Petunia Gardener was enjoying herself tonight. The sun was setting, making the building case deep shadows across the grass, while rays of color and light spread across the windows, to reflect against the moist leaves of the trees. There had been a warm rain earlier in the afternoon, and droplets of water, still glistened on the tips of leaves in the tall trees. Millions of little miniature prisms, scattered dots of color across in the boring shadows of green.

Petunia was balanced on the back rest of a park bench. Her arms were out stretched to either side and she put one foot in front of the other, on the top of the bar. She reached the end of the first bench, and hopped to the back of the next. A long, black, light fabriced, coat was draped over her back hiding her main mutation.

Why walk on the backs of park benches like they are balance beams? Well…. Why not? It seems like a good idea, Petunia had wings so there was no way that she would fall on her back side, and little kids would see what she was doing and want to copy. Little kids of the norms, don’t have wings, their parents are distractible, and if one just happens to crack their head open while playing copycat, with pix? Well, that’s jut called survival of the fittest.

Park benches weren't the greatest beds, but after the rain earlier, it was the only choice. Garrett looked around here, the benches backed up to a small hill. It seemed like the best place to lie down, or his feet were tellin him to go wherever, just get off of us. A grin slipped through the side of his mouth. He had been much happier, nearly free of anxiety, since he had discovered the more potent turn that his powers had taken. He found a fairly isolated bench and took a load off.

He had found a jacket in the trash. It had smelled a little gamey, so he gave it a few rinses and twists in the fountains nearby. He hung it gingerly on the edge of the bench, letting it drip dry in the air. He pulled his legs up and sat in a lotus position. Good to be off the feet. He looked out at the coming night, wondering what fortune would come by.

While scanning the scenery, his eyes fell on a small .."girl"? She was flitting, flitting? It was hard to tell from here, but though she was apparently jumping from bench to bench, the small moment between jumps seemed too graceful for a ...human. Hmm. Ever since he had become Taoist, he had found that there were no coincidences in this world. It should seem no surprise that people like himself would become more apparent, when his own blessings were revealing themselves.

It seemed relatively quiet and slow around here, so he looked both ways and then made a shrill whistle towards the girl. When her head turned in his direction, he made eye contact and cocked his head up and backwards, a nod. He lifted his arm and beckoned to her. When one was already in the River, one does best to swim.

A whistle? Petunia turned in the direction, blinking, as her body had seemed to twirl in place, making her long coat flare out around her. She took a sideways step, where there was no bench, and dropped lightly back onto her feet next to the park bench. There where a group of three children off, behind her, that had started their own balancing routine on another park bench. Her goals had been finished. A smile creased the right side of her cheeks as she made her way over to the whistle guy.

Petunia tilted her head, as she sat down on bench next to him. “you need any help sir?” Meanwhile she busied herself with her hands in her lap. Smoothing the fabric of her skirt over her knees so that it looked like a table cloth over her legs. Good Impromptu for an actual table cloth because one just can’t eat without the presence of a table cloth.

From her pocket she pulled out a bag of M&Ms. That’s right M&Ms, because candy is food, and food needs some sort of table cloth to be properly enjoyed. “What some?” Pix offered her bag but… Oh wait. This guy didn’t have a table cloth. She still held the bag out but the knowledge of the absence of his table cloth made her lips press together.

Well, he got his wish. She seemed to float the distance. She was walking, but so lightly. in this direction. She sat down next to him. He had been instinctual and now he was at a loss for words. She had asked him if he needed help. Now he probably did, his mouth hanging slackjawed. All at once, his mind jumped in to save him. "Where did you learn such grace? Are you an acrobat or dancer?", he queried of her. Wow, did that just come out of his mouth? Sheesh.

"Want some?"
Indeed he did. Chocolate would do him well, right now, a bit of sugar to get those synapses firing properly. Night was falling quickly as the long shadows started to fade into general twilight. He noticed her eyes seemed to nearly glow in this light, the phenomenal shade of green piercing his senses. " I'd love some, thanks. " He offered out a cupped hand, his eyebrows raised in anticipation.

He waited to hear the reply to his rambling question. In the meantime, he thought she was rather spunky. A wild spirit. Don't get alot of those lately with the degrees of oppression of late. His eyes were firmly planted on his hand as he waited to feel each, cool, candy coated shell touch his palm.

"Where did you learn such grace? Are you an acrobat or dancer?"

“I got those merit badges way back when I was 12 in girl scouts.” Pix blinked again. Why where else would you learn skills? The girl scouts were great. Little girls hyped up on sugar, as they go camping, tie knots around this older brother of one of Petunia’s troop members named James, and all those fund raisers that taught Pix how to talk to people. Teaching her exactly what power the fraise girl scout cookies held over her neighbors. Mmmmm…. Power…

Ok so the girl scouts weren’t the answer for everything, and definitely not this question, but it seemed to make a good explanation for what ever questions she didn’t want to answer.

" I'd love some, thanks. "

Pix’s lips were still pressed together, but after a few breaths of air, she dumped a hand full of candy in the man’s out stretched hand. Her own table cloth, skirt, would just have to do for both of them.

Rainbows of chocolate dropped into his hand. He automatically shoved the lot into his mouth, crunching away in sugared glee. He could tell she wasn't impressed with his manners, but he hadn't had fresh candy in some time, so he just had to indulge. Mmmmmmm. His eyes seemed to shine with fresh energy from the sugar. After a long pause of munching and slurping on chocolate, he stopped and took a breath.

"So, sorry, just couldn't help myself. That was delicious." He even found himself licking his fingers. "I suppose the last few days had left me out of it. Garrett Wills. Nice to meet you." He offered the candy free hand to greet her. He hoped his moment of gluttony hadn't turned her off too badly, but he would probably do it again.

"Do you live around here? I'm in permanent temporary housing, at the moment." The night's smells were coming around as the nocturnal plants began to open as their daytime counterparts rested. He found her pretty fascinating and needed to wait a while before his potential donations came anyway.

Pix’s mouth twitched as he shoved and slurped up the chocolate. He did have odd manners… didn’t he…. Pix lifted one shoulder in a shrug. Then proceeded to cram a fist full of candy in her mouth at once, in a way that was, in her head, a much more dignified way of eating such a delicacy as M&Ms. Though some how there was a chocolate mustache that had managed to form across the left side of Petunia’s lip.

She licked at her lip, only making it worst, before the mess started to get better. Melt in your mouth not on your hand… Ha! Why did things always have to be proven wrong around Pix?

"Do you live around here? I'm in permanent temporary housing, at the moment."

Petunia nodded as she used her thumb to rub her upper lip free from the chocolate. “I love in my own apartment, with room mates that run in and out all day. It’s about three blocks from here.”

"It's about three blocks from here."

Good to know, it might rain again tonight. She seemed friendly enough, but the only way he would know whether or not she was like him was to just bring it up. No reason to beat around the bushes. He unfolded his legs and stretched them out, though the left one was twitching a bit. He reclined a bit on the back of the bench and made himself more comfortable. Everything was clam and quiet, for the most part. It made for a seizure free evening, he hoped. For him.

"So, here's a great icebreaker. I'm a mutant and I think you might be one too." At this point, he was guaranteed an outcome. Either he was right and may have met an ally, or he was wrong and the young girl would run screaming and return with nasty cops wielding PR-24's. Either way, it would help define the night's business. As he waited for a response, he hoped of course that the former possibility was true.

He was unsure of his allegiances. It was apparent that mutants were now gathering in groups, a sure sign of a response to the end of the camps. Better to start figuring out where he stood now than wait til something drastic happened.

Back where Pix had first been plying on the park benches, one of the kids, with wobbly hands was still twisting left and right, as he worked to keep his balance. His foot turned wrong, he ankle twisted, and he fell off the bench, Immediately crying out when he skinned his knees. Ok so skinning your knees weren’t good, but it ended the show in the distance for pix… Perhaps she should try something worst next time…

The sight of the game ending for today, made her eyes tighten as she realized that fun would be over. However when her gave returned to the man she had offered the candy to, her expression was pleasant again.

"So, here's a great icebreaker. I'm a mutant and I think you might be one too."

“Is there a problem you have with that?”

"Is there a problem you have with that?" Ah, good. His instincts had been right. Maybe he could finally start to get his bearings around here. "No, not at all. Just glad to meet someone who has something in common with me , for a change." Too many downward glances from people, too many shrieks of revulsion. Now here was someone that not only identified with him, but was actually proud of their gifts, as was he.

" I suppose my day to day struggle has kept me out of the loop, but I am seeing that many mutants are beginning to band together. Are you part of one of these organizations? Or could you tell me what you know, at least?" He may have sounded a tad desperate, but who knew when he would come across another mutant. Best to try to glean what information he could.

He looked around as evening set in. The mothers and children started to move off in polite herds. The people of the night would start to show up before long. Then he could make a little spending money.

Pix took a moment, then nodded. “You shouldn’t be the one who has to hide.” Petunia’s words had gone from having the younger innocent feel, to low, and slow said words. “you see, it’s them that owe us, because we are the one’s a head of them as we are the ones who let their existence continue.”

Pix leaned back against the back of the park bench. Letting her feet dangle back and forth since, if she scooted all of the way back on the seat, they could no longer touch the ground. “I’m my own group.” Pix informed him. Witch when Pix stood alone, was very true. One was many. “There are three groups. One is a group of human huggers. A lot like tree huggers but more pathetic because, if you saw the camp break out, you would see they kill just as often as everyone else. Sure some are straight up human protectors, but if you ask me, many are tainted by hypocrites. The other two groups aren’t so human friendly. One works for mutant domination over humans. The other works for just plane domination, and they give nice pay checks.”

Three factions. One good, two bad. His romantic idealism made him want to root for the underdog, but he also truly felt as if most humans were just in the way. He thought over the possibilities as she spoke. One one hand, he could join an honored organization and become a valued ally and trusted friend. On the other, he could join like-minded mutants who also believed that they were a different species altogether , and should have the right to make their own way, whatever that was. Decisions, decisions.

His thought processes were interrupted by the telltale clicking of a rollerblader, as the wheels tapped out through the cracks of the paved walkway. He rose to his feet, whispering to his companion, "Hold that thought." Looking out into the darkness an up the walkway, he listened a bit longer, deciding the sound was definitely approaching. Before he did anything else, he turned to his new friend and said, "A demonstration. While my powers aren't as flashy or violent as some might be, they are nonetheless very effective. Enjoy the show."

He walked towards the lamppost, momentarily bathed in the night's darkness. He moved to the edge of the lamp's circle of light and got down on his hands and knees. He let his head hang and his body gave a sudden, terrible jolt. He fell forward on his face and started to shake and tremble violently, a low, staggered moan emanating from him.To the casual observer, possibly the one he has invited, he looked completely out of his mind, lost in the spasms of his body. It was an act though. He was still quite aware of his surroundings. He could hear the wheels nearby coming to a stop.

The rollerblader turned out to be a courier of some sort. No doubt the evolution of bicycle couriers. She came across him and slowed, dropping to a kneepad at his side. "It'll be alright, Sir. My aunt had these all the time. Let's get you on your side." What a sweet girl, he thought. Too bad. When placed on his side, his face, hidden from the good Samaritan, stopped twitching and smiled. He was looking right at his new mutant friend.

The courier was holding him still when she herself froze like a statue. A slight yelp escaped her lips as her arms and neck started to uncontrollably seize. She twisted and fell to her side, facing away from Garrett. She lied there for a few moments, twitching, before she passed out. Garrett then sat up suddenly, brushing himself off and regaining his feet. He bent over and relieved the courier of her money and packages and then made his way back to the young Girl Scout.

"Perhaps we should go, she will probably come around shortly."

Petunia nodded, and sat there, cross legged, on the bench while her M&M eating companion went to the edge of the light. Enjoying the show, even the part where her M&M eating companion started to Seizure, real or fake. She even let out a little giggle, though this had gone un noticed.

This M&M slurping man certainly was becoming more interesting. Wasn’t he. “you have quite a talent.” Petunia replied when all was said and done. She pushed herself away from the bench, and came to stand next to him. “Hold on.” She said reaching her right hand into her left sleeve, fishing around where her elbow was until she brought out a spider the size of a dinner plate. A bird spider to be exact. “There you go honey.” She soothed to the tricky friend she had just pulled from her sleeve. She dropped the thing on the ladie’s chest, careful to not stroke the hairs on the back of the spider’s abdomen. “We’ll know when she wakes up this way.”

"Hold on."

He was rummaging through the various letters and packages she had carried, dropping bills and other envelopes. There were two boxes in the satchel, he decided to keep these for later examination, slinging the bag's strap over his shoulder. He watched as his little friend literally seemed to pull a Brazilian bird-eating spider from her sleeve." Well, I guess it is safe to say your mutation involves insects.", he said with a grin. The girl was quite pleased to put the large arachnid on the young woman. He might want to sleep with one eye open.

This new friend was very interesting. She apparently even wanted to stay around and watch his victim awaken. In a way, he did too, but he had seen more than his fair share of suffering in the Medical area. Though he had no problem using his abilities on others for personal gain, he hadn't quite gone over the lip to enjoy it yet. Would he? Perhaps he had better start looking for one of these factions. Training his abilities and getting off the street seemed the best option for him now.

He turned to his new friend."Well, it's been a pleasure to meet you. You're a real charmer. I hope you find some direction in life. I need to be going now, the night's coming and I haven't started searching for a good resting spot." He hoped he saw this girl again, that she didn't become a statistic to human-mutant violence. This girl. Hmm, what WAS her name? "You never told me your name, though."

Petunia watched, as Seizure rooted through the bag, leaving a few parcels and envelopes that he must not of found as interesting. “It’s been a pleasure to meeting you as well, Mr.”

She looked back at the spider she had left on the lady’s chest. The thing had it’s front of it’s body bowed, with it’s back side in the air, wagging fast, like a dog’s tail. Yeah. If she was as girly as most ladies, they would definitely know when she woke up no matter how far away they were.

"You never told me your name, though."

“Petunia.” Pix answered, as they began walking away. “If you need a place to stay, you’re welcomed to my couch. I could kick a few room mates out and make some space.”