16370/A Very Shmoopy Pre-Thanksgiving Getaway

A Very Shmoopy Pre-Thanksgiving Getaway
Date of Scene:	19 November 2023
Location:	Bear Mountain, NY
Synopsis:	Robbie surprises Phoebe with a weekend away in the mountains. Assuming he doesn't give her a heart attack on the way there!
Cast of Characters:	Robbie Reyes, Phoebe Beacon

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Robbie Reyes has posed:
    Robbie had not said what they were doing, or where they were going. He had just told Phoebe to pack for brisk weather and meet him outside of her apartment. That was a few hours ago, and the Hellcharger was making its way along a highway bound for the north. While it certainly was not yet obvious what the destination was, it was clear that it was somewhere in New York north of the city.
    Robbie turns his gaze to the side to look over at Phoebe, offering a warm smile. "I thought it might be nice to get some actual fresh air for a change."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    It was unusual that Robbie would prompt a trip away from the cities. Urbana seemed home to the two, whether it was Brooklyn's backstreets or Gotham's alleyways and rooftops, and to be quite frank Phoebe paused before getting into the muscle car, and gave it a quiet apology before getting in. Her bags were tucked in the back seat (since the trunk had the unfortunate habit of becoming a portal to Hell). She'd packed for some outdoor, indoor, and sub-indoor adventuring. Her hair was pinned back in buns, and she looks over to Robbie as they speed along towards their destination, wearing a fall-colors sweater with jeans and her old-fashioned bicycle boots. Her noserings were in, and she just gives a smile over to Robbie.

    "It is." she agrees, with a smile as she folds her hands in her lap. "Different. You get used to the noise of the city, you don't really realize how noisy a place is until you're outta it." she replies with a grin.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
    The highways leaving the city give way to a bit more of a winding path, still a major roadway, but it is now a road carved into a mountain, with large stretches of rock on either side, and trees littering the side in all manner of different colors.
    "We don't get out of the city a lot," explains Robbie, one hand on the wheel on the Hellcharger, one hand migrating away to rest on Phoebe's thigh. "And if ever we're gonna do it, may as well do it when the trees are afire, no?" He turns to look at her, smiling broadly as the cascades of colors from the changing leaves seem to resemble a sunset more than their usual assault of green.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoeb feels the touch of his hand on her thigh, and she gives a small laugh. "Are you sure you're not trying to make up for lost time, Robbie?" she asks with a rueful smile, crossing her legs at the ankles in the footwell of the Charger's passenger seat as she looks out to the winding highway.

    "You know, it's weird. For all the demon energy and dark powers of a Hellcharger, I've always felt... safe I guess." she then leans over.

    "... how fast *are* you going?" she questions, an excuse to lean into Robbie's shoulder.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
    "If I was trying to do that, I'd never reach the end of it, Phoebe." Not that he wouldn't try. In fact, that really is what this was, but he was not about to admit that. He wanted to show her how important she was. And how much he wanted to spend time with her.

    "That's because it likes you." Robbie passes a grin her way. Was it alive? In some sense or another, who knows. He chuckles as she leans in, and he allows her a view. They were doing a shade under 120.

    Which would not be so bad if they had not just turned off the highway and aimed towards a two lane bridge as soon as the exit ramp concluded, taking them into what appears to be a lush forest atop a giant mountain, the bridge taking them directly into its heart.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    There's a reason why Phoebe trusts Robbie's driving, and it's because she's seen him take city streets at ridiculous speeds, while in conversation, and distracted, and she accepts that it's just the way he is. The quintessential 'boy and his car'.

    She smiles, and runs her hand over the door handle.

    "Well. It is a beast of a car, and it's done well rescuing my butt from my own misjudgements." she replies regarding the Hellcharger, and she looks out over the bridge, over the river as she lets her breath out.

    "It's also weird to be coming upstate without a mission. I'm not used to down-time and travel." pause.

    "Ohgod I'm BORING." she jokes.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
    As if in response, Robbie guns it as they launch across the bridge. "It's a good boy, isn't it?" he says quietly, patting the steering wheel for a moment, which given their speed and his other hand being wholly absent from it, may not be the best look. But he knows the timing, and as soon as they clear the bridge and the road whips to the side, his fingers tighten and he pulls the wheel, executing the turn.

    He turns and looks at Phoebe with a smile. "You are not boring AT ALL," he says, as the starts to take the weaving, cliffside road with a bit of zest.

    Far more zest than might be safe for any other driver, perhaps.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    You don't become a Bat without becoming a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Phoebe feels the press of her back into the seat as the car roars, opened up on the bridge, passing by other vehicles on the road with the whisper of passing others on the road before they shoot up the curving mountain road.

    She feels her heart pound in her chest, her eyes going wide as she holds her breath a brief moment, and holds onto the door and to Robbie's shoulder as shpresses herself down, feeling the ibration of the road and the motor.

    Far more zest and disregard for safety and speed limits as they go along!

    "Eeeeee----" she whispers out, cheeks and ears a little darker as they speed along the mountain road!

Robbie Reyes has posed:
    The look on Phoebe's face is not missed by Robbie. Perhaps that is the whole purpose of this adventure. Nonetheless, he continues at his hellbreaking speed, fortunate that there are no other cars making the journey at the moment.

    "You ok over there?" he asks with a grin on his face. As the car twists and turns, it approaches a particularly sharp turn to the side, with the mountain looming ahead of them on the other side.

    "It is faster going down." And then he guns before making a quick twist onto the shoulder, yanking the car hard over a bump.

    Those who may be watching below are treated to a sight, as rather than take the curve and switchback, a car launches itself across the void, somehow seeming almost to float on flaming tires before it lands with a thud and continues off on its rapid ascent of the mountain.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Fine -- fine -- I mean I do this literally all the time... on a bat cycle... between alleyways and buildings and *OHMIGOD*--" Phoebe sounds a little squeak of alarm as they are suspended in midair, ignoring the switchback and she grabs at his arm, her eyes going wide as they sail through the air, momentarilty weightless -- and then with a thud and a squeal, they're back on the road.

    "Robbie Reyes!" she squeals out, laughing, heart thudding in her chest!

    "Careful, or I'll tell you you gotta go the speed limit, JEfe!"

Robbie Reyes has posed:
    Robbie waits until they actually land before turning his gaze back to Phoebe. "All the time, huh?" he asks before jerking the wheel to the side, taking the next turn sharply as they tear off towards the next switchback.

    His laughter comes even strong at her threat. "What, you would want /me/ to be boring, mi munequita?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Yes. LITTLE different when I'm steering!" Phoebe protests, and then gives a soft 'aah!' as she's jerked to the side, laughing still, smiling up at Robbie as he tears off in a new direction!

    "Driving the speed limit isn't boring! Especially since there's probably a trooper around some bend that we're gonna hafta outrun at some point. And I'll hear about it." she gives a small grin, and she sits up the best she can.

    "When we get there I'll hafta shoot a text to my minder and make sure they're not coming out after me after my heart stopped!" she smiles, turning back to the road with a grin and a shake of her head.

    "And you... you could *never* be boring, Jefe. Every time I see you my heart beats faster." she breathes out, her dark eyes going from the road to his face.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
    "Troopers don't come around here. They'd rather not know." Robbie does pay some attention to the road, following along with its twists and turns. "Also, please don't stop your heart. I kind of need it for later."

    But he cannot resist one last taunt. As they pull onto a bit of a straight-away, maybe a good ten seconds at this rate of speed, Robbie takes his hand from the wheel and looks to Phoebe. "What, you'd rather steer?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Psh. What is a heart?" Phoebe asks, rolling her hand at the wrist in the air "And why'd you need it for later? Gonna take a bite outta it?" she jokes, and then as they pull onto the straight-away, Phoebe looks over and sees his hand lift from the wheel.

    "Noooo no no no! I can't drive your car! You think my Porsche has the same kinda power? I hardly ever drive that!" It's true. Phoebe is a very timid driver -- in cars. Motorcycles she's a lot more daring.

    But she reaches over to put her hand on the steering wheel, trying to see around the blower as she makes a nervous sound.

    "I have totally been spoiled by New Jersey where they pump my gas and there's a toll booth every ten feeeeet!" she squeaks out.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
    Robbie allows the panic to settle in for a moment, slipping that arm that had been alternating between her thigh and the gearshift around her back, as if encouraging her to remain leaned over him and somewhat at the wheel.

    But his hand's time away from the wheel is briefly, as he reclaims it with his other hand, taking matters back under control. "Well, here in New York, you can just let me pump for you." he says, glancing down at her with a grin as they take another quick turn as their mountain's ascent continues.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe doesn't panic long, keeping her hand on the wheel, the other on Robbie's knee as she tries to bend around the shift stick, eyes on the road, and he leans with his arm behind her.

    They share the wheel for a brief moment, and as soon as Robbie is back in total control, Phoebe lifts her hand from the wheel, and s turns her gaze up to Robbie.

    "It's illegal to pump your own gas in New Jersey. Unless you own the pump. Like we have one at the Manor for all the cars." she replies with a smile, and then a kiss to Robbie's cheek as she straightens up.

    "... I wouldn't MIND a driving lesson, really, but ah... your driving's a LITTLE BIT advanced for me yet. In my civvie clothes anyway."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
    "Of course you do," he murmurs. Usually, Robbie can forget about the fact that Phoebe has the kind of wealth that puts a gas station in her garage. Sometimes, he gets reminded.

    It fades almost as soon as it appears, though, as he turns the car onto a long straightaway that seems to ascend towards the top of the mountain, or near close enough to it.

    "Then take 'em off," he says, turning his gaze on Phoebe. "And we can get a real lesson going."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe opens her mouth, and she feels her shoulders rise up. Phoebe is constantly reminded. She grew up closer to the missed meals and poverty side of existence, but never really knew live in a barrio in East LA-levels of hard. Even when she was homeless, she was able to lean on the Outsiders. Her thumb grazes over his hand, and she takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly and gives a soft apology.

    And she straightens up a bit, her eyes turning to catched his mismatched set, and she purses her lips.

    "Take off my civvies. My non-work-clothes. That I'm currently wearing?" she asks, her lips pursing into a smile as the bridge of her nose wrinkles.

    "I think I'd catch cold and be too much of a distraction."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
    There is a subtle nod of acknowlegement at that. Robbie does not blame her, and is trying to suppress his reflexive reactions to statements such as that, because he knows she does not mean to bring it up, and it bothers her as well. But it is what it is, and desite how far he has come, part of him will always be rooted in that Barrio. Even now, as a super hero, he suffers from imposter syndrome.

    But there are remedies to that.

    He turns to look at Phoebe again as they finally crest a hill, with a fairly large plain with a decent sized Inn in the distance - smaller than Wayne Manor, but not by much. The road expands out towards a parking lot. It seems this may be the destination.

    "It would be a good distraction, though/"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Super heroes who don't suffer imposter syndrome are weird.
r    The young woman in the passenger seat gives a small smile up to Robbie as they come up and crest the hilltop, and she turns to their destination. HEr breath halts in her throat for a moment, her heart thuds against her chest as she looks at the inn. Her jaw drops a moment, her lips forming a small 'o' as she turns from the inn, to Robbie, and she breathes out.

    "Is... are we staying there? This is like a vaca... you tricked me into a mini-vacation!" she squeaks.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
    Seemingly pleased that he can still surprise Phoebe sometimes, Robbie turns along onto the long driveway approaching the inn.

    "If I said I wanted you to come away for a weekend before Thanksgiving so we could relax and focus on nothing than each other, to brace ourselves for..." He thinks for a moment of how to phrase this. "The 'pressures' we are going to face from everyone else..." He turns to look at her. "Would you have gotten in the car?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe takes a deep breath, and she looks over to the pleased Robbie, and she gives a small smile.

    "Maybe? Hard to say." she admits quietly. "... I'd have to justify it I guess." she whispers quietly, looking up to the inn.

    "... I can't remember the last time I was away from Gotham and not on either teambuilding or night-work..." she trails off. A weekend, just them.

    "I wouldn't have gotten in your car..." her throat tightens. "I wouldn't have felt deserving of this."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
    As the Hellcharger rolls up and into a parking spot, Robbie terms and fingerguns at her. "Bingo." He puts it into park and turns to face her for a moment.

    "You do all these things for all of those people. You are part of a family that could probably buy out literally any other family in the world. And somehow, you think a simple two night stay at an Inn is..."

    He trails off for a moment, and then shrugs, turning his gaze back to you. "You deserve this. Even if I'm the only one who thinks so." He leans forward to brush his lips against hers. "And I guarantee I am not the only one who thinks so."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I... I do things because I have the ability to do them." Phoebe quietly replies, and she breathes out, her shoulders rising up.

    "A simple two night stay in an Inn, with you. That you planned." she breathes out, and as Robbie draws close, their lips brushing against one anothers, and Phoebe closes her eyes, her fingers drawing up to Robbie's arm, brushing against his jacket as her cinnamon-scented breath teases over his lips, and she presses to him lightly, lip on lip, to the corner of his mouth, a slight tease.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
    Whatever response Robbie may have made is lost as he leans into the kiss, savoring the feel of her lips against his. He breathes out softly before their lips connect, and he rests his head against hers for a moment as he reaches over to turn the car off.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe hangs in the moment, her eyes closing, forehead pressed to Robbie's as he kills the engine. She takes a deep breath, drinking the seconds like they were water and she was dying of thirst.

    "... you still make my heart jump against my ribcage."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
    "See?" Robbie says, reaching out to poke Phoebe right around where her heart is. "I told you I needed that."

    He leans over to press another kiss before straightening. "Come on, let's go get checked in. I want you to see this room..."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Darn. I've been so blind to your mechanicians..." Phoebe laughs, drawing her nose briefly along his before they bart, and she goes to open her door and grab her bag.

    "All right, now that we're here, and you've so craftily tricked me." Phoebe gives a bright smile, and she reaches into her jacket pocket to pull out her glasses, and she applies them, the blue acetate frames framing her dark eyes just so. "Lead the way, Jefe, and tu munequita will follow."