13271/Midtown shenanigans!

Midtown shenanigans!
Date of Scene:	04 November 2022
Location:	Midtown
Synopsis:	Sandwich turns into Social Media Ads, turns into fangirl moment when the Scarlet Witch shows up.
Cast of Characters:	Wendell Vaughn, Beroe Kazinski, Caleb Dykstra, Wanda Maximoff
Tinyplot:	The Count of Monte Cristo

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Wendell Vaughn has posed:
    So, new to all of this, Wendell has been in communion with Eon, the cosmic entity who claims to have created the Quantum Bands. Whether he did or not, he knows all about them and has been coaching Wendell in their use. Two days ago, he instructed him in how to attune the sensors built into the bands through the neural link to said bands. So he is just starting to get past the sensory overload he experienced that first day.

    And then last night, he taught Wendell how to manipulate EM energy in a subtle way to conceal the presence of the bands on his wrists from most, if not all, senses.

    And then tonight, he is winding down from touring several office sites, and has decided to grab a bite. Sitting out on the sidewalk on a pleasantly cool evening, he is enjoying a club sandwich and fries. No ketchup for the fries though.. he's dipping them in a molten cheese sauce. . . what? He grew up in Wisconsin!

Beroe Kazinski has posed:
It's Midtown Manhattan. The time is ... evening. And showing up is one Beroe. She's carrying under one arm a folding table, along with a satchel. She has on a backpack and strapped to the backpack is a skateboard. All while wearing fox ears, and an outfit better suited to being in front of a camera posing than wandering around in Manhattan with a bunch of stuff.

"Okay okay, where is it. Peter's Pepper Sandwiches and Dogs?" And then she ooohs and grins, "There. Great!" And she heads over to the sidewalk where Wendell is currently. "Oh, excuse me sir. Could you just scoot a little to your right? No need to leave, I don't wanna bother you, but I've rented this space for a bit. Mini promotion and all that for my upcoming role on this musical. Trying to build publicity and all that."

Just a lot spilling out of her mouth as she drops the satchel, settles her skateboard and takes in a big deep breathe, "Annnnnnnnnd, maybe I posted the wrong address on my page?" Her arm goes into a hole that appears out of no where, it's hot sparkly pink, and when her hand reaches in, it disappears, and then comes back out with a smart phone, similarly colored, and she is eye-glued to it, flipping through a few things now.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
On a completely opposite cosmic perspective - that of the little guy -, is Caleb. Being here in New York on an 'errand' from his 'boss', he's completed it, and now finds himself with some time to kill - and get something to eat, maybe.

As he walks down the street, he finds Peter's Pepper Sandwiches and Dogs, and starts to move towards there. That's when he finds Wendell sitting on the sidewalk eating his club sandwich and fries. He quickly glances at Beroe... an internet celebrity, it would appear? Taking maybe an subconscious step to avoid some camera she might be shooting, he looks at Wendell, and greets, "Evening. Sandwiches any good here?"

Wendell Vaughn has posed:
    Mouth full of sandwich, Wendell looks up as he is addressed. He lowers his sandwich to his plate and then holds up one hand, index finger pointed upwards as if saying, 'one sec' as he chews. Okay, so he chews with a bit more gusto and force to get it done quickly before he swallows that bite.

    Then he looks to Beroe, "I'm sorry. Could you explain that again? I apologize that I was not paying attention until I realized it was me you were speaking to."

    He narrows his eyes as the girl's hands vanishes into a portal. The fact that he doesn't pick up the energy of the portal creation makes him even more curious. But then Caleb speaks, and his eyes traverse his way. "Huh?" he asks, obviously being a bit overwhelmed by being spoken to by two different people while he was just trying to grab a bite.

    "Oh. Yeah. Club sandwich here is great. They use applewood smoked bacon rather than the standard fare." And then he looks back to Beroe, "Oh, I'm in the way? Sorry!" he says as he stands up and moves to a different table. "That help?" he asks. Yep, polite and agreeable. Totally not a New York Native.

Beroe Kazinski has posed:
With the moving of Wendell, Beroe looks up from her phone and grins, "Oh! Perfect. Thank you!" And she moves over to the table at hand and starts to try and move it. Slowly, or at all. She groans a bit, and then steps back and looks at it, "Ohh, haha." She laughs, big bright grin, "It's bolted down. I so made you move, and I can't even use this space."

Then she's grabbing her folding table and taking a slight step into the walking path of the sidewalk to start setting it up. Unfold, and she unfolds one side, and then just reaches through a portal to grab the legs on the other side, instead of walking over there. Then, upsy daisy. Where'd her phone go? Oh yeah, another portal, and then she's got it back in her hand again. Portals portals portals, all over the place, "Really!? That sounds delish! No wonder this place gets a 4.9 out of 5 stars, with over 800 reviews." Whoosh, both hands grabbing at the corners of a table cloth and flinging it over her little table, and then she settles some 9x12 photos of herself, a few other things, and the banner says, <<Get information on The Count of Monte Cristo /the Musical/>>. And she leans her skateboard up on the side, ta-da. Hands on her hips she looks over it, then back to the other two gentlemen who were talking.

"Might either of you be interested in signing up for information about The Count of Monte Crisco" slight pause, "the Musical? I'm working on costumes for it, and just trying to drive up interest. Free picture with autograph, for signing up!"

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Now, the first portal Caleb might've overlooked because of him starving and his attention was mainly focused on the shop as it was. "Oh, cool", he say to Wendell, "Then I guess I'll get myself one of those as..."

But with the portals now appearing here and there, he takes a couple steps back in something between surprise and suspition, "...What da frick?" Yeah, you don't see this sorta thing in Gotham!

His brain hits a slight case of 'pause' as he tries to process what he just saw, so when he comes back to reality, he's being confronted with Beroe's musical version of Monte Cristo. "Erhm... What?"

Wendell Vaughn has posed:
    Staring just as openly at the portals, but not exactly for the same reason. This -is- New York, but portals on the street -are- still strange. However, Wendell is trying to figure out how they are not pinging his bands. Oh. They must be using some sort of energy that is not in the EM Spectrum. Simple enough.

    He seems to calm down a bit as that comes over him. "Count of... that's the movie that is all about one man's obsession with revenge that is so powerful, he basically ruins every else's life, gives up who he is, all in the name of getting even with one man, right?" He shakes his head, "Sounds depressing as a story. Maybe a musical will make it more palatable. Sure. I'd like to hear about it." He picks up a fry, dips it in sweet and smokey bbq sauce.. pops it into his mouth and stands up to move closer where he looks over the materials prived... using a napkin he carried with to wipe off the fingers he used to eat the fry.

Beroe Kazinski has posed:
The response from Caleb gets a grin, "Oh, right, I'm sorry. It wasn't Crisco, it's Cristo." She quickly checks her sign and whews, running a hand over her forehead to exaggerated the words, then smiles big. "It's a musical. Normally, I don't go for musicals, but since this one has vampires ..."

And that's when Wendell walks up and starts talking, and she furrows her brow a bit, "Are you sure? It's about revenge, and something? I, I thought it was about imprisoned vampires. Count, being in the title and all that." She grins and nods her head, "But you are probably right! I'm making costumes for it though, and it's coming out next year. I figured, get a jump on it, since they'll start doing all sorts of promotions and auditions, with FA-mous people!" She squeals, as she literally brings her arms close to her body and shakes them like some anime girl.

"Oh! Right." And she reaches into another portal and grabs a sharpie, from somewhere, pulling it back into this area and leans forward to sign a photo. The photo is one of her in this same outfit, but giving a V for victory sign as she skates past on the skateboard, she looks up, "Did you want a message on it or just from Beroe? I usually put a little heart on there, but some people don't like that."

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb Dykstra can't help but chuckle a little at the girl's energy. But he frowns and scoffs at the description of of the characters' natures, "...Vampires?" He tilts his head upwards, "Aaahh, it must be some dark emo version, I bet." He deadpans, "Just take into account that they're supposed to burn, not glitter."

He looks at Quasar, raising eyebrows in a half-shrug. "Reimaginings nowadays, good sir... Go figure!"

He starts looking at the menu, but paying attention to the two people near him still...

Wendell Vaughn has posed:
    "Err... yeah. Ma'am, you do realize that the rank of Count has nothing to do with having fangs, right?" He accepts the autograph and then smirks, "Sign it however you like. But... no, the Count of Monte Cristo is a story about a man who is falsely accused of a crime and imprisoned. While he is in prison, his woman gets with the guy who framed him. He escapes, finds a treasure, and reinvents himself as a rich count in order to get revenge. Nothing in there has anything to do with Vampires..."

    He shrugs and shakes his head, "I'm sorry if you thought it might. But yeah, I suppose someone might have tried writing a new version that -did- include the supernatural."

Beroe Kazinski has posed:
There's a pause as Caleb goes over the 'version', "Oh, no, no no, not a new version. It's a musical! And it's going to have great songs, and that sort of thing, dancing. But, it isn't a new version." Beroe seems confused a little as she still beams a big smile.

When Wendell questions she blinks a few times, "It doesn't?!" She gasps, full on, genuine, gasping, she's taken aback for sure. "Really? Are you trying to pull my chain, pass one over my eyes? I can be a bit gullible." She has a half crooked smirk, as she leans forward some toward Wendell like she can 'spy on his' attempt to trick her.

When he continues though, she huhs and pulls back, lifting her shoulders some and letting them go back down, "Well, good thing I'm just making costumes ... though, the more..." She looks down, "Gothic look I chose, for this, does seem less appropriate now. Well, I hope you come and see it anyhow."

Turning back to Caleb she faux grimaces, which is a bit of a smile still, "See, the kindness of strangers. This guy, he's really smart, so don't trust my word about it. You should follow the page, did you want a signed picture as well?"

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"If your tale of Monte Cristo has vampires in it, then I'm afraid that yes, it's a new version, if not a whole new take, which is lined up as a reimagining", Caleb insists. He shakes his head in defense of Wendell's argument, "He's not pulling your leg", he says, though he keeps his opinion on her gullibility unvoiced. "The Count with fangs would be 'Dracula'. And to speak of /that/ one, if you've seen the Coppola's version, there's a love take that isn't there in the original. And reincarnation, too."

When Beroe asks him about a signed picture, he asks, "I'm sorry... Who are you, exactly?"

Wendell Vaughn has posed:
    Smirking a bit, Wendell reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He loads up the Wikipedia page for 'The Count of Monte Cristo'. "Turns out, this was written by the same guy who wrote the Three Musketeers. The style would be early 19th century. Like pre-Victorian." he states. Then he chuckles and shrugs, "I guess I am something of a literature nerd huh?" he asks.

    But then he snorts. "What he means.." he says, gesturing to Caleb, "Is that he'd love to have an autographed photo. And sir.." he says, turning his attention to Caleb, "It's obvious. She is the costumer designer for the play. You can count on my attendance.." he says, eyes sliding back to Beroe.

Beroe Kazinski has posed:
"I think the whole vampire thing is just in MY head, sorry! I don't want to misrepresent. It'd be pretty amazing if this Musical HAD vampires in it though. Something about fangs makes a guy OR gal, just extra." Beroe sighs and smiles, then when she's asked who she is, she chuckles a bit.

"I'm Beroe Kazinski. Super Heroine, Influencer, Costume Designer, and honored recipient of these Fox Ears." She points to the top of her head, "From Hashtag GirlZ, with a z, InEars. You can find more about me on my awesome Insta, @CuteLikeAFox. It's the best, because my followers are so great!" Both hands go up into the air, a little cheer.

Turning her attention on Wendell, nodding her head a few times to him, smiling, "Oooooh, really?" Hands clasp in front of her chest, together, and she grins big "That means so much to me. Thank you. I just kind of figured, get out there Beroe, do what you can to make this thing a success! Vampires or not, that's what I'm gonna do."

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
    Wanda makes her way through Four Freedoms Square after leaving the Baxter Building presumably on business reasons. Business that includes an invitation attached to a thank you note, which leaves her unencumbered and spry. Her boots click on the ground. Her black coat belted at the waist flaps a bit as she goes, taking in the sights of Manhattan. They never grow old.
    Lunch being last around 11:30 a.m. does though!
    She isn't entirely an expert on the best places to eat other than avoiding those without a closed sign. Her pace quickens to cut across the street through traffic, dodging a delivery guy on a moped shaking a fist at pedestrians in crosswalks. He zooms close to the curb where a group talks about Dumas and plays, kicking up a smelly cloud of exhaust. The noise isn't quiet, the little moped's engine straining. "Some people. Sorry he's in such a mood." Her apology comes afterward. A bit of a frown follows, and it's not her fault the light turns red to force the moped rider to a screeching halt a block later.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb Dykstra uuuhs on the subject of the autographed photo that Wendell just set him up for, "Sure... Why not?" Notice that the enthusiasm on Caleb's voice needs much practice in coming out ('how the hell do I get into this sort of thing?'). Yep, he's looking at him awkwardly, too.

"Ah!", he exclaims a little at Beroe's statement of her line of work. "Well, I'm just the guy who wanted a sandwich, but is gonna get home having an autograph from someone he just met..." Sarcasm. "...which I didn't even knew he needed..." The last bit is mumbled.

But let's break the ice, and try to rise from the position of the random stranger who got caught in the middle of something he didn't want in the first place. His gears thinking now, he states, "You know, I do some tinkering as a mechanic, and that means I might do props..."

Wendell Vaughn has posed:
    Moped. Moped delivery guy. Moped delivery guy upset at folks on the sidewalk. Shouldn't a moped be in the street? Wendell jumps aside as the guy flashes past, almost losing his balance. But he ends up by his table, where he picks up the last part of his sandwich and carries it back to Beroe's makeshift table.

    "What a moron." he mutters as he spots the moped guy skid to a stop, making Wendell give an amused grin. He takes a bite of the sandwich while Caleb speaks, and then swallows before shaking his head, "Dude. Manners." he stage-whispers to Caleb.

    But then he turns to offer Beroe a hand, "My name is Wendell. Thank you for your enthusiasm." And then his blue eyes shift to Wanda, and he lifts a brow. "That's more than a mood. That's... a bonafied New Yorker attitude."

Beroe Kazinski has posed:
Woo! Another autograph. Beroe scribbles her name onto another picture and hands it over to him, "There you are!" Beroe's just as excited as ever, and smiling, the tone of Caleb's comments don't seem to stick to her palatably positive perky personality.

With the addition of him being able to tinker, Beroe perks up some, "Oh? Really?! That's so cool. All I can do is alter clothes, and make costumes and such. Maybe, if you are interested, I could ask the recruiting group at the studio, if they need a prop person? If you want to give me your Insta, I can totally reach out."

Taking the hand, Beroe shakes it, while standing up straight, and putting on a faux serious face. "Glad to meet you kind sir." And awws soon after, "Thank you. There's little in this world that isn't worth giving your all." Even with the moped person driving past, she doesn't seem to even notice him, and with her back toward Wanda she's yet to be discovered by her.

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
    "New York, what can you do about it?" The Avenger isn't quite as famous as Mr. Stark or Captain America, but recognizable even without the shiny headband. She eases up onto the curb and tucks herself out of the way of traffic as a conscious effort. "Can't be too careful about people driving badly. He didn't upset your table did he?"
    The whole deal with Beroe's autograph station is a bit lost on her. Not mystified, just not quite something recognized. The sandwich in Wendell's hand holds promise.
    "Was that place still open?" Easy, neutral. Expecting to push off if the conversation turns south, typical New York response to a prospective tourist.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Okay, so it seems like an opportunity for profit has been set! Score one for possibilities! An inward smile for Caleb, who could always use the money.

But then, Beroe talks about Instagram, and that smile goes out like a light. Back to the dark room. "Wuh... I don't have an Instagram page." He sighs. "Crap..."

He looks at Wendell awkwardly and shrugs; he's the one who made him get an autograph from an unknown. "Dude... Don't put this on me, I was just casually passing by."

And then, he sees Wanda, and he nods at her question. "I just wanted to get a sandwich. Ended up with an autographed picture." And no sandwich yet, be add. "That's New York for you, I guess."

Wendell Vaughn has posed:
    Well, as an officer who graduated the SHIELD academy less than three months ago, things like.. studying the rosters of the various known teams and demonstrating knowledge of them on tests was something of a required thing for Wendell. His eyebrows rises a millimetric amount before he nods his head, "Indeed." he says about the driver before he realizes she asked him a question.

    "Oh absolutely. Peter's Pepper Sandwiches right there." he says, gesturing behind him and next door, "They use Applewood smoked bacon in their club sandwiches, if that is a make or break it item." he adds with a smile.

    Then he turns to regard Beroe, "Maybe you should approach Peter and see if he'd want to do some social media advertisement?" he asks.

    And then he looks to Caleb, shrugging his shoulders, "Hey. I'm just counseling courtesy is all."

Beroe Kazinski has posed:
"No Insta? Huh, maybe a Twitter handle then?" Beroe asks of Caleb, with a sympathetic smile that just says, what kind of life does someone live who DOESN'T have Instagram? She nods her head a few times though to Wendell's continued conversation about the sandwiches, and talking to Peter. But then she hears a woman to her side, so she turns.

When the table is commented on, Beroe grins, full eyes shut happy grin type, "Oh, no, thank you for asking." And then her eyes start to open, and her mouth opens with them. "Whaaaaaaat?! Wait, no, nono nonononono." She looks around and then gets super fidgety with her own arms, pulling them in, shaking them, and squealing!

Loudly! And then is running in place she has so much energy, like a cartoon character seeing someone famous, Beroe squealing ... again, and she starts panting while waving a hand at her own face. "You you, you're the Scarlet Witch!" Another squeal. Whatever she was talking about before, gone, out the window, she's now just staring, "I'm like, one of your biggest fans, well, probably not, that's probably the rest of the Avengers, but I am SO up there, I follow your page. I'm part of the fan club. I went as YOU for Halloween, oh my god oh my god ohmygod!!!!!!"

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
    Well, not having a sandwich is just plain criminal. Wanda nods sadly in commiseration to Caleb. "Gets you where you need to be, not always where you want?" she guesses. The city isn't making her come any closer to dinner; conversation is the soup for the soul. All comes out even!
    For Wendell's sake, Wanda technically belongs in SHIELD as a consultant. A big red bar on her file reminding anyone with the right access level that she's the daughter of a dangerous mutant ex-terrorist, too. They look nothing alike, Erik Lensherr aka Magneto and the witch.
    "Peter Pepper... picked a peck?" A shy guess on that. "I think that's how the rhyme goes." She grins at Wnedell lopsidedly. If she's wrong then she can shrug it off.
    The safest position to take in the detonation of Beroe's squeals. Her grin widens in spite of itself. The energy storm makes it smart to hold still, but she nods. Deadpans, "Every Wednesday and Saturday, and sometimes Tuesdays in Central Park." Like it's a show. "You follow my -fan- page? I have a fan page? Oh, Pepper is going to laugh at me for this. I bet she runs it." She just might. "Did you get the costume from that one shop over in Bed-Stuy? Please don't tell me it was the high-cut one, that looks so painful."

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Uuuhh, nope", Caleb says. "No Twitter handle, either." Oh, the obscurity involving this young man, who is not touched/converted/assimilated by the social networks! Blasphemy!! The sympathetic smile goes unanswered (or ignored) by the young man.

He takes the moment when Beroe turns her attention to Wanda to look at Wendell and comment. "Can't fault her for enthusiasm, though." He looks back to check on her interaction to step aside a little. Maybe it's the portals she can generate. Maybe it's the fidgeting. Maybe it's the squealing potentially going so high pitched that every dog in a square mile will be barking and come running. Ookay, he's just thinking that; it can't really happen - can it?

"Greetings, by the way." He waves a hand in idly fashion. "Name's Caleb Dykstra. I would've introduced myself a little earlier, but things have happened, and my head's still spinning like you wouldn't believe."

Wendell Vaughn has posed:
    Nodding his head, Wendell reaches to take Caleb's hand. "Wendell. Vaughn if you need the last name." And he smirks, "Just don't ask the middle name. It's super embarrassing."

    That said, he turns to observe the enthusiasm show. I mean you can't find this kind of excitement on television anymore. Sometimes, enthusiasm is infectious. He grins and enjoys the show really, falling silent.

Beroe Kazinski has posed:
Now she's being talked to BY THE SCARLET WITCH! Beroe is wide-eyed, and she nods her head, "You have a fan page! Yes, of course you do! You are great, so great. The way you float, and your color scheme, it's so great! You do so much for the team, and it's appreciated by those of us trying to follow in your footsteps, but me? I'm nobody, compared to you! You are so great, and wonderful! Powerful and amazing! An AVENGER!" Her voice is getting faster and higher pitched as she talks, until she erupts in another squeal.

Then she gasps, and reaches out into one of her glitterpink portals she makes, grabs her phone from the other side, presumably, because when she pulls her hand back there it is, "Ohmygod, would you take a selfie with me? Please? Could I post it on my Insta? My followers will DIE!" She then pauses, and gasps, then puts a hand over her mouth, "Not.. not really. Just, I meant that as an expression. They are always rooting for me when I go out and do super heroing, but to meet an AVENGER? And it be YOU!?! Ohmygod! Pleeeeeeeease?"

The poor black haired girl is so excited she's trembling, her whole entire being, as if she might just shake herself into having super speed. The only way she could be visually more excited would be IF she were drawn and in an anime. "Oh, wait, what am I thinking?! You probably need to go save someone, or many someones, or a whole world!?! And look at me, trying to get a selfie."

Wanda Maximoff has posed:
    "Wanda Maximoff. You might know Pietro, my brother." That's Wanda, putting the blame on the bigger brother because he'd be the kind to do it himself were he present. He might be! "Or the Scarlet Witch. Kind of an either-or thing."
    The title more or less matches up despite the distressing lack of red on her. She's wearing black and cream. Gold earrings aren't hung with rubies. Something is wrong with this marketing. "Mr. Vaughn, Mr. Dykstra. Enchanted." Not really or else this would be the story of Circe.
    She presses her hand to her chest and laughs. "Don't you be so down on yourself miss, no one is nobody compared to me." The smile fades a little. "Everyone here in the city does important work, and they matter just as much as I do. Being an Avenger just shows I put myself in harm's way a lot, and that's not always indicative of being..."
    Let that trail off. She shifts to keep up with Beroe, but the leaps of logic aren't too difficult when her twin and her child -- complicated story -- are both speedsters with a tempestuous relationship with time. In that they kind of flirt and ignore it. "Of course we can do a selfie. Here? Facing the sandwich shop? Do you need the costume or will civvie clothes do?" With luck she won't be explaining to Cap again how she made someone explode and it wasn't even her fault!
    "I'm hunting," she nods gravely. "For dinner."

Wendell Vaughn has posed:
    And that seems like a good sign to wrap things up to Wendell. He just smiles and says, "I think these two need a moment." to Caleb. "What say we get out of their way before we get run over by the bus of enthusiasm?"

    That said, he steps back and away. "Good to meet you Mister Dykstra. Beroe, I'll be at the play for sure." That said, he smiles, lifts a hand and turns to stroll off, finishing his sandwich.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Vaughn." It comes as no surprise that Caleb would go for last names - after all, he's a teenager; just about everyone here is older than him, right? "And you too, person who spoke her name so fast if at all that I couldn't get it...", is said to Beroe, but he looks at her signed photograph ('seriously, how did I get into this thing again?'), "Ah, here it is." He waves around, "But I need to go back home. I guess I'll see you around. Or some of you, anyways." With a smile, he turns away and heads off.