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The Rip that had appeared during the eclipse had gotten the city buzzing. It was all anyone wanted to talk about, it dominated the news stations and papers, it drew a near-constant crowd monitored around the clock by a rather tired looking parade of uniformed individuals. It was exciting to say the least and Aleksandr was always looking for a little excitement in his life.

The year was quickly slipping away and taking with it the summer warmth. Chilly days were already sandwiching themselves between warmer ones and the breezes that passed by were starting to carry a bite. There was increasingly less time for the reptilian individual to spend outdoors soaking up the dying heat before he'd be forced indoors for extended periods of time during the next few months. A mystery portal provided the perfect excuse to get out of his apartment and spend the day wandering the city. Not that he ever really needed an excuse.

The atmosphere among the others out on the streets was tenser than normal. People were a little on edge and much more interested in watching the others passing around them. Aleksandr didn't mind the attention one little bit, but he was saddened by the additional concern and apprehension that it carried with it. Not many people were acceptably appreciative of him on a normal day, but now there was more of an edge to it. He hoped that frequenting the streets as often as he did would at least mark him as a familiar face among some people and wouldn't mistake him for one of the distrusted 'others' from the opposite side of the Rift.

Side-winding his way toward the side of a building to avoid a gaggle of young girls hurrying by with their arms interlocked, he took a moment to stop and look around for himself. He enjoyed people watching anyway and with so much activity in the city lately there was plenty for him to look at. A rather lost looking young man stopped not far from him caught his attention for whatever reason. There wasn't anything remarkable or eye-catching about him, but he drew the serpent's eye nonetheless. He didn't seem to be rushing off anywhere which made him a good target. The only thing the snake liked better than people watching was interacting with people.

"You are looking like you are getting lost," he commented casually, sidling up to the young man once he found a break in the passing crowd to slide through. "Are you needing directions to be getting somewhere?"

"Helping is fine if you are wanting to," Aleksandr replied, sliding an arm around the back of his head and bringing the tails around to rest across his shoulder to relieve some pressure from them. He didn't often lie on his back for very long, but the rest of him was so comfortable at the moment that a little discomfort around his head was bearable. It provided a good excuse to get himself a heat pack later for any cramped muscles, too.

"I am not cooking so much for me," he continued, settling back down with the arm behind his neck and heaving a contented sigh. "Is not so much a chore if it is not being done often. It is good for me to be staying in practice." He probably should be cooking more often. Raw meats were all well and good but it wouldn't hurt him to up his vegetable intake. Maybe he could find some recipes that would make eating them easier. Derek being around would help him get off his lazy scales and start using his kitchen more regularly, too. Maybe he could even volunteer to start cooking a few things for the communal dining room in the basement. The Co-Op was already becoming a worthwhile investment.

"Xavier is good school and not so terrible place to live if you are not minding the noise," he said, not having meant to discredit the institution. He'd merely been making an observation, but he could see how that particular view could be off putting. "There is reason it is so well known. Is not just because it is for mutants, but because Mansion is good place for learning even with some construction." Schooling regular kids was challenging enough, but throw in super powers and the occasional remodel and it was pretty impressive that the place managed to continue running so smoothly for so long.

It was a shame that the young woman wasn't fond of the idea of returning home, but that was an unfortunate thread of similarity that ran through a lot of the mutant community. Aleksandr himself would feel rather awkward if he returned home. Not only was the weather detrimental to his health now, but he'd spent a lot of time gradually cutting ties with his friends and family. Trying to return after that seemed like more trouble than it was worth. Life in the US suited him well enough though, so he couldn't say he missed Russia too terribly.

"I am thinking you will do well here," he continued, swapping his bottle from one hand to another to alleviate the cold in his fingers. Having a plan certainly helped, even if it was just a bare bones kind of thing. Heading over the the Mansion would provide both schooling and shelter as well as community, so it seemed like a good first step. "You are seeming to be smart girl and you are already having family here for helping you. Maybe just with less fighting the bartenders."

"Oh yes. He was put in prison and then deported for what he is writing," Aleksandr replied with a nod, tapping a sharp nail against his bottle as he thought. He hadn't done much in-depth reading about the author, but he'd skimmed enough information to know the highlights. Even just the gleaned information it was interesting. "He was sent to Germany and then America, but he became Soviet citizen again before he died in Russia." A difficult, dangerous life to be sure but those that go against the grain often were.

He could sympathize with the feeling of strangeness that came with moving to the States. It was quite an adjustment for him to make as well and it all sort of felt like a waking dream for a while before he'd started to really settle in. "Is maybe not as fun as the books, but this Wonderland is having its interesting moments. At least there is no Queen wanting to roll heads."

As for taking the city by storm, that wasn't such an unappealing idea. Maybe he should pursue the modelling thing in earnest and get his gorgeous self plastered all over New York. Being a politician wasn't the only way to hold power in a city. "This is true. Is hard to get much better than I am already," he replied shamelessly, soaking in all the flattery like a vain sponge. He made a mental note to give the girl credit if he did decide to make a career out of his looks and it panned out well.

"You are going to be storming the city also?" he asked. As much as he loved daydreaming about his greatness and being the center of attention it was only polite to continue splitting the focus of the conversation between them. No that he didn't enjoy speaking to get girl in the first place. "Now that you are finding your sister you are going to stay here with her or you are going back to your home?"

"Is more in the past, yes. There are not seeming to be too many bad groups as there used to be, so there are not so many things being destroyed at the school now," he replied. The worst fights mostly seemed to have happened before he'd gotten to the school and had learned about second hand, but there were always smaller incidents and the possibility of future attacks. "X-Men are more organized than most, so I am thinking this is dissuading too many attacks from others that do not like them. Or maybe interest is shifting. Is hard to tell." If anything the X's seemed to have the upper hand through sheer endurance. Being as structured as they were made it easier to keep things running and their group active.

He chuckled at the book reference, not having caught it at first. He did have to say the mother had good taste, though. "Ah, I like this book also. Is not so easy to read without good English, but I am now understanding most of it." It certainly could be a confusing thing to read, but it was also very interesting. Aleksandr had enjoyed how imaginative the stories were.

The history of his name he knew a little better, but it was easy to know those kind of things when it was more personal. "Is a very popular name in Russia, yes," he replied with a nod. The spelling wasn't always the same, but that could be said of any common name. "Alexander The Great is probably the best known man, but there is a well known Russian writer with this name, also."

It hardly took more than a few short moments for the heat in the room to sharply spike amidst a tangle of sheets and skin contact. Aleksandr wished he could coil up in the smells and sensations and never leave. Everything else in the world grew hazy fell away and faded to black. It was exquisite.

---

Exactly how much time had passed was hard to tell. The movie had long since rolled through its credits and was left playing trough the main menu loop. It was still dark outside, but he couldn't say for how much longer. Not that he particularly cared. There hardly seemed to be anything more pressing than simply staying curled up in his warm bed and continuing to leech body heat from its other occupant. Aleksandr was feeling particularly relaxed and even a little punch-drunk. It would be a shame when it wore off.

"I am thinking we have missed the best parts of the movie," he mumbled, tightening and then relaxing his coils to stretch the muscles as they cooled. Lazily his tongue flickered through the air, savoring the scents that still hung in the room. It hadn't been such a bad night after all. He might have to chase after Derek again sometime in the future.