Vadels and visitors (Breakdown/Disque)

[breakdown]

He stood upon the building's edge and looked down, a smile on his face beneath his mask. He felt the wind rushing and pulling at his clothes, his hood flapping against his head as he looked down upon the people. They looked so small, so insignificant from up here and truth me so many were. They had such potential and wasted it on the same greed, same petty desires, same stupidity the had infected so much of the world. He closed his eyes and for a moment could see it then. See the world he was making as the warm sun fell upon him. Could see the skyscrapers laying shattered upon the ground overgrown with grass and trees. People picking up pieces of stone to build walls for their neighbor's houses. Picking up scrap from cars to melt down for tools, Could hear the children laugh as a story teller told them of when man was so small... so very small. He opened his eyes and fell forward to hope fully open just one person's eyes.

The fall lasted but a moment for Breakdown was not an idiot, ropes tied to his waist went taut and stopped his fall at the perfect height, his canvas before his and his twin brushes at hand. His empty hand opened and then closed with but two fingers extended as something enveloped it, a dark light misting over a motor cross glove. The light moving over the fingers like something alive, something so hungry. He plunged the hand into the side of the building. The mere brick disintegrating before his power. His right hand held a can of spray pain. The cap already popped up and shook he began to spray with his right hand and carve with his left. Moving back and forth across the building as the ropes allowed.

Below people pointed up at the red hooded figure as he worked. Watching dust drift down from the building and a message began to be created in three dimensions upon the old building. Breakdown grinned at his audience. People were seeing it, and the building owners couldn't just cover this with paint. That was the reason for the carving, the three dimensional graffiti would take weeks if not longer to repair and those who stopped in this part of town would find their eyes driven up to it even more as they sought to repair it. A boyish laugh echoed from Breakdown over the cityscape. This was indeed where he felt the most at home and already a word was completed in just under a minute through he would have to add the next level of color.

[Dominique McGregor]

There were only a few people inside the restaurant which was strange since it was lunch rush time. Mixing up a chocolate shake for one of the customers at the seating set up like a bar though they didn't sell booze, Dominique McGregor couldn't help but worry a bit on the inside. Something bad might be happening but she couldn't do a thing to help considering she needed this money. Frowning a bit at the machine and ice cream, almost in a bit of a trance, she flipped the off switch and hoped it was just something simple and no one was getting hurt. Ok ok now wasn't the time to get down! Swirling her finished chocolate shake she nodded in approval at the consistency and figured it was good that they had business and now was the time to focus on being a good waitress! Cash tips went right to her pocket and more money was excellent news to her chances of survival!

Making quick work to get it in the fancy little glass that was rather retro in design since this place was designed to look like one of 1940's diners. They even had an old jukebox in mint condition...the musical alien LOVED that thing! It was her favorite piece in here since it went to show how much humans not only liked music but their variety too! Anyway, she was just about to get the maraschino cherry buuuut "MCGREGOR!" Fumbling with the metal cup that held the left overs from the shake, she grasped onto it looking both shocked AND relieved....if that dropped...her tip was SURE to go out the window! "Yes, Mr. Howard...?" Keeping her tone low so that the customer wouldn't hear it, she set the metal cup with left overs on the counter along with the shake in it's vintage glass.

"There's some hooligan, you usually deal with those pretty well. It's making the BAD kind of commotion, the kind that's not good for business. So go do whatever it is you do to make the situation better and bring some business in here." Batting her lashes a couple of times, she held up a finger to her boss as though to say `One moment!` then offered up a polite smile. Grasping onto the cups, she spun on her heel "Order up!" Sliding it down to the customer, he managed to catch it and she gave him a delightful thumbs up for a sweet catch. Going over to the back, figuring the other waiters and waitresses could handle the small crowd and pick up where she was gonna leave off....Dominique sporting her work uniform which was a puffy sleeved red dress with white and pink pinstripes upon it.

The trim was white like the apron tied into a neat bow along with the hat in her black hair with silvery white highlights finished off in fading pitch white tips. That boss of her's sure looked frantic....as if whatever it was is really bad. That was fine and dandy! This alien with a human appearance was going to handle it for him! "Before I get my guitar and go out there, can you promise me two free menu choices and a drink? I only have energy bars and haven't had any real food in a while...so that would be a nice thank you..." "If you pull this off, fine...just...deal with the kid!"

Grinning a bit, she knew for sure what she was going to do! ORDER FRIES. But for now, she adjusted her name tag and went to the girl's employee locker room. Opening up her combination lock and pulling the door to reveal her guitar. Plucking it out and swinging the strap over her shoulders, it had little demon wings sticking out from the sides and the top parts looked like horns. That and there was a evil little face on it, plus the color was a marbled red and pink color. Never knew if she was going to need it! In fact, if whoever was being a `Hooligan` happened to be violent, she had no qualms about laying the smack down with her guitar!

Casually walking on by the boss as though she hadn't a care in the world, carefully strumming and adjusting the tune with a smile....it was time to play the role of negotiator! "Hurry!" Nodding, just to make him feel better, she picked up her pace and rushed toward where the man aiding in her survival. Jogging along with the electric guitar, she playfully strummed some beats fit for running. When she got there the girl with one too many jobs stopped and joined by staring at the wall for a moment....it...was....three dimensional? "Now that's a creative twist...." People stood there in awe just WATCHING....and she shook her head for a moment to snap out of it and shifted her fingers over the cords in time to play a tune matching the boy's motions and the picture in its entirety. A bit of a rock ballad with some rebellious, punk twists to the melody she was strumming out, keeping an eye on everything and spoke up with a bit of her background music still going.

How in the world were those melodies as loud as they were?! It almost seemed like a stereo system was in charge for her crystal clear tunes. Truth be told, the girl had concealed stereos embedded in her back yet it almost sounded like surround sound. "Hey! Laughing artist, hate to cut your little show short, but I need to have a word with you...nothing getting you in trouble, promise!" Keeping her tone a bit upbeat and plenty optimistic with obvious traces of a good nature, she continued strumming a few notes....juuuuuust in case things got violent. It was OBVIOUS so very OBVIOUS to her that it was possible for him to use that for more than wall art....on top of that, she did this thing called not taking any chances. Looking over to their peers, it seemed almost like they were kinda stoked to have music with a FREEEEEEE art show.

How often did people make 3-D graffiti while another person played music to it? Not often! Glancing toward the crowd for a moment, one of them was holding up a lighter and waving it like they were at some kind of weird rock art show. Letting out a soft chuckle at that, her only visible pitch black optic seemed to glisten with delight. In a way, a strange, twisted sort of harmony was happening in this very moment. A very small step in the larger scheme of things, but progression all the same! Then an idea dawned on her....offer free food....who DIDN'T like free food?! Turning her attention to the vandal, that's when she spoke up yet again,"You can even have a meal at the diner while we talk, sound good?"

Plus! This area wasn't easy for cops to get through to which meant if she could convert spectators to costumers....cha-ching! More money for her diner boss to pay her with! Oh how the plan was starting to formulate in her head....but she had to make the main attraction stop what he was doing first and foremost! Admittedly...a part of her couldn't help but feel like what he was working on had an important story to tell....even though she knew it was gonna get covered up in some way....this place wasn't the ghetto after all!

[breakdown]

Breakdown loved his work, loved rearranging the cityscape to tell a story, to bring a single spark of intelligence into a life, to give them the courage to ask just one question of their humdrum existence. Plus there was so much more to this simplest of tasks. From start to finish it was an art. Figuring out access points, escape points, what to make, what colors to do. He rehearsed it a thousand times in his head and now he felt the humming in his brain as he worked. The familiar pulsing of his heart to his motions. He didn't even notice the music. It slipped in so perfectly, so unquestionably right he didn't even slow down for it. If anything he speed up. It wasn't till the booming accompanying voice called up to him he paused to look and saw where the music was coming from. He stopped for a moment. He had no choice... it was not everyday someone wearing a waitress uniform from the 70s playing a devil themed guitar tried to get your attention.

Breakdown hung in his makeshift harness and looked at her for a bit and looked back at the wall. It was mostly done but... part of him loathed to leave in incomplete. To not finish what he started but on the other hand... the perfect guitar solo to go with his art. The... outfit... the paint job on the guitar. What if she decided to come up here if he ignored her... or worse what if she decided to go away? He couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't let that happen. He ran one final run under his work, the last of the black can sprayed out to under line his work. It wasn't quite what he was going to do but perhaps the incompleteness, the roughness... perhaps it was even better this way.

He tossed the can atop the roof as his empty hand lashed out at the ropes holding him to the building. They rotted in the instant his power touched them and he plummeted towards the ground. He pulsed his power straight down, a tear in natural law hitting the ground ahead of him as he spread out his body and turning so he hit back first, so his body hit after the endless appetite that was entropy and sure enough that section of pavement sunk a bit and puff up in a cloud when he hit. Dust finer then sand, so fine it was almost a liquid had been created by his power and with practice ease Breakdown pulled himself out of the dust filled hole. He stood and spread his arms in a practiced pose a slight ta-dah for his entrance to ground level and he looked over his shoulder critically at his art. A three dimensional mark on the building. One word.

QUESTION

It worked and as Breakdown dusted himself off utterly ignoring the crowd who snapped pictures with phones and cameras he looked to the guitarist and regarded her with interest.

"A guitar solo to go along with my efforts to free the feeble minded slaves to greed... AND something to eat? How could I refuse your offer. By the way I am called Breakdown. I hope you have heard of me. If not..."

His voice seemed to echo then, a slight reverberation that seemed alien to his lips.

[shadow=red,left,300]^"Yo_{u w}ill."[/shadow]

As soon as it arrive it vanished and he was pulling off what remained of the harness as he walked to the 'waitress'.

"Would a nice cheeseburger be out of the question? A large one? I forgot to eat today and would rather not have my insides try to devour themselves again. It is an unpleasant experience."

[Dominique McGregor]

For a moment, it just looked like he was wrapped up in his work as though he would be too busy to hear her out. If this effort was fruitless, there were other plans and methods to work with. The girl had a job and if she wanted to keep it then this task had to be completed to satisfactory levels that involved FREE FOOD! Especially fries! THEN A TURN OF EVENTS! He looked over when she interrupted her own song but trying to verbally get his attention. Did this plan work?

Did it REALLY work?! But....then...his attention....went right on back to his work. DAMN IT ALL! Couldn't he make this easy for her? Continuing to lightly strum away on her demon buddy guitar, this alien waitress' brain began to wonder what oh what to do now. Oh! But he just seemed to be finishing off the final touches on his three dimensional wall art and dropped right on down! SUCCESS?! ....wait....the dust....though she maintained her upbeat composure on the outside and gradually lowered the volume a bit to sound like she was playing a song out of a loud, portable speaker...something about that dust didn't settle well with her.

Despite that being like an obvious pun of sorts, she could have sworn someone on her home planet mentioned something dangerous. However, she wasn't one to always listen to the professors there since she was busy with her own matters back then. Leaning a bit forward, she was about to ask if he was alright, buuuuut before she could he crawled right on out of his hole. With a sense of relief for a moment, she couldn't help but blurt out, "Aaaand the artist is alright, folks!" Grinning a bit, she shred away at her guitar to give it a finale touch causing the volume to raise a bit. Winking to the crowd and twisting in a short twirl, it was followed by firework-like sparks of gold and silvery hues that looked as though it was accenting it all. Stopping in place, she held up her hand as the last portion of the note played out its tune while the mouth of her guitar spewed out sparks that rightfully belonged on a rock band's stage.

That's right, she made damn sure to make it look like the guitar was made to do that. Hook line and....SUCKER EM' ALL IN TO BUY MORE OF WHEREVER SHE WAS WORKING! Flinging the guitar so it would swing over her shoulder and rest on her back, she turned her attention right on back to the graffiti guy in the nick of time! Though....he kind of sort of didn't seem to be paying attention toward his adoring public. Normally, she'd offer a handshake...but...his hands burned through ropes....so that was just not going to happen. From what he said though....HER TECHNIQUE OF THE DAY WORKED! Resisting the urge to fist pump at all this success going on, she crossed her arms over her chest keeping up with her good mood composure.

Breakdown....Breakdown....she hadn't heard of anyone going around by that name. Too busy working to focus on much else. WOAH...did he just sound like an ALIEN?! This Breakdown guy seemed like a normal meta or mutant...not a fellow alien! ...he wasn't trying to hide it either. WELL SHE COULDN'T TAKE THAT RISK! For just a moment, she looked a little surprised, but snapped back to being casually upbeat. A large burger...that was far from a problem for their diner!

It wouldn't hurt to share half of the food offer....those fries were still as good as hers! Everyone just won! Plus, she sympathized with a lack of food issue. Even though she made PLENTY of money....it wasn't like McGregor over her could spend much considering that was securing her whole getting some sort of cure. A risk of lacking payment wasn't one she could take. "Breakdown, huh? I just heard of you now, but don't take that the wrong way. I work non-stop 'round the clock! As for me, my name tag says it all, Dominique McGregor."

Chuckling a bit as though she made a very ironic joke, she motioned for him and anyone else to follow along on her trip to the diner. "A big burger at Tim's Diner is never out of the question! Especially when your organs want to eat each other...." Humming along as she walked around to the secondary public entrance which was a little more concealed than the main one. Some people took a break from enjoying the QUESTION graffiti scenery and joined the musical pied piper of a waitress on her little journey through the back entrance. Motioning them to the dining area, her boss Mr. Howard who was eagerly waiting had his jaw dropped as if to silently say `OH HOLY CRAP.....` since she did as she was requested. "Is it alright if I have my break now?" "...h-how about you just....take the day off....paid....?"

The guy was in shock and so was she...normally she didn't get this kinda reaction from him. Maybe he knew more about her new guest than she did? "Sweet! That's even better!" "Uh....huh....you have a nice day now and thanks again, McGregor...." Strolling on over to one of the booths away from the windows, she figured it was best to hide the fact that a `vandalizing hooligan` was in there. Taking off the guitar to place it next to before having a seat, she plucked up one of the menus from behind the condiments. Plopping it in the spot across of her, she already knew what she wanted to order so looking at the menu wasn't necessary.

Plus she knew the whole friggin' thing by heart!

[breakdown]

Breakdown was impressed without a doubt. Even his landing, his exit from the hole. She had incorporated it all in her playing without missing a beat. He wished he could say his heart beat faster with music it would be a lie. Sure he imagined his heart was beating faster sometimes and despite the lack of memories he knew what the rhythm of his heart SHOULD be so he could rock to it so to speak but truthfully he was literally heartless. The Creature merged with his body acting like a heart for him but it wasn't a heart any more then a circle was a square. Rather then a beat in the quiet of the night he could feel a hum in his chest. The hum of his 'heart'. It had led to many a night of insomnia early on but he had gotten mostly almost completely over it.

He graciously followed the woman into the diner some people following her and him as well. He didn't know why they were following... well he did actually. Some enjoyed a good show and hoped for more. Others had a fascination with the 'deviants'. Perhaps some were hoping for a story to tell someone tomorrow... but they didn't know that they would have a story to tell someday. They would be able to tell someone how it all began. Breakdown was pleased by this so he didn't object to their presence rather he basted in the looks they gave him. Subtly of course. He tried not to give the appearance of caring. He didn't want them to turn him into another fad, another thing to slap on a lunch box, thermos combo. But for now he could enjoy it for this was just the beginning and sadly Breakdown knew that many of them die before the end was reached... perhaps all of them. Causalities of war and all that.

Oh he didn't plan to kill them but few would have the tenacity, the strength of will to survive the coming storm. The fat business man with the cell phone to his ear Breakdown know would be too weak, too slow. He would bleed well through... and perhaps his death would inspire a hero. The woman to his left whose blond hair sparkled in the sunlight... her death would probably be slow... and beyond horrible. He felt for her. She was truly beautiful but perfect beauty could not survive the end of society as they knew it. But something good would emerge from her death, from every death. He saw it when he closed his eyes to feel grass beneath his boots for a second, to feel the scattering of broken pavement. He smiled and entered the restaurant and as she talked to what was obviously her boss he ducked into a bathroom while no one was looking.

Breakdown entered and in less then a minute exited and sat at the booth. The edge of the sleeve of his hoodie hanging out his backpack, the ropes shoved deep inside. Instead of a vandal a man in a white t-shirt sat at the booth. The white t-shirt was old and very worn, stains repeatedly scrubbed out. His black jeans coming apart at the knees, his black shades were pointy and jutting out past the sides of his head. They were all hard angles and points and looked like he should be talking with one hand well over his head in a dramatic fashion. His short cut red brown hair was spiked up from using the bathroom sink to get rid of the 'hoodie hair'. He attracted a bit of attention with a face that was pleasant and his shades on indoors but most were looking around wondering where the 'vandal' had gone or talking about the message. Breakdown picked up a menu and in an instant had his eyes fixed on a cheeseburger. Lowering the menu with a smile he rested his chin on his hands and asked.

"So tell me... what do you want me to call you first of all? Dominique? Calling you Dom would send weird vibes, Nicky seems not bad. Dommy is out of the question and somehow I doubt you want me to call you Que. Or is this too early to be calling you nicknames? By the way. In here... it's okay if you call me... "

Breakdown's eyes went to his backpack as he took it off and placed it next to him in the booth. He frowned in thought for a moment and then decided as he looked at the sleeve to his hidden hoodie which he shoved farther into the bag.

"Arc. You can call me Arc... and no that is totally not my real name my real name... or what was my real name doesn't exist anymore."

[Dominique McGregor]

Soon after she plopped the menu across her, the phone in her apron's pocket next to the note book was buzzing away. Plucking it out of its cloth jail, she looked at the screen and swiveled the screen upward while crossing her legs. A simple message from her manager reminding Dominique to be on time for a gig at some party as DJ ToxiqueJam...keeping up with a steady cash flow was a real pain in the ass sometimes. At least she rarely had to interact with party members personally, they got under her skin at times even though she loved being a disc jockey. Letting out a little sigh while putting her phone back in the pockety time-out zone....some, as Zilla would call, shabby looking fellow with a bag sat opposite of her. Blinking a couple of times with a slight frown on her lips, she wondered if the hooligan, as Mr. Howard so eloquently put it repeatedly, just up and ditched. Worked either way...she got the goal of bringing in business and that was the important part to keep her job.

....wait a clock ticking second! Dominique's gaze followed his bag....it contained a familiar article of clothing and Mr. Pointy Shades over here had a voice similar to Breakdown's. Same person...or...whatever he was? Eeeeh she thought it was safe to assume so. Though she wasn't sure if he was doing some sort of grunge fashion or if his budget was so low he had no choice BUT to pull off that look. ANYWAY! That train of thought was absolutely derailed when he asked what he should be calling her.

Wasn't an Earth first name or last name what she'd been getting called by her peers? Customers and co-workers called her Dominique or McGregor....as with most of her employers. With a half smile, she let out a nervous little chuckle and didn't really know how to answer it in that very moment. Dom did sound kind of weird....probably because he said it was, then Nicky sounded tolerable if that's what he wanted to dub her in his presence, Dommy reminded her of the time she had to try making pizzas, then Que made her plain old wonder if maybe she was obsessed with playing on name spellings with that ending? ...nah! Not at all! Though she put her hands over her mouth thinking maybe she was rude for letting out a nervous fit of laughter. "Huh?" Is all she managed to let weasel out of her mouth when he said it'd be okay to call him Arc.

....that was definitely different from the name Breakdown. Good cover! Lowering her hands, resting her fingertips upon her chin, she let a small smile sneak its way across her lips as she spoke, "Arc, huh? Well....to be honest, Arc, I don't normally get nicknames so I wouldn't know if it's too soon to even get one of my own...y'know? It's usually just getting called Dominique or McGregor. " Pausing for a moment as she lightly shrugged and brightened up her smile a notch, Dominique proceeded on with her merry little continuation!

"If you prefer to call me Nicky than either of those though, it's fine...really!" Lowering her hands to the table, she side glanced over to the other people being served and noticed her co-workers had their hands full. Even though she wasn't on the clock, it'd be fine for her to be a good helper! Uncrossing her legs and scooting on out of the seat as she plucked out the handy dandy notebook. Standing upright, she spoke in a casual sense, though there was a small hint of kind professionalism behind it all. "Anyway, I promised you food while we had a little chat! Sooo I'll get my end of the bargain going now...are you ready to order or should I give you a bit more time while I get us some water? ....unless you want something other than water which is cool with me too, I wouldn't mind one bit."

Whipping out a pen, she twirled it around her fingers like a makeshift drumstick while waiting to see if he made up his mind or not. Might as well place their order early on! "Though water's a necessity, it gets kinda boring after a while so it's understandable to wanna mix it up a little or a lot." Giving off a half shrug to accompany that little comment, she just patiently stood there still twirling the pen between her fingers.

[breakdown]

'Arc' smiled and snapped his fingers on both hands.

"If you never had a nickname then I will call you Tesla.... Cause you have Nic in your name, and I could call you Nicky and that makes me thing of Nicoli Tesla and you sure have a spark to you... so Tesla."

He spoke as if all this was the most natural thing in the world and all this was settled and to the... interesting mind of the person before her it was through natural was not the best word to describe him anymore. Not with his blood hissing through his veins without touching anything humanity would recognize as a heart. Not with what was wrapped around his organs or grew out his armpits into his arms.

"Hmmm water sounds fine. A cool glass of good old H20 sounds good after that climb. I try not to drink too much soda tends to amp me up a bit. As long as I get a big ol burger I will be pretty happy. You think I would remember to eat before tagging a wall but... I got so caught up in planning the art I sometimes forget things... like socks... one time my underpants."

He waved his hand before his face dismissing the memory to the cutting room floor of his mind.

"So tell me, what you did with the guitar was pretty spiffy. The fireworks show, the fact your music reached me all the way at the top of the building without distorting the sound... the fact your guitar doesn't have slots for fireworks to go out of... tell you what I'll make you a deal that you can not beat."

He patted his chest where his little 'friend' was and snapped his fingers letting a little bit of darkness flare, just a...'spark' of darkness. Something easily put off as a trick of the light.

"I'll trade you secret for secret. Normally I wouldn't make this deal but you are by far the most interesting person I have met all day Tesla. What do you say. Do we have a deal?"

He held out his hand across the table holding out for a handshake. He spoke at her hesitation.

"Don't worry. I can't 'dust' you by accident. My powers are active use not passive."

[Dominique McGregor]

A little surprised at the double snap thing going on, she stood there still twirling her pen but...blinked in confusion at the notion of how he got even more creative with this whole nicknaming business. Tesla sounded pretty neat and she did hear of the human he was talking about during her short stay in the school she attended here on Earth. Smiling a bit at the fact that Arc seemed to not only be thoughtful in giving her some sort of nickname, but also what appeared to be a compliment. Sure, people were nice to her, but she wasn't always certain if it was wise to go about making friends and he really seemed to be treating her less like an acquaintance and more like a pal. The change of pace was pretty nice, but knowing her possible time to live was unpredictable made the alien a little wary. Getting her brain back on a positive track and trying not to focus on the negative...she could very well be making a friend at some point before she died! Though that smile remained...in a short moment...she took a moment to hear some weird melodies in the air which struck her as...again...alien.

All coming from this guy who visually looked normal...a song of a different kind of heart. There wasn't a lot of commotion from the diner and earlier, there was quite a bit of noise from letting her listen to it in depth like at this very point of time. Of course, she stopped delving into it as much when she took a moment to listen to his words about the order thing. Giving him a slight nod as she jotted down how he'd have water, when she listened to his answer about soda she couldn't help but let out a little snicker. Whether it was intentional or not, she got a bit of musical humor from the whole getting amped up on soda bit. That didn't stop her from writing his request though! Adding on ``BIG burger, BIG basket of fries``, the cooks knew when this girl wrote BIG, it meant LITERALLY and her request would be filled.

Of course...when he talked about his little mishap...she could NOT contain her amusement and grinned before starting to laugh at the thought rather than getting REALLY confused for a change. SOMEONE forgetting such important things in typical humanoid behavior?! This guy was HILARIOUS and didn't even need to try! Of course she stopped when the grip upon her pen was lost and it FLEW into her guitar. WHOOPS....! Ceasing her chuckle frenzy, she widened her eyes and popped her hand over her mouth just before she dropped the notebook onto the table. THAT was something to grab later! Sliding herself back into the seat, she kept listening and was CAREFULLY trying to get her writing tool of the day out from its freakish entanglement.

Almost like a surgeon, she really didn't want to ruin the strings and have to replace them or something. It wasn't that hard to do at all, but that wasn't something she'd want to do if it could be avoided. Pulling out the pen with a slight smirk...it then sunk in as to what he was picking up on. Normally people just dismissed it like Jimmy Hendricks having some epic skills and not question it much further while there were a select few who thought there was more to it than just that. As if he was part of this small percentage that could see past a magician's magic knowing there's more to what meets the eye. Almost feeling cornered, Dominique remembered the conversations she had with ``AG`` or ``Mindfang``....there were those out there willing to help her if she could find them and they'd buy her time. All of them were a far cry from normal and this guy almost seemed to fit such a potential bill.

Part of her was actually pretty damn scared of what could happen if he TRULY put things together...it was strange....really strange for someone...anyone....to offer making a deal based on a deep level of trust so soon. On the outside, she looked a little on the confident side with a slight grin...but on the inside absolutely shaken to the core which she hid well from building a metaphorical wall around her heart. Show someone you're worried and they could use that...it was something one of her many bosses taught her. ``Don't lie, but don't wear your heart on your sleeve either. This world will rip it off faster than the beat it gives.`` The girl's dad taught her that...but she didn't want to become bitter and cold in the process...interesting advice though and probably helpful. Looking a little more serious but still calm by a few notches, she swiped up her note book and....soooooo didn't plan on shaking this guy's hand after that little flicker of peculiar light around the fingers which gave off a quick little snap. Arc called her interesting but was this a trap?

AG claimed there were times everyone had to take risks and she was no exception to this rule. Staring at his hand while putting the pen to hide in the safety of her apron's pocket. Maybe it was about time she took a little leap and tried to trust more people....the worst that could happen is he turns out to be a liar or just a real big jerk, makes her hand into dust and sends some people interested in observing aliens like herself to death after her. Ruining not only a chance to live longer but to have a somewhat happy life...take the leap...or don't...staring at his hand for a moment...her composure seemed to melt a little. The smirk transitioned to nearly non-existent...then her eyes seemed to indicate a bit of concern. A knife to the back or not...time to find out. Bringing up her hand, she suddenly gained a bit more confidence and had a somewhat playful grin as she whipped her hand over and grasped onto his hand.

Not like it was crushing, but firm and gave off the `IT'S A DEAL!` message. Besides! Ms. Chao told her to NEVER let a good deal slip by! "Alright, I'll take this little deal of yours! I already know a couple things about you so maybe I should go ahead and tell my secret before you tell me your OTHER big ol' secret. That's only fair, or at least I think so.......so here we go!" Releasing his hand after saying those words with an upbeat nature in her tone, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath and exhaled before reopening her eyes. Rhythmically tapping on the table for that short moment, she gently gripped the table's edge and slightly smiled as though to try and keep positive about her carefully selected words. However, the volume was kept so he could hear it and possible passer by sorts couldn't decipher it.

"I'm linked n' tuned with music as if it is its own element and can do lots of things linked to melodies and the things made to create em'. You can easily say I'm not normal because that would be such a huge lie, but I'm kinda...sorta...a living ticking time bomb trying to defuse itself. Singing my own song in a short span of time while hoping the big bang of a finale won't take me away before I can change my song to something better. Aaaand I gotta say, as a quick little p.s sorta thing, I like the nickname you gave me! It's pretty cool and creative! Anyway, I cooooould tell you more about myself, but I think it's your turn now!" Lightly tilting her head to the side she smiled a bit more as if to say `I'm listening!` since she figured it was rude to just bolt off after he made a deal like this.

Plus the information she released wasn't exposing anything hinting off she was quite literally out of this world and not some sort of Earthling. There were things called metahumans and mutants, so SWEET LOOP HOLE POTENTIAL IN BEING VAGUE!

[breakdown]

Breakdown leaned back in his seat. It was a lot to take in, this girl if he had understood her metaphors correctly not only had some sort of connection with music that he couldn't duplicate with an entire back up band and a concert local but she was... not long for this world and she knew it. She wasn't hiding from it, wasn't covering her ears and pretending it wasn't happening. Instead she was fighting it somehow. She might even have a plan unlike most of the ground apes of the planet. He tapped his fingers in a rapid drum beat on the table in front of them and then smiled slowly.

"Weeeeeeeeeelllll I suppose since it was my idea I should honor my agreement. Where to start through I mean it's not like I have thhhhaaat many secrets... I suppose I could start with the fact that... Oh here is our waitress. Hello I would like a cup of ice water and the Super Deluxe Omaha Burger Supreme, Can I get extra everything on that? Thank you ma'am I appreciate the hard work you do."

He smiled a winning smile at the waitress and waited for his new friend to order as he did so he closed his eyes for another moment feeling the soft breeze upon his face, the sun beaming down, the grass between his toes as he sat upon a piece of crumbling fake leather. As he heard his new friend finish he opened his eyes, rested his chin upon his hands and looking directly into her eyes through his shades.

"Everytime I close my eyes, to sleep, to think, to pull a piece of gravel out of my shin I see the world as it should be. Not as it is but how it could be. I see a world where the buildings that symbolize the greed of the people of Earth lie shattered, I see open fields, I see villages built from the rubble of the old cities, I see people helping each other, smiling and laughing with each other not at each other. I see a world where the strong help the weak, where the old are listened to by the young, where people don't treat each other as diseases. I see this world, I can feel the caress of the wind, the sound of the laughter, the glory of hope and love."

He paused as the waitress brought his drink and reaching down he took a sip slowly and swallowing returned it to the table as he ran a finger tip across the glass.

"And unlike others who might have a dream... I am going to make it happen. I am going to force humanity to realize a utopia if they like it out not. They might thank me someday, they might write me in as the greatest villain of all time... but as the homeless man who is starring at us through the window as my witness I will MAKE them find hope and love. If I have to send the world hurtling into complete and utter chaos, violence, hatred and death in order to do it."

Breakdown sipped his glass again and then shrugged.

"Look I am not a bad man it is simple plan really. All I have to do is drive humanity into complete and total anarchy by any means necessary, in order to survive they will have to pick themselves up by the bootstraps. One voice of reason rings out, another picks up the chant, then the melody will sweep across the world. Humanity has been unable to play nice together for so long it seems normal and so the only way to teach them to play nice seems to be to break up the band. If I have to play the part of meddling parent and or significant other and or drug rehab and or infinity then so help me I and my friend who is a inter-dimensional tape worm will do it."

He tapped the table a bit more and then asked.

"The burgers are pretty good right?"

[Dominique McGregor]

How amusing, he had a little drum roll for his upcoming response! Wait a second, he was considering NOT honoring the agreement for a moment? Seemed like that and boy oh boy was she happy she didn't go off blurting out `LOL I'M AN ALIEN AND MY BLOOD WANTS TO KILL ME LMAO`. Instead of expressing even the slightest bit of disappointment of possibly, nearly being betrayed, she let out an amused chuckle and closed her eyes for a moment at the fact he was claiming not to have many secrets. It was kinda funny...not super funny...but it was enough to get away with! Everyone had preferences in humor as an individual and she was no exception to such a rule. Though she stopped and opened up her pitch black eyes to see one of her smiling co-workers.

Looks like they had time to help them out after all! Great! Less multitasking! Of course, she figured it was obviously a better idea to let Arc order first. Dominique had such a simple order and it was easy as cake! "The usual for me, please! Big basket of fries and a glass of water." Giving a slight wave as the waitress walked off with their order, she turned her attention back to the shades wearing vandal with a delightful smile.

Quirking her brows up and looking as though the musical alien REALLY wanted to hear what he had to say and was all ears, she listened to every word and provided sufficient eye contact with him. Though...the more he spoke, it sounded very similar to her own main goal outside of her own survival...harmony. Making everyone live in harmony somehow....though he clearly had a much different approach than her. Sure, she aimed on forcing all living creatures to create a delightful melody to the song of life, but his method seemed more of a push than what she initially had in mind. There was no stopping her and no stopping him...they could be an interesting team. That and it was clear she'd have to try underhandedly guiding him to make his path a...well...not so destructive one. The main basis of his dream sounded really nice, there were very good intentions, it complimented her global scale dream.

It was a little doubtful he'd want to assist her on a universal scale if she could succeed in living long enough...so start small and be the one to help him...that tactic made plenty sense! At least to her it did since it was best to help those with beneficial goals and dreams. Namely those that had a result of making their peers get along some how some way. Grasping onto her chin, she took a moment to dwell on this...to make an offer he couldn't intelligently refuse...it was going to take a leap of faith further on her part too. Though, her eyes widened a bit when he made a mention of inter-dimensional tapeworm caused her eyes to widen. Her kind researched on lots of creatures and organisms...the good...the bad...and the ugly. Homeless and hosting a tapeworm...one thing all the stories she could remember was that the results could be just bad if it didn't get sufficient nutrients.

Then again...what was a human doing giving itself away to a creature like that?! Power? Slightly narrowing her eyes as she glanced over to her glass....that would definitely explain why he had such peculiar powers. It was near impossible for a normal mortal, even mutants had it rare, to be capable of such a devastating ability. That clinched it...she couldn't take any chances. If this guy was as good as she was painting him out to be in her head under all the vandalism themed antics...she couldn't just let herself turn away and act like he could handle himself just fine. Honestly though, the drumming on the table snapped her out of that daze of seriousness and brought back a bit of a smile. Moving her hand away from her chin once before snapping her fingers, she spoke up in a nice little tone for him...yet...a little surprised and slightly off guard all at the same time.

"The burgers...? OH RIGHT! They're great! You'll love it! Promise!" Dominique's smile was a little brighter, though she could have been more serious about it all...she had no real urge to treat the situation grimly. She had hope for his dream and even if it were nothing more than a string, it was something and his motivation could very well make it lead to something wonderful! SO!

"We just met and all but from the sound of your dream, I wanna help you make it into a reality! Sure, I could drop dead at any moment, anyone can, but that doesn't mean I should stand around doing nothing! I, myself, wish to create at the very least global harmony before I kick the bucket." Gesturing toward herself for a moment, she closed her eyes and smirked a bit as though she had some kinda master plan festering in her head. "I'm a little busy trying to scrape up money for research to save my skin if you catch my drift, but there's no reason I can't multitask even more." Partially reopening her eyes, she chuckled and thumb pointed toward his chest. "Besides, your little buddy is going to need more than what a homeless man can usually afford. I get free meals here, I'll give them to you instead so your pal won't consume your insides!"

Grabbing the cup of water she requested, she took a quick sip and put the glass right on down. "You're not a bad guy as you said, bad guys don't want to help anyone but themselves. Plus, they're jerks, really big jerks with crappy excuses. So maybe with a little bit of my help you won't have to look like that to everyone and instead just get written down in history as the guy who did something to make a positive change? The guy who initiated harmony on a global level? The guy who took a stand to make us see the world in a better light? Your story doesn't have to have a crappy ending, you can have a happy ending instead! Or...you know....at least I think so..." Half shrugging at the last portion of her words, there was an awful lot of optimism and it wasn't the fake sort either.

It was more of a `I believe in you!` sort of deal. "Soooo what do you and your little buddy have to say? I don't know if you want to be friends with someone like me, but we can definitely work together without being friends. Y'know, like business partners or whatever. I'm used to that whole....co-workers not wanting to associate or socialize out of the workplace dynamic...thing...so it's not like I'll get all heart broken or whatever it is people do when they can't make friends...." Actually looking a tad bit confused at the last sentence sprawling out of her mouth...she wasn't completely sure why humans got so emotional and broken up when all people wanted was a business transaction. They were benefiting one another...was there really a problem? Then again...she never really had friends...so she didn't know what in the world they got so broken up about to begin with.

All she had were co-workers and deals to keep that cash money rolling in so it could get siphoned to Phin for research and development toward her cure. Obviously...her deal had a catch and it involved some form of money...but first she'd have to see what he'd have to say to her mess of words.

[breakdown]

Breakdown smiled as he listened he expected a lecture of ends versus means add on infinity, or history lesson which he could definitely by breaking out a newspaper... history was made daily... but instead she wanted to join him, to add to his resistance of the stupidity that had infected the world. The bit about dropping dead concerned him a bit but he just held on as her speech took him on a wild ride. Homeless? He wasn't homeless! He had a home... granted that home was in a series of abandoned buildings that he might have to leave at any moment... but that was so a home... he recognized this might not be a valid argument so he listened and reaching into his backpack took out a sheet of paper, a clipboard, and took notes. Writing a few points down he needed to make and making sure she was done. Once she was done he paused for a moment and then looked at her seriously.

"Excitable little lass aren't you... I LIKE THAT!"

He smiled and looked to the clipboard adjusting his sunglasses as he did so.

"Technically calling my little buddy a tapeworm isn't true... well in no way is it true. First of all he is neither tape nor worm nor a parasite more... a symbiotic creature of unknown origin. Turns out climbing a experimental military generator while covered in unknown chemicals at midnight while a thunder storm is raging and painting unknown arcane symbols on it you got from a book older then your grandparents from a bookstore that was vanished the next time you looked has interesting side effects... but that point is I provide a host body for it to get around in, a site of nourishment on... whatever it gets from me... and in return it gives me the power of entropic destruction made manifest so I might smite the stupidity of the world in a glorious shower of dust..."

He checked something off the clipboard and nodded.

"But a tapeworm he is not. As for the free food... well only a idiot rejects free food especially burgers! But while I suppose technically there is a chance that some person or another might consider me legally homeless... I am not poor. See it turns out that common wisdom is often mistaken about core tenements of reality."

Reaching into his pants pocket 'Arc' pulled out his wallet and pulled it open a little, revealing a small stack of hundred dollar bills about half an inch thick. He grinned as he held it up to his mouth.

"Turns out... crime does pay."

Lowering the wallet in one motion he held up a wagging finger.

"Now now I didn't seek to take advantage of you. You offered food and while hunger was a lure the lure of talking to you outdid it. You are by far the most interesting person I have met all day and you have very pretty hair so of course I wanted to see what the situation was my dear. Now if you want I will make up for this possibly perceived misconception by buying you another order of fries. I think that might be fair indeed."

Lowering his hand he checked something on the page and then looked back up to her.

"Now it is not that I approve of greed and the other stupid drives that is not why I have hung my hat with what some might call 'supervillians' but honestly it is the fastest way to make cash and I need resources and cash is a resource. No cash, less resources, more likely to fail. That is why last week I took out a wall to an office building and entered the safe with extreme prejudice. They might thank me one day."

Nodding at that he pointed at her.

"Now I wanted you to know about that... give you a chance to back up of the partnership thing if you want... through I would prefer friendnership or perhaps partendship or frinendship then boring partnership but the point remains if I have to rob a bank to get the job done I will. If you are not along for that kinda scary but very lucrative job then so be it... but keep in mind if I succeed then the only thing money will be good for is fire tinder."

With that he flipped over the clipboard revealing the next 'project' he wanted to do. A picture of a monkey with a windup key in it's head and wires in it's neck with a blindfold on. It had been what he had been working on while he talked.

"What do you think? I am thinking of putting it on a school."

[Dominique McGregor]

Sitting there and listening with a nice little smile, she put her hands at the edge of the table and chuckled a bit. When she actually took time to think about it....she was kind of excitable. Then again, she REALLY hoped to get her dream on a global scale going at the very least and hey! At least if she just dropped dead out of the clear blue, this guy would probably keep it going and eventually get MORE people with a common goal in mind on the right path. Maybe even unintentionally have them all work in harmony, it was worth getting chipper about! Though, as he continued to talk, she smile seemed to gradually slip at such a slow rate. That thing called `exhaustion` was starting to take its toll on her.

Working a whole lot and not having a lot of food to give her the proper energy all the time was a little problematic. Especially when her schedule fell out of place like it was right now! However she was determined to hear his story! Talking to her about having a creature CLEARLY not of this world live off of him like it wasn't anything to be concerned about...how in the world could he trust someone so quickly? A sheepish little smile crossed her lips as she slightly tilted her head in thought trying to piece it all together. Oh well...she was getting way too out of it and tired to bother herself with memories of the past and scholars trying to educate their people of their findings. It was nice he could make stupid people go POOF into a fit of dust...and kind of entertaining in her head to boot!

Wait...he wasn't homeless or poor...? Confusion riddled her features and then....MONEY! The stuff she needed for Phin to keep making her cure! Part of her wanted to reach out and take some of those hundreds off his wallet's weight and on its way to secure a longer lifespan...but....he wasn't a bad person and needed it too. So Dominique sat there with a look of curiosity being piqued about his whole `crime DOES` pay statement. Blinking a couple of times, though she seemed a bit happy for his wealth, she did also have a...confused air about her. Huh? Arc thought she thought he was taking advantage of her? AND SO CAME A HEAD TILT OF `WUT...` but boy oh boy did she perk up at the word FRENCH FRIES!

Someone she didn't even know all that well would get her...french fries...? Bringing her hands up to her mouth, covering it with her finger tips as though someone offered her the bestest thing in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD. This day...was awesome...but wait....if he thought she thought he was taking advantage of her and that was to make up for it BUT the scenario wasn't true which is what she acknowledged not thinking of such a thing...then...that would make HER being the one to take advantage of his kindness in the event she said yes to such a nice offer and...drat. Logistics.... Dropping her hands down to her sides....her moral compass said to say no and her eyes fixated on the table. Wanting to say yes to that offer...she just...shook her head and piped out a very mellow, yet soft "It's cool, no worries," to that proposal.

Whether or not he heard her didn't matter since her head shaking made it clear. If he insisted GRRRRRREAT! If not...her loss...big...big...loss. All with a slight smile to make it seem like the whole ordeal was no biggie. ....waiiiit....her brain to a second to rewind...she got so caught up with wanting MORE fries she forgot all about how he actually called her interesting and complimented her nifty hair! OH WOW DID SHE FEEL RUDE. But why in the world would he find her interesting or even like her hair? Oh wait, some other humans gave her those compliments, this was probably a normal thing!

Though she couldn't help but grin at his view on cash! Right now it was required, for the both of them, even....but one day it wouldn't because everyone would be orchestrated in harmony! Or...that was a big goal of her's...there was a way to make harmony while keeping money in it....buuuuuut without money would be nice! Though it warmed her faux human heart and fuzzied up her soul to know that she now was pretty much making a friendly alliance with someone who held similar goals and dreams! But yes...she WISHED she didn't have to work herself to the state of exhaustion for the huge sum she needed...but that wasn't the case! IF ONLY PHIN DIDN'T CARE ABOUT MONEY....THIS WOULDN'T BE SUCH A PAIN AND SHE'D HAVE HER CURE! CURSE YOU GREED....is....what hopped through her head and thought about a bunch of her bosses, co-workers, and Arc all chilling here a money campfire.

Roasting food and...weird Earth animal with wires out of its neck and wearing a blindfold joined the little pow wow...? What? Seriously....what?! SNAP BACK TO REALITY! He doodled a strange little critter? HOW....how was she supposed to feel about this? It looked proper for the word cute...so...was that it? Anyway...she saw critters like these in ads where they're doing tricks and sometimes even playing instruments.

What was it called again though? Did it matter? Probably not! It had four limbs and a long tail as well as fur...so it was probably a cat! THAT was going to be a safe guess! "It needs an instrument of some kind! What kind of cat wouldn't have a little drum to make a lil' bit of noise?!" Smirking a bit as she wagged a little tsk tsk finger for a moment as she spoke up.

Though she shrugged a bit and let out a bit of a sigh, closing her eyes for a moment. Once she reopened her visible black tinted optic, getting a tad on the serious side now, she slightly frowned. "It's great you're making money for the stuff you need, Arc, it really is and I'm happy for you! But...if I help with that kinda stuff...I need a cash payment every time. Sooo...if you need all that money for yourself then I'll just be your buddy and cheer you on for free! I have a bunch of jobs to keep up with as definite sources of income to pay for my shot at a cure...I can deal if you need that money for yourself! Though I have to focus on cash for a bit...so...you know...I have a chance at living in the span of years for sure! It's a lot of money to get the right experiments done and I mean a lot...so every single penny counts...though I have a quota to meet to make sure the researcher knows I'm not ripping her off....kinda sucks...but I really can't blame her for it..."

Looking off to the side, she tucked her hair behind her ear and watched all the normal people for a while. Almost like she envied their ability to live their lives without worrying about a sudden death to outsmart. Let alone angry blood...MAN were they lucky and didn't know how good they had it! "I don't mean to be a downer or anything, but yeah....money's a big deal right now...I wish it wasn't but them's the breaks I guess..." Letting a smile cross her lips, she decided to give herself a pick me up reminder that her efforts weren't being wasted and going somewhere! Turning her attention back to Arc, her upbeat nature came right on back, "Good news is that even if you can't afford to have me help every now and then, I can listen to you talk about your day and stuff for free PLUS hang out when we both have time! That's what friends do, or at least that's what I like to think!"

Of course....it dawned on her that she wanted to figure out what was up with his whole 3D art on the building. Crossing her arms over the table, she rested her cheek upon her arm and gazed up at him quite curiously, "In fact...let's start the free stuff now....what's up with the 3D graffiti? I gotta help fix that wall up so I wanted to know your meaning behind it...is it to provoke people into thinking more and actually formulate questions in their head? To ask about why things are the way they are right now? Inquire..." ...the last word was mumbled a bit, that exhaustion was bothering her again and making her sleepy. So she just closed her eyes and muttered a little more, almost as if she was in a daze, "...society's functions...I'm still gonna be listening to you...I gotta and want to, besides...it's what a good friend would do..."

Partially opening up her eyes a bit to offer a sense of eye contact, she let a sleepy smile shine through her tired goodness all the same. As though to quietly say with her composure `Don't mind me, just need to rest a little so I don't actually pass out...but tell me all about it!`to accompany her current state.

[breakdown]

Slowly 'Arc''s arm began to move and slowly tapped the point of his nose then thinking of her mistaking his monkey for a cat he coughed and nodded in it's place while giving her the best cool kid thumbs up he could.

"Right on the money Tesla. You have to understand the state of the world, look around and see... sheep so many sheep. Dumb heard animals that never look beyond the grass, never question... and worse those that aren't sheep are wolves hidden amongst the sheep. Hiding in plain sight because none of the sheep bother to raise up their heads, took look around and say 'hey that guy is feasting on Jerry's liver... that isn't cool I should do something about it.' No it is more likely to be 'oh poor Jerry... oh well what can you do?' That status quo is the power in this world, don't buck it, don't question it and whatever you do don't think for yourself."

To indicate his point he waved out towards the window and the hoard of people looking up slack jawed and scratching their heads. It was hardly the best face of humanity as some took pictures with phones, some pointed and some argued loudly. A few of the arguements looked like they were headed towards blows. He looked outside with disdain.

"And those that aren't actually sheep... are worse... they see, they understand... and ignore. They stand by and watch or fight the battles that don't need fighting. While Superman breaks meteorites who is protecting the children from their own families? While Batman beats up a man in clown make up who is making sure Joe the Veteran doesn't starve to death on the street..."

He turned and looked at his new friend and smiled sadly.

"And you... are dying... and the world values pieces of paper dyed more then your life... I have accepted the fact that is the way the world currently is but I refuse to accept the fact the world has to be this way. So I will fight it... everyday by any means. If I can just get one single member the drooling cud chewing public to open their eyes and just think for once in their miserable lives... then I have won that day. Maybe... maybe one of them will go home.... look at the collar they tie around their own neck everyday before they go to work and throw it in the shredder."

He looked out the window and smiled sadly.

"It would be a start I suppose."

He paused and thought of his own words and then smiling at his own thoughts leaned over and whispered.

"But... listen next week I am thinking of redistributing some wealth from this exec and I was wondering if you are interesting in helping... I need an extra pair of hands if for no reason then to haul some of the money. Interested?"