The gravel crunching on the tires easily made its way above the crackling of the bacon on the pan. To be honest, Xavier had hoped they would delay it. He had spent the last few days pouring over their psyche and power files trying to get as much information about each of them as possible, and every time he came back to the same answer, this was going to be an odd experience to say the least. The five-seven pistol at his hip weighed heavily, a constant reminder of its presence. While he preferred to have it in most cases, he had requested that he be allowed to stay unarmed in order to make them feel at ease, but apparently, they knew best. What in the world they thought he could do should more then one of them decide to attack him, he did not know.

A particularly loud crackle snapped Xavier out of his daze and back into reality as he deftly flipped over the bacon with his trusty spatula that had quickly become his best friend. There was one large perk about this job, the kitchen was beautiful. Six burner stove, refrigerator that he could have fit himself in, a puree machine; they had even given him an electric pasta maker! It was nice to see his tax dollars that he didn't have to pay for being a government employee hard at work. At the moment, he was working on nine double egg omelets with fried bacon and potatoes in them with some extra cheese thrown on for good measure. He knew it was rather foolish, but he doubted they had been given anything decent to eat in awhile, it was his pathetic attempt at making a peace offering, but above all, it helped pass the time and keep his mind from roving to his daughter.

It was well past breakfast, but he had underestimated how hard it was to cook for nine people at once. Still, the door had yet to open, and no one had yet to come in, so he was more then content to let them enjoy the scenery and take in what was going on. He doubted they knew much about what was going on, and he would fill them in at, would this be brunch? Or breakfast for lunch? Or something else? Did it matter?

Flipping closed an omelet, he glanced out the small kitchen window to the dark gray skies. Rain? Well, wouldn't that just set the mood. Perhaps he should stand up and start laughing as the lightning crackled in the background? His eyes roamed from the window down to himself, the wrinkled black suit was covered by a very... colorful apron with large pink flowers spreading over the white clothe, he thought it made him look rather fetching, if he did say so himself... that and it was the only apron in the house and suits were expensive. Despite what most people thought, they were not standard issue and there was not a suit dispensary.

Well, better to let them see who he is rather then try to pretend to be an immaculate man of perfection. He had shaved this morning and that was about as good as it got with him. Gently lifting a completed omelet off one of the three pans, he slid it onto a plain white ceramic plate and set it on the long oak table with exactly nine chairs aligned on it. At first, it had one at the far end and the other four aligned up on the long sides, but he decided he did not wish to try and express the symbolism, so he had moved his chair to sit on the side closest to the stove making it five on one side. Flickering his sharp green eyes at the door, he idly wondered how long it would be until they dived into the awkwardness that came with meeting new people... who have been tortured by his co-workers, fellow citizens, and bosses.

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Xena had stayed up all night with the exception of a few minor moments of sleep when she couldn't help but doze off though she would soon after be awoken by the bumpy ride in the earth vehicle. She had gotten three to four hours of sleep, tops. Xena wasn't all that excited to be moving to a new location though the way they transported her and the other Extraterrestrials, reminded her of back home on Artemis when she was transported to a maximum prison facility. The trip to earth had been horrible; they were shot down, taken into custody as criminals, and were used as test dummy's. Xena wasn't sure what kind of torture the others had gone through but she figured they all went through the same thing. She never really brought up what was done to her in Area 51 but then again she never really brought up much in a conversation and she was sure everyone would rather forget the days in that place than reminisce on their past pain.

Xena snapped out of her rambled thoughts as the vehicle slowly pulled to a stop. The guard sitting in the front seat got out of the vehicle and made his way around to open the side door for her. Xena was nudged lightly by the guard sitting next to her which signaled her to get out. The pink haired alien stepped onto the cold green grass wearing a pristine white shirt with matching white shorts. The earth felt good against her feet which made a shiver run up her body. Looking around, Xena was the second one to arrive with Makoto being the first. The guard escorted her to the front lawn where Makoto had been. She said her thank you's to the guard that had been escorting her as he departed back to the vehicle. Xena didn't think there was anything necessary to say to Makoto so she stayed silent as she squatted to the ground and wrapped one arm around her knees while her other hand ran through the grass. She busied herself by plucking the thin, slightly wet grass and by watching the small bug life beneath her.

---

One by one, everyone began to show up with Kou being the last of them to arrive. Xena would look up now and then to watch the others and to see who would step out of the next SUV. She watched Kou be whisked away by the arms of Makoto once Kou had arrived. The orange haired male was nice, Xena thought he was only acting so cheerful for the sake of the others and was especially worried about Kou. She was the youngest after all. The pink haired girl looked up at the sky, the once clear blue sky was forming lightly grey clouds. Xena picked herself up off the green grassy land and followed everyone else to the inside of their new home.

Entering the new home, Xena let her hands glide against the wood, the wall, and the plastered paint. She observed the walls and the furniture that had been set out in the living area. It was cozier than what the earthlings had presented them before in Area 51. Xena sniffed the air a bit as she smelled something unfamiliar. She didn't know what to make of it though it didn't smell bad but not good either. She followed the scent which led her to the kitchen where a human male was. She paused for a moment before entering the kitchen and spoke softly. "...Vena likes this place." She was hesitant at first but Vena had been in her head the whole night and it sort of slipped out of her mouth.

Bosco tried to ignore the bumps... It was a long drive, and he had woken up about three quarters of the way through the trip. He was sitting in a folding chair that had been bolted to the flooring of the trailer. His eyes staring at the shackled on his wrists. He knew they could hold him, but should they be broken, something very painful would happen to the explosive lined truck in attempt to bring him down quickly. Fair enough... this trip would have been the perfect trip to have escaped, and nobody wanted a giant running around. That was kind of hard to hide. And seeing as nobody wanted to ride in close quarters with him, he was stuck all alone in the back of the semi-truck. Which was good because he didn't want to see any more of them.

Escape was not what Bosco was thinking of though... If he was being returned to Artemis, then all fleeing was was pointless. And these chains, they were about to be released. And soon enough they were. The truck stopped in the driveway, and when the back was raised, two men came in to unbind him and help him out. As it seemed, he was the third one here. Rubbing his wrists, he looked out to the driveway.

So this was earth... He remembered it being a little bit dryer where they landed. But the cold would feel nice. When he saw Mako and Xena, he felt a sense of relief, to be able to see his friends again. They were alive. And as they all arrived one by one, it was good to see everyone. Even August, damn him. Bosco sniffled a little bit, they were almost back home, he kept it back tough. But he was just so happy to be out of there... At least this prison didn't look like a prison.

When Mako suggested about going inside, Bosco nodded,"Might as well... Do you smell that?" He asked. He didn't eactly know what it was, but it smelled good. And made him hungry. They didn't exactly stop by a Burger King on the way here... He shook his head to try not to think about it too much, he didn't exactly see why the humans would suddenly change the treatment of them now. He went to the door, following in behind Xena. It looked comfortable...

Moa looked out of the window bearilty as the earth vehicle – the “truck” thing bounce across the uneven dirt roads, her eyes half shut, stilfling a silent yawn. She shifted her position slowly, lazily lifting her hand, as she felt the atmosphere in there change immediately, the scientists tensing up, seemingly preparing for an attack. Letting out a sigh, she placed it down again, pouting slightly at the heaviness of the atmosphere. It was too… serious. She felt as if it was crushing her, but of course, having the ability to turn your limbs into weapons doesn’t really help lighten the mood. she yawned once again, and she would have fallen asleep if it had not reached the camp first. Her light red eyes brightened slightly as she stepped gingerly out, looking at her surroundings in awe. That was earth in all its beauty, the planet that they had learned so much about, the very same planet she anticipated so much to go to. She suppressed the urge to hug the nearest tree but instead just stood there, taking it all in. It had been a while since she felt so genuinely at peace and happy, and she wanted to stay that way for as long as possible.


She only shifted from her position when Mako walked out, picking Kou up. She moved toward the group, hanging behind most of them but Making bigger strides to keep a steady pace with Makoto as he suggested going into the house. “Sure, why not?” She said, turning to him and greeting him with a smile, before heading into the house, watching as Xena stroked the plaster and remarking that Vena liked it too. She frowned slightly, catching up with her as she asked “Is she bothering you?” a little worried, before almost immediately perking up. “Is that omelettes I smell?” She was kind of hungry after all, and the smell was heavenly. She strolled toward the kitchen and opened the door, looking at the man in side. He was a human. She took half a step backward, half hiding behind the door, but she gave him an almost apologetic smile. She was not sorry at all though, who knows what the man will actually do to them, despite looking very harmless now. Well, unless he’s planning to attack them with a spatula… you’ll never know humans. Still, she asked softly “Are those for us?”, looking toward the man.

Sliding the seventh one off the pan and onto a spare plate, he had just turned to grab for the large box of eggs when the door behind him opened. In truth, he had nearly jumped in surprise as he hadn't expected any of them to come to the kitchen first given the size of the place, but it seems something was shared by both races, the smell of food tended to bring in guest. The first one to come wasn't the one he thought it would be, Xena Kinch. She looked exactly as her picture did, same clothes, same blank look upon her face, and the same... startling crimson eyes. When he had first seen her picture, he had thought it had been a camera glare, but it looks like he was wrong that was just her natural eye color. Vena? No, he had to have misheard her. She was Xena, not Vena. A simply mistake on his part.

"I like it too," Xavier's deep green eyes flashing with amusement and interest to know that one of them seemed to share his love of the kitchen. Of course, they could have just liked the color or feel of the room, but at this moment, he would happily take what he could get. Whatever he was about to say was cut off by yet another one of them appearing, Bosco, Xaviers mind instantly put the face to the picture. He was... smaller then he expected, but that could easily change. Whatever awkward silence would have passed in the kitchen as neither of them seemed willing to move just yet was dashed by a very small girl coming into the kitchen.

Moa Willow, she seemed so... tiny. None of them seemed particularly large, all being under 6' easily, but she seemed especially tiny. She looked like she barely came up to his naval, and it caused a few images to flicker behind his eyes, images he tried not to remember. Her question snapped him out of his nightmare induced nostalgia, and he offered a shrug, "I had planned on eating all nine of them by myself, but I suppose I could share," he said motioning to the seven finished plates to his left.

Xavier let his eyes run over the three of them again, "Feel free to pick whichever you want, if you want, you can pick the one you want me to eat as well," he offered as he knew standard procedure in... institutions that they had just left was to drug their food. It was the best way he could prove he didn't drug their food, he doubted they knew it, but their physiology was close enough that any drug that would work on them would, more then likely, work on him as well.

"There is extra bacon over there," He said pointing over to his right to a plate with bacon piled on top of the paper towel he had covered the plate with, "If you want some, also there should be some juice and what not in the fridge. Take what you want."

With that done, he had to admit it had shaken his nerves, he went back to cooking to distract himself as dancing foot to foot seeing what they would do was not really something he wanted to go through. Grabbing the small cup he had been using, he cracked two eggs into it and began to mix the egg up inside the little cup before pouring it into the empty pan.

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Strange... They're gonna put me to sleep?... The hazy thoughts flowed through her exhausted mind as she sat in the corner of her cell and watched the man in the labcoat come nearer, a familiar looking syringe in hand. It wasn't too common that they came in to put her to sleep, they usually just took her wherever she needed to go awake. She continued to watch the man approach, not moving a muscle and perhaps even looking forward to the chemical induced sleep. As she watched the needle sink into her arm she felt nothing and slowly but surely, her consciousness faded.

She of course had no clue how long she had been out but she woke feeling rather uncomfortable, her back and neck felt stiff and a bit sore. The reason for this soon become clear as her bleary eyes blinked open and took in the dim interior of the Earth vehicle she found herself in. There was an armed guard sitting not far from her that turned to her with a raised brow, Aika in response blinked at him and mumbled, "Mm, good morning..." The man simply shook his head and looked away towards the front of the car and Aika shrugged, wondering if that was the correct saying here on Earth before stretching her limbs, still feeling incredibly lethargic under the effects of the injection from earlier.

The trip went on for quite a few more hours and as the drug's effects began to wear off a bit of excitement began to well up inside of the girl. Her eyes were glued to the windows as she watched the drastically changed scenery pass them by. This looked much more like what she had read about so long ago. During the trip she made several efforts to speak with the guard that sat nearby but it seemed either he had no desire to speak or was ordered not to and when it finally seemed that Aika was beginning to get on his nerves she gave up, resigning herself to simply staring out the window.

Finally they entered an estate and came to a slow stop. Aika quickly looked over to the nearby guard who opened the door at his side, stepped out, and motioned for Ai to exit as well. Without a moment of hesitation Ai quickly stumbled out of the car, her eyes darting this way and that, overwhelmed at the scenery around her as she tried to take it all in. As she glanced around she noticed the others, most of them were here and behind her she could already tell another car was coming, likely carrying the last of them. It all hit Aika rather suddenly, the urge to cry right then and there nearly overtook her but she remained strong and shook her head to fight away the feeling.

As she thought, it wasn't long after her arrival that the whole group was collected, several of them headed inside for fear of the imminent rain that brewed in the dark clouds overhead. Aika however hesitated outside the front door and placed a hand on its frame as she stared back towards the gates through which they had come. This was place was undoubtedly a prison, a place to keep them in and others out, but at the very least it felt more humane. Relief washed over her and made her knees weak as she prayed out to who or whatever might listen, Please let this be real... Not some sick trick or experiment... I just want us to be treated like people...

Pushing her dark doubts out of mind she took a deep breath and headed inside. It seemed several of the others were following the source of a rather delectable scent which unsurprisingly lead to a kitchen of sorts. And there she saw the human man Xavier for the first time, he was preparing and handing out food apparently for the lot of them. Spending a brief moment to clear her throat and compose herself as best she could in her patient's clothes, she approached the human man and spoke. "Ah, hello... I'm sure you're already aware but I'm Aika, Aika Vesan." She held her hand out towards the man, hoping this was the correct greeting for wherever they were in the world currently.

With a sidelong glance towards the dining table and the others she continued, "Would we happen to have any changes of clothing available to us?... I think it would be appropriate for us to change and at least wash our hands before we eat... These... 'clothes' aren't really that proper and our cells were certainly not very clean." Though she tried to resist she couldn't help but steal a glance at the nearby food before refocusing herself upon the tall man before her, it looked and smelled delicious but now wasn't quite the time.

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"Would you shut your mouth already?"

"Well that's rude. I'm just trying to have a nice little conversation to pass the time."

It had to have been hours since the vehicle that August was escorted into had left the confined acres of Area 51. There was no way of sedating him so he'd been conscious for the entire ride with his hands bound tightly in front of him. He belt that strapped him to the metal bench seat along the wall of the vehicle was locked, with the key holder sitting on the opposite side by the door with a gun on his lap.

"How bout' I sow your lips together?"

"No need to get violent!", August said with a small chuckle. He really was just trying to make conversation. Sitting in the back of the odd transportation device in complete silence was boring. He probably could've fallen asleep had he been allowed to lay down, but of course he had to sit up with his back against cold metal the entire ride.

He felt the vehicle begin to slow and he listened to the sounds outside, noting that they had gone through an iron gate and were now making their way down a driveway. Finally they stopped and he leaned to the side slightly, holding his hands above his head. "This is the part where you let me out, right?"

The guard responded with a grunt and cautiously unlocked the belt around August's waists before moving onto the wire that bound his wrists together. The back doors opened and the guard gestured for August to step out first, who gladly did so. The scenery outside was very much different from the desert that surrounded Area 51. He had to take a moment to let his eyes adjust to the bright colors that surrounded him. Yes, this was much better than that dank grey cell that he'd spend who knows how long living in. It seemed he wasn't the first to arrive though, but he didn't really care for heart whelming reunions and gave no other greeting but a wave before finding a spot along the wall of the large building to wait for the rest to arrive.

Fortunately it didn't take much longer before the last vehicle arrived and the familiar little shape shifter ran out onto the grass for a few minutes before Makoto scooped her up and decided they should head inside. The sight of the dark clouds overhead was actually much better looking to him than the gardens and grass that covered the estate. To have a storm on the first night being released from that prison would be a wonderful present, but as much as he loved the rain he wasn't too keen on being soaked while wearing all white clothing.

As expected, the human who would be overseeing them was waiting inside, along with plates of food that was rather fowl smelling to himself. Really, he couldn't understand how the others could think of such a thing as "appetizing".

"Feel free to pick whichever you want, if you want, you can pick the one you want me to eat as well."

'Trying to build up trust, huh?' "I'll pass. No offense but this all looks pretty disgusting to me. Xena can have my share." He looked over at the pink-haired girl and gave her a wink, knowing how big of an eater she was.

"Would we happen to have any changes of clothing available to us?... I think it would be appropriate for us to change and at least wash our hands before we eat... These... 'clothes' aren't really that proper and our cells were certainly not very clean."

"Now there's an idea! A change of clothes would be nice. White really doesn't suit me. Better yet, they could give us back the clothes we had with us in the first place. Oh! Do we pick our own rooms? I've never had my own room, well unless you count the cell I was in, but that wasn't much of a bedroom."

He took a seat, pushing the plate in front of him to the side and resting his elbows on the table.

Xavier turned back around after closing the last omelet to face yet another new arrival into the kitchen. It seemed his instinct to cook had been the right one. One look at her told him who she was, Aika Vesan. She looked a little different then from her photo, more alive, there was a light in her eyes that was missing from her photo, but given the situation was that really surprising? But what was surprising was she stuck out her hand to him. He paused for a moment, more from shock then anything else, before he half-turned back to set the spatula down on the counter ignoring the small bits of grease that fell and hit the counter. He would have to clean it anyways.

Turning back to face Aika, he wrapped her hand in his own. Her hand was small and warm, he didn't know what he was expecting, but perhaps it was due to his own nerves at meeting them all that caused that spark of electricity running down his spine, but he ignored the odd sensation and let the corner of his lip twist up, "I did already know, but it is a pleasure anyways. I am Xavier Wilson," giving her hand one gently shake

Past her red hair, he spotted another figure slip in. August. Yes, he knew enough about him to be worried about his mental state, and he would be lying if Xavier said he wasn't wary of him more then the others. "That is fine, you don't have to eat it. I shall try and figure out what you do like and make it in the future," he said with a shrug as some people liked what they liked. Not much he could do about it. Given the sheer amount of different types of foods in the world, he had to like something. Plus it provided a unique challenge and distraction.

Xavier snapped his attention back to Aika who was asking about clothes when he realized he was still holding her hand, his mind having been occupied by the sudden appearance of August. Letting go, he nodded to show he understood and to cover for his lasp in thought, "I understand, if you take a left when you leave the kitchen and go up the stairs, the rooms are down the hallway. There is a paper with each of your names on the doors, I asked them to give you proper clothing, so hopefully they listened. Feel free to trade rooms. Mine is at the very end," He paused as if just remembering something, "I would also suggest changing in one of the bathrooms unless you like to be watched."

Well, sure they could change in front of the cameras if they desired to spite them or enjoyed it, but this would give them a choice in the matter something they had been lacking. He needed to give them structure but also personal freedom that and there was no reason they, or he, needed to see them change. The lack of cameras in bathrooms was by his request, and he spent an hour checking the bathrooms to be sure. He didn't need some tech spying on him and them while they were using the bathroom.

So lost in his thought, he didn't notice the other two come in. Makoto and Kou, they seemed close. He wasn't sure how close, but he would have to figure it out sooner or later. He was fairly sure his boss would frown on him if he allowed one of them to get pregnant under his watch. Another reason he much preferred kids to teenagers.

"If you want to share you certainly can as long as it is same sex," he said to cover his bases, movingly slowly he gently took her plate, "Sure, I don't mind making another," placing the plate back on the counter, he took off the omelet that had finished as they were talking and slid it on the plate before handing it back, "Glad you like it. Rebuilding my ego after August so masterfully destroyed it."

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Antos had not been fond of the sedation process. And, much to his distaste, his complaints had been ignored, as were his suggestions of what he thought to be better ways of knocking a patient out. "You're really using that formula? You know, this would work out better." It was safe to say that none of the workers were too sad when his consciousness was snuffed out.

However, it didn't keep him down for the whole ride. The drive from Area 51 to wherever they were heading was no short venture, and he awoke before they arrived. He felt… dazed. Of course, that was to be expected, as he had been drugged. But it didn't mean that he had to like the sensation. It took a moment for reality to sink in, as did his splitting headache. He'd never been much of a fan of long travels. Artemis to Earth had been a pain in the back, but he had not, at least, been injected with anything before taking off on that ride.

As his first order of business, his hands started moving to his head, ready to try and soothe the annoyingness of his pain. Before he could do so, his hands were snagged back down by a bond that held them together in his lap. Antos closed his eyes, allowing his wrists catch fire, careful to do so quietly as to not alert his escorts. His charred restraints fell from his hands, freeing him. He allowed the tongues of flames to lick over his hands, the sensation bringing an odd comfort to him. It did not hurt as badly as one might have thought. Most forgot that he had spent years of his childhood getting used to the pain of being alight. Now, as long as his whole body was not covered, it had been reduced to some major discomfort. But, the pain was appreciated. It reminded him that he was still alive to feel it, something to be quite happy about.

In the brief moments he was using his ability, he considered burning the entirety of the car and its occupants. He wasn't sure he trusted his ability enough to do so or his physique to get away fast enough. However, the thought was stopped completely when his escorts asked one another if they smelled barbecue, Antos promptly killing his flames.

It did not take much longer for them to reach their destination. The majority of Antos's time had been spent glued to the window. The ecosystem was vastly different wherever they were than it had been back in Area 51. Oh, how the alien longed to study the vegetation outside. Just think of what he could learn!

However, before he could beg the driver to pull over and let him observe some trees, the car came to a screeching halt. His guards came around the back to let him out, questioning him about what had happened to his restraints. He merely hopped out, apologizing half-heartedly, and gaping at the view. The house was... fantastic! Gardens full of plants he had never seen paired with a livelier atmosphere than he'd seen on Earth before.

Most of the gang was there as well, and he was so excited that he could kiss them all! No... not really... but the overstatement wasn't too drastic. He gave them all curt nods before going off to observe the garden. But, his attention snapped back to the others when the last car arrived, Kou emerging. He let out an audible sigh of relief. Everyone was okay. Things were alright.

Antos followed inside, sad to part with the outside world, but eager to see his new living quarters. The smell was too enticing for him to part from. And, once inside, his big brown eyes caught ahold of the food upon the table. However, he took note of the human man who had fixed it, slightly weary of him. Antos's mind dreampt up all the possibilities there were. The food might be poisoned! But he shot down his thought quickly, as they could have been killed at any point. Why now? Besides, the man had offered to eat the food and let them choose which one he got. Unless he had built up immunity to the poison...

Stop being paranoid, he hissed at himself, internally. Without any more hesitation, he grabbed a piece of bacon and bit down. It had been a while since he had eaten a good meal, and so the food was much appreciated.

Change of clothes. Now that was a topic he was eager to jump on! He was certainly not dressed to his standards, his inner fashion sense despising the plain white outfit. And, lodging was an issue as well. If they were rooming, he merely prayed that he didn't get put with August ("Manipulative d-bag..."). As soon as he found they were free to take their own rooms, his nerves eased, although his relief was short lived. Cameras in their rooms? It was to be expected, he supposed, and he hopes that his friends would refrain from sleeping in the nude.

However, he figured that he'd probably been viewed without clothes by scientists as some point. The thought made him blush tremendously, and he quickly tried to hide his face so that the others didn't think that he was thinking about unclean, porn-ish things. Although he hadn't even said anything to his companions, he turned to leave the kitchen, ready to go and claim a room.

Bosco was a little to hungry to worry about changing or washing his hands... Though now that Aika mentioned it, he could only imagine all of the kinds of terrible germs the planet of earth had to have. Well, he hadn't caught any sniffles yet so surely it wasn't that bad here regarding germs, and apparent physiology between them seemed to be similar enough. Though as talk of the food began regarding doubts of being drugged or poisoned, he thought it was a useless display as maybe this Xavier guy could have poisoned all of it and taken an antidote for himself... okay. Maybe that was a little imaginative. It did seem kind of overdone to let them here only to drug them when it would have been easier just to have kept them all drugged.

He plucked at his white clothes, it didn't matter much to him. Yes, they were painfully relevant to what had happened. But so would any earth clothes. Though earth clothes would still be a welcome change over white. He did doubt that their original clothes were still around. Likely having suffered the same dissection and abuse that the humans seemed to do to anything foreign and strange.

Looking over to Mako, he gave him an uneasy smile,"Not that weird... They got want they wanted from us, this very well could be a tactic of hollow persuasion to get us to further go along with what they want. Or maybe even a stick and carrot approach." He said, not trying hard to hide the suspicion on his mind. But he patted Mako on the back, right now was a time for reunion. Plotting could come later.

"But it is still better than THAT place. And there is food. Sorry Aika... But I would really like to eat it while it is hot." He said. That and he was starting to get afraid that Kou might eat it all. And moved to the table beside Antos where he picked at his food. Specifically the stuff the humans called bacon. Which Bosco thought tasted like magic. "You okay?" He asked as he watche d him take on a strange look, but only to watch him go about his way. Hungrily eating the rest of the food down his throat. He enjoyed it, very much so.

Antos seemed to have the right idea though. Not regarding the being looked at clothless... that would not be pleasant to think about. Or what they did to them in such a state. But the going to claim a room idea. Looking back over his shoulder before he continued, he spoke to Xavier,"Will there be more food later?" Not too eager to leave this food, but did want to change. It also might give an idea as to what Xavier had in mind for later. He would later need to inquire as to what rules this place had...

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Xena nodded her head lightly at the grown human male, who was wearing a flowery apron, after he had complimented the place too. She wasn't much of a talker so silence once again crowded her but with a bunch of very lively people around it didn't take long for that silence to pass. Xena looked down at Moa as the girl started to worry for her though it wasn't very much necessary. Vena had been much better ever since they left Area 51. It was still sweet though that the girl worried for her which meant she cared and Xena thought that was a nice feeling. The pink haired alien knew that most of the others cared about each others safety, especially Ai who was like a mother to the group and the feeling of someone looking out for you was pleasant though the feeling was also quite foreign to Xena.

The kitchen area was soon flooded by the extraterrestrials who had just been transported here. Ai was proving her mother hen role as she took it upon herself to discuss some matters with the human male. Ai was often looked at as a leader or mother to the grop or at least that's what Xena always thought about the girl and admired her for her leadership skills. The pinked haired alien's attention was averted away from Ai and to the food set out on the table as August noted that she could take his share. She went to the table and picked at an omelette that hadn't already been eaten and ate a tiny bit. It was surprisingly good though you would think most food is good too when your locked up in a cell on Artemis and then transported to earth but only to be locked up in another cell. In short, cells always equaled bad food. Xena glanced at August as she spoke in a formal matter though everyone was used to her monotone and formal nature by now, "Thank you for the donation. I will not waste this food." She picked up his pushed away plate and scraped most of the food onto her plate. By the looks of it though, Xena wasn't the only one wishing for seconds this time.

As rooms were brought up, Xena took interest as she picked and ate the food given to her. She was usually a fast eater but right now she was to caught up in everyone else's interactions. Her ears perked up as Kou noted that she would like to be roomed with Moa if that was what they were doing. The human man, Xavier if she recalled the name correctly, noted that everyone had their own rooms but they could share as long as it was same sex. Xena liked the idea of sharing a room with someone, otherwise Vena would cloud her thoughts and Xena found that it was most easy to quiet Vena down by focusing on others rather than herself. The pink haired alien lightly tugged on the lower back part of Ai's shirt to get the girl's attention. "May we share a room together, please." She was hesitent on speaking again but she felt like Ai would say no if she didn't give good reasoning. "...Vena is much quieter with others around me, especially to those I consider myself comfortable around." After finishing her sentence she let her hand fall to her side. Of course, Xena felt comfortable around Ai. Actually, it was pretty much safe to say that she felt safe around Ai the most. The red headed girl was the oldest and acted as a strong mother figure to the group which would calm most though Xena depicted her as a leader more since her experiences with her mother weren't all that great. Xena never had a good mother figure but Ai would definitely come closest to that.

Moa gave the man a quizzical look as he told them that they could choose the ones they wanted to eat and want him to eat. It was not like he would poison them… would he? She was pulled out of her contemplation whether it was more effective for them to drug them as Aika arrived, shaking the man’s hand while introducing herself, while asking for a change of clothes. That was just like the ‘mother’ of their group, Aika was probably the most mature of them all, always thinking of their welfare.

She really wanted to be like her someday…if only. She looked at the door as she heard August come in, sprouting many questions at one time, but moved to sit next to Kou as Makoto entered carrying her. She took a few small bites of her food, absent-mindedly listening to the conversation around her, going into the half-concious state she was always in, dreamily listening as Xavier told them about their clothes. She must remember to find a pillow soon. Her stay on earth was making her jittery and the hard floors of her cell didn’t help sleeping matters. What she would give to find something soft…

"If we have to share can I share with Moa?"

her head jerked upright as she heard the words, giving Kou a small smile of assent as the man explained that they had separate rooms but could choose to room with each other as long as they are the same sex. She liked Kou the best of all of the group anyways, and would love to know her better if she was given the chance. “Ok, then Aika and Xena will share then?” She asked, hopping off her seat and onto the floor, while giving her now empty plate to ‘Xavier’ as the man said.

“Want to go pick our room then?” She asked, looking toward Kou as she headed toward the door. But first, she was probably going to get her clothes and change, the white uniforms were feeling very uncomfortable and she never liked the harsh antiseptic scent anyway. Maybe she could pick up a pillow when she reached the rooms…

“Oh!” she stopped as she reached the door, about to open it. “My name is Moa, if you didn’t know, but you could call me Bunny if you like.” With that, she finished her introduction and walked down to find her room, after Antos.

---

Aika was pleased to hear everything the man Xavier had to say in response to her questions and it seemed that her gesture had been the correct one. She gave a nod in the man's direction, a small but relieved smile spreading across her lips as any awkwardness in the lingering handshake would be quite lost on the alien. With a shake of her head she looked over at the table which was slowly but steadily filling as the others piled in and began eating despite Ai's recommendation, she could hardly blame them though and it wasn't something to get upset over. She gave a shrug as she looked back in Xavier's direction, "Well, it's not like they haven't already seen anything they could have wanted of us... But I'll keep that in mind."

Her gaze once again drifted over to the others at the table, most all of them were there now. She couldn't help but smile being reunited with them all, seeing them talking to each other and eating in an almost normal way again, it felt like it had been so long. After running a hand through her red locks and exhaling a deep breath, she was just about to leave the kitchen and head upstairs when she felt a tug at her shirt. When she looked, she discovered the culprit was Xena. Curiously she tilted her head at the pink-haired girl as she began to speak her quiet request.

"May we share a room together, please... Vena is much quieter with others around me, especially to those I consider myself comfortable around."

Ai blinked having not quite expected that. She could hardly deny such a request especially if what Xena had just said was true, keeping Vena quiet was something Aika thought to be very important. The second part of her statement made Ai smile, it was always hard to read Xena so hearing that she was comforted by Aika's presence felt nice. And of course, though she'd never admit it, Ai was relieved at the idea of having someone else around like that, she was certainly capable of spending her nights and days alone like she had for so long in those cells but in reality the alternative sounded much nicer to her. Naturally, there was another not quite so innocent reason that she felt inclined to accept, but she pushed that thought aside for the moment as she nodded to the pink-haired girl.

"Sure... I'd be happy to share rooms with you." She gave Xena a smile and glanced briefly around the table, apparently Moa and Kou would share rooms as well as they fled the kitchen and went upstairs. With her attention moved back to Xena she continued, "I'm gonna go ahead upstairs and pick out a room and get changed, maybe bathe too... If you want to keep eating feel free to stay, or if you wanna help pick the room out you can come with me." Her warm smile persisted as she received whichever response the girl gave and made her way out of the kitchen/dining room area and towards the stairs. She moved slowly, not wanting to leave Xena behind and so that she could better take in the finer details of the prison-home they would be staying in.

Its design was well, alien, and quite unlike most of what she remembered of her home on Artemis. Despite this it didn't feel too strange to her, it felt a bit warm and welcoming despite the knowledge of the true purpose this place held for them. There was a certain quality to it that distinctly reminded her of a home, though perhaps it was just that her senses had been warped from her extended time in a dark cell. That didn't matter much to her though, in the end she actually felt happy to be in this place and for now, that was enough. There were certain to be new tribulations awaiting them in the days, weeks, or months to come, she couldn't imagine everything would just be fine from here on out, but for now she simply didn't want to think about those things, she wanted to be glad at their reunion in a place where they could feel like real people again.

Lost in her train of thought, Ai found herself at the top of the stairs and facing down a hallway with several doors, each had a name printed on a piece of paper taped to them. If what Xavier said was true they were free to trade rooms, but for now Ai simply eyed over the two doors that read her own name and Xena's, they'd likely end up picking one of these two. Her attention was diverted however as she noticed Kou and Moa at one of the doors as Kou carefully opened it and peeked inside before disappearing into the room a moment later. She decided to let her and Moa be for now, she could check up on them later. Refocusing herself on the task at hand she peered over at the door with Xena's name on it wondering if it would be appropriate for her to just open it, or, if Xena had followed her, what she wanted to do. "Hm..."

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The pink haired girl was glad to see that Ai was willing to share a room with her though her facial expression didn't say much for what she felt on the inside. Xena continued to listen as Ai spoke to her. "A bath and a change of clothes sounds wonderful. Uhm..I think I'll come and help pick out a room." Her plate had bits of food left on it so before following Ai out of the kitchen, Xena scooped up what was left on the plate and ate it all in one bite. Wasn't the most lady like thing to do but she hated to see food go to waste. She set her plate in the sink and gave Xavier a proper compliment and thank you before heading out to follow Ai. "Thank you for the food. It was very delicious."

Xena found the red headed girl admiring the details of their new home, well it was still counted as a prison in everyone's opinions but Xena thought it was more comforting to call it a home. She followed right behind Ai and watched the woman get lost in thought of the design on the walls. Xena turned her head away for a moment to look at a painting on the wall as she walked. It was a weird piece of artwork in the girl's opinion but most of the earthling items were weird to her. She would have ran into the wall if not for Ai, she accidently bumped into her which drew her attention to the hallway they were standing in. Xena peaked her head to the side, as she was standing behind the red headed girl, and looked up at her with a curious expression though her monotone voice didn't match her expression well. "I wonder if the rooms are all the same on the inside. Let's go in my room, first, I really wanna see it." Without warning the pink haired girl was already passing by Ai as she grabbed the others hand and dragged her along into the room after opening the door.

It was cozy just as she has imagined it would be. Well more like, how she wished and hoped it to be. The walls were painted with the color of Bicycle Yellow Behr that looked as though it was shining when the sunlight shined through the windows. There was a big bed by one of the windows which the cover matched the color of the walls. The blanket looked really soft and it was a bit patchy like it had been hand sewn by a loving mother and made for her child. Other objects occupied the room such as a wooden desk, a tall wooden dresser, and even a stuffed bear that resided on the bed near the pillows. Xena looked back at Ai as she let go of the girl's hand, finally. "I like the feel of the room. It feels safe and warm..like how a child should feel when around his mother. What do you think, Ai?" The pink haired girl moved to where the bed was and let the front of her body smother into the soft blankets. She let most of her body slip off the bed while her knees rested on the wooden floor and her upper body rested on the warm blankets. She glanced back at Ai as she turned her head slightly. Her hair was tussled around a bit from the friction with the blankets. "This bed is big enough for two people. If we don't have time to put another bed in our room we could just sleep together, huh." Xena spoke as she looked at the red headed girl. She was only trying to make a light hearted joke but she didn't care if Ai took her seriously or not. Sleeping in the same bed with another person wasn't a subject she was shy about. Even if it was a boy she would be sharing the same bed with, it wouldn't faze her. "Do you wanna check out your room now?" Xena didn't lift up her head to speak to Ai properly. She was way to comfortgable to move plus she was sure the girl could hear her clearly.

"There will be more food," Xavier said a little caught off guard by the question. Did they he think this was the only time he was allowed to eat true food while afterwards they had to go back to government issued 'food'? "I will take care of breakfast and dinner, you guys are on your own for lunch, but feel free to raid the fridge and cabinets for whatever you want. I just need to put a call in to some people to get more food. Any of you are free to help me cook," He said turning to put the offered plates to him in the sink. He would rinse them off and put them in the dishwasher later. He doubted any of the would really help him cook as he doubted they knew much about the ingredients in question, but he made to comment, and it wasn't like he could take it back now.

"They probably have seen everything they need to," Xavier agreed with Aika, "But just because they know it is there doesn't give them the right to see it."

Xavier turned his head slightly, there it was again. Vena. No, he had to be mishearing it, or Xena was saying it with a slight lisp. Still it seemed the girls were quick to room together, for desired support? He doubted the boys would be quite so willing to give up their newly found independence. Still, he did not miss that Xena felt comfortable around Aika, he would have to remember that, and he would have to write it in his report.

Bunny? Odd, how did she know about bunnies? Did they have them on their planet? Or did she learn about them from his? He was almost tempted to ask, but she wished to leave. While she wasn't quite as forthcoming as Aika in terms of introductions, he still appreciated that she would say that. Why bunny? Was that what the others called her? Her family? Or was that what the guards called her? Bunny. It fit.

Free to think for a moment, his mind came to a quick halt as he realized he didn't lock his own bedroom door. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a cigarette from his pack and tucked it into the corner of his mouth. He didn't want to smoke in the kitchen as he doubted they were used to the smell, and he didn't want to potentially ruin their appetite. Stepping out of the kitchen, he pulled out a cheap plastic lighter and flicked it own.

Xavier tucked the light back into his pocket when the smoke was lazily floating in front of his face. Free from the kitchen, he too made his way up the stairs, but not to look at the rooms, he had already had his room set up, now he just needed to enforce his privacy. Walking past the open doors where the four were gathered, he moved closer to his own and looked behind him to make sure no one had decided to stick their heads out before cracking his door open and looking into the dark room for a moment before closing it again and locking it. If he had gone in to check on things, he doubted he would be coming out for a long time.

Sliding the key back into his pocket, he took a drag from his cigarette blowing the air and watching it bounce and float along the surface of the wood. He contemplated telling them his room was off-limits, but the locked door should be enough to tell them that. Which reminded him, it was time for a check in.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his cellphone and cycled through the contacts until he came to one listed simply as 'Work'. Pushing it in, he went through the standard process of giving his identification number until finally the line on the other end was picked up,

"Agent Wilson checking in," He said, his voice even as he leaned against the door, the burning cigarette nearly forgotten as it hung in the corner of his mouth.

"No, nothing to truly support, they are roughly what I expected from the information I was given," He paused leaning his head back against the wood, "No extra security needed. Yes. No. Yes. Yes. Yes. Understood."

With that, he tapped on his phone and ended the conversation. One check-in done. Four hundred and fifty-nine to go. Xavier looked at the ceiling of the hallway, his sharp green eyes tracing every line and pool of paint as a part of his mind urged him to turn around and check the room. What if something was out of place? What if... what if... what could it hurt if he just took a quick peek?

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The journey upstairs had been nothing special, though Antos had to admit that he was fascinated with the home's design, which he admired on the way up. But, his attention was drawn back to the matter of finding his room. He didn't really pay attention to whom he was near, merely searching the name-tags for his own. He found it, gripping the handle and giving it a sharp twist, the door snapping open in response. The room was much bigger than he had expected, especially compared to the cell he'd been kept in for the past weeks. Its walls were a cream color, not exactly white but not brown either, and a very soft looking bed rested in the far corner. Bookshelves rested against the wall, lined with a various array of novels. "Marvelous..." he gawked, immediately heading toward it, his eyes wide with awe.

His hands ran excitedly along the spines of the shelf's inhabitance, finally picking one. "JRR Tolkien? What kind of a name is JRR? I pity him.." he said, pushing the novel back into place. Fiction was not the only genre there, as he found a few textbooks and seminars. How exciting!

His next idea was to search his room for unwelcomed security cameras. If he could find them, maybe he could find a way to turn them off. He knew that Xavier would most likely be alerted if he did so, but... Suddenly, the possible repercussions flooded his mind. They might drag him away from this place or punish him. He was sure worse could happen, but he still wasn't ready to be torn away from this place. He had just been reunited with his friends. Frustrated, he plopped down upon his bed, finding it extremely comfortable. He stared up at the place he suspected the cameras to be, the best place to place a camera in order to get the most coverage, a scowl planted upon his face. He knew it was there, cleverly hidden by the government-folk, but he wouldn't touch it.

So, he attempted to continue exploring the room, rising from his seat and patting the creases out of his blankets. He headed toward a dresser, opposite of his bed, and pulled it open, searching through the clothes he had been given. Eager to change, he pulled out an outfit he found suitable for him- a blue hoodie and black basketball shorts, blue, cloth stripes running down their sides. He pushed the door shut and began to undress before he remembered his predicament. It'd be better to use the bathroom, but he was certain he'd heard someone enter it only moments before."Would those watching via security camera be kind enough to turn their backs?" he called out to his invisible audience, blushing as he did so. He felt stupid, talking to people he couldn't see, and who would, most likely, not listed. Sighing, he carried on, getting dressed as fast as he possibly could.

He was quick to leave, as he began to fear that he would succumb to the temptation of burning the security camera to a crisp. He decided it'd be best if he just went downstairs and hung out with the others. However, he stopped before he could get very far. Did he smell smoke? The scent was very recognizable to him, but what was it doing in a home? He looked around, finding the culprit to be the human man, leaning against the door of the farthest room in the hall. He had some weird stick in his mouth, puffing out rings of smoke every so often. He stared at him for a moment, his wariness practically painted upon his face. You'd think it'd be me who was in risk of burning the house down.

He continued down the hallway, passing the bathroom which was still occupied. He could hear the twinkling of the shower's water against the tub from outside, the sound making him rather uneasy. Water... He knew that if he wasn't careful, he'd start to shake again. That'd be no good, So, taking a deep breath before he went, Antos hurried down the steps, far away from the running shower.

He slid into the kitchen once again, smiling at its occupants. As he took a seat, his eye was caught by the remaining omelets upon the table. He felt a small tug toward them, his stomach pushing him to eat, but what if the others were still hungry? Antos forced himself to turn away from the food, instead distracting himself with his company. It was good to see them all doing well, and he dug around for a good conversation topic. He was sure that there was no good card he could buy for them all that said Glad you're recovering from torture!, but he'd been wrong before. Distracting him from his thoughts was Makoto, who sat down beside him as he made a remark about the temperature of the shower. Antos tried to control his cringe, deciding he'd try and stay away from the bathroom of horrors.

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It was good to know that they had the choice between whether they wanted to share or not. August personally preferred his own space, but he didn't expect the other boys to want to room with him anyway. Having no reason to remain in the kitchen, he decided to make his way upstairs without another word. He took this time to examine the interior of the house, as it was very different from the colorless walls and ceilings of Area 51, but it was also not very similar to the buildings back on Artemis either. It was actually kind of strange, but it wasn't surprising that they'd try to make the place as cozy as they could.

This house had one reason for standing, and that was to prepare them for returning to Artemis as spies. He had to admit, he was quite curious on how they planned on actually forcing them to commit that kind of betrayal. Maybe they were creating a chip or device of some kind that would control their minds? There's be no point in letting them live at the estate then. Perhaps they sent them here as an apology, a way to win their favor and use it as bribery so they'll do as their told.

That would prove to be futile, though. He doubted any of the others would go along with that, not that he wouldn't. It's not as if his life back on Artemis was all that luxurious anyway. If they assured him a comfortable life here he wouldn't feel bad about returning to his home as a spy. Then again, "comfortable" didn't sound all that great to him either. He'd get bored much too easily, plus he wasn't so naive to believe any such promises. He would likely just end up right back in a cell.

He returned to the first door on the left. He spotted his name here when he reached the top of the stairs, but had continued down the hallway to read the other names. Of course they'd put him furthest from the human's room. 'What was his name again? Xav- something.' It was Xavier, and he remembered it clearly, but for now he'd pretend not to know it.

As the door closed behind him he stood still for a moment, his eyes scanning the room as he tried to locate the best spots where the security cameras could've been placed. The room wasn't different from that of hotel room, with plain colored walls and a tan carpet floor. He then walked towards the dresser against the right wall, his fingers running along the covers of the bed as he did so. It sure did feel nice to know that he wouldn't be sleeping on a cell floor tonight. After the first few days it was actually easy to sleep on a hard surface, allowing his body to adapt to the harsh sleeping environment so he wouldn't wake up sore every morning. However, he was still glad to have a soft bed to sleep in.

He reached the dresser and opened each drawer to view it's contents before picking out some clothes and turning towards the bookshelf, knowing there was most likely a camera embedded in the wood somewhere. "You can watch me as long as you're cute," he joked before stripping down and slipping on a black t-shirt and a pair of black sweat pants. He really didn't care who was watching him. After all he'd been viewed naked plenty of times within the walls of Area 51.

Turning to leave, he stopped as he caught sight of something familiar in his peripheral vision. Sitting atop the desk along the far wall was the jacket he had been wearing when they first arrived at Earth. He walked over to it and picked up the folded hoodie and stared at it a moment, remembering how he had constantly brought it up to the scientist and security guards that he'd like it back. It smelled of antiseptic, but that didn't matter. The rain would wash that away. This kind of frustrated him though, but he brushed the annoyance away and put it on before leaving his room.

"I'm going outside to get some fresh air. Can't be shut up indoors with weather like this!", he said loudly with a smile as he hopped down the stairs. "Anyone can feel free to join me, of course." He didn't wait for a reply from the boys downstairs, knowing Antos would be the last person to go out in the rain. His fear of water was pretty amusing, to be honest. It looked like the girls had all headed up to their rooms for now, too.

He exited the kitchen and hurried out the front door, thrilled to see that the rain had begun to come down. It wasn't a heavy storm or anything, but even so, he had to admit the feel of the cold liquid against his skin was refreshing. Actually, being outside at all was wonderful in itself.

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It didn't take long for the decision to be made for her as Xena took off passed her pulling her along gently towards the door marked with Xena's name. She followed behind without protest and as they entered the room she blinked at the assault of yellow upon her eyes. Well that's not what I expected... She spent only a brief moment glancing around the room to get a grasp of the major details before turning to watch Xena, she was much more interested in her reaction than in the room itself. Unsurprisingly the girl wasn't very expressive in her face, but her words spoke the truth of her feelings.

"I like the feel of the room. It feels safe and warm..like how a child should feel when around his mother. What do you think, Ai?"

Ai gave a nod and smiled, those were words she was glad to hear. "Well I can't say I was expecting yellow but... The room does have a nice feeling to it... And the blanket's cute, reminds me of some of the things I made back on Artemis. But if you like it in here I'd be fine with just using this room." Her smile only grew as she watched Xena trot over to the bed and plop down on it roughly. Ai couldn't help but give a soft laugh at that... Laughing, now there was something she hadn't done in a long time. Shaking that sad thought away she leaned against the doorframe and continued to simply watch Xena cuddle up atop the bed, quite unready for the girl's next statement.

"This bed is big enough for two people. If we don't have time to put another bed in our room we could just sleep together, huh."

Her initial response was a simple, dumb blink. I... Can't tell if she's being serious or not. She cleared her throat in an attempt to mask her surprise and the silence of the moment, she'd have to choose her words carefully from this point forward. "Ahm... Well, if you'd feel more comfortable sharing then... I uh, wouldn't mind." She did her very best to maintain her composure and sound natural in her reply though she wasn't sure how well she had done at that or if Xena would even notice either way. At the first mention of checking Ai's room however her tune quickly changed as she nodded and clapped her hands together, happy to change topics. "Right! I'll just go take a peek and grab a few changes of clothes and come back here, back in a sec!"

Hastily she disappeared through the doorway with a wave goodbye and headed down the hall towards the door marked with her name. Down at the end of the hall she noticed Xavier who appeared to have some odd piece of paper in his mouth that emitted a foul smelling smoke. Ai grimaced at the unpleasant scent but said nothing to the man as he seemed busy speaking into some device held up to his ear. Without a moment of hesitation she opened the door to her room and stepped inside. The layout seemed to be much the same as Xena's, a similar looking desk and wardrobe were placed tactfully around the sparsely decorated space. The walls were painted a deep navy blue and her sheets and blankets seemed to match accordingly. The color was rather pleasing to Ai, relaxing even, but she had a feeling Xena would prefer her yellow room over this.

With a quick shake of her head she stepped over to the wardrobe and opened it up, picking out about three outfits worth of clothing and holding it all rather clumsily in her arms. With a humorous lack of grace she closed up the wardrobe with her feet and stepped out of the room and back into the hallway, leaving the door wide open behind her. She glanced over at Xavier who had now seemed to be finished with whatever business he was dealing with a moment ago. She waited a moment for the man to notice her presence before speaking up in his direction, her arms still comically full of clothing. "Your boss must really have it out for you... Assigning you a job like this." With a small but sincere smile she summoned forth her best efforts at humor but continued on before he could reply, "And uh... Well, if we're allowed to make requests... If I could have some sewing and knitting tools and materials brought here... It would mean a lot to me and I'd greatly appreciate it."

She honestly wasn't sure what she was expecting, well actually, she was expecting a simple no, but she would regret it if she never asked. "Anyways, I'm gonna go get changed... See ya." Unable to wave, she simply nodded at the man and made her way back to Xena's room. With a deep breath out she dropped the pile of clothing down onto the floor near the dresser and leaned over to pick out an outfit. She had picked the clothes out at random so in the end her result wasn't very coordinated, but it was certainly better than lab rags. As she clutched the clothing in her arms she glanced out the doorway, uncertain of where the bathroom actually was, surely there was more than one with this many people living in the place. Disregarding that for the moment however she focused her attention on Xena once more. "So... What do you think of all this so far? I wonder where on Earth we are now... I'm guessing it's still America..." She trailed off as she began to sort through her brain for any clues or pieces of knowledge that might lead her to an answer.

Did he have the time to spare? The time to look into the room? Yes, he did. He always had enough time to look. Enough time to watch. Nothing was more important. His eyes were glazed over, lost in his own mind as the cigarette lazily burned away at the corner of his mouth, occasionally, ashes would fall from it and lose themselves within the fibers of the carpet, but he didn't notice as his mind was far away, staring at walls covered with photos, news paper articles, and thin strings that interwove and connected the pictures making a massive, and often, unreadable pattern. There was no pattern. But there was. There had to be. There had to be something within the massive... Or... maybe there was something one of the many files and papers that were strewn around on the floor.

Lost in his own mind, he noticed neither Antos nor August entering their rooms and leaving once again. They didn't matter. This house didn't matter. Nothing else did at this moment for there had to be something. He was missing something. Some small little detail, missing it for years. Some instinct, some hardwired reflex, had his eyes roaming the hallway, seeing but not comprehending what was before him. Aika? Yes, Aika, it was as if looking at her through a haze, but it seemed she take it as him looking at her prompting her to speak to him.

His eyes looked over the overly large bundle she was carrying to rest on her lips. There were moving... but he wasn't hearing what they were saying. It was an odd sensation, if he could spare the time or brain power to ponder it, he would have almost enjoyed the sensation, but he was on auto-pilot. She didn't seem to require or need his input which was good. He had nothing to add as her lips continued to move before stopping again. He managed to catch 'sewing' and 'supplies' and finally her lips stopped their dance. Xavier started to nod his head forward, but it wasn't needed as she turned and left. Whatever it was, it could wait.

Xavier tilted his head back, his mind racing through all the dates, images, numbers, faces that had been haunting him for years. For some reason, even moving lips seemed to flash through his mind, but he couldn't remember whose lips they were almost as if the feature he had just been staring at on Aika no longer belonged to her. One of them. One of them had to be it. Ash from his cigarette tumbled down and landed on his shoulder, the last of it, as his cigarette had burned itself out long ago, the sudden movement just enough to dislodge the last of the ash.

One... little peek. Perhaps... perhaps this time would be enough? Perhaps... He... yes... he could get her the supplies later. It wouldn't arrive till tomorrow anyways. Slowly, he turned around and fitted the key back into the lock and turned it until the knob clicked. Leaning against the door as if it took everything he had to stand there, he slowly pushed it open, the darkness calling to him. Urging him to step into the dark room with the covered windows.

He could no more resit the pull then a starving man could resist a feast, pausing only to shut the door which he did not bother to lock as he had more important things to do, he entered deeper into the room content to lose himself for a bit. They... they could handle themselves for a bit. Give them time to... adjust.

Stumbling to a small table near the bed, he pulled on the lamps chain filling the room with a cold, dim light. It was just as he remembered it. The floor filled with strewn about files and papers, the far wall covered in thousands of pictures, news paper clips, and a massive interwoven web of strength that linked everything and nothing. He had recreated it from memory. Taking it down from his broken house and putting it back up here... This... This was his home.

He chuckled to himself at his friends suggestion,"Maybe next time, Mako." He said, then realized that he chuckled...Was it reflexive? It had to be, the sound of it was foreign to him. He thought no more on it as he let him and Antos and August go off to their rooms.

Bosco stopped outside of his and looked across the hall to where Kou's room was labeled. He couldn't help but give a small smile. He got to keep his friends close. Stepping inside he gave one last look over his shoulder towards her room then turned to go inside. It was strange how normal it looked... The bed was large and on a simple wooden frame, plenty of pillows and a few pieces of comfortable furniture. Simple... the room was simple. And Bosco was very fine with simple. But then came the thought of the cameras...

His face took on a faint tinge of red, but it was not from embarrassment. It was a slight bit anger that infested his thoughts. Did those people not get a good enough look at them back at the Area? And the girls... He wanted to find every camera and crush them with his bare hands. Looking down at his clenched fist, one that he didn't realize he had made, he took a deep breath before he let the annoyance work itself into something worse. He unclenched his fist, such thoughts would be counter productive here. They were informed of the cameras, proper steps could be taken to avoid them should the need arise.

But for now, he would let Mako enjoy the well earned privacy and swallow what pride was left and change here. Opening the closet he got to see all manner of manner of styles that the humans wore. He took of his clothes and dressed himself in a comfortable pair of loose blue jeans and a grey t-shirt. Finding a pair of shoes he put those on as well, mostly because he had the choice of whether or not to where them. That and he didn't know what was around the corner. He had never been able to afford such a selection of clothes before, he barely knew what to do with all of them.

This sort of place... it might be dangerous to get comfortable here. As he stepped into the hallway He turned to watch Antos and August head downstairs, looking the other direction he saw Xavier at the end of the hall. The smell of the smoke didn't bother him too much. As he was about to go he caught sight of Kou's door again, he had the strong urge to check on her. To make sure she was okay after all of this. But he would let girls have their privacy now, likely hood is that they would be changing and cleaning up as the guys were. Not something that would be wise of him to interrupt. With face slightly red at the thought, he shook it from his mind and headed downs stairs.

He had went to the seat where he had been at Antos's other side. He didn't sit, instead he reached to grab a few pieces of bacon. "Well Atty, if you don't want the shower, I will use it next if the girls don't take it. I'm going to go hang with August a little bit. I'll be back... Though I suppose by then that I won't need a shower."

Shoving the bacon in his mouth, he followed after August, and no it was not just to spite him. Bosco did want to inquire about a few things, mainly the boys thoughts on all this. Immediately upon stepping outside, as the cold rain hit his shoulders it made his back arch in chill. But the shudder that came afterwards was energizing. Human rain... it smelled different here than on Artemis. Not by much, though. He pulled up his hood and looked up at the grey clouds, half expecting to see a large fish peeking from the clouds... But alas. This was not home. The skies of earth seemed relatively lifeless so far. Casting his gaze back down, he stopped behind August, "The rain fits the atmosphere of this change, doesn't it? Cold but welcome. " He said,breaking the ice. "So what do you think? By the way, you might want to make sure they didn't bug your jacket. I wouldn't put it past the humans to do such a things." He asked, to try and get Augusts take on this situation. Though he was a little surprised that jacket even survived.