Welcome To X-Men: Covenant

[Husk]

By all rights, she shoulda been in bed hours ago, but Paige found that she simply couldn't fall asleep. Which wasn't that big of a surprise, really, considering how many nights a week she ended up staying up all night researching something or other. Well, some nights she was researching. Some nights she just sat up worrying over this or that. There always seemed to be something to dwell on, especially what with the way things were going now. Most nights when the insomnia hit, she simply stayed in her room and read or studied all night, working on homework that wasn't due for months and papers that had nothing to do with the courses she was taking but interested her nonetheless. That or she'd spread her chemistry and geological texts out on her bed and work on drawing posters with various covalent electron bonds and crystalline structures, doing the same ones over and over again until they were firmly entrenched in her mind. The better she knew these, inside and out, the better she'd be able to make her own body replicate the patterns. Which would expand the range of substances that she could husk herself into. If she was gonna be up, then she was gonna make every moment count and as productive as was humanly possible.

This night, however, found her firmly entrenched in the computer lab armed with her glasses, a whole extra ream of paper that she had bought herself so as to not deplete the mansion's supply, a barrage of highlighters and two stacks of note cards. In fact, Paige had a backpack that she kept loaded up with supplies for just such an occasion when her normal nocturnal activities left her wanting and she hadda find something else to do. It didn't happen too often as her attention was usually pretty focused and didn't do much wavering, but she liked to be prepare for when it did occur. There was nothing worse than finding yourself unable to sleep and with nothing productive to do.

And, since it was the middle of the night and everyone shoulda been in bed, she was dressed rather haphazardly in a pair of running shorts and a sports bra, as much of her hair pulled up as was possible, feet bare and glasses perched on her nose. Strands of hair kept invading her mouth and falling down over her eyes, making things more difficult than they shoulda been. Paige blew a short burst of air out at the hair, making it lift and then fall right back into her face. Well, so much for that scheme.

She had multiple windows open on the screen, layered so that she had the web browser--Firefox, thank you very much, as IE 7 was nothing but a bundle of trouble in her opinion--and the word processor open at the same time, allowing her to surf and simultaneously take notes on her findings. For the moment, she was scanning the international news looking for more disappearances. She knew that Betsy and the rest of the European team were keeping an eye on this, but she figured that another pair of eyes couldn't hurt. Plus it wasn't like she had anything else to do. Though she had been considering trolling some of the anti-mutant chat rooms to see what kinda lies they might be spreading. That was kinda dangerous, though, as she woulda wanted to defend herself and her fellow mutants to those people. In the end, it was likely best to steer as clear of that kinda thing as possible.

[Chamber]

It wasn't that Jono couldn't sleep. Insomnia really wasn't an issue anymore, considering sleep was about the only normal bloody thing he did anymore. He didn't eat, he didn't drink, he didn't have to use the loo, or even bloody well breathe. So the fact he still slept was a bit of comfort. Quelled those nagging fears he got sometimes that he wasn't quite human anymore, even beyond a mutant. Some sort of monster.

And that was why the young Brit was awake, wandering the mansion of the Xavier Institute. He'd tried his usual cure for those dark thoughts he could get lost in, playing his guitar and listening to his favorite music. But nothing was helping. Even a few hours of mindless tele hadn't abated his nagging demons.

Maybe he just needed some new music to drown out the grim bits.

So Jono'd nabbed his iPod from his room and headed for the computer lab. He wore a pair of black sweats and a black sleeveless tee shirt, with black zippered hoodie over it and a pair of black runners. His dark chestnut colored hair looked about as tousled as ever and he hadn't bothered to do more than rake his fingers through it a few times.

He padded into the computer lab, surprised to see that there was someone else in there. Stepping into the doorway, he saw a blond gel sitting at one of the computer, wearing nearly nothing at all from the angle he could see her at. Her hair was tied up into a ponytail that wasn't cooperating with her and kept falling into her face as she typed away, her attention on the monitor in front of her.

It was right cute, in a terribly anorak sort of way. Jono smirked slightly as he walked up behind her and glanced at her screens. She had several windows open and was taking notes from the sites she was on. The gel was apparently studying.

"Hullo," he greeted in normal tones. "I didn't expect anyone t'be up at this hour. It's it a touch late to be studying, luv?"

[Husk]

The thing you hadda do in order to look for things like this was learn to read between the lines. Cause the reports didn't always come right out and say it. It was buried under layers and layers of worthless information, tucked deep in places that most people likely woulda just glossed over. The Professor had told them that it was being covered up, though he hadn't been able to determine whether it was strictly on purpose through the media or whether the instances were just so well covered that it made sense that these instances looked like runaways and regular missing persons rather than out and out abductions. She knew that he and Betsy were working on that. Heck, she figured that all of the X-Men and Excalibur teams were working on it in their own ways but that didn't mean that she was gonna be able to just sit back and let it alone.

Nope. She was just itching to dig into this problem. While keeping it as much of a secret as she could. Cause she really didn't wanna get on the Professor's bad side. She wasn't sure how many warnings she'd get before he decided to do something drastic. Like, well, Paige knew he wouldn't send her back to Kentucky. Wouldn't be safe for her there. Not really. Heck, she knew he didn't like the idea of leaving a whole group of maybe mutants down there, but he also knew Momma. And Momma wouldn't hear of relocating her entire family to New York for their own protection. Not even if she did get to come along. If anyone came after her babies, Paige had no doubt that Momma would fend them off with anything within reach. She'd likely win, too.

Rolling her shoulders, Paige went back to reading the text on the screen, skimming first for anything of importance and then focusing in on details when she found a likely article. Unfortunately, she wasn't turning up much so far. Which she wasn't sure whether to be happy or disappointed about. If there was a decline in the happenings, that was good. If they were simply being covered up better, that was bad. As her eyes scanned the words, she began to chew on one of her knuckles absently.

"Hullo," he greeted in normal tones. "I didn't expect anyone t'be up at this hour. It's it a touch late to be studying, luv?"

Paige screamed, jumped and almost fell out of the hair, manging to smack her knee into the sturdy, heavy table that all of the computer equipment rested on. Her first thought was that she was being attacked and would need to husk into something hard fast but then her brain kicked in with a message of "No, stupid. Calm down." Clapping one hand over her mouth while the other rubbed the knee that she'd banged into the table, she turned to face whoever had--not surprisingly--managed to sneak up on her.

And found that she was facing the boy who tended to walk around the mansion dressed entirely in black, a fashion statement she had never understood and likely coulda asked Lee about but simply was not interested enough to. Then she remembered how little she was wearing. A blush covered her neck and face as she stood up, hands crossing over her chest as she glared at him. "What are you doing sneaking up on people?" she asked before she could nip her anger, mostly directed at herself for acting like such a little girl, in the bud. She was terribly easy to startle. Still.

"You coulda. I mean." Her arms flailed. Paige stopped to take a breath and count to ten before she launched into some kinda lecture. Which wasn't the kinda impression she wanted to give someone who she'd barely talked to before.

"You look like some kinda wraith." Then she clapped a hand over her mouth for a second time and squeezed her eyes shut. First yelling and now just plain out stupid. She knew about his power, what it had done to him. Professor Xavier had long ago relented and let Paige dig into the files on the network that contained information about the specifics of the powers of the other mutant contained within the mansion. Not personal information. No histories or allergies or mental assessments. Just the science stuff. Just the powers. The genetics fascinated her. Plus sometimes she was able to offer a valid point about something for him. So she knew some. She knew enough that she was aware there were no lungs beneath the hoodie. Nothing to take the air in and push it out again. So she hadda speculate that he was using his powers--whether consciously or unconsciously--to vibrate his vocals chords in order to produce the sounds she was hearing.

And she was getting lost in jargon again when she had likely just completely insulted him. "Ah'm sorry," she said a second later, accent slipping out. "You startled me. Ah didn't expect anyone else to be awake." Course then she had gone and screamed and likely half the mansion was awake now and wondering who they should be pounding for disturbing their rest.

[Chamber]

Jono took a few steps back as the blond gel nearly launched from her chair in surprise when he spoke. She let out a shriek and slammed her knee soundly into the table she was sitting as she started to rise. He'd meant to startle her a bit, but not to scare her witless. This one was apparently wound a touch too tightly.

She rounded on him, rubbing her knee, her hand clamped over her mouth. It was one of the funnier things the young Brit had seen in awhile and it took a great deal of his self control not to chuckle at the sight. His eyes dipped downward instinctively at her state of undress, which wasn't quite as scandalous as it had seemed from the back while she'd been sitting. She was wearing a pair of running shorts and a sport brassiere. A pair of glasses were making a go at slipping off her tanned, freckled face. And she was blushing. Likely noticed where his gaze had dropped to for a moment as well, since she crossed her arms over her chest.

It was right fetching. Geeky, but fetching. Then she ruined it by pulling her hand away from her mouth and speaking.

"What are you doing sneaking up on people?" she demanded. Jono's dark brows shot up. He'd not nicked up on her. He'd walked into the bloody room. It wasn't his fault she'd been so absorbed in what she was doing she'd not heard him until he spoke. Or that she was obviously wound up tighter than an E string. "You coulda. I mean." She flapped her hands like a flustered hen.

Jono's brows lifted higher. He could have what? Given her a bell? He hadn't had any idea anyone else was in here. Announced his presence telepathically? Oh, if just walking up behind her and saying hello had given her that much of a start, having a strange voice in her head would have likely sent her through the roof. So far, this yank bird wasn't doing so well with the first impression.

"You look like some kinda wraith," she blurted out, then clapped her hand over her mouth again and squeezed her eyes shut like she'd just said a horrible thing. The energy in Jono's body twitched and his eyes widened and narrowed, not so much at her words but at her reaction afterwards. Saying it was a touch rude, but no ruder than anything else she'd said to him in the last two minutes. So she likely knew about his mutation and was being oversensitive.

Fabulous.

Jono stepped past the yank chav, a frown marring his pale features. "Right, sunshine," he replied tersely. "And I normally take fashion advice from gels who run about in their knickers." And that was likely going to send her into a fit of blushing and stammering, but he felt justified for the undead comment. Eye for an eye and such.

Then she was being all apologetic. "Ah'm sorry," she said a second later, accent slipping out. "You startled me. Ah didn't expect anyone else to be awake."

Jono rounded on her, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, if this is how you keep others from interrupting your late night study sessions, luv, I'd say you've a smashing system," he told her dryly. He nodded towards computer, then leaned over, scanning the screen. "This doesn't look the tripe they're teaching us in class."

[Husk]

Boy. There was a boy in the room. A boy who had walked up behind her and just about startled the life clear outta her. There was a boy in the room whose eyes were currently moving from her face to...Paige blushed and then crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to salvage some of her dignity. It wasn't like she was running around the mansion in the nude or nothing, but she had not been expecting company when she left her room in just her shorts and a sports bra. And, seriously, hadn't anyone taught him anything about either scaring people in the middle of the night or looking at girls when they were in rather compromising positions.

All she wanted to do was sink into the floor or drop through a hole in the ground or find some way to make herself invisible or teleport or something. Anything other than simply standing there with her arms crossed over her chest and looking at him looking back at her cause that was all sorts of unsettling. Not to mention that it wasn't the sorta real first impression you wanted to make on a body. Jumping and screaming and carrying on.

Which meant that the next thing she did was inevitably to launch into a semi-lecture on walking up behind people and startling them. Even though he had every right to be in the computer lab as she did seeing as how it was a public domain in the school. Still. He was there. Just standing there with his eyebrows cocked at her while she went and made herself look like an even bigger fool by chastising him for things he likely hadn't even had any intention of doing.

Then she went and insulted him. As if the lecturing hadn't been bad enough she hadda go and say something even dumber. Paige groaned, eyes closed, hand over her mouth again to keep any other idiotic words that might wanna come out and play in cause her mind surely wasn't doing anything near a good job at being a mental censor for her. Nope. Nada. Nuh uh. If it was up to her mind, she likely woulda gone ahead and insulted him some more. That seemed to be the sorta direction that she was headed into.

What else could possibly go wrong?

"Right, sunshine," he replied tersely. "And I normally take fashion advice from gels who run about in their knickers."

Her eyes flew open and her hand dropped from her mouth at the same time, leaving her wide eyed and open mouthed as she gaped at him. Then her teeth snapped together with an audible click, one hand coming up, index finger out and shaking at him. "I am not. You have no. What do you. How can you. Who asked you." All of the sentences began to form but she was incapable of actually finishing any of them before the next one rose to the surface. Shaking her finger and her head at him at the same time, Paige pressed her lips together, wet them and then tried again. "What. How. Who." That was even worse.

"It's 3am. Go to bed," she finally managed to get out after a full minute of broken sentences, gaping and frustrated noises. Okay. It wasn't clever. It wasn't polite. It didn't even make her feel any better. But it was a sentence. Small victories.

The next instant something in her mind finally caught up with the situation and she apologized to him. Maybe if she did that, maybe if she said sorry and meant it he'd go away. Paige didn't usually mind company but considering the foot they'd gotten started off on, she kinda doubted that spending more time together would be anything other than awkward. Especially considering the fact that he seemed to think she was running around in next to nothing. Which meant that he kept looking at her wearing next to nothing. And that was mighty distracting in and of itself.

"Well, if this is how you keep others from interrupting your late night study sessions, luv, I'd say you've a smashing system."

Paige glared at him over her glasses, planting her hands on her hips and taking on what she woulda noted as being scarily similar to one of her momma's stances if she'd been paying the least bit of attention. "Most people know enough not to bother me." Which was likely cause most people didn't wanna have to listen to her expound on one of the million and one things that she was working on at any given moment. She didn't have to tell him that, though.

Then he turned his attention toward the screen. "This doesn't look the tripe they're teaching us in class."

"I see the state of my clothes ain't the only thing you're capable of noticing, then," she said and then chewed on her lower lip as she rubbed the back of her neck with a hand, trying to calm down. Pulling her glasses off, she brushed errant strands of hair outta her eyes again and indicated the screen with her free hand. "It's a side project. Nothing interesting. Current events, is all." Best not to let the cat outta the bag. She'd done a fairly decent job of keeping her extracurricular activities a secret for this long; she certainly wasn't gonna spill the beans just cause he asked.

[Chamber]

The bird's reaction to Jono's comment about her running about in her knickers had the expected effect on her. Her blue eyes got wide as saucers and she gave him absolutely gobsmacked look. Her mouth snapped shut with a clicking sound and she lost her body shyness enough to uncross one arm and point a finger at him scoldingly. "I am not. You have no. What do you. How can you. Who asked you."

Jono's brows rose at the rush of unfinished sentences that tumbled from the yank gel's lips. A smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth as he fought to keep his compose. Because this was likely one of the funniest bloody confrontations of his life.

And she wasn't finished try to scold him for his cheek. She licked her lips and tried again. But instead having better luck at forming sentences, she was getting worse. "What. How. Who."

It was taking all of Jono's self control not to burst out chuckling from that. He shook his head, unable to fight the smirk any longer. This was just too bloody hilarious.

"It's 3am. Go to bed." The order was delivered with a bit more coherency, but he couldn't help wondering if it was him or her. Perhaps a bit of both. Jono just snorted and shook his head again. Right. Like he was letting some little chav like her order him about.

Then she tried apologizing, which was right nice of her, considering her complete lack of bleeding manners. Yanks. When he commented about the effectiveness of her anti-social behavior, she took a stance like an tight-lipped schoolmarm, hands on her hips, and glared at him over her glasses. "Most people know enough not to bother me."

The whole effect was completely spoilt by the fact she was dressed in shorts and a brassiere and was utterly unintimidating in every way imaginable. Jono snorted and shook his head again. "I'm sure they do, luv," he agreed dryly, turning his attention to her monitor.

Scanning the screen that was up, he could see it was a news site of some sort. When he commented on it, the gel immediately snarked back at him. "I see the state of my clothes ain't the only thing you're capable of noticing, then." Jono's brows went up at that and he turned back to look at the blond yank bird, first in the eyes and then, of course, to her rather exposed amount of flesh.

Well, it wasn't his bloody fault she was running about the mansion in practically nothing. He might not have blood, but he still bloody well thought like a red blooded eighteen year old male. Which meant when there was a tottie around showing off that much skin, especially certain bits, that's where a bloke's eyes wandered. Silly bint ought know that. It wasn't as if he'd tried to chat her up or something daft like that. Jono rolled his eyes and shook his head. Bloody birds.

"It's a side project," she continued. "Nothing interesting. Current events, is all."

Jono shook his head and started scanning the article she had been reading. "Right," he agreed dryly. "If it's so bleeding dull, why are you so bloody keen on staying up reading it then?"

There were several advantages to being a telepath. One was a photographic memory. Another was the ability to read things right quick. It didn't take the young Brit too long to get the gist of the article, and it made the energy in his body twitch and writhe uncomfortably. He'd heard rumours about such things, but had written it off as paranoia. He himself had pulled a disappearing act after his mutation manifested, to protect his friends and family.

Somehow, Jono didn't think this was the same bloody thing. Looking over at the yank gel, his expression grew grim. "Stone me," he cursed softly. "How long's this been goin' on, luv? Does the Professor know?"

[Husk]

If he laughed, if he so much as chuckled, Paige's self-control might just crumble then and there, turning her into the lecturing, finger shaking, pacing version of herself that her siblings delighted in coercing out into the open and then fled from in a matter of seconds. Once she got that was wound up, it took a while for things to get back to normal. Her siblings and most of the occupants of the mansion had the advantage of knowing about this possibility and usually stayed as far away from it as possible. And, much as she didn't wanna go showing the new boy that side of herself during their first meeting, he was pushing all the right buttons to get her there right quick.

Part of her mind, a portion that was still capable of thinking somewhat straight through the haze of indignation, was trying to keep her reigned in and sensible. Which was easier said than done when her hands were already flailing around and she was quickly being reduced to sentence fragments composed of barely more than two words. Still. It was trying. And kinda winning, too, since it had managed to coerce her into apologizing for the way she was acting. Cause her momma would totally not approve. Of course her momma also woulda laid into her for running around the mansion in just shorts and a sports bra as well cause, yeah, Paige knew there was always the possibility that someone or another might wake up and go wandering around so that was her own dang fault.

Paige sighed, perplexed and slightly annoyed by the fact that she had, once again, lost an argument with herself. Which happened way more than she honestly wanted to own up to.

"I'm sure they do, luv," he said in response to her comment about how most people knew better than to bother her when she was studying.

Frowning, she pressed her lips into a line and just shook her head at him, not wanting to say anything more for fear of loosing her tongue and making things worse than they already were. She wanted to point out the fact to him that most people avoided her when she was studying cause they didn't wanna get pulled into a long explanation of something they likely had never wanted to know in their lives rather than cause she acted like some kinda crazy person around everyone, but she figured it was best to just keep her mouth shut. Maybe if she stopped talking, he'd leave. Then she could finish what she was doing and scamper back to her room for a couple hours' sleep before she got up for her morning run. Yeah, that was `bout as likely as her letting this whole disappearing mutant thing drop like the Professor had asked her to do several times over.

Her hope that Jono might just leave was dashed when he started to peer at the computer screen. Which was still vividly displaying an article that she'd been skimming through when he'd walked in and startled her half to death. It was one of the articles that Paige had deemed especially promising. It occurred to her that she had no clue whether or not Professor Xavier was informing new students of this whole thing. If he hadn't, then she wasn't gonna be the one to spill the beans, especially given the fact that she weren't supposed to be bothering with all of this neither. Best to just continue to act infuriated and then shrug the whole thing off.

Which seemed to be working.

"Right," he agreed dryly. "If it's so bleeding dull, why are you so bloody keen on staying up reading it then?"

Or not. Paige fumbled for an answer for a second, her brain desperately trying to shift gears even as she nervously tugged at the loose strands of her hair, managing to pull even more of it out of the short ponytail. "Thought it might lull me to sleep." Right. Which explained why she'd been so utterly engrossed in the reading of it that the mere approach of another person hadn't been enough to get her attention. That was the stupidest excuse that had likely ever left her lips. Well, maybe not the stupidest but it was definitely up there.

There was a moment when she considering bodily flinging herself at him in order to keep him from reading too much of the article, but it quickly passed. Still she needed some way to distract him before.

All her plans froze in place when he turned to look at her again. Paige knew that expression. She was sure that she'd worn it many a time before. The look of a person seeing something dawning in front of their eyes and not wanting to keep looking, not wanting to know but also fairly unable to turn and walk away. Paige chewed her bottom lip and twisted her hands together, waiting, trying to decide what to say when the inevitable questions came.

"Stone me," he cursed softly. "How long's this been goin' on, luv? Does the Professor know?"

"I..." she started but the words that continued that thought, the lie that she didn't know what he was talking about died on her lips. Whether he'd startled her or not, whether his gaze kept looking at very inappropriate things and making her jumpy or not, he had as much right to know as any of them. And she was likely already in trouble for her curiosity as it was so digging the hole a little deeper by spreading information outta turn couldn't make things all that much worse. Least she hoped not. Clearing her throat, Paige looked at her hands as she formulated her next thought. "Ah don't know how long exactly." The accent slipped out before she could stop it. "Ah've been combing articles for some kinda reference, but it's hard. Cause sometimes you can't even catch it. Least that's what Professor Xavier says about it. But, see, they're working on it. He and the X-Men and Excalibur over in England. That's their main focus. Cause it's too many and there's too little known." Then she straightened a little and looked him in the eye. "Didn't they tell you not to leave the grounds by yourself when you got here?" She held up two fingers. "Two and two. Don't take much to put them together. The Professor doesn't like us slipping off cause he doesn't want any of us going missing. I can't tell you numbers or nothing. I can't tell you who or what or why even. Wish I knew. I'm keeping an eye," she gestured at the computer. "I'm not supposed to."

Realizing that she'd just talked for about five minutes straight without stopping, she shook her head and smiled wanly. "Sorry. Some things I just don't know when to shut up about."

[Chamber]

The yank gel continued her cross schoolmarm act, which considering how she was dressed, wasn't working too well, until Jono read what was on the screen and asked her how long it'd been going on. And if the Professor was aware of it. Not that he didn't think he was. Xavier seemed to be a sharp chap, so Jono didn't doubt he was aware of the problem. And security was right secure about the school.

The blond haired bird seemed taken aback by his questions. She fretted and stammered, trying to think of what to tell him. Obviously, she was doing her late on research on the sly. "I..." She hesitated, thens started again, her voice thick with a heavy accent Jono wasn't familiar with except from the tele. "Ah don't know how long exactly." Seemed she was from the Southern States. It was actually right fetching, the drawl. "Ah've been combing articles for some kinda reference, but it's hard. Cause sometimes you can't even catch it. Least that's what Professor Xavier says about it. But, see, they're working on it. He and the X-Men and Excalibur over in England. That's their main focus. Cause it's too many and there's too little known."

The names meant little to Jono, he hadn't been at the school long and didn't know much about the X-Men besides rumours the other students whispered. But what the yank gel was telling him was right worrying. Mutants disappearing right and left and a media cover-up. Not bloody good. His frown deepened and he went clicked the next tab she had open and started reading that article.

"Didn't they tell you not to leave the grounds by yourself when you got here?" Jono looked up at the blonde bird when she said that. Of course he had, Jono assumed it was campus policy. 'Asides, he had very little reason to leave and less desire to. He was bloody dangerous. "Two and two. Don't take much to put them together. The Professor doesn't like us slipping off cause he doesn't want any of us going missing." Jono didn't argue, but her point did make sense. He just nodded and went back to the article as she continued. "I can't tell you numbers or nothing. I can't tell you who or what or why even. Wish I knew. I'm keeping an eye," she gestured at the computer. "I'm not supposed to."

That brought a wry smirk to the young Brit's face. So the little schoolmarm wasn't to be looking into this, that's why she was doing her research in the middle of the bleeding night. Well, that was bollicks. This concerned all of them. Of course, it was likely for her own good, since she seemed to be the sort who fretted.

Then she smiled at him weakly. "Sorry. Some things I just don't know when to shut up about."

Jono let out a snort at that and shook his head. "S'all right, luv," he assured her. "I'm right glad you don't. This is important and I've not intention of tellin' the Professor on you. If you tell me what you know about it. Since you've obviously genned up on this quite a bit." Actually, Jono wasn't a snitch and wouldn't tattle on her anyway, but he was bloody curious and this gel obviously liked to talk. So this arrangement worked.

"Oh, by the by, what's your name, sunshine?"

[Husk]

Once Paige got going on a subject, it could be right hard for her to stop. It was a habit that her family and most other people who knew her well had learned to either ride out or just ignore. Sooner or later, she would wind herself down to a dull roar instead of the full out tirade that was more typical of her when something really caught her interest. And what was currently going on with all the mutant disappearances was more than capable of holding her attention for quite a long time. Eventually, though, Paige realized that she was rambling and got herself to stop with only a little bit of difficulty. Smiling sheepishly, Paige apologized to him for having let herself carry on so. After all, he'd only asked for a simple answer rather than a novel. Which she was likely able to give him if he wanted, but she sincerely doubted it.

Folding her arms over her chest again, Paige looked at the floor, waiting to see what his reaction would be. She wouldn't be terribly surprised if he just up and left. That was the way some people responded to her rants. She wasn't quite sure why, but she could only figure that it had something to do with being overwhelmed.

"S'all right, luv," he assured her. "I'm right glad you don't. This is important and I've not intention of tellin' the Professor on you. If you tell me what you know about it. Since you've obviously genned up on this quite a bit."

That made her head snap back up to look at him, her eyes narrowed and her mind whirring cause he surely couldn't have been suggesting what it sounded like he'd been suggesting. Cause it had sounded kinda like blackmail. Which was not fair in the least. Not the least little bit. And she was completely gonna tell him that as soon as she'd managed to get over her shock to speak again. Hands planting themselves on her hips, Paige stared at him for another moment before saying, "Are you blackmailing me?"

"Oh, by the by, what's your name, sunshine?"

Dumbfounded, she continued to stare at him. One moment he was ogling her, the next he was blackmailing her and then he was asking her name as polite as could be. It was no wonder that Paige had always preferred math and science to trying to figure out boys. Cause there was no figuring out boys. They simply and utterly did not make any sense. "What?" she spluttered and then blinked at him before setting her shoulders, the manners that her momma had drilled into her head taking over for the moment in an attempt to stop herself from looking like the dumbest blond in the world. Which seemed to be something she had previously been shooting for if all the stammering and hand waving were any indications. "Paige. Paige Elisabeth Guthrie. And you're Jonothan Starsmore. I've read your file."

She clapped a hand over her eyes as she realized how that sounded. "I mean," she tried to backtrack and then just sighed. "Not all of it. Just the interesting sections."

There was apparently nothing she could think of to say that was gonna make this situation anything other than worse. Looking at the floor, she said in a rush, "I know your name and about your powers and that you're from England but nothing other than that because the Professor doesn't give me full access to everything but I like to know about other people's powers cause I sometimes do my own research on things when I have the time and now you likely think I'm some kinda stalker and maybe I should just go." Only she didn't. She stayed right where she was and didn't move a muscle.