It was dark, dank, and reeked of mildew. This was his domain. Water dripped. Darkness reigned. And it really stank.

"Go." His fingers brushed together in an upward-pointing triangle. The burger king crown rested lopsided on his head. "To the surface. Bring me shinies."

They went. All eight of them. Three more stayed behind playing guard. He was important. He needed guards. Some day, he'd even have a full-fledged gang. This city would be afraid of him. For he had seen its true face. Sewers, stretching for miles on miles. Streets, extended gutters full of blood. And when they finally scabbed over... when they all saw what their horrible lifestyles had brought them, and saw who he was, they'd look up to the heavens and say "Save us." And he'd close his copy of Watchmen and decide he really had better things to do than to daydream about mad power grabs and not giving people help when they needed it most, because the whole world had turned its back on him, and he felt the need to do likewise. He'd eat his burger king wrapper and sit on his throne in the sewer, and scoff derisively. And send more kids to get him shinies. It was his way. Speaking of...

Sewer King looked up towards the surface, far above the steel and concrete of his realm. How were the kids he'd sent off faring on their mission from a crackpot inspired by old super hero cartoons?

Truth be told, they were faring mighty fine.

The little one in the green cloak had found a purse to steal. Fat lady hadn't even seen it coming when he hopped along like a frog, true to his name.

The round one wasn't seen or heard as he crept by a young man on his laptop, expensive coffee resting on the bench by his side. A hand slipped out and snagged the purse. Correction: Murse. Manbag. Man Purse. Whatever. Round-Boy didn't care, so long as it had something for him.

More and more kids were working. Hitting it big, or getting caught. Chased. Fleeing. Shortly followed by more scrounging. All but one. Sadly, this one hadn't yet seen a good target from the safety of his shades.

... Hold on. His eye caught something. A girl with red hair. Yes, maybe... she looked like she'd recently come into some money. Maybe she'd be a good bet.

His lips drew tight as he approached the redheaded girl from behind.

Things were looking up for Rebecca. Enough time had come to pass that the awkwardness between her and her best friend had been buried under friendship and denial. Work was more enjoyable than she expected, even with Akshay spending most of his time goofing off and unashamedly flirting with her. He was harmless, the clientele were shy but very kind to her, and she was starting to get into comics slowly but surely.

The other benefit of her new job was a personal income. Rebecca had a short list of needs, and some extra money was more than enough to take care of them. She had a bag with new jeans and a sweater dangling from her arm, but the main purchase was the iPod resting in the palm of her hand.

Rebecca had the buds snugly in her ears, scrolling through the first album she had purchased. Settling on a song she already knew, she placed the device back in her coat pocket.

With that tucked away, she searched the other pocket for her cell phone. Her stomach was empty, so she thought it might be fun to see if Gina or Agnes was available to grab a bite. She thought of texting Drew; she was determined to give a date with the boy a chance, but she had been keeping herself busy by definitely not putting off doing so. She got herself to the texting screen and started typing out a message addressed to both girls, oblivious to the world.

With good friends, an enjoyable job, and a lull in drama, things were definitely turning around for Rebecca.

He bumped into her in a blur of subtle proximity and apologies. Unlike some of his other buddies, this guy wasn't wearing a goofy cloak or something notoriously like a hobbit. He was tall, good-looking, and aside from the paleness of his face, he looked like he belonged. Just your run of the mill nerd guy in glasses, not watching where he was looking and paying the price.

"I'm sorry." He said. "Oh man. So sorry. Wasn't watching where I was looking, and..."

He was a real pro, pocketing that wallet of her's, too. She wouldn't even notice until long after he'd gotten away.

Rebecca was unable to finish her text before being interrupted by an unexpected encounter with a tall young man. Either he bumped into her or she bumped into him, but with her earbuds serenading her, she could barely hear what was going on or what he was saying.

She assumed he was apologizing, (which was presumptuous on the sidewalks of New York, she had come to learn,) so she shook her head. "Nae, it's mah fault, Ah couldnae hear anything. Ah shoulds 'ave been paying attention. Hope yer alright, 'ave a nice day!"

She turned to go on with her day, hoping he was not actually angry or shouting at her under the loud, obscuring tone of her music.

The redhead turned. All was in the clear. All was well. He took a few steps to be on his merry way, and. Stopped. As a hand clamped down on his arm.

Amelia stood there, eyes narrowed. From several feet away.

Actually, that wasn't her hand, was it. Her arms were crossed. Felt like a hand, though. So what...? His eyes dropped.

His brow arched in surprise. He was mildly impressed. Not a hand, no, but there was certainly something with a hold on him. Something that wasn't quite visible, and made his sleeve kind of foggy, like staring into the air over hot concrete. And it was her. She was doing it. She'd seen him, too.

"Give it back."

"Nice trick, girly." He commented. Then added forcefully. "No."

Something flew at her chest, knocking Amelia back. Glasses guy took the opportunity to bolt.

Girly could grab things with her mind. He could play that trick, too. He could also shove.

"Stop him! He's getting away. He took her wallet!" Amelia shouted, from the ground. Ow... From on the ground, people. Her butt was gonna be sore tomorrow.

Rebecca turned around to spot another girl as she shouted over the sound of her music, apparently mugged. A quick look at the culprit revealed it to be the same boy who bumped into her. She patted down her pockets and sure enough, her wallet was gone too!

She tore the buds out of her ears and ran to the girl. She knelt down quickly and asked her, "Are ye okay? She offered a hand to help the familiar girl off the ground. With her other hand, she reached into a buttoned coat pocket and pulled out a small bag of metal marbles. "Ah'll help!"

The marbles had been suggested by Gina, and Rebecca had been practicing with them in her spare time. She tossed the bag in the air toward the escaping pickpocket, manipulating the metal spheres, identifying each individually and controlling the field around it.

She would use the marbles to pelt the thief, but she had a limited range, so she could not afford to let him get too far away. "Stop 'at man!" The outcry would most likely fall on deaf, uncaring ears, but it was worth a try. More importantly, she ran off to chase the man, ready to send the marbles at him like a pack of bees the moment he was close enough.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just--"

On her feet again, Amelia turned on the spot. Her eyes locked on the escaping figure.They narrowed murderously. "Got to catch that rat bastard..."

>>"Ah'll help!"

Well. It was good to have help, she supposed. Would have been nicer if she hadn't needed help at all, though. Boy, was she annoyed with getting shoved around.

The man turned back to face them as Amelia caught up with the redhead. He sneered at them both. Two girlys, now. Girly 1 had a friend. And worse still, it was the one he'd nabbed the wallet from. Oh joy. He brought up his hand, and forced a wave of telekinetic energy crashing over one of them. Who, though? Well. Newcomer. Those floating marbles looked nasty.

Amelia rushed forward, darting to the left of the wave sent from the forwards-driven hand. She had it on good authority (from video games and anime logic) that forwards-driven hands tended to be directly followed by fancy special attacks. And she'd already been on the receiving end of one from this guy. She wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice.

Her palms clapped together like something out of an anime, and she focused. A dangerous idea flashed across her eyes, and then, she thrust both hands forward. A ghostly transparent fist erupted outwards, flying straight at the goon's groin. Energy could be transferred from the fist through the medium of clothing, after all. And it would not be pleasant. At all.

Rebecca's speed was getting her close enough to the man that her marbles were just about within range. She focused on tossing the marbles at full force in the direction of the pickpocket, oblivious to why he would turn and lessen his speed with the girls so hotly on his tail.

It was to her surprise when some force invisible to her eye collided with her. As though she were hit by some unseen rush of water, Rebecca was knocked back, just barely able to brace her fall with her hands, taking most of the hit to the bottom.

Thankfully, the momentum of a couple of her marbles carried them to at least pelt the man; there was not enough speed to strike him painfully, but they would be distracting, which was better than nothing.

Still unseen to her, something else must have come in contact with the thief, because immediately his face seemed flushed of color. There was a yelp of pain, and it was quickly clear that something was slowing the man down; his former running speed was not a strained hobbling speed.

Not wanting to let an opportunity like this pass, Rebecca lifted herself to her feet as quickly as she could. Surveying herself as hastily as she could, she assessed some scrapes and scratches on her hands, as well as a tear in her skirt where she landed. As embarrassing as the latter was, she would have to concern herself with it later. She started up her pursuit once more, locating the scattered marbles in her field-sight. Once they were in her range, she lifted them from the ground, bringing to life the metallic hunters hot on the tail of a now (apparently) wounded prey.

Pew. Pew.

Pew.

Pew.

The marbles hit, hit, hit. You ever get hit by marbles? Might not hurt if the force is weak. Sure might annoy, though. As the marbles hit, a wave of annoyance rushed through him. That was enough to leave him unprepared for the followup. Right between the legs.

"Urk!"

He grimaced. G'damn them... d-damn them to hell... but he staggered on.

Sewer King wouldn't like this. Sewer King always hated public confrontations. They were messy. They let people know of their existence. Drew attention that was unneeded, if not unwarranted.

"Just leave me alone..." He sneered. His voice was strained as he held himself, and staggered along. "You'll get me killed."

Amelia, for one, was not hobbled. She caught up. Even cut him off. Soccer practice. Does wonders for running skills.

"Now, who would kill a nice guy like you. Stealing money from women." She stuck a hand out. "Give it. Give it back, and then we'll talk."

He growled. Man, he hated dumb women who got in the way.

Amelia looked him dead in the eye, and held out her hand some more. She wasn't going anywhere.

"..." His entire body slackened. "Fine."

He'd get out. He'd get away and he'd find an easier target. It wasn't like these tools could help him or anything.

Boy, it sucked being outnumbered and outmatched.

The other girl managed to cut the thief off, halting him. Rebecca stopped at the other side of the man, trapping him between his two pursuers. She pulled her marbles back to her, now aware that she might have garnered the attention of pedestrians who were not accustomed to flying metal.

The first girl convinced the thief to hand back the possessions, and Rebecca gladly took her wallet, stowing it deeply in her pocket.

What was most curious about the man was his comment. "You'll get me killed."

Perplexed, Rebecca (still on her guard) asked, "Really though, who woulds kill ye?" Other thieves? Some sort of boss? It was clear there was someone else involved in this situation...

Wallet went into hand. Wallet moved from hand to other girl's hand. Wallet went into pocket. As this whole transition occurred, the thief's eyes watched the wallet's progress carefully. They also watched the girls. And swore.

Yes, eyes can swear. You can achieve a lot with a look. He achieved quite a bit when weird-accent-redhead asked a stupid question.

"Not like I'd tell you." He muttered, grumbled, crossed his arms across his chest, and looked away.

Amelia narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "What have you got to lose?" This guy was a mystery. At first, he'd seemed like your average thief, but average thieves didn't usually have someone out there watching them. Or did they? Someone could have put him up to this. "Who?"

He seethed, but didn't budge. For the moment, they were at an impasse. All he did was keep those eyes closed and look away.

Man, these women were annoying. And nosy. They were going to get him in trouble. And like hell if he let them sniff around Sewer King. If they sniffed around him, they were bound to come up against a situation that stunk.

Maybe this was less about annoying women than it was about sexist machismo and a man wanted to avoid seeing two women get hurt.

Amelia glanced at the redhaired-girl while Mr. Goodlooking mugger was keeping his mouth shut. "You alright?" She asked her.

Rebecca pouted, annoyed with such an aggressive refusal of what was good-natured concern. Maybe she should not have expected a pickpocket in New York to know what being polite was, but it was a hard change to abandon believing the best in people. Or at least the best in people that were not working for Agnes's parents. This man was stealing, but it could have been the only option he thought he had left.

The other girl tried to convince him to open up to them so they could help, but he continued to glare defiantly. Rebecca was not sure what was keeping his mouth shut, but it was starting to get on her nerves; after all, they were being nice, even after he stole from them. Flustered, she spat, ” Quit bein' sae stubborn, we're only bein' nice! Stop bein' a jerk!”

Not used to speaking in such a tone, Rebecca’s pulse rose with anxiety. Thankfully, she was not the only one there. ”Ah’m fine, thank ye. Nothin’ more than a sore bottom.” She wanted to check to make sure that was all she was dealing with, but she wanted to keep her eyes squarely on the thief, waiting for him to break.

The mugger shifted uncomfortably. He was still reeling from that below-the-belt blow. Jeez, these girls... he grimaced. And dammit, they were cute, too.

He sighed. And now one was talking about her ass.

"You two gonna stop paintin' pictures and call the cops on me, or are you gonna let me go?" He grumbled rudely. "Please say the..." The dark-haired one shot him a look that could kill. He finished weakly. "... Latter."

Amelia rolled her eyes at him. "We could choose an option entirely unrelated to the previous two, you know?" She crossed her arms.

"Oh yeah?" He demanded. "What?"

She looked him dead in the eye. "We could turn you over to the X-men."

Hmph. That'd show him. Although technically, they'd probably treat him a bit fairer than the police. Maybe. Who knew? Shin and Kealey probably couldn't pull off the 'good cop, bad cop' routine. And Maya would simply be too good-looking to live.

Rebecca tried her best to keep surprise off of her face, but she was not expecting the girl to mention the X-Men. She was not expecting her to know about the X-Men. Then again, it was clear she was also a mutant, so maybe Rebecca had no right to be surprised, but she would certainly consider asking her about what she knew when the time was available.

Until the time came, it was her role to play along the best she could. "Y-yeah! Ah'm sure they'd love tae know who has ye runnin' aroond, collecting wallets." Rebecca was not sure if the actual plan was to take him to the X-Men or just use them as an invisible threat, but the dark haired girl seemed to have a plan, and Rebecca's strengths did not include lying, so she would relegate herself to following the leader.

"What?" He crossed his arms and blew up his emo poof of hair. "Are you two related to the X-men in some way?"

Amelia just kept on looking at him. She didn't give him any clues to the answer.

The guy rolled his eyes. "Sheesh. The X-men would give him a real hard day."

Him obviously meant the guy's boss. Amelia spared a glance towards the cute redhead, then returned her focus to the mugger deviously. "So, you wouldn't like that, then...? Your boss having a real hard day?"

He shut up for a second. Then, he answered her. "Yeah. Honestly. Wouldn't mind that for a minute."

Guy was basically forcing them to serve him, wasn't he? Some of the kids liked it, but really. Sometimes, serving his ego was a bit of a pain in the ass. He figured he'd do better solo, anyways. Look what it had already brought him. Two gorgeous women.

"So, what was it he was saying about not needing help, then...?" She asked conspiratorially, again glancing the redhead's way.