Lame. Lame lame lame lame lame, was all that went through the seventeen-year-old’s mind as she paced through the hallways of her temporary home. The Sanctuary was so boring! She had done all of the exploring she could handle for the day (although there were still some off-limits areas she hadn’t peeked into yet), and she hadn’t yet made friends to hang out with. She had visited the gymnasium and found it empty, and had then moved on to the room with all of the televisions and pool tables, only to find it inhabited by a bunch of middle-aged men yelling about some football game playing on the biggest screen. Lyd had even resorted to looking into Kaitlyn’s room to see if the ten-year-old was around, and found it crushingly void of any super-powered little girls. Subsequently, she was out of things to do, and it was a Saturday night! And she had little to no money left, which meant that she couldn’t go out. Well, I could always pick up a wallet from some unsuspecting passerby…

Oh it couldn’t hurt. Besides, it’ll be fun getting the ol’ blood rushing again. She scurried to her room and gathered whatever belongings she needed into a small wristlet. Fake I.D.? Check. The last twenty dollar bill she had left? Check. Her handy-dandy city map? Check. She was ready for a night on the town. She then changed out of her old sweats and into a proper outfit, and pulled on her pitifully thin jacket. The new, warmer one she had recently bought had been lent to her coat-less fourteen-year-old neighbor across the hall, and it had yet to be returned. It was seven o’ clock in the evening when Lydia pushed open the grand doors and walked out into the chilly night. She had no idea where she was going, but she was going somewhere.

After about twenty minutes of walking, the skin-shifter’s hands were already numb and she felt the cool, barely-above-freezing (or at least that’s how it felt to her) air pierce through her leather outerwear and her black-dyed jeans. She was desperate to find some place to duck into to regain some warmth in her fingers. She wasn’t exactly in the liveliest part of the city, but there did appear to be a few higher-end bars here and there. Hm, but being in a bar alone wasn’t fun, even with a B.A. fake ID. And she had yet to pick up a wallet…bingo, blonde at twelve o’ clock! Lydia quickened her pace to catch up to the targeted woman, all the while keeping a straight, nonchalant face. She was just another girl walking down the block. She “accidentally” bumped into the blonde, stealthily retrieving what felt like a wallet from her open bag. Hah, got it, Dia thought smugly as she recovered from the impact and started walking normally again. And then her numb hands dropped the stolen wallet. Right. In. Front. Of. The. Blonde. Oh crap.

Faye wandered the streets of Manhattan searching of a non carding bar. Autumn had finally given way to winter and the night air was cold, far too cold to be wearing the short red dress and knee high boots that she had on. The assortment of jewellery that covered her hands and wrists was also a bad idea in hindsight, every movement of her arms sent shivers through her skin as the freezing metal shifted around.

You should have worn a coat

Psssh What are you my mum? Were from Wisconsin remember, this is positively balmy weather

Then why are you shivering?

‘cause….cause. Shut up! You’re just a conscience! You don’t make my decisions for me.

Maybe you should’ve stayed in tonight with Lance, Might’ve been funner than tramping up and down Manhattan looking for somewhere to get served…

I stayed in with Lance last night so end of discussion brain.

Faye wandered on, looking inside a few bars as she passed but they were all either too quiet or filled with people that she didn’t want to associate with. That’s when it happened just ahead of her a brunette girl around her age wearing an awesome jacket seemed to pluck a wallet from some ladies purse before spazzing it up and dropping it right in front of her. Well it seemed that this night was going to get interesting quickly.

Stay out of it

Hells no, Salvage rules apply

We are not on a boat and some ladies stolen wallet is not salvage!

Whatever, the rule soooo applies.

Striding up to the pair Faye placed her boot on top of the dropped wallet to shield it from the woman before turning to the girl with a big grin on her face.

“Oh-em-gee that jacket is so lush, where’d you get it?”
Faye listened to the woman mutter something about kids just standing in the street as she moved around the pair and further up the street oblivious to the theft of her wallet.
Bending down she picked up the wallet and handed it to the other girl, a wide grin splitting Faye’s face.
“I think you dropped this, maybe a good Samaritan should get rewarded? Say in there.. Faye pointed at the bar across the street “..and I wasn’t kidding about that jacket”

A string of curses threatened to spill out of the brunette’s mouth, but she managed to keep it shut. Now would not be an ideal time to attract attention, especially since the woman she had pick-pocketed hadn’t yet noticed the traitorous wallet on the ground. Maybe Lydia could quietly reach for it and run? It had only fallen a foot or so away. But before she even thought of other possible escape routes, a blonde teen appeared out of nowhere and covered the wallet with her boot. Thank God. Thank Buddha. Thank Zeus-whatever-his-name-is. Thank who ever the hell sent this freaking savior girl.

>> “Oh-em-gee that jacket is so lush, where’d you get it? I think you dropped this, maybe a good Samaritan should get rewarded? Say in there..”

Slowly, her breathing, which had all but stopped, returned to normal as the blonde stranger spoke. She had a ridiculous smile on her face, and the skin-shifter couldn’t help but mirror it. “Aw, thanks, you’re sweet. I got it at a thrift store back home.” She didn’t dare mention the wallet being passed to her hands until the swindled woman was farther out of earshot. No matter how much she loved the feeling of flowing adrenaline during a risky heist, she didn’t want to get caught. She had just gotten to New York and didn’t want to be sent home to her probably-furious foster parents by a couple of lousy cops busting her for wallet theft. It sounded weak, but the whole process for looking for a new foster home was hell, and she didn’t want to go through that again. “In there? Hm, you look a little young to be hanging around in bars,” Dia said with a giggle and a wink, “Don’t worry, I’m sure we can find some way to get you in…”

She opened up the green faux-snake-skin prize, unbuckling the buckles and unfolding it. For a small wallet, it had a bunch of unnecessary little tassels and flaps and embellishments. “Jackpot,” she cheered after she finally located the largest pocket filled with green paper. 20, 40, 60, 80… she stopped counting after she reached the tenth bill, although there was still quite a few left in the pocket. “You won’t believe how much is in here. Guess that woman’ll be sorry she left her purse open.” Then, Lyd pulled out her fake ID and waved it around the stranger’s face. She was showing off, really, but she was also letting the blonde girl know that she would be able to slip into any bar easy-peasy. “My real name’s not Sabrina Peregrine, though,” she said pointing to the ID with a mischievous grin, “Maybe if you tell me yours I’ll tell you mine.”

>>>“In there? Hm, you look a little young to be hanging around in bars. Don’t worry, I’m sure we can find some way to get you in…”

Faye smiled as the girl went through the wallet and started counting through the cash contained, apparently it was a lot which was good as it meant more free drinks.

Its not free, somebody is paying for it out of money they earned
Well, I’m not paying for them and neither is Sabrina Peregrine so they are free. Why does the word Peregrine sound familiar?
It’s a type of falcon that can reach speeds of 200mph when it dives. We learnt about them in biology yesterday
We did?
Clearly not

>>>“My real name’s not Sabrina Peregrine, though,”

“Cool fake name, Did you know that a Peregrine falcon can go like 200mph. That’s faster than a train”

>>>“Maybe if you tell me yours I’ll tell you mine.”

Laughing as she misheard what ‘Sabrina’ had said Faye reached into her purse taking out her cigarettes and chipped lighter offering one to the brunette before taking one for herself.

“LOL, show and tell”
Did you just say ‘LOL’ out loud?
Oh. Wait no I didn’t mean it
Too late, You said it. You said LOL. What’s next ROFL?

Groaning Faye looked at ‘Sabrina’ “My names Faye and apparently I say LOL in conversation”

>> “Cool fake name, Did you know that a Peregrine falcon can go like 200mph. That’s faster than a train.”

“Um…that’s great,” she said, raising an eyebrow, “I just picked it because it sounded cool.” This new girl wasn’t one of those nerds who spouted out random “fun facts,” was she? Because then the skin-shifter could do without her. But she didn’t look like the type. Now that she was getting a better look at the blonde, Dia noted her adorably inappropriate style of dress. A tiny red dress, boots to die for, and a thousand bangles across her wrists, all coupled with no jacket in a freezing temperature? She knew that she wasn’t supposed to judge a girl by her clothes, but this girl’s garments were practically screaming “New Best Friend.” Lydia was even more delighted by her new acquaintance when she was offered a cig and a light. I think it’s official, I’m sticking with this girl tonight, she thought as she lit the cigarette held in between her teeth.

>> “My names Faye and apparently I say LOL in conversation.”

“Nice to meet you Faye,” Lydia replied with a laugh, extending her hand for a shake and handing back the lighter. “Hope you don’t have a curfew,” she giggled again as she started to turn towards the chosen bar. Maybe they could hit a club or something after they got a little less sober.

((I think now's a good time to go into the bar.))

“Curfew? Nah, school doesn’t seem to care how late I stay out. ’sides what’s the worst that could happen? Were in New York.”

Turning she headed towards the bar, one of those skeezy dive bars that seemed to open up and close down every few months. It sign was lit in neon and bouncers stood at the door as people went in and out, snatches of music and laughter ebbing and flowing as the door swung open and closed.

Ok Bouncers, this may be a problem…
Told you should have stayed in tonight
Nah its ok, Just got to use confidence. Bit of bluster

Faye strolled up, giving a smile and a nod to the bouncers as she reached for the door,
“Where do you think you’re going ladies?”
“Ummm? Inside?
“You know the law…”
“The law? Of course I know the law” she replied smoothly.
“So why are you smoking? No smoking aloud in bars in the state”
“Sorry, Must’ve forgotten” Faye smiled up at him as she stubbed out her cigarette.
“That’s ok, you girls have a nice night”

She thanked him as he held the door to the bar for ‘Sabrina’ and herself, exhaling in what felt like an age she turned to her companion.
“How about that drink then? And don’t think I’ve not realise you haven’t told me your real name yet ‘Sabrina’”

((Feel free to descibe the inside of the bar, music etc))

>> “Curfew? Nah, school doesn’t seem to care how late I stay out. ’sides what’s the worst that could happen? We’re in New York.”

School? Lydia had meant more in terms of strict parents and coming home late. Did Faye go to some fancy boarding school or something? All of a sudden her red dress looked less like an amazing find at a lower-end store, and more like some famous designer had sold it for an amount the skin-shifter didn’t even want to imagine. But that wouldn’t make sense. Why would a rich girl help steal a wallet and want to go into some lower-end bar? Dia had met a few wealthy girls who were like that, and they usually didn’t last long. Faye gave an air of experience, an aura of, “been there done that.”

She watched the exchange between her companion and one of the rather muscular bouncers. See? Faye knows what she’s doing. It was kind of impressive, how smoothly she talked to the man in front of her. Lyd was actually a bit disappointed because she didn’t have to bust out her ID, because they were getting in so easily. Well, minus the whole cigarette deal. Before the bouncer, who had turned out to be quite friendly, gave her another look, she quickly dropped her cigarette and stubbed it out with the toe of her shiny black shoe. As she entered the bar, it took her a moment to adjust to the sudden red-toned darkness. The room was filled with the noises of people chattering and ordering drinks, and the underlying, energetic beat playing through the speakers. It was a bit hard to hear the lyrics, but Dia thought she recognized the song from the radio. The patrons seemed to be young, despite the ratings the bar probably got, and the insides weren’t as shabby as the outside made it look.

>> “How about that drink then? And don’t think I’ve not realise you haven’t told me your real name yet ‘Sabrina.’”

“Heh, you betcha. And I guess I forgot to say it,” Lydia replied with a shrug of her shoulders, “My name’s Lydia, but you can call me Dia or Lyd.” She turned towards the mostly occupied bar table and took a seat in the middle, beckoning for Faye to sit down next to her. “What’ll you have?” She had a few more questions lined up to ask her new acquaintance, but she held them back. Order first, then ask questions.

>>>“Heh, you betcha. And I guess I forgot to say it,” Faye smiled >>> “My name’s Lydia, but you can call me Dia or Lyd.”

Hhhhm that was a tough one, Lyd or Dia? Dia or Lyd? Or maybe throw a curve ball and give her a nickname.. No that’s stupid.
Damn this is harder that it would first appear picking one or the other it’s like shoes or handbags...
Sitting down where Lydia was beckoning she contemplated the problem, Gah this is worse than maths; All number and ting.

You only don’t like maths as you can’t use your mutation to cheat
Your point?
Touché
Où est la staiton de train ?
Yeah Languages aren’t your suit either

>>>“What’ll you have?”
“What? Sorry. Ummmmm I’ll have a diet coke and rum please Lyd.

Name chosen and drink ordered Faye turned her attention to the inside of the bar. It was noisy, not too noisy that it hurt yet but if it got a bit louder she’d start having to tune parts of it out.
Quite a few cute boys as well, what where they called? Hipsters. Yeah hipster boys and their skinny jeans. Mmmm Skinny jeans like that boy over there was wearing
Lance
How did they fit into those tight tight jeans? She wondered staring at them from across the room.
Lance!
I mean, Damn those jeans are tight I mean they hug his..
LANCE!

“Lance!” Oh my god you nearly mind cheated! bad Faye. Bad bad bad Faye.
Blinking hard to clear her head she turned back to Lyd.
“Damn skinny jeans. So.. You lived in enwhy long?”

>> “What? Sorry. Ummmmm I’ll have a diet coke and rum please Lyd.”

Um…hello? Lydia was tempted to wave her hand in front of her companion’s face. This Faye girl seemed to space out a lot. “I guess that makes two of those then,” the skin-shifter mused as she waited for the baby-faced bartender to approach the girls. As expected, Faye’s attention was once again drawn elsewhere, apparently to a group of guys sitting at a booth nearby. They were wearing skinny jeans. Skinny jeans that were tighter than the jeans Lyd had on. No offense to anyone who might be attracted to this brand of male, but they’re the weirdest bunch ever, she thought to herself. Her guy friends wore regular jeans, even if they were a little baggy sometimes, and didn’t wear excessively tight v-neck shirts when they had nothing to show underneath.

“So what’ll you ladies be having?” The bartender asked, disrupting Dia’s inner tirade against hipsters and bringing her back to reality. “Uh, what? Oh, I mean, two diet cokes with rum please.” I think I just pulled a Faye... “Hm, you two seem a little young…” He started, and then stopped as the skin-shifter promptly popped out her fake I.D. “Oh okay, I’ll get those for you right away.” She nodded her thanks just as she was turning to Faye and—

>> “Lance! Damn skinny jeans. So.. You lived in enwhy long?”

“Lance? Like that weapon-thingy…?” She asked, puzzled at the sudden outburst, “And I don’t live here, I’m just here for a little vacay. You go to a boarding school here?”

“Lance? Like that weapon-thingy…? And I don’t live here, I’m just here for a little vacay. You go to a boarding school here?”” [/color]

“Like a weapon-thingy? No… she grinned, stirring her drink with the tip of one of her nails “more like a boy thang, well young manly thang I guess she grinned and took a sip of her drink as she thought of the best way to describe the mutant boarding school she was currently attending.

“I live at this special school..”
Special school? You realize just how ‘special' that sounds?
“wait, no. Not special. Well ok a little special but I’m not…special? Faye finished lamely, a confused look gracing her face.
No sweetie you’re pretty darn special all right

“What I mean it’s a school for people that aren’t super ‘mainstream’. Like some of the students are really weird” Well most of them are to be honest “I’m not weird… or special. Nothing funny about me Faye shook her head as she polished off the rest of her drink in one go “Huh, all gone. Another two?” she waved up two fingers above her head looking down the bar for confirmation that her order had been received by the barstaff. Waiting till one of them nodded and moved towards them before lowering her hand she turned back to Lyd.

“Where was I? School…. Yeah. It’s basically a boarding school for people that’d be a bit conspicuous in other schools. Some of us live there while others travel in every day” pausing, Faye flicked her gaze over the other girls face to see if she was twigging on what she was saying.

“Soooo, your on vactation? On your own?”

>> “Like a weapon-thingy? No…more like a boy thang, well young manly thang I guess.”

Lydia’s ears immediately perked up at the word “boy.” Young manly thing…? She thought, raising an eyebrow. So this supposed male wasn’t quite a boy, but not quite a man. Sounded like a teenager. Sounded interesting. “A boy-man-thing you say? You do realize you have to spill now, right?” The skin-shifter smirked. She loved boy talk, hopefully Faye did too.

>> “I live at this special school…wait, no. Not special. Well ok a little special but I’m not…special? What I mean it’s a school for people that aren’t super ‘mainstream’. Like some of the students are really weird. I’m not weird… or special. Nothing funny about me.”

What the hell is this girl talking about? She thought as she listened to the blonde completely fail to explain what kind of school she went to. “Um, that sort of made no sense at all,” Lyd replied, still trying to figure out what her companion was trying to say, “So you go to a school that…well I don’t know. You kind of lost me at the first ‘special.’” Faye was kind of making it sound like she went to one of those weird “experimental” schools. The ones that offered classes like “Spiritual Voodoo 101” and didn’t give out real tests or grades or anything.

>> “Huh, all gone. Another two?”

The teenager nodded as the other girl ordered their second round of drinks. No matter how hard she tried (which, admittedly, wasn’t very hard), Lydia couldn’t wrap her head around what she was being told. Not special, mainstream…yeah, I need another drink.

>> “Where was I? School…. Yeah. It’s basically a boarding school for people that’d be a bit conspicuous in other schools. Some of us live there while others travel in every day.”

“For people that’d be a bit conspicuous in other schools…” She echoed Faye’s words. Her mind went down two paths when she heard that. The first path: This blonde goes to some rich ass boarding school for rich ass kids. For the children of wealthy or important public figures who need protection from the media/need their private lives to remain private. The second path: This blonde…conspicuous people…could she be a…? No way. Unless…? No way.

>> “Soooo, your on vactation? On your own?”

"Hey hey wait, hold on a second. Hope you don't mind but I'm still a bit curious about your school..." The second mental road was definitely more of a stretch for Lydia’s brain, but the possibility that Faye was a...well, the thought wouldn't leave her mind. “What’s your school called?” She asked. Maybe that would give her the answer.

"Hey hey wait, hold on a second. Hope you don't mind but I'm still a bit curious about your school…What’s your school called?” [/i]

“Oh it’s Xavier’s institute for gifted youngsters” Faye replied breezily before realising what she had said. Turning slowly from the bar she felt her body tense up as she looked the other girl in the eyes trying to gauge her reaction.

How could she have been so stupid? Admitting to being a mutant, even in this day and age was at the very least social suicide and depending who overheard you actual suicide.

Ah fudge that was a point, had anyone else heard here practically admit to being a mutant?
She wanted to turn around and check but Faye couldn’t take her eyes off Lydia in front of her so she did the next best thing and focused her hearing around herself.

Almost at once the noise in the bar dropped away to a murmur as it was overlapped by the drum like rhythm of her heart. Concentrating Faye struggled to keep the volumes in check as she swept her hearing among the closest of the bars patrons, twice she nearly lost control as she strayed too close to a nearby speaker or one of the bar staff pouring a beer from tap.
Wait, what was that? Did someone just say mutant? Faye frantically swept her enhanced hearing back and forth across the room like radar trying to find the voice again. Nothing.

Letting her hearing snap back to its normal state she frowned; she was sure she had heard somebody say mutant but the only way to confirm it was to see if she could repeat it and that would confirm Lydia’s suspicions that she was drinking, underage, with a mutant and dammit she liked this one!
Faye realised that she was lucky in some regards what with her mutation not showing. There were people at the mansion that couldn’t leave the grounds without being hassled by people were as she relatively had an easy time of it.

God she hoped that Lydia was more understanding than most or things would get bad fast, exhaling she waited for the girl in the raging jacket to respond.

>> “Oh it’s Xavier’s institute for gifted youngsters.”

A lot of things happened to Faye after she told Lydia the name of her school. She seemed to freeze up and watch for the skin-shifter’s reaction, then space out (again) with a really concentrated look on her face, then look really agitated, until she finally came back and watched the other teen again. Overall she seemed incredibly nervous, and it was obvious enough for even Dia to notice it. And since she had never heard of Xavier’s before, she was seriously confused as to why the blonde was acting that way, as if she were forbidden to speak the name of her school.

Faye could be anxious because the political paparazzi or tabloids or something weren’t supposed to know what school she went to, and they might be lurking around. But that theory seemed less likely now. She wondered if it would be a bad decision to ask what the term “gifted” exactly entailed, as she could guess that that was a key word in the name, possibly the one making Faye so jittery. Maybe it had some connection to “conspicuous?”

Dots were starting to appear for Lydia to connect, but she just did not know where the starting point was, and she was pretty sure the other girl wasn’t going to point it out to her.

“Ah, doesn’t ring any bells. Well I mean, I’ve only been here for like a week and a half so I guess it would be more surprising if I had heard of your school before,” she said whilst smiling, trying to ease her companion’s agitation, “Is it weird living there? Like…next to your teachers.” She gave a small chuckle, trying to imagine living at school. Wouldn’t that be a ironic? Here she was in New York, playing hooky right as the two girls spoke, and she was thinking about living at school. “And where’re you originally from then?”

The teenager hoped the questions didn’t scare Faye off. She was trying to make small talk, not bring focus to anything uncomfortable.