Some days Tses was a less than outstanding citizen.

She was a thief, by trade. She had no respect for street signs, or traffic in general. She tended to wander tops of buildings for a quicker shortcut, picked fights when she had the time, or just annoyed people in general with her very existence.

And, she liked to make things blow up. That was also a thing, for better or for worse.

Today she had been in a somewhat good mood, so much so she actually went through the front entrance to get a drink. The local coffee shop had been close and what the heck, it was a good day for some caffeine. The line, however, was enormous, and that killed her whole 'good behavior' plan. Paying was one thing. Waiting was a different story. 

With a thoughtful expression, she made he way toward the back and slipped through a door to the kitchen. She could just as well pour herself a drink. No need for this silly nonsense like ordering.

After putting together what was a rather black beverage, with some type of syrup in it (hazelnut? Toffee? Seemed like something leftover from Christmas), Tses shoved open the side door to leave with her creation.

There was the small problem that the door leaving had to be pushed open if she wanted to keep her drink. It also happened to face the front door.

Tses was okay at math, so she should have been able to put the situation together. If you take a) a door and b) an unsuspecting patron and c) a sudden force connecting the two, what happens?

A cup went flying, landing on the ground. Someone who had waited a very long time for their beverage was now watching it's downfall.

And a blonde mutant looked completely unabashed by the event. "I don't suppose that was the buy one get one free special," she commented, trying to stop herself from laughing.

The coffee line was long and this coffee shop didn’t even have a cute little bunny server or anything. It made her want to lay down on the floor and sob. Instead, Spencer rubbed her eyes and then had to use the mirror on the far wall to be sure she hadn’t smudged her already atrocious leftover make up.

She was terribly hung over. Too hungover to be making her own coffee. Ugh. She shuffled forward when the line moved and every step was regret. Was she getting too old for weeknight shenanigans? That was really lame! And potentially untenable.

Spencer just couldn’t seem to help herself sometimes. She really felt like she got wrapped up in the heat of the moment. Especially in one-on-one situations, there were days when it felt like people became more open. It was unconscionable to not reflect that same willingness to take risks and chase dreams and thank f*ck it was her turn to order.

”Trente fat free oatmilk horchatte, extra hot and cinnamon on top. Thanks.” She tapped her phone. Her phone paid and she shuffled over to the waiting line. Spencer was rubbing her eyebrows when her order was called. If she could just get some caffeine in her, she was sure today could still have a chance at turning around.


She wrapped her chilled hands around her prize, a coffee so sumptuous and large that it ought to be illegal.

And a door opened into her arm. The coffee went first onto her arm as she tried and failed to keep hold of it. Extra hot. Then onto the floor. Extra tragic.

She breathed, stunned as the b*tch almost laughed. SHE WAS LAUGHING. Not a sorry. Not an excuse me. NOT A GODDAMN DROP OF COFFEE IN SPENCER’S LONELY, DRY HUNGOVER MOUTH.

Spencer’s hand darted out and she grabbed the coffee from the other woman’s hand not caring if it spilled a bit from the jarring transition.

She maintained spiteful eye contact for as long as she could while guzzling the other woman’s coffee as fast as she could. It didn't matter that it wasn't the prize she'd waited so very long for. It just mattered that Spencer was getting coffee and this woman was not.

Tses could have been angry her coffee was stolen, but she was clearly not as desperate as the individual in front of her. Plus, that looked like a large and very expensive beverage that was lost. Tses knew her own drink had been rather unimpressive, and possibly toffee flavored. It could have been gingerbread. Really, she did not have a clue.

Watching it disappear, she could not help the sarcastic response. "Whatdya know. It was a buy one get one free. Although I can't say I'm much of a skilled barista. Should I get you another one for the road? I mean, unless you have enough that you're wearing..."

Without anything in her hands her sarcasm had no reason to be withheld. Should the girl make another grab at her she could just take a moonlight stroll toward the door and out of harm. She was reckless in nature, and actually probably enjoyed making someone else's day a little worse.

Was she a bad person? It was up for debate, but votes were saying yes.

She expected a fight. A shove. A tackle. A... something. Spencer chugged the entire cup all in one go which spoke either to her lung capacity or her experience in slugging down large quantities of liquid. The eye contact, the stealing of the coffee, and she was ready to smash a mug and start a viking fight... and then no fight happened.

Spencer deflated a bit as she was offered a replacement. "It's been ten thousand years and it's only-?" She checked. Ugh. "9 in the morning." She withered more and in a small voice had to admit defeat. "I really wanted that latte."

She was wearing it, but it wasn't making her terribly indecent. Mostly the coffee had gotten her arm. So she was gonna have to go home and change. Fantastic.

Spencer was a pathetic hung over creature.

Tses didn't feel pity often, but she was starting to feel a vein of it as the girl lamented the lost coffee. The initial humor had faded, and now there was just something sad in the woman's expression.

Tses did not drink. Whether coffee, or alcohol, and as such she did not understand the crippling pain of losing the life sustaining sustenance that had once filled the cup on the ground. Regardless, she felt maybe she should make amends. She was in a good mood, right? That meant she could make things better.

With a glance back at the coffee station, Tses slipped into her light form and wandered behind the counter. The baristas were so deep in their rush no one noticed as she strode over, scooped up a finished drink and walked back out the side casually. When she was solid, she wove through the crowd, letting the oblivious new girl glance around like the was losing her mind for a cup that was now gone.

Around a corner, back to where the other woman was standing, she held it out.

"Don't cry over spilled lattes. I would just get out of here before anyone questions what happened." Tses looked over her shoulder, surprised that the focused commuters had not called her out. Heck, people were really unobservant when they needed a caffeine fix. She should have gone for a wallet or two while she was at it. She started toward the door, wondering if the other woman would take the hint and follow.

Either the unabashed eye contact worked and Spencer was the alpha dog or this person was so secure in her capricious attitude that she wasn’t at all threatened by a hungover socialite, even if Spencer did have almost a whole inch of extra height.

When the woman turned into a… floating light? Spencer had her answer. Mutant. A mutation always threw a kink in the power dynamics. Also, seriously!? Was anyone else seeing this? Spencer looked around (and her neck made her regret that action) yet somehow, very few people were taking note of the oddity. Was New York really this used to seeing mutants do their thing? Spencer constantly felt like she was taking crazy pills.

And she was offered a replacement coffee. A stolen one.

”I’m not crying. I’m just dying on the inside and it’s leaking to the outside.” Her eyebrows hurt from frowning so Spencer tried to relax her face and avoid those potential old lady lines. UGH! She wasn’t old, everyone else was just really, really full of volume right now. And mutations, apparently.

Spence wasn’t about to hang out with stolen goods in hand, especially since she fully planned on drinking it. This, plus the girl’s earlier drink were absolutely not the quality of coffee she had ordered. But it was at least in the right ballpark of quantity. She stepped over the puddle of her lamentable horchatte and left that for the downtrodden minimum wagers to deal with. If the proletariat could just hang on and not rise up today, Spencer would really appreciate it.

She heaved a sigh once she was back out on the street and took a sip of her ill-gotten gains.

Full fat. Full sugar. Fully going straight to her hips.

”So you just don’t care about coffee, or rules, or being a person with arms and legs and stuff?” Spencer cringed at the volume of her own voice, and the sunlight, and the smell of garbage in the street. Frankly, being alive was a super chore today. If little miss globe of light wanted to walk away, Spencer was not going to stop her.

New York really just was a place where no one wanted to get involved if they didn’t have to be. Someone steals a coffee? Not their problem as long as they still got caffeine. Not that it was a corrupt city, exactly, but who wanted to take a risk stopping a mutant who obviously didn’t care about the law and could walk through walls?

None of these people, apparently.

Outside the store, Tses appeared next to the hungover woman and chuckled. ”Is there an all of the above option? The coffee was just something to entertain myself, rules are for chumps, and why have powers of you don’t do something eventful from time to time? What about you? You still accepted the pilfered goods. Obviously your concept of morality doesn’t extend past a need for liquid energy.”

The sidewalk wasn’t as crowded as it would be later in the day, which made it easy to stay near the girl without shoving anyone out of her way. Not that she really needed to continue talking to her, but the annoyance and general pain at existence sort of amused her.

Rules were for chumps? The whole thing was a 'just for the hell of it'? Spencer goggled at the woman and thought for a brief shining moment that she'd found a sort-of badass pasty reflection of herself... except with power instead of a hangover. What was life, if not one big juicy game of DIY monopoly?

"All the rules are made up anyway. It's power that matters. People with power make the rules. Like in there." Spencer motioned back to the coffee shop with her ill-gotten coffee. Obviously, n one was going to produce a net and test Spencer's burning need to know if anything could catch a will-o-wisp. But she sure wished they would."You can do whatever you want 'cause obviously no one can stop you."

"I still bow--" A yawn caught Spencer by surprise. Not that this conversation was boring. This lady was quite interesting in a "she could hurt me" kind of way. It was just that she could s gladly snuggle right back up into bed and sleep for ten years. "-- augh. Sorry. I still bow to some rules. Usually I pay. That means usually I earn money. But you... what's a girl who isn't bound by rules do all day, exactly?"

Tses sort of liked how quickly this girl caught up with things. She didn't have to argue the morality of stolen goods or anything. That made it easier. Heck, it almost made it fun. "I survived my whole life without rules. Heck, it's not even about power, sometimes it's just about being faster than the other guy. Even before I could walk through walls, people didn't care. People just don't like getting involved these days."

The girl paid. Which wasn't unusual. A lot of thieves just stole money and never actually took goods. Or, they found some way to earn money, and then that paid for the rest. The girl didn't seem like a thief, actually, more like someone who just wanted to have more freedom. Actually, Tses didn't even need to steal now that she was with Chrys. It was just sort of habit? For fun? Her brain was considering this a lot more than normal, honestly.

"I do whatever comes to mind, honestly. Once I took a car for a joyride, I crashed a wedding, I went to the museum and tilted all the pictures so the staff had to realign them. Oh, I've dropped little explosives into people's purses from the roof, that's always fun. Just, whatever comes to mind."

Tses turned to the girl, and cross her arms. "If you could walk through walls, what would be the first idea that would come to mind?"

People might not like getting involved, but Spencer was no people. She was the kind of person to notice the will'o'wisps of the world, not that she'd ever tried to stop one. But she'd totally stayed to talk it out. The girl seemed lonely in her own way. Like she was all defensive spikes around a marshmallow core... only that squishy filling also hid spikes. Tilting all the pictures in the museum? True evil, right there.

"I like not being dead. That's why I don't get involved. What, you got like 15 different ways to make a dude dead, right?" Seemed like every mutant did.

But then she had the question turned right back around at Spencer. If she could walk through walls, where would she go?

"Area 51." The meme answer was the most ready, but not the most realistic. Spencer took a sip while she thought more seriously. "I'm guessing surveillance makes banks more trouble than fun. Maybe skipping the lines at the water park? Restricted areas are everywhere. I'd probably try 'em all. Libraries and museums could be fun, too. I've always wanted to climb a dinosaur or camp out in a lunar lander, you know? I hear all the good stuff is in the basement of the MET. You know. Stuff like that."

Tses smirked a little at the comment. 15 ways to make a dude dead sounded pretty accurate. "I mean, only takes one explosive to kill a guy. Mine happen to be small enough to swallow... But that would be messy. I prefer more evasive strategies." Despite her life of crime, Tses had never actually murdered. She had dated people who had, which dirtied her own morality standing, but there were plenty of ways to win a fight without getting blood on your hands. It wasn't a point to bring up with strangers, though.

Currently, the topic of interest was breaking and entering. That, she did a lot of. Area 51 would have been fun, but the other ideas, they had merit.

"Restricted areas are the best, frankly. I tried a few banks in the past, but chances are you would run into one of those anti-mutant guards and there goes your escape route. I prefer lower profile things. Oh! I know a good one." She pointed her thumb down the road, the idea coming to mind. "There's a space museum down near the water. We I hear they have all kinds of shuttles and stuff there. I don't know if there is a lunar lander, but we could explore the rest of it? Or do your plans for the day only include being hungover and finding caffeine." Tses taunted.

Messy. Swallowable. Explosives.

Spencer choked on her latte. "That's a mental image and a half."

And then, the damnedest thing happened. The woman offered to take Spencer into a restricted area. She snorted coffee this time, choking again on what she should have really stopped trying to drink while having a conversation.

"Oh gross." She cleared her throat and mopped her face on her sleeve. Her dignity was long gone. She was in the presence of someone who could explode her.

"This is going to sound really girl scout of me, but what's gonna stop us from getting in trouble? It's daylight. Museum's open. If I start climbing over ropes into restricted areas, they're going to call the insane asylum white coat people with the- the-" she floundered for the word for straight jacket before giving up. "You know, the hug yourself crazy person coat." Words were hard. Extra hard today.

"Yeah. My day was hyper focused on caffeine, but luckily you've just helped me snort it directly to my brain. If you're offering adventure, who the hell am I to say no?" Also, if the woman left her high and dry to take the fall for any potential misdeeds... well... Spencer was just a helpless little human under duress from a powerful explody lady. That was an adventure of sorts, too.

She wiped her hand to be sure it was coffee and snot free before offering it. "My name's Spencer."

Maybe Spence was getting a free look into the lives of dangerous mutants. She'd call the office later.

Tses considered the question. What would stop them from getting in trouble? She looked around, perhaps wondering if she should say much right now. With her connections to various crime organizations, there were plenty of reasons for secrecy, in the long run. Randomly saying 'I can brainwash people' seemed like a quick way to get those padded coats the woman was mentioning. Tses did not want that type of fashion statement. Chrys rescued her from a morgue, she didn't need to pull her out of the loony bin next.

"Let's just say, mutants have more than one ability sometimes. Explosives are a bit obvious, there are plenty of ways to get what you want with persuasion as well. If I had a way for them not to stop us, would you try it?"

The woman looked like she could use some fun. Adventure, danger, those things just sounded like good ideas today. Tses wanted to see what she would agree to, and in doing so, what she could do for fun today. She wanted a little adventure to make her feel like she was still a thief.

Tses accepted the hand, and grinned. "Tses. Nice to meet you Spencer."

If she had a way to NOT get in trouble? There wasn't even a hesitation on Spencer's part.

"F--- yes. But only if I can watch. Does it involve guys in dark suits? Oh! Like brain microwaves or something? I am super into it, whatever it takes." Spencer chugged her coffee and decided that was enough of that before tossing it at the nearest trash receptacle.

Whether she made it in or not didn't matter. What mattered was that she'd given it effort on a day when effort was hard.

Also if it was brain microwaves, Spencer was going to have to ask if foil hats helped or hurt.

The girl was, energetic, all of a sudden. Tses had to quirk an eyebrow at the mention of brain microwaves. Given her lack of pulp culture knowledge, that was a comment that was a bit beyond her. Why would you have a brain microwave? She'd have to ask Chrys later.

"No, it involves a bit more of a...I don't know. Someone compared it to a Jedi mind trick? I need to watch the movie to get the reference though. Sort of a 'you don't want to know I'm here'." Tses picked a direction and started walking that way. The subway would get them to the museum and then they could break in from there. As fun as the spaceships sounded, she knew her way around the museum better and could keep them out of trouble. Or, if they got into trouble, there was a higher chance Chrys could get her out of it.

"This would be so much easier if I could make someone else walk through walls with me," She did the legitimate thing and paid to get them onto the subway, given that the turnstiles were not easy to fool like security guards.