Today had started as any other. Kate had hoped out of bed, took a shower, got dressed, and finished off her morning eating some of Andrew's delicious treats, making sure not to even mention him when the other mansion residents commented on the phantom baker that had created them.

After she finished her breakfast she delved into another intense reading session in the library. By 10 o'clock she had finished her latest literary adventure and was starring at the stacks, trying to will herself to get up and dive back into them. She could most certainly start another book with her empty schedule for the day, but the question was, did she want to? She had read about 8 books since she had been at the mansion, staring the next as soon as she finished the one before and the novelty of it all was wearing off. She had been here for almost a month and she was now finding herself settling in. She was running out of things to discover and explore and frankly she didn't mind. She liked the monotony of it all. The idea that this place may finally be becoming home.

So, she put the book away, hoping that she could think of something to do today on her walk back to her room. She climbed the stairs and walked down the hall stooping at an open door and noticing a black and white photo of the city hanging on the wall of the open bedroom. A venture into the city was exactly what she needed today. She called up David and was dropped off near where she had found that quaint little book shop, Full Circle, only days earlier. After wandering for about half an hour she found a little coffee shop she couldn't help but pop into. Which brings up to now.

Kate has been standing in this line for what seemed like forever. She was apparently mistaken in thinking that making drinks was an easy task and the line would breeze by. All she really wanted was some tea and a couple muffins to hold her over until she could get a real lunch. She most certainly didn't want to stand in line for 20 minutes listening to people order a bunch of things she had never heard of, like a triple soy frap cappuccino. What the bloody hell was that?! Kate was not entirely convinced all of those were real words to tell you the truth.

By the time she got the the front of the line Kate rattled off her rather simple order with serious disinterest, "Earl Gray tea with milk and sugar and 3 blueberry muffins." Kate really just wanted to get out of there and was most assuredly never going into another coffee shop when there were more then 2 or 3 people in line.

The clerk handed her her bag of muffins and her tea in a to-go cut and Kate made a b-line for the door without looking back. She wasn't really looking forward either considering the second she stepped out the door she collided with a larger human form, spilling the tea she had waited so long for all over her jacket and leaving a large brown stain.

Andrew had gone out into the city to get his mind off of certain things and to make sure he wouldn't run into any of his friends. If they talked to him they might realize that something was off about him and that would likely lead to trouble. Thus he'd picked up and gone into the city to roam. That appeared to be his solution whenever things could go wrong with the people he knew. That had been what he'd done when Craig had demonstrated intelligence far beyond his usual capacity and noticed Andrew's promise tattoos.

Now here he was wandering the street again after he'd ended someone's life. Avoiding a problem didn't make it go away but in Andrew's book the longer the problem was kept at bay the better. Avoidance had gotten him this far in life. Heck, avoidance was almost directly responsible for his going to the mansion at all if you thought about it. Andrew didn't really want to think about it though so he concentrated on the shops and such that lined the street he was on.

Bookshops, like one called Full Circle, mingled with various other stores. Andrew peered into each window in turn, thereby focusing his attention and thoughts on the items and people within. It worked well enough when he had something to pay attention to. Staring at the brick between windows wasn't that prepossessing . Andrew diverted his attention to the other people on the sidewalk when the cafe came up. Cafes were trouble. Nothing good ever happened at cafes. That was why he wasn't paying attention to the door when it swung open or the girl that walked out. They crashed into each other, spilling her drink. Andrew was swiping off the portions of his shirt that had been splashed when he started to apologize.

"Oh jeez, I'm sorry. I wasn't really paying attention where I was going and...Kate?!"

It was at this point in the sentence that Andrew had looked up to see who he was apologizing to only to come face to face with a very familiar English girl.

Kate immediately started wiping at the droplets hoping that she could save the already ruined white jacket.

>>Oh jeez, I'm sorry. I wasn't really paying attention where I was going and...Kate?!

Kate looked up at the mention of her name and was surprised to see the source of the familiar voice.

"Andrew?! What are you doing here? Actually don't answer that. You are obviously out for a walk near the park," Kate looked down at her jacket once again, "Hold this please." Kate handed him her bag and popped back into the shop to throw out the now empty cup and grab napkins, which could hopefully help the situation. She emerged moments later dabbing at the tea stain.

Kate seemed just as shocked to see him as he was to see her. Except she apparently showed it by telling him what he was doing there and then immediately putting him to work holding her paper bag of whatever while she tended to her jacket. Andrew wasn't sure whether to feel offended or amused by such a turn of events. He settled on amused because it was easier in the long run. A few chuckles solidified the decision and Andrew moved his attention along to making it up to Kate.

"Well the least I can do for being such a clumsy oaf is buy you another drink."

Andrew stood aside and waited for Kate's answer to that. He wouldn't force it on her if she didn't want another but he could at least offer. On another note, why was it that he could never get through one of these avoidance walks without running into someone? Never mind that it had been rather literal this time, the last time Andrew had done this he'd met Kealey. What were the odds in a city this big?

>>Well the least I can do for being such a clumsy oaf is buy you another drink.

Kate couldn't help but smile at his kindness. She was having a rather... interesting day. Something was defiantly off.

"You don't have to do that, and honestly I think it would be a punishment for you as much as me to make you stand in that line." Kate chuckled at the though and took her bag from him, "Thank you for holding this. I wanted to try and salvage this jacket but it seems that earl gray does not agree with it."

Andrew smiled and gave her back the bag when she reached for it.

"I guess then we'll need to do something about that jacket."

Kate said salvage like the jacket was ruined. It was just a stain and easily fixed with a little washing. But you didn't disagree with a woman when she said something was wrong unless you wanted more trouble than it was worth. What little of the liquid that had landed on his shirt didn't concern him. Andrew would just change when he got back to the mansion and dump this shirt in the laundry.

>>I guess then we'll need to do something about that jacket.

"Quite right." Kate stopped dabbing and threw out the napkins looking around the street, "I am not really sure how we are going to go about doing that here. Sadly I am in need of a new one before I can put this one in for dry cleaning."

Kate knew her phone could help but had no idea how to use the thing so she pulled it out hoping Andrew could help, "Do you know how to use one of these by chance? I have been told that it can find things for you if you so choose, but I have no idea how to get the thing to do anything other then make calls."

Ok so their objective was currently to find Kate a new jacket so she could drop the old one off for dry cleaning. Should be easy enough. All they had to do was find a shop or something. And it just so happened that Kate had one of those phones that did a little of everything. He moved over beside her so her could see the screen and poked and prodded the thing until it showed them a map of woman's clothing shops nearby.

"Hopefully we can find you a coat at one of those places."

Once they found Kate a coat then they could worry about finding a dry cleaner. Andrew looked around himself and then back to the map.

"Your choice of where we go."

>>Hopefully we can find you a coat at one of those places.

Wow he was really very handy with that. Maybe she would have to have him show her how to use it some time.

They quickly made it through the boutique as Kate had no trouble finding a jacket to match her shoes.

Kate handed Andrew the phone so he could work on finding their next destination and in no time he handed her the object with a list of places and a map present.

>>Your choice of where we go.

Kate picked the closet one and after half an hour of walking and getting the coat into the rotation for cleaning, they were standing out front.

"Would you like to walk back with me? I know it is almost on the other side of the island but I enjoy just walking through the city."

The shopping and dry cleaning errands went fairly quickly. Kate picked out a new coat. That was quickly paid for and after he'd pulled up a map of dry cleaners nearby they took care of that just as quickly. Andrew hadn't figured on getting that done quite as quickly as they did.

"Sure. I was just wandering around anyway."

Just walking through the city had been precisely what he'd been doing. Doing so with Kate wasn't too much of a stretch. As long as he didn't chat too much it wouldn't be a problem. Well, staying away from alleyways and coffee shops couldn't hurt either. Neither place seemed to be all that fortunate for him. Just passing a cafe had resulted in a stained jacket for Kate. Yup, he was definitely cursed. That aside, who was to say something wouldn't happen to Kate? If he was around maybe he could help.

>>Sure. I was just wandering around anyway.

Kate smiled at him and lead the way into the green of central park. She knew there was no way they were walking all the way across the island to the school, but she was determined to walk as far as she could, even if that was only to the other end of the park. She rather enjoyed Andrew's company as much as she enjoyed that of the person who had become her closest friend since she had arrived. Gawain was like the energy of the city, while Andrew was like the calm of the country. Both different, but both enjoyable.

Kate had actually found comfort in not talking to Andrew that she hadn't found anywhere else since her arrival in New York City. She had ran into him in the kitchen again a few days ago and they hadn't spoken much beyond the ins and outs of the few days they hadn't seen each other. Other then that, they sat in silence. Him baking and then cleaning while she ate diner. It was a bit of seemingly familiar in a sea of the unfamiliar.

They walked silently for a while just enjoying the beauty of the park and each others company. This was the one place in New York that reminded Kate of home. It was much like the spacious gardens and grounds of Kirby Hall. She looked at the colors of the trees as they seemed to be changing all around her. It was nice for her to actaully get to enjoy the change instead of having it be a reminded to get ready to move inside for the winter.

After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath of the crisp air, Kate decided to break the mutual silence, "So tell me about yourself Andrew. I know a little about your past but not much about you as a person. Things you like, things you don't, but please excuse me if I ask you want said things are after you say them."

They made their way into Central Park and wandered around. He hadn't been to the park very many times since he'd come to New York. Last time he'd met Amber and had been told about the Sanctuary and the Mansion. When he wasn't having odd encounters or too preoccupied to notice it the park was very nice. It made the city feel a little less artificial. Eventually Kate broke the silence with a question.

"Not much to say honestly. I like to read. I don't watch much TV but I do play video games every now and then."

Andrew stared out across the park as he tried to explain what he liked and what he didn't. This was more difficult than he had thought it would be.

"I like to bake but then you knew that. Um, I don't like people that are really rude or self-centered." Andrew paused, "Oh, and boxing isn't so bad. I don't watch it but I have been practicing it."

He'd never really thought about his likes and dislikes too much. No one had ever really asked him about them. Up until recently he hadn't let anyone get close enough to where they would want to bother.

"I'm not really used to talking about what I like and what I don't."

>>Not much to say honestly. I like to read. I don't watch much TV but I do play video games every now and then. I like to bake but then you knew that. Um, I don't like people that are really rude or self-centered. Oh, and boxing isn't so bad. I don't watch it but I have been practicing it. I'm not really used to talking about what I like and what I don't.

Kate waited as he rattled off a short list and chuckled at his slightly adorable level of awkward. He always seemed to be afraid of words. Like if he said the wrong ones the world would end. Hopefully someday she would be able to break him of the habit, around her that is.

"That's okay we can just take it slow. I'll talk, then you'll talk, then I'll talk, then you'll talk. We will make a conversation out of it instead of just listing off facts about ourselves. Maybe even insert some silly antidotes to make it interesting." Kate laughed at how silly she sounded trying to make him relax, "I have learned recently asking a boy a lot of questions really does get you nowhere." Kate smiled at him recalling asking Gawain about Twyla only days earlier and getting a slew of short and to the point answers, whether she wanted them or not, "I think I will go backwards on your list. I have never seen or participated in boxing. That is unless you count movies, which I don't in this case. I also really do not like rude or self-centered people myself. I have met some of them since I have been here and there really is no point to it. Hmmm... Well I don't know how to bake but I can cook a little. Miss. Davies used to let me help in the kitchen and would teach me a recipe if she had the time. Um..And..." she tried to recall the first few things he said, "I also don't watch TV and have never played video games. The only thing I have done remotely like that is watch movies, which you already know is something I love to do. Though, I honestly believe I am lacking in that department as well. My mother had this tenancy to censor everything I did. And as for reading. It is my favorite thing to do in the entire world. There is nothing like sitting out on a warm summers day under the shade of a hundred year old tree lost in a good book. I actually learned Russian so I could read Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and hid from my tutors the entire time I was reading it so I could finish it in a timely fashion." Kate chuckled at the memory of her mothers face when she found her covered in dirt out in the yard reading, "My mother was livid. I missed a week of lessons and incured her rath, but it was most certainly worth it."

Wow, she really could talk. Andrew had to get used to long rambling conversations again. Might as well start somewhere. He would just go down the list she gave him.

"Well I'm learning to box from a detective in the NYPD. I've gotten myself into enough scrapes in the recent months that I got tired of not being able to defend myself."

Andrew paused before he moved on to the next subject.

"I could teach you how to bake if you wanted. My mother taught me when I was little. We were always baking together. That's why it's so relaxing to me. As far as TV and movies go there is plenty of time for you watch what you like now that you're at the mansion. I doubt they'd stop you."

Andrew stopped and smiled at her enthusiasm over reading books. It was kinda cute.

"I resorted to books after my mutation manifested. I couldn't let myself have friends for fear of my mutation getting found out and exploited. So instead I turned to books and studying. Half of the time the characters in a novel were more real to me than the people around me because I didn't have to be afraid of them."

That was an awfully frank statement but he felt comfortable saying it. Kate didn't seem the type who'd judge him for that.

"You know Russian? I took a course in that over the summer. I'm not very good though."

Andrew wanted to say that he'd needed a tutor but his promise to Sveta stopped his mouth. Oh well, not like she needed to know about that anyway.

>>Well I'm learning to box from a detective in the NYPD. I've gotten myself into enough scrapes in the recent months that I got tired of not being able to defend myself.

"A detective? That sounds interesting. You will have to tell me more about that one later." Kate found herself wondering how he would meet such a person. Did he have a run in with the law or had they met through some other incident.

>>I could teach you how to bake if you wanted. My mother taught me when I was little. We were always baking together. That's why it's so relaxing to me.

Kate smiled thinking of little Andrew standing at the counter with his mother helping her measure out the ingredients and mix them in the bowl. She loved the idea of him teacher her. He was always so calm and happy, at least she thought so, when he was baking. He would probably make a great teacher if he decided to do so.

>>As far as TV and movies go there is plenty of time for you watch what you like now that you're at the mansion. I doubt they'd stop you. I resorted to books after my mutation manifested. I couldn't let myself have friends for fear of my mutation getting found out and exploited. So instead I turned to books and studying. Half of the time the characters in a novel were more real to me than the people around me because I didn't have to be afraid of them.

"Don't worry I will never make you promise something. I know what it is like to be forced to do things you don't' want to and I wouldn't wise it on my worst enemy. That's exactly why I read too. I can have adventures in the arctic and meet people all over the world without having to worry about what is around me. I can live vicariously through someone else." Kate didn't care that she had gotten a little heavy again. She liked talking to Andrew about these things. He seemed to get it instead of just agreeing with her. He could empathize instead of sympathize.

>>You know Russian? I took a course in that over the summer. I'm not very good though.

"Well if you ever want to try again I would love to help. You can teach me to bake and I can teach you how to read music and speak Russian. Oh and don't worry I will never make you promise something you don't want to. I know what it is like to be forced to do things you don't' want to and I wouldn't wise it on my worst enemy. That's exactly why I read too. I can have adventures in the arctic and meet people all over the world without having to worry about what is around me. I can live vicariously through someone else.", Kate didn't care that she had gotten a little heavy again. She liked talking to Andrew about these things. He seemed to get it instead of just agreeing with her. He could empathize instead of sympathize. Maybe that was the real reason why she liked him. Yes he was cute and sweet but he also got her in a way most people didn't, and it was nice to have someone that did for once.