16217/Do a Kickflip

Do a Kickflip
Date of Scene:	30 October 2023
Location:	Underground Skatepark
Synopsis:	The skatepark gets an alien visitor and Joshua teaches her how to skateboard! Dick may never forgive him.
Cast of Characters:	Joshua Foley, Essix

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Joshua Foley has posed:
The weather is brisk and cool, but rather dry! Which means today, the skatepark is open. Recently, with the Halloween season upon them, some of the skaters are wearing colorful costumes while going up and down the half-pipe and carrying out some sick tricks!

There are some however, that do not need costume. Like the humanoid gecko that is able to use his sticky hands -- and even his tongue for tricks, such as grabbing a hold of a bar and flipping himself upwards and then landing on the ground.

"That's cheating, Mondo!" Joshua calls out. Much like the gecko, Josh doesn't need to use a costume. Dressed in a hoodie and a pair of jeans, the golden skinned mutant is about to take his turn on the half-pipe, setting his well-worn board down on the deck. Once someone calls out that it's clear, Josh takes off!

Heading down the halfpipe, he launches up the other side, twisting and turn in the air. One, two... he doesn't quite to make three as he hits the ground again, but comes off the board and slides on his knees. That looked painful.

But a golden glow moment later and Joshua slaps his hand on the ground. "I want to get this down before..." Well, before that promised third date.

Essix has posed:
There were so many places in New York that Essix hadn't visit, and with the weather growing a little more cool, there were fewer people to openly stare at her. Yes, she took a human form but her face was truly lacking... and that was putting it nicely. She knew she hadn't mastered the features yet, and accepted that it was something she needed to continue working on, but sometimes the staring got to her.

Aside from her face, the rest of her human female appearance is perfect. Long black hair with slight curls over her shoulders and hanging down her back, a good form that looked like she ate right and exercised, and of course the exact proportions that made it clear she was female.

Dressed in a pair of faded jeans and brown leather boots that crawl up to her knees, she wore a plain green button front shirt and a brown leather jacket with fringe on the sleeves. In reality, she stood out a little even without the failure to form a face.

This part of New York was new, and so she was meandering around and happened upon grown humans sliding around on a board with wheels. That was definitely something to grab her attention, so without hesitation she makes her way past those standing around and right up to a good spot to watch someone hurt themselves, and then recover in a flash.

"Well that was certainly something I have never seen," she remarks plainly, not bothering with a hushed tone or any attempts to whisper.

Joshua Foley has posed:
The gecko that was spectating Josh hears the feminine voice next to him and turns. His eyes are wide for a moment, before quickly settling back down. No judgement here, they're all freaks for the most part. "S'up, girl." he greets the young woman.

"That's Josh. He has this freaky-deaky ability to heal himself and others. Like a huan Phoenix Down, am I right?" As if she would understand the video game reference.

The fringe goes up on Mondo's head. "Yo, Josh! You got a fan! Come say hey!"

Joshua picks up his skateboard and makes his way over to where the mutanimal and Essix are as he offers a smile. Honestly, he's seen enough deformities in mutants that he's become quite numb to it all. And he is assuming that Essix is a mutant. He hasn't read up on Crouzon Syndrome yet - he has tried healing genetic anomalities yet.

He dusts off his hand on his pants and offers Essix a warm smile. "Hi, I'm Josh. I don't think I've seen you around here before? Do you board?"

Essix has posed:
Although Essix had been quite literally staring at Josh, the sound of someone speaking right next to causes her to swing her aqua colored eyes over and look at him. There is no reaction save for a huge grin spreading across her face.

Extending her hand toward Mondo, she cheerfully greets him with a, "Hello! I am Essix, very pleased to meet you!."

Whether or not he takes the hand, his calling Josh over and calling her a fan makes her actually giggle a little, but the minute he is close enough her hand goes out toward him. "Hello Josh, I am Essix, very nice to meet you. I am sorry you fell off your strange board with wheels, but I am pleased to hear you can heal yourself." Again, it doesn't seem to matter to her if he takes her hand or not. "How are you able to heal yourself? Is it magic?"

Joshua Foley has posed:
Mondo pauses. And then, he takes Essix's hand. "Follow my lead." he encourages her. And then he closes her fingers in a fist. His own does the same. He daps his four-fingered hand against hers, and then he taps her up top of her hand, down below her hand, pulls it back and his arm goes up in the air and his fingers splay and wiggle. "Explosions!"

Joshua rolls his eyes. "That is never going to catch on!" he teases, giving Mondo a fist bump and a smirk, before his attention turns more fully to Essix.

He accepts her hand, giving it a shake - the golden skin is much warmer than normal human skin, almost like a healing warmth.

"Eh, you have to wipeout a few times on the board before you get to shredding properly. I'm trying a new trick to impress someone, and I only have a few days to practice it." he explains as he holds up the well-loved board and wheels.

But his attention turns to her question. "Oh. No. Not magic. I'm a mutant. The healing is my ability. It's kinda cool." he admits with a rolling shrug of his shoulders, "Even if the skin is a bit much."

"You new around here? I usually do work in Bushwick at the mutant outreach center and I don't recall seeing you before." Could she have just come into her powers? No, she seems really well-adjusted for what happened to her.

Essix has posed:
Even with her attention split, Essix seems to follow Mondo's lead in the odd hand gestures that make no sense to her at all but make her giggle rather profusely upon completion. With her photographic memory, the hand shake would forever be remembered and likely used on unsuspecting people, like Dick and Stephanie.

"Wipeout? Shredding?" She cants her head, trying to figure out the terminology being used and how those words apply. After only a few second she ahs to herself and grins, "Wipeout, to fall down spectacularly, slide across the concrete and bleed? Shredding, I assume to mean your clothing and skin." Even if she's wrong, she seems pretty confident in her decision.

"Your skin is very lovely, and you should not allow others to convince you other wise," she then says firmly, well as firmly as she can, which isn't really firm at all. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and those who do not like what they see can look another direction."

Without appearing to take a breath, though maybe she did, she keeps right on talking at a steady pace. "I am new around here, yes. I have not been to this place before and those boards with wheels seemed interesting. I have been to Bushwick before, but only once, and I was a pigeon at the time." She says this like everyone can turn into a pigeon. "It was easier to watch and learn as a bird."

Joshua Foley has posed:
"You definetly got the wipeout part right!" Josh offers in an amused chuckle. "But not quite the shredding. That's when you're able to pull off some awesome tricks and move quickly along the ground, like you're shredding it." he explains to her.

When she compliments his skin, he offers a smile, his shoulders a little straighter as he works on regaining that flagging confidence of his. "It's growing on me. And looking the other way is a very astute way to view beauty. I like that, I may borrow it some time."

"Well, this is a skatepark. You'll find people with skateboards, roller skates, all vibing together and just trying to have a good time and impress each other." And he was in the middle of that explanation when she mentions the pigeon thing. Joshua's left brow rises in some confusion. "Is that your ability? You can metamorphize? That's /cool/." he offers to her. Because he clearly still thinks Essix is a mutant, not an alien.

Essix has posed:
Accepting his explanation for shredding, Essix nods with a soft ah. She doesn't question that he might be lying to her, she merely accepts that what he says it true. "Interesting terminology for such an act, is there someone who can actually do it so I can see?" No, she doesn't realize that was probably an insult, but the smile on her face remains all the same as she says it.

"Viewing this world is my purpose, learning all about it and the many, many, many cultures that it contains. I learned quickly that to humans, there is a value in appearances, though I have yet to discover why." She sighs a little at that, clearly something she's been trying to learn for a while.

"I have seen roller skates before, but this..." she gestures at the board with wheels he has. "It is a skateboard? Yes... I can see where it would get that name, as it is a board with skate wheels on it."

Just as plain and blunt as she had been before, she remains so as she answers his final question, "Metamorphize is one term for what I can do, shape changer is another, I have also heard changeling used. They are all true. I can assume the form of anything and everything, living or inanimate, large and small. I have been told it is a unique ability here on Earth."

Joshua Foley has posed:
"So you're not a human." Heeeey, Josh is quick on the uptake. Not that he's bothered, in fact, he seems to think that makes Essix even more cool. "So what have you observed so far?" he asks her curiously. "Hopefully it's not like an invasion or the like. Those are totally the suck."

When she mentions the skateboard, Joshua looks over at her, his grey eyes curious. "Would you like to try it? There's a few bunny hills that you can use to see if you can get the feel for it." comes his suggestion to her.

Then she admits what her ability is and once again, his eyes are wide. "Yeah... t-that is pretty unique. And sounds really awesome! Though it seems that you may need to work on your mimicing of humans for a bit longer? I wonder if I could help..." but he's pretty sure he can't, alien phsyiology, he wouldn't even know where to start to see about setting her right. "I mean, you look fine as is!" Foot in mouth. So firmly.

Essix has posed:
Essix shakes her head adamantly, "Oh no, no, we are not an invading species. My purpose is to learn everything I can about this planet, not so anyone can invade and take over, but so my people can know this planet and the people of it..." she pauses there then with a giggles adds, "I am an alien from space, in case I failed to make that clear."

The offer to try skating is set aside the minute he mentioned her face, and one hand raises to touch it. "I am having great difficulties with mimicking all the details of the human face. I realize this makes me ugly to human eyes, it is another reason that I continue to try and understand why it is that how someone looks matters so much to humans. It is very vane, and can be quite cruel as most humans cannot change the genetics that make up the body, face, and mind they have. I do not believe you could assist me however, this form is not my natural state, and I do not believe my natural form is something you could comprehend to assist with."

Now that she's said that, and let the dark shiver his comment caused slide down her spine and away, she smiles brightly and bounces on her feet. "I would very much love to try skateboard! What is a bunny hill?"

Joshua Foley has posed:
Joshua holds up his hands in a fashion to suggest surrender. "I was just asking if you needed help. I wasn't saying you were ugly! I'm sure for what you are, you are probably very fetching!" he offers to her quickly, backpedalling. "I apologize, it was not meant as an insult. But you're right. A lot of weight is put on looks. But you know, folks are vain like that. You're right. Not a good look."

A sigh and he is trying to shake off the fact that he just accidentally insulted an alien and that was really dumb.

But she pulls him out of it just in time. Picking up the board. "A bunny hill is a small area set aside for beginner skaters and those that want to try it without commiting to it." It's a short walk to the small dip in the ground that's about ten feet round and only around 18 inches deep. "Okay, we're going to start with the basics. Balance." He sets down his board and gestures to it. "Stand on the board and see if you can find a spot where the board does not feel wobbly to you. If you need to, grab my shoulder for support."

Essix has posed:
Not quite understanding why he held his hand up, Essix reached out and took it as he continued talking. It wasn't until he was halfway through his apology and explanation that she realized that the intent of the action with his hand was and once again start giggling. Letting go of his hand she says, "Your apology is accepted Josh, I did not think you were intentionally insulting me, but merely making an observation... oh, and I am sorry for taking your hand, I was confused as to the intent, but I understand now."

With that said she moves to follow him toward these bunny hills, honestly she expecting small hills with bunnies drawn on them. When there are no bunnies to be seen, she remembers his words that they are just training hills and accepts the lack of bunnies.

"I have very good balance," she states with a broad smile, and when he sets the board down she steps up onto it and... it instantly shoots out from under her because she had no idea what to expect.

Even as she is landing on her butt she is laughing so hard that if she were human, the lack of air might be a problem, "That was thrilling!" she exclaims through the laughter. "But clearly I failed."

Joshua Foley has posed:
When Essix says the cursed and dreaded phrase, Joshua doesn't even get a chance to warn her that she had jinxed herself when the skateboard shoots out from beneath the young (he assumes, she sounds young!) woman's feet and down she goes.

"Oh gosh, are you okay?!" he asks, moving to offer to help her up. At least she doesn't seem very hurt. His hand is extended to her. "Yeah. Total wipeout." A grin and a wink offered to her.

"I'll go get the board and we can try again. I guess I should have shown you how to get on it first before just assuming..."

Another apologetic smile and once she's up, he's jogging over to retrieve the board and bring it back over. "Alright, we're going to try again." He places one foot on the board. He moves it back and forth a few times - settling it in place and then the other foot comes up, a shift in his stance; just like that, he's up on the board and balanced. "See?"

He hops off, and then he offers his hand to her. "Here, I'll hold your hand this time until you feel confident, if that's okay?"

Essix has posed:
The laughter slowly turns to giggling as Essix takes the offered hand to pick herself up. "I am quite alright, I do not receive injuries like humans do so you need not worry about that," she offers, then brushes her butt off. "Oh, it did roll away," is then offered as she looks toward the skateboard.

When he returns from collecting it and demonstrates how she was supposed to stand up on it, she offers him a nod, "You make it look easy enough. I failed to calculate just how free moving the wheels actually are. It is a mistake I will only make once."

Now prepared for those fast moving wheels, she does in fact place one hand on his shoulder while she makes a second attempt to place one foot, and then the other on the board. This time she wobbles a little, then manages to stay upright on it. "Horray! I did not fail this time!"

Joshua Foley has posed:
When he touches her, Joshua gets momentary shock. His grey eyes wide, she can feel him tense underneath her hand. He's never quite felt like this before. He's used to getting some kind of biofeedback when he touches someone, but with Essix, is almost like a void. There's something there but he has no idea how to classify it. It calls for further research, but he sets that aside to concentrate on Essix.

When she gets on the board and settles herself with his help, he laughs. "You did it!" he agrees, a jubulant smile replacing the confused one he had a moment ago. Now that she's settled, he takes in a breath.

"Alright, we're going to try moving. I'm going to walk, you hold onto my shoulder and concentrate on your balance. Try not to fall over!"

And with that, he takes a few steps, pulling her along beside him so that she can use to feeling the board beneath her. "My board is going to feel weird." he explains. "I have had it for years and broken it in, so it's used to where my feet are going to be placed and I have the wheels loosen for extra speed. If you decide to get a skateboard, you will find it a lot tighter and rigid as compared to mine."

Essix has posed:
Essix had no idea what caused his facial expression to change, and since he didn't seem interested in explaining it and moved on, she tucked the expression away in her memory for another time.

"I assume moving will be more difficult?" she asks, still cheerful and clearly not afraid of falling.

If he glances to her feet at all, he will see that they are in the exact location he placed his when he showed her how to stand on it. Exact spot, no margin of error.

As he starts to walk, no matter how slowly, she squeals in his ear in delight. She's flown, slithers, skittered, crawled, danced, ran, walked and now she was gliding. "This is amazing! You can go faster if you want!" And indeed, she seems to have balance down now.

Joshua Foley has posed:
"If you want to turn, you're going to lean. A little lean, a slow turn. A deeper lean, a tighter turn." Joshua explains as they continue to walk. He does pick up a step as he gives her a chance to get used to more speed.

"So this is a relatively flat area. I'm going to tell you how to increase your speed for yourself." There's a gesture towards the other skaters. "You're going to take your foot off the board, and push it before putting your foot back on the board. So like a reverse kick - or a push off!" he explains to her.

"Before you do that, let go of my shoulder, I don't want you overbalancing to hold onto me to push." he explains. "Ready when you are!"

Essix has posed:
That was a lot of information at once, and perhaps for most it would be too much... for Essix, the alien with a photographic memory, each part entered her brain and was processed as quickly as it was offered. She even look a moment to look at the other skaters to see what they were doing, and how they were doing it.

"So many complex actions for such a simple board with skates," she says with a cheerful lilt to her tone. "It must take a human years to master this mode of transportation."

She lets him guide her a little further, getting a good feel for how the board moves beneath her feet, then finally nods, "Alright, time to see if I wipeout or shred."

Joshua Foley has posed:
"Figuring out the simple unlocks the complex, and soon you'll be doing kickflips with the best of them!" Joshua encourages with a grin. "And if you wipeout, well, you dust off and try again. I've been doing this since I was five." It's about the only part of his old life he's held onto.

"Since you're ready..." There's a momentary step and then Joshua ducks his way out of Essix's grasp and steps back. She's free! She's on the board. And she's on her own! Hopefully this won't end up in disaster.

At least that's his hope. He glances down at his phone and gives a little frown before looking back up to watch her skate.

Essix has posed:
Allowing the momentum he created to reach a natural end, Essix makes her first attempt to lower a foot to the ground to kick and move herself forward again. There is a hint of a wobble in the motion, so her foot return to the board.

"They make it look so easy!" she laughs, eyes big as saucers and the grin on her face broad enough that she is likely sucking in flying insects through her perfect teeth.

She makes a second attempt, but in doing do turns herself a little bit. The kick works this time, allowing her to gain speed, too much speed actually, and with the turn she is headed right for another skater whose back is to her.

No panic, no screaming, no fear... realizing she had no idea how to stop, she merely shifts from the human form into an eagle. Her body melts into itself, for the briefest of moments she looks like an aqua colored viscous liquid and then the eagle's talons have a hold on the board and she is flying over the other skater's head.

Gaining a little height to ensure she doesn't crash into anything or anyone, she swoops around to come back toward Josh then lands by his feet, letting the board roll toward him. "That was almost very bad," comes her voice from the eagle's beak, though perhaps a slightly higher pitch to it. "I could not permit myself to hurt someone else."

Joshua Foley has posed:
When she seems to have the gist of it, Joshua was about to cheer her on, when he realizes they're about to collide. "RUNAWAY TRAIN!" he yells, the universal warning for all the skaters to be on the lookout for a rogue skateboard or skater.

The skater that was about to collide with Essix has only moments to react. And if Essix caught a glimpse of it -- she'd see something amazing. The skater doesn't panic. Instead, he seems to jump, bringing the board with him.

He twists the board in midair as it passes over Josh's board, before landing on the other side of it. But more than a few people caught Essix's transformation and are murmuring amongst themselves. Most of it is possible - because let's face it, it is a pretty cool power. And amongst those that use this area, cool powers are boss.

As she comes to land beside him, Josh sticks out his foot and catches the board and flips it up to him. Though one person calls out, "Come on Foley, you know newbies have to check in first so we know we have noobs!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" Joshua calls out, before he returns his attention to Essix, "It was, and it's my fault. I should have showed you how to stop." he admits to her quietly. "And unfortunately, I will have to wait until next time to do that. I need to get to the clinic and start my shift there."

Essix has posed:
Even as an eagle, Essix looks toward the man who called out. She wasn't sure who Foley was until Josh returned conversation. "I apologize!" she chirps out, still in her human voice. "I will do better next time!"

Turning her eagle eyes... literally... up to Josh, her head moves in that odd canting way that birds to as she says, "May I give you the number of the cell phone that my mentor presented me with? I would very much like another lesson when you have the time."

Joshua Foley has posed:
"Sure!" Joshua says as he gets out his phone and prepares to take down her information. "I work at the Candle, Booke and Belle when I'm not at the clinic." There's a small blush. "I have plans with someone tomorrow, but maybe I can catch you later this week?" he suggests.

With that, he waits for her information so he can put it in his phone.

Essix has posed:
Essix chirps out the number for the phone he has no idea where she could possibly have on herself, then offer a bob of her head. "Later this week is fine or next week, what ever works for you Josh, after all I am the student here, so it is your choice to share your time or not."

Walking around a few steps she stretches out the wings and says, "Have a wonderful day, and if you need any assistance, please feel free to call me."