After ascertaining that the tea was indeed intended for her, Ghost plucked the cup from the wooden counter top. She leaned back onto her stool and watched the boys size each other up for a bit, returning a deep look Garrett supplied as she took a swig of the hot brew. Despite the fact that it was obviously steaming, there was no indication on Ghost's behalf that the temperature was too much. She liked it just short of boiling. That was the only way she could even tell that the tea was warm. Garrett was remembering lots of things today.

She just smiled at the barrage of questions Garrett fired off. No need to be nosy when you had someone to do it for you. While Kaz was answering, Vega the store clerk slipped out from behind the counter to make sure the old man didn't need anything. She kept an ear out for Kaz's answers, but she had to take care of the store first. It was only when Garrett returned to speaking directly to Ghost that she officially returned to the conversation, popping right back beneath the counter and to her stool behind the register.

"So, how's work?"[/color] Ghost picked up her tea and cradled it between both of her hands.
"I cannot complain. Lots of interesting characters today." Ghost smiled at Kaz and then reached out for the business card she'd stashed beneath the register. She held it out to Garrett. Jacobs & Jacobs Security. Ghost gave Garrett a knowing look. "He had an interesting take on sonar detection." She smiled again. Smile, smile, subtle information, smile.

"Looked like the shop was still closed over there. I hope I can find out if I still have a job. Winter is no time to be jobless, right?"
Ghost shrugged. "It's important to be productive, but I'm not sure winter is much different from any other month now that there's a roof on the Mansion. We didn't know if that job would be permanent anyway, remember?" Ghost sipped at her tea marveling at how easily she'd said 'we.' 'We' like... two people... together...

Kaz shook Garrett's hand firmly, but not too strong. "Thanks. Kaz Corydon is indeed my given name. Though my parents shortened the name from the original, I'm quite happy they did." Kaz paused and laughed lightly. "Though I don't know why any parent would choose the name for their child." It was easy for Kaz to tell that Garrett was 'sizing' him up, at least he thought he was. Unlike Garrett, Kaz looked directly at him, as he attempted to size him up physically. Little good it was concerning mutants, but habits die hard.

Kaz noticed Vega move from the counter area to check on the store. It wasn't a big deal, but he was mindful of her, where and what she was doing. It came with being paranoid, which seemed to be something he could never stop doing even when he was relaxed.

Kaz couldn't suppress his laugh. "Yeah, I'm more independent than most of us. I don't feel the need to surround myself with others, though that's not to say I don't like the company of interesting people." Kaz tapped the book stack a couple of times as he thought how to answer Garrett's other question. <Simple.> "I was there for a short time, maybe a month? It didn't feel right, not to mention I couldn't stand some of the thought processes that go on there. To say the least the Mansion, and others that work there and I clashed." His eyes went to Vega then to the floor momentarily before looking back up to the man. "Though, I did meet my fiancee there....But, that's in the past."

"So, how's work?" ~~~~ "I cannot complain. Lots of interesting characters today." Kaz returned the smile in turn. "Most deffinantly."

"Looked like the shop was still closed over there. I hope I can find out if I still have a job. Winter is no time to be jobless, right?" ~~~~ "....We didn't know if that job would be permanent anyway, remember?"

It seemed like a personal matter, but Kaz couldn't help his ears perk up at their conversation. "Umm...Sorry to ask, but I'm a curious person. What shop? And how badly do you need a job?" He hadn't remember seeing any shops closed when he walked to the bookstore.

A firm handshake from Kaz and the system began to sketch itself. It seemed to be almost electric in its high tones of energy. Combined with the grip and the direct look of assessment that the man was giving Garrett, there was no doubt that he was as serious as he seemed to be. He watched as the only thing that seemed to break the spell of bravado was to watch Maya move about the store. Garrett had complete faith in her, so he couldn't figure out why he was feeling venom in his throat. Come to think of it, he hadn't ever been in the position in the first place to have someone to be jealous over. The idea was amusing to him, though not enough to look into it. Jealousy was a stupid emotion.

"I was there for a short time, maybe a month? It didn't feel right, not to mention I couldn't stand some of the thought processes that go on there. To say the least the Mansion, and others that work there and I clashed."Well, that narrowed it down a good deal. Mutants were so fickle in general. Perhaps he thought himself too good for the meager Danger Room or too lofty for companionship with good friends. Did he even have them? Garrett smiled and nodded, though inside, he was shaking his head at himself for judging someone he had never met before. This jealousy thing was as pesky as the virus he was recovering from. It made prickles on his neck when he looked over at Maya and mentioned something about a fiancee. Time for a subject change.

He was talking to Maya about his recent employment dilemma when Kaz piped up again, though this time with something neutral, which pleased Garrett to no end. He was getting tired of himself quickly."Umm...Sorry to ask, but I'm a curious person. What shop? And how badly do you need a job?" Garrett turned to Kaz and clearly spelled it out. He knew it wasn't a bad thing to mention the shop, just important not to mention the source of the medium's talent." I work, well worked, as far as I know currently, at the medium shop near the Park. Being a Taoist, they found me to be a good greeter and csh register button pusher, I suppose. The shop has been closed for a while though and I was recently...sick, so I am not sure of my current status. As far as money goes, I am always accepting donations." He chuckled a bit, glad to feel the venom replaced with laughter.

Ghost scratched the underside of her knee as she listened.

Honestly! She couldn't help it; they were pants! Whoever invented the confounded and constricting things were insane... and stupid... and obviously not thinking of poor air elementals. And girl pockets! Those things were WORSE than useless because they gave the illusion that they could hold something, but the moment you try to cram even a sliver of paper they bulge out weirdly and leave you regretting the day you put on pants.

Which was today.

Bookstore policy. Vega stretched to peer over Garrett's shoulder as she finished up her tea. Pants. She may never get used to them. Vega waved to the man who was leaving and tossed her trash at the bin near the revolving door. It could have been a swish... had the rubbish bin been on the other side of the door. Oops. Well, she was attempting to shoot over people. At least she hadn't hit anyone.

"Could somebody get that?" She mumbled before officially tuning back into the macho-man-sizing-up conversation. Garrett was having some awesome facial twitches that she worried could be the beginning of a relapse of seizures until he chuckled. She didn't really understand people sometimes.

Ghost was tempted to ask about the fiancee thing except that it had come with the tag of 'in the past' and that didn't usually bode well. She wasn't about to delve into old wounds, visible or unseen. Though for some reason the idea of marriage didn't sit well with her initial read of the long eared mutant. She simply waited for a more interesting topic to crop up while she scratched... or for Kaz to decide it was check out time. She curled and uncurled her toes inside of her shoes. Stupid pants.

Kaz nodded and thought about Garrett's answer. "Hmm. Well, I'm not sure that I can do, but I'll look into something if you'd like." Kaz moved to throw Vega's trash away, as he did he pulled a glove from his pocket and put it on. He sent a series of commands through it and the skyboard hovered just outside store at the roof level. Demi was wet and quite agitated and annoyed at Kaz for leaving him at the warehouse and then dragging him through the rain on the board.

With an easily heard sigh, "Fine." He opened the door and the little dragon glided onto Kaz's shoulder. Kaz draped a folded piece of cloth over Demi. Kaz took the glove off as he made his way back to the counter via a round about way that took him through the shelves and areas that Vega had showed him earlier. He had a large stack of books that he set on the counter. "Vega, Garrett, this is Demi." Kaz spoke as he lifted the cloth from Demi's head which made the little guy shiver. Kaz looked at Demi, "You know you're annoying and demanding right." Demi just clicked his chuckle at Kaz.

Looking back at Vega and Garrett. "I'm sure you two would like to talk, so I'll check out and let you be. But," Kaz pulled out three business cards and handed one to Vegan and two to Garrett. "Here's my number, and if I find something, I can give you a call if you'd like." The second card he gave Garrett was upside down, showing the blank back.

Though initially joking about donations, Garrett found himself pleasantly surprised to see Kaz mulling something along those lines over."Hmm. Well, I'm not sure that I can do, but I'll look into something if you'd like." Garrett's wore an immediate look of pleasant surprise, looking over at Maya with his a smile as Kaz threw her paper wad away. He seemed to linger at the doorof the bookstore for a moment, so Garrett took the time to put his hand on Maya's. "Who knew?" who knew indeed.

The two of them spent a moment smiling at each other when Kaz rturned to their midst. he heard him mutter something before walking over, but really, when you had a girl like Maya, the world went blurry occasionally. He seemed to have something reptilian on his shoulder, its tiny leathery tail peeking from underneath the small cloth which covered it. when the cloth was removed, Garrett could only gape in wonder as it was actually a small..dragon?

"Vega, Garrett, this is Demi." Garrett wasn't sure exactly how to respond. Though being surrounded by odd people at the Mansion, he still would probably never get used to the many wonders of the world, this little creature being one of them."You know you're annoying and demanding right." the dragon seemed to comprehend and even chuckled in its own strange way. Simply amazing.

"I'm sure you two would like to talk, so I'll check out and let you be. But," Kaz pulled out three business cards and handed one to Maya and two to Garrett. "Here's my number, and if I find something, I can give you a call if you'd like." Garrett noticed the second of the pair handed to him was face down, apparently to have a number written on it. Garrett snatched up one of the pens with the Book Store's nake emblazoned on it and wrote down the number to his room. " This is to my room directly at the Mansion." He handed the card back to Kaz, snickering in Maya's direction. " Too bad the kids don't get phones, eh, Vega?" He knew he would pay for his poke, but it was worth it anyway.

Alex strode up the street, clutching a piece of paper in his hand. He focused on the name written on the paper. Full Circle Bookstore.
Alex worked at the Oak Street Bookshop, and he had just recieved an urgent order for two dozen psychology textbooks, due to some school fire. The Oak Street Bookshop had six copies in stock, but it would take two weeks to order more. Thus, Alex had been chosen to go to the nearest bookstores to see if they had any copies that were up for purchase.
So far, he had found three more copies. Hopefully, Full Circle had more.
Alex pushed open the the revolving door and stepped into the shop. He blinked once at the sight that greeted him. Two men stood by the counter, and one of them had a cloth draped on his shoulder that covered...something.
Alex squared his shoulders, and strode into the shop. He cleared his throat to inform the group of his approach. He noted that the girl behind the counter had a nametag, so he spoke to her.
"Um, excuse me Miss...Vega. My name is Alex Roberts. I am from the Oak Street Bookshop, and we just recieved a large order for Exploring the Inner Consiousness: An Study in Psychology. We don't have enough copies and were wondering whether you have any in stock." He glanced at the two men. They had not appeared to be speaking to the lady, but he was still worried that he had interuppted something.

((OOC: slight Kaz moddin' with permission))

Vega stashed Kaz's business card beside her personal effects and started the process of checking Kaz's books. At this rate she was going to need to get a business card holder or something. Did All mutants carry business cards? Or just the ones with cool jobs? She knew that her business card would totally be lame: Ghost. Air Elemental and Book Clerk. Vega busied herself with the book checking out process. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of a... uhm... well... yeah... that was a dragon if she'd ever seen one. And of course she hadn't.... ever seen one. Until now.

"This is to my room directly at the Mansion." Garrett handed the card back to Kaz, now with his number on it snickering in Vega's direction. "Too bad the kids don't get phones, eh, Vega?"[/i]

She rolled her eyes. They were the same age technically, though he'd fudged his application to get an adult room. He always had to rub this kind of stuff in, didn't he? "Augh. You "adults" sure get a lot of perks." Her voice was dripping with the kind of sarcasm that promised later revenge.

Vega neared the end of the massive pile and none too soon. The soft tone sounded behind the counter indicating that someone was pushing through the rotating door. "Heads up." She warned them as a young man similar in age to herself and Garrett approached the counter with a definite mission in mind. He cleared his throat and Vega realized they were a bit suspiciously silent.

"Welcome to the Full Circle Bookstore, can I help you, sir?"

"Um, excuse me Miss...Vega. My name is Alex Roberts. I am from the Oak Street Bookshop, and we just received a large order for Exploring the Inner Consciousness: A Study in Psychology. We don't have enough copies and were wondering whether you have any in stock." Alex seemed a bit nervous and rightfully so since there were so many loitering people. Vega chuckled to herself as she rang up the last of Kaz's books and shook her head. Kaz had to be regretting the 'meet my dragon' bit now.

"Be right with you, Alex. Just gotta finish checking this gentleman's items." She read the total to Kaz, an obvious mutant by his hair and ears, and accepted his credit card without hesitation. She dutifully asked if he wanted to buy a canvas tote and was pleasantly surprised when he did. She grinned. What a good customer. Vega juggled her responsibilities neatly. She judged how many bags he would need before sliding the card through the machine and prodding gingerly at the appropriate numbers. While the paper was printing, Vega grabbed the bags and settled them on top of the books. She passed a FCBS labeled pen and the receipt to Kaz while she started packing his goods. It was actually quite an undertaking so she offered a few bags to Kaz so he might help. "Wow. You are one great customer. Too great actually. You sure you can carry all this?" She'd help him to his car or dragon-mobile if he needed. She laughed and slipped the signed receipt underneath the cash box in the register before finishing packing his books into the natural canvas with the green silkscreen of the store's logo. "Be sure to come back, okay? It was nice to meet you."

If couldn't have been too long that she kept the young man from Oak Street waiting, but she did feel a bit bad. Vega winked to Garrett and popped out to the other side of the counter leaving Kaz and Garrett to finish up any business they had while she helped the new guy.

"Sorry for the wait, Alex--was it?" She motioned for her fellow book store employee to follow her toward the crusty old stock computer near the back of the stacks. This box was the computer equivalent of a caveman, but the black screen with green flashing cursor still somehow managed to do the job. "Okay. let's see. Textbook. Psychology.... Exploring the Inner Consciousness? Was that the one?" She looked to him for confirmation before running her finger along the line of dots to their actual stock number. "You're in luck. Looks like we have 4."

Vega turned on the ball of her foot much like a dancer and bounded off toward the appropriate section.

Alex watched as the girl at the counter finished with what she was doing. Obviously, she still had been helping the two men at the counter. Soon enough though, she looked his way again.

"Sorry for the wait, Alex--was it?" He nodded, and followed as she gestured him towards the back of the stacks. He spotted a positivly ancient computer that was apparently the machine they used for inventory. Vega walked up and typed in some words. "Okay. let's see. Textbook. Psychology.... Exploring the Inner Consciousness? Was that the one?" He nodded again. "Yes, that's the one." She looked back at the computer and said, "You're in luck. Looks like we have 4." She then turned and began walking off towards one of the sections of the store. Alex followed.

When they arrived at the proper shelf, Alex grinned. Sure enough, four copies sat in what appeared to be excellent condition on the shelf. Alex stepped forward and pulled the first one off the shelf. It didn't appear to have even been opened. Alex turned back to Vega and smiled. "Excellent. These are just what I was looking for." He then let and semi-awkward smile slide onto his face. He never was that good with bargaining. "By chance, are there any books that your store needs? Oak Street has a fairly varied selection, and so we were wondering if we could exchange equivalent goods. We have the money to pay, but, we would rather not have to spend extra on taxes and such."

Passing the card back to Kaz, Garrett was considering getting he and Maya/Vega lunch. The chimes went off and he turned his head to see a younger man walking in, ignoring he and Kaz and walking right up to Maya. His head cocked to the side, Garrett's eyes twitched madly. It wasn't a seizure coming on. It was something else. Something about the other guys eyes. He couldn't tell what color they were because they seemed to shine at him.

He looked at Maya, who winked at him as she trotted off to whatever shelf they were going to look at. The conversation between Maya and this new person was lost on him, as even as he waled away there was a definite shine in his head, where his eyes would be. The funny thing was, he was walking away from Garrett. So how could he see his eyes. Garrett couldn't hear Kaz either, if Kaz was actually saying anything. All his senses seemed to tune out as the two orbs of light seemed to move around in his head like eyes, swiveling from books to Maya, Maya to books.

Garrett squinted his eyes, focusing diligently on the orbs. They weren't the eyes themselves, but rather smaller structures inside the eye, glowing white hot, giving the illusion of orbs. Optic nerves. They were his optic nerves! The sudden realization caused the sketching pattern to begin to trace outward from these smaller nerves. By the time the two had seemed finished talking, the new guy was already a head and a spinal column in Garrett's mind's eye. "Another mutant. Must be some sort of magnet in here." He said it to himself mostly, but Kaz would hear it if he was still paying attention.

It seemed neither Garrett nor Vega knew how to respond to Demi, which gave him a small bit of joy. It was soon replaced by confusion. Obviously Garrett's statement to Vega was some sort of inside joke, either that or he was really off his game. Before Vega gave the warning both Kaz and Demi looked towards the door, Kaz looked from the corner of his eye, while Demi removed himself from the cloth a bit to face the newcomer.

The man came forward, introduced himself and stated his business. Straight to the point, which Kaz liked. Though he seemed to ignore Garrett and himself, which Kaz wasn't quite sure how to take that. Demi was staring at Alex and sniffing the air as if he could somehow get some secret of the man from it. Kaz sighed. He focused on his displeasure with Demi, a silent reprimand via emotions, which Demi responded to sharply as a dog would respond to a choke-collar being pulled tightly. He'd try to explain to Demi later why he was displeased. Kaz wasn't sure how much or if Demi really did understand what he said, but it was worth doing, the little guy was still quite a mystery.

Kaz turned his attention back to Vega and helped pack the books into the bags. "Wow. You are one great customer. Too great actually. You sure you can carry all this?"

"I'll be fine. They're not all that heavy. Thanks for the help Vega." He smiled to her as she went to help the newcomer. He almost walked right out of the store but stopped when he saw the intense look on Garrett's face. He followed the direction and realized he was staring at Alex. He stood and watched Garrett, Vega and Alex until Garrett spoke up. "Another mutant. Must be some sort of magnet in here."

Kaz chuckled, shifted the bags to one hand and set his free hand gently on the man's shoulder. His voice was low and quiet. "Garrett, if you keep your eyes and mind open, you'll realize this happens a lot." He lowered his hand to his bags and leaned against the counter. A thought entered his head. "How good are you investigative, research skills? I don't mean chemistry or crime investigations, nothing as complicated as that." For Kaz to explain what he meant more fully or why he was asking, depended completely on how Garrett responded.

Alex brightened up the moment he set eyes on the shelf. Practiced fingers grabbed and inspected one of the volumes. He seemed quite pleased at their condition which surprised Vega a bit. This wasn't a second-hand shop. Shouldn't the books all be in excellent condition? But then she thought of the store copy of Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice that had a permanent home beneath the counter. One of the owners read and re-read that one so much that they eventually just ordered a replacement copy.

"Excellent. These are just what I was looking for."[/color] Vega couldn't help but echo his charming smile.

"Glad I could help." She shrugged feeling the vibrations of what must be more conversation from the boys. She was tempted to tune in, but she was occupied with a customer. Ah well, she'd have Garrett fill her in later.

His expression changed slightly into that of friendly insecurity. "By chance, are there any books that your store needs? Oak Street has a fairly varied selection, and so we were wondering if we could exchange equivalent goods. We have the money to pay, but, we would rather not have to spend extra on taxes and such."[/color]

"Uhhh- oh, dear. I don't know if I can really make any deals. Uhm. I'm actually kind of new here." She scratched her head, ruffling her naturally snowy white hair as she tried to come up with a fair solution. "Gimmie a sec and I'll ask Jim. You can go ahead and grab those copies. Take them to the front desk if you like and I'll meet you there in just a sec."

Vega didn't wait for an answer. Alex was a big boy and a fellow book store employee. He could handle a few books and didn't need her to hold his hand. She stepped around the stacks with practiced grace and bounded on the balls of her feet back toward the stock computer. She knocked politely on the wooden door next to the ancient cube disappearing behind it. She couldn't afford to spend much time back there with three people in her store unattended. Sure there were cameras and Ghost obviously trusted the people enough with the merchandise, but it wasn't a habit she should often practice.

"Uhhh- oh, dear. I don't know if I can really make any deals. Uhm. I'm actually kind of new here. Gimmie a sec and I'll ask Jim. You can go ahead and grab those copies. Take them to the front desk if you like and I'll meet you there in just a sec."

Alex nodded to her retreating back, despite knowing she couldn't see the gesture, then pulled the remaining copies off the shelf. He grinned, as each of them was in excellent condition, no sign that they were goign to be, in a sense, second-hand.

Alex strode out from the shelves and towards the counter. The two men were still standing near it. Obviously, they still had buisness here. Alex walked up to the counter and set his books on an open portion, then leaned against the counter to wait for Vega to return.

Garrett snapped out of his haze, a small headache forming behind his eyes. Kaz had apparently heard him, as he stopped and put his hand on Garrett's shoulder."Garrett, if you keep your eyes and mind open, you'll realize this happens a lot." Garrett rubbed his eyes and shook off the initial discomfort. " I'll do my best to do just that, Kaz. Thank you." He believed it was just a word of friendly advice until Kaz seemed to have more to say.

"How good are you investigative, research skills? I don't mean chemistry or crime investigations, nothing as complicated as that." Garrett didn't need a mutation to see there was more to this question than mere curiosity. He considered the question, looking over to see that Maya and the other guy were still talking. His vision returned to the man before him." I would think they are above average. I found out several leads about those responsible for my recent ..sickness. I even have a face and a name."

So many possibilities and new horizons forming, merely from a visit to the bookstore to see his girlfriend. Garrett smirked slightly, wondering what would happen should he stop on the way home for a slice of pizza. As he pondered this, the other man returned to the counter. Garrett tried kepping his eyesaverted from looking at him dead on, as the thought of the possible migraine evolvinginto adefinite one wasn't very pleasing.

Nothing like pleasantries to break the ice. He looked over at him in a casual glance. " hey there, how are you? I'm Garrett, Vega's boyfriend. Just popped in to visit for a few. What's your name? It was definitely over the top as far as conversation, but where Kaz did not deserve the jealous streak, this one might.

"Hey there, how are you? I'm Garrett, Vega's boyfriend. Just popped in to visit for a few. What's your name?" Alex started as one of the men addressed him. He had assumed that they were having they own conversation, and had tuned them out.

"Alex. It is nice to meet you." Alex wasn't quite sure what to say next, so he decided to add why he was there.

"I work down at the bookshop on Oak Street. We supply a portion of the textbooks for one of the downtown schools, and we just got in a large order for textbooks." Alex gestured at the four books on the counter. "I am trying to fill the order before the deadline."

Alex noted that the man hadn't looked directly at him as he spoke, and turned his body towards him to face him more directly. His eyes took in both of the men's appearance. Alex's hairs stood up a little. Both of these men were powerful and possibly dangerous. Alex wondered where these feelings were coming from. He had never shown any psychic talents beyond his electro-telekinesis.