Watching the guy dig out his wallet and then a card was something of a relief. It wasn't cash but it was something.

"I have a bit on here, if you know of a store around here somewhere that'll do cash back. They were more interested in money they could feel than chunks of plastic from someone as broke as me."

"Yeah, there's a convenience store just down the block with an atm you could use."he suggested. It wasn't the greatest but it was worthwhile to make the trip easier on the poor guy. He knew he could walk all the way there. But something told him that this guy wasn't built for walking and was more than likely going to injure himself if he tried. No sense in doing damage while doing good.

Tobias felt his head fins perk up hopefully. Sure, he occasionally got bad reactions to his appearance when he wandered around, but generally speaking he found his money was good enough for most people... especially when he used plastic and didn't leave slime in their cash register. He followed Alex to the convenience store awkwardly and did his best to ignore the throbbing that was still building in his toes. He could put up with it if it meant getting out of here and to somewhere he could actually anchor himself.

The atm was visible as soon as he walked past the door and its little jingling bell. Several security cameras were immediately visible too, and he figured that at least one of them was real. While he punched in his PIN under the understandably suspicious cashier's watchful eye, he realized that the machine wasn't going to actually give him bus fare. It was going to give him a bill. The bus probably didn't want twenty bucks.

... or he could just get a bottle of water and not get to wherever it was Alex was taking him rasping and half dead. Stress and summer heat certainly did a number on him. He should probably replace the bottle he'd used too. Still, he clung to the single bill he'd taken out as he grabbed a pair of cheap plastic water bottles from the cooler. At least the warm weather would warm his up fairly quickly; he'd tried to breathe cold water before. Not lethal, but even more uncomfortable than warmish water. He tossed one of them to Alex on his way to the counter, careful to keep his tail out of the way as he wove around the shelves. "Least I can do," he said in appreciation for all the kid was doing. "And I need to break the bill anyway." He hoped Alex wouldn't refuse; insisting that he use up some of the last dregs of Tobias' money wasn't something he was confident he could do.

Leading Tobias to the convenience store atm had been simple enough and the short walk confirmed his thoughts on the poor guy's feet. That walk was not of someone who was comfortable on their feet. Sure it wasn't too outwardly noticeable but there was something almost hesitant or careful about each step. It kind of reminded him of his earlier efforts in making mammals and birds. The bones in the feet were complex and if he didn't set them just right it could lead to bruising and pain. Not something enjoyable.

Once inside he took a moment to enjoy the cool of the store, away from the summer heat. Though he could have done without the clerk staring at them. Or rather the guy staring at Tobias. He did feel rather guilty about it all. He was a mutant too but he usually was able to get away with not being noticed. Tobias wouldn't be that lucky.

He was a little surprised by the water bottle tossed his way but was grateful nonetheless. "Thanks man." He followed Tobias up to the cashier, giving the man behind the counter an expectant look. He'd hate to have to argue with a guy to accept money. Slimy fish guy or not, the money was good and a fair trade for the water bottles and change.

Much to Tobias' vague surprise, when he set down the single bill the cashier softened a bit. Not a ton, and there was still definite wariness, but the location did kind of warrant that. The change was even correct, when the coins were pushed to the edge of the counter. Tobias scooped them into one hand, his new water bottle tucked under an arm, and turned for the door.

"Thanks," he called absently back to the cashier, pushing the money around in his still-pinkish-tan palm with a fingertip and trying to do math. "Er, how much exactly is the bus fare here?" He flexed his feet as best as he could in his shoes and another important thought occurred to him. "And... how far is the stop?"

He relaxed a bit when the cashier took the money with no trouble and gave the change just the same. Stepping outside with the fish-man Alex took a sip of water. "Er, how much exactly is the bus fare here? And... how far is the stop?" It wasn't a surprising question, given what was going on. "It's two bucks and by bus it's maybe forty to thirty minuets."he said with shrug.

Not too far on foot honestly but since Tobias looked like he wouldn't be able to handle it given how hot it was. It was best to just take the bus and deal with people staring. He wondered if there would ever be some way to make this guy's day to day life easier. Custom shoes, water tubes for his gills, something. He wondered if the mansion had a pool they could use. Though, that might not be a good idea given the chemicals that were in pools.

Two dollars was no trouble at all, fortunately. Tobias had harboured some concerns that it would be some weird number and he'd be missing the exact change. Instead, he got to separate the precise amount from his little hoard and tuck the rest away in his wallet, and tucked that into his most secure and least noticeable pocket. At least if someone tried to hold him up again he could honestly say he'd already been mugged today and didn't have anything left. He supposed that was a silver lining to the whole mess.

... they were going almost another hour by bus? Yeah, Tobias was not walking that. He'd spent more than enough time on buses already today, but he'd spend some more if it meant avoiding walking that far. Owwww! He hurt just thinking about it. Well, hopefully it wouldn't be that far to meet up with the bus. This was a city, right? Cities, especially enormous sprawling massive things like New York, had frequent bus stops so no one had to walk too far.... right?

Following Alex back out, Tobias played with his bottle of water and tried to convince himself that his throat wasn't still raw from his earlier stress and deprivation. Gills didn't take to out-of-water stress very well, it seemed. He could breathe without real effort right now, even if he could feel it more than usual, so he was not going to half-drown himself unnecessarily. Bleh. "So, how often do you pick up strays and take them home?" he asked jokingly as they headed for the bus stop. Sitting down, here he came! Even if that could be almost as awkward as walking, given his tail and back-fins... Eh. They didn't really hurt right now. They could take it.

Stepping out into the heat again Alex took another swig of water. Summer was winding down but it was coming to hard end it seemed, not quite willing to let go and make way for the fall season. Part of him wanted to head south, follow the animal migration to places that stayed warm year round. Heat was hard sure but snow was harsher. But he had a semi-permanent home now, people who knew him, it wouldn't be right to move away now.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Tobias, "So, how often do you pick up strays and take them home?"

A short laugh burst from his throat at that and face suddenly felt warm. "Would you believe me if I said that the last one was about two weeks ago?"he chuckled, "I'm not kidding, I just ran into this chick who happened to be a mutant and who happened to need a place to stay."

"It's kind of crazy, I was kind of a stray myself three weeks ago to be honest."he shrugged, "I just keep running into people who need help and I can actually do something about it now." It was weird but happy sensation, to be the one giving help instead of receiving it for once. He was actually making a change for at least a few people, however small it was.

Walking beside someone while they drank cold water and you were dehydrated and leaning a little too heavily to the aquatic side at the moment was... persuasive. Tobias finally gave in and cracked his own water bottle, one hand bent a bit to preserve his bus fare, and took a sip. At this point, even drinking water was better than nothing. His stomach also received the cold better than his respiratory system would have, so his faint raspiness could be quiet.

Tobias grinned. "I thought so. People have their habits, no matter how much they try to deny them! As long as it doesn't mean that you have a pastime of kidnapping homeless mutants, I figure it just means something today will go somewhat smoother than its worst possible form." Like being mugged and turned away from housing in the same few minutes.

"As awkward as it is to be the one needs help, I really appreciate this," Tobias said. "And even if this place doesn't work out, for whatever reason-" he had to cover all his bases now and plan ahead, didn't he? "-at least you tried to help. I couldn't ask for that much, much less more."

"I thought so. People have their habits, no matter how much they try to deny them! As long as it doesn't mean that you have a pastime of kidnapping homeless mutants, I figure it just means something today will go somewhat smoother than its worst possible form."

He smiled, relieved that Tobias didn't find it strange that he was the second person that he had brought home with him in just as many weeks. He wondered if this would start to be a thing that happened on the regular. He wouldn't mind it, least he could do for folks who needed it.

"As awkward as it is to be the one needs help, I really appreciate this. And even if this place doesn't work out, for whatever reason-at least you tried to help. I couldn't ask for that much, much less more."

He shrugged, "It's no problem. If anything it'll at least give you some time to save up again and get an apartment if it doesn't work for you." They arrived at the bus stop shortly and at looking at the posted schedule it was a relief to see it was only a few more minuets waiting. "So, um, why did you move here anyway? Isn't the city kind of not the right environment? Not that I'm judging, just curious."

Tobias nodded. "I don't know how long it'll take me to get a job, but it's a start. That's all I can hope for today." The bus stop had a bench! Tobias gratefully sank into it, forced to sit forward enough to let his tail curve out of the way, but even the limitation wasn't enough to counter the relief in his feet. He stretched them out in front of him and sighed. Now he was kind of hoping the bus would take a few minutes and not show up immediately; he didn't want to have to get up again so quickly.

Alex's question distracted him from his relief and he looked over, shading his eyes with one hand. The patches under his eyes lightened up a bit in the sudden local shade. "Oh, uh..." Tobias hesitated, fluffing his neck fins up and down with his other hand sheepishly. "My parents got tired of me lurking around the house and kind of didn't give me a choice." He grinned ruefully. "I kind of spent all my life on a career path that isn't exactly available to me anymore. Even if I could fit in a car anymore, mutants aren't exactly welcome in competition." He shrugged. "Not the end of the world, even if it sucks, but I haven't had much luck replacing racing."

"I kind of spent all my life on a career path that isn't exactly available to me anymore. Even if I could fit in a car anymore, mutants aren't exactly welcome in competition. Not the end of the world, even if it sucks, but I haven't had much luck replacing racing."

He sat down next to him, listening to his story. "Well that...sucks..."he murmured, thinking on it. He couldn't help the guy on this one. Tobias would just have to figure out on his own what made him happy or if he could some how get back into racing. "I don't think you should give up on it completely. I mean your mutation doesn't exactly put you at an advantage. So what do they have to complain about?"

He shrugged, "I dunno, just a thought." A worrying thought. Mutants aren't exactly welcome...Did that apply to everything or just sports? He wasn't sure what he wanted out of life yet, what career he could go for. But he didn't want to be halted just because some assholes wanted to keep things mutant free.

Tobias shrugged. "It is what it is. My mutation gives me a decided disadvantage unless I could somehow afford a car completely customized to my body inside. Maybe if there were some companies who really wanted mutants in the industry and had the money to back one, but they'd probably go for someone who hasn't... er... driven his street car off a bridge because he forgot about speed limits for a bit." Tobias was mostly over that.

Mostly.

Mostly it was embarrassing. "Anyway, that was when the rest of this started to start; I really should have drowned." A shiver raced along his spine. "I can kind of see the point to the policy, though. Racing is about ability, and if someone shows up with something that pretty much guarantees their win, where's the competition? The industry's success is completely dependent on competition. If there were an accepted way of proving that a mutant doesn't have an unfair advantage, then there shouldn't be a problem - unless they need special modifications that cost even more money than the cars demand to begin with. If, say, someone who could levitate their car was racing, though, what would happen to the race? They'd just go straight over everyone else. Jumping over a tangle or wreck is one thing, but just floating above the entire race?" He shrugged. "It isn't as simple as discrimination or acceptance."

He listened but was shaking his head. "I understand, but shouldn't that be judged on a case by case bases. Like, you can't do that sort of stuff, I certainly can't. Hell a lot of mutants can't lift a car and send it sailing over others. Or push them out of the way, or anything that could make the competition unfair. And the psychics who can certainly aren't going to hopping in a car that's supposed to go a hundred something miles an hour. Given that it takes most people years to get a simple handle on their mutation, let alone that kind of control, if they're even bothering to train with it."

He sighed and leaned back only to be stopped by his backpack. He shrugged the heavy bag off his shoulders and into his lap. "I mean, blanket statements like that...I dunno, that bugs me and the fact that you have to give up on something you love bugs me. There's a reason why competitions have try outs, to not only see if you're up to par but also to estimate where you are in comparison to others. Mutants should be able to try out, just like everyone else."

Kid had it straight. "That's exactly how it should be done, but that doesn't mean they want to invest the time, effort, and money to set up the system to do it. Maybe later, in a few years or a decade or something, but not now. Honestly, getting people to watch racing can be shaky enough to occupy them." He rolled his shoulders. "The other thought is probably safety, though. My mutation isn't much of a matter of control, generally speaking, but anyone who controls or moves or changes something could be pretty dangerous in a high-stress, high-speed race if their control wasn't perfect. Not a reason to bar mutants, but definitely something else that complicates the whole situation."

Flipping his tail into a coil on his lap, Tobias absently straightened and smoothed the spines of the multiple fins along its length. The bus ought to be coming soon, shouldn't it? Not that his feet were eager to get smushed around in his shoes any more. "You're right. The current set up isn't right. It might not be all that simple to fix, at least in practice, but it does need to change if the industry wants to keep up with the world and not miss out on some really good opportunities." He flashed a toothy grin at the kid. "What would you think of watching some real-life Mario Kart, complete with fireballs and flying shells and banana peels? Or whatever happened to work with the particular race's mutant cast. It'd need some pretty special cars, and probably some dedicated kinetics and whatnot running damage control."

Yes, the thought of having real life Mario Kart-style races had occurred to him before. Heck, he was a driver by nature and he'd sit and watch that!

Maybe, if he ever miraculously got enough money to live on, much less invest, he should start that industry.

"What would you think of watching some real-life Mario Kart, complete with fireballs and flying shells and banana peels? Or whatever happened to work with the particular race's mutant cast. It'd need some pretty special cars, and probably some dedicated kinetics and whatnot running damage control."

He grinned and nodded, glad to see Tobias hadn't actually given up. He was just looking at it logically. "Yeah, I'd watch it. It'd sure beat the hell out of regular car racing. No offense, but the same circle over and over gets dull after a while." He looked up as the bus pulled up and stood. "Actually, I can't imagine why people wouldn't invest in mutant sports. It'd make them way more intense. Though the fields for them would have to be bigger."

He wasn't big into sports. Used to not have the time to watch or keep up with it. The only time he got interested is if it happened to be the only thing available to watch. "A lot of things would have to be adjusted but it's definitely do-able." He swung his backpack back on to his shoulders and hesitated at the door of the bus. Last time he had ridden one he had been bring Margo to the mansion and they almost got themselves killed by a man who had over heard them talking about their mutations. He could only hope that the same thing wouldn't happen again.

Stepping onto the bus was a little less than crowded and thankfully there was a seat open. "Go ahead and sit." He gestured to it for Tobias.