12182/Before the Concert in Mutant Town

Before the Concert in Mutant Town
Date of Scene:	15 September 2020
Location:	Apple Park - Salem Center
Synopsis:	Andrea, Shannon and Megan get together for some catching up before the big concert tonight. They got to meet Conner and talk about careers.
Cast of Characters:	Rage, Pixie, Nightingale, Superboy

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Rage has posed:
It's a beautiful day in Apple Park and it's starting to get a bit busy with the open market and numerous stalls set up. There has to be over a hundred merchants who have come to sell their wares, along with the scent of hot food and the sound of music whistling through the air.

There is a main stage that is currently being built in the middle by a team contracted to ensure safety and security, as well as make sure that all the lights and sound systems are in place. Andrea is nearby, dressed in a plain set of jeans and a baggy hoodie over a NYU sweater. She is currently tapping away at her phone as she stands next to her guard, James, who is as usual in his suit and tie, quietly communicating with a number of other security details.

After sending off one last text, which is most likely to her friends to let them know where she's at, she hops up on the stage to walk around it a few times and get a feel for it.

Pixie has posed:
An open market in mutant town? How exciting! Megan hadn't been to one in a while, and she'd never seen this place quite so busy and bustling. But then again, with a famous songstress getting ready for a concert, it's bound to draw crowds.

Megan is excited to wander about the stalls, peering at this and that, ogling the pretty flashy jewelry and clothing, sniffing hungrily at the hot food. "Mmmmm I dunno what to get..And I'm soo short on cash! I really need to get a proper job..."

She whines as she peers at her purse. Today she is dressed in a hot pink t-shirt with streaks of blue-green across it and the large glittery words spelling out NEON DREAMS It's paired with comfy blue jeans and bright pink running shoes, as it's starting to get a bit cool for summer wear.

Nightingale has posed:
     With class just out for the afternoon, Shannon is quick to snag the other member of the Trouble Twins (R) and drag her along on a journey to Apple Park. Because you know hey, nothing can go wrong that close to home, right? Right! She's dressed in a blood-red fringed t-shirt that shows just a tiny hint of her midriff, black denim shorts with gold rivets around the cuffs in a sawtooth pattern, and stylish black sandals. If the weather's still even the least bit warm, she's going to take advantage of it!

     "Oooo, an open air market... I can't wait for the Renn faire to start, either. Actually managed to talk Jeremy into going to that with me." She giggles to herself. "He'll probably be wearing a kilt, though -not- in full Scottish style... and I'll be dressing as a tavern girl." As to the talk of proper jobs? Shannon just chuckles, and shrugs. "Glad I've got my job over at Evolution, though I want to talk to Dr. McCoy and Mr. Summers about maybe studying for my EMT certification starting in February. Course takes about six months, so I'll be turning 18 just about the time it's time to sit for the exam."

Rage has posed:
As she finishes walking the stage, Andrea gives a few twirls of her body in a chorgeographed manner. She moves her body, her arms, her feet, giving off a quick count in her head. Okay. Good. There's enough space to do this particular song.

As she lifts her chin upwards, she stares out into the crowd for a moment, lifting a hand to her brow. She can see a few flashes of cameras at her, most likely from fans or reporters who are documenting the festival. It's the white wings that easily catches 'her' attention and she lobs a text over.

'Hey Shan! I'm on the stage. I see you!'

She lifts a hand, giving it a few waves to try and catch her and Megan's attention now that she can spy them better with her enhanced senses that sharpen and zero in on them.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn smirks at Shannon, "Heh, I'd loove to see Jeremy in a kilt..That'd be funny! Soo, is he openning up a bit with you now? He always seemed so..Nervous, anxious. Still, I'd love to dress up as a medieval lady knight or something myself." Megan giggles at the thought, she hasn't even started on a costume though!

"Woow, you're gonna go into EMT? That'd be cool, I guess I'm still trying to figure what to do. Always wanted to work at club Evo, but they never had opennings, and waiting tables is exhausting..I'm trying to get my band back together..I'd love to break into the entertainment business but even Dazzler said it's not a good place to be, especially for mutants.." she sigghs, "Aaah, I dunno what to do with my life..Maybe graphic design or...."

Megan peers towards the center stage and smiles. "Heeey, there's Andrea! Guess she's just going through her paces. This is gonna be sooo awesome!" She giggles and waves towards Andrea, trying to squeeze through the crowds to reach her. "Andrea!!"

Nightingale has posed:
     "EMT, at least so I can have a decent job while I'm working towards a medical and teaching degree. Figured it'd get my foot in the door in the field, maybe put me a bit ahead of other students by the time I start med school." Shannon chuckles a little bit, her cheeks going just a tiny bit rosy as the conversation continues. "Yeah he is a little bit. We've got to figure out where we're going to the movies, and see what's playing..."

     Oh, my.

     As the two shoulder their way through to the stage, she's starting to talk with her hands--and wings-- a little bit. "I think you'd be really good at graphic design. You've always had a good eye for color. And if you want to get into entertainment, don't let anyone talk you out of it. Hell's bells, if Andrea and Dazzler can do it, there's no good reason you can't."

Rage has posed:
Heading to the edge of the stage, Andrea hops off it and lands with a thump, then makes her way towards them as James trudges along at her side. He will nudge people off here and there as they go, trying to give them some type of berth. It's out in the open and who knows what may happen, even in mutant town.

"Hey guys!" Andrea says once she greets, giving them a motion of her hand. "You guys wanna come up and see the stage? I have some merch back there also I can hook you up with. I got roped into doing a free concert but we're still doing VIP's that are donated straight into charity. I got a few of those I comped to give out if you want them."

She leans in to give James a shoulder bump who glances down at her from behind his mirroed shades. "What are you two up to? I'm pretty much free for a few hours before the concert starts if you don't mind a third wheel."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn smiles, "Well..I was considering being a teaching assistant to Alexis..But as a highschool teacher, she probably doesn't even *need* an assistant, but I might enroll in a graphic design program, heck, maybe I can convince Andrea to design t-shirts and logos for her.." she laughs at the thought, she probably has a really awesome design team already. "Of course fashion design would be cool too, Alice seems to have lots of fun there.."

She cant help but peer at Shannon curiously, noticing the slight blush. "Ooh, are you and Jeremy..? I thought...?" wasn't there another guy? But she's pretty popular around a lot of boys in general.

For now, Megan focuses on Andrea, smiling and nodding to her as they get a little closer. "Oh my gosh, this is gonna be sooo much fun!" she giggles, "Yay! I wanna see! You're soo awesome Andrea!" Megan shrugs, "We were just chilling, checking out the market, talking about our careers, that sorta stuff. Wow, you look amazing! How you been?"

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon grimaces a little bit. "He... hasn't come back." It was a fairly sore subject she generally left alone, keeping her heartbreaks to herself. "I don't know what's up with Jeremy and I, but I'm glad to just go along for the ride, you know what I mean?"

     But then talk turns to brighter subjects, and she nods. "You could do well in fashion design, too. Just because Alice is getting into it, doesn't mean either of us can't. Heck, Andrea had me send on the design for that dress I made for graduation. Not sure what happened to it after that, but I sure hope it works out okay."

     She, too, waves over to Andrea, wings and all, loping on over to pull both girls into a great big wing-hug. "Hey you! Haven't seen much of you since my birthday, how's it been? Ooo... merch... okay, you had us at that! But yeah, can we help you out at all here?"

Rage has posed:
Returning the hugs, Andrea gives a smile. "Hey guys. I'm really glad to see you two. I've been busy. School started, work is busy. I gotta start saying 'no' to something when management throws it my way. But, concert for charity isn't something I can turn away. This is sorta my wheelhouse. I hope you two really like the openers. One is a local band from Mutant Town and they're /so/ good. They got a heavy rock style. Then the other is a violinst that does a lot of trance and it's really trippy what she does with this light show as well that she integrates into it."

"Talking about careers, huh? I think I heard something about graphic design as I was walking up?" As she motions them to follow her, she heads back towards the stage and one of the trailers that is set up nearby. She nudges the door open and then pulls over a large box that she digs through. She pulls out a couple of gift bags with Starlight's logo on it, filled with a pair of shirts, a VIP badge, stickers and a CD of her new album. She hands them over. "Here you go! I got my new tour shirt in there, and something new that my team has put together called Mutie Cutie. We're partnering with various designers that are really young and hoping to give them visibility. It's really cool. Our first designer is Melody Knight. She's fifteen and a mutant who put together the entire design of the shirt."

"So, what do you guys wanna do? Food's on me if you want lunch. Or we can hit up the stalls and poke about. I could go for some shopping. I haven't done anything but work and work and work lately. My legs are jello and I'm going to be dancing in my sleep for the next few days."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn pouts a bit at Shannon. "Really..? Gee, that sucks, but..Hey, at least Jeremy is there for you, you two seem pretty close..I hope things work out, wherever things end up going!" she smiles, happy for her friend and joins in the group hug.

"Heh, I dunno, I guess I see really accomplished people like Alice and Dazzler and Andrea, and I think...'Could I ever be *that* good?'" she shrugs. "It's hard you know, trying to find your life's purpose."

To Andrea, she squeaks as the swag bag is handed over. "Awwe, no waaay! This is SOO awesome!" she giggles as she peeks in and gives Andrea an extra hug. "You're sooooo awesome!" she shrugs, "Hmm, well I was hoping to meet Conner here somewhere..I just sent out a text..Maybe we can grab a bite to eat? And that's cool, I like all types of music."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Oh yeah, I remember you mentioning Mutie Cutie a little while back. So that's finally taking off?" Shannon smiles, and does a quick little turn on her toes, snagging the bag from Andrea on the return. The fringe on the bottom of her t-shirt swishes and sways, leaving her modest but hinting at the toned midsection beneath. "Not sure if I should leave the fringe on this alone, or put on some little gold beads to match the rivets on my shorts. Thoughts, either of you?"

     She nods and grins as she listens to the description of the openers for the concert, tucking a stray wisp of pale blonde away behind her ear. The pale blue braid she'd sported since last holiday season was still in evidence, with its three little silver beads on the end and all. "I'm all for lunch! Give me some fair food classics any day! Deep fried veggies, funnel cakes, fresh strawberry lemonade... kabobs..." She eyes Megan and snickers softly. "And one of these days, I swear we'll wind up actually getting to try that shawarma stuff!"

     She's brought up short, crossing her arms and turning on her heel to stare Megan down. "Okay, you might have gone on to the A-team and I haven't yet but I'mma gonna tell you this right now. You ever put yourself down in my hearing again, we're gonna have words. You CAN do just as good as they do. Even -better- because it'll be just as good as YOU can do. Got it? Good!"

Rage has posed:
"Who's this Jeremy guy and is he cute?" Andrea asks as she raises her brows upwards to Shannon with a grin, looking curious. "And what do you mean you don't think you'd ever be that good? Megan, you're an X-Man. That is kinda super cool on it's own. But, you can do anything if you put your head to it and practice. I didn't wake up a popstar. I put in years of work, tears, sweat, blood, clawing my way up. Hop into college if you have to, but don't think I'm better than you or anything just because I got lucky when I was a kid. You are amazing in your own way and you just haven't found your 'thing' yet. You will. Trust me. "

She returns the next hug after the bags of swag are passed over to them. "Yup, /finally/ got Mutie Cutie off and running. I still have your design you passed over and if you want to do some more, let me know. My team liked the dress last time. If this takes off with Melody, we're going to have a ton more slots open. So far, it's been pretty buzzy worthy."

She gives a few sways of her arms back and forth to loosen herself up. "I'm down for food. Whatever you guys. Wolves can eat anything. So, I'll be happy with whatever you two pick out. I'm starving. I need to fuel up before I hit the stage tonight." Her grin widens at the mention of Conner.

"Hopefully he shows up so I can give him a proper girlfriend stink eye and make him uncomfortable." She teases Megan, shoulder bumping her.

Superboy has posed:
Conner was supposed to be around half an hour ago. Somehow the guy with superspeed tends to arrive late. In his defense he is coming in a rare gap between college classes. Usually he is not able to see Megan until later in the afternoon.

Also, market places are not easy to navigate. The chaos is lively, but makes hard to find people. Cell coverage is not the best (too few towers, too many citizens) and Conner was about to take off and look from the above when he spots a familiar pair of bird wings. Big bird wings are somewhat easier to spot than Megan's insect-like ones. Going by the logic chances are Shannon knows where Megan lurks, he finally manages to find the pink-haired young woman. "Megan!" He greets, managing his way through the market crowd. He is wearing his usual jeans and t-shirt, this one about an obscure rock band, not the big red S. And of course, a new leather jacket.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn grins at Shannon, licking her lips. "Mmmm sounds delish! I cant wait to try..All that stuff!" she nods slowly at her words of encouragement, smiling a little. "Thanks Shan, I hope I can too..Just need to figure out what calls to me, but hey, isn't that what fist year college is for?"

As for Jeremy, Megan smiles a bit and shrugs. "Well, I'd say he's a sweet, shy but incredibly brilliant kid..Although honestly, I dunno him that well. he seems like a nice person though."

To Andrea, Megan beams and nods some more. "Thanks Andrea. You're the best! And you gotta know, you're one of my biggest role models!" mention of Conner makes her blush and giggles, playfully elbowing Andrea as they walk along. "Ohh you!" And yes, it is getting crowded, but she *does* finally spot Conner, and she smiles and waves, quickenning her steps to join him. "Well, speak of the devil...Hi!! You're late!" she giggles at the irony as she reaches out to hug him tight. "How you been?"

Nightingale has posed:
     There is a little bit of mist lingering in the corners of Shannon's eyes as she sees Megan bounding over to embrace Conner, looking away to give the couple a moment or two of privacy. Turning instead to Andrea, she nods. "Yeah, Megan described him pretty aptly. Sweet, maybe a bit shy at times, but he's been opening up more lately. New student this year. There've actually been quite a few incoming."

     Glancing around the stage, with all the lights and the sound setup, she chuckles lightly, her wings ruffling behind her. "A year ago I wouldn't have known you from the next person. Yeah, that's how little I followed pop music. I had no idea who you were. But now I know I'll never forget. And it's not the glitz and glamor. It's the person." She smiles a bit wider still, running her fingers through her hair. "Told Superman the same thing I'm telling you now. You inspire more people than you know."

     'And as for Mutie Cutie?" There's an impish little grin. "What the heck, count me in." She starts poking about the stalls, looking for the nearest source of deep fried veggies, funnel cakes, and all those bad-for-you fair foods that tend to crop up at events like this. "I am SO going to have to run some extra miles in the morning for this!"

Rage has posed:
"I just put my pants on the same way anyone else does." Andrea says with a smile to Shannon, tipping a wink to her. "I will take a moment to brag though. Finally got all the paperwork pushed through the city to build a free clinic here in Mutant Town. We got a place picked out and I partnered with Warren Worthington to help me bankroll it. Right now the next steps is to figure out security for on and off hours. It won't be too far away from the Club either, so it's in a safe area."

"So, this is a project I've been working on for two years and I'm so happy to see it through. I went home and sobbed last night about it. Jay had to spoon feed me ice cream for an hour until I settled. I was just overwhelmed with joy. Now, mutants who can't afford healthcare or get turned away from hospitals will have a place to go to and feel welcomed."

As her eyes track Conner and Megan embracing each other, she tilts her head to the side, squinting, followed by a 'sniff'. "I know him." She muses to herself. ".. Pretty sure I know him. He smells familiar. God, that sounds .. really bad coming outloud now that I think about it."

There's a crooked smile to Shannon, brows lifting upwards. "I just think I bumped into him once and I can't place it."

Superboy has posed:
Conner hugs Megan, laughing. "It has been just a couple days, but..." never say no to free hugs from the girlfriend. He lifts Megan off her feet for a peck on the lips, then he glances to Shannon, smiling weakly.

"I got ambushed by classmates, sorry I am late," he admits, letting Megan back to the ground. "Good to see you again, angel girl," he greets. "Is that a stage? What is going on besides the usual, uh, mutant party fun?"

Conner being a frequent visitor to this area of the city, since it is about the only neighbourhood where Megan and him can hang out that doesn't get her angry glances from mutant-hating humans.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn giggles, returning the brief kiss and nods. "Right, right, I guess this is the first week of classes too, I guess I've been pretty busy and stressed trying to pick out classes and get used to the new campus but.." she smiles.

"How are you doing? I'm glad you could get out here. I know you've already met Shannon, but I wanted to introduce you to my friend Andrea too! Of course you've probably already heard of the famous Andrea Jackson..She's getting ready to perform at a concert here in the market square in a few hours! Isn't that exciting?"

As for Andrea's reaction, Megan quirks a curious brow. "Ohh, have you two met already..?"

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon's brows loft as she listens to Andrea's reaction. "It's like when you wake up with a song in your head in the middle of the night but you can't think of the name." Reaching over, she laughs, clapping the popstar on the shoulder. "Either that or old age is finally catching up with you."

     Nodding, she smiles lightly at Conner. "Likewise. Been keeping out of trouble?" Her look also said 'and treating my friend right', without actually saying it. It was perhaps up for debate who would be on him first if Megan ever so much as shed a tear!

Rage has posed:
"Maybe I age seven years for every one. I could be a hundred and twenty-six in dog years." Andrea jokes back with a grin as she glances back over towards Conner and Megan. She lifts her hand upwards to them. "I'm ready to get food when you are. Nice to meet you, Conner. Megan doesn't shut up about you."

Superboy has posed:
Conner looks questioningly at Andrea. Sure, she is vaguely familiar from the media, but if they have met, he can't remember. And if when they met he was Superboy and it was a few years ago (when he was too often in silly self-promotion events) that would be a bit troublesome.

Wait, smell him? "Yeah, that sounds funny," he comments with a grin. "Nah, I wouldn't have forgotten you if we had formally met," he offers. Which is a maybe, really. He is bad at remembering names.

"Anyway, I am Conner. I am the lucky guy to be dating Megan right now," he grins. "Any friend of Megan is a friend of mine. And, uh, I knew nothing about a concert. I guess I can skip International Relations today."