He didn't have to watch his language around her, but he still would. Leo was a f***ing gentleman and it was the internet's fault that he sometimes slipped up and said something he shouldn't.

"I'm trying to break the habit." He tucked into his hotdog to cover his embarrassment. If she told his parents basically anything he did on a day-to-day basis, he'd be grounded for life. Or two consecutive life sentences plus 100 years.

He wrinkled his nose at the napkin comment.

> ”I mean, I was going to tell you about that time...”

And then nearly tripped over himself as he tried to juggle a partial hotdog while he fished for his phone in a panic. Nooooo! German orphans!?

> ”I’m kidding.”

He froze.

"Well that's just mean. You made me get mustard on my tie." He grumped, but it was a good-natured grump. He wasn't really mad, though the mustard situation was real. At least it was a cheap tie. "Could I still get one of those napkins?"

Agnes couldn’t help but snicker a little bit at Leo’s reaction to the fabricated story that she was starting to tell. Honestly it all just came off the top of her head. What person wouldn’t want to hear a story about a heroic young woman risking life and limb to save the lives of a bunch of orphans from invading lizard people? In this day and age, it didn’t seem as far-fetched as it would have normally. After all, all sorts of mutants ran throughout New York. There was even a Christmas where the city was attacked by walking, sentient Christmas trees!

However, for as fantastical and amazing as it all sounded, it wasn’t true. Agnes just smirked as she watched Leo’s eyes get wider than saucers as he struggled to reach for his camera to get the story on film, even effectively smearing mustard on himself. However, to his disappointment, Agnes’ smirk doled out an “I’m kidding” and that seemed to deflate him considerably. For a second Agnes felt bad but he took it in stride.

After he had called her “mean”, a phrase which Agnes didn’t truly believe he meant since he was still smirking, he had asked for a napkin. She handed it off to him without further teasing. Agnes was a sweet and good-hearted, prone to her own particular brand of jokes every now and again. She wasn’t going to push it further by denying him any much needed napkins.

Once he took the napkins and cleaned himself up, Agnes strolled to a nearby bench just outside the concert hall and took a seat. She waited for Leo to sit next to her before she bit into her hotdog. It was a big bite, one that was probably bigger than what would be expected from someone of her size and stature. Agnes tended to ignore certain conventional idea about herself time and time again.

She lifted her napkin to the corners of her lips and breathed a small sigh, enjoying the warm day out. It was so enjoyable, actually, that the wings pressed against her back gave a small flutter of excitement. Agnes had a great deal of control over her mutations but it wasn’t always perfect; the body can do things you never mean to, such as getting an irritating twitch under your eye or when you absentmindedly bounce your leg. But none of these gave the young woman any pause as she took yet another bite of her lunch. When she had finished and swallowed, she turned back to Leo.

”You know we can begin your interview whenever you like. As much as I like to sit in silence, not being able to say anything ‘cool’ without being recorded is kinda tying my hands together,” she said with a laugh. ”We have plenty of time during lunch for you to record before I have to be back in.”

If there was one thing Leo was not surprised by, it was the speed at which a lady could devour a good dog. He had sisters. Sisters weren't afraid of appearing anything but hungry in front of their little brother. If it came down to the last hotdog and Leo hadn't eaten all day, they still would have raced him for it. Was it impressive? Totally. But not surprising.

Leo went between trying to salvage his tie and eating his own hot dog. It was over far too soon and his tie had a yellowish overlay in the middle. Eh. What else could he do? The actual interview?

Oh. Uh. They could do the actual interview.

"Yeah. We can start it up.” He assessed the scene with a move-maker’s eye this time. Leo ended up shifting so only one cheek remained on the bench and pulled his phone out from his pocket. It was only lunchtime sunshine warm, not imminent explosion warm. “The light’s a bit bright so try not to squint.” He said as he squinted at his screen. He hadn’t realized the backlighting was so yucky on this phone. That’s what he got for not really taking his electronics out when he went to play soccer.

“Okay. You look great. Good smile. Just focus your eyes here-” Leo pointed to his button instead of his eyes “-and address my camera like you’re talking to me and we’ll be good.” He waited until she’d figured it out and everything looked as natural as it was ever going to. The background was better than he’d hoped. People walked past in a steady stream to get to the hot dog cart, but because they were sitting on a bench, none of their faces showed. He’d get an extra blur on them in post and then it’d just obviously be New York without anyone suing them.

“Okay.” He hit record. “Why don’t we start with you introducing yourself. Who are you and what do you do here? What’s it like working for the New York Philharmonic?”

After the pair of them had been seated, Agnes took a deep breath, calmed herself and gave him a small but earnest smile. She had informed him that they could commence with the interview whenever he wanted. It wasn’t that she was eager to get him out of her hair, but more that she was eager to get started. Agnes had not cared to be the full-on center of attention. Working with the orchestra, it was a bit easier because there were so many people to just blend in with. Plus, being on stage, it is something you get used to. This, the personal kind of interview, well, it was probably a little more nerve-racking than she was anticipating. But she would push through it – it would be a fun experience.

With a smile she tilted her head and finished her hot dog as Leo put on his metaphorical director’s cap and started to get things ready. He looked through his phone, adjusted himself so that he was sitting at the correct angle, and made sure that everything framed up nicely. Agnes felt herself blush a little bit under the scrutinizing attention but mentally reminded herself that this wasn’t him judging her, but just attempting to find the best light.

When Leo did, he gave her a few directions. Agnes nodded firmly, mouthing a silent “Okay” as she shifted herself so that she could look at him (or rather the camera) directly. When she was comfortable, the time she had been waiting for had come – he hit record. There was no piercing sounds or rings of confirmation, just the dull thud of his finger tapping a phone screen. Once that had passed, he then gave her a smile and began his questioning.

Agnes paused for a second, giving him the sweetest smile she could muster. Thankfully it wasn’t too difficult as the intrepid filmmaker had turned out to be very nice and accommodating. As his questions struck her ears, Agnes paused, thinking them over for a few moments, before she finally replied.

”Hello. My name is Agnes Nicholas. I’m twenty-three. New York native. And I am a second chair violinist for the New York Philharmonic.” Carefully she folded her hands upon her lap, rolling her fingertips against one another as a type of nervous coping mechanism. She didn’t have to do it for long though as her more natural personality gradually started to shine through. ”Um, the working for the Philharmonic is like…achieving a dream. When I was younger, I loved to play the violin and one day dreamed of performing on a stage, surrounded by many talented musicians. To actually do it, is, well…” she snorted. ”…very surreal. Part of me is still waiting to wake up and realize it was all just a fantasy.”

She started stiff, but Agnes was just one of those people who ultimately seemed like she could be comfortable doing anything. That's what made her so cool. She didn't know how cool she was. It was like a coolness amplifier and that made it way, way, totally not fair. She settled into something more conversational, which was good. He'd probably have to cut a bit off the front, but that was no big if he could get her to keep talking.

"Twenty-three is freaking young to have achieved your dreams." Ah. But that wasn't a question. He tried again. "So what's next for you? Any more ambitious dreams or are just that happy? Oh. And what specifically about the philharmonic makes it a good place to work. Can you tell me how you got the job?"

He'd start with the light stuff. The fluff. Then he could move back into other parts of her life like that mention of Demon name calling. It really didn't matter what order the questions came in, he could cut it around to transition for the best story flow.

Agnes really hoped that she wasn’t coming off as uncool as she thought she was. Leo seemed enamored with her, and her achievements, but Agnes had never seen herself in such a light. She saw mainly her faults and recognized only a few of her successes. However, if there was one thing about Agnes Nicholas it was that she always managed to keep pushing forward. As uncomfortable as she may have appeared at first, she was slowly beginning to loosen up. This was just a conversation. She had to treat it as if the camera simply wasn’t there and she was just chatting about herself. She could do that.

She answered as earnest as she could. Leo was sweet, nodding as he took in her answers. When he fired back again, he was marveled at how she had managed to achieve her dreams at such a young age. It was true, she was one of the youngest in the orchestra but her talent and fortitude more than made her place on that stage justified.

She giggled. ”I hear that a lot,” she admitted.

Afterwards, Leo continued with his next line of questioning, inquiring as to what was next for her and was she happy? That made her pause for a moment, could she really say that she was “happy” right now? Sure she had her dream job but it seemed to be costing her her relationship with River. She blinked the thoughts about her lovely harpist away (and redheaded Scots who persisted in popping into her mind) and regained focus.

”OH…um…I think for now I’m content,” she said with a smile. ”What more could a girl ask for than playing with one of the best orchestras in the business?” Skillful dodge away from confirming whether or not she was happy, though she didn’t realize that was what she had done. ”The Philharmonic has just been so…open and accepting of me. They don’t see me as a mutant, they see me as a hard working violinist and that makes me feel amazingly good. My fellow musicians are all great and talented. There are a few times where we butt heads but that’s going to happen in any work place. For the most part we’re all amazing and the Christmas parties are absolutely amazing.”

She laughed. The last Christmas party was total fun, though now that she thought back to it, River didn’t seem all that pleased to be there. She mingled but she mainly stayed quiet and at Agnes’ side until she was practically begging her with her eyes to go home. It was a shame to cut the night short but Agnes loved loves River and would do anything to keep her happy. She pushed the thought down and beamed back to Leo who was asking about how she got the job.

A quick cross of her legs and Agnes tapped her chin in thought. ”I was with my touring group, the Little Traveling Symphony, and news reached me through some connections that they were looking for a new second chair violinist. I never thought I could get it but I was convinced to apply. I did and…well…the director just loved me. I was pretty much hired on the spot.”

What more could a girl want? Good question. Leo tucked that one into his back pocket and tried to be very, very still.

She was the best fit for the message he wanted to get out and she proved it every time she opened her mouth. He could not have planned it better. Leo resolved to come see the Philharmonic for real, no camera. No date. Just the soul of the music.

"Never hurts to have connections, I guess." He'd have to grab a business card on his way out. Not that he played anything, but maybe they could recommend him for being so darn professional and awesome free advertising for their company or whatever. It never hurt to ask.

"Your workmates sound pretty lax. Did anyone oppose your hiring? Did you face any opposition here or did you just slide home like a puzzle piece?" Ew. Lamely poetic. It would sound better coming out of her mouth, he bet.

"Before, you mentioned some things that made me think you haven't always had it this smooth. Can you tell me a little about that time in your life? How'd you get from then to now?"

Agnes shifted in her seat a little bit after she had finished gushing about working for the Philharmonic and how she ended up getting the job. For the most part, to her anyways, it all sounded very mundane. It was precisely how anyone else would have applied for a job. Either they hear news through friends and contacts or you see it posted online and you apply for it. You go in for an interview (or you don’t) and then you wait to hear the response. It was all very normal to her and nothing that was truly noteworthy.

However she did remember that normal was essentially the theme of Leo’s documentary. He wanted to capture mutants living an everyday life without having the face the cruelties and prejudices of others, as a means of de-demonizing them. If that really were the case then, yeah, maybe Agnes was the perfect subject for this little documentary.

Agnes gave him a warm smile when he moved on to asking about her co-workers, her fellow musicians. He inquired as to whether there was anyone opposing hiring her or if she had faced any opposition? That was a far question because, in the end, there were always those people who didn’t like you for any reason. For mutants, especially those with visible mutations, it can be more different because there are easier targets to pick from.

She smirked a little, knowingly, as she continued. ”There was one when I joined back in October,” she explained. ”She was a cellist. She didn’t seem all that happy to have me join but I think that had to do more with my age and the fact that I didn’t ‘put my time’ in the orchestra like the other applicants.” She shrugged her shoulders. ”She tried to confront me one day say that I was just an ‘equal opportunity’ hire. But, so far, that has been the only one…here.” She smirked. ”She doesn’t still play here, though. She ended up getting caught scalping tickets and was released last month.”

However this would inevitably lead into choppier waters. Leo picked up on the subtle hints that Agnes had been dropping that her life wasn’t the peaches and cream that it appeared to be right now. He wanted to know what her life had been like back then, as well as how she managed to achieve what she had now. She gulped a little, her eyes looking down as, really, she didn’t like talking about it. But, she supposed it was important for the documentary. After all, many mutants had suffered similar fates; maybe she could be a proving point that things do get better.

Clearing her throat, she sighed as she straightened her posture a little and look to Leo as she began to explain. ”I…um…I came from…an abusive household.” she admitted. ”My parents were religious zealots. They believed that all mutants were just…demon-possessed souls. Souls that needed to be exorcised.” Her shoulders slumped a little as she chewed on her lip. ”And that’s what they did to me. They tried to exorcism me and…it was very, very painful.” She wasn’t going to go into details, they weren’t required. But her reactions and the fact that she expressed how painful they were should have been enough to paint the imagination.

Agnes took a breath as she looked out into the streets and into the alleyways beyond. She watched as people strolled by, not even bothering to look in the alleyways. How many times had she sat in those, watched well-off individuals, begged for money, played for money, and ran away from those who wanted ‘something in return’ for their charity? She ground her teeth a little and gave off another sigh before she turned back to Leo and gave him a soft line of a smile.

”After that I ran away from home. Lived homeless for about…two or three years? It’s hard to tell time when you live like that.” She then gestured to the alley she was just looking at. ”As a matter of fact, I think that was one of the regular alleys I would crash in.” She sighed. ”But after a fellow mutant stumbled across me, she introduced me to Xavier’s Sister School. There I found a home, friends, got myself an education and…” she gestured to herself. ”Viola.”