Walking in central park should have been soothing, but to Madlaina it wasn’t. Since she was getting close to her high school graduation, the mansion had sent a group of seniors to the colleges and universities to get information so they could take classes in the fall. But being yammered at in English, walking around with a bunch of humans and mutants who were all excited to be doing this had quickly eaten away at her nerves. She had wanted to walk off her frustration, but now everywhere she looked Maddy saw happy humans enjoying a life they didn’t deserve.

Madlaina was struggling. She could feel herself floundering at the Mansion. She had left behind everything she knew to come here, to New York USA, to be with the X-men who had helped her and her fellow Romanian mutants. But somehow it wasn’t what she had expected or thought it would be. She didn’t fit in. And now that she had caught up and nearly finished her high school work, she was feeling adrift.

She was still so angry with humans for what they had done, she wanted to punish them, to make them hurt the way they had hurt her. Maddy had already learned that to express such feelings around the Mansion only led to long lectures on how to ‘get along’ and ‘forgive’… and depending on how upset and violent she got, it also led to punishments of extra chores or, the worst, Ethics homework. No one cared about how Maddy felt. The other students weren’t much help, they tended to tattle on her if she expressed any anti-human sentiments and then later claim they were only trying to help her.

You want to help me? Help me make it fair, make them suffer. They are innocent? I was innocent! It didn’t help that the few people she trusted had gotten busy and somewhat faded from her life. Since the day they went shopping she hadn’t even heard from… Well, best not to think about that. Not that she had made much effort since. Much like a parachute, once a few holes had been punched in her, she deflated. Maddy had somewhat retreated into herself; the combination of lost friends and lack of understanding making her feel alone and picked on.

So now it was time to make herself feel better… by picking on humans. Juvenile but profitable and mood lifting. So here she was, scouting the area for a mark. Not hard considering there was almost always something going on in the park that distracted people. A magician, mime, musician, clown, birthday party, or other such show. Today it was some sort of children’s play- acting in the park or some nonsense that some local theater did. Parents were easy because they were so trusting and usually more focused on their kids instead of their valuables, so Maddy wasn’t going to complain.

Moving among the crowd it was easy to pick up a few wallets from the fathers and some items out of the purses that sat unmonitored in strollers. She still looked young enough to be with her parents at an event like this, or maybe babysitting a younger sibling, so no one gave her a second look- especially when she put on the act of looking for someone. Dressed in jeans, a sweater, a sweatshirt, and her purple Chucks she blended in with the other people. Well, she wasn’t bundled up as tightly, she liked the cold and compared to Romania this wasn’t all that bad.

Taking a break to move the money and ditch the wallets, hiding her new stash in the secret pocket under her sweatshirt, she started cruising again. It was good to take breaks or people got suspicious, and you never want to be caught with a bunch of wallets on you, so she sat on one of the park benches and pretended to watch the show for a bit while scouting new targets.

New York hot dogs were the best hot dogs. Best, in caloric content. Best in how fast they'd expand your waistline and put you six feet under. Heaped high with relish, sauerkraut, mustard, ketchup, and all that good stuff, they were a handful. His hand was weighed down by the foil-wrapped polish sausage. He didn't have his hands by his pocket, guarding his wallet. The thought that a pickpocket was out and about in Central Park on a day like this just hadn't been in the forefront of his mind.

There were plenty of distractions, other than the hot dog and the art of eating. His mind was focused on a handful of cases. He could count them on one hand. As for the suspects? Two hands. Too many. Hence the eating, hence the break. He was letting his mind rest, letting thoughts percolate.

How had case 1 happened? Ashton went over the details in his mind. Mutant enters bank. Mutant uses power. Guns fly from holsters. Security guards get beaten down. Later, they catch a guy meeting the mutant's description, several blocks away. No cash, similar power. Witness testimony is sketchy. The case goes a week. Then, another detail comes out of the woodwork. The man had a twin.

He shook his head, and shifted gears to another case, drifting along through the crowd.

Madlaina was watching the crowd, making up her mind between two marks, when her view was blocked. Before she could move to continue her perusal else where, she realized that she had been given some luck in the form of an easy mark. Fortuitous that a man would leave his pockets unguarded to eat and then wander in front of her.

But Madlaina wasn’t one to pass up an opportunity, no matter that it felt off for some reason. So she stood and sidled behind the man. Acting like she was simply crossing from behind him to in front of him, her right hand slipped into his left jacket pocket. A wallet and something else met her gloved fingers. Before she could analyze what it was, she had pulled her hand and her pilfered items and took a step away.

Her back to the victim she looked down at her hand, curiosity stronger than the idea that the man might see that she had his things. The predicted wallet was there, but her heart froze at the sight of the metal object clipped to it. The metal shield of a police officer sat in her hand, the light twinkling off of it and up at her as if to say ‘Ha ha! Got you!’

The split-second realization that she had just stolen from a cop hit her and as if in slow motion she dropped her hand, the badge and wallet slipping from her fingers as she turned to run. The clatter of the metal as it hit the ground behind her echoed in her ears, her heart leaping to life with a jolt as it threatened to pound out of her. All she wanted was to get away, but all she could think of were the few hours she had spent in the care of Romanian police. The thought was nearly paralyzing as she began to run.

Clink. Clatter. Badge hit pavement. Ashton turned. Was that his badge on the ground? Was that someone who'd taken it, running that way? In one smooth motion, the badge was reclaimed, he broke into a run, and dumped the perfectly good hot dog into a trash recepticle. It joined others like it, undercooked. Not that he noticed. Bad sign, if he had. Bad vendor. Another distraction. Girl might have saved his liiiiife. But she was running. Bad girl. Chase.

A newspaper tumbled on the wind nearby. He zeroed in on it, ahead of her. One second, it was there. The next, he'd cut her off, arms crossed, badge pressed against the outside of his arm, on casual display. His eyes were narrowed seriously. "Going somewhere?" Ashton asked, in the same tone that made stomachs drop and people fall to their knees.

Despite the sound of her own feet on the pavement, her heart in her ears, and the breath rushing noisily out of her, she could still hear when the man gave chase. Madlaina wasn’t strong and didn’t have much stamina, but since going to the mansion and getting three square meals a day, her ability to run had come back. Light on her feet she was fast, though she couldn’t keep it up long, fear drove her.

The people in the park were, of course, turning to look. Getting in her way and slowing her down as they murmured amongst themselves. Finding a clear path, she bolted, only to find the man suddenly in front of her. How he did that would be a thought for later. Her heels dug in, attempting to stop before she ran into him and her feet slipped under her. Like a rabbit on the run, she lost her balance while trying to stop, turn around, and go again, and suddenly she was on the ground scrambling away from him.

What he said wasn’t important and didn’t process, English had yet to cross the terror barrier, but the tone was one that increased her need to get away.

Stomachs didn't drop. People didn't fall to their knees. Their butts, maybe. And then, they were scurrying. She was scurrying. Away from him.

"Not so fast." He said, stalking over to grab at her hand. His other hand dropped to his pocket, slipping away his wallet. Then, he fumbled for his handcuffs. "Don't make me use these. Do not resist arrest." His tone was sharp. The handcuffs were hard. She really didn't want to mess with him. She really needed to understand.

This wasn't working. She had to get to her feet. Couldn't run, couldn't get away on her hands and knees. Had to get away. Get away, get away, GET AWAY! the refrain pounded in her head, her only mission at the moment. She wasn't thinking. Madlaina was in a panic. About to get to her feet, something hard gripped part of her hand and wrist. A split second glance showed it to be the man's hand.

Then the sound of metal, the strangely soft clink of the handcuffs. Maddy reacted, trying to jerk away and kick out at the same time. "Nu vreau sa intru la puscarie! Nu!"((1))

She only succeeded at one of her efforts. her kick connected with his shin, but her hand only slipped a little. Still caught, still trapped. "Lasa-ma sa ma duc!"((2)) She ineffectively pulled at her wrist again, her body leaning away from him.

((OOC: Sorry I thought that since he wouldn't understand I wouldn't need to put the translation. *shrug* But all fixed now.
1- I will not go to jail! No!
2- Let me go!))

((OOC: Please include a note in your OOC, or in the body of your post, stating what you are saying in a foreign language. It's important, both from a player perspective, and that of a moderator.

Also, I hope this post is okay!))

The kick connected. Ashton winced. "Why you little... what're you saying?!" He growled. Ashton couldn't understand whatever language she was speaking. Ugh. Not a fun situation to be in. The pickpocket had rights he couldn't tell her of. All he could do was speak the one language everyone understood. Ashton forced her arms behind her back, using his strength against hers, and locked the handcuffs securely in place. He was much stronger than her, and far larger. He had an advantage.

"There." He stood behind her, holding her wrists so she couldn't struggle away. "You're going down to the station... and we're going to find a translator... because I don't speak whatever language you've got." He said, and started wheeling her away.

Madlaina felt a small flare of triumph when the heel of her foot met the resistance of his leg, but was quickly stifled as her freedom wasn't immediately granted. Instead her body was, predictably, forced around like a toy. The metal circling her wrists seemed to tighten, biting into her skin and feeling like it was trying to worm between the bones of her wrist. She briefly lost her footing and was jerked up, her body completely off the ground for a moment and Maddy couldn't help the yelp of pain as her shoulders were painfully yanked upwards in the wrong direction.

Swung around, her head ducking the strange looks of the crowd, Maddy glared at the man hauling her along the sidewalk. What he was saying was starting to penetrate the cloud of adrenaline and she recognized the disdainful tone of his voice. "Politia! Nu vreau sa ma duc la in lagare sau in case!" ((1)) Spitting out the words as if they tasted bad in her mouth, she resisted the urge to actually spit. Still too angry and frightened to speak English, Madlaina continued to sputter and protest in hasty Romanian.

Mind whirling, wondering how she was going to get out of this and what was going to happen to her, Maddy could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Her family had disowned her, and she them, but even so.... She was in a foreign country, under age, a mutant, and essentially an orphan. She had a feeling the Mansion wouldn't be pleased with this latest development in her behavior. If she had been back home she would have been sent to jail, work camps, mutant camps if they found out, or a state home for orphans. None of which were great options.

Maddy sniffled and moved to wipe her nose, unthinking, but was stopped by the cuffs. With a sigh she rubbed her face against her shoulder, mostly forgetting the man moving her along. With the exception of the steady pull on her wrists that is.

((Translation= Police! I won't let you take me to the camps or the homes!))

His car wasn't too far off. His personal car, not the squad car. He was a detective, after all. He didn't always take that thing out. It drew attention. Plus... it was nowhere near as sleek and sexy as his black Ford Taurus. Unfortunately, sexy wasn't exactly what he was aiming for in dragging the young girl off to a jail cell. Hopefully, she didn't try opening an door and making a break for it while he was driving. He'd have to keep an eye on her and make her sit in front.

The door swung open. Ashton pushed the foreign girl towards the passenger's side seat. "Sit." He insisted.

Maddy was still grumbling under her breath when the man walked them both to a black car. Opening the door he shoved her in, and she had to duck to avoid hitting her face on the top edge of the vehicle. Surprised to find herself in the front seat rather than the back, she couldn’t help contemplating the idea of another escape attempt. But the image of herself jumping out of a car with her hands behind her back wasn’t pleasant, so she rejected the plan.

His order was met with a glare, but nevertheless she swung her legs into the car, and flinched when the door was slammed. Watching him as he moved around the car, probably as carefully as he was watching her, she turned away to stare sullenly out the window when he got in.

The doors all locked in unison. The car started up. Ashton pulled away from the curb and into traffic. He didn't make smalltalk on the drive to the station. Every few seconds, he checked to make sure she was still there, but for the most part, he didn't pay the girl much attention. His duty was clear. She'd picked his pocket. She was going to get treated just like any other criminal. She'd just need a translator. The guys at the station would handle that.

Pulling into a parking spot in the police parking lot, Ashton addressed the girl in his front seat without looking at her. "We're here. Behave yourself. It won't be so bad." If she didn't, it would be. It went without saying.

He walked around to the passenger side and helped her out. The doors of the Taurus locked by electronic key. Ashton stepped behind the girl and helped her along through the parking lot to their destination. "I'll get you a translator." He said. "But it sure would help if you spoke enough English to let me know what language it is you speak."

Caught in her own thoughts and worries, she didn't pay much attention to what he said. But now that she was calmer, her mind was functioning on more than instinct and the translations were coming through. Just another adult telling her to Be Good. Good luck with that.

Clambering out of the car, Maddy was not pleased with the hand gripping her arm near the cuffs, and despite a few mild attempts at shrugging him off, it stayed there. Glad to be wearing long sleeves and gloves, she was worried about what would happen once inside. If they took her gloves, which she imagined they would, she was in for a bad day.

Pushed through the doors, a cacophony of noise met her ears and she flinched away from the wave of various sights, smells, and sounds. This was not a good place based on what she saw around her. Various criminals were questioned, moved, or restrained by cops. Backing away from it wasn't possible, and Maddy realized that if she wanted to run again, she should have done it before coming in here. There was little to no chance she would escape this.

((OOC: sorry this took a while, I am having issues with just about everything, from my computer to my schedule.))

"I'm going to need a translator," Ashton addressed an officer behind a desk as they entered the room. "This girl doesn't speak English. I'm not sure what language she's speaking. She tried pickpocketing me."

The middle-aged man behind the desk nodded, glasses catching the glint of light off a nearby lamp. "Yes, Detective Drake." He agreed amiably. Then, he turned to the right and picked up a small phone, making the call to someone who could hook Ashton up. In the meantime, there wasn't much to do but wait. Maybe attempt to get a language out of her. Actually. "I could really use a language though... if you could find it out." The man behind the desk looked at Drake weakly, hand over the receiver of the phone in his hands.

"Language?" Drake asked the girl hopefully. The man behind the counter looked at the girl expectantly. Honestly, if they could get the list narrowed... it'd make things so much easier.

Madlaina stared at him for a moment. Then turned her eyes to the clerk behind the desk. They were both looking at her, one with expectation and the other with a somewhat disbelieving hope. As if he didn’t expect her to actually answer. For a moment, the brunette mulled over the idea of refusing to answer. But that would only keep her here longer than necessary, and that was not what she wanted.

With a subtle glare at the detective holding her, Maddy looked at the man who was patiently waiting on the phone. “Romania…” As much as she wanted to cause trouble for this cop, she wasn’t going to shoot herself in the foot to do it.

The goal was to get out of here; any and all things she did were directed to that goal. Despite the urge to feel sorry for herself, and just sit down and cry like the teenager she was, she forced her self to push it aside in favor of seeming strong and not becoming a victim.