13928/A Tasty Da--Event

A Tasty Da--Event
Date of Scene:	22 January 2023
Location:	Chinatown
Synopsis:	A first date. It goes well. No supervillain interruptions, either!
Cast of Characters:	Divine, Cindy Moon

---

Divine has posed:
Earlier in the day, Divine sent Cindy a text with only a time and a location. The time being, more or less, right now, and the location being a restaurant in Chinatown called, no jokes, Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles. She found it on Yelp. Consistantly highly rated and a hole in the wall kind of place. Exactly what Divine's first experience with noodles should be.

She's early, because she hates being late and wanted to scope the place out a bit. The vibe is casual, though the clone is a little more dressed up than the last time she ran into Cindy. She's wearing a long sleeved, high necked black skater dress that falls to just above her knees, what appear to be fishnets and her calf high boots. -And- she's carrying a purse, plus wearing light makeup (Her fingernails are painted a deep violet and her lipstick matches it, as does her eyeshadow. Not a lot of eyeliner today.)

Honestly, she could be any goth woman waiting on her date outside a tiny Asian restaurant. Except for how tall she is.

Cindy Moon has posed:
Cindy was out swinging when the text came in and immediately found a perch to check it. Grinning like a doofus the whole time she was writing the reply. Right now, right here... got it. IT wouldn't take her long to change! Which is a god damned lie, but we'll chalk it up to thematic necessity.

When she shows up she's wearing a thigh length skirt of her own. This one in vibrant yellow with a pair of white tights beneath because it's cold. A pair of pale pink sneakers, arm warmers, and her hair in a pair of short black back facing pigtails. Her bangs are flaired.

She doesn't have a purse, but she is wearing a pokemon backpack: Jigglypuff.

Speaking to the hostess as she enters with a big grin. Clearly familiar with this particular establishment. It behooves her to get in good with the Asians. Everyone has their people right? However, upon seeing Divine, she makes her way over and smiles a little awkwardly, "Hey..."

Divine has posed:
Divine cheats with clothing, because it has to be incredibly cold for it to bother her. An average January day in New York City may as well be an average day in May for all it bothers her. Still, it draws less attention to at least pretend to care. Which is why she wears leggings and a hoodie nearly all the time. Besides them being comfortable.

When Cindy arrives, she smiles, doing her best to shove any awkwardness to the back of her mind to use later. We'll see how it goes as time goes on. "Hi, Cindy!" She sounds a little nervous, which might seem funny, given how mostly invincible she is. (Her heart isn't invincible!) "You look great! Should we get a table?"

Cindy Moon has posed:
Contrary to Silk, Cindy is super terrible at being social... especially in situations where she really wants to impress someone. Which is very clearly her intentions here. Standing with her hands folded down at her waist, "Yes, definitely.. you look amazing." That much, at least, she can't help voicing.

It may even come off a little jealous. Kryptonians really do have it super easy. Weather doesn't bother them at all. Where she had to plan for it, but she's suffering to look cute. Which speaks big volumes. At least in her head! "So it's really your first time having noodles? You really picked a great place. Mr. Kim is one of the best chefs in the city. And he does some incredible bulgogi.. You don't mind pork do you?"

Divine has posed:
Divine is used to hanging out with Emma 'My Outfits are Painted On' Frost. She understands suffering for looking good, she just doesn't -have- to. Though corsets are kind of uncomfortable.

"It is. Miss Frost, well, assumes I have the pallete of a child. Luckily, pizza is delicious, but I need to try new things, or I won't grow as a person." Like dating, and noodles. "And I don't have any dietary restrictions. I don't have a religion, and I could probably drink gasoline without getting sick, so I'm down to try whatever." A pause. "Since you've been here, I trust your recommendations."

Cindy Moon has posed:
"Thankfully, you wont have to drink any gasoline here." Cindy confides confidently as they make their way to a table. One where they can either sit across from one another or side by side. Because the hostess is clever and doesn't assume SHIT in 2023. Cindy, being the awkward person she is, let's Divine decide the seating arrangement.

Head slightly bowed, glancing over at one side with a little smile. Unsure how first dates work. "You'll be happy to know that they have a wonderful selection of regular drinks.. I suggest the green tea, but I'm open to whatever you think is best."

Specifically because this is expanding Divine's pallet, not her own. She eats her fairly regularly.

Divine has posed:
"Well, that's good. I hear it tastes terrible." When they get to the table, she stops, trying to decide on the optimal first date seating arrangement. On one hand, sitting next to someone is more intimate, but on the other, it's easier to talk and look at each other from across the table.

Divine moves and pulls a chair out for Cindy, waiting for her to sit before she moves and sits across from her. If there are more dates, next to each other will be great, but for now, this is the optimal way, she thinks.

Not that she spent hours reading about first date etiquette.

"Tea sounds fantastic. Don't think I've had green. Herbal and black, but not green."

Cindy Moon has posed:
It's a weird thing to make someone decide, but Cindy doesn't seem upset about it! She takes her seat and scoots into the table, resting her elbows on the surface after putting her backpack in the seat beside her. Jigglypuff needs a seat too! It's only fair.

"They serve it in a very traditional iron kettle.. which doesn't change the taste so much, but it's very cute." It is. Like the appetizers. Little slices of pickled cucumbers, kimchi, scallion potatoes, and peppered sprigs.

"So... I.. uh.. it's been a while since I've been... well.." She flicks her fingers around to indicate where they are, but doesn't necessarily mean 'where they are'. "On a date.. This is a date right? I'm going to feel very weird if I totally misunderstood."

Divine has posed:
"That's neat. There's so much I just don't know about things, but I like to learn," Divine says about the iron kettle. She's going to love the appetizers. It will also be hysterical when she gets chopsticks in her hand.

"Would you believe this is my first date, uh, ever?" She flushes just a little pink. "I'm really new at this." A pause. "Of course it's a date? I mean, unless you want it not to be, I can be cool with that."

Cindy Moon has posed:
"NO..." Cindy blinks and coughs, then shakes her head slowly, "No, I definitely want it to be. I'm sorry, that was way too aggressive." A little quieter still. "I... I think I went on one? A dance back in the tenth grade." She smiles up at the waitress come to order drinks, "A few minutes on dinner, but could we have some green tea and appetizers?"

Then back to Divine once she's gone, "It was really weird, tenth grade awkwardness. Then I got... you know... and dropped out the following year." Quirking her lips to the side, she scratches at her jaw. "Wait, so this is your FIRST date? Well... that's kind of a big deal. This is my first official one where I went out with someone in public that wasn't school?" That counts, probably.

Divine has posed:
The tall woman laughs lightly, shaking her head a bit. "Look at us. Amateurs." She rests her elbows on the table after the server has left with the start of the order, her voice low and conspiratorial.

"We're so strong. Powerful. Good at what we do... No love lives to speak of."

She sits back up, smiling wryly. "Goes with the territory, or so I hear. But, thank you for being my first date, Cindy."

Cindy Moon has posed:
"A bunch of newbie scrubs." Cindy confides with a grin, shrugging indifferently. "Is it weird that it makes me feel a little better knowing we're both kind of new at this?" Why wouldn't it right? She too rests her elbows on the edge of the table, folded over one anothr, grinning across at Divine.

"Well, if this goes right, ma- oh god, never mind. Presumptive. Anyways, I'm glad it's with you too." She admits, reaching to gently swat at Divine's hand in what she must have seen as on a television show or in a movie.

"So... What's your favorite movie?"

Divine has posed:
"It certainly doesn't hurt. Makes me feel less awkward. Like you won't notice too bad if I screw up." One of the strongest beings in the world, afraid of making dating faux pas. What else does she have to be afraid of, though?

"Oh no, you can't stop that thought in the middle, I want to hear all of it," she says, smiling. The movie question hits, and she has to stop and think about it. She's watched a lot of movies, because pop culture knowledge helps with the people-ing.

"Honestly, I think it's the original Jurassic Park. ... I identify with the dinosaurs. Created for a purpose, but breaking away to do what comes natural. I get them." A longer pause with a frown. "Is that weird?"

Cindy Moon has posed:
"Even if I were super experienced, I'd make exceptions." Cindy lies because there's no way she can say that without knowing! That's just something people say... but people judge whether they intend to or not. Best intentions and all. Still, she's grinning, so she's clearly enjoying herself.

It's rare someone is as awkward as she is at something. That's refreshing.

"I was just going to say.. if things go well, we'll have a love life. But it's very presumptive and I didn't mean it like it sounds." A long, pronounced, silence follows. Then she clears her throat and shakes her head.

"Jurassic Park. I... no.. No that's not weird at all. You have an interesting perspective of life, it makes perfect sense. It makes my answer kind of lame though." She says with an awkward laugh following, "Mine is probably Night of the Living Dead. A bunch of strangers cast into a house that have no business being together? Can you imagine how awkward that must have been for them? Never mind the zombies."

Divine has posed:
Divine puts on a good front most of the time. She's quite good at the stoic, deep frowning and silent powerhouse act. It's not -her- though. She is awkward as hell, and only really fakes being cool.

Fake it til you make it.

"I hope things go well. You're fun to be around," Divine says with a shy smile. "I dunno. Like, I can never take horror movies seriously, but it might just be because of who and what I am. I keep yelling at the TV for someone to just grab the bad guy and throw him into orbit." A pause. "Not sure I can throw someone that hard, actually. Though, you're right. A bunch of strangers shoved into a place for safety. Recipie for awkward."

Cindy Moon has posed:
Cindy isn't in much different a boat. Aside from the goofy grin she's wearing near constantly right now, anyways. Cool was never something anyone who knows her would attribute. What with her pokemon backpack and love of anime.

But, when in Rome.

"Sure, horror movies have their faults, but that's why I love a Romero film: it's never really about the zombies. I mean, it is... he has Tom Savini to do his make up, but.. like.. the story? It's about human observations. Night of the Living Dead is an observation of classism. Dawn of the Dead is an observation on consumerism. I know it's kind of silly, but there's something to be said for using media to shine light on unapproachable topics."

She grins and shrugs awkwardly. "Not that, say, Disney movies aren't great? I just love it when people use a different kind of form of storytelling to tell a story nobody expected? That feels like high art to me... but what do I know, I'm a twenty year old raised in a bunker."

Divine has posed:
Divine is not really up on too much metaphor yet. She's still pretty naive about art like that. She nods once though, as if she understands. "Right, right. Metaphors for the struggle of humanity against forces it can't really fight against on an individual level."

Once again, fake it til you make it.

"I'm no expert, I was in a vat. Sheltered and only given the basest of learning to survive in the world, but I'd like to think I know feelings. At least my own. Whether art is high or not doesn't matter. What matters is how you feel about it."

Cindy Moon has posed:
"Well... yeah." Cindy is quiet after that lame response, considering the topic.. by considering Divine. She tilts her head and clears her throat when it borders on an awkwardly long stare session. "I think you understand art a lot better than most people do. I say things like 'high art', but I'm just being a poser. You summed it up pretty effectively in a lot less fancy words. It's all about how you feel."

She clears her throat again and shakes her head.

"Usually I pretend to like things other people like so they'll think better of me. I've done it for.. ever. Like I use to try and hang out with all the cliques in High School. Moving between them acting like whatever they were into was very cool. I .. well like I don't do that. I don't want to? I'd rather you just see I'm a huge nerd and think that it's cool."

"That I'm cool."

"I think you're pretty cool."

Divine has posed:
These are experiences that the clone never got. School, dating, fighting for a place in a social hieracrchy. None of it. Grown in a vat and then dumped off as useless garbage because she was too hard to kill. Her time with Emma and out among the masses has taught her so much more about life, how to live it and how -beautiful- it is to be alive. For her, the long pause and stare doesn't seem awkward. Instead, she seems to be studying Cindy's face, taking in the little twitches and shifts that make up her expression.

"I'm glad you don't do that anymore. I think you're pretty cool, whatever that means. You're you, and should be unashamed of it. I wouldn't have asked you on a date if I didn't like it."

She hesitates, cheeks turning the slightest bit pink (which clashes with her eyeshadow). "You're pretty, too."

Cindy Moon has posed:
Cindy wasn't very good at it, clone or not. Trying to navigate social circles? That's for people who have way more confidence than she did at that age. Then she was taken out of the mix at the stage of high school where she'd have, at the very least, begun to understand how life works? It did her no favors.

She meets scrutiny with a grin and a hand slowly sliding across the table to rest her fingers against Divine's knuckles when she's given that compliment. Never mind the encouragements. For whatever all it means.

"I think you're very pretty. I'm glad you asked me on a date." She has all the powers of a spider, but all the rapid heart beat of a twenty year old. It's really exciting!

Divine has posed:
Divine was, at least, programmed with boundless self-confidence. At least about her physical prowess. Her time among the people, though, has taught her that power isn't that important. It's how you treat other people and use your strengths.

The touch to her hand feels a little buzzy. That kind of thing just happens when you're on a date with someone you like. Her smile hasn't left. She does blush a little pinker when Cindy calls her pretty. "Thank you. I'm glad I did too. I don't get out much, it's hard to meet people. I feel very lucky."

Cindy Moon has posed:
Cindy was tought only to fight. For three years that's all she did. All she knew. Anything resembling life was pushed to the side in favor of protecting herself from a threat she didn't even fully understand. All this was well outside her wheelhouse, but damn if she wasn't enjoying it.

She nods to what Divine says, "Me too. I'm also running out of stuff to talk about that's not broaching the awkward stuff about upbringing and bunkers." She murmurs with a glance around the little hole in the wall shop, they ultimately fall back on the Super Clone.

Which is a good time for food! Right?

Food makes things better. Food is the great equalizer.

"So, world class telepath boss? Is she sort of like your mom? Is that okay for me to ask?"

Divine has posed:
Bunker time is never pleasant to talk about. It's generally traumatic or, at least, unpleasant to remember. Luckily, Divine doesn't remember much about her vat time, beyond her creator naming her. Still, that's heavy. Not fun talk.

She'll talk about Emma, though. "I mean, sort of? But also not exactly? When the angel-things attacked New York, I ended up fistfighting a couple of them. One of them hit me with a spear, baseball style, and I crashed down into the engine block of her limo. She talked to me when I got loose and she decided to help me out. To teach me about the world and give me the resources I need to learn in exchange for being some muscle."

She pauses, looking thoughtful. "People say a lot of mean things about Miss Frost, but she's actually very kind and generous, as long as you're polite and respectful."

Cindy Moon has posed:
"I don't know who she is." Cindy admits with a fractionary shrug, but not a dismissive one given the weight of what she's done for Divine. "She sounds pretty swell though? Objectively anyways. I'm sure everyone has different perspective, but if people tried to see the whole picture of things, maybe there'd be a lot less confussion about the reality." Regardless.

She smiles at what Divine explains of her interaction with Emma, "It's good that you've got someone like that. I thik the closet I've got is.. uh.. well.." She peers side to side, making sure nobody is around her, "Spider-Man." Under her breath. Then more conversational, "I mean, there's others, but he was the most understanding in explaining everything? But really nobody that... just accepted? Most people try to pretend that shit that happened.. didn't happen. Which doesn't help me at all?"

Divine has posed:
"I agree with that. If people would think about stuff from the perspective of others, we'd have way less problems and everyone would be happier." A pause, and a bit quieter. "The world would be less cruel."

She's not too surprised that Spider-Man was understanding. She's never met him, but the scuttlebutt from those in the know is that he's a really nice guy. Top notch. "From what I've read, the first step to getting over trauma is acknowledging it happened." Her volume lowers a bit, conspiratorial. "Like me, being discarded, or you, in a bunker. These things happened, and they were terrible. But we're still here."

Cindy Moon has posed:
"Better for it.. if a little bad at this whole social interaction thing." Cindy says, laughing quietly at her own shortcomings with regards to having a regular ol conversation on a regular old date. Suffice that a date can't be regular, simply by dent of her being at it.

It'st he nature of things.

"My therapist keeps telling me I need to address my issues more. Face them head-on instead of standing behind excuses. I don't think this is what she meant... this is suppose to be very exciting and butterflies in the stomach feelings, not discussing our weird up-bringing." She doesn't pull her hand fully away from Divine's, but does pull it back a little towards the center of the table.

"So, like.. hah. What now?"

Divine has posed:
"Who knows what you're suppose to talk about on dates? I mean, sure. Movies, music, pop culture, things to test compatability. That's what average people do, but in case you hadn't noticed, neither of us are average." The quiet volume again, for secret keeping. "I'm a clone, you're a Spider Person." She leans forward, which is quite easy, given how tall she is. "And who says I'm not full of butterflies and just running my mouth to cover up for it?"

What now is the greatest question on the planet. It has infinite answers. She doesn't have them all. "Well. I guess the answer to that is, we could do this again, or not. I would like to, I think. I've had a great time, weird conversation topics or not." She goes quiet again, smiling slyly. "Maybe next time we go find some ... work that needs doing. That'd be a fun date, right?"

Cindy Moon has posed:
"I guess we aren't average and can't be judged by what is, in fact, average." Cindy counters quiet voice with quiet voice of her own. She also leans forward, but she lacks the height that Divine has. So she's really just bending over the table. Which is probably cute? Who even knows. "I'm so full of butterflies." An admission she probably wouldn't have admitted to any other time.

Followed by a big silly grin at the real question, "I would like that very much. Nothing about any of this has been off putting. Just... well... you know.. us'ish." Because it's pretty clear they're both pretty new to this. What with them having said so. "And I think that's a lovely idea. Do what we'd do anyways, but we do it togther instead of alone. That sounds like perfect second date fare."

Divine has posed:
Divine knows, and thinks it's very cute. She likes cute. This has, honestly, been her favorite social interaction of her entire life. It, in fact, beats out stealing stuff and talking crap at Aquaman when she first was set loose.

It's hard to beat making fun of Aquaman.

The big silly grin makes something in the clone's chest melt a bit. An interesting, but not unwanted, sensation. "Then, it's a date. ... I could get used to this dating thing."

Cindy Moon has posed:
Cindy cannot imagine how much enjoyment she would squeeze out of making fun of Aquaman. There are so many questions she has... Some that people already know, some that only she is prevy to, but ultimately that kind of comedic fun writes itself.

Regardless, she's a grinning little fool. "Cool." She murmurs when Divine acknowledge that there shall be date reunions in the future. A silliness that she cannot help being excited about. As old as she is, she knows most people would be past this part of the whole dating initiative, but.. circumstances.

"This dating stuff isn't so hard. If all of them are as easy as this one, anyways. I suppose it could, probably, almost certainly, be the company though."

Divine has posed:
Divine can't help but have her own silly little grin. This is nice, and she feels all fuzzy inside. She's going to float home. ... Okay, she was going to do that anyway, but her heart will float too.

"I think people make it out to be harder than it actually is out of fear. We're brave, though. We have to be, so maybe that made this easier? Or, yeah. The company is great."

The clone stretches her hand out, not like it has far to go, and brushes her fingers atop Cindy's. It's a very slow and deliberate, but almost skittish action.

Cindy Moon has posed:
It's effective. Cindy turns her hand over and spreads her fingers a little against Divine's. A very deliberate action! Grinning across the table. Breaking the personal barrier is one of the first intimate steps! She read that in a web-search. She's a very 'research things first' kind of person.

"So, I watched a dozen romcoms before tonight in preparation. I know that sounds absolutely absurd, but hear me out..." She ticks off the benefits, "It's humorous. They're adorable.. and it's educational. All of those things I try to be in my life, ya know? As a rule.."

She clears her throat. "ANYWAYS. I don't remember where I was going with this. Suffice that I'm in too deep to back out now. So... Can you fly me home? Because I've swung through New York, but I've never FLOWN through New York... and I'd offer to swing you through New York, but I don't think one compares to the other except maybe it does only because there's always split second moments where you think you're going to hit a wall.."

Divine has posed:
Divine smiles really big, her blue eyes glittering in the low light of the hole in the wall restaurant. "You know, I've never flown with anybody else before. I'd be happy to. Way better than an Uber, or the subway." She laughs a little. "For you, you get the princess carry. Swinging's got to be harder, though. I know you're strong enough to carry me, but I'm like, a foot taller than you, it'd have to throw some things off."

The clone ensures that the bill is paid and that the tip is fat. Like, one-hundred percent fat. Service workers are vital and deserve to be paid for it.

Almost reluctantly, she pulls her hand away and stands up, gathering her purse. She slides away from the table and offers Cindy her hand. "Shall we? Your chariot, I mean me, awaits."

Cindy Moon has posed:
Cindy giggles, a very obnoxious sound to her own ears, but one that just popped out before she had a chance to grab hold of it and put it in a god damn head lock of stoicism. "It might, but it'd be worth giving it a shot. Never underestimate the power of my senses to compensate for awkwardness.." Unless it's on a date?

She adds a bit of tip herself, having known this was on EMMA FROST'S black card, but still. She's worked service and she love this restaurant. Seriously, it's been in every scene she's been in!

Once outside she settles her backpack comfortably between her shoulders and wraps an arm around Divine's shoulders. Then she does a little hop, as if she's expecting the woman to catch her easily... which shouldn't be hard because she's pretty damn light. "I live over in Harlem. I'll give you directions once we get a little closer? Don't feel like you have to rush. Unless you want to or whatever... I've never flown before."

Divine has posed:
"We'll have to try it sometime," she says as they make their way outside. She stoops down just a bit, ignoring the weird looks from the New Yorkers around. Because they're New Yorkers. Cindy hops, and Divine catches her easily. Her cheeks flush just a bit again. This is certainly a kind of closeness.

"I'll start off slow so you can get used to it. If you like it, we can go faster."

Despite her desire to make rude people suffer, she doesn't do the shockwave causing takeoff. Instead, she slowly ascends, rising into the sky at a slightly faster pace than an elevator. It takes a moment, but soon enough they float above the relatively short buildings of Chinatown. "Ready?"

She barely waits for assent before she takes off, cruising slightly lower than highway speed above the streets of the city.

Cindy Moon has posed:
She's an agily little thing, that Cindy. In theory she could jump all the way to the roof of the small shop. Which, she doesn't, obviousy, but catching her is made a lot easier by how casually she's able to adjust her body to accomodate it. Not that Divine needs her to, it's all about what she'd usually control easily, but is a little too excited to control now. It's a wonder she DIDN'T leap all the way to the third story...

Suffice that this is, inneed, a kind of closeness. Her cheeks suffer and her grin is silly.

With one arm wrapped around the back of the super beings neck, she nods and glances up at the night sky. "Ready." And she truly is. There's a thrill about it as they begin to the gentle cruise atop the heads of passers by at the speed cars might.

"Do you ever buzz aircraft carriers like in Mavrick?"

Divine has posed:
The cruise is obviously going to be loads faster than doing it the hard way. She's not a slave to gravity or to traffic laws. Slinging through the New York skyline at around fifty miles an hour is not really any faster than the train, except it's a straight shot. Harlem approaches pretty quickly.

"Thought about it, decided I didn't want to get shot in the face by a cannon. That might actually hurt."

Flying is also likely more peaceful than swinging. There's no screaming towards the ground only to rise back up. This is steady, smooth and honestly less wild than it seems. Then again, Divine is keeping it low key. No shockwaves.

Cindy Moon has posed:
This is entirely different! Though it doesnt ruin the thrill of swinging. That is, arguably, Cindy's favorite part of all the spider-stuff: Swinging through New York. making it her personal playground. It's was a unique experience compared to anything she had ever experienced, until just this moment.

Which is weird because she's uncertain whether it's the flying or the arms she's carried in. So she grins at Divine as Harlem rapidly approached, even at a relatively managable speed, and points to a rather 'not impressive' apartment complex near a gentrified park by one of many subway entrances.

"That's me." She says as they aproach. Tightening her grip around Divine's shoulders, perhaps in part, because of the flying. But not ENITRELY because of it. What's the worst that could happen if she fell? Truly?

NOw, she just held her tighter.

"I'm in a strange place where I'm oddly protective of you, even though you may well be one of the toughest people on the planet.. Which makes me feel good that I want to protect someone that much, but also silly since it is absolutely wasted on you... you could punch earth out of orbit... what the heck could I do to stop something that could hurt you?"

Divine has posed:
The half-Kryptonian at least can follow directions, changing her flight path to take them towards the apartments she was pointed at. It seems like as they close, her pace slows, possibly stretching this time out longer.

"That is a strange place, but, well, I like it. It makes me feel all fuzzy," she says, beginning the descent towards the buildings. "And I'm not -that- strong. I can bring buildings down, probably throw a tank, but I can't punch the earth out of orbit. Power Girl, Supergirl and Superman, sure. Not me. But that's fine. I'm strong enough to fly my date home."

Cindy Moon has posed:
"Well, stronger than me, anyways. I think I could through a very small prius." This is the kind of stuff super people talk about on dates. Cindy grins at Divine, noting how their pace has slowed. She is certainly not complaining. If anything she wraps her arms a little tighter and just enjoys those thrilling last few moments before they land.

"I got it pretty cheap, all things considered. There is surprisingly a pretty good housing market for 'oops we thought you were dead, here's some money for living arangements.'." There isn't, but that doesn't come up very often. So she makes the very best out of a pretty crappy experience.

"I feel like we should have lead with swinging. This is going to be hard to top..." This is said in the most good natured of ways, grinning just as goofy as she has been anytime she's done so tonight. "But as far as first dates go... I think you win some pretty big awards. Absolutely top marks."

Divine has posed:
Sadly, as all things do, the flight ends. Divine's boots hit the ground, and instead of immediately setting Cindy down, she just stands there for a moment. She commits this to memory as a joyous occasion and a thing to be emulated in the future. Even if the next date isn't as good, or something happens to prevent further connections, at least she'll have this to think about.

Eventually, she lowers the other girl to the ground, getting her back on her own two feet. She smiles, scuffing the ground with the toe of her boot a little. "This was ... Thank you. I won't forget this, no matter how things go between us." She hesitates for a moment, biting her lip.

"Can ... Can I kiss you goodnight?

Cindy Moon has posed:
If there is any concern at all for how long she's held, Cindy does a piss poor job of showing it. She clings to Divine, not so much as she's concerned for her life now, since they've land, and more because she doesn't want to let go. But, like the flight, and the moment, it must end.. and she sets her sneakers down on the sidewalk with both hands sliding down to smooth out her skirt.

It's the polite thing to do.

Her smile flickers a little hearing that, "I'm hoping it... like.. I want to do this again. I don't want you to leave, but I know you have to." She brings her hand up to rest it on the much taller woman's shoulde, peering up at her at that last question.

"I was really really hoping you would.."

Divine has posed:
For possibly the second time in her life, Divine is terrified. As she awaits Cindy's answer to her question, and the rest of it, her stomach ties itself in knots. Luckily, the answer is good news. It's what she wants. More than she hoped for.

As soon as it flees, the terror is back. The nerves. She's never kissed anyone before! She's not quite sure the rules. She draws a deep breath to steady herself, and really just copies what she's seen on the TV. She steps closer, invading Cindy's space in an immediate fashion. One hand lifts, two fingers under the shorter girl's chin to tilt it up. Blue eyes meet dark for a moment before she leans down. It feels like forever and an instant at the same time, her nervousness sending mixed signals. It seems so agonizingly slow, to take hours for her head to traverse that foot of distance.

When it does finally finish, their lips meet. It's a chaste thing, soft and delicate and yet somehow electric. Divine's eyes close for the handful of seconds that it lasts. To her, it feels like days.

Cindy Moon has posed:
The fact that Cindy's Silk Senses are going off is more about how nervous she is than any real threat of violence or danger. It's the first time she's ever ignored them, to be clear. The alarm bells ringing in her head like an alarm clock and she's staring up at Divine in those agonizingly slow seconds that tick off as she leans ever closer towards her.

It might not be her first kiss.

She really can't even remember.

But it is the first one she was excited about. The first one that wasn't 'well, we should get this out of the way' and was more about wanting to do something. So in that, at least, this is arguably more important. Definitely something she's unlikely to forget.

When those seconds fall away and their lips press together, Cindy sighs. She too closes her eyes and tries to find something to do with her hands... which is always really awkward anyways. So she puts them on Divine's waist, where they can't do any harm. Or just hang their at her side like idiots! Stupid idiot hands.

Divine has posed:
All things must end, though in this instance, it's hopefully just an extended pause. The clone eventually pulls away, breaking the kiss and straightening. Her expression slips to a kind of dopey smile and she just stares into space for a moment.

"Wow. ... That was nice."

This was her first kiss, and it was everything she hoped it would be and more. She doesn't want to leave either, but she knows she should. There will be time to stay, but it's not now. "I don't really want to leave either, but... I shouldn't stay. I don't want to move too fast. I mean, I want to, but...we shouldn't."

The longer she stands here, the more likely it is her will fails her. With great, great reluctance, she takes a step back, and then another. It looks like it pains her. With a thought, her feet are off the ground. "I loved every moment of this night. I will treasure it forever." She smiles. "I'll call you. Promise."

She starts to ascend before she can change her mind, before she can go back and get another kiss, or she'll never leave.

Cindy Moon has posed:
Cindy goes up on her tip-toes to kiss Divine's chin when that moment ends and the silence begins. At least the temporary silence. It's quick, it doesn't linger nearly as long as that first, but it's expressive enough of her intent.

"Yeah.." Two fingers reach up to tuck black hair behind her small ear, her head bowed a little, and a little grin on her face. "That was very nice."

Again she looks up, tenatively taking a step back with the feeling inside her stomach being one of excitement that there will be more to come, but fear that things might stand in the way and change that. "I know.. I.. want you to stay, but you're right." She is right.

Her hands slowly fall down off Divine's steps back. "Do, please.. Anytime. Like tonight, you can text me tonight."

That might have been too eager. She bites her inner cheek and laughs, "Or not, you don't have to. You know what I mean, it's okay if you do, but not expected..." She swallows a lump and her throat and watches her float up into the sky.

Fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. If she doesn't got, if she flies back... She smiles up at Divine and nods. "Tonight was great."

Divine has posed:
Even as she starts to rise higher, there are moments of hesitation. Her path hitches when she stops, almost deciding to drop back to the ground even though she knows it's a bad idea. Well, not a bad one, but an unwise one. Moving too fast can ruin things before they even have a chance to start. She was happy tonight, so happy. She refuses to risk losing it before she even has it.

Before she's high enough to blend into the dark, Divine lifts one hand in a wave. "I'll text you when I get home. Good night, Cindy."

A moment of stillness, and then she's gone, blasting across the night sky like some kind of Goth Rocket.

About twenty minutes later, Cindy's phone goes off. It's a text, very simple and only an emoji.

'<3'

Cindy Moon has posed:
Cindy doesn't retreat into her apartment. She stands there watching the super being rise up slowly into the air with that same silly grin. Clutching at the straps of her backpack. That's the best place for them right now. It's only once Divine has become a small object far if in the distance of the sky that she finally starts up to her apartment.

Sighing to herself as she undoes the locks to her studio and slips off her backpack to rest somewhere on the back of a couch or chair. Only caring about its placement until she's retrieved her phone to head into the bathroom to wash her face.

Which is just about the time it chirps and she sees the emoji.

And the grinning starts all over again, eagerly bringing it up to respond way too quickly.

'<3 <3'

...

...

'talk to you tomorrow'