Shine Bright Like a Diamond

[Kevin "Wither" Ford]

January 1st, 2013. Open to All in NYC

"Shoot. It's fucking bright out here."

Georgian Youth had his gloved hands deep in his pocket as he kicked about the confetti that was still left over from last night. His green orbs flashed towards the lights which flickered and shone. He'd only been to New York City once, with his father. They'd done all the touristy stuff, statue of liberty, Ellis island, the Natural History Museum, before they returned home. The thought of his father brought his mouth closed into a frown and his head dipped downwards as he shuffled through the streets. The tourists whipped by the slow walking youth, mixed with locals who were annoyed he wasn't moving fast enough. His eyes closed before opening again so he didn't bump into anyone.

His hair whipped around his head as he stared towards the city. He was standing directly in the middle of Times Square, looking up at the bright lights. He didn't remember everything seeming so...

...small.

[Kitty 'Shadowcat' Pryde]

Blinking, Kitty stared up, taking in the beauty of it all. Sure in the pictures it had all seemed... Cool, but this. This was just... Wow. All of the lights and sounds and the noises were foreign to the girl from that small town in Illinois. Nothing in Deerfeild could ever compare to the scene before herself. Times Square wasn't anything like she could have imagined. No stars shone above, but the lights flashing off of the towering buildings that tore through the stillness of the air made up for it. It was far brighter than any moon or collection of stars.

Taking in a deep breath, Kitty took a few steps back, wanting to center herself among all of insanity buzzing around her. Of course, she didn't bump into the hoards of rather rude locals and nosy tourists, carting around shopping bags and briefcases, no, that was far too complicated. Sure, the hazel-eyed girl had been told not to use her powers out in New York on her trip, but honestly she didn't see how anyone could expect her not to simply pass through all of these people. They were all in her way! The only things between her and the center of it all.

Smile bursting on her pale features, Katherine took a deep breath and allowed her form to re-appear. Hazel orbs flicking around, she ensured that no-one had seen her little circus-act before turning to-

Oof

Stumbling back, Kitty blinked a couple times, attempting to recollect herself. "Whoa, uh, sorry. I hadn't meant to bump into you," She said hurriedly, knowing fairly well that most people around here wouldn't wait for you to apologize. But this guy... He didn't look like he could be too far in age from herself. "Hey, don't I... Don't I know you?" The brunette asked, cocking her head, slightly.

(Sorry for slight god-modding, girl. And I'm going to assume that Kitty bumped into a part of him that was clothed Cx)

[Kevin "Wither" Ford]

Kevin felt the shove and initially brushed it off as just another rude New Yorker in a hurry or some tourist late to a Broadway show. However when the person apologized he whipped around to look, lifting his head slightly as he saw a familiar face. She was a New Mutant. One of Xavier's chosen children on the path to be an X-Man, something Kevin wanted so desperately to be. His hair blowing in the wind, the youth moved his gloved hand through it, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah," he said, "It's okay. It's a good thing you didn't touch me. I'm Kevin. Kevin Ford. They call me Wither. You're Kitty Pryde right? One of Xavier's...eh...New Mutants?"

[Tara Sullivan]

This place is huge.

Tara had thrown on a hoodie sweatshirt for the day, the bottom of her boots surely covered in the confetti debris from the New Year celebration. She hadn't really bothered to look around much at New York City. She was still a Bostonian at heart, and she was a bit reluctant to accept this place as her home. Sure, she was interested in the hero activity she had heard so much about, even going so far as to even check out Gotham on weekends, but even so she wasn't keen on calling this place home. For quite some time, she was just wandering around the city, listening to the jingle of her dog tags with every step she took, ponytail bouncing with each step as well. Not much was going through her mind once she reached Times Square. Bored brunette was bored. Her turquoise hued orbs looked a bit glazed over, her movement almost robotic in nature. Until her ears picked up something that caught her attention.

You're Kitty Pryde right? One of Xavier's...eh...New Mutants?

Tara instantly stopped dead in her tracks. That sounded familiar to her. Xavier's New Mutants. Aquamarine eyes rolled over towards the pair talking. "Kitty Pryde? New Mutants?" Tara repeated to herself in a whisper. Best not to throw herself into the conversation, though she was sure to look awkward standing around like that. She learned pretty quickly that she was likely to be plowed through when standing in the streets, but that's exactly what she did.

That, and listen in on the conversation.

[Kitty 'Shadowcat' Pryde]

Kitty beamed at the boy who called himself Wither. She was awful proud to be in training as a New Mutant and couldn't help but want to flaunt the fact, but, remembering having seen the boy previously, pushed her urge down. The brown-haired girl didn't want to rub the fact in if he was simply a regular student, that would have been awful rude of her. Of course, being a regular student at Xavier's could be pretty cool, too. After all, being there basically meant that you were guaranteed a spot as an X-Man as an adult! And being an X-Man was one of the coolest things next to being one of the superheroes in that new group, what did they call themselves? Something that started with an A... The Avengers, maybe?

Nonetheless, Katherine stuck out her hand, offering it to the boy. "Sure am! You're a student there at Xavier's, right?" She asked, smile painting her pale features. Mutants were to stick together. That was important. "Some call me Shadowca-" Kitty began, only to break off her sentence. There was a girl. Eight o-clock. About four or five paces away. And she was staring.

Kitty could narrowly see the girl out of her pereffrial vision, but it was more than obvious that she was listening in on their conversation. Looking into Kevin's eyes, she blinked once, and ever-so-slightly motioned her head in the direction of the girl. Mutants were to stick together, and if this girl was a threat, she planned to protect Kevin. Or perhaps simply assist him. Either way, the western girl didn't like the way this girl was just standing there. New Yorkers didn't just stand. They rushed. Never stopped moving.

Something had to be up, but she wasn't going to be the one to make the first move.

[Kevin "Wither" Ford]

"Yeah," Kevin said softly, dipping his head forward, hair billowing in the wind. He knew what she was called; Shadowcat. He wasn't a stalker, not even close. Everyone knew about Iceman, Rogue, Colossus, and Shadowcat. They were the X-Men's chosen students. Chosen. Not like him. When he'd approached the school he'd begged to be a part of a training squad but they had said no. He didn't have control over his powers. That had cut him. He'd always wanted to be an X-Man and now? He wasn't even sure he was going to be able to pass calculus without somebody bothering him. He sighed.

He turned his head slightly and paused. There was a girl staring at them. Kevin's self conscious nature flashed on as he sneered. "Hey! What exactly are you staring at?"

[Tara Sullivan]

It was as if it were the apocalypse. A New Yorker did nothing but stand. Oh. Wait. She wasn't a New Yorker. She was a Bostonian stuck in New York. That sounded far better in Tara's mind. She wasn't going to be classified as a native around here. Once she just stopped and stared, she stood out in front of everyone else. Great. Almost instantly, she was noticed. Not being an entirely friendly person, Tara decided to sneer right back at the male.

"Well gee, I don't know, trying to figure out where everything is in this place? That might be a good start for me since I only recently moved to this God-awful place since my mother decided, 'oh, let's move to New York, that will be just splendid,' and now I'm stuck swimming through people. Would you prefer that I took a picture so it could last longer?" Tara wasn't in the best of moods, in case it wasn't obvious enough. Venom dripped in her voice as she spoke. "There's nothing to do here. Can you blame a girl for listening in to something interesting? Apparently so."

[Kevin "Wither" Ford]

Kevin raised his eyebrows at the girl, slightly impressed. Clearly a Boston attitude. Whatever that was. hE turned to Kitty before turning back to Tara. "Thanks for the biography," Kevin said with a smirk, digging his hands deeper in his pocket, "You clearly aren't from here if you think there's nothin' to do. I've only been here a little bit and I know there's stuff to do." Kevin wondered briefly if she'd heard what they were saying. Did she hear the part about Xavier's? About the New Mutants? He blinked his green orbs towards the girl. How would he find out? Might as well keep his mouth shut, it'd be better that way.

"Where'r you headed, miss?" He asked, his Georgian politeness shining through, "Maybe I can help get you there." Might as well be polite. Maybe he'd get the girl to forget about what she heard. Though his mouth stayed in a straight neutral line.

[Tara Sullivan]

Once Kevin kept talking to her, Tara decided it be best if she made her way closer to the pair. This turned the pair into a trio. "Well, obviously I haven't been around here much. New Yorkers aren't exactly the kind of people to just stand around in New York," Tara responded with a shrug. She was probably pushing her luck, but her sour attitude changed ever so slightly once he asked where she was heading. Good question. Where was she going? She was more wandering around the area then trying to get anywhere. Her eyes rolled upwrds in thought, lowering back down to Kevin once she thought up an answer.

"Honestly? I have no idea." It was a simple response, and probably not a good one either. "Maybe it'd be a good idea to just get familiar with the place? I dunno, I just wanted to get out of the house for a bit. Considering all the rumors about 'heroes' and whatnot, I just wanted to get out of the house for a while and see if that's legit."

[Kitty 'Shadowcat' Pryde]

Kitty didn't like her.

The girl had only spoken a matter of, what? A couple sentences and that was more than enough for the New Mutant to decide that she didn't like this girl's attitude. "It's rude to eavesdrop," The brunette stated flatly, looking her over a few times. Sure, everyone was rude in New York, but, for Kitty, it was more than the girl's personality. Back in Deerfield, a girl would practically be shunned for wearing so much makeup! But a small voice in the back of her head made her want to reach up to her own face, for fear that she may not look good enough. It wasn't that she was trying to impress anyone, but standing next to a girl who seems to be doused in eye-liner and eye-shadow while wearing no makeup whatsoever can bring one to become a bit self-conscience.

Blinking, Katherine longed to deter any ideas of heroes, but kept her mouth shut. She knew better than to attempt to put down the fact, especially if this girl had overheard their conversation. It was rarely a good thing for humans to know about Xavier's or even mutants in general, for that matter.

"Well, like he said, we can help you out," The New Mutant insisted, eager for the girl to simply leave. She had already heard too much. "I have money if you need to get a taxi to drive you somewhere," Kitty added, flashing her wallet for the girl. Sure, the money was supposed to be for Kitty to spend on the rest of her vacation, but if she had to give it to this girl, then so be it.

This was just the problem with humans, they wouldn't ever be able to understand. And it was almost sad to say, but the girl almost frightened the mutant. The leverage she would have against the two mutants would be severe if she found out about their powers.

This was why mutants were to stick together.

[Kevin "Wither" Ford]

"Right...heroes...rumors..."

His eyes rose, hands digging deeper in his pockets as he peered quickly towards Kitty who seemed slightly ticked off with the girl. Truth be told, Kevin wasn't her biggest fan either but he figured she just needed some kids her own age to vent to about being picked up and shipped to a strange city. He rolled his eyes, hoping that Kitty's remark wouldn't spark a cat fight between the two girls and turned a plain Southern gentleman smile on the human girl. He assumed she was human.

"City's big," he remarked, "It's easy to get lost. Kitty's right you can hop in a cab. But if you don't know where you're going they'll screw you over."

[Tara Sullivan]

That one remark Kitty uttered threw Tara off. Rude to eavesdrop? Well was it rude to spy? That was essentially what spying was. "If one happened to be a spy for the army, it's a requirement to eavesdrop," Tara off-handedly responded. "Not saying I'm in the army or a spy, just saying it might have some uses later in life." Tara offered a casual shrug and hoped to drop the topic before she became a walking encyclopedia on how everyday actions could be crucial to the army. Once Kitty flashed Tara her wallet, a perplexed look crossed her face. Why would she be taking someone's money when she had her own cash in her wallet? Was it illegal to just wander around aimlessly? Kitty didn't seem like she was from around New York, so maybe she thought Tara needed the cash to get around. "I'm not taking money from you. I have my own cash to get a cab if I need it."

Blue eyes wandered over to Kevin who piped up again. He did have a point. That was partially a reason why Tara was so untrusting of people. They could so easily trick you. Or they could so easily leave you. Those were the main culprits of Tara's distrust for people, mostly the latter. "Yeah, especially in this city where most crime shows take place. I'm not sure I'd like to be getting into a cab today."

[Kitty 'Shadowcat' Pryde]

Kitty raised an eyebrow at Tara's comment on being in the army or being a spy. It made a chill crawl down her spine. What if this girl was a spy? After all, who just off-handed-ly threw around comments about essential spy skills? Taking a nonchalant step back, she allowed her hazel orbs to scan nervously, her gaze lingering on anyone who didn't rush past with the crowd. No-one else seemed suspicious, but... It was never dangerous to be cautious. Or aware. Or wary, for that matter.

Blinking, the mutant refocused on Tara. "City where the most crime shows take place?" She repeated, almost as if she was asking if she had heard Tara right. "You realize we're in New York, not Gotham, right?" She asked, forcing a bit of a lighter, joking tone into her question. No need to make enemies, despite how this girl wasn't Kitty's favourite person. She could think of worse people. "But you're right. It can be dangerous to just hop into a random cab," Katherine confirmed, growing serious once more.

[Tara Sullivan]

Tara couldn't help but see how nervous this girl was. She wasn't that intimidating, was she? She wasn't running around screaming like a maniac. She had no weapons, unless you counted her fists and feet. She was a rather normal person in terms of appearance and abilities. The teen avoided mentioning the other female's demeanor and instead addressed her comment. She smirked a bit at that, letting out a light chuckle.

"Touche," Tara responded, smirk gradually turning into a legitimate smile. "Yeah, I think I'd be dead before taking a cab in Gotham. Or mugged. I doubt anything good would happen to me there unless I'm going on a day where I'm extra cautious." Her smile didn't last long when Kitty got back into being serious, her own expression becoming serious. "Yeah. That's why I'm hoping to get my own car soon, but for now I'll deal with walking."

[Kevin "Wither" Ford]

Kevin laughed along with the girl, hoping to put her at ease. He tossed his hair out of his eyes before speaking again to the girl. "Yeah," he said, "I haven't stepped foot inside Gotham exactly. Xa-uh...my...I'm not allowed to." Kevin shut his eyes softly before opening the green orbs and tilting his head down slightly.

"I don't...wanna be 'that guy' or, y'know, a creeper. But it's mad cold out here, so...does anyone want to go inside and get some coffee at Starbucks or something?" He was frozen and being quite polite. He also was lazy and didn't feel like getting on the Metro North to Westchester just yet.