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"I think Emma is actually brining in her team of cooks for the day so nobody has to worry about it," Porter spoke off handed about the plans, "She's planning a pretty large feast and to stick you guys with it wouldn't be fair."

"How big is large?" Regina asked.

"Several hundred guests... we're breaking in the new dining hall," Porter actually couldn't wait himself he loved a good meal. So that's where he decided to head to at the festival, "Come on, I'm starving. I've heard they have some good food here."

Regina sighed a bit. She hadn't had time to cook while she and Gen had traveled, she had been looking forward to the opportunity to make something for everyone.

"Do you think Emma would allow me the time and space in the kitchen to make a little something for everyone?" she asked. "Wait, hundreds of people!? I know it's going to be a big room, but... that many?"

Honestly, she hated large crowds. The carnival wasn't a problem, she could distance herself from that. But at the house...? Not to mention how many people just didn't understand their situations at the mansion.

"Apparently Harry Potter is her inspiration," Porter waved his hands like Regina should be envisioning the great hall. He bought her something from one of the food vendors.

"You figure most of the faculty and some of the students have families. That number adds up pretty quickly. Any friends and benefactors of the Instute will be there as well. Don't worry, you won't have to associate with people you don't want to. I know I won't."

Jacen knew it was over the moment he let go of his sword. It was a desperate gambit on his part, one that he was certain wouldn't pay off...but he had to try anyways. And so with a sizzling energy on the back of his neck, he just stayed on the ground until Penance walked away and sat by the pond.

Carefully, he rolled so he was sitting down on the grass. He just sat there watching Penance. She seemed so down...nearly depressed. He could feel it too. It was a heavy air, one that Jacen took as much of the negativity there into himself just to have the energy to become mobile again. With his good hand, he picked up the energy blade on the ground next to him and looked at it carefully. There wasn't any spots of blood, or charred flesh anywhere, the only mark was the burned grass on the ground where it lay.

With a flash, the blade disappeared, and Jacen hobbled to where Penance sat at. It took a few extra minutes for him to actually get to her spot, but when he did, he cautiously sat down next to her.

"That sword I got you....it seems to hold up very well in combat," Jacen remarked, "Honestly, I was afraid it would break upon initial use. I'm glad to see that it holds up."

"Jacen. Are you going to be ok?," Evelyn asked, ignoring what he said about the sword.

"I'll live, sweetheart. Don't worry." Jacen looked over at her with the bruises on his face, and the blood trickling down and smiled very easily. "I'll live."

"...I feel so bad about injuring your arm...."

Jacen looked at her again with the same smile still shining. "Don't. We knew the risks when took up this challenge. We knew what the other was capable of. This is all just part of the game, Ev."

"Yea...hey," she said, her spirits picking up only slightly, "I heard someone mention a carnival. Would you want to go? I could win you a giant pink teddy bear if it'd make you feel better."

"...Yea...I'll go," Jacen said, struggling to stand up, "But first....I need to at least get this arm casted up." When he stood, he felt dizzy, he still reeled from the expendeture of energy, "Whoa.....wanna help me to McCoy's office, hon?"

Jamie looked at Kai in disbelief as she dragged him off, then he broke out grinning, and fairly laughed out loud. It was so refreshing to see someone like this. Everyone had been so downcast after the past year that seeing someone who was so happy was wonderful. Jamie smiled at her as he sat down.

"Australia huh? And uh, how long did you live there?"

"Yea...just a severe a** kicking on your part," Jacen said as she took his hand into her's and they headed inside towards the infirmary area. After a small bit of time, the two made to the elevators and Jacen, feeling tired, leaned against the wall while they waited for a brief moment. When he looked down, he saw that his arm was twisted around a bit more horrifically than he thought it was. Maybe that was the cost of him using it in battle.

"Christ...this is going to suck.....," Jacen remarked as the elevator dinged and they both entered. As the doors closed, Jacen looked directly at Penance. "Take my arm. Yank on it. Get it back into place."

"Jacen....."

"Sweetheart, don't worry about hurting me. McCoy will have to do this anyways, and if we take care of this now, I can just get casted up and my meds. We'll be good to go," Jacen said as he took his shirt off carefully, and wadded it up. "....Here..." With that, he held his arm out and bit down on his shirt. This was something he had definitely experienced before. Without warning, Penance tugged and Jacen felt the bones in his arm pop right back into place. Of course, his scream of pain was muffled by the shirt in his mouth, but he redirected the instant rage he felt towards the wall next to him. Hopefully, Emma wouldn't mind a fistprint in plain sight.

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"Oh my stars and garters!!," McCoy exclaimed as he saw Jacen stumbling through the infirmary entrance.

"Christ, Hank, do you live down here?," Jacen asked as he slowly walked to the nearest table.

"Actually....that's not important, what happened, son?"

"Good ol' fashioned sparring bout between myself and Penance," Jacen said as he had Hank already there looking over his arm. "Yea...it's broken. I just had it popped into place. There's a rather nasty fracture of the radius...the ulna may be cracked, but....it's the radius that has me concerned."

"Not even a day removed and you're already picking up the jargon."

"What can I say, I wound up with a good mentor," Jacen said as he winced in pain as Beast looked over the broken arm. Jacen relaxed while here. He knew he was in good hands.

Jamie smiled slighty. What was his story? He didn't know any more. "Well, I grew up in a town in California, just outside of San Francisco. Lived there most of my life, before I was forced to leave." Jamie shuddered slightly, seeing the sentinels in his mind, seeing the people. All of them dead. . . and the survivors? They blamed me. . . Jamie shook himself out of his thoughts.

"So I walked. I spent a good. . . two years on the road, learning things from various tutors. I earned some money, and begged for food when I couldn't afford it." Jamie said, frowning when he remembered begging. It was one of the most horrific experiences of his life.

"Then I ran into someone on the road who told me about Xavier's Institute, so I decided to head there. When I got there, they took me in, and I've lived there ever since. Learning to use my powers, and how to fight. They also taught me subjects I hadn't covered while I was on the road." Jamie sighed. He hadn't thought about his hometown in a long time, and he missed it. He didn't know why, seeing as all he ever got was hate while he was there, but there was an idea of home that he missed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You didn't ask for my life story. . ."