14078/Rain Rain Go Away...

Rain Rain Go Away...
Date of Scene:	16 January 2022
Location:	Big Belly Burger - Sunnydale
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Bai Wuyun, Phantasm (Drago), Shen Wei

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Bai Wuyun has posed:
Dark clouds had gradually built up in the sky overhead, an ominous weather sign that moved in across the late afternoon and evening. There had been a dark rumble of thunder, and when the rain had first started, it was a fitful drizzle of dampness that was generally unpleasant in nature. That had progressed into outright rain, and the rolling thunder overhead had become more frequent, punctuated with flashing forks of lightning. The streaks of lightning provide some illumination to the late evening darkness, which feels more complete for the lack of moon and stars. Some find the weather to be terrible while others have a different opinion on it.

Within the Big Belly Burger, there are very few people. The weather has likely played a part in this particular situation. There's a counterperson minding the counter and another minding the drive-thru lane. As for customers, it would seem that there is one within. Oddly and interestingly, the fellow is completely dry. How could that be? He couldn't have been here since before the rain started! Could he? There's no sign of an umbrella, either. There's food sitting on the table in front of him -- a large fries of which few have been eaten, a roast beef sandwich with a couple of bites gone, a neat pile of napkins sitting to his left, and a tall drink cup with a straw in it. Based on the condensation on the cup, not much of it has been consumed yet. There's also a lollipop sitting on the table, resting on a plastic wrapper, the ball of candy a swirl of yellow and red. The man himself appears... well, out of place perhaps or maybe out of time. It's difficult to tell which might be more accurate to apply to him. Given the robes that he wears, and the fact that his hair is of a length that it literally spills on the floor next to his seat, either is entirely plausible. Bai Wuyun plucks one of the hot and salty fries from their cup, and for a moment looks out to the weather as a streak of lightning flashes. His dark gaze lingers there briefly, and then he takes a bite of the fry.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
It was the best of days, it was the worst of days. It was a time when Nick could get out of the Triskelion. It was a time when Nick could run indoors to escape the rain. It was a time- The hell with it. Nick is hungry.

Despite the evening hours, Nick is a ways from where he's spending his nights. This would likely make those who know he's stepped out of the Trisk a bit nervous due to the likely late return but Nick only informed one person that he had gone to meet Buffy for training. And that person is also aware of Nick's ability to take shortcuts getting back without being blatantly obvious about where he's been.

One such shortcut has him popping into existence into a nearby alley. He had hopped through a dream to avoid people seeing him going in or out of the Magic Box and honestly he could have gone straight back to the Trisk. The desire to eat something other than cafeteria food after the intense training session won out.

So Nick walks through the rain, allowing for the water to set into his athletic attire and the escrima stick carrying backpack resting upon his shoulders.

By the time the door dings to alert those inside of his arrival, he is soaked through. Judging from the widened expression on his eyes, the air conditioner at Big Belly Burger is SUPER effective.

Bai Wuyun has posed:
There are pretty posters on the windows that show the various and assorted food stuffs that are offered inside. Or at least, that show some of them. That, and the muffled aroma of food is what had drawn Bai Wuyun to the place and actually through the doors. Food is often a good incentive for things. And the food has turned out to be worth the visit, at least in his opinion. He eats the rest of the fry, and then he lightly wipes his fingertips on one of the napkins sitting aside from the neat pile -- it's the one currently in use, so mustn't mix it with the others.

He can sense the magic from the nearby alley, which perks his curiosity. Not enough for him to go out into the rain to investigate it just now, though he does turn his gaze in the relative direction of the alley from whence the feeling comes. Something to make note of and look into later. And he murmurs something to himself that's in no language from Earth. The dinging of the bell over the door pulls his attention there, his dark gaze settling on the drenched man who enters. His head tilts a touch to one side, and there's a moment that he takes to look the fellow over from head to toe. There is a slight nod which might be a gesture of greeting or it could mean something else entirely.

Bai Wuyun returns his attention to the food sitting before him. He usually tends not to interfere in things, and yet... there are times when he chooses to. This is one of those latter moments. He lifts his right hand and makes a faint gesture of his fingers which might be simply to cause the long sleeve of his robe to fall closer to his elbow than what it had been. Yet there is something about him that speaks to a sense of concentration. The air circulation shifts, and the warmer air from near to the ceiling is gently spiralled down and around the sodden figure. There is nothing natural at all about this particular phenomenon.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Let it be stated right now that Nick's eyes were wide enough already from the shock of the air conditioning hitting wet skin. So, when the door paps shut and he's suddenly greeted with the dry cycle of a car wash being directed at him, the eyes don't get much wider. But there's still an added shift. Nick tilts his head up quickly in the direction the air is coming from, checking for some industrial type vents that were installed to blow flies out of open doorways or something.

The musician takes a cautious step to the left, seeing if the air stream follows.

Bai Wuyun has posed:
A fry is plucked free from the carton of them, and Bai Wuyun casually eats it. There's little sign upon his features that he's actively concentrating upon that flow of air, and yet... he is. There's a brief brush of his fingers across the napkin, and then he turns his dark gaze towards the fellow. A hint of a smile tugs up the corners of his lips when that step to the left is taken, and the stream of warm air dutifully follows the fellow. Almost as though it's tethered to him, yet there's no feeling of such being the case and in reality it isn't -- it's simply directed and controlled.

This isn't the first time that Bai Wuyun has used his magic in such a way. The air is warm, and though he tries to be mindful to not lend it too much in the way of force, Earth is different than his home. He shifts in his seat, turning to sit somewhat sideways and thus facing the fellow a bit more. He speaks, then, and the words he says come first in that language that is not of Earth of any age and in a curious tone, and then there are English words to follow: "It is not pleasing?" Whatever spoke the words in English, they come in his voice, which is a low baritone, but not from him.

Shen Wei has posed:
After having tried, and failed, to get communications going with a certain Haixingren male, Shen Wei had resorted to more... mundane .. measures. Well. After a fashion. At least, measures that don't rely on technology. And to add to the strangeness, his person walks straight from the shadows of the bathroom doorway. A door which, it might be noted, had not opened to spit him out. This time, there's no sign of goggles on him. For a moment, silver glints before Shen Wei's eyes squint down to almost closed.

He mutters a quiet set of words half under his breath. In the same language he'd used with Xie Yun the last time Nick had seen him. The same language Bai Wuyun keeps using. He's not dressed the same, this time. This time, he's in a long sleeved grey shirt and a pair of jeans. Half hanging from his right hip pocket hang the goggles. The same boots adorn his feet, though.

Wrinkling his nose, Shen Wei pulls the goggles free of his pocket and pulls them on. He blows out a sigh that sounds a lot like relief before turning to stride across the room toward the long haired man.

Translation 1: Why always so bright?

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As the heated air follows him, Nick's brows raise. That is not by building design. His attention flits out to the dining area, half expecting a long dark-haired female Fae to be smirking back at him. What he instead gets -is a long dark-haired man. Well, he's kind of smirking. He should be startled by the language that is spoken to him initially. At the very least the translation that comes soon after without anyone actively speaking aloud but- There's probably an app for that somewhere.

As for the question posed, it's only polite to answer as the man appears to be helping. There's an extra burst to the warm wind, tugging his hair out of the already loose ponytail. The added gust ends up catching the hair, make it flap in the air.

Nick blinks, giving a long drawn out sigh. Great. He walked into a Big Belly Burger and now looks like he belongs on the front cover of a romance novel. "It was."

Picking up on movement to the other side of him, Nick turns his head, getting a glimpse of Shen before his hair starts blowing into his face and mouth. "PFFPT! PFFPT."

Bai Wuyun has posed:
There had been crackling and static in the communicator earpiece that he wears, not that he had paid it much mind. There hadn't been intelligible words! With the storm going on, he had figured that it was some kind of electrical interference. It's a reasonable thread of logic to follow. And it was because of the storm that he didn't try to respond at all to the static -- well, because of that and the fact that he's slightly distracted at the moment. Distracted and concentrating at the same time. That sometimes doesn't work well, overall.

One of his eyebrows quirks up as he looks over towards Shen Wei at the engrance that he makes as well as his muttered words, and he tilts his head a touch to one side. A smile turns the corners of his lips as he watches Shen Wei approach, and he lifts one of his shoulders in a bit of a shrug before offering a comment in response, in his native language. The translator being what it is, translates: "They seem to prefer it that way. Even the natural spaces have lights. It is a strangeness." They? That seems an odd choice of word to use! He takes a moment to look up towards the lights hanging from the rafters of the space, and then his attention turns back to Shen Wei. And there are more words in that alien language they speak, translated to English that moment after he's said them. "The food here is good. Did you want anything to eat?"

Bai Wuyun turns his attention back to the rain-drenched fellow. His brow furrows a touch, and he gives a single nod. Then he speaks again, the tone of the words apologetic, and translated after he's stopped. "My apologies. I did not mean for it to be displeasing to you. The air is different here." He's adding to the pile of not really normal things to say, it seems. There's a moment of a pause whilst he seems to consider something, and then he inclines his head slightly towards the fellow before speaking again. "I will make it stop." And a second later, the flow of air that's within his control does just that -- it stops.

Shen Wei has posed:
Being distracted by food, and concentrating atop of that, of then doesn't lend itself well to noticing the small things. Shen Wei stops for a moment, almost like he's digesting the words spoken. Listening to the translator as well as the language being spoken before it can be distracting all by itself. It takes him a moment to parse what had been said. "Annoying." This time, it's in English. With the same accent as the last time he'd been in Nick's presence. But with Bai Wuyun's lilting language being spoken, it's obvious where his own accent had come from. That strange language.

He wrinkles his nose as food here is mentioned, and shakes his head. And another distraction, by way of Nick, with his hair in danger of getting munched by its own owner. Shen Wei's lips twitch as he resumes his walk toward Bai Wuyun's seat.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Once Nick gets the hair out of his mouth he glances over to Shen, lifting up a hand to give a wave of greeting "Hi again." The hand moves back to his hair, trying to pull it back out of his face. His glance shifts over to Bai as he hears the apology. Nick gives a tilt of the head in acknowledgement, as he continues pressing his hair down. "Apology accepted. I also do not believe that last part was intentional."

When the wind stops and his hair settles, the slightly less damp musician moves over to the counter to put in a food order.

Bai Wuyun has posed:
It is a distraction for Bai Wuyun as well, to have the translator parrot everything he says in a language that he doesn't understand. That's something he's going to have to work on. It's an annoying but necessary thing for him to have to put up with, and so he accepts it. He gives a nod to Shen Wei's comment, brief though it is, and he speaks in response to it, the common strange language being followed by the English of his translator. "It would be better for the lights to be less bright. Some of them seem so, even to me." And he isn't anywhere as sensitive to the light as Shen Wei happens to be. He wrinkles his nose a touch, claiming another fry and slightly gesturing with it as he speaks again in that strange language, seeming to have patience for the translator to do its thing even though Shen Wei understands him perfectly without it. "If we are to come here often, Shen Wei, then I will need to learn this language."

He tilts his head a bit to one side at Shen Wei's refusal of food, and then he gives a small nod. He's quiet a moment as he eats another fry from the carton of them, studying Shen Wei briefly before he speaks further, a sort of pensive tone to his voice. "If you change your mind, I'm more than willing to share or to purchase something for you." One of his eyebrows quirks up at the 'again' part of the greeting, and he looks from one to the other of them, a smile coming to his features before he speaks again and makes the translator do more work. "Oh, you have both met before. I didn't realize that you knew each other. I am Bai Wuyun. And no... it was rather not intentional. I am still getting used to the difference in the air here, so it sometimes... misbehaves." It doesn't do what he means for it to, which isn't quite the same thing as 'misbehaving'.

Shen Wei has posed:
Shen Wei looks at the waving hand. He stops next to Bai Wuyun and slowly lifts his hand in what is obviously a mimic gesture to sort of wave back. The translator is even more annoying when the language is understood. He might understand the Haixingren, but nobody else on this planet other than Xie Yun would. Unless they had universal languages or had learnt their language. The former being rather unlikely.

His attention is snagged by Bai Wuyun again, and his shoulders lift up ever so slightly. "We do not come here often." Five or six times in twenty-four years doesn't count as often, right? He looks between Bai Wuyun and Nick. "Briefly. Once." He pauses. "Supply drop." Not a man of many words is Shen Wei. He fidgets briefly, and then slides into a seat opposite Bai Wuyun. If any invitations to join them are offered, it's going to have to come from the Haixingren he'd just sat with.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Sometimes things just don't work the way we intend to. I understand that." Nick gives a nod confirming Shen's explanation. "He was dropping off supplies at a place I was voluntering at." He leaves the two to talk between themselves as he focuses on putting his order in. He came in here because he was hungry. Best take care of that first. Also judging from the exchange between the two, they probably have some matters to discuss without his interrupting.

Bai Wuyun has posed:
The Haixingren's attention is mostly upon Shen Wei, following his progress as he moves across the room and towards him. He can't help but to admire the Dixingren, though he does try not to be obvious about it. He tilts his head a touch to one side, and then he gives a small nod before speaking in that pensive tone again. "Perhaps there could be reason to come here more often, in the future. It is a pretty place." There's a warm smile that Bai Wuyun gives to Shen Wei as the latter joins him at the table, and he moves his right hand to lightly push the fries just a little bit closer to Shen Wei. Just in case he changes his mind about the food. One of his eyebrows quirks up, and he lifts his right hand, his gaze holding on Shen Wei sitting across from him, and he withdraws a lollipop from out of a pocket of air -- which looks, for all intents and purposes, as though he's taking it out of thin air itself -- and he places it on the table in front of Shen Wei. Through the clear parts of the wrapper, it can be seen that it's swirled purple and white. Berries and cream.

Bai Wuyun picks up the sandwich, partially eaten as it is, and he takes a bite which is chewed and swallowed before his tongue flicks out to lick his lips. There's a question that he asks, the words coming first from him in his native language and then repeated by the translator. "What sort of supply drop was it?" At least the translation of what Shen Wei and Nick are saying isn't getting broadcast, for that's fed into his ear more directly on account of an earbud tucked away in one of his ears. His attention turns to the still somewhat damp fellow, and he gives a small nod before speaking again, his tone sincere. "Yes, such things sometimes happen. The air does not behave the same as what I am accustomed to. I will have to practice more with it. I appreciate your understanding." He looks to Shen Wei for a moment, studying him briefly, and then he looks back to the damp fellow. After a moment of thought, he speaks again, to offer up an invitation and be polite, it would seem. Thus does an acquaintance of Shen Wei become an acquaintance of himself. "You are welcome to sit with us once you have your food, if you wish to." With the offer made, his attention shifts back to Shen Wei.

Shen Wei has posed:
Matters to discuss might be putting it mildly. Shen Wei's expression is a touch cross as he looks at Bai Wuyun. Clearly, he hadn't wanted to come here looking for the other man. And yet... he had anyway. When the fries are pushed his way, Shen Wei shakes his head. He reaches out with his left hand, pointer finger extended, and pushes the fries back with his fingertip. Clearly, that's a resounding no. He raises a brow at the emergence of the lollipop, and does the same with it. Single fingertip touches it and pushes it back toward Bai Wuyun.

"Charity," he supplies. "Gravity. Makes the air heavier than you are used to managing." Shen Wei does not object to the invitation extended and offered. He doesn't seem upset or annoyed by it either. He even scoots over so he's on one side rather than in the middle, to give Nick more room, should he accept the offer.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick turns his head to look back to Shen Wei, smiling at the offer. "Thank you." He responds before turning back to the cashier. He pulls out a bill, seemingly enough for his order and hands it over to the cashier.

Bai Wuyun has posed:
There are times when the Haixingren man suffers from a bit of obliviousness. He hasn't realized that Shen Wei has come here specifically in search of him. He lowers his gaze to the fries when they're pushed back towards him, and then he tilts his head a touch to one side. His dark gaze lifts back to Shen Wei, studying the Dixingren for a lingering moment. There's a touch of curiosity and concern to his voice when he asks a question in their native language, the translator repeating it in English. "You look as though you are cross with me, Shen Wei. What have I done to make you so?" There's a moment that he spends in thought then, but he doesn't recall having done anything that could have caused the ire. Then he glances down to the lollipop, also pushed back to him, which he picks up and appears to make vanish -- in reality, it goes back into that pocket of air from whence it had come.

He considers the mention of charity for a moment, and then he gives a small nod before speaking. "Charity is a good cause to make a supply drop for. Perhaps next time I can help with it, if you wish." He takes another bite of his sandwich, and then he sets it down on the wrapper sitting on the table in front of him. He reaches to pick up his napkin, wiping his fingers a little bit. Then he gives a small nod, about gravity, for it makes sense. "It will require practice in order to become accustomed to it. I have not found the right balance yet for the effects that I wish to create." It's troublesome and will mean that he'll cause more misfires, so to speak, in the course of figuring it out, but it's not impossible.