For Mat, a life on the streets meant a life of freedom. A vagabond's life of exploration and adventure into the wild and dark unknown. Trying to uncover the hidden riddles of the cities of the world, the good, the bad, and the ugly. New York, Mat had discovered was a wilderness the likes of which he had never encountered before. Other cities may have had similarities to the great metropolis, but they had all paled in comparison to the great NYC. In the months since he had been here, his feet had carried him from one new destination to another. Summer and autumn had been great for exploring. Yet despite all he had seen, despite how far he had travelled, Mat knew that he had uncovered only a fraction of what New York City held. Now that winter had arrived, Mat's feet had grown tired, cold and sore.

The snow, which had been a novelty at first, was fast becoming the bane of Mat's existence. Seeing a major metropolitan city with a soft layer of white, almost like icing on a cake, had been an astounding sight. Back home, the snow only fell in the mountains, a couple of hours from his hometown. Melbourne never saw any, so seeing it in New York was a whole new experience. Once the charm had worn off though, and the cold and the damp had set in, it was suddenly not so charming. Suits, such as the one he had stolen during the heist with Mute, were no longer a sensible choice of winter street attire, and so Mat had moved on to stealing plainer, warmer clothing. The coat he had stolen, however, had so far served him well. Worst of all, because of the cold, it was getting harder and harder for Mat to sleep.

And for someone who had a phobia of sleeping, that was saying something.

So, in sleep deprived fit of frustration at not being able to walk the streets without freezing to death, Mat had decided to do something he hadn't done the whole time he had been in America. He decided to catch a bus. The destination wasn't important, only the journey. It seemed, as he hopped aboard, that he wasn't the only one with the need to travel. The bus was nearly packed to the brim. Luckily, Mat spotted one seat which was unoccupied. Sitting down, he stretched out, and watched the scenery roll past outside the window.

The bus stopped and an old lady hopped aboard. She approached the empty seat next to Mat, and he gave her his warmest, most politest smile. Instead of sitting down next to him like he expected, the woman wrinkled her nose, scowled, and shuffled to the rear of the bus. Somewhat bemused, Mat gave himself a sniff. He had managed to shower the day before, and he had cleaned his clothes at a dry cleaners several days earlier, so he didn't reek. A slight whiff, maybe, but not a reek.

If anything, he looked much worse than he smelt.

With chuckle to himself, Mat leant his head against the window, hypnotised by the passing city. Suddenly Mat's felt his head drop, and was jerked awake. His heart began to race, and he felt the familiar tightness in his chest. Microsleep. As his anxiety started to rise, Mat struggled to stay awake. He fished though his pockets, looking for his caffeine pills, only to remember that he had finished the last few the previous day. He slapped himself in the face a few times, but succeeded mostly in gaining a few dirty and suspicious looks.

It was a losing battle, and before he knew it, Mat had fallen into slumber, his face smooshed against the glass, other embarking passengers giving the spare seat beside him a wide berth.

No one, after all, wants to sit next to the hobo.

The buss rolled to a stop, and Andrea stepped away from the curb just a little. She was the only figure standing at the bus stop, more because of the hissing passengers wriggling about in her hair than the freak storm that had moved in. The Gorgon pulled up her hood as the doors banged open, and she stepped onto the bus. Dressed in yellow rain boots, worn out black stockings and her customary red rain coat over a worn out black dress. There was no reason to really dress up these days... After she dropped her fare into the coin machine and accepted the small transfer ticket the driver provided, her eyes turned to face down the usual obstacle- finding a seat. Which in the last few days since the appearance of her snakes had only gotten easier. After nodding her thanks, she maneuvered her way down the aisle, one gloved hand supporting her on the over head railing as the bus jumped into motion again, snow tires clanking loudly underneath.

Cold had become something she liked very much... snow even more. It seemed that the colder and colder it got outside, the fewer people she ran into on the streets. It was the perfect time for one who wished to be left alone to do her grocery shopping. Of course, where she intended to get said groceries was a mystery. Orange eyes slid this way and that as she searched for an open seat. People blinked at her, or rather at the large white thing around her neck. Just in a few days she snakes had grown out to what she hoped was their full size. It was a lot harder to hide them now, and completely impossible to hide the restricter around her neck. She was just thankful it looked more like an odd scarf, than a snake.

She spotted a seat just a few steps away and tucked herself into it, taking a quick squinted look at the sleeping male beside her. She honestly had never been able to figure out how people could sleep on buses.. packed full of strangers and contaminated with many different germs. Then again, he looked a little... disheveled. If her assumption was correct, then sleeping on a bus was probably better than sleeping out in the cold. She sniffled, and folded her hands in her lap, losing herself in her thoughts as the bus bumped along. The white serpent around her neck though, was jolted awake by the motions. It uncoiled it self slowly, scaring more than a few people close to her out of their seats and to the front of the bus. A small dark tongue licked the air, tasting all of the new smells, and then it's beady eyes focused on the unmoving man at Andrea's side. Curious, it slipped carefully from around the Greek's neck, and across the small gap between them to coil around the closest arm, then up and around the back of his neck. It's tongue shot out and licked at the man's ear, wondering if he was dead, and therefore a free meal.

She was beautiful, flowing red hair and sparkling blue eyes. Her lips tilted into a knowing smirk, and she flicked her head, a cascade of copper hair whipping back. The waves rolled up onto shore, licking the sand before retreating, and Mat couldn't help but be entranced. The sun began to set, hues of pink and orange and gold all sparkling off the ocean. The ground shook and shuddered briefly, but Mat paid it no mind. She was making her way towards him. He closed his eyes, and could feel her lowering herself to the ground, sitting herself down next to him. Mat opened his eyes, and she began to run her smooth, scaly hands up his arm, sending a pleasant shiver down his spine. Her fingers brushed along his shoulder, tickled the back of his neck, and finally rested on the opposite shoulder. Her arm around him, she leaned in closer, moving around to the far side of his face. She moved in close and he could feel her soft breath on his face. Playfully, she leant in and began to tickle his ear with her tongue...”

Mat awoke with a jolt and a quiet yelp. Another microsleep. He let out a long sigh. They were only going to get worse unless he got some rest.

A forlorn feeling entered Mat's chest, a pang of disappointment. He wished that the woman in his dreams, whoever she was, was here. He wasn't sure if she was someone he had met, or whether his subconscious had simply filled in all the details with all of his preferences. The dream had been so vivid. It was almost as if her arm was still around him...

He felt something lick his ear.

Glancing down, Mat's stomach dropped. There was a giant white snake coiled around him, forked tongue flickering in and out of its mouth. It's eerie, emotionless orange eyes stared at Mat, unblinking.

“...snake...?” he muttered sleepily. Mat's dream-addled mind seemed to be having trouble taking in the information it was being faced with.

Mat turned his head to the other side, to see if there was someone sitting next to him, who may have lost a pet snake, or something. He was greeted by six pairs of the same freaky orange eyes. Six black snakes, this time, bared their fangs at him and begun hissing and spitting. This time, Mat's mind caught on real quick.

“Snakes!”

With her thoughts having abandoned her, she had turned instead to humming quietly and fiddling with her fingers in her lap, watching from behind the protection of her glasses as people tried and failed at hiding curious glances sent her way. At least they weren't screaming.. or yelling at her. The other snakes had awoken and stood alert with tongues flicking out, heads twitching this way and that. Each twitch of an arm, or tap of a foot was enough to entice their attention, and then... they focused on their biggest sibling. People on the bus were beginning to shift uncomfortably though, and it was not for the reason Andrea assumed. They were watching her larger serpent intently, wondering what the hell was going on... Would it attack? Many thought that someone should get up and do something, but no one wanted to take a stand. One scruffy man towards the back was getting searching looks in particular, and it was getting on his nerves. He ducked his head with a grumble under his breath, glaring out from behind dark sunglasses at the onlookers, and ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair...

“...snake...?”

Had someone just said something? The Gorgon squinted, and glanced around curiously in all the wrong places. She was sure someone had said- “Snakes!” Andrea nearly jumped out of her skin. She swung her head around, her hands flashing up to keep her hood in place as the other serpents in her hood reacted to her surprise by launching forward with fangs and hisses. She had the mind to scoot back in her seat, away from the now awake male who was entangled with her snake, but was jolted to a stop when the white serpent coiled tighter- refusing to let go. It did not want to let go. The man smelled pleasant... different from the other fleshy prey that walked around, and he was warm... People who had previously been sitting and merely watching flew to their feet. Some called to the driver to stop the bus, that someone was being attacked! Andrea Twisted her head around, throwing out an arm to try and halt them. "Wait! I- This is not- I'm not-!" She growled in frustration, and turned around in her seat, both hands around her serpent. "Sloth, Let.. Go!" In the back, a few giddy teens were staring intently at the back of the salt and pepper man's head. He had to say it... he had to! He was a dead ringer for the foul mouthed, action super star, down to a T....

Mat was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Well, more like one massive snake and lots of smaller, angry snakes. Either way, he wasn't in a great spot. As if falling asleep and waking up over and over wasn't enough for a somniphobic to deal with, waking up to a face full of snakes was a good way to possibly induce a heart attack. Panic set in, Mat's breathing was short, shallow and frequent. He could feel the sweat pricking at his forehead, and soaking through the back of his shirt.

The person sitting next to Mat must have noticed the snakes as well, and tried to flee into the aisle. Not that he could blame them. The snake around his neck gripped onto Mat even tighter, causing him to freeze in panic. Strangely enough, the person next to him had stopped, as though tethered to Mat.

Mat had to admit, of all the ways he had imagined himself dying, being strangled to death by a constrictor on a New York City bus definitely wasn't one of them.

Other passengers were beginning to freak out. Deep down, Mat wished they would all shut the hell up. He didn't particularly fancy being bitten because of some idiot startling the snakes with their screaming. Besides, it's not like they were the ones with the new snake scarf and friends.

>>> "Wait! I- This is not- I'm not-!"

A girl's voice sounded from next to him, and so Mat's attention fell on her. She was struggling to hold the hood of her jacket up, maybe thinking that that would protect her from the serpents. Why she hadn't just made a run for it, Mat wasn't sure. It was still bothering him, just where these snake had come fro--

Oh.

His eyes followed the white serpent's body, down his arm, across the gap, before finally disappearing up and into the girl's hood.

Oh.

Now he noticed the green face, mottled blotches of darker green and black on her skin. He noticed the six black snakes, all struggling to lunge forwards from the girl's hood. Clearly, this girl was a mutant. And clearly, the snakes belonged to her. She had wrapped both of her gloved hands around the white giant and was struggling to pry it free.

>>> "Sloth, Let.. Go!"

Mat watched the girl try and remove the snake. In a desperate moment, Mat slowly reached a hand across to the window of the bus and carefully knocked his knuckles against the glass. There were several options running through his head at the moment, and Mat wasn't sure which of them would work in this situation. He wasn't sure if any of them would work in this situation. Settling on one, he let the image fill his mind.

A glass mouse broke free from the window, landed on the back of the seat, and ran across it, towards the girl. Hopefully, the snakes would take the bait.

Hopefully...

The plan worked, but not exactly as had been hoped for. Fourteen beady orange eyes locked onto the glass mouse, even before it had hit the back of the seat. The second it darted, they lunged. "...Eeep!"

Andrea was jerked forward by all six of her snakes striking at once, while the white snake who had started the whole mess lunged from in front of the man it held captive- effectively forcing skull to meet skull. Before Andrea could even react to the bonk of heads, or the falling of her hood, she was dragged backwards out of her seat by the six serpents taking one last lunge at the scampering mouse. The twenty three year old swore loudly in Greek, flailing her arms to right herself before she tumbled into the walkway. There was a high chance of getting trampled, what with all the panic and pandemonium.

The driver of the bus veered his vehicle over to the curb, unbuckled himself and stood. Andrea couldn't see it but he looked angry, and he was already stomping down the aisle towards them. As if things weren't already bad enough, Mr. Sam.u.el. impersonator felt the eyes boring into him from all directions, and he wasn't at all happy about it. The man leapt to his feet as soon as the bus stopped rolling, his trench coat swaying angrily about his legs. He hefted a backpack up onto his shoulder, slapped a flat cap on over his grey curly hair, and pointed one stubby, anger filled finger back at the teens, who were busy whispering amongst one another.

"I am so tired of you Mo@#%r F@&#$ng Kids, Making Mo@#%r F@&#$ng assumptions about me!"

The man lifted his chin high, pointing a crude hand gesture there way, and stomped towards the exit. Just as he was about to leave, a child up near the front hollered, "I have had it with these Monkey fighting snakes, on this Monday to Friday bus!" Childish giggles followed as the man threw his arms into the air with a growl, and stormed off the bus.

Andrea managed to right herself in her chair for a moment, then stood. She was going to get sloth off of the guy, even if she had to resort of desperate measures. What was the snakes problem anyway!? It hadn't acted up at all since she had punished it for trying to eat someone's yorkie-poo. A tap on her shoulder, followed by an angry "Ahem..." dragged her back to the other things happening on the bus, and Andrea gulped. A few more swear words flew to the tip of her tongue, but she didn't have time to utter any of them.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave." The deep voice continued, and a hand too hold of her under her armpit. "..NOW." While the driver ignored her excuses and pleas for him to just give her one second, she was roughly dragged towards the back door, with her snake and it's newest friend in tow.

So the good news was, Mat's planned had been a success. The glass rodent had caught the attention of the serpents. The bad news was, Mat's plan had been a success. The serpents, their attention gain, had decided to attack. Which would have been fine, had they not all attacked from separate directions. The giant white dragged Mat one way, while the hissing blacks dragged the woman the opposite way. The result was a meeting of the skulls in the middle, followed shortly by pain. No sooner had stars began to fill Mat's vision, he was pulled down into the seat as the girl fell into the aisle.

Mat felt the bus pull over and stop. Screams and yells and general hysteria was filling the transport. Someone was cursing and muttering in some other lanuage. One voice in particular rose above the rest, yelling something about assumptions and mothers. There was a lot of swearing in the bus. Mat glanced up, trying to make heads or tails of what was happening, all whilst struggling against a bloody anaconda!

Hey, was that Samuel L. Ja-- Ack!

The white behemoth wrapped Mat tighter in it's grip. Clutching at the seats in front and behind, Mat started trying to pull himself upright. More yelling. Was somebody giggling? The girl seemed to have managed to make her way back onto the seat. If things could just calm down a second, then maybe they could sort this mess out.

>>> Ahem... I'm going to have to ask you to leave... NOW”

Before Mat could make mention of the fact that leaving was somewhat of a difficult task at the moment, he saw a man, whom he presumed was the bus driver, place his hands under the woman's arms and begin hauling her out of her seat, much to her protest. Instead of letting go now that it's source was being shifted away, the white snake held on tight. Which meant that now, Mat was being dragged out as well.

“Hey! What the fu-ugh! Ack! Stop it, you bastard, lemme just--”

Struggling was futile. Mat couldn't free himself, and the bus man wasn't listening. Resigning himself to his fate, Mat did the best he could to keep shuffling backwards as he and the girl were marched down the steps of the bus and out onto the street. The cold wind nipped away, and Mat felt himself getting angry. He was the one getting the rough end of the stick in all of this, and he was the one that got kicked off?

He stomped his foot on the road as hard as he could, several times. A golem rose up, and Mat commanded it to go after the bus man, who had just started hopping back on board. The man saw the golem, paled, then quickly ran back to his seat. By Mat's will, the golem began pounding it's stone fists into the side of the bus, leaving behind small dents. The glass of the door was soon shattered, and the golem began to climb through. Mat heard renewed screams come from inside the bus, before it shifted into gear, and pulled away as fast as a bus could, golem clinging to the side. His spite now sated, Mat allowed himself a tiny grin.

Until he realised that he was still tangled up by a cluster of snakes.

In the commotion of golem making, and bus attacking and escaping, the snakes had gotten worked up. They writhed around, still hissing, still spitting. The white pulled back towards the girl. Balance compromised, Mat fell backwards into the woman, knocking them both back a few steps. The white slithered around Mat's body, and around the woman's body, effectively tying them together. Mat turned on the spot, clumsily, and found himself face to face with a green face hidden behind sunglasses.

Quite a beautiful face, now that Mat was up nice and close. The snakes suddenly forgotten for the moment, Mat, despite the awkwardness of the situation, couldn't help but grin.

“You know, there are easier ways for a pretty little thing like you to get a man's attention.”

"Wai-...wait!-"

Before she knew it, she and her unfortunate tag along were deposited out onto the street. The driver shook his head and turned, muttering about mutants not being able to keep their bloody powers under control, before he hopped back onto the bus. With a little frown, the likes of which were becoming more and more frequent. And to think, she had expected the day to flow so smoothly... The man beside her stomped, earning her attention, and before she could react a person...thing...creature?... appeared from the ground. Andrea's jaw dropped as before her eyes the man-thing attacked the bus, bashing dents and shattering reinforced windows with ease.

The panic oozing from the beaten up bus flooded into the street and screams erupted from those nearby. Like cockroaches scurrying from a kitchen light, the sidewalk was empty of people in seconds, and the bus was speeding away with golem still attached.

Feeling more or less at a loss for words, she stood and stared, not really knowing how to react now that her plans were dashed, until her serpents snapped her to attention again. She realized, a little too later, that they weren't all too happy about the ruckus that had gone on. With an 'Oof!' her new friend was tugged into her and she was thrown off balance. "Uugh!... Sloth, let g-" and then she was face to face... with the grinning man.

“You know, there are easier ways for a pretty little thing like you to get a man's attention.”

Before her jaw could drop, again, she felt the familiar heat rush into her cheeks. Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed brown, and Andrea felt just a little dizzy. Why would she.... what did he?

"Wh-...What?" Out of the corners of her eyes, she spotted the blurry dark shapes of curious people creeping closer, and somewhere through the foggy dizziness she could hear sirens in the distance.

"...Cops..." And she promptly fainted dead away, becoming nothing more than dead weight as her forehead dropped onto the guys shoulder.

Mat watched as the woman in front of him starting changing from green to brown. Was that a blush? D'awww, how cute!

>>> “Wh-...What?”

Mat couldn't help but grin. The girl must have been a shy one. Hopefully his teasing wouldn't scare her off. All snake-tangling, and flirting aside, Mat was genuinely interested in her. Mutants who were visibly mutants fascinated the artist in him.

>>> “...Cops...

Then she fainted.

Mat grabbed onto her arms, holding the girl up she fell into him. He stared down at the pretty, green mutant girl in puzzlement. Was it what he said? He had always wanted beautiful women to fall effortlessly into his arms, but this was ridiculous. The tightness around him began to slacken, and the giant snake began to uncoil itself from around Mat. It, and the other snakes, all began to look at the girl, forked tongues flicking in and out, in and out. It almost seemed as though they were concerned for the girl. Suddenly, they all turned on Mat and hissed in unison. Without thinking, Mat jumped backwards.

Promptly dropping the girl onto the ground.

Luckily, she didn't smack her head on the pavement. Mat swore, and raced forwards to see if she was alright, berating himself for letting her go. He was greeted by beady eyes and more hissing.

“Oh, come on! You want me to help her, or not?”

When in doubt, yell at a few reptiles. That always helps things.

More slowly this time, Mat edged forward. The snakes didn't hiss, and he took that as a good sign. He slowly reached a hand out towards the girl, and one of the black snakes took a lunge at him, causing him to stumble and fall on his butt. It seemed that they held him responsible for the girl's fainting episode. Mat rubbed at the back of his head. They were right, he supposed. It was him that caused it.

The sounds of sirens reached Mat's ears, and suddenly he was aware of the watchful eyes surrounding him. Probably in response to a bus vandal. A mutant bus vandal.

With the snakes not allowing Mat to get close to the girl there was no way for him to carry her away from the scene. And there was no way he was going to leave her alone, unconscious and at the mercy of who knows who. Which left only one option.

Several strikes later, two golems had sprouted from a wall, and were busy carrying a pretty, green mutant away, snakes hissing all the while. After several attempted bites, they soon learned the futility of such an act. Mat led them all to some quiet alley and gently set the girl down. The giant white snake coiled itself on the ground as the golems lowered the girl, volunteering itself as a makeshift pillow. The others arched up straight, standing vigil for any unwanted intruders.

Mat commanded the golems to stand guard at the end of the alley, a means of deterring curious eyes. Then he sat, and he waited.

Ahh... blissful sleep, where angry bus drivers, odd mutant created golem's or shrieking sirens could get to you. But she did notice that it felt like she was being jostled on top of rocks... The Greek groaned a little, but remained for the most part out of it. Her snakes on the other hand were in a fit. What was the meaning of this?! These things were moving... and yet when bitten they were hard, and didn't die! If looks could kill, the Golems would be dead seven times over. Curious on lookers stopped to stare in amazement as the troupe passed, and more than one were snapped at by enraged serpents.

Once she was laid down in the alley, with her head supported by Sloth, and the others standing at attention, Andrea wiggled again and opened her eyes. First of all she noticed her glasses were on crooked, and fixed them with a palm to her face. The second thing she noticed, was that her serpents had noticed her, and here hovering rather close to her face.... A frightening sight when her snakes had a tendency to strike at her. "Ah!"

She pushed the snakes away, sitting herself upright, and finally noticed the man from the bus beside her. Her cheeks darkened again whens he remembered what he had said, and she coughed. "....uh..." With Andrea awake and functional, the snakes turned their attention elsewhere. The ally was dark... rather clean- for an alley, with a few trashcans littering the walls. Andrea turned her eyes toward the opening, guarded by the two hulking figures, and twitched ever so slightly. Remembering that the same type of creature had only a few minutes ago been punching holes in a bus... didn't exactly put her jumbled nerves to rest. "....um...."

Her eyes turned back to the man, and she fidgeted. "Hello." The white snake who had been acting as her pillow slithered up and over her shoulder, yawning widely as it settled across her chest. She tapped her fingers on its body, and smiled a little. Meanwhile, the dark snakes in her hair had retreated. They could hear something scurrying about in the darkness at the back of the alley, and their flicking tongues told them it was a fat juicy rat. If they hid... and waited until just the right moment... maybe, just maybe, they could get a meal before the green one could take it away. The Green one in question shifted uncertainly as sirens grew closer, then faded again. "... Where are we?"

With all the excitement having now died down, Mat resumed his ongoing battle with sleep. Luckily for him, the cold made it hard to get too comfortable and fall asleep. Unfortunately, it was still a losing battle, and Mat found himself drifting in and out once more, his chest tightening every time it happened. Still, slumber had the high ground. It held the advantage, and was preparing to charge...

>>> “Ah!”

“Ah!”

Mat looked over to the girl, whose startled cry had prompted Mat's own startled cry. She pushed her snakes away from her face, and sat upright. When she saw Mat her face flushed the same shade of brown it had earlier. She gave a cough and began um-ing and uh-ing. Mat grinned, still amused by it.

>>> “Hello”

“Mornin' sunshine,” he beamed. He watched with fascination as the girl fidgeted around. Now that she was sitting upright, snakes sticking out from her black hair, Mat took the time to take a good look at her. With her sunglasses and dress, she looked like a chic Medusa. “You alright?”

He watched as the giant white snake slithered over the girl's chest and she drummed her fingers on it's scaly hide. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and Mat couldn't help but smile with along with her. She had a nice smile. The other snakes retreated into the girl's hair, and Mat found himself wondering what it must be like having snakes living in your hair.

>>> “Where are we?”

“I'm not really sure. An alley somewhere. You, ah, you passed out so I thought it would be best to get you away from where we got kicked off,” Mat said, rubbing at his neck. “I may have cause a bit of a scene, what with the bus and all.” He gave a sheepish grin. “Didn't want you getting into trouble 'cause of me.”

“Name's Mat, by the way.”

Sunshine? Well... that was a new nickname... She would have to remember it. "I am fine... I just do not like the sound of police cars, is all." An inward cringe at the thought of what the threat of police brought. Yes, it was defiantly good that she was in here, and now out there. The lack of crowds, cars, possible cameras, and officers did wonders for her jumpy nerves.

"Are those...um... things yours?" She asked, wanting to take her mind of the subject of getting mailed back to Greece, "...What are they?"

She had seen similar things, she believed, but she had never paid very much attention. They reminded her greatly of a Show she had seen once, save that the thing from the Tv show had been a monster. The things he... created, didn't seem evil, or good really. "..How do you make them?" It interested her greatly that someone else had a sort of power over stone. She glanced at her hands for a moment, flexing her finger's in her synthetic gloves, and blinked.

“I'm not really sure. An alley somewhere. You, ah, you passed out so I thought it would be best to get you away from where we got kicked off,”

A frown fell back in place over her lips, at the thought of her passing out. She would have to work on getting overly excited, or else none of her problems would be solved. "...Eh, Sorry. About, well, everything." She laughed nervously, and touched the collar of her hood. She hadn't realized that it had been down the whole time. "Do not apologize, I am thankful you did not leave me out there." With a grin, she extended a gloved hand his way, her hood forgotten about for the moment.

"I am Andrea, It is a pleasure to meet you, Mat."

She heard the tell tale scratching of tiny claws on pavement, and the scurrying of a small furry animal behind the trash cans closest to her. A good sized rat darted from the shadows, intent on escaping back to his hole in the wall- which Andrea was sitting beside- until it got too close and one of her ebony snakes flashed out and snagged it. She was jerked a little by the action, and swore again in Greek as she reached to snatch the rat from her serpents mouth. The snake saw her coming, and a mini game of Catch Me If You Can ensued. The small animal squirmed for a few moments as her snake tried to gulp it down, but Andrea grabbed it around its small angular head and pried the rat out. It was pretty much all stone by the time she fully extracted it, and with an agitated sigh, she tossed the animal back into the shadows.

"I am going to have to put muzzles on you guys... Really, I am..." Sloth twitched, unaware as to what a 'muzzle' was, but got the feeling from her agitation that it was not good. The other snakes merely ignored her, and sank back into the depths of her dark hair, blending in save for their beady orange eyes.

>>> "I am fine... I just do not like the sound of police cars, is all."

“I know the feeling,” Mat grinned. In Australia, the sound had often meant a night of lock up, at most. They had usually followed some youthful indiscretion. Usually following a night on the booze, or whatever else may have been passed around. Since coming to America though, the sound reminded Mat that he was a long way from home. The sound reminded him of things he had done, the more serious things. The things he had done himself, and the things he had become accomplice to.

Like teaming up with a woman who killed police officers without batting an eyelid.

>>> “Are those...um...things yours? ...What are they?”

Mat's attention was drawn from memories of Mute to the two golems he had standing at the end of the alleyway. “What, those? Yeah they're mine.” A proud smile crossed his face. “They're my art.”

>>> “How do you make them?

Mat gave the concrete ground a couple of slaps, looked up at the woman, then held the image in his mind. A concrete replica of her, no larger than a child's doll, sprouted from the ground. Hood down, hair billowing out, and snakes sticking out. The giant white he made drape over the shoulders, like a fashionable boa. With a mental prompt, Mat made it take a few steps towards the woman.

“It's my mutation. I can duplicate certain materials, and control it.” The sculpture girl gave a twirl and curtsied to the real one. “It's like I leave a part of myself in the material whenever I hit it. Once the connection is broken...” Mat released the connection, and the sculpture froze in place, a wistful smile on it's features. “I can duplicate pretty much anything, so long as it's natural, and not living.”

Mat explained what happened to her, and the girl frowned, and promptly apologised. Then she laughed, thanked him and extended a gloved hand. She grinned once more and Mat found himself mirroring the expression.

>>> "I am Andrea, It is a pleasure to meet you, Mat."

“A pleasure meeting you too, Andrea.” He didn't just say it out of politeness. Mat glanced at the girl once more, captivated by her. It genuinely was a pleasure.

Andrea. Beautiful name. Beautiful girl.

Out of nowhere, one of the black snakes darted from Andrea's hair, and snagged itself a rat. The force of it tugged Andrea slightly, and she began cursing in some foreign language. Now that he thought about it, there was a trace of an accent in her voice when she was speaking English. Which meant she may have been a fellow refugee. Or at least an expat. She fought over the rat with the snake, almost like trying to wrest a ball from a dog's mouth. Finally, Andrea prevailed. The snake retreated back into the mass of black hair, eerie orange eyes peeking out.

Ok, so that was a little off-putting.

>>> "I am going to have to put muzzles on you guys... Really, I am..."

“Your...uh...your snakes? You can't control them?” he asked, hoping he didn't insult her. Not that he was afraid of them, of course. It's just that, uh, he was a little afraid of them...

Art? Andrea's ears pricked, and she tilted her head. "Ohh... I love ar-.." She didn't get to finish her sentence.

The little slaps on the ground brought up a little... her? She was inclined to remove her glasses, purely so she could see the wee character in better light. Instead, she leaned forward bending down a little so she could spy the small creation more closely. It was her. Little snakes, little coat, everything. She giggled, a real unforced laugh, and resisted the urge to poke at it. In all honesty, she had never been to elated to see herself. Andrea half dipped back from her position on the ground, and raised her eyes back to Mat when the connection was lost. Carefully, she reached out and picked the little statue up, turning it over in one gloved hand.

"... It is absolutely beautiful." She held the little figurine out to him, intent on returning it, and beamed. "You must feel blessed to have such a gift."

When the attention was returned to her, she couldn't help but pout, and turn her eyes back to the shadows where the rat lay. "Unfortunately no... they have minds of their own, though.. they are less aggressive now than a few days ago." Still, less aggressive was still aggressive. A hiss from behind her ear spoke numbers, and the Greek reached back to swat its owner on the snout. "They are like children really..." She pointed to the one she had punished, "This one is Ira..." She pointed to the slow moving white beast next, who was busy trying to climb across the gap to Mat. "He is Sloth." She tugged on him a little, and the rest of the snakes slithered our from her hair, as if they wanted to be named as well.

Andrea pursed her lips, waiting for them to settle, then pointed to the next. "Avarice, Gula, Hubris, Vanagloria, and... lust." The small snake she hesitated to name shot forward, tongue flicking out, eyes on Mat. Andrea's cheeks darkened, and she pushed the serpent back into her hair. "...He is the friendliest..." And also the most likely to get her slapped with a restraining order one day...

Turning her eyes away from the ground, she glanced back to the golems. Now that she knew what they were, they weren't half as scary... okay, maybe a quarter less. "Are these the only kind of art you do?" Her smile returned, and she grinned at him, careful not to expose too much tooth. "I make things as well, though they aren't as intricate..." Perhaps, if he was interested, she would show him.

There's a certain pride that fills an artist, whenever somebody admires one of their works. Mat always assumed that it was the same sort of pride a parent feels whenever their child makes some kind of achievement. Winning a footy match, perhaps. Or coming first in a spelling bee. Mat wasn't a parent, so he couldn't make that judgement. All he knew was that when Andrea moved forward to get a closer look, and let out a joyful giggle, Mat was filled with that warm pride. His art wasn't just for his own enjoyment, it was for the enjoyment of the world. It was his duty as an artist to share the beauty in things he saw. Whether it be the enchantment of something mundane, like a family doing the shopping, or the elegance hidden behind an intimidating front, like a mutant girl with snakes in her hair. He watched as Andrea turned the sculpture over in her gloved hands, and he hoped that she could see the beauty within herself.

It was his job as an artist to show her.

>>> “...It is absolutely beautiful.”

She made to hand it back, and Mat shook his head with a grin. “Keep it.” He didn't know whether Andrea would find it awkward or not, having a sculpture of herself, but if she didn't like it she could always dispose of it. Mat wouldn't be offended. The gesture was what was important.

>>> “You must feel blessed to have such a gift.”

Again, Mat smiled. He did feel blessed, but didn't want to voice the thought. Compared to a lot of mutants, Mat had it easy. His gift let him fit in, let him be anonymous should he so choose. It let him do something he loved to do, at the level he wished to do it. Art had always been a love of his, despite the fact he was never any good at it prior to his mutation. His sister had gotten all the artistic genes from their mother. Mat watched Andrea, wondering how difficult her mutation must have made life for her. The ignorant masses, Mat knew, wouldn't be able to see past the green skin, past the snakes. And because of that, she would never be given the chance she deserved. Never be treated as the gorgeous woman she was.

Since coming to America, Mat had started to see just how cruelly mutants were treated, every day.

He asked her about her snakes, and saw the expression on her face drop. She explained how they had their own minds, and how they were still aggressive. Mat, having been the focal point of their aggression earlier on, could testify on that fact. Still, seeing Andrea smack one on the snout and mention how they were like children, Mat couldn't help but give a little laugh. She introduced them all, evidently having given them all names. Sloth, it seemed, was the giant white that had taken such an interest in Mat. As Andrea gave out names, Mat's nervousness towards the serpents lessened. The names made them more human in a way, made them more like a part of Andrea. He laughed as she blushed and introduced the last one, Lust. A strange name for a snake. In fact, Mat had recognised several of the names. There were seven snakes in total, and Mat put two and two together.

“You named them after the seven sins?”

She looked at the golems standing guard once more, and turned to Mat, her smile now returned. Mat could swear that a some of her teeth were longer than the others, but couldn't be sure. Not that it mattered to him, he just liked knowing all the details.

>>> “Are these the only kind of art you can do?”

“Pretty much. I can vary the shape and materials of my sculptures, but sculptures are the only thing I can make. I couldn't draw a picture to save my life,” he explained with a chuckle. He stood up and wandered over to one of the garbage bins that lined the alley. On the ground next to one was a glass bottle. Picking it up, Mat returned to where he was sitting and slapped the bottle. A glass rose sprouted forth, as an example of his being able to vary shape and source. Mat offered it to Andrea.

He may have had other intentions with the flower, aside from using it as an example.

>>> "I make things as well, though they aren't as intricate..."

Mat grinned a wide grin, the type that occurs when finding someone who shares a passion of yours. So she was an artist as well? Fantastic.

“I'd love to see them.”