14063/New Year 'Chess'ings

New Year 'Chess'ings
Date of Scene:	07 January 2022
Location:	Washington Sq. Park - Greenwich Village
Synopsis:	Pietro has a game of chess with a youth in the park and they're visited by an unexpected (and unidentified) guest who joins the game.
Cast of Characters:	Quicksilver, Poseidon

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Quicksilver has posed:
An old year has ended and a new year has begun, though the latter doesn't particularly feel any different than the former had been. As he often does, regardless of the weather, Pietro has been running. It's later in the afternoon, and the weather is relatively fair -- near to freezing, but still and calm. He's already made his tour around various parts of the city and finally ended up here at the park. He slowed and actually stopped just beyond the park to buy himself a large chai tea from a coffee shop, and then he had walked into the park with it in hand. It's not particularly unusual for him.

He's dressed comfortably, in grey shoes, black pants, and a grey and blue shirt with long sleeves. His white hair is tussled, which is how it often ends up. He'd taken a seat at the chess table, and a boy of about ten had approached him for a game. He'd agreed to it, albeit after a moment's worth of thought. He didn't drag out the game unnecessarily but he wasn't ruthless either, given the lad's age -- though Pietro did win the game. "Go on, Ivan... your mother is waiting for you, now," Pietro says, lifting a hand to gesture towards where the woman waits. She had been on a phone call and then rounding up his much younger sister while the chess game had been happening. "If you want to play again, I will be here next Friday around now," he offers, picking up his tea to take a sip of it. The boy gives a shy nod before closing up the portable board and stepping towards his mother.

Poseidon has posed:
Though he dresses the part, the weather really doesn't affect Poseidon all that much. Or, well. Really, it doesn't affect him at all if he's truthful about the matter. Still, he does try, at least /somewhat/, to blend in. As such, he's dressed in appropriately. Or so he thinks. He has on a fur coat. Though, not in the style that would get the backs of some people up. No, this fur coat is firmly attached to his skin. For, he's not a human. Oh no. Not today. His appearance might also be somewhat unusual in this particular location. He's a fox. A silver fox.

Silver fox. This is a somewhat misleading name. His coat isn't silver. No, it's a rich charcoal grey with black points. Ears, muzzle and throat, legs, and tail. That bushy tail is tipped in snowy white. Within the shadows of a nearby bush, he watches the park. And then, bold as can be, and acting like nothing more than a dog, the fox steps out of the bush and saunters across the park. Toward the chess table. His dark coat stands out quite a lot against the snowy landscape. His bushy tail is high enough to be considered jaunty as he makes his way toward the chess game, the child, and the white haired one.

Quicksilver has posed:
Between his recent run and his quicker-than-normal metabolism, Pietro isn't particularly bothered by the temperature just yet. His breath still fogs with every exhalation, though. He sets his cup of tea down on the table, the fingers of his left hand remaining lightly wrapped around it. He watches the young boy return to his mother, and he lifts his right hand to offer a wave to her, earning a wave in return. He's met the little family on occassions prior to today, and he's played chess with the boy before as well.

While Pietro's attention turns to the unusual creature that has shown up, the boy is given a small bag with a handful of chocolate chip cookies in it. With the cookies in hand, the boy starts to make his way back to the table where Pietro is sitting. "You are not a common sight, my furry friend," he comments, a thoughtful note to his voice as he watches the silver fox's approach. He speaks to it with the expectation that it doesn't understand, and in a normal albeit quiet tone of voice. "I have only tea to share, no meat today," he adds. Then the boy reaches his table and places the bag of cookies next to his cup of tea. And Ivan gives a little smile as he whispers softly, "And cookies."

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon pauses, ears perking forward toward Pietro as the man speaks. Foxes in general aren't a common sight in populated areas, let along anywhere near New York City. And yet... here one is. Perhaps he escaped from a zoo? Anything is possible. Right? One of those dark ears turns back, toward the boy returning with the cookies. Then back toward the man when the boy reaches the table to leave the cookies there.

The fox makes a sound that sounds somewhat like a sneeze, but multiple times. Something clearly tickled the creature's nose. However... those sneezes sounded suspiciously like laughter. In a fox's small voice, of course.

The fox then continues forward, once he's no longer 'sneezing'. With a flip of his tail, almost a flirting motion, Poseidon bounces to the table, up onto it, and there pauses. He looks over the chess game there for a moment. Then reaches out with his left paw, and shoves one of the boy's chess pieces into a different spot. He sneezes and sits on his rump, looking to Pietro's king. The knight the fox had just moved put that king into check!

Quicksilver has posed:
That the fox's ears perk towards him when he speaks isn't something that he considers a strange thing. Animals tend to listen to things in their environments. Pietro had been thinking along the lines that the animal had escaped from somewhere, given that it seems relatively people-brave. While foxes are curious creatures, they generally don't approach people. Pietro gives a soft chuckle to the boy, and then he gives a nod. "Da, and cookies," he affirms, his blue eyes showing a sparkle to them.

The sneezes from the fox causes him to raise an eyebrow slightly. Perhaps it was his imagination, that the sneezes sounded like laughter? Just in case they were actually sneezes, though, he inclines his head slightly and says softly, "Byt' zdorovym." 'Be healthy', in Russian. Although the notion of the fox being an escapee goes scampering off when the fox not only approaches the table but bounces up onto it and moves the pieces. What the...? There are times when Pietro wishes that he had but a fraction of his sister's abilities. He stares at the fox for a long moment as though reassessing the creature. The boy still at the tableside, is wide-eyed and staring.

He lifts his cup and takes a sip of his tea, and then he lifts his right hand to comb his fingers lightly through his hair. "You are a clever fox, and I think not quite what you seem," he comments, a touch of amusement to his voice. He reaches out and moves his king out of the threatened square.

Poseidon has posed:
Poseidon does, of course, love cookies. But chess is the more intriguing. The fox bares its teeth. Either he's being really aggressive, or it's grinning. When he doesn't move to do anything but bare his teeth, it becomes obvious that it was a grin. The fox's eyes, up close a clear blue, like the sea, move from Pietro back to the chess board.

The fox remains primly sitting on his rump. He flits his tail until it's tucked neatly over top of his paws. He remains that way, looking over the board. Then, his left paw becomes visible as he lifts it from behind his tail.

The paw reaches out and moves another piece. A bishop, this time, and once again, the move puts the white haired man into check. The fox looks up, chuffs a breath, and tucks his paw back beneath his tail.

Quicksilver has posed:
Chess is an intriguing game, and an exercise for the mind. Pietro rather enjoys the game, whether he wins or loses. Shifting his weight slightly, the white-haired fellow smoothly crosses his legs and then releases his cup of tea in favour of reaching for the bag of cookies. He opens it and retrieves two cookies from within. He studies the fox for a moment, and he places one of the cookies on the fox's side of the table and keeps the other cookie in hand. "Ivan's mother made them. She always brings them when they come for a walk in the park," Pietro says softly, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He speaks to the fox, though this time he figures he is being understood.

His attention turns to the board and the pieces, and he takes a small bite of the cookie. He moves one of his pawns forward, putting it in the path of the bishop's check whilst leaving it protected by his own bishop on a different diagonal. With his move made, he lifts his cup of tea to take a sip from it, savouring the gentle mix of spices in it.

Poseidon has posed:
Not only an excercise for the mind, but a good strategy session as well. If one thinks in such terms. Poseidon glances to the cookie as it's placed down for him, then nods to the words that follow. His blue eyes turn to look to Ivan, and then to the lad's mother. Another nod, clearly of thanks, from what appears to be some sort of fox spirit.

With Pietro's move made, Poseidon studies the board again. And this time, he moves his other knight, and checks the king yet again. He looks up at Pietro. Bares his teeth in that savage looking grin again. And speaks. With a growly fox-type voice, but speaks never the less. "Check mate."

The fox rises to his feet, reaches down and takes the cookie into his mouth. Once the cookie is secure, he turns and hops down off the table. He proceeds to trot across the park, tail out and flagged, head up and ears perked. He looks for all the world like he's content with life in general. He disappears beyond the trees on the other side of the area where the chess table is.

Quicksilver has posed:
Strategy tends to be a thing that Pietro studies when he has the opportunity. There are times when it comes in handy. He follows the fox's glance towards Ivan's mother and sister, then looks back to the fox to study the furry creature for a moment. His best guess is that the fox is some manner of spirit, though he could be wrong. It happens! Ivan still watches with a rapt curiosity, though at least his mother hasn't reached the point of calling him. She's watching too! It's not an ordinary thing.

When the fox makes his move, Pietro is already looking to the board even before 'checkmate' is announced. One of his eyebrows quirks up as it is said, and his gaze flicks to the fox for a moment before looking back to the board. Then a smile quirks at the corners of his lips as he gives a nod of agreement before lifting his gaze back to the fox. "It is, and well played," he says, polite and respectful, a smile easily returning to his features. He watches then as the fox takes up the cookie before taking his leave. It's a bit bewildering and yet entirely awesome at the same time. His sister will never believe him save for that even he's unlikely to make such a thing up! Once the fox has left, Ivan looks to Pietro, looks to the fox's direction, then excitedly rushes off to his mother's side.