A Fun Night on the Town (Gregory)

[Gregory Strickland]

After laughing and shaking his head, Greg nodded a couple times. “Good, because I don’t think I am either.” At least the two were in agreement. On a bad day, it took something very dramatic to piss Greg off, so Kane would be in the green so long as he didn’t flat out insult Greg. “Self-aware but doesn’t care you say? Well good for her. She knows who she is and doesn’t give a damn what anyone else thinks.” He smiled. Greg was genuinely appreciative of the attitude Kane’s sister had. It was great to see the young women in this world taking claim on themselves.

“So not as exciting you... wait.” Greg leaned a little closer to Kane. “Did you say New York, or am I hearing things?” The blonde let out a guffaw of a laugh, his eyes sparkling. “The Big Apple, that’s where I’m from!” He grinned, unable to believe the odds. “I mean, I guess you probably don’t remember much about it, seeing as you went to Hammel as well.” He didn’t want to make a big deal out of nothing. Maybe he was just excited to not feel so isolated from everyone in this town. “I guess being normal is quite different for you and I. I always wished to have powers. I mean, I guess it would be interesting.” He grinned broadly. “If someone tries to mug me, all I have are my good looks and attitude.”

“I’d love not to be sick,” he said, just trying to make conversation. It was nice to hear Kane laugh. He had seemed so down on his luck earlier. “I don’t want to go flying any time soon. I was only curious.” He said, clarifying just in case Kane was getting any smart ideas. “So why don’t you live in the mountains then? Wouldn’t there be more room to fly, and get air in your wings and such?” He asked. There weren’t many high places in this town. Greg leaned in in interest. “No I haven’t, what are they? Better to know now than later. Don’t want to piss her off.” If Kane was this powerful already, Greg wanted to be ready for Diana.

“Deal,” Greg said, standing up quickly. Between the cold air and the coffee, he would be sober in no time. “Thank you,” he said, looking at Kane as he passed beside him to take the warmer spot. It wasn’t a lot better, but a little better was better than none.

[Kane Woonren]

Flat out insulting someone wasn't something Kane was very prone to do, not on purpose anyway. Mostly not even accidentally, he was usually as polite as he could manage. He nodded, picking up his drink and taking a few sips before setting it back down. Still no sign of the food just yet, but he supposed that it would come out in its own time. They were busy, and he wasn't in a particular rush. After, likely, dropping his dinner partner down at wherever he was living, he'd head home and get some sleep.

"Yeah, I lived in New York york up until a little over a year ago," he replied with a nod. Apparently the man really liked New York, at least from his reaction to him finding out that that was where he was from. Kane just nodded when he mentioned he'd always wanted powers. Kane had spent the better part of his life wishing that he didn't have them, between the pain he'd suffered when they first came out, or the looks, and plenty of other things. But, the powers were the only reason he had a job, so he was thankful for that at least.

"Hammel's the only reason I have a job right now. I suppose I could move up to the mountains, but it's more expensive and a longer trip in," he said, in response to the question. "What about you? Why come to Pilot Ridge, in particular?" he asked, taking another sip of his drink. His stomach let out a small growl, which he did his best to pretend didn't happen. Diana seemed to be the center of attention at this conversation, he wondered if her ears were burning. Where did that little 'convention' come from? He shook his head a little bit.

"She can change her size. And things she's touching, I guess. Make herself taller or shorter or whatever," he said. He hadn't seen her use them much. But one time she'd said she'd just gotten done taking a dip in a martini glass. Another time a guy at the bar hadn't seemed all that impressed by him, so she'd made herself about... 10 feet tall? Something like that.

When he moved over to the colder spot, he felt the stiff breeze a bit more than he had on the other side of the table. He glanced around to make sure that he wouldn't be blocking the door or something, before spreading his wings wide, blocking more of the wind from reaching the other side of the table.

[Gregory Strickland]

Greg was excited to meet someone from the same place he reined from. “Well what do you know,” the man clicked his tongue and shook his head. “I moved here last October. What a small world we live in.” He was happy. It felt like a piece of home was sitting right across from him. Kane had wings and such but that was alright by the blonde. “Start spreading the news, I’m leaving today...” Yes Greg had started singing, and kept on humming the old Frank Sinatra tune. Anything was possible tonight.

“Ah yes, can’t forget about work now can we?” Greg said, trying not to sound like a hypocrite. He hadn’t worked since that fateful day and wasn’t sure he’d work again. He had saved up so much money to use on travelling the world once he and Nate retried. Since that wasn’t happening, he didn’t have need for much anymore, and was using that money to fuel his alcohol abuse and buy food. There might be a fun summer trip coming up, but that wouldn’t exhaust all of his money. Eventually he would look for work again, he just wasn’t ready yet and had the luxury to wait.

And then the fateful question was asked. Greg sighed. “I’m here to sort out some legal affairs and visit friends. I’m actually living in a friend’s house currently.” He glanced at Kane, thankful that his new friend didn’t know he had been blamed for the murder of his husband. There was much paper work to be done, suing to be had. It wasn’t going to be pretty, but it was the right thing to do. Greg was never going to be at peace. Nathan’s killer had never been found. It was a mess and he didn’t want to be in a place with so many memories.

“Now that’s a power!” He said, followed by a laugh. “Not that yours are useless or anything. But to change one’s size? That must come in handy when fighting off all those raunchy men at the bar I’m sure.” He grinned. Great size must run in the family. “I’ve always wanted something like mind reading or something like that, but I’d like to not read minds when I didn’t want to, you know?” He asked, thinking of his dream power was something he’d done as soon as Sean’s power had been revealed. It was a reality he never thought would happen. All that meta human stuff was reserved for x-men in his mind until he met the telekinetic.

Greg’s eyes grew wide as Kane spread open his wings. He leaned back in his chair, trying to get a better view. “Now that my friend, is pretty incredible.” He had never heard of such an ability, though it was great to see it in action. Better than what his imagination was coming up with anyways. It was then that Greg heard a crash, and leaned around Kane just in time to see the waitress trying to pick up what she had spilt on the floor. He stood up quickly, going to help her. “I’ll get you guys some new food right away,” she said in a hurry, forcing a smile at Greg as she swiped the empty bread bowl from his hands.

“Alright then...” he managed to say before standing again, dusting himself off. He was only too eager to get back to the wind protected seat Kane had provided for him. He was growing rather fond of the man already.

[Kane Woonren]

"This city just seems to be full of coincidences like that," he said with a nod. He was actually surprised that Hammel and Pilot Ridge weren't more crowded than they were. Every meta in the United States and Canada came to the school, and a number of them stuck around after they finished school. Or moved there after they had finished college or something like that. Hammel would probably be a much larger city in a few years. Or maybe the crowding would make people start to move away, who knew? He was a dragon not a fortune teller.

Diana's powers made it hard to know what her actual height originally was. He guessed that it was probably six feet, since that was what she normally stuck herself at. "She probably saves a fortune on trips too. Flying to LA's a lot cheaper when you could just walk," he said with a nod. He really didn't think she would ever do something like that though. For realistic reasons, hard to breathe and things like that, stepping on things, etc.. She also mentioned growing too tall 'being a hassle' once, although he didn't know what she meant by that.

"I wouldn't want telepathy," he said, and took another sip of his drink. "Especially in the beginning when you can't control it. All the noise of everyone's thoughts storming into you at once. And then you'd also know what everyone really thinks of you." He didn't think it would be a terrible thing for people to be more honest with you, but at the same time... well, most people probably wouldn't have many friends if they knew the occasional thought that popped into the other person's head.

Kane turned around with he heard the crash, flinching and looking down. By the time he moved to help Greg and the waitress had already taken care of the mess, other than what had splattered on the ground and would probably need a mop. "Sorry, Ms." Certain things like this were why he seldom had his wings or tail out in public. The wings were a little more likely to be out because he could fold them around himself. Most people assumed it was some kind of weird cloak or jacket or something. Who really wanted to believe that a man had a giant pair of bat/dragon/whatever wings wrapped around himself?

Now he was feeling self conscious about himself and his wings, but he kept them outstretched so that Greg would at least be mildly warmer. It was a little like holding your arms out for an extended period of time, but he was used to it. Flying required a lot more effort to keep them stable then a stiff breeze on the ground. He'd flown around the Empire State Building once, and that "breeze" had almost sent him crashing into the building.

[Gregory Strickland]

Greg managed a smile. “Really? Because the only other person I know from New York is an old friend of mine, and believe me, I go out often enough.” He laughed, wondering where all these other people were. And why wasn’t he meeting them like he so desperately wanted to be. The blonde didn’t ponder the present as much as he lived in the moment. He didn’t want to dwell on the past, but lately that didn’t seem to be much of an option. Greg laughed good naturedly at the height joke.

“Yeah, I guess I didn’t think about that,” he said honestly, “but isn’t that the point of going to Hammel, or another school like Hammel? To learn how to control and use your powers and such? Well, I think I’d like to have a power if I had the option, but alas I am only human.” He wasn’t going to pretend to know what it was like to have such intense meta abilities. He wasn’t sure what kind of hardships Sean had gone through as a teenager as Greg only met him once they were in college together. “But I guess you don’t get to chose your powers now do you?”

Greg glanced at Kane, who was apologizing for absolutely no reason. “You’d think it wouldn’t be such a big deal,” the blonde said almost heatedly. Wasn’t this a popular place for metas to be? People weren’t supposed to be surprised by someone who had wings. In fact, that was the most common power Greg had seen. Bird wings, butterfly wings, you name it, he had seen at least a dozen different kinds and hybrids. He put a friendly hand on Kane’s shoulder and this time he wasn’t even trying to be flirtatious. “Don’t apologize for spreading your wings,” Greg grinned at himself, “well look at me, I’m a philosopher too.”

After a few seconds, a different waitress came out with their food and whatnot. Greg looked up and thanked her, and smiled at her as he took note of her cat eyes. “Well, I should’ve had what you’re having,” he said, trying to be polite, because really with the amount of alcohol occupying his stomach, the last thing he wanted to add to the mix was food. That was a recipe that would only end in expulsion.

[Kane Woonren]

"Well, I didn't mean exactly like that... I mean people who lived in the same city... that kinda thing," he said. He wondered how many Metas never fell into the attention of the school. He wasn't very good with statistics or things like that, but with as many people that lived in the US and Canada, he figured Hammel should have more students. But what did he know? He rarely measured what he actually cooked, nevermind any more advanced math that would make his brain start to bleed just thinking about it.

"It all depends. Some students are more... uh... powerful, than others. Some take a lot of effort for their powers to work at all. Some take a lot of effort to keep their powers from being too powerful. Some can't turn off their powers no matter how hard they try," he said. He was well aware of this one because his roommate at Hammel had a 'tactile' power. He couldn't remember what it was at the moment, but he did know that he had a habit of sleep walking. It led to Kane sleeping on the roof on several occasions. Not to mention no one was ever allowed to give him the 'You'll never know the pain of childbirth' speech.

"Uh... yeah..." he said, trying to shove the topic out of the way. People being nervous around him wasn't something he particularly liked to talk about. But he didn't blame the woman, walking out to see someone who'd been perfectly normal had grown a pair of demonic wings was probably slightly... alarming. Still, it was a new face to be added to one of his depression days.

Kane nodded in thanks at the woman who dropped off their food. "Thank you," she said. He swirled the chowder around a little bit, not feeling hungry anymore. He would pick at it... he supposed. "If you'd rather switch I can take your wings, if you want," he said. He stretched his arms up a bit, wincing when his elbows cracked rather loudly. "Ow." He took another sip of his drink, taking in an ice cube and sucking on it.

[Gregory Strickland]

“See, I’ve always found powers interesting,” he said with a nod. Maybe that’s what he would do with all his free time. Research different meta powers. It would be fun, and it was something he’d always wanted to do and never had time for because he was busy living his dream life. Now that that had come crumbling down, why not fill it with something interesting? “So what were your powers like then?” He asked, trying to get to know his new friend.

“Doesn’t matter to me,” he said, licking his fingers after a second one, “although these are pretty tasty.” Greg smiled up at Kane, still trying to get used to the man’s sheer size. Just what did that say about the rest of him? Greg just couldn’t keep his mind out of the gutter. “Next time,” he said, reaching for another yummy morsel.

Greg stretched in his seat, looking at his watch. “Well I suppose I should be calling a cab soon,” he said, glancing at Kane with a half smile, “what about you? Or are you flying home?”

[Kane Woonren]

"Mine've never really changed... well, after they grew out anyway," he said, with a look at his wings. He didn't really like talking about when his powers actually emerged. The raising of the temperature came with a trip to the hospital. The wings came with screaming, pain, and eventually passing out in the hallway. The tail came with lots of pain and then being doped up in the infirmary for half a day. Learning to glide... that came with a lot of crashing and broken bones. At least he'd never been too seriously hurt, that he could remember.

Kane nodded, ripping off a bit of the bread and dipping it in the soup, swirling it around for a moment. It wasn't that the soup didn't look good, it looked very good. Just when things like that happened it just kind of killed his appetite a little bit. Still, he'd been sitting out there and at the bar for well over an hour waiting on a table so he wasn't just going to not eat his. His stomach would rebel. So would his wallet.

He shook his head and took a bite of the bread when he was asked if he was flying home. "Walking, probably. I'm not in too much of a hurry to get home." He didn't like his apartment very much. It was smaller than he liked, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Oh well, he wasn't there much. Just somewhere to sleep and shower. If he could, he cooked and ate in the cooking classroom if no one was using it.

[Gregory Strickland]

“So having wings isn’t all it’s cracked up to be I take it?” He asked, unable to let the topic go. Kane would have to forgive him. It wasn’t every day that Greg met someone with wings, well, actually met someone with wings. He thought it might’ve been the alcohol at first, until he remembered that was the wrong narcotic for illusions. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, my friend,” Greg said, noticing the distant expression on Kane’s face.

“Well I, am just about ready to drop off,” Greg said, yawning to prove his point. Well, not really to prove his point, he really was tired. “I’d offer to walk you home, but you can obviously take care of yourself.” The blonde smiled, before standing on wobbly feet. He dug around in his light jacket before finding some cash, and leaving it on the table. It was enough to cover his drinks for the night, the wings, and there was plenty left for a nice tip.

“I hope I run into you again Kane,” he said, smiling brightly. And with that, Greg sauntered his way out of the patio and into the parking lot. The cab would be here any second now. At least, that’s what the person on the other line said. Pretty soon, he would know all of the taxi service’s operator’s names as well.

[Kane Woonren]

"They're nice, but there's no where around here for me to kick off of around here. No where I wouldn't get arrested for climbing at this time of night anyway," he said. Most of the buildings around here weren't made for people to jump off of to start gliding through the city. He imagined having some kind of fire power that'd let him lift off and move around easier... that'd be nice. And probably accidentally make him an arsonist. Among a hundred other things he could think of that'd probably make that a bad idea.

"Uh... good night, Greg, I guess," he said, as the man stood up to leave. He could see that he was rather wobbly on his feet, so he moved to stand up to help but stopped, biting his lip. He looked back inside, not wanting to cause any trouble and he didn't imagine they'd be too happy if the two of them went out to the parking lot with only paying for half the meal. "I hope I run into you again too," he replied. He tore off another piece of the bread bowl and twirled it around the soup again, looking up and following Greg for as long as he could.

He sat there for a while longer, slowly eating the soup and having a couple more glasses of soda. He was sitting there in silence, just looking up at the sky and listening to the sounds of the town at night, and the howl of the wind as it started to pick up.