Jorge had not paid much attention to what Andrea did next but he could hear her begin to climb out of the fountain. Unfortunately, people around the fountain began to exhibit some very odd behavior. He had no idea what was happening be he did see a person or two begin to go practically faint. Was it simply the sight of the drenched, snake-headed girl, or was there something more behind it? Jorge continued to check the first man that fainted and before he could stand to check the other’s he heard the worried tone in Andrea’s voice.

>> "I'm fine... we...eh... we should leave. I'll just buy another phone!...They will be okay Jorge, trust me."

He eyed her closely. Did she have something to do with this? He was about to question when a few guards ran over to check another of the fallen people. Apparently though they were starting to coming around after what seemed like a minute or two of being paralyzed. What the hell was with that? A glance to Andrea and he saw something in her face, something that conveyed that she was behind it.

For that moment he was utterly confused. What could he do? But he slowly regained his composure as he turned to the nearest guard.

“I’m going to be right out those doors. You keep them here until the ambulance checks them. Understand?” When the guard squeaked and nodded, Jorge stood and made his way over to Andrea’s side.

The girl looked like a wet, green furred cat. Immediately his sympathy was triggered as he looked her over and carefully began to lead her towards the exit. There was no need to draw more attention to her and possibly have someone else make the connection that the sudden fainting spells were her fault. He understood that the girl had been through too much today. There was no need for any of that.

His hand on her back, he carefully led her out to the doors, all the while he began to manipulate the water from her soaked clothes and caused it to spill around her, effectively drying the clothing out. It was the least he could do to make her more comfortable.

Gently, and warmly, he spoke as he opened the door for her. That usual Jorge-like smile still on his face.

“Care to fill me in?” was all he asked.

Thankfully... he left with her. She eyeballed the surrounding people for a moment, before allowing him to more of less lead her from the mall. Her phone? Eh... she'd have to buy another one. It's not like she was using it that much anyway... and now she wouldn't have to feel bad every time she opened it and saw that Saph had tried to contact her again.

She felt her clothes grow lighter as he withdrew the water from them. And smiled gratefully, if nervously. “Care to fill me in?” She winced, and drummed her fingers together in front of her.

"I am so sorry..." She started, though she didn't feel like she could apologize enough. He was a cop... his life was hard enough without her mucking up his free time. "... I did not mean to... for this to- ...I could have- should have been more careful..." With a strained sigh, she stopped herself from rambling and took a breath.

"I have to wear glasses. If I do not, that-" She gestured behind her at the door they had exited, "- is what happens." Casting a nervous look though her glasses at him, she saw the smile still on his lips and relaxed a little. "I have found that the darkness of my sunglasses prevents people from looking at my eyes, so nothing happens to them."

Which, was one thing she was really truly grateful for. Even if she couldn't see color, or look people in the eyes like a normal person... at least she could still see. "It does not seem to last too horribly long, and every one that I have ever accidentally looked at wakes up fine. It is just very... inconsiderate."

She paused, dropping her hands to her sides while coming to a stop. Her nose wrinkled, and Sloth shifted around her shoulders to eye a passing man. "...And annoying."

Jorge walked with Andrea and all he could see as he looked at her was a young woman who was both embarrassed and completely sick of the trouble her abilities got her into. He could not blame her though. It was a tough life she had to live because of her mutations, he could easily see there. But he also knew that there was little he could do to really make things better. The most was to simply be there for her if she needed a shoulder and to listen to her when she needed to talk. Though…he definitely wished he could have done more.

As they stepped outside, Andrea finally went into what happened back there…

>> "I am so sorry... I did not mean to... for this to- ...I could have- should have been more careful...I have to wear glasses. If I do not, that -- is what happens. I have found that the darkness of my sunglasses prevents people from looking at my eyes, so nothing happens to them."

He nodded as he listened. So…that’s what was happening in there. It was not that people were fainting but something about her powers, her eyes in particular was making people lock up and keel over. That was definitely a rough power to have to deal with. To know that she could never look into the eyes of another person? It was a terrifying prospect to have to live the rest of her life with those glasses on and fear that her gaze may paralyze them.

>> "It does not seem to last too horribly long, and every one that I have ever accidentally looked at wakes up fine. It is just very... inconsiderate...And annoying."

“Well, thank god for small favors,” he smiled and nodded warmly. It was true, at least her gaze did not kill them on site or turn them completely to stone.

It was not until that thought popped into his head that he finally made the connection that Andrea reminded him of a character from mythology. The green skin, the snakes in her hair, the stony gaze…she was not unlike a Gorgon. Deep down his sympathy for her began to grow just a little bit. That had to truly be a hard life, to forever be connected with some monster from ancient Greek myth. Then again, who’s to say that the mythology was not based on someone real? Maybe a real mutant just like Andrea?

Gently reaching over, and attempting to keep away from the snakes in her hair, Jorge gently squeezed her shoulder as Sloth, the largest snake, gave him another eyeful. It was a small gesture, nothing more. Just something to show that he had at least some understanding of her predicament and that she could turn to him for help when she needed it. Still though, it would help to be fully disclosed in these matters. Just so he knew what he was dealing with.

“Andrea,” he said as he walked around to stand in front of her. “Thank you, for telling me. It would have helped if you told me sooner…but at least you told me.” He sighed as he glanced back into the mall. The people seemed to be coming out of it. Thankfully no one made the connection that it was Andrea and chased after them. He turned his attention back to her. “Listen, you can trust me, okay? You’re a good person, and I want to help you out. You don’t need to keep things from me. If I can help you with anything, I will.”

“Well, thank god for small favors,”

He had no idea... but it made her smile that he echoed her sentiment. Small favors were her salvation... they kept her sane, and helped her to remain faithful. Jorge himself was one of those small favors, in a way. “Andrea, Thank you, for telling me. It would have helped if you told me sooner…but at least you told me.”

She nodded, her cheeks darkening to a light brown. "Yes, I know... I have a habit of underestimating situations... and people." Blinking, she pursed her lips and turned to look up at him. "Most of the time, anyway." She was pretty sure the officer was a good person. Either that, or she had finally tipped off the edge of sanity.... which, if that was the case, meant that she was probably dreaming this entire event up...

“Listen, you can trust me, okay? You’re a good person, and I want to help you out. You don’t need to keep things from me. If I can help you with anything, I will.”

Oh... she wanted to tell him a lot of things. Not just him, but everyone she held dear. So many incidents and deep dark secrets... fears. But.. she felt deep down inside that they were her burdens to bear. She just needed to be strong enough to carry them on her own. Still... she didn't want to keep him at an arms length, if she could help it. "Thankfully, other than today I have been doing well to keep myself out of trouble."

Sure, she had met a few people who had tested her faith and pushed her limits... but she had survived. "Since I left home, I have had a few people come into my life who have helped me see the bright side of things again. You are one of them..." She smiled a true, if awkward smile and tucked her hands into her pockets. "I am learning how to handle... them." Sloth turned his head, as if he knew he was being talked about. The two of them held a short stare off, until he grew bored, flicked his tongue into the air, and turned back to staring at Jorge. She turned her attention back to him as well.

"How did your... power... manifest?" She had to admit, she was curious. She knew a handful of mutants, many of which had interesting afflictions... but she had never been courageous enough to ask about them. She was a little worried about offending, so she quickly added in a, "... if you do not mind me asking, that is..." Better safe, than sorry.

>> "Thankfully, other than today I have been doing well to keep myself out of trouble…Since I left home, I have had a few people come into my life who have helped me see the bright side of things again. You are one of them...I am learning how to handle... them."

It was touching really. It was that she considered him as one of those people she could trust and that were a good influence. The few thanks the detective got were always worth it because it really made him feel as if he were doing his job and that someone appreciated it. So many people walk into his life but so few really care about what he does. To many he simply meets them on the absolute worst day of their lives so what is there to celebrate about know him? People don’t want to know cops. They just don’t.

Thankfully he was having a positive influence on Andrea’s life; at least that is the assumption he was getting from her. He hoped that she would begin to trust him more after all this debacle.

Walking over, Jorge took a seat on edge of a concrete flower bed that lined the entrance of the mall. It would probably be better to take her home since everyone in the mall seemed okay. Then again…

>> "How did your... power... manifest? if you do not mind me asking, that is..."

A glance up to her and he smiled a bit to himself. It was a common question among mutants but especially for the younger one to ask the older. People like him, they served as proof that people with mutations could live long and happy lives. That they could make themselves have some sort of normalcy in a world that was not as forgiving to mutants as they should be. Considering the world’s track record with racial and cultural biases, it was a small wonder that it had not learned its lesson yet.

“1985,” he smirked a little as he said it. Saying it out loud almost made it seem like it was an ancient time of dinosaurs and cavemen. “I was fifteen, living in California, and…I was at the beach with my family and best friend slash girlfriend…”

Slowly Jorge drifted in thought as he returned to that day from so long ago. He could still smell the waves, the sand, the sun tan lotion in the air. He could also see the young girl that would aide in being the start of his abilities. It was just another day, that was all it was supposed to be but instead it turned into a life altering fiasco that nearly killed him…and definitely killed her. Blank eyed, Jorge shook his head as he returned to reality and looked over at Andrea.

“Um,” he sighed scratched a bit of stubble under his chin. “She...We had some…stupid fight. Ironically because I didn’t know how to swim and I wouldn’t let her teach me. So...she went out to the water…and the riptide pulled her under.” He shrugged a bit. He really did not like remembering that day but her knew it was not something he could ignore all the time. “Anyway I was so scared, so upset because I couldn’t find her…I parted the ocean.”

He smirked again a little to himself. He had made it sound so biblical but in a way it was. That day, that was the day he got the nickname as Moses Incarnate. The day where, in front of hundreds of beach goers, the fifteen year-old Jorge Cervantes let anger and fear take over him and push him to parting the ocean waves into towering monoliths. Even to this day he could still feel the spray of water on his face and the smell the salt in the air.

“And that’s how all this started,” Jorge said as he looked up once more to Andrea. She wanted to know so he gave her the truth.

1985... so he was a young man when it had happened. She nodded, keeping a polite smile on her lips as she stood before him, an arms length away. He was a full grown man now... though she didn't know how old exactly. She was terrible with ages... and most things.

“She...We had some…stupid fight. Ironically because I didn’t know how to swim and I wouldn’t let her teach me. So...she went out to the water…and the riptide pulled her under. Anyway I was so scared, so upset because I couldn’t find her…I parted the ocean.”

Oh... She wanted to ask if the girl was alright... and partly what a riptide specifically was. She got the feeling it was bad, and along with the heaviness of his words she reconsidered asking her questions. Her curiosity could wait. "..That sounds just terrible, Jorge... I can't even imagine what you must have been feeling."

Well, maybe she could... Fear, anxiety... probably a little bit of anger all mixed together to form a tight knot in the chest. She imagined seeing giant walls of water looming over her, and shuddered just a little. Her parents, and probably everyone around her, would have been terrified... not to mention the prospect of what would happen once the water was released.

She knew the feeling of fear very well, and more recently the feeling of anger. She could recall times in which her powers had absolutely terrified her... but most of those times she had been under complete control of herself, more or less. Her small smile twitched slightly, and she wondered if a cop would label her as a horrible person for nearly killing a man... or a few, for that matter.

Ah, her head was starting to hurt. "...I was born like this." She started, awkward when it came to consoling people. She didn't know what to say, or how to comfort... so she just turned the light onto herself. "..My mamá told me that when I was born the doctors thought I was dead, because of my skin tone..." Digging one toe into the ground, she blinked. "I remember when my...ah, power... developed. I woke up to my cat on my bed... He's a sweet thing, all gray with big yellow eyes." and a tendency to hold lengthy grudges. "I reached out to pet him, and he made such a yowling sound that I thought he was dying."

Eh... memories. That cat hated her now... and she hadn't had another animal around her until Piggy came into her life. The memory of passing out in her bathroom came flooding back and she winced. She was best probably not having animals ever again. They tended to get injured incurably around. "...eh... I killed one of his ears. Hard as a rock... He would not come around me anymore, after that." Scratching at her cheek nervously, she shifted her weight to her right leg and attempted at grin at the officer. Change of subject time! "...How long have you been a police officer?"

>> "..That sounds just terrible, Jorge... I can't even imagine what you must have been feeling."

“You get over it,” Jorge responded a bit quietly.

The truth was that something like that you never get over. You slowly learn the deal with the fact and accept it as part of your life, but that is the best that you can do. Other than that, there really isn’t anything else that can be done. You either accept the pain and live with it, or you let it rule your life the rest of your days. Jorge knew the pain, he accepted it, but he did not let it overtake him. Everyone loses somebody in their life. What was important was that you never forgot them.

Jorge never would.

Still, as he sat there, Andrea began to open up to him too…

>> "...I was born like this...My mamá told me that when I was born the doctors thought I was dead, because of my skin tone...I remember when my...ah, power... developed. I woke up to my cat on my bed... He's a sweet thing, all gray with big yellow eyes…I reached out to pet him, and he made such a yowling sound that I thought he was dying...eh... I killed one of his ears. Hard as a rock... He would not come around me anymore, after that."

What could he really say? The detective listened as the young mutant retold the story of her mutation, of the pain that followed with it, as well as her inability to get close even to the simplest of creatures. He could not imagine his life if he had done something bad to his dog Lizzie, especially because of his abilities. In a way it caused his sympathy for Andrea to grow just a little bit.

The real sad part was that unlike many mutants, her powers seemed to develop from the start, at least the physical part of it. She never even had that chance to have a normal life before they sprang into being. At least he had memories but being in elementary school, of running around with his best friends, but meeting the girl who would be his future love interest whom he would lose to the waves. He had knowledge of what normalcy could be like. Andrea didn’t though.

>> "...How long have you been a police officer?"

A topic change. That would probably be the best course of action right now. Everything else was getting too depressing. But at least he was able to earn enough trust from the young girl to get the truth from her. He was gaining her trust more and more. A vast improvement when compared to the young hostage he met months earlier.

“Heh, been so long I think I’ve forgotten,” he said with chuckle. “Almost a year working for the NYPD.” he said thoughtfully. “But I came here from Miami, Florida, so grand total…Nineteen or Twenty years.”

Wow…he had been doing this a very long time.

Florida... she was not familiar with that area. She had seen many pictures of California, and one of the states more towards the middle... but New York had been the topic of nearly all her internet searches before she had left home. There had been other places, other schools and buildings that offered help- but none so advertised as the mansion.

"...I have a job too. Not a very important one, but it keeps me busy." Well, hopefully she still had one. She had e-mailed her boss, but hadn't set foot in the shop wince the arrival of her snakes. Taking a seat next to him, she turned and plucked a little purple flower from the dirt behind her. "I am a florist. I have found a use for my affliction." Removing a glove, she cupped the flower in her palm, until it was thoroughly saturated with the oil from her hand. It hardened like a rock, losing its color in favor for the ability to last forever.

Holding the little flower out for him to take, Andrea smiled brightly and echoed his words from moments before. "Thank god for small favors."

She pulled her glove back on and tucked her hands into her pockets, letting her mind wander back to what he had said. She found that she was curious. "...What is Florida like? Are there a lot of pretty beaches?" She could recall seeing pictures of beaches back home, as well as popular vacation spots where the water was crystal clear and all sorts of animals swam around huge clusters of coral... but she had never seen then with her eyes. The closest she has been was being on a ship for a few weeks, and the beaches she had seen upon leaving hadn't been nearly as grand.

She paused her wandering mind, kicking her feet, and clarified why she was asking. It couldn't hurt to fill him in on a little bit more about herself, could it? "I am not from here... and I have never been outside of this city." She let herself relax a little, and cleared her throat in order to drag a little more of her accent into her words. "Greece is where I was born, and where my bampás and mamá still live." She could see her little house, with it's neat little white fence. She felt a wave of homesickness wash over her.

She hadn't heard from her mother in a while... "I have never been to a beach before... What is it like, swimming in the Ocean?"

>> "...I have a job too. Not a very important one, but it keeps me busy…I am a florist. I have found a use for my affliction…Thank god for small favors."

Jorge watched as the young mutant took a sit next to him and began to explain a little more about herself. That was good that she had a means of taking care of her world and, even as he stared down at the petrified flower she handed him, he could not help but smile. She was right. She found a small way to make her abilities her own. She use them to make something beautiful stay like that forever. It was extremely sweet, if not a little terrifying when he thought about it. It made so much more sense why she seemed to enclosed, so unable to try and connect with other people.

Lot of sense indeed.

Gently he took the petrified flower in his hand and held it up to inspect it. The petals, the stem, everything was lacking color and the soft feel that comes with what a flower is supposed to be like. Instead though, he was staring at a moment in time that could never be interrupted. Forever this flower would remain forever beautiful and could not be attacked by the agents of time. With a smile he gently gave her a nod of thanks and placed the flower into his coat pocket. He would keep it from now on.

>> "...What is Florida like? Are there a lot of pretty beaches? I am not from here... and I have never been outside of this city…Greece is where I was born, and where my bampás and mamá still live…I have never been to a beach before... What is it like, swimming in the Ocean?"

Greece he thought to himself. That explained the accent she just slipped into. But he did not dwell on that knowledge, instead he focused on the fact that she had never seen a beach before. It seemed odd in this day and age but then again, you cannot really get the same experience by just watching it in a picture or seeing it on TV. You needed to live it, to walk through it, to feel the water roll up and tickle your toes. You had to live it.

When she questioned him about the ocean though…that is where Jorge had trouble explaining.

“Swimming in the ocean,” he mumbled to himself. How could he really answer that. “If you’re not careful…you can get lost,” he muttered as he closed his eyes and thought about the last time he was in Miami and swam at the beach. “Sometimes, if you just lie back in the water and let the current carry you…you want to go with it. Its…so big and…it seems endless. You want it to carry you wherever it’s going…”

He sighed a bit as he thought back to home, then he turned back to Andrea. There were no real beaches here…but he could at least describe it as perfectly as possible.

“Close your eyes,” he said to her. It was only when she did that he continued. “Imagine…lying back, straight. Your floating gently on the water, bobbling softly left and right. Not too much to make you sick, but just enough to rock you to sleep. The sky overhead is massive and blue and water around you is all expanding and embracing. It hugs you, gently lifting you to its surface as it carries you further and further from shore, the smell of the salt in the air, the cries of birds, the lapping of water as it tickles your ears. Even the cool breeze s it blows across your face.” He sighed. He really needed to visit Miami soon. “Its so…comforting…cathartic…worriless. Its…beautiful.” he finally said then smiled at her. “You should try it. It’ll change your life.”

“Swimming in the ocean, If you’re not careful…you can get lost,”

The little, comfortable silence that had settled over then passed as he spoke up. She turned her chin, glancing at him curiously. She could imagine that... On her way to the states, she had plenty of time to gaze out windows at the seemingly endless blue sea. Other than the people who were aboard the small cruise ship, the only other beings she had come in contact with along her journey had been gray and white speckled seagulls. They had followed the boat for some reason, resting on the railing above when they weren't flying gracefully alongside the ship. She had wondered if there was another mutant on board, someone who controlled the birds maybe... but had never actually seen anyone who would have fit the role.

“Sometimes, if you just lie back in the water and let the current carry you…you want to go with it. Its…so big and…it seems endless. You want it to carry you wherever it’s going…”

The way he described it made it sound... nice. Lonely, and a little sad... but nice. To be alone and unhindered by the world while you bobbed along, letting waves push you in whatever direction they felt like. She closed her eyes as prompted, and let her imagination to the work of building up the world around her. Starting with what she remembered from her boat ride, she filled in the blanks with other things as Jorge went along, guiding her.

“ Imagine…lying back, straight. Your floating gently on the water, bobbling softly left and right. Not too much to make you sick, but just enough to rock you to sleep."

She could see deep, dark water. Rolling waves and a pile of gulls circling above her against a perfect blue sky. Not unlike the sky she has viewed above the bay back home... Having never actually floated before, she filled in that gap with the feeling of water all around her from her unexpected dip in a lake, and the comfortable feeling of bathwater lapping at her skin. She imagined herself as a little person shaped boat, dancing on top of the waves, with her hair trailing behind her like a dark curtain...

"The sky overhead is massive and blue and water around you is all expanding and embracing. It hugs you, gently lifting you to its surface as it carries you further and further from shore, the smell of the salt in the air, the cries of birds, the lapping of water as it tickles your ears. Even the cool breeze s it blows across your face.”

What he described was something she had never experienced all at once before. She had felt water, in the shower and that one time in the lake... but it had never been so peaceful. She tried to grasp onto the feeling one had just before falling asleep. Weightlessness... but it escaped her. She could smell salt in the air, and her ocean vanished- replaced by the image of home she had burned into her mind. The view from her bedroom window, dusk... Oranges and reds dancing across clouds in a darkening sky. The smell of salt and wood smoke floating in on the breeze. She could hear her parents voices below... and she opened her eyes. Cold, gray cement greeted her. Tinted by her sunglasses. Someone walked by, and she blinked. The illusion was gone.

“Its so…comforting…cathartic…worriless. Its…beautiful. You should try it. It’ll change your life.”

She should, but she would sink like a stone. A little sigh left her lips, sounding far happier than it really was. Sloth angled an eye at her, feeling what she was feeling, and his tongue flicked out in her direction. How she wanted to experience what he was talking about. To float away with not a care in the world. She wondered if it would turn out like dreaming, where everything seemed okay and happy... until the faces of the people she loved and left came floating back to her. Her worry's, secrets, and follies. The things she would never forget. Shaking her head slightly, she smiled sheepishly at him. "...I cannot swim." Oh, how lame that sounded. A twenty three year old who couldn't even float. She laughed at herself.

"My parents, bless them, kept me away from the world until I was ready to handle my burdens. Unfortunately... being so sheltered has left me with very little worldly knowledge on many things.."

Jorge listened quietly to the breeze as it flew across them. He had painted a rather pretty picture for Andrea, and for the most part it was accurate. He could not remember how many times while he lived in Miami he would head out to the ocean, either after classes or even after work, and just let himself drift away in the water. It was so calming to just lie there and let the ocean carry him away. Of course, by this point, Jorge was practicing with his abilities so he was never in any real danger of drifting away. It was especially fun to do this at night.

Lying there, drifting across the top of the ocean, using his abilities to push him along. Sometimes he would even pull this stunt at night. After a long day of working for his precinct he would just let the warm waters of the Florida pull him away from the shore. The stars slowly drifted by above his head, gray wisps of clouds glided past the giant, pale ball of a moon. It was almost magical to be able to do this.

He hoped that Andrea would one day take his advice and try it. It really was one of the best feelings that could be had. To just…let yourself go and escape with the waves. It was just too bad New York did not really have the warm beaches that Miami had. Maybe she would find her way there, or even California. Both had some of the best beaches he could think of.

But…of course there was a problem with that…

>> "...I cannot swim…My parents, bless them, kept me away from the world until I was ready to handle my burdens. Unfortunately... being so sheltered has left me with very little worldly knowledge on many things.."

“Sorry,” he smirked a little.

It was sad, to live in a household that could be that enclosed. He did not know all the details. They could have been horrible parents that tried to lock up their monster daughter, or they could have really been sweet people who were merely trying to keep her safe from the cruelties of the outside world. His parents did that for him. Hell, they traveled all the way across the state to keep him safe after his powers developed.

Andrea, though, he didn’t know all her back story. He hoped that she did not have a tragic a story as he could imagine. Instead he reached over and patted her shoulder gently. A glanced at Sloth who was still watching him curiously but he did not offer his arm this time. He had gotten as close to Sloth as he had wanted to for one day.

“Well, there’s no law that says you can’t learn,” he said with a nod. “Trust me, I should know, I’m a cop.” it was a bad joke, but what better way to follow up a bad joke than with a warm smile.

“Sorry,”

"It is alright, no need for sorry's." She accepted that she knew very little, and chose to not let it bother her most of the time. " I may not know some things, but I do not let it bother me. " If she had, she'd be in a much worse position than just a mopey snake headed mutant...

“Well, there’s no law that says you can’t learn, Trust me, I should know, I’m a cop.”

Smiling back, she swung her feet again. Her mind was still hung up on what she had imagined... remembered. The knot of homesickness in her stomach swelled and she found her mind wandering. "I am sure that at some point I will be forced to... I have already been dragged from a pond once, so I would rather not repeat it." She was at least thankful that Skylar had been present and polite enough to keep her from drowning in gross duck poo water. How embarrassing that would have been!

Glancing at him, she stilled her swinging feet. Jorge was the only person she had ever talked to so... thoroughly about her life, and her curses. She watched him silently for a moment, before she found herself wondering how he felt about being labeled a mutant. It was obvious that he had chosen the right path in life... but how had he earned his power in the first place? She thought back to all of the other people she knew, mutants... afflicted, tormented people. She had never had the gall to ask them what they had done , if they had done anything at all.

Her curiosity spiked, probably for the worst.

"...Jorge..." She started, unsure if she should ask the question on her mind, or if he would even understand... Saph sure hadn't when she had admitted a fraction of her theory to him. "...what did you do to deserve this curse? You are one of the nicest people I know... I can't imagine you deserving this in any way..."

>> "I am sure that at some point I will be forced to... I have already been dragged from a pond once, so I would rather not repeat it."

Jorge chuckled at the thought. It was similar to something his own father used to say to him. Sometimes the only time you could learn something is when you were forced to. It was a lesson that Jorge had to learn many times because it was true. You couldn’t be scared of everything, nor could you be scared to try anything. The second you did then there was nothing else for you to do but to just lay down and die. Life was never meant to be easy, Jorge knew that. To do or gain the things you want, you needed to fight for it. Especially if it was difficult.

He shrugged and nodded at her comment.

“Sometimes you gotta sink or swim. It’s the only way you can teach yourself.” He said sagely.

Then…silence. The silence was much needed as the pair of them, the cop and the young lady, simply sat there, watching the world pass by. It was much needed. Just a second to breathe, a second to reflect on the world as it passed by them. After everything that happened in the mall they needed the moment. At least Jorge thought so and Andrea’s silence seemed to agree with him. Together the pair sat and observed. He noticed her occasional glances, like something was weighing on her mind but she said nothing. It was a few attempts before she finally squeaked it out…

>> "...Jorge...what did you do to deserve this curse? You are one of the nicest people I know... I can't imagine you deserving this in any way..."

His brow went up in confusion and Jorge had to wonder what she was talking about. A curse? It was only when he thought about it for a second that he really understand that she was talking about her mutant powers? He had to admit that in a way, for her, it probably would seem like that. To go through life like a gorgon really isn’t anyone’s dream come true. But…she couldn’t see herself always as a monster. That simply was no way to live life. Jorge knew that deep down and advocated wherever her could.

He smiled a bit sadly as Andrea.

“It’s…not a curse, Andrea.” he said as encouragingly as he could and patted her arm. “I…know that’s hard to see now. Trust me. But…it’s like saying people with red hair, or those with a slightly large nose, or those who are smart are cursed. It’s…a part of who you are.” He thought about his own happiness. The only way he achieved that and was still was a mutant was because… “You need to own it, if you want any chance at being happy.”

Silence greeted her, only a moment- but it seemed like enough. She regretted opening her mouth, almost more than she regretted leaving her room today...

“It’s…not a curse, Andrea. I…know that’s hard to see now. Trust me. But…it’s like saying people with red hair, or those with a slightly large nose, or those who are smart are cursed. It’s…a part of who you are. You need to own it, if you want any chance at being happy.”

She bristled before she could control herself, and her serpents hissed softly. A part of who she was? "...This is not who I am..." Her fingers curled in her pockets and she looked away from him. She shouldn't be angry, she knew that... He didn't know very much about her, not many did. He didn't know what she had done, or what had happened to her.

"People with red hair can choose to change it. People with big noses can get them fixed. I have hurt people... just by existing... and there is nothing I can do to stop it." Her dark brows drew together as she collected her hurried, furious thoughts. He was just like Saph... someone on the outside looking in. They would never be able to understand her way of thinking, not unless they stepped into her shoes.

...and honestly, she didn't wish that on them at all. "There must be some reason I am like this... there has to be. Something I did wrong... or something my parents did." Sloth curled around her tighter, on edge due to her growing distress, while Ira and Hubris squirmed in her hair restlessly. The others had retreated into the dark tresses, away from their mistresses discomfort.

"This is a curse, not only for me but for everyone who suffers... God would not do this to a clean soul..." Her voice had taken on a strained tone, and she struggled not to jump to her feet an pace. It was hard enough thinking about such things on her own... Talking to someone about it felt twenty times harder.

>> "...This is not who I am...People with red hair can choose to change it. People with big noses can get them fixed. I have hurt people... just by existing... and there is nothing I can do to stop it…There must be some reason I am like this... there has to be. Something I did wrong... or something my parents did…This is a curse, not only for me but for everyone who suffers... God would not do this to a clean soul..."

Jorge said nothing but only listened to the angry twenty-something as she ranted about the curse of her abilities. To be honest it just made him sad. Deep in his heart he felt that twang of pain because she was so scared, because she was so upset. It was not like she didn’t have a reason though. Having to live a life like hers, he was not surprised that she thought it was a curse to begin with. But…he knew it was a wrong assumption on her part, on everyone who had to face abilities like this.

There was no fault…nothing they did wrong…no dirty souls…

“Andrea,” he started to say.

He could feel the anger fuming off her. Her snakes recoiled and hissed, her whole body just seemed like this tense ball about to explode. This was probably a speech she had heard before, or she had been warped by her experiences so much that she really believed she was cursed because of her abilities. Either way, it was a horrible way for her to view life. He couldn’t blame her but maybe…just maybe if she heard it enough times that she could slowly begin to realize that she wasn’t cursed. That…she could be happy.

“Andrea, hunny,” he said as soothingly as he could. “You soul…it doesn’t have anything to do with your mutation. I don’t believe God punishes people with certain abilities. Sometimes…” he sighed as he tried to pick his words. He did not want her any angrier but there was little else he could say that would not piss her off at this stage. “Sometimes the hardest thing we ever have to do in this life in learning to live with ourselves. You have it rough, I can see that, but believing you’re cursed, believing that you are being punished for an unknown crime you committed as child…it’s just not true.”

He attempted to comfort her again, placing a warm, fatherly hand on her shoulder, meanwhile trying to avoid the angry snakes as well.

“Honey, it’s easier said than done, but sometimes you just need to live life with the cards you’re dealt. It’s crappy, and extremely unfair, but that does not mean you cannot allow yourself to be happy every now and then.” Pep talks to mutated teens. It was a speech he knew well, but one that he spoken heartfelt every time he said it.