May 30th, 8:30 am.

Nearly three months had gone by since he had been here last. His trip to Sanctuary had taken much longer, and he wasn't exactly sure if the administrative powers that be had told them of his letter. As far as he was aware, the general populace was still expecting him to return within a few months. And it had been three, so he was cutting it close. With the weight of his possible demise on the shoulders of the X-Men, he would be exceedingly happy if his students did not believe that he had fallen.

When they had arrived last night, Kurt had seen to it that both Genoshan boys were taken to the medical ward and given the proper care. Both were unconscious at the time and now he suspected they would be waking up, or at least one of them. The one called Humberto seemed in a bad way, which worried Kurt gravely. But, as promised, Kurt brought them to a place where they would survive and be able to heal without worry of pursuit. They would have the best care on the planet.

As soon as he was assured they would be fine, Kurt had passed out. He didn't even bother teleporting to his room. A cot was fine. Just knowing that he had returned to the mansion alive was good enough. The flight back was just as stressful as the battle he had participated in, especially under the interrogations of Cyclops. But, what was another friendly discussion? Jean would learn more from the Genoshan boys' minds than Kurt could say. Sanctuary had become the topic and Kurt told him of everything that could fit in between the time of being rescued and returning to the mansion. There was more to come, but Kurt had opted to sleep instead. Meetings would come later. This morning, there was his grand return.

Kurt had jaunted up to his room to clean up and put on some new clothes, as his uniform needed a wash. Adorning a loose-fitting, pirate-y shirt and black pants, the demon envisioned the layout of the mansion, long memorized and imprinted in his mind. In an implosion of air and smoke, Kurt disappeared from his room.

Appearing in a burst of black and violet smoke, his form dissolved into existence hanging from the chandelier above the dining table by his tail.

"Guten Morgen, students!" Kurt greeted with his usual almost over-zealous enthusiasm, his face wearing a classic fanged smile as he coiled his tail, turning around to all the students there might be. None had seen him since he had left. "For those of you who have my class today, we will be learning the art of a 'dramatic entrance'!"

It was quite early, although not too early. Plenty of other students were scattered around the tables of the dining hall, chattering over breakfast or still waking up as they pushed around cups and plates and bowls. Meggan was sat at one of the tables, waiting for Doreen to come down from feeding Monkey Joe, keeping her roommate’s place with a hat on her chair. The hat was part of her costume for the play they were currently working on in drama. Turning the page of her book, the young metamorph gave a yawn and frowned, trying to concentrate on the text as she absorbed herself in the world of Arden, absently pushing a sleeve up so it wasn’t trailing in her eggs. Other students glanced her way, but seeing Meggan bedecked in Shakespearian finery was hardly the oddest sight and they left her be.

The young girl took her drama lessons very seriously and after reading (or rather being helped to read) a book by a very famous Russian man with a long funny name, she had taken to doing some of the things he, along with her teachers, suggested when it came to rehearsing and understanding the person you were pretending to be. So today, that meant she was being Rosalind, only Rosalind dressed as a boy. Meggan had even altered her shape for it, so that her hair hung just to her ears and her nose was a little more broad and other little things like that to help her feel more like this other person.

Reading was still difficult however, even though the school had done an awful lot to help her out, it was still hard and she had to really work hard to concentrate sometimes, even occasionally on things she liked doing anyway. Sighing, she held her book up from the table, staring blankly at one of the lines…Oh…she had known what that meant the other day…Halfway through sounding it out in an attempt to make it easier, the most wonderful sound ever suddenly filled the air, along with a less wonderful smell and looking up….

“Mister Wagner!” Meggan yelled at the top of her voice, jumped up on to her chair and started to glow with a pink and blue light as she tended to when she was extremely happy or contented or generally at peace with absolutely everything. It was her natural form and while she loved it, Meggan still tended to live in the relatively normal shape she had assumed originally as a child to fit in with her clan.

“Are you back? Are you really back and going to teach us today?” the fey girl gasped, eyes bright and wide with glee. “We’ve been doing As You Like It! I’m Rosalind so I was going to spend the day as her!” Meggan added excitedly, by now hovering around two feet off her chair as the elation of the other students only served to buoy up her already excited mood. Nightcrawler was one of the most loved staff members at the Institute and it didn’t seem there wasn’t anyone in the room who wasn’t pleased to see him back.

He remembered their faces, each and every one, much to his relief. Having been gone for so long, he imagined having forgotten everyone, but the images of their features had not disappeared into the catacombs of memory. He had never been away from the mansion for so long, not until his sabbatical. The workings of memory were something he feared and held on to almost desperately. For Kurt, the trip had been more than an exploration, but a test of faith. He knew there was the possibility that he may not have ever returned to Xavier's, so he was more than happy to give each and every individual student a direct look.

But of course, one of them stood out. Rather, she glowed.

Adorned in an unusual in-character attire, as expected for one of his favorite drama students, Meggan called his name above the startled crowd of students at the table, jumping into her chair and lighting up with pinks and blues of excitement and happiness. The little fae girl was always an excitable one and her expressions were always interesting, of course.

The demon gave the girl a fanged grin, charming and dashing as ever. "I am back, indeed! And in one piece, no less! Astonishing, but my return shall make Ulysses' journey pale in comparison, but I am afraid I have no suitors to duel at the moment," Kurt exaggerated a bit beyond expectation, but who was he not to embellish a heroic undertaking such as the one he experienced?

The demon flexed his agile prowess, rocking a few times from the chandelier before vaulting himself into a flip over the heads of the students, landing with perfect form next to the table. "I will be at the very least participating in today's class to figure out where things are because, as you know, I have been traveling the world more gloriously than Don Quixote -- and come from it with a better mind, too!"

"As You Like It, by the Great William Shakespeare? I imagine that must be Hank's doing, nein? Better than Logan, though I would still like to see him in full Kabuki attire," Kurt mused, looking at the floating girl and giving her outfit a look-over. "Gott im Himmel, did you make it yourself or have we finally been granted a costume designer that has five fingers?" Kurt laughed in spite of his sewing abilities.

"But, ah, but of course! 'All the world's a stage And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts.' I am glad you have taken to the play so seriously, but you must remember that there can be 'too much of a good thing'! Just remember to be Meggan today, too," Kurt reminded her, giving the other students at the table a proper look from a proper perspective.

"So! What have I missed? Nothing too grim, I pray, for I will need a few days before I can brood as Hamlet does on the worries of the world." Of course, it wasn't like yesterday itself wasn't grim at all with all the fighting and bloodshed and death and being deserted in the middle of the ocean. No, not grim. "Have you all been doing well in your classes? I do not know if I missed finals, but I shall be there for the performance," he said, leaning towards Meggan with a devilish grin. "Try not to tell anyone, but I hear Hank has been working on a new Danger Room simulation for the play."

Meggan could still remember the day that Nightcrawler had departed very well. It had been a sad day, with the misery she felt not just her own, but that of others too. Empathy could be horrible like that sometimes. But now, well it made it all better didn’t it? The blue skinned teacher did not seem all that different, despite what might have happened while he had been away, which to Meggan was a good thing. He had been gone far too long and everyone had thought the worst. But here he was, the same teacher she had grown very inspired by after she had been gently coaxed into a drama lesson to improve her confidence.

Hiding a giggle behind a hand, the fey girl shook her head. “I don’t think Mister Logan liked that idea very much though…He didn’t look very happy when I mentioned about the makeup either.”

Looking down at her costume, the girl plucked at the doublet that was a little too big and shrugged up at her teacher, coming to rest down on the floor at last. “Oh…I sort of made it out of things we already had. Doreen helped!” nodding, she went to twist a lock of her hair, then realised it was short that day. Listening to what he had to say very seriously, Meggan gave a nod, her glowing face taking on an altogether more solemn expression to show that she really meant it.

“Oh yes, I’ll be me I promise. I just want to play the part very well and understand everything. But its funny telling me to remember to be Meggan, because my shape used to change so much I never really knew what I properly looked like, I always just thought I knew. And now I do know…well, being shiny all the time is a little distracting for people.”

Taking a breath, as breath was rather important, and started to think about what she could tell Nightcrawler to help him catch up. Opening her mouth, the girl’s eyes grew wide, then she seemingly lost her train of thought as her head tilted to one side and she stared into space. “Oh. Well, something happened that made Mister Logan leave for a bit. There was a whole mix of emotions that day…made my head hurt. Things have been strange recently but not strange like last year when things were really strange…”

Bunching her sleeves up her wrist, she nodded as he enquired after her classes. “I’m getting a lot better now. I’m still not very good at maths, but then again I’m not sure I’ll ever be,” Meggan added with dramatic intent, her eyes suddenly going wide as the teasing hint about the Danger Room was revealed and an excited look spread across her face and the sleeve was quickly pulled down over her hand and she lifted it to cover her mouth, chewing on it distractedly and nodded her promise.

“That would be wonderful, really!” she dropped back into her seat and resumed eating her breakfast before it could get stone cold. Looking up at the teacher, the gypsy grinned a little. “So, what adventures did you have? Can you tell me?”

"Do not worry, my dear. Mister Logan's typical disdain for makeup can be cured as soon as we put him center-stage. I bet the man is a natural," Kurt mused. Just the idea of Logan in any sort of outfit besides leather and jeans was amusing enough, but decked out in full oriental gear and the high contrast of kabuki theatre, it was something Kurt found more amusing than anything.

The demon grinned, his tail flicking behind him as a passive gesture of his well-mannered enjoyment. Kurt was not above simply surrounding himself with students, finding it one of the better joys in life. He had always been an entertainer, one who brought a bit of light into the world when it could seem so bleak and dark. His recent ventures in Genosha just the other day called for it, having been contained under the ocean with few people of familiarity. His blood called for the show and to delight and children were often the most receptive of it. Naturally, the prankster was an infamous fiend among them.

"Did she now? I pray that the infernal squirrel who most certainly is not a pet here at Xavier's School did not help make that hat. You may find a few 'raisins' inside of it... Though, perhaps that was only my own cap that one time." Indeed, Kurt was not exactly keen on that squirrel. There were many times where the rapt of that nut-eater's chrrting on the windows had called for Kurt to yearn for a near hawk to swoop out of the sky... But, of course, that was only when he was trying to teach his acrobatics course. Chrrting was distracting.

"Oh? I wonder what made him leave. I will have to ask Scott..." How much had he missed? Surely there couldn't have been that much drama without the drama teacher around, right? "It is a shame you had to feel so much when whatever happened happened. But that has passed and surely things have improved, nein?"

Traditional subjects processed. He liked knowing about each and every student's current status in schooling, Meggan's especially. Given that they were both raised in gypsy clans, there was a sort of kinship of the past. Unlike the girl, he had been taught and introduced to numerous concepts of education. Margali was a very stern and intellectual mother. When he was not training in acrobatics or dramatics or romping through towns looking for girls, he was slaving over books.

"Not to worry, you have plenty of time to get the mathematics out of the way. Mr. Cyclops will, of course, always be available for studying." Right back into the typical nature of a teacher, supportive and resourceful. Some things never changed.

The demon grinned, hopping onto the back of the chair and perching precariously on it like a blue gargoyle. "I can tell you much, my young sprite! Let us start from the beginning, right after leaving the school grounds:

I arrived in mutant town and met up with a liaison that would begin my journey to Sanctuary. I cannot tell you who or where I met him, however, or if he was even really a he! Such things must be kept secret, you see, or many lives would be in danger. He led me to a chain of investigation. I was asked many questions, my mutation and identity scripted, and all the while I was serviced with generous rooms, food, and many other conveniences you would never expect when on a secret trip! I met many mutants also going to this magical 'Sanctuary'. There were many rumors about Sanctuary. No mutant was treated different from another, they could fly freely and use their powers at any moment, and no hazing or despairing against mutants were among a few of them. And you know what?" He paused dramatically. "They were all true!"

"When we arrived, we came through this bright portal, a whirling vortex of space and time itself! We came into a bright room and were greeted by mutants of all shapes and sizes, We were guided into a hallway, but before we arrived at the end of it, you would not guess who appeared before me..." He said, his voice rising with anticipation, coming to another long suspenseful pause.

"It was Magneto himself, come for my head!"

The thought of Mister Logan in full costume, complete with heavy stage makeup as befit that style of theatre was probably the funniest image to come into the young mutant’s mind for a good few days and she squeezed her eyes shut tight, covering her mouth with both hands before she exploded with laughter. Taking a few deep breaths between her fingers, she opened her eyes cautiously and when certain she was not about to burst into laughter, lowered her hands. “I’m still not sure he’d be very happy…Though maybe if he didn’t have to wear a wig…”

“Oh, Monkey Joe isn’t any good at all with a needle. He is rather good at holding the thread though and…” trailing off, Meggan realised she was probably saying a little too much about what she ought not to be saying and took her hat off, plucking at the material gently. No, no raisins. Or nuts. Or seeds…Seeds she would have been more suspicious of rather than raisins. Satisfied her hat was snack free the young gypsy allowed it to rest on the back of her chair. Looking back up, the empathy nodded a little, pushing her sleeves up.

“Well, I’ve been practising an awful lot more since then. It is a bit difficult sometimes though,” the blonde gave a determined nod of her head. She had really developed an awful lot since she had first come to the school, when she had changed her shape over nearly every little thing or bumping noise in the background that had scared her. Meggan had learnt that not everything was scary or dangerous and staying hidden away was just a way of never having any sort of fun at all, even if she could watch telly. What she had learnt was not just restricted to her mutant powers or social skills either; she could read now and write, even if she wasn’t as good as everyone her age, but she was trying hard and would be as good as anyone else if she kept it up, that much she was certain of.

“Oh, he is awfully helpful. I just don’t like maths very much, if I’m honest,” she blinked a little, then looked around a little nervously. “Not that Mr. Grey-Summers isn’t a bad teacher, he’s a very good teacher…I just think words are more interesting…”

However, her interest was soon captivated by the tale being woven by Nightcrawler and her breakfast was soon forgotten as he launched into his tale, her fork hanging in-between her plate and mouth, the food long fallen back to the plate (thankfully) and she stared with eyes as wide as saucers. As the tale reached its dramatic peak, Meggan gasped and dropped her fork, turning blue as her teacher in the process. Clapping a hand over her mouth, she stared at him, thoroughly engrossed in the story. After her shock, she pulled her hand away.

“Well? What happened? You can’t leave the story like that, you really can’t!” Meggan gasped, on the verge of falling from the edge of her chair. “How did you get away?” she begged, desperate to know what daring deeds came next.

"Do not worry, Meggan," Kurt said comfortingly. "I was never very good at mathematics myself, so there is no reason to be nervous. Why, you could turn out to be just as grand as I have been told I am even if you are not good at math." Math had just been one of those things he struggled with. He was a physical learner. Gymnastics and acrobatics were his forte, not studying how numbers worked together. But, in time, and by Margalli's strict endeavors, he had learned much.

And to this day, he was grateful for it.

Kurt began his story and came to a dramatic, suspenseful pause, which prompted the immediate reaction of the students. Meggan gasped, her skin becoming the same dark blue as his own, and she was overly invested in the story. Which, one might suppose, was a good thing. It meant Kurt still had the ability to amuse and regale others, even if they happened to be an empathic little fae girl.

The demon grinned devilishly, tail flicking in the air behind him as the young girl was consumed in the story.

"There was no chance that I could get away, my dear! I had nowhere to go! I did not know where I was, nor did I know the layout of where things where. Why, if I had jaunted just then, I could have found myself anywhere, even inside a wall! And that, that is not a place I would like to find myself, no sir! It was too dangerous to flee... so I was forced to face him myself."

"There I was, fresh from the teleportation bay in the hall with my fellow travelers. On the other side, Magneto and his entourage, powerful mutants whose very mutations made the air crackle with lightning! He stood there, very long and quiet, staring, simple thinking about how to kill me. I was prepared though! I may not have had my swords with me, but he prompted a duel of words!

"He found it astonishing that I would willingly walk into his domain -- foolish even! -- but I was stern and polite as any gentlemen should be even against his foe. I parried with no ill will or cruel intent, and he drew back. He thought, 'Why is this man here? He must be after the secrets of my Brotherhood.' But, my charms and good sense and peaceful ambition won him over. He relented! There was no battle or bloodshed. Instead, he welcomed me into Sanctuary like a king! I was allowed to stay in a massive citadel standing thirty stories tall easily! I could overlook almost all of Sanctuary.

"But do not be mistaken, young ones," Kurt warned. "I was very close to a defeat. It was only by the kind gesture of Magneto that I was allowed into Sanctuary and able to experience such a place. I will be the first to tell you that it was indeed wondrous. All mutants were free to use their powers as they liked. There were infinite jobs and places to visit and I did something new every single day! I found no dark side and did not impede upon the Brotherhood's territory, though..." he thought for a moment. "One of them did come for me. But, alas! That is another story! Just know that there was no replacing Xavier's with Sanctuary. Nothing could replace any of you."

“Well, that’s good!” she said, nodding as he concluded the dramatic tale with the reassurance that all of the students were irreplaceable. Question upon question teemed around her head all the same and she struggled to pick the first one to ask him. Rocking forward on her seat, still blue and furry, the girl grabbed a slice of toast from the table and nibbled on it. It was a fantastical tale and Meggan knew that while Kurt was exaggerating a little here and there, he was not lying. Or, at least it didn’t feel like he was lying. To the empath, when someone lied it was kind of like picking up on a bad smell, only it was in your head rather than in your nose. Chewing on the crust of her slice, the young gypsy looked at him thoughtfully.

“So…It isn’t a bad place down there, then? Not everyone is a member of the Brotherhood?” Meggan remembered the speech Magneto had made, about inviting all the mutants to Sanctuary. It had given her a funny feeling. Still, it sort of surprised her that it sounded so nice and there were good people down there. Really, considering it was run by the Brotherhood, she half imagined it would be a scary place with plenty of bad people going around. “I don’t think I could live in a place like that, though. I like flying in the sky far too much to want to go and live in a place that’s all closed off…” although, she couldn’t really fly freely aside from in the grounds and in the Danger Room – and the Danger Room, as real as it felt, was anything but.

Washing down her toast with half a glass of juice, Meggan sat back in her seat and smiled as her skin returned to its normal pale complexion, her eyes back to blue and her hair back to its wild, long blonde waves. “I am very glad you came back though, Mister Wagner. The school wouldn’t have been the same without you…” it was a very true sentiment, if a slightly personal one. Nightcrawler knew what her upbringing had been like, which was a good thing as not many people around the school could really understand, well not properly anyway. Meggan didn’t blame them, as if you had lived in a house your whole life, then living in a caravan and always moving around must seem a very strange thing. She had liked it, for the most part, and she sometimes missed it, or at least seeing so many different places.

“Yes…I think I’d rather stay in the school. Sanctuary does sound exciting, but all my friends are here. So here I’ll stay,” she nodded, resolute, then grinned. “So, what else happened? You’ll tell me, right?”

"Very good indeed!" Kurt said with an assuring nod. "It was better that way, you can imagine. Rather than having me pushed out of some door into the ocean and crushed by its pressure, I rather enjoyed being his honorary guest." The demon gave a stretch. "I had a fantastic time, though there were a few... strange things that happened. But with people like us, strange is quite normal, nein? I met many fantastic people, not nearly as fantastic as you all." He smiled, cherishing every one of their faces and the grace of their ears to his story. Sure, he embellished a bit, but that was his typical dramatic flare. The theatre demanded more than the mundane and to embellish was actually to honor the original material. In truth, Sanctuary was far more grand than Kurt could put into words.

"Certainly not. In fact, the Brotherhood would be the minority, I would think. Most are civilians and it functions much like Mutant Town, only without the restrictions of powers. Mutants can use them freely and even have jobs that emphasize the use of their powers. Much of their energy resources are founded on mutant powers. Electrokinetics, weather manipulators, plant manipulators and the like. It is quite astonishing to see what the individual mutant is capable of when they are allowed to function as an essential part of a system like that. There was on man, a very close friend of mind, Absolom, who had the power to--" he paused, blinking. "Gott im Himmel, I do not think he actually ever used his powers around me. Nevermind that, though, he was an astonishing fellow. You would like him very much."

Kurt smiled consolingly at her worry. "There is more than enough room to fly, Meggan. There were many mutants who took to wing and soared as free as angels."

"I am glad to come back, too. I would have come back sooner, but something very important came up... X-Men business, you know." He nodded. Genosha was quite important, no doubt. If not was, then would be.

"It is also good to have friends in other places, my dear, that way you have someone to turn to if things ever go sour. But here, here we are family," the demon said with a gentle smile, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Many things happened, but let me tell you about when one of the Brotherhood members went rogue and tried to kill me... That and the delicious crumpets they had."

<Fin.>