ArchivedLogs:Friends Such as These

Friends Such as These
Dramatis Personae Mai, Marinov, Paige
In Absentia	2017-01-04 "World's a scary place, and we've gotta find ways of living in it."
Location <NYC> Mai's Apartment - Chinatown
This apartment is not overly large, a short foyer leads from the entrance to a large room which combines living room and kitchen into one. On the left at the end of the foyer there is the door to the bathroom, otherwise that wall continues straight all the way to the sliding door near the back. A large portion of that wall is covered in black and red cloth, and on display on the wall is a collection of martial arts related weapons, a pair of butterfly knives, a tai-chi saber, a pair of tonfas, and a short spear. Below them, there are two framed photographs on the wall as well, pictures of a Chinese man and woman. The room expands to the right side instead, where there is first a small kitchenette, including a fridge, a stove, a microwave and a sink, and then after the corner, at the right side wall there is a long bookshelf, which has couple rows of books, most of them in Chinese, but some English ones as well, and a row of DVD movies, a larger portion of them martial arts related, especially Jackie Chan movies, but there is bit of everything in the mix. Also near the back of the room there is a tv. For furniture there is a small dining table, with couple stools around it, near the kitchen part, and at the back placed strategically around the tv is a comfy looking couch, and a few chairs. At the back of the room there are windows which give a view down to the street, although the blinders hanging front of them are often closed. At the left near the back there is a sliding door, which is usually open, leading to the bedroom, which consists of a bed that can either very comfortably hold one person, or two if they get along reasonably well. Judging from that there is a nightstand only on the left side, there is usually only one person sleeping there. There is another window to the street but the blinders on that one are pretty much always shut. On the windowboard there is a collection of geeky action figures, and there is also couple posters on the walls, of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan to be exact. The clock reads at a little past five in the afternoon when there's a knock on Mai's apartment door. A number of hours have passed between Paige's departure and her return and most of them were spent in the company of her very good friend Marinov. "I don't know if she's home yet," her voice might be heard saying from the other side of the entrance. "I didn't--I wasn't planning on coming back. I was--you know, the sewers. I texted her though a while back. She said she was on her way home and that you -could- come over." Marinov shrugs a shoulder at Paige and says, "Well, we can always find another place to hang out for a little while longer. You can try texting her again, maybe she missed it?" The teen's ears flick, and they listen at the door for the sounds of anything happening inside. "She doesn't have any pets or anything, does she?" Mai fortunately has fairly short way to walk from the Jin Hua Yan bookstore that she works in to her apartment, and as such is not only already at home, but, like someone with a keen sense of smell might notice when the door is opened, making food already. "Oh, there you are! I was already worried that you might have got lost. Do come in." She offers with a smile as she steps out of the doorway to let the two come in. Heading to the living room, well 'the room' one could say as the apartment mostly just consists of that one room, disappearing behind the corner as she gets back to stirring and mixing the contents of the wok pan that is on the stove, which has quite a lot of various ingredients in it, sweet chili, noodles, chicken, various bits of vegetables, pretty much what happened to be in the fridge. "Just a goat," Paige remarks wittily to the teen before the door opens to reveal Mai. A wide smile forms on her face when she sees the other girl. "I only got a -little- lost. But that was only in the, uh, morning." Ears flick, sticking happily free through the slots in her new ushanka hat. The head covering also allows her horns to be on presentation through the top. A cardigan is folded over her arm as she waits for Marinov to enter first and then follows them inside, closing the door behind her. There's a faint scent on the air and she sniffs at it, though the horned girl's nose is not more or less powerful than any human's. The deep breath she takes, however, seems to cause her pain. "How have -- ah -- you been? Did work go alright? Thank you for --ah-- having us. And, ah, for last night." Marinov is still wearing the same black trenchcoat-dress and thigh high flat heeled boots that they were wearing earlier, and their red and gold scarf is still tied up in a french knot. The teen sniffs lightly at the air and comments, "Heya, Mai. Smells nice in here, I guess you're just making dinner?" They lift one of their feet and say, "Do you take shoes off in your household, or... ?" The teen sniffs a couple more time and they wonder, "Do you have a dog?" They start to scan for said dog! Mai uses a spatula to poke and mix the food around on the pan while adding some sauce to it for extra tastiness. Looking back over her shoulder towards the foyer, though can't of course see the two if they are still in the foyer because of the wall. "Yeah it can take a bit to get the hang of the neighbourhood. Please do make yourselves feel at home. Oh work was as expected I suppose, bookstore isn't exactly the most eventful workplace." She notes with a laugh. Hearing Marinov's question, she adds. "Oh yes if you can leave the shoes in the foyer that would be nice, less cleaning needed that way. Nope, I don't, a dog is surprisingly expensive to keep, lovely as they can be." There is also no kind of scent of any type of animals. "Your timing is pretty spot on too, dinner is almost ready." "Oh," Paige replies to Mai's answering of Marinov's question. She bends down to take off her shoes. "Oh," she says again, blinking at her hooves and straightening up again with a grimace and a little bit of wobbling. "Right. Well, that's good news, right? Non-eventful is safe." Giving a nod at her own statement, she starts heading towards the couch; it looks like a perfectly reasonable place to sit oneself down after a long day on their hooves. Then she pauses in mid-step and turns to gesture with one hand each towards Marinov and Mai. "Oh! My --ah-- sincerest apologies," the horned girl remarks with a flick of her ears. "Mai, this is Marinov. Marinov, this is Mai. I think you two have met each other before maybe?" She's fairly certain at least one of them mentioned it at some point. Marinov removes their boots at Mai's request and steps on out after Paige in long-stockinged feet. "Heh, well, I'll probably refrain from dinner, myself, and just have something when I get home." They raise their hands and say to Mai, "No offense or anything, I've just got a pretty strict diet requirement and I don't expect anyone to keep up with that." They start to look around the place, taking in the decor. "Yeah, we've met before," says Marinov to Paige, and then to Mai, "I gave you my social media info, yeah?" Mai offers a smile at Marinov as Paige does the introductions, even if they have indeed met before. "Its nice to see you again, hows your fashion show progressing?" She inquires with some curiosity, offering a nod to the explanation of special diet. "Fair enough, wouldn't want you to get sick or anything from eating the wrong thing... oh speaking of that... I do hope you are alright? Paige told me that you got shot at?" She produces two plates from the shelf above the sink and then portions the food equally between them, then adds a tomato and a few lettuce leaves from the fridge to both plates, and gets a pair of forks and knives, and then carries them both to the couch since Paige moved to sit there, setting one front of her on the small table front of the couch, and sets the other on the other side of the table, before she goes back to get a glass of water to both of them. "There you go." is offered to Paige, she herself sits on one of the chairs and starts working on eating her own food. "Let me see... yeah I think so." is replied to Marinov after she fishes out her phone to check. "Ah, ah, ah," Paige breathes out as she carefully lowers herself onto the couch. A few rapid breaths pass with her eyes closed. When she opens them, her ears flick upwards in excitement and her expression seems surprised. "Food?" Apparently she hadn't understood that she was included in Mai's dinner plans. "Whoa," the horned girls says quietly as she reaches up and removes her hat, setting it neatly down on the table, out of the way of the food. When the glass of water arrives, she nods; it's true - there she goes! Like there she full service goes! Whoa! "You didn't have to--I mean, thank you. I--uh..." Although a look is spared towards Mai, then Marinov, she soon picks up her utensils and being eating. "Yeah, me and Taylor were minding our business at Evolve, about to head home after it closed. Bunch of assholes ride up and point guns at us, march us inside and firebomb it, then shoot at us when we tried to get out. It was a rough fucking day," says Marinov, looking down at themselves and sitting down on the other end of the couch, sitting on the forward edge so their tail has space to roam. "I... uh, I know Shane would be more worried about me and Taylor being blown up than Evolve, but I still feel sorta bad and responsible that his place got trashed again, especially with what it sorta symbolizes." Mai gives a smile at Paige. "Hey, I wouldn't be overly good host if I would just make food for myself and leave you starving, besides, it doesn't really cost that much when you make the food yourself." She explains before taking another mouthful of food from her plate, eating it down before continuing, she is fairly decent cook, even if not professional like her mother was that she learned most of it from. "You can like do the dishes or something if you want to split the work, though no rush with that." is offered with a smile. Then she gets more serious as she listens to what Marinov is saying about the Evolve, frowning. "That sucks so much. I hope that it didn't suffer too much damage? People need places like that." She replies, even if she is not allowed there herself. "I just wish I would have been there, I am pretty good in protecting people from bullets..." Paige gives Mai a very grateful look as she swallows her first bites of food. "I'd -love- to do the dishes. Fiona and I did them back at the commons after the Christmas brunch there. Thank you so much for the food, Mai. I really appreciate it." As Marinov talks and after she has taken a few more bites of the delicious dinner, Paige reaches into her sweatshirt pocket and pulls out a small bottle of Advil, unscrewing the top. She pops four of the tablets into her mouth and downs them with a sip of water. When she leans forward and moves a forkful of food to her mouth again, she shoots a side glance to the felinoid mutant and remarks, "I will fucking fuck them in the fucking ass. Fuck them so fucking hard," before taking another bite. "Fucking murder them, I will." Though they are angry and vitriolic, there is a clear undertone of pain and sorrow in her words. But then her ears flick as she registers what the other girl says. "Mai, are you sure? I thought you didn't want anyone..." The goat girl trails off, realizing that she's probably just being confusing. "Huh?" says Marinov to Mai, not really getting her implication. "I mean... I dunno. I think bullets are like my mutant weakness, you know? It's like Pokemon, bullet type beats beast type. Super fucking effective. What makes you think that you could protect against bullets, though?" They lean back in the couch and look up to ceiling, "And, yeah... I need a place like Evolve. People like us do," they gesture between themselves and Paige, "people who are picked out on the street as freaks and monsters on sight. Just nice to be able to socialize in a safe place... But I think it will be repaired by the end of the week. So long as nobody else tries anything." Mai gives a smile at Paige. "Its a deal then, I do the cooking and you do the dishes." She replies with a wink. At Paige's question she offers a shrug. "Well, yes I don't want it to be publically known, but I think that I can trust Marinov to not go tip off any of those knuckleheads who like harassing us mutants." She replies, before looking back to Marinov. "Because, I can stop bullets... well sort of... not really -stop,- but make them miss anyway. As well as anything else physical." as far as she knows anyway as she hasn't really had a chance to test her limits on anything bigger than bullets. Paige is making rather good headway on her dinner; she's a little over halfway finished, in fact. However, she pauses when the other girl details her powers for Marinov, shoulders slumping as she lets out a short sigh. "I don't think I understand your powers, Mai. They seem...I don't know. I mean, I guess I don't really understand anyone's powers. I don't know--I don't think I have any. How much practice have you done with them?" To Marinov, she gives a look of pained sadness. "How can it be safe after what happened to you? What makes you think they're not going to try again? So what - a mutant stopped them. Big deal. Next time they come with -more- guys and -more- guns and -more- firepower. Next time they don't make the same mistakes. Next time you could die. It might not -seem- like it was a real danger, but how can you be so casual about it?" She takes a deep breath and sighs again, groaning quietly as the pain in her side surges. "I'm still going to the sewers. After I...feel better. But I don't -want- to rest, like the doctor said. I want to get things moving as fast as I can." "I'm just saying that it's gonna be repaired unless they try something," says Marinov, "Not to be casual, just to set a timeline. I dunno if it'll be safe, like physically, 'cause there's bigots. It's not the first time that Evolve's been attacked, it's probably not going to be the last time, but... it's still needed. The whole point of attacking a place like that is to try and shake apart our community." They cross their arms over their chest and glance towards Mai, "So you're a mutant. Huh. I sorta wondered... But for me, well, my 'powers' are pretty much physical so I think of it more like my body. It's all me." Mai gives a look towards Paige as she starts ranting, while eating some more of her food. "You need to have hope, Paige. Futures are built on hope, that is specifically why they attacked there, because it is a powerful symbol, something that is worth protecting. Do not let them divide us. If you run away you do exactly what they want." She explains, before giving a nod to Marinov. "Yes, I just wish I could get Shane to understand that we are on the same side, I have tried to apologize from him twice now over that incident in Evolve, but he is not even listening... it really hurts to be shut out of the only gathering place there is to our kind." She explains with a sigh. Now two-thirds done with her plate, this time Paige gives the pained look to Mai. Her ears are pressing down against her head and she looks positively deflated. "It's not--I'm not running away. I never said I was. I just...there's supposed to be people living down there, you know? I mean, I don't know anything about them aside from that they're there, but it's not running away. I just want a place to call home. A place where I don't have to wear a hood all of the time so I don't grabbed and beaten up. A place where I can feel...-relaxed-. I just...just want that. For myself, you know? Just...That's not running away, is it? I don't see why I can't still hang out with either of you or why we couldn't do things together. I'm used to---I know I said I shouldn't have to be, but I -am- -- I'm used to being harassed every day on the street. I'm used to having stuff thrown at me and I'm used to being called names. I'm even used to being shoved every now and then. Or tripped. And laughed at. Look, we'll all go together or something. That way if something tries to kill me, one of you will kill it first. How does -that- sound?" The horned girl tilts her head back, purple bruises stretching from the back of her neck to across her forehead. "They're -not- going to divide -us-. I won't let them. But I have to do---I have to try to find out what is right for me. As for Shane -- stop trying to apologize to him. Work it out with Taylor first. Just trust me on this." "Well, it's not the only gathering place, but yea, it's an important one," says Marinov, seeming uncomfortable once the conflict with Shane comes up, "But Paige is right, you're gonna need to sort it out with Taylor. I mean, when people make comments like that, it's painful, 'cause every day society is acting like you're a monster, like you're a freak. And to have it brought up in, like, a safe place? It's... I think you really just gotta apologize to him directly and without condition, yeah? His tentacles are part of him, like... I guess my tail is part of me? I dunno. My tail's pretty much a useless hanger-on, his tentacles actually get shit done." "Anyways, the whole sewer thing... you know I've got like, super smelling powers, yeah? It sucks living in the city on a regular day. I'd be happy to visit you no matter where you live, but in some circumstances I might not go to /where/ you live, you know? I mean... I guess if there are people living there, they've probably found an okay place or whatever, but. I'm generally skeptical of living in the sewers. But if you want me to go down with you the first time so we can make sure it's safe, I will." They might not be happy about it, though. Mai takes a few more mouthfuls of her food while she listens to the others, giving a slight nod at Paige. "I would love to... but I haven't seen him ever since then... and I don't think like calling him or something would be the best way to do that, not that I even have his number. And yeah, I know, that was stupid... its just... like I haven't seen... I mean I am still rather new to this whole mutant thing, and I had never seen anyone like him before, and got rather startled by him, so I tried to just like dismiss it with some humor without really thinking, and chose pretty bad words for it, then I got defensive, and then angry. The whole situation really sucked, but yeah, I would love to apologize if I could just find him. I am pretty sure I could handle it better now when it’s not a surprise anymore." she explains, then makes a bit of a face as Marinov mentions some of the negative side of the sewers. "Yeah, I can imagine that the smell there would be pretty bad even with regular sense of smell. I agree with Marinov that it doesn't sound like a too good idea to live there. But that’s something we can worry about once you are healed." "I know what that's like. I've been stupid too," Paige states as she swallows down another bite of food. "But try not to get all defensive like you said. It's not about being right, okay? It's about feelings. -Life- is about feelings." She takes a few bites before saying more. "It'd be like if you called my horns gross, you know? It'd make me feel really bad about myself! It would probably hurt me even more if you then said I was being rude because I wouldn't want to talk to you after that. And just as you got defensive, so did Taylor. He's a really sweet guy, you know? But I think he's dealing with a lot of stress all the time. Just go in and be like, 'Hey, I'm sorry about what I said. I fucked up and I really want to apologize. I think I took what you said in the wrong way and I really didn't mean for things to turn out how they did', you know? Something like that and shit." As the blonde girl clears her plate, however, her expression changes. "I guess I really wasn't thinking about how it would smell." She leans back, after taking a sip of water, and places her hands behind her head as she looks at the ceiling. "And I don't...I don't really -want- to wait until I'm done healing. The doctor said it would take four to six weeks. I don't---I don't want to have to hide for that long. If there are---and I'm guessing there must be, you know? --- other mutants like me down there -- you know, ones that are pretty much fucking defenseless while sticking out like a sore thumb? -- maybe I'd be better off. And I'd understand if you wouldn't want to visit." Here she gestures idly with her hands. "But, like, what else am I going to do? Just sit around here at your place, Mai, while you do all the working and I just -drain- your fucking resources without paying you a single cent? Go to a shelter where I'm likely to be just as big a target as I already am? I can't get a job until after the end of the month. First I need my updated registration card and then I can start -applying- for positions." Marinov shrugs and crosses one leg over the other, eyeing the food that Mai and Paige are eating with curiosity, "Like I said, I'll go with you if you want. You might need to get, you know, proper directions from someone though. The sewer system is, well, it's as big as NYC itself." They sigh and lean forward, eyes downcast, "But yea, I super get being scared out there. World's a scary place, and we've gotta find ways of living in it. And I'll support you in whatever decision you make, yeah? But... I still think you should stay here for a bit while you recover at least, as long as Mai'll put up with you. Just my opinion, take it as you will." They look back up and remark, "I figure anyone who works at Evolve's got a little extra stress. 'cause bigots don't like it, and the staff is pretty identifiable." Mai gives a slight nod at what Paige says. "That makes sense, there is the problem though that I can't go to Evolve. So would need someone to like help arrange a meeting somewhere else." She explains before working on finishing up her own plate of food as well, though not quite as fast with it as Paige is. When the conversation turns towards the whole sewer topic again, she gives a smile to the other girl. "You don't have to be -hiding,- Paige. Just because some idiots picked on you once, doesn't mean that you would get attacked all the time. Just like, if going out like late maybe take a friend along? That's not really anything limited to just being a mutant either, hell even just regular young girls are not necessarily safe on the streets at night, you know? And don't worry about the resources, once you get your papers in order you can get a job and then once you get things in order you can pay me back something if you want." Then nodding to what Marinov says. "Yeah, I agree with Marinov, I imagine that place is like a fucking maze down there, even if there is people living down there, you might never find them, not to mention they might not even be too keen on having people randomly wandering in their turf. So definitely at least like don't just go wandering around there randomly all by yourself, it could well be more dangerous than the streets." Paige's ears wilt as she mumbles to herself, "I'm not a young girl. I'm an adult." The horned girl takes a deep breath and sighs, causing her to cringe as now dulled pain spikes in left side. Her arms drop, left hand scratching the right, and she turns her head to face her friends. "I feel like a jerk. I didn't come here to...impose on you. I came here to see the place because you invited me over, you know? And I want...I want to take -control- of my life. I don't want to have to be dependent on others or need their charity." The older girl's gaze turns downwards. "I want to be stronger. I want to be proud of myself." Shoulders shrug. "I don't know where to find proper directions, but I won't go down there alone, but that might be all I can really promise. I'll try to stay here and recover." Her jaw works a bit before she adds, "Thanks. Both of you. I can't thank you enough, but I don't like being this way either." Marinov's ears flick at Paige's mumbling and they say, "Yeah, well, you're still a young adult..." They pull their feet up onto the couch and start flexing their claws in the air idly. "When you get an injury, it's better to recover, 'cause then you get stronger again, then try and get stronger while still injured." They shrug a shoulder, "You'll get strong enough, I know that you will, just so long as you don't, you know, self-destruct." Mai offers a smile to Paige. "And you will, but everyone has to start from somewhere. Few months ago I was in pretty bad shape too, left with pretty much nothing when my parents died, and I had to rely on friends and neighbours too until I got things in order. There is nothing to be ashamed of in admitting that you need some help every now and then, thats what friends are for, to be there for you." she explains. Nodding in agreement with Marinov once again, she adds with a slight chuckle. "Yeah, I doubt some weirdo jumping people on the street is going to ask for your papers first and verify your age before going after you, you know?" Thinking a bit more on that mental image, she even does a (pretty silly) imitation of a ruffian. "I only assault underage girls, so before I drag you to the alley, show me your id!" while waving an imaginary gun around. "Very funny." Paige's tone towards Mai might be slightly bitter, but there might be a small hint of amusement mixed in. Carefully standing herself up, she bends down and collects her plate and utensils, before heading over to grab Mai's. "They don't always attack alone, you know. Sometimes they gang up on you. Regardless, I didn't mean that I wanted to be stronger, uh, physically." One hand shifts from the dishes to wave idly in the air at this. "Though that could be useful and probably would be. It wouldn't have helped me the other night anyways." Turning on the water, she rolls up her sweatshirt sleeves as well as the shirt sleeves underneath, and applies soap and sponge to the dirty dishes. "Neither of you would probably have had trouble with them, though. And I’ll work on not self-destructing.” "I knew what you meant by strong, but it goes the same way. Sometimes you get fucking /hurt/ and pretending it's all alright can go really badly," says Marinov, tail curling in around themselves, "I imagine that I'd have trouble with some people sneak attacking me like cowards. I mean, I'm pretty buff and stuff, but some things... they catch you by surprise." They continue flexing their claws in the air. "Hey, you made chicken, right? Was it deboned?" Mai did mention to Paige earlier that the dishes weren't any high priority, but doesn't try to stop the other girl either as she watches Paige starting to work on them. "There are many different kinds of strength. And personally I think you have plenty of it. Like how you are always helping others even though your not neseccarily doing that great yourself, that is some strength right there that most people wouldn't have, no matter how much they might kick ass in a fight." She explains before giving a smile to Marinov. "Well yeah bones don't really work so well in a stir fry, so I had cleaned it up before." The dishes aren't very difficult for Paige to do and she's done fairly quickly - after having scrubbed them thoroughly, rinsed them through, and placed them on the drying rack. "I -am- hurt," she finally admits as she dries her hands, ears wilted. "And I -do- need help. I just feel that if I help everyone else, -that's- what'll help me, you know?" Her shoulders sag as she turns around and leans against the counter. "I gave my boots away to some girl named Heather. Obviously, I didn't need them; I can't even -wear- them. But I could have sold them or something, you know? But I felt that helping her was more important than helping myself." Pushing herself up, she makes her way back over to the couch to sit herself down next to Marinov again. "Oh no," says Marinov softly, "You threw away the bones?" They cross their arms, knowing the answer is going to be yes, tail flicking lightly on the end. "And... I think that helping other people has helped you, yeah? That's a way that you make friends, who will sometimes help you in turn, I guess." They squint slightly and say, "Like this Heather person, I imagine that she's probably grateful to have boots, you gave a hand up to someone when they were down." Marinov's eyes close and the lean back, legs and tail all curled in now, looking right comfortable. Mai gives a somewhat curious look towards Paige when Heather is mentioned, chuckling a bit as she remembers the strange girl. "She certainly looked like she could use the boots, if what she said about her speed was correct. You did also give her all the money you had with you." she notes. "But yes, like I said before, thats what friends are for, it works both ways remember, you don't always have to be the one doing the helping, its only fair that you let them help you at times too, like how I am helping you now, there is no need to feel bad about it." Marinov's reaction about the chicken bones earns a surprised and somewhat confused look. "Uhh... yes, why?" Paige simply nods at the others' words and rubs her left side, gently pressing in places as though testing her bruises. The looks her face makes probably indicate that, yes, they still hurt. "I'd expect they'd want the bones," she comments, eyes shifting over to Marinov in amusement. "I didn't know you...liked bones? I'd have expected that'd be a dog thing, you know?" A pause as she cringes; her fingers seem to have found a particularly bad spot. "I'm not exactly used to having friends. Well, friends such as you. I mostly kept to myself before I came here." Another lull in her words -- a sigh -- before she speaks again, eyes closed and head bowed. "Thank you." Marinov's eyes open again and they glance between Mai and Paige, "Bones are fine. I like the way they crunch between my teeth. I dunno if it's a wildcat thing or something. But..." They say to Mai, "I can't taste 'sweet' at all, I can't eat most plants, but raw meat is fine. It's... it's been an adjustment." They nod in return towards Paige and say, "Thanks for being my friend too." They close their eyes again. Mai gives a smile to Paige at her words. "I am still somewhat figuring out too how it all works, but I -think- at least that we have been doing fine in that department so far. I know at least that you have been huge help for me in figuring out things about this whole... you know being mutant thing that I am still trying to figure out myself." she explains, then listens curiously at what Marinov explains about their diet. "Oh... but aren't bird bones like too sharp for that or something? At least I recall reading something about how they aren't safe to give to dogs because of that. But man, that sounds like it could be pretty rough to get used to, especially if you like weren't always like that. Must be one hell of a change to get used to." There's a grin playing on the older girl's face as she scratches at the back of her neck, eyes focused now on her new ushanka hat still on the table and ears twitching curiously. "Heh, thanks, Mai. We're figuring it out together. And I think I like that. The things I was taught about mutants..." Paige's brows furrow at this thought. "Well, they don't really apply, you know?" There's a momentary pause before she suddenly turns her head to Marinov. "Wait. Hold up. You told me that you had trouble with instincts before, right? And now you're telling me you've eaten bones before. Are you saying that you -eat- wild animals?" There's an odd expression on the horned girl's face - something between concern and maybe disgust. "How often do you -do- this?" Marinov's eyes snap open and they look towards Paige with a wide-eyed expression at her... accusation? then they furrow their brows at seeing her expression, tail lashing. Once they are able to find words, they intone, "When the zombie crisis was at a high, and food supplies at my school were at a low, I went out and I /hunted/. I've killed wild animals before. Between. My. Teeth. And I'd do it again, but I didn't enjoy it, because I'm not a fucking animal. When shit went down, I did what I had to for my people. Yeah, I have problems with instinct, but..." They scowl and uncurl, sitting back upright. "I'm not a monster," they finish, sounding unconvinced. Mai nods in agreement with Paige's words about learning together. "Yeah, thats pretty cool, best way to learn even I would think... or well if not best at least one of the most fun ones." Then she blinks in surprise as the conversation takes quite a different turn with Paige questioning Marinov about their more wild side. "I don't think... that even the animals that do it -enjoy- it, they just do it to survive, one would have to pretty wrong in the head to actually enjoy that. Sometimes we all have to do things that we are not proud of." she offers with a somewhat sad expression, looking between the two others and hoping everything is alright. Paige's reaction to her felinoid friend might be completely out of place; she's laughing. "-Fuck- no, you're not a monster! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just never imagined my best friend out there biting the heads off of squirrels, you know?" Her mirth dies down quickly, though, and her expression is one of caring. "You did what you could and you did it well, I'm sure. I would never accuse you of being a monster - you know that, right? You did what you had to do. Nobody gave you a choice, okay? You're -not- a monster, Tay." Whereas Marinov's tone was unsure, Paige's is definitive. She turns her gaze to Mai. "I've been making it up as I go along. I've made so many...mistakes, you know? I've offended my own fair share of people in the community. I've just tried to learn from it all, like you're doing now. I wasn't on good terms at -all- with Shane until, like, a few weeks ago. I had to, uh..." The blonde girl's ears flick and she blushes, looking rather embarrassed. "I went to that support group a number of times and worked out a mantra for myself, you know?" There's still some hesitation before she finally says what she means. "I had to--I have to keep reminding myself that fear doesn't mean danger." Marinov's ears flatten a moment when Paige laughs, but they've calmed a bit by the time she's done speaking, "I did do it well. I still have a... a chase instinct, but I don't like, give into the killing urge. But when I was on that guy with the gun, fuck, for a second there I... I really wanted to do something I'd regret. It's like, these thoughts are in my head, and I didn't put them there, and I don't want them there, but they are there. And they are a part of me." They take a deep breath and count down mentally. "It's a sore spot, yeah? That's all. Didn't mean to... I was gonna say bite your head off, but in the context of the conversation, that'd be a real fucked up thing to say." Mai relaxes noticeably when Paige starts laughing, and Marinov seems to calm down too, for a moment she was really worried there, which might be just another sign of how new she still is in this! Biting her lower lip some as Paige brings up the support group. "You know, I been thinking about that since you last mentioned it... I might want to give that a try too... like I mean... can't hurt at least, right?" Then she gives a somewhat concerned look towards Marinov when they start talking about the attack on Evolve. "I don't think I would have blamed you even if you would have... like I mean, they did try to kill you, so it would have only been self-defense, right? It really frustrates me that those guys probably won’t even get a ticket for doing that or anything. Cops just don't care about mutants." She concludes with a sigh. "Tay, I -- I'm sorry. I understand," Paige offers in a soothing tone, ears pressing down. "You know what my brain's like. I kind of understand what you're going through. And I'm proud of you for fighting back, you know? I mean, I wish you hadn't've had to, because I don't even want to -think- about you or any of my other friends getting hurt. But that took courage. And from what I've gathered, you weren't given much of choice there either. So I'm -glad- you did some damage to those fuckers. I didn't--I couldn't even move. I was so scared. I froze. On the ground. As they kicked me. -That's- why I think they lost interest so soon. I wasn't any fun to hurt. At least, that's what I hope." Before addressing Mai's concerns, the blonde girl removes her sweatshirt. Underneath, she wears a black long-sleeved shirt. Perhaps the sweatshirt had made her look a little more bulky than she actually is; while no bones can be seen and she doesn't look malnourished, she -is- a bit thin. "Mai, you can't...you can't go. It was at Evolve. Why don't---why don't we try to work it out or something? Or maybe Shane'll let you in just for the group? It's all good people. They helped me adjust to being a mutant and not hating myself for it. And I developed that mantra to help me with others, you know?" "Well, I scratched the guy, but I meant... I dunno, just the smell of blood and fire and gunpowder...it made me want to just, I don't know, just make sure he didn't bother anyone ever again," says Marinov, rubbing their arm lightly. "But yeah, Mai, I know what you mean. But I should get going... I'm getting pretty hungry, and they probably have my current favourite dinner waiting for me back home." Marinov stands up and says, "Was cool seeing the place, Mai, and nice t'see you again. I hope you sort things out and can get benefit from Paige's support group." "I'll think about it." This, a bit reluctantly, to Mai as Paige then proceeds to remove her shirt only to reveal a black t-shirt underneath. When Marinov stands, she does the same. "Be careful out there, okay? Just keep safe. Call me if...if you ever need help, you know? And let me know when the show is. I'll be there one way or another. Even if my bruises haven't healed by then." A weak smile is offered and it might seem that the horned girl is referring to more than just her physical injuries. "And -thank you forever- for the clothes. I'd be putting on the cardigan now, but it's just so hot in here, you know?" It's really -not- that hot, but Paige seems to be convinced that it is. Mai nods slightly at what Paige says. "That would be nice, although I think that the chances of him agreeing to that would go up a lot if you would do the asking instead of me, you know? Last time I tried talking to him... well... it didn't go so well." she admits. "But if that doesn't work, then sure, I think we can work something out." Standing up then as Marinov is getting ready to leave. "It was nice to see you again too, Marinov, seeing another friendly face means a lot. I apologize for not having proper food for you, I promise to make up for that next time!" she offers with a smile. "For what its worth, I hope you don't have to endure another situation like that again. Stay safe, and good luck with your fashion show." "Yeah, it is pretty hot, isn't it?" Marinov isn't about to disagree with Paige's assessment, "But I guess I like it warm. I'll be sure to keep you updated about my thing. It's gonna be more like an arts show, yeah? I think... I'm not gonna get time for my own pieces, really. It's exciting. Your bruise will almost definitely be healed by the time I'm done" They quickly get their boots back on- flat soled for better ability to run- "Don't worry about having food for me. My diet's not something I expect anyone to accommodate, and I showed up super unannounced. Have a good night, both of you." They give a final wave and head out the door, back into the street to head back to Xavier's.