> "...I mean, if you are like me, trouble keeps finding you anyway..."

Wasn't that the truth.

"I guess I can relate to that. I made myself a promise that I'd never be helpless again so then I guess I went and got memories that would help after that. Swordmaster, assassin, and... a... dance-obsessed school kid?" Pepper in a few leftover memories from other people's childhoods and that was the working memory set Noel was operating on from day to day. It was less than ideal considering the fact that she never knew how much of her own memories she still had, if any. Recent memories, like going to get Sveta from the other universe, were pretty firmly in there considering the emotional component that sometimes made things stick. Before that...? CIA. That seemed to be her last big reset. Refusing the job and recycling the minds of people who wanted her to say yes.

> "I took care of the small things my way."

"Having control over something, no matter how small, make it worth it. I guess you're a better person than I am. You tried to make people's lives a little less scary. I'm just in it for myself." And she had no qualms admitting that. She wanted to protect herself. So she did. She didn't always remember there were others. "I mean, I guess lately that's extended to the people I know here at Haven. It's nice having a place to come back to and people who don't mince words all the time."

Would that dog come over already? Noel tried one last pat and call but eventually gave up and just added her belly scratches to Sveta's. This dog was going to end up as her boss one day, Noel was 110% sure.

Sveta felt ambiguous about her brief vigilante past. On the one hand, she never regretted any of it; it was not big or flashy or incredibly useful, but it helped people, average people, get from one day to the next without tragedies. On the other hand, she was not doing it anymore, for... reasons, and that was a strange change in her life as well.

>>"I guess I can relate to that. I made myself a promise that I'd never be helpless again so then I guess I went and got memories that would help after that. Swordmaster, assassin, and... a... dance-obsessed school kid?"

"Swordmaster?" Sveta arched an eyebrow. It had to be interesting, just picking the memories one wanted for a software update... But really, where did she even find a real life bona fide swordmaster to poach from?...

>>"Having control over something, no matter how small, make it worth it. I guess you're a better person than I am. You tried to make people's lives a little less scary. I'm just in it for myself."

Sveta gave Noel a look, over scratching the dog's belly. It was an arched-eyebrow, are-you-kidding look that someone could only give if she had just recently been rescued by the other someone who was claiming to be selfish. Sveta waited out for Noel to rethink and reiterate her claim.

>>"I mean, I guess lately that's extended to the people I know here at Haven. It's nice having a place to come back to and people who don't mince words all the time."

"It's refreshing, isn't it" Sveta grinned, satisfied with the correction "People actually getting **** done and not talking around it... I have been on other teams before, and I did the lone wolf thing... but Haven's something different. Devon's a little crazy, but definitely different..."

Noel's abnormal life was so normal to her that she sometimes forgot throwing out things like 'I apprenticed to an ancient Greek unicorn' might throw some people off.

"For a year? Maybe more, I trained with a guy who's been using swords since ancient times. I don't know if mutants that are long lived seek me out on purpose for my power, or if there are just a bunch of immortals running around New York, but this guy was one of them. Too bad that's a skill that's not entirely useful these days." Her assassination skills were more useful since they spanned from kung fu to guns. That one had been almost sort-of an accident, but she'd taken the skills up really easily. Almost like she'd had some of that training before.

"Skills have to be maintained, like language, I guess. So... maybe I should go pick some fights on behalf of some underprivileged kids or something... or CLASS. CLASS might be legal-er."

> "...Haven's something different. Devon's a little crazy, but definitely different..."

Noel's phone buzzed against her leg and Dammit's ears swiveled in response. A quick check confirmed their food was out for delivery and they expected to be there soon. Thank goodness for delivery.

"Yeah, I don't get him sometimes and we can misunderstand and miscommunicate on spectacular levels, but I respect the hell out of him and I think it's mutual. Under all the theatrics, I think Tempest's heart in the right place. That's what really matters. Besides, people don't flock to people like me or you. We're too... much trouble?" How else could she say that? "I don't have that weird personal magnetism. I don't like getting attached to things. It makes it weird when I forget or when the rug gets pulled out from under me."

>>"For a year? Maybe more, I trained with a guy who's been using swords since ancient times. I don't know if mutants that are long lived seek me out on purpose for my power, or if there are just a bunch of immortals running around New York, but this guy was one of them. Too bad that's a skill that's not entirely useful these days."

Immortal swordmaster. Sure. Why not? It wasn't like Svetlana had not seen her own future (totally falsely, by the way), or had the power to make others evaporate a city. Who was she to judge immortal sword masters? There were movies about those guys...

"Well, not exactly useless either" she chuckled at Noel's comment on the usefulness of the skill. One could always resort to swords when everything else failed.

>>"Skills have to be maintained, like language, I guess. So... maybe I should go pick some fights on behalf of some underprivileged kids or something... or CLASS. CLASS might be legal-er."

Yes. Because punching teens, even if it happened on the behalf of other, disadvantaged teens, was still not quite legal in New York. Sveta chuckled as Noel figured that out all on her own. Devon would have been proud.

>>"Yeah, I don't get him sometimes and we can misunderstand and miscommunicate on spectacular levels, but I respect the hell out of him and I think it's mutual. Under all the theatrics, I think Tempest's heart in the right place. That's what really matters."

"It really is. And he puts his money there too." Sveta noted. The guy meant well, and had the means to do good. That was a rare and precious combination. Especially for mutants with such exceptional powers as Devon's.

>>"Besides, people don't flock to people like me or you. We're too... much trouble? I don't have that weird personal magnetism. I don't like getting attached to things. It makes it weird when I forget or when the rug gets pulled out from under me."

"Well... for what it is worth, you are good in my book so far." Sveta grinned, patting the dog as Noel checked her phone. Friendship was a weird and nebulous concept for people like the two of them, but something like that was beginning to take shape... unless Sveta was totally misreading the situation. "And I'm sure your boyfriend doesn't hate you either. I feel like that's important to note. Because let's face it... neither of us is easy to date." she added with a chuckle.

> "...you are good in my book so far."

That was... Noel didn't actually know how to feel about that, really. "Thanks. You haven't kicked me out yet so, I guess I can believe that a bit." She smiled without really thinking it through. It was a smile thing. Plus, she'd already told Sveta she considered her a friend during their debrief. So they were bros. But ladies. Bras?

> "And I'm sure your boyfriend doesn't hate you either. I feel like that's important to note. Because let's face it... neither of us is easy to date."

"Hah. Eeeeexactly. Ranger's pretty much a saint and I don't understand it, but I'm afraid if I poke too many holes in this it's gonna fall apart." And the truth was... she liked him. That was pretty scary.

"Right." That was a little too close to feelings for today. Noel pushed herself to standing and Dammit went from near asleep to couldn't-get-down-fast-enough. "Do you want to come with me?" She'd been asking the dog and then realized that was probably rude to ignore the human. "Either of you? I want to be there when those waffles walk in."

>>"Thanks. You haven't kicked me out yet so, I guess I can believe that a bit."

Sveta chuckled at that. Apparently neither of them were very good at expressing friendship, but they were enjoying the concept without discussing it anyway. That was good enough. Great, actually, looking at both of their track records combined. "You can stay as long as you want. Devon's paying the rent anyway."

She could stay, at least until her elusive boyfriend got home to let her in. He sounded like the responsible type.

>>"Hah. Eeeeexactly. Ranger's pretty much a saint and I don't understand it, but I'm afraid if I poke too many holes in this it's gonna fall apart."

Sveta arched an eyebrow, and they seemed to realize at the exact same time that they were both way too sober for a conversation like that. Another thing they had in common.

>>"Right. Do you want to come with me? Either of you? I want to be there when those waffles walk in."

Sveta slipped off the couch and followed Noel as she headed to the door for the delivery. There was a reason they ordered out instead of going outside; Sveta let Noel take the lead, making sure the puppy did not slip out between the two of them.

Once food had been successfully retrieved, Sveta led the way to the kitchen and cleared some table surface for plates and silverware.

"It's like a picnic inside, isn't it" she chuckled, opening up the bags.