xp_logs | Sooraya and Angelo

Angelo introduces Sooraya to some of his favorite cuisine and they talk about X-Corps.

Sooraya looked around a little hesitantly as she made her way inside Mama Lupe's, the place Angelo had suggested to have lunch today. Never having been here before, she quickly scanned the tables, looking for Angelo's distinctive presence. Spotting him waving from a booth in the back, she made her way over, dropping on the bench gratefully. "Sorry I am a little late. Class ran a little longer then expected."

"That's okay", he said easily. "I hope you're ready to meet Mama and all the food you can eat."

"Of course I am." Sooraya busied herself removing her coat and shawl, tucking both away in a corner of the booth. "You have mentioned this place several times and I have to admit I am curious."

"I found this place in my first year here", he told her. "Before Rogue went to fetch Mom for me. It was a little piece of home and Mama really took me under her wing - and of course, the food's excellent."

"She sounds like a special woman." Sooraya smiled mischievously. "From the stories you told me, you were quite a handful back in the day."

Angelo snorted. "Oh yeah, I was one of the top troublemakers. Me, Amanda, Sarah, Jono..."

"The current generation of students sound very quiet compared to you and your classmates. Even Maddie... Oh..." Spotting a Latino woman with grey streaked black hair making her way towards them, she leaned a little closer. "Is that Mama Lupe?"

"They don't even come close", he said proudly, then looked up with a grin. "Yes, yes it is. And any friend of mine is a friend of hers - and she caters for the mutant metabolism, even if you don't have one."

"At the moment I have a feeling I could eat an Angel sized meal. Not only this class ran late, but the one before that as well, so I didn't have any chance to eat a bit of a snack in between." Sooraya fell silent as the woman stopped at their table and smiled up at her.

"Sooraya, Mama Lupe. Mama, my little sister Sooraya." Mischievously, he added in Spanish, "~She's been skipping meals today. You know what to do.~"

Sooraya didn't understand the Spanish, but she did know that tone and expression. She raised an eyebrow at him, the one that meant 'I know you are up to something', then addressed the woman standing next to the table: "I am glad to finally meet you. Angelo has spoken often about you."

"And what has he been saying?"

Angelo gave them both an innocent face, then grinned and gave the older woman's hand a quick squeeze. "Best Mexican restaurant in New York, of course."

"That..." This time it was Sooraya's turn to smile and wink mischievously before continuing: "And that you have a talent for handling unruly boys."

"Yeah, that too. Angry teenagers a specialty."

Mama Lupe laughed and nodded. "Children and grandchildren soon teach you."

"I think you have a very wise woman here, Angelo." She addressed Angelo before turning back to Mama Lupe. "Angelo has been telling me you are an artist in the kitchen... Is there anything special you would recommend?" "You don't order here if Mama knows you or your friends", he put in, laughing. "You get chosen for."

She swatted him lightly on the back of the head, which he made only a token effort to duck, and turned to Sooraya. "How spicy you like it?"

"Uhm... Spicy, but not too spicy?" From Sooraya's experience everyone had their own definition of how spicy spicy was. "Sorry, I know that is a little vague. And..." She hesitated for just a moment. "Please nothing with pork?"

"No pork, of course." She nodded and wrote it down. "And not the way these boys" - meaning Angelo and Doug - "take it to set your mouth on fire."

"Thank you, Mama Lupe." As soon as the woman had returned to the kitchen she turned back to Angelo and smiled: "She seems very kind... So, how did your meeting go?"

"Eh." He wobbled his hand, but didn't seem too put out. "Some progress, I think - we're not at a settlement yet, but getting there."

"Any progress is better then none. Especially after stonewalling you for over a month when we started this." Sooraya nodded in agreement. "Hopefully something definitive can be decided soon."

"Yeah, I'm not even sure what the breakthrough was, unless it was just sheer persistence until they got sick of me, but I'll take what I can get.

"As long as things are going forward." Sooraya nodded. She was quiet for a moment, then asked quietly: "Are you happy with how things are going with X-Corps? It's been about a year now since... well... since things got started."

"Yes", he said firmly. "I've got freedom now to do things I never could with Elpis. And I think we've had some successes of our own."

"I cannot disagree with that. And hopefully some more successes on the way." A broad smile flashed over her face, thinking about her own shelter plans which finally had seriously started getting some hands and feet. "If you could do whatever you wanted, which project would wish we could set up?" She wondered out loud.

"Country-wide family counseling and outreach for new manifestations", he said after only a short pause for thought. "We don't have the resources to do that yet, even with the Professor's money, but maybe one day."

"That would be a very large and complex project..." Sooraya agreed, nodding thoughtfully. "But on the other hand, it would prevent a lot of problems because things can be dealt with then from the start. Complex though, because it would not only have to involve the family, but for it to be truly effective it also would require schools to cooperate for example."

"Yeah. I mean, you'd hope they would, they're supposed to be helping their students, but there'll probably be some that won't. For the moment, though, it's just an idea."

"They do say everything starts with a dream or inspiration. And it is one I would very much encourage. It's one of the advantages I see in the Canadian system... I don't like the idea of registration of mutants, but there is at least something in place people can fall back on. It's not ideal, but it's something at least."

"The Canadian system's one of the better ones", he agreed. "And at least it's registration for the right reasons, without anyone on the horizon that looks anything like the Moreau brothers."

"But even that system started out with it's good sides. I don't like how it separated mutants from the normal population, but on the other hand it gave them a purpose and a place of respect in the society. It was later on it became really corrupted..." Sooraya countered. "That might be something even the Canadian system has to look out for. It's information that could do a lot of damage in the wrong hand. As the Moreau brothers did prove."

"That's what I meant. Genosha started out well, yes, until they corrupted it... but there's no one in Canada making any moves like that. We can learn from how things started there, what to watch for."

Sooraya thought for a moment, then put forward her question. "Do you think mutant registration here in the States could work? If it had the family counseling and the training included, would you encourage mutants to register? Encourage parents to register?"

"If it was done the right way, and for the right reasons, yes, I would. I'd be happier if it was voluntary, too."

"The voluntary is a big thing, even though that would probably lead to people slipping through the cracks, cause trouble and have people start yelling is should be obligatory." She stared, a little glum. "Sorry, that was very cynical of me."

"Probably. But if people slip through the cracks, we'll be there to catch them. Hopefully."

"Again, a good goal to work towards... Wait a moment..." She suddenly fell silent as she remembered something. "I overheard some professors talking about a kind of study trip to Canada, to see how the mutant registration system there works. I think they mainly meant graduate students, but I could see if there is any chance to go along."

"Couldn't hurt to ask", he said cheerfully. "And if they won't fund you to go, X-Corps will. Call it a fact-finding trip."

"I think taking the money issue out of the equation should be a big help." Sooraya grinned. "Thanks Angelo. I will look into it as soon as possible... Hey... Is that Mama Lupe I see approaching with food?"

"Probably", he said with a grin in return, not looking. "And lots of it, I bet."

"Uh yeah..." She eyed the woman approaching them for another moment. "How in the world are we supposed to finish all of that?!?!?"

"You said you could eat like Angel", he reminded her. "And what we don't eat, she'll box up for later."

"I did say that, didn't I?" Sooraya shook her head as the table before her was set with very nicely smelling dishes. "That should teach me... Thank you, Mama Lupe." She eyed the spread before her for a moment, before looking back to Angelo. "Any suggestions on where to start?"

"Thanks, Mama. Pick the nearest and work out", he advised, already digging into his own meal.

Shrugging a little, Sooraya pulled over the nearest dish and put a healthy portion on her plate. Tasting her eyes widened and she smiled. "I might have to ask for a lesson or two. This is very good." She took another bite before shyly asking: "How are things going between you and JPC?" She still felt a little insecure with how much interest she could show after her first reaction to the news.

He looked at her, a little surprised but not at all displeased, then smiled. "Pretty good. We're just going along nice and even."

"I never got around to asking, but did you end up enjoying the show?"

"Oh, we did! Did I ever thank you properly for that?"

"You did. I just got kinda sucked up in Malala's Rose and finishing things up for my license that I totally forgot to ask how the show was." Sooraya looked a little bashful and ducked her head, focusing on her food for a moment. "Or rather, I remember that I had to ask in all the right moments, like when I was heading out the door for university or something like that."

"It's okay, it happens. I forget things all the time."

Another smile flashed over Sooraya's face. "I'll have to try to keep that mind." With that she took another of the dishes, transferring some to her plate and digging in with relish.