Summary:Chance re-encounter between Cain and Carin leads to testing of limits, a run down to Florida, and a bit of emotional topsy-turvey Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
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Just under freezing, Central Park is lightly dusted with snow, tiny breezelets wisping along and making tiny puffs and whorls of crystallized snow. It is getting towards evening, dinner a couple or few hours away so the conservatory in the Tavern on the Green is actually pretty close to empty. Cain loves the view here, and having had a long day at work /yesterday/ until a few hours ago, he's in need of a little decompression.
So…off to a place that isn't home, and isn't full of people in need of medical assistance, ergo - here.
Seated by one of the windows, he is lazily strumming an acoustic guitar, deftly fingering the haunting tones of 'Stairway to Heaven' with shiversome talent.
Carin…has no job, really. Well other than attending classes, so it's not like she's devoid of responsibilities. But she does find said classes…well, wearing, frustrating, and generally her grades are slipping because she finds herself avoiding her homework.
Which is why she's running off to the city to clear her head a bit and not have to think about how much she absolutely hates algebra. The music draws her to the side as she stops on a time, a rush of air following her as she looks for the source of the song, then walks over towards the Tavern. "OH, hey…I remember you. The lab thing, right?" she says, seeing Cain.
"Oh, hey there, yes." Cain says with a faint smile, fingers stilling the strings of the guitar because strumming and talking at the same time is very much not a cool thing. He frowns a little bit, pondering. "Was it…Velocity?" He asks with a grin. He looks a bit tired, but he also seems happy to see Carin again.
"Have a seat, I have some coffee if you'd like, can get a second cup for you."
Cain smiles then. "So…how have you been? Any requests?" He raises the guitar slightly as he asks.
Carin hesitates, then says. "Um…Carin." She's not dressed in her bodysuit today, at least, just a slightly worn hoodie and jeans, with running shoes of an odd style, her hair mussed a bit from running around. "I'll take an iced tea if they got one…" she decides after a moment, walking over to pull up a chair. "And I guess I'm okay. Class is kicking my ass." she mutters, sighing out, her Chicagoland accent coming out noticeably.
"And I'm Cain." He answers promptly, since she revealed /her/ name. Fair is fair, right? He offers a hand to shake, then waves over a server. "Iced tea for the lady, please." The young man nods. "Sure thing, sir, ma'am, be right back." It is pretty plain that Cain comes here often, the staff seems pretty casual around him, it is obvious familiarity.
"Ouch, school troubles, not fun, Chicago girl." Yes, he caught the accent apparently. "So…which class, and where are things going south?"
Carin pauses, then slides off her gloves to take the offered hand, her skin pale against Cain's. "Uh…algebra, mostly." she admits after a moment, frowning a bit self-consciously now. "I'm just…I don't /get/ it. Holding equations in yer head an' flippin' me around an' stuff to figure out what x or y or whatever is worth. I mean, when am I ever gonna use stuff like that?"
"My bane was geometry, I bet you kicked geometry's arse." Cain offers by way of encouragement. "Algebra didn't really fash me none. Geometry though, that was hard." And though his accent is definitely New York, there's a hint of a brogue, the terms alone are Scots or Irish, but…the voice is mostly NYC.
"Algebra /can/ be useful, but not really something most need day to day, I'm thinking." The server returns about then and sets down a doilie and then the glass, followed by a small ceramic container with a variety of sweeteners and last of all a small 'pitcher', about an inch and a half high with honey in it. There's also sliced lime and lemon on a plate.
Cain smiles. "Thanks Roddie, we'll call if we need anything, yeah?" The young man smiles, dimples forming, and nods. "Sure thing, Mister McCormick." ere he departs.
Looking back to Carin he sighs. "Wish I could offer suggestions, but Algebra always made sense to me."
Carin ums. "Well…it's just…frustrating, ya know? Bein' behind all the time. Th' Professor says that I'l be able ta take my GED soon an' then I can think about college an' stuff, but…I dunno. I don't know what I wanna do. Where I wanna go, it's just." She inhales and lets out a huff, fidgeting. "This is th' first time I've really felt…I dunno. Comfortable. Safe."
"I do, but from the opposite end of the math spectrum." Cain says with a smile. He puts the guitar away for now, and then pours himself a warmup from the carafe of coffee on the table, and then sips. He really does look fairly tired, but his eyes are alert, his attention clearly not wandering as he and Carin talk. "I think you, unfortunately, will just have to do your best in that area, and make up for it in others so as to get that GED." A soft laugh. "Not that my few years on ya give me any great insights or wisdom to offer." Setting the coffee cup down, he nods. "I /can/ offer my support though, I'm sure you'll manage. Determination to succeed is /way/ more valuable than native talent, I've seen extremely gifted folks squander their talent, and people who just worked their asses off succeed. It is what it is, and that's what you make it, yeah?"
Carin pauses as the server returns with her iced tea, before promptly dumping three packets of sweetener into it before she sips from it. She fidgets a bit at the direct look, her eyes tending to shy away from meeting Cain's as they talk, turning a little self-conscious. "Oh? Uh, what do you do, exactly? When you're not being, um, fast?" she ventures after a moment, bright green eyes meeting Cain's for a moment.
Cain is definitely -not- shy or stand-offish, he's really rather direct and quite social by nature. He's also perceptive, being a speedster is really great at letting one read the micro-expressions most can't even see. Granted, when the other person is ALSO a speedster, that ability is blunted or even possibly nullified, still…her aversion to direct eye contact is noted, and he does tone down the directness, his own eyes a darker green, almost pine. "You mean when I'm not idling about under glass?" A soft chuckle.
"I'm an EMT, actually. Few years now, work for the NYFD. Just came off a…" He looks at his watch. "…sixteen hour shift."
There's a definite lacking of confidence, and from the way she tends to hunch up a little at some of the looks being turned her way from other tables or passerbys, she's fully aware that she stands out as an oddity. Though she's trying not to let it get to her. "Oh, like, in an ambulance an' stuff?" she questions. "That must be handy. I mean…can ya do emergency stuff at full speed, or does it cause too much trouble?" she wonders. "Do ya hide what ya can do from th' other EMTs?"
Cain watches about three hunches, and then stands up, putting away his guitar. He puts a couple of twenties on the table, and then offers Carin a gentlemanly hand up. "Lets get out of here, maybe go for a run, find a spot to talk, yeah?" He nods then. "SOME things can be done super fast, others if you rush get /really/ ugly, and no, I do not let the other EMTs see what I can do." A smile. "There's a lady firefighter that figured it out, but she's got abilities too, so…" A shrug.
Carin blinks, then glugs down the remainder of her iced tea, finishing it off and setting the glass down. "Um, thanks for th' tea…" she says, pause, then taking the offered hand so she can be tugged up. "Uh, where are we going?"
A tug to get Carin to her feet, and yes, he knows it is unnecessary - still polite! "Well, if you're willing to take a chance, I was thinking of seeing how fast I can run in a strong leyline. I found one that /seems/ to run all the way to Florida. Up for a bit of adventure?" He zips up his bomber jacket, and offers a bright grin - should Carin agree he'll move at a normal pace out of the conservatory until they can find a spot to /run/, and will lead the way to the major leyline he found.
"Florida? Well, it's gotta be warmer than here, right? I never been there." Carin admits after a moment, cocking her head slightly. "Sure, where's th' ley line thing start? I can't see 'em, so I gotta follow you or stuff."
A zip and a zoom, and then they're outside of city limits in a field that is…pretty bland really. Cain moves to a point of open air, and puts his hand into…space. He then starts vibrating the hand, and the purple sparks sort of outline a path some twenty feet wide. He laughs with delight and pulls the hand back. "Right here. I am still learning about these things, so…not sure how fast I'll go." He looks over his shoulder. "So…what's your top speed, outside a leyline I'm capped about commercial jet speeds, but I've gotten faster than sound in lines before."
Carin fidgets a bit as the question is asked. "Uh…well." She frowns. "…I broke th' testing equipment, so I'm not exactly sure, but…they clocked me at about Mach 5 at that point." she says slowly. "I don't go that fast though usually, cuz I'm afraid I'm gonna break everything around me."
"Wow." Colour Cain /impressed/. "That's—-amazing!" His smile is almost literally aglow. "I think I might have hit 1.5 in the lines I found in the city proper, but I have no clue how much of a boost this bad boy is going to offer." He does then pause a moment, thinking. "Man, I didn't even think about that…I mean…when I run there's a field that protects me, and seems to protect the environment FROM me too." He looks then to Carin, and offers a hand. "…care to give /my/ speed a go?"
Carin blushes noticeably, the pink showing up against her pale skin as she runs her fingers through her hair nervously. "R-really? I mean..I try not to go all out, I don't know what would happen, or if I'm gonna…run off th' planet or something." she admits. She's always been nervous about her powers…likely as a side effect of being trained to, you know, be a murder monkey with them, which was why she was always terrible at it. She hesitates, then takes the hand. "Um…sure? You have to run on these line things?"
Cain's heart goes out to the girl, he can see the classic signs of abuse, it infuriates him, honestly. Without knowing the details, he's pissed off she got so hurt…probably over an extended period of time. He is VERY careful, however, not to show that anger. "Can't know your limits until you press them." He says with a kind and encouraging smile, he makes no bones about the blush.
Once she takes his hand, he shakes his head. "Oh, only if I want to go super super fast, the trick is that I have to follow the line's path, so we might weave a bit." A smile then. "Ready?" Once she indicates she is, he starts to run, purple sparks forming a line of light behind him, and sparkle-bursts forming when things like grit or even a bug, is in the path - don't worry, the bug is deflected, not killed! As they run, Carin can feel some sort of odd slippage, like they're not quite here, not quite there, and there's occasional glimpses of other places and things, but they flash by super fast, even for a speedster.
Having gotten to mach 5, she can feel him hit that…and end up a little faster, then probably about mach six and change in the line as they wend and weave a bit.
In about 20 minutes they're in Tampa!
"Well, as long as we're going at yer speed, it should be okay…" Carin says, getting ready, then blurs into speed as she follows, slightly behind Cain, drafting on his purplish pattern and his ability to dodge around things so she can avoid it as well. She must have some sort of field herself, or it would be pretty messy to run through a Florida swamp most days! She doesn't slow down hitting Mach 5, matching Cain's pace as she runs…though her clothes, being a bit baggy, do start looking a bit distressed. Her hoodie, at least. There's a reason why she usually wears formfitting clothing, as self-conscious as she is about it. At least she's put on some weight since she was first rescued, so she just has more of a runner's build than someone who's been getting starved for calories.
As they go faster and faster, Cain just starts to laugh, it is pure joy, his arms let fall back behind him like he's pretending to be a jet or doing an old school anime 'ninja run', and then he starts to pull away from Carin, and /she then keeps up/! "WOooooooooooooo!" He shouts to the heavens and pours on the speed until they're doing five THOUSAND miles an hour, maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less. RIDICULOUS speed, either way.
When they skid to a stop they're in 71 degree weather in Tampa!
"Oh my GOD — that was /awesome/!" He divests himself of jacket, and a flannel shirt, leaving him in a simple white t-shirt and khaki's, looking around the beach, looking at the Gulf of Mexico! "SO…hungry…want some lobster? Or no, we could do Cuban, Jamaican or…whatever?"
Carin is weird, she just…stops. No skid, just stops on a dime when she choses to shut it off, going from thousands of miles an hour to walking to a stop normally. Of course, ther'es also a definite gust of wind and debris that shoots past the pair as well as she looks around, her hoodie looking a bit tattered as she glances at Cain, then after a moment pulls it over her head, revealing a T-shirt with a little panda with a wooden sword on it and the word 'NOOB' underneath. It fits her pretty snugly, probably a size too small for her. Wearable, but not exactly lose. "Uh…I've never had Cuban food?" she admits after a moment, vaguely curiously, smiling shyly. "Do ya not run like this a lot? I mean, long distances?"
Definitely VERY different sorts of speedsters, no question. They both break the 'laws' of physics in very different ways. Either way, they both say 'Pfffft! Screw you physics!'.
He is cognizant of the debris and detritus, they share that much, but his field seems to do a better job of protecting his clothing than her powers do hers, then again she's ALWAYS able to run ultra mega fast, he has to take less optimal paths, so there's some considerable variation here.
"Oh, I've gone on some long distance runs, but outside the lines…I am so much slower, and it takes so much effort that I can't run as long, maybe three hours tops. This trip would normally take me a bit more than two hours to make without the line." He smiles. "I ran to San Francisco once…had to sleep about half way, so, yeah, not super practical for me. Did get some killer Chinese food in China Town, though."
He grins at the 'Noob' shirt, his own just plain white, and then bunches up his stuff and pauses to buy a backpack on the way to find some Cuban food, he'll be more than happy to tuck her hoodie away too, in fact, he'll get her a new one for the run back since the original is in a sorry state.
"I mostly run between th' school I'm at an' New York, so it's not a really long run." Carin admits, tying the hoodie in place over her hips to keep it out of the way, rather than worrying about the backpack. She looks unsure how to feel about him buying the new shirt and backpack for her, but hesitantly accepts after a moment - you don't turn down free stuff, in her experience! So she ends up with both in the backpack for the moment. She picks out a more cute cat backpack for hers..not exactly as efficient, but she seems to like it.
"All th' way over there? That sounds neat, is it a lot better there? I should try that. I mean…" Carin pauses. "W-well, maybe not by myself…" she adds, remembering just how her particular set of obviously mutant looks have set people off in the past.
"Depends on where the school is, I suppose." Cain smiles warmly enough, and once they've got their respective backpacks he laughs softly at the mildly dubious look at first. "No big deal, Carin. I'm not ultra-rich or anything, but this is no biggie. Seriously." He chin points at the cat bag. "Cute." And then he pauses by a phone booth with an actual phone book, reading the yellow pages section in literally seconds, and then nods. "So…there's a couple of Cuban spots not too far." Like ANYTHING in a city is 'too far' for them? "And yeah, the food was amazing, the trip was pretty fun, all n'all. Tell you what, give me some time to see if there's any leylines running that way, I bet there are, I'll plot a path and we can maybe try together sometime? I mean, I should probably get a feel for the paths and options, right?"
There's a slight pause. "I can't really talk about th' school. Sorry." Carin says, apologetically. "I mean, I'm not supposed ta do that, cuz it's private." She listens to the explanation, patiently waiting while Cain looks through the book. "Sure? Do they not run everywhere then? They're like…rivers or roads or soemthin'?" she says curiously. Really, her understanding of Cuban cuisine starts and tops with Cuban sandwiches, so…
"Hey, no worry, I don't want you to betray any confidences, s'all good." Cain is clearly not offended by her need to be secretive, her life, he's not going to push. It is perhaps a bit ironic that seconds require patience, but—speedsters have a very different idea of time than most people! "Leylines? Actually, yeah, a lot like rivers, only instead of being pathways where water flows easiest, it is magic. The thing is that from what I've seen in my research people tend to build cities and such along both rivers and leylines, but they seem weaker inside city limits, so it must be a nature thing."
By the time he's finished, they've arrived at La Teresita Cafe in West Tampa. The building is OLD, stucco walls of pink, the building rather blocky but it has arches, it really looks like something you'd see in an old western set south of the border.
The decor inside is much the same, very old school, and it smells spicy.
The Hostess gives Carin a bit of a doubtful look, but then decides 'eh, money is money is money', and seats them both promptly. "Pitcher of iced tea, please." He orders as she departs, and then he doesn't even look over the menu, which seems to be pretty comprehensive. "So, yeah…leylines don't run everywhere."
"Magic is really a thing?" Carin says, a bit unsure as she follows along, then looks over the building. She frowns a bit at the look she gets from the hostess, but tries to brush it off, following over to sit down, hands in her lap. "So they…flow from somewhere, like a river? Is there an ocean of magic somewhere?" she wonders.
"Magic is really a thing." Cain confirms without a hint of teasing. Carin is not the only one who frowns at the hostess, but…they get sat, and he looks intrigued by the girl's question. "You know, Carin…I have no idea, I /do/ know that sometimes the lines intersect, and just like with rivers, they form sort of a lake - the books I read called them 'nodes' or 'nexus points'. I like the idea of /oceans/ of magic, that would be SOMETHING to see."
When their drinks are delivered, he looks to the waitress. "One of each appetizer please, and as we're both strangers to your cuisine, have the cook make us something for four people, anything that isn't too spicy, and that he or she -loves- to cook, we want the full experience, and I am absolutely serious, we'll eat it all." A bright grin. "And I also promise a nice tip."
He looks to Carin. "That sound okay to you?" It will be /totally/ a surprise on every level.
Carin looks a little surprised by the choice, her green eyes widening slightly. But then again, she does have a large appetite for calories, especially when she runs, and she assumes Cain does too, so not THAT surprising. Besides, doggy bags are a thing, after all. "Sure? I mean, it sounds expensive…" is her main concern. Poor, is Carin. "I can chip in though!"
She pauses as the iced tea arrives, dumping more sweetener into it, then sipping from it as she mms. "So is there one of those nexus things in New York, then? Or nearby?" she wonders.
"And sure, you can chip in." Cain allows, and then nods to the server. "So…like I said, feed us like you would hungry family you haven't seen in a while, appetizers, multiple different entrees and desserts, definitely desserts too." The man's enthusiasm is obvious, and the promise of a big tip doesn't hurt at all, and before long they're treated to a LOT of well made food in large quantities. The food has a heavy Spanish influence, but there's a bunch of Africa and France in it. The dishes often simple and featuring rice and beans a lot of the time.
"Several." Cain answers, eating some Sopa de Pollo, a rich chicken soup with lots of rice and vegies, and a bit of spice to it. "My foster dad's place had a small one, there's a fairly big one under a brownstone on Bleeker street, but I couldn't get near to it, I was stopped by some sort of field about a block away. My apartment has a ley line running through it, but isn't really near a node. It seems the big ones in the city are under grave yards, some churches and the like, basically 'spooky' places." Another item they get to partake of are various plantain dishes - cooking bananas! Often fried and with dipping sauces.
"So…dead people collect magic?" Carin says, trying some of the sopa as well, as well as one of the fried plantain dishes that she dips chunks of banana in the accompanying sauce. Though some are already rolled in sugar. "Was yer father th' one who taught ya about magic an' stuff?" she wonders as well, trying a little bit of everything as she works her way through it. She eats like…well, someone's who's having tgo remind herself ot slow down and that the food isn't going to disappear if she doesn't eat it quickly.
"I guess, yeah. Maybe souls generate it on their way to the beyond, dunno. I'm not a mage, I'm kind of an elf, I guess. A faerie, so my magic is mostly in my speed." Cain looks thoughtful. "Maybe…burial rights and prayers said over the graves do something? I wish I could tell you, that's a good question." Cain's smile fades a bit. "Foster father, and no." He shakes his head. "I…he probably /triggered/ my powers, but he was not a good guy, tried to kill me later." A shrug. "Anyway, he's gone, I'm free of him. Most of what I know I learned by reading, and by trying things…" A chuckle. "…sometimes with rather bad results. ALWAYS with interesting ones."
Cain eats at a steady pace that all the same manages to demolish his food. The server is definitely surprised that the pair can eat so much at such a good clip. He does meet Carin's gaze at one point, a sense of 'yeah, I understand' about how hungry she feels before he digs back in again.
The entrees are interesting - there's a huge Cuban Sandwich (Sandwich built on a base of lightly buttered Cuban bread made with sliced roast pork, thinly sliced Serrano ham, Swiss cheese, dill pickles, genoa salami and yellow mustard.), Bistec de palomilla (Beef round steak marinated in garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper then pan-fried. Served with black beans and yellow ice.) and lastly Ropa Vieja (Shredded flank steak in a tomato sauce base served with black beans, yellow rice, plantains and fried yuca with beer.).
"Wait, yer like…uh, Tinkerbell?" Carin asks, peering at Cain, as that's the first fairy she can think of that comes to mind.
Her eyes change at the mention of the foster father trying to kill Cain, a whole host of emotions leaking out for a moment as flickers of her own memories past in front of her eyes, before she catches herself, looking down at her food as she swallows. "O-oh. I'm…I'm sorry…" she stammers a bit.
She seems to enjoy the Cuban at least…well, not the pickle, which she removes. Steak is steak though and she definitely seems to enjoy the 'old clothes'.
Or she was, anyway. She gets a little quiet, though she's still listening and responding to the conversation.
"Yes, like Tinkerbell, kind of…just taller." Cain laughs at the image. "I also don't fly." He says still amusedly laughing at himself.
"Hey…" He briefly touches Carin's shoulder. "…hey now, it is okay, it was years ago, and I'm fine. He lost on the deal, dude was doing alchemy on me, experimenting, and dumped me in the woods. When I eventually got better, I got /fast/, and went back home - so I guess he tried to kill me twice, really. But it is OVER, and I'm okay, and he'll never hurt anyone again." If she looks up she'll see he's very earnest. Either way. "You have nothing to be sorry about, if anything I should apologize to you for being too revealing, okay?"
He definitely enjoys the food, and he'll eat the pickles she declines.
Dessert is the next thing, hopefully it will be enough to get Carin out of her funk. There's several different types of flan, a bread pudding, and the one that Cain likes the best - Dulce de Leche - a sort of custard that tastes a lot of caramel.
The pickles are Cain's! She nods a little at the apology, perking up slightly at the flan, which she seems to like, though she also tries the dulce de leche as well, poking at it as she tastes it first, then takes bigger bites, rapidly polishing her portions off. She sets the spoon down, then takes a deep breath.
"My stepdad tried to kill me too."
The restaurant staff are a little awed by how much food the two speedsters pack away, and when they present the bill, Cain will do some mental math before adding the tip to the bottom, and paying with is American Express card. And yes, he'll allow Carin to chip in whatever she likes, and no, she does not get to see the bill.
When she makes her reveal, he blinks, and then carefully grips her hand, if he can, offering a squeeze. "Well…shit." He says with feeling. "I doubly regret bring up that memory in you, I'm sorry, Carin." He smiles gently, and obviously knows what it is like to have a stepfather go all murdery. "Still, YOU survived, and you're doing okay, right? So…screw 'em."
Carin will pass over a wad of bills pretty much. Not very organized in that sense, but she just gives them all to Cain. It's like sixy bucks or so all together. She looks a bit startled by the squeeze, blinking at Cain, her cheeks coloring again. "…ya didn't know." she says simply. "An'…an' it probably wasn't th' same, I just…sorry, i wasn't expectin' it…" she says, swallowing slightly.
Cain also orders some Churros to go, and then tucks Carin's money away without looking at it or counting. He takes his hand back, and then smiles. "Lets go see if we can find some dolphins or something, yeah? Or do you want to go home?" He make no further mention of the dad's thing, it is pretty traumatic for both of them, and this was supposed to be fun!
"Hmmm, algebra homework or dolphins…" Carin says sardonically. "I think I'm gonna go with dolphins there. Do they really got dolphins here? In like aquariums an' stuff?" She's never really been to one, so she's not quite sure how that works. Like that Free Willy thing or something? "I mean…if ya wanna see dolphins…?" she adds hesitantly, looking to Cain for approval now.
More laughter. "See, that's the spirit!" Cain nods. "I've been to Disney World, and there's another park called Sea World - /they/ will have dolphins, whales, sharks and probably seals and more. Or we can just run around out on the water and see what we find." He nods again, and smiles. "I'd love to see Dolphins, sure. Been to Disney, never been to Sea World."
"I've…never been to either. My sister and I always wanted to go to Six Flags, but we never….I mean, we didn't have the money to go. And my stepdad said it was a waste of time." Carin offers. "Is it expensive? Sea World? Maybe we should just go looking for stuff on the ocean…I mean, I've never been on an ocean with a real beach much. Not in a warm place." she allows.
"Then definitely need to go to Sea World if you want to see some dolphins and stuff, it really isn't very expensive to get in, they get you with concessions and souvenirs, so we'll just be frugal about those. Fair?" Cain pays for the bag of Churros and will lead the way out of the restaurant. "Running around on the water is sure to be fun, but we probably won't see much sea life, but who knows. Better a sure thing than a might be. Now…do YOU want to see some dolphins, or would you rather do Disney?"
Carin blinks, her eyes widening. "Oh, that's way too much money, I can't pay for that! I mean, I just get a little allowance per week, it's not a lot." she admits, sighing. "Maybe some day. I guess dolphins?" She'll steal a churro to munch on as they walk out. "I mean, you've already seen it too, so we shouldn't go just cuz I haven't been, ya know?"
He laughs at the reaction. "Alright, so…here's the deal then, Sea World tonight…when and if we do the Cali run, we'll hit Disney Land, which I'm betting you haven't been to either, and which would be new to me too. Yeah?" He sets down his guitar case, and offers the hand since his other holds the bag of (one less) churros.
After they shake, he grins and leads the way to Sea World, they could take a cab, or an Uber, but why? The weather is pretty damn nice, and speedsters love to run usually, right?
Carin smiles and nods, taking the hand. "Okay…if yer sure. I'll pay ya back!" she promises firmly. "I mean, if yer sure ya wanna go." She takes off like a shot to head over to the park with Cain, staying close to him as she runs, beaming now at the idea of going! She's never been to….well, wait, she could have been ,but she certainly doesn't remember ever going to an amusement park.
As they run he shares the Churros en route at his pokey few hundred MPH. "I'm sure, and honestly, here…take your money back, I don't feel right about taking it when your means are less than mine. I make good money, have few expenses, live in a rent controlled apartment and have substantial savings."
He won't argue if she declines, he knows that self-esteem can be a beeyotch, and he won't mess with hers. HIS however demands he offer her the money back.
Either way, once at the park the tickets are actually pretty inexpensive, he'll use her cash if she didn't accept it back. The place is actually pretty big, and with the night time lighting some of the shows are spectacular! There's several massive tanks, most of which can be viewed from below through thick glass.
Speedsters are fortunately used to running, so walking about a park is trivial. There are some delicious but awful for you treats in the form of cotton candy, chocolate dipped frozen bananas, and all sorts of greasy stuff. The concessions are INSANELY overpriced, and the stuff in the souvenir stands almost as bad. There's restaurants serving sea food, and as promised - orca, seals, and yes, definitely dolphins.
Carin gets a stubborn look at the offer, shaking her head firmly as they run. "No, it's yours. Yer payin' all sorts of money out, it aint' fair if I don't try ta pay my way or somethin'." She has pride! Not a lot of it at times, but she does have it. Walking in, she looks a bit astonished, looking around at all the huge tanks and the fish inside, almost absently taking the food offered and munching on it. She doesn't actually realize just how MUCH money Cain is spending on the snacks, of course..to her, they should be cheap, right? It's just popcorn and cotton candy!
How little she knows. She seems to really be enjoying herself, running over to windows to lean right up against them to watch all the various sea creatures, seeming astonished…also a lot younger than she is with the pure wonder of it.
And you know what? HER delight, the sheer wonder she's exudes, that makes everything else not matter even a little. He really can afford the snacks, and he doesn't make a fuss when she declines taking her money back. He makes sure to point out the more freaky looking fish, or the brightest coral arrangements, and some of those are /spectacular/. The best part though comes after seeing a water show - the dolphins did amazing stunts, turning somersaults, knocking rings and balls through hoops or onto rods. Rising to actually swish backwards with their whole body out of the water supported on their tails…leaping through hoops, to music. And there's lights even fireworks, but that's not the best part. The BEST part is when they're allowed, thanks to a bribe on the sly from Cain, to actually get down near the water to feed and even pet one of the dolphins.
All the tension and hesitation in the young woman melts away, replaced with excitement and interest and…well, happiness. The dolphin feeding and petting has her acting like she's ten, actually giggling and practically bouncing with energy as she does.
As they're walking back up afterward she sighs out, looking over to Cain. "…thanks for this. This is…this is the most awesome day I can every remember…." She's fairly certain this applies for even the large swathes of her memory that she can't remember at all. The part she HAS remembered suggests it was pretty sucky overall thus far.
Seeing Carin actually relax and just have fun? That's a great thing in Cain's book. Girl NEEDS a lot more nice things in her life. He has no idea how true that is either. Regardless, he laughs right along with when she giggles, and will even get her a couple souvenirs - specifically: A crazy straw with a dolphin in the middle, a t-shirt with an orca leaping from the water on it, and a 32 ounce cup with the sea world logo on it, and coral art on the outside.
"Hey, I had fun too." Cain answers with a smile. "Thanks for joining me for an almost 1200 mile run and fun in the not frozen south."
Carin giggles a bit. "Mmm, I liked it, I never get ta run anywhere with people, you're th' first speedster I've really met here." she admits, her loot crammed in her backpack, save for the Orca shirt that she's wearing now, having stopped to get changed. She beams at Cain a bit. "Thanks…for inviting me along. I really liked it."
"Honestly…I feel great, I think I 'recharged' a lot in the ley line, I have been up like 30 hours now, and I feel like I just woke up after a good night of sleep." Cain grins at Carin's giggle. "And just think - if I find a path, we can maybe run somewhere again, I did actually meet another speedster - her 'name' was Anon. Nice girl, I think you might like her." He briefly hugs around Carin's shoulders as they walk, just a friendly thing, and a brief thing - he is not going to press any boundaries. "I had a great time too. I'd offer to race you home I but I /know/ who will win."
"Anon? Like th' internet people?" Carin says curiously, then flushes as she's hugged, stiffening in suprise, then relaxing into it after a moment, before more firmly hugging Cain back. "Hehe…well, I DO get tired running like that…so you'd still outlast me if yer all charged up from th' ley line thing." Carin admits. "It'd be nice if I didn't get tired, but I'm probably gonna have ta eat a pizza or something when I get back ta recharge a bit."
"She explained it as 'Right away' or 'anonymous'." Cain says with a smiles. "She had a neat speed trick though, 'super shivering', so she could stay warm when it was cold outside. Pretty cool, I have to work on that one, I just bundle up and let the magic and the running do the rest, you know?" A little surprised to get hugged back, he lets his arm linger while her hug lasts.
"Yeah, the leylines make it much easier to run." A grin. "I could always carry you back if you like, I'm pretty strong, save your energy. Either that or we'll grab a pizza back in the Big Apple." A slow nod. "Or two." A laugh. "Each!" He adds wryly.
Carin considers. "Super..shivering? Just, like..vibrating in place?" she says slowly, thinking that over. "How would that work…?" She hmms. Apparently she's going to be trying to figure out that trick later! She flushes at the offer. "I can run fine on my own…" she grumps. "I'm not that tired…an' ya already paid for most of my meals, an' th' park, an' everything. I feel like I'm moochin' off ya now." She hesitates. "…but…if you're hungry, I guess…um, pizza would be nice…" Because she's kinda not wanting to say goodnight as of yet.
"Yeah, like that." Cain shrugs. "I haven't tried, and didn't ask for specifics, I prolly should've." He laughs, -knowing- that Carin's interested too. "Never said you couldn't, no offense intended." Cain's grin is faintly amused he got her goat a bit. "You are NOT mooching. You gave me every penny you had, right? That means you contributed MORE than your fair share."
Cain studies Carin a few moments, and then nods. "Fair enough. And then he SMILES. "I'll order ahead, we'll be back before the pies are done!" And that tickles him to laughter. He takes out his cel, and dials Giordanos. "Hey, table for two, McCormick…can I get three of the specials with extra cheese…" A nod. "…dine in…" He rattles off a card number. "…forty-five minutes? Yeah, that's fine, we'll be there."
Once he ends the call, Cain grins, dons his coat, hat and goggles, then /leaps/ into motion, BLURRING as he hits the main ley line and rockets back towards NYC. He KNOWS Carin can keep up so he doesn't hold back a bit.
Carin laughs, then bursts into full speed, vanishing to keep up with Cain as they run back. "Y'know, next time, I'm gonna take ya ta Chicago for a proper pie…" she calls over, dodging back and forth around obstacles as they head back. And she's definitely enjoying the race, keeping up with Cain as they dodge aback and forth, allll the way back to the pizza place!
The race is FUN, though — Cain does cheat a couple times, when there's an obstacle that Carin runs around, he'll instead phase shift and run /through/. She's still faster though, even so. It would be quite a sight - the blur of Carin, and Cain's lightning trail in purple, as they go. They actually get /back/ in about eighteen minutes, leaving them quite a few to get to the restaurant. "Chicago? Haven't ever been, so…you're on." He says easily once their just outside Giordano's. It is a chain pizzeria, in fact they're in Chicago too. Cain of course gets the door for Carin, and then follows in after her with his guitar case in the other hand. Since they called ahead, they get seated, and it is Saturday night, so the place is pretty well packed, it is a GOOD thing they called ahead! Seated in a small booth tucked in the back, they're actually fairly private, the walls covered with graphitti which is -encouraged-, it is part of the fun, and they even provided a variety of markers. Cain will wait for Carin to sit, then slips in and stores their stuff in the back and under the table. He's pretty sure Carin's underage, she's way too young for beer, so he orders more iced tea, and then relaxes into his seat across from her. "This was a good day." He declares.
Well, she certainly LOOKS younger! Though part of that may just be, well…malnutrition when she was younger. She doesn't ask for beer though, she seems fine with tea, or diet soda. Junk food in general is good! She will sit down, taking a marker and drawling a little panda like her shirt on one of the walls nearby. "It…it really was…" Carin says with a smile, looking over at him. "I really enjoyed it all…" She hesitates, shifting a bit in her seat as something occurs to her. "Are…are we on a date?" she says uncertainly. "I've never…I mean, I don't know, I've never really…well, I can't /remember/ it anyway." she stammers a bit. "Because I can't remember lots of stuff…"
Cain's fine with tea, he tends not to drink sodas very often, just not very fond of carbonation. Yes, he's odd. He watches the panda get drawn. "Cool Koala." He says deadpan, though…the eyes give the teasing away. He returns her smile. "I don't think it started as one, just people getting to be friends, but…it could be." He cants his head to the side as their drinks are delivered. "Do you want it to be?" And then he blinks at her reveal about the memory. "Wait, wait…you've lost memories? What happened?"
"Oh…ah…w-well…" Carin says, looking down at her tea glass as she rotates it slightly in her hands. "Um, it's kinda weird, but some…people sorta….took me from foster care and…they were really bad people." She rubs her thumb over the sweating glass slightly, her lips twisting in a little. "Um, and they wanted like…psycho soldier killers, not people, so they were…so they were erasing our memories, so they could, like…put in a different personality. We're all made of our memories, right?" She smiles humorlessly, then tilts her head to the side, reaching back to push up the back of her hair, to show a x-shaped incision on the back of her neck. "They put something in my head for that." She lets the hair fluff back down after that. "…I know, it sounds like…crazy stuff foster kids make up to make themselves feel…like…I dunno."
She huffs. "But I don't…I don't remember my life. Other than some bits, that someone helped me remember and honestly, they are all th' crappiest memories so far. She said somethin' about that ones with strong emotional connections might be easier for me ta get back."
"Man, what is it with people abusing orphans? I mean…I was in the system my whole life, and then I got adopted by the crappiest dad ever, even though he tricked me at first into thinking he was actually cool. I mean, nice house, nice things, good food…and experimental alchemy and subsequent murder attempt." Cain's voice takes on a bit of a growl. "Then…you were /mindwiped/ as part of your fostering, and apparently implanted you with god knows what?" He shakes his head firmly. "No, not made up, crazy yes, but not made up. Why would anyone make that up? Ugh."
Cain closes his eyes a moment, and then sighs. "I wish I could help somehow. I'm an EMT, I don't have the training to really help something like this. Sounds like you'd need a neurosurgeon or a psychiatrist to get that stuff back - assuming they even could." He moves around to sit next to Carin and then will gather her close if she permits. "Dunno if this is a date, but I /am/ your friend, truth is that I've been seeing that firefighter I mentioned off and on." A laugh then. "Not even sure she noticed my interest." His hug is firm but not pushy, not a prison - it is an offer of safe haven, safe harbour, a storm anchor in a tempest.
Carin shakes her head a little bit and corrects. "I mean, not exactly by my foster parents, they just…didn't care too much when they took me away. They had paperwork an' all that crap, that proved they worked for th' state, some special fuckin' program and stuff." She hmmphs, then drinks from the glass. "And…I mean, most of them were horrible, but one of them helped me out. Burned out parts of my implant that were supposed ta control me, an' change me. It's kinda like having a smartphone in my head now." she admits.
She doesn't move away when Cain slides around next to her, tilting her head, then smiles a bit, if a little weakly. "Oh. Uh, sorry then." she admits, feeling really embarrassed now finding out about the firefighters. "I mean…she'd be kinda dumb no to notice you. For stuff, um, like that…" she says, not pulling away from the hug. Though she's feeling a bit confused how to respond to it now, but in the end, the subconscious need for…well, affection, attention, whatever, has her leaning towards Cain a bit more.
"Scummy people are scummy, it is good to know they weren't ALL jerks. It is good that at least one of them gave enough of a shite to do the right thing." Cain has to laugh a little. "I don't know that I'd /want/ a smartphone in my brain. With my luck I'd end up getting some weird glitch the kept feeding me pop-ups about some lame app or other."
He shakes his head. "Carin, don't be sorry. I do like you a lot. We get on well, and we have a lot in common. I think you're pretty, and fun." He is a solid thing to cling too, warm. "If I wasn't in a weird place with that firefighter, I'd say 'Hell yes, this IS a date'. Honestly, maybe I'm not being direct enough, like you did, I'll just ask her and resolve things one way or the other." A pause. "But…I do like you a lot, and I want to help you, and go running again, and see DisneyLand and eat real Chicago pizza…"
"Y-yeah….I like that too." Carin says, a bit shyly. "And…I'm still up for doin' stuff. I don't really know a lot of people. Some at th' school, but they all got their own thing and I don't see them outside of class 'n stuff." She consider a bit, then says slowly. "Maybe ya could…bring her along? If she wants ta try th' pizza too. Or stuff like that. I don't mind, she sounds, um, nice."
"Friends then, with potential for more in time." Cain declares and continues to hold the girl close, happy she relaxed into the hug, EVERYONE needs touch. It is a basic need for almost every person in the world, something we miss a lot. He doesn't know much sometimes, but he knows /that/ much. He frowns as he hears about her isolation, and then blinks at her offer. "I'll ask, it might be fun at that. She can be…direct, she's like the element she controls - fiery."
And then of course the pizzas arrive. LOTS of pizza.
"I don't mind fiery. I mean, as long as she's not being mean or angry towards me or somethin'." Carin confirms. "I mean, if she acts like a bitch to me, I'll be just as mean back." she huffs. "But, if you like her, she can't be too bad." She fidgets a litlte bit at that, then is distracted by pizza! And there is munching.