She stared at the doors. Huge. Gold. Thick. They glistened brightly in the sunlight, a mix between incredibly inviting, and at the same time a warning. Gold, the symbol of power and wealth displayed by every king or leader since before history. Verdigris let her eyes flow up to the top of the doors, then back down again. They seemed to be some kind of solid wood, like the doors to a castle, either overlaid with gold leaf or painted with some very realistic paint. Judging from her three years experience of New Yorkers, it was the latter.

It was a risk coming here, she knew that even before she started following the ruffled teen, but here, with the doors looming above her like some giant’s solid breastplate, it was apparent just how very dangerous it was to come here. This was away from the streets and parks she usually frequented. She didn't know where the nearest mall to loose followers was. Heck, she didn't even know what type of small objects she was likely to project. Pens and pencils were good, biros or parker pens the best, but socks or assorted potpourri fillers were never good weapons.

For all that her power was a defense and war-like power, the randomness of the selection made it difficult to rely on. Pausing to reach into her bag she withdrew a small woven-plastic bag full of marbles. These had been one of the first investments when she had worked out the minor details of her power. Like activating it with a clenched fist ended in pain and blood. Scooping three or four of the glass balls into her hand she gripped them solidly. If there was an immediate threat on her person she could swiftly bring up her empty hand and fire the marbles out in defense. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Re-zippering her bag she rolled the small spheres around each other skilfully in her palm. She was nervous. Like a new kid in school on their first day she was unsure of all the minor quirks of the place. She didn’t know where the bathrooms were. She didn’t know the specifics of which teachers preferred their whole name and which would happily reply to ‘sir’ or ‘miss’. She didn’t have a map, or a schedule. Worst of all, this wasn’t a school with rules and codes and, occasionally for the more strict, a uniform.

This was the unknown x-factor in maths. No pun intended her mind suggested. The pro-numeral that needed to be figured out. Unfortunately there was no equals sign in sight, and she had very, very little to work off. She cast her eyes about nervously, searching for someone a little larger than the small girl beside her to lead. Nothing against the girl, just if there was an ambush, she wanted some actual flesh to hide behind, not a bunch of tangled hair and a pink bubble. She didn’t even like pink.

Aura opened the doors to the sanctuary with a smile revealing the incide of the large building. The few people who were wondering around, payed them no mind, either having more pressing matters or weather they simply failed to care was another matter. Aura walked in and stretched looking around. The people she knew were so far absent, save Lisa who was forever glued to her work. Aura odten assumed Lisa had the power to never sleep or something, she always seemed to be at her desk.

"Welcome to our Home, Sanctuary, if you decide to say Lisa has a few forms for you to sign, i think i mentioned that.....anyway if you would rather just check out the place for now, i can show you around, The sanctuary is quite large. " she said which was true it housed a lot of people. Aura Loved it here, it was her ideal home, no Humans and whare she could let her power flow free, not that her powers normal state was visible anyway Still she often used her Aura for other tasks, like carpentry.

"People come and go from this place all he time, a good friend of mine Gore, dissopears for months at a time" she said trying to comfort her new freind. She knew the concept of sanctuary was so alien to some they just could not accept it for what it was, paradise. Aura's thoughts Aura smiled as her pet rounded the courner, the cat sized animal, was black with a white stripe that began at her nose, split doown his flanks before reuniting at the end. Sniffing the creature considered the woman her master had with her, then looked up at Aura expectantly. "She's hungry, her name is solkat" Aura explained completely unaware most people liked to stay away from skunks.

Verdigris wasn't quite sure what she had been expecting was behind the huge golden doors, but a receptionist and scattered people was not quite it. She glanced at the younger girl. Apparently hair and bubble was fine to get her in safely. A tiny twinge of guilt at her previous doubt fluttered in her chest but was quickly dispelled. She had been avoiding people for so long she didn't feel obliged to register the normal emotions associated with loyalty. She gave a slight nod.

"I'd love to have a look around, get forms? Maybe later... Not sure yet."

Gore. Such a lovely name, an acronym perhaps. Or an alias. For some reason Verdigris couldn't quite see the name 'Gore' splayed across a birth certificate. Or read off a primary school role. A tiny twinge of resident nerves trickled down her spine. A reoccurring warning that things were not always what they seemed.

A small black and white creature chose that moment to make it's appearance and she stared. This was definitely not a normal place, somewhere where a skunk could roam unchallenged was unheard of as far as she had seen.

"She's hungry, her name is Solkat"

Verdigris recalled the mention of mutants of all kinda and she regarded the small cat-like creature warily.

"Shape-shifter? Or actual skunk?"

She transfered the marbles to her pocket for a moment and dug in her bag. There was half a chicken wrapped in napkins which she had stolen off an unattended plate in front of a cafe the night before. It was still good and she pulled a little piece off the drumstick and knelt, offering the meat on the flat of her hand, like for a horse. Do skunks bite? She wasn't sure if the front end was what she was supposed to worry about, but better safe than sorry.

Standing and rubbing her palms on the legs of her jeans she pulled the marbles out and sat them again in her hand, gripped not quite as tightly as they were before, but ready nonetheless.

"Right, lead away kiddo."

Mercury wandered into the reception area from the sanctuary proper, they didn't use it for much and he had just had more than his fair share of fun stacking pews up to build things like a giant red kid with a huge set of blocks. he had of course returned the area back to a respectable room though he had rearrange the rows into more of a stadium where the rows went diagonally giving the throne area more of a focus.

He moved into the lobby and was happy to see that things were busy. Today his heavy frame wore a maroon tank top and black slacks, he was barefoot and his tail was swinging back and forth playfully. he was in an oddly good mood.

"Hi!" he said in way of greeting to the only person that he didn't recognize even slightly. she had chiken in a bag and marbles...every so often people would ask him if he lost his and then they would chuckle when he said he didn't have any marbles... it was irritating.

He poked his nose into the conversation answering a question he over heard. " I am pretty sure Solkat is a normal skunk, at the very least if stripes is a shifter they prefer the skunk form most of the time." Mercury said with a shrug.

A wall of red. Just as the doors were huge and golden, so was this man... Mutant... Whatever. Red. It was all a little on the side of too much. She opened her mouth. Shut it. Opened it again and smiled, or was it a terrified grimace. Difficult to tell.

"Thanks..."

She turned tail, figuratively, and ran. The golden doors whipped past and she was free again. Not that she hadn't been free while in the Sanctuary foyer. But the walls had been pressing in on her. The covered area too close after three years of open sky, limited only by the skyscrapers.

Politeness was not something she had practiced in the years since she left home. She wasn't very good at it to begin with, but after this much isolation her skills had declined rapidly. To be confronted with someone so obviously carrying the X-gene was terrifying. She shuddered mid-stride.

Her hands still stung with broken skin. The sweat from clenching the marbles was burning in the open scrapes. She was pretty sure her knees would be sporting large purple bruises for weeks. Brilliant.

She slowed to a jog as she reached the park. The spatter of people in her regular area prompted her to seek out somewhere more quiet...

((ooc, Nothing against Mercury, ic fright not out ^^))

Continued for Verdy in Under The Willow Tree