To The Maps We Go, 03-16-12, ISO...

The La Bayou was a nice little spot to be doing personal business at. Jesse was bent over a map of local Parishes, meal half way eaten but now he was distracted. His hair was pushed out of his face by his sunglasses and he was obviously having a little bit of trouble settling on what he wanted to 'purchase'. He needed to put these plans into motion though and soon. He had such grand ideas and after the recent death of a student in Ohio...

Well, perfect chance. He could get things rolling, start building, perhaps attract a few more peons to do the leg work. Brittany had certainly been a boon, as he had someone to cover him while he was down south looking for land to set up shop. He knew what he wanted, he could picture it. Islands would be good, definitely separate. They could set up a system of ferries...

"How about St. Bernard Parish?" Jesse asked his companion without looking up. They'd both been looking at these maps long enough that they could probably name off all the parishes. "I think we could build the closed city on the islands.. but we'd have to bolster the islands up a bit and I'm not quite sure how we'd go about it.. unless we just found a good, solid one but there's still hurricanes... Florakinetics can only do so much."

It was too bad the useful terrakinetic wasn't on their side. He wondered if he could find someone with something similar... Perhaps not similar but maybe something to start with. What other powers would there be to bolster an island...? Shit the fucking hydorkinetic didn't much like him either...

"Why must I have so few friends with elemental powers..? Not that I don't love and adore both your powers, they're so useful, but..."

"Because good elementals are so hard to come by," A woman sighed as she approached them and sat down right near their maps, looking completely unashamed of intruding on their little meeting. "And when you find one then you have to wait for them to actually get good with their power. You'd think someone who could only do one thing would master it fairly quickly, but no. Somehow they manage to slack off and then wonder why they can't just lift a whole damn mountain when they want to."

Syrena reached over and grabbed Jesse's drink, taking a sip of it. "But I might be able to help you. Not personally, and not yet, but I'll have what you need soon. That is, assuming you actually want outside help."

Which she knew he did, but she'd play cat and mouse for a little bit, if only for the fact that it amused her for a very short period of time, which was better than nothing.

"Syrena, by the by," she finally said, offering her hand to Jesse and whoever else wanted to take it. "And don't try using your powers on me, it won't work and I'm here to help, not hinder."

Louisiana was kind of awesome. He hadn't really been sure what to expect when Jesse announced that he had his sights set on someplace outside of Ohio but now that he was there and actually seeing everything and seeing all the plans start to unfold?

Nick approved.

Setting his drink down so he could peer at the map as well, Nick glanced over the area that Jesse had suggested, eyes narrowing in a thoughtful manner as he considered it. He glanced over the other parishes at the same time, taking everything into account that he'd been told about them and just the areas surrounding them on the map, having every intention of being involved in this particular decision making--

Except he was cut off before he could start talking.

The female voice had him startling some, sitting up and looking at Syrena with an immediately cautious gaze. Nick was fully prepared to get himself and Jesse out of there but what she was saying made him pause and glance at the empath beside him.

His call whether they stayed or left.

Jesse arched a brow, not looking up from the maps. His eyes glanced to the side to watch the drink be stolen. He had no intentions of finishing it now, just in case her touch alone did something to it. Better to be safe than sorry. He'd seen how water burned Quinn. He folded the map gently and added it to the stack of various maps he'd picked up.

Then he took Syrena's hand, making the eye contact with a charming smile. "Jesse, though I have a feeling you might already know that." He leaned back to let Nick to introduce himself, elbow resting against the back of his chair as his hand rubbed over his mouth thoughtfully.

Well, there really was no point in looking a gift horse in the mouth. He took everything with an air of caution anymore, but Nick was thankfully sitting right here. He had the second opinion.

"What do you have to offer, Ms. Syrena?" was his first question. Why ask anything else right now?

"I can offer quite a lot. Monetary, material, and human resources, if you need them, a lot of experience, and some foresight," she summarized quickly. "Anything you need, you can ask for. Chances are I can provide it."

Realizing that Jesse wasn't interested in his drink anymore, she took another sip, looking him and Nick over. Of course she had seen them both before, but neither of them had seen her at the time. She liked her secrecy.

"I want to be involved in your project," she continued. "I don't like getting my hands too dirty but I can be a backer or an organizer, depending on how you like to run things. I have a lot of experience with this sort of thing. I like what you're doing. You are going to succeed, and I want to help you make it smoother."

Of course the future wasn't set in stone, but Syrena liked to imagine that the reason she was seeing his success was because she was involved.

"Nick Ward, ma'am," the younger man at the table said with his usual smile, that seemingly nice guy look that was blank in reality. He was calm again, just sitting patiently beside Jesse, letting the empath handle the conversation for now because when it was just him, Jesse, and Quinn, he had earned the privilege of speaking his mind.

But with others? Nick was still a bit hesitant to do so.

He was listening to everything that Syrena had to say though, toying with his bottom lip a bit before he reached out to snag his half and half to take a sip. She was similar to the other two, at least that's the vibe she gave off and he wasn't sure what to think about it.

"I'd like to maintain the leadership roll." Jesse said a little firmly. It was his ambition. The three of them, Nick, Quinn and Jesse had put the most effort into this project. It was their's to lead and their's to screw up as well. He preferred making sure he had the most control in regards to any of it. He didn't want to spend all his time relying on others...

Though the offer of monetary and man power assistance... He was using Seth, he could use this woman to. She didn't even seem to be wanting anything in return besides just being involved. Less demands than Seth.

"Oh, you're certain we'll succeed...?" Jesse broke into a grin and nudged Nick lightly. "Its nice that others are beginning to have our confidence, isn't it..?" Jesse was nothing but confidence at times, but this was the first goal in some time that he actually felt he would achieve with flying colors.

"Material and human resources are what we would need.. the less I have to put on Nick for material resources the better...." He needed to build. He wanted to use portals to see about moving old buildings to the right location and then reinforce with whatever mutants they could pick up from there but it would be nice if Nick didn't have to nearly kill himself to do these things. "I certain need trust worthy and skilled mutants as well. Ones I can continue to rely on."

He was curious if Syrena could actually follow through with her promises. He knew it wasn't necessarily guaranteed. She might even have just over heard them talking and was playing a game with them.

"Thank you'll keep that role," she said, dismissing the subject easily with a wave of her hand. She was trying to make it obvious that it didn't matter to her either way and her involvement didn't hinge on being a leader. She had her own things to lead anyhow.

"You'll work hard, and then everything will fall in your lap," Syrena said very certainly. "Beyond that I can't see. There's a deadline for this place, though, and you're not going to make it at the rate you're going. So that's where I come in."

She smoothed out her skirt and finished off Jesse's drink, setting the empty container aside.

"I know a few confidential contractors around here that can get all your work done without asking too many questions. Of course the price is high, but I imagine with your power you can help persuade them to lower it a bit. Consider it creative bargaining." She paused to think about it for a minute, then shook her head. "You don't seem the type to be bothered by that sort of moral dilemma, though, so forget I said that. Anyhow, I can help with finances too, like I said before. Try to keep things reasonable, but don't be afraid to ask."

Her attention shifted to Nick, and she examined him for a minute. "You can be very important if you want to. Your power will be very very handy in the times to come."

Then just as quickly as she'd turned to Nick, she was back to Jesse. "As far as mutant help, I can send you what I have, and the rest you'll have to get through viral campaigning. It will work very well if you play your cards right, and I know you will." Because she had seen it all.

At the nudge, Nick swayed some and shot Jesse a smile, pleased in his own right that there was some confidence aimed at what they were doing. It was a pleasant change, especially considering how many people seemed to be against them.

His full attention returned to Syrena as the woman started to speak and something about the way she was talking...

It was kind of eerie.

"What do you mean?" he asked when she addressed him directly, confused and intrigued at the same time, glancing at Jesse then back to Syrena but her attention seemed to have shifted again. He'd be important? If he wanted to be that is. Interesting.

"I can't speak for Jesse but I'd like to think we've been playing our cards really well," Nick spoke again, smiling that same empty yet friendly seeming sort of smile at Syrena. "Even if we're off to a slow start we do have a lot going for us, not even stuff that we've done."

Jesse was unaffected by the strange knowing that the woman seemed to have. He wasn't going to worry about what mysterious power a person might have anymore beyond what could cause harm to him or his closest allies. There was caution obviously regardless but not the acute paranoia so many seemed to have any more.

"Contractors would be good. I wanted to get buildings that wouldn't be missed to save on work and time. Electricians for connections and plumbing obviously .." The little things. He wanted to cut as many safe corners as possible, get the city going and try to make it as self sufficient as possible.

"I need to build up these small islands, for an inner city for our less human friendly mutants and possibly tunnels under the bay for a hidden way in and out..."

He looked to Nick. "Which means we're looking for rather specific powers ... " Jesse grinned and looked at Syrena again his tone joking. "So we need someone who can find things too. Just skip the long haul searching."

Life was never that easy.