622/Mistaken Identity

Mistaken Identity
Date of Scene:	25 May 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Ares, 300

---

Ares has posed:
    Early afternoon in the big city and the streets are calm. There's still the hustle and bustle of the subdued crowds but in this small window between noon and five, people aren't quite in as much of a hurry. On one side of the street is the Easton Academy, its tall facade seeming dour and indomitable as it looms above the street below. Inside are hundreds of privileged students hard at work and watching the clock waiting for it to hit 3:30 for them to be able to run free.
    On the other side of the street is one of Central Park's many entrances, the old style wrought iron fencing blocks it off partially from the streetline. Each day a few vendors set up along the sidewalk, readying their wares for the rush of students and parents that come out. Just a few dozen feet in the park itself are benches for people to relax and rest and indulge in the sport of people-watching.
    Most of the people in the area are tourists as this part of Midtown is often subject to the attention of guidebook authors. There's a large fountain nearby with those bench seats surrounding it and opposite it. People are gathered, there's the muted sound of conversation meshed with the steady gurgle of the water. And it's at just such a bench that the man known as John Aaron is passing the time.
    He fits into the crowd in some ways, curiously. His manner is calm as he sits there with one leg crossed over the other, his arms spread across the back of the bench. He watches mainly in the direction of the school but at times lets his gaze wander. At a glance most people ignore him. He's tall definitely, but his clothes are baggy and his features hidden partially under the brim of a baseball cap.
    Yet overall it's a lovely day, and for once things are mostly at peace.

Sassa (300) has posed:
    Sassa, on the other hand, is someone that people do tend to notice, at least on average. Standing at five ten without heels on, and six feet with heels on, the auburn haired and emerald eyed woman looks every bit the amazon. Though, perhaps the decerning eye of Ares would know better, seeing the more nordic build, hair style and facial structure.

    She is out, walking, just like everyone else. No doubt attempting to enjoy the day for what it is, peacefull and gorgeous. She is making her way towards central park when she decides to find a bench and sit down on it. She throws one leg of another and lets a black, leather boot, with two inch heels dangle. They're mostly covered by a pair of boot cut black slacks that, unlike Ares's clothing, are rather slimming and form hugging. Tucked in to her slacks, is a long sleeved grey turtleneck shirt. Dangling about her neck is a silver pendant. Three interlocking silver triangles with in a silver ring that itself has what appear to be viking runes embeded in it.

    Sassa let's out a deep exhale and leans back aginst the bench and pulls out a smart phone from her back pants pocket and goes about tapping on it, no doubt reading something by the looks.

Ares has posed:
    There is no marvel of modern convenience to distract John Aaron from the passing of one moment to the next. Sassa has one edge over him at least in that for him... the march of technology has eluded him. Computers. Smart phones. Electronics in general, they're all things that he recognizes as interesting developments... and to be fair they've created some wonderfully vicious weaponry, but for his daily life he has avoided them utterly.
    So when he looks around again, letting his gaze drift over the crowd about him it'll stop, however briefly, on her. At first his features twist slightly into that faint mix of smug superiority that is worn by the elder generation when they espy a younger individual who is lost in their electronica. But then his brow furrows momentarily. A second glance is given, most likely not for the reason she usually gains them. For she is a comely woman, indeed. But Ares' attention is drawn to those few tell-tale signs about her person.
    He looks away, features twisting once again back to the normal passive way he had been looking at the world. Leaning forwards he links his hands together, fingers interlaced. One eyebrow quirks as he follows the path of a tourist that just so happens to walk and stand in front of Sassa. It grants him the premise to look at her past that interposed figure.
    Over the years he has sensed curious beings. None so many as in this latest era with the coming of the empowered. But he can see hints of it there in her manner. It's perhaps her build, the jewelry, the manner... but there is also a feel to her, arcane perhaps something of the mystic about her.
    While he himself, if she is sensitive to such might catch that subtle feeling of power. It's only something the astute could perceive, the magically touched. Just a subtle way the shadows seem longer around him, deeper.

Sassa (300) has posed:
    Sassa's emerald eyes look up from her phone, catching the first gaze intended for her. For a moment, she stops and locks eyes with John Aaron. She holds that gaze in return, as she slides the phone back in to her back pocket. She leans back again after doing so and recrosses her legs, switching one over the other and folding her arms under her bust.

    She is, attentive, beyond measure, but not magically so. No, it's simply pure experience and age and ability. She follows the second gaze as it looks beyond the tourist. She now keeps her eyes locked on the man looking at her. She gives off no true /feeling/ of power per say, not that most would consider as such, nor does she seems to /sense/ power in return. She is simply returning a gaze, and holding it.

Ares has posed:
    Many things can be said of the God of War. One that cannot, however, is that he is a coward. Eyes meet. His own narrows slightly and perhaps if she had known him better she might be able to tell that small twist at the corner of his mouth is a close thing to a smile. For all intents and purposes it could come across as him being naught save a man looking upon a beautiful woman. And, to be fair, Ares is not dead. But for a woman to enter his life there usually must be something more, lest he dismiss her out of hand.
    Yet he looks to the side, and then he rises to his feet. And if he had seemed inconspicuous before, now he does not seem so quite as much. He crosses the distance with an easy gait, his footsteps precise. To most people he passes his stride is simply that of an assured individual. But for someone with her past, with her training, she might see hints in each step. Conflict, strength, battle, skill. It's there in the stride, the utter sense of physicality and awareness.
    For a time he moves, and then he's there before her. She is dressed staggeringly well, and him... he is dressed in jeans, a t-shirt... a jacket. Yet there is something almost regal about him, including the way he unfolds his hand towards the seat and then murmurs in that rumbling baritone. "May I?"

Sassa (300) has posed:
    Sassa watches the man rise, and walk towards her and for the entire length of his stride, it puts her on edge. Try as she might to hide it, and as capable as she is, it's not enitrely something that goes away. When he arrives at the bench and asks to sit, she looks down to that empty spot slowly and then turns her eyes back to him. Looking up at him with a soft face, she forces a warm and inviting smile and nods. "Tis a free country, far as I can tell" she replies and in her voice, an accent. It's thick enough to be noticed and anyone with any real knowledge of accents would be able to tell someone who is from Sweden, but not modern day Sweden. She motions a hand to the empty section of the bench and scoots aside.

Ares has posed:
    The seat is taken and his eyes slip away for a moment. It's back to the school that he looks, then he checks the black digital watch upon his wrist. Yet once that's done he turns towards her and addresses her with that same rough voice that would almost sound like a growl if it were any deeper. "My name is John Aaron," An introduction yet he does not pause too long upon it. "And I had thought I was familiar with the Aesir and knew those who walked their land." His brown eyes meet hers and then he looks her over again, not like a man considering a woman, but more like an investigator considering a curious problem.
    In this land, with the many worlds known to the citizens of the earth, perhaps Asgard is known at least in part. Yet she is in some ways a thing apart. His eyes return to hers and he tilts his head slightly curious to the side as he adds, "You seem of them, and yet not so. Thus. I a m curious and would have answers."
    There is something about his manner, his speech, the phrasing is archaic in some ways and over her long life perhaps she might recognize hints of his time around the world in various places. But there is one thing that is for sure, and there is more to him than he shows.

Sassa (300) has posed:
    Sassa slowly tilts her head and maintains her eye locked gaze on this man. She pauses a moment and replies firstly, "You assume much.." she says to him in the same manner of speech as he speaks with. "YOu assume much and more and assumptions, they can lead to conflict." She pauses again to look around at all the people walking about before turning back to him.

    "Firstly, you assume that I am of the the Aesir and thus of Asgard. You assume incorrectly.." she pauses, "Secondly, you assume that your curiosity will be sated simply because you will it to be so. Tell me what reason I have to tell you anything about myself?" she asks.

Ares has posed:
    "I am not one to shy from such," The words are offered easily, for truly conflict is something near and dear to his heart. And the way she responds to him causes his lip to curl, a faint gleam of amusement enters his eyes but he hides it by looking away as he draws back slightly, his lips turning down and his eyebrows lifting as if mildly surprised. A small exhaled breaths lips from him, close to a laugh but hard to discern. He looks back to her. "Though, indeed. I do make such assumptions."
    He turns to the side, focusing upon her with his head tilted faintly to the side. "Yet I have gained ground, albeit a small amount." Of course he thinks of this as a battle, a conflict to be waged in some way. "I know you claim to not be of them, which is perhaps a good thing in its own way."
    His eyes narrow and for a time he looks at her. Truly /looks/ at her, as if trying to see behind the mirrors of that brilliant gaze of hers. And in turn she might get a glimpse at the roiling primal nature of the being before her. Yet he answers her question as he murmurs, "I cannot tell you what reason you may have. You may have none and we are destined to speak never again. As for me, however. I seek these answers, and would offer you what you would to have them."
    There's a pause and then his smile appears there, faintly. "Yet if there is naught you want in the world, then I will assuredly be left unfulfilled."

Sassa (300) has posed:
    "I am not one to shy from conflict either, lest it endanger other lives.." she replies plainly as she looks around a moment before looking back to Ares. Sass exhales deeply and continues after listening to his words. "Yes, well, I choose to give you that much as It's become common place for many to assume me of Asgard for many reasons, none of them accurate." She leans forward a moment and seems lost in thought before leaning back again. "There's nothing I want, nothing I can think of at any rate. Yet, why would you offer up something simply to know more about a stranger?"

Ares has posed:
    Ares is a warrior. An ageless warrior who has seen much throughout eternity in some ways. It's led him to being many other things as well and one of them is that he is a shrewd judge of character. Oh he could not explain how or why if asked, but he trusts his feelings when he gauges an individual. So when he turns away, when he offers her a few quiet and calm words, it's because of a feeling he has about this curious puzzle beside him.
    "I am an individual who has lived a long time. I have gained much. Lost more. But what I have learned in my time is that most of the things I strove for when I was younger..." He flares his hands slightly, still not looking at her as he speaks, as if lost in aged recollections. "They are not as important as..." His brow furrows as if seeking the correct words, "As connections. Experiences. Days can blur together, time spent. But when you find something that is surprising to you, that goes beyond the pale..."
    His smile is there, very faint, but then he looks back at her and says calmly. "Well then that is a pearl beyond price."

Sassa (300) has posed:
    Sassa listens, intently and there's a connection there almost instantly. That look and the way he speaks about gain and loss and the ambitions of youth. It's when he speaks about the finding something new and suprising that it sort of clicks with her. "Sassa" she says softly, "My name is Sassa.." she adds letting out a soft exhale. "Sassa Aesdottir.." she adds. A name meaning beautiful princess, she who is a daughter of the gods. It's old norse, and no doubt another reason people think her Asgardian when they truly get to know her, or at least learn of her real name.

    She to turns her gaze towards the sky and exhales as she closes her eyes. "I am no pearl" she says to him, relaxing as they speak. "Far from it. Never something so shiny and rare, at least not in my own eyes. Though, I understand the weight of time.." she adds, speaking as though she to has seen much and more in her lifetime.

    She lifts her head slightly and turns to face him again, "What do you want to know?"

Ares has posed:
    "Sassa," The single word is uttered, pondered, rolled around as if considering the connotations of such a name. He says naught more of it, he does not presume to compliment it. It simply is what encompasses her.
    His brown eyes return to hers and he seems to look at her anew, as if her granting permission allows him to consider her anew. His lips purse for a brief moment, but then he tells her calmly. "When I look at the world, I see..." He tilts his head to the side, consideration falling on each person as they walk by. An older man with a cane and a limp. A young woman trailing two toddlers along. A street performer attempting to stand still and made up to seem a being of pure gold. "I see their tales, their lives. I imagine what has brought them here."
    Looking back he meets her gaze and says, "When I looked upon you, I could tell your story was longer. Greater in some ways. There was much to you."
    His eyes narrow slightly, "The way you moved, I could see you were a warrior. You had faced life and death before you. I could see that you held existence at arm's length. Much has passed for you."
    He settles back against the back of the bench and watches her. "So what is it I want, Sassa Aesdottir? I would have your story."

Sassa (300) has posed:
    Sassa follows along as Ares looks about, entirely oblivious to the fact she's sitting next to a God. She looks at each person as he does and then looks back to him and smiles warmly, taken his statement as an compliment.

    "My story? I, would not tell it where other ears could hear it. There is much I keep to myself John, for many reasons. Most prime among them, is that none hearing of my life would believe it. Though, you are correct in your assumptions this time." She pauses a moment, "I am a warrior woman. No man has, and shall ever own me. No nation, or person, or being will imprison me either." The statements she makes her, are dead set and dead serious and said with a warriors resolve. "Though, if I were to tell you more, then I would know more of you."

Ares has posed:
    "And so perhaps we each have discovered what we would want of the other." It's a small pronouncement, but for some reason it seems to carry some weight with him, as if it were important to him. But then his brow furrows as he looks again off towards the school. Again he checks the watch on his wrist and his brow furrows. A slow exhalation of breath comes from him.
    "However, I am afraid it will have to wait. I must see to my son." His eyes return to hers and away from the boy's academy. And for a moment he looks... almost entirely too human as his brow knits together and he almost embarassedly admits. "I must see to his dinner and then he has... a play." He doesn't wear a wedding ring, single-father perhaps, widower? Perhaps.
    "But I would continue our words," Though he has no cellphone to share numbers with.

Sassa (300) has posed:
    Sassa looks at him, her eyes trying to probe deep and to see what lays beyond. "I, would like to speak to you again as well.." she admits. "I can't quite articulate as to why, but, perhaps we both have something to discuss with one another." She stands up slowly and turns on heel to offer out a hand. "I, did not expect you to be a family man..." she adds smiling. "Though, I admit such a statement might ome off rude and I apologize if it does. It's, warming, to see a man so dedicated to his child.." she pauses here, and looks to the floor, a great pain in her eyes before she looks back up and forces a smile after a deep exhale. "I've no children of my own, never have. So, I can only imagine what it's like to have to care for one. I'll not keep you, though, if you prefer we can meet her again during the next work day? If you're going to be here to pick up your son, then I'll make my way by again."

Ares has posed:
    He accepts her hand and there's a warm firmness to the shake, not insistent nor aggressive. Yet she is strong, very much so, but what might surprise her is that his grip is as well. His eyes hold hers and he gives a small nod. Then a small exhalation of breath like a silent laugh slips from him as he looks aside, then back to her with a quirked way eyebrow.
    "He is a good child, better than I was at his age." Of course at his age Ares was... leading an army against Olympus. But he steps back from her, a few steps as if getting ready to leave. "I may not be able to..." He looks to the side, since he actually has a meeting planned with Loki of all things. But then he looks back towards her. "Here."
    For a moment he digs into his pocket and of all things produces a folded piece of paper that he tears a corner off of. He places it in his palm and writes upon it with a small eraserless pencil that was in his coat pocket. Not a normal pencil, more like the ones construction workers use to mark measurements upon building materials.
    Once done he extends the piece of paper to her a number is written there for him on one side. On the other is a bit of school information and apparently the header for a 'permission slip' of some sort. But it'll serve. "Call me, and we will find occasion to share our tales further."

Sassa (300) has posed:
    Sassa blinks a few times and then reaches out to take that piece of paper. She looks at it a moment, and then slowly places it in the back pocket of her slacks. She smiles warmly at Ares and nods, "Very well. I'll give you a call and we can have another conversation." She turns about and begins to walk off there, stopping for only a moment, "Be safe and take care of your boy. We'll talk again soon.." and with that, she vanishes in to the crowd of people.