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"Why thank you," Ambrosia replied to the compliment.  She liked attention and wasn't one to deny it or act shy about it.  As a performer, wasn't attention kind of the point?  Of course, positive attention was much better than negative. Especially in her early days of performing, she'd had her share of hecklers but eventually she'd gotten into the proper swing of things and, aside from the occasional anti-mutant bigot, those sorts of disparaging remarks were now rare.

"A night on the town sounds lovely.  See, I guess even bad things happen for a reason, right?  Otherwise I wouldnt' have been able to meet a neat lady like you."  She grinned, having a grand time.

"But I have to ask, what is spinning poi?"

Now there was a question.  "They're spinning, dancing toys common in festivals and raves.  Sometimes they glow and sometimes they're lit on fire.  I like fire poi myself."  She winked.  "I'll have to show you sometime."

"Never better," Amberosia responded with a sunny smile of her own.  First impressions only came once and her parents had taught her to alway strive to make a good one.  Long before the realization that she was a mutant, her gay mothers worked hard as gay rights activists and part of changing minds and transforming negative assumptions into postive ones was the all important first impression.  Smiles and good cheer, they did more than many gave them credit for.

"You're more than welcome to browse through everything here.  We have a few books on gaelic stories, they're actually quite popular among some people.  Books are near the back and if you have any questions please feel free to ask."  She gestured towards the books, chiming with every subtle movement.

As the other woman wandered around the shop, Ambrosia went back to her dusting and straightening stray objects on shelves.  She had really come to love the little shop and would be sad when she left the place.  There was only so much she could do to help her fellow mutants from her current place in life, both in terms of the skill she presently had and the finances to assist in other ways.  Mutants everywhere were struggling and morals drilled into her from childhood told her that if she was in any position to help, she simply had to do it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Cait," Ambrosia responded, coming out of her thoughts.  "I'm Ambrosia."  She extnded her hand to the other woman.

Amber hadn't thought of a pack as a group of friends before.  Somehwere along the line, a hard line had been formed in her head that divided friendship from family, but what if that wasn't quite accurate?  What if friends could be family?  It was a lot to consider, all at once. She nodded her acknowledgement, a pondering expression upon her face.

"How can I live a normal life when I'm not sure I'm even alive anymore?"  She wanted to stay,s he really did.  If she had learned nothing else during her time away, she had learned that her human self was just as important as her other self and one couldn't exist in harmony without the other.  But even if she could re-learn what it was to be human, how could she expect to be accepted outside the eccentric walls of places like the Mansion?  She was something half dead, a monster by the definition of most.  What kind of life could she really expect to have?

"I think I need some time to think.  Can you show me my room now?"  She finished the last of her food and stood up, feeling a confusing mix of home, despair and uncertainty and not quite sure if that was better or worst than when she had first walked through the Mansion doors.

Ambrosia could take a hint when it came to drinks of preference. She wasn't what one might call a big drinker, but she did enjoy her alcohol and could even be considered an occasional club girl, when the urge moved her.  Somthing about fruity alcoholic drinks, heavy base and dancing just fit together perfectly.   Now that she stopped to think about it, it had been a long time since she'd had the chance to really go out and enjoy herself.  Drinking and driving, of course, was a solid no go.  Of course, she had the added option of flying home.

"I know of a little pub not far from here, if you don't mind walking.  I've been there a couple times and they're usually friendly towards mutants."  Sometimes it felt like finding mutant friendly places was getting more and more difficult.  This was supposed to be a day of positivity, however, not one for moping about the woes of the world.  

Amber hadn't been back at the Mansion for long.  Or the human world, for that matter.  It was hard coming back and re-learning what it was to be human.  Relearning, as well, all the many human social rules that often seemed so incredibly baffling.  Once, before she'd left, they had made sense.  She remembered them making sense and this time around she knew her memory wasn't compromised.  No, those memories were definitely real but that hardly helped her situation now.

Some things were easier than others.  Clothing, for example, she'd never really forgotten about.  For humans, it was warmth as much as modesty, for her not so much.  She was something half dead and, as it turned out, the dead didn't feel the cold nearly so much as the living.  During the daylight, clothing protected her from the harmful rays of the sun and during moonlight, she was content enough following the status quo.

Other things were more difficult.  Remembering how to carry on a conversation about nothing.  Why and how did so many always seem to be talking?  Forming connections with non-pack because she no longer had her pack since they abandoned her.  Ghost had suggested she pursue friendship, but how did she even start when she barely understood how to interact with another person, let alone how to form a friendship bond with them?  These problems were stressful, so much more stressful than her little den int he woods had been.

More unexpected was how difficult it was to sleep and live inside, with walls all around her and a roof over her head.  Apparently, during her self-imposed exile, she had developed a bit of claustrophobia.  It was for that reason she found herself a compsognathus inside the hedge maze.  Not much larger than a chicken, small forms had their advantages when it came to remaining hidden.  She'd been there for the last couple of hours, enjoying the silence and the solitude, when out of nowhere she heard music.  Who was disturbing her sanctuary?  Not that they probably knew she was there, but still.

Following the sound of the singing, she came across a very large, red mutant.  She also spotted a slender woman walking towards the exist of the maze, vaguely remembered from a distantly past time.  Maybe if she waited they'd just go away on their own?  Or should she be trying to engage them as part of her reintegration?   Evening was coming which meant she'd probably be ok resuming her human form without too much worry of burning.  Indecision reined and she stood there, a tiny dinosaur in the middle of the road.  

Sometimes it seemed to Ambrosia that she was always working now days.  New York was an expensive city to live in and she'd insisted on doing it all herself.  She loved her little shop,  The Silver Chalice, and she knew the owner Jessie paid her as much as she could, but it was still tough making ends meet on a retail wage.  As much as she was loathe to admit it, maybe it was finally time to look into other sources of income.  Or maybe it was time she finally looked into getting herself registered for school so she could finally start pursuing her real dream of becoming a social worker specializing in helping mutants.

At least it was her Friday and it wasn't too long before the other girl got there and she'd be free for a couple of days.  It was quiet inside at the moment and she wanted around dusting the shelves and straightening the displays.  Inside was brightly lit with the faint smell of incense in the air.  There was a wide variety of different books on magic, divination and traditional myths and legends in the back.  Throughout the main portion of the store there were tables and displays showing off everything from trinkets to magical statues to incense and other tools and decorations any modern Pagan might want.  Tarot decks and rune sets were displayed behind glass at the front counter.  Beside the door there was a small table with a bunch of pamphlets, some promoting mutant resources such as mutant friendly rentals, food banks, homeless shelters, ect as well as posters for a few local shows.

Hearing the soft jingle of the door opening, she dropped what she was doing and approached.  Either the other girl had finally arrived or she had a customer. She jingled herself, as she walked, wearing a long belly dancer skirt with small metal disks meant to make music every time she moved.  It was just too much fun to have soft chimes follow her, whether she was working at the shop or out at a club dancing.  Fortunately, Jessie was a doll and tended to indulge her eccentricities.  She was good with the customers, after all, and people had a tendency to like her.

As the door opened, Ambrosia was there to greet whoever was on the other side and help in any way she could.  

Ambrosia nodded, engaged as the other woman spoke.  "I don't feel threatened often but, you know, I guess I sort of put myself out there sometimes.  Locally, I'm kind of a face for mutants.  A mostly cute and unassuming face, but still."  This time she was the one to trail off.  Many things could be said about her and one of those things was that she was occasionally lacking in common sense.  The type of sense that told a person they should know how to punch back before they placed themself into the line of fire.

"What exactly do your powers do, anyway?  I mean, I saw you kind of pulverize that.  Are you a speedster?"

It was gratifying to hear the respect in Rianne's voice.  Some dismissed what she did as unimportant because she wasn't on the front lines fighting supremacists from either side, but she believed otherwise.  Her work was just as important as what any of the more active crusaders did.  So many mutants fell between the cracks and needed support, both financial and emotional.  "I want to be a social worker one day, specializing in mutants.  Once I save up enough for school, that's my plan.  So many sad stories out there, helping them makes life so much more worth it."

"Well, thank you for doing what you do."  The drinks arrived and Ambrosia took a sip.  "Ooh, this is yummy."