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He had to wonder, as he stirred the batter for a second batch of blueberry banana nut muffins, if anyone in the Mansion had connected the disappearance of baked goods at breakfast to his little vacation. Of course to him that felt like a lifetime ago. Yet he'd taken up the baking again not long after returning. He'd started it as a way to soothe his nerves. Now it was part of his routine and so Drew clung to it. Every little thing he could scrounge to feel more at home here was welcome. With the memories of Styx rattling around in his head Drew could recall this place as a worn shambles. That plus other recent events had shaken his faith in his place here at the Mansion.

What did he do after all that was so important? He took care of paperwork for Sam and baked treats for the kids to have with breakfast. As near as he could tell he was an X-Man in name only. Missions went to other people. People with powers that were useful. Drew ruthlessly squashed that old bitterness as he poured the batter into a freshly washed muffin tin. He'd worked for a long time to get over that. No way was he going to backslide now. There were only two things keeping his power from being useful: a dearth of cleverness on his part and his own morals.

As such he had worked long and hard to convince himself that he was content not making use of his power. Drew had cultivated other means of fighting. He smirked to himself as he waited for the coffee cake to finish baking. At least the last month or two had been good in that respect. He leaned against the counter with a sigh. It was going to be a long night alone with his thoughts.

The woman had managed to take refuge behind some machine or another. Drew didn't know what it was. It was just there and conveniently provided cover for the woman to hopefully get away. Sebastian got to the end of the church roof and jumped before Drew could. White haired man landed gracefully just as Drew leaped for the roof. His own landing was less than ideal. Drew ended up having to tuck and roll a little ways and he still landed in a heap.

"Well darn, there goes my entrance." he grumbled as he dragged himself to his feet, "Been a while Sebastian. Last I checked chasing women across rooftops with murderous intent wasn't your thing."

Not that he'd know but you couldn't start a sword fight without some form of banter before hand. It just wasn't done. Well, unless you were on the battlefield. This wasn't a battlefield though so Drew felt it was safe enough. He drew his broad sword though because it wouldn't do to be caught unprepared. Whether it was Drew or Styx, he remembered that Sebastian was infinitely more skilled than him. Maybe he could have presented a challenge once but not now. Drew had lost that level of skill when he'd come back.

His eyes darted over to where the red haired woman had gone and he caught a glimpse of that hair. She was still around but hiding. Waiting maybe. It would be better but he'd take what he could get. Drew settled himself into a stance that would let him react quickly. He didn't want to fight but rather assumed it would go that route.

"You'll probably be the first person I have to use this blade against you know."

It felt like a lifetime since he worn an outfit so very similar to this one. He supposed it was lucky that the time of year suited the outfit well. The tan trench coat and raised hood drew no attention from the crowd of like garbed folk. Neither did the red scarf obscuring the lower portions of Drew's face. The combination was such that between the hood and scarf little could be seen of his face other than his eyes. Beneath the trench coat was a white shirt and white pants. The ensemble that rendered him unremarkable save to those who had seen it before was completed with a pair of black gloves and a matching pair of combat boots. Unlike its twin this particular set of clothes held no associated memories. They were new and crisp where the others had been careworn. It was better that way. They weren't memories he particularly wanted to relive. Even Styx's good memories held pain for Drew.

There were two additions to the outfit though that Styx hadn't had. At his side was a matched broadsword and dagger. He'd sought them out after returning to New York. So few people carried such things that he generally got away with a few strange looks. After all, no one actually carried sharpened swords around. Drew knew how to use them but actually accustoming himself to doing so? It was frustrating to have the knowledge but not the necessary experience. In short he'd just have to practice with the darn things until he was as comfortable with them as he had been.

It had been even longer since he'd actually walked these streets. It had been before the dream actually. Drew hadn't been able to bring himself to return to the vicinity of the church afterward. Yet now here he was walking toward the place again dressed as he had in the dream. There hadn't been any coming to terms with the events that had occurred or his role in them. Oh no, Drew was here dressed in this manner for one reason.

He wanted to see if the role still fit.

Drew had felt like he was cast adrift ever since returning. He wasn't sure where he fit now after everything that had happened, both in the dream and elsewhere. Becoming Styx again, if only for a day, was something of a test. He was drawing near to the church when the crowds abruptly changed direction and most ran as fast as they could. Drew frowned as he trudged through the sudden panic. It was probably another demonstration gone violent. New York had turned into an ideological battleground just as he'd returned. The closer he got to the church the easier it was to move since most folks had already high tailed it elsewhere. At least Drew could catch sight of what was happening without being jostled.

It took a moment but he saw the movement on the rooftop of the church. Moving in closer he noticed that A.) There was a woman being chased across the roof and B.) There was a familiar head of white hair doing the chasing. Swearing under his breath, both at the presumed form of his erstwhile church leader and at himself for being such a glutton for heroics, Drew ran toward the church. Going inside and finding the stairs to the roof or bell tower or some such were out. If that was Sebastian then he didn't have that kind of time.

Drew searched around for something readily available. He could just climb the side of the building. There were enough handholds that he could see to make it feasible but not swift enough. Thankfully one of the neighboring buildings held the answer in a fire escape that Drew could scale relatively swiftly. By the time he cleared enough of the church wall to see the woman was running up toward the peak of the church roof with Sebastian in pursuit.

Oh indeed I'm sure we can ^_^

Sitting back in his seat, Drew stretched for a moment. It was time to put thoughts of the trip aside or he'd be leaving Becca to go find the nearest bar for a few lonesome drinks. So he nodded when Becca asked if he was heading back to the Mansion.

"I sure am. And what kind of fool would I be if I turned down the opportunity to go home with a beautiful red head?"

Drew shot Becca a cheeky grin as he stood up and set about cleaning off any remaining trash and pulling himself together. Very shortly he was ready to go and waiting on Becca. Of course he'd be draping his coat around her the moment they got outside but there was no need for her to know that yet.

"Whenever you're ready Becca."

Right then. Drew is returning to New York (not new news for those that witnessed my attempt at this last month). He's a bit different from how he was when he left due to vague events of vagueness that may or may not be clarified as time goes on.

In either case the Promise Master is back and ready for business. Any ideas for threads or small plots to get him on his way would be appreciated.