Raine recognized that every time that she used her powers while unmasked, she risked outing her identity. But c'mon! There was no better way to traverse a city with THE worst traffic and trash and people and... the skies were just freaking pleasant by comparison.

She wasn't vigilanty-ing lately. Hadn't in a few weeks, in fact. And while her body was soaring through the air now, her heart had remained on cloud 9 since she'd knocked on Steph's front door. Today, she was tethering her way through the city in search of the most perfect Gyoza. She'd picked up a hint and guessed that Japanese pot stickers were one of Steph's favorite food. Now that she had a bit of free time, Raine aimed to zip between locations and grab a sampling platter to drop off for Steph as a surprise. Then they could make a direct comparison because they were going to eat them all in a row.

Raine was half looking at her phone as she fell toward a building when a flash of brown made her look up. Bird boy. The skies of New York weren't totally clear, but it was a pretty exclusive club of mutants that could fly. What had the Irish kid's name been?

"Hey! Cedric!"

Was he... dancing? Raine changed directions and managed a landing not too far from the winged lad. "Bird boy! How's it hanging?"

Carrick had heard once, ‘dance like no one was watching’ which was stupid because he preferred when people watched, he might have not been very good at freestyle dancing but he was trying to get better and what better way then dancing with yourself? Dancing with a blonde onlooker that couldn’t get his name right.

”Bird man!” he corrected. He was over eighteen so in his mind if he could be tried as an adult for crimes he would allegedly commit then he thought it was best everyone stopped calling him anything ‘boy’ in it. Flapping his wings a little he lifted himself and ‘airwalked’ over to the source of the voice.

”Hey Snow, flying high over ‘ere. Great night so far!” he smirked twirling an expensive looking cane that matched with the top hat and the expensive bottle of whiskey that sat off to the side. He might have found them recently and decided to do a little post dance celebration. He always wanted a top hat and now he didn’t need to by one.

Carrick’s feet touched down, ”Yerself? Come ta cheat at another race, love?” he asked adding his normal swagger to the question as he folded his arms. ”Been trying to come up with ways to beat ya.” he still wasn’t over it. First time he ever lost a race in the air with something that wasn’t a machine.

Ah. So he wasn't having a seizure. By his own admission, he was "flying high." That did explain the top hat and cane.

"I wasn't racing you in the first place!" She had to laugh at the man who was larger than life. Nothing he said or did was a half measure. Take a step? Swagger. Wear a hat? Top hat. In a way, she wished she could dare to live that unfettered.

"I saw you and thought you might be having a fit or something. I came to render first aid." She teased. "Are you trying out for Broadway or something? Rockettes? Pretty sure you have to have boobs to be a Rockette." Raine circled around him to get a good look at his get up and nearly tripped over a bottle of fine whiskey. An open bottle.

"Oh I know you're not drinking that, Mr. Man. You're," she gestured to him. Just... all of him. "I'mma have to see some ID."

So she admitted to cheating! She wasn’t racing in the first place! That was all he needed to hear to let his false victory go to his head and causing his tail to start dancing behind him. Now he didn’t have to try and out fall her. Yep, that was how he was planning on winning. First one to the ground, he’d of course use his wings to build up a little speed hoping he was more areodynamic.

”Nah, the city would know if I was having a fit.” he said meaning the different kind. He’d be doing a lot more roaring and swearing, that bottle would have also been broken. As much as he never would admit it he was his father’s son. Tail and all.

”Trying ta get better at dancing and it’s twenty-twenty one. About time they added a flying act to the Rockettes. They don’t even rock!” he said kicking his leg out trying his best to imitate the few times he ahd seen the dance. Plastered on smile and everything as she circled him. Why did everyone always circle him?

”Careful! That’s an expensive bottle and I haven’t finished enjoying it yet. Ya know the distillery was a few miles from me mums place?” he asked taking his top hat twirling it on his fingers then setting it back on his head.

Acting out he was being pulled over he looked out an imaginary window after struggling to roll it down,”Sorry officer was I Speedin’?” he said before asking, ”Carrick.” he said his name again when she gestured to him. Seriously, it wasn’t that hard between her and Zek he knew who was worse though. He was pretty sure Zek was actively trying to get his name wrong.

”Or is it because of me tail?” he looked back to the tail then to the bottle, ”Ah... because I’m different then the ‘other’ mutants I shouldn’t be drinking this fine bottle of whiskey?” he shook his head top hat and all pretending to be offended. ”I’d expect this kind of attitude from the Princess,” she was better now, ”Or some other Atlantians... but you? I’m not mad... just disappointed.”

Carrick took a few steps over to Raine and the bottle and scooped up the bottle. ”Well, if yer gonna be like that I can be on me way.” he said before tilting his new hat to her. He wasn’t leaving he just took a few steps away before taking a swig of the bottle then grinning.

"Are you... drunk?" Raine clipped out a laugh and tried to be serious, but he was a happy drunk, if he was in fact inebriated.

He was disappointed!? She automatically went into damage control mode, forgetting that he was the one in the wrong here. "I'm sorry, Carrick. It's not a name I've heard a lot and I work with kids. I get all the Abcde's of the world." He took a few steps away, like he might take flight...

"Ohhh no. No sir." Raine made a grab for that tail. "I don't care how old you are, you're not going to fly in that state with that bottle in your hand." She looked around, but, honestly, it was a roof. There wasn't exactly a lot going on.

"I'll teach you to dance." Raine offered in an attempt to sober him up. If he was dancing, he wouldn't be drinking. And if he was dancing, he sure as heck wasn't flying irresponsibly. "What's your pleasure? Hip hop? Ballroom?" She'd had a spread of classes, though most of what she knew was ballet-related.

Carrick wasn’t drunk, he had a few but he definitely wasn’t sober. His latest antics however were in his mind a good reason to celebrate. Not a lot of people can just stroll into a penthouse during a party like he did. He however didn’t say much right away letting Raine feel some sort of guilt. Words of a mother effected everyone no matter how old and the perfect distraction to take away from the fact that technically in America he was under the drinking age limit again.

”Why not? Not sober but not drunk. Care for a pull?” he turned and smirked to the faller, ”I’d have to be pretty blitzed not to be able to fly even then I got someone else to fly me home.” Carrick said shrugging which caused his wings to open a little while his tail did some dancing of it’s own to avoid the grab.

”Oh so yer a dancer then?” he asked surprised but happy at the revelation beats him having to go look for a dance instructor. Carrick flapped his wings a few times till he was airborne. He wasn’t going anywhere but he wanted to show off a few of his moves.

Starting with his winged version of the moonwalk. ”Now, I got some basics down but me being the crowd pleaser that I am figured it was time to add some more tools to me toolbox.” his feet moved on an invisible surface while his wings pulled him backwards with each flap. Not as impressive as the original but he thought the wings added a little flare.

Adding to the flare he flapped again and did a little backflip midair then landed. ”Now, I can jig and ballroom dance, but those aren’t really that impressive as crowd pleasers.” he said as he moved around putting the top hat on the bottle and pretending that it was his dance partner. He moved to what he remembered and counted, ”123 123 123.” then looked back at the free faller. ”Can ya make me hip?”

Not sober. Not drunk. Definitely not fit to fly. "No thank you." She declined the... what was that? It looked waaaay outside his price range. Not that Raine knew for sure what Carrick's price range was.

> ”Oh so yer a dancer then?”

"Not really since I was a kid," she joked. It was true, though. She hadn't participated in a dance class in years and what auditions had she had lately that included literally any form of dance? "I think it's one of those things you never can quit, though. Like riding a bike or something."

Raine clapped for the show. It was a free show, and worth every penny.

"You want hip hop? That's surprisingly structured, but not like ballroom." Raine slipped the bottle, which was now wearing the top hat, out of Carrick's hand and set it aside.

"It's gonna be rough to get down on this rooftop." She scuffed her foot along the rough texture, but shrugged. She'd offered. It was time to deliver. Raine thought of an appropriate track in her head and she could practically hear the music so it wasn't even embarrassing.

"Okay. You need energy. Bounce. You use your knees a lot to get that spring, y'know? First, just start with a step touch." She stepped and touched, back and forth, like half a waltz but way more elastic. The difference was really in the energy. "Don't keep stiff arms. In fact, don't let the bottom half of your arms drop below your elbows. Ok. Now you."

”Tried riding a bike once.” he shrugged, ”Harder to fly with wings.” he said with a smirk. ”Too much lift, sides.” he waved his tail at her, ”Got it stuck, once was enough fer me.” he said glad he could do it again if he every needed to. It was riding a bike.

The bottle was removed from his hand. Carrick was about to reach out for it in fear she was going to drop it but decided he could always snag another one by the end of the night. That was a indeed a party that would be going all night.

”Girl, I can get down anywhere.” he said tail flicking behind him. He smirked and was finally able to repeat something he heard once from his time in the circus. ”Every day is a boogie. Just trying to get down.” he said sticking out his tongue as he ‘bounced’ trying to study her movements.

”Step n’ touch!” he repeated as he took a step and touched mirroring her movements but throwing a little extra sway in it. Wings and tail already involved having no problem adding to what he was learning making sure he didn’t look stiff while doing it. ”Keep ‘em high!” he said raising his hands above his elbows. Carrick rolled his shoulders with each step.

”Look I’m hip!” he said bragging tongue still out while he boounced.

She said energy and Carrick more than delivered. Raine barked a laugh, now totally derailed from her original plans for the evening. "Do you actually have no shame? Or am I talking to a man with a complete lack of inhibitions?" It was more than booze, booze couldn't make anyone give it their all like Carrick was.

It wasn't that he was bad it was just... he was SO over the top.

"Alright, alright, alright. You got it. Now let's hop'n'head. This is not an all-the-time one the step touch, but you need something to throw in and break it up every once in a while, right? So, feet together. Hop. Then you're givin' your bro over there the 'sup. Or a chick or whatever. Like WHAT?" She hopped and flicked her head to look at him over her shoulder, skepticism all over her face. "You talking sh*#?"

She moved into a speedy kick ball change and then back to the step and touch, snapping her fingers in the air between them.

"Alright lessee it!"

The shifter gave a little nod when she started laughing, ”Yes?” he answered shrugging shoulders mid step not giving her the whole truth. ”Used to. Then I used to be only human to.” he said looking back and watching his tail making sure it looked right with the rest of his dancing. ”I’ve ripped enough pants in me life not to worry too much about it. Most people are gonna gawk at the Irishman whose got wings and a tail. Figure I’d at least give ‘em a show! Just ideally I don’t rip the pants.”

”Hop’nhead?” he said looking back to her quickly eyeing the steps his body still keeping pace but his movement rocking a bit while he studied. He raised his eyebrow, wondering if he could do something with his wings if he was supposed to break it up a bit.

His tail flicked behind him, ”Feet together, hop, bro/chick/whatever, what, ****” he said counting the steps. Then responded with a little wave of his hand, ”Me? Never, was taught ta flush.” leaning back and then jumping his wings opened slightly and then snapped them back in mirroring his feet as he hopped.

He grinned rocking his shoulders a little more gave a nod to Raine, ”Like what?” he smirked then mocked a version of the face she just gave him. He attempted the change she did a second before but it was thrown off from one of his wings trying to keep pace. Carrick dragged a foot in response trying to compensate for his wing slowing him. He laughed keeping his hands above his elbows he was learning and he was having fun.

”Step n’ touch!” he announced going back into the dance. ”Didn’t know I was learning from a pro, fer how long? What night! Hit a party got some handouts, then I actually learn something I can use in the real world!” he said snapping his fingers rocking back and forth. There was no shame on the dance floor.

”Help yerself, to the booze. Been wanting a top hat since before the wings, so it’s spoken for.”

Alright then. Zero inhibitions it was. Some people were just like that.

"I was taught to flush." She whooped at his spin. Really, it was all very simple steps and they were just two weirdos on a rooftop having a jam. But the song in her head was a bop and Carrick was turning out to be a quick learner, even with the wings and tail as extras to potentially trip him up.

"Again, I'll pass on the boozcohol. Thanks, though." She changed the step and tap up by going forward, then back, to the side, then the opposite way. Would this small wrench in the practice finally be the thing to defeat him? Raine was building him up bit by bit.

"I'm no pro," she laughed. "A pro would have tied you up in knots by now. Nah, I just did a bunch of dance as a kid, y'know? Like extracurriculars?"

Raine dropped the hip hop and changed her demeanor as she swapped to tap dancing. It was atrocious on the gravelly rooftop with sneakers, but she tried to sell it with jazz hands and a hick kick all the same. "I coulda been a Rockette!" Then she'd be the one with the top hat.

"What about you? Hitting parties? Getting "party favors"?" She felt like a big sister, suddenly. "Surely somebody taught you not to do that?"

”Fine, more fer me then. Not often ya find a bottle of that caliber.” Carrick snapped and kept stepping his tail swaying behind him. If he was enjoying himself any more he’d be purring. He didn’t want to explain that one to his new teacher. Some people found it awkward. His mismatched eyes focused on her footwork first waiting to see the pattern she went forward, back and then side to side.

Carrick gave her a toothy grin, ”Ya teaching me the hustle?” he had heard about it but never seen it before it belonged in the age of the disco. He only knew the stories his mom used to tell him about when she was a young woman attending weddings. That was how she met his father. His father.... Carrick’s nose wrinkled and he did a spin and walked moonwalked over to the booze and scooped it up in a few steps trying to make it look like he was doing the robot.

He held up a finger like he needed a break for a second and took a swig then set the bottle back down and then got back into the dancing. She was no pro. Which was fine he wasn’t willing to pay for a pro. The shifter was cheap. ”Step n’ touch as extracurriculars?” he whistled and then did the dance steps forward back and then when he went from side to side he almost tripped himself up. He hopped trying to cover it up and attempted again.

”Lucky you, me Mother only had me learn the jig. Before I got inta singing and flying. Step n’ touch is a bit more useful than Irish Step dancing. Not even in Ireland anymore.” he smirked then threw his head back when his footwork didn’t help him go from side to side. Then decided to show off his fancy foot work with a little stepping from his homeland.

”Whataya mean couda?” he asked with a chuckle. ”Ya can be the one ta get them to add some new steps in instead of...” he started kicking his legs out like what he saw in the movies. He didn’t do it well but that was fine. He didn’t want to be a Rockette. ”Ya can get me tickets and I can point and go, I know her!”

The shifter stuck his tongue out again as he went back into the forward, back, side to side. A little slower making sure his footwork wasn’t tripping up. His tail moved faster than the rest of him. ”What? Ta hit parties? Or accept freebies fer showing?” he asked with a toothy grin.

”The guy said I was great fer bringing all the ladies and should take a ‘roadie’.” he threw up air quotes mid step. ”I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.” he said with a grin. ”Ya want ta go to a party? Pretty sure it’s still going on. The guy was a bit too far inta it. Was throwing money around like it was nothing. I’m sure he had a great personality and would be a terrific friend.” he chuckled when he got the steps right.

She stopped dancing at the mention of 'taking a roadie.' "That's so gross. I'm tempted to say 'yeah. take me to that party' just so I can punch the face that said that. Yuck." The idea clung to her brain like a fatty film on the top of a soup.

Plus. If they were throwing around money... Raine was not exactly comfortable with her current cost of living. A few extra bucks could make a big difference...

"Actually, I'd better not go." Wanting free stuff from people plus wanting to punch them uuuuuusually did not work out for all parties involved. "Besides, Rockettes don't go punching faces. I got a future reputation to uphold." Or something.

”Won’t stop ya, sure someone will do it by the end of the night.” he did a little turn adlibbing his steps then went back into it. ”If ya feel like hitting someone I can attest he had a punchable face.” the shifter gave a thumbs up before stopping the dance moves.

”Sides, I can always grab another ‘Roadie’” he used the air quotes and sauntered over to the bottle that he was sipping from. ”Can’t go stag to a party like that.” he unscrewed the top and took a little sip and put the top back on.

”I mean, I could sneak in the back door, but I’d get kicked out fer sure at that point, no punching and no freebies.” he said picking up the top hat and made a show of dusting it off. There was a cane there. He was sure of it.

”Might get ta punch someone then, who knows.” he grinned. More than likely he’d get punched in the face at that point. He twirled the hat on his finger. ”Got something more fun ta do?” he asked grinning curiously tossing the hat up into the air so he could attempt to catch it on his head.