She told him he didn’t want her finding anyone, and the way she said it made smile Ashton might have held falter for a moment.

”Okay...” He trailed.

She did not elaborate, much. Well, now he just felt like an ass.

Ashton cleared his throat as the bus rattled on. ”So, anyways. I’ve told you my story... do you have a story? Or do you just want to keep being the mysterious girl who can read me like a book.”

Like a book. A phrase far less likely to pique interest than, say, READ MY MIND. See? He could be tactful, for her.

He wasn’t going to ask for help, let alone from some stranger he’d only just met. She seemed like she had her own problems to contend with.

The bus started moving but the question she was asked ran through her head. Her life story was a bit of an odity at best. She pondered like she was
winie the pooh and figure out how to tell her story and what to leave out. It is not everyday that you tell the story that your father kept you in a mental
hospital for the first 15 years or so of your life while the world kept turning. Telling people you where saved by a pixy and a red hulp that drove a
buss makes the story more unbelievable then it already was. It was a very normal story for her but she knew other people do not have similar
reactions as her. She took a deep breath and started to rant as if it was something that needed to get out of her. 

"Well, i kind of was locked up in a mental hospital for most of my life until a pixy and a red hulking man saved me from my father who wanted to
keep me there for the rest of my life." She started out going on in one breath. "Then i stayed here in New york a bit , had a room full of my favorite puzzles
and there was a bone girl and then i found this mansion who was full of kids where i almost drowned but a man who could play with ice saved me and
then eventually i kind of got lost in the world i guess." It must have sounded like a weird fairytale rant that just spewed out of her.
"So then i found my father and i gained some clarity and then i traveled and now something called me back here." She continued.
She took a breath of air to get the rest of the story out. "But then i kind of got lost again so i took the bus and here i am."

If Detective Drake wasn't freaked out about her yet this would probably push him over the edge. "Yeah that is me in a nutshell i guess, Weird old me."
She finished with a bit of a down note fiddling with her bag again. She looked around to see if anybody was looking at her.
Luckely nobody caught her fairytale story and everybody was just minding their own business. Dodged another bullet. 

Wow. That’s what he thought. Wow.

She had just put it all out there, hadn’t she? Now he felt bad for holding some back. Conflicting emotions ran through him. The want to take a step back, and the want to help her... maybe even protect her, of all things? Even though she sounded... sounded fine mostly, now. Coming back just to figure things out. He was kind of a chauvinist pig wasn’t he? Always seeing damsels in distress where there were just women.

”Whew. That was a mouthful. But... you’re doing better now, right? That’s a lot to take in. But sounds like you need friends. New friends, to replace the lost ones. If they’re lost. I’m not making sense. Point is... hope you find them at the mansion?

Eh. Was that the point? He was starting to feel less romantically inclined towards this woman, and more like a big brother. Sad, but true. She seemed out there, kind of childish, and she hadn’t even seemed to notice a single ounce of flirtation, despite his efforts. Her situation was complicated, and his heart? Yeah. It kind of went out to her. He’d never been a big brother, but maybe this was how that would feel Like. He was Concerned.

”Look. It’s beyond my stop, but if you need help settling in a be getting set up at the mansion... I know next to nothing about the place but that apparently isn’t stopping me from making the offer. Is that weird?”

Mission succesfull. Nobody is running away scared from her weird story. Maybe the big apple was full of people who would understand, or atleast not getting scared away from

all her babbling. Sometimes she even becomes scared of what comes out of her mouth. But The young man remained seated and was probably in awe. Nobody expects a story

like that. But is reply was something she wasn't expecting. Did he just ask her to be friends. She didn't have any friends after leaving New York. Sure she was looking to find

long lost friends. Friends sounded nice but she had no luck with them, mostly because she got lost all the time. But why wouldn't she be allowed to have friends, she was all

better now. Or atleast the best she could be.

"Yeah sorry about that, i sometimes just go on without control." She said while smiling a bit akward. "But yeah, i think i had friends back then. Even without knowing but i

kind of got lost. So now i am looking for them. I remember my puzzle room being in a church somewhere. Big red took me there, i was safe most of the time. But then

things got out of hand and i got lost." She continued while she played a bit with her fingers. All this open talk reminded her of the asylum she was in for most of her life.

Her father drilling questions in her skull until she complied, or became numb. Dont repeat bad memories, happy memories ensure people around her stay safe. Focus little one.

"But now i am back, i am better and the search is on." She said motivated and ready. "And if you feel like taging along for the search you are always welcome Detective."

She looked at Ashton and said with a smile. "You aren't weird, i know weird and you aren't it."  and now the search is on.

”Okay, sure.”

He’d gone out of his way and agreed to tag along. To help. This was kind of out of his wheelhouse. Or was it? Maybe older him had done it all the time? But it sure didn’t go with selfish him he’d wanted to project.

Ah well.

He fell silent for a little bit, just pointing out landmarks and neat things for the girl. Caitlyn. Pointing out fun places and things, the sights of New York. And eventually, the bus rattled its way to the mansion and he helped her off.

It was a big building. A little walk from the bus stop. A building with metal gates and high security fences. A school? He took lead and got the gate person to buzz them in. Told him a young mutant lady needed to speak with someone about enrolling or staying. Hoped he wasn’t overstating things. Looked to the girl.

”That about right?” Ashton said.

It was almost like a road trip. Land marks everywhere, lots of sights to be seen, people being annoying on the bus. Sadly no candy, singing and backpacks though. But there it was, dooming out on the horizon like it was

from a movie. A big giant mansion that housed mutants in an attempt to keep them safe and train them for the greater good. The magical place where they could be themselved and not let the world be a bad place for them.

It almost sounded like it was an island made of cotton candy in a world where everything else isn't cotton candy. But maybe the world saw it differently. Maybe the world saw it as training a group of mutants to become

renegade's or vigilantes. The state would probably spin it into something like that. So it remained secret, in a big mansion.

And then with a squeeck and his the bus stopped. Last stop for her and she shallowed her nerves an picked up her bag and moved out of the bus. Fresh air hit her face and the stale smell of the bus left her nose.

Freedom sort of speak for those who didn't like busses all that much.Memories came back to her. She remembered building a straircase out of boxes the peak over the wall the first time she got here, all those years ago.

She couldn't remember actually applying to stay there but somehow they took her in, even though it was for a short while. She remembered she got lost after that and never found her way back. Some would say it's a

pity that she didn't. Some would say it was fate. For her it was for the best.

They walked up to the gate and Ashton hit the button for the door. He did the speaking for her which was fine, She was a bit to nervous to be back here after all this time. Maybe there where monsters living here now !

Or maybe they had gone all crazy and went to war. Who knows everything could have happened. Trying to peak trough the gate she looked at Ashton and nodded in a response. And with the that,

the gate opened up slowly leading up to the Mansion. It was huge and impossing but also looked very inviting. "I guess ringing the doorbell worked, they let anybody in." She said jokingly as she nervously started

walking towards the mansion.

Let anybody in, huh? Ashton chuckled at the comment. ”Sure seems that way.” He said.

Carrying all his bags, Ashton lead the way up to the front of the mansion. When he got there, he held the door open for the girl. They went inside.

The first thing he noticed was the extravagance of it all. Lots of wood, fancy lighting and a chandelier. Big winding staircases. And, a greeter. At least, he assumed it was a greeter and not a teacher.

The man was Asian, not outrageously tall, and had dark hair. His eyes. There was something about his eyes as he greeted them. An odd shape. Pupils, Almost triangular. Actually, yeah. The pupils in the eyes were definitely triangular. Freaking weird.

The Asian extended a hand towards Ashton and introduced himself as Mr. Shinbo, the mansion math teacher. Shin for short, he said. Ashton told the guy his name, and explained about the girl.

Shin extended a hand her way. “Nice to meet you,” he said. “You want to sign up to stay at the mansion then? Anything we should know?”