The shifter breathed into his hands as he drifted above the grounds of the school, it was cold. No snow yet but there was rumor that it would be starting soon as long as the school’s winter mascot didn’t plan to make another ‘training field’ on the grounds. It was earlier in the day before noon, the sun just started to warm everything up. His wings had a soft glow from the sunlight as he turned around towards the school classrooms. Somewhere he should have been already but the thoughts of the holidays have been distracting him.

What do you get someone that could buy anything?

The Princess was frustrating, she didn’t get most of his jokes, she was direct and brutally honest, and the amount of the times she rolled her eyes at him? She was great! With the holidays getting closer he wanted to make sure he had a gift ready to go! Something that she didn’t even know she wanted.

Carrick offered guitar lessons in the past, which she scoffed at. Offered to fly her anywhere in the city, which she pointed out she could already get him to do that. He even wrote a song for her. Could he write another? Sure, but he felt she needed something more... tangible, something she could hold in her hands. Remind her of him when he wasn't around. Which was why he was flapping his wings above some hedges looking into the classroom.

The thief waited a moment checking to see if one of the teachers were in there. There wasn’t but the classroom was full. He didn’t see the princess which was good, this would have raised too many questions. He did however see his second favorite Atlantean and fellow Gorgon. ”Praxi!” Carrick shouted to the window pressing his face against it. Puffing up his cheeks and placing them on the window he got some reaction from the rest of the class. His adoring fans.

Wings flapping behind him he called out again, ”Whatcha doing, love?”

The weather was getting cold. Years after leaving Atlantis, Praxi was still learning to deal with cold weather. She learned about "standard" human anatomy in her science lessons, and skin was an important human organ because it protected the rest of the body from the outside world and mitigated temperatures. Without skin, it made sense that Praxi's body got sluggish and stiff in the winter. Fortunately for her, her training to hold her form was paying off and she could wear some items of clothes now.

Praxi did not "need" to be in Mansion lessons, but she was taking classes to catch up on her understanding of the world. School was not a thing for a gorgon in the Atlantean slums, so learning more about History, Science, and Math helped catch her up with her peers. Most of her lessons were one-on-one or assignment-based, but she was learning to enjoy sitting in on classes, even if the classmates were a year or two younger than her. She was committed to being an X-Man, and part of that meant acting like the adult she now was.

Sitting in on an Algebra class, covering most of her form in a warm hoodie with hydrophobic interior lining, she was doing just that when she heard her name muffled by a window.

Praxi's eyespots widened, surprised by Carrick and his attention-grabbing entrance. It was very him. It was brash, presumptuous, yet oddly charming. Gliding out of her seat to the window, she shrugged. "Carrick. I'm in a classroom. So I'm probably sitting in on a class soon. Love." Praxi smiled, because his smile really was contagious.

As usual the shifter could never tell if Praxi was messing with him. The answer she had given was an obvious one. Must be that Atlantean sense of humor the Princess was always going about. ”So yer not doing anything important! Perfect! Love the hoodie by the way! It’s suits ya!” he shouted through the glass giving her a thumbs up.

”How ya tasting today darling?” he joked hearing a few giggles and chuckles from some of the kids behind her in the classroom. Whatever class it was it didn’t seem that interesting the way everyone was looking at him. Fans, what are you gonna do?

”Fancy a fly? Might need a favor from ya like...” the shifter looked down at his wrist that didn’t have a watch, ”Five minutes ago!” he over acted being shocked, some would say he never turned off his ‘acting’. A point of pride in his mismatched colored eyes.

”Wanna play hooky with me? I got some errands to run and I’d love to get opinion from one of me favorite gal pals. Watta ya say? A favor fer yer ol’pal Carrick?” the shifter grinned flashing his sharpened canines in the smile.

Praxi did not give much thought to the differences between men and women. As she matured, she just saw people as people, with their own strengths and flaws and appealing traits. Not all men were scary and not all women were stuck up, not all women were lovely and not all men were noble. People, not genders, came in types.

That said, Carrick was still the kind of man with a dangerously easy charm that concerned Praxi. Maybe that was how he talked his way into whatever he and Amethyst had going on, because she could feel herself swirling at how nonchalantly he complimented her new look. The swirling became bubbling when he asked about her taste in front of a class of her juniors. "You know, Miss Grey's been helping me with new vocabulary. I'm pretty sure she had you in mind when she taught me 'cad.'" Synonyms: scoundrel, rascal, trickster.

And like all of the above, he grinned, dramatized, and pressed on with an invitation to ditch her class. It was very Carrick, and because of that, it was hard to get upset about it. Which is what made men (or people) like him dangerous.

"You know you can't just fly around and whisk me away, ignoring what I've got going on, Carrick. It's rude. It's presumptuous." She really was getting her (or the school's) money's worth out of those vocab lessons. "You're incorrigible."

Praxi looked back into the class, with the teacher still running late, and stalled when she realized the class was looking at her expectantly. Gods be damned, he had made her a spectacle. The students would probably be making hushed jokes all through the class now anyway. Praxi sighed. To his credit, it did sound like Carrick had an actual plan he wanted her for, rather than some fly-about on a whim.

Drooping in resignation, she slid closer to the window. She was not good at emoting, so her glare was more of a green-dot stare, but it was the best she had. "Fiiine. But just because it's a favor. And I'm really cool and nice."

”Inna that intresting.” the shifter mused chuckling, ”A ‘Scot’ teaching english.” he laughed, having used the joke several times before. Miss Grey didn’t find it as amusing as he did. ”Not to far off though love. Been called worse, I do think of meself as something of a rascal.” his wings continued to flap during the exchange garnering more attention from the other students in the class.

”Oh? Ya got something important going on?” the shifter asked pressing his face to the window looking around and making a show of it. There was no teacher so she was just sitting in a classroom. ”Aye, might be that too.” he nodded his head in agreement. The shifter was called far worse in his lifetime. ”Most people would jump at the chance ta go flying with me.” he said tempted to point to a random student to ask if they wanted to fly. Unfortunately he didn’t have time to prove he was right they were burning daylight.

”Sticks and stones darling.” he smirked before she agreed to join him.

”Couldn’t agree more!” he laughed. ”Coolest and the nicest!” continuing to flatter her so she’d be more willing to help hoping the favor in return wouldn’t be too drastic. He assumed it would just be flying her somewhere.

”Meet me out front, yer about ta get a Carrick’s eye view of the city. It’s yers and my lucky day!” he said over acting a wink before flapping and shooting straight up to circle back around to the front of the school. He didn’t want to be seen by any of the teachers. Technically he was supposed to be in the English class.

Carrick had some audacity giving grief to Mrs. Grey's accent when his was so similar. With English being her second language, all the weird regional dialects took time to get used to, particularly with Praxi's watered-down sense of hearing. It was just Carrick though; he always needed a quip. She was glad he knew he was a rascal because she would never peg as someone lacking self-awareness.

To give him credit, he knew how to play his cards right, agreeing with Praxi to butter her up. She was stubborn, but it was nice when people said nice things about her. Would she admit that? Never. But it did give her the swirls. "Fine, I'll be right down, showboat. Let me go put my stuff in my room first!" Gathering her custom-made school supplies into herself and ignoring the curious stares at the act, Praxi glided out of the classroom and toward the dormitory wing.

Arriving in front of the Mansion, Praxi still wore her hoodie, but she also had something sitting in what she associated as her tummy. As expected, the cocksure Irishman was waiting. "For the record, the others would 'jump' at the chance to fly with you because they're basically kids and don't know better," she taunted. "Still, you've got me. Where are we going? Also, I brought something."

Pulling a knapsack out of herself, she elastic-tossed it over to the griffin. "I can go in there mostly, so you're not dropping globs of me around New York. So yeah, spill; what do you need me for?"

Showboat wasn’t the worst name he could have been given in that moment so he just smirked and took off to the front of the mansion being careful to avoid the Sam the iceman as he leapt up and slide towards the city. It was a very inefficient way to cover ground. Couldn’t even compare it to flying.

Ignoring the ice slide still in existence he grabbed Himari’s backpack carrier he had when he was flying around the little black cat figuring while it wasn’t air tight he’d still be able to carry Praxi and her gelatinous form around the city without her getting smaller. What happened when she lost pieces of herself!?! Carrick started to imagine a tiny Praxi and chuckled at the thought. Adorable, that’s what she’d be.

When she arrived with the bag inside of her he looked at it then tossed the carrier/backpack off into the bushes. Not wanting her to think he overthought it because... that wouldn’t be cool and well Carrick had an image to maintain. It’s why he was able to garner the attention of a princess putting him in this situation to begin with.

”I know.” he said smirking. Everyone wanted to fly. Carrick only took those that were doing things for him flying. That or if he was close to them and there were only like... two people currently in the mansion he’d fly for free. ”Playing it cool.” he said smirking then thumbing behind him. ”n-Ice.” word play.

”So I’ll pretend yer not enjoying the flight then?” he asked curiously his tail flicking behind him as he gave her a toothy grin.

Lifting and studying the bag he stretched it a bit then out his teeth on it, mostly for a laugh but he was curious about it. ”A date,” Carrick said lifting the bag and looking under it, ”A ditch date. Ta be more exact,” he elaborated further, ”A ditch date ta go shopping fer holiday gifts.”

Last year Amethyst and him got closer around Christmas. They even kissed. His first one since Liz that he remembered. The shifter started to purr for a second thinking about his first kiss with the princess then he cleared his throat playing it off.

”Need a woman’s approval, an Atlantean one ta be more exact. Never know what ta get someone that has everything, or can buy anything. Never had that growing up so fer me it’s easy ta shop for. I’m but a simple Irishman. Ames on the other hand... mystery.” he said smirking trying not to make eye contact when he talked about her because he could feel his cheeks warm up. Against popular belief the shifter did in fact blush.

”So I figured I’d take ya out, buy ya lunch and you can give me yer opinion on stuff Atlantean women find interesting. I know yer from two different worlds but, it’s a bit closer to hers than mine.” they were born on the same... continent? Island? Maybe he shouldn’t have skipped geography.

”Can ya breath in this?” he finally asked opening the bag for her to get in.

Leaving the campus was still an event for Praxi, who was adjusting to being part of a human's world. It was very different from the relative comfort of the Mansion, though she was giving New York more leeway than she did Atlantis.

Going with Carrick would help Praxi feel safe. He had the kind of confidence that let him go wherever he wanted like he belonged there. Something about that grin. Praxi would love an ounce of that confidence.

"Exactly. Total not enjoying this. Purely curious." Curious about her date. Because he had to use that word and make her flutter and jiggle. Except it was a "date" to help him treat the princess. Of course.

She didn't know that Amethyst's life was like, but Carrick had a point; Praxi had more experience with Atlantean nobles than him, even if those experiences were bad.

"I can do my best, she finally decided, looking at the bag. Apparently he had thought ahead. "I can breathe. Well, my version of breathing. And I can fit in fine, but you... might need to carry my clothes. They take up space and I can only get so dense.

Praxi slipped out of the clothes she spent so much time putting on, reforming in her normal feminine form, just... sans clothes. "Okay, hold it open so I can..." Praxi reached her hand into the bag and the rest of her body quickly trailed up to follow until she was filling the bag to the brim, her eyespots moving to the opening. "Perfect!"

>>>"Exactly. Total not enjoying this. Purely curious."

”Well then, no scenic routes then!” he said confidently looking to the sky to gauge weather conditions. Cold was all he had to worry about well and freezing. Did Praxi freeze? Carrick wasn’t sure but he wondered if the plastic bag was enough.

”I’ll accept that! Me teachers don’t, at least not my best----" he flashed a wink in her direction with a toothy grin until he noticed she was now naked. Well at least not wearing any clothes. Was that considered naked? Yes, he believed that counted.

”Errrrmmm... right well....” he averted his mismatched colored eyes and reached for the bag helping to hold it open hoping the red in his cheeks faded soon. They didn’t. After he grabbed her clothes and bundled them up shoving them into his shirt so he had less to hold on their adventure. The bag was already questionable.

After tucking in his shirt he reached for the bag. ”If yer sure this is a suitable means of transport... Who am I to tell ya otherwise?” he said shrugging and hefting the bag. Which was surprisingly light given there was a Praxi in it. Why did he think she’d be heavy?

The color in his cheeks returned to normal as he raised one hand to his mouth to do one of his favorite impersonations of an airline pilot. ”Uggggghhhh.... Ladies n’ gorgons this is yer cap’n speaking please keep all hands feet and any other forms ya may want to take, inside the bag at all times. It’s ughhhhh.... little cold hopefully that means we will have clear skies.” Opening his wings he flapped once twice and then was in the air slowly rising from the ground.

”Only lost three passengers and I’d prefer not to make it a forth, gonna finish strong this year.” he made a mental note not to preform any aerial stunts until he knew what the bag was capable of. Last thing he wanted to do was try and catch her if the bag ripped.