10606/After the Library Book Sale

After the Library Book Sale
Date of Scene:	29 March 2022
Location:	Library - Happy Harbor High School
Synopsis:	Belinda and Morgan meet each other in the Happy Harbor High School library.
Cast of Characters:	Morgan Finn, Belinda Gutierrez

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Morgan Finn has posed:
It's Spring Break! It's a time for kids to run for the hills and just blow off some steam! No classes, no homework, no exams, no nothing. And where is Morgan during this glorious time? He's in the library! Helping pick up after a book sale. What a nerd.

"Alright I can NOT see where I'm going," he calls out energetically as he carries three boxes stacked on top of each other. They totally obstruct his view.

One of the kids, Dario, blurts out some laughter. "Shit, Morgan, yer gonna take out the book drop, turn left, turn left, TURN LEFT."

Snorting out laughter, Morgan veers left sharply. "Like thiiiiii....aaaaah!" Down he goes as he trips over a chair. The boxes go flying. Books spill everywhere. Morgan is lying on the carpeted floor with a surprised look on his face. "You didn't tell me about the chair!" he exclaims, laughing wildly now. His cheeks and ear are flushed, and his eyes glitter with humor and energy.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
"...watch out for the chair?" comes a carefully measured call, underscored by the twitch of lips. A glance reveals the girl in the Library door way, a growing smirk on her lips. "And hush! This is a library, and you are suppposed to be quiet. Falling over and throwing books everywhere is so naughty--!"    
    
Giggling threatens to break free!    
    
"But seriously," the young girl asks, stepping forward as she shrugs her backpack strap on her shoulder. "Are you okay? Boxes of.... books?"

Morgan Finn has posed:
The kid pops up energetically to his feet. His hair is mussed from the fall, but he is otherwise none the worse for wear. "I totally saw it," he says goofily.

Morgan grabs one of the fallen boxes and puts it a table and starts picking up books and re-packing them.

"We had a book sale today. The money goes toward the computer fund," Morgan explains in an easy manner, like he isn't talking to a total stranger whom he just met eleven seconds ago. He nods his head once in Belinda's direction. "Haven't seen you around. I'm Morgan."

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Without missing a beat, the girl sets her satchel aside, bookbag retained as she gets to work retrieving some of the other free-flown books. "Belinda Gutierrez," she replies, "I'm new here. Just came up from Sa-- eh, New Mexico. Parents thought I should attend up here where there is more to the school than 'Truck Repair 100' for class choices."    
    
Hefting a stack of hardback copies, she strides over to the box, setting her stack down with a thump. "First time this far up the country. It's cold!"

Morgan Finn has posed:
The kid, Dario, who guided Morgan into the chair says, "Avoid him, he's a dork." He chucks an empty Pepsi bottle, which bounces off the back of Morgan's head. This leads to a wide grin forming on Morgan's face. Teammates messing with each other. Boys are so stupid. Morgan reaches a hand behind his back and flips the other kid off. "That's Dario. He's about to take a beat down."

Morgan grabs the second of the fallen boxes and plops it up on a table. "New Mexico, huh? I'm not exactly sure where that is but it sounds far. It sounds hot too. Do you like snow?"

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda's answer comes in the form of a *shudder*. "No!" She answers vehemently, shaking her head with added fervor. "We get more ice than real snow down there, but the wind is still harsh and half the drivers don't know how to respond--!"    
    
She snorts a dirty chuckle, rolling her eyes as she leans back against the table. "About six hours by jet. Maybe eight. Travelling, waiting in terminals, walking between terminals, waiting sa'more." She laughs, shaking her head. "Everything becomes a big blur and looks like a pillow!" She crosses her arms, smirking. "Did you know that you can actually fall asleep leaning against the wall?"

Morgan Finn has posed:
Morgan slow blinks as he tries to follow the stream-of-consciousness flow of information from Belinda. "I mean...er, that sounds..." He shakes his head and laughs good-naturedly. "So a mid-year school change, huh? That sounds rough. What really happen? Did you get caught robbing banks and the judge sentenced you to go live in the snow?"

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda's lip quivers, a smile of small mischief taking flight. "Bully at school," she finally admits, humming innocently as she picks up the empty soda bottle. "I had just switched schools-- local switch! --and he thought it would be a good idea to get the new girl's lunch money. Or something else stupid." She sighs wistfully, tossing the bottle into the proper trash can. "I mighta kinda-sorta broke his leg. And his collarbone. And put him out of the school football team for the rest of the year. And since football players are practically divinity there..."    
    
She crosses her arms, glowering at the floor. "Anywho-- familia up north, and dormitory in school. To avoid drama!"

Morgan Finn has posed:
Morgan is athletic and he moves quickly. He already has most of the third box re-filled from his topple. As he listens to Belinda's story, he slows down a bit and then finally stops.

Standing there is three books in his hand and a confused look on his face, he says, "I'm sorry, you did what now?"

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda blushes, a brief color to her cheeks as she glances away. "I have older brothers," she explains, looking back with a wry grin. "Six older brothers. Rough-housing is the nature of the game at home. Anyway, he did something stupid, and I saw red, got mad at him, or something.." She shrugs helplessly, sighing once. "All I remember really well is afterwards-- he was siting on the floor cradling his arm, and I did not even realize that his leg was bending a funny way until the medicos-- ambulance people tried to get him to the nurses' office."    
    
She looks back, smile half-formed. "I don't even remember it very well, but according to the camera-- I threw him into the lockers?"

Morgan Finn has posed:
Clearly Morgan does not know exactly how to respond to this information. He gets the third box re-packed and does the alternating flap foldy thing to get the box to stay closed. The room gets a bit quiet.

After carrying the boxes -- one at a time this time -- over to a metal cart, he sits down on the edge of a table. "Has that...has that ever happened to you before?" he asks in a gentle tone.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda is quiet, voice soft. "Never before," she admits, scuffing at the floor with an idle brush of her sole. "I keep thinking back on it, and I'm pretty sure he wasn't any worse than my brothers when we wrestled all over the house. Maybe because he was a stranger?" She runs her fingers across the top of one of the boxes, sighing. "We discussed if after, mi madre y padre-- my parents and I --and.... decided to come up here. Get away from the risk of something bad happening."    
    
She glowers, drawing her arms back together. "They kicked me out for being too *bullying* for their precious football player! Stupid boys and their stup--" She pauses, a flick of her eyes glancing up. "Erm. Sorry? Salsa withdrawals. Someone at a local Big Belly Burger tried to swear that salsa made in New York City was just as good as Mexico's!"

Morgan Finn has posed:
Morgan has his arms folded over his chest. He's leaning his butt back against a table. And he's watching Belinda with wide, alert eyes. The easygoing, goofy energy he had going seems to be put away for now.

"I mean, I would maybe not necessarily share that story around too much, ya know?" Morgan says, talking the soothing tone that one might speak to a grizzly bear. "You don't wanna risk people getting the wrong idea. It's a small school and people gossip as a religion."

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
"I know," Belinda returns with a small moan, a moment spent in depression-- rallied anew, as she takes a quick breath! "I'll just have to distract them with good food instead," she vows, focused. "Hot chocolate-bacon treats! With just a hint of jalapenos, just because. And no stories about how I managed to beat up the high school quarterback because-- gossip."    
    
She glances towards Dario, back again with an innocent image.

Morgan Finn has posed:
Glancing over at Dario as Belinda does, Morgan snorts. "Yeah don't tell him anything. He's the /worst/."

"Fuck off, Finn," Dario says.

The two seem comfortable and at ease with the banter. The vibe is one of two good friends busting each other's balls.

"You're definitely on the right track," Morgan says to Belinda. "Food around here forgives many sins. I'm a bit a cook myself. I'm being tutored by a minotaur." He looks upwards for a moment and raises one finger. "Well, aaaactually a /kithotaur/ because he's from Kithira."

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda stifles a snerk of laughter, cross between snort and giggle and rusty chainsaw. "What school is that?" she asks, adjusting her lean against the table. "Is it like a culinary school? Someplace where they 'put the polish' on cooks for fancy fru-fru restaurants before they cut them loose into the world?    
    
A long pause. "Or do you mean a minotaur-minotaur? Like, with horns and bells and whistles and big, hoofy-feet and...?"

Morgan Finn has posed:
The kid nods his head. "Yeah, a minotaur. But he doesn't have any bells and whistles," Morgan responds, a grin lighting up his features.

He tugs an iPhone out of his pocket and opens the photos app. He starts swiping through pictures with rapid finger movements. "Here we go," he says.

Morgans stands straight from his reclining position against the table and approaches Belinda. He shows the girls his phone. There is a photo a large, elaborate kitchen. Morgan is an apron that with 'I <3 Justice League' printed on it. Standing next to the kid is a towering minotaur with his beefy around around the kid's shoulder, and making a peace sign with the other hand. "That's Ferdinand. He cooks better than basically anyone else on Earth."

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
The girl frowns the classic 'You're putting me on' look, staring at the picture uncomprehendingly. Then eyes slowly widening as she stares harder-- as if pure eyeballs might reveal the trick or hidden secret behind it.     
    
"He's really---" She stops, sucking in her breath between her teeth as she gazes. Stares. Looks back at the picture. Glances back again, /harder/.    
    
"And he cooks?" she asks evenly, gazing sternly.

Morgan Finn has posed:
Morgan's eyes go wide and he nods his head. "Oh my, yes. He cooks the hell out of stuff. You don't get to be the Executive Chef for the Themysciran Embassy unless you can cook. You can come by and meet him sometime. He's one of my best friends."

The farther the conversation moves from brutalizing students, the more relaxed Morgan seems to be getting. Some of that playful spirit that Belinda might have witnessed when she first entered the library is returning.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda smiles in return, shaking her head. "Just give me a head's up first," she cautions. "Time to properly make up some of mi gran's salsa. It's got tomato and paprika and peppers--" She cuts herself off, giggling helplessly. "Oh, dios! I was just complaining about someone making hamburgers with flowers in them! And not even settled in yet--Augh!"    
    
She leans back, flailing her arms with a squealing wail. "Wait. You can just walk into an Embassy? A Them-- Thamis--" SHe hmmphs, scrunching her features. "--Amazon embassy?" she finally ends. "I thought guys, were like-- never let anywhere near such a place."

Morgan Finn has posed:
The kid's eyebrows go up in surprise and he blurts out a soft laugh at Belinda's squealing-flail-thingy. "Well I'm allowed in. I live there. Diana Prince is my legal guardian. I'm Wonder Boy."

Morgan scrunches up his nose a little bit suddenly. "Wow, it doesn't sound like an impressive codename when you say it out loud, does it?"

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
"It could always be worse," Belinda cautions, eyes dancing with merriment as she draws herself back together. Focus! "I had heard stories many years ago-- not sure how /true/ they are, bnuuuuuuuut...."    
    
She smiles innocently, leaning back with a tiny, wicked grin. "One of the Spidery villains? When he first came out, he decided to call himself 'Paste Pot Pete'. And he *never* lived that down, ever!"

Morgan Finn has posed:
Canting his head to one side, Morgan peers oddly at Belinda. "I never heard of that dude. Sounds like the weird kid in grade school who ate all the paste in the art kit."

"Well anyway, it was cool meeting you but I gotta get home. Maybe I'll see ya around campus or something. You'll have to let me try one of those chocolate bacon jalapeno thingies." He flashes a small grin.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda stretches up from the table, smiling in return. "Chocolate covered bacon. The jalopeno is just juice in the choco mix, for spice and flavour." She offers a quick handshake, eyes warm. "Be safe moving anything. See you in classes, oh and remember--"    
    
She winks, grinning ear to ear. "Watch out for chairs!"