[ We find Our Mutie Freaks headed along the streets of New York in a really sweet-ass old car. The top's down, which would make things real nice if they weren't suddenly stuck in traffic. ] [ They are, tho, still more or less on their way to talk to Gary, a kid who is very much ignored and, therefore, a suspect in their little search. ] [ In the city of New York, there are two factions struggling for the future of the mutant race. The muties that commit crimes, and the muties that investigate and prosecute those crimes. These are their stories. *heavychime* ] [ Session Start! ] * Bob sighs and watches as traffic inches along. * Miya is investigating! Not. She's peering out the side of a car with a very, very bored expression on her face. Traffic. Blah. ( Yes, Yu has been watching too much Law&Order. ;_~ ) * Eric frowns at the traffic. "Man, if it was goin' any slower I'd just blow them up." * Miya looks over at Eric. "We're going?" Exactly. * Bob sighs. "Should I just pick the car up and go?" That would... probably be a bad idea. Maybe. Yeah, we're trying to be, ya know... Undercover. I'll be undercover. You guys'll be right on top of me. * Miya giggles. [ Traffic starts moving a little more again, and you see that the cause of the stall is people rubbernecking at what looks like the remains of a superhero fight on the side of the road. ] * Eric chuckles. * Miya peers at that. * Eric tries to get a better view. "Can either of you see what's up there?" * Bob goes up a few inches in his quest for a better view. [ You see mostly the property damage that resulted from the fight. It's mostly being cleared up. An insurance agent is having to be restrained by the police to keep him from running off. ] (Hee.) Wow. Um, some stuff's broken. Like the sidewalk and everything around it. * Eric smirks at the insurance agent. "No kidding. What do ya think happened, eh?" [ Some of the pavement bears definite signs of smashing, as opposed to other kinds of blunt force. Looks like the jolly green giant was in town for something. ] Stuff got smashed? Looks like somebody had a lot of fun. (Any singe marks from energy blasts?) ( Looks like Bruce Banner is in town again. ) ( Dr. Banner, man. He's got a Ph.D. Yeah, yeah. Maybe he was givin' a lecture or somethin' at NYU. ) ( Yeah, one stupid question and... this. ) ( No singe marks, just smashing. And you are now rubbernecking, too. This is a dangerous thing. ) (Hee. :P) (What I learned from comics is you don't mess with guys named "Bruce".) * Eric scratches his head. ( That's good advice. ) (very good advice.) * Miya tears her eyes from the sight. "I think, maybe, we should keep going." ( Although anyone who's watched Bruce Lee movies would know that, too. ) Yeah... The authorities can take care of this. * Eric keeps goin' to Gary's pad. [ Before too much longer (no, really) you're there. It's an apartment building, fairly normal, and it's parking lot is blessedly free. ] * Miya peers up at the building. "Everyone lives in apartments here." * Eric parks the car and gets out, letting whoever was in the back out as well. Yeah, it's because they don't have enough room for bigger housing. * Miya hops out of the car. Literally. The top is down and the windows are down. ( Nah, 's 'cause the land prices are friggin' astronomical. ^_~ ) (Both, if you're on the island.) * Bob gets out of the car the conventional way. Odd, that. * Eric locks the car up. "So... what's his address?" * Miya blinks at Eric. "You're the one that drove us here." * Eric blinks and checks his pockets. "Oh yeah." ^_^; * Eric pulls out a sheet of paper that (hopefully) has the appartment number on it. * Bob looks around curiously at the building. (And what condition is the apartment complex? Slum? Upscale? What?) ( It's appallingly middle-class. Nice, but not great, and it seems to be kept clean. ) * Eric nods. He looks around for building 'B'. "Anyone see building B?" * Miya looks for building B! * Bob looks for a 'B'. [ You find Building B! It's the second one. No, really! ] * Miya points. * Eric looks. "I found you building B! Now... where's room 258?" He starts walkin into the building. * Miya scurries after him. "Um. The second floor?" Or the twenty fifth? Second floor. * Eric hits the elevator button. "So, how do you want to do this?" * Miya shrugs. The elevator arrives! The doors open, and from inside the car you hear, lightly, a muzac version of the Sailor Moon theme. (Sailor Moon wasn't in the US during that time!) ( True dat. ) ( That's okay, though. ) * Eric walks in. "Oh com'on, I don't want to do all the talking." ( Doesn't have to be. I just thought a muzac version of the Sailor Moon theme would sound funny. ;_; ) (I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. :P) ( *sniffles* ) [ The elevator doors open again, and you all step out. ] Well? How do you want to work it? * Bob blinks. * Miya steps out. "Um. I don't know?" * Bob steps back into the elevator and pushes the button for the ground floor. * Eric looks back. "Bob?" He pust his hand between the elevator doors. * Miya blinks, turning to look at the boys. [ Eric keeps the doors open. ] There's a gas station a block or so down the street. I'll be back in a few minutes. * Bob hits [close door]. ... What would you be doing there? (Sorry man, the elevator doors don't close on people's hands. :P) (Bob could always throw you out! ^^) * Bob gives Eric a LOOK. * Eric raises an eyebrow. "I just don't want you doing something stupid. If you have something to do, just tell us." * Bob whispers something in Eric's ear. * Eric nods and moves his hand. * Bob jams on the [Close Door] button. * Eric rolls his eyes once the door's closed and the elevator's on its way. "Man, I'm getting paranoid now." * Miya blinks a couple times. What did he say? * Eric chuckles. "He's gotta go to the bathroom." * Miya giggles. ( "Where the hell are you going?" "... I gotta go potty." ) [ So now it's just you two. Alone. In the hallway. Of the apartment. ] * Bob is now known as Hedgehog * Eric starts walkin' to the room and turns his head back to Miya as he does so. "So you don't have any ideas how to approach this?" * Miya shakes her head. "Um... let's just go talk to him. Okay?" * Eric shrugs. "Um, Okay. I just hope these things work..." Yeah. * Miya keeps walking, hands stuffed in her pockets. [ Twenties, thirties, forties... Ah, 258. It wasn't *too* long a walk. It's the last apartment on this floor. ] * Eric knocks on the door and fails very quickly at trying to look anything intimidating. Oh well. * Miya fails, too. They suck at this. (Um, yeah. I'm 5'5", canadian, 120 lbs. and 17 years old.) (4'8", Japanese, 95 lb., 14 years old. I win!) (Dangit!) (But you're a Japanese Schoolgirl, and a cute one at that. EVERYONE knows you kick ass. :P) [ The door is eventually answered by a short, wiry, archetypically geeky individual who looks up at Eric with what could be apprehension. There's a lot of ambiguous things about him - for example, you can't tell if his glasses tinted black, or do they just magnify the blacks of his eyes a whole lot. ] * Eric smiles at the kid. "Hey, what's up?" "The sky, inflation, local crime, my grades, and the likelyhood of winning the Minnesota Powerball Lottery. Why?" * Miya looks completely at loss as to what to say to that. * Eric smirks. "Just wondering if you noticed the ceiling, O-zone layer, or taxes." "Heh. Well, two of those depend on where you are, so I decided not to include them." True, but what of the third? "That one depends on who you are. For example, my allowance doesn't exactly count as taxable income." [ He looks from one of you to the other, and suddenly seems to notice Miya for the first time. He reddens and excuses himself, holding his nose shut for some reason. ] * Eric shrugs. "That's if you get allowance." (Hah!) * Miya tilts her head at that, then tugs on Eric's sleeve. "Um, Eric?" * Eric looks back at Miya, then at Gary. He chuckles as he speaks quietly to Miya. "Yeah?" * Miya looks up at him. "What did I do?" I don't have something on my face, do I? You existed. I think he's got a problem with, um... meeting cute girls. * Miya starts patting at her face. Nothing there, she hopes. "Oh." She blinks, then blushes furiously. "Oh." * Eric keeps smiling. "And you have a problem with people noticing you, don't you?" * Miya looks down at the floor. "Maybe a little," she says very, very quietly. [Gary returns with little wads of tissuepaper plugging his nose, which makes his voice much odder. "Er. So, what're you... I mean, how can I help you?"] * Eric turns back to Gary. "Just saw how you were never noticed in class, even though you're grades are pretty high. Was wondering if you wanted to talk or something." [ Gary glances from one of you to the other - it turns out those glasses really DO magnify his eyes that much, since one half of each lens and then the other turns white as he looks each way. "Er... uhm, not really." ] * Eric raises an eyebrow. "So you like to be alone?" "No, I just, erm, I mean, yes. Sort of." * Eric chuckles and sees where this is going. "So, you want to Miya instead?" * Miya peeks from behind Eric. "Huh?" (Dammit Miya! You're too damn cute! I'm getting cavities!) [ Gary turns VERY red. "UhbyuheruhwaitnowIdidn'tsaythat!" ] (Haha! I'm Sailor Tooth Decay!) * Eric is finding this all VERY amusing as he steps aside, leaving Miya without him as cover. "Now, what kind of red is that, eh?.. Cherry or apple?" * Miya is blushing, too, but nowhere near Gary's level. Amazingly. [ Gary blushes and tries to talk, but doesn't even get as far as stammering. Miya blushes and remains quiet. The building becomes alarmingly silent. ] * Miya doesn't seem to care. Floor. Pretty floor. * Eric hmmms... How to break the silence without bringing the world crashing down around him... * Eric looks back and forth at them. "Hey, Miya? I'm gonna go to the car and get some snacks. See ya in a little bit." He winks to her and heads off. * Eric 's stomach grumbles in agreement. [ Gary jumps as tho a lion had just growled at him, or something. ] (Lion, Eric's stomach... Close enough.) * Miya blinks. "Um. Okay?" She looks at Gary and manages not to eep. [ Gary does likewise. "Er, uh..." ] Hi? "Er, 'Hi' as in 'Hello' or as in 'Yes'?" I don't know. Yes to what? "Uhm... dunno." So, um... what do you do? Besides go to school. I mean. "Uhm... study? I, uh, read a lot. I'm in some Demons and Dungeons games. I always correct the others about the rules!" He says that last part like he's proud, and then seems to wonder if he should've. * Miya blinks a few times. "Oh. Demons and Dungeons? Is that... um, what is that?" "It's a role-playing game. Medieval strategy! Y'know, maces and magic an' dragons in dungeons?" (Eric, you evil bastard.) Not... really. Unless you mean like those King Arthur legends? "Yeah, like that! But, uh, kinda' more. Or less. Depends on who's running... uhm..." * Miya scratches at the back of her head. "So, um. Those magic things. What can you do?" "Anything! You can make fire and lightning, create buildings out of nowhere, change the weather--" and he's off! He keeps going on about the game, his dam of reticence apparently broken by Miya's attempts. He talks about dragons and liches and beholders and dillythids and all sorts of stuff that Miya can't make heads or tales of. * Miya has no clue what he's saying, especially since he's talking so darned fast. ( Dillythids! What's the dillythid, yo?! ) * Eric comes walking down the hall wistling. He has a giant back of Cheetoes in one hand, and a Uber-Gulp soda in the other. He walks slower as he starts to hear the conversation. ( It's like a black hole more powerful than my stomach!) (But... NOTHING is more powerful than the black hole of Eric's stomach.) [ Gary eventually winds down, panting. He's apparently out of breath from talking so much. ] (Eric would be SO DAMN PISSED if he loses his powers. Not because he wouldn't be able to blow shit up, but because he'd get full so fast.) * Miya tries to comprehend all that, then gives up. Sounds like a lot. What's he talkin' about? Magic. I think. Majik? Yes? Is it a... game? I think so? * Eric nods as he looks at Gary. "So, do ya do anything besides game?" "Er... anime. School. Read. 'Sall." * Eric scratches his head. "'s all? Ya need to get out more." "No, I don't. It'd be terrible. ...er, for my allergies." What're you allergic to? "What've ya got?" * Eric holds up his bag of cheetoes. "Some cheetoes, Mountain Dew, and I got some other snacks in my pockets incase this doesn't fill me up." (Ooh, geek heaven.) "Not what I meant. ...hey, you gonna share?" (No kidding. Do you think Eric's a geek? :P) Well, I wasn't planing on it, but... I s'pose I could let ya have some. Um, as for allergies, I don't have any that I know of. "Eh? Oh. Mine are mostly to living things in the animal and plant kingdoms." He helps himself to some cheetos. * Miya looks around. "I don't want to be rude, but... um, can we come in?" "Er? Uhm... I dunno. My mom'd kill me if she found out I had a girl in the house." * Miya blinks a few times. "So I have to stand in the hall?" ( "But isn't your mom a girl?" "No, actually... it's a long story." "..." ) * Eric raises an eyebrow. "Why's that? She wouldn't think what I think she'd be thinking, would she?" [ Gary seems to arrive at an impasse, apparently unable to figure out what to do in this situation. ] (Fanboy != Obedient kid?) (Poor Gary. ^^) [ Time passes. Sadly, you're much too far north for a tumbleweed to make an appearance. But Daegal might show and screw everything up. Maybe. ] (Please? ^_^) * Miya fidgets. She's back to looking at the floor. "So... um. Something... do you know why weird stuff is happening at the school?" * Eric plops down in the hallway then, munching away... "Er, no. Not at all. So it's no good asking me. ...er, no offense?" Not really. Well, there's no point in letting good food go to waste, eh? *he sips his soda* Ya hungry Miya? * Miya fidgets. "A little." She looks at the cheetos nervously. "But..." * Eric starts pulling snacks out of his pockets. None of them are really _healthy_, but there's a granola bar there, as well as some fruit juice. (If you want a list, I'll put one down. :P) * Miya takes the granola bar and opens it. She eyes it for a moment, then has a bite. * Daegal wanders down the hall. "258, 258... ah, hey guys!" * Miya looks up and brightens a little. She waves. * Eric looks back at Daegal and swallows, his mouth gone from chuck-full to empty in one gulp and a second. "What's up?" Not much. Talked with our new... teacher. Explain later. You must be Gary. How ya doin'? *waves* [ Apparently, Daegal's up. Gary looks up and up and up and up at the immense mutie, adopts the appearance of a very frightened man, and suddenly decides he needs to go. "Uhm, I need to go. I left the toilet on. I mean, the oven. I left the oven on." ] Hey man, relax! I'm with them. Don't end the conversation 'causea me. * Eric laughs. "Relax man. He's with us." * Miya nibbles on her granola bar. "H-he is?" He looks crestfallen. We're like a little mini-team. Eric's the smooth one, Miya's the smart one, and I'm... er... the loud one. I think. * Eric has already finished off the soda and most of the miscellanous snacks. All that food *really* shouldn't fit in that guy's stomach. * Miya almost chokes on her granola bar at being called smart. * Eric chuckles. "You could say that." "Er. I thought you'd be the big one. The big, scary one." Me? Nah. I'm a pussycat. Just big 'cause my folks were big. "..." Tell that to the last participants of the most recent fight, Daeg. "F-f-fight?" * Daegal grins, and pulls out his badge. "Yeah. I'm from Red Hook... kinda made it my personal mission to keep the kids who beat up other kids for their lunch money and stuff from doing any of that stuff." Yeah, he's a good guy. Did it so good, the local cops deputized me. [ Garry's eyes widen. You can tell because you can actually see them on the sides of his glasses, now. "eep." ] * Eric raises an eyebrow. "What, you're not doing anything... 'illegal', are you?" He smirks. [ "No. Of course not. Gottagonowbye." He slams the door shut! ] * Daegal falls silent for a moment. "I remember one time... some jocks were botherin' the kids in the gaming club at my old school. Poor kids just wanted ta play D&D, and the mooks were giving them trouble. I ended that right qui-" *blinkblink* Was it something I said? Nah, I think it's 'cuz you were here. You look the part of jock or punk, if ya know what I mean. Who, me? I'm a teddybear! ... large, street-tough teddybear, admittedly... * Miya blinks a few times. "O-kay." And I think he's got a thing for young Japanese school girls. ( Gosh. Where could we find one of those? ) * Miya blushes. Furiously. (Gee, I wonder.) * Eric points back at Miya. "And she's gotta thing for bein' quiet. See the... eh, problem?" * Daegal blinks, then grins. "Nah. I think it's just Miya. She's got mutant cuteness powers, doncha kiddo?" *ruffles Miya's hair* * Miya yelps. "Hey!" She tries batting his hands away. * Daegal chuckles, and stops with the ruffling. * Eric gets up and finishes off the cheetoes. He picks up all the trash and dumps them in a convient trash bin and laughs at the antics. "But he's not who we're looking for." How d'ya know? We talked ta 'im, that's how. Well, um. We don't know for sure. Can we go now? ... hey, where's Bobo? * Eric hmms.. "He said he had to go to the bathroom, but... He really should be back by now. He said he was goin' to a gas station." ... okay. Let's go meet 'em then. Follow me, Splody and Kawaii Avenger! * Daegal dashes down the hall overdramatically. * Eric eyes Daegal. "Do you want me to make you 'splode'?" He dashes after Daegal. ... You're a dead man! * Miya chases! [ End session! But at least we had one, right? ]