Butterflies and Hurricanes {All of MSAD}

[Gabriel Underwood]

It took several hours for Gabriel to return from Vermont Airport to the house, and though he'd been happy enough to talk to Levi, the kid had been exhausted, and he didn't want to keep waking him up just to pass the time, so he'd resorted to his favourite radio station and the wind in his hair as the Maserati purred down the familiar roads of Pilot Ridge and up the back roads to the large estate. Keying in his number and waiting for the gates to open, he gently shook Levi. "Wake up kiddo." He said warmly. "We're here." Pulling down the drive and parking the car up, Gabriel let Solo out the back to trot off inside the door - which happened to be open. Grabbing Levi's bags, and his own, small, overnighter, the man strode up the steps and into the house.

Previously, on the flight, he had dialled the members all separately, and asked for their co-operation in making Levi feel as welcome as possible. And in Gabriel's words, this meant only one thing; a party.

It was simple. Penny could decorate the place with some banners or whatever she felt like, Padmaja could grab the music and the twins could sort the food. Jake... could try not to get drunk, and Fifi could hopefully keep her hands to herself for five minutes. He didn't expect Oliver would join in, but he hoped he would at least make an appearance for Levi's sake. If everyone was there, then the whole of MSAD would be on a united front, and that was exactly what Gabriel wanted, for several reasons. Firstly, he could get Levi introduced quickly and with ease, no fear, secondly, he could do with a party after the success he'd had, and thirdly, it made a fantastic mask to hide his current growing suspicious about Mr. Lawrence.

Setting his car keys on the table, the tall man rested his hands on Levi's shoulders and grinned. "Welcome to your new home." He said warmly, looking at the streamers and balloons with a little bit of an eyebrow arch. Those wouldn't last long with Ein and Alfredo about. "I called everyone up earlier and we thought we'd welcome you in with a party, is that alright?" Walking through and stretching, Gabriel grinned. "And there'll be a ton of food." He added, languidly leaning down to scratch Tango, as he appeared from the kitchen.

Time to meet the "family".

_{-Rules of this thread: Ignoring the intro post, no posts longer than two paragraphs in length, else everyone's posts will get longer and longer as their character reacts to 50 billion things.
And Post ORDER please. Wait patiently for everyone to have a turn before replying, so, for example, it would go Gabe, Levi, Jake, Padmaja, Gabe, Levi, Jake... etc.
One week to post on the thread, else your character will simply not be in the thread. Kay? <3 Love you-}

[Levi Xu]

Though Levi had crashed out pretty quickly on the plane, he'd still been tired when they reached the airport. And though he had tried his hardest to stay awake; Mr. Underwood had let him sleep again, on the way to the school. It was weird, as he never remembered being this tired before. In the hospital he'd slept a lot, but that was because he was bored.

Now Levi was exhausted.

When Gabriel shook him awake, he awoke with a start, jumping at the undead coldness from the man's hand. But then he remembered where he was, and why he was there. He was going to be trained, and learn how to use his power. And he'd be with a bunch of kids who were just like him: freaks to the outside world. How could this get any better?

Oh. A party. Nice.

"Thank you, Mr. Underwood." The boy took the remaining bag from the door and followed the man into his house. It was nice, pretty, and decorated like there was going to be a party--and apparently there was--so he felt a little awkward. He didn't know anyone yet. But, he supposed, that was kind of the point of the party. If he already knew everyone, it wouldn't be as fun. "Um, just who is everyone?"

[Lala & Reese Degreas]

Upon opening the door, Gabe and Levi would have smelt the food from the kitchen. Both Lala and Reese had slaved the majority of the day in the kitchen (usually it was only one or the other) and the spread of food on the counters, dining room table, and living room coffee table was obnoxiously pretty. Platters of chicken wings and other h’ours d’ouerves filled the living room, with fruit arranged on the counters. On the kitchen table was a pair of roasts fit for a king, cooked in the aromatic and flavorful Brazilian style.

Lala and Reese’s heads snapped up in unison when the door opened. Lala smiled at Levi as he walked in, though Reese’s face remained rather stern. “Welcome, Levi” “Bem-vindo” said the sisters in unison, Lala’s Portuguese welcome just barely echoing her sister’s English. Reese looked on their employer with a fondness that did not usually show on her face. “Welcome home, Gabriel.” She offered quietly before busying herself pulling a angel-food cake out of the oven. Reese looked to her sister, who was still studying Levi. Smaller. they thought as Reese narrowed her eyes slightly. For some reason, they were under the impression that Levi would be bigger. "We're Reese" Reese pronounced, unaware that her introduction might have been strange. "You can call me Lala." added her sister quietly.

[Jacob Lawrence]

Jake was always up for a party, so when Gabriel had called and told them to throw something together for their newest arrival, he'd jumped at the opportunity. Not only had he made sure there was enough alcohol to go around (what was a party without booze?) but he'd then taken to helping Penny blow up balloons. On more than one occasion, Ein had run in and then out with balloons in his mouth, but Jake only bothered to chase the dog beast a couple times before giving up. Ein had always been a troublemaker and for every balloon that Jake rescued, Ein managed to pop another. It was a lost cause.

He was upstairs putting on a shirt when Levi and Gabe walked in and he heard the door as well as the twins response. Gathering Beta from the foot of his bed where he'd been laying, Jake shifted the basset hound into his arms like a baby, then hurried down the stairs to greet the two of them. "Hey Gabe." He grinned, Beta's tail wagging just a little when he laid eyes on Gabriel. "Nice to meet ya, Levi. I'm Jake. This is Beta." The kid was also much smaller than Jake had been anticipating, but he knew to trust Gabe's judgment on MSAD members, so he kept his comments to himself. Instead he just took one of Beta's paws and moved it in a waving fashion, grinning and completely oblivious to any suspicion that Gabe might have towards him.

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[Fifi Hart]

Fifi’s face was plastered to the window of the second-floor reading room excitedly when the Maserati pulled in. “They’re home!” she squealed, the sharpe puppy Alpha squirming in her arms with transferred excitement. She only cuddled the wrinkly creature closer and looked to Jenni sitting nearby. “Lets go, Kiddo!” Fifi prompted, shifting Alpha to one arm to hold her hand out to Jenni; if was covered with a white cotton glove, since she was holding the puppy. As she began to drag her young friend out the door and towards the stairs she whipped back around to turn her deep blue gaze on Jesse and Oliver, who had managed to keep rather quiet through the whole ordeal despite Fifi’s incessant babbling.

“Pookie! Sparky! Let’s move it, fellas!” She chirped, releasing Jenni to wave her arm dramatically. “I’m hungry as fuck.” Fifi punctuated her excited call to action with a rumble of her stomach. Usually she was disgustingly excited whenever Gabe returned from a trip, but today was particularly special. Not only was Gabe bringing home a new kid, but Fifi had a new kid of her own. They could be friends!

[Oliver Wells]

New day, new member of the MSAD. Gabe had taken off a while ago to go pick up the new kid, the rest of the group buzzing with chatter and excitement for not only another member, but also a party. So many social people in the lot, it was surprising they didn't have parties more often. Of course, the enthusiastic party animals did not include the Canadian that was sitting quietly on a plush couch, listening halfheartedly to a girl babble on about... something or another. Fifi was always so energetic, it was hard to keep up with her. To his right, another blonde boy, with a scowl and standoffish aura. Across from him, another new girl by the name of Jenni. A shy thing with fiddling fingers and anxiety filled eyes. Fifi and her were an odd match. Oliver glanced toward the clock momentarily, nearly predicting it as the subtle sound of the front door opening was heard down the hall. Already, a chorus of greetings had begun to ring out through the large abode, the different tones of different metas lurking through the halls.

When Fifi gave them a pointed look, urging them to follow her quick shuffle down the hall, the blonde stood with particular effort. He didn't mind new recruits - he just didn't particularly like parties. But it was good to meet the new addition to the group, and also another person he'd be in charge of looking after. He was deemed the "baby sitter" by Gabe, looking after the younger students that were sure to wreak havoc if left alone. Trudging out of the door, his sock-clad feet sounding rough against the carpeted floor, he caught sight of the unfamiliar face before he entered the room. He looked... young, was really the only thought Oliver had about him. He blinked, silently waving as he emerged into the room adorned with food and slowly gathering MSAD members. Scratching the side of his head, he leaned against the wall without a word, where he would hopefully remain unnoticed for the rest of the evening.

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse hated Hammel. He hated being there, when he could be onto bigger and better things. But for now, he still had his uses. Like Fiona (he would never be caught dead calling her ‘Fifi’ like a toy poodle), he spied for MSAD. But he trained at MSAD headquarters. Under Gabriel’s influence, he’d learned a great deal more than he ever could have from his trainers at shithole Hammel. His powers were progressing nicely. But today hadn’t been for training. Gabriel had been out, but Fiona had dragged him to Gabriel’s mansion. Something about a party. Like he gave a crap. He didn’t like many members of MSAD. The Gestalt pair, he liked. But that was because they weren’t silly little girls, and they didn’t treat him like a child. Likewise, Oliver wasn’t so terrible, either. He was quiet, sure, but that was what Jesse liked about him.

It was Oliver he was sitting beside now, as he tried to tune out Fiona’s babbling. She irritated him. For a while, he’d been under the impression that he was important. And then Fiona had gone and called him Gabriel’s lapdog the other day. He’d wanted to smack her for that one, but he’d refrained for one simple reason. He did not hit girls. No matter how annoying. And he wanted to stick to that. Even when that nickname came up. He winced, giving her a pointed look right back. “Cram it, Fiona.” Still, he stood up and followed after Oliver. Seeing Gabriel made him smirk a little, though he wasn’t too sure about the tiny thing he had with him. He caught Gabe’s eye and nodded before moving back to stand beside Reese. “This is our new member?” Was that a hint of jealously? Possibly.

[Mordecai Ottini]

Mordecai wasn’t one for parties; he was often the wallflower in the corner with a wine glass and a weak smile to those who acknowledged his presence. However, around other MSAD members he was more confident and actually would sit down the alcohol and cigarettes to participate. His favorite activity? Playing the only party game he was good at. In front of the living room TV he would stand, playing guitar hero with an unreadable expression that mixed boredom with joy. Any game that involved music was a game that Mordecai instantly liked. He had been informed of a party and had set it up in the living room, between smoke breaks and petting Mirage. She was his only favorite out of Gabe’s dogs, and she knew so and exploited that fact quite often.

After setting it up, Mordecai helped out a bit, blowing up balloons and such, but proved mostly useless and left everyone alone and went to play instead. Playing on expert mode, the male barely paid any attention to the game except to rapidly push the buttons he was told to. He heard the dogs bark at the door, finished his song, and swiped his cigarettes off the end table he had sat them on to go greet the new arrival, leaning against the door frame so he wouldn’t crowd the poor kid. Whether or not Mordecai was surprised at the boy’s size didn’t show. Instead, He nodded to the boy and, feeling Mirage brush his leg, scratched her ears absentmindedly. He wasn’t going to introduce himself yet, it would only be one more name thrown at the boy he had to remember and would likely forget. Instead, he looked to Gabe and waved the package of Marlboros to signify that, if he wanted some, there were plenty. He looked stressed.

[Nathanael Lee]

Earlier, when Max had first gotten the call about the party, it wasn’t decorations he started to gather but paperwork. He knew Gabriel wanted to have fun, but if the doctor was going to choose a party over work, he at least wanted everything together for when the work began. Besides, he didn’t think there was much he could do to help prep. When he finally wandered downstairs to where the party was going to be held, Max found himself standing aimlessly in the kitchen, occasionally bringing out a dish when instructed to by the twins. It wasn’t until later when the growing number of h’ours d’ouerves had amassed into a feast did he find a real task to occupy his time. Shooing away hungry dogs. With all of the canines Gabe had and all the food lying around, it was a hell of job. If Max left the kitchen to chase Alfredo away from the counters, Ein would sneak in and slurp something off the kitchen table, and while Max was trying to get the beast of a dog out of the kitchen, another one would find his way into the living room food.

It was a huge relief to finally hear Gabe’s car coming up the driveway and to see the dogs run out of the kitchen to greet him. Max sighed and poured himself a glass of ice water before heading out into the foyer to join everyone else. “Welcome back,” he said to Gabe with a grin before approaching the new boy. “Hello. I’m Dr. Maxwell Donahue.” He held out his hand for the kid to shake. “If you get sick or injured you can come to me and I’ll fix you right up.”

[Paulo Ortiz]

Gabriel was home.

Paulo had always had good hearing, and since his depth perception and spacial awareness had gone--thank you meta-human genetics--it was as if his ears were sharper. Not like they were enhanced or anything, he just paid more attention to them. So he easily heard the car pull up to the driveway. He stepped out into the hall, then waited for Ein, all legs and energy, to go bounding past. Then he followed the big, stupid dog into the kitchen.

Yes, that was how he managed to navigate the house. It was in the same setup that it had been for years; Paulo's room on the second floor, with the first door to the left. He'd learned how to follow the wall to get to where he needed to be, but it always took longer than just following one of the dogs.

He was one of the last ones to reach there, and he simply nodded a hello to his boss, then quietly observed the new kid. He was....little. When the introductions came around to his turn, he simply smiled and said, "Paulo. Paulo Ortiz." Then he wanted to try some of that food the twins had laid out for them. For some reason, he hadn't been assigned a job. Probably so Gabe wouldn't worry about him getting lost again.

[Penny Stone]

She had spent most of the morning setting up Welcome to MSAD banners for the kid, and while she knew Gabe wanted the welcoming to go off without a hitch, Penny just couldn't not put her little spin on the banners. While there was a large one in sight of the kitchen that did say 'Welcome Home Levi', with the Chinese writing equivalent right next to it, there were also smaller banners about the living room that said things like, 'Freddy Bites,' and 'Call your seat' that gave the kid little hints on how to live amongst the other members. Penny knew she had rather wished someone was there to tell her what to and not to do, though she did learn quickly, she could empathize with the kid (which was rare).

She was resting on the couch once Gabe got home, and preferred to wait for the others to introduce themselves before she stood and faced the kid. She smiled a little at seeing he wasn't some large and huge looking person. He also seemed very tired from the trip. She smiled a little and bowed her head. "I am Penny Stone." With that, her attention turned towards Gabe. There was something she just knew he'd love to know. But. That would also ruin the party, because the man could no doubt not handle the information subtly. She tucked her hair behind her ears and moved towards the food table for something to drink.

[Jennifer Younge]

Jenni had been told about the 'get together' only an hour or so earlier. Fifi had said, that now would be a good time for Jenni to get know the others. What the telepath didn't know, was that the 'get together' was actually a party and evidently, Jenni was invited. She was stood upstairs, with Fifi, and two people she only just met, and had already forgotten their names. Jenni was just a jumble of nerves and twisty fingers. It wasn't long before Fifi announced Gabe was back, and Jenni found herself being dragged from the room.

The foyer was worse then she thought. It was crammed with people, all introducing themselves to someone else that was new. The noise was immense. She closed her eyes briefly, and then peered through the mass of shouter-thinking strangers and caught sight of a boy around her own age. She thought maybe he looked a bit tired, but then he had been on a plane. Maybe he had jet-lag. A dog brushed passed the girl, and Jenni let out a gasp, and stepped closer to Fifi, all but clinging to the other girl who brought her here.

[Padmaja Shamir]

Padmaja looked at her reflection in her extravagant vanity. Her entire room was to remind her of home, a mix of traditional Indian art and fabric patters with contemporary style. It reminded her of a New York harem... if there was such a thing. She had her cell phone up to her ear, and was talking rather quickly in her native tongue. From the look she gave to the mirror, Padmaja wasn't happy. Finally she said irritably, "Mother, the party, I have to go. What? I don't know. I'm not going to think about that now. I'll talk to you another time. What? No. Goodbye."

She clicked her phone off and tossed it to the vanity. She stared at her reflection, leaning closer and looking at the corners of her eyes. She poked at the delicate skin there, and snorted. Now she would worry about crows feet all night. Idiot woman! Though she was correct, in a few months, Padmaja would be 30. Tonight, of all nights, to remind her! She stood back and straightened her strapless red dress. It wasn't as clingy as her club dress, and had more of a cotton or linen feel. Across her waist was a wide black belt, and she wore a very chic pair of black pumps to elongate her legs. She put her hands on her hips before deciding to pin up a few of her curls. Running a few fingertips through her chocolate hair, she walked downstairs, taking her sweet time. When she finally got to the front of the group, she looked at the new boy carefully, almost as if a lioness would eye her prey. She was tempted to touch his shoulder, to pry, but didn't, and she said with a slow smile, "Welcome, I am Padmaja."

[Gabriel Underwood]

Gabriel stood, smiling as the MSAD members prowled out from their various hiding spots, and gave a grin and a wave to them all. "Been behaving yourselves?" He asked casually as he plucked a cigarette from the box Mordecai offered to him, and lit up. "Everyone, this is Levi, our new member." Looking through the crowd, he noticed a strange girl amongst them, clung onto Fifi, and he arched an eyebrow at her quizzically.

"Oh, and who's this?" He asked with the cigarette still in his mouth. Passing Jake, and gently cuffing him on the head for acting like an idiot (something that still managed to make the man smile), he moved over to Jenni. "Fifi's new stray?" He laughed slowly, tipping his head over towards Oliver as if to ask him what was going on. Gabriel eventually straightened, and looked round at everyone. Everyone was present and correct, even Paulo had managed to get down the stairs without paging him for aid. "Levi? Oliver here is going to be the man to take care of you when I'm busy. Padmaja is often away, but when she is here, she'll be teaching you how to ... "act". The twins will be teaching you self defence, Mord makes an excellent music teacher." He leant against the wall and rubbed Beta's ears, hesitating for just a second. "Please, call us by our first names. This is more of a family than a school, Levi." And more than that. But Gabe would talk about that later.

[Levi Xu]

If Levi had felt overwhelmed by Mr. Underwood's sudden appearance at his house, and the news that he wasn't certifiably crazy, then he didn't know what in the world to call what he was feeling at the moment. There were so many people, so many faces, and his brain was supplying him with information on all of them. There was a...stripper? No, two, but they were the same person. Though he knew it meant they were twins, there was also part of him who genuinely believed that they were just one person. Then a drug dealer (what kind of school was this, anyway?), some models, some singers, and a cop. And if that weren't enough....

An elf, and a wizard.

What the hell kind of school was this?

He tried to pay attention to all the names, but he knew he would need a refresher course soon enough. And there were just so many people.... Levi just murmured a shy "Hello. Nice to meet you." He didn't know what else there was to say, other than, "Thank-thank you for putting Chinese on the banner. It was nice." He could already guess that the Asian woman, Penny, had done it.