13708/Flea Market Fun

Flea Market Fun
Date of Scene:	07 August 2021
Location:	North Bridge, Queensland Park
Synopsis:	Shannon gets a new toy.
Cast of Characters:	Captain Boomerang, Nightingale

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Captain Boomerang has posed:
    A flea market was a curious thing, a place where you could buy everything from antiques to wallpaper. Owen Mercer didn't frequent them that much, but today he found himself in one, watching as someone seemed to haggle over the price of an item.
    The man selling was talking so fast, it was hard for Owen to understand. It was hard to understand some American accents. But it was interesting. Seemed to be some vintage action figure they were arguing over the price of.

Nightingale has posed:
     One or two tables down the line from where the haggling was taking place, an odd sort of figure was poking through the offerings on display. There were some old earthenware mugs, some antique decoupage trays, and bits and bobs that looked as if they would not be out of place at a very eclectic sort of tea party.

     Yet it was at this table of mismatched elegance that an angel-winged young woman seemed to be poking about, a powder-blue helmet tucked under one arm, clad in jeans, sturdy black boots, and a Patriots-themed windbreaker. Her long, pale gold hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and even then, was not immune to 'helmet hair'. Pale azure eyes lit up with delight as she found some new treasure, picking up one of the earthenware mugs to examine it in the sunlight.

Captain Boomerang has posed:
    Mutants and metahumans were more common than they ever had been, but still, seeing someone with angel-like wings was still an unusual sight. Many were good enough not to stare, some weren't. Owen's windbreaker wasn't that different to her Patriots-themed one, except his bore a logo she was likely to be unfamiliar with. It was an Australian Rugby League side. Navy blue, white writing, and a purple zipper.
    Moving along the flea market, he ran his fingers across a phonograph, or what looked like a phonograph. It seemed to be an antique at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it was actually digital. Just made to look like a phonograph. This one played a variety of streamed music via Bluetooth.

Nightingale has posed:
     It didn't seem to phase the young woman when people stared at her wings. In point of fact, when a particular song was streamed on the phonograph, those feathery white limbs seemed to sway slowly with the beat of the song. Her voice was also eerily similar to the girl singing....

"Hey homecoming queen
Why do you lie
When somebody's mean?
Where do you hide?
Do people assume
You're always alright?
Been so good at smiling
Most of your life...."

     By the time she reaches the last part of the verse, she's made her way over to where the gentleman in the rugby jacket was perusing the wares, nodding at the phonograph look-alike. "You've got good taste," she offers, smiling. "I love antique-looking things like that."

Captain Boomerang has posed:
    Owen preferred antiques. He was actually aghast that they would try and make a facsimile antique with modern adjustments. But he hid it well, "oh, right, yeah," he said, nodding along as if he agreed. Internally, he was wonder how anyone could do such a thing. He didn't have many antiques himself, but the few he had, as near as he could tell, were genuine. "Seems to be a good price if you want it,"he wasn't sure if it was a good price, but it wasn't too expensive, so it seemed to be in the right vicinity.

Nightingale has posed:
     Oddly, the young woman shakes her head, chuckling lightly. "Naah. If I was going to go for a phonograph, I'd want the real deal. But still, they did a decent job of the appearance on that," she adds, lifting her chin in an up-nod towards the music streaming device. "Not sure I can ever really get used to hearing my songs around like that, anyways."

     Still, for a moment, it looks as if she might be tempted to make the purchase, though eventually the 'phonograph is left on the table. Instead, she offers a warm smile, extending her hand by way of greeting. "Name's Shannon. Pleasure to meet you."

Captain Boomerang has posed:
    "Owen," he replies, as he takes her hand in greeting. He was clearly a foreigner, but depending on her experience with accents, she could confuse him as Australian, British, New Zealander, or South African. In his experience, many people here had trouble with the English accents that weren't from the United States.
    "I think I saw a real one a few tables back," which was overheard by the seller, who immediately began to try and convince Shannon that his was of superior quality, craftsmanship, and touting all of its virtues in the hopes of getting a sale.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon cants her head slightly to one side as Owen talks, turning slightly more towards him as she listens. "Aussie?" she murmurs, though her tone sounds slightly uncertain. "Search me if I know what area, though." The merchant is forgotten, and it seems unlikely for the moment that he will land a sale anytime soon, at least from either her or Owen.

Captain Boomerang has posed:
Owen nodded his head up and down in the affirmative, "yeah, good ear." He wasn't ignoring the merchant, looking, listening, but the merchant wasn't really talking to Owen as he hadn't expressed as much interest in it as Shannon. Plus, he had actually suggested she buy another item from someone else.

Nightingale has posed:
     A smile lights up Shannon's face, as she realizes that, for once, she didn't make a fool of herself. "That's one area of the world I have yet to see," she replies, tucking a stray wisp of pale gold away behind one ear. The merchant was forgotten, as was the one a few tables down, where the -real- phonograph was to be found. "Never seen that team logo," she finally says, after a tiny bit of silence, her voice ending on a note of inquiry as she nods towards his jacket.

Captain Boomerang has posed:
"It's a beautiful, though a long flight, and can get pricey." Owen said of his homeland, "and remember that the seasons are different. You don't want to go there with nothing but summer clothes, only to find out that it's winter." He moved while talking, uncertain if she'd follow, "oh, this, it's Melbourne Storm, a rugby league side. Not too different from your New England Patriots, except the Storm don't need to wear twenty kilos of protective gear."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just chuckles, and nods. "Don't know a thing about rugby. Got into music more than sports. Do you play, by any chance?" The caution about seasons seems to be taken to heart, the winged one smiling and bobbing her head in acknowledgement. "Does it really get all that cold there during the winter, then? Anything at all like here?" There's almost a wide-eyed innocent curiosity about her, something both child-like and ancient all at once.

Captain Boomerang has posed:
    "Just in the park with some mates, nothing serious." He replied matter of factly. "That really depends on which part of the country you go to. It's tropical up north, and temperate down south, with dessert, grassland, and subtropical in between. It's more of a humid continental here."

Nightingale has posed:
     "So pretty much, a bit of everything. Gotcha." Shannon finally takes pity on the merchant, who is keen on making the sale of that phonograph look-alike. A little bit of haggling, and soon enough it looks as if the piece will be going home with her after all. "So what brings you Stateside, then?" she asks, humming lightly as the music streamer is swaddled in a layer of protective tissue paper, as if it really -were- something of value.

Captain Boomerang has posed:
    That was a far more personal question than he was prepared to answer. So he looked away for a moment, admiring some ware on display, before answering, "oh, the usual, explore, uni, a girl, fast food..."

Nightingale has posed:
     Oddly, Shannon flushed a light pink, ducking her head. She had a feeling she'd overstepped her bounds, and simply nods, coughing lightly. "Working on a little music, myself, but I've actually got an eye towards med school, eventually." Her lips curl upwards in a light smile, and she glances up at Owen, tilting her head. "Hopefully if our paths ever cross again, it won't be on a professional basis."

Captain Boomerang has posed:
Shannon seemed nice enough, but she was just someone he met at a Flea Market, spoke a few words to. Not really the basis for a long lasting friendship. But with other encounters, random as they may be, more could come. That was life. Owen nodded his head, a little down by the memories she had inadvertently sparked. He hadn't come to America for good reasons, but he was here. "It was nice meeting you Shannon. I hope you enjoy your purchase." And with that, he started to walk further into the Flea Market, disappearing amongst the group.