One of the things that still completely shocked Quin about the new world were the ways that technology had and hadn’t progressed.

On one hand cars, basic utilities, and household appliances still worked the same way. Quin figured she could easily drive if need be, she could turn her lights and shower on and off, and she could manage to cook for herself without any trouble.

Personal electronic devices on the other hand?

Good. Lord.

Quin had been absolutely thrilled when the last flip phone she upgraded to could take a picture. It had let you set pictures for contacts and even personalize their ringers. It was some state of the art stuff.

Now though? Now the most basic smart phone was fancier than the last laptop Quin remembered owning.

You could do so much...anything really. You could order food, call for a ride, word process, surf the internet...it was insane.

You could also pay for things. In fact, some places didn’t take cash any more, or credit cards, some places only let you pay via your phone.

Like the tea shop that Quin had visited on the suggestion of another ward of Haven. It smelled delightful, and along with an absolutely beautiful assortment of teas they boasted pastries and the like.

It was a tranquil sort of place...or at least it had been until a redhead had held up the line with her inability to pay for her food and drink.

The worst thing about the whole situation was that the longer it took, the more impatient people got, and the more flusters Quin got. That, in turn, made the phon even more difficult to operate and after the third time she hit the button to close the app instead of pay, she growled in frustration, ”You're sure you don’t take cash?” she sputtered in frustration as the line behind her got more and more restless.

Somewhere one of the unfortunate souls to cross his pass and find him in a belligerent mood probably would have found the engine of crippling pain and furious beatings completely at odds with the peaceable and content person he was currently. True the décor felt just a bit too much like stepping into a rpg wizards library replete with a stuffed owl on a perch and faux bookshelf wallpaper. Not that he really knew what an rpg was. The place however had quite the exotic tea collection he was content to work his way through on a fairly regular basis. While some were a bit more exotic (disgusting) then others the pastries were on a level of their own and more then made up for the stranger choices like dandelion stems or something similarly exotic (awful).

To better blend in with the clientele he wore some simple black framed glasses with no prescription and left it at that. He noted with some satisfaction that he was amongst the most fit of the patrons despite his several uneaten pastries on his plate he had every intention of eating. Settling in with a bit of light reading with his advanced biology textbook until something put his general sense of order out of joint and he looked around.

His first instinct was that perhaps he subconsciously noticed danger or a crime. Instead he realized it was far simpler then that. An individual was holding up the line and looking genuinely flustered. A cute redhead if he was being entirely honest with himself. In typical fashion of New Yorkers (and humanity in general) everyone else in the line seemed far more intent on being irritated then doing anything worthwhile to help. With a light sigh at the foibles of mankind he got up and meandered his way casually over to the line. Shooting his best 'I will kill you all' death-glare at the line to settle them down before materializing at Quin's side.

"Miss? Please allow me.", he attempted in his gentlest and most understanding tone. It wasn't as if he had spent much time with smartphones himself and there was certainly a learning curve. It was something he experienced far too much at Sanctuary and the people there that had never even had a mobile phone. With a few thumb presses he got his phone to the right screen and paid for her order before she could object and gave her another smile. "I hope  you enjoy." Just like that he was heading back to his seat to get back to eating and pasties, no strings attached.

Things happened very quickly and all of a sudden.

Just about the time that Quin was sure pitchforks were being materialized behind her...a hero appeared from seemingly nowhere.

The young man seemed of an age with her and was much more facile with a smartphone than she was. His thumb moved quickly and the stupid little machine that the clerk had been waving in Quin’s face beeped.

Quin was told to enjoy her fare and before she could even say thank you the guy disappeared. For some reason, that was annoying to the redhead and she spent the wait for her order deciding what she was going to do.

Meeting each chagrined look and daring anyone to say something as the people who had waited behind her made their orders and paid, Quin considered the fact that she should probably be more contrite. Nah.

Finally a pastry and a lovely cup of herbal tea were passed the redheads way and she immediately made her way to the table where the young man sat.

Sitting her cup and plate down across from him, Quin reached into her purse and pulled out the bills she had initially tried to use to pay.

Holding them out she said, ”Thank you.” she said with a somewhat tight smile, ”I didn’t get a chance to say before.” she added, only mildly insinuating that he should have waited around to accept her thanks.

New Yorkers.. you try to do something nice and they get all... offended? Worse they hunt you down and try to pay you back. Granted he hadn't gone very far, but he wasn't about to abandon his pastries and tea to avoid an aggravated no longer damsel in distress. The biology book he had just begun to start rereading on anded up abandoned once again. Erik was pretty sure he head it cry a bit probably just a projection of his own state of mind. 

Yes she was miffed to use some American slang. For no good reason in his expert opinion. Without making a go for the money he gesture for her to take a seat. With any luck she would be interesting to talk to and not some sort of 'Karen' archetype he was vaguely begging to understand from his own girlfriends by play of her work gossip.

"Would much prefer you paid it forward to a place like Sanctuary instead of trying to reward me for a purely altruistic endeavor.  Sticking around for a thanks would have been a bit.. self aggrandizing wouldn't it?" Or something like that. Hopefully the point would come across clearly. His own face rather placid having considered and decided against a smile as that might come off as condescending at the current moment. That and getting thanked for being what was simply being a decent person made his skin crawl a bit. Ugh, he really enjoyed how he could be himself at home, but it left him out of practice for faking his way through situations like this.

The guy gestured, and Quin sat. It was kind of an automatic response to the offer of a seat, but once she was sitting, the redhead didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t that she was shy, she just hadn’t planned for an actual social encounter.

Nothing in her horoscope had suggested she’d make a new friend...but one never knew what surprises were in store when the universe got its panties in a bunch. Besides, who knew if her horoscope was even accurate anymore because she wasn’t the right age anymore.

He didn’t take the money though, and that made Quin frown...scowl really. He wanted her to donate it to the Sanctuary...she’d heard of that place through the grapevine at Haven. It was a homeless shelter of sorts, mutant exclusive, and the kind of place that Quin probably would have ended up if she hadn’t had her previous work connections at Haven.

Still.

”Not to put too fine a point on it...but that’s your money now. If you think Sanctuary would be a good place for it, then you’re welcome to donate it.” she had class soon, thank you very much, and not the time to find a donation box.

As for the rest.

”I mean...it might have come across less like a knight in a shining armor complex.” she said, then smiled a bit to soften the potential sting of her words and took a sip of coffee, ”From what I understand, girls these days don’t need a man to rescue them...though the help really was appreciated.”

”I’m Quin.”

Erik managed to keep from rolling his eyes.. barely. Plucking the money from her grasp rather disdainfully and unceremoniously shoving it into a pocket. Then shot her a look that spoke volumes to how amusing he found it which was precisely 0 out of 10. "I will." Not that he didn't regularly donate money to the place.

Ah his psychology book could explain that one. Though he found it weird there was a complex about helping people. As if civilization itself wasn't built on mutual cooperation or something. "Your welcome, though gender really didn't play much of a part in my decision. People should help each other out is all." Shrugging and looking a bit uncomfortable as the subject keep getting brought up. So he trudged on to hopefully bury it six feet under.

"Erik. Nice to meet you Quin. New to smartphones? Only had one a few years myself." Thankfully few could mean two otherwise he would have had to found some other roundabout way of trying not to raise the hackles of his impromptu companion. Picking up one of the many danishes he had stacked on a plate and eating it in a methodical pleased manner.