16947/Yeen a Beach and a Sandy Place

Yeen a Beach and a Sandy Place
Date of Scene:	17 January 2024
Location:	Brighton Beach
Synopsis:	A chance encounter on the beach in Brooklyn lead to Sma'shaw and Phoebe becoming closer friends.
Cast of Characters:	Phoebe Beacon, Sma'shaw Ihaka

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Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    A cold night against the beaches that line Brooklyn's southernmost edges. The surf kicks up a slurry of sea ice, trash, sand, and salt as a dusting of dry snow whips around with the winds.

    Phoebe was walking along the beach side, quiet and in repose, her face lit up by the glow of a cellphone as she leaves footprints on the beach. She takes a deep breath of the cold air through a black scarf, clad in mostly grays and darks other than the fact that she has a brilliantly bright pink knit hat with a fluffy pompom on it. Her phone and hand return to her pockets as she pauses to look out over the roaring surf.

    "Quiet night." she reflects to no one in particular.

Sma'shaw Ihaka has posed:
There weren't many people out coming to take a look at the frosty surf of the Brighton Beach at this hour...even if -technically- the water would be warmer...assuming it had a full day cycle of exposure to the sun, otherwise not so much. But what few people were bundled up and striding along the chilly sands were almost immediately spooked back further into the shoreline as the waves suddenly swelled and tore apart against the slate-blue frame of the LANDSHARK.

The massively overhauled Airstreamer, which looked a bit (read: A LOT) more like a submersible APC than an actual RV, churned up sand and salt water as it swerved onto the shores. As it came to a stop, parallel with the waves, the upper portion of the Landshark quickly deployed what appeared to be...a homely looking deck! Wooden fencing and floor board, immaculately treated and stained with warm, bright hues. And as the side hatch opened and slid to the side akin to an SUV door, a familiar yeen spun out onto the deck, crooning and belting out a little diddy on the vocal chords! He set down a tri-podded fit pit in the middle of the deck, tossing in shredded magazines, sticks, and logs of cut up driftwood! Oh tonight was going to be an excellent night for a fire!

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The young mage gives a pause as the seas part. HEr eyes go wide, and she brings her hands out of her pockets, holding low as she eyeballs the oncoming... is... is that one of those twinkie-RV's?

    Her hands fall a moment as she purses her lips, eyeballing the contraoption as it rises and ... presents a deck. HEr head tilts slightly as she opens her mouth, and although it can be argued that it was a good night to have a fire, the company for it was even better.

    "SMA'SHAW!" Phoebe calls out, hopping a divider and coming down to the beach proper.

    "What... the HECK is this?!" she asks, spreading her hands out in regards to the vehicle he has decided to park on the beach.

Sma'shaw Ihaka has posed:
The shout SLAMMED the mutant's heart into fifth gear for a brief moment, causing the poor fella to drop the last of his wood outside of the pit! As he took a breath and picked them up, he cocked his head to get a better look...and sure enough, he actually knew the individual! If he had a nickel for every time someone's shouted on the beach, running up to meet him...well okay, two nickels wasn't a lot, but it was -weird- that it'd happened twice in very similar fashions.

He set the last of the driftwood chops into the pit, stacked tightly together but allowing for some air flow underneath and through the sides. "Is that a woild Pheebs Oi 'ear? Ayyy lass, how's ya doin'!" He called back out to her, stepping over and giving the ladder on the end of the deck a kick so it extends down to the sand. "Welcome to m' proide, joy, n' home: tha' Landshahrk! Noice sheila, inn't she? Easy on tha' eyes n' all!" He patted the hull affectionately, beaming from ear to fluffy ear!

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a slight grin. She's glad she got it right -- but how many super tall hyena-guys were there hanging around NYC?

    Not many, she'd wager. She gives a hop over a snowdrift and makes her way to the vehicle, breathing out as she gives a sidelong smile up to the most unusual person at Babs's party, and she grabs hold of the ladder to start making her way up.

    "She's amazing." she calls out into the freezing air. "Terrain, submarine, just -- what a remarkable craft" she states a sshe comes up to the deck, and takes a look around.

    "And this is your home?" she questions -- and quietly holds her hands to the fire, because it is cold, she is human, and has no fur at all on her hands.

Sma'shaw Ihaka has posed:
His smile widened as he heard her coming up the step, felt the subtle thump of foot falls drawing closer to the deck itself as she came aboard. "Aye, she's my lovely lass, moi sloice of th' ocean. Best pahrt, she still gets internet at -any- depth. You ever streamed rom-coms in the deeper portions of th' waves, where there's little loight? Ahhhh, mate, nothin' makes a yeen feel more snug, Oi tell ya'."

He poured just a little bit of lighter fluid on the magazine shreddings, getting them soaked and prepped before the flash of the match came next. The little light dived into the pit, and a rush of heat and flame plumed up from the depths! Sma'shaw stooped down, blowing and agitating the heat and glow into intensifying, and it didn't take long before the dry wood began to catch and emanate some pleasant heat. "Theeeere we go. No freezin' for ya there. Oi got fur n' all, so lil' cold don't botha' me much." He patted his muscled, lean upper body that seemed to be devoid of even a shirt, though he did seem to be wearing half a thick mechanic's jumpsuit on his lower half, so he wasn't entirely spitting in the face of society or scarring folks.

"Buuut still, lil' foire is always nice. Smells good n' all, pretty ta' look at. What were ya' askin? Oh! Ye', Sharkie's m' home, got all m' necessities there, even down t' TV n' Internet, though Oi dooo hafta go out for groceries now n' then...actually no, Oi typically Instacart that, don't Oi...?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I don't know what surprises me more. The submarine lifestyle, the rom-com preference, or instacarting groceries." Phoebe replies in a friendly manner, and she gives a small smile as the fire comes to life. She could have helped but it seems like Sma'shaw had everything well in hand.

    "Not at all surprised by instacart actually. I did it when I lived in New York City, but Gotham it's a little more complicated. That and I tend to take meals in one place and sleep in another." she reflects quietly, and she gives a small grin, rubbing the back of her head. "Sounds like quite the peaceful existence, actually. You have a favorite rom-com, or just about anything will do?" she questions "I'm... really hooked on watching telenovelas at the moment. Working on my Spanish." she gives a small grin up at Sma'shaw. "Thanks for inviting me aboard, downright kind of you considering we met in a different city two weeks back."

Sma'shaw Ihaka has posed:
He pulled out some camping chair, unfolding on for her and a bigger, sturdier one for himself! He plonks down by the crackling fire, sighing as the heat washed over him and soaked into his fur. "Meals in one place, sleep in another? That sounds downroigh' exhaustin', mate! Oi'd ratha have everythin' Oi need on m' vessel, as close t' arms reach as Oi can manage! Even have some pre-programmed meals Oi wrenched into a little vendin' thingy built inta tha' wall, takes ingredients directly from th' fridge n' all. Not that Oi don' love cookin', but some days it's just noice to push a button and get a taaasty comfort meal."

Carefully, he puts a grill top over the pit, and as he rummages in a cooler off to the side, he starts throwing on some fillets, Cajun-seasoned and smelling utterly delicious as the fat begins to cook. Meanwhile, he pops open a bag of marshmellows, handing it to her with a stick to poke 'em on. "Oooh a favorite? Mmmh...well depends, f' movies Oi like watchin' Wall-E a bunch, big favorite. Shows, ahhh...not too picky on 'em, honestly? Oi tend t' gravitate to anime n' Korean live action series, though. And even the occasional telenovela~!" He flashes a bigger grin, flipping the fish over. "Pshhaaaah, s' nothin' to it, mate. Ye didn't make an attempt on m' loife when Oi showed up at the ritzy pahrty loik Oi half-expected so, just returnin' hospitality. First time Oi evah went to a big thing loike tha'...of my own volition, anyhoo." Something about that last sentence was a bit more...bitter.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "It can be. But that's part of the price I pay to do what I do." Phoebe admits gently to Sma'shaw as she sits down with a soft 'oh, thank you!' as she sits down, and purses her lips eyebrows rising up behind her hatline as she accepts the stick with the marshmallow on it. She's polite, and doesn't start in on gelatin and such things that she would with her super group friends.

    "Wall-E's a good one, though for Pixar's work I *do* like Up. Even though it's the sadest five minutes of any movie at the beginning." she states, breathing out with a huff as she listens to the yeen speak.

    "Why would I make an attempt on your life? You're... you're fascinating. You showed up, were polite, and even comisserated over everyone being louder than what was needed." Phoebe expresses... and then she gives a weak smile.

    "... I'm part of a big, famous family in Gotham City. I don't like crowds, and more than once someone's pulled the wind from my sails over some small infraction, because they have *rules* and I don't know them, because I'm not like them. But I have to go, put on a show. I'm still not comfortable with it." she admits quietly, and she looks over to Sma'shaw. "It seems like it's something a bit deeper for you, though."

Sma'shaw Ihaka has posed:
"Yeeesh, Up, that's a hard on to start on, honestly. Y' watch any of the Disney+ stuff? Oi'm a big fan of The Owl House, the build up between Amity n' Luz is real adorable ta' watch." He chuckles with a biiig smile, reach over to flip the fillets again, tossing a bit more salt n' pepper on them.

At her question, both of them really, he slows his stoking...and he stares into the fire, the lapping flames dancing in the golden bands of his irises. "...Oi'm a mutant. Worse than tha', a Choimera, pretty much. Only thing that's really human are m' organs n' brain, and even that ended up bein' twisted on th' genetic level n' all. Desoigned, loike this."

His paw pads tapped along the length of the poker. "...Th' folks tha' paid to have my made wanted cruel mix between kid 'n pet, and noitha' really worked out for 'em. Left me on a cruiseship, an' as fate would 'ave it, Oi got picked up boi poirates. Maori folk, taught me how t' see th' world n' all, to love th' ocean and the bounty she provoides. Good folk, even though we waz croimin', and all. Stealin' from rich folk, pretty much." He turned to look at Phoebe. "...Whot about you?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I'm afraid... my life is a lot more complicated than that." Phoebe replies quietly, "But not as heartbreaking. I told you that I'm part of a rich family in Gotham. Before that I ha another pair of dads. One rightly chose his biological daughter over me. The other wasn't who he said he was. Before that?" she stiffens her fingers a moment, retrating the toasted marshmallow.

    "I... was orphaned when one of my family members lost out to her darkness. I was adopted by a couple in Gotham, but my adopted dad died when I was thirteen -- he was a fireman. He was told there was someone still in an apartment building, and was in it when it fell." she explains.

    "My mom couldn't handle it. But I'm fortunate that I have a pretty big found family."

    She jumps around her past. She doesn't give specifics, but her expression is fixed on the fire, or on the marshmallow, but the way her mouth twists notes that it *hurts* still.

    "Sorrow likes to follow me around, I guess."

Sma'shaw Ihaka has posed:
Sma'shaw listened intently to her words as she spoke of her past...as the pain etched itself into her expression, like watching someone pull glass shards out of old wounds. The fish had browned perfectly by now, and h plated some of them, briefly offering one, though it was a light and wordless gesture as he couldn't remember in the moment if she was vegan or not. Regardless of whether the food was taken or not...he leaned back into his chair, pursing his black lips. "...Oi'm an ex-con. Done toime f' poiratin', an' theft. M' crew were all pretty much killed in the bust, Oi only survived because of them usin' lower powered rifle round n' all. Still bruised m' broke bones. Oi'd known 'em for ah...years. Toike t' teen."

He shifted uncomfortably, but continued. "Oi ah...'ad to learn 'ow to ta survoive in the prison system. Foive years in th' can, folks in th' pod trying to staht foights with me tryin' to prove they tahff as hell, an' Oi just...wanted t' be left alone. And when Oi was alone...even worse, honestly. Couldn't stand being so disconnected from the ocean." His jaw set and hardened, a chuff escaping his nostrils. "...Had 't kill just t' get it ta' stop. To be left alone an' not prodded like some -animal-. An'...an' Oi still regret tha'. Lettin' m' rage get tha' better of me."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "My adopted dad... the second adopted dad... he was my hero. He pulled me out of a tough place, mentally. He gave me Purpose. And a home. And for the first time since I was thirteen I felt like I was safe with someone. That I had a grown-up who was just like me... who was broken and fixed, and beautiful for it." Phoene states, and she rubs the wrist of her left hand, and then her head lowers.

    "But he wasn't who he said he was, and a couple of days after he said he loved me like a daughter, and promised he would look after me.... he left." Phoebe states quietly. She had declined the fish, though it did in all honesty smell good (did she eat today? Did she forget again?), and she purses her lips a moment.

    "I've had to kill or be killed. It shouldn't make it any easier for the former. For me, it was survival." she purses her lips.

    "We handle as much as we can before we're pushed to the edge. Desperation does horrible things to people."

Sma'shaw Ihaka has posed:
"...Aye. Tha' it do. Condolences to those that you lost along th' way, and a swift kick in the dingles for those that left ya'." He raised a couple of his fish in toast, tossing them back and easily scarfing them down in a few hungry chomps...not hard for jaws like his. "And all the blessin's to tha' family we do foind along the way. Hafta say, quite loike yours so fahr, makin' me feel loike a real fancy lad at tha' party." He cracked, easing back the painful topics a bit with a smile and genuine gratitude.

"Don't be surproised if Oi end up co-optin' them. Good folk loike tha's rare. S'pecially ones that see a person in me and all."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Thanks. That does mean a lot to me." Phoebe replies with a wane smile, and she brightens a little bit.

    "Yeah. My current found family is ... is pretty great. Babs is amazing with her research skills, she can find anything about anything if it exists connected to a computer. Damian, my little brother, was at the party. He can be a little standoffish, but he's good." Phoebe picks a little bit at her marshamllow.

    "It shouldn't hard to see the person in anyone. Our heroes are aliens and mutants and people with extraordinary powers. There's those who don't look a lick like a human." she states, and turns back to Sma'shaw.

    "Besides, talking to you was the best part of that party. For once, I had someone who was the most interesting person in the room talking to me. Felt nice."

Sma'shaw Ihaka has posed:
He stopped mid-marshmellow-poke, slowly looking up at her with genuine surprise in his big yeen eyes. "...Oi was the most interestin'...?" -That- was something no one ever told him before, and he couldn't help but feel the encroaching of a faint, green blush under his fur that gentle colored some of the features around his muzzle. "H-hahah, f'real? An' 'ere Oi was thinkin' tha' individual was -you-, lookin' equally as nervous about tha' crowd, but makin' it look all cool and disaffected as a wallflowah. Must be the mysterious Bats energy rubbin' off on ya." He cracks a BIG yeen grin, a hyena cackle welling up at his throat!

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a grin at the Yeen cackle, and she has to rub the back of her neck there too with a laugh.

    "Oh no. If my brother wasn't there and I didn't know the hostess? I probably would have attempted to sneak and find some greenery to hide behind. Or sneak off to the library and book-fort." Phoebe admits. "Must be that mysterious Batergy hanging around Gotham that makes us so cool." she jokes, and she looks at the fire for a moment, then goes to stand.

    "On that note, Sma'shaw, it has been an amazing visit with you. Thank you for inviting me onto your deck and onto the Landshark. Great name." she stats, and as a girl who knows that some machines do have a spirit to them, she pats the railing affectionately.

    "But I should be heading on home. If I get out too late, the house marm worries."

    And will call her. Repeatedly. Until she answers. And no one wants an angry Alfred.

    But she does take out a card, and hands it over to Sma'shaw. "Should you ever want to reach out, or hang out on Gotham's shores, or play pinball sometime, let's meet up." she gives a bright smile.

    The card? It's a phone number. A Gotham phone number.

    "Also if you land yourself in hot water, give me a call. I'll do what I can to help."

Sma'shaw Ihaka has posed:
The mutant rises up with her, taking the card from her, and actually handing one back to her in return! Well, okay, calling it a 'card' is a bit of a stretch, it's more of a gently-used sticky note with his contact deets...internet handles, Steam username, phone number, email...wow, even a radio frequency. "Pleasure vibin' with ya, bein' a pair of sad potatoes fer a bit. 'S good t' commiserate, but Oi'm afraid tha' won't save ya from gettin' -wrecked- at pinball. Bettah wotch ye'self!" He gives a big yeen smile back to her, showing his teeth even! Big, sharp, healthy chompers!

"Lemme know if y' need anything repaired, or y' need back up. Oi got good wheels, an' an even bettah grasp on city traffic. Take care now, ye?" He waves her offer, his tail wagging quickly as he watched her depart from the Landshark!