(In response to I see your rat, and raise you...)

Jocelyn swung by the cafeteria on the way back from her morning run. She was all sweaty and probably smelled terrible even to those with inferior noses, but she didn't care. At this time of morning barely anyone would be up anyway.

“Do you have plain yoghourt,” she inquired of the hair netted lady behind the sneezeguard. The lady didn't look like she'd had her daily dose of morning coffee, but her eyes did widen a bit when she recognized the description she had been given of Lupe.

“Got somethin' else for ya, too,” she handed over a note along with the plastic container containing breakfast.

A note?

From the tiger boy, it looked like.

Curious, Jocelyn returned to her room. Sure enough, there, in a pile on top of her tall boots, was a bag from McGrease King with her name on it. Spelled wrong.

How thoughtful.

Jocelyn ate her burger for breakfast and washed it down with the yoghurt, all the while staring at the hole in her sheetrock and thinking of what she would do to thank Calley for his kindness.

-Later-

It was almost time for the news. Jocelyn settled back on the couch. All around the room, all throughout the Sanctuary in fact, a multicolored string was threaded, hung, and wrapped. One end was tied to Calley's doorknob. The other end was on the roof, tied to a raw steak that may or may not have been pilfered off her own brother's grill before it had a chance to start cooking.

Bonus present: basketball sized ball of yarn.

Jocelyn relaxed into the plush couch just as the opening jingle for Wolf News began.

(Calley's reaction is intrinsically sweet.)

Venturing out of her room had initially proved to be more interesting than Isabel had planned. Mostly due to the string that was hung up throughout the hallway. One end lead to the doorknob of someone's room. She had no idea where the other end led, but didn't particularly care to find out. She assumed it was for whoever roomed there and multicolor string wasn't something that particularly sparked her interest. She could always just cut it up later if it was still strung up and in her way.

In any case, she'd only ventured out for a moment to gab something from the kitchen before heading back to her room. After certain recent events it was one of the safest places she could stay to relax and get away from all the nonsense. Embarrassment aside, it just wasn't good for he mental well being to wander around the Sanctuary too much until things had settled down a bit. Running into certain people likely wouldn't end well for either of them, in one fashion or another.

She'd just wanted to grab a drink. A non-alcoholic one. She'd probably never touch the stuff again. Or at least, she'd never touch it again unless she'd locked herself in her room and could consume it in peace. She'd stood in front of the open fridge for a few minutes, lazily looking over it's contents and ignoring whatever cooks made disapproving noises before grabbing a gallon of milk and pouring herself a glass. Non-alcoholic and good for strong bones. Win-win.

It was while she was passing by the Rec Room on her way back to her bedroom when she paused, thinking she'd heard someone call her name. She backed up into the doorway that she'd just passed and peered inside. A few kids lingering here and there, a slightly older woman lounging on the couch watching TV, but no one that seemed to be looking in her direction or asking around for her.

It was when her name was said again that she realized it was coming from the television. That in and of itself wasn't anything unusual. She'd been on the news countless times for this murder or that. Leaning a shoulder against the door frame and sipping at the contents in her glass, she paused to see what she was getting credit for this time.

As far as she could tell it was another news station, a little semi-transparent logo at the bottom of the screen proclaiming it to be Wolf News. She'd caught the program once or twice in the past but hadn't paid much mind to it. Very short and generally sarcastic, from what she'd gathered. Nothing particularly special or attention-grabbing to her. She wasn't much for watching TV or reading the news anyhow, unless she made headlines.

Her attention was grabbed by this particular segment, however, because she'd already heard he name at least twice. She wasn't really a fan of the woman reporter. From what she'd gathered she was generally snarky and usually pointing out flaws in recent mutant and human activity, aiming to make everyone look bad. She didn't like that she seemed to have caught said snarky woman's attention.

And that's when a familiar photo was put on screen. A photo she'd been raging over for months, going out of her way to knock down news stands and gut convenience stores over.

Oh God. No.

The redhead reporting was smirking all the while.

No, no, no.

Isabel dropped her glass, spilling milk all over the floor and spattering her boots.She was just staring at the screen, mouth slightly open in a look of outraged surprise. She had hoped the hype over the photos had died down at least a little, and now this woman was bringing it back into the spotlight.

That sarcastic little witch!

She was so dead. And her little news segment was going to be permanently canceled if Isabel had any say in the matter. And then that ass that had caused the whole issue was going to be nothing but red piles of mush the next time she saw him.

This particular segment didn't make it to five minutes. It ended rather abruptly with a bang. With a length of bone sticking out of the TV screen.

Not too long into the evening's news, the opening jingle of the short segment Equal in Stupidity played. Jocelyn adjusted her position, sitting up a little straighter on the plush couch. She would never admit it out loud, but she did usually enjoy the snark of the redheaded Maxine Ralls. The irony, the hyperbole, the satire, the sarcasm, all served to highlight the absolute truth; human or mutant, there were a lot of idiots out there. And yes, sometimes she, too, was offended, but like vilification tennis, that was part of the beauty; everyone was offended sometimes.

Tonight's episode hit a little closer to home than most. It featured one Isabel Duskmoor and her girlfriend on their most recent... she could only assume it was meant to be a date. They had made their way through an ice cream shop, a bar, a police station, and a museum, killing at every step. Jocelyn had been out of town when she had heard about it, and because she wasn't supposed to look like a cop, hadn't been allowed to go to the funerals.

Of course, Ms. Ralls turned the whole thing into a farce; Jocelyn just couldn't feel the humor tonight. She was more saddened by the reminder, and below the sadness little embers of anger flared into being. Not at the reporter, but at the ones who caused the situation in the first place.

There wasn't much time for these embers to smolder before the broadcast was cut short by a white projectile through the center of the television. Almost as if in slow motion, Jocelyn turned to face the door, where the woman who had thrown it still stood.

Isabel Duskmoor, the cop killer herself.

Looking and smelling madder than a hornet. Wisely, the children that had been sitting around scattered.

Jocelyn inhaled, not going anywhere. She counted silently to five before she reacted. She had to keep her cool, she knew that.

“Isabel, I presume? I've heard a lot about you,” she used calm tones, soothing ones. The last thing she needed was for the bow adorned girl to stab her in the face simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Most of it is pretty preposterous, of course,” she waved absently at the shattered television, “It's nice to meet the real you.” She gave a hopeful smile, hopeful that her own calm reaction would be contagious and the bone thrower wouldn't start maiming people at any minute.

Isabel almost smiled as the kids that had been occupying the Rec Room scattered when the television screen burst. Almost. Her temper wouldn't quite let her enjoy their reaction. She'd hoped the hype over those stupid photos had died down at least a little after such an amount of time had passed after they'd first been released. And now that smug little reporter was dragging them back into the spotlight. No doubt they'd be back on shelves or glued to random outdoor structures by some little punks as she'd seen a time or two.

And then there was the security footage of her outing with Rhythm. She didn't remember everything that had happened over the course of that little adventure due to the generous amount of alcohol she had consumed beforehand. The brief bit of footage she'd caught before she'd lost her temper had been less than flattering. Stupid Rhythm, dragging her out and clinging to her like that. See if she ever went anywhere near that girl ever again.

Her attention abruptly shifted when someone addressed her. Apparently there was one person left that hadn't scurried out of the room with the rest of the kids. One brow raised as she regarded the woman somewhat curiously, wondering if she really had such little value for her life.

She gave a huff. It wasn't any surprise to her that the other woman knew Isabel's reputation. Anyone that had half a brain and lived in New York had at least heard her name, she was sure.

"Stuff like that sure as hell is," she returned, making a hasty gesture at the busted TV. Her more violent escapades were less ridiculous, and she was quite proud of them. Nonsense like what was displayed on Wolf News was the preposterous bit. She did not make a habit of dressing so scantily or being so friendly with other women, or anyone at all for that matter. Neither scenario had been her idea or her fault.

As for meeting the real her, Isabel wasn't so sure. The other woman seemed to be alright at the moment, though watching her just sit there and smile put her a bit on edge, especially after such an awful news reel had just played. But she hadn't tried to rob or molest Isabel yet, so that was a much better start than the last meting she'd had with a strange young woman.

"Uh-huh. And you are?"

Jocelyn stood to be polite, though she wasn't quite close enough to shake hands, though she would be willing to do so if the bone thrower stepped two steps closer.

“I'm Lupe. I just moved in a few days ago.”

Her heart rate was starting to go back down to normal, but wasn't quite completely there. It was quite a shock to go from quietly watching television in your own living room to confronting someone who hated you on principle simply for your chosen profession. Though, it was bound to happen sooner or later in a place like this.

She was still able to put her pleasant smile on, after all, this was the first meeting between two people. Even if one of them was mad enough to break faces.

“I was planning on getting some dinner,” now that the news was most definitely over, “if you want to come you could.” The wolf nosed woman took a step over a tangle of rainbow string and started in the direction of the cafeteria.

Well, at least the woman had the good sense not to linger on the smashed television or what had lead up to that smashing. Pestering Isabel with questions concerning the content of the wannabe news reporter's show or the steps the bone manipulator had taken to remove the program from the TV set was a good way to quickly get on her bad side and even quicker to earn a mauling. It was a good thing the younger crowd had scattered once she'd made her presence known. The younger they were, the more likely they'd be stupid enough to try and satiate their curiosity.

Lupe was an interesting name. Considering the Sanctuary was a house for mutants, it was safe enough to assume it could be some kind of code name or something. It certainly didn't sound like any regular name she'd heard, in any case. Then again, you never could tell with people. Some parents gave their kids some seriously strange names to emphasize how special and unique they thought their child was. Isabel was glad she'd been given a normal name.

When an invitation to dinner was extended and the woman turned to make her way to the cafeteria, she hesitated a moment. The last time she'd gone to grab a snack with someone she'd ended up in her room confused all to hell and trying to get the other woman out of there. However, the cafeteria was open enough and often had at least a few other people in there so the risk wasn't quite so high. Then again, it wasn't likely that such predicaments would repeat themselves like that with a different person. Apparently she was beginning to nurture some suspicious part of her.

Just before the woman disappeared from the room, Isabel moved to follow her, deciding that something to eat wasn't such a bad idea after all. Maybe if she found something good to eat her temper would settle down a little bit. All the string that was hung up everywhere wasn't helping. She'd have to find something really good. Like cupcakes.

When the bone manipulator didn't immediately attack, Jocelyn started to calm down a bit. Maybe in her own home with her own people the cop killer could be reasonable. After all, she could hardly have earned herself such strong protectors without some small amount of likeability, unless she was kept as an animal in a cage that was only let out when her skills were needed. The latter did not seem to be the case.

It wasn't a long walk to the cafeteria, though the going was somewhat slowed because they had to walk past Calley's door, where the rainbow colors of string were most highly concentrated. Jocelyn wove her way through the threads, then held aside the curtain for her fellow Sanctuary resident.

It looked like dinner tonight was Thanksgiving-in-summer style, with fresh veggies of every kind, mashed potatoes, and, of course, a turkey. It was an actual family-style meal, too, with everyone sitting together at one big table passing bowls to each other rather than a buffet line and people sitting by themselves. Apparently the Sanctuary residents really were like one big family.

There were still plenty of chairs left. Jocelyn held out her hand to let Isabel choose first, then would choose her own nearby if one was available.

Isabel should have known Calley would be involved with the irritatingly large amount of string hung up through the hallways. At least, she thought it was his door they were largely clustered around. She knew he'd made his way back to the Sanctuary, but she had largely avoided him. It was much too tempting to maim him, and she wasn't supposed to be hurting Order members. She didn't feel apprehensive about potentially ruining something for someone by cutting the strings anymore, though. She weaved around the threads that Lupe held for her, but she didn't hesitate to simply cut the others that hung in her way

She hadn't expected to see some Thanksgiving sort of setup in the cafeteria, though she couldn't say that she was upset about it. It was nice to change things up now and again, and while her hopes for baked goods weren't satisfied as quickly as she would have liked, she didn't doubt dessert would be available once people started slowing down in their consumption of the dinner items and began to get up and head for other destinations.

Isabel found herself a seat toward one of the long table's ends, making sure there was also available seating for her current companion. Empty plates and silverware had been set up at every seat, one of the cafeteria staff periodically swapping out messy plates for clean setups as people wandered in and out. She sat and began filling her plate with a few nearby goodies, waiting or some others to make their way down the line of people.

"So, what brings you to the Sanctuary?" she asked, spearing a pair of green beans with her fork and sticking them in her mouth.

Someone passed Jocelyn potatoes. She served herself a modest portion, then waited for the gravy to make its way in her direction. She liked turkey and potatoes and foods like them. They weren't usually over flavored with other things, they just were delicious by themselves without too much effort on anyone's part.

“I'm one who is here for lack of a better place. It's got nice amenities and there's no arguing with the price.”

She speared a piece of turkey. It smelled a little like citrus. Someone's secret ingredient in the stuffing had been orange peels it would seem. Interesting.

“It also seems like the kind of place that doesn't judge. It's nice.”

Ah, finally the gravy. Jocelyn sniffed it, then decided to only take a little. Too much pepper in it, but the turkey still needed the moisture.

“How about you?”

Isabel stuck another green bean into her mouth before accepting the next serving bowl passed to her and scooping out a small pile of potatoes onto her plate, followed closely by corn in a yummy butter sauce that was spooned out right on top of the potatoes. She nabbed a dinner roll and proceeded to butter it during a short pause between plates, all the while listening to Lupe answering her question.

Some of the turkey's dark meat found its way onto her plate with a good helping of gravy as the question was turned back on her. She couldn't help but smile a bit as she passed on the offered steamed carrots and thought back to her discovery of the Sanctuary. Oppressor had been quite the showman. She'd been sold halfway through his speech when he'd made his announcement for the Sanctuary's grand opening.

"I had no where else to go," she stated as she cut the turkey slice into smaller bite-sized portions and pushed them around in the gravy that smelled so good. She took a bite of the turkey before she went on to elaborate on her answer.

"I was around for the Sanctuary's opening day and ended up heading inside the building after a fight broke out in the crowd outside." A little detail omission never hurt anyone. Not like people didn't know the cause of the fight by now anyhow. "I liked what the founder had to say and I liked the place when I got inside. It's nice and homey here, and I don't have anything to worry about. I've made some great friends here and it's one place I feel like I can fit in without any trouble. I'd probably still be homeless if this pace hadn't opened."