The prawn nodded in agreement, marveling at Skye's hair and luminous palms. While others might be startled by the fluctuating lights, the prawn had decided that they were harmless... perhaps random, perhaps not... and was this unconcerned with any meaning that might be behind it.

 "O' course, o' course," the prawn said quickly, motioning for Skye to follow her,  "I work nights, so I sore-get dat duh rest uzz duh world is usually aslee' at dis tine."

Once she was sure that Skye was with her, Jack wedged her hands into her pockets, and led the way with slow strides down the street. One might construe this as a casual pace, but Jack was actually concerned with accidentally leaving her companion in the dust.

 "I not too sar s'run here," Jack reported, "Nay'e twenty nin-utes." Jack's eyes punched in a smile, and she tugged shyly at her surgical mask. Her heart stuttered. Another woman... in her apartment! How long had it been?

Easy girl, she's just sleeping over. Jack pressed a hand to her chest.

Skye smiled, nodding. "Oh I'm somewhat used to it. I'm the only one who sleeps at night, it seems. I mean, sometimes I may pull nights at The Missing Link, but from what I understand only the bar is open after eleven." She gave a shrug. "I mean, the night life is pretty awesome, I'm just not used to it right now. It's really throwing off my rhythm." She gave a yawn, covering her mouth with an orange-hued hand.

"Twenty minutes," she repeated. "I....honestly don't know if I can make it that long," she said, giving another yawn. She was sure she could have, but she was sort of testing the waters here. Seeing what she could get away with, but very subtly.

"You....don't think you could...carry me...do you?" she asked, moving to lean on her just a little bit. She was tired, but not as tired as she was playing it up.

Jack bobbled her head, as if to confirm but also contend what the woman was saying, "It's duh city dat ne'er slee's. I guarantee ya, you nay'n it, dere's 'ro'ly one dat's o'en twenty-sore hours a day..."

Skye seemed to be winding-down... fast... the announcement that they had a twenty-minute walk ahead of them slowed her down that much more. Or so Jack thought. She had a soft spot for women, dare she say it, and it was easy for them to play her, sometimes. Like now, for example.

>> "You... don't think you could... carry me... do you?"

"Carry you," Jack intoned, arching a brow ridge. Skye all but melted against her, and Jack's stomach clenched, "Carry you? I mean, I could."

As in, there was a distinct possibility that she could. But would she?

The answer was yes, yes she would.

If Skye was playing-up her exhaustion, Jack was playing-up her unwillingness. From a pragmatic standpoint, she could get home that much faster, if she didn't have to slow her pace down for Skye.

"You don't mind being carried?"

By me, was the wordless addition to that sentence?

Skye looked away, needing to hide the sly smirk that was starting to creep its way onto her mouth. Her clever little plan was beginning to work, but it took her only a brief moment to regain her poker face as she looked back up. When it came to things like this, Skye had a way of being sneaky, but this was for a good cause--well, maybe. She detected a hint--or maybe a lot--of nervousness, shyness even. But Jack also seemed pretty good natured, so Skye figured to use the latter to break through the mutant-woman's shell, so to speak.

"I wouldn't mind. Not by you, anyway," she said with a soft smile that contained a little air of shyness. Maybe the fact that her hair stayed orange wouldn't give anything away; she hoped Jack hadn't learned some of the color associations. Even though she didn't have the details figured out, the more simple emotions were easy to read. If she ever played poker, she'd need a skull cap and a pair of gloves.

Jack was...surprisingly gentle as the smaller woman found herself being picked up. She was being carried almost like one would a baby, and Jack was very considerate about hand placement. Skye found it sweet, but at the same time somewhat disappointing. But at the same time, she still rather enjoyed it as the orange on her hands began to flicker more prominently, almost as if Skye's happiness was helping to light the way for them.

She snuggled into the prawn's strong, yet tender arms, closing her eyes a little; she wasn't sleeping, but it probably looked that way. In reality, she was enjoying every moment of this.

The prawn exhaled sharply, breathing a huff… as if it was a terrible imposition to have to carry Skye. It was nothing, really… she gestured for Skye to come closer. Methodically she tucked one hand behind the other woman's legs, practically forming a bench with her hand. She then righted herself, casting a hesitant sidelong glance at Skye.

Jack had lifted girls dozens of times at Chrysalis, always per their request. This was no better, and no worse.

“Okay?” she clicked. They were eye-to-eye now, “Le’ nee know iss you want down…”

The prawn started down the familiar path towards her apartment complex. Trying to swallow the simmering nerves. She showed no sign of struggling to carry the smaller woman, and walked with long, certain strides.

She noticed the slight huff; maybe she'd be able to make that up to her later. She found the prawn's arms surprisingly warm, and as strong as--if not stronger than--she'd imagined.

"This is fine," she murmured, opening her eyes a little to look into Jack's eyes. It was nice, being this close, and she felt safe there. In those nice, strong arms...carrying her like she didn't weigh anything...and she was walking at a quicker pace now that Skye was in her arms...the girl's hair and lights turned hot pink as she thought about it, but her eyes had closed again, enjoying this.

Her arms pulled to her chest, she snuggled into Jack a little, a slight murmur escaping her lips.

The prawn sighed, but said nothing more. Skye got cozy, quieted down, settled. To each their own, Jack supposed. She kept her stride steady, silently praying that no one crossed paths with them. Even if Skye was in her arms voluntarily, it'd look weird for some seven-foot-tall mutant to be walking along with someone in their arms bridal style.

Thankfully, the walk was quiet. Jack was quiet. Skye was quiet. She stopped outside of the door to Devon's building, shaking her arms slightly as if to rouse Skye.

"Hey," she said, softly, "We're here."

Something about carrying Skye over the threshold felt weird, and she wouldn't want one of her neighbors, some other Haven member, or Devon himself asking questions.

"Let's get to duh ele'ator, I'n a ways utt." Jack pantomimed an elevator going up by tracing a vertical line with her finger, then tapped at her imaginary room. It wasn't the penthouse, but it was a ways up there.

Okay, so maybe in her comfort, the young woman had in fact, fallen asleep. She was just so...comfortable, relaxed even. But after a few moments, she felt a light shaking, followed by soft-spoken words, and her eyes opened slowly to look up at her 'ride' to the apartment. She nodded, taking this to mean she had to use her own feet again. Which was fair enough, she supposed.

Once she was back on her feet, she stretched a little, smiling up at Jack, her hair still pink. But...given what she'd been thinking about....she wasn't surprised. Though it crossed her mind that she'd be screwed if she ever came across an empath or a mind reader. Or both. Though...at the same time, maybe they could help...The young woman diverted her thoughts back to the task at hand. Sure, she'd managed to get the other mutant to carry her here, but she was still unsure about...well, the fact that they were here together in the first place was due to her getting lost, so at least she wasn't that manipulative, right? Right...

She gave a low whistle as she looked at the building. Staying close, but not too close, she walked with her new friend inside. On the one hand she hated elevators. She'd always been afraid of getting stuck in one. But in this case...maybe that wouldn't be so bad.

"How high up?" she finally asked, once on the elevator. "You're not secretly some billionaire with a penthouse, are you?" she teased, her hair flickering to a playful orange before back to its hot pink. "Not that I'd see you any differently either way." She winked lightly, her more...flirty side starting to show.

The prawn shook her head, exhaling sharply.

“I’n not rich,” the prawn avowed. She wouldn’t bother mentioning that she knew the man in the penthouse, though. There was no reason to tell Skye that, “Hate to disa’oint, ‘ut I’n a’sraid dat I’s just got a nod-est one roo’n ‘lace.”

And when Jack said that it was modest, she meant modest. Though Devon had helped her acquire some basic furnishings, it barely looked lived-in, besides smatterings of stuff here-and-there. The two pushed through the doors into the entry-hall, a cavernous and brightly-lit room, very elegant and classy. To the right was the receptionist, to the left was Inferno. Jack gave a brief wave to the receptionist, before proceeding to the elevator. She punched the “up” button, and waited for their chariot to arrive. It was her home, so she didn’t pause to dwell on the beauty of it all. The elevator binged, the doors glided open.

Not wanting to crowd Skye, Jack stepped through first. She did, however, prevent the door from opening by clasping one primary hand around the frame. She punched the button for her floor, the doors slid shut. It was a smooth ride, one of those elevators that you could barely feel moving, except in the pit of your stomach. In no time at all, they’d arrived at their destination.

“Alright,” the prawn breathed, allowing Skye to disembark first. The halls were quiet. Jack stepped around the smaller woman to walk down the hall, past quiet doorways towards her own, familiar unit.

“Hone, sweet hone,” the prawn murmured. She hoped to god that she hadn’t left anything embarrassing out. Keys were fished out of her pocket, the door was fussed with briefly before being wrestled open. Jack flipped on a light and stepped in, leaving the door open for Skye behind her.

Despite the prawn’s insistence that she was not secretly rolling in the dough, the apartment was, undeniably, nice. Though it was sparsely furnished, the light fixtures and the kitchen set-up suggested that this was all an intentional move to make the space seem more modern. Here-and-there were hints that the space was lived in… a laptop, some crumpled papers, a woodworking project in the corner… but, otherwise, it looked like it was ripped out of a magazine, all sterile and geometric and spacious.

“Duh a’art-nent cane wiss duh stu’ss,” the prawn said quickly. That was a half-truth. Devon had helped her buy it, “I’n really grate-sul sore it. I didn’t has a lot.” She set her books on the dining room table, and padded into the kitchen. “Hungry? Sirsty?”

Skye smirked. "Still doesn't make me see you any different. Besides, my living accommodations consist of a couch in a one-bedroom right now, so anything would be a step up," she said with a soft smile. The elevator ride was quiet, though she did stick kind of close to her new friend. It was a new place and it was late.

She had to admit, the inside of the building was a nice setup, very nice. And when they got to the room, sure it was modestly furnished, but it was still nice. She nodded as Jack spoke, slipping off her hoodie to reveal a black low-cut tee shirt that was just tight enough to show off her figure, and stopped just above her belly-button, showing off her pierced naval. Coupled with the tight jeans, it really did emphasize her body quite a bit. While she wasn't necessarily curvy, she did have enough of a build to her, despite being petite.

She hung her jacket by the door, stepping into the apartment. She bit her lip a little looking over at Jack, her hair still a very bright pink, her hands beginning to go from a light flicker to a more intense pulsing. It did give the apartment a little bit of mood lighting though.

Jack rooted around the kitchen, filling her kettle with water, setting it into the base, and flicking the switch to turn the kettle on. She’d get some tea boiling, whether or not Skye wanted any. The prawn strolled back into the living room, only to be met with an eyeful of Skye’s bare midriff and low-cut shirt. She was slender but curvy in-places.

“I… started roiling sun water sore tea,” the prawn announced, “Dunno is you drink it, or… got sun cocoa too.”

Consider her attention snagged. Skye’s hair was pink, and her hands, too, were luminous.

“It’s… it’s not nuch,” Jack said lightly, her eyes drinking in the sight of the other mutant. She could guess what pink meant, but… she didn’t want to read too much into things.

She nodded over at Jack, smiling a little as she recognized when someone was eyeing her figure. Eat your heart out, she thought, smirking coyly at her. She didn't know what it was tonight; maybe the books had gotten her warmed up, but whatever it was...she wasn't complaining.

"Tea actually sounds pretty good," she said, walking over to where the prawn stood, making sure to emphasize her figure as she walked.

The younger woman leaned against the wall in the kitchen, tugging her shirt just a little to show a little more cleavage. "It's enough~" she said with another smile. "Thanks again."

Her pink lights were pulsing steadily from her hands, giving the room around her quite the interesting air. "Like what you see?" she said teasingly, partially referring to the light show...and partially...well, not.

Thankfully, the prawn had already set the water to boiling. Her head was reeling far too much, now, even for such a simple task as that. She had to pry her eyes away from Skye. Jack nodded dumbly in response to the thanks, primary hands bumbling into the cabinet for two ceramic mugs. She nearly dropped them, too, but managed to catch them and deposit them without breaking any of them.

>> "Like what you see?"

Jack could feel her face getting hot, and a ripple of her own bioluminescent light-show rippled up the spines of her arms, and across her cheeks. The lighting in the kitchen was dim enough that her lights were faintly apparent, too.

"Yeah," the prawn admonished, her eyes flicking back towards Skye. She wanted to stipulate that she liked the lights from Sky's mutation-- yeah, totally just that, and not that she was checking her out at all. Oh, no no no-- but her throat clenched, and her words failed her, "I... I do."

She planted her hands against the counter, leaning casually. How did normal people broach this subject? How did normal people form complete sentences when faced with an absolute vision? Or look someone like Skye in the eyes??? Jack released a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding.

"I'n sorry," she said, an apologetic smile knotting at her mandibles, "I... I'n trying not to 'e cree'y, 'ut you're really cute, and, un... you nake it hard to sink clearly."

A nervous chirr. Jack rubbed her head with a primary hand before retrieving her small basket of tea, and carrying it to the smaller woman. Her bioluminescent pores flared slightly when the distance between them was closed, and the prawn held the basket of tea out as a peace offering, "I has a good selection, choose whate'er sla'or you'd like."

Skye could tell she was doing quite a number on the other mutant, even so much as eliciting a light show of her own. They actually blended rather well. "Good," she said with a smile, "I'm enjoying the view from this angle, as well," she murmured lightly.

She giggled a little when Jack mentioned that Skye made it hard to think clearly. "Nothing to apologize for; I tend to have that effect sometimes..." When the distance was closed, her hand reached out and her fingers very lightly danced over the prawn's arm as she half-heartedly glanced over the selection of teas. Honestly, she knew what she wanted...but it wasn't tea that she had her eye on. Gently, she took the basket and put it on the counter before turning her attention back to the other mutant.

She bit her lip a little as she closed the distance between them, letting both hands lightly rest on Jack's arms, fingers dancing very lightly as she looked up at her, the pink lights now flashing furiously. Luckily pink wasn't a dangerous color as far as her power went. Otherwise she'd have never been able to have any fun...

The worst thing about feathery touches was that, with chitin, Jack couldn't feel them. The signals that Skye seemed to be sending, however, were very clear, and sent a shiver through the larger mutant.

"Is diss going... where I sink it's going?" the prawn murmured. Reflexively, one of her primary hands raised, catching Skye's chin and tilting her face towards towards Jack. she wanted to look her in the eyes, "Cuz iss it is... I'n totally into it."

Oh, she was very into it. That was one way to put it. Jack carefully stooped down to pick Skye up, sliding the smaller woman onto the counter. Learning to kiss with a mouth like Jack's had taken a lot of practice with Zinnia... and she didn't want to gross her newfound friend out, either.

"Whaddya say... wanna ex'erience a trashy san-tasy ro-nance sirst hand?" Jack laughed, tilting her head at the other woman. There was no other word for it. Fooling around with Jack wasn't exactly like fooling around with any random woman.

The room was drowned in pink lights, emanating from the smaller mutant woman on the counter. If the affirmation from the light-show wasn't plenty, a soft but resolute "Hell yeah," encouraged the prawn to go one step further. Once again, Jack scooped Skye into her arms, this time padding out of the kitchen. She held the smaller woman close, seemingly effortlessly, one hand beneath her thighs, the other on the small of her back. Jack's mouthparts carefully entertained the nape of the smaller woman's neck, the lobe of her ear. At some point, she switched the tea kettle off. Somehow, without seeing, she padded down the hall and into her room. All of this was done carefully, so carefully.

Still fully clothed, the prawn took a seat on the bed, pausing to look at the smaller woman.

"You're al'ays wel-cun to call it quits, iss you want," the prawn reassured Skye. One hand was still beneath Skye, while the other slinked beneath the other woman's shirt. The smaller mutant was practically in the prawn's lap. Still, Jack was being careful, testing the waters... she'd only been with one other person, and never someone she'd only just met. If Skye decided this was too much, too real, or not something she wanted... the prawn would back-off.