"Heh. Yeah, changing my actual eye color... not a good idea." Allison gave Evelyn a rueful grin. "I tried that once, ended up blinding an eye. The whites aren't that delicate, though, so I can play with them, but they hurt."

"I can." Posing done, Allison settled back down. "I have to be nearby, but I can. It's not that easy though; I move ink... hm. It's like having to give directions in math, I guess. I move it to a certain point, or I can keep it all in the same position relative to itself, and move it a distance in a direction. I can't just move a word to another point on the page; I need to know exactly where the page is. So that'd actually be pretty difficult to do."

"Sounds complicated. Maybe it's one of those things you could learn with time though. I have never been a fan of math, honestly. The echoes are ok at physics and stuff, but just crunching numbers is up there on my list of least favorite things." She mused a bit. Her attention moved back to the thoughts of changing the colors of the whites of someone's eyes.

"I can't think of a situation where I'd want to change the colors of my eyes like that. Unless I had like, mutated eyes and wanted the color to go away but your powers wouldn't do that it sounds like. And I'm glad you didn't blind yourself..." That came as a bit of an afterthought. She wasn't exactly sure if it was the appropriate reaction, but it was worth a shot. "Thankfully, my powers can't really damage anything. Well, other than first impressions and peoples patience and things like that." It was a feeble attempt at a joke, and then she stared at the grass again. This was one of the longest conversations she had without some form of arguing, and she felt a little uncertain by it. Something must be wrong.

The echoes were back to chasing squirrels.

"I could. It's mostly just an issue of knowing where the pages are." Apart from that... well, actually, apart from that Allison had done it before. It was really pretty easy. It was just that knowing where the pages are detail that became an issue.... "It's not really math--I don't have to think the numbers, anyway--but it's that sort of information. Knowing exactly where everything is in relation to everything else." She grinned. "So basically I need your echoes."

Allison's laugh at Evelyn's joke was a little exaggerated, but that was fine. It was a bit amusing, and there was no need to make things awkward by frowning at it. "Yeah. At least mine's only dangerous when I want it to be; it doesn't get out of my control. That's helpful."

The echoes had pulled Evelyn's attention to the right, where the dogs owner had practically dragged them across the park in pursuit of the stray cat. The squirrel lost it's acorn in the process, and chattered angrily, prancing above the two girl's heads. It was like the world was unraveling as far as the echoes were concerned.

Yet, it was all background noise to the conversation she came back to. "As long as it's not math, I guess that's not so bad. I'd lend you the echoes if I could though. I don't know what it's like to just hear silence... seems like it would be nice though." She stretched and watched the traffic lights change in the distance. Mid day was getting closer based on the traffic patterns, and if she stayed too long, getting a cab to the mansion would be an nightmare.

"Having control over your mutation is a good thing. I'd rather just have an off switch though. I think that's sort of a common desire... more people I talk to, less likely it seems it'll ever happen." It came out a bit melancholy, so she tried changing the subject. "I should probably get going here soon though. Cabs are short right now after the riots, it'll be a pain to catch a ride if I wait too long. Kinda miss having my own ride. Cabs aren't my favorite mode of transportation." She avoided mentioning she used to ride in a limo. That kinda swept away the whole 'normal' image she was going for.

"Hm. I'm not sure." Allison leaned back against the tree and idly watched the leaves flicker. "I don't think our brains are designed for silence, really. If there's nothing to see or hear, then there's always something else to notice or remember and think about. At least my mind is never quiet." Nor was anyone else's, she was sure, but there wasn't much point to arguing that.

"Ah, yeah. That wouldn't be good to miss. What happened to your car?" Allison had sold hers before moving to New York, since freshmen weren't allowed cars, and then... never gotten around to getting another. She probably should; it would be useful sometimes, even if it wasn't really necessary.

Evelyn nodded slowly. Allison had a fair point, but it didn't extinguish her dreams. Not the slightest. "I know there is always going to be some form of thinking and 'noise' in that sense. But I guess I just want silence from my mutation. I want to look at something without it being analyzed. I want to enjoy talking to someone without getting a play by play of their body language. Heck, I can't even get myself to date because it's so awkward listening to the echoes analyze their actions." It didn't help that Jensen used to terrify her dates as well, but even without him she couldn't bring herself to go out with anyone.

"I used to have a driver before the riots, he left because he got a new job so I guess we probably still have it I just stopped using it. Tried to embrace the whole 'independence' thing. Not sure I'm succeeding." She grimaced slightly then shrugged. She was still alive, that was a plus. But trouble was sure to catch up eventually.

"Hm. That makes sense. Good luck, then." Allison didn't really understand; her mutation didn't give her any feedback whatsoever. Which was a bit annoying, at times. But she could see how it would be overwhelming. "It's not impossible, I think. My mutation kind of... glitched, and quit working for a while, recently...." Hopefully the hesitation would work like she was searching for words to explain it, instead of sorting through all the stuff around that memory. "I don't know why it happened, it didn't last very long," except for being far, far too long, "but if it happened with mine, I'm sure it can happen with others."

"Oh." Well, that changed things a bit. "Can't you drive?" That was kind of a stupid question. Why else would she give up on the car without a driver? For that matter, why else would she have a driver? Evelyn didn't seem like the stuck up sort. "I could teach you, if you'd like. It's been a little while since I drove so I might not be the best teacher ever, but better than nothing."

Glitched... The term came out of the girl's mouth, but there was something else hidden behind it. The emotions that spread across her expressions were evident to the echoes in Evelyn's head, and it was clear something about this 'glitch' was particularly unusual, and the memories perhaps painful. She considered it for a moment. What could cause someone's powers to 'glitch'? She had heard of adapted but... well, that was a though. "I know there are adapteds who can supposedly nullify a mutants powers while you're around them... I haven't met one yet, but if you were around one without knowing, maybe you did..." She bit her tongue a little to keep from inquiring about the situation, and followed the change in the conversation grateful for another distraction.

"I can't drive. I never needed to really, New York is big on public transportation. But it would be nice to learn." She gave a little smile at Allison's offer and chuckled. "As helpful as that'd be, I'm not sure the streets of New York are quite ready for that, especially with the clean up and all that. But maybe sometime you can give me a call if you're still up for it and we can try?" She fished into her purse at her side, and pulled out a little business card. It had the name Holmes printed on the front, and a phone number below it. She gave a little chuckle and handed it to her companion.

"Old nick-name, made some of those as a joke a while back and didn't have much opportunity to use them so I still have a ton." She explained.

"Maybe." Allison was able to answer casually, mostly because she wasn't quite aware what she was responding to; instead, she was busy trying to fight the various thoughts and emotions her own comment had brought up back into memory and out of her mind.

"Yeah, probably not yet." Some streets were clear--the majority, in fact, if you discounted the sort of cigarette butts and broken glass that was always in them--and Allison probably knew where most of them were. But some streets weren't, and those would likely cause all sorts of messed up and chaotic traffic, which was hardly a good environment to learn in. Especially for someone who didn't seem all that enthusiastic about driving in the first place. "Going outside the city might be good at first; so there's less traffic." It was how Allison had learned, anyway, though she had no idea if that was how most people did.

...Hm. Allison tried to keep her smile hidden as she dug her phone out, and added Evelyn's phone number to it, then rewrote the card. She had to make the numbers a bit smaller to accommodate the amount of ink in it, and leave allison in lower case, but that was fine. She grinned as she held the card back out to Evelyn and slid her phone back into a pocket. "Or you can let me know when you have time. I suspect you're busier than I am, if you're trying to clean up a museum."

Evelyn nodded in agreement, and watched as a car tried unsuccessfully to navigate around busted pavement in the distance. The echoes took note of the structural damage the riots had caused, and she wondered how long it would take for things to really be back in 'order'. There were always mutants on hand to blow things apart. Putting them back together... that was a larger task to muster. "Outside the ciy would certainly be preferable. New York isn't a great city to drive in at the best of times, with the slow traffic and narrower roads. I'd still feel more... adult, if I learned I guess." She chuckled slighlty.

She watched curiously as the girl worked her powers on the business card, and smiled as the letters shifted and Allison's number appeared. It was certainly more memorable than punching the digits in a phone. She took the paper lightly and tucked it into a safe location in her purse. "Hopefully it won't take more than a week to fix the museum. I'd like some for of normalicy to keep me sane. But I will get a hold of you, and maybe then we can take a drive. It'd be fun getting out and about, even if driving scares me a little." She glanced at her watch, and shifted slightly, figuring it was probably time to get going home... Home...wherever that was now.

"Cities aren't, generally. Not the big ones; they weren't built for cars." Nor were newer cities, Allison had heard; something about grids being extremely inefficient. She wasn't sure what was supposed to be better, though. Circles, triangles? However efficient they might be for cars, she couldn't see them being easy to navigate. Regardless, the larger, older cities tended to be worse.

"Good luck with the museum." Allison refrained from commenting on driving; she wasn't sure she could think of anything that was reassuring, and not obviously false. 'That's why we're leaving the city, so that you'll be less likely to run into anything' wasn't exactly a great confidence booster. "It'll be less scary as you practice," was the best Allison could do.

Evelyn seemed to be ready to leave, though, so Allison stood up, using a hand against the tree trunk to help. "I'll talk to you later, then?"

Evelyn tried not to let the echoes read too much into Allison's body language as the woman considered commenting on the subject of driving. The lines on her face and expression spoke what the girl was likely putting off saying. It was clear the idea of putting someone new behind the car had some amount of risk to it, and she felt a little disappointed not to have at least some ability which she could reassure Allison with. While Allison contemplated a nice way to say 'it'll be safer having you out of the city', Evelyn contemplated a nice way of saying 'there is probably no safe place to turn over a vehicle to me'.

In the end, she just smiled quietly and made the note to buckle her seatbelt. Tightly.

"I will take your word on that. And thanks. I think the museum will be ok in the end, once the doors are fixed it's all downhill." She smiled slightly, and started to turn, but that stubborn echo kept sticking to the back of her mind. It wriggled under her other thoughts, sent little awknowlege me whines, and generally refused to be tuned out. She tried to ignore it, but seconds after Allison started to say goodbye, she watched the slight body language as the girl stood, the echoes flickered, and out popped the phrase "When are you due?"

Tact... She certainly seemed to lack that little social skill.

Allison choked on air. She then tried to breath, and had to cough a few times to be able to speak again. The delay was convenient, too. "Er--in, um, November. How--echoes?" She certainly hoped that was the reason. Not that it was exactly a secret, but... if that fact was spreading around, she'd prefer to know what else of the story was spreading with it. It made no sense that it would be, though, so Evelyn's echoes were probably it.

The reaction was... expected, perhaps, considering the girl wasn't far along. To the average person she just looked abnormally skinny, nothing more. The stammering reminded Evelyn that she needed to work on her manners however, and the way she approached these potentially 'delicate' issues. She wasn't sure whether to apologize or wait for the girl to collect herself. Wait seemed to have won for the moment, and she gave a somewhat sheepish shrug.

"Echoes. Don't worry, I don't expect that anyone else would know considering how thin you are... unless you told them, but I don't suspect you have..." She fiddled with her purse and pushed her hair form her face. "I apologize if that was a bit outspoken though. Like I said, something I need to work on." Meanwhile, she was mentally kicking her echoes for suggesting the information, and her mouth for saying them. She was starting to rethink the idea of learning to drive. Any situation that forced her to be social seemed to be threatening the world with an even greater possibility of disaster.

"Er... right...." That was good to know. It was also kind of the obvious answer, but still, good to know. Allison ran her hands through her hair, messing it up and then smoothing it back down, mostly to occupy herself while she caught back up with the conversation. "It's okay."

"It was a bit unexpected, mostly. I haven't told many people." Which she needed to do, but Allison didn't want to. Anyway, it'd be obvious eventually. And maybe if she didn't tell them and let them figure it out for themselves, they'd figure out not to ask too many questions about it. Especially not how. That was mostly the one she wanted to avoid.