Material Desires

[Demi Smith]

Needless to say, Demi did not care about carbs. Given how active the girl was, and how much of her activity involved building muscle, it likely wasn't going to make much difference in the long run. She just cared about the food, not about what was in it.

Though she did care some about how they got it. her mouth opened to insist that she could handle ordering food, but she closed, remembering how everyone kept telling her that she needed to pretty well avoid talking to normal people. Given what Demi believed and so frequently said, she could pretty well alienate someone in a few words. Or end up wanting to punch them.

"I'll find a table," Demi replied, looking around. She headed off in that direction, figuring that Roxana would figure out why. It wasn't like it was that hard to find a decent table, and Demi really didn't care that much about location. She did spare a few moments looking around to see if there was a spot that was relatively close to all the various places she wanted to get food before plunking down on the seat, adjusting herself and crossing her arms. This would work.

There was a kid in another table a few tables across looking at Demi. She narrowed her eyes back. Show the kid who was the badass here, that was for certain.

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana could not help but to smile as she saw Demi's mouth open but nothing followed out of the girl's mouth. She assumed the girl was going to have some kind of retaliation for her being able to order her own food, but she didn't say anything. Perhaps Rox's guess about her not being able to talk to non-mutants was a fact. She didn't know how Demi's people planned on making it for long when mutants made up such a small percentage of the world's population. So small that Rox hardly counted them as a real percent of the population, they would certainly have been put on the endangered species list if they were animals.

"Alright, I'll get your food and bring it to you." Roxana said, planning on ordering the food that Demi wanted in the order that the girl spoke of them. So that meant she would get the pretzel, likely bring it back to demi so the girl could have something to hold her over, and then order the rest and bring it back to the girl when it was done as well. As for herself, she was not certain if she wanted anything yet. She rarely ate or drank in the company of others; it was just something that she didn't do that often. It did not hurt to do it, but for now she focused on getting Demi's food and would get her own later.

It did not take long for the pretzel to be done, and she headed over to where Demi had them a table for the two of them. It was pretty easy to spot Demi out in the food court and she was not surprised that Demi was giving another boy a look. "Be nice Demi. Remember you are trying to not draw attention." Roxana said in her usual tone but it was whispered this time. She didn't stay around too long after dropping off Demi's pretzel to her before she went off the next place Demi wanted food from.

[Demi Smith]

Yes, go get the food: Demi just waved Roxana off and focused on the whole table finding and securing thing. then there was the engaging with the other boy, which apparently Roxana had noticed. "He started it!" Demi insisted, giving the guy another look. Still, she had her pretzel now, which she took.

Demi shifted it in her hands, feeling its warmth, trying to figure out how best to get started with the actual eating of it. She pulled a few bits of it, eating it cautiously. They'd made stuff like this back home, but this definitely tasted different. she chewed experimentally for a bit, tilting her head to the side to take in the flavors.

Then the kid looked at her again. Demi glared back at him, and ripped off a chunk of the pretzel in a particularly violent matter. She chewed it almost dastardly as she locked eyes with the child, ready to stare him into oblivion. She couldn't quite tell if that was fear on his eyes, confusion, or what. Stupid incompletes and their stupid faces.

[Roxana Strix]

"Does not matter. He is just looking at you, probably thinks you are cute." Roxana responded back, giving the kid who was looking at Demi a quick glance. She didn't have time to really worry about Demi beating up a kid for just looking at her, that was just too much work. Then again, it was provoking Demi with the perfect test to see if she could handle still keep herself in check even as she was not happy with her current situation. "Just don't mind him and enjoy your food." Roxana added before she left to go get the rest of what Demi wanted, only to hesitate.

"What kind of sandwich do you want besides it just being toasted? Or are you fine with anything?" Roxana asked. It would have been so much easier if Demi came up with her and told her what she wanted, or at the very least pointed. That was probably what was going to end up happening at this rate unless Demi left it up to her to pick. Demi didn't seem like a picky eater, but who knew if she liked pickles or something like that. Everyone had at least one food that they did not like to eat, right?

"Same for one of the Orange Jules...thing. What specifically do you want?" Roxana added. There were a lot of options in both locations after all. Since she had come back to ask all of this, she noticed how Demi was not sure how to eat her pretzel and was still giving the kid a death glare. So long as Demi didn't attack him, Roxana was not too worried about it all. Roxana could not help but to feel slightly uneasy about it all. Rox’s mind had already started to come up with a story to spin in case Demi did end up using her power.

[Demi Smith]

"Cute?" Demi repeated. She couldn't help but sound disgusted by the very prospect of it. Her stomach curled and she wished she had some solid gravel to toss in the kid's direction. She gave him another look that communicated that disgust and at least he turned around and looked away from her. Demi wasn't sure if she liked the implications of that, and she definitely didn't like Roxana insisting that she just settle and eat her food.

The questions didn't help either: "One with meat?" Demi asked, looking up and shrugging. "food's food. I've ate stuff out of cans and some of that stupid junk you all make during the holidays." Christmas had been nice for Demi, and not just because she'd gone to "church" with Franck: food had been readily available.

More questions, and Demi actually sighed, sliding off her seat and taking a few steps toward the store in question. She squinted up at it, letting her eyes scan the menu. "I don't know: just... the biggest one," she said, adding another shrug. She felt a pair of eyes on her and turned just in time to see the kid turning around again. Demi's eyes narrowed that direction before she turned back to look at Roxana.

"You sure he's not some kind of spy or something? There are mutant hating groups, right?"

[Roxana Strix]

"Yes, cute. It means finding something or someone attractive in a pretty or endearing way." Roxana clarify. She figured Demi knew what the word meant, but just to be safe, since Demi acted like the word was foreign. Demi was still young so it was likely she had not reached that point when she started to feel a strange way around boys or girls. Hell, who knew if she would ever feel it and there was no problem with it at any rate. Roxana personally never felt it, when she was Demi's age or older.

In fact, she still never felt it, except around two people and that was a more so recent event in her life. Demi was very vague about what she wanted, but Roxana didn't react and just made a mental note on the matter. Thankfully Demi seemed to get it in terms of there being a bit too much of an option for Roxana to just make a guess. TI did help that Demi was willing to eat anything, but that was for now before she actually started to get a desire taste for certain things.

She followed Demi as the girl walked over and pointed out what she wanted, still in a very vague manner. "Alright, I'll handle it then." Roxana said as she moved forward to order Demi what she thought would be a good fit for the girl’s desire for meat and something on the not kids menu. While she was paying for the food and waiting for it to be prepared she looked at Demi and then to the young boy Demi was talking about. "I'm sure. He is not showing any signs to being a spy of any short, just a normal kid. As for the mutant hating groups, there are probably a few, but the world still does not know about us." Roxana explained to Demi, keeping her tone softer for Demi to just hear her with the mutant talk.

[Demi Smith]

"I know what cute means," Demi replied darkly. Her eyes flashed and her hand clenched tightly. If only she had some dirt or rocks or something to actually fling at Roxana. She was tempted to use whatever she had closest, but there was nothing with any heft besides her pretzel, and she sure as hell wasn't throwing food at someone, no matter how stupid they were being, especially not hot food bought especially for her.

More would be coming, and that knowledge nearly had Demi flinging pretzel anyway. It only tasted so good though. Roxana would get the food; which worked for Demi. Better not be something stupid or from a damn kids' menu. Honestly, you'd think that Demi had kicked Roxana's butt enough that the other girl would realize that she wasn't some sort of kid.

Unlike the spy, who Roxana insisted wasn't one. "A whole group attacked the school last year," Demi pointed out, looking up at Roxana with a smug expression. "They shot people and everything. You were there," she looked back, "and those type of groups use kids and stuff. I definitely would. Just let me punch him a little, make sure he gets the message." She grinned fiercely and rapped her knuckles on the table.

[Roxana Strix]

"I was just making sure." Roxana said in her defense, but in no way was actually defensive about it. She personally felt that it was better to say something to be safe then not say something at all and be unsure if a message was clear. Perhaps that was why she got in trouble with her organization, talking when someone already understood something. Still, double checking when it came to communication didn't hurt unless it involved encryption and this did not. If Demi had thrown anything at Roxana, well who knew what would have happen. So it was a good thing that nothing was thrown to avoid any of those possible outcomes.

Rox made sure not to get anything off of the kids menu, she could recall that Demi could eat a lot. She was just uncertain of what the girl actually liked to eat, but they had worked out that Demi would pretty much eat anything and that she liked meat. So at each place Roxana just made her best judgment guess on what food Demi might like and went from there. She paid for the food, grabbing it, and going to the next place until she had something from each of the places that Demi had wanted to get something to eat from. She then headed back to the table with her...Demi's spoils and laid them out on the table for Demi to dig in and eat in whatever order she wanted.

Rox had gotten herself a simple salad with a bottle of water and moved to sit down to apply dressing and commence consuming it. Demi brought up what happened before, the events that took place when SPECTRE had showed up. Demi was not at the school at that time, right? Well, she was from a mutant community so know doubt she would have heard the true story from her leaders. "That is true but they were different. Even if they did use kids, which I have reason to believe they did not get to that stage; you still have nothing to worry about. There is a certain vibe people give off when they are bad. I'm sure you should be able to pick up on it with your connection to...the flow." Roxana said, taking a sip of her water and then eating some more of her salad.

[Demi Smith]

The food would come in time. Demi waited impatiently, continuing to stare down the kid.At the rate she was going, it wouldn't be much longer until the child's mother noticed the girl practically glaring at her younger child. Yes, younger, because while he might nearly match Demi in size, he definitely didn't match her in age. Not that Roxana and definitely not Demi, had any way of actually knowing as much.

Roxana returned, returned and countered Demi's comment. True, yes, but apparently not true enough to be accurate. Demi shot the older mutant a quick glare and likely would have continued, had she not had food to eat. Demi took that almost greedily, as if she expected Roxana to walk off with it. She started working through it though, picking at the pieces.

"Flow doesn't work like that," Demi replied archly. "It just lets you master your inner balance and work your abilities to their best. Not like it makes you psychic or any junk like that. I might, like, know if he got up and did a pose or something," Demi added a slight snort at that and began eating bits of her offered food, thoroughly enjoying it and trying her hardest to not show it.

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana was less than impressed with Demi's table manners; or lack thereof, but she didn't say anything on it for the moment. Demi was still young and while she didn't understand why Demi was eating like this was her last meal on Earth or like she had not eaten in a long time, she kept silent on it for the time being. While she was silent, that didn't mean that her expression was not practically communicating what she was thinking. Normally her face would remain expressionless the whole time but of late she had been a little less hidden about what was going on in her mind.

At least for things that were not of major importance. Roxana enjoyed her salad at any rate as she listened to Demi explain how the flow worked. It got Demi talking and that was the important part of all of this. It allowed Roxana to learn more about Demi, her people, and also meant that Roxana didn't have to do any talking. "Ah, so it's more so focused on your ability alone and not going further than that?" Roxana asked, to make sure she had understood correctly. So while Demi had training, it was in fact not similar to the kind that Roxana had. That made sense, but with talk about what The Inherited could be up to...it felt a little off that they would not teach more than that.

Then again, the reports on Demi's people were vastly different between the reports. So it was clear that no one that was watching them had a clear idea on them. Unless...if they did then they were feeding Rox incorrect information; which would not be a first. Rox glanced off for a moment, remaining silent, and then just went back to eating.

[Demi Smith]

Some part of Demi should find that question probing, like Roxana was trying to figure something about about Demi's people that Demi hadn't openly offered. That part, however, was dealing with the fact that there was hot food in front of Demi and she was currently in another environment that kept distracting her.

"The Flow," she explained, gesturing, "is a style of togetherness that has to do some with martial arts, some with melding with the divine will, and some with mastering the connection between, like, power and body. Some of the better practitioners of the Flow can, like, do some really cool stuff, like move through powers or junk. I've heard that there are, uh," she paused in the eating, tilting her head and frowning, "conduits? Or something like that. Anyway, they can, like, tap into the Divine Will and predict stuff. But that could be their gift. Or it enhances it or something. Not really the kind of training I got."

Demi shrugged. She knew there was talk about the whole conducting thing, but it had all seemed out of her range, really. She popped more food into her mouth, chewing and thoroughly enjoying herself.

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana was pleased that Demi was not being as defensive or giving her looks like she normally did when Roxana asked her question. So clearly food was the way to get the girl to talk and cooperate. Now if only food would be enough to get Demi to change her views on her people. Perhaps there was a way to do it with a food, but Rox was unsure of how to go about that yet. She would make a suggestion to the higher ups since it was not her specialty and see what became of it from there. It was not Roxana's business to worry about it so she tried to just focus on what was going on now.

She was taking several mental notes of what Demi was saying, behaving like she normally did as she ate her food. It was a pretty good salad, had meat in it and everything. It was a little weird to eat in the presence of someone, but Rox didn't think about it too much as Demi spoke about the flow. "I see...so it is still a way of mastering ones power with their body then in a way." Roxana said, mainly to herself as she tried to put it together in a way that she herself would understand and those not too familiar with The Inherited. "Would you say my fighting style is close to the flow?" Roxana asked, since Demi had seen her fight a little. At least when it came to some basic moves and a few not so basic.

The question was asked for a reason. it gave her more to compare 'the flow' to and also to see what Demi viewed the fighting style that Roxana had. Part of her was tempted for Demi to show her how to get into the flow, but that was perhaps best reserved for another time. Not when they were here to just eat and have some chat to see how good Demi was in a public situation around mostly non-mutants.

[Demi Smith]

The food definitely had its benefits. Demi thoroughly enjoyed it, even though part of her was still homesick for the food of her clan. She shoved such thoughts to the side as Roxana digested her words instead of the grub in front of them. The repetition got another shrug from Demi: That was what she'd said after all.

The question had Demi pausing for a few moments, looking at the other girl. "Haven't seen you fight enough," Demi offered. She pulled apart more of her food, considering the bits, rolling them in her fingers. "I have seen a lot of people who do stuff similar. Like," she squished it, "there's obviously different ways of learning to fight with a power," she looked at Roxana, a bit of "I'm not an idiot" seeping into her expression. "Yours is one. Mine is just better."

Demi popped the food into her mouth, considering, chewing. "'cuz mine was developed by mutants for mutants, and it totally meshes with the idea of our being Inherited and better," she ate some more then looked to the Orange Julius, jerking her head slightly that way. "I still want one of those too."

[Roxana Strix]

There was a shrug, one that basically said that Roxana was right or that Demi didn't know for sure but Rox was going to assume the former. There was also that Demi could careless if Roxana understood or not so was just shrugging her shoulders to be her lack of response. Roxana was not too worried about it at any rate because she still got information and that was the important thing. If the information was correct, then it was a bonus. If not, it was not that big of a deal since she was asked to more so watch Demi and see if there was a way to change the girl's way of thinking then it was to get information on The Inherited.

Demi made a valid point about not seeing her fight enough. Rox figured that what little she did see would be enough to give Demi an idea, but she didn't say anything. She just gave a simple nod and left it at that. Except Demi didn't leave it at that and was adding the bit about how she saw people do similar things and how she understood that there were different ways to fight with a power but hers was apparently better. "You don't know who I was trained by, so can you really say yours is better?" Roxana asked. She didn't look at Demi as she asked her question, her attention mostly on her food that she had put a decent dint into.

Roxana was not going to tell Demi who trained her or even how she was trained. Yet, it didn't hurt to say that some of her training was by other mutants but 'normal' people played a large and important role in shaping the way Roxana was now. She would not fight Demi on the matter at any rate, it had already been clear a long time ago the way Demi's mind worked. Rox personally didn't feel like dealing with such a behavior when things for the most part were relatively calm. A brow rose at the comment about Orange Julius.

Has she forgotten to grab something from there? She was pretty sure she got someone from every place. "What do you want?" Roxana asked, figuring Demi could at least try and pick something specific this time.

[Demi Smith]

"Uh, because it is?" Demi replied, adding a little harsh laugh. She knew that it was better for that reason alone: she didn't need any deeper analysis or trial or anything along those lines. Her martial art had been developed specifically for mutants to use: it incorporated all kinds of cool things. Sure, Roxana had clearly learned to train or whatever, but Demi knew she was better. The only reason Roxana won was because she had about four or five years on Demi. The little dirt thumper also knew that she spent way more time training and sparring than most other people. She'd catch up soon enough.

Anyway, there was food to worry about. Demi actually turned to look up at the menu as Roxana made her question. Clearly Roxana wanted Demi to do all the work, which struck her as being kind of stupid since this was supposed to be a reward of some kind. Demi let out a sigh before finding something simple enough: "An orange julius," she said, pointing at the item and nodding. "A big one, biggest they have," because Demi was determined to get her money's worth.

The girl lowered her arm and turned. Sure enough, the other kid was back to staring. this time, however, his mother was starting to notice, and she was giving Roxana and Demi a look that Demi couldn't quite figure out. Was she smiling or upset or...?