Owner	Pose
Drake Riley	It's late. Drake's been surrounded by other Mutants, but also general squallor. The slanty looks he's been getting for being able to easily pass for human - or sometimes simply passing for human. So has he found the acceptance he was hoping for? Not quite. And though he's wearing much, /much/ nicer clothes now, he doesn't /feel/ any better off. It wasn't hard remembering the way back. The girl who brought him here had been nice; nicer than most other people he'd encountered. There were some morally questionable things afoot here, but the he's starting to wonder if it just isn't his lot in life to do hoodrat things. His fist thumps against the door. Whump. Whump. Whump.
June	There isn't an answer at first. The sounds of partying and noise seem to be absent. When the answer comes, it isn't from the door, it's a thin red head with shaved sides, piercings in prevalence. A Killer's T-shirt on, torn jeans. She rounds the side of the building, chewing a piece of gum.     She tilt her head back slightly so that she is looking down at him as she approaches, though she's most certainly shorter than him. She glances over his clothes. "You lost?" she asks, the gum smacking in her molars.
Drake Riley	Drake Riley starts to frown at the door and the prevalent silence. He knew it was late. But was it /too/ late? He could make do again the way he used to, but he hated that. If the group moved on, that'd be it. Just as he takes a couple steps back and prepares to leave, the voice pipes up nearby. He turns on heel to note the female, who looks distinctly different from the one who brought him by. "Maybe," he replies flatly. "I was here before. But it wasn't, uh.. so quiet. Everyone in bed? It looked like there wasn't a such thing as curfew around here."
June	June narrows her eyes, staring at him appraisingly. "Uh huh," she says, more as an acknowledgement that he spoke than as a confirmation of the interior. "Well, it's like Three somethin'. Even party animals crash eventually." She start to circle him cautiously. "Don't get a lot dressed like you here," she says. "Who sent ya?" The gum keeps smacking for a few more seconds, and then she turns her head and spits it out onto the ground.
Drake Riley	"I did. My feet. I was brought here last time," says Drake, a testy level starting to enter his voice. "Aren't you a little short for a bouncer?" Naturally, he has to prod the bear a little. But in preparation for things going south, Drake shrugs his left shoulder to let the duffel containing his meager belongings to fall to the ground.
June	"Yeah, I get that a lot," the girl says. "That usually is the line right before you can't figure out how you ended up on the ground." She folds her arms, and looks at the duffel. "So if you were brought, what's the password?" she asks.
Drake Riley	Password? Did she give him a password? Drake can't remember that detail. He looks briefly troubled, remembering a little of the oddities he saw last he was here. But nothing on a password. With a sigh, he shakes his head and refocuses on the redhead. He isn't sure he has anything that will suffice for her, so he's starting to default back to old ways. Diplomacy fails, garner cred' through force. His right hand lifts a little, and electricity suddenly sparks to life in his palm, gathering in a small packet of ionic energy. "It's not 'please', now is it?," he asks wearily.
June	June arches her brow in a pitying look as he answers, and laughs. "Oh, that's sad," she answers. "Okay, whatever." She glances down, and sees the spark of electricity. "Oh." Her laugh drops. "Gotcha," She raises both hands slightly, as if to calm. "I get ya now. Mutant?" She gives a smirk, not entirely intimidated, but decidedly more cautious. "That explains a bunch. Runaway?"
Drake Riley	Drake Riley maintains the small, but vibrant display of power in his palm, letting it hint at a potential future. "Does that /really/ matter?," he asks guardedly. "For all I know, you're some weirdo stray trying to break in here. I could be doing'em a favor by giving you nothin' to go on. So who're /you/?"
June	"June," comes the answer without hesitation. "But I don't do buzzer handshakes. And no, doesn't matter, just makes a bit more sense, you don't want me to pry, that's fine, 'none of mine' and all that. Nice clothes in the middle of the night around here? I'm surprised you didn't get mugged on the way over here. You got a name, Sparky?" she asks.
Drake Riley	"Yeah, people sometimes try." Drake points his free hand towards the gathered, turbulent energy in his palm. "This usually puts an end to it." That said, the fingers curl to close his fist. The electrical current seems to close, and the hand lowers again. "Drake. Kirai knows me."
June	"Karai?" June echoes, a genuine surprise in her voice. "Well damn. Straight to the top, huh?" She thumbs back at the door. "Well, I'm heading back in now, come on. Most people are asleep by now. Want a drink?" She grabs the door, pulling it open with a mock gesture of waving him ahead of her as if she were some sort of bell hop.
Drake Riley	"That's how I roll," says Drake with a careless shrug. He leans down to heft the duffel onto his shoulder again. "Are you really what they've got for security? I saw some pretty mean-looking things last time I was here." He steps aside to let her open the door and lead the way inside, however.
June	"You just say that because I didn't kick your ass," June answers. "The big guys were supposed to be out here, but they are kinda like babies," she comments. "They are only scary if you piss them off, other than that, you're more likely to get hugged to death."     She follows Drake in through the hallway that leads to the main room. Surely enough, there are only a few playing video games in the one corner, and a couple others necking in another. The bar is unattended, and June wanters behind the counter, grabbing herself a beer. "You want one?" she asks, glancing around the counter top for the bottle opener. She doesn't find it, and pulls a small kunai from her pocket, popping the cap off.
Drake Riley	"I noticed that," Drake remarks as he walks in after her. "Don't think I've seen one angry." It's rather different from the first time he was in here. There were more people down, but there are still some people gaming. And naturally, a few others making out in the corner. He gives them an odd look, then turns his gaze over to the redhead. "So~..," he drawls, "..how'd you get mixed up in this?" He quickly shakes his head to the offered beer. He's had it before. He didn't like it. Plus, getting drunk here seems like a bad idea.
June	June shrugs, taking a drink of her beer as she pockets the kunai. "Me? Eh," she answers. "Just got dealt a shit hand. Mom's a bitch, my dad got the wrong end of a gun because of it. Couldn't deal with her so I just bounced. Kicked around with people I shouldn't, got into stuff I shouldn't. Somebody brought me here one day."     She picks up the cap to the bottle, and bullseyes it into a trash can on the other end of the bar. "Karai and them, they didn't suck quite as badly as most people, so I stayed."
Drake Riley	Drake Riley glances after the bottlecap, then back to the redhead with a small, bemused smirk. Is she showing off? It's impressive, and she played it off like it was nothing, but still - if she's showing off, that's kind of funny. And comforting, in a weird way. "Sounds familiar. Different circumstances, but... familiar. Where're you from, June?"
June	"Queens," she says, "Though by now I sound like the Bronx." She leans on the bar. "You? You don't sound like a New Yorker," she comments. "Wait, lemme guess, I'm good at this." She eyes him for a few seconds, as if reading his mind. "Colorado."
Drake Riley	Drake Riley lifts his jet-black eyebrows as she scrutinizes him. He even turns his face one way, then the next, as though that will help her. When she guesses, it gets a snort of a laugh. "Psh'no. California. West coast. Beaches, y'know?"
June	"Dammit," June frowns. "I'm gonna blame 4am," she decides. "So why the hell are you in New York? I wouldn't trade the beach there for the one here. Coney Island sucks ass," she mutters, taking another swig with a shake of her head.
Drake Riley	"Eh. There's no denying that. But it could also just depend on who ya have with ya. I'd sometimes go with friends, sometimes solo... out here? I'd probably just be thinking about how much better the west coast is if it was just me." He turns to take a nearby seat, likely on a stool. "As for why I'm here... well, y'noticed I'm different, right?"
June	June nods with a shrug. "Yeah, not a big deal here, There's a couple others that pop in sometimes," she says, "And if you met some of the big guys, they sure don't fit in, but I don't think it's the same, some type of science experiment or somethin'. I dun know much about it."
Drake Riley	"Yeah, that's kind'a what I figured. I'm au naturelle. Or however it's said." Drake shrugs. "People like me, we're not so well-liked out there. Even by our families. Our parents." He cants his head.
June	June nods, "Yeah, sorry about that, sucks." She seems uncertain what to add beyond that statement. So her sentiment is like a lot of humans who are sympathetic, but can't personally say they understand. She takes another swig of the beer. "So, bigot family, you said caio, then went as far as you could and still stay in the States, huh? I sometimes wish I did that. Dunno what I'd do when I got to the other side of the country though." She gives another shrug, then pushes off the counter top. "it's not so bad here, really," she says. "I mean, they ain't all roses, don't get me wrong, but when you're in here, nobody is going to judge you, else they get kicked out, so if they are bigots, they gotta keep it to themselves." She gives a wink an a raise of the bottle.
Drake Riley	Drake Riley bobs a shoulder in a half-shrug as she gives her condolances. He can't say he's had much sympathy from humans, but it's appreciated for what it is, and he's not out to play the victim. "Actually, I came out here because this seems to be where a lot of crazy crap happens. I thought if I came here, did some things to attract attention, the right people would find me. Big load of nothin', though." He turns to continue facing her as she moves around. "Except Karai, I guess."
June	"A wild child, huh?" June asks, putting the bottle down and tilting it with one finger. "So what crazy thing did you do to get her attention?" she asks. "You pick a fight with the Hulk or somethin'?"
Drake Riley	"To get /her/ attention? Nothin'. Just swiped some fries without getting caught. Except by some huge ugly dude with an orc-face." Drake shrugs his shoulders. "She gave me her number, then we met at a beach. Then she brought me here."
June	"Swiped fries, you badass," June grins. "So now you got here, you gonna chill? Move on? Join the ranks?" She doesn't elaborate on what the last means.
Drake Riley	"Join the ranks of, uh, what? Does it come with perks?" Drake motions towards the makeout session in the corner, "He seems to be having a great time with it." And then back to June with a wry grin. "I have no idea what I'm gonna do with myself. Karai wanted me to help'em with jobs. Sounded like thuggery, though."
June	"Eh, not exactly," June answers. She glances over at the couple. "Hey, rooms are upstairs," she scolds. They ignore her, she doesn't pursue it.     "See, Purple Dragons, they take orders, they are the thugs. Usually just make trouble and stuff, they don't have to do much except bang the pot, you know?" She shrugs. "Nobody has to do any of that. Some of us got a different type of job, not thuggin'," she says. "I can't say much without gettin' myself in trouble, because we look to protect each other here. You're still new, so no offense, it means you can't be trusted one hundred yet. Everybody here? They are here to protect each other. Sorry if that goes all mysterious and crap," she offers. "Just kinda what it is."
Drake Riley	Drake Riley furrows his brow as she explains, leaning back a bit on his stool to prop himself against the counter now behind him. "Well, it was the sort've lifestyle I had back on the west coast. Vandalism, a little lifting, scrapping, that kind of thing. I was hoping to get away from it..."
June	June shrugs, "Yeah, I been sayin' that a long time," she admits. "Doesn't ever seem to happen. I paid my dues here with it, so I don't have to mess with that anymore. Some of them? Some just like it, and that's fine. I mean, hell, most of us here have somethin' like that in our shadow. We're your people, Drake. I know mutants got this thing where they think that they are supposed to stand up for each other, but that doesn't gotta be the thing that defines you either. You ever read Go Set a Watchman?" Perhaps a surprising book for a girl like her to have read.
Drake Riley	The blank look on his face likely serves as answer enough before he even speaks. "Nope." he breathes a soft sigh and glances around the area. "Maybe it's just who I am now. Or who I'm supposed to be. I was hopin' to be something more, but... life, right?" It's a sullen gaze he turns up to her, but it's soon followed by a blink. "Ugh. I'm getting all in my head. You wanna do something?"
June	June smirks. "Nah, I didn't read it either," she admits. "Listened to the audio book, Just to say. The book is about stickin' with your own kind. Here, better or worse, maybe we're your kind, even if you do wear fancy clothes." She glances around. "Yeah, I could do somethin'. I stayed up this late, why the hell not?"
Drake Riley	Drake Riley looks down at himself, then back to her. "/This/ is fancy?," he asks. He didn't think he was fancy. Then again, it's like something he'd wear back home. His family wasn't well-off by any stretch, but they were comfortable. His clothing choices probably are a little nicer than the general attire found here. He lifts off the stool and rolls his shoulders, as if loosening up. "What're ya into?"
June	June glances over at the billiards table. "8 ball?" she suggests? She picks up her bottle, and starts on her way over. "I'm warnin' ya, I'm a shark."