Origins: Adrian and Daniel talk at Vides

Who: Adrian and Daniel
Where: Vides
When: Late Thursday evening in March of 2005.
What: Talking most likely
Rating: Probably PG

Adrian smiled and sipped his wine, flushing very slightly in embarrassment, “Ha-ha. You make one mistake in pronunciation and you never live it down.” He said grudgingly, glancing at the man across the table.

“No you don’t. Not with a word as delicate as tentacles.” Schelt said, spinning his own drink slightly and looking down at his watch. He sighed, “I’d better be going. James is probably already in bed.” The older man stood and gathered his coat, “Would you care to share a cab?”

“No. No.” Adrian shrugged slightly, “I might walk home. It’s not that far, and it’s not like I’ve anyone waiting. The cats have already been fed. I want to finish this first anyway.” He raised his glass, and sipped from it again.

Schelt’s easy smile turned to a frown, darkening the wrinkles that had started to appear around his eyes and mouth, "There's a storm coming." he said flatly, “And I was meaning to talk to you about that Adrian. When was the last time you went out?”

“Don’t use that tone Schelt. It hasn’t worked since twelfth grade and it isn’t going to start now.” He said dismissively.

“You’re avoiding the question.”

Adrian shrugged blithely and took another sip, “I come down here on occasion with my book or maybe someone from the building.” he lied. He hadn't been out of the building with anyone more talkative than Poe or Milton in about three weeks.

Schelt frowned and looked as if he wanted to pursue the argument before checking his watch again, “…I’ll call you later this week, but right now I have to get home. Dinner at Murry’s on Tuesday? James would like to see you again.”

Liar Adrian through quietly but smiled, “Sure. See you then.” He reached out and shook the older man’s hand warmly and watched him walk away, tapping his umbrella carefully on the floor. He counted down from seven and raised his hand almost on cue when his old professor turned to wave. He frowned slightly, checked his own watch and glanced around the near empty bar. It was late and they’d probably be closing soon, but there might be enough time to top this glass before heading home. He’d been nursing it for an hour since he and Schelt had wandered into Vides.

He made his way up to the bar and leaned against it casually, “Hey Daniel." he said softly, sliding his half full glass forward silently.

The night had been upbeat. All the employees had been in good spirits and the business was steady, but not overbearing and burdensome. Daniel prided himself on his staff working as a well-oiled machine. He made sure to keep the wages up and when the tip jar was slightly lighter than usual, he'd pop in a couple twenties to keep everyone happy. His father told him through an email that one of the biggest things in business was being bureaucratic when it came to the employees. The first step in a failing business was unhappy workers. Which, in turn, would make for an unhappy public until the domino effect crushed both Vides and Daniel financially.

Seeing as how the business hadn't lightened up until maybe ten minutes before (Daniel was terrible with time - he would gladly stay open until everyone had had their fill of the wine and food and leave at their leisure before forcing people out), Daniel was wiping down the bar. What had once been a silvery blue button-up shirt and black tie had disintegrated to the look of a ribbed t-shirt under the shirt that was now a mass of wrinkles on the back and three buttons undone. He never wore any jewelry, but if he had been one to adorn himself, there was a very nice silver St. Andrew on a chain he could have worn. As it was, the wine sifted into gears and stained the metal of any watches he had tried to wear. It really was just a way of convenience for himself - and his wallet.

The dishrag went over his shoulder as Daniel saw someone approaching the bar. There was a fluidity to his movements that the customers seemed to enjoy, an act that Daniel didn't even know he was performing. Blue eyes raised up and an easy smile crossed his face. "Hello, Adrian," he said in a quiet but steady voice. An eyebrow arched as the glass was pushed forward. Picking it up, a quick swirl and a sniff and Daniel had out the bottle the wine had come from. Setting it back down, he pulled out the stopper and exchanged a glance between the buyer and the label, as if weighing his options.

Hestitating for just a moment more, Daniel poured the rest of the wine into the glass - just enough to come dangerously close to the lip. "Either you or me, and since you are paying, consider it bonus."

Adrian smiled and took the glass, "Maybe a cab after all," he murmured to himself, "Thanks," he added, nodding to the younger man and sitting down. He raised the glass to his lips and took a slow sip, feeling its subtle warmth run down his throat and fill his stomach with a distinctive and familiar glow.

He sighed slightly and replayed the evening: Dinner at a small Italian place down the street, light conversation (Schelt had poked around the edges of things Adrian hadn't wanted to dicuss, such as men, powers and the war) and then retiring here for a glass of wine and a little nostalgia. Vides seemed to be the place for it.

Adrian undid his tie thoughtlessly. He'd been steadily loosening it throughout the evening, and the charcoal shirt he'd worn already had the first two button undone. His hair, which had started this evening in a good mood, was starting to misbehave again, and somewhere in his chest and the front of his nose he could feel the lightning beginning to build in the storm clouds that were rolling across the city from behind him.

He swirled the wine slightly, took another long and loving sip and let his eyes follow the other man's movements, "What time do you usually close?" he asked quietly, glancing at another couple leave. There was only one other person in the room (an elderly gentlemen who was folding his paper and seemed ready to leave himself) aside from himself and the owner, unless more of the staff was around back, and Adrian distinctly didn't like the mental image of himself sitting alone in Vides sipping wine and keeping the younger man from getting home.

"I will call you one myself, friend," Daniel commented. It was a ritual he usually did, another thing that the staff seemed to like. Daniel never resused a bottle of wine the following day if it was opened. This, of course, didn't stop him from pouring the generous glasses for his customers. None quite so large as the one that Adrian had just received, but the late hour usually allowed for more generosity than normal. "Es bueno, si?" The words moved like honey through the tired mouth, eyes lifting as he checked the bottles, calling his right hand Dominique in to all him to take the bottles into the back. His spanish was quick when talking to the younger man, reminding him to clean all the glasses and stoneware before touching any of the wine. Dominique knew this, yet he still offered obedience and nodded when Daniel was done directing. The smirk rose on the man's face as he looked at what was opened. Apparently there had been some thirsty, rich people in this evening.

The couple leaving drew his attention away from Dominique, both offering him a wave a moment before Daniel returned it. "When people are through with the thirst," he answered, eyes flicking to the old man and smiling. "He will be gone in a moment as well. He is simply waiting for something." Dominique reemerged from the back with a small brown bag. "The man knows when every dessert special is offered. I gave him a small slice of carrot cake one night and he has been back as many as three times a week. He buys the food, drinks his weight in wine, and when he leaves, we offer him a small remnant of whatever dessert is left. Sometimes there is some, sometimes not."

When the man had his bag, he looked at Daniel, patted his large stomach and wobbled to the door. Probably due to his club foot and the wine. There was a taxicab waiting for him outside. Turning his attention back to Adrian, Daniel reached down, procurring a bottle of wine that had been opened and that he had been saving especially for himself. A crystal glass clinked against its brothers as he pulled it down and filled it up. Not nearly as much as Adrian, but enough for a single man in the city. "I am in no rush, Adrian. For a moment, I thought I had offended you. It has been a while since you have graced Vides with your charm and smile. If I am not being too forward, is everything well?"

Adrian quirked an eyebrow and drank a little more, "As well as can be expected, I suppose. I just haven't..." he paused and sat back a little, "Haven't really felt up to being out and about lately."

He quirked his head slightly as a familiar wave of some undefinable sense passed over his skin: the first lightning strike of the storm, strong, and not too far away. He frowned and tried to ignore the sensation as another wave of it passed over his left arm. Maybe he'd go up on the roof and...

No. Not tonight. Not ever again, if he could help it. He offered the other man a friendly smile instead and switched trains of thought, "You don't have to worry about offending me, Daniel. As far as I can tell you run the finest...bar?" he asked, glancing at the younger man, not meaning to offend, knowing Vides was too upper scale to be considered simply a 'bar'. He shrugged and continued, "You could be an absolute ogre in person and people would probably still come." He sipped his wine and began to note that his accent, a very slight southern brusque, had begun to make itself known, as it often did when he'd had any amount of drink.

Another wave passed over his skin from the right this time, strong enough to make him turn his head to it, "Storm's kicking up." he commented casually, a slight second before the thunder blast. He frowned gently, thinking the wine must be throwing off his timing, and turning back towards the conversation at hand, "As the charm and smile...well I don't know how much I liven things up here, sitting in a corner with a book." he smirked slightly and fidgeted with his glass.

"As is your right, Adrian. I didn't mean to make you think that you were required to be here, no matter how much my staff enjoys your money." When Vines had first started, that was what Daniel had been after. Just money. Money to cover overhead, money to pay the skeleton crew that had applied and been weeded through. Money to keep the lights on, the wine bottles tilted in their casings.

Daniel couldn't deny that something seemed a bit...off about Adrian tonight. It was true that they were in no way steadfast blood brothers, but Daniel liked to think he could get a pretty good read on people - especially after the half dozen times that the two had interacted, not to mention the other handful of times Adrian had been in prior to Daniel introducing himself. "I've been counting your drinks, Adrian. This is simply your second at my establishment."

He chuckled some, taking a sip of hs wine after a swirl to open it up. "I prefer wine bar, or establishment. But, of course Vides suits it just fine. I will keep your sentiments in mind and come in to work when I have had a beastly night. Expect a phone call directly to prove that you will still come when spanish is shouted at you through the receiver." Daniel smiled at that, remembering the way his father would ocassionally get angry at the workers (or Daniel himself). He hoped to never know the fear of God, but that was pretty close to what he expected it to be like.

The thunder rolled over the bar, the glasses rattling in their hanging storage units. A frown faded away the smile on his lips, head turning slightly to make sure that the locks were on them. He didn't have to worry about them falling down. Turning back, blue eyes looked out the window. "Adrian, I fear the storm will be mighty. If you wish to leave, now would be the most acceptable time, but know that when it starts to fall, I cannot in good conscience let you leave. I am not throwing you out by any means, if anything, I am asking you stay."

Adrian chuckled darkly, thinking that Daniel didn't know that half of it. He could usually work up enough static to keep the worst of the rain off in a small storm, and the wind was a constant danger of course, but as to lightning...well he knew the worst he'd suffer would be a bad bruise when it threw him to the ground and a bad case of static cling and magnetism for the next few days. Mother Nature had been playing lightning tag with him for years.

"I'll be fine..." he started when the a roar of rain hit the roof and windows, another blast of thunder and flash of lightning sending a tingling spike down his spine, making him jump slightly. He frowned out the window as if he had been personally offended by the weather, "Damp, yes. But fine."

He sipped his wine, which was mostly empty now, "And I'd probably come down just to see what had been said. My Latin is usually very good, but my Spanish is more than a little rusty." He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling an old familiar static building there, "I like coming here. It’s alive but not annoying, and the staff is friendly, and the wine is absolutely unsurpassed if I do say so myself."

Something was putting Daniel on edge. He didn't know what, but something about that laugh didn't sit right. It was common for his power to react to negative mental impulses that he himself created. When it first manifested, he had wanged his head on the underside of his sink, the power causing the pipes to instantly melt within his hands. Out of practice, the wine glass was left on the counter, fingers entwining. A power against itself can cause no arm - especially to the person who wielded it.

"If I did not know you better, Adrian, I would think you had a deathwish. This storm is in no form travelling weather, even by taxicab." Then there was the jump, Daniel's eyes narrowing slightly. "Adrian. Is the weather affecting you?" For all he knew, the man had a plate in his head for some unknown reason - an early pacemaker. The frown deepened.

Deciding it was best to move, Daniel forced a smile. "Spanish is a beautiful language. I know not another that can so eloquently tell someone to either leave, or perform a sexual act on a goat so beautifully." A smile ghosted over his face at the compliments. "I pride myself on having a well honed staff and a very specific atmosphere. The wine? I gladly take all the blame. Thank you, Adrian, for your kind words."

Adrian waved a dismissive hand, "No thanks required for the truth. When I was lawyer people used to pay for it." he smiled and glanced upward as the lights flickered, "And no...just wasn't expecting it. Nothing serious."

The storm was worsening, he could feel it in the base of his skull, the resistence buzzing in his whole head and mixing with the already present mist of alcohol, "And I've no deathwish, Daniel. Just no intention of being a bother, though I suppose there's no safe way for you home either if you believe what you said about the taxis." The lights flickered again and Adrian glanced up again then down at Daniel's hands, then into his own glass, "As to language...I've not heard much spanish, recently. The new immigration laws and everything, but I've never had need to tell someone fornicate with farm animals either."

He glanced up at the owner, smiling softly, a trite playfully. It had been a while, before tonight, since he'd had a friendly conversation. Schelt had been quietly drilling him, if admittedly for all the right reasons, but drilling nonetheless. It felt nice to just chat...

Another blast of lightning, this one out on the street and Adrian cursed, feeling the pulse of it and unable to do much but drink it in. He grudgingly felt the alcohol mist fade under the onslaught of sudden renewed awareness and looked about, "Maybe we should move away from the windows until the storm abates."

"Oh, I was raised to accept compliments gracefully. My father would have my hide should I not have thanked you for your blessings." They weren't really blessings, per se, but that was the first word that opped into Daniel's mind. Perhaps he and his family relied too often on local myth and legend for their own good, but well wishes were always a sign of hope and, hopefully, better fortune than what had previously befallen Vides.

"You are more than a simple customer here, Adrian. I would hope by now that thought had made itself clear. I would watch out for any of my patrons, but my friends doubly so. And it is true - there is no where for me to go for the time being either. I have no intention of stalking out in the storm only to get drenched and blown away. It would be bad for business, after all." He managed a quick smile before the lights flickered, taking the expression with it. "Yes, the immigration laws make it...difficult for others to come in." He knew this all too well. He was stuck in America, alone, family not allowed to come in, Daniel being told if he did somehow make it out of the country, he would never be let back in. He was thankful for such devices as cellphones and computers. He wouldn't know what he would do with himself if he was completely cut off from the only people he had ever loved, and who had loved him back.

The jovial smile managed to pull Daniel out of his mental malaise, returning it in kind. Once the old man had left earlier, Daniel had dropped any amount of business that he had left, having run through most of his attention to detail and decisiveness during one of the few rushes.

"I agree. There is room in the back - my office. Windows simply lead to distraction when I am crunching numbers as you all say. He should be safe there. Inside are a couple couches, candles as well, should we lose power." Apparently there was a little decision-making still in him for the day, finishing his glass and rinsing it outbefore wiping it clean and putting it back behind the guard. He'd be sure to clean it better in the morning. "No one shall drink from that glass, but I would be a fool leave it out simply to let it rattle and break," he offered as he moved, going to the door and locking it just as another flash of lightning and a boom of thunder vibrated the glass in the windows. "Come, let us make haste."

Adrian nodded, "My father was much the same, but not as bad as my mother. She was very big into being polite." he confessed, lifting his glass (and feeling slightly foolish; it still had a quarter of what he'd started with) and began to follow him, "And not afraid of using a switch to make her point if you were being particularly, dense, which was more often my brothers than I."

The word 'friends' gave him slight pause, of course. During the war...there had been a form of brotherhood between the men and he, but in the end it had always been perfectly clear that he had been little more than a convenient weapon and perhaps, at most, an oddity. The few other mutants he had met...interactions tended to be brief and not often kind. But then again some of them knew what he been used for.

"It must be hard, being away from your family. Do any of them live here?" he said softly, pausing by the tip jar and dropping a twenty from his pocket into it. The staff had earned it, "I've always wanted to see Spain personally. And France. And Britain. And Italy." he added, "But I don't suppose I'll get the chance now. Not for a while anyway."

The further back into the building they went the more distant his senses of the energy outside came, and when he crossed the office threshold and the door closed, it became little more than a tickling tingle up his spine and in the back of his mind. He hadn't seen any of the waiters of staff, and hoped that had they left they had done so before the major storm hit and gotten home safely. Perhaps some had lingered in what he'd considered the backstage of an establishment like Vines, but it was of no matter.

Thunder boomed outside again and the lights flickered as Adrian dropped himself on a sofa, setting his glass carefully on a coster and dismissing it from his mind. He crossed his legs, "I don't suppose this can go on for too much longer."

Once the door was closed, Daniel relaxed some. Probably because Adrian didn't seem so on edge, and for the fact that his office was always some place he saw more as a refuge than the area around the bar or even the kitchen. Outside of these four walls, Daniel always had to be 'on'. He always needed to have the answers, to dictate what should be done, how things should be prepared, when someone needed to be cut off. Luckily, the last item happened rarely, but there had been an ocassion or two when people had come to the bar not to socialize, but try and destroy their memories by imbibing the spirits within.

Letting himself slump down into the other sofa, he began to tug at the shirttails still trapped within his pants. The day was over, the business was done. He was simply hanging out with a friendly-enough person waiting out a storm. Sighing heavil, Daniel shook his head. "No, unfortunately none are here. I was only admitted through a student Visa to attend a culinary school in California. Once the planes struck and the bomb felled Washington, I thought it best to not try and go back, seeing as how a foreigner on native soil would raise suspicions and most likely wrap me up in court for an unknown amount of time until the system found me innoncent. I have tried, by searching on the internet later on - after...the unpleasantness, but the borders are completely locked. I take solace in knowing that they love me as I, them and we are still able to speak on the phone and through e-mail."

Daniel wasn't going to go in to how much he wanted a hug from his mother and father, to swing his sister around him like he had done with her when she was smaller. Such simple pleasures had been denied to him for so long, Daniel only really thought about it when he was alone, drifting off to sleep. That was another reason why he worked so hard on Vines - it gave him something to occupy his mind with as opposed to worrying himself about his family's well-being.

The lights caught his attention, head moving upward as he watched them silently, as if he were willing them to stay on (or, perhaps, go off, at least it would be a decision instead of this see sawing). "With as much aggression this storm has begun with, I would hope that it will soon turn to a pitter patter of drops." Okay, so maybe Daniel was using the storm as a metaphor for people. In almost every instance that he had seen a person violently erupt into rage that they soon quieted down. Daniel was in no was in tune with the meteorological patterns, but he preferred to treat everything as a person, even if the analogy seemed crude to others listening.

"They usually do," Adrian said softly, sinking down a little more into his seat. Most of him wanted to be home, to check the cats and shower and slip in a comfortable pair of boxers and just sink into his bed and sleep until noon. The rest of him realized how long it had been since his last scrap of decent human interaction and silently bid the storm to keep rumbling, keep pounding so he'd have an excuse to stay, and a tiny part of him, far distant from the rest of his mind, was enjoying the soft fluidity of the other man's words and movements combined with the slow but gradual shift from formal dress to casual comfort and the many fine lines and angles it displayed. That Daniel was intelligent, charming, funny...he squashed that train of thought before it could attempt to leave the station.

What are you? 20? You're not a teenager any more Adrian, you know better. he berated himself, making his eyes move around the room instead of following the other man's hands.

"I haven't talked to my mother in years." he confessed, the tone of his voice somewhere between grudging, accepting and slightly commiserating, "Or my brothers. I haven't talked to my sister since...I came back." he said this as casually as he could, "Not much anyway. Just a call here and there to let her know I'm alright. Her name's Marie." he added, "Lives in North Carolina."

He felt the surge and wasn't shocked when the lights flickered once more and then died, but let out a somewhat put-upon sigh, "Well I suppose that answers that question at least."

Poor Daniel was absolutely oblivious to any wandering eyes stray thoughts from the other. Once the shirt was untucked, Daniel situated it around himself, seeming slightly agitated for just a moment before he sighed and stretched his arms up over his head. A slow grunt escaped his throat as he settled back down, shoulder square as one landed on the back of teh sofa, the other on the arm of the sofa he was nestled in the corner of. "I apologize for my behavior. It is much easier to enjoy a storm from the comfort of my loft where all I am allowed to think of is the rain and the flashing of light. When I am here - and this is the first time it has happened - I cannot help but be preoccupied with the well-being of Vides. It is strange, I must admit, but when I am at home, I am home. It is as if my mind has two settings, leaving me trapped in a sort of limbo due to the hour, the location, and the storm." He was rambling, that much was sure, but he tried to stop by rubbing a hand through his dark hair, listening again.

At Adrian's honesty, he couldn't help but frown slightly. "If one thing I know, Adrian, it is that family can be bull-headed and stoic, but there is always love there. Being here," Daniel refused to use the word 'trapped', "it has made me realize that my time with my family was precious. I would not compare my imposed exile from Spain to death, but it did take me a while, even when I was in school, to get used to the silence surrounding me instead of the noises I had grown up with. Your family is your own, and I do noot fault you your decisions nor their's, but coming from experience, I would be lax if I did not try and explain that when there is no family - of any kind - there is no innocent love, a love that is hard to find no matter the time or place."

Luckily, the lights cut off Daniel's lamenting over family matters, a quickly stated spanish curse coming from his mouth as he heaved himself up. The last thing he could see was where Adrian was sitting. Walking over, he let his fingertips rest on the other's knee. "Please, do not move. I know where the candles are." Stepping away slowly, Daniel felt for his desk, smiling as his hands met the familiar wood finish. Moving behind it quickly, a drawer was heard being opened, the light, almost hollow sound of candlesticks being places on the desk. Fingers tested the ends until he found the wick on one of them.

Without even thinking, his pinkie went to the bit of rope, laying his print against the fibers and an instant later a flame bloomed. Glad to have one lit, it took him a moment to remember what he had done, pulling his finger away and shaking it, as if it were a match. Of course, his power lacked the sulfur scent. His face was aglow with the warm light, looking curiously at Adrian, wondering if he had seen.

Adrian merely watched the other man, surprise settling in as it normally did with him, beneath a layer of reserved calm. After a split moment to reflect and sigh inwardly he stood and came over to the desk, scanning the surface and then Daniel's face and frowning, "There were some things my family just couldn't accept." he said finally, wearily, using the dim light to unplug one lamp from the wall behind him and holding the end of the cord up to the light, "First was having the gall to bring a significant other home for Christmas and not have him be a woman." he placed his fingers calmly on the prongs and a split second later the lamp lit itself. He looked at it pointedly "That was the second. I don't think we'll need candles."

His face in the dim electric light was slightly grim, "You're a mutant too." It wasn't a question as much as a vague point, made in more than tired and somewhat glum tones. He glanced around once more, "Or at least you're very quick with your matches."

"It must be a cultural thing," Daniel said, almost to himself. "My father was pleased when I brought home a significant other of the masculine persuasion. He would simply put us both to work in the same part of the vineyard. I suppose I have had it lucky, I am sorry for the feelings you must have been berrated with." His face fell though, honestly truly disheartened by this new dimension of American culture that he had never had to experience. Not that he was jealous of being denied this aspect, but he felt bad for Adrian. Daniel jumped a bit when only that light came on, a smile briefly pushing up his cheeks in surprise and delight. "You are astounding!" The words were an excited whisper, eyes having to blink at the fairly harsh light that, even though he had used that lemp before, many times, was still a bit more rough than the candle light.

"Candles are not always simply for light. Have you ever enjoyed a conversation by candlelight? The warm flicker of the light on another's face? Words always seem richer to be by firelight." But Daniel stopped romantising for a moment and nodded. "I am. How do you think I keep the merlots warm during the summer months with the air conditioning?" It was a joke, but it also carried some truth with it. Standing up, Daniel placed his right hand an inch or so away from Adrian's face. "I promise to not hurt you," he said quietly, holding the man's gaze as his palm and fingers slowly warmed, the sensation washing over the left side of Adrian's face. "I am sorry I have not told you sooner. I was concerned you would not want to visit the establishment of one such as myself. I am foolish to have thought ill of my gift, but some steps are necessary to keep oneself safe." Daniel pulled the hand back, letting it come to rest on his hip.

Adrian felt a slow flush creep up the back of his neck and tried to ignore it. It had been a long time since a man, any man, much less one that looked liked Daniel, had touched him in any way that might be considered...to excuse the pun...warm. The last one to lay hands on him for more than a few instants...

The smell of charred flesh and hair, and sound of rifle butts slamming into soft skin, the flair of pain as boot heels cracked two of his ribs and then the cool rubber mat being tossed over him as he was wrestled from the room...

He turned away, "You should be more careful. If the government finds you...well loosing your business will be the least of your concerns." he trailed off, "They like energy manipulators. Heat, electricity, cold...we're useful to them in so many ways." he frowned to cover the flinch of memory and glanced at the candles, then released the chord, "When they...," he paused again, "You should be more careful." he repeated softly.

He turned his eyes to meet Daniel's gaze again, composing himself. On impulse he reached out and lay the pads of his fingers tips against the sharp angle of his temple and let energy flow across them in tiny waves. Before the war, when he'd still been with Andrew, he'd discovered how pleasurable the gentle tingling was against another's skin, though admittedly it had usually been considerably more intimate contact than the face. He pulled his fingers away after a moment, "Its not astounding. My friend, Schelt, called it a gift, and so did I, until the government called it a weapon and used it that way. Now...now its just a mark."

"I know," Daniel said quietly, almost to himself. "I was a late manifestation. It didn't happen until I was trying to fix my plumbing at my loft. I never knew I had this power. I'm guessing since it was...retarded somehow, and my Visa...I slipped through the cracks. I'm thankful that I'm not found out - and my power, it isn't showy. As far as I know, all I do is create heat from my hands. No fireballs or anything. I can't even control the fire once I make it." Daniel was a bit taken aback by Adrian's boorish claim. "I am careful," he said, eyes flashing with anger. "Am I not allowed to trust my friends? What few of those I have?"

The jolt made Daniel back up against the desk, eyes closing, jaw clenched. It was a rush, everything seeming to ignite, hands clamping down on the edge of the desk. His body was alight until Adrian pulled his fingers away. The afterglow was there, he could feel it. "You had no right to do that," he said quietly, the twinge of anger still holding on. He had at least given Adrian some warning. Not like the other had done. "A mark to someone is a gift to another is a reason to hold that friendship closer to yet someone else."

The power clicked back on, the hum of the refridgerators kicking back on and Daniel covered his eyes for a moment to adjust to the brightness. Walking over and opening his door, the rain had slowed down, as he had predicted - to a tiny pitter patter. "I believe it would be beneficial for you to leave now while the storm is calmer. I still have some items I must see to here. Thank you for your company this evening, Adrian." His back was still to the other man, shoulder against the door, hip jutted out slightly. Daniel was so tired all of a sudden.

"And if I wasn't your friend?" Adrian asked quietly, dropping his eyes in sudden shame and guilt, "What if I were a spy, sent to ferret out people like you; mutants, but ones who had slipped through the cracks." he sighed softly, and looked away, "There isn't enough room for...for easy trust Daniel. You barely know me. This is the longest conversation we've ever had. You shouldn't trust me. Especially not with the knowledge of your gift."

He glanced at the other man and felt a rush of personal loathing. Even a simple conversation was too much, apparently, to manage anymore, "I'm sorry Daniel. You're right; I shouldn't have done that." he walked through the office door and turned, "I will keep your secret, Daniel. I don't want to see you taken, to see this placed closed down. I merely ask you be more on your guard."

He found his coat, still draped over the chair he had occupied, and slipped into it, drawing it close around his shoulders and waiting for the other man to unlock the door. It would be easier, he knew, to simply turn the younger man in to the army and hope it would earn him another gold star, a little more time before they eventually came to claim him again...but ultimately he knew there would be no living with himself if he did so. The things they made him do and the things he chose to do had to remain firmly separate in his head, because if the line blurred even the smallest amount he wasn't sure where that would put him. What he would be left with.

Daniel listened, nodding. Yes, it did seem like he had made a mistake, but he knew Adrian...didn't he? "My business is just not giving people food and drink. My job is not to remember birthdays or give a man free dessert. I do those things because my real business is in people, Adrian. The wine loosens the lips and the benefit of that is not only to I learn more about people, but I can also know them - know the types of people who are friends and foes. Will I eventually mess up because of my trust? I would not say no - there is no way I could. I will take your advice to heart though, and keep myself as secret as I can." He chuckled some at that, rubbing the back of his neck. "If my power is a gift, then so is yours."

Walking up, a hand slidaround Adrian's shoulders and Daniel pulled him in to a one-armed hug. "You are my friend, Adrian, do not think that because of what transpired here this stormy evening that you are not. Forever welcomed to Vides. WIth open arms and a crystal glass." Daniel moved in and lightly pecked Adrian's cheek, his hand heating up once again as it curled loose around the side of the other's neck.

"To keep you warm while you travel through this weather." Pulling back, Daniel unlocked the door and pushed it open, stepping out a bit into the drizzle. "My father had a saying, which he told me would one day benefit myself and those around me. 'May you always know the way home, but never have to use it.' We are stronger together, as friends, as people like us. You always have my comfort, Adrian, should you ever need it." Lightning flashed in the sky, thunder rolled quickly after it. "It is picking up again. Best to make haste, my friend."

Adrian flushed slightly and nodded, still not used to being touched after near a year without it, "Thank you Daniel. You as well.I will...I will talk to you soon." he stepped into the rain and pulled a short layer of static around him; not a shield by any means but it diverted the smaller drops and helped keep him dry.

He nodded once to the other man and smiled faintly before wandering down the street, the warmth of Daniel's hand lingering until he reached the door of his building and let himself in.