8261/Picknic in Central Park

Picknic in Central Park
Date of Scene:	11 July 2019
Location:	Central Park
Synopsis:	Oz invites Rift to have a picnic with him in Central Park, and things end up a lot different than he expected. Will this be the start of a new relationship?
Cast of Characters:	Daniel Osborn, Rift

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Daniel Osborn has posed:
It's quite a warm summer afternoon, and Central Park is fairly busy. Oz, however, is away from the crowds, in a quieter part of the park. It's the same place he sometimes practices his archery, and in fact, the same place where he had met Rift before. This time, however, he's not shooting arrows into portals, or, in fact, at all. Instead, he's under the shade of a tree, sat on a large picnic blanket, complete with picnic basket, which clearly contains lunch. He looks like he's waiting or something and, in fact, he is, upon reaching the park about 5 or so minutes ago, he'd sent the ery person he'd met in this spot, Rift, a text telling her he was in Central Park in case she wanted to stop by. On the blanket beside him is a case that's closed, but it looks guitar shaped, which of course means it most likely contains a guitar. Oz seems pretty chill as always, not surprising, he's actually meditating, eyes closed as his face is tilted up to the sky, a gentle breeze blowing through his short red hair.

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua got the text while she was just relaxing in her room at the Xavier mansion. She raises an eyebrow and sends a text back. "On my way. Be there in 5. No archery today, please." She slides on a tank top and shorts (both dark red), and focuses. She knows Central Park well and she tears a portal open to the usual isolated corner - the exact same spot as last time and ducks. Not seeing any arrows coming, she steps out of the portal and closes the portal behind her, almost immediately dropping her aura so she looks 'normal' as she looks around.

Daniel Osborn has posed:
The portals are silent, so Oz doesn't hear her, though he senses someone is there, probably scent, and opens his eyeslooking around. Eventually his eyes land on Rift, and he lifts a hand to wave to her, to show her where he is, not far from where she opened the portal to, in fact.

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua waves as she moves along. "So - you called?" she asks softly, clicking her tongue as she looks around, then sits down. "I thought I'd not glow today. Act normal." She smiles as she gestures to the blanket. "Mind if I join you?" she asks.

Daniel Osborn has posed:
Oz chuckles and smiles, moving a bit to make room on the blanket. "Go ahead. I packed extra food." He points to the picnic basket, which is currently closed, but contains all manner of sandwiches and various snacks. Clearly Oz remembered just how much this girl can eat, and packed accordingly.

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua hmmmmmms softly as hse sits down. "You're being very kind to me. But I guess you're a mutant too in a way. 'Normal' people, generally, can't understand us." She shrugs slowly. "Anyway. Any particular reason you called me over?"

Daniel Osborn has posed:
Oz half shrugs. "I guess I am a mutant, sort of," he says, thoughtfully. "Oh, you know, didn't have much better to do. Figured I'd see if you wanted to spend some time out here. Good day to do it, eh?" He crosses his arms, looking at her, seemingly in thought. "I imagine you're in a place where others understand you, other mutants, but I thought you might enjoy getting out and spending time with someone else who does."

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua nods. "Yeah - a beautiful day." She then glances at the suspiciously guitar-like case on the corner of the blanket. "That's... a guitar? Do you play? I'd love to hear some. Never really got into music."

Daniel Osborn has posed:
Oz follows Rift's glance and nods. "Oh sure," he says, fingers popping the latches on the case before opening it. The guitar inside isn't in the best of shape, but not the worst either, clearly a second-hand 6-string acoustic, it's certainly seen its years, but it looks to be lovingly taken care of. And indeed, oz handles it with care when he takes it out of the case. He searches in the case for a moment before coming up with a guitar pick as well. "Music isn't what everyone's good at, but it can certainly be enjoyed by everyone. You have a particular song you want me to play?" As he speaks he starts tuning, , taking his phone out and using an app on it to do so.

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua shrugs. "Anything's fine. I can show off some martial arts. I practice caporeia - it's a Brazilian kickboxing. I find it useful and complimentary to my powerset." She smiles as she starts eating some of the sandwiches. She smiles faintly as she waits for the song. "I can show you some of my moves after - glad I didn't wear a skirt. I try to avoid those."

Daniel Osborn has posed:
"You'd probably look good in a skirt though," oz says, with a smile as he contemplates. Once he's finished tuning, he sets his fingers on the fretboard and begins to play. The song isn't a song she's heard before, it's an original composition. It's a rather beautiful melody, upbeat, relaxed, matching the atmosphere very well. It's slow, the kind of melody one could just sink into and close their eyes, and just drift away for a little while.

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua blushes at the compliment. "Maybe next time, as long as we don't fly. I don't fly in a skirt. It's... a bad image." She tilts her head to the side as she does indeed close her eyes, humming along to hte melody. She seems to really enjoy it.

Daniel Osborn has posed:
Great, now Oz is going to be thinking about her flying upside down in a skirt or something. The whole song lasts maybe 3 minutes, before winding down to a close. "How was that?" he asks. "Oh, and by the way, now I wanna see you fly in a skirt. I need proof that it's a bad image, after all."

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua snorts. "Yeah, I've never heard that before. There's just one thing. When I 'fly', gravity shifts directions all the time. So - 'down' is always toward my feet, regardless of what direction that is. So it's not like the skirt would 'flop up' if I was oriented reverse to Earth's field." She shrugs. "And the song was awesome. You should record an album.

Daniel Osborn has posed:
Oz looks mock disappointed for a moment, though he chuckles. "Okay, fair enough," he says. "I don't do much solo stuff, my band has recorded an album, though. You can buy it online, probably find it for free somewhere if you're curious. If we're popular enough that our music is getting pirated, I'll be happy."

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua blinks. "Ooooo, I will," she states as she quickly gets her phone out as she asks, "What's the band name?" She then blinks. "Wait. Ummmm.... are you flirting with me?" she finally asks. Apparently she isn't used to this kind of attention and is a bit confused.

Daniel Osborn has posed:
Oz points to his t-shirt, which proudly advertises Dingoes ate my Baby. "I didn't come up with it," he says, simply. When she asks if he's flirting with her, he smirks slightly. "Me? Never!" He looks mock surprised, but he can't help a bit of a grin. "I just said you'd look good in a skirt. I mean, you look good now. But maybe if you wore something that could blend with the red of your powers, if it blended in the right way it could make a different color. That would be totally cool."

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua shrugs. "I tried just about every color in the sun - no matter what I wear, my aura just washes the color out while I'm glowing - it doesn't hurt the clothes any but it's kinda annoying. I normally stick with red for it matches my hair and eyes." She is wearing a pair of sunglasses. Another habit - it helps her blend in for with her eyes concealed, she looks perfectly normal (the bright red hair can be passed as a dye job). "And - maybe I could wear a skirt sometime. I'd have to get one." She smiles as she stands up. "Now - my turn to do a show." And she starts what looks like some kind of dance. Though there's a definite kicking part to it - it looks like a dance - but one that could do quite a bit of damage.

Daniel Osborn has posed:
Oz watches her, smiling. "Hey, you're pretty good," he says. "Wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of you. Of course you'd probably send me falling to my death in the sky or something." He can't help but chuckle, but it's clear he's very impressed with her skills.

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua nods as she settles down. "Yes. I rather enjoy it. I have practiced mixing it with my gravity powers. And have trained to be able to do pretty strong kicks. EVen without my powers - with, though..." She grins widely. "I can kick like a horse if I make myself more dense."

Daniel Osborn has posed:
"You can make yourself more dense?" Oz asks, placing his guitar back in its case before grabbing a sandwich from the basket. "Another one of your powers?"

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua smiles. "Yes. I can make myself light enough to fly - I can make myself more dense too." She grins. "And... I can use that on others. Imagining suddenly weighing half a ton. Most people can't even move."

Daniel Osborn has posed:
"That's a very scary thought," Oz says. "If I had to guess, does that tie into your gravity powers?" He looks thoughtful as he starts eating the sandwich, at a much slower rate than Rift was.

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua nods. "Yeah." She's on her fifth sandwich, used to swallowing fast and talking btewen bites. "But - enough about me. Tell me about you - and what it's like to be a werewolf. There's a... sensual mystique about werewolves these days. No, not because of those awful Twilight movies."

Daniel Osborn has posed:
"To hell with Twilight," Oz responds, with a chuckle. Yeah, he's glad he packed lots and lots of sandwiches. After he watched her win a hotdog eating contest that wasn't even happening... "Well, what do you wanna know? About the only thing I can do is transform on the full moon. And I'd rather not do that, because I sort of lose my mind. But, if you want sensual," he smirks, turning to look at her, before his expression becomes much more sensual as he gazes into her...sunglasses. "Dammit, the sunglasses ruin it," he says, with a chuckle.

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua is blushing bright red, turning her gaze away, removing the sunglasses since nobody's around. "Ummmm... okay, I get the idea. But - isn't there more to being a werewolf than just the full moon thing? I'm honestly curious - never met a real werewolf before."

Daniel Osborn has posed:
Oz actually takes a minute to think before answering that question, chewing his food in silence, before speaking up. "Well, yes. But it depends on the werewolf, and what they've learned. I'm not part of a pack, I'm on my own, so, I'm a bit of a useless werewolf. Maybe that'll change one day, but right now, about all I know how to do is not transform on the full moon. And, you know, look at you sensually." This time when he gives her the sensual look, it's direct eye contact, since the sunglasses are gone. "I like your eyes," he says, after a moment. "They're so unique." But then he's back to normal. "It's sort of...exotically beautiful."

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua blushes even brighter and breaks the eye contact. "Ummmm.... ummmm...." She's a bit of a loss of words. "So - some fiction shows werewolves as being very strong, having very keen senses - and stuff like that. You got the short end of the stick?"

Daniel Osborn has posed:
"Oh, I got the senses," Oz says. "I knew you were here before you even made a sound because I could smell you. I don't get the super strength and stuff, though. But, at least I get good hearing and vision, and a very good sens of smell. But yeah, I kinda did get the short end of the stick compared to others. You're cute when you blush, by the way. Matches your hair and eyes."

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua blushes brighter. "Yeah... okay..." She smiles faintly. "So.... ummmm.... are we on a date?" she finally asks, very quietly.

Daniel Osborn has posed:
"A date?" Oz asks, now actually surprised. "Usually the flirting comes before the date. Did you...want us to be on a date? I mean, Kaydin did think we were a couple, but..." He half shrugs, still looking a little surprised. "I just think you look cute when you're all flustered like that. But...I don't even know your real name...so, I mean, do you even trust me enough for that? It's fine if you don't, it's okay to not trust me, I understand."

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua nods. "Kitora," she finally states. "I forgot you didn't know. You seem like a nice guy. I can trust you." She smiles faintly - a smile that for a moment goes rather predatory. "And I'll squish you if you betray that." She then looks innocent again. "So - yes. I think this is a lovely first date. A picnic in Central Park..." She gazes over at you.

Daniel Osborn has posed:
He definitely looks surprised now, though he does turn serious for a moment. "Betraying someone's trust goes against basically everything I stand for," he says, simply, and then he's back to a smile, though still surprised. "So...this...really...is a date...?" he asks, things have definitely taken a turn he didn't expect. "I uh, I mean uh..." He takes a deep breath, then closes his eyes and focusing on his breathing. After al, there's a lot going through his mind, something he rarely lets anyone see. What about Willow? And that one Japanese girl he met before? He's to the point where he'll have to actually make a decision now, and it'll be a little tough, and he'll need to talk to Willow first.

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua just stares at you - as she starts to frown. "This... wasn't... a date?" she finally asks, rather confused by the situation. She then just sits there, trying to figure out what the situation is. "Oh God, you already have a girlfriend, don't you?" she asks.

Daniel Osborn has posed:
Oz shakes his head. "No no, not...not exactly," he says. He looks at her, taking a breath. "I'll...I'll just lay it out on the table. In a relationship it's always good to be honest with each other, and I at least owe you the truth. I dated a girl in high school, loved her, but, well, we broke up after high school. Our paths just...went separate ways. I was upset about it, but I was okay for a while, until I left. I had to go get my werewolf thing taken care of. When I came back, I, well, I wanted to get back together with her. But, I...I don't think she wanted the same. Deep down I still love her, always will, but, I think, maybe, I need to move on. At least I am okay knowing we'll always be friends, if nothing more. Sometimes, it's still hard for me, but it's a door I just need to close. It's getting easier. Please don't think I was leading you on, I would never do that to anyone. I just...didn't think you would think this was a date. But, maybe...maybe I could give it a try. I genuinely like you. You're beautiful, and don't let anyone tell you different." He offers a smile, holding his arms out to her.

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua smiles as she moves to give you a big hug. "So... tell me truly - with no hard feelings. Are you ready to move on, or are you still stick with your high school crush? I never really had anyone - never really got over my parents abandoning me so I guarded my heart. I'm trying to open up myself. I deserve to be happy."

Daniel Osborn has posed:
"Everyone deserves to be happy," Oz says, taking a breath, arms wrapping around her and holding her tight. "Your parents abandonned you? That's terrible, I couldn't imagine anything worse than that. I would say if they are that little about you then you don't need them in your life, but that's completely untrue when it comes to your parents." He gently pats her back, still holding her tight. "I think I might be ready to move on. I can't spend my life holding onto a dream that may never come true again. Life is too short for that, at least for some. Some manage to live a really long time, and I don't know if I'll be one of those people, but I'm going to live my life like I'm not. After all, everybody dies, but not everybody lives."

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua shrugs. "Well - when my powers kindled I kinda tore the house apart, out of control, before I got knocked out by a rafter beam. They were kinda mad about it." She shrugs. "That was several years ago." She smiles faintly. "So - let me know when you think you're ready for this to be real. I know we just met recently, but I feel very safe and comfortable around you." She gazes you in the eyes, waiting for you to make a move as she's embracing you.

Daniel Osborn has posed:
Oz takes a breath, his eyes gazing into hers, perhaps he's gotten a bit lost in them, because it takes him a moment to respond. "It shouldn't be long, but I'll at least leave you with this." He smiles, taking another breath, before leaning in to plant a kiss on her lips. It's not a deep kiss, but definitely more than a simple peck, and a promise of more.

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua kisses you back, then pulls back, smiling softly and touching her lips. "Alright..." she muses softly. "I'll be going now - I have a lot to think about. Don't keep me waiting. I'll be texting." She smiles faintly as she starts to glow, as if getting ready to leave.

Daniel Osborn has posed:
"Before you go," Oz says, taking his phone. "At least let me take a picture. I have to at least show you to one of my closest friends. Oh, and stay glowing, she won't judge you. In fact, she's in a similar spot to me, and the guy she's considering is a mutant." He holds up his phone, bringing up the camera and moving so he can snap a selfy of them together.

Rift has posed:
Kitora Alua smiles. "Okay... send me the selfie," she coooos as she leans against you, making a peace sign as you take the picture. "I'm glad that people are being more tolerant of those that are different." With that, she then opens a portal behind her, and steps back into it, vanishing.

Daniel Osborn has posed:
Oz turns just in time to see her leave, taking a breath. He texts the selfy to 2 people, Kitora herself, and Buffy, letting out a deep breath and allowing him to smile. He has a lot to think about, but this could, perhaps, be the start of something amazing.