"Well I am a mutant I have sonic scream."She said looking at the ground hoping he wasn't mad at her she waited to see what he would say to her. She didn't want him or anyone to be mad at her.

“Ah HA! now we get to the real root of the question.” Hades paused, still grinning.
“Hmmm….” He peered at her scratching his chin, face serious.

Then he chose to hold it no longer and broke into a smile “I don’t mind at all for I am also a mutant!”
He grinned and awaited her response.

"Umm what kind of powers do you have if you don't mind me asking?"She asked looking up at him and smiled. She was glad that she found someone that wasn't scared about her being a mutant.

Sure, I don’t mind you asking, I can phase and that is about it, oh yeah and when I am phased I am poisonous, that is about it.” seeing as his martial arts training and experience did not count as a power Hades wisely decided to omit mentioning it.

“Wow, see what I told you about meeting people the way I do!” he laughed.

Emma nodded her head and smiled at Hades. "I guess you where right."She said as she took a drink her water as she looked around the room. She didn't know what esle to say so she just waited for him to speak.

“So have you got a place to stay? I know of a few places that are mutant refuges and the sort.”

Hades was not sure where to take the conversation now, I mean now that they had established that he was like her father and she was like a daughter, what do you say after that?

“So you got any other plans for today?”

"I got a place to stay. And I don't have anything esle to do. Why?"She asked looking at Hades.

“I dunno, I was just checking that you had a place to stay and stuff. As for what plans you had, I don’t have any other, so yeah if you don’t mind we could chill for a bit. Say wanna go somewhere? I have a car nearby, and I sorta like driving in the rain, don’t know about you.”

He laughed slightly boyishly. Hades may have been old, but he certainly still had his sense of humour, and besides he was still trying to process these long dormant paternal feelings that Emma seemed to be stirring up.

Emma didn't know what to say."Sure I guess we can go for a ride."She said as she finshed her water. She stood uoa dn pulled out her money to pay for her lunch. She then grabbed her bag and put her book into the bag. She looked over at Hades."I'm all ready to go if you are."She said standing there.

Hades paid for his bill and rose. He looked at her, as if to say *I still cant believe what happened*
“Right, let’s go. After you.” He held the door open for her and bid her wait in the doorway, while he jogged to his car. Soon a Nissan Silvia pulled up in front of the Café.

Hades reached over and opened the passenger door for Emma.

“So where to?”
The weather was perfect for drifting, of course Hades had no idea about the likes and dislikes of Emma, but if she liked it then hey, but all and all bets to play safe for now. The streets were not crowded but were not deserted either, Hades smoothly drove through the traffic, of which there was not much.

“So Emma, what are you in to? Sorry, I am still amazed at meeting you.”

"I like to read and play the violin. I don't know what esle to tell you."She said looking out the window as they past the people on the streets. Tears started to roll down her face. Thinking about her mother and father and wishing that they where here with her. When she a muisc."Stop please."She said as she saw the violin in the window. She wanted it sense she was a kid. And now she had the money to get it.

“Haha I also like to read and I play the Bassoon.”

Hades did not see the tears rolling down Emma’s smooth face, but he did hear the plea and the cry in her voice. Oh that tugged at his heart!

*Sheesh that has not happened for 60 years*

Hades expertly brought the car to a smooth stop and killed the engine. He got out and held the door open for Emma. He had seen the music shop and put two and two together. He also heald out his other arm, just in case Emma wanted a hug. His first to a female in 60 years, the only people he had hugged were people he trusted, like Abyss, Hunter and DK.

Emma hugged Hades and then pulled him into the music shop. Emma walked up to the violin and stared at it. She looked at the price. Then saddness came acrossed her face. She didn't have eoungh money. A tear rolled down her face. She really wanted the violin.

Hades was stunned and almost recoiled but stopped himself before Emma could sense it. She was close, so close, so vulnerable. What was he feeling? Compassion? Tenderness?
He shelved these thoughts for consideration at a later and more suitable time and place.

Following Emma into the antique music store, Hade’s sense were stimulated on a multitude of levels, bringing and recalling pleasant memories to the forefront of his mind. First was the smell of wood, not just one type of wood, but different types. For this shop not only sold music and musical instruments, in its four walls also resided the creator of such instruments and his workshop. The smell of rosin and varnish, and untreated wood was as sweet perfume to the nostrils.

Hades was reminded of times spent in the weapons master’s workshop, where the first thing he was taught was the concept that “To be worthy of making a masterpiece one must first learn to wield a commonplace with perfection”. The hours spent training with wooden sticks, and then learning to make his first wooden blade. The sounds of the instrument maker’s plane called to mind the hours he had spent working the wood, to form the perfect wooden instrument. Then treating it….. Shaking his head to bring himself back to reality he continued to follow Emma through the rows of instruments.

As Emma examined a few violins, Hades wandered into the back where the workshop was. He began to chat with the violin maker of his trade. Hades had some skill with the violin, and through is time in china, knew a lot about woods. They got into an enthusiastic discussion. Somehow the topic drifted to the sound and resonance of violins and makes and models.

To one side of the workshop there was a rack that held unfinished or partly finished violins. While continuing the discussion, Hades walked over to an almost finished violin, it still lacked varnish, and asked if he may have the honour of playing it. The owner, who by now considered Hades as somewhat of a kindred spirit in the world of music was happy to oblige.

Hades delicately took it from the shelf, plucked the strings lightly and was delighted to find that it was in tune. He took the offered bow and placed the violin against his neck. Pausing slightly he though of what song he should play, and with a start another image came to his mind.

Each of his brothers had a favourite instrument, his used to be the bassoon, but he had dabbled with most instruments and the hours that were not spent training in martial arts and schooling the brothers used to while away my doing improvisational concerts. With a sudden resoluteness he decided to play a song in memory of them. Softly at first and then growing in volume and emotion came floating from the back room the sound of the theme from Schindler's List. The song possessed a sad beauty about it, and coupled with Hade’s memories and sadness of loosing his brothers, the original flavour came out even more.

The music grew to fill the whole shop and the violin maker and some of the other customers in the shop stopped to listen to the masterfully played song that reminded them of so many of the bittersweet moments of life. When Hades finally put down the bow, there were tears in the maker’s eyes. “That was beautiful!” he breathed, and then applauded, but softly as if afraid to break the melancholic atmosphere that now seemed to fill the shop.

Emma was to upset about not having eoungh money for the violin too hear the muisc. She walked out of the store and stood outside upset. As the rain hit her as she stood there get her wet. She thought now she would never get the violin she wanted so bad.