Since coming to this country in search of the rumored school Rico found that New York was a living breathing thing. A city full of life with a will and heartbeat of its own. As for the life he was carving out for himself. He found comfort in its routines. Waking up, working, and sleeping only to repeat it the next day. Not a exciting existence. But that was what Rico liked about it. It gave him peace of mind for the most part.

All accept the hunger. Always the hunger. The need to feed. It was in these times that the inner monster wanted to come out. Rico walked slowly on the pedestrian crosswalk of the Brooklyn Bridge. The rain heavy on the hood of his raincoat, the relaxing noise drowning out the sounds of the passing vehicles on the famous bridge. He came to a stop to look out over the East River. All Rico could see through the heavy rain was the lights of a ship.

He could not help but sympathize. Rico also felt adrift at the moment. He had been trying all day to contact the mutant school by phone but only got a machine time and time again. His first message was polite and to the point. Rico wanted help, or at least a reference to somewhere he could get help. But the last message he had sent an hour ago had a more desperate air about it. He did not know if he could control himself and feared for others.

The rumbling of his stomach forced Rico to continue walking. He needed food. Preferably the kind that did not have a still beating heart.

Panu wasn't joining her today. He didn't want to get sick or some other such chubby American excuse. She would make sure he made up for it later, but for now it freed her to go a bit faster and let loose. It wasn't often that the streets of New York were mostly empty, let alone the sidewalks.

She ran. And left alone with herself, Noel found plenty of things to mentally chew on. There were just so many things she could have done differently. It's not that hating on herself was a great hobby, but it sure made for some speed motivation.

Angry at stealing memories from Kaz? Pound it into the pavement. Angry at killing a man and not really feeling all that bad afterward? Her shoes carried her past that guilt. Only once she was dog tired and as sweaty as she was soaked with rain did she stop.

And you know the best way to end a good, soggy in-the-rain run?

Carbohydrates.

Specifically bagels. Three dozen bagels should cover the schmucks that hung around Panu with carbs to spare. She didn't grab the dumb rainbow kind either. Garlic, everything, jalapeno, walnut and cranberry, sesame siracha, cinnamon crunch, asiago cheese... okay. There were like fifty million delicious flavors and they were steaming hot in her two carry out brown bags. One bag for the sweet bagels, one bag for the savory.

The rain fell in big, fat droplets against the brown paper bags, but Noel didn't care. She'd moved past all the gloom.

"'Scuse me." A couple blocks from the bakery, Noel'd clipped her shoulder into a stranger. Her legs were so much jello. She should have taken teh bus back.

OCC: Terribly sorry for delay. Was pretty sick this past weak

ICC

What does it mean to be human? A question that has plagued the minds of thinkers and philosophers across the oceans of time. A thought that plagued poor Rico as well. But unlike those great minds it plagued him because those deep thoughts helped maintain control. For Rico, mutant or no. To be human was to maintain the light behind his eyes. As he went down the rain swept sidewalk of the city a flash occurred in his vision followed by terrible pain in his eyes.

Shutting them tightly he came to a stop and rested his shoulder against the wall of a building. Upon opening his eyes he could see red veiny lines appear briefly and slowly fade away. The shadows of the night in this city that never sleeps seemed to vanish with them. Rico stopped leaning against the building and looked into the window of the store to look at his reflection. His eyes had mutated and looked reptilian. It was a warning, a sign of the things to come if he did not satisfy the hunger.

'Sunsets, laughing children, random acts of kindness, beer.' His thoughts focused as difficult as it was on happy things. A wave of pain swept over Rico's chest as he came around the corner of the block. Hugging himself and holding the sides of his ribs he came to bump into something and came off balance to drop to a knee. He groaned softly as his ribs broke and changed of there own accord. A nasty sound that could be heard by any nearby. And mercifully happening out of sight under the raincoat.

"I'm sorry" was all Rico would really say to he woman in a deep voice that no human mouth could produce. Holding onto the hood of his raincoat the man stood up to shadows his eyes out of sight. Taking a few steps the loud sound of more cracking bones. Stopping completely he sniffed and let a low none human growl escape from his shadowed form illuminated just barely by a street light.

"Something smells nisssssse." The Rico said to the woman. The last word ending in a long hiss. "I am feeling weak. May I have one please?" Rico tried his best to be polite. But there were other things on his mind. His thoughts were on how he did not want to hurt anyone and if he did not eat soon. Unspeakable horrors would befall some poor soul this night. The last of a lingering thought focused on how Rico believed he was a freak and monster.

... Noel hesitated for a beat.

He apologised. It apologised, she mentally amended. The stuff of nightmares wasn't always male. Or out to kill her. That was just a usually and in her experience type of thing.

"You'd better be talking about the bagels." Noel muttered to herself as she fished into one of the paper bags. The handles, soaked through with rain, ripped in a wet schlorp sort of sound and one entire paper bag plopped down onto the concrete. There was an inner plastic bag keeping everything dry. Still. This was gonna be a mess to carry home.

With even less patience than before, Noel shredded her way into the protective plastic bag and grabbed a bagel. No. Two bagels. No need to turn this into the start of a horror movie just because she was stingy.

"Catch." She did some soft underhand tosses: 1, 2. Should be easy and that was good considering that there was no way in hell she was getting close to someone who didn't want to come out of the shadows and sounded like that.

"Next time get a job." She grouched and gathered up her plastic bag and her remaining paper bag.

Noel took exactly two steps before her other paper bag dropped the bagels out the bottom.

Rico was not ignorant to the social awkwardness that was going on. In truth it created a deep feeling of shame. But it was what it was and there was no going back. He watched intently with a fixed stare from the shadows. Not so much at the woman, but the treasures that she had. He heard the bag handles giving before it even happened. The recent small changes in his body having amplified his predatory sense.

But still he stared and remained unmoved. Rico zoned out as he sensed the food and did not even hear the woman say "Catch." But he did not really need the instructions. God given animal instinct would be his guide. He caught the first bagel in both hands and started to devour it in a ravenous hunger not even stopping or looking as he freed another hand to catch the other in flight to eat as well seemingly without even chewing. 

It would have probably been impressive had the situation been different. Rico did not appear to listen to the kind strangers words as she left. Or perhaps he was just incapable of listening at this point as he was so focused on eating. His attention diverted back though as the bags bottom gave way scattering there treasures onto the ground. Rico stood back up and for a moment just watched before finally stepping into the light. "No good deed goes unpunished." he said in his deep inhuman voice. "I am sorry to have been such trouble." He really meant it. Hard though it probably was to detect human sorrow in his current voice.

Being in the light now his features could be seen. He appeared human enough and wore a tattered green raincoat that had seen better days. But the most striking feature that stood out was his eyes. Not human but reptilian in nature. So alien and different. But sad somehow.

> "No good deed goes unpunished."

"Story of my life." Noel seemed incapable of chasing after the bagels as they rolled free from the plastic lining. It was just a tragedy. A very sad, anger-inducing, maybe-she-should-just-throw-the-whole-other-bag-over-the-flipping-retaining-wall tragedy.

They were getting all puffy in the water.

Noel clutched her remaining bag to her chest with both arms. "You aren't trouble so long as you're not talking about eating my legs." The brunette snapped at the stranger. Geez, she was hungry. Maybe they should just sit down and split the entire last bag and leave no evidence for the group back at the office. It wasn't even her office. She didn't even actually work there. She would save one for Panu and everyone else could just suffer in silence.

"C'mon." She spared a glance for the tattered raincoat before she grabbed the bagel-beggar's arm. "We are eating this whole last bag before the physics gnomes claim it too." But where to share a meal with a creepy crawly? He was nice enough so far, but Noel wanted to gorge on carbohydrates and not worry about getting murdered as a side dish.

She stopped and turned to her new pal. "Swear that you will not eat, maim, kill or otherwise try to harm me, uh, or anyone else that you see today." Her tone brooked no argument. She was sopping wet and running low on patience.

Rico would have been lying if he said eating the bagels off the ground never crossed his mind. But no matter how hungry he was the mutant figured that would not exactly be appropriate. He listened to the woman as she snapped at him. He thought the comment was just a joke at first and responded as such with a small chuckle. "I'm not that hungry. Though I could go for some chicken legs." There was always a degree of awkwardness when you meet new people. Rico found jokes a good way to break the ice. He did not want this woman to feel any fear around him. Especially after the kindness that was shown.

It came as a bit of surprise for him when she took him by the arm. "What?" he asked with a chuckle at her statement. For some reason an image of pink and green pointy haired people came to his his mind resembling a toy. The next thing he said after being led by the woman was. "Wow, you have a really strong grip....." Stronger then what he anticipated it to be. "Well I guess I will come with you. Though I generally prefer not to keep the company of women who look like they can kick my ass." He was finally starting to feel comfortable around her. His humor coming more naturally and not seeming forced.

Before Rico just thought the woman was joking with him about the whole leg eating thing. But after she stopped and turned to speak to him Rico's relaxed demeanor faded away back to the shy shady type. "I will try ma'am" He kept his head low and looking at the ground for the rest of the walk that was in the rain. While he personally enjoyed being in the rain and found the sound of it hitting his coat relaxing and peaceful. He doubted his new companion shared that sentiment. He was quick to point out a bus stop with a bench for sitting and more importantly, glass around it to protect from the elements.

"The wings of fate have been kind to us." He said lowly. "I would introduce myself but somehow I think you already know who I am." Everything about what she said before screamed psychic. How else would she know? "Its nice to meet another like myself that does not treat me like a sub mutant." Sub Mutant. A word to indicate one as not being mutant, but lesser. And it was something said to his face on more then one occasion. "So can I have my arm back?" He asked her and smiled. His eyes still green and reptilian looking. Though now in the light they could be said to be strangely beautiful.

'Not that hungry, my butt.' Noel'd met doctors and lawyers and other such respectable seeming people who turned out to be nothing more than cannibals. Well, attempted cannibals. He was totally right about the grip. Swords and guns and assassin training didn't result in a weak grip.

Ma'am. Noel blinked as her brain stuttered through processing. But then... He just... She was a ma'am!? For some reason that more than anything else said or done so far embarassed her. His suggestion of the bus stop, however, was spot on. Noel dragged them both in and took a moment to breathe in the ozone. The rain-cleared air was the cleanest New York ever smelled.

> "The wings of fate have been kind to us."

"Ew." He was one of those flower-talking mutants? Noel quickly shoved a bagel into his face hole to stop that nonsense. She was not fast enough to stop him from debasing himself, though. Ew again.

"One. You're trouble. I don't have to be psychic to see your eyes or hear your snake voice and decide that a little human decency might be a better way to not get dead." She sat hard on the bench and instantly regretted it. There wasn't a lot of give to the metal, but it did let her legs have a rest before they started twitching in earnest.

"Two." She started again, far less harsh in her tone as she dug around for the cream cheese tub. "I don't think I could outrun anybody right now."

Sub-mutant? Seriously? They were all freaks and geeks. There wasn't much point in classifying things further since, unfortunately, human appearance didn't preclude the idea that someone was a monster.

She opened up the cream cheese and set the container between the two of them so she at least, could dip her bagel into the extra calories. Noel grabbed a doughy circle for herself and watched a car roll lazily down the street. Somehow there didn't seem to be as much urgency to the day as usual. Maybe because it wasn't the morning commute and it wasn't quite lunch.

"Do you hurt people a lot?" He hadn't promised her. Not exactly. Though, it was entirely possible that she hurt people on a far more regular basis than this guy.

Rico was not ignorant of the signs. He could tell right away he had offended her. And he said as much. "Sorry" But with that word came a memory of his friends at the airport sending him off in the rain. They told him how Americans lacked respect and did not understand it. Showing respect was an insult. Insult was a compliment. Americans respected strength and frowned on weakness. Americans were bullies and violence was the only thing they understood. Death itself walked by there side collecting the dead as they fell in there wake.

Rico liked to believe it was not so. But each day in this country without help he was slowly growing to believe that Americans really were as bad as they said. The stereotype of them. What ever good progress of opening up came to an end there. His new companions actions had put and end to that. Whatever she said he said nothing. Though in truth he had a few good remarks on his mind. Rico remained quiet in self thought. Until her last words brought him back to reality. There was a pause before he finally answered her.

"I do what I must to protect my life. I have killed and feel no regrets. Sometimes people need to die. I know its a terrible thing to say. But it is what it is." There was another pause before he added. "The only regret I have is the lack of control. The possibility that one day someone will die that does not deserve it"

After a moment still dwelling on the thought of Americans thinking him weird and how he felt they were weird he stood up. "Thank you for your kindness. But I think I must go" They came from different worlds. Such was the clash of culture. But did it really have to end here? That was the question.

Sorry? He was sorry? That was kind of the whole problem right there summed up in one little word. Disgusting is what he was. And not for the obvious reasons.

Whatever. He could still have a bagel. Noel was pretty sure she could bully him out of trying to hurt someone if she had to and she wouldn't even have to stand up to do it.

Which was... weird. That's what this day was. Totally, completely, unequivocally weird.

She dipped her bagel into the cream cheese tub and shrugged at Snakey. She wouldn't even bother to point out what parts of his little speech tasted off. He probably didn't care that he was lying to himself.

>"...I think I must go"

"Stay safe." She waved him a goodbye and made a point to study the bus map. If there was a bus that was useful, then she hadn't just hogged the shelter for no good reason.

Wait. Did bus rides cost money?

Rico could not help but wonder who this woman was. Something was off about her. As natural as it was for a dog to tell a humans emotion by smell so could he. And he smelled nothing save for irritation. Rico envied her that. And could not help but pity her weakness as well. It took effort to care. And many times he had himself just thought about not giving a damn about things. Even her voice was blank and monotone devoid of anything.

Whatever her reasons for helping him he decided it was probably for the best they parted ways. She was a creature that seemed to wear many masks. And it was a red flag for him. Rico had enough troubles of his own without inviting new ones into his life. And as his mother always use to tell him. "You cant choose your family, but you can choose the company you keep"

And so he departed back into the rain. Only giving a brief wave of a hand as he walked away from her to show he had heard. Rico did not go very far and stopped near a alley entrance to pull out his disposable cellphone. He gave it a thought for a moment and decided to drop it in a trashcan. It was then he noticed a weatherworn poster flapping in the breeze that came with the rain. Rico took a hand to push the flapping piece of the poster against the alley wall. It was faded and worn. But it was enough to go on.

Sanctuary. From what he read on it the place seemed like the best stop for today. He needed a place to hold up until he got back on his feet. Pulling the poster down from the wall he folded the wet paper as gently as he could and put it away in his raincoat and disappeared into the alley. Not a moment later though his body came flying out of the alley to hit a parked car shattering glass and triggering the alarm.

Rico grimaced in pain from the impact that had broken a few ribs and caused fractures in his spine. Damage that his body was already at work repairing. "You killed my friend" Rico barked in pain and anger to the shadowy figure in the alley. And it replied with a voice dark and foreboding. The very air seeming to tremble with vibration from the words. "You killed my brother."

Pulling himself from the sizable body sized dent in the car Rico prepared for a fight.