Loriauna headed along the path, her boots clicking on the stone path as she headed towards the food stall. A faint smirk tugged at her lips, the aroma from the hot dogs the culprit of her happiness. Her messenger bag, a simple black bag, hung from her shoulder and swayed as she walked to the stall. The man owning the stand was a beefy man, but a good four inches shorter than Lori. With a balding head that glistened in the sun and a handlebar moustache, he was the stereotypical vender. Grinning at her, his gruff voice greeting her. "Nice to see you again, Miss Lori. The usual?" His thick fingers went for a bun and hotdog, ready to prepare her favorite meal.

"Thanks, Sam. Yeah, I'll just go with the usual...add a lemonade to, alright?" Pulling a ten dollar bill from her pocket, she handed it to the beer-bellied man, who smiled back.

"Sure thing. Hey, you hear about them mutants? Scary folk, huh?"

Lori paused for a moment, her brain quickly analyzing. Bluffing, she shook her head, a faint smile still on her face. "Can't really say I'm too scared of them, Sam." That's right...keep pleasant...

Sam didn't notice her faint discomfort, too busy squirting the mustard on the hot dog in his hand. "Really? Been all over the news, haven't they? They calm that they aren't all evil, but I doubt it...scary freaks of nature. I bet they aren't even really human...bet they're some sorts of escaped experiments." Sam wrapped the hot dog up in waxed paper, sticking it on a cheap paper plate, then turned to the iced lemonade dispenser. "The government of course has denied it, but you know how them officials are. Too damn busy with 'other things.' At least that new plan is starting up..."

Loriauna couldn't even completely hide her fear, it showing slightly in her eyes. "What plan?"

"They're trying to force through that 'Mutant Registration Act' again...you know, to make sure that the mutant are all registered. But some people are vouching for just imprisoning the lot of them for studies...maybe just kill them all." Sam finally looked over and saw Lori tremling slightly, her face a shade or two paler. "Hey, Lori, you aren't looking too good...you a'ight?"

Lori went to answer, when the cooker for the hotdogs suddenly shut off. Fluttering on and off, the red power light flickering like crazy. "What in the world..." Sam beat the cooker with his palm, trying to fix whatever was going on. "This damn thing never did this before..."

Quickly, Loriauna took control of her powers, for her fear was manifesting itself in her power. The machine quickly turned on like normal and stayed on, as if nothing had happened. Sam shook his head, wiping some sweat from his balding head. "Dumb machine...hey, you take care of yourself a'ight? You 're looking a bit pale."

Lori nodded, forcing a smile. "Sure thing...I must just be a bit dehydrated from the sun." She took her change and food, then smiled. "I'll be fine. Once I've get a bit of food in me, I'll be good. See ya around, Sam." She ehaded for a bench, trembling slightly.

This wasn't good at all...

*tricity parked her car in her usual city parking garage and stepped out to head for the electronics place once again, as reflecto had interrupted the outting before. she turned a corner and headed down the always-busy-new york-sidewalks to her favorite place for most of the hi-tech stuff she ever bought in the mansion. as tricity continued on her way, she passed a woman that couldn't have been much younger than herself. at first it was nothing, but then tricity felt the current that was running through the stranger's body.*
"What the...?"
*tricity stopped in the middle of the sidewalk as people pushed around her to get by. she followed the stranger as she continued on her way. before long, tricity scanned the woman's body and could feel she had definitely either been shocked with a great power source and still moving properly or this was a mutant somewhat like herself in front of her. tricity continued puruing the woman, swiftly walking around the different people until they came to a stoplight where the new york crowd gathered and waited to cross the road.*
"Excuse me....pardon me...sorry, excuse me..."
*tricity finally stood right behind the woman and mentally pulled a small charge from her, small enough so the blue ora that normally emitted when she did this, wouldn't be noticed by the dozens of people around her. tricity thought, 'this small bit of current is even too much for any normal person to withstand without wanting medical attention'. she touched the stranger on the shoulder.*
"Excuse me...um, do you have a minute?"

Loriauna turned, hot dog in her mouth, eyes widened. Biting off her bit and chewing it, she calmly nodded. Swallowing, she looked at the woman, concerned. "Um, alright...can I help you with something?" Her eyes looked over the woman, trying to figure out what she wanted. She didn't look threatening...just in case, Loriauna reached out, connecting herself ever so slightly with the electric cables that ran benath their feet. If the woman tried anything, she suddenly be wrapped in three foot wide cables that would shoot up from the ground.

Loriauna had learned it was best to be cautious.

"My name is Delilah and well, i know this is a bit forward, but frankly I was wondering..."
*she was hoping this wasn't going to cause a scene, but tricity wanted to know.*
"Are you a mutant?"

Loriauna stared at the girl, then laughed. The laugh came out whole-heartedly and Loriauna stifled it with her hand. "Ha! You're kidding right? Geez, miss, you don't just run around asking random people that sort of thing. It is like asking someone if they have cancer or have ahd sex before they were fifteen." Shaking her head, Loriauna turned from the woman. "Go check into a hospital or something, miss...I think you're a little touched."

Frankly, this charade was hiding her fear rather well. What had the woman wanted? What had she...she was struck from her thoughts by a sudden moment of realization. The streetlights, advertisement screens, and the electronic devices held by those around her were going haywire. Screens flickered and went Loriauna's favorite movies, phones ringing though no one called, playing tunes that Loriauna found nice. Streetlights flicked on, though it was a sunny day, and radios began to play some of Loriauna's favorite songs. The technology was trying to make her feel better...trying to cheer her up.

Not helping.

Quickly, Loriauna stopped the machines. A good hundred people were now staring at the machines in awe, murmuring among themselves. Loriauna hurried along, tossing her half-eated meal in a garbage can. She wasn't hungry anymore.

*tricity ran after the girl, eventually catching up. she touched her on the shoulder.*
"I'm not crazy and I'm not stupid."
*she began to explain, pulling the girl around a street corner and leaning against the wall of a bank.*
"I'm also a mutant. Apparently one that has very similar powers to your own. It seems you don't have much control over them...I used to be like that too."
*she put her hand out in an extension for a handshake.*
"My name is Delilah as I said before, though most people around your age call me Tricity."

Loriauna backed away slowly, shifting into a fighting stance. "I've had you people come after me before...imposters that were hunters, people just desperate for me to help them with their problems by hacking...and I'm not stupid either. One more step and every electronic within three miles will be attacking you." Loriauna's eyes narrowed. She was annoyed...everytime she tried to get away, more people kept finding her. She needed to get out...get away.

Before something very, very bad happend.

*tricity rolled her eyes and turned the hand that was already out for the greeting palm up.*
"I don't want to fight you..."
*from the Wachovia bank sign above her head, tricity began pulling the current from the sign and created a blue ball of blazing electricity into her hand. it swirled about for a few moments, full of energy, until it began to dissipate into her own body. she looked back up at the woman who still stood in her fighting stance.*
"Believe me now? Why do you think my codename is Tricity?"
*she said simply, leaning against the wall of the bank again.*
"I just wanted to talk, calm down."

Loriauna's eyes widened. This girl would be hard to fight if push came to shove...electricity was the main thing she had difficulty with. It was the bringer of life and death for computers, able to power them or destroy them.

She continued to glare, but she did not advance. "Then talk."

"Well really I just wanted to talk to you because I felt the electricity surge pulling toward you...and I was curious. Like I said, meeting someone that has a similar power to me is quite interesting."
*tricity explained simply, though the girl still seemed anxious.*
"Uuuh...do you wanna get a cup of coffee?"

Loriauna looked at the girl. What...the hell. This girl comes out of nowhere, exposes herself as a mutant and identifies Loriauna as one, then wants frikkin' COFFEE?! Was this girl nuts? "Look, 'Tricity' or whatever, I'm not interested in coffee or any association with you unless you are going to be straightforward. No one exposes themselves and me as a mutant for friendship purposes. What do you want?"

"Clearly I'm being straightforward as I followed you down the street, pulled you aside, and blatantly told you I was a mutant as you just said so yourself. SO, I thought instead of being outside around all these noisy distractions, we could go to a cafe where talking at a normal voice level is possible..."
*tricity began to explain as she stood up from being posted against the wall of the bank and crossed her arms over her chest.*
"And we don't have to be friends if you don't want. Seems to me with your protectiveness, you probably don't have many...if any. I just want to talk, is that a crime or something? Don't tell me the NYPD is arresting mutants now for talking to one another."
*tricity said sarcastically as she readjusted the purse on her shoulder.*
"So? Coffee or what? Maybe you're just not into coffee..."

Loriauna looked at the girl, slightly startled, then laughed. Stifling it with her hand, she shook her head slightly. "Sorry, I guess I'm getting to tight-assed for my own good these days. You know what? Coffee sounds great." She extended her hand. "Loriauna Blazenoak."

"Pretty. My name is Delilah Rose Tipper. Have you ever heard of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning?"
*tricity asked as she started down the street, heading toward a Starbucks on the corner that she frequently visited.*

"Yeah. Never figured I'd go though. Didn't seem like much of a point." Loriauna shrugged as she walked beside Delilah, figuring in her head. So, she was part of some sort of organization for mutants. Yeah, not too interested. "I have complete contrl, except when I'm in fear. And I kinda like having electronics help me instinctively...useful in battle. Like an automatic defense system." Her hands in her pockets and eyes calm, he voice came out in that same sure, amusd way, as if nothing were so serious that she couldn't still laugh about it.