2813/Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade
Date of Scene:	13 October 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Radiance, Breath

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Radiance has posed:
Ah, another day at work. Sure, it's a crap job in the mall, but it's not like Hermione had a lot of options. She needed a job as quick as she could find one, and this one pays minimum wage and tips. Not that many people really tip at a juice stand in the mall, but when they do, she gets them. Yay! Her boss has figured out that the chubby girl can actually lift a lot and has made sure Hermione is working when the produce order shows up. It's nice to have a person who can lift a lot around when there is a lot to be lifted. Now, if only she didn't have to wear the stupid lemon hat.

Breath has posed:
Lyssa walks around the mall a bit, looking into some of the windows and trying not to draw attention to herself. She's already gotten a few strange looks, which is doing wonders for her confidence, in the bad way. Which.. kind of spirals down and makes things worse. She's already kind of on the verge of just leaving. And maybe having a good cry or something. So she's not.. really at her best.

She wanders over and stops to get something to drink, looks up exhaustedly and frazzledly. "...Hey Jean, can I just get, like, a large plain? I'm having a bad day..." She sighs, someone else she's on bad terms with, just what she needed.

Radiance has posed:
Looking up as someone says her name, Hermione is confused. True, she's wearing her nametag, but it doesn't say Jean. Her boss insisted on using her first name. Hermione. And this person doesn't look like someone she knows. "Ummm... Yeah, large plain, coming up." She goes to cut the lemons, putting them in the cup and muddling them with the sugar before adding the filtered water. Handing it over, giving the price, she feels she needs to ask. "Do I know you? You called me Jean. That's my middle name."

Breath has posed:
Lyssa opens her mouth and thinks a bit. "...Damn it. Blue and white. I'm sorry for pissing you off, or whatever." She puts her head in her hand. "Uuugh, just don't go saying anything, okay? Seriously, I feel like my day just got worse. It was already pretty bad.." She looks around self-consciously and makes a bit of a face, fussing with her purse slightly.

Radiance has posed:
Blue and white? Wait... yesterday, that girl, the super. Her eyes go wide as she clues in. "Oh! Oh....um.. hi. And I wouldn't say anything. That wouldn't be very nice, givin' away something you want to be a secret." The fresh juice stand is pretty slow. Not a lot of people want something fresh and real when soda is so much cheaper. "You've been having a bad day? How come?"

Breath has posed:
Lyssa rubs her forehead a little bit. "It's a long story, and I don't want to cause a scene." She pulls out a hand mirror nervously and checks her makeup, decides it's as good as it's going to get for the moment, and puts it back. "I mean.. yeah, I dunno, it's just a bad time."

Radiance has posed:
Either Hermione is too niave to realize that Lyssa isn't more then just the girl she presents herself to be or she doesn't care. Knowing how naive she was the day before, probably the former. She offers a sympathetic smile. "I'm really sorry you're having a bad day. I know when I have a bad day, I like to make myself a big batch of mashed taters and smother them in sour cream and butter and watch Netflix. Maybe that would help?"

Breath has posed:
Lyssa nods, "Yeah.. That and a good cry. I usually throw some cheese on top too.." She is pretty positive it's the former. She sighs and looks around a bit more, looking a bit fish out of water. Which is probably drawing a lot more attention from people. Attention is bad. "I don't have anything to watch Netflix on though. My roomies are usually on the TV."

Radiance has posed:
Hermione says, "Well, my shift is over in a half. I live not too far from here. Want to come over? I'll make us dinner and we can watch something on my laptop and we can just have a girls night. Please say yes? I ain't got no friends here in this city yet and I've been so lonely. I talk to my ma every day, but it just ain't the same, yanno?" She looks to Lyssa with puppy dog eyes, pouting cutely. "Pleeeeease? Pretty please with mashed taters and sour cream on top?""

Breath has posed:
Lyssa wavers and looks really... really... reeeeeally... indecisive. "I.." She sighs a bit. "I.. guess, I mean, you'll just hate me sooner." She slumps and looks down a bit. "I guess so..." She fidgets, really uncomfortably, and hugs herself a bit.

Radiance has posed:
Hermione blinks confusedly. She starts to clean up and get ready to switch shifts with the next girl, happy to be taking off the lemon on her head. How she hates that dumb lemon hat. "Why would I hate you? I mean, okay you talk about... things that I would *never* talk about, but that's no reason to hate you. Besides, you were gonna help me figure out how to fly again. How could I hate someone that does that?" SHe has her jacket over her arm and gestures for Lyssa to follow her out of the mall and down the street.

Breath has posed:
Lyssa follows quietly and simmers on secrets and misery, since there are people around.

On the way out, somebody in the parking lot yells "What ARE you? Hah!" and racs off. She slumps a bit more and just keeps walking behind you, pretty badly beaten down by now. "Can you, like.. just talk to me? Ask me something harmless? I don't really like being me right about now."

Radiance has posed:
Hermione is a country girl, and as sweet and as nice as she is, she doesn't take shit from nobody. So when someone yells derision at her new friend, she takes offense. She looks around and finds a chestnut that has fallen onto the ground and winds up as if a pitcher at a baseball game. Surely he's too far away for her to hit him. She throws the chestnut and it flies faster then any normal human would have the strength to throw it. If she weren't a mutant, she would be a great pro pitcher. THe conker does just what it's moniker implies, conking the jerk on the head and making him fall to the ground.

It's only then that she realizes what she did. Her eyes go wide. "I shouldn't have done that. THat wasn't a very Christian thing to do." She takes Lyssa by the hand and hurries her through the parking lot and over towards the apartment blocks that aren't too far off. "Something harmless? Ummm... well, what would you like for dinner? I ain't go a lot at my place, but I'm a pretty good cook, if I do say so myself."

Breath has posed:
Lyssa squeezes your hand and follows. "Uhh. I don't know what you've got.. Veggies, I guess, maybe some meat or something.. I get too much survival food at home. I've totally gotta find a better job. I HATE my job..." She slumps a bit more. "Okay, I shouldn't go there, either. Next topic! Uhm.. Yeah, I like cooking too, just I share a place and so I don't really get to much. Sometimes I help make stuff at the center for the kids who drop in for meetings, but like, it's not like that's a real kitchen."

Radiance has posed:
Hermione keeps the conversation light and airy, talking about what she's going to make for them for dinner. Shepard's Pie. She also tells Lyssa that Shephard's Pie is a misnomer, since a shephard takes care of sheep and there should be lamb in a shephard's pie and that cow herders are where the term coward came from as they were farther away from the town and were the first to see battle coming and so were the first to run. Into town. To warn them. But that part sort of got lost somewhere over time. She can be a real chatterbox when she wants to be. ^

They get to her apartment building in Hell's Kitchen. It's nothing fancy. She unlocks the main door and walks up the flights of stairs to her suite. She warned you it was small, and it is. THe apartment consists of one room that has been cut in half with an archway. One half has her bed, her laptop sitting on the neatly made bed with the handmade quilt. The other room is the kitchen, dining room, living room combined. Barely enough room to have two people move around in comfortably. The bathroom looks like it might have been a closet that was converted in the past. "This place used to only have two apartments per floor. But they converted them into six suites back in the fifties.

Breath has posed:
Lyssa nods. Does NOT want to let go of that hand. Is even almost halfway smiling a little bit from time to time after a bit, because the chatter seems to be doing her some good. She seems a bit more relaxed anyways, and maybe a bit more herself. Still a bit down though.

She listens and nods, "Okay. Yeah, my roommates' place is small too. Not quite this small though.. I sleep on the couch there. Sometimes behind the couch if my hours are too crazy, just so I can get a little bit of peace. Sometimes they get kind of noisy or whatever, but like, it's their place, and I just pay a little bit of the rent, so I'm not complaining if the lovebirds are crashing around a little."

Radiance has posed:
"I'm from a big family, so not having a lot of room to myself is fine, but living on my own is kind of frightening. At least the walls are thin enough I can hear the neighbors talking while I try to sleep, so that helps. Except when they ... aren't ... talking and ... doing things that husbands and wives do. Only..." And at this, she looks around as if someone might hear, which is amusing cause being snuck up on in this tiny apartment would be impossible. "I don't think they're married," she whispers. "In fact, I think she might be one of those ladies of the nights. Like Mary Magdolen was."
^
She starts making dinner, everything from scratch. Mashed taters, ground beef, gravy and frozen veggies. All the while, Hermione is chattering away. "I'm so glad you didn't tease me about my name. It's why I tell everyone my name is Jean. But my boss, he says that my name is Hermione on my social security card, so that's the name I have to go by at work."

Breath has posed:
Lyssa nodsnods, "Yeah, my boss does that to me too. It's HORRIBLE. I can't STAND that. I can't even be me at work, so I'm all snarly until I can get off of work and change. It's a nightmare, and I'm to the point that people are starting to think something is off about it. Not that he sees anything."

She sighs and looks off to the side, a bit distant again for a few seconds. "I'm trying to get my name changed, but it's a whole MESS, and I need to get it figured out. I haven't had the money to."

Radiance has posed:
Having something in common with Lyssa makes Hermione smile. "See? Now why can't they just let us use our middle names? At least no one teases me about Jean, even though it's the book Hermione's middle name too. I think if my parents could have made my last name Granger, they would have. Hey, that reminds me, I don't know your name. Only when yer in costume. So, what do I call you when I don't call you Breath?" ^

Hermione sits down on the bed, patting the space beside her. "Why do you want to change your name? You're parents couldn't have been any meaner then mine. Seriously, my whole family! My brothers are Harry, Ron and Neville and my sisters are Ginny and Luna. How bad could yours be?"

Breath has posed:
Lyssa ohs, thinking a moment how to answer that. "I'm Lyssa. Nice to meet you, you know, again.. Oh, I haven't got much family, just me. I guess they just couldn't manage any more kids after me. I grew up in a small-ish town in Idaho, but it was close enough that we could get out to a bigger town at least. Nothing too special about the place really.." She hmms, sitting down and arranging herself carefully with some vague botheredness distracting her annoyedly.

Radiance has posed:
"Nice to meet you too, Lyssa. I'm guessing Lyssa is your middle name? Or a variation of your name that you don't like? It must be nice havin' a small family. Getting a room all to yourself, not having your clothes borrowed." She goes to grab her laptop and turns it on, switching on Netflix. "You know what always bothered me? THat whole phrase of 'Netflix and chill' meaning... well, more then that. What do you say when you actually want to just watch Netflix and hangout?"

Up comes the program. "So, what would you like to watch? You're the guest, so you get to pick."

Breath has posed:
Lyssa blinks, "I don't know, I like, never get to pick. I mean, what kind of stuff do you like watching? I end up watching whatever. Jack - that's one of my roommates - likes cooking shows and idol shows, so I'm kind of sick of those, and I.. I dunno, I never really got to watch whatever I wanted, so I don't totally know what I like yet. And yeah, that annoys me too. I think it's the 'and chill' bit, though. For some reason! Not like I can ever think of anybody I wanted to 'chill' with."

She hmmms, obviously running out of ways to delay the inevitable, and fidgets a bit.

Radiance has posed:
"I have been sorta marathonning shows. We didn't have Netflix at home. My parents felt that they allowed far too much bad language and questionable content. I haven't told her that I got an account since I moved here." She blushes, dipping her gaze down and smiling softly. "No idol or cooking shows then. And I think you're right. So, no suggesting the chill part, just the netflix. Gotcha. And... it's okay you have no one to ... chill with. I ain't ever... chilled before. So... "

Breath has posed:
Lyssa shrugs, "I never really *wanted* to. I've had opportunities, just.. I'd rather eat cake or pizza or something, I guess. And it's not like I am saving myself or anything. I can't have kids of my own anyways, well, probably not anyways, so yeah." She sighs and looks down. "I'm missing some parts." Frowns sadly.

Radiance has posed:
After finding a movie series to marathon on Netflix, Hermione starts it up and then gets off the bed to go get the pie out of the oven. Two piping hot plates are brought back to the bed. "Normally, I don't eat in bed like this, but I only have the one chair at my kitchen table. So, chalk up another thing I've never done before." She takes a bite and looks at Lyssa with big, sad eyes. "Do you *want* to have kids? Not everyone does. And there is always adopting."

Breath has posed:
Lyssa bites her lip. "Honestly? I don't know. I'm not even twenty, I have a really cruddy job, I'm not *with* anybody.. I feel bad about not being able to have a kid, but it's in a sort of abstract way, I guess. I mean, I am so not ready. But like, not even having the option kind of hurts. I HAD one, but it was.. eew, and I had to make a decision between being healthy and no kids, or *miserable* and maybe having kids, and now that chance is gone." She munches on some food quietly and thinks. "Okay, this is super good."

Radiance has posed:
Hermione nods her head. "I know what you mean. Me, I know I want to have lots of kids. Like four or five. But that's not till I figure out this whole power thing. And hopefully Billy takes me back. I never really told him why I was leaving for New York. He's not sure if we're still dating anymore and to be honest, neither am I. I never told him about the floating and strength." She smiles when told the food is good and dips her head in thanks. "So, you're healthy now?"

Breath has posed:
Lyssa nods, "Oh yeah, I mean, there's still stuff I have to deal with, but I'm good and getting better." She hms and munches. "You might meet somebody here, too. Or, you know, something. I dunno." She frowns and munches on the food fairly quickly, then looks over at a calendar randomly and sighs. "I miss my family, but like.. I don't think they're comfortable having me home anymore. I keep touch with some of the guys from school, and they say Dad is talking like I'm dead or something."

Radiance has posed:
Hermione's eyes go huge when Lyssa talks about her family. She looks like Lyssa just kicked a puppy. "You're dad is .. I'm so sorry. THat just ain't right! Sure, family don't always see eye to eye, but yer family!" She reaches out with her hand and gives Lyssa's leg a squeeze. "Well, yer my friend now and as my friend, yer always welcome here. Been having to get used to lockin' my door. Never had to back home."

Breath has posed:
Lyssa smiles some and sighs. "His church probably had something to do with it.. They got super cruel and mean to me a long time ago." She takes a deep breath and sighs and rises to go wash her own dish. Also, because she's suddenly a bit uncomfortable about being right next to you. especially after the mention of being super-strong. scary. She bites her lip. A lot. Long pause to take a slow breath of air. "Pretty much around the time they figured out that I wasn't going to pretend to be a boy anymore."

Radiance has posed:
Hermione's frown grows. She heads to wash her own dish. "That ain't right. To be a Christian is to try and act like Christ did. He accepted everyone. Was kind to everyone. If their heart was good, then he treated them well, no matter what they might have been." Either the comment of not pretending to be a boy anymore went right over her head or she doesn't see the comment as remark worthy. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry they treated you like that. It ain't right."

Breath has posed:
Lyssa nods. "Yeah, well, there's a lot of it going around." She side-eyes a bit. "Wait, you're like, super sheltered. I keep forgetting. And like, I keep worrying that you are going to freak out at me. So like, I just need to get that over with so you will hate me before you make me think you're any nicer than you already have, okay? So just, like..." She gestures vaguely in some frustration, glances to see where the door is, then opens her mouth to try to choke out anything.

"Okay, so like.." She sighs, straightens her skirt nervously. "I'm... I'm transgender. Um... So..." The rest starts pouring out rapidfire, "That's... That's why my dad hates me, that's why my old church hates me, that's why I had to move all the way to New York by myself with shoe box money, that's why I can't ever have any kids, that's why everybody at the mall was being *mean* to me, I hate it, I never asked for this, it's *hard* and people just want to be *mean* to me and act like I'm a weirdo and I can't STAND it! I.." She slumps with moist eyes. "I should just go..."

Radiance has posed:
Hermione stands there and listens. She knows that she is super sheltered. Not a lot happens in Valentine, Nebraska. She lets Lyssa say everything she needs to say and then reaches out her hand to her. "I know." She nods her head to Lyssa's neck. "You have an Adam's Apple. Most girls don't have Adam's Apples. It still don't make it Christian to hate you and shun you. Or for the people at the mall neither."

Breath has posed:
Lyssa slumps more. "That's not what the churches at home would say..." She probably had something else to say, but instead she starts sobbing. And just sort've stumbles toward you and pretty much seems totally useless for bawling.

Radiance has posed:
Hermione opens her arms to Lyssa and pulls her in for a warm, comforting hug. She rubs at the other girl's back. "Well, then that church has lost its way and I will pray for them. I can't say I agree with your decision, but it ain't my place to judge you. So... I have a girl friend with an Adam's Apple." She hugs a little tighter, her larger build making the hug soft and comforting. Or as the comedian would call it, fluffy.

Breath has posed:
Lyssa sobs loudly and clings, shaking softly and blubbering. ooh, soft.. She buries her face in your shoulder and trembles a bit, because it's just been a bad day and it all just sort of has blown up now.

Radiance has posed:
Hermione runs her hand over Lyssa's hair, cooing softly. "It's alright. I got you. You're safe with me. I'm sorry if I made you feel bad in any way. I would never do that on purpose." She eventually pushes Lyssa away from her to look at her face. "Now, let's watch the rest of the movie and you can stay here tonight. YOu want some ice cream?"

Breath has posed:
Lyssa swallows and nods. "...yeah... What kind of ice cream?" She sighs and replays stuff in her head quietly, sniffling and blinking at you when she is deprived of her warm shoulder. "..Didn't choose this. I wouldn't." She swallows again and droops, then half-bites her lip and looks over your shoulder at the ice cream you are going for. Because ice cream is good for crying.

Radiance has posed:
"I'm afraid it's just boring ol' vanilla. I ain't much fancier flavours. But, I got some mint chocolate crackle topping for on top if you like it fancy." She gets out bowls and scoops icecream in it, with the topping for herself and Lyssa if she wants it. She then heads back to the bed and pats the spot beside her. "Come on, Lyssa. Yer my first friend here in New York, so let's enjoy our first girl's night."

Breath has posed:
Lyssa swallows and takes ice cream. With or without topping. She meekly finds her way back to the bed and sits, smiling weakly. "Yeah, that would be nice..." She leans in close, because scared and upset, and quietly nibbles on a spoonful of ice cream, trying to figure out what the movie is even about. "Uhm. I'm... not actually super sure what to even do on a 'girl's night'. I mean, I'm pretty sure there won't be any bizarre rituals involving goldfish in robes, but like.. other than that?"

Radiance has posed:
Giggling, Hermione takes the lead. It would seem she knows more about girl nights. "Well, ya sit and watch movies that boys would complain about. Chick flicks. Or musicals. You eat food that yer diet says is *totally* off limits! And then ya can do things like talk about boys and the future, or braid each other's hair, or do each others makeup. Girl stuff." She sits close, liking the warmth of a body next to hers.

Breath has posed:
Lyssa leans and nods. "That sounds good. I mean, I can do all those things. I don't usually do anybody else's makeup though, I don't know how different that is. Uhm... And I don't know what to say about boys? I mean, they're *weird*. I don't understand them at ALL, and I TRIED. And they're, like.. stinky and scary and.. And everybody ELSE goes all crazy for them and I never did."

Radiance has posed:
Hermione says, "Well, not everyone goes all crazy over boys. But, they are pretty weird." She nibbles on the ice cream, switching the movie to Hocus Pocus, since it's close to Hallow'een, as Hermione explains. "And we don't have to do anything that you don't wanna do. We're just gonna have fun. And not talk about those suggestions of yours on how I can get my power to work better.""

Breath has posed:
Lyssa snorts. "Those are for you to try when nobody is around. I don't need to be around for any of that! And I don't even know if you would NEED to. It's sort of a last resort thing to try. I mean, you could get one of those from petting a cute kitty." She considers. "The kind with whiskers and pointy ears."

Radiance has posed:
Hermione looks momentarily confused as you describe the sort of cat you mean. And then comes the telltale blush and shy smile as she looks away. "You're terrible, Lyssa! I think you like making me blush." She chuckles and gives the other girl a poke in the belly with her spoon. "Meany."

Breath has posed:
Lyssa blushes and smiles and is stabbed mercilessly and treacherously with a spoon. She stage-dies briefly. "Well, it IS kind of fun. You get all flustered. It's adorable." She nodsnods and eats some more ice cream. "I didn't think THAT was going to make you blush, though! I mean, it's just a soft little kitty!" She makes air-petting motions, then suddenly giggles at the mental image. "Well, until you got THAT stuck in my head.."

Radiance has posed:
Hermione says, "Me?! You were the one that made me have to figure out what you meant that might not be the with whiskers and pointed ears type of kitty." Even as she blushes, she smiles while she talks. "I'm sorry that your job is so terrible. I wish there was something I could do to help. The Squeeze isn't really that great to work at either, or I'd say come work with me.""

Breath has posed:
Lyssa makes a bleah-face with tongue. "Yeah, well.. Any job that lets me use my REAL name and wear a skirt and makeup is a lot better of a job than what I have. I'm pretty sure he's said nasty stuff about me behind my back, but I can't PROVE it. So I just HATE going in to work.

Radiance has posed:
Hermione frowns and shakes her head. "Well, I don't think my work would be good for you then. My boss won't even let me use my middle name. So, I get people teasing me at work, asking about Hogwarts. Like I haven't heard that joke before?" She smiles then. "We should look for a new job together! THere has to be a place you can work that lets you dress the way you want."

Breath has posed:
Lyssa nods, "Yeah! You're the second person to suggest that this week. One of them can read minds, so that might help.. I just don't know how I would set it up. I mean, I want to try to pass, just because I don't LIKE looking like a guy, and if I pass, nobody THINKS of it."

Radiance has posed:
Hermione thinks for a moment but eventually has to shrug a shoulder. "I have no idea. I'm sorry, but I ain't gonna be much help with the whole passing thing. I can't even lend ya clothes cause... well, I'm kinda bigger then you are."

Breath has posed:
Lyssa nods, "That's fine. Another girl I know wants to take me out shopping. She's like, super adorable." She hmms. "I'd totally date her. Don't want to DO anything with her, but like, she acted like we were dating at one point because she was trying to pass better.. which seems TOTALLY stupid but you know.. And it felt nice."

Radiance has posed:
Again, the confused furrow of the brow shows up on the Nebraska girl's face. "So, you want to date her but not DO anything with her? But... then why would ya wanna date her? And you still like girls? Now that you're a girl?"

Breath has posed:
Lyssa nods. "Well... yeah, basically? It's not like I go chasing after girls or anything, just, it felt nice acting like I was dating her. And like, I haven't tried dating guys, they seem kind of creepy and meh. And.. yeah, still pretty ace. I don't think I HATE the idea, just.. it sounds boring.

Breath has posed:
Lyssa blinks and notices something else you said. "Um, and I was ALWAYS a girl. I mean, when I was a little little kid in like kindergarten and stuff, I was still thinking stuff like "I'm not sure why my mom and dad think I'm a boy".