<<< Catching up with Old friends, [Kimmy, PM for invite]

[Alix]

December 20th
4pm

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Since first opening the doors for XF-Investigations being in business, things had been slow. There was the occasional small-time case of cheating spouses and lost cats, but really,it was getting hard to really view those as anything more than a distraction from other things. Jamie, in a sense, had relished it-- even if he, like the others wished there was bigger cases rolling in. It seemed the stigma of Xfactor still had stuck and while they were working hard to move past it, there was still just not much to go off of.

So Alix had taken to studying the newspapers for anything seeming out of the ordinary. It vaguely reminded her of when, as a teenager, she'd watch the news and read the papers to find out about things going on outside the institute. Everything had changed long ago and through the course of it, she'd changed as well. It'd been for the good of course, her own maturing past the frightened, closed off teenager she'd been to someone just a little-- even if still unsure-- more in sync with how things worked. The nostalgia was nice, however, and she smiled down at the paper in her hand despite finding nothing of use.

Still, she was feeling a bit more nostalgic than usual today about things before even Xfactor. As a student, she'd been anything but adjusted to life and the few friends she had made would always remain an important- though distant- aspect of her memories. She didn't even really remember the last time she'd talked to any of them, much less seen them. Everything had gone so fast. All the changes, the moving, the missions and all the other things that had brought the world crashing down around them. She'd had little time to think about anything other than Xfactor and, while she didn't particularly hone in on the details, her own personal jobs she'd taken elsewhere that had seemed important every time, but she couldn't particularly remember.

Now more than ever, it seemed impossible to see those that still were at the school that had been closest to her. It was more than scheduling conflicts now, and the distance that couldn't even be crossed by normal means seemed even more far away.

So when she'd gotten a text from Kimmy saying that she'd decided to stay in New York and live in Mutant Town it'd been more than easy to drop any plans she'd had for the afternoon, finish up work in the HQ early, and go off to meet her friend at one of the various restaurants scattered about Mutant Town. Sure-- some hadn't reopened after the craziness had subsided, but there were still plenty to frequent.

The trek over had been a quick one. All the while, her mind raced over wondering what had changed, how Kimmy had adjusted, about the explosion she wouldn't ask about and how she was faring now that she'd moved to Mutant Town. Had she made any friends? Alix could certainly suggest a few in the area that she knew her old school friend would get along with. All the while, Alix's own changes slipped from her mind, even if they were stark.

For one, in effort to blend in better alongside more normal settings, she'd dyed her hair brown and through the help of a new friend-- one of the ones she'd definitely introduce Kimmy to-- a more blending in wardrobe. While often in Mutant Town she didn't really take to wearing it, the gray wool pea-coat was far less distinguishable than the leather duster she'd always worn before, and as such was preferable. Blending in was the new focus, and it was one she took to heart. But, beyond the clothes and the hair, there was a definite easiness about her that had never been there in all her time at the institute. While her general quiet demeanor remained, her features seemed just a twinge more expressive with a easy pleasantness that wasn't the once manufactured quality she had taken, but a genuine emotion born from her own feelings. It was odd, but it certainly wasn't bad. The blame, of course, had rested with the team and her life as a whole, but, more specifically, on something--or someone else.

Her eyes didn't even scan the burger joint for la second before her eyes leveled onto Kimmy pleasantly.


::Hey Kimmy, how're you?:: She smiled genuine and pleasantly to the friend she'd not seen in years.

[Kim Parker]

'Blending In' were two words that when pressed together created a concept that Kimberly didn't really comprehend and as such, despite (and maybe in spite of) the cool weather, Kimberly was wearing a pink mini-skirt, black leather boots and a silver bomber jacket and she felt great. Things were still crazy no matter how you flipped the coin, but she was starting to adjust.

Adjust was all she could do really. She never had any time to settle into things and was starting to feel like that would be how it is, always. So, all she could do was move with the currents instead of against them. She was still learning to accept that there are many things, if not most things, that she cant control and change. Kim was getting older and more mature.

She had gone to Xavier's institute a spoiled pop star and left it as a girl who had done her best to help save the world on more than one occasion. The fragments of her past were with her every day, but now she was learning to write a new story. The problem was now she had nowhere to go with her life. She was stuck in a weird limbo between being an adult and teenager.

For a long time she had operated under the assumption that she would become an x-man. However, in the wake of the school's destruction, she kind of came to the conclusion that that wasn't really who she was meant to be or who she would ever be. So after returning to New York she settled into a loft in Mutant Town and began her search for a direction in life.

Kimberly was not as subdued as Alix often was. She ran right up to her friend and wrapped her arms around her and practically screamed the whole time. "ALIX!" She exclaimed cheerfully. A familiar face, it lit her heart up and all the thoughts that she had ran through her head on the way to the burger joint had passed and a genuine smile was planted onto her face.

When she let go of Alix she let her go and took her spot in line and began to respond to her friend. "I am doing well. Lot's of change. More than usual. I dont have the same school to go back to this time, so I am sorta... drifting. Looking for a job, a place to anchor myself where I am needed. I started dating Jay during the summer. So at least that is going well."

Her new hair style, which was short cut tended to ward off the last of the people who would recognize her from her days as a preeteen on TV. It was all past her now. She wasn't what you could call very famous anymore, and she kind of liked the privacy. Not needed to update her twitter every few minutes and her blog every few days.

[Alix]

Kim had always been something of an opposite to Alix. Bright and cheerful to her quiet and calm-- it'd been something that had worked, if only because of the dynamic. She'd balanced out her seriousness with openness. For a moment, Alix watched her friend, carefully taking in the barrage of thoughts that flooded into hers at the instant of her greeting. It'd always been that way and even now it'd not be something that would change so easily. There was just some things that couldn't be changed, even with the growing comfortableness Alix was having in things.

Kim Embraced her and Alix smiled while she returned the friendly embrace. Her strange eyes just vaguely alight with the same sort of excitement that Kim had. It was so relieving to see that she was doing alright and had made it through the school explosion at least ok. She wouldn't mention it, of course, but she was still thankful.

::You did? How's that going? How's Mutant Town treating you? Have you made friends?:: She questioned in a barrage, happily while they ordered. With it being Mutant Town-- and a place she frequented-- she had no qualms on speaking her orders and the woman at the counter gave her a definite warm nod of greeting. X-factor might've technically been disbanded and not always the most liked of entities, but Mutant Town still remembered the work they'd done, and what they continued to do as technical private citizens. Some things, regardless of government status, never changed. She gave a quiet nod to the woman behind the counter pleasantly.

She smiled towards Kimmy, though slowed her commentary down a hair after realizing that she might've said too much too quick. ::I understand change.. it seems everything is changing for everyone...:: She swallowed, softly. ::X-factor broke up. Alot of the original team left because of their status with the government and society.:: She muttered quietly, quick to talk about the team before herself. Some things never changed.

::We've started a detective agency. Multiple Man- Jamie- he's the leader now.:: There was a definite twinge of fondness at the mention of 'Jamie'-- though she didn't pause long.

::I like the new hair. Looks great.:: There was a definite warmth in her greeting that in the earlier days would've been shocking. Now? There was a definite easiness to the way she carried herself.

[Kim Parker]

"I havent really made any friends." She bit her lip for a moment and shook her head. It was true that Kimberly had just moved to Mutant Town, but a part of her still clung to the family she had at the institute. She let out a deep sigh before continuing. "I guess I am just having problems meeting people who aren't red headed boys with darkforce wings." She was refering to the fact that she spent almost every moment of her free time with Jay.

Kimberly was so happy that Alix sounded so happy. It was a new and welcome change, though her new confidence made Kimberly feel a bit aimless. "Detective Agency? Sounds very Mutant Noir. I dig it. Sounds kinda fun." If Kimberly were to be honest, and she was little else but honest, she would admit that she was bored.

It was hard to go from being whisked away to other worlds and fighting in the apocalypse to ho hum every day things. Not that the school exploding was normal or any thing else was normal for that point, but Kimberly didn't have much to do anymore.

"To be honest, I have no idea what I am doing anymore. I built a studio in my apartment in a guest room, but..." she trailed off for a moment, her fingers tracing the sides of her phone while she searched for the right words. "...I love to sing. Always will. But now I wanna do something more important, ya know?"