Streak decided that he should find out more about Lily. And what better way to do that than to have a night out on the town. It was a nice day and had the promise of a nice night as well. Streak decided to take the night off and have some fun. It wasn’t hard to find Lily because she was in the mansion. Luckily Streak had been able to persuade her parole officer to allow him to take her wherever she wanted without having to clear it with him. Trust takes time to build but intimidation is something that’s easier to get across. Streak didn’t like the idea of a cop holding the stings to someone living in the mansion. Aside from that it was fairly easy to get her away. All he had to do was talk to her.

Streak had a pretty good idea of what he thought she’d like. From what he’d been told by her, she was a pretty prim and proper gal. Shawn was waiting outside of his office. He was wearing a regular t-shirt, jeans and leather jacket. The sun was just setting as he leaned against the wall. Streak had one finger through the key ring and flipped them back and forth on his hand. Once Lily had arrived they would leave and head into town.

Shawn's invitation to go into town came as a pleasant surprise for Jewel. In the past few weeks she got used to Mansion life - in fact, knowing some of the dangers that awaited mutants outside, she felt quite safe and protected where she was. Still, she had moments when she longed for a normal night out; and when the opportunity knocked on her door, she was more than happy to accept. It was Shawn, after all; she learned to trust the silver boy since she arrived, and because he apparently had a way of convincing the parole officer to do the same, there was really nothing to worry about. Right?
Girls usually spend a lot of time preparing for a night out, and Jewel was no exception; but she also possessed something really important that most girls didn't: good timing. She'd never been late in her whole life.
She showed up at Shawn's office just in time, elegant as usual, and she had a cheerful smile on her face.
"Hey, Shawn. Ready to go?"

Streak took a look at Lily as she came to his office. His eyes actually widened a little as he saw how nicely she was dressed. “Man your gonna make me look bad Lily. Ya look great.” Shawn complimented her. He stopped leaning against the wall and placed his keys in his pocket as she got closer.

"Hey, Shawn. Ready to go?"

“But let’s go. I’ve been waiting on you.” He joked at her. With a smile Streak started walking towards the door of the mansion. As the sun set he took a deep breath of the cool twilight air. His car was waiting in the driveway to the mansion begging to be driven. He actually hadn’t taken it out in such a long time, and it was sitting there looking in pristine condition. Streak walked up to the passenger door and held it open for Lily. Once they were both in he started driving down the driveway and out of the mansion gates. Once out of there he turned and sped off towards the city.

“Man your gonna make me look bad Lily. Ya look great.”

That earned another smile from Jewel, and a chuckle too "I'm sorry. It usually takes a great deal of effort for me to dress normal. Runs in the family. But thank you."
It was actually true. After growing up in the world of social events and dress codes, dressing up like this came completely (sometimes even too) natural to her. She felt more comfortable in skirts and heels than in her training gear. Well, almost.
Then again, getting a compliment always felt good.
She walked with Shawn to the driveway, holding her face into the cool evening wind, already enjoying the night. When she saw the car, her eyebrows arched.
"Wow. That's you car? And you were worrying about looking bad?"
Laughing at him, she got into the car and watched the twilight scenery fade into a blur as they sped up.
"So, where are we going again?"

(OOC: I got the description of the club from Abyss)

Streak laughed at Jewel's comment on his car. "No this is a rental. My hybrid's in the shop." he joked. It didn't take long for them to reach the city. By they time they were within the city limits, the sun had completely set and Streak's headlights were the only things that lit up the road in front of him. There was surprisingly little traffic considering the time of day and the it was NYC. "I don't think I ever said." Streak replied with a grin. "But if you really must know. I thought we'd start at a mutant friendly bar and then see where ya feel like going from there." He didn't actually have a definite plan but he was sure that she'd at least like the bar. "This place usually has live music playing from amateur musicians. Most are pretty good too." Streak explained.

It was another five minutes of driving in and out and up and down streets. Here and there he'd turn this way and that. Sure the place was a little out of the way but when you wanted someplace nice to hang out there was no place better than the club they were heading to. Streak immediately went to a parking spot and stopped the car. "We're here." He said indicating the bright neon sign that announced the name of the club. Club Evolution. Once they were out of the car Streak took her hand and said "It may not be much to look at on the outside but it's great on the inside. Come with me." It was obvious that this was a good place to be. There was a line of people almost to the next street corner waiting to get in. The bouncer on at the door looked like a very mean and unfriendly guy.

He was easily 6' 5" and weighed around 300 pounds of sheer muscle. His power was a pretty intimidating figure. Although it helped that Streak knew him. The bouncer had was bald and wore black pants, black shoes, and a sleeveless black shirt. Basically, he was the spitting image of a bouncer that you see in the movies. Streak didn't even look twice at heading towards the back of the line. He went straight up to the bouncer. "Hey John. How've ya been?" Streak said to the bouncer. John looked at Streak and his hard expression warmed up. "Hey Streak. Been a while ain't it? Oh and I see ya brought a friend with ya. Boy ain't she lookin' good today. Ok yous two can go in." John said to him and moved the cord out of their way so that they could pass. Before entering Streak introduced Lily to John. "Oh I almost forgot. Lily this is John. John, meet Lily a jewelry manipulator. I helped him out after the registration act happened. And he helped me out too. Is Brain Freeze here tonight?" Streak said finally. As he walked past John answered. "Yup his up on the third."

Club Evolution is a rough looking building on the outside and sleek on the inside. It takes up the first three solid floors. The entrance is at the second floor after climbing a large wide looking greek-esque wide stair case that looks very out of place when put next to the grimy black bricks of the building proper. In Bright Green Neon The words Club Evolution Glow into the night. The club is open officially from 6pm to 6am but you can still get in during the day if you need somewhere to lay low.

The inside looks like it could be the reason that Brain freeze hasn't been able to afford cleaning up the outside. All black and silver modern furnishings, the drinks are served in space age looking glasses. the whole place is squeeky clean something rare in the night scene. The second floor is vast with tables , pool tables, a wrap around bar on three out of four walls. in the center of the room is a large cu out looking into the dance floor and lounge. again wrapping around the whole room are poofy Neon green velvet both like seating, Lights flash and the floor glows a dim or bright green, pulsing to the beat of whatever techno is pounding through the speakers at the moment. A large stair case leads down along one side of the walls and spiral stair cases spiral up the three levels in two corners. The third floor is the Vip where Brain freeze and a select group hang out.

"Mutant friendly? Must be a special place" she smirked as they drove into town. She soon lost track of where they were going, but it didn't really matter either. Shawn apparently knew the place well enough.
The line at the entrance of Club Evolution surprised her; it seemed like a popular place. Jewel suspected that even New York City wasn't full of clubs that accepted mutants as they were.
The intimidating mountain of a bouncer turned out to be a friend of Shawn, and a nice person too. Jewel smiled at him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, John."
When they finally entered the club, Jewel decided that 'special' was an understatement.
"Wow."
The place was grand. The size, the style, even the music was similar to clubs she'd been to before (once in a while), but all of it together really made an impression. Jewel kept looking around with a curious smile on her face as she followed Shawn up the stairs, still holding his hand because she was too busy looking around to see where they were going, and didn't want to loose him in the crowd. Her steps fell into rhythm with the music that played.
"You really know where to go for a party" she admitted "This place is amazing! By the way, who was that Brain Freeze you asked about?"

Streak smiled. He was glad that he’d impressed her with the club’s atmosphere. The way to the top wasn’t too crowded as he headed towards the third floor. “Ya it took me a while to find this place but Raina showed this place to me.” He explained. The music was still apparent but quieter as they reached the landing to the third floor. It was a better place to talk than right where the music was. “Brain Freeze is the owner of the club.” Streak explained shortly as he came up to another, less intimidating bouncer. Streak gave this other bouncer a wave and was let through the rope. “Thanks Dave.” He said as the two passed.

“Brain Freeze is a great guy. If you’re in trouble and need to lie low, this is the place to come, aside from the mansion.” Streak said. He didn’t readily see the owner but because there were people up there meant that he was around the club somewhere. As soon as one song ended another started. There was plenty of room on the third floor to dance or just chill and drink. It happened to be a rather slow song that was playing. “Hey you wanna dance?” Streak said turning to face Jewel.

“Brain Freeze is the owner of the club.”
"Sounds like a nice person." she chuckled as they passed the bouncer without being stopped "Whoa, you know everybody in here? Bringing the new students here is part of the Mansion policy?..."
It's not that she wasn't used to being among the VIP. Nah. It's more like being among the VIP of a mutant friendly club that seemed almost unreal, and still much more normal than she ever thought it would be. She took a breath and let her senses flow.
She could feel gold, silver and all kinds of gems in the whole building; they sparkled with a warm inner light in her head, mixed in with the music. She didn't concentrate on any of them, really, it just felt good to relax.
And then, of course, there was Shawn, his silver a constant, comfortable buzz in the back of her mind. She smiled up at him.
“Hey you wanna dance?”
Saying no was out of the question. First, you never say no if you're asked to dance. It's a rule as old as music itself, and in the blood of every true Southern lady such as Jewel herself. Second, it was Shawn asking, and he's a nice guy really. Third, Jewel loved to dance. So.
"Yes, sure."
Placing a hand on his shoulder, she let him take the lead (she always did, even with guys who couldn't dance). The music was good, and rather slow, and dancing felt like a glass of water, if not after crossing a desert, but at least on a summer afternoon. Jewel realized that she missed it. She danced with grace and a genuine smile, and she didn't really care about how or what. It just felt good.
"Hey, Shawn, thank you for bringing me here. I have no idea how you pulled it off, but it's definitely worth it."

“No it’s not policy I just thought you’d like it.” Streak said smiling. He could already tell that she was enjoying herself just by the look on her face. Of course there was something else that also seemed to be a little distracting her, but Shawn chalked that up to her mutation and all the jewelry in the place. Then again Streak was probably the person that gave off the most to her considering the fact that he contained more of the precious metal in him than probably any mineral mine in the world. Streak didn’t even really hear her answer to his question. He knew her answer from her movements and placement of her hands.

When she didn’t start to do anything he took it to mean that it would be the one to take the lead. Streak placed his hands on her waist and started to move. It wasn’t a song that called for a fancy dance. It was more like the ones that you sway to. No talent required. Those were the kind that he liked; because they were the easiest to pull off and you could bluff your dancing skills through them. “It was no trouble actually. I used to come here all the time to blow off steam after I got out of the camps. A lot of people did. That’s how I know everyone here.” Shawn admitted to Lily. After dancing for another few minutes he said with a sly smile, “Oh and the nights just begun.”

Gold and hazel eyes widened as Jewel looked up at him. "You were in the camps?..." she whispered.
Another thing she didn't know much about - her parents made sure of that. It was something bad that happened somewhere else, and even though she was a mutant herself, she never felt like being part of... everything that was outside her comfortable little bubble. That somehow reminded her of Juka. You can't really blame the guy.
She was unsure about how to react. Shawn didn't seem to make a big deal out of it; he was that way with all the things that scared her about the new world she walked into, even when they first met. Just looking at him, you never would have guessed. She didn't.
She sighed, shaking her head at him with a smile, as if saying 'I have no clue what to say to that'. They came here to have a good time, and she had enough empathy to know how not to ruin it. She swayed with him to the music, and when it ended, she was smiling again, and pulled him by the hand towards the bar.
"So, Mr. V.I.P., I think I'm ready for a drink."

“Ya I was. That’s where I got this scar.” Streak indicated the light scar that was on the right side of his face running down his cheek. Most of his scars had faded to almost nothing, thankfully. But he knew they were there, and if you looked in the right light or at the right angle you could still see them. “I’ve been through the worst of times that mutants have gone through recently. It ain’t fun.” He admitted to Lily.

The music seemed to end after what seemed like a short amount of time. When it finished Lily spoke up and started leading him towards the bar. "A drink sounds like a good idea." Streak agreed. The bartender came up to them and took their order. "I'll take a Guinness. And what do you want Lily?" Streak asked. He'd never been drinking with her before so he didn't know what type of drink she liked. Since she was used to high class people he thought she might be used to fruitier drinks.

“I’ve been through the worst of times that mutants have gone through recently. It ain’t fun.”

Jewel nodded in understanding. She silently admitted to herself that she had yet a lot to learn... she saw the scar too when Shawn moved his head in the light, and the look on her face softened.
And you thought you had a hard time, Jewel darling. Double Duh.
Walking over to the bar, she was glad to be back in a conversation she could deal with.
"Baileys for me. I like sweet drinks" she added with a tiny smile. Actually, she was addicted to chocolate, but didn't usually admit it. While they waited for their drinks, she looked around again. She still couldn't believe this place.
"Can you believe I've known about my powers for years and I've never been part of anything that goes on in the mutant world? I feel like a child. I bet I sound like one too." she grinned "Maman and Dad tend to be overprotective. Not that I blame them. I'm officially not an 'offense person' myself either."
When the bartender handed them their drinks, she raised her glass, tilting her head with a smile. "So, the night has just begun, huh? Cheers to that."

Streak grabbed his drink from the bar when the bartender handed it to them. He was right about her. She enjoyed the fruiter drinks; not that he expected her to drink what he was drinking. "Ya I got the impression that your parents are overprotective when they sent you to the mansion instead of sending you to jail." Streak said. He took a few sips of his beer and listened to Lily. "Well everyone's got to start somewhere." He said. Streak wasn't exactly sure what to say to that. She wasn't a child but she was definitely experiencing things much differently than she probably ever had in her old life.

"That's right. The nights still young and there's so much we can still do." Streak said knocking the edge of his beer with her glass. "Cheers." Shawn said sipping it. Another group had gotten on stage and started playing their set. It was a much more energetic song this time but they were enjoying their drinks at the moment. "So ya got a any questions?" He said absentmindedly rubbing the scar on his face.

The music changed; their glasses jingled; Jewel laughed. "Yeah well, imagine me in jail. Duh." she made a show of sitting up on the bar stool to prove her point; graceful as ever, bordering on 'annoying posh girl'. She quirked an eyebrow at Shawn.
"All I've got is questions, trust me. Ever since I've arrived. Most of them are not party compatible though..." she sipped her drink, and clicked her tongue; apparently she was enjoying the chocolate taste. She tapped the side of the glass with her fingers in rhythm with the music.
"All right, here is one: what do people do when... if they leave the Mansion? There are classes, and training, and stuff to learn... and then what? I mean, my family has a business to run, and even I am not sure where to go once I'm allowed to go. How about you?"
She drank some more, thinking about it, and smiled again.
"I'm actually enjoying life here though. Even the part when I get punched by a teacher, and let me tell you, that's something my teachers never did." she added with a grin.

Streak smiled as she sat up gracefully. "Ok, ok point taken." He smirked and poked her stomach. He took another drag from his beer. It was getting pretty close to empty. Pretty soon Lily started asking a question. It was certainly an interesting question that she'd given him. Streak actually hadn't thought about it that much. He took another drink before answering her. It was actually something he hadn't really thought about. Streak knew that people came and went from the mansion almost daily. The only problem was that he never had a chance to find out what they did with themselves after they'd left.

Finally he spoke. "People leave all the time to go do whatever it is that they want to do. We don't stop them. Many of them join the rest of the world and blend in like normal humans, without anyone being any the wiser. I've never really thought about leaving the place. After the camps we had to rebuild the mansion and after the mansion was back up and running, I found my place at the mansion." Streak paused and took another sip before continuing. "I don't know what I'd do. I'm sure I could find something to do to earn a living. But by being a big part of the xmen team and holding a high position at the mansion I can't even think of a reason for me to want to leave. Hopefully by the time you're allowed to leave you wont want to." Streak added the last part smiling and winking at her. Streak finished his drink and set it on the bar. "Come on let's go somewhere else. Unless you want to stay here for a little longer." Streak said finally and looked at her for his reply.