Running.

Ty didn't know why, exactly, but he found himself running. Blowing off steam, burning energy? He didn't know. He'd woken up at the crack of dawn and left Sanctuary while Noel was still asleep. Once outside the golden doors, the kid just took off running the all-too familiar terrain of New York City. Climbing fire escapes, leaping from roof to roof, then climbing back down onto the city below. And once feet touch the ground again, keep on running.

Not that the boy was running away from anything. He just planned on running a few blocks before heading back home and going back to sleep. It felt good to be able to run again, not having to hobble or limp anymore. Though the scar on his leg would be a constant reminder.

But this whole running thing, it was a rush. A way to lose oneself. Sure, there were two or three things about his life that he could no longer remember, but it didn't matter. He was still a somewhat troubled young man, but all of his troubles melted away into the pitter-patter of his own footsteps.

He took a sharp turn into an alley, not slowing down, and by this point he wasn't paying too much attention. The only thing he noticed was the feeling of the wind against his face, blowing his ginger hair everywhere.

Her senses had finally leveled-out—Sylar had been right, she was evolving. She could see clearly in the darkness, while in the daylight, the world just seemed oversaturated with light. As a precaution, Gina had a thin, folded white metal cane in her messenger bag, and large, dark-lensed sunglasses over her eyes. The stir-craze was getting the better of her. After she had been on house arrest while recovering, and while she still couldn’t fly beyond the Xavier’s campus, she’d grown restless. Though fearful of wandering as she was now, the gargoyle couldn’t sit still any longer.

In the wee hours of the morning, which was Gina’s equivalent of late evening now (it was an unfortunate side effect of the nocturnal circadian rhythm), Gina departed on a walk. She’d stay out past the sunrise that day.

The gargoyle was solemn-faced as she strolled, her hands in her pocket. Most of the Riot news had simmered down by now… people didn’t recognize her face constantly—there was the occasionally glimmer of recognition, but no outbursts of hostility or support. Most people ignored her. Some murmured about the “mutant problem”. Gina represented an idea, but was no longer recognized as the source of the problem.

Garbed in a tank top, baggy black capris, and loosely knit scarf, the gargoyle strode, surveying human passerby’s from behind the safety of her sunglasses, skimming for potential threats. Even now, she was expecting to get attacked. As she passed the mouth of an alleyway, Gina looked towards the street, neglecting to look down into the narrow passageway, completely missing the red-haired young man who was sprinting hastily towards her.

The guy collided with her, glancing her shoulder accidentally. A bolt of panic went through the gargoyle, who stepped back out of the guy’s way clumsily. Her expression was that of anxiousness, her hand tightening on the strap of her messenger bag. Gina pushed her sunglasses up her nose, her throat tightening.

“Erm, ah… I’m sorry,” Gina said hastily, “I didn’t see you, uh, there.”

She still had yet to reacquire her ease with others. Rather than seeing potential friends in those she didn’t know, now she was far, far more cautious.

“Sorry.”

Ty snapped back to reality when he collided with someone. Neither of them fell; it was just a shoulder to shoulder bump. It hurt him a little, yes, but more than that, he felt bad about hitting someone.

"No, it's my fault," Ty argued gently. "I was running and not looking where I was going. I've just had alot on my mind is all. Or not on my mind...Or...I don't know." Ty couldn't help but think this gargoyle looked familiar, somehow, but he didn't really dwell on it. "You okay? I mean, I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?"

Gina was already beginning to step back as the guy contradicted her, shouldering the blame for the collision. His words were kind enough, but words could be deceiving. Gina didn’t have anyone to help her, here… no protection, here…

The guy was rambling about having a lot on his mind, not really watching where he was going, and Gina smiled, breathing a faint, half-hearted chuckle of acknowledgement.

“I wasn’t watching where I was going, either,” Gina admonished. Though, in her defense, she also couldn’t see that well. She looked towards the sidewalk, before hazarding a glance up at the redhead. She cracked a toothless smile, her lips stretching warmly over her sharp-toothed jaw.

“I’m fine,” she assured him, still sounding on-edge, “I’m just really jumpy. Not hurt at all.”

Gina sighed, trying to calm herself—and, when she spoke again, her voice was a little less tense.

“And… I didn’t knick you or anything, right? No scratches or tears from the horns and claws?”

He didn’t seem like a bad guy. He was actually pretty personable. And he wasn’t shouting slurs yet, which was a plus.

Gina was already beginning to step back as the guy contradicted her, shouldering the blame for the collision. His words were kind enough, but words could be deceiving. Gina didn’t have anyone to help her, here… no protection, here…

The guy was rambling about having a lot on his mind, not really watching where he was going, and Gina smiled, breathing a faint, half-hearted chuckle of acknowledgement.

“I wasn’t watching where I was going, either,” Gina admonished. Though, in her defense, she also couldn’t see that well. She looked towards the sidewalk, before hazarding a glance up at the redhead. She cracked a toothless smile, her lips stretching warmly over her sharp-toothed jaw.

“I’m fine,” she assured him, still sounding on-edge, “I’m just really jumpy. Not hurt at all.”

Gina sighed, trying to calm herself—and, when she spoke again, her voice was a little less tense.

“And… I didn’t knick you or anything, right? No scratches or tears from the horns and claws?”

He didn’t seem like a bad guy. He was actually pretty personable. And he wasn’t shouting slurs yet, which was a plus.

Ty could tell she was jumpy, though he still couldn't quite place her. Oh well, it didn't really matter all that much, right? What mattered was now. The young man checked himself over, black tee shirt with a green fish on it didn't have a single flaw, and his skin didn't have the slightest scratch.

"Nah, I'm fine. Besides, this day and age, a knick ain't nothin'. I've had it alot worse." He gave a slight shrug before extending his right hand to her, wearing a pair of black fingerless gloves instead of his usual green. Actually, the green ones were back home, in the wash.

"I'm Ty," he said kindly.

Gina smiled apologetically, her brow stitching—she, too, had had a lot worse. The boy extended his hand in a gesture of goodwill, introducing himself as Ty.

Gina hesitantly accepted his hand, sharing a brief handshake with the man as she introduced herself back.

“Gina,” she said simply, before releasing her light hold on his hand. Exchanges like this felt so much more constipated than before when the police had attacked her. The time that she’d been shot, and the two times that she’d almost been shot, had all been at the hands of criminals. Criminals had always been dangerous in her mind. But, after an attack from the other side of the law, Gina feared that no one was safe now.

“Nice to meet you.”

The gargoyle looked around, peering down the alleyway, before inquiring, “So, are you running from something? Or do you always run down alleyways?”

It seemed like such a scary thing to do, running down the alleys. Then again, Ty wasn’t an innocent little mutant girl who barely topped five-feet, either.

"You too," he said with a smile, his demeanor relaxing. It was obvious the boy had a lot on his mind, but now he was starting to loosen up a bit, forgetting about the usual rush and run of bad luck his life usually threw his way.

Ty chuckled at the question, shaking his head. "Nah, I wasn't really running from anything, exactly. It was just a way of relieving stress, clearing my mind. That and I couldn't sleep. And I recently healed from a leg injury, and it felt good to run again and not have to limp or hobble around, heh"

Ty's train of thought was interrupted when he felt something on his leg. At first it pressed against it, then he felt it messing with his shoe-laces. Looking down, he saw a kitten. Well, it was a little black ball of fluff, which looked up at the post-cog with big green eyes and gave a little high pitched "Mew!"

"Well...look at that," he murmured with a small smile as he knelt to pick up the kitten, which promptly hissed and scratched his finger. Jumping up, Ty popped the wounded finger in his mouth. "Ow...feisty little bugger, ain't it?" He said with another small chuckle.

Gina smiled as the guy ran through a list of reasons as to why he'd been running... recovery from a leg injury, clearing his mind, et cetera... the same reasons that Gina was eager to return to flying. The lack of decent vision made that a little difficult, however.

"All very good reasons to run," Gina agreed, her shoulders relaxing. A high, squeaky meow arose from Ty's lower leg. Gina looked down, spying a little kitten who was in the process of entangling itself in his shoe-laces, flopped against his leg. It was a black ball of fluff, with round eyes and a small face.

Ty tried to fish him up, but the kitten batted at the intervening hand, managing to draw blood from the pale human's skin.

"You tried to interrupt his hunt," Gina said with a smile, "You can't retrieve until after he's killed your laces."

Gina slid the scarf off of her neck and draped it over Ty's shoe, bundling the kitten up in the knitted material and lifting it up. The kitten squirmed in vain, biting the yarn most ferociously as it was cocooned.

The gargoyle held the squirming ball of scarf towards the redhead, which let out another, lengthy "Meeew."

Ty chuckled, blushing a little as he took the squirming bundle of yarn and began to stroke the kitten on top of the head. Surprisingly, this action made the kitten stop squirming and it leaned its head into Ty's fingers, beginning to purr a little.

Suddenly Ty's smile faded, and he looked around. "Wait a minute. This kitten can't be that old. Surely not old enough to be out on its own yet. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that mean there should be a pissed-off mother cat trying to tear into us for messing with her baby?" He sighed through his nose as he continued to look around, listening for any sounds that would identify an angry cat.

"But I don't see a mother."