14848/Unicorns in The Bronx

Unicorns in The Bronx
Date of Scene:	05 May 2023
Location:	The Bronx, NYC
Synopsis:	Phoebe invites Irie West to meet Archaeon, the remaining unicorn from The Ringmaster's Merry-Go-Wrong who was too corrupted to return to his home. There is conversation, pears, A Star Wars, and head-pettings... sort of. Phoebe reads The Hobbit.
Cast of Characters:	Phoebe Beacon, Irie West

---

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    It might have started when there was discussion over the fact that Phoebe had dealt with a trio of unicorns, under the control of a being called the Headmaster, who had been bound to be controlled and power a mechanation known as the Merry-go-Wrong. And while two unicorns had been returned to their native plane -- notably, not Faerie -- the third had opted to remain in New York, using its abilities to remain hidden in a section of the Bronx Botanical Garden.

    It had reached Phoebe that Bart's cousin had wanted to meet the unicorn, so one day, while waiting outside a nearby subway station, Phoebe had texted Irie's number:

    >Hey, going to see the Unicorn today. Do you want to meet him?

Irie West has posed:
    >OMG YES I'LL BE RIGHT THERE
    is the immediate answer and then, after a few seconds:
    >WHERE ARE YOU?

    After the location is given, it only takes Irie a matter of minutes to get there from her room up in the Titan's tower. There's a blur of yellow and red, with crackling Speed Force lightning in its wake and suddenly there's an excited Irie standing before Phoebe.

    "Hi!" she says bouncing on her feet, unable to contain her enthusiasm. "I can't believe I'm actually going to meet a real live unicorn. Thank you //so much// for letting me see it! I'd give you a hug but if I remember correctly you don't like hugs so I won't so I'll just think huggy thoughts at you, unless you don't like //those// in which case I won't do those either." She grins and claps her hands, "I'm so excited!"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe is used to Bart. Speedsters are, incidentally, some of her favorite people. Not only do they not ever complain about the food served, but they also tend to be the biggest hearted people to boot.

    Which is why she had no problem inviting them to her shenanigans.

    >Outside the Bronx Bedford Park Station. Wearing a red sweatshirt.

    And when Irie arrives, she would find Phoeb is indeed wearing a washed-out red sweatshirt with WAYNE ENTERPRISES up the side of one arm. Her hair is under a skullcap at the moment, but she gives a smile as Irie hardly can be blamed for getting enthusiasm all over the place.

    "You can think huggy thoughts at me, that's all right. Touching me's kinda... yeah. You might have to ask Bart about that sometime." she smiles.

    Because if it wasn't for Bart, the Outsiders might not have found her.

    She hitches her backpack up a little higher, and grabs a canvas sack of groceries.

    "So there's a couple of rules. He's big, and might not show himself if there's a lot of people around since it makes him harder to hide. He also doesn't look like Amalthea, or any of the ah... kinda classic unicorns, so don't be surprised." she states. "He's also not from our reality."

Irie West has posed:
    Irie, herself, is dressed true to form in a kind of casual cosplay of her costume. She's got jeans on, and red sneakers, and a white t-shirt that has the Flash logo emblazoned on the front, over which she's wearing the leather jacket Donna gave her for her birthday last year. Her red hair is bound into a ponytail by a red scrunchie and goggles are strapped to her head.

    She squeezes her eyes shut and squinches her face for a moment. When she opens her eyes she says, "Okay. Huggy thoughts sent." Leave it to Irie to actually send huggy thoughts Phoebe's way.

    "Okay. He's big and shy. Got it," she says after listening to Phoebe. "And not from our reality. I've been to other worlds and Wonderland, and there was this one time the Tower was trapped in Donna's dream which made all the directions go all wonky. So I think I can handle that."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Yeah I can get that. One time I healed the cat and all the influx of Light and Holy to replacing his spleen and liver triggered the pastoral sequence from Fantasia. I never, ever, ever want to see all of the Titans in Greek Nymph dress again." Phoebe comments. "Other than being to the Silver City and side-stepping to some sort of bee dimension, I mostly keep to being a homebody. I'm pretty boring." Phoebe replies, slipping to a side-gate that she's already picked the lock to, and she slides it open, holding it for Irie.

    "What's it like, being in the Titans?"

Irie West has posed:
    Irie quickly steps through the side gate, not saying anything about how Phoebe picked the lock. If anything it just adds to the sense of adventure.

    "It's ... like family," Irie says after some thought. "Then again, my experience of what family is consists of //The Flash// and my super powered twin brother going on adventures together so... it's not much different than that. Donna is that cool aunt who spoils me, and I let her, and I've got my cousin, Bart who actually //is// family. Terry, Kian, and Gar are kind of like brothers to me. Cait is one of those stern but loving stepmothers (don't tell her I said that, please) and Raven is like that weird Goth sister that you never really know how to relate to."

    "It's like a home away from home." She pauses as she realizes something. "Wait. You know I'm from the future, right? Came to the past accidentally, so I don't really have any other home to go to. The Titans were quick to adopt me, though, and as much as I want to go back to be with my family, I'd end up losing //this// family which I don't really want to do either."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I know you're from the future. Bart explained some of it to me. I don't get some of the science behind it, but I've been in a 'time slip' where I temporarily was a ghost in the past." Phoebe explains as she guides Irie along a path. It's not well-worn, and there is a bit of overgrowth that she ducks under.

    "They're an interesting bunch. I used to know Terry pretty well." Phoebe comments, and then she makes a left, onto a better worn path into the last section of old growth. The trees are spread out pretty far here, plenty of room to move around, even if you're big.

    "But I do know a lot about finding family. Been part of a few."

Irie West has posed:
    Irie just shrugs and says, "Speed Force," as if that's all the explanation you need to understand her time travel which, considering how little anybody knows about it, is probably enough.

    "Yeah? Terry's cool," she says, jamming her hands into her coat. "Weird, but cool. Good friend to have, though. They all are. Who's your family now?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Ah, of course. The Speed Force. I reckon it's a bit like when I shrug and go 'Magic'." Phoebe jokes.

    "They're a bit all over the place. Tim, of course. Austin. I have an adopted Jewish Aunt who has partially healed my heart with baked goods, I swear by it." she gives a small smile, and then the smile turns sad.

    "I don't really fit in, though, the last time I felt that I really fit was --" she begins, and she pauses a moment.

    "We're almost there." she announces, and comes off the trail.

    Down through some ferns that are just reopening after a cold snap, she plucks a few of the immature fiddleheads as she goes down the hill, towards a mossy clearing where a babbling brook provides cover to block out the sound of the city beyond. Birds are singing here, and the sunlight strikes in just the right way to catch motes of dust.

Irie West has posed:
    A scowl pulls at Irie's lips when Phoebe talks about her family. "Well, you're always welcome to come to the Tower and hang out with me," she says. "Me and Bart will vouch for you."

    She turns reverently silent when she's warned that they're almost there. She keeps herself a few steps behind Phoebe, careful with her steps and trying not to make any noise. You know, to keep from spooking the unicorn.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I don't think that would be a good idea; the Titans tend to frown upon visitors who retained plans to kill one of their members." Phoebe states matter of factly.

    Nevermind that Batman has plans to kill *everyone* because he is Batman.

    Phoebe pulls up the sleeves of her sweatshirt, showing a slowly healing discoloration on her left forearm as she kneels down to the water, a pool formed from an overgrown concrete basin.

    "Here, look in the water first. See the reflection on the other side is empty. And I know sometimes it's hard for speedsters to be patient." she gives a slight smile to Irie.

    "But this is worth it."

    Phoebe then reaches out and dips her fingers into the pool.

    "Archaeon, there's someone I'd like you to meet." she whispers to the water.

    The water ripples, as if a great breath was crossing over it, and in the rippling the reflection appears.

    Archaeon, the Flamebound, is dark in color, dappled with bluish hues on his black-gray coat. His eyes were blackened with age, his horn the same blue as a hot-burning propane flame. His mane was slightly scraggly, still growing in after aeons of neglect, his tail like that of a lion and horse, drawing in curiosity to the side as his form seems to come into being, looking curiously at the speedster.

Irie West has posed:
    Irie frowns at the news that Phoebe had planned on killing at Titan, and tries to figure out who it might have been. She doesn't ask though.

    She looks down at the pool and nods. "Okay," she says, her voice low, and kneels down to peer into it. It //really// takes a lot to keep her from fidgeting, and she //has// been practicing being patient, but she //really// wants to see the unicorn, so this is the most still she's been in... well... perhaps her entire life. It's //hard//.

    She peers into the pool and once she manages to still herself she sees what it is that Phoebe is talking about. One would expect to see her own reflection when gazing upon the still water but there isn't much of anything.

    That is, until there is. Her eyes go wide when Archaeon appears, awed by his presence despite being a little worse for wear. This was an honest-to-goodness unicorn in front of her. "Woah," she says reverently. "Hello."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The unicorn is big. Draft horse big. Taller at the shoulder than Irie is tall. There's a soft snort as the dark eyes seem to look at her, and through her, warmth filling the little clearing as steam rises off his flanks.

    "Irie, this is Archaeon." Phoebe introduces the massive creature, "Archaeon, this is Irie. She's a friend of mine, and she's safe." she introduces the speedster, and then sits back on the moss.

    The unicorn looks to Irie for a moment more, drawing his head down until they're nearly eye-to-eye across the stream.

    <Greetings, Irie.> comes a deep, rich voice, bass on reverb as it shakes through Phoebe's chest.

Irie West has posed:
    Irie was warned that Archaeon wouldn't be the kind of unicorn you'd see in most media. She didn't know what to expect when Phoebe told her this but having a massively //huge// unicorn wasn't exactly it. Eyes still wide with wonder she breathes as she stands, "Wow. He's //beautiful.//"

    When the unicorn speaks to her she blinks, and blushes a little bit. "I mean, //you're// beautiful. Hello." Her hand lifts up and reaches out as if by its own will but she manages to catch it in time before it touches him. "I want to pet you," she says, her voice still awed and deferential. "Can I pet you?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe looks panicked a moment as Irie immediately asks to pet the unicorn that nearly took out Captain America.

    Archaeon, however, seems amused. His smallish ears prick forward at the question, and there's a slight widening of his eyes, the massive, cloven hooves that appear to be made of ebony wood and onyx paw at the moss a moment in consideration, and he settles to his knees, separated from the two humans by the water, and then lays down, sinking heavily into the moss and ferns on his side.

    <Would you pet another human upon meeting them the first time?> he inquires, voice sounding curious at the question.

    "Given her family, that answer might be a yes." Phoebe replies.

Irie West has posed:
    "I've hugged people the first time I've met them," Irie answers, but still keeping her distance. The unicorn hasn't given her permission yet, so she's going to respect the space. "I mean, if you want a hug, I kinda want to do that too. I like hugs. Phoebe doesn't, but that's because she's got trauma." Her eyes go wide. "Oh my gosh. Do you have trauma, too? It's okay if you do. I'll //totally// respect your boundaries."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    " - Irie--" Phoebe begins, physically wincing, sitting up a bit from her place in the moss.

    A blue and black butterfly flits around in the air about them for a moment before choosing to land on Irie's head to rest. Maybe it likes her hair.

    Archaeon seems to consider the question for a moment.

    <Trauma. Yes. I was held captive for many years. And forced to draw in others to dark fates. It still burns within me. The fire.> the unicorn explains in its deep bass voice.

    <It seems as if trauma is a uniting force with the young heroes of this world.>

Irie West has posed:
    Irie's eyes go crosseyed when the butterfly hands on her forehead. She reaches up with a finger to gently coax it onto that before, just as gently, depositing it on her shoulder.

    Irie scowls as Archaeon explains. "I'm sorry that happened to you," she says. And she means it with all her heart! "Nobody should be forced to do evil things. Especially creatures like you. Is there anything I can do to help? I... can't do much. Magically, I mean. But I //am// a hero, and I've got lots of friends, I'm sure I could do //something//."

    "Trauma can bring us together, true. But so can friendship!" she says brightly. "And love! And shared interests like Star Wars and board games. It's sad that trauma can bring people together, but shared hurt can help them heal, and sometimes being with people who aren't that hurt can help them heal, too!"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    <Thank you, Irie, but as far as I know the spirit known as The Ringmaster has long been dispatched. Your cheery nature is welcome, though. Much suffering have I witnessed in so many over many years.> Archaeon replies gently to the speedster, with patience reserved for a being so old. <. . . what is a Star Wars and Board Game?> he inquires, his ears coming forward, little goatee beard flicking in the wind as he regards Irie with curiosity, keeping with conversation.

Irie West has posed:
    "Oh! Right! You probably don't know what those are." Irie squinches her eyes as she tries to think of how to explain these things to a being who probably doesn't even know what a photograph is. "Okay. So. Star Wars is the name given to a series of... well, the easiest way to think of them are plays about a..." How do you magical science fiction set in the past? "A series of wars that takes place among the stars using magic and fantastical machines. It's about a lineage that runs through the wars and how their importance effects the wars, shaping their outcome. It's about destiny, redemption, good versus evil, that kind of thing.

    "Board games are games that are played on a thin piece of wood with designs on them and little pieces." She pauses. "Kinda. Some of them are. That's where their name comes from, but it also means card games, and, really, any other game that you sit down with your family and friends at a table and play." She giggles a little bit, "If you're willing to meet with me again, I can bring one and me and Phoebe can play it so you can get an idea. I mean... I'd teach it to you but without any hands I'm not really sure how you'd be able to play."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe just leans back in the moss again, and breathes out, crisis fully adverted as Irie and Archaeon continue their conversation. The Unicorn's ears swivel about, though one is always directed at Irie as she speaks, explaining both Star Wars and Board Games.

    And the unicorn gives a soft wicker of consideration as Phoebe reaches into the canvas bag of groceries, and withdraws some pears.

    One she offers to Irie, and the other leaves her hand, bobbing through the air towards Archaeon, who then monches on said pear.

    <I am sure between the three of us, we can find a solution for both the Star Wars and the Board Games.> the unicorn states with amusement.

Irie West has posed:
    Irie perks up. "Really?" The unicorn wants to watch Star Wars and play board games! "I mean, yeah. We can be kinda creative that way." Already she's bouncing in excitement. "I can bring my laptop and we can show you Star Wars on it! And then I can get one of Maddie's..." she trails off her excitement dimming, thinking about how her best friend is now in California and is missing all of this. "Aw man. Maddie. I'm sure she'll let me borrow something that we can jury rig something together for you to be able to play."

    She looks at the pear in her hand, and waits patiently for Archaeon to finish his, before reaching over and offering him hers, palm flat like how Bart taught her to feed horses. "Want another one?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    <I believe that was meant to be your snack.> Archaeon replies, although the pear lifts out of Irie's hand, and bobs in the air towards the massive unicorn before he monches it out of the air. He doesn't seem too bothered by much here, and then he draws to a stand, slowly, stretching his thick limbs before he saunters a bit to the right, where the stream that feeds the pool is thinner, and lopes over it with ease. In spite of his apparent size there doesn't seem to be much disturbance as he saunters towards the teens, and then re-folds himself behind them. He is very warm, like standing close to a bonfire. And he smells of woodfire and cinnamon as he settles down near Phoebe and Irie.

    <It is probably more comfortable to lean against me.> he determines, and gives a snuff outwards. </If/ you would like. Phoebe has been reading to me from a book, if you care to join and listen.>

    "I finished the last one." Phoebe states as she shores up against the mighty beast's flank, and she pulls another book from the bag, giving a small smile. "So we're starting on one of my favorites."

Irie West has posed:
    "Oh! Well. I don't mind sharing it with you," Irie says. "Besides, one pear won't do much for me. I'd go through, like, a //bushel// before I'm satisfied." She blushes a little bit and rubs the back of her head. "I'm a speedster. I... um... have a high metabolism and have to eat a lot."

    "Ooh! Which book?" she asks, her curiosity piqued. She moves and settles down next to the unicorn, leaning up against him, squelching the instinct to pet him. "I like reading, though I have to make myself slow down, or else I'll go through a book in a matter of seconds."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I think as soon as I begin, everyone knows precisely what book I'm reading." Phoebe gives a small smile, the well-worn book's spine no longer showing its title, pages dog-eared from DISRESPECT TO BOOKS, PHOEBE as the two humans lean against the extra-planar spirit, who just HAPPENED to take the form of a draft horse with cloven hooves and a blue horn, its lion's tail flicking a little before it settles over Phoebe's lap.

    If permitted, Archaeon settles his head over Irie's. It's not a pat, but it's more touch than he normally allows. The butterfly on her shoulder is utterly undisturbed as Phoebe flips to the first page.

    "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." Phoebe begins, her nose wrinkling a moment, "Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort..."