Life became rather monotonous then, Lenora found herself out in the small courtyard one day, leaning back against the building; head resting against the wall behind her and her eyes looking skywards.
There hadn't really been any mention of further plans. Everyone else was becoming as restless as herself. Being here was all well and good, but they were meant to be here to undertake some form of action. So far no action had appeared, nor had it really got spoken about; apart from the initial briefing involving reports on Shaw and that. That's as far as action got for the recruits.
"There you are!" Raven's cheery voice came from the side. Lenora looked up, she smiled thinly while moving an arm away from her bent knees and waving in the blonde's direction. She had been rather left alone since her failed escaping, considering Charles had pretty much freaked everyone out with his dramatic entrance and rambling about her, she had to come clean.
Raven along with the others were now well aware to who she was, where she came from, some painful points of her past; and really, much like Erik, they had all taken to calling her by her other name. She didn't wholly mind, she wasn't fussed which name she got called by really.
Okay, maybe she did, Lenora was given that name by her mother in order to attempt hiding her away. Valeryia was given to her by her father, so go figure she'd dislike that to a point.
She thought it was rude though to snap at them and tell them to call her by Lenora, even more so considering everyone was really trying to make her feel welcome here. She was still hugely disjointed and partially unsociable. She hadn't got experiences really with other people. The only other people she ever saw always hurt her. So naturally she wasn't exactly forthcoming with being a social butterfly.
Raven really did try her hardest, at some points Lenora honestly couldn't shake her off. Raven was really pushing for a friendship here. And Lenora couldn't say no. She liked the girl. There wasn't too much to dislike really. She was friendly, polite and really quite funny. Generally the complete polar opposite to Lenora herself.
"You found me, what's wrong?" Along with the general name thing, she'd also decided to just ditch hiding her accent. What was honestly the point now?
"We are bored," Raven stepped out the door and walked to stand by her side. Keeping a hand on the hem of her short black long sleeved dress, she slowly crouched down without it riding up. "And," she paused to look around. There were cameras positioned out here, along with a guard in the corner. He appeared as soon as it was known that Lenora was out here. Like she could scale walls to escape or something? She was rather sure her failed attempt of going anywhere the other day was evidence enough that there was no leaving here. "Well, we want out."
This caught her attention. She raised an eyebrow and looked fully at Raven. "How?" Of course she'd be on this. Like she wanted to honestly sit out here any longer? She only was because the inside had become so horribly boring and dull. There really was only so many times she could attempt to play pinball before Alex commandeered the machine.
Raven smiled and looked over her shoulder. Darwin peeked around and gestured a hand to her. Guessing whatever he was going to say couldn't be heard by the guard, Lenora stepped back inside. He didn't answer, instead he held up a small chain with keys on it.
"Where did you get that?" Lenora asked while looking the car keys over.
"Let's just say they don't exactly guard the garage area and stick with that." Alex said while appearing beside Darwin with his arms crossed.
"You stole them."
"Stole is such a serious word." Alex said, trying his best to sound offended, he failed because he kept smirking.
"Borrowed is a better term," Sean leaped from the sofa and shuffled over. "I mean, we are going to return the keys and vehicle once we're done."
Lenora rolled her eyes, she sighed and nodded. "Can we go then?" As much as standing around was fun - not - they did have other places to be. She grabbed onto the 'borrowed' jacket and pulled the hood up while everyone else got ready to go.
Soon enough they were creeping along the corridor, they managed to make it down the stairs before the sounds of footsteps caused them to pick up their paces. Soon they were all running down and through the rows of parked cars.
Darwin was at the front of the team, "Over here!" He exclaimed quietly while waving an arm and directing it towards the car he was trying to find.
Considering there was himself, Alex, Sean, Raven, Angel and Lenora - Hank was somewhere, most likely working away, and Charles and Erik were elsewhere too - it was quite good really that the car was large enough for them all.
"Ah, man, why do you get to drive?" Sean all but whined while leaning forwards from Lenora's side.
"Do you even have a licence?" Darwin asked with a frown as he started the car up and pulled out of the space. "And plus, who used to be the taxi driver here?" Darwin went on, who was going to know these roads better than him? Well, he hadn't personally been in this part of the country, but no one needed to know that, did they?
Sean pouted rather childishly and slunk back to sit next to Lenora. She didn't particularly care for the conversation, she was too busy looking out of the window. The scenery changed and streets and busying people replaced the dull surroundings of the base.
She wanted into the city. She was now in the city. Stepping out of the car when it was parked, she looked about with wide eyes. This place was massive. It was amazing.
"Right!" Raven clapped her hands together, Lenora peeked out from under her hood. She probably looked incredibly strange standing on a sunny day dressed as if it was Winter. "So, here's the plan, we're going shopping. You guys do whatever and we'll meet back later, sound good? Good! Come on, Lenora! Let's find you some decent clothes." Raven linked her arm with Lenora's and pulled her forwards. "Not saying your clothes are bad. But wouldn't you like your own clothes?"
"I don't know what I'd like."
"And that's the fun of shopping!" Raven beamed, on Lenora's other side Angel followed with a rather blank expression. She didn't seem to care about sorting Lenora's wardrobe out. In fact she sort of gave off the air of wanting to be anywhere else. It didn't surprise Lenora one bit that after going in and out of a few shops, she ended up ditching them.
Lenora watched her go from underneath her hood. "Don't mind her," Raven drummed her fingers on her knees and looked to Lenora. She blinked and looked downwards. Raven smiled lightly, "Come on, this isn't getting you sorted." She stood from the bench they were sitting on, having a rest for a moment.
Stopping and looking up, Lenora blinked large eyes and shuffled into the shop. Raven was nattering away only to realise Lenora was gone. Turning suddenly she caught the tail end of her disappearing and quickly followed suit.
Lenora frowned when Raven slowly pulled something out of her purse. Money, of course, Lenora frowned uncertainly. "I have no way of paying you back."
"Eh, it's okay, I didn't and still don't have a way of paying Charles back." She laughed, she did even more so when Lenora's eyes widened. Shaking her head she went to give the money back, only for Raven to shake her head and push her gently towards the clothes which had caught her attention.
Lenora honestly didn't want to use Charles's money. How bad did that honesty look? Yet...with a sigh she grasped onto the dress, top and skirt and darted off. Not before finding a pair of tights and boots. She didn't like shoes, but boots did look cool.
----
Needless to say the recruits being missing didn't go unnoticed for long. In fact Hank had alerted Moira, and she had alerted Charles, he in turn told Erik, and he didn't seem at all shocked by this.
Shut people in long enough, they're going to eventually break out.
So it was really no surprise that the three of them - Hank stayed at the base - soon found themselves following the trail of the missing recruits.
Charles had very little trouble managing to lock onto them, Sean and Alex were together, Darwin and Valeryia were off on their own, Angel and Raven were together as well. Considering they were all divided, it stood to reason to split and find them.
"Why?" Erik stood looking down at Charles, arms firmly crossed against his leather jacket, eyes slightly peering over the top of his sunglasses to glance at Charles.
He just smiled with his hands in his pockets. He rocked on his heels slightly before taking a step back. "Come on, she seems to like you."
Erik had been appointed to finding Valeryia, go figure. He frowned and narrowed his eyes. "Exchanging few words doesn't mean, or even hint towards any such thing. I don't know what you're thinking you're seeing, but you're wrong, Charles, so wrong."
Charles just smiled more and nodded his head. "Better go find them," his eyes narrowed a fraction. "They're on the move." He turned and looked towards where he figured Alex and Sean were. Moira had already gone off to find the girls, if anyone saw Darwin on the way they'd grab his attention and bring him along too. They may have all got here individually, but they were leaving together.
Erik pushed his glasses back up his nose. With a heavy sigh he turned and walked off. He wasn't going to rush, Charles never specifically said Valeryia was on the move, so why should he run off like Charles did? Or even Moira?
Not only that this was perhaps the first time Erik had been on his own since this whole thing began. He was more than used to traversing different places all alone. It was strange really, he had got used to that, but he'd also got used to having some form of company around.
So, either way he intended to enjoy this split small second of being on his own, in his own head space, not having to dwell over what to do, and plans, and whatever else.
He was far from lazy, so far from it; he was perhaps the most dedicated and hard working person on this team, between them all who truly had the drive to find Shaw and put him down for good?
Sure the CIA and Charles seemed to project the same feelings, but Erik wasn't stupid, far from it, he knew they already had no intentions of putting him down.
Stopping at a park entrance he could already see Valeryia. She was rather easy to spot, what with such vibrant glowing orange hair, the sun of the day made it seem more alight than ever. Where ever she had been, she had got new clothes.
The baggy shirt and trousers she was in was replaced by a black long sleeved top, which seemed slightly more jumper like, and a skirt which stopped at her knees. Rather heavy duty, scuffed up well loved boots were on her feet. Her clothes seemed new, the boots did not. A pair of silver mirrored sunglasses were on her face, easily concealing her ochre eyes. Pale skinned bright orange haired teen in black clothes, sitting on a bench in a park surrounded by commuters, families, anyone and everyone; she did stick out a little bit. She seemed to be the only stationary being in the whole place, and with that Erik moved over.
Sensing someone approaching he could easily see her eyes flick to the side to look up at him. "You've come to get us." She stated while running a hand through her hair. No matter what she did, it still stuck up at odd angles, it did look like an electrical current had been put through her. It was perhaps one of her odd character traits: out of control mad hair.
Erik sat down and nodded slowly. "It would seem that way, wouldn't it?" He glanced at her, she tilted her head and watched a small family playing. He looked down at the ground and rubbed his hands together before placing them on his knees. "We should go." He didn't want Charles hunting them out, nor did he think wistfully people watching would do her any good. Dwelling over what could've been, and what other people had would surely do no good.
Valeryia frowned, "It's not like I thought." Erik looked at her confused, she looked about the park from behind mirrored glasses. She hadn't been in a park, he figured, ever.
"What did you think it'd be like?"
"It's noisy...it's strange. Being around silence you get used to that, being around such noise...it's so loud. Everything is so loud, and so busy. Is it always like this?" She turned to him then.
Erik frowned, honestly why did she have to question him? Couldn't she wait until they found Charles? He'd be more than willing to answer any and all questions about life that she had. "Yes." Was all Erik said while standing. He just looked down at her, she got the message. She stood slowly and looked about. She seemed upset to leave. Yet she followed after him with her hands in her skirt pockets.
"Why you?"
"What?" Erik glanced over his shoulder at her. She was trailing after him like some sort of scolded child or lost puppy. She even had the slight look of a saddened puppy expression on her face. He got it, by him appearing her fun of people watching had been ruined.
"Why are you the one to find me?"
"Because Charles likes to think that we are similar and that you perhaps like me. He has a strange complex for friends, and making them. He also likes to see things which don't exist." Erik said bluntly, he looked at Valeryia again when she let out a quite musing noise. "What?"
"Nothing really. You're okay, I guess." She surmised with a shrug. "Like might be pushing it." She looked over her glasses at him with a smirk, by now she was walking by his side. "This is much like the clothes scenario."
"What?" Erik looked and sounded well and truly confused by this.
"I didn't know what I liked. I apparently like dark clothes," she pulled at her top and looked at it with a smile. "It's the same with people. I like Raven, because she's funny and sweet. So I suppose that could be considered a friendship. I'm not sure. I've never had a friend before really. You...hm, we have similar problems in our lives, I see where Charles is coming from...but there's something guarded about you, and that makes me uncertain whether I can grow to like you like I like Raven or not. I guess time will only tell."
Erik walked silently listening to her. For someone who'd lived a sheltered tortured life, she was quite in tune and down to earth. "I guess it will." He managed to say eventually when he thought of something to say. With a curious look he half-smiled down at her. "What about everyone else?" Valeryia scrunched her nose up, which caused his smile to grow slightly. It seemed she wasn't too keen on them. "Is this another clothes scenario?"
Valeryia laughed then, a rather happy noise as she nodded. "Yes! Maybe? I'm not sure."
"You seem uncertain about quite a few things."
"Life...life is one big uncertainty. This is the longest I've been outside in I don't even know how many years. Everything at the moment is throwing me off and making me feel uncertain. But hey...I am still here."
Erik nodded, "Would you rather be elsewhere?"
"Got nowhere to go really. I think we figured this out already. You had no trouble pointing out that me leaving would be like shooting myself in the foot."
"Sometimes," Erik's eyes narrowed slowly in thought. "Sometimes, maybe, being surrounded by people isn't a bad thing."
"Being with people is a new thing for you too?" Valeryia asked while looking at him curiously, Erik tilted his head down at her. She just frowned and pressed her lips into a firm line. "Okay, I won't ask anymore about you."
"It is," he replied after a few moments of slightly awkward silence. He looked up to see Charles and Moira, the others were loitering around them. All looking put out that they were being taken back.
"Learning curve. But then, I did just get told that maybe being surrounded by people isn't a bad thing." She smiled up at him before walking quickly from his side when Raven pushed gently past Charles to stand in front of her. The two animatedly talked, or rather Valeryia tried to get a word in while the blonde excitedly talked. With a sigh Erik nodded down at her and looked back at Charles, he was standing with a self assured smile on his face. It was annoying, he's clearly been watching them and looking too into Valeryia's moments of smiling laughter. Seriously, the last thing Erik wanted was Charles playing some sort of mutant matchmaker.