Neena returned to her nighttime roof-climbing after seeing Ghost to her room, with renewed purpose. That tree had gotten the best of her the first time, but now that she had a gauge for it's distance, she wondered if she could jump from it to the roof.....

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The next morning found the tired teacher sleeping on the edge of the Mansion roof. She had worn herself out going back and forth, and decided she didn't feel like climbing down to the ground again.

"GET OFF ME YOU PERVERT!"

Neena snorted; the scream was loud enough to wake her. Considering the majority of the school was made of young kids, the content warranted investigation. She rolled over, and blinked one eye. Her xray slowly peeled back the layers of walls, cielings and floors to find the scream's origin. She snorted again as she finally spotted Ghost, with two young men in her room. She recognized both Nathan and Torqueos, and noticed the latter's lack of covering. On the surface things appeared calm enough now, but....

She yawned, her vision reverting back to normal, then rolled the opposite way to the edge of the roof againg. She decided to take the quick way down this time, with the help of a rope one of the boys kept tied to the rooftop.

She really needed to talk to the boys about leaving their trash up here.....

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Not long after, she arrived at Ghost's room. By that time Torqueos had at least partial covering, and things appeared normal. She caught just the end of Ghost's statement.

We are new here. It's nice to meet you, Seraph."

She knocked on the wall to announce her arrival. She still wore the black bodysuit, but her eyes were hidden behind special sunglasses this time. The same smile from the night before graced her lips.

"G'morning. Didn't expect you to be up so early." She waved at Torqueos. "Welcome back. Hiya Nathan," she addressed Seraph.

"I just popped in to see if y'all needed anything." She waited long enough for them to answer, before asking if anyone was hungry.

She noticed the shade of pink in Ghost's cheeks, but made no comment. Embarrassment was still a foreign concept to the older woman.

Nathan knew when there was something being unsaid. The first clue was the man's story. It was beyond him how he could expect Nathan to believe that. The second was the stressed "We" that Ghost had used. Well, if they didn't want mention it then that was their choice and Nathan wouldn't press them.

"I'm sorry about coming into your room like that. I heard you crying and then I saw you sleeping on the window sill. I just wanted to lay you on the bed so that you could get a more comfortable sleep."

He politely shook the Ghost's hand. The a knock came from the door and it opened to reveal Neena. "Hello Neena. No, I'm fine. Thank you though. I was just on my way back to my room."

His gaze still stayed on the man even when Neena entered. He listened to her and shook his head as he just stood there. He hadn't eaten but a bite since he met Ghost and hadn't slept at all. IF it wouldn't have been for his stomache growling loudly at the thought of food he would have turned her down anyway. He had to eat after he split. Slowly he licked his lips before speaking.

"Im famished. Unfortunately though all the money I had on me is now in a shreded pair of pants down the road someplace. Unless you have a chore of some kind for me to do I will have to decline on the food."

His voice was some what pleasant for the first time while talking to the woman. His gaze slowly moved from the man to Neena, "And to answer a previous question. No. I can not fly. I wouldn't say they don't work though. They come in pretty handy when I need to preotect my body or cover myself. They work perfectly fine. I can not fly though, as far as I can figure, because even though I have wings my bones are just like a normal persons. I am to heavy for my wings to lift."

Then his gaze shifted back to Ghost. He looked from her to the ground. Then it went back to her, "I'm sorry for leaving. I might vanish now and again but I will return until you send me away. Vos captus meus pectus pectoris. Ego mos non licentia vos"

"G'morning. Didn't expect you to be up so early." Honestly, Ghost hadn't planned to be up this early either. Her life had taken an unexpectedly interesting turn ever since she returned to the states. A little too interesting.

Nathan seemed to want to bow out as soon as he could. She didn't blame the guy - he was just trying to help and she had beat at him and then Otieno wouldn't stop... being Otieno. Maybe that was a good thing. She mouthed 'sorry' to Seraph one more time.

She raised her hand at Neena's question. "I'm hungry!" She would also have loved a shower. She may have eaten while they were out, but Otieno had now changed clothes twice and showered once. She was stuck in stinky, dirty, sweaty two day old clothes. She wanted a shower most, but she didn't have any clothes to change into. She wasn't about to run around naked until she got some like Otieno had, either.

"Im famished ...Unless you have a chore of some kind for me to do I will have to decline on the food." She turned to Otieno again. Man was he ever stuck on the man pride thing. She rummaged around in her pocket while he explained his wing situation to Neena. Finally she was able to fish out the two crumpled bills. She handed him the wrinkliest one and shoved the other back in her pocket. "Now you have a dollar. Let's go eat."

He looked between herself and the floor several times, "I'm sorry for leaving. I might vanish now and again but I will return until you send me away." She smiled an 'I know' smile at him. "Vos captus meus pectus pectoris. Ego mos non licentia vos" The words sounded almost understandable, but not understandable enough.

She shook her head and offered her hand to him. "Demo ne. Sore wa Amerika desu na. Karera wa eigo o hanasu ne... so we should be speaking English around those who may not understand something different." She stifled a yawn just so she could stick her tongue out at him. Two could play the language game.

Having said his part Nathan made his way to leave. Before he walked out he caught the mouthed "sorry" from Ghost. He just nodded his head, thinking of what he could of done differently.

On the way walking back to his room he remembered that he had a date with Raven Fire on Friday. His exuberence returned. He hummed and somewhat sang softly "I've got a date Friday" until he reached his room.

His last thought before he fell asleep was. "Crap! What am I gonna wear?!"

He looked at her with a cocked head while she spoke in some foreign language. A frown crossed his lips as he listened to the strange language. He held onto the dollar only for a minute. He took her hand when she offered it and used it to pull her close to him. He stared into her eyes with a slight smile as he slipped the dollar back into her pocket.

"I haven't earned that. You keep what little you have. I will just have to go back and look for the tattered clothing while you take a shower later. On my way back I will stop somewhere and get you something to wear since you have nothing clean. I will try to make it fast but just incase you might want to take a long shower, and don't argue with me. I'll just do it anyway. And if you argue I'll make sure i pick out something hideous for you to wear."

He let his smile stay for a moment. He loved this. He felt like himself again. Nothing changing his mood so quickly or slipping words out of his mouth. He honestly wondered how long it would last or if he could make it permenant.

His gaze shifted to Neena once more, "actually if you dont mind... if youd loan her some clothes... I would more then appreciate it if you would come with me to help find her something to wear. I don't have the taste of a girl. I might pick something... she wouldn't like. And no she can't come. I want what we get her to be a suprise... besides I have to make another stop while we are getting things for her."

"Hello Neena. No, I'm fine. Thank you though. I was just on my way back to my room."

"'kay, I'll see ya later then." She made a 'thumb's up' motion as he headed back down the hall.

"I'm hungry!"

"I'm famished. Unfortunately though all the money I had on me is now in a shreded pair of pants down the road someplace. Unless you have a chore of some kind for me to do I will have to decline on the food."

"Now you have a dollar. Let's go eat."

Neena opened her mouth to say something, but Torqueos started on a different subject, so she closed it and let him talk.

"And to answer a previous question. No. I can not fly. I wouldn't say they don't work though. They come in pretty handy when I need to preotect my body or cover myself. They work perfectly fine. I can not fly though, as far as I can figure, because even though I have wings my bones are just like a normal persons. I am to heavy for my wings to lift."

"Bummer," she remarked, a tad glumly. "I'd love to be able to fly.... Ah well."

"I'm sorry for leaving." That was spoken to Ghost, so Neena remained quiet. "I might vanish now and again but I will return until you send me away. Vos captus meus pectus pectoris. Ego mos non licentia vos."

"Demo ne. Sore wa Amerika desu na. Karera wa eigo o hanasu ne... so we should be speaking English around those who may not understand something different."

Neena grinned, and one eyebrow raised over the top of the glasses. "Hakuna matata, mwenzangu. If I feel I need to know, I'll ask. And please do the same for me. Though..... now that I think about it.... I very rarely language hop myself in a good situation." She considered that revelation for a moment, while the two of them discussed clothes and a shower.

"actually if you dont mind..."

"Hmm? Say what?" Neena glanced back up, tuning back into the conversation.

"if youd loan her some clothes... I would more then appreciate it if you would come with me to help find her something to wear. I don't have the taste of a girl. I might pick something... she wouldn't like. And no she can't come. I want what we get her to be a suprise... besides I have to make another stop while we are getting things for her."

Neena removed her glasses for a moment, and walked over to and around Ghost, to assess her frame and current clothing. "I think we can find something decent. Any colors in particular you don't like?"

Her curiosity was piqued a bit by his last statement, and she was dying to find out more about him, simply because of his oscillating attitude. One moment he was defensive, the next pleasant, then a tad broody the next. Fascinating....

"Oh!" She looked up at both of them. "And help yourselves to the fridge. Don't worry about money. We're a school, not a hotel. Speaking of which, we'll probably need to move you both to the center hallway if you're going to stay together. The rooms are bigger and more private there."

She continued on, seemingly unaware of what possible reaction she may have just put into motion.

"If you feel you need to earn your food, you're welcome to pitch with the rebuilding wherever it's needed." She winked at the pair. "Just keep an eye on the younger teens. This place has been Prank Central since the paint arrived...." She rolled her eyes expressively, and turned toward the door.

Ghost grinned at the multilingual-ness of the room. She liked Neena more and more every time she opened her mouth.

"I think we can find something decent. Any colors in particular you don't like?"

Ghost thought about it for half a second. "See-through? Yeah -- see-through doesn't really match my complexion." She wasn't picky about colors, but Neena did look much taller than she was. She wondered more about what would be picked for her... and why Otieno wanted to pick her clothes.

Actually, Ghost was surprised by Otieno's behavior. He seemed so... clear.

"Oh! ...and help yourselves to the fridge. Don't worry about money. We're a school, not a hotel. Speaking of which, we'll probably need to move you both to the center hallway if you're going to stay together. The rooms are bigger and more private there."

If she could have found a rock to hide under she would have been there. She nearly shifted to a less corporeal state just to keep herself from blushing, but that hardly seemed fair.

"We - I... I mean... you don't..." Neena was talking to Otieno about helping with the construction efforts and Ghost was left mumbling and scratching her head. She loathed being alone. She wanted to watch over Otieno. He- he liked her and she... she owed him a date. Did that mean that they were those people? those people who live together and ... and liked... and ... and lived together?

"We just met." She blurted.

He listened to them both and waited until he could speak without running over someone else. He looked Ghost up and down playfully with a slight smile on his lips.

"Ah I think you'd look good in see through. Though it might not leave much to the imagination. So I don't know. Might wanna leave something until the fourth or twentieth date."

He kept smiling and shook his head as he looked at Neena, "And she is right. We just met though we've been through a decent amount together already. I wouldn't want to make her uncomfortable so we really should have our own rooms."

Not to mention he was afraid to share a room with her. Not because the male female thing but more because he was afraid he might lose control and try and hurt her.

"I wouldn't mind a room close to hers though. Not to close mind you... down the hall... with plenty of rooms between the two. Close enough to hear if she needs something but far enough there are plenty of others that could also hear."

He looked from on to the other and then back to Neena, "Oh and on a different note. If you ever see me looking strange... with both my wings dark... and I seem to be heading towards Ghosts room... do us both a huge favor and beat the shit out of me. Don't worry about hurting me. I won't feel it later... But if your gonna break any bones make sure its on the right side... Don't worry if you see me with white wings. I promise I'll play nice. Oh and the construction Ill be happy to help with to earn my keep..."

"See-through? Yeah -- see-through doesn't really match my complexion."

"Ah I think you'd look good in see through. Though it might not leave much to the imagination. So I don't know. Might wanna leave something until the fourth or twentieth date."

"Meh," Neena remarked absent-mindedly. "All looks the same after awhile...." Ghost was three, maybe four inches shorter than her, and much daintier. It shouldn't be too hard to fit her, though Neena wasn't sure if the girl would agree with her taste.

"We just met."

"Hmm?" Neena blinked.

"And she is right. We just met though we've been through a decent amount together already. I wouldn't want to make her uncomfortable so we really should have our own rooms. I wouldn't mind a room close to hers though. Not to close mind you... down the hall... with plenty of rooms between the two. Close enough to hear if she needs something but far enough there are plenty of others that could also hear."

Neena nodded. "Sure, that's fine. Though the boy's hallway is back the other way, on the other side of the Mansion. I'll see what I can do, but no promises. Although, with that set of lungs, I wouldn't worry too much." A small smile played on her mouth.

"Oh and on a different note. If you ever see me looking strange... with both my wings dark... and I seem to be heading towards Ghosts room... do us both a huge favor and beat the s**t out of me. Don't worry about hurting me. I won't feel it later... But if your gonna break any bones make sure its on the right side... Don't worry if you see me with white wings. I promise I'll play nice. Oh and the construction Ill be happy to help with to earn my keep..."

Neena straightened up, and lifted her glasses to look at Torqueos directly.

"Both dark, or both white?" Color changing wings, changing attitudes, and not feeling a broken bone later? Neena picked up a load of information in that little speech. There was definitely some form of identity issues going on with this young man; from the sound of it, some possibly dangerous issues.

Aloud she simply said, "Got it. Bathroom's there," she pointed toward the appropriate door for Ghost, then turned to Torqueos. "Shall we go?"

"Two black wings equal bad, two white equals good. He's color coded for our convenience." She commented to Neena as she slipped into the bathroom. She shut the door behind her, but shouted past the wood.

"I expect some clothes to be out there when I come back!" It was true. She had a good, strong set of lungs.

She turned from the door to the bathroom and she was surprised. It wasn't bad, but for some reason it wasn't what she had been expecting. No furo, heated toilet seats, or detachable shower heads. She wasn't in Japan anymore. It wasn't so much the fact that she missed the things... it was the fact that it wasn't home. That really hit hard. Her physical home still existed out there somewhere, but it would never be the same for many reasons.

She started feeling homesick for a place that would never exist again. Stupid bathroom.

She peeled off the layers of cloth and flipped on the shower water. Maya wrinkled her nose at the flat-soled tennis shoes she had been given. They were really stinky so she set them by the door before she stepped into the shower. She felt cold... or.. empty or something. Maybe she was just hungry.

It had been all action so far - was this really the pace of life for a mutant? She ran her hands through her damp hair repeatedly, combing the tangles from the short, wavy ends. She touched a tongue yesterday. A dead tongue. Like someone used to own that tongue. She made herself breathe slowly and evenly. What if that person was still alive? Was that wishful thinking or just a cruel, morbid sense of hope?

She turned up the heat until it left her skin slightly pink and the steam was so thick in the air that she couldn't see through the glass shower door. First degree burns were better than thinking. Nothing else seemed to be able to wash the streets from her skin.

It was stupid, but she was glad that Otieno had insisted on separate rooms.

"Yes I am color coded just for your inconvience." He laughed lightly and shook his head and then looked back to Neena and nodded his head.

"Yes lets be off. We do need to make a stop before we go get clothes for her and then after we get some. Though it will need to be quick. Actually... Im a strong runner. If you have a vehicle here then you might as well get it and I can meet you out front in say... five minutes?"

He didn't wait for a reply. He figured she could get her something to wear while they were gone and get a vehicle or call for a cab before he got back. He took off as quickly as he could. Considering he didn't know the way to the front door he went right back to ghosts room slipped in and jetted straight to the window. He didnt even stop to look out as he dove through.. He felt the sun hit his back as soon as he was clear of the window and it felt good. He couldnt fly but that didnt mean his wings couldnt help him a little from falling so fast. He spread them wide and let himself slow a bit.

When he hit the ground he hit it at a dead run. His wings folded back behind him. He didn't know if the gate would be open or if it would be closed and he hadnt the slightest clue on how to even open them. So instead of going towards the gate he ran towards the nearest tree he could find that was close to the wall.

He loved the fact that he had grown in the mountains. He was good at climbing trees and rocks for that reason alone. As he came up on the tree he lunged up. It made him remember of a time when a mountain cat had once attacked him. He had ran so fast and climbed that tree faster then ever before. He snapped back to the reality of now as his hands gripped the limb. He let his momentum swing him forward and then back. As he swung forward again he let go and caught ahold of another limb. He climbed onto it and quickly worked his way to the nearest part of the tree to the wall. He lunged from it and barely caught ahold of the top of the wall. It was enough though and he pulle dhimself up and slid over the wall.

Once again as his feet hit the ground it was at a dead run. He hadnt gotten to very far from the mansion and he had run much farther then that before. He also hadnt had any sleep in a few days now but that didnt really matter to him. Nor did the rocks that buried themselves into his feet matter either. He was used to that.

It didnt take him long to reach the thrown down jacket It was still in good shape so he lifted it and put it on to hide his wings. He found the money in the pants not far away. He wished he had kept the shoes. He wasnt sure what happened to them.

As quick as he was there he was back to the front of the mansion. His side hurt fromt he quick run and he was sucking in air. He leaned against the front of the Gate looking in. He would wait for her here. He didnt have enough energy to even try to climb the wall again. His whole body felt like jelly.

"Yes lets be off. We do need to make a stop before we go get clothes for her and then after we get some. Though it will need to be quick. Actually... Im a strong runner. If you have a vehicle here then you might as well get it and I can meet you out front in say... five minutes?"

" 'kay. Look for a brown pickup."

"I expect some clothes to be out there when I come back!"

Neena chuckled as she headed out the door and down the hall. People put so much stock and effort into their clothing, and how others viewed their 'style'. Idly, she wondered if many prejudices would not exist if no one wore clothing. Of course, knowing humanity, they would find some other criteria for segregation. Like 'Innies' against 'Outies'. Or worse.....

She paused at a room near the end of the hall. Inside were boxes of owner-less clothing. Everything was in either new or good condition, though plain, basically Tshirts, jeans and shorts, in varying colors. A good number of the kids arrived with only the clothing on their backs, and even less money to buy more, so the Mansion tried to keep a small stock of generics in varying sizes. Since Torqueos wanted to pick something out himself, Neena settled for a simple selection of four sets of shirts, jeans and shorts, for Ghost to choose from. Though how he was going to afford clothes, when he couldn't afford breakfast, intrigued her.

At that point she remembered she was still wearing her bodysuit, and looking like a thief or movie assassin. So she quickly changed as well, before dropping off the clothes for Ghost, then heading toward the garage.

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It was more like ten to fifteen minutes later when an old, grey-green, F-250 Super Duty pulled up to the front gates. Neena did not like Fords at all, nor did she like the color. But the choice of working vehicles were limited, and she refused to take out either a car or minivan. Those were tourist vehicles. The truck did well on rough terrain, and had power behind it, so she settled. At least the body was dented and banged up, so it at least looked like a decent vehicle. She didn't understand why people went through such lengths to keep their vehicles scratch-free. Where was the fun of driving, if you were always too worried about hurting the car?

"Sorry," she apologized to the young man. "Had to pull a quick change myself."

She waited for him to climb in before asking, "So, where to?"

((i know its your post ghost but i figured id go ahead since it really wouldnt matter if yours came first or second. Just wanna hurry with the away stuff so i can get back to the mansion.))

He was still gulping down air as he climbed into the truck. It was a real beater but a vehicle was a vehicle. He sat down and buckled up. He let his breathing settle back down before he looked over at Neena.

"Uhm... A clothing store. One not to expensive but no where with cheap clothing. I mean cheap as in not good not as in not much money."

He pulled the wad of cash he had taken from the motel the night before out of his pocket. He didn't really know ho wmuch things costed he had never really used money except the alst two years and then only here and there.

"Do you think this'll be enough to get her a couple outfits... and some uhh... flower."

He wasn't really embaressed when he said it. Just more not sure of how Neena would react. She knew they weren't together and he also knew it might be kinda weird for him to be gettin her these things.

"She won't take the money itself from me so I figured if she won't take it then I will use it to get her something she needs... Not all the money is hers only about half... but I wanted to get her something nice with my part of it... and I dont know what a girl might want. I seen some sniffing flowers and such once and figured maybe some flower?"

"Uhm... A clothing store. One not to expensive but no where with cheap clothing. I mean cheap as in not good not as in not much money."

"Well, we'll see what we can do, but don't forget. This is New York." She smiled at him, the shifted into Drive. She pause for a moment, muttering. "Left side, home. US, right." Because of the country once being a British colony, Kenyans drove on the left side of the road. Sometimes she needed to remind herself of where she was now.

"Do you think this'll be enough to get her a couple outfits... and some uhh... flower. She won't take the money itself from me so I figured if she won't take it then I will use it to get her something she needs... Not all the money is hers only about half... but I wanted to get her something nice with my part of it... and I don't know what a girl might want. I seen some sniffing flowers and such once and figured maybe some flower?"

Neena nodded. "Flowers are considerably easier. Clothes.... Well, we'll keep the receipts. Just in case."

She spared him a sideways glance, then added, "While we're at it, you should probably get yourself something, too. We've got several other winged kids at the school, so tailoring's not an issue." She paused. "Unless there's something else that might make it hard."

(OOC: We can time jump the next post either to the store, or after. Just let me know.)