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Kaz let out a sigh of relief as moved his hand from her head and touched her shoulder. ”Good. I was worried there for a moment.” He looked around for a moment before moving towards a chair. He seemed a little unsteady as he shuffled towards it. When he moved to sit down he missed the chair completely and fell on the floor. He was able to keep himself from completely sprawling out on the floor in a terribly undignified fashion, but just barely. After a moment, and with quite a bit of effort, he dragged himself to the wall and propped his back against it.

Kaz looked like crap. His skin was paler than usual, dark bags hung from his half lidded eyes, his breathing was shallow and labored. He could feel his slowed pulse, the lethargy in his limbs. Even the tips of his ears seemed to droop just a bit. His usually bright red eyes were dull and sluggish as he watched Lyn leave the room, only to return a few moments later with a few bottles of water and wrapped energy bars of some sort. She set one of each near Noel and gave the rest to Kaz.

Lyn opened the water and held it to Kaz's lips when she saw the trembling in his arm. ”I'm sorry Kaz, Noel. I...I was so focused on doing everything I could to undo the damage that I lost touch with everything else.” Unwrapping one of the bars, she held it as Kaz took a large bite from it, chewing slowly. Kaz shook his head, ”Izz'ok, jus need 'o sit.” Kaz swallowed the food down with the rest of the bottled water and looked toward Noel. ”On the bright side,” His words came out slower than normal, having to think about them and make his mouth and tongue form the correct sounds, ”It worked, didn't it.” Despite how thrashed he felt, there was a smile in his voice. ”You doing okay Noel? Like really okay, not'jus sayin ya are 'n wha'not.” He looked at Lyn, ”I need pills, my head is killin me.” He also needed a dark, silent room, but he doubted that would happen anytime soon.

”I'll get you some, be right back.” Lyn got up to leave the room, but spoke to Noel before she did, ”Don't try to move too much yet. Your body and...is stressed, just, relax for a bit, okay?” There was a bit of sadness in her face, guilt from hurting Noel though she was trying to help her. If Noel was mad at her, or didn't trust her after what happened, Lyn wouldn't blame her. She turned and left the room to get some pills and a couple of small pillows to put behind Kaz's back and head.

Huffing out a little laugh, ”Well, that was...fun.” If his brain weren't as fuzzy as it was, if it weren't throbbing so much, he might not have said what he did next. ”You know what sounds great right about now? Sleep. My bed is so comfy, I'm sure you'd enjoy it.” Kaz was grinning like an idiot, the words spoken without realizing what he had actually said. It was probably all ruined as he pressed his palm to the side of his head.

"Is there a mutant in town that you don't know or do you just like to frequent the same places?"

Kaz smiled at her. ”I didn't know you until yesterday, I think that pretty much shows I don't know every mutant in the city. There are more mutants and Hendriksen's than just Thomas and Gwen. I got most of them their jobs there.” Smirking as he looked at her from the corner of his eye, ”It does help that I own the company, not that they know that.” With that little tidbit, Kaz was sure Noel would connect it to what he had said about paying him back a bit.

Kaz was glad for the backup, even though he knew Lyn would believe him when he said they weren't together. Kaz had asked for her help in healing other people before, specifically the Order members after their first brawl with the X-Men at KP. He also knew that Lyn could get jealous, even though the two of them had never been an item.

Lyn quirked her brow at Noel when she spoke of paying for Kaz's healing and why. She listened quietly looking between the two as Noel whispered to Kaz. She heard everything Noel said. Hearing was something Lyn almost always had amplified, it was just too useful. Kaz opened his mouth to tell Noel exactly why what she was saying was a bad idea but was cut off by Lyn. ”That is unfortunate, and I'm sorry to hear it, but you really do not know what you're asking. I suggest that before you offer, you should find out what I'm asking for.”

When Lyn did allude to her price, Noel stepped stepped between her and Kaz. Lyn wondered if there was something between the two of them after all. Lyn smiled as she took Noel's hand, giving the woman a firm grip. The grip was a bit more firm than it needed to be. Instead of letting go of Noel's hand, she altered the flow of her focus from inward to outward, her hand and arm glowing gold as her hand slipped through Noel's

Lyn pursed her full lips and made a 'hmmm'ing sound which sounded a bit disappointed. ”Why don't we move to the back room where we can sit and talk a bit.” She gestured through the beaded curtain as she moved to the front door, turned off the open sign and locked the door before following the two.

When she entered the massage room she saw Kaz sitting on a chair, backwards, arms folded over the top. She moved to the bed and hopped up onto it. Kaz seemed to have been beginning to explain, but Lyn waved her hand at him. ”You're terrible at this Kaz, just shut it for a bit.”

Kaz's mouth hung open for a moment before he blurted, ”Lyn, you're married. And you kissed me! When did you get married?”

Looking at him she laughed sweetly. ”Is that why you looked so star struck? I got married a couple years ago, though Jessica and I have been together for almost five years now. Yes I kissed you, you know it's something I've wanted to do for years. Always wondered if your lips were as soft as I imagined, I'm not disappointed.” Kaz just blinked at her, ”Don't give me that look, Jess and I are married, we have two kids, from two different fathers. We...aren't exactly exclusive, but we don't sleep around either. Enough about that.”

Lyn looked to Noel, ”Hun, the donation I want from Kaz is life, and no, not that sort of life...well, not that I'd be opposed, but his soul, his life energy. That's how I heal people. Usually I use my own and I have a fair bit to use, but I can only use so much. Usually I charge money for my services, but not always. Some people, like Kaz, have a stronger..life essence to them, more potent I guess. I can do more with it, it lasts longer than most other peoples, nearly as much as my own. Even if I wasn't running a bit low myself right now, I'd still ask for a donation from him, so I can store it away for a time when I need to use the reserve.”

The look she gave Noel was almost apologetic, ”I felt yours when my hand went through you. You're..uh..broken a bit. I'd have to look a little more closely, but it...well, your head isn't right. Like his head is right now, but more so. I knew he had gotten hurt when I kissed him. I felt it. If he got hit on the head, then something happened and it's not there anymore, he is hurt all over his body though.”

She spread her hands a bit, ”I can only take so much without hurting a person, and I can't tell exactly how much I could take from you without hurting you. Even though it would only be for a short time, otherwise Kaz would be dead. Your soul, as I like to call it, does refill as you live your life. The more you pack into your days, the more you live, the quicker it happens.”

She folded her hands together in her lap. ”I hope I'm making sense to you hun. I don't usually explain this, but since I knew Kaz would try, and botch it, I figured I might as well. If you would still like to pay for me to heal him, I can do that, and I'll stop as soon as I feel you're at your limit, but you'll feel a bit weak, light headed, hungry, and sleepy. Are you still offering?”

Kaz and Lyn both watched as Noel thought it through, thought about what Lyn had said. Kaz took the opportunity to talk to Lyn. ”Two kids? How old? And no, you aren't getting one from me. Since when can you tell anything about someone's brain?”

Lyn smiled at Kaz as she pointed to a desk off to the side of the room, a double picture frame sat there. One had a picture of Lyn, Jessica, and two kids, a boy and a girl. Jessica was brunette like Lyn, taller and more curvy than Lyn, but not nearly as pretty in Kaz's opinion. The children were quite young and looked close in age. ”Jason is three, and Tanya will be three in a few months. I can do more than I could when we last spoke Kaz, a lot more. You aren't the only one who's changed, grown.” Kaz and Lyn shared a look when she reached over to him and touched his cheek, she didn't respond to his comment about having a kid from him. She would have been elated if he had agreed, but like always, he did not feel the same way about her that she did about him.

When she saw Noel make her decision and nod she motioned for both of them to come close to her. Kaz made sure he was ready to catch Noel if she fell. ”Ready Noel?” Getting another yes, Lyn's arms glowed bright gold. She set one hand on Noel's chest, over her heart, letting it sink into her body so she could feel Noel's life better, her other hand she stuck into Kaz's head past her wrist.

Lyn pulled her hand out of Noel a short few moments later, having taken just enough to fix Kaz's injuries and what had been done to his mind, though she had no idea what could have messed with his brain like that. Noel had just enough to safely take from her and heal Kaz, with a little left over. ”Kaz help her onto the bed please.” Lyn slid off the bed and got out of Kaz's way. ”You're going to sleep like the dead tonight Noel. Eat and don't fight sleep, and you'll be fine.”

Kaz looked at Noel remembering what he had forgotten, what she had erased from him on the rooftop. He knew it had been an accident now, knew what had happened. He wasn't seeing or reliving the memories, it felt to him as if his memory had been jogged, suddenly remembering something that he had simply forgotten about. It was extremely odd to remember what had happened and then remembering what happened after the erasing, and knowing what the erasing had caused, even though there was now nothing erased. And Kaz had to admit, things had probably turned out better because that fiasco had been erased. Kaz's head hurt and he wondered if this was how Noel felt all the time with new memories constantly going into her head.

Kaz pulled his chair up next to the bed to sit next to Noel. ”Lyn, how do you want to do this? Pull and go or stream it?” ”Streaming would probably work best, that way I can work right away, and it will probably help her recover faster that way as well.” Lyn pulled up a tall stool to sit on so she could reach both Noel and Kaz's chests.

Kaz looked to Noel. ”I remember what happened on the roof, what you erased. She might be able to do that for you, maybe get back what you had lost from yesterday. What do you think? Wanna give it a shot?”

”A spa sounds nice.”

He had been sarcastic when he had mentioned it but when she voiced that thought he had to agree. It did sound nice. Spas weren't something Kaz went to, not after the first time. It wasn't that he didn't like or enjoy it, but he wasn't always comfortable letting himself be in a position where he was too relaxed and not in control. He just wasn't trusting enough, or more correctly, was too paranoid. ”Eh, they're alright lookin', silver nails look best with dark skin tones, from my experience. Black and red are a bit more sinister, and blue nails look a bit strange.” Kaz wiggled the fingers of one hand, the nails changing colors as he did so. ”I don't need to paint them to change'm.”

Noel seemed to be under the impression that scars were a negative thing. Kaz didn't agree with that. Scars were proof of life. Proof that someone had survived, lived, struggled and overcame something. Pursing his lips a bit before he spoke, ”Just cuz you've got some scars doesn't mean you don't have nice skin Noel...” His mouth stayed open for a moment or two longer before he shut it. He had seen, and touched, a few of her scars. How could he explain it without getting it all confused and awkward?

”Splitting a place with a healer would have made my life a lot easier.” He had never had a personal healer or even lived with one. Sure there had been a healer in Sanctuary when he had lived there, and there was one at the Mansion as well, even Hunter had had the equivalent, but that wasn't quite the same as having one live with you, in a place you considered your home. Not that he hadn't had the opportunity. If he had given in not only could he have had his own personal healer but she would have lived with him. All he would have had to do was...love her.

Kaz quirked a brow and smiled. ”Well, I don't expect you to pay me back with money Noel. Just having that stuff ordered and delivered to my place....So yeah, basically.” Kaz was going to have to find out what she had meant by the 'Pretty Woman' thing, since it didn't seem like she was going to explain that comment.

He frowned when she spoke with such terse hostility. There was nothing going on that Kaz knew about to warrant the reaction. Just as he was about to say something about it, she spoke again, in a much more agreeable tone. Kaz lead her into the building, holding the doors open for her as he did so, as a proper gentleman should. Not the he was a proper gentleman, but he did have some manners.

It didn't take any time at all for the staff to notice them. The greeter just inside the main entrance came up to Kaz with his hand held out, “Mr. Corydon. It's a pleasure to see you again.” The man looked at Noel, taking all of her in with a quick glance that was neither judging or invasive, but professional interest. Looking them both in the eyes, “Thomas is available today, if you would like to see him.” He noticed Kaz's slight nod, “Then if you would both please follow me.”

When the man had escorted the two of them to Thomas he left with a slight bow, leaving them in Thomas' capable hands.

Thomas, as professional as he was, did loose a bit of it as he came over to Kaz and gave the silver haired man a hug. Kaz returned it with a smile, ”I'm glad to see you're doing well Thomas, looking sharp as always.”

Stepping back from Kaz he straightened his suit. “Of course, Hendriksen's does has an image to maintain after all.” Though Thomas' words were heavily inflected he was none the less very clear with his speech. Leaning over towards Kaz he placed a hand over his mouth as if to block his words from anyone overhearing and spoke in a whisper to Kaz, “Just between us, the jacket does pinch a little in the shoulder.” As Thomas stood straight again, Kaz snorted, ”Don't let Gwen hear you say that. She'd be so upset.”

Thomas looked a little shocked, “I could never do that to Gwen. She did make this jacket personally, just for me.” He touched the folded handkerchief in his breast pocket with an affectionate smile.

Turning from Kaz he faced Noel directly. “Please forgive my rudeness. My name is Thomas, and it would be my pleasure to assist you today.” Thomas gave Noel a slight bow of his body and head. There was nothing ingenuous about Thomas' words or actions, he was a good man who loved to help others.

Kaz couldn't help but frown slightly when Thomas began helping Noel. Thomas and Gwen had both been being used to do things that went against their consciences. If Kaz had gotten to them a few minutes later than he had, he was sure Thomas would have killed himself. As it was, he had stopped the man from killing his captor. Though he didn't have eyes, Thomas was crying, crying over what he thought was the only way to end it, to be free. There had been more mutants with Thomas and Gwen, but they had wanted to go home, to be free. Thomas and Gwen had no home, their families were dead. The two of them hadn't known each other before they had been captured, but they had common interests and a friendship had grown between them, it had helped give them hope, to keep them sane.

Kaz watched as Thomas took down Noel's measurements, without ever needing any sort of tool or instrument to do so, and handed them off to a clerk to add to the store's system. It didn't take the man long to pick out a few items he thought would compliment Noel. When she turned the dress down Thomas didn't show the slightest disappointment, only a smile as he filed away the information. He set a few other items aside to be returned to their place as he brought others for Noel to try. The man knew his job, and it was evident by Noel's reaction.

Kaz whistled when he saw the outfit she wore. It looked good on her.

”Forget the clothes! I want the undies.”

Kaz barked out a laugh as Thomas' smile broadened and he bowed his head to her a bit, “I'll be sure to inform Gwen. She does love to know her work is appreciated.” Thomas turned and made a few gestures to one of the other employees. “If there is anything else, please, do not hesitate. If not, we'll just need to get a little information from you at the desk.” As he lead her to the desk, Thomas looked at Kaz and saw him nod in response. Even if Noel was willing to pay, Kaz had brought her, and since he was the VIP, handling things under his name would give Noel a few bonuses.

After getting the address where she would like to have the rest of her clothes sent, “If you need any alterations, or repairs,” Thomas gave Kaz a pointed look and Kaz looked away with a slightly embarrassed laugh. “Feel free to stop in or send the items to us and we will do the work free of charge. Also, because you are a guest of Mr. Corydon, if you would like, we can send you a box of items every month or two, whichever you choose, of clothing for you to try. You can send back anything you do not want, and pay for only those that you do.” Thomas slid a sheet of paper across the desk to Noel, “Just fill out the type of clothing you may be interested in. You need not worry about sizes at all, I've already taken the liberty of entering your measurements into our system.”

Thomas fiddled around behind the desk for a few moments before he slid a slim, leather bound booklet to her. Inside the cover was a membership card and information about the VIP membership and its benefits. “Because Mr. Corydon has brought you here today, we're extending you a complimentary six month VIP membership. Your card is inside,” He opened the booklet and slide the card out, showing it to Noel, “as well as information about your membership. You shouldn't need the card at this store, but it will be helpful if you ever travel to one of our other locations. If you ever loose it, we can access your information and membership at any location and make a replacement in house. If you have any questions or if you'd like to place a custom order, all the information you would need is on the back of the card.” Thomas flipped the card over pointing out what he had just mentioned and then slide the card inside its holder. Shutting the cover and securing it, he smiled at her. “I do hope to see you again. Please stop by any time. Well, any time we're open that is.” If he had eyes, Thomas would have winked at his little joke, though he was somehow able to convey the same thing with his smile and body language.

No one from the store mentioned the clothes Noel had walked in with, there wouldn't be anything left of them if she had asked about them. It wasn't Hendriksen's policy, but it was a service certain employees provided. Those that knew Kaz would take such clothes and destroy them, removing anything that may be incriminating in any way or that could be linked to Kaz. Since he had brought Noel in, Thomas would make sure the same thing would be provided to her, even if she didn't renew her VIP membership in the future.

”So...” Kaz smirked at Noel. ”Are you glad you took my offer and went in? It looks good on you.” Kaz opened the limo door for Noel, ”Now, for the second stop.” The apprehension in Kaz's voice was very slight, there was just a hint of nervousness in his tone.

It didn't take long for the limo to drive from Hendriksen's to Lyn's business, 'The Golden Touch'. It was an out of the way business, tucked away from the busy streets foot and car traffic with a small parking lot beside it. As he got out of the limo to open Noel's door he mumbled to himself, ”It's a little obvious Lyn.”

Before stepping into the building he looked at Noel. ”I've never been here before, and it's been years since I've seen her..so...I don't exactly know how she'll react.” Kaz took a visibly deep breath and opened the door.

As they walked in they saw the shop was filled with books and shelves covering all sorts of home remedies, natural cures, and other such stuff. Near the back of the store, there was a beaded curtain separating the main storefront from the other rooms. Above the counter at the back of the store was a list of services Lyn provided, including acupuncture and massages. Soft, calming music played throughout the building, which may have been enough to cover the sound of something falling to the floor in a back room. Kaz heard the sound and stiffened just a little. He was already in the middle of the main storefront when a brunette woman came into view. She stopped suddenly when she saw him, eyes going wide as a smile grew across her face. ”Kaz!”

Kaz braced himself as Lyn literally launched herself, from where she had been at the back of the store 15ft away, into Kaz, almost knocking him over despite the large difference in weight. Her arms wrapped around his chest as he held onto him. There were tears in her eyes as she spoke. ”I thought you were dead!” Lyn pulled away from him a little, reached up and pulled his head down to hers as she kissed him. Kaz flinched just a little, surprised at the move. When he began pulling away, she grabbed his shirt and slapped him across the face. ”I thought you died you bastard. You just up and disappeared six years ago, no word, no clues, nothing, not a damned thing, and now you waltz in here like old times. Like nothing changed. I should flay you just so I can fix you after.” Lyn put her hands on her hips in a very 'angry mama' sort of way. Even the way she looked at him was if she were scolding a child, somehow looking down at him even though she had to look up to meet his eyes.

It was only when Kaz looked away did Lyn notice Noel. ”Oh..oh, I'm sorry, I didn't..realize...” She looked from Noel to Kaz and back again.

Kaz spoke up rubbing his cheek a bit, ”Not like that Lyn. We kinda got a...scuffle with some biker guys. I was hoping you could fix her up.” Kaz held up a hand when Lyn started to scowl at him, ”I'll pay whatever. This is worse than when you'd slap the back of my head.”

Lyn raised one perfect eyebrow at him, ”Serves you right, you deserve it, and I don't need your money Kaz..but...” She gave Kaz a predatory leer, ”I'll take a..donation..as payment.” Kaz didn't hesitate when he nodded and agreed. He knew that would probably be the price. He knew how her powers worked.

Turning to Noel, ”Now m'dear, what's your name? Would you like my help?”

Kaz looked at Lyn when she turned her attention to Noel. She was still beautiful, still very attractive and young looking. 35 and still looking like she wasn't able to drink or smoke, she did have a little more roundness to her. She hadn't let her figure go, but it seemed life had changed her a little. Even the clothes she wore were different, more modest. The top of her dress was still tight but the neckline didn't go down nearly as far as it once would have, she wasn't showing nearly as much skin now, but somehow, it made her seem more mature. The bottom of her dress hugged her hips and thighs enough to show off her figure while being modest. If the light hadn't winked off of it at the moment he was looking he wouldn't have noticed the simple gold band on her left ring finger. She was married. That more than anything stunned him. He wanted to say something about it, but couldn't find his voice. He was shocked stupid.

(Thomas: color=teal; Lyn: color=gold)

Kaz smirked as Noel began to follow him to his room. He hadn't bothered to shut the door completely, not that he planned on changing in full view from the door. There was a definite smile in his voice as he spoke. ”You don't have to turn away if you don't want to, it wouldn't bother me.” He continued speaking as he changed. ”I'm sure you are perfectly capable of getting a cab, but doesn't a limo sound so much better?”

As he left his room he passed by her on the way to the lift. ”Besides, you can't get out by yourself, at least not on ground level. You might as well take my offer.” 'Unless you're Panu, then you just make everything do as you want.' Kaz hadn't gotten around to changing or updating his security since Panu's...visit. He wasn't sure what to do to stop someone like Panu, not without some major work, but he had begun to keep things turned off like the kid had mentioned.

He pressed the call button to bring the lift up. ”Since you may not remember, I do still have to go pick up my Hummer from the park, the one I left there when we were going to get some pizza after we sparred.”

Kaz slid the gate open and stepped into the lift, waiting for Noel to follow him. ”And if you do come with me, we can both get fixed up. What do you say?” As he waited for her answer a thought occurred to him, and if he thought about it, maybe she would to. ”If you're wondering why, don't. You're a mutant. Helping mutants is what I do. Even if you had nothing to offer me, nothing I could gain from helping you, I'd still do this.”

Once they were both in the lift they began their decent to the ground floor, stopping at the combined third and fourth floor and the second floor. At each stop Kaz left Noel on the lift for a few moments as he grabbed a few things, slipping them into a cloth bag. At each floor the lift came to, a series of lights lit up, illuminating the floor in soft light. The lights weren't enough to see everything in detail, but it was enough to get an idea of what was on the floor and to walk around without running into anything if the main lights weren't turned on.

Once on the ground floor, Kaz lead Noel to the main entrance where they waited a few minutes until the limo showed up. The two of them got into the silver limo and Kaz told the driver where to go. ”Maybe it's just me, but if I were going to walk home from Central Park, I wouldn't want to do it in PJ's and bloody shoes.” The limo left Kaz's warehouse heading for Hendriksen's, a store Kaz frequently went to for his apparel that wasn't custom work. It wasn't somewhere a person could buy an Armani suit, but it was all high quality and hand made, from the typical t-shirt to high heels, they had it. Ignoring the quality and designs of the store's product, the reason Kaz went to Hendriksen's, was because he owned it, so any money he spent came right back to him.

Hendriksen's was only the first of two stops they would make before they headed to Central Park. The second stop was one he was both looking forward to and dreading a bit. He'd deal with that when they got there.

Kaz awoke with a start, eyes wide and wild. Muscles tense, ready to act instantly. His senses were hyperactive as he took in every detail of his surroundings.

He heard heartbeats, two loud thumping hearts, one quieter and quicker, two humans one animal. The sound of their breathing confirmed it. Beyond the thick walls he could just barely hear the sound of vehicles rolling down the city streets.

His fingers felt the soft, comfortable material beneath him, felt the warm air around him, felt the way it moved, the ventilation system's work. He could feel the fur on his face, a single strand across his cheek, touching his bare skin and resting on new growth of hair on his face.

Inhaling he tasted the air, it tasted normal, though there was a hint of something....no, that was just morning mouth. Ash, he could taste ash, not from a cigarette or cigar...Fire. It was still on, no. No it wasn't, it had died out long ago

Cat. That was the first thing he smelled, cat everywhere, and himself, and...he sniffed again. The scent wasn't new, but it wasn't one he recognized instantly. It was...sweat, not from exertion..fear? Pizza, he could smell pizza, greasy, cheesy, meaty, delicious. His stomach rumbled. Burned wood, the pleasant scent of a fire long dead, the embers still giving off enough heat to warm the larger pieces that hadn't burned completely.

His fingers and toes moved in minute motions, almost undetectable. Muscles responded correctly, no sluggishness. No pai-..there was pain; Nothing new, mostly soreness.

Kalli prowled through the kitchen to her bowl, Kaz watched her tail move lazily.

It had taken mere moments for his now conscious mind to take in the information. Less than a handful of human heartbeats had gone by before he was fully awake and ready to act. The routine was normal, but Kaz was keyed up and that wasn't normal. Why? If it was because of a dream, he didn't remember it, but it was the most likely reason. He didn't often remember them, but they weren't often things he'd want to remember either.

Someone moved in his peripheral, in bare feet. His heart beat hard in his chest. For just a moment his emotions lurched. For just the barest of moments he thought, knew, believed, hoped it was Nicki. Another step. Reality smashed all of that. If she had, there was no way he would have be away from her, that he would have slept in the chair while she slept in their bed, alone. Another soft footfall. His eyes moved to look at the figure. He saw Nicki's face on the woman who stood in the room. As he looked the features changed, melted away, they were wrong. It took him another heartbeat to realize who he was looking at.

Kaz clenched his jaw, shut his eyes tight, and pushed everything down. Crushed it and locked it away. She was gone, had been for years. He had moved on, or he had believed that he had. He loved her still, but that wasn't why he still looked...had others looking for her at least. He had changed since she went missing, he knew that she would have as well, knew that there was a good chance that even if she came back, back to him, they wouldn't have any reason to be together.

Kaz sat up and leaned forward, putting his face in his hands. 'Idiot. Moron. She's gone. She isn't coming back. Ever. She left you.' He felt the hitch in his breath, felt the tightness. 'No...I won't...no...' A deep, slow breath. Hands slid down his face until he rested his head on his fists.

Standing up he turned to Noel. ”You say something Noel?” Yes that's who was in his house, his home. Guilt stabbed at him. He pushed that away as well. Looking at the clock, ”It's after noon, you hungry?” He started moving towards the kitchen to heat up the pizza. Even if she wasn't hungry, Kaz was, he needed to eat, he could feel his guts gnawing at him. There was no risk of starvation, not for a while at least, but he would get weak and unable to use his body to its fullest, not to mention shift much, or at all.

”You're free to use the shower again if you'd like. Looks like you didn't sleep that great.” Of course it was possible she always looked the way she did when she woke up, but Kaz based the smell of on the sweat coming from her.

After explaining his trust in Abyss and how both of them could depend on the other one, trust each other, helping when and however much they could as long as it didn't go against their morals and goals Noel said and offered something similar. The unfortunate part is that while Kaz thought her statement was probably true he didn't know her yet, not really. He didn't trust her completely either, a product of what she had done, but mostly because he didn't know what drove her, hadn't been through enough with her to get a sense of who she was.

Finding out who Noel was could end up being very difficult. She seemed not to know herself completely either, not to mention when she erased her memories, which Kaz knew was a frequent thing, it was very possible that the Noel in front of him might not be the same Noel he met next month, or week even.

..Permission is the difference here. Not... uhm.”

He wasn't sure what she had been thinking, where she had been going but he found himself wondering if he was changing his mind. ”..I..uh-hmm..” Had he ever wanted her to get rid of the memories she had taken? Kind of, but she had done it, and gotten something from it, something she hadn't encountered before. It would probably be good for her to have those memories, to know what she had taken. Knowing it might help her interact with Kaz, to know what topics to stay away from. Though he had been annoyed and upset at what she did, he still was to a certain extent, but he figured knowing might help in her interactions with others.

Kaz continued to rant, something he had worked hard at not doing anymore. It was so natural for him that until he saw the blood coming from Noel's nose he hadn't realized what he had been doing. 'Gah..I did it again. ...She's not looking too hot.'

'...Really? A little blood and all of a sudde-'

'Not like that dumbass. I mean she looks like she's ready to pass out.

Kaz lurched forward to steady Noel when it seemed like her legs were going to give out on her. An arm around behind her back and the other gripping her bicep enough to keep her from falling. ”Yeah, that's fine. I don't think you'd make it to the lift if I said no.” Leaning down he let go of her arm and used it to lift the woman from her feet.

He moved to the head of the bed. ”The bed is much more comfortable than the floor.” In one smooth motion Kaz slid the covers down the bed before he put Noel's weight on them. When he removed his arm from behind her back he lifted the blankets and slid them over her. ”If you need anything, just say so.” It was one thing to be tired and exhausted, and to have a headache, those were fairly common issues for mutants when they overused their abilities, but bleeding for seemingly no reason...not so much. It wasn't a stretch for Kaz to link the two. Erasing memories was destructive, and he could believe that doing it to herself was more destructive than if done on someone else. It was possible for her body to be reacting to the erasure, some sort of 'mind over matter' thing.

Kaz felt guilty about Noel. Sure, he didn't want to kill her and they weren't fighting, but he couldn't see that they were doing alright. To go anywhere, the tension, or whatever it was, was going to have to be dealt with. Sighing he turned off the lights and made sure the intercom in the room was on so he could hear if something happened.

Kaz turned the lights on the rest of the floor down to nearly nothing. It would be enough for him to see, but to anyone else, it would be almost pitch black. Getting a glass of water, he picked up the pain killers and placed a few of them and the water next to Noel on her bed's nightstand. Once back in the living room he sat down in his chair in front of the fireplace, liquor and cigar on the table next to him. As he poured himself a drink Kalli hopped into his lap. Stroking the feline's head he sat in silence listening until he was sure Noel was completely asleep.

Using his tablet he selected and played E Nomine on low as he enjoyed the rumble from his cat that served as her idea of purring. He put his feet up on the ottoman, causing the cat to shift around a little, and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. He fell asleep without touching his drink or the cigar.

Hearing the voice calling out to him Kaz turned towards the source. He couldn't see who had said it, but he recognized the voice. ”Frosty?” He began moving towards who he was sure was Sam. ”Mr. Snowman himself. Didn't think you'd be the first one I'd run into.” When he and Sam had first met, it hadn't gone very well. If he remembered correctly, they had both tried to clobber each other for some stupid reason. More than tried, they both left that scuffle hurt, and at least in Kaz's mind, with some respect towards the other.

When he joined up with the X's Kaz had...issues taking orders and following some of the rules. There wasn't any hostility between the two of them, but there was some tension. Circe didn't help matters, not that she did anything with Kaz, but she didn't seem too uninterested either. That situation didn't last too long though, seeing as how Kaz got himself caught and neutralized in Romania. Kaz hadn't returned to the States after that all ended, hadn't seen fit to let anyone know he was even alive.

”Well take your time then Elf!”

”Oh don't worry, I will.” He replied in a blithe tone.

As he neared Sam's office, Kaz wondered if he would ask about that. 'Did he always have an office?' He couldn't remember, or at least he couldn't remember Sam ever being in there. 'Being all responsible now.'

Kaz leaned against the open office's door frame. ”Can't rush perfection Frosty.” He looked over the office. It was...not exactly what he had expected. He got the feeling either Sam spent a great deal of time in the room or not at all. It was a lot more put together and organized that he expected. ”I'm not sure what I expected of your office, but this isn't it.” He grinned at Sam as he moved towards him.

Seeing an empty glass across the desk from Sam, Kaz pulled out the chair and sat in it. ”It's been a while. The Mansion looks in good shape, almost like it hasn't taken a beating in some time. How've things been?”