It was good to be back...

For the most part. Ty never did like the crowds, but he learned that in his profession, more people meant greater possibility at a good haul. As it stood, pockets were ripe for the picking; he'd scored enough to buy new clothes. First and foremost...it was time to ditch the gloves. As much as he'd grown to love them, they were like training wheels, and by now...they needed to go. Roaming through a clothing store, he picked up a green tee shirt and a black hoodie with a fish skeleton on the back, topped off by a pair of blue jeans and a new pair of sneakers(finally). After he'd paid for his new attire, he'd slipped off into the changing room and closed the door.

As he shed his shirt, he looked at his now exposed tattoos in the mirror, and one in particular, stood out...the full moon, surrounded by a faint, green aura on the left side of his chest. Next to his heart. Tses...

He'd stared at it a moment, idly tracing the moon with his hand. Shaking his head, he changed clothes, and put the contents of his pockets into his new pants. Then, he walked out, trashing the old garb. The hoodie slung over his shoulder, he continued down the street.

After an hour at his next stop, he stepped out into the street, sporting a much shorter haircut. New Ty, new look.

After skillfully picking a few more pockets, he heard a dog barking, and it made him jump. Shaking his head to clear the memories, the lad ducked into an alley, shimmying up a fire escape and climbing up to the roof. Standing out looking over the edge, he felt so...free. So powerful, looking down over everyone.

And yet, it was just a feeling. For now. One day, he'd rise to new heights.

One day, this city would be in the palm of his hand.

Not having a job was... weird. Well. She had a job. Kind of? She didn't remember getting it. That part wasn't new. What was new was that she'd forgotten SO THOROUGHLY that this time she'd even forgotten to write a note about getting a job that she wouldn't remember.

Usually she left herself notes before she got texts telling her to go to strange places and do strange things.

And her calendar. It was like the thing was in code. Today, she was supposed to "Meet Phil, you remember Phil." No picture. No phone number to reach Phil. The best she had to go on was the location where she was when she apparently made the calendar and that was here... on the street between a library and a tenement of some kind.

Did Phil live in there?

Noel paced back and forth suspiciously. Maybe if she waited, Phil would come to her.

Ty enjoyed standing on the edge of the roof; it made him feel in control. He held his own life in his hands, and nothing could--whoa foot slipped! With that, Ty quickly scurried back to the safety of the roof, chuckling to himself.

"Well...that's enough of that, for now..." he murmured to himself. "Heh...maybe I've just outgrown rooftops..." He climbed nimbly back down the fire escape, making his way to the street. Now, he guessed it was time to find a place to stay.

He made his way down the alley again, loving the feeling of his new clothes. Upon exiting the alleyway, he saw a familiar face, and it made him freeze. Noel.

He thought he had everything planned out; just avoid everyone he left behind and he wouldn't have to face it until he was ready. Sounded good on paper, but...now it wasn't looking so good. Next thing he knew, he was approaching her, against his better judgement.

Guess some things never change...

Noel turned to pace and noticed a ginger walking toward her. He was looking right at her. And... gulp. He didn't look terribly happy.

"Phil. Sorry. It's good to see you again." More often than not, pretending that she knew what was going on worked out in her favor. She didn't look like such a freak then. And it was true. She felt like smiling at him. He felt familiar even if she did not objectively recognize him.

"I forgot to put what we had planned in my calendar and then I couldn't find your number here..." Actually, now that she was looking at him up close he looked very familiar.

There was something just on the edge of her memory. Her eyes widened when she figured it out. Haircut! "I like the hair." She grinned. No awkwardness. No problem. Noel was just Noel.

Ty tried to swallow the nervousness he was feeling overwhelmed by. He was sure she hated him if she remembered him, and if she didn't remember, she'd know if he was lying. So either way, the truth was going to come out and he was--Phil? Yes...he was Phil now.

Ty knew better than to say anything, or agree, because then the jig was up already. So he merely nodded. "It's been a long time," he replied, keeping his answers short and sweet for now. The more he said, the more likely he was to get into trouble.

"Thanks, I'm trying out a new look."

Plans? Crap. He had to think, and he had to think quick. Then again...he didn't know who this Phil really was, or when he'd show up, so...maybe it was time to get.

"No real plans, per say. Just lunch. Talking, catching up. As old friends tend to do." He smiled, giving a nod. Maybe if he could earn her trust as Phil, then it wouldn't be as bad when she remembered Ty?

Or maybe it would be much worse. Only time would tell.

Lunch. Yes. Her calendar alert had reminded her to eat lunch not too long ago. That was only logical. "Oh good. I'm glad it wasn't lessons or something. I'm not exactly prepared today." She had her sword on her person always so it wasn't that kind of preparedness she had to worry about. It was the mental kind. The whole, review and build on previous problems was a hard thing for Noel.

"I'm not sure I have your number anymore." She scrolled through her phone to the P section... unless that was Phil with an F? Gah. Who knew? But they were old friends, right? She should have his number. That was a legitimate concern and this was a new phone so... "Do you know your number off the top of your head? You should know the drill too, right? Let me take a picture pretty pleeeeeease?" If not she would have to take a picture on the sly and that tended to result in up-the-nose shots.

"And where to for food? I'm all over between part time things, but one boss really likes Asian so maybe not that." Hades was known to cook fried rice after a good brawl and since that was practically all they'd done so far... yeah. Noel touched her cheek. Had her bruising healed or was she wearing makeup again?

"Heh, lessons? If anything, I learned more from you than the other way around," he teased. And then...she asked for his number, and he froze for a second. Crap.

He figured his best bet would be just to tell her his number, so that's exactly what he did. Anything that happened, he'd just take as it came. Besides, that's how he was approaching this whole situation anyway, right?

"Sure, you can take my picture," he replied, now thinking on possible lunch ideas.

"I'm down for pizza, actually. Haven't had a good slice of pizza since..." He paused, hanging on his own words for a moment. No...don't give away too much. She doesn't even know you're you, much less what you've been through... Besides, he didn't want anyone to know what he'd been through the past year or so anyway.

"I haven't had a good slice of pizza in a long time," he finally said, giving a smile and motioning for her to follow.

After all, the real Phil was likely to show up soon, and things were already sketchy and liable to implode at any moment as it was...

"Oh. Did I teach you?" She had to grin at the ridiculousness of the question. She had taught before. A few times, actually, but those were far between. "Sorry. You know how it goes. I just assumed 'cause it's the rare person I can teach something to."

She snapped his picture and labeled it appropriately.

PHIL. YOU REMEMBER PHIL.
I don't remember Phil, but I pretended to. We are going to get pizza today to catch up.

And then, of course she had to set a reminder to fill in a dossier on Phil so she wouldn't forget next time. Because that would be embarrassing. Geez. Her brain was so much swiss cheese these days. Maybe she shouldn't feel guilty about freeloading off of Hades. Working with him had really thrown off her recent track record.

And pizza? Pizza always sounded great. "A classic, naturally." Who could say no to hot melty cheesey goodness?

She hopped to when Phil started walking. They were pretty much the same size so it was easy to keep pace.

"So what have you been up to?" Noel slipped her phone, now on silent, into her pocket. "I moved recently. Not too far from here, actually." And moving was a generous term. Really it was that she took a few seconds to shove stuff in a bag before the police found her in her apartment with a couple dead bodies that had her bullets in them.

Ty nodded; he couldn't help but smile at the memories. Those were good times. Good, if somewhat hellish, troubling, and occasionally life threatening times. Mostly, what Noel had taught him was on the inside. But, that was something he didn't want to get into; no need to get all sappy, right?

"I've always been told I'm one in a million," he quipped jokingly.

And then, he had to pause again. This girl was really asking the tough questions, wasn't she? Thinking back on the last year wasn't something he liked to do if he could help it, let alone talk about it. But...he had to tell her something, and given her ability, it had better be the truth.

"A lot, actually," he finally replied, breaking the awkward silence as it was about to settle in. "Been away on personal business, and just recently blew back into town. Although, to an extent, it's almost like I never left."

He chuckled. "You always did have a habit of moving a lot," he commented. Hey, to him it sounded a heap better than 'hey, remember that time we lived together?' Right? Right.

Just up the street was Ty's target. Good...the old pizza joint he used to love hitting up was still there. Leading his old friend inside, he paused a moment just to take in the familiar smells.

"God, I missed this..." he murmured.

"Or maybe one in a Phillion? Yeah? No? Yeah it sounded better in my head." Puns just weren't her thing. Or maybe it was the whole empty stomach thing. Hard to make good choices on an empty stomach.

"Smells amazing in here." Noel directed her comment to the guy behind the register who was hurriedly dashing between taking money and slinging pizzas. His chest puffed up with pride and he grumbled in a good natured way that of course it did.

While they waited in line, Noel felt the need to defend herself. She moved a lot? "I do not move a lot." At least, she tried not to. "I've lived in, well, I mean before this one— that one that I just moved out of? I lived there for like two years. That's practically forever in this town."

And it wasn't long before they made it to the front of the line. This didn't seem the type of place that had a menu, a fact confirmed when the guy behind the counter recognized Noel as the one who'd complimented him before.

"I only make good pizza here. What you like? Broccoli on your pizza? Is too skinny! Here. You have a pepperoni. My brother he make the best of the pepperoni."

"Pepperoni and a coke then. I'll get this guy too." Noel nodded to Ty and pulled out her wallet before he could protest.

"Is the best, eh? Woman who pays. Lucky man."

Ty smirked at the joke; in all honesty, he'd made much worse than that plenty of times. "It always smells amazing in here," Ty responded rather quickly; he'd forgotten how much he missed good old New York Pizza. Nowhere he'd been did it better; not Georgia, and definitely not Kansas. He'd felt so deprived, having been reduced to crappy chain-pizza and frozen cardboard topped with processed everything.

Actually, it could be a reasonable argument that besides a thirst for power, a hunger for decent pizza could have been the second thing that drove Ty back to the city. He chuckled as she spoke, deciding against bringing up any potential awkwardness that may or may not reveal that he wasn't exactly who he said he was right now. "Hey, not like I've stayed in one place very long either. I was just picking."

Ty chuckled as she offered to pay his. "I'll have the same. Yeah. To have a friend like her, I've gotta be some kinda lucky." Of course my luck has run out before, so let's not push it.

Friend like her. Phil said the f word like maybe it had more weight than most people did. Or was she just fishing for any clue as to who he was? How was it possible to have what felt like such a great friend that she couldn't remember?

She grabbed her plate once it was out. This place didn't waste its fancy on trays. They saved it all for the pizza. Which was as big as her face, as greasey as a teenager, and buried in as pleasing a proportion of cured meat, cheese, sauce, and bread as a girl could ask for.

"I think somewhere a pizza angel just got her wings." She had to sip her soda to keep from embarrassing herself with appropriate amounts of salivation.

One they were settled into one of the two-seater table tops, Noel decided she had to ask. "So what's it like having a friend that you keep having to introduce yourself to?" Was that why they'd never...? Noel tried to look at Phil with a discerning female eye and just couldn't imagine it.

Ty smiled, grabbing his plate as well and following Noel to the table. Sitting across from her, he realized how good it felt just to...relax. Now that was something he hadn't done in quite a long time.

He pondered the question she posed to him long and hard. Ty wanted to make sure he answered this one right and didn't end up putting his foot in his mouth, as he often tended to do.

"Well, honestly, it doesn't really matter to me that I have to keep introducing myself to you," he said softly, once he finally broke the silence. "See, it doesn't matter how often you forget; that just comes with the territory. But, though your memories may leave, your address and your job may change, one thing remains constant. No matter what, you're still you. And that's what makes you indispensable." After saying his piece, Ty picked up his pizza, taking a bite and leaving a trail of cheese from the pizza to his mouth.

Noel sat for a beat as she processed what had been said.

She'd had her doubts before. Now, she was sure. Phil and Noel totally used to be a thing.

There were a few options here. She could pretend that she didn't notice how sappy the thing that Phil had just said was and confirm the growing unease she felt about the situation. Or, as was her typical fare, she could face it head on. Or, a third option. One that didn't usually occur to her until it was too late. Humor.

"Well, I can't say that I didn't ask, but Geez, do you have to get all mushy in public?" She gestured to a nearby man in his early 20's who had huge earphones on and one of those silly yuppie mustaches. "There are kids here, Phil. It's inappropriate." She was trying to keep a straight face, but the humor was dancing in her eyes.

She was indispensable? To him? How? She just couldn't see it. It had to have been a while since she'd seen Phil, otherwise she would have some clue who he was. He was just throwing complementary crap on the wall to see what stuck. That's all this was.

Ty almost choked on his pizza at what she'd said; partly because it was funny, but mostly because...well, it was kinda embarrassing, and he did kinda used to(ish) have somewhat of a teeny tiny crush on her. Maybe.

Wait...was she on to him? No, she called him Phil. But that didn't mean she wasn't remembering, and that she'd spring it on him later, and then he'd be all alone in the world again, right? Right?

Or maybe, more logically, the lad was overthinking this just a tad. She just cracked a joke, after all.

"Heh, sorry," he replied, his face turning redder than what hair he had left. "I always did have a tendency to get a little more emotional than intended when I speak."

Or maybe he was just trying to earn brownie points and ended up laying it on more than just a little too thick.