>>"Well, if you really wanna get that one, then that's your choice. But you may want to get something else as a backup. Maybe, like, a teddy bear, or some flowers, or something? I'd be happy to loan you money for it if you need some."

Ashley stopped just before she hit the checkout place, more or less freezing in place as she closed her eyes. She knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that Charlie was being one of those good Samaritans that Bentley always talked about believing in, and she appreciated it. The other, more prideful half of Ashley's mind, begged her to turn around and give this girl a piece of her mind.

And that probably meant a fist, since her mind giving sounded a little silly considering how she spoke.

And while Ashley had much confidence in her ability to run away from the cops should they be called in (they almost always were), she really didn't wanna do that. It was a lot of work and there was still that nagging tone that told her that Charlie meant well, and punching her in the face would be more bad then good, no matter what her pride said. So, she stopped, breathed and turned on her heel, looking at the beautiful women with the funny accent and glared.

“No.” she said firmly, wanting to say more but stopping herself, giving her the appearance of a fish out of water...which, at the moment, she kind of was. “Want to...come from me. No help, no ones. Just me.”

She hoped she communicated that well, but she didn't have the greatest history in doing that. But Charlie didn't seem dumb, and if the girl liked to spend her time in libraries (as Ashley guessed she did giving her ability to make books purple) then she must be smart enough to understand, at least a little. So Ashley turned back and set the book on the checkout counter, further showing off her own inability to do something as simple as math when she gave the clerk a twenty to pay for a two dollar book, despite having several ones and fives in her wallet.

Stupid math.

(OCC: Pardon the terrible postageness. I guess that's what happens when you're up late the night before. )

Oh, well. She'd tried being helpful.

Charlie grabbed her wallet from her back pocket and flipped it open. She almost instinctively started handing a few bills to Rhythm, but then got a hold of herself and pulled them back. It didn't take long for her to count out the twenty or so she needed, and it definitely wasn't as hard for Charlie as it looked like it was for Rhythm. Poor girl was taking forever.

Then Charlie considered that. Not good at math, uncomprehensive of book covers...Was she lacking an education? A lot of it? Then it hit her.

Did she not know how to read?

She thought about that. It made sense. It fit. But how did that even happen? The illiteracy rate in America was...2%? 4%? It was less than 5, Charlie knew that much. And that was usually among younger children and homeless people. Rhythm was pretty obviously neither. So what had happened to this girl to make her not have such basic knowledge?

Charlie's head was swimming with questions, but she figured she wouldn't ask any for now. Given the fact...It would make sense that she were emberrased about it. So Charlie let those sleeping dogs lie.

She paid the cashier with a twenty for the two books. She only got a buck-fifty in change. Such pathetic little books cost so damn much... Needless to say, Charlie wasn't happy.

She put the books in a little bag the cashier gave her, and then said to Rhythm: "You don't mind if I stick around with you some? I'm avoiding returning home to an essay." She laughed at her joke, glancing sideways at the mysterious girl next to her.

To say Ashley's face burned with embarrassment would have been an understatement. She could feel Charlie's eyes on her when she paid for the book, and could almost feel the judgment on her back before she began to walk away after making her purchase. She simply stuffed the change into her pocket and walked away a few steps before looking back, envying how easy it was for Charlie to make her own purchase. The tomboy huffed and began to walk away when Charlie's musical voice rang out again.

>>"You don't mind if I stick around with you some? I'm avoiding returning home to an essay."

“Ummm...no.” Ashley blurted out, feeling even stupider then before as she walked out the bookstore, feeling the presence of Charlie behind her. “You, uhhh...going anywhere? Got ride.”

Ashley stopped a moment, swallowing hard as she looked at her bike and then to Charlie. Okay, she supposed she could let someone else ride on her bike that wasn't Bentley. Charlie didn't seem to into her in such a manner anyways. Though Ashley did take a moment to think about why her attraction to women only extended to some of them and not others. Charlie was attractive enough, and she had amazing legs. Why not her?

She shook her head before taking the helmet that was hanging off the handlebars and held it out to Charlie. “Here.” she said shortly. “Take. Ride wherever. Idea of where?”

"Got ride?"

She was meaning no offense at all to Rhythm, but that sounded like a t-shirt slogan. One that would appear in big, bold, white-on-black lettering, plastered on a burly bikers' chest. It was a good question, though. She didn't have a "ride" in the strictest sense of the word. This was New York, after all. No one owned a car, and bycicles could easily be substituded by a Subway card and some good walking shoes.

These were the exact thoughts that Charlie was thinking when her eyes landed on Rhytm's bike. After that, the thoughts sounded like; 'Well, turns out there issomeone in New York who owns a bike.', and even a tiny part of her brain thought 'So that's why she looks so good.'. Both were faint, fleeting whispers of thoughts, and both vanished as fast as they appeared.

Leaving her absent-mindednes, Charlie grabbed the helmet offered to her, absent-mindedly saying, "You...have a bike."

It wasn't her best in rapier wit, but it was just about the only thought that came to mind.

>>"You...have a bike."

Ashley nodded absentmindedly as she stuffed the book she purchased underneath the seat and shut it again before mounting her motorcycle and turning her on, a serene look passing her face as she felt her motorcycle purr beneath her. It was truly one of her better “acquisitions”, and she didn't regret how she came to acquiring it one bit. She was more comfortable out here now, in her element and away from things she couldn't comprehend or read.

She took a moment to shake her hair out before taking a binder that was wrapped around her wrist and pulling her hair into a ponytail. With an expert twist it as up and she leaned forward some as she revved her 'other girlfriend' (as she liked to call it) a bit before looking back to Charlie, raising her eyebrows a bit in a questioning manner. The olive skinned woman was just standing there a bit, a slightly far off look on her face. Ashley sat up, crossing her arms across her rather ample chest and giving a huff.

“Charlie.” she breathed, not really paying attention that the way she said the woman's name could be considered inappropriate considering they just met. “Coming? You have place in mind? Destination?”

On one hand, Charlie couldn't stop thinking about what idiot would use the roads in New York City. On the other hand, Charlie also decided that Rhythm had gone up several hundred coolness points for owning a motorcycle.

Charlie stood there, holding the helmet absent-mindedly. Rhythm wanted her to get on, that was clear. And Charlie wasn't well-known for backing down from something like this. But still...motorcycle? She'd never been enough of a thrill-seeker to go faster than 20 on something with less than four wheels.

She felt like she was hesitating for a long time. It was probably a minute. Maybe less.

"Charlie, coming? You have a place in mind? Destination?"

Rhythm's voice snapped her out of her mental isolation. "Yeah, just a sec. And no, I have no idea where to go. I was hoping you'd know." Charlie snapped on the helmet and crawled onto the rear of the motorcycle in one jerky, akward motion. Then she paused.

"Uh, Rhythm? What the hell do I do?"

>>"Yeah, just a sec. And no, I have no idea where to go. I was hoping you'd know."

Ashley thought for a moment at Charlie's request, trying to come up with a descent spot to go. There wasn't many places she knew of, not really, and usually stuck with her own route when going places. Shopping for food, music, clothes...either she went to where she had grown comfortable with (stealing or otherwise) or she merely followed Bentley around. The redhead realized that maybe she should get out more for just such occasions. Although Ashley knew she really couldn’t blame herself, never really having entertained someone before...

>>"Uh, Rhythm? What the hell do I do?"

The guitarist perked up a moment, looking to where Charlie stood before to over her shoulder where the brunette was now. She gave a small smile and a mock exasperated sigh before she sat up again, reaching backwards and pulling Charlie's arms around her. She sighed at the warmth that spread inside of her, taking only a moment to bask in it before giving the bookworm's arm a squeeze. She firmly held Charlie's arms around her before talking over her shoulder again.

“Hold. Tight.” she said. “Two places. To go, I mean. Mansion, for mutants. Like us. Or, club. I play there. Guitar. Your choice.”

In truth it really didn't matter where they went, but she would have liked to go to the Mansion for several reasons. One, she hadn't played at The Closet in awhile, and going there would mean swinging by the apartment to pick up her guitar. She didn’t wanna risk bumping into Bentley at the moment, simply because she didn't feel she had an adequate enough present yet.

“Second thought...” Ashley trailed off, revving her bike a bit and letting a small purr escape her lips. “Mansion. Better. For now. You like, promise.”

Plus, if all went well, Ashley could show Charlie what she did there...namely, eat their food and beat up Andrew.

It was a privileged life.

Charlie breathed slightly heavier, if only for a moment, as Rhythm wrapped her arms around the other girl's torso. One of the first things she noticed was exactly how attractive Rhythm was.

Okay, it wasn't like Charlie thought of her in that particular way. A girl was allowed to admire another girls hotness without being a lesbian, right? Then again, Charlie noted, she hadn't exactly thought of anyone in that particular way. The only relationship she had ever been in, the other guy had instigated, and it was only to use Charlie as a beard. She'd never actually been this close to someone before. Ever. Which was the best explanation for the sudden rush of emotions?

Was this what liking someone felt like? Charlie had no idea...

"Hold. Tight.”

"Not like I'm gonna do anything else..." Charlie grumbled under her breath, tightening her grip around Rhythm's waist. She was panting a little bit, more out of anticipation for her first motorcycle ride than her questionable infatuation toward Rhythm.

“Two places. To go, I mean. Mansion, for mutants. Like us. Or, club. I play there. Guitar. Your choice. Second thought...Mansion. Better. For now. You like, promise.”

"Whatever you say," Charlie spurted out, acting as relaxed as possible. In truth, her head was reeling slightly. A Mansion? Just for mutants? Why exactly had she never heard about this in a good solid decade of living in NYC? Questions were buzzing around her head like killer bees. Throw in the pure anticipation of the motorcycle throbbing softly between her legs, and the mixed emotions about grasping Rhythm...well, needless to say, it made for a very bewildered Charlie.

A burst of excitement came through, all but forcing Charlie to holler out, "Let's rock and roll!"

Ashley revved the engine loudly, this time on purpose, as she shot off from the parking spot, popping a wheelie just to prove she could without crashing. With a cry of "Let's rock and roll!" from her passenger, Ashley began to weave through the traffic in a most dangerous manner as she picked her way through New York traffic, grinning madly as she did so. It was times like these that she felt free, but now she felt free and...something. She didn't know what it was, but Charlie being behind her as she was, gripping her toned stomach tightly, made the feeling intensify all that much more.

She didn't think when she rode, not anymore. Instincts guided her like The Force guided Luke Skywalker in the Death Star (one of the few movies she's watched and loved), so she really didn't pay attention to where they were going. She knew where The Mansion was, knew how to get there and the fastest route, but right now she wanted to show Charlie a good time, so she let her mind wander, though keeping it sharp at the same time. She didn't know how it worked, but it did. The things she could do on her bike while her mind was like this was incredible...well, to her.

They'd been riding for a good ten minutes before Ashley noticed the red and blue lights that were flashing behind her. She didn't panic, however, and instead got a feral smile on her face before revving the engine a few times again and shooting off as a much faster rate. The weaving of the traffic became much more frantic, but the manner a controlled manner that Ashley had learned from Whistler. She didn't bother looking back and only looked forward, payed attention to the road and for any obstacles that might appear.

She wished she had her helmet on, though, as her red hair made her stand out like a sore thumb. This thought, and another, more explicit one came to mind as she saw 2 more squad cars appear on the street in front of her. Okay...three cards total. This wasn't so bad, right? Ashley swerved onto the sidewalk and then took a sharp turn to her right, crossing the street and into a parking garage that was spiraling upwards. She got to about halfway up before exiting into the parking garage and heading to the opposite ramp that would lead them down. She didn't bother to decelerate as she spun down the ramp in a tight circle, keeping a foot out to hold balance. It hurt, slightly, but it helped to keep her from crashing.

The sirens were loud around them, but Ashley didn't waver in her determination. She stopped at the end of the ramp and looked left and right (looking for any pursuit vehicles) before shooting out and being on her way again. She needed to get to The Mansion quickly now and stash the Ducati. By not it's description would be all over the cops broadband and she didn't want to lose it. Oh, and her freedom. That too. The last time she had tangled with the cops they shot her, so in her mind those bastards owed her a freebie. Punks.

She heard the sirens fade and, in all honesty, couldn't believe that worked. She pulled off into an alley several blocks away, shutting the bike down and balancing them by putting her feet out to the sides. She sat up, her hands going to grab Charlie's and held them. She didn't really know what to say, but she knew in the back of her mind that maybe Charlie wasn't too happy with her at the moment.

“Ummm...sorry.” she said brilliantly, her head bowed in shame. “For...this.”

Charlie was buzzing with excitement. Thoughts were flying through her head like bees around a bear. Or something. She was still a little dizzy, so she shook it out a little. She was still panting, exhilerated from the car chase that had just gone on. With Charlie sitting right there! In the backseat!

Part of her mind was going over it all. Part of her was admiring Rhythm for pulling that all off. And part of her mind was wondering if you could even call it a car chase, seeing as they weren't technically on a car.

"Ummmm.....sorry. For this."

Charlie started cracking up. This girl had just handed her the most awesome freaking experience on a silver freaking platter, and now she was apologizing for it?

"What are you apologizin' for? That was bloody brilliant!" Charlie burst out. In her excitement, her accent had come through really thick, but she didn't care at that point. Her head was still reeling at how cool that was. Sure, it wasn't action-flick worthy, but it was still awesome.

She started calming herself down, beathing deep breaths through pursed lips and trying to reel back all of the stray trains of thought scattering every which way. It took about a minute or so, but it did the trick.

Then she decided to say something. Two somethings, actually. "Okay, first off, I have to hand it to you. I didn't think that parking garage thing would work. So, props to you. Second of all, how are we supposed to get to this mansion place now? I mean, they'll have you all over the scanners for that."

>>"What are you apologizin' for? That was bloody brilliant!"

It wasn't the response Ashley had been expecting, but she took it. First and foremost she didn't want to scare the poor girl with the funny accent her first time out on a motorcycle. That, however, didn't seem to be the case. Charlie was bursting with excitement, and Ashley cold barley hang onto the bookworm before she had to let go. She missed the contact, but she smiled as Charlie went on.

>>"Okay, first off, I have to hand it to you. I didn't think that parking garage thing would work. So, props to you. Second of all, how are we supposed to get to this mansion place now? I mean, they'll have you all over the scanners for that."

“Ummm, thanks.” Ashley smiled meekly. She patted Charlie's leg to get her off the bike first before she followed, shaking out of fire red hair before pulling it back again into a ponytail. She thought about Charlie's question, her lips pursed in a cute manner before shrugging. “Walk? Not far. Uhhh...sec.”

Ashley took off her boots and set them aside before taking the zipper at the top of her full body biker catsuit and zipping it down all the way to about mid thigh. She stripped, leaving herself in nothing but lace lingerie (Bentley's choice, of course). She went to her bike and pulled up the seat, taking out a yellow sundress (again, Bentley) and putting it on. Usually Ashley wasn't one for dressed, but now and again she liked to feel girly. She just wondered how silly she looked with a yellow sundress and black combat boots on. Plus, the yellow kinda clashed with her hair.

Oh well.

After she was done dressing and putting her catsuit into the seat of the Ducati, she absentmindedly held out her hand for Charlie to hold before looking down the alley. She heard no sirens and hopefully no one would notice her after her change of clothes. At lease there was that. After a nice walk to The Mansion, and all would be well.

Walking to the mansion place, eh? Well, she was definitely getting plenty of exercise today. And they weren't far? Since when did that happen. Charlie had probably been to this part of town about a million times, and she'd never seen a mansion. What was Rhythm even referring to?

She was about to turn and ask why she'd never heard of the place, only to find Rhythm stripping. Yes, stripping. She couldn't rightly believe it either. I mean, this may be a back alley, but she could have at least found a bathroom or something. Charlie averted her eyes almost instantly, staring out at the nearby street and blinking away the afterimage of Rhythm in a reeeally sexy lingerie. Officially, she was keeping watch for the redhead, but unofficially, that was a bit more than she cared to see on someone she'd just met.

She did manage to chase away some creepy old guy that walked by the alley with a single glare of evilness and murder. Being honest, it was probably way too easy.

"You finished yet?" charlie called out backwards, before a quick glance over her shoulder answered her question. And for the record, this girl had no sense of fashion. A yellow sundress, with red hair, and black combat boots? Charlie didn't take much note of fashion, but she had enough of a color sense to know that that sundress was a baaaad choice.

Not like she was about to judge, though. Even though she basically already did.

"By the way, you sure this Mansion place isn't far? Because I've been all over NYC, and I have never seen anything mansion-esque." She said this as she turned to face Rhythm, inching out of the alley in anticipation. They had a lot of time to kill, after all. Might as well get a conversation going.

>>"By the way, you sure this Mansion place isn't far? Because I've been all over NYC, and I have never seen anything mansion-esque."

“Not far.” Ashley responded, feeling Charlie's gaze on her and feeling a bit silly in her current attire. “Soon. Follow.”

She realized she looked ridiculous, but whatever. She felt pretty, and in the end that was all that mattered. With an air of dignity, Ashley took back the hand that she was holding out for Charlie to hold and instead boldly walked out of the alleyway towards The Mansion. For someone to be all over New York City and not see The Mansion was pretty silly to Ashley, especially since she saw The Mansion...what, a week into her stay?

Ashley sighed at the looks she was getting and decided that maybe she should hide a bit, if only to stop seeing those looks from the corner of her eyes. She reached up and took down her ponytail, letting her flaming red hair free. Much better. Her scalp felt better too, and she shook her head somewhat and ran her fingers through her red mane to untangle it a bit. She tipped her head back to do so before a strange sound interrupted her ministrations.

Her stomach growling.

She sniffed, realizing that whatever was making her tummy make such a loud noise was nearby. The guitarist scanned the area and spotted it; a hot dog cart. She happily gasped a bit, holding her fists up to her chest with glee before rushing forward and looking at the selection. She quickly pulled out her wallet (from her bra) and took out some cash, telling the hot dog vendor what she wanted. The vendor, somewhat ogling Ashley, gave up a foot long hotdog with ketchup and more mayo then he thought a human could handle before telling Ashley it was on the house.

“Anyting for a gorgeous dame.” he let out, giving Ashley a small salute. “Next time doe, you be payin', got it?”

Ashley nodded before walking back to Charlie with a large smile on her face. She stood there for a moment, chewing before she realized she didn't get any for Charlie. She extended the half of the foot long she didn't bite into and offered it to her companion.

“Here. Eat.”

It wasn't too far from the Mansion. That's what Rhythm had said. Charlie was still having issues believing that she'd never seen the place. On second thought, she probably had, and had just not known what it was. Nonetheless, Charlie plodded along behind the array of primary colors that was her new aquaintance like an obidient little puppy.

And while she did, she thought about this Mansion place. What was it like, anyways? Was it, like, a mutant YMCA, attached to a homeless shelter? Somehow, that description stuck in her head. And she started adding little details, chuckling slightly at each one. Like the seperate teen center for psychics. Or the training room that took quite a bit of inspiration from Pokemon. And so forth.

Then her failure of a nose woke her from her from her thoughts. Rhythm had gone and led her right to a hot dog stand. And he was apparently giving her a free hot dog.

How come Charlie had never gotten a free hot dog? That was just about the only thought she could think of as she followed Rhythm away from the greasy smell.

"Here. Eat."

"Hm?" Charlie looked down at the hot dog that was being offered to her. The greasy pile of what probably wasn't even meat, wrapped in the intestine of the pig, and slathered in what was basically flavored preservatives. Charlie gently, respectfully pushed away the hot dog back to Rhythm, and said, "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm trying not to think about what it's made of." Charlie chuckled at her little attempt at a joke.

Then she formally decided that she just had to ask. "By the way, what's this Mansion place like? 'Cause I can't help but get the impression it's like the Boys and Girls club or something. I'm probably really off, but I figured I should ask."

"By the way, what's this Mansion place like? 'Cause I can't help but get the impression it's like the Boys and Girls club or something. I'm probably really off, but I figured I should ask."

Ashley shrugged, taking a bite of the hot dog as she led Charlie down the street towards The Mansion again, resuming their quest after the brief pit stop at the stand. Her face adopted a thoughtful look while she chewed slowly, trying ti think of a way she could describe The Mansion into words anyone could understand. Thing was, Ashley knew she wasn't a wordsmith by any stretch of the imagination. But, whatever. Charlie seemed smart, so there was no worries there.

“School.” Ashley said, nodding. “But not. Almost though. Safe place, for us. Mutants.” Ashley took another bite of her hotdog, chewing quicker. “Big though. Good doctor, patched me up. Couple times, really. He heals, with hands. Kinda neat. My big brother there too. You meet him. He's cute, for you.”

Ashley waggled her eyebrows at Charlie and barley held back the urge to elbow her slightly. She knew Andrew would scold her for trying to fix him up with some random girl, but really Ashley wanted to see his expression if and when Charlie met him due to Ashley's meddling. The very thought sent Ashley into a fit of giggling.