1681/All Over the World

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All Over the World
Date of Scene: 27 July 2017
Location: Unknown
Synopsis: Summary needed
Cast of Characters: Superboy, Blink




Superboy has posed:
It if Friday afternoon and the mall is packed. There is also a large crowd to see the newest sci-fi movie, which they say could be like Star Wars or even better. Conner is actually pretty excited, while trying to play cool (he fails). Fortunately he purchased the tickets on Internet a few days ago. Sometimes he can be smart.

In his defense he asked a few friends to come, but they had plans. One of them even said she would be 'blowing up stuff' in Somalia or something. Nothing to worry, he just has some odd friends.

So looks like at the end it is just going to be Clarice and him. Which is when he realizes maybe it is going to look like a date. And he, well, he has jeans and red t-shirt. Sometimes he is not so smart. Hopefully Gonoshans are not very formal people.

Blink has posed:
He'd texted with a warning it was just them his 'friends' hadn't been able to make it. Of course, this /could/ be what he'd planned all along. Clarice had decided to think so, and so she was still skipping around her apartment, looking for the right shoes.

"Tall, tall... So heels! Yes!" Grabbing a pair of green stilettos with small purple flowers going up the side, the mutant hops from foot to foot until they're done. Only then does she risk looking in the mirror.

Dressed in the typical little black dress (only deep green so dark it's /nearly/ black), off the shoulder and covering to mid-thigh. The shoes go nicely, along with a silver charm bracelet on one hand. Her hair is lose, the metre or more locks hanging down her back to look artfully undone. Rather than the hour or more she'd spent on it with straigtening tongs, product and elbow grease.

Her makeup isn't easy to see, deep green lipstick turning nearly purple thanks to her lips, the eyeshadow at least shows up nicely in the same dusky green hue as her dress. Little silver starts dangle from her ears, adding a sparkle to her.

"It'll do Clarice..." She tells herself, taking a slow breath before opening a tear to behind the Mall. Stepping out, she checks nothing was caught in the dispersion field, before closing it and making a quick 'click clack click' noise as her heels eat up the distance towards the mall proper. Now, if only she can find him...

Superboy has posed:
Although Conner is on the tall side finding him in the crowded mall is not easy. He looks much like another young man among hundreds. On the other hand, finding purple-haired, lavender-skinned Clarice is extremely easy. In fact, a large number of people has 'found' her. Namely: they are staring.

If there are other obvious mutants among the crowd, they are keeping low profile. Hoddies and coats, not sexy dresses. If even that. This is an upscale neighborhood and although mutants are not illegal in America, they are not exactly welcomed in many places.

Some appreciative glances, mostly surprised ones, quite a bit outright hostile and disgusted looks. Conner notices those, but tries to ignore them, although he is at Clariceâs side not fifteen second since she ported in. "Hey... Clarice. You look, wow," he can hardly believe she went into so much work for a movie. Yes, the young man is not feeling very smart.

Blink has posed:
Jeans and tee shirt. Crap. It only takes that one look for the teen to realise her mistake. She's hideously over-dressed and now there's all these people staring. A long, slow breath to calm herself and then? Fake it till you make it.

A bright grin blossoms on the purple girl's face. "Oh this old thing?" She plucks at the expensive dress with a thumb and forefinger, internally wincing at the possible damage. "I just threw it on in case you wanted to go to a club afterwards..." Dress code at clubs! Score! Feeling quite pleased with herself, she turns to look at him with that grin - and an ice cream cone hits her dress square in the chest, the gloopy substance sliding down skin and falling away.

There's a moment when everyone is silent. No one's going to admit to throwing it, but then, what do you do at a time like this? Blase girl! Purple fingers pluck the cone from her dress dropping it to the floor. "There are people dying of starvation, and yet you still waste food?" Her voice is level, directed at no one in particular. Turning her head back to Conner she manages to keep the grin in place, though only just. "Uh... Do you know where the toilets are? I seem to need to clean up..." More than one girl gives her a sympathetic look, but none try and help.

Superboy has posed:
Club? Yes. Sure. Good idea. Conner smiles and nods. "We can do that, good plan," not that it is not going to be awkward at all. He can't take her to the clubs he is frequenting lately and has no idea where in New York... wait, thanks to her abilities they can go to Hawaii and he knows suitable places there. It is a -good- plan.

Was. The ice cream cone kills his smile and he turns to glare at the person responsible. Except it is not obvious who did it. Confusion in his expression, he looks back at Blink and nods. "Yes, er... come with me," he mutters.

Next projectile is a mostly empty coke can heading to Clarice's head. But this time Conner catches it in the air, his arm a blur, and this time he saw who did it. A large, somewhat overweight young man. Well-dressed, probably a college student. "Why did you do that?" He asks, looking angry.

But the super-hearing is telling him why already. Filthy mutant. Mutie-lover. Genejoke. Disgusting. There are other, less hostile whispers, but those are the ones that are annoying Conner. Race traitor, too. That one is particularly painful since he is not human either. Yet so few people has bothered him because he is half-alien he had never really noticed mutants do not have it so easy.

Blink has posed:
The can is a surprise, they're not normally that brazen once they might get noticed. But then again, there's no being sure that the same guy threw both. Clarice seems unsure what to do, she could likely take the guy with just her combat skills... But that isn't going to improve matters any and will likely get Conner in trouble too.

Instead she slips an arm around Conner's free one. Looking up she offers, still with a grin that's looking more and more brittle as time goes on; "Come on sugar, let's go somewhere else. Who wants to see a film with these losers anyway?" It's a little strained, but she's dealt with worse... If only it hadn't ruined the date before it even started.

Superboy has posed:
"I do," admits Conner, glancing to Blink. "This is the city where I live, I have to deal with these people every day," he adds for the girl. Then he turns to the people looking, a growing crowd of the curious and the hostile. "Why do you think she is a mutant anyway? She could be an alien visiting Earth. Or she could be a metahuman that got her appearance changed from an accident." Does this happen to Starfire? He bets it doesnât.

No one is responding, but he is getting odd looks himself, because he cough that can too fast for a normal human. And then the mall security is arriving. Rent-a-cops without much of a clue. "What is going on?" "She is a mutie," offers someone from behind the crowd. Anonymously.

Blink has posed:
Clarice sighs as the boys in grey turn up. Whatever hope she'd had of getting through this without causing a scene goes out the window with arrival of Authority. As it is, her desire to stand up for mutant rights is warring with the desire to look like 'just a normal girl' for her meeting with Conner. She'd tried /so/ hard with her outfit, and now it was ruined. She wasn't even sure if ice cream came out of velvet.

She lets go of his arm as he seems determined to 'do the right thing'. "Yes I'm a mutant." She answers to the rent-a-cops after the crowd answers for her. "The same mutant that risked her life only days ago to save /human/ children and teenagers from that AIM group." The words are out in anger before she has a chance to really think about the implications of that. Well, at least she'd been in normal clothes then too. "You're /welcome/ by the way." The words are spat at the group of onlookers. One hand balls into a fist, though still held at her side as the teen does her best to control her temper...

Superboy has posed:
"Oh yeah, she is a hero," confirms Conner, quick to believe whatever Clarice says. Nevermind she mentioned being part of the Brotherhood and the Wikipedia says some very nasty things about the Brotherhood.

"By the way, I am Superboy and I am half-kryptonian." He hovers up a few inches off the floor to make the point. "You guys have more DNA in common with this girl than with me, so I really don't get what is the damn problem."

That makes some of the members of the crowd step back. Kryptonian means many things. 'Superman', which is good. 'All-powerful aliens', not so good. "Look, we don't want any problem here," starts one of the security guards. "So, I'm afraid we need to ask you two to leave," beat, nervous smile at realizing they can hardly force him to leave, "please."

Blink has posed:
Clarice does a double take at being called a 'hero' by a /genuine/ superhero, for a moemnt it's all she can do to stop herself grinning ear to ear. As it is, her cheeks turn a deep shade of plum as she nods at the security guards.

"Come on uh... Superboy. We can just go back to mine? Watch a movie on the TV..." But her eyes are scanning the crowd, each pair of hostile eyes is noted, as is the drink they're holding - and more importantly, where.

Shifting again so she's side on to the crowd, but looking up at Conner the purple girl wiggles her fingers. "Just need to be away from people that could get hurt..." A flick of her eyes back to the amassing crowd for an instant. "Not that they deserve it."

Superboy has posed:
Conner is more than willing to make a fight out of this. If Superman was here, he would know exactly what to say!

But he doesn't. The hateful whispers are now more fearful, like if he was going to attack everyone. Which is crazy! "We paid for our tickets," he tells the guard, feet back to the floor. "And she was attacked by," vague gesture to the group with the guy that threw the can. The all recoil.

The young man sighs, and turns to Clarice. "Yeah, I don't think I want to be here either. Take us somewhere nicer, Clare," he asks the girl, trying to smile to her.

Blink has posed:
The mutant nods, turning and opening a portal to the outside behind them (causing many a hushed gasp and increased griping), so that Conner can proceed her. As she turns for one last look back (and making sure that Conner's a few steps ahead so he hopefully won't notice - after all she has no idea about his crazy super hearing!) she raises her free hand, blowing a kiss at the assembled group. Blase, all the way baby.

Of course, it's not /just/ blase. Her powers need direction, and her hand movement sets off a cascade of tiny -Blinkblinkblinkblink!- noises throughout the crowd as tiny little portals appear and vanish almost instantaniously. The effect? Dozens of cans start spraying soda over the gathered hatemongerers, packets of sweets empty themselves on peoples feet adding to the general level of sticky chaos. 'Well.' She thinks to herself. 'I'm not /that/ good.'

Turning as the mall cops are still trying to work out what the hell just happened, she skippy steps out the larger portal at a half run to catch up with Conner. "So! Where to Superboy? Back to Genosha?"

Superboy has posed:
Conner steps through the portal curious, but glances back to see what happens. Oh, this girl. He snickers a bit when she follows through, "that was... okay," kinda mean, but okay. He wraps an arm around her waist and pulls Blink closer. "Sorry. In the name of the people of America, I think. I am an American although I am half-alien, y'know? Not that many are jerks, but the dumb ones really make too much noise."

Anyway. What to do? Clarice probably needs to clean off that ice-cream off her. "Want to go to Genosha? That is fine." His place is not suitable for female visitors right now. He is... careless. It would need five minutes of super-speed cleaning. Maybe ten. "Have you ever been in Hawaii? I know a few really nice places there."

Blink has posed:
"I've not been, but if you've got a photo I can get us there." She admits, leaning her head against his shoulder with a heavy sigh. She does release a little giggle at the thought of what happened back there. Part of her feels she needs to explain; "It wasn't the best part of me... But they deserved it." She holds up a finger of the hand /not/ currently slipping around Conner's waist as they walk. "All that evil needs, is for good men to do nothing." She quotes with a smirk. "And even the good ones there did nothing... Besides, this is a hundred dollar dress!" For her at least, that's a lot of money!

They walk across the carpark a little further before she finally asks. "Not the best start to the night was it? Let's make this next bit better!" At least she bounces back quickly!

Superboy has posed:
Conner can't argue at all. No one else stood up to talk for Clarice. Even the guards only wanted them to go to avoid problems. That is simply -so- wrong. He should be angrier, but hearing Clarice still wants to hang out with him helps to vanish most of the bad feelings.

Pictures! He has a few in his cellphone. On the other hand, "I have never been in Genosha and maybe you can still save the dress? We can go there, you can change and maybe show me around? It is an island, isn't it? Do you have good beaches?"

Blink has posed:
"We have the /best/ beaches." She opines with a grin quickly returning to her face. Even as they walk she flicks her free hand before them, a tear opening as she displaces atoms and creates a gateway /elsewhere/. Still night in Genosha, though a lot later into it, they can see a darkened room with large bay windows leading onto a small veranda.

"Ah, that's my apartment... Shouldn't take me two ticks to change, get this into some cold water... I /think/ that's what you do..." She genuinely has no idea what the right way to treat what cloth is, but soaking stuff seems to be the standard. "Then I can take us to the beach?"

Superboy has posed:
Conner crosses over, to the other side of the world. Eight or nine hours ahead of New York, so dawn is not quite there, although the night is clearing to his enhanced vision. "Ah, I had no idea I was going to keep you awake during the night," mentions the boy, looking through the window. Or she woke up at like 3am to go to the movies. "Next time, we better try in the US morning, which is your evening." Assuming there is a next time.

Not to fall in the temptation to watch her changing. No X-Ray vision anyway! He steps out to the veranda. And looks at the half-rebuilt city. The Wikipedia also said a few things about the Genoshan Civil War.

Blink has posed:
"I'm good, my body clock is all over the place... Vi... Uh, Sabretooth keeps my training purposely untimed." The mutant darts into a darkened bedroom, flicking on the light as she kicks the door closed. And now... Well now hours of decision have all come undone. What the hell should she /wear/!?

It's a good long minute or three before she realises she's just standing in front of her wardrobe staring. With a mutter of frustration she grabs a few things before a portal walks her from the bedroom to bathroom. Practice practice practice!

A wet flannel gets the worst of the ice cream off, and then the dress gets thrown in the shower to be sprayed with cold water whilst she quickly slips on a green bikini (you never know!) with a dark green summer dress over the top that comes down to her knee. Turning this way and that she frowns a little, the makeup seeming too much.

But it's too late now! Time's up and he's waiting, so heels are swapped for flat sandals (she's left to lament the loss of height) before she comes out onto the veranda to stand next to him, the morning wind lifting her hair in flowing waves. "So where to?"

Superboy has posed:
"Hey, it is your island," replies Conner, grinning. "Some place you like, or some place that is cool or impressive. Hmm, not much light yet, but I can see in the dark pretty well." He would offer her to buy her dinner, but this late (early!) everything looks closed in Hammer Bay. In fact, maybe there is a curfew or something. And of course he doubts they would take American dollars. Maybe his credit card.

He does offer her his arm, though. "You can lead on this time. I will show you Hawaii the next one." Because he is going to ask her out again at some point for sure, decides.

Blink has posed:
"Oh! Okay... Hmm..." Blink grins softly, an idea coming to her. With a wave of her hand a portal appears several feet out in midair off the edge of the veranda. "Keep up, and don't touch the edges!"

Not taking the arm (this time) the young mutant hops up onto the hand rail, balancing there easy enough. "Really, don't touch the edges." Is all she says, before blowing him a kiss and leaping backwards through the rent in the air - appearing somewhere further into the city, a back flip causing her to land on her feet, still looking through at the half-kryptonian.

Superboy has posed:
Donât touch the edges.

Conner is invulnerable (mostly!) don't tell him not to touch something, it is tempting! But he will restrain himself this time and follows Clarice, flying through the portal to see her landing from her back flip. "That was pretty impressive," he agrees, still smiling. But he used to hang out around Robin, so he has seen fancy acrobatics before. "Where are we now?"

Blink has posed:
It's the top of a broken building, the wind is stronger here. At one point this tower must have had more floors, going by the chunks still here and there - plus of course the huge lump of building sticking out of the next sky-scraper over. "It's the best vantage point over the city..." She offers, offering a hand to the flying teen.

"From over there you can see the sun rise over the city, it's pretty... well... pretty." She finishes lamely, behind him the portal winks out of existence with a -blink!-.

Superboy has posed:
The wind ruffles his hair, but doesnât really bother Conner, and he takes the girlâs hand gently, glancing around for a safe-ish spot to stand with her. Looks like she already picked the best one. "You come here often?" He asks, rhetorically.

Still a bit before the sun show up so he takes a long glance to the city underneath, asking Blink about the interesting buildings he can see from up there. Ending with an "and where is your place?"

Blink has posed:
Clarice grins, easily pointing out the main buildings. "That's the old government buildings, there's Magneto's new place, isn't it grand?" Her cheeks are somewhat flushed with the wind, her green eyes alight with excitement.

"I come up here when I want to be alone usually..." She grins sheepishly, her teeth a bright point in the half-light. "It's not exactly /safe/ really... But nothing's happened so far!" Walking him out to an edge that faces the East. "Over there's where it'll come up." She brushes over a flatter section of land, hosts of small buildings and cages that seem to have suffered badly during the war.

"Uh... What else, ah, over there's where I took Molly and Lucy to the beach. It's where I tend to go swimming if I feel like it." Blink's grin turns impish; "I do a mean cannonball."

Superboy has posed:
Conner nods and smiles as Clarice points to the main buildings of Hammer Bay. He looks down to the ruins and realizes they probably were the old Magistrates Citadel, which towered over the city in old pictures. Smile falter, until Clarice mentions the swimming cannonball. That makes him laugh. "I guess teleportation would help you to do that," he points out. "So where is your apartment from here? I canât figure it out."

Blink has posed:
Blink's hand swings back around to the cluster of high-rises near to Magneto's tower. "Just over there. I think the re-construction is starting that way and sort of spreading out? I'm not in the loop on that side of things." Or any side of things really, but that doesn't sound quite so interesting.

Tugging gently on Conner's arm, the teen settles down cross-legged (with a little adjustment of her dress to keep her modesty in tact), to await the sun. "Oh yes, and you can make /sure/ you hit deep water too, rather than any rocks that you might clock just from jumping." Her grin continues unabated as she explains.

"What about you? What do you do for fun? Other than take girls to get ice cream..." Because in some way or another, both their meetings so far had included Ice Cream!

Superboy has posed:
Conner spends half a minute looking at the place Clarice's apartment is supposed to be with telescoping vision, and situating it from the viewpoint he had when he was visiting there. Making sure (reasonably sure) he will be able to find it in the future. Then he sits down at the girl's side.

"Doing? Right now not much," he admits. "I will be starting college soon, but I still have almost a month to go. So I do some patrolling, keep in touch with some friends. Go to... eh, some crazy places my friend Rose has dragged me to. Clubbing many nights. Exploring New York, it is a cool city. Not as nice as Metro. Well, I mean not as new, or shinny. But it has a lot of interesting spots. More varied for sure."

Blink has posed:
"And before that, you came from Hawaii didn't you?" That's right, he wasn't the only one that could Google! Though the teen hadn't got much more that that alas. A few jaunts that he'd been pivotal in, nothing that gave her any insight into the /person/ at least.

"That's got to be pretty cool, what with all the uh... Coconuts?" I mean, what else does Hawaii have? "And the pineapples." She adds belatedly, because she's pretty sure she's heard that's a major export somewhere. Though her memory is putting it in a comedian's voice, so maybe not.

Superboy has posed:
Conner laughs at those, "I lived there a bit over a year, yeah. Hawaii is actually pretty much the same size as Genosha. At least the big island is. Only with volcanoes." As much as he knows Genosha's mountains are not volcanic.

"People there are very friendly," he adds. Although compared with New Yorkers most people are friendly. "Great weather and great beaches. I learned to surf and I... did a lot of thinking," or more like a lot of -living-. Real living, not virtual reality. "Er... you know most people do not know anything about me before early 2015 or so, right?"

Blink has posed:
She nods in agreement. "I tried googling you..." She flushes that dark plum colour again. "It just said that you're a suspected son of Superman, but didn't give me much else to go on other than having spent some time in Hawaii." He'd been pretty forth-coming on his googling of her and the Brotherhood at least.

"No volcanoes here that I know of, but then I don't know much about geology." False dawn starts it's slow creep, just the barest lightening of the edges of the horizon. It's still a good while out yet for the actual sun to rise.

Superboy has posed:
"I checked the nets about Genosha and the Brotherhood, too," admits Conner, going silent for a few minutes, smiling briefly when Clarice blushes. He is thinking, a rare thing. "I am not Kal's son," he admits after a while.

The young man sighs. "Truth is I am no one's son. I woke up in a lab and then escaped. It might have been a government thing, but no one knows. The main theory is I was created in a lab using Superman's genetic material along with some human donor because cloning Kryptonians for real is supposed to be impossible using Earth technology. But no one knows for sure either. So all my childhood and high school life was some kind of virtual reality simulation."

Blink has posed:
"Wow... That's got to be rough." It's certainly not the tale she was expected. But then again, with the world this messed up, it /shouldn't/ have been surprising really. Even so the purple girl reaches out to give Conner's arm a squeeze. Superman's /name/ however, is filed away for later.

"Not sure if it helps any, but /real/ life can be pretty crappy. So maybe it was all for the best? If they gave you friends and such I mean. If they were mean and did just nasty stuff, then I hope you at least demolished their lab..." Because she doesn't have any vengeful streak in her... Not after the soda can incident!

Superboy has posed:
Conner hehs. Demolished that lab a little bit when escaping. Maybe not enough. "Eh, I'm fine. I got friends and a good life, and Superman is kind of my family, sorta. Not sure what yet." Maybe he will figure out some day, but generally he avoids dwelling into existential matters.

"You had it rougher, right? But you are a nice girl," he decides, wrapping an arm around Clarice's shoulders and pulling her close. "So, I think I can hear a bakery opening, wanna go get some dinner... or breakfast? Uh, you think they will take American dollars or a credit card?"

Blink has posed:
Blink ponders that. "I'm not sure it's /worse/." She frowns, giving it some serious though. "I mean, it was harsh, but at least it was /real/. Finding out that everyone you know is a lie must be pretty soul destroying. It's just a different form of slavery I think. And that's all as bad as each other, no matter how you dress it up."

Moving on, she advises; "They'll take American, but I've got some pounds back at the apartment if you're hungry?" She'd eaten of course before going out, after all, when on a date it's the unspoken rule that the girl only orders a salad right? Something like that anyway...

"I could probably eat a little something... Thought we'd have a whole film to watch first so wasn't really expecting on eating this soon." She laughs, managing to keep all but the barest hint of bitterness at the mutie haters out of her voice.

Superboy has posed:
"I don't remember too much of the VR thing," replies Conner. As far as he remember there was too little socializing and too much trying to cram his mind with raw knowledge. Which he has also mostly forgotten. VR Smallville High School was the most clearly defined part and it was, well, high school. Does he miss it?

Sometimes. Better not to dwell on it.

The plan was to buy her dinner after the Valerian movie. Stupid mutant haters ruined it. He really should stop planning things. Now they are going about an hour or two too early. "No worries. We can wait and do it later, what else do you do for fun in Genosha?"

Blink has posed:
"I race." She grins softly. "Well, it's /training/ really. But say... Magneto is floating across the city. I'll race him, to see if I can beat him - but only by opening portals to places I can see. It can be pretty challenging. Especially if I make a 'stealth mission'." She grins self conciously, flushing plum all over again.

"It's a small island, and most of it's dead after the war. But we could go for a swim if you want? Or wait here to see the sunrise..." Her voice had turned more whistful to the end of that, a girl and romance are never too far parted in the end.

"Oooor... I've got a TV, we can find an early morning /something/... Maybe." Because cable isn't a thing here yet... "Yeah, it's kinda a entertain yourself sort of place isn't it?" She finsihes finally, a note of defeat evident.

Superboy has posed:
It is not so small... Conner found plenty of nice places to hang out in Hawaii. But dead? Crap. That deflates his enthusiasm a bit. He gets the idea Genosha is not very fun. "Well, the good thing is you can go anywhere in the world, right?"

"But we can wait for the sunrise here, just talking. And go to the beach to swim one we have a little more light," nevermind he lacks swimsuit, it won't be the first time he has to go underwater in his regular clothes. Superhero life is fun like that.

Blink has posed:
She grins. "We can, can even go back to a different part of the states if you like? I mean, it's nice here and all..." She's taken to leaning her head on his shoulder now that he's pulled her in close. "But it's kinda... Really romantic isn't it? And you don't seem like that's what was on your mind tonight..." She grins softly. "Course, we can always watch Portal TeeVee (tee em)!" She whispers the TM as if it had to be said.

"That's where I open up a portal somewhere pretty high, so it's not going to affect anyone, and then just watch what's going on below. It's normally quite pretty..." The girl ponders. "Though Genosha /does/ have some fun places to go in the evening, none of them stay open till now." Why she feels the need to defend the place is beyond her, but home is home. Even if it was once hell.

Superboy has posed:
"Well, I can see they... you are still rebuilding," admits Conner. "I am sure this city will be great in a couple years." Then he grins. "I like it here. I like the company quite a bit," even if 'romantic' is not a word he would be caught using in a million years. He is an action hero!

The option to go anywhere else is not outright rejected. But he has the impression Clarice wants to watch the dawn first. And the going to swim offer is also interesting. If nothing else to see her in a swimsuit. He is a guy. Still, it is just dawning in Genosha and in Hawaii it should be, uh, mid-afternoon?

Blink has posed:
Quite a bit? What does he mean by /quite a bit/? Boys are so difficult to fathom sometimes. But he hadn't suggested that they move... Eugh, /men/. Blink's inner monologue doesn't make it to her face, she's gotten quite good at that over the years. For all the world she could be thinking about anything, or nothing.

"Well it /was/ pretty well built up for a while..." She doesn't need to say /how/ or why it isn't anymore. And that's probably for the best, instead the young woman moves on quickly. "So the infrastructure's all there, it's just getting the buildings done. I'm sure Magneto will get on with that soon." He's been seen once or twice already getting started, hence them having something to live in already. "Thanks by the way... For standing up for me back there." She's blushing softly, thank goodness for the twilight! "You didn't have to. But thanks all the same."

Superboy has posed:
What? Where?

Conner blinks, really surprised. "Of course I had to. It was completely unfair. Those jerks... Besides, you are my friend." And he will always, always stand up against injustice. He might be clueless sometimes, and impulsive most of the time, but still no one can take out of the 'Super' in him.

It was also completely unexpected. He has some friends that look different, but they tend to be fairly famous, like Garfield Logan. They are not harassed like that. Or are they? This sure was a wake up call for him.

Blink has posed:
Clarice just smiles softly, watching the sun as it starts to peek over the horizon, it's golden light hitting the tops of broken buildings and turning the ocean into a glittering sea of diamond bright points.

"It's pretty common really, what happened there. We're the new second class citizens of the USA. But just like all the rest, we'll get to equality sooner or later." A hard edge entered her voice as she spoke about it, an unspoken 'one way or another.' hanging in the air...

Superboy has posed:
Superboy says, "No such thing in the US," protests Conner. The law is the same for everyone. In theory. Or... well, technically Clarice was an illegal visitor, but that was not why she was harassed. They didnât like her aspect and that was just racism.

He sighs. "I'm sorry, Clare," he mutters quietly. It is dawning, and that always makes him better. It is the sunlight activating his energy-generating Kryptonian powers, it feels nice. "This is a good place to watch dawn. Really cool," he adds with a small grin."

Blink has posed:
"I thought so." Clarice nods with a smile, removing her head from his shoulder to get a better view of the morning's glory. "Glad you got to see it really, so the evening wasnt a total loss huh?" It's not worth trying to correct him on the intricacies of human stigma, in a way, it's nice there's still a hero out there that believes in the /ideals/ of Justice and Law.

After another ten minutes, the mutant girl starts to fidget. "So! You wanted food too? Or want to end the evening on this high note?" A pause. "Pun intended." She adds, gesturing to their vantage point.

Superboy has posed:
"This evening was not a loss at all," replies Conner, standing up and offering her his hand. "I got to see your city, and I got to hang out with you. And we still have some time, right? Lets go to the beach and then get some breakfast. Or dinner. And if you want to try a jump to Hawaii, I have pictures in my cell."

Blink has posed:
"Nothing will be open yet..." She says dejectedly, looking down at the beach. "But we could go to Hawaii and get something to eat and have a swim? I've got..." She looks at the sun again. "A few hours yet." Before training, but he doesn't need to know that. A little sleep is an easy thing to give up for this!

Blink will look at the phone, holding it if he'll let her so she can turn the pictures this way and that. Oddly she seems to pay as much attention to something upside down, as she would when it's right ways up. "Right, I think I got it!" Handing him back the phone she double checks; "Ready?"

Superboy has posed:
Hawaii beaches will be pretty full in a Summer evening. That makes Conner hesitate a second. Hopefully there won't be racists around. This time he is going to be very watchful. Fortunately he doesn't know she is planning to go to train without sleep.

So he shows Clarice a few pictures of a beach in Kauai, the smaller northern island. Slightly less crowded beach than those in the larger islands. "Okay. I am ready. Let me hold on you, so there are no danger of crashing this time," he offers, slipping close to her so he can catch her if they appear a few yards from the ground.

Blink has posed:
"That only tends to happen if I get over excited..." She admits, after all, you can /look/ through a portal before leaping. It's a lesson she really needs to learn. But she's not going to argue about a strong arm around her either, so as her arm moves, she's leaning in to him a little.

There's the now recognisable -blink!- noise as there and here become one through the displacement of atoms. She's no real idea how it works, but as the portal opens, it shows nothing but deep blue-green. "Whoops, bit too far out." She mutters, closing it and trying again. This time there's the beach, and only about twenty feet down. "There, that way we can't hit anyone with it."

Superboy has posed:
Conner has no idea how Blink's teleport work either, just that she fell from pretty high over Mutant Town. When she opens a portal and peers before jumping, he smirks faintly. Yes, much better.

"There it is, good aiming," he tells the young woman, pulling her closer and flying through the portal and down to the beach. It is late afternoon, it is tropical warm, very pleasant. The draw attention, too. Dozens of swimmers, and Conner waves. "No worries. I am Superboy, this is my friend Blink, who is also a super-hero. Please, no autographs. I am just showing her around!" That should defuse it.

Superboy is a well-known Hawaiian.

Blink has posed:
A superhero? Her? Wow... She must be doing better than she thought! Despite her little power-outburst at the cinema too! The Brotherhood member gives a blazing grin and a little wave to the amassed onlookers before she extricates herself from the larger teen.

"Wow... So we'd better swim first huh? What with having to wait an hour after eating..." She's grinning, teasing maybe. But her hands are already reaching to the bottom of her summerdress, pulling it up and over her head to reveal more of the same hued skin. Her darker markings are easier to notice too, several stripes of that deep plum-purple.

And then there's the paper-thin scars criss-crossing the youth's back. A patina of memories from a darker time. As she kicks her shoes off, she drops the dress on top, flicking her hair out with both hands to settle it properly. "Last one in has to pay for dinner!" She cries, taking a step to leap into a suddenly there portal...

About fifty yards into the water, and a good twenty feet up, there comes a yell; "CANNONBALL!" as she reappears from the sky, all bundled up and ready for a big splash!

Superboy has posed:
Conner eyerolls as some tourists automatically go for the cellphones to take pictures. Preoccupied with that, he misses Clarice's undressing and enthusiastic dive into the ocean. Waitamin... oh. Well, to be honest he had planned to pay the dinner. Hmph.

He doesn't have his swimming trunks, but that is not going to stop him. His shirt is dropped on the pile with Clarice's dress. Then the shoes. He goes into the sea in jeans, more flying than swimming to catch up with the purple-haired girl.

Blink has posed:
By the time he's there, she's laying on her back, floating lightly due to natural boyancy. "Hello cutie... Took your time." She grins, turning her eyes rather than her head to watch him. Of course with no pupil, it's difficult to see /where/ she's looking in this case.

"This is really nice... So warm..." A stroke from her arms has her gliding through the water, a little closer. "So this is where you come to unwind? There's so many /people/..." It's unclear whether the people are the worry, or the amount of them.

Superboy has posed:
Conner arches an eyebrow. Calling him slow? There will be a retaliation. Somehow. He laughs. "Hey, Hawaii is a bit tourist spot. I guess... next time we can find a desert island if you want. I bet I could find us one."

No one is talking shit about mutants, at least. Then again his super-hearing is not so good he can clearly hear all the conversations over the sounds of the waves crashing. Hmm, maybe he shouldn't listen at all.

"And yeah, I came here to unwind many times. Almost every afternoon. I learned surfing in beaches like this," he never went to real high school, after all. "There are parties every night somewhere in the islands. It was great, at least for a year or so."

Blink has posed:
"It sounds it!" She agrees readily, kicking her feet lightly to stay in place rather than be pulled out to sea by the tides. "I mean, I guess I'm just a bit wary you know? Tonight isn't really a rarity, seems more prudent to just avoid trouble spots for now..." Because if you fight back against people, the mutant is often seen as the problem. She's pretty sure that's how the Brotherhood got it's bad rap, but that's an opinion she's keeping to herself for now.

"So where do you swim now? Or can you get around the planet so fast you can just pop over here whenever you want?" From the beach, it seems the most constant sound is that of phone cameras clicking away. Where people aren't taking videos.

Superboy has posed:
"Eh... I am not quite as fast as a bullet yet," admits Conner, grinning again. "You are the one that can get anywhere in a blink, aren't cha? Nah, lets just swim to the land tip," he points about a hundred yards ahead. "No tourists there," since it is a rocky place, but good places to sit down and watch the sea. Also good exercise for a normal person. Conner just can't get tired as long as the sun is up.

Blink has posed:
The girl grins. "Indeed I can!" Within limits, but it's nice to imagine she can just get anywhere. Rolling over onto her front, she begins a slow front crawl towards the spit that he pointed to. Her simple deep green bikini not slowing her as some of the more 'showy' ones might.

The mutant's a strong swimmer too, if her slow, sure strokes are anything to go by. Her purple form slicing through the water at a goodly pace. If no-where near as fast at the half-kryptonian.

Superboy has posed:
Conner is just keeping up with her. The waves are large and casual swimmers are better staying closer to the sand. He is pleased to see Clarice can handle herself pretty well. She is a strong swimmer despite her elfin-slender appearance.

It doesn't take long, but definitely struggling against the ocean current the last third of the way was good exercise. Conner helps her to climb the rocks until they are safe from all but the tallest waves. And no people nearby. The ocean extends in front of them all the way to the horizon. "Yeah, it is nice here. Not that I don't like crowds," he glances back to the beach. They seem to have forgotten about them, good!

Blink has posed:
One of the benefits of growing up on an Island is getting to swim whenever you want. And Clarice quite liked swimming. Still, she's breathing pretty hard by the time they get to the rocks and is quite happy to accept Conner's help in getting to the top.

The shining sun causes her wet skin to glisten softly, the lines on her back easier to notice as she sits and leans forward, resting an arm on her knee. Blink's bikini (now soaked) sticks to her - but being a more sporty type gives nothing of what's beneath away other than the shape. "Yeah, it's not crowds I'm really worried about. Just the bigger the crowd, the higher the chance there is that there's someone who will want to start something." It's a sad outlook for one so young.

Superboy has posed:
that is a bleak outlook that makes Conner look at the girl with concern. He had no idea of how lucky he was by being accepted as one of the 'super' family. Popular, loved heroes. He rarely had to deal with the uncommon anti-alien groups, much less with the widespread anti-mutant ones.

A hand rests gently on her scarred back, finally realizing what those faint lines must be. And he has to wonder where was Kal-El when children were getting beaten up in Genosha. He will have to ask him.

"They better not bother us during dinner," is all he has to say.

Blink has posed:
Clarice tenses as his hand touches those marks, but she relaxes again a moment later. An old habit perhaps. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Hawaii seems nice, and varied. It's not /everywhere/, it's just common enough to make me wary." Her head turns, and she's smiling at him, no blase grin in sight.

"Thanks Conner, I was worried after what happened that that would be that. But it's been really nice. I can see why they call you 'Super'." And then the grin is back, her head turning towards the various places along the beach. "So do you have a favourite eaty place? The one that only the locals know of?" In her experience, there was always one place that locals never told the tourists about. And it was normally the best food.

Superboy has posed:
Oh no! She wants genuine native food and not pizza. Poor Conner.

But not all his friends are barbarians, he does know a place or two in Kauai for good food. He pulls his cellphone out again. Yes, it is water-resistant. In fact it is almost Kryptonian-resistant. But he goes through several smartphones at the end of the year. "Hmm, looks like yeah. We can go here, they have tables free."

He stands up again, glancing to the beach to make sure no one has stolen their clothes. "I can take you there in a minute, or we can walk for twenty."

Blink has posed:
Clarice grins wickedly, that blase grin back in full force. Standing too, she steps up close, wrapping an arm around the well developed lad's waist. They're both wet at least, so as she shuffles a little closer she doesn't worry about their soaked clothing.

Magenta hair sticks to her cheeks and forehead thanks to the sea-water and breezes. Still with that wicked grin, the purple portaller winks. "Take me big boy!" She giggles.

Superboy has posed:
Truth is the sun has done a good job drying off the skin, but not the bikini or Connerâs jeans. Conner smiles when Clarice comes closer, holding her more firmly, he carries her back to the beach to pick up the sundress and shoes. Then off again, to a restaurant a couple miles inland. No one is too surprised to see people in swimsuits here, although the lavender skin draws some glances. But the staring was probably also due to them landing at the door of the place.

Table for two. And Conner picks a relatively remote corner of the restaurant to avoid the curious. Then he proceeds to explain the menu to Clarice. If she has tried even Polynesian food, there is much in common. Taro, pork, seafood. Of course tropical fruits.

Blink has posed:
With her quip being all but ignored, Clarice instead takes the opportunity to look over the island from a vantage that isn't rapidly falling. Or edged with blue energy. She does take a minute when they get to the restaurant to quickly slip her dress and shoes back on - the material quickly getting soggy where her bikini sits underneath.

"Hmm, okay, so uh... That, that and that?" She points to several things that sounded good when he described them - and then orders a coconut milk and rum. Just to see if she can.

Superboy has posed:
No rum, they get carded. In fact Conner is already known to be under twenty one. "We can go to Mexico for rum," he grumbles in good mood, winking an eye to Clarice, hinting he had done precisely that a few times.

"I bet you have tried the food of half the world already," he offers. Conner himself can presume to have tried pizza from half the world already.

Blink has posed:
"Some of it, but I don't go to random places too often." Mainly because of the opportunity for spectacularly misplacing a portal. She'd had visions of cutting off the hands of Big Ben, or an ear of the Sphinx.

With only the smallest of pouts, she selects the coke. And when the server's gone? Well... She leans in to whisper consipiritually. "Actually, there's a great place in Scotland. Legal drinking age there is eighteen, so totally legal!" And she even /has/ a USA ID! And it's /real/!

Superboy has posed:
"Yeah, Europe legal is eighteen in most places," although probably not as good for rum. Or it is? He is hardly an expert. He is surprised Clarice knows about it, but then again he canât even imagine who is the guy that raised her.

Do they have time for a pint in Scotland. Conner is in no hurry to finish their world-jumping not-date, he is having a good time with a very pretty girl. Life is great when it works.

Blink has posed:
With the arrival of food comes the dual worries of how much does she eat, and how dainty does she need to be? She starts with just a fork, picking small morsels from the plate in an approximation of what she supposes is the right thing.

"I'm not sure of the time difference from here... It's about six hours behind central US, so we /should/ be okay if you wanted to go see. It's just a little pub though, can always go there another time." Besides, it /is/ nice here. Warm and sunny and rather quiet now that they're away from the masses.

Superboy has posed:
Another question for the smartphone. "Hmm, too early," he notes. Six more hours to central. Conner eats with gusto. Despite he probably could survive without food forever as long as he got sunlight. How much is Clarice supposed to eat? Donât ask him! That is a part of the womenâs world he will never really understand.

Another time makes him smile. "Definitely next time, next time we can do much better, and plan for the two of us alone, and all around the world, hmm?"

Blink has posed:
With Conner eating like a trooper, Clarice is able to eat a relatively normal meal without seeming fat. She listens as he talks, having been happy to eat whilst he searches his phone. Global reception is something she really ought to think about...

"Sounds like a plan!" She agrees readily, once the other teen makes his suggestion. "I'll try and actually check time differences, plan around it. Might mean we start at an odd time though... For you anyway." For her? Well the young mutant's bodyclock is so over the place she doesn't even /know/ what time it is anymore!

Superboy has posed:
Not really global reception, but Hawaii is still the USA. Conner had no signal in Genosha (of course he checked) good thing the pictures of Hawaii were already in his phone. "No worries about time differences. Last time I got tired and sleepy I was in a weird place in the Antarctic with kryptonite and no sunlight... and dinosaurs." And the dinosaurs were kind of cool except when for that time they almost succeeded in eating him alive.

But yes, he is Kryptonian enough the bodyclock is something that happens to other people. He tries to sleep now and then, because it is good for his head, but his body never really needs rest.

Blink has posed:
Clarice almost chokes on her coke, coughing and spluttering as she grabs a napkin to cover her mouth (and dry her chin at the same time). When she can finally speak again she only has one word; "Dinosaurs!?" The outburst gets one or two heads turning, but more for the noise than the wording.

Flushing at the coughing fit (and the outburst), the girl drops her voice as she continues; "You've seen /dinosaurs/? Where was this? Do you have pictures?" Pictures? Oh no... She's not thinking of /going/ is she!?

Superboy has posed:
Conner glances at the girl, worried for a second. But she is fine so he half-smiles. "Er... no pictures, I spent the phone battery in the flight from Argentina. It was an old plane and boring. And then we crash-landed, so..." almost a week without nets. Terrible. Then again he was too busy to care too much. "Anyway, someone put a tropical jungle in the Antarctic, and dinosaurs, crazy toad people, and bugs the size of vans. I think there must be aliens there somewhere, too, but we didn't get to see them."

Blink has posed:
"Wow... That's /amazing/. I wonder if Mister Creed knows anything about it..." Clarice wonders aloud, before returning to the conversation at hand with a bright smile. "Well you've certainly made this all really interesting!"

With the main course all but done, the dessert menus are placed by the two teens. "Thank you." The purple girl smiles brightly at the server, whether she gets a response or not. When her eyes fall on the menu though, she starts turning it this way and that. "Where's the ice cream on this?" She muses...

Superboy has posed:
Conner uh huhs. The crazy Toad people was not amazing. He shouldn't have even mentioned them. Neither was the kryptonite. Kryptonite is never amazing. Conner is on no hurry to return to the Savage Land, to be honest.

"The other side," points out Conner. About the ice-cream and the menu. "But try the coconut cake," he advises. Definitely his choice as dessert.

Blink has posed:
Oh dear... Her favourite choice, or her companion's suggestion. She already knows she can't manage both, not after /that/ meal. And besides, she'd seem pretty piggish for having /two/ puddings! Deciding that she can always come back now any time to try the ice cream, Blink settles on the cake.

"Most interesting place I've been is probably... Well New York really. There always seems to be something going on, or someone doing something they shouldn't. Seems almost every time I go there I get dragged into something!" The rather happy way she says it makes it clear that being dragged into things is a /good/ thing in her mind. "Never a dull moment!"

Superboy has posed:
"It is true!" Replies Conner, quickly to agree about New York. "More stuff than Hawaii, and more... stranger city than Metropolis." Stranger is probably not the world he wanted, although it fits well. "I think I picked the right place to move in," he adds with a grin.

The coconut cake is something of a local specialty and delicious. And he would not have thought any less of Clarice for having two desserts. Super-heroing consumes a lot of energy, after all. And she is a super-hero, right?

Blink has posed:
"This is /awesome/!" Clarice enthuses after a mouthful, she even remembers to swallow before talking. Look at her all refined with manners and everything! Another mouthful goes in before she can say anything else though, it appears the girl really likes her desserts!

The slice of cake takes decidedly less time to devour than the meal had, conversation from her at least stopping until it's all gone.

Superboy has posed:
Conner nods to the girl's appreciation, consuming the cake at similar speed, then leaning back on his seat to watch her for a few moments, just smiling. "I don't come here much anymore," he muses, "sometimes it looks like anything can be found in New York, but not really. Flying here should be..." well, no idea how fast he is right now, but probably over 30 minutes. The teleporting is so much better. "Should come to hang out some weekends, anyway," he decides.

A wave for the waitress, and he gives her his credit card to pay for the dinner. Then stands up and offers Clarice his hand.

Blink has posed:
The cake is barely crumbs by the time he starts talking. Though Clarice's cheeks do darken with a plum hued stain as she catching him watching her. A sheepish grin follows; "I really like desserts. Most of them are still pretty new to me. And /ice cream/!" It's all she can do not to drool.

"I sometimes go hunting new flavours, just pop into one country or other and find a place. You can normally get past language by pointing at a menu." Because she's the ultimate in tourists! Right? Right. "You've got my mobile number now anyway, if you ever need to get somewhere in a hurry, feel free to hit me up. If I can help, I will." And then they're standing, her taking Conner's hand easily. "So! I've got..." She looks about, unsure. "I think about thirty minutes or so?" A beat. "Before I've got to get back for training I mean."

Superboy has posed:
Conner ohs, looking a bit disappointed. Only 30 minutes. But it has been a pretty complete day. They have been everywhere. They have seen dawn, they are missing dusk in Hawaii, barely. "30 minutes, good enough for a walk back to the beach," he offers. It will be half-empty now. And he keeps his hand on hers after helping her to stand, if she allows him.

Blink has posed:
"Plenty of time." Blink agrees with a grin, lightly swinging his hand as they walk. They could almost be a normal couple of teens out on a non-date. Though there's still the various looks from passers by. Not that it seems to phase the girl.

"Sorry to have to dash off so quickly, but if I'm late for training there'll be hell to pay." At least their clothes are pretty much dry now. Which will make getting changed and ready easier. Idly, Clarice wonders if she can get away with leaving her make-up on during training. Every minute helps!

Superboy has posed:
It might be Clarice is the one getting the glances this time, not Conner. It is funny, since it used to be the other way around. But a new haircut and not having the S in his chest and... actually walking with a lavender-skinned elf is probably the reason no one is paying attention to him. Funny that. At least the crowds are just being curious, not obnoxious.

"No complains, Clare. It has been great, despite the bad start," mental note to find the most mutant-friendly city in America next time they want to see the movie. "You are nice and beautiful and I really want to see you again. I will call you soon, for sure."

Blink has posed:
Under the flattery Clarice's cheeks burn, her smile bright and beautificent. Even her eyes seem to glow a little brighter as she walks alongside the /real/ superhero. "I'll look forward to it!" She answers with an easy grin. Even if he doesn't, the memories of today will keep her in high spirits for weeks!

"I can see why you liked it here, nice and warm, good food. Friendly people..." Slender purple fingers wave at a small child, who gasps and gives a full armed wave back returning her grin. Clarice giggles as the childs mother ruffles his hair. "It's nice... I like it." Oh yes, she's definitely coming back here.

Superboy has posed:
Hawaii has all that. Also heartbreak and... lack of action. In the end Conner couldn't live in summer vacation mode forever. Ultimately, he feels more useful in New York. He won't explain today, but his smile looks sadder for a few seconds. And he keeps a rare few minutes of silence.

Still a great place to spend a weekend, definitely.

Once on the edge of the sand of the beach, he stops walking, turning to Clarice. "I guess... you better go. You probably need to prepare for this training, hmm? Get into the hero outfit," and maybe the salt off her hair. He doesnât want to get her into trouble for just five extra minutes.

Blink has posed:
The sad smile isn't missed, but it's his secret to tell or not when and if he's ready. So Clarice lets it go with just a hand squeeze to mark that she noticed, and leaves it at that. But then they're at the beach, and the non-date is coming to an end. Her own smile droops a little with the end of the fun.

"Yeah I should, otherwise ol' Mister Creed will get annoyed, and then I'll have to work /twice/ as hard just to keep up!" It's her free hand that flicks out to her side, creating a wave edged window to her small apartment. The early morning sunlight streaming in through the bay windows. "Till next time then yeah? Stay sweet." Reaching up on tip toes, Clarice brushes Conner's cheek with the chastest of kisses before finally releasing his hand to hope lightly through the rent in the air. "See you soon!" She daren't give him time to respond, so hot are her cheeks!

Which is why the portal snaps shut, leaving Conner on the beach with the last of the tourists, the sand and sea. And of course the scent of orange blossoms and amber lingering on the breeze.

Superboy has posed:
Conner is quick, though. And when Clarice tiptoes to kiss him, she meets his lips. Briefly, perhaps, but only because she was jumping back through the portal a second later. Then he is alone, but the silly smile on his lips is going to stay for most of his flight back to New York.