Svetlana was dreaming about snow. Again.
She had been dreaming a lot about snow lately, since it was getting really hot outside, and the only the A.C. kept her from going insane in the Iris Apartments. So, most of the time when she managed to fall asleep, her mind wandered either to the hot and small apartments in the building she grew up in, or the snow and the cold on the streets after she left.
This night, it was the latter.

Svetlana, strangely enough dressed in her fancy clothes the Matchmaker had bought for her, was sitting on the stairs of some building, trying to keep herself from shivering with cold. All around, everything was covered in snow; the kind of snow that is more like flour falling from the sky. Cold flour, that doesn't even stick enough to make snowballs.
Sveta hugged herself, and stared at shadowy figures moving around on the streets. She was trying to remember something very very important, but as it usually happens in dreams, she couldn't quite put a finger on it.
What was it again? Curfew?
No. There was no curfew out here. Not since she left home because...
Bo.
Where's Bo?

Sveta stood, and started walking in the snow; it was thick now, at least knee deep, and wading through it was painful work, and she seemed to be moving slower than ever, if she was moving at all. As it usually happens in dreams, the more she fought, the slower she got.

"Bo!" she called out, rubbing her eyes, trying to see more clearly "BO!"

Her voice was lost in the snow.

Months have passed since Brian arrived in America and he got pretty well settled in. But now that all that was over he actually didn't had much to do. Soon he was bored and even tough he was looking for a job or something to keep himself busy it didn't worked out for him. So what could somebody do at a time like this and whit a heat like that outside? You take a nap ... And that just was more interesting for him. He smiled as he dozed of into his room soon finding his way into the dreams of others.

If it was his subconsciousness that got bothered by the heat or not or just a coincidence he opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was snow. Curiously he held his hand out catching a bit of it and feeling the cool touch on his skin. He was dressed in his brown leather jacket and dark blue jeans. He got up and started to wander trough the strange unknown location. At that moment it started to snow harder now and it kept piling up. For normal people this would be a difficult situation but in a dream, nothing was impossible for him. Leaping up from the ground he landed on top of the soft snow and didn't sank away in it as if he was as light as a feather. Putting his hands in his jacket he wandered around trying to find the dreamer responsible for this mid summer snowstorm. The only clue beside his subconscious intuition gained from the dream was a faint voice echoing trough the snow calling out for someone even tough he couldn't make out for who.

Sveta kept wading through the snow; the snow kept falling, although there was no sign of a storm. It was all very quiet, quiet and heavy, and she didn't know where she was anymore.

"Bo!"

There was somebody in front of her. She could make him out more clearly than the other, shadowy figures; he must be someone important. Sveta stopped to look up, and for a moment he looked like a giant. A forst giant. The girl rubbed her eyes furiously, and looked again. Nope, he was just standing higher than she was. On the snow?
That's not possible.

"Who are you?" she asked, confused. She always spoke Russian when she was confused. Especially in her dreams. "Have you seen my sister?"

After what for him was a small stroll over the snow he heard something underneath him. As he looked down he smiled Finley found the dreamer. She stared at him confused probably because of the fact that he was walking on the snow. He didn't expected it but suddenly she spoke to him in Russian. Normally he wouldn't understand a word she said but in dreams language didn't mattered much.

" My name is Brian miss ... Brian Pitschon and no i haven't seen your sister " He always wanted to try this out and was actually surprised of himself as thanks to her subconsciousness he could make himself talk Russian in her dream. Pleased because of his little experiment worked he crouched down so he was closer to her and didn't looked so intimidating big. "Are you lost or so ?" This time he asked just in normal English knowing she would understand him.

>>"My name is Bjorn miss ... Bjorn Pitschon and no i haven't seen your sister "

Sveta looked up at the guy. He couldn't be much older than she was. And he looked so... comfortable, standing on top of the snow. And he spoke Russian. It was weird, hearing him speak Russian. She was not used to it, in the past months she only heard English, except when Sebastian talked to her sometimes to cheer her up, but his Russian was... odd.
This one sounded almost too perfect.

"Sveta." she muttered, not bothering to give him her full name

>>"Are you lost or so ?"

"I... I guess I am." she muttered, looking around again. She was speaking English now, and suddenly it felt much easier than... other times. "Where are we?... I'm supposed to... supposed to be in New York. I think."

He smiled as he jumped down from the snow into the clearing she made when wading trough it. "Its a pleasure Sveta" He replied as he looked around listening to her remark about where she was. The girl looked around the same age as him as she looked around curiously. Besides of the snow that kept piling up higher and higher nothing was in the vieuw.

"Where we are you wonder hmm ... Well lets say you are still in New York but then yet again you are here ... How do you think thats possible ?" He smiled playfully as he made her guesse first before spoiling the big secret. She noticed however that now she was closer to him the snowfall started to lessen around him. He didn't liked dreams of other people to give him too much trouble.

>>"Where we are you wonder hmm ... Well lets say you are still in New York but then yet again you are here ... How do you think thats possible ?"

Sveta tilted her head at the guy; now that he was standing next to her instead of above her, he looked pretty normal. The snow kept piling up, but strangely enough, it was not bothering her as much anymore. At least she had company.
As for his question...

"Are you a mutant?" she asked suspiciously "Did I touch you or something?..."

Now that he stood closer ot her, she folded her arms instinctively; she didn't want to accidentally come into contact with someone who might be a mutant. f his powers were already doing all this... she just hoped she didn't do something bad again. Like, burying New York under piles of snow...

"Are your powers creating all this?"

He laughs as he tilts his head "Close close but not close enough ... And euh no you didn't touched me." He blinked a bit curious at that Remarque of the girl who seemed rather nervously all of the sudden. "I am indeed a mutant but no this place is not my creation. It might surprise you or not but the creator of this place is ... You" He smiled amused as he did a bit too dramatic about it. He shrugs smiling as he notices she didn't got it.

"OK enough riddles i guess ... This place only exists into your mind. You are still in New york but you are asleep." He smiles as the space started to get a bit to crowded for him. Annoyed he made a gesture whit his hand and the snow that piled up around us suddenly fell backward and strangely as it fell down only left ankle high snow behind. The whole area was open again and the snow stopped falling so hard. "For some reason you are dreaming about this and dreams are my specialty." He looks at her again smiling warmly in the cold weather of the dream. "I am a dream walker. Instead of sleeping myself i end up in other peoples dreams, where i can ... edit them. Cool no ?"

>>"OK enough riddles i guess ... This place only exists into your mind. You are still in New york but you are asleep."

This sounded strange, but she found herself willing to believe it, as people usually tend to believe the craziest things when they are dreaming. They take the creations of their own imagination for granted.

>>"I am a dream walker. Instead of sleeping myself i end up in other peoples dreams, where i can ... edit them. Cool no ?"

And it was getting even more strange. Sveta looked around again, once the snow fell away; she started to recognize the place, it was the park Bo and her used to go to hide out back when they lived in Moscow.

"So... you are real, but you are in my dream." she said slowly, trying to wrap her mind around the idea. "I see." she turned back to the guy "And where are you? I mean, in reality? Are you in New York too? Are you close to me, or you just... wandered into my dream, by accident?"

She looked around again; the snow was still falling, but rather like a movie effect, it didn't seem to settle on the ground. It turned from depressing to calm.

He crossed his arms nodding "Yeah thats true. Im a real living and breathing person who when he takes a nap can come visite other here." He looked around noticing now that the most of the snow was gone it seemed they where in a park of some kind. The snow gave it a extra touch that no other park had... Well beside central park in the winter. That was close eneugh but still. Dreams had the ability to make things seem so much more interesting , and sereen.

As she asked him where he was in reality he looked up "Yes im staying in New York. Im just here a few months since i come from Europe tough. I found a place to live where several other mutants are. And yeah even tough im not sure how big it is i can onley enter people dreams if they are in a specifik range around me. But thats more then eneugh for me. You wouldn't believe how many different dreams i already encountered.

>>"Yes im staying in New York. Im just here a few months since i come from Europe tough. I found a place to live where several other mutants are."

Oh. That explained a lot of things.

"I live in an apartment in..." Sveta caught herself. She was not being babysat 24/7 by people to give her address away to a mutant in a dream "... in the city."

>>"You wouldn't believe how many different dreams i already encountered."

Sveta's lips curled upwards.
"And people are not angry at you for walking into their dreams?" she teased "Some dreams are very private... but I am sure you already know that." she chuckled, looking around again "This is where I am from. Moscow. But I live in New York now." of course he already knew that "I'm a mutant too."

He smiles as she told him she is from around the city "Oh cool ... Thats nice" he smiled and chuckled as she asked about those dreams. "Oh yeah some dreams are privat indeed but before i enter one i can somewhat feel the state the dreamer is in. Like you for example that dream made you feel confused and you where looking for somebody. I could sense that ... " He suddenley laughs "Yeah its thanks to that that i don't barge into more ... Delicate dreams. Mostley i look up dreams where people are having trouble ... Like nightmares or so and i come and help a bit out."

He looks around nodding" I already figured that you where from Russia. It explains me suddenly speaking that language a lot more. But this a nice place at first sight. Im from Europe my self. A small country named Belgium was my home but then again i guesse i kinda got pulled into the American dream." He stopped as she announced she was a mutant too "Oh realy you are ? Thats curiouse ... Since i got here i met more mutants in their dreams then back in Belgium" He laughs and even tough he knew all too well that in a dream he could easely get to know what she is able to do, he let it up to her to decide if she wanted to say it or not. Digging in somebody's mind could be taken rather offencivley.

>>"Like you for example that dream made you feel confused and you where looking for somebody. I could sense that ... "

Sveta nodded. "Yes I was... looking for my sister. She is still in Russia, and... I kinda miss her." she admitted. Admitting it came kind of easy, because being in a dream made her feel more at ease with saying things she didn't like to say awake. It felt strangely comforting. Was this guy living in a world like this? On others' dreams? Sveta wondered how that felt.

>>"Oh realy you are ? Thats curiouse ... Since i got here i met more mutants in their dreams then back in Belgium"

Sveta nodded.
"Many mutants find their way here, sooner or later. There are... interesting places, in this city. And safe places too."

Too safe, maybe.

"I have to be careful around other mutants." she added, her arms still folded over her chest "I boost their powers if I touch them." she explained "We could get stuck in the dream or something. Just so you know..."

She didn't want to get stuck in a dream. But she was in no hurry to leave it either. It felt kind of nice. And definitely interesting.

He smiles as he nods "I know what you mean ... If you go to a new place like this you are bound to miss those that stay behind. Thats the sad thing about going somewhere else. I don't hear much of my family anymore eather"

He sighed a bit before nodding at her next remarque. "Yeah judging from the dreams i have to say the concentration of mutants is here strangley high ... But then again there are a lot of kids going to school here at the place that im staying so that might explain a bit."

He sudenley smirks as she seemed afraid of what her power did "Well Svetlana ... Thats one point you don't have to worry about" He sudenley moved rather fast upclose to her and tapped her on her forehead. "Your not realy here so your powers don't realy affect me. Onley people whit mental powers can interfere whit dreams. You can dream about your powers sure... But that doesn't means they are real."

>>"But then again there are a lot of kids going to school here at the place that im staying so that might explain a bit."

Sveta looked at him, surprised.
"You go to school at Xavier's? I..." pause "... used to live there, for a few months."

She wondered why he didn't look familiar; if they used to be in the school at the same time, they had to meet on occasion. Maybe he looked different in real life. Or maybe they just didn't meet. Sveta didn't spend much time outside her room after she discovered her powers.

Sveta winced and jumped back when he touched her, looking at him kind of scared, waiting for something to happen, for the dream world to fall apart, for the snowstorm to pick up again.
Nothing happened.

>>"Your not realy here so your powers don't realy affect me. Onley people whit mental powers can interfere whit dreams. You can dream about your powers sure... But that doesn't means they are real."

She blinked; it took her a few minutes to catch up with all he was saying.
It was just a dream. People rarely know they are dreaming when they are dreaming; and when they know, they rarely ever have the power to alter their dreams. Sometimes, on occasion, they do.
And when they do, they can shape it as they want.

"So... my powers don't work here, not really." she muttered, looking at her hands. She was wearing gloves.
Great, I have been wearing them for so long I dream with them too...
She stared at the gloves for long minutes; finally, stey slowly started to fade, and they disappeared.

"I got used to... not touching strangers. As you said, there are quite a few mutants in this city." she smiled, holding her hand out to him hesitantly "Good thing this is my dream."