Skyler walked out of the ice cream parlor with a waffle cone with a scoop of mint chip and chocolate. He exited, the bell of the door ringing as looked right past the rather bewildered or amused glances. Why should he have to be any more self conscious then anyone else on the streets today? He really wasn’t going to let his differences get him down today. Instead, he was going to celebrate it now he had made it to the X-mansion.

The gargoyle weaved through the hoards of people, shouldering past curious fingers and eyes. He was relieved to feel the early morning grass beneath his feet. Out here the crowds were sparse and was able to enjoy the green surroundings. He strolled down the cobblestone path, watching the bikers and the owners that looked like their dogs. He spotted a bench under the shade of a willow tree, and sat down.

He felt like a kid again, sitting under the sun and licking away at the ice cream before it melted. He felt he deserved this after all the shenanigans that had happened between him and the Sanctuary and the Xmen. His tail looped through the back of the bench, swaying contently, ears twitching every now and again to catch a bird song.

Ten minutes had passed and he had heard the exchange between two children that were spying on him. It was cute at first but then it turned into any other intrusion on his privacy and enjoyment of being out in the city. Luckily, he was almost finished with his cone and got up to dump the napkin in the bin giving him a chance to get some space from the overtly curious kids. Unfortunately his getaway signaled the children to pursue chase and they leaped onto his tail laughing furiously. Skyler whipped around and quickly chided them before they ran off giggling. “Gah, where’s their mum? Damn little weasels,” he uttered to himself.

He turned around briskly after tossing his trash and bumped heads with someone. He stumbled back, clawed hands digging into his hair. “Sorry ‘bout that! You alright?” he said to the stranger before he had a chance to look up. An inquisitive tail flicked at this new face, wings folding neatly in response. “I guess I’m not the only mutie who’s not missing this beautiful day,” he grinned. “You from…the mansion?” he asked soon after, knowing there were other groups he rather not encounter after meeting Meld.

Something about watching ducks paddle endlessly across a lake calmed her, or maybe it was the soft lapping of the water- ever rippling against the rocky shore. A quiet sigh left the Greek's lips as she stared tiredly across the way at the many joggers and bikers who traversed through the park. She couldn't quite remember what had possessed her to crawl out of bed and walk herself out into the middle of the city- but here she was, in all of her green, skinny glory. A few moments passed quietly for Andrea, before she turned and started down the path again. Her lack of energy was presented in the form of her customary red coat missing. The gorgon, to eyes that knew her, would look different today. Not the meek and timid- covered from head to toe Andrea that normally wandered the mansion hallways.

No, today she sported a loose sweat shirt- which barely clung to her thin shoulders- and a pair of rather fitted black slacks. Her hair, while still in its customary braids, was limp today. It lacked its normal wiggle. She was depleted. The sounds of children laughing reached her ears, and she glanced up in time to watch a group of kids sprint by. Of course, she turned to stare after then, adjusting her glasses by wrinkling her nose. Honestly, where were their parents? They were much too young to be out on their own... Without turning back, she continued on, her eyes still watching as the small bodied children shoved one another and laughed in the distance. As she moved to turn around, she collided with something- or someone, and came to a sudden stop. A voice spoke to her, and she nodded absently, rubbing at her forehead gingerly.

"Yes, I am fine..." It spoke again, about the day, and referred to her as a 'mutie'... but not in the same way as most. Once her eyes finally foucused on him, she realized why. Then, he mentioned the mansion, and Andrea tilted her head in question. "...yes... I am from the mansion... why?" Her curiosity spiked, as did her suspicion.

Skyler eased the pain from his scalp with the palm of his hand, looking at the gorgon with an apologetic smile. The gargoyle glanced at the girl’s forehead for a moment with worry hoping he hadn’t jabbed her with his horns. “Really, really sorry about that. Those good for nothin’ punks,” he chuckled.

The gargoyle again tried to put on a friendly demeanor since she sounded a bit skeptical about his origins. After his run in with Meld from the Sanctuary he knew where the green female was coming from. “Oh! I am too. No reason,” he proclaimed, nodding. “I joined about a week ago. I guess I still haven’t met everyone on campus,” he explained. He offered one of his hands which held short curled claws, but he remained grinning tail weaving contently from side to side. “I’m Skyler, Sky for short,” he added politely, looking her in the sunglasses, trying hard to get the other to at least let her shoulders lay flat.

“How long have you been at the mansion?” he asked, beginning to walk slowly over to the lake, tracing its perimeter, inviting her for a walk. “I really love it there. What kinda courses are you taking?”

So.. His name was Sky. Funny, for a creature with wings. Andrea eyed him cautiously for a few more moments, before the tension in her body melted away and she slipped back into feeling tired and sluggish. "It's alright Skyler..." She stated, in response to him bumping into her. "It is not like i was looking where i was going either." A tired smile made it's way to her lips and she reached out to shake his hand with one of her own. Glove met flesh, and although she didn't feel much, she knew to grasp it and shake slightly. She was getting better at it with every day that passed, hopefully. "I am Andrea." She added, wrinkling her nose and curling her lip in a rather ugly manner at the over horrid way she had over enunciated her A's and R. Ahhndrrrreyahhh... Ugh. She was too tired to correct herself however.

Sky moved off, and while she initially remained rooted to the spot like a sapling, he seemed to be talking still. To her. Apparently she was expected to follow... With a quick sigh, she turned and trotted after him, falling in step at his side as she process what he had said. It wasn't like she had anything better to do today anyways. "I have only been there a few months... since around Halloween... I think." Had it really been that long? It still felt so fresh in her mind, like it had been just yesterday she stepped off the boat and scuttled into New York City life... "I am not taking any classes as of yet either... I haven't decided yet what would be necessary to take." The Greek maneuvered herself around Sky, so that she could walk beside the lake and gaze at the water while they talked. "Do you know what you wish to take, Skyler?"

Skyler grasped Andrea’s masked hand and shook it firmly, reflecting her smile back. A brow quirked as did his ears when she annunciated her name rather deliberately, nodding at each syllable. “Good to meet you Andrea,” he replied. He paused after a few steps waiting for the female to catch up. They strolled the perimeter of the lake as he struck up a topic to discuss.

“You came here because you were tired of people telling you Halloween was over?” he chuckled trying to make light of it. He nervously laughed wondering if that sounded a bit out of line. He quickly tried to cover it up. “I always win the costume contests,” he added. Skyler gave the green mutant space between the lake. “Have an idea what you might take? I’m thinking about taking on of the history classes and a film course that looks cool along with the other stuff,” he said shrugging. He hadn’t thought about it all that much yet either.

Skyler stopped as they came upon a few geese that waddled out of the water. The birds toddled over, their heads tilted and beady black eyes looking hopeful at them. “I brought some bread with me,” he said pulling a small plastic back from his short pocket. He handed Andrea a piece if she wished to feed them. He tossed the crumbs onto the grass and the geese squabbled over the morsels, their tail feathers excitedly waggling. “Naw, they look like little prehistoric dinosaurs,” he chortled. Moments after, his handful of bread was gone. The birds looked up expectantly, their necks lowering. “Sorry fellas, that’s all I got,” he told the birds. The feathered critters didn’t look convinced, as they opened their beaks and hissed charging at Andrea’s knees. “Gah! Shoo! Shoo!” he spat waving his arms at the geese trying to scatter them. This only angered them as one flapped its wings and launched itself at the gargoyle causing him to jump back. His tail flung out to catch his balance and swept Andrea off her feet as his thick appendage collided with her ankles casting her into lake. The mob of geese followed pecking at the girl’s black hair and freckled face, a mass of feathers and splashing water from a fountain converged across the surface.

At the sight of this Skyler cackled with amusement, standing over the edge of the lake. He was keeled over, holding his undulating stomach that was aching at his point with laughter. “Andrea you okay? So, sorry! I thought that one was going eat me alive!...Andrea?...Andy!?” he said noticing the girl’s arms flailing more then she should have been.

A confused moment after he realized the mutant couldn’t swim. He briefly panicked. His amusement quickly turned to horror. He jumped in expecting his feet to his the bottom but it was a lot deeper then he expected and was up to his head in cold water. The gargoyle surfaced, eyes widened as he realized she was out of sight. His eyes scanned the greenish black water for an outline of a figure which was difficult to do considering the mutant’s color scheme. He spotted a shadow and dived for it.

The Greek cringed at his mention of Halloween and her head swiveled to face him. How had he known!? He must have been been a mind reader, as well as a... beast... thing?... Just what was he exactly? She wracked her brain for a moment while he spoke, sorting through all of the various things she had ever encountered on the internet until one picture in mind popped into existence. He reminded her of the stone creatures that over looked castles and the like, guardians made and blessed with myth in order to protect the building and its inhabitants. A gargoyle? A rather odd mutation, yes, but she didn't have much room to speak when it came to odd visible mutations. She shifted her thoughts away from beasts and creatures. "No... Honestly I have not." She paused for a moment, her eyes turned up to the sky, and pursed her lips. "I suppose I could always take a music class..." Another pause and she turned her attention back to the boy beside her. What had he just said about bread?

Her stomach growled, as if on cue, and she pressed a hand to it over her sweater. Stupid tummy. Andrea's eyes dropped, catching sight finally of the geese, and she blinked. The bread was for them- of course. Ignoring another indignant rumble from her stomach, she accepted the bread from Sky and tore a small piece off, waiting for the birds to finish begging from the Gargoyle before she started throwing her own their way. It only took a moment or two for the little beggars to devour his bread- then turn their attention to her... The only problem was, she didn't even have a chance to scatter the bread before they attacked. "Gah!" She was reminded slightly of the movie 'The Birds' as she threw her food and ducked. Her arms flew up to cover her face and head and she stepped back, kicking out with one leg in hopes of scaring the fowl away. Then, she felt something collide with her supporting leg, and the twenty two year old floundered about for a moment before tipping back and straight into the lake waters.

Cold, wet, suffocating. All of these things could describe Andrea's first full submersion in water. Water that tasted like duck poop and garbage, might I add. She flailed about, getting out one loud shriek before her kicking proved useless and she slipped below the surface. Weren't people supposed to float? Or, was her current lack of body fat being used against her by the evil, horrible lake? Either way, it only took a moment for her bottom to come in contact with the murky, slimy lake bottom. Orange eyes blinked helplessly as she turned this way and that, confused as to which was was the proper way up through her dark glasses... She was more than a little terrified... and her lung full of air was burning out quickly.

Skyler glided through the water, contrasting with the flailing and disorientated manner that Andrea had. His wings were pulled tightly against his back, and his tail swished from side to side propelling him forward. He felt around dim water resisting the urge to gag at the tepid lake’s mucky taste. He grasped a limb and pulled her out by the waist, kicking his legs to get them both to the surface. He gasped at the air, his own lungs sore from lack of breath. He treaded towards the edge of the lake that was a few yards off since they had drifted. With a grunt, the gargoyle hauled the gorgon’s body onto the grass. He laid her out on her back. “Andy? Andrea!? Gah, wake up…” he uttered blinking through his wet eyelashes staring in terror. He knees locked and he looked around for help. People darted their gazes away. “Wake up sleeping beauty…” he said pulling back an eyelid, which revealed her eye that was rolled back into her head, only a fraction of the orange iris was visible. He yanked on a patch of his hair, biting down on his lip.

The gargoyle knelt down beside her, looking anxiously around. The raw embarrassment about what was going to come next was pretty damn unfortunate, but on the contrary a bit of bashfulness was a whole lot better than loosing someone he had just met and would never forgive himself for it. Skyler lowered her jaw and pressed down her tongue away from her air passage with his two fingers. Feeling the time tick away, and hearing the mocking quacks of those stupid ducks he bowed his head and pushed a breath into her. Don’t think romantic thoughts…

He pressed down on her chest a few times, counting as he went, trying a second time before he heard a watery gurgle come from her throat. A huge feeling of relief washed through him. He shuffled back and waited for her own body to recover itself. “Would you rather receive a mouth to mouth from a reptile, or die? Please, say something…” he said through clenched teeth. He kneeled there, tail wrapping around his ankles, eyebrows arched in worry. He helped her sit up with a firm hand on her back and scooted Andrea against a tree trunk. “Sorry for sending you in for a swim…Head back to the mansion?” he asked slowly, giving her a moment to collect her thoughts.

The darkness shifted slightly as she thrashed again, kicking her legs against the lake bottom. Everything lightened just a little, and she was able to make out the slightest shift in the water- a form. Her eyes widened, and she made the mistake of opening her mouth. Water rushed in and she choked, before someone grasped onto her arm and she was pulled from her spot in the mud. As she was drawn to the surface, she left herself losing consciousness. Her arms felt heavier... her lungs were burning... everything was getting darker and darker. By the time she broke the surface she felt like she was dreaming, and by the time she was dragged up onto solid ground she had all but slipped into lala land...

So, when a sudden pressure on her chest cause the water in her lungs to shoot up into the back of her throat, The Gorgon Gasp and sputtered, turning her head to the side to cough out a mouth full of water. She felt herself being drawn up into a sitting position, and coughed more. A voice- though distant, was gradually getting louder. '...Say something...' Another harsh cough racked her body and she felt a rough surface up against her back.

More of that voice...'...Head back to the mansion?' She nodded weakly, blinking until her eyesight returned to normal. The grass... looked much lighter right now. So did her legs... and her hands... Oh... Orange eyes widened as she realized that her glasses were gone. Absent from her face. Squeezing her eyes shut tightly she recalled the water lightening a few moments ago and realized that it had been caused by her glasses floating off. Her shades were resting at the bottom of the lake.

"....yeah..." She rasped, rubbing at her naked face. "The mansion would be a good idea." Slowly, using the tree as support, she got to her feet. "Though... I might need help getting there... I um... shouldn't open my eyes without my glasses."

The end of the gargoyle’s tail twitched. He peered over at Andrea after giving her some space. His claws dug slightly into the ground at the unappealing sound of her gurgling coughs. He noticed her gaze quickly retracted behind her dark skin, and her hands came over her face. He was beginning to get an idea for what kind of mutant she was. Soon after she uttered a few words, and was relieved she was already talking. Skyler was standing by as she felt her way up the tree and was standing eyes still closed.

“I’m guessing you’re from Greek mythology too. Gorgon right? The whole medusa thing, except she’s wayyy uglier…I mean…you’re pretty for a gorgon—you’re attracti—I’ll get you there,” he replied stumbling precariously over his words. He silently stomped his foot and mentally slapped his forehead. He looked flatly at Andrea who was dripping wet, and looked a bit haggard from today’s little adventure. He didn’t want to drag someone through the streets of New York looking the way she was. Hopefully she’d forgive him for his clumsy choice or words if he could… dry her off. Yes, now there was an idea. It always felt better to be high and dry. “Hold still,” he said spreading his wings, grinning to himself at his idea. He spread them to their full span, the webbing between the forks in his wings stretching. The gargoyle pulled them back and flapped them once sending a powerful gust of warm air in Andrea’s direction, probably flattening her against the tree, sending her locks of hair in a gravity lacking frenzy. Well…maybe it worked out better in his imagination.

Skyler decided he was done trying anything new, and would do just what Andrea asked for. The reptile boy folded his wings and took the female’s hand leading her at a strolling pace through the park. He noticed some mucky duck feathers stuck to the bottom of his foot from the sticky lake water and shook his hocked leg to get it off and continued on.

Laughing, Andrea shook her head. Medusa?... She'd rather not compare herself to such a monster... and...had he just?.... Naw... Shrugging his word stumble off, she kept one hand in contact with the tree and turned to figure out if he was standing behind her...in front of her, or off to one side. She never had been any good in the hearing department. Then, she heard "hold still." ... Uh oh... that never meant something good. A second later and a blast of wind hit her.

"Oof!" She did indeed go flying back into the tree, and had to cling to it backward with her nails in order to stay standing. Her hair splattered behind her against the bark, and stuck. So, when the wind gust dissipated, she felt very much like the fuzzy side of Velcro as she peeled herself from the trunk. To Skyler's credit however, she was a little dryer...if not windblown.

Then, without a word, her hand was grabbed and she was pulled along who she was hoping was Skyler. A peel through her lashes told her that , yes, yes it was. Thankfully. "Where....are we going back to the mansion then?" Another peek through her lashed showed her the park passing by... Away from the water they were going, into grassier places. Softness under foot turned into the gravel of a path and she closed her eye again.

"This is odd... I have to admit... I am not used to being led around...or helped really." She didn't usually require all that much help... well, aside from a massive amount of supplied food...but...that was a different story. Her thoughts wandered briefly to Saph, who had helped her a few times- in his own way, before she was jerked back to reality when she stumbled over a rock. Her free arm flailed about until she managed to catch her balance, happy that she never once cracked open an eye. Sky would be no help if he was knocked out... and she wouldn't know what to do with him while wandering around blindly in the park. "...Opp...." She paused, falling back a few steps and straining her arm to stay in contact with him. "... Almost fell..."