"Late bloomer, huh?" She reached behind her seat and grabbed a ball cap, plopped it on her head and pulled it over her eyes to block the sun out.

"A lot of us are like that, you know. Wouldn't know what or who we'd be without our powers. I known for @#$%in certain I probably wouldn't have lived through my first dozen years if I hadn't had someone to talk to, even if the clones are dumb as rocks. Bossing them around all the time taught me a lot."

She shifted to get more comfortable, "There are lots of other people out there too who would be leading entirely different lives if it weren't for their powers. Some for the better, some for the worse."

She could think of a lot of examples of that, but one a wee bit nearer to her heart was the easiest to focus on. Green, splotches skin an a wide smile that rightly didn't belong on such a tortured soul floated to the surface of her thoughts.

"My dad used to date and was briefly married to a woman who's literally some new incarnation of medusa. Snake hair, turn-you-to-stone touch. The whole nine yards except for the snake legs. She can't look you in the eye without something blocking it, and has to wear gloves all the time unless she wanted to leave statues in her wake while out getting coffee. I know for certain she is one of the few who'd just love to see some drug developed to turn her back into a human or something and it's hard to blame her for it."

Andrea hadn't exactly openly talked about her various problems with Elke, but the teen had been around long enough to have picked up on the bread crumb trail of clues. Hell, it was one of the reasons the Greek had left and broken her pop's heart years ago.

"@#$%in' works as a nurse, too. Balls as big as boulders, that one. I can't think of a better way to give her power set the finger than to go into health care when you have actual vipers on your head."

Ah, but this was about him and his pre-power aspirations, wasn't it?

"As for you, I get the feeling that nothing would have stopped you from going down this path with or without powers. You seem kinda anal-retentive about laws and justice. If not the X's, definitely a cop or a @#%^in' lawyer."

"Yup. I'm almost old enough to vote, and here I am. A New Mutant." He smiled, and adjusted to the curve of the road once more, glancing over when it was safe.

It was strange, it felt like this was the first casual conversation they'd ever had. He liked it. She made a good point about some of the less fortunate mutations out there. He nodded a bit. "I read about her, I think. In the paper." Yes, he still read the paper every day. How could you be a good hero to NYC if you weren't up to date on current events?

"You're friends with the Saint of the Boroughs?"

Huh. She did make friends.

"A determined enough person can do anything, I guess." The Gps lead him on a turn into another state road. He smiled a bit when she started talking about him, and shrugged off being called anal retentive. "Actually, I would have been a historian. I was prepping to go to college on an academic scholarship... and a sports scholarship... Anyway, yeah. History is my thing that isn't my superhero... thing. American history, mostly, but I have dabbled.

He paused. "What are your plans?" She was smart, but he realised that he didn't know any of that stuff about her, yet. They'd just sorta skipped the courtship part of things. They really knew nothing about each other.

Elke snorted. "It happens. My dad's wife," There was a very intentional lack of 'my step-mom' there, "She was a late bloomer as well. Thought she was human for pretty much ever and then it hit her later twenties."

She nodded at his mention of the paper. @#$%ing journalists and "reporters" had had a field day with that catastrophe. "Yep. That one." She lifted the rim of her hat to stare at him for a moment before snorting and letting it drop back down. "Again, not friends. Aquaintances. We don't hang out, I just run into her from time to time and she likes to be kept up on how my dad is doing. I owe her for healing his ass when he got shot a few years ago, too." She paused, and then added, "Also, don't call her that if you ever run into her. She gets testy about the names people keep giving her." She knew because she's mocked the woman mercilessly when some small group had tried to get some nickname based around Mother Theresa going a while back. The Greek was simply too humble for titles.

The subject shifted back to him and she shrugged. "Super nerd then, huh?" She doubted it, really. People wet to college and then dropped out later to pursue other activities all the time.

"Me?" She hummed, thinking. Did he mean what were her plans for after college, or for life in general?

"I want to dismantle the corrupt parts of our society. Raze them to the ground, and build something new and just where they once stood." She left it at that.

He didn't note the dad's wife thing. He wasn't the type to notice that sort of thing. "Wow... I've heard that's pretty rare, awakening that late in life. Then again, I also heard of people not finding out until they were on their death beds, so..."

She quickly admonished the thought of her being friends with the saint, and he sorta gave the road a knowing smile. "Okay, gotcha. Honestly, I think it sounds like a pretty cool name. I guess not everyone wants to be a hero, huh?"

He nodded and grinned widely as she called him a nerd. "Absolutely! I embrace my nerdiness. I mean, c'mon, you have to have something you are nerdy about too, right? Stuff that interests you?"

His eyebrow rose as she talked aobut her goals. "Oh... wow. So, a total deconstruction, huh? So... you're gonna be a politician, or something?" There weren't a lot of ways to legally do what she said she wanted to do...

"A DA?" She would have to get into law school for that. Then again, she was brilliant, so it wasn't like that would be a challenge for her in that respect. Not burning down the school? That would be the challenge.

The Native scoffed softly, eyes turned out the passenger window at the blur of passing trees and shrubs. "Absolutely not." In her mind trying to join big government in order to dismantle big government was a lose lose situation. The number of people who turned up every election promising change and a brighter future, and then ultimately failing those who voted them in here just... too high.

"I don't think it's something that can be fixed from the inside. Gotta burn the Capitol down with everyone inside. No survivors. There are too many bloodsuckers in government with enough money to hide behind that the law never truly reaches the. The whole system is flawed."

With her arms tucked behind her head she didn't bother looking at him. "If you're as much of a history nerd as you say you are you should very well know how bad it is and why it's so broken. So-called leaders have been failing the people for a long ass time and since they made it illegal to tar and feather them they all get away with their crimes."

He had asked. She'd firmly blame this whole conversation on him if he regretted it now.

"My personal opinion is that since the law won't or can't do anything about the problem people in power, someone should be able to step up to the plate to knock them down. Make space for someone new to step in and fix things through whatever means necessary. Leave a message for everyone else that it'll happen again if they keep #$@%in around."

No, not gonna become a lawyer or politician? What then?

Oh Anarchist and rebel. Got it. "I don't deny that there is corruption, but the right people in the right places could fix a lot. Not that I want to do that... I just want to save people." Sure, he'd picked the easy job.

"Typically societies take more to collapse than what's going on here... I think we have a lot of people that look out of their own interests, but I don't think that warrants killing them. People are selfish a lot of the time, it doesn't make them any less of a human. I guess if you tried to kill them, I'd have to save them."

He shrugged at that. He never shied away from this sort of discussion. He talked to people all of the time on message boards and at the comic shops. Most of them had different viewpoints than he did. He'd chosen a very simple philosophy. Save people in danger, don't worry about anything else. There was enough of a need for it to be a full time job in a place like this.

Hence, wanting to be one of the X-Men.

"Barring causing total societal collapse. Do you have any goals? Dreams?"

A little grin wormed its way onto her face as he spoke. "Sounds like a fun game."

She sighed loudly at him. "Anyone ever tell you that you sound like a high school counselor sometimes? Dreams? Really?

Other than finishing school, she didn't have any long term goals. She just wanted to keep on doing what she was already doing.

"I'm two years into my degree for Environmental sciences. After I graduate I'll probably go work for the reservation on conservation for the protected lands we currently have jurisdiction over."

That was it.

"... Gonna knock-in Prissy's teeth at the next pow wow, too. That's a goal."

He quirked an eyebrow at Elke as she likened them fighting over the lives of government employees to a fun game. He couldn't help but smile a little bit, though.

"Heh, Yeah, actually. My High school counselor told me I should be one. But yeah... Dreams. You gotta have something that drives you forward, encourages you to better yourself."

He grinned at her degree. "Hey, that's a neat degree! Probably more useful than my history degree would have been... In a practical sense." She didn't sound... excited about that stuff, though. Not like she sounded when it came to burning down the government.

He blinked a few times. "Well... Best of luck in your goals... Doubt anyone could stop you." He paused for a second, glancing over a few times. "Uh... What did she do?"

She snuck a peek at him from under her hat and then moved to sit up a little bit more in her seat. "OKay, so... all of the tribes hold Powows every year. People gather from all over the country on different dates and in different states. I go to the one held up on the homeland. Everybody comes if they can and there are all sorts of dances and competitions and booths. They even let none Indigenous people in." She didn't sound super happy about that last part.

"Anyway, I dance in the competitive portions of the women's dances. Jingle and Fancy shawl." When she had been younger she had demanded to be able to dance with the men in the men's competition and had been flat denied. Back then she hadn't been a fan of tradition and the finer points of her culture, though.

"Last year while I was participating in the jingle competition Prissy managed to @#$% trip me up and I didn't place at all. I've placed second five years in a row for both dances in my category, so I was pretty pissed. This year I'm going to shove her stupid shawl down her throat the moment I see her."

She'd been itching for revenge for a whole ass year now, and it would be had!

It so happened that when she was peeking over, he was glancing over at the same time. They caught eyes, and he turned to look at the road once more.

He was aware of native american tradition in relation to his pre studies of history, so he had an idea of what she was talking about. He let her continue to explain that she took part in the competitions, and he lit up. "Ohhh! I'd love to see that!"

He shut up, though, as she went on to explain her beef with prissy. In some way, it made sense... He understood her motive, but not her planned response. "Well... That's rough... It's underhanded to trip you up during something so important, but on the other hand, if you punch her in the face won't you be thrown out? Why not show her by getting first place instead? And then you can, you know, rub her nose in it."

He looked at the directions once more... 15 minutes left. "Oh hey, looks like we are close!"

"Nah, they can kick me out if they want to. I still wanna punch her smug face."

She sat up a little more as he announced that they were close and moved to grab her phone from where it was mounted. They wouldn't need GPS from this point on.

"We'll be coming up on the exit here soon. 63 W. From there it'll be about another hour through the woods until we get to the campsites. They're a bit off the beaten path so pay attention to where I tell you to turn when we get there."

She settled back into the sat with her phone in her hands, smirking at the four texts she had gotten from her dad so far. One heavily hoping that she had been joking and that she wasn't really going off into the woods with a boy for three days. She responded with her typical one-fingered emoji and left it at that.

"...Ever played lacrosse before?"

There was truly no stopping her getting what she wanted. He just shrugged and let out a resigned sigh as they turned onto the sideroad she designated. It was... definitely getting more off the beaten path, here, as she'd said.

"You come here a lot? Any other hunters around?"

He glanced over to her as she focused on her phone. Something had gotten her attention. He kept a closer eye on the road, though, since it was now a lot more winding.

He smiled as she mentioned lacrosse. "Yeah. Did a few seasons in highschool. We got to state and lost in the semifinals." He hadn't been there for that game... That was when his mom had passed.

He looked over to her, smiling still. "You play?"

"Yup. My team is the only women's team in the city. I played a lot on the Rez when I lived there on and off, not so much in the city until college. Most teams are too stuck up to play with a girl on their team and we lack a variety of other female centric teams here. Sausagefest in every direction."

Speaking of, she was really looking forward to their next scheduled game. They were going up against an old rival team and Susie, the team lead, was on a warpath to put them in the dirt as far down as they could manage.

"Did'ya play full contact or the sissy pants version? We're full contact. Me and 11 other bloodthirsty, stressed college students." She chuckled under her breath and tucked her phone away in a pocket. "Last year one of our midfielders body checked a girl on a different team so hard she dislocated the other girl's shoulder. She was out for half a year, or so I heard. Haven't played against that team since."

Of all the sports she was involved in, Lacross (which had cultural roots for her as well) and roller derby had really been the two she stuck with. Something about being able to unleash her inner frustrations on a bunch of other people actively trying to hurt her for similar reasons was very cathartic to her soul.

"Up here on the right you're gonna have to stop. See that long metal gate? I'm gonna hop out and move it." She prepped by sitting back up and unclipping her seatbelt.

"Not many people come out here to this spot since it's not well known anymore. My Grandpa was the first one to show it to me, and back then only trappers really set up around here. It's not close enough to any particular city for most regular folk to bother."

Once the truck had stopped she hopped out and headed for the gate. It was a heavy old thing and fairly rusty from being exposed to the elements for so long. It wasn't much of a hassle for her to set her feet and lift, dragging the gate with her as she opened the overgrown path. Tallgrass and creeping indigenous plants flattened in her wake until the gate was open wide enough for the truck to pass through. She waved for Xavier to drive on in, and then dragged the old gate back into place. The greenery popped back up almost like it had never been disturbed, and she headed back to climb in again.

"We've got a little under a mile from here. It's mostly a straight path, but you'll have to go slowly in case any trees fell onto the path since I was last down here." Ahead of them was a path, one that was quite overgrown with weeds and other easily moved plantlife, but a visible one. Tall trees arched up overhead shading the whole area as they entered the actual forest and left the paved road behind.

"Huh! I didn't know there was a league in the area! That's pretty cool. I liked it a lot when I played." He remembered their state run had been sort of a big deal to a lot of the locals. They'd wanted him to be the team captain for the next season, but he'd gotten into taekwondo around then and it had taken up a lot of his time... And then he got into BJJ, and then Baseball... Soccer, basketball. So many sports, so little time, and his dad always seemed to perk up when ever he got into something new...

"Yeah, full contact. People told me I was pretty good at it. None of our competitors had an answer for me as an attacker, I guess." He nodded at her story of the injury, missing her apparent pleasure from it. "Those things happen... I knew a kid, during football, that cracked his femur in practice. It sounded like a gunshot."

He looked to the side as she directed him, rolling to a slow halt before the old gate. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about other hunters. We aren't exactly wearing a lot of orange."


She hopped out, and let the truck in, which he wheeled in just fine. As she closed the gate he took an exploratory glance about... It was a pretty typical forest. Different tree species than the ones he knew back home, and more overgrown than a lot of the more frequented hiking trails he'd championed.

She hopped back in, and he crept forward through the old, untended to trail. "How long are we planning to be out here? I mean, I don't mind, but I noticed you'd packed a lot... Am I gonna miss class?" He pulled out his phone... Yeah, he wasn't exactly too surprised that there was little reception here. He would have to apologize to his teachers. At least they were all pretty understanding.

It was great that he understood. Maybe not all of it, but enough. Too many people just wanted to fixate on Baseball, Football, or Soccer.

Elke looked over at him like he was dumb for asking how long they were going to be out. What did it matter how long they were gonna be out? It was CAMPING. You camp until the itch goes away!

"I was planning on three days, but i've been known to stay out longer." She slouched back in her seat a bit and looked over at him. "I don't usually count the first day, either. It's all set up and driving. So we won't be back until like... tuesday in the evening."

Crossing her arms behind her head, she smirked to herself and watched the bushes outside slowly roll by. Bird, unused to human inrusion, sqwacked loudly in protest in the trees above.

"If you're worried about classes, just tell them you were kidnapped. Happens alot to mansion students." She wasn't kidding, either.

About a half an hour in the road bent awkwardly around a few trees. A bit further ahead the path closed up altogether and they were forced to stop the car. Elke pointed out a spot where she usually left the truck, and then hopped out to get the trunk open and start loading herself up with bags.

"We're walking from here. It's only about ten minutes from here, so nothing killer." She adjusted a large duffle around her shoulders, a back pack slung over one arm, and grabbed a large cooler from the front for her first trip of supplies.

"Grab as much as you can so we don't have to do many trips." She waited for him to load himself up with stuff, and then turned toward the wild bushes and started trekking.