Finding a crazy pink girl should be easy. Finding one who could pop through portals though was no easy task and Jean-Paul was beginning to become discouraged as he slumped through the alley to the main street, casting quick glances left and right in search for anything that looked like a tentacle.
Monet hit a looter over the head and tossed him out the door of her favorite boutique. This was her store, thank you very much. "And stay out!" Monet flinched as she noticed a man rounding the corner as the looter was already mid-flight. "Oops."
Aaaand now was a good time to be on the other corner of the sidewalk. Jean-Paul was out of the way and looking around, expecting to see a portal closing where the looter had appeared from but there was nothing. Then he looked around for the source of the voice.
And all of a sudden the red and yellow aura'd man turned into an orange blur and was across the street. "Unimpressed."
"I'm sorry, was I to catch him?" Well, she was definitely not a pink girl dressed like Robin Hood and Green Arrow had the love child the later always wanted.
"No. You were supposed to be hit by him." Monet turned and started looking around the shop for something that would catch her eye.
"I'm sorry to have ruined your evening of people bowling. You know, if you head on down to the food stores there are zombos basically in wait for stupid people coming in for supplies. I bet you could do all sorts of bowling there."
"I could. But I'm not a stupid person. So people bowling will have to stay at 5th avenue." She glanced over her shoulder at him. "Why are you still across the street if you insist on talking to me?"
"Who's around to hear us?" He laughed but did pop right back over. "Because, frankly, I don't really think the tentacle people are that much on gossip."
"Maybe not. But they might be keen on the fact that looters might come near high-end stores like this one." Monet immediately cracked a grin at what she said, "That would be amusing if they were that intelligent." She turned to him and offered her hand, back of it up, "Monet St. Croix. And you are?"
"I think a few things have made looters nervous, though they might be tempted enough." He shrugged, taking and shaking the offered hand. "Jean-Paul Martin. I thought that must be who you were."
Monet frowned as he shook her hand. Obviously he had no chivalry. "Oh? How did you know?"
"People at school talk? Surely you weren't away long enough to forget that."
"Of course not. But it doesn't explain how you knew what I looked like. People hate me there, so surely they weren't showing off pictures."
"Unfamiliar person throwing around people but feels the need to make conversation? Unless there are some subsect of New York mutants not living it up on their own island at the moment I should know about?"
Monet smirked at the description of herself. "I quite like that description. So you go to Xavier's then?"
"Yes, my sister and I." He nodded. "The students that came for recruitment aided in removing her from the nunnery she was studying at."
"Nunnery?" Monet barely managed to hold back a snicker. "What kind of fun is there to be found at a nunnery?"
"Absolutely none I would imagine."
He couldn't help but brustle slightly at the amused look on her face but he triedk to keep it in check.
"So then she was there because...?" Monet just couldn't understand why someone would willingly choose to be at a nunnery if they didn't think it would be fun.
"well, my aunt and uncle were offered a scholarship for her when we were starting school." He decided she didn't need to know the financial details that went into that choice.
"How depressing for her. Is she thrilled to be somewhere with men?"
"Who on earth wouldn't be?" It was an automatic response.
Monet arched an eyebrow at that, "Most straight men, I suppose."
"Well, I don't generally worry about that type. I find they're much more trouble than they're worth."
"Agreed. Have you met Jason yet?" Wait. He'd said no to three-somes. Damn. "Or Pietro? Pietro's quite fun to play with even though he is indeed straight."
"I'm afraid I've not met this Jason though he's hired a friend of mine. Pietro I am well acquainted with but I don't really need to look for anyone else to fill any timeslots so will just avoid any straight confusion there. Plus I'd have to have more to do with Illyana than I'd feel comfortable with, that's for certain."
"Oh? Who has he hired? And for what purpose?" Monet frowned. This whole 'mind privacy' thing she did for him didn't work so well when he kept things from her...
"Reed, suppose you've not met him yet though. He's pretty bad about keeping to himself, not the most social of creatures but absolutely brilliant."
"Interesting." Monet made a mental note to find this person and play a game of matching intelligence. "So why are you on abandoned 5th Avenue, then?"
"Looking for someone actually. I don't suppose you've seen a crazed pink girl who thinks she's Supergirl or some such thing?"
"No. Shall I let her know she's being hunted by a non-tentacle person if perhaps I do happen upon her?"
"I suppose she's gone off by now anyway. She's not likely to stay any place long, even if she does have looters to defend against."
"Is she a friend of yours?"
He nodded. "Something like that anyway. She helped me out a few years back. Didn't really expect to run into her again though."
"And now that you have? What are you going to do when you find her?"
"Well, I'm not quite positive." He admitted, nudging a bit of gravel with his toe ahead of him. "I would try to talk her into staying at the school but she isn't one that generally stays in one place. At least, she wasn't the last time I met her."
"So when she turns you down, which she will, what will you have to talk to her about then?"
He gave her a funny look at the 'which she will'; quirking an eyebrow high. "Well, we are friends of a sort so I suppose we'll talk about whatever it is we wish."
"You don't expect that she'll just leave on you like she has in the past?"
"The leaving isn't a rude leaving, just going on her way." He shrugged again. "I imagine she'll be on her way soon enough, probably once there's not any looters around to try and be a superhero about."
"Why would anyone want to be a superhero about looters? Why not just let them do what they will? Unless of course what they will is what you want."
"Some people have this altruistic streak to them."
Monet made a face at that, "Yes, I know. I never understand people like that."
"I used to have the same problem but I got over it I suppose."
"The same as her? Because I have no problems what-so-ever." She gave a sweet smile and turned to slip a diamond bracelet on and admire it.
"...yeah, I'm sure you don't, sweetheart." The tone was pleasant but obviously fake sentiment all the way through.
Monet arched an eyebrow and looked at him over her shoulder. "I think we're done now. Au revoir then."
"À la prochaine. Jetez les pillards attentivement."
((Until next time. Throw the looters carefully.))
"Jamais." Monet grinned at him.
((Never.))