15360/Pink and Yellow... and Steel

Pink and Yellow... and Steel
Date of Scene:	19 July 2023
Location:	The Galleria, Metropolis
Synopsis:	A robot tiger, a robot terrorsaur, and John Connor! Oh f...
Cast of Characters:	John Connor, Pink Ranger, Yellow Ranger

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John Connor has posed:
There once was a time when going to the Galleria was a mundane experience. John Connor would see the clothing stores, the arcade, the movie theater, the video game stores, comic book shops, the Stark Store, Bath and Body Works, and really, anything else someone could want.

But that all changed the day he met the being he came to regard as Uncle Bob. It was the first Terminator he met, though he also kind of met the T-1000 at the same time, but he never did formally introduce himself. His reputation most definitely preceded him.

Since then, he had met Cameron, another protector sent to past to protect him, Derek Reese, his actual uncle, and a few scant others. Now, he lived as normal a life as he could, while being anything but normal.

A mall was an open area, where he could be spotted. But it was also a place where he could hide in a crowd. There was something to the anonymity of it, and the normalcy, that places like the Galleria held nostalgia for him.

It was a risk. He had been known to frequent it beforehand. So he only came sparingly. Today, he actually had a purpose. He was trying to pick out a gift. Dressed in a blue button up short sleeved shirt, with some kind of a diamond pattern to it in a darker shade of blue-grey, he had on khaki shorts, white socks, and black running sneakers. It was too hot for a coat, even if it did provide added protection.

Pink Ranger has posed:
When you weren't viewing it through a megazord cockpit and grappling with some monster? The city was a great place to be for Kimberly.

Downtime, good food, stores where she could pick up stuff they just didn't have in Angel Grove? It was awesome!

Best of all, she wasn't even here foe a gymnastics thing, so she could make the most of it. What better way than to extend an invite to her best friend in yellow to join her? There's even a promise of dinner as her treat when they were done!

Already a couple of shopping bags laden, Kimberly was joyfully moving through the space. "I need to get some new heels. Too many tall friends, I feel like a gremlin standing next to some people!"

Yellow Ranger has posed:
Trini Kwan follows Kimberly to Metropolis - she actually has been there a few days, just explroing the city too, and reunited with her friend. "Heard anything from Zack or Jason lately?" she asks curiously as she has a shopping bag herself - just one though.

"I never really did like heels - always feel like I'm on a tightrope. Platform shoes are still in, right?" she asks, holding her two hands flat and like six inches apart to indicate the height of the platform. "I think I could swing that." She glances towards the shoe store, already trying to imagine the shoes - and keeping her eyes AWAY from the opening in the middle that leads to the basement segment - she doens't like heights. Her lack of attention did cause her to not notice - as she bowls right into a guy wearing a blue shirt and stumbles, almost falling over but managing to catch herself. "Oh no, are you okay?" she asks, turning to face the guy she almost toppled.

John Connor has posed:
John Connor knew his mother's birthday was coming up in a month, and it was always best to try and think of a gift early. He didn't know his uncle Derek's birthday, or Cameron's, though he did know the day he met Cameron. Should he get a gift for a Terminator? He had paused outside the entrance to Bloomingdales, only to be hit from behind by a petite Asian American girl wearing predominately yellow.

It wasn't enough to knock him down, but it did pin him against the glass wall for a moment. His reaction time had been poor in that moment. He was caught unaware. He would chide himself for it later, but nowhere near as much as his friends and family would, if he let them know.

"Oh, yeah, it's nothing," he said, sounding every bit the normal kid he was. "Don't worry about it."

Pink Ranger has posed:
"Not since the last time with our gold 'friend'," Kimberly comments, unaware of John's plight for the moment.

     Romance was hard enough, between guys, between girls, same or different. Between guys and their killer robots? Yep, that was uncharted territory!

"I mean, I walk along a balancing beam for a living Trini," the Gymnast points out playfully as they walk. "But you could definately rock flats too. Maybe they'd be better for..." she begins, her own vision following Trini's and ensuring that she too was looking the wrong direction.

"Crap!" she offers lightly, helpfully, as she tries to cover her mouth not to giggle.

Yellow Ranger has posed:
Trini Kwan glances towards John, sighing softly. "You're okay, right?" she asks, glancing over John. "Anyway. Sorry to run into you. You know how we girls are when we start talking shoes. I'm Trini, and this is my best-friend-forever, Kimberly." She glances back towards Kimberly. "Well - the day is looking up," she muses.

John Connor has posed:
It was a bit early for John to be introducing himself as John. He wasn't comfortable enough with the stranger. So when she forces the issue by introducing herself, and her friend, he quickly and quietly tries to sidestep it, "yeah, I'm okay, don't worry about it, just, try not to talk about shoes so much, okay?"

Fully intent on leaving the pair, which was awkward and off putting, but he was wary. He always had his defenses up. But, pausing, he asked, "actually, do you have any suggestions for a birthday gift for someone who doesn't really like... stuff?"

Pink Ranger has posed:
"Hi!" Kim offers with a little wave, a smile and a little playful elbow nudge of Trini's arm before John's question earns a blink and a tilt of her head. "Doesn't like stuff as in...very cheap or as in super practical or...?"

Heck, they were super heroes and Kim still loved a bit of retail therapy!

Yellow Ranger has posed:
Trini Kwan ponders as she glances between Kimberly's crassness and the young man's reticence. He didn't offer his name - but she assumes there's a reason for that. "If she is not into 'stuff', I would suggest an expereince. A beautiful vista. Prehaps take her out of the city - assuming it is a her - and have a picnic by a lake during sunset. Create a memory that can be shared forever..."

John Connor has posed:
"My... mom's kind of a minimalist." He was hesitant about sharing anything, so being cagey, "so super practical works." Did she spend a dime that wasn't required? Sure, there were the odd treats like ice cream, but that was few and far between, and mostly for him. She was trying to give him the semblance of a normal upbringing, even if it was anything but.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I'm not having a picnic with my mom at sunset," he laughed, actually laughed, and smiled, and then decided to offer up, "my name's John," since he did have identification on him stating that he was John Baum. But he absolutely wouldn't be admitting to his mother's name being Sarah in front of them, just in case. Really, they should have went with better main aliases.

Pink Ranger has posed:
"Trini that's awesome! Like...super romantic!" she grins, Kim clearly a fannod the idea. "I mean, good time and maybe a dinner works most of the time right?"

Super practical? Kim ponders for a moment. "Maybe something like a new bag or like that? I have a friend who's like that. Billy...he's more 'super tech-y' so I just get him to tell me where to look and keep the idea in the back of my head."

What -did- one get a Terminator? More ammunition?

Yellow Ranger has posed:
Trini Kwan just slumps when John mentioned 'mom'. "S-sorry... your quesiton made me think... it was for a date..." She blushes as she shakes her head. "But... it's still not a bad idea. Some kind of memory that the two of you can share is more valuable than any possession." She shoots a glance at Kimberly who probably missed the fact that John said it was for his mother. "I apologize for my assumptions."

John Connor has posed:
The dinner might work, though his mother likely would see it as a waste, and an open invitation to being sniped. Ordering in was much easier. Or better yet, picking up take out. That way no one knew where they lived. He did think about a new gun holster, she might appreciate that, but it somehow didn't feel very birthday-like. A new suppressor perhaps? Trini did have a good point about a memory. In the future, memories are all that he would have. So a memory with his mother would help keep her alive and with him through the dark times. "Nah, it's okay. But yeah, mom, not a date, mother. I'm single." He's not sure why he added that last part. Probably being in the presence of two pretty girls.

Pink Ranger has posed:
Oops! Clearly her inner romantic had gone a-runaway, time to reign her in. Giving a little blink at that Kim bites her bottom lip ans look back at Trini. "I mean, my mom is kinda...really material? Not in a bad way, but she likes clothes and jewelry and stuff so...I'm not much help?"

Yellow Ranger has posed:
Trini Kwan smiles softly. "Like mother, like daughter," she quips, winking at her friend. "Anyway. Maybe you could tag along, and if you see something she'd like - get it? Maybe a practical pair of shoes - not like the ones we're about to get, but a comfortable pair of sneakers is incredibly useful."

John Connor has posed:
Kimberly was all heart, so it made sense that her last name just so happened to be Hart. Except, the love John had for his mother was quite a bit different from what Kimberly had been getting at. At Trini's comment, John couldn't help but admit and take pride in the idea of like mother, like son. "Better to have you two by my side than walking into me, I guess," and it wasn't every day that he got to spend time with people his own age. Cameron was great an all, and looked like them, but, there was a difference. At least he figured there was. These two could be cyborgs too. But they seemed human like to him.

Pink Ranger has posed:
There was a pout...but only because Kim's relationship with her mother wasn't always fantastic. Still, there was no ill will behind it and Kim herself was quick enough to recover and bounce back to Trini's offer with a nod of agreement. "Yeah! At the very least it might give you ideas."

Yellow Ranger has posed:
Trini Kwan muses, "I'm single too. Kimberly is... well, it's complicated," she states, not quite sure what the status is with her and Tommy. "Not really looking right now, but you never know what Lady Fortune will drop along one's path..." She smiles softly. "If it helps, my mom is always so busy with work that she barely has time for me... she does her best, of course..."

John Connor has posed:
John Connor was observant, he had been trained to be, and he caught the pout by Kimberly, just not the meaning. She was hiding something, whatever it was, big or small. He heard that Trini was single, and that Kim was complicated. Was she still talking about Kimberly, or moved onto herself when she said she wasn't looking. But he did get the part about Trini's mom, "likewise, though my mom makes time for me, whether I like it or not." Helicopter parents had nothing on her. "So, did I hear that you two wanted shoes?" They were standing outside Bloomingdales, and they probably sold shoes too.