For once, the city of New York was enjoying the touch of the sun and her warmth and not despairing under a heavy cloud of muggy rain as usual. It was an odd twist of fate, Kyle mused to himself, that such a lovely day would be matched with the predicament he was about to find himself in.

The riots had kept Kyle busy while they ran their course, having to move to and fro in his efforts to do what he could in derailing trouble between mutant and human. To him, there was no sides in the riots; both human and mutant were capable of doing wrong. At times, he found himself defending young or helpless mutants from the angry mobs; others, he found himself defending those humans who had no part in the riots(children, for mercy's sake) from the violent actions of his peers. He was enemy to all, friend to none at times, or the savior that vanished as quickly as he appeared.

In all that, it was no wonder he'd not managed a chance to meet Evelyn again.

With the riots quieting, however, Kyle finally took the opportunity to make use of her hard earned phone number to see if she was in the mood to meet again. He hadn't expected her to accept, not as easily as she did. He had been hoping, though, for not only did he find her physically appealing, she seemed like the kind of person one would never be bored around. So when she had told him that she had no problem meeting with him again, Kyle had almost smiled on the other end. Almost...until she told him where she was living currently and if he could meet her there.

The mansion. The X-men's mansion. Considering the way the riots had made many mutants feel unsafe, it was not surprising that she had relocated to the mansion in order to hide from the mobs. What was surprising was that she had stayed afterwards. Kyle had frowned at first upon returning to that place; he wasn't exactly the kind of person that would be welcomed there. In the end, however, he'd relented and told her he would be there the next day.

Dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and a black vest with red stripes, Kyle pulled up the mansion's long driveway, his bike announcing his presence to any within earshot. Kyle had not been even close to the mansion since his initial arrival into the city; not much seemed to have changed from his brief visit. Rolling his bike to a stop, Kyle killed the engine and removed himself from the bike. Lowering his helmet, Kyle took a long look at the second mutant haven in the city.

Then he went about looking for Evelyn.

It was shortly after the riots when Evelyn recieved an unexpected phone call. To say she had forgotten giving her number to Kyle would have been a lie, considering she never forgot anything. But that didn't make the call any less of a surprise.

After he showed up at her museum, saved the art from robbery and rescued her from the attackers, the memories of the encounter stood out particularly in her mind. Things had changed a little since then though. She started dating Mirror, and while that had only really meant one chaotic trip into the danger room and a rather impromptu picnic afterwards, she still wondered if it was ok accepting Kyle's offer to meet. She never dated anyone before and really wasn't sure what Mirror would think. Dating was... confusing for her still. But she felt it would have been inconsiderate to refuse considering Kyle risked so much to help her. She let him know where she was staying, and the next day she heard the unmistakable sound of a motorcycle outside.

Hair down, in a silver skirt, white blouse and grey vest she moved to answer the door. The echoes had picked up on Kyle's slight discomfort with the mansion, and considering he seemed more affiliated with the Sanctuary it made sense. She didn't think the x-men would give him any trouble, but she didn't know if there was any bad blood she was unware of that could spark confrontation. Better safe than sorry. Approaching the familiar figure she gave a smile.

"I figured I would save you the trouble of trying to find me inside. You didn't exactly seem comfortable coming here." She commented coming to a stop in front of him.

Kyle hadn't even started walking up the steps to the mansion's door when a familiar voice brought a slight smile to the corners of his mouth. Tilting his head up to its source, Kyle took in Evelyn's presence with the ease of someone who had expected it all along. Tucking his helmet under his arm, Kyle made the short journey up to meet her face to face, tipping his head slightly in greeting.

"Saved me the trouble, yes, but also stole away the adventure. No worries though. This was likely the best course of action."

It didn't surprise him that she knew he wasn't comfortable being here. Although he had done his best to conceal his unease in coming to the mansion, there was the very real chance that he had let something slip in his voice or hesitated a moment too long before answering her question. Or, of course, her echoes were reading him, letting her know just how much he was ill with being near the mansion. In truth, he was that way at times around Sanctuary as well; there were times when even it had its bad moments.

Shaking his head, Kyle waved off any further worries of his being here. He was here now and he wasn't going to make her worry about something as trifle as this. "It's not something I cannot bear, so put it out of your thoughts. Although you might do better not to read me; you might find things you don't like. Or like too much." It wasn't arrogance or anger or anything like that when he said those words; merely truth.

"In any case, I see you've been doing well. I'd say you've kept yourself out of trouble by coming here but then...I doubt someone as bold as you stayed out of trouble entirely. Come...show me around a bit. We can update one another as we go along. You first, of course."

>>"Although you might do better not to read me; you might find things you don't like. Or like too much."

Evelyn's cheeks turned pink for a moment and she gave a laugh, hair falling in front of her face as she gave a slightly embarrassed smile. "Unfortunately, it's not something I have a lot of control over. I can try my best to direct the echoes elsewhere, but they seem to have a habit of remarking on whatever they want to." She shrugged, and pushed open the door to the mansion. Thankfully, it was the summer, and a good number of students were away on vacations or out exploring the city. There would be few people, if any, to worry about running into her companion. The hallways were quiet, and she momentarily wondered if the x-men were having training sessions in the danger room today. That could account for the lack of activity. It would at least resolve her concerns of having Sam or Gawain run into Kyle at this point.

"I'm not sure what exactly to show you. Lots of hallways, a classrooms. I'm partial to the art room myself. Between you and me though, I've been sneaking some better supplies in there. The quality of their color pencils was a bit too much to ignore..." She started down one of the hallways, in the general direction of the kitchen. Rubbing the back of her neck, she gave a sheepish smile.

"I've stayed out of...most trouble. Got into a few scuffles during the riots but no permanent damage. Met a sewer monster. Started dating someone..." She dropped the last bit in casually, watching closely for his reaction. She had debated over the best way to drop that news, and it seemed as good a way as any to break it to him. While their previous encounter had been short, Kyle's interest in her had been flirtatious in it's own way. She wondered what he would think of her dating a guy....and a girl.....

"And there is the all impressive kitchen. Told you, nothing really exciting to show around here." She said at the doorway. At least the last person had cleaned up after themselves. Counters strewn with pb&j scraps didn't always make the best first impression.

"Unfortunately, it's not something I have a lot of control over. I can try my best to direct the echoes elsewhere, but they seem to have a habit of remarking on whatever they want to."

Kyle spared an eyebrow to raise as he followed Evelyn into the mansion at her words. It wasn't surprising that Evelyn wasn't fully in control of her powers; from what he'd learned at the museum, it seemed as if she heard far too many echoes at once. But from what he "saw", she had managed to focus them on him or others when she needed to. Or at least, managed to filter through the echoes to find the one's coming from the person she was dealing with. Still, for her to not have complete control of them...

"Really? Then perhaps it is best you came to the mansion then. From what I've heard, they help mutants to better control their powers. Being here could be beneficial to you. If you ever need help outside the mansion, though, don't hesitate to ask."

Kyle had barely even realized he'd simply stepped through the door into a place where he was likely not wanted. By the time he'd registered that fact, he was already standing in the grand entrance hall, keeping to Evelyn as she was his guide in this place. Turning back was simply something that it was too late to do, so Kyle kept his feet moving and his eyes cast towards Evelyn, although he was aware of any changes to his surroundings. Not that he truly needed to worry; most the times he had acted, he'd been in his outfit, his disguise, his cover. Out there, he was Forte. In here, only Kyle was present. Only one man in this building was aware of his identity...and luckily, it seemed that he was not present. So far. Nor was many others for that matter, another fact which Kyle was thankful for. It would make this visit far more...quiet.

Evelyn babbled on about the lack of proper art supplies, a fact that made Kyle smile inside. She certainty hadn't changed...her circumstances had, however. If Kyle had been anyone else, the mention of her dating someone might have caused a misstep. Kyle, however, took the knowledge in stride and continued on as if it were the most normal thing to say. Of course, Evelyn would likely sense the slight disappointment that wormed its way through his mind, but he tried hard to surpress that fact.

"Hmmm...well, it does seem you've managed to stay out of the worst those riots dropped on us all. It's good to see you weren't too caught up in that madness. Although it does sound as if you found enough new kinds of trouble...a sewer monster, truly?

Yes...the mansion is rather impressive but without a decent populace inside, it does seem kind of...droll. I imagine the places where the X-men are located here, however, are likely to be far more exciting. But I doubt you'd be able to show me those things...right?"

Kyle was a fairly reserved person, and he managed to keep his emotions in check better than most people she encountered. But that didn’t stop the echoes from picking up on the more subtle reactions. He seemed surprised that she lacked control over her ability, which seemed understandable, considering their banter at the museum. She pushed her hair from her face and chuckled slightly at his comment, and lead the way towards the living room. ”I hope it will help. If nothing else, I’m trying to at least learn some self-defense. The echoes aren’t bad, and in stressful situations they focus a lot better and can get me out of a tight situation. But just running and dodging makes me feel like a damsel in distress all the time.”

The living room came into view, and it was surprisingly clean considering all the kids that hung around the mansion. The television was off, and like most of the mansion, the room was empty. ”I could always just use a broom as a weapon though. I mean, you saw how intimidating I was.” It was a light joke to help cover up a slightly sore subject. She knew she had a habit of putting herself in danger, and if nothing else, maybe she could learn to at least get herself out of it.

Then there it was. The flicker of disappointment that settled into his face. She felt odd, realizing that someone was disappointed she was dating. Up until this point, she really didn’t think anyone would be all that romantically interested in a girl with voices in her head. Crazy, mutant, freak, brat; she overheard more than one conversation about her being pretty but not worth the trouble. People were intimidated by how smart she was, and if that didn’t stop them, they were put off by her know it all nature. The fact that Mirror has asked her out had been enough surprise. The fact that Kyle was let down by it was another thing entirely.

”It has been awhile since you swung by the museum though. I honestly didn’t expect to really hear from you since you hadn’t called already. Maya honestly just asked this week…” She lost a bit of her calm demeanor, looking suddenly nervous and guilty. She was dating dumb, and felt silly trying to work through all of the technicalities that came with a relationship. Trying to recover from her clumsy sentence, she jabbed a finger in the general outdoor direction. ”We have a pool. I could show you the pool. It all sort of looks boring right now, but I think it’s just because it’s summer and the kids are out doing more interesting things.”

She jumped on a new topic eagerly, and moved back to the conversation about trouble. It wasn’t her favorite topic to talk about, but it was better than dating. ”Yeah, I was picking up some stuff from my apartment after the riots, and I heard someone wandering around in the sewers. Turned out to be a teenager, sort of a sewer monster looking kid and we had a chat about my lack of danger senses and his lack of social skills.” She shrugged in a casual manner, and reminded herself she should swing by sometime and deliver that lasagna.

”As for the x-men, really couldn’t show you much anyway since I’m not one. I doubt either the sanctuary or the mansion really lets you see all their secret rooms without the proper club pass.” She added.

Though she tried to cover it quickly, Kyle caught the sudden change in Evelyn's facial expression after he'd seemingly brushed off her comment of dating someone recently. Inwardly, he cursed himself. He thought he had hidden that disappointment better than that; apparently that wasn't the case. Kyle truly could not blame her for having found someone; she was a pretty, smart, fairly knowledgeable girl. What she lacked in power she made up for in determination and boldness. Or insanity. The two could easily be confused for one another. Still, there was no reason for her to try and cover up or explain why she had done it. It was logical and fine...mostly.

When she mentioned the person by name, however, even his disappointment couldn't bury the curious twitch that entered his brain. The words were out of his mouth before he can think them and a small mischievous smile quirked at the corner of his mouth. "Maya, did you say? Evelyn, I knew you were interesting and had your share of surprises but...even I didn't foresee that one coming." Which was completely fine with him too. He had to fight hard to keep any imaginative thoughts from bubbling to the surface thinking of Evelyn dating what sounded like a woman...it was a lot harder than expected. "You can relax about it. I did mean to call, but when the riots hit...I found that calling someone for a date was the least of my worries at the time. There were people, mutant and human alike, that needed aid that others wouldn't give. That took priority. No matter how much I wanted to call."

Eager to jump into another topic himself, Kyle tilted his head towards the pool while she talked, taking in every word even as his eyes studied the mansion around him. He'd never fully explored it when he'd been here before, so some of the things he was seeing were new to him. A shame he hadn't stayed longer. Turning his mind from such thoughts, he folded his arms across his chest and peered at Evelyn inquiringly.

"I see you do a fine job of getting yourself out of trouble as much as you get yourself into trouble. At least in the case of that story."

Sighing, he paused a moment before his eyes flickered with that slight hint of his older self, of the chaotic being that, at his core, he remained to this day, despite his collected demeanor. "You said you were learning self-defense, yes?" Without any physical warning, Kyle's arm snapped out from its folded position, coming around in a sharp backhand for her shoulder; he intended to stop it just shy if she didn't react in time. But hopefully, he had buried that thought deep enough that her echoes wouldn't catch it right away. He was curious to see if the damsel had become the hunter.

Being around Kyle was sometimes like having a conversation without talking. She responded to his body language, he responded back, and sometimes, not a word was said. Few people could really read her the way she did them, and it took her by surprise when she watched it happen. Her slight fumbling of her defense was quickly met by his own disappointment in letting his disappointment show.

As if that wasn't confusing enough. It was like apologizing for apologizing.

Doing her best to derail the echoes and deflect them to something else, Evelyn momentarily got feedback about the mansion's wall texture when she was mentally sideswiped by Kyle's reaction.

He was surprised she was dating a girl.

"Only half the time..." Evelyn remarked before she could stop herself. It was the first time she really had to explain her unique dating situation, and she felt her cheeks go red, more out of nervousness of dating in general than someone's perception of that individual's gender. "It's...complicated. And yeah, the riots were pretty chaotic. The museum had a bit of trouble, but Gawain helped stop any of the artwork getting damaged." She was sure Forte didn't need a reminder how she felt about anyone harming the art.

Evelyn was about to respond to his next comment when the echoes flickered a sudden warning of his movement. He had acted fast, but her quick thought process still responded with enough time for her to halfway sidestep. It wasn't completely successful, considering her body couldn't move as fast as her thought. But it was better than being blindsided by it completely. "Hey now! I only started learning, don't start quizzing me on moves now!"

Only half the time...

Kyle could not have stopped the look in his eyes as his brain tried to register that. He might as well have been a deer in the headlights for the surprise that bloomed on his face, his eyes widening slightly as his brain tried to compute what she had just said. Did that mean she was seeing two people at once? A man and a woman? No, she didn't strike him as that kind of person. But then, she hadn't struck him as someone who liked other women like that either. But what then...she hadn't spoken as if this person were...

The realization, or at least the most logical explanation, hit him like a brick wall. Enough so that he gave his first real smile in response, as his amusement at the situation derailed his disappointment. The person she was dating...somehow, in some way...was both man and woman. A mutant, perhaps? Possibly...especially when she referred to this Gawain as if she already had before. A most interesting situation indeed...and he wasn't going to tease her with it. Not at all. Yet.

"Well Evelyn, again you surprise me...I suppose having a half girl, half boy for a companion makes it interesting when you fancy one gender or the other. Which side do you enjoy more though, I'm curious to ask."

Okay, so he lied. He was teasing her now.

Her response to his strike was better than he had expected. Had he followed through, there was no doubt his blow would have landed ruthlessly against her. Instead, his finger managed to just tap her cheek, the sudden momentum that was so dangerous before slowed in an instant to a little flick. Chuckling, Kyle brought his hand around and tapped her on the nose before withdrawing it. "Decent response. A little slow, but as you said, you've only just begun. With enough practice, I'm sure your body will soon react with your mind in tune.

But tell me what you've been taught so far; I might have some insight into things they might have missed. And let's do this outside where we might have more room to experiment and enjoy the sun."

He indicated with a hand for her to lead the way, pointing towards the open light of the windows where she'd pointed before. If there was a pool out there, there might also be some free place to roam and for what Kyle was possibly planning, more room was going to me a much needed factor.

Forte's surprise was as clear as if he had his emotions written out and he handed them to her on paper. She could watch as he struggled to decipher what she had said, and kept her own expression blank as the smile spread across his face. He was a quick thinker, so it didn't take long, but it was just slower than her own mutation enhanced processing. When he asked his question, she blinked her eyes at him, and gave him the most innocent expression possible. This time, her cheeks didn't turn red, "Wouldn't you like to know?" She calmly stated, and continued walking towards the door without commenting further on the situation. He could just continue to wonder for now.

His hand tapped her cheek with a flick and she stuck her tongue out at him in the most mature manner possible and shook her head, white hair flipping from one shoulder to the other. "I doubt I'll ever be able to keep up with my thoughts. I don't think at the same speed most people do. But hopefully, at least I'll get faster..." She remarked thoughtfully.

Continuing outside, she paused as she pushed back open one of the doors and gave him a curious expression as she tried to think of what 'experiment' he would have in mind. Last time she tried having any form of training she got stuck in a dating scenario that tried to attack her. "We really haven't got anywhere so far. Last training session I had Cold Steel thought it would be amusing to turn into a dating scenario... that tried to attack us. So, unless I need to fight you know, giant bear/owls with a pair of Sai there is still a lot to learn."

Oh ho ho...so she does know how to play the game.

It was an odd situation one could find themselves in, Kyle was certain. To be dating someone who was man AND woman? How could that ever be considered simple, even if one form was preferred to the other. Still, such an ability likely had its uses and despite the twinge of his heart strings that the thought created, Kyle couldn't stop his mind from wondering little things about such a person. Things such as did they retain the same personality when they changed from man to woman and if so, how did one cope with knowing they could be either gender at their whim?

He buried those thoughts for later, as the growing spike in his chest told him it was not a matter to dwell on in present company. After all, she could hear everything he thought, or mostly anyway. Watching his thoughts, both the normal and the...well, the more private, was something he'd have to work hard on if he intended to try and spend more time around Evelyn.

Back in the present time not in his head, Kyle turned to follow Evelyn towards the great outdoors, his arms lazily drooping at his sides. "Perhaps the trick is to find a way to slow your thoughts to keep up with your body, at least until you're ready to try a higher level. They may never perfectly align at maximum efficiency, but by gradually working at it and increasing the thinking speed as your body grows...apologies, I'm rambling. I tend to do that when something intrigues me."

He chuckled at the very mature response he got from Evelyn for his little trick, shrugging his shoulders by way of answer. His mind froze, momentarily, at the mention of the man known as Cold Steel, a man Kyle had recently had the...pleasure of meeting. It had been a rather chilly reception, that was for sure. Again, there was the brief worry that if Kyle was caught here by certain people, the end result would not be good...for him or for Evelyn if she was found with him. Pushing that aside, Kyle focused instead on the thought that had come to him earlier. It was a much warmer thought.

"Well, there are mutants out there that could turn into giant bears or owls and have mastered the use of sai's...never hurts to be prepared. In any case, I see by your expression that my mention of an experiment has caught your attention.

It's not complicated much. I'm going to throw a light blow your way and I want you to block it. The trick I will reveal when I'm doing it, however, not before. Otherwise it wouldn't be an experiment. Willing to give it a shot?"

Evelyn felt a laugh bubble from her mouth unexpectedly, and shook her head to the side. Outside, the air was warm, but there was a breeze so it wouldn't be unbearable, and the cool air sifted through her white hair. "If I could control my thinking at all, I think it would be beneficial. I guess you'd have to imagine the echoes like a school of fish. You can herd them in one direction or the other, but they control their own movement and actions. I can't control their speed, tell them what to look at, what to see. If something startles them, they scatter, if something interests them, they congregate. Trying to learn control over that is like trying to change what they are. I'm not sure if that will change with time, and one day I'll wake up with something more manageable. But I almost feel I need to just learn to control how I respond to them and my own behavior instead."

It felt odd, speaking about her echoes as if they were separate from her, but in a way, they were. The robotic nature of those thoughts was hard to explain, but her powers were almost like a nosy companion at times rather than a direct extension of herself. Maybe that's how she wanted it though. She had trouble accepting that she was really that nosy naturally.

[Reaction to the name Cold Steel. Worry, dislike perhaps?] The echoes caught Evelyn's attention with that, and she glanced at Kyle more closely. It shouldn't have been surprising Sam and Kyle had a rather...unfriendly run in. But she would make a note to avoid getting the two men in the same room for the time being.

Then she was distracted again by the experiment. She shifted from foot to foot, frowning in a manner that was somewhat thoughtful, a little concerned. "This just sounds like a good way to end up with a bloody nose. I sort of want to try, but if I suck at this am I going to have some explaining to do later to DocProf?" She inquired.

As the warmth of the sun heated his body and the cool of the wind touched his skin, Kyle listened patiently to Evelyn's explanation of her power. The use of fish as a symbol to help him understand was greatly appreciated, for it gave him something he could grasp and understand in his mind, a problem he could try to solve. By the time she was done, Kyle had closed his eyes and leaned against the nearby wall, his mind taking a moment to process the data he'd just acquired before speaking.

Well, not so much speaking as lifting his arm up before him, palm up, as if offering for her to take his hand. Slowly, for her to see, Kyle started forming a ball of energy in his hand, making it slowly grow from his fingers. As the ball began to form, Kyle began to speak. "My power comes from within me, like most powers do. To my knowledge, the energy I'm creating is generated by my muscles at a much higher rate than everyone else. As a result, I don't tire very easily because, in essence, my muscles have more to draw from. But how do you suppose I get this energy to form what I'm making in my hand, when it flows through every part of my body? The answer is simple. Will. Focus. I focus my mind on it, will the energy to my hand and hold it there until I release it from my will."

Instead of simply releasing the ball, Kyle crushed it in his hand, the energy dissipating harmlessly into the air around him. Dropping his arms down, he made his way over to Evelyn's side. "You likened your power to a school of fish. You have no way to guide them as a whole, true. But what about isolating one? Focusing your mind to select a single fish amongst the school and capturing it, bringing that echo to the forefront of your mind while letting the school wander into the background. I imagine such a thing would be difficult...but it's not impossible, right?"

Chuckling a little at her reaction to his experiment offer, Kyle patted her on the shoulder before giving it a light squeeze. "You shouldn't. For the sake of the exercise, I'll go easier than I should be going, but at the same time, if there is no real possibility of harm, you won't put your all into it. Not that I'm saying you wouldn't try, but subconsciously, your body will react slower because it's not worried about being harmed. You might end up with a few scrapes, but nothing too serious.

It's entirely up to you if you want to try. If my theory is correct, it'll be a great boom to you and any future training you might encounter. But I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to damage your pretty face." There was a slight smirk behind that comment, a gentle gesture to try and rile that defiant attitude she'd shown him when defending her artwork. He didn't try and hide that from her echoes; he just waited now to see if she had the courage to try.

Evelyn watched as Forte displayed his powers, the echoes analyzing and storing the information for later. It was interesting, but she wasn't sure how exactly it could help with her own echoes. She listened though and tried to understand what he was saying.

Isolating an echo seemed logical enough, but it was harder to do in practice than just in theory. "It shouldn't be impossible...Just...difficult. I guess we can try the experiment though." She remarked finally, then a tint of pink hit her cheeks at his remark. She stuck out her tongue and pushed her hair from her face.

"My 'pretty face' will be fine. I just don't want anyone thinking you came here to beat me up is all." She remarked with a shake of her head. She let her echoes take in the situation, watching for any sign of attack from Forte. While she believed he wouldn't injure her on purpose, she knew from experience the echoes tended to respond better in real danger than when she was just doing something silly on her own.

"Anything worth obtaining is always difficult; I imagine its not easy for artists to create masterpieces with meaning in short order...and yet the success of them fills them with more pride than any collection of quick paintings ever could, no?"

Smiling, Kyle stepped away from Evelyn, retreating several steps to create a short but decent distance between them. For the purposes of his experiment, he wanted to be close enough to strike suddenly, but far enough away to give Evelyn a few moments before his strike. Seeing as this was the first phrase of the experiment, Kyle took a few extra steps at first. If she progressed well, he'd get closer with each successful attempt. If not...well, it was a lovely day out.

"Oh, beating you up was the last thing on my mind when coming here. But I'll try not to make it too obvious." He chuckled at her reaction to his words before letting his arms drop loosely to his sides. "Now, the experiment is simple," he started saying before he suddenly stepped in towards her, sending a light punch for her shoulder, which he only made physically obvious at the last second. But instead of thinking on his action, Kyle thought hard about Evelyn, pulling up his memories of her into the foremost of this thoughts.

The experiment was simple, after all; Evelyn would need to find the action amongst the clutter to properly defend herself. And Kyle could create plenty of clutter when he needed to...and this was only the first attempt.