When you were single, people seemed to think you needed to be set up, whether you wanted to be or not. Mae had more than one person try in the last year to introduce her to a guy, as if expecting she would magically fall head over heels and it would be happily ever after. The more Mae tried to avoid these situations, the more persistent the methods became. In the end, she found herself forced into a blind date by her coworkers, and was already hating every second.

The restaurant wasn't horrible, from outside appearances. Some type of Italian place that looked clean, but not overly fancy. If the date got bad she could sneak up to the bar for a drink at least, and she was within walking distance of home if she needed to get away.

She was dressed in a pair of black slacks, a royal blue blouse and a fitted silver jacket. It was nice without being over the top, and complimented her hair well. She didn't put on a ton of makeup, of the mindset that overdressing for first impressions was bound to leave you disappointed. If someone wanted to get to know her, they would have to do it regardless of what she looked like. The black eyeliner was dark, but that was her normal.

Stepping to the waitress stand, Mae gave her coworkers name, and was taken to a table off in the corner. Her date wasn't hear yet so she asked for a water and sat down. Her powers were harnessed at the base of her neck lace a shimmering charm, which gave her the chance to check her phone. She wasn't terribly early, but she could play a game or two in the meantime.

"Can I get you anything else while you wait?" The waitress asked politely.

"No, but if I walk past you and ask if you have any strawberry shortcake later, I will leave you an amazing tip if you give me the chance to get out the front door." Mae remarked seriously. The waitress smiled as if understanding.

"Ah, one of those nights."

Mae nodded, they shared a laugh, and then resumed playing her game.

A blind date. Had he sunk so low? Sam never needed an excuse to meet women, it was just who he was even if he wanted to turn it off he couldn’t just be someone else he was always like this. Mainly because he never needed to worry about a follow up. It was expected in his former line of work that he’d be dead the following day so whenever he met a woman he was interested in it was more “all cards on the table”. Now however seeing as he was living in the mansion it meant that he had to start dating out of said mansion. He already had a reputation there. It was harder to meet people who didn’t have a preconceived notion of him. Even if it was deserved.

Ami had an opportunity a friend of hers was looking for a guy for another friend. More importantly this woman had most likely not met him when he was an adult or an alcoholic. This was a chance to do something differently than his older self. According to Serena and everyone else the eye patch was a conversation starter, one he didn’t have that and two he knew that his older self wouldn’t do this.

Sam opened the door and walked in glad he decided not to ride his older self’s motorcycle it seem like too much in the winter even if he was immune to the cold. Jeans, dress shoes and a white button up under a dinner jacket. Anything else seemed to be overdressed in his opinion, everything else he owned was a few different suits. None of which would be appropriate for the blind date. When he walked in he eyed the bar. He didn’t know why but felt that if everything went to hell he’d at least be able to get a few drinks before going home or to the next bar.

Meeting random women, not scary. Being set up and wondering who he was about to spend dinner with a little more so. He looked down where a watch would be and decided not to make it look like he had one, because he didn’t. When he walked in he immediately regretted the situation. Turns out the wait staff were wearing his shirt. The only difference was his tie. It was a greyish blue. Something he’d figure would compliment his eyes. Or that’s at least what Ami had said. Black suits and ties was all he knew everything else made him feel more awkward.

”Clearly I dressed the part.” he said as he approached the table. The woman was said to be wearing blue. That was how he was supposed to know her. ”Mae?” he asked offering a smile and a handshake. The more he thought about it the more he decided to treat this like a mission. That was the best way to stay out of his head.

Mae looked up when the guy approached. He wasn't...bad? The tie may have been a bit much, but if he hadn't worn it, he would have looked like the staff. That was funny. Mae laughed slightly and accepted the handshake before sitting again. "Well, I've seen worse. If you showed up in a punk-rock t-shirt it would have been a conversation starter but maybe not in the way you would be hoping for."

The waitress walked over and asked if he wanted a drink order, and once it was settled, she politely put her phone away. For now, the dead zone stayed where it was on her neck. She had decided to give this a chance, even if these things never seemed to go well.

"So, you do this often? I think that's the line I am supposed to use?" She took a drink of her water and pushed a lock of silver-blue hair from her face. "It was Sam, right? This sort of 'friend of a friend' thing doesn't leave much in the way of introductions either."

Sam smirked, when she fired at the punk rock shirt. Luckily he didn’t. ”It would have been classic rock. Zeppelin probably, usually happens to be a safe bet.” he summarized. Giving the name of his favorite band right off the back. The icemancer sipped his water in return once he sat down he ordered an Irish whiskey.

”Not in the slightest. Though, just by saying that you probably think that’s a lie, trying something I normally don’t do.” Sam said sincerely. His eyes shifted over the silver blue hair then back to Mae’s face. ”Yep, Sam I am.” he agreed.

”Now, I’m supposed to ask something along the lines of, do you come here often or did it hurt when you fell?” he asked with a smirk, ”Not really one for being predictable though. Like to keep people on their toes. Sides figured you’d heard a bunch before.” Sam then tapped the table and formed a rose out of ice. ”Because normal flowers would be expected, so here is my icebreaker.”

He...actually would have worn a classic rock shirt? Mae was withholding judgement. She liked to think of herself as a fairly open minded person, after all. But her music taste was probably lacking due to her mutation. It had taken time to be able to even play music without her powers interfering. Years of forcing the dead zone to a confined area had also put her behind a lot musically.

She was glad she wasn't drinking for the next comment. Sam I am. Okay, cheesy. She wasn't sure if it was funny or cringe worthy yet. Sometimes it depended on the execution. "I mean, there is a healthy balance between lying and too much honesty. I've had people tell me they just got off the phone with an ex five minutes before coming into the restaurant and that much of their life story so fast is a major game changer. Similarly, if you did do this all the time, admitting it might be a bad plan. You have to keep some cards close to you, right?"

Okay, so he wasn't keeping the cards close after all. The flower appeared on the table and she looked surprised. "That's...actually pretty impressive. Does it count as an ice breaker when it isn't broken?" She reached out a finger and poked it. Did she leave it there, pick it up? Social etiquette did not cover magical frozen flowers.

"So, ice is your mutation? Are we talking elementalist or you just focus on botanicals," Mae said, looking back up. She wasn't swooning over the gift, but she was flattered at least. He was creative, she'd give him points for that.

His mutation was always a point of pride when he wasn’t sure what to talk about there was usually something he made from ice. A flower this time because he thought it would have been a bit much for the blind date. ”Ice elemental.” Sam agreed as he looked to the flower then back to her. He smirked and snapped his fingers. The ice rose shattered and broke apart in little bits of ice that quickly dispersed without leaving too much water on the cloth. ”Now it’s an ice breaker.”

”Wish I could say I studied plants but only I’m only an amateur in that regard. My knowledge is more based on camping and survival.” he said trying to sum it up. ”More of a backpacker.” he said trying to make up a reason for him to study survival. Sam knew most guys didn’t, he also knew that most guys weren’t former assassins but he knew above all else avoid that topic.

”I can honestly say you will never hear me say I just got off the phone with an ex.” he said with a smirk. He never really had a girlfriend other than Amanda and he as sure as hell not gonna call the sadistic woman. ”So we decided on me not coming here often. You do a lot of blind dates? Always found them awkward.” he said sipping his water.

Elemental sounded like a lot of power for one person. Sometimes Mae envied them, sometimes she didn’t. The worst her powers could do would be to turn off someone’s computer and make them lose a document they didn’t save. If you used your powers wrong as an elemental could you hurt someone? Destroy something? She watched as he shattered the flower. Ah, so broken things it was.

”Survival seems like a unique hobby. Did you move here from out of town? I don’t know a lot of people who camp in this area. Or backpack.” she wasn’t doubting him necessarily, maybe just sensing something under the surface. Part of being on a blind date was identifying any red flags quickly and getting the heck out of there. Safety first, after all.

So, he would never be on a phone with an x? ”I’m getting you aren’t the dating type? And don’t worry, I didn’t get that just from the outfit,” she took a second to look at her menu, deciding it was better to at least glance at it before the waitress looped back. The food had sounded good even if she hadn’t been sure how she felt about the date.

”I’ve been on a couple, but mostly because my coworkers seem to think any single woman must be desperate for love. It keeps them from giving my number out when I’m not looking.”

Nodding his head, ”Colorado but I was an army brat. So.” Sam shrugged, ”Never stuck in one place long enough.” the army brat part was a lie, he was the brat but not for an army. This was a subject he knew wasn’t productive for a blind date. Most people didn’t live that kind a life nor did they want anything to do with it. He was just trying to fit in. ”There are enough places around here. State owned land mostly around here. Might be an hour or two but worth the drive.” Sam said sipping his water and eyeing the menu. It was an Italian place so that meant pasta or pizza. It was a blind date so that meant he had to eat stuff he normally didn’t.

”Could tell that from more than the outfit?” Sam let out a chuckle. ”It’s the tie isn’t it?” he said as he looked down at the tie and frowned. He was about to take it off when a random server walker by. Sam pointed to his shirt then his own and gave a thumbs up. ”What are the odds?” he smirked and then added, ”That isn’t the case? Here I was thinking that the reason I’m still single was because I wasn’t looking for love.” he sipped his water.

”Fair assumption, I’m not much of a dating type. Trying to change that. Never really had a place I wanted to stay in for a long period of time. This happens to be the first so here I am.” Sam said, ”Hard to date when you aren’t sure where you are gonna end up the next day. You know?”

”Got to love yourself before you can love others.” he agreed, ”No shame in being single.” he nodded, ”So, what do you do?” Sam asked curious. True a friend of a friend does not work everything into the conversation.

Army brat was a fair enough excuse so Mae let it be. First dates were not meant for interrogations. She picked out a pasta dish and set the menu away, thinking about what he said. ”I spent my life in this city, went out a bit when I was younger but not any more. I’ve learned to just enjoy where I am.” there were plenty of reasons not to travel. For one, she avoided any water bigger than a bathtub. For two, when you could find silence anywhere, there was no reason hinting it down. She could have a peaceful walk in the park anytime she needed.

She smirked slightly at his next comment, ”Love is just the brain being tricked by chemical reactions. I prefer to think I’m a realist and people don’t appreciate that. The world is full of fakes and I don’t waste my time with that.”

The waitress came before Mae could answer and she picked out a 5-cheese penne. Once Sam was done ordering she let the conversation continue.

”I work at a spa. Rich people go there to relax. People pay a lot to have someone cover them in mud. I run reception. It’s boring but it’s calm. And you?” he acted like he traveled a lot, but there was no way he was still in the military. He lacked the haircut or discipline for that, from what she currently saw.

The icemancer order the pasta and lamb dish, simple probably messy he just wanted to make sure he didn’t get any on his white shirt. That was one of the reasons he brought his jacket though. Sam handed off the menu and reached for his whiskey and raised a glass, ”To the fakes always making it easier to walk away, and to the realist. Without you I’d think this outfit would be good for any future dates. Blind or not.” he smirked and took a small swig of the whiskey before setting it down.

”Crazy, usually I want to be covered in mud I just go outside.” he let out a small chuckle, ”Between jobs, you could say. Not exactly sure what I want to do next, back to teaching or I was always partial to flying.” Sam slipped in his love for flying. It was also something he knew was more conversation filler.

According to the rest of the mansion staff he still had his job and position on the team, he’d just not be full time till he either reaged or figured out what the hell he was going to do. Sam wasn’t in any particular rush but he did like teaching self-defense. He was glad Eve found him when she did otherwise he would have only been able to say flying. ”Being an army brat gave me a few opportunities to pick up flying and my subject. Self-defense. I get paid to get hit by people.” Sam said with a little smirk. ”Not just rich people. Though they like to pay more.” he raised his whiskey glass again in a mock toast. ”To rich people.”

”What do you do for fun?” Sam asked curiously.

Mae lifted her water in response. She was relaxing enough there was a chance she would order something different when the food arrived. It was important to have a clear head on these things, but signs were at least saying he was good for conversation. He wasn’t flat out staring at her chest, he hadn’t made any racist comments, and he didn’t talk about a pet fish for ten minutes. On standards of past dates, this was almost nice.

”Next time, solid color button down, no tie. Dark but not black. A grey-blue can bring attention to your eyes without you looking too much like a game show host,” Mae advised. She smiled at the end.

”I think we just have to remind people we use fancy mud. That low quality mountain stuff isn’t worthy of the sophisticated clientele.” Mae wagged an eyebrow and gave a mocking impression of a rich woman. ”This mud should be 100 degrees on the dot or my wrinkles will be twice as bad in the morning. My personal trainer says I need organic kale so make sure you only use that on my wrap!” ahh, the rich. It was what kept her bills paid, though.

”Flying sounds interesting. I’ve never flown anywhere, actually. My luck I will get in my first plane and develop a quick case of vertigo. I don’t really go around electronics much for safety reasons.” she admitted vaguely.

”Do you teach self-defense at a school? Or like one of the Rec centers? I know the college had courses a while back. Wait, you wouldn’t hit people at a school I hope. You aren’t like in a fight club or something? Your nose is too straight for that.” she squinted at his face. There didn’t seem to be the tell-tale signs of broken bones there.

She laughed and returned the toast, ”To the rich who apparently need organic ice packs to deal with the self-defense bruises you gave them.”

Setting his drink down he nodded his head at the constructive criticism. He only half listened to Ami when he got dressed. Unless it was a suit he didn’t know what was expected. Solid colors he also recalled Ami saying at some point. That would have been good if he listened. He cheered to the comment about his eyes with a raise of his water glass. His eyes stayed focused on Mae’s face as she talked knowing that’s where they should be.

Sam let out a small chuckle while she described her clients clearly she got the best people. The icemancer was glad he didn’t have to deal with those types on a regular basis, he was patient about certain things entitled people wasn’t one of them.

”It is a school.” Sam admitted, he was a teacher there it was a school and while he was younger he wasn’t sure if he’d be reinstated without question. Which was why he didn’t advertise he started teaching Eve. ”Thank you for noticing, I do my best to try and keep it straight. Easier to set if it’s already broken.” Sam said raising a glass to her cheers. He sipped his whiskey and set it back down.

”Never been in a fight club, sparring might count though.” Sam lied knowing that he was in a fight club, twice. Missions however didn’t happen to this Sam so he decided to leave it at that. ”School for gifted youngsters.” Sam said waving his hand willing some ice over his finger tips. ”Most of which I don’t hit… unless they drop there hands.” Sam smirked, ”Most of them don’t though.”

”Not a fan of heights?” Sam asked curiously as he raised an eyebrow, ”or is it more of a motion thing.” he asked tilting his hand from side to side to mimic a rocking boat.

Mae was surprised there was a school that actually let kids learn self-defense the way he was describing it. Then again, when there were mutants around, there were probably exceptions that allowed those types of things. Maybe they had a healer on staff or a special license. She knew grey areas existed for reasons like that.

Gifted youngsters... ah, so it was a mutant thing. Mae considered the name and felt herself nod slightly. "I heard of that when I was younger. My parents didn't think I really needed to go to a specific school for what I do though. It's more of a party trick than a useful power." Knowing mentioning it was already going to generate curiosity, she decided it was better to at least give him some type of clue. She let the dead zone expand, staying focused around their heads. The end result would be complete silence inside the barrier, with exception to their own talking.

"Safer only using it this way, or your phone would get a reboot. It's pretty basic: in the bubble, no outside noise," she withdrew the barrier so it rested against her neck once more. "When I was younger I was always turning things off when I walked down the street, but I got a handle on it quickly."

"And honestly, I just don't like the sense of responsibility if my powers do something funny and I cause a plane crash. I've been in cars without turning them off, but I've also killed the engine from the outside. Unless there is someone on board to keep the thing airborne, I will just stay on the ground."

Setting his water down after another sip he did his best not to question her ‘party’ trick till he had more to go on. When everything went silent his defense went up and he quickly looked around. There were still people moving, talking and eating but there was no sound. Sam didn’t like that. His hearing wasn’t one of his best senses but it was the one that saved him more times than he could count.

Sam kept quite in the bubble till she was done explaining. So she could turn off machines as well. ”That makes sense. Kinda hard to fly if the engines turn off.” Sam said with a smirk, ”We can always put you in a glider though. Hard to turn those off.” he gave her a little wink.

”That is safe way to think about it.” Sam agreed, if his powers risked killing someone every time he’d use it he’d probably refrain from using it as well. Though when he was younger that was why he was supposed to use his powers. ”Might have a way around that though if you ever want to go airborne. Unless you can turn off my powers you should be safe. Just sound and electronics right?” Sam said not really going into detail about his typical method of transportation.

”More of a controlled facility to help kids reign in their powers. My life would have been a lot different if I wound up there earlier in life. My powers kinda made it dangerous to be around. Think that’s why I like it there so much.” Sam said as he nodded his head to the kitchen doors. ”Looks like the food is here.”

Mae felt like the guy seemed oddly tense when in the bubble, but she didn’t keep it up long. He seemed to relax again, and the conversation resumed a normal flow. ”I am probably happier on the ground, but thanks for the effort.”

He suggested using his own powers somehow, and that gave Mae a feeing of curiosity, but not one she was actively dying to pursue. ”Electricity in general. Even older devices get shut off. I’ve turned off plenty of lamps.” she had learned to more or less curve her powers around devices she preferred to keep active. Once shutting the light off in her apartment was enough.

As the food arrived Mae was pleased with how good the dish looked. As politely as possible she dug in. She wasn’t the most dainty water, but she wasn’t a slip. Sort of the middle ground where she would eat a noodle whole instead of cutting it like a princess, but didn’t cram the whole plate into her mouth at once. At least if this didn’t end well, she made it to the meal.