16510/And they're turning left again

And they're turning left again
Date of Scene:	07 December 2023
Location:	RollerJam USA, Staten Island
Synopsis:	Skating, skating, and more skating. Jenn and Alex go Roller Skating.
Cast of Characters:	Alex Summers, Jennifer Kale

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Alex Summers has posed:
Out front of the RollerJam USA:

Alex walks up wearing white polyester bell bottoms over white patent leather shoes. Up top, he's wearing a sparkly blue silk like shirt (not sequins, fabric weave) and a white jacket to match the pants. He's also carrying white roller skates. His blue eyes glance around at the various people who are moving into the rink and how they're dressed, but also keeping a watchful eye out for Jennifer.

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Jennifer steps out of a cab in front of RollerJam USA, taking a moment to pay the driver before straightening with a smile and glancing around. She spots Alex in his Saturday Night Fever outfit and grins, moving towards him at a jog. Unfortunately for him, she's wearing a long coat that keeps her covered from neck to calf, so all he sees right now is the feathered blonde hair and white knee-high athletic socks tucked into a pair of sneakers. She also carries a pair of white skates with her.

Leaning up, she presses a kiss to his cheek and smiles, "You look great! I hope ya weren't waitin' long?"

Alex Summers has posed:
He's quickly enamored by the hair. Feathered. He's kissed and he offers a warm and light embrace upon her closing and proximity. He smiles and almost laughs, "Love the hair and can't wait to see the tube socks. I just got here. But I'd wait a month to see what you've got going on under that coat. Come on... let's get rollin." And he'll slip his arm behind the small of her back and he'll intend for them to walk to the entrance and get into the fast moving line. It's cold out, yet he's very warm.

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Returning the embrace, Jenn chuckles and smiles up at him, "Thanks! I figured, if I'm goin' all out, I should go *all out*. An' don't ya worry, you're gonna seeit just as soon as we get inside." She's more than happy to lean into him and absorb some of that warmth he puts out while they wait in the line.

Once inside, she checks her coat and he gets to see Jennifer in all her glory! A rainbow striped tube top that leaves shoulders and belly bare, high-waisted jean shorts that are cut to the Gods, and those tube socks with the rainbow striping up at the knee. Checking her sneakers with the coat, she sits to lace into her skates.

Alex Summers has posed:
Alex will check his coat and shoes also, he won't need that while skating. His sleeves are long and poofy to his wrists with tight cuffs and a large broad collar around his throat/shoulders. When she reveals what she's wearing he says, "By the gods... dayum girl. You're the very reason we should enforce the 'bring back the 70s' law - a law that I'm going to submit to congress next term. Especially for the hair."

He'll walk them over to the benches where they can put their skates on and also give him a chance to check out her socks - yeah, socks.

Seated next to her and pulling on the skates he'll note, "So yeah, one of my fellow teammembers is Alison Blaire. She helped me pick this out and also to remind me how to skate. It's been a long time."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
"I got a fondness for these older, retro styles. Got lots of clothes from Goodwill back in th' day, lot of 'em were holdovers from th' 60s, 70s.. clothes just don't hold up that well anymore." Jennifer grins at him, flipping that hair back over her shoulder to send him a wink, "So I'll look forward t' that new law."

Once seated, she's pressed neatly to his side, giving him a great view of her.. socks... as she laces into the skates, her arms resting on her knees as she grins, "Dazzler? Ya know Dazzler? Now that's impressive. But don't ya worry, Alex.. I can help ya remember th' steps.. skatin's not that diff'rent from dancin'.."

She nudges his shoulder lightly and smiles, "Just need th' right partner..."

Alex Summers has posed:
He's clearly distracted by her socks and misses a few times with the lacing eyelets. He gives a nod to the recognition of knowing Dazzler and he says, "Oh good. Cause I ain't no John Travolta on skates. But I can shake my bon-bon." He glances around the room at all the people, entertained by their attire and excitement. Then he insures that his skates are strapped on tight, toes down, and then stands. "Oh, and the other side of it. I roller bladed a lot when I was younger - when it was the thing to do. He'll move around to in front of her with a bit of a side glide.

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Once they're up on their feet, she grins at him and holds out a hand, "Travolta's overrated. Just be Alex an' that's more'n good enough for me." There's a laugh at mention of shaking his bon-bon, and she glances behind him to check out that 'bon-bon' before grinning at him, "I'll take ya up on that sometime." Jenn smiles as he spins around to face her, "Oh very nice. Yeah, I think we're gonna do just fine.. Wanna grab a bite t' eat before they start the adult skate?"

Alex Summers has posed:
He glances away from her toward the area that they serve food. "You know, that's a pretty good idea. It'll give me some carpet time to get used to the rolling." He'll turn, take her hand and then starts moving toward the food. "Hey, so how was your day today? Do anything? Rather, what's a normal day in the life of Jenn look like?" Offering a set of mundane subjects that will allow the 'getting to know you' process to continue. Knowing mundane things is just as important as referencing Dazzler.

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Taking his hand, she smiles at him and gives a nod, "They serve alcohol, too, but I figure if we stick t' water or soda.. probably a bit easier t' keep balance, least til ya find yer skatin' feet." Jennifer moves with him towards the eatery, chuckling, "Well.. I did some grocery shoppin' an' cookin', got my meals set up for th' comin' week.. caught up on my favorite shows while I cleaned up my place..." She chuckles, "Did a bit of ritual magic, just t' help cleanse th' area, reinforce wards... oh, called my grampa an' got caught up on family happenin's back home." Jennifer grins at him, "Went t' th' gym, did some stretches, lil workout, went home, danced around th' place... livin' free." She smiles at him, "What about ya?"

Alex Summers has posed:
He agrees with the soda and they'll get to the counter to order the food. Once that's done, they'll have to move off to the side while waiting on the food to be up. It's very quick. But gives him time to comment and answer. "Seems like a really great day. Let's see.. Five AM, training for about two hours. Solo encounters then group encounters. Worked with Piotr. We did encounter and combat drills. After that, showered and then breakfast. The rest of the morning was grading papers and working on my own research. I'm still building a data sampling of certain igneous rocks that I collected from Diablo Canyon earlier this year. Then lunch, and the afternoon was all about sorting out this attire and skating. Oh, then like you, stretches in the gym. Cause I didn't want to pull a muscle when I fall down in the splits." He grins, knowing that it's likely going to happen.

Food is given and they will make their way to a table to take seats. "Oh, I meant to ask. I saw you get out of a cab. Totally figured you'd magic your way here."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Moving along with him to the food counter, she orders both a hot dog and a slice of pizza, a small soda and a bottle of water. She knows the importance of staying hydrated! Once they move along, she smiles at him while he recounts his day. "Combat trainin'? Sounds interestin'.. I've been learnin' Tai Chi.. helps t' keep th' mind focused an' clear, but also a good defensive martial art." Jennifer reaches out to poke lightly at his stomach and grins, "But I think yer still in way better shape. I'm flexible, but I'm still doin' light weight trainin' t' get some power behind my moves." Then he's moving along to grading papers and working on research, and she stays right there with him, interested in the work he's doing. "Tell me about th' rocks? Is there somethin' interestin' about them as opposed t' th' rest of th' rocks?" THen she's laughing softly and winking at him, "Don't worry, I got yer back, yer gonna do fine."

The food comes up and she helps to carry it over to a table where they can sit and eat. Once settled, Jenn gives a small msile and nods, "Usually I do, but I couldn't be sure where people would be congregatin' here, an' suddenly appearin' where I wasn't before... that tends t' raise questions I didn't wanna waste time with." She meets his eyes and murmurs, "I had a date t' keep."

Alex Summers has posed:
He starts sorting his pizza slices and dashing them with cheese and pepper. He takes a sip of the grape soda and then says, "Okay, that makes sense. And being in anywhere that's not Mutant town, powers do raise questions." regarding the lack of magic use to get her to the destination. Then he says, "So, rocks.. My dissertation covers the Farallon and Pacific oceanic plates' impact and subduction beneath the North American plate and the reasons the plate did not immediately sink. Instead, the Pacific plate maintained a flat-slab presentation, thus causing the Rocky Mountains to rise. The thesis regards the reasoning behind the lack of dive subduction vs flat-slab subduction and the why's behind it. The rocks that I've collected, igneous, are from the long extinct volcanoes in the Diablo canyon and mountain ranges. I'm analyzing the nature of the rocks, their composition, and qualities. Ultimately, due to glaciation, the Farallon plate possessed a lot of water. My research also highlights the nature of the water's effect on subduction."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Adding twin lines of ketchup and mustard to her hot dog, Jennifer bites into it to allow the pizza time to cool from bubbling, chewing on the hot dog while she listens to him explain the igneous rocks. Smiling at him between bites, she nods here and there, then offers, "Okay, so I *think* I followed most of that but I need ya to explain one thing... subduction? I ain't familiar with that term." She takes another bite of the dog and smiles at him while chewing. She got a simple Sprite, enjoying the fizzy, sugary taste of it. Jennifer smiles at him, "Be surprised how much powers don't lift brows, pendin' on th' circumstances.. but yeah, just gettin' t' a date.. that would cause more questions than I had time t' answer."

Alex Summers has posed:
He gives a nod of understanding - which is probably why he didn't fly the X-Jet down here. Instead of commenting on the humor that passed through his mind, he says pushing the two pieces of pizza together. He says, "Subduction is basically this..." he pushes and one piece of pizza slides beneath the other. He adds, "Imagine that these are the tectonic plates. The one on top is the North American plate. The one on the bottom is the Farallon and Pacific plate bonded together. Normally, the bottom plate would dive downward into the mantel, get melted, and increase magma pressures, and volcanoes. Instead, it presented like it is here. Instead of diving down, it remained like a flat-slab and raised the North American plate, creating ripples, and elevation. The other thing it did do was melt slowly and created way more magma pressure and volcanoes. Even super volcanoes."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Following along as he explains, Jennifer grins at him and gives a nod, "Oh! Okay, that makes WAY more sense. So these plates.. do they keep formin' or is what we got.. what we got?" She finishes up her hot dog and moves on to her pizza slice. Watching his demonstration of how subduction works, she smiles at him, "Yer really good at this. Teachin'. Coulda used a teacher like ya when I started college. My Earth Sciences professors were kinda dicks." She takes a bite of her pizza and smiles at him, "So these volcanoes, they dormant or.. should I be preparin' for a real hot summer?"

Alex Summers has posed:
Alex smiles with the observation of him being a good teacher. "I try. But most of my students think the material is too dry. Though I get super excited about rocks. But no. Most of the volcanoes went extinct about 25 million years ago. However, you might be surprised that there are like 169 volcanoes in the US that are considered active. Not saying they're actively spewing lava, but they have the gurgles and burps. Oh, and I know exactly what you mean about being dicks. My 7th grade Earth science teacher was a super creepo. But it was where I really started getting into rocks." Then he takes a bite of his subducted pizza, chews, swallows, and adds, "So the crust of the earth is constantly being made, unmade, recycled, and so on. Like in Iceland. New land is being made every minute of every day. It's growing right down the middle."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Jennifer chuckles and gives a nod, "Yeah, I bet most teenagers ain't super jazzed over rocks an' dirt. But they don't know any better. They'll figure it out.. th' earth is where it's at. Literally, we gotta do what we can t' save th' different biomes from disappearin'. Rainforests, swamps, even th' deserts an' tundra.. they're all startin' t' disappear." She shakes her head, then smiles at him, "I would be surprised t' hear that.. that's kinda crazy, but also pretty cool. Like nature's sittin' on a reset button if things get outta hand." Then she's laughing and giving a nod, "One of 'em.. he found out where I was workin'.. kept tryin' t' trade grades fer lapdances." She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, then looks back to him with raised brows, "No shit? That's pretty cool."

Alex Summers has posed:
After chewing, swallowing, and sipping. "That's super skeevy." Alex says after hearing about the trade offer. "What the hell is wrong with people?" is the followed rhetorical question. He shakes his head and bites more.

Jennifer Kale has posed:
"Be surprised how often stuff like that happens. It's pretty terrible," Jennifer shakes her head, then smiles at him across the table. "But it ain't all bad. I had an English professor that was kick ass. I wouldn't've passed Lit without his help. I just ain't much of a reader.. least not of fiction. But he let me use audiobooks so I could listen while I was doin' other stuff. Let me pick books that were more in line with my own tastes." Jennifer takes a few more bites of her pizza and smiles at him, "So now I gotta ask.. favorite 70s band?"

Alex Summers has posed:
"BeeGees. ELO. Anything you'd hear in Grease, Xanadu, Saturday Night Fever. Pretty much mainstream when it comes to that decade. Though I'm a huge Queen and Pink Floyd fan. It's not the normal thing to think of when one says 70s. Disco was completely unique. Music like it had never been done." Then he turns it around and asks, "How about you? What 70s band do you shake your groove thing to?"

Jennifer Kale has posed:
"ABBA. Queen. Earth, Wind & Fire. Stevie Nicks. Village People. KC an' th' Sunshine Band. Kool & Th' Gang." Jennifer flashes a grin at him and lifts a shrug, "I like all kindsa music. Rock, disco, punk, pop, blues... but I agree, disco's unique. Like swing." Jennifer flashes a grin at him, "Anythin' I can dance t' is good t' me."

Alex Summers has posed:
His eyes are elated as she goes through the favorites list, he too relates and likes all of those named. But when she hits swing, he says, "I wish I could swing dance. I heard some of that rockabilly stuff and seen people dancing to it. Looked so fun."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
"You could learn, swing dance ain't that hard.. I mean, it's hard work, but yer already in great shape," Jennifer smiles across at him and takes a bite of her pizza, watching him for a moment. "Rockabilly is super fun music, an' swing dance is great for dancin' t' rockabilly."

Alex Summers has posed:
"Only if you're teaching me. And I promise not to drop you - too much." he chuckles and takes another bite. He's already mostly done with one of the pieces and realizes he's eaten enough. He covers the other piece of pizza with a napkin and slides the plate off to the side from in between them. Then he adds in a quieter voice, "And yeah. The school. We've got a lot of people living in that place. Constant comings and goings. And when I say a lot, I mean like a hundred people. Students, teachers. I think Alison is the only famous one that anyone would recognize. It's almost like a commune of mutants. The only real way to have any privacy is to hide in my room. But most have roommates, so I feel for them. Because yes, the structure is huge, it's still a lot of people. And really great to get out of that place to be with someone I hardly know doing things I've rarely ever done, if at all."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Smiing brightly, Jennifer gives a quick nod, "Deal. Make sure ya wear comfortable, roomy clothes, least t' start with. Lots of stretchin'. Gonna need t' be flexible for swing dancin'. D'ya like yoga? Yoga's a great way t' stretch out an' focus." Setting her own plate aside, she wipes hands and mouth with a napkin, then looks back to him with a faint smile as he describes what it's like living at the school. Reaching forward to lay one hand over his, giving a gentle squeeze. "I like bein' out with ya, too. We have fun, an' we got lots in common.. an' I like listenin' t' ya talk bout your work.. ya really get into it."

Alex Summers has posed:
He turns his palm up to receive her outstretched hand. When he does, he looks into her eyes while listening to her admission and shared connection.

Then he breaks from the grip and will gather plates and start cleaning up, consolidating for hauling it to the trash bin in a few seconds; all the while saying, "You might be a little surprised with the training schedule we had starting out. We had a dance teacher, not that I learned much. Stevie Hunter. Anyway. She kept us limber. There was a whole lot of yoga. Our headmaster really made sure we were well rounded and stretched out so we wouldn't pull something out in the field. So yeah. There was a lot we were exposed to and was required of us. Still is."

Then he stands, right toes down to anchor his rise and then pushes off to roll to the nearby bin with the trash.

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Sitting back when he starts gathering up the plates and cups, Jennifer watches him with a smiles, helping gather things up so they're in a neat pile that's easier to carry. "Perfect. Then we can start with a bit of yoga t' limber up, then we can move into th' dancin'. I think you'll have fun with it."

Once the garbage is dealt with, she pushes up onto her skates and rolls over to him, holding out a hand with a smile, "Ready t' skate? Should be startin' any minute now.. they're clearin' out all th' underage kids." She glances to the rink where they are indeed calling turn-in for skates and the exit of anyone under 21. People with the special 21+ stamp gets to stay, of course.

And then the first strains of Dancing Queen can be heard.

Alex Summers has posed:
He'll take her hand and answer, "Yes, ma'am.", and guide them toward the rail so they can watch the kids get off the rink and GTFO. He'll pause there and smile as the Dancing Queen starts up. He will bump her hip with his own and will note, "I hope I can keep up. Cause I'm ready to roll all night long."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Laughing lightly as they roll over to the rail so they can get out on the floor as soon as possible, Jennifer smiles up at him. "Oh, I bet yer gonna do just fine. I'm lookin' forward t' rollin' round this rink til they make us leave." The sound of Dancing Queen has her grinning, "Oh I love this song!"

The go-ahead is given for the adults to hit the rink floor and Jenn tugs on his sleeve lightly to start him towards the rink. She spins to face him even as she rolls out onto the rink, already moving her hips, arms up over her head to 'dance' along to the music.

Alex Summers has posed:
He's pulled, he moves. Alex is all too keen on getting this party started. When she turns, he's happy to offer his hands for guidence - in her own or on her hips. Either works just fine. He'll keep his skates back and off to the side while he rolls.

He's clearly excited to be here, to be doing this, to be doing something with someone who doesn't live with him, and doing things that he never does. On top of all of it, she's spectacular. So he's a happy Summers. He skates with all the skates in a circle of skates that skate. He's not bad at it. His rollerblading days gave him the foundation and the quads are actually more stable than the blades. So he's gold. Just no tricks.

Alex Summers has posed:
Several hours later:

We find the couple standing outside the roller rink. People are drifting out of the rink going their separate ways into the night. Alex wears his jacket over his sweat stained shirt and holds his skates by bound strings over his right shoulder. He has been all smiles for most of the night; a night that he doesn't want to end. However, he's expecting such an ending when he turns to her and says, "I had a great time. Like, the best ever."

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Jennifer is standing next to him, wearing her coat to help chase away the chill of drying sweat from a vigorous night of rollerskating! That feathered hair has held up admirably given all the activity, and Jennifer herself is practically glowing with the enjoyment of the evening. She looks up at him to meet his smile, "So did I... I honestly can't remember th' last time I had so much fun on a date..." She pauses, wetting her lips and hesitantly adding, "I.. don't really want it t' end.."

Alex Summers has posed:
He agrees and half whispers, "Me either."

Seeing her wet her lips, he instinctively follows suit only a second before he steps into her personal space, one hand behind her head, the other dropping the skates on the ground so it can take hold of the small of her back. All with the intention of kissing her fully upon the lips.

Jennifer Kale has posed:
Looking more than a little relieved to have the sentiment returned, Jennifer smiles up at him, drawing in breath to make an offer...

But he's faster, moving in close and getting his hands around her waist. Dropping the skates with a clatter, she lifts her arms up to set her hands around his shoulders, her chin tipping up to offer her lips up to his kiss. Letting him set the pace, but going willingly where he leads.