Owner Pose
Xiomara Rojas The last couple of weeks had been very interesting for Crush, but she hadn't forgotten about her meeting with Mania and Andi. She still had a hard time with the 'they' and 'them', but her brain was coming around to it slowly. With recent events, and the constant push from the 'adults' around her to find some friends, she'd decided to bite the bullet, so to speak, and go for it.

An invitation was sent to Andi via text, to meet on the same roof they'd had ice cream on. She was bringing a bag of burgers, fries and onion rings, as well as several liters of Coke. A burger picnic, it was a thing, right?

Arriving a little before the time, Crush spread a thick blanket out on the top of the roof then planted her butt on it, setting the large grocery bag of goodies down.
Andi Benton Some say if you're early you're on time, and if you're on time you're late. There is a thing about punctuality, but also about just being your own creature, doing your own thing.

In the case of food being involved, it meant getting there early. Andi wasn't even thinking about how it was being paid for, or what that might mean, or any of that. It was food, and Mania would especially be down with that. So, they swung their way over.

In the process, they passed the spot where those rocks had been thrown, and seeing a window that was still boarded up because it had yet to be replaced was met with amusement.

Then, crawling up the side of the building, familiar from the first meeting, until just Mania's head was poking up past the edge. Peering. Staring.
Xiomara Rojas The appearance of Mania over the edge is missed at first, allowing them a moment to see Crush just sitting there, legs stretched out in front of her. At the first moment of peeking, the large teen is looking up at the stars, then she moves her head to look down and around and spots the big white eyes peering over the edge at her.

"Well come on then," she calls out with a grin. "Got a lot of burgers, different kinds, get over here and have a sit."
Andi Benton <<Mania>> Look at all the food, Andi.
<<Andi>> Yeah, I can see it. Your eyes are about to bug out.
<<Mania>> Our eyes. They are our eyes, Andi. And what does it mean to 'bug out?'
<<Andi>> Nevermind. Let's go say hi.

A clawed hand shows up next, followed by the other, as the being pulls itself up and over almost like Samara, then upon making it the rest of the way, Mania rises. "Aww. For us? You shouldn't have." The eyes turn cheerful and cheeky as the dark figure with bits of white to the design strides forward. "What is the occasion?" She sits, cross-legged.
Xiomara Rojas Once Mania is sitting down, Crush immediately starts laying out all the burgers. Double cheese with bacon, double cheese no bacon, single burgers enmasse, and three triples just right there for the taking. The fries are all dumped into one bag and the top edge folded down to allow a hand to get to the fries, and she repeats that same plan for the onion rings.

"No specific occasion," she comments as she works, glancing over and offering a hint of a smile. "I just didn't want you thinking I'd forgotten your offer to hang out at your apartment, I just... not ready for that is all."

One more reach into the larger bag and a 2-liter bottle of Coke comes out and is offered toward Mania. "How you been doing?"
Andi Benton There is a faint bit of fidgeting from the likely impatient symbiote, while Andi more or less holds it together, keeping the more impulsive side in check. Still, a few fingers seek to reach, and as soon as it seems okay to snag one of those big burgers, it is done. The mouth splits open like it did with the ice cream the first time, and one big chomp follows before an "Mmmmmmm!" is heard.

"That is good. French fries, and onion rings, and soda. We will accept this if you cannot visit otherwise. You do not have to be ready for a while," Mania suggests, a pleased expression seen while the exaggeration of a mouth still exists. When it comes to the soda, she gets an idea. Holding it above her head, she pierces the bottom with a few fingers, causing some of it to flow down hand and arm before she repositions it so it will get in her mouth like a cola waterfall...only it doesn't really go the way she plans, leading to the beginnings of a mess and a need to turn the bottle upside down to prevent it from spreading further. "Oops."

<<Andi>> Look at that, already ruining her nice blanket.
<<Mania>> We can offer to take it back and wash it. We are not ashamed.

"Uh...good. You?" comes the verbal follow-up.
Xiomara Rojas Crush selects one of the smaller burgers, unwrapping it for a bite while Mania devours the first one they grab. That alone makes Crush grin, watching Mania eat was oddly entertaining, but then she one ups the eating and adds cola-fall to the performance. The leaking of it onto the blanket, after rolling over Mania's body, just makes the large teen laugh.

"Don't worry about it," she states as she offers over some napkin. "It'll wash."

She takes another bite then opens up the other 2-liter of Coke to take a drink and wash it down. "I... kinda have a job?" she admits almost sheepishly. "Has a uh... situation come up and looks like I'll need to hold off on my paid fights for a bit, so... working construction for one of the teacher's family business. Start next weekend."
Andi Benton Fortunately, the wrapper was removed before the burger was consumed. Now, a couple handfuls of fries and rings are added in, and it wouldn't be hard to imagine Mania as someone with a bottomless appetite. Not necessarily the case, as there will be some slowing down with enough food, but the near-instantaneous way of devouring it stands out as quite abnormal.

"We could wash it for you, and you could come pick it up later," is suggested. "And you got a job? You were fighting? Did you tell us this and we forgot? What kind of construction will you be doing?" All the questions.
Xiomara Rojas The burger in her hand pauses on the way to Crushes mouth as Mania suddenly bombards with questions, just like Madison and Irie were prone to do. Thanks to those two, she was getting used to it happening, but it still takes her a moment to get the answers in order.

"Nah, I can wash it," is her first response. "Uh... see, I got no one to help with things like clothing, food, etc. so I took to underground fighting. I like it, and I'm good at it, so I win a lot and don't have to fight all that much to get the money I need to live."

She sighs softly, looking at the burger. "Thing is, last fight the sponsors tried to kidnap the winners, myself included, and I had to be rescued by the Titans." There is a hint of distaste in her tone admitting that. "Obelus kept the gang bangers away, but still needed help. Anyway... since they got involved, and one of the teachers at Happy Harbor is connected to them, everything went to hell."

She finally takes a bite of the burger, and continues talking, no class, none needed. "Don't know what kind of construction, I don't start til next weekend, but it's the "legal" way to make money." She snorts at this.
Andi Benton The food demonstration over, Mania peels back from Andi's head so a little more conventional fooding can commence. "Oh. So, uh, all that time you were at the school, nobody set up, like, a program to make sure you had all the shit you needed? We find that a little hard to believe." Yes, there is some skepticism there. "You must kick some ass, though. And that's fucked up, people trying to kidnap you guys. What the hell."

News of the Titans generates a shrug out of her. "We haven't crossed their paths much, maybe a couple of them but that's it. We don't see them a whole lot around here, or in the city. Don't they have that big tower of theirs over in Metropolis?" An onion ring is practically just nibbled on in comparison to before, and she figures out a way to tip the soda so she can get a trickle rather than a gusher of Coke, glancing Xio's way. "Bet you'd be good at busting down walls and shit for new construction. We still make some money at the music store."
Xiomara Rojas Another large drink is taken before Crush looks over at Mania. "You aren't the first one to say that about the school, but no, there's no charity. I don't take charity. I didn't ask. I asked to go to school there and stay in the dorms to have a roof over my head, so that's what was arranged."

Finishing off the first burger, she wads up the wrapper and drops it in the bag. "I'd /love/ to punch down some walls, I won't lie. I can also carry a fuck ton of weight, more than humans could dream, I mean honestly construction is a smart choice. Ms. O'Connail was smart to suggest it." She pauses, looking at Andi's face, at her eyes. Pretty girl, that's the thought that shoots across Crushes brain so she clears her throat and moves the subject on.

"You work at a music store? Which one? Where?" Is asked, perhaps too quickly, then shoves an onion ring in her mouth.
Andi Benton Andi Benton makes a face at this, frowning. "Guess that's something we missed, not staying in the dorms and stuff. The important thing is you're doing okay now. You'll have to tell us how you like the job. We wouldn't work if we didn't need the money, but it doesn't pay much. At least dad doesn't have to pay extra for us, but it's weird doing a normal job when..you know." She gestures at the suit that really isn't a suit.

Unaware of the thoughts going through Crush's head right now, she jerks a thumb down the way off in one direction. "It's called 'Tune In,' about a mile that way. It's got old records and CDs and stuff nobody except old people and hipsters bother with, but there are some instruments too. Don't really know how the guy keeps the place open at this point."
Xiomara Rojas Instinctually Crush looks in the direction Andi indicates, as if the music store was right there to be seen. Her eyes sight was better than a humans, but by no means could she see the place a mile away. She almost felt like an idiot looking, so she quickly looked back over at Andi's face and offered an almost goody smile, yeah that covers up for being an idiot.

"Being a hero doesn't pay the bills," she offers along with the smile. "Heard you folks don't do it for the rewards, you do it to be 'good'." She snorts at that, because there wasn't a good bone in her body, or so she believed.

Since learning who her father was, the half-Czarnian had managed to convince herself that she was just as awful as he was, she merely covered it better. It had to be the case, why else would her adoptive parents lied and told her her parents were heroes?

"Most the other kids have parents and money," she then says, changing the subject back to the dorms and school for a moment. "I mean those in the dorms. They got all kinds of crap they don't need, but wanted, so their parents got it for em. It's good that you missed out on that, and that you help your dad out."
Andi Benton Andi Benton grimaces. "Being a bad guy would pay better," she mutters. "But then Spider-Man would have to try to stop us, and we'd feel kind of rotten about that. Especially if we had to hurt him." Doesn't sound as if she'd enjoy that.

At least she doesn't call Xio out for trying to spot the place she works at.

"But, yeah. He helped us, and he says motivational shit like how if you have power, you're also responsible to use it the right way. Like, there were bad guys he wanted to mess up real bad, but he knew it was wrong so he just like captured them for the cops." Shrugging, she says, "So that's what we do."

Working on another burger, made up like the first, the more normal bites means it doesn't go away in the blink of an eye, like a magic trick. "Dad's not rich or anything. He makes enough for us to get by, but we never had a bunch of fancy shit. Never got spoiled. What about your parents?"
Xiomara Rojas Listening to Andi, or was it still both? Crush was confused in that regard, but she listened to them all the same and something in her mind twinged. 'If you have power, you're also responsible to use it the right way.' Those words just stuck, and she couldn't figure out why. For now, she shoved the words to the back of her head, she'd think on that later, and moved on to the question that was asked of her.

"I... don't really talk about them much," she admits quietly, looking down at her hands. "They were good people for the most part, loving, took real good care of the baby that fell from the sky.... a.k.a. me."

Slowly, she shifts her head so she can look at Andi sort of side ways. "They found me in a field at a Burning Man festival, took me in, raised me. They had troubles with drug dealers, owing money, so we... moved a lot, but..." she sighs softly, then drops the onion ring she had just picked up.

"Best memory I got is them playin with me, and teachin me... at home, couldn't go to a real school with havin to move all the time," she finally turns her head the rest of the way. "They got killed five years ago, trouble caught up to em... I wasn't there." The last words are bit out with anger, and her right hand moves like she might punch the roof but she manages to stop herself. She says nothing else, just sits there fuming and grieving at the same time.
Andi Benton Andi Benton got the wording of Spider-Man's thing wrong, but the point is close enough for it to register. A few more fries are snagged, then it's back to the soda. "Thanks for the food and stuff, by the way. And..Burning Man? On one hand, that's pretty badass, a Burning Man baby. But we can't see ever going to something like that and dealing with all the heat and dirt and everything. And there are probably too many hipsters."

However, she grows quiet quickly, her eyebrows scrunching closer together not so much at the talk of moving, but..the last part. "Fuck," is all she says at first, voice dropping lower. The little disembodied Mania head chooses that moment to form over her shoulder, adding in its alien voice, "We are sorry that happened to you, that someone hurt you. If someone ever hurt us like that, we would--"

Andi's hand comes up to cover and cut off her other half, a darker look in her eyes and features. "We don't know what we'd do. We don't like thinking about it. Damn. No wonder you've been on your own."
Xiomara Rojas Crush shrugs, the motion seeming natural and reactionary, something she did all the time in response to emotion. She was getting her anger back in check. Thinking about what happened, talking about it, it was difficult.

"I fell to the planet from space," she comments, trying to use another fact of her past to brush away thinking about the Rojas. "I was wrapped in Obelus." At this she taps the chain wrapped around her waist.

"But yeah..." she shifts her body, standing up to stretch her legs. "I been on my own since then, not used to people actually caring or nothing like that. They were the last."

She really wanted to change the subject, anything to get away from the pain of not being there when the Rojas needed her. Of having thrown a tantrum over the lie she'd discovered when she found out who her father really was.

"So what do you do for fun," she asks. "I mean other than eating."
Andi Benton Andi Benton pokes at a few more fries with the tip of a claw, but even after Mania's cartoony head has faded back into nothingness, she doesn't look quite as hungry as before. "We fell from space, too. Well, our..that is, Mania did. And was taken by a freaky scientist who was running experiments." She eyes the chain, not fully comprehending what makes it more than just a basic chain.

Remaining seated, legs shift so they're still bent at the knees but now more to one side rather than beneath. "We act like we don't care about stuff a lot, but..we do." The same hand is used to gesture, waving at the air briefly. "We know a lot about music, which helps at the job. Sometimes we like to write and draw, too. And go to clubs."
Xiomara Rojas The stretching helped keep Crush from losing it, from letting her anger become rage and with rage the punching. Pacing a little around the blanket she sits back down, her attention once again fully on Andi.

"Ahh, you got artistic talent huh?" She says and a smile spreads across her face. "Writing and drawing... that's way cool... but I gotta ask, which clubs? You sneak in?"
Andi Benton Waving a hand, Andi states, "A little. When you don't hang out with people a lot, you find ways to keep occupied. The smile she sees coaxes a ghost of one out of her. She looks like someone who would benefit from smiling more often, given the general goth/punk attitude. "Oh, we've been to a few. There was one in like this abandoned subway tunnel, and there's one in the Hellfire Club for younger people. We've heard things about that place, but dunno if they're true. You know how it is."
Xiomara Rojas Crush lifts a brow as she says, "Actually no, I don't know how it is. Everything I've done in the past has been on the illegal side of things." She picks up the soda for drink, but pauses to add. "I can't go anywhere without being obvious, and remembered, so I stuck to the seedier side and made sure people knew now to fuck with me."

Now she lifts the bottle to take a drink and sets it back down. "So, I don't go to clubs. Went to a couple of concerts in the past, cause it doesn't matter if someone sees me there. I'm only what," she has to math a moment. "Nineteen, and have no ID of any kind, so clubs are usually out."
Andi Benton Rolling her eyes, Andi points out, "That's what fake IDs are for. Even you could have one. Pretend you're, like, a KISS fan or something. A cosplayer. That's someone who dresses up in costumes of characters they like. You see it all the time at conventions for movies and comics and shit. Anyway."

Up to her feet as well, and she takes to pacing around the rooftop, staying in near proximity to Crush and the blanket. "Concerts are a good way to have some fun," she agrees.
Xiomara Rojas Crush sits there for a moment staring at Andi as she moved around, an expression of mingled emotions; disgust, surprise and confusion. She has issues with pretending, to concealing the nature of who and what she was. Someone once told her she could use flesh colored foundation and simply conceal her white skin and black markings, look human and the mere thought of that upset her. Was pretending to be a fan of some band different?

"How's a half-Czarnian going to have an ID, fake or other wise?" she asks first, snorting a little at the thought. "I mean I'm /clearly/ not from his planet, let alone this country."

Her mind was still turning around the idea of pretending to be a fan. "But uh... if I did have a fake ID," she still didn't believe that possible. "What kind places would we go?" Oh yeah, she said we.

"I don't think I could manage to pretend to be anything other than myself," she adds as an admission. "Not really, though I suppose I... I could try. I just got a thing about being myself, and not trying to change who I am to fit in."