Open to the right opportunities (Wren's Intro Thread)

Wren let out a relieved sigh as she walked through the swinging door that separated the dining room from the kitchen. “Shift’s over…I’m outta here…” she muttered to herself. She reached back behind her to untie the strings of her work apron, feeling it fall limp around her, giving her that sense of freedom she got every night at the end of her shift at the diner. She moved straight to the apron hooks. Swinging her apron over one of the empty hooks, Wren reached up to unpin her nametag from her shirt and to her apron, she’d figured that trick out after she forgot her nametag on day three of the job.

“Alright…I’m going home!” she called back into the kitchen. “I’ll see you tomorrow Stu!”

Hearing the grunt from her boss, Wren turned to grab her purse and head out of the diner. The bell on the door clanged as it swung out for her exit and the cool New York night air hit her. She paused outside the door, taking a deep breath of the air that didn’t smell like stale fry grease. She opened her eyes slowly, beginning the walk back to her tiny studio apartment, a few blocks away in the heart of Brooklyn. As she walked, Wren could feel just how grimey and worn she probably looked. A hot shower and a clean bed are going to feel great… she thought, seeing her apartment building in the distance.

Another night at the diner had had the typical effect, she was more than ready for bed, and wouldn’t have minded a massage if it had been an option. But the fact that her bed was waiting for her at the top of her five story walk-up would have to be good enough for her. She’d been in New York for about two months, found the studio apartment she called home (and had managed to steal back from the other things that had been living in there), and found her job at the diner two blocks away. Things weren’t easy, but they were better than she’d expected for a 16 year old runaway. She’d be fine…it was just going to take some time. She just had to be open to the right opportunities.

New York New York, not one of Charlie's favorite places but it was familiar. She hadn't grown up here but every thing important to her had happened in the state, so it held a little sentiment as well. The big apple was famous for two things, shopping, which Charlie hated with a bitter sarcastic passion, and Wealth. Which Charlie regarded with a cold look and a jaded thought. The people that spent their time mostly invested in one or the other wasted her time, and if they where in both...well she still didn't really like them. Mainly because they where fake. Sometimes literally what with the plastic surgery and what not, but also in demeanor and desires. The wanted only material things, things that would waste away to dust given the right amount of time that was ticking. Charlie pitied them, they would find no meaning. Of course she wasn't sure she had found it either, but she knew it was not in money or things.

Strange she thought. This one was so close to home but it had taken her a week to pick up the trail. Charlie found it ironic that she could find them in England and Berlin withing 48 hours, catch a flight home, and boom she was done. But here she only had to take a cab, but it took her a week. She could only assume it was the familiar territory that made her a little lax on these jobs, rather than alert and quick as she was in other countries. Explainable she guessed but strange all the same. Night was upon them and Charlie had watched her walk out of the diner. She wore a trench coat, jeans, and her black combat boots, her fair hair was down about her face and shoulders and had that messy I don't really care about it at this moment aura. Her hazel eyes panned the premises in a discerning air the could only be described as crisp. Yes she was sure she had found the girl.

Charlie was leaned up against a wall, hands in her pockets, waiting passively. The girl was going to walk past her, and indeed she did, barely even noticing Charlie. Fine with her.
She let her walk a few steps further before calling out "Is that your full time job or are you just waiting to hit it big? Mutants don't need that thought do we?" Her gentle hazel eyes watched her closely.

It was a pretty cold night. Wren wrapped her arms around herself, trying to cling to her body heat. Its sad that she could get this cold when she lived this close to her apartment. Night time in Brooklyn probably would have frightened most people, to be honest, Wren had been scared out of her mind when she’d first arrived, but that had faded. Knowing what she was capable of helped of course, new forms of security. This thought ran through her head now, making her smirk. Luckily for her or anyone else she’d never had to use her odd talents. But there’s always a first time for everything.

The voice rang out in the dark, just behind Wren as she passed the dark shadows between the buildings. In an instant, she froze, her body tensing and her head snapping upright. She didn’t feel cold anymore, that was the first thing she noticed. She turned her head slightly, trying to pick up exactly where this person was. “Who’s there?” she called out. Slowly she began to turn, her hand out at her side, her fingers tips flicking, creating sparks, readying herself in case she needed a defense. “What did you call me?” she continued, surprised by the fact that she could even recognize feeling offended when she was being approached in the middle of New York at night.

She waited a moment in silence before turning completely around, trying to force her eyes to adjust in the darkness. Her fingers flickered again, but not from her choice, this time she was trying to produce a bit more flame, something that might light up where this person was hiding, but nothing would happen. Panic sliced through her mind for a second, but she refused to let that show now. Instead she tried to think of other things she could do if it came down to fight or flight. But right now, she waited, wondering why she could barely produce more than a few sparks all of a sudden, and wondering what the bearer of the voice’s intentions could be.

Charlie's heart skipped a beat and her eyes drained blue when she saw the sparks. It was just for a second but she hadn't expected it, which was dumb seeing as she just approached a girl in Brooklyn at night, but even so...Fire and Charlie where not the greatest of friends and she tried to stay weary of it. There really was no use to hide any more so she merely stepped away from the wall and faced the girl clearing her throat.

"Mutant, I called you a mutant. Its what you are, and judging by the sparks on your fingers I'm going to guess and say I'm not wrong. Or you have some amazing skill with a lighter." the corner of her mouth turned up in a smile but the girl probably couldn't see it, it was dark as...well, night.
"I'm Charlotte, Charlotte Black, and I'm from Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning. It houses mutants like us, trains us, teaches us. They sent me to come get you if your willing..." she talked slowly, darkness had a way of tricking your mind into thinking your hearing or seeing things your not. Just the thought of what it could be merely triggers our senses to tell us something is there when it isn't and Charlie really didn't want to get into a literal fire fight.

She watched she girl closely, her eyes where changing back to their normal hazel color slowly but surely, and her heart was returning to it's normal rate, she cursed it for being so jumpy. But darkness did stuff to her too that she was only to aware of.

Wren glanced down at her hand and then back up at the girl who had emerged from the shadows in front of her. A mutant…not the most flattering term, but Wren supposed it was fitting, it wasn’t something she saw often, people who could produce fire and heal with their tears. She could hear the smile in the girl’s voice and she could only guess that what this girl was calling her wasn’t meant to be an insult. “Mutant…yea…I guess that seems accurate…” she mumbled, allowing herself to relax just a little.

The girl introduced herself as Charlotte, a name Wren had always liked, as it belonged to one of her favorite authors, and it was timeless, a moniker Wren had an affinity for. As Charlotte continued to speak, she began mentioning things that Wren had never heard of. The Xavier what of what? Training? Come get her? It was all kind of hard to grasp all at once.

“Wait…sorry, I’m not wanting to be rude, but this is all a bit confusing out here in the middle of the cold. Um…maybe you can explain it a bit more walking to my place? I don’t think the temperature is helping me at all…” she said, the rational part of her mind wondering just what she was thinking inviting this stranger to her apartment after talking to her for all of maybe five minutes.

Charlotte nodded in consent. She agreed, the air was cold and kinda made decision making and talking difficult. She brushed a few stray hairs out of her face and walked forward, noticing her nose was indeed getting cold. She shoved her hands into her jacket pockets and walked up to the girl.

"My names Charlotte by the way, you know since your inviting me over and all, but you can just call me Charlie..." she smiled faintly. To be honest she was excited to see what a teenage mutant's house would look like. Assuming she had no family, as most didn't, and only being a teen your pay wasn't going to be all that amazing. The institute gives their students an allowance, nothing big just enough for some spending money, it was safe to say none of them owned cars, the institute did but it would be a cold day in hell before they would let the teens drive them. Charlie never bought anything, she wasn't a needy person for stuff, so she had a bit saved up. Money had never been a struggle for Charlie, sure she has had it be tight but she never really worried, Charlie never worried about food or eating or clothing. She should, but she didn't, and it was just the way it was.

Wren waited for the girl to reach her side before making her way down the street once again, reaching for her keys as they got closer to her building. “Charlie…alright.” She muttered, offering her a slight smile. “My name’s Wren.” She took a few more steps, putting them in front of her building. “Hope you don’t mind stairs, it’s five floors up…” she murmured, wondering if her living arrangements were way more humble than Charlotte was used to seeing. “I have to say sorry for the mess now…but its Brooklyn right?” she chuckled, hoping to come off as nonchalant.

The climb up to her apartment was always a long one after an evening at the diner. And Wren particularly hated making company climb the stairs. “I really like the name Charlotte…” she said suddenly, realizing that the silence between them was turning a bit awkward. Something about having someone with her made the climb a bit faster and in no time they were at her door. She reached out and unlocked the door, slamming her shoulder into it slightly to unstick the door, a habit to her now.

She walked in ahead, scanning the room for anything embarrassing. “Yea, well come on in. Um, I dunno if you want anything to drink…but anyways. I guess you’re just wanting to tell me more about that Xavier place…that all kind of confused me. Is it like a bording school or something? What you call ‘mutants’ does that mean there are more people who can…do what I do?” she asked, moving around trying to pick up random things, hoping she looked casual enough. If her hunch was correct, this may just be an interesting option. A place where she could figure out why she could do the things she could, how to control them, and most important, a place where she can finish her education….if that was an option, she’d take it in a heartbeat. Anything beat minimum wage.

Stairs? she thought I can take stairs. that was very false. Something about the repetitive motion of jogging up stairs made it awkward and quickly tiring, how this kid managed to do that every day....Charlie ached just thinking of that. Safe to say she was right tired by the time they got to the fifth floor, and Charlie was trying to keep the panting to a minimum, God she hated stairs.

In side the small Brooklyn loft Charlotte brushed a few stray hairs form her flushed face and set about answering questions. "It is a boarding school, your right on that. You get your own room and what not, not as swanky as your set up here but I think you could adjust." she gazed lightly around the house "And yes 'mutants' pertains to people like you, and me. We have special DNA. I could get into the science of it all but its long and that can wait until later. The short of it is we have 'mutations' and we get to do cool stuff. Well cool to us, a lot of the world has taken to testing on us and trapping us in cages like we are animals to be feared...." she dropped off, hoping Wren would get that and kind-of relate to her in that. Her hazels eyes watched her carefully.

The words hit her suddenly. A boarding school. A place where she could keep going to school. A place where she could actually finish her education. That seemed too good to be true. Wren had to sit down. She turned to face this girl sitting here in her apartment, basically offering her the one thing she’d hating having to give up when she ran away from her father. It was like a flood of numbness that hit her and she simply flopped down in a chair across from Charlie. It was all she could do to keep from blurting out an agreement to go. It was times like these that her strong sense of logic was actually blocked out.

What was more, besides offering an education, this girl was offering Wren a chance to go somewhere where the fact that she could make fire with just her fingertips wouldn’t be considered enough to have her tied to a bed and poked and prodded. “I—I can go to school?” she whispered finally, unable to think of anything else to say, and trying to restrain herself from crying in front of this stranger. But if that’s what this girl was truly offering, Wren wouldn’t be able to hold back. But she could hold it in long enough to hear the answer. If it was yes, she was as good as there.

Charlie gave her an affectionate smile "Yes you can go to school, and you will be very welcome." her soft hazel eyes watched her with a gentle gaze, she could see her excitement and sheer amazement at what had happened, and her smile turned into a bitter laugh at herself.

When she was approached she had been much less excited. Sure inside of her her heart had nearly pounded out of her chest with ebullient emotion as she was sure most mutants experienced when told they where not alone, but along with that came the stinging tail of fear and guilt and lies. She hadn't shown it on her face to her seekers her excitement because it was masked with the stony face of fear and resilience. And maybe just disbelief, she was so sure that if she said what she had done they would no longer be eager to receive her, but they already knew and still came. But that wasn't enough for Charlie, if other people knew they would surely exile her so she simply exiled herself. It was better and safer that way. So seeing Wren's exuberance (even if she tried to hold it back) made her smile, smile at the reaction she should of had but didn't, smile at they way it should have panned out but she wouldn't let it. Charlie was constantly at war with herself forbidding emotions that she felt and trying to feel others, but it wasn't working. She was glad if not jealous Wren was the way she was, but Charlie was glad she could come get her, maybe seeing other people be the way she should have been was her punishment that she would happily take.

Clearing her throat she added "If you get whats important from your house we can leave tonight and get there in a few hours. We have a taxi waiting." her smile was weary and her voice quieted.

As soon as Charlie spoke, there was a ringing that filled Wren’s ears. She was being offered school. That was all she cared about. Certainly the opportunity to find out just why she was different was an added bonus, one that she would take the time to appreciate later. Right now, she could only focus on one aspect of how tonight had turned out.

Without thinking, Wren jumped up and began running through her one room apartment gathering things from her run down chest of drawers and her floor and her hamper and her bed, anything she could carry and throw in a duffel bag. As she ran around she spouted out questions. “Where is this place? What’s it like? What kind of classes are there? Is it a recognized like diploma or anything like that? Is there college options?” Question after question fell from her mouth as she jammed her things into her bag.

It wasn’t until she went to zip her duffel that the question that mattered hit her. “I—I can’t afford to pay for boarding school…” she mumbled, dropping the bag at her feet and looking up worriedly at Charlie. If there was going to be a money issue, Wren would be heart-broken. She wanted nothing more than to follow Charlie to this taxi that was waiting, say good by to the life of a teenage runaway and move on to something much more promising.

She watched as Wren immediately fell about collecting stuff into a bag and Charlie couldn't help but laugh. "You don't have to pay Wren, its o.k. Classes are simple, you get school work on Monday and have to turn it all in by Friday, there aren't really set classes. Its all very classical though, you read Chaucer and Milton and Cicero and Homer and Virgil and Shakespeare....any collage would be happy to take a graduate, I'm sure." her smile was reassuring as she stood to go to the door. She brushed a few stray hairs out of her face Always in the way she thought aggravatingly about her hair, some times she envied boys with their buzz cuts and short worn hair.

"It's a beautiful mansion on a beautiful estate in North Salem..." she said a little airily, she smiled fondly as she remembered the grey stone mansion with ivy running up the side and the grand hills and forests, "It's kind of like a fairy tale..." that was what she thought of when she first came when she was young It's like a castle she had thought in silent amazement at its grandeur, Like an enchanted castle...

Wren could only smile at Charlie’s words. She seemed to really have a fairytale take on this place. Seeing the look of fondness that Charlie held, simply talking about the mansion, Wren knew she’d enjoy the place. There was a pause when Charlie finished talking and Wren shook herself back to the present. She gave a quick look around her apartment. “I think I have everything…I guess I should right my landlord a letter about my leaving…Is there an address I can give if they decide to give me my deposit back?” she asked, digging for a piece of paper, envelope and pen and scribbling out a notice for her landlord to leave under the super’s door.

Once she was done she grinned, shouldering her duffel bag, her purse and a backpack full of the few books she’d managed to take from her father’s house months before. “I think I’m ready now…I just can’t believe this is happening…I never get this lucky…” she chuckled, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. She moved to walk out with Charlie, doing everything she could to keep from running to the waiting cab.

"Well you, my dear, have just won the lottery." she said and ushered her out the door. She wasn't excited about the stairs again but she didn't complain, Wren had to do this each and every day, she must be very happy holding that note to the landlord. She hoped that cabbie had come where she had told him, well not her one of the administrators of the school had called it, something about grown-up mutants made people either want to
A. stare B. runaway or C. Just do what they where told. Some tried to be tough and pretend they had no problem disobeying a guy that could destroy him with one blink of an eye and pull the whole "Just cause your different doesn't mean you get to tell me what to do [insert insulting name here] and those where the poeple that you would be scrapping off the wall the next morning. Not that any of the administrators would ever hurt a citizen but come on, every one has met those people that just make you ugh...SHUT UP! and if your a mutant...well there are other consequences.

Walking out the door of the building Charlie saw that, by the blessing of God, the cab was indeed waiting for them and she hurried in. It was getting cold, she scootched all the way over to the other side to make room for Wren and her bag, she looked at the cabbie who looked back at her and she gave him an awkward half smile "You know where to go I suppose." she said and motioned Wren to come in the cab.

"Your on you way home sister, lets move it!"

((We can just end it here if you want! XD))