>>"Wait, seriously?"

Booker stopped. He tilted his head. Then he had to grin. It was acutely fairly common for him to get this reaction. Honestly he wasn't she what that was all about. Why didn't people believe he was a librarian? It went that unheard of for men to be librarians. As a matter of fact, when he was in college, there were a number of male co-students. Still, time and again, Booker would get the surprised look and the scoff of disbelief. At this point he was just used to it.

”Seriously,” Booker replied. ”At New York Public.” There was a slight puff to his chest when he said this. He was proud of his chosen occupation and place of work and he had no problem admitting that.

The two continued on with their sparring. He threw a few jabs which Svetlana dodged before responding in kind. He was quick to raise his arms to block and hopped back to evade the last in her string of punches. In doing so, he tossed her comment back to her, curious if she was in fact a model. She was pretty, fit, he could see her going far in the field.

As it would turn out, that wasn't her job at all.

>>"PR assistant, actually…But I have done a lot of odd jobs. Like, teaching Russian."

”Ah well that's awesome,” he said with a well-meaning smile. Truth be told he loved hearing about the lives of others. While that wasn't the job he envisioned she might have, it was still interesting to him. ”You like PR work and teaching?” he asked.

As he waited for her to answer, the man dropped hours arms to his hips and jag strolled around her, a small grin on his lips as he watched her. She was an interesting person, to say the least. However it was clear that something about him perplexed her, leading her to question his occupation again.

>>"So you... how did you end up being a librarian?"

Still, Booker showed no offense and instead just continued to move around her, though at a slightly slower pace. He gave the question some thought before he just smirked a little and continued with his response.

”Curse of having my name. Everyone expected it so I had no choice.” A playful smirk danced on his lips before he further explained. ”Truth is that I’ve just always loved books. I used to read a lot as a kid, read even more as an adult…” he shrugged his shoulders. ”Just became something I fell in love with.” He gave her a brilliant smile. ”So I studied, interned, and eventually worked my way up to a librarian position. Now I get to be surrounded by some of the greatest and my favorite authors: Shakespeare, Austen, Angelou, Lovecraft. All in all…I’m pretty lucky, ya know?”

There couldn’t have been a more honest look in his eyes. The man was actually happy, happy with his job and life, and those people were few and hard to find in this world of crazy and mayhem. But Booker, of course, didn’t see himself as anything special. He was just a man who liked his job; and he was good with that.

>>”Seriously. At New York Public.”

No kidding. The guy really was a librarian, the kind that worked with actual books, and on top of that he had a job in one of the big ones. Sveta guessed that worked like many other workplaces: The bigger, the better. And even she had visited the New York Public Library before.
In comparison, her own admission of being a PR assistant (for lack of a better term) did not sound very cool at all. To his credit, Booked seemed just as curious about it as she had been about his own work. Sveta could not quite tell if he meant it, or if he was just being nice, but either way, he earned himself a genuine smile between two punches.

>>”Ah well that's awesome. You like PR work and teaching?”

Did she? She did like Haven. She believed in Devon's vision, and was happy to work on something productive without chasing criminals. With that said... she had done more exciting things in the past. In order to brush off the question with a noncommittal shrug, she asked him about how he became a librarian.

>>”Curse of having my name. Everyone expected it so I had no choice. Truth is that I’ve just always loved books. I used to read a lot as a kid, read even more as an adult… Just became something I fell in love with. So I studied, interned, and eventually worked my way up to a librarian position. Now I get to be surrounded by some of the greatest and my favorite authors: Shakespeare, Austen, Angelou, Lovecraft. All in all…I’m pretty lucky, ya know?”

He was so... genuine about it. Sveta smiled again at the look in his eyes. It was the look of a person who truly loved his job, and found enjoyment in it. It was more attractive than all of his banter and flirting before. It came with a pang of regret: Svetlana had never spent much time reading the classics, and while she recognized some of those names, she had to shamefully admit to herself that she was probably still severely under-educated.

"That... sounds really nice, actually." she admitted, lowering her hands as they came to a natural break in their sparring. "I'm sure you get this all the time, but... you look like you love your job. And that probably makes you good at it too." she was not sure why she was suddenly getting all nice, but she kind of just blurted things out as she worked on getting her gloves off. "The first job I... studied for, it turned out to suck. It was just... not for me. And after that, it took a long time, and all kinds of temporary things, to find one that was... a better fit."

Booker couldn't help but sound excited when he spoke about his job. Really it was what the man always wanted to do. Unlike many others of his age, Booker had actually achieved his dreams; he had become a librarian in one of the most prestigious libraries in the world. It was clear from his tone and the passion in his voice that the man was very happy with hjs life. It must have sounded odd, especially since in New York everyone was usually just grumpy and pissed with the world.

In explaining his name, Booker also provided a bit more detail into how he had come to be a librarian. To him it wasn’t that interesting of a tale. The man had developed an early passion for the field and studied hard to get where he was at. His drive to achieve his dreams shined through when he explained to his new friend; it was an honest conversation. This wasn’t him overtly flirting or coming up with jokes just to make her smile. He was revealing a piece of himself to her and the reaction was more than the man could have hoped for.

It seemed that his honestly had spurred something in the young woman. The smile that she gave him was genuine and honest. The look suited her and it was infectious to behold. He himself smiled in return, just as sweet and just as honest.

>> "That... sounds really nice, actually…I'm sure you get this all the time, but... you look like you love your job. And that probably makes you good at it too."

He grinned. Booker truly did love his job and though he never tried to outwardly show this on purpose, he was happy that it was something he could convey without even trying. He nodded his head as he responded.

”I do,” he beamed sweetly. ”And, I don’t mean to brag, but I’m definitely not the worst.”

In truth, Booker was truly one of the best at his job. He was knowledgeable about books, he had a drive to help others, and the man knew how to evolve with the times. Because of that, he was very well suited for his job, a beacon for the future. He was modest, most of the time, but anyone else will tell you that if you needed a librarian’s help, Booker was your man.

>> "The first job I... studied for, it turned out to suck. It was just... not for me. And after that, it took a long time, and all kinds of temporary things, to find one that was... a better fit."

He was glad that she was opening up a little more to him. He wanted to know more about this pretty mystery woman that ended up at his gym. She seemed fiercely intelligent, witty, but there was a clear sign in her eyes that she had seen and done a lot. As she started to explain a bit more about herself, he could see that they were reaching a natural cool down in their work out. Honestly that was fine with him. As she started to remove her gloves, he did the same, pulling the Velcro strap off with his teeth and pulling the glove off one hand before doing the same with the other. As soon as his hands were free, he flexed his fingers. Felt good to have them free again.

From the sounds of her story, it seemed like Svetlana was still trying to find herself. One path didn’t work out and a variety of smaller paths seemed to do, for now, until she found what she truly wanted. He nodded his head, understandingly, as this was a tale he had heard many times before. Interns, fellow co-workers, they all had similar stories as the path to self-discovery is often long and bumpy.

A warm smile on his lips, he approached the younger woman and tilted his head. Thinking for a moment, he spoke, clearly quoting something. ”’If you don’t get lost, there’s a chance you may never be found’.” A light flared in his eyes as he smiled. ”One of my favorite quotes. Essentially, it means that the journey to self-discovery is hard but if you don’t try, you’ll never find out who you are.” He leaned against the ropes around the ring. ”Keep doing what you’re doing. You’ll find where you belong.”

>>”I do. And, I don’t mean to brag, but I’m definitely not the worst.”

If more librarians had been like this guy, Sveta would have actually gone to the library more often. Then again, she had not had much time for such things between running away from home, her would-be husband almost melting her face, and then defending New York City from criminals...
Maybe there was a book for that?

Booker smiled and took her cue to end the sparring session, taking his own gloves off.

>>”’If you don’t get lost, there’s a chance you may never be found’.”

Sveta blinked, not sure at first what he was trying to say. It sounded... philosophical. It also sounded like he was trying to make her feel better about not having the awesome job experience he had with his own work.

>>”One of my favorite quotes. Essentially, it means that the journey to self-discovery is hard but if you don’t try, you’ll never find out who you are. Keep doing what you’re doing. You’ll find where you belong.”

"Thanks" Sveta smirked, but there was also a genuine tone to her voice. The guy was being nice to her, and not in a cheesy hitting-on-you-at-the-gym kinda way. That was too rare an experience to pass up.

Come on Sveta, you are getting soft.

"Do you want to grab a drink?" she offered after a pause. It came to her mind first because she enjoyed the conversation, and then she immediately realized that it sounded more like her asking him out. On second thought, it could be both, or either. She didn't really mind. "I mean... whatever librarians drink." she added with a smirk "Wouldn't want to ruin your reputation or anything..."

Booker couldn’t help it. It was the librarian in him. Whenever he spied someone who seemed like they could use some advice, he of course, had to offer his. It was just his way of things. He didn’t want to see other’s suffer due to indecision or uncertainty. Besides, he knew what it was like to question certain things, even begin to doubt your own ability to decide. Some kind words during such a time tended to go a long way and he was more than happy to assist in whatever manner he could, to whatever degree. For Svetlana, it simply seemed like she could use a understanding word or two.

Words, clearly, were what Booker excelled at.

>> "Thanks"

It was only one word, but the smile on her lips, the genuine acceptance of everything he explained to her, it seemed to have struck some kind of a chord. Booker wasn’t necessarily looking to change her life right then and there, but it was clear that he was able to help, even if it was only in the most miniscule of ways. So, with a nod of head and a goofy flourish, he gave her a small bow.

”My pleasure.”

t seemed as if their little interaction were coming to an end. The sparring went well but there was only so much dancing around one another that they could do. Besides, he really should hit the showers as he had already spent far too much time here. Still…it was a shame to cut this little meeting short. The woman was nice and the conversation was good, not to mention she had a pretty sharp wit about her. Vaguely he wondered just how shady it would seem to ask if she wanted to meet up after she was done trainin--

>> "Do you want to grab a drink?"

His brow arched and a grin swept across his features. The imp had clearly returned to the man’s features as he smiled sheepishly at the young blonde who had just addressed him. It was a prime time for him to crack a joke about her earlier statements about not asking him out, but he also didn’t want to paint himself in the light of a jerk or anything like that.

Still…it was tempting. He watched her, eyed her for a second, and in that moment the imp slipped away and the sweet and caring librarian that he truly was shone through. Thankfully his struggle to keep his obnoxious, joking side down granted the younger woman enough time to verbally jab him again, returning them to their calmer states.

>> "I mean... whatever librarians drink…Wouldn't want to ruin your reputation or anything..."

He chuckled, heartily, as he stepped over to the ropes of the ring and pulled them apart so she could slip out and back onto the ground. ”Despite the stereotypes that we drink the blood of those who would dare to be loud in a library,” he winked. ”We drink just like anyone else.” he then snorted, waited until she was out before climbing out himself and rejoining her at her side. ”And you should see us librarians at happy hour. I’ve almost had to call HR on several occasions for misconduct in a groping manner, if you catch you drift.”

He gave the woman another beaming smile as he stepped away. He glanced at the clock against the far wall before turning back to her, gathering his gloves under his arm.

”In other words, yes. A drink would be nice.” Innocent, sunshiny grin followed before, gestured to her. ”Hit the showers and meet up in an hour or so?”  He grinned. ”I should run home and change. Unless you have a thing for sitting in nice bars, smelling of warrior sweat?” Cheeky grin.

Sveta felt like an idiot for a moment, asking out the random hot guy at the gym. But Booker seemed to had some kind of a magic power to put people at ease, even when they were being awkward. Sveta smiled back as they got out of the ring.

>>”Despite the stereotypes that we drink the blood of those who would dare to be loud in a library... We drink just like anyone else. And you should see us librarians at happy hour. I’ve almost had to call HR on several occasions for misconduct in a groping manner, if you catch you drift.”

Sveta arched an eyebrow. A gaggle of drunk librarians... now there was a mental image. She chuckled and shook her head. If Booker said he was up for a party, then she was going to take his word for it.

>>”In other words, yes. A drink would be nice. Hit the showers and meet up in an hour or so? I should run home and change. Unless you have a thing for sitting in nice bars, smelling of warrior sweat?”

"Girls don't sweat." Sveta deadpanned, then falshed him a grin "See you in an hour."

It did not take long for her to get home, shower (she did sweat, duh) and change. She did not want to show up overdressed; it was likely to be just friendly drinks, after all, and she did not want to sent the wrong message.

>> "Girls don't sweat… See you in an hour."

Date grin though. Booker couldn’t help the smile that flashed across his lips as he watched the woman tell him in an oh-so-serious manner that girls simply didn’t sweat. He knew that, for a fact, was not true, but he wasn’t going to argue the point with the pretty blonde with the beautiful smile. Instead he merely held up his hands in an “Alright, I give up” gesture, and straightened up as he grinned at her.

”In an hour.” He nodded and turned to head off to gather his belongings.

As Booker picked up his duffle bag, he stopped just long enough to remember that maybe they should actually pick a place to meet up at so he quickly found the young woman before she left and thought of the only bar within a few miles of this place that he could think of. Once that was taken care of, he awkwardly excused himself again as he retreated back into the obscurity to collect his bag and head out to return home; he had a non-date to prepare for.

The trip home was quick as Booker didn’t live fair from this particular gym. As a matter of fact, the man often passed it when he was on his morning jog. Once he left the doors, the man turned and walked back towards the apartment that he shared with his sister. Luckily she wasn’t home when he arrived so he guessed that she must have decided to spend the day out. If he remembered correctly he thought that she had an overnight meeting with some of her co-workers on the channel she worked for. All the better for him since she would have commented on his current, sweaty scent if she had been home.

A quick shower and picking out clothing that was both casual and functioned for meeting up with a stranger for drinks, Booker laid his things out and finished prepping. He cleaned up his stubble a little, adjusted his usually messy looking hair, and the usual spiel that he engaged in to make himself presentable. Once all that was done, he found himself dressing in a dark jeans, a short sleeved button-up shirt of a light, baby blue, and a vest of the deepest, charcoal gray.

With everything done, and still no sign of his sister, Booker felt he was probably indeed free for the rest of the day and exited his apartment. An hour went by fast, but then again, maybe that was just the anticipation for the person that he would be meeting? A little hop in his step, Booker grabbed his keys and stepped out of the apartment, closing the door behind him. It was time to see where the night would lead.

---

Tequila Mockingbird. The name of the bar alone earned Booker’s business. The small bar was steadily growing in the community for having some of the best drinks in the city but it was still unknown enough that it wouldn’t be crowded for a last minute da—meeting between would-be friends. The feisty décor on the outside of the establishment lit it up like a beacon in the darkening sky and the scent of their nachos which wafted out from the inside was already making his mouth water. Honestly since he wasn’t sure of the status of this meeting, he figured that someplace that served equal parts food and alcohol would be fine.

Leaning against a lamppost, Booker sighed as he pulled out his phone from his pocket and casually swiped through his FaceSpace account, liking random posts, and totally not trying to look overly eager as he waited for his new, mysterious friend. This was just drinks. Just a chat. Nothing more.

Sveta was glad Booker picked the bar; she would have had some trouble picking a place off the top of her head, especially in this part of town. It wasn't terribly far for her to go, but she had not been going out lately to places other than Haven and their private bars - and when she did, she was usually wearing a costume and beating someone up. Good old days.

When she showed, she found Booker waiting by the entrance, casually leaning against something like he needed any confirmation of how cool he was. Sveta was dressed in jeans and a deep blue blouse, with matching elbow-high satin gloves. She might have been bold around him at the gym, but she would not go out and about town without being safe about it.

"Hello" she smiled, waving her fingers at him as he looked up "Sorry for the wait, I had to find de place..." she glanced at the bar, which looked nice enough, then back at the librarian "Anything I need to know before we go in?"

Booker continued to idly check his phone, not at all trying to look like some eager beaver awaiting his companion for the evening. Deep down, somewhere, he knew that he shouldn’t be nervous. It wasn’t as if this was a big date or anything like that. They were just two, new-found friends, enjoying a drink together. There was nothing wrong with that. Of course the woman was drop-dead gorgeous but he wasn’t going to let that tint his view of the evening. It was just drinks and some casual talking, nothing more.

Seconds felt like minutes as he would idly switch from whatever time-waster app he was using before switching back to his text message screen. It was almost as if he were waiting to get some cancellation from her, but that would have clearly been impossible – he never gave her his number. The man rolled his eyes at his own ridiculous behavior before switching back to his game, Sweets Swap, trying to conquer a particularly hard level.

He was totally keeping his cool.

And then he saw her. It was just a flick of gold, a wisp like a cloud in the air that pulled his attention upward. In the distance he spied the figure of the pretty blonde, dressed as casually as himself, in jeans and a blouse, and long, elegant gloves. He smiled as relief started to wash over his features once he caught the familiar look of her face. It was her after all.

>> "Hello…Sorry for the wait, I had to find de place..."

”Svetlana,” he said as he pushed himself off the lamppost and gave her a beaming smile. Awkwardly he fumbled with his phone for a second before finally managed to get a solid grip on it and slipping it into his back pocket. Settle down, man. Just settle down. ”Well I’m glad you found it.” he said with a grin. ”Sorry, it is a bit of a hole in the wall.”

Momentarily he curse himself for picking something that was obviously difficult to find but he quelled his nerves a bit, knowing that there was no sense worrying about that now. She was here and that was all that mattered now.

Approaching her, it was clear that the man was impressed with her appearance, but, given the uncertainty of their situation, he wasn’t going to comment. Instead the man bit his tongue and shyly looked away for a moment before raised his arm to gesture towards the bar that he had decided upon.

”Ugh, welcome to Tequila Mockingbird.” After his introduction, a question would pop up on her lips.

>> "Anything I need to know before we go in?"

As he approached the door to pull it open for her, the sounds of festive, Latin music could be heard wafting out from within. He tilted his head in thought, thinking closely about her inquiry. He had been here a few times so there really wasn’t anything dire that she needed to know about this place, but there were a few tips he could give her.

”Um, they’re known for their tequila shooters and their microbrew beer. Food wise, they have most of the stuff to be expected, but seriously, stay away from the salsa,” the man warned with a smile. ”They have a recipe that includes alcohol you won’t taste and you’ll be knocked off your butt before you know it.” After a pause, he just shrugged. ”Aaaand, that’s about it!” He offered her his arm. ”Shall we?”

>>”Svetlana. Well I’m glad you found it. Sorry, it is a bit of a hole in the wall.”

There was something almost puppy-like in the way Booker's face lit up when she showed up. The guy really was easily entertained. Sveta could not help but smile back anyway; she knew by now that he had that effect on people. She would have guessed he had an aura like her own, had she not known that he was adapted.

>>”Ugh, welcome to Tequila Mockingbird... Um, they’re known for their tequila shooters and their microbrew beer. Food wise, they have most of the stuff to be expected, but seriously, stay away from the salsa. They have a recipe that includes alcohol you won’t taste and you’ll be knocked off your butt before you know it..."

"No salsa. Got it." Sveta chuckled. She was good at holding her alcohol, but she was not going to share that bit of information just yet. The night was still young, and who knew where it would go...


>>"Aaaand, that’s about it! Shall we?”

"Sure." she nodded, walking in ahead of him. There was something about men walking into bars first, but she had stopped caring a long time ago. If there was a bar fight inside, she could hold her own.

Fortunately, there was no fight; there was music, though, and drinks, and the smell of spicy foods, which made her mouth water. The workout had made her hungry.

"Better not drink on an empty stomach, hm?" she glanced up at him "We deserve some food after working out..."

The name of the bar was clever. Booker knew it. Most people did. It was too clever to not get so he had no indication that she didn’t “get” it. Maybe she just didn’t think it was that funny? Admittedly, his humor wasn’t for everyone so at most he could guess that it wasn’t her style of funny. That was fine. A tad bit disheartening since Booker LOVED a good pun, but he was willing to roll with it. Besides, what the bar lacked in wit, it more than made up for with service, food, and drink. This was going to be an experience.

A good one! Swear!

>> "No salsa. Got it."

He gave her a grin and a nod. Good. The last thing he wanted was for Svetlana to end up sampling the extremely tasty salsa and wake up the next morning with no recollection about what happened tonight. He really didn’t need to be accused of anything unsavory, especially since that was certainly not his intention. The salsa was just damn good and the alcohol in it made it extremely dangerous; so it was just best to warn her now before she got a sample of it.

With that being said and his warnings ushered, it seemed that now they had finally reached the moment for them enter. Being the gentleman that he was, Booker held the door open for Svetlana and even offered his arm for her to take so that they could step in side-by-side…

>> "Sure."

Arm offered…and arm totally denied. As she walked in ahead of him, Booker paused for a moment, staring off into space. Yeah. That definitely put a notch in the “not-a-date” category. Ah well.

Following in after her, Booker closed the door behind them and stepped into the bar.

Tequila Mockingbird was actually a pretty nice place. The name and the hole-in-the-wall exterior made it seem like it was going to be a shabby little tenement but the bar was actually quite nice. It was a bit dim in the bar, but they such establishments weren’t exactly known for their lighting. Despite that, it was a very well-kept bar. The floors gleamed with a fine finish and the music that wafted through the air from a neon-lit jukebox was well-known and clear to the ear.

Along the far side, there were a few tables and booth set up, most of which were occupied by people who were on dates or simply hanging out with friends. Laughter and good times sung through the air, adding to the already jovial environment. To the side of the room that Booker was leading Svetlana (once he caught up with her), was a long, smooth bar of dark wood. Tall chairs with a red leather cushions lined the front of it. Only a few of those seats were occupied and the bartender behind the counter, a sweet, older woman with dark hair and hoop earrings gave them a wide smile.

Booker smiled as he offered the woman a friendly wave before turned back to Svetlana. The scent of the food was clearly affecting the both of them. Originally he had only meant to come out for a couple of drinks but their Nachos con Carne specialty was screaming his name. Thankfully it seemed that his new friend had the same idea.

>> "Better not drink on an empty stomach, hm? We deserve some food after working out..."

He grinned, wide, and nodded. ”So reading my mind,” He stopped before her, gesturing to either the bar or the one of the nearby tables. ’Lady’s choice? Where would you like to sit?”

It was a nice bar. Not too shady or too dirty, with a nice selection of drinks and people that looked like they were just out to have fun with friends, rather than conducting some kind of business, or sulking in dark corners. The place might have looked like a hole in the wall from the outside, but inside, it was a hidden gem. Sveta smiled as she looked around. The food smelled good, too.

Booker caught up to her.

>>”So reading my mind. Lady’s choice? Where would you like to sit?”

She considered the question for a moment, then nodded towards the bar. The chairs looked comfortable, and they could have a conversation there without others listening in. Not that she planned on talking about anything secret or overly personal... Svetlana just liked her privacy.

She took a seat and waited for Booker to do the same.

"You'll need to tell me what's good here." she told him "Other than the salsa I mean. I'd like something spicy though... and enough that the drinks won't knock us down. Hm?"

It was a reasonable request, as far as Sveta was concerned. She was not here to get s***faced and do things she would regret later. Not even if there was an adapted at her side to keep her from causing real trouble. That thought reminded her of the blessed, peaceful lack of coffee buzz she had been feeling since she had walked up to him. Once their orders were done, she decided to pick up the conversation.

"So... mind if I ask something?... It is kind of easy to notice your aura, when someone like me is in it. But... how did you figure it out?"

Booker absolutely loved this place. The drinks were good, the food was good, and it was just unknown enough that it hadn’t pulled in the annoying younger crowd who wanted to claim discovering it first. Additionally it wasn’t some suspicious dive bar, but actually a fairly nice place to bring someone and just have a nice, private conversation. That was what they were both looking for today, just a chance to relax, have a drink, and chat. To Booker this place was spot on and he hoped that she would think the same.

When she muttered about the food smelling good, Booker was already ahead of her. It seemed that their workout had indeed stirred up some hunger for the both of them, and he was all game. Now it just deciding the most important factor…where to sit? He offered her the choice of a table or the bar top, both excellent places that embodied comfort. It was all up to her to decide.

Her decision was made when she moved toward the bar, Booker quickly at her side. Once the both of them were seated, they were greeted with the kindly barmaid who brought over a pair of menus and left them to decide their fate.

>> "You'll need to tell me what's good here…Other than the salsa I mean. I'd like something spicy though... and enough that the drinks won't knock us down. Hm?"

Booker chuckled as he looked over the menu with the parameters for what she wanted in mind. He nodded his head understandingly. ”If you are looking for a lot of good drink that won’t easily knock you on your butt, then I have to say that the either the Uno, Dos, Hop-cho microbrew beer would be a good choice, or they also make an amazing Rum Sour. Honestly I’d suggest either.” he beamed. ”As for food, if you want something with a bit of a kick to it, then their Carne Asada tacos has this amazing spicy marinade.”

Those were his suggestions. Booker came here enough times, usually by himself or with his sister or work friends, to be able to offer good suggestions to fit whatever it was that Svetlana wanted. He wasn’t entirely sure if she would agree, but the most he could do was try, right?

Once their bartender returned, Booker ordered himself a Rum and Cherry Coke, as well as a plate of the delectable tacos that he was just talking about. One may not assume that tacos would be filling, but the plate came with three, corn tortilla and were stuffed with marinated meat and peppers that gave them a heft few expected. It was good eatin’!

Once Svetlana was done with her own order, the man smiled as he turned to face her. They were here to chat after all and she certainly didn’t disappoint. After a few seconds of silence, the woman cautiously moved on to a subject that she was clearly curious about.

>>"So... mind if I ask something?... It is kind of easy to notice your aura, when someone like me is in it. But... how did you figure it out?"

He nodded when asked. So she wanted to know how it was he knew what he was. Booker went silent for a moment, thinking back to Jamal and the discovery that he was more than just another ordinary person. It was a hard story to tell so he would start with a watered down, more practiced version of the tale.

”Friend of mine in college was a, you know, mutant,” he started. ”He could charge things with energy and make them explode. Or so I heard because he was never able to do so around me. Anyways, one night at a party, he got a little too drunk and he just lost control. Everything started exploding, lot of people got hurt…except for me.” he said with a small, guilty scoff. Survivors remorse, and all. ”Anyways, I knew I was different from that point on. Couldn’t put my finger on it until I watched an AMA with this woman, a Miss Gemma Taylor.” He beamed. ”Apparently she was just like me. It was to put the dots together.”

Booker still couldn’t believe that he had eventually gotten an answer to what he was. That had been a shocking and elating day, if he had ever had one. There was nothing like finally finding an answer as to what you are to help alleviate some burden. After the incident with Jamal, Booker didn’t know what to think. It was good to know that Ms. Taylor was able to help him, even if neither of them knew who the other was.

However, his own interest was piqued as he turned back to Svetlana. ”I have a question, though.” he asked, turning the topic back to her. ”Your abilities seem…interesting to have to live with…” She had said she was life walking coffee, giving people around her a buzz, especially via touch. Seemed to be a difficult life to him since that couldn’t be a pleasurable sensation to have to be around all the time. ”...if you don’t mind my asking, do you find it…different good or different bad being around me?” He gave her charming smile. ”I mean, I’m already a distraction given how hideous I am, but I mean ability wise, of course.”

Sveta ordered Rum Sour and tacos. She trusted Booker's judgment - and even if drink and food both turned out awful, she had someone else to blame for it. The bartender was very friendly, and for once, Sveta reveled in the fact that she did not have to wonder if she was maybe a mutant or not. Their two seats were close enough that she was safely within Booker's aura.

>>”Friend of mine in college was a, you know, mutant. He could charge things with energy and make them explode. Or so I heard because he was never able to do so around me. Anyways, one night at a party, he got a little too drunk and he just lost control. Everything started exploding, lot of people got hurt…except for me.”

Sveta nodded sympathetically. Mutants, especially teens and young adults, losing control of their abilities was nothing new - and she had been present to many such events. It had to be terrifying, witnessing something like that. She also noted the hint of guilt in Booker's voice when he talked about getting away, due to his powers. She could tell he was not fond of the memory.

>>”Anyways, I knew I was different from that point on. Couldn’t put my finger on it until I watched an AMA with this woman, a Miss Gemma Taylor. Apparently she was just like me. It was to put the dots together.”

"I know her." Sveta nodded with a small smile "I used to live at the school where she works." For a short while, anyway. But apparently she was not the only one who learned about adapteds from Gemma Taylor.

>>”I have a question, though. Your abilities seem…interesting to have to live with…..if you don’t mind my asking, do you find it…different good or different bad being around me? I mean, I’m already a distraction given how hideous I am, but I mean ability wise, of course.”

Sveta chuckled at the question, and how innocent it was. Sure, she did not give him a lot of information on her powers, or how they could be very dangerous; still, out of all things, him asking this specifically, amused her.

"Different good." she admitted "Without someone like you around... I am always keeping an eye out, to make sure I don't bump into anyone, or accidentally touch." she held up a gloved hand "My powers are... stronger with touch. So I am always alert, and I don't touch people unless I am sure they are not a mutant... and even den, sometimes it turns out dey didn't know..."

Booker explained what he could about the origin of his abilities. It was funny because when he was growing up, reading comic books and watching television shows, the man had always hoped that he would one day discover that he was gifted in some way. He wanted the power to fly, to be super strong, to shot lasers from his nose, anything that would prove that he was as special on the outside as he felt on the inside. But as the years passed, as school changed to college, the man knew he was just not one of the lucky few. It was unfortunate, yes, but he learned to accept it; that is until Jamal.

That night, Booker still remembered it with clarity. It was labeled as one of the worst disasters on the campus’ history, but so few people actually knew about it. The school was good at covering stories like this up and only a few details managed to leak out to the press. Though Booker wasn’t the only survivor that night, he was the only one to have survived under the circumstances that he had. It was a strange feeling to find out that, yes, he was special, but totally not in the way he ever figured he could.

The subject of his origin was a little rough for him to tell. That much was evident on his face as his smile dimmed a fraction in explaining it to the blonde. It was sad and there was some guilt, but time managed to heal the wounds a little; not entirely, but just enough for him to actually talk about it. Besides, she asked and he would have felt bad if he didn’t give her an answer.

>> "I know her…I used to live at the school where she works."]

Booker beamed happily at Svetlana’s interjection. So, she had actually known the woman whom he was talking about! That was amazing! Maybe, at the end of this, she could get her contact information. Just to at least drop her a friendly email to let her know how much she helped him without meaning to. It wasn’t much but Booker liked to pay it forward whenever he could.

”That’s awesome!” he said happily. ”If you have her email or something, I’d love to be able to message her and thank her for her help.”

As they started to settle, Booker had his own question on his lips. Of course he didn’t want to pry too much into the woman’s past, but he was curious about certain things. The most prevalent that came to mind was how she felt being around him. She had abilities that were on all the time and if he could turn them off, was that a distraction for her? Was it good? Bad? He merely wanted to know, of course.

Svetlana’s smile was magical as she gave him a grin, clearly amused by his question. All he could do was smile in response and listen.

>>"Different good…Without someone like you around... I am always keeping an eye out, to make sure I don't bump into anyone, or accidentally touch…My powers are... stronger with touch. So I am always alert, and I don't touch people unless I am sure they are not a mutant... and even den, sometimes it turns out dey didn't know..."

He nodded his head, a little elated that it was a good difference for her. But he also felt a pang of sympathy for the pretty woman. To have to go through her life, unable to really touch another person without risking giving them an over-the-top coffee buzz was terrible. And it had a stronger effect on mutants? Part of him wondered in what way, but he didn’t interrupt her. In a gentlemanly way, he kept silent and just watched her as he listened.

When she reached the end, the man nodded, but lifted his head up when the bartender returned with their drinks: a rum and coke for him and a rum sour for the lady. Once their drinks were set down and she vanished, Booker reached over, taking up his own glass and taking a sip of the drink before he spoke to Svetlana again.

”That sounds like a lot to have to watch out for,” the man said with a small sigh. His eyes drifted down to her arms and the extralong gloves. He lifted his own, large hand, looking at his skin, the tiny hairs on the back of his hand, the ridges of his fingertips. She was deprived of so much, even just a handshake? Hrm…He turned to her, giving her a sweet smile. He scooted his stool a little closer, so she was fully within his aura, straightened up and cocked his head cutely. ”Svetlana…may I…shake your hand?” he said sweetly. Clearly he meant with her glove off, but, just in case, he clarified. ”You know…with the glove off? If you want to, that is.”