Home. It was such an interesting thought. What made a place home over any other place? Was it just the place you happened to live for a defined period of time or was it something more than that? Something more, Juka was sure of it, although he didn't quite know what that something more was. What he did know, was that no other place was home except for New York City. Not Japan, not Seattle, not California and not Mutant Parradise Island. No other place except New York had quite the right feeling; the feeling that said: this is home.

As Juka floated back into the city that he had been away from for far far too long, his breath was momentarily taken from him at the sight of all the lights. Had it really been close to two years since he last stepped foot in the place? Had so much really changed? The answer, of course, was yes. Yet, even the life of luxury he had lived since leaving, followed by the horrible time as a prisoner and followed after that by his stay on the mutant Paradise Island, even after all that it hardly seemed like he had left at all. Or perhaps it seemed like he had left a lifetime a go. Somehow, both things were true.

As Juka zoomed above the many buildings, far too many buildings to count, he contemplated his past and future. The last time he had been here, he had been on the cusp of adulthood at the age of 19. Now, however, he was a young teenager, no older than 14, and not even sure if he would be recognized by those he had once known and called friends. In truth, he wasn't yet ready to be recognized. Too much had happened that he was still coming to terms with, too much that he wasn't ready to talk about and was barely even ready to admit to. He wasn't the same person who had left, and his age and body were only the start of it.

With a speed that could normally never be naturally matched by humans, Juka swiftly floated closer to Sanctuary. It was ironic, when he really thought about it, that he was more wealthy than he had ever been in his life, but he had no place to live. Not only ironic, but it was darkly hilarious that he might just be the most wealthy homeless boy in the city, or possibly even the country. Yet, who would accept a 14 year old boy as a renter of an apartment or a buyer of a house? No one, that was who. It wasn't that he needed to live anywhere, not technically; he didn't require sleep, food or water and he had enough money to buy the most elaborate clothing he could think of every single day, if he really wanted to. In fact, even though he didn't have a place to live, he currently wore a dark crimson dress with white highlights because, what was the point of being rich if not to buy clothes with the money? Even if he did have to donate them just as soon as they became too dirty to continue wearing. There was just something about having a place of his own that no mutant power could ever replicate.

There were two places in the city that took mutants in, unless things had changed: The Mansion and Sanctuary. People he knew were in The Mansion and Juka wasn't yet ready to face them, which left only Sanctuary. Which might also have people he knew, but they were people less inclined to ask questions and there were fewer of them. He wasn't certain he could call anyone in Sanctuary a friend, not then and certainly not now after he had been gone for so long, but he didn't think they'd turn him away. And if they did? Well, it wasn't like he needed a place to call his own anyway, right?

It was when Juka was a mere few blocks from coming into view of Sanctuary that he spotted her: a most amazing lizard girl who appeared to have both fantastically bright skin and a tail as well. She was just the distraction he needed and, even better, he didn't recognize her at all which meant she wouldn't recognize him. This close to Sanctuary, there was a pretty good chance that's where she lived.

Not bothering with stealth, Juka landed his bubble a few feet in front of her and offered her an elaborate bow. "My, you are wondrous my dear. I saw you from the sky and simply couldn't resist coming down to earth to speak to you, my fantastic creature." He offered his best dazzling smile.

Dahlia shivered a little. She'd spent too long at the park and as a result was still out when the sun had gone down. For her that was a very bad thing so she was hurrying back toward the Sanctuary where at least she'd be warm, if not sunny. Needless to say Dahlia didn't like it when it was dark. There were shadows everywhere even when the lights were on and it was colder even during summer. The night was scary to her. It was even scarier now than it had been when she was a normal human. The click of her claws on the sidewalk sounded around her. Dahlia barely heard it though. Nor was she really paying much attention to her surroundings until a very pretty lady landed a bubble in front of her like something out of the Wizard of Oz.

She didn't look much like Glinda though.

And she wasn't a she at all if the voice was something to go by! Dahlia was confused for a moment by the idea of a man wearing ladies clothes but the clothes were just so pretty that she gave up caring about it quickly enough. She didn't wear clothes at all. Couldn't really. Why should she judge someone that wore strange clothes?

"Um, thanks but I'm not wondrous at all. Your dress is really pretty though!"

Dahlia wondered why Sky had been the only person she'd met so far that acknowledged how much of a freak they both were. Everyone else seemed to think Dahlia was pretty. Monsters weren't pretty.