Even the stagnant stench of New York was like a fresh spring breeze to Ezekiel's senses. He had been starved for the simple pleasures of the world and he was surely going to take full advantage.

After arriving in New York the night before it had only taken him a moment to regain his bearings. This city was a cesspool ripe with opportunity; he had only been on the street for a matter of moments before spotting a prime target.

A wealthy man in the midst of a heated conversation on his cell phone waiting for a cab; Ezekiel approached quietly from the rear and dragged the man into the nearby alley, he did not feed from this man, preferring his food cooked.

The man was easily overcome; Ezekiel removed the small wad of cash from his wallet before swapping his tattered clothing for the suit on his prey. A smile curled his lips as he stepped out onto the street clothed in a manner more suitable to his liking. He hailed a cab and made his way to the bank that had been left in charge of his funds over these last eight years.

The teller had greeted him with a courteous smile, something he hadn't been graced with for a long time. The blue contacts and false teeth did wonders for veiling his monstrous appearance; with the comfort of wealth back on his side he strolled down the street whistling a charming melody.

He thoroughly enjoyed having a new suit tailored to his trim physique; placing an order for several more to be delivered to his new home. He was back in his usual skin; all that was left on his list was to locate a place to enjoy dinner.

As he paid the woman at the front counter he noticed the subtle way she admired his features; much like the high school girl flirting with her favourite jock. It amused him to be the object of her temporary attraction.

As she handed him his change his fingers brushed her hand gently and he smiled. "You're too kind, I could just eat you up" it brought a blush to her cheeks; clearly she didn't catch his meaning.

He returned to the busy New York street, moving with a sly grace and confidence that hadn't been displayed in far too long.

"Splendid, now where shall I dine..."

"I love this city!" Nunally exclaimed mentally as she exited a small bakery with a sweet roll in her hand. Going to a more laidback, free school had it perks. Her school gave it's older students a free period of three hours to themselves without a chaperone (the younger ones had to travel with an adult, usually a teacher) and she always took this oppurtunity for granted. Not even stopping to change out of her uniform, which was a navy blazer and a grey pleated skirt.

She wrapped a yellow scarf around her neck as she looked around for a nearby shop or art museum. Nunally carried her camera on her wrist and was quickly snapping pictures as she went. Of course, having so many distractions at once, Nunally bumped into a well-dressed lady and she (and everything she had in her hands) went tumbling down on the busy sidewalk. "Ow!" she cried, "My knee!" a small, bloody wound on the young girl's knee-high socked leg. "My cruller..." she lamented to herself.

Leila's head was spinning slightly as she thought of the past few days. Her Mutation, the Ball, the Prison Escape. All of this had been rather close together, and the new stuff was sort of hard to keep track of. I mean, anyone would be stressed after having to Shift into a WereDolphin every so often to do things like save a man from rotting in jail! Plus, with her feelings for Sam turning into Lust... She didn't know what to do with herself. She did not love Sam anymore... Well, she did love him, but not in the passionate way she had days ago. After seeing him with that white-haired X-Fool, she couldn't help but wonder... Was this really a good thing? Should she really mingle with a X-Men? She sighed, crossing the street to find her black car safely parked in the parking lot.

She was about to leave the Side-walk once more, when she heard a faint, female voice exclaim "My cruller..." Leila glanced towards the sound, it was a good ten feet away, but with her Enhanced hearing, she could of sworn it was right beside her. She sighed, "What the hell is a cruller." she muttered as her fast pace shortened the gap between the her and the injured woman. "Miss?" Leila said emotionlessly. "Are you okay?" it was then that she saw the bloody wound. Great, it really wasn't like her to help out a Human, but nothing was like her anymore. She quickly grabbed the young woman by the hand, and then remembered who she was....

"You were at that Party the other day, weren't you?" she said. She could hear an other voice behind her, an other...muttering voice. It seemed the person was talking to himself. She reconized the voice slightly... But not enough to put a face to it. ""Splendid, now where shall I dine..." Leila's head snapped backwards, and her gaze locked on the Prisoner she'd helped get out. "Hey!" she said loudly, "Yeah! You! Come over here and help me with this girl!"

Ezekiel wrinkled his nose as though a foul scent had caught him off guard; it wasn't exactly in his nature to go about helping the denizens of this cesspool but perhaps he did owe the woman a favour for her assistance. He sidled toward the pair with his hands resting in his pockets; the scrutiny of his veiled gaze fixed on the injured child on the street.

"While I appreciate your assistance at the hospital," he paused and cocked his head to the side briefly before tearing his gaze away from the child and back to Leila, "Why do you wish to help this young girl?"

He crouched down so that he might examine her wound; the scent of blood stirred a longing that he had not sated in far too long. However it was not the youthful flesh of a child that would quell his desire to feast; he loosened his cufflinks before walking away from the girls.

He disappeared into the shop nearby and returned momentarily with a cruller for the child; he handed it to her once she was standing again, taking care to wipe his hand clean with a handkerchief from his pocket.

"What exactly do you want done with her?" he raised an eyebrow as he regarded Leila; she had helped him at the hospital yet he had never truly appraised her until this very moment. She was a rather lovely creature, far younger then himself though his appearance did well to hide that fact.

"I suppose I can always find a suitable meal later..." he pondered aloud as if creating an excuse for this excursion.

"Huh?" She was a bit dizzy from her fall. Everything was a slight blur, a woman came to help her. Her voice was very flat and uninterested when she asked if she was okay. She felt a hand try to pick her up, it was warm, compared to the cold, concrete, ground underneath her.

"You were at that Party the other day, weren't you?"

Her voice sounded familiar. Not as familiar as an old friend or a relative that you've never seen in a number of years, but it was familiar. And she mentioned the party...the party!

"Leila?" Her voice was barely audible, almost a whisper.

"Yeah! You! Come over here and help me with this girl!"

She called a man over. He was muttering something about...dining? Couldn't he kept that to himself? What if he were just another crazy bum? "While I appreciate your assistance at the hospital, why do you wish to help this young girl? " He seemed educated, and he the air of a charismatic business man. And a hospital! Are they doctors? That might explained the reason why she was helping and the way he looked at her leg,

'He was simply examining me, that's it.' Nunally repressed the gut-feeling she had from the strangers. They were only being helpful, that's all.

When he disappeared, she wobbling attempted to get up, only to slip once more. He gave her a new cruller, a small smile appeared on her face. She was convinced they would do harm to her.

"What exactly do you want done with her?" Okay, now she was slightly offended. No one had given her a chance to really, speak. It was now her turn to open her mouth. She stood up, smoothly, and brushed away the dirt from her dress.

"Um, thank you. *Both ah ya'." She spoke too quickly, but she didn't care if they heard the strange voice she grew up with. Nunally was grateful, it was very rare to find such kindness in a place like the Big Apple. "She stuffed the pastry in her mouth as she picked up her purse and the rest of her belongings, "If you'd like," she paused to remove the pastry from her mouth, "if you'd like, I could buy lunch for you. It's the least I could do." she whimpered, the pain in her leg felt almost worst as she tried to walk.

*Both of you.

Leila nodded, "Yep, that's me." she said simply, but her tone was still rather gloomy. She then turned her attention to Ezekiel, who had asked a rather ridiculous question. "Hello to you too." she said, "To answer your question however, I find it rather rude not to help the fellow Mutants, that's one of the reasons why I helped you." she said, with a bored, effortless kind of tone. She watched, as the man examined Nunally's wound, and was slightly surprised when he simply walked away, into a store. Leila tasted something in her mouth, something strangely like acid and metal mixed together.

Leila did not take much notice as Nunally tried to get up. Her eyes were locked on Exekiel, who was now returning. She bit her lip, watching him carefully. "I don't know yet," she said, "But I don't think it's a very good idea if you consider her as your next meal." she said this, not even a little discusted at hte fact that he ate humans. "She's one of us after all, and that fact could mean possibilities. She'll owe us for this." she explained.

Yes, this was her game. Leila was a evil little girl, and if she helped somebody, they most definately needed to help her back someday. "So, do you want to help, or not?" she asked the man, a evil grin upon her face as her hands rested on her hips. Her enhanced hearing lingered around the streets, and she could make out people whispering, whispering about them. She didn't like this very much, especially because some people were whispering insults about them being Mutants.

"Do you find it rude?" he responded to Leila with a lofted brow and a crooked smile; it was though he found her to be amusing in an admirable sort of way.

His false blue gaze flickered between the small girl and Leila for a few seconds before he placed his hands on his hips and heaved a sigh. He felt obligated to assist simply because she had done him a great justice by assisting in his freedom.

After a long pause he seemed to make his decision on the matter; the clockwork of his mind had worked hard in deciphering the code of his thoughts to produce a simplistic response.

"I'd thoroughly enjoy a bite to eat, however I won't allow you to pay me way" his smile was charming in a most whimsical way.

Ezekiel shook his head once in response to Leila; "Don't fret; she's not old enough to find herself on my plate, unless of course she manages to offend me in some heinous manner."

Slow and deliberate steps brought him around the girls in a narrow circle; a low hiss, barely audible, echoed in the back of his throat as he regarded them both with curious consideration. As he came closer to Leila he leaned in so that he might whisper, "I'm perfectly willing to assist you, but I don't share your loyalty to mutant kind; being evolved doesn't make a person an ally, it just makes them less likely to become my next meal" it wasn't a threat of any kind, in fact his voice was entirely calm.

If his long life had taught him anything it was to regard everyone with a certain distance, in order to access them accurately; his world didn't welcome friendship easily, his taste for human flesh had declared him a loner long ago. Mingling with your meal never worked out well, yet he often found himself breaking this golden rule.

"Where shall we dine?" he would forgo his lust for flesh today, there was plenty of time to seek out fitting prey to sate his needs.

'In my opinion...' She thought, 'a mutant is just a human with superpowers...' Another one. Another mutant that made the lives of the many like her, the ones that only wanted to live their lives in peace, a living hell. What she wanted to do was to slap her and tell her off-- she was the only mutant in her family, a family that she loved and was loved back. How dare she? Then again, how dare the people who made mutants feel like they were less of a person. In her mind, there was no grey area, both parties were wrong in their own right. And what she wanted to do very much is to punch Leila, which was what the 'girl' was to be known as for now on, in the face...

That's what she thought.

What she did was smile. It wasn't exactly a fake smile, she had created the scenario of hugging her father after being away for such a long time in her head. She exclaimed a sweet and bubbly, "Thank you, very much!" and shook the blonde's hand, lightly. A strong nausea hit her stomach, not of a virus, but more of a disgust in herself.

Her mind wandered away after that, she didn't try to listen in the others' conversation. Once again, she was placed away into the background.

"I'd thoroughly enjoy a bite to eat, however I won't allow you to pay me way."

Was he speaking to her? She looked up, his strange smile made her giggle, before she looked away from his eyes. There was this strange, off putting feeling she had when she saw them. Blue, but untraceable. She couldn't explain it. Her mind continued to wander.

"Where shall we dine?"

"Well, there was this Korean place I wanted to try, but really, if you change your mind...I can pay. I have enough money to feed all three of us and a lot more left over for myself, so there's really no guilt in this."

She walked up towards him, and although she was hesitant to do this, she shook his hand. His hand was freezing. "Thank you..."

Leila nodded to Erekiel a lazy, half-smile on her face. "Yes, I find it rude indeed, wouldn't you?" she said, as if Nunally wasn't even here. Who cared if she was an X-Men, who cares if she would blab about how Leila's so evil. "Like I said, Mutants need to help Mutants. It's the only way we'll ever become the upper-class." She already liked this guy though, and she really hoped he'd be dropping in at the Sanctuary sometime in the near future. Hey, maybe they'd get to work together on some Missions too. Leila rubbed her hands together, thinking of the endless posibilities.

[/i]"I'm perfectly willing to assist you, but I don't share your loyalty to mutant kind; being evolved doesn't make a person an ally, it just makes them less likely to become my next meal"[/i]

Oh, okay. Leila nodded, not taking her eyes off the man. She was slightly surprised, but it didn't show in her face, she remained calm and slightly bored. "I understand," she said softly, in the same whisper he'd used. "Everyone has different views on this, I lived around here long enough to know that." she added, still in the same, grave whisper. Leila was actually glad Nunally hadn't heard any of this, she was still young, Leila wasn't all that evil yet, young girls shouldn't hear this kind of talk.

Leila nodded to Nunally, "No problem," she said, half-heartedly. The two ladies shook each other's hand, and Leila could see that Nunally was discusted by her views on the Humans. Yeah, definately X-Men material. Stupid fools those X's were. Then he asked her... Or Nunally? ... No, he must of asked her, not that Human lover. Leila rolled her eyes behind Nunally's back. Was she really that stupid? Leila really did not see the point in arguing though, maybe Exikiel did want to ask Nunally out.

But then Nunally startred blabbing on about a Korean Restaurant, and how she could pay. 'What's the harm?' Leila thought. Maybe if she tagged along, it wouldn't seem like to much of a date? Leila couldn't afford having on-lookers think it was one, because after all, Sam was still her boyfriend, even if she'd seen him with Ghost at the Ball. "I guess I'm up for anything." she said, wondering what kind of food Korea had to offer.

Ezekiel lightly tapped his chin with the tip of his index finger as his false gaze peered through the girls as though he had slipped into some vibrant trance where the word revealed all of its secrets. However, this wasn't exactly the case; he had indeed looked through the two girls, but the trance wasn't some epiphany.

"Korean food, that could be a nice change of pace" he had little interest in the actual cuisine provided by said restaurant, but perhaps he would find someone suitable to his palate.

He replaced his hands in his pockets before turning on his heel in the direction of the restaurant in question; slow steps lead his path as he waited for the girls to follow suit. It wasn't in his character to dine with people he had just met, while he boasted refinement he tended to keep much of his life private.

As they walked he couldn't help but peruse the faces that passed them by; nothing really caught his eye though, and once the displeasure of the situation set in he returned his attention to his company.

"So you support the fact that we're all brothers due to our shared evolution?" he cocked his head to the side to better look at Leila; "It's an admirable outlook, but just because they've ascended much like you doesn't leave them incapable of trickery" he removed a golden pocket watch from the inside of his coat and quickly checked the time.

"Faith in your fellow man, so to speak, can be a great downfall" he replaced the watch in his pocket before fixing his gaze on the little girl at his other side.

"Take her for example, a seemingly innocent little girl; but her ideals differ greatly from your own, and even further from mine. Can we really trust her to be our ally in the end?" he doubted it greatly.

Run. That was the first thing that popped up in her head. Run. What was she thinking? Two strangers, one, a monotone radical and the other...she still couldn't explain him. He was strange. She followed behind them, examining their body langauage and stature. She noticed that Leila walked confidentally, her head held up high and her eyes straight ahead. It gave Nunally the impression of a high fashion model, minus the stick-thin body.

Ezekiel was distant. His hands were in his pockets, she noticed how strange his suit carried his body, just like eyes there was something not quite right about it. Nunally walked in a quick pace, fast enough to keep up, slow enough to stay behind. Her pennyloafers clacked as she walked, she kept her personal belongings close to her chest.

A smiling older woman, possibly in her late thirties, dressed in a hanbok bowed respectively towards the three. "Hello, my name is Kim, the wife of the owner of this establishment and I shall be honored to be your waitress, this evening. Party of three?"

They were led to a room in the back that was designed to look like a traditional Korean dining room. Kim asked them to remove their shoes before entering. "Here are your menus, would you like a drink or an appeti-" Nunally did not let the woman finish speaking.

"Can I some of your citron tea and some rice wine for the lady and the gentleman? And for an appetizer, we will have three orders of your house gimbap. Those are the rolls filled with all of the seafood you serve here, correct?"

Kim gave a sweet smile, "Yes ma'am." She looked to the others, "Are you both okay with this decision?"

"Miss, that's okay. I don't want to hold you up. I'm very sure that will be okay with this." As soon the older woman shuffled out of the room, Nunally opened her mouth.

"How's that for a little girl?" She drew her knees up to her chest and looked outside of the window. She hoped that she didn't sound too harsh, "Please, just because I'm wearing a school uniform, doesn't mean you have to talk down to me, " she looked to Leila, "or think I'm of less intelligence." Nunally was curt and quick with her wording, the shakiness in her voice showed that her feelings were hurt, she peered through the window once more.

They had started walking towards the restaurant now, and Leila was behind Ezekiel, yet in front of Nunally. Right in the middle, that was fine with her. She didn't really pay much attention to them though, her ears perking up at distant conversations. People all around were deciding on where they'd be eating dinner, and Leila's stomach gave a soft, yet noticable growl. She hadn't noticed how hungry she'd been. About two minutes passed in silence, and Leila was already bored. She opened her mouth to speak, but Ezekiel had beaten her to it.

"So you support the fact that we're all brothers due to our shared evolution? It's an admirable outlook, but just because they've ascended much like you doesn't leave them incapable of trickery."

Leila rolled her eyes, watching the back of his head. "I don't necessarily think we're all brothers, no." she said seriously. "I just think we, Mutants, need to be treated better then we are right now. Don't you just hate when humans stare at you because you're a Mutant? Or when you are treated like a dog, because of what you can do?" she paused, gathering up her thoughts, "It's not fair, and we need to show that we are superior, that we are much bwetter then them." she added. "Besides, out of all people, I would expect you to feel the same way I do. Humans imprisoned you!" she said, "Just because of what you did. Wasn't that unfair?"

Leila understood where he was coming from. "Maybe you're right Ezekiel, but I have my views, and you have yours. There are many of us out there who share my views, the same goes to you," she nodded to Nunally next, "And you." she said to the girl. "In the end, I expect that Mutants work together however, it's what we should do." she said, knowing these two probably thought she was a crazy psycho.

Leila fallowed as they approached the restaurant. She felt oddly out of place here, it was too fancy for how she was dressed. Nunally however, seemed rather comfortable, used to all of this. Leila simply nodded at the middle-aged woman, as they were brought to a room, beautifully decorated, and very fancy. Leila wrinkled her nose at the odd purfume in the air, and sat down at the table. Just an hour and she'd be off, these three didn't have anything in common, so why exactly were they eating together tonight?

A few more minutes past, and Nunally seemed to have the order down. Leila didn't really care what they would be eating, she hardly knew what the food was. "Yeah, anything's fine for me." she said, knowing that if she didn't like the food, she'd probably go back to the Mansion and raid the fridge there. The X's really had good food, she would miss that once the whole spy act was over.

The woman disapeared again, and Leila sat still, looking from Ezekiel to Nunally, wondering what kind of conversation would interest all three of them. Leila was a little stunned that the young girl actually had the guts to speak to them like that. Leila laughed softly, "Okay, no problem. I never really thought you weren't as smart." she said, laughing again.

As they were seated Ezekiel adjusted his cufflinks so that his sleeves weren't in danger of touching the food once it arrived; he was deeply impressed by the boldness of this little girl, normally an outburst such as that would have warranted one of his cruel appraisals and disturbing analysis. This was not the case, instead he smiled.

"Quite the sharp tongue you've got, don't let it dull" he traced his fingertip along the edge of his complimentary glass of water; he had always found city water to taste foul so he avoided sampling it.

Ezekiel gave a simple shrug as he sank back into his seat and turned his head to look at Leila; he admired the conviction he felt behind each word she uttered, despite having his own opinion on the subject.

"I can't hold them accountable for judging me with their eyes, after all I do look at them as though they were food" he smiled; he felt that his comment was humorous but he doubted they would laugh.

In some way he agreed; if mutants didn't stand together then surely the world would swallow them up. It was easier said then done, opinions differed and the powers they possessed often left logic to be something desired among their kind, many were bound by arrogance and ability instead of intelligence.

"Human kind always reacts this way toward what they fear; to hate them is to succumb to them, to let go of these petty emotions and strive forward in pursuit of a greater cause is the only path to victory. They regard us as monsters, or freaks yet we regard them as monsters for the manner in which they treat us" he shook his head upon pondering the vicious cycle.

"If only we could just come together and discuss our differences over a nice meal; though they might not appreciate coming to my place for dinner" he offered Leila a wink before chuckling.