Owner	Pose
Colossus	The Cross County Shopping Center is a sprawling facility holding all of the usual stores, from Forever 21 to Hot Topic, with an old fashioned Radio Shack somewhere surviving in between. Piotr Rasputin is there picking up things at the art supply store, Splash of Color, with two large paper bags full of brushes, paints and various other supplies. He's about to start up his art classes at the Institute again and he needs things for the students to make terrible art with. He's hard to miss, standing 6'6" and, even in human form, built wide and muscular, his dark hair cropped short on the sides. He's wearing a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, getting a few looks here and there from various shoppers, including a few teenage girls who definitely take notice, leaving the big Russian blushing as he gives them polite nods.
Penance	Monet loves to paint; she's good at it, after all, and she enjoys the looks on peoples' faces when she presents her craft. Still, she has come to pick up her online order -- having grabbed her bag and showed her ID to grab the large box of requisitions -- motioning goodbye to the clerk before she steps out the door -- her eyes caught by the likes of Piotr. He's tall enough to make her feel tiny, something rare indeed as she watches him with that bright and keen gaze. She misses very little -- from smells to upticks in heartbeat. She stays out of his brain, watching him politely nod at the teenage girls as she slinks past -- wearing a pair of jeans, a purple cashmere sweater, and a pair of heeled boots that reach her knees -- jeans tucked in.
Colossus	Piotr noticed Monet - how could he not? - giving her a friendly smile as he prepares to make his way out of the store. Suddenly, a massive crash erupts down near the food court, the sound of screaming in various tones of teenager making their way down to them. Piotr quickly sets his bags aside and takes off, racing towards rather than away from the perceived danger. When he gets there, he finds the pretzel cart has been overturned by a massive man in a trenchcoat. That wouldn't be very suspicious except that he's clearly wearing a giant rhino costume as well, the huge horn jutting out the top of his head, "I told ya not to give me any lip!" he yells at the cowering pretzel merchant, stomping on the cart with a big grey foot.
Penance	Monet is just minding her business and looking at Piotr just when she hears the deafening crash of the pretzel cart that hurts her ears and makes her physically wince. She grunts and does the same, dropping the box of art supplies and stalking over toward the man in the giant rhino costume. Monet smirks, and then she chuckles -- unable to contain herself at the grown man dressed in the rhino outfit. She watches the pretzel merchant's livelihood crushed -- having to hear the loud sound of the crushing metal once again, which makes her eye twitch. "Cause a loud sound like that again and I'm going to throw you into the surface of the sun."
Colossus	Piotr shakes his head, "This is not how you get your way, tovarisch. It is time that you learned that might does not make right," he says. His body is momentarily engulfed in light as he gains another four inches in height and mass, revealing his organic steel form at the end of it, muscular and terrifying to those not used to the sight of him. There are a few screams in his direction as he glances over at Monet curiously. Rhino snarls and throws off his trenchcoat, "I just wanted a friggin' pretzel. I'll make a big noise by snapping youse in two, ya dumb broad. You and yer big metal boyfriend," he says, lowering his head and charging.
Penance	Monet doesn't do anything with her body, she just.. is. She pulls her earrings out and tucks them in her purse, which she sets to the side. She looks toward the shiny giant with a look of surprise but her attention turns back to the Rhino. She lowers her shoulders slightly and widens her stance, looking like she's about to have a headbutting contest with this giant being who is hurtling toward her. She reaches out to grab the rhino by his head so she can swing him like she's tossing a discus. She lets out a grunt as she uses her might to toss the Rhino across the ground -- far away from them. It's clear she'd wanted to flex her might, "That was a gentle toss! Come over here toward us or this .. person again and I'll rip your head right off your shoulders," she threatens, bearing her teeth at Rhino. She's way meaner than Piotr.
Colossus	Colossus had been prepared to fend off Rhino's attack, only to have Monet intervene and toss the big man around. He puts his hands on his hips and shakes his head, "Well, I am surprised and pleased," he says simply, moving up to stand next to the stylish woman, "I am Colossus," he says to her by way of introduction. When Rhino starts to get up, snarling in rage, Piotr says, "With the lady's permission, I will take a turn." The villain's a little wobbly, "You dumb bitch!" he yells, "I'll tear you ap--" he starts to yell, before Colossus' boot interrupts him, catching Rhino right in the chin and making him backflip to land flat on his back with a massive thump.
Penance	Monet looks over toward the pretzel man -- making sure he hadn't been horribly crushed; that's bad for mutant news. She looks over toward Colossus, her eyes flicking over toward Rhino. "I'm Monet, and of course, be my guest." Monet isn't even ruffled, she just pushes her hair out of her eyes -- her curls are wild, especially when she tosses her head around.. being violent. "Oh my gosh he's such a peach, isn't he?" She says flatly, biting back a chuckle and pressing her hand to her mouth as Rhino gets cold-clocked right in his face. She giggles -- just a little, unable to help it. "He was just talking and now he's not. Goodnight," she calls, looking over toward Colossus.
Colossus	Rhino does appear to be totally unconscious. He's strong and big, but he's used to fighting Spider-Man or Captain America. Monet and Colossus are well beyond his weight class and it shows. "Come, let us go before the police come. The government is not friendly towards mutant kind as it is right now," he says. He leads the way and resumes his human form again. "Oh." he says, realizing he's left bare-chested, his massive transformation having shredded his tight top to shreds.
Penance	"You're right, lets go." Monet wraps her scarf around her hair and glances over toward the colossal man with his bared chest. She smiles at him brightly and looks away, seeming to be intent on following him -- looking over her shoulder and fishing Rhino's wallet out of his pants. She tosses it to the pretzel man, "For your trouble!" Because money buys happiness. She'd not done that out of caring alone; it was to preserve the reputation of the mutants no matter what. She peeks over at human-skinned Colossus, then away again as they high tail it out of there.
Colossus	Colossus gets them out to the parking lot, stopping to pick up his bags on the way, "You are an artist?" he asks, seeing that Monet has made similar purchases. He leads the way to a van out in the parking lot, opening up the back and reaching in to find a spare shirt. He's not exactly uncomfortable, but he figures he stands out too much. "I am always pleased to meet fellow mutant," he says.
Penance	"I like to paint, it's nice to blow off steam and to get what's in your head out of your head, if that makes sense." She doesn't seem to mind at all following him to his van. "I am too, it's nice to meet other people who can throw cars. I haven't had a good fight in a while and he deserved to be booted in the chin. Guys like him are why mutants like us can't have a peaceful life." She frowns, brow furrowed. Then she looks up at Piotr. "What next?"
Colossus	Colossus nods, "I understand, all too well. Painting has been my escape, my peace, since I was a young boy," he says. "I can find my peace there and make a new life when the world becomes too much," he says. He looks over, seeing the cops starting to gather at the other end of the mall, "Perhaps you would like to join me in departing? We could perhaps get something to eat..." he offers, smiling to the beautiful woman in his most charming Russian way.
Penance	"Oh, that's nice. I've been doing it since I.. returned." She seems distracted by something -- a thought maybe. She never loses her train of thought, but she picks it up abd fixes it quickly. "I'm starving, fighting always makes me hungry." Monet explains to Piotr, slinking over toward the passenger side of the vsn so that she can get in. She hears approaching sirens, and covers her head with her scarf like a hijab -- pulling it to cover her neck and throat. "Just a little bit of a disguise," M explains helpfully.
Colossus	Colossus notices her accent and fashionable clothes, "I hope I can find a restaurant that is up to your standards," he says, holding the door open to let her in the van and then going around to take off, "I am always hungry."