Sylar was starting to realize something as this encounter when on, and reminded him of another encounter he had in the sewers with a strong woman. Sylar realized strong women were not something he could handle, a lack of fear seriously unnerved and broke his pace. He wasn't sure how old Evelyn was, but she seemed to have guessed he was younger. A lot of people had trouble guessing his age, unable to judge based on anything but his voice. She was close in her description of him, the fear of his baser instincts is what kept him down here, but it was the fear of his parents that had sent him down here to begin with. She also revealed she was a mutant, something he hadn't guessed at yet, at least not seriously.

He sighed, his voice having melted into the weak vocals of a teenage boy. "I've spent three years living with this body, and it's not the outside you should worry about." Mutants were afraid of their powers, or what they might do with them by accident, Sylar wasn't afraid of accidents, he was afraid of his ever regressing mind. "You may not see me as a monster, but I'll become one eventually. You don't know the whole story of my mutation." Part of him wondered what it was like to be able to talk like she did, always a step ahead without having to ask what the other person was thinking

He chuckled at the irony of her statement. "I guess people and mutant's really aren't so different when they're afraid." He'd avoided the riots entirely, knowing just how dangerous a powder keg of fear and aggression could be. "So I gotta ask, what exactly makes you a mutant? I'll seriously laugh if your mutation is an ability to dominate a conversation." She had said she wasn't a mind reader, but she might as well be if she could guess things like she had been. Without his image of a monster, or aggression as a mutant, Evelyn was left talking to a rather timid boy.

He shook his head and sighed, "Maybe I did, she was terrified, even more so after I snuck up on her. But no kid deserves to feel like that, alone and terrified, with nobody to help. Kid's should be with their parents, at least while they're young." His voice was exceptionally melancholy for a moment, as his mind wandered to the day his parent's called him an abomination and wanted to abandon him after he mutated. Even if Sylar devolved into a monster that stalked the night and fed on fear, he'd at least like to know that little girl remained happy with her parents, like he never could.

Evelyn shuffled from foot to foot as he talked, considering what he was saying and letting it process through her mind. The echoes picked up on a certain inflection to the sentence here, a lack of emphasis there, and let the words shape the picture in her head. slowly, it became more clear. There must be a more feral side to him he was trying to keep contained. That would certainly be a reason to be nervous. Whether or not he personally was dangerous, letting a feral side loose could kill and make the rumors find a ring of truth.

"I may not know your story, true. But I've been around, seen people that have struggles like you. You feel dangerous, you feel forgotten. Heck, your hiding in a sewer. Something had to have gone down to make you feel this is the only place you and everyone else would be safe. Actions can tell a lot, even when words don't." She leaned back against one of the walls, careful not to get her hair in anything nasty, and crossed her arms lightly across her chest. His laughter reverberated around the room, fading quickly. "My mutation isn't really...special, I guess. I'm observant. And I don't forget things. The combination is what makes it feel like I read minds. I watch people, study behaviors and react on what I see. That's how I knew someone was down here. I followed the clues." She shrugged, and toed the ground a little. She wasn't very keen on talking about her own abilities.

"But you know, parents have a way of being afraid whether you have a tail or you're just smart. My parents thought if they found the right doctor they could make it go away. It didn't work. Never would have. They got me a handler and got me out of their hair. Maybe they weren't afraid of me, but they thought having a mutant in the family was a liability." She sat up a little, and readjusted the bag on her shoulders.

Sylar sat on his heels, resting his hands on his knees as he talked with Evelyn. She was certainly curious to keep speaking with him instead of seeking escape from his dank domain. Part of Sylar was starting to enjoy the encounter, yet another case of a mutant trying to inspire him beyond his loathed self image. Though Evelyn wasn't like Serena or Alma, but kind of a more middle grounded approach in opinion of mutation. "It seems every mutant wants to promote kinship, none of the ones I've met will just accept what I say, instead it's always a fight to try and cheer me up." He didn't smile, but his words were lighter and becoming friendlier.

Her mutation was super human observational skills? Sylar recalled his life from years ago, when he was just the blind kid in the library. He tilted his head in puzzlement before speaking. "So...you're like a mutie Sherlock Holmes?" He'd read a bit of Sherlock Holmes, though there wasn't much available in braille, he'd at least read some major classics. So she could observe and notice the most minute of details. That kind of super sense must be interesting, Sylar's senses allowed him to pick up on things normal people couldn't, but it was fundamentally different in that his senses were heighted to superhuman levels, similar to alot of predatory animals. In her case that meant she could focus in on things people just missed.

This really made him wonder if the trail she'd followed hadn't been so minimal that only she'd have been able to notice it. Sylar had developed something of a soft spot for other mutants, and her experience with her own parents kind of made him want to like her even more. At least as a fellow mutant. " I'm not sure if I should say you had it better or worse than my own experience. Mine simply called me a monster, and wondered if I should be whisked away by the government." Sylar never truly learned what his parents thought of him, their reactions to his mutation were more than enough to cement in him a permanent separation. "So why are you sitting down here trying to cheer up some sewer mutie? I know what I want, but what does this idle curiosity of yours get for you?"

Evelyn adjusted her her bag and nodded in response to his statement. "I am not super big on the whole 'kinship' thing with mutants. I think some people want us to all get along because we're 'the same'. We're not the same. Our mutations are very different as are our personalities and lifestyles. But we go through some of the same things and there is a level of understanding there that can exist..." She mused a little, and watched him sit. Like WereCat, there was an animal-like body language to him mingled in with his human actions. The echoes had to adjust to read him better.

She smiled at the literature reference he settled on. "Pretty much. People used to call me 'Holmes' because I reminded them of those novels. Arthur Conan Doyle is my favorite writer, and perhaps the way I learned to use my powers was influenced by that." Even at the mansion, people called her Sherlock from time to time. She may be intelligent like the famous detective, but her common sense could use a little more work. Mostly, her sense of danger.

"It's hard to say how things would have worked out with your parents... I guess you didn't stay around long after your powers start arriving, but it can go both ways. Some learn to accept a mutant, some detest the idea. I wouldn't worry about it so much. Better or worse, it happened." She fiddled with the flashlight in her hand, wondering if she was saying the right things. She was questioning that more and more since WereCat went and tore her shoulder open. Words could be dangerous if you didn't pick the right ones, so she tried not to upset him.

"Why am I sitting down here?" She considered it, and uncrossed then recrossed her arms a bit. "Well talking to you for one helped settle my curiosity. And maybe I'm trying to cheer you up because I have an unnatural belief that there is good in all people. I can see it, even in some of the worst people I know. There is still a flicker of humanity, something that drives them to do what they do. Part of me just wants to understand. I know I can't really help but knowing why makes me feel a bit better I guess... I don't know if any of that makes sense." She tugged on the bottom of her shirt and straightened it, glancing up as the rumble of cars nearby sent echoes through the tunnels.

Evelyn was a strange creature for Sylar to comprehend. She was similar, and yet very different to anyone else he'd encountered. The experience made him realize just how different mutants could be, much like normal people. She could probably survive perfectly well in either world, unlike Sylar who could never make it among normal people, and was still too timid to enter the mutant community. "That still sounds like kinship to me, maybe not on the level of a pack, but sounds like being friendly to me." His use of the word friend was rare, outside of Serena, Sylar didn't believe he had any friends, or that he would make any more considering his personality.

It'd quite some time since he'd read a Holmes novel, longer than even the 3 years he'd been living underground. "It seems i'm not the only mutant given a name through his actions." Her description of her ability reminded him of Holmes's skills, though even Doyle probably couldn't imagine somebody would exist one day with a realistic version of that uncanny ability. Sylar remained crouched, never standing, or meeting Evelyn's eyes with his own gaze, however his tail straightened up, hanging in the air behind him, swaying ever so slightly as their talk went on. Evelyn of all people could probably decipher Sylar's animal language, if she had a mind too, especially since it was similar to a cat's.

Most people might be upset by talk of their parents, but Sylar had long since cut most of the ties between child and parent. She didn't offend him, and though she'd been able to rub him the wrong way a few times, his stoic front only spoke of one thing, a lack of emotion towards the topic. "My previous life ended when I became this way, I don't think about it very much." Sylar moved finally from his position, turning from Evelyn and creeping a few steps towards the pile of clothes and rags that had been heaped towards a wall of the junction. He pulled out the bag of chips that had started the whole encounter, popping the plastic apart and grabbing a hand full.

He crunched into the handful of snacks and swallowed. "Barbecue, not bad." He mumbled to himself, his hunger having literally dropped his attention on Evelyn for the moment, at least it seemed that way. Though he wasn't watching her with his dead eyes, his ears would pick up even the slightest movement by the girl, essentially showing she posed no threat in his mind.
He spoke while eating his way through the rest of the bag. "I think your view on people is going to get you hurt." He turned back to her, his head looking over his shoulders a bit as he spoke. "Fear and hatred are powerful emotions, and people are stupid. Your luck will run out sometime, and you'd better have some decent friends to save you when it does. " Sylar said bluntly, she seemed nice enough, but her curiosity and interest in prying reminded him of his days in school. Nobody was naive or curious forever, eventually you'd get burned, and ignore the bad around you.

But maybe Sylar was just bitter, cause his life was forged by bad thoughts and ignorance, and the fact that when he suffered, nobody ever came ot help him, just out of the goodness in their hearts.

Evelyn gave a slow nod and fiddled with her glove a little as she considered his statement. "True, I guess it does sound a little friendly. Guess I never really saw it that way though. Haven't really had many friends. My family came from a more... sophisticated society, and I met other kids but it was awkward and I didn't get along well with others." She gave a slight grin that had a flicker of something catty, perhaps. As a young child, she had certainly used her abilities more than once to make someone else cry. It was only fair, they did the same.

The smile vanished, but she chuckled slightly under her breathe. "Makes it sound like a codename or something. Met a few people with those. Maybe if I ever take on the hero gig I'll adopt the name. Don't really know if I'm the hero sort though." She was just apparently the 'foolish enough to wander in the sewers' sort. She didn't know whether she was brave, or just stupid. Most people seemed to think the later but she didn't always understand. Was it stupid to analyze the situation and act accordingly? Maybe it was just her judgement that needed a little work. She could just people all right, but situations had her confused. Sitting here talking to a sewer monster wasn't normal. Maybe she was just broken. Her parents would certainly think so.

"I think my view on people has already got me hurt. But I can't exactly change my views any easier than you can change your skin. There are plenty of voices to tell me what a person is thinking and what they're doing, but acting on that information is a lot harder to do. Did someone teach you how to use your claws to climb walls?" She waited for his response, then continued. "Well no one told me how to process the information I get fed. There's not an off switch to my mutation either. Sure, I can pretend to be a human because I don't look normal. But that doesn't mean I'll ever act normal." It was an admission more than anything and she pushed off the wall, walking a few steps, and pacing back.

"And what about you? You can't live here forever. What if another monster wants to live in the sewers and he's bigger and tougher than you? You've been ok here forever, but your luck will run out too. Seems I'm not the only one who needs that advice." She said quietly. Another car rumbled more slowly overhead, and distantly there were sirens she could barely hear. The riots may be over, but that didn't mean the city would ever really be normal.

"I kinda got forced to start learning to deal with people though. The riots trashed my apartment and I've been over at 'Mutant Manor' for a week now... It's not bad I guess, but it's not home." Especially when you didn't sleep, and when you did you had nightmares. Not to mention getting in an argument with someone nearly every other day. She was certainly the prime example of social interaction.

Having finished his snack, Sylar sat on his heels once more and began to clean his claw, a motion involving some rather awkward licking, and then wiping his weapons off on his ragged jeans. He'd shown the behavior to someone else before, but how Evelyn would react would probably be different than Amber. Sylar felt a bit of connection with her, knowing how it was to not have friends, though for him it was because of his timid nature. "So you were a rich girl?" He asked bluntly, Sylar was born to an average middle class family, but he'd met a few haughty types before his mutation came.

A codename huh? He guessed it could sound that way, in his case it was more of a title, a name for the monster of local legend, the Predator that hunted Manhattans darkness. The Boogieman beneath the streets, and various things he'd heard people call him. "Hero? I dunno about that, but you could always try the detective racket." He said, smirking ever so slightly, a rarity from his stoic demeanor. He wasn't sure who would want to be a hero, of any sort, but with mutants and super powers about, maybe some people had a taste for it.

He listened to her words, her story about why she acted the way she did. Invasive and naive it sounded like to Sylar, but maybe his abrasive mind was harsh on the girl who could still pass for normal above ground. She asked if anyone taught him to use his claws, and it was a valid point. Once you became a mutant, you couldn't get rid of it, whether it was a visible power or not, you were stuck being different from then on. "No, I've never had anyone to teach me. Instinct and practice taught me to be a predator, much as your power taught you to be nosy I guess." His words may come off as caustic or offensive sometimes, but he had to admire the girl's frankness in who she was and what she did. Sylar didn't care for people who lied about their existence, but preferred the brutal honesty he'd come to embody through time alone.

He laughed at her statement, throwing his words back at himself. What if another sewer mutant came down here and booted him out. He'd never thought of it, but in the animal world, the bigger and stronger male gets the best home. "I haven't had luck at anything for a life time Holmes, but if another sewer mutant comes down here looking for a fight, I guess I'll try what luck I don't have to keep this pit." He stopped for a moment, letting his ears hone in on the sounds from above. Sirens in the distance, heading away from this junction, probably another break in. None of the cars, or steps above seemed to be aimed towards this junction either, so he focused back on Evelyn. She mentioned a word that perked his interest. "Mutant Manor? You mean the mansion off the river?" Sylar knew the mansion, mostly as Serena's home, but he'd met a few others there when he paid a visit to the grounds some time ago.

Evelyn didn't act surprised at Sylar's behavior. The cat-like action just seemed natural considering his appearance, and if he licked his claws it was no different than seeing someone lick their fingers. Although, they usually won't crawling around the sewer with them. He must have a touch immune system to get away with it. "Yeah, I guess you could say I was rich. Well, my parents were. Are. I still have investments in different businesses so I have money if I need it, but mostly just use that for art supplies. I like having a job and trying to be normal. Money is one thing I try never to rely on." There was still enough to her manners and appearance though that reflected her upper class lifestyle. Her clothes were taken care of, her hair and complexion were pale and didn't exactly reflect an 'athletic' lifestyle. Heck, more than once someone had just tossed her over their shoulder or carried her off like she was a stuffed animal. Maybe she'd have been more afraid if there was actually an option to defend herself.

"Detective? That wouldn't be a long-shot... I've done a little detective work before, but it was kinda on a whim... But it's nice doing something useful with my powers. I feel less like a damsel in distress and more capable I guess." This week had certainly damaged her 'I can take care of myself' image anyway. What with getting attacked by mutants, being rescued and then sneaking off on different occasions, most people had decided she was an accident waiting to happen. This kid still didn't know much about her, but he had already picked up on that.

"Well, I'd help you if I could, but I kinda such at the whole self defense thing. Most I've done is fight off some burglars with some marbles and string..." The memory made her smirk slightly, and she glanced around the sewers for a moment, echoes scanning the ceilings. "Your best bet if you ever have trouble down here is to find a few good supports in a side tunnel you don't need and if someone ever attacks you just cave it in on them." She pointed to one tunnel with her thumb. "That one there wouldn't destroy any major structures above it if you knocked it over." Then she readjusted her bag again.

"And yeah, the Mansion off the river. I'm just staying there as a guest right now, I guess a lot of people kinda ended up there during the riots..." The school had gotten rather crowded near the end of the week, so she mostly stayed in her room. That was another reason she debated staying. The chances of having bad playbacks were increasing and the more people there the more likely she'd disturb someone.

The dust cleaned from his fingers, and masking what horrid other tastes might be on them, Sylar wiped them against his jeans once more. It was funny how some people had all the money they'd ever need, but tried not to depend on it, and others struggled to get any and blew whatever they got. Sylar of course was in neither of those groups, having delved into the world of thievery to sustain himself without a source of funds. "Must be nice, I never had a job of my own, and my family was middle of the road. Though I haven't needed money in years." He said, assuming she could probably guess he was a thief by where he lived and how he acted.

Sylar had smashed his way into dozens upon dozens of different businesses over the years, but he'd never tried to rob anyone for money, so he'd never met anyone "rich" so to say. Then again, she just looked like a normal girl to his thermal sight, he was unable to pick up on the looks of an upperclass girl. The smell was different though, clean and more sweet than even Serena had been. "I guess I should have guessed you weren't a regular girl, your scent is ridiculously clean." He wrinkled his nose again, able to pick her smell up against that of the sewer so easily it nearly burned his nostril.

Sylar figured if the girl had Sherlock Holmes the power, she might as well use it as intended. "It's odd that some mutant powers in no way change your form, and yet mine is slowly swallowing me whole." The words were a bit melancholy, as Sylar truly feared what he would become when his human form vanished beneath the black. "Maybe you just need a Watson?" He asked a bit sarcastically.

Her sentence nearly made Sylar smile, but didn't. Fighting off burglars with marbles and strings, she was seriously straight out of a detective story with that kind of weaponry. "I'm not too worried about myself. I'm as dangerous as I look, and much stronger than anybody I've met." Sylar's powers were more than just looking the part of a monster, if he wanted too he could tear a car to shreds with just his hands. "So I think I'll be fine so long as the angry mobs stay up top." Sylar wasn't so worried, if and when a fight came to him, his instincts would save him again, and continue to do so until they damned him.

So she'd been staying at the mansion, yet another mutie being taken in by that community. The more he ran from it the more he wondered if the Mansion would eventually snare him as well. "I've been there before, good place. My friend lives there." Sylar put emphasis on the word friend without realizing it. He only had one friend, and even then he wasn't sure how real that friendship was, considering how little he'd interacted with Serena. "Have you met a girl there, her name's Serena." He asked her, hoping if Evelyn knew her that he could check up on Serena since their meeting some time ago.

It was fairly clear that Sylar made his living off less than honest means, but Evelyn understood that sometimes honest means were unattainable. She was lucky enough to have the money to do what she wanted and not have to resort to such things, but not everyone had that. So she shrugged, set her bags down for a moment and put her hands in her pockets. "Well, if you ever need something I know it's kinda a pride killer but I can help. I may have money but I'm not a snob, I promise." She shrugged, not wanting him to feel like a pity case, but also wanting to make sure he understood she'd rather give him something than have him steal it.

"And I guess I'm complimented I smell clean? Considering we're in a sewer, I probably won't be so flowery once I head home." She hoped she could hop into the shower and clean up before anyone noticed though. It would be difficult to make someone understand why she smelt like sewage. That wasn't really something she felt like doing today. Especially if Mirror was involved. She had more than enough of his grumbling for a while.

Glancing Sylar over, she once more noted the way his mutation hadn't settled over his entire figure. It was almost patchwork, like it was something that was gradually spreading rather than appearing all at once. "I felt that way when my secondary powers arrived. I don't forget, and when I sleep, I relive memories. I don't sleep much because of it... kinda some things better not to remember. But it felt like my powers were taking over my life. In some ways, I always thought having a visible mutation could be easier. Kinda the whole 'you can see the problem' issue. Spend a lot of time feeling crazy, but hard to make someone understand when it's all in your head." She didn't know if he would even understand. Most mutants she ran into dismissed her powers as being 'tame'. Everyone seemed to think there was something worse. She supposed there could be, but things didn't always feel easy when you were dealing with them.

"Well, I hope for your sake the only one who bothers you is a nosy detective..." She gave a slight smile, and then she gave a little nod when Serena was mentioned.

"Yeah, I met her. She's one of the few kids that seems to wander around at night. Has trouble sleeping, but she's happy a lot. So I guess that's good. If you need some optimism she seems like the person to know. Glad you at least got her as a friend." Evelyn remarked. Memories from the night filled her mind, and she flicked them away for the time being.

Sylar shrugged at her offer, it was a kind gesture, but money couldn't really help him with anything out side of somebody buying him food. He wasn't what you would call an average citizen, everything he needed he'd already learned to steal or locate for himself. " Monsters need no money, but if you want to do me a favor, drop some decent food down a manhole sometime." Sylar crept back towards her, leaving behind his makeshift bed. His form continued to stay low to the ground, moving inhumanly low to the floor as he returned to sitting before Evelyn. Sylar wasn't offended by pity, nor did he feel the need to accept it.

"My sense of smell is powerful, I can pick up things most people can't even comprehend. Your scent is almost like bleach against the various things down here." He wasn't sure he could explain what it was like to be able to pick apart a person's smell, the chemicals in their hair, the scent of salt and pheromone leaking form their flesh, the food on their breath, all of it painted pictures for Sylar, while to most people it simply mattered whether or not a human "stank". "Hopefully your clothing wasn't ruined when I jumped you." A near apology for his actions, and the best she would get.

Sylar's body tended to mutate in growth spurts, painful periods of time when chitin erupted from his skin and settled over it permanently. So far his most painful experience was the tail, a long slow process as it split off and grew from his spine. "I'm not sure how difficult it is to have super observing powers, but my issue isn't that i'm a living weapon. It's the urge to use the weapon. So trust me, I know what it's like when the problem is all in your head." He said the words with a lack of emotion, Sylar didn't feel pity for any other mutant, whether or not they claimed to struggle with their powers. He had himself to think about, and his issue was as major as anyone's could be. "Every mutie probably has their story" He finished, understanding another mutant seemed like an entirely impossible idea to Sylar. It wasn't that he could comprehend similarities, or their emotions, but if they all had different and unique abilities, then they all had to deal with them in different ways. Did Evelyn have to deal with murderous hunger and the urges of a beast? Probably not, and neither did Sylar struggle with an abundance of curiosity and attentiveness.

Sylar smiled briefly as Evelyn described Serena. It seemed even her ability read Serena like she was. A overly kind, friendly girl with no negativity what so ever, even in the face of a monster creeping out of a manhole. "That sounds exactly like her. I burst out of the ground when I met the girl, and the first thing she did was try to befriend me." His tail straightened out and swayed a bit, the normally stoic boy feeling happy to think of his first friend. "I guess she's doing alright then." He said with the slightest hint of concern. He wondered though, why Evelyn said she was a guest at the mansion, did she intend to leave? "So you don't like it at the Mansion or something? When I visited it seemed like they expected me to want to live there right away." Sylar wasn't against the attempts by Serena and Kealey to move him from the sewers to the Mansion, he simply didn't feel he could join their community at the time.

Evelyn gave a slight smile at his remark, and nodded her head. "Heck, I can lower down a whole lasagna if you want it. There are some pretty good chefs here in the city, it'd be a shame for you not to get a chance to try one of their specialties. I here the chicken Alfredo on 10th is divine." She tried saying it as lightheartedly as possible, but it felt hard to really connect with the kid. He had been here so long, he seemed adapted to the sewers and the tough lifestyle they created. It was like her trying to be social. It was a weakness that would take time to deal with...

Evelyn glanced at her clothing, but it didn't seem to be ruined. She gave a slight shake of her head and rubbed her shoulder after she did though. "My clothes should survive. They're all second hand anyway, but I may have a bruise or two in the morning... Better than last week though. Cat mutant tried to give me flying lessons, the landing could have been better." There were still slight traces of bruising on her neck, but she doubted he could see it in the dark. Then again, it was hard to tell what exactly he could see. The echoes couldn't exactly analyze his eyesight for her, but he seemed to rely much on sound when he paused and looked around.

"Predatory mindset." Evelyn remarked lightly, and paused before explaining herself further. "I've met a few people with mutations like yours and most of them have a more 'feral' side they have to learn to control. That's why you distance yourself: you don't want to find out what happens if that side gets control..." There was the slight tone of a question in there, but she said it more like a statement. There was no judgement in it though. Heck, he already pinned her to the floor once and she didn't seem to hold it against him. As long as she wasn't dead, she could deal with most mutants without really feeling afraid. Maybe that was her foolishness though, as he already established.

Then, a smile. Apparently, he regarded the young girl fondly, which was a good start. At least there was someone he considered trustworthy. Or, if nothing else, he considered a friend. "She's doing ok. I think she has some things she needs to work through, but it'll take time for her to admit it. As long as she's happy though, it doesn't matter. I wouldn't push it..." She fiddled with her gloves at the question he presented, and shrugged. "Honestly, the mansion makes me nervous. Living with a bunch of people when I'm not used to it, and half the time I seem to just argue with people..." Mostly Mirror, but that was because he was a pain in her ass. Or she was a pain in her ass... depending on the day. "Everyone is nice, and they seem to expect the same thing. But just seems like it would be a cage..." She wondered if that's how Sylar would feel. Being in the school sometimes gave her the sensation of being a big dog in a small kennel. Not enough space to move with so many people about.

Sylar couldn't remember the last time he had lasagna, and he wasn't even sure what Alfredo was. However her comment elicited the most real smile Sylar had shown in years. "Maybe I like you after all Holmes." Sylar didn't really care about clothing or filth himself, considering his home. But he figured she would care about hers. Sylar hadn't met a cat mutant, but Serena had mentioned one living at the mansion. " The way Serena spoke, I figured everything was always peachy at the Mansion." Sylar wasn't surprised though, mutants were all different from one another, they were bound to clash. Though he wasn't sure why she'd ended up at the wrong end of a giant cat.

Sylar listened intently as she spoke, her words right on the mark. Sylar's inner mindset was slowly changing, inching closer to more beast than man, the one thing he was really afraid of. He stopped her though "There is no control, no matter how tame an animal is, it will always be a beast. My inner monster will eventually consume me, and when it does I already know what will happen. Until then, I'll stay safe and away from the world." For now Sylar was able to tame himself with food and willpower, but the willpower was fading, and eventually his hunger would be too large to be sate by chips and snacks. Someday he'd go hunting for real, and that'd be the end of Sylar Scott. Even if she'd met other hunters, Sylar's instincts were different, an exponentially growing monster that craved the worst of meals. How many men had to deal with an inner cannibal craving freedom?

Sylar did have a soft spot for Serena, a very sincere affection. He was happy to hear she was ok, though he wasn't sure what had happened to her since last they met. "I'm glad she's well. It's been awhile since last I saw her." He was a bit surprised someone normal looking struggled to fit in, but she had made a point about how powers were different between every mutant. Perhaps her power really was that difficult to deal with. "It made me nervous as well, being a loner and all. However I think there's one big difference between us. You felt lonely in a group, while I've always just kept to myself." He wasn't aiming to get her pity, or words to encourage him to try mingling with mutants. His only goal was to point out she was in a fundamentally better situation than his. "Perhaps it is a cage, but to live up there you have to be part of a group. At least give them a chance, and if not, give Serena a chance. The girl is too nice not to like." He said with a grin.

The smile was genuine. She could tell by the way his mouth moved, teeth showed, and the posture that went with it. It felt like a small accomplishment, a spark of humanity that was just out of reach. In a way, she wished he was wrong about himself, and that inner beast would go away. She'd never forget the encounter, but that would just make it sad if she ever met him when he became the monster he thought he would.

"Peachy? I don't think the mansion is always peachy... I think it tries to be but maybe I'm just enough of a pain in the ass I get people to snap. Besides, I don't think Sara lives at the mansion anyway. There are a few other cat people though, and thankfully didn't have the same problem with them..." She realized her sentences were trailing off with no real solid direction, and she tried to navigate them back. The echoes didn't help, studying the traffic patterns distantly being heard and trying to guess what time it was. She should get home eventually, before someone asked questions.

"Well, if you ever you know, want to swing by the mansion before then, at least say hi to the kid, I don't think you'll destroy the place in one sitting. I respect your wishes to stay here and all that, but no one there will let anything happen." Evelyn said slowly. She'd still drop him off food one of these days, but it seemed like only a temporary solution to his long term problem.

Then he pointed out her own problems, and she toed the ground a bit. "I'm trying, I guess. But I don't know if I am really good at being part of a group. Who knows, maybe I'll stay there? But maybe I won't... depends on who wants me around or not." The mansion was starting to feel awfully crowded anyway. Mirror, Sam, Maxine, Talon, WereCat... If she ever wanted to avoid someone, the chances seemed pretty slim. She had already lost her temper a few times. She tried her best not to do it again.

Sylar's smile didn't last long, physical acts of emotion a rarity for the sewer mutant. Maybe he needed to pay another visit to the mansion, he hadn't since before all this riot nonsense got really out of hand. "I guess it's not surprising that a house full of mutants has it's normal squabbles and fights." He nearly smiled again when she pointed out her own ability to annoy others. "Well you do have a certain ability to get on somebody's nerves." It was funny considering how frustrated he'd been by Evelyn's actions only moments ago, and now he didn't mind her presence.

She couldn't stay much longer in his domain though, this lair was forfeit after her little bout of snooping, and he'd have to salvage what he could and destroy the rest. Not everybody had super human levels of observation, but he had to make sure once he was gone this old junction was just another part of the nasty sewer underbelly and not seen as former home of a sewer creature. Sylar wondered if he might meet one of these cat mutants the next time he stopped by the Mansion, he loved cats. And odd personality quirk considering of his. He'd have to follow her back to the manhole she came down, and make sure he secured the cover this time.

"I only go out at night, mostly. So if I return to the mansion, I'm sure there will be few people I have to worry about. Most likely you won't even notice I've stopped by." Though Evelyn had caught him down here, Sylar was quite effective at remaining hidden once he wanted to be, Evelyn had basically only found him through a few minute clues and the fact that he wanted to ambush her. "Well whether you live there or not, I'd suggest working on your sense of danger." He warned her, as one of the most cautious and timid creatures in Manhattan, Sylar hated to see somebody with almost no sense of worry when it came to the unknown. It bugged him on an instinctive level.

Sylar stopped speaking for a moment, and allowed his ears to focus on the world above. With the siren's gone he could hear what little activity was above them, meaning Evelyn could leave the sewers without much chance of grabbing attention. "Sounds like most of the activity above us has died down. It must be pretty late into the night." Sylar's sense of timing was fairly different than the average persons. He couldn't depend on clocks, or the sun and starlight to figure it out. Instead he mostly based it on the sounds he heard, how active the world was around him.