Summary:A warmer than average evening on ice with cocoa, baked goods, and the portable Store with a possessed doll on board. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
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It's a Monday night at Rockefeller center and the air has warmed up to a balmy 50 degrees, which isn't warm, but it's certainly a lot warmer than it has been in a while. There are lots of folks out, walking through the center, and skating on the rink, making slow circles around and around. There are other, more skilled skaters in the center, going through leaps and turns periodically, leaving the outer ring for those less experienced or more casual gliders. Near the rink, a local charity organization is selling baked goods and hot chocolate to collect for one of the nearby shelters. There is music filling the air, and the sound of voices and laughter, as well as the shhhck shhhck of skates on ice.
Bobbi Morse likes to ice skate. She's a gymnast and martial artist, so balance is kind of her thing. She laces up her skates, ones she owns herself, as she sits on one of the benches outside of the rink proper. She's got her hair in pigtails and a pink wool hat jammed on her head, matching gloves and scarf with a pale blue puffer jacket, jeans, and black legwarmers. She looks like Ice-Skating Barbie, if Ice-Skating Barbie could kick your ass.
The blonde SHIELD agent gets to her feet and moves to the charity table, where she buys baked goods for some nearby kids anonymously, before hitting the ice. Bobbi stays in the casual space for now, warming up. It's been a while since she did this.
"20 bucks? Wha! Das creeminal!" Says the 20-year-old on the short side as he pays up for his frame of time on the rink. He's all bundled up in a coat, flannel and a knit hat that has a Captain American shield symbol on it.
This kind of night brought all kinds of characters out. Dead Girl- one of the city's long time characters is out like she so often is-
Weirdly.
Dead Girl has rolled in a cart that seems like some sort of time capsule to the 60's. Big. Colorful, perhaps a little over complicated. The sign reads: The Store, Mobile Store Edition (Established 1963). On the cart are all kinds of things on 'offer'. Some of it is very old, and some of it is brand new. It's an odd collection of items that just doesn't follow any kind of real theming. Dead Girl isn't really sure what she has, except for one thing. A Creepy Doll with eyes that seem to follow people. It's holding a sign, 'Absolutely not for sale. Out on fieldtrip.'. It's dressed in Victorian clothing, and looks like a correct to era antique.
And Dead Girl is behind the counter, just waiting for someone to come up to her 'Traveling Shop'.
Halgrim's in his black pea coat, colorful Amazigh scarf, dark gray knit hat, and some work boots. Maybe he'll skate; maybe not. For sure he'll happen over to the bake sale and buy some cocoa and a slice of coffee cake. He stands off to the side, watching the skaters with mild interest. It's been a few years (well…decades), but he's sure he can still do it without embarrassing himself. Maybe.
Blonde hair is loose, over a dark blue peacoat paired with jeans and her skates. She hasn't been ice skating in a handful of years (it was not part of her training), but she's confident enough on the ice. She will move whip fast over the ice, making her hair stream out behind her as Thea laps past people. She's got an eye out, just in case someone takes her up on her text messaged invite.
Casual gliding is the name of the game for Zatanna Zatara. One might think that she would try to dress down and avoid standing out in a crowd, considering that she's a famous magician. (That is to say, she's 'magician famous,' which is a lower grade altogether than 'Hollywood famous' or 'household name famous.') One might think that, and one would be wrong. Zatanna's form-fitting peacoat goes down past her knees, and is quite obviously black. It's trimmed with black faux feathers, and with her hair going in the breeze behind her (and it's curious how only she seems to be getting that perfect hair-flowing-behind-her breeze, and no one else on the ice…), she stands out among the Canada Gooses and North Faces.
Elmo didn't really intend on being here, yet for some reason he's hanging around anyway, tired and wired and lighting a cigarette. It's "warm" for early March, but it ain't near warm enough; he's bundled up. No insulation, this guy. In more ways than one. He leans on a railing, blows out smoke, and observes people circulating on the rink with an exhausted sort of curiosity.
Ian drags his skates over and sits beside Bobbi. If she's Barbie, then he is Teen Skipper's boyfriend, Kevin. He flops down heavily and starts figuring out how to make the crappy rentals work for him. His good leg goes first, then he has to get pretty rough to jam the other skate onto what would briefly appear to be a prosthetic. "So…I guess you are pretty good at this, huh?" Ian asks Bobbi, looking over at her with his smallish dark eyes. "Uh…I'm Agent Ian, by the way. I followed you." Because that doesn't sound at all creepy.
Fandral is out on the ice tonight dressed not in his Asgardian clothing, but dressed down in a simple pair of jeans with black skates and a dark blue sweater with a wine colored scarf tied around his neck, hands in his pockets as he glides around the ice on his own tonight. Every so often he drifts toward the center for a spin, or a jump, but mostly he seems to be enjoying the easy circle. When he spots Dead Girl with her traveling shop, though, he glides up to the edge of the ice and leans against the wall, giving her a bit of a wave. "I see you brought the Shop out for a spin." He watches some of the others as they make their way out onto the ice, catching note of Zatanna's perfect breeze, and Elmo standing nearby. "Do you skate?" he asks, "Or just here to watch?"
The Perfect Hair Pack is out in force. Kori Anderson, the towering Amazonian 'exchange student' from 'Malta', is out on the ice. She's not doing anything fancier than going forwards in a long left-curling loop around the track. This activity alone seems to make her happy as there's a beatific smile plastered on her face. Rockefeller gets at least a few semipro athletes who come out to train among the masses periodically, so she's not the only one in a leotard and miniskirt. Somehow she found both in purple, even! Yet she probably stands out for the comet trail of red hair flowing in her wake, not to mention her improbable stature.
And, y'know. Not doing anything more challenging than 'going forward'.
"I noticed. You really need to get better at that," Bobbi notes to Ian with a smirk as she stretches. "Ian, right. I think I've skimmed your file. I'm ok at it." She demonstrates by hitting the ice. Skating is mostly muscle memory and balance, so Bobbi falls into the groove quickly. She glides along, casually turning on one foot to skate backwards around the corners, smiling as her cheeks redden from the chill and wind of her motion. She looks like she's lost in thought, skating on instinct as her brain works through the specifics of whatever her latest SHIELD mission is. It's a good place to think by giving the body something to do, and freeing up the brain.
Scott Summers is a lot of things. A mutant. A boyscout. A leader. An X-Man. According to some, a stick in the mud. But another thing he is? An Alaskan boy at heart. Ice skating is a taste of home, and with the winter starting to thaw out, it's not like Breakstone Lake is reliable for a thick layer of ice anymore. So he has to give up the black ice, and settle for the trip in to the city to get his fix. Which isn't a bad thing, either. It lets him also get a good slice of pizza, something sorely lacking up in Westchester County.
And right now, Scott is enjoying both. The tall, bespectacled mutant slides around the rink backwards with a sort of casual, lackadaisical air about him, while stuffing a folded up slice of pizza in his mouth. Without even seeming to look, he weaves in and out of the casuals, as if he has some sort of uncanny sense of spatial awareness.
As for what Summers wears? Simple. Casual. A pair of dark blue jeans that have just started to have a faded wear to them. A sherpa lined denim coat, under which a red flannel shirt can be spied, with a heathered grey t-shirt. And of course, the wrap around glasses with the metallic ruby sheen that glints off of the lenses.
"Well, yeah. Every decade or so I like to revive the tradition. It just so happens it's Tiffany's decade to come out on a trip. Being cursed to have your soul trapped in a Victorian doll is boring. And it was a little slow in The Store, so I decided to bring them both out to skate!" She grins wide. "Feel free to peruse, nothing is for sale!" she says in her best 'SalesLady' voice.
"Trades possible, please let me know if you'd like to make a trade."
|ROLL| Ian +rolls 1d20 for: 4
Thea is humming to herself, letting fond memories slide through her thoughts as she weaves and threads her way through, going faster until she's pushing herself. She does take note of the man in the sunglasses with the pizza being stuffed into his mouth. That's just so New York that she can't help but smile. The smile continues at the sight of various colors and people around her. Red hair on purple leotard, the ice skating barbie doll with the leg warmers.. It's so very much the town she grew up in, and didn't realize how much she'd missed until she'd come back to it.
Warren wasn't expecting the text message he got, and debated heavily whether or not to accept the invitation. Yet here he is. He glances at his phone as he gets out of a taxi, double checking the message and the time. Right place, right time. He walks over to the area overlooking the ice rink and looks down until he spots the person he came looking for, one of several figures with hair streaming behind them. He takes the stairs down and takes the time necessary to change to skates and get out on the ice.
Jeez there's a lot of amazing-looking people out tonight. Elmo, less than amazing-looking himself, gets kind of hunched up just because Starfire is out there being extremely tall (and orange) in a purple leotard and Fandral is dashing and Zatanna's in a knockout coat and really they're just the tip of the icerink. What's a mutant nerd to do? Not much, apparently, except wander over to Dead Girl's display of junk. "…Hey, is this a first generation iPod?"
The sensation of weird magic afoot buzzes in Zatanna's temples. She turns her head while skating and looks over at the mobile Store, blue eyes a bit wide, expression curious… But thanks to her positioning, it would be pretty easy for Scott Summers to think this mysterious (and yet famous) raven-haired skater is staring right at him.
Ian finishes tying himself up and then plows his way to the little entryway. He's instantly a menace on the ice. There is enough athleticism and balance going on to keep him up for a lot of the times, but the whole…20-yo male determination means…no wall grabbing, no stopping. Wide-spread legs propel him forwards, and his arms pinwheel in both directions depending which way his body is leaning at the time. He cuts right in front of the speeding Thea.
Bobbi spots her fellow agent struggling and she skates in a circle around Ian with a grin, yelling out a reference he is likely far too young to understand, "Toe pick!" then she's gliding past again. They don't call her Mockingbird for nothin.
Halgrim's attention wanders among the crowd, settles on Starfire a time because, well, it's hard to *not* notice her, moves on again until he sees Dead Girl and her collection. Ah, things from his youth. And someone he knows, as well. And the comment about trades, no sales, intrigues him deeply.
"Don't I burden you with enough odds and ends," he asides to Elmo as he walks up. And since Zatanna is now looking that way, there's a new twinge to her magical sense; something spirit-like and churning, like a little pocket malestrom wandering about.
There's a shriek, as Thea tries valiantly to /not/ collide with Ian, but she is not so good as to negate physics. She will smack into him with a speeding shoulder, hands moving to try and brace Ian versus herself as she tumbles towards the ice like someone who was taught how to fall.
Fandral can't help but laugh at Mockingbird's call out to Ian. Apparently the Asgardian has seen that movie. To be fair, he's had a lot of time to see a lot of movies. He notices Starfire out on the ice and lifts a hand to wave to another familiar face. But then his attention moves over toward the collision, and he pushes away from the wall toward Thea and Ian to see if either needs help when the inevitable tangle occurs, helping at least by coming up behind them and putting himself between other skaters so that they go around him, and consequently them.
Summers doesn't have a sense for the weird. At least, not in the kind of way that would draw his attention to the Store. The X-Men have enough weird of a breed all its own, really. But what Scott does have? A sense for when a ridiculously gorgeous girl is checking him out. Like obviously Zatanna is doing. His first instinct, of course, is to grin. A lopsided thing, full of dimples and a sort of bashful sense of boyish charm. He gives the raven haired magician that he totally doesn't recognize, because he's a bit oblivious, an upnod before redirecting himself with a smooth gliding turn that rights his backwards position into a forward facing trajectory that brings him nearby.
"I saw you," Scott says to Zee, as he slides to a halt. "Checking out my pizza. I might be convinced to share the secret of where I got it, if you play your cards right."
Smooth, Summers. And then, he's distracted by a shriek, one hand instinctively lifting to the frame of his glasses, his shoulders tensing as he scans for…. a collision of skaters.
"Friend Fandral, hello!" Kori cries enthusiastically back at Fandral. She also comes to a full stop with improbable defiance of inertia right in the path of the skaters, heedless of whomever is behind her. "It is good to do the seeing of your person!" she says, continuing to shout in a wholly un-necessary way. Anyone else would just cross the rink towards him. "Are you here again with your strange friend The Doug and the lady with the red hair who has the name I am forgetting?"
"Yeah! It's filled with breakup songs. A seventeen year old traded it to me for a first edition, signed copy of Khalil Gibran's The Prophet!" Dead Girl exclaims to Elmo offers with a grin. "I've got all the charging gear and stuff- but I'll only trade it for something that represents change." she offers, "And you have to listen to all the songs. There's like four hundred hours of sad love songs on that bastard." she notes, it might be hyperbole.
"Good point, Tiffany." Dead Girl says as she turns her head to look at the doll. Somehow, when no one was looking, the Doll's head has turned to face Dead Girl.
"It's also got a lot of turn of the century boy bands on it." she says with a nod of her head. "Tiffany sort of likes the thing, to be honest. She's got one of those sad ghost stories, depressing Victorian era bullshittery. Whaaaaa, I got cholera and died despite being upper class- whaaaaa~. It was like a hundred thirty years ago, Tiffany. Get over it already." Dead Girl rolls her red eyes as if this was all perfectly normal.
For Zatanna there was a lot of magic in the area. Dead Girl- a natural font of Necromantic energy that seems so casually controlled. She's absolutely a human corpse, too. She doesn't really try to hide what she is.
"How about you, Fandral, would you like to trade something? I don't have anything from godly realms here, I don't think…. I mean, I have some quartz crystals I'm sure, but that's not really much the same."
"I only drag out things I'm super into trading right now, so apart from the cursed doll, everything is for trade! Nothing is for sale!"
Again, when no one was looking the doll seems to have moved on the cart. Closer to Dead Girl. Still staring at the walking corpse. "Ugh. You really are the creepiest of the cursed dolls in that room, Tiffany. Jesus."
Warren is just getting out on the ice when he sees Thea collide with Ia. he gives a sympatheticwince and then glides over that way in case she needs a hand up. He moves like someone who has been on skates, but not too often. His intent on the person he came to see is, however, redirected when he hears a familiar voice nearby. He turns his head and spots Scott talking to Zatanna. A shake of his head and Warren returns his attention to where he is going. The long coat he wears flaps a little at its edges, but is closed against the weather.
Ian has not seen the movie…but, he also doesn't have a toe-pick, since he's on some hockey-style rentals that are bright blue and plastic. WHen Thea impacts him from behind, there's more flailing, and he reaches out to grab hold of her. At first its to keep her up, then its to keep himself up, and maybe as a tripod they can just not fall? He does his darndest!
|ROLL| Ian +rolls 1d20 for: 17
Bobbi shifts into the inner area of the rink to try a few spins and small jumps. She's not doing anything Olympic, but just having fun with what she can manage. There's a sense of freedom to skating that is often absent in the city, unless you've requisitioned a flying car from the Triskelion and get to avoid all the traffic. She does keep an eye on Agent Ian though, to make sure he's not breaking anything.
Zatanna keeps skating at a casual speed. It's not hard for Scott to catch up with her, or to stay caught up with her. "Ah, so you're a man of mystery," the sorceress grins at Scott's attempt to seduce her via the promise of a Real New York Slice. There's a LOT of magic around… but none of it seems like evil, world-ending magic right this moment, so she keeps her focus on Scott. She's looking over at him, in fact, when Starfire comes to a dead stop right in front of her… and Zatanna skates around her effortlessly, not even looking, like some sort of unholy act of black magic. On ice. "With a hook like that, how can I resist~?"
Elmo belatedly, like, way belatedly, realizes Fandral was talking to him. "Wha?" he says, startled, looking up as Fandral goes to try to avert or at least mitigate the disaster. Even though Fandral's attention is no longer on him, Elmo flushes anyway. He's already picked up the iPod when Dead Girl tells him it's full of breakup songs, and he gets a really weird look on his expressive face and puts it back down. "Uh, yeah, I can do without that. …Hey, Grim." Elmo quirks half a smile at Halgrim as he walks up. Then there's the collision on the ice and he winces in sympathy.
When it looks like Ian and Thea aren't going to go crashing into the ice, and Warren is moving to intercept, Fandral slows and lets himself slide out of the way, giving a grin and a wave to all three as he passes by, heading in Starfire's direction, "Hello Kori," he says as he draws closer. "You're doing well! I see you took to it quickly." He turns and skates backward a bit, keeping pace with her forward motion, as they make their way around the rink, back eventually toward Dead Girl's shop. When he gets close enough he says, "I will have to think if I have anything to trade, but if I do, then I will be back. I still owe you a visit to the actual Shop."
Halgrim misses *all* of Dead Girl's description of the iPod, stuck on the item she traded it for. "A signed copy of *The Prophet*," he repeats, looking struck somehow. He blinks, shakes that off, and smiles at Elmo. "What, you don't want to listen to turn of the centry boy bands lamenting lost love?" he asks, deadly serious. "Besides, I'm sure you could come up with some interesting uses for it." He grimaces at the collision. "Well, I suppose that was inevitable," he murmurs, having a sip of his cocoa.
Thea is not magic. She's not actually a tripod, either, so she will hit the ice even if Ian doesn't. Because she got distracted by something most people couldn't see. She's laughing, though, a grin on her face like a little kid. She's clearly not hurt, and Warren gets a beaming look. "Hey there, you! You made it!" She will take a hand to all but bounce up on her skates, gray eyes looking at Ian. "You're all right? Steady as it goes, and all that? We need to get you some turn signals." She's teasing, of course, brushing at her coat.
"It's a damned good hook," Slim remarks as he glides along beside the mysterious girl. "Best pizza in this entire state. Won't find better. Not even in Little Italy, and you know that's sayin' something."
As Zatanna glides around the site of the collision, and those who have gathered 'round it, Scott, too, seems to sort of slip and slide to the side, so that he passes right on by the group. He does, however, have to tear his eyes from Zee for just a moment, because that is certainly a unique looking pair, Fandral and Kori. And yet, he doesn't loose a step, or a stride, in this case. "You spend a lot of time on the ice? You're pretty good."
Bobbi finishes her little drills and heads back to the exit, to go peruse the cart people seem to be hovering around. She blinks at Dead Girl a few times but SHIELD probably has a file on her since she's kind of a city staple. She peruses the items curiously, tucking her gloved hands under her arms for warmth.
When Thea goes down, Ian also goes down, with a Russian curseword, for those that know the language. He slides a few feet and curls into a ball. Be small! Be small! Thankfully…he's on the short side. "Yeah…I'm all right…Sorry about that. Its my first time on skates." He picks himself back up carefully, and then shuffles his feet a few times to get used to the slipperiness.
"You're doing great." Thea says, with encouragement. "First rule is getting up again. So you're already a step ahead. Just be careful. Balancing on skates can be… tricky." Her eyes will drop to Ian's legs, before she lifts her gaze and smiles again. "Are you all set?" She doesn't want to leave the poor guy stranded on the ice! Her head will turn so she can glance up at Warren and wink.
"Did any of 'em lament having a boyfriend who had a bunch of other boyfriends who were all hotter and smarter than you?" Elmo says to Halgrim in an equally serious deadpan. It's only then he actually looks at Dead Girl—and flinches. "*Gevalt!* What's the matter with you?!" Speaking of collisions, he flinches into Bobbi, bumping her, then skitters to the side in a near-panic. "Shit! Sorry!"
Starfire follows Fandral without any objections. One might note that her feet aren't actually moving in a way that should be propelling her forward, either. "I did not take anything, friend Fandral," Starfire tells him politely. "But I suppose if I were to take something, I should do so quickly." She lays a finger on her cheek and looks upwards, mulling it over in thought.
"Oh! The greetings that are customary. I am sorry for being 'the rude'." She glides towards Fandral and grips his shoulders then kisses the air neck to his cheekbones. "There, you have now been properly greeted," she declares. Her green eyes turn to the shopette. "And what is this?" she asks, gesturing at the goods on display.
Warren answers Thea as she gets to her feet, "Yeah, I made it. Been a while since I went skating. And I've never acutally skated here, so there's that." He tries to play it cool, but her smile is infectious and quickly enough he's smiling back. When Ian responds to Thea, Warren nods, "First time's always rough, but don''t worry, you'll get the hang of it."He pushes off with one foot and slides closer to Thea's side
Zatanna shrugs at Scott's question. She also gives Fandral and Kori a glance, but she doesn't seem particularly fazed by Kori's outlandish appearance. "Not really. Honestly, I haven't skated since I was a little kid. I was just around here for business today and I got the temptation. What about you? Eat pizza often?" She grins, obviously teasing.
"AFter you listen to it once, you can do what you want with it. Almost twenty years ago, some young woman put a heck of a lot of work into that playlist. It was a very big thing for her to give it away. What I can trade you depends on what you want to give away." she explains.
"All exchanges are final, because that's how these things work. You gotta really want to give it away." Dead Girl explains, "I might let you get it back, but you're going to have to trade me something I already have for it. I'm not going to let you know what it is until I don't have, either." All these rules!
SHIELD absolutely has a dossier on Dead Girl. She's not exactly secretive, and mostly does good deeds around the city. She concerns herself more with protecting the city- and it's sizable population of dead souls- from the bad kind of necromancer.
"I try to encourage people to let go of things they've just always got with them. An object they've put themselves into, somehow. All of these things have a story, and I get that story with the trade. You get the story, too."
Dead Girl grins to Starfire, "Hey there, Far Out!" She says, holding up a peace-sign. It's pure 60s, and 100% honest. "You have a great look, I love it!" She offers to Starfire. "This is my mobile The Store! Nothing is for sale!"
Bobbi reaches out to steady the wee man and gives Elmo a smile. "No harm done. I don't fall down too easy," she says with a chuckle. "What's that about hotter, smarter boyfriends?" she asks with an arching brow. "Hey Deeg," she greets Dead Girl. "Got anything I might find interesting?" she asks cheerfully.
"And no, I haven't seen Doug, Jean, or Sam since the other night when we were here," Fandral says to Kori, a little surprised perhaps when she suddenly is kissing the air next to his cheeks. "I see you've added a new greeting to your repetoire," he laughs, not seeming to mind, nor the fact that she dwarfs him. He notices Scott looking in their direction and he lifts a hand in a friendly wave to the other pair, studying both he and Zatanna for a moment before he says to Starfire, "This is Dead Girl, and this is her shop, well, a mobile version of her shop, though nothing is for sale, just trade." He lets Kori peruse the goods while he leans against the wall of the rink nearby, once more watching people come and go as they glide around and past.
The question draws forth a smile that Scott cannot suppress, despite how he might want to try playing it cool. His ruby-lensed gaze drops for a moment, and with his free hand, he thumbs his nose. One shoulder rises in a shrug. "I guess you could say I'm a bit of an expert at pizza eating. I've been doing it since I was a kid, and all. Started with the best. That rectangle school pizza they served in the cafeteria, so… you know… I'm a man of discerning tastes. But if you really wanna see me at my finest, you should see me rocking out with corn dogs."
Halgrim says to Elmo, "I sure some did, though I fail to see how that applies to you, considering—" And then Elmo finally *notices* Dead Girl and promptly runs into Bobbi over it before Halgrim can grab hold of him. Halgrim sighs at Elmo, giving him a rueful look, but that becomes a smile in response to Bobbi's question. He arches an eyebrow at Elmo, suggesting he formulate a suitable explanation for her.
Ian nods to Thea, squinting his already smallish eyes at her. Then he shuffle-skates in the general direction of the rink as he tries to get the hang of things a bit better than before. Less menacing at the moment…while the confidence builds back up.
"Nothing!" Elmo dips under Bobbi's hand like a cat who doesn't want to be pet. Nearby, a few lights flicker. "I didn't say nothin' about no boyfriends! Or any of them being better than me in every way…" He looks up, way up, at Bobbi. "…Jeez yer tall." And yet not as tall as Starfire, who is also now here, and Fandral's back, and Elmo swallows silently and suuuuuper casually oonches behind Halgrim.
Meanwhile, Carol has been skating gracefullly along the rink, though she seems a bit distracted by looking around. Almost like she's a tourist, really, or not from around here as she gradually skates over towards where the others are gathered around Dead Girl and her kiosk. Though she's definitely familiar to some of those around, even if she hasn't been around a /lot/ lately. Or at all. For like, 10 years or so.
"See, I was home-schooled, so no rectangle pizza for me." Zatanna flashes a wry smile. She's not completely deadpan in her jokes, but pretty close to it. She gives away just enough to make it clear she's playing around. "Also, you have something like ten Mississippis to tell me your name before you become 'Pizza Guy' for as long as I remember you."
Thea will watch Ian skate away, before she will move and start skating. She'll show off and turn to skate backwards so she can face Warren. "But you're out. Doing stuff. I wasn't sure you'd come. I know you get that whole out in public anxiety." There's a hint of that smile lingering.
Bobbi smirks at Elmo when he avoids her. "Tall yeah. Well, it comes in handy for things like reaching the top shelf, and seeing past people wearing hats in the movie theater." She looks at Halgrim with an expression of 'what's HIS deal?' in reference to the small man hiding behind him.
"Yes," Kori tells Fandral with a beaming smile. "I was watching the YouTubes and learning how to do the greetings that are appropriate for this area. I was told that the 'kiss cheek' was considered very friendly." She holds her hands behind her back and leans over to examine the goods with a strange sort of awe, utterly fascinated and sincere.
Kori catches sight of Elmo hiding behind Halgrim and gives him a quizzical look before flashing a bright smile. It melts a little ice around her (not quite literally). "Hello friend! I assure you I am not 'the scary'," she tells Elmo.
She looks over. There are a *lot* of people staring at her.
"Hello, friends!" she says, with a cheery wave that's utterly lacking in any sense of self-consciousness.
"Hey, there are worse things to be than "Pizza Guy"," Scott replies with a one sided grin, despite the thoughts that run through his head. He could be being called "Mutie" or "Gene Joke" or something more colorful, even. Pushing that aside, he's trying to take some advice he had received just last night from someone. Let that whole thing be for now. He can just try being Scott. Or something. Even if it does feel… uncomfortable.
"Home schooled, huh? Man. That's a shame. You really missed out on the school pizza. And the chili with peanut butter sandwiches. That's like mother's milk right there," Scott continues, before finally… just before the count of ten in his head, says, "It's Scott, by the way. What about you? At this point, I might have to call you Home School Girl."
"I /did/ forget to tell you that I started counting about six Mississippis before I said that," Zatanna notes when Scott waits almost the full ten to reply. She says it very matter-of-factly, then grins. "But, no! Home School Girl, you're close. You only got most of the letters wrong, and also everything else besides. Zatanna." Not a very common name! Also one that might have floated around the pop culture sphere that Scott almost surely doesn't pay much mind to. "Most people I know just call me Zee."
Halgrim's eyes flicks to the lights as they waver. "Alles gut, Elmo," he murmurs, yet makes no attempt to *not* be a tall, dark shape to hide behind. That he's pretty good at. He shrugs at Bobbi in an apologetic 'sorry about my friend he's just this way I promise he's perfectly nice once you get to know him' manner. Now that Kori's a bit closer he doesn't attempt to hide the fact that he's fascinated by both her turn of speech and her, well, unique appearance.
Always one to ensure someone isn't left out, Dead Girl also waves to the people with Kori! After all, there's no mistaking a dead body. "I like her." Dead Girl offers to Fandral. "Hey, if you want to trade a song for something, Lady, I'm up for a trade." she says over to Starfire, with a beaming smile. "I'm Dead Girl, by the way, nice to meet you!"
"What about you- the tall dark shape dressed in a nice coat." Dead Girl points over towards Halgrim, "Surely you have something to trade. Something you've been keeping in your pocket for years, and you don't really know why."
Bobbi's smile brightens when Carol joins them. "Danvers, been a while, how are you?" she asks. She gives Halgrim a shrug in response, in the manner of 'that's ok'. Clearly they both speak the language of silent side-eye.
Carol, meanwhile, does spot Kori as well, and blinks in a little bit of surprise, skating over towards her and coming to a precise stop at a polite conversational distance. "Hello, ah… Tamaranean?" She tilts her head, giving Kori a friendly grin, looking a bit curious. Then when Bobbi greets her, Carol looks over that way, "Bobbi? Well, been pretty good, got a bit tired of being a space cop so thought I'd come back to Earth for a bit." She then tosses the other blonde a wink.
Warren moves to keep up with Thea as she skates backwards and says gruffly, "Hey, I get out. I do stuff. I'm just… private." There's a little resentment in his voice there, as if that way of living isn't necessarily his first choice. He stumbles for a moment, distracted, and takes a moment to catch himself. At least he manages it without any whild arm waving. He gives Thea a smile, "But yeah, you did get me out here. Thanks."
"There's a difference between private and hiding." Thea says to Warren softly, looking up at him. "We're not even the only ones like out out here. Different, I mean. Trust me. It's sort of the thing I notice. No one cares, and no one's looking at you." A hint of a dimple. "Other than me."
"Only," Scott repeats with a chuckle and a bobbing nod of his head. Zatanna. That DOES ring a bell somewhere in the back of his head. Like a slight itch on the inside of his skull. Scott, admittedly, doesn't spend much time invested in pop culture, watching television or reading magazines that cover anything even remotely close to celebrities. He might know of Chris Angel or something from when he was younger. It will bother him. "Zee. Alright, Zee. Most people call me names that I'd rather not divulge when I'm trying to be all charming and mysterious with my pizza secrets."
The metallic sheen of his glasses does turn away from Zee for just a moment, casting over to where the rather large crowd has gathered at DG's little shop set up. With all the traffick over there, one does have to be a bit curious, at least. He lifts his chin in that direction, asking Zee, "So, Zee, did you see what's going on over there? Seems like it's clearing out the ice."
Ian manages to get himself over by where Dead Girl's shop is, and he looks into it with a squint of his eyes. "Hey…you got some old stuff in here?" He leans heavily on the railing and then looks over at Halgrim when he sees him nearby.
"You're 'the flippin' tall'," Elmo mutters at Starfire, eyes big. He self-medicates with a drag off the cigarette. "Uh, you seem, nice, though." He offers it like a consolation prize. "Your, uh, hair is pretty. And your eyes. And your, everything." There's a lot suddenly going on, including Carol, and Elmo's eyes get really big. "It's not okay, Grim," he hisses, "that's Captain Marvel!"
"I did notice, Scott," Zatanna replies to the ruby-quartzed one skating by her side. "We can go have a look, if you want." It's nicer than saying 'actually, I was sensing all the weird juju there when you thought I was watching you fit a whole pizza slice into your mouth.' Zee is very nice like that. Of course, as she approaches the little crowd that's gathered, the risk intensifies that someone might blow he cover and reveal to Scott that she's not Zatanna, but ~Zatanna~.
"Space cop sounds like it could be a whole new kind of headache," Bobbi chuckles to Carol. Then her phone makes an annoying sound in her coat pocket. She knows what that sound means. She's being called in. She pulls it out and frowns at the message. "And of course this means I have to head in to work on my night off. Dammit. I'm still in the same apartment, Carol, pop by and say hi. Don't be a stranger!" She might walk purposely past Elmo with a sweet smile down at him before going to remove her skates and head for the Triskelion.
"So it is," Halgrim says with a sage nod. "I thought I'd read she's been gone for some time." He's distracted from his pondering of Carol by Dead Girl, and considers her comment with a thoughtful expression. "Hm, possibly. Let's see…" He feels around in one coat pocket, frowns, shakes his head. Tries the other, pulls out something and glances from it to Dead Girl by turns. With a shrug, he holds out his hand. It's a Swiss Army Knife, but an old one—very old, possibly even pre-dating World War II, since the handle appears to be the original red fiber in a deep, dark carmine. "Maybe this? I've been meaning to buy a new one anyways."
Kori's eyes go wide with alarm at Carol's offhand comment and she shoots horizontally forward, ice skates barely making contact with the ground. She stops entirely too deeply in Carol's personal space for most people to be comfortable (aside from those who've met Tamaraneans before, anyway).
"You must be mistaken!" she says hastily. "I have never heard of this Planet Tamaran. I am Kori Anderson and I am an exchange student from the Island of Malta. It is a very small island in Europe and you probably have never been there, but I assure you my stature and skin tone are all *very much* in the median distribution for the, uh. Maltans. Peoples. Persons of Malta." She presses her lips into a worried line as she tries to express her fear to Carol despite her total lack of psychic ability.
Captain Marvel, maybe, but right now she's wearing a comfy looking sweater with the weather, so Carol gives a wry grin to Kori, leaning in a bit to murmur, "Okay, first I never said Tamaran was a planet, but don't worry about it. Really." She grins, and offers a hand to Kori, "I'm Carol. Occasional space cop. Which is how I knew."
Fandral grins sidelong at Dead Girl when she says she likes Starfire, but he doesn't inerrupt the conversations going on around him. He seems content enough merely to linger along the edge of the ice and watch people come and go. He notices Elmo, but he just offers him a smile, not overly lingering so as not to distress the man with too much attention. When he sees Carol, he gives her a wave as well from where he leans comfortably. "Captain," he greets her with a dip of his head and a little bit of a bow and flourish, once she's done greeting Starfire.
"No, I'm all out of tamaraneans today, though I think I have a mango salad in the mini-fridge. I was hoping to give it away, to be honest. I made it this morning on a whim." Dead Girl says, completely serious towards Carol.
Tiffany, the Creepy Doll just sort of appears different places on the cart. Moving only one no one is looking- quite a feat with so many eyes. The cursed doll, however, doesn't seem keen on starting any trouble.
Dead Girl then looks towards Elmo- follows his eyes to Carol. "Hey, didn't you use to go to that falafel place down in The Village. The dirty cart of humus, I think he calls it- but it's in some weird arabic looking script…" Dead Girl looks over to Kori, grinning still. This is so far out." she says, "I'm jiving with all of this right now, way to go, kids." she holds up a peace sign, just beaming bright.
Warren frowns, not at all happy with Thea's implication, even if (or especially if) she happens to be right. He shakes his head, "Yeah, I know I'm not the only one, but it's… complicated. Everyone's got a camera in their pocket these days, after all." Changing the topic he nods towards the knot of people gathering off the ice, "Wonder what that's all about."
To be fair, it was only about a quarter of a piece of pizza. And it was folded in half. That's how you're supposed to eat Brooklyn slice, after all. The Fold Hold. And he still has that slice, mostly left uneaten, in hand. Though he does give a nod of agreement to the proposition. It's worth checking out, if only because now, Scott is curious what all the hubub is about. And so, with Zee, he skates over to where the crowd has gathered, though as they get closer, and more people surround them, the more he feels like he's going to be "outed" by someone. It's a slim chance, but a constant nagging worry in the back of his head. And as they approach, he leans over closer to Zee and quietly inquires, "Is… that Captain Marvel?"
"It's only as complicated as you make it. Right now? No one's looking at you but me. Don't think about them." She will reach out and snag the sleeve of Warren's coat. "Well, there's only one way to find out. Come on." She will tow the blonde, Angelic looking one towards the cart and all the /interesting/ people near it. "I don't think I realized how much I missed the city until now." She will step carefully towards the cart, grayish eyes flicking from face to face, taking her own very specific sort of tally. Biological differences will just be piling up!
Dead GIrl's eyes slowly fix on the knife. "Oooh." she offers, as she reaches out to check it out. "Do you mind?" she wonders, before touching the item as she looks up to Halgrim
Carol grins over at Fandral, "Wait, what are you doing here? Slumming around Midgard?" She gestures towards Fandral's outfit, looking rather amused as she laughs a bit. Then she overhears Dead Girl's comment, and laughs, "Haven't had a mango salad in… hrm. About ten years, but I think I'll pass for now, thanks."
Zatanna leans over in the direction Scott indicates and watches Carol for a moment. "Pretty sure it is," Zee replies, giving her mutant companion a partly decisive nod. She seems a bit distracted by Dead Girl's mobile Store, really, and she spares a look at Halgrim. The magic is strong around here, and really hard to ignore. "If you want her to autograph your slice, go for it, I can wait."
Warren rolls his eyes at Thea, but smiles. He lets himself be escorted off the ice where the others have gathered. Once off the ice he moves a lot more confidently. His balance is not at its best with major parts of his anatomy bound under his coat. He comments to Thea, "There's a lot to miss about this city. It can be an ugly place sometimes, but it's always interesting.
The jab has another grin curling the corners of Scott's lips upwards, creating deep dimples in his cheeks. He lowers his face, shaking his head slightly, and pinching the bridge of his nose. "That'd be something alright… But sadly, the slice has gone cold. I guess I got too distracted by some girl with pretty eyes and a razor sharp tongue."
A pause.
"Which is pretty typical of me, I'm starting to realize…" Scott mutters half under his breath, as he flicks his wrist, flinging the pizza so that it spins around like some sort of pepperoni encrusted shuriken, flying through the air and skipping off of the railing surrounding the rink, hitting one of the light posts just outside, only to ricochet off of it and onto the rim of the metal garbage bin set just beneath the light. There, the half eaten pizza slice spins as it lazily spirals around the rim once, twice, and then a third time, before falling down into the darkness of the bag.
Fandral glances down at his outfit and says, "What's wrong with my clothing? I thought it was.. appropriate.. for the event?" He's in a pair of jeans and a dark blue sweater with a wine colored scarf around his neck, and a pair of black skates on his feet. He looks, not at all out of place, at the moment. One brow arches as he glances back up to Carol and says, "I like Midgard. If you recall I spent an entire lifetime here once." He's not shy about sharing that story. "Besides, I'm part of the Asgardian diplomatic contingent here in the city. I'm staying at the embassy if you care to drop by. I'm sure the others wouldn't mind seeing you again, either."
"That sir is a Soldier Knife model of 1908." Dead Girl says after a moment of her head turned to one side. "Good condition, too." she says. "Looks like from the interwar period. I mean, they didn't update it until the fifties, so." She hrms, "So then- what has caught your eye? Might I suggest the mango salad that Captain Marvel so cruelly refused?" DEad Girl says, with a teasing tone in her voice as she slides her eyes over towards Zatanna. She smiles. Always a friendly smile from this walking dead body.
Elmo blushes bright red as Bobbi smiles so sweetly at him. Oh god, not pretty girls smiling at him, stop, he'll tell you everything! He accidentally smiles back at her, just a nervous sliver, ducking away as soon as he does it. When she's gone he sighs, relieved. He says to Dead Girl, eyebrows up, now feeling bad about rejecting the iPod, "It's just, yannow, that's…a lot. Of breakup songs. Anyway I'd just disassemble it and maybe if it's got a cool story and meant something to someone it oughta stay in one piece, huh?"
Thea will walk alongside Warren, head tipping before she shrugs. "Ugly is anywhere. There's no place on this earth I've had the chance to see that doesn't have it. Violence, greed, poverty." Her tone changes, sliding into a much cooler range before she shakes her head as if to shake it all away. "But this is home. There's no where else on earth where pizza and bagels taste like they do here." She will smile to the woman with the cart, before she's perusing the items with a glance.
Carol blinks, "Wait, Asgard has an /embassy/ here now?" Okay, she has been gone for a while, but that's a bit of a surprise. Then she looks over at Dead Girl, "Hey, I know it's pretty obvious, but ixnay on the arvel-May, okay? Carol is fine, really." She grins and shrugs, "I was trying to be a bit covert but… um, yeah, not like I really had a private identity I guess. And Fandral, there's nothing wrong with the outfit, you're looking pretty sharp, as usual."
Halgrim smiles at Dead Girl, indicating she'e quite correct, but instead he closes his hand around the knife and says, "How about I think about it, and come by your shop." He arches an eyebrow, re-stows the knife in his pocket. "I might even be able to find something more interesting to bring instead." He looks askance at Elmo, shrugs. "No necessarily. If you could turn it into something or, several somethings, then in a way you're spreading that out, yes?" He nods towards his shop. "I should get back home. We'll do dinner this week, I can take you to that lovely Portugese place." With a nod of farewell to Dead Girl, he heads off towards the East Village at a long-legged clip.
Those who know Scott Summers may not know the woman in a black fitted and feather-trimmed peacoat next to him. Or they might recognize her as Zatanna Zatara, Lady Magician. It's all up to fate, really. Zatanna looks away from the magic store to spy Scott hucking pizza in the most needlessly complex way imaginable to man. That's not to say that it isn't impressive! "Wow," she coos. "I'm almost as impressed by the throw as I am by this pretty-eyed, sharp-tongued woman. Can you introduce me to her?"
Thea peruses the neat things, even as she's more looking at the people around them without making it obvious.
Warren laughs about Thea's pizza and bagels comment, "I'd like to think the city has a few other things to offer, but can't argue the food." As he approaches the knot of people around Dead Girl's mobile Shop he tries to catch Scott's eye as he says to Thea, "Spotted a friend of mine."
Mollified by Carol's reassurances, Kori simply elects to stand still for a time and observe the conversatiosn flowing around her. Clearly Carol's rattled her slightly though, because she forgets she shouldn't be able to stand with perfect balance in ice skates on a slick floor.
She leans waaay over to Carol, in a gesture that would be theatrical on anyone else. "I, too, am being 'the covert', Carol Danvers," Kori whispers at her in an aside. She maintains a careful observation of the others in the group, particularly as more start drifting their way. Her posture shifts slightly to shoulder-to-shoulder with Carol. Space solidarity!
"Asgard does have an embassy here now," Fandral confirms for Carol. "We're out and proud, as they say." His eyes sparkle a little bit with amusement. "And doing our part to make a good impression on the general populace of Midgard." Seemingly reassured that he'd not somehow made an Earth-fashion faux-pas of some sort, he no longer worries about what he's wearing, not that he worried that much to begin with. "And you look lovely as ever." He can't help but smile a little in amusement at Kori. As Warren and Thea approach, he lifts a hand to wave to them in greeting. He's still on the ice, but nearish the cart.
Carol grins at Kori and nods, murmuring to her, "I worked with the Kree for a while, but don't worry, I'm not a jerk." She winks, then looks over at Fandral, speaking louder, "Flatterer. And thanks, absorbing cosmic radiation keeps me young I guess." Especially since she looks pretty much unchanged. Well, hair is a little different, but otherwise…
"Huh?" Scott asks, his brows coming crashing down over the bridge of his nose, creating a crinkle there that peeks out from the frames of his glasses. It's pretty easy to conceive that he's blinking in confusion behind those ruby lenses that hide so much of his expression. He looks back at the garbage bin, and then back to Zatanna, and realization dawns on him. "Oh. Uh. Sorry. That's just kind of a thing. I don't even think about it, really. Just kind of… an autopilot thing. Trick shots that is."
Think Summers.
"I got really into this YouTube channel called Dude Perfect for awhile, and so I just started trying to make trick shots out of everything."
Perfectly plausible, Scott. And completely lame. Man, he's scoring major points tonight, isn't he? This whole trying to talk to people thing is not likely to be something he'll try again anytime in the near future. Judging from the heat in his face, he imagines his skin is nearly as red as those glasses.
"I guess this is where I'm supposed to make some smooth quip about how it's you or something, but I'm not that clever, really, so I'm not even gonna try. Truth is, I'm not really good at any of this and kind of trying to follow someone's advice, but I'm thinking that we're just very different people who have very different approaches to life, and I shouldn't try to do wha—"
Scott catches Warren in the nick of time, interrupting his word vomit and making his posture straighten up. He raises a hand to wave to the blonde haired rich kid, and says, "Hey, it's a friend of mine."
"What? No," Elmo says to Halgrim, aggravated at the very idea. "…Maybe? Fine, leave." He tosses a hand at Halgrim in a classic New Yorker gesture of 'fine, see if I care (I care a lot)'. He stubs out the cigarette. Now there's more people and he eyes them all warily, from Warren to Thea to Zatanna to Scott. It's Zatanna he says something to. "Your coat is fantastic." He says it kind of crankily like how dare she have a fantastic coat.
Thea lifts her eyes, head turning to look at Warren. "Yeah? Do I get a guess?" She'll tease him with that hint of the mischevious girl he once knew in her expression. Then she'll see the man who stopped on the ice, and will wave to him. "Thank you for earlier. Stopping so more people wouldn't cause a pileup." She noticed! "I appreciated it a lot." There's a warm, sincere smiles for Fandral.
"You have made a very good impression on me, friend Fandral," Kori assures the Asgardian. "You are most competent of the skating and are a clearly good friend to Sam and Doug and Jean. Their having of you is of 'the luck'."
She looks back down at Elmo when he pipes up again, giving the much shorter fellow a quizzical once over at his tone. "Forgive me for intruding," she tells Elmo. She even bows with a regal formality. "But do you also attend the High Schools? I am a senior at Midtown High. Which is a strange name for a school because it is not in the middle of anything. And I asked why they call it 'high school' and was told to 'shut it up' so I have stopped asking that question."
Zatanna watches Scott have some kind of episode that starts at YouTube and degrades rapidly into a philosophy of life, before terminating at 'hey, look, it's Warren.' She has a smile on her face that only grows as Scott keeps trying to get out of his verbal hole through the time-honored method of 'digging upwards.' "Hmm? Oh, /thank/ you," she replies with a look to Elmo and a bright smile. His crankiness simply rolls off of her fabulously-clothed back. Then she moves to step towards Warren and Thea. "Hey," she says to Warren, loud enough that Scott would be able to hear. "Your friend is doing this thing where he keeps talking and talking. Is that normal, or should I take him to the hospital?" She does look back over her shoulder at Scott to wink.
"No problem," Fandral says to Thea, "The skates are sharp, and being tripped over after one has fallen is adding insult to injury." He smiles, "I'm glad it turned out alright. But it seemed your friend had things well in hand." He nods over in Warren's direction, giving the man a dip of his head. He smiles curiously at Kori and open his mouth to say something, but settles on, "Thank you, Kori."
Elmo, bowed to, turns a truly alarming shade of red. "Y-you don't have to do that!" he blurts. "…What?" Her actual question catches up with him a moment later. "No. No, I graduated high school already. They, uh, they call it high school because it's got high numbers. Nine through twelve, right? And it's called Midtown High because it's in Midtown. That's…probably not that helpful." He's still blushing.
Warren can't help but laugh at Zatanna's commentary on Scott's verbal avalanche. "He's been known to do that, so I think he'll survive the episode." He addresses the man in the red glasses, "Scott, I wanted you to meet Thea here. An old friend of mine. Thea, this is Scott and…" He looks at the magician, "Zatanna, Right? I caught one of your shows."
When Zee starts to walk towards Warren and Thea, Scott just watches, standing in place for a moment as his hands slide into the back pockets of his jeans. And then she calls him out to the blonde haired pretty boy, and Scott just looks like he could die. He gives a short, frantic nodding of his head, retrieving one hand from his pocket to sort of point in the general direction of his mouth and roll his finger around as he mutters something unintelligible before closing his mouth, and giving Zee a wane smile and thumbs up.
Catching up to Zee, and closing the distance to Warren and Thea, Scott puts on his best, brightest smile that looks paper thin. His shoulders are too square and rigid. If one could see his eyes behind the glasses, they'd be wide as quarter dollar coins. But, he looks over and sees Elmo's interaction with Kori while Warren backs up Zee's jab with a right cross of the verbal persuasion. At least he's not that guy, right? Snapping back to the introduction, Scott nods to Thea, and says, "Hi, Thea. Nice to meet you. I'm Scott Summers. I work wi-Wait. Show?"
Carol grins at Kori, "Well, here's my phone number. If you ever need someone to help guide you along, let me know, okay?" She gives the Tamaranean a look of solidarity, then grins at Fandral, "And I'll definitely be swinging by the Asgardian embassy sometime to say hi to all of you." She waves, then… well, a cosmic superhero would probably ignite and take off into the air.
But Carol being Carol, she grins and skates off towards the edge of the rink, humming cheerfully to herself.
"Well, thanks again. I'd have hated to actually get hurt, or him, either. Thea. " Her hand is offered to Fandral politely, with her perfectly practiced polite smile.
"Warren." Thea murmurs at him, as he mocks his friend. But she will smile at Zatanna, before she will look at Scott. "I run off at the mouth sometimes too, when I'm around someone of the pretty persuasion. You'll notice I don't have that problem around Warren, here."
Kori accepts Carol's number and dutifully puts it into the phone she's tucked into the front of her shirt. It's replaced a moment later and that's when Kori hears the name 'Zatanna'. She perks like a meerket.
"I apologize but I need the excusing for a moment," Kori tells Elmo and Fandral, and once again bows very slightly from the hips.
The Warner Bros. got it right in how Kori moves. Six feet of lateral motion without her legs moving an inch and she stops so quickly it's like a doorstop being bumped and shimmying to a halt. She's inches away from Zatanna's shoulder with a look of awestruck adoration on her face and the wake of her movement tugs her hair around when she stops.
"You are The Zatanna, the Mistress of the Magics!" she declares, towering over the raven-haired magician. "I have seen you on the YouTubes! You do the magic and make cards appppear and pour milk into a hat and then you put the hat on but *then*—" she stops for dramatic effect, hands parting in front of her face in a mystical gesture. "*Then there is no more milk*," she whispers, awestruck by the memory. All this is done perhaps a little too deep in Zatanna's personal comfort zone.
Because Tamaranean.
When Warren recognizes Zatanna, she really turns on the million dollar smile. As it turns out, she's the kind of celebrity who likes to be recognized, especially for positive reasons. "Oh, you did? Which one?" She offers a hand to Thea. "Nice to meet you." Then, she has to contend with Scott's question of "show?"
"My show, yeah. You see, I'm—" Zatanna's attempt to explain herself is cut off by Kori getting right up in her personal space and loudly announcing who she is. Zatanna is soaking up the attention, but she does finish her thought to Scott: "What she said." She says that while tilting her head somewhat so that Kori's nose is no longer touching her cheekbone.
Scott's brows hike upwards as Thea brings out the sass back on Warren. He may have heard a lot of things said about Warren, but never has he had someone claim he's not of the pretty persuasion. He actually takes a step back, and has to reassess this Thea. But with a specter of a grin starting to form. "Oh, I like her, Wingding."
And then Zee's "formal" introduction is made. By Kori cutting Zatanna off. Cyclops sort of looks between the two women for a long moment. That really doesn't look comfortable. Like at all.
"That's pretty much just my luck," Scott remarks with a world weary sigh. "Try to talk to someone and they turn out to be some sort of celebrity. Damn. Sorry, Zee… I didn't know. I work a lot and don't really keep up with things. If I'd have known…"
Elmo just stares after Starfire, with the, floating, and the ignoring of anything resembling personal space. "Okay," he says, half utterly confused and half irritated.
Fandral takes Thea's offered hand and brushes a light kiss in the air just above her knuckles before rising. "Fandral, of Asgard," he introduces himself. "You're most welcome." He smiles to Kori when she apologizes and says, "Of course." His attention is then captured by Zatanna and the explanation of who she is. He hasn't heard of her, but seems intrigued none-the-less when he hears about her show and some of the tricks that she's done. "Fascinating. Will you be performing in town soon, then?" he asks of Zatanna.
Warren returns Zatanna's bright smile, and starts to answer with the name of the show he caught, but is cut off by Kori's intrusion. The'as verbal slapdown makes him roll his eyes, but then he smiles at Scott's comment and the nickname. "You should, Scott, she's one of the good ones." Thea's introduction to Fandrel makes Warren take more note of the man, because it's probably always a good thing to remember an Asgardian.
Kori stares unblinkingly at Zatanna with a sort of endless patience, waiting for her to do something. Preferably something magical! And then that doesn't happen, and everyone's staring in her direction.
She slowly lowers her hands. And then it occurs to her to lean away from Zatanna and stand more upright. "I… am being … the rude," she says, cautiously. Luminous green eyes skip around faces and then back to Zatanna. "I am sorry. I enjoy the YouTubes and your channel is a favorite," she explains.
She looks at Elmo and Fandral interacting with Warren and Thea, then back at Scott, who was clearly working a game that even to Kori's dim social sense has been somewhat upset.
For lack of knowing a graceful way to exit the conversation she stands there awkwardly looking at people. She doesn't seem to realize she's hovering a few inches off the ice.
There's even a hint of blushing at Fandral's gentlemanly greeting. "A pleasure, Fandral." But there is a celebrity in their midst, and Thea will roll with it. She will shake Zatanna's hand. "My excuse is that I've been out of the country and without much in the way of internet." Which is the truth, though she doesn't get into details.
Then Thea will turn a bright smile that makes her dimple appear at Scott. "That's okay, we can be ignorant together, and make fun of Warren at the same time. But I might just babble at you a bit, all uncontrollable like." There's a quick wink, as she steps to make room so everyone can converse and she can keep the close group all in her sight. "Warren's just flattering me in hopes I won't tell tales of his own foibles."
Zatanna indeed does not do anything immediately magical. She smooths her coat when Kori leans back. "I've had worse," she points out to Kori. "Don't worry about it."
When Fandral asks if Zee is going to be doing a show, she shrugs. "Working on some dates. I don't think I can actually say anything about where I'll be next, but if you watch network TV late on Saturday nights, especially to get Updated for the Weekend, well… who knows where I might turn up?" Zee grins.
Then, the sorceress addresses Scott: "Hey, don't beat yourself up. I'll have you know that I appreciate people treating me like a normal person just as much as I appreciate the other stuff, too." She winks at the red-lensed figure, and then notices Kori literally hovering. It'd take a truly keen ear to hear the under-her-breath invocation of "Rewol" as Zatanna holds her hand up to fix Kori's gaze on it, and then as she lowers her hand, so too would Kori lower to Earth.
Fandral inclines his head to Zatanna and says, "Well, then I will keep an eye out." He then smiles to those gathered and says, "A pleasure to meet you all. But, I should return to the embassy. Have a lovely evening." This is said to all gathered, and then he pushes away from the wall, and glides back across the ice, to make his way out for the evening.
Kori blinks in confusion and looks down just in time to see her skates touch the ground. A baffled expression crosses her fine features as she looks from Zatanna to her skates and back once more.
A gasp and fingers fly to her mouth, eyes wide as dinner plates. "The magics!" she whispers with awe, almost invoking the word as a holy one.
Fandral's departure breaks the spell Kori's cast over herself regarding her hero-worship of Zatanna, and she skates over to the Asgardian to hug him farewell. When she returns, she's clearly composed herself enough that she's not fangirling at Zee in public. Though she does seem to be watching her hand movements carefully as if trying to suss out when a trick will happen.
Great. Scott is standing with a millionaire pretty boy with literal angel wings on his back (even if he's hiding them), a celebrity magician, an Asgardian, a floating Maltese Amazon, and basically a host of people that make him seem completely and totally mundane and underwhelming in his denim and flannel. Scott feels very much like a fish out of water, and it shows in his body language. Tense is an understatement. At least Thea commiserates. He offers her a thankful, but brief flicker of a smile before stating, "If Warren says you're one of the good ones, and you're giving him guff, then you're aces in my book. Though I'm not sure Warren's capable of having foibles."
Looking back to Zee, Scott shrugs one shoulder. "Yeah. I can understand that. It being nice when people treat you like you're normal. Still, though… I feel like a complete moron here."
When Kori breaks away, but then returns, Scott's attention seems to drift on to her. Not entirely, but his gaze seems to drift back to her. And her feet. After a moment, though, he does address her directly, and says, "You know, I work at a school that I think could help you out. If you're interested in learning. It could help you with…uh… assimilating."
Warren chuckles at Thea's comment about why he's flattering her. He comments, "Scott, you're being too kind." With his own attention pulled in so many directions, he hadn't looked down long enough to notice the failure of Kori's feet to connect to the ground. But when Scott mentions the school, Warren's face takes on an serious expression and he takes a closer look.
Thea stills as a phone rings in her pocket. She will pull it out, and take a look at the screen. Some of the flush and amusement fade from her features, before she tucks it back away in a rush. "Sorry, Warren, less pleasant times call. You know how it is, work for my father is never done." She leans in to hug him carefully, before she'll wave to everyone else. "Nice to meet you you all. Scott, I'll get your number out of him. I'll share all the embarrassing stories." There's a quick quirk of a grin, before she will head to take off her skates and hurry off.
Zatanna slides her hands into her pockets. No magic seems forthcoming. "Don't beat yourself up, Scott. Especially when you didn't even do anything wrong. C'mon." She then takes her phone out of her pocket, checks it, and places it back. "Unfortunately, I have somewhere to be. It was nice meeting you all, really. And, hey, Scott? You got something sticking out of your pocket there."
Zatanna kept her hands in her pockets, and never once actually touched Scott. After all, everyone would have seen it. But there is indeed something in Scott's pocket: a little business-card size piece of paper with a phone number written on it, signed 'Z.' Magic works in mysterious ways.
"Farewell, Mistress Zatanna! I am excited to see your next videos!" Kori calls after the woman. Scott's comment ears the full weight of Kori's attention and she skates over to him, which means crossing right through the crowd and coming to a halt near Scott. She doesn't quite have the 'stop and pivot' down yet, though, and rests a hand on Scott's shoulder while awkwardly clunking through a four-step turn. At least she's not blockading the conversation.
She ends up— again— right in someone's personal space, looking almost directly down at Scott. "I would be very interested to learn about the assimilating. I am a senior at the Midtown High, even though it is neither high nor mid town," she informs Scott.
"Oh! I am being 'the rude', again." She gives Warren a deferential nod. "I am Kori Anderson and I am from the island of Malta as an exchange of the foreign students."
Well.
Scott is left blinking as not one, but two phones end up ringing almost in unison, and then both ladies are summoned away. That was certainly curious, wasn't it? For a moment, Scott looks around at the skating rink, as if assessing the surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. Anything dangerous. Warren would certainly be able to tell the difference in tension in his body language. But, it almost instantly bleeds away when he looks back to Thea and offers a bright smile and nod of acknowledgement of her departure. And then, when Zee pulls her trick, he looks down at the card, and that smile becomes an impish grin. Shaking his head, he repockets the card, and watches Zee retreat.
Until Kori is all up in his personal space.
Scott then turns his attention up. It's not far for him, as she's surprisingly only an inch taller. Unless she's hovering again. Sliding his hands into the pockets of his jacket, Scott says, "Well, there's this place upstate. Xavier's. It's a great place for people… From Malta. To learn. How to fit in better. Uh… Control their… quirks. My friend Warren and I are both from there. It's done a lot for us."
Warren is a little surprised to be adressed by Kori, but gives her a smile and a nod, "Warren Worthington. A pleasure to meet you. He gives a little nod of his head to her and then looks to Scott as he talks about the school. It's Warrnen's turn to look a little tense, but he nods along to Scott's explanation, "It's a very special place, all right
Kori turns to nod formally at Warren. It moves her back a bit so she's not swarming into Scott's personal space anymore and he can breathe normally. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Warren Worthington," Kori says. "I would give you the kiss on the cheeks in greeting but these skates are making precise movements difficult."
"Up-state," she says, working through the word. "Not down-state. And Maps present north as up. So it is in … the north. Of the state. Of New York." She gets through it, then nods as her logic lines up. "I have noticed my fitting is not always so 'the in'," she agrees, looking crestfallen. "There are many customs that are unfamiliar to me still. I emigrated only very recently, so my English is not very good yet," she apologizes. There is no trace of accent or mispronounciation, which is… more than a little odd. But she does speak with that strangely formal and careful elocution. Like someone who learned English by reading a dictionary and a book on formal grammar.
"Right. Up north. Outside of the city, but not far. Not far at all," Scott replies, offering a firm nod of his head. All awkwardness from trying to flirt and be charming has bled from him, and his entire bearing now is more straight, but relaxed. Proud. Assertive. Confident. It almost looks like another man altogether from the one who had been standing there only moments before. "You'll have a chance to make a lot of friends like yourself. People who might not fit in easily. Who know what it's like to be different. I know what it's like to be different. And how things can sometimes feel overwhelming, and like your own… self… is out of your control at times. We can teach you that. We can help you adapt to it. Grow from it. And use it for something that means something."
Clearly he's not just talking about her personality quirks anymore.
"It's hard work, though. I won't lie to you. And sometimes, it feels like it isn't ever going to change anything. But it does. And it's worth it. And you'll never for a moment think that you've made the wrong choice."
Warren looks at Kori with real sympathy, "I think what my friend is trying to say is that we know what it feels like to be a little… out of place? It's easy to feel lost when you're different from everyone around you. That school he's talking about is meant just for that.
Kori nods along with Scott as he talks about self control, and power overwhelming, and the changes that go so far beyond what any teenager should have to grappel with.
"I do not feel this 'whelming of the over'," Kori informs Scott politely after waiting for him to conclude. "I am very in control of myself at all times because I do not want someone to be hurt by accident. H— New Yorkers are all very fragile," she clarifies. "My people are much more robust. I believe the lack of sunshine in this city may be part of the problem, but I do not wish to be 'the rude' in the telling of you," she assures Scott. Soul of diplomacy, here.
The redhead nods at Warren. "But I do feel that my placing is of the out," she agrees. "It would help a great deal if your school can assist me in that. The integration process has not been the easy," she confesses. "May I visit your school soon? I am in the classes from eight AM to four PM, but I can travel upstate quickly any time I am not in school."
Scott turns his gaze over to Warren when Kori mentions that she's very in control of herself at all times. Even with those reflective ruby quartz glasses, the look speaks volumes of "Yeah right", but he nods his head. Then, turning to look back up into Kori's eyes directly, he leans in closer, his chin lifting and his cheek nearly brushing hers as he speaks in a very quiet voice that won't escape the close bubble the three of them have formed in the absence of others. "Kori Anderson, people who are very in control of themselves don't just float off of their feet at random. We can help you curb that kind of tell."
LEaning back, Scott flashes a bright smile. "There's nothing rude to mention that the weather here can be pretty depressing. We're New Yorkers. We know it."
Scott reaches into one of the pockets of his sherpa lined, denim jacket, retrieving a small, silver case that he flips open with his thumb. Inside there are a number of cards, each bearing a goldleaf X within a circle, embossed upon the crisp white background. Of course, his name and position of Professor of Trigonometry, along with contact details are all on there, as well. He holds one out for her to take. "The invitation is open. Come up anytime you want. Just, if you can, let me know ahead of time. I'll make sure that we're prepared to give you a full tour of the campus."
Catching that look from Scott, Warren smirks, "It's hard to be in control of oneself at all times." He turns to Kori and comments after Scott has spoken, "Maybe I'll see you up there some time." A moment to check a very nice watch, and Warren frowns, "But I really should be going for now." He turns momentarily to Scott and says, "I'll talk to you soon." Then he turns and heads over to where he can return his skates and get back one pair ovf very expensive shoes.
Kori reads the title. "Scott Summers." She pushes it down the front of her leotard where her phone is. "I am very grateful, Scott Summers," she tells him, and does another one of those polite little bows, hands resting on her stomach. "I will call ahead and make sure that you know ahead of the times. It is very kind of you to offer your aid to me."
She looks around. "…It seems as if everyone has left," she says, a little sadly. "This seems to happen with some frequency when I meet people. I hope I am not being 'the downer' here. I should leave so you can enjoy yourself as well," she tells Scott. "I will use my telephonic device to contact you soon!" she says, skating backwards a pace.
Summers looks to Warren, flashing a look that is almost sad to see him go, but does offer a nod of his head to say goodbye before the blonde haired Angel turns and makes his departure. As Kori looks over the card and proclaims his kindness, Cyclops shakes his head as if to ward off any praise. However, when she starts to insinuate that she might be the reason people leave, Scott actually smiles at that and shakes his head. "No. I can tell you with absolute certainty, Kori, you're not the downer. People just have… lives. Things that draw them away. Don't take it personally. You're really very friendly and charming, even if you might have some cultural barrier issues. I can't imagine anyone who would actively want to not be around you. You radiate warmth. This is a cold city. People tend to flock to people like you, in places like this."
When she mentions leaving him alone so he can enjoy himself, he even raises a hand and shakes his head. "I'm having a blast. I made myself look like an idiot earlier, but it's still been a good time. I'm really looking forward to having you around at the school, too. I think it'll be good for both of us. But yeah. Call me anytime. Even if just to talk. Like Warren and I said… We know what it's like to be out of place and feel isolated and alone. If you need someone to listen, even if you're not ready to come to the school… Call. Or text. Whatever works for you."
"It is not radiation, it is th— thank you, that is very kind of you to say." Kori gives Scott an absolutely straight-faced look as if pretending her slip of the tongue didn't just happen. "I will contact you the soonest and we shall set up the day to meet and do the campus touring. Until then, I— oh!" She glides back over to Scott, grips his shoulders, and carefully kisses the air near his cheeks. "I am forgetting about the formalities of friendship. I shall see you soon, Friend Scott!" she tells him, and *then* she skates smoothly away.