A Long Day (Xavin, Open)

Who: Xavin
Where: Streets of New York
When: Evening

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Xavin was tired.  It had been a week since s/he'd gotten away from the Majesdasians and made hir way to New York.  Even knowing the other Runaways were most likely back in LA, everywhere s/he turned s/he thought s/he saw Karolina.  The last time s/he had followed the lithe blonde into a cafe only to watch her kiss her boyfriend.  With a grimace, s/he'd turned away, knowing Karolina wasn't here anymore.

So far s/he'd been staying in a hotel within sight of the statue, but hir money was running out so s/he needed to find a way to make some.  Fast.  S/he'd gone to a few minimum wage places that had open interviews, but without any government id or job history hir chances were slim.

At the moment, Xavin was in hir human male form, since s/he understood men were paid better than women in this society. Walking down the street s/he was no longer looking for help wanted signs, s/he was mostly just walking.

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Summary: It's been a long day for Xavin
Tags: Open to any

Who: Paige Guthrie
Where: Streets of New York
When: Evening

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It wasn't all that rare for Paige to be out roaming the streets of whatever town she'd found herself in as the sun went down....it Was odd that she'd been down this street often enough for a few people, mostly shop owners to recognize her.

The blonde was polite as always, stopping for a chat with a florist about a new sign for the shop, securing herself a new job, half the money now, handed right from the man's pocket, and half tomorrow night when she'd finished. Paige just seemed the girl next door type to everyone, she wasn't going to take the money and run after all.

After that she was aimless again, nodding to a guy who seemed more than a little run down, frowning at something. "You lost? I could probably help you out."

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Summary: Pretty Blondes don't always bring sunshine, but Paige is in a good mood today
Tags: Xavin, Open

Who: Xavin
Where: Streets of New York
When: Evening

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It took Xavin a moment to realize the blonde girl was talking to hir. S/he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "No. Not unless you know a place hiring someone with no job history or references." S/he shook hir head, "forget that. I'm fine." Belatedly, because s/he remembered more was required by polite society, s/he added a hasty, "thanks." S/he didn't start walking again, instead taking a moment to study where s/he was and the shops surrounding them. Nothing looked promising for someone with hir skill set.

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Summary: Not the friendliest of "people"
Tags: Paige, Open

Who: Paige Guthrie
Where: Streets of New York
When: Evening

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Paige had to stop herself from laughing a little. She'd been in those shoes a few times before. "Totally depends on Why you don't have those. Wanna grab a cup of coffee?" It wasn't like she couldn't take care of herself if he really turned out to be some kind of weirdo, and maybe, if he was a mutant like she was thinking, and on the run like alot of them were, she would be able to help him out.

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Summary: Taking her chances
Tags: Xavin, Open

Who: Xavin
Where: Streets of New York
When: Evening

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S/he shrugged, "Never needed a job history before. My parents never saw the need for h... government id. I don't drive so it didn't matter." S/he weighed the offer for a few seconds, finally deciding s/he could use a hot drink, "Sure." S/he turned toward the coffee shop just up the street, holding the door open for the blonde. Stepping to the counter, s/he ordered a tall decaf, black and paid with hir last $20. It wasn't enough to get hir a place to stay anyway. S/he cupped hir hands around the steaming cup and moved to a table. "I'm Xavin."

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Summary: Coffee is good, caffeine not so much
Tags: Paige

Who: Paige Guthrie
Where: Streets of New York
When: Evening

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Paige ordered her coffee, caramel added to it for a treat. "I'm Paige. Been in your shoes before kinda." She'd find a pair of armchairs close enough together to let them talk privately for the moment before flopping down in one and sipping her drink.
"I usually travel a lot, work with a traveling arts fair and go all around the country, it can make money a little tight." She wasn't pushing too hard just yet. "Especially being what I am, means I get a little ornery around people that are too nosey."

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Summary: She means either a mutant or a guthrie, either can make you a little more punchy than normal.
Tags; Xavin, Open

Who: Xavin
Where: Coffee Shop, New York
When: Evening

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The way the girl grouped them together helped Xavin relax. A sense of community, even misplaced as it was since s/he doubted this girl was a demon half-breed, made hir realize part of what s/he was missing. A smile quirked hir lips, changing hir masculine features into something with a bit more femininity. "What do you do? What type of art?"

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Summary: Casual Coffee Conversation
Tags: Paige, Open

Who: Paige Guthrie
Where: Streets of New York
When: Evening

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"I paint, for the most part. Draw and sketch too, but I'm a horrible hand at Photography." She smiled back at Xavin with a shrug. "I'm a farmgirl at heart, but it turned out I liked to travel, so that let me do it for a while."

She'd sip her coffee again. "Not what I meant about being what I am though." She held out her hand, looking around to see if anyone was watching them, and took a pretty big chance, pinching the skin on the back of her hand and pulling it off, showing perfect Sapphire underneath.

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Summary: She's taking a bet that the kid with no idea and no real plan, is a mutant.
Tags: Xavin, Open

Who: Xavin
Where: Coffee Shop, New York
When: Evening

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"My mother had some talent with sketching, though she never considered any of her sketches finished. Or so I have been told." Why did s/he say that? What did this girl need to know about hir mother? Sipping hir coffee an eyebrow rose as Paige did her party trick. "Interesting. A certain M word that is less than popular right now applies to you? Not me. My history is slightly different." Taking the idea from what Paige did, Xavin concentrated on hir left hand and let it shift from its current masculine form to a slender feminine hand with longer nails to a green hand with distinctly inhuman skin, and finally back to how it was before. S/he scratched the side of hir face as s/he looked around to be sure no one nearby had noticed. "Though I suppose the result is similar enough. The so-called Friends of Humanity don't like me very much either."

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Summary: Xavin is still close-lipped - how exactly do you tell someone you're half demon anyway?
Tags: Paige, Open

Who: Paige Guthrie
Where: Streets of New York
When: Evening

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Paige watched the display with interest, but it didn't really ruffle her any. "I got a place you can stay, regardless. Though you might have to explain how you can do that, and not be a mutant, to the folks in charge."
The blonde sipped the last of her coffee and checked the time. "We can take a taxi and be there by supper if you'd like."

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Summary: Helpful
Tags: Xavin

Who: Xavin
Where: Coffee Shop, New York
When: Evening

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The idea of supper made hir stomach growl.  Annoyed to be so betrayed by hir body, Xavin crossed hir arms.  "What's the catch?"  An explanation was nothing, s/he could lie or give partial truth if necessary, but a place to stay just like that?  It was a little too easy.

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Summary: interested but wary
Tags: Paige

Who: Paige Guthrie
Where: Streets of New York
When: Evening

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"You gotta live with a bunch of teenagers and some teachers. Its a school. They take in people who need help." Paige fixed her jacket and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Its not too bad a place. Some of the folks can be nosy, but they mean well at least. The food is good, the rooms are nice. And its good for people to get back to school, especially since they'll help you get a good grasp on your powers."
She half sounded like she was preaching to herself on her last point.

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Summary: Well?
Tags:Xavin

Who: Xavin
Where: Coffee Shop to taxi
When: Evening

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Xavin nodded. It made sense now. S/he wondered if the school was forming a mutant army. It wasn't too different from the way s/he was raised. Oddly, s/he found that thought comforting. "I'll check it out. I assume I can always leave if it's not a... good fit for me?" That was the clincher really, if s/he was free to come and go it would be fine. If not, well, s/he'd had enough of that in hir life. Sleeping on the street wouldn't kill hir.

S/he stood, glancing around as s/he left to be sure they weren't followed. No, sleeping on the street wouldn't kill hir but it might make hir even more paranoid. S/he flagged a taxi, the first one shooting past so quickly s/he thought s/he be hit by its mirror. The second stopped and s/he held the door open for Paige.

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Summary: Alright, let's go
Tags: Paige

Who: Paige Guthrie
Where: Streets of New York
When: Evening

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"Yeah, you can leave whenever, I walked out this morning when my little brother went off to his classes." She'd enjoyed a day of roaming around the city with no one to answer to.
Paige slid into the taxi and gave the address, waiting for Xavin to get in before sitting back a little more comfortably against the opposite door.
"So, where are you from?" she asked him quietly enough, watching out the window instead of staring at him, offering a little privacy.

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Summary: On the way
Tags: Xavin, Open

Who: Xavin
Where: Taxi Cab heading to the Mansion
When: Evening

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As Xavin slipped into the cab, s/he shifted into her female form. The change was so subtle and yet so quick, someone would have to be watching for it to see the actual shift. Hir female voice was softer and noticeably higher than hir male baritone. "An ocean and a continent away. Small placed called, doesn't matter, you won't even find it on any map. My... family is rather insular and distrustful of strangers."

Paige's earlier words caught up with Xavin, s/he leaned forward expectantly, "You have a brother? Siblings? What's that like?"

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Summary: Siblings? Wow!
Tags: Paige

Who: Paige Guthrie
Where: Streets of New York
When: Evening

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Paige was not expecting to be suddenly bringing another girl to the school but she shrugged it off. "I've got an old brother, two youngers, and three younger sisters. Its....crowded at home, but not bad. We all fit around the dinner table at least." She cracked her back before looking in from the window.

"We're from Kentucky, lived on a farm. Most families back home had at least four kids. Someone's gotta watch your back." Paige smiled as the cab sped down a familiar turn in the road. The school wasn't very far from the city, they'd be at the gates in five at the speed their cabbie was going.

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Summary: who better than a sibling?
Tags: Xavin, Open

Who: Xavin
Where: The Mansion
When: Evening

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Xavin's reasons for shifting her gender again were as specific as her reason for being a male during her job search. People were more sympathetic to the plight of a female than a male. Men were expected to do for themselves, whereas women were not judged for asking for help. Maybe s/he didn't need psychology on hir side, but it couldn't hurt.

"It must be wonderful," s/he said wistfully. "As I understand it, farming is hard work too. It would help to have more hands to share the work. So your brother who is here, is he an elder or younger brother?" S/he had no experience with normal family dynamics, having been raised almost entirely by hir uncle, and found them utterly fascinating.

Hir gaze was drawn out the front window of the cab, as a magnificent building came into view. "Is that your school?"

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Summary: Xavin is impressed
Tags: Paige, Open