(This thread is open to anyone at the Sanctuary or to anyone searching for runaways who thinks to look there. Note that it takes place at the same time as all the action down in Columbia. Continued from Stray Kat I.)

Katrina was feeling a little better now. She still wasn't ready to go back home yet, though. It would take a little while before she was ready to face her mother again. It was something she had to do, but she wasn't exactly looking forward to it. In the morning she would be ready to deal with it. For now, she was just going to hang out at the Sanctuary for the evening and perhaps meet a couple of the residents. She had known some of them during the Resistance, like Abyss and Geo, but others she had never met before. It would be interesting to see who else lived here.

The first place she wandered into was the recreation room. It was kind of like a living room combined with an arcade or something. There were comfortable couches and chairs to sit in and several television to watch. On a shelf next to the big screen t.v. sat every kind of video game system known to man or mutant kind, with all of the controllers sitting on top, cords wrapped neatly around them. Except for one. Someone had been playing Majora's Mask and had left out the N64. Another shelf next to the first one held board games like Twister and Apples to Apples. There were two pool tables, a couple of arcade games, a candy machine, and a refrigerator filled with different kinds of beverages.

All in all, it was a much cooler room than the living room back at the mansion.

Garrett had been working on various legal documents to send to the Order's legal team. He had taken the burden of bureaucracy so that others could do whatever it was that they did . He thought it odd that he rarely saw or heard anyone. He assumed that the monkey-like humans were the ones making all of the racket previously. Piles of papers sat on his desk in his room, which was becoming more of an office and less of a bedroom. It did still have a bed, so it counted, right?

The normal print became fine print, the fine became impossible print. Too many hours and his wrist was cramping up from the process. Her scooted away from the desk and stood and stretched. Looking around, the room was fairly bare, other than the bed, a chest of drawers, and mounds of office work at what was once a desk. " Enough." He changed into shorts and his trusty Walken T-Shirt, slapped on his sandals and went for a walk through the hallowed halls of the Sanctuary.

Rolling his neck on his shoulders, Garrett saw a shadow moving about in the recreation room. He was often tempted to lounge about in this room, though many of the video games had the capacity for causing seizures. There were pool tables and a large TV, though, which could offer plenty of diversion. As he entered the large room, he was surprised to find the young illusionist, Katrina, tooling around inside."Katrina? What in the world are you doing here? Does your mother know you are gone?" He didn't mean to come off harsh, it was more concern for a thirteen year old being out in the city alone. Even one who could turn invisible.

Katrina, who had been checking out the selection in the candy machine, jumped slightly. It shouldn't have been a surprise for someone else to wander into the rec room, but the voice the quiet hum of the vending machines had masked his footsteps and she hadn't realized anyone was coming, let alone someone who knew her name.

>>>"Katrina? What in the world are you doing here? Does your mother know you are gone?"

The blonde teen dropped her gaze to the floor at the question. The fact that her mother didn't know where she was made her feel slightly guilty. She wasn't ready to face her mother again, not even over the phone. She needed just a little time away, to let all the emotions settle, before she could go back to apologize, for an apology was definitely in order. She had said some very hurtful things, and they had been hurtful because they had had a lot of truth mixed in. She had never realized how easy it was to cause pain; the recipe was actually quite simple. She just wished that she hadn't chosen to serve that particular dish.

“She doesn't know I'm here.” She might know by now that her daughter was gone, though. The thought of her mother worrying about her made her feel even worse. Maybe she should have left a note or something. As for the reason she was there, what she chose to share was truthful, if not one hudred percent complete. She didn't particularly want to go over all the details of the argument all over again, “I came to visit Abyss.” Speaking of reasons for being here, “What about you? Do you live here now? I haven't seen you in ages.” Subject switch time. The ball was in his court now.

The young illusionist seemed to nearly jump out of her skin at his questions. She obviously had neither seen nor heard him enter. He hadn't meant for his tone to be accusatory. He was fond of Katrina and was simply looking after her best interests. At the announcement of the question, she seemed to look at the floor in a guilty manner. It wasn't that far fetched for a child to do."She doesn't know I'm here." In most cases, this would be fine. Many young mutants escaped their guardians to come to the Sanctuary. It was indeed a haven of anonymity for those of his species.

Attempting to soften the mood, he took a seat on the large, comfortable couch which was planted before the large television. She had come seeking Abyss and Garrett would be the last person to betry her trust and call her mother. Abyss probably would, anyway." Abyss? I am sure he is around somewhere. Don't worry, though. I will not call your mother. It isn't my place. My initial shock was only out of concern for you, my little friend." He patted the couch, signaling to the girl that she should join him there.

She had questions of her own. Valid ones that he was sure many would ask before he had completed his rounds among the mutant community. " All excellent questions. I do indeed live here now. I have always been of the belief that we mutants are superior to humanity. I had these feelings even when I lived there at the Mansion with you. It was the night of the fight over the doors of the Sanctuary that I actually chose to leave. Seeing brothers and sisters fighting with such brutality, when we should be saving it for those who would see us fall. It was distasteful. I don't expect you to understand completely or go along with it. I hope we can remain friends, though. I have nothing against you or the others at the Mansion. I just can't stomach the idea of helping those who would see us as freaks or monsters, not the next natural evolution." He smiled a genuine smile.

She relaxed her shoulders. She hadn't even realized they had been tensed. He wasn't going to turn her in. That was a good thing. She would go home eventually, but she'd do it when she was ready and not any sooner. She gave an audible sigh of relief. Clearly, Garrett was someone she could trust.

“Well, I saw Abyss already. I was thinking of maybe just hanging out around here for a little while. Maybe until tomorrow morning,” the teen wrinkled her brow in thought for just a moment. “Yeah, if I stay the night, I'll probably call and let them know where I am so they won't worry too much.” Probably.

Katrina took a seat next to Garret on the couch in the spot he indicated. It was a nice couch. It was a deep chocolate brown leather, softened with age and use. It was a little worn at the corners, but after sitting upon it all its imperfections were easily forgotten. It was exactly plush enough: a person sitting in it would sink into it just a little, but not enough that the person drowned in plush and couldn't extricate herself again. Sleeping over night was looking better and better.

Katrina nodded in all the appropriate spots as Garrett spoke of his reason for moving out of the mansion, “I don't really understand why all the groups of mutants don't get along anyway. We all lived together during the resistance and got along okay, and then everyone went their separate ways and now they hate each other.” Katrina leaned back on the arm of the couch, finding another comfortable position sitting sideways on the couch with her feet pointed toward Garrett, after taking off her shoes, of course. The feeling of shoes was uncomfortable and she wore them as little as possible.

“I agree that it is stupid for mutants to fight each other, but I don't want to fight with humans either. I guess, I just don't see us as that different than them. I mean, we are different, obviously. On the inside, though, humans and mutants seem the same to me. As far as I can tell, we all need and want the same things for ourselves and we think about the same things. I can't even tell the difference when I am talking to someone if they are a mutant or a human, unless they are all red or don't have eyelashes or something.” She smiled up looking through her own lashes, coyly indicating that she was just teasing him about that part.

Her features relaxed once it was clear that Garrett wasn't a tattletale. He didn't care too much for that type, feeling that they lacked an inner strength, needing to suck it from others for sustenance.“Well, I saw Abyss already. I was thinking of maybe just hanging out around here for a little while. Maybe until tomorrow morning." Garrett's smile of serenity remained. " You are always welcome here. I dare even say if you were human I would allow it. It's a stretch, though." He chuckled and waggled his hairless ridges.

The little illusionist made herself comfortable and listened to Garrett as he explained himself. Her response was illuminating to Garrett, as the eyes and minds of the innocent were always the most clear. " I never participated in the Resistance. I wish I had. I was removed from the camps in a coma-like state after my time in Medical." The lack of the thunder of revenge left him empty. It also strengthened him. If he had been awake during that time, chances are he would be dead now, a victim of his own rage. He made room for Katrina to adjust herself on the couch, her little toes pointed in his direction.

“I agree that it is stupid for mutants to fight each other, but I don't want to fight with humans either. I guess, I just don't see us as that different than them. I mean, we are different, obviously. On the inside, though, humans and mutants seem the same to me. As far as I can tell, we all need and want the same things for ourselves and we think about the same things. I can't even tell the difference when I am talking to someone if they are a mutant or a human, unless they are all red or don't have eyelashes or something.” Now she had her own speech to make. It was as eloquent and direct as his own had been. It merely came from a different perspective. Garrett smoothed the place where eyebrows should be with his thumb in a lavish and purposeful manner, returning the joke with his exaggeration. " Well, I suppose experience has alot to do with things, Katrina. It is very hard, if not impossible, for me to forgive humanity. My life has been a series of experiments, all with me as the guinea pig. The things I witnessed firsthand in the camps made me ripe with revulsion for humanity. I have seen its worst. Perhaps you know of an example of its best?"

Katrina grinned at the hairless wriggling of his brows. It was nice to know that he would still like her even if she was human. She knew that was a pretty big compliment, especially for some mutants like Garrett who were so certain that humans weren't worth giving the time of day.

>>>" I never participated in the Resistance. I wish I had. I was removed from the camps in a coma-like state after my time in Medical."

Katrina wrinkled her nose and brow and stuck out her tongue in her best impression of Mr. Yuck. She hated getting sick, and having to rest in bed was the worst. She couldn't even imagine having to stay asleep that long. Even dreaming had to get boring after awhile. “I didn't really get to participate much either. I got to help out with some of the training, but I didn't go on any missions or on the raid in the end. I just got to stay home to worry and defend the headquarters from monsters and such. Calley stayed back with me, too.” Fighting vampires was a pretty good bonding experience, actually. At least it was better than being in a coma.

The blonde teen made another face as Garrett described his experiences as the guinea pig of humanity. This face was harder to classify into one sing emotion than the last one had been. It was a mixture of horror that wasn't quite shocked and understanding. Pity was absent. Garrett didn't need it, as he had obviously survived and found a way that he could cope. Garrett's reason for hating humanity was also the Abyss's reason. It was also the reason Katrina made it a habit to keep her own abilities under the radar. Someone had told her once that it was safer if people didn't know how useful an ability could be and the little illusionist figured that making stuff invisible was less likely to seem useful than illusions were.

She had to admit, there were some really evil humans out there, and probably mutants as well. Not that Katrina had ever met any of these evil people, she'd just heard stories second hand. The trouble was, she didn't know any really good examples of humanity either. Everyone she knew seemed like they were right in the middle, or closer to good. There weren't any shining examples from her own person experience of humans saving buses full of nuns or stopping armed robberies or anything like that.

With a thoughtful expression on her face, she shared the first example she could think of. “Well Martin Luther King Jr. was a human, right? He was a good person who didn't fight with bullets and fists. He used words and peaceful resistance and he made a difference for a whole lot of people. Maybe if we had a mutant version of him, we could get human rights for mutants, too.” She wriggled a little, until her toes were tucked into the crack between her cushion and Garrett's; they were just a little cold. Was her second hand history text answer a good enough example of a good person that it balanced out the evil examples he had experienced firsthand?

Small eyes were the vessels, pouring the big heart of the little girl out. Garrett smiled as they seemed to get along so well. He appreciated simple friendly banter. Everyone had an ax to grind, usually. A simple talk with a young girl who lacked an agenda was refreshing and invigorating. Her own experiences with the Resistance had been fleeting as his own were, yet for different reasons. " I suppose that's good. I would much rather you be safe from harm. You've always been a good friend to me." He smiled as she dug her feet between the cushion and his leg. He felt protective of her, as a big brother would.

Her example of humanity's best was certainly a fine one. Garrett could sympathize with the civil rights leader and his methods. He could also see how the hatred of another could cause such a movement's downfall. He simply smiled wide at the young tween. " That is an excellent answer, Katrina. I see you are paying attention in your studies. Yes, Dr. King was a great man. His fight for civil rights for his people is a stellar example of how to do things." He avoided the urge to correct her mention of human rights for mutants. Her intent was pure. There was no reason to nitpick and bring her down." While I could not dare to compare myself with such a great leader, I certainly hope to live with him as an example. Thank you for your perspective." He patted her little feet, noticing they were cold.

Rising from the couch, he stepped over to a small cabinet and pulled a comforter from it, bringing it back to Katrina and tucking it around her feet and knees. "Now, I am sure you didn't just come to chat. Do you want to play a game or something? We certainly have just about anything you could want here." His arm flourished to the many video entertainment systems, the stacks of board games, cards, pool tables. He felt much like a game show host, showing the contestant the world of wonder that awaited them with the right answer." I have all night, so what would you like to do?"

Katrina liked Garrett. It was nice that he was willing to talk to her about things without treating her like she was a little child or making her feel like her opinion didn't matter. She thought it was cool that he would consider her a friend despite their differences in age and opinion. It was too bad he didn't live as close by as he used to, but at least she now knew where she could find him. It seemed to the thirteen year old that she should have come to visit the Sanctuary much sooner than she had. Granted, it was difficult for a young girl to get anywhere in the big city all by herself, that wasn't really an excuse for not trying to come visit her friends more often.

“Thanks,” Katrina smiled as he brought her a blanket for her feet. As he swept his arm over the wide variety of games in the room, Vanna White style, she peered at the boxes in various sizes. There were so many options, it was difficult to choose one of them. “Hmm. Well, I'm not sure which games are best for two people. Checkers is good for two people, or cribbage, or card games. I'm not really very picky. I'm not very good at pool, though. It's hard to hit the balls anywhere I want them to go. Or hide and seek! Though, I don't know any of the good hiding places here, so I don't know how well that would work.”

Syn always liked the night time for a few reasons. First of all things were alot less busy. Those staying at Sanctuary were mostly on their way to if not already in their rooms for the night. Another reason was the bliss of the growing silence that accompanied the dwindling traffic of mutants roaming around. Lastely was that Syn could relax more.

After a hot relaxing shower Syn dried and brushed her hair. She loved the sheen and softness of her hair as well as it's color of course. Throwing on a red silk spaghetti strap top Syn matched it with a pair of black silk pants. Now she felt comfortable but not quite tired so the girl decided to check out the recreational area as she typically didn't have time to.

Walking through the halls Syn passed only one other mutant before reaching her destination. Stepping into the recreation room Syn immediately spotted Seizure and a young blonde haired girl. She looked familiar to Syn as she approached a large and soft looking chair. The dark girl stood next to the chair for a moment. Her hair flowing straight down over her shoulders with the bulk of it going down her back. "Good evening Seizure and..." it took a moment but once the girl faced Syn the name was clear..."Katrina. How are you my dear?" Syn sat sideways in the chair and folded her legs up to the right while leaning back on the chair.

While Isabel had settled into the Sanctuary for the night, she hadn't confined herself to her room just yet. She wasn't quite ready to go to bed yet and was feeling a little too restless to lounge around in her bedroom until she fell asleep. With Bane temporarily out of the picture while he was on his trip, her life during the past few days had been much more peaceful and relaxing, giving her some time to relax her thoughts and unwind her nerves. However, once she had sorted herself out a little, the quiet that followed the Giant's absence soon lead to boredom. She couldn't even go out and have a little fun because of the promise she'd made to Seizure about trying to behave on behalf of the Sanctuary and those that lived there. She liked him well enough, but he was quickly labeled as a spoil sport, regardless of the fact that she'd freely went along with his proposal.

After changing into a pair of pajamas that consisted of a black cami top and a pair of pale green short, she had decided to head over to the kitchen to see if anything looked particularly appetizing for a late night snack. Maybe they had some Jell-o in one of the fridges that she could have with a little whipped cream. It had been ages since she'd had any. However, before she made it to the kitchen, she passed by one of the entrances to the Rec Room, the sound of two voices catching her attention as she passed. One voice she recognized, while the other, much younger, voice was one she didn't.

Backtracking a few steps so she was back in the doorway of the giant play room, she paused a moment to listen before stepping through the door and moving to lean against the wall on one side of it. She had come in just in time to hear the two discussing their game options, her position meant to allow her an easy exit should it be a private game session. She didn't recognize the young girl that was sharing the couch with Seizure, but it appeared as if the two were friends. The older mutant had lived at the Mansion for a while, so perhaps that was where they knew each other from. "Having a party and you didn't invite me, Garrett? Ever heard of 'the more the merrier'?" she asked, announcing her presence and giving Syn a small smile once she was spotted.

Aura looked back upon the sanctuary her home it had been another long night, and a few police had gotten involved, however in her fun, she had ruined the bones she had actually needed from the men by cutting into them to deeply. Aura ahd discarded the bones after realizeing their flaws, and now the two bones sat amoung shatterd class in some rich persons car. These things just happoned and one had to accept these things Aura figured as she walked in to the mansion, and was not surprised to find the sanctuary quite though,

Aura had woven a long silk purple ribben through her abriaded hair which fell to her midback. Aura wore, a simply fitted red t-shirt and some slightly worn jeans. As she moved a long she absently made her aura appear around just her thumb, and then passed the visable aura from finger to finger back and fourth, it had become an ingraine dhabit after so long. Looking up with her green eyes as the sound of voices not far a way came into her ears. The voices became clearer as she moved further down the hallway untill she was able to look into the room, their were several people incide now. Aura reconized several of the people as she moved into the room and was able to see them, Seizure she had met the other day with that jaxon girl and isabel she had worked with before and had pledged her loyelty to. The young girl she did not knowb at all, not recalling ever seeing her at the sanctaury before, The atractive dark haired women, Aura noticed as well as her eyes sweapt over the body quickly trying not to draw attention to it but the red streaked hair was beautiful to aura.

"In active night without a dance" she said casually, many times this much activity at night meant people were not playing nicely. Aura leaned against one of the rooms walls as she looked around, the aura still passing from ginger to finger back and fourth. She had a slight smile on her pale pink lips, tonight had been a good noght despite her accadental bone loss.

Garrett listened to the young illusionist's explanation of her likes an dislikes in the gaming department. It seemed that she completely looked over the console gaming, which disappointed him a bit. Not that he needed an excuse, but it seemed a little easier to play with a friend than just sit alone and do it. Cribbage was something he had never heard of, but it sounded vaguely like something retirees would play. The height and lack of coordination should have been obvious in the billiards department, but hanging out with children wasn't his forte. Come to think of it, hanging out with anyone short of Maya seemed to be a chore." I think I'll pass on hide and seek. Doesn't seem quite fair with your abilities."

Before he could open his mouth, Syn arrived. Pheromones were never needed to make his eyes cover her. He knew she appreciated the interest and there was really no way for him to avoid it. He hadn't seen her in some time, which could have been due to his own immersion in bureaucracy of late. Maybe he was just a wallflower after all. Nonetheless, here was the leader of the Order, so if anytime was a good time to be friendly, now was the time. A nod was returned with a polite smile to Syn. His eyes had done enough talking.

As if it were planned, Isabel came next. And she was no longer in one of her antiquated dresses. While she was a bit more modest than Syn, seeing her out of her giant dress was akin to naked islanders seeing a girl in a pair of jeans."Having a party and you didn't invite me, Garrett? Ever heard of 'the more the merrier'?" Garrett smiled, his eyes willfully focused on Isabel's. He had never seen her legs before. Subtle, Garrett. He attempted to dismiss the thought but attractive women were showing up and the ratio was brilliant. Simply because his heart belonged to Maya didn't change the fact that he was male and had eyes." It would seem that the expression is coming to life before my eyes. I suspect another lovely woman should enter any time now." As if by prophecy, Aura entered, her usual tease of simmer and kill brewing. " See what I mean?"

((OOC: your character can notice Jaxon if you want, but I was planning to just pop in for a quickie post or two.))

Jaxon was still unpacking her room when she realized her trashcan was full. Setting up her shelves, putting things in their proper place, and putting her clothes in her closet… things like that. She was walking down the hall, a medium sized trash bag in one hand that she was taking out, when the group of people in the rec-room attracted her notice. Still getting used to the Sanctuary she hadn’t been in that room yet.

She glanced inside as she passed, took out the trash, and came back. She didn’t enter though, instead she stood in the hall, close to the door jam, with her back to the wall. It wasn’t Jaxon’s intention to eavesdrop, but after working in her room for a few hours with Romeo she was a bit tired. She wasn’t sure she wanted to join them yet and wasn’t ready to return to working in her room, so she was resting slightly and evaluating whether she wanted to join the small group.

Dressed in cut-off shorts that hit just above her knees, sneakers, and an orange tank-top, she wasn’t dressed to meet people… at least, not in her opinion. She recognized a few people in the room though; Garrett, Aura, and Isabel. But she didn’t recognize the young blond girl or the other woman, not surprising considering how short a time she had been there.

Listening to the conversation was somewhat soothing, the sound of other people who needed no input from her, and she closed her eyes as she leaned against the wall. A soft tune started playing in her head, something she had been working on but didn’t have any lyrics for yet and something about the young girl reminded Jaxon of it.

Making plans for two person game quickly became pointless as the recreation room started to fill up with other people.   The first person to arrive was someone Katrina instantly recognized from their time together in the resistance.  Her black and red hair was unmistakable and even coordinated with her clothing choice for the evening, though if Katrina remembered correctly she liked to stick to her favorite color scheme most of the time.  Syn and Katrina had not talked often during their time living in the same building, with the exception of one conversation they'd had in the library.  The young illusionist didn't remember exactly what thy had talked about, but she had come away from the conversation feeling like Syn was a very trustworthy person and a good listener, the combined effect making her someone who would be good to person in whom to confide.  If Katrina knew her a little better, that was.  Personally, she preferred to tell all her deepest darkest secrets to Abyss, if she had any.  Syn remembered her, too.

"I'm fine," Katrina responded.  She hadn't been when she had arrived, but she was fine now.  "I came to visit for the night, so I could see all the people I don't get to see any more."  Especially Abyss.  She hadn't known Garrett was here, he'd had been a bonus.

Another girl in comfortable clothes had appeared at some point while she was speaking.  This one Katrina had only seen in passing before, literally.  She'd been visiting with Abyss and another big tall guy on the balcony of the Valentine's Day party when she and Koga had squeezed past them to get closer to the band. 

>>>"Having a party and you didn't invite me, Garrett? Ever heard of 'the more the merrier'?"

Katrina waved to the tall bow bedecked girl, "You can join us," she called from her cozy nest on the couch where she was snuggled under a blanket.  Her wave and invitation were extended to the third girl that arrived right after her.  Things were starting to get lively.

The newest girl Katrina had never seen at all.  She had pretty ginger hair that kind of fluufed because it was so full of body.  She wasn't as tall as the other girls, and was closer to the height of Katrina's mother.  She had striking green eyes, similar to jade where Syn's looked more emerald to the young illusionist. She was playing with s shiny pink ball of something that looked like a combination of light and cotton candy. The little illusionist was not shy about leaning forward and staring with her head cocked to one side, trying to figure out the mystery. Garrett was probably staring at her too, but Katrina wouldn't have noticed if he was.

Failing to deduce the properties of the stuff on her own, she resorted to asking, “What is that?”

She was too busy puzzling about the pink glowing what-ever-it-was to notice the next newcomer who had taken up a position leaning against a wall nearby. In a game of assassins, Katrina would probably have been the first to die. She would then, perhaps, learn her lesson about watching her surroundings and survive to be the champion in a later game. That is, if she could learn not to be so easily distracted by shiny things. Perhaps Calley had rubbed off on her more than she realized.