The sensation of smell is a gift that can’t easily be replaced. The scent of freshly mowed grass, the fragrance from a field of roses, and the mouth-watering aroma from grilled salmon, are all tempting rewards for having a nose, but for someone who dwells in the sewers it’s most definitely a gift to be without. Stench upon stench, the horrid gut wrenching feeling of nausea convulsing within the stomach, it’s definitely a place to avoid. One gets used to the place though, and frankly forgets the negative aspects if one has lost the ability to smell, at least that’s true in the case of Rachel Reaux.

It was a dark, rancid, and foul day in the sewers as usual, and Rachel, as always, was getting sick of being cooped up there. The place she called home was no better than a sludge infested stink hole. Of course she had added some things for a more friendly touch, such as a couch, and a refrigerator full of books, but it could never replace an actual home. She was sick and tired of living down in the sewers, but where else could she possibly stay? Who in their right mind would accept her into society? It was hopeless; she would live the rest of her years down in the belly of New York City, until she just wasted away, or was caught in the act of attacking some helpless civilian. A pointless, and meaningless existence.

She gave an angry snarl as the thoughts of pessimism were flooding into her early morning mind. It was an obvious message to herself that she needed to cheer up, or at least get more caffeine in her system. She pushed herself off the hard cement bottom of the sewer culvert and was amazed to see that she was still dry. In hopes to raise her morale she smiled and recited in a cheerful voice a bit of good news, “It was a good thin' it didn't rain last night, or I’d 'av 'ad sewage interruptin' me nap.” She had spotted inky clouds drifting late last night while searching for someplace to rob, and was expecting trouble to arrive, but to her luck not a single drop had fallen yet. This gave her enough time to pack her things and head to the surface at least until the rain passed.

Rachel had placed herself in the less populated section of the city last night, so as long as no one wandered into the alleyway she’d be fine and they’d continue on in one piece. Every so often someone just had to walk in, hopefully this wouldn’t be one of those every so often moments. Keeping the desecrated couch and makeshift bookshelf behind her she arduously squeezed her body through the small cover opening, trying her best not to crack the nearby ground as she forced herself through. It was dank, and musky in the alleyway, but it was well shaded and overlooked by an old apartment building, and a rundown general store both of which were empty, and abandoned. The location would keep a good dark shadow while the rain went past, it was still dark, and so it would help in hiding her large figure. She laid herself down softly at the back of the alley, placing her body behind a pile of wooden debris, using her tail she placed the fridge and couch next to the debris, arranging it for the most optimal cover, while keeping in mind to keep it in the most inconspicuous position as she could. The final step to her cover was placing the large metal cover back onto the gateway to the sewer, the chance wasn’t given though as a shadow loomed over by the opening of the alleyway.

In shock Rachel dropped the lid and retracted her tail back swiftly causing a loud symphonic clatter to sound as the lid danced about the cement. She could only hope the individual wouldn’t notice the large beast hidden amongst the rubbish, lest they cause a commotion. All she could do now was wait for both the figure and the rain to pass by and hope for the best.

Night was the one time in which Meld felt comfortable walking in the city and she felt even more comfortable when walking in the alleyways of the city. New York City was her home in a way that Vancouver never truly had been. Or, perhaps it was more accurate to say that New York City was her home in a way that Vancouver never could be given where her life was now. During the daylight hours the city was just like any other city, populated with humans that both feared and hated her just as they feared at hated most mutants, though her own history and reputation enhanced that fear. But at night, well, it was different. At night she could lurk and feel comfortable lurking in beautiful anonymity. In the alley ways it didn't matter that she was considered by many to be something of a monster, complete with titanium limbs and a veritable arsenal of blades build right into her body. At night she was free to walk and stalk unremarked upon and unmolested.

Of course no one would ever hear Meld say that she regreted a single one of her modifications, from her talloned titanium feet to her arm complete with razor sharp shield and claws to her tail tipped with a ruby red eye and deadly blades. They were the things that made her the utterly deadly combatant that she was, the things that allowed her to fight the mutant cause that was her passion and her life. But sometimes, when she was alone, she secretly wished that the price for having such powers was lower, that she could walk the city streets in daylight and not have to worry about someone yelling about obscenities about mutant freaks or take in the looks of horror that she got everywhere she went. Hell, even fellow mutants sometimes gave her those looks.

It wasn't that Meld was emotionally fragile, not at all. It had more to do with the fact that she fought a constant battle with a darkness within her, an internal monster which was many times worse than her outer shell could ever give hint to. Her internal monster told her to kill, demanded it in fact and while she didn't have a problem with killing when necessary, her monster desired killing all the time. The slightest word or gesture that gave hint at anti-mutant beliefs was enough to send it craving after death, death that only she could cause and death was the only way to feed it, the only way to satisfy it. In the past she had let it run free but now she strove to keep it leashed, to keep it under control and any time she went out during the daylight, there was a risk that it would escape and possess her body, forcing her to its will.

Which is why Meld found herself among the darkest alleys of the city, navigating expertly and silently along winding paths, her tail eye blinking around her. A loud noise from down a alley to her left startled her and she turned her tail in that direction, blinking to gain a snapshot of the world in that direction. Homeless and gang members were rampant in the area, most of which left her alone after catching the merest glimpse of her lethal blades. Her first blink showed not a homeless bum stumbling around in an alley but...something else entirely. A second blink, the world tinged entirely red, didn't make any more sense than the first and finally Meld turned her human eyes down the alley, her flesh melded eye processing the dim night lighting and making it as bright as day.

At first glimpse, Meld thought that the rubble strewn about the alley was glowing but that didn't seem right. Closer inspection, however, revealed something far more interesting. It could only be described as a beast, a monstrous, partially glowing creature with multiple limbs, a tail and a mouth full of rather dangerous looking teeth. There was only one explanation, that being that this individual must be a mutant. Were Meld any other person she might have run in the other direction from the apparent monster, but she knew this couldn't be anything but a fellow mutant, and knowing that knew that it must be her duty to help it. Besides, even if it turned on her she was more than capable of dealing with any potential threat. "I'm not going to hurt you,"she informed it, intuiting that its life could not have been easy with a form like that. It might, perhaps, have even been living in the rubble like some beast. It made her angry to think that humans had relegated one of her own to such a state of being.

Aura loved the night, it had so many benefits to her. Cops did not simply shoot at her if she kept to the alleyways and people did not point and yell at her. Their was less risk to people touching her as well. Aura had no fear of killing humans but she had been told to refrain from it and was trying as hard as she could to do so. She had settled on simply crushing major bones in her victims body or keeping them alive while she took the bone she wanted from them. The screaming added a challenge, as she had to abandon more then one victim to avoid police.

Aura heard a noise, and thought it might have been someone else she could play with, her Aura formed a subtle but noticeable outline to her body. She knew the area well and knew the alleyway was visited by the homeless and sometimes a loose woman, which Aura enjoyed fighting. Not her favorite choice but they did allow her to more safely try new attacks against them with little issue of retaliation. Forming a hammer around her right hand she quietly headed for the alley, just catching a glimpse of a tail, she knew well. Meld, or so she assumed, still she kept quite not knowing if anything else wa sin the alley with her.

Like Meld Aura had recently encountered attackers, from an unknown group, who seemed to be targeting the most wanted mutants in the city. Aura and meld were both high on the list and a prize for anyone who could capture them dead or alive. Aura had to quickly extract the contents of several of her warehouse hide aways as somehow she had been tracked to them. They had seemed ready for her as well, they had tried to keep their distance from her seeming to know she had no long range fighting ability. It bothered Aura quite a bit and not for the first time Aura considered leaving the area for awhile to let things die down. Shaking her head, Aura refocused her thoughts and began her way to the alley.

Her Aura surrounding her and forming an inch thick outline around her. Aura wanted to be prepared if their was danger. Aura suddenly and boldly stepped into view of the alley. her eyes sweeping the area for any look of a threat. She said nothing to meld but her eyes were pulled to the glow behind the rubble and Aura knowing Meld could see from that tail simply walked closer, as Meld began to talk to the mutant. As Aura looked over the creature and smiled. "your beautiful......" she said to the mutant in the rubble. Aura found such obvious mutation beautiful, in fact she had to admit to herself she was a bit jealous her own mutation was not visible. Aura let Her Aura drop to just a faint outline trying to inspire trust. "She is right we won't hurt you, we to are hated and feared for our looks" she said, which was much more true for meld, Without her aura, aura had all the fear inspiring qualities of a Japanese school girl.

Shock? Surprise? Fear? Or maybe just outright confusion was filling Rachel's mind. Without her glasses she wasn't sure whether the figure that drew closer and closer had a tail, or merely an oddly shaped handbag. The shadow the figure displayed upon the ground through the moonlit sky concerned her and baffled her. Rachel in all her life had not seen another mutant, and thought of her odd changes as something solely limited to her own form. Soon enough as the figure drew closer she could see that it was indeed a tail, to her amazement the figure had several odd things to it's appearance, and for a moment she wasn't sure what to do.

The figure spoke in a feminine voice and only then did she remember her glow. The figure was well aware of her location and her appearance, yet it spoke with a sort of kindness and compassion, ensuring Rachel that she would not harm her, nor that she was disgusted or repulsed by her figure. She wasn't sure on whether she should just come out of the rubble, potentially frightening the figure, or stay and ignore the figure in case she had made a mistake, and the figure was actually talking to some stray cat nearby her rubble pile.

Rachel decided to just come out, but to do so slowly, but in mid movement she stopped herself as she could now see two shadows approaching her general location, both of which were slightly indistinguishable due to her lack of glasses at the moment. The new figure, though slowly, came into view and she could clearly tell that it was an ordinary looking female figure, except that the figure had a faint pinkish outline around her, which was for all intents and purposes unusual to Rachel as well. This was all so overwhelming and all thoughts of usual stranger protocol were overridden by curiosity and interest, rather the usual self-defense and survival that she often went by. She finally decided to creep her way out of the rubble, pushing off planks of wood and pieces of moldy debris off her dark gray body. She didn't know what to do from that point, but to stare at the two figures.

What happened next certainly confused Rachel, yet painted a deep toothy smile across her face. The girl said that Rachel was beautiful, not some ugly hideous beast, a monster, or an abomination. It had been years since she had last heard the words, the last time being prior to the changes that went on with her body. As the second figure's pinkish outline vanished from Rachel's sight, her eyes began to water a bit, and slowly tears began to fall from her face, trickling down like little raindrops. It had also been years since she had last cried from joy rather self-pity and depression. Rachel let out a raspy, yet soft "thank ye, bless yer 'eart..." from her large glowing mouth as she slowly approached the two. As she let the words out of her mouth it slowly began to rain, more so a soft drizzle, but nonetheless it was now raining.

Meld hadn't been expecting to see Aura around the city this night, in fact she hadn't seen as much of her friend lately as she usually did. She was fairly certain that had a lot to do with the fact that, for varying reasons, they had both been trying to stave of their killing instincts. For herself, it was a matter of personal growth and not allowing her internal monster to control her, but for Aura she knew that it was because Lori had advised her against killing. Her closest friend simply didn't think the way that most people thought and Meld was one of the few that could accept her for who she was, even if she didn't always agree with her or understand the things that went on inside her head. Both of them had their demons to deal with, it helped to have someone to confide in.

Meld inclined her head in greeting of Aura, smiling softly as she spoke of the stranger's beauty in an admiring, almost awe filled tone of voice. It was one of her most endearing quarks of personality, the fact that she found such profound beauty in all mutants, especially those with an unusual appearance. Looking down at the glowing mutant before her, Meld had to admit that this one was one of the most unusual that she had ever seen and if she didn't necessarily consider it, or her, to be beautiful, she also didn't consider her to be a hideous monster. Mutants came in many shapes and sizes and while some of them were more extreme and unusual than others, that didn't make them disgusting or horrible to look upon. One simply had to look at them a certain way.

Meld herself was familiar enough with the discrimination a visible mutant faced every day because of her own visible flesh melds that she wasn't about to show the barest hint to this woman before her. For all her giant bestial form, she could hear in her voice that she was still a woman and it was clear that she still felt emotions as keenly as anyone. How her life must have been Meld could only imagine and she felt great sympathy for her which mingled with her anger towards the human race and the fact that they were so close minded and constantly afraid that they could force such a being to live in squalor and misery. She barely managed to contain her urge to growl.

"Do you have a place to stay," Meld asked the woman, always thinking with her more practical side. It wasn't right if she was forced to live out her in the alley way. "Because if you don't, we know of a place where mutants, even those that look like we do," she felt confident including herself along with the strange woman "can live in peace and safety. You don't have to be afraid anymore." She waited patiently for a reply, knowing very well how the offer must sound, far too good to be true. Because when Aura had first found her, newly come to the city and robbing a convenience store for enough money to stay at a hotel for a night, she had thought the exact same thing. Except that it wasn't too good to be true. It was Sanctuary and the place had offered exactly that.

Aura could see more of the mutant as she emerged from under her cover, unlike herself, this mutant would never have had a chance with humans' She looked nothing like them and humans valued what was familiar to them She did not recall seeing a mutant as heavily transformed as this one was though and to Aura that made her all the more special. Aura looked out of the alley from her spot, trying to make sure no one was watching them, the last thing they needed was someone to scream and draw attention.

"Their is no need to thank me, it is the truth. We are mutants and we are different, that should be prized! Never let anyone make you feel ashamed of the gift's nature has given you." she said, words she had said many times but were none the less true. Aura herself used her powers as much as she could for that reason, they were apart of her, like an arm or a leg, it was hard to hide them as much as she did. Stll it was impossible for meld or...."Say what si your name, friend?" she asked softly realizing she did not know. "My name is Aura" she said with a smile.

"meld's right, and from the looks of it, this rain is going to get much worse" she said looking up at the sky. Aura had lived outside long enough to know when a storm was coming. She had no idea where this mutant lived, but if she was living here, it was certainly time for her to upgrade her conditions to when where she would be respected. Aura did not mind the rain it failed to effect her while her aura wa sin place instead flowing off her smooth Aura. When she wa sboard Aura often cfhnaged her aura to forces the rain water to flow in different ways.

"In any case, my friend speaks of sanctuary, a place that houses mutants like us, who humans refuse to accept" she said leaving out the idea that sanctuary also caters to those with less then lawful pasts, like herself and Meld. Still many mutants needed that protection as the trouble they were in was not always their fault. Aura figured they would be walking, to modify a car for their new found friend would take time and draw attention as Aura figured they would need to gut the backseat, unless they found a van.

As it had begun to rain Rachel didn't even bother to clear her tears, she saw no need to do so. She was happy, and had no feelings of shame in showing her emotions of joy. It was just kind of awkward, she had no idea who these two were, and for her to just be standing there, crying, she didn't know what to think, she was glad to have met the two and didn’t for a second question their integrity, or morality for that matter. Confusion just overwhelmed her as she stood in the now increased downpour.

The confusion was broken as she focused on the question the unnamed, odd-looking woman in front of her asked. Whether she had a place to stay or not, it was a valid question and one she could only answer with distraught, she waited though as she continued to speak. The woman offered her a place to stay, a place where she wouldn’t have to worry about flooded sections of the sewers, or the disturbing things she found there. A place where she could feel warm, loved, and protected. It was certainly an appealing offer, and it wasn’t like she had anywhere else to return to beyond the stench hole she’d been calling home the past couple years. She even mentioned it was a place where people like her could fit in. The decision was set, she was going to go with them, there was no contemplating if it could be a lie, or if it was a trap, it seemed genuine and like a dream come true.

Rachel didn’t answer yet and continued to stay silent though, as if still in thought, when clearly she had made up her mind. She listened as the brown haired girl who had been previously glowing began to speak. She called herself a mutant, and apparently that’s what Rachel was as well. She hadn’t been aware of the term, but it seemed friendlier than the word abomination, as she had used for herself in past years. The girl glowed once again, confirming that she too was like Rachel and the woman in front of her. The teen asked what her name was, and Rachel was just as surprised to hear the words as when she had heard her call her beautiful. It had been years as well since she had last been asked her name, frankly she had almost forgotten it, the only response she ever got from other’s was a scream of fright, never a request for a name.

“Me name’s Rachel, nice ter meet yer Aura.” Were the first words to come from Rachel’s mouth after thanking Aura previously, she listened as Aura finished talking, then looked at the other mutant in front of her and slowly nodded her head. She smiled as she spoke in a soft, serpentine voice, “Thanks so much for de offer, i’ve decided dat i’ll come with you. It seems dat we’ll 'av ter go on land though, since me previous mode of stayin' 'idden through de sewers are questionable wi' de oncomin' rain.” She looked at the two hoping they had some sort of solution.

Aura had a real way with skittish mutants, with her unquestionable acceptance of all mutant powers in all their myriad of forms. Even Meld, who dedicated her entire existence to the mutant cause and who had helped numerous mutants since dedicating herself to her cause, didn't have the same unquestioning acceptance as her friend did. She smiled her agreement down at Rachel. If not for the fact that her friend was also a compulsive killer with hundreds of bodies to her name, well, perhaps life would have gone a little differently for her. Not many were willing to accept a psychopathic killer in their midst.

Meld was unaware of the fact that the assassins that had attacked her recently were targeting anyone other than herself. They were dangerous, clearly highly trained professionals that might have even succeeded in their last attempt if not for the unexpected presence of Nathan. If she had, however, she would not have been surprised. After all, Aura had participated in almost all of the same major massacres and strikes against those with a vendetta against mutants and if they were targeting those against anit-mutant humans, well, there were none in the city who were more vehement and more public in their actions than the two of them.

"My name's Meld and you are welcome to Sanctuary." Meld extended a metal hand unhesitatingly towards Rachel, should she choose to shake it. Some might have called her brave for doing so, but even someone built like Rachel was would be hard pressed to do anything damaging to solid titanium. Not that she expected anything hostile from the woman, but when it came to mutations there were two things to worry about. The first was, of course, hostile mutants wishing you harm. But the second was often the more serious and that was completely inane mutants who didn't have full control of their powers yet and accidentally caused harm. She didn't expect the first of Rachel but didn't yet know if she counted as the second.

"Its a pleasure to meet you Rahel." Meld spoke the words honestly. If she wasn't quite as unquestioning about the beauty intrinsic in all mutants, she was still able to appreciate it, but more through the eyes of a mature adult rather than the eyes of an idealistic child. She frowned slightly, considering how they would go about getting Rachel actually to Sanctuary. While they weren't terribly far, perhaps an hour walk, it might not be easy to have someone like her walk around in the middle of the night. Humans were generally more likely to flee than to confront a trio such as the three of them made, but with assassins after her, it might not be safe to accompany anyone at that time very far, especially not someone whose combat training was untested.

"I'm not sure if you'll fit in a truck," Meld stated apologetically, her voice all business. "Which means we'll have to walk. If it comes down to it, are you able to defend yourself?" She didn't want to leave anything to chance. Sure, her assassins weren't too likely to attack at that moment, but it was impossible to say when they might attack and she needed to know whether or not she had an ally in the fight in Rachel or she would have to protect the woman. Just in case.

"Always good to meet another of our kind, i hope to get to become friends with you as well" she said as she walked to the end of the alleyway and looked out of it, to ensure their were no humans they would encounter right away. No reason to make things harder then they needed to be for them selfs. Aura kept her aura up, so she stayed dry in the rain, one of the few fringe benefits given to her by the pink glow, and besides, with Meld and Rachel in tow, Aura felt their was little reason to hide her own ability. Her Aura quickly increased until it was a few inches thick over her body.

"meld's right, humans can be rather...unpleasant creatures, as you may well already know" she said guessing Rachel had seen the poorer side of humans much as she herself had. Filthy humans made beautiful mutants like Rachel afraid of what they were and scared to see the daylight. The Humans had to learn their place beneath the heel of the mutant race. "Humans make our kind fear the sun that is rightfully theirs......." Aura said bitterly but she stopped herself from going further. She had no idea how much Rachel liked humans and she did not want to drive her away, even though she beleived their was little chance Rachel could have love for the humans. "We will defend you with our life's if we need to" Aura assured her.

"The coast is clear for now" Aura said looking back at them for the first time since she went to the Alleys end. "Meld, i'll watch our rear" she said. Aura knew their were well organized people out their who wanted her dead, and Meld had told her of simmeler events. She was afraid she might scare Rachel but the truth of the matter was, they were being hunted, maybe not at the moment, but one had to always be on the watch. Aura fingers stroked the sword on her back, and she smiled, she almost hoped combat would come, that she could fight, but her own pleasure was unimportant here. Rachels safety took priority over all else, even their life's.

TO herself Aura considerd that she might be visiting her old freind's sooner or later, life seemed to keep getting more dangerous and the playing feild changed by the day. Still if she were to fall she would die in a way that made her people proud, she would die a symbol, a rallying point for her people, to stand by and openly fight the humans from.

Rachel smiled a toothy grin as the mutant with the fearsome appearance introduced herself as Meld. Meld welcomed her, holding out her hand in goodwill, but true enough Rachel was slightly intimidated, despite the size difference. Although Rachel was a beast in form, she still had an uneasiness around odd-looking individuals, and still wasn’t all too used to the concept of other mutants. Meld of course meant no harm in the friendly gesture, but Rachel felt a sort of uneasy feeling around the two after thinking for a moment. Meld and Aura had showed her kindness and friendship, Rachel even felt some form of admiration from Aura, when she told Rachel that she was beautiful yet something didn’t seem entirely right about them, or the perfect sanctuary they spoke of. She couldn’t exactly place a pin on it, more so it was just an uneasy feeling. After a short pause she brushed the feeling aside, alongside the unease she felt from Meld and extended her front left hand, connecting the two hands in a handshake.

“Nice ter meet yer as well Meld” Rachel was careful to control her strength as she shook hands with Meld, being aware of her enhanced strength and the amount a human hand could take. She could control it with relative ease, but it wasn’t natural for her to shake hands with someone of normal human size anymore, it was an arduous task rather a common one for Rachel and she might’ve been squeezing a bit too hard. Not enough to break a normal human’s hand, but possibly enough to cause a bit of pain, she broke the handshake as soon as she could and withdrew her hand, “Sorry if oi might 'av squeezed too 'ard, still getting’ used ter things.” Rachel had gained some relative control over her form throughout the years, but she still had her problems with simple tasks such as reading books, several times her attempts lead to torn books.

A frown formed upon Rachel’s face as Meld stated the unfortunate truth. Rachel would have difficulty getting to the Sanctuary, most common vehicles wouldn’t support her weight, and the only real solution they had was walking through the night. What troubled Rachel even more was what Meld asked afterwards, whether or not she’d be able to defend herself. Rachel didn’t really get as to why she’d ask such a question, but Rachel gave a simple nod, as she was capable of defending herself. She’d killed several people in her past years, both in offense and defense for various reasons, and although she wasn’t a big fan of it, was capable of fighting if a situation arose.

As Aura spoke her mind on being friends with Rachel, her mood brightened up again, sort of forgetting the negative aspects of things as the light of optimism came up. The thought of being safe put a smile on her face; it was worth the risk of moving out in the open if she could get to the Sanctuary. When Aura continued her speech though the sense of unease from before popped up again. Although Rachel agreed that humans could be unpleasant at times, what exactly had she meant by the sun being rightfully theirs? It seemed Aura had stopped her speech partway as it was an abrupt end when she finished. Although Rachel was bothered by some of the injustices humans performed, she still sort of thought of herself as human. She had a expression of confusion stitched onto her face, but quickly turned it into one of happiness, as Aura reassured Rachel, Rachel even stuck her tongue out to show her joy.

As Aura confirmed that the coast was clear, Rachel prepared to move out, being careful to step lightly, and cautious to prevent shaking with her large heavy steps. She waited for Meld to lead the way, standing patiently as the rain continued to pour down. Lightning and thunder had now begun to clash through the dark sky, it would help in the concealing of Rachel as they moved out and rather soothed her mind knowing it would do so.

There were two things that, in Meld's opinion, Aura truly did well. The first, of course, was fight. She was a soldier through and through and if whatever had screwed up her mind had affected in in other ways, it hadn't effected either her ability to take orders or to kill. The second thing she was good at was making mutants feel comfortable in their own skin. There was such innocence in her and the way she was so accepting of any mutant that came her way, a very unusual juxtaposition to her murderous activities. When Aura promised to defend Rachel with her life, Meld knew she meant every word of it.

"I'll keep an eye on any side alleys and streets," Meld answered her friend. The last time she had brought a young mutant home to Sanctuary assassins had very nearly killed the both of them and she wasn't eager to repeat the experience. For that matter, based on how Aura was acting, she was being even more cautious than usual. Usually neither one of them worried overly much about walking at night because night was a time of relative safety for them. Night was their time, when danger avoided them. However, if she was being this over cautious then later, away from the stranger Rachel, she'd ask about it. And if it was true and the same assassins that had attempted to strike out against Meld twice had also attempted to strike out against her closest friend, she'd have to see if had any more luck gathering information than she'd had.

Meld had her hand returned to her and smiled up at Rachel. "That's the beauty about having titanium limbs. There isn't really a whole lot that can actually hurt them." Abyss probably could have given the fact that he could pretty much move mountains, but outside of Abyss? Doubtful that any mutant she had ever met would be able to crush her titanium parts. Of course, her human parts were just as vulnerable as any other human but with a little luck that would be changing soon. She had big plans for her next flesh meld, in fact such big plans that she wasn't even entirely certain that it was even possible. Time would tell.

Meld nodded curtly at the assertion that Rachel was able to defend herself. Looking she did and living as she must, Meld was certain that she must, at least, know the basics otherwise she never would have survived. Still, it was good to get confirmation just in case the unforeseeable should happen. She took the lead and began walking, expecting the other two to follow. Her tail swiveled, blinking left and right of her to ensure that no enemies had the opportunity to jump out of nowhere. Sanctuary really wasn't that far away, surely it wouldn't be too much to ask for one simple trip to be uneventful.

Aura waited for Meld and Rachel to pass by her so she could take her spot behind them. Not for the first time she mused to herself that maybe The Matriarch had been right, had her killing of the animals brought this upon her. Aura kept watch at the roof tops, if the people tracking her was the same as those going after Meld then these people knew how to fight them. Aura smiled more to herself, maybe it all did not matter, she had always been tought that soilders died more then any other job one could have and so Aura had expected her life to be short, still she would not make it easy for whoever these hunters were. As much as she hated to consider the idea, Rachel could fight, so she said and the hunters would not know how to do deal with her.

The other perk to the night was that Meld, worked very well with her. She adjusted her Aura to direct the rain away from her eyes as it had began sitting in front of them. She then Considered again their new freind and smiled, she really was magnificent, and Aura could not help but be jealous, she wished her own mutation had been a visible one. Still she kept that to herself, their was no point in talking about that.

"Sewers eh? Sad, So many our stories lay so deep in the tides of sorrow and pain. My parents abandoned me shortly after my mutation manifested, i can't even recall their faces anymore, not that it matters" she said a bit bitterly. She was more bitter about being abandoned then anything else, after all even animals usually cared for their young. "AFter that i lived in a forest for a few years north of here" she said trying to make their new freind feel a kinship with her. "Even then the human's would not let us be and hunted us whenever they found us, eventually they killed all my friends" she said which she felt was likely an over simplification but she was trying more to pay attention to the area around them.

"Like you i imagine, meld and I were lost sheep drowning in the flood of human intolerance and pain. But within Sanctuary's doors we found other's like us and shelter from people who asked nothing in return. SO meld and i lead all the mutants we find with no place to call their own to sanctuary's golden doors. So that other's may have the same chance we were granted" she said proudly. "SOme stay just a night, others like us have stayed thare a long time.

A plain handshake, that’s all that it was, and seemingly Meld only experienced it as such. Rachel gave a sigh of relief as she was informed by Meld of her limbs being unaffected by Rachel’s tight grip, she was glad to have not injured her new acquaintance in the simple act, but wondered if future handshakes with others would be as fortunate. The thought of controlling her strength and form came to mind with this event and she began to wonder whether she had the control to still do daily chores, and other trivial deeds. It’d certainly be something she had to look into, something to practice and hone, to control her body; she barely had the basics down, but further practice in simple tasks could easily change that.

As Meld took the lead, stepping forward, she had a sort of caution in her words, as if the group was less than safe. Hiding from civilians that might cause a ruckus was one thing, but was someone or something after them, or more accurately Meld and Aura? The way they asked if she could fight, as well as the readiness to defend her and themselves, Rachel began to wonder if the mutants had been in some sort of battle or conflict the past years. Had there been some large stream of events occurring that she had not known of? Or maybe just one she had never been looking for, never having taken the time to search for such answers. She had a simple, closed life; the only thing ever on her mind was herself, a selfish, somewhat lonely existence, and one that never really went past the boundaries of the individual. To think of a whole world that she had no idea about prior to this night, she’d be sure to ask questions once they arrived at their destination.

Taking the middle position in their walk to Sanctuary, Rachel was cautious to step silently as she moved in front of Aura, and behind Meld. Even if the feeling of danger loomed about, Rachel couldn’t help but hear the sound of the cascading rain, and the resounding thunder as wondrous music. Such natural sounds filled her with peace and easily helped calm her nerves as she walked behind Meld in a relaxed demeanor. Thoughts of trouble and conflict steamed out of her mind as she positively reflected upon the hope in her heart. Optimism was the best way to cope with things within Rachel’s mind; it was how she came to accept her new form, and the life she had to lead with it.

Although she was now sneaking through a hard and heavy rain, it wasn’t as bad when she filled her mind with the thoughts of it being like a soothing and calming shower. Although she had no idea of whom these two really were, at least they were kind to her and showing her the way to a place where she could possibly live a normal life again. Imagining the Sanctuary as a place very much like a dream, it gave her confidence and determination to continue living life, giving her a promise to a new life. It was most likely not the perfect utopia she had in mind, but she bargained with herself that even if it wasn’t, she would still show a rapturous face when they reached the destination.

As the rainy night went on, Aura began to tell her story as the group moved through the streets of New York. It was a tale of despair, luckily one Rachel didn’t have to experience as a child, by the story alone, she could see that many mutants had suffered far more than her, Aura definitely being one of them. By Aura’s appearance Rachel could see that she was in her mid-teens, but it seemed that she had endured more hell than Rachel had ever had. Meld undoubtedly must have suffered as much, or more than Rachel, taking a stance from her appearance. A place full of those who had agonizing pasts, and had suffered wrongdoings, it reminded her of an orphanage, except the adopter was the family of mutants itself. Aura concluded her speech with an interesting statement, and Rachel began to ponder it as they walked, would she stay a night, or longer?

As Meld began walking towards the safety of Sanctuary, she kept her tail moving, constantly looking around to ensure there were no unexpected surprises. So far, however, the night remained quiet around them. It was distressing to think that Aura had also been confronted with the same assassins that she had so recently been forced to deal with. They were organized and deadly, clearly educated regarding their strengths and weaknesses. They would have to be dealt with and soon, otherwise it was only a matter of time before one of them slipped up and an assassin got a lucky shot in.

"I used to have a family," Meld stated. It was difficult to prevent her voice from going cold and hard as she thought about her parents and the way they had treated her. Not to mention her sister who she knew was now in an insane asylum but nothing else. "They ceased to consider me family the moment my mutation developed." It was always a painful topic to mention, even years after she thought she had gotten over it. What gave her parents the right to judge her anyway? They were certainly nothing special, they were among the humans that propagated such hated and intolerance. Were they not her parents she likely would have killed them years ago.

As the three of them made there way ever closer to the safety of the golden doors Meld spotted a flash or two of movement in her vision. There were, at times, limitations to her tail eye, the two main ones being its lack of depth perception and the fact that everything was tinged red. In both incidents she stopped briefly, pointing in the direction to Aura. Probably it was just some homeless person moving from one place to another, but she hadn't survived as long as she had by being sloppy. Vigilance was the key to survival when it came to warriors and she was nothing if not a warrior. Aura, as a soldier, she knew had to learn similar vigilance. If anything her life had been even more dangerous than Meld's and not many could say that.

"Sanctuary not only offers haven but family as well, if you desire it," Meld told Rachel. Not all mutants did of course, especially not all living in that place, but there were enough of them. Mutants who had lost their family and their loved ones simply because of a trick of genetics. Humans could be so hurtful and hateful at times. They didn't even realize the damage they did, didn't even register the fact that mutants experienced the same emotions and the same suffering that humans did. They weren't so different in that respect, at least.

Aura took the rear spot keeping watch on the roof tops. She ajusted her Aura weapon on her hand to an Axe. "Humans can be so cruel" Aura said in response to Meld having heard what Meld's parents had done before. SHe had no idea who her own were and assumed Rachel had a simmeler issue. Aura did not understand how they could do such a thing but it seemed very common. Relaxing Aura looked behind them before taking a few quick steps to catch up.

Each Time meld indicated an issue Aura walked over to check it out emerging a few minutes later shaking her head to indicate she found nothing. That worried her quite a bit, she should ahve at leats found a homeless person or somthing. "I think we are being followed" Aura advised them as they moved on. She Brought her Aura up fully now and kept a much closer watch on the alleyway's. Aura assumed whoever it was likely meant harm. She investigated a third, but found only a rather scrappy looking thin dog.

"Yes i became part of a family upon going to sanctuary" she said leaving out the real reason for this was legal reasons. If she was captured sanctuary wanted to be informed and able to get her out without leveling the prison, like they did with pred-head. "It is more comforting then i ahd assumed it would be, plus they allow pets" she said thinking of her skunk. He rhead looke dup to a roof top as she could have sworn she heard the cocking of a gun.