Bored was never a good emotion for Jayden because bored was the emotion that got her into trouble. It wasn't like she went searching for trouble and in fact would rather avoid it, but trouble seemed to like her. Probably part of it was the spiked mohawk and torn and patched pants. Or there could be the fact that she had little respect for the law and even less respect for authority. Either way, trouble loved her. Teenage truant was a rather apt description.


Jayden meandered down a busy street without any particular destination in mind.  The air was frigid, or rather it would have been if not for the pitch black fur coat she was currently garbed in.  Fur being real fur and coat being her mutant power that allowed her to manifest fur, among other things, at will.  Her hands and face remained plain flesh in order to appear normal, but on occasion glimpses of fur could be seen underneath her denim jacket.  Enough attention tended to be drawn towards her without the whole mutant factor further complicating things.

As Jayden wandered past a food truck selling burgers, her stomach rumbled.  She was hungry, it had been a slow month.  Unfortunately, she wasn't likely to get any food today unless she either stole it or sat down to busk for a time but neither option seemed appealing at the moment.  Lately people just hadn't been very generous with their change and theft was something better left to night-time when there were fewer prying eyes upon her.  

Lost in her thoughts and hunger as she was, Jayden didn't immediately notice the man yelling in anger and running towards her.  "Hey you, thief!"  Finally catching her attention, a look up at him and he seemed vaguely familiar.  Who knows, maybe she had actually stolen from him.  With some audible swearing of her own, she bolted away from him, taking a sharp turn down an alley and hoping to get away unscathed.

Today was...rather boring, actually. The ginger-headed young man walked down the sidewalk, his dark green hoodie pulled tightly around him, with the hood covering his short red hair. All things considered, though, the boredom was a welcome break from his recent trend of getting hurt and/or waking up hung over. As his icy blue eyes focused ahead of him, he munched on a hot dog he'd picked up from some vendor. It was...okay. Nothing really spectacular, much like the rest of the day.

His mind wondered as he finished the mediocre frank and shoved his hands into his pockets. Maybe today I should just lay low, stay out of trouble, for once, he thought to himself, actually toying with the idea of behaving. No stealing, no fighting, no getting drunk or dealing with killers today.

"Hey you, thief!" Or not. Snapping back to reality, he saw a girl sporting a Mohawk and fur coat running from...well, some dude. The girl ran by him, and he casually stuck his foot out just in time for her pursuer to trip over it. In a flash, Ty palmed a quarter from his pocket before reaching down to help the 'gentleman.'

"Sorry about that, buddy, let me help ya up." Reaching out with the palmed quarter, as soon as the guy's hand touched the coin, he would be assaulted by about a minute's worth of random mental images, and followed by a headache. And he'd be one quarter richer.

On the other hand, as soon as the quarter left his hand, Ty ducked down the same alley. Why? Let's face it, Ty wasn't going to be one of those faceless good Samaritans heroes...Ty rather liked being noticed when he did good deeds...when he helped people. He did like helping people, it just so happened he was more of an accessory than a vigilante.

"Hey, you lost him," Ty called behind her. Very few people tended to follow after Ty ambushed them with random mental images like that; unless they were fellow psychics. Or stupid.

It was times like this that Jayden really wished she could grow eyes in the back of her head.  As a mutant, she could do a lot of really cool things but eyes on the back of her head just wasn't one of them, much to her present misfortune.  If only she could see behind her she could figure out if her dodging and darting were having any success at all in losing her pursuer.  Hell, for that matter she wasn't even sure certain whether or not she had actually stolen from the poor sap; they all kind of blended together in her head after a while.  Probably she had though, in one of her stupider moments when she hadn't thought to hide her identity.  Dumb.  Super dumb.  No other word for it.

Racing as fast as her legs would carry her, Jayden spotted a nearby garbage can.  With a thought, a black reptilian tail grew from her tailbone and knocked over the can which skittered into the middle of the alley, hopefully in the direct path of her would be assailant.  She didn't hear him yelling any longer but she wasn't sure that she would over the rapid beating of her heart.  A quick glimpse back and she didn't immediately see him either, but that was no reason to stop running.


"Hey, you lost him,"  That, on the other hand, possibly was.  Still poised to dash off in an instant should the need arise, Jayden cautiously looked behind her.  Black catlike claws grew from the tips of her fingers, just in case.  The young man that stood at the end of the alley didn't look especially threatening, but that didn't count for much in her crazy world.  

"Why do you care," Jayden asked, just a hint of accusation in her voice.  "Didn't you hear?  I'm a thief.  And why are you following me?"

Ty shrugged once confronted by the young woman, who was...well, to be honest, rather ungrateful. He gave a shrug, holding his hands up to show he meant no harm. "Maybe I just thought you'd like to know I helped you lose the guy," he said calmly. Well, that answered two of the three questions. It was rather apparent to Ty that she was used to working alone; tone and body language made it hard to hide these things.

"Oh, I heard. Just looking out for my own, I guess." Granted, he mostly picked pockets for fun now, since he'd moved on to bigger and...well, more illegal activities like bringing down big business, but that was a story for another day.

"Look, honestly, I heard the commotion, got that loser off your back, and thought I'd let you know. You're welcome." His voice was still calm, and his tone came across more along the lines of joking than sarcasm, though it could have been taken either way.

Jayden didn't bother to hide the suspicious look in her eye when the stranger told her he had helped her lose the guy.  Who did things like that?  Especially when, by all accounts, she was the bad guy in the whole scenario?  He probably wanted something from her and, given what little she had of value, his helping her was probably going to lead to his disappointment when she couldn't provide whatever it was he thought she had.  Wealth was the most obvious and the most laughable prospect.

"Looking out for your own?"  Well now, that wasn't the response she expected.  What did that even mean, anyway?  Fellow thief or criminal?  Fellow mutant?  Maybe he thought she was in a gang or something?  Anyone of them could be possibilities.  The disbelief was audible in her voice, mixing with the earlier suspicion.

"Well, thanks for the help," Jayden replied, black lizard tail swishing in irritation behind her.  Ya, the words were grudging.  She didn't like having to accept help.  Especially when she could have escaped just fine on her own without it.  

"Oh don't tell me you've never heard the phrase 'thick as thieves,'" he teased lightly. Ty could tell she was aggravated. Or annoyed. He knew the type, however, so he chose not to push this too far. After all, he was just doing his service for the day. Though most would have helped the victim, Ty saw things in another light.

"I know what it's like getting busted, so I thought I'd spare you that experience, if I could," he explained. Yep, this sounded crazy. Probably because it was.

"Well, thanks for the help." he could fill the irritation behind the words, and he merely smiled, nodding lightly. Ty wasn't a good judge of age, but she was young. That much he knew. More than likely she was young enough to not grasp a single thing he said if he went into detail. Teenagers were...funny that way.

"It's okay to accept help when you need it. But not everyone in this city is like me. My advice: accept the hand offered, but have the other close to your weapon of choice."

So apparently he didn't want anything from her, or at least not at that moment.  Was it misguided to associate with the common experience of being a thief?  Maybe.  Probably.  Thieves were criminals either out for survival, greed or some combination of the two. So, why associate with someone else who had all but admitted to being a thief himself? Simple answer?  Because she sure as hell had no one else who would be willing to associate with someone like her.  No good upstanding citizen would.  And you're damned right those words rang inside her head with more than a hint of sarcasm.

"I wasn't going to get busted," Jayden replied.  The glare didn't leave hear eyes but the bit of her earlier words had softened.  Maybe there was a little resentment there.  She wasn't used to others helping her and she wasn't at all certain she wanted to get used to it.  One day you thought someone was there by your side and the next they were stabbing you in the back.  That's just how these things went, most of the time.

"Wise words," Jayden agreed.  Grudging, oh how the words were grudging, but as far as things went she figured they were true.  This was not exactly the sort of situation she was expecting to get herself into and she wasn't certain how to react.  Introduce herself?  Run away?  Stand there awkwardly?  So far, attack didn't seem to be the best option and stand there awkwardly seemed the most likely.

He shrugged. "Never said you were. But you sure won't now. Look, an escape is an escape. And an escape means you're not in the back of a squad car. Sometimes, surviving a situation is more important than how you did so," he explained patiently. He steadily reminded himself that he too used to be this confident and brash. Then again...he still was sometimes, but he was usually more reckless than anything, which...never really wore off over the years.

He could sense the edge on her words, but then again the grudging was almost telegraphed onto every sentence. He didn't advance anymore, so as not to agitate her farther. Instead, he leaned against the wall. "Yeah, I'll surprise you with some wisdom every now and then," he joked lightly, watching the alley just in case. Old habits died hard.

"How long ya been stealing, if you don't mind me asking?" he inquired, tucking his hands into his pockets.

Well, Jayden could say one thing about the stranger: His words were practical.  She had been lucky, so far, in her life of crime.  To date, she hadn't actually been caught and sent to juvi.  Sure, there had been a couple of close calls but being a mutant had its advantages and she was nothing if not resourceful.  Besides, fair play was for those involved in formal competition, for the rest it was about survival no matter how underhanded one had to be.  She was a survivor.

"I've been stealing for long enough," Jadyen answered, meeting the man's eyes.  It wasn't exactly something she was ashamed of but it didn't feel quite right to be proud of it either.  Proud that she had managed to survive the hardships of her life, maybe, but proud to be a criminal praying upon those weaker than herself?  No.  She simply did what she had to do in order to survive and it was their problem if they didn't have the brains or brawn to prevent themselves from being victims.  Unfair advantage of being a mutant was irrelevant.

"How about you," she asked in return.  Her own eyes darted from the stranger's face to the far side of the alley, making sure no one was coming to interrupt their little discussion.  A moment of calm did not imply said calm was likely to remain for long.

"Heh, you ask a thief how long they've been stealing, and you usually get one of two answers: long enough, or too long," he replied with a chuckle. He knew the feeling of surviving, of doing whatever it took to etch by another day.

"Too long," he said, answering her question finally. "But specifically, about...seven years. Started out as just a fun, less than legal gig. Then next thing I knew, I was depending on it to survive. Now though, that's mostly what I know."

He gave a shrug. "So maybe that's why I helped. I know what it means to have no one. Even if you don't need them, backup's a welcome thing to have every now and then. You can call me Ty, by the way."

Jayden could well imagine what the words 'too long' might mean when it came to those who had to steal to survive.  That lifestyle was rarely one of choice or hobby and she could well imagine that those sentiments might be hers one day.  Then again, it was probably far more likely that she'd end up dead or behind bars.  For most, that might be a sign to try and turn one's life around but for her it wasn't.  Life was what it was and she was who she was.  Besides, it was the only kind of life she knew.

"Must have been nice to have had a choice in the matter, to make thieving a hobby," she spoke with a bitter laugh.  However, her expression was soft as she could well imagine the sorts of things that might have happened to force the change from choice to necessity and none of it could be good.  "This is the only life I know.  My bastard of a step-father convinced my mother I was mutant scum and this is what I've done to survive."  A shrug of her shoulders and a mental question about why she was telling this complete stranger her story which she hadn't vocalized to anyone before.  Probably because she was going crazy.  Crazier than she all ready was.

"You can call me Jay."  Bonding with some random criminal in a back alley after escaping from one of her past victims?  What the hell was wrong with her anyway?  Aside from the obvious.

"Heh...hobby," the words came out with a slight scoff. "More like a habit. An addiction. Even though I didn't need to steal anymore...something in me prefers it that way. And so, it's still a big source of my income. Besides...day jobs really ain't my thing," he finished his statement with a shrug.

He listened as the young woman spoke, however. "I understand that. My mother died when I was young, and my douche-bag of a father was no good, so they shipped me to live with my aunt. After she died, I was homeless and on my own. By the time I found solid ground...the life was already in my blood. And to be honest...I don't think I'd have it any other way." He took a deep breath, realizing maybe he wasn't exactly the best influence a young person should have...but oh well.

"Day jobs aren't really my thing either," Jayden agreed with a grimace.  She had tried that once, just after she'd run away from home.  It was a little coffee shop and she had lasted all of 1 week at the place.  Suffice to say, customer service just wasn't for her.  Patience, when it came to idiots, was something that was far over-rated and apparently telling a customer where they could stick it wasn't the best way to maintain employment.  Besides, she knew the things she was good at and most of them weren't' exactly legal.

"Looks like you've done well enough for yourself, though.  We're told this isn't a good path to walk, but who are they to judge anyway, those who haven't been in our shoes?"  It was easy to live on a high horse when you hadn't been forced to confront some of the more unfortunate aspects of life.  

It was at that time that Jayden noticed the end of the alley starting to get a little more busy than it had been previously; possibly a little more busy than might be safe for one such as she.  "I'm not sure I should be staying here."  Tension entered her shoulders as the prospect of possibly having to run away.

He shrugged. "We learn how to make things work. Especially when you know the right people. But yeah, people try to talk all holier than thou, but it's easy for them to say. Just because we break the law, doesn't mean we're bad people. It just means we live by our own rules. It's 'bad' because it doesn't fit in with the norm."

Ty nodded when she said she shouldn't be staying there. "My thoughts exactly. You have anywhere to go. I mean, if you need anything, I've got your back. When I was your age, there was a time I'd have given anything to hear those words, so I'm giving you an option, not an obligation," he said politely. If she didn't want his help, he was fine with that, but it was better that he offer and it not be needed than for the reverse.

Jayden like the philosophy of living life by her own rules; it was pretty much the only way she had ever lived her life.  No, she wasn't a bad person.  Just because some people might consider some of her actions bad, well, they didn't know her nor did most of them know what true freedom really was.  Besides, unless she was really desperate she normally only stole from those who didn't really need it anyway.  Gods knew some people needed a bit of humbling now and then.

"I've got a place to live, if that's what you mean," she answered with a shrug.  It might not have been much but it was hers and she was a little possessive of it.  "But I guess maybe I could use a friend in this city who understands a little bit.  If you've got a number or something..." Her voice trailed off.  She wasn't used to asking such things or admitting that she had any use for anyone but herself.