11100/Pizza Planet!

Pizza Planet!
Date of Scene:	20 February 2020
Location:	Pizza Joint - Salem Center
Synopsis:	Alex and Shannon meet for pizza, and Shannon thinks she can surprise Alex with her 'big bro'.
Cast of Characters:	Nightingale, Zero-G, Cannonball

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Nightingale has posed:
     Lunchtime. It was the first of two rush hours of the day for the pizza joint in Salem Center. It was also where a certain winged teen had taken to frequenting, in search of a good slice or two that she didn't have to cook herself. For the moment, she's perched in a booth, with just a large root beer in front of her, which she sips from time to time while looking at her phone. She's dressed in a wine-colored tunic sweater, dark blue jeans, and calf-length black leather boots. Her hair is long and loose, save for the little blue braid on the left side of her face, just a few shades darker than her own eyes, with its three little silver beads on the end. Too, as always, she had her brown leather bag tied to her belt, with its mysterious contents. The booths around her were just starting to fill up, and she glances around, perhaps as if looking for someone.

Zero-G has posed:
There was a flurry of texts back and forth, and soon, Alex is arriving behind the pizza joint so he can shift from his costume back to his street clothes with a quiet, "Costume off." His civilian attire is a t-shirt with a graphic design on it, leather jacket and blue jeans with a pair of tennis shoes on his feet. The door of the pizza place opens, and really, it's hard to miss Shannon. She's pretty. And while the wings may be the draw, it's her face that catches his eyes. His smile grows brighter as he approaches and gestures. "This seat taken, or are you waiting for your boyfriend?" he asks playfully.

Nightingale has posed:
     Chuckling lightly, Shannon extends one wing in a gesture towards the seat opposite her. "Oh, I don't know. Don't think he'll mind if you sit here for a while," she teases. For once, she has something of a smile on her face, something that lightens her whole expression by several degrees. "Good to see you, Alex. How've you been?"

Zero-G has posed:
Sitting down across from her, Alex reaches to squeeze her hands in light affection before he settles in. "Busy!" he admits with a laugh. Now that he's settled, he doesn't quite release her hand, but gives her the option to pull away if she wants. "Had a term paper to work on." But that doesn't explain why he hasn't texted her recently. "And had a mission to take care of." That quiets his voice slightly. "But I thought about you. Alot."

Nightingale has posed:
     The mention of a mission has Shannon quirking her eyebrow slightly. Though her smile remains, her gaze becomes a touch more critical as she looks him over to check for any lingering sign of injury. "You all set with the term paper? And..." She drops her voice a notch or two. "...the mission. Nobody was hurt, I hope?" By the sound of it, it seemed as if perhaps she might have been on one or two herself, or dealt with the aftermath.

     Her cheeks darken ever so slightly, a wry smile tugging one corner of her lips upwards. She squeezes his hand gingerly, not pulling away for the moment. "Same. I was pretty sure I'd never hear from you again. I'm glad to be wrong."

Zero-G has posed:
His fingers twine with hers, emboldened by her remaining there. It's a young relationship with two young people. Baby steps. Alex swallows. "So. I have these friends." he starts in explanation, as he glances down at the drink and considers. "How much do you know about relativity, when it comes to time travel?" he asks her suddenly. "And not in the Back to the Future or Terminator ways. "

Nightingale has posed:
     Lofting her eyebrows, Shannon now cants her head slightly to one side. "Not much more than the next person," she begins. "I mean, supposedly the closer you get to the speed of light, the slower time passes for the traveler. But time passes as normal back home. So you wind up with situations like Planet of the Apes." Baby steps, indeed. She smiles a bit. It was nice to just enjoy someone's company without her heart getting broken for a change.

Zero-G has posed:
"So, time's not linear. It's more like a bell curve. And with time, you can't exist at the same two points at the same time. It causes a distortion." Alex explains. "In the thirty first century, there's a group of super heroes. Our age. All of them. Dozens, from what I was told. But a small group of them, a few years back, made a trip to our time - to prevent Superman's death." he explains.

"They succeeded. But something happened. And now they're trapped here, because they can't calibrate the exact moment to return without causing..."

He moves his hands dramatically. 'Poof.'

"I was at their base outside in the solar system, trying to help. It didn't work." And he waits for her to just accuse him of lying, or avoiding her. Or just throw a drink in his face.

Nightingale has posed:
     The mention of Superman's death causes Shannon to immediately stiffen, her wings ruffling and spreading out. Her grasp tightens ever so slightly, and a colder, harder look creeps into her eyes, one still tinged with grief at the memory of the event. "I sang at his memorial," she whispers, the day clearly one she would never forget.

     But the one thing she did not do was call Alex a liar. Or throw a drink in his face. If he had been avoiding her, he had been avoiding her, and that was something she would have to learn to live with. Still, she had seen and done some pretty incredible things herself, and had tales of her own that would have others branding her a liar. "Did your friends at least escape alive?" she asks, quietly.

Zero-G has posed:
"They did. Still trapped here, in the boring 21st century." Alex responds. He can understand Shannon's reaction. "This was a plot to kill him when he arrived as a baby." he explains, his hands tightening on hers in gentle support. He's not going to flee from her, obviously.

"I'd like you to meet them sometime. I mean, if you can." he shrugs, and glances down. "I'd like them to meet my... girlfriend. She's pretty amazing."

Wait, did he just ask...?

Nightingale has posed:
     "Then it looks like your friends succeeded in that much, at least." As his hands tighten a bit on hers, Shannon relaxes a little bit, her wings folding in behind her once more. Her brows raise just a tiny bit, and she smiles some. "I couldn't tell them any more than you about... some things," she offers, cautiously. "And there's probably stuff they can't tell me. Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey and all that." Yes, yes her geek creds are showing, and she laughs a little bit. "Not sure who this amazing person is, though."

Zero-G has posed:
"Yeah. Don't go asking for lottery numbers, or how many kids we have or anything like that." Alex teases. But apparently she might be saying no to the idea of being his girlfriend, so he changes the subject. "I haven't had a chance to order yet. Have you eaten?" he asks her quietly.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shakes her head and smiles, not at all inclined at the moment to let go. "Sorry. I know I shouldn't come down on myself so hard. It's a bad habit I've got to break." Her stomach growling decides the matter of ordering, prompting a sheepish grin from her. "Who gets to order?"

Zero-G has posed:
"Well, if we're going to be official or anything, I'd like to think I'd help your confidence a little? I mean, I usually date six or sevens. I'll just have to settle for a ten this time." Smooth. Cheesy, yet so smooth. "I'm having the pizza sandwich!" he decides. "And some more of that root beer. How about you?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon grins, a simple yet silly common point enough to lift her spirits. "Root beer for me, and I might go for a couple slices of mushroom and onion pizza. Or a caprese sandwich, I can't decide. They're both really good." Her cheeks go rather rosy, and she ducks her head. A ten? Really?

Zero-G has posed:
"Onion? Someone doesn't want to kiss later." Alex comments playfully as he turns his attention to her as he places the order for the pizza and sandwich and a fresh pitcher of root beer. His hand squeezes hers, finally releasing it for just a moment to allow himself to pour a a drink and let her decide what the next move is.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles a bit, reluctantly letting go of his hand. However, she chuckles and shrugs, ruffling her wings a bit and blushing. "Hey. I like onions on a pizza. Anchovies, on the other hand..." She shudders, her nose wrinkling with disgust. "Some things just do not belong on a pizza."

Zero-G has posed:
"Like pineapple." Alex points out. He didn't pull his hand far, he just needed a drink. She can retake it if she wants. "I know this was kind of... impromptu. And I guess I should have asked before assuming you were my girlfriend. Sorry."

Nightingale has posed:
     Oh, now it's on! Battle of the Pineapple! Shannon chuckles, shaking her head with a soft tsking sound. "Ah, you poor thing. Thou hast not truly come to appreciate the miracle that is Hawaiian pizza." It seems, perhaps, that there was one point on which the pair would disagree, at least for some time!

Zero-G has posed:
It's not a relationship breaker, apparently because Alex takes Shannon's hand again. Since she doesn't want to. It's there for a moment and then gone again, "But it makes the crust all soggy and gross." he points out.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shakes her head, not inclined to move her hand away once it's taken. "Ever try grilling it first, and -then- putting it on a pizza? Adds a whole new level of flavor. Besides," she adds. "You can make a crust all soggy and gross by over-doing it on any kind of topping, really."

Zero-G has posed:
"See, now you're sounding like my siblings. I just usually get a cheese pizza. Simple and easy." Alex explains. "Kinda like me." There's a shrug of his shoulders as he sips from his soda. "Have classes been going okay for you?" Not living conditions, he just assumes she's a student. "Do you get time to fly and all that?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and smiles a bit to herself. "They have," she answers. "Got some good studying in last night for a bio exam I've got coming up, and I try to take a little extra time for flying to work on my strength some."

The two teens are sitting in a booth off to one side in the little pizza joint, a pitcher of soda and two glasses between them. It appears to be a somewhat spirited debate in progress, with words like 'cheese', 'pineapple', and 'toppings' bandied about. A culinary war zone!

Zero-G has posed:
There's also that sign of a teenage relationship with making eyes at each other and hand holding as they chat and laugh, Alex looking amused for a moment. Then he considers. "How much can you lift?" he asks her curiously. "I mean, the wings is an obvious power. And you said you can heal people, right?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie called to get a pizza. He had put in an order. Sam used to deliver for the place. He will walk in looking about as he does. He heads to the counter and looking over he will raises a brow when he notices someone he knows.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shrugs. "In the air? Maybe the equivalent of a small child. I haven't tried anything more than that. And the healing..." Her brows furrow, and she looks down at her hands, held very gently by Alex's. "It's... a little bit for some to stomach."

At just that moment, she glances towards the counter, hoping their order will be done soon--and sees someone she definitely knows. She calls out, her face gone a bit red, "Hey, Sam!"

Zero-G has posed:
Alex nods. "You told me a little. Don't have to get into it if you don't want to." he responds, offering her a supportive smile. "I don't mind you are who you are, just so you know." he feels like he needs to remind her. Then she's calling out to someone named Sam. Releasing Shannon's hands to turn in the booth to look, the young blonde is brought to pause.

He's filled out since the last time Cannonball saw him. He's no longer the lanky thirteen year old that was leading his siblings in the Morlock tunnels and other adventures. But there's no mistaking the oldest of the Power children. A family that's large and full of powers, kinda like Sam's own. "Mister Guthrie!" he says in surprise.

Alex knows him. Uhoh, Shannon.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will look at the two, and then to the counter. He will get his pizza, and a drink as well, as anything that happens to be going towards that table. He smirks a bit and starts to walk over "Shannon." He nods to her, and looks over and says "Alex. Been a while. He will set stuff on a nearby table and play waiter with their stuff

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon raises her eyebrows, her jaw dropping open as she looks in between Sam and Alex. "Wow. Ummmm, wow. This just got... interesting." Laughing somewhat, she ruffles her wings. "Ummm... well, remember a couple nights ago I mentioned someone named Alex...?" Yep. Busted. The pair are /so/ busted.

Zero-G has posed:
"I didn't know you and Shannon knew each other." Alex offers with a smile, glancing at where his hand and fingers are twined with Shannon's own. Though she's admitting that she was talking about them and he smirks, a laugh coming up from him. "And here I was suggesting you were my girlfriend and worrying about that!"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods, and says "Yea, least you didn't lead with Big Brother." He will say to Shannon, watching Alex's reaction to that one. He will grin a bit and says "Yea, I took Shannon in as a kid sister. Alex, and his family met me and some of the guys a few years back." He will tell Shannon not giving to much away as not sure what Alex has told her. "How your sisters and brother doing?"

Nightingale has posed:
     Grins at Sam and Alex, laughing a little bit. "I almost did, big brother. Ooof, with you two knowing each other, that would've been something to explain." She leans over towards Sam to whisper something to him for a moment, then settles back. "I haven't met any of his family or friends yet but then again, I haven't known him all that long, either.

Zero-G has posed:
"The usual. Frustrated with school, Julie's discovered boys or girls... I can't tell with her sometimes. I think she just likes everyone. Katie's mad that I won't let her go on adventures. You know. Usual." Alex responds, and then laughs. "If Shannon had told you that she knew you, I'd have made a better effort. She gets all secret about stuff though." he gives Shannon a wink. "It's fine though. I know like... you all have the secrets and stuff." X-Men, Avengers.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie smiles a bit and says "Not all the details, but enough you can talk to him about stuff." He will tell Shannon. He pulls a chair over and says "Don't worry won't interupt long but got a feeling should answer a few questions before I head out." He looks over and says to Alex "You guys some come out to club evolution sometime, I run it, and is open for all ages, just don't try to bs the bartenders about ya age." He jokes

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon chuckles, leaning over to pull Sam into a half wing-hug, with Alex still holding her other hand. "Yeah, if you ever come out that way, Alex, I took up a job bussing tables there just before the holidays. Just don't come before opening, when I'm helping with sound checks," she quips. "It's a wonder they still have any glassware left for the customers."

Zero-G has posed:
That only means he's going to have to show up one morning to hear her sing. Alex laughs. "Questions? None I know I will get answers to. I could ask what rules you have for dating your sister." because that's something that Shannon would probably want to know, as well.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie smiles a bit and says "Just remember I know where ya live, and know both a demon sorcerous and someone who can make your nightmares real." He grins and says "Seriously though you treat her right we ok, you hurt her then we will have to have a talk. " He makes a pinching motion at Shannon and says "And don't let her talk bad about herself." He will add to this.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon rolls her eyes and laughs, shaking her head. "Wouldn't want to get her mad, but the demon sorceress... well, when she says she's got your back, she'll follow through with it. Same as the others. Guess I'm kind of more of a kid sister to most of them." She makes a pinching motion right back at Sam, giggling. "Now now, big brother, would I do such a thing?"