13373/The Birds of Chinatown

The Birds of Chinatown
Date of Scene:	25 May 2021
Location:	Two Bridges (Chinatown), Manhattan
Synopsis:	After literally running into Yaozu, Jessica made a new friend and sampled some Chinese cuisine.
Cast of Characters:	Yaozu Lin, Green Lantern (Cruz)

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Yaozu Lin has posed:
The boulevard's of the street are lined with cherry trees that are in blossom. The pink and white petals are lovely, even those which have tumbled to the ground and been sent skittering there by the od tendrils of breeze. It's late in the afternoon, leaning towards evening, and there are vendors with their carts lining the street. The vendors sell a variety of things, and there are delicious aromas of a great many types of foods. People from Chinatown are out and about, wandering the streets and enjoying the festival atmosphere. From a stage that has been set up, there is traditional Chinese music which is being played on instruments that are native to the country as well, lending a background atmosphere to the space. There are lanterns strung up as well, and soon they will be lighting.

One of those who wanders the space is a fellow who wears what appears to be a more acient style of Chinese robes. The robes have wide sleeves to them, and they are a rich burgundy shade that's vertically streaked with black. The inner robe is a slightly lighter shade of burgundy, and the long sleeves of the undershirt (as well as the pants worn below the robes) that might be glimpsed are black. His left hand rests lightly at the small of his back, his hand itself vanished into his sleeve. Yaozu's right hand is at his side, and it is equally hidden away within the sleeve of his robe. His long black hair is left loose save for the sides which have been drawn back into a knot at the back of his head, secured there with a silver hairpin that has a phoenix ornament at one end from which dangles metal feathers that chime softly as he walks. He is watchful, and it would seem that he is here on his own -- or at least, he walks with no one.

Green Lantern (Cruz) has posed:
A party in Chinatown? Yes please. Jessica gets right over there. She doesn't have a car anymore - she's only recently back in town from Oa. She decides to create a traditional Chinese garb with her Lantern ring (after talking to it for a while - her ring is quite smart) so she is wearing traditional garb - but in green of course. She even had to convince the ring to hide the Lantern emblem. And turn off the glow. But she had no time to shop so she made do. She sighs happily as she starts to wander through the area, and looks for some sweets. She gazes up at the lanterns, murmuring softly to herself, as if talking on a Bluetooth or something. She heard something and turns her head to look - still walking - and runs right into a young man in a dark robe. She meeeps and turns to look. "Sorry about that!" she chirps, reaching her right hand down to offer assistance.

Yaozu Lin has posed:
The festival will happen for the next number of days and nights. It's a lingering sort of thing. There are not only savoury food vendors, but there are a number of sweet ones as well. There are all manner of traditional sweet dishes from caramel covered cooked sweet potato chunks to egg tarts to pineapple buns to moon cakes and all manner of things in between.

Yaozu is a fairly frequent visitor to Chinatown, and many of the vendors know him even if not by name. He has bought things from many of them, before. He is distracted in a fateful moment by a vendor selling hairsticks who happens to call out to him, and with the assorted other noises in the area, he doesn't realize that the woman in green that he'd spied further out hadn't noticed him. And in that fateful moment, it also happens that she's closer than she had been when he'd first noticed her, and in fact close enough to run into him. There's a soft sound from him when the impact occurs, his head turning swiftly to bring his gaze to her, the dangling feathers of the hairstick chiming merrily. He is pushed back by the impact, and yet there's something graceful in his movements. By instinct, one of his feet scoots out across the ground, and his left hand comes away from his back and to rest on the ground in front of him as he crouches, shifting the momentum into lowering his centre of gravity. And not falling down.

There's a split second as he draws in a breath, and then he rises smoothly, a slight flourish of sleeve occurring as he brings the back of his right hand to the palm of his left hand, extending his arms as he bows at the waist to her. "Most humble apologies," Yaozu says softly, straightening after speaking.

Green Lantern (Cruz) has posed:
Jessica Cruz just gasps as she basically hip-checked someone, but with an amazing display of agility, caught himself before faceplanting. She then murmurs, "I'm the one who should apologize. I was just admiring the lanterns - a bit of a hobby of mine." She glances at you as you rise back up. "My name is Jessica. And I really need to be paying more attention. I was talking to a friend on my phone." She taps a green-hued Bluetooth in her ear. "I hung up just as I was running inton you." She smiles faintly. "What's your name?"

Yaozu Lin has posed:
Years of training and discipline have a way of becoming instinct. The Chinaman tilts his head faintly to one side at her words, and one of his eyebrows quirks ever-so-slightly upwards. The fact that he hadn't accepted her offered hand is mostly a cultural sort of thing -- he touches people as little as possible. He casts a brief glance towards the lanterns, and then he turns his gaze back to her.

"Mm," he acknowledges, giving a small nod. "The lanterns are pretty, yes. Once it is dark enough, they will light up," he says softly, lifting his right hand to gesture slightly towards them. The movement makes two details possibly visible -- one is a silver ring on his middle finger, and the other is a pulse oximeter ring around the base of his thumb. "There was no harm done or caused," he says, a ghost of a smile touching the corners of hi lips briefly. His left hand, meanwhile, gracefully returns to rest at the small of his back, his hand vanished back into his sleeve. "One of the vendors had bid for my attention," he says softly, inclining his head towards her. "I am Lin Yaozu," he offers in answer to her question.

Green Lantern (Cruz) has posed:
Jessica Cruz nods. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lin Yaozu," she states softly. In keeping with the green theme, there's a ring on Jessica's left hand, middle finger - a green ring that kinda looks like stone - but not quite, and a small Lantern emblem. She doesn't make a big show of it. "Yes - I was just about to go check the food vendors. Hoping for something tasty and sweet." She smiles softly. "Join me?" she asks, gesturing.

Yaozu Lin has posed:
"It is an honour to meet you as well, Jessica," Yaozu says, inclining his head towards her. He notices the ring that she wears, but doesn't pay it a large amount of attention nor does he stare at it. "Mm," he acknowledges, giving a small nod to her. This, too, is a cultural sort of thing. "There are many food vendors here for the festival," he says, a thoughtful tone to his voice. His left hand remains at the small of his back, and he considers her offer for a moment before giving a small nod. "Thank you," he says, in response to her invitation, bowing slightly to her. "There are deep fried mantou, if you wish something similar to what would be called doughnuts here. There are candied fruits and berries. Many of them are both tasty and sweet. The sesame seed balls have different flavoured fillings in them," he offers, his hazel gaze passing over the vendors rather than lingering on her.

Green Lantern (Cruz) has posed:
Jessica Cruz nods slowly. "Yes - you can be my food guide. My knowledge of Chinese cuisine is limited to what you'd find in a typical restaurant." She then goes to the mantou stand, as she orders a serving. "Care for some? My way of apologizing for almost bowling you over." She smiles sheepishly.

Yaozu Lin has posed:
"Mm," Yaozu acknowledges, glancing briefly towards her. There's a slight shift of his right hand, and his left hand remains at the small of his back. It is a familiar and apparently comfortable position for him. "The desserts of a typical Chinese restaurant that is located outside of Chinatown are different, at least in part, than what you would find in a Chinese restaurant here," he says, one of his eyebrows raising just a touch. The serving of mantou seems to be made up of ten rolled buns with two flat sides each, and they appear to have been deep fried. They're served in a circle, and in the centre is a dish of a thick off-white substance (sweetened condensed milk). He looks towards the plate of mantou, then to her, and then he inclines his head twoards her. "Thank you. It is very kind of you to offer," he says softly.