It really was a beautiful spring day, so close to summer it may as well all ready be summer. Of course, for the Mansion's resident bubbler it didn't matter much what time of year it was or what the weather was like outside, one of the many advantages to having a floating bubble that was always nice and dry and warm. The sun shining and the sky being blue, however, were rather pleasant and for that reason if for no other Juka was out floating, exploring the local area.

In all the time that Juka had been in the city, close to a year now, he had done very little in the way of true exploration of his habitat. Oh sure, he had gotten in the habit of nightly rounds to try and combat whatever crime he happened to come across, but that wasn't really true exploration. That was his job and self-appointed duty, exploration was an adventure. In recent months he had let people's reaction to a man inside a floating bubble matter less and less to him. He had never been one to care what people thought all that much; how could he when he went around in dresses? But for years he had been told that he should hide the fact that he was a mutant, that it was somehow different than merely being a cross dresser so, up until recently, he had done just that being careful to float high above the city so that those below wouldn't be able to see him, or floating only late at night when it was dark or going far outside the bounds of civilization.

Recent events in Juka's life, however, had slowly began to erode away that natural hesitance to show people what he was. First came the month when he was trapped in his bubble, a horrible time to be sure and one he would rather not forget. Still, it was also a learning experience and learning was always valuable. Conversations with Abyss and Van had further solidified certain things in his mind as well as interactions with other, more visible mutants, such as Chris and Aleksander. Finally, he had begun with little experiments, every so often bubbling in public areas and gauging people's reactions. There had been some negative ones sure but, shockingly, there had been far more positive ones. Maybe it was because he was so much less threatening to look at than others, maybe it was his natural charisma or maybe it was because he put on a show when he did so, but either way he began to see it not as a negative thing, but as a positive one to have people see what he was. The problem many people had was that they simply didn't have much experience with mutants and he would be the perfect choice (he was Juka Miami after all) to show them that mutants weren't all dangerous. Finally, there was his all mutant band that was the ultimate mutant spectacle.

With these thoughts in mind, Juka decided to screw his previous mindset of hiding his bubbles and take advantage of the beautiful day to go exploring. The trip started out relatively uneventfully, simply floating around the outside of the Mansion grounds. He wasn't quite ready to go into the heart of the city just yet, though he might just do so given enough time, it was the closer to home area that he was truly interested in. His aimless floating eventually brought him into a more well off neighborhood filled with manors and mansions from people of obvious wealth. It gave him an unexpected pang of homesickness. There had been a time when he had lived in just such a dwelling as these rich places around him but that time was long ago. Maybe one day he'd actually make some money and live in a manor again. Maybe his band would truly make it. He could only hope.

It was one particular manor, however, that truly caught Juka's attention. He wasn't quite sure what it was about the place but he knew immediately that was where his explorations must inevitably lead him. Perhaps it reminded him just a little too much of home but it didn't really matter. He lowered his bubble to get a closer look, floating around the perimeter of the house taking in the exceptional architectural work and the neatly trimmed hedges. The place reminded Juka so keenly of home and his long estranged family that he could almost physically feel it as a pang in his chest. He wasn't certain that he would actually admit it to anyone, but sometimes he actually missed his family, especially his brother, as annoyingly perfect as he always was.

After an indeterminate amount of time (time had become more difficult to keep track of since his bubble had begun taking care of most of his needs like sleep and food) Juka decided that he really should leave. As much as he might like it to be otherwise, this place wasn't his it was some stranger's and in all likelihood that stranger probably wouldn't appreciate a snooping cross dressing mutant on their property. Just as he was about to float away as quiet and unnoticed as he had first floated there, however, he noticed a man, perhaps in his early to mid 30s, on the property with a golf club. He wasn't certain, yet, if he had been noticed and because of his uncertainty hesitated in making his retreat.

The sun was just beginning to make its trek beyond the hroizon. Roland had maybe an hour of good light left. His scotch was getting warm, the ice beginning to be little more than slivers in the glass. A stiff sip down the pipe and he licked his lips, sliding his leather gloves back on and fitting his USGA cap tight on his head. The wind was marginal, if present at all. It was the end of a productive day. After he had left Alexandra and Streak with Lori, he had debriefed and came straight home for some scotch and driving.

The ball was fished from his pocket and placed on the tee hands free. The driver had to be manually handled, considering the leather grips. While being an expert in many things, regripping golf clubs was not one of them. Wearing a navy polo, khaki slacks and cleats, he lined hinself up for another swing. Each one helped to center his mind. Each drink helped to wash away the thoughts of Alexandra. She was at once irritating and attracting, repulsive and irresistible. The club swung back, winding up to send another ball off into the fields.

A hard swing came down on the ball. Slice. Roland looked up briefly to see where it went, but the ball immediately came down. Straight down, as if it had hit a tree branch. Covering his brim with his hand for further squint avoidance, it was discovered not to be a branch at all. It was some kind of ....floating kabuki? Seeing the ball in the rough, it appeared back in his gloved hand and was returned to his pocket. he shook his head in disblief and looked at the nearly empty glass. No residue of a drug. He turned his head again. Yep. Floating kabuki.

Juka was about to leave, honest. So he was a little curious peeking around a property that he didn't own because it reminded him as home. Its not like he was some creepy stalker or anything, right? Besides, didn't you actually have to know the person that lived in the house to stalk them? And if he really wanted to be a creepy stalker he was pretty sure that he wouldn't just be floating here out in the open for anyone to see. He liked to think that he had a little more intelligence than that. Actually, he didn't like to think about becoming a creepy stalker at all but that was besides the point. If, and it was a big if all the way to the point of impossibility, but if he was to become a creepy stalker he would be the best creepy stalker ever and that meant, most certainly, not floating her in plain sight for all to see.

Realizing that the man Juka had spotted hadn't spotted him, he began raising his bubble in order to prepare for his departure. It had been a fun little foray into a stranger's land but it was time to go home before he got noticed. *Thwack*! "Ouch!" A golf ball had hit him. The man below had swung his club and, very rudely if he was any judge, hit him with a golf ball. There was sure to be a nasty bruise tomorrow not to mention the fact that his entire shoulder was now sore to the touch. Or, for all he knew, maybe there wouldn't be a nasty bruise with the way that his bubbles had been acting lately.

"You should really look where you're swinging that thing," Juka scolded in his very best disapproving voice. Enhancing the image were hands placed on hips and a very unhappy expression. "You could really hurt someone! Like me for example." A very very disapproving glare followed.

The glass was empty now, so it took a seat on the table. Perhaps a different man would have taken a seat, tried to understand the words of a living Christmas ornament as it told that person not to talk to strangers and say their prayers at bedtime. Roland was more the type to allow himself a regripping by a professional. The golf club came back at an angle, though not the angle for hitting golf balls. With a snap of the wrist and a pitcher-like swing the club left his hand and arced toward the big transparent ball with M. Butterfly inside.

As much as the balls were made to be aerodynamic, the club not so much. It made a clumsy wobble through the air, looking as affected by alcohol as Roland was at the moment. it missed the thing by at least two meters. Fortunately, with the twilight, he could see it coming back down, so it returned to his hand for another attempt. " Great example. Hurting you sounds great." this attempt he aimed a little more to the left and when he threw it, it disappeared from sight just after it left his hand. It reappeared before the floating Kabuki. Roland waited with hand open, should it come back in retaliation.

The man below him didn't appear to be very friendly at all, Juka decided. First he had hit him with a golf ball and not even apologized for it (how very rude of him) but then he tried to hit him with the golf club too. Thankfully his aim was off by a good couple of meters and Juka proceeded to glare disapprovingly down at him. "You aren't the only one that can throw things you know!" Hands on hips, he proceeded to glare at the man as he had never glared before. His eyes swiftly took in the surrounding area, looking for a rock or something that he could drop on the rude little man. Distracted as he was, he didn't notice that the golf club had returned in amazing teleporting fashion, back to his new arch enemy.

A moment later, still distracted and looking for something to drop on the mean spiteful man, Juka was shocked when a golf club slammed into the side of his face, causing what he was certain would be a horrible ugly bruise. "Ouch! That was mean!" Why did he have to pick on poor Juka away? It wasn't like he had done anything that bad, just floated around outside a little bit, he hadn't even spied into the windows at all. Really, he hadn't done anything that bad, had he?

Deciding that he truly hadn't deserved the abuse he was currently receiving, Juka sent a tendril out to wrap around the painful golf club. It wasn't what he had in mind for dropping and it was too large for proper bubbling, but it would do well enough. He then proceeded to float closer to the evil golf club throwing man and swing the golf club from the end of his tendril, fully intending that the club should collide with his shin. Now that would show him! He remained at the edge of his ten foot range, just in case the man should try to kick him or something equally unpleasant.