5085/And Now She's Back From Outerspace!

And Now She's Back From Outerspace!
Date of Scene:	02 August 2018
Location:	New York City Central Park
Synopsis:	Laurel Gand reaches out to Drake now that she's back from space.
Cast of Characters:	Andromeda, Slipstream

---

Andromeda has posed:
Drake gets a call from Laurel for the first time in months. Actually, she ends up leaving a message while he's busy. Like she planned it that way. "So... I'm back now. From outer space. I'm an alien, so the family reunion was a little... Far away." There's a soft, nervous laugh before the woman adds. "You should meet me near the middle of central park. You know where." A beat. "If you want to at least. Tomorrow at 3?"

Slipstream has posed:
Having received the message, Drake heads to Central Park, dressed in his new Avengers bomber jacket, a black shirt and a pair of blue jeans. He gives a glance about as he heads deeper inside, hands in his pockets. He has a tired look on his face with dark eyes. There's a new scar along his neck that leads to his shoulder.

Andromeda has posed:
It's the same bench they sat at that first time they went out. There's Laurel, looking... The same as always. Her hair is always perfect, her clothes are always pressed, and she never looks tired. She literally cheats at this, so it isn't a fair comparison. Green eyes widen as Drake approaches and he offers him a quiet smile. "...Hey." Her eyes find the scar and the thoughts going through the young woman's mind are pretty plain on her features. She even fidgets a little bit. "Um. How are you?"

Slipstream has posed:
"I'm okay. Just got back from Metropolis last night. Lex Luthor wants to buy our Overwatch team and he wanted to meet me personally." Drake says as he takes a seat on the bench. "Then just you know.. saving the world from space mushrooms... constantly being attacked by The Foot.. " His shoulders lift upwards. "Just burning a lot of hours. But I'm doing good. You? You were gone for awhile. I was getting worried."

Andromeda has posed:
"I'm good. Really good, actually. I hadn't been home since before I came here. It's just a long way to go, that's all. Lightyears. The trip took some time..." Laurel comes closer slowly, until she is standing in front of Drake, facing the bench. "Space mushrooms? You should tell me about that sometime." Laurel shrugs lightly as well, shifting forward slightly. "I'm glad you're doing well, Drake. How did you... Get the scar? Foot attack?" She tilts her head slightly, encouraging a wave of golden tresses to frame her movement as she does.

Slipstream has posed:
"Yeah, it was a Foot attack. I got stabbed in the neck from a knife thrown at me. Broke my shoulder also in a few places, but you know.. Avengers medicine is pretty good. Oh. I'm an Avenger now too by the way." Drake says as he rubs the back of his neck. "Anyways, I don't know all the details but this space fungus kinda fell on to Earth and it was literally burning everything around it down. Then it had these little alien assholes guarding it. Took almost all the heroes around the world to defeat it. I got to fight with Superman and the Justice League and the X-Men. Then Mister Stark promoted me to the team after all the work we did together. So that's cool."

Andromeda has posed:
"That's amazing. It's great to hear. You're enjoying working with the Avengers? I'm... Sorry I wasn't here to help, but I knew you could handle things while I was away. And everyone. I just..." Laurel takes a deep breath, shifting just an inch or two closer as she does so. "I needed to clearm y head. Figure some things out. See my grandmother... I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was going. I made the decision a bit- out of the blue. Lar was probably mental about it."

Slipstream has posed:
"Oh, Lar has been mental about a ton of things. I'm sure. I haven't talked to him much outside of once. He's trying to find an apartment in the city so he can feel more normal. I don't think he's really over his break up with Kara either." Drake says as he scoots over to make room for her on the bench. "So, head is cleared then? Figure anything out?"

Andromeda has posed:
"I made my peace with it," Laurel responds with a murmur. "That's the best I could hope for, I guess. A few months of travel and some time to talk to all my cousins and great great great a million times over Uncles and all of that." She gives a light shrug of her shoulders. "I know they'll get through but it's been hard. With everything going on. All the turmoil on earth is echoed in the rest of the universe. So it was- eye op-ening. But I had to come back here. And when I got here I had to see you."

Slipstream has posed:
"You had to see me?" Drake asks curiously as he tilts his head. "How come? I figured you'd be eager to punch bad guys in the face and get back to your spaceship and hang out with Lar and Kara and ... Power Girl." He says as he lists off the big names of muscle flexers and spandex wearing heroes. "Is everything alright?"

Andromeda has posed:
"I do want to hang out with Lar," Laurel replies quietly, shaking her head as she does. "But I'm not exactly that worried about punching bad guys. It's a thing that happens. But- you... Still haven't taught me how to play Overwatch," she states sheepishly. "And things."

Slipstream has posed:
"I don't know how much more Overwatch I got in me. Been thinking about becoming an Avenger full time." Drake says as he motions for her to sit next to her. "What other things do you want me to teach you?" He asks with a grin to her. "And if you really want to learn Overwatch, I'm down to teach you. I may suck as a teacher though. It's mostly instinct."

Andromeda has posed:
"I still... Don't really know whati 'ts like to bea human being," Laurel suggests quietly. "You could give me some pointers. First of all, however, should probably get something to eat. I promised you dinner if we met up today, right?" She gives a soft laugh as she asks this, straightening slightly to her full height. "You can point out some things I need to work on to blend in."

Slipstream has posed:
"You are incredibly hot, Laurel. You also live in New York City. Pretty sure you blend in well. You've always done a great job up to now. Lar is the one who breaks doors and walks into walls. You seem to be pretty put together all things considered. I was also a horrible teacher to Lar." Drake pushes up to his feet and smooths down his jacket. "Let's get food and just hang out and see where it goes from there? Just having dinner and talking is normal enough. Also? Being a human is overrated. Don't try and change who you are, Laurel. It's what I always loved about you." As he says that, he pauses uncomfortably.

Andromeda has posed:
"I seem to stick out quite a bit. But a lot of people do, I guess. Normal might be an illusion people use as a metric for themselves because they're insecure." Laurel seems to be considering this as she offers Drake her hand. Slowly. "Okay. Let's hang out then. You can tell me more about your work with the Avengers, maybe."

Slipstream has posed:
Reaching out to take her by the hand after a few moments of looking at it, Drake tries to force himself to relax. As they head off through the park, he says, "Most of my work is scouting. I stick to the cities, track down bad guys like car jackers or muggers and I round them up for the cops. Then I work with the team when they need a flanker type position for a mission. They are starting me out slow right now, until they can trust me with bigger projects."

Andromeda has posed:
"And you're enjoying it?" Laurel asks cheerfully. She gives Drake's hand a light squeeze as they walk. She is, perhaps unusually for her, matching Drake's normal walking a speed. A nice scenic stroll through the park for the twoo of them. Normally, Laurel is forever moving too quickly when at a walk. Long legs, mostly.

Slipstream has posed:
"I do, I really do. It feels good to help people out. Not so much to get stabbed in the neck by ninjas and beat up. They fight like assholes. It's always like eight on one. Even with my blinks I'm not always fast enough." Drake says as he squeezes her hand back, taking his time as he walks through the park. He looks about the area for a bit, sighing softly in content. "I'm really glad you left me that message. It meant a lot."

Andromeda has posed:
"It meant a lot to me too," Laurel responds in a murmur. "I'd have sent a message sooner but- well." Laurel gives a light shrug, takin ga moment to glance around as well. "I was a little worried you might not want to come meet me, actually. I did take off... Abruptly."

Slipstream has posed:
"Of course I would have come seen you. You're my friend. I care about you." Drake says as he looks up at her curiously. "You don't ever have to hide from me. I figure it'd be the other way around, that I'd be the one too nervous to see you. With everything that happened and all. I was afraid that maybe you wouldn't want to see me."

Andromeda has posed:
"Things happen. But I never didn't want to see you. I promise. I just needed to figure out some things." Laurel takes a deep breath again, despite the fact she doesn't need to breathe. "We can make up for that now, mm?"

Slipstream has posed:
"Figure some things out?" Is that hope in Drake's voice as he looks up at her curiously, his brows raising a bit. "Like... between you and me?"

Andromeda has posed:
"I didn't say that," Laurel replies with a hint of mirth. "But I guess we will find out."

Slipstream has posed:
"You were hinting it!" Drake says with a grin back at her. "I guess we will find out."