16396/After the Escape

After the Escape
Date of Scene:	22 November 2023
Location:	Fred's Diner
Synopsis:	Very early breakfast between Jennifer and Alex to discuss the events of 10 minutes earlier.
Cast of Characters:	Alex Summers, Jennifer Kale

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Alex Summers has posed:
Three minutes ago: Our two blonde heroes arrived in front of Fred's Diner via teleport that Jennifer cast from a cemetery in Flushing Queens. They were running from a demon and ninjas that the demon employed. It was a confusing period of their lives. Now, we find our heroes sitting in the diner in one of the pleather red booths and waiting on food and drinks that they ordered. Alex ordered the traditional breakfast with a soda. The waitress knew him by name. Her name is Peggy.

While they wait...

Alex says, "Okay, lemmie get this straight. That thing I rammed with my Jeep... that really ugly blob of ick was a demon, and he had a squad of ninja working for him. Why? I mean; why. Yeah. I guess that's what I mean. Rather, what was going on back there, and what was your part in it all?"

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Jennifer has also ordered the traditional breakfast, and a cup of coffee. Black, because she needs the bitterness to help keep her mind from drifting. Peggy is given a smile and nod, both of her hands closing around the mug as she watches him.

There's a pause as she collects herself and pulls one hand from the mug to rest on her backpack. "Oh yeah. A corruption demon. Nasty one too. They can't usually pull me out mid-teleport, but this one stopped me cold. An' he's equipped those ninja with magically imbued weapons." Jennifer frowns faintly and shakes her head, "I'll have to do some research to figure out WHICH demon, because he's likely to try again."

Looking back to Alex, she gives a nod, "Okay, uh, short version. Cliff's Notes. Th' house across th' street from th' graveyard was a place of bus'ness. Magical reagents an' components.. occasionally relics. I was sposed to be stoppin' by t' take a look at an Atlantean relic that cropped up, maybe buy it. When I got there, th' ninja were already there, they'd killed th' shopkeeper. So I grabbed fer th' relic an' teleported, tryin' t' get away an' all. Cept that demon yanked me out like a loose thread. I got the relic, but there were still like.. a buncha ninja an' a demon right there. That's where ya came t' th' rescue! We got away an' poof, here we are."

Alex Summers has posed:
Thoughtful and reflective eyes watch as she forms the words and shares the events that led up to his fortuitous arrival. He sips from the soda. Moments later, his own lips part to take in breath and he pauses a moment to process. His forearms/elbows settle upon the laminate table between them and he keeps his voice constrained so other patrons - all two of them - and employees won't hear. "So a friend of mine's kid sister is a mutant witch. I don't know how all these circles of magic work, but she may be of help - if you need help. Now. Atlantean relics, demons, magic ninjas; way out of my knowledge base. But I ain't afraid to blast the hell out of them. Which brings me back to full disclosure. Though, you probably already know, I'm a mutant. And an X-Man. Not public knowledge nor a state secret. But I think you should know. I mean, since we're sharing stories."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Jennifer offers a quirk of a smile before taking a sip of her coffee, "We'll see how things shake out. I actually *have* a bodyguard I c'n call on when I need t'... jes' didn't think I'd be runnin' into ninjas an' demons t'night." Both brows lift up when he starts talking about mutants and magic, chuckling softly, "Hey, I ain't one t' judge. M'best friend is a huge hulkin' swampy guy... goes by Man-Thing. He's a decent one when ya get t' know him."

She sends a glance around the room herself, then back to Alex with a faint smile, "Obviously, I'm a witch. But that's it. I think they're callin' us Homo Magi these days, I dunno, I jes' stick with 'witch'. I'll have to suss out who th' demon is, if I even wanna be fuckin' wit' him... an' why he wants t' fuck wit' me. Then I can see what sorta help I need. I ain't adverse t' gettin' help, mind. I jes' learned reeeeeeeeeeeal early on t' not go runnin' in headlong where demons an' magic are concerned." Lifting her mug, she gives him a brief toast and sips from it.

"I'm... from a big-time magical family. We protect th' Nexus of All Things... a Medallion of Power... an' th' Tome of Zhered-Na. That last one's my personal duty. It's... attuned to me."

Alex Summers has posed:
Alex nods along with the assessment and plan that she lays out. Even shows a hint of curiosity with the mention of a Man-Thing. But he doesn't pursue the thread. That's neither here nor there. Instead, he seems interested in the attunement of things. Or maybe it's simply the attunement of things to Jennifer herself along with the witchy poo aspects.

He acknowledges, "I've heard that term before. Homo Magi. Figured it was just a way to categorize people into boxes for easier consumption by the masses. Never liked it myself. I think we're all human; some of us just have different talents and abilities. Nothing more than the two of us having the same color hair vs redheads or brunettes. Blondes are way better."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Jennifer offers him a smile at the flash of curiosity, but she doesn't expand on Man-Thing. He's a living, sentient being and deserves the same privacy anyone else does. So she lets him determine if and when he wants to meet people. Deeming Alex to be safe enough to share some things with, she sips on her coffee and just watches him over the rim of the cup while he's checking out the attunement.

"Eh, just sounds all sciencey. Which ain't really my thing. I'm a country girl at heart, love bein' in nature." Jen smiles across at him, chuckling, lifting her mug to clink against the rim of his glass, "Damn straight. Blondes are best." Sipping her coffee, she adds, "So.. that mean you're part of that school upstate? Teacher or somethin'?"

Alex Summers has posed:
There's a bit of a grin as Alex realizes she already knows about the school and other aspects of it. Especially the reference to science and then the question of what he does. "Science... actually. I teach Rocks. Geology, geophysics, with a slant toward Archeology only because it's the best contract jobs out there. Mind you, the USGS pays well; but it's a full time job that I ain't got time for. Also a bit of research, because volcanoes aren't just for tossing virgins into for some magic ritual. You don't do that, right? Cause I've heard stories." He's clearly teasing with a hint of some twisted reality that he's been exposed to.

Jennifer Kale has posed:
"Oh hey! That ain't bad. For a science, prob'ly one of th' better ones." Jennifer grins at him, clearly a little more relaxed now. "I lived most all my life in th' Everglades, so I'm real fond of people who got a vested interest in preservin' natural places." She lifts a shrug and smiles down into her mug, "Anyways, *I* think it's neat." Letting out a small laugh at the question, she shakes her head, "Nah, no human sacrifices. I'm a good witch. Had t' learn how t' protect myself, but otherwise, most of my magic is more utility than destructive."

Alex Summers has posed:
With a reflective tone, "That's really kinda cool. My power... well, it ain't very constructive and it's really hard to turn down. It's like my power is cranked up to 11 all the time. It was never a question of me learning to protect myself. More like to protect others. And there's really no utility with my stuff. Except when powering machines that evil villains that hook me up to." He grins at the remark with a slight shake of his head thinking back to that one time - not at band camp. He says, "So what do you do when you're not protecting the nexus of all things or hunting artifacts and finding demon ninjas?"

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Jennifer cants her head, tucking a lock of hair behind one ear and offering, "I could try to help ya... refine... that blast. Y'know, help channel or funnel it t' somethin' more like a laser.." She offers a faint half-smile, "Could maybe help ya with yer rocks. If ya could blast a tunnel in seconds what would take costly machines an' lotsa time otherwise." She pauses, then asks, "Do I wanna know how many times ya got hooked up t' machines t' power 'em?" But then his question takes precedence and Jennifer grins, "I'm somethin' of a professional student. Keep tryin' t'go t' college, but always something pulled me out b'fore I could finish. Usually some giant mystical apocalypse or whatever." Running a fingertip along the rim of the mug, she taps a nail lightly at the edge, "But if ya mean what I do fer money... I'm a stripper."

Alex Summers has posed:
His grin turns to a chuckle and then a laugh as she presses on with her considerations and then story about being pulled out of college. "Don't I know that to be truth. I've been working on my PhD for more time than normally allowed. Every time I head out to Devil Mountain and get into the work, then something interrupts me. And yeah, it's been more than once that I got hooked up to a machine. One time it was straight up out of Devil Mountain. The Living Pharaoh. Living Monolith. Whatever he calls himself next week. The jerk wanted me to power a machine that powers him, or something jacked up. Needless to say, it was destroyed. So yeah, life interrupts and so do evil villains. At the worst times, too." then he sips and segues, "Now, blasting holes in rock. That's been one of my jobs as well. Digging out tunnels for construction alongside digging out survivors who were lost down a well or cavern. And it's funny you should mention the focusing the plasma down to a laser. That's actually a thing that we've worked on before. There was one teammate of mine that could focus down my power exactly like that, redirect it, scatter it, and so on. Now, if that worked like that with magic; that would be totally cool."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
"Maaaaaaaaaaan, yer lucky. I can't even get past th' BS degree. Prob'ly don't help that I change majors like I change shoes. Guess I just ain't found my *thing* yet for college." Jennifer lifts a shrug, chuckling at her own inability to stick to a major. "If I ever do figure it out, I got enough credits to basically blast through to Junior year." Lifting her mug for a sip, both brows pop up when he mentions being hooked up to something out in Devil Mountain, "Damn, ain't that a bit close fer comfort?"" Laughing lightly, she gives a nod, "That's more what I was thinkin'. Imagine bein' able t' unearth a whole ass dig site in a day. Jes' go right round th' bones an' rocks ya wanna keep, blast th' rest outta existence." His last comment has her grinning, "Oh sure! Magic's neat like that. Super utility. It's jes' power, focus, effect. You got th' power, I got th' focus, and that creates th' effect."

Alex Summers has posed:
There's a bit of consideration to her answers and suggestions before he speaks. "Well, if we get past the second date then I'm all into the idea of blasting stuff with finesse."

Peggy brings the food and says, "Here ya go." then queries if everything looks good which Alex answers 'good on my part', and then Peggy will ensure that Jennifer likes her stuff as well before she walks off to get refills for their drinks. Both of them ordered roughly the same meal and Alex gets started in making it ready to eat. He won't take long, just buttering this, stirring that.

He comments, "Fred's is really my favorite diner in the city. I'm pretty sure they truck in fresh food from upstate every morning. Either that, or they've got a teleporter to bring it in from the country."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
"Ahhhhhhh, is this th' first date then?" Jennifer grins at him, completely unphased by the date comments, enjoying the banter. "Cause I usually don't bust out th' magic on th' first date. So... we're jumpin' th' gun a bit if so. I ain't opposed. Jes' sayin'."

Peggy gets a big thumbsup from Jennifer only for her to ask for hot sauce. She seasons her food to her taste, slathers toast with butter and jam, taking a bit bite without care for the carb or calorie count. When the fresh coffee and hot sauce arrives, she nods to Peggy again, then starts constructing a breakfast sammich. Toast. Hashbrowns with cheese. Fried egg with a generous dabbing of hot sauce. Bit of spinach and slice of tomato. Two strips of bacon. Toast. NOMF.

"They could be urban farmers, too. Chickens an' pigs on site, deal with a butcher shop on th' meat, get th' beef brought in from th' country, fruits an' veggies from hydroponics..." Jen grins at him, "But yer not wrong. This place is bonkers good. I gotta remember this when I need a real good after-work meal."

Alex Summers has posed:
He chuckles and says with a slight shake of his head. "Nah, this is the debriefing after an action. But that was clearly a follow up of your second date comment earlier while we were running for our lives. Really though. I was thinking dinner and a musical; if you're in to that sort of thing, as a first date. 'West Side Story' is back on Broadway and I've been wanting to see it again.

Alex sticks to eating things with fork and knife; but he clearly starts with the fried eggs and hash browns with cheese. Best to eat those while hot, then meander over to bacon and toast. Oh, and pancakes off to the side. No hot sauce, ketchup, or tomato. Tomatoes were left off his order.

He adds, "Shows happen four nights a week. Pick a day, and we'll make it a date."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Laughing, Jennifer shakes her head, "Yeah, yer part of a team alright. The 'debriefing after an action'... that's wild." She lets out another laugh, then goes in for another bite of her self-made breakfast sammie. Swallowing down the breakfast with a mouthful of coffee, she lifts a brow at him, "Musical, huh? I ain't been to a Broadway show since CATS finally ended their run." She taps the side of her mug with one finger, a smile curving her lips, "West Side Story is classic."

She enjoys her 'down home' style of eating her breakfast, but also doesn't seem to have any issues with his more proper way of eating. They both enjoy their food, and that's what matters! The way she eats, though, it's clear she's not a stranger to having to eat on the run. Big bites, chewed up halfway, then forced down with a swig of liquid.

"Hmmmmmmmm, y'know, Tracy was wantin' a better shift, bet I could trade her Wednesday fer my Friday.... Friday work? Oh, an' what's the dress code? I know how t' mind my manners when I need t' but it's better when I know goin' in what t' expect."

Alex Summers has posed:
"Dress code? I generally wear a long sleeved cotton shirt, blazer, jeans, sneakers. It's West Side Story. If you wear flannel, you're good. It's a show that'll make ya move. Don't want to be all fancy and get a run or a rip. Hell, what you're wearing right now will be great. So yeah, I'll get tickets for us. Dinner first; do you have a preference in type of food? Dietary things we need to avoid? Which still sounds strange for me to ask; but I've got them myself - nothing tomato for me. Otherwise you'd have to use your magic epi pen." He grins, trying to stay relevant to modern times and dating. He's really never asked dietary questions about a first date... it seems awkward.

Jennifer Kale has posed:
"Oh I'll dress up a *lil* bit... it's still a date. Jes' makin' sure I ain't gotta bust out th' cocktail dress or somethin'." She lifts a shrug and grins across at him, "I'm used t' 4 inch platform heels, hon. I could run in 'em. I ain't worried bout rips or tears." Jennifer lifts a brow at his question, then chuckles and shakes her head, "Nope. I'll eat anythin' that don't eat me first. But sounds like ya got a nightshade allergy. I'll keep that in mind, make sure all my reagents are bagged an' labeled. Got any other allergies I should know 'bout? Magic means lots of strange shit inhabits my cupboards an' fridge... wanna make usre if I invite ya over that it won't end in a teleport t' th' hospital."