Re-Evolution: Episode 2: In the Blood

Morgan shook her head again as they entered the back door of the sprawling mansion complex, hoping to chase off the weird, dizzy feeling that had been getting all too pervasive over the last few hours. As a distraction from the sensation, she gave herself a moment to take in the mansion. From the high walls, ornate vases and busts, and beautiful paintings hanging along the white painted walls, it obvious that this was a high class establishment. If the art didn't give it away, the foyer with the glittering chandelier and double staircase spiraling up to a wide and red carpeted hall certainly did. 

‘Mom isn’t poor by any stretch of the imagination...honestly we've always been well off...but this…’, She walked with Todd and Greg, her hands in her pockets. ‘This is some next level opulence. These people really live like this? It's like living in a museum.’

Dazzler gleefully pointed out different art pieces and paintings as they walked through the halls. It seemed they'd all been donated, some by students of the academy, and some found during expeditions around the world, or given as gifts for aid. She puffed up, proud as they passed a rhinestone studded jumpsuit, with a massively high collar, pointing to it with a grin. 

"My own contribution!"sShe cooed. "My stage outfit from my days as Dazzler, Disco Queen!"

"Wow, damn, you look good for you age, yo, ma'am," Todd said, apparently quite earnestly.

Dazzler pursed her lips.

“i'm not that old! Do I *look* old?"" she said with a note of frustrated anger in her voice.She put her hands on her hips.  "I was the disco queen of the 2000s!"

Morgan leaned over to whisper to Todd. Maybe she could help salvage the situation.

 “There was , like, a brief return to disco in like...2007 or so, and Dazzler was a huge deal then. The Teen Queen of Disco's Return, or some shit like that. My mom's a huge fan."

Todd put his hands up in defense. 

"Whoa, whoa, yo, like I said ya *didn't* look old! You say disco, I thought, man this lady's like my grandma's age--if I had a grandma anyway. 2000s totally makes more sense. Musta missed that trend."

Greg snorted. "Living under a rock, maybe?"

“That's right. you must have!" Dazzler beamed. 

"I've done other genres too...Pop...glam rock...indie rock....” she counted on her fingers. “My one rap album...but the Disco years were good to me." 

Morgan snickered "under a rock? Not everyone's as big a fan as mom, Greg. Mom's just..like, a megafan. She had t-shirts."

Todd scratched his ear. "Bet she'd be stoked to see this then, yo," he gestured to the outfit. "man these are some fancy digs though."

"She probably wound," Greg admitted in a mutter.

"I'll take a picture for her." Morgan said, snapping one with her phone. 

Dazzler clapped her hands together

"If you want to see fancy digs, why don't I show you the dorm rooms! they're dorms...so you'll have a roommate, but there's plenty of space! Come along, everyone!" She started up the stairs

The four of them followed her up the sweeping staircase, which looked quite a lot like something out of a disney princess movie. The upstairs hall was long, and full of more of the slightly ostentatious decorations, in between the numerous doors down either side of the hall.

"How many people are here, anyway?" Greg asked.

"24 students, currently. Though, some of them are quite young," Dazzler chirped, sashaying down the hall with the expectation of being followed. "But a few of them around your age, like young Kitty Pryde." 

Morgan trailed after her, her eyes sweeping from side to side at the decor. 

"That's not a bad spread of students...all of them mutants?"

"That's right!" the woman said, glancing back with a broad smile.

"Ever get anybody who was like, makin shit up, yo?" Todd asked curiously.

"Once or twice." Dazzler chuckled "which is why we have the tour. We try to screen people before the tour of course...but sometimes, if we aren't sure, we'll use the time spent touring the grounds to judge the applicant's character, so to speak."

"What so its like a t--ack!" 

Todd was cut off as one of the doors clicked open and a figure walked out, nearly barreling right into him.

"Ah!" the answering yelp was from a soft, warm voice-- but it was coming out of an unusual figure wrapped in a towel. They were covered in blue fur all over.

Morgan's attention was instantly caught by the sudden appearance and near crash, and she looked the figure over with a curious smile. 

"Well hey there. Didn't interrupt your shower, did we?" 

"Oh, Kurt!" Dazzler put her hand to her mouth "didn't you hear about the tour? I thought Scottie was supposed to tell you..."

The figure scrambled backwards most of the way into the room. The touring party could see a spade-tipped tail twitching nervously behind him. But despite that, and the odd complexion, Morgan felt like she recognized him. And when she heard the name, it clicked.

"Nobody told me!" he insisted softly from his hiding space. "Sorry..."

Todd tried to peek in the room. 

"Yooo, what up we're tourin' your place. Sorry 'bout that."

Dazzler smiled tiredly , holding up her hands "I'm going to have a word with those two a little later for not spreading the word, tsk tsk."

"Hey give 'em some space," Greg grumped, moving to yank Todd back.

"Hey!"

"Hold on! Kurt Wagner!!" Morgan grinned, and pushed her brother and Todd out of the way. She flashed her fangs at him. "Holy shit, it's you! It's me, Morgan, your theater partner! What a *look*. I love it!"

"Thank you," Kurt said quietly, sounding flustered.. "Um... hold on, give me a moment, please...."

He shut the door for a moment, practically on Morgan, as Todd looked at her in surprise..

"Wait wait wait, like, Kurt from school?"

"Yeah! that Kurt." Morgan nodded. She leaned near the door, grinning from ear to ear. "It took a minute, but I recognized the voice."

"Huh, I never knew he was a fuzzy blue elf," Todd grinned. "Who woulda thunk."

The door opened again and Kurt was standing there, dressed now-- and not blue either. In fact he looked the same as they saw him in school. 

"Um. Hi."

"Hey. Nice to meet you. Sorry again?" Greg sounded apologetic as he nodded to him.

Morgan blinked and looked him over from head to toe, talking over her brother.

"Holy hell, are you a shapeshifter, Kurt?" She grinned, baring her fangs again, hoping he’d notice them. “It's a shame we've got to hide our mutations , because that'd be one hell of a skill on the stage."

"Ah, honestly I'd rather keep it off the stage, I'm afraid," he murmured. Kurt chuckled uncomfortably. "And I'm no shapeshifter...."

"Yo then how do you pull that trick?" Todd asked.

"Hey, maybe he doesn't want us prying guys," Greg urged in a warning tone.

Morgan flicked her hair off her shoulder with a quiet huff--but after a brief and quiet moment she nodded with a sheepish smile. 

"Yeah, you you're right...sorry. I didn't mean to get in your business, Kurt. It's just, you know, kinda neat to see that more people than I thought are like us. Didn't mean to pry too much."

"No, no, its okay. Uh, Miss Allison, should I show them, or?" Kurt smiled a little painedly.

"There's a high chance that they may become your future classmates here at the Institute." Alison smiled. "It's up to you, but there's certainly no harm in it." 

"...I have to admit you have my curiosity." Morgan raised her eyebrow 

"Well then... no harm in it," he repeated. He held up his wrist, and showed what looked like an ordinary smart watch. "It's technological."

He pushed the button on it, and his image seemed to blur for a moment, returning to the (now clothed) furry blue visage.

"Holy shit you're jem and the holograms." Todd blinked, his grin widening again.

"He *is* Jem and the Holograms!" Morgan gasped "it's a hologram emitter or something? That's *insane*. I didn't know we had the tech to pull that sort of thing!"

"Impressive little gadget isn't it?" Dazzler preened, and fluffed her hair with a prideful smile on her face. "You know, I helped develop it alongside a friend of mine. It's based, somewhat, off my own ability to project holographic light, but applied to a person's form." 

"It's real impressive. "Morgan mused. "I spent a whole class with Kurt and didn't notice a thing."

"Yooo I spent an entire year with him and I didn't notice either. That shit is *tight*," Todd declared. He reached toward Kurt. "...can I try it on?"

Kurt bit his lip and smiled embarrassedly, turning the illusion back on, and stepping a pace backward.

 "Um, no, sorry, its delicate...."

Todd made a face at the rejection, but didn't push the issue further. 

"Hey, no worry, right?" Greg said firmly, moving to interpose himself between Todd and Kurt.. "Thanks for showing it to us."

Morgan shrugged her shoulders. 

"Yeah. Thanks , Kurt. It was one hell of a demonstration." She crossed her arms. "Who knows, maybe we'll be schoolmates here at Xavier's School For Extra Learning-- and also mutants. We can hang out and practice our theater routine."

Kurt laughed awkwardly. "Still trying to improve my acting? well, maybe...."

"I have to if I want a passing grade." She purred "And if I want any chance of outdoing Kitty and Dorian  to get a good part in the big play, I've got to make sure we *bring down the house* up there on stage."

"R-right," Kurt nodded. "Um, I'll try not to bring your grades down."

Morgan put her hand on her hip. 

"And try to have fun with it too. That's like, half of improving right there, you know? enjoying yourself. I'll watch your back out there on the stage. Mutants like us gotta stick together, right?"

"Yeah, solidarity, yo!" Todd piped up.

"Ah, yes," Kurt smiled and nodded, leaning nervously against the wall.. "Solidarity."

"Exactly. Solidarity.” Morgan grinned widely, putting a hand on her narrow hip. "I will admit, though, I'm a little jealous of that tail."

"Jealous huh?" Kurt looked surprised, and embarrassed. "Um, that's kind of you to say..."

"Gettin the sense you ain't as jazzed about it, yo?" Todd asked, cocking his head.

Morgan rubbed her neck. ’I don't feel this awkward with the others. I keep feeling like I'm making misstep after misstep here so far...not like last night..’ She could feel her mood start to take a dip downward.

"Heh….yeah. Me too." She glanced off to the side."Anyway.. It's good to see you, Kurt...."

"Yes, ah, you too. So um, you're thinking of enrolling, huh?"

"Have a recommendation for us?" Greg asked with a soothing smile. He’d interposed himself between Kurt and the rest of the group again.

"Well, ah, for me, it's been wonderful, you know? Everyone here is very kind, and I have learned a lot."

"Yeah, it seems like a real great place," Morgan murmured, leaning on the hallway wall near Todd. "Seems like the teachers have a lot to teach, and all that."

Todd leaned a bit toward her and shot her a sympathetic glance. 

"Yeah really educational and all that, yo. Cool, cool." He didn't sound impressed, and his gaze kept flicking back to Kurt's smartwatch.

"It is. Its a great place. Ah, if you're at all interested you should really think about staying." Kurt smiled, and glanced at Greg.

"Well I'm practically sold already,” Greg declared, “but I *do* want to see the rest of the tour. And I get the feeling we interrupted you, so.."

"Ah, yes, I should probably finish drying my hair," Kurt admitted with a shy smile. "There's... a lot of it."

"Must be hell on the conditioner budget," Morgan said with a halfhearted smile. She gave him a lazy salute. "See you around, Kurt. How about you show us an empty room, Razzle Dazzle?" 

Alison beamed, listening to Greg for a moment. 

"Oh good! if you weren't sold already, just wait till you see those rooms! Come on, follow me!" she clapped her hands again and sauntered down the hall.

Greg followed her doggedly, waving for the others to follow, but Todd took a moment, peeling himself off the wall and shrugged to Morgan. 

"Yo some vibe, huh?"

"Yeah." Morgan muttered as she and Todd followed Greg...at enough of a distance that they could whisper a bit. She rubbed her arm and sighed. "I don't know. I don't...i don't know. I don't think I'm making a great impression so far....maybe if I was wearing some brighter clothes or...acting a little bubblier, I dunno. Probably not even then."

"I donno, yo, don't seem like you're doin' anything wrong to me. This place is just kinda...... " he looked like he was hesitating. Morgan glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, urging him to go on with a wave of her hand.He glanced at the hall and back to Morgan, making sure no one would hear, before admitting.  "...bougie. Like... kinda bougie as hell."

"It's..." Morgan muttered, "it's *way* bougie....We grew up in an ancestral manor and even I'm sitting here thinking it's a bit much."

"Damn, yo," he shook his head. "Feels like the kinda place they'd make me go in the back door."

"Yeah,  I can't blame you there." Morgan agreed in a low voice. "...It's...a lot. And the people seem nice, but I'm not getting the vibe that I'm...I don't know.."

He leaned in toward her. 

"Too much fun for these guys?" he suggested with a smile.

Morgan flushed, her cheeks darkening as she snickered under her breath, tucking her chin into her shoulders. 

"...Yeah, exactly."

"Guess we see where it goes, yo. I ain't signed no contract yet, right?" He shrugged. 

"Damn right." Morgan murmured. "Even if Greg looks like he's already got his hand on the pen."