[color=0072bc]6.

Alanis found herself interested in the man she  now walked beside, Kushluk she believed he said his name was. He was a  few inches taller than her and though she was sure he even had a couple  years on her, he seemed to have more of a story to be told than most  people his age. She was curious about that story, but just like he had  with her story, she respectfully decided to stay silent and ask nothing  of her new found friend. Eventually, the silence started to bother her  and she became a little antsy as her mind began to wander.
"Do you have any metal on you?" she asked softly, "Something you wouldn't want back I mean."

She  needed to distract herself and though using her powers could cause bad  after-effects, she needed to do something that would keep her hands  busy. He gave her a strange look but then shuffled through his pockets  gave came out with three pennies and quarter, "I'm pretty damned  sure  Twenty-eight cents won't be missed, Should I go ahead and take a step  back?" He said looking at her with a very goofy look in his eyes. 

"No,"  she said simply, "I've messed with it enough to know what I can keep it  contained, just let me know if buildings begin to shake... or if you  accidentally cut yourself."

The last part she meant as a tease  because she knew that suck a small cut would not allow her enough blood to do a damn thing. She didn't know how he would react to what she had  said, but she figured if he pulled back as she reached for the coins  then she probably shouldn't have said it, too late now. Alanis let out a  small sigh at that thought and slowly reached for the coins he offered  her.
As Alanis took the coins from his hands Kushluk laughed  nervously, "Well if I get cut I know who to blame, but shaking  buildings? Okay if I see that then I'll definitely let ya know, honestly I  can't believe I'm curious to see this. By what you said alone I'm  already debating on if I'm crazy ... meh, good thing I don't mind crazy I  guess." He said as he took a polite step back and watched intently as  Alanis held the coins in her delicate hands. 

She looked at the  coins for a moment before relaxing herself and allowed her power to take  over a bit. The coins began to shake slightly before they seemed to  just melt and start to form a shape that looked oddly like a horse. She  used the quarter for the body of it, copper flecks through out, and used  the pennies for the mane and tail.

"Though I know it is  dangerous... it also relaxes me a bit," she say softly, "Would you like  me to make anything?" Kush chuckled though and simply bowed his head in  respect, before holding out his hand as well and summoning his power a  little. 
The area around the small metal horse made it hover out  of Alanis hands, "Personally I'm a fan of horses, reminds me of the  Trojan War." As he came forward and retrieved the metal pony from the  strange blue aura, which dissipated as soon as he retrieved the object.  The former soldier then looked at Alanis with a smile, "Don't worry  about your gift, I'll keep me yap shut about it as long as you keep mine  a secret.. sound like a deal?" 

Alanis nodded her and smiled slightly, though the look was almost a sad one. "Don't  worry," she replied, "I am very good at keeping secrets, I've had many  years of practice. So... what exactly is your power?" Shrugs must be a  mental reflex of Kush's as he did it yet AGIAN as he answered, "It's not  telekinesis mind ya, it's more affecting the gravity around something .. I  coulda flung the pony at me but I didn't wanna destroy a kind gift ya  know?" Kush then noticed a group of people coming down the alleyway  toward them.
Instinctively putting himself in front of Alanis Kush  gritted his teeth before saying to her, "Great, just fucking  outstanding, listen just let me do the talking." he said not even  looking behind to her but keeping his gaze focused on the rough looking  bunch that chuckled and laughed as they made their way toward them. 

Alanis  moved a bit closer to his back, not liking the idea of having to fight  with anyone, but she instinctively gripped onto the bow that was once  her mother's.

"I understand," she said as she gripped onto the back  of his shirt, "But who are those people and why do you seem so tense,  they don't seem so bad." Her new friend merely spoke softly as they came  in earshot, "See those fucking rainbow peace symbols on their  T-Shirts? They're called the Saviors of Humanity and think all mutants  are a damned plague on Earth. They are not friendly, if we don't run we  are gonna have to defend ourselves but don't kill em. We don't wanna  give these punks more reason to hate us." With that the ragtag group of  about fifteen stopped in front of them.

A women in front of the  group, a aged woman of about sixty years or older came forward and  pointed at them saying, "What was that little blue light young man? I  think you have some explaining to do." Kush took a deep breath and held  his anger in check, "I got nothing to explain ma'am, I'm escorting my  girlfriend back home." 
At the mention of girlfriend, she blushed  and cast her eyes away. She wasn't sure why he would have said that,  it's not that hard just to say that she was a friend, was it?

"Can you please just let me go home?" she asked the woman softly, "We aren't looking for any trouble Ma'am." 
The  woman however seemed to have other ideas as she pointed at the two and  turned to her posse, "I don't know which it is but one of them is a  monster, and I don't have the patience to deal with another one of  these mutants lies. Henry take them both back to the Den and we will  take care of it from there." With that a weathered big bald headed  muscle bound man in a yellow peace sign T-shirt came forward at the head  of ten of the group while the other five including the aged woman turned  and went back into the shadows of the alleyway.

The big brute  Henry grinned and cracked his big fists together, "You gonna give us  trouble kids?" Alanis  and her new friend saw that most of the group  seemed like normal people except for the colorful peace shirt who wielded improvised weapons from bats, to lead pipes, knives, and one  even had a meat cleaver. Kush frowned seeing the situation escalate and  he spoke in a low voice, "Henry, you had best turn around. We don't want  ...."

And that's when Henry whipped out the revolver and level'd  it straight at Kush, "One more word and yer dead kid, are you gonna be  trouble?" 

Alanis immediately shoved Kush out of the way and  glared at the man. "You want trouble?" she snapped, "Well guess what,  you've got it."
Not even a  moment later, the revolver in Henry's  hand folded in on itself and every other metal weapon did the same. As  all this happened, she stepped forward, looking furious beyond  imagination.

"I do not appreciate the fact that you are  threatening us," she hissed, "Now I will give you one chance to turn  around and walk away without any bruises. It's your choice." As she  spoke, she stepped towards them and buildings began to shake and the  ground near the foundations began to rumble. The men and women behind  Henry soon looked to both sides of the alleyway and foresaw that this  probably was one of those plans that MIGHT have worked out better in  their mind rather then in action.

The man who lost his cleaver  said aloud, "Henry, I got kids man. I don't wanna get involved with a  freak tonight ... can we just go home?" With that Henry turned on him  and roared, "Listen To Yourself Jackson!! We let these Fiends go then  they will be killing people in a insane rage!! We can't take that  chance, Bill you lost your wife in San Antoni due to a nutcase, Jenny  you lost yer brother in New Orleans ... can we ignore the threat these  freaks cause? Come on you bastards, Let's show em What the Saviors of  Humanity stand for!!!" With that and Henry in the lead of a rush the  group of ten people rushed the two mutants. 

Kush quickly said  behind to his friend, "Don't kill em ... if you can help it, I'll do  what I can." Cracking his knuckles Kush flung into a charge towards the  brute Henry, using his power to give him an edge. The slight bluish aura  surrounded Henry and lifted the big man off his feet, before flinging  him to the side of the building on the right, rendering him unconscious.  Following through with his attack the former soldier roared and rammed  into the rest of the stunned Saviors, driven wild by the adrenaline  surge. Alanis followed close behind and round house kicked someone else  into another building, her eyes narrowed in rage, causing the buildings  to shake even more as well as the surrounding ground. When someone  grabbed her from behind, she let out a startled shout and tried to get  out of it as another went and punched her in the stomach. She knew very  well she wasn't invincible, due to the fact that by the time he had  three people on her, she was coughing up small amounts of blood.

"Damn it let me go!" she shouted.[/color]