Drop in the bucket (Open)

[Wanda Maximoff]

The Anya Lensherr Center had been open for three weeks now. The hours were sporadic, given that the only volunteer or employee that worked there had two full time jobs. Wanda Maximoff spent her days as a teacher at the Xavier Institute, her nights as an X-Man and had to steal hours throughout the week to make time for the Center she had founded and named after a sister she had never known. What little she was paid from the Institute was spent on rent and supplies for the Center.

The organization, such as it was, had no particular mandate. It was not a properly registered charity, it simply was one woman in a run down office trying to make a difference in the mutant ghetto that she blamed herself for helping to create. No line of causality could ever be drawn linking the existance of an all mutant ghetto in New York City to the estwhile daughter of Magneto, but having seen the poverty and suffering that the inhabitants of District X lived in during the recent Chimera Virus crisis, Wanda had felt responsible. She lived in comfort despite having abused her power at the behest of her fahter, meanwhile true innocents suffered simply because they were not blessed as she had been.

Wanda looked normal, better than normal in fact. When her father spoke about mutants being the next stage in evolution, smarter, stronger, faster and more beautiful than their human conterparts one of the mutants he meant was his own daughter. He rarely mentioned those mutants who lived in District X, whose powers made them dangerous to those around them, or whose physical mutation drove them from human society. It was a place forgotten about by both the Brotherhood and the X-Men, but Wanda would not allow herself to forget it.

Today there was soup held in two large pots sitting on table in the centre of the room. The soup had been prepared by Wanda in the Xavier Institute's large kitchen and then brought to the District by taxi. There were paper bowls and plastic sthingys and a line up out the door and into the street. Wanda had convinced two local residents to dish out the soup, and was herself making sure that everyone was being looked after.

The soup lasted as long as she could make it last, but soon it was gone though by that time the line had dwindled to near nothingness. Wanda knew that she was still an outsider there, that as much as she tried to reach out to the community they would always struggle to accept her as one of their own. Her decision to spend two nights a week in the tiny apartment above the Center's office helped make her somewhat of a local, but she knew the fact that come Sunday night she would have to return to the Xavier Institute for Monday morning's classes meant that she was not one of them. They felt trapped here, unable to leave for a better job.

Alone in the Center's office Wanda turned off most of the lights and began to clean up. Tomorrow was the Center's open medical day, where Wanda used her combination of X-Men learned first-aid and traditional gypsy medicinal techniques to approximate a doctor. It was not enough, but many of the people in the district had not seen a real doctor in years if not longer and her smattering of skills was the best they could find.

(Tag anyone who wants to enter)

[Remy LeBeau]

District X hadn’t changed much in the six months that had passed since the near extinction of its population just half a year ago. The streets were still crawling with those mutants that refused to help themselves, those that chose to hide away from the prying eyes of the government and other Homo-Sapiens to avoid persecution. It almost disgusted to Cajun thief to see mutants packed together so tightly, cramming together like rats in a wall to avoid the bitter frost of winter. Just like rats these mutants were packing together to avoid the pain that would come from anti-mutant riots started from their rather grotesque appearances, hiding from unknowing and uncaring humans that didn’t even think to bother taking the time to see past the physical deformations of those around them. People like that only brought a taste of disgust to the mouth of the red eyed demon every time he was forced to think of how mutants in this world were treated. Perhaps that was why he came to the so called mutant ghetto, to escape the looks of the modern man whenever he walked the streets with his eyes uncovered. Well, that was his normal excuse.

Tonight Remy LeBeau had dropped by the mutant ghetto to spend some time at one of the local bars that he regularly frequented. As per his weekend ritual Remy had taken the time to enter his usual bar and make a spare buck swindling the various patrons out of there money in a few rounds of poker before taking his leave from the place to wander the streets of the once decimated district. On this particular night his regular street stalking brought him to the front door of a building that he once thought to be vacant. Stopping before the once vacant building the thief king gazed at the sign plastered above the door with glowing crimson orbs. Plain as day the sign read The Anya Lensherr Center, obviously stating its purpose as some sort of community center for the local mutant population. But the buildings purpose wasn’t what caused the freedom fighter to remain rooted to his place on the pavement, it was the name surname written on that sign above the door. Remy had only heard the last name Lensherr in one place before, and that last name belonged to Magneto, and the last time he had checked Eric wasn’t the type to rent some space and take time away from his planning to create a perfect mutant society to help those that wouldn’t take the time to fight for themselves. Needless to say that name plastered on the wall was peaking the Cajun’s interest now, and being the curious fool that he was Gambit couldn’t help but pop his head into the building to see just who was running this Ana Lensherr Center.

Preparing himself for whatever was to come, Remy popped open the front door to the center and stepped inside with dead silence. Upon entrance Remy did what he always did when entering a new area. Crimson eyes scanned around the room in a quick yet efficient manner, searching the walls, floor, and ceiling anything of any particular value. It wasn’t surprising when he found nothing of any real value that he could take and sell for a quick buck, but he did find something rather interesting within the confines of the four small walls. There was a woman within the confines of the four small walls cleaning the tiny room with half the lights turned off. Her back was turned to him, but even so the Cajun had a fairly decent idea as to whom he was now shut in this room with. Never one to forget the figure of a woman from any angle, Remy wagered that the woman cleaning with her back to him just happened to be the very special daughter of the Brotherhoods patriarch. Well the name of the center made rather perfect sense now, the name on the door must have once belonged to a relation of hers; a sister perhaps? Not like any of that mattered at the moment. Now that he knew who was running this center, and who he was currently locked in the same room with, Remy decided that the next course of action would be to stir up some form of conversation with the once proud daughter of the great Magneto.

Clearing his throat with a hearty cough, Remy called out to the woman that currently had her back turned away from him. “Pardon me, chere , but Remy wonderin’ just what dis place is,” he spoke with that clear and rather thick accent of his, directing it towards his ex-Brotherhood comrade.

[Wanda Maximoff]

The voice startled Wanda who had been sure that she was alone. Jumping slightly she turned and laughed when she say the man, placing her hand against her chest to indicate that he had caused her heart to race by surprising her. It did not dawn on her who the man was, as she had already left the Brotherhood and had returned to Europe when Remy LeBeau had joined the Brotherhood. They had met during the brief alliance between the Brotherhood and X-Men during the Chimera outbreak in the District, the very event that had lead Wanda to open her Center, but she had been more focused on trying to connect with her father than to learn all the new people he held under his sway, and after a day of meeting hundreds of new people she would have had trouble recognizing anyone apart perhaps from her own twin brother.

"You surprised me," she said laughing a little. Wanda smiled, not afraid despite the fact that it was the sort of situation that women spend their lives being warned about. It was dark out, a bad neighborhood and she was alone with a strange man in a half lit office. Of course most women do not have a year and a half of self-defense training with the X-Men, nor the power of the Scarlet Witch. Besides Wanda's nature meant that she assumed no ill will from anyone, until they had demonstrated it.

"This is the Anya Lensherr Center," she said turning her attention to his question, "we sort of do a bit of everything to help the people in the District. Today we had soup, and tomorrow we have a medical clinic. It is not much, but we just opened a few weeks ago." Wanda had learned to use "we" instead of "I" or "me" since people seemed to dismiss the Center when they knew it was just one woman with not much money. It was bending the truth slightly to suggest there were more, but people seemed to take her more seriously if they thought that there was at least a benefactor with money supporting the Center.

"I am sorry," she said apologetically, "but we are out of soup."

She approached LeBeau and became slightly flustered at how attractive he was. Wanda was not the slightest bit repulsed or disgusted by the citizens of the District, most of whom had physical mutations that kept them from being able to pass as human, but she still liked attractive things and LeBeau was certainly attractive. He was also familiar looking, causing a look of slight confusion to cross her face.

"I saved some of the soup for my own dinner," she said, not wanting to turn anyone away, "if you want you can have that. I could probably do to miss a meal anyway. May I ask if we have met before?" Her mind was swiftly going through where she might have met him before, as she tried to place him.

[Katherine Pryde]

Kitty was running late. She hated that.

She had heard through the grapevine about Wanda's new bid to help out the people in District X, and despite the fact that they had scared the crap out of her the last time she'd walked those streets, the phaser could sympathize. And because she could sympathize, she had decided that she would pop down there and try to help out a bit here and there, in between the bazillion other things that her schedule juggled. Maybe she ought to try thinning things out.

Today she had been held up by her homework, some tricky math problems posing some trouble even to her gifted brain. It was nothing she couldn't handle, of course, but to work her way through it all required time that she didn't really have. Which is why, as Wanda was beginning her clean-up within the center, Kitty was running down the sidewalk and hoping to goodness that she wouldn't miss Wanda entirely. She was also glad that she was in very good shape, since she would have dropped to the ground in exhaustion quite a while ago otherwise.

Spotting the sign over the building she wanted, Kitty didn't even pause to give it a good look before phasing right through the wall and coming to a panting stop. Of course, when her feet stopped her mouth took up where they left off. "I'm so sorry, Miss Maximoff! I was going to come down and help out but I got all wrapped up in my calculus homework and totally lost track of time!" Things liked that tended to happen to her rather frequently, actually, being the little geek that she was. Realizing that Wanda wasn't the only one standing around, the brunette tossed a puzzled look the Cajun's way. "Sorry," she apologized again, "I didn't realize you already had help." Not that he looked like the particularly helpful sort, really. Still, looks could be deceiving...right?

[Remy LeBeau]

Remy had been expecting the woman to jump a little once his voice traveled to her ears, he seemed to have that effect on women when they didn’t notice his entrance into the room. He hadn’t expected her to laugh though, that was something that almost never occurred after a woman first laid eyes on that hypnotic gaze of his. But this woman wasn’t just any random woman the Cajun happened to pass on the streets of New York City, no she was the beloved daughter of Magneto. In a sense that almost made her royalty, taboo almost. Too bad for that bit of information that Remy LeBeau wasn’t one to listen to the rules set by society, he’d do what he wanted, when he wanted, and how he wanted. Society wasn’t going to throw him down this time, not now or ever again for that matter. As he pondered away on society behind those crimson eyes of his the startled princess spoke out. "You surprised me," she said with a small laugh. "Aww, Remy sorry ‘bout that chere," he spoke in a monotone voice, "he try to make a little more noise for you next time." His gaze held her own as he spoke, a smirk coming across his jaw as he finished his apology to the woman before him.

Then the woman turned her attention away from her own shock to address his inquiry as to just what this place was. "This is the Anya Lensherr Center; we sort of do a bit of everything to help the people in the District. Today we had soup, and tomorrow we have a medical clinic. It is not much, but we just opened a few weeks ago." So that was why this place didn’t have a pool table or much for furniture. It acted more as a pseudo shelter and food kitchen rather than a community center. It was intended to help mutants get a quick fix on food and medical care, leaving them to wander the streets and do whatever they did after leaving the place behind them for the day. Now it really didn’t seem like much, but it was more than what this place had the last time Remy had been in this district for more than a few hours. It was nice that someone was helping the people of this district out; however miniscule that help was when compared to the massive struggles that the mutants faced on a daily basis. It was more than Magneto was offering at the moment though; maybe these X-men weren’t so bad after all., a little passive on their goals of mutant liberation, but maybe not all bad.

"I am sorry, but we are out of soup." the woman spoke in an apologetic tone as she approached him. The woman looked rather flustered in the Cajun’s opinion, almost like she was blushing for some reason or another. Not only that but the woman looked rather confused as well, and blushing while confused didn’t help to deter the Cajun’s gaze from the woman’s rather attractive face. Quite the contrary, it only served to keep his gaze locked on her face. "I saved some of the soup for my own dinner; if you want you can have that. I could probably do to miss a meal anyway. "No, Remy not that hungry, chere," he insisted, denying his theft of her food. Women needed to eat more than he did, at least in his opinion, and he wouldn’t be one to take a pretty girl’s food away from her. May I ask if we have met before?" Now she was inquiring if they were acquaintances or not. Maybe that was the reason why she looked so confused upon approaching him in the rather thin light. Being the southern gentleman that he was, Remy couldn’t deny the woman an answer to her query. ”I t’ink we’ve met before, chere, at that big brawl down here sixth months ago, you was helping all de hurt people after the big fight.”

As soon as he finished revealing where they had met, another woman came running into the room through the wall. This one seemed younger than the woman before him, maybe seventeen or eighteen if he had to take a wild guess. As soon as he entered the room though her mouth started running a mile a minute, all of it directed at the woman standing before the Cajun. "I'm so sorry, Miss Maximoff! I was going to come down and help out but I got all wrapped up in my calculus homework and totally lost track of time!" Apparently the younger woman was the designated helper for this place tonight, and she’d been running late from homework, kids. Remy almost felt bad that she didn’t notice him right away, but felt better once she acknowledge his presence in the room. "Sorry, I didn't realize you already had help." "Remy not dat much help, petite," he stated, acknowledging the fact that he wasn’t what one would classify as a useful person unless some form of card game was involved. "feel free to help out dis fine lady, I’ll just sit back and watch."

[Wanda Maximoff]

Wanda felt an odd feeling run over her all of a sudden, like a warmth and comfort. There was something about the man standing in the Center that drew her to him in a way that she had not felt drawn to a man in a long time, if ever. Part of it was his eyes, which glowed red a color that needless to say she was quite drawn to. The eyes clearly marked him as a fellow mutant, and helped explain why he was in the District. When he explained where she had recognized him from, her first time in Disctirct X during the outbreak of the Chimera Virus, she nodded. He must live around here, though aside from the glowing red eyes there was nothing to mark him out as a mutant, and like Wanda herself he could surely pass as a human with little effort apart perhaps from a pair of sunglasses.

”I t’ink we’ve met before, chere, at that big brawl down here sixth months ago, you was helping all de hurt people after the big fight.”

Wanda nodded somewhat slowly, not quite understanding what he had said. He had been there, that confirmed her suspicion that he probably lived in the area because otherwise how would he have known that she had been there for the fight against Mr. M or the subsequent rush to vaccinate the population of District X? She accepted the bit of information uncritically, her mind happily trusting anything he said.

"I like your eyes," she said softly, "they're my favorite colour."

It took the sudden arrival of Kitty Pryde to force Wanda to break her gaze away from LeBeau's. She blinked a few times trying to get her bearings before managing to shake off most of the effects of Gambit's power. Stepping away from him and towards the young girl she smiled.

"I didn't realize you already had help."

Wanda waved her hand to suggest that the young girl's worry about being late was misplaced, "Your courses come first Katherine. I am grateful that you were able to make it at all dear."

Gesturing to a broom she continued, "We still have some clean up to do and then I have frozen portions in the fridge we need to take to a few mutants who are not able to leave their homes. Then I need to set up for the clinic tomorrow."

It was the clinic that was the main reason that Katherine Pryde was there. Since Wanda herself had limited medical knowledge beyond first aid and some ancient herbal gypsy lore, she wanted to get a more modern view of things if possible. When she discovered that there were websites that could help diagnose an illness just by typing the symptoms into the computer she had sought out Kitty who aside from Sage was the person who best knew computers.

Ideally she one day hoped to be able to borrow Dr. McCoy for a day a month and bring him down, but for now she was all she had. Well her and Kitty.

Turning towards the man she was a bit more focused. Alone she was willing to let her guard down, and to get swept up in the man's vision but now that her young student was there she was slightly more defensive as the safety of her students came first and trumped all of her other needs or desires.

"Remy not dat much help, petite," the man stated, "feel free to help out dis fine lady, I’ll just sit back and watch."

Wanda found herself comforted by his gaze again, and any trepidation she had about the strange man being in the room with Katherine and herself faded, "I should introduce myself, my name is Wanda Maximoff. May I enquire as to your name, is it Remy?"

[Candra von Hamilton]

2008. A new year had arrived for the students, staff and residential liaisons of Xavier’s Institute. Candra had been taking notice to the smiling faces of the students returning from a peaceful winter holiday break. Some wore their new outfits or their new jewelry and shoes, others simply walked around feeling fresh and renewed. In an odd, factual way she actually thought to herself how much she missed those that left. Only a few students and some of the faculty members stayed at Xavier’s Institute, and apart from visiting her foster parents on actual Christmas day, Candra opted to stay in the school.

The beautiful blonde wanted to be a little more responsible. The temptation of college friends returning home for break and commemorating a nightly beer fest was an event she was not planning on returning to. Responsibility was far from being Candra’s forte and most of the faculty members have been generous enough to let her know… multiple times, but she was hell bent on changing their minds about whom she was. She knew that she had indulged herself deep into the mindset of party-girl because she had missed out on it during her time in a coma, however, she also realized that she had gone overboard and she needed to change her ways for the better.

No, she wasn’t a completely changed woman by divine intervention. In fact, the effort she puts through usually goes unnoticed, yet she still pushed through because of the reward she feels within herself. She still purchases expensive materialistic items, but her alcohol and cigarette consumption had been minimized impressively. Today, she was helping in Wanda’s center to help those with far less than she had and not once has she stepped out of her work for a smoke break.

Candra thought it wouldn’t be appropriate to wear clothes that would seem flashy, especially when she was trying to help those less fortunate. Instead of editorial shoes and couture clothes, she opted for a plain white t-shirt, light-washed denim jeans she had purchased in the sale section of the Gap, and for the first time ever… tennis shoes. Though the look was simple, she still looked like a vision. She had the job of greeting those that came in, and once they began eating her other job was clearing out dishes from the tables and filling up others’ water glasses. It was slightly unthinkable for a woman like Candra to be doing such a good deed or to be wearing an entire outfit from head to toe that cost less than fifty dollars.

Out of the corner of her bright blue eyes, she saw Katherine Pryde. She had volunteered to help out as well but she seemed a little frenzied by the fact that she was a tad bit late. Candra took off her gloves and headed over to Wanda, Katherine and a new face she had not yet met. With a smile on her face and her eyes beaming, she walked up to the group.

"Hey guys," came a sweet voice from the beautiful blonde. With her hand outstretched to the new face she had yet to meet, she greeted him as well. "Hi there, I'm Candi."

[Scott Summers]

Scott reached into the car and lifted out the box of supplies. He'd managed to find everything on Wanda's list and still pick up something to eat. He liked the fact that she, like him, was probably still working and had forgotten to eat. Either that or had given away her own food to someone she felt needed it more. When they'd been down here fighting the virus, they'd found a small cafe not too far from where she was now still dedicated to making a difference. Summers had ordered her favorite meal and ordered his own, not really expecting to find anyone else here with her.

He approached the clinic, not really as comfortable with the reminder that she was related to Lensherr as he would have liked. He'd long ago accepted who she was though, and unlike many he was not about to blame the daughter for the father's sins. He figured that the fact that he and Wanda were now friends was clearly proof that redemption and tolerance were possible. If anyone had ever been considered a son to Xavier, it was he. In a sense it was likely only natural that the two would become friends, the most important men in their lives had once been close.

"Remy not dat much help, petite," the man stated, "feel free to help out dis fine lady, I’ll just sit back and watch."

Wanda found herself comforted by his gaze again, and any trepidation she had about the strange man being in the room with Katherine and herself faded, "I should introduce myself, my name is Wanda Maximoff. May I enquire as to your name, is it Remy?"

He shouldered open the door, adjusting the box as he did so. He heard voices, immediately recognizing a few of them. One of them he didn't at first, only a memory of the young man being with the Brotherhood. The knowledge put Summers on edge, not that anyone but Wanda would probably notice the subtle shift in his demeanor. He glanced over at Candra and nodded with a smile. He had been surprised to learn that she was down here helping out but glad just the same, "Hello Ladies." He'd withheld their names, not wishing to reveal anything that had not been revealed to the potential threat, "Wanda, I think I've got everything. If not I'll get it."

The X-Man sat down the box beside the red head and lifted a brow as he turned his eyes to look at the younger man. He looked like he'd been living on the streets, smelt like it too. He wasn't judging the man, but he was sizing him up. Always the tactician, "Wanda, if you'll let us know what needs done I'm sure he and I can take care of it." In Summers way of thinking, there was no reason to just sit back and watch. Not when there was work to be done, anyway.

[Victor Borkowski]

[/b][/color] He said with partial assertion. He wanted to make sure that his good cause stood out against his hitchhiking methods. “I’ll help wherever I’m able…” His words sort of trailing off by the needless tension in the room.
[/ul]

[Remy LeBeau]

The Cajun held his spot on near the center of the room as the new girl, this Katherine, and the woman that had just recently been standing before him conversed back and forth. So his guess had been right about the younger girl being about seventeen to eighteen then, only a teenage girl would still be running around doing course work. Remy merely let his eyes wander back around the room as the two spoke, blending however badly he did into the background of their little chat. Remy LeBeau wasn’t one to interrupt two women when they were in the middle of a conversation; it just wasn’t gentlemanly to do such a thing. After they finished conversing however, the woman the Cajun caused to leap into the air directed her attention back towards his burning crimson orbs and spoke once more to him personally. "I should introduce myself, my name is Wanda Maximoff. May I enquire as to your name, is it Remy?" So her name was Wanda, he’d heard that name around the Brotherhood before as well as something like Peter, or was it Pietro? Not like the guys name mattered much at the moment, Remy never was one for remembering the name of another man unless he held some amount of sway in the Cajun’s day to day life. "Oui, dey call me Remy LeBeau, chere," he spoke, nonchalantly revealing his name. If Ms. Wanda Maximoff was willing to give away her identity Remy had no qualms in giving away his own. All it took to find it anyway was a quick search through a government database on the known mutants. He wasn’t what one would call a low profile mutant thief.

And then three more mutants joined the little group within the small room. First came a blond young woman from seemingly another room located beyond the one he currently stood in. The blond greeted the two other women that she apparently knew quite well, and then outstretched her hand to greet the Cajun while giving away her own name. "Hi there, I’m Candi." the woman greeted him rather warmly despite his appearance. Not one to be rude to a lady Gambit took the girl’s hand in his own and shook it gently, smiling warmly to the younger appearing woman as he did so. "Remy LeBeau, chere," he stated in that thick accent of his as he did so. Then a pair of gentlemen entered the lovely scene of the small room in District X. One of the men was carrying a box and spoke directly to Wanda while eyeing the Cajun in a rather unnerving manner. Remy almost felt like he was being sized up by the man, like the guy was preparing to fight him or something. Then came a younger male, maybe about the same age as the Katherine girl. Hiding under a hood, the younger male spoke to Wanda before trailing off on his offer to assist her with whatever needed to be done. He probably wasn’t the most helpful either if he was trailing off on his offer of assistance. Maybe he and the Cajun had something in common with that then, since Remy wasn’t one to openly offer his assistance to anyone unless a rather large price was involved. "Y’ should speak up, can’t nobody here y’," he spoke to the younger male, encouraging him to raise his voice in his own unique way.

[Wanda Maximoff]

The influx of new people once again drew Wanda's attention reluctantly from the man that she had just learned learned was called Remy LeBeau. Turning away she once again broke eye contat with him, and felt slightly dizzy once more. Putting her hand to her head she sighed, slightly and then collected herself before taking stock of the situation. Wanda had expected both Katherine and Scott to stop by at some point, but the arrival of Candi and Victor was surprising. For the most part she had been fairly private about what it was she did during her weekends in District X, only telling Scott and Kitty because they were both quite close to her. It seemed that word had gotten out, and that others had been happy to help. That touched Wanda. Almost as much as the fact that Candi seemed to have left her most expensive items back at the Xavier Institute.

Heading towards Scott she noticed he seemed tense, and noticed how he was looking at Remy LeBeau. Wanda was not about to scold the leader of the X-Men for being overly cautious, that was in his nature and she appreciated the meaning of the gesture which was that he was looking out for her. It was a bit disapointing that she knew it was not out of jealousy that Scott was eyeing the stranger, but still it was sweet none-the-less.

As she passed him heading towards the supplies that he had gathered she touched his arm lightly and smiled, letting him know his concern was appreciated. Heading over to the supplies she opened the box and searched through it. Most of it was basic First Aid supplies for the free clinic she was going to run tomorrow. Things like bottles of rubbing alcohol to clean out wounds, bandages and some needle and thread for basic stiches. Again it was not enough, but it was far more than anyone had given these people for a long time. Along with the box of supplies was a bag with food from a diner just down the block outside of Disctrict X.

"Oh Scott, thank you," she said smiling. He had guessed that she had not eaten yet, and though she had not been thinking about her own food, smelling the chicken pot pie from the diner made her stomach grumble in protest. She longed to slip away and eat quickly, but knew that she had to oversee everything.

"Well since I've got so many helpers," she said smiling, "we can get started. Katherine if you and Candi could clean up from the dinner tonight. Just put all the empty bowls and sthingys into garbage bags and then clear off those tables."

Pointing at a series of long tables that were folded up and agains the wall, "If the three of you men could grab those and use them to sort of make a line so that when people come through the front they get guided by the tables to there. I'll be seated there and doing what little medical examination I can."

Heading over to the spot she intended on sitting she cleared off one of the tables she had used for the soup kitchen and began unpacking the supplies that Scott had brought her, making sure everything was organized and easy to get to. She had no expectation that she would be doing any emergency medicine, and for the most part she assumed she would be doing the simple things that a doctor could do if there was a doctor that came out to the District regularly.

[Katherine Pryde]

"Remy not dat much help, petite. Feel free to help out dis fine lady, I’ll just sit back and watch."

Kitty blinked at that, slightly confused by the way the man spoke. Referring to himself in the third person? Bit strange, really, where would one pick up a habit like that? Her speculation was cut short by Wanda's reassurances that she need not worry about missing the main event, and aside from her usual correction of "Kitty," when her full name was used, and brunette let it go with a nod, still in the midst of catching her breath.

"We still have some clean up to do and then I have frozen portions in the fridge we need to take to a few mutants who are not able to leave their homes. Then I need to set up for the clinic tomorrow."

Again, she was glad that her active life and X-manly activities kept her in excellent shape. Otherwise, by the time they got to the delivery portion of the evening she'd have been hurting. Badly. As it was, she merely nodded again. Cleaning and playing delivery girl may not be a typical way to spend her time, but it certainly wasn't a bad one...not to mention that Pryde wasn't normally one to complain when it came to helping others. "No problem," she agreed, eyes sliding to the Cajun again. Where did he come from? Did they have to worry about him trying to fight them? Wanda was acting fairly friendly with him, and since she trusted her teacher she assumed that the man was, at worst, a neutral party. As long as he didn't plan on killing them Kitty figured he couldn't be that bad. She was so tired of people trying to kill them.

Before she could inquire as to what, exactly, Wanda would like her to clean up first, three more people made an appearance into the small center. First was Candra, whom Kitty didn't know well enough to have an opinion about. She seemed to be another Emma Frost, but slightly more bearable than the original. Then came Scott carrying a box, and then Victor, who looked a bit hesitant -- sounded hesitant, too. Kitty grinned at them all, amused that Wanda's semi-secret project wasn't looking all that secretive anymore. "So what exactly do you need us to do, Miss Maximoff?" That was a mouthful, wasn't it? How unfortunate that she wasn't old enough to call her teachers by their first names. Of course, even when it was okay for her to do so, the habit would have become so ingrained that she wouldn't anyway.

Katherine if you and Candi could clean up from the dinner tonight. Just put all the empty bowls and sthingys into garbage bags and then clear off those tables."

Throwing a playful salute in the direction of her teacher, Kitty did has she was told with her typical cheerful air, offering a smile to Candra as she joined in. She may not know much about the woman at the moment, but she'd just been handed the perfect opportunity to change that. "I'm Kitty, by the way. In case you missed that part of the conversation."

[Scott Summers]

Scott offered Wanda a smile as she passed him, lightly touching his arm. Their closeness made him feel good and when he resumed his assessment of the red eyed kid he held an air of victory in his gaze. He wasn't exactly jealous, it was more that he wanted the other to know that he was the Alpha Dog here. He hadn't been one for pissing contests once upon a time but since Logan had come into their lives it seemed that it had become a regular part of his life. Some habits were difficult to break, it seemed.

“I came to see if you needed help with anything, Miss Wanda.” He said with partial assertion. He wanted to make sure that his good cause stood out against his hitchhiking methods. “I’ll help wherever I’m able…”

Scott turned to Victor and gave him a knowing look. He reached for the second bag of food and tossed it to him, "There are two sandwiches in there pick the one you want. The other is mine." Hunger was sometimes as tangible on the air as desperation and tensions of one kind or another. If the instrumentation in his car hadn't told him about his blended passenger, the empty stomach would have. Moving toward the tables Wanda wanted set up he grinned, "Once we eat we can get the rest of the supplies out of the trunk." Summers didn't mind that the boy had stolen away in his car. Of course there had been the moment of alertness before the realization came about who it was in his car. The fact that the X-Men and their Junior counters were all identifiable by the Mansions computers aided in that task.

"If the three of you men could grab those and use them to sort of make a line so that when people come through the front they get guided by the tables to there. I'll be seated there and doing what little medical examination I can."

"I'm on it," The woman knew him well, he was uncomfortable with chit chat, he was much better when given something to do. As far as the stranger went, he was willing to let the boy's behavior speak for him now. Surveying the room, Scott made a few quick decisions about the optimal way to stage the room to get the most use of it. Based on their experiences in the District last year, he could only assume that they would need to be efficient to handle everyone and keep them out of the cold outside. He shrugged off his jacket, setting it down as he got to work pulling the tables away from the walls and laying them down so another could grab the opposite end , "Lets line this first row up about four feet from the front wall in line with that door to create an aisle. Leave a few feet between each table so we can put a few of those chairs down for those who have trouble standing."

[Victor Borkowski]

[/i] know.

He did know that the people here were suffering, he did know that the quarantine virus that manifested in this place didn’t make living life any easier, and he did know out of all the places in the world where he could do some good – here, a place where mutants took up the majority of the populace he could do that and not worry about his skin color offending someone. At least metaphorically speaking. They all were mutants in each others eyes and those that weren’t became the outcasts, a title that we all know and love, a title that up until now Victor wouldn’t have been so anxious to give up.

Hearing the young handsome man express the need for him to speak up, Victor gave a stiff nod and swallowed heavily. He didn’t like being around the professor’s at the mansion because there seemed to be an invisible sign that read he needed to be on his best behavior. Like some evil deed programmed into his way of thinking he reacted as those around him did, and wasn’t fully himself when there was an off chance of getting in trouble because of it. Looking at the man with a more determined spirit, one fueled by the reason he chose to hitch a ride with Scott, he spoke freely, “Right. Sorry.” Okay perhaps not his best vocal assertion, but at least he wasn’t soft-spoken about it.

Turning just slightly he caught wind of a paper bag heading his way, whether it was his powers or own sheer luck responsible – he quickly caught the bag and opened it to reveal the contents. Sure enough there were two sandwiches just like Scott had informed, and since he was given permission and his stomach had no objections Victor took hold of the one labeled ‘Salami’ and closed the bag back hearing it crinkle shut with his grip. Most would say he devoured his food when he was hunger, but Victor often was simply a fast eater. He wasted no time taking healthy bites into the sandwich and with a few careful well-placed teeth marks he had engulfed the savory stacker in a matter of minutes. Once down he could fill his stomach silently thanking him after the churning desisted.

Hearing Wanda’s words of echo throughout the halo space – Victor began to assist where need be. Taking note of the various orders shot his way and working around to accomplish them as best he could. He wasn’t gifted with super strength or telekinesis and if he had this mundane task would have surely seemed simpler, however Victor found no fault in doing things the manual way and helped Scott position the tables and chairs in an orderly manner.

“How many mutants normally show up for these examinations, anyways?” The question was aimed at Wanda but Victor was willing to here a reply from anyone, really…
[/ul]

[Candra von Hamilton]

Just as Candi had arrived to greet Wanda, Katherine and the newcomer, two men arrived to lend out their own helping hands. The dashing Scott Summers, leader of the X-Men and Candi’s six-month long crush arrived with boxes for Wanda. She felt slightly threatened by his presence since she wore only simple clothes and her hair was not even fixed, but it comforted her to know that six months ago she would have immediately disappeared from the vicinity only to put on clothes that would reveal her assets. Though others didn’t notice or chose not to believe their eyes, Candi had changed even the slightest for the better interest of herself and others. When she first began to live at Xavier’s she wouldn’t be caught dead at a shelter, let alone helping others in need. Today she was different, and she didn’t care if others noticed she was doing any sort of good deed.

A smile erupted from the angelic face of Candi as the mysterious man introduced himself as Remy LeBeau, followed by calling her chère. Her interest in fashion especially the European high-fashion trends in France had urged her to learn a small bit of the language, unfortunately she can understand better than she can speak the language and thus, left it at that. Shortly after, Wanda had told Katherine and herself their jobs for the evening. With a wink and a smile to the men nearby, she followed the young brunette to begin their duties.

"I'm Kitty, by the way. In case you missed that part of the conversation."

It was odd. The girl was actually having a conversation with her, unlike the Guthrie girls whose main purpose was to torture her for being so high-maintenance. She didn’t mind ‘Kitty’, in fact, she viewed Kitty as someone with an open mind who would most be the least likely to judge Candi for who she was.

"Hey Kitty, I’m Candi," she began. "I don’t think we’ve formally met each other before. How long have you been here?"

Small talk during a job didn’t harm anyone, did it? And Candi wanted to pass the time much quicker while entertaining herself with a new acquaintance. Kitty definitely seemed just the person she could small-talk with while getting their job done efficiently. So as the beautiful blonde opened a garbage bag and began to put plates and silverware in it, she smiled, waiting for Kitty’s response.