Versula, absent-minded for all the world to see, kicked a loose rock as she walked along a path in Central Park. She would much rather be roaming through the park outside of its open pathways and in the brush where she could shift, and hear and smell so much more than she ever could. While she had the ears of a bear, she only had her human hearing when she was in her natural-born form. Her eyes did not reflect this same problem. They may be shaped like a bears, but they held the same size of her human eyes, yet allowed her to see as much as bear could. Color and night vision really did have its perks, after all. And yet, as breezes blew through the park, ruffling her long black hair which was pulled into a messy, low tail, she couldn't help but let her mind wander.

It was peaceful, a thing that she hadn't gotten since coming to New York five years ago. She had a few jobs over those past years, yet couldn't seem to hold a permanent one. Yet jobs equaled money and money was something she needed if she was to keep up an apartment and allow guests to visit her. Peaceful was something she had the first week or so after coming here, living off of whatever she could find while trying to get an apartment and hold a job. It was hard, but now, even if she didn't have a job currently, things seemed to have finally settled down. Maybe. If you didn't count the mutant fights happening at random, nor the way her landlord treated her like she wasn't...well that was a train of thought she'd rather not go down. Especially since she hadn't spoken to her family in two weeks.

The bear shifter paused, her throat seeming to constrict on itself as she let the memory wash over her. The painful goodbye, the hopeful wishes, the demand from her older brothers, Ulrich and Alderic, that she stay safe and call at least once every two weeks, every one if time and money permitted. The long hug that her and her younger, blind sister Espa had shared as she stood at the door of their house, ready to leave. Her mother and father giving her some money to start off on, yet she hadn't used it until her third week since she couldn't just go weeks without food at a time, even if she would survive it she didn't want to let the normal humans that she was less human than she already seemed. Let out a rather ragged breath as she collected her thoughts once more, she settled with sitting down next to a tree along the path, soaking up as much sun as she could while not being near a beach. She didn't do well with beaches anyway, as she found out in her first month here. That had not been a pleasant experience.

Aura had been deep in the wooded area of central park for a few hour's. The weather had been pretty nice lately, as it had started to warm up. SHe liked the privacy and familiarness the wood's had for her. The wood's held nothing dangerous though and so no real hunting could be done. Still it made for a nice training area and relaxing private environment. The tree's near her had small cut's in them as she had tried to keep her passing unnoticed to any Humans that might wonder of the beaten path.

She suddenly burst out of the coverage onto one of the path's while she was somewhat sure this was an isolated pathway but still she found their was a witness as she emerged covered in her pink Aura, an Axe around her right hand. She slid to a stop as she looked over the person in front of her. She was always curious if a someone would recognize her from tv.

She let her aura calm down to a faint almost unnoticeable outline of her body. "Hello, My name is Aura, and you?" she asked curiously and with a smile. She was unsure who this person was but New york city was a huge city so that was no surprise. RUnning her aura covered fingers through her hair, she looked around at the beautiful seclusion of the area.

Versula looked up, seeing another person had entered the pathway from the wooded area of the park. A person who had very faint....glow around her. A pink one. The twenty-five year old eyes narrowed a little as she moved to stand, her eyes never leaving the person. They were a mutant, that was certain, and in the time that she'd been in this city, the only ones she'd met had been rude, loud mouthed and generally held no respect for the human civilian populace. Of course that didn't mean that all other mutants here were like them, but her experiences did nothing to help her case. Nothing to settle down her nerves whenever she saw one, even if they turned out to be an okay person in the end.

Versula wished she had some fruit right about now. That would certainly help her to calm down. Even some sunflower seeds that she'd recently taken a liking to, or was it pumpkin seeds? She couldn't really remember, as it had been about two years since she had last had any. Yet there wasn't much time to dwell on those thoughts, letting them sit on the back-burner of her mind for now. This woman, another mutant and the first to not be disrespectful of her in anyway, had introduced her to be Aura. It certainly did fit her well enough with the whole glowing thing she had. Of course just because this person seemed nice didn't exactly mean that they were.

"I am Versula, You can just call me V though, a lot of people do." She answered as politely as she could manage, a little on edge but that could just be her bear side talking. Versula bit her lip, unsure of how to approach the situation of this woman appearing out of the wooded area of the park when really, it just seemed rude to do so....unless Versula herself was in bear form. Then it seemed okay...if only by a little bit more.

"Not many come out this way" she said looking around a second time making sure she had not missed anyone else. Satisfied she looked back to the woman who asked she be called V. She was curious about the normal thing's of course, this woman now knew she was a mutant and had not screamed or attacked, which told Aura she was either a smart human or a Mutant.

" I was training with my power in the more wooded area of this place. I had not realized i was this close to the path" she admitted though she felt it might have been time to end anyway She had obviously been at it long enough to lose track of her surroundings.

As the woman had already seen her power, she had it reappear starting at the tips of her fingers, untill the several inch thick layer of transparent pink energy covered her wrist. The from the tips of her fingers, her Aura seemed to flow forward until it made a sword like shape, adding small details after the basic shape was made, however it then seemed to melt back towards her fist until it reformed as a 6 inch long flyswatter before suddenly fading away from veiw.

"Are you a Mutant as well, if you don't mind me asking. Your reaction is quite calm" she said hoping the other girl would show her what she could do. She enjoyed seeing others powers when she could but hoped the other girl would not take offence to her question. At one time she had thought it rude, but at Sanctuary it had become a common question as one had to admit what they could do to be there.

Versula simply nodded at the fact that not many went this way through the park. It was exactly why she'd chosen this way in the first place. It was secluded, and away from the other paths in the event that she ever wanted for her bear form and its senses, its feelings. How the breeze here brushed her fur, the sun's warmth warming her further than it would in her human form. She was honestly surprised that this woman, Aura, hadn't noticed right away, but she did have pieces of her hair that hung down in front and behind of her ears to hide them well enough should anyone look. And she guessed that her eyes weren't shaped too different, she bet she looked foreign, as she was, though.

"Yes. I am a mutant. 'Tis why I came out this way, 'nd not the more public routes." She answered Aura with honesty, keeping a weary eye on the sword-like weapon that had formed in her hands for a few seconds, changing shape before fading completely. Should she show this woman her ears? Or her bear form? Was this a custom of sorts among the more civil mutants around here? Her hair was beginning to bother her, being too close to her face for her liking, so she would be showing her ears eventually. Using her right hand she brushed back the strands of hair covering the little-more-than-accessory ears from the front and pushed them to the back. It was an action that spoke many words, though what words were heard would depend on how Aura, in this case, thought.

"I am here for much the same reason" she said honestly. Their were other reasons as well but that was certainly a strong one. She had not looked the girl over much yet, but she realized how much she had missed about her. The ears were certainly not human and Aura thought she knew the look of them from an animal she had met before. Setting the thought aside for later she looked over the girl for any other signs of visible Mutation.

"Beautiful" she said as she looked to the ears again. "I Love seeing the Powers of our brothers and sisters. I have rarely seen two that were alike. It is a Shame we are forced to hide like this though" she said not bothering to hide her annoyance about having to hide what they were.

"Might be a good plan to stay hidden, with Human and Mutant relations as tense as they are." she said recalling the video she had seen of the Mutant beating by Human police. While not much had gone to badly yet, Aura could see the sparks getting worse and she had no idea if the mutant before her even knew what had happened. Aura still had to beat back her own anger at the video, orders had been all that had kept her vengeance from going anywhere.

Versula's ears took on a reddish tinge, her way of blushing when embarrassed or angry, or some other emotion that warranted blood rushing to her face. She looked down toward the ground as if it were the most interesting thing at the moment. No one had ever complimented her or her ears like that, no one except her family. And while she was figuratively and -due to her ears- almost literally glowing with said compliment, she was shy about it. Normally she thought she'd be all proud, seeing as sh didn't take insults to her ears very well, but this was near the opposite of what she thought she'd act like.

"Thank you." She said, shaking off the shyness and the redness at the same time, looking back up. "I don't know how the mutations of others work, and I've never seen anyone with one similar to mine, but its not like I go looking, not every mutant is...nice, just like not all people are nice." She shrugged before biting her lip. "Unlike the ones I have seen, I can't hide. My ears are always there for people to see unless I have a hat or something. I would have hid them much earlier if I could have though. Guess I'm one of the ones who will be caught in the tension, if I'm around when someone does snap."

It was one of the things she didn't really want to admit. Not even to herself. She didn't want to think about how it was a very real possibility for her, seeing as the people who live around her in her apartment building don't exactly like her. Neither did her landlord. The people that had been her co-workers and bosses at her various jobs had liked he well enough though. Yet it wouldn't diffuse the tension between her and the people around her "home". She wasn't sure if anything could at this point.

No, not every Mutant was nice, some were terribly dark being's who put Aura to shame. Like most thing's wrong with the world, Aura could link this to Humanity as well. Aura felt many of her people who ended up mean and dispirited were such because of their interaction with Humanity. Their were however some naturally ill tempered people out there however as well. Either way the news bothered Aura a bit as Aura treasured every Mutant, even those she fought or had to kill.

"Their are many of us who can not hide what we are and even some who can like me, are revealed with even the slightest use of our powers. Their are few places where we can openly be what we are without fear in this city, despite it's large Mutant population. Still such places do exist, i live at one, called Sanctuary where only Mutant's are aloud within. All of our kind are welcomed there" which was mostly true, Sanctuary tended to cater to some of the most dangerous Mutant's in the city while maintaining it's thinly veiled public image.

"If their is tension i will be there as well, our people must be protected. Since my crimson hand's will never be clean, I protect our people where i can. I fight for our people so other need not dirty their own hand's." she said with a smile. She enjoyed combat, despite the inevitably of death that usually followed. Aura felt if she kept fighting what she see perceived as human aggression, other's would not have to. What place could their be for warriors with nothing left to fight?

Versula understood Aura's point of view somewhat. She was against the fighting part, at least until there wasn't much of a choice. She'd rather stay away from any fighting. She'd also protect her own, her family mostly. Others like her had to become family to her, before she'd protect them. She had no friends, not since she was twelve, and ever since made only family members. Aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews.

"I understand a little, though I'm more inclined to protect my family before anyone else. If someone becomes my family, blood or not, then i'll protect them so they don't have to do so themselves." She paused, thinking before speaking again. "Then again I'd rather not fight at all, only if the situation cannot be diffused with words." Anger was not something that came easy to the twenty-five year old mutant. Most negative emotions like that didn't. Sadness , sympathy and grief were a few exceptions though. Most of the time she'd try to diffuse a situation by talking, even if it didn't always work. "My family comes before me and before strangers I've never seen before, mutant or not." She added, more as an after thought to herself than anything else.

Color: e6f863

Aura finally realized what the ears reminded her of, a bear of some sort. Having spent considerable time in the wood's she had encountered a few bears before. However all of them had been simple animals but strong. Blunt force worked better against her Aura then something like an arrow or bullet. She had to wonder if the woman before her could become an actual bear. If she could then Aura could imagine her being a fierce fighter.

"We all must protect who we can" she offered, she was glad the girl was willing to protect those close to her. "Combat can be a terrible thing, but if you can still see hope word's can curb the tide of the coming tidal wave, then your a better person then i am. I am a solider i understand merely how to fight" she said which was mostly true. Aura simply could not grasp how words might change the coming conflict she was positive would one day engulf them all.

Aura found a serenity in combat she knew most people never could. Aura spoke to everyone she fought, but that out of simple enjoyment. Aura had never see a fight to the death as any reason two people should be unable to get to know each other. "Sanctuaries door's are always open and free" she said knowing a house full of mutants was likely better protected then where the bear might be living and Aura was concerned.

Versula hummed, her mind wandering like it always did. She had a place now, she realized. A place where she could go and seek safety should she need to, even if for a little while.
"I would like to see this...sanctuary place, to see if I could stay should I need to for however long a time." She thought that this was a good idea. Not staying there foreve, but for however long she needed before she found somewhere else to live. This is assuming she gets kicked out of her apartment later on, which was turning out to be more and more likely with each week that passes. Some of her neighbors were nice, but they were few to the majority that lived there and either hated or wanted nothing to do with mutants. It was people like those that made her wonder where humanity would go now that mutants were around. Would they eventually be gone? Would they strike back one day and mutants either hiding or killed? God, she hoped neither. Versula didn't know what to think, knowing how humans could be on both sides of the spectrum.

"I can guide you there, or o can give you the address if you prefer to find it on your own" she offered not wanting to seem like she was trying to force the girl. She knew many upon hearing and seeing of Sanctuary were convinced their was some kind of catch. The trick was often convincing people the opposite was true, which it was. "Sanctuary is a place some come and spend a few days at and some like myself have spent years at." she went on. To her the golden door's were a symbol of righteousness in a world otherwise crawling with insects. Sanctuary and it's surrounding area had one of the highest concentrations of Mutant's in the area.

She pulled a small business like card from her pocket, and offered it to her new friend. The card had Sanctuary's address and phone number on it, as well as a crude highway map. "If you stay they will ask you to give your name, real or assumed and your power. People losing control of their powers can be dangerous" she said honestly. She knew some people were shy about revealing what they could do, though now that she noticed the ear's Aura wondered how she had missed them. Still for Aura it was a matter of safety as Aura never lead anyone there she was not sure was mutant.

"I'd like to be guided, please." V felt it better to be guided there once, than possibly getting lost trying to look for it on her own the first time. She did not want to make a fool of herself by getting lost where the location could have been right in front of her the whole time. Staying for a few days also kind of interested her, maybe not for years at a time though. Not unless she got kicked out of her apartment. She didn't mind telling them who she was, though her power might be, well, an issue. It was so simple, saying that she was a bear shifter, though it didn't cover everything. Technically, she could be considered half bear, yet that didn't sound right either. She couldn't speak bear anyway, so being half bear was out, right? Yes, she concluded, her power was confusing.
"Lead the way."

"All right then" she said knowing one of the better thing's about central park was the fact that it well central. Looking up at the Sky she found the Sun and determined which way was. Mentally Aura considered her mental map of the city and looked back at the Bear Mutant. Looking at the sun she was able to determine which was north and having her direction. "I prefer to travel through the alleyways to keep from being seen" she said honestly. It just made thing';s easier and she did not think Versula would object.

"It will be a decent walk" she said as she began to walk, keeping a watch out for people when they got to a less covered area. Running a finger through her Hair, she looked both way's and made her way into the nearest alleyway, taking note of the street they were on. For most people it was not the safest route but Aura had long ago, made them safe for her and whoever she was with. Few humans were dumb enough to challenge her.

Versula, being around the same, if not the same height as Aura, was able to sort of match her pace as she crossed the street into the alleyways. She didn't mind the walk, seeing as she needed to get out more in human form anyway. She did not have the speed or strength that she had in bear form, even if they were a little better than they otherwise would be, without her power. She didn't mind the alleyways either, preferring to stay out human company or sight, or even awareness for the time being. Perhaps she could stay for the next few days, to try it out and to give the people at her apartment, including the landlord, a good case of confusion as to where she could possibly be. If they got scared because of it, then well, it wasn't her problem.