Busking just didn't pay enough. While it was a great way for Astrid to do what she loved without having to deal with regular employment or other people in general, she had only made six dollars the day before. So, she had looked into other options, which was why she found herself in a little jazz bar, prepping for a performance.

The venue hadn't been her first choice. Not by a long shot. She much preferred to play romantic era music to jazz, and the audience was less than savoury. People ordered food, talked loudly, and were generally terrible towards the performer. But nonetheless, Astrid found herself there. Selling out for a hundred bucks. 

There had better be some good tips.

Her performance hadn't been incredibly well publicized, but there had been a few posters put up around town. They advertized the jazz night, with a small picture of her on the front. The manager had been hoping to draw from some of the mutant crowd that typically avoided the establishment with her obvious mutation.

Astrid didn't typically get nervous before a performance. The nerves wouldn't typically set in until she had already begun to play, when it was too late to stop. For that, she was grateful. Once she was on, there was no turning back.

She readied her cello by tuning it to the piano nearby. The patrons filed in one by one, taking seats at the overcrowded tables in the little restaurant. The walls were lined with pictures of people that had played there previously, none of whom Astrid could name.

She took a deep breath and looked emotionlessly over the crowd as she waited for them to quiet down. It took a while, but eventually most of the heads in the audience turned to her. She nodded to the piano accompanist and began to play, her fingers moving over the strings the strings as she conformed to the jazz style she dispised. 

People had only started to order drinks, and there was still an hour left in her set. It was going to be a long night of syncopation. 

Kaz wasn't in the habit of frequenting random bars, especially low class, hole-in-the-wall bars, but he found himself outside just such a bar, staring at its garish neon sign. Sighing, he ran his hand through his short, tousled hair, before looking at his phone again. 'This is definitely the place. I hope this is worth it.' As he stepped through the door, presented his ID, and headed to get a drink, Kaz began questioning why he was there.

Earlier in the day Kaz had seen the flier posted on a few of the public boards in the Corydon Estates. There were always numerous things posted on the boards, from someone looking for a babysitter to people planning small 'block parties' to short comic strips. He hadn't given it much thought or attention until he heard a few of the residents discussing it. The group quieted down at his approach, but answered his questions readily enough. Apparently the group, he didn't know if they were all mutants or if some, or all of them, were a part of the small human population in the Estates, weren't old enough to go to the event. After expressing some curiosity himself the teens got him to agree to go and record it for them.

Before leaving the bar proper, Kaz had already downed two glasses of their best whiskey, and paid for the entire bottle, which he took with him as he made his way to the side of the bar, but close to the 'stage'.

Halfway to his spot Kaz stopped when he spotted the night's performer, his eyebrow quirked in a somewhat confused manner. 'There's no way she's old enough to drink, let alone be allowed in this place.' Looking around he saw that he wasn't the only one thinking what he had, but no one seemed to have much of an issue with it. Kaz mentally shrugged it off, figuring that it must not be an uncommon thing.

As Kaz sat down, forcing the previous occupants from the spot by sheer will until he had was the only one at the small table, he eyed the youth and took a pull from the bottle. The girl's porcelain white skin practically glowed under the lights which only made her hair, eyes, and wings stand out even more than they would have normally. With a glace down at his own attire he wasn't sure which one of them stood out more in at sink hole of a bar. Kaz knew he was extremely overdressed for the venue. Bright silver shirt, silken crimson vest held together with silver buttons, and black designer jeans with silver threaded designs and stitching clashed with the entire atmosphere of the place.

Kaz remembered to set his phone up and start the recording just before the girl finished setting up.

While Kaz enjoyed all sorts of music genres, he wasn't so into them or skilled enough to say whether a musician was especially skilled, but he did know a lot about watching people who had become familiar with their craft. The ease with which the girl held her instrument, Kaz couldn't remember what it was called, how her fingers moved over the strings and her self assurance as she coaxed out of it told him that she knew that thing as well as he did any of his swords.

And yet...

Something was off.

It took him quite a while to notice it. One he did though, he couldn't help but see anything else. The girl did not enjoy what she was doing, not one bit. Kaz couldn't understand why she would be playing, and playing so well, if she hated playing the instrument. As he continued to watch and listen he thought he could hear the music take on sour notes. Moving his attention from her 'That's what it is, a cello.', and watched her, he could see that her posture and expression matched the sour, now somewhat listless tone of her music. The more he watched and listened, the more he frowned.

Looking around the room Kaz saw that he wasn't the only one notice what he had. Making sure he didn't walk in front of his phone's camera, Kaz made his way to the bartender and asked for the person in charge. After speaking to the manger, or owner, or whatever their position was, and greasing the wheels with some cash, Kaz walked toward the girl. Halfway to her he began clapping, drawing stares from the patrons around him. ”I'm sorry to interrupt,” He lied as he held his arms out with a placating gesture to those in attendance, before turning his gaze to the girl, ”You play quite well m'dear, quite well indeed. But, I can't help but notice you don't seem to be...enjoying yourself.”

”I've taken the liberty of speaking to the management already. When you begin again, if you still feel like it that is, please play whatever makes you happy.” Hearing a few people groan from the audience Kaz turned slowly to face the crowd, with a cold scowl on his face but a light tone in his voice, ”Since I'm willing to cover the cost of your food and drinks for the duration, I'm sure no one will object to the young lady playing a bit more.”

Turning back to the pale, winged girl, Kaz gave her a slight bow before returning to his seat. 'I'll have someone edit that bit later.' Kaz was curious to see if she would continue, and if she did, he wanted to see and hear the difference. He hoped it would be worth the money he had just spent.

((OOC: Song reference: www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0_gw2Lillg)

Astrid had continued with the set, fullly aware of the sour expression that consumed her face. The audience would likely be able to tell how she felt about it; they always did. The girl didn't particularly care, though. She wasn't there for them. She was there for the cash. And for the free meal the manager had thrown in. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten a full meal.

Most things were going smoothly. A strange-looking man stood up to talk to the manager during her song. It was rude, for sure, but she chalked it up to the uncomfortable chairs. She would have complained in their position.

Then, the man came back, but didn't sit back down. He moved towards the stage. Astrid's brow furrowed as she played. Didn't he know any kind of ediquite? Then, when she thought he couldn't possibly be more obnoxious, he began to clap. Clap. While she was playing. She stopped playing instantly, aghast at the general attitude of the man. She was playing! Playing! There hadn't even been a pause to confuse people!

She pursed her lips into an even more sour expression. Suddenly, the man began to talk. Apparently, he had noticed how little she had been enjoying the set.

He wanted her to... Play what she wanted? No one had ever asked her what she wanted to play before. When she was taught at the orphanage, her music had been provided for her. Now, she played crowd pleasers that earned her money. What did she want to play?

Then, a sudden idea struck her. It was a song she had only played a few times, but she was certain she could do it again. She replaced her bow on the instrument and readied herself to begin.

She glanced up at the man for a second, almost to give him a silence thank you, but she stopped herself. Never thank people. Just do it.

This time, she was far less tense when she began. Her shoulders moved up and down with the rhythm of the piece, and the sound of her heartbeat matched the beat of the song. This was why she played.

As she finished, she held the last note out for longer than she usually did, glancing up at the man. Her face was expressionless, but there was no doubt that she was grateful.

When the mutant teen put bow to string there was an immediate and dramatic change in the girl's posture and energy, not to mention the music. There was more life in every note than there had been in her previous performance. At least that's what Kaz would say if asked, even if it wasn't exactly accurate.

It was clear to him that she was enjoying herself much more than she had been, even if Kaz didn't. Oh it wasn't terrible, but it certainly wasn't something he would normally go out of his way to listen to. It sounded to him like something that should be accompanying or supported by other instruments. Despite that, he found himself watching the girl, watching how she moved in time with each note, watched her delicate fingers pluck the strings and manipulate them with precision, and as he watched, a slow, satisfied smile crept onto his face. Towards the end he noticed the fingers of his right hand were moving in time with each note, as if they were connected to each of the vibrating strings.

When the last note faded, signaling she was done Kaz heard a small, polite applause from the audience. Though it wasn't what they had intended to listen to that night, they seemed to be polite enough to give the girl the credit she was due. Kaz met her eyes with something halfway between a full smile and a smirk on his face as he tilted his head a bit to the side and down in a sort of seated bow.

Kaz stopped his video recording and moved his arm to indicate the chair across from him at his table. The girl seemed to hesitate for a few moments before deciding to join him. While he waited for her to come over and seat herself, he caught the bartender's eyes and motioned for a server to come over. Turning his attention to the girl and held his hand out towards her, ”Kaz Corydon.” Glancing at the server approaching, ”The manager told me about your deal, but since I..derailed the scheduled music, I told him I'd pay for your meal, and everyone else's, so pick whatever you'd like.”

”I apologize if I offended or embarrassed you earlier, but if I'm honest, and I try to be with fellow mutants, it was almost painful to watch you suffer up there. Why'd you agree to do this if you disliked it so much?”

The man gestured to the chair in front of him when Astrid was finished playing. She hesitated. What did the man want? She was willing to do a lot for money, but there was a line. She narrowed her eyes and stared at him for a moment before giving up and joining him despite her reservations.

The man began talking immediately. He used many big words, most of which went right over the girl's head. He brought over a server and then looked at her, though, so she assumed that he was telling her to order. She made the connection between the few words that she understood and the way her was moving his hands, that he was offering to pay.

A huge, mischievous smile formed on Astrid's face as she scanned the menu. Her eyes fell on the most expensive item on the list and she settled on what she was going to order. "Steak," she said to the server, her finger on the item. She figured that she was probably pronouncing it wrong, but that it would help if she pointed it out.

The man said something about 'fellow mutants'. She understood the word mutant. She had been called that many times. But was he saying that he was also a mutant? That made sense from his appearance. It also explained why he had come to the restaurant that night.

>>"Why'd you agree to do this if you disliked it so much?”

"Money." Astrid answered simply, rolling the word around in her mouth as she waited for her meal to arrive. It was a word she used often. It was usually her reason behind most things. That and her quest to be evil.

Kaz had let his hand stay outstretched towards the girl longer than normal, and then a bit longer, until it was clear they wouldn't be shaking hands with mutual introductions. As he brought his hand back and rested his arm on the table Kaz frowned slightly. He couldn't help but take it as confirmation that she had been, and possibly still was, irked with him for his actions earlier. Kaz couldn't really blame her if she was irritated with him, he'd have been just as irritated if someone had done that to him during one of his performances when he was younger.

Irked or not, she did take him up on his offer to pay for her food. Seeing her point to the steak Kaz smiled a little bit. 'If someone offered to pay and to pick whatever I want, I'd probably get the most expensive thing too.'

Waiting until the waiter finished taking the girl's order, Kaz selected a steak and potato, burger and fries, chicken strips, and mozzarella sticks, as well as another bottle of, ”This.” holding up the nearly empty bottle of liquor.

Kaz stayed silent for a minute after the girl's terse, one word answer to his question. The answer, after he understood what she had said, was, or should have been, obvious, but he had expected, and hoped for, a slightly longer response.

Leaning back in his chair, Kaz pursed his lips. ”You're what, 16 years old? There have to be other ways to make money than doing something you dislike so badly.” He absently tapped a finger on the table a few times before speaking again, ”I'm going to go out on a limb and guess this was a type of last resort option. What do you normally do for money?” There was another question that popped into Kaz's head that he almost asked, but he knew better. It wasn't uncommon for mutants like her to have problems at home, so asking about parents would probably be tactless of him.

There was a different question he would ask, and hoped she'd answer ”Would you mind telling me your name? Thinking of you as 'girl' or 'kid' seems a bit rude.”

The man was still extending his hand to her. She hadn't taken it at first, so why would he assume that she would want to shake it then? Eventually, he dropped it, taking the hint. Astrid only touched people on her terms.

Then, he began to order. Astrid had thought that her order had been large, and rather expensive at that. But watching the man order, she realized that she was wrong. Even being unable to understand half of what he was ordering didn't stop her from understanding that it was a lot of food.

He began to talk again, and Astrid did her best to follow along and answer each unnecessarily fast question as best she could. "Age is... No good to be work," she began to speak in slow, broken sentences. She hoped that the hand gestures that she used would help to fill in some gaps, "normally... Play at the... Outside... Not hate... The cello... Hate... This," she gestured to the restaurant around her, unable to think of a word for it. "And the... Sounds."

Name. That was a simpler question. "Astrid," she told him, and then pointed to him. She tried her best to keep her expression neutral, but she was desperate for the food to arrive.

Kaz tilted his head as the girl began speaking. If she weren't speaking as slow as she was, he may have had issues understanding her. Her disjointed way of speaking wasn't helping, but her gestures did help a little. Kaz was beginning to believe the girl either had a speech impediment or she didn't speak English very well.

Going on the assumption that there was a language barrier between the two of them, Kaz closed his eyes for a moment and 'felt' for the connection to Legion. After a moment he opened himself to the mutant's presence, and without needed words, imparted to Legion what he needed. With the mutant's help, and drawing on every mutant connected to him, Kaz opened his eyes and focused on the girl in front of him.

He felt relatively sure he knew where the girl was from, or at least what language she spoke, based on the sound of her accent. There was some conflicting information and experiences, but he went with the strongest and most dominant. <”My name is Kaz Corydon.”> He said in French, and hoped he was right. <”It's a pleasure to meet you Astrid. I hope this will make it easier to speak to each other.”>

<”You said your age wasn't good to work?”>

The man closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them and appeeared to focus intensely on her. Astrid narrowed her eyes at him, unsure of what to think of him. But when he opened his mouth, it was no longer the horrid English language that came out. It was French. Beautiful, sensible French.

Astrid's jaw dropped, and she sat in awe for a moment. It was the first time since travelling to America that she could understand someone. It was a strange feeling, to not feel out of the loop.

It took her a moment to compose herself, but she didn't want to seem stupid, so she did her best to continue without expression or comment.

Her speech pattern had returned to a normal, even a little quick, pace when she resumed speaking. <"I am too young to have a job. The age requirement is sixteen, and I'm only fourteen,"> she wasn't sure why she told him her real age, but she instantly regretted it. She tried to appear unfazed, and continued.

<"Where did you learn French?"> She questioned him warrily. It seemed strange that someone would seek her out, stop a performance, and then suddenly know her native language.

When Astrid's mouth opened, the literal action of her jaw dropping, Kaz grinned, and chuckled a little. Though he had been almost certain he was right, her reaction confirming it made him happy. He was glad the Sentinels come from so many different places and walks of life. Before he could truly begin to consciously wonder who's knowledge he was using, the name 'Dominique' floated into the forefront of his mind.

Of course that was Legion making sure Kaz had all the information he wanted and needed from the mental network. Not only did it let him know who he was getting it from, but it let him give that person a bonus whenever he did so. Kaz thought of it as a sort of incentive the Sentinels would continue to learn and expand their own personal knowledge, and in doing so, add to the collective, making them all better able to handle anything that came their way.

Kaz figured he should answer her question before asking anything else, <”I've never learned French to be honest, at lest nothing more than a handful of words. I'm sort of cheating right now. I'm using another mutant's ability to understand and speak French.”>

Kaz noticed the waiter walking over to the table with his next bottle in hand. <”Thirsty?”> He didn't wait for Astrid to answer, she hadn't ordered anything to drink earlier, so when the waiter set his bottle on the table, Kaz asked for water and a few glasses of soda to be brought over.

<”Astrid, I don't meant to pry....ok, well that's not exactly true, I do, but not...”> Kaz grimaced slightly as he fumbled over what he was trying to say, <”I'm curious about you, and your...situation. Since you seem to have some trouble communicating in English, I'm betting it's not your native language. With your obvious mutation, I wouldn't be surprised if you either ran away or were forced from wherever you had lived, it's a fairly common occurrence.”>

Finishing the last of his first bottle, <”From your accent I'd guess you're from France. You're young, younger than I thought, and if I understood correctly, you normally play your cello outside? Doing this gig isn't something you want to do, but needed to do, for money, and food. So,”> He took a long pull from the new liquor bottle, <”correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing you're basically alone here, not just in New York, alone in the US. You are trying to support yourself, and it isn't going too well, so you probably don't have any place to live.”>

Kaz went into his pocket, slid a few bills from a money clip and put them under his liquor bottle. <”I'd like it if you'd tell me about yourself. If you don't want to,”> Shrugging, <”you don't have to, I'll leave you alone and you can have that money. If you do, you can still have the money, and if I can help you, I will.”> Kaz spread his hands wide for a moment before linking his fingers together and resting his arms on the table.

Cheat.

Dirty cheat.

Astrid's light expression changed instantly as her lips pursed. It had been nice to hear her own language again, but once the knowledge that he was cheating surfaced, it was difficult not to view it differently. Especially since she hadn't been all that fond of him to begin with.

Her expression remained unchanged as he spoke to her. She let him finish before saying anything to defend herself, although she was steaming with anger. Her black eyes followed the money that he placed on the table under his liquor bottle. It was a very generous amount, which only caused her anger to boil over. She didn't want any handouts. Especially from dirty cheats. She had come to the U.S. to make her own way, not to accept handouts from rude strangers.

<"You know nothing about me,"> Astrid hissed, her voice brimming with animosity. <"For all you know I could be playing for only pokey change. Or I could just be greedy. I don't need your stupid, punny handouts. Keep it to yourself, old man."> If it weren't for the steak that was due to arrive at their table, she likely would have stood up and left.

Kaz lower jaw jutted out a bit and to the side as he sighed heavily. He closed his eyes for a ten count before opening them again and took a deep breath. 'Are all kids like this?' He thought to himself, 'Heh, was I?'

Normally the 'old man' comment would get under Kaz's skin, and he'd have said something about it, something like, 'I'm not that old.' Which, even to him, seemed to be what old people said. Instead, Kaz kept his voice calm and mostly pleasant, though there was a hint of exasperation in it, <”I do believe I did say that didn't I? I was guessing, assuming, postulating...take your pick. It's what people do with others until they learn more about them. And that's what I want to do, learn more about you.”>

<”But,”> Kaz shrugged and spoke in a light tone as he moved to put the money back into his pocket. <”If you don't want this 'puny handout', I can take it with me when I leave. Of course, that would mean you wouldn't get any money tonight, since I also agreed to cover not just your meal, but your pay for the night. That was the cost of letting you play what you wanted earlier.”>

Kaz raised an eyebrow as he looked at her, only looking away when he saw their food and the drinks coming their way. ”Perfect timing!” He said as their waiter set out their orders.

Astrid ground her teeth as she listened to Kaz. For her, she was giving him a lot of leeway. A lot. It was most likely due to the aggressive sounds her stomach made when she thought about her meal on its way.

<"Keep it,"> she muttered to him as she watched him put the money away. It stung a little, knowing that the entire night had been a waste of time, but her ego was more important. <"I'll fare just fine. I come from weathy roots."> The last sentance came out in a rather haughty tone, since she was trying to make it believable. But it likely just sounded like a fourteen year old trying to seem special.

Her eyes brightened a little as their server came by. Her plate was set down in front of her, and she began to eat right away. She ate quickly, as if she hadn't seen food in some time - which she hadn't. She kept her head down all the while, ignoring her companion completely.

Kaz shook his head, a bit disappointed. The girl was stubborn, stupidly so. Did she really think the 'tough girl' act would work? Of course she did, she was 14, a child. Children always seemed to think they were invincible. Always seemed to have a super inflated ego and pride, that was based on nothing but itself.

He didn't feel like making the meal last long, he ordered and would eat because he needed to. So instead of cutting up the steak and eating little pieces, Kaz's skull and jaw shifted, allowing him to open his mouth wider than normally possible. With two quick snaps of his jaw, he bit the meat into three chunks and swallowed them whole. The burger followed close behind, as did the potato. He washed it all down with a long drink, draining over half of the bottle in one go. The only things he had left were the chicken strips and mozzarella sticks, and those he would eat normally.

When his skull and jaw were back to normal he spoke. <”Astrid, you're a terrible liar. I doubt you'd fool another kid your age with that 'I've got a rich family' line, let alone an adult.”>

Biting off a chuck of chicken, <”I get it though, you're trying to keep some sort of power or control on your side. That's not a bad thing, and neither is pride in yourself, but you can't survive on it alone. I wanted to learn more about you, so if you took my offer of help, I'd be able to do just that, help. I could have just thrown you the money, that would have been a handout, but it probably wouldn't help you in the long run.”>

Chomping down a few mozzarella sticks, <”I'd like to help you Astrid. I might even be able to help you find an actual job, with a steady pay, but if you don't help yourself....well....”> Kaz shrugged as he stood up. <”If you change your mind...”> He set a business card down in the middle of the table, but didn't step away from the girl. He would give her a few moments before he did anything else.

The young girl's lips curled up in disgust as she watched the man in front of her eat. It was rather horrifying, the way he shifted his jaw and ate an entire steak in a mere three bites. Astrid had been eating quickly herself, but that was strange for even her.

His jaw shifted back as he began to address her. He had seen through her lie. Of course he had; it was terrible. Normally, she wasn't a bad liar, but it was difficult to lie when that annoyed.

Her eyes followed the business card that he put in front of her and studied it for a second. The man continued to hover over her like a creep as she did, which annoyed her to a high extend. She considered just ripping up the little slip of paper and leaving, but that didn't quite convey the message she wanted.

Instead, she shifted her wings and pulled off a rather long, thin crystal. She drove it into the wooden table, pinning down the business card in the process.

Then, she turned to Kaz. <"Mind your own business, creep. I can get by on my own,"> she told him harshly and stood up.