6864/A Pocket of Nature in a City of Steel

A Pocket of Nature in a City of Steel
Date of Scene:	12 March 2019
Location:	Central Park, New York City
Synopsis:	Who knows what might bloom in Central Park before spring?
Cast of Characters:	Doctor Strange, Black Cat

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Doctor Strange has posed:
    It's a lovely day in the Village and as such, Stephen Strange has taken the opportunity to head out of the Sanctum all on his lonesome. The wizard has a simple cream color turtleneck sweater on with semi-loose sleeves bunching slightly at his wrists, and a pair of black everyday style slacks over a pair of light tan dress shoes with a varied sole, perfect for going on a stroll.

    The wizard has made his way to the park and is now found bent over, down on one knee as he has a small bit of magic he uses to dig slightly into the earth to gently uproot a a trio of red, yellow and white tulips that are growing wild in a secluded section of the huge park.

Black Cat has posed:
With bag slung over her shoulder, Felicia's only got eyes for her cellphone. She's thumbing through her Spotify playlists as she walks down one of the many paths through Central Park. Fingerless gloves and her usual black beanie keep the worst of the chill from her. Today, it's straight-leg jeans in grey overtop black wedge-heeled boots. The peacoat will be recognized, navy-blue by color. Interestingly enough, her platinum-blonde hair is braided into two lengths that hang over the front of her shoulders.

She adjusts an earbud in her ear as she finds the song to kick off a more jaunty pace: Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like a Woman." Her laugh ripples out ahead of her as she begins that brisk step, complete with little motions of her hands in time with the music. Of course, Felicia's mouthing the lyrics as she goes along -- right in line of sight of one wizard working on those tulips. In fact, a sudden balletic spin on her part almost slaps her shoulder-bag into him!

Doctor Strange has posed:
    There's a mischievious streak inherent in most wizards and with a chance to cause a fuss at someone else's expense Stephen metaphorically leaps at the opportunity. So as Felicia is jaunting by, Stephen slides backwards just in time for her back to catch him in the shoulder and while it's not enough to really harm him, she'd feel the weight shift on her shoulder and he'd toss the tulips in the air as he allows himself to be knocked over. Sprawling on the ground, Stephen reaches up to grab his shoulder and side with one hand as he tries to help himself to his feet with one hand.

Black Cat has posed:
The thief notices almost immediately that the balanced circular swing of her bag is interrupted. She slows her spin by placing the heel of her boot back on the ground and immediately boggles at the fallen invidual.

"Oh -- oh my god, I'm -- I'm so sorry," Felicia stutters as she pulls her earbuds by their wirings out of her ears and reaches down to offer the guy a hand. Then, she pauses and gapes. "Copperfield?! Wait, what are you -- you're outside of your house!"

Apparently, this dumbfounds the young woman, who remains offering out the hand to the Sorcerer.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen pauses as well, looking at Felicia's hand and then down at his own before he grabs onto her much more delicate fingers and helps himself back up with her assistance. Stephen bends right back over to recollect his flowers, and as he does this he finally speaks. "I am allowed to leave my house Felicia, the same as you are." He says, sounding almost like he would if he were talking to a young child, though he turns and has the sweetest, teasingest smile Felicia has seen on his face.

Black Cat has posed:
With a small grunt, Felicia does aid the man to his feet. Once he's apparently no worse for the wear by how he stands, she unconsciously wipes sweaty palms off on her coat's skirting. "Well...pffft," and she rolls her eyes at Stephen and his tone of voice. "It's like seeing Bigfoot. Or Nessie. I didn't think you ever wanted to leave the house."

Fussing with the earbuds, she tucks them away beneath the lapels of her peacoat and then eyes the tulips. Her gaze flicks to his face and oh-so-innocently, she asks, "You making a bouquet for somebody? That one looks a little sad." She points to the yellow-petaled tulip in particular, which is only missing a petal -- and as such, the thief's attempting to yank his chain.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "All jokes aside, I do savor every chance I get to venture outside and act as a normal-ish doctor when I can Felicia, just the same as you, again." Stephen says before he looks away down to his flowers and he frowns slightly placing the red one back on the grass to gently reach for the single yellow tulip and he does agree with a nod. "She is not ready." He says before he moves a few steps over to carefully replant the flower and uses his hand to feel the others, searching for one he thinks is right. Quickly he finds another and again he doesn't cut it, he uproots the whole thing with a simple trowel spell. "Yes Felicia, they are for someone."

Black Cat has posed:
The manner in which Stephen responds makes the thief redact her next snarky response. He sounds so....thoughtful. Concerned on a level of true inclination to care. Her red lips purse in quiet interest as she silently watches him return the yellow flower to its earthy bedding. Her eyes widen at the way the little cantrip used removes the next flower in question with such ease. From what she can tell, the bulb isn't harmed.

"Wow, that's a trick." The comment doesn't have a hint of derision or tease -- Felicia's impressed. "My mom would have killed for that in her garden. She was always up to her wrists in the dirt and grumping at the rootballs." The fond memory makes Felicia's smile far softer than usual. She gives Stephen an approving nod. "Tulips are cute flowers. Whomever gets them will appreciate them. Very...springy," she decides. "A nice splash of color while the snow might still fall."

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "Your mom would not have been a great gardener if she had killed for it." Stephen says quietly as he looks over his shoulder back at Felicia with a lifted eyebrow. "Though I am sure she IS a great one none the less." Stephen redacts his words before turning to collect the two others he had plucked and with a hand cupped under the base he smiles as he stands up right and extends the small bundle to Felicia, "Here, yours. If you want them."

Black Cat has posed:
"I didn't mean she'd kill liter...ally."

Felicia's eyes rise from the tulips and to Stephen -- and then fall back to the tulips -- and then flick back to the Sorcerer's face again. Her own pinks and no, it's not the chilly still-winter air in the Park. "Oh. Geez. Me?" Her palm spreads against her sternum and then is covered by the other one. "Oh, gosh. You didn't -- " Her fingertips press to her lips and she tilts her head to one side, eyeing him. The smile is impossible to hide behind the line of four manicured nails.

Carefully, she reaches out to take the blooms from him and is certain to hold them with marked care of her own steady hands. "Copperfield." Felicia smirks at Stephen. "You //are// a gentleman. How'd you know I was looking for flowers for the windowbox at my apartment?" Now that she's passed through the stage of incredulity, it's back to the warm and charming banter.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "I sent magical drone spies to hover around your abode without you possibly knowing." Stephen says, his face as stoic as ever before his grey eyes roll softly and he smirks again, "I had no clue honestly." The wizard then passes the flowers into the thief's grip and he turns around to gather a few chrysanthemum for the woman to add for her planters at home.

Black Cat has posed:
Felicia grins brightly. "Kind of stalkerish there, buddy," she quips back as to the magical drone spies. "You could've just asked over tea." Carefully shifting the tulips to one hand, she then accepts the chrysanthemum blooms and arranges the stems together as to better hold them all.

"This is shaping up to be a lovely bouquet. You sure the groundskeepers aren't going to drive by in their little green golf-cart and yell at you for picking them?" The thief does take a moment to look around, but other than walkers and joggers, cart-pushers and tour groups, no Park personnel have yet showed to shake a finger. "I won't let them take them from me," she asides with a wink. "What's mine is mine and these flowers? They're...mine." She bites at the inner plump of her bottom lip fetchingly against another wave of shy titters that want to escape.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "I have a bit of a green thumb, yeah. Judge me." Stephen says jokingly as he looks back to Felicia after he stands back on his feet. "Any other flowers you'd care to have in your place?" The wizard asks as he looks around, completely unconcerned or unaware of the park's staff.

Black Cat has posed:
His dare has that giggling escaping despite Felicia's attempt at stoppering it up. She glances around the Park itself and idly toys with one of the buttons of her peacoat, large as the button is at its half-dollar size.

"Um...those ones." She points at a collection of pansies just beginning to bloom in the dappled shade of a nearby tree. "And...ooh, these ones. I've always liked these ones." The thief leaves the path to walk over to a small bush with little olive-green leaves and a plethora of spindle-petaled flowers. Felicia sniffs deeply of these as she brings one of the viney branches to her nose. "Mmm. I'm not sure what they are, but they smell wonderful. Almost lemony."

At the bush's roots, a little informational plaque half-covered in fallen leaves from last fall states that the plant is a 'Winter Honeysuckle'.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Without hesitation, Stephen turns around to the manicured garden in the park and he flicks out his mystic trowel once more with a motion of his hand. "Then you will have a bouquet of pansies with a flourish of honeysuckle." Stephen explains as he pulls up only very specific flowers to add to Felicia's bundle of greenery and an explosion of color and scent.

    Stephen then turns to gather some of the difficult to work with Honeysuckle to add to Felicia's hands.

Black Cat has posed:
"Oh, they're honeysuckle?" Felicia blinks at the reappearance of the magical tool that yet again gets to work. "They smell different than the usual flowers. That's delightful." The violaceous hues of the pansies bring depth to the bouquet. She steps back to allow him to get to work and looks down at the bundle of blooms in her hand with a half-smile that's almost...silly. Catching herself, she glances up at Stephen to make sure he didn't catch her making the expression.

"You want to save some of these for your kitchen table? They'll bring some color to the room. Or I can bring some next time we have tea?" Little spots of pink still hang on her cheekbones, but the thief steadfastly ignores them and the presumptiveness of her question as she looks him in the face.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    "You plan on having more tea with me?" Stephen asks with a hint of color to his own cheeks as he stops what he's doing to look behind himself at the young blonde woman holding flowers he had freshly pulled, for her. "I can always get more flowers, Felicia, you don't need to bring anything but better tea, though that storebought stuff wasn't half bad." He says, admitting he enjoyed it more than he should have.

Black Cat has posed:
The thief wrinkles her nose a little at his judgment leveled upon her choice of tea. In combination with a wry little smile, she then shakes her head at Stephen, never dropping her regard of his eyes.

"You're a tea snob, Copperfield," she levels in return, lightening the words with her continued smirk. "Yes, I plan on having more tea. It seems like a nice thing to do. You're still working on the magic stuff, I can bring tea." Felicia continues with a little nod. "I'll bring a different kind of tea then. What kind? I can go to one of those fancy stores and get the loose leaf kind or one of the family-owned stores over in Chinatown or...?" Her eyebrows lift as she falls silent, awaiting his answer.

Doctor Strange has posed:
    Stephen's answer is a simple kind smile. "Bring whatever you feel like drinking Felicia. Though I do hope you'll keep coming by after I've gotten your 'belt' problem solved." The wizard smirks as he places the flowers and vines in Felicia's hands and he slowly turns to walk away from the thief and starts to walk towards his home.

Black Cat has posed:
Felicia appears nonplussed again and somehow manages not to drop the additional flowers that now grant the bouquet scent as well as color. She glances down at it and back up at Stephen again. Her red-red lips work for a second before she does something just shy of actually kick at the winter-browned grass at her booted feet. It's definitely still a little scuff at the turf.

"I'll bring something better next time, Copperfield." She rolls her eyes a little and then looks back to him again. "Stephen," the thief amends more quietly. "I don't see any reason why I won't stop by. You're...you're a charmer, Doctor Strange." The lop-sided smile shifts Felicia entirely into girl-next-door rather than vampy sex kitten. She sniffs at the flowers again with a pleased hum. "Thanks for the flowers. I'll get them all planted before we have tea next," she informs him even as she too turns to continue on her own way, albeit with noted lack of speed to watch him go as well.