira had less of an issue in putting on a bathing suit but then Amira was a much more secular person than Sooraya.
"Sure you can't dress down for a bit? We got rid of the boys." Althea said as she knocked on Sooraya's door. She was dressed in a two-piece bathing suit and the other girls were all in swimwear of one type or another.
"If you say so…" Sooraya said hesitantly. When she came outside she wasn't wearing her burqa, but neither was she in a bathing suit. She was still dressed rather conservatively in a long skirt and long-sleeved t-shirt.
Still, it was a better look at their newest arrival than the others have had before. Her hair was black and long, her face was a tan brown, like most people from Central Asia. She had a kind face.
"Wow." Kitty blinked. "You like, look totally nice! Why do you bother with the burqa?"
"I like the modesty it affords me as well as the protection if offers." Sooraya answered yet again. "I would prefer to be judged based on who I am, not how I look."
"Okay everyone, let's hit the beach!" Althea said as she lead them to…the Danger Room? Everyone looked at each other in confusion as Althea opened the door.
"I can't believe you reprogrammed the Danger Room like this." Jean blinked as she walked inside where she was greeted by a warm, beautiful beach scene. The ceiling was a bright, cloudless sunny sky, the floor warm sand and lapping waves. There was even a breeze.
"Beach party!" Tabby whooped as she bolted for the beach chairs set up on the sand.
"Amazing." Rahne said as she took in the sights.
"Come on furtop." Tabby said as she tugged on Rahne's arm. "Let's go! Let's soak up some sun."
Rahne shook her off. "You go sunbathe if you want. I think I'm going to get some exercise here on the sand."
"Suit yourself." Tabby shrugged as she rushed to join Angelica, Amara, Jubilee, Rina, and Jean as they sat sunbathing, either on beach towels or chairs.
Wanda, Rogue and Betsy sat under a beach umbrella listening to music and talking. Dead Girl sat with them, occasionally tossing sand at any seagull that came too close to her. Seagulls are often attracted to carrion, as Dead Girl unfortunately discovered.
Naomi was gleefully swimming in the ocean—as a dolphin of course—and was giving Penny a ride. Penny was normally too heavy to be able to swim, but between Naomi and the floatation devices she was wearing, Penny was safe enough. Paige was tossing a beach ball in the water with Trinity. Lina was with them, playing and supervising at the same time. She was the semi-official life guard. Danielle and Kitty were having a splash war.
"What sort of exercise did you have in mind?" Althea asked Rahne. Rahne held up a Frisbee. "I see. Do you want to catch it in your hands or in your mouth?"
Rahne made a face as she threw the Frisbee. "Very funny."
"Sorry, couldn't resist." Althea grinned as she caught it. "So, what do you think of life as a Misfit?"
"More craziness than what I'm used to," Rahne admitted. "But you guys are all right…except Pietro. He replaced my favorite cereal with kibble again and made a stupid remark about my breast size."
"Ah, that WOULD explain why Pietro had to go to the infirmary and couldn't sit down all day." Althea nodded. "So it's been a worthwhile experience?"
"Not counting being stark naked in the mess hall? Yeah." Rahne grumbled.
"Hey now, like Pietro said you really couldn't see anything…you were splattered with food. And it's not like you're the only one this happened to. Kitty was naked in a movie theater, Angelica was naked when Lance rescued her, Wanda was caught topless in a pool, Jean flew around in her underwear at Rogue's birthday party…heck nearly all the boys have been caught naked at one point or another." Althea smirked. "It's no big deal. Just laugh and shrug it off. It's what I'd do."
"Just laugh and—" Rahne smirked as an evil thought crossed her mind. "Hey Althea, did you remember to put on sunscreen?"
"We all did. Didn't you?"
"Oh yes, I did. I used my favorite brand." Rahne grinned as she started turning wolf. "Coppertone!"
"Hey what're you—" Althea demanded as Rahne—in her wolf form—latched onto the back of her swim suit with her teeth and started pulling. "HEY!" Althea shouted as Rahne tore the bottom piece off and started to run away with it. "Rahne! Come back here with my bathing suit!" Althea demanded as she ran off after her.
Amira and Sooraya were sitting by themselves a short distance away under another beach umbrella and watched the ocean.
"I've never seen the ocean before." Sooraya said wondrously. Amira nodded.
"I used to be able to go down to the beaches in the Gaza Strip before…" Her throat constricted. "Before," She repeated. Sooraya placed her hand on top of Amira's.
"I am sorry." Sooraya whispered. Amira had told her the night before about how her family was killed by Israelis.
"I can't live here with him." Amira whispered. "I just can't."
"Forgive me, but you were a Hellion for a time were you not?" Sooraya knew full well that she was. Sooraya had recognized her from the attack on Sky High.
"It's not the same thing." Amira insisted. "I was tricked into becoming a Hellion and am sorry for everything I did. But if you asked him I bet you he wouldn't apologize for what he and his have done. He's proud that he was in the Israeli army. You can see it in the way he wears that IDF badge. And Israelis who admit that they've done wrong—that they've oppressed and humiliated my people for decades—are rarer than gold." Amira shook her head. "And soldiers are even less likely to admit that they carried out evil orders in service of a wicked cause. How can I live with someone like that?"
"May I tell you something?" Sooraya asked. Amira nodded.
"Of course."
"If you will forgive my impertinence, I believe I may have a comparable situation." Sooraya said. "While you were changing, I had a few words with the girl called Rina or X-23. She correctly guessed my nationality and my religion instantly. I said that she was correct and commented that I did not know she was familiar with my home." Sooraya kept her gaze unblinkingly on Amira. "She said 'Yes, I have killed in Afghanistan.' " Sooraya quoted.
Amira turned pale. "I-I didn't know." She said her voice ashen. "What did you do?"
"I told her that I was sorry." Sooraya answered softly. "Sorry for her victims, for me, and for her." Amira looked astonished. "I know our situations are not the same, but you do not know what—if anything—Gilaad has done or if he feels pride or remorse for it. It is not right for you to judge him out of hand. Remember what the Hundred and Seventh Verse of the Twenty-First Sura of the Quran says."
"We sent thee not but as a mercy for all creatures." Amira instantly recited from memory. Sooraya nodded.
"Just as the Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Unto Him, was Ar Rahmatu al-mozjah, the mercy presented by Allah to mankind, we must also be merciful—even during our pursuit of justice for our peoples."
"You speak like a qadi al-Islam." Amira said respectfully.
"I am no judge." Sooraya said bashfully, looking away. "I merely believe that Gilaad deserves the benefit of the doubt, just as the others here have granted that to me despite what those who claim to act in the name of our faith have done to their country." Amira looked down. "Besides," Sooraya added. "You love Naomi and she is lonely here, away from other people from her country. If you remain mad at Gilaad, then poor Naomi will be caught between her adoptive sister and the one person here from her own culture. A most difficult choice to put her through." Amira sighed.
"For Naomi's sake, I'll try not to start anything with him. I can make no promises. But I will try."
"Inshallah. That is all anyone can ask." Sooraya answered.
"GIVE ME BACK MY BATHING SUIT!" Althea shouted as Rahne ran past Sooraya and Amira, still clutching the bottom of Althea's bathing suit in her mouth. Althea ran past not far after her. "I AM GOING TO SUMMON SUCH A TIDALWAVE THAT YOU'LL SMELL LIKE WET DOG FOR A MONTH!"
"What in the world—?" Sooraya blinked. "What's going on?"
"Just as Allah is merciful, he is also kind." Amira smiled dreamily as she rested her face in her palm as she watched Althea—sans the bottom of her two-piece—chase Rahne across the beach.
&&&
A/N: The Slumber Party Continues!