14427/Rainbows In The Park

Rainbows In The Park
Date of Scene:	15 March 2023
Location:	Battery Park City
Synopsis:	A chance meeting in Battery park leads to Karolina Dean and Julie Power taking a rainbow flight
Cast of Characters:	Julie Power, Karolina Dean

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Julie Power has posed:
The afternoon had been a little rainy, but as the early evening breaks, the sun breaks through the clouds, casting rainbows over the bay visible from Battery Park. Watching said rainbows from a bench is Julie, leaning back against the backrest, smiling some. The day before she had a beatdown with Klaw, and ending quite deafened. Today she was all good again, humming the music titled The Flesh Failures, but better known by the lyrics.

    We starve, look at one another, short of breath
    Walking proudly in our winter coats
    Wearing smells from laboratories
    Facing a dying nation
    of moving paper fantasy
    Listening for the new told lies
    With supreme visions of lonely tunes
    Somewhere, inside something there is a rush of
    Greatness, who knows what stands in front of
    Our lives, I fashion my future on films in space
    Silence tells me secretly
    Everything...

Yes, she's humming what everybody calls Let the Sunshine In.

Karolina Dean has posed:
Life is hard sometimes, even when you've technically got it all. Money, loving relationships, people that care. Even then, you can feel down and dfeated for no reason at all. Even if you don't really have brain chemistry to cause it. Sometimes the rain just falls too hard and it makes your heart ache. Sometimes you want to wallow in it.

This is what brought Karolina out. This sense of heart squeezing melancholy. She left a note for Nico and Molly, grabbed her raincoat and walked out. She's been walking since. Whether the rain slowed to a drizzle or was in a brief downpour, the former Runaway walked.

Thusly, she finds herself in Battery Park, lost in her own mind and looking like a drowned rat. So much in her own head, that she moves to walk past Julie without a flicker of recognition.

Julie Power has posed:
Stretching on her seat on the bench, just as some actual rays of sun grace the park with illuminated spots, Julie starts to sing the refrain of the old song stuck in her head. "Let the sunshine... let the sunshine in..."
But for the fact that she actually is known to be a heroine from young age, she wears normal clothes fitting the weather, and gets up on her feet when Karolina is almost passed. "Hey, aren't you Karolina Dean?" she asks, offering a smile.

Karolina Dean has posed:
Karolina, when spoken to, stops suddenly. Her whole body jerks in surprise at being spoken to, and she looks at Julie. Honestly, Karolina looks like hell. The rainwater didn't do her hair any favors as it hangs down in dripping strings. Her face is wet, almost like she was crying, but that's hard to tell since it was raining.

She squints a little, almost seeming to recognize Julie. "That's me," she says, not at all her usual chipper self. "You're ... one of the Power Pack, right?"

Julie Power has posed:
Julie Power nods as she is recognized. "Indeed. Julie Power. Lightspeed, if you know the Power Pack, and you seem to do. Just... gosh, I loved that dress you wore on the dean foundatioun fundraiser. I wouldn't have thought to see you in the park to... look at rainbows?" she offers, searching her pocket a moment. "Do you need a hankerchief? The weather did bad things to your makeup..." she offers gently.

Karolina Dean has posed:
Karolina didn't even think about how ghastly her makeup must look. She looks away for a moment. "T-thanks," she says. "About the dress and the hanky," she says quietly. "I could ... just go. I didn't mean to bother you. I just don't feel very...rainbow today."

That earns a harsh bark of a laugh from her, and a shake of her head. She turns to go, but not very quickly.

Julie Power has posed:
Julie offers a smile, but doesn't quite let Karolina go as she admits to not feel rainbowy. "It's ok. We all have bad days. I mean, I faced a lot. If you don't mind, I'd tag along, ok? I mean, really if you don't mind."

Karolina Dean has posed:
Karolina hesitates. A big part of her wants to be alone. To wallow and walk and, yes, cry by herself. Especially since she can't pinpoint -why- she feels this way. It's like the clouds of the day have enshrouded her heart and refuse to leave.

On the other hand, talking it out is always good, and it's sometimes easier to do with a stranger than a friend. Nico's busy with ... witch things, Molly's busy with school, and then there's just her.

"O-okay. Sure."

Julie Power has posed:
Falling in line next to Karolina, Julie slowly will acompany her through the park, at first just silently and offering gentle smiles, but then she offers to talk. "Something going on? I mean, if you want to tell... Or if you want some help. Or just... icecream? Maybe... oh! Have you ever chased a rainbow? It's fun! I could take you to see what's out there at the edge of the rainbow or if we can catch it!"

Karolina Dean has posed:
"It's... Nothing is really going on," Karolina starts as they move through the park. "I just woke up today and felt sad. It happens to everybody, doesn't it?" She sighs, shaking her head. "My girlfriends are busy, and I didn't want to burden them with my ... issues, so I just took a walk in the rain." She smiles a little bit. 'It didn't make me feel better. Just cold and wet."

Lina tilts her head slightly. Her expression isn't suspicious, but a little questioning. "Why...why are you being so nice to me? We just met," she says. "And, well, chasing rainbows is fun, but I've never caught one."

Julie Power has posed:
Julie Power says, "Well, on one hand... you're seem to be a nice girl, and I care for nice people. Also, you look like you need something to cheer you up and I can help that. That's what heroes are for, right? Helping?" Julie offers in her answer, offering a hand to Karolina.

"With a car or something? If you're ok with it, I can give you a hand and show you the rainbow from above. Or maybe a glance up to above the clouds? They're low today.""

Karolina Dean has posed:
Karolina looks at Julie's extended hand, smiling a bit mysteriously. "No, not with a car." She holds her own hand out, and a medical alert bracelet dangles from her wrist. "And I love to help people. It's fulfilling in ways I can't really describe."

She scrubs her eyes with one hand before reaching over to the clasp of her bracelet, looking upwards. She undoes the bracelet, tugging it off and stuffing it into her pocket. The change is immediate. Her hair steams, the water evaporating as her whole body shifts from looking human to luminescent bio plasma. In a near instant, Karolina floats inches off the ground, a living rainbow.

"Race you," she says before she rockets upwards.

Julie Power has posed:
"It really is," Julie answers when Karolina mentions helping people, then looking at the medical bracelet. "Oh, do you have like..." she tries to find works to ask about what medical condition she might have, just before she takes it off to turn into a glowing corona of a rainbow to dart up.

"No way you get away with that!" She remarks after her before darting up with her telltale rainbow trail, attempting to catch Karolina.

Karolina Dean has posed:
Lina rockets upwards, but she holds her speed back just a little. She wants Julie to be able to catch up, and she's not sure if the other young lady is as fast as she is. For all she knows, Julie could be faster. Either way, she already feels better. Just transforming and flying has that effect.

"Try and keep up, Julie!" She laughs, a pure and genuine sound of joy. It's infectious.

Julie Power has posed:
Julie Power giggles as she speeds along, even pulling a few pirouettes and corkscrews around Karolina's starstreak trail with her rainbow one. Rainbows over the bay? Humbug, there's a literal rainbow lightshow over Battery park, inside the zone off-limits to helicopters and aircraft, making it even decently safe. "There's no way you can leave me in the dust." Julie claims, chuckling as she is darting along. "Just stay clear of the the speed of sound, to not break the windows."

Karolina Dean has posed:
Lina can't help but giggle. Being herself, being free to fly and shine. She should have just done this in the first place. It always makes her feel better.

"Right, right," she calls back to Julie. "No breaking windows."

Still, she goes a little faster, shooting up into the clouds, passing through them until she bursts from the top, into the sun, in a wash of mist.