16215/Just Some Window Shopping

Just Some Window Shopping
Date of Scene:	30 October 2023
Location:	New York City
Synopsis:	Essix meets up with Gar while window shopping.
Cast of Characters:	Essix, Gar Logan

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Essix has posed:
The chilly weather of autumn in New York has people wearing heavier coats, boats, and rushing from place to place to get out of the cold. To Essix however, it seemed that the temperature meant nothing. She had taken the hyperloop to New York City, money in her pocket in case she actually wanted to buy something, but really it was just another trip out to watch people and learn things.

It had been her intent to find a good location and settle in to watch people passing, but shortly after leaving the train, she had heard three giggling females talking about shopping for costumes and decided to follow them. When they went into a seasonal Halloween store, the little alien lost interest in what they were doing... there was window after window of clothing. She'd seen these windows many times in the spring and summer, but now they were displaying winter clothing, as well as suggestions for Halloween costumes.

Her interest was piqued, and so she decided to move slowly from window to window and memorize everything on display.

Gar Logan has posed:
Among those looking around is one Garfield Logan, today wearing a hoodie and pants over the usual things. Costume shops and things of that nature line the street, some catering to certain styles over others, and he takes on a crooked grin at some thought or another based on a few things he sees. Probably thinking about others and how they'd look, or just himself.

A couple times already, he's stopped by a few people who recognize him and want a picture with him, an autograph, that sort of thing. Cheerfully obliging, it sure beats any reactions that could swing the other way.

Essix has posed:
Maintaining a human form around humans, Essix was dressed in a pair of black jeans with black leather ankle boots, a plain button front shirt of blue tucked in to the waist and over it, merely to keep up appearances, she had on a dark blue sweat jacket with hood. The one part about her that still remained a challenge was her face, which always caused people to stare or look away in disgust, but she never appeared to notice or care.

Pausing in front of a large window filled with costumes, her head tilted slightly as she took notice of just how different these were. She was only able to really look for a moment when she caught the reflection of someone she knew in the window. Turning, she looked to ensure the reflection had been accurate then bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet.

"Gar!" she nearly screamed cheerfully, already waving like a mad woman in his direction to ensure he could see her... he heard her, the entire block heard her. "Over here!"

Gar Logan has posed:
A somewhat familiar voice that's impossible to miss, considering it's shouted loudly enough that others are looking in the direction of where it came from. Gar flinches at first, an initial reaction suggesting being used to someone yelling like that for less positive reasons.

"Who..? I didn't do it. It wasn't me!" he starts out saying, until the waving is picked out. "Ah, another one of my adoring fans," the green one quips, then after a little squinting in her direction his head tilts. "Is that..?" the Titan asks himself.

Essix has posed:
Continuing to wave, Essix remains exactly where she is. Nighwing has taught her that when you see someone you know, you don't sprint to them and hug them like she really wanted to do, you waved and waited for a response. If they chose not to approach, which would break her heart, she had to accept it and go about her business. If they chose to come over, then she could offer a hug, but not immediately pounce and give one.

Her voice and tone are cheerful, albeit loud enough to shake teeth, "How have you been?!"

Gar Logan has posed:
Garfield Logan finally thinks to return the wave, though he grimaces at the volume of the words. Another wave is made to invite her over closer. "I'm good! You don't have to shout! I can hear you just fine!" he answers. One might think otherwise as he looks around swiftly, an apologetic smile sent at a few others, teeth briefly clenched.

That's right, she was trying to learn about, well, fitting in around others. There are careful ways to ask about that without giving away too much, so he asks her in return, "What about you? It's been a while since last time."

Essix has posed:
There is was, the invite. Essix literally sprints over to him and skids to a stop just a few inches away, and does not hug him. She is capable of picking up on cues, and sees that he seems upset by her calling out, and looking to others so she offers a slightly less loud, "Sorry! I will be quieter now."

After that her attention goes right back to Gar, a huge smile on her face. "I am doing quite well Gar, thank you for asking." is offered in a cheerful, normal volume tone. "I have learned a great deal from my mentor, and have started attending a human school to learn more accurately how to interact with others. Are you well?"

Gar Logan has posed:
Garfield Logan does offer a hug. He's one of those kinds. A hugger. "Good," he says more softly. "It sounded like you were trying to get the whole city's attention. I guess it worked around here." Then he can't help but grin back at her smile. "You are? That's..good? And you can say you're just going to a school. That's going all right, then?"

He fields the question, saying, "Oh, me? Good enough. I was just looking around for some things before Halloween. Do you know anything about that yet?"

Essix has posed:
Stepping into hug him, Essix is careful to maintain just the right amount of pressure in the hug and only hold it for five Mississippi's. As she steps back, the grin on her distorted face could not get any broader.

"I apologize for the volume," she offers first. "I was not sure if you would hear me or not, I will work on that for the future."

Another bounce, she takes one of his hands to hold and even pets the back of it. "I have only been at the school for a short time, and am still adjusting, but so far it has been a wonderful experience! There is so much more to learn than I thought, and it is not just about words on a screen. Some things require interaction."

Since she had his hand, she gave it a slight tug, "There are some very interesting Halloween costumes over here. I was just looking at them, and failing to understand how they were costumes. Those I have seen in the past were more... well, how do I say?" She pauses, walking toward the window if he follows, other wise still tugging on his hand. "Most I have seen are characters from movies, books, cartoons, that sort of thing."

After an unrequired breath, she keeps speaking, "I observed Halloween last year, watching children in costumes go from place to place to beg for candy, but I do not understand the purpose behind it."

Gar Logan has posed:
Garfield Logan also keeps the embrace copacetic, two friends sharing a moment. That sort of thing. "Good, yeah. Or you could feel free to approach someone you recognize and just say hi that way, too. Unless they're really moving away from you and you have to get their attention quickly, of course." An attempt to explain, to educate.

"And..yeah, you can learn a lot of stuff like that. It'll be good for you to, you know, observe people and find out about everything," he adds, letting her know, "I never really got to go to school like normal people. I had to be taught privately."

He glances down at his hand being held, the forward approach with it feeling nice on some level, enough that he flashes another brief grin, fingers felt to flex slightly. "Oh, yeah. That's what most of the costumes are. There are even Beast Boy costumes, Titans costumes. And the whole candy thing is kind of, uh, complicated. You can look it up online if you want. It's all there. So you saw something interesting?"

Essix has posed:
As she walks Essix keeps her hold on his hand. She wasn't entirely sure why, she merely enjoyed the feel of his hand in hers, now that she could actually /feel/ things correctly with her faux human skin.

"Oh, so it is acceptable to walk up to someone you know? I was not certain of that," she explains with a nod. "I will remember that, and perhaps do a little more studying on the topic... and I will not call across the street again."

Just as quickly as the wind turns over a leaf, she is on to the next topic in her head. "There are Beast Boy costumes," she giggles, looking up at him in the moment. "That must be strange for you, to see yourself on other people. As for the candy, I know that children enjoy it. I have watched them consuming it regularly, I merely assumed that the costumes were an excuse to beg for it from strangers. I will look it up when I get home though."

Pointing now to the window, she tugs at his hand again, even though he's already walking. "See, these are quite strange costumes comparatively, are they not?"

Gar Logan has posed:
Garfield Logan doesn't give much of a second thought to the hands. For someone who's not uncomfortable with showing affection, it seems to be fine. "Oh, well, if you watch people who know each other, you'll see them shake hands, or fist bump, or whatever they're comfortable with. Even just meeting someone for the first time, it's normal to offer to shake hands."

He says, "There are cartoon versions of me on t-shirts, too. I have my own shoe design. See?" He stops so she can get a look at them, the sole showing a paw-like pattern to it. "And I get royalties on all of it. The licensed stuff, anyway. I like candy too, so it's a fun holiday." Technically it's a holiday, even if it isn't for people who work, but whatever.

The tug gets him to look back up in the direction she's indicating. "Hmm? Which? Those? Ah, yeah, maybe. I think some of those are from a movie series. I could be wrong."

Essix has posed:
Pausing to look at his shoes, Essix's eyes widen a little as she laughs, "Those are amazing! Did you design them yourself?" She would have asked more questions regarding the shoes, but they had reached the window and so her attention was drawn back to it.

"I have only seen a few movies," she admits, tilting her head slightly. "But there was nothing like those in it." She points specifically at something leather and usually considered odd. "Would you wear that?"

Gar Logan has posed:
"Yeah, I worked with a couple of their designers," Gar explains, but that topic is short-lived in light of the other question brought up. "Haha, maybe? You've seen my costume, right? It's sort of a thing for us, wearing stuff most people wouldn't." He at least gives it a second glance, rubbing the back of his head and neck with his free hand.

Essix has posed:
Essix has to study the thing in the window a bit longer before finally looking back to Gar, "I have seen images of your costume, which brings up several other questions I will save for later. I have learned the importance of such costumes for heroes, but have not decided on one for myself as of yet."

Now her eyes drift back to the things in the window. "Is there a hero who wears something like that? It seems to me it would be... restricting."

Gar Logan has posed:
Rubbing his chin next, Gar looks across to Essix before considering the window display again. "You know, that's a good question. Probably? Not, uh, every costume is fit for..uh, heh. I mean, it probably works for someone out there!"

He raises a brow to see how she's handling that answer, which is a fairly evasive one.

Essix has posed:
Her tilted head slowly straightens as Essix turns to look Gar in the eyes. She heard every word he said, but it wasn't really an answer. It was the most evasive response she had heard and for some reason it made her giggle. Using her free hand she bapped his arm lightly, "That was an amazing use of words that in the end means nothing at all! You will have to teach me how to do that!"

Gar Logan has posed:
"Oh, I'm great at saying things that mean nothing sometimes," Gar states, almost proudly in fact. The bap doesn't really faze him, no doubt used to it as a reaction by now. "Tell you what, why don't we look around a little more, and if there's anything you want to check out, we can do that? Sound good?" he offers.

Essix has posed:
Another slight head cant to consider his suggestion and then Essix nods, "That is an agreeable offer. Though yes, I would like to learn how to say something without meaning anything."

Gar Logan has posed:
Garfield Logan laughs once. "Well, stick around and I'll teach you everything I know about saying nothing. Now let's keep looking," he finishes, taking the time to window shop this place and that before seeing what catches their attention the most.