"Indeed it would," Remy replied, grinning a bit.

"We can't live off his generosity forever," Paige pointed out. "Especially not with the baby due to arrive soon."

Crystal snorted and flicked another card at him, just for fun. She was half-tempted to try what he did, infusing the card with her energy, but she was sure that wouldn't end well.

Tony shrugged. "So add money to the grocery fund or something," he said. "Pay rent if you feel it necessary. Trust me, kid, this is the best place you're going to find."

Remy grinned and caught the card, stashing it up his sleeve quickly.

"We're just guests," Paige said. "Dubiously-invited ones, even."

Crystal grinned and did it again, watching him. "You look like you've had some experience having things thrown at you."

Tony shrugged. "So take it up with Erik," he said. "Charles will just insist you're not a problem. Erik will talk business if that's what you really want."

"More often'n is strictly comfortable," Remy admitted. "Y'learn t' get out of th' way real quick."

"I just try to stay out of Erik's way," Paige admitted. "He's really kind of intimidating."

"No kidding," Crystal said, her voice a little dark. She stopped throwing the cards at him, too, instead pulling one out and examining it for a few moments.

"Nah, he's just a big softie," Tony said with a grin. "He seems all big and German and looming, and then you see him with one of his kids. He's a pushover."

Remy noticed the abrupt change in mood.

"Seems Gambit's not the only one with that sort of experience, non?" he asked, going over to her.

"And then there are suddenly steak knives embedded in the ceiling," Paige pointed out.

"Not in the least." Crystal shrugged after a few moments and offered the deck to him again. "It doesn't matter, it shouldn't effect me anymore."

Tony snickered. "That only happens once in a while when he gets really riled up," he said dismissively. "Besides, if they're in the ceiling that's not so bad, it's when they're in people you have to start worrying."

"The past can still hurt, cherie," Remy said gently as he took his cards back. "Best not to keep it all t' yourself, non?"

"I don't know about you," Paige said, raising an eyebrow, "but there's only so much protection half an inch of marble or granite can give me. Less, if it's wood or sheetrock instead."

Crystal smiled a bit thinly and shook her head a bit. "Habit by now," she said. "I'm sure you know how that goes, too."

"Wait, half an inch? Why only half an inch?" Tony said, distracted by that seemingly random variable.

"Indeed," Remy murmured.

Paige shrugged.

"Human skin's not that thick," she reasoned. "Even thinner that that, in places."

Crystal shook herself a bit.

"So, sounded like you and Stark have something of a history." She figured that was a safer topic.

"Okay, yeah, you're going to have to explain this to me, I'm missing something here," Tony said, his eyes narrowing a little bit.

"Somethin' like that," Remy said. "Worked together, on occasion. Stark's a regular around here."

Paige hesitated, and then laid her hand flat on the table. After a split second of learning the molecular structure of the wood, her skin changed to match it.

Crystal nodded and started walking, unable to hold still anymore. "Always nice to have a few friends, or at least friendlies." She grinned briefly.

"Fascinating," Tony murmured, looking at her more closely. "Does that work for any solid? I presume only solids, it would be too difficult even with a mutation for anything non-solid, your body needs more structure than that. So, solids, yes? What kind of solids? And you said just the skin, right, so it doesn't go all the way through?"

Remy grinned a bit and nodded back.

"This is true," he agreed.

"I kind of promised Charles the first interrogation," Paige said, letting go of the molecular structure of the wood. Her skin went back to normal. "So if you want questions answered, go find him and make him join us."

Crystal waqlked quietly for a few moments, gently kicking one of the kids' balls out of her way.

"So how long have you known Charles?"

I'm here, Charles said. Just buried under children.

Tony snickered. Need any help there?

No, I'm fine. However I am just as curious as you are. He shifted his attention a bit to Paige and shut Tony out of the conversation for a moment. Unless you don't want to talk about it yet, in which case I can distract Tony sufficiently.

"A while," Remy said. "Was roamin' around, all alone, an' Charles showed up out of th' blue askin' Gambit t' join him."

No... It's alright, Paige replied. He guessed most of it, anyways, and I did promise to tell you about it. Inwardly, though, she did hope that Tony didn't get chased away by it. She'd had more than enough people abandon her because of it.

"That... sounds like Charles," Crystal said with a bit of a snort. "How come you haven't been shanghaied into staying here?"

So, solids, Tony said. What kinds of solids? Is it more difficult for different substances? And just the skin changes, nothing else?

Charles chuckled quietly at his enthusiasm.

Remy shrugged.

"Charles never makes a person stay who doesn' want to," he said. "Gambit gets itchy feet after a while in one place."

Rigid solids are best, Paige replied. Soft solids are kind of weird, and I stay away from things like glass. Transparent solids aren't pretty. I can comfortably turn my skin, sometimes smaller muscles if I try. Not everything, though.

"I kind of get that. Not used to staying in one place for more than maybe a year." Crystal shrugged. That was as close as she'd get to admitting that she'd been shuffled around in the adoption system at least that often when she was younger.

Got it. That sounds like it has a lot of potential uses. Tony grinned briefly.

Tony, no, you are not bringing your armour here for her to test, Charles said. I don't even care that it was a passing thought. No.

She didn't say it outright, but Remy could infer. He nodded.

"Charles'll let you stay, if you want," he said. "Bettin' he wants you t' stay, too."

No. The response was reflexive and intense. No-- no testing, I won't. Paige bit her lip slightly and braced herself for the protests and complaints.

"We'll stay for a while," Crystal said carefully. "After we get a few things figured out with him, anyway." She shrugged.

Tony just pouted. And then tilted his head when he heard the TV.

Is that "My Little Pony?"

"You might be misunderstandin', cherie," Remy said. "Charles wants t' give you a home, not just a place t' stay."

The children love it, Charles replied, not the least bit ashamed of it. Curiously, so does Logan. Raven claims that the show is addictive.

"And I'm sure he felt the same way with you," Crystal said, quirking an eyebrow at him with a little grin.

I'll believe it. Clint watches it on Netflix. Tony shook his head.

"An' Gambit always makes his way back," Remy said, grinning. "Might take a while, but it always happens."

That startled a snerk out of Paige. She hadn't expected that one of the Avengers would watch something like My Little Pony.

Feel free to bring him with you, Charles offered. The children always enjoy more people to watch television with them.