It was a beautiful early summer day in New York City, and Jewel was out shopping. Sometimes she just needed to get away from the Mansion; she loved the place like she loved her home, and all the people in it, but still, a girl sometimes needs some quality time alone. With enough money to spend (never a problem for Ms. Lafayette), and enough shops to drown in.
Lily was sometimes secretly glad she could pass for human. It was not a nice or comfortable thing to say so, since in the eyes of humans, she was really not different from other people with the X-gene, even though she didn't have, say, strange skin color ir wings. Still, on days like this, she was happy to just be a simple girl in the crowd.
Walking down the street, not really looking for anything in particular, admiring shopwindows, she let her sixth sense flow. The neighborhood lit up with silver, gold and gemstones - one would never guess how many of those are around, when one is not looking. Jewelry shops were brighter than others. Lily smiled.
So far, her day was as close to perfect as it's ever going to be.

The hat in front of him had a few dollars in it but nothing special nothing that said, ‘Hey Your Awesome!’ something he thought he deserved since he was trying hard to make some money with out any pocket picking but if things didn’t change soon. Well let’s just say he was generous with other people’s money.

Card tricks weren’t doing it as well as he would hope so after changing it up to sleights of the hand and singing he had to result to the only thing he had left in his arsenal. It was a good thing he had found a box other wise this would have been a bit more difficult and a heck of a lot more painful.

It was noon by now as he walked to the center of the broken down box his hands shaking at his side as he clicked the play button on his Ipod, he didn’t have a stereo so the effect would have been weakened but he had to work with what he had and what he had was two years into the works. Jumping on his hands and opening his wings slightly as his tail flung out behind his back Carrick rotated his hands and opened his wings as he lowered onto his shoulder then onto his sides then onto his butt.

Oh yes he was break dancing on the streets of New York City instead of going to school. He was going places that was obvious, so obvious in fact that when Carrick noticed a steady amount of dollar bills and coins being dropped into his hat he stopped and sat up to see a man in an overcoat looking at him disapprovingly, “Shouldn’t you be in school?” the man asked looking at his giant Rolex feeling he was running late.

Picking up the hat and looking to the suited man Carrick shrugged and smirked, ”School’s expensive, I have to work for it… though can’t say your kids can say the same…” the man lowered his eyebrows and laughed, “You’re the reason I never had kids! Bunch or brats the whole lot of you!”

Carrick lowered his head and opened his wings, ”Well on behalf of the human race I thank you for not polluting our world with your genetic code!” looking up and meeting the man’s blood filled face with a smile Carrick flashed some teeth and was satisfied with the result. The man he was conversing with decided he would give Carrick a tip before he parted, “Your anything but human…” he turned and added, “Freak!”

Eyes locked on the man Carrick decided that he would much rather up the tip the man so easily bestowed upon him. Tossing the money he earned in his pockets Carrick placed his hat on and tucked his wings and his tail close to him as he maneuvered through the crowd till he was a few feet from the man who made the mistake of insulting an Irishman.

Hand quickly reaching forward and into the back right pocket where he could see the outline of the wallet Carrick removed the leather pouch from the man and took five twenties and two fifties. Grinning with the amount of money Carrick pocketed he made an attempt to place the wallet back in the mans pocket but stopped short when he spotted a familiar face, far two familiar for his liking in this setting. Wondering what Lily was doing here Carrick wasn’t paying attention to the fact that the man had stopped.

Inches from bumping into the man Carrick dropped the wallet into his pocket and turned quickly hoping Lily wouldn’t notice him there. She was one of the few people whose opinions he actually cared about he didn’t want to see him doing something like this.

Jewel's day quickly turned from 'close to perfect' to 'probably trouble' the moment she spotted Carrick in the crowd with his hand dangerously close to some rich guy's behind. As she stopped in her tracks her first thought was God I hope he's stealing.
On closer inspection: he was. Phew.
Lily sighed, turning around to follow the gryphon boy. It was really none of your business... well, scratch that, it was kind of her business, since he was a Mansion student, and she was a grown-up and an X trainee, responsible for all the innocent little children in the school, and the cheeky brats too.
"Carrick?" she called out once she was close enough. He was not that hard to follow, wings and all. Lily smiled at him, not giving away how much she'd seen just yet. Her senses told her at least he didn't take jewelry... yet... "Hi there."

Tail between his legs Carrick prayed that she didn’t see him. He could see her but he was hoping that by some hand of fate Katrina’s ability to make him invisible would kick in. unfortunately that wasn’t the case because she was no where near him. Maybe he should have brought her along… No hers was another opinion he cared too much about even if he would never admit it. Eyes closed for a brief second Carrick cringed slightly when he heard Lily call out to him. ‘Coddle!’ screamed Carrick’s thoughts as he slowly turned around with a smile on his face in an attempt to play off the fact that she might have just seen him pick pocketing.

”H-Hello, Lily!” Carrick said turning to face her his tail still between his legs hidden by his wings, ”Whatcha doing here?” but upon a second look he had his answer, she was shopping it was what girls did after all and as far as coincidences sake he just had rotten luck.

Carrick’s hand reached down to his back pocket where the wad of money he had just nabbed rested. He wasn’t sure if Lily would make him return the money, heck he wasn’t even sure what he saw but if she didn’t see anything Carrick wasn’t going to turn himself in, no reason to.

"Hello Carrick" Lily smiled a brilliant smile at the gryphon boy. It was half act, and half true: she really liked the kid, and he was cute when he was hiding in his wings. Almost too cute for his own good. For a moment Lily felt like she didn't really want to embarrass him by admitting she'd seen him steal. Would it really be so bad to let him gt away with it? Maybe the guy provoked him with something...
Lily sighed. He was cute, but not that cute.
"I was just out shopping" she smiled, lifting the bags in her hand to prove her point "I was not really expecing to meet anyone from the Mansion..." Which happened to be true "But you are kind of hard to miss." she smiled at the gryphon boy. "I just happened to see you find that wallet. Want me to help you find the man who lost it? I think he would be really grateful."
It was a low blow, and very far from her original goal of not embarrassing Carrick. Still, Mansion students couldn't just go around stealing money. Not on her watch.

Nodding his head trying to keep a friendly smile not to give anything away Carrick lifted his shoulder causing his wings to lift slightly, ”Not to many winged boys running around the city I guess…” he shifted his multicolored eyes to where the man whose pocket he picked for a brief second making sure he was well on his way out of sight, however the man stopped at the cross walk with the other pedestrians momentarily his eye brow twitched in mild annoyance but was replaced by surprise when Lily said she saw him find a wallet.

”Oh! Yeah, I gave it back to him!” Carrick said trying to keep himself out of trouble, ”Honest, and the guy wasn’t the nicest, called me a freak of nature…” Carrick said as he rolled his eyes slightly, ”I AM nature, he is just the freak…” Carrick said as he looked down at his shoes for a second trying to play innocent victim.

”I was just trying to make a quick buck the best way I know how, I wasn’t going to keep a wallet, it would make me look like a thief!” Carrick said as he placed his hands behind his head apparently he wasn’t as sly as he thought he was when it came to the slight of the hand and the wallet, something he figured he had to work on.

Emptying all the contents of his pockets he looked to Lily and held it up, ”See, only my wallet…” hoping she wouldn’t notice all the twenties so close together still un crumpled like the rest of the money he had in his pockets. ”All my earnings from street performing…” Carrick said as he placed them back in his pockets along with everything else. Looking up to Lily he gave her a look trying to hold back his initial worry that she would think he was a common pick pocket, masking worry was nothing more then a somewhat smuggish look. One that said, ‘I didn’t do anything!’

”Oh! Yeah, I gave it back to him! Honest, and the guy wasn’t the nicest, called me a freak of nature… I AM nature, he is just the freak…”
Lily arched an eyebrow at the kid, and because she really couldn't say anything to prove he was lying, she just settled for giving him a Look. The kind that, in a few years and some family experience, was sure to evolve into the dreaded look of a mother who can see through you without any mutant ability. A look that said 'Yeah, sure. Whatever you say. One day, kiddo, you will tell me the truth on your own.'
The gryphon boy emptied his pockets; if one could earn so well with performing on the streets, Lily was willing to give it a try. Glancing towards the man on the sidewalk, she could see him disappearing in the crowd. Freak. Sure.
"You are not a freak, Carrick" she sighed, ruffling his hair "And you are also not a thief. I know you are better than that." she smiled at him sweetly. So very sweetly.
"So, are you done performing for today?"

She didn’t buy it not even for a second the look she gave him made his insides churn the way his mother’s look did the same. He wasn’t sure if Lily had any experience with kids but he was sure when she had them she would be a pro at that look by then. When she ruffled his hair Carrick grinned and nodded, ”I know that’s what I told him!” so what if he was never particularly found of someone ruffling his hair like he was a child. Lily was special, he liked her she could even call him short and he doubted he would have been that upset with her.

When she smiled at him he mirrored one back to her as he nodded his head, ”Yeah, I think I made enough for today…” patting the pocket where his wallet and all of his newly acquired money were located. There was no reason to be greedy and if Lily almost caught him pick pocketing (which he was sure she did) then he would say his luck for the day has run out and there would be no need to make any other attempts to increase his funds by methods of pick pocketing or the like.

Looking to the bags and then Lily, Carrick silently wondered if she was done shopping because he had a feeling she was going to ask him to tag along and even though he wasn’t the biggest fan of shopping he would much rather spend it shopping than in the class room where he should have been in the first place.

"Good." Lily nodded with a cheerful smile "Need a ride back to the Mansion? You could make it there before lunch break ends."
Yes, she knew students were supposed to be having classes, and she had spent enough time around Sam lately for some of his mother hen (?!) nature to rub off on her. Carrick was a kid, hence a student, hence he was bound to have some classes scheduled for the afternoon.
She didn't mean it, though. He had already skipped the morning classes to hang out on the streets and pick pockets (mutant-hater pockets, but still), so why not make him pay. Jewel counted silently to ten, letting the offer sink in before she shrugged a similarly cheerful shrug.
"Or, if your afternoon is free, you could tag along. I have a few places I want to check out, but we could also, hmm, get ice cream or something on the way."
She smiled at the baby gryphon, swinging the shopping bags and humming to herself. Win-win. Carrcik either chooses to go back to school, in which case she personally shall deliver him to the hands of his teachers, ot he chooses to tag along... well, sh was sure she could make the afternoon a healthy balance of death by shopping, and some ice cream time.
"So, what do you say?"

He shook his head, he defiantly didn’t need a ride back to the mansion, if he wanted to go back he could fly thank you very much no reason to confront his fear of enclosed spaces with a car (a fear that only seems to occur when he thinks about it). When the ultimatum was given his smile faded... Lily will defiantly be a good mother someday… she sounded just like his mother when she gave him an ultimatum.

It wasn’t a request one way or another he would have done one of the two things Lily wanted him to do, go home to class or go shopping, with the possibility of ice cream. His eyebrows lowered as he thought about his two options. Slowly he responded… ”Shopping?” still not sounding entirely convinced that it was the best idea he decided that it was indeed the lesser of two evils.

She already had a few bags so it was clear that she was almost done shopping right? She only had a few more places to check right? That’s what she said, so maybe if Carrick was lucky he wouldn’t be held captive for long. Not that she was exactly holding him there against his will but he had a feeling that the next meeting between them would be less than pleasant and he had no intention of upsetting Lily. With a somewhat scared smile on his face he looked up to Lily, ”Where to?”

"Yes, shopping" Lily responded cheerfully, overdoing the role of the 'rich girl with too much free time' just a tiny little bit. "I need a new dress. And shoes, maybe."
She really didn't. But that didn't stop her from dragging Carrick along as she walked down the street, stopping in front of shopwindows, murmuring to herself trying to decide which shop to actually go in. She wasn't planning on doing it all through the afternoon, but since the gryphon was already skipping class and stealing money, he might as well suffer a bit. If it cost her a new dress, so be it.
When Lily finally found a shop she liked, she walked inside, and because her presence usually spelled 'money' wherever she went, she was instantly surrounded by helpful shop assistants trying to sell her dresses at obscene prices. She cheerfully spent the next half an hour walking in and out of the changing room in different attires, and asking Carrick's opinion of everything.
A long time later she was the proud owner of a brand new summer dress, and out of the shop with the gryphon in tow.
"So, Carrick. What do you say? Ready for an ice cream?"

When she smiled at him he knew at that point that he clearly made the wrong decision when he said shopping. Her response was overly cheerful and the way she said new dress he had a feeling it would be like one of the shopping montages that lapse hours of time in only minutes in the movies. But instead of lasting minutes in the movie it would last hours and there would be no good montage music. He sighed and nodded keeping up a fake smile to mislead Lily into thinking that ice cream would make up for the trip.

He didn’t know how much time passed hours, days even every clock he looked at was one misleading time after another there was no way they could have been at the same store for an hour and have found nothing worth taking. Every time Lily went behind a curtain to change Carrick was already looking for a way out but only to be questioned by the scavengers that hounded her and by extension him when the entered the store. No doubt they could smell her money, which seemed to be a lot by the way she was buying clothes without a care for an amount.

Each dress (and every article of clothing) she came out wearing only confirmed what he already knew, Lily was one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen. What’s more she was single handedly one of the nicest women he had ever had the misfortune of being a captive of. Which only made it worse when he started to get feel guilty about getting jealous of all the money she was dropping for overpriced clothing.

Maybe, just maybe if she wasn’t looking… eyes fixed on her purse. He shook his head when she went behind the curtain again, no Lily was one of the first people in the mansion that gave him a time of day, what’s more she liked to spend time with him when he was bored. So what she had more money to spare than most of the people he pick pocketed she was his friend she was Lily.

When the nightmare seemed like it would never end he heard the words. The words that said, ‘Your free, I shall reward you with ice cream… I hope you learned your lesson!’ nodding his head quickly to the question he smiled, ”Ice cream sounds good!” his wings perked higher than they ever were since he started on the shopping trip. It was like he had a spine again.

Lily could see the relief in Carrick's face and posture, and she bit back a grin. That was a lesson he needed to learn, and she had made sure he would remember it for a long time. Now it was all done, and done well, and it was time for her to play big sister again.
She walked down the street with him towards the park till she spotted an ice cream vendor, and she nodded towards it with a smile.
"Here we go. Pick whatever you like, I'm paying."
Lily liked ice cream, and her favorite was chocolate and vanilla; a few minutes later, once she and Carrick both got all the ice cream they wanted, she started walking again, this time more like wandering aimlessly, enjoying a day when she didn't really have anything to do.
"So, Carrick. How is life in the school, and everything?" she smiled at the boy. Everything was back to normal. For a while.

A tower of chocolate and cookies n’ cream rested atop of a sugar cone three scoops high and he didn’t feel the least bit guilty in making Lily pay for it. She did make him sit through all that shopping after all, something he didn’t plan on doing anytime soon… ever ever ever again! Attention focused on Lily as his tongue snapped back into his mouth with the taste of chocolate Carrick blinked and debated answering her about the school. It would be obvious to any who have a conversation with him about school; he had no interest in it what so ever.

Choosing not to touch down on the ‘school’ portion at all Carrick chirped, ”The mansion is good, I like it there, a lot of ice people and the girls there are friendly not like the ones back home.” he said without much thought taking another few licks of the top chocolate piece before he continued, ”Though everything is a lot slower than what I’m used to…” his thoughts trailed back to the circus when he didn’t really ever have a dull or slow day. It was almost like all the days back then meshed together it was one new experience after the next.

”A lot different from the circus, I mean I wake up walk outside and fly, I mean I aint’ complaining or anything it’s just I never had the entire day to spend in the sky, it’s just odd is all.” Carrick said as he took another few licks of his ice cream, his tail continually swayed back and forth showing how content he was with everything right at the moment.

Lily smiled as she listened to the gryphon boy. It was good to hear that kids found a good home at the Mansion. She was pretty much grown up by the time she moved in, after living with her amazing family, so she could only try to imagine how it must have felt for a younger kid, or one without a family and home. She knew she was an exception among mutants, when it came to family background.
"I know what you mean" she smiled "When I first moved in it was weird to have all that time only for working on my powers. And then, when the training started, it got all crazy and busy... and now it is kind of caml again. Until the next mission, that is..." she chuckled. She didn't mind a quiet summer, and maybe a vacation.
"Not like I had much excitement in my life before I came here. The pace is different down South" she chuckled, turning her ice cream around because it started dripping on the other side "What would you like to do, once you get bored with flying around the school?"