7347/the italian dinner

the italian dinner
Date of Scene:	28 April 2019
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Martian Manhunter, Blink

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Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn promised Clarice a dinner together and promised it would be in Italy, where the food is as wonderful as the place itself, not to say suggestive and well, a good place to go to a dinner with a woman in general. To be more recognizable by Clarice, J'onn is shapeshifted in the same human form he used the last time he saw her, a tall and athletically built man with black hair and blue eyes, and it was in that shape that he phased into Clarice's room, of course after warning her telepathically, and her powers teleported them both outside of the restaurant where they now are.
Sitting at one of the corner tables in the very nice restaurant Clarice herself suggested, the atmosphere is definitely relaxed, comfortable and very pleasant in general, with the soft background music playing from hidden speakers and the delicious smell of food coming from the kitchen's half open door.

Blink has posed:
When J'onn arrived at her room, he found Clarice wearing a dress that leaves her shoulders bare and has just low enough of a neckline to show that her slender body has curves to it. She shined a bright, somewhat shy smile to J'onn, greeting him before the pair stepped through one of her portals to Italy.

Clarice slips her hands around J'onn's arm as they walk into the restaurant. She smiles as she looks around and soaks in the charming, even romantic, ambiance. "It's a beautiful choice," she says, looking over to shine a warm smile to the man. She accompanies J'onn over to the table, taking her seat and setting her napkin in her lap. "Have you been here before then?" she asks him curiously, alternating between looking around the restaurant, and at J'onn.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn is wearing a grey suit, something that would be surely a tailored suit if it wasn't for the fact that he just shapeshifted it on himself, but still something that shows elegance without hiding too much the athleticism of his current body. "did I mention that you look wonderful tonight?" he speaks, offering Clarice a smile.
Glancing briefly around, he nods with a smile "a beautyful choice indeed, and it was your suggestion!" he then shakes his head "I've been in italy, several times, but never in this specific place, no. It is very nice, I like the atmosphere."

Blink has posed:
The young mutant woman's purple hair has been styled rather than being pulled back in a simple ponytail. The deep color has a calming stability to it in the psyche of many people. She looks up to J'onn and her face lights up further at his compliment. She looks down to the table even as she shines a pleased smile. "Thank you. I wanted to look nice for you this evcening," she tells the superhero-in-disguise.

The owner comes out, an older Italian woman, squat and short, but with a happy expression that grows as she sees the guests at the table. "Miss Clarice," she says in heavily accented English, moving over to the table. "You have come back to us, yes?" she says, smiling to Clarice before looking to J'onn. "And with a boyfriend! So big and strong he is," she says.

Clarice blushes slightly even as she is smiling at the woman. "Maria, this is J'onn. He... ah... this is our first... time to dinner together," she says. Her thoughts tumbled there for a moment, not sure if she should call this a date or not, so choosing other words to use.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn smiles at Clarice, looking directly at her "you definitely succeeded." he admits, of course referring to her wanting to look nice. When the owner comes to their table, J'onn offers her a smile and a greeting in an italian purposefully made a bit accented.
He lets Clarice speak, even picking up a surface thought or two maybe, considering he adds "and I am definitely glad she suggested this place for a first date, this is really a wonderful restaurant, Maria."

Blink has posed:
Maria gushes over the compliment to the restaurant in a mix of Italian and English. "Thank you! Such a handsome man. You treat Clarice well, or Lorenzo, he will be very upset. I go tell him that you are here," she says, smiling to them and then heading back to the kitchen.

Clarice has a soft smile after hearing how J'onn referred to the dinner. She looks over to the man, sharing that smile with him. "Do you have a favorite type of food?" Clarice asks him curiously. "And... I was wondering, how does our food compare to what your people have? Is it at all alike? Would I be able to eat Martian food, even?" she asks him curiously.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
"do not worry miss, I have every intention of treating her as well as possible!" J'onn admits with a smile to Maria, letting her go inform Lorenzo of their presence and returning his full attention to Clarice.
"honestly speaking I don't have a favourite type of food, no... And well, that sort of links with your next question... I don't, really need to eat, or drink, I just do it for the pleasure of it, really... So mh, well, you wouldn't be able to eat martian food because there is not, martian food really." he seems to look a bit, thoughtful for a moment, then shakes his head slightly mumbling "there's not anything martian anymore..." it isn't long however till he returns smiling "but I love oreos, I really do... I mean I don't know what's that you place in them or, well, I know the ingredients, but they're wonderful..." he chuckles now "what's your favourite food instead?"

Blink has posed:
Clarice watches the older Italian woman move off, giving her a wave and then refocusing back on J'onn. If Clarice knows little of the situation on Mars or its history, she does seem to catch his tone and perhaps infer from what he said. "I'm sorry if I've brought up something painful for you," she says regretfully. "I don't really know anything about where you're from. Anything other than that people say you're from Mars," she tells him.

The young woman reaches a hand over to gently touch his arm as if apologetic if she's brought up unpleasant memories for him. "I've had so many delicious things. The food in New Orleans is some of my favorite. But if I had to pick just one food... oh, I'd have to go with pizza I guess," she says with a soft smile and a shrug. "The real thing, not the... chicken and barbecue sauce and other weird ingredients to replace the normal ones."

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn smiles kindly and places his hand on top of Clarice's, trying to reassure her "don't worry, it is not a recent thing anyways. Martian are just, extinct, and they have been so for at least a millennia now. I've grown used to it even if, well, this is not pleasant." but he keeps his smile, and it even grows when hearing about Clarice's food preferences "well we'll know where to go for the next dinners, hm?" and he even chuckles a bit now.

Blink has posed:
The young woman's thumb brushes against J'onn's hand as it rests atop hers. "I hadn't any idea that you were so old. You certainly don't look a day over several hundred," she says in a softly teasing tone. "I am just realizing how little I know about you. The things I'd take for granted at least about most people, even," she tells him. In her thoughts though, she decides not to ask him too much now. Especially if the memories can be melancholy ones for J'onn.

Clarice smiles at the mention of future dinners. She nods and says, "I'd love to get pizza with you sometime. I'm told that New York has amazing pizza. It is supposed to have something to do with the water there. The minerals in it I guess? The water tastes good on its own, but when used in something like pizza dough it is supposed to add something to the flavor of it," she tells him. "Though I haven't actually had any there yet," she concedes. "So... do you have a normal home? Or... the Justice League has a space station or something, don't they? Is that where you live most of the time?" she asks.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn grins slightly, shaking his head "next time, I'll appear as a grey haired, ancient gentleman walking with the help of a wooden cane. With glasses, and clothes of two centuries ago!" and he even visualizes the image in his own mind, transmitting it then to Clarice's, just to not have to shapeshift like that in public while still giving her the idea of a human a couple of centuries old.
"never tried a pizza in NY, myself. I just recently started going there in the first place, on a frequent basis, I mean..." he admits, and at the home question he just looks at the ceiling for a moment, or maybe it is because the sky is just up there? "the watchtower, yes. I live there, currently." and he was even undecided how to address the statement about how little Clarice knows about him, at least until he smiles and adds "however feel free to ask whatever you want to know... There's no stupid question, just useless doubts..."

Blink has posed:
Clarice breaks out in soft, warm giggles at the image of him in the older guise. "So you can just choose however you want to look then, I guess?" she asks him. The young woman looks over the handsome, athletically built image that he has on right now. "Well, this one is a good choice," she tells him with a smile. "Though I wouldn't mind seeing what you really look like. I mean, maybe later if you like? It doesn't have to be now," she says.

Clarice glances up towards the roof as well, picturing the space station. "It must have some really beautiful views from there. Though I would miss getting to step outside into the sun, smell the fresh air," she says. "Or, well I guess that's easy enough for you to fly down," she says, probably not realizing they can teleport from there to the surface.

Clarice gazes over at J'onn thoughtfully. "What things do you like about living on Earth? And... what about us has been the most difficult to adjust to?" she asks.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn smiles at the giggling caused by his older version, then nods "well I'd probably scare the wole restaurant and then some, if I turned into my true form right now... I mean it is well, alien... Something people could run away from, if not prepared." he admits, but assents to the request with a nod "I'll show you it later however!".
The smile appearing on his lips at the mention of the view confirms that yes, it is beautiful, and indeed he admits "seeing heart from space is, definitely something... I'll show you that too, one day, a thing most people living on a planet will never forget is seeing said planet from up above." Her last question, however, has him thinking for several seconds before giving a slow answer "I think your, way of thinking, sometimes... It was, it is, difficult to see you living on the same planet and then trying to destroy one another, arguing on differences that, well, how can someone despise someone else just because it is different from him? This is a thing I never could fully get used to... I come from a civilization hat was divided too, and where did it bring us? To extinction, eventually. I do not want to see it happening again to heart, to you, because you can do better than this." he tilts his head slightly and smiles "the things I like, well, there are a lot of good people on this planet. And you humans are so adaptable, so ready to go on no matter what. Life throws all sort of things at you, yet you stand up again, and face them head on. Most of the times at least."

Blink has posed:
Clarice sits listening, her generally warm demeanor showing through as she smiles over to J'onn as he speaks. She gets a little bit of a dreamy look at the talk of seeing the Earth from space. "I've wondered how far I could teleport. I know someone wants me to try to get him to the moon. Though I've never tried that far. I mean, the vacuum and all," she says. "But I would love to see the Earth from space," Blink confirms with a wistful, happy sigh.

As J'onn speaks of how people treat others because they are different, that image from before returns to Clarice's thoughts. Memories of a number of people working, heads shaved and foreheads imprinted with numbers. There's a feeling of metal around Clarice's neck in the memory.

As quick as it was there, she forces it down, and not seeming yet to realize just how much J'onn picks up from her stray thoughts. "People can be pretty lousy to each other," she agrees, the vivid green eyes she has looking down towards the table. "I hope it gets better. But I worry. The Sentinels. That people would embrace something like that. That they don't stop what has been happening in Russia?" Clarice says, sighing softly.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
It is J'onn's turn to listen now, both to words and thoughts, and again the images that he picks involuntarily from Clarice's mind prompt an almost protective response in him. "that's what I mean..." is what he says, unclear if it is about the sentinels, or about the images just recalled by the woman and then forced away. "the moon is nice, yes... Even if a bit cold, and well, not very breathable atmosphere too..."

Blink has posed:
"Exactly," Clarice says of the moon. "Maybe if someone had a space suit, but I'd still be so cautious about someone getting hurt," she says. "Plus, well I'd need to do so many tests, see how long I could keep it open, and how accurately I could place a portal. The further, the more difficult it is," she says.

Lorenzo comes out from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a rag. "Ah, Clarice, you come back!" he says in broken English, then adds a few flowery compliments for her in Italian which she won't be able to understand, but they make her smile just the same hearing his tone.

"And you are J'onn?" Lorenzo says in English before switching to Italian. <You look a fine young man. You be careful with this. She is a dove. A flower, to be handled with great care, yes!?> he says protectively of the young mutant girl, though with a smile on his face as if not suspecting J'onn would do otherwise.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn looks thoughtful and seems to consider the problem for a couple of seconds "could you, open a portal through a portal? I mean, open a portal halfway to a place, and through that open another? That could, maybe, increase the range of it... At least if it works by, hmm..." looks like his mind is browsing through a serie of physics and calculations, at least judging by the focused expression he has.
He is sort of distracted, however, when Lorenzo comes to the table, and so turns to the man offering a smile and then replying "do not worry sir, I have every intention of treating her well! She definitely deserves it!" he switches to italian then to add "and then she's lovely, so how could I do otherwise?" linking for a moment his mind with Clarice, he transmits a couple of words, saying "see? He said I look young, not at all two centuries old like someone said!"

Blink has posed:
Clarice makes a so-so gesture with her hand. "It does help my accuracy to see through a portal I've made. Though much less if I'm looking through it than if I actually step through it. I do that going to new areas, start out way up in the air so I won't accidentally hurt someone. Look through it to spot a clear spot then," she tells him.

Clarice smiles and rises from her seat to go and greet Lorenzo. Kisses on the cheeks are exchanged and she sits back down as Lorenzo and J'onn talk. The young woman smiles at the thought that J'onn sends her. Lorenzo meanwhile tells Clarice, "And you finally find a good Italian boy like I tell you!" He pats Clarice's shoulder and says, "I will whip you up something special. Mamma! They need wine," he calls towards the kitchen, heading back that way with a wave of his hand to the two at the table.

Clarice gives a warm giggle. She looks over to J'onn then to say softly, with a shy smile, "You seem to have their approval." She gives a bashful little shrug. "Mine too," she adds, biting her lip for a moment before smiling at him. "Even if you're not exactly a good -Italian- boy, we can let them think that," she says.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
"Thank you, sir!" Is J'onn's reply to Lorenzo, and then he turns to Clarice as the man leaves to get them something to drink and well, hopefully, to eat too. "I mean, speaking about range... If you have to teleport across, say, 100 kilometers, is it possible to create a portal 50 kilometers away and then, through it, another one to the final destination? Would it work, would it, I don't know, tire you less?" he asks, smiling then at the woman's words "do you mean I'm not exactly good, not exactly italian, or not exactly a boy? Because I'm completely sure about the first and last thing, at least, sort of..." but after a couple of seconds he adds "I am, however, very glad to have your approval of course."

Blink has posed:
Blink lets out a warm laugh and reaches over to rest her hand on J'onn's if he allows her. "I meant about the Italian part, only," she tells him. "I think I can safely say you're good," she says to the Justice League member. "And... ah... I'll take the other part on faith," she says.

A brief thought or two, showing curiosity about him are likely picked up as Clarice's mind follows the topic of conversation. Which results in a soft blush though she doesn't realize her curiosity is noticed.

"The further away the more tiring, though a portal really far away doesn't completely drain me or anything like that," Clarice says. "It's more a matter of accuracy. The farther away, and the less I know the place, the farther I might be off. I can be... probably miles off if I'm just going from a description, for instance," she tells him.

Clarice still has her hand on J'onn's as Maria comes out with a bottle of wine. SHe fills their water glasses, and pours them both a glass of red wine, then sets down some bread, and seasoned olive oil for dipping in.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn lets Clarice reach for his hand, smiling at her and actually chuckling slightly at the blushing, or maybe at the thoughts behind it. "all questions shall have an answer, eventually." he comments casually, but then the portal topic comes up "and portaling through a portal wouldn't offset the accuracy problem? I mean using the previous example, if portaling away 100 miles would offset the portal by some miles, portaling away by 50, and through it by another 50, would help to reduce the inaccuracy? Could it?"
And then the food arrives... Two oval plates, on top of each one a definitely nice quantity of ravioli are covered by a mushroom cream, and by the looks of it, more food is to come after that...

Blink has posed:
Clarice shakes her head. "I would be better off getting as close to the 10 miles away as I could on the first try. Then look through it and see my destination from there. Even if I'm a mile or two off on the first try, being that much closer is a big help," she tells him. "I know someone else who just disappears and reappears elsewhere to teleport. He actually said he passes through another dimension when he does. He would need to do something like that. Even when he looked through my portal, he sense the spot being off the correct direction from where he actually is, until he steps through," Clarice says. In her thoughts, there is a blue furred mutant with yellow eyes when she speaks of the latter part.

Clarice smiles as the plate of ravioli are brought over. "Oh, that smells delicious," she says warmly. She moves her napkin to her lap and then tries the ravioli. "Mmmm. So good," she says with a smile after tasting it.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn probably thinks about using the occasion to clarify a bit his powerset to the woman, considering his smile and the following words "well teleportation methods is a thing I'm familiar with from a teoretical point of view, portals though are something I never studied in detail, honestly... Honestly speaking, I've never needed to use them... I mean, flight is generally a good method to get from place to place, and turning incorporeal gets you through most walls and doors... And then, telepathy even allows from some free movement even just sitting on a chair apparently doing nothing..."
Picking up his first bite of ravioli, his expression turns to pleased to extatic, and he nods approvingly at the food "those are definitely delicious, yes!" he eats quietly for a couple of seconds, then adds "a nice meal with a nice company is definitely something wonderful."

Blink has posed:
Blink looks over to J'onn as they eat. "I am enjoying it. You're nice to have to talk to," Clarice tells him, giving the handsome man a soft smile. She eats her ravioli slowly, and sometimes adding a sip of wine between bites. "Mmm. So delicious," she murmurs to him.

At one point, Clarice asks, "So Oreos are your favorites. Do you like all sorts of sweet things? Other kinds of cookies? Like, have you had chocolate chip cookies when they are fresh out of the oven and still warm and gooey?" she inquires, giving a little wave of her fork at appropriate moments to punctuate her question.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
J'onn smiles at Clarice, eating quietly for a bit now, alternating ravioli with some sips of red wine like Clarice is doing. "I've tried them, and yes I like all sweet things! Maybe helping the fact that I don't actually get all sort of issues that come with eating lots of sugary things... But well, oreos, they just... Looks like they, react well with my chemical composition, somehow..."

Blink has posed:
"Different people have different preferences when it comes to food," she says. "And some of that is probably more how they were raised, I would guess. What they are used to eating. I didn't really have much exposure to different types of food. So everything was a bit new to me for the longest time," Clarice admits.

Her head tilts to the side a little curiously. "So if you don't need to eat, where does your body get its energy from? Do you absorb sunlight or heat or something like that?" she asks. She's far from a physicist, but knows enough that life needs something to keep powering it.

Martian Manhunter has posed:
"that is a thing I experimented too when first coming to heart. So many new things to try, it was sort of overwelming, at first..." J'onn admits. At Clarice's question, however, he replies at first with a smile and then with words "mhm I've told you I don't really need to eat, that is sort of incorrect... Actually, I need to eat, in the sense I need to absorb matter to fuel my body, sort of... But first of all not as much as humans do, I could go a veeery long time without eating sort of, or just, live of air... I mean my body processes what it needs, reassembling molecules and all from a lot of different sources."

Blink has posed:
The two continue to share the meal together, as Lorenzo and Maria bring out one dish after another, giving them a taste of so many different specialties of the restaurant that finally they have to beg off more food lest they end up stuffed. Which is no doubt Maria's goal.

The meal ended, the pair sit together sipping wine and talking. Eventually they pay for the meal and make their way out. The rest of the small village awaits.