"In the great green room, there was a telephone and a red balloon and a picture of..." Maya pointed out the objects on the page as she read to the small group of mothers and children that were seated in a semi-circle in the children's section of the store.

Rowan was at daycare next door and reading this pedantic children's book made her miss him. He liked it, even if it was weird.

"Goodnight stars. Goodnight air." She yawned for emphasis and turned to the last page. "Goodnight noises everywhere." This was always the last book she read at story time because it put the already sleepy kids practically into a trance.

Goodnight Moon. Get's 'em every time.

Maya gave the collection of mothers a moment to get their things together before she stood by taking the time to smooth out her brown and white hair and pluck at the shoulders of her blouse to straighten her name tag. This was her store. Her name tag even said so: Maya Csendes, Owner. As such, she got to chose the fun jobs like reading to the kids.

Mariusz pushed open the door to the bookstore and stepped inside, folding his wings as he came through the door. He was immaculately dressed in a custom tailored black pin-striped three piece suit. As he entered the shop his eyes quickly adjusted to the darker interior lighting of the store, at least compared to the outside world. Noticing quickly that there were a number of children in the store the avian mutant made himself scarce, ducking behind a shelf of books in the Philosophy section and beginning to browse.

As he poked through the books, occasionally pulling one from the shelf and leafing through it, he regretted his decision to not get lunch before coming to the book store. In truth it was still lunch time, but by the time he finished here he was sure it would be closer to a late lunch rather than a true lunch. Looking through the shelf he pulled a copy of Richard J. Foster's Celebration of Discipline from the shelf and began to thumb through it, examining the contents.

"Can I help you, sir?" Maya smiled, but wasn't very good at hiding her unease at having a well dressed mutant in her store. By her experience, such individuals were usually looking for trouble in her self-proclaimed neutral ground. Stupid mobsters grabbing up every mutant they could con into believing that they were loved or at least needed.

Besides, the last man she had known that had wings had severed a man's tongue and then pressed it into her hands as a gift.

Having deposited her board-book back into the story time basket, Maya had noticed a customer skulking about and, now, here she was addressing the bird mutant as sir.

She noticed the book he was casually flipping through was of a religious nature. Even if he was the type to cut out tongues, so long as he didn't do it here she could be gracious. "We also have a self-help section if you like." Maya tried to be warmer and kinder than before as she smiled. Neutral ground was neutral ground, after all.

"Well, I suppose I am looking for any number of things," Mariusz said with a soft English accent, shrugging his shoulders slightly when the dark haired woman approached him. "At the moment though I am trying to locate a revised edition of Ronald Enroth's The Lure of Cults and New Religions and Charles Hodge's Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans," he continued, turning to face the woman properly as he closed the book he'd been perusing but continued to hold it in his hands.

"I am afraid, though, that the self help section would hold little interest. I already own several translations of the best self help book there is," he said, transferring Foster's work to his left hand so he could hold out his right. "Mariusz Kasparek," he said, making a proper introduction.

Interesting choices. "Then you'll be wanting this section... here." Just a few quick steps to the left and they were there.

Maya's fingers ran across the spines until she recognized one. "Ah. Here we are. The Lure of Cults and New Religions by Ronald Enroth. The other... Hodge, Hodge, Hodge..." She passed the book over so that she could use her hands to help her scan the other titles. Some days, her vision of flat objects just wasn't the best. Her aerial sense just couldn't help that.

"It might be in there, but I don't see it right now. I can check the computers if you want." She smoothed her hair back and tried not to show any strain at the subject matter. Her estranged husband had started a cult that had almost nuked the city. When did she end up with so many issues?

"Maya Csendes." She pronounced it chen-desh and tapped her name tag to show Mariusz before returning the handshake. The name, at least, was Hungarian.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mariusz." She didn't flinch away from a proper pronunciation, having lived abroad more than once in her life. "Is your name Eastern European, per chance?" That was her best guess. That region was not her forte.

"Thank you," Mariusz said, accepting the book from Maya and adding it to the Foster book already in his hands. "I admit," he said, shaking Maya's hand, "that the other book I am looking for is rather old. I am not truly sure if it is even still in print."

When she said what her name was he rolled that around in his mind, trying to place it. He was familiar with so many foreign names due to his background. He mulled it over in his mind, trying to place a nationality to it since Maya didn't speak with any discernible accent.

"Oh no, the pleasure is mine and yes, actually, I am Czech and your name is... Bulgarian, I think, or possibly Romanian," he said, shifting the weight of the two books in his arms slightly.

At just that moment his stomach chose to make a most objectionable noise that anyone nearby was sure to hear. "Pardon me," he said, looking a bit embarrassed. "It seems my stomach would like to remind me I have yet to eat lunch today."

"Actually, I was told it's Hungarian and means peace, I think?" A lovely ideal she just could not part with. "Romania's not too far off." He was nice. Genuinely nice. Not that she had ever been able to tell a faker from the real thing. She was just the type of person to believe everyone and she had the scars to prove it.

Now hunger, that was something everyone at lunch time could agree on. "Good thing we're in Manhattan. There's plenty of excellent places within walking distance if you have the cash." And he was making no small effort to show that he had the cash with that handsome suit.

Maya offered her hands out for the books. "Let me check you out." Wait. That wasn't what she meant! Maya immediately squinted one eye in a cringe. "I mean ring your purchases up? So you can go eat, I mean." Her pale cheeks showed every blush so clearly that she knew her embarrassment was obvious.

"Neither country is far from my homeland, though I grew up much closer to the German border. Still, once you are on the continent it is super easy to find a train to wherever you want to go in a relatively short period of time," Mariusz said, neglecting to mention that he tended to simply fly wherever he wanted to go unless the flight was too long, like from California to Hawaii.

"That is a great thing about New York, no place is ever really too far away," he said, neglecting to mention that for him money was no object. Unless he wanted to buy something truly outlandish, like the New York Yankees. Then money might be an object.

"I know what you meant," the Czech man said easily. "Though I admit I do not know this part of the city all that well yet. I am still rather new here. Perhaps you would care to join me? In the wake of the riots it might help me get in the door too," he continued, offering a small smile as he passed the books over to Maya.

Trains, huh? That made sense. She'd traveled that way across Japan. Why not across a larger continent? "I actually lived in Asia so I don't really know too much about Europe. Not first hand, anyway." Maya shrugged. So, so thankful for the easy response. He didn't even tease her one bit. She was totally right about him being a nice guy.

Maya took his books from him and led him to the circular till at the center of the store. She knew her way around the place, it was comfortable for her even if this was the site of one of her worst memories it held far, far more pleasant ones. She punched the codes from the books in manually. No fancy barcode computers here.

The invitation took her by surprise. They had only just met. He was nice. A patron of her store, even. "I'm sorry, I..." Just got out of a messy relationship? Was not even sure if she was out of a messy relationship? He wasn't asking for her hand in marriage, just lunch. Friends could go out for lunch. And Maya could certainly use a friend. In that single moment of hesitation she changed her tone and her answer. "I'll just have to let them know in the back."

She told him the total and exchanged goods for money. The books got slipped into a brown paper bag with the green circular logo. Then she skipped into the back to comb her fingers through her duo-toned hair and let Agyness know that she was taking her lunch away from the store today. She was glad that she dressed up for work that way she would not look too different from her company.

"Ready if you are. Do you have a preference?" Maya pushed through the handicapped door rather than the infamous revolving door. It just seemed easier for the wings to fit that way. "Also, have things really been that bad? Since the riots, I mean?" She was a mutant and it felt pretty obvious to her but standing next to Mariusz, maybe it wasn't.

"I quite understand," Mariusz replied, accepting the bag of books back from the woman as she moved away from the check-out area to go and let her employee or employees know that she was leaving for lunch. His sharp eyed gaze had not failed to pick up the word "owner" on Maya's name tag. He waited at the check-out area for Maya to return. With a little luck perhaps his little 'party problem' would be solved in an hour or two.

In a few moments she had returned and was leading the way out of the shop, noticeably avoiding the revolving door which Mariusz presumed was really just as well. "I have no preference," he said, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Like I said I really do not know this part of the city all that well, so I will defer to your good judgment."

"As for your question, I really could not begin to say. I live in a place that is a mutant haven. Still, I have often found that my shopping in the city goes much better when my clothing announces from the start that I have money. Would that it were not so, but it is. So, why fight it?"

Italian? Or would Mr. Mariusz be confused for mob as Maya had so casually done? Also, spaghetti sauce was not meant for graceful eating. So that was out. Indian then? Too spicy. Polish? Too close to home for him? "I usually eat vegetarian, have you ever been to a vegan restaurant?" Though most people thought that stuff was weird... "Oh wait." She practically interrupted herself. "I've got it." She chose a direction and smiled up at the bird mutant which was a change since she was tall for a woman.

It was a couple blocks east, but worth the walk.

Mutant haven? "Do you live at Sanctuary?" Or maybe the Mansion? Neither of those seemed "safe" to her, though. "I kinda thought you might be in one of those mutant groups that like to come to my store to stir up trouble." She at least had the grace to sound embarrassed at the thought. The nicest dressed man she'd ever met had turned out to be a vampire. "But you've convinced me otherwise. Ah- here we are!"

Hale and Hearty Soups was a small place at the base of a large, gray building. They had red signs in the window, not even allowed awnings on the exterior. Such a stingy land lord. Maya didn't know how good she had it when her building was purchased with a fund set up through friends. They didn't care how she advertised, not that she did it in a tacky way anyway.

"I haven't actually eaten here, but... just smell it." Maya had the kind of warmth that was contagious. It helped that the smells were fantastic as well. "It's like home." Was that silly? That was probably silly. She ducked her head and opened the door for her guest even if he was the man here.

Inside the smells were even better. Onion, carrot, broth... it just smelled savory and comforting.

Their options were soup, salad, or sandwich in any combination of two. The list of soups? Thorough.

"No, I do not live at Sanctuary," Mariusz replied. He had heard of the place, of course, but it was not where he was living. "I live at the Mansion, it is a sort of school and safe haven for people like... well, people like me," he continued, shrugging his shoulders and following in step with Maya as she led the way towards wherever it was that they would be eating.

"I am afraid I am not much of a rabble rouser, I believe that is the correct term. I prefer to keep things simple and peaceable insomuch as is possible," he said in reply to Maya's comment about people causing problems in her book store. He stopped where she stopped and took a look at the front of a restaurant that clearly specialized in various kinds of soup.

"Well, I can assure you that I have not eaten here either. I would suppose that makes it a culinary adventure for both of us," the avian mutant said, stepping just in front of Maya and pulling open the door for her before following her inside and taking a look over the vast menu of soups that were being offered.

The Mansion. Huh. She hadn't been by in forever and she knew that she should go if for no other reason than to visit her father. "My dad actually works at the Mansion. I lived there for a little while too. Right after the American Mutant Registration Act..." She shrugged. Maya definitely knew the place.

Maya ordered a vegetarian medley: Minestrone soup and a Falafel sandwich. It turned out to be one of those pay up front right after you order kind of places so she fished out her wallet and paid for herself. Not that she expected any less, no matter how much money the guy purportedly had. This was a first meeting. People didn't just buy lunch for other people. Not here in New York. Not unless they wanted something.

They gave her a number attached to a metal stick and she went to go find a place for two to sit comfortably. Booth. Definitely a booth.

"Oh, I might know your father then," Mariusz replied as they waited in line to get a chance to order. Apparently the restaurant was rather popular given that it was still moderately crowded even though the lunch rush was largely over with by this time in the afternoon. While Maya ordered he examined the menu which was, in a word, thorough. He was just reaching for his wallet to pay for lunch, it was the polite thing to do since he had invited her, when she paid for herself.

"I would like a big bowl of the Drstkova Polevka and two Obložené Chlebíčky," Mariusz said, ordering the only Czech dishes he saw on the menu. It would be interesting to see what kind of twist they put on it in America or if it was more traditional. He paid for his meal and was given a stick with a number on it before joining Maya in the booth she had selected. His wings ruffled a little as he sat down and slid into the booth.

"You know, I would have paid for lunch. I invited you, it is the polite thing to do," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"He teaches Economics for the 11th and 12th grades. Err. Other stuff too, I'm sure, but Economics was always his favorite." It had been a while since she'd been to visit... maybe she should. Just to say hi at least...

Maya watched the wing shuffling with interest. Mr. Mariusz's wings were possibly larger than any other mutant's wings that she had ever met. Not that she had seen them unfurled, but even folded they looked functional at the very least.

> "You know, I would have paid for lunch. I invited you, it is the polite thing to do"

"I am an independent New York woman and business owner." She was teasing now. A fact made clear by her grin. "If you had paid for my lunch, I'm not sure I could still claim those titles." A man walking around with a tray traded his tray for Maya's stick. The air elemental politely waited for Mr. Mariusz to get his food as well before she began.

"Your wings, they're functional, aren't they?" She hoped it was not rude to ask.