Who in their lifetime would have imagined that they would be privy to seeing two universes collide? Certainly not Natalie. Perhaps her powers had taught her exactly what in the universe was controllable, but she had always been a firm believer in grounding herself in real life. The real world. A collision of universes did not sound like real life, and yet somehow there they were, talking as if it wasn’t the strangest thing in the world to be from two different realities.

There were differences between the two, clearly. For one, their meeting would not have happened if SUPER had existed on that side of the barrier. Natalie hadn’t really cared enough to bother inspecting what the differences were exactly until that point, and even then, it was more of a formality. Small talk. Switching sides had never been a thought or a question for her; this was her home, and she had built her life there.

She had to admire Kristoph, though. He was switching worlds (for the time being) because his company had asked him to. That was commitment. Sure, he didn’t seem like the type to have roots on the other side of the rift, but even still. There was something to be said about a person that could leave behind everything familiar for an entirely new place.

They did have their similarities, though, like the fact that they could communicate about nearly the same things and understand each other perfectly. It was just the minor differences that seemed to be the things that people noticed. Otherwise, things were nearly the same.

She nodded along to the differences that he noted, trying to imagine how different her life might have been if she’d grown up over there, hiding from SUPER. She was good at hiding, but that was a whole separate playing field. If she hadn’t gotten the training that she had as a child, things might have been different for her. She might not have had Norah. That was a scary thought.

There was still one more question that she had about the two worlds when they stepped out of the elevator and into the parking garage. ”And your… other self? On this side? Have you met them?” she asked him. She would be lying if she said that she hadn’t looked into her other self, but after turning up nothing promising, she’d laid the thought to rest. If they weren’t as accomplished as she was, were they even worth meeting?

It seemed that the world was just getting stranger and the only way to really combat it was to just roll with the tide. What made Kristoph a good soldier was that the man really didn’t have roots in any one location. Ever since he joined SUPER, he made sure that he was always able to move around, to be able to pack up at the drop of a hat, and so on. He needed to be prepared, after all, for any and all eventualities. One week he could have only a few, local assignments, the next and he could be sent across the globe, undercover, for several months. It was just the way of the job.

But Kristoph, for as rootless as he seemed, he didn’t let it get to me. He was a simple man of very simple pleasures, after all. All he ever needed was a blanket, food, and he could pretty much settle anywhere. That was why, when assigned to camp out on the other side of the dimensional rift, he had been one of the most likely candidates. Of course, to Kristoph, he didn’t really know this -- he was just a man who followed orders for his organization. That was all he needed to know.

Waiting in the elevator as it began its descent to the parking garage, Kristoph had begun to rattle off a few of the differences that he had noticed since coming over. For the most part they were small things and anything grander had not caught his attention. He was sure that SUPER would be sending out dossiers about the events of this universe and he could find himself with some very boring reading to have to do; he’d rather experience it for himself.

At the end of his description, Kristoph raised his eyes to the elevator numbers, watching as they descended lower and lower until finally coming to a stop at the bottom. It was only after Natalie stepped out did Kristoph follow after her, his hands clasped behind his back. At her side, he drifted his gaze over when she started to ask a follow up question.

>>”And your… other self? On this side? Have you met them?”

Kristoph was quiet for a moment. His kept his eyes ahead as he walked with Natalie, leading her towards the rental car that he had been assigned. As he did, his mind drifted back to the information he had been given about any doubles in this universe. More people than he thought didn’t have doubles, but himself? Oddly enough, he did…

He sighed as he shook his head in response. ”No,” he admitted. ”But I did visit her gravesite.” He smirked as he glanced over to Natalie. He then decided to elaborate. ”Krystal Karlson,” he began to recite from memory. ”Same birthday. Same parents. Almost identical life -- “ he paused. ”That is until she was killed in the line of duty.” He scoffed. ”Ironically enough she was protecting a mutant during the riots this universe had a few years ago.” He let the silence continue to building, moving towards the sleek, newer black vehicle that was parked. It was far nicer than what someone would assume he would drive. He then nodded to her. ”Yourself, Ms. Ross? Is there another version of yourself just as gorgeous running around my universe?”

Natalie was fully expecting some sort of tale about how Kristoph had met his double and had become best friends with the identical ginger giant. It seemed strange to assume that people could be entirely different in another life, especially when they were like Kristoph. Surely some things carried over.

She did, however, raise an eyebrow when he told her about visiting his female doppelganger’s gravesite. It was a sad tale, really. You find your other self and then find out that they were not only completely different than you, but they had passed on. They were no longer making a mark or a difference on their world. Natalie didn’t care to find out if that was the case for her other self. She’d worked too hard for what she had and rested too much on her decisions to find out that there could have been another outcome.

”My condolences,” she said respectfully, unsure of what else to say in that circumstance. She wondered silently whether it had rocked him at all to see his other self six feet under. They walked toward a sleek black car, which was far nicer than she assumed that he would be driving, and stopped in front of it. Even though it was likely a rental, she was still glad that they wouldn’t be driving around New York in an ugly vehicle that would dirty her very expensive outfit.

She opened the passenger door and lowered herself inside as she thought through the question he bounced back to her. It likely wouldn’t be that hard for her to track down her ‘other’ if she wanted to, especially if she had SUPER’s help, but after hearing everything about bad experiences, she knew now more than ever that she had no desire to meet them.

”I did a quick search early on, and there were none of the flags that I would have raised in that universe, which means that they didn’t follow the same track that I did,” Natalie explained. ”I don’t want a glimpse into that life.”

She buckled herself into the seat and then pointed toward the exit from the parking garage. ”Exit to the left there.”

>>”My condolences,”

Kristoph nodded. Really he didn’t know how to feel about the matter. He had seen a lot of good people lose their lives because mutants were not being cared for or controlled as best as they could be. SUPER did an amazing job of trying to keep threats to a minimum but they also were not perfect. Incidents still happened, people still died. As much as he wanted there to be a perfect solution, he knew that it was something that was going to take time and energy in order to achieve. But, for now, SUPER was all his universe had -- and it was something that this universe seemed to desperately need.

He didn’t know Krystal. He only knew that she was supposed to be him, or rather, a version of him. They lived identical lives, seemed to follow the same path, that is until the riots happened in this universe. It was because of that his doppleganger was lying six feet under the ground. But should he feel sad? Should he want revenge? He just didn’t know. It wasn’t him lying in that coffin -- and at the same time...it was…

He shook the thought away, glad to change subjects as he inquired of the other woman if she had experiences with her own double. Though SUPER could have easily found out, it wasn’t as if they had profiles on absolutely everyone in the world. But he could probably put in a few calls if Ms. Ross desperately wanted to know. Maybe her alternate’s story would end up better than his.

>>”I did a quick search early on, and there were none of the flags that I would have raised in that universe, which means that they didn’t follow the same track that I did...I don’t want a glimpse into that life.”

Climbing into the vehicle, Kristoph waited for Natalie to slip inside before he closed his door and buckled his seatbelt. With the keys in the ignition, he slowly revved the engine to life, listening as the brunette told him of her own research into the alternate universe. It seemed that she hadn’t found anything about her doppleganger, if she even had one, and wasn’t interested if their tale was good or bad. He nodded, understandingly, as that was information that would be tough to process.

”Makes sense,” he said. When he was sure that Natalie was buckled in, Kristoph glanced to his phone, making a last minute reservation for the restaurant she suggested, and smoothly drove out of the parking space and towards the exit to the garage.

>>”Exit to the left there.

”Many thanks, Ms. Ross,” he said. As he pulled up to the street, he sighed as he waited for an opening and then drove out into the street. He glanced at the woman, giving her a slight smile as he turned back to the road. ”Seriously, thank you for taking the time out with me. This is a strange set of circumstances and…” he smirked. ”...it will be good to do something normal for a change...like have a peaceful meal with good company.”

”And right at the next lights,” she instructed as soon as the car had pulled onto the street. She wondered if anything about driving was different between the two worlds, like it was different between countries on theirs. From the way he was driving, it didn’t seem to be the case. Was everything transferable, though? Money? Languages? That was certainly going to change the economy. Hopefully things would end up settling after a while.

>>”Seriously, thank you for taking the time out with me. This is a strange set of circumstances and… it will be good to do something normal for a change...like have a peaceful meal with good company.”

He wasn’t Nate. He looked nothing like the man, and nothing about him was even slightly similar. Maybe that was good, though. She knew that she was getting too hung up on the man that she couldn’t have, and it was becoming an issue. Maybe it was best to clean her palate a bit and do something completely out of her usual lane. Kristoph fit that bill perfectly.

He wasn’t her usual type, and he wasn’t even the kind of person that she would give a second glance. That’s why he was perfect, though. Nothing like Nate. Nothing. Maybe that way her thoughts could stop screaming about him.

”Of course,” she nodded at his comment. She couldn’t imagine that the transition had been easy on him. She wasn’t really all that interested in helping, but since she was getting something out of it too, she didn’t mind playing along. So long as he didn’t get attached, of course. ”I imagine it’s been strange to live in a different world and have your entire life revolve around work.”

The street that they’d come across was an upscale one. Natalie rarely left the part of the city meant for the more wealthy portion, but even for her, this was a place that you went for a outing. ”Just over here,” she told him, pointing to a tall section with an elite appearance.

Kristoph was going to enjoy today. Even though he was stuck in a monkey suit, he was in a dimension that wasn’t his own, and he had been chatting up the Ice Queen, he still was going to make the most of it. He may not get anywhere with the lovely woman at his side, but he would damn well be on his best behavior. There was nothing like flirting with a beautiful woman to chase the blues away, especially when she didn’t instinctively reach for her mace, assuming he some some kind of ginger yeti (yes, he had heard that one before).

Pulling into the street, Kristoph couldn’t help but thank the woman for heading out on the town with him. Of course it was under the guise of simply being colleagues now, but really Kristoph saw a great pair of legs and gorgeous eyes so he had to take a shot. Really, it would have been a crime if he hadn’t.

>>”Of course,...I imagine it’s been strange to live in a different world and have your entire life revolve around work.”

Though he doubted the woman really saw this the way he did, she did at least try to reciprocate with a reply of her own. There was even the smallest tinge of sympathy in her voice as she tried to imagine what it was like to be in a universe that certainly wasn’t his own. He smirked and nodded his head a bit, keeping his eyes on the road. He didn’t know what driving was like on this side of the void but it was proving to be painfully similar to his own universe.

He shrugged his shoulders. ”It comes with the job,” he admitted. ”You get used to it, really. Though, admittedly…” he glanced out the window. ”...this is a whole other level of having to get used to.”

Never in his wildest dreams did Kristoph ever believe that he would be visiting another universe. It was just unheard of. Sure there were those specials on the science channels about wormholes and a guy with really weird hair blaming everything on ”aliens”. But this was decidedly not about aliens.

>>”Just over here,”

Glancing about, he found the restaurant that Natalie had suggested and nodded. He smoothly slipped the vehicle into a parking position nearby and sighed as he turned the key, killing the ignition. As he began to unbuckle, he glanced over to his new comrade for the evening and smirked. ”Have you been to the other side yet?”

With the car parked in front of the building that Natalie had pointed out, they got out of the car. To say that it was an upscale area of New York was an understatement. Even for Natalie, this place was nice. The wealthiest of the wealthy went there when they were feeling their best and intended to spend their best.

”No I haven’t been to the other side yet,” she admitted. She would be lying if she said that it hadn’t crossed her mind to travel over to the other side of the rift, but she hadn’t chosen to do so. ”You could say that I’m fairly rooted on this side. I’ll leave the travel to you.” Her life, her child, and her work were here. And, for some reason, there was another person that she thought about when she thought about travelling.

Natalie entered the restaurant with a confident walk. The hostess looked up when they entered the building and gave them a quizzical look. There was a certain kind of walk-in that they accepted, and it was clear that she was trying to decide whether or not they were those kinds of people. Normally, most people would be turned down without a reservation, but Natalie had her ways.

As she waited for Kristoph to join her, she pulled her wallet from her purse and handed the woman a business card. Jameson and Finch was a big name around the city and they had a good standing with the restaurant. ”For two, please,” she requested politely, making sure to flash a little of her company card in the process. The hostess took the card and looked it over, comparing it to the notes in her little book. Once she was satisfied with what she saw, she spoke again.

“Of course,” she nodded after a moment, giving them her first smile. “Follow me.”

>>”No I haven’t been to the other side yet...You could say that I’m fairly rooted on this side. I’ll leave the travel to you.”

Kristoph nodded, stepping aside as he held the door open for Natalie. When she climbed out of the car, he closed the door behind her, smirking a bit as he locked the vehicle and slipped the keys back into his pocket. With his hands gently clasped behind his back, he walked alongside the beautiful woman as she explained that she hadn’t been to his dimension just yet. Really, it wasn’t a trip a lot of people would be willing to take. Most would probably break down into an existential crisis.

However, he figured that the lawyer was made of tougher stuff. Surely, if she ever really wanted to go, she would. But it was her choice, it was not like it was a necessity of working with SUPER for her law firm to crossover. If anything, SUPER would probably prefer the denizens of this world stay precisely where they were.

”Very well,” he said with a soft chuckle. However he paused as he gave her a warming smile. ”But...if you ever want to, I’ll be more than happy to show you around.”

His offer in the air, the pair of them moved into the restaurant and Kristoph could practically feel the judgmental eyes weighing upon him. Of course he was nonplussed by it; the agent was used to getting nasty or odd looks from other people, especially the upper crust. There was nothing better than strolling through the social clubs, with his viking-like appearance and making everyone uncomfortable. He only smirked, pulling off his sunglasses and slipping them into his suit jacket as they approached the front.

The lady gave them both an odd look. She was more than likely judging Natalie because Kristoph was by her side, but once the lawyer handed over the business card, the agent couldn’t hide his smile.

>>”For two, please,

The hostess read the card and seemed immediately swayed by the confident air that the woman carried with her. Kristoph only smirked a little proudly and waited. Not a second later the woman nodded her head in agreement and turned to start collecting their menus. Once they were asked to follow her, Kristoph joined Natalie as they strolled through the restaurant. The man, unable to help his smirk, leaned down to whisper to the lawyer.

”And I thought I was the intimidating one…”

The large, redheaded man likely thought that he was being oh-so-charming by offering to show her around the other side of the rip. Natalie simply raised her eyebrow at him. She’d been charmed many times before, and as a lawyer, she liked to consider herself immune to it. Of course, that little myth had been busted before, but not by him. Watching the large, burly man try to appear gentlemanly just made her chuckle a little.

She had approached the hostess and given her a business card, which was a surefire way to ensure that they got a table in the restaurant. Otherwise, they likely would have been sent out the way that they came in. Natalie flashed a quick smile at the hostess as she gathered two menus and gestured for them to follow her into the main seating area.

>>”And I thought I was the intimidating one…”

The brunette gave a quick glance toward Kristoph with her eyebrow, yet again, raised. ”I’m not sure what you were expecting,” she said simply, as if the comment hadn’t given her a little boost of confidence that she had needed. Natalie had been in such a strange place lately that the bit of esteem boosting that he offered her was exactly what she needed. A day to forget about the man she couldn’t really have.

The hostess led them to a cozy table off to a corner of the seating area. There were very few tables in the area at all, and other than the one that they were led to, there was only one that hadn’t been seated at, which had a little reserved sign to claim it. They had gotten the only walk-in table.

“Your waiter will be with you shortly,” the hostess said as they sat down.

Natalie gave a curt nod in the place of the thank-you before she sat down across from her new business associate. She picked up the menu and scanned it quickly, keeping her eyes on Kristoph as much as she could. She was interested to see how he would fare in this situation.

Kristoph really was amazed by this woman but, deep down, he didn’t know why. She really was a hell of a lawyer and, if anyone had pull in this world, it would be her. After all, this was a place that she suggested. If she didn’t know how to work her way around the city, then she was in the wrong business -- clearly Natalie had a mastery of it. So, letting her take the lead, Kristoph followed in step behind her as she bid the waitress forward. Once the woman was further up, Kristoph moved up to the woman’s side.

While walking, he couldn’t help but lean down and whisper about how intimidating she was. Really it took a certain person to have such a commanding air. Kristoph had glimpsed it when he first met and interacted with the woman, and now he was seeing even more of it on display.

>>”I’m not sure what you were expecting,”

He smirked. ”Yes. How foolish of me,” he said sweetly, straightened up and continued to walk at her side.

The place had plenty of clientele and, from what he could see, the any open spaces were already reserved. Clearly this place was here to stay and it wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Honestly he should have been a little intimidated by it, but Kristoph had been to enough of these places, undercover and others, to know how to handle himself. He merely continued on like a man who belonged but didn’t appear to.

Their table chosen, Kristoph stepped forward to pull out Natalie’s chair for her, then circled around to claim the seat across from her her. With a sigh he say straight grinning at the hostess who still seemed utterly unsure about him. Still, despite any misgivings she both did and didn’t air, the waitress complied and placed their menus before them.

>>“Your waiter will be with you shortly,”

”Of course. Many thanks for your assistance.” He dipped his head, waiting for the woman to go before he pulled up the menu again.

Quietly the man looked over the offerings, most of which contained a variety of words, praisings and ingredients that would have put anyone off of food for months. However, Kristoph took it all, unfazed, musing in order to pick exactly what he wanted. It also didn’t escape his attention that, next to him, he caught to Natalie’s gaze every now and again. He smirked, not looking up from his menu, as he called her out.

”If you’re expecting me to scratch my head, grunt, and demand to know where the beer and burgers are, I assure you that I’m a bit more well-behaved than that.” He paused. ”Takes a few drinks before I’m that level of rowdy.” He grinned a little, still not looking at her, but instead closed his menu. ”The Sirloin of Miyazaki Wagyu sounds exceptional.”

Natalie hadn’t expected all that much from Kristoph, if she was being honest. He was a great distraction, but she wouldn’t have bet on him for anything important. At first glance, he looked like an oaf stuffed in a suit. However, he was starting to surprise her a little. He had been perfectly agreeable during their meeting, and the same afterward. Someone might have even gone as far as to call it slightly charming.

Still, she didn’t know how well he would do in a situation that required so much poise. Natalie watched him subtly from across the table as he examined his menu, half expecting him to make some noise of confusion at the vast number of French words. Instead, he seemed to be reading with a fair amount of ease. It was interesting that both French and English had translated perfectly between the two universes.

>>”If you’re expecting me to scratch my head, grunt, and demand to know where the beer and burgers are, I assure you that I’m a bit more well-behaved than that. Takes a few drinks before I’m that level of rowdy. The Sirloin of Miyazaki Wagyu sounds exceptional.”

Natalie let off a soft laugh at the comment. That was as much as she would let herself show in a “business meeting” like that. Lots of male lawyers liked to come off as extremely charming, but to Natalie, they always seemed like they were just schmoozing their way through life. That was not how she wanted to be. If she received a few “ice queen” comments for that choice, then so be it.

”Forgive me,” Natalie said, looking back down at her own menu. ”Though you do have to admit that you look a tad out of place.” Across the table, she set her own menu down in response. ”The caviar here is excellent.”

She looked up as a waiter stopped in front of their table holding a bottle of wine. “This is the chef’s pick for the evening,” he told them. “A lovely Spanish red, Castiglione.” He then leaned over and poured two glasses for them and left the bottle at the table.

Kristoph couldn’t help but grin a little after he had called out Natalie. It was nothing that offended him, really, and honestly she probably thought little of his comment. She was probably used to giving people the frosty reception, maybe he wasn’t even the only blue-collar individual that she brought out to places like this. But she didn’t seem like the type of woman who would give in to such cruelty; this was probably a one time thing, a chance to observe someone not accustomed to this lifestyle and seeing how their reacted. Still, the momentary grin, however brief it was, that she sported, was certainly worth it.

>>”Forgive me...Though you do have to admit that you look a tad out of place...The caviar here is excellent.”

He was certain he did look out of place. His savage-like appearance squeezed into a cheap suit probably made the man look as if he were some ginger bear that escaped from a traveling circus. However he knew better than to take any offense to commentary like that. Being an agent as long as he was, the different personas he had to wear, Kristoph knew how to blend in when he really wanted to. It was just, at the moment, he was enjoying Natalie’s observations.

”You are forgiven,” he teased with an impish grin. ”I would have honestly been more surprised if you hadn’t been intrigued.” He paused for a moment, letting her comment about his looking out of place swirl around in his head a moment longer. He nodded. ”And I would have to agree, I’m sure I do look out of place. But that’s hardly ever stopped me.” A small waggle of his eyebrows and he continued to look over the menu.

She wasn’t kidding when she said this place wasn’t cheap. Being a field agent, he was used to being out in the world, having to eat at the cheap spots because it was quick and filling. Still, he wasn’t a neanderthal, he had to indulge in some of the finer things from time to time. Though he made a strange sight, he wasn’t so terrible that he was utterly uncomfortable here.

”I’ll have to take your word on the cavier,” he commented. ”I’m afraid the last time I had it was on assignment and I was far too busy to really get to enjoy it.”

Everything that Natalie had assumed would knock Kristoph off his game had only given him more platforms to prove that he could adapt to whatever situation he was presented with. She watched him from across the table curiously, taking in the fact that she was seated across from a comically large man in a suit, all while eating at one of the most expensive restaurants she knew of.

It would probably make Nate laugh...

Natalie cleared her throat, readjusted her seating positioned, and chuckled politely as she pretended to be paying attention to what Kristoph had just said. That was why she was there, wasn’t it? To get her brain off of Nate? It was under the premise of a business meeting, but if he had really invited her out purely for business reasons, then she was losing her judgement touch.

>>”I’ll have to take your word on the caviar. I’m afraid the last time I had it was on assignment and I was far too busy to really get to enjoy it.”

”Mm,” Natalie agreed absently, forcing herself to check back into the conversation. It was far too easy to get lost in thoughts of Nate, and that was not her intention for the evening. ”I suppose it’s a good thing that you’ll get the chance to try it today,” she concluded. That’s why the tasting menu was there, was it not?

Almost as soon as she’d finished pointing that fact out, their waiter reappeared with a small dish in hand. He set it down between the two of them and then stood back up straight, his head held high. “Oysters and pearls,” he informed them simply. With that, he was off; back to the kitchen to retrieve something for another table.

The woman really was a mystery to him. As much as Kristoph lauded himself as a reader of people, it was proving to be damn near impossible to break through the sleet of ice that seemed to encapsulate the woman in front of him. He found her intriguing and interesting but she was giving him very little in the way of a good back-and-forth. As a matter of fact, she seemed a little distant ever since they sat at the table. He did know when someone was actively listening to him as it was the agent’s job to read others, but Natalie was seeming off to somewhere else in her mind. Interesting.

Casually he mentioned about his last experience with caviar. He didn’t touch on too many details, which was a shame as it was rather interesting. He had been sent to France on assignment for some international mutant terrorist. While mingling in with a high class ball at a museum, Kristoph had barely managed to taste the toast point smeared with salty fish eggs before the commotion erupted. Honestly that was the only time he had seen a mutant turn into and manipulated melted cheese and it was the last time he wanted to square off against one.

>>”Mm...I suppose it’s a good thing that you’ll get the chance to try it today,”

He gave her a small smile, looking up and watch her. ”I suppose so.” Setting his menu down, he quietly watched the other woman who was watching him. Again, he could see her having difficulty trying to zone in on him. Therefore he opted for the quiet approaching, wondering if that would be a shock enough to her system to bring her out of it. Seeming it was...until the waiter approached their table and dropped off the first course -- oysters and pearls.

Looking down at his plate, Kristoph eyed the strange looking dish. The twin globs of oysters with caviar, swimming in sauce. Honestly it probably would have turned off just about anyone else, but Kristoph seemed to have nerves, and a stomach, of steel. But his focus wasn’t entirely upon the dish and, instead, lifted up to eye Natalie until she had his attention. He gave her a smile in return.

”You alright there, Ms. Ross?” he asked. ”You seem to have other things on your mind. If you have concerns, feel free to voice them.”