Lucas hung on every word Riley said but his hopes were dashed almost instantly as the woman’s power seemed to be proximity related. She couldn’t turn off mutation like she had inferred, just dampened them for a short time. The misery that seemed to creep into the woman’s voice was not missed however. It seemed her gift was a curse to her as well and Lucas’ excitement at the possibility of a way to help his friend had offended her. Inadvertently, he had treated Riley as he always feared people would treat him so it wasn’t a big leap to understand what had made her upset.

This was still a good thing though. Riley couldn’t ask or expect Lucas to do anything different from anyone else when they were hanging out together. If what she said was true, he was just like any other guy to her. It was even better than that! If someone could understand wanting to hide an ability so as not to be used for it, Riley probably would. This made the young man almost giddy.

"Well I am." Lucas shared pleasantly, almost skipping back up to walk beside her again. Didn’t really matter if he admitted to being a mutant now. It wasn’t like she could be scared of his powers after sharing that.

"You probably guessed that from my reaction though. I can heal people. Usually I don’t tell anyone because when they find out; they tend to call me for every cut or bruise to save on the cost of a band aid. It’s pretty great that I don’t need to worry about that with you if that makes any sense."

If that was Riley’s deepest, darkest secret then she was probably one of the more normal people Lucas knew but he had a suspicion that she was still hiding something. The picture still didn’t make senses. She still hadn’t explained her very vocal berating of him earlier or her somewhat harsh demeanor. There was some kind of man issue there but Lucas doubted she would share it with him. He decided to take a light hearted stab in the dark and then drop it altogether. If she didn’t want to talk about it, there was no reason to push her and make the evening uncomfortable.

"Is that the worst of it?" Lucas asked as he strolled along beside her. "No crazy stalker ex-boyfriend who is going to put an axe in my back while I am feeding a Llama or something like that?"

Yeah, of course he was a mutant. Riley tried not to be churlish as she and Lucas continued their walk towards Central Park. Surely there were a slew of questions to follow. She was surprised, however, when there was simply an explanation.

Lucas could heal. Riley ‘huh’d’ softly at the revelation and mulled it over in her head. Every time she’d revealed herself to a mutant, they’d been mad…excepting Lori. She’d been giddy as a school girl…as long as there hadn’t been any other mutants around. Lucas seemed…genuinely interested.

There was also something else, something that made Riley’s brown furrow. “I never thought about that…” she said, almost to herself. “Bad powers don’t work on me…but the good ones won’t either.”

So. No hyper healing for Riley. It was something to think about. Then again, being a model didn’t usually provide many occupational hazards.

Lucas seemed to move on after that, and Riley gave him a sideways glance. Was he for real? That was it? No more questions or concerns or favors to ask.

He just wanted to know…if she had an ex boyfriend.

Riley snorted.

” I don’t date.” she said simply, and truthfully. He could take it as he would, and Riley was sure he’d have an opinion.

The sideways glance Riley shot him was noticed through peripheral vision but Lucas decided to pretend otherwise. Had she expected him to press her when she obviously didn’t want to talk about it? Of course he could have asked more questions but by responding with short and seemingly pained sentences while rolling her eyes, the young woman had made it obvious she didn’t want to discuss it further. Maybe that was the point though. Was Riley trying to catch Lucas’ interest with topics and then fain a willingness to discuss it so he would be the bad guy by bugging her? Strange behavior but it fit with her prickly demeanor. It was kind of rewarding to know that he had inadvertently taken her away from the expected script if that was indeed the case. A derisive snort broke off the young man’s psychoanalysis.

” I don’t date.” Riley stated flatly.

Another short and dismissive sentence that created a myriad of questions yet closed the door on further discussion at the same time. Shooting a quick glance back over to Riley now, Lucas saw how the young woman looked forward and walked with her chin held high. It almost felt like it was a challenge somehow as she waited for him to question her lifestyle choice. Riley seemed to want a soapbox to argue how she didn’t need a man in her life and waited patiently for the chance to voice her opinion after laying out the bait. From what Lucas knew about this woman so far, she probably didn’t need a man. Her head seemed to be on pretty straight. She was a bit argumentative and full of herself maybe but some guys liked that sort of thing. It was unfortunate that she felt a need to prove her point by being alone. She was a pretty enough girl and could probably have her pick of guys if she wasn’t holding herself back. The question of why she acted this way was still there but Lucas didn’t expect he would get an answer soon.

Though some response was expected to the not dating comment, there wasn’t many viable options. Riley had set a pretty good trap. If Lucas contradicted her, he was some jerk who questioned a girl’s right to independence or was flirting to get in her pants. If he went along with it, he was suggesting she wasn’t worth dating at all and was insulting. Asking for details would invite further eye rolling and snorts of annoyance. The safest choice was saying nothing or changing the subject again but that would just reaffirm she should go on believing she was better off alone. It was masterful in its complexity and Lucas had a suspicion that he wasn’t the first guy to be tested in this way.

Refocusing his view on the street ahead, Lucas decided to play Riley’s game for a little while. There was only one more block to the park. Opening his mouth meant they might not make it that far...but where was the fun in playing it safe.

“That’s funny coming from the girl that agreed to dinner with me an hour ago.” Lucas said stone faced. “I was a bit surprised you didn’t put up more of a fight actually.”

He kept his eyes straight ahead and saved his joking smile for after he received the shocked objection or sarcastic remark that would undoubtedly follow. Riley wasn’t the only one that could mess with people’s heads.

Riley shrugged her shoulders, “Didn’t seem much like a date to me.” she countered with a slight smile. “You were the one who claimed to be hung up on a girl who lives over your broom closet. I took that to mean ‘off the market’ and simply collecting on a bet.”

They kept walking, and Riley considered her options. The ship had already sailed on getting mad or offended at Lucas’ question, and Riley couldn’t help but think that by not reacting she was failing to meet some sort of expectation Lucas had set up. Oh well. He’d asked a simple question, not thrown himself at her or anything.

“And just because I don’t date. Doesn’t mean I don’t go on dates.”

Riley didn’t take the bait but that was ok. Lucas let her have the smile anyway. This girl was full of surprises. Maybe he had missed the mark and she wasn’t as easy to define as originally thought. Wasn’t that always the way with women.

“Fair enough” He answered.

The million dollar question came back to Lucas and he figured he would ask it. If she didn’t mind the comments earlier, what was the harm?

“So why don’t you date?”

Riley frowned thoughtfully as she and Lucas made their way closer and closer to Central Park. Had he decided he wanted to make her mad? Maybe it was some strange reverse psychology way of getting her to take off so he didn’t have to feel like a jerk for not wanting to be around her. Riley sighed softly at that train of logic though and shook her head at herself. That didn’t make any sense whatsoever in context of the rest of their interaction. The problem was, the questions had gotten more and more personal, and she didn’t even really know how to answer them.

Why didn’t she date.

Well, the answer really was simple, but it made her sound like some sort of bitter, harpy to simply say that she’d never met a guy who wasn’t a jerk. It wasn’t entirely true anymore either. Just mostly.

Realizing she’d been silent for some time, Riley sighed, ”You don’t mess around, do you? “ she said.

” You don’t exactly meet the kind of guys you’d want to take home to mom in my line of work. After a while, it’s just easier not to mess with it. The shorter-term, the better.”

“I’ve been told I can be a bit direct at times.” Lucas answered Riley with a shrug. “I find it more effective than the standard social ballet. If I say something that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to tell me of course. I won’t mind.”

Lucas wanted to ask her what kind of modelling she did but as Riley had been a bit elusive twice now, he assumed it was best left alone. If they were still getting along after dinner, he might ask to see a portfolio but it was more a curiosity item then any real interest in her job. Not wanting to derail the direction of the current conversation yet again, the thought was abandoned as quickly as it formed.

They were approaching the intersection at 59th street and the normal late afternoon traffic was whirling past at a standard New York pace. A taxi swapped lanes and cut another commuter off to be rewarded with a barrage of horn honks. It was a part of the tapestry that made up the city and Lucas had grown accustomed to the sound.

Crossing the street now would be like playing Frogger 3.0 on speed but luckily, the light was about to change. They were moments from Central Park and a quieter evening of hot dogs and caged animals without the orchestral brass section of a hundred vehicles to follow them.

Rather than let the time pass in silence while they waited, Lucas continued to question Riley on her life. He was confident that if he went too far now, she would tell him after offering her the option.

“So it is reasonable to assume you have an idea of the type of guy to bring home to mom then? What are you looking for...if you haven’t given up and resigned yourself to short-term of course?” he asked her casually as he surveyed the cars as they rushed by.

Riley couldn’t help herself, she genuinely laughed at Lucas’ question. Just for a moment though, until she realized he was actually serious.

“My mom would probably steal any guy I brought back to Chicago. “ she said, then shook her head, “Couldn’t blame them either. She’s a hell of a catch.”

That probably wasn’t the answer he wanted though. He was probably looking for something along the lines of… ”Someone worth respecting.” she said simply. That wasn’t the whole story. The whole story was way more complicated than that and sounded like something out of one of the cheesy romance novels she kept hidden under her bed.

How was she supposed to tell someone she’d just met that what she really wanted was someone who’d take her as she was? Someone who was willing to put up with her moods and her vinegar. A person who wasn’t going to bail the first time she got a little pissy or when she admitted that she was a little different.

She wasn’t, that’s how. What she was supposed to do was keep her mouth shut and keep the Knight in Shining Armor in the books.

“Besides. It’d be a bit hypocritical to expect that much out of a man when I’m not exactly the kind of girl you’d want to bring home either. “

The last few statements seemed a bit self-deprecating to Lucas. Riley was a strong, confident woman who didn’t take crap from anybody as far as he could tell. Paired with her quick wit and attractiveness, she would be a catch. Why was she suggesting she wasn’t worthy of respect now? There was only one way to find out.

“That seems pretty harsh. I don’t buy it.” He said flatly.

Lucas decided to jump right into the deep end in attempt to get to the heart of the matter. No use beating around the bush. Sharing his inner thoughts could seem forward but a compliment or two never hurt anyone. It might even loosen Riley up a bit and help her share what she kept alluding to but seemed scared or ashamed to say.

“You’re funny, pretty, independent and aren’t afraid to speak your mind.” He said honestly. “Sure, I hardly know you yet but you haven’t thrown up any red flags since our first conversation as far as I can tell.”

Pondering a little further, Lucas continued to draw a blank and shrugged to himself. “I still don’t get it.” He said with a hint of bewilderment.

Turning to look at her so that he might get some incite through body language if her words failed to help clear things up again, Lucas rephrased his earlier question. He made a point to use Riley’s own words when asking it again. “What makes you the kind of girl a guy doesn’t want to bring home? I’m obviously missing something.”

They were interrupted by a deep voiced man with a New York accent.

“I’ll take you home if this loser can’t handle yah missy.” The voice rumbled suggestively from behind them.

A quick glance over his shoulder provided Lucas the view of an extremely large mulatto man’s chest. One warn denim strap held up his over-alls while the other dangled loosely to the front. Raising his gaze upwards, Lucas’s eyes fell upon a wide grin which was bedazzled with an array of cheap gold and rhinestones. It looked as if the giant had just finished eating a jewelry store and forgot to floss afterwards. His brown deep eyes and long corn-rowed hair gave the stranger a sinister look that paired with his aggressiveness, raised the hair on the back of Lucas’ neck almost instantly.

Riley shook her head when Lucas asked her why she wasn’t the kind of girl a person brought home to their mom.

”Picture this, Lucas.” she said, ”We’re hanging out at your house, eating dinner with your parents, just so I can get to know them. Your dad keeps commenting that I look familiar and that he just knows he’s seen me somewhere before.”

Riley paused her line of thought for a moment as they continued to walk. “ Now. Somewhere between passing the green beans and roasted potatoes he figures it out.”

“Only, it’s that issue of Saucy Pin-ups he’s got hidden in the bottom drawer of his desk in the home-office.” Another pause, just to let things sink in, and then she laughed. ”Then we’ve got spilled potatoes all over the table and nobody is happy.”

“Thanks for the nice compliments.” she said sincerely, “But I’m a realist.”

And then Captian Bling showed up.

“Oh, I’m sure you would. But, I’m good, thanks.” Riley said, with a deadpan look.

The large man’s smile seemed to wilt at Riley’s rejection. The sparkling stones of his teeth snuck back behind his lips as they tightened into a thin, hard line. From behind him, Lucas noticed several other individuals that were dressed similar to the giant crowding in. One of them reached forward and placed his hand on the large man’s shoulder to get his attention.

“I don’t think the lady likes you T-bone.” He offered as a sarcastic suggestion. “Maybe she needs some convincing?”

T-bone didn’t strike Lucas as the kind of gentleman who negotiated peace at the U.N. so the thought of him being convincing wasn’t something he was looking forward to. Not liking the direction the conversation was going, Lucas decided to attempt to diffuse the situation quickly.

“Thank god!” He exclaimed with a huge relieved exhale of breath. “I thought T-bone was talking to me there at first.”

The three men in the back began to snicker and T-bone turned his bulk to address the dissent in his ranks as the light turned green. Lucas took the opportunity to turn and cross the street with Riley while the man was suddenly busy.

“So do you do a lot of modelling in those kinds of magazines?” Lucas inquired, as if they were never interrupted. “I was thinking of asking you to see a portfolio later but now, it feels a bit awkward.”