The Dark and the Dank

[Nightcrawler]

James slogged through the sewers underneath New York City. It was close to 3:30 in the afternoon, though James was unaware of time. All he knew, was that light was still pouring through the sewer and stormgrates at intervals and certain spots that he knew of in the sewers. To most people that wouldn't really mean much, other than the fact that it was the middle afternoon and the work day was nearly over. However, to James it meant that there was still too much light and that he would have to wait until later, once it was dark, to sortie forth from the sewers in search of something to eat.

The lizard-man hadn't had a real something to eat for two days, as his stomach was constantly reminding him. Without thinking about it he ducked as he passed through a low archway. At six feet seven inches, James was certainly a taller than average individual, and he'd banged his head on more than one doorway proving this fact to himself. Putting a scaled hand on the wall, James felt his way along the filthy, grime covered walls of the sewer using the wall as a guide.

Suddenly, just ahead there was a familiar sound that found its way into the James' ears. It was the scrabbling sound of rats as they fought over some small morsel of food or bit of territory within the sewer system. A grin split the James' face as he recognized the sound, and his pace quickened. Rats meant food, either food they were fighting over or something he could eat.

Rounding a bend in the sewer James was instantly aware of just where the rats were. Judging by the heat signature he was getting through his heat sense there had to be at least four of them, maybe six. In two quick strides, James was upon his quarry his hands darting out and snaring a rat in each. The other rats scurried off for cover as their brethren were caught, and James quickly dashed the brains of what was to become his meal.

Dropping into a seated position on the cold hard stones of the sewer, James dug into his first food in days, grateful that it was still warm. There wasn't much meat on either of the scrawny, flea infested rodents. But, James thought to himself as he savored the food, anything was better than nothing.

[Nightcrawler]

Scraps of fur littered the area immediately around James' spot on the sewer's stones as he finished his meal. 'Barely two mouthfuls of food,' he thought to himself, and the growl from his stomach heartily concurred. Tossing aside the carcass of the rats, both of which had been picked clean of meat and internal organs, James stood from his seated position.

Passing near a storm grate, it was apparent that it was still far too light outside to be even considering an upperworld adventure yet. Sighing to himself, James set off for a little nook that he;d managed to carve out in the sewers. It wasn't much, but it was home to the lizard-like mutant.

A few minutes later he approached his extremely humble abode and got down to crawl inside. On entering, James surveyed his surroundings, which were roughtly ten by fifteen feet. It was extremely dank and moldy, this place James called home. Illumination came from a storm grate overhead which did not look directly down on James' dwelling. Sometimes when it rained, Jame's home would flood. But, the bright side was that when it rained James was able to collect ample water supplies that were clean enough to drink, especially for someone who wasn't accustomed to actually having bottled water available to him.

With another tired sigh, James reached for one of the bottles that held water. Uncapping it, he put it to his nose and sniffed. Not smelling anything that smelled stagnant, he put the bottle to his lips and took a long pull, gulping the water greedily.

'Downside of rats is they always leave me so thirsty,' he thought to himself as he capped the bottle and then removed his cloak as he lay down. What few meager possessions he had were arrayed arouind him. There were a couple of ratty, foul, moth-eaten blankets piled in the corner where James slept. In another corner were James' water supplies that were beginning to run low since it hadn't rained for awhile. Finally, along the wall opposite of where James slept were his most prized possessions, which he was always careful to keep dry when it rained. First, there was a large hunting knife with a deer horn handle. James had found it while scrounging in a dumpster one night and had immediately claimed it as his own. True, he'd had to work hard for several hours to scrub off the dried blood that had caked the knife, but the use he gotten out of the knife had made the investment of time well worth it. Next to the knife was an old, stained New York Mets baseball cap and underneath the cap there was a stack of pictures of various Mets players that had been crudely torn out newspapers and magazines over the years.

Most of these clippings were yellow with age and exposure to the sun, and James couldn't read any of the names in the few that had captions under them, but that didn't matter to him. The pictures were his, and he was a Mets fan even if he didn't understand the game of baseball. To James the pictures represented the hope of a better life in the upperworld. The hope of a time when he would be able to go out in public without having to hide his appearance because people would hate and fear him.

With a groan, James pulled the two balnkets up to cover his body and used his cloak which had been wadded up as a pillow as he dropped off to sleep.

[Simone]

[center:0c3a3baa3c][Continued from here][/center:0c3a3baa3c]

Simone

It didn't take long for Simone to reach the garage. Once she did, she picked out a decent car to travel in, grabbed a set of car keys, and set off on her journey that was to come. She had done this once before and took the liberty of driving the Mercedes, but this operation was larger than just herself. She needed something stylish and elegant, appealing and fashionable. Then it hit her plain as day. Why not drive the Hummer? It was black and clean, and large enough to house many teenagers hungering the mall. The wheels alone were larger than Simone's lithe body, and the engine was louder than any mutant firecracker could handle. Simone did not worry, though, because she had a driver's license and knew how to handle herself in certain situations. She was more worried about her returning friends and newcomers. How would they handle the mall? New York, even?

Simone was not a psychic, so she didn't know how the students would handle anything. She could have always asked Emma Frost, but she hadn't seen her mother yet. Instead, the blonde pushed all her worries aside and placed her care into the vehicle. Pressing the handheld operator key, the large vehicle beeped to life, unlocking the doors in the process. She entered the vehicle and sat in the driver's seat, sinking into the massive, monstrous machine. It was huge! Simone was the ward of Emma Frost - she liked things huge. The technology was well kept, too. A radio, an electronic map, and other various chromed mechanics stared at the blonde as she waited for the students to arrive. It was only due time; when she heard the clatter off the wind, its essence guiding the sounds to her ears, she then knew that the students were coming.

The turnout proved worthy of a trip to the mall, and once everyone came within the garage, Simone started the car. It roared to life as if it was human itself, and Simone was somewhat shocked. She didn't know why, but there was something about Hummers that wasn't quite right with her. The space was exactly what everyone needed. "Buckle up," Simone stated, informing everyone that safety was always first. But they knew that, and Simone opened the garage soon afterwards. A breath of fresh air expelled from the wind manipulator as she shifted the gear into drive. The next thing she knew, they off the mansion grounds and heading down the street.

[center:0c3a3baa3c]---[/center:0c3a3baa3c]
Give or take, twenty minutes afterward and the group was arriving in New York City. Before them was a large sign entitled Macy's and Simone was parking the car. For but a moment, she sat in the driver's seat as phase one of the opperation had been completed, without interruption or damage. "Everybody still alive?" Simone asked as she turned down her CD: Destiny's Child - #1's. She enjoyed this particular CD and wished that she could sing in some way. There had been many times when Alison Blaire had woke with a nice song before the mansion, in the shower, in the Danger Room. The younger blonde envied the woman for her talent, but enjoyed it all together.

Nevertheless, the group was at the mall and it was time for fun. "Get out, explore, and come back to this spot in two," Simone began. "Oh, and..." She looked around for anyone close by before she spoke in a lower tone, "... no powers."

[Geoclipse]

Bosh followed Simone to the garage after dealing with Skye. He jumped shotgun, feeling guilty, but comfortable in the environmentally inconsiderate Hummer.

The ride was longer than it seemed, most likely due to Destiny's Child, which put Bosh with his head hard pressed against the window. Of course, Beyonce was his girlfriend, but listening to her bands CD was hard for him nonetheless. Bosh felt freedom on the streets as Simone parked the Hummer nearby a Macy's.

Simone gave her instructions and Bosh had to roll his eyes. He nudged Enzo. "Is it just me, or did she get more like Emma?" Bosh pointed out, not at all bothered by his friend Simone, but seeing more similarities between the two blondes than when she was at the Gen X Academy. Bosh was glad to know he wouldnt have to use all of his own money, since Simone claimed to have some Professor's credit card.

[Mr.Beef]

Hiram Rodney Hale was a long way from home, and he was considering going even further. New York just wasn’t working out for him, and he was pondering maybe giving Canada a shot. He had heard the old stereotypes, the further south you got the more racist you got. Well, Hiram was from the south and in regards to mutants, it looked to him like the north and south finally had something in common.

Times have been worse, he reminded himself as he sighed and sat down at the food court. A few months back he had never stepped foot in a mall, or any store bigger than the Hazard Wal-Mart. Now though he had been in far too many to count. For a teenaged runaway the mall was an oasis of jobs one couldn’t afford to pass up. And with the aid of a fake ID, Hiram had been working full-time at a local burger joint in the mall up until today. He thought back to the moment he was fired: it started with the two stoners showing up an hour late as usual. Then one bet the other that he couldn’t stick a fork in the outlet without being electrocuted, so while Moron#2 was having his life flash before his eyes Hiram grabbed his hand absorbing the electricity and pulled him away. Everything probably would’ve been fine, except when Hiram went outback to clear the electricity from his system, the manager had come out and saw him shooting a small lightning bolt out of his hand.

“Sorry, kid. No mutants. Store policy.” Hiram whispered bitterly, recalling the words of his termination. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he had gotten paid for the day, but instead he was stuck with his last ten bucks. Hiram then remembered the cigars in his pocket and sighed bitterly, more like six bucks now. And all because I stepped in and saved some idiot’s life.

Then Hiram conscience reminded him he wasn’t so innocent. After all, it was because of Hiram that Moron#1 got the idea for the bet. It had been late one night after pay day, and he was still having trouble making ends meet. While Moron#1 was high (as usual) and working the late shift with Hiram, the mutant bet the stoner 50 dollars that he could stick a fork in the outlet and walk away. He did, the druggie paid, and Hiram was able to stay at the cheap hotel for another night.

“And now I’m flat out on my ass,” he reminded himself bitterly, shaking his head. “I hate this damn city.”

He decided to shrug it off, he was never going to make it if he took this stuff seriously. At least it wasn’t like that time in Ohio when he had a mob chasing him after he accidentally triggered his static field. He had to literally hop on the next train out of town that time. And at least here he had gotten a sweet gig as a part-time mechanic for a while, until the manager realized his ID was fake. That hotel he had been staying at was decent, not too many cockroaches anyways, although he didn’t have money to stay another night. Looked like he was either on the streets or in a shelter tonight.

Leaning back in his chair he pulled out one of the cigars, a Black & Mild they had been the ones on sale. He quickly sparked it up with a cheap pack of matches he had found on the floor one day sweeping up, he had lost his lighter about a month back. One thing he hated about the mall was how much he stood out, especially with kids his other age around. Most of them wore bright clothes or name brand stuff, Hiram wore faded blue jeans and a red and black flannel over his short sleeve white t-shirt. The tattered Coal Miners Union hat he wore on top of his head was a clear testament that he was not from around here, the one thing he probably missed most aside from his grandparents was the mountains. Reaching into his backpack he pulled out a road map of North America and spread it out on the table.

“All right,” he whispered with the cigar in his mouth, smoke exiting through his nostrils as he exhaled. “Where to next?”

[TheShield]

Enzo was excited for the trip to the mall, but one thing was troubling him. Why was Simone driving? Everybody knew men were better at it, and everybody who was anybody knew Italians were the best of the best. "Andretti anyone?" he thought to himself with a smug smile. His heart sunk when Simone picked out the Hummer. Was there a more ridiculous car on the planet? He sighed and resigned himself to the seat behind Bosh.

The ride was agonizing for him. To the core he was a backseat driver. The Destiny's Child didn't help much either, but that was something he could rectify. An orange glow surrouned his ears, shielding them from the horrifying soundtrack. Enzo stifled a laugh at Bosh's whisper. "Just a little bit," he replied mentally.

A nod of agreement was Enzo's absentminded response to Simone's last instruction. They had just stopped running from the Sentinels, the last thing they needed was to draw more attention to themselves. Although he was certain Bosh and himself weren't really interested in the same wardrobe, the combapny would be nice. He waited for the rest of the teens to exit the car before heading towards the entrance.

[Phantom]

There seemed to be some sort of trip taking place and after all the trouble inside of the mansion, Skye could think of only one other place that she would want to be less and so followed Bosh into the garage. Inside sat the biggest car she had ever seen. It could hardly even be classified as a vehicle, it was more like a small tank. The black paint glistened and despite its immensity, the Hummer offered comfort as well as safety. She wasn't really sure of where they were going but she wanted to tag along in any case.

Putting her bag in first, Skye climbed inside the spacious vehicle and settled in for the ride. "Buckle up," the blonde in the driver's seat stated and Skye did as she was told. Immediately she recognized the driver as the girl who'd rushed by. 'Well, here's her destination then.' The girl started the car and pushed in a cd before Skye had a chance to see what it was. A second later, she groaned as Destiny's Child filled the car with their "music".

A rather long time later, they parked the car by the mall, Skye guessed, and everyone began climbing out. "Get out, explore, and come back to this spot in two. Oh, and no powers." Skye barely heard these instructions as she gazed around her. The other mall-goers were splitting into groups and going off in different directions and she suddenly felt very alone. Why had she even come? She didn't know any of these people, or anything about this place. What would likely happen was that she would get lost and have to find her own way back to the mansion. And, god forbid, have to relive that horrid entrance scenario all over again. "Maybe I should just stay by the car," she muttered to herself miserably. Sighing, Skye set her bag down on the cold concrete and sat down beside it. She leaned her head on her left hand and resigned herself to a long wait.

[Geoclipse]

Bosh didnt really know where he was going to head first. He didnt have much shopping sense, and decided he would just roam around with Enzo. After all, there was strength in numbers, and if things heated up, he would love to have the human shield right there with him. Turning back to the Hummer, Bosh saw Skye huddled beside it, not looking too good.

"Im afraid we cant leave ya there. Too dangerous. Why dont ya just come with Enzo, this guy here, and I, Bosh?" Bosh offered, as well as introducing himself and Enzo rather untraditionally. He could practically feel the confusion in the girl. Things were confusing for him when he just arrived at the Gen X Academy, but he wasnt thrown into a Hummer on a shopping trip moments after to stir up his mind even more.

Bosh turned to Enzo. "Well, all I really need to hit up are the essentials. Man, everythin like socks and boxers...all gone." Bosh explained, reminding himself and others the disgust of his clothing situation. Alaska didnt help much. Being inside the stagnant cabin after being out and about in the cold caused him to sweat a lot. Leaving his current clothes in a dumpster when they were done shopping was not such a crazy idea.

[Phantom]

Skye heard approaching footsteps on the concrete and looked up as two shadows fell over her. It was the water man, and some other guy she hadn't met yet. "I'm afraid we cant leave ya there. Too dangerous. Why dont ya just come with Enzo, this guy here, and I, Bosh?" hesaid in his comforting accent. Skye barely had to think about it before replying, "Yeah, that'd be great." She grabbed her bag, stood up and brushed herself off before introducing herself properly. "I'm Skye."

Bosh turned to Enzo. "Well, all I really need to hit up are the essentials. Man, everythin like socks and boxers...all gone." The teenage girl was curious as to why all of his clothes were missing but didn't want to overstep her bounds. After all, she had just met the guy.

She nodded and thought back to what she had brought with her from London. It really wasn't that much clothes, enough to her through a couple of weeks but her bag was mostly packed with items that were more meaningful than useful. Her journal, photo albums, postcards, loose pictures and other memory-filled things. "I need to get some things too, I didn't exactly pack light but the majority isn't clothes."

[TheShield]

"Alright then, let's go," Enzo said now that Skye was joining them. Although he too needed "the essentials," he was a little bit more modest than Bosh, and wasn't about to let everyone know that he needed new underwear. The entrance to the mall was just a short distance away, and the trio made their way inside. Mall sights and sounds bombarded them as they entered the bustling hub of activity. Massive corridors stretched out, lined on both sides by stores and in the middle were an assortment of vendors with their movable carts.

A directory of the stores was straight ahead, decorated on either side by a movie advertisement. "Where to first guys?" Enzo questioned as he looked through the list of stores. Macy's, AE, Gap, PacSun, Delias, the list went on. They just had to pick a first stop.

[Elf Junior]

Tj sighed hurriedly as she ran down the hallways of the school that seemed so similar to the ones she knew so well, but were different on so many levels. The crack she had made in the kitchen door when "borrowing" Kurt's swords was missing but the door otherwise looked identical to the one she kicked open every morning in her quest for breakfast and cookies. She marvelled by how much she had been engaged in noticing these subtle differences, like shards they were. It was almost as if someone had gone through her memories and decided to blanket out all the things that made the mansion feel like home. Which was a rather disconcerting thought upon reflection.

Tj had taken longer than she had calculated to reach Hank's room and find the fabled image inducer he had long since discarded which had proved to be a difficult task consdering the circumstances. Now, as she hurtled down each corridor she felt her worriedness increasing, what if they'd left without her? She had been rather late, and no-one had known she was tagging along, Except maybe the silly fainting girl, but she seemed so out of it that she probably hadn't even heard.

"Garage" The blue elf muttered as she stopped in front of yet another familiar door, exactly how she knew it as well, except without the large burn marks she had inflicted when her anger got the better of her hex bolts. Mister Logan had found it rather amusing, but her dad had been rather, with lack of a better word, peeved. Kicking open the door, Tj charged into the garage, Tj registered that the car seemed to have left, "Damn!" she yelled, "Couldn't they have waited?"

Turning around angrily, Tj kicked the wall, her shoes making a dull thud echo throughout the room, "Urgh" she murmured, "Couldn't the fainting girl have told them I was coming?" Leaning against the wall, Tj felt her arms heat up, anger was bubbling to it's surface on her psyche. It was bad enough she was in a freakin' alternate universe, but now she had none of her things and to make matters worse, everyone had gone to the mall without her! "Somebody tell me I'm having a bad dream!" she murmured, glaring at the wall, as a hex bolt fired up in her hand, "Cos then maybe I could bloody wake up from it!"

The glowing ball of energy sparkled brightly as she studied it, hexes were conatined it, she knew it, even if her father did insist it was from "his" dimension. The ever famous brimstone dimension she had heard so much about. Tj clenched her fist and the hex bolt fizzled out, she was Talia Josephine Wagner, grand daughter of Magneto! She was NOT going to give up!

She searched through her pockets and withdrew a black object that looked like a small television remote. Pressing it, her old face and skin colour was gone. Tj Wagner no longer looked blue, and she had all five fingers, her skin was tanned, her hair was still blue, but that didn't matter much. It seemed she could now go to the mall, even if it meant running there. Opening the garage doors, the controls seemed alot more effective in this world. Of course that was obviously because she hadn't smashed through the door on Mister Logan's old motorcycle.

Tj smiled to herself as she felt the breeze on her face and began to run, a little hesitantly. She had run too much in the past few days, she deserved a little mall-time, especially if it meant new clothes! She noticed the car the kids had taken driving in front of her and grinned to herself, she could catch up with it! she was sure of that fact...

Running on the sidewalk always had it's disadvantages but with any luck it would soon be over, running up alongside the stylish car, Tj knocked rapidly on the window as hard as she could.

"A little help here?!" Without waiting for a rpely, the girl pulled open the door and clambered inside, sincerely thankful that there was just enough for her.

((Edited: I hope it's okay now))

[Phantom]

Skye shrugged at Enzo's question. "I've really got no clue what's in this mall so it's really up to the two of you. If I see anywhere I'd like to stop at while we're walking, I'll let you know." Continuing their walk, the blonde added, "And don't worry about me being in there for a fortnight, trying on clothes. I've got very specific clothes in mind and I know all my sizes." A thought then occurred to her. Would the sizes be different here? In England she didn't have to try anything on, but this was America, and she'd heard from some of her friends that the sizes were called different things. 'Well, I guess I'll just ask Bosh. I hope he's been here long enough to know size in Europe corresponds to what size here.'

The teenage girl made a list of the clothes that she needed in her head, 'Hmm... let's see. Socks, some knickers, a couple of pairs of jeans, definetly some shoes, maybe a few skirts....' Frowning, Skye realised that this was going to take longer than she thought. She hoped these guys were patient. If not, then they could split up and meet somewhere once they were all done.

Skye's stomach gave a growl, and she blushed, remembering that she hadn't eaten much that day. She glanced at the boys and said laughingly, "Maybe we should get something to eat as well."

[Mr.Beef]

Hiram started to wonder if he was even allowed to smoke. He knew from a legal stand point he was too young, but that wasn’t the aspect he was wondering about. He had been buying tobacco products since he was eight, his grandpa enjoyed a cigar or some smoke from a pipe every now and then and the gas station clerk was always satisfied with that answer. When he had left home Hiram had purchased a fake ID because he thought he would need it for work, he was surprised how much he had used it to buy cigars since he left. The thing that surprised him the more than this though was what lengths you had to go to find a place to smoke in New York. Back home in Hazard it was common to see people walking down the aisles of Wal-Mart flicking ashes on the floor, in New York finding a place where you could smoke inside was harder to find than a clean public restroom.

He shook his head again, this time in wonder what harm could it possibly do to allow people to smoke in public. Sure there were always the arguments about second hand smoke, but Hiram figured there was no way in hell it was riskier than first-hand smoke. The smokers were taking all the risk, so Hiram figured if anybody earned complaining rights it was them. Reaching over for a near empty cup, the runaway dropped the last bit of his filtered cigar into the orange liquid and sighed. I'm a mutant and a smoker, the whole world hates me.

His stomach let out a loud growl as he stared down at the map, trying to figure out the best route. He wondered what he would do in Canada, and he thought immediately of all the stereotypes he had seen on TV on shows like The Simpsons. The profession he immediately thought of was lumberjack for some reason, you didn’t need a high school diploma for a job like that did you? And wasn’t there an episode where Bart and Milhouse played for the Canadian Basketball Association, he was sure if they could pull that one off then so could he. But then again, he figured cartoons probably weren’t the best sources in the world. Or maybe he could get a job as a chef, wasn’t Canadian bacon just fried ham, that shouldn’t be too hard to make.

That was one thought Hiram should’ve stayed away from. His stomach let out another loud growl, and he grinded his teeth. Hiram started to wonder if he should spend his last six dollars and some odd cents on a meal or save it for the open road? His stomach was screaming at him that six dollars wouldn’t make that much difference hitchhiking, but it could make the difference between an empty stomach or full stomach. Hiram stood up from his chair, and looked in his wallet for his employee discount card hoping it was still valid, and wondered if some day his brain would speak louder than his stomach.

Hiram felt a sense of dread as he saw who was behind the counter today. None other than Moron#1 and Moron#2. Still, his stomach urged him on so he trudged up to the counter and showed his card. “Hey fellows, does this thing still work?”

Moron#2 looked over with bloodshot eyes and a goofy grin. “Hiram, man we was just talking about you. Look, I just want you to know I don’t have any problems with muties.”

Hiram wondered if he should be flattered or insulted. Was the word “mutie” the equivalent of calling a black person the “n word”? “Thanks.... I think. Look, can you guys get me a number six combo please?”

“Are you kidding dude?” Moron#2 chuckled. “You saved my life. I say that earns a free meal.”

“Dude, did you hear?” Moron#1 came over with eyes just as bloodshot, and gestured to Hiram. “A bunch of you guys are attacking DC, man. The crap is all over the news.”

Hiram rolled his eyes. “Really? A bunch of Kentuckians are attacking the capitol?”

Moron#1 chuckled and looked around. He started to whisper, either so people wouldn’t know Hiram was a mutant or because he was high and didn’t notice he had lowered his voice. Hiram wasn’t sure. “Nah, dude. You’re other people. You know, the muties.”

Hiram was surprised that he actually hand an intelligent comeback. “Buddy, you’re Asian. Now did a bunch of you guys bomb Pearl Harbor or a select few?”

At this point Moron#2 had returned with the food and placed the tray down in front of Hiram. The two stoners looked at each other with somber looks on their face. “Hiram dude, that’s some deep stuff.”

“Yeah I thought so too,” Hiram said with a grin as he picked up his food and headed back to his table. As he sat down he took a huge bite out of his chicken sandwich. He had so much fast food the past few months, he was getting sick of it. He was ready to kill to try some of his mamaw’s cuisine.

[TheShield]

Enzo wasn't really hungry at the moment, but his throat was starting to itch with thirst. The smell of mall pretzels and cookies wafted into his nose, and the map pointed them down the corridor to the left. "I'm not that hungry," he answered, "but something to drink would be nice. Lets head this way, I think there's a food court." A final look over the directory gave him an idea of where he would want to stop. Old Navy, American Eagle, maybe Macy's.

A Starbucks Frap would go over real well right about now though. He wasn't actually much of a coffee person. It didn't really do anything for him, and it tasted like dirt. but freeze it and add some french vanilla syrup and you had a high quality beverage! "Starbucks," he mumbled with a smile as the trio walked through the bustling mall.

[Nightcrawler]

Gator awoke from his nap and rubbbed the sleep from his eyes, blinking as he looked up to check the light. Of course, light flooded through the grating, but it was the harsh artificial kind of lighting. Grinning to himself in the darkness he rolled over and tossed the nasty blankets off of his body as he reached for his cloak and sat up. Advancing to the wall along which he had his possessions, James picked up the knife and dropped it into a pocket, attired for an evening of dumpster diving.

Exiting his home he began to slog through the sewers in the direction of one of the Malls in New York. To James the Mall represented a number of varying pros and cons. On the upside, the Mall dumspters were always teeming with food and things to drink, everything could be found in a dumspter if one looked deep enough from burgers and fries to leftover sodas and lemonades. All that food trove in addition to the mice, rats, and insects that were invariably in those dumpsters. In dumpsters in other areas there were other goodies to be found, clothing and other tools were not common, but could be found with enough patient searching.

However, the Mall also presented several significant threats, threats that James was well aware of. First, and most dangerous was the fact that the Mall area was well lit, meaning he'd be very visible as he scurried towards his prizes. Second, and almost as bad, was that the mall was often teeming with people, individuals who would raise all kinds of alarms if they discovered James and maybe even attack him.

In the end though, the risks were worth the rewards when you were hungry enough and cold enough. Findinf his designated sewer exit, James climbed up and out of the sewer, exiting from a storm grating that he had long ago destroyed using his acid. Slipping out of the sewers James hurridly set off towards the Mall's food court, pulling up the hood on his cloak as he moved quickly towards the area where he knew he'd find the most food.

[Phantom]

Skye nodded and silently followed. She was feeling a bit awkward, tagging along with the two boys. They'd obviously taken pity on her and allowed her to come along with them and it wasn't a feeling she particularly liked. Shaking her head, she argued with herself, 'Better to be pitied than ignored, stupid. At least I'm not sitting there like a complete prat.'

Clearing her throat, she ventured, "Bosh, I was wondering... would you know the size differences here? I know all my sizes at home but I haven't got a clue as to what they are here. It just might make things go a bit faster."

[Geoclipse]

Bosh agreed it would be a good idea to get stay near the foodcourt. Upon arriving, Bosh saw that the stores surrounding the court had everything he really needed. "I dont see no reason to go anywhere else. Probably just get lost. Looks like ya can find whateva ya lookin for right heya." Bosh suggested, spinning around to see all the different clothing stores he could chose from.

Skye caught Bosh a bit off balance when she asked about size differences. It was something that Bosh hadnt really thought about in his transition to the states. "Hmmm..." Bosh scratched his thick, clumped hair. "I think the tag says it, at least on shoes. I dont know much about waist sizes..." Bosh found his eyes drifting down Skye's frame and quickly snapped himself out of a momentary trance. "Just rememba inches...not centimetas."

Bosh turned after giving his wonderful advice to see a very simple outdoor clothing store called Woolrich. He saw flannel and got excited. "I'll be back in a sec. Hey, Enzo, can you get me a vanilla late sort of thing." Bosh asked, handing his friend a five dollar bill. Following the scent of woodsmen, Bosh made his way towards Woolrich.

[Phantom]

"Hmmm...I think the tag says it, at least on shoes. I dont know much about waist sizes..." Skye nodded at Bosh's reply and simply smiled a little under his stare. She knew the kind of power her body held when it came to men, and she'd simply accepted it since reaching puberty. She simply shrugged off the stares and wolf whistles at home and here would be no different. "Just rememba inches...not centimetas." "Right. Simple enough. If I get confused, I'll just ask a salesperson. Probably easier."

A second later, Bosh said something about vanilla before going into a store covered in flannel. Skye had seen something on the directory about a Victoria's Secret and wanted to make her way over there but she didn't think that Enzo would be all that comfortable going in so she said, "There was a store that I wanted to go into, it should be right around here. I'll be back in just a mo', ok?"

[Elf Junior]

Tj wasn't exactly sure where to go, in true Nocturne style she had left the group and started wandering around the crowded building, finding herself growing increasingly more annoyed as people with even more manners bumped into her and walked off without even so much as an apology. It was lucky that they didn't feel her fur underneath the image inducer thing she was wearing, of course that could be easily explained away by the fact that the thin red jacket she had borrowed from the mansion. There was no way of knowing whose it was, but it served her purpose, pulling it down over her three fingered hands, which she knew where there but instead found herself looking at five thinner digits, Tj looked around. She wondered vaguely where the others had gone, she may have walked off on her own but was always nice to know where other people were.

There was someone who she recognised from the car, a guy named Enzo, she had caught part of his thought pattern during the journey unintentionally of course, he seemed interesting enough. Tj shrugged and began to walk over to him and the other two people there, one was Skye, the fainting girl that forgot to inform Simone that she was also going shopping and a guy called Bosh. wierd name

[Nightcrawler]

James crossed the Mall parking lot at a leisurely, but determined pace. There was no sense in running, that might alert undue attention. Slipping quietly into the shadows of the mall he made his way towards his target set of dumpsters around the food court. In one quick and fluid motion, James leapt quietly into the dumpster farthest from the doors and ripped open a bag of food trash.

After a few minutes of sorting through napkins, used condiment packets, and food wrappers James hit the jackpot, a double cheeseburger that someone had only taken a single bite out of. A few more seconds of searching yielded five separate cups of varying soft drinks. Dumping all the drinks into the largest cup, James leaned back in the dumpster, placing his back against its wall and bit into the cold burger.