Why should I worry
After explaining everything to Karai and Puck, Karai offered Mikey Sanctuary in the city to find a way back to his home dimension. Ironically enough, mikey technically was home already even if not in his actual time or dimension to speak of, but still, he was sort of home all the same. Mikey walks the streets seeing everyone interacting with other mutants, it was almost unreal that this was a reality where mutants and humans were getting along with one another. But here it was, Not Halloween, or any other costume-encouraged holiday, not some accidental time jump through an experimental window 100 years in the future, this was more or less the here and now. Mikey started humming a tune to himself while strutting down the street with a light rhythm in his step, and he wished he had his tPod with him to listen to some Billy Joel songs among others. Right now though most of his thoughts kept falling back on Puck, like how did she get the name Puck, if she was mutated the same way that he and his brothers were and if she knew how to get him home.
While mikey had explained everything to Karai, she mentioned she'd speak with her lead scientist, Dr. Chaplain, about what had happened to the young ninja, and in the mean time he could explore the city. He'd started the exploring earlier and stopped after walking almost 8 blocks in front of a Pizza parlor, and right there was Puck inside ordering lunch no doubt. Mikey walks in to check the place out, “And one with Anchovies, Jalapeno, Chicken, and the last one make it the usual” Puck states finishing what sounded like a fairly large order, “Coming right up Puck, izzat the new kid?” Puck looks and sees mikey, “Mikey~! You found the place!” she runs up and huggles mikey all happy, which caught him off guard, not expecting a girl to immediately......well not expecting a girl outside of April to hug him at all, whether it's fast or slow, the chef chuckles, “Don't mind her kid, Puck's always a bundle of energy and affection to those she considers a friend.” Puck smiles bright and wide like how mikey always tended to, and again, it causes him to blush; someone else in this world who is an awful lot like mikey was being overly affectionate and neither he nor she were getting thwapped for it.
They take a seat at a booth to wait for Puck's order, they talked a little more about Mikey's world and what goes on there, what the fights and battles were like. His enemies, it sounded like something out of the war stories that Karai's father had told to her when she was a baby bat. These questions were a jumble all inside of mikey's head, Puck jut sat and watched him sip his soda trying to assess which one to ask her, she kept smiling at him, “you're cute when you're confused” Mikey blushed again! Why was she making him blush so much!! he clears his throat, “Well....i'm new to this place so I don't have all the street savoire faire that i'm more used to having in my own time, you know, kinda off my game a little bit.” Puck chuckles a little, “I know what you mean” she looks up as the Pizzas were brought to her, “Thanks Pete” it was a Pigeon that was the chef and owner, “How much do I owe you?” Pete waves his hand, “It's on the house Puck, you helped us afterall, I could never charge you for anything.” Puck snaps her fingers, “Nonsense, I'll take nothing from the people” she lays a diamond in the palm of his hand, “Do what you want with it, I will not take free Pizza” Now Mikey's heart stopped, she handed him a damn diamond to pay for Pizza because she refused to take something from these people for free.
Out in what would normally have been Central Park, but was now being re-gardened and planted after clear signs of Artillery damage was done, each sharing a pizza as they talked more, “So ummm....what's with paying with a 24k Diamond? You realize you probably coulda bought the Pizza shop with that rock” Puck nods, “I could have, but then what would the citizens be left with?” Mikey blinks, it looks like they still had a lot to live on even with the city being in recovery mode right now, “I don't understand.....” Puck lowers her Pizza having an even look on her face, a mix of sad but also calm, Understanding but solemn, “During the war the city suffered a lot, you don't know cuz you're not from here, but everything as far as business, living, food, essentially the bare necessities were severely hurt during the war. Almost all off-shore food commerce was destroyed, every resource in-country was no better off, fuel was taken for the war machines, even metal was getting scarce to the point where coins used as money, like quarters, nickels, dimes, pennies and the like. They were melted down and used as a source of metal for bullets...” Mikey nibbles on his pizza quietly and listening intently, “After the war ended, the only currency we had left was precious stones or regular cash, but due to the poverty level of everyone, including what could be defined as the 1% inflation never occurred and so we only used basic trade for commerce and currency, using the precious stones.” Mikey looks around at the shops seeing everything was a single price depending on it's value the stone in question matched it, or they could accept a certain dollar value for whatever was to be purchased.
They started walking again after Puck Packs the leftover Pizza putting it in her bag so it wouldn't fall around or get mashed up and make a mess. Mikey's step staggers a little when he walks by a shop labeled “Ninja Dry Cleaners” but shook his head putting it out of his mind quickly. They get to what looked like puck's home, Mikey looks up admiring the place, but it looked a little big for just one cutie-patootie bat, then Puck invites him inside and he sees why it was so big. She lived in an Orphanage, with Children of all ages and all types and species from human to mutant, “You live here with these kids?” Puck looks up at him, “Oh no I don't live here, I visit here often to check on these kids to make sure they're all doing well. Most of them lost their parents during and even after the war, come meet them Mikey.” Mikey puts her bag aside to the door and walks in with her. The Kids all surround Puck hugging and greeting her and welcoming her back, as well as the kids inspecting and looking mikey over. After finally escaping Hurricane Kiddies, Puck brought him to the roof and they roof-hopped about three buildings over from the Orphanage, “THIS is my home Mikey, and you're welcome to stay here for as long as you want till we find a way for you to go home to your world” Mikey smiles thanking her for the friendly gesture, she was so kind-hearted it was almost hard to believe.
When Puck turns on the lights we see her home in it's fullest; it was every teenager's/Comic Geek's/Gamer's/Ninja's deepest most fantastic of fantasies and dreams come to life in this place; Gaming consoles, Comic books in their plastic, the best Ninja Gear as far as weapons and uniforms, a 72-inch TV, with a DVD library that would put even movie theaters to shame. It was like he'd died and gone to Heaven, and he had no Idea where to start. Puck shows him to the kitchen, “How about we start with putting our leftover pizza away and starting on a game? You play Marvel Vs Capcom?” she asks as she pulls out two beers after putting the pizza away, “Pfft! That's my game Puck, and you're on!!” Puck hands him a beer after opening it for him and starts up the game. They play till midnight when Mikey was dozing after 15 vs. rounds against Puck, along with about 8 beers, “ hahhh...wun Morh rownd.....then Ah'll go too bedh” he slurrs, “Dude, you're way too drunk to even hold the controller anymore” she saves their spot in the game and puts Mikey's arm around her shoulders helping him walk, leading him to one of her spare rooms, she strips Mikey of his gear but leaves his Mask helping him Lay down to sleep, “yer showww kewl Puckh.....ahm gladth I gawt to meecha...” still slurring she shakes her head, “yeah, why not compliment me when you're not so hammered Mikey” She pulls the blanket over him tucking him in.
Feeling a little daring she lifts Mikey's mask off his eyes getting a good look at him and sets it on the night stand, she finds he has a boyishly handsome face, even when having a big dopey drunken grin and mumbling something in his half-sleep. She strokes the top of his head and kissed his forehead, “Sweet dreams Michaelangelo” she turns off the light leaving a night-light on and leaves the room letting mikey sleep his beer off.
