9202/Glorious freedom... and sunshine.

Glorious freedom... and sunshine.
Date of Scene:	15 September 2019
Location:	Apple Park - Salem Center
Synopsis:	After a meeting of suspicious minds in the park, Sam and Mina walk away with more questions than answers.
Cast of Characters:	Samuel Morgan, Mina Harker, Rave

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Samuel Morgan has posed:
    The end of summer is rapidly approaching, with nature hanging in that delicate balance of almost-but-not-quite-yet-fall. Perhaps knowing that its time is running short, summer has decided to make one last serious effort, and the warm sun is shining in a sky utterly devoid of clouds. Under this steel blue sky, joggers jog, dogs frolic and humanity just generally ambles about enjoying the wide open splendor of Apple Park.

    Slightly away from the hustle and bustle, away from the paths, away from the organised activities, Sam is sitting in the shade of one of the eponymous apple trees, dividing his attention between gazing at the horizon and closing his eyes in quiet bliss. Freedom... who'd have dared dream it?

Mina Harker has posed:
Mina's not too far away, about a hundred yards if that enjoying a bag of cookies. She's eating quietly, sipping a bottle of water and watching the park. The cookies? From a place in the mall. The clothing? That's all Mina. Her usual attire, no less. She's got one hand on the gras, and is settled on a towel to avoid staining her jeans or boots or turtleneck or, worse, scarf. And her hair's tied back, too. She's looking quite content in the end of summer sun really.

Rave has posed:
It would be a shame when things finally cooled off properly for reasons moreso than simply ice and snow causing traction problems. Rave had only had her powers for a few months now and she'd never actually tried to run through winter streets before. It was going to be interesting! But no, the drop in temperature would simply mean for the girl with the bright blue hair that the days of simply enjoying the sun atop a skyscraper she'd run up the side of were numbered. Compared to Mina, the girl with the bright blue hair was dressed a little more...typically. Shorts, a tank top and a pair of trainers, she was at least making her way through the park at a more human pace as she hummed to herself a tune she couldn't quite remember the origin of.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Musing. Day dreaming. Sunshine. Fresh air. Such luxuries, triggering memories from much earlier than Sam would have liked to admit. And in his very disciplined mind, memories follow memories, trying to come to some kind of logic path... and that path only ever leads in one direction. Rather than succumb to the melancholy, the teenager stands up, dusts himself off, and starts to walk again.

    He's free. He's relaxed... so relaxed that he gets sloppy.

    Walking along, Sam forgets to make a conscious effort to swing his right arm, instead letting it hang loose and unmoving by his side. It might look slightly strange to random onlookers, but that Gunslinger Gait is going to be impossible to miss to anyone who knows it for what it is.

Mina Harker has posed:
Mina watches him and shakes her head. She knows a thing or two, but she thinks he's a gunslinger for sure. That's got her amused just a little, cookie in her hand as she's not bit into it...yet. The cookies are warm and freshly baked, too. With that cookie smell as Mina finally chomps into the one she's holding, dusting crumbs off of her hands and looking around the park. She's definitely, definitely relaxing. Then again when you've faced down a big vampire, not a lot worries you really. Mina's happy enough to break off a cookie for a few children that are wanting some, and she's explained where to get cookies and how much they cost. She's trying to do her good deed for the day, apparently?

Rave has posed:
The 'gunslinger gait' is completely lost on Rave...it falls squarely in the 'why's that guy walking weird?' column for her. Humming a few more notes, the young woman does however slow her steps to glance and to...well, stare a little for a few moments before the 'bluenette' metahuman blinks and looks away. Yeah, that'd be a little rude if she kept it up.

Forunately, there's something to distract her rather swiftly in that heavenly scent of cookie and she lazily alters her path in that direction. She might not be a child, but there was no missing her own curiousity as explainations were offered to the path of obtaining cookies.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Cookies. To be more accurate, the scent of fresh cookies! Is there a child anywhere on the continent that isn't familiar with that delightful aroma? Even Sam, lost in thought, turns to find the source, and nearly manages a smile when he sees Mina handing out bits of cookie to a few children. It's such an innocent scene. And he actually does stand there and watch, an observer on the sidelines by the path, hands clasped behind his back.

Mina Harker has posed:
Mina looks to him and shakes her head. She'll ask about the gunslinger gait, once the children have left. Which they do giggling about cookies and wanting them with squeals and excited shouts into the mall. Mina sidles over to Samuel and gives him a look, the sort of look one secret intelligence aggency type gives another. She sighs and raises an eyebrow with a look at Samuel's right arm. "What's with your arm" she asks. it's an innocent question. If he is former KGB....or somewhere like that then she'll play it careful. If not. Then she's just put her foot in it. Still though she's standing there arms foled like a teachr. Which she was in a way. A teacher clutching a bag of cookies and chewing on one that is, too. She's hoping the cookies will draw friendly faces over to her, too.

Rave has posed:
A curious wandering nearby, but so far that seems to be about it. Sure it was probably rude to be listening in, but the scent of cookies had drawn her over. Of course, before Rave could question the accented Mina she'd moved on to Samuel and her question...so it seemed she'd just have to listen for that one herself.

At least, that's what a normal person would do. Rave however, wasn't quite normal and nor was she subtle for that matter either. "It's kinda weird," she chimes in, simply drawing near as if inviting herself to the conversation before she looks on to Mina. "So uh...those smell awesome. Where can I get some?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    It's an innocent question, on the face of it, and one that shouldn't excite much of a strong response from anyone. Just a bit of concern for a fellow human being... community spirit and all that. And on the face of it, Sam reacts almost exactly as anyone else would, with an appreciative smile for someone's concern. It's just that his smile refuses to reach his eyes, as he lays his left hand on his right shoulder and squeezes for a moment.

    "Oh, just hurt it playing basketball earlier." It's an innocent explanation to an innocent question, although the teenager's eyes can't help but flick around for a moment, checking for threats and looking for escape routes.... most of which are now blocked by little kids pestering their parents for fresh cookies. And when Rave joins the conversation, he will grace her with that same smile and that same quick threat assessment. At least they'd done him the courtesy of telling him what had given him away. "They do smell amazing, don't they?"

Mina Harker has posed:
Mina gives himm a skeptical look, though she keeps a mask of believing him on her face. THat and she steps back offering the cookines to both of them, there's several left. And the bag's open, as Mina looks from Samuel to the bluenette,back to Samuel again and she sits on the groundd. A peace offering, of sorts. Since she's a little self-concious, but still, cookies re a good way to break tension

Rave has posed:
Generally speaking, some young woman dressed as Rave was probably wasn't carrying a weapon and shouldn't really register as much of a threat...but this -is- a world of mutants, metas and so much more. The girl's hair and eyes both carried that ever-so-slight luminescence about them that likely marked her as something more than just someone who'd decided to make use of dye to try and look a little different. Of course, the speedster didn't -know- she was being assessed as such, but then she's rather quickly distracted by the offering to share. "Oh I was just wondering where you got them but-..." a shrug comes as she shuts herself up and reaches to claim a cookie for herself.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    The smart thing would be to leave. Convention requires him to stay. Cookies pretty much seal the deal, and Sam happily helps himself to one, left handed. Having seen Mina eat them, and hand them out to others without any kind of ill effect (and having chosen one not at the front of the bag in the first place), the kid is reasonably certain that the delightfully smelling treat is in fact safe to eat, taking a bit as he sits down, cross legged... a peace offering of his own. "I have to say, people around here are very friendly." And so the verbal sparring begins.

Mina Harker has posed:
"They are" Mina points out. "Unlike in the big city. You look at somebody wrong, you get sworn at" she adds and tuts. As if she's one ot talk with her vocabulary in some situations....as she shakes her head, chewing on a cookie. "Though friendly's a relative term" she admits then falls quiet, not entirely sure how to deal with this guy and his guilty walk. Maybe, maybe she's just imagining he walks like an old school KGB? Maybe, but....cookies!

Rave has posed:
A cookie taken, Rave herself makes to sit down and join the discussion, shrugging her shoulders. "New York can be a little different, but it has its own charm and upsides too." Spoken like a local! Taking a bite of her own treat, the girl's gaze moves between the two...then the sudden chime of her phone going off has the young woman fidgeting and half-rolling to retrive her phone from her back pocket. "Sorry about th-" she begins.

Whatever the message is? It's enough to have her suddenly blinking and muttering a soft "crap" under her breath before she looks back up to Sam and Mina both. "Sorry I uh...gotta run. Thanks for the cookie and a...good to meet you both!"

Then she's gone, a sudden streak of neon light left in her wake the only true indication that she'd been there at all. The speedster was gone before she'd even had a chance to make introductions!

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Oddly, Sam looks over to Rave a split second before the phone starts to chime. He smiles when the apologies are given "Good to meet you, take... " aaaaaand Rave's gone. That only leaves him with Mina who, despite her pleasantness so far, is probably the greatest threat to him at the moment.

    His smile is constant, for the benefit of those around who might be watching, and he even makes work of the cookie, but closer to his body language tenses up. The last innocent bystander has left... whatever comes must come soon.

Mina Harker has posed:
Mina studies Samuel more and shakes her head before looking to the cookies, looking to Samuel again before she really, really studied him more. Looking oveer him, Mina tsks and moves the cookies back toward her. She's got that look that says she'd smack his hand if she didn't like him....but she's staying neutral. If anything, she's trying to pull off normal while subtly figuring out Samuel.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    And so the performance continues. For his part, Sam is making great efforts at behaving and acting entirely normal, while doing the exact same thing as Mina, figuring out exactly who she might be working for, and what kind of threat is being posed. All in all, it may be the most complex eating of cookies in the history of baking. There is, of course, a faster way to determine a lot of what he wants to know, but that's crossing a line he's not yet prepared to cross. Best to continue with the elaborate verbal maneuvering.

    "These are really good, thank you. I'm new to the area, only found the park today."

Mina Harker has posed:
Mina takes a moment to reply, she's studying him and putting it together. "There's a cookie place in the mall, yep" she says, not dismissively. More just...wanting more informatoin about him. Mina though leans back watching Samuel closley, like that may well give her any more information.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Haven't been to the mall yet." Sam confesses, finishing the cookie and wiping his hands together. "But it's a beautiful park. I think I'll visit a couple of times a week, get some fresh air..."

Mina Harker has posed:
That's information Mina could use in her adventuring too. She nods. "The mall's good though if you like crowds" she admits then shakes her head getting to her feet. Looking over she hands the bag of cookies over and starts walking. She'll head to the mall, though...that's after a good, thorough examination of the park itself. Which means going out and back in, too.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "I'll keep that in mind." And with that, Sam accepts the bag of cookies and waits for Mina to depart before standing. Yeah... he's pretty sure he's just met another professional, and somehow he managed to get away without incident, and with a bag of freshly baked cookies. It's all coming up Sam today.

    With elaborate care, the teenager stands and starts to walk away, taking a circuitous route to the exit, reminding himself to swing his right arm as he walks.

    You best believe he's not going straight back to Greymalkin Lane either, not until he's sure there's no tail on him. Freedom... it comes with unexpected challenges.