How old was she anyway? He couldn’t say for sure. It was not something that was all that interested to know about people. If he took an interest in a person, for one reason or another, he didn't bother to think what people would think of this when they are together. It was more interesting to hear about the school, really. She said it was unfortunate he didn't get the chance to train there. Perhaps. Would they have been as hard asses as his mother? There might have been a lot more to learn there than simply control his power but that was still something important for him to tell whether or not it had been unfortunate, because if he had to deal with someone as difficult and pushy, he was not sure he would have gotten better there. Then there was the fact that he might have been killed had he attended. “Doesn’t sound like such an unfortunate event in the long run,” he pointed out. He would have been there mere days anyway, it wasn’t like he would have had a chance to learn much. He took average training but alive to a little chance of expanding his universe just to die a few days later. Or be stuck in a place where they could kill him at any moment. Then again, he supposed it could still happen here but at least was he free here, well a little more.

Arnaud knew he said he’d let her ask questions a bit for now but still asked his anyway. If he expected to see an emotion on her face, it would have been something akin to pain or regret, something that would make sense if she saw bad things or had lost someone during that time. He didn’t expect her to glare at him. He startled, surprise to see anger in her eyes. What could get her so mad about this question? Was she furious that someone like him would ask about what might have been the worst moment of her life? He wouldn’t ask further though to understand, her glare was enough to warn him not to. He dared not apologize but he looked down at his plate for a moment, focusing on his food instead, slowing down only as he remembered that he wanted to keep the meal going.

“Guilt? No, I don’t think I would have felt guilty...” he admitted. He could have just walked away without thinking much of it, even if there was to be an news article later about this. This sounded incredibly cold-hearted however, so he felt the need to justify himself. “It’s not like I knew what was going on between you. I just thought that if they beat you down or worse, I could be next for just being at the wrong place at the wrong time. You were alone, they weren’t, figured you were the one more in trouble, so I stopped them instead of you.” Had she been the one with the upper hand and about to kill them, he would have calmed her with his power instead in the hope that she wouldn’t try to do the same to him for witnessing it all. From all he saw, he couldn’t say who was winning in that brawl, but if he had to choose the biggest threat, he would assume it was the side with the more people on.

She asked if he remembered anything else from that night. “Well... I didn't pay too much attention to their face but I suppose I could always make an effort and recognize them if that’s what you’re talking about,” he said with some hesitation. He actually doubted that he could properly recognize them and maybe it was better that way. He had no idea what they all did to end up fighting her but he preferred not to be associated with it. “You did have darker hair then too,” he dropped as though it meant nothing. He honestly just assumed she dyed them or perhaps it was a wig or something. People just loved changing hair style and color nowadays, he was not going to judge her because she went from black to white. No matter how slowly he chose to eat, he was pretty much done now. “Dessert?” he asked her, hoping she wouldn’t just end the conversation here.

Yes, they could be following him, as his previous explanation proved but so far Arnaud thought he was fine. They grew over it with time. He supposed it might become dangerous if he ever ended up using it on one of those psychos who could do those things without even someone manipulating them in the first place but that never happened thus far and he could only pray it would never.

Should he be surprised that she asked if that was a joke? He laughed and continued when she explained how that was no priority for her. She had a weird way of saying she would want children, using the word need instead, but he opted to ignore her choice of words. “That makes two of us.” Then again, Rox loved reminded him how his power could have him killed on the spot when he’ll be discovered so perhaps he should be thinking about making a few babies just in case, but he didn't see himself going to women to ask if he couldn’t continue his family line with them. That reminded him of something. Wasn’t there an anime character who did that with every woman he met? He didn't watch enough of those to be sure.

She sounded pretty confident that no one was following her around now. “You’re just a good little soldier to them,” he pointed out. He was certain they would not fully trust her because she was a mutant but if she was really like what she told him, he could see why they may not see a point in following her around at all times. Besides, wouldn’t that require a lot of men if they needed some to follow their own? Could they go as far as implant a chip to follow them around? Even so, it wasn’t like they could know she was with him, so he relaxed knowing that he was fine. He didn’t care so much if she ended up in trouble with them for going out. That would be her problem, not his.

Was he opportunistic? Maybe. He had no problem being with someone for what they could give him but he also didn't think he was a parasite who lived only out of others and would jump ship as soon as they stopped being useful to him. Well, maybe he would if he was offered something better but he viewed it as something everyone did and so was not ashamed of it.

He wanted to ask what she meant by several but she was already arguing that she answered enough questions and that it was now his turn. “I never went to any,” he answered as though she asked him to answer his own question. A light smile curled up his lips. “You can ask away but I allow myself not to answer if I don’t want to.” It was only fair as he was certain she was not telling him everything either.

Would she believe what he said regarding his power? He honestly believed he was the one who would suffer the most from it. It was true that he could make someone do pretty much anything he wanted, but the person would still remember it afterwards, and with people like Roxana who was aware of what he could make her do, the consequences could be bad for him. He didn’t have enough experience to view it as a powerful and useful tool. “Up to killing?” he repeated after she asked him about the effects his power can have. He thought about it for a second. “Well, I hope it will never go that far. I did end up losing a job because an ex chose to punch my boss in the face certain that we were flirting, but I usually try to avoid going to that extent. You just never know what people can do though,” In a way, he was glad it didn’t go further than that. He managed to avoid more obsessive and dangerous behaviours, but he knew a better control of his ability would make it even easier to achieve. That was not something he planned to talk about with Roxana however. Her idea to help him may just be to take him to the camps. Or train him and call her debt paid.

She might not have laughed but he certainly smirked at her words. “So you’re saying I’m good looking uh? Thank you, you’re pretty easy on the eye yourself.” Oh, he was making fun of her comment, true. He didn’t care whether she found him attractive or not. It would definitely make his job easier if he wanted to use his power though and so he chose to keep that fact in mind even if he didn’t care much otherwise. Could he just flirt with her and that would work? He still didn’t think it would, even if she found him handsome. He just could not see her as the kind to act stupidly out of a crush. Maybe he was wrong, but he thought she was too guarded for him to simply smile and get anything he wanted from her.

There was another parallel to make with the Nazis and he was tempted to claim that surely a few of them didn’t think they were doing more than their job and nothing bad. But there was something else in her statement that he caught, and he thought it was more valuable. “The next stage? I see, you’re thinking ahead. If the tides turn, you’re ready to do too.” He hoped it was what she meant. It was what he got at first but as he said it, he wondered if she was not hinting to the fact the government had something else in store for the mutants that they were preparing. How far gone did you have to be if you were ready to continue fighting against your own even when they started to get the upper hand? Then again, he didn’t see them winning anytime soon. But what did he know? He was not privy to their plan, if there was even a plan. Or a ‘them’ for that matter.

He looked at her with some naivety and surprise in his gaze at her question. Yes, Arnaud was trying to stay out of this. He didn't feel himself involved in this as long as he was not directly targeted. In truth, Arnaud was still used to his mother taking care of everything, as she did when he was a kid. He was no longer living with her but she had had such an impact in his life than on many levels he was still very careless. He thought about it. He had no answer to give her, he felt, other than that he just did. He tried to come up with something else. “I guess... I just feel no desire to join one side or the other. You said it yourself, I don’t have a lot of chances on yours and I can’t really see anyone fighting against you winning easily.” He didn’t find his options as very good, whichever he took, so why take any? He shrugged at this, giving her a tiny, amused smile. “I think it’s pretty obvious I’m more a lover than a fighter.”

“Hey yourself,” Arnaud told the woman who approached him. She was pretty. A little old for his taste but that never stopped him before. At least she knew what she wanted compared to so many others and she was not afraid to go straight for it. It took him a moment but he realised she was the woman standing in line behind him at that juice stand. Aranud was not much into that trend but he was thirsty and that tasted better than water. Besides, his choice were rather limited around here.

At first, Arnaud was ready to humor her, who didn’t like some good flirting every now and then, but he started to feel like she was coming off too strong. It was when he started doubting her. Could she really be this interested or did she get a little unsolicited help? It wouldn’t be the first time his power activated without him meaning to. His mother had not been the best of teacher in that regard. She viewed it as a tool, sometimes as a weapon, and she controlled hers perfectly. It was not his case.

To tell the truth, that woman could really be interested in him and be normally this aggressive while flirting. But Arnaud grew used to doubt people’s feelings towards him and if he wasn’t against some fun he felt it came too suddenly not to be even a tad suspicious. He figured if he walked away from her for a moment, it would give time for the effect to wear off, if there were any, and he would then know for sure. But as he excused himself, he wondered if the pheromones were not pouring out of him even now. That would make coming back pointless, as she would simply fall under his spell all over again. So he thought the best idea was to get towards someone else and see their reaction. If they reacted like she did, he would know he had to go home, and alone.

Arnaud didn’t want her to think he was blowing her off, at least not yet, so he walked towards the small building where the toilets were, looking around for anyone he could come across along the way. He finally spotted one person. He did not hesitate one second. They had their back at him and he went straight for them. No time to see if it was just in the air around him, he made sure to get a hold of them with his hand. If he was really using his power without meaning to, he might as well give them the full dose of it, since he was taking them by surprise. “Hey!” he said on a playful if only a bit loud tone as he touched them. He then made sure to remove his smile. “Oh, I’m sorry, I mistook you for someone else.” Only after saying this did he take the time to look at what the person had been doing. Maybe he should have thought of it before interrupting them but that did not cross his mind one second until now. And even then, he was more curious to see if they would not try to keep him around and be agreeable to him, or just pushing him away for disturbing them.

It was hard to read Roxana. Arnaud thought he was fairly good at this but he couldn't quite say this about her. Maybe he should expect her to be guarded, she knew what he was capable of, but he also found her rather stiff. He didn't know her enough to tell if she was teasing him when arguing he should have arrived earlier or if she was really that hard. "I'll remember that the next time I want to meet with you," he simply added. There was no point in arguing. He didn't want to antagonize her. Anyway, he was taking this lightly. If he had to arrive late, he would and he didn't really care how others felt about it. Still, he'd rather have her in a good mood, if he wanted her to talk.

As he briefly mentioned his home, he wondered if she was already aware of his palce of residence. To him, she was part of the government, so he assumed there was nothing easier than just look that up. But he was curious whether she took the time to look him up or not. He supposed there would always be a time to ask her during the meal.

He was surprised that she got so unnerved by his comment. His brow rose up in surprise. "I was just pointing out how easily you could have turned it into a trap for me, is all." Arnaud had no affiliation with any group of mutants that could be referred to as rebels. He minded his own business. The only mutant who may order him around was his mother and he never bothered to tell her about Roxana. He was relieved when she admitted being alone. She could lie, of course, but he chose not to believe that.

"You're not the kind to like it when men open doors for you, do you?" he teased as she gestured for him to walk into the restaurant. He still made sure to hold the door until she at least got a hold of it herself before getting in. Arnaud was glad they could get a place in a corner. He didn't care if there were better places, it was his ideal spot for this meeting. Definitely better than being at the bar, for sure.

Arnaud was interested in ordering alcohol, of course, but Roxana chose water. Then again, they just walked in and would have to look at the menu, so he ordered the same thing for himself. There would still be time for this later. "I'm surprised the government let people like you walk free. You are like those in the camps, I would have thought they kept you on a tight leash whenever they are not unleashing you on your prey." he told her as he sat down, his eyes down at his menu rather than herself.

Arnaud might have overthought it and that from the moment he decided to text her. As soon as the idea came to him, he heard his mother in his head telling him that it was stupid. Stupid and dangerous. Roxana might have previously said that she would not throw him into the camp until she paid him back but she might decide that paying him back just meant not taking him in the first time. But Arnaud also thought she was the best way for him to get some info about the place. It wasn't like he had anyone to share it with or intended to attack the camp. It was for his own curiosity. And perhaps he would gain some leverage on the woman so that he could avoid being snatched by her in the future. He better keep that debt she had towards him for as long as possible, and if he could make it bigger, it was even better.Hence why he heard his mother call him stupid in hi head. She might not be wrong. But Arnaud didn't plan to listen to that voice.

And so he tried to find a way to lure her in. He thought about what to send her. He was certain she wouldn't want to meet with him to just chat. And he had a feeling she wouldn't take humor too kindly either. After writing a deleting his text a couple of times, he finally stopped thinking too much about it and sent her something. To his surprise, she agreed and he didn't even need to whine and plead too much beforehand. Didn't even have to argue this was part of the debt, even if they brought it up. The first part of his plan was done.

He wanted to take her someplace she would be comfortable. He knew she would be on her guard towards him. She knew of his ability, or at least she knew enough to know he could bend her to his will. That would make using his power more difficult. And he didn't think she was the kind to react to flattery or flirt well enough for it to work. His only other sure option, in his mind, was alcohol. He hoped she was a lightweight.

He sent her the address to a restaurant. It wasn't too fancy but offered enough intimacy he hoped for their conversation. Anyway, he planned on being as evasive as he could if she ever brought anything that could imply he was a mutant. And with some luck she will drink enough for her to be more talkative than she should be. Then again, if she was this accomodating already, maybe she was ready to talk without too much extra help. He left to the restaurant after being done texting her ready to put his plan in action.