13392/Gonna Be A Cold One

Gonna Be A Cold One
Date of Scene:	19 November 2022
Location:	Roberto's Brownstone
Synopsis:	The snow storm hitting NYC catches Maria out on the streets. Roberto finds her by the parking lot turned ice rink she'd skated on the other day.
Cast of Characters:	Maria King, Roberto da Costa

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Maria King has posed:
Maria started to wonder if something might be up when she saw some of the businesses in New Lots closing up earlier than normal. The weather was cold, and there had been a bit of snow coming down off and on all day.

Walking down the street, bundled up against the cold, she'd called out to one of the shopkeepers who had always been a bit friendly with hers. "Ernie, going home early for some pre-Thanksgiving weekend stuff?" she asks.

He had shaken his head to her. "Big storm coming down from Canada going to be cold. Maybe five feet of snow," he warns her. "Gonna be a cold one. You take care of yourself, go to one of the shelters, yeah?"

Maria feels a chill that only is partially to do with the current temperature. "Right," she tells him. "Thanks Ernie."

There's a bit of internal debate, then Maria hurries down the road, heading for a shelter. They hold their own danger for her. When she gets there and finds it is full, she's not sure if she's relieved or more worried.

Heading back to the derelict building she calls as much home as anywhere, she pauses at the entrance. Hearing voices inside. "Shit," she mumbles. Usually no one else bothers with the place. It's cold and drafty, and the water gets in when it rains, snow when it snows. Of course no one else has found the spot you can crawl into a room that's still in pretty good shape. Since she found it, she's careful to hide it.

But that leaves her without anywhere to go. The petite eighteen year old turns and heads back down the alley to the street. Arms wrapped around herself, she starts walking down the street, trying to figure out what to do.

Four hours later, she's still trying to figure it out. And the snow is coming down, clinging to her hair and her eyelashes, and dusting her shoulders.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa is sipping hot cocoa on his ever present cell phone, chatting he is dressed stylishly, wool driving coat, slacks, shony shoes, calfskin driving gloves but here he stands in the lot the impromptu ice rink took place, "Marge, I hear what you're saying. Yes, make the offer. I know, well, it doesn't matter if we make a profit on the acquisition if we're using it as a non-profit... We're going to need to work on this." He stops, "Call my Father, if you want but MAKE THE OFFER." He ends the call and throws the phone so hard that it cracks and lands at Maria's feet.

Maria King has posed:
Maria is cold enough that her mind is in a bit of a numb state, not even having noticed the man ahead of her until his voice rose at the end. Even then she looked up kind of dumbly. So when the phone slams into the ground just in front of her, sliding across the ice and snow nearly to her foot, she's startled and jumps a little bit.

She reaches up, wiping away some of the clinging snow from her face. In the heavy snow, the city looks so much different. Purer. Like the snow could cover up the grime and the dirt, at least for a night or a few hours.

The light is enough that Roberto might recognize the girl. Not just because she'd been skating, but she'd gotten no less then three cups of the stew that Roberto had brought out. And had wolfed them down. Then had tried to go back for a fourth only to see they were finally gone.

She bends over to pick up the phone. "It's dead, Jim," she says apologetically.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa sighs and pinches his nose. "I apologize, Menina. I lost my temper." He stops taking Maria in. "You're Maria, right? You must be frozen and starved." He considers, "Thank you. He reaches out to take his phone from Maria's hand and as their hands touch he shares warmth bringing her temperature up to normal. "Do you have anywhere to go?"

Maria King has posed:
Maria King hands the phone back, the girl shivering with the cold. At that touch, she finds herself rapidly warming up. It takes her completely by surprise and she jumps back away from him just from the unexpectedness of it.

She looks down at her hands which had felt like blocks of ice. Her feet also. Only now it feels like she's been inside a heated room for the last hour or two.

"Did, did you do that?" that teen asks, eyes widening as she looks over at Roberto. Hoping he knows what she's talking about. If he doesn't, she probably can't even try to describe it for fear she'd sound like she was raving mad.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa smiles, and gives a wink, "I just have a warm and giving personality. Yes, It was me. I thought you might feel better? I do need a new phone but I can find you someplace warm during the storm. You are too pretty to be left to the elements."

Maria King has posed:
Maria King hasn't ever run into someone with powers before. That she knows. She's still kind of wide-eyed and staring. It finally takes a city snowplow passing to get Maria to snap out of it. The plow drones along on the street, and she has to jump quickly to keep the snow that's thrown from hitting her. The snowplow driver laughs as he passes, probably upset he missed her.

The snow is coming down heavily. Thick, wet flakes that are going to build up quickly if they keep up like this. And Ernie had said five feet maybe!

Maria looks around her and back to Roberto. He'd brought out the stew for everyone, and god she'd needed that food. "I... if, that is... if it wouldn't be imposing too much," she tells him, blushing a bit. She's still warm, but can already feel the chill wind trying to do its work on her.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa finishes his hot chocolate in a long drain. Then shakes his head casually, "Not at all." He sidesteps the slush from the snowplow. And pulls out the key. There is a car like beep from a Maserati SUV down the street. "That's my ride. I can call... do you have a phone? We'll need to get some takeout."

Maria King has posed:
Maria King's eyes go to the broken phone in Roberto's hand. She looks back up and gives him a little shake of her head. "No, afraid I don't," she tells him, a bit bashfully. "Can always just go somewhere and put in the order though," she says. The times she does get food from somewhere, which isn't often, that's what she has to do without a phone.

She starts walking towards the SUV that beeped. "So you..." she starts, and then seems to think better of the question she was going to ask, instead making it more general. "How did you do that? Warm me up like that?" she asks him, eyes peeking over at the Latino as she walks with him to the car.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa frowns considering, "Order in person? Really? That's still allowed?" He smiles, "I feel you have things to teach me." He opens the door for her. The goes around, "Fantadtically rich? Handsome? Oh, that, I metabolize solar energy. It has a lot of uses, some I'm still finding out myself. One of which is I'm always warm, another is I can project and absorb heat. Other forms of energy as well. In my energized form I look a bit different... " Berto shrugs as he drives off.

Maria King has posed:
The petite teen climbs inside the car. She glances around at the interior, seeing how decked out it is decked out, or at least she's assuming, in all the latest gadgets. "So are you... um, are you from Earth? Or an, an alien?" she asks him. "Or are you a mutant? I don't have anything against mutants. Or, I suppose aliens either. I mean I don't think I've ever met either, and... ah... If I keep talking long enough I'll find a way to put my foot in my mouth I think," she says, blushing.

She glances at the car again. "Guessing you don't live around New Lots?" she asks. The car just too nice for the area. "What brings you down here?"

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Yes, the car is decked, tricked, full leather interior premium sound system all the best tech and driving features. But from the moment he pulls out it is clear that Berto enjoys driving and that he's good at it. Threading the snow covered streets expertly, "I am an alien but in the way I think you mean. I'm from the faraway land called Brasil. It only feels like a different world. I am also a mutant, yes. That's what brings me down to this area. I am working in MutantTown trying to make things better for my people. I'm actually trying to buy that old warehouse in New Lots, makes it a community center. put in a real ice skating rink maybe some basketball courts, a soccer pitch. Get some computers and tutors as well. Help those who need it. Use my Father's money, my money to do something good."

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa pulls over and steps out to order some Chinese food. The place looks like it's about to close and you have the distinct feeling they were waiting for Berto to call or come by. He comes back to the car with no less than four bags of food. He is waving to the man who owns the shop.abd speaking in Mandarin, "Mister Ling is a good guy. He takes care of me, so I take care of him. He climbs in to the driver's seat and it's off to the brownstone.