After Cinematic Adventures, Ash somehow got suckered into going out again to hang out with the strange dragon lady. Minor adventures ensue.

A night out. It was something he somehow agreed to after the unexpected added companion to the movies. Ash hadn't thought when he accepted it. It was an odd and infectiously happy blind answer when she had asked if they could hang out again sometime. To, as Simi demanded, learn more about each other so that Simi could visit her. They had even picked a day.

Of course he had something to do first. Something Simi brought from his mother to give to a friend of hers. Someone named Itisha. Not even Simi knew of any Itishas. Odd really. Still, he had found himself standing outside of an all too large house that looked like a modern castle. All complete with dragons in place of gargoyles and a large double door. Off to the side and behind the house he could hear screeching and laughing.

Curious.

Acheron walked with the gift tucked under his arm and blinked slowly at the multitude of children on the large jungle gym. There were slides, swings, and even monkey bars. Everything was surrounded by a lush garden and a large natural pool further behind the house. Although perhaps the most startling of that was the lone adult hanging upside down from the monkey bars, chatting with the few other children hanging with her and getting flushed in the face. Then one of the kids waved and said something, pointing in his direction. The snow-haired woman turned to face him and they simply stared at each other and she fell down off the monkey bars, causing him to run over and help her sit up.

"Are you okay?" asked Acheron. He should have known by the bright orange she wore who it was. Or the near six foot of hair braided, "I would have knocked but…" Curiosity.

"Yeah, thick skull saved the day. So does mulch and some insanely good padding to break my fall instead of my neck." She rubbed at her neck and looked up, "Alright, guys, heads up! Why don't you play on the swings? Abby, help them get down, please!"

"I dunno, Mom! Your way looks easier!"

"Before we have to go to the ER! Please, kiddo!" The goth teen that looked almost a match for Acheron in style sighed as she flipped her bangs out of her face and trudged with almost too big boots to balance on the monkey bars and helped set one child up at a time and moved them over to the landing with the slide, "Thank you, sweetheart."

"Yeah, yeah." It was a good-natured mutter though as she made sure everyone was safe and she went back to her perch at the slide.

Ash just sort of stared at all of this and couldn't help but smile, "No wonder you are good with Simi. You babysit often?"

"Babysit?" Itisha blinked at him and then shook her head, "No, these are all my kids. Well, except for the couple of visiting wolves right now. I rescue the kiddos who survive the nasty stuff like daimon attacks. Kids with nowhere else to go. Everyone else lets me watch their kids too and on days I work, they watch mine in exchange." She pushed herself onto her feet and offered her hand out to him, "So, how did you find my house and well… why? I didn't think you were quite that excited to hang out."

A mother for lost children. If only he had been so lucky. Though he winced at that last question. Sometimes he could just want to yell at his mother. A shift and he held out a black wrapped box with her name and an address scrawled prettily, "Apollymi asked me to do her a favor. I didn't realize this was you."

"She could have at least wrote Mushu." Itisha sighed softly and smiled, "Well, better than writing her pet name for me. Little Star." She opened the box and laughed before closing it and looking up, "Hey! Birthday girl! Polly sent you a gift!" She threw it up with a perfect arc, though Abby nearly missed it.

A grin as Itisha watched the teenager open the box and squealed in delight before bringing out a black rose crown with little red jewels set into the silk ribbon and black braided stems. She immediately put it on and bounced, "Tell Aunt Polly I said thank you! It rocks!"

Brow rose a bit and Ash seemed entirely amused, "She does this often?"

"Yes, though usually I am visiting her so I bring it myself after I visit." She could feel a pang of pain and she frowned. That was one thing Apollymi told her about. About how she could never see or hold her son. That to visit her would mean the end of the world as they knew it. He valued the world too much, "I take it Simi brought it to you for you to deliver?"

He nodded, seeming distracted by the children playing and watching him with absolute curiosity. Itisha took a breath and looked at the children, "Abby! Jesse! Keep an eye on your fellow demons! Give me a shout if you need anything!"

That was met with an assent and Itisha motioned for him to follow her as she started for the back deck that led up to a pair of sliding doors. By now she knew his dislike for her to be anywhere behind him. At least this gave an opportunity to let him walk behind her then. It wasn't her place to ask why, just merely make it more comfortable when around her. It was the least she could do.

When they stepped in the kitchen, Acheron looked around the room. Studying the cabinets that were white once, but were covered in different colored hand prints and names. Far more than twelve. Part of him had to wonder if she held the children up for the higher spaces. The mental image amused him. The fridge was probably hidden behind the large chalk board with all sorts of notes pinned to it with magnets. Note scribbled on. It was a home, and a very lively one at that. He was snapped out of his inspection with a voice.

"Would you like something to eat? We have cake and pizza. I can also get you something to drink." She moved to pull a couple of glasses down and took one to get ice in it and then water.

"No thank you." He almost wanted to tell her that he just simply didn't eat. The question would come up eventually if she noticed. Though that would require him to be around her more often than not. Which… they were going out tonight. Too bad he couldn't fake eating.

"You sure? It really isn't any trouble. I got enough to feed a small army. I imagine you get hungry chasing after hyper charonte demons and daimons and taking care of everyone." She watched him as he frowned. Was it an issue of not eating publicly or the same line of thought that kept her in front of him instead of behind?

"I am sure. Thank you, Itisha. I ate before I got here." Mind you, it was a while before. She didn't need specifics on when though. Even a flicker of his eyes on the food made the corners of his lips tug down and his weight shifted onto another leg. On someone who didn't know better, they would think nothing of it.

Instead Itisha frowned a little and quietly put the second glass back and set her own down. Out of habit, she clicked her tongue while she thought. Though the sound was a little more solid and she hadn't expected the slight jump from him at the sound cutting through the quiet kitchen. She could see him looking over at her and studying her. Instinctively, she opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out to show a row of silver piercings. Personally she liked them. Didn't wear them often, but she had made sure to put them in for tonight. Adjust to it and all.

He found himself speaking before he could stop, "Do you have those for the reasons most people have those?"

"Huh?" Itisha blinked, confusion evident as she watched Ash suddenly look a little lost and very guarded. She knew some people didn't always like piercings, but he seemed like he was trying not to look bothered. Maybe she needed to lighten the mood. "Ah, I guess? I always just enjoyed having them. Not sure how much of that is a dragon thing or what. You should try them sometime, I bet you would look pretty neat with them." He went from lost to suddenly withdrawn and angry. Though… not at her. Still, the sharp change made her kick herself.

"Wow, I am really bad at this." Itisha murmured quietly and ran her hands over her head, "Sorry. Didn't mean to step on any buttons." And she meant it. Hell, just her having them was making him uncomfortable. Polly hadn't told her too much about his personal life. It wasn't hers to tell.

He schooled himself enough to give a short nod. Not entirely used to anyone but Tabby catching his emotions. It took a bit longer to work up the ability to speak, "You didn't know."

"No, but I seem to possess the unique ability to step into every touchy subject I find. Rather more like I trample it and alienate everyone around me." Itisha admitted softly and looked around before motioning for him to follow her again, "I can give you a quick tour of the house if you want."

Acheron hesitated and looked back outside. Though his head was quirked just slightly as though he were listening to something. A frown pulled at his lips, "Perhaps we can rain-check that next time I visit. I have things to do before tonight."

"You still want to hang out tonight? I mean, I can't guarantee that I won't stampede head first by accident into any other subjects. I am obviously very bad at socializing with anyone with the height over my shoulder." It wasn't like she got out much. Or hung out often. Hell, she had been only slightly nervous before, this was going to make her fret until the night was done.

That managed to pull a little of a smile from him, "I know the feeling." He admitted to her finally, "They're lucky though. I don't know how many people would go that far to make sure someone not of their blood had a home and family." The very fact she incorporated their existence into even just the design of her kitchen was something astonishing on its own. Those kids were loved. "I don't mind hanging out tonight. I am sure you can't do much worse than accidentally tripping onto sore subjects."

Itisha prayed the universe didn't take that as a cosmic challenge for her to offend the one person entirely that she was supposed to help pair up Tory with. Though his admission had her smiling a little more and she rubbed at her own neck. "Let's hope I don't accidentally figure out what I can do worse then, Hot Topic. Just give me a list of things not to do and I'll do my best to abide by them, no questions asked."

Ash paused, he wanted to imagine that she was joking but… "Do you really want a list?" No questions asked just always meant eventually someone would ask. Not that he really wanted to give her a list of all of his nightmares.

"In a way I do. Everyone has their demons. Hell, I have lists for all the kids I take in. Lists for kids I even babysit. I don't like making people hurt or uncomfortable. Not all hurts are on the outside. If we are going to hang out, I would like to make sure I don't screw up beyond belief."

He stared at her for a long moment and then gave a small nod, "I'll consider it. Thank you, Itisha." A small bow of his head as she motioned her hand for him to 'shoo' so that he could get to everything else he had planned today. What a strange woman. It was a good strange though, he just hoped he could trust in her words. Though he wasn't about to give her a list of things that brought him down.

When he finally vanished, Itisha frowned and went upstairs. At least she knew a couple of things on the list. She was definitely going to have to make sure she ate plenty before they went out.

Itisha saw him where he said he would be. Outside a quiet doll shop talking to an older woman, his black hair in a braid. His usual black coat and clothes certainly pegged him among the goth variety of things. She herself went somewhat of a punk look too. A black dress that barely went to her knees and long sleeves. Half the dress was a solid black with a red and black print, a black wide band around the waist and gold cords hanging off of it. It went with the black fishnet stockings that had a tabi set up on the toes. Which let her wear gold sandals.

White hair was braided and pinned up with a pair of gold hair sticks. A gold that decorated her eyes with a faint shimmer over red and just as red lips. Her ears were the only parts she wore her piercings on. It felt a little weird to be without all of them, but she frankly would rather a momentary disorientation on her part than for him to be uncomfortable. As she approached, she watched him look up and stare a little before waving.

"Mushu, this is Liza. Liza, this is Mushu." Acheron said as she approached. Taking care not to use her proper name. It wasn't for him to share after all.

"Ah, a pleasure to meet you, Liza." Itisha gave a habitual dip of her head, hand splayed on her chest, "You may call me Itisha if you'd like."

The older woman looked her over and her smile lit up those intense eyes, "A pleasure to meet you as well, Itisha." She dipped her head in kind and smiled at her. A cant of her head and she held her hand up, "Just a moment." And she hurried into her shop, leaving Itisha blinking.

"You get used to that." Ash mused as he looked her over again. When she had spoken, he didn't see the flash of metal he had braced for. Had she taken them out because of him?

Itisha chuckled softly and smiled, "I take it she does that often. I am going to guess Oracle?"

Her guess made him nod and smile. Wondering how she picked up on it. Then again, perhaps she just knew several. There was a lot he wanted to ask he discovered, but he wasn't entirely sure as to what sort of topics those would lead to, "You goth well." Ash finally stated.

"Ah, thank you. I have a soft spot for shiny things sometimes. I particularly liked this one. Sort of punk meets kimono." A pick at one of the gold cords and she watched as Liza came bustling out with a beautiful doll.

It was a small one, but it had snow white hair and a bright red and gold dress, "You have a very little one with a birthday soon, yes?"

Yep, definitely an Oracle. Itisha smiled and nodded as she studied the doll. It was her, "That is beautiful, Liza. How much for it?"

"Oh no, you don't have to pay for it." Liza said quickly and held the doll out to her with a well mannered smile.

There was a blink as Itisha carefully took the doll and studied it. A shift as she dug something out of the pocket of her dress and she held it out to Liza, "Trust me, I want to pay for it. You have to be able to afford the tools and supplies to keep making such beautiful dolls. I promise to bring the kiddos here and they can see all of your beautiful work."

There was a sigh of exasperation and then a chuckle as Liza took the offered item from her and tucked it away into her own pocket, not even looking at it, "Somehow, I knew you would say that. Cannot fault an old woman for trying." She watched as Itisha glanced around and gave a small focus that allowed the doll to vanish off without her.

"There, now it is safe at home." Itisha smiled cheerfully, "Thank you again, Liza. I am sure my Ryssa will love it."

Itisha could feel Ash suddenly tense at the name and she kicked herself mentally again. Unfortunately, that one wasn't as easy to avoid. Well, she was off to a great start, "So, ready to get going?"

He seemed distracted for a moment and then he nodded, "You get some safely, Liza." He told the woman softly and she nodded as she started to head off towards home. Ash watched for a moment longer before looking down at Itisha. Somehow he kept expecting her to be taller, "You removed your piercings."

Ah, so that was going to come up, wasn't it? Itisha started walking, hoping it was at least the right direction, "They made you uncomfortable."

"A lot of things make me uncomfortable. A lot of people have tongue piercings." Just very few had ones like he once had. A shake of his head as he started walking alongside her, "Doesn't mean I expect everyone to remove them just because I am around. Do you change things for everyone that is uncomfortable about you?"

That made her frown as she considered him for a long moment, "Not everything, but I am used to dealing with children who have their own nightmares. It is like swearing. Some people could care less if you swear like a sailor, but some people just don't like it. I can tailor my behaviors at least a little to help someone not feel alienated by me." She shrugged a little as she looks sideways at him, "You are already borderline skittish of me, why in the world would I purposefully do something that I know makes you close up?"

He frowned at her as they walked. It made sense but… he didn't generally see people trying to work to avoid his discomforts. Instead a lot of people liked to try to use the things he disliked as a weapon, "I'm used to people not knowing what makes me twitch. A lot of people would use such knowledge to their advantage."

Itisha looked at him fully then and frowned, "Well I am definitely not one of those people. Also, if making a list makes you feel like you are handing over the keys to tearing you down, don't worry about it. Honestly, I will probably find most of them by accident and be apologizing for it by the end of the night."

A thought struck him and he studied her, "Are you going to be alright surrounded by a bunch of people?" If she picked up on things that easily as an empath. He had to wonder if she knew how to shield it. Or if she already was. There was an uneasy feeling that she could see straight to his soul.

"I'll be fine. Just more sensitive to it all than most. So long as I am not eating like an elephant in front of everyone, I can generally ignore it." A light smile as she considers something while they walk, "Thank you, Acheron, for letting me come out with you tonight. Most people don't generally care for the empath dragon mutt hanging around them for long periods of time. I was starting to become a hermit."

"No problem. Sometimes being a hermit doesn't sound like that bad of an idea. It can be lonely though. Though I am sure the universe is making sure I am never alone." He shrugged as they approach the club. People dressed a lot like them milled around outside. Every time the door opened, the soft thrums of the base gave way to a much louder chaos of sounds.

That made her smile as she winced slightly at the sounds. Loud. Course she should be used to it, but child voices were different than this. Still, she focused on the sounds as they got closer to try and adjust. Every step made it a bit louder. Eventually her ears would become accustomed to it. It meant later she wouldn't be able to hear jack squat until her head got used to silence again, but she could handle it, "Being alone sucks." She agreed finally. A glance at the once overs Ash was getting by a few people and she felt… protective. It nearly made her bare her teeth.

Instead she considered a thought and looked up at Acheron, "Hey, Hot Topic. May I please kiss your cheek?"

He stopped and blinked down at her. Brows arching from over his sunglasses, "What?"

"You are being eyeballed like a downed deer amongst wolves. I promise no lip marks. This stuff ain't coming off." She explained to him and did a mild gesture towards the others as they stood there.

"I am used to that. I doubt it will help anything." He told her, mildly uneasy. Ash was mostly baffled though. She didn't feel jealous. Hell, he didn't even feel lust from her. Just concern and… anger? That made him frown at her before he stooped down a little, "But if you want to try it… be my guest."

Bah, she made him feel uncomfortable again. There was a move to gently lace her hand in with his with a gentle squeeze and she moved to press her lips softly against his cheek. A little closer to his lips, but never touching them. Her other hand cupped his face as she closed her eyes and held that kiss for a few moments before nuzzling his nose out of habit for doing that with her kids and she drew back. Well… the eyeballing he got was now on her. A wave of jealousy from several of them. Still, she dropped one hand, but kept her other in his as she gently tugged him along, "Well, now they are definitely paying attention to me more than you. So it did what it was supposed to." She could still feel his warmth and his scent made her oddly feel at ease.

Acheron had held his breath, but he felt himself relax a small bit as she treated him very gently. Nothing demanding. Just a small affection that he was not used to being directed to him. The feel of her hand in his was warm. It was an odd thing really and he couldn't help but give a small smile as she tugged him along to wait in the bustling line of the place just starting to get busy for the night, "Do you normally ask before kissing someone?" The question was as light as he could make it. He was mostly curious.

A blink as she studied him, "I think the better question is if anyone ever bothers to ask before touching you. Some people forget consent is a thing. I mean hell, I'd punch someone if they tried to quiet me with a kiss." A small scowl on her face before she shook her head and offered a light smile, "Much less force any touch on me. I tend to break wrists that way."

That… he looked at her as though she weren't real. Ash swore he was odd. In the best way, as she was very much unlike many people he ever met. Tabitha was much the same way. Refreshing, "Most people do not ask, no."

"Well then I will do everything in my power to ask. Although…" She looked down and realized she had stolen his hand. It had been instinctual. When she went to remove it, he gave a gentle squeeze to pause her. Making her look up at him.

"It's alright. I think this might keep most of them at bay." He offered a smile before leaning down and hesitating before giving a quick chaste kiss on her cheek. He wasn't sure why he did it, just that it felt appropriate to do so, "Thank you for being considerate of my comfort, Mushu."

The thanks warmed her right in her heart and out. It was a feeling she knew, but she gave a quick smile and look forward. If she didn't think about it too hard, maybe he wouldn't notice it. Maybe. Physical touch tended to make empaths just that much more sensitive to the comfort of another, "I do my best. I'm a mom. I suppose that just comes naturally." Redirect that emotion to her kids. Yeah. Her kids were the source of that emotion. Not him. He wasn't hers. Eventually she would get Tory there to meet him. Eventually.

Still, for right now she didn't mind befriending and learning about the god that Tory was destined to meet. So far, he seemed like a good people. Tory would be great for him she imagined. A blink as she heard the music filtering out from the bar, "Ooh, I love this song." Which had her starting to hum as they got to the door and were let in where she started mouthing the words to it. The god she led around by the hand didn't seem to mind at all.

It would be a good night. She trusted that feeling.