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Coulson drove up the long drive and was conscious of how English the property looked, he hadn't expected that. The pictures and brochure he'd found had given some idea of what Xavier's property looked like but they didn't hold the feel, though he did note that there were signs that it was well protected.
Nothing obvious but to his eye, the cameras and boundary lines were clear to see, some of them looked as if they might be Stark products. He would have to follow up that connection, there had been a paper that Banner and McCoy had worked on together and Stark had consulted on it and he was fairly certain that camera design hadn't been released to the public yet.
When he pulled up, he almost expected a butler to appear but he didn't see anyone until he knocked. Then a striking red-headed woman, Jean Grey, Xavier's second met him with a smile and he heard the quiet thrum of children, "Good day, Agent, you're a little early and have caught us in the between class shuffle. I'll take you to the professor, he's just finishing with some students."
"That should work quite well," He nodded and followed her into the mansion, which seemed to hide its secrets quite well.
They arrived at an open door and he heard Xavier's voice speaking, "Now, before we end who can tell me what you've learned today?"
A little girl with an Irish lilt to her voice and a power in it said, "We're never just one person. We're who we think we are and who other people think we are and we have to keep talking so they all are kind of the same."
"Yes, exactly, Terry. We must always be thinking of how we seem and we present ourselves to the world. This isn't easy and is something that adults are always doing as well. Now off to your next class."
There was a chorus of thank you, professor before the children swirled around Coulson and Jean, Jean smiled and nodded to Xavier before closing the door.
Xavier looked at him and smiled, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Agent. It appears that you will be a familiar face here."
"I don't know how true that will be, Professor Xavier. I'm simply a liaison, here to understand how SHIELD and mutants connect to each other," He moved to sit in a chair that Xavier gestured to, that put them on the same level as Xavier seemed to see right through him. Coulson knew that his mental shields were some of the finest but Xavier had a piercing gaze.
Xavier poured himself a glass of water and offered one to Coulson who took it before he finally spoke, "I hope to not have to work with SHIELD. My aim remains what it has always been, to create a place for mutantkind to be safe. Henry is better at politics, there he can bring about change. Your true concern of course is with Erik and the mutants who work with him. Your files will probably tell you much you need to know, but I do have one piece of advice for you. Treat him with respect and don't lie. If you need to deal with him, be forthright and honest."
Coulson frowned because while that's helpful, he knows that Xavier knows more, "I see and will you tell me anymore about him and those who work with him?"
"I think that will depend on what you do with what you have, Agent."
As he drove back to base, Coulson wondered about what Fury was hoping to get from Xavier, because Xavier was a man who would politely turn an order.