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The two exchanged a handshake, and Gina wrinkled her nose at Simon’s offhanded comment about “her figure”. “Her figure” as in her mutant aspects, or as in her female aspects? Gina was one acerbic comment away from asking for that very specification when Simon chose to specify on his own volition.

>> “If you don’t mind my asking are your wings decorative or are you able to fly?”

“Fully functional!” the gargoyle confirmed, crossing her hands at the wrists over her closed sketchbook, “And, surprisingly, more efficient that public transportation nine times outta ten.”

She cracked a winsome smile. Gina would know, given the frequency with which she went from the co-op, to NYU, to Xavier’s. It took her about half the time to fly to school than it would if she walked and took the bus.

>> “I’m not sure resident is the appropriate term, ‘debtor’ seems more apt, I swear I saw something about first borns in the lease.”

Gina gave a deprecating laugh, as if she were releasing a breath she’d previously been holding. As someone previously from a small town, the rent was similarly egregious to her. Rent for a place in Mendocino would never be that high.

>> “To answer your question though I moved into the third floor just recently but I’ve been out and about quite a bit and haven’t had much chance to meet my.. ‘neighbours’ as it were, do you know many of the other tenants?”

“Ah,” the gargoyle said, the look in her eyes brightening. A new resident, “Welcome to the co-op, then! Despite being horrendously overpriced, the community aspect is pretty nice.”

Gina pushed a clawed hand through her hair, “I know quite a few residents. Right now there tends to be a lot of coming and going, though, since the semester’s ending. So it gets difficult to keep track of who's where.”

It wasn’t specifically student-housing, but it tended to attract that demographic. But, spare the popular moving times, Gina made a point of knowing everyone, whether or not "knowing" them resulted in friendship.

The unexpected rendezvous with Nessa had given Gina a lot to chew-on. First of all, it had become incredibly clear to the gargoyle that things were over between Nessa and Becca. On one hand, the gargoyle’s sympathies went to Nessa, who seemed to be the “broken-up-with” rather than the “breaker”. Another part of Gina, who was undeniably attracted to Nessa, was a tiny bit relieved—but the gargoyle pushed that part of herself deep, deep down. She didn’t even know if Nessa would be interested in her, given her close relationship to Becca and Agnes—and besides, she didn’t want to be some fill-the-void-left-by-Becca rebound girlfriend.

One thing did, however, become abundantly clear. She needed to talk to Agnes, and she needed to talk to Becca. Separately, probably. Ever the diplomat, Gina wanted the full scoop, though she was inclined to believe Nessa. And, should Nessa’s allegations prove true, she was going to give her sister an earful.

But she wasn’t going to go into the meet-up with the attitude of “this is a confrontation”. She was going in with the attitude of someone who wanted to listen, whether or not Agnes was aware that she was going to be someone who informed.

It began with a text.

//Hey sis. Want to grab a coffee or maybe a bite to eat, one of these days? Miss you~ ;-*

The plans were laid. It was thus that Gina found herself outside of a small café, lingering just outside of the door. Large sunglasses shaded her eyes, and today she had opted for a billowing sundress (with, of course, a pair of leggings underneath). She stood out of the way of the door, next to a shrub that towered over her. When she spotted Agnes, she waved excitedly, a grin cracking her expression. Though her mind was churning, Gina was always, always happy to see her sister.

Shopping for clothes was complicated when you were a gargoyle. Sometimes—and these times were very few and far between—you could pluck something right off of the rack and wriggle into it. Most of these were shirts with open backs or dresses. Other times, you might find a shirt that could be easily modified, but the craftsmanship on the shirt had to be good enough to withstand the pricking of a seam-ripper. If its knit was too lose, or if the fabric was too thin, it was a waste of time. For the most part, Gina came to shopping malls to shop for ideas. She liked to stay on the up-and-up with what was fashionable. Not just for herself, but for any potential clients. It was thus that she found herself at the mall now.

This method of shopping was much slower-pace than a standard shopping trip and, as such, Gina was shopping alone. Sure, she went-out with her friends all the time, but like—the point of shopping with friends wasn’t to shop, it was to have fun! This was more of a business venture. Not a friend outing.

That did not, however, mean that the gargoyle would shirk any opportunity to chill with a friend. Even now, as she was exiting a store with young, bohemian demographic, she spied what she believed to be a familiar head of brunette hair. Gina’s wings fluttered inquiringly as she strode closer, leaning to get a peripheral view of the young woman’s face. She had her own sketchbook open upon her lap, and was diligently at-work. Gina stood back, following their line of vision towards the unsuspecting subject.

Then, with a practiced stealth, she meandered around behind them.

“You got the nose all wrong,” she said in low tones, a smirk seeping into her voice. The nose was, of course, just fine—immaculate even—but Gina was looking for a reaction. As soon as the brunette would turn to face her, reception of the critique aside, the gargoyle would cock a cheeky grin and say, “Heya, stranger. Long time, no see.”

There Gina stood, in all of her dappled-grey glory. Her hair had been wrangled into a sloppy bun, and her sunglasses were presently tucked atop her head but behind her horns. She wore a pair of cut-off jean shorts, a billowing tie-dyed tank top, and the biggest sh**-eating grin as she peered down at none other than Vanessa, the girl who'd fallen off the face of the earth after their last (and only) sleepover.

>> ”Double major and volunteering? Dang, super busy then! Must be great at time management. So what kind of volunteering are you doing here? Big sister, sub teaching?”

“I just never sleep,” the gargoyle said, half-joking, “Mostly I’ve just been doing odd-jobs, depending on where I’m needed…” Helping in classes, shredding papers, meal prep. Mostly the principal just sent Gina wherever she was needed, it wasn’t really scripted or set.

>> “Any good at patch work? Might need a new one too, any good with fire proof material?”

“Depends on the damage,” Gina said, surveying the hole, “You might need to bid farewell to it.”

It was a large hole. She also wasn’t entirely sure of what “fireproof material” actually

>> “You’re legally allowed to drink right? You can have one with you want.”

Gina held up a polite hand, “Still gotta fly home, Sam. I’m alright.”

And it was maybe 2 in the afternoon. Maybe. Too early to be drinking. Since Mr. Johnson had called attention to the beers, however, Gina figured he’d opened himself to some minor grilling.

“Sam,” she said, purposefully using the first-name that he’d insisted Gina call him, “Are you sure you should be wandering the halls while you’re drinking, at this hour? It’s, like, two in the afternoon. There has to be rules about that… like, school rules…”

A faint blush colored the gargoyle’s cheeks at the compliment, and the gargoyle rested her chin upon her hand, and her elbow upon the counter.

“Oh, you’re too much,” Gina said shyly, “Thank you. You’re very pretty, too.”

She really was. The gargoyle wasn’t just saying it to be polite. Slim, tall, blonde. An entirely different type of beauty. The blond said something about ordering a drink.

The gargoyle returned her attention to her own drink, casually sipping away at the blended beverage. If she didn’t mind fruity drinks, the smoothie Gina was currently imbibing in wasn’t half-bad. But maybe she was one of those hard liquor kind of women who didn’t like fruity drinks?? It was a true mystery indeed. The gargoyle waited to see what sort of thing the blonde would order.

Gina smiled at Derek’s own fantastical imaginings, nodding and listening. He also commented about the pre-furnished option.

“It is really convenient,” the gargoyle agreed, “I mean, if you think about it, it’s almost like a dormitory, except the living arrangement isn’t exclusive to college students. It’s for all sorts of people.”

The gargoyle tapped at her phone a bit, checking for messages—nothing.

“Do you know what floor the opening is on?”

A droll part of Gina was hoping it was the fourth floor.

Updated to reflect current residents once again~ <3 You guys are the best.