Bailey sprinted down the street with his bag hitting his back with every step. He took his usual route home, glancing back every few minutes. Why he felt the need to glance back, he wasn't sure, but he did nonetheless. 

He rounded the corner with his head turned and ran straight into someone. He felt backwards with an 'oof', and brushed himself off as he got to his feet.

"Sorry 'bout that," he mumbled as he looked up at who he'd just run into. He blinked at the face he saw. He knew that face. It was the very same face he had just left in the ice cream shop.

"@#&%." Bailey cursed.

He'd bumped into a clone, as it were. Not the one Elke had originally had with her. For all anybody knew Elke was standing right before him, glaring menacingly down at the teen.

Until she opened her mouth, that is.

Recognition swiftly spawned on the clones face and she pointed one finger at bailey dramatically. "It's YOU!" She then promptly tried to tackle the boy, while simultaneously whistling. After a few terrible, slobbery attempts, she managed to get an ear splitting two-finger whistle off, alerting the other Elke's in the area to her direction. She fully intended on trying to keep bailey exactly where he was until the real Elke could arrive.

--

Meanwhile, about a block away in the opposite direction the real teen heard the shrill whistle and jerked to a stop. She was huffing, nearly out of breath, but turned to try and pinpoint which direction the whistle had come from. Once she had a good guess, she was off again, putting all of her track training to good use. It wouldn't be long until she arrived.

"Getoffame!" Bailey struggled from under the girl. She had tackled him whistling some sort of strange, ear-splitting whistle that nearly popped his eardrum. 

It was a clearly a clone that was on top of him, judging from the fact that it took her several tries actually perform the whistle. That, and the general underling aura she gave off told him that he was definitely not dealing with the original.

But damnit if she wasn't strong!

"Look, I'm sorry I left! Just let me go!" He continued to struggle under the girl's grasp. "You're really pushy, you know. Most people just move on, or ask someone else out, or don't follow their intended target down the street and tackle them!"

"You made the boss mad! Gotta hold you until she gets h... ere.." She felt funny all of the sudden. Why did she feel funny?

He struggled, the clone started to feel rather... odd... and promptly started to melt.

The clone flopped over, warbling quotes from various movies as she tried to keep the pink goo from dripping off her. "I'm melting! Meeelting! Oh what a world, what a wooorld!"

Down the block the real Elke rounded the corner at a ded sprint, arching out into the street a bit as she did so. She spotted her clone flailing about rambling nonsense, as well as the boy from earlier. "Hey! YOU!" Starting toward them, she raised and arm and pointed it at him. "What kind of an A#$hat runs away from a girl!?" The other two clones appeared behind her on the opposite side of the street, but had to stop at a cross walk to wait for the sign to change.

There were no cars, but it was the law, yo. They watched from afar, bouncing on their toes anxiously.

The clone finally rolled off of him as she started to melt, just as the first one had. Bailey scrambled away as quickly as he could, doing his best to avoid the pink goop that dripped from her body. He did not succeed, and instead found himself trying to rub the stuff off of his t-shirt.

What was it even made out of? It wouldn't come off! He ignored the clone as she quoted The Wizard of Oz, though if it were any other moment, he would have been killing himself with laughter.

He groaned as he realized that he had wasted precious running time when the original girl rounded the corner. Her two other clones waited at the crosswalk like good citizens, showing up their 'sister' in terms of their attitude towards the law.

"Look, I'm sorry," Bailey repeated as he got to his feet, revealing his socks as his pants rode up slightly, and brushed the dirt off his jeans. There was still a huge pink smear that marred his t-shirt. "But you can't just spring that on someone! I just met you! I don't know your name! I've never been on a date. And you CHASED ME DOWN THE STREET AND HAD YOUR CLONE TACKLE ME!"

He hadn't intended to flail his arms that much as he talked, but there he was, standing on the street with a filthy shirt, looking like a madman. He took a breath and steadied himself.

"You're really stubborn, though. I'll give you that one."

"Look, I'm sorry, But you can't just spring that on someone! I just met you! I don't know your name! I've never been on a date. And you CHASED ME DOWN THE STREET AND HAD YOUR CLONE TACKLE ME!"

She caught up to them and eyed the gooey clone for a moment before turning a reddened, angry expression on Bailey. "Okay, in my defense I didn't tell them to tackle you. I told them to find you... they're just really stupid." She glanced at the big pink smear across his shirt, as well as his very unique socks, before pointedly dragging her eyes away and glaring at a car across the street like it was to blame. "Look... i'm sorry she tackled you and... gooped on you. It was just really insulting that you ran away out the back door on me and all."

"You're really stubborn, though. I'll give you that one."

The grumpy look dissipated a little and a small smirk appeared instead. "...yeah, I get that a lot." She fidgeted, not knowing what exactly she was supposed to do now. She'd already asked him out... and chased him down for an answer...... and then apologized kinda about the clone thing. With a huff she shoved a hand out towards him, refusing to look exactly at him in any manner. 

"...I'm Elke." She started, some more grump filtering back into her words. "I really like your socks, and I've never been on a date before either."

"Look... i'm sorry she tackled you and... gooped on you. It was just really insulting that you ran away out the back door on me and all."

Bailey screwed up his face as he realized what a jerk he had been for running away on her like that. He hated realizations, especially if they had to do with his own behaviour. "Sorry," he mumbled awkwardly, but sincerely. "It was just kinda maybe a little bit easier to run away than deal with anything..." He blushed and looked down at his scuffed sneakers.

It seemed the girl, whom he could now safely call Elke, was just as awkward and nervous as he was. Bailey glanced at her fidgeting and blushed a little darker, rubbing the back of his neck to keep his hand busy. She was, like, really pretty, and really distracting. It was getting difficult to think. 

"Thanks," his eyes passed over his socks again, grateful for the topic change. "I really like socks. Especially funny ones, or ones with animals or food. I got a whole collection at home. It takes up more than one drawer..."

He trailed off, realizing that he was making himself look like even more of an idiot. There it was with the realizations again.

"What do people usually do on dates?" His eyes met Elke's as he asked her the question. There were a few spots that he knew people would go back in Stratford, but he had no idea what people did in New York. "I mean, I can't take you anywhere if we don't know what we're doing."

"I really like socks. Especially funny ones, or ones with animals or food. I got a whole collection at home. It takes up more than one drawer..."



"That's pretty neat. You'll have to show me all of them some time." She had a collection of things herself. Not quite as innocent as socks, though. "I have a collection of different kinds of arrows, myself."


"What do people usually do on dates? I mean, I can't take you anywhere if we don't know what we're doing."

"...Uhm." That a was a good question. "I dunno... like, movies and dinner and junk." Personally she wasn't a fan of the typical 'date' ideal. She tended to get bored easily. Her dad had been on quite a few dates recently, due to that know-it-all he'd scrounged up from somewhere... but they couldn't exactly do any of the same things without the use of the Danger Room at the school.

The Native glanced up at the sky, banishing any such thoughts of breaking Bailey and herself into the danger room from her mind. Saph would skin her alive and wear her pelt as a cape for just thinking about it. "I mean, we could do anything really so long as we're havin fun, right?"

"Arrows? Like cardboard- oh wait. Like shooting bow and arrow things? That's cool. I didn't know that people still used them, actually. Where do you even shoot them in the city? Is there like a range or something that you can go to?" Bailey furrowed his brow as he half talked, half thought aloud about the topic.

He nodded at Elke's idea of a date. Darn, he had been hoping that she would have some sort of idea so that he wouldn't have to plan something. Or think of something. Or drive somewhere. Why couldn't they just play video games for hours?

Hey...

Why couldn't they just play video games for hours?

"Um... Do you like video games?" Bailey asked her a little nervously. Maybe they could go to the arcade, or even just go to his house, provided that his brothers would be kind enough to clear out. 

"Arrows? Like cardboard- oh wait. Like shooting bow and arrow things? That's cool. I didn't know that people still used them, actually. Where do you even shoot them in the city? Is there like a range or something that you can go to?"

She blinked at him. "What? No, I just shoot them wherever." Like criminals and cars and trees, and sometimes she trekked a ways out of the city to stage little hunting trips like she used to do before Saph found her... He never had been a fan of her bringing home squirrels and birds...

"I'll have to show you sometime!" She had an assortment of them and was qute proud of it. Broad heads, blunted, bullet points... She praised her collection inwardly. 

"Um... Do you like video games?"

Elke nodded, and turned to officially shoo her clones away. She wouldn't need them for the rest of the night and they'd probably only end up being a hindrance if they kept melting every time they got too close to Bailey anyway. "What, like... Mario Cart and stuff? I've played a lot of the old school games."

Bailey blinked and nodded. He hadn't realized that people shot off arrows wherever. Or anywhere, for that matter. "Yeah! That'd be cool to see. I shot a bow once at summer camp, but I think that was the only time I ever saw one in person. And that one was pretty cruddy."

He grinned and thought of something, "so, you're like a real life Katniss, huh? You should do the Hunger Games thing for halloween. Or is that too overdone? I just thought it'd be cool since you could, like, actually shoot arrows at people instead of just having fake ones. My brother always calls it the Hanger Games whenever he doesn't eat a meal or something, but that's stupid, sorry. I don't know why I brought that up."

Bailey shrugged once again at the idea of it. He silently reprimanded himself for how much he had already babbled to the pretty girl in front of him. He had to stop talking out loud so much.

"What, like... Mario Cart and stuff? I've played a lot of the old school games."

"Well I was thinking more like Call of Duty or Halo or something, but Mario Kart is cool too. I think I might even have Mario Party kicking around somewhere, but you kinda need more than two people. Mario Kart can definitely be done, though."

He scuffed his foot along the pavement as he continued, "I was thinking that, you know, if you liked video games, that we could go play some? Maybe at my house, or if that's weird we could go to the arcade. It'd be different stuff there, though. Like Pacman and stuff."

The Native grinned, puffing her chest out with pride. "You kiddin? I'd blow her outta the water. I've been hunting since I was in diapers!" Totally not an exaggeration, even if her first 'prey' had been accidentally shooting one of her brothers in the leg. Fun times, those. She didn't mind the costume idea, though... she usually didn't dress up at all. She'd always been one of the kids who lurked around and waited for smaller, weaker kids to walk by with pillowcases full of candy. All of the fun, none of the work.

... She probably should be proud of that.

Scratching the back of her neck she laughed at him. "S'alright. I don't mind you talking." Didn't boys generally hate talking, anyway? It was refreshing, kinda.

"Well I was thinking more like Call of Duty or Halo or something, but Mario Kart is cool too. I think I might even have Mario Party kicking around somewhere, but you kinda need more than two people. Mario Kart can definitely be done, though."

#$%&!  She berated herself instantly. He was talking about more modern games, because of course he was! She'd never really been able to afford the newer consoles when they had first come out, and thus was very much lacking in any experience with the newer games. Saph had one, but it was generally one of the first things she got grounded from when he found out about all of the trouble she got into in a normal week. Sweating a bit, she decided to act like she was familiar with them anyway. She didn't want to seem lame in front of a cute boy.

"Ehe! Oh, of course... those games! I love those games! Not really any, uh, good at them...but maybe you can teach me?" Yesss, avoided like a pro.... she hoped. "I'd be fine with whatever. I mean, if we go to your house and you try and pull anything i'll just break your arm, ya know?" Elke laughed at her own joke. She was starting to sound like her dad!

"I bet you totally would," Bailey grinned. "I mean, you got quite the tackle. Well, sorta, anyway. How close are your clones to you, exactly?" They looked the same, but they were definitely different as far as intellect went, so perhaps they were different in terms of anatomy and skills, too.

"S'alright. I don't mind you talking."

Bailey blushed. "You don't? I just kinda figured that you would, since my brother always says that people hate how much I talk. Calls me a Bigmouth 'n everything. I guess that's just what brothers do, though. Or maybe he was right and you're just the weird one. Not that you're weird. I mean, maybe a little with the chasing thing, but nothing else."

Green eyes returned to his feet. Wow, that was incredibly smooth, wasn't it? He was just making a mess of everything.

"Ehe! Oh, of course... those games! I love those games! Not really any, uh, good at them...but maybe you can teach me?"

"Sure!" Bailey glanced up, excited. "That sounds awesome! I'm pretty good at them," he puffed out his chest proudly, "but I can go easy on you. Don't worry, I'll have you playing like a pro in no time at all!"

"I'd be fine with whatever. I mean, if we go to your house and you try and pull anything i'll just break your arm, ya know?"

The colour drained from Bailey's face. "I-I didn't mean it like that. I wouldn't I-I wouldn't do something like that! I just invited you over 'cause there isn't really somewhere else to play games, I swear!"

"You don't? I just kinda figured that you would, since my brother always says that people hate how much I talk. Calls me a Bigmouth 'n everything. I guess that's just what brothers do, though. Or maybe he was right and you're just the weird one. Not that you're weird. I mean, maybe a little with the chasing thing, but nothing else."


She shrugged at him. "Brothers are just jerks like that, I think. I mean, I've got three and only one of em came out normal!" She cracked a smile at him, "And, I mean, so what if he's right anyway? So what if you're a big mouth? You should embrace it. I like it."

"I-I didn't mean it like that. I wouldn't I-I wouldn't do something like that! I just invited you over 'cause there isn't really somewhere else to play games, I swear!"

She outright laughed at him, slapping a palm on her thigh in mirth. "Oh my god, you are so funny! How'd you get so funny?!" The teenage mutant stepped forward, intent on looping an arm around one of his own. "I was just jerking your chain! I ain't gonna break your arms or nothin'."

Honestly, given the kind of demeanor he had she didn't think she'd need to even if he did try something. One solid punch to the nose and he'd probably be a goner. She grinned up at him. "C'mon! Lets go to your place before my dad calls and tries to figure out where I am."

....Speaking of... 

She dug her phone back out of her pocket and turned it off, after sending a hastily thrown together message to said father. Saph would kill her when she got home, probably, but that was a problem she could worry about later. There was fun to be had!

She liked his big mouth! Bailey tried to hide the fact that he was blushing brighter than a macintosh, but he was exceptionally pale, so it was difficult to achieve. No one ever liked his talking habits, but it seemed that he had stumbled upon the exception.

It took him a minute to recover from his initial fear of offending her when she began to laugh. But after a few seconds, he joined in awkwardly. It was a forced laugh, but he was very glad that she hadn't actually been serious. He needed those arms; he was already useless enough without them.

"Yeah!" Bailey grinned in agreement and pumped his arm along with the sentiment. They were going to go play video games! It was going to be awesome!

Wait...

"Your dad..." Bailey began as he led her down the street in the direction of his too small apartment, "is he... Scary? Like would he be mad if he saw you hanging out with a boy? Am I going to have to pass some sort of inspection?" He had seen all sort of things like that in the movies, and it never seemed to work out for the character in question. If pop culture had taught him anything, it was that he should be scared of his date's father. Very scared indeed.

His house wasn't far - only a few blocks from where Elke's clone had tackled him on the sidewalk, and it would only be a few minutes until they got there if they kept up a reasonable pace. Bailey full intended to keep up a reasonable pace, unless there was more chance of him getting his arm broken, in which case he had several escape routes to use.