Ahhh, so he wasn’t even in the market to flirt. Riley nodded her head at his reasoning, ”Well, you’re even more observant than I gave you credit for.” she said simply. What was it with men lately? She’d met two lately…three of she counted Ashton, who still made her want to grind her teeth with a mere thought, who didn’t seem immediately interested in getting in her pants. It was a good thing, in reality, because that would have been a lot to juggle. It was shaking Riley’s preconceptions a bit though. Guys were supposed to be pigs. Maybe she’d stumbled upon the only three in New York who weren’t.

That was fine. She’d had some practice with the whole ‘guy-friend’ thing the last few times she’d seen Aurum. Besides, it wasn’t like she’d investigated murder with this guy, or been shot at with this guy, or had this guy unintentionally half-naked in her apartment. It would be easy.

Lucas said he could wait and Riley shrugged her shoulders, quickly losing interest. Until he spoke again, about looking for a bucket. The tool who’d brought him to the show, and the plunger fairy were in animated conversation, and were quickly peeling off into giggly oblivion.

”God, I think they have a table of them over here in the back. They had to move them. Groups of kids from the comic convention next door kept walking by and taking them or making a scene.”

”Grab me one too.”

Because it was always awesome when someone took your righteous fury and shot it all to pieces after the fact.

Wandering around the Conference, Lucas took in everything exciting and new in the world of tools and home repair. When that was done, he still had forty-three of the forty-five minutes left to kill. With Lawrence disappearing like springtime Thumper in the first Bambi film, Lucas decided he would step out for a bit and get some fresh air rather than stay cooped up and bored by his lonesome. He strolled through the open double doors of the hall and out into the bustling city of New York.

The front entrance of the building opened onto Sixth Avenue in Midtown, about seven blocks south of Central Park. The green canopy at the end of the road was a stark contrast to the towering cement sky scrapers that lined the congested streets. The park offered an oasis to the chaos of everyday city life and the young man felt thirsty, but there probably wasn’t time. It would be rude to stand the young woman up when she was obviously so eager to buy him dinner.

Instead, he put one foot in front of another and wandered the alleys and throughways of Manhattan to pass the time. Having been in the city for only a short while, there was still plenty of things that needed discovering and the young man took in the ambience. The city had energy to it that you could only really experience on foot. The time passed quickly and Lucas lost track of it. When he finally noticed the clock on a shop wall, Lucas needed to rush back so as not to keep Riley waiting.

Bounding back up the conference hall’s steps, Lucas plunged back into the sea of tool booths and navigated his way to the power drill kiosk where he had met the young woman earlier. He was on time, but only by a few seconds. Riley stood in front of a large display, brandishing her drill as she smiled pleasantly at the men who passed her by. Her vibrant blue eyes darted back and forth to ensnare the attention of the possible clients, doing her best to draw them in. Coming up behind her as she finished her shift, Lucas couldn’t help but notice her profile and admire it for a second before catching himself. On a purely esthetic level, she was really quite attractive and her outfit definitely helped the overall image. Hanging out with models seemed to have benefits, not that he could ever let her know.

Trying to sneak up behind Riley without being noticed, Lucas dropped his voice an octave and put on his best yet horribly poor Texas accent when he knew he was close enough for her to hear.

“Hey huney, Whats say you and me have us a private showin’ when you get of?” He slurred to tease her while simultaneously tensing his arm to react if defense was needed against a sudden wild swing or kick. The boy scouts had it right. Always best to be prepared.

The last 45 minutes went by much faster than the rest of the day had progressed, and Riley brandished her drill with all the smiling aplomb one could muster while watching a fairy with a plunger pick up a man through the bars of the cage she was standing in.

It really was kind of disgusting and Riley reminded herself once again that this was why you didn’t help someone out when given the chance. Too many times the help was unrequested or undesired and it just ended up getting a person in trouble. For example, because of her good Samaritan heart, Riley now had a dinner appointment. A dinner appointment that she was going to end up paying for with a guy who she didn’t know.

Riley sighed behind her smiling façade. Being cantankerous hadn’t gotten her anywhere so far so in the interest of proving the adage that sugar went further than vinegar, she would be having a good time tonight.

A voice rang out behind her, vaguely familiar but not enough so to keep her from swinging around with a nasty retort ready to fire. Eyes narrowed when they fell on the speaker, and Riley rolled her eyes, a small sigh escaping her as she recognized Lucas.

” You almost got your head taken off again.” she said, then checked her watch. Yup. Shift was over.

“Give me ten minutes to change, and we can go.” she added, then turned to go.

As promised, a short time later Riley re-emerged from the back of the conference hall. She’d traded in Rosie the Riveter for a pair of jeans and a simple but pretty tank top that was fitted at the top and fell to points on the sides of her thighs. Her purse was slung over her shoulder, and Riley had slipped into a pair of flip-flops for ease of walking and comfort of summer. ” So. Where to?” she asked, ready to be away from the tools…all of them.

Lucas didn’t know what to expect but when Riley finally emerged from the changing area, he was pleasantly surprised. She dressed casually with none of the high maintenance you would normally find with the standard model stereotype. Her cute summery tank top offered a view of a little skin but not in a distracting way like the previous costume. The jeans that hugged her hips and flip flops on her feet painted the picture of someone down to earth. A casually slung purse over her shoulder completed the ensemble perfectly. The transformation from sex object to easy-going New Yorker had been executed to perfection.

Riley’s confident walk as she approached let the room know that this woman was going places. Tonight, it just happened to be with Lucas.

“So. Where to?” Riley asked in the blunt and direct fashion that Lucas was just now starting to become accustomed to.

He turned and started walking slowly, allowing her to catch up before matching pace so they could make their way towards the exit together.

What Lucas should have said next was, “I’m pretty new to town and don’t know any good places to grab a bite. Standard etiquette dictates that it should be the lady’s choice anyway.”

However, his sense of adventure had overridden manners as the memory of the green trees of Central Park teased and beckoned to him still. He was bored of the dingy brick and cement side walks of the city after his afternoon walk. A little nature was what he craved now. The rest of the evening could be made up on the fly.

“Let’s head north a bit.” Lucas suggested as they started up the steps towards the double doored exit. His curiosity about the stranger walking beside him had peaked when he saw her return from changing and now was his chance to learn a little more. A friendly chat while walking was the perfect way to do it. He dove in to learn a bit more about the enigma known as Riley.

“So, how long have you lived in New York?” He asked to start the conversation off as they both left the convention center behind and walked out into the afternoon sun.

Meh. She had to pick? Riley hated making decisions like this, but was mollified by the fact that it meant she got to pick the price range they ate out of. She got to pick…but they were going north. If Riley’d had any idea which direction north was, she might have complained a bit, just to be contrary. She didn’t want Lucas to think she’d just follow him around like a puppy because he’d picked a direction and said ‘go’. Luckily, though, she didn’t so she simply shrugged her shoulders and walked alongside the man, hoping they could simply walk in what was usually called ‘comfortable silence’ until they made it to wherever it was they were going.

Not to be so.

The sun was still shining, so it was still hot on the New York afternoon. It stayed that way for a while sometimes, even after the sun sank behind the tallest buildings. Concrete was a relatively good insulator, at least as far as heat was concerned. Riley was used to it though, it was what she’d grown up with. Also, apparently what Lucas wanted to know.

Riley was quiet for a few moments as they walked. She didn’t usually talk about her past. She usually didn’t talk about herself. It just wasn’t how she worked. For a moment, she couldn’t help but wonder if that was part of the problem. Part of why being friends with Aurum was so difficult, and why Ashton had failed so completely to understand her motives when the whole deal with Lonnie had gone down.

”Since I was nineteen.” she answered quietly. ”So quite a while actually.” she said, wondering if the lingering notes of her Chicago accent had given her away as a non-native. It happened sometimes, even if she hated to be obvious.

”What about you?” he didn’t have any tells to out him as something other than a native, but Riley figured it was something to ask. Maybe they’d even switch the subject over to him. Just because she was making an effort to change, didn’t mean it would happen overnight.

The time it took for Riley to answer was longer then expected. Most of the time, when Lucas talked with women and showed an interest in them they weren’t so guarded. It was a simple enough question to start them off. Her short answer with no real information gave him the impression she didn’t want to talk....or at least not about herself. That was too bad because it was going to be a pretty boring dinner if all they gabbed about was the weather. Here they were, two people who didn’t like discussing themselves, trying to have a conversation. Something would have to give or the meal was not going to be worth the effort.

“I’ve only been in town for 5 weeks or so.” Lucas answered. “Came up on the bus from Miami and figured New York was as good a place as any to settle down. Not that interesting a story I’m afraid.” He gave a shrug as he talked, since there was no better explanation to offer. At least, none he was going to share with a stranger.

“Nothing as exciting as trying to make it as a model.” Deflecting back, he switched the subject towards Riley once more. It was like they were playing some kind of social badmington and he had just hit the birdie back across the net. “So you moved to New York when you were nineteen. I’m guessing you came here to pursue your modelling. You say you have been doing it quite a while, not that I think you look old enough to say that, but let’s say around three years or so. I know better than to ask a girl her age so we can let that one drop. How’s it going for you? Figure you are still here so you have met with some success, right? Have I seen any of your work maybe?”

Five weeks. Not long at all, and he’d already managed to make friends like the guy who’d run off with the plunger fairy. Lucas, it seemed, was well on his way to becoming a real New Yorker. Riley didn’t comment though. She’d vented enough ire and snark on the guy earlier in the day. No reason to put him back on the hook now.

He switched the subject back to her, and Riley sighed as he tried to be flattering. That he was off by almost five years didn’t faze her all that much and she laughed. ”Off by a few years, but bonus points for being sweet. I’ve been here almost eight years now.” she said.

As to her success. That question brought real laughs.

“That depends entirely on what you’re into, and the magazines you pick up to check it out.” It was the gentlest she could be as far as breaking the news about her usual gig. He’d thought the Rosie outfit was bad…it was nothing compared to what she put up with wearing on a daily basis.

”It’s not as easy to make it in the industry as a kid fresh off the bus thinks. Being pretty isn’t enough. There’s another thousand chicks out there who are taller, thinner, and more cut throat than you are. You’ve got to take what you can get when the chum’s in the water.”

He’d moved up here because New York seemed as good a place as any to settle down. Riley shook her head and laughed, ”So what do you do up here? I’ve heard Miami is a nice place. Definitely no hellacious winters like there are here.”

Eight years put Riley at twenty seven. That was pretty surprising. Lucas couldn’t help but look over at the woman walking beside him and give her a quick appraisal after that remark. Was she kidding? Her skin was nearly flawless and her feminine frame exuded a youthful image. She looked good and he never would have guessed she was older than him. For twenty seven, she looked pretty awesome actually.

The attitude was melting away and Riley was starting to laugh as she talked. She was transforming into a completely different person as she relaxed a bit and one that Lucas preferred to be around by far. Dr Jekyll was a pain in the butt but Misses Hyde was turning out to be pretty good company already.

And now the conversation switched back towards his situation. His career and what he did in New York. It would have been simple to just tell her he was a janitor and a boxer. It wasn’t that he was embarrassed; it was just more interesting to try to gauge what kind of impression he had made on the woman. Seeing what she thought would be interesting.

With a quickened step, Lucas moved ahead of Riley and turned to face her, back peddling so that he could face her and watch her face as he challenged her again.

“What do you think I do?” Lucas asked with a grin upon his lips. “Surprise me.”

Lucas was quiet for a lonnnnnng time when Riley made it clear just how old she was. It was almost funny. A little disillusionment served him right for asking a lady her age. Even if he hadn’t really…and she’d kind of offered up the information.

Finally though, Lucas spoke again, but it wasn’t an answer to her question.

Surprise him? Man…it was almost like they’d switched roles in the usual game that Riley played. She was talking about herself, and Lucas was dodging questions.

Riley looked him over, thought about what she already knew, then shrugged her shoulders. ”Construction?” she ventured. He was a strapping young man, and strapping young men usually followed such pursuits. Then again…Aurum was pretty scrapping too, and he was a lawyer. ”Tool salesman?”

These guesses weren’t going well. Also. Lucas was approaching one of those little tree oasis with the little fences that New York liked to use to make people think they lived in something other than a concrete jungle. Well, at least in Manhatten.

”You might want to turn around.” she suggested, as a gesture of good faith.
Lucas was quiet for a lonnnnnng time when Riley made it clear just how old she was. It was almost funny. A little disillusionment served him right for asking a lady her age. Even if he hadn’t really…and she’d kind of offered up the information.

Finally though, Lucas spoke again, but it wasn’t an answer to her question.

Surprise him? Man…it was almost like they’d switched roles in the usual game that Riley played. She was talking about herself, and Lucas was dodging questions.

Riley looked him over, thought about what she already knew, then shrugged her shoulders. ”Construction?” she ventured. He was a strapping young man, and strapping young men usually followed such pursuits. Then again…Aurum was pretty scrapping too, and he was a lawyer. ”Tool salesman?”

These guesses weren’t going well. Also. Lucas was approaching one of those little tree oasis with the little fences that New York liked to use to make people think they lived in something other than a concrete jungle. Well, at least in Manhattan.

”You might want to turn around.” she suggested, as a gesture of good faith.

A quick glance over his shoulder and Lucas noticed the upcoming arboreal ambush before it was too late. His hand reached out behind him and grabbed hold of a branch and he let his momentum swing him back around to face the same direction as Riley once again.

“Thank for the heads up.” He said as he matched her pace and continued to walk beside her as before.

“So about that meal. I was thinking we could get my steak in the tubed variety if that suits you. Doesn’t break the bank and lets us do something while we eat. I’ve heard a lot about New York hot dogs and never got a chance to try them.” He offered it as a conciliatory option. She seemed genuinely nice now that they were away from the convention; Lucas would feel guilty if he made her pay for anything extravagant at this point.

“I’d be happy to cover the fee to get into the Zoo in the park if you’re interested or we can just stuff them down on a park bench and you can be rid of me quick. Whichever you prefer or something in between. With my ride off pretending to be Peter Pan with Tinker Bell right now, my evening is completely open.”

The dangled carrot was meant to be a friendly gesture but also served to deflect the attention away from her question about him, but why? He didn’t really care if she knew what he did. It wasn’t like she was asking his life story. Did it really matter if he told her? She was simply being cordial because she had lost a bet. The chances were slim he would even see her again after tonight. It wasn’t like he was telling her he was Batman or anything extreme. Being a boxer and a janitor wasn’t a huge secret. Throwing caution to the wind, Lucas figured he would be more open and see where that took him.

“I got two jobs to answer your question. I clean up at a gym over in Brooklyn and I also get punched in the face for a living. Well, at least I’m training to get punched in the face, takes a while to get into that line of work.” He joked.

Hm. An offer for a hot dog and a trip to the zoo. The hot dog idea was definitely up her alley, Riley had been worried that Lucas would cram his win on the bet down her throat and make her pay. Literally. Truth be told, Riley didn’t remember the last time she’d been there, or even if she ever had. The first few years in New York were still a bit of a blur.

Lucas was offering more time together, and Riley found that she wasn’t chaffing at the idea. She was fine on her own, but sometimes company was nice. Even if they were as skilled at dodging questions as they were at dodging trees.

It turned out that Lucas was a janitor of sorts. Riley had to admit surprise, he didn’t exactly emanate the janitorial vibe. Granted, the dark-haired woman didn’t really know what that vibe was, but she decided she was right, he didn’t have it.

As to his other job, Lucas’ description left an opening that Riley simply couldn’t exist.

”From what I’ve seen, I think you’d be excellent at that job. It’s only a matter of time until others see it too.”

As to the dinner plans, “A hotdog sounds excellent, and there are lots of stands in the park. I could go for the zoo too.”

Still. Lucas hadn’t told her much about himself, and given a dose of her own question dodging medicine, Riley found she didn’t like the taste much. “So. Tell me more about yourself. You can’t expect me to wander off into New York’s wilderness with a man I hardly know.” The question was light-hearted, and as much as she hated to admit it, even to herself, Riley was having a good time.

That was the problem with sharing answers to simple questions about yourself. They always seemed to lead to more questions. Now Riley wanted the whole picture. Where do you even begin with a question like that? Lucas decided that nothing could be stranger than the truth so it would be a good place to start. After a bit of joking around or course.

“You don’t have to worry about wandering off with little ole me. I’m harmless. I haven’t dismembered anyone in…” Looking up to the sky for a moment, Lucas began lifting up fingers as if he was concentrating while he counted. He stopped with four fingers in the air and pretended to be shocked and surprised before he continued. “Four days! Wow, that ‘s a record!”

Putting the kidding aside, he went ahead and started to share a bit more info on himself. “I live over in Brooklyn in a small room in the gym I maintain. I’ve been there a few weeks already and it is nice enough all things considered.”

It wasn’t so hard to share that much but continuing was trickier. Lucas considered his life for a second but no other part seemed normal enough to waylay a young woman’s fears of a stranger she had just met. Anything else seemed ludicrous upon mental review and he had his doubts Riley would even believe him if he told her. Now that he was thinking about it more, Lucas was starting to realize how funny his life actually was and couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. Not wanting to be rude and leave Riley out of the joke, he decided to let her in on his current situation despite his reservations, unable to stop himself from smiling while he told her.

“I’m actually lying. It isn’t that nice at all. You probably won’t believe me but it is kind of crappy now that I stop and think about it.” Shaking his head reflexively, Lucas flirted with the idea of just making up a story on the fly instead of being honest. He could probably tell the woman anything he wanted and how would she know any better. On the other hand, it might be therapeutic to let it out. Lucas had been stressed out enough lately. He needed to get some of this off his chest and Riley seemed as good a person as any to tell. It wasn’t like she knew anyone he did and it was pretty likely she would give her honest opinion which would be a nice change from the guys Lucas had been hanging around.

“I live in a 6 by 7 room in the basement of a gym beside a boiler. My bedroom is directly under the room of an escaped mental patient.” Another chuckle escaped his lips as the thoughts sounded even more ridiculous when they made it out of his mouth. “And for some weird reason, I have the biggest crush on this woman despite the fact she is also an amnesiac that keeps forgetting my name.” A final snicker escaped before he composed himself again. “That is the worst secrets I got at the moment. If you can stomach all that, you should be fine with me in the wilds of New York from here on out I figure.”

Taking a big breath of air, some of the weight on his shoulders seemed to lift. Having all that out in the open and laughing about the absurdity of the direction his life had taken felt really good. It was only right to return the favor and give Riley the opportunity to do the same, if she didn’t just hop in a cab and disappear right there of course.

“What about you? What do I need to be aware of before we move on?”

Lucas probably wouldn’t have found his joke half as funny if he’d been living in the city very long. Dismemberments were becoming all too routine, right along with throat slashings and other various methods of violent murder. Riley shrugged it off with a smile and a ”Heh” to show how amused she was.

Then they got into the deep stuff. The really deep stuff.

To be honest, she’d really only been looking for things like, ”I eat relish on my hot dog.” or I’m totally a sci-fi book kind of guy. Not a relationship history of Lucas’ time in New York or his broom closet of a room. In the boxing club. That he cleaned.

This got better all the time. The good news was, Riley didn’t feel endangered by going into the park with Lucas any more.

Digesting what he said for a moment, and not immediately answering the question he’d turned back on her, the dark haired woman tried to figure out exactly what was expected of her in a situation like this. She’d never been good at girl-talk, and that’s what this felt suspiciously like.

”Well.” she said. ”Lots of people go after unobtainable romantic objects.” Maybe she’d read that in one of her romance novels at some point. God…she felt like an idiot. ”Sometimes it means you’re not ready for something that could actually work out.” And now she sounded like she was trying to be Dr. Ruth. Only without the sex, or accent, or wrinkles. Okay, she didn’t sound anything like Dr. Ruth at all…but still.

It had to be easier to answer the other question.

”I shut down mutant powers.” she blurted.

Then again. Maybe not.

Lucas blinked a couple of times, stunned. Did Riley just say what Lucas thought she said? It sounded like she claimed to be able to shut off other people’s mutations, which seemed to infer she spent time with mutants on a regular basis. It was the kind of thing that needed to be investigated. Forming a cognitive thesis based on the recent comments from the woman beside him, Lucas extrapolated a hypothesis and tried to investigate the matter further.

“Wha?!?” Lucas blurted like a cave man on crack.

Being unable to articulate properly on the first try did not dissuade him and Lucas took a moment before he tried to form a more comprehensive sentence.

“You shut down mutant powers?” He said slowly. “I have to admit, I didn’t expect that and would love a bit more detail.”

A strange feeling of hope crawled into Lucas at the implication of Riley’s suggested ability. If she could take away a mutant’s power then he had a chance to be normal. It was what he always wanted. His abilities could be used to help others but the fear of being manipulated or used was always present in his life. To be rid of it would be so…..

The sudden thought of the implications this could have for Noel crashed over him like a giant wave of cold water and sent a chill down his spine. If Riley could remove mutant gifts, what could that mean for the amnesiac that lived upstairs? It was Noel’s mutant powers that ravaged her memory. The beautiful woman that had so captivated Lucas’ life was broken by her own unique abilities. By chance, the young man had just stumbled upon a person who might be able to fix her. Could Riley give Noel her memories back somehow and make her a whole person again?

“How does it work?” Lucas said as he stared, wide eyed, at the hope in female form that now walked beside him. “Can you remove every trace of it, including the damage it does to the person with the power?”

Oh shit. Now she’d gone and done it. That look on Lucas’ face. The shock and the surprise, then the quiet and the contemplation, it all fell into place far too quickly. Lucas was a mutant.

Riley groaned and slapped a palm against her forehead at almost the exact same time Lucas started to speak again. It wasn’t it would have been long before he figured things out. He was a mutant for God’s sake. They always figured it out. This time she’d just sped up the process a little bit.

And now he wanted to know more.

Suddenly, she’d gone right back to being an object. Something like one of the tools she’d laying on a table back in the convention center. Her very nature chaffed against the implications and Riley’s jaw clenched. This was what things were going to be like. People reacted the same way, with different aims, every time she had to pull herself out of the proverbial adapted closet. They were either threatened by her, disgusted by her, or bound and determined to use her. Whatever it was there were questions and clear goals. The only person who hadn’t reacted that way…had been Aurum, but he didn’t count. Because she said so.

It sucked. She opened her mouth to say all of that, to vent the absolutely impotent rage that was building up inside of her. But then she caught a glimpse of Lucas face and suddenly she just felt tired. Really, really tired of fighting. Why bother meeting her own expectations and rant at the guy?

“I don’t know.” she answered honestly, and just a little miserably.

“I just know that no matter what a mutant can do, if they come within a few feet of me they can’t. Walk away from me, and they can.”

Lori and the shower, the strange guy on the street who’d nearly followed her into a photoshoot, the Asian kid who’d gone blind and the idiot muscle head who’d gotten her fired, the guy who’d tried to torch her and Aurum in the apartment. Ashton. All of them were different people, with different powers. All of them had reacted the same way to proximity with her.

“ I’m not a mutant.” she added. The distinction was important, somehow.