Today was not the shifters day. He woke up outside in a burrow again, same one he hollowed out a few months ago under one of the trees on the mansion grounds. At least he was smart enough to store some extra clothes there along with whatever his Gryphon form deemed worthy to keep. Mostly it was a bunch of gems and various other shiny things he found in the city.

While normally Carrick didn’t advertise he had a hoard on the property it was getting ridiculous with his need to sleep during a shift. He blamed Hyiori for that. He almost forgotten how great it was to sleep outside. The shifter only had an issue with it when he turned back into his human form... in the winter.

His phone was there, he checked it and swore grabbing a pair of beat up jeans with holes in them one intended for his tail but everything else was from years of wear and tear that he somehow managed within in the two months of owning them. Carrick rummaged through some silk clothing that he didn’t own and then settled on a t-shirt that was one size too big but made it easier to get his wings into the makeshift holes.

He was four hours late for Biology... again. How long was he asleep for in his human form before he noticed? Carrick stubbed his toe on a large rounded rock as he went for his phone. The ground outside was cold and wet in that weird limbo between melted and freezing again. He hopped twice due to the stubbed toe and opened his wings and took off back to the mansion.

The front door was locked. It was never locked. He knocked on the door but there was no answer. ”Fer **** sakes!” he grumbled and flew to the kitchen doors doing his best to land on a somewhat dry spot before practically running through the doors. Hopping a few times once he was in he shook his whole body trying to get rid of the cold.

”Sure, sleep outside big guy not like we got nice warm beds inside to sleep in fer a little nap, big Eejit.” he said his tail already getting to work thrashing behind him trying to get warm as the shifter ran through a list of curses words from every language he picked up over the years. Half of them he wasn’t even sure what language they came from.

She looked up from her meal of fish and rice as someone stumbled through the back doors. Pink eyebrow arching oddly at the torrent of what she had to guess were curses given the expectorant and emphatic way they were used. The horrible pronunciation of one Japanese one sealed the deal and hoped the fellow mutants language abilities were much better in English. At the moment she was doubtful.

Not wanting to waste her food she took a bite and waited for the excitable man to calm down. "Rough day? Sleeping inside is usually a better idea then sleeping outside." Noting the wings and almost elven appearance of Carrick. An interesting combination of physical features. She was thankful in human form she just had strange colored hair and eyes. Wings would be an awful impediment to her martial arts studies. Silently she gesture to some grilled fish with rice and sauce as he progressed further in. Hating the New York cold was one thing she could whole heartedly agree with.

After some intense hoping around he could feel his toes again, unfortunately that meant he could also feel the toe he stubbed earlier. The shifter’s mismatched colored eyes fixed on the toe then to the voice of the woman behind him sitting and eating while he was busy putting on a show. How long was she there? Was he just that oblivious to the world around him? Shifts had a tendency to put blinders on everything after he woke up in a strange place having no idea how he got there.

>>>"Rough day? Sleeping inside is usually a better idea then sleeping outside."

He overreacted and hopped back it was part of his character ”You have pink hair!” he said fighting the urge to point. ”Sorry, I thought we’re just stating the obvious today.” he smirked and looked down at himself in his ratted jeans, bare feet and dirt over his person. ”I mean, I woke up... that’s a start right?“ he said confidently until he looked around then decided to pinch himself for good measure. Usually his dreams involved the Princess more in some capacity and less... he sniffed the air, fish... usually in involved no fish.

”I even have a bed inside. Yet fer some reason, a dirt nap sounded more comfortable.” he sighed and shrugged his shoulders. His other forms all had their own thing and he found it was easier to let them do what they wanted. It made the voices less, noticeable. His sniffed the air again and progressed further into the kitchen.

Walking past the pink haired girl he looked at the food his stomach growled, ”What’s fer... breakfast?” he asked knowing it was well past that time of day.

The warm up dance was mildly amusing and maybe a bit depressing. Her reaction to his much belated discovery and dazzling observational skills as he noticed her  and more specifically her hair was a simple narrowing of her eyes and a much repressed sigh. So he was one of those types huh? It was going to be a long day.. Looking Carrick over she had to wonder if he was some new arrival. Desperate, poor and having nowhere else to go. Would it be rude to call security and have them sort out the intruder? With wings it would be a simple matter of flying over the fence. She made a bit of a face at his blatant dirtiness and more so as he started tracking it into the kitchen further. "A start most people make hours past already." She felt inclined to point out for no reason in particular.

"You are a resident?" her voice hiding none of the doubt she felt to that proclamation. "Lunch for most of us. Fish and rice, no you can't have any. Feel free to make yourself something. I am sure even if you don't live here the residents won't mind you getting a meal for yourself." 

Her own posture changing somewhat to protect her own food as she continued to eat with her chopsticks, amethyst eyes never leaving him in case he tried to swipe some. Did chopsticks always look that sharp? Yeah he wasn't about to take her food without one heck of a fight.

Most, he wasn’t like most. The shifter didn’t like being grouped in with the most. Most was... well boring. The shifter stifled a yawn and scratched the back of his head now that he was a bit warmer. Most people don’t work at night. ”Most people don’t have to work the night shift fer a living either.” he smirked and flicked his tail walking over to the fridge.

”I am.” he said as if it was obvious he did just walk in like he owned the place. He didn’t but his Gryphon form found it that way some times. The skies above the mansion were his hunting grounds. Not like he has much competition. Carrick didn’t ask her, she was at least a student here. She seemed to be around his age. ”Been here fer... **** going on six years now?” he asked to himself then shook his head, ”Man, I’m ancient now.” he whistled and then opened the fridge doors to see if any one had anything already made.

”Good, sounds like a... balanced meal. Too balanced fer me.” he said at first to the fish being offered. He normally didn’t care for fish. He had a lot growing up and in his opinion it couldn’t beat a lot of the other meats. ”I only eat anchovies on pizza.” his head disappeared into the fridge while his tail flicked behind him like he was hunting for something.


”Thanks! Yer really hospitable with everyone elses food!” he said oozing the compliment with sarcasm. He found his target like so many times before and pulled out a bag of steak. The good ones. On it read a note, ”Sam’s don’t touch. I know you can read Carrick.””

”Well look at that the Iceman is such a sweetheart. Already wrote my name on it.” he pulled the bag from the fridge and tossed it on the counter while he started to rummage for a pan to cook it in.

”Yer new?” he asked spritzing some oil into the pan he found.