Sometimes the horrors of what humans could do to one another got to her... if she allowed time for the thoughts to stew, and the roots of despair to creep into her heart it could cut her to the very core. While she liked to consider herself strong, she still found herself secluded in unoccupied rooms at work, weeping from the darkness that slipped past her barricades.

But, it was those very instances of weakness that often spurred her to do a little good in the world. To make it even just a smidgen better than it had been before; even if no one saw, even if it was a thankless job sometimes. Seeing the happiness creep into dull, tired eyes at new blankets and coats... seeing someone walk away full and warm, not needing to worry about where their meal would comes from next. Working her absolute hardest to make sure that anyone under her care was able to walk away after; they relief that flooded family members faces when their loved one recovers.

Everywhere she went she tried to leave it in a better place than it had been before, even of all she could offer was a friendly smile. It had become her life's purpose, and while difficult sometimes, she wouldn't trade it for the world.

As it were, she was out on such a mission tonight. She was tugging a cloth wagon behind her, stuffed with warm blankets for the colder weather, care packages with necessities a person might need, and a host of ready to eat meals to hand out. She hadn't brought her wallet with her, mostly to dissuade herself from handing out cash willfully to anyone who asked for some, but also to protect herself from getting mugged. She didn't often wear sunglasses anymore, and most muggers hardly ever gave her the opportunity to take her contacts out first.

She did have quite a few cards with various numbers to call and places to go, Xavier's included for those who had been in her predicament so long ago. She had already swung by a number of regular ally's to check up on a handful of people she knew by name. She was headed in a somewhat new direction, or at least one she hadn't been down for a while. This area of town was visibly more rundown; boarded up business left and right, broken street lights, and abandoned cars.

She paused alongside the form of a woman in heavy, baggy clothes laid out in the corner of a building. She was alive if the rise and fall of her chest were anything to go by, but drastically under-prepared for the chilly weather. The Greek fished out a dew blankets, laying one folded square next go the woman, and un-folding the other quietly to gently drape it over her body. They would certainly help in the coming months, but Andrea knew that with the cold front coming in it wouldn't be enough for long. She set one of her cards on top of the folded blanket, backed out of the woman's space, and headed off down the sidewalk again.

A chill rippled through her, earning a shiver and causing her to rub her arms to try and ward it away.

The inside of the abandoned building was an absolute hellscape of disuse-- toppled tables, broken chairs, strewn napkins. In places where registers and LED displays had once sat, outlined in the dust and broken connections remained. A lot of the wiring had already been jerked from the walls in search of copper. Once, this had been a fast food joint, but now it was a relic to bad business choices.

It was also a home. Although all the doors and windows were boarded, with “No Trespassing” signs posted every four feet, a figure had made its nest amidst the detritus. It seemed to be no more than a pile of dusty black rags, lodged beneath a wall-mounted table until it unspooled itself from the floor and padded into the open.

The creature rose its head, hood slipping off of its head as it stood there sniffing the air.

Food. Warm food. Not the musty hints of food that remained in the building, but actual, warm food. The creature could smell it. It crossed the dining area, towards the back door that it had forced its way through, padding along on all fours.

Through the kitchen it went, away from the warm scent of food, and two an employees’ entrance. Near the lock, the door was dented, the vague outline of a fist visible. The prawn had punched the locking mechanism and busted it, opening the restaurant up to her inhabitation.

The light was low in the sky-- in an hour or two, darkness would fall and the creature would once again be on the move. The man was out there, somewhere, and it needed to put more distance between the two of them.

The prawn followed her antennae towards the scent of the food, footfalls quiet. Its eyes darted over its surroundings, scanning for threats. The scent was getting fainter, which meant whoever had the food was retreating.

It was then that the creature spied her. A green-skinned woman, toting a wagon. That had to be the food! The prawn glanced hastily around and, spying no onlookers, trotted towards the green-skinned lady. When it drew closer, it shakily rose to two legs, wringing its primary hands. It seemed wobbly on two legs, but it managed to stagger a few steps.

“Mrrrrrp?” it inquired, in an inquisitive warble. It was trying to get the woman’s attention. Though hunger gnawed at its stomach, and there was a persistent cold in its hands, it wouldn’t steal anything that wasn’t its own. Not from an individual. Only from businesses.

Assuming it snagged the woman’s attention, a series of sounds would trickle out of it.

“Mrrrrp,” the creature declared, the trill dropping in tone as it gestured at the food. There were then two, loud clicks from deep within the creature’s chest as it gestured to itself. If she were willing, the prawn desired some of the food from her cart.

It had to be an unusual-- but not too unfamiliar-- sight. A mutant in raggedy, worn clothes, pleading for a handout. Having a mouth that didn’t cooperate with speech was, of course, a challenge. The prawn would have to make due, though.

A little muffled sound cropped up behind her, catching her attention and causing her to slow to a stop. She turned to see what it was, caught sight of the large figure behind her and blinked.

"Oh..." The word left her lips in a little breathy burst, as she stared up at the figure that was quite a bit taller than her. "You're beautiful." All the colors of the rainbow were there, spattered across their figure in such a pedant pattern. It made her feel quite like a toad next to a peacock.

After a moment she caught herself and jumped. "I am so sorry, how terribly rude of me!" The Greek hurried to fuss over her cart, fighting back an embarrassed blush from her slip-up. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was wanted, and from the look of this one a lot of food would be needed. She uncovered the insulated bag that kept the food warm from under a pile of blankets, she gestured to the side where few steps were. "Would you like to sit?" She plopped herself down to give her feet a bit of a rest.

She had five full meals left, wrapped lovingly and stacked upon each other. There were also a handful of smaller snack sized items. "Please, have as much as you wish okay? I can always go get more so don't hold back." The Greek plopped the whole bag on the steps beside her and scooted it away a little to give the person a choice in what they wanted. She set about gathering a few of the blankets into her lap.

"Would you like a few of these too? They will help keep the warmth in, especially with a full belly." Considering that this person had so far communicated in a variety of non-verbal noises she reminded herself not to press for long winded answers or specific words. She left her offers in the air with nothing but the promise of company, food, and coverage from the cold.

The prawn stood with hands clasped, still wringing them together, its eyes flickering from the woman, to the cart, and back to the surroundings. Her gasp made the prawn hunch lower, its antennae flattening against its cranium. The second remark made its antennae leap again in surprise. The prawn rose a hand to its cheek, a human gesture. And then there was another outburst, a hasty apology followed by an aimless rummaging through the cart.

The creature trilled in amusement, clasping its hands to its chest and shaking its head. It found no issue with being called beautiful, however unusual the sentiment was. The woman invited the prawn to sit, offering it all of the meals she had prepared. Each tray of food was wrapped in a hand towel to keep it warm, and the scent of food-- oh, the scents were marvelous.

The prawn shook its head again at the offer to sit. They had already been standing in the ope fo too long. It wasn't safe. The prawn hazarded another glance around, for anything worth suspicion, then gestured for the woman to follow.

"N... no," it began, the consonant creaking out of its mouth as if its words were rusted-over, "Naw... say..."

Not safe.

Of course, the meaning of the warning was almost totally lost on its inexperienced tongue. The creature gave a nervous whine, stepping haltingly towards the building again, glancing at the woman with the green skin and nodding its head.

But what if she didn't follow? Then the food would be gone. The woman was still speaking, offering as much food as the creature wanted-- all of it, as she could get more. The creature whined again, looking around, then looked back to the green-skinned woman.

The prawn had remembered something. About why The Man had been so terrifying, and about why the woman warranted the prawn's concern-- something about "returning humanity to the monsters that walked in their places". Changing people that didn't look entirely human. They weren't safe.

The creature took a proffered meal-- still warm as it held the container to its chest, and the scent-- oh, the scent was dizzying. The nervous whines had resolved themselves to rattling huffs, and the prawn very clumsily grabbed a blanket, too. With a single tray and blanket selected, it returned to the green-skinned woman, grasping at her sleeve.

Lightly, the prawn tugged at the woman's sleeve, nodding towards the building. At least there, their backs would be protected, and any impending attack could be seen.

Andrea listened patiently while observing the mutant with a careful eye. She wasn't entirely sure what had been said, but could grasp an obscure meaning of it just from the body language being provided. The shifting eyes and nervous sounds spoke volumes where simple words failed.

She waited, watching with an open expression as the food and blankets were gathered, and when her new unnamed acquaintance snagged one of her coat sleeves she stood and piled everything back onto her cart. "Alright, not here. Lead the way?" Her snake laden braid shifted as she bent to retrieve the handle of her cart.

She would follow the mutant without question, keeping both an open heart and a mindful eye on her surroundings. She'd gotten pretty fast at removing contacts on the fly, so she wasn't necessarily worried about a fight. Besides that, this particular person hadn't really given off any bad vibes yet.

The prawn gave a final, contented huff, glad that the woman was following her. It walked carefully over the uneven lot-- taking a few quick steps, turning to make sure that the woman was following, and then continuing. It ventured to the unoccupied curb by the boarded up restaurant. There, it deposited the blanket unceremoniously onto the ground, and sat on its haunches, surveying the container with interest.

As the woman drew nearer to the curb, the creature gave an appreciative trill, a smile in its eyes. The container was cracked open, the lid removed, and a wave of scent and steam roiled into the prawn’s face. Something in its expression pinched, a heartfelt rattle growing in its chest. It smelled so wonderful, and it looked homemade. For a moment, the prawn simply sat cradling the meal, almost in disbelief. Wish I could talk. I’d thank her.

The prawn followed the woman with her eyes, and breathed a low whistle, trying to snag her attention. Once the prawn had her gaze, it would dislodge its hand from the container, and place the hand over its heart, nodding faintly. It couldn’t recall the last time it had eaten a decent meal-- people tended not to look to closely at the homeless, especially homeless mutants. Even it its brief awareness of the world, the prawn had learned that lesson.

There was a set of silverware pressed into the lid, which the prawn freed and tried to unwrap. Its massive hands were clumsy, though, and it struggled to grip the utensils in such a way that they could be released from their wrapping.

It turned to the woman again, leaning over in an almost conspiratorial way. With this proximity, the woman might be able to smell the mustiness that clung to the prawn-- the dust and grime from sleeping in the streets, and not having seen a shower in a long time. Unaware, the creature gave a helpless burble, holding the plastic-wrapped utensils to the green-skinned lady

The place she was being led into was.... lacking, to put it nicely. But she wasn't surprised by it in the least. It was a common sight in the city; people bunking wherever they could, be it an ally or a dilapidated building. She had been in many of the can't-believe-this-is-standing buildings and each time it reminded her once more why there was such a desperate need for more shelters. There were only a handful for recognized shelters for people to go to, and they filled up quickly due to the sheer size of the homeless population in the city.

Andrea turned her attention back to the mutant leading her. She supposed, if this was the place they were living, that she was a guest now. As her host settled down, she plopped herself down at a comfortable distance and rolled her cart right up alongside herself. She set about reorganizing said cart so it wouldn't feel like she was just sitting and staring at the colorful mutant, but spared a glance here and there.

When her attention was caught again she turned to see her host leaning in and offering the wrapped plastic utensils to her. She took them with a smile and peeled the wrapping off.

"I am Andrea, by the way. It is very nice to meet you." She handed back the fork and spoon, tucking away the trash inside her coat pocket. "Is this where you stay the most? Would it be alright if I came back here next time? I can make a extra big portion for you." She tried to give a little space between each question so that there could be an answer, even a nod or shake of the head.

The creature watched the woman's deft hands peel the plastic free of the utensils, its eyes luminous. The fork and spoon were handed back, and the prawn burbles its thanks, turning to the tray before it.

The woman was full of questions, but one the lid was peeled free of the food, and the creature was awash in scents, it became very hard to think. Utensils forgotten in lieu of ravaging the offering, the prawn brought the plate to its maw and scarfed the food down. Bits were shed left and right, in the prawn's lap and on the sidewalk around it. The prawn didn't stop until the plate was empty, and its glassy eyes turned up from the plastic tray in a stupor.

It took a few ragged breaths before the creature realized it had fallen into a feeding frenzy, and its gaze refocused. It cast a startled, apologetic side eye towards the woman. Andrea.

Andrea had asked questions, right? The prawn wiped at its mouth with the back of its hand, eyes squinting at the polished plate in befuddlement. What had she asked…?

Was this where the prawn stayed?

The creature shook its head. It drew a hand to its emptied plate, and traced two words into the sauce at the bottom of the plate.

"I move."

Meaning the prawn didn't stay in the same place. It wasn't safe.

Oh.... poor thing. She watched with hidden sadness as they really dug into the food. Ravenously, even. She didn't mind the food being scattered about in crumbs, nor the few that ended up sticking a little bit to her legs. She simply smiled and waited, giving plenty of time for her new acquaintance to do what they needed to do.

Eventually, she got a reply.

"Ah... smart to move about I suppose. Being in one place to long can make you a target."

She noticed the use of writing the words out instead of vocalizing them, and turned to dig through the bag slung around her shoulders. "If it helps, I think I have some paper and a pen you could use to talk? Would that be easier?"

If yes, she would hand the notepad over with the pen, if not, she would put it back and do back to square one.

"You know, there are a few places that I tend to frequent on different days. I also have friends who are out when I am not doing the same thing. If you would like I could write down the times and places for you so you always have an option for food and clothes."

She was also starting to wonder if she should bring up the institute, since it had helped her a great deal when she was newly in the country and homeless. Or possibly the Sanctuary? They tended to be so much more friendly and supportive of visual mutations than your average boarding house.

The way the woman reacted to the prawn's remark caused the prawn to straighten its spine, and drew its lavender gaze fully onto the woman beside it. Being in one place long could make you a target. The prawn nodded to Andy, slowly at first, then more emphatically. So she understood the dangers of the world!

Andy offered a pen and paper, to which the creature nodded again. The two utensils were taken awkwardly into the three-fingered hands. The plate was set aside, and the creature busied itself with adjusting the pen in its hand. When it finally managed to grasp the pen alright, it looked towards Andy.

The creatures' eyes flickered over Andy as she spoke. She and her friends visited specific locations on specific days and times each week. The prawn nodded, tapping the pen against its mandibles, before putting the pen to paper.

It's writing was big and feminine, distinctly immature. Something you would expect to come from a high school student or thereabouts.

'That sounds nice but I don't even know where I am.'

It paused, and skipped a few lines.

'Or when I am.'

It handed the notepad to Andy, so that she could read the messages. And so the first pieces of the puzzle were in play-- the creature didn't know where it was, or what the date was. It had witnessed strange technology, totally foreign to its early-2000's sensibilities. None of the buildings looked familiar, none of the people looked familiar, either.

All it knew was the Doctor. And the Doctor was dangerous.

Had her Dad sent her to the Doctor? He was also the type to think mutations were a thing to be cured…

The grain of truth, of coherent understanding of the past, made the prawn's expression pinch.

The Greek took the notebook and read it over. Her eyes widened slightly at the answers she received, and a chill stabbed at her heart. The poor thing didn't know where she was, or what day? Maybe even more than that? With a frown, she turned little more toward the prawn. "You are in New York city, and it is the 4th of November, 2019. You do not know how you got here?"

She passed the notepad back, now firmly sure that she would need to try and involve the school in this matter. Surely someone there would know what to do?

"Would you be open to me offering help for you, other than food? I know of a place that might be able to help, a school that I used to attend that offers help for those like us. They helped me many years ago, no questions asked, and they might be able to do the same for you."

She moved to fish a little card out of her bag, one of many service cards she tried to keep on her person at all times, and held it out to the prawn.

The creature waited patiently, clasping its hands together. It took the information in-stride. New York City? November 4th, 2019? It didn't know when or where it was supposed to be. Although it wondered how it had gotten to New York. Also, why it was in New York-- that was another mystery. It closed its eyes. Flashes of a silhouetted figure wielding a syring dances behind its eyes. Maybe the Doctor knew why they were there?

The creature shook its head. No, it did not know why it was there. The notepad was returned, and the creature clasped it in its hands, bowing its head. Andrea was rightfully concerned by this development. The woman spoke of a school, and the prawn only turned its head sideways, looking at Andrea out of the corner of its eyes. If it had a mouth, it might have frowned skeptically, but instead it just tilted its chin up at her.

How had the Doctor gotten a hold of her? Was it with promises of a school? For people like the prawn? A place that could help her, so to speak? The creature tucked her head, rubbing her muzzle with a hand. A warm place to sleep, and a source of food, sounded like a dream come true. But it also sounded too good to be true.

The creature shook its head again, more emphatically, and wrapped its arms around its sides. It wouldn't write, not about this.

Despite the woman's gesture, and her greenness, it didn't change the fact that the creature was scared.

After a few stubborn, silent minutes, the creature finally compelled itself to write.

'I'm can't stay in one place,' she wrote, 'It-'

She lifted the plastic pen, tapped her mouthparts with the cap.

'-isn't safe.'

The notebook was passed back to Andrea.

There was uncertainty, possibly fear, in the body language she was seeing. It broke her heart. Even more so when the pad was handed back and she was able to see what was written down.

It isn't safe

She spent a while frowning down at that young looking handwriting, thinking.

"I won't force you to do anything, please know that." She turned a little more to face them, frown still fixed on her lips. "In the end it is entirely your choice what you want to do, and where you want to go."

She paused for a moment, info card still clasped in her fingers. "But... I can tell you that if you are in any sort of danger, you can go there. You can trust the X-men. I did with my life, far too many times. There are good people there.. Shinbo, Saphirus, Gemma, Sam... so many more."

She paused, thinking some more about how to word things. "Even if you don't intend on staying there, they can at least offer temporary help, or point you towards someone else who can help."

She started jotting down some info in the simplest form she could on the paper; Her full name, her phone number, her address. She tore off the scrap of paper and fished a paperclip from her bag.

Upon second thought, she upturned the bag itself and dumped out the rest of her supplies into her cart where there was space. With the messenger bag now empty, she opened it up and packed another meal box into the bottom, folded a blanket and laid that as best she could on top and flipped the flap over to keep everything inside. She tucked the card and her info into one of the unzipped pockets on the front. She would be leaving her pen and paper with them as well, so they had a method of communicating with others when she was gone.

"Here... I won't worry as much if I know you at least have some basics, and that other paper is my contact info. If you stop in most grocery stores, or some of the day shelters that pop up, you can call me if you ever need anything, ok?" She wasn't sure how the offer would be taken, but would beat herself up over it later if she didn't at least try,

"If you ever want somewhere to sleep my home is open to you. Is that alright?"