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[For long moments, Ororo simply stood outside, on House #015's lawn. She took a look around the rooms, sure, and she'd spent some time looking through the file that she'd been given earlier. But ultimately there was something about the house that unsettled her. It didn't feel very lived in, and though it was spacious enough, it felt too small. A little like the walls were closing in on her. So she'd escaped to the front yard for some air, and to gather her thoughts and consider her options.

She wasn't a stranger to being pulled into new worlds. It wasn't something that happened often, but it had happened before, so she wasn't too troubled about that. No, what did trouble her was everything that she'd left behind: the school, the students, her team, her family... For her to be pulled away from all of them, at a time like this, left her frustrated and more than a little annoyed. Outwardly she remained calm, but it was harder to keep the sky from reacting to her building temper. Lightning flashed in an otherwise clear sky, and Ororo couldn't be bothered to do more than frown idly up at the clouds. How fortunate, she thought, that she didn't have to worry about upsetting weathermen in this world.

Eventually, she finally takes action. If this were like any other time she'd visited other dimensions, it stood to reason that perhaps one or two of her teammates were around here. It was just a matter of finding them. She switches on the communicator and, after a beat of hesitation, decides on something short and to the point and, hopefully, wouldn't give too much away about her.]

Good afternoon, all. If you have heard of, or know of the X-Men, I would greatly appreciate it if you would please contact me. Thank you.

[ There. Formal, polite, and straight to the point. But... well, not very friendly. Ororo decides to tack something else on, in a much warmer tone of voice: ]

That being said... My name is Storm, and I am newly arrived. Our handlers have been kind enough to fill me in on the situation, but I must admit that it is still a bit much to take in. Would it be too much to ask for some clarification on the information that we have been spoonfed?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

When you put it that way, it does not seem like much of a choice anymore, does it? [Ororo shakes her head. She'd come to pretty much the same conclusion, earlier. Registering now would be the smart choice, yes, but doing so after what they'd fought against, back home...?] Granted, they make it a very appealing choice. They've certainly been very generous with the benefits they are offering us. [Almost suspiciously so!]

I don't know if I'd call it overly generous. It's basic amenities, a place to live and a job to earn your own way from there.

But it's fair. Fairer than I would have expected.

To treat us fairly at all is a bit of a kindness on their part, I think. They could have offered much less and still demanded quite a bit from us. We are here on their terms, after all. [Which doesn't sit very well with her, really.] Hopefully we can make the most of what we're given.

I don't disagree, they could have given us nothing. Which is precisely why I didn't turn up my nose at what was offered.

They're simply the ones with the misfortune of having the Porter in their territory. It could have, and has, gone much worse. For that reason alone, I'm willing to let them prove that they may not be as terrible as we all fear.

Has it gone much worse? You have had prior experience with this sort of situation before?

Not all of us only just arrived. Those of us who preceded this recent influx came from another universe where we'd been previously stuck. I was there nearly three years, others longer still.

We lacked the offer you have today. But in that time we had also been made to visit other possibilities, places we might have originally arrived instead.

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