Summary:Dani and Anya have a chance run-in with another powered person, but Anya manages to freak her out and scare her away. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
It was a bright and early morning; one of those morning where the sun was shining bright in the sky but there was a slight chill that still was in the air. Most of the students who walked by wore some variation of cargo shorts with sweaters; long pants and long shirts, headphones.. Everything was normal. Save for the rather out of place, raggedy van that hung by the curb.
On a good day like today, Skye did nothing but people watch. The antenna that sits atop of her van recorded the various sounds and conversations. Monitors were hooked up to watch those meandering by. Like that couple there, the one who looked a little too happy, yet were talking through clenched teeth about how dishes weren't done the night before.
She could see it now, one is going to test the other. Not clean for a week and watch the trash pile up. And how fake their smiles were, for they met up with a crew right there after and laughed and had fun. Liars.
Aside from people watching getting really dark, the cup of noodles that she has catered to her interest. Poor womans food. Until she decides to rob an unsuspecting person of their bitcoin? This is all that's going to work for now.
Fortunately for Dani, Friday is a Free Day, which was just like it was where she used to live, so no classes to worry about for her. So she took the time to come into the city. After leaving Brightwind to his own devices so she wouldn't attract that much attention, the first order of business was, of course, coffee.
In this case, she's coming out of a small hole-in-the-wall cafe, cup in hand, and looking around curiously as the day is just getting started…
Cargo shorts. Gawd.
There are always going to be your counter culture types at colleges, and they tend to flock together. Anya Corazon is among them, a small group of students dressed in wild, funky, zany, goth and gutterpunk styles. The group is talking among each other as they go, breaking apart piece by piece as they head off to class, or to smoke a J, or whatever.
Not far from the coffee shop and where that totally not suspicious van is parked, Anya stops. On her part, she's dressed in a black hoodie and short, ripped up denim shorts with a studded belt. Her legs are covered by black tights and another layer of purple fishnets, and her feet are closed up in black combat boots. The backpack on her shoulders bears more patches than could be thought possible, and a black beanie covers up most of her dark hair, save for the streak of blue that's visible. She pulls out a cell phone after saying goodbye to the last of her classmates, and immediately begins texting, or something.
Alright, that was enough. Daisy totally spent -way- too much time watching people walk out of the coffee shops with that little bit of goodness to start the day. The carby-salty noodles weren't going to get her going, and all she needed was a little bit of pocket change just to get by for the remainder (or.. three hours) of what could be a very long day.
The door pops open from the back of the van, the faint aroma of what could be old.. and moldy clothes wafts into the air. Oh well, what can you do when you're essentially homeless and living off the fat of the land?
Like most people say, she ain't the March of Dimes.
The doors slam shut and soon Daisy was on the move. Like Anya, dressed in black though Daisy's looks ragged and faded, hoody tugged up over her hair (which by now is greasy), head tucked down as she meanders into the crowd, the random bumping against the patrons to slide into pockets to check for change quickly before she heads to the door of the coffee shop.
If Dany and Anya got caught in the process? OOPS!
Dani doesn't seem to notice Daisy as she brushes by, mainly because she sees, "Anya!" Currently, she's wearing cargo shorts that actually look fairly flattering, because well, Dani likes pockets. That's her simple rule of fashion right there. Her hair is braided back, and she has a T-shirt that says, "My other car is a horse" with a winged stallion rampant on the front.
Whether Anya will recognize a Fashion Victim right now, well, that's another question…
"Hey, watch it chica," Anya asides to Daisy as she practically gets hipchecked. It's sass, but it isn't aggressive; people bash into each other around here, considering how many people are in a hurry to get somewhere.
Wait, someone is calling her name! Quickly shoving the cell phone away (as if she had something to hide, like… Tinder or Pornhub or something), she spins around and grins widely upon seeing Dani. "Holy sh… Dani?" She turns and runs over, grinning, and practically leaps upon the woman with a hug.
"Cool shirt," she remarks, before stepping back a bit and eyeballing those cargo shorts.
Jackpot. She's gotten a few coins from a few people. Even a five dollar bill. Maybe today Daisy can be fancy and get a croissant? Even as she's 'told' off by the young lady she lifted, she stops right in the middle of 'traffic' and slides to the side, opening her palm to see just what she's collected. People are too busy to watch the obvious, and that's usually what she banks on.
"One.. two.. ..what.."
Daisy's eyes light up like a kid in a candy store, unable to choose what delicious treat she could pick. A gold coin? With.. strange markings? What in the ever loving f—..
Her eyes lift and begin to scan the people in the area. She does this with a slight panic and a touch of intensity that the ground begins to lightly tingle beneath her feet and vibrate, radiating out into a fifty feet radius around her.
Dani grins and hugs Anya back, careful not to spill her coffee on her, "Hey! Yeah, didn't think I'd run into you here. Rahne got me the shirt the other day, seemed fitting."
Then she notices two things. One is Anya eyeballing her shorts, which… well, has Dani worrying a bit about the fashion statement now. "Hey, um, I like pockets, okay? These are pretty handy!" She sounds defensive enough that the second thing she notices takes a back seat. Namely, um, is that an earthquake?
Dani is one of only a few people who know of her dark secret, and Anya knows of hers. The distraction of 'omg are those cargo shorts?' is quickly followed by thoughts of 'omg she saw the thing with the train and my alter ego and blah blah blah'. The distraction and internal dialogue is visible upon Anya's face; let's just say she's not one to play poker for a reason.
Thankful that Dani has diverted to the much easier conversation about fashion, Anya grins slyly. "Okay, so, A, they aren't cool. Like, at all. B, pockets are nice. C, there is a solution. I can help ya-"
The sentence is cut short, and is paired with a surprised expression inside painted eyes. Anya looks quizzically at Dani, making an understandable assumption that Dani is responsible for the rumbling she can feel in the earth. "Hey, amiga," she says quietly, and calmly, before casting a nervous glance around at the people coming and going. "Not here. What… what can I do?" Powered folks gotta stick together, you know.
Daisy was caught unaware. The surprise of finding the weird, gold coin gave her prospects that she never really thought were possible. She could fix her van! She could probably be fam.. no. But all of the food, new clothes, new equipment! She would never have to steal by force again! It'll only just be by choice!
Shehe ignores the rumbling which nearly picks up in intensity until a pot next to a flower shop falls off it's hinges, breaking the ceramic with a loud clang which boosts her out of her reverie. It was then that Daisy realizes.. it was happening again.
The adrenaline, the surprise, the instant dreams of what could be and all that is.. drew her into an excitement that 'seemingly' made her want to show the world by shakes, rattles and tumbles.
"Oh shit!" She loudly exclaims, pressing herself against the building she's near by beneath an awning, her eyes closing as she tries to focus herself. And remember to breathe deep.
Dani blinks, "Um, that's not me…" She looks around, searching around for any indication of who might be causing this as people start to panic a little bit since… well, even with all the masks, New York City isn't exactly Earthquake Country.
Then again, neither is Boulder, as Dani looks over at Anya, "I think we'll need to put a pin in the pants hunting for another time."
Anya's neck draws back a bit, surprised when Dani denies her involvement in VillageQuake 2019. That can only mean… eyes widen a little. "Yeah," she says. "I think you're right."
The falling ceramic draws her attention, and she spins around to eyeball the flower shop and those around it. "A la Verga," she exclaims, and looks around for any sign of, like, a mutant in distress. They aren't far from Mutant Town, after all! Her eyes eventually fall on Daisy, and… nah. Probably just someone nervous about all the shaking and rattling going on.
She does look like the nervous one! Not the one who was actually doing the shaking. And it didn't help that others ran past, filtered into shops, ducking into alleyways were things weren't likely to fall over or hiding against cars. But she's trying. Attempting to drown out all the noise. Visualizing pulling that power into herself; it was like a light bulb. Burning bright.. and as she gets closer to the switch it dims. And as it dims, and her hand reaches out to touch the switch..
*CLICK*
Lights out.
That picture, that imagination runs through her mind repeatedly. Deep inhales to time each mental step she takes, until the shaking or.. Daisy Quake Zero Point Five slowly lessens until there's nothing left but aftershocks..
..and at least three shattered fingers.
Dani does follow Anya's gaze around, eventually spying Daisy looking nervous by herself there. Breaking away a bit from Anya, Dani goes over towards Daisy, tilting her head as she says, "Hey, are you alright? You look a little shook up there." She quirks a slight grin, realizing the pun after she said it.
Anya follows Dani as if on instinct; really, she still feels completely out of her depth with this whole, superhero-secret-pretending-to-still-be-a-normal-NYU-student thing. She feels like a little lost puppy, even if she doesn't look it, and the affect it has on her ego is exactly why she's got a nice case of resting bitch face upon joining Dani near Daisy.
She glances around at people nearby while the quakes subside, then looks back to Daisy. Just then, she seems to put things together. She looks to Dani, then back to Daisy, and aforementioned RBF is quickly replaced by a look of surprise and honest concern.
The sounds of others talking were starting to flood in. As soon as she takes that one final breath, her eyes snap open to look towards Dani, and with Anya following suit? She tries to crack a smile, even though everything was starting to hurt. "AHhh.. yeah.." She says, immediately drawing her hand up to keep it pressed against her chest. It hurt like hell, and even her fingers look a tiny bit limp. "I'm fine.. I banged my hand against the wall when I was trying to get away." She was lying, naturally. But with the pain written upon her face its a bit hard to tell. "Are you guys alright? No one hurt?"
Dani blinks, "Wow, yeah, we were in the open, so we're okay. That must have been some bang." She gives Daisy a warm grin, "I'm Dani, and this is Anya. You sure you're going to be okay? Did you need a lift to the hospital?" She sounds just, well, genuinely concerned more than anything else.
"Hey," Anya greets, before casting a look around at nearby people for a moment. "That was so weird," she remarks, before glancing toward Daisy and noting how she's holding her hand. "Shit," she remarks then at finally noticing Daisy's hands. "That looks kinda gnarly."
"Oh no no no.." Daisy immediately protests. "Totally fine. I mean I got my van over there. Pretty good with driving one handed, knees to the chest and all." Everything was getting a little bit awkward, even as she scoots just a touch. "Oh. I'm Skye." Lies again, sort of. No one can track a Skye. "Nice to meet you too, sorry it's in these circumstances." And then she gets a little silent, attempting to -not- get a little too nervous or defensive. "So um.. I'm going to go. You.. uh.. I don't know." The rumbling starts just a little bit, localized and light. "Gotta go though, alright? You guys be cool!"
Dani passes Anya a look, then looks at Skye, arching a brow, "Yeah, um… you be cool too, Skye?" She looks suddenly a bit suspicious of something, but doesn't come right out and say it… whatever's lurking in her mind.
Oh, Anya is suspicious as hell. That whole thing about having a terrible poker face, it's something of a character flaw. She meets Dani's look with one of her own, then sends that look right back to Daisy. "Hold on," she says with quiet intent, and is making every effort to look right in 'Skye''s eyes.
"Come on," she says, urging Skye with her voice. "Follow me. You too, Dani." She makes for a nearby gap between the coffee shop and another building nearby. "Don't make me web your sexy asses," she adds, without exactly explaining what that means.
Daisy caught; she looks almost like a deer in headlights, after almost getting away with Dani's approval? There's a look of distrust as she watches the two women, reluctantly following after Anya with a look that she was about to cry. Granted, she could have gotten away at any time (maybe), but.. she was feeling out of sorts. Like she just wanted to tell the world and relieve herself of the stresses that weigh on her shoulders.
Dani glances back towards Anya, and nods, looking at Daisy with a suddenly stern look, "Alright, then. Let's go." She tilts her head skywards for a moment, then nods and makes a small gesture towards Daisy, a hint of sympathy still there considering the other woman's hands… but she's taking a queue from Anya on this one.
These are streets that Anya knows so well. She ducks into that alleyway, leads them past a dumpster and a snoozing homeless fellow, then comes upon a Iocked door. With a heavy lurch, the door is slammed open, but she catches it with a hand before it can slam into the wall inside. Those reflexes just don't seem quite human; most punk girls aren't in that kind of shape.
The room probably used to be some kind of supply room, but now it's vacant. A lingering, pungent odor of marijuana is present, likely a place college students sneak into to get stoned between classes.
Judging by the patches on her backpack, it would be an easy assumption that Anya's pro mutant / alien / whatever rights. She looks to see if Daisy and Dani really are following her into the room, and if so, she'll shut the door for privacy.
"Listen, it's cool if that was your fault. Yeah? You can come clean in here." A glimmer comes to her painted eyes and a little twist of her lips into a coy grin. "Trust me, amiga."
The further away Daisy had gotten away from her home, the more she felt.. insecure. But she kept watch of her surroundings, making note of buildings with strange marks so that she can remember her way home. That focus gave her a little bit of relief, she thought about something else instead of what was making her nervous. Or scared.
The path didn't seem to take too long, and once the building was breached, Daisy did note the skill in which Anya caught the door. Someone, at least her, has been eating their Wheaties!
But the smell in the room itself was all too familiar. During the cold winter months, Daisy had to put up with that sort of scent. And oddly enough, inhaling it at least reminded her of the community that the homeless people do have. Even if they are a little bat-shit crazy.
But as the door was shut behind her, she looks back towards it, then to Dani and Anya.. her bottom lip curling and pitting near the chin, her eyes watering as she hugs her hand close to her chest by the wrist.
"It was me.." She says quickly, and that alone shocked her that she came clean so easily. "Please don't tell anyone.. I.. I don't know what.. what the fuck is going on.."
Dani blinks in surprise, "Wow. How long have you been able to do this? And does it always… um, well, hurt your hands like that?" She gestures to the hands in question, then she tilts her head again, as if silently communicating with someone unseen before looking back at Daisy, "And well, you're not the only one with powers here. I'm a mutant, myself."
"We all have secrets," Anya answers. She kicks her boots off, wiggles her toes inside her layers of tights, then vaults up toward the wall. There, she literally sticks, by her fingertips and toes. Her neck cranes around and her body bends almost like a cat, joints dislocating without a pop and no sign of pain. "So, don't be scared, yeah? And don't try to deal with this shit alone, or you'll go loco."
Releasing the wall, Anya drops to the floor with silent grace, then walks up toward Daisy. She's possibly a little too close for comfort, and she reaches to touch the woman's elbow (the arm without the broken fingers). "Alright?"
"I.. a couple of months. I just sort of 'woke' up like this." The story was strange and harrowing, no need to recount the entire thing. But technically, she -did- wake up like that. "It.. usually does? I mean, everytime it happens, something hurts or just breaks. I just don't get it." She takes a step back, leaning against the wall next to the door, nodding towards Dani. She felt.. better. Maybe she was a mutant too. "But you look so.. normal.."
As Anya chimes in, Daisy just nods. But.. it was when she kicks off her boots, her eyes squinting and then widening as she .. "What the ever loving fuck?!" Sure, Daisy's heard of mutants and what they could do but has never seen it. And seeing it? Wait. Double standard. Watch how it works. "Hell no.." Total deflection, Daisy turns with one hand tucked, yanked the door open and totally booked it out of there. It felt good to get that little bit out.. but.. goddamn! This was tew much!
As Daisy bolts out, opening the door and stepping out into the alley…
And stops just shy of crashing headfirst into a magnificent looking white horse, who looks… well, if a horse can look amused, this one certainly does. He nickers over at Daisy, turning a bit and spreading his wings. Less to keep Daisy trapped but more to just show off a bit for the new person.
Dani's voice, meanwhile, calls out from the room, "Brightwind, don't scare her! She's weirded out enough already!" With that, Dani comes out behind Skye, grinning a bit as she says, "Oh, Skye, this is Brightwind, my horse. Faithful companion, and devourer of far too many White Castle burgers to mention."
Brightwind nickers again, leaning in to look at Daisy a bit closer because he's a very curious horse.
And here, Anya was thinking, this will totally encourage her! She's not alone! SOLIDARITY!
Instead, her skin is going pale and she turns toward Dani, cheeks growing red with sudden and very sharp embarrassment. It's the first time she hasn't thought to herself… you know, how cool it is to be a Spider-Girl.
Huffing and embarrassed, she flops down on the floor and starts begrudgingly shoving her feet back into the boots.