The sun had been so beautiful when Dahlia had headed out of the Sanctuary. Bright and shiny, it had kept her warm clear up until about eleven o' clock. That was when the clouds had started rolling in. Dahlia had assumed the sun would be back out soon and had climbed a tree for a little nap in someplace safe until it did. Now it was two and the sun still wasn't back. Dahlia was cold and pouting. Why did the weather have to be mean? All Dahlia wanted was to get out in the sunshine where it was warm. Then the clouds had to come and ruin her fun. Now she couldn't stay out here until the sun came back out. It was just too cold.

Glancing around Dahlia spotted a mall. She didn't really want to go into a mall again. The mall cops had been mean last time! But then again it was the closest building and Dahlia needed the warmth. She clambered down out of the tree with an all too brief pout. The pout was quickly replaced with a grin as Dahlia ran as quickly as she could, and the traffic and crosswalks would allow. In fact maybe she ran too quickly and without paying enough attention.

Why?

Simple enough.

Right as she'd gotten inside the mall where it was warm, Dahlia ran into someone. Literally. Someone almost as inhuman looking as herself! Dahlia might have stared. A little.

Gina was shopping. And by “shopping” she meant shopping the storefronts for styles she liked, that she could modify, and other such things… styles that she could wear as they were already. Summer was coming up fast, which meant lots of bikini tops with halter tops to them, and the bottoms were an easy enough fix… Gina might have snagged a few swimsuit separates that she’d deemed as cute, which she now toted in her bag.

Gina was near the doorway, nose buried in her sketchbook and body oriented towards one storefront window, hurriedly scribbling a schematic for a particularly cute dress before her. It was a sketch with various notes here and there, based on the modifications that would be necessary for adapting it to her form, stitches here and there, the fabric that was used and other fabrics that would work as well. She was in the zone, and standing in the middle of a walkway. People gave the gargoyle a wide berth anyways, so it wasn’t as if that actually mattered. Gina took a step forward as someone attempted to zip past, yet instead collided with her.

The contact caused the gargoyle back-pedal, and she shifted her attention from her sketch, and from the window, with a chipper and absentminded response. She dawned an apologetic smile as she spoke.

“Sorry about that!” Gina said lightly, even though the other person had run into her, rather than vice-versa, “My bad.”

As she apologized, she opened her eyes, and found herself face-to-face with the hugest lizard she’d ever seen before. Huge, in the way of lizards, a few inches taller than Gina. It was difficult to decide which eye to focus on…

When Gina’s brain finally realized that she was probably facing a mutant, her brain sputtered into action, and she offered the greeting of, “Good afternoon!”

Gargoyle.

With a sketchpad.

Dahlia grinned widely before remembering that that expression tended to freak people out and reverted to as large a smile as she could manage close-lipped. It was a gargoyle! Another mutant like her! First Sky and now the girl? Dahlia wanted to pout a little at the fact that at least this girl still looked...well girly but she was too happy at getting to meet yet another of the freaks. The chameleon didn't need a mirror to know that her scales had changed to a bright yellow at breakneck speed.

"Hi! Nice to meet you! Sorry I knocked you over but I needed to get inside. The sun went in."

The girl nodded slightly to herself as though that explanation made perfection sense and then resumed staring. She tried not to but it was so hard.

"You're a gargoyle!" swiftly realizing what she'd just said a quick flush of bright red joined the yellow on her scales, "Oh gosh I'm sorry! I just...haven't met many other people, yanno, like us before."

The lizard grinned at Gina, and Gina smiled back, though with an equal amount of teeth showing. Her color transitioned to a yellow all at once, and Gina blinked, but didn’t show any outward surprise beyond that.

>> "Hi! Nice to meet you! Sorry I knocked you over but I needed to get inside. The sun went in."

“It’s okay,” Gina assured the lizard-girl fluidly, “My fault for standing in the middle of the walkway.”

What she said actually made a lot of sense… reptiles, sunlight… yeah, made sense. Gina understood.

>> "You're a gargoyle! Oh gosh I'm sorry! I just...haven't met many other people, yanno, like us before."

Gina chuckled as red added into the mix of colors and the frank observation was made.

“I grew up in a mutant town, so not a lot phases me,” Gina confessed. She tucked her sketchbook and materials under her left arm, holding out her right hand for a handshake, “Name’s Gina. Nice to meet you.”

Dahlia shook her head vigorously. It soooo wasn't the gargoyle's fault! If only because she was a gargoyle and that was so cool!

"Oh no, I should have been watching where I was going. Totally my fault."

Dahlia paused to stare some more. It was hard not to, since the gargoyle girl looked so darn cool! A little more red joined the yellow when the gargoyle girl chuckled and introduced herself. And here Dahlia was staring! So rude! Shaking herself, and making sure that both eyes were on Gina, Dahlia took the outstretched hand. Well, she tried anyway. It was a little awkward since she only had two fingers in essence.

"I'm Dahlia! It's nice to meet you too. I mean, goodness, you're a gargoyle!"

Surely being a cool monster was better than just being a monster? And Gina was a lot less monstery than Dahlia was. Dahlia smiled brightly at Gina. It was probably a lot cooler to be her. She could even wear clothes!

>> "Oh no, I should have been watching where I was going. Totally my fault."

Gina smiled. Wow, this girl was really nice. And even more chipper than Gina was. How was that even possible? The giant chameleon continued staring, remembered to shake Gina’s hand, though she did so with minor difficulty. Her hands were different, but Gina didn’t mind.

>> "I'm Dahlia! It's nice to meet you too. I mean, goodness, you're a gargoyle!"

Gina looked over her shoulder, stretching a wing out a few inches, as if to check and make sure that this was in-fact still true. And, lo and behold, the wings were still there.

“Yup,” Gina agreed with a wink.

Gina couldn’t very well return to sketching now—the fact that two such drastically-mutated girls had run into each-other meant that Gina was inclined to hang-out with the other girl. She didn’t mind in the least, of course, it just meant that she had to put the sketchbook away.

“Hey, you want to grab a bite to eat?” Gina suggested, “And then we can hang out, see if the sun comes back.”

She grinned and giggled at Gina. The other girl seemed amused by her amazement. But being a gargoyle was way cooler than being a lizard and Dahlia just knew that she was mostly orange and purple now. It was hard not to be with such a cool mutant around. Gina was a freak like her after all but unlike Dahlia she still looked mostly human.

"Sorry but it's just so cool meeting another...well someone sorta like me."

Somehow she didn't think the other girl would react too well to the word that Dahlia usually used to describe mutants like themselves. The mention of possibly getting food though did make Dahlia hungry. She didn't really have any money on her though. Where would she put it?

"Um, I'm kinda broke." her scales went red for a moment, "But I'd love to hang out!"

Dahlia cast a brief, one eyed, longing glance at the clothes. Oh how she wanted to wear pretty clothes again. And shoes! Oh shoes. But freaks didn't get nice things so Dahlia contented herself with giving her new maybe friend the least creepy smile she could manage!

>> "Sorry but it's just so cool meeting another...well someone sorta like me."

Gina’s tail flicked and curled while Dahlia rambled, a smile still upon her face. Yeah, she obviously hadn’t met many mutants in her younger years, but that was fine. It was nice to be so well received, and with such enthusiasm. It was far better to be well-liked than to have people be fearful of you, without even knowing you.

“It always is,” Gina agreed lightly. Which was true. It was always pleasant to meet mutants just like yourself, because they were so unique, and so very cool.

>> "Um, I'm kinda broke. But I'd love to hang out!"

“I’ll treat you to something, come on,” Gina said fluidly, gesturing for Dahlia to follow. Truth be told, Gina didn’t have much money, herself—her allowance was just about spent—but anything for the sake of hanging out with a newfound friend.

“Whatcha hungry for?” Gina asked conversationally, “The food court is enormous, here.”

They’d probably have whatever Dahlia was craving. And Gina was easygoing, she’d eat whatever.

It took another calm reply from Gina for Dahlia to realize she was rambling. It was a bad habit she picked up when she was nervous or excited. She'd just talk and talk and talk. Whatever crossed her mind would get said. It was embarrassing and a flush of red arose on Dahlia's scales. It only got brighter when Gina insisted that she would pay for her! She stood there for a minute thinking about it before nodding.

"O-ok!"

Goodness but Gina was nice! First she offered to pay for what Dahlia got to eat and then she asked what she wanted! Of course now she had to figure out what she wanted. Food that didn't take much chewing was best for her so she thought about it as she and the gargoyle walked toward the food court.

"Um...smoothies?"

Dahlia liked fruit and she could drink a smoothie. It seemed like the perfect compromise to her! Unless maybe Gina didn't like smoothies? Goodness she hadn't even thought about that!

"Unless you don't like smoothies. Then we can get something else. What do you like?"

Dahlia forced herself to stop rambling there.

“Smoothies!” Gina echoed, pointing forward in an “Onward, march!” sort of way.

“I think they have smoothies here,” Gina mused aloud, “Umm… this way? I’ve been to too many malls to keep them straight. They all seem the same after a while.”

Either way, Gina took the lead, smiling at her new friend broadly. The chameleon girl seemed hesitant, which was apparent in how she quickly revised the statement. She wanted smoothies, unless Gina didn’t like smoothies, in which case they could get something else.

“I like smoothies,” she assured the girl, giggling at her exuberance. Ginas’ eyes swept about for any sign of the food court while they spoke. The food places tended to congregate in one locale, unless they were sit-in or higher-end restaurants, in which case they had their own buildings.

“Soo, Dahlia,” Gina said conversationally, keeping so that she was just ahead of her, but close enough to still be talking casually, “Are you from around here? I’m from California, but I came here for school.”

Gina seemed to take the smoothie suggestion well. That was good. Very very good. Dahlia didn't want to scare off such a fun looking mutant! Gina was, after all the best of both sorts of mutant. She looked mostly human but she had some cool monster traits too. Gargoyles were pretty fun after all and Gina seemed really nice. Gina had to be nice if she was going to talk to a freak! And talk she did by asking Dahlia where she was from. Dahlia panicked for a moment, trying not to show it though her colors shone through anyway turning her orange and yellow for several minutes. She'd run away after all. Gina seemed nice but Dahlia didn't know if she'd keep quiet if she found out about that. Lying wasn't nice though.

"Um, yeah I'm from around here."

Dahlia paused for a beat as she mentally scrambled for a topic.

"So, uh, what's California like? I bet it's amazing!"

Maybe that would keep her new friend from prying? Besides, she really did want to know about California. Dahlia had never been there and didn't think she ever would be.

"And school? Why would you come here for school?"

That puzzled Dahlia. Then again she hadn't gone to school since she ran away. They'd try to return her to her parents and her parents didn't want a monster around, Dahlia was certain of that!

Dahlia stumbled over the line that, yes, she was from around there, but the description ended there. Gina was in the midst of arching an eyebrow when Dahlia quickly changed subjects. O-kay then. Gina went with the flow and moved on to the next subject, confused but willing to shift conversational gears.

>> "So, uh, what's California like? I bet it's amazing!"

“It’s quite lovely,” Gina agreed, nodding her head, “The weathers really nice there, compared to here—doesn’t get nearly as cold or as hot as New York does. And I come from a small town, so it’s a lot calmer there than it is here.”

The same couldn’t be said for San Francisco or Los Angeles, but Mendocino was very mellow.

>> "And school? Why would you come here for school?"

Gina grinned, and gave a matter-of-fact, “Xavier’s. They don’t have anything like it on the West coast, and I was sick of homeschooling. So I came here. Probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, ever. Xavier’s is so mutant-friendly.”

Gina wouldn’t say “all-mutant”, though—it was mostly-mutant, and any humans that came there were, for the most part, pro-mutant.