Hank coughs awkwardly.

Anyone who doesn't want to watch them kiss is welcome to look away.

Fortunately it doesn't take that long for Charles to get back, announcing he's arranged for transportation. He claps Serafin on the shoulder in congratulations.

Charles is sort of cute.

Erik might agree, from the way his expression briefly softens.

Transportation, it transpires, is a large truck with enough room in the back for everyone to fit comfortably; Charles also managed to finagle a small amount of furniture so it's not just--the empty back of a truck.

Good for them. At least Lacey still has her car so Serafin does not have to sit in the back of a truck with a bunch of strangers.

Does Serafin mind if she invites one or two of the others to ride in the back of her car because that sounds more pleasant than the back of the truck and she would like to catch up on more context.

Fine.

Consolation hugs?

Hugs are always nice.

"Maybe just Raven--she seems nice, and I don't know much about any of the others. And she's Charles's--sister? So she's plausibly better informed."

"Sure."

"You okay?"

He shrugs.

"You really don't look okay."

"I'll be fine."

"Alright." Hug.

Hug.

She invites Raven.

Raven says yes.

It transpires that Raven has lots of context for things, including how Erik ended up hunting Shaw (Holocaust survivor, Shaw killed his mother), how Charles ended up hunting Shaw (after seeing what Shaw and his minions could do, a CIA agent named Moira McTaggert hunted down his paper hypothesizing the existence of mutants and was pleasantly surprised when she turned up in person and it was rather less hypothetical than she had expected, and solicited his and Raven's aid) (she is firm on the difference between working with the CIA and working for the CIA) and how the two converged (both found Shaw at the same time, Charles saved Erik from drowning trying and failing to yank a submarine out of the water).

Huh. That sure is a story.

Eventually they reach the 'house'.

That sure is an enormous mansion surrounded by a fuckton of grounds.

Serafin seems to think there's something funny about that.

"Hm?" she asks quietly, once Raven's gotten out but before they have.

"Eh, nothing really."