Arlene glanced at Lily; frankly she was grateful. "I think everything's under control," she said. "If anything..." She took a 10 out of her wallet and handed it over. "Can you get me a sandwich or something? Anything's fine. Haven't eaten all day." She helped James up and said the address of the pharmacist. "Thank you again." It didn't really feel right telling people to get her food, but she had supplied the money, and as far as she was concerned, that made it socially acceptable.

Lily blinked. "Um. Sure. Look, are you sure all is okay? I'd really hate to come back and find this guy dead from a brain clot or something. The least I can do before getting you food is to check his base line obs, and pupils" she said. She took out the little pen torch she carried clicking it on

Adam Major - Sky View Band - Times Square

After Adam started to sing, the lead guitarist flicked his fingers delicately across his strings that would fill all of Time's Square with their music, and cause all of Sky View's members to merge in sound. Their music sounded like heavy rock, mixed with beautiful stringed instruments to accompany and tone down the ferocity of their songs. When Adam sang, all of the girls scrambled to get as close to the stage as they could, but once Laia opened her mouth the real fun began. Every straight guy who wasn't already near the stage shoved through the crowd, trying to get as close to the band as they could. If not for the security guarding the stage, some of them would have been successful in trying to climb on the stage.

Adam grinned through his singing lips, and winked at his fans before walking across the stage with his microphone and touching his fans hands. Laia had taken over singing now, as this was her song so he decided to feed a bit. He found that the men in the crowd were growing increasingly aggressive, and channeled their life force into his. After a few seconds, they would be significantly weakened and Adam would feel brand new. He was suddenly in the mood to dance, and told himself they were going to go clubbing after this.

Shea Thomas - Mini Store

Shea thanked the cashier before heading out of the mini store. She thought of him as quite handsome, in a very indie rock type way. Shrugging him out of her head, she pulled up yelp on her iPhone and checked out some cool hang out spots that was known to cater to celebrities. It had been awhile since she updated her gossip blog, or written a juicy scoop for her boss. A smile crossed her lips as she stuffed her phone into her coat pocket. The place wasn't too far from there, so she figured she would walk instead of getting stuck in traffic with an angry cab driver.

Along the way, she passed a particular looking group of people. They looked to be around her age, and the guy appeared really upset. I wonder what's going on there. Shea would rather not get involved, that was none of her business. The sound of wailing sirens wasn't too far off in the distance, and she couldn't help but feeling like it had something to do with that group back there. Then again, it wasn't uncommon for there to be sirens wailing in New York City, especially on huge nights like this.

Arlene nodded. Of course that was a good idea, it simply hadn't occurred to her. "I would very much appreciate it," she said; the sound of sirens was starting to make her nervous and fidgety. She wasn't sure what the paramedics would think of guy with a sword, and two people helping him despite the quite obvious rampage that had just occurred. She would prefer to be at home or stealing a few anxiety pills. She stepped back to give more space for the checkup and pulled the ziplock bags out of her sweater. The reactions had stopped, so they weren't keeping her warm anymore; she found a trash can and tossed them in. "Uh..merry Christmas," she mumbled. "Not that I care for Christmas. Just thank you for helping, yeah." She was shivering now. Damn her body for being defenseless against Mother Nature without inorganic chemical reactions.

---

The noise, the noise... How much more could he take? Why was everyone shoving past Dwayne? Why did the woman's singing make him feel so dreadfully uncomfortable? Oh, yes, of course, he'd chosen the worst possible spot to get his thoughts together. Idiot, he thought viciously to himself. Get out. Get out. He turned around. Too late, the crowd had thickened since his arrival. He clutched his head and groaned, the blood pounding in his head. The medication only worked to a degree, and its wonders evaporated now. On top of all of this, he was starting to feel weak, although he assumed it was part of the ridiculous stress reaction. He bared his teeth in an attempt to make a little personal bubble, to no avail. He tried to shove out of the crowd in the opposite direction. A wave of nausea passed over him. Images blurred together. No. No, no, no, don't space out, no, not now.
A man bumped into him. He couldn't help it. It wasn't out of meanness, just a reflex, but the damage was done. Dwayne had bitten the person on their upper arm, and his filed teeth had easily torn open the skin. It elicited a surprised, angry yell, and he cowered. Get out before it takes effect on him. It felt like a stone had dropped in his stomach. That was a conspicuous bite. Any forensics team would be able to trace the toxic spit to him. He grabbed the man's arm and scraped out the wound with his sleeve. It sure wouldn't save the poor soul, but it'd (with any luck) keep Dwayne out of trouble. He wiped the blood off of his lips and shoved back, fiercely now, trying to escape the throng of people.

Lily shrugged, taking a quick set of obs, easily remembering them, then checked the mans pupils. All seemed
Okay for the moment. "So what happened? Some medieval role playing thing gone wrong?" She indicated the sword. As a nurse, she had seen and done a lot. She wasn't fazed.

"You see okay, still I'd like to monitor that. Why haven't you called an ambulance of
Something?"

Chiyohime breathed into her hands as she felt the cold. She soon began to regret ever leaving her apartment. She needed some excitement so heading back was out of the question. She knew other people like her were out there she just had to be optimistic. It was hard however as asking "Do you have superpowers?" wasn't exactly something you ask people on the street. Even in New York. She decided to sit by Central Park and try to draw it. Wondering if this will attract attention.

(TIMES SQUARE)

Something strange happened when Sky View began playing and the crowd surged towards the stage. It was as if Laia suddenly became the only woman on earth. Tabby was used to her emotions getting the better of her but not at the expense of potentially exposing her secret.
She like a large group of men was drawn to the beautiful voice and when those same men pressed against her trying to distance her from the stage her body reacted on instinct alone as a powerful jolt of bio-electricity erupted dropping every man in contact with her and a few of those in contact with them.

In a circle around Tabby were limp young males who only because of the press of bodies around them hadn't simply crumpled to the ground and where being carried by the crowd.

Tabby's jolt had caused her to feel weak as well which she thought strange as she seemed to come a little to her senses.

"Ich muss hier raus, bevor ich in Ohnmacht fallen" she says as she tries to move away from the crowded stage
(I have to get out of here before I faint)

She pushes against the tide as she feels herself weaken farther and her head spins. Several frat boys trying to get past her and closer to the Siren Laia handle her a bit too roughly and in her weakened state cause her defenses to come up once more as she sends another shock wave across the surface of her body this more powerful than the first tasers those touching her and briefly causes the lights and even tv camera's to flicker and lose power.

Staggering through an opening near the side of the stage that's view of the performance is blocked by a huge stack of amps Tabby finally finds refuge.

Leaning against the heavy speakers she feels renewed as she slows her breathing. Behind her along her escape path people who she tasered are not as lucky as they are injured by the excited crowd.

A local TV technician sees the pretty red head in distress and comes over asking "Oh sweety are you alright?"

"Nein, nein, bitte nicht berühren mich nicht, ich werde in einem Moment in Ordnung sein" she urges as she worries that she's lost control of her ability
("No, no please don't touch me, I'll be okay in a moment")

The tech not understanding German still reaches out and gets a strong static discharge pop on his gloves and jacket. He jerks in surprise but is protected by the jacket and his work gloves natural insulating properties.

He leads her over to the support van he's working from and gets her a water from his cooler and makes her sit in the van's passenger seat.

Tabby thankful she's out of the crowd and has met such a nice man sips the water blushing at causing him distress and nearly shocking him.

"I am sorry.....I was just feeling dizzy ja, dizzy..." She says trailing off as she let's the heat from the van soak into her body

"It's kind of crazy out there right now honey so I understand, you don't worry even a moment Teddy is here at your service" he says referring to himself in the third person.

Tabby giggles hearing him and realizing that he is an obvious gay man and possibly a drag queen in his private time.

"I am grateful Teddy an please call me Tabby" She says offering her hand

She sits with Teddy for about 5 minutes before he's called by his boss to see about the section she disrupted a few moments ago and he makes her promise to sit tight till he gets back. Once her new friend has left Tabby looks around the van and her power tells her that she's in more than a transport that she sits in a mobile power generator and communications junction.

She taps into the commo and listens as the news crews and broadcasters rush to cover the story of how at least 9 people have been injured before the stage and several other being attended to by the New York Fire & Rescue. She feels guilty as she listens and also thankful that the reported injuries are minor and the major concern that people collapsed for some reason that is under investigation.

"Of course I called the ambulance," said Arlene. "But not for..." She didn't know his name. "Not for this man. He does not wish to receive professional medical attention." She didn't sound very sure of herself at all, after all, what if he really needed it? Never mind that, though. "However, I suspect that he has a severe mental illness, and he is in need of a mental hospital. He doesn't have anywhere to go. I'm not sure what to do, and if you can provide any help in that respect, I would owe you greatly. Or, he would. Never mind the food." She said all this loudly enough for James to hear, because she didn't see why she should care that he heard; it was the truth, wasn't it? "As for the sword," she went on, "I have no clue. I asked."

---

Finally the crowd thinned, and Dwayne took in gasp after gulping gasp of cold air. He hoped the crowd would keep in its frenzied state, maybe trample the man he'd bitten until the bite was too hard for investigators to see. After a while he got the sense to shit his mouth so people couldn't see his sharp teeth. Get away. Get away. There's so many people there. They won't find out. They'll never find out. He wandered for a long time, slinking in alleys and trying to look inconspicuous. He came across Central Park after God-knows how long of walking just to get away.

Lily frowned slightly "it's too cold to be out, particularly someone...unstable. Ah hell. Im obligated to do something, but can't force someone into medical care or mental health services. Cops can do that, not nurses"

Lily thought for a moment. She really needed to keep an eye in this guy, make sure he didn't die or something. "Hell hell hell. Do you mind dogs? Either of you?" She had noticed the woman shivering from the cold, and her place was close.

"You look like you're about to turn into a Popsicle, and this guy shouldn't be outside. My place is close, and that way if he does need medical attention, someone's there."

She realized she hadn't mentioned her name "I'm Lily by the way"

For a few moments, Arlene's childhood memories of "Stranger danger" fought with the obvious fact that this would probably be one of the better courses of action; she certainly agreed that the man shouldn't be outside. Besides, hadn't her worn-out therapists always encouraged her to talk to people and try to make friends? She pulled her scarf up over her face and breathed into it, which warmed her up certainly, but also turned on incessant thoughts of Get that off, you're breathing carbon dioxide. She hesitated and thought it over. Lily seemed perfectly trustworthy, didn't she? But so did some of those serial killers who'd had movies made about them. But what chance was there of a nurse being a deranged psychopath? Probably none at all.
Finally, she replied in a mumble through the scarf, "Personally, I like dogs better than humans. You can call me Ace if you'd like."

"Hold on a second." James said, raising his head to look at Ace and Lily. "Mental illness? No, no, no. I don't have a mental illness." Then again, these people seemed to think he did have a mental illness, and one was a nurse. He clenched his fist slightly in slight anger. No, James, no. Don't do that. He thought to himself. He unclenched his fist slowly. "Well, erm, I don't think I have a mental illness. All I wanted was, was..." He stopped, and lowered his head once again. "I wanted respect. I wanted to be liked. Everyone hates me. They all hate me. I have been abused all my life. Even by my own parents." By now, he was stuttering slightly, struggling to fight back tears. "All I have left now is Swift Lightening." James continues, patting the sword that sat in it's sheath. "I have nothing now. Nothing." There was one more thing that he needed to say. "My name is James Feryana, by the way."

Chiyohime finished drawing Central Park and set out back to times square. She stopped when she saw a very unnerving looking man with blonde hair walking into the park. She stared at him, then walked towards him out of pure curiosity. "Hello there I hope you are well." She says to the man. "I am Chiyohime, are you lost?" As nervous as Chiyohime was he seemed like a person who could answer her questions about her power.

Lily sighed. What was she getting herself into? "Well, as long as you don't kill my dog for disrespecting you, I won't have to kill you" she said, trying to be humourous and falling short. It was a good sign that he was talking, what ever had happened, he clearly didn't get the worst of it. "You really should hold onto that anger of yours. Come on, my place is just around the corner"

She rummaged for her keys, waiting to see if they would come,

Arlene thought another minute. "Paranoia is a common symptom of mental illness. Beyond that, I'm no psychologist." Then, she remembered that politeness is appreciated by most people, so she continued, "It is nice to meet you, James. My apologies for what has happened to you. The sword, was it a gift? What's it made of? Iron? Titanium?" Now that she was talking about something she found interesting, it was a little hard to stop. "I can't tell. It must be an alloy. It looks heavy, but resistant to oxidation..." Now's not the time, Ace. Shut up. She glanced from James to Lily, and after a brief pause to get her mind off of metallic bonds, she said, "Well, I suppose I'm ready to go, if both of you are."

---

Dwayne was startled out of the worried tumble of fragmented, disorganized thoughts that sent his head spinning by a voice. He looked up, his heart racing, but he was somewhat relieved to see it was just a normal woman, not law enforcement. It took him a minute to process her words; all he could do while his terrified mind worked was stare distrustfully. Finally he mumbled very quietly, "I'm not lost." He wiped his mouth one more time, in case she'd seen any coagulated blood he'd missed. Oh god, oh god, what if she knows... His next words were nearly choked or spat out. "I'm fine...cold..." He glanced around another time, expecting to see people who knew it was him. It wasn't his fault, though, it wasn't; all he'd done was defend himself, right? Self-consciously, he straightened himself up, trying to appear normal.

So, I actually am being cared for. So this is what it feels like, James thought, as he prepared to answer the question that Ace had asked. James thought for a second longer, then replied to Ace; "Well, I made the sword. It's made of something really, really strong, but I don't know exactly what it is. All I know is that it is really rare, really strong and really light. I took the last of what was left, and made Swift Lightening, the sword. I nicknamed her Swift" He paused to pat the sword. "She will never leave my side." He finished. He really did love his sword. He patted Swift again, and actually smiled. "Oh, and I'm ready to go." He said, smiling.

Chiyohime hands the man her scarf. "Here you go, I made it." She smiles and hopes that the man responds kindly. "Keep warm sir." She then left and decided to make another scarf. "Just remember my name, I'm somewhat locally well-known." She said sheepishly. Maybe she won him over, maybe she didn't. She threw out the bait now she hoped he bit it.

(TIMES SQUARE)

Tabby sits listening to the reports and begins to feel guilty that she's the cause till she hear that people on the far side from where she'd been had also fallen and suffered injury. This was very perplexing and in some ways relieved her of guilt though she knew for sure that she'd been the cause of some of this
.
Teddy popped back into the van and said
"My. What a night it's been, you're lucky you got out of the crowd when you did honey because it's chaos out there right now"

He reaches over and pats her hand as he tries to comfort her thinking her worried expression is a reflection of her ordeal.

"Ya I was lucky I guess, I heard on your scanner that people were injured, not too badly I hope?" she asks taking his hand an squeezing it.

"They didn't scream a path for the paramedics when they left which generally signals minor injuries, so no I think they'll be okay" says Teddy with an encouraging smile

"That is good, ja good to hear. I worry when people get hurt while simply seeking diversion" she says.

She then leans over and hugs Teddy "Thank you so much for your kindness Teddy, I don't know what I would have done without such a gentleman as yourself coming to my rescue"

" Hell sweety it's not like I rushed into a burning building for you" he giggles

"That matters not for I was in distress and it was you who helped me. Please take my card and promise to call me so I can treat you to lunch or coffee." she says fishing out her personal card with her cell number on it and thrusting it into his hands

"I have taken too much of your time and don't wish to cause you trouble any farther so I wish you Fare well and hope to see you soon" she says before kissing his cheek and opening her door.

"I still think it's silly that you think I rescued you but I'm always game for free coffee or a meal" he says as she steps out then closes the door before disappearing into the crowd

Lily started towards her apartment, a little uneasy. What was she doing? Was she the crazy one? She opened the door to her building. She didn't live in a place with a fancy doorman or anything. She lived on the fourth floor, and often took the stairs becUse the elevator was slow. But today she pushed the button for the elevator, "if you're hungry, I'm sure I have some good, other than dog food" she said, stifling a yawn.

What was it about her that just wanted to help people? It had been a long shift and she had been looking forward to some time to relax. Now she was bringing in two
Strangers to her home, one who may or may not be mental.

When the elevator opened to her floor, she unlocked her door, her great Bernese leaping out and up her, licking her face "easy Moe, easy" she pushed him down, grabbing his collar to prevent him jumping on the other two

Arlene followed slowly, also hesitant, but she didn't see many other options. She smiled shyly at the dog; she'd always liked dogs. Whenever she had to go to a house party, the dogs were her saviors. Now she mentally predicted it would be the same. She reached out toward the dog to let him sniff her hand, feeling a little bit of relief from her building anxiety. Dogs were simple. They were easy to read. If they didn't like you, they would show it, and if they did, they would show it; a sad dog always looks sad and a happy dog always happy. So long as this wasn't an attack dog, and it didn't look like one, she felt safe here. She visibly relaxed, her tense shoulders sagging a little bit with tiredness.

---

Dwayne took the scarf as if he was afraid it would burn him. He squinted at Chiyohime, surely such a kind gesture would have to come with a price? His expression was bewildered, still slightly distrustful; he was the one who helped people, and the only context he could was removing tumors or sewing up ruptured organs or lifting diseased appendixes out of bloody abdomens. It was a rare event that someone was kind to him. "T-t-thank you," he muttered, flashing his filed teeth. "I'll keep warm," he rasped, in an oddly apologetic tone. "I-I should probably..." He trailed off. "...get...going..."

Moe wagged his tail happily and licked her hand. Lily smiled, gently nudging him
Inside "you can jump and bark and lick when we are inside. Careful of
The sword, I'd rather not have you skewer yourself" she said to Moe

She shut the door behind them, and moe did indeed jump and bark around as Liky went straight to her coffee maker.

The living room was spacious, near and fashionable. She had spent ages searching for her couch, chairs, table and such. The bookshelf was full of books, some
She had read some she was going to read. The kitchen was small and tidy. Three doors led to two bedrooms-one that had a bed and desk which she used as a study and for the occasional visitor and the other her rooms the third room was a bathroom.

The only thing odd about the apartment was that the lights were brighter than they should be, and if one looked closely at the light globs one would see little balls of light floating in them. They came on when Lily was home. She loved brightness.

She made coffee quickly drinking a cup