Hard times in the Windy City [Potatuh]

Chicago; if any city had earned the name of windy city, it was surely this one and for some reason Michael found himself within this city in particular, though something within his gut drew him to this cesspool. His father had told him to go out and experience the human world for all it was worth, and he would do just that, as well as take in everything that they called culture, or whatever the term was. There was something endearing about the large buildings that would jut out from the cityscape, and how everyone seemed like they had something important to do, even if that might have not been the case. One thing that really caught his attention was the criminal underworld more than anything, as well as this strange Ethereal energy source that more than anything made him want to avoid it if at all possible. Something about it revolted against everything within him, and that was why he avoided one section of Chicago like the plague. With the large amount of interesting humans hiding within the darker halves of the city, he had no reason to go near the energy source anyway, and that was how he was dealing with the place as a whole.

It started when he was approached by an interesting woman, and by interesting woman the term would be prostitute.  She apparently had no respect for herself in regairds for clothing, seeing as what was worn barely covered anything compared to his faded blue jeans, black t-shirt and the black hoodie over it. Well considering that he looked a little too young for that kind of business she really ignored him in favor of more…legal clients, and he didn’t really see the loss within that. Granted Michael was slightly fascinated in what they were, considering that he had never seen a human female within his life, and that brought about a certain amount of curiosity within him for sure. Were they really monsters that could bleed for days without dying like most organic creatures that he ended up bleeding in his rather…ethical experiments? No, he would let the downtrodden of the streets be downtrodden or whatever the phrase was, as he would walk along the darkness. It was cold too, the winds rushing against his skin that was exposed felt strange, and sent him into shivers. It was perhaps due to the fact that the colder months around here were rolling around or something, and that likely meant maybe snow soon.

”Damn it’s cold out here, and I did not even prepare for this.” he mumbled to himself as what appeared to be a purple steam would hiss from his coat, as it appeared to only increase in thickness and add protection against the cold, as well as a padded hood that would allow him to keep his ears warm. He could see the small lights of something that would issue itself from one of the dark alleyways along his dark path. Probably some of the humans that were….without an abode and that were forced to live out within this cold; perhaps to die soon enough. From beneath the shadows of his hood, one could see a twinkle of silver that was visible within the pale luminescence offered by the flickering street lights as his own dark ethereal energy would bleed out into the air slowly, though it was not enough to really draw attention for the magical folks. The sounds of breaking glass caused his head to snap to what looked like someone attempting to break into an automobile, and something about it drew him. It involved some kind of brick and he did not even see the Ethereal Being watching him, though whatever he was doing caught his interest enough.

Michael cocked his head to the side, narrowing eyes as he considered what was going on and how he would go about dealing with it. He could have stopped them, but why did he care if some human got robbed? ”Hey, you know you could have done that without creating a loud ruckus.” He noted as the guy jerked afraid, to see the strange young male walking towards him, and something within him wanted to run away. “What? You look like a deer in the headlights, if I’m using that phrase correctly. Would be much easier if you did something that would make less noise, like muggings or whatever criminals do these days. You are looking for something aren’t you?” He reached for a gun, but then again Michael was also prepared for that as well. Well he did not really have anything to fear, as long as no bullets actually made contact with him, and with magic, that was the likely conclusion; the not getting shot part anyway.

”Woah now, that won’t get you anywhere. Kill me and what does that make you….a murderer?” He could tell by clothing alone that this man was one of the many that had no home, and that small amount of scruff showed that he could not even shave with these conditions. He would raise a hand as if a show that he had no hurtful intentions for the male and hoped that there would be no need for violence. The man would look at Michael for a moment, cautious of the silver orbs with the flecks of green peering out from beneath the hood, ominous orbs that could enthrall. Still, he would deposit the weapon back within the jacket, and Michael relaxed slightly as he considered his next course of action. Michael would smile a wide smile, one that showed that he was not a threat to him, and then the human would open up. ”You with..them?’ he would jerk with his thumb over to what looked like a few people huddle within a corner, bathed in darkness. If living in a box was a phrase used often, they took that to its literal meaning, and something about it annoyed Michael. Even animals had better conditions than this, though animals were idiotic and rarely stood to abusing their own kind, which perhaps made humans below animals.

”Yeah… they’re my siblings.” he would say finally with a low voice, and one that could barely be heard above the sound of a howling wind. Something off felt about this male, as if he had killed his fair share of people before, and something about that put Michael on edge and at the same time put him at ease. Something about meeting someone like this also put a dark seed within his mind, and one that he would allow to take root before growing into something maleficent and dark. ”We would have been able to stay within one of the homeless shelters, but with all of the refugees from New York and some of them hording to the shelters, we were turned away.” It seemed that they were the undesirables within this society, though he could tell there was something else about this male that was not made readily apparent. Still, whatever it was, he would not really do anything until he found out more about these humans that had somehow obtained his interest. He looked back to the car with its bashed in windshield and then back at the male.

”Well I think we should move along while we can, maybe not stand here to be accused of breaking that window.” Michael noted and the guy would agree as they would walk into one of the alleyways, where these siblings were located. One was only a year younger looking than the male with a small amount of scruff, as well as a younger sister and then an even younger brother, all of which could have pulled the heartstrings if he had any. They looked up at the strange male curiously, and he would try to smile with a certain charisma that usually made people like him, or at least not dislike him. ’I guess you could say I’m somewhat of a homeless guy myself.” He noted to the scruffy one that had not long ago wanted to kill him and the man would snicker, perhaps not taking to his confession and with the isles as a home, it was mostly a lie. Still, if he wanted to be literal, he was homeless within this country and that meant they would be siblings within this tough time, even if he could have gotten anything that he wanted whenever he wanted. For now he would play around as the homeless asshole and rough it with these poor unfortunate souls, maybe learn a few things about humans while he was at it, if that were possible. ”Not to sound nosy or anything, but what were you hoping to do when you actually broke into that car.”

The male would shift his eyes as they walked into the darkness further, where no one could really see them and that was when he decided to answer the question in detail. ”Well I was hoping to pawn the radio off for money, maybe enough to finally pay off what little I owe to the local gang of thugs. They call themselves The Black Skulls or something like that, and they have metas working with them, which makes fighting back impossible.” Michael perked up at the mention of metas seeing as how he had heard of these Metahumans so many times within his travels across the country and how they were evil; and had unnatural powers or something like that. ”They said they would send an enforcer tonight if I did not pay for it, and here I am still without the money.” He began to spill things, and his siblings would walk further within the shadow bathed alleyway as Michael listened with intent, eyes narrowing as their glow seemed to lessen slightly. If he was to be shaken down by one of these super powered people, then that meant that Michael would have the chance to play around with said super freak, and then compare his own power to that of a Metahuman. See if his Ethereal energy would be able to best whatever they sent after this poor fool, and maybe even have some fun along the way.

”What if someone were to deal with this meta hitman that is gonna come after you?” Michael wondered with a raised eyebrow as the man would look at him within the dim light as if he were both a godsend and insane. ”I am after all pretty talented myself and for a nominal fee I could help you, though money is not something that I would want.” That was when there was a bright light as well as intense heat, with the appearance of what looked like a red haired female from nowhere with a biker fetish, and a permanent scowl that was all revealed within that flash of fire that she appeared in, with a katana as red as a cherry.

”Well what do I have here? A little boy saying that he could beat me up?” The smell of burning asphalt would reach into the high heavens and burn his nosehairs painfully, as he looked upon her with mute interest. Light played across his amused smirk, as  a bright light would continue to flicker from the fire that had been created by the woman.

”So what do you say? Do you want my help against her, or should I let her spit roast you alive?”

Jack looked down at the Windy City with contempt as he flew above it. He used to love it when the circus would come to Chicago. He would walk around in awe as he looked up at the giant, sparkling buildings. But that was a long time ago. Now the city had a foul stench to it. Crime had overtaken it, and that's why Jack was there.

He learned about a gang called the Black Skull. Their crimes were increasing, and becoming more bold. They had begun more than just simple muggings. Jack had flown up to Chicago from St. Louis the night before in order to investigate.

He had been out since that morning, and hadn't learned any information about the gang. He tried questioning people, but he couldn't get any answers. Mentioning the Black Skull would instantly create looks of distrust and sometimes fear. He finally got a little knowledge when one man, before running off, quickly said that the gang "was the one with them metas". Although it didn't really help Jack in locating the gang, he now had some insight on them and was more prepared for when he actually would encounter them.

Finally, Jack had given up. Unable to get any real information from anyone, he decided to head back to the park, where he wa  s staying. He was walking back as a dog, because no one batted an eye to it, and if he went back in his human form, people would stare at his tail.

He was almost to the park when he heard the sound of breaking glass. It was probably nothing, but without hesitation, he ran towards the sound. When he got to the car, he saw two men talking to each other. One seemed a little nervous; on edge. The other seemed very calm and confident. The confident one seemed to be talking to the other. Jack quickly noticed that the nervous man had a gun. Preparing for trouble, Jack crept closer to the men, and began listening intently.

At first the conversation didn't seem like it was going anywhere, but Jack's dog ears perked up when he heard one of the people mention "The Black Skull". They were talking about a hit man, which instantly meant trouble. Jack had dealt with hit men before, and he didn't like the experience. Jack was about to intervene and question the men when a katana wielding ginger appeared out of thing air. As she threatened the men, Jack backed off. When he was out of sight, he transformed himself into a small lizard and climbed the wall above the woman.

Jack stuck to the wall above the woman as he felt heat radiating off of her. Before he intervened, he decided to see what would happen first.

So here he was, face to face with one of these Metahumans that the humans were so terrified of, and all Michael could feel was a certain sense of elation at the prospect. He had never really been one to openly do any kind of confrontation, considering that Michael was never the type to actually engage in conflict, but now it seemed that he would have to try his hand at fighting, or whatever it was called. That was if the fire slinging woman could even handle the amount of power that the Ethereal Being was packing, his silver pools smoldering beneath the shade that his hood offered. The glowing itself was increased in level of ominousness by the low glow issued from the molten asphalt that the woman’s hot fire had created, and made him seem all the more terrifying. She ran her glowing red katana along the ground, as it formed grooves from where the blade tip would make contact, and sputter loudly and her pouty red lips seem curled into a now amused grin. ”So Andrew, is this your boyfriend or something?” She would question with a sick chortle as the katana would rise from the molten asphalt below, some of it dripping from the metal.

Obviously she had hit some kind of sore spot with the male and he would make some kind of low noise like a growl, teeth baring or something like that. Michael never really understood human mannerisms, though he knew that his father most of the time seemed to be in a state where he was half of one. The word she used was a strange one and one that Michael did not really understand the connotations of, except the word friend and he could not really call this Andrew individual a friend; considering that one did not make friends with lesser beings, but then again he was trying to play around with these fools. ”It’s cute that you’re trying to get out of your debt, but if you borrow money, you have to pay back eventually. I was not sent here to kill you, but get a message across, since we already know what you’re…capable of.” She said cryptically whirling the blade about the air, before expertly catching it in her hand. ”But you had to get this little guy involved, didn’t you? While you may be indispensable, he is not.” She said and Michael could tell she already had intentions of killing him, and that made this….fun.

”You plan to kill me?” He questioned with a certain amusement, lips curling into a grin as if that were the biggest joke ever told to him as he dug both hands into his pocket, and simply stared at the woman amused. ”You’re a Metahuman right? I don’t understand why you would work under beings so….beneath you. You have such power, but you squander it on something like this when you could do so much….greater.” He was prepared if she decided to do anything stupid, like attack him or anything, though what he had planned would involve her painful death at the hands of something maybe a bullet? Well either way he was prepared for the worst as he would talk on. ”Or is it all for money? People destroy each other for that worthless paper, ridiculous really.” One hand would remove itself from his pocket, and push his hood back from his head, revealing his rather youthful looking face with a small amount of black stubble around his chin. His lips curled into what could be taken as a self satisfied grin as he searched the expression of the woman, which was something like half interest.

”And what would you suggest I do kid?” Her interest was not piqued and he could tell she was annoyed, but then again something seemed to compel the woman to ask that question. He unburied the hands from his pockets, and considered what he could say that would carry any weight to this woman, but then again nothing came up instantaneously.

”I don’t know actually, but I did offer to kill you or something like that.” he shrugged as the flames would grow in intensity, bright enough to illuminate the entire alleyway as it also cast a light over those that were watching the procession. This woman was part of some gang called The Black Skull or something like that, which meant she was not on the savory side of humanity, and that meant that she was a small mark of interest within his romp in the human world. ”Not sure how easy that will be, but then again no harm in trying.” The fire would rise in intensity and in an instant it would try to fall upon the male that spoke, though in a soundless flash of dull purple light, something tore through her left breast and brought about a splatter of blood. Michael held what looked like a small glowing purple pistol that expelled some purple mist from its end, and the fire would die only a foot from him; as the woman would looked exasperated and then fall to the ground, and his gun would fade away into glittering dust. ”Done.”

As the woman collapsed, Jack jumped down from the wall, transforming back into his human form on the way down. Kneeling next to the fallen woman, Jack looked up at the man who shot her.
"Why did you do that? he said accusingly to the person in the hood. "She hadn't done anything!" Jack checked the woman's pulse, and then began pumping up and down on her chest.

"Help me!" he shouted at the two people. Jack understood why the person would try to defend himself, but he did not want this woman to die. Not only did he hate death, but also this woman was his only lead to getting to the Black Skull. If she was lost, so was he. He finally stopped giving her CPR and sighed. She was gone. He stood up slowly and stood to face her killer.

"You shouldn't have done that." he said angrily, stepping closer to the man, who actually only looked a couple years older than him. "I needed her."

The woman would wear an expression of pure of shock as the blood would begin to pour from the wound, as well as a small amount from her mouth. Life was leaving her quick, but that did not seem to bother the passive looking youth as his weapon had faded away in to the ether that it seemed to appear from, and he simply checked a nail or something along that line. Those silver orbs still looking down upon her as she fell, and choked upon her own blood that quickly filled up her lungs, and drowned her. It seemed that nothing else would happen after this rather quick and efficient method of killing, but then again fate was a strange thing indeed, as a young male would spring out of nowhere to the aid if the woman that he had just mortally wounded. Those behind him, still horrified at how he had so easily killed a person were even more surprised by the appearance of the male. He even asked why Michael had done it, as if the answer were not an obvious one, but then again this one had just jumped into the fray, so maybe he truly did not know why he had done it.

Michael pondered over that question for a moment, his mind reeling over the many sarcastic answers that he could offer up, but nothing really came to mind at the moment. He would try to save her, but it seemed he did not understand what a bullet to the lung could do to a person without some kind of supernatural healing factor of some kind, which this woman did not possess. He cocked his ehad to the side, amused by this males rather kindhearted gesture but in the end they meant nothing, and he also found that women could not bleed for a week without dying. ”She hadn’t done anything? She was trying to kill me, so I killed her first. It’s not really a difficult concept to understand, and I was helping these fine people.” He would gesture towards those standing behind him who would only shift their gazes as the Ethereal being would motion towards them, as if he had become some kind of monster. Not that he could really fault them, but it seemed that these humans were rather backwards, and that also annoyed him.

Of course the male would continue his semi-ranting by saying that he should have not done that, and he even got up within Michael’s personal space, which added to the annoyance levels even more. He took a step back, making the distance more comfortable as he looked over the male with cautious eyes. He was nearly a foot taller than Michael, and something said that he could also easily overpower the Ethereal being physically if he wanted to, but then again Michael was never good when it came down to fist fighting, well not within his current state anyway. So in a sense he had to look up at the male, and it was not a really new sensation, considering that the only person that wasn’t taller than him full grown was his Titan father Sean, and that was only by two inches really. ”I shouldn’t have?” He questioned raising a brow at the male as he noticed that the corpse of the woman was…beginning to turn into ash, and break apart as fire would break out across the flesh; until there was nothing left but the ash. ”She threatened me and these fine people, so I should have let her kill me and them? Doesn’t matter if you needed her or not, I would rather not die tonight.”

He shrugged turning to look at the two as the glowing of the flames would slowly go out, and make the alleyway dark again. ”So are all of you okay?” His voice didn’t change from that strangely calm and neutral tone that made one think that he did not have an interest in anything happening around him. It was the young girl dressed in the ratty hoodie that spoke up, with a light skin like coffee with generous amounts of cream.

”Yeah..we’re fine…though won’t they be angry now that you killed one of their meta goons?”

”Probably but I can deal with whatever they send my way.” No one noticed the shadow lurking among the rooftops, one that had noticed the things that had transpired and in an instant it was gone, without making a single sound.

Jack began to calm himself as he realized that the murderer was just protecting a family.
"I'm sorry," he said, taking a step back, "I just needed her alive." He slowly turned away from the others, taking in a deep breath. He turned back around and spoke. "I mean I understand that you were just protecting these people," he said, gesturing towards the civilians that had been saved, "but couldn't you just have incapacitated her? Did she really have to die?"

Jack quickly shook his head, brushing off any feelings that he had had before. "I'm sorry, he apologized, a smile spreading across his face. "I'm Jack." he said as he stretched out a hand. "Well, my real name is Jack. My friends call me Fitz, though, so really it's up to you."  he added.

”Could she have not died? I suppose that was possible, but then again I didn’t really have any time to react in a nonlethal manner.” He also did not have any intentions of letting her live the minute that she had launched an assault upon the Ethereal Male within question, seeing as how anyone attacking him was usually grounds for death anyway. Michael crossed arms over his chest, feeling a slight chill run through his body as he looked back up to the male that had once been yelling angrily at him, offering a slight smile if only to avoid any unnecessary conflict, seeing as how fighting was never his strong suit. ”Now stop apologizing, its….annoying.” He would say with a raised eyebrow looking back to the other two behind him as he considered what he could do now, though nothing came to mind. He did have a small hotel room filled out for the night, but then again the prospect of having to deal with this many people did not appeal well to him; not at all.

He still had this Andrew guy and the others huddled around, and Michael still had enough of an interest that he would not leave them out in this cold to possibly die. The guy would introduce himself as Jack, or Fitz, the latter seeming like an odd nickname, but one that held a certain endearing quality to it. ”Well Fitz, I’m Michael though I have been called Mike, don’t really care either way really.” He said introducing himself running fingers through his dark brown hair that seemed nearly black within this low light, as only his glowing eyes seemed to really be fully visible within it. He would relax, not seeing the male before him as a real threat, considering that he seemed to quickly rid himself of anger as soon as Michael explained that he was helping these wayward homeless fools. ”Could we go somewhere else? As much as I like standing around in alleyways, I would much prefer to….not. We can get around to introductions and all of those nice things when we aren’t in a crime ripe area.”

While Michael had been within the city for only a day or two, he had made sure to learn important facts about the city that they called the windy city, and everything about it; including its criminal aspects, or atleast those that were important enough to be know about. ”So how about we get to somewhere…..warmer?” Even in this thick coat, Michael could tell that it was rather cold this Chicago evening, and he did not really like the cold very much; which possibly explained why he avoided The Final Frost like the plague. If the male would accept his suggestion to find somewhere warmer, they would be off into the dark street, though if not he would honestly move on without him along with anyone else that would come. Michael was never one to like waiting, and many things could be attributed to that.

”So you want us to just walk away from this?” Andrew would question Michael incredulous.

”Well I was hoping that you would come with me, but you can do whatever; not like I’m going to stop you or anything.” He would say plunging hands into fur lined pockets, as the feeling that was beginning to leave his finger tips would slowly return and that elicited a sigh of relief from him. ”I do have somewhere to stay for the night so if any of you want you can accompany me there, seeing as how you all have nowhere to go, and maybe you can tell me more about that strange energy coming from….Andrew wasn’t it?”

"Sounds good." Jack replied to his new acquaintances request to go somewhere a little safer. All the activity coming from the alley had created a lot of noise, and the last thing Jack wanted was some unwanted attention, especially in this bad neighborhood.

He was anxious to enter a warmer area, as he could feel the cold in the air, which already started to chill his body. Jack looked at both Michael and the group of homeless people that he had protected. They seemed innocent enough, but Jack was not going to let his guard down. Michael had just killed someone, although in his defense he had a good reason. Still, though, Jack decided it was best to see what would happen in the near future, so he just hid his suspicion in a reassuring smile.

Jack quickly tried to profile the male, trying to take in as much information about him as he could. He looked to be about a foot shorter than Jack, although probably a year or two older. He was obviously some kind of metahuman or something along those lines. It wasn't everyday that someone could just produce a gun out of thin air, and make it disappear just as easily. One of the most distracting features of his new acquaintance, though, was his eyes. They seemed so vibrant, and almost appeared to be glowing. Jack looked at them for a couple seconds before he realized he was staring, and he quickly looked away.

"Well we better get going." he suggested to the group. He stepped behind Michael, beckoned his hands ahead of them, and stated, "After you."

Had the male been staring at his eyes? Michael mused this while they walked along, his sneakers sounding nearly silently against the concrete as his eyes scanned over the heavens, and wished that the stars could greet them tonight. Something within him would have to keep skeptical about the male following him, as well as the others, but then again he knew nothing about these people; so trusting them would have been a stupid thing to do now. ”I’m staying in one of these motels not too far from here.” Michael noted, running a finger along his chin as he felt the small amount of hair that formed along his chin, though it was partially something that he wanted. Granted when you could alter your own appearance as you wished, then growing some facial hair was not a real big deal in the grand scheme of things.

He noted that he was slightly hungry, but then again with the frequency that Michael ate, it could have just been his body recognizing that it did not have food in it, instead of actual hunger. Still, if his body wanted the food, then there was no choice but to give it what it wanted; even if he did not even need it. Humans ate without any need to, so he saw no harm in doing the same, seeing as how food tasted good and if it pleased him, then there should be no harm in doing it. Atleast he was proving himself to be somewhat of a gentleman, which made him an alright guy, or at least not unbearable. ”So are any of you hungry?” He would ask, raising his voice loud only for all of them to hear as he walked ahead of them with a certain self assured swagger. ”Cause I sure as hell am.”

”Erm…yeah we are.” Andrew would say speaking about his siblings, which Michael had begun to wonder if they were truly related. ’We were looking for some money to feed ourselves, but that was when we met you…Mike.”

”I see. Well I do have some money, so I could perhaps feed all of you something, though I can’t promise a large feast or anything.” He would noted with a shrug.

’Will we have to pay you back? I remember the last guy who tried to buy me something, and that did not end well.” The younger female sibling would note and Michael could not help but snicker at the thought.

”Don’t worry about that.” Their eyes fell upon what looked like a small convenience store, something that looked familiar to him and he realized it was only a block away from his motel, which meant they were close.

The thought of food made Jack's stomach rumble. That was one of the downsides to his ability. Due to the large amount of changing size and shape that his body did, he was almost always hungry. It only added to his hunger when the mixed smells of cooking entered his nostrils. Anxious to eat, Jack kept in pace behind the group.

As he walked, Jack had the feeling that someone was watching him. Of course, he usually gained stares from people due to his long tail, but this time it was different. The people who were usually caught looking at him had always had a form of fear in their eyes. Like they were afraid of what this "freak" would do to them or their children. This time, though, Jack was the one who felt afraid, although only slightly. He instinctively checked behind him, but when he saw nothing, he shrugged off his suspicions. I'm just tired he thought to himself And hungry he reminded himself as his stomach growled again.

He could feel the stares, but they were mostly upon the young male that had only moments ago been rather cross with Michael. Some would whisper amongst themselves when they thought they were out of earshot, but it seemed that they did not know what the term whispering meant in the least. Something about it annoyed Michael especially that he was sure that some of the negative talk was also being directed towards him for associating with such a…freak of nature. Still, he ignored them for the most part in favor of food, which was something that his body would demand, if only to be full of something. If he knew anything about these little shops, they always had something to eat, but then again he had heard stigmatic things about them from the television boxes.

He could have worried about something like that, but then again what would have been the point in that? They were hungry it seemed, and the hungry did not really complain when it came down to food being offered to them, so he was sure there would be no complaints from them; especially the cheeky young girl. He dug his hands into his pocket, watching how his breath formed small white clouds each time that he exhaled, quickly disappearing as soon as it appeared. Part of him was beginning to question his choice in Chicago, but then again he was here, and so he would experience the city as much possible while he was here. Maybe he could choose another city later, one that was warmer and where there were beaches that he could walk along.

Michael was the first to talk through the door, looking to the cashier quickly before darting off to look through the snack food section, seeing as how he only really seemed interested in the interesting snack foods that places like these could offer him. He would let everyone else do whatever it was that they would do, whether that is doing the same as him or something else. Well either way Michael did not really bother to worry about their going ons, as he was doing his own thing, and that involved picking out the largest bag of fatty chips that he could find, and something else as well; maybe a box of snack cakes or something, along with some kind of fizzy soft drink that would likely cause him to burp continuously.

With all of that under his arms, Michael would make his way to the cash register, and unload all of it onto the counter with a sly smile. The female behind the counter would blow a large bubble with her gun and look at Michael with an upraised brow, as the pink transparent bubble would expand before popping loudly and being forced back into her mouth.

As the group entered the convenience store, Jack felt relieved as warm air rushed over him. He had honestly gotten very cold in the Chicago streets, and the heat from the store was a wanted change. The fact that they were in the Windy City didn't help, too, as the wind nipped at him all night.

Once they entered the store, everyone seemed to diverge to different aisles. Jack stopped at the beginning of the aisles, watching to see what everyone would do. The group of homeless people seemed to wander around the edges of the store. They walked cautiously, looking unsure as to what to do. In fact, they almost seemed suspicious, as if they were planning something. Jack knew that they obviously weren't; they had seen what Michael could do, and Jack was sure that they wouldn't do anything stupid and test him. A stranger, on the other hand, would not be so confident. Jack quickly eyed over the cashier, making sure she wasn't afraid of the mysterious group. The cashier payed no attention to the group. She just snapped her gum loudly and blew a large bubble, reading some kind of fashion magazine.

Looking to Michael, Jack noticed that he had picked up a large bag of greasy potato chips. "I like the way you think." Jack called to the other male. He joined his associate in the aisle, grabbing a big bag of chips hungrily. The bad thing about Jack's ability was also the best thing: The fact that he had to ingest so many calories. Although it took a lot of food to calm his appetite, Jack's shapeshifting ability burned off most of the fat in his body. It kept him lean and lanky, rather than obese.

Moving deeper into the snack food aisle, Jack grabbed two snack cake boxes, a package of pudding, a box of chocolate candies, and three packs of gum. Smiling, he looked up to discover the strange looks he was getting from the other patrons in the store. "Fine." he mumbled to himself. He then put back the pudding and proceeded to the check out area, slamming his food next to Michael's on the counter. Worried about the price of his meal, Jack reached into his pocket. As he pulled out his hand, he unfurled his fist, revealing a crumpled up $100 dollar bill. A goofy grin on his face, Jack nodded to both Michael and the cashier. "That should cover it." he said happily.

The girl reminded him of one of those female that he had seen congregating in small groups, chattering about and some of them would occasionally point someone out and whisper about them. Sometimes he felt like he was the subject of such whisperings, but at the same time it did not matter much in the grand scheme of things. For now he was waiting for the others to finish as the cashier would continue to chew her gum, and look at the dark haired male from her magazine. Andrew and his siblings or whatever they were to him really would get all that they could carry, and it seemed that the taller male would do the same, though the one with the tail seemed to have the decency to offer money.

While he would have been able to pay up for everything that they were buying, this meant that he would have probably enough for another night at the motel, and that meant he would be free to survey Chicago some more before money had to be made. Sure there were plenty of drug dealers, and gangbangers alike that he could take the ill gotten gain from, but that was more effort than Michael was willing to put forth. So without even debating the money put forth, they would have their money taken, food paid for and change doled out in that manner.

Michael would carry all he had in two plastic bags that bristled under his arm as he looked to the others, raising an eyebrow as they would walk from the store into the cold night once again. So the male had proven himself to be a gentleman once again, and perhaps slowly dissolved the wariness that Michael had once felt towards him. He could relax slightly more now, even if there were a few glances still afforded the poor tailed male. He would pay him back one way or the other, though how he did not care to think on right now. ”Well that went pretty well.” He mused satisfied, as the plastic bags would bristle lightly against his body.

One could see the motel from where they were on the sidewalk, around two stories in size and with enough rooms to hold a decent amount of people, though Michael only had one of them to himself. He let out a sigh of relief as the cold wind brushed against his cheeks, and sent a shiver down his spine. Luckily this motel understood the wonders of heating, and he knew that it would be warmer inside, and he would be able to slip into something less bulky.

Stuffing his change(a large number of bills and a couple coins) into his pocket, Jack picked up his bags of food and exited the store. As the doors opened, a wave of cold air rushed over Jack. He shivered as he opened a pack of gum and began chewing on a piece. He chewed on it quietly, as not to disturb the people around him. He did not, after all, want to be snapping on it loudly like the cashier did.

Walking down the sidewalk, Jack kept his head down to keep his face warm. He never realized how cold Chicago could be so cold once the son went down. He contemplated transforming into something that could withstand the cold better, such as a husky or something, but ultimately decided against it. Jack had learned to be a little more wise with his power, and to not show it off as much. Average people seemed to be afraid of metas, or at least that's what he had seen. So he just kept to his human form, walking in step with the group that he had been with for the past hour or so.

He was watching their feet, mimicking the way they stepped. He often did this when he was at the back of a group, not knowing why. Still, he kept a close eye on their shoes, keeping his steps in time with theirs. He almost collided with the person in front of his as they came to an abrupt stop. As he looked up, he saw that everyone was looking across the street at a motel. "Is that where we're going?" asked Jack, although he was sure that he already knew the answer. The motel looked decent enough. It was fairly big, about two stories tall. It seemed a little run down on the outside, but Jack knew not to make assumptions until he had actually seen its interior. "As long as it's heated, I'm fine." he said loudly.

”Yeah that’s the place.” Michael said with a nod. ”Not my first choice in a place to stay, but its affordable and the bed is comfy, so no complaints from me.” With a shrug he would look at the others before choosing to cross the street across one of the line walkway things when the green walking man popped up. It only took them about a minute or so to cross really, and then they were only a few minutes from being within the warmth of his room. His was on the second floor, so they would have to climb up some cold looking metal stairs, walk until they reached room 210 and then Michael fumbled through his pockets until he found the key that he was looking for, inserting it into the lock and walking in.

With a flick of a switch, the light would cut on and reveal the large queen sized bed that dominated the room, one television across from it, a door to a bathroom and of course the large curtains that would barely prevent light from flooding in. One thing that he noticed when he walked into the room was that it was still as warm as when he left it, and that was a good feeling indeed. Once everyone filed in and the door was close, then they could all enjoy the wonderful heat of the room instead of standing around in the intense winter cold of Chicago.

”Well here you are, my humble abode for now.” with that Michael would toss his jacket off into the corner and fall back on his bed loudly. His food stuffs would jostle about on impact, and reminded him that they indeed were still there, and the homeless that came with him would choose to sit on the floor and begin to eat away on their own food. Michael would open his large bag of rather fatty chips, and pull one out, plopping it into his mouth and chewing as it would crunch loudly with each chew.