It was around the late afternoon and Arielle had gotten a sudden craving for something sweet. Of course there were plenty of snacks in the Kitchen's pantries, but she preferred something else to the twinkies and oreos. She enjoyed living at the mansion so far and being in the United States period, but it was only natural that she'd begin to experience a little sickness.

What better way to help her through it than making herself a homemade dessert from Brazil? A Brazilian Strawberry Cake with Coconut Frosting. Luckily, they had every ingredient she needed on hand and she wasted no time whipping up the dessert. Since it was winter, she had decided to make herself some cocoa to go along with her cake.

After frosting her yummy masterpiece and decorating it with the berries she had left, Arielle placed it on the table, wiping a drop of sweat from her brow.

"This cake looks almost as good as I do. Almost." Arielle laughed to herself, smiling at her creation. Grabbing herself a plate, fork and a knife, Arielle began cutting herself a nice big slice. There was more than enough for anybody else who would want any, and she knew someone would walk by, smell the awesomeness of her baking skills, and would want to have a taste for themselves.

Nathan was unusually hungry as he walked toward the kitchen. But he didn't want good food. He felt more like eating some desert, something really sweet. Nathan was hoping that there was some ice cream in the freezer that he could get a bowl of, or perhaps two.

As the kitchen grew closer, a scent filled Nathan's nostrils. It smelled like someone had been baking, and they had apparently done a dang good job of whatever they had created. Nathan thought about who this mysterious baker could be but he didn't know anyone well enough to make a good guess at it. Well, I might as well see who it is. And maybe they would like to share.

Nathan opened the door that lead to the kitchen and found the expected pastry on the table. What he didn't expect was who he saw in the kitchen eating the dessert. He really hadn't pegged Arielle for a cooking type. But then again, the first thing that comes to mind was that dress she was wearing. Nathan shook his head to get rid of that train of thought.

"Hello Arielle. Is it ok with you if I have some of this cake with you? Or were you waiting for someone else?"

"Eh?" Arielle paused just as her fork was to her lips with a hefty piece of cake attached to it. She heard someone enter the room and looking over, she discovered it to be Nathan.

"Well, whats going on with you?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Hello Arielle. Is it ok with you if I have some of this cake with you? Or were you waiting for someone else?"

Arielle smiled at the fire elemental. "You sure your girl friend wouldn't mind you sitting with a home girl?" she joked. "Come on and grab a plate, there is plenty. I can't eat all of it by myself. I'll be doing Capoeria for weeks trying to burn off the calories if I did," she smiled again.

"Don't be shy on the portions either. Help yourself to as much as you want, Nate. If you don't mine me calling you that."

"I'm sure she'll be fine with it. It's only cake," laughed Nathan. And after that he went and cut himself a slice about one and a half times bigger than the piece on Arielle's plate. "I don't mind being called Nate either. It's not the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last." He grabbed a fork and sat down across from her.

Nathan paused before he started eating. "I wanted to apologize about me seeming rude before when we first met. I had other things on my mind at the moment." After taking a bite of the pastry, Nathan told her, "This cake is delicious."

"I accept the apology and the complement. I understand," Arielle replied taking another bite of her cake. Her eyes widened at the size of Nathan's slice.

"Damn boy. You are hungry aren't you?" she laughed. "Then again, I shouldn't be that surprised. You're all buff and like a foot taller than me. I'd hate to be the guy who pisses you off and get a fist driven into my face," she laughed again.

"Anyways, we kind of did get off to a lame start. Why don't we press the reset button and start over? I'll start. I'm Arielle, last name Monteiro. I'm from Brazil. I'm 18 years old...." she trailed off to take another bite of cake. "Actually, I don't want to be rude running off at the mouth about myself. Why don't you tell me about yourself? You know, where your from, what you like to do, and all that good stuff." she spoke giving Nathan her attention.

"Well, that doesn't happen too often. I try to keep a cool head and avoid confrontation most of the time. But there are some instances where a little aggression negotiation can be useful," laughed Nathan.

As Arielle talked about herself, Nathan became surprised that she came all the way from Brazil to New York. "My name is Nathan Garrett. I'm from a small town in Texas you've probably never heard of. I am also 18. I used to play football in high school. I like doing physically straining activities like working out, swimming, flying when it's permitted, and spending time with my girlfriend Ali."

It took Nathan a split second to realize the implications of what he had just said. He blushed as he tried to correct himself. "Not that being with Ali is physically straining, but...." He just sort of trailed off due to the weight of the embarrassment and the heat on his cheeks and ears.

After a deep breath and another bite of cake Nathan gathered his thoughts. "So what do you like to do?"

"Football player? Figures. Now I know where you get all that beef," she smiled and listened as he continued to list his hobbies.

"Not that being with Ali is physically straining, but...."

Arielle couldn't help but laugh. It was cute watching him blush."Being with a spouse can be physically straining depending on how intimate you are. But I wouldn't know much about that. I'm only half a virgin," she sighed with a light chuckle and coughed, moving to the next subject. Nathan threw the ball back in her court and she was up to list her likes.

"Well, you and I are pretty much on the same page when it comes to what we like to do. I mean, besides my girly habits like shopping, I do a lot of physical activities too. Except, I don't strain myself out. I took up Capoeira, not only as a martial art, but to stay in shape too. And I love to swim. The beaches in Rio are awesome. I'd to take you sometime and you can bring Ali cause I'm sure she'd like it as well. Nothing more romantic than laying in the sand in the arms of your lover, watching the sunset over the sea..." she trailed off, remaining silent for a bit as she stared off into space.

"Jesus christ, I need a man..." she sighed digging back into her cake. "Sorry. I may be wild but I have a soft spot for romance. So if you ever catch me in the living room watching Titanic and I'm swimming in a sea of tissues bawling my eyes out, you know why. You've been warned." she laughed. "But yeah, there's a lot of other stuff. Dancing, Volley Ball...I just like fun and laughing. It's just a great feeling."

Nathan cocked his head and looked at Ariella quizzically after her comment about being only half a virgin but did not say anything about it. Nathan listened to her as she talked about her hobbies and about beaches in Brazil. That idea of vacationing in Brazil had definite potential but that was going to have to wait.

Nathan waited patiently for Arielle to continue talking after her pause while eating some more of the dessert. "I'll remember the warning," he said after she continued. The mention of volleyball certainly spiked his interest since that was rather uncommon around New York.

After hearing Arielle talk about the beaches where her home was, Nathan grew curious. "What made you want to come to America? If you don't mind me asking."

"Why did I come?" Arielle repeated, scanning inside her mind for the answer. "Well, I'm sure you know what it's like to feel different because of your powers..." she began.

"Have you ever wanted to be in a place where you're allowed to be yourself and not be ashamed of what you are? Because I know I have to all thee above that I have just mentioned and that's why I came here. So I can be free to be...me. I've always been myself personality wise, but when it came to my abilities, I've always tried to keep them hidden. Here I don't have to do that. I can embrace the water that flows through me, just like you can embrace the fire than burns within you." she smiled. "You don't have to say anything, Nate. I know that was deep." she laughed.

"I can already tell this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. It's too bad we didn't get to hang out the night we met. You seem like a real cool and sweet guy. But we can hang out now!" Arielle beamed, liquefying herself into puddle on the floor and flowing over behind Nathan's chair, retaking her human form.

"I remember when I went to lunch with Sam and asked him about joining the X-men, he said something about training sessions in the danger room..." she grinned kneeling down beside Nathan. "And I say since we just stuffed our faces with this yummy treat, we go burn off the calories. I wanna see this Danger Room for myself. Sounds like fun and a hell of a time. What do you say?" she asked smirking.

Nathan just sat there and listened to Arielle speak. The intensity of the conversation surprised him since it was only the second time he had spoken to her. Then, quick as a whip she was back to her normal eccentric self.

Nathan didn't move until Arielle finally stopped moving. Her changing into her liquid form surprised him a bit since he didn't think there was a need for it but it was still really cool.

Having Arielle in the Danger Room didn't seem like a problem to Nathan if she was going to join up anyway. "I say that sounds like fun," Nathan said as he was standing up. He started to walk out and looked back at Arielle. "Are you coming?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I am," Arielle smiled. "Just one more bite," she added and took a final piece of her cake.

"I wouldn't miss this for anything," she laughed following behind Nathan. She was really excited and looking forward to tons of fun and action. And a chance to go all out when using her powers.

"The Danger Room. Lets just see how dangerous it is..." she grinned.