14064/Snowfall in the Park

Snowfall in the Park
Date of Scene:	08 January 2022
Location:	Central Park, Manhattan
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Wonder Woman, Shen Wei, Askante

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Wonder Woman has posed:
The sky is grey and the clouds that hang there have that wintery appearance of almost seeming as though they could be touched from the ground. Large snowflakes are being spit forth from the clouds, drifting and tumbling towards the ground. It is peaceful and quiet, as could be expected for the early hour of day that it happens to be. Amongst the variety of trees that grow within the park, there happens to be an old oak tree that's a stone's throw away from a little stream. The little stream isn't frozen, though the edges are crystalline with ice. The water burbles by, making a pleasant sound.

With a thermal mug held in her left hand, Diana is sitting on a low branch of the old oak tree. Her back rests against the tree's trunk, and one of her feet sways a little bit as she watches the water flowing by. Her black hair is loose, tumbling over her shoulders and down her back. She wears a blue-green sweater in a size larger than what she needs simply because she prefers it that way, a pair of black jeans and black boots. It's near freezing, though the cold doesn't bother her and there's a fresh blanket of snow to lay across the ground -- an inch or so. The trail of her footsteps is unusual, for it starts quite randomly and leads to here.

Shen Wei has posed:
For someone who spends the vast majority of his time in space, Shen Wei certainly isn't fond of the cold. In fact, he really doesn't like the cold at all. He's bundled up fairly warmly. Dark purple sweater. Two pairs of fuzzy pants in a random holiday theme, the outer layer being black with designs of the Grinch and a brown dog wearing Santa hats and the words 'NAUGHTY OR NICE?' repeated over them. The under layer can be seen peeking out at the bottoms, over the black boots he wears. That layer is red with a pattern of white snowmen and snowflakes. The red really stands out against the black of the boots and the outer layer of pants. Over it, a heavy white winter jacket, the hood of which is pulled up until it covers his ears and most of his cheeks and jaw, with it tied and snugged to just below his mouth.

With the sky overcast and cloudy as it is, at least he doesn't need to wear his thick goggles. The additional shade provided by the hood is enough for him to not be blinded in what little light there is. He is walking through the park. The trees and shade here also help with his light issues. Which might be part of the reason he's walking here.

Or... might not be it at all. As on the other side of Diana, suddenly a youth of thirteen or fourteen breaks and runs from where he'd been hiding on the other side of the stream. "Lucas, please wait," he calls out, his voice holding quite a strange accent. Not one that Diana, at least, has ever heard before. Shen Wei's emotions are a touch on the exasperated side, but beyond that is a desire to help. Beneath everything, a darkness lies. Something deep, dark, and not necessarily anything good.

Emotions aside, Shen Wei keeps walking, turning to go in the direction the child had gone. He doesn't run, as that would spook the kid more than he already is. Curiously, Shen Wei's hearbeat and breathing seem to be... off, somehow. Far faster than could possibly be healthy.

Wonder Woman has posed:
It's a colourful array of clothing that the fellow has put together. And such a mix and match sort of affair has a way of gaining attention. Attention such as Diana's. Her gaze strays away from the stream and towards the colourful fellow. She takes a moment to look him over from head to toe, and she faintly shifts the thermal mug that she holds in her hand. A hint of a smile touches at the corners of her lips, and one of her eyebrows raises minutely. It's a curious mixture of patterns to the clothing as well.

When the youth breaks from where he'd been hiding and starts to run, Diana turns to look in that direction. Shifting her weight, she lightly steps from where she had been sitting on the branch in order to settle to her feet on the ground. She can catch up with the lad if she has to, and likely easily enough, not that either of them have a way of knowing it. She takes a few steps away from the tree. There's a curious thing there, between his emotions and that something else that the darkness embodies. And the curious things don't end there, for there's also the matter of the difference in his breathing and heartbeat.

"Most unusual," she says quietly, her voice a whisper in volume. With her thermal mug of tea in hand, she steps further away from the oak tree and starts to approach the unusual young man. Who is more to wonder over? The youth that had been hiding for some reason or the man who is unusual in a number of different ways? "Why do you wish him?" she asks, once she's come within hearing range.

Shen Wei has posed:
Shen Wei might not see colors quite the same way as most other people see them. At least, not the same way as those on Earth see them. As he's approached, Shen Wei shakes his head and continues on. He doesn't stop, doesn't really pay any mind at all to the woman who'd approached. "Lucas," he calls, once again, "I'll not harm you. I have something for you." That could be considered quite ominous all on its own.

Shen Wei blows out a breath and shakes his head. His breath steams in the air just like the humans' breath does. Only, like his breathing and heartbeat, those steamed breaths come twice as quickly as they ought to. He continues to, outwardly at least, pay Diana no heed at all. Inwardly, however, there's a sense that part of his attention is on her, even if he isn't acting like it.

Wonder Woman has posed:
The Amazon princess tilts her head a touch to one side when the man simply shakes his head and moves on without paying her much in the way of mind at all. Interesting and strange. One of her eyebrows nudges upwards, and she looks in the direction that the youth had gone in for a moment before look back to the festively-panted fellow. "I am unsure that he is willing to stop running, at this point," Diana says, a thoughtful note to her voice as she falls into step near to him. Not too close, though -- she doesn't want to seem as though she's invading his space.

"If you are willing for a small amount of company, then I can help you to follow him, if you wish it," Diana offers. There's no hesitation to the offer, for she had sensed within him a desire to help. Then she tilts her head a touch to one side as she looks to him, watching him for a moment, and a small smile touches at the corners of her lips. "I have no wish to harm you. If you seek to help him, then I will help you to do so," she adds, giving a small nod to him.

Shen Wei has posed:
With Shen Wei, the woman was invading his space the moment she started speaking to him. "He will stop running eventually." Afterall, the youth has to sleep sometime, right? He edges away from her, but continues in the direction the boy had gone. It's not easy to track someone in a place as populated as this place happens to be, but Shen Wei is an old hat at it. And the frozen rain they call snow on this planet makes that all the easier.

"I have no need of company." With that statement, the darkness within him grows by leaps and bounds. It billows out so quickly it seems to swallow all of his other emotions until all that can be sensed of them is darkness and despair. Shen Wei turns his face away as this happens, for all hints of anything pleasant have disappeared from his face. That despaire shows quite easily in his expression. Not that he lets what he's feeling stop him. No, Shen Wei keeps going, following the tracks of the youth named Lucas.

Wonder Woman has posed:
"Yes. He will eventually stop running," Diana agrees, giving a small nod. Her words have an accent to them, old and Greek, though it's mild enough -- she's known and spoken English for a long enough time that it's no longer strong. The boy will stop running, at some point. He hasn't the endurance that training and experience bring to a body. Where that might happen to be, she doesn't know. For her, tracking people isn't that hard, but her senses are different than others.

There is a faint smile that barely touches at the corners of her lips, and she inclines her head slightly towards him. "Of course. My apologies if it seemed that I was making a presumption," Diana says softly. She falls quiet for a few steps further, paying attention to what it is that can be felt from him in those moments instead. "If there comes a time where you wish or need help, you can find me at the Themysciran Embassy. Ask for Diana Prince," she offers in a soft tone. Whether or not he takes advantage of that offer will be up to him. "I will leave you to the solitude of your hunt for Lucas, and bid you good luck for it," she adds. She's not going to force him to endure her company, and she lightly steps up into the air to hover for a moment before flying up past the barren branches of the deciduous trees of the park.

Shen Wei has posed:
Shen Wei simply doesn't speak English often enough to lose his own accent. But it's like nothing that Diana, even as many years as she's lived, has ever heard before. This might be the most he's spoken in a month. English or either of the languages on his home planet. He pauses, finally, and turns to look toward the woman. Curiously, now that his face can be seen clearly, he's squinting a little bit. He just.. looks at her. Squinting just enough for it to be noticeable. Then shakes his head at her offer.

This time, he doesn't speak. Nor does he protest as she... flies away? That earns a blink and a thread of surprise in his emotions, and expression. And a hint of interest that hadn't been there before. However, he doesn't act on that interest, and the surprise fades from his expression as he turns to keep following the tracks.

Wonder Woman has posed:
The odd tone of his accent has drawn her curiosity, even though she doesn't make good on it by asking at all -- he hasn't seemed very receptive. That it's not of Earth would certainly explain a few other things that she's noticed in him as well. He wouldn't be the first alien that she's met over the course of her lifetime. She notices that slight squint to his eyes when he looks to her, even though it isn't terribly obvious. It makes her curious as well. Once more, he denies her help, with that shake of his head.

Diana holds steady in the air for a moment, just beyond the tops of the trees. There's a slight breeze that lightly touches her, stirring her hair just a bit. She picks up on his surprise at her flight, yet it doesn't make her return to the ground. Her keen eyesight picks up the tracks in the snow, following them along to pick up the sight of the fleeing Lucas, and she flies up higher first. She has a few options open to her, as is always the case. She flies faster, to be ahead of Lucas, and then she turns so that she'll be facing him before she lightly drops towards the ground. Catching up to him isn't a hard thing, for her.

Shen Wei has posed:
That accent is almost lilting. Somewhat reminsicent of Gaelic, but not at the same time. Shen Wei watches until the woman is out of sight, squinting a little bit the whole while. Like someone who can't quite see right. Shen Wei shakes his head again and turns to look to the ground, toward the tracks there. And starts along them again. He isn't moving overly slowly, but he also isn't moving terribly quickly.

Shen Wei pauses for a moment, and between one step and the next, is no longer where he was. Instead, he's a hundred feet beyond where he'd been. Ahead in the direction the tracks lead. He pauses there again to find the tracks. He orients himself along the trail and looks ahead again. Again, between one step and the next he is simply no longer there, but a hundred feet further down the trail. He winds up far enough along to see the woman dropping to the ground on the far side of Lucas from him.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Interestingly, Diana doesn't look back to the fellow that she left after she took flight. Though it would be rather incorrect to assume that she's not paying any attention to him -- the attention is simply not visual in nature. She listens. And listening is sometimes a rather interesting and curious sort of thing. She hears rather than sees those gaps in the path that he walks -- there are footsteps in the snow, then there are none and then there are his footsteps once again but from a distance away. That's intriguing and odd.

And once she's come to the ground on the far side of Lucas, the fellow that she'd left is closer than what should have been had he simply been walking to cover the distance. Though her curiosity is piqued, it would seem that she's not about to ask any questions over it just at the moment. Instead, her attention turns to Lucas, and she slightly tilts her head to one side. "Good morning, Lucas," she offers in greeting to him, a smile coming to her features. She pauses a moment, simply watching him. "My apologies, if I have startled you at all. I am Diana," she says, a gentle tone to her voice. "He is intent to help you, it seems. If you wish to see what he has for you, then I can remain with you? You will be safe."

Askante has posed:
Tall and alien emerges from the subway station that decends beneath the snow and wintery conditions of New York City, into the bowels of manhattan. Those tunnels go all over the place, riddling the city like so many honeycombs. Askante's head lifts, the wind rattling its spines. It takes off running toward central park, ignored by most individuals as just a mad runner on a winter's day. Or night. It sniffs the air, vaults one of the retaining walls that lead past the strawberry fields and vanishes in an explosion of batwings and moths of shadow, reappearing somewhere up in a tree overlooking this scene.

It scurries down that tree vertically, long fingers holding cold bark and along a branch to perch, like a vulture, tail swooped down for balance. Watching. "Terrified," is whispered.

Shen Wei has posed:
Curiously, there's no sound to be noted in or around those gaps in space. Other than Shen Wei's feet as he walks, of course. And even that is a quiet sound. He walks like a cat. However, even cats have trouble remaining entirely silent in the snow! It has a habit of making creaking, crunching, crackling sounds when pressure is put on it. Shen Wei remains silent as Diana speaks to Lucas.

Lucas, on the other hand, startles and squeaks as Diana lands where she does, cutting off his route. "Leave me alone!" The kid turns and flees to the left, at almost a ninety degree angle. Which then angles back slightly toward Shen Wei as he takes off away from both of them. Toward the subway station. Clearly, the answer was no!

Shen Wei shakes his head and stops where he is. This time, he makes no move at all to go after Lucas. Clearly, that is a lost cause on this day. It might have been okay without the additional startle that Diana had provided, but not by much. The arrival of another is not lost on him. Shen Wei turns his head to look toward the... "Interesting." He doesn't seem afraid. Not visually, and not emotionally. He does seem intrigued by Askante's appearance, however.

Wonder Woman has posed:
The Amazon turns her head slightly to look towards the tree that Askante has scurried down, having heard the noise of its passage, and she gives a very faint nod to that whispered word. She had realized that the boy had been terrified before he'd taken off running to start with. Her attention turns back to the boy, and she raises an eyebrow slightly at his reaction -- which turns out to be running, again. "That was rather not supposed to happen," she comments quietly, more to herself than anyone else. She hadn't meant to scare him off again.

Diana exhales a breath that fogs in the cold air, and she gives a small shake of her head. She could continue to follow after him, but she chooses to remain where she stands in the snow, as further pursuit would likely only be misconstrued by the lad. She lifts her mug and takes a sip of the tea within, and then her gaze turns towards Shen Wei. She starts to approach him, the snow softly crunching beeath her steps.

Askante has posed:
Askante's head tilts, discerning in the moment as it reaches one hand up to its hat to tip it forward against the breeze that cuts like a whetted knife. It hunches a little more too, as it watches the young man running for all he's worth, as if the very hounds of hell were at his heels. The bee-line is studied, traced back to the source and silence follows as it judges. After all, the kid is fleeing what he fears, this is the way it's /supposed/ to go. Nevertheless it chirps softly a few times, then whistles to the wind as Lucas eats up the ground between there and the subway. Going away from the fear lessens it right? Right. Which hopefully means he won't blindly run full pelt at the stairs, slip on the icyness and go arse over tit down into the underground.

Pick your battles, right? Right. It looks back, attempting to work out what the hell it interrupted.

Shen Wei has posed:
Shen Wei probably hadn't heard that whispered word. But, he already knew, simply from body language, that the kid was terrified. He shrugs at Diana's words. It happens. For this moment, however, he says nothing of it. The boy might well know where to contact him, if his mind changes when the fear abates.

Lucas might well calm down some by the time he reaches the subway. But if he does, none of the three adults here will be able to see it. Though, two of the three would be able to sense the lessening, slightly, of that fear.

Shen Wei finally looks to Diana again. His eyes are still squinty. "Not your fault. He has had much hardship in life. He trusts none." Shen Wei turns then, and starts to walk slowly toward the closest set of food vendors. Which happens to be somewhat in the direction of the subway, but a bit off to the south of it. There are vendors at the subway, of course, but the one Shen Wei aims at is closr. And has hot dogs.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Hopefully, being away from what he fears will make the fear decrease for him and will make him less inclined to keep running. Although it has given Diana a bit of a task at some point, perhaps, for she intends to find the boy if she can. To try to make amends, and no doubt to see if there is anything she can do to help with his situation.

Diana turns her attention to Shen Wei, watching him for a moment. "I am sorry, that I added to his fear. It was not my intention," she says softly, a thoughtful tone to her voice. "It is, in part, my fault. My actions did not help the situation. Sadly, there are many similar to him in this city, who have seen much hardship in their lives. Trust can be hard to earn," she comments, her brow furrowing slightly. She takes a sip of her tea, and then she walks with him towards the hot dog vendor. She lifts a hand to gesture slightly towards the vendor. "Order what you wish and I will pay for yours as well as my own," she offers, a smile touching at the corners of her lips. "My name is Diana Prince," she adds.

Askante has posed:
Askante mmnnfs softly to itself, puts a hand on its hat and kind of forward rolls off of the branch, flipping and landing on the snow and leaflitter in a crouch. But it didn't lose its hat! That's important, y'know. It flicks shoulders and lightly skitters across the wooded area from tree bowl to tree bowl, drawing closer to the pair, only to find a park picnic table to slip into the seat of, hunching shoulders, coat and hat down as it just observes. It pinches the brim of that hat toward Diana, but otherwise doesn't interrupt.

Shen Wei has posed:
Shen Wei isn't entirely sure what's in hotdogs. But he's equally sure that he just doesn't care. It's not half as bad as some of the things he's eaten in his life. "Yes." Trust really can be a hard thing to not only earn, but to give. "No," he says to the offer of paying for his food. "I have no need of it. Find someone who needs the help to survive."

Dark eyes squinting in Askante's direction, he nods that way. "Perhaps that one could use the help." He isn't entirely certain! Shen Wei steps up to the hotdog vendor and orders one hot dog and a bottle of water. A hotdog with everything on it.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Askante's movements and approach are noticed and followed with a part of her attention. It's only after the picnic table has been claimed that Diana looks towards it and inclines her head in greeting, a smile touching her lips. One of her eyebrows quirks up just a touch. "Are you hungry?" she asks, her voice loud enough to be heard.

Her attention returns to Shen Wei, and she tilts her head to one side as she studies him. "I will not argue it, that you wish to pay for yourself," she says softly, a smile touching at the corners of her lips. "I try to help those that I can and in as many ways that I can. Food, blankets, hot drinks," Diana comments, lifting her cup of tea to take a sip of it. She waits for Shen Wei to make his order, quiet whilst he does so. It's only once he's finished placing his order that she makes her own -- a hotdog with everything, nothing to drink since she has her tea, and then she gives a slight nod towards Askante to indicate whatever it wishes to order will be added to her own bill.

Askante has posed:
"The same," Askante calls over "wrapped up like a burrito and a can of the fizzy pink stuff." Cream soda? Probably. It takes out its handful of small change from one of the pockets of the coat, sorts through it and hisses softly to itself. "Well, sometimes, that just doesn't help anything. This is enough to live on, but it's all in foreign currency. I am not in Canada, nor am I in mexico." It holds up a loonie, a toonie and a bundle of pesos.

Shen Wei has posed:
Shen Wei makes a quiet sound of agreement, but doesn't vocalize further than that. He quietly pays the fee for his food, and drink and tucks his wallet back from whence it had come. In a pocket. When his food is ready, he accepts it and retreats to another picnic bench. He sits gingerly on the edge of the thing, sitting facing so he can see Askante and Diana. "Shen Wei," he finally says, supplying his own name.

He takes a drink of the water before he starts on the hotdog. And it disappears down his gullet like he has a hole in his stomach and a hollow leg on top of that. When he's done, he doesn't go for more. Instead, he finishes the water and then properly disposes of the remains of his meal.

Wonder Woman has posed:
As Askante speaks of what is desired, Diana listens and then looks to the vendor before giving a small nod. She slips a hand into a pocket of her jeans, then withdraws cash that is plenty to cover what was ordered. "Keep the change," she says, as she offers the money to the vendor. Some might say it is a flaw to be this generous, but she considers it otherwise. She looks over to Askante and gives a small nod. "What you wish to eat is covered, do not worry over it," she says, a smile coming to her features. It is the least that she can do.

Once the food has been prepared by the vendor, she picks it up and the can of cream soda, which she carries over to the table. Askante's is placed in front of it, and then she takes a seat on one of the benches. "If you ever wish to have the foreign money exchanged then that can be done at the Embassy," she offers. Her attention turns to Shen Wei, and a smile comes to her features. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Shen Wei," she says softly. She looks over to Askante for a moment, then back to Shen Wei, and she lifts a hand to make a slight gesture towards it. "This one is a friend of mine and is named Askante," she offers.

Askante has posed:
Askante's head lifts as Diana comes on over, a fleeting look sent to her, as most of its attention had been on the petty change and Shen Wei out of the corner of its eyes, under the brim of the hat. A hand is lifted, waggles fingers at the odd man, then the great torpedo of sausage and bun goodness is smoothed with two palms, patted at both ends and stroked like it's a tribble. It then reaches to the piles of small change, setting Canadian on one side and Mexican on the other infront of the Themysciran. "Pay it forward, in case of sudden tourist without change to get from Buffalo to the border. Or a sudden need to send petty change back to the family. I do not know how I even ended up with these. Mysteries, mysteries."

The can is squirrelled into another pocket with a movement so quick it's almost too fast to see. "Askante. Yes, that's the name. Aske. For the--" it brings finger and thumb together close "--miniversion. No last name. Never got the hang of those."

Shen Wei has posed:
Shen Wei dips his head into a nod to Diana. Then another one to Askante as that one is introduced. "You remind me of a friend." He shakes his head and reaches into his pocket. As the day grows in age, so too does the sun grow in brightness. Or, at least, the clouds are getting thinner and it's getting brighter. This has led to Shen Wei's squinting getting worse. Now, he keeps his eyes closed and digs with practiced ease a pair of very steampunk looking goggles from that pocket. He slips them on under the hood and breathes a quiet sigh of relief.

If there's a mini version of his name that Shen Wei prefers, he doesn't speak it. Nor does he reveal any nicknames he might have. "Pay it forward," he says to nobody in paticular. "I like this. Help who you can, where you can, when it's needed." He tilts his head and lifts his hand to tap his right ear. "I am here."

Wonder Woman has posed:
The Amazon looks to Askante, watching as the hot dog is claimed and treated nearly as a furry pet. She inclines her head towards it, then turns her attention towards the coinage that has been assembled in those two groupings before she gives a small nod. "I will do that, as you wish," Diana says softly, a warm note to her voice. "It has happened before, that people have been lacking change for the tolls at the border. Change is easily found, it seems, and pocketed or tucked away for a 'one day' when it might be used," she muses, her tone thoughtful. She's quiet for a moment, listening, and she chuckles softly. "I did not have a last name when I first came here from Themyscira, either."

Diana looks to Shen Wei, watching him as he brings out the goggles to put them on. She can hear the relief in that sigh of his, but she says nothing of it. There's a smile that touches her lips, and she gives a nod. "That is exactly so, yes. Help who you can and in the ways that you can," she affirms, a smile returning to her features. She notices that tap to his right ear, and she lifts her tea to take a sip from it before placing the cup on the table and picking up her hotdog to take a bite.

Askante has posed:
"It is a concept that becomes karmic. I did not know it at the time, but it ended up reaping tenfold blessings at some points in my existence," Askante says with a soft smile, looking distantly through the table to some distant recollection. It also brightens a moment and lifts one foot up, pointing at the end. "Made shoes." It helpfully states. They look like japanese 'sandal' shoes, allowing for gripping toes, but they look to be hand cobbled. "Concrete is unkind. So is rusted steel," finally it peels one end of its burrito dog with a wiggle of fingers and folds the peeled end back in neat little origami folds, so that the sausage bun can be extruded without falling apart.

After a bite: "He is talking to himself. Magical ears do that. I've seen people talking to thin air too and having a conversation. It seems like the world invented telemancy."