17569/Midday Milkshakes

Midday Milkshakes
Date of Scene:	03 April 2024
Location:	Mootant Town Milkshakes
Synopsis:	Tandy and Ty come to an understanding about leaving.
Cast of Characters:	Tandy Bowen, Tyrone Johnson

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Tandy Bowen has posed:
Tandy Bowen was sitting at one of the stools at the counter of Mootant's, close to the staff area with clear sightlines to the front door and bank of windows overlooking the street. A giant glass full of a vibrantly yellow-orange concoction sat in front of her with a wide straw, barely a hint of condensation on the glass despite the warmth of the day and the small crowd pressed into the relatively small space. Occasionally the man behind the counter would make a pass between customers, lightly tapping each glass just enough for the substance inside to firm back into the normal freshly poured, chilly consistency. The blonde's face brightened as a tall man entered, and her hand went up enthusiastically to wave him over to the seat on the other side of her, thin, cheap bangles glinting in the afternoon sun. "Ty!" It was a fond call, just loud enough to catch attention over the noise of chatter without causing every head in the space to turn their way.

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
Ty was almost floating - literally - since Tandy had reached out and invited him to watch her drink a milkshake. He guessed it was true - her milkshake did draw at least one boy to the yard. He was focused on remaining solid, which weas both kinda awesome but also kinda sucked. Interacting with things was good, but the stammer was, as it always was, a giant pain in his ass. He walked in, remembering not to just try to walk through people, and when she called and waved he waved back and made his way over to th counter, claiming the seat next to hers. "Hey." he said as suavely as he could - which wasn't very, really. But he was trying.

Tandy Bowen has posed:
"Hey!" Tandy gave Ty a sunny smile as she turned on the stool until their knees were bumping, sliding the vibrant milkshake between them. "It's like sunshine in a glass," she said after taking a long slurp. "Orange, banana, pineapple, little bit of strawberry. I thought you'd like the smell."

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
He obligingly leaned over to sniff the concoction. "It's v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v..." he started to say, and then gave up in frustration. Instead, he just waggled his hand in indecision. "Fruity!" he spit out finally, drawing some looks from passers-by and nearby ice-cream aficianados.

Tandy Bowen has posed:
"Isn't it great?" she enthused, grabbing his fingers playfully as she took another sip. "It's nice to be outside for a little bit too, with the weather actually being decent." It wasn't terribly hot yet, but it wasn't so cold anymore that being outside was miserable, and the sun was actually out. "Night shifts at the diner have been pretty decent, but I'm glad to be doing mornings for a little while."

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
He just smiled at her. It would help if he were around more, he had to admit that much was true, but when one had transcended the need for sleep and one's dietary restrictions were on the more vampiric side of things, plus you lived with a woman that could feed you but you hated asking but your efforts to take care of yourself drew either Angry Tandy or Sad Tandy ... yeah. Too damned complicated. So instead he just smiled at her and tugged his cloak around him a little more - sure, he wasn't using it right now, but he was always wearing it. Just in case. "H-h-how's w-w-w-work treating you?" he asked.

Tandy Bowen has posed:
"It's fine. Nothing special." Her foot slipped around and partially through his own as she leaned in and lowered her voice. "You've been avoiding me. I miss you." Tandy's smile had dropped as she leaned in, and she propped her cheek on her fist as she watched Ty's face. "Why are you doing it?"

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
Ty looked guilty for a moment. "Giving you space." he said, managing to not trip on his own tongue for a moment. "K-k-k-know it bugs you w-w-w-when I have to go eat." he said, leaning in close and keeping his voice down. "Don't l-l-l-l-like it either, but hate asking." he said with a sigh and a look of self-loathing. "Better to t-t-t-t-take out s-s-s-s-scumbags peddling slow death."

Tandy Bowen has posed:
She looked down for a moment. "I-" her fingers tightened around his. "It did bug me, when we were younger. But. It's necessary, and it keeps them from preying on kids like we were. And I need you too," she continued, nodding at where her hand was glowing. "I don't want space. Please come back."

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
Ty just looked over at Tandy and grinned. Rather than fumble over his words, he let the toe of his shoe explore her calf while he gave her a big thumbs-up. "M-m-m-missed you too." he said with a goofy look on his face.

Tandy Bowen has posed:
"Mmhm," she hummed around her straw, taking another sip of the icy-cold perfection before flagging down someone for a go cup and carefully transferring the contents. "C'mon, let's go," Tandy said as she stood, still keeping her fingers entwined with Ty's, almost as if she let go he'd disappear again.

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
You'd have to do something truly awful to get Ty to release Tandy's hand at that particular moment. She felt soft but with a strength underneath of that that Ty, no poet at the best of times, would be hard-pressed to describe. He patiently waited for her to sort herself out and pay her bill but once that was all done he strolled with her, hand-in-hand, out of the shop.

Tandy Bowen has posed:
Tandy led him to one of the quieter alleys. "Port us home," she asked quietly, leaning into Ty with a sigh.

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
Ty put the hood of his cloak up and let the Darkforce spill out. It enveloped his body and then he concentrated to open a door where his body usually was that would allow entrance. "Make sure to light up. Don't want to eat you - not like that, anyway." he said with a teasing wink.

Tandy Bowen has posed:
"You sure about that?" Her voice was teasing, light enveloping her body and projecting into the Darkforce. She tucked her milkshake close, fingers releasing Ty's to allow her a tighter hold, arm slipped around his waist under the cloak. "I'm ready."

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
As she walked in, he closed the door behind her, leaving them in Stygian blackness lit only by her Light. He took literally two steps then opened a door back to their lair - a surprisingly clean, tidy, and well-kept-up lair. Considering that they were squatting in a ruined church, someone had been diligent about his cleaning chores. "After you." he said gallantly, opening the door back to their home.

Tandy Bowen has posed:
"My own knight in dark armor," Tandy teased, letting her arm drop from his waist to walk the few steps to their dumpster dived couch and the thrifted sheets and blankets covering them for padding and looks. She set her milkshake down, unlacing her boots as she waited for Ty to decide if he was going to settle next to her or play martyr and hover.

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
Ty did his best to split the difference, satisfying neither side. He stepped through and lowered the hood of his cloak, returning to solidity, but instead of settle in next to her he awkwardly hovered. He did, however, look like he was ready to dive into action if she wanted to have her boots pulled off.

Tandy Bowen has posed:
"So nervous around me, why?" She asked with a sigh, pulling her boots off with smooth efficiency. "C'mon Ty, it's _us_. Cloak and Dagger against all comers, remember?" She finally met his gaze, patting the couch. "We're gonna talk about this, best as we can."

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
Ty sat down, finally, a little sad that she pulled her own boots off. "You know how much I hate having to ask you to share your Light. And yeah, I know, you get really sick and loopy when you're ODing on it so it kinda works out for both of us. But fuck, I hate it. I hate it _so much_. But then if I'm not gonna take from you, I gotta get it somewhere. And that means that dealers, pimps, the really bad people out there? They gotta suffer so I can live. How am I gonna live with that, Tandy? No matter what, someone gets hurt."

Tandy Bowen has posed:
"You don't hurt me when I'm sharing, Ty. We're too symbiotic for that, and you like me enough to stop well before you've gorged yourself to the point of me ever being in danger. You're the safety on my powers, don't you realize?" Tandy twisted, curling into Ty's chest and glowing softly. "I surround myself for our ports, I feed you, we both stay healthy. If you want to stop feeding off scum you can. But you protect other people when you do. Those really bad people can't prey on kids and other vulnerable people once we stop them. And we used to always vet them, remember? Going after the dealers that target kids, the pimps that like to hurt their hookers even though it's bad for business? The assholes that think they can just drag people off the street and shoot them up like they did to us?"

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
Ty sighed. "I know. And that's the bitch of it - turns out you need me as bad as I need you. We do work together really well and ... when you're not around, when I piss you off and make you cry, it's like the best part of me goes out the door with you. I get cruel, I start going after people that maybe I don't need to, just because it feels good. Can make a little money, too, which is always nice. We get enough socked away maybe we can get a real place with a roof and a door and not be living on the streets." he said, trying to explain why he was so twisted up inside. "I mean, the things we do as Cloak and Dagger - it's good work. We help people. But..." he said and let his voice trail off. "Without Dagger, there is no Cloak."

Tandy Bowen has posed:
"And there's no Dagger without Cloak, you ever think of that?" Tandy poked him in the stomach, voice a little tart. "Yeah, we have problems sometimes. I think that's part of life. Leaving just makes me cry more." She reached up, fingers resting along his cheek. "Next time take a walk. Stalk and eat some vicious asshole. Then come back to me once it's safe."

Tyrone Johnson has posed:
Ty just nodded, not trusting his voice even more than usual. "Hey. Speaking of vicious asshole, I tell you I got Gino?" he said with a grin. "Yeah. Fat Tony's regional guy here in New York. Fled all the way to fuckin' Gotham, you believe that?" he said, getting more animated and his Bostonian accent getting thicker as he got into retelling his story.

Tandy Bowen has posed:
Tandy shook her head in the negative, giving Ty a fond grin as she watched the animation of his face while recounting the story. She'd missed hearing - and seeing - this level of visible enthusiasm from him, and it made hope swell in her chest.