Ashley was glad the weather was turning down it's harsher ways and becoming more civil to the people that didn't really have homes to go to. That wasn't to say she was cozy and warm; the weather wasn't being THAT nice. It was nippy, but in that good way and that was something Ashley could be thankful for. She pulled her headphones tighter though she knew they couldn't really get on any tighter. She just needed to distract herself from the growing pain in her stomach as the hunger gnawed at her.

“Stupid.” Ashley berated herself, sniffing. She usually just stole what she wanted, or dumpster dived. But at the moment she didn't really feel like going diving and stealing from a food place was hard to do by yourself. And she really didn't have any friends on which to plan with. “Stupid.” she said again, shaking her head.

There was the alternative; pickpocketing. She wasn't bad at pickpocketing either, and often people seemed to simply forgo that she had just bumped into them. She knew from her limited experience in such acts like pickpocketing that people often found her attractive, and they seemed to fumble even more when she did something like smile, an act that utterly bewildered the redhead but she didn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

She walked through one of the many parks New York had, the snow still apparent but slowly growing more and more a distant memory of the harsh winter. One of the things she taught herself about pickpocketing was that looking nonchalant was half the game, and if you looked deep in thought or if you were (and this was her favorite) seemed lost in your music, people would almost always forgive your slight bumping with them because of it. She'd had to run a few times but it's been awhile since she's had to, but Ashley felt like maybe it was time to try and snag her a fat wallet and get herself a nice meal out of the deal.

Another trick she taught herself was listening to tracks that augmented her speed. Making a getaway with the help of her powers had always proven easy, and the times she had run she always outran whoever was chasing her with relative ease. She took a moment to change the playlist to the songs that specifically did just that. She shoved her headphones back on and let out a slight purring noise as she felt the music flow her, the electric feeling going up and down her spine telling her that the power was in effect.

The last trick she learned? Don't think about it. And that's how when she turned and spotted the woman coming in her direction she didn't even think twice.

Mistake number one.

Mistake number two was not taking into account her clothing. People that dressed in suits, ties, people that looked nice like they were out in their Sunday best...those were the people you wanted to target. The ones that looked eccentric, out of the ordinary like they were TRYING to stand out were people you did NOT want to mess with. Why? Because more often then not you were targeting someone that was looking for trouble. And in this day and age, an eccentric outfit usually meant mutant. Usually, but not always.

And the time that Ashley took to look over the girl she noticed two things; the bow and the rather ample chest area. But she quickly looked away as the 'accidental' bump took place. Ashley easily got the wallet out of the girl's back pocket, noticing the apple blossom smell that made Ashley blink a moment. She noticed the strong, sensual gait only after she passed the girl, also noticing other things that she pushed to the back of her ind as she put the wallet inside of her trenchcoat before being stopped by probably the angriest, loudest roar of protest she'd ever heard in her whole life.

She'd been caught. And by god even though the woman wasn't exactly intimidating to Ashley her tone made the redhead’s blood run cold. It promised much pain in her near future. Much, much pain. Also suffering.

So Ashley ran like the devil himself was on her heels, her mutant power augmenting her speed as she booked it towards the heavy traffic and Dukes of Hazzard-ed across two different cars that were waiting for ta red light (both protested but Ashley payed them no heed) before stopping to catch her breath in a nearby alley. The sprint was fast and she hadn't even stretched. Running at that speed was probably dangerous, but Ashley REALLY didn't want to find out if the woman had roared like an angry lion was the forgiving type. The park was actually far behind her, but just in case Ashley peeked around the corner and, to her surprise and absolute horror, the woman she had pick pocketed was right across the street.

“Stupid.” Ashley berated herself for the third time that day. “Damn.”

Mistake number three: Stopping before you make DAMN sure you're not being chased anymore.

And from the looks of it, this wasn't going to be easy.

Finally Winter had given away to Spring, and while it was still cold out by some peoples' standards, the change in season promised a gradual increase in temperature as it went. As it was, it was getting warm enough that Isabel didn't feel the need to grab a jacket before she'd headed out. The cold hadn't ever really bothered her all that much, and when the wind didn't pick up, it really wasn't all that bad out. The somewhat crisp air felt good on her skin after sitting around in the Sanctuary for a good portion of the day thus far.

The park seemed like as good a destination as any. She could waltz through there with less potential problems than she could in, say, a mall or some smaller shop. Plus, she wanted the fresh air. She wasn't in much of a mood to browse through racks of merchandise and the whole point of leaving the Sanctuary was to air herself out a bit, so to speak.

She should have known switching out of her previous trend in outfits and into something slightly more subtle would have caused problems in some way. Namely that her pockets were more easily found and accessed now that she was wearing pants, as opposed to the hidden ones that had been located between the pleats in the skirt she'd previously worn.

With her reputation she expected to be able to take her stroll without too much trouble. She dressed herself differently, but still in her signature colors, and with her infamous bow still in place atop her head some people might still turn their heads. Plus her face had made its way into enough news articles that if one looked long enough, they'd probably recognize her in some way. As such, people tended to leave her be.

There hadn't been any expectation of pickpocketing. At least, not when she was the victim. Things were usually flipped the other way around.

Since switching to a somewhat more conventional means of clothing, she'd had to get used to the feeling of her pockets' contents sitting more closely against her skin. Because of this, she was well enough aware of those contents to notice the slip in pressure against her body as her wallet was pilfered. The culprit was somewhat smooth, she'd give them that much, but it wouldn't be nearly enough to win her favor.

Pausing to press a hand against the spot where her wallet once had been in order to make sure she wasn't just being paranoid, she voiced her distress and disapproval when the bulge of the intended object didn't meet her palm. It wasn't so much an intelligible protest as more of a roar of sorts, for lack of a better word.

Spinning on her heel, she whipped around to locate the offender, easily spotting a young woman that was very quickly making a run for it. Isabel didn't waste any time in taking off after the thief, a bit of a growl escaping her as she sprinted, putting on as much speed as she could muster on her two legs, becoming somewhat distressed that the pickpocket was still gaining ground.

That was so it. No one pulled that kind of prank on her and got away with it.

As she moved, her ribs started shifting, four of them forming themselves into the long, spindly, daddy long legs-ish limbs she had grown so fond of. Two slipped down her spine and under the hem of her shirt, hiking it up and exposing a portion of her back and stomach while the other two rose over her shoulders and through the collar of her shirt, making it a necessity for her to free her top-most button to give them room to maneuver. She didn't have time enough to think of the sort of sight that presented.

She gave a few large hops as the legs got a footing underneath her before using them to propel herself across the ground at an alarming speed, the limbs having a much larger stride than her humanoid legs did.

She couldn't help but grin as she started closing the distance between herself and the other young woman, keeping a close eye on the thief as she headed for the street. Not a great choice. With her bone appendages, she could easily propel herself over and through traffic. If they were hit, she could quickly regrow them and carry on. She doubted the same could be said of the other girl.

And the girl even paused to see if she was being followed. Hadn't she ever seen a horror movie? Never stop while being chased, especially without tripping first, which is always inevitable.

Somewhat recklessly she picked her way through the traffic between herself and the paused pickpocket, taking the time to aim a few spikes at the tires of the vehicles close by, wanting to at least close off some sort of exit rout the girl might have, if failing to cause a wreck of some sort, which would have been even better.

Forming another spike in her hand and twirling it with a smile, he locked her attention back on the offender. "I suggest you give me back what you stole before I steal something important from you," she called. Maybe a kidney. Or perhaps her spleen. Though there was always the option of closing her eyes and picking out whatever she latched onto first.

Well...this was a problem, to say the least.

Ashley knew she wasn't the smartest person in the world but even she had to berate herself (fourth time) for not even noticing the person chasing her was a mutant. She was oddly beautiful, her face (something one would consider beautiful normally) was contorted to one of anger and fury. Ashley was frozen, thinking on how to get out of this situation. Of all the times she'd ever pick-pocketed someone she'd never managed to hit a mutant, and the one time she did (now) was the time that the chase wasn't going in her favor, despite her power. She looked like some kinda spider, and it gave Ashley the shivers just imagining it. Maybe she was a spider mutant?

It took the image of the girl before her spinning her up in her web and sucking her dry to make Ashley dash away, this time faster then she'd ever run before. No sir, she wasn't going to be sucked dry by ANYONE, much less a spider girl with huge boobs (okay...it was hard not to notice). She didn't go straight though, she had to find a way to give herself the advantage because no matter HOW fast she ran the spider girl was going to catch up. She ducked into an alley and decided that there were only three places she could go, and all three of them were her private 'safe houses', places she could go to hide. They weren't secure or anything, but they were out of the way and more often then not people would give up looking for her as soon as she ducked into her first choice in matters such as these; the sewers.

She ran fast and hard, knowing the spider chick was right behind her if the vague death threats and subtle way she roared for her blood. Even if she hadn't pushed herself to the limits of her endurance too many times, Ashley knew that if she kept going at this pace she was GOING to get caught because she would collapse. Luckily she was nearing her destination. The only bad part was knowing that the spider chick was going to see her duck into the sewers. Ashley just hopped she was too much of a priss to follow.

The redhead slid baseball style by the sewer cap and removed it with ease. She didn't bother going down the traditional way and instead dived in head first, catching a railing to prevent her falling down the six or so feet it was to the bottom and slid on the railing the rest of the way down. Learning from her past mistake, Ashley didn't bother to look up or to see if the spider woman was going to follow. She simply ran down the sewer, ignoring a bum who happened to be napping down there and the various rats that infested the place.

Never before had such fear gripped Ashley's heart until that very day, not ever. That woman was SCARY.

After about five minutes Ashley was forced to stop. After testing out her powers when she first got them she knew the limits of her running and how fast she could go. Her current performance pushed her way past that, and the stress was starting to take it's toll. She slowed and came to a stop for a moment. Hearing nothing she began to stretch, just to prevent herself from cramping up. She went through a simple Muay Thai kata, cracked her neck and began to walk towards her safe house, which really was nothing more then a secluded corner of the sewer that smelled just slightly less then the rest of it. From here she had several more escape routes to choose from, so it wasn't that big a deal if she had to move. She just had to stay alert to the spider's presence, so she hunkered down and paused her iPod that was on her headphones, her finger at the ready in case she heard something she didn't like to being her music again.

The grin Isabel wore faded into an irritated frown as the girl bolted again. Without dropping her wallet. Stupid kid. Didn't she know she was supposed to crumple up in fear or something when faced with a threat like that? She could have at least thrown the wallet back in some feeble attempt to placate the bone manipulator before running for her life. Didn't she know how these kinds of things worked? Le sigh.

With an unhappy sot of grunt, she hurdled over the cars that couldn't move due to slashed tires and around the traffic that as backing up around them, determined not to lose the thief as she sprinted off again. She was so getting her wallet back, and perhaps some sort of souvenir for her troubles. Something that would look nice in her room and compliment the police badges stuck into her wall.

She moved a bit clumsily in her anger and haste to keep up, the white limbs skittering and scratching along the ground and any other objects that lay in her path, scattering smaller objects and people alike as she did her damnedest to keep the woman in her sights, occasionally lashing out at a passerby if they didn't jump out of her way quickly enough.

She only gave a moments pause as she watched her target's backside disappear into an entrance to the sewer. Why did it have to be a sewer? That was so gross. She fumed for a second before hurling herself down after the offender, the spidery appendages providing her with the grip she needed to prevent herself from smashing into the ground below.

Her expression distorted into one of disgust as the sight and smell of the place hit her. So, so gross. Why, oh why, would anyone duck down there? She really must have been desperate to get away. The bone manipulator was rather scary, after all, especially with the reputation she'd gained.

That thought stoked her ego just a bit as she pushed on, not at all wanting to get herself lost in such a place. Luckily in such a small area, sounds tended to echo a bit, so she had a better chance of catching the offending the girl still, even without keeping her in her line of vision.

It was once the sound of feet slapping against the ground faded that she also slowed, creeping along and listening, trying to keep thee light ticking of her appendages to a low volume. The other girl would be just as trapped as she was if that panic from earlier was still present, so she could afford a bit of time to play.

Again toying with the spine she'd held onto from earlier, she started humming the tune to 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider', regaining her grin and skittering down the path she was sure the young woman had traveled through. She couldn't keep running forever. She'd get tired soon enough, especially at the rate she'd been going, and then she'd be in trouble.

Isabel would find her soon enough, and she was just itching to see what the little thief was made of once she she did.

It seemed like only a moment before Ashley found herself shaking the stupor she had sunk into while waiting for her coast to be clear. But the clear sounds of 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' coming from seemingly everywhere brought her back to the real world, the world where she had stolen the wallet of what appeared to be a very powerful spider mutant. The clocking sounds of the spider chick’s leg thingies was coming fro everywhere and Ashley thought, for the first time since planning her escape routes, that this was probably a bad idea. She pulled herself closer into the corner she was in, pulling her black trenchcoat over her in the hopes that it might, just might, cover her up.

Until she saw the spider chick round the corner and seemingly stumble upon her.

Ashley, without thinking that maybe the spider hadn't seen her at all, jumped up and smacked her head on the wall behind her, jolting her headphones and iPod. The music blasted on, this time the Heavy Metal Remix of Castlevania. Ashley felt the surge of power flow through her like hot lava in her veins. Luckily enough too, because if the spider didn't know she was there she certainly did now. Again, without thinking, Ashley lashed out, jumping from her corner with a knee to the spider's chest, knocking her into the sewer wall and stunning her. If it was from the attack or from the fact that someone was attacking her Ashley didn't know.

The redhead took the moment of time to take off her trenchcoat and toss it into the corner where was was hiding previously and went back to on the attack, dodging a slash from one of the legs the spider was sporting only to be caught by another. The leg caught her in the ribs, actually lifting her off her feet and slamming her into the ground a few feet away. Ashley paid no mind to the dirty water she landed on (it was only a puddle at the moment anyways) and kipped up, rushing forward again and doing her best to again dodge the spindly legs the spider was whirling around herself.

Ashley wasn't a good ranged fighter, as nothing in her arsenal would suggest she would be. She was up close and personal and that's just how she liked it. This ranged crap was for the birds, even if it really wasn't all THAT much range. The spider was just really good at keeping her at a distance. Ashley watched as the girl seemed to get her bearings back, her face once again looking as furious as Ashley had ever seen ANYONE, ever. Still, that was no reason to back down from a fight. Still, she was stepping back more then she liked and the legs were faster then she had predicated they would be. She would have to take them out before she could do anything else. She continued to fall back, duck and weave as the legs swiped and slashed and when one of them hit the wall Ashley finally struck. She brought her foot up and, with as much force as she could muster, slammed it against the leg.

The desired result happened; the leg broke. Ashley spun back around after taking her foot off of the wall and charged at the clearly dumbstruck spider and jumped, slamming her elbow on the girl's shoulder as she came down. She got in a few shots to the stomach (though it felt like she was hitting a brick wall) and was going to finish her combo with a knee but was suddenly slashed across the stomach by the object the spider was holding. The cut wasn't all that deep but a lot of the time it was the shallow cuts that hurt the most or often squirted blood. Ashley halted her assault momentarily, a mistake she wouldn't have normally made but this wasn't a normal fight.

The following one two punch from the spider followed by a blast of the blunt end of the knife (?) the spider was holding sent Ashley back a few steps, only to be knocked back on her ass again as the following kick connected to her gut. The legs came again and, from her count, Ashley would have expected one of them to be broken...it wasn't. None of them were. She swore and rolled out of the way as many of the legs began to stab down just at her previously location until one lead it's stab and almost got it, Ashley stopping just short of the thing impaling her temple. She was a hair's breath away from death and the thought made her get up quicker then she normally would have.

Ashley flipped backwards a few times and only got JUST blocked another one of the legs coming at her, grabbing it just as it was about to impale her face. She dug her feet in as it pushed her back, trying to knock her over. She struggled (god DAMN the spider chick was strong) and thought that, even with the music augmenting her strength she was still barley able to hold the girl back. The other legs came in at lighting fast speeds, and Ashley (thinking on her feet again) held onto the leg and pulled it past her as she jumped off the wall, launching herself up and past the incoming leg missiles and straight at the spider knee first. The blow was solid as solid could be but it still hurt Ashley's knee terribly. She knew before long, when the adrenaline was done pumping in her veins (and she wasn't dead) that it was going to be impossible to walk for awhile.

The spider stumbled back, her spider legs going limp as she rubbed her temple where Ashley had hit. Without thinking Ashley brought her leg up for a knee kick, getting a solid connection to the spider's side and then a spinning back elbow to the temple where her knee had previously hit. The connection hurt again but not as bad as the flying knee. The spider roared, the sound again making Ashley's blood run cold but, with so much adrenaline pumping through her veins she just couldn't will herself to stop. She stomped down on one of the legs, snapping it off and picked it up, wielding it like a sword before realizing how ridiculous she looked. Muttering she threw it aside and charged the girl again, swinging punch after punch. Some landed, some didn't and it wasn't long before the spider regained her composure (and looked even angrier for it, if that was even possible) and the tides turned again.

An incoming kick was blocked by one of the spider's legs while another one swept up Ashley's other leg, knocking her to the ground with stunning force. Ashley couldn't breath for a moment but then she REALLY couldn't breath as the girl landed on top of her chest with both knees, the dagger looking thing in her hand ready to stab Ashley right in the eye, or somewhere else that was vitally important to Ashley's well being. Weakened and in a state of complete hopelessness (and all this despite the strength of her music flowing through her) Ashley didn't know anything else to do. So, without thinking, she just went and did the first thing she could think of.

She reached up and groped the woman's breasts.

Time seemed to stop for a moment as both Ashley and the spider both looked at where Ashley's hands were before looking to each other, then back to the hands. The silence was deafening, but Ashley (not wanting to die) took the opportunity and swung her fist as hard as she could, right into the spider's jaw. The blow caught her by surprise (she was still looking quite stunned at the sudden grope) and fell back, her eyes rolling into the back of her head slightly before falling to the sewer floor. Ashley pulled herself up (somehow) and grabbed her trenchcoat and began to run as if her life depended on it.

Cause, let's face it. At this point, it did. Ashley knew if she ever saw the woman again, she was going to die. Horribly.

She ran up a certain ladder leading up to the streets above and shoved the manhole cover aside, jumping out and shoving it back onto the hole before sprinting down a nearby alley. Oddly enough, as she ran she wondered if the spider was going to be okay in the sewer by herself. Strange things happened down there and even though the spider was trying to kill the redhead, she didn't want her to get raped or killed because she had knocked her out. Ashley stopped running and looked back, narrowing her eyes. Why would she even worry about it. The spider wanted to suck out her insides!! You don't worry about people like that when you fight them!! Ashley took one step backwards...

...and hear that terrifying roar and ANY thoughts of helping out the spider chick flew away as she began to run once again.

The girl could hold her own, Isabel would give her that much. People were usually so much easier to maim, but as the little scuffle went on it was becoming increasingly clear that the little pickpocket wasn't just some fragile little human. She was moving a bit too fast and hitting too hard for her to be very ordinary. The bone armor was of course in place to prevent any serious damage, but there would most certainly be some bruising from whatever hits the girl managed to land.

It was a nice change of pace. Usually all the people she stabbed fell over and acted like huge babies about it. None of them even tried to hit her back or anything. Cops were only fun because they tried using their guns sometimes, but they never got very far, as her collection could tell.

This girl had some spunk, and it would be all the more satisfying when Isabel was done with her and had reclaimed her wallet. No one would miss a body rotting in the sewers, and what was one more mark added to her tally as far as victims went? It was a bit of a shame to add a mutant to it, but thus was life.

And it all would have gone just fine if that girl hadn't played dirty.

Who just up and gropes someone in the middle of a fight? It had to be against the rules or something. Plus the fact that the offender was also a young woman struck her as odd. She was on the verge of having something vital ripped out of her chest cavity, and the best thing she could think to do was cop a feel? Huh. Everyone had to have a last request of some sort, she supposed.

Her mind was warring over whether or not to be surprised, embarrassed, or outraged. Embarrassment was creeping up in any case, leaving her face a light shade of red. Outrage was beginning to win out over less violent emotions. It didn't help that the last time she'd been attacked in such a way it had involved a certain silver-fingered kidnapper's hand that had been shoved between her flesh and a bone breast plate.

In any case, the act worked well enough to stun the bonemancer, leaving her open for a retaliatory action, allowing the other girl to make her move and scramble away.

Once her surroundings stopped spinning and she could see clearly again, she gave a shriek of outraged protest when she found the little thief had skittered off. Scrambling to her feet and regaining her footing with her four extra limbs, she rocketed in the direction she thought she heard the girl sprinting and then out onto the street again, immediately grateful for the return of fresh air.

Whirling around, she scanned her surroundings rapidly, looking for her target. She was dead set on catching the perpetrator, and God help the girl when it happened.

With her expression set into one of rage, she hurled herself after the pickpocket once she'd spotted her retreating form. It was less about the wallet now and more about proving a point. No one got away with taking something from her and escaping a scuffle with any less than a missing body part. The girl had to stop and catch her breath eventually.

Doing her very best to catch up with the young woman, Isabel abandoned the spike that she'd previously clutched in her hand, instead remolding it into an orb, a little ring appearing on one side of it and encircling her finger.

"You are in so much trouble." Once she felt she had closed enough distance between herself and the other young woman, she lobbed the orb in her direction, the ring around her finger acting as an anchor while a thread stretched between it and the ball, allowing her to keep control over her projectile.

As it sailed through the air, she changed its shape again, the ball unfolding rapidly into a sort of net. Her aim was to entangle the girl in it. If it hit its target, the edges of the net would anchor themselves to the ground while the rest constricted enough to compromise her movement. The girl's strength had been noted, and the wiry strands of bone wouldn't be so easy to break this time.

In her free hand she formed herself another spine. While it was tempting, she wouldn't maim the girl initially. She had a few questions to ask first. Provided she could catch her quarry.

Ashley didn't bother too look back when she heard and saw that spider chick coming after her. But she wasn't listening to the proper music this time and her speed was considerably less then what it would have been if she had. She swore to herself as she pumped her legs, willing herself forward faster. She saw the end of the alley she was on and almost burst into tears of happiness. At least out there she could get lost in a crowd or something, get into a store. She needed supplies, change her look so this mutant spider wouldn’t find her...

Those plans weren't in the cards however. And because Ashley didn't look back she didn't see the bone net thingy the spider had thrown. The net collided with her back, knocking the wind out of Ashley as she crashed to the ground. She immediately saw her peril as the net seemed to anchor itself into the ground, trapping the redhead and severely restricting her movements. That didn't stop her from trying though.

Mustering up all her remaining strength (being augmented by Kanye West's “Stronger”) Ashley pushed up on the (surprisingly) heavy net. The ground cracked and she gritted her teeth, her face going red at the effort but eventually she couldn't give any more. Her tank was at zero and once again not thinking, planning or mapping out a situation was going to land her in a heap of trouble. The first time she was shot when she took on that metal mutant, and now she had pick pocketed probably the worst person in New York to pickpocket.

Ashley collapsed on her stomach, her breath making small dust clouds appear on the concrete below her. She felt the fear knot up her stomach as the steps from the spider chick got closer and closer. Ashley did her best and turned around (it was still rather difficult) onto her back and saw the creature that had been hunting her and blinked. Several times.

She was cute, almost adorable. The huge bow that was on top of her head really seemed to fit her, her fathomless brown eyes narrowed and angry. Her stride was powerful, confident and even that smirk (a victory smirk) was oddly attractive. Ashley felt her heart beat faster like it only had on several occasions. First was when she met Circe, and the next was when she blindly followed Lydia into the Corner Cafe. This time, though, it was different. Ashley felt her cheeks heat up as the spider stopped in front of the redhead's sprawled out form. For a moment Ashley said nothing, trying to keep eye contact with the intimidating woman before she turned her head off to the side.

“Sorry.” she muttered softly. “For...grabbing you. Accident, I swear.”

If she was going to die today, it wasn't going to be as a pervert.

...even if she DID wanna do it again.

Success! Finally something had gone in Isabel's favor. Rapidly she slowed to a more casual gait, watching the trapped girl wriggle and writhe under her net only to fail at an escape. She'd have to keep this little contraption in mind for use in the future. If it worked well enough against a mutant as strong as this one, then it'd be twice as easy to trip up and hold the humans she loved to play with so much.

She smirked as the girl struggled, immensely pleased with herself in the successful capture of her target. She always loved it when she got her own way, and if she had anything to say about it, she got it as often as possible.

She tilted her head somewhat curiously as she came to a stop by the other young woman, watching her as she managed to squirm her way onto her back, curious as to what kind of begging or protesting she might offer. Isabel had heard a good deal of begging, whining, simpering, bargaining, and the like from her other victims in passing. They hardly phased her anymore.

The blush was something new. One eyebrow lifted and her head fell into a tilt at the sight. A slight breeze brushed by and reminded her how much skin her extra limbs required her to expose, her poor shirt no doubt a little worse for wear after such a chase.

She pretended it wasn't anything to give a second thought to, casually retracting her extra limbs where they settled back into place as ribs ought to sit. Just as nonchalantly she righted her shirt and re-buttoned the topmost button that had been freed to give the limbs more room to maneuver.

The apology was somewhat of a surprise. Though the statement that followed was most certainly a lie. "You might be sorry, but it wasn't any accident," she snipped, crossing her arms once she'd finished readjusting her wardrobe, the spike dangling from one hand while her fingers played with the ring and thread in her other.. "You don't just grab two handfuls of someone's.... stuff accidentally." Certainly not. The though of the act had her turning red again, as much in anger as in embarrassment.

"What the hell are you doing trying to steal from me anyway?" she demanded, giving a bit of a huff, determined to direct the conversation away from her... stuff. "Most idiots with half brain know who I am and wouldn't breathe wrong in my direction in case it irked me. Don't you watch the news?" She was very proud of her reputation. How could anyone who spent any time in the city not know about her?

Ashley watched the spider chick with something akin to wonder. Up close like this she seemed VERY intimidating, though the slight blush on her face toned it down some, followed by the way she spoke. She accepted the apology (for all the good it did the redhead) but insisted that the grabbing of her...'stuff' wasn't, in fact, an accident at all. Ashley was about to protest (even though she really didn't know what to say) when the spider continued and Ashley got yet another impression on the (gorgeous) creature in front of her.

She was offended.

Sure, the spider was offended that Ashley had stolen her wallet, that much was clear. Anyone would be offended by such a thing happening. The few times Ashley had been caught the other person clearly felt violated that such a thing could be happening. But this was different. This woman, this spider mutant was (possibly even more) offended because Ashley didn't seem to know who she was.

>>"What the hell are you doing trying to steal from me anyway? Most idiots with half brain know who I am and wouldn't breathe wrong in my direction in case it irked me. Don't you watch the news?"

In all honesty Ashley didn't even know what to say. The brattish, offhand way the woman was talking kinda put her in an awkward spot. She was reminded of the many times she'd been to one of the fast food joints she would rip off when she was super hungry (and desperate) and she saw one of the kinds screaming and crying because they couldn't play with the toy from their Happy Meal because their parents wouldn't let them. The very thought made the redhead swallow hard and almost (almost!) grin a bit.

“I...don't.” Ashley responded, attempting to shrug but remembering her current predicament. “Not really. No TV. No home, I mean. To watch one.”

Ashley coughed and averted her eyes when she said this. There were many things she was shamed of when it came to her life, many things she knew she shouldn’t be but was. The fact she could barley read or do any basic math was one. The fact that she couldn't shower as much as she should was another. And the fact that she was homeless was probably the biggest factor of her shame. The logical side of her brain told her that, well, she was new in town with very little money and no real way to get a job. But her shame over the matter overrode the logical part.

“And I am. I mean, sorry. For grabbing you.” Ashley responded, her whiskey on the rocks voice a bit deeper then usual. “Not...part of plan. Really.”

Isabel arched her brow a second time as the other young woman admitted that she really didn't know who the bone manipulator was. She gave a bit of a huff. Some people really were living under rocks. However, her irritation lessened just the slightest bit as the girl elaborated on why she didn't follow current events very much.

So the girl was homeless. That wasn't always so unusual amidst the mutant community. The way the girl seemed to shy away from that admission puzzled her a bit, though. Isabel had never had any issue with being on her own after she'd made a run for it from the foster system. To her, that kind of independence was something to be glad of, not ashamed.

She gave a little sigh and a roll of her eyes. Her anger was starting to dissipate as the girl let slip those little tidbits and sat there looking all defeated and helpless and stuff. It wasn't any fun unless they squirmed and begged for their lives. The fight had already died out and the entertainment value was wearing off.

"Isabel. Resident cop killer," she stated, grumbling a bit as the spike in one hand melted back into her skin and she gave a flick of the opposite wrist. The net unanchored with the action and folded in on itself, zipping back into her hand like a pull string where it disappeared into her skin like the spike had.

"You'd have better luck snatching wallets from a purse or something in a crowd. The person wont feel it slip out if the thing's got a long enough strap," she offered, having been a bit of a pickpocket herself before she'd settled into the Sanctuary. "There's places for mutants to live around here if you look, too. Don't have to go crawling around in sewers and such." Assuming she really was a mutant and there hadn't been some miscalculation in the excitement of the earlier scuffle.

Ashley watched as a transformation seemed to take place with the spider mutant. Well, for one (and she mentally slapped herself for not even realizing this) the legs things were gone. Two, up close she really didn't look like she wanted to suck her insides out at all. In fact, she looked quite normal (almost human), something a lot of mutants couldn’t say about THEIR powers. She still dressed strangely, and the now was still odd but fitting. The anger that was radiating off of her in waves only moments ago to gave way to only mild irritation, an emotion that seemed to cling onto the girl like a second skin. Perhaps she was always slightly grumpy.

>>"Isabel. Resident cop killer."

Isabel. Ashley only had a moment to consider the name before the brunette flicked her wrist (or something) that made the net disappear, like the spike dagger thing did a moment ago as well. Ashley sat up, her legs spread as she steadied herself bu putting her hands on the ground in front of her. She tried not to stare in wonder at the current actions the brunette was displaying. After all, it wasn't too long ago that they were fighting tooth and nail for their separate causes and Ashley was pretty sure the brunette was trying to murder her.

>>"You'd have better luck snatching wallets from a purse or something in a crowd. The person wont feel it slip out if the thing's got a long enough strap. There's places for mutants to live around here if you look, too. Don't have to go crawling around in sewers and such."

At this point Ashley didn't know what to say. The advice was sound. It was something Ashley never really considered, mostly because the people that she stole from didn't mind her brushing up against them. She reached into her pocket and fingered the wallet that she had gone through such trouble to get and looked away from the other girl's searching gaze. Ashley felt a tinge of shame for pilfering the object from the girl, if only because she was a fellow mutant. Her hunger was forgotten at the moment (it would return in force later) as she pulled it out and palmed it, holding it out to the girl, her gaze still off to the side.

“Here. Sorry.” Ashley swallowed. “Thanks. For not eating me, I mean. You're...nice.”

Oh good. It looked like there wouldn't be very many more problems with the young woman. Isabel didn't even have to ask for her wallet back before it was rather shyly handed over. She couldn't really blame the little thief. Anyone in their right mind would be sorry for crossing the bonemancer if they attracted her negative attention. This one got off easy.

The comment about being eaten somewhat confused her, gaining another tilt of her head as she reclaimed her wallet and slipped it back into its proper place. She'd maimed, dismembered, and gutted people before, but she'd never eaten anyone. Bloodshed was all good and well, but ingesting the carnage would probably make even her stomach turn.

"What makes you think I'd eat you?" she asked, wanting very much to know what could have prompted such a thought."I don't eat people." She made a face at the thought. People thought she was crazy now, she'd really be around the bend if she started snacking on her playmates.

Nice was another word very rarely associated with the little sociopath, but she could let that one slide, no matter how inaccurate it might be. "And you've got a lot to learn," she quipped, offering the girl a hand to help her get back to her feet. She had to be tired by now, and probably a bit stunned after getting hit with that net, so Isabel imagined she might be a bit shaky getting back up.

The girl thought she was nice, so she could be nice. There was potential here to get another mutant into the Sanctuary. Be it of necessity or not, she had at least a little experience with crime if she was lifting wallets from people. That could work to their advantage, if she was receptive to a little push further in that direction. If nothing else, she could at least maybe be persuaded to help push drug sales, if brawling wasn't her cup of tea.

"Alright, you've got my name, so what's yours?" she asked, giving the girl a quick once-over now that things had settled down and she could get a better look at her. "And what are you doing trying to snatch my wallet?"

>>"What makes you think I'd eat you? I don't eat people."

The redhead didn't answer the question because a moment later Isabel had offered her a hand. A thought tickled the back of Ashley’s mind that, well, this probably didn’t happen to a lot of the people this particular mutant chased down for stealing...or anything else for that matter. Still, Ashley usually didn't allow herself to be pulled up by anyone (due to the side effect of her powers) but this was the exception. The smell of apple blossoms wafted over her as she looked at the outstretched hand. It made her mind fizzle a bit as she reached up and grabbed the other girl's hand.

Isabel's grip was strong (like freakin' iron) yet her skin was surprisingly soft, almost delicate. The contrast seemed to fit her, though, and Ashley let go immediately after she stood up, shaking her hand and rubbing it on the back of her pants. The pain she felt flared for a moment at the contact but as slowly fading as she cleared her throat and looked off to the side and at the ground. That was slightly embarrassing. She looked down at the reddening mark on her hand and 'eep-ed'.

“Oh, erm...I thought you...hm.” Ashley thought for a moment, thinking how silly she sounded at the moment. “You were...spider. With your legs.” She really didn't know how else to explain, but she figured that the brunette was smarter then her anyways and would figure it out.

Another blush flared as she held her dirty hands behind her (she put pressure on the burning hand, as that usually made it feel better) after she got done talking. Sure, Ashley wanted the pain to go away but more so she wanted nothing more then to be cleaner then she was at that moment. In front of her was someone who, well, looked like she didn't like dirty things. Even though they had scrapped in the sewer she still looked surprisingly clean, something Ashley wondered about as she looked down at herself.

She had her trenchcoat on (she slipped it on after coming up from the sewers) and a dirty wife beater on underneath that barley covered her muscled stomach. Her pants were still baggy and much too big; even the belt around her waist didn't help much. Various dirt patches and smears covered her attire and she crossed her arms across her chest after pulling her trenchcoat around her. More red on her face.

>>"Alright, you've got my name, so what's yours? And what are you doing trying to snatch my wallet?"

Isabel's voice made Ashley snap up from her dark musings and swallow. Her voice was powerful, demanding and...well, slightly snotty. Ashley didn't mind that much, mainly because the tone suited her. She couldn't begrudge the woman her regal appearance, and Ashley could only prat that one day she could carry herself with such confidence...well, when she wasn't fighting, anyways. At least that was a field she knew she could kick ass in.

“Oh, I'm Rhythm.” Ashley tapped her headphones. “I'm stronger, faster. When listening, I mean.” She felt her face go on full red alert as she answered Isabel's other question. “And...I'm hungry.”

Well that was a bit odd. Isabel wasn't so sure she'd had anyone pull away from her so quickly when she was being civil. When she was trying to show them their liver, maybe, but not after a simple hand up. It was like she'd burned the girl or something. Internally she shrugged it off. She supposed playing nice with a mass murderer would make most people nervous.

The explanation that was offered about the whole eating people thing wasn't quite as crazy as she'd anticipated. Once the girl had managed to spit it out, anyway. Those appendages of her were pretty spidery. And the whole net thing could be interpreted as a kind of web, she supposed.

"They're bones," she explained, taking half a step back to give the other young woman a bit more space after the hand up seemed to freak her out so much. "That's my mutation. I'm a bone manipulator." And didn't eat people she caught in her net.

She watched the girl curiously as she seemed to fidget more as the conversation went on. Isabel could be scary, but she was behaving. She hadn't tried to stab the girl since they'd escaped from the sewer or anything.

Then there was the blushing. That one really confused her. People that were making small talk with someone of Isabel's reputation didn't usually blush about it. Sweat, maybe, but not blush. Maybe she was still worked up about the earlier gropage? The gropage that she wouldn't think of in depth herself, lest she start turning red again as well.

"Rhythm," she parroted, filing the name away in her memory. It couldn't have been a real name. Much more likely that it was an alias, but that was very common for muties, which she'd correctly guessed the girl was. It was a nice sounding name in any case, and certainly made sense with the short description she gave of her mutation. "Interesting. That's one I haven't heard before."

She couldn't help but give a bit of a smirk at the reason her wallet had been nabbed. It was certainly a viable enough excuse. She had usually relieved someone of their money in order to buy something she wanted, rather than for meals on most occasions.

"How about this," she started, letting her smirk change into a bit of a gentler smile, "Why not head on over to the Sanctuary with me? I was gonna head back there after a stroll in the park anyhow. It's one of those mutant shelters I mentioned. I live there myself."

If Rhythm was hungry enough to risk stealing, then she'd probably be wiling to at least pop into the Sanctuary for a shot while. If she she didn't seem to have the sort of stomach for the things the Order tended to be up to, she could just be one of the residents that shared the building with the Faction.

"I you like it there, you're welcome to stay. You can pick out you own room and crash as long as you'd like. I'd be wiling to bet it's warmer and more comfortable than wherever you're staying now. Plus we've got a fully stocked kitchen that you can raid 24/7."

The redhead watched with much fascination as Isabel turned from furious, vengeful warrior to polite and curious and now...her smile was actually kind, gentle. It was hard to believe that not a few minutes earlier they were locked in a life or death battle for a wallet. She was also glad that Isabel didn't eat people. Not that she thought about it, the legs she had sported did look kinda like bones...well, they felt like them too. Ashley mentally bopped herself for not thinking of it earlier (forgoing the fact that she had better things to worry about then). Besides, someone as cute as Isabel couldn't possibly eat people or suck out their insides.

>>"How about this. Why not head on over to the Sanctuary with me? I was gonna head back there after a stroll in the park anyhow. It's one of those mutant shelters I mentioned. I live there myself."

Ashley nodded, knowing the name from an encounter with a previous mutant that lived there, named Amber. She remembered her because she could shift into dinosaurs and had really, REALLY white skin. The same thoughts flew into her mind now as they did back then. Sure, she would LOVE to be in a place where eating wasn't a problem, staying warm was a think of of the past and it was totally free...right?

It was in Ashley's experience that there was nothing free in this world, especially not in New York City. Everything came at a price. The idea of owing someone anything made Ashley's sens of pride war with her need to...well, not die. Or struggle every damn day for the tiniest bits of scrap that usually amounted to a stomach that growled louder and skin that got colder, no matter how much clothing she piled on. He was taught to be independent but in all reality Ashley didn't know what that meant. She was about to respond when Isabel continued.

>>"I you like it there, you're welcome to stay. You can pick out you own room and crash as long as you'd like. I'd be wiling to bet it's warmer and more comfortable than wherever you're staying now. Plus we've got a fully stocked kitchen that you can raid 24/7."

She already knew most of that info and now, like then when she talked to Amber, the offer was so tempting. In fact, she got the same offer from Andrew when they talked in the Mansion Infirmary. Without inflating her own ego, Ashley knew she was special. Whistler had told her as such when she lived with him, and she had never known him to be a liar. But then came the thought of the price. Would she be willing to pay it? At the Mansion Andrew had said she could just stay there as long as she wanted. Isabel said the same thing. What was their price?

Well...better to ask now then find out later.

“Hn.” Ashley grunted, knitting her eyebrows and starting straight down to Isabel’s shoes. “What...price? Would you...own me? For bringing me? Or...?”