923/Of Kings & (Half)Amazons

Of Kings & (Half)Amazons
Date of Scene:	12 June 2017
Location:	Metropolis
Synopsis:	Grace meets Aquaman
Cast of Characters:	Grace Choi, Aquaman

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Grace Choi has posed:
    Downtown Metropolis, towards the end of the afternoon, and just before the business rush when the 9-5ers are on their way home. That strange time when there's a lull between the lunch rush of traffic, and the shift between people going home, and going on 2nd shift.
    Grace Choi is a hard woman to miss. It's not because she's a mutant or metahuman with odd skin or strange deformities that aren't at all human in nature. It's because she's taller than just about everyone else ont he street. She's taking a walk, before starting her shift at Chaney's, streching her (very) long legs. And, quite unashamedly, checking out some of the men. And some of the women, too. Looks are free, right?
    Then, at the nearby stoplight as Grace is buying a paper from the stand, a guy can be heard, yelling, "He's got my car!"
    The guy in question is pointing at a fairly new BMW, and the punk who just car-snatched it has a revolver in one hand, the steering wheel in the other as he's waiting for the light to change.

Aquaman has posed:
Not of the same stature as the Amazonian, Arthur Curry is no doubt one who stands out as well, cutting a striking figure as well as being a public figure, and it's not the strangest place to find the King of Atlantis, being in such close proximity to the Hall of Justice.

When the cry of alarm goes out, Arthur is standing at a street vendor, getting a hot dog made with all the fixings, and it is just about to be handed over to him when he holds up a hand, "I'll be back for that." and turns to take a leap, the sort that could clear skyscrapers in a single bound, to take him in the direction of the woman's screams for help.

Grace Choi has posed:
    It's likely that some /have/ mistaken the scream for a woman, the man is one of those poor souls who is likely an accountant, has been all his life, and just bought the BMW to try and prove how worthwhile he is over a mid-life crisis.
    Grace looks over, and sighs, before she begins to not run, but walk over towards the intersection.
    She gets there as Arthur does, nearly, and just before the light changes, lifting up the rear tirewell with ease so the man trying to steal the car can't go anywhere. Blandly, she looks over at the victim. "You really should take better care of your shit," she tells him.
    She recognizes Arthur. Who wouldn't? She responds with an impressive, and introspective, "Huh," at his presence, clearly a bit surprised that someone of his stature would even be around for a small, street level crime like this.
    Meanwhile, the would-be car stealer is trying to gun the motor, and realizing that's not going to get him anywhere, he turns, and tries to fire off a few shots at Grace, not even seeing Arthur in the process.

Aquaman has posed:
The Atlantean can be quite quick, when he's not busy talking to fish, and when the gun starts to raise towards the Amazonian he darts to attempt to interpose himself between the barrel and the woman, "This isn't Gotham, son, where you can carjack with impunity." He says, one of the bullets no doubt hitting him, and flattening against his chest as Arthur reaches in to grab, and crush the man's revolver. "Turn off the engine and exit the vehicle."

Grace Choi has posed:
    "Been to Gotham. Ain't a bad place, long as you can hold your own," suggests Grace, by way of conversation. Oh, she /knows/ who Arthur is. She's just not so impressed as to think he's someone 'special', ask for his autograph, or treat him like the royalty he is and might be used to in his own kingdom. Still, she can't help but smile in amusement as the now absolutely terrified man who'd attempted to make a few quick bucks by stealing the car does exactly what Aquaman asked of him. Once the engine is off, Grace simply drops (rather than sets down) the car, dusts her hands off.
    The victim looks absolutely pleased. And it's clear he has /no/ clue who Grace is, but he stammers, "Thank you, Your Aquam--I mean, your Majesty. Er, Aquaman. Yeah. Thank you. And, whoever you are," he says to Grace. "Yeah. Thanks."

Aquaman has posed:
"I've been to Gotham as well." Arthur replies, taking hold of the carjacker and moving to hand him over to the Metropolis police as soon as they arrive, a police station also quite nearby, conveniently. With the crook out of hand he turns towards the victim and nods his head, "You're welcome." He replies to the thanks, "I'm sure the police would like to have a couple words with you to make sure their paperwork is in order." He adds with a little gesture to one of the patrol cars that has responded.

The carjacking mostly handled now, Arthur turns towards Grace, "Thank you for coming to help." He says, "I have a hot dog to go pick up down the street, walk with me?" he offers, gesturing the direction he leaped in from.

Grace Choi has posed:
    "Ain't got anything better to do," suggests one of the few women on the planet who is quite taller than the King of Atlantis. She rolls up her paper and begins to fall in line with Arthur, "Name's Grace. Grace Choi," she offers him, casually, as if she were speaking to anyone else on the street, and not the ruler of an underwater nation, or a man who some say could be nearly as strong as Superman.
    She shrugs, "Didn't figure anyone else was going to help." There's a glance back, "You can bet the little guy will keep his doors locked, from now on, while he's driving though."

Aquaman has posed:
"Arthur Curry, a pleasure to meet you Grace." Arthur says as he continues to walk down the sidewalk in the direction of the hot dog cart, nodding his head ever so slightly, "This is Metropolis though, like I said, and the Hall of Justice is only just up the street, I can't imagine why someone wouldn't step in to help. I mean, you did not hesitate to step in, in the absence of anyone else, afterall."

Grace Choi has posed:
    Grace looks at Arthur, and remarks, without the least bit of hesitation, "Sure it is. But you guys don't see -half- the crap that goes on here. Because you're busy dealing with the next alien invasion. Or, the next huge monster from beneath the sea that some magical nutsack loving assrod dug up out of some magical ritual and wanted to blight the earth with, or whatever else." She shrugs her shuulder, casually, looking pointedly at Arthur.
    "Not saying you don't do a good job. Just saying, there's a lot of shit that goes down. Sit down, and do the math, sometime. The old addage that 'crime doesn't pay' is bullshit. Sure. It's nice to think it works. And, hey. It does, a lot of the time. But it doesn't work enough. And, kids on the street grow up seeing drug dealers, pimps, and the like raking in the cash. And if they get caught, getting out in a few days. Weeks. Months, maybe. Back on the street. And back in business. It's a fact of life."
    Grace, apparently, doesn't sugarcoat.

Aquaman has posed:
"You're not wrong." Arthur says as the two walk along the street, "I have my own responsibilities, Superman his, Batman his own, and sometimes that means we cannot police every crime that happens." the Atlantean says with a glance over towards the woman, "But that doesn't mean we stand by idly when one of those crimes happens to be comitted before us either."

The walk brings them to an intersection, across the crosswalk sits the hot dog cart, unfortunately the light has turned red on them. "The sad fact is we live in a world where Aliens attempt to invade, and ancient monstrosities do get brought back to life, however."

Grace Choi has posed:
    "I bounce down at Chaney's," Grace tells Arthur, casually, wondering if he even knows what 'bouncing' is, and guessing probably not. But she doesn't bother to explain, either. She waits to see if he might recognize the name, a not-quite seedy bar that caters almost exclusively to metahumans and mutants, a safe haven for such folk. "Like what I do. Pays the bills. If I see something happening, I'll probably put a stop to it. But I'm not putting on some uniform and running around the streets, either, looking for something to happen. I've got my own life to live."
    Again, the enormously tall woman shrugs, keeps in step with Arthur as he makes his way back to the hot dog vendor. "Besides. Running around in tights doens't pay the bills." She grins, just a bit at that. "But, I don't mind a good fight, now and then, either."

Aquaman has posed:
"Well, baggy pants wouldn't make for very good swimming attire." Arthur replies at the tights comment, the light turns green and he starts his way across tine intersection, "But I'm certain there's no reason you should be forced to dress a certain way, or act a certain way, this is America afterall, the land of the free." He says, "Would you like a hotdog? My treat." He offers, producing some money to pay for his, and hers should she take him up on the offer.

Grace Choi has posed:
    "Sure." Grace does not seem to have a pride issue when it comes to someone buyiing her something, unlike perhaps a lot of women in America. She nods, however. "I meant more as a generalization." Still, she's amused at Arthur's observations, almost seeming to give him 'credit' of sorts, for it. "Chili dog. Loaded with peppers," she tells the vendor.
    "Damn right, this is America," Grace agrees while the vendor prepares her order. "Only problem is, half the idiots out there all have a different version of America. And they don't like you, if you don't fit into what their image of it is." She frowns. Shrugs. "So, I make sure nobody starts shit in Chaney's. I make sure nobody threatens Chaney's. And, we got ourselves a little slice of peace." It seems to be enough for her.

Aquaman has posed:
"Well, everyone is entitled to an opinion, at least in the America that I grew up in." Arthur says, taking his loaded dog that's now not quite so fresh and piping hot, "As long as you respect that others are entitled to their opinion as well I see no problem with that." He offers a little gesture about, "But we all protect the things we care about, for you it's Chaney's, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, it sounds like a good place you've carved out for yourself, infact. Where is this Chaney's at?"

Grace Choi has posed:
    Pointing, "South side of Metropolis. Past downtown, and just a few blocks before it starts to get a little seedy. We get some trouble, now and then. Mutant haters, meta haters, trying to shut the place down, you know the drill. It happens. I throw them into a building, they break a collarbone, life goes on."
    She considers Arthur, then, as she snags the hotdog. "So, what in the hell do you do in your downtime, if you even -have- a downtime?"

Aquaman has posed:
"Well, there isn't exactly a lot of free time in my line of work." Arthur says as he takes a bite of his own hotdog, munching it down before he continues, "Trips to the Hall of Justice, state visits, the UN, interal politics, alien invasions and all that." He says, pausing once more to take another bite of his hotdog, perhaps taking a little long with it for added effect, "But, when I do have some spare time, you know what I like to do?" he says, "Go fishing."

Grace Choi has posed:
    Unladylike, Grace snorts a laugh, through a bite of chilidog. It takes her a few moments to swallow. She grins, suddenly savage at Arthur, "You're joking, right? Aren't you all about preserving the ocean?" There's another pause, as she considers, "Though, I suppose there isn't much to eat down there, except fish, and seaweed. So," she shrugs, but still seems immensely humored, "I guess it makes sense. But that's pretty hilarious."

Aquaman has posed:
"You're right, there isn't a lot of grazing land for cattle or anything on the seafloor." Arthur nods his head, "I always try to get a good burger when I come back to visit, that's something I miss the most." he takes another bite from his hotdog in the process, "What about you? I can't imagine bouncing at a nightclub occupies most of your time, and you don't run around in tights fighting crime, so what do you do?"

Grace Choi has posed:
    "Ride my bike. Drink. Find someone to take to bed," Grace says, without the least bit of modesty. "Fight, sometimes. Basically," she tells Arthur, unabashedly, after stuffing the last bit of corndog into her mouth, "I do whatever I want. Because I deserve to." Clearly, she means within reason. She's not out there pummeling people because she can. "I live my life the way I want, the way I deserve to. And, I don't let anyone tell me otherwise. I have fun. Hell. I even have fun at work," she says, soberly, but with a lopsided sort of smile twisting on her lips.

Aquaman has posed:
"I lived like that for a while before responsibility caught up with me." Arthur says with a chuckle, he too then finishes off the last of his hotdog, "But, that sort of stuff always has a way of entangling you in it's web. Not that I am complaining, mind you, but we all have to make sacrifices at some point in our life."

Grace Choi has posed:
    Grace's face tightens. "Yeah. I already made mine. So I think I served that time well enough. I learned the only person you can count on in this world, is yourself." There's no hate in her voice, no spite, when she says this. Certainly, there's some emotion behind the words, a reason they were said. But, overall, there's merely a sense of acceptance. Whatever it was, whatever sentence she served is in the past, and she's moved beyond it. It may be a part of her, but it doesn't rule her. "So, figure I'm due for awhile. And if it catches up with me, it better hope," she says, smirking, "I don't get ahold of it first." She mimes crushing something, like someone's neck, with her hand.
    "I get the whole responsibility thing. But you should really take some downtime. Ain't healthy for a man, or woman for that matter, to not take any time out for themselves. Even if you are the King of Atlantis, or whatever."

Aquaman has posed:
"Well, I hope you get the break you're owed then." Arthur says to Grace, "I've found that you need people you can trust around you however, having those helps ease the burden of responsibility, and does give you some of that time to relax, like you say I should take. But, it isn't a job you can simple walk away from, you know, not without consequence."

Grace Choi has posed:
    "Thanks. Good chat. But, if I don't head out, I'm going to be late for my shift. And, there's probably some nine-headed squid-cat alien magic monster that's coming from outer space, or someting that you should probably get to fighting. Or, a UN meeting. Same difference, I expect." At least, in her mind. She considers, "I know which one -I'd- prefer to be doing over the other."
    She lifts a friendly hand in measure of good-bye towards Arthur, "Thanks for dog, too. See you around, big guy."

Aquaman has posed:
"Mmn Hmmn." Arthur Curry replies to Grace with a slight nod of his head, "And if that space squid cat thing does come, think about coming and helping out a bit, even if it is just cleaning up after it." he offers, "Good luck with your shift, though, Grace."