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On the border of Mutant Town and the other village area, Lambert is sitting in a small park. There are a few different people here - poorer humans who cannot afford to live elsewhere, human-like mutants who can mostly pass, and the odd fully mutant child who can play on the swings because you have to be particularly slimy to yell at a kid. Not that it stops everyone, but…well. Nevertheless, Lambert is sitting back in the sun, hands folded on his belly, watching a game of ball on the grass between a bunch of teenagers. He yawns, briefly showing sharp teeth that are quickly hidden, and he looks altogether placid and content.
*
One such ordinary human wanders the sidewalks on her lonesome, a small figure not much bigger than a child with her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. She gazes about the neighborhood as she cautiously walks along, considering how different it is here than where she usually lingers. Cassandra's gaze is wide as she takes in everything, but her expression mute. Guarded might be more accurate.
*
Lambert glances up as Cassandra heads by. She looks a little nervous, perhaps, and Lambert is a friendly fellow, so he gives a casual wave. He looks almost entirely human himself - save that the black pupils of his brown eyes are side-ways oriented, and slot-shaped. He says in an all-American country boy voice "Heya, miss."
*
Mutant Town. Who would've ever thought? New Yorkers, clearly. The crowded neighborhood like its own permanent curios cabinet, there still have to be those who meander near the boarder with the intention of purposefully trying to catch a peek at someone who can't 'pass', as the saying goes. But even Mutant Town has parks, drawing the attention of all types. Eyes flicking back and forth with the telling curiosity of someone not quite local to the place, a red-headed young man seems to be taking advantage of the weather, a bulky jacket bulging on his back. Jay spins slowly on the sidewalk, looking back at a very clearly mutant child hanging from the monkey bars. Still walking backwards, gawking, he doesn't do anything as immediately invasive as trip over the small child-sized woman, but he comes close, brushing past Cassandra. "Mm. S'cuse me. Didn't see ya there, missy." Mistaking her for a child at first glance, the lean in his voice smacks of the south. His attention jumping at the other fellow talking to her, his head whipping back and forth a couple times, flicking a placating smile of apology. "Sorry, that yer sister? Didn't mean t'run into her." It takes him a moment, but he squints at Lambert. Or rather, at his similar accent.
*
Cassandra is surprised just at being addressed, never mind approached by someone so…big. His shadow would enough of an alert for her to maneuver, she's a wary sort. Her gaze flickers between the two of them, brows knitting in slight confusion. Once again, a pair of interesting people making words at her. This is getting to be a pattern. She looks at Lambert, and as if to confirm his meaning she points at herself with a query expression.
*
"Nope," Lambert tells Jay, without rancour - though his eyes are on the wings. Of course they are. As far as passing goes, Lambert pretty much can, at least if he has a pair of dark glasses on. Come to think of it, mutants are of course not the only things out there. He tilts his head a bit, and then explains to Jay "Texan?" Then he says to Cassandra "Yeah, you, that's okay. Just sayin' hi. It's a beautiful day, right?" His eyes half close and he squints into the sunshine contentedly.
*
The red-headed fellow steps back, putting some space between himself and the other two. Breathing room. A quick tap of Jay's tongue against the corner of his mouth in a habitual sign of mild anxity when he notes where Lambert's eyes are glued. "Me? Nah. Less cowboy, more hick. Kentucky. You? Sounds like yer about as far from home." Distracted and a little on the excited side to hear someone with an accent other than Bostonian around here. Recalling himself, there's a twitch and flutter, turning back to Cassandra. "Sorry. I-oh, wow, yeah, yer not related at all, huh?" He looks again between Lambert and Cassandra.
*
Cassandra raises a hand in an approximation of a wave at Lambert, then looks up to the bigger guy when she senses she's being talked about. She'll move to keep out of the bigger person's shadow, keen on not being towered over. That's an easy thing to do when the other person is only about five feet in height. She probably isn't related to many, incidentally, with her asian features. She hmms softly, not really sure what to do with this by her looks. She just regards them in silence, brows remaining knitted as if concentrating as she watches their faces more than anything else.
*
Lambert at least does not look like he wants to move from his seat. He has a fairly cuddly shape - not exactly 'fat' given there is some athleticism there, but definitely 'comfortable'. He says "Oh, but Kentucky is great! My parents are in Texas. But, like, ahha, my dad barely speaks English, so he ain't a cowboy either, right?" He snaps his fingers, and then he says "Er, no - lookit her eyes, and lookit mine, ahaha. Hell, like, I'm Greek and she's Asian, right?" He offers his hand out - for either to take "Lambert Petropoulos."
*
Jay takes another step back when Cassandra takes her space, putting an almost ridiculous amount of distance between the two to carry on any kind of conversation. "Well, no, Ah see that now. She's clearly got some oriental in her somewhere. Didn't see that raht away cause she's so small. They're all real small, though." His attention spins back to Cassandra. "Still, sorry Ah wasn't watchin' m'self, Miss. Ah…you…speak-y English?" Not really sure since she hasn't said a word yet, his brows knitted together in mild concern. A hand is thrust out at them and boy if that isn't just a siren call to his manners. Slow steps stroll toward the Greek-Texan lounging, taking the hand. "Hey. Call m'Jay. Jay Guthrie. Lambert…Pepto, Pepro…Peptipropralis. Sorry. That's a hell of a tongue twister."
*
Cassandra doesn't say anything either, at first. She refuses to touch either of them for any reason, as well. She just looks at his hand, examing it like its a foreign object of some sort. When she sees them exchanging names, she'll blink and take a breath. Introductions. Something she knows, sort of.
Haltingly, she'll say,"Cass…san…dra."
*
Lambert grins. His teeth are pointed, but only at the bottom, and you might miss it if you were not looking tightly "Yeah, I know! Actually, we have the best tongue twisters - , . , !" He rubs the back of his neck "Buuuut I guess that's probably less funny in translation. It's just about mugs and caps. Never mind." As Cassandra speaks, Lambert's expressive eyebrows rise "Oh, hello Cassandra," he says, and then that smile is back again, earnest, and curious. He says "Hey Jay, you live around here?"
*
Lambert is sitting on a park bench on a sunny day, talking cheerily with Jay and Cassandra - though, to be honest, both of them seem a bit more nervous than he does.
*
Cassandra isn't really doing much talking. She doesn't do that, having not much in terms of a way with words. She's just looking at the two of them, and generally being out of place in Mutant Town.
*
The joke passes right over Jay's head, verdant eyes squinting with confusion at Lambert and the comment about tongue twisters. His mind has taken a visible record-skip, trying to pause and figure out what just happened when he barely hears Cassandra speak up. And he's back! Shoulders pulling back, spine straightening, a muted little smile curving his mouth. "Y'found yer voice. Hai Miss Cassie." Immediately picking a diminutive version for her.
The following question shot at him drops that smile and draws Jay's attention back around to the affable Lambert. "Yeah, well…" His lips press into a firm line, shifting his weight slowly to one foot as the obvious looking bulge under his jacket twitches anxiously. Country lean quieting a little bit, "You know. It's, ah guess where we go. So'm told." Smile, frown. Frown, smile. Uncomfortable flickering expressions, he moves on quickly with a pop of his brows upward. "You? Wait…what're you doin' here if yer folks are in Texas?"
*
Jay is standing nearby, looking generally a bit uncomfortable in the little park they've collided at somewhere on the edge of Mutant Town. He's wearing a jacket that's probably getting too warm, clearly some deformity or something on his back making it bulge. Crimson feathers stick out the back, trailing down the back of his legs. Like someone stuck a giant red chicken under his jacket.
*
Kai walks his dog. It's a ridiculous little dog, some kind of shiba-terrier mix, no more than twenty-five pounds, wire-haired, and brown. The dog trots ahead of him, smelling this and that. When the dog spies the trio, he begins to bark. There's nothing too noteworthy about it, he was just barking at a pigeon who couldn't have cared less. Kai glances over, and when he spies a familiar face, he brightens. "Lambert!" he calls and waves his arm in greeting.
*
"Opening a restaurant - New York City is like, more accepting of different types of food than, uhhhh, the place I grew up in. My family didn't really, uhhhhn. Integrate with others, I guess - dad keeps on going on about going back to Athens, but…you know, never mind." Lambert looks thoughtful, head tilted, as he regards Jay's moving backpack "I run the Saganaki restaurant that's just outside Mutant Town. I _love_ cooking, you know?" As he spots Kai, he lifts his hand "Hi!" he calls out to the disreputable creature "Uhhh. Is that a dog? Or like. An overgrown squirrel?"
*
Cassandra is taken somewhat aback by the prospect of a big feathered gent. Is his nickname Foghorn? Her curiosity is piqued as she shamelessly crouches to see if she can get a better vantage under his coat. Is it a cheap pillow in desperate relief from fluffing? She wants to know, and if that vantage fails, she'll maneuver elsewhere to try again but never too close!
*
Food? Jay can find common ground in food! Southern people love food! Jay smiles a little warmer at Lambert when he mentions a restaurant, slowly he begins to nod. Rolling, repetative nods. "Ah can dig it. Ah can dig it. Hey, y'just gotta do what you love sometimes, raght?" Appreciative of that perspective, he seems entirely oblivious as to what Cassandra is doing. She's tiny and quiet, she can get away with that. Feathers. She sees long, streaming feathers shoved up under his coat. Hard to tell… "Saganaki…what's that all about? Sounds like a Buddha-head place." The call from a distance has Jay turning as well, his face scrunching up slightly as he stares at Kai. Clearly, the man's never seen a beatnik before. "Friend-a yers, Bert?"
*
"Haven't figured that out yet," Kai says. He looks down at the dog, who is hiking a leg to leave a message for any dogs that might come along later. Kai draws him along. When the dog gets close enough where these people he's given what-for could touch him, he hides behind Kai's legs and lets out a final bark before cowering. "Who are your friends, Bertie?" Kai says. His accent is English, he's not from around here. He tilts his head as he considers Jay and Cassandra. Then he offers his hand to shake. "I'm Kai, how are you cats doing tonight?"
*
Lambert watches Cassandra curiously - is she being permitted to get away with that? Well, small and cute lets many a ne'er do well do ne'er well. He finds it amusing, from his expression, and then he says to Jay "Yeah! That's right - and what I love is cooking. What do you love?" He adds "Saganaki is a kind of cheese. It's _amazing_ when it's grilled and then eaten with a squeeze of lemon. Salty and perfect. You have it with white wine, and it's a feast of textures, trust me! Aww, man." Wait, Bert and Bertie? Lambert looks a little puzzled at both, but…fair enough "This is Cassandra, and this is Jay," he says "This is Kai, he's a beatnik. He's very stylish. He likes free food." Who doesn't?
*
Cassandra hears her name and rightens up to gaze at the newcomer. This is becoming a crowd, if it isn't already. The silent girl regards the one called a beatnik with dark brown hues from beneath her hoodie. Her gaze is generally unblinking, and her expression mildly stoic at the moment, as she is surrounded by all sorts. She'll peer from him down to the animal accompanying him, stepping cautiously over to get a closer look, always careful to remain out of arm's length.
*
Still trying to figure out what brand of what Kai is, or his dog is, Jay is mutely staring at the man as he strolls closer with the little beastie, head tilted slightly to one side. Still, when he's introduced, the ginger blinks a couple times and his jaw snaps shut behind closed lips. "Kai. That's an int'resting name. An' who doesn't like free food, raght?" He casts a polite smile and takes the offered hand for a firm shake, though his hands are soft. He tips his head forward and murmurs lowly, deadly seriously as he connects his gaze with Kai's big blue eyes. "Ah'm so sorry for yer loss." Again, assumptions fly. "The, ah, accent. It's nahce. Real fancy." His southern lean is thick, though subtly different than Lambert's.
*
Kai offers Cassandra a broad, dimpled smile. As the little dog creeps closer, his tail gives a tentative, almost inquisitive wag. "This is Kevin," he says. "Don't worry, he doesn't bite." He shakes Jay's hand, friendly and firm, and his hands are soft, too, with very little indication they've done any hard work. His brow knits as he's given condolences. "Er, thank you," he says. "That's very kind of you. Are you from the South, cat? You sound groovy." He winks at Lambert. "Any time you need to unload any of that food, just let me know."
*
Loss? Eh? Lambert is confused, but what else is new? He sits on his seat comfortably and listens, swinging his legs a little, and then he looks down at Kevin "He looks like he might die if someone said 'boo'." And then he asks, innocent-like "So how's that person you hang out with that you mentioned? Loki?"
*
Cassandra has hands that couldn't be more different from theirs as one emerges from her pockets to gently reach towards Kevin. Heavily calloused in nearly every way possible, especially the fingers and knuckles, yet those fingers are also comparably long and dextrous. She plainly has little in the way of malice as she attempts scratching the critter.
*
Oblivious to any weirdness over his condolences, Jay gives Kai a small smile, his eyes dropping as he swiftly withdraws and takes a defensive step backward. A swift intake of breath and the young man's back to normal, a lingering melancholy gently brushing the edges of his expression. "Ah, yeah. Yeah. Thanks. Kentucky. Bluegrass, moonshine an' coal. S'what we do. Can be pretty cool. Mostly hot, least in the summer." His smile picks up at his own bad joke. He takes a step to one side, angling more in Lambert's direction but with a pivot to keep the conversation open to the growing group. "Low-key?"
*
Kevin licks Cassandra's offered fingers, then wiggles closer, wagging his tail. Ooh, scratchings! Cassandra is his new best friend. Kai grins and leaves him to it. The grin dims though as he looks to Lambert. "Did I say we hang out? Anyway, if I did, I would say he's fine. A very private person." Hint hint hint! He clears his throat and tells Jay, "Just a hypothetical friend." He glances toward the feathers, but it's only a brief distraction, and he looks back to Jay's face, seemingly unfazed. "I bet I'd melt in the heat. I'm used to cold climates."
*
Lambert tilts his head, watching Cassandra and the tiny dog. He is all kinds of chilled out, and he says "There's some great brewers in Kentucky!" Sure, doing it in your back garden is illegal, but he just skips gaily on past _that_ one. Then he says to Jay "I dunno, some kind of cousin of his. I guess we all have relatives that other people don't understand right? God, I know _I_ do." He looks at the sky, and then he notices that Kai is giving him a grimish sort of look "Haha, calm down. Do I _look_ like the kind of guy who has time for bein' mean over stuff like you being, uhhh, Nordic? I don't have time. No one should have time -" He really is rambling.
*
Cassandra looks up at Kai as she befriends the rascally Kevin, a dubious expression about her as her BS sense tingles. She'll give the friendly mutt another pet and rub before rising to her feet where she looks to each of them in turn, then makes her way along generally in the direction from which she came without a word much like she arrived. Hands in her pockets and wary.
*
"It can get pretty steamy," Jay agrees mildly of the southern heat. "Ain't so bad as, say, Lousianna (loo-see-anna), but get you outa that turtleneck would help, too." The pale man's face brightens marginally, shifting uncomfortably when he notices eyes shift away over his shoulder, and back. A shift back to Lambert, a single verdant eye flashes a wink at the Greek. "Some of the best brewin'. And if there's anythin' folks down south can understand better than brewin', it's flaky kin. It's all groovy. Ah ain't gonna dig up yer flower bed, Kai (kaah)." Cassandra stands up from petting the dog and Jay watches her walk away without a word. "Take it easy?" Bidding her goodbye, confused.
*
Kai smiles broadly at Jay. He gives Cassandra a wave and Kevin, having lost his new best friend, goes nosing around Jay and Lambert's feet. Are they good for scratches too? He wags his tail. These people have shown they probably won't eat him, and it's not hard to win the little dog over. "I might just take off my turtleneck for something pretty steamy," Kai says. He sits beside Lambert and shoulder-nudges him. "We're not related. Same neighborhood, not the same family. I might bring him by for lunch sometime." After all, the Norse god has money, and free food is the best food.
*
"I guess she had to go," says Lambert to Jay, and he nods "Yeah, I work with grapes mainly, myself, but I can make mead too - in Spring or Autumn if the hives have enough honey for me to take. Oh, and melomel - apple and honey wine." He sighs, reminiscing a bit, and then he looks at the little dog, and he offers his fingers to sniff. Lambert does not _smell_ entirely human, but one would need doggy senses. Then he blinks at Kai "Oh! I thought it was like me and my grandfather…I guess I find some of those things a bit confusing, right?" He grins good naturedly "Okay, any time you like!"
*
PHRASING! Luckily, Jay is oblivious to Kai's joke and simply smiles back, taking the comment at face value. Jay tips his head down to look at Kevin, hair scattering along his cheeks in a fringe. "Y'ain't much a dog, huh? Unless yer a gopher-huntin' dog. You good fer that, Kev?" Yes, even the dog gets a nickname. "Gonna go diggin' fer gophers?" He carries on a one-sided conversation with the creature, leaning down stiffly to dangle his hand down near to Kevin's snout after Lambert offers his up for a sniff as well. The pale man with the feathers sticking out the bottom of his jacket cranes his head around to look over at Lambert while he talks more about brewing. A soft smile curves his mouth, reaching his eyes as they peer through the long slices of red hair. "Y'cook. Y'brew. Don't ever meet my mama, or she'll beg you to marry my sister. Sounds like y'all got some big families? Or…just twisty ones?"
*
Kai shakes his head and says to Lambert, "No, it's nothing like that. Just neighbors. And if I bring him by, just be cool, dig me? I know he's far out, but just chill." Kev looks up and wuffs. One ear perks up, the other flops. He sniffs Lambert and sneezes. Then he licks Jay's hand, tail wagging a mile a minute. Kai says, "Oh no, he's thoroughly useless. Except he fetches." He watches the dog with fondness despite declaring him useless. "My family isn't too complicated. Just me, mum and da, and they're far away from New York, which is what makes New York so appealing."
*
"Huge," Lambert says "Six sisters, six brothers." Thirteen kids, apparently. "I got a lot of Aunts and Uncles and cousins, and…yeah. It's a big, loud group. And a twisty one too, I suppose…" His voice drifts a bit there. Fond, but…frustrated, it seems. Then he says to Kai "I don't know how to be cool - I am what I am, you know? This guy called _Namor_ came into my place and _freaked out_ because I served octopus." Served. Not serve. "He broke my ribs. How mad is that." He sighs, and then he says to Kai "I miss my parents, but life is so _complex_ around them!"
*
Kevin gets a heavy-handed ruffle from Jay, flopping his ears all over, clearly used to larger creatures. Jay listens attentively to the pair seated beside one another, quiet, his gaze bouncing back and forth between the two. He's a good listener. Straightening back to his full height with a roll of his shoulders and a shift of the lump under his jacket, there's an amused little smile over Kai's apparent nerves over introducing his friends. "Jus' a buncha vagabonds in the big apple, away from the folks, huh? Wait. Wait-wait-wait. /Broke yer ribs/?" Jay looks shocked and a little put out. "That ain't no reason t'wig out. J'call the fuzz?"
*
Kevin bounces about with the pure and simple joy only a happy dog can express. Jay's fingers get licked, and Kevin's tail wages in a helicopter whirl. "I had to get away from them," Kai explains. "Become my own man. They wouldn't understand me anyway." The typical beatnik sentiment. He clucks is tongue and shakes his head. "Some people blow their top over every little thing, mate. How are you doing now?" He prods at Lambert's ribs. Some friend he is.
*
Lambert says, distractedly "Why don't you just stretch your wings, or tentacles, or whatever? You're gonna get a bad back hiding everything away like that." He waves a hand casually, and then he says "Yeah. I don't think he meant to. He poked me while yelling at me, and my ribs broke. I guess he's like, uhhh. A God or something? They get strong and don't notice when they break weaker things." Thing. Not human. But he laughs at the way the dog bounces around and then he says to Kai "I'm - ow!" Still sore, but a lot better than he was. Lambert bats at Kai's hands "Stop it!" He laughs "Stop it or I'll challenge you to a race."
*
Jay smiles at Kevin, batting at his goofy fuzzy face a couple times as he bounces around, playful, of course. Still, he purses his lips at Lambert when he asks why Jay doesn't just let it all hang out, a frown that doesn't look like it actually belong on his youthful face pressing down on his features. Fair cheeks flush with color that threatens to match his hair. "Be cool, Bert. Ah'd rather just…fly under the radar." His ears are hot, but he still manages to say with automatic kneejerk swiftness, "Well, there's only one God, but the guy sounds like a real bonehead." The blush fading some while he watches the two pick on each other. A fond little smile touching the corners of his mouth as his eyes drop and fall on…sigh. Kevin. The sad excuse for a dog. Jay offers the four-legged ball of energy a frail smile and kneels down to ruffle his head again.
*
Kevin lets out a little growl as he play bows, then bounces around some more before licking Jay's fingers as he quivers with happiness. Kai just grins at the little dog. Who is still a little on the thin side from his recent rescue from the street. "I'll beat you at a race," Kai says. But he does stop poking at the sore ribs. Jay captures his attention, and he tilts his head as he studies the youth. "Do what you gotta do, man, but you need to tune in and realize there's nothing wrong with you, whatever anyone says. Same with you, Lamb Chop. The squares don't want you to know that everyone's kookie."
*
Lambert looks delighted with the flying pun, and then wistful - well, feathers may mean wings, and either way, flying might be fun? Never mind. He admits "I think he just gets excited. Or angry easy! I can't tell. And yeah, there's lots of Gods, at least, you know - Zeus, Hera, all that lot." He ponders to himself "Mostly up to dodgy things like beauty contests you _know_ are going to shit off some all-powerful Goddess." Hmm. Lambert shakes his hea, and he looks up and says to Jay "That dog is pretty funny! I bet he'd love a bit of chicken souvlaki, eh, boy? When you come visit me at my restaurant." Lambert flails a bit, and then he says to Kai "Okay, what about a race over the playground equipment? Hurdle anythin' shoulder height or under, climb anything taller…" He pauses, then he says "I don't hide anythin'. I can't. My eyes are visible easy, right?" He waves two fingers at the side of his head "I can't even see in the dark, or extra far or _anything_ useful. Not into the future. Nothin'. They just look weird."
*
"Lahke goat-eyes," Jay murmurs in addition to what Lambert has to say. Because of course he's seen plenty of goats. "But it's a pretty small thing all things considered, Bert." His attention slides smoothly over to Kai, his smile carrying a maudlin angle to it. "Yer a swell guy t'say so, Kai (Kah), but things ain't always so simple. You wouldn't get it." Assuming again that the guy who looks normal, /is/ normal. He doesn't want to get into an argument over how many gods there are, but he does laugh a little bit when Lambert brings up /mythological figures/. They're real steadfast in bumfuck Kentucky. All the weird things in the world and his world is still about the diameter of a dime. Clearly he hasn't been here for long. Instead, he moves on to the idea of a race and eyeballs the cuddly looking Lambert and beatnik Kai. "You sure you wanna challenge him to a race? Maybe an eatin' contest…or a crossword?"
*
"I wouldn't," Kai agrees. "I've got the luxury of camouflage." He then asides to Lambert, "I'm going to wait til you're feeling better, so when I beat you, we'll know it's while you were at the top of your game." He considers the pair of them. "Do you want to see a trick?" he asks in a low tone. It's something he wouldn't try outdoors except in Mutant Town. Without waiting for an answer, he just starts to glow. Softly at first, and so dim it's hard to notice at first. Even when his glow increases in intensity, it's no match for the ambient sunlight. But. There's glowing. Kevin stops what he's doing, stares at Kai, and then throws back his little doggy head and emits a warbling yodel of a howl.
*
"Nah, he's too smart, he'll beat me in a crossword, like, instant," says Lambert "Unless I can use Greek! But…" He does pat his belly "Yeah, I know, I know. But I used to be a whizz at track and field. Only I'm thinking I probably can't do much against Wall-O-Muscle there. And trust me, he's got muscle. I might have a chance, at least?". He nods "Like goat-eyes. Ugh. They aren't on the sides of my head so _everything_ kind of makes me twitchy in my peripheral vision. Mannn. I don't know, I guess it _isn't_ simple - and easier for me - but I suppose I kind of want to see what you've got in that backpack. And this place?" He gestures to the lizard-child on the swing "What are they gonna judge? And Kai here is cool with it - he's all peace-on-earth." He grins, and then he says "Yeah! I wanna see a trick!". And Kai is glowing? Lambert stares, his odd pupils widening "Whoa! _Dude_!"
*
Jay is clearly waiting for Kai to, like, pull a quarter out of Kevin's ear or something. So when the beatnik starts to /glow/ like a firefly, Jay's eyes go wide, his whole expression opening up with shock and awe. "What…?" Hairs on the back of Jay's neck rise up and the back of his coat lifts in an automatic animal response, stressing the cloth. The fair fellow's mouth falls open into a perfect 'o' of silence for several seconds before he stumbles around his words. "Yer a mutant?" Either that or the second coming.
*
Kai eyes the dog blandly. "Kev," he says. "Kev, you're embarrassing yourself." The dog howls again, his little voice cracking and warbling. "You're not a wolf," Kai tells him. He shakes his head, and the silverblue nimbus shimmers over his skin and in his hair. It brings out the pale flecks in his blue eyes, causing them to glimmer. To Jay, he says, "No, I'm, er, an alien I guess. I was born in London, but my parents aren't from around here." His glow fades away then, and Kevin finishes out a long warble before snorting and digging his hind claws in the sod, kicking up a bit.
*
Lambert says to Jay "Well, ah, they aren't all, like…" Mutants. Because there is so much else out there that is strange, odd, or magical. And at the same time, it feels wrong to say 'not a mutant' all the time, like he cares or…something. Lambert rises, fidgeting, and he frowns, and then smiles at Kevin, before he says to Kai "Oh, well. Man. You're an alien? Wait, an illegal alien, or an alien, alien?" He opens his mouth, closes it, then he says "I heard of a lot of stuff. But not that kind of stuff."
*
Jay's mind stumbles over this revelation, literally having to tip his head forward a little to unstick his tongue to spit out the incredulous word, "Alien." What? "No. No-no-no," The young man waves his hands in front of him mildly, palms out in denial. His accent thicker than pea soup. "/Ah'm/ not from 'round here, dig? /You/…" His eyelids flutter rapidly, trailing off as his gaze dazedly swims toward Lambert. "N'what the heck's that make you? A pod person?" Jay crosses himself, just because, well, he's not really sure what to do. Still shocked. But hey, he's not running. Or howling.
*
Kai smiles, just a small and sad thing, and his gaze drops to the ground. "Yeah, so you cats don't have to feel bad about being far out now." His voice has lost all its oomph, like all his chipper energy dimmed with the moonglow on his skin. "You're not the biggest freak by far." He hops to his feet, and he says, "I should take Kev home. It's about time for his supper. I'll see you cats around."
*
Lambert might be smart enough - or maybe social enough - to put together 'alien' and 'one God' and come up with 'let's not toss Jay into a crazed crisis of faith, hey'?" He looks at the slowly moving hands, and after a moment, he says "I hope not, I don't half love eating peas." He winks at Jay, slowly, and finally he says "Well, the way I figure it, 'alien' isn't like, a real thing. The world is _big_. Real big. It includes the moon, and history, and stuff. So maybe it's just…different. Like my family is different. We're natural, you know? But different. I bet Kai's like that too. He's different. But he's himself. That's pretty cool." He then says to Kai "You can be your own reading light, haha! Oh, well, see you around! Book me for dinner sometime, right?" He touches two fingers to his forehead, and flicks them off.
*
The glow subsides and Jay swallows to unstick his tongue from the roof of his mouth, looking awfully confused still. It he's paled, it's hard to tell with his complexion, but it's definitely a lost puppy trying to do algebra. Slowly, while Kai plans his retreat with Kevin, the southern boy murmurs slowly, "Well…yer…English." Duh. The hamster is running hard. "So. Yer. Just a first gen. But. To earth." Swallow. Yeah. That all hangs together. "I mean…yer…supposed to do that, so, yer not a freak just…an immigrant." He stumbles a little and blinks rapidly. "Bye."
*
"Ah think Ah gotta sit down a spell," Jay murmurs after the fact and takes up the space Kai gave up.
*
Lambert watches Kai leave, and after a moment he says "I don't get why everyone around here is all so apologetic for what they are. I got born like this, and I don't feel like that - I mean, okay, I look the most human of _everyone_ in my family. I don't…well." He puts his hands on his hips and he says "I just think everyone here gets all broken up about stuff. Usually I can untangle them, but not that much, I guess, in the…end." He takes a breath, and he looks at Jay "The glowing was cool, right? I think so. Like your feathers are cool."
*
Jay hears Lambert, sure. He hears him and he nods slowly a few times, but he's a little shaken at the idea of he just met someone who he just described as a 'first generation earthling'. "People get broken up 'bout it because some of us ain't supposed to be like this. Ah wasn't born lahke this." He wets his lips with another habitual swipe while he tries to think through and analyze it. "But. Well. He's how he's supposed t'be. Ah mean…just lahke the little oriental bird runnin' round, she's weird, but she's just that way." Because being a glowing alien is the same as being asian. You're painfully southern, Jay. Wincing at himself, Jay looks out in the direction Kai left in. "Man. Ah acted lahke a real spaz." He heaves a sigh, disappointed for a long moment. "Yeah…" The word itself sounds depressed. "The glowin' was cool." Jay's brows stay pressed together as he looks over at Lambert. "Yer eyes are neato, too. Ah made yer friend split. Ah'm sorry, man."
*
Lambert blinks. What? First he knows about it. His eyebrows raise, and he tilts his head "How does that happen, though? Like…I don't…_huh_. I mean, it isn't like those stories out of Germany, right?" He rubs his chin. Let us not speak of Greece and the War. Lambert colours up a little, and then he laughs, despite himself, at the comparison between Asian and Alien "It's okay - things are new and different, and that's kind of hard to deal with, right? It's okay if you're not used to it. I grew up with it, and that helps, you know?"
*
It's Jay's turn to apparently surprise Lambert. That first question rousing a funny little smile on Jay's lips, making him shrug. "Dunno. I don't know a thang 'bout Germany. Ah just woke up one mornin' and had crazy lumps growin' on me. M'brother just…exploded one day. You know? Y'wake up or somethin' happens and yer body just…" Jay holds his hands out in front of himself and trails off. "Lahke it isn't yers any more." Jay flexes his fingers back. Palms smooth and soft. "So. What're you?" May as well just jump into it, right? Jay looks back over to Lambert, shifting a little on the bench, adjusting himself in an attempt to sit correctly. "Y'said yer the most human lookin' of the bunch, raght?"
*
Lambert says cautiously "What do you mean - your brother exploded? You mean into bits? Everywhere? Or feathers? Because that would be, sort of…well, horrible?" And he _was_ at the scene of a body-part-stealing-Tong-smuggling event earlier in the week. Lambert comes back, sitting down on the bench, and he looks across at Jay "Germany - they experimented on the Jews, right? And the Gypsies, and the Homosexuals. And probably like, even the other Franks because, you know. Evil crazy experimenters gonna experiment." He looks at Jay's hands. His own are just normal. Maybe the odd scar from a slipped kitchen knife "Uhhh. A chef." And then he says, more realistically "Yeah. I got photos at home, but I don't carry them, just in case. My grandfather's a, uhhhh. Olympian being. They tend to seduce humans? A while back he married my grandmother and they had a lot of kids. Then my dad married my mother and came here. I'm just one-quarter. The blood didn't carry."
*
Jay shakes his head and offers the most marginal of kind smiles when Lambert asks if his brother exploded into feathers. "Nah, nah, nah. He just exploded, dig? He was trapped in a cave in an' his body went all kooky survival mode and," Jay balls his hands up, then splays his fingers out. "Exploded. Like a rocket, Ah guess. But he stays in one piece. He looks normal, just eats like a horse an it all gets all pent up and…Boom! Zoom!" Jay shoots a hand off in a random direction through the air. "M'other seven sibs are all normal so far. Just us first three that got all…weird."
The recent history lesson gets a little squint, a faint wrinkle of Jay's nose in distaste, and a nod while he follows. "Well, yeah. But. We been in Kentucky since b'fore the Civil War. We know our kin all the way back and we definitely weren't experimented on by any Krauts." Well that's one possibility down, right? Though, the whole mythological history lesson makes Jay look confused again. "…Olympian? Okay, yeah, yer Greek but Olympians were lahke all those story book characters."
*
Lambert says, all kinds of confused "If he…explodes, how can he be in one piece? Does he…wait. First three? You have like, a brother or sister that does something else? Shouldn't they have feathers, because you have feathers? I don't…get it." Because he expects it to make sense. Lambert glances across at the little kid on the swings. Like he might have thought his mama had scales too. And then he says "Oh! I suppose…huh. I guess I _don't_ get a lot of stuff. You know, I didn't think I was sheltered, but." Lambert runs his chin, and he says "Yeah. My grandfather's a satyr. My dad has horns and hooves. So do my brothers and sisters, but they have just little ones. Maybe their legs are hairier? The aunts and uncles are like, moreso. But my grandfather's horns are these _huge_ curved things, and he can headbutt his way through rock to make caves and stuff. And he has a long tail. He's a lech. I don't know what nonna saw in him."
*
Jay gives Lambert a lopsided little smile that seems to say 'now you get it' because, nope. Mutant powers make no goddamned sense. He shrugs and shakes his head. "My Momma's human. M'daddy was human." He holds up his fingers, counting them off. "M'brother explodes like a rocket and flies 'round. M'sister can /tear her skin off/ and grows new skin made of stuff. And Ah got…" Jay sighs and looks back at the lumps under his jacket. "Well. Ah got a few things. None of 'em are really related. An' all our other sibs are human. Well, so far." Jay winces and knocks on the bench. Knock on wood.
See, Lambert /said/ satyr, but Jay sort of heard something else. Which explains the uncomfortable look of hesitation as Lambert goes on to explain the family features that he and his kin have. "Ah…Ah'm sorry, man, but, yer grandad's a /what/? Cause it sounds like y'just explained t'me that he's the devil."
*
"Okay, the skin stuff is kind of disturbing, dude," says Lambert, and he then decides "I guess that means she'll never get scars! Or something? I don't know, girls are all about girly ointments and stuff to stop wrinkles." He rubs his skin, and then he says "So your brother's like…okay. Yeah, I can't make that stuff make sense in my head." He considers, scrunching his face up, and then he says "…what? No. Satyr. _Faun_. You know, like…" Lambert waves a hand "The worshippers of Dionysis? Ugh. Look, no! They just like…haven't you heard of nymphs and fauns?"
*
Jay shrugs a shoulder, stretching an arm over the back of the park bench so he can sit sideways on it a bit, giving his jacket lump a little more room while he chats with Lambert. "Ah know. But it ain't like none of us chose this, y'know? Ah mean, Ah didn't exactly think it'd be super-groovy to slice m'clothes up fer the rest of my life. It ain't like," He pauses and tries not to look at the lizard kid, lowering his voice some. "It ain't like I got scales all over me, or sweat acid or nothin', but it's still a racket." He tries to put the mythology test stuff to mind, squinting hard at Lambert. He's trying hard. "Fawn. Like a baby deer?" It's when he mentions Dionysis that he perks up a little. "Wait! That's the guy with the grapes, yeah? My sibs begged t'see Fantasia in the theater when it came round, about a half dozen times." Thanks, Disney. It's then that eureka strikes and Jay's red brows fly upward as he reaches out to smack Lambert's shoulder lightly. "Wait, wait. The little, teeny, goat boys that were rollin' him 'round, raght? An' chasin' all the tiny unicorns around an' pervin' on the centaur chicks?" Sure. Everyone remembers the /centaurs/.
*
They sure do. Even if decades later, fans are going to have a real time feeling awkward about the single black centaur who is given donkey-features. Lambert, though, says "I guess not. I just don't _get_ how it works - like my family breeds sheep in Texas, right? You know what's going to happen - you get a good ram, a good ewe, you might get a bit of a surprise with colour? Or a _real_ surprise, if something is weird, but _then_ that ram or ewe's offspring will have whatever the weird bit is and…" He flails with his hands "I guess I don't really. Understand the way I maybe thought I did." And then he suddenly clicks his fingers "Well, sort of, yeah! I think that guy is Silenus, but they are related! And yes, those teeny tiny…goat. Kids. That's what my sibs looked like when I was real little. And yeah, uhhh, the blood gives us bad ideas - like perving on chicks and drinking too much. _But_. We're friendly. I mean, they are." Lambert hesitates "…I don't really rate as either, I guess. Not human, quite, not enough fun stuff to be a satyr. Wait! I can brew!" He pauses "…er, I mean, I would. If it was legal."
*
"Ah know what you mean," Jay says with disappointment in his tone. "Anyone who grew up in breedin' grounds knows y'use the funky ones fer slaughter so they don't pass it along the line. Well. Fer whatever reason, we're all—" He trails off and offers a mirthless little smile to Lambert. "Ah guess Ah'm just lucky nobody can cut m'nuts off or just grind me up fer sausage, s'cuse my language." His gaze falls a hint, eager to move the subject onward, so he focuses more on the oddly more sensible seeming explanation Lambert gives him. "Well, welcome to the club, pal. You an' Kai were just tryin' to tell me, right? Not quite human's where it's at?" An amused slant of his mouth when Lambert claims he totally doesn't brew anything on his own, Jay's eyes shine briefly with unspoken laughter.
*
"Well, like, more we like really cool horns," says Lambert, touching his temples "That's why goats are fun - the females get them too! Curly horns, straight horns, base horns…I guess everyone has horns except for me." He hesitates, for the first time there, and he lowers his hands "Anyway. Not important. I mean, like. You can be a _real man_ and not have horns, right?" Lambert folds his arms, and he glances over on the bench "I'm not sayin' that different is bad. My family is real good to me, even though I'm totally different…" And then Lambert colours, and he looks at the sky "Look, it isn't my fault. If I mix up anything to do with fruit juice or honey or anything with sugar, I kind of make alcohol. And if I start touching food, I kind of end up turning it into a meal. It's part of bein' a satyr. Even if I'm not. You know, a _real_ satyr?" He claps the back of his head.
*
Jay watches the affable young man sitting with him go through those moments of doubt and falls quiet while he listens. Thoughtful. Over horns, no less, but the topic is sort of irrelevant. "Ah don't know a thing about horns 'n' saytrs, or any of that, but if part of bein' a saytr is bein' bitchin' in the kitchen, it sounds like yer just as much satyr as any of 'em." The ginger man offers mildly. "You know how many folks back where Ah'm from would /kill/ t'just stir up a batch of grape juice and have booze? Man. The last guy who walked around doin' that stuff was name Jesus, and everyone loves that guy." A corner of Jay's mouth twitches upward some, propping his elbow up on the bench, he leans his cheek into his fist. "Horns, huh? Mmm…well…you think someone can be a /real man/ if they got a bunch of froo-froo feathers stickin' off 'em?"
*
Lambert cannot help but laugh out loud at the comment about Jesus, and then he says "Well, I reckon any day I get compared to the Great Prophet is pretty good, right?" He shakes his fingers, and he leans back and pops his arms behind his head, as he glances at the odd feather that shows out from Jay's costume "Yeah. W…e." They? "Are supposed to be like, the symbols of cheerful excess. So good, but bad, and food is part of that. And so is alcohol…" And other things, of course. Then he says "Well, you know like - the vast majority of the animal kingdom, it's the bloke's job to be all dancy and sexy and show off for the girl. They paint 'emselves up in bright feathers, and horns, and long fur fluff, and dance and sing. So maybe you're just a bit ahead of the rest?"
*
The smile that Jay casts toward Lambert when he laughs is genuine and lends itself to an easy warmth that is likely a normal part of Jay's natural resting expression, though it's been a little shy so far. It just suits him, though. Like Lambert's cuddlier frame. "Cheerful excess, huh? Yeah," bright eyes squint at Lambert, thoughtful. "Ah can see that. Y'don't even got any blood in yer veins. It's all sweet tea." The idiomatic phrase doesn't even get a second pause from Jay as he scoops a hand through his hair a few times as he takes a glance down at a long red feather that's hanging awkwardly off the bench, vanishing under his jacket. The theory is sound, but something about it visibly upsets Jay. Forcing a small smile, pulled a hint too tight around the corners of his mouth, the young man's voice seems a little thin as well when he responds. "Yeah. Yeah maybe." Jay ducks his head and leans back, then forward, rocking to a standing position, "But, ah, hey, I'm gonna blow. It was a trip to meet you, Bert. What was the name of that restaurant y'all got now?" His movements are tense and eye contact a little more fleeting, but boy is Jay milking that politeness gene.
*
Lambert grins. Once more those slightly sharp teeth. Satyrs eat meat, after all. And then he says "Ahaha! I _love_ sweet tea." Once more, he pats his belly, and he hops up to his feet "Reckon I could maybe beat moonshine in a race, from before. Maybe. Don't figure he's entirely nromal, okay?" He then tilts his head, and he says "Oh, oh, man, didn't mean to make things uncool. Okay! Have a fun afternoon - what do people like Kai say? Groovy afternoon. I'm never going to understand his lingo." He snaps his fingers, and then he says "Come by my place - it's called Saganaki. I'ma gonna give you a free meal on the house, okay? It's just outside Mutant Town. Because we take everyone who don't quite fit - human or mutant. Or satyr." He flicks his fingers "I'ma sleep in the sun here a bit. See you, Jay!"
*
"Sure, he's normal," Jay agrees mildly with a genial shrug of his shoulders. "He's just from outer space. Y'know. Like folks are now'a days." The mutated human smiles gently and bows his head, looking down at his shoes when Lambert apologizes. Forgiveness comes easy to him, so Jay just smiles as he lifts his chin again. Tone still soft and noodly around the edges. "Nah, yer okay. You didn't say anythin', it's all cool. I'll come by some time an' see if you can beat my granny's cookin'. Maybe she had a little saytr in her or somethin'." Phrasing, Jay! "Enjoy yer cheerful excess, Bert. Ah'll see ya 'round." With a pivot on his heels, Jay slides his hands into his pockets and shoves off.