(Note: Luke has switched bodies with Juka)

The Full Circle Bookstore was not one of the largest stores in New York City or even one of the most well known, but for some reason Luke's cabbie knew exactly where to take him. As they drove along he had a few moments to reflect on the time he had spent with Kealey just the previous day. It had been nice to be around someone that believed him and while it had boosted his morale some, there had been relatively little done to actually find a cure to what was ailing him. He didn't know what, but for some reason he continued to resist the idea of going to the mansion. Instead as sort of an internal compromise, Luke was heading for the bookstore he had invested in. Maybe Ghost or Shin would be there for him to talk to or maybe there would be all strangers. He really wouldn't know until he arrived.

Leaning back against the slightly tacky feeling cab seats, Luke did his best to relax. It was still hard for him to make wardrobe decision because of this new extra-thing and rather feminine body but he was doing his best to make masculine wardrobe choices. Today it was black sneakers, boot cut jeans, and a white long-sleeve shirt. He had the sleeves rolled up to just over his elbows and a pair of Oakley sunglasses covered his eyes.

"Here's the Full Circle. That'll be $12.50." The cabbie spoke, breaking through Luke's concentration as they pulled up to the curb.

"Yeah... sure. Thanks." Luke replied in this bodies obviously tenor voice. It was starting to become more normal for him to hear but it still grated on his nerves. THIS was not how he was supposed to sound. Putting those thoughts aside, Luke climbed out of the cab, handed the drive the fare plus tip, and then turned to walk through the entrance. Over the past few months, he had walked through the store's revolving door on several occasions but never had he seen it like he was seeing it now. The brass of the door was polished to a dull shine and the windows didn't have a single smudge. Stepping inside, Luke really saw for the first time what he had invested his money in. Letting out a low whistle, Luke slowly began to wander through the store as he pushed his sunglasses up to rest on the top of his head while taking in the room appreciatively. Clean plush carpet, polished tile floors, and fresh looking walls combined with the utter cleanliness and neatness of the whole establishment. Ghost really had done a good job with all of this and from the looks of things she was maintaining it well too.

"Um... excuse me, is Ms. Altair in today?" Luke asked when he finally wandered over toward one of the registers, "I'd like to speak with her if possible."

Hearing Sara's own voice on the phone was sertainly a new experience for her. Ever since the phone can from her own body, her mind kept switching over to humming the twilight zone music. In this body, Sara had almost no sense of touch. It was just like she was interacting in a dream that she wanted to wake up from. Sound was muffled compared to her usual hearing abilities, and any smells around her were nearly unnoticed, as she went about her day. Actually the only sense that had kept her from believing her situation was a dream was her sense of sight. She was now in the body with an electric eye, and the eye was sensitive to bright light. Light still hurt, but at least when light hurt, Sara didn't go blind.

It seemed that the person's body she was in, went by the name of Meld. Considering all the alterations done to Meld's body, Sara felt the name fit, though some of the alterations made it hard to find a decent wardrobe. Namely the claws that were extremely sharp, and if Sara wasn't watching what she was doing carefully, they would slash the inside of Meld's clothing before she even wrestled the tops on. Then there was the large shield on the left arm. Sara managed to alter a new shirt, by removing the shoulder and sleeve on the left side, just so she could fit the shield through the neck hold. It left her under garment strap showing, but by the time Sara managed to get dressed, she really didn't care.

The book store was a good memory and in Sara's confused, questioning, and frustrated state, it seemed like a more logical place to go. Sure there was the mansion, but the book store had more of a chance of collecting a variety of individuals. Plus, after some negative recognition on the street, Sara wasn't sure how welcomed this form would be at the mansion. For all she knew, she could get herself killed, just stepping foot there.

A block away, Sara watched a man get out of a cab, and enter through the revolving door, and the memory of her first encounter in this store hit her. Though she had no tail at this moment, the pain remembered and Sara's thoughts moved on to the sensation she felt when her body's tail twitched. The slight moving and ruffling of the hair on her back was nearly unnoticeable. only realizing the sensation now, because it wasn't there.

Sara stepped through the revolving door, checking behind herself for her tail to be through out of habit. The shield arm clunked clumsily against the glass and metal of the outter door frame. Scraping through the last few inches, like nails on a chalk board, before Sara realized it and pulled the shield arm away. Other than that, it was Sara's most successful entrance into this store.

(OOC: Sorry, my bad! With all the moving and stuff I actually forgot about this thread. Sorry about the delay!)

IC:
The clerk was extremely pleasant but not at all helpful. Apparently Ms. Altair hadn't made it in to work that day and the employees had yet to reach her on the phone. Maybe she was home sick or indisposed but they were really at a loss. Thanking them, Luke turned out and then stopped as he watched another person walk in the door.

If Luke had ever seen a mutant, this was most deffinately one of them. As obvious as Sara, Koga, and Gargoyle, this mutant looked like she was part cyborg and all badass. In his normal body Luke wouldn't have looked forward to fighting her and in this form he deffinately didn't want to try it.

"Hello miss." Luke spoke pleasantly, walking over to the woman that combined metal and flesh in a very strange way, "Welcome to Full Circle. This is neutral ground for all of us mutants so hopefully you're not here looking for any sort of trouble. Can I buy you a cup of coffee or anything?"

Luke was doing his best to act just like a friendly patron, even though part of him wanted to act like the financier that he really was. He had invested in this store and Ghost had put a lot of work into it. He didn't want to see some rogue mutant destroy all that hard work because she had a chip on her shoulder.

(No worries. )

Sara's attention came up, when someone approached her. her head tilting slightly. no one on the street just walked up to her to start up a conversation. Let alone buy her a cup of coffee. In fact, all the norms on the street acted like they were afraid of her. More so when she was in her own body and that one had teeth.

"Actually I think I can buy my own coffee, thank you very much." Sara said as she turned her attention away from the approaching man. A book, on the shelf caught her attention, and she scooped it up. using the palm of the extra large clawed hand to cradle it as she browsed through the first few pages. using the tip of the claw from the other hand to gingerly pick up the corners of the pages and turn them. "However if you would like me to join you for a cup of coffee, I would be happy for the company."

Sara would prefer to sit with someone she knew, but at the moment, the people she knew might not actually be them selves, let along recognize her. she'd have to settle for strangers. happy with the selected book, Sara snapped it shut, and started making her way over the the cafe.

Luke raised an eyebrow as the woman revealed an independant streak at least a mile wide in just a few comments but since she seemed more than happy to just peruse a book while sipping coffee, there didn't seem to be any problems.

"Count me in then." Luke said with a nod and a quick smile, "I'll join you in just a moment."

Turning, Luke walked into one of the shelves of books and then began to slowly browse through them. He had heard some people at work mention that it was pretty good and after a few minutes of searching he finally found it. "Meg" by Steve Alten. Heading back into the cafe he got himself a mocha and then walked over to join his new metal clad aquaintance.

"I don't think I introduced myself." Luke said as he took a seat, "I'm Juka Miami."

Lifting his coffee to his lips Luke mentally added to himself, "At least in this body that's who I am."

Sara nodded agreeing now, to the company, then turned towards the cafe to order her coffee, and find a corner table. Sara seated herself with her back towards the wall in the side that got the least sun from the window because of her insecurity in this body. Her senses were dulled, and, the only thing that seemed to make her feel physical pain, was the bright sun when it hit her in the electronic eye.

The book that Sara had selected was called 'Monty Robers, Join Up. The man who listened to horses'. The cover with the man smiling up at her, and his horse peaking over his shoulder completely shattered the bad girl image, or the idea of being tough, that Sara tried to portray when she was clad in fur and not metal. Sara had already read part of the book, but her copy was currently at the mansion, under her bed, so long as the, now, furry Meld hadn't moved it.

Sara sipped her coffee then pressed her lips together and her brow furrowed in a little frustration. She'd ordered coffee in hopes that the stronger taste would match the normal sensation she got from tea, but it still seemed off to her. She scanned the table for something to assist the problem, but only cream and sugar were within reach. Oh well

"I don't think I introduced myself. I'm Juka Miami."

Juka took a seat, just as Sara used the tip of her right clawed hand to flick the book in front of her, open. hiding the cover from view. Even in Sara's normal body, she was a little embarrassed that she owned this particular book. Not that flipping the book open hid what she had completely. The title and author was written at the top of every page in the thick text. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Sa-" Wait. Witch name should Sara now give? and what was this body's bloody last name? "-Meld." Sara corrected herself so fast that the two fraises ran together.

"Saymeld?" Luke asked as he looked at the other person a little bit closer. The name seemed to fit with something more middle eastern but the sound of her voice didn't jive with that. "Is your family Arabic?"

Picking up his drink, Luke took a sip as he glanced back down at his book. A standard cross between thriller/science fiction, as he unerstood it, the story was about the extinct Megladon shark being discovered alive in one of the sea's deep trenches. The people that had talked about it said it was like Jaws on steroids, but having never seen Jaws, Luke didn't really understand the comparison. Suddenly at that moment, the light of brilliance lit up his brain.

"I can watch movies... hell yah!" Luke muttered under his breath as his face lit up with a smile. Finally, a part of standard pop culture that he would be able to truly enjoy. Already his mind was racing as he catelogued in his mind the movies that people had said were iconic. He would have to make sure to take the time to rent Gone With The Wind, Jaws, Breakfast At Tiffany's, Pretty Woman, Mary Poppins, Star Wars, and so many others. Would he have time to finish all of them before he found a way to switch back?

"What would you suggest as like the best movie in the world?" Luke spoke up as he lifted his eyes to focus on the woman across from him, "I've been a little out of touch for the past few years."

"Saymeld? Is your family Arabic?"

"No. It's more of a mix of different names." That explained things. Right? I mean parents were always coming up with interesting new names now a days.

"I can watch movies... hell yah!"

Sara lifted her head and tilted it. Raising on eye brow higher than the other. "You couldn't see movies before?" Sara's curiosity was perked. "Did you have trouble with your eyes at one point?" Sara asked almost hopefully. thinking that maybe, should she ever return to her own body, that the information might prove to be helpful.

"What would you suggest as like the best movie in the world?"

Sara thought for a moment. "Really anything with Hugh Jackman." Sara said between another sip of her coffee. "Sandra Bullock is good too. She stared in Speed, and Ms. Congeniality, but Hugh has a movie coming out based on the Sherlock Holmes that sounds interesting to me." Meaning that the movie was either going to do really well, or completely tank. "Hugh also just finished this action packed movie about mutants. I don't exactly remember the name but it starts with a W."

"Uh... yeah. I had to wear special glasses and all kinds of stuff. Kind of hard to explain." Luke replied after a moments hesitation. He had lied before, more often to his friend Sara than probably anyone, but it still wasn't something that he was particularly comfortabl doing. Quickly he continued on the subject of movies, hoping that this metal woman would let his other comment just drop.

"I've heard of Hugh Jackman before and Sandra Bullock sounds familiar but I'm not sure. Is Tom Cruise still big? I seem to remember several of his movies being huge in the theaters a few years back."

Luke was almost completely clueless about movies other than the few comments he heard around the company water cooler. Who was that female actor that so many of his male co-workers were always describing as a hottie. "Or what about... uh... Angelina Jolie? Is any of her stuff good?"

Sara raised one not so furry eye brow at Juka. "huhh. That must have been hard on you." Sara could imagine the hole eye problems. That's one good thing about the body she was currently in. No eye problems. Only the pain from bright light that came from the electric eye.

"Tom cruise's name is at least popular. I don't know if he is as popular as he once was, but I know he seems to have a new movie coming out." Sara shrugged. until recently she hadn't taken that big of an interest in movies or anything about the cultural times.

When Juka asked about Angelina Jolie, Sara shrugged. "I guess. She's done a few good movies, but not the style of movie that I tend to like. She's more of an icon to me really. More than anything." Sara sipped at her coffee, again disappointed in the taste.

Saymeld seemed to be a touch out of it when it came to movies and hollywood though she was deffinately a lot better than Luke. Already he was adding to his mental list of iconic movies, actors, and actresses that he needed to try and watch if he didn't manage to switch back to his own body right away.

Lifting his own hot drink, Luke took another sip. For the moment he was to excited about his new visual prospects to pay attention to the flavor. It was amazing how being able to see suddenly changed things. Something simple, like the flavor of a drink, that he had enjoyed so much while blind now took a back seat to what he could see.

"Have you been in New York for long, Saymeld?" Luke asked, dropping his movie excitement for at least a few moments, "I've frequented this shop and I don't recall having met you before. Are you knew to the area?"