4533/Andrea hits up Times Square.

Andrea hits up Times Square.
Date of Scene:	29 May 2018
Location:	Time Square
Synopsis:	Andrea and Mason meet in Time Square. Awkward moments are awkward. But Mason got to meet a new friend to go clubbing with!
Cast of Characters:	Volt, Rage, Mason Steele, Twitch

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Volt has posed:
There've been a few days to get settled, and Drake has taken full advantage. Shopping, outings, the works - and now, he feels he can finally breathe. Food is accessible, he's wearing fresh clothing, he's debating burning the old clothes (because my gawd, srsly), and he has a future. Or at least the hope of one. He isn't quite settled in with the other students, but he's trying to get to that point.

Right now, though, he's enjoying some time out and actually /feeling/ like it's time out. He's getting to see the city for the first time, almost. And to that end, he's perched on a bench in Times Square with a small box of Asian food on his lap. He's committed a heinous mis-step of using a plastic fork instead of chopsticks, however.

Rage has posed:
It's a warm day in New York and the crowds are bustling like crazy in Times Square as people look to take advantage of the nice weather to go shopping or sight seeing. Nearly every store is packed or a line out the door for food. On the street a black BMW pulls to the curb with fully tinted windows and a large man in a tuxedo steps out from the driver's side and rounds the car to the back where he opens it up to reveal Andrea. Stepping out and on to the sidewalk, the popstar is wearing a pair of destroyed shorts and a bright white t-shirt with pink words scrawled across her chest that reads: Mutie Cutie. She has on a hint of makeup upon her face and her hair is styled with highlights.

Almost at once she is recognized and a crowd begins to form, calling out her name and taking out phones to snap pictures. A number of questions rapidly shouted to her, asking about her new album, some guy she may or may not be dating and the big elephant in the room, her coming out as a mutant.

"What powers do you have?!"

"Are you a danger to society?"

"Is your next album going to be about what kinda freak you are?"

"Die Mutie scum! You're all a bunch of freaks!"

Andrea pauses to sign some autographs and take a few photos with some normal, non abusive younger girls, declining to answer questions as she his escorted along the sidewalk. Some of the crowd gets a bit too close and she finds herself bumping into Drake Riley from the side as she is pushed towards the bench. "Oh! Geez. I'm so sorry." She says as she turns to him apologetically as the man in the suit starts ushering people away, joined by a second man from another BMW that pulled up to the curb. Seems the task force is out today.

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley didn't notice the situation unfolding at first. Now that life seems like it might be stabilizing, he can relax his senses. After all, he looks perfectly human. He's not wearing any Mutant-related paraphernalia. He's just a dude munching on what he was told is "camel hump". God, he hopes that means exactly what it sounds like.

As the crowd starts to form, his gaze dirfts in its direction. He can't really see who all the fuss is about from this position, but crowds are more a tool for him, less an attraction. So he gets back to poking his fork at the food.

Oh, he hears the anti-mutant sentiments being tossed out. He shoots another look towards the crowd, but keeps his head down. It'll all change someday. Someday.

Bump!

"Whoa, hey-," he cuts off, eyes landing on the girl and mouth frozen mid-word. She apologizes to the tune of crickets and a wide-eyed stare. The mouth moves a little, wordless, before he lands on something: "You're oka- fine- I mean okay." 'Something' does not always mean 'eloquent'.

Rage has posed:
As they lock eyes, Andrea gives him a warm, apologetic smile, moments before a number of cameras go off, flashing in their direction and causing her to squint a bit. "Oy. The vultures are out." She says jokingly as she brushes some dark hair behind her ear. "....also .. smile for the cameras.. it will look less awkward on the Internet. Just fake it." She mumbles to him with a lopsided grin. "Oh! Hey, are you eating camel hump? I bet you got it from So Pho-King Good, huh? They're the best Chinese here on the strip. I hit it up once in awhile when I come down here." She seems to be patiently wasting time while her two bodyguards are clearing the pap away from the bench she is sort of stuck next to while the crowd surrounds them. "I'm super sorry for interrupting your lunch. It was a total accident. The guys will get us clear in a minute and I'll be out of your hair."

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley is struggling to come up with something more coherent to say. Even as she looks to the box on his lap, his eyes remain glued to her face. Does he smile? No, not immediately. His brain is currently rebooting, and that takes a moment. At last, he blinks. He glances to the food, then immediately back up to her face. Something about hearing the Disney-girl say 'Pho-King' has caused his brain to bluescreen on him again.

She may as well be speaking Korean. But as she's saying she'll be getting out of his hair, his mental processes kick back in. "Wait, what? No way, have a seat, relax!," he encourages. "You're not in my hair." An internal wince follows that statement with the realization that that sounded /so/ dumb out loud. "You're, ah... you're you." More a statement of facts than a conversation, but he's working with words as they come.

Rage has posed:
There is a small giggle from Andrea as she gives a nod of her head. "I am definitely me. It's okay, take a deep breath. I'm just like anyone else on the street." She flops down next to him as she listens to the questions bombard her from all sides, followed by people leaning in to try and get a selfie with her, catching Drake in the process from the angles. "I'm Andrea by the way. Welcome to my crazy life of trying to walk ten feet down the street. I should have another car pulling up in a few minutes to clear traffic."

Sliding her phone out of her pocket, Andrea holds it up to her face to unlock it, then starts to tap away on the screen. "I was hoping to grab some new swimsuits for the summer. What do you think of these?" She asks as she leans over to show him her phone. On it are pictures of an expensive retailer, showing off a number of bikinis with models of perfect bodies wearing them on the beach or near the water. "I was thinking of going with the blue and white one. It's a cute design."

Volt has posed:
"I'm from Los Angeles. You aren't wigging me out too bad." Sort of. Except she's actually a celebrity he gives a hoot about. Drake continues to watch her as she sits next to him, the writing on her shirt not lost to him. That's one of the reasons she's +1 hoot. "Drake..," he mentions. He doesn't care about the traffic. He doesn't care about the pictures. He's too fixated on the girl who just appeared next to him, who is presently mugging at her phone's camera.

When she asks her question, she is not only +1 hoot, but she's the recipient of the most owlish of blinks imaginable. "What." More statement than question, but he's happy to weigh in. Eyes are finally pulled from her face to her screen.

This is so not fair to do to a teenaged male. She has to know what she's doing. Even he knows she has to be aware of it.

"I.. uh.. the, uh, yeah, the blue. But any of'em, you'd.. uh, yeah, blue.." It's barely coherent. What the heck is going on with his day?

Rage has posed:
Giving him another grin, Andrea shrugs her shoulders upwards at his statement of not wigging out too bad. "Cool. Most people just stare at me and incoherently babble, followed by either breaking down and sobbing or freezing up. It's both flattering and uncomfortable at the same time." As she flips through a few more photos of bikinis, she drops a few more in the basket of her app. "Cool, I figured the blue one was cute. Blue usually works with me."

Another black BMW pulls up as another strong looking man in a suit heads over to usher the crowd away from the bench, giving Andrea and her new companion a bit of breathing room from the flashing cameras and constant shouting of questions. "Ah, there we go. Much better. Thanks for chilling with me, Drake. Again, super sorry about the .. crowds. I'm sure they will consume me again in about two minutes soon as I move. You want an autograph or a selfie or anything before I go? Something for the troubles?"

Volt has posed:
Oh, she's talking about him. Right? Even if she isn't, it's successfully making him extremely self-aware. He did, indeed, only stare at her. He only recently started babbling incoherently. It's a step forward, maybe? Crap. As subtly as possible, he turns his head aside and rubs a couple fingers along the bridge of his nose to take a moment and re-center himself. Once done, he looks back to her with a boyish smile. "Blue'd be a good look on you," he nods. "And don't feel like you've gotta run off! I'm just hanging today, taking it easy."

Before he even answers, his cellphone is slipped from his pocket and angled high. "And of /course/ I'll take a selfie." He's not presumptuous enough to do the cheeks-smooshed-together thing, so he's trying to angle the phone high to capture both.

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason heard the news. He's in New York City now, not that he told Andrea. Of course, not that he doesn't also live in a fish bowl, and his movements are advertised to the masses. He doesn't have a crowd following him, though. He has a pair of designer sunglasses hiding his face. He heard about the announcement, and he comes up from the subway, having decided that he'd do what he could not to be noticed.
    "Wow, New York is amazing," he comments to himself. "Nobody even looks at you. I could get used to this city."
    He shoves his hands in his shorts pockets, and spots the crowd that is being held back from the star. "Damn, Andrea, you never miss a chance to get the spotlight, do you?" He jogs across the street, avoiding the traffic. He's jaywalking, and...well of course there's a cop there. He gets stopped, and lectured about the dangers of jaywalking.
    "Yah, sorry sir," he offers. "I'll be more careful." Then he's asked to remove his sunglasses. Hesitantly, he lifts them up, and the cop eyes him. "Just, can we not make a big deal?" he asks, glancing in Andrea's direction. "I think there's probably enough drama on the street right now. Shouldn't you be doing something about that?" No, of course not, she's a mutant. By the way, can he give an autograph? He doesn't question, he just signs the pad of paper. "Yah, you're welcome, thanks." He replaces his sunglasses, and turns around to spot Andrea talking to Drake, and just stands at a distance. No reason for him to engage. "Why am I even standing here?" he asks himself.

Rage has posed:
Leaning over to get in view of Drake's camera, Andrea gives a bright smile, then turns her head at the last second to peck him on the cheek as he takes the photo. Something to remember the moment by. "Thanks for being cool, Drake. Some people get so freaked out about mutants. I don't know why." She holds her own phone up to take a picture of the two of them, then tweets it out to her four million plus followers with a hashtag on it: #NewNYCBuddy #DrakeTheDude. "Welcome to being famous for the next ten minutes." She teases him as she slips the phone into her pocket. "I should get going though and on my way to the store."

"Oh. MY. GOD. IT'S MASON STEELE!" A girl can be heard screaming from the street, her hands up to her cheeks as she openly stares at the male popstar who slips his glasses off. She sees him signing a piece of paper for the cop. "HEY! Fuck you, pig! You leave Mason alone! He didn't do anything wrong!" Tweens are so adorable.

As the crowd turns towards the popstar, they are divided for a moment between loyalties of Andrea's Unicorn Army (It's what they call themselves due to her posts about how cute they are) and Mason Steele's fanbase. Andrea pauses as she looks up from her phone, turning her head to spy him, meeting his eyes. A confused look falls upon her face for a moment, then one filled with an odd mix of emotions. "... I really should get going, Drake. The sharks smell blood in the water now. It's going to get crazy."

Twitch has posed:
Not his usual place to hangout, Tyler Grant finds himself with some time off and the inclination to do some shopping in the pricier side of things. Not that he can afford anything, but just looking can be fun. His stroll down the sidewalk takes him towards where the crowd has bunched up around the pop starlet and her new acquaintance. Curiosity gets the best of him and he moves towards the crowd to try to figure out what's happening. As he gets close and goes up to his toes to look over people he suddenly hears someone yelling about Mason Steele and turns to look over that way, his head turning very quickly at the distraction. As people start moving around him Tyler begins to look rapidly from side to side as folks brush past him, almost like he's trying to keep his eye on everything at the same time. His eyes widen and eventually he finds himself just going with the crowd reluctantly.

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley gets his somewhat awkward picture that likely looks more like a spur-of-the-moment thing than something she actually invited, then pockets his phone. Almost immediately after, he realizes she has her phone out and is attempting to capture him as well. He flashes the phone a bright smile and frozen wink, because that's the sort of thing you do for pictures, before turning on the bench to face her a little more.

"Well, I hope-.." He cuts off at the sound of yet more shouting, his gaze pulling away. He's not really into tabloids or anything, but he's at least aware of the hijinx between the two. A part of him wants to stay and see the fireworks. Another part of him doesn't want to be around this level of attention, despite what he's already been subjected to. "Eeyeah, might be a good idea," he concurs. "You don't want the rumor-mill to start, right?"

Drake is also getting up to his feet, nearly-forgotten box of Chinese foot still in hand.

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason sighs, turning to the cop. "Well, thanks," he says dryly. He gives that pearly smile he is so well known for. He looks away when Andrea spots him, almost decidedly so. He doesn't seem to notice Tyler as he gets caught into the crowd. He glances back and forth at the crowd. Naturally it is mostly the girls who are drawn to him vs. the guys who would probably be more likely to want to stay near Andrea. "Hey, hey," he greets, still holding the pen in his left hand as the small mob surrounds him. He doesn't have anyone to run interference for him, though.

Rage has posed:
As she watches Mason get mobbed, Andrea lets out a soft sigh to herself under her breath. One look at her face can tell she feels bad. "Oh, believe me.. the rumor mill never stops with us two." She says to Drake quietly. After a moment of thought, she says, "Hey, can you back me up? I'm going in. I gotta save him." The way she says those words, there is conviction in her tone. "If you do this for me, I'll buy you dinner or something later. I just can't leave him out there to drown." And up she goes off the bench, pushing through the crowd as her three body guards follow after her, pushing and shoving the people to the side to give her space.

As she heads towards Mason, girls scream wildly, some crying, some shrieking, some yelling terrible things about mutants towards her. A can of Coke is even tossed over her way, bouncing near her feet, but it doesn't stop her path of trajectory. As she reaches him, her eyes are full of emotion as she clears her throat. "Hey, Mason! I'm so sorry I'm late for our meeting." She says as she gives him a subtle jab of her chin towards the sidewalk to one of the resturants near by. "We should get going, right?" She says, biting her bottom lip as she hopes he plays along to get away from the mob. "Oh, and this is Drake." She motions to the young teen with her. "He's my new intern. You know, everyone needs a good gopher." By now, the three suits are ushering the crowd back so they can safely move along the sidewalk seeing how the cops won't bother to lift a finger for a mutant celebrity.

Twitch has posed:
As he moves with the crowd towards Mason a big frown forms on Tyler's wide eyed face. His head twitches to his left as someone rubs shoulders with him, then Tyler ends up with an exasperated expression. Eventually he ends up close enough to Mason to give him an almost pleading look, as if maybe he'll be able to help. He does have the presence of mind to keep people from pushing him into the other young man by planting his feet and resisting the throng as best he can. Suddenly there's a little relief when Andrea makes her way to this other throng. Tyler gives her a thankful smile and looks around quickly to see if he might be able to somehow escape now.

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley is a little dazed by this whole scenario. It's moving very quickly, it's a lot to process, and the last thing he wants is to be in the limelight. But when a girl asks for help, what's he going to do? Snub her? He doesn't even have time to give his assent before she's moving forward, and he just gives a small sigh, reluctantly following her into the fray.

This crowd is a bizarre mix of adoring and hostile. He's having a hard time determining if this is the most uncomfortable moment of his life, or when his parents decided to have 'the talk' with him. There's nothing for him to really say or add here, so he offers nothing beyond a general look of uncomfortability.

Mason Steele has posed:
    "Our what?" Mason asks. Even though his eyes are hidden by sunglasses, it's not hard to tell the wide-eyed stare on his face. He hides it after a second. "Uh, yeah, your intern?" he echoes. He pauses to take a selfie with a couple of girls who are particularly demanding, and in desperation, he spots Tyler. He looks like he isn't star struck. He grabs him by the shoulder forcefully with one hand, taking advantage of their mutually uncomfortable situation. "Oh, sure," he answers hesitantly. "Good to meet you," he offers Drake a fist bump in greeting with a smile. "That's fine, my good buddy and I were just chillin', mind if he comes too?" He casts a sideways glance at Tyler and whispers amongst the crowd so that only he can hear. "What's your name?"

Rage has posed:
"Our business /meeting/ away from the /crowds/." Andrea implies heavily both words with an amused smirk upon her face. She looks cool and collected throughout the process. A trained expert in crowd management and stressful situation. "To talk about the /thing/ that we're working on together."

"Oh my God they're going to have a duet together!" A girl screams out, followed by a number of other shrieks. It seems that the crowd thinks it's a good idea. Andrea is amused as she gives a glance to Tyler, then rolls her eyes upwards as it seems Mason doesn't know him. "I'm cool if you want to bring your buddy. No worries. Drake, can you secure a table or us?" She asks her new gopher as she looks over at him.

Twitch has posed:
Things get even weirder than they were when the crowd closed in on him and Tyler's head twitches to the side again, just in time to catch someone reaching towards him to grab his shoulder. Just going with the flow, Tyler cracks a smile and nods his head, "Yeah. We were hanging out." He nods his head a couple of times, once at Andrea and once at Drake. The bodyguards seem to have cleared things around them enough that the kid can breathe easily again. After Mason whispers to him Tyler leans back to reply at the same volume level, "I'm Tyler."

Volt has posed:
Drake Riley is, in a word, dazed. The proffered fist is given a confused look, and he mechanically raises a fist to dap. And once done, he just looks to Andrea and nods, expression blank. Moving forward, he pushes through the crowd and walks forward to what is basically the first restaurant he finds that seems reasonably private and not dumpy. It's an Italian place, apparently called Dove 3. Normally he'd make a remark about the potential of eating birds with meatballs, but right now, he's not digging this. It's a very awkward, constrained feeling, being ushered around and pushed into focus. In fact, that last part might be downright dangerous. That thought is giving him pause even beyond the level of discomfort he's having.

He shuffles up to the host and juts a thumb over his shoulder. "The, uh, the people in the crowd - you know, Andrea and Mason, and one other - they're coming. They want a table. Asked me to prep it for them."

The next logical question is who is he. Drake promptly declines. "I'm not with'em. Just asked to mention they're on their way." This gets an odd look from the host, but Drake gives no further explanation. It seemed like a slow enough period for them, he's sure that's enough to get things 'secured'. Drake starts to turn on heel to take his leave, only to see he, thanks to the high-profile situation he'd been roped into moments ago, has attracted a number of onlookers just outside.

"Uh," Drake begins, wheeling on heel again to face the host, "I really don't wanna get back into that mess. Care if I just bail out the back door? You guys have one of those, right?"

The woman narrows her eyes on him, scrutinizing him down to the little box of food he's still carrying in-hand, before she waves over a server. "Sure. She'll take you."

Drake nods his appreciation and is immediately off for the kitchen, and ultimately the side exit to vanish into the city. The promise of future food is great and all, but he did /not/ want to be anywhere near the awkwardness that was brewing, much less risk other extreme repercussions for being so extensively photographed. This is a classic nope-out.

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason glances at Drake, and then back at the crowd as one of them screams about a duet. Back at Andrea, he lowers the sunglasses to stare over the edges at her, the look says 'did you seriously just do that?' "Yeah, let's do that, it's a big busy out here on the street," he says. "Tyler is a cool guy, you'd like him." He may be assuming, but so far he has Mason's approval since he went along with the story. He turns to the crowd, "Hey, don't get too excited, nothing is official or anything like that." He sees Drake walk in, and he starts moving that way.

Rage has posed:
Still smiling, Andrea doesn't seem too bothered by anything in the moment. She is an actress afterall. As Drake heads off to secure a table, she starts off in that direction, pushing through the doors with the help of her body guards as they look to hold back the crowds. Once all three are inside and the doors close, the loud noise of the crowd drowns out, replaced by the cool air conditioned room and light Italian music.

A waiter heads over quickly to escort them to a private booth in the back where the light is low and has quite the romantic ambiance. Menus are waiting for them as well. As she heads over, she looks about for Drake expectantly with a smile on her face, which slowly fades away when she was told the young man snuck out through the back.

"Well, here you go guys. Got us a table and I guess an escape aroute in the back." Turning to Mason and Steele, Andrea gives an awkward smile once the facade drops of a cool and confident celebrity in the spotlight. ".. So... you two .. enjoy dinner if you have it. It's on me." She says with a nod of her head to the waitress. One of the suits heads over to whisper in her ear and she gives a nod. ".. It was good seeing you again, Mason. You're looking great. I got the new album of yours by the way. It's really great. Had it on repeat for a few days." She says as she is starting to be guided to the back for her own escape, though she is still trying to look at him, her eyes emotional.

Twitch has posed:
When the group he's with starts moving Tyler joins in on the trek to the restaurant, being careful to stay near the people who seem to know how to manage crowds. One of the shrieking noises causes him to rapidly twitch and turn his attention in that direction. Then there's a noise from another angle and his attention zips over that way. When the trio makes their way inside and away from the crowd a deep sigh escapes and he shakes his head as if to clear it.

A more relaxed expression appears as they arrive at their table and he pulls out a chair, not yet taking a seat as the young woman seems to be departing. With a smile in her direction Tyler says, "Thank you. I hope you have a nice day."

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason sits, and seems by contrast a little more emotionally distant than Andrea does. He sits at the table, and taps the pen still in his hand on the table. He offers, "Yeah, thanks," to Andrea, avoiding direct eye contact while trying not to look like he's avoiding direct eye contact. "So... that's going to be something to manage," he says, eyes shifting back to Tyler uncomfortably. "Thanks man, sorry to put you on the spot like that."

Rage has posed:
When it appears that Mason isn't going to really engage with her, Andrea's face falls a bit, her confident facade cracking away. She pauses for a few seconds to watch him, then lets out a sigh as she looks towards the back door and her car pulling up out front. She lets out a slow breath, then follows the suits down to the exit, shoving her hands into the pockets of her shorts.

Twitch has posed:
Once the other guy has taken a seat Tyler does so as well. He eyes Mason for a few seconds before he speaks, "You're welcome. I didn't mean to end up in your business, but I get..." There's a pause to think of the right word, "Jumpy. In crowds and stuff." His chin lifts, "You and her got some history, I guess. You doing okay?" Watching the other guy, Tyler has a look of concern.

As Andrea goes to leave Tyler gives her a wave, that concerned expression still on his face. He gives her a wave and says, "Take it easy."

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason glances in the direction that Andrea left. "History, yeah," he says, frowning and arching his brow. "That's a good way to put it. It's all good, I guess I don't get jumpy anymore," he says. "But its cool, crowds can be stressful. Especially crowds like that." He glances at the menu on the table. "Mason," he introduces himself. He knows it may not be necessary, since he's famous, but he's not so pretentious to assume Tyler knows who he is.

Twitch has posed:
At the introduction Tyler offers his right hand to Mason, "Nice to meet you, man. I thought that was you, but I didn't want to be wrong. You're really popular with a lot of people at my school." He leans back in his seat and picks up his menu to take a look at it. "I've never really had a girlfriend, so I can't really offer you any advice." Then he nods his head, "I've got an anxiety thing. Sometimes crowds and sudden noises make me twitchy."

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason grins wryly. "I've had too many, you can have that one if you want her," he offers. As if he could offer a date with her. "She's actually not that bad," he comments. "Just...things got complicated. Old news though. That sucks, the anxiety thing. Anything you can do about it? Or are you just stuck with it?" he asks.

Twitch has posed:
"She's definitely cute enough. I wouldn't know where to start trying to talk to her, though," Tyler replies with a shrug and a soft smile. Then he shrugs his shoulders, "I've had it since I was a kid." As if he wasn't still a kid. "I've got meds I can take when it gets really bad, but I don't like to use them too often." He looks down at the menu in his hands and says, "Everything looks good here."

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason arches his brow, "Yeah, she is that." He glances at the menu, and the waiter shows up. "I'll have the grilled chicken salad," he says, ordering something light. "You want to hang with me, I could take you to some parties, you know you could get to be around people. Find a hot girl while you're at it," he offers.

Twitch has posed:
"That sounds awesome, man!" Tyler exclaims, barely able to keep his voice in check in his excitement. "I couldn't show you too many cool places, unless you like fighting. I practice martial arts a couple of times a week." Then he chuckles, "It would be cool to find a girl."

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason grins, "Yeah man, I'll get you hooked up. Party girls are great, they are just looking to have a good time, You don't even got to know their names a lot of the time." Of course, he's a celebrity heart throb, experience may vary. "So fighting, you do like kung fu or something? That's pretty awesome. I took some stage combat, I can only come six inches from kicking someone's ass."

Twitch has posed:
"Wow. As long as they're cool with that that might be fun," Tyler says with regard to party girls. "I don't really party too much, but it's got to be fun, right?" And then he nods his head up and down a couple of times, "Jiu jitsu and kickboxing, actually. I've been at it for a few years, even got a part time job at the gym as a janitor. If you ever want to learn more about how to take care of yourself just ask. I'll show you how to throw a punch."

Mason Steele has posed:
    "Yeah, it's great, get a few drinks in them and you're home free. I probably could use learning to fight." He looks at his hands. "Doesn't it like, break your hand when you punch people in real life? I mean, I can't be busting up my hands. Or my face, for that matter," he laughs. "You saw what happens when I end up too close in proximity to Andrea. Fishbowl life, you don't want it, trust me. I guess you already knew that, though," he comments, given the anxiety that Tyler has.

Twitch has posed:
"Well, I'll take you to the gym whenever you want. I'll wrap your hands and teach you where and how to punch someone so that you don't hurt your hands too bad," Tyler offers with a grin. Then he nods, "Yeah, that seems rough. I don't think I'd ever want to be famous like that. Now, maybe someday I'll be known for fighting, that'd be pretty cool, but it's not like I'd get swamped out on the street."

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason nods, "That's true, but at least I don't get the crap kicked out of me," he consoles himself. "So...that what you want to do for a living? Be like an MMA fighter or something? That's pretty awesome." Mason grins, "I mean, MMA is the real stuff. I've seen a few of those matches. Pretty brutal."

Twitch has posed:
"Oh, I get the crap kicked out of me sometimes," Tyler says with a chuckle. "But it's all just practice stuff so it's not too bad. You gotta get put in rough holds and stuff so you can practice getting out of them." Then he nods his head, "Yeah. I'd like to go professional when I turn eighteen. Or maybe go to college. It kind of depends on how much my parents object to me fighting for a living." And he nods again, "It's really rough. Not as dangerous as boxing, though, since the ref will call the fight the first time you get your bell rung instead of letting you keep going. It also makes MMA more exciting, if you ask me. One screw up or lucky strike and you've lost the match."

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason nods, "Yeah, I can see that," he agrees. "Plus, you don't have been gloves to cushion the blow." He doesn't seem to understand that the gloves aren't there for the face's protection.
    "So did you grow up around here? You native to this place?" The waiter brings the salad, placing it in front of him.

Twitch has posed:
"Gloves protect your hands more than your opponent's face," Tyler explains. As his own order is brought forward, a big order of chicken parmesan and spaghetti, he gives the server a nod and a "Thank you." With his food in front of him Tyler deftly manipulates his silverware, ready to start eating, "I'm from Clinton. Don't usually hang out in Times Square, but I wanted to do some window shopping." His shoulders shrug, "Usually I just do my shopping online."

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason takes a bite. "Clinton, yeah I think I saw that posted on the subway," he acknowledges. He looks down as his phone chimes, giving him the latest news that was tagged with his name. "Oh...shit. That didn't take long." He shakes his head. "Jeez, technology sucks."

Twitch has posed:
"It's not the best neighborhood, but it's home," says Tyler before he starts to dig in. As he plows through his food he takes a break to look up at Mason and asks, "What happened? Is everything cool?" Even as he waits for his answer he's eating his meal once more, appearing to be very hungry.

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason shakes his head. "Vultures already decided that Andrea and I are a couple again. Talking about us doing some album together or who knows what. People suck, you know that?" He drops his phone on the table again, and goes back to eating. Not much he can do about it right now.

Twitch has posed:
"That /was/ fast!" says Tyler, shaking his own head at the situation. "You guys only talked for like two seconds and then went to a restaurant as a group, not even as a couple." In another part of the restaurant someone drops a plate and Tyler's head twitches to face that direction, just long enough for him to ascertain what made the noise, then he returns to his conversation. "People do suck sometimes." Then it's back to the grub in front of them.

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason notices Tyler's reaction, but contrarily, he doesn't even seem to pay attention to the breaking plate. "Yeah, is what it is. She'll be happy I'm sure. She's been wanting us back together for...I dunno, almost since we broke up." He stops, and gestures indistinctly with his fork. "Don't...don't repeat that, okay?" he requests, then takes another bite. "Jumpy around breaking plates?"

Twitch has posed:
"Has she?" Tyler asks curiously as he twirls some spaghetti onto his fork. "I won't tell anybody. That's between you and her, man." Then he considers Mason's question before he shrugs his shoulders, "Sudden noises trigger my anxiety stuff and I have to look at whatever caused them. Sometimes it's a plate breaking, other times it's when someone laughs unexpectedly in class or something. It's a pain in the ass, but it's not a big deal. Just something for me to work on."

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason nods, "Okay, it's cool," he says, finishing off the last of his salad. "I think I might take you up on the jiu jitsu thing," he says. "If I give you my number, though, you gotta promise not to leak it. Last time that happened I had to change numbers." He picks his phone back up off the table. "We solid?" he asks.

Twitch has posed:
"Yeah man," Tyler replies after he finishes killing his own meal. "It'll be fun, and it's great exercise." Then he nods his head, "Don't worry about me telling anyone. I can keep a secret." He pulls out his own phone and offers, "It was good meeting you, Mason."

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason nods, turning on the inormation transfer, and tapping his phone against Tyler's. "Likewise man, sorry about the large crowd again." Just after it's sent, the phone rings. "And...it looks like my mom has heard now. That's gonna be a fun conversation."

Twitch has posed:
Once the phones exchange the relevant details Tyler puts his device away, "It's cool. I shouldn't have gotten close to the crowd, I was just curious about what was going on." He shrugs his shoulders. Then he nods his head a little bit, "I'll let you get to it then, man. I'll give you a call next time I'm at the gym."

Mason Steele has posed:
    Mason nods, "Cool," he says, standing up, and salutes with the phone before answering it. "Hey mom," he says. "Yeah, i saw it..."