Another day, another practice in the park. Winter had finally slipped off the city, letting heat swell in it's place. The greenery of the plant life taking every drop of sunlight to grow. This is why he preferred summer to winter, no snow, no cold, way less likely to die. Plus practicing his mutation at this point was easiest in the summer months. So he decided to go with a bigger construct this time around, really dig into making things, like he couldn't before. And for the personality he had supposed Mary would be a safe bet. She had, after all, been cooped up in his head this whole time.

Unfortunately that meant she of course found some way to get away from him. How? He had no idea. Supposedly they were mentally connected, everything she saw or did he would know about, he should be able to pin point her. But some how she found a way to block him. Well, no block isn't the right word. It's more like she found a way to fuzzy the connect, make it harder to trace.

So at the moment there was some big mutt of a dog wondering around the park, no collar, no leash, around who knows how many people. It was a terrifying thought. He couldn't just loose a construct. What if something happened? He wouldn't have time to brace for pain or unconsciousness. He couldn't stop her from doing something reckless or dangerous.

He eventually gave into calling her name, following the thin connection to where he could just barely feel her presence. "Mary!"he shouted, spotting her trotting toward some stranger with a book across an open field. Really?! Could she not? He gave chase though he knew he wouldn't catch up in time. Honestly he should just cut the connection and call it a day, but who knew who was watching and who would be a mutant hater. As much as he hated Mary acting out, he much rather not deal with those guys.

Richard was in a good mood. He had recently made a new friend who was a little more like a surrogate sister (See thread with Margo). He had recently found employment(see thread with Danny(Planned))under very unlikely circumstances. Employment that not only paid extremely well, to the point that with the first advance Richard had already rented a comfortable apartment with a garage underneath and had almost finished renovating it, but was more interesting than he could have ever dreamed of. While he was not a big proponent of violence, death or pain, he loved being an engineer and what could be more exciting, challenging and, well... Cool than being employed as an armourer. Normally an armourer would work on things like maintaining hand held weapons, which would be cool and exciting enough, but no, Richard had been instructed to design, assemble and outfit a group of individuals with sufficient hardware to "be prepared for anything". In short his job would be more aptly described by the title "war smith". Hence Richard was on top of the world.

Today was Saturday, it was sunny yet not too hot, a cool refreshing breeze blew intermittently, like some slowly fading ghost of winter past desperately trying to cling to its' old territory. Richard strolled to a nearby park with a Thermos of ice coffee in one hand and a good book in another. finding a good tree with nice shade he settled down to read, occasionally munching on some jerky that he had brought with him and sipping delightful iced coffee. Ahh, this is the life, he thought to himself.

After a chapter or two, Richard happened to glance up to see a giant dog trotting towards him. He? She? It was magnificent. It resembled some giant wolf hound from ages past as it gracefully trotted? No padded towards him. He heard someone yelling off in the distance and reluctantly tore his eyes from the amazing creature headed towards him to see a young teenager of around 16/17 yelling "Mary! Mary!" at the top of his lungs and running as fast as he could, making a beeline for him.

So the amazing creature's name was Mary! The fact amused Richard. Somehow the name Mary always conjured up images of little while sheep and to call what looked like a giant's war hound such a name well each to their own he supposed. Mary did not seem to be about to attack him, but he had a taser gun on him in any case. Hey he was new to this city, better to be prepared than sorry. Indeed Mary seemed to be heading straight towards the excellent jerky that he had.

Richard offered some to her and detecting no hint of aggression, began to reach out to stroke her, while speaking calmly and softly to her.

By the time he got over to where Mary was currently eating out of a stranger's hand, he was out of breath and little bit more than upset with the large canine construct. Hands on his knees, he waited a moment to get some air in his lungs before speak. "S-sorry, she, uh, she slipped away from me. C'mon, we gotta go Mary." The canine only gave him a bored look, before huffing and laying down next to the stranger. "Geez, don't be like that."

He gave an attempt at lifting the heavy creature, regretting almost immediately his choice in weight for the construct. Mary only had to shift for his grip to slip and for him to land on his backside. "Okay, fine, we'll stay." The big dog seemed pleased with this, laying her head on the strangers lap.

"Um, I guess she likes you. Sorry again, she's...stubborn." He shrugged helplessly, "Since I'm stuck here, what's your name? I'm Alex by the way." He really should just cut the connection, keeping his secret be damned. Mentally he tried to prod Mary for answers, warning her that he would be sure to shove her as far back in his mind as he could if she didn't. But she remained calm, arrogant vibes radiating off her. He really should have gone with Ace instead, Ace would have listened. Usually he didn't have such problems, it was disconcerting to say the least.

Mary and Richard were fast becoming friendly aquaintences. She seemed to happily and eagerly wolf down the offered jerky and let him tentatively scratch her behind the ears. She actually moved closer and lay down next to him. closing her eyes in pleasure and letting Richard know that she was enjoying getting a good scratch. "I should get myself a dog" thought Richard. Could his day get any better, a good book, good iced coffee, good snacks, and now a friendly companion. Then shattering the beautiful scene came the panting teenager with the messy hair.

"S-sorry, she, uh, she slipped away from me. C'mon, we gotta go Mary."

Richard watched slightly amused at the teenagers attempts to order the dog to leave. This seemed to be the case of dog walks owner not vice versa. The youth tried in vain to move the mountain of a dog before giving up and admitting the inevitable, then announcing it to the world.

"Okay, fine, we'll stay." At this Mary lay her great wolfish head on Richard lap and stretched her neck out a little as if to say, "scratch me right there". A request which Richard was more than happy to oblige. He really should look into getting a dog, maybe a big one. Hmm would it play nice with cheeky?

"Um, I guess she likes you. Sorry again, she's...stubborn." He shrugged helplessly, "Since I'm stuck here, what's your name? I'm Alex by the way."

"Hello Alex, it is completely fine. Nice to meet you, I am Richard. Your dog is magnificent, may I ask what breed is she?"

The teen seemed to be either thinking really hard or trying to mentally "will" said dog to obey him. Richard hoped he would net get a hernia.

"Hello Alex, it is completely fine. Nice to meet you, I am Richard. Your dog is magnificent, may I ask what breed is she?"

"I'm not entirely sure, she's kind of a mutt." He shrugged, it was mostly true. He had taken a bunch of traits he had thought useful. He had designed Mary's new body to be able to fight and keep up with long travel. She was meant to protect him on long journeys. But something about this design had made her more independent than he expected. Which was frustrating.

If he could figure out what that was he could prevent it from happening again. Though he could feel Mary practically grinning at his assertion that it could be stopped. Which wasn't a good sign. She somehow knew something he didn't about his own head. It was times like these he wished he knew a psychic of some sort. Someone who could sort this mess out.

(OCC: sorry for the short reply hope that is ok. Alex did not say or do much for Richard to react to, but I can change my post if you want me to)

"I'm not entirely sure, she's kind of a mutt." said Alex while shrugging. The youth did not seem to have much more to say and seemed to be lost in thought.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Richard asked. He gestured to the ground around him. "Don't feel you have to stand on my account." He said smiling. He was at ease with silence and was happy to let it linger for a while. After a few minutes he spoke. "I am new to this place, I recently moved here. How about you, have you been here long?"

Richard by this point knew he was a mutant and was slowly working through the implications of that. He wondered how many other mutants actually lived in New York. Apparently, according to the internet and Wikipedia (which is never wrong) New York had one of the highest mutant populations in the United States. Richard Idly wondered if he was talking to one.

(OOC:It's alright, it happens. Honestly things are pretty calm right now, so there's not much to react to.)

"Penny for your thoughts? Don't feel you have to stand on my account."

At the gesture to the ground he went ahead and sat across from the stranger. Mary seemed comfortable enough around him. Perhaps he wasn't so bad. And if things went south she'd be right there to defend him. Right? It was a linger question of her loyalty that made him nervous.

"I am new to this place, I recently moved here. How about you, have you been here long?"

"Not really, a few months..." No, it was longer than that. He had survived winter here. That was longer than any other place. "Well, I guess a little longer really. I moved here last summer." Not a complete lie, though it was more like he traveled here and just happened to stay. A lot has happened to keep him grounded. "So why'd you move here?" Might as well strike up a friendly talk, since it looked like he was stuck here for a while.

The teen seemed to relax a bit more as he sat down, which was nice.

"Not really, a few months...Well, I guess a little longer really. I moved here last summer."

Well the teenage was not revealing much. Then again teenagers rarely did. Richard wondered if he was insecure. Richard also suspected that there was more to the story than the teen was letting on, but if Alex wanted to share more he would in his own time, Richard would not press the issue.

"So how do you like it here? What brought you here?" Richard wondered what would bring a teen who looked about 16 here. Should he not be in school?

"So why'd you move here?" Hmm fair enough question.

"Well, I recently graduated and was travelling around doing interviews for engineering jobs when I got an expected yet amazing offer here in New York. So long story short, I accepted and moved here. I am liking it here so far. How are you finding New York?"  Richard wondered if the teen would have any useful insights or observations, as he had been here longer. And Richard was always open to learning new things.

"So how do you like it here? What brought you here?"

He shrugged, "It's alright, like it better then a lot of places I've been...I tend to move a lot." The acknowledgement of moving a lot usually led people to one of two conclusions. Military family or the passed about child. Rarely did people land on runaway. On that he could be secure. For now at least. He really just wished Mary would get up and go some where else or obey his commands. The lack of response, made his guts squirm like a live can of worms.

"Well, I recently graduated and was traveling around doing interviews for engineering jobs when I got an expected yet amazing offer here in New York. So long story short, I accepted and moved here. I am liking it here so far. How are you finding New York?"

He could help but smile at the small story. It would be a while yet before he'd be able to get his g.e.d or diploma, it was up in the air how far he'd get before he was officially an adult. Then a while longer before he'd be able to go to a college, with how expensive it was. He wasn't even sure what he wanted to study but he knew he wanted to go. He wanted everything he couldn't have up until now.

"It's okay. A little rough around the edges but it grows on you. If you don't mind me asking, what was college like?" He had seen movies and news reports and heard gossip stories but he doubted he was getting the whole picture of what it was really like.

(OCC: Sorry for the delay)

"It's alright, like it better then a lot of places I've been...I tend to move a lot."

"I see." Said Richard, who was not sure he did. but it is one of those replies that you give people, even when you don't.

"It's okay. A little rough around the edges but it grows on you. If you don't mind me asking, what was college like?"

Richard smiled at the teen. "Hmm, well technically I went to college in two separate countries so..." He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "College in England, was fun, very practical. I got involved in various societies and made quite a few friends, over there they seem to believe in a work rest balance. On the whole I enjoyed it. Now college in America on the other hand, that was an entirely different animal." Richard thought back with a slight smile. "While I did not do my undergrad degree there, from what I hear the undergrad program has a lot heavier emphasis on work, rest, not so much. Another thing, in the UK, you apply to uni with a declared degree and so for the time that you are there you only take classes to do what your degree, whereas here, you can go with an undeclared degree and have to take lib arts courses." Richard cocked his head to one side. "Other than that, I guess it sorta depends on who you meet and what you want out of the experience I suppose. Does that answer your question?"

(Ooc: It's cool, sorry for the short post.)

Listening to Richard explain college, at least course and degree-wise, let him understand what it was about. Though he still didn't know what he'd do for himself. With his case there was a good chance that college was still a far off dream. He's taken next to none of the standardized tests and SAT's and ACT's made him nervous for the moment. He didn't really know where he stood academically.

"Other than that, I guess it sorta depends on who you meet and what you want out of the experience I suppose. Does that answer your question?"

"Yeah, it helps. I'm kind of in a weird spot school-wise and I have no idea what degree I'd be going for but I do know I want to go to college."he shrugged nonchalantly, "Maybe something in biology. It's kind of my favorite subject in school."

"What do you like about biology?" Richard asked. There was something different about the boy, something he seemed to want to keep hidden. Richard could not put his finger on it, something about the boy's reaction to the dog perhaps? Richard considered himself widely read but the canine seemed to show characteristics that seemed very unique. Almost too unique, as if Mary had been....engineered. He almost wondered if the two were in communication. If they were, Richard suspected that they were having a spat with the boy staring at the dog like he was trying to command it.

While the teen was thinking, Richard's thoughts got the better of him and almost without meaning to he voiced the question out loud. "Mary was designed wasn't she?" By the time he realized he had spoken out loud the question had already been asked. Oh well, he thought.

"What do you like about biology?"

"Hmm, well I...I'm not really sure. It's just something that comes naturally to me."he said with a shrug. But tried to give it more thought. It wasn't something he actually thought about. Learning biology, anatomy, how living organisms worked, it was automatic for him. Probably since he's been doing it for, forever, or at least since he got his mutation. It's quite the influencing power on his mind. He couldn't think of anything else he'd rather be doing.

But all this thought process was stopped dead in it's tracks when Richard ask one simple question.

"Mary was designed wasn't she?"

He stared at him wide-eyed, as if suddenly caught in a lie, and Mary stiffened, ear perked at attention. "You could say that..." The teen murmured, trying to keep calm while Mary's own mind suddenly turned defensive. Oh no, oh god, please don't let him loose control of her.

Alex started to answer about his love of biology. Apparently he was a natural. Then Richard's accidentally spoken-out-loud question caught him off gaurd. All Richard could think was Opps.

"You could say that..."

"I knew it, there is just something about her design..." Said Richard excitedly as he continued to scratch Mary. "She is beautifully crafted." Said Richard admiringly.

"Genetic modification? But that would mean a lab and so much time...." Richard trailed off, his mind going into analytic mode. After a minute he said slowly as him mind continued processing. "She was not made through genetic modification was she....." He paused.

"Wait, are you a mutant as well?" He asked slightly excitedly.

Mary's lips twitched a fraction of the way away from snarling at the man her head was resting on. Alex tried to share the calm he was feeling as he listened the man puzzle things out. This wouldn't be the first time they've been discovered, it wasn't such a bad thing.

But he knew deep down this was just part of how she was. No matter how much she may ignore him or taunt him, at her base she had been made to protect him. If she perceived Richard to be a threat and Alex lost control of her... Well a violent, protective creature of it's leash would be liable to bite.

"Wait, are you a mutant as well?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm guessing from your wording, you are too." That was a good thing at least. Better a fellow mutant than a human or a mutant hater or any number of things. He could feel Mary calm just a bit, she was still alert, still stiff and ready for a fight but she was relaxing ever so slowly.