Lily stopped in for her bag before hitting the parking lot. She was strong and confident. She was herself for as long as she had the comforting mantle of her power. Jacen ruined everything. He made what little control she had fought for fruitless.

He made her weak, flawed and that brought back every insecurity she'd ever had. A girl doesn't like to be insecure. Living in New York, Lori had to think that she can take care of herself no matter the situation or else she would never go out. She was planning to take care of this insecurity one way or another.

She waited for him between too cars that were tall enough to hide at least one of her height. She leaned casually against a light pole and loitered. It wasn't nearly as hooker-ish looking as it sounded even if she didn't bother to change out of her tennis clothes. Jacen lumbered out, his face cleaned up a bit from the blood. Once he spotted her, he made a bee line. As expected. Not even a racket to the face could him from wanting more.

"Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Like I said... I had no idea I actually did anything."[/color]

"Are doing." Lori swallowed. Despite the physical activity she was unnaturally pale. "Can you take about ten steps back? Perfect." She exhaled when he complied. Now to test some theories.

"A mutant... how in the world did I end up a mutant?"

"Well, when two people are lonely and have needs-- sometimes they decide to combine their genes. 9 months later... a bouncing baby mutant. Stay still I want to try something." First, Lori tried making a magnetic field close to Jacen to steal his racket out of his hand. When that didn't work, Lori pulled one of her bangles off her wrist and manipulated it toward Jacen. It fell from the field as soon as it hit the 8 foot mark around him.

Lori frowned at her bracelet that lay on the ground. "Still having doubts?" The next test was a bit more... complex. The light pole behind her started to squeal unnaturally as it ripped upward from its base. The pole was long enough that she could keep the magnetic field outside the bracelet line. Would the pole fall too? Anything touching his area of nullification? only one way to find out. The pole swung downward over Lori's shoulder toward Jacen like it might bop him on the head, her magnetic field worked as the fulcrum. It was only a test.

Jacen complied to Lori request, stepping away and watching her curiously. It was apparent, just from watching the expression on her face and way she acted that there was some kind of field around the man, but what was really strange was that no one had ever mentioned feeling weird around him before.

"Do I not affect humans or something?" He silently pondered to himself.

"Well, when two people are lonely and have needs-- sometimes they decide to combine their genes. 9 months later... a bouncing baby mutant. Stay still I want to try something."

Raising an eyebrow questioningly, Jacen remained quiet as he watched the blond woman. At first, nothing seemed to be happening... then Lily took off one of her bangle bracelets and out of nowhere, it began floating toward him.

Jacen's eyes widened ever so slightly but even at this manifestation of the woman's powers, he didn't say anything. He had been around mutants before... he'd even been enlisted one back in the military, but it was still something of a surprise to see what powers each of these individuals possessed. At approximately eight to ten feet away, the bracelet suddenly dropped to the ground without warning.

"Still having doubts?" Lily asked even as the sound of the metal hitting the pavement still echoed through the air.

"I don't really have a choice about that now do I." Jacen replied quietly. His voice wasn't depressed or upset sounding it was just the sound of a man stating a fact. He had to be a mutant... there was no other explanation.

He was so lost in his internal dialog and reverie that at first, he failed to notice the light pole that ripped from its base and began to swing down toward Jacen. Then, as he glanced upward and saw the pole descending, instinct claimed complete control. These weren't simple tests anymore... his life was no being threatened.

Diving to the side immediately, Jacen disappeared behind a parked car, completely out of Lily's view. A part of him was trying to argue that she had been just testing things but another part of him was screaming that a light pole coming at his head was no longer a test. That was now a threat. Moving quickly and as quietly as he could, Jacen made his way around several parked cars, keeping his field of power away from Lily until he was finally able to get around behind her. Charging quickly he moved in so that his field completely blanketed her, shutting her off from whatever this power was that she had access too.

"What the hell was that Lily?" Jacen asked, his voice icy and dangerous as he looked at her with narrowed eyes, "Trying to take out the person that can neutralize you?"

There was the chance that she hadn't been out to hurt him but after having seen so many mutants cause so much damage to the city, Jacen wasn't ready to just give her a free pass. Ice boy back at the bank had proved he was out to help people but Lily had done no such thing. Keeping his weight on the balls of his feet so that he could move in order to defend himself if necessary Jacen had one last question.

"Who are you and what do you really want?"

"I don't really have a choice about that now do I."
"Do any of us?" She arched her brow at him unrepentantly. Just because he'd been able to hide from himself for so long didn't mean she had to hold his hand. It meant he had a strong secondary power: the power of self-delusion. Most "new" mutants get that power temporarily if not indefinitely.

The light pole swung down toward Jacen. She wasn't exactly trying to kill him, but that would be another interesting test to try some day, perhaps. Unconsciousness as well as a test to see if she could send an electric shock down this pole and have his unconscious body wriggle from the current were all very valid tests for the sake of science and curiosity. It was nothing personal really. Unfortunately, Jacen seemed to snap out of his self-delusions and he perceived her metal manipulations as a threat.

He dove and rolled away in time to miss the end of the light poll swinging to where he had just been. Even though he moved, it was close enough that Lori safely assumed that it didn't have the power to cancel things that just crossed into his barrier, but things that were actually inside of the range. The light bulbs smashed into the asphalt, scattering glass shards behind the two large vehicles she was standing between.

Well, the unconscious thing would have to wait for later... maybe when he wasn't expecting it, though if she had to choose a weapon like a 20 foot pole... that would typically give him enough time to react. Ah well, a non-mutation dependent way would have to suffice. Jacen was no where to be seen so Lori shrugged and started manipulating her magnetic field to take the light pole up and out of the way of all these vehicles. She raised it high and walked underneath it, meaning to throw it in the grassy area between the club house and parkinglot... or maybe right up the asses of the big wigs inside the club house. That could be fun too.

But Jacen apparently had other ideas. Lily's eyes went wide as soon as her knees went weak. She wasn't holding that pole up anymore... in fact, nothing was. He probably thought himself smart for surprising her.

"What the hell was that Lily? Trying to take out the person that can neutralize you?"

She didn't have time to explain, she just acted. Lily tackled Jacen with everything she had. Hopefully weak or not, it would be enough to take them both out of the pole's trajectory. The pole fell through tree limbs and slammed into the roofs of several cars setting off several car alarms and sending a shower of glass across Lily and Jacen. Lily had her eyes squeezed closed and her hands balled into fists in Jacen's clothing. Stupid. That was very stupid.

"Maybe next time, you'll hold still." She panted. Jacen didn't seem amused... or even all that appreciative.

"Who are you and what do you really want?"

For once, she felt like telling the truth. Lily turned her face into Jacen's clothes and hid there from his accusing eyes. "I don't know." She confessed everything to Jacen's sweaty cotton shirt. Her voice was frustrated, ernest, and scared all at once. "I don't know."

The fake names, the strings of men and crime and destruction, the Sanctuary -- it all started when she got her power... and really exploded after she stopped trying to be normal. So where was she in all of that? Jacen wasn't the only one re-evaluating his life because of his power.

Normal. It was a relative term, but it was what she'd fought for years to achieve on her own. And what she'd finally given up for a life of impulse. Normal was what Jacen had to offer. She'd thought of him as a threat before, but he didn't have to be. He could be what saved her from sponge baths with rubber gloves and power dependancies. Was normal still possible?

Jacen was somewhat stunned as he lay on his back, but he had still had enough energy and focus to get out his last question.

"She tries to hit me and then saves me from the same thing?!" His mind screamed as he just focused on breathing and waiting for Lily to come up with her answer, "How in the world does this woman think?"

"I don't know." She replied, completely shocking the man as she turned her head and buried her face in his chest, "I don't know."

That was not what Jacen had expected... even when Lily had been feeling the effects of his power earlier, she had remained confident. Confident to the point of being bitchy a lot of the time, but she had never let her guard down. To hear her admit that she wasn't sure about something and just reveal that touch of vulnerability was a shock.

The moment was surreal...

Two mutants lying on the pavement somewhat entangled together because of her tackle, surrounded by broken glass, with some glass even on top of them, and the sound of car alarms filling the air...

At some point, one of Jacen's arms had wrapped around Lily and, not really knowing what else to do, he gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. What in the world was he supposed to say in this situation? What was he supposed to do?

- A saint would hug her and offer to help her find herself in order to better both the woman and the world around them.

- A jerk would tell her to go screw herself and then get up and just walk away.

- A player would offer her comfort in order to get something from her.

What was Jacen? What was his part to play? None of those things seemed to fit his personality but he had never dealt with this situation before. Sure he had dated lots of women but he had never considered himself a player, and he sure as hell wasn't a saint... did that mean he was a jerk?

"You're a smart and confident woman Lily." He finally spoke softly as he kept his arm around her and slowly moved them both into a sitting position, "You can figure things out if you give yourself the time."

"What the hell? She just tried to kill me... I think... and now I'm comforting her?"

"We uh... we should get out of here before the cops show up." Jacen admitted quietly. He knew that he could get them off from being in trouble but he didn't want to have to face his fellow officers right now... not until he figured out how to handle his own situation. "Do you have someplace to go? Can I give you a ride somewhere?"

He wasn't going to invite her to his apartment. He couldn't invite her to his apartment. This woman had split open the skin just above his eye, which if he wasn't mistaken was now beginning to bleed again, and then she had tried to brain him with a light pole. There was no way...

"You can come to my apartment if you need to. I can supply a stiff drink if that's what you need or just a place to clean up." Jacen heard himself say as his mouth betrayed his mind. Why? Why couldn't he have just listened to himself?!

Jacen was quiet for so long that Lily though she might have accidentally brained him on the pavement. But he squeezed her shoulders, had he caught her when she tackled him? The details were a bit fuzzy, but one thing was for sure. Lily sniffled. We stink. She wrinkled her nose and waited for him to ... to what? Offer her crumpets and tea? This was silly.

"You're a smart and confident woman, Lily. You can figure things out if you give yourself the time." Oh insult to injury. He was holding her metaphorical hand now. She sniffled again and let him sit them up. That put her somewhere in the vicinity of his lap. Normally what she would consider an advantageous position was somewhat ruined by the fact that the weapons she had were worthless here.

"We uh... we should get out of here before the cops show up."[/color]

"Right." Artfully dodging her eyes so that she would not have to meet his, Liliy stood. She was stiff and shards of glass trickled out of places she wasn't sure glass should come from. She rolled her shoulders and gingerly ran her hands through her pony tail to pull out a few shards that were stuck. She took her time ducking under the light pole and re-collecting her bag.

Was she going back to the Sanctuary? Letting normal go? Lori looked at the exposed wires and frowned. Jacen's voice cut over the car alarms. "Do you have someplace to go? Can I give you a ride somewhere?"[/i] He was hurrying her or trying to get rid of her. She wasn't sure which, but there was one last test. She had to know. Was normal still possible?

The wires weren't sparking theatrically or doing anything really except sticking up at odd angles where she had ripped them apart. Lori bent down as if to pick up one last thing and grabbed hold of the red and black power and ground wires.

Nothing... at first. Then she realized it was trickling steadily. She couldn't draw more than was provided. She couldn't stop it, redirect it, accelerate it. She couldn't do anything extraordinary... except shouldn't it hurt?

So much for normal.

"You can come to my apartment if you need to. I can supply a stiff drink if that's what you need or just a place to clean up."

Seems like her powers of self-delusion just weren't what they used to be. Bag in hand, she let go of the wire. It wasn't doing her any good. Did that mean she was actually built differently? No power, but also no problem with electricity. Yep. Kiss normal goodbye. "You're a saint."

Yep. She'd kiss normal goodbye after one last hit. No one expected her to quit cold turkey, right? She was just... working on kicking the habit. "Lead on."

"You're a saint."

Jacen had to steal himself not to react as the shock of her words hit him like a slap in the face. Hadn't he just gone through a mental battle proving that he was no saint? He may have a few saint-like qualities but he also had a few jerk-like and player-like qualities, which meant that he wasn't a saint. But if he wasn't a jerk, saint, or player, then what was he?

"Human, or... not... so... human." He mentally decided, accepting the inevitable. There was no clear-cut, concise answer in this situation.

"Lead on."

Pausing for a moment to brush away the last few glass shards that were sticking to his sweaty skin, Jacen began to walk across the parking lot to where his truck was parked. "Right this way." He assumed that Lily would now be following him but he refused to turn around and look. If she chose not to come it was no skin off his nose... he didn't need anyone. He could deal with this whole mutant discovery thing all by himself.

"Still there... good." Jacen's mind betrayed him as he caught sight of Lily in the reflection off a car's side view mirror out of the corner of his eye. Ok... so maybe he wasn't quite ready to deal with all of this on his own, but he would be soon. Yes... he would be soon.

A few moments later Jacen was unlocking the truck with the wireless clicker had had pulled from his bag. After stowing his bag in the back seat he wiped his face once more with the towel and then pulled out the first aid kit. Climbing into the front seat Jacen adjusted the mirror so that he could see himself and the small cut just above his eye.

"Butterfly bandage... gonna need a butterfly bandage." Jacen thought as he rummaged through the kit and finally found the appropriate item.

"How long have you known you were a mutant?" Jacen tried to keep the conversation at least somewhat light as he tried to get his wound closed. With the blood still running he had to keep one eye closed and that was making it somewhat difficult to deal with.

"I don't need help though... I can handle this." Jacen thought as he first butterfly got blood on the adhesive and he had to set it in his lap while he dug out another one, "No biggie... I can do this."

((OOC: wanted to ask permission first, but never could catch you. let me know if I should edit.))

Lori followed Jacen to his truck at her own pace. People had started running out to see if the car alarms were theirs, but that wasn't going to make her pick up the pace. She was stiff and a little pissed at herself for even letting herself do this.

Lori followed protocol and stashed her bag next to Jacen's, opened her own door and slid into her own seat as Jacen did the same. She started pulling on her seatbelt, but noticed Jacen was having his own issues. So much for rushing off before the cops showed up. Sure she hadn't hurried, but he was messing up the whole getaway thing with his clumsy fingers. With a sigh, Lori grabbed the towel already spotted with blood out of his lap.

She found a clean bit of towel and maneuvered her fingers so she could pinch at the wound through the cloth. Without asking she ran a finger up the dribble of blood and jabbed her fingers at the source, applying a bit of pressure. Hopefully it'd be enough for him to drop the next butterfly bandage before he got his bloody fingers all over it. "Look at me." as if he wasn't going to glare daggers at her for poking mercilessly at the wound.

"How long have you known you were a mutant?"
Lori gave him a grim smile. "I was a late bloomer too. A normal kid up until college." It was obvious from her tone that she was out of college even though she didn't necessarily look it. Lori waited until Jacen had pulled off one of the plastic backings before yanking the butterfly strip from his hand. She removed the towel and pinched more gently at the wound this time as she placed the strip.

"Get away time?"

There were no daggers shot in Lily's direction as she stepped in to take charge of cleaning up his eye and putting on the butterfly bandage. There was surprise and maybe just a touch of gratefulness, but not a dagger to be seen. A few moments later the young woman had finished her work and Jacen was once again ready to drive.

Throwing the truck into reverse he backed the truck out of the parking space quickly but skillfully and then headed for the exit. Without even thinking about it Jacen reached down and flipped on his police scanner to see what the latest was. If the chatter was right then the cops were only another one to two minutes away but that was really all the time that he needed to slip away.

"So... what was your major in college?" He asked idly as he took the turn out onto the main road and began to accelerate away form the scene of their... incident.

"A cop fleeing the scene of an incident... what am I doing? It was an accident... we didn't do anything wrong. But why am I running away?" It was really to much for Jacen's mind to process. He had always been a law abiding citizen that fought for what he believed in and after one sudden discovery, Jacen was suddenly lost. Was he supposed to just be a regular law abiding citizen or was he supposed to be something more? He didn't believe he was an outright killer, but he knew that he could kill if necessary. So what did that make him?

"I don't know whether to thank you for being at the tournament today or just to wish we'd never met." Jacen spoke up out of the blue, "Is that a common reaction?"

"So... what was your major in college?"

"Liberal studies - Physics, English, and Art History... you?" She answered like it was a quiz and the get away was just normal background noise. She was actually quite interested in the police scanner. It had to be a police scanner, that was police jargon. Lily searched Jacen's face as if the planes and valleys there would tell her everything. Was he a police man? Or a wheel man -- a professional at the get away.

"You do this often?" Because she did, and he looked... off. Like he wasn't perfectly comfortable with what was taking place here. Lori hardly spared a glance at the road. He was a confident enough driver that she didn't have to worry about that at all. Thankfully.

"I don't know whether to thank you for being at the tournament today or just to wish we'd never met. Is that a common reaction?"

Lily smirked and turned away to look out the window. "You should probably wish we'd never met." Even Lily knew she was too much trouble for this one to handle. Should she be on her best behavior just because he was new? She certainly didn't feel like raising her normal amount of hell. "I'm not sure what common reactions are beyond denial." In all honesty, she'd only met establish mutants. And her first few years of uniqueness were spent as alone as possible.

Lily leaned her face against the cool glass of the window. She was tired.

"I'm afraid I missed out on the whole college experience." Jacen offered with a slight chuckle as he smoothly turned onto a side street, avoiding the cops as he continued to listen to their chatter. "Unless you're a specialist the army doesn't really worry about college education." He didn't like having to do this but since he knew the meaning behind every code, it was actually easier than he expected it to be.

"If I were really going rogue the NYPD would have real problems." He thought to himself rather grimly.

"You do this often?"

"Do what? Flee from a crime scene, avoid the cops, or pick up pretty girls?" Jacen asked without the slightest hesitation as he turned back onto another main road and continued the drive to his apartment. "Where did that come from?" He asked himself in surprise, "That's not... I'm not... how..."

""You should probably wish we'd never met. I'm not sure what common reactions are beyond denial."

"You can never deny who and what you really are." Jacen said quietly after a moment, his expression turning thoughtful, "If you're human, then there's no use pretending to be a mutant. If you're a mutant, then embrace what you are and don't try to pretend your just a regular human. We are what we are and self-denial never helps anything."

***

A few moments later Jacen pulled the truck into his assigned parking space at the apartment building where he lived. It was a rather plain looking brownstone building. While not extravegant it was well maintained on the outside and the sidewalks and lobby were all quite clean.

"We're here... you going to come in or do you want me to call you a cab?" He wasn't about to assume anything with Lily. Even though she had accepted his offer to come over, there was something that still wasn't quite right about her. Maybe it the fact that she couldn't feel like herself without her powers, or something like that.

"Unless you're a specialist the army doesn't really worry about college education."

Ah... the good posture and snot-faced confidence. She should have recognized it sooner. Lily propped her feet up on the dashboard in front of her and went back to looking out the window.

"Do what? Flee from a crime scene, avoid the cops, or pick up pretty girls?"
"All of the above, I guess. Military isn't too keen on rule breakers or so I hear. Not too keen on our kind either." She chanced a look. No cringe? Was he a good liar or all too happy to learn why he lived in a word full of normal people?

"You can never deny who and what you really are. If you're human, then there's no use pretending to be a mutant. If you're a mutant, then embrace what you are and don't try to pretend your just a regular human. We are what we are and self-denial never helps anything."[/color]

Lori sighed. "Oh, I dunno - you've known you're a mutie for how long and you're already dodging the cops?" She didn't have to see his face to know that one should rattle his cage. No one likes changing who they are so late in the game.

***

The apartment complex looked decent. Not rich. But not like anything she grew up in. She followed Jacen in relative silence, her bag in hand. That bag was important, it had her normal choice of clothes and most importantly her steel toed boots. That should make her feel better even if she couldn't sense it all.

"We're here... you going to come in or do you want me to call you a cab?"

"I would love to come in. My place actually... uh - it recently burned down. I've been staying in a mutant home of sorts so I'd appreciate at least a real shower... if you don't mind." She neglected to mention that the fire was her fault and it had all started with a shower. Details, details. She wanted a normal shower, dang it!

"All of the above, I guess. Military isn't too keen on rule breakers or so I hear. Not too keen on our kind either."

"As far as I know the military doesn't have any policies reguarding mutants." Jacen replied somewhat dryly, "And one of my best friends over in Iraq was a mutant. He saved my life after I'd gotten shot. He was a good guy."

"Oh, I dunno - you've known you're a mutie for how long and you're already dodging the cops?"

Inwardly Jacen winced and he just knew that his expression had to reflect some of that. He was a cop and yet here was was fleeing from his fellow officers because he didn't want to have to answer any questions right now. Maye Lily was right... maybe he wasn't following his own statement and embrassing who he was. Maybe... maybe he was just trying to run away. To forget everything all his problems and just get away for a while.

***

"I would love to come in. My place actually... uh - it recently burned down. I've been staying in a mutant home of sorts so I'd appreciate at least a real shower... if you don't mind."

"Follow me then." Jacen said with a nod and a slight smile as he turned and led the way to the elevator. A few moments later the two of them exited the elevator on the third floor and made their way down the hall to the corner apartment. Turning the key, Jacen unlocked the deadbolt and walked inside, holding the door open for Lily to come in before closing it behind her.

The door opened up directly into a small living room. The floor was carpetted with a deep, royal blue carpet that blended with the light sky blue walls. Various pictures and small pieces of artword were hung on the wall though it was obvious that none of it was very expensive. In the far corner was a TV, DVD player, and collection of various movies and tv show seasons. A black leather couch and one dark blue fabric easy chair sat facing the tv, with a cedar coffee table set up right in front of them. A doorway right next to the TV opened up into what must have been the master bedroom. Off to the left was a small kitchen that looked like it would be a tight fit for even two people to get in. A short hallway next to the kitchen ran off to the guest bedroom as well as the guest bathroom.

Over all the apartment was clean and relatively well maintained. It was the typical, comfortable home that most any middle-class american would live in. The only oddity was a table that sat right next to the front door. Three or four different bottles of various alcohol were set there along with glasses for serving. It was apparent that these were probably one of the few things Jacen splurged on because this wasn't your normal beer and wine.

"The guest bath is just down the hall and towels are under the sink if you want to shower first." Jacen offered as he dropped his tennis bag on the floor next to his liqour counter, "Or I can pour you a drink first. I've got scotch, brandy, whiskey, or there is water, cranberry juice, and soda's in the fridge."

Jacen wasn't that used to hosting women at his apartment unless he was trying to sleep with them though he wasn't completely sure how to act around Lily. She was here for a shower and maybe even to help him accept his new found abilities, but as far as he knew there was nothing else that they wanted or needed from each other.

An elevator. The corners of her mouth turned upward sightly and she shifted her weight back and forth cheerily. She was starting to be in a rather good mood. For one, she was in an elevator and there was no risk of her shutting it down and getting them stuck. She was following a nice man to his apartment, and she was going to get a normal shower. I mean what were the odds that he had a guest shower? Single guy, living alone, public defender salary... yep. She was in a good mood.

He opened the door to a wonderland of blue. "Dang. Did a blueberry blow up in here or is this your favorite color?" Lori paused to admire a cheaply-framed print of a Van Gogh's Starry Night. It was a classic and... you guessed it, mostly blue. He must have decorated himself. Who else kept scotch by the door? Right by the keys you grab as you drive off into the sunset?

Oh and a TV! Lily marched over a few paces toward the set. She could watch suspense or horror films without ruining things! Man, this guy may never get rid of her. Lori's new prospective in the room made a hallway visible that she hadn't noticed before. Wait. She did the math mentally. One master bed, she could see that from here. One living room. One miniscule kitchen made for take out food reheats only. And one more hall? What was in hallway number two?

She opened her mouth to ask, but Jacen was already explaining. "The guest bath is just down the hall and towels are under the sink if you want to shower first. Or I can pour you a drink first. I've got scotch, brandy, whiskey, or there is water, cranberry juice, and soda's in the fridge."

Oh! Right through the heart. "Guest bath?" She asked with just a hint of panic. "What kind of single guy has a guest bathroom?" Lori dropped her tennis bag where she stood and marched back to pour herself a shot of something stiff. This... was going to get ugly.

"I can't... I mean - can you come with me? I can't..." She sighed, downed the whole drink and folded her arms like a petulant child. She didn't typically admit that she couldn't do things on her own, but she had to try. For the sake of the shower. "I kind of need you to stand by otherwise you're gonna get unwanted fireworks." Actually she wasn't entirely sure if it was a good idea, but it'd been years since she'd had a normal shower. Years. That's like going years without relaxing. Girls need showers. Emphasis on need.

"Dang. Did a blueberry blow up in here or is this your favorite color?" Lily asked as soon as the door to the room opened.

"Blue is calming. It's a good color to relax with after a stressful day at work... and yeah, it's my favorite color." Jacen replied without the slightest embaressment.

"Guest bath? What kind of single guy has a guest bathroom?" Lily asked in obvious surprise as he dropped her racket and walked over to take a look at his collection of alcohol.

'Um... one that likes having friends over. What... you never met a single guy that likes to have people stay over?" Jacen replied as he lifted the glass of scotch he had just poured himself and took a sip, "And people talk about my being sheltered."

"I can't... I mean - can you come with me? I can't..." Lily began before downing her whole drink as though trying to build up her courage. "I kind of need you to stand by otherwise you're gonna get unwanted fireworks."

Blinking slowly Jacen took another sip of his drink as his mind began reeling, trying to understand what Lily was saying. She needed him around in order to shower... so water must affect her electrical power. Was she just wanting him to hang out outside the door, or sit in the bathroom while she was in the shower, or did she actually want him to be in the shower with her? Was she asking just because she needed his power to cut off her power or was she asking because she wanted something physical to happen?

"I uh... am not sure if that's a great idea." Jacen admitted somewhat uncomfortably as he stared down at his drink instead of looking at the young woman, "It's... yeah... been a little while since I... well was with anyone and having me in the same room as you when you're ah... uh... I can't guarantee I would be a gentleman."

That had come out wrong... really wrong... he wasn't a pervert or anything but any man would have trouble resisting temptation if the only thing separating them from an attractive blonde was a thin shower curtain. "Is my range enough that I could be outside the bathroom door?" Jacen offered quickly. He didn't want to come across as a perv but Lily deserved to know what the situation might be.

'What... you never met a single guy that likes to have people stay over?...And people talk about my being sheltered."

Lily had to think on that for a bit. Was it that they had no guest rooms or that she never stayed in them? Hmm...

This was entirely harder than it had to be. Lily watched some internal struggle taking place behind Jacen's face. It was quite interesting to watch. Why was he denying who he was? If he wanted something to go a certain way, shouldn't he be speaking out loud? She wasn't a mind reader. She watched him with an expression that clearly said 'I'm waiting.'

"I uh... am not sure if that's a great idea." Jacen continued to look uncomfortable even as Lily's smile broke like the sun at dawn and kept growing the longer he fidgeted. "It's... yeah... been a little while since I... well was with anyone and having me in the same room as you when you're ah... uh... I can't guarantee I would be a gentleman." She couldn't help it. She laughed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I not warn you that I'm trouble?" She was pretty sure she had told him he'd better wish they'd never met. Ah well. "You don't have to be a gentleman if you're not a gentleman - call it part of that whole, accept who you are kind of thing." Like Lily was one to lecture on being true to oneself. She met his eyes to let him know she was just being honest. Not a come on or anything to fidget about. She was just laying it out there so there'd be no uncomfortable silences or regrets. "I just want a shower, and I'd rather not die from it. If you have to be there to guarantee that won't happen so be it."

"Is my range enough that I could be outside the bathroom door?"

"It might. But you know, if you go out of that range for even a moment it's a moment too much. I'd rather risk your self-restraint than your ability to sit still. I haven't had a shower in years so I hope you don't mind me taking my time."

He could debate all he wanted, but a shower she was going to have. Lily went back for her bag and then went to peek at the showers so she could decide which was better.