Winnie had to admit that she was most often jealous of other mutants. The majority that she met or heard about had so many awesome and great abilities that she would rather have that than just turning into a useless little bird. Really, what good was she? Sure she was absolutely adorable but that would only carry her so far in life. Sometimes it was just better to not admit she was a mutant and just live her life as quietly as possible. But it seemed that even the quiet life was wrought with difficulties.

Who would have expected what happened tonight to actually happen? She wasn’t a threat to anyone. Clearly the METAbot was completely haywire, but it definitely served as a reminder that nothing in this world was safe. Perfect.

>>"At least you're cute, I nean- as a kiwi-! Kiwis are cute. Dough dat's not to say dat your hyu-nan sel-s isn't alo cute..."

Winnie lifted her head off Jackie’s shoulder and looked up at her. She started into her eyes for a moment before a grin hooked the corners of her lips. Really it was the sweetest of compliments, even as the other tried to backtrack from her initial comments. Winnie tilted her head, looking her up and down briefly before she snorted a little bit and just sighed.

”You’re a sweetheart, Jackie, truly,”. It was then that Winnie decided to rest her head upon her new friend’s shoulder -- if she would allow it, that is. Some people had a thing about personal space, not something that Winnie had ever let stop her in the past, but it would have been rude to act in such a way with her rescuer.

>>"Hun, I'n not duh 'est 'illow...I'n all co'ered in s'ines and ridges, and all..."

Winnie just shrugged her shoulders as she carefully nestled against the other woman’s arm. She wasn’t moving so she took that as the invitation to continue. Jackie was right, there were little spines and ridges and hardness under the cloth of the hoodie but Winnie was mindful and waited until she found exactly the spot that felt comfortable.

”You feel pretty comfy to me,” she said with a yawn. She persisted in keeping the ice on Jackie’s sore arm. ”Just for a second anyways.” Winnie sighed, easing her new friend’s arm, staring at her empty apartment. Slowly her eyes drifted up, following the path of Jackie’s hoodie until she found the other mutant’s eyes. She watched her for a second until her curiosity got the better of her. Eyeing the surgical mask she wore, Winnie nodded to it. ”Jackie...what’s with the mask, love? You sick or trying to avoid getting sick?”

Jack exchanged glances with Winnie, her bumbling compliment accepted with a smile and a chortle. Jack looked meekly across the room. Ugh, this was so awkward. At least she didn't chastise the prawn, for the prawn really hadn't meant it in a bad way-- being a cute mutant had its perks, and it's downfalls-- just like being some sci-fi film reject had its perks and downfalls. The prawn did not move, and nor did her host. A silence stretched. Time dilated. God, she was too lesbian for this.

>> "You feel pretty comfy to me. Just for a second anyways."

Waaaaaay too lesbian for this. Jack breathed a series of clicks, a resigned sound, and returned her attention to the woman nestled in the crook of her arm. This was a little weird... but it also filled a space left by Zinnia, the need to be physically close to someone (however platonic it may have been). Jack missed being close to people, though she would never deign to admit it.

>> "Jackie... what's with the mask, love? You sick or trying to avoid getting sick?"

"Ny... nouth... is weird," the prawn said simply, "Like a crustacean." Go figure. Almost all of her was like a crustacean, so why wouldn't her mouth be? "S-reaks 'eo'le out, so I try to kee' it co'ered when I'n outside. Not sick, just... nod-est." Modest. That was a good way to put it-- a lot better than "ashamed" or "embarrassed".

"I sink uzz it like... glasses..." the prawn murmured, "Hel' nee interat wiss duh world a little easier."

It was kind-of ironic, that Jack thought a mask would help her, when all of her was a spectacle. The prawn's eyes crinkled in a self-deprecating smile.

Winnie had to admit that the mask intrigued her. Not to be rude or anything but considering Jackie’s size and stature, what use was there for a tiny mask across the mouth? It almost seemed a little unnecessary considering it all. If she wanted to hide her identity, surely there were better ways, right? But rather than spend all night thinking about it, Winnie decided to just be upfront and ask -- what was with the mask? If it was a sore subject, of course she wouldn’t pursue, but she wouldn’t know if it was sore or not if she didn’t ask.

>>"Ny... nouth... is weird...Like a crustacean. S-reaks 'eo'le out, so I try to kee' it co'ered when I'n outside. Not sick, just... nod-est."

She tilted her head, curious, watching Jackie as she explained. It sounded like her mutation affected her face greatly, making it seem like a crustacean’s, something which apparently made other people uncomfortable.

Winnie found this curious. She tried to imagine what it could look like. Did crabs even have mouths? She tried to see it in her mind but the only image that popped up were overly cartoony creatures with big smiling faces and bulbous eyes. She really needed to watch more nature documentaries, but she tended to avoid those since they just reminded her of her mutation.

>>"I sink uzz it like... glasses...Hel' nee interat wiss duh world a little easier."

A second of silence as Winnie narrowed her eyes up at her new friend. Moving her head off of her arm, Winnie moved onto her knees to look more closely at her, peering at her face. After a bit more scrutiny, she gave Jackie a soft smile, sighed and straightened up a bit.

”You know...you’re not outside...right? And me? I don’t freak out easy.” She said this as she kept her hands on her knees, watching Jackie’s lovely eyes. ”If you want to take it off...you can. I don’t bite. Promise.”

Gosh, she was close. The prawn leaned back, her face heating-up again. The flush ran through her like a dripline, straight to her core. Why was she so adamant about Jack taking the mask off? Was she trying to prove something? Jack surveyed her, the uncertainty flagrant in her eyes. Hesitantly, she moved her free primary hand, looping a digit around the elastic bend (which was hitched behind the spikes along her mandible), and unfastening it.

Once the mask was removed, Jack balled it in her hand. There. Happy? Her expression was guarded. The jointed outer maxilla of her mouth, poised like the curled arms of a praying mantis, seemed to sense that their owner was trying to sit still, and twitched faintly.

"Dere," the prawn clicked, "No nask."

Her voice was quiet. Had it not been for the expression that Winnie wore, she would have felt much like some sort of spectacle at a carnival or a zoo. But something about the look that she wore was befuddling to the larger woman.

"It's worse when I snile," Jack admonished, and a small smile broke across her features. The maxilla curled, revealing maxillipeds and, ultimately, mandibles. The expression was only a flicker across her face, and quickly settled into something careful, "I dunno. Suntines solks get weird."

A shrug. This suggested it didn't bother her. Which it didn't! But... if it really, truly did't bother her, she wouldn't waste her time using a mask to be modest.

Okay so maybe it was a little forward to just talk about Jackie’s mask the way that she did. The truth was that Winnie always believed in being herself and never allowing anyone to tell her otherwise. It was freeing once you realized that other people’s opinions didn’t matter and, all that did, was keep you from becoming the person that you wanted to be. Winnie was all about being herself and not letting anyone stand in her way; it was a message that she tried to pass one to anyone who came into her home -- even new friends.

Sitting up on her knees, she looked over Jackie, letting her know that the mask wasn’t needed here but, of course, she would understand if it made her new friend too uncomfortable to take it off. At the end of the day, she just wanted Jackie to feel comfortable in her own home. Wearing a mask like that, especially all day, couldn’t be comfortable. She remembered having to wear something similar to that in chemistry classes and only a few minutes in the inside gets all hot and sweaty. Why not lounge in comfort?

When she saw that Jackie was making moves to remove the mask, Winnie scooted back a little to give her room to move. The mutant was massive and Winnie didn’t want to crowd her too much. Still, her wide, stormy eyes watched her with extreme interest as the mask was pulled off, revealing the alien-like entity in front of her.

>>"Dere...No nask."

Winnie’s face was expressionless. She watched as Jackie’s face closely, her gaze immediately falling on the insect/alien-like mouth that was one hiding beneath it. It had some of the same rainbow coloring as the rest of the mutant’s carapace. She could imagine how some people would be terrified by the appearance but Winnie didn’t seemed completely fazed by it. It was interesting to look at, of course, but what mattered most was that Jackie was comfortable enough to remove it.

>>"It's worse when I snile,...I dunno. Suntines solks get weird."

Jackie smiled. Again, Winnie could see where some people would be turned off by it, but she didn’t twitch or shy away. Instead, staring, she just smiled a soft and gentle smile. Moving a bit closer on her knees, she leaned in, looking closely at her new friend’s mouth again before she leaned over and planted a soft kiss on what she assumed was supposed to be Jackie’s cheek.

”Some folks are stupid,” she said, her smile still there. ”Thank you, again, for saving me.”

A familiar knot twisted in Jack's stomach, a twinge of regret niggling at her. Maybe taking off the mask had been too much, maybe she should put it back on, for modesty's sake. Winnie was looking at her, looking at her mouth to be specific, and quiet. Quiet couldn't be good. Was she going to freak out?

The prawn's smile faltered just as Winnie's surfaced. A look of confusion flickered over Jack's features. Why was she smiling? Winnie drew closer, too close, and Jack say rigidly by. Maybe she wanted a closer look? She said she was a photographer, but with the intensity of her attention, Jack was beginning to wonder if Winnie was some sort of scientist.

Close, close, too close-

“ 's real, I assure y-” the prawn began to intone, misinterpreting Winnie's proximity. Her quip came to an abrupt halt when Winnie planted a light kiss upon the facial plate just beneath Jack's eye.

She couldn't feel it, of course, thanks to the armor covering get cheek, but… the gesture alone was enough to silence her. Jack lightly touched the space on her cheek where Winnie had kissed, as if expecting some sort of evidence of the affection. Finding none, her lavender gaze surveyed the petite young woman. Something about Winnie reminded her of Zinnia. Perhaps it was because they were similar in size and stature, or perhaps it was because they treated Jack so kindly. The knot in the prawn's stomach returned.

“I had to,” Jack murmured, “Anyone woulda done duh same.”

I'm nothing special, her remarks seemed to say. Just your average robot-hating New Yorker. She felt like she had marbles in her mouth. Jack peered towards the door, then back towards Winnie, dumbfounded. Her face was hot. A desperate part of her wanted to cleave to Winnie's company, but another similar desperation was compelling her attention towards the door. Maybe it even went beyond “needing company” and ventured well into “needing physical affection” space. Jack grimaced at the thought, chastising herself. That was an indecent thing to think about someone you'd just met.

“Sorry,” Jack said, as if Winnie was privy to her thoughts. The hand that had lingered on Jack's cheek brushed her antennae back, “I’n not used to… any-un 'eing so… s’riendly.” The remark was interspersed with a few clicks, almost like laughter, “You're too kind.”

Winnie wasn’t startled by Jackie’s appearance. Rather she was intrigued by it. She had met all sorts of mutants in her life but absolutely none that looked like her new, massive friend. She was so quiet and adorable that the photographer couldn’t help but use the situation to her advantage, looking over Jackie with utmost scrutiny and taking her time as she did so. The last thing she wanted as for her friend to be uncomfortable but she was just too interesting to look upon.

And it was then, as she drew closer to the other, practically feeling the blushing radiating through her carapace, that Winnie leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. It wasn’t what she had expected. It wasn’t as rough...and yet it was. Jackiee was clearly built like a tank and had the power behind it too. When her lips pressed against the plate, she smiled a little before she broke the tender gesture and leaned back, offering the woman a kind smile. Jackie really was just too adorable.

Jackie stammered for a few seconds, seemingly unsure of what to say next. Not wanting to push her, Winnie sat back on her legs, giving the other her much needed space and kept her hands neatly upon her lap as she watched her. Was Jackie just not used to this kind of attention? If so, that was unfortunate. So she again expressed her gratitude to the mantis shrimp, utterly thankful for her life being saved. Really she had no idea how else to express herself.

>>“I had to...Anyone woulda done duh same.”

She snorted. ”In New York?” she asked with a small laugh. ”I’m sure most others would have just run away. Especially if all they saw was a stupid, tiny fat bird running away from the robot.” She breathed a sigh of relief. ”But you didn’t. And that’s all that matters to me.”

Moving off her legs, Winnie moved onto her side, on arm propped up against the back of the couch as she tilted her head, watching her rescuer. Jackie seemed unsure of what to do with herself now, especially after the tiny kiss. Partially she wondered how Jackie would have reacted if Winnie had just thrown herself at her heroine in an attempt to express her thanks. The poor thing probably would have just burst into flames.

>>“Sorry...I’n not used to… any-un 'eing so… s’riendly. You're too kind.”

Winnie just shook her head sweetly. ”Oh no, hunny, trust me, you deserve so much more for what you did tonight.” She sighed. Her stormy eyes rolled over Jackie again, scrutinizing her closely. ”You have a boyfriend, sweetie? A big, strapping gal like yourself certainly can’t still be on the market.”

The question was jarring. A boyfriend?! A laugh barked out of the prawn, something booming and unexpected. In part, because the idea was genuinely amusing-- but also, it was a nervous reflex. Jack covered her mouth with a primary hand, shaking her head. The amusement was shortlived, but the glimmer in her eye suggested that the humor was still there.

"Oh, no," the prawn said, "No, no. No 'oy-s'riend. I'n not... hn..." She exhaled sharply, swallowing a chuckle that was trying to burble up again, "I don't swing dat way." Her eyes were glancing towards the photos on the walls now, very distinctly away from Winnie, "I don't sink I'd has nuch luck wiss guys any'ays. No guy'd wanna date a girl dat could 'ench'ress hin."

The humored look lingered in her eyes. At least when it came to dating women, she didn't have to worry about making anyone feel emasculated by being able to lift more than them. Or just... y'know, "benchpress them" as Jack had delicately put it. Though the idea of setting a guy atop a fridge for his transgressions was an amusing thought. Jack would have to remember that for next time a guy pissed her off.

"Had a girl-s'riend," the prawn murmured, "Real nice. Didn't work out."

Cuz she'd killed a man and went into hiding, and didn't want to drag Zinnia into whatever the fallout entailed.

Winnie was sometimes overly curious. Whenever she came across someone who interested her (as a subject), she sometimes grilled them without really meaning to. It wasn’t really her fault, but she had an inquisitive mind and she liked to fill in the gaps of her knowledge as soon as possible. It was a trait that made her a voracious learner and someone whom could not be quelled with quick and meaningless answers. Some saw it was adorable, others as rude, how could Jackie see it?

She had to inquire about the obvious; what was Jackie’s relationships status? Did she have a boyfriend? Girlfriend? Did she not have any of those feelings ever? In all honestly any of that was possible as Jackie was a little harder to read than a regular human. Winnie knew what to expect of people when they were interested or not interested in her. There were subtle body languages that were actually quite easy to read once you’ve seen it many times over. But Jackie was entirely different, clearly, as the mutant didn’t have a lot of the same expressions and cues for Winnie to read (or rather, she did, but they were far more subtle given Jackie’s physique).

Therefore, outright questioning was in order.

>>"Oh, no...No, no. No 'oy-s'riend. I'n not... hn...I don't swing dat way...I don't sink I'd has nuch luck wiss guys any'ays. No guy'd wanna date a girl dat could 'ench'ress hin."

Winnie listened intently as Jackie explain that she actually wasn’t into guys. Interesting. She did make a good point that a few guys would probably feel emasculated at being bench-pressed by the much larger and stronger mutant. Of course there were probably some that would have been into it, but those kinks were probably hard to locate, especially if they didn’t make their preference known to Jackie themselves.

What was even more interesting was Jackie’s admission that she didn’t “swing” that way. So she was more attracted to the female persuasion? It would make a lot of sense...

>>"Had a girl-s'riend...Real nice. Didn't work out."

Bingo. So there it was, Jackie had a girlfriend in the past and the relationship seemingly didn’t work out. That was sad, really, since Jackie genuinely seemed like a good person. Vaguely she wondered if her appearance or powers had anything to do with it but for as investigative as Winnie could be, she did have some sense of decency. She wouldn’t delve much deeper than that.

She scooted up to the other again and reached out, her hand finding a spot on Jackie’s shoulder. There she gave it a soft and tender stroke, an earnest smile on her lips.

”Sorry to hear that, love,” she said with a soft sigh. ”You’re too much of a sweetheart to go through troubles like that.”