Summary:While looking over games and chatting, Miles and Jubilee get to know each other and negotiate a movie together. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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While the Compleat Stategist may not be fancy as far as stores go, it carries products that fits a niche market. In this case, it's the tabletop gaming community. There's a few people here and there that are looking over the various models and miniatures, while others are shopping for games. At one of the display cases, Miles has his hands tucked into his hoodie pockets as he's taking in the latest models for a new RPG system that just came out, looking at the various alien and human figurines in thought.
The hood is pulled back as there is a clear 'no hoodies, caps, or hats' rule, and he wears a pair of skater shorts that go down to just below his knees, bedecked with colorful patches and a pair of high top sneakers. He lets out a low whistle as he looks at some of the prices, and shakes his head. "Nope, gonna have to save up."
Jubilee isn't an uncommon presence in the Strategist. She is, in fact, quite used to anyone working there being too busy to help. It isn't their fault. The place just always seems to have more customers than associates. So she's at a back wall, in cutoff jean shorts with black, ankle-length riding boots and a little turquoise tee that reads "I <3 Nerds."
"Stupid." She hops, reaching for a box on the top shelf. "Stupid…top shelf…boxes…" She utters the words between hops, trying to pull down a fairly nondescript box stacked above her, without pulling down the whole stack. "What…ARE…you?"
A pair of brass goggles beset with welding glass is nested in loose curls atop her head, vaguely holding the young Asian's dark hair up, wherever it's not spilling down.
The voice draws Miles away from the shelf. He's seen her here a few times before, but never tried to approach. After all, it's all about the approach, someone had told him. You only get one chance to make a good impression. And usually, in the game store, there's not much in the way of interpersonal communication unless you arrive together or find a mutual interest.
However, as she's reaching for the box, there's a glance over to the young woman, and it's without thinking that he responds. "Want help with that?" There's a smile towards her that shows off his teeth, before he takes his hands out of his pockets to come over to where the brunette is reaching for the box.
"Which one is it that you want?" he asks her, preparing to reach up to help her with whichever one she picks out. But then he notices the box she was reaching for and sees the small stack, and how high the highest one is. Okay, that's not in reach or short hop range. He looks around for a moment to make sure noone else is looking over at them.
"Did you see the new space miniatures?" He gestures over to where the case is, hoping that she looks that way. If she does, he jumps, higher than what might be possible from standing still to grab the box, using his fingers to make sure it's sticky - and snags the box to bring it back down.
Not that he thought of the mirror that she can see him clearly make the jump in.
"Ooh, really?" Jubilee does turn and try to lean back to get a look at the miniatures he mentioned, but she isn't in an ideal spot to see them, so she furrows her brow and looks up to a couple of mirrors trying to spot one that might help her. She sees the reflection of Miles and his More Than Human Hop. But for the moment it hasn't even registered what she saw: it wasn't what she was looking for. Besides, she is used to people who aren't quite human. That isn't to say that suspicion won't be aroused later on, though.
"I'll have to take a look at those, but…" She turns back to find him holding the box, and she squints a little, looking at him. "Pretty sneaky, aren't ya?"
"Sneaky? Me?" Miles puts on an innocent smile that shows off his soulful brown eyes. "Not a chance." he says with a laugh as he offers the box to her. "Is this what you were looking for?" he asks her curiously as he holds out the box in offer to her. "Just had a lucky bounce when I jumped up for it." Well, at least he's /speaking/ to her. But now what?
"I'm Miles. You come here often?" he asks. Lame. Too late, brain points out how lame that was after the fact. "I mean, I've seen you here before.." Even worse. "…just you know. We're here at the same time!" Danger, Miles Morales, danger! You're sinking here.
"I come sometimes. I just look, though. Don't really know a lot of gamers around, really. Most of my friends do the stuff in real life." She blinks. "LARP, that kinda thing," she tosses out belatedly.
Looking down at the gaming box she flinches. "Oh…Pathfinder. Looks like a collector's edition, multiple campaigns. And pricey…" She shakes her head. "Too rich for my blood," she says softly, and hops up to set it GENTLY on an empty part of the shelf beside the stack it had been sitting on. "That'll teach me to look at stuff on my own level, huh?" She grins with a tilt of her head. "Yeah, I think I've seen ya around here a few times. I'm Jubilation, but my friends just call me Jubilee." She offers a hand by way of introduction. "Come here oooftennn?" she asks in a singsong manner that sorta hands him a shovel, either to dig him self out, or dig himself deeper.
"LARP? Heard of it, but not really ever tried it. I dunno, running around telling people I'm a wizard, sounds weird." Miles admits with a chuckle as she looks at the box and rejects it, setting it aside. "That's the thing with these games, they're all so expensive. I don't know how they expect us to afford it." Shaking his head with a chuckle, then she's introducing herself as well. "Jubilee, then, I hope." he offers to her, before she presents him with that paticular shovel.
"I mean, I do, mainly to end up window shopping." he admits with a laugh. "Though I have a couple of friends that get me to help with painting miniatures or making a new dice mat for." he admit, reaching up and pushing a hand into his curls with a though, before his other hand is reaching to accept hers with a warm grip. Hopefully no longer sticky. He's nervous, but not terribly out of his element yet.
"Excellent," Jubilee replies with her usual enthusiasm. "Maybe you should teach me to paint miniatures sometime. I suck at it. Attention span of a—Ooh wait, you don't have to tell people you're a wizard. I mean show, don't tell, right? You cast a spell." She shrugs. "Attack the darkness, I dunno…Wanna show me the new miniatures? I suck at space stuff. Can't breathe or anything out there," she observes thoughtfully - and thoughtlessly. "But the stuff fascinates me."
"Never been to space myself, but this new game looks so amazing." Miles gives Jubilee's hand a gentle tug, and then realizing he's still holding it, he lets go, his cheeks darkening as he laughs. "Right, show don't tell. That's how it usually is, right? I mean, at least with RPGs." With that, he's leading the way over to where the new pieces were. "It's this new sci-fi horror game coming out. You know, like Aliens, Predator, 2001 a Space Odyseey, all that type of stuff." There's a few pieces of display. Aliens that look like the ones from the movies sorta - some that look kinda like Brood if you squint at them. Then there's the space marines, and scientist, and a couple ship play mats. "It looks neat. I love those type movies."
Giving Miles a crooked little grin as he realizes he still has her hand, she follows him, bouncing along like she's in her element. "Oooh, okay those are /seriously/ cool," she gushes over the miniatures. She leans forward, hands resting on her knees, as she examines the pieces. "I don't guess I've seen many movies in this genre. Are there a lot of 'em out there?" She turns her eyes, now wide and curious back up to Miles. "I mean, I haven't even seen Star Wars."
"Was that a personal choice?" Miles asks Jubilee with a lift of a brow. "You can't seriously suggest you heart nerds if you haven't seen it yet." That's said with a teasing wink at her, as he tries not to look at her as she's bent over, leaning over next to her to look himself. "But Aliens is so much different than Star Wars." he admits finally. "It's like trying to compare the Shining to Hotel Budapest. Both set in hotels, and that's about all they have in common." At least he's not holding her hand anymore?
Crinkling her nose and shrugging, Jubilee glances sidelong at Miles. "Well, I always figured I'd watch 'em, someday. But the opportunity hasn't come along, yet. Lotsa people have threatened to make me watch Star Wars, though. They just never followed through on it. I still will. At some point." She looks back down at the miniatures, then. "So the premise on these guys is aliens versus our guys, right? I saw 'Alien,' so I figured it was kinda along those lines. And those alien things either kill, lay eggs in, or breed with humans, yeah?" She seems familiar with the concepts, if not all the movies.
"Something like that." Miles ventures as Jubilee puzzles it out. At least he doesn't sink into the whole explaining it out thing to her. She has the basics, good enough for him. "I know of a theatre that's doing a 40th anniversry reshow of the original Alien. If you'd like to go?" Perhaps not a date, but a suggestion. He may not have even realized that he's asked her out. "Or if you want to see Star Wars, can always borrow them from the library and check them out? If someone's threatened to watch it with you though, that's.." he shrugs. "I wouldn't mind watching them with you."
"Oooh, Alien in a real theatre?" Her expression brightens. Jubilee does a little sashaying dance around Miles. "You asked me oooout, I got asked ouuut…." Despite the fact that this is usually the sort of celebratory activity that characters engage in only later, in privacy, Jubilee's effervescence seems indomitable. She ends up on the other side of the case and she leans across it, draping herself in come-hither fashion. "When should we go~?"
As she so clearly points out that she's been asked out, Miles does make the connection. He did totally ask her out. He laughs as he watches her sashaying dance. "I mean, if that wasn't too forward!" He just met the woman after all, was asking her out even on the table? Apparently it was as she leans over it to present herself and asks about when they should go, and he considers. Leaning on the other side of the counter, they're close enough to touch. He looks into her eyes, studying her, and considering it. "We can look to see when the next showtime is that we can agree on?" he asks her curiously finally.
Jubilee's gaze is fixed in Miles' dark eyes. Her own squint in a conspiratory manner, and she shifts her gaze sideways for a moment in consideration of the proposal. "Yes. Yes, that sounds like the operative course of action, doesn't it?" Her eyes slide back to his, and she smirks. "Look at you, bein' all smart, and stuff." The closeness is thick, and there is a tension there that's tangible. Jubilee can feel it warming and painting her cheeks, but she doesn't move away just yet.
"Oh, like you're not, pointing out that I asked you out and all." Miles points out. She's not the only one feeling the warmth of their closeness together, his hand nearly resting on top of hers, but stopping himself. Perhaps out of fear that he's reading it all the wrong way. Finally, he remembers to think again, as his eyes blink and he moves to reach into his pocket to take out his phone and sets it on the counter. "We should look. Maybe exchange numbers?" he suggests, but backed away from her? Not yet.
"Yeah…yeah we should do that. Like find out, and do that phone number thing." She's not beyond rational thought, but she's more fascinated with this strange new tension than anything else. Somewhere within her subconscious, she's wondering if it's really there, or just her imagination. "And we should get some sushi or pizza or something, too…"
"Totally." Miles agrees with her on getting pizza or sushi or whatever. "Would that be after then, so we can talk about the movie, or maybe before, so we can get to know each other.. I mean, you're really pretty, but other than the fact that you heart nerds and you have an awesome first name.." And he really wants to kiss her. "..I don't know that much about you, but I want to know more." It's strange, and weird, yet, he feels oddly comfortable with it.
Jubilee considers a moment, then gives a little nod. "Guess it depends on what time the movie is, but I think if it works out, maybe we should go eat before, 'cause we can always go grab ice cream or something after, and talk about the movie. Could work, right? My treat, too. It's the least I can do, since you're volunteering to sit through food and a movie with me." She can nearly read his mind. Either that, or her own mind is on the same wavelength. She glances at his lips for only a fraction of a second, then frets at her own lip quietly, for a change. "Y-youre pretty, too."
Yeah, that just happened.
"I asked you out, so it should be partially my treat, right? Why wouldn't I.. anyone want to not sit through a movie and all with you?" Miles asks, studying her face as he considers what she's asking, and then pushes back up to his full height again with a chuckle. "So, we could always go dutch. That way it's not all in for a penny in for a pound?" There's a rolling shrug of his shoulders and a small smile of thought. Then he leans over and offers conspiratorily. "I think we're going to get chased out of here if we don't either buy something or continue to loiter. Want to go for a walk?"
Jubilee's mouth forms a silent "Oh." She looks around, and finds not that a salesperson is watching them, but that a handful of patrons are, indeed, staring. "Yeah. We should probably bugger off, if we don't wanna get holes stared right through us." She straightens up now, and looks around. "I'm free if ya wanna take a walk. We can like…look up movie times and stuff." She nods and angles for the door. "Shall we?"
A hand is offered to her for a moment, but withdrawn as he chuckles. "Bugger off." Okay, for some reason that was a little cute as he moves to walk with her, and Miles pauses to open the door for her to allow the lead on the way out as he moves to follow her to the street beyond. "Were you really wanting that game back there? Is that the type of ones you like?" He chuckles. "I used to like board games, but my mom, she's waaaaay too competitive in Monopoly. Then dad accuses her of being a shady banker and it all goes downhill from there. Then there's my uncle.." and when he mentions his uncle, he pauses, his lips pulling into a frown and his hands and whole posture seem to slump a little. "He really liked cards."
"Nah, I mean I'm always interested in new games," Jubilee replies, hooking one finger into his just before the hand is withdrawn, and she leads the way out the door.
"I didn't even know what it was, I just want the forbidden fruit, if it's hanging out of reach." She grins impishly, then shakes her head. "I'll tell ya straight up, right now…I cheat at Monopoly. And Battleship. People don't believe me, so they try me, and I always win. Not like I didn't warn 'em, right?" At least she's honest.
"Hey, what's that look about?" She gives a gentle tug at his finger with her own. "You got sad…"
His finger squeezes hers when she tugs, and he laughs. "So am I more of a low-hanging fruit?" he asks her playfully as Miles chews on his lower lip as they walk, worrying on it as he glances aside at her. "Rule number one of dating you then, never let you play banker at Monopoly." There's a smirk offered at that, then his hand moves to settle more within hers.
"It's not anything to burden you with." he looks aside to her, then back to the sidewalk as they walk. "My uncle recently died when someone broke in his apartment. His place was one of my favorite places to go. He even let me spraypaint up the walls and tag them." There's a small smile at the memory. "I was just missing him."
"Aww, I'm sorry, Miles. That's not easy. Y'know, you can talk about it, though. Anytime. That's the sort of suff people need to talk about sometimes. I'm always up for helping, if ya need it."
Jubilee watches his expression for a long moment before looking ahead, again. "And no one should EVER let me be the banker in Monopoly. I'm the worst! Plus, in Battleship, I own the fastest moving fleet in the world. I can afford it, with all that money." She wiggles her brows. "I can't help it if your missiles are just too slow."
"Maybe after a couple of dates. No need to be a downer on a first one, right. This is where we're supposed to like.. decide if we like each other and want to do this again, or you go home and get on reddit relationships and be all 'oh my god, had the worst first date /ever/, AMA.'" There's a smirk at that as Miles glances aside at her, and gives her a small smile. "Did we decide on pizza or sushi? Because if I'm picking, it's totally pizza. I've never tried sushi. Something about raw fish." He makes a face at that. "Canned tuna is about as far as I go with that.
Then there's a laugh, a snort of a chuckle. "What you're saying then is that you always move this fast and I beter hope to be able to keep up?"
Jubilee pauses, slowing up a little at his conclusion, and she shakes her head quickly. "N-no, no…I didn't mean…uh…." Her slowdown is holding him up, now. "Like I mean. The…the ships…" Of course he probably knows what she meant. Doesn't keep her from panicking. "Uh…pizza yeah, totally. I'm good with that. Cause I don't like raw fish, either," she confesses. "I like the ones with either cooked or smoked fish, or none at all. Like California rolls. Let's do pizza!"
As she starts to shake her head and gets all off-guard, Miles blinks. "Oh. Oh. I wasn't suggesting that you…" He has a momentary panic as he reaches up and rubs at his neck, confusion and worry warring on his face as he looks at her. "I wasn't trying to say that we were.. I mean.." his hand squeezes her and then loosens in case she wants to pull away from him and he sticks his other hand in his pocket. "Pizza's fine!" he finally agrees. "Did you grow up in New York?" Change of subject. Something safe. Something other than making anyone uncomfortable.
"Nope!" Jubilee latches onto the change of subject. "I was born in California. Bevel Hills, actually. Nice place to live. Great place to grow up. But I didn't stay." Obviously. "I did for awhile, after my parents died. Street performer. The hustle was real. But then somebody found me and brought me back here. To y'know…be like other kids. NOT on the streets on my own. Didn't hurt me though. Got me off the streets and eatin' food every day. REAL food. Not scraps. It was an interesting change. Where'd you grow up?"
"I'm sorry about your parents." Miles says earnestly as he glances around, looking for a pizza place. He hasn't pulled out his phone yet, because conversation. "Someone brought you here to be like other kids? That's a mess up theory." he admits, and then lifts his head and gestures with a nod to the east. "About three boroughs over. My dad's a cop, my mom's a nurse. Both are still around." he admits. "Never wanted, but you know, it wasn't you can have what you want. A grind." he agrees with her statement on that.
"I just started at ESU, one of the lucky lottery kids that got in on a scholarship to make the governor look good, you know?" Not a word on his own abilities and skills. "I'm glad you found something better, though, and that it's all working out for you." There's a smile angled at her as he turns his attention back to the street ahead. "Now that you're here, what's your plans?"
"Mm…probably gonna teach gymnastics in Westchester," Jubilee replies with a shrug. "That's my biggest passion. And I think I could be really good at it. Teaching at Xavier's." She pauses quietly for the moment. Not everyone knows the implication of attending that school. But if he does, and recognizes it, now might just be his chance to run.
"That's cool." If Miles knows anything about the school, he doesn't say anything on it. "Didn't realize you were into gymnastics and stuff. I asked an athlete out." It's said with a grin and glances at her. Tilting his head to the side, he lifts a brow. "So you're looking at me like you're expecting something." he points out to her, before turning his attention fully to her, turning to face her fully.
Jubilee grins and leans into his space. "I'm waiting on you to run." She breathes a laugh. "I /am/ an athlete, though. I was an Olympic hopeful at one time. But that was a long time ago, y'know. And stuff happens." She gives a shrug. "What didja think I was expecting? Hmmm?"
"Run? Why, so you can try to catch me?" Miles gives her a smirk. And as she leans in, he returns the lean, ever so close and then considers. "You keep in shape. I'll have to keep that in mind. And yeah. Stuff happens, I get that." Then she shrugs. "As for what I was expecting?" Leaning towards her - and then he reaches up and lightly touches the tip of her nose. "Boop." he whispers of so seductively before starting to pull back with a laugh.
Jubilee closes her eyes when she's booped, and she laughs, then bites her bottom lip before opening her eyes again. "I almost never boop on the first date," she confesses. "And I would only chase if someone wanted to be caught."
"Then know this, Jubilation." Miles says with a smile, and considers her. "I'd want to be caught." Said quickly, and with that weird warmth that seems to be there between the two, he's slightly more reluctant to pull out of her personal space this time. His eyes cast over her features, drinking her in before he swallows. "So, you should know.. dating? Relationships? I haven't had many of either. Out of my element, just a little here."
Jubilee nods, recomposing herself, too. "It's okay. Same here. Mainly 'cause I'm usually the one who runs. But it's okay. We'll take it slow. There's no rush." She takes his hands in hers. "We'll figure it out."
Their hands joined, it's his turn to lean into her personal space. He presses in close, and with their hands together - there's no nose booping this time. "If you run, am I supposed to chase you?" Miles asks her quietly. "Slow's fine." he responds. "I just want to make sure I'm getting the right signal here."
She doesn't move right away. She seems to be held there by that same energy. "If I don't wanna be caught, I promise I'll let ya know…." She pauses for a moment, then smiles, before leaning in to touch his nose with the tip of hers. "Boop."
"Boop." It's responded to with a laugh, and Miles leans in, a quick brush of his lips to hers, before he's pulling back, his cheeks darkening as he squeezes her hands. "So…" rry? "…pizza?" he asks her quietly. Because he's having that moment where he's unsure, yet oh so sure.
Jubilee leans in and kisses him once, sweetly, before he can draw away. Then she smiles sheepishly and nods. "Pizza."
To his credit, Miles totally returns Jubilee's kiss before pulling back, but not too far as they keep their hands joined, though he releases one so they can go back to walking. And learn more about each other - and see Alien finally. Though that may be filled with similar distractions.