Greg and Tessa were heading over to the women's section, after Greg had dissolved the purchased outfits and clothed himself properly, when they heard yelling. They shared a look, before rushing over. They wove through the stands, pushing through a crowd to find Jennifer hissing and growling threateningly while Sarah huddled behind her, shivering in fear. A few men stood around them glaring at the two with a mix of anger and desire, one of them clutching his arm as blood dripped through his fingers.

"What's going on here!" Greg yelled as he pushed through, moving to stand between the men and the girls.

"This mutated bitch attacked me!" The wounded man yelled back. "I was just making some friendly conversation with the young lady over there, when she came out of nowhere, clawing my arm and acting like some kind of animal!" He explained, before turning to Jennifer. "Low class pieces of shit like you shouldn't even be allowed in the safe zone! You're no better than feral trash!"

Greg fixed his glare on the man, stepping forward as he transformed into his scorpocroc form, his pincer reaching out to grab the now terrified man by the neck, lifting him into the air. "Are you sure she attacked you for no reason? Or were you getting handsy with the young lady, and that 'low class piece of shit' came to defend her?" The man struggled, his legs kicking the air as he choked. Greg leaned in close, his mandibles clicking menacingly in the man's face. "Learn to keep your hands to yourself, or prepare to lose them, got it?" The man nodded desperately, Greg snorting in disgust as he dropped him, watching him gasp for air. "That goes for the rest of you too." He added, glaring at the other men around, causing them to gulp nervously, before running off. Greg then turned back to Jennifer and Sarah, turning back to normal. "You two alright?"

Sarah immediately rushed forward, latching onto him and sobbing, burying her face in his chest. "That man-" Jennifer began with a growl.

"Forget it, I don't need the details." Greg waved her off. He was already pissed, and it wouldn't look good if he killed someone on his first day here. "You did the right thing. Good job." He assured her, patting her on the head, causing her to purr happily. He then turned to Tessa. "We should probably get out of here, huh?"

Tessa shook her head. "No, we'll be fine. We're supers, remember? Even if you'd killed that man, no one would say anything."

Greg frowned. "Really? That seems… wrong."

Tessa sighed, shaking her head. "It's the way things are."

*

Greg and Tessa helped protect Sarah as she picked out the rest of her clothes, Jennifer eyeing anyone who got closer than a dozen feet distrustfully, and growling if they got closer than six. Tessa asked Jennifer if she wanted to get some clothes for herself, but she just gave her a weird look. Why would she need the unformed's fake fur when she had fur of her own? Once Sarah finished picking out her clothes, Tessa distracted Greg by sending him to put back the clothes Sarah had decided against while she paid, ignoring the exasperated man as she took them to a nearby diner. About halfway through the meal, Greg attempted to sneak off and pay so at least he could contribute something, but when he talked to the waiter, he found that Tessa had paid before they even ate. Greg frowned at her as they left. "You are aggressively charitable."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "You literally have twenty coins to your name. I'm not going to let you waste them for some stupid pride."

"No, no, no, I have twenty coins now. I'll be going out into the city every night, remember? I can collect salvage every day! I'll have more than enough to pay for what I need." Greg pointed out.

Tessa raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you really going to waste your time looking for salvage rather than dealing with the ferals? Don't you have a mission you're trying to accomplish? Are you going out there for money or to help the ferals?"

Greg paused. "Well, to help the ferals, but-"

"Then you aren't going to have time to look for salvage. Even if you happen to run into something, how much time would you waste lugging it back to the safe zone? Maybe if you're lucky enough to find something nearby it would be reasonable, but I assure you that the area has already been thoroughly searched, so I wouldn't bet on it. So unless you want to give up on the ferals, those twenty coins are all you're going to get until our next mission, which could be weeks from now." Tessa explained in a firm tone of voice.

Greg frowned, before letting out a sigh. "Fine, fine, you win. Still, I'm going to need to spend my money at some point. Otherwise, what's the point of having it?"

Tessa grunted noncommittally, letting the conversation die, the four of them walking in silence until they had to go their separate ways, Tessa leading Sarah and Jennifer back to her place to get set up, while Greg headed to Victor's. It took Greg a bit longer than he'd like to admit to actually find the apartment, but eventually he knocked on what he thought was the right door, letting out a sigh of relief as Victor answered it with a shit-eating grin. “All done with your date?"

Greg rolled his eyes. "It was not a date. We just got clothes and lunch."

"Uh huh, sure. That's why Tessa was giving me the 'come and I'll kill you' eyes. So you could buy clothes." Victor scoffed.

Greg frowned. "She did that?"

"Worst I've ever gotten, too. I could practically feel her blades piercing into my skin." Victor shuddered.

Greg frowned, wondering why she'd do that, before remembering this was Victor he was dealing with, and there was a more than decent chance he was just playing up something minor to mess with him. "I bet she just didn't want you to come. You are an abrasive bastard."

"Whoa, hey, I am a treat to be around! I think she just wanted some alone time with you, if you know what I mean." Victor commented suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Yes, because you always get alone time when you drag two other people with you." Greg scoffed, rolling his eyes again.

"A child and a feral. They don't count." Victor retorted.

Greg shook his head. "You've got a pretty active imagination there."

"You're pretty oblivious there." Victor countered.

Greg just snorted before changing the subject. "Whatever. So, where's my room?"

"It's that one." Victor waved towards one of the doors, before falling onto a nearby couch.

Greg walked over and opened the door, looking into the bedroom, before closing it and joining Victor on the couch. "And he never opened it again." He sighed to himself. "Man, I miss sleep!"

Victor chuckled. "You remember that time you fell asleep in Physics? The teacher was literally glaring at you!"

"I'm still pissed you didn't wake me up after I started snoring." Greg grumbled bitterly.

"Are you kidding? How could I possibly interrupt what had to be a magnificent nap." Victor retorted in mock shock.

Greg paused. "That was a pretty good nap… which I'll never have again… damn it." He finished with a depressed sigh. "Anyway, what's there to do for fun around here?"

"Well, there's the bar. You can drink and play pool or darts there. Hmmm… there's a fighting ring, but only for non-supers, so you can only watch. There's a dance hall with some live music. There's the Lounge, which is essentially a strip club slash brothel, but it does have some decent food. Other than that, there are some community groups that get together to do various activities, like soccer or baseball, but those are fairly irregular." Victor listed the various options slowly.

Greg cocked his head thoughtfully. "I suppose I'd be down to play pool?"

"Sure, let's do it." Victor agreed, the two of them hopping to their feet and heading to the bar, though Greg wasn't entirely sure 'bar' was the right word to describe the place. It looked more like a game hall, with lines of pool tables, walls full of dart boards, and even a few other games, like ax throwing and corn hole, and much like the bazaar, it'd been expanded to take up the entire first floor of the building. Though, despite all that, there was a massive bar along one wall, with a multitude of bartenders and servers to meet everyone's needs, and a few sitting areas for people to hang out.

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Victor approached the bar and waved down a bartender, taking out a coin and slapping it down. "Two hours of pool." The bartender nodded, taking the coin and pulling out a tray of balls from below the counter. Victor thanked him, taking the tray and heading towards one of the pool tables, before beginning to set up the game. Greg grabbed two pool cues from a nearby pillar, and handed one to Victor, letting him break.

Greg looked around at the various other people playing the offered games. "So, this is what people do all day?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Victor shrugged. "Yup. Well, this and sex. You can't forget about sex."

Greg gave him a weird look. "Sex? I mean, I believe people are having it, but… it doesn't last that long, does it?"

Victor chuckled. "Dude, when you're as bored as we are, you make it last."

"Huh… I'll have to take your word for it." Greg muttered a bit awkwardly.

Victor snorted. "You don't have to. Walk up to literally any girl here, show a little bit of your ability, and you won't be going home alone. Hell, you might even be able to get two or three if you play your cards right." He added with a wink.

Greg blinked. "Are you serious?"

Victor nodded. "Completely. Remember what I said earlier, about supers being celebrities? I wasn't joking. Women will practically beg to sleep with you once they know what you're capable of."

Greg looked around the room, a weird glint in his eye, then suddenly grimaced and shook his head. "I don't think I could do it."

Victor rolled his eyes. "Dude, you don't have to do anything. You literally can't mess this up."

Greg shook his head again. "That's not- I mean I don't think I could handle it. I- well, you know I have… temperance issues. I'm either all in or I'm all out, with little to no inbetween, and going all in on sex… I don't want to degenerate into some sort of man whore, you know? It's either that, or I'd go head over heels for the first woman I went for and turn into a fucking simp!"

Victor let out a sharp laugh. "So you'd either be Carlos or Jake? Not good options, my friend."

"I'm not your friend, buddy." Greg chuckled, before pausing. "Jake is a simp?"

"Oh, big time. Which… gotta be honest, may be a problem for you in the near future." Victor commented.

Greg frowned. "Why?"

"Well, the girl he's simping for is Tessa." Victor explained.

Greg rolled his eyes. "Dude, seriously, there's nothing between me and Tessa! I mean, we're friendly, but that's it! All she does is yell at me most of the time. Not something that really gives off an 'interested' vibe."

"Well… it is Tessa. She's shown more interest in you than anyone else I've seen. I mean, she mostly just ignores the guys around here, even if they are being idiots." Victor commented.

Greg frowned. "That's fair, I guess, but it isn't exactly positive interest. I think she sees me as an annoying little brother or something. Maybe cause she had to look after me when she first found me? Just because she's invested in me doesn't mean it's romantic."

"Eh, maybe." Victor shrugged. "Still, watch out for Jake. Even if it is benign, he's not going to take Tessa being close to another guy very well."

Greg raised an eyebrow at him. "Like how? I mean, what would that even look like? Will he fight me? Try and kill me? Cause… I have some bad news for him."

Victor laughed. "Ha! No, no, nothing like that. He'll just be pissy, talk shit about you behind your back, stuff like that. It'll be annoying, create some friction within the group, drama, all that crap. I mean, if you like her, it won't matter, but if not, I don't think it's worth it." Greg grunted noncommittally, pointedly focusing on the game, and causing Victor to give him a look, raising an eyebrow and grinning weirdly. "Wait, wait, wait, hold on. Do you like her?"

Greg sighed. "I mean… no? But… Well, I'm not against liking her, you know? She's cute, and we get along pretty well, even when she's angry at me, which… honestly sort of makes her cuter? I don't know if I like like her yet, but she's at least interesting, which is more than I can say for any other girl I've had my eye on. Usually they're just pretty."

Victor frowned. "Wait, hold on, you've actually liked girls before? Why have I not heard of this? I could have been your wingman!"

"Dude, I like every girl. I'm an animal." Greg replied with an exasperated sigh. "I mean, I see a pretty girl, and I want her. Not in a good way either, I just want sex, pure and simple. Hell, half the reason I handle Sarah so well is because I'm used to it. The only weird part was that she was so young. I've learned to just ignore it at this point. I might glance a few times, but that's it."

"Huh… I never would have guessed." Victor shook his head in disbelief.

Greg sighed. "Yeah, I'm a shallow pig. I see da booba, I like da booba, I want da booba. Like a damn-"

"Hey, there~" A voice came from behind them, startling Greg. He quickly turned, flushing, his eyes widening as they were pulled into an absolutely ridiculous amount of cleavage! The woman's assets were impressive enough to draw attention in a sweater, let alone the low cut top she was wearing. It took Greg a good five seconds to pull his eyes up to the woman's face, gulping as she smirked playfully at him. "You wouldn't happen to be Gregory Hal-ver, would you?"

"Uh, yes, um, but it's, uh, it's pronounced Hall-ver." Greg stammered as he struggled to keep himself from looking down again. He felt like a damn deer in headlights!

The woman giggled. "I'm Meredith~ the leader of Phoenix Squad. Someone told me there was a new super in town, so I figured I'd come and check~ you out." Meredith commented suggestively, winking seductively.

"Oh, Meredith, I'm sorry, Greg has already joined Unicorn Squad. I'm afraid even your bulbous tits won't be able to lure him away." Victor mocked in a teasing tone.

Meredith's gaze went cold as she turned to Victor. "Victor." She spat in a tone of sheer disgust. "Shouldn't you be lurking around the women's room?"

Victor clutched his chest in mock offense. "Meredith, I'm hurt you'd think so low of me! You know yours is the only bathroom I'd ever deign to lurk in!"

Meredith snorted, before turning back to Greg, putting on a sweet smile. She leaned in closer, placing a hand on his arm. "Nothing's official yet. If you'd like, we go somewhere private~, do some activities~, and if you satisfy me, we could see about a more permanent~ relationship."

Greg flushed, coughing awkwardly as he stepped back. "That- I appreciate the offer, but, uh, I- I am actually with Unicorn Squad already…"

Meredith's brow creased slightly. "Gregory, I'm not sure if you're fully aware of the situation here. Unicorn Squad is a mid-tier team, on the low end at that. My Phoenix Squad is high-tier, which means we have access to better tasks, better equipment, better perks, better everything. If it weren't for the fact that you have a dual healing factor/shapeshifting ability, I wouldn't even be making this offer, and even then, I'm only giving you a chance. Are you really going to give up an opportunity like that just because the Unicorns found you first?"

"Well… I mean, it isn't really about them finding me first. Victor and I were roommates before all this and Casey is one of my best friends. It'd be kinda shitty if I just ditched them for some extra benefits, wouldn't it?" Greg replied with a grimace, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, I'm sure they'd understand. After all, these aren't just some minor benefits~" Meredith cooed, posing in a way that emphasized her… assets.

"Nope. We'd be pissed. You'd be dead to us." Victor immediately interjected with a grin, causing Meredith to glare daggers at him.

"Yeah, sorry, I just… have to go with my friends." Greg shrugged.

Meredith humphed, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at him. "We'll see." She muttered vaguely, looking Greg up and down. "I'll be seeing you around~" She commented with one last enticing gaze, before sauntering off.

Greg's eyes rolled, groaning as he turned to lean on the pool table. "Fucking hell, that woman is inhuman!"

Victor snorted. "In more ways than you could count. Manipulative, conniving, psychotic bitch. Don't fall for her ploys, man, the woman is heartless. She just uses people, before throwing them away like yesterday's garbage. Oh, and don't even dream of touching her. All that flirty crap is an act. She'll string you along, put ideas in your head, but she'll never actually deliver."

Greg raised an eyebrow at him. "I take it you've had experience?"

Victor coughed awkwardly. "There may have been a short period of time where she was trying to pull me over… I am the best scout in town. I just… may have accidentally wandered into her apartment early one time and just happened to catch her right after a shower… She wasn't all that interested in me after that. Honestly though, if I was trying to do it on purpose, she never would have noticed me."

Greg chuckled, shaking his head. "Man, no wonder she hates you."