Athena slumped against the counter for a few precious seconds. She'd only had enough time to get a few hours of sleep after her last EMT shift before it was time to head to the second job. EMT shifts were getting busier. The tensions in the city were giving her more work to do and Athena hated it. A yawn burst forth unbidden before she hurried off to clear away some dishes and refill drinks. Athena preferred it when the city was calm. Less to do on the job and that meant fewer people hurt. It was an all around win. She ferried a plate of steak and eggs to another table and touched up someone's coffee.

Sunday brunch was running her ragged too. This place didn't serve a smaller light menu for Sunday brunch. No, they just used the same old menu. Today's crowd was twice the normal size and it was sapping what energy Athena had left. The tips were good, though they always were when she wore this particular shirt and skirt combination. Said tips were the only reason she was still upright, instead of asleep in a corner. A certain low cut red shirt and a short and tight black skirt generally added generously to her tips.

By the time the brunch rush was over Athena was ready to collapse in a booth and sleep until her next EMT shift. Frank waved her over to an empty booth and put a mug of coffee on it.

"You need a break kiddo. Don't want you passing out on someone's plate."

The owner gave her his usual carefree grin and retreated to the kitchen again, leaving Athena to catch her breath in a mostly empty hole in the wall restaurant.

Tired was an understatement. It was more like he was run ragged. His eyes were showing a dimmer silver than normal and his whole body seemed to call out for rest. His hair was a little disheveled, looking like a college kid that spent the whole night cramming for finals. His clothes were clean but if someone asked if he got dressed in the dark and blindfolded he would have to say yes. But rest wouldn't come. It couldn't come. There was just to much going on for him to rest. He needed answers and he needed help. Neither of which seemed to forthcoming.

Streak made his way to a relatively empty looking diner. He wasn't looking for much... Maybe just a cup of coffee and a little something to eat. Shawn hadn't been to this diner before. He didn't even really know where he was. Streak took a seat and hung his head giving an audible sigh. He needed a break. Hell, life needed a break. Breaks wouldn't work and he wasn't going to let things get worse if he could help it. Streak patiently waited for someone to help him at the diner. Maybe things would improve after he had a bit to eat.

The coffee was getting cold when the new costumer walked in. He looked as exhausted as she felt. Athena empathized with him for a few moments before hauling herself to her feet. It was time to do her job. Not before she drained the cup of coffee, cold or not, though. Any energy boost was a welcome one. After she'd put the cup away Athena sashayed over to where the new guy had sat down to play the part of the attentive waitress. She pasted a friendly smile on, grabbed a menu, and pulled the order book out of her small apron.

"Good morning!" she chirped with gusto she didn't possess, "Welcome to Frank's Joint. My name is Athena and I'll be your waitress today."

As she gave the usual spiel Athena placed the menu in front of him.

"The soups for today are chili and potato. Now what can I get you to drink?"

Whoever this guy was seemed like he'd had a rough few days. Athena could related. Every EMT shift she took saw more and more calls. It wasn't bad yet but if thing kept up, it would be. It was enough to make a girl consider calling up her parents. They'd probably take her on the road again if she asked. But that wouldn't be fair to the city. Athena knew she wasn't exactly a hero type but she wasn't gonna abandon the place right before she was needed.

The waitress seemed chipper enough; however, her face and the bags under her eyes began to betray just how tired she really was. If he didn't know any better he'd think that she'd been awake for the past few days. Not that he could really say he'd been much better. The words uprising were something that he was all to familiar with and he was only just beginning to hear the words uttered again as mutants seemed to be looking for justice that followed the outrage of the newest mutant-hate phenomenon. Streak looked up and smiled a tired smile. It was all he could do to keep himself from falling asleep when the lady started her spiel.

"Good morning! Welcome to Frank's Joint. My name is Athena and I'll be your waitress today. The soups for today are chili and potato. Now what can I get you to drink?"

"I'll take a coffee, as strong as you can make it, and a water to start." His voice was gravelly instead of its normal smooth tenor. It had the air of someone that had been outside in this retched weather for hours on end shouting to be heard. In truth he had been and he was just trying to get some quite before he was needed to try and keep the order again.

"Do y'all serve breakfast all day here?"

He was really hoping this was the case. He could certainly use a good old fashioned egg, bacon, and toast. But if they weren't in the breakfast serving mood then he'd settle for something else to catch his fancy. It took this long for him to realize what she said her name was. His brain was definitely working in slow motion today. "Athena. That's an awesome name. Your parents must have been mythologists or something." Shawn wasn't trying to pry he was just trying to keep himself awake.

Athena smiled tiredly as she jotted down the man's drink order and signed it to Frank. He had a specific series of hand signs he'd made up for orders so that they could be got out to the customers faster. She mimed coffee, paint peeling strong at Frank followed by water. Following that she turned back to the customer. Frank would have the drinks ready for her at the counter once she got done talking to him.

"Yup, Anything you want all day long. You want steak and eggs at midnight then Frank and the night crew will be happy to oblige. Lemme go grab your drinks hun."

Athena had spied Frank signalling her that his drinks were ready and she excused herself to go grab them before answering his comment on her name. Once she set down the coffee and the water she leaned against the bar.

"Anthropologists actually. Mom has always been fascinated by religions while Dad just studied whatever culture caught his eye. They traveled a lot for work and due to a lucky lottery break. I was born in Athens, hence the name Athena." she paused for a moment, "So what about you? What's your name?"

Her leaning against the counter wasn't just for show, though any male looking might have thought otherwise. No she leaned because she was tired and the counter might have been the only thing holding her up.

"Yup, Anything you want all day long. You want steak and eggs at midnight then Frank and the night crew will be happy to oblige. Lemme go grab your drinks hun."

Streak waited for her to get back with his drink. He rubbed his eyes and tried to stifle another yawn. There were just too many people going crazy about this mutant thing for it to do any good. Not that he didn't blame them. It was just his job to keep the peace and not to succumb to the mounting tensions that are occurring.

"Anthropologists actually. Mom has always been fascinated by religions while Dad just studied whatever culture caught his eye. They traveled a lot for work and due to a lucky lottery break. I was born in Athens, hence the name Athena. So what about you? What's your name?"

"That's a pretty cool way to come up with a name. I guess it's good you weren't born in Poland or some place where all their city names are weird. I've always enjoyed mythology stuff." he took a sip of his water. It was like he'd been dehydrated for the past few days. Once he set it down he answered her question. "I don't have a cool story like that for my name but I'm Shawn."

Shawn casually glanced over the menu, not really reading them, just looking at the pictures. "You look pretty tired, why don't you sit down?"He suggested. "I grew up in Texas with my family and moved here years ago. Now, I work at a school around here." Among other things was just a thought that he was tempted to say but didn't. There were a lot of things that needed to get done but he was surely allowed a break every once in a while. Even if it was for just a quick bite.

She chuckled a little, lucky indeed. He hadn't heard her middle name yet and Athena wasn't about to tell. It tended to make Athena seem tame in comparison. The Jones' hadn't been content just naming their daughter after one goddess. No, they went all in with two. She supposed she was just lucky that they weren't a catholic family or she might have another goddess or two in her name.

"I grew up with it, my parents being what they were. Well that and the weird cultural customs of whoever they happened to be studying at the time." she tossed Shawn a tired smile as he introduced himself, "Nice to meet you Shawn."

Shawn's suggestion sounded nice. Sitting down would have been great. But she was working so she pouted a little as she replied. "No can do. I'm on shift for a little while yet. Can't sit down unless Frank says so."

He'd shared his reason for being in New York so Athena saw no reason why she shouldn't share hers. While her mutation wasn't as obvious as glowing eyes or candy striped skin it still showed after all. She shrugged a little.

"Eh, I'm a mutant. Just like here, other places don't take to kindly to mutants at times so after an incident my parents sent me back here to finish up high school. I'm an EMT when I'm not here. That's what has got me so tired. That and the brunch rush."

"I grew up with it, my parents being what they were. Well that and the weird cultural customs of whoever they happened to be studying at the time."

Her smile looked as tired as his did. Apparently she'd been just as busy as he had been with just as little sleep. Streak couldn't help that she had experienced way more than most people would in their entire life because of how her family lived. If they traveled as much as she said, then it would only make sense that she was very diverse. Finally it was confession time. She told him what exactly brought her to this giant city.

"Eh, I'm a mutant. Just like here, other places don't take to kindly to mutants at times so after an incident my parents sent me back here to finish up high school. I'm an EMT when I'm not here. That's what has got me so tired. That and the brunch rush."

"True but we're working on getting them to accept us." Streak said to her. "I'm a mutant too. I work at a school that offers a safe haven for mutants. We've got a pretty good set up there and most humans don't come near the place because the government is on our side...Now." He didn't want to delve into details about her incident unless she volunteered them. He'd heard plenty of stories about parents sending their kids to the mansion to learn control and many of them stayed because it was a good place.

"They didn't always like us there. They thought we were building an army. But we've put that rumor to rest, for the most part. Everything that's happening now doesn't really inspire that they'll leave us alone." He didn't usually describe his powers. It was usually just easier to show people. The silvermancer's silver slid out from under his shirt sleeve and traveled down his right arm. The whites of his eyes and pupils were now gone and replaced with a constant silver color.

The silver covered his entire arm and hand for a minute. Streak looked at Athena with his silver eyes and said, "Many of us work with the NYPD as a sort of mutant response team and with the government officials to make sure that they don't try to do something that will entice another riot and end badly. That's just one reason I'm so tired." Streak retracted the silver from his arm and his eyes returned to their normal, white parts and silver color.

He was never scared to present his powers. Some said it was a curse but he thought it only as a gift to use in the way the he saw fit. Shawn was sure that being an EMT had her pretty busy with these near riots and revolutions going on lately. Just then his stomach rumbled and he remembered he hadn't ordered yet. He'd drank some of the coffee but mostly they'd been talking. "Oh can I get some eggs scrambled and pancakes by the way?" He'd completely forgotten the reason that he'd come in the diner.