“I know,” Mat replied to Mute's comment that he was quite talented with his sculptures. There was no boasting in the way he said it, no overinflated ego. Just simple fact. He had spent a lot of time training and honing his ability. Years of dedication, every day, close to every hour. It was his means of survival, and the closest thing he had to a purpose in life.

It was his art.

To be able to capture scenes as he remembered them, in perfect detail. That was a skill he had always wished for, but never possessed. His sister, for as long as Mat could remember, had always been a fantastic artist when it came to sketches and drawings. When they were younger, he had always been so jealous of her. His mother too, he recalled, was also a great artist. That was where his sister had gotten her artistic genes from.

His artistic genes seemed to be buried a little deeper, and a more than a little mutated.

Mute mentioned that she enjoyed roller coasters, meeting new people, and flying. Two of those he had done. On the streets, he met new people practically everyday. When he was a teen, he remembered catching the train from his hometown in the country to Melbourne during holidays and running amok in the city with his friends. They would often go to Luna Park and ride the rickety old scenic rollercoaster that ran around the park's perimeter, or the small Mad Mouse that zipped around and around. He had never been on a full fledged coaster, with massive drops and arcing loops, but the memories of those times still brought back a smile.

“I've never actually flown before,” he mentioned offhandedly.

Mute clarified what she meant by the roommate remark, and she made a good point. The police would be looking for them. And seeing as how Mat had nowhere else to go, and Mute had obviously done this before, it was a logical explanation. Though, something about the way she phrased it gave Mat pause. As though she thought he was a liability. Made sense. If he was here, then she knew he wouldn't go running off to the cops, or something silly like that.

He took another sip of the rum. The pleasant numbness in his face and hands told Mat that he was on his way to getting drunk. That was a good thing. If he was going to stay here while the heat died down, then it was best he make himself comfortable. Speaking of which...

“I don't suppose you have a shower in this place?” It'd been a couple of days since he had last bathed properly, and seeing as how he had the time and the facilities, he was going to make use of them.

After a couple of comments, one pertaining to her compliment of his skills and the other mentioning that he had never flown before, Effigy asked whether or not she had a shower. Of course she did. It was a silly question, asking whether she had a shower. A better question would have been whether or not he could use her shower. Cosmina just grinned.

"Of course. It's in the bathroom I pointed out earlier. Feel free to get cleaned up. I don't mind dirty but the sort you're sporting isn't exactly what I would have in mind."

Another sip of her rum, another large grin. Men were so fun to tease. Effigy was no exception to this. He was younger than her. Enough to where he could easily pass as a true younger brother to her, instead of the false front they'd put up for the cops. However that didn't mean he was too young for her interest. She wouldn't have flirted quite so much with him if that were the case. In fact she might have simply killed him and escaped on her own.

His life was hanging by such a perilous thread when he was near her. Perhaps he could tell. Some people were perceptive enough. Most weren't. Her numerous ex-targets were evidence of that. Perhaps it had something to do with being a mutant. Mutants did seem to be more perceptive of others as a whole. It could be that the lifestyle led by many forced this sort of learning on them. Either that or it was just a coincidence. Those happened fairly frequently too.

Cosmina adjusted her sitting position on the couch. How would it be to have a roommate? Even if it was only for a few days Cosmina had never shared her place of living with anyone outside of her family. Her family was long dead she was used to living on her own. She'd only shared space with others for short periods of time ever since and never her own space. Cosmina's smile tugged back up into a grin for a moment or two. Perhaps it would be fun. After all, having a new toy around was always fun until you got bored with it.

Oh, right. She had pointed out the bathroom when they had arrived. Mat had forgotten. Or, more likely, Mat had been distracted. Too eager to get a drink. Too eager to learn more about this woman. She made another crack, a double entendre about him being dirty. She grinned at him, and Mat could only snort in amusement.

Cheeky.

Mat finished his drink and placed the glass on the table. Reaching down to his ankle, he pulled a folded straight razor from his sock and sat it next to his empty glass. It was the one thing he possessed that still had any ties to his old life. It had belonged to his grandfather, and was bequeathed to Mat after the old man passed away. It was also the razor Mat's father had taught him to shave with, when soft black bristles begun to sprout on Mat's face. It had been a while since Mat had had a chance to use it. Living on the streets made it difficult for him to tote around the necessary equipment, and also made it difficult to find a decent place to bathe, let alone shave. Occasionally Mat would find a barber and pay him to hone and strop the blade, but he hadn't done so for some time.

As he stood, Mat gave a small wobble, half an act, half out of sincere tipsiness. It seemed prudent to make himself out to be more vulnerable than he really was. Though, if he kept drinking, it would soon be a redundant front. He wandered over to the wall where he had tossed his coat and took off his suit jacket, dumping it next to the discarded garment. He undid his tie and kicked his shoes off. It would be cumbersome having to take everything into the bathroom with him, so Mat figured he would claim this patch of floor for the meagre belongings he possessed.

The bathroom, Mat noticed as he entered, was decorated in much the same, sleek style as the living area. White with highlights of black and silver. Very modern. There was a shelving unit with a stack of towel on it. Good, that would save him having to ask. Stripping his clothes off, Mat turned on the taps. As he stood under the shower head, he felt the stress from the day begin to wash away, down the drain with the water.

When Effigy snorted at her remark Cosmina chuckled. He found her teasing just as amusing as she did. That was good for him. She wouldn't have stopped if it made had him uncomfortable. That he enjoyed it in some fashion made things easier on him. Effigy swigged the rest of his rum and reached into his sock. Cosmina watched in curiosity as he withdrew a straight razor. How sharp was it she wondered? It was good to know that he had such a weapon on him. If he decided to fight her then she would know his weapons. Additionally she could simply cut his throat with his own razor.

Effigy wobbled as he stood as though drunk. It could have been affectation meant to trick her into believing him weaker than he was. However it could also easily have been quite real. Without knowing his usual alcohol tolerance Cosmina had no way of knowing. She watched him divest himself of his suit coat, tie, and shoes. Pity he hadn't seen fit to lose the shirt as well. Cosmina gave a tiny smirk and contented herself with her rum and her thoughts. With Effigy off to clean up that left her to precisely that.

The tv flared to life at the touch of a button. It would serve as a diversion for her eyes and background noise for her ears. Additionally, it would help mask any chatter without need for her to use her mutation if she should choose to speak. Cosmina flipped through the channels, eventually settling on a news station whose news was delivered by a tired looking anchor with about as much interest as most of their viewers had in hearing it. It was a decent distraction for her eyes as she thought.

Working would present a challenge. She could take Effigy with her but she doubted he would come willingly. Leaving him here on his own seemed foolish as well. Ah well, it was something to be considered once she could safely leave. Trying to take jobs right now would be foolish. A mercenary couldn't take jobs if she was captured by the police after all. Let alone how much her reputation would decrease if she were caught at all. Effigy was a troublesome toy that would require careful handling. Yet she had a feeling that he would be great fun if he survived.

As the water soaked into his skin and his muscles, washing away the filth of the streets, Mat felt content. That rum may have helped as well. The knot that he felt in his chest since the robbery, that ball of anxiety, was slowly beginning to unravel. The death of the cop had been a shock, and Mat had taken it upon himself to shoulder the burden of guilt. It was his natural reaction. Someone dies on account of your actions, or indirect actions, you carry it with you. Right? It was no different to the Melbourne incident. Except that Mat hadn't killed that cop. Carrying that guilt was pointless.

So he let it go.

Shutting off the water, Mat stepped from the shower, grabbed a towel and began drying himself. As be began to dress, he caught sight of himself in the mirror. Pale and thin. He frowned at the reflection. The years he on the streets had taken their toll on him. With a shrug, he decided not to worry about it. It was the price he paid to stay off the grid. Spying a tube of toothpaste, Mat squeezed some out onto his finger and rubbed his teeth with it. Not a proper substitute for a toothbrush, but it would make do.

From the other side of the door, Mat could hear the sound of the television emanating from the living area. With a smirk, he decided against putting his shirt on. Mute had done her fair share of teasing since they had arrived here. Was probably due time he started dishing it back. She would either find it amusing, or she might kill him. And by coming back to her place, Mat figured he was already treading that precarious line.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

He slung the towel around his neck and lifted his shirt from the floor. As he opened the door a rush of cool air hit his naked torso, refreshing after the steamy humidity of the shower. He wandered over to his pile and discarded the shirt, his tattooed back to Mute. As he made his way back to the couch, he continued drying his hair roughly with the towel. More than likely, his hair was now sticking out all over the place. As he was passing in front of the television he stopped, smirked, and gave a mocking flex of his muscles. Well, what few muscles there were.

Making the rest of the way to the couch, he slumped back down next to Mute and reached for his glass once more. Another refill, another offer to top up the lady's glass. He rested his arm on the back of the sofa once more, this time slightly closer to being around Mute's shoulders.

“Anything good on?”

As the door the bathroom opened up Cosmina glanced over and the sight made her grin. He'd decided to forgo the shirt in favor of a naked torso. Underneath the clothing he was thin. far thinner than what would be considered normal. However since he had appeared like a vagrant when she first saw him that was easily explained away. Living on the streets didn't exactly mean good nutrition. Cosmina had cause to know, she'd done it from time to time. Most notable was when she'd been running from the murder of her mother.

Sure Cosmina had had money on her. She could have eaten easily. However she hadn't wanted to be seen so she'd avoided it. On to other things though. More specifically the tattoo on Effigy's back. She could see it now that his back was to her and she spent the moments it was facing her studying it. Cosmina's eyes followed her guest as he headed back to the couch, stopping in front of the tv to smirk and flex.

She laughed. Not a chuckle or a giggle but a laugh. Cosmina finished laughing just as Effigy slumped onto the couch beside her. He refilled his own drink and when he offered to refill hers she nodded. His arm was closer now, she noticed. He asked about the state of the television programing. Cosmina shrugged and leaned against him casually as she took a sip.

"I wasn't paying much attention honestly. Feel free to browse the channels."

Cosmina took a moment or two of silence. Let Effigy do as he liked for a minute or two. After another drink of rum she spoke up again.

"About sleeping arrangements. You can stay out here on the couch...or you can share with me. Either is fine."

She glanced up at him and then returned her gaze to the television as though nothing had happened at all.

No sooner had Mat refilled her glass and asked about the TV, Mute leaned up against him and took a casual sip of her drink. Mat's eyes flicked across to her, watching her in interest. She told him that he could change the channel on the television, as she wasn't really paying attention. But any interest that he may have had about watching TV, which wasn't very high to begin with, had evaporated the moment Mute had snuggled up close. Seeing no other course of action, Mat dropped his arm from off the sofa and draped it around Mute's shoulders.

This game had just been raised a level.

Not for the first time since he had met her, Mat found himself wondering just who this woman was. What her deal was. At this close proximity, he took the time to really look at her. He had noticed that she was beautiful the moment he first laid eyes on her. That was half the reason he had gone along with her during the robbery. The death of the policeman had somewhat tarnished that beauty afterwards, but now that that incident was behind them Mat couldn't help but notice it yet again. She was sexy as hell, and she knew it.

A grin crept onto Mat's face. Mute was a dangerous woman. That much was abundantly clear. She was dangerous, shrewd, calculating, and ruthless. She had killed in broad daylight, then explained to Mat just why she did it. That it would have been too much of a hassle, not to mention a risk, to have handled it any other way. She was manipulative too. Had to be, for Mat to have fallen so hard for her charms. She was dangerous, ruthless, and manipulative.

And she fascinated him to no end...

They both sat in silence for several moments, gently sipping their rum. Mat continued watching her from the corner of his eye, trying to decide what he should do next. He had promised himself that he wouldn't be taken off-guard, and so he would bide his time and not do anything too rash. That was what she wanted him to do, what she expected. This was a battle of wills, to see who would break first. Through the pleasant haze of intoxication, Mat had the sudden urge to kiss her. Or maybe he had wanted to kiss her all along, and the rum was simply making that clear to him. Still, he wasn't going to fall into her trap. Not yet.

>>> “About sleeping arrangements. You can stay out here on the couch...or you can share with me. Either is fine.”

Well, damn.

Mute: 1, Mat: 0

He couldn't help it, he laughed. He laughed at just how helpless he really was. She was good. Every time he thought he was starting to get a feel for what she would do or say, she threw him for a loop. Every time he thought he was gaining an upper hand, she knocked him down a peg. She had manoeuvred him into a position where she had him at a disadvantage. If he accepted her offer, he lost the battle of wills. If he declined, well then, he simply lost.

Checkmate.

Still, he had been given a choice. And when you boiled it down, it wasn't much of a choice at all.

“Guess I'll share with you, then,” he answered with a smirk. “After all, it'd be rude of me not to, seeing as you offered so nicely.”

As she settled against him Cosmina felt Effigy's arm drop down to drape over her shoulders. Though her eyes were elsewhere for a good portion of the time she didn't need them to know that Effigy was watching her, studying her. It could be that he found her just as curious and interesting as she found him. Maybe one day he'd earn enough of her trust to hear some of her story. It would take him quite some time. No one she'd ever met had earned it yet. Of the two people who had had her trust both were dead and one of them had broken said trust.

Her question had gone over amusingly well. In fact he'd simply smirked and said he'd share the bed. He'd handled it better than she'd thought. Perhaps there was some hope for him beyond that naivete. He'd have to lose that hopefulness of his. Some people simply had to die. That was just how it was. The world could stand a few less people anyway. Not like they wouldn't come back eventually anyway.

A few hours later Mina adjourned to bed and was shortly followed by Effigy. Once in her bedroom to things were clear. One: the decor was different than the rest of the warehouse. The colors were a lot warmer here in red, orange, and few hints of gold. The style was a bit less modern and felt more lived in than the rest of the warehouse. There were two doors leading from the room. One that matched the rest of the doors in the place led to Mina's closet. The other was a thick stainless steel monstrosity with a keypad to one side that screamed secrets were kept behind it.

Mina warned Effigy that if she caught him attempting to open the door he'd be dead. As usual it was said in a sweet tone but she meant every word. The things behind that door weren't meant for him. With that she retired to bed.

-Fade to peacefully sleeping black-

- Fade in from black -

Mat woke up with a jolt, and in a cold sweat. He had fallen asleep. He had let himself grow too complacent, had let his guard down, and had fallen asleep. Anxiety filled his chest and Mat began to feel the familiar tremors run through his body, the aftermath of his sleep phobia. His breathing was short, shallow, and fast, close to hyperventilation. It happened nearly every time, both before sleep and after. Those short moments of absolute terror, unsure of whether or not he would wake up again. Still, he was awake. Another day, and he was still alive. He had survived another night of sleep.

Two things he was acutely aware of upon awakening. The fact that his head throbbed in pain, the rushing of his blood like a piston bashing against his skull. And the fact that he was in a room, and more curiously, a nice warm bed. He looked over to the outline of sleeping woman beside him, and the memories came flooding back.

Mute. The robbery. The rum.

Carefully, ever so carefully, Mat eased himself from the bed. He didn't want to wake the woman. That would both complicate matters, and possibly be detrimental to his health and life.

He slipped into the living area, closing the door behind him, and made his way over to the corner where he had discarded his things. As quickly as he could, he threw on the rest of his clothes. He felt something bulging from the pockets of his trousers and jacket. The cash from the robbery. He had taken it on a whim, but suddenly it seemed too heavy. Seemed too tainted by the blood of an innocent police officer. Slipping his shoes on, Mat glanced around the room to see where he had left his razor. Without it, he couldn't leave.

He spied it on the coffee table, where he had left it the previous night, along with the stone arm and the glass couple. He raced over to retrieve it, placing it securely back in his sock, and paused. Maybe it had been a mistake coming back here. There was a chance that coming back to Mute's residence meant that he was never meant to leave. She had mentioned that Mat was the only person she had brought back here, so it was possible that she had intended to make sure Mat never revealed it's location.

But if that were the case, why did she bring him here in the first place?

It was the question that had been bugging him from the start. He had foolishly let his infatuation for the woman blind him to the fact. And that itself begged another question. What was it about Mute that Mat was so drawn to? Even now, as he was fleeing from her, he had half a mind to simply go back into the bedroom and lay back down next to her.

A peace offering was needed, Mat decided. Something that would show Mute that he wasn't a liability to her, that he would keep her secret safe. An idea popped into his head, and Mat carefully knocked against the glass table, forming the sculpture. Once it was done, he pulled some of the robbery cash from his pockets and stacked it next to the sculpture. He didn't need it all. Just enough to make do.

That task complete, his meagre possessions gathered, Mat made his way through the garage and slipped out into the cold dawn. The sun was only just beginning to rise, and the world was coloured with the pale, washed out tones of pre-light.

As he strolled briskly away from the warehouse, Mat hoped that Mute would take the meaning of his gesture. He was leaving for several reasons. The main one being that he didn't entire feel safe around the woman. But the other was something more ingrained, more instinctive. He simply didn't feel comfortable staying in one place, no matter how secure. It was still being tied down, regardless of whether or not his name was attached to the property or if he was simply staying for free. It was a gilded cage. No, Mat would stick to the streets. The streets were where he could find his freedom. That's why he didn't need the money. That's why he had left most of it, as a gesture of good will.

The sculpture, he hoped once more, would convey the rest. It was simple enough to his mind. A sculpture of himself, in the suit and coat he had stolen. With a smirk on its glass face, a finger was held up against its lips in a hushed pose.

He wouldn't talk. He'd keep her secret, as thanks for helping him out, and for trusting him enough to share the secret of her home. And if he ever saw her again, he would look her in the eye and tell her just that.

If he ever saw her again...

Cosmina woke up in the middle of the night. She was a fairly light sleeper, the consequence of training herself to be as alert as possible at all times. So when Effigy got up he woke her up. Mina was curious where her toy was going and listened closely for any indicative noises. After all, he could simply have needed a trip to the bathroom. She didn't believe that and when she heard not one but two doors open and one of them was muffled Cosmina got up to go see. Effigy's things were gone and there was a new statue on the coffee table beside a hefty stack of cash.

The conclusions she was meant to draw were fairly obvious. Being alone she allowed herself to pout as she walked over to the pile of cash and statue to observe it more closely. It was a statue of Effigy with a finger up to his lips in that old gesture for silence. Cosmina picked it up along with the cash. The cash she took back to her room and put away. The statue she held in her hand as she paced around the warehouse. Suddenly the mercenary was no longer sleepy.

Cosmina wouldn't stop him. Her toy did have a mind of it's own and if it wanted to get hauled off by the police then so be it. The possibility of him betraying her to the police if he got caught was still there. If he got caught, well Mina would just have to pull some strings. On a whim Cosmina collected all of the statues he'd left littering her dwelling. Suddenly they were offensive to her eye. Any quaintness they had was gone with the amusing toy that had created them.

One quick change of clothing later Cosmina was out of the warehouse and headed for the nearby water. Once there she stood for a moment in the relative quiet of the night time. A city was never truly quiet. Neither was the countryside. Everywhere had noises at all times but night time was generally the only time that came close to replicating her silence. She smiled as she stood there but it didn't reach her eyes. No her eyes shone with something else entirely. Anger was what it was. She'd been enjoying her new toy. She hadn't said he could leave. In a fit of pique over the departure of her toy the stone hand went tumbling into the water to sink out of sight. The glass sculptures were smashed and then dumped into the water. With the smile restored to her eyes Cosmina went back to her warehouse.