Sveta was out. Shopping. Well, more like dragging Sebastian around in the mall (poor man deserved a lot better than that, but right now he was the only one available to babysit, so she really had no choice). She didn't really need anything badly, but when did that ever stop a woman. A woman bored out of her skull, who had a thing for pretty... things.

Sebastian got lost along the way. Maybe it was somewhere between the underwear section and the jewelry. Probably the former. Sveta didn't worry; she was sure he'd find her sooner or later. The mall was big, but not that big. And if everything else happened to fail, she could always call for him on the loudspeaker thingy. Little girl called Sveta looking for her babysitter in the manager's office. Yup.

Carrying some bags and humming to herself with the true joy of pointless shopping sprees, Sveta headed towards the elevator. She managed to slip in before the doors closed; there was only one person inside, another young woman no doubt with similar plans, so Sveta just walked in, letting fate and luck and the unknown woman decide which floor she was going to arrive to.

Apparently, Luck had the day off too.
Really, really off.

The elevator jolted, and shook, and creaked, and stopped, as elevators do in horror movies. The lights flickered; the doors remained closed. Sveta almost lost her balance, and she leaned against the wall, looking around, frightened as young blonde girls are in horror movies.

"Vat vas dat?" she asked, looking at the other woman for answers "Did you stop it?"

One of the things about New York that was just like where Riley had grown up in Chicago was Macy’s. The huge high rise department store, the glittering marble and shining lights, the display cases loaded with merchandise. It was beautiful, capitalism at its finest. Gucci, Prada, Coach, Channel, Tommy, INC, Donna Karen New York, Calvin Klein, Alfani, and so many more Riley couldn’t name.

Something else Macy’s in New York had in common with Macy’s in Chicago…Riley couldn’t afford a thing.

It used to be fun to window shop, when things had looked up and she’d thought that maybe one day she’d be able to waltz in here and hold two 400 dollar purses, trying to figure out which one she was going to take home. Maybe she’d even cave and buy both, waving a dismissive hand at the elegant woman behind the counter. ”I deserve it.” she croon.

That day was never going to come.

Jobs were few and far between right now, and for the third month in a row Riley was starting to wonder if she was actually going to be able to make her rent. Since she’d straightened out she’d never missed a payment. She needed another job.

Sure there were ‘help wanted’ signs hanging in retail shops all over the place, but cooperate shops never wanted to hire someone who had a record. Chain restaurants were similar, as were temp agencies and a fair number of private owned shops. That left a pool that Riley really didn’t want to fish in. She’d had to get out, get to somewhere she could think…maybe pretend a little. Pretend that all of that was someone else’s life, and that she didn’t deserve it.

Dinnerware and bedding were upstairs, along with appliances and furniture. Riley could look at those things and imagine them in her apartment. She went to the elevator. Tight places had never really been her thing, and especially now that being within 4 ft of her sent some people in to mild panic, they were even worse. People in New York simply didn’t take the stairs though. Riley was pretending to be one of those people, she hit the button.

A blond joined her on the elevator, with bags, and Riley resisted the urge to glare at the woman for simply existing and being able to shop. The doors started to close, and she took some solace in the fact that at least nobody else had joined them.

Up they went…until they didn’t.

The shudder, flicker, and jolt were enough to have come right out of that earthquake movie Riley had seen as a kid.

The blond, a foreigner by the Russian bride accent, asked if she’d stopped the thing. Were they really stuck? Riley pushed a button, then another, then two more.

”No…did you? Why would I stop an elevator in the middle of Macy’s?”

>>”No…did you? Why would I stop an elevator in the middle of Macy’s?”

Sveta sighed and put the bags on the floor, folding her arms over her chest.

"We are not going up. Or down." she observed, tapping her feet. After s few moments of thinking, she added "Damn."

Walking over to the buttons on the wall, she examined them hesitantly. "You think we can push these to go?" she mused "Or call for help?"

Sveta never got stuck in an elevator before. She was smarter than to use the elevator in their old home, even though she had to climb all the way to the top floor every time. She didn't turst those machines. But who would have thought shiny clean modern elevators like this one, downtown New York City, could get stuck too...

Broken English….great. Riley thought, giving the blond a deadpanned stare from across the small space. ”No shit…” she said, crouching down slightly to peer at the instructions on the emergency phone panel of the elevator wall, all the while miming the other woman’s ‘we are not going up or down’. How was she supposed to fix the situation?

It didn’t help when the Russian wonder made her way to the buttons and asked another obvious question.

”If I knew that…don’t you think we’d already be moving?” she asked sweetly, wondering if she needed to slow down for everyone’s benefit.

Riley pulled the door open on the emergency panel and pulled out the handset, ”Hello?” she said when a dispatcher answered on the other side.

”We’re stuck in a Macy’s elevator…” she started, then recounted the details quickly and succinctly. Riley was silent for a moment, then her eyes widened and she slammed the receiver against the wall.

”They’ll contact store maintenance…there aren’t any fire alarms, so it’s not really their jurisdiction.” Riley hissed, backing up and sliding down the wall to sit on the floor.

”Settle in Goldilocks, we’re in it for the long haul.”

>>”They’ll contact store maintenance…there aren’t any fire alarms, so it’s not really their jurisdiction. Settle in Goldilocks, we’re in it for the long haul.”

Sveta blinked, and shook her head, more than a bit confused. The other woman had clearly noticed her accent, but she was still using words that were not part of her (quickly developing) English vocabulary.

"But... there is no fire, right?" she clarified "So that's good."

I'd hate to burn in a mall elevator after having so many chances at a much more adventurous death.

The Russan girl sighed and sat down too, opposite from the other woman. The elevator was not all that big. Their feet could have touched.

"So, we wait." she muttered, running fingers through her hair. She fell silent, and resisted the urge to twiddle her thumbs or tap her feet or do other annoying things out of sheer boredom.
She yawned.
She blinked.
She rubbed her eyes.

Well, hello.

Sveta lifted her gloved hands, and looked at them as if she had just grown extra fingers on each of them. Something was not right here. No feeling of being hyper, no cafeine buzz. Actually, she felt comfortably drowsy. She had felt something like that before. She knew that feeling.

Lifting her gaze to stare at the woman, she... stared.

"You are different." she declared, more curious than annoyed. She moved onto her knees and reached out to poke her foot with a gloved finger "You are."

”Yeah…we wait.” Riley said, curling her legs up so she could rest her chin on her knees. The elevator was small, and the last thing she needed was this chick trying to get friendly. She’d seen an episode of Archie Bunker like this, where the old racist had ended up in a multicultural conglomeration of an elevator. A woman had ended up delivering a baby. Riley looked at the blond. She was slender. Thank God.

So they waited. At least the other chick wasn’t panicking, Riley would have hated to add assault to the day’s list of activities, and a panicky Russian blonde was something that would definitely have skyrocketed its likelihood. Riley alternated leaning her head on her knees and leaning it back against the wall for a few minutes, until she got the distinct and uncomfortable feeling that she was being watched.

She looked with her eyes, not turning her head, yup. The blond was staring. Oh great… she said mentally. I’ve seen that look before. Riley knew what that meant, and she mentally thanked whatever god there was from the bottom of her heart that she was lucky enough to experience these things over and over again.

The woman reached out to poke her foot and Riley jerked it back, accomplishing nothing but kneeing herself in the chin. Even more lovely.

”You’re different too.” she said, mildly affronted by the tone of the other woman’s voice.

”Please don’t tell me you’re going to go blind or die or something. There’s really not much I can do to get more than four feet away from you, and I don’t have the patience to deal with the cops today. I really don’t.”

>>”You’re different too. Please don’t tell me you’re going to go blind or die or something. There’s really not much I can do to get more than four feet away from you, and I don’t have the patience to deal with the cops today. I really don’t.”

Sveta blinked, then sat back with her back against the wall.

"So, you know it." she noted. That made things easier. She had been around lots of people not knowing the extent of their own powers, or abilities, or gifts, or whatever, and it was nice not having to break the news for a change.

"No, I am not, I am fine." she assured her with a friendly smile "I like it. To be without my gift, for a little time."

Another few moments passed in silence. Sveta kneeled up again, and extended a gloved hand to the other woman.

"My name is Svetlana. And yours?"

Again, Captain Obvious came to the rescue, again, Riley deadpanned at the blond in the elevator with her. Riley let her head fall back against the wall of the elevator again, praying that any moment they’d hear the inevitable clanking and twanging that meant the maintenance guys had gotten off their smoke break and come to help. It didn’t come.

”Seriously” Riley muttered, eyes still shut as Big Brother Barbie assured Riley that she wasn’t going to die. That was good. Really. Great. She smiled, all to big, at the other woman and nodded her head. She threw in a thumbs-up as well.

Oh, she liked to be without her powers. Just like Lori had, as long as they weren’t around her mutie friends. Lovely…but hey, if this chick would pay her to stand outside a bathroom door while she took a shower…suddenly, Riley’s demeanor changed ever so slightly.

Barbie’s name was apparently Svetlana. Beautiful.

”Riley.” she said, far less short than a few moments before. ”Wherever is that charming accent from…and what are these powers you like to have a break from? I’m not used to people actually enjoying the feeling.”

>>”Riley. Wherever is that charming accent from…and what are these powers you like to have a break from? I’m not used to people actually enjoying the feeling.”

The ice was broken, as far as she could tell. The woman looked much more friendly now; maybe she was just grumpy earlier because of the whole situation. Probably. Who wouldn't be annoyed, being stuck in an elevator?

"Nice to meet you Riley." she smiled as they shook hands "I am from Russia."

Sitting back once again, she stretched her legs out and crossed her ankles. If she did it in the right angle, there was room enough left for Riley to do the same.

"My powers..." yeah, like I would tell you the whole truth, fat chance. One can't run around yelling 'hey, I caused the neural bomb!' "... keep me awake, you know?" she explained "And other people, who come close. It is, like a buzz, when you drink coffee. I do not sleep, much." that part was actually true, so no harm there "It is stronger, when I touch people. So, I wear these." she held up her gloved hands "So, it is good, that I don't have to worry about touching people, when someone like you are around."

Sveta suppressed a yawn, and wondered how many people like Riley (or Lenna) were running around in New York City. And if she could be able to hire one of them...
Good ol' wishful thinking.

Riley felt like she should get something for guessing right on the accent, she’d seen the Bond movies though. She knew what a Russian accent sounded like. She smiled and nodded like a dummy, ”That’s fantastic, how did you end up here?” Everyone had a story, if they were stuck in an elevator, Riley figured she might as well hear this one.

Svetlana accommodatingly shifted the angle of her legs and Riley looked at her for a moment before sighing and uncurling her legs from their position under her chin. The blond was talking about her powers now and Riley found herself vaguely surprised. It wasn’t much, not full disclosure by any stretch of the word, but she was getting more out of this mutant than any of the others who had so recently graced her presence.

The woman talked, and Riley tilted her head slightly, suddenly legitimately interested in what she had to say. She didn’t sleep much, because of her power, and she couldn’t touch people? Riley looked away and became incredibly interested in the buttons on the wall across from her in the elevator. Why had she just assumed that life was all hearts and stars for mutants? Sure, she was a bit painfully ignorant on the topic, and sure she’d known that Lori’s power caused problems with showering…but wasn’t sleep something you needed to survive?

She looked back at the other woman with slightly different eyes, noting the gloved hands she held up and nodding her head. The kid was just that…a kid.

”That sucks…about the sleeping anyway. How do you manage?” The touching, Riley mentally shrugged. ”And I wouldn’t worry about the touching if I were you…touching just gets people into trouble anyway.”

>>”That’s fantastic, how did you end up here?”

Sveta winced slightly at the question. Efimia, who arrived to the US as a bride, seemed like a stranger now. So did her ex-fiancé. Too bad, he seemed really nice. Before the whole mutant thing went to hell in a hand basket, that is.

"I was looking for... a job."

>>”That sucks…about the sleeping anyway. How do you manage? And I wouldn’t worry about the touching if I were you…touching just gets people into trouble anyway.”

The Russian girl actually smirked at that.

"You got no idea." she nodded "I sleep, just don't sleep much. Few hours every night. I not miss it, when I have my powers..." cue another deep yawn "... people like you make me sleepy. I don't want to offend you." she giggled.

"I guess is the same than for you. Mutants do weird things when we get close huh?"

”A job.” Riley said. It seemed, however, that deadpans were the order of the day, at least in this elevator. ”If that’s what you need to tell people, then great. Obviously you found a job.” she said, nodding to the bags the blond had bustled into the elevator with them, ”Get anything good?”

The girl slept, if only a few hours a night. She was stoic about it though, and Riley begrudgingly respected that. No unfounded disgust towards her for what she could do, no irrational fear of someone who was obviously no physical threat. This girl was different. It pissed Riley off a little. She didn’t like her convictions shaken. Not one bit.

It would have been easy, really easy to take that out on Svetlana. The girl apologized for being offensive though and Riley sighed, leaning her head back against the wall. Why did she have to be so…damn…likable. This was bullshit.

The question caught Riley a little off guard. The last thing she was used to was someone caring what she went through. She nodded her head, ”You have no idea.” she said across the elevator at the yawning blond.

”If I’m not more trouble than I’m worth, I’m someone’s GD science experiment.” she said bitterly, ”They say that everyone needs someone worse off than they are to make them feel like they’re not so bad off. People used mutants for all those years…I guess that’s my job now.”

She shrugged her shoulders, suddenly angry again, ”Don’t you dare feel sorry for me though, I don’t need it.”

>> ”If that’s what you need to tell people, then great. Obviously you found a job. Get anything good?”

Sveta smirked right back at Riley. The woman was not in a great mood, she could tell that right away, but now she was starting to suspect there was more to the grumpyness that the broken elevator.

"Yea, my job is to stay away from mutants." she nodded, glancing at the bags "I get myself gloves, and some clothes that cover my skin without me burning inside them."

>>”If I’m not more trouble than I’m worth, I’m someone’s GD science experiment. They say that everyone needs someone worse off than they are to make them feel like they’re not so bad off. People used mutants for all those years…I guess that’s my job now.”

Sveta almost laughed, listening to Riley. It was getting real amusing, in its own surreal way. Riley1s powers were the exact opposite of hers, and both sucked really bad. How about that.

>>”Don’t you dare feel sorry for me though, I don’t need it.”

"Who said I feel sorry for you?" she grinned at the other woman, folding her arms over her chest once again "When I am not kidnapped by mutants who want be super powerful, I am babysitted by people like a child. I think mutant mafia is after me. And I am an immigrant." she chuckled "We could have a competition. It is your turn now."

Her job was to stay away from mutants. ”Geez…seems simple enough…but can you tell who is a mutant, and who isn’t? And how do you walk down the street just avoiding people.”

So maybe she wasn’t the only one getting a raw deal at the moment. Still didn’t change anything, at least blondie had clothes, and a job that paid her well enough to buy them. It was the middle of the summer, and Svetlana implied that skin coverage was important. Riley wrinkled her nose at that, summer was for sun.

Riley finished her rant, then snapped at the girl, and there was no immediate retort. Good, maybe she’d just retreat into an opposite corner and stay quiet for the rest of the ordeal. There had already been too much chit-chat for Riley’s taste.

Unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case for Svetlana.

The blond talked and Riley’s face mirrored the amused look that had probably graced the Russian’s a few moments before. There was a mutant mafia? For the love of Christ…it was hard to imagine anything worse than the human mafia…and Riley had grown up in Chicago.

The moment of silence stretched just a little longer, then a loud and not at all dainty laugh rang through the small box the two women were trapped inside.

”You know what? I think you’re alright.” Riley said, relaxing a bit and enjoying the fact that someone’s life was as bad, if not worse than hers.

”I’m a trashy magazine model.” Riley said, ”Not full on Playboy or anything…but close enough. Mostly 1950’s pin up stuff. You know what I mean?”

”I was in the middle of a photoshoot with painted gold guys in gold speedos…and an Asian and a Jock fell through the window of the building we were in. The Asian went blind when he got too close, the jock yelled at me, and apparently one of our male models was a fugitive mutant who was simply gold. I got blamed for the whole thing and haven’t been able to get a decent job since.”

Riley grinned.

”Your turn.”

>>”I’m a trashy magazine model. Not full on Playboy or anything…but close enough. Mostly 1950’s pin up stuff. You know what I mean?”

Sveta shook her head and smirked at Riley.

"No I do not know what you mean. Russia, remember?" she chuckled "All right, so you are a photo model."

The rest of the story was much more interesting, and though she didn't qute catch all she said, Sveta managed to piece the story together. It sounded weird, and also, amusing. Maybe she didn't get it right. Or maybe it just happened weird.
Sveta grinned.

>>”Your turn.”

"I was going to marry an American guy after I arrive here" Sveta smirked "On the day we meet, I find out three things: one, we are both mutant, and my power hurts him; two, he is two years younger than me; three, his mother arranged the whole thing, and he don't know who I am." she summarized, rolling her eyes "And he was not even rich."

Giggle.

"Your turn."