Summary:Old friends and new acquaintances enjoy an evening of skating at Rockefeller Center. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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It's an overcast evening, which means that there's that slight haze about the light, due to the chill and humidity in the air. Out on the rink, people are skating, around and around to the music playing from speakers nearby. People come and go about their business, and while the streets are well-populated, they are not packed.
Out on the ice, Fandral glides around the wide oval, dressed in a pair of jeans and a warm green sweater with black skates. He doesn't wear his sword to skate, either. Where it is, is anyone's guess, but it wouldn't be too far away in any case.
With midterms out of the way, Jean is ready to enjoy a little bit of free time not on campus. And while it might be a little bit cliche to go skating at Rockefeller Center, she's more interested in the experience than how many people have done it over time. She called up a few of the old gang to float the idea with them, then showed up at the rink herself in a puffer jacket, jeans, and a black beanie over her head. She's just stepping away from the stand that rents out the skates, giving them a quick look to double-check the size as she looks for a place to sit down and put them on.
Cannonball has his usual shearling jacket on, a stocking cap pulled down low enough to cover his ears. Is it hunter orange? Yes, yes, it is.
"I'm still not entirely sure about this. I wasn't ever much of a hockey guy. More of a b-ball player, y'know?" he says. But try to convince people to play a little three on three down at the courts on a cold late winter evening.
He selects skates though and, after a little wobbling, manages to make his way back on the ice, enduring the eternal conflit between lanky, gangly body structure and his natural athleticism. For the moment, he's keeping his balance well enough.
Doug — well, there's Work Doug and Not At Work Doug. And Not At Work Doug is wearing gloves, a scarf, a jacket left open over a t-shirt that says 'QUE?' And a red and white stocking cap with a big fuzzy pom-pom on it. "Hey Jean!" He calls, waving, "Sorry I'm late—" Then he sees ol' Knees and Elbows out on the ice, and grabs the rail and leans over it. "Aw, SNAP. SAMMY!" He waves one arm, over his head.
One might think he's about to vault the railing onto the ice, with no skates on.
Ice skating. It sounds like fun, right? And it's rather glamorous looking. At least it is for someone who relies on the internet for information, it seems like fun.
The downside there is that there's a thing called 'context' that Kori is sometimes severely, savagely lacking.
Which is why a six-four redheaded amazon with oddly ruddy orange skin is sitting on the edge of the rink wearing what looks like a swimsuit, miniskirt, and a black lace long-sleeved top. It probably raised a few brows on the bus ride over. She's lacing up her white rental skates with careful deliberation. It takes her a few tries to get it right and she shuffle-walks to the ice. One hand remains on the railing while she gets her feet under her. At the sight of two small children skiing past, a smile crosses her features and she looks down at her feet. Carefully— deliberately— she releases the rail and pushes off.
Almost immediately her skates go out from under her and Kori falls flat on her face with an undignified squawk.
Fandral seems content to make lazy laps around the rink, when all of a sudden there is a 6'4" tall amazon sprawled out on the ice just ahead of him. He slows to a stop and offers her a hand. "Are you hurt?" he asks with genuine concern, waiting to see if she will take the extended hand, and if so, steadies himself so that she can get to her feet. He smiles as he watches the group making their way toward the ice, not recognizing them, but the cheerful waving seems to garner a grin anyway.
"Hey, just don't start blasting and you should be okay," Jean grins over her shoulder at Sam before she leans down to tie on her own skates. Once she's laced up, she heads for the edge of the rink as well, ruffling at Doug's hat on the way. "Also try not to run over the other people on the ice!" she adds as she sees Kori fall, starting to reach out a hand even from halfway across the rink before she catches herself. No need to go using obvious TK just for skating rink tumbles.
Cannonball grins and raises a hand to his old friend, "Hey there, Douggers! Watch out there, you'll end up bustin' your heiny on the ice just like that…that…" he says, seeing Kori over there and blushing for a moment. He could already hear his mother chewing him out for even looking in the redhead's direction. He'd never get entirely used to city people.
He skates over and offers Doug a hand if he needs it to keep his balance, "No blastin', I gotcha, yes, ma'am!" he called out to Jean.
Starfire awkwardly gets to her knees and looks up in time for Fandral to eclipse the overhead lights and offer her a hand. She beams a positively luminous smile at him. Maybe even literally a little luminous. "I am fine!" she assures him enthusiastically. But she does accept his hand and rises upwards with his help. "I am attempting something new and mistakes are made. I would have to fall a significant distance to be harmed," she assures him, quite seriously. "But I am only embarassed. I" she staggers, clinging to Fandral's grip as her skates betray her again. "I do not understand how they are doing this skating technique. They just seem to glide. I do not want to 'cheat', though," she frowns. "It does not seem like a good way to learn." She continues holding Fandral's hand with a casual disregard for personal space. "I am Kori," she tells him. "What is your name?" Her accent's difficult to place, but she *is* speaking English or at least whatever context the Allspeak offers.
Doug vaults onto the ice, and would probably slip and fall on his keyster, but he grabs Sam and pulls him into a big bro-hug, the kind to pop your ribs and reset your back. Then he looks up, and says, "Sam… the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen in my life just completely ate it on the ice. And she's *orange*. And I think a supermodel just came to her rescue."
"As long as you're not hurt," Fandral says, that seeming to be his primary concern. But, since she is uninjured, he smiles and says, "Fandral. A pleasure to meet you, Kori. Would you care for some instruction?" He doesn't offer it unless she seems inclined, otherwise, he seems willing enough to leave her to her own devices if that's her preference. There's a glance over in Doug's direction and one brow arches, as he laughs.
Jean makes her way onto the ice a little more gracefully than the boys did, though she's no professional. Just practiced enough to keep from stumbling as she starts to glide along the ice. "So go introduce yourself," she urges Doug, skating up alongside him and slipping her arm into his on the way…to start dragging him in Fandral and Kori's direction. She winks over her shoulder at Sam, daring him to catch up.
Cannonball frowns slightly, "I ain't sure if dudes can be supermodels, but I ain't really up on that sorta thing anyway," he says. "All I know is she's gonna get awful chilly if she don't get a coat on real soon and that's a fact. She's askin' for all kindsa icicles in that get-up."
He manages to help lead Doug back to the edge of the ice when Jean gets his classmate's other arm, "Get some skates, I'll help ya out, if ya like. Not that I'm exactly great at it, but I figure it'll just take a li'l bit o' practice and I'll have it licked in no time."
At Jean's encouraging, he nods, his freckled face still a bit ruddy as he keeps his eyes down. Just focusing on the ice, that's all. Footing's slippery.
When Jean takes Doug's arm, Doug looks at her and turns beet red, not at all from the cold, and he looks like a distressed possum meme. Complete with the 'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa' scream, though his is wholly internalized. He skids on the ice as she drags him in front of Starfire, and he stares — up. Up. *Up*. Because this woman… this *impossible woman* is much, much taller than he is.
"Aha…" He says, "Genki desu ka?" …He just got nervous and switched to Japanese. .oO(Oh no! I just *choked*)
"Some introduction would be most welcome," Kori says, gratefully. "I do not understand how this skating is done. It is not like walking," she scowls. "And the ground betrays me. Are my skates defective? Or am I defective?" She leans heavily on Fandral's hand and tries to slide forward. Slip, slip, oops! She almost falls again and her grip tightens on Fandral's hand. It doesn't keep her from landing on her rear, though, and she looks up at Doug, slackjawing at her.
"Oh! Hello friend!" she tells Doug. "I am sorry, I don't understand what you are saying. I am not from this area," she says, sounding sincerely apologetic.
"Neither you nor your skates are defective," Fandral assures her. "It is not quite like walking. First, don't watch your feet. Look out ahead of you. Secondly, keep your toes pointed forward, skates parallel. Gently push out and to the side with one foot, and then the other, to begin, then keep your skates parallel to glide a little." He holds onto her hand as she tries, and helps her to stay upright. He smiles as the others approach and lifts his free hand to wave, "Evening, all." He says to Doug, "May I introduce Miss Kori," since he seems raptly fascinated by her. "And my name is Fandral," which he tacks on afterward. He gives a brilliant smile to Sam and Jean as well.
Oh, Doug, no. < English, Doug. > Jean gives her friend a gentle psychic nudge, possibly damping down a bit of the nerves as well. She's not all that great at the finer touches like that yet, so she doesn't usually try. "Nice to meet you, Kori and Fandral," she greets the other pair with a swift smile. "I'm Jean, and this is Doug and Sam. Do you mind if we join you? We're kind of still figuring out the skating things ourselves and we wouldn't want to get in the way of the experienced people."
Cannonball grins, "Don't mind Doug there. His brain's so dang big, sometimes it leaks a little bit, but he's a good guy. Sam Guthrie, nice to make your acquaintance," he says. He's definitely still trying not to look TOO hard at Kori, keeping his eyes definitely on the high side of her hairline.
"Fandral, huh? That's a pretty good name, fella. Kinda like one o' them Lord o' the Rings names like Gandalf or Frodo or…" he says and then just fades off as he realizes he doesn't remember any of the other characters from those movies.
Doug says, "It's Norse. Norse-ish. A Norse is a Norse, of course, of course…" He gives Kory a grin, because this used to be so much EASIER when he was a teenager, but honestly he can't help but think out loud that this is going to end in him lamenting what a dork he is to Hercules while sad-eating a pudding cup.
Hercules, for those who don't know, is his pet tortoise. Doug has a photo of him in his cubicle at SHIELD. He's eating a lettuce leaf.
"I uh. I forgot to put on skates. I'll just—go do that." Doug says, as he tries to slip-slide his way to the sidelines.
"Hello, friends!" Kori's enthusiasm for meeting new people is almost pupyish, with a boundless excitement. And it doesn't seem an air, or a put-on, either. She's just… really sincere. About everything, it seems. Doug's grin is returned with a dimple-cheeked smile that literally causes a three-man pileup from gawking observers doing their own lazy laps of the rink. "I am pleased to meet you, Jean and Sam Guthrie," she tells the two mutants. "This seems like a great deal of fun. I hope you are enjoying learning it as well! You are welcome in my company."
She accepts Fandral's help once more and starts following his advice. She does fairl well for a few short strokes until she reaches the terminus of her grip with Fandral. Unfortuantely Fandral didn't mention anthing about *turning* so she just starts going around him in a circle, studiously looking straight ahead (well, tangentially ahead) and leaning slowly left to right.
"Wait. A LORD!" She gasps at Fandral, covering her mouth. "My apologies! I did not know you are Earth royalty," she tells Fandral. "I hope I have not been disrespectful."
Into the center arrives one young, blond woman carrying a duffel that one might imply contains a pair of skates. She's dressed in faded jeans, a t-shirt, and a light jacket; don't want to get cold, afterall. She meanders down to the ice and picks a spot where she can go ahead and swap out boots for skates, taking the time to lace the latter up nice and tight.
And then out onto the ice goes Sophie, pushing off from the wall, gliding forwards exactly seven inches before a sequence of events begins, leading inevitably to it's logical catastrophe; the blond girl makes a 'whooop!' sound, her skates go much too far forward, and she ends up less skating and more just sliding across the ice. On her butt.
"Hello Jean," Fandral greets her, "And Sam. You're all more than welcome to join us. The more, the merrier." He keeps an eye on Kori as she continues to work on her skating, their movement slow enough that it's easy to maintin the conversation with those around them as well. "It's Asgardian, actually," he tells Sam and Doug, not seeming to mind the association with the Lord of the Rings series at all. Though at Kori's gasp, he laughs. "Actually, I'm from Asgard, and I'm not a Lord there, either," he reassures her. Then Sophie is landing firmly on her butt and he says to Kori, "See? Nothing to be embarassed about. It happens quite a bit more often than not."
"Are you alright?" Fandral calls out toward Sophie, just making sure she too is uninjured.
Jean looks after Doug's departure with a rueful expression. She really needs to work on her wingman game, apparently. "Asgard? Well, that's not something you hear every day, is it?" Another skater on the ice, another butt on the ice. Again, her hand twitches as if she's going to do something, but there's nothing to stop Sophie from hitting the ice in the end. Maybe another day she'll wander by and just play ice referee. "And where are you from, Kori?" She could just mean where in Iowa, but something tells her there's a little more to this one, too.
Cannonball scratches the top of his head, "Asgard, huh? I ain't never been there. That in Wisconsin?" he asks. He manages to keep a straight face as Doug stumbles at Kori a bit more. He pats his old friend on the shoulder and winces as he watches Sophie tumble, "Yikes. Okay, I'm gonna play it safe and go make sure they have a first aid kit on hand. Just in case. Don't bust yer butt buggin' your eyes, Dougy," he teases, starting to head towards the reception desk, the responsible boy always looking after the other kids, like any good big brother.
Doug is making his way across the ice, when he spies Sophie fall over, and he says, "Oh. Um. Hold on!" He says. He slides his way over to her, and then kneels down. "Just uh, take hold of me. I'm low-slung, good center of gravity." He says. "Also, I'm Doug. Here." He says, moving to help her up, "Just uh… hold onto me, while we head for the sidelines over here. Yup. Nice and slow…" He offers to guide Sophie to where she can get back on her feet again.
Kori looks relieved by Fandral's assurances and nods at him. She continues to grip his hand for balance though. "I would imagine there are many things you do not hear every day," Kori assures Jean. "But that would depend on where you are from. If you are in the star systems adjoining Asgard, you will hear it quite often, for instance," she suggests helpfully.
"I am from … Malta," she explains to Jean and Fandral, with only a little hesitation. It's a blatant lie and not a good one for anyone with the least international travel experience. "I came here to the Americas and New York to start a career as a model or actress. So far, I have not had much success, so I cannot say if I am good or bad at either job."
Sophie slides for a bit, looking more astonished than anything, until Doug is present with an offered hand. "Thanks!" the blond replies, grinning and blushing all at once; she does accept the hand and the help back up to her feet. She occupies them all wibbly-wobbly, and ahems softly. "Apparently I can handle an airplane but not my own legs, at least not when you put skates on 'em. …Seriously, it's been twenty years since I last put these on. I'm Sophie, and thank you for coming to check on me, that's great." She moves about more carefully, and swats a hand across the back of her legs to get some clingy bits of ice off. She looks over in Jean and Kori's direction, and offers a sheepish waves. "I'm alright!" she declares. "Really, just… yeah I'm fine."
"It's something that I hear .. fairly often, but then.." Fandral chuckles and gives a slight gesture with one hand. He's from there, so he would. Glancing over toward Cannonball he says, "It's another realm entirely, but I am quite fond of cheese." With Doug going to Sophie's aid, Fandral continues to help Kori along for the time being. There's an amused sidelong smile in her direction when she says she's from Malta. He's not buying it for a moment, but he's polite enough not to call her on it, it seems. Instead, he says, "Well, New York is a good place to be discovered." He gives a wave to Sophie when she's waving over in the group's general direction.
Jean grins in Doug's direction when she sees him helping Sophie out - good recovery! "Malta," she echoes Kori, thoughtful. "Wow. Well, welcome to New York." She's not buying it either, but with her own secrets to keep, she's not going to press. "I hear it's a tough town, but I'm sure you'll find something. Maybe not what you were expecting, but sometimes life brings you something even better than what you thought you wanted. Who's your friend, Doug?" she asks with a warm smile for Sophie as the two groups get closer.
Doug gets to the edge of the rink, and grabs hold of the rail. "Oof! No problem!" He says, beaming at Sophie. "I'll uh—just go get some skates!" He says, as he pulls himself along. "This is Sophie, and I was just… helping her out." He says, looking away, his cheeks burning scarlet.
Kori hesitates for a moment, on the edge of asking Fandral a question about how he's speaking *perfect Tamaranean*. She clearly thinks better of it, though, and shifts her attention back to Jean. "You are very kind!" she tells Jean. "I am grateful. Yes, it is a 'tough town'," she says. "I can only help success is attainable. There are many very beautiful people in New York and many of them are finding suitable work."
She looks at Doug and Sophie. "I do not understand turning on the checking," she admits. "I did not see you stop her or slow her down. Is this like the 'checking of the out' that I have heard of?" she inquires. "Or is it more like a library book? I enjoy reading very much," she explains to the others. "It is great fun. Are you going to check her out on a date, Doug?" she inquires of the fellow. "Does your subcutaneous rush of blood not indicate anger or arousal?"
"And he's doing a great job of helping! I'm still upright, as it turns out." Sophie coughs softly, "Well, now that Doug has returned me to my feet. I think I'm regaining the hang of this so I might at least be able to stand still without falling over." She blushes once more, "If I ever get behing the controls of a fighter jet again, I certainly hope I don't have a pratfall like that." Her Irish accent gets a bit more evident, as she talks; she shuffles her feet a bit, cutting up the ice maybe a bit more than is necessary. "Friends of yours?" she inquires of Doug, grinning once more.
"There are all kinds of interesting unexpected things and people to find in New York. Just the other evening I was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and saw the most fascinating statue, and it turned out to be a dead girl instead. She was quite pleasant. I'm supposed to visit her shop at some point," Fandral observes to both Jean and Kori as they glide along closer to Doug and Sophie. "Hello Sophie, I'm Fandral, and this is Kori, and Jean." He makes the introductions as Doug hurries off once more to get skates. His phone begins buzzing, and he pulls it out, reading a text on it and laughing a bit to himself. "It seems that I'm needed at the Embassy." He slowly leads Kori over to the wall where she might get her balance there for the time being, then he says, "It was a pleasure to meet all of you. I hope to run into all of you again, soon."
"Nice meeting you, Fandral," Jean smiles easily as the man makes his farewells. She has to pause to clear her throat and cough back a laugh before she says anything else though, as Kori's comment to Doug sinks in. "You know, normally I'd point out that it's not usually considered to point those things out," she murmurs to the orange-skinned woman, amused. "But you know, Doug does have a knack for picking up on those things himself, so there's something to be said for turning the tables. Nice to meet you, Sophie," she adds in a more normal tone for the other woman, smile flashing.
Doug turns red again, and makes the possum scream inside his own head. 'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa' - he might be awhile finding those skates, at this point.
Starfire lets Fandral guide her over to the rail and she grips it for stability. When he announces he's leaving she frowns sadly. "That is most disappointing!" she tells Fandral. "You are most welcome company, friend Fandral. I hope I meet you again." Without hesitation she pulls him in for a hug and kisses his cheek, in the manner of someone emulating a custom they aren't actually familiar with.
The blonde Asgardian skates away and Koriand'r faces the trio, hanging onto the wall still. "He is very nice. And handsome!" she exclaims. "But Asgardians are all rather tall and handsome. I mean, so I've heard," she adds, hastily.
Kori looks down at Sophie's feet, then up at the woman with some concern. She nods at Jean slowly, as if understanding the redhead's concerns. "Yes, prosthetics make some people uncomfortable," Kori agrees. "But I do not think Doug mentioned Sophies feet before. I did not hear him, if he did. Friend Sophie, I am glad you were returned to your feet. It would be difficult to find them while they are not attached, no?"
The blond haired woman looks utterly perplexed, even as she's waving to the retreating Fandral, and just sort of eyes Kori for a moment. "Uhm, no, my feet were never detached, it's just… a saying," she points out. "Y'know, like, 'I found my feet', as in I'm standing on them again." She scratches the back of her head, and finally gets around to letting go of Doug and stnading on her own. "You're… not from around here, I'm guessing?" She grins, "Neither am I, and I maintain that Ireland is the best place in the universe." She bobs her head to Jean, "Pleasure to meet you too. I'm a bit sorry I met you all sliding across the ice on me backside, but I suppose it could be worse. I—" She pauses, looking over her shoulder abruptly, "He's an Asgardian?! And you met a dead girl, who talked? Wow, this place is more happening than I thought!"
"I haven't been to Ireland in ages," Jean sighs. "But I do remember it being beautiful. Welcome to New York, Sophie. It's one of my favorite things about being in the city, that you can come out and meet so many people from so many places just…ice skating. Asgard, Ireland, Malta. So many people with so many experiences. I think you're right about the Asgardians," she adds to Kori. "I saw one at a pizza place the other day. Also tall and good-looking."
Kori looks a little concerned at Sophie's words. "Yes, this place is happening," she agrees gently. "I would be concerned if it was not happening, because that would indicate a serious dirution in spacetime curvature. I do hope that is not a regular occurance here," she frets.
"How far away is this land of Ire?" Kori asks. "I do not recall where it is from my studies. But I am not very good at Earth geography. I mean, geography," she clarifies, a beat later.
"Oh, Ireland is a few thousand miles thattaway." Sophie jerks a thumb over her shoulder, pointing more or less in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean. "Other side of the pond. It's the generally superior Island right next to England. Sure, they've got Stonehenge, but we've got a Blarney Stone, and I kissed it too." She flashes a winning smile. "And thank you," she adds to Jean," It's a permanent move for me, as much as I love Ireland I just… needed to get a change. I'm sure I'm come to love New York, too. There's nowhere else like it." She perks an eyebrow at Kori once more, and hmmmms. "Spacetime curvature, hunh? That sounds heavy."
Jean's smile quirks slightly at Kori's slip up, though she doesn't point it out. "You know, I'm not sure where Doug's gotten off to, but I should probably go make sure he hasn't decided to hide under a bench somewhere," she winks. "It's been nice meeting you two. If I don't catch you again, best of luck in the city." With that, she skates over to the rail, hopping over to go find her missing companions.
"Why would he—" Kori cuts off a question, perhaps realizing the bombardment of inquiries is becoming exhausting. Instead she flashes a smile at Jean. "Yes, it was good to meet you as well," she tells the redhead. "I will remain here and practice for a time until I understand how this is done. Farewell, new friends!" she says, and bids them goodbye before pushing off the wall and awkwardly hip-shifting her way across the ice.