>>"...was a pretty interesting bunch. There was a lot of drama between some of the students."

Sarah snorted a bit. Then figured she really should explain her amusement. "Drama is always there. No matter how old we get," she shrugged. "Though life would probably be boring without it. For example, finding out your cousin's girlfriend would rather swallow broken glass then date a mutant makes a great conversation starter," she said wryly. Then she winced. "Sorry, old wound."

Juliette nodded, feeling sympathetic towards the woman whom she barely knew. "Don't worry about it," she brushed off the apology lightly. "I... Understand. Better than most, probably. People can be incredibly judgemental at times."

She took a breath, wanting desperately to ask a question that wasn't always taken well. After a moment, she threw caution to the wind and asked it despite the warning noises blaring in her mind. "Are... You a mutant?"

>>"Are... You a mutant?"

Sarah was a little startled by the question. Most people she met stayed away from the topic. Though she did bring it up herself, so maybe not so strange. Taking a breath the brunette decided that honesty would be the way to go.

"I don't have the x-gene, so no. But, as I said, my cousin is. Have a couple second cousins too," she shrugged. "My family's pretty active in movement back in Seattle. Though New York is a whole different ball game, you know?"

Dragging her courage up, she asked the same question as nonchalantly as possible. She had seen a lot of different reaction to her being human. Not all good ones. Specifically that bone chick she had met (read: fought) briefly. "You?"

Juliette listened, slightly disappointed that Sarah wasn't a mutant, but also pleasantly surprised by her answer. It wasn't often that she met humans that sympathetic. "Yeah, I get it. New Yorkers can be rather hostile at times. It kind of makes me want to move sometimes. That and the rain."

>> "You?"

She nodded slowly and glanced at the fire. "I am," Juliette replied, holding a ball of energy for a brief second to emphasize the statement. "It's nice to meet someone who isn't completely horrified by the idea, if I'm being honest."

>>"I am. It's nice to meet someone who isn't completely horrified by the idea, if I'm being honest."

Sarah was pretty awed by the blatant show of power. Not a lot of the mutants she met were okay showing their power in public. As far as she knew none of her family really had a visible mutation. Though there could be one she just didn't know about.

"I get it. There's been some rather extreme responses. I knew one of the teachers at the Sister School. Between that and my family I've probably had more positive experience than a lot of New Yorkers, she smiled sadly, thinking back to the riots caused by a young woman who couldn't control how she looked. "Most just take what goes on TV as the majority. Besides that X-Men team there aren't a whole lot of positive stuff in the news. And these new META bots.

Sarah stopped herself with a shake of her head. "Sorry, my mouth seems to have run away from me." She knew not everyone liked to talk about these issues. There probably wasn't a much safer topic though. Not between two strangers. "I guess light and/or heat is your thing?" she wondered. "Makes sense on why you don't like rain."

>>"Most just take what goes on TV as the majority. Besides that X-Men team there aren't a whole lot of positive stuff in the news. And these new META bots."

Juliette nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think there's a lot of group-think towards mutants. We've gotten a bad rap over the years and it's just been blow further and further out of proportion. Don't get me wrong, I can name a few mutants that I'm not exactly fond of-" -her cheek ached on cue as the angry heat mutant crossed her mind- "but that's hardly all of us. Most just want to live our lives in peace. But, I'm probably preaching to the choir if you're a supporter, right?"

>>"Sorry, my mouth seems to have run away from me."

"Don't worry about it," Juliette waved her off. "Most people just shuffle around the subject, so it's nice to have a conversation where you don't have to avoid any important topics."

>>"I guess light and/or heat is your thing? Makes sense on why you don't like rain."

"Yeah, just light, actually, but the two go hand in hand. Rain means no sun, which is where I get a lot of my basic energy from." She tried her best to explain it without going too deep into her powers, "it just makes me sort of weak and lethargic. New York probably isn't the best city to be in, huh?"

>>"Most people just shuffle around the subject, so it's nice to have a conversation where you don't have to avoid any important topics."

Sarah grinned a little. "I try to avoid topics that can cause fights. But I'm not afraid to speak my mind when they some up. Pissing someone off is better than letting someone think you believe something you don't."

>>"Yeah, just light, actually, but the two go hand in hand. Rain means no sun, which is where I get a lot of my basic energy from. It just makes me sort of weak and lethargic. New York probably isn't the best city to be in, huh?"

The brunette listened to the new information. It made sense, her ability. "No, probably not. But where else can you find such pleasant drivers?" she let some sarcasm coat her voice. The streets of New York were known for their angry drivers. She decided to ignore the voice reminding her that the drivers had nothing on the criminals.

>>"I try to avoid topics that can cause fights. But I'm not afraid to speak my mind when they some up. Pissing someone off is better than letting someone think you believe something you don't."

Juliette nodded, smiling into her coffee. "Have more than you show, speak less than you know. It's usually good to live by, but there are exceptions."

>>"No, probably not. But where else can you find such pleasant drivers?"

"Ah, yes, the wonderful demeanour of New Yorkers," Juliette laughed at Sarah's statement. "Known for their helpfulness, are they not? I usually try to avoid driving as much as possible, especially since I moved here."

>>"Ah, yes, the wonderful demeanour of New Yorkers. Known for their helpfulness, are they not? I usually try to avoid driving as much as possible, especially since I moved here."

Sarah let a laugh bubble out. "I don't even have a car anymore. And my license is almost expired. I have absolutely no plans to renew it either. I walk wherever I need to go. Though I've probably been assaulted more times than I can count."

>>"I don't even have a car anymore. And my license is almost expired. I have absolutely no plans to renew it either. I walk wherever I need to go. Though I've probably been assaulted more times than I can count."

"Have you been hurt?" Juliette asked her, a look of concern on her face. She had been assaulted a few times herself, but she had always found a way to manage. Even if managing entailed fighting off META bots and angry heat mutants. "I hope it wasn't too bad."

>>"Have you been hurt? I hope it wasn't too bad."

Sarah nodded. Yeah she'd been hurt before. "Had a sprained ankle one time. A member of the NYPD helped out."

"I hope it wasn't too bad."

"Worst I've ever had was getting shot. I got lucky though. A guy with a healing ability fixed me up. Don't even have a scar," she unconsciously grabbed at her shoulder, where the bullet had hit. "Getting shot was my own fault. Went down an alley after dark. Got spooked at nothing but a girl asking for directions."

>>"Getting shot was my own fault. Went down an alley after dark. Got spooked at nothing but a girl asking for directions."

"It couldn't be your fault if you were shot," Juliette pointed out. "In my opinion it's always the fault of the person wielding the gun. Although, I have had a few patients who weren't exactly innocent either. But I'm sure you're not like that."

She looked at her empty mug and then back at the clock, noticing how far the minute hand had moved since they had sat down. "I have to go, but maybe we could swap cell numbers and talk again sometime?"

>>"In my opinion it's always the fault of the person wielding the gun. Although, I have had a few patients who weren't exactly innocent either. But I'm sure you're not like that."

Sarah smiled a little ruefully. She had gotten shot because she had been scared by the other girl's wings. Though it was a little sudden and she had been tired. Those weren't good enough excuses in her book nowadays.

>>"I have to go, but maybe we could swap cell numbers and talk again sometime?"

Huh? She looked over to the clock. "Wow. I can't believe its that late. Yeah, I'd like to get together again sometime. It's been nice to have a normal conversation." Sarah wrote down her number for the other brunette. It would be nice to have another conversation like this. She didn't have a whole lot of people she could talk to honestly with.

Juliette took the number from Sarah and scrawled out her own in return. She smiled at the other woman and turned to go after nodding in agreement. It was nice to have a normal conversation. Most of hers recently had been surrounding violence or an injury. Plus, she liked talking to Sarah.

She would definitely keep her number for another rainy day.