Under the willow tree. (open)

The skunk seemed a bit confused but walked up to the girl and pulled a peice from the drumstick backing up a few steps, keeping a slight distence between the two but still in arms reach. Solkat was simply unused to being fed by other people. Solkat smiled scratching the skunk behind the ear. Then Mercury came and Aura smiled, she liked the big red guys a lot, they were kind and had always been nice to her, but they also held a level of power that Aura could only fantasize about and often did. Then the girl booked, running in terror and Aura looked around for a possible reason on what had scared her. Maybe their was a human around? She thought but then the lady had not seemed very scared of humans before.

Aura looked back at Mercury confused unaware of just how scary people might find the giant red man. Aura was unsure if they should go after her or not, after all she might think they were stalking her like that other lady. "Do we go after her?" Aura asked immediately looking to mercury for direction. In truth she had trouble telling many of the clones apart, but either way the usually knew what to do in these situations, she hoped. "She did seem very scared of something" Aura said the confusion in her voice evident even as the girls fleeing form continued to fade from their sight. Running a hand through her hair she walked out the still open doors, shaking her head with a sad sigh. It was disappointing the girl might not be staying with them, she really did want to get to know her better.

Verdigris Willow's eyes popped open and met wide blue ones staring at her. The poking finger at her shoulder withdrew and a small pouted mouth opened, displaying pearly white teeth in tiny rows.

"Why are you sleeping?"

Verdigris pressed against the tree trunk nervously. Children asked too many questions, they knew too much. They also smelled funny. Like sleep and cookies.

"Because I was tired."

She stood and stretched her neck, glancing down, surprised that the small girl was still standing there. Children usually avoided her, just as she avoided them. A distant voice called and the girl dashed off.

"Bye!"

Verdigris lifted a hand politely, years of isolation had not yet destroyed her manners. She watched through the green screen as the blonde head bobbed off into the distance. A long stretch and several vertebrae cracks later and Verdigris emerged from her green haven to survey the park.

A figure around her own height caught her attention. Green seemed to be the word of the moment, Verdy knew that her own names meant different types of green, and the grass of the park was that over-watered green that so often came with public places. But nothing quite compared to the skin of the girl before her. Her fingers flew to the green and black earrings in her right ear and twisted them each once.

A promise is a promise, even if it is only made to a tree, and the promise to be nice to the very next mutant seemed to be put to the test sooner than she had expected. Then again, it wasn't like the tree could follow her, force her to hold up to her promise. But guilt was something she already had too much of in her life and even adding something as small as this would be unwise.

She decided to take the cowards way out, walking toward the girl she altered her course slightly to cross paths in front of the mutant girl. If she made a move and the girl ignored her, she would take it as a sign from the tree that she didn't have to keep her promise.

A polite nod and a smile, small enough to not be creepy or mis-interpretable. There, the deed was done.

Damn stubborn tree powers. With all their tree-ness. And their powerness... It was apparently time to engage in that strange thing so coveted by many, and indulged in by most. Conversation.

~"Nice weather today, no?"

Verdigris slowed to a halt, not so sudden as to jarr her still sore knees, but swiftly enough that she was facing the mutant with enough distance to be able to swiftly fire a projectile and flee while still remaining out of grabbing range, or chewing range which seemed more likely with the glint of teeth reminiscent of a small warthog.

Ah well, each to their own. Some people had green tips, multiple piercings, a missing fingernail and holes in their palms. Others apparently had green skin and biiig munchers.

"Well, yes, it is a nice day, good for snoozing..."

A moment of contemplation, consideration, decisiveness. Who was she to go against the demands of the all knowing tree.

"Verdigris, Verdigris Willow."

The tree never said she couldn't be prepared. A quiet pair of fingers quietly jiggled some marbles out of the bag and into the middle of her palm, her hand closed tightly around them as she smiled in what she distantly remembered as being friendly. She needed James for things like this, he was so much better at being social. The thought was quickly squashed. She had not spoken to her best friend in years, there was no point in longing for him to come to her rescue and show her how to be friendly. She would just have to wing it.

~"A pleasure to meet you."

"And you, Andrea"

Her palms were still a touch on the sore side for her handshaking habit, besides apparently it was not a very feminine thing to do. And the interest of the lesbian in the showers and the inconvenient bounce residing on her chest only confirmed the fact that she was, in fact, female. Bah, who needs gender stereotypes anyway. She recalled from a time where the 'names and meanings' was the most innocent book in the doctors surgery that Andrea meant 'manly' and the irony of Verdigris meeting someone of that name, at the very moment she was cursing her own gender, was not lost on her.

~"So, do you come here often?"

Verdigris blinked, was that just a pickup line? Apparently she was not the only one who was open to same gender relationships. Either that or this Andrea was just as awkward at conversations as Verdy herself.

"Uh, yeah, I'm here more often than not. But hey, I've got nowhere else to be and I know a stall nearby that makes a mean coffee and donuts if you're interested."

There, that was an offer and completely non-weird... right? No need to mention that she knew the quality of the donuts from pilfered bags or skillful trash-removal, yes, that would definitely put a damper on the outing. Her right hand entered her pocket nervously and felt around, she had been saving some loose change for just such emergencies as this, and she could probably squeeze out one coffee and even a donut from the change she had 'found' most recently.

Adventures. Adventures were what she used to have at home, before the fateful day her power manifested itself. Or, more likely, before her brother and his friends were attacked by an uncontrolled mutant and one of them killed. It had been a long time since she had spoken to anyone over and above what was strictly necessary, so the thought of an adventure had drifted from her mind in the hustle and bustle of fighting constantly to survive.

"I love adventures. I'll be captain, you be first mate."

Pillaging through one of her deep pockets she pulled out two paper napkins, only slightly smeared, and stared at them.

"Let's see if I can still do this..."

A fold here, a crease there. All together and a little flip and voila, there was a pirate hat. After placing the hat on her head she repeated the actions and offered the second hat to this new green friend.

"On-wards, in search of treasures and sustenance matey... Arrh"

This was weird on so, so many levels. Not least of which was how much this was actually enjoyable. She couldn't recall the actual day nominated as 'international talk like a pirate day' but she figured it was close enough to be a plausible excuse. Andrea? Well, she was apparently a very sea-sick sea dog. There was nothing these days that could not be achieved with the right equipment and know how.

"Erh, if anyone asks, we're on our way to a dress up party yes?"

After a moment's pause to claim a suitable sword from the sticks that littered the ground she set off in a distinct swagger Jack Sparrow himself would have been proud of. Not all treasure is silver and gold mate. And donuts were definitely up on the 'desirables' list.

Their hats donned, their swords chosen and their pirate speech in full fledged swing the two sailed toward the swaggy of loot, also known as "Danny's donuts".

Claiming an empty island (pish, who called them tables anymore?) with the symbolic stabbing of her sword into the earth she approached him who dared call himself gov'ner of this here place.

"Half a dozen plain cinnomons please."

There be no harm in avoiding alarming the residents of this place who would in turn alert the authorities. She hated authorities. Always trying to convince her to be a privateer, or at worst a 'proper lady', ward of the state or some such nonsence.

Clutching the hot paper sack of treasure she handed over the meanger pile of treasure and accepted her change. Making her way over to the table she plopped down and began to nibble the deep fried cinnomon goodness.

"So, what be your history matey? You be far from your home town? What's with your skin tone? Thats one hell of a bad tan."

She gave a start.

"No pressure of course, I mean I don't really like talking about my people. Or my hair for that matter."

"Aye, I be from off shore too, Hawaii be my previous port, haven't been there though for nigh on three years now."

She watched as the green skinned crew walked towards the counter and ordered a beverage. Nibbling a doughy circle she considered her new friend of sorts. It was an awkward relationship, but the girl seemed very friendly, tusks and all. She glanced away as the girl returned to their little island. It be rude to stare.

Coffee, the liquid energy as she had so often heard it called. It smelled good, tasted bad, but did the job for keeping a half asleep mutant on their feet. It was also very, very addictive. She took the offered cup and inhaled deeply.

"To new things then mate."

She tipped her beverage respectfully towards the other girl and took a sip. The hot liquid was sugar laden and laced with chocolate, yet she could not restrain her self from laughing at the girls grimace of horror at the bitter taste of coffee beans. Bad idea with a mouthful of burning coffee. She coughed and spluttered between chuckles before finally clearing the last dregs of coffee from her windpipes allowed her to speak.

"Not a big coffee drinker eh mate? Maybe rum be more suited to yer tastes."

She offered the open bag of donuts by pushing them towards the other girl nobly, nothing worse than a mouthful of coffee unprepared. Except perhaps a lungful of coffee unprepared. Definitely worse.

"So, you reside nearby Andrea mate? Or just dropping by for the tourism side of things?"