She was nervous... how could she not be? The last time she has seen the man, she had been half out of her mind on meds and.... well, recently mauled. She was sure she had left an impression that was probably not the best, on top of blathering things that probably made little to no sense at all.

...But, that had all happened a long while ago. Her wounds had healed, she had a new energy about her, with Saph's help of course, and she wanted to show him her appreciation for being there in her time of need. The Greek glanced down at the bundle in her arms, a woven basket covered with a cloth napkin. Inside she had wrapped and bundled a dozen Kourabiethes cookies, the one type of thing she was good at baking. Of course, she hadn't done it alone. She had been fretting and worrying all week, ever since the idea had come to her.

She was going to hand him the basket of cookies, and give him a heartfelt thank you. Everything that had ever been bred into her demanded it.

As she approached the park, arms hooked through the baskets handle, she chewed on her bottom lip. It had been difficult seeing those that she had left behind, but this man was someone she had met after leaving the mansion. He didn't know about her past problems... though she was sure he had his suspicions. Their first meeting hadn't exactly gone over smoothly.

Clothed in a cream sweater and a blue summer dress, she walked on. Nearing a park, where people often gathered in groups, had once been something that she actively avoided. Of course, those days had died off with her coat. The usual red hood she had hidden behind for so long had been cast aside after the tears and holes had been repaired. Andrea hardly even noticed people staring at her nowadays, so moving around with her snakes out in the open, tucked gently into a long braid, didn't bother her in the least. Somewhere down the line, through the months, she had slowly come out of her shell. People who sneered at her for having a different color of skin than they were no longer worthy of her attention.

Humming a soft tune all to herself, she kept on going. She had called to set up a date, a meeting in the park. She didn't know exactly what to do, because 'hanging out' with others was not something she was particularly good at. Hopefully, this meeting would go smoothly. She knew better than to openly voice any of the things that still bugged her, and she had control of her self when it came to her many gifts. She was even five minutes early!

Her serpents wriggled behind her, all seven unhappy about being held captive in braided restraints, but she ignored them. Just up ahead, atop a grassy hill beneath a tree, was where she had set the meeting place...

Jorge…had received an odd phone call on his voicemail. At first he did not recognize the number but as checked he checked his phone log but once he heard the message he had to smirk a little bit. It was Andrea. When was the last time that he had actually spoken to her? It was probably at the hospital after her grizzly attack. That was his last memory of her, lying in a hospital bed, IVs stuck into her body and her head and limbs bandaged up from so much trauma that she had undergone.

It was terrifying to imagine that she had gone through something so horrendous. But on top of that, what was probably the most disturbing, was the fact that he still had not found her attacker. There were more leads, rumors about a lion-headed killer, on top of the fact that he had attacked another young girl, Gina. And yet they still could not find him?

That probably irritated Jorge the most of all; that sweet people like Andrea and Gina had to go through such horrible circumstances and the person responsible was still not being brought to justice. Jorge didn’t care for that but he knew that he was already doing absolutely everything in his power to find their attacker. And he would find him, because this was a case that Jorge was not going to simply let fall to the wayside.

He would find the Lion Man if it took his last breath.

He blinked though as he heard the beep of the message on his voicemail ending. Damn it, he was too busy in his own thoughts to notice it! He hit the replay button…

****

LATER…

Jorge entered the park. While he really did not need to keep this meeting, he really wanted to check on Andrea just to see how she was doing. Seriously, that was it (he was not at all in this for the cookies; though the man did love desserts). But despite his reasons, the detective was in the park and was strolling to where he was hopefully able to interpret where Andrea was going to be at. He eyed people that passed by, keeping an eye out for Andrea but didn’t see anyone that remotely looked like her. Still though, he pressed on.

As he rounded around a tree, up ahead, he found someone waiting with a basket in her hands. At first he was going to look past her and continue but he paused the second he caught her green skin. That was indeed Andrea, but…there was something different about her. A confidence that she did not quite exude before. He could tell that she had changed...

He smiled, warmly, as he strolled up, dressed in his normal dark blue suit with his gray trench coat on. Hands idly in his pockets, he smirked as he watched at her.

“Afternoon, Andrea. Long time no see,” he said with a friendly smile.

“Afternoon, Andrea. Long time no see,”

The voice popped up from behind, startling her slightly. The Greek turned, a question already on her face, until she noticed who it was.

Instantly, she smiled. "Jorge! It is very good to see you again." Small strides brought her over to him, and she reached out to lay a hand on his arm gently, while climbing to her tippy-toes in order to peck him on each cheek in greeting.

After stepped back, she held out the basket and grinned. "The treats, as promised. I do hope you like Butter cookies." ...Or cookies at all, for that matter. What if he was one of those strange people who didn't eat sweets at all!? A mild inner panic crept up, for the billionth time, and she struggled to keep her composure.

...It... didn't last long. "If you do not like them.. that is okay. I'm am not very good at baking yet..." An eye twitched behind her glasses, and she gnawed on her lip some more. Maybe she should have made lunch instead? But, then, if she had, wouldn't it have counted as a picnic? She liked Jorge alright, but she didn't really feel like kissing him. Well, not like Saph had kissed her, anyway.

The thought of that... incident brought a flush to her cheeks and she fidgeted on her feet. "...Not.. that you won't like them, or anything. Iamjustgoingtoshutupnow..." She glanced around the park instead, ignoring the wiggling snakes in her hair, and set about trying to calm herself back down.

He had apparently caught the woman by surprise because he noticed the small little jump that she did when before she turned around to face him. He smirked when that look of recognition had flashed across her face. It really was good to see her. He had been worried that she was going to end up scarred for life from her ordeal. Who knows, maybe she was and he was only seeing her on a good day or something. Jorge just didn’t know how to deal with the situation so he was just going to have to wait and see and gauge her reactions like that.

>> "Jorge! It is very good to see you again."

He smirked as she leaned up and kissed each cheek. This was definitely a far cry from the girl that he used to run into before. Normally she was scared and timid but she seemed much more confident and less terrified of the world. That was at least good.

He hoped.

Then, as she stepped back, she presented a basket and Jorge had to smirk. That obviously must have contained the cookies that he was promised over the phone. Gently he placed his hands on the basket…

>> "The treats, as promised. I do hope you like Butter cookies."

A chuckle fell from his lips as he was about to take the basket but there was a change in Andrea’s eyes. Almost as if she was second guessing herself about whether or not to give him the cookies that he was promised. As a rule, Jorge did indeed love all kinds of sweets. He still remembered the time that he rescued Drew and the young man presented him with some freshly baked cookies as well! They were most delicious. Yes, he was a man that was a slave to any type of pastry or dessert.

>> "If you do not like them.. that is okay. I'm am not very good at baking yet..Not.. that you won't like them, or anything. Iamjustgoingtoshutupnow..."

Wow she was apparently really flustered about this whole thing. The detective could only smile warmly as he nodded and very gently took the basket from her after she agreed to shut up.

“I’m sure they will be wonderful,” he said with a smile. “It is very good to see you. You’re looking very well,” he then nodded to be nearby bench. “Care to sit?”

With a nervous grin, she nodded and scratched at one cheek.

"Of course!" Following him over, she sat herself down and straightened out her dress over her knees. "You look as if you are doing well yourself..."

Perhaps with her ability to get herself into all sorts of trouble finally giving it a break, he had been able to relax a little. Considering that she only ever seemed to run into him in terrible times of crisis, sitting at the park eating cookies just seemed... boring in comparison.

"How have you been since I last saw you?" She glanced at him for a moment, recalling how tired he had looked, before turning her eyes to the others strolling around. Joggers, people walking pets and riding bikes. Off in the distance someone with a ring of girls sitting around him was playing a guitar. The sun was out in full bloom, and she could feel it warming her skin.

It was a very lovely day.

She was very thankful that she was able to spend it doing something relatively relaxing, rather than her usual hurried, frantic pace. Considering the way the last two weeks had gone, it was a nice change of events. She watched a couple of teens toss a Frisbee back and forth, half paying attention to the game from the corners of her eyes as she turned her attention back to her companion.

>> "Of course! You look as if you are doing well yourself..."

“Thank you,” he said with a chuckle as he followed her to the nearest bench.

It was funny to hear her complimenting him like that. He knew, deep down, that it was not true, though. After all, he was an older cop running on fumes, and barely getting more than five hours of sleep a night. The city was just getting a bit busier these days, so much so that he really did not know what else he and the rest of his department could do. It was tiring work, not always with the rewards that they required, but it was a job nonetheless. Maybe Jorge really didn’t make a difference every day, but the few times he did, it really made everything worth it.

Still though, he knew that he would probably look better with more than just a couple hours of sleep. But the man knew when to take a compliment.

Silently he took the seat next to her as he opened up the basket of cookies. They all looked absolutely glorious. Jorge did indeed love butter cookies; so much so that Gemma was trying to hide them from him these days. Thankfully, this ready supply of the treats would serve him well. The man did love an excellently made cookie…

>> "How have you been since I last saw you?"

He smiled warmly, his eyes twinkling a little with tenderness. Jorge had always enjoyed this young woman’s company and always hoped for the best for her. Especially after her attack, he wanted nothing but to bring her peace as swiftly as possible. That was proving to be quite difficult though. Thankfully, she didn’t bring up that issue and had shifted her conversation elsewhere.

“Oh, I’ve been well,” he said gently. “Working, losing sleep, then working some much.”

Oh by the way I also fought a giant volcano, saved a village, joined the X-Men, and travelled through time! He kept all that inside since he really did not want to delve too deep into explaining all those shenanigans. Andrea has surely had her fill of excitement in her life so that last thing she probably wanted to hear was a bunch of adventures concerning someone who considered her a friend. He just shrugged as he picked up one of the cookies and bit into it.

“You know, pretty mundane. Yourself?” he said as he shrugged and began to eat the cookie. Instantly he felt his soul sing praises for the oven-baked master piece. It was so indeed far better than Andrea attempted to make it sound like earlier. Modest chefs, bakers, etc., were always at the top of his list of culinary geniuses. “Wow, Andrea, these are fantastic!” he smirked as he eyed the cookies. “I’m glad I agreed to take them,” he beamed as he offered her the chance to sample her own work. Every cook/baker should sample their own work…it was only fair…

“Oh, I’ve been well, Working, losing sleep, then working some much.”

Concern touched her features, and she speared the man with a look so motherly, her own mom would have been proud. Working around the clock, with only minimal sleep between whatever shifts he was pulling was not healthy.

“You know, pretty mundane. Yourself?”

"I cannot claim nearly as much stress on my end... But, Jorge, I must admit you have me worried for you. You are taking care of yourself at least? If you say anything other than yes, I swear to you that I will have to personally make sure you are taken care of. " She threw a stern, stubborn look his way, before cracking a cheeky grin. She just couldn't keep a straight face while he was digging into her cookie basket.

“Wow, Andrea, these are fantastic! I’m glad I agreed to take them,”

Her grin widened, and she flushed with pride. It was so rare for her to try and bake anymore, that having someone actually like her cookies was both refreshing and exciting. "Thank you, that is very kind of you to say."

She went ahead and plucked one out for herself, waiting until offered. "I already ate about a dozen of these earlier today though, so I really shouldn't have anymore." That being said, she didn't stop herself from popping the whole thing into her mouth and chewing to her hearts content.

...She always had loved those cookies just a bit too much...

>> "I cannot claim nearly as much stress on my end... But, Jorge, I must admit you have me worried for you. You are taking care of yourself at least? If you say anything other than yes, I swear to you that I will have to personally make sure you are taken care of.”

He smirked a little. It really was interesting to see Andrea react in this manner to his admission about his crazy work schedule. Unfortunately he didn’t have much choice in the manner. He was a police officer and, because of that, the man needed to be on call whenever he was needed. Different cases required his attention and, honestly, crime really does not work on any set time slots. So it would be of little surprise if he were awoken about a double homicide at one in the morning or received a call just as he was about to head home, or first thing in the morning.

Jorge was out to make a difference in the city and the only way that he could achieve that was if he was ready for it whenever it was required of him.

But, to sate the young woman’s fears (and to calm that motherly gaze) he smiled warmly and nodded his head.

“Yes, I take care of myself as best as possible,” he responded. “And when I can’t, my girlfriend makes sure I take care of myself first and foremost.”

It was true. Gemma was always the type of woman to keep an careful eye on those most important people in her life. Thankfully she cared about Jorge enough to want to keep him safe and reminded him that he was not actually married to the job. He had a life to live, a life that he wanted to share with her as much as possible.

So, needless to say, his bases were covered…

>> "Thank you, that is very kind of you to say… I already ate about a dozen of these earlier today though, so I really shouldn't have anymore."

He was glad that she had agreed to take at least one of the cookies. He doubted that he could have finished them all himself even if he wanted to. Plus, at least the guilt would be lessened now that he was sharing them with someone. They really were good cookies. Finished was the first that he had and now he was already reaching for another. Two! That would be his limit…until he got back to the office…

…okay maybe the car.

A turn to Andrea and he smirked when he saw her enjoying the cookie greatly. “You know…I’m glad you are doing well. The last time we saw each other…was not under the best circumstances,” he cautioned to say. He didn’t want to ruin their good chat but they could not avoid the incident forever.

She resisted the urge to pry, or D'aww at him for that matter, when he mentioned a girl friend. It was none of her business, and she should respect his privacy...

... but that didn't stop her from smirking right back at him, in a very un-Andrea manner. She was happy that there was at least someone looking after the man. From what she knew about him, he was one of the hardest workers she knew, and one of the most honest, kind people. It genuinely set her mind at ease that he had at least one person looking after him.

“You know…I’m glad you are doing well. The last time we saw each other…was not under the best circumstances,”

A pained look flashed across her features, but she managed a weak smile all the same. "That is very true..." Though a good many things about that meeting were still fuzzy and hard to fully recollect. "Though... I cannot be held responsible for any of the terribly silly things that I must have said."

She chuckled, attempting to avoid the seriousness that came with such a subject... but failed shortly after her attempt. It was hard to move past such a thing when nightmares still haunted her at night, and she couldn't walk outside at night alone without having terrible flashbacks. Unconsciously, she reached up to touch the scar that had been left behind from the knife wound. Whenever she saw it, it ached and served as a reminder of that night....

"...Did... did you ever find him...?" Of course she hoped that he had, and that justice could be served for that man that he had killed. But... she also hoped, however slightly, that he hadn't. That he would vanish into whatever nightmare he had come from, and stay there... so she would never have to look upon him again. Andrea knew some of what American justice entailed... and it rarely ever ended without a trial and witnesses. Not only did she never want to be in the same room as him ever again, but she honestly couldn't see getting involved with judges and juries ending well for someone of her... status. She was 100% sure that she would be shipped directly home after the trial was over.

... She just couldn't bear the thought of parting from Saph, now that they had both admitted their feelings to one another.

"..I... I know it is not easy... and I do not expect you, or anyone else, to run yourself into the ground to find that man... but the thought that he is out there, possibly hurting someone else... " She shuddered, and tried to pull herself away from memories as a chill washed over her. Sloth and the other six snakes wriggled as her wave of emotions hit them. She clenched her hands in the fabric of her dress, concentrated on swallowing the emotions like bad cough syrup, and then forced herself to relax again.

"... I... am sorry. That came out different than I had wanted it to. You have done more for me that I ever would have asked of you, and I do not want to seem ungrateful..."

>> "That is very true...Though... I cannot be held responsible for any of the terribly silly things that I must have said."

He smirked. To be quite honest he did not remember much either about anything she said, at least things that did not pertain to the case. He did remember that out of everyone that she could have called for help, she called him. He did care for her greatly and hoped that she was sincerely doing well with her life now that things seemed to be calming down for her. After all, how does one simply move on from an attack like without have a mental scar or two?

But…she seemed to be doing well. She had not even asked anything about what had happened to her! Normally a victim, by now, would have asked if there had been any breaks in the case. Maybe Andrea had really moved on to a point that she could leave it all behind her…

>> "...Did... did you ever find him...?"

Or not.

The detective sighed a little. He hated this part of the job, telling people like Andrea that there were still no answers, still no justice after everything that had been done to them. It simply was not fair because they didn’t deserve that. Andrea and other victims like her deserved to have to peace of mind that their attackers were behind bars. It killed him that he could not deliver that same news to her.

>> "..I... I know it is not easy... and I do not expect you, or anyone else, to run yourself into the ground to find that man... but the thought that he is out there, possibly hurting someone else...I... am sorry. That came out different than I had wanted it to. You have done more for me that I ever would have asked of you, and I do not want to seem ungrateful..."

He nodded as he gave her an understanding smile in response. It was obvious that he was going to have a hard time getting her feelings together concerning this matter. But it struck him when she had stated that she didn’t want this man hurting anyone else; he already did. Gina was another of his victims, and probably countless others. He doubted the man actually stopped in his endeavors simply because Gina and Andrea got away.

Gently he shook his head towards Andrea.

“You don’t seem ungrateful, I understand,” he said with a nod. “Sometimes, after something like what you went through, the best thing you can think of is to just forget it ever happened.” he shook his head a little sadly. “No, we don’t have him, yet. At most…we have a possible name but so far it is proving to be little more than an alias. And…the only reason that we learned that much was because he attacked someone else. Another young mutant,” Jorge explained. That was also why he wanted to meet with her…to warn her that indeed the Lion Man was still out and about. “Andrea, I do hope that you are being careful with yourself…”

“Sometimes, after something like what you went through, the best thing you can think of is to just forget it ever happened."

She didn't bother to nod, having already thought of such a thing before he mentioned it. It would be easier to forget. To pretend that her scars didn't exist, and that she had never been attacked in the first place. But... she knew that it would be nearly impossible to accomplish. He was forever engrained on her, his face, his words... his violence, forever stamped upon her soul. She knew very well that it would take many, many years for her to sleep peacefully again, if at all.... and he wasn't even the only one to blame. Though her brief encounter with Aura had been... strange, she had never been able to forget the things that occurred that day. She could not remember the man's name, the cop who had been cut down before her, but his blood forever stained her. Lion man had just been much, much closer to home...

"No, we don’t have him, yet. At most…we have a possible name but so far it is proving to be little more than an alias. And…the only reason that we learned that much was because he attacked someone else. Another young mutant,”

Her blood ran cold, and she didn't even hear the words he uttered after. All of the dark muses in her head went silent, and she fixed her eyes on the man beside her. "He has hurt someone else...?" Her voice was but a ghost of a whisper, soft and hollow. A chill washed over her, and somewhere deep inside she felt a bubble of anger flicker to life. The beast who had nearly killed her had struck again... another mutant. Flashes of memories clawed at her, of what she had gone through... and she clenched the edge of the bench at either side of her until her knuckles turned white. Through all of the memories, all of the blood and phantom pain... she could remember one thing very clearly. Staring up at the man, eyes locked on his, too afraid to move them in case he woke and fell upon her with his fearsome jaws...

"...I should have stopped him." She muttered, her voice betraying her inner turmoil. The bubble of anger swelled, followed closely by a wave of anxiety. Hot tears pricked at her eyes, and she shuddered. "...I had a chance to do it... but I did not. If I had, he could not have hurt anyone else." The snakes tucked away in her hair felt the touch of rage inside her, and reacted in turn. Soft and violent hisses alike started up... but she ignored them. She was too busy inwardly berating herself, pointing out her follies, her many great mistakes.

Had she just... incapacitated him, rendered his legs, or eyes useless... he wouldn't have been able to escape. But no, she hadn't been thinking of that. She had only been thinking of herself...

A small voice within her called through the surge of emotion, speaking softly of her actions being human. She had only done what anyone else in her position would have. The fight to survive after something traumatic, she had only been reacting, not thinking.... After a moment of quiet contemplation, she relented to it, and some of the anger at herself ebbed away.

"...There are a great many things in this world that I have been taught to ignore, overlook, or forgive.... but I do not think I can forgive this man for everything he has done." She slowly forced herself to relax, unlatching her hands from the bench to rest them in her lap. "I will forgive him for the harm he has bestowed upon me... I am not so lost that I cannot at least relent that. But... I will never forgive him, or any like him, for hurting others." A tired sigh escaped her, and she leaned back against the bench.

"I wish it were so easy, to forget... As much as it shames me, I know that I would not hesitate to let every terrible thing that has ever happened tumble out from inside my head, never to return..." And there were a great many things to forget... "But.. I would only be harming myself in doing so, as well as others. I did not act back then, when I had the chance, but I will not pass up the opportunity to be of some use when you catch him..."

She wanted to smile, even it it was more than a little forced, but there was no humor in her words. She meant everything she had said, even if she wasn't sure if she should have said it. "I know you will catch him... I have faith in you."

>> "He has hurt someone else...?"

Jorge nodded. Maybe he shouldn’t have told her that, it was police business after all. But she had a right to know, in his opinion. She was just as much a victim of Rafael as Gina was so it was only natural that she should have a right to know that this man was still out there, still harming others. The last thing he wanted was to find Andrea had been attacked again because she let her guard down. Of course he didn’t want her to become paranoid either, but what else could he say? She needed to be aware.

At least that was his justification for telling her this. He hoped that she wouldn’t not going completely paranoid but he wouldn’t blame her either. Whoever this Rafael, Lion Man, whatever his real name was turned out to be, he was a real monster and he needed to be stopped at all costs.

>> "...I should have stopped him...I had a chance to do it... but I did not. If I had, he could not have hurt anyone else...There are a great many things in this world that I have been taught to ignore, overlook, or forgive.... but I do not think I can forgive this man for everything he has done…I will forgive him for the harm he has bestowed upon me... I am not so lost that I cannot at least relent that. But... I will never forgive him, or any like him, for hurting others.”

His heart was tugged at by her words. It was not fair of her to make the assumption that she should have done anything to stop him. Yes, she had power that he was well aware of. But it was not her job to use them for such a purpose. She did what she had to in order to survive and she was not a killer like that man was. If she ever took a life, he didn’t know, but the less it was done, the better; even if the man deserved it.

It was not Andrea’s job or duty to proclaim justice on the Lion Man; therefore she should not have had any guilt over not doing anything to end his life when she had the chance. But try telling her that. The knowledge that he harmed others, that he was still running around free, it was bound to instill her with the smallest bit of guilt.

>> "I wish it were so easy, to forget... As much as it shames me, I know that I would not hesitate to let every terrible thing that has ever happened tumble out from inside my head, never to return...But.. I would only be harming myself in doing so, as well as others. I did not act back then, when I had the chance, but I will not pass up the opportunity to be of some use when you catch him..."

He shook his head as he reached over and gently squeezed her shoulder (while trying to avoid to antagonized snakes).

“Andrea, it was not your job to pass judgment on him,” he tried to explain. “You did the most important thing that you could have done…you lived, you survived,” he sighed as he retracted his hand and looked out over the rest of the park. “No one can ask more of you than that; even you.”

Survivor’s guilt was always tough. He hoped, eventually, that she would get over it…

“Andrea, it was not your job to pass judgment on him, You did the most important thing that you could have done…you lived, you survived, No one can ask more of you than that; even you.”

She shook her head, took a deep breath, and sighed. "You are right, it is not my place to pass judgement upon others. That is the place of god, and court rooms... But, what type of a person would I be if I took my life and ran with it, without trying to help other victims? I would be shallow, selfish, and cruel." She paused, taking another deep breath to calm herself, and closed her eyes.

"Everybody holds you, as an officer, to very high expectations. You are supposed to pit yourself against terrible people, give your life if need be... But we must all do our part. It is more than just surviving... It is living as one. We must all think past ourselves to the greater good, should we not? If we all just survived there would be no police. There would be no army, no X men, no heroes." Her serpents finally calmed down, and she clasped her hands in her lap.

"I would not be able to live with myself if I did not attempt to offer a helping hand, even if it is just in re-count my story before a judge." Turning her shaded gaze his way, she tilted her her chin. Things were all jumbled in her head, and she wasn't sure if she was even making sense anymore. She wanted to be clear... that she didn't want to run away, she didn't want to try and ignore it all anymore.

She wanted to help somehow.

"I... think I am no longer making sense.... Can you tell me if the other mutant is doing alright...?" Maybe taking the spotlight off of herself would help her sort out all of the thoughts in her head, or at least slow them down a little. "... Maybe I could meet... him? Her?... one of these days, though I fear I would not make for very good conversation..."

>> "You are right, it is not my place to pass judgement upon others. That is the place of god, and court rooms... But, what type of a person would I be if I took my life and ran with it, without trying to help other victims? I would be shallow, selfish, and cruel."

Jorge said nothing. It was evident that really nothing he said was going to appease Andrea or how she felt about this matter. She blamed herself for surviving and as much as Jorge did not want her to believe that, he was not a psychiatrist. He could only smile a little sadly and try to be as encouraging as possible to her. She made up her mind that she should have done something when she had the chance, but no matter how many times she beats herself up over that, there is nothing that she could do to change it. It was done and she needed to move on. Jorge couldn’t be the one to facilitate it though.

He only squeezed her shoulder on last time before he retracted his hand and say back against the bench, staring out at all the people who wandered left and right. So far absolutely no one looked like the Lion Man that he knew. He really needed to stop watching random crowds for him…

>> "Everybody holds you, as an officer, to very high expectations. You are supposed to pit yourself against terrible people, give your life if need be... But we must all do our part. It is more than just surviving... It is living as one. We must all think past ourselves to the greater good, should we not? If we all just survivedthere would be no police. There would be no army, no X men, no heroes…I would not be able to live with myself if I did not attempt to offer a helping hand, even if it is just in re-count my story before a judge."

She did have a point. There were a lot of people out there who were not cops who tried their damnedest to make the world a better place. They put their own lives at risk, they faced the greatest fears that the world had and yet they kept coming; they didn’t always receive pay or benefits but people still fought on. Jorge looked up to them. What was sad was that Andrea did not count herself among those people. She was strong and her strength was an inspiration.

It made his job worthwhile. But he didn’t say so just yet. Instead he continued to survey the rest of the park in front of him.

>> "I... think I am no longer making sense.... Can you tell me if the other mutant is doing alright...? Maybe I could meet... him? Her?... one of these days, though I fear I would not make for very good conversation..."

He smiled a little. A meeting like that would definitely be interesting. He wondered if he could be able to indeed set up a meeting between Gina and Andrea. After all, with both having similar incidents in their lives, maybe they could find some kind of solace in each other? That was definitely something that he should check into.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Jorge said with a nod. “And…she is doing fine. I see her quite a few times and, while she still is a bit timid about what happened, she is starting to move on. But, she did have it nearly as bad as you Andrea. Almost just as bad…” he muttered as he thought about everything the two girls had gone through. He was going to find this psychopath; if it took everything he had, he was going to find him…

She... A young female mutant. Andrea's mind ran off with that tidbit of knowledge like it was a private investigator, and came back with a lot of disturbing motives and possibilities.... Many of which she didn't give herself time to linger on.

What she went through... no, what they had gone through, had been terrible. She didn't need anyone to tell her that. Her nightmares were still fresh enough that it often felt like she was reliving the whole ordeal over and over, with the occasional night of medication saturated sleep. Those nights were the best, even if she felt like she had been doused in too much of Mr. Sandman's magic dust in the morning.

Andrea shifted slightly, unsure of what to say. She wanted to ask him to give the other girl her... best wishes, or something... but she was terrible with customs and how to present herself for such a request. Before she could think of something to say, a shadow fell across her lap and she looked up. A man, who wore a silly grin, had stopped before her.. "What's with all of the gloom and doom over here? I bet I know what will bring a smile to that pretty face~!" He turned and unzipped a little fanny pack on his hip, dug through it for a moment, then handed her a slip glossy slip of paper.

"Here you go, one free pass to a day's worth of fun at Adventure Works! The worlds most awesome place for an epic indoor experience!"

The Greek blinked at the pass, which boasted all sorts of games and actives, before turning a quizzical, and slightly confused look Jorge's way. "....Is this one of those scams I have been warned about?"

The man who had given her the pass looked downright aghast at her words. "Madam! This is no scam! This is the opportunity of a lifetime, a rare promotional gift from us to you, our loyal customers!" He turned and dug around for another slip, which he then handed to Jorge. "To prove it, here is another pass for your friend! When you get there, don't forget to tell the front desk that Timothy sent you!" He hopped back a step with a grin, gave the both of them a little lazy salute, and casually back flipped away like it was an everyday occurrence.

Andrea stared, struck rather speechless, and tilted her head. "Americans sure do have a funny way of advertising their products..." Another glance down at the so called 'free pass' had her even more puzzled. She turned the puzzled look Jorge's way again. "... I do not know of this place... would you like my ticket as well? Maybe you can bring your lady friend with you?"