Mariusz hovered in midair at the intersection of 5th Avenue and 57th Street, his steel grey wings flapping somewhat faster than normal to keep him airborne. It was a brisk winter day in downtown New York, with bright though hardly warm sunshine, a very slight breeze, and happily no snow. That had made it a perfect day for the Czech mutant to make the flight from the Mansion that he now called home to downtown New York to do a little bit of light shopping. While he had been able to get his most important belongings packed into the bag for the flight from Pennsylvania to the Mansion there were a few things he had been forced to leave behind that he now wished to procure, and if he happened to do some sightseeing along the way, so much the better.

The feathered mutant was dressed much nicer than he might normally be, wearing a brown three-piece suit which had been specially tailored to accommodate his mutant physiology. The suit came complete with specially made shoes for his bird-like feet. With a father that worked in the Czech Foreign Ministry and who, from time to time, had to host parties which Mariusz was expected to attend regardless of the fact that he was a mutant. Given that the U.S. was still a little behind Europe in the area of mutant rights and that he knew he was going to be shopping in one of the most upscale shopping districts in the world, Mariusz had opted to dress as nicely as possible to hopefully avoid any backlash from the population for being a mutant.

Spotting the first of the shops that he wanted to enter Mariusz fluttered down and gently landed on the sidewalk at the northeast corner of 5th Avenue and 57th Street and furled his wings close to his back. Turning to head off in the direction of the shop the feathered mutant slammed headlong into a blonde woman that he was easily a half foot taller than, inadvertently knocking the woman to the ground. "Dreadfully sorry," he said in an apologetic tone with and ever so slight English accent. "Might I offer you a hand Miss," he asked, extending a brown leather gloved hand to the woman on the ground and waiting for her to supply her name so he could offer a proper apology.

It was a few days after Tses left the hospital; long enough for her to be walking fairly easily, but not so long that she was completely healed, and the cold weather was aggravating her drained body. On this rather sunny day, she could still catch a glimmer of the moon in the daytime sky, a waxing crescent dipping towards a first quarter moon. It's humble glow was diminished by the sunlight blocking it's rays, and Tses felt flustered if nothing else that it had to share the sky with such a powerful companion.

In her pocket she had some newly aquired cash from her run to the pawn shop, and after getting rid of a few trinkets she'd picked up during a bank job, she was off to try and get a replacement window for her apartment. She was dressed in jeans, the camisole Chrys had forced her to buy, an over-shirt and her leather jacket. While she'd complained enough with the fashion diva about the clothes, she had to admit the fabric felt nice on her skin, and she liked wearing it under some of her baggier outfits. But nothing could convince her against her combat boots. Those heavily buckled accessories were a bit harder to part with.

She had just turned the corner, slipping her way through the New York crowds, when she was suddenly plowed into by a stranger. The impact felt odd; solid, yet, giving, almost like running into someone with a rather fluffy jacket. Landing on the ground, she snarled in irritation, her already injured body giving unhappy grumbles of pain. Rather than being consoled by the other individuals apology, she was even more irritated by the slight English accent. Great, another foreigner. Every time she ran into one of them, trouble was right behind. She glared up at the stranger, and her face only had a flash of confusion at the feathery appearance they seemed to have. She frowned, and avoided taking the strangers hand, sliding her legs to the side and getting back to her feet on her own.

"I don't need help, thank you very much." She said sharply, and brushed herself off. "And I'm not a miss, I'm a Tses. I mean, I'm Tses. whatever."[/color] She grumbled, and gave him a sharp glare. "You should really watch what you're doing in this city. The public isn't kind to mutants, especially ones who lack sidewalk etiquette." While there was some sharp sarcasm and irritation in her statement, the last warning was a valid one. She had more tolerance towards her own kind, especially lately, but she knew there were plenty of people looking for a good fist fight.

"Unless you want someone trying to pick a fight with you, I'd be a bit more careful." She said seriously, and sighed, trying to straighten out the bandages on her left arm. She'd torn the fabric a bit in the fall, and while the leather jacket she wore took most of the blow to the rest of her body, but her hand had still managed to get a little scuffed.

Mariusz shrugged and put his hand back at his side as Tses refused it and got to her feet on her own. The Czech mutant arched an eyebrow somewhat quizzically at Tses when she shot him a glare. Yes, he was at fault for knocking her down, he had admitted as much and apologized for it. Apparently, something more in the way of an apology was going to be required. Typical of the Americans, he supposed. Still, protocol would seem to dictate that he not leave her feeling in anyway cross towards him.

"I can assure you Tses, I am not looking for a quarrel. Though I am not without my own abilities of fight or flight, quite literally," Mariusz said, holding up his hands in what he hoped was a placating manner and ruffling his wings slightly. "I am Mariusz Kasparek," he continued, introducing himself in what he was sure would likely be a bit of an odd manner given his slight English accent and a name that was anything but British. He offered her a hand to shake, if she so desired. "Perhaps you would be so good as to permit me to make amends for knocking you down just now? Perhaps lunch, on me," he asked in a friendly manner, more than willing to do anything that seemed reasonable to make up for his accidentally knocking Tses over. After all, to his way of thinking, that was the right thing to do.

Tses finished adjusting her arm bandages, and sized up the individual in front of her. He was, odd, to say the least, a feathered man in a suit, with mannerism that weren't quite American, yet not exactly a definable ethnicity. His face was white, but darker steel grey feathers rippled their way down towards his nose, and his eyes were golden colored and slitted. She couldn't decide if he would be considered anthropic or not, or just feathered. One way or another, he was definitely noticeable here in New York.

"Well, I'm not really in a mood for a fight, so I guess we'll just let this one slide. Uh, 'nice' to meet you Mar....i...Can I just call you Markus or something?" She muttered, stumbling over his name. In an effort to create a peace offering, she took his offered hand and shook it awkwardly, before taking her arm back and crossing both of hers across her chest.

"I don't really need you to make amends. I'm not injured or anything. You certainly have a lot more manners than most New Yorkers around here, and you definitely are a bit overdressed. I'd almost think you were a tourist, but I haven't seen many tourists around here." She shrugged, and raised an eyebrow at him questioningly. "What brings you here?"

She shifted off towards the side of the walkway as New Yorkers kept moving past. A few shot looks at the winged mutant, and she wondered what it would be like to have to be so ... revealed to the world. Her mutation kept itself under raps for the most part, unless she got too angry. The few times she'd had it turn on in public, the reactions were definitely not positive. If she had to deal with that all the time... well, she probably wouldn't be chipper and well mannered. Perhaps he was used to mutants being respected. It was worth finding out.

"You can call me Mari," the Czech mutant said in response to Tses' question about what she could call him. He assumed that more than a few people would have trouble with his name here in America and he had decided that shortening his name to Mari would be the easiest. "I am also afraid that I do need to make amends. My manners and upbringing demand nothing less. You get used to such things growing up in the home I was brought up in," the feathered mutant continued, shrugging his shoulders.

"I feel a bit overdressed," he continued stepping slightly to the side to get out of the flow of the foot traffic. "I am a bit of a tourist, and also a bit of a new resident. Still, I find with my appearance that being well dressed can help to make a better first impression on people. It is hard to see someone as being unscrupulous when they are very well dressed," he finished for a moment, ruffling the feathers on his wings.

"As for what I am doing here," he said in an amiable tone, fully intent on answering all of Tses' questions. "I came here with my mother and father, my father was just named as the Czech Ambassador to the United States," he said, gesturing vaguely with his hands as he spoke. "I had also heard about a haven for those who are mutants, as I am. It is located in the upstate area, so I sought it out and have been accepted there for now. Unfortunately, I was not able to bring everything with me that I wanted and needed with me on the flight from the Czech Republic and then from Pennsylvania, so I made the trip down to New York today to pick up the rest of the items I need. I was also considering taking in some of the sites and maybe a Broadway show later this evening, depending on time."

The feathered mutant noticed the looks he was getting from some people as they went past. He had become used to them while in college and chose to ignore the fact that he was receiving them. He was unique looking and knew it and understood that people would naturally be curious just as he had often been curious when his father had brought home people from foreign and exotic places that he had not visited. "So, are you a born and bred New Yorker and will you permit me to do something to make amends for my rather abominable rudeness in bowling you over earlier?"

The blond haired mutant turned the name over in her brain, and considered whether or not it was gender appropriate. She decided it was, and figured it would work, and did sound better than Markus. His insistence to be well mannered and 'make amends' seemed incredibly classy to her, and she felt a little uncultured around such flair.

That irritated her.

And pissed her off.

But, she chose to let it go for now.

It was hard to be patient with him, especially when she had the tolerance of a stray cat. She'd made a resolution to be more patient with people as the year rolled to an end, but she had trouble doing it every time some over friendly individual tried to assist her. Sometimes she felt like she was a tiger in a room of rocking chairs. Eventually there was going to be some mauling and screaming in terror; but for a while, she could just pretend to be a house cat and purr and allow people to think she was docile and approachable.

"Well, I guess it at least shows you have culture, which is better than some people I've run into here, so I guess that's fine. And I'm not going to lie, I don't have a clue what a Czech Ambassador is, so we can just get that out in the open now." She shrugged nonchalantly, and Straightened her jacket out. She knew she was just another example of American stupidity, but her lifestyle just never afforded better education. She had tried the citizenship test once out at Ellis Island, and failed. She figured as long as she never had to take it for real though she'd be ok.

"And I wasn't born here, I grew up in Chicago. I came here about four years ago though, and I've kinda made it my home. I get around pretty well though, although I'm not really as culturally aware as you seem to be. Never seen a Broadway show, but I can probably point out some of the better street food, and which stuff to avoid." Her eyes glanced at his wings as she stood there, and she thought it was rather ironic that she'd stumbled across another winged mutant this week. Mari and Carrick were definately different though. Carrick she could pester and joke with. This guy didn't seem to have a funny bone in his body.

To most people, Tses was a bit abrasive in personality. She could come across as rude or sharp tongued, but there was a little side of her than meant well and did try to help mutants she came across. Maybe it was her guilt that got the better of her. After doing her own thing and trying to just look out for herself, she wanted to make up for some of the bad karma. Somewhere along the way she knew there were people she hurt with her actions, and maybe by learning to be a better person would amend some of those errors. "I'd rather not 'permit' you do make amends... honestly. I had having people feel like they owe me anything. I cause enough trouble on my own, I just figure the few bad incidents are just karma coming back for me."

Mariusz laughed easily at Tses' mentioning that she did not know what a 'Czech Ambassador' was. "My father is the Ambassador to the United States from the Czech Republic," Mariusz said, trying to explain. "It's a country in Central Europe, located right between Germany and Poland. I am from near Harrachov, near the Polish border up in the Krkonose Mountain range. Beautiful place year round, though a bit of a tourist trap in the winter."

"I have traveled to several places in Europe, but I am afraid I am really not familiar with the locations of most American cities, beyond New York," he paused for a moment to gesture to the city around himself, "and Washington D.C." He shrugged his shoulders slightly. He tilted his head slightly to the side at the mention of something called street food. Truthfully, Mariusz had no idea what street food was, still he latched onto it as an idea for being able to make up for having bowled Tses over a moment ago.

"When it comes to culture there are many different kinds. Can anyone truly lay claim to the fact that their culture is superior to that of another? Too many wars and conflicts have been started for cultural reasons," the Czech mutant said in a serious tone. "In some ways Europe is still recovering from the affects of some of those wars, likely there will always be scars of a sort that will never fully heal but serve as a reminder of past atrocities. The former Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz comes to mind in that regard."

The feathered mutant's stomach took that moment to growl and interrupt a rather profound philosophical moment to Mariusz's way of thinking. It was his body's way of reminding him that he had made a long flight this morning already and that he had yet to refuel, in a manner of speaking. "You mentioned something about street food, ano," he asked, slipping accidentally into the Czech language for a moment, "I confess to being unfamiliar with street food, but I am keen for the culinary adventure," he continued with a smile. "As your knowledge of street food here is far superior to my own, perhaps you would be so good as to lead the way and tell me a little about Chicago or New York as we walk," he asked, offering the blonde woman his arm should she wish to take it. "You may have a knack for finding trouble, but I hope you have not found any in our meeting."

Tses wasn't going to lie: the more he talked, the dumber she felt. The only words that really made sense to her were 'Europe' and 'Germany'. She was sure Poland was a country she should have been more aware of, but it was much like someone from Japan naming all the American States. One or two always seemed to slip past. Heck, strike the Japan part. Tses probably couldn't name all the American states. Her world geography was apparently a bit lacking, and she made a note to brush up on it when she got some spare time in the near future.

"Well, I have rather limited knowledge of American cities myself. I grew up with street smarts, not book smarts, so I leave a lot of that nerd stuff to people who care." She shrugged, and then blinked at him as he asked for her to show her some 'street food'. She gave a chuckle and put her hands on her hips, smirking at him with a crooked smile. "Well, I could probably show you around a bit, but you have to stop with this whole 'chivalry' thing. First lesson in New York etiquette. Less is more with people in the city. The city moves fast, and you keep up or get left behind. Come on."

She started down the sidewalk, shoving her hands in her pockets and turning to face him, walking backwards a few steps as she did. She managed not to knock into anything, but it was mostly because people tended to scoot out of the way. "Chicago's a bit more mild-mannered than New York, but it all depends on where you live. I guess New York is a bit like that. Once you get up in the sky-rise apartments you can get a driver to take you around and then you don't have to deal with as many rude people. But public transportation makes you brush shoulders with everyone. I don't take the subway much though. It's a bit too claustrophobic to me." She momentarily wondered if her words sounded as odd to him as his did to her. They definitely were a class of cultures. In a way, it was fun for her. She got to corrupt his pompish attitude a bit.

Mariusz tilted his head slightly to the side at the mention of street smarts. He had heard the term before, but in truth did not really understand practically what it meant. He was also a little surprised that Tses had a somewhat limited knowledge of her homeland, but he supposed that made sense as America was a considerably larger country than his own native Czech Republic. He also took a slight offense at the mention of dropping the chivalry thing. "Tses, chivalry is not an act. In fact, I daresay that the world would be a better place if there were more chivalrous people in it..." The feathered mutant was winding up for a bit of a rant on the topic when he abruptly remembered that she had mentioned that less was more in New York and shut his mouth almost mid-sentence. He also realized that she had started to move off through the crowd, leading him who knew where, so he lowered his offered arm to his side.

"I have not had the need of a driver in some time," Mariusz replied, following the woman through the crowd and noting the way that they moved out of her way. Whether they were moving out of the way because she was coming or because she was in the company of someone that was obviously a mutant he was somewhat less sure of. "If you find the crowds and public transit to be a bit much I would be happy to fly us. I am sure I can carry you quite easily, so long as it is not too far, and you would be amazed at how the crowds disappear when you are six meters above the ground," Mariusz offered, continuing to follow the woman through the crowd though he ruffled the feathers on his wings a little bit to help make his point. "After all, what are wings for if not to avoid the crush of humanity?"

Tses snorted a bit of a laugh, and turned forward again, glancing over her shoulder at the suited bird/human behind her. "I've taken up someone on that offer before, and I've found I prefer having both feet on the ground. Flying is not exactly my favorite past time. Besides, being on the streets is part of the fun." As if to demonstrate her point, she sped up just enough to jump on top of a row of newspaper boxes, pranced across them a few feet and landed with a little hop on the other side. She hid the little flinch of pain that resulted in her actions, her feet still a bit damaged, but her arrogance tended to take precedence when she met people. She had a certain attitude about her. Her sentences were sharp, her actions were direct, and she didn't waste time with all the 'please' and 'thank you's'. Mari would have to learn this sooner than later: she was the last person to try and teach chivalry to.

"Perhaps the world would be a better place with manners and all that, but it would be a bit more boring. Life's about the risk, and the adventure. You don't find that being careful not to offend someone along the way. Ah, that vendor across the street is pretty good. Louie's Hot Dogs. Not the most original name, but the food it good." She stared across the street with the other New Yorkers before the stop walk sign turned, and glanced back to see if he was following.

Mariusz watched Tses' little display of street walking and clapped a few times politely before quickening his pace a bit to catch up with her. "Very nice, you are clearly more accustomed to being anchored to the ground and the offer was just that. Of course, the decision to accept it or not is entirely up to you. A gentleman would never force a lady into anything," he responded, matching his pace to be able to keep up with that of Tses as she continued to lead him along.

"I am afraid there that we must disagree, Tses," the Czech mutant said in his English accented voice in response her comments regarding a properly mannered world being more boring. "A properly mannered world does not have to be a boring world, simply a world with less violent crime and a dramatic decrease in other such negative things." He wandered off of his speaking tangent for a moment as Tses pointed out a food stand across the street from where they were.

"What, pray tell, is a hot dog," Mariusz asked, reading the name of 'Louie's Hot Dogs' on the side of the stand across the street before crossing the street with Tses when the crosswalk indicated that they could do so. "I confess to not being familiar with that type of food item. Do they come in different varieties? Do they differ depending on region here?"

Tses sighed a little and his continued attempts to convince her that manners were important. She just didn't see their necessity. If she could steal it, why ask for it? It was just a waste of time. But maybe in his world it made more sense. Maybe this other country could sort things out diplomatically or politely, without needing to just take. New York was different, after all, as evident when he asked what a hot dog was.

"You've really never had one?" Tses said in surprise, and glanced at him as they approached the street cart. She took a position in line, and shoved her hands in her pockets, facing him. "They're like, a basic food group in Manhattan, although, food may be stretching it just a bit." She chuckled slightly, and shrugged her shoulders. The smell of cooking foot drifted from the cart towards her nose, and her stomach grumbled eagerly. She hadn't realized she missed lunch today, and was now excited to have some food.

"It's meat in bread, and you put some sauces on it. It's not bad. Definitely not high class dining though." She laughed. "Have you got your money converted to American bills already?" She asked questioningly, and pushed her bangs out of her face to look at him.

"I have really never had one," Mariusz replied,using his height and superior vision to peer over the shoulders of the few people that were in line ahead of them. From what he could see this hot dog that Tses was describing to him looked a lot like the sausages that he was familiar with from back home. Similar, yet also different somehow he suspected. Still, he could not argue with the fact that the smells coming from the food cart were definitely pleasant.

"I have no problems with eating this street food," Mariusz said as the line moved slowly, but inexorably, forward towards a point that would allow them to get something to eat. "Of course I have changed my money from Euros to Dollars. I could not very well have offered to buy you lunch as a way of making amends for earlier if I had not already taken care of that chore. I also have some shopping and sight seeing to do today and those activities will require money."

After a few more moments the line reached a point where they were able to get some of these things called hot dogs. Mariusz had been paying attention and noticed that apparently little bags of something called potato chips were also something that was supposed to be included with a hot dog, as well as drinks. "You are the expert, Tses," the Czech mutant said, indicating the hot dog stand with a wave of his hand. "What is the proper way to order this hot dog?"

Tses gave a catty smirk to the stranger, and tried hard not to laugh at his money comment. He acted like it would have been something silly to forget, but she didn't know how many times she saw a tourist trying to pay for something in their native money. Not that they were being dumb, it was just an oversight that gets taken for granted sometimes. You get used to just reaching in your wallet and pulling out bills and then you get stumped when you realize your bills don't work in a new place. Tses had also picked a few pockets and found some Euros or Canadian dollars. She had those stashed back at home. She rarely carried money on her. After all, she just let others pay for her when she went out. This was probably one of the rare times someone did that willingly. It almost took some of the fun out of it.

"And it all just depends on what you like. The most basic is just the quarter pounder, and you can add the condiments and stuff on over there." She nodded her head to an area off to the right side of the cart where little containers of toppings were set aside. "After you've tried just a plain hot dog, they have like chili dogs and stuff like that. I'd see if you like it without too much extra first though." She stepped up as the last person moved out of the way, and placed the order for two number 1's (hot dog, chips, and small soda). For simplicities sake, she just ordered to cokes, and figured if he didn't like it he could get something else from one of the other street vendors. "And now you step over to the second window. That's where they'll give it to you when they're done." She said, and scooted over to the side. Within a few seconds, the food was ready, and she handed him a package of potato chips, his drink, and then picked up her own foods.

"You'll have to get used to eating on the go though. There aren't very many picnic areas around here unless you're in central park." She noted, and shifted her chips to be in the hand with her drink, held between two fingers. Then she took a bite of her hot dog, before reaching for the katsup container and adding a little to her dog.

Mariusz complied with Tses' directions and waited for a moment at the window to receive his food. Once it was safely in hand he followed her around to where the condiments were located. Since she had indicated that less was more, chose to remain silent. He eyed the various condiments, noting that there was something called plain mustard but that it also had a very unhealthy yellow color to it. Mustard was not supposed to be a bright shade of yellow. Looking further along the row of condiments he spotted something that was called spicy brown mustard which looked much closer to what he was familiar with from back home. Picking up the bottle he squirted some onto the hot dog and made a mental note to be careful not to get any onto his suit.

He was just looking around for a place to sit down and eat when Tses said, "You'll have to get used to eating on the go though. There aren't very many picnic areas around here unless you're in central park." 'How peculiar,' the Czech thought to himself, mimicking the way that the blonde was holding her chips and drink so that he would also have his other hand free for eating what looked like a bit of a puny Polish Sausage. He eyed the hot dog curiously before finally taking a tentative bite.

"Very interesting," Mariusz said, after chewing and swallowing the bit of hot dog that he had taken. "It is like a sausage, but not." he continued, taking another bite and then swallowing it while taking a few quick steps to catch up to Tses and being careful not to get any mustard on his clothing. This eating on the go was quite a juggling act! "You said something about putting chili on these, what is chili?" He arched an eyebrow at Tses and took another bite of his hot dog.