8898/Parking in Hell

Parking in Hell
Date of Scene:	21 August 2019
Location:	Clinton (Hell's Kitchen), Manhattan
Synopsis:	Daken and Barry play some B-Ball while Betsy watches
Cast of Characters:	Flash, Psylocke, Daken

---

Flash has posed:
Stepping out through a set of glass doors, Barry Allen was unremarkable. He wore blues jeans, a brown leather jacket, the kind that was old, but comfortable, and a white polo shirt. He took a few steps onto the grey paved sidewalk, rubbing his hand against the black railing of a sign that read "Ñaño Ecuadorian Kitchen", where there was apparently a $10 dollar lunch special. Barry was always snacking, yet never seemed to gain weight. He was a lucky guy.

Traffic went one way on that street, and he was only a few steps away from the crosswalk, but like a native New Yorker, he took very little notice of it. Instead, he began to cross when it was safe, though he did so with the benefit of others making the same choice, so he could hardly be blamed. Across the street, five lanes, was a bus stop, and a park that was behind sturdy black fencing. Moving further up the street, he found that someone had left a door ajar. It was being held by a rock. Seems it was a private park, with a sign saying "Hell's Kitchen Park".

Inside, there were trees, some slides and a jungle gym for the children, two half basketball courts, which were side by side. Strange design choice, but it was how they went. There was also a tennis court, some benches, and the greenery that New Yorker's so cherished. Heading over to one of the basketball courts, he picked up a ball that had been left. It was "property of H.K.P." written on it in black felt tipped marker. It was worn and had the look of being re-applied repeatedly. He took a shot, and it went swoosh.

Psylocke has posed:
Betsy was on a mission. Not an official one. She just had heard some rumors about The Hand. Those were something she was always tuned in on, something she liked to pursue until the lead petered out or gave up more information which led to the next investigation. This time, it was that the Hand were conspicuously absent from Hell's Kitchen. It wasn't due to the Devil of the Kitchen and his allies either. It was something else.

Having gotten all the information she could, she stopped at a food truck that was in the area peddling Chinese food. A to-go box of lo mein and a tea were her treasures for the evening.

She was about to find a nice dark spot to teleport home from when she spotted the open park door.

SWOOSH! Nothing but net. Betsy clapped her hands, more so the person knew they weren't alone and didn't get surprised. "Nice shot. Mind if I sit?" She motioned to a bench nearby and moved to do just that.

Daken has posed:
Sitting on a nearby bench was Daken Akihiro. Son of Wolverine. He was just here. Nothing better to do, really. He rubbed his forehead as he nursed some alcohol. He wore a flannel/fur-laced coat with a black shirt, blue jeans, and boots with fingerless gloves on his hands. His hair was pulled back and sleeked out, even though its really just a faux-hawk. He notices Barry pick up a ball and 'swoosh' it in, and he claps.

"Nice shot." He coments, almost at the same time as Betsy, which causes him to turn and look over at her. Recognizing her in passing from the school perhaps, but never having officially met, he gives her a wave.

Flash has posed:
"Thanks, I played for Sun City at uni, go Harriers!" He called out to the young woman, as he sunk another shot. "Division One," he admitted with pride, but he wasn't about to add that he rode the bench for most of the one season he was on the team. Still, he did get to play with future NBA star DJ Wagner. "No, of course, please, it's nice to have company." He fetched the ball and took another shot, this one hitting off the rim. Yeah, he was trying to showboat and look what it got him.

That shot bounced over towards Daken, who sat on a nearby bench. "A little help?" He called out, asking for the ball to be passed back, "unless you want to play?" Barry had quite a bit of size on the Eurasian man. But hey, everyone liked to be part of things. If he did, Barry was already thinking he'd take it easy on him.

Psylocke has posed:
"Thanks," Betsy said as she settled on the bench, setting her drink cup and box o' noodles down beside her for a moment. She gave a smile and nod to Daken, acknowleding his presence and that she'd seen him. Though they had never talked. Some relation to Logan if she remembered correctly.

"By all means," she called out in her British accent. "Dinner and a show would be lovely." She carefully folded open the top of the box then pulled a pair of disposable chopsticks out that she'd shoved into her pocket. They were slipped out of the little sleeve, the sleeve tossed into a nearby trash can. The sticks were broken apart, then quickly put to use digging in the noodle box which she held in her opposite hand.

Daken has posed:
He seems to be really prideful about his basketball background. Though Daken never played competitively, he can play a mean game of ball every now and then. Speaking of which...

The ball bounces towards him and he palms the basketball in his hand.

Standing up and shrugging off his jacket, he walks over to Betsy. "Daken, by the way." is offered to both Barry and Betsy. He puts the jacket next to her. "If you get cold, feel free to make use of it."

Then he's walking over to Barry, standing up straight and dribbling the ball a bit. "Let me know when your ready."

He says with a grin.

Flash has posed:
"I like the accent," Barry called out to Betsy, "London?" He guessed, not really knowing English accents that well. He knew she had a posh one, but that was about the limit of it. With Daken taking off his jacket, Barry wandered over to the bench where Betsy sat, sliding his off, and leaving it beside her and the other jacket, "mind watching these for us?" Before he returned to the court. "Barry Allen," he replied to the introduction by Daken, and loud enough for Betsy to hear. Taking position near the top of the court, he was ready for Daken to check the ball. It seemed Daken would start with the attack, "twenty-one?" He said, assuming that's what this would be a game of.

Psylocke has posed:
Seems she will be the protector of the jackets. The suggestion she might get cold amuses her slightly as she smiles around her chopsticks. Once she swallows that bite, she calls out to the two of them. "Betsy Braddock. Close enough. I did got to university in London but was born in Maldon, Essex." She didn't give him credit for getting it right. Most Americans guessed London, simply because they seemed to think everything in England was there.

She was dressed casually as well, in a button down lavender shirt that complimented her hair. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail, out of the way, high and tight. Jeans covered her legs, trainers on her feet. She tucked one foot up on the bench as she continued to eat which watching the pair.

Daken has posed:
Daken looks at Barry as he introduces himself. "Nice to meet you. twenty-one works." and when Daken checks the ball, once its back in his hands, Barry might not want to hold back on him in this game of basketball. As Daken seems to be an old pro. He dribbles the ball all around him, then proceeds to pump-fake Barry out (perhaps) before shooting the ball proper, getting a solid 'swoosh' out of it for the perfect throw and landing.

"Score one for me." Daken says with a bit of a smirk. "What happened, Division 1?" He talks a bit of smack, sure, but its good-natured.

Flash has posed:
She would have to introduce herself during the game, as Barry repeated, "Betsy Braddock... the supermodel?" Yeah, she was gorgeous, but he didn't recognise her as a supermodel. And so much for guarding Daken. He had already decided before the game to try and take it easy on him, and then she sprang that on him. What was she going to do for an encore, strip down to a leotard? Watching Daken's effort, long after he had the opportunity to stop him, Barry says, "took my eye off the ball." With the ball passed back to him, he checks it, and then goes in for a shot, doing his best to nail it from beyond the three point line, even if that doesn't count in a game like this.

Psylocke has posed:
"At one time. They do still call me from time to time for jobs but I have left that mostly behind now," Betsy admits as she keeps up the conversation, though she has to raise her voice a little to be heard over the sounds of the game. "It still pays the bills through. Royalties on old images used for posters and the like." She shrugs nonchalantly and continues to enjoy her dinner, pausing to take a sip of tea.

Daken has posed:
Daken looks at Barry as he seems to just easily bank shot it into the net, three-pointer! Nice. Daken whistles a bit, looking back over to him. "Not bad, quickshot. Though we'll see how this round goes on." Daken grins a bit at him, rubbing his hand beneath his nose.

He looks over at Betsy for a moment. "Oh? A model huh? Well...makes sense. Your good-looking." Daken isn't afraid to admit it, but hey, money is money, no matter how its gotten.

But, when he gets the ball back, Daken checks it and tries to immediately blitzkrieg Barry, trying to dunk the ball.

Bold, but maybe it'll look cool.

Flash has posed:
Daken may not have Barry's height, but he has super powers. Barry's got speed and a few other things that stem from that speed. If he doesn't use his speed, then he's an entirely normal human being, just a guy off the street, shooting some hoops. The blitzkrieg works, with Daken going back up, though it's a lot closer this time. During the game, he talks to Betsy, calling out, "nice work if you can get it. Any chance I could get a selfie with you? Otherwise, no one would ever believe me that I met you."

Psylocke has posed:
The observation by Daken has her almost giggling as Betsy shakes her head. "Thanks." What else can she say to the off handed compliment?

At the question from Barry, she nods her head then realizes he can't really hear that. Or see it if he isn't going to get his butt handed to him by his opponent. So she has to speak. "Sure. As long as I don't have soy sauce on my chin or something." Self consciously, she wipes her chin with a napkin then goes back to eating lo mein.

Daken has posed:
"Might as well ask if I can get a picture too. May I, Betsy?" He asks curiously for her permission, and then he finishes dunking on Barry. Dropping to the ground, he looks at Barry and gives it back to him to check. "This is actually a little fun. its been...oh, six years?"

Daken chuckles a little bit, before he takes a breath. Stretching a bit. "So, Barry..what do you do for a living?"

Flash has posed:
Impressive, a 5'9" guy dunking on a regulation net. The little guy had a lot of vertical lift, perhaps even metahuman enabled lift. And now he was trash talking. Yeah, that was it, Barry was seriously thinking about using his abilities to aid himself. He held off for now, but there was that little itch in the back of his head. "Forensic scientist," he explained after checking the ball, and dribbling towards the rim. He would soon try to repeat what Daken had just done, hoping to dunk on the smaller Eurasian man, after which he said to Betsy, "oh, of course. Though, a bit of soy sauce, it'd be more natural. Slice of life and all that. Maybe I'm talking..." he dribbled some more, "to the wrong person, but can't be too self-conscious about that sort of thing."

Psylocke has posed:
"Selfies all around," Betsy agrees. She finishes off her meal and closes up the box then tosses it in that nearby trash can. Then she tucks her other foot up, sitting tailor style on the bench in a completely relaxed posture. She still has her tea which she sips from time to time but now she's paying more attention to the game itself.

"I prefer not that much slice of life," she says with a soft laugh. "No soy sauce on my chin. I probably have one of those somewhere floating around in cyberspace from my old Instagram account when I was actively modeling."

Daken has posed:
Daken looks at Barry and he whistles. "Forensic Scientist. Look at you making at least above average cash." Daken was just a tutor really. He was out of gang-running since he fought his dad for...oh, the fourth time? Scores even, but its not something that he wants to particularly settle.

Then Barry is trying to dribble up to Daken and try to dunk on him right back, but apparently Daken can - jump -. Whether its through pure muscle (since uh...pretty ripped) or if he was indeed a metahuman, he leaps up into the air and he smacks the ball right out of Barry's hands, taking it for himself. "Whew, that was close." Daken mutters a bit.

Flash has posed:
The next few rounds went more or less the same. Each upping their game, holding back less, if either of them were holding back at this point. Daken made some terrific shots, Barry replied right back. Throughout the game, the scoreline never managed to get past a one point lead, though who had the lead changed a few times.

With the score tied twenty apiece, Daken had possession. It all came down to the last play, which incidentally also happened to be the one with the first play. And Daken managed to win with a layup on a high arch, agonisingly high. The ball hit the rim, bouncing not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times, just like the buzzer beater Kawhi Leonard nailed in game seven of a conference semi-final against the Philadelphia 76ers.

"Wow, nice shot," Barry had to give him applause, clapping his hands, before placing the ball back by the basket, where he found it. "So, Betsy, about that selfie? Winner first?" He offered to let Daken get his in, and then he would get his. "Thanks, it was a pleasure meeting you Betsy, and a great game, well played Daken."

Psylocke has posed:
With the final shot, Betsy added her applause to that of Barry. "Well played, gentlemen. That was very enjoyable." She unfolded, putting her feet on the ground and standing as she straightened her shirt. It was a picture. She had to be perfect. In fact, she pulled the scrunchie out of her hair, letting the purple locks fall around her shoulders and down her back.

"Winner. Loser. Doesn't matter to me. Daken?" She moves to stand between the pair, giving them their opportunity for a picture with a supermodel. Sure, it was silly. Particularly since Daken lived in the same mansion but she wasn't going to mention that.

Daken has posed:
Daken plays a very difficult game against Barry, and wow...this was neck and neck, tie and tie, the entire time that there might not even be a winner! But somehow, he manages to take the day with a massive victory comeback, and he takes a breath. Though he's not tired (healing factor).

He offers a shake of the hand to Barry, gotta show that sportsmanship after all!

But then he looks at Betsy as he's offered the first selfie, so he does it. He takes the selfie with Betsy, giving a nerdy-looking smile. While he might ask Betsy for her digits, probably better to ask her at another time. They do live in the same mansion, after all.

"Thanks for the game Barry, and it was nice meeting you both." he smirks.

Flash has posed:
Barry shakes Daken's hand, "good game," and it was. They were surprisingly evenly matched, though Barry was a bit self-reflective. It wasn't great to be beaten by someone who was half a foot shorter than you. He lets Daken take the selfie with Betsy, before getting his own phone out to take one with her. He had a pretty good camera in his phone, and had even made a few improvements using his scientific knowhow. After posing and taking it, he asked, "would you like me to send you a copy?" He was a sly one.

Psylocke has posed:
"Sure. Send it to TheRealBetsyBraddock@gmail.com," she replied. Perhaps he wasn't quite as sly as he thought he was. Instead, he got her general email address. One that was now given to Daken at the same time.

After the selfies were done, she moved to pick up her cup of tea then glanced over her shoulder at the two men. "Both of you email me. We'll have a rematch. This time, me versus the two of you." She gives a playful wink and turns to walk out of the park.

Daken has posed:
Daken looks at Barry for a firm handshake, but then he looks at Betsy as she challenges both of them before she confidently walks away. Daken takes a breath. "Well....only thing I can say is what a woman." He seems to grin for a bit before he pats Barry on the shoulder, then he goes to grab his jacket, already sending the picture attachement to Betsy's email.

"See you around, Barry. Catch you on the flip." Then Daken is making his own way out. Apparently looking pleased with himself.