10952/Chin Music

Chin Music
Date of Scene:	01 February 2020
Location:	Two Bridges (Chinatown), Manhattan
Synopsis:	Faora and Jack find meaning in heroism...and bacon.
Cast of Characters:	Jack Burton, Superwoman

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Jack Burton has posed:
A few minutes later, the orders have been placed, and Jack is regaling Faora with his adventures in San Francisco. He takes center stage, of course, but the supporting characters don't really fade into the background with him - they are right there with him. it's a little interesting picking out the (slight) embellishments when his pulse changes and his eyes reference the creative side of his brain rather than the memory side. But the scenes border on the fantastical, even when he is telling the unfiltered truth. And he embellishes for ego's sake, but does not actually lie; when he screws up, he admits to it, albeit grudgingly.
But it is his attitude that is most telling. He is deadly serious about many important things: the value of friendship, of the importance of keeping a vow, of his belief in his country and its values, and that there are times when you just have to say 'What the Hell..." and stride forward into glorious defense of all that is right and good.

By the time his story is complete, the food has not yet arrived, but a couple of tables have stopped to listen as well. Jack was a charmer, and he knew how to spin a tale.

Superwoman has posed:
Faora is admittedly mesmerized by the story. She is leaning forward on the table, resting her chin in her hand, elbow on the table, enthralled. Almost so much so that she doesn't register the embellishments. Almost. But it is enough to tell her the majority of it is completely honest in its account.

When he is finished, she just sits back in her chair again with a sigh. "Wow. You've seen a few things, Jack Burton," she replies. "More than I have seen here, maybe."

Jack Burton has posed:
Jack smiles wryly as he sits back. "Hell, it's not a contest. I've been involved in a number things a lot less memorable than that. The trick is...you gotta remain flexible. Mind AND body. Because you can try to deny Chinese demons exist right up to the point they rip your head off. But ya end up headless, AND wrong."
The waitress returns with the large plates, setting them on the table with practiced experience. She smiles to the two of them, then bows slightly and heads over to a different table.
Jack grins, clapping his hands together and rubbing them together. "All right! Let's eat. And while we're eating, you can tell me about *yourself.*"

Superwoman has posed:
The shift in Faora's comfort level is tangible, as she settles into her seat a little, and picks up the peanut butter to spread on her pancakes. In silence, she painstakingly spreads the peanut butter, first on one pancake, and then the other.

"What do you want to know?" she finally asks, once her pancakes are a satisfactorily disguised conglomeration.

Jack Burton has posed:
Jack watches her apply peanut butter. It is unusual, but after seeing a guy bite off the head of a fish, it takes a little more than it used to to shock him. "Well, how'd ya get these powers of yours? The flying, the whole bullet-bouncing stuff. Most normal people don't have that."

Superwoman has posed:
"I am not a normal people," she replies with a slight smile. "I come from a different place. The specific light wavelengths from your sun affects my physiology in extraordinary ways. Where I came from, I was not so different from you. But my own sun was different." She starts to take a bite of eggs, and looks up at him appraisingly. "Well...a little different," she adds with a smirk.

Jack Burton has posed:
Jack pauses. He is no MENSA member, but he can make SOME correlations. "Your own sun? Like, you come from another planet? Jeez. Ya look so human, Fae. A human who hit the pick six in the genetic lottery, but still, human." He takes a bite, chews, swallows. "So what was your old planet like?"

Superwoman has posed:
Faora shrugs. "It was...different. More strife. Although the more I learn of this place, the more I wonder if that initial assessment was correct. It was...more advanced. But not so different. Not really."

Jack Burton has posed:
Jack nods. "I guess that's true of most places. What did you do on that planet? What's the name of the planet, anyway? I know we aren't exactly trendsetters when we named ours 'Earth'..." He takes another bite, but his eyes remain on Faora.

Superwoman has posed:
"I am from Krypton," she says, quietly now. Her voice is directed solely toward Jack. She looks up at him for a moment, deliberating. "And I am afraid we would not have been on the same side of the red line, there."

Jack Burton has posed:
Jack tilts his head slightly. "Okay...but is that still true? Christ, I've done a lot of things in my past I'm not proud of, my ex-wife being one of them...but I also learned not to do the same stuff over and over again. Is that you? Have you learned?"

Superwoman has posed:
"My presence here, I see as a chance to reinvent myself. I did not take the path back there willingly. But in time I followed it, regardless. Here I could choose my path. One from which I would not wish to deviate. One which I would not look back on with dread and regret." Her gaze lingers awhile longer on Jack, before she looks down again, and spears a sausage with her fork, lifting it to take a bite.

Jack Burton has posed:
Jack looks at her for a few moments, then says, "Would you like to know what Jack Burton always says at a time like this?"

Superwoman has posed:
Faora pauses and looks at Jack for a moment, chewing slowly before swallowing. "....'What the hell?'" she asks tentatively.

Jack Burton has posed:
Jack picks up a slice of bacon. Cooked meaty instead of crispy, like he likes it. "Jack says that, too. But he ALSO says, 'It ain't who you were that counts. It's who you *are.*' What you do, right now, counts. Not what you say, but what you do. Talk is cheap...unless you hire a lawyer, that is."

Superwoman has posed:
Faora blinks slowly, her wide blue eyes considering Jack's words. A slow smile spreads across her face, and she nods. "I like the way Jack thinks," she says, before taking the rest of the sausage link into her mouth. "I'll be careful not to accidentally hire a lawyer."

Jack Burton has posed:
Jack nods. "Worse comes to worst, I happen to know a few lawyers. One I know helps people in San Francisco Chinatown. She may be a looker, but if you mess with her, she'll cut you off at the knees." He smirks. "Legally, anyway. But she's gutsy, that's for sure. Anyway, if you're trying to be a better person, I got no problems with that. Especially if you've got superpowers." He starts in on his pancakes. "I don't have superpowers, even though I have good reflexes. But I get the feeling I'm going to run into trouble out here. What I'm asking is if you would help if I needed it? I won't have you on call or nothing, just..." He took a sip of orange juice. "It would be good to have a friend back my play."

Superwoman has posed:
Faora smiles, a little more softly this time. "It's why I gave you three different ways to reach me. If you say my name within a hundred miles of me, I'll hear you. If you're farther away....well, you have the communicator, and the phone." She takes a bite of bacon and blinks again, completely distracted. "What...what is this?"

Jack Burton has posed:
Jack chuckled. "THAT is finely cured bacon, Faora. What do you think of it?"

Superwoman has posed:
"If I had known this existed here, I would have set out to change my path on a new planet ages ago," Faora replies, and she stuffs the rest of the strip of bacon into her mouth, uttering a soft sound of contentment as she chews.

Jack Burton has posed:
Jack chuckled, then takes the remaining four strips of bacon on his plate, then transfers it to Faora's plate. He does take the sausages on her plate though, let's not get stupid. "Seems like a decent trade," he says by way of explanation. He seems intrigued by her interest in bacon.

Superwoman has posed:
Faora watches Jack narrowly, shaking her head in protest. "I don't want to deprive you of your bacon, Jack Burton. You should enjoy it with me!"

Jack Burton has posed:
Jack spears one of the sausages. "I like these, too. Besides, you can always order more bacon if you want it."

Superwoman has posed:
"The very definition of luxury on this planet. You like bacon? You can always order more. If you run out of gas, you can always buy more. Run out of villains to ravage....you can always find more." She grins, and stuffs a strip of bacon right into her mouth.