The odd mutant pair continued to run from the small group of thugs. Without warning, Chris yelled, "Shrubbery!" He leaped into a bush. Glancing behind her, she noticed they were catching up. She debated the thought to keep running or to stay and hide. It was obvious the fish-boy couldn't run fast at all and she wasn't going to leave him. That only left one option. Closing her eyes in case the branches would hurt, she hopped in after Chris.

Opening her light blue eyes, she peeked out of the shurb. Blinking a few times, she turned and looked at Chris. She wasn't sure if she was suppose to talk or not. Henrietta didn't want him getting angry with her, but she wondered if he was okay. I'll just have to whisper.

Using the quietest voice she could muster that was still audible, she asked him her question. "Chris, are you oka--" Her mouth slammed shut when she saw something standing near their hiding place. Two men had stopped. It was 2/3s of the earlier group. She could see that the man who had held onto her had completey deserted. Well, that's one less problem...

Chris tried to hold his breath, which was harder than it normally was because he'd been running. His eyes were wide open in terror when he saw that two of the men had stopped outside the bushes. Henrietta started to whisper something, but she stopped mid-sentence when she noticed the two men outside.
Chris felt very small and very afraid, knowing that they would have no chance if the men had seen them hide. Maybe they had just stopped because their prey had disappeared and they didn't know where to look?

Shrubbery. The word made him think about that Monty Python movie - what was it called again? Ah, right - The Quest for the Holy Grail. There was a part where The Knights Who Say 'Ni' had appeared, and their leader had demanded a boon of King Arthur so he could pass through their forest. He'd yelled with a shrill voice: "We waaaant... a shrubbery!" Somehow, the thought of that scene suddenly seemed extremely funny. Maybe it was the terror that made him react that way, but suddenly he had a strong urge to laugh. He knew that if he started to laugh it would be impossible to stop - a manic, shrill laugh that would give them away at once. He clasped his hands in front of his mouth, forcing it shut. A small snort escaped, though, but luckily enough the men outside didn't react.

They stood outside the bushes for what felt like an eternity - but probably it was just a minute or two. He could hear them speaking, but couldn't make out the words. Finally they started to walk back the same way they had come. Chris eyes were still wide open in terror, but now they were brimming with tears and his shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter. He was really scared, but somehow that just made the urge to laugh even greater.
He looked towards Henri, trying to calm down.
"What... did your... hair do?" he whispered with a half-choked voice, still fighting to regain control.

Henrietta turned and looked at Chris. He looked like he was crying and laughing at the same time. She raised an eyebrow in question and then glanced back out of the plant. They had left. "Are you going to be okay? You seem a little...well, I don't know." She decided to wait a while before standing up. The brunette didn't want to risk the chance that they'd see her and come back, especially now that she knew they had a weapon on them.

"What... did your... hair do?" The boy mutant asked her this as he tried stop whatever he had been doing. She really wasn't sure what the problem was. He was having such an odd reaction. All Henri had felt was terrified. She never had the urge to laugh and now that the incident appeared to be over, she was angry. She was angry that they were targeted for being what they were. Returning her attention to the question, she sighed. "I don't know. I panicked and so did my hair, I guess. All it did was grab him."

Standing up, she stepped out of the shrub and then began to brush herself off. Turning around to the bush once more, she held out her hand to help Chris up. She stood and waited for him to accept the help.

Chris calmed down almost instantly, the urge to laugh disappeared completely. Instead, he felt like an idiot. He could have given them both away. He hesitantly accepted Henri's outstretched hand and got out of the bushes.
"Yeah, I'm fine. The situation just got so... I don't know."
He really didn't know how to explain it. The whole situation had been scary and intimidating... and funny at the same time. Funny because it had felt so unreal - it was a situation he'd been in before, many times, but he guessed he hadn't suspected that it would happen here. It was a big city, after all. He'd expected that it would be more... civilized. But maybe it was just the same as it had been back home, after all. Maybe all places were the same.
Suddenly he felt very old and very tired, realizing that 'a safe place' maybe just was a myth, a dream his brain was making up so he could have something to hope for. Sure, maybe that mansion was a safe place, but if you had to stay there all the time because you would get attacked as soon as you left it... then it was more like a prison.
He sighed heavily, not understanding how in the world he'd felt like laughing only a moment ago.
"Maybe we should get away from here in case they come back," he suggested and started to walk.
Then he reflected over what she'd said. I don't know. I panicked and so did my hair, I guess. All it did was grab him.
"Was it the first time it happened, the hair thing? Do you think you can control..."
His voice trailed off a bit, leaving the sentence unfinished. Now that he thought about it, didn't she seem a bit... angry? Of course she would be, he realized with the guilt rising inside of him. First he'd just left her, not staying behind to help her, and then he'd almost thrown a laughing fit that could have given them both away.
"I'm... sorry," he said weakly. "I just... it just didn't seem like there was any way I could help."

The boy said he was fine, but he seemed shook up. That was completely understandable in her opinion. She felt the same way, actually. Chris made a good suggestion next. "Maybe we should get away from here before they come back." Off they went once again. He then asked if her hair had done anything like this before. It seemed to her that he was going to keep talking, but he cut himself off. She wasn't sure why until he spoke again, but she'd answer the first bit. "It's only attacked that guy and one of Springfield's local hair dressers."

Chris apologized to the brunette as they walked away. She wasn't angry at him, but at what had happened. Being a mutant shouldn't mean feeling tormented on a daily basis. "It wasn't you, Chris. You don't have to apologize for anything. I was just scared and there's only so much either of us could do." Henrietta looked down at the ground. It was embarrassing. Why did she have to be so scared all of the time? Couldn't she always be brave? Why was it only available at certain times? It seemed that bravery only hit her when it was absolutely necessary. That could be an inconvenience in the future.

"You were very brave." She looked up again. "So where are we heading to now? It's up to you. I can stay with you a bit longer if you want or try to help you find somewhere with lots of water." Henrietta gave Chris a warm smile.

>>"It wasn't you, Chris. You don't have to apologize for anything. I was just scared and there's only so much either of us could do."
Well, that was a relief... of sort. Apparently it wasn't him she was angry on, it was the people who'd harassed them, and the whole attitude toward mutants in general, he guessed. Chris did almost never feel anger over the situation - just disquiet and resignation. Of course he wished that things were different, but they weren't so one might as well accept it.

>>"You were very brave. So where are we heading to now? It's up to you. I can stay with you a bit longer if you want or try to help you find somewhere with lots of water."
What, brave? He flinched slightly, not sure if she was making fun of him or not. But she was smiling friendly, so he guessed she was not.
"Well, if you count running and hiding as bravery..." he said hesitantly, not sure if he should repay the smile or not.
"I... don't know," he answered her question. "I mean, I guess it's getting a bit late for lunch, but actually I'm still hungry. How about you?"
His empty stomach reminded him of that it had been a while since he'd eaten. He'd forgotten about it during the encounter (fearing your life might be in danger kind of makes you ignore stuff like that) but now it was food time.
He wondered if Henri was hungry, too. If she wanted to part ways he could always say goodbye and then catch a pigeon, to save the money. But he kind of hoped that she wouldn't, because actually it was kind of nice having another person to talk to. He wasn't a very outgoing person, but he still appreciated company.

Chris finished the question from earlier. Well, kind of. He asked her again if she’d like to go to lunch. Henrietta smiled at him and nodded. “I’d love to. All of this drama makes me hungry.” Again, another smile. This one had more of a joking look about it. She wasn’t sure if drama was the right word about the situation they had just had, but it sure sounded less scary.

While she walked, she found herself thinking about mutant rights. I don’t understand why they treat us this way. We may be a little different, but nobody’s exactly the same when they’re human either. That’s just how it works. Sighing to herself, she kicked a chunk of ice across the sidewalk. Do I really want to act like they don’t bother me? What about them makes the X-Men feel like protecting them from stuff? I’m not so sure I feel the same as them…

Dragging herself out of her thoughts, she saw a café. Henrietta stopped then turned and looked at the boy. “How about there? Would that be okay with you or shall we continue our search?”

Chris looked at the food chart outside of the café. They had both tuna sandwich and tuna salad.
"Yeah, sure. It will do."
He entered the café, feeling both curious and wary. His shoulders automatically tensed. There were pretty much people inside, drinking coffee and looking for shelter from the snow.

Chris walked to the desk, his eyes looking at the food and various cookies and buns. It smelled of coffee and cinnamon and it was quite pleasant to get into the warmth. The walls had signs with weird names on - he had no ideas what a frappe or espresso macchiato was.
The cashier, a young girl in her late teens, greeted them welcome.
"Welcome to the Central Park Coffee Shack, what would you like... to... order..."
Her voice trailed off when she noticed Chris's appearance. Her eyes widened and she looked at Chris and Henri with a surprised expression, but she regained her posture quickly.
"Ah... So, ehr, what would you like?"
"I, uhm, would like two small cans of tuna. If you have any. And a bottle of water, please."
The girl looked a bit confused for a moment, but then nodded excitedly. She didn't appear to have a problem with mutants - on the contrary, she seemed to be quite curious about them. She turned her attentive gaze to Henri, and it was easy to see that she tried to figure out if Henri was a mutant too.
"Absolutely! And how about you?" she asked.

Daimon had found a small local cafe on his stroll through the winter wonderland that was the park. The bite of the cold was chilling him through his fancy silk suit, and thought that what better place to stop and rest that a street cafe. Ordering the largest cup of cocoa they had, he sat in a booth facing the door. A sip or two later left him thinking " Banal... absolutely banal..." this was quite a bit less then the standard he was used to, and spotted a child watching him, with a hungry look on her face. The little girl couldn't have been more then 7 years old, long blonde hair fell down her backand she was wearing what looked like antarctic exploration gear. "Her mother obviously wanted her to be warm..." he muttered. But beckoning the young lady forward he offered his gargantuan hot chocolate to her, "Here you go, a holiday present from me to you" his face was warm and inviting, his voice soft and charismatic, the little girl took his cup a wide smile on her adorable little face, "Thank you!" she said before starting to drink.

Daimon reached down a large hand and patted her head, "How easy..." he thought. "How easy it would be to possess such a cute, innocent little thing... a moments neglect from mother, and her little girl is now the host for a monster..." he smiled and his hand upon her head started to fade and loose it's color, a faint wispy look to it. But suddenly the bell of the cafe door rang as it was opened. The girl ran off to her mother who was sipping a coffee in the corner and Daimon cursed under his breath. The people that walked in were strange enough indeed, the young fellow was obviously a mutant, but what about his companion? He always interested in his fellow mutants. He kept a close eye on them, not being the stealthy man his observations might have been noticed.

When the girl behind the counter's eyes first landed on Chris, Henrietta was scared that she was going to scream. Weirdly enough, it was quite the opposite. The girl seemed excited to be serving mutants. Henri gave the friendly girl a smile. "Um...Can I have the garden salad please? Oh, and a water." Not wanting to disappoint her, the brunette made her hair wave slightly at the girl and winked. If the girl didn't yell at seeing an obvious mutation, Henrietta figured she wouldn't be too freaked out by a less obvious one. At least, that's how she hoped it would work out.

Feeling like she was being watched, she turned arounf to notice a man staring at Chris and herself. It was a pretty intense stare too. She looked back at Chris and whispered to him, "Is that guy freaking you out at all? He's making me feel a bit nervous." She glanced one more time at the man. He was staring at her, so she looked at him for a few seconds. Henri hoped that he realized how weird it was and would stop. She couldn't be sure though. Something about him made her want to leave the restaurant.

A long walk at night Kasumi looked around as she walks. Her eyes seem to shine softly around her. She walks passed the man that gave the little girl the hot cocoa. Soon she smiles Kasumi being dressed in a gown cote with a hood but it is down. Now long red hair is in a brad she shakes her head. Such a kind person she thinks to herself. She has on a pair of black snow boots that has puff balls on each side. Form the cold her spots are coming back. She did not mind it.

Soon she walks to the front as she speaks "A cup of chi tea the biggest you have." Smiling as she gets her tea. Soon she takes a place at a table she sits down and crosses her legs. She hums to herself she sips her tea as she closes her eyes form the spices. She always loved chi tea one of her most loved teas. She really does not pay any mind to anyone that is around her right now.

Pulling some of her hair behind her ear. She has been thinking alot she closes her eyes as she sighs. She wonders about so much. She shakes her head as she holds her tea. It seems that alot is going on she is now an x-men yet she feels that there is something wrong. She can not help but to think of Shin as she shakes her head again closing her eyes. She hopes that everything will work out for the best and the feelings that she has is only lies.

The young woman noticed Henri's drifting hair and smiled.
"Wait until I tell my friends about this! Uh, I mean... one garden salad, two cans of tuna and two bottles of water, it will be 6,50 please."
Chris paid and she went into the kitchen for the tuna cans.
>>"Is that guy freaking you out at all? He's making me feel a bit nervous."
Chris looked at the guy out of the corner of his eye, and then he muttered:
"Well, he's not the only one looking, anyway."
And that was true. A bunch of people who were sitting at the café had noticed Chris's appearance, and some of them had even noticed Henri's wavering hair. Chris still wasn't used to being looked at, so he shifted uncomfortably. But Henri was right about the guy by the door - something about him made Chris uneasy. But then again, most of the people in the restaurant made him uneasy.

The young woman exited the kitchen, carrying a two trays.
"Here you are! Have a nice day!"
Chris accepted the tray with the two opened tuna cans, feeling a bit unsettled about the girl's friendly attitude towards them. He should have been happy about it, after all it wasn't every person who treated mutants like real human beings, but he wasn't used to people like that either.
"Thanks," he muttered and started to look for a table. He found a free one next to the window - it was a bit to open for his taste, he'd have like a table in a corner, but it was the only one he could see that was free. The table was between the table with the staring guy and a table where a young woman with bright red hair sat with a cup of tea.

The girl behind the counter seemed very excited about her mutant encounter. Chris paid for their food and the girl went to retrieve it. "Thank you. I can pay you back if you want." Henrietta smiled at him. She glanced once more at the creepy guy before they got their food. Chris walked over to a table and Henri followed. She sat down across from him and picked up her fork. "You must really like tuna, I'm guessing. I was craving salad for some weird reason."

Looking at the table next to them, Henri saw a girl with red hair drinking tea. She looked away before it seemed like she was staring at her. The brunette didn't especially want to have a reputation as a creeper. Besides, she knew what it was like to be stared at. The man by the door had seemed overly interested in them. She wasn't sure if it was because Chris was obviously a mutant, or if it was for some other reason. Henrietta was feeling a little scared after being jumped by the small squad of guys. It made her seem a little paranoid, but she thought it was fair.

Spectre didn't deviate from his stares, but he did have a new person to look at as well. He saw the red head in the park earlier, but these two were new. He wasn't looking at them in a creepy way, more in an appraising way. Like a warrior would look over each sword before choosing the one he'd use for battle. His gaze narrowed as he took in each of these characters features individually. He was like a kid in a candy store, "Now which one?" he thought. Now looking them over like each was a dessert at an all you can eat buffet, "The brunette maybe?" He thought, "mutant or not, a fine host she'd make..." His eyes hungrily shifted to the young man, "And him... What secrets does he hold? like opening a present on christmas, what will I get?"

Finally his stare moved to the red head, "And the fire cracker... My, my, my... can only imagine what she'll be like under my thrall..." He unconsciously licked his lips at the thought, just catching himself he straightened up and tried to appear as if he was just staring off into space. "Easy now Daimon..." he whispered to himself. "No need to jump the gun, patience... The end will be the same, you can wait" Spectre then smoothed out his silk suit and took out a palm pilot, checking his personal calls and mail, still keeping his eyes on the group.

Kasumi pulling some of her hair behind her ear she looks to the man and woman gives them a weak smile. It seems that she is use to being alone. Soon her eyes shift to the man that is looking at her. Kasumis eyes are lime green right now an odd color it is not normal. She soon shrugs her shoulders really not thinking anything about it. Kasumi was not the kind to get up tight. She knows what she is soon she takes out her I-phone as she looks at something she sighs.

Kasumi seems to be wateing for a call form someone. Yet it has not came she thumbs the phone softly just looking for something to do it seems. She is very uneasy. Sipping her tea she leans back in her chair she takes off her jacket having on a ved long sleeve shirt on under that. She keeps messing with her phone looking at things. She is one of the very few people that does not give odd looks.

Kasumi is not that kind of girl. She knows some people that looks like cats and other things so Chris is not odd to her. Soon she finds herself tearing up she closes her eyes tight as her hand comes up she wipes the tear away. Why does she feel like this? God she hates feeling like this.