((OOC: This is a map of the Clinic's ground level, thanks to Katrina. I'll be in the alley near the back, Maddy.))

Garrett swept the alley next to the Clinic free of the random debris that finds its way into every New York alleyway. They were fortunate for their location, since many humans tended to avoid the mutant heavy sections. It cut down on sanitation, plain and simple. As he swept, he looked up at the fire escape, remembering the first time he had climbed it to break in. It was nearly a year ago. What a massive difference between now and then. It made it feel like twenty years ago.

His head turned back to the ground, the pile of refuse growing as he found a fortunate box to put said trash in. Monotonous labor was an excellent diversion, the flowering seed of free thought. His mind drifted to a familiar place of late. Madlaina and her violet eyes. Eyes were important to Garrett. They were the same feature that he remembered of Maya most often. As sweet as honey. But these new eyes were a sparkling violet, as if there were gems in her eyes. He hoped she would like the gifts he had gotten her.

Fortunately, the man's mind worked properly these days. Gone was the fidgety indecision, the transparent confidence, the self defeating flagellation. He got less sleep now, but it was worth it to live every day like the first and last. His clarity of mind only sharpened the facets of Madlaina's jewels. he could look into those eyes all day, and he had only seen them for an hour or so. Once. Since then, with all of the pomp and circumstance of the last week, those eyes remained subtly powerful beacons, guiding him back to his center.

Madlaina casually flicked through the clothes hanging in the thrift store. After starting her classes at the mansion, and having the teachers report that she was trying hard and doing pretty well, the mansion had given her some money but not much. If she wanted more she was told she would have to get a job, because the mansion only provided the basics. Nice basics, but they didn't give large allowances or provide for every want.

She had found a pair of gloves already but hadn't checked out, she needed some shorts because it was already warmer than she was used to and it was still new in the year. She anticipated it being much warmer once the real summer started here. So it was there in the shorts section, that she had an accident.

In a moment of inattention, her powers flaired, latching onto the pair of pants she had been flicking past. Small, they were obviously meant for a child and had somehow gotten mixed up in the adult sizes. In a flash, Maddy's eyes were pulled open as her eyes darkened, her hand unable to release the fabric until the memory finished playing.

Darkness, hands pulling at the clothing, the hot rancid smell of old sweat on a man, a rough voice, fear, crying, pain... A slap... Other sounds she didn't want to identify but still somehow knew. Then cold as the pants left their owner, the body heat fading. Slow minutes passed then the pants were being pulled on again. The warmth returned but the sad and anger were new, now there was hurting both emotionally and physically, the smell of blood. Then a woman's voice, a hard cold hand grabbing at the pants, pulling to lead the child. Anger in the woman's voice... Words that Maddy didn't understand. Then a spanking for some reason. more crying, then the feeling of being alone.

The momory released Madlaina abruptly, and in the span of a second she was crying. the feeling of lonelyness had faded into reality as the pants left their owner for good. Maddy didn't want to know why. Tears streaked down her cheeks and her heart thudded heavily in her chest. Suddenly she was running, leaving the items she had picked up behind. She burst out of the store, leaping on her bike and not caring if she bumped people as she forced it to move.

Speeding through people, then traffic when she switched to the street, she was startled by the blare of a horn as she was almost hit. Cursing, the sound of it the same in every language even if the words were different, and she rounded a corner, away from whoever it was. Exhausted she slowed the bike and leaned against a building for a moment, lost.

Checking the signs she found some familiar, and dug in her pocket for the folded map she kept, with different locations marked. She was near Garrett. Maybe he could help her. She was comign out of her skin right now, and since he was closer than the mansion she zoomed towards the address.

Skidding to a stop in front of a building with a large flowered sign, she uncaringly let her bike fall to the ground and thundered into the front. Only to find no one there, looking around in a panic, she shouted his name, not really expecting anyone to answer and sat, her back sliding against the front desk as she sobbed. "Garrett?!"

The sound of a horn blaring in the distance and tires screeching snapped Garrett from his violet daydream. The city was recuperating it seemed, as drivers continued to do what they did best. Honk and scream. The broom was placed on the wall, The box, now rather heavy with the remains of the chore, was tossed into the dumpster. He looked down toward the parking lot. the van probably needed a good washing next. He could probably use one too at some point. Showers were great for shedding skin. Looking back up the alley to the sidewalk, he saw someone on a bicycle. No, he saw her on a bicycle. What a fortuitous event.

Walking up the alley, he heard the rickety metallic crash of a bike being dropped on the ground, followed by feet thudding up the stairs into the Clinic. had she been in an accident? Maybe that beep...Garrett picked up the pace, rounding the corner of the building. He stopped and picked her bicycle up, carrying it to the porch to help increase its chances of being there when she came back outside. He heard her scream. That dug into his heart, but when he heard that the shrill sound was in the form of his name, it plunged deeper. He slung the front door open, seeing her sitting on the ground in front of the desk.

He moved to her quickly, kneeling before her. She was crying. Those violet jewels were leaking and all he wanted to do was to dry them and see them shine again. He ran his fingers through her hair, moving it from her face. Her face began to light up with neural mapping as his skin touched her scalp." Madlaina? What happened? Did you get in an accident?" He would take care of it. He would take care of her.

Shuddering, completly unaware of her surroundings she was startled enough to jerk away when he touched her, then she kept going, trying frantically to push his hands away. "No! not good, not good... Hands is not good." Huddling against the desk, her knees pulled to her chest protectivly, she shook her head vigourously.

"Accident.... is like mistake... yes, was mistake. I not want it, was looking and found..." Wrapping her arms around herself she rocked back and forth. Still crying, tears just leaking out rather than sobbing, she kept rubbing her arms like they felt dirty. "The hands... not mine fault... didn't want it."

Suddenly switching to Romanian her speech sped up, talking desperately. "It isn't right what they did. They were bad, not her, not the girl, the people. People are bad, I hate people, they do bad things for no reason. I didn't want to know, and I don't want it now, because now it is in there, in my head, and I'll never get it out. The feeling..."

Switching back to English her eyes landed on him as if seeing him for the first time, wide with shock and fear. "Touching not good. Hands on not me, but me, but other person, other place time, not me but girl, small girl..." Her hand moved to her head, her eyes closing as she hit her fist against the side of her head. "Stop, I want stop. No more things not mine!"

Garrett was still unsure of what had happened to her. it was traumatic though, there was no denying that."No! not good, not good... Hands is not good." She was flailing pushing his hands away. had someone assaulted her? Garrett's mind cycled through terrible scenarios as he tried to understand, pulling his hands away as ordered. Her hands slapping his own away only served to increase the intensity of the mapping process, though it was stuttering with the wild swinging. He tried to listen to her, remaining close. There was some kind of accident with her hands...Oh.

She had touched something by accident and it had triggered a memory. Apparently this was not a memory that she wanted, to say the least. His chest ached at the sight of her trembling and crying. he wanted to help her, but how? he couldn't knock her out. Well, he could, but he didn't think that would be the right response. She barely knew him and waking up in his apartment after a lapse of consciousness would definitely escalate the panic. She descended into a stream of Romanian, the language cut off to him. What was still clear was the darkness of the memory and the damage it had inflicted.

She switched back to English, her eyes setting on his. The look she gave him he never wanted to see again. He didn't want to imagine what she had seen, especially from his vague understanding of its content. She did not want it in her head. He could not take it out, though. What he could do, was attempt something he hadn't in some time. Not since Maya in the future. Not since Alexandra in the Mansion. Those times it had been for a slightly more nefarious purpose. Well, not with Maya, but of course...He shook it out of his head. No time for reminiscing. Heal her.

He grabbed her wrist so she couldn't hit herself anymore. Once their skin made contact again, he closed his own eyes, focusing on the mapping. He didn't want to scare her with the slight restraint. " Please, Madlaina! Don't hit yourself. Relax. Breathe. Shhhhhhh..." Even before the mapping process was complete, Garrett did the same thing he had envisioned with Alexandra, only on a massive scale. He tried to control himself , so that he didn't slide from euphoria to anesthesia. His gift swept over her rattled nerves like God's gentle hand over a field of wheat. Warm spring breezes blowing through the sheaves. he only wanted her to relax, to feel calm, to feel peace.

When he grabbed her, telling her something she couldn't process right now, she screetched as his memories started to whisper. Then something happened, something flowed from his hand into her, and the screetch slowed to a softer keening cry as the wave hit. Then tension leeched out of her muscles, the trembling slowed and eventually stopped as her body went lax, power lapping at her edges until she thought she was going to melt like butter. She blinked and Madlaina found herself sliding sideways until her shoulder hit the floor, now laying on the cool surface, the pounding headache receeding like the tide.

The sound she had been making turned into quieter hiccuping breaths as her eyes threatened to close, head lolling loosely against the linolium. Maddy could still feel the memory, the panic and fear lurking inside it, but as if she had been drugged her body wasn't reacting to it, but she didn't feel the sluggixh effect of an drug.

Heaving a sigh, as if an elephant had been sittig on her preventing her from breathing before, she went limp the way that sleeping people did, but she was awake. Staring at the man crouched above her, she knew she should be fighting him. He was using his power on her, that was the only explination. And with the fresh memory influencing Maddy this suddenly seemed like a dangerous situation.

In a weak attempt to get away, she puled ineffectivly at her arm trying to free it from his hand. Muttering softly, as if it was hard to even use the muscles to talk, she spoke slowly and with a struggle the way children who fought sleep did. "I sorry... Va rog... no hurt me..." She said please in Romanian, a slip thanks to the state he had caused, so she said it again. "Please no hurt."

Garrett watched it happen. The desired effect occurred first, the anger in her nerves slowing. He was pleased, though it occurred to him that testing untested applications of his abilities on impulse wasn't the best idea. But that's why it was an impulse. He just couldn't stand to see her hurt herself. He couldn't stand to see her in pain, but as her body started to slide limp and loose, it was apparent that he needed more control. Not of the mutation, but of himself. It was always just so easy to quiet someone, though, in the past it had been to silence them, not quiet them.

Her sleepy violet eyes dulled as she looked at him blearily.Her arm tugged at his grip weakly and she said words that punctuated his belief. ....No hurt me....Please don't hurt... With the request, his hand released her and he quickly scuttled back several feet, seated on his knees. The look on his face was one of confusion and regret. " I'm sorry." His eyes trailed to the floor before him before straining to rise and meet her own." I just couldn't stand to see you in pain." And then, he didn't say anything at all. He just sat there quietly, observing his handiwork. It made him nauseous.

His hands turned to face him, palm up. He looked at them as if they were things, not part of his body. His mind sunk deeper than his heart had previously. He just shook his head at his hands, forgetting she was there entirely for a moment. How many died because of his gift? If it was truly a gift, what was its application? His hands withered into pitiful fists before returning to his side. His body slumped sideways as he rested on the sides of his legs. She was still there, recovering from an impulse. This was why he was alone. "Forgive me."

When his hand released her, Maddy sighed in relief. The double threat of his memories possibly coming through in her weakened state, and the power he seemed to have over her body, frightened her. Madlaina was easily frightened though, especially after episodes like the one she had just had. She had been told, after her emergence from the streets into the care of the underground in Romania then the care of the Mansion, that she didn't need to freak out when something like that happened. She didn't believe them.

After a few deep breaths, she managed to get enough control back to sit up and crawl around the corner of the desk, putting more space between them despite the fact that he had already backed off. Without his power running through her she didn't think he was going to hurt her, but she was too sensative right now, her skin and mind tender from so much happening in the span of a few minutes that she didn't want to risk him touching her again and setting off a new bomb. Now at perpendicular angles to each other she felt... safer? Was alone safer? Stable might be a better word. She felt like she was on more solid foundation when she was further away from him, closer was like the haunted houses where the floors moved and she was never sure where to step.

He seemed upset, but she couldn't figure out why. He had to have meant to do that; if that happened everytime he touched someone he would be much more careful about it, but every time she had met him, he had touched her without thought or worry it seemed. And that confused Maddy.

Peering at him from around the corner of the desk, still unsure of her feelings and fears, she spoke. "What you do? Take my ..." Struggling with the word for the concept she wanted she got frustrated. "Take my insides? You take a people's energy?" Madlaina was afraid he had done something like take her soul, steal her life force.

Shaking her head, she really wanted to crawl somewhere and sleep off the effects of whatever he had done. "I no like that." He had taken away her body's ability to react to what was in her mind, took control of her. She shook her head again. Being left alone in her mind with the memories, without control of her body, had been very unsettling. She was used to working things out physically, and without that option, Madlaina had felt... "You trap me."

She slowly began to regain control of herself, slipping away from him. He had really scared her and didn't know what to do about it. How to explain it properly. It would be easier if she could understand him."What you do? Take my ...Take my insides? You take a people's energy?" Garrett wrestled with the idea and how to explain it properly. How would he explain it to a child? No, scratch that. He was going on the assumption that all children comprehended English. His feelings weren't congealing around the topic. " I was just trying to calm you down. It was my mistake."

"I no like that. You trap me." His head shook instinctively at the suggestion. " No..no I didn't. It's hard to explain. " It looked dismal until an idea flickered to life in his mind. He had the gifts he had bought for her at Full Circle. What a crappy time to give them, but at least it might help. Rising slowly, not making sudden movements, Garrett put his finger out. " Wait here just a sec, okay?" he moved carefully around the desk and down the hall. Once he made it through the back door, he ran up the stairs and into his apartment, worried she might run away while he was gone. The FC bag sat on the counter where he had brought it in the day before. He decided to keep some of the gift intact, if he could ever mend this misunderstanding. fishing out the one thing that could help him, he ran back downstairs, leaving his door open.

When he got back in the Clinic, he wiped the slight sweat from his brow and tried to be cool, walking back to his spot. He sat down and opened the dictionary. " I bought a dictionary so I could talk to you better. I had it already, hoping to see you again. Let's see." His fingers flipped through pages.He chuckled when he saw what the book said. " Nervi Control? " He looked at the front of the book. " Really? He focused quickly, trying a different way to calm her down." Utiliza...mutaţie...relaxa..nervi?" His look suddenly mirrored the one she normally wore. Unsure of his words, he tried to push on. "Niciodată...utiliza mutaţie...binele.." He tossed the book down in frustration. Shrugging slightly and putting his best sorry face on, mixed with a slight smile, he added,"I see how hard it is. Sorry."

Calm down? His apology soothed most of Madlaina's ruffled feathers, but though not mad at him, she was still annoyed and frustrated with the world in gerneral. When he denied it, then dissapeared somewhere, she was uncomfortable. Left alone, she sat for a moment before moving the chair that was behind the desk so that if she needed to she could bolt under the desk. She heard him coming down the stairs and shifted back to her original position, trying to not remember what she had gotten today.

He had a book and when he sat down he started flipping through it and talking to her. Some book to help them communicate? Probably like the ones she had back at the mansion. Listening, she was surprised to find him speaking Romanian, despite somewhat expecting it. Tilting her head to the side, she was probably looking at him the way a person looked at a dog who had started speaking. He could use his mutation to make her relax, through her nerves? That sounded very... useful and frightening.

He looked as confused and usure of himself as she frequently felt, and she listened to his slow working of her language. He thought it was best to never use their powers? That seemed extreme; Madlaina's powers were more detrimental to herself than others at this point, but most mutants she had met had useful powers that did more than hurt the user.

He thought going from English to Romanian was hard? "Yes, is.. hard." For a moment of silence, she thought, then added "Why you sorry is hard?"

It appeared that his attempts at mending the situation had been successful. she no longer appeared to be ready to run for the door. When she looked at him, he got the distinct impression that she might be comprehending him. That was a good feeling. She also sympathized with him over the difficulties of language. More than likely she had a harder time than she did. Who knew? One thing was for sure, once she began to understand and speak English more clearly, both of them would get along easier.

"Why you sorry is hard?" Garrett just shrugged it off as he got back on his feet. " I don't know. I guess I should think more before I talk. I probably talk fast to you. I just don't want to talk to you like a child." He stepped outside for a moment, propping the outer door open with his foot as he brought her bicycle in. Closing the door back, he walked it over to an open exam room and wheeled it inside, closing the door.

Returning to her, he offered his hand. " Why don't you get up. I think we are okay now. If you like, we can go upstairs to my apartment. Or stay here. Whatever you want." Garrett was happy enough that she was still there with him. No more mistakes.

Maddy listened to him, and it seemed like he was apologizing for knowing English, but not quite. She wasn’t sure why. He spoke English so he obviously wouldn’t need to think as hard as she did before he spoke. And though she appreciated him not talking to her like a child, she knew she had only a basic grasp of the language and although it was growing, it was still a small vocabulary and he would have to talk to her using only the basic concepts that most children have.

“Use child word is okay, is…” Waving her hand slightly, trying to find the word, she made a sound of vagueness. “Is words sound? Is way I be candied?” She meant treated, but treat and candy are the same so the past tense of it should mean the same thing too. She had been trying to learn word tenses, with limited success.

At his suggestion of getting up and going to his home, she stalled. Madlaina was wary of new places, and after her experience in the thrift store she was feeling the need to go slow. Maddy liked calm, sameness, and routines. Getting up slowly, her body stiff from the ups and downs she had been though, she wandered slowly, exploring the clinic with meandering steps and traveling eyes. She worked her way towards where he had gone before when he brought back the book.

“You be doctor here?”

Now they were returning to regular conversation, which Garrett was happy with. Considering the many ways that the situation could have gone sour, he had little reason to do much of anything except be happy with that outcome and move on from there. So it seemed that she was fine with him speaking to her in a childlike manner. Instead of wrestling with it, he just decided to accept it and have fun with it. “Use child word is okay, is…is words sound? Is way I be candied?” He didn't want to laugh, but Garrett did smile. He was completely unsure of what she meant to say, but she was already sweet and probably delicious. No reason to be candied.

She rose on her own, foregoing his hand. Again, not a slight. Considering what occurred the last time he touched her, it made perfect sense. Many people didn't like Garrett touching them. Some of those people had good reason to do so. She was looking around the Clinic with the same timid curiosity that he had recalled from the day they met at the Mansion. He made no effort to stop her. There was nothing that she could harm, so why not look around? "You be doctor here?" Now, he had the opportunity to do as she wished.

"No, I drive van and bring sick people here for Sebastian. Sebastian is mutant healer, not doctor yet. I do other things. I am detective. " It was very easy this way. Garrett decided there and then that overthinking was for the birds, unless it was for a reason that merited it. However, he realized that he had let his job with a government organization slip out of his mouth, though up to this point, he had not allowed this information to slip. He had even kept it to himself in front of Maya, but with Madlaina, it had just slid right out. Even a detective could sniff out the relevance of such an event. She was also moving down the hall, so everything was fine.

Madlaina, though not the most forgiving person, was much like an animal in that she rarely held a grudge unless it was an extreme wrong against her. Garrett had hardly done anything terribly wrong to her and had been more nice to her than mean, so she was inclined to forgive and forget without even thinking about it.

When she looked up to find him watching her as she looked around the place where he worked… well the second place he worked, she blinked. People seemed to do that, watch her, and she wondered why. Am I being weird?

So, he brought the sick people to the mutant doctor. There seemed to be a few of those around. One at the mansion, one here…. But the word he said… Detective? Maddy wasn’t sure what that meant. “You is… warm jacket? Or no working?” Madlaina wasn’t sure exactly where those definitions came from but she knew they were wrong.

Making a face, she moved towards him and reached for the book. “What is detective?”

Madlaina's soft violet eyes caught him while he was watching her. She didn't seem particularly fazed by it, but nonetheless he was looking. He was. Why pretend that he didn't like her? It was a stupid way to develop a relationship, should Garrett find himself fortunate enough to succeed in that department. If not, then he would have yet another beautiful female friend. Wouldn't that be great... Regardless, while the word detective had slipped from his mouth, he made no effort to hide the fact that he had said it. It was just too silly a reference to sweat bead one over.

“You is… warm jacket? Or no working?”Making a face, she moved towards him and reached for the book. “What is detective?” graciously turning over the dictionary to her, he stood and thought about it. How to say this in a simple way? " Hmm, well, I follow people and try to understand mystery about them. I take notes and also look for clues." Would she know what a clue was? Well, D was just after C if not.