"Okay then."

Chase was lucky, very lucky. If it wasn't for him, this kid would never know life as it was. No cup, how could he be what...ten, twelve and not have one? What age was he when he got his first one? Dang, he couldn't remember, those things just turned into normal clothing after awhile. Speaking of such, he needed to pick up a new one, the one he currently had well...it was back at his grandparents house. Packing his cup wasn't top of his list when he bailed out on them.

"Alright, protect the junk. High priority, your lively hood depends on it." There was no lie in that one. Protecting the family jewels is a highly performed action for males all around the world no matter their age, race or social status. "And by junk I don't mean junk, I mean, well you know what I mean." If he had to explain that one, things could get rather pathetic. He couldn't remember the first time he learned about cups, that was just to long ago.

Lowering his voice, his eyes shifted about. "Its like iron underwear, or um a helmet for your....yeah." This conversation just got very weird. "Stay here. " Quickly weaving in and out of people he soon picked up what they needed. Hopefully he got a small enough size for Chase. Tossing the package to the kid as he waltzed back, he smirked. "You'll get used to it."

>> "Okay then. Alright, protect the junk. High priority, your lively hood depends on it. And by junk I don't mean junk, I mean, well you know what I mean."

Chase nodded his head, contrary to the fact that he really didn't know what Hokee meant. He'd figure it out soon enough. Chase would rather pretend like he knew what Hokee was talking about, and figure it out later, than admit that he didn't know and wind-up looking like a fool. Hokee leaned in, as if about to tell him some deep, dark, and horrible secret.

>> "Its like iron underwear, or um a helmet for your....yeah. Stay here."

Oh. Chase nodded his head obediently, trying not to look too confused. They had things like that. His gaze dropped... that had to be uncomfortable. Chase looked back up, lingering in the aisle, rocking on his feet and remaining in his spot. For the most part. An eight-year-old could only sit so still, thus he ended up drifting towards the displays to study them. Hokee returned with the "cup" and tossed it to him. Chase caught it, and regarded it quizzically.

>> "You'll get used to it."

He certainly hoped so. Chase nodded, lifting his gaze towards Hokee. Helmet, cup... okay...

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, chest protector." He hadn't forgotten this monumental piece of equipment, just there were certain parts of the body he thought of first in protection wise. The chest protector, great for taking a deal of impact of the punch of paintballs. The sport didn't hurt that much, but bruises and such were common for people who were not experienced or protected enough. The more safety gear he gave the kid, the less likely Taylor would flip out on him. Hopefully she wouldn't nag him to much about this. Chase deserved the stuff, the kid needed to have fun and just be a guy.

Filling in the distance between the two, Hokee went behind Chase and started to pull the young boy's shirt tag out. This was the easiest way to figure out the chest protector. Sizes helped, and with tags things were easier. "Alright this way Rambo." Leaving the tag out, just in case he forgot the size, Hokee took the lead walking through the store on a mission. Operation Piss of Taylor was in full swing now. While walking down the aisles in the store, his fingers strolled across different merchandise taking inventory of what there was in the place. The squinted eyes looking about for security devices, planning for a later visit to the store during the after hours. Depending on how much security was there depended on how much loot he might be able to get out of the place.

"When you did your thing...turning into me you get like instant knowledge on how to do stuff?" Casual conversation of sorts avoiding certain words should keep people off their trail. Not trusting people there, he couldn't be certain if there was mutant hating people there or some under cover person waiting to catch him for his little stunt with the DMV or any other minor riot of defiance to law and order he might have done. Not ashamed of his actions, he just didn't want time behind bars.

>> "Yeah, chest protector."

Chase nodded, but as Hokee drew closer, Chase reflexively went rigid. It wasn't that he didn't trust him, wasn't that he thought Hokee would do him wrong, but Chase just didn't like being touched. He didn't wince away, but kept his human form steady as th eolder boy fussed with his shirt tag and surveyed it.

>> "Alright this way Rambo."

Chase followed obediently, eyes swimming around in casual silence.

>> "When you did your thing...turning into me you get like instant knowledge on how to do stuff?"

"Kind of," Chase trailed uncertainly, "Not really... I don't know. It's hard to explain."

It really was. He hadn't turned into enough people to pick out a pattern.

"It's more of just... what I need to know to pretend to be someone..." Chase explained, "Not instant knowledge about everything."

That was probably just about as clear as mud.

"Wh-what do you do?" Chase inquired.

Rounding another corner in the store, he found what he was looking for. With a wide rang of choices before him, the task of figuring out which one to get the kid seemed harder then anticipated. There were the Jerseys to wear, vests that had more pockets and such then one could dream of and there was the more simplistic armor of sorts. A glimmer in his eye he spotted the full body shaggy suits that could make one look like a bush or a pile of clippings on the ground. Those things were awesome, a pain in the butt to run in but wicked cool to just station down in a spot and be a sniper with. What would be the best strategy for Chase?

"Huh. Blind knowledge. " Chase's mutant ability was very interesting in deed. The ability to know only what he needed to play the part of something. This was really cool, and could be very helpful. It did explain how and why Chase was able to drive the car so well, considering not having any driving experience. Oddly enough this also was a helpful tool for himself. Now he could see exactly how good of a driver he was himself. That was pure raw talent. Nice to know. To bad he wasn't a red neck, then he could be some NASCAR driver or something. Eh, there were other things he could do in life with knowing how to drive so amazingly awesome.

Moving to the more simplistic vests and such, his fingers danced their way about looking for a size which would fit the small framed youth. "Ever wish you were invisible?" Answering a question with another question. Yep, that was exactly how he was going to roll right now. Trying to stay focus on what they were doing there, he knew he had to avoid rising suspicion. Lucky enough it was a busy enough day in there that two guys their ages shouldn't stick out. Plus with a store like this, it was a candy shop for the teenage boy so to speak.

"Do you do laser tag?" His special skill so to speak was something best seen and not described. Trying to find a good shadow in the place was going to be hard, but if he could get Chase out of here and in some place else, then that might help. Plus a round of laser tag in the morning would be wicked awesome. Maybe it would be good training for Chase. Not the same exactly as paintball but he could at least get used to the idea of running around with a gun and being shot. A good introductory course. Man 101.

>> "Huh. Blind knowledge. "

Chase nodded mutedly, gaze skimming over the wide variety of chest protectors that lay before him. Chase spied the shaggy, foliage-adorned suits and quickly gravitated away from them. He did not want to look like a houseplant.

>> "Ever wish you were invisible?"

"Sometimes," Chase mused, rising onto his tiptoes to see the vest that Hokee was considering, "I mean, being invisible would be kinda cool. There's lots you could do."

He didn't know what, but there were probably things that invisible people could do that normal people couldn't.

>> "Do you do laser tag?"

"No," Chase hesitated to answer, "What's laser tag?"

In his repetoire of "Things That Chase Hasn't Done", laser tag was one of many. That's why he needed an older boy, like Hokee. So that he could learn these things.

Chase seemed to be interested in the invisibility aspect, which was good. Though who wouldn't want to be able to do something like that. It was one of the best, no the best mutant ability to ever have. Sure it kinda stunk that he was limited to stealth about in the dark, but it made things more interesting. At night he was able to hone in on other elements of stealth, getting used to seeing in the dark and such things that people didn't always consider as something to improve.

"After we get this stuff, its laser tag time." There, it was set. This kid needed to live life. That was exactly what they were going to do. Taking one of the chest protectors off the shelf he tossed it over to Chase. "It will be good training before we get you playing with paintball guns.....and I can show you what I do." Turning around, his fingers dove deeper into the choices. He was sure to find something spectacular, just he hadn't found it yet.

Pulling out another vest, he leaned on one of the shelves. "Almost done here. Just after this we'll be good for now. I can pick up more stuff later without you. " Or better known as, steal some stuff that he couldn't smuggle out with Chase being there right then and there. Plus he still needed to figure out a way to get some quick cash for playing laser tag now. He just needed to find someone that was to caught up with things to notice something going missing on them....like a credit card or cash.

>> "After we get this stuff, its laser tag time. It will be good training before we get you playing with paintball guns.....and I can show you what I do."

"Okay!" Chase agreed with unabashed delight, a smile touching upon his face. He seemed to remember himself after the eager, delighted outburst, and quieted down once again, somhow managing to catch the chest protector that was tossed his way. This had to be the best day ever. Hokee was so cool.

>> "Almost done here. Just after this we'll be good for now. I can pick up more stuff later without you."

"'kay," Chase agreed, nodding his head. He didn't read into this as much as one more unbiased (or perhaps biased) eye might have. Chase merely regarded what Hokee had said as the typical "older person running errands without a child slowing them down" return to the store.

Cashing out at the store took a bit of creative thinking, but in the end they walked out of the store with the equipment in bags along with proof of purchase. Scoring a bit of extra cash in his pockets as well, they were all set to kick major butt in laser tag. Rolling down the window to the car, his arm lounged across the frame. Flicking his head so his hair would shift, he looked over to the passenger seat. "Laser tag they give us the stuff to use while there and you give it back. Way cooler then bowling."

Cranking the music a bit, his fingers drummed on the steering wheel and the outside from of his car door. "Place if full of black lights and stuff. Its cool. Makes your teeth glow." Teeth didn't really glow, but white things did seem to shine a bit when under black lights. Though his head started to fill with ideas of replacing some of the lights around the mansion to them. Now that would be wicked, plus it would give him more things to practice with. Painting the windows black as well would be helpful, but it seemed like that would never work since the graffiti aspect was frowned upon within the confining walls of the mansion.

"You'll get this pack you have to wear like a vest. Targets on your shoulders, your back and front. The gun will be attached to the vest on a stretchy chord. You aim for the targets on other people and you can aim for the laser of the guns too. Each are worth different points, plus there are bases to deactivate. When someone hits you, it makes it so you can't shoot for a little bit. Couple seconds and stuff, but different targets deactivate you longer then others. They explain it. There is no way for you to hit yourself, unless you hold the gun up to your eye and shoot at it. Its pretty cool, but don't do it."

The car slowed down at a red light light and contently purred at the stop. "Plus there is an arcade in them." If Chase didn't know what an arcade was, well he honestly might cry. The kid needed to learn how to do guy stuff, and Taylor was smothering him away from such things. Good thing he was there, show Chase how to be a real guy and not some little prissy boy. "Grew up on the racing games, makes you feel like you can actually go somewhere. Ya know?"

Chase and Hokee returned to the car with their boon. Hokee seemed just as mellow and as cool as ever, while Chase was grinning from ear-to-ear with delight. Not only had they purchased Chase some paintballing gear, but they were now on their way to laser tag. As it had been said many times that day, this had to be the best day ever. Chase leaned back in his seat, looking openly pleased.

Hokee went on to explain laser tag, and it all seemed rather complex

>> "Laser tag they give us the stuff to use while there and you give it back. Way cooler then bowling. Place if full of black lights and stuff. Its cool. Makes your teeth glow."

Chase nodded and confessed, "Sounds like fun."

Then, the description got more intensive. You wore a vest with targets on it, and a gun that was attached as well. And you just ran around, trying to shoot other people. And if you were shot, you couldn't shoot for a little bit. And you could shoot yourself, but it was ill-advised.

"Wow," Chase said with a smile. He revised his statement to, "Sounds like lots of fun."

>> "Plus there is an arcade in them. Grew up on the racing games, makes you feel like you can actually go somewhere. Ya know?"

Chase bobbed his head affirmatively. He knew what an arcade was. And he knew what the racing games were, for those were his favorites. He liked cars a lot.

"I always crash into things," Chase said in acknowledgement of the fact that he did know what these racing games were, though the comment about "feeling like you could go somewhere" went over his head completely.

Keeping an eye on the traffic, the car continued to roll down the street with the flow of traffic. Stop signs, red lights, speed limits, there were all there and when the traffic did as the road required, he continued to roll along with the rest of them. For a morning, it wasn't to bad, there were some days when he drove that he swore people were driving with a death wish. In the seat next to him, Chase seemed to be higher then a kite.

"I'll show ya a move or two to avoid that." Running a hand through his long hair, his mind started to drift in a numb state. Driving just had a way of making the driver just drift away into another world. To explain such things to Chase would be impossible, it was just something he had to feel for himself. An experience, that was what this was about, and without being the person directly taking part of it, it just didn't mean as much. "The steering wheels in the arcade are messed up. Half the time they are to tight or to loose. Its a matter of figuring out which one it is, then us it."

Turning his own wheel, he was driving down another street slowing down. The squinted eyes shifted between the sets of mirrors. "When you drive, just remember everyone else is an idiot. Its about saving your own butt. You can control your own car, but not other people. Just how it is, computer is out to knock you off the road, you just got to not let it." Easier said then done, but hey anything worth getting needs to be worked at. Travis must had slipped into his head somewhere along in the way of his own thinking.

"Doesn't your mom let you do anything fun?"

>> "I'll show ya a move or two to avoid that. The steering wheels in the arcade are messed up. Half the time they are too tight or too loose. It’s a matter of figuring out which one it is, then use it."

Chase listened dutifully. He had never known about that, not consciously. But deep down, Chase was fully aware of it. But it would be cool if Hokee showed him how to work with the inherent flaws of the driving games. Chase fussed with the button in the door, locking and unlocking it absently, listening to it *click* latch the door and *click* unlatch the door. He did this a couple of times, then decided that he was bored, and stopped. He then started fidgeting with the air conditioning vents.

>> "When you drive, just remember everyone else is an idiot. It’s about saving your own butt. You can control your own car, but not other people. Just how it is, computer is out to knock you off the road, you just got to not let it."

“Everyone else is an idiot,” Chase reiterated, to show that he had heard the older boy, “Got it.”

He paused just long enough to answer, then returned to toying with the air vents.

>> "Doesn't your mom let you do anything fun?"

“Well, yeah,” Chase trailed. His old mom and dad hadn’t, but Gemma let him do some fun things. They took him to the park a lot. They went to Detective Jorge’s house, and he played with Lizzie. Chase did plenty of fun things.

The sound of the locks clicking and unclicking was a bit annoying, but he couldn't blame Chase. Riding instead of driving in a car was no fun. Though it was different, before in the car Chase seemed to be full of excitement, but now he was somber. Not that there was anything wrong with being quiet and such, but the kid had been practically his own basketball dribbling down the road of life and now he was just a dead beat. Something was off, but was it his responsibility to figure that out?

Avoiding taking any sort of say in the matter, Hokee decided it was best to just ignore any problem that might be there. Still, the empty boy in the seat next to him was just, well it just didn't seem right. With a shrug, the driver slumped back into his seat a bit more. Trying to figure out this kid was a handful, and at points not worth the effort. Catch 22 on the matter, no less and no more.

Was it possible that the kid was just getting tired? It made sense. Chase was like half his age or something, he didn't know for sure but the kid was dramatically younger then him. Maybe he needed an afternoon nap or something. When he was that age, did he sleep in the car? It was so long ago, he couldn't picture anything clearly on the subject. His hands slid off the wheel as the teen started to stretch while driving.

"So....what do you do then?" Small talk. Not his forte, but it was worth a shot. If this didn't work, he could easily keep driving without saying much of anything. Chase was cool, he'd let him know if there was something in particular he should avoid talking about. Yet at the same time, would Chase clearly state where that line was? It wss hard to tell with kids, it really was. Though with the silence they seemed to have, it was quite possible that maybe the subject of driving was one of those which Chase felt off about. A shame really, driving was the best thing in the world.

>> "So....what do you do then?"

Chase stopped fidgetting with the air vents, and started playing with his shoes, tucking his knees to his chest so that his feet were more within reach. Chase didn't sit still well. He needed something to do.

"What do we do? For fun?" Chase echoed. He shifted. Nothing like what him and Hokee were doing. They ran errands together, shopped, watched movies, and went to the park. Not cool guy things. Things that you did with your mother, or were at least supposed to do with your mother.

"You know," Chase murmured, "Stuff. Not cool guy-stuff, but, uh... stuff you do with moms." Chase didn't want to go into details. He didn't want to seem too uncool. Chase relished the attention that he got from Miss Gemma because he wasn't used to it. His first mother wanted nothing to do with him, but with Miss Gemma, it was the exact opposite. How could he explain that to Hokee without explaining that to Hokee? Chase was such a Mama's boy...

Stuff done with moms. Yeah...he was just such an expert on that one. Pushing the accelerator down a bit more then needed, he found himself drowning other feelings by introducing them to his limbs puppets. Leaning against the window a bit, his squinted eyes keep a vigilant watch over the road. "Time to grow some and get guy time." Hopefully people wouldn't look at this in poor light, but he couldn't tell people what to think or say. Though he might start picking up the habit of throwing a punch or two if need be. Then again he always had the better option of retaliation in the cloak of darkness to mess with someone. Slashing tires could put a big damper on a person's day for sure.

"Back i n the day it was red, yellow, and green.....but people were chumps and couldn't tell the difference between yellow and green lights. Some places changed it to blue instead of green. Either way colors that are hard to tell apart at a glance can be good, just use it to your benefit." That being said, the car turned around a corner and the brakes started to go in action. Parallel parking, he was rather proud of himself for his mad skills.

Unbuckling, he was soon jumping out of the car. With one smooth move, he locked his door while twirling his car keys around his finger. "Ever take your scooter on a skate park?" Just because they were running around doing things that involved guns, he hadn't forgotten about how he woke up today. It was a collision of a scooter and car. Sleeping in a car, the things you wake up to can change day to day or even hour to hour.

Leaning up against the back of his car, the teen's squinted eyes looked over his shoulder. "Do tricks and stuff?" He honestly didn't know to much about Chase the more he thought about it. Not that he was going to go around making 'bff' jewelry or anything like that, just it was something he couldn't explain. The kid wasn't to bad of a freak, so it was a plus for him. Now if the kid would just man up a bit, he'd be fine in life. Obviously he needed Hokee for this, and he was going to get manned up......Hokee style.