Ifreet stepped out of a random subway station into heavy Manhattan rain. He flipped his hood up, pushed the paperback of Perdido Street Station deeper into the pocket of his ODG parka. He'd been up since eight the previous morning, just exploring the city. Trusting his phone to eventually get him back to his hotel.


It wasn't pointless journeying, he needed a job. He'd nearly burned through his savings in the month since his last paycheck. New York was shockingly expensive, especially staying in hotels. He had to find someplace more reasonable to stay, and quick.

Rain spattered across his mirror lenses, working the world in smeared watercolors through the gray light. It was very cold. He muttered "Screw this," through chittering teeth, stomped his boots dryish, and stepped through the first door to offer itself, The Trasheteria.

It was mid-afternoon, and Lee was at The Trasheteria. That was highly unusual for Lee, but she figured that since Kevin was going over to his father's that day after school, it made sense to get some paperwork done. The bar wasn't technically open, but Lee hadn't locked the door.

Maybe I'll surprise Blaine with dinner, Lee idley thought. Not that she was going to be cooking. While she had gotten better than she used to be in the kitchen, she was still limited to things like mac and cheese and chicken strips.

As Lee was contemplating what to get for dinner, and thus avoiding the paperwork she had planned to do, she saw someone walk in dripping wet. Lee frowned, she hadn't thought it was supposed to rain that much today.

Straightening up behind the bar, Lee looked at the man who had entered. Who was wearing sunglasses despite the rain outside, and still after entering the bar. Lee frowned a bit deeper.

”Can I help you?” Lee called across the bar. ”We’re not quite open yet.”

He was starting to get a headache from the dim light. He desperately wanted to take off the shades, but that was frequently a bad idea. His eyes were a near instant outing, and he didn't know this woman. That said, he would have to eventually take them off, especially if he was going to ask for a job.

Screw it.

He took them off, revealed his bright orange eyes. Then, Ifreet took a few steps forward, not wanting to come off as aggressive. He put on his best smile, "Was curious if you were hiring for back-of-house at all?"

The man was just standing there, not doing something, not saying anything. Lee was starting to get annoyed, wondering if she was going to have to actually throw the guy out, when he finally took did sunglasses off.

To reveal bright orange eyes. Lee blinked. Well, at least that explained why he had been wearing them. Even in the dim light of the bar, and from a distance, Lee could easily see that they weren't human eyes.

Then after taking a few steps, though he left a considerable space between them, the man asked if she was hiring for back of the house. Lee frowned. That, Lee honestly wasn't sure about.

”I’d have to check with the owner on that,” Lee said quickly so the man didn't get the wrong idea about her frown. ”What's your name, and what kind of experience do you have?”

Ifreet paused a moment, deciding which name to give. "Ifreet" wasn't exactly professional, but "William" wasn't his name anymore.

Hell with it.


"William. William Hearon is my legal name. I've been on pretty much every station in the kitchen for the better part of fifteen years. Just looking for something to pay the bills at the co-op."

He was terrible at first impressions, and he wasn't sure how he was coming across. Couldn't risk screwing this up. He barely had his first month's rent, and he definitely couldn't keep staying in hotels. Just have to fake it and hope she didn't notice.

It took a little bit, longer than Lee would think it would take most people, to tell her his name. Especially since he was the one who was asking for a job.

But then, with how he specified that it was his legal name, Lee realized that it was because he had been trying to decide which name to tell her.

[Colt=deepskyblue]”We'll obviously need to use that if you end up being hired. But what name do you go by? Because it sounds like you are about as happy with your given name as I am,”[/color] Lee said with a slight laugh.

Then Lee got an idea and pulled her keys or of her bag that was sitting on the bar before walking out and over to William. ”Lee Smith,” she said, extending her hand when she reached William. ”Now, i don't have much of anything to do with the kitchen, but since I was going to run out to grab some food soon anyway, how about you cook something for me? If I'm impressed, I'll put in a good word with the owner “

He took the proffered hand. His skin fever-hot to the touch. Lee's hand felt cold to him by comparison. This was another part of the test that usually preceded the eyes, but hell, mix it up a little, right? If she passed here likoe she did with his shining eyes, she'd be cool.

"Cool" as in cool with mutants.


"My name is Ifreet, and thank you for asking. As to what I'm cooking, what are you eating? What do you love? What kind of food takes you home or turns on your senses? What are you hungry for?"

When William took her hand to shake it, Lee's eyes darted down to their clasped hands briefly. The last time she had felt anyone's skin feel that hot, Kevin had been sick and had a fever.

The look down only lasted a moment or two, an bit of surprise, and then her eyes were back up looking at William.

Or, rather, Ifreet. ”Nice to meet you, Ifreet. I'm Lee Smith,” she introduced herself as the handshake ended. ”As for what I'm eating, I probably would have just ended up at a little Chinese place in the area, but to be honest I don't really know what they have in the kitchen here. Plus, I'm a pretty horrible cook myself.

“How about you surprise me? I'm pretty open to trying new foods. Just let me lock up, and I'll show you to the kitchen.”

"Fried rice, it is." 

Ifreet took off his parka and flannel, draped them over a chair, straightened a Dead Kennedys shirt, and followed Lee to the kitchen. He took inventory-- cast iron and all-clad pans. Mostly western veg, some gorgeous chicken, soy sauce. Pretty basic, but workable.

Ifreet grabbed a chicken thigh, green peas, a carrot, canned corn, ginger root, a ghost pepper, white rice, and an egg. Prepped the ingredients with an efficiency of movement describing years of muscle memory. From the ghost pepper, he took only the bare tip and quartered it.

Lacking a wok, he grabbed a pair of cast iron pans, slid them onto eyes, turned on the gas, and ignited them with a snap of his fingers. Hit both with peanut oil. Dropped the chicken in one, rice in the other.

While those cooked, he heated a small sauce pain with sugar, water, vinegar, and a blur of spices. He poured the brine over the ghost pepper and carrots, covered them. He stirred the rice, flipped the chicken. Fried the egg with the rice, and finally combined everything in the rice pan. Tossed it together, hit the whole thing with soy sauce.

Ifreet grabbed a pair of bowls, filled them, and handed one to Lee. The rice was full and soft, carrots comfortably spicy. Everything played together well.

After returning from locking the door, Lee saw that Ifreet had taken his parka of and hung out over the back of a chair. And he said that he'd make fried rice. Lee honestly had no clue how to make fried rice, so she wasn't sure if he'd even be able to with what was in the kitchen. Hell, she didn't even know if there was rice in the kitchen.

But Lee led the man to the back and it did not take him long to get to work. Lee, on the other hand simply stood back, leaning against a nearby counter. Even if this wasn't essentially an audition, Lee would be no help.

As she watched, Lee realized that Ifreet did have the experience he had claimed, if his movements were any indication. And, Lee noticed as he lit the gas stove with a small of his fingers, it seemed that his powers were well suited to being in a kitchen.

It really did not take long for him to have the food ready. Taking the offered bowl, Lee took a careful bite of the hot food. Then another. She hated to admit it, but it was possible that this was better fried rice than she would find at her favourite Chinese restaurant.

At this point, Lee looked up at Ifreet. ”If the rest of your cooking is like this,” she said, lifting her bowl slightly. ”You're hired providing the owner says there's a job available.”

He had to admit, he'd outdone himself with this little quick batch. The pickled carrots were especially fine. Rice was a little soft, but the flavor was fantastic. Lee clearly agreed, since she'd just said he was hired. Hopefully her boss took her word for it. 

"Hey, appreciated. Like I said, I could use the job. Sure your boss is gonna be cool with the eyes? Not a lot of people keen on hiring obvious mutants."

That was one thing Lee had never had to deal with, even if at one time it hadn’t taken long for people to discover that she was a mutant; at least for her, it wasn’t obvious with a simple glimpse. ”And if he has a problem with that, he’ll be looking for a new manager,” Lee said with a shrug. She didn’t say it with any anger or frustration, it was just a simple fact. She was just as much of a mutant as Ifreet was, and if Matt didn’t want him around because of what he was, especially since he cooked like this, Lee wasn’t going to stick around.

That certainty and gravity suggested only one thing-- she's a mutant, or else, she's deeply sympathetic to the cause. He took comfort in either possibility, but the former was obviously preferred.

Don't take this wrong, but I have to ask-- are you a mutant? It's just, you seem so certain about leaving if the boss doesn't dig mutants."

Lee knew that the question was coming. With everything she had said combined with the fact that Ifreet was so obviously a mutant, the question had to be coming. So she just continued slowly eating the mouthful of fried rice as she nodded her head.

”When I helped him get the loan to buy this place 7 years ago, he claimed to have no problems with mutants as long as they didn't cause problems,” Lee finally said once she had swallowed. ”And he's the one who begged me to help him manage the place. But yes, I am.”

Ifreet smirked bitterly, "'As long as they don't make trouble'? No offense, but I've heard that refrain before. Not saying he isn't cool, but there's some bad memories packed away in that."

It meant that if someone saw his eyes and took issue, he'd be gone. If some human decided the mutie had spit in his food, it'd be the mutie gone. "Not making trouble" meant not being an obvious mutant. Not talking about mutant issues on the clock. Bitterness rose in him like sap, and his eyes glowed briefly, but he tamped it down.

"I won't keep any more of your time, Lee. Good to meet family. Here's my number. Hope to hear from you soon."