1957/Little Wishes

Little Wishes
Date of Scene:	04 June 2020
Location:	Washington Square Park
Synopsis:	Thea gives Alexander a graduation gift.
Cast of Characters:	Thea Queen, Alexander Aaron

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Thea Queen has posed:
It's actually pleasant out, even if a touch dark. The lights of the city still manage to illuminate the streets and most of the paths of the small urban parks. For the larger ones, the walkways have their own lamps, each lighting a section of park where small gatherings are possible; rock outcropping, clearings from small copses of trees, benches.

New York is, oddly enough, safer than walking the streets of Starling City, and one Thea Queen doesn't have any fear of doing that! Therefore, the young trust fund heiress has no one in tow in order to make her rendez-vous with a friend that she hadn't seen in seemingly forever. (Has it only been a couple of weeks?) So, with a phone call and a promise gained that he'd actually BE THERE, she's at the appointed location at the appointed time. With a present-type bag in hand.

She's dressed casually, but for Thea, that's a shape-hugging midriff shirt with a pair of jeans that look like a tailor sewed them on.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    More and more of Alexander's time is spent in Midtown, running around the city. No longer must he take the train out and back to Happy Harbor, and no more must he make a long sojourn back, spending much of his time commuting. Though this has left him with a fair amount of free time on his hands which has been turned in one direction or another...
    Though today, in this case, it's people-watching that has him.
    Settled on the lip of the fountain that dominates the center of the park, usually just under the FRIENDS logo int the introduction, Alexander is leaning forward with his hands together and fingers interlaced. A blue ESU backpack is settled at his feet as he tilts his head one way... then the other...
    Until he espies her with that package and the cute outfit she chose. His lip twists up a little and he is... much as she remembers him. Though instead of jeans he's wearing grey sweat shorts of all things. A red t-shirt and a blue METS hat rests on his head even as he lifts a hand in greeting.
    "Hey, Thea."

Thea Queen has posed:
Catching the wave as she circles round, Thea's expression brightens as she espies Alex and makes her way over to him with a bounce in her step. Once she arrives, the smile doesn't fade as she gestures at his hat, "You need a Rocket's hat." Starling City Rockets.

Turning to back up and sit down on the bit of fountain marble next to him, Thea unceremoniously hands over the gift bag with the excuse, "Wanted to get you a little something for graduation. It's actually a big deal in my family, that whole 'actually accomplishing something', even if it is just high school."

Settling in, Thea crosses her legs at the ankles (she did take something away from etiquette lessons!), and looks next to her. Brows rise as the outfit he's chosen sinks in, "School spirit in the summer, or are you being an overachiever and actually taking classes?"

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Summer semester, yup." An answer given with ease as he accepts the bag and starts to poke and prod at it, not quite seeking to open it yet and apparently enjoying the lifting and turning and examining. He even holds it up to his ear and shakes it before tilting his head sidelong toward her. "Thank you, you didn't have to, but it's kind of you."
    That said he leeeeans over and gives her a sideways one-armed hug to pull her against him and a small smooch to the brow before he settlesback to again ponder the gift sack.
    "I took like a week off then realized I was bored." His lip twitches as he looks back to her. "I was vaguely thinking of going to Japan but didn't think anything productive would come of that."
    That said he eyes the bag again, scrunching up one eye, then eyes her again, the the bag. "If this blows up in my face I will totally be very grumpy." And with that he starts to tear it open, no elegance in that boy as he assaults the bagged gift.

Thea Queen has posed:
"Ooooh, okay. Over achiever," Thea teases and jabs a finger lightly into his side. When he starts to look at it; lifting, turning and gently shaking, her eyes widen and she reaches a hand out, "Fragile..". It's at his thanks, however, that her expression lights further.

At the leeeeeeean and single armed hug, there's that moment, and Thea leans back, accepting and returning that bit of contact, the touch. He's... stronger than she may have realized? That's muscle under there!

Ahem.

"Week off and you were bored?" There's a laugh that rises and she nods, "I could see that, actually." Her tones turn teasing, and a little airy, "You, bored. Could be trouble."

As he opens it, there's a box, and within, a 'wishing ball'. It's empty but for a single rolled slip of paper with a little bit of writing. It's difficult to discern what it says, but it's in a feminine hand. "It's a wishing ball," Thea explains. "It's like.. a place for wishes. There are wishing wells, birthday blow out the candle wishes, but for the day to day stuff? Where can you put them?" The smile doesn't fade, and she looks into those blue eyes of his, "I started you off. Added my wish in there."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The blond youth's smile is a lop-sided thing, curved at the corner as he holds up the glass ball and tilts it one way and then the other. The rolled up slip of paper is left there for now, but he turns to look at her with that same smile, "Is it ok for me to read the wish or would that undo the magic?"
    Even as he perhaps realizes that he can't exactly get the slip of paper back out. His eyebrows lift and then when he looks back as she murmurs those last few words his pale hazel eyes meet her gaze and his smile slips gentle.
    "Aww, you're so thoughtful, Thea." He eases his arm around her again and pulls her into his embrace sidelong, setting the wish sphere down between them and balancing it on each of their legs.
    For a time he just peers at it, then he says, "I am totally dying to know what you wished for." At that he grins at her and again a small touch of lips to her brow.
    "Also I wonder if there's like a 'curse your enemies ball'. Hmm."

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea enjoys watching people opening her gifts, and Alex is no different. No, he is different. It's more enjoyable to watch him, watch that face light, and, okay, get that hug again. Leaning her head to rest it on his shoulder, the smile remains.

"That would be cheating, and then the wish can't come true. It undoes all its magic." Beat. "Then we're both out of luck."

She enjoys the moment, her fingers reaching out for the light blue, blown-glass ball, and holding it gently, shifts her head to look at Alex' face again, brows rising. "A 'curse your enemies' ball?" is asked laughingly. "Probably not," she begins, the words coming slowly, "but I'm sure you could find a glassblower who would do that for you." The smile hasn't faded but she does move to sit up, even if she's not leaving that 'personal space' of his. "I think there's enough of that."

Beat.

"So, you don't have to tell your wishes, and really shouldn't.. but..." the sound of her tones are expectant.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    His nose crinkles as he murmurs to her sidelong, "Fiiiine," As if he were just so terribly put out by how the magic with wishes works. But his hand squeezes her shoulder companionably as he ponders it, gently turning it over on its side and watching the slip of paper roll around inside. He grins to her then picks it back up, settling it back in its box and that box back in the bag where it rustles with some of the tissue paper.
    "There's probably a market for a curse your enemies ball." That said he nods sagely and seems content to relax there on the bench settled with her so near.
    "Oh man, wishes. I don't know, what would I wish for?"
    His brow furrows as he looks across the way, even as the fountain trickles faintly behind them and people continue to move through that park quietly this time of night. "Suggestions?"

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea laughs again lightly at his oh-so-longsuffering 'fiiiiiiine', her own nose wrinkling in the humor. She bites at her bottom lip, worrying it before she reaches out again to help lower it to its box. "I am NOT going to give you a suggestion. And, please, please, please.. I don't want to hear 'world peace', because that is just stupid. And way too many girls have done that stuff just to win Homecoming Queen." How's that for venting?

The glassblown ball is repleaced, and set back into the bag safely, and Thea can breathe a sigh of relief. She didn't break it! "Oh, I bet there is. Right up there with voodoo dolls. Also very popular with the cursing crowd." Okay, now she's picking on him.

At the question, however, Thea looks back at those blue eyes, letting her attention linger for a couple of heartbeats before she smiles and looks away at the small groups that laugh, talk quietly, and stroll through the park. "Suggestions?" she repeats? "Oh.. I don't know," her tones drop. "For you? Maybe getting professors who won't be jerks?" Keeping it light, even if her own thoughts have strolled into the more personal.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Now that the glass ball is returned to its box he undoes the zipper of his backpack and pulls it open with a faint metallic whirrrr that opens its maw. Within he clears enough room and then scoots the package inside until it's settled, then zips the backpack up with another low whirrrr. That done he settles it next to his foot, though now he turns to face her on that bench, drawing his shoe up into his lap so that he's seated half cross-legged.
    "Making a wish about professors not being jerks seems like it'd be a waste of a good wish." He works at his lower lip thoughtfully, chewing a little as he ponders. "Maybe I should wish for like more wishes. I hear that's a good use of one." His smirk springs to life but likely expects some admonishment for that one.
    "I don't know. I think..." Alexander's eyes drift to the side, distancing in thought as he frowns, then murmurs quietly. "Maybe some understanding of things. Or confidence that ultimately I'm making the right decision about some things. That would be good."
    His eyes drop briefly, momentarily to her lips, then back to her eyes as he smiles easily enough, "What would you wish for if you had your druthers right now?"

Thea Queen has posed:
"That is not a real wish," Thea laughs as Alexander sets himself back and around, her full attention is on him now. "Not allowed to wish for more wishes." There's a light lift of her shoulders, though, as he rejects that other wish. "Hey, a horrible professor can make or break a class." Beat. "So I've heard." Not that she's gone to college! Mother is proud. *cough*

Thea mirrors Alex' positioning, though she doubles down and goes cross-legged on that fountain's lip. Resting her hands in her lap, her attention hasn't lifted. There's something in her expression as the musing moves towards the more philosophic, and, well.. seemingly open.

Thea reaches out for his hand, ready to lay it between her two, "Confidence in the right decision? Welcome to the world of second guessing. I think I'm the president there." She's self-deprecating, but the tones are.. gentle, if not a little encouraging. "You can only make decisions on the information you're given. You can't cloud yourself with 'what if', because if you do that? You'll never do anything." She offers a touch of a smile and offers a squeeze of her hand. "Whatever you decide will probably be the best decision you can make with what you've got to work with."

That question moved back to her, however, gets a soft, if not a little uncomfortable laugh. "Me?" She shakes her head, the ghost of a smile on her face lingering, "Lots. Lots of stupid things, and stuff that I can't change."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    With his hand open and palm out, Alexander seems accepting of her touching and exploring his palm, his fingers opening and his wrist turning just so as if to make it easier. Yet he's listening to her that while, nodding along at times when she speaks about decisions made and what one can do with what information they have. His eyebrows climb as he accepts that, head bobbing near the end of her words.
    "I know, just in some ways I think college might be a waste of time considering everything. Though I spoke to a friend and she told me that I was more here to... socialize, learn how to learn, how to be normallish." His lip twists, he shrugs.
    "Meh, still." But then he cocks his head to the side as he considers her, something quizzical in those pale eyes, "Lots of things? Ok."
    Alexander reaches over and grabs her ankle and pulls it towards him, letting her sprawl on the ledge of that fountain and rest her leg across his lap even as he lightly brushes a raveling from the leg of her jeans and brushes fingers along as if to smooth out the wrinkles. "Ok tell me one stupid thing and one thing you can't change."

Thea Queen has posed:
"No. College is about learning more stuff so you can make a better decision. It's like.. having lots of girlfriends before you settle for 'the one'. Gotta go out a lot, see what you like, what you don't. Eventually, you'll have enough information to actually make the right choice." Thea grins and shrugs, "Even if it ends up the wrong choice, it's the best you had at the moment." That grin turns lopsided, "I know. Been there, done that."

Thea squeaks as her leg is pulled out from under her, and she's tossed a little off-balance. Her hands fly out behind her to help stabilize herself before she settles again into that new, casual position. "Geez.." She's laughing, though.

The question as to what her wishes would be, stupid and something she can't change... her expression drops. She shakes her head, the brunette bob dancing in the gesture. "You don't want to know." She smiles again, the expression a touch on the sad and melancholic side. "I mean, you told me all about you, and you have nearly no idea who I am." She chuffs a soft laugh, "Ollie's really my only brother. We just sort of adopted Roy." There's honesty.

"Let's see.. something stupid." Thea considers before, "I wish I was a normal person. Not some.. person that everyone is always staring at. Watching me under a magnifying glass. I mean, I'm willing to bet in a day or so, there's going to be a newspaper article wondering who you are because I've been seen in public with you more than once. Or, Ollie's going to get a phone call." She lifts a hand, palm up, "There. Stupid. Stupid little rich girl with rich girl problems."

Thea chuffs another breath, and the next, even though she has that .. smile, it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "I can't change who I am. I wish I could. There are times when I hate it. When I just want everything and everyone to go away. But I can't change it as much as I want to."

Thea shifts her position again, moving to pull her leg back, and she uses the back of her hand to wipe at her cheek, her finger running under an eye to catch any smudging of mascara. "Dumb. Told you."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    As Thea speaks at first he chuffs a breath, just a short puff of exhalation that would be a laugh and likely a short weird sounding one if it was only given more life. But he shakes his head while she regales him with the girlfriend metaphor but does not comment on it.
    Instead he just sprawls as well on that fountain's lip, her leg across his lap and both of them looking entirely too at ease. She tells him he knows little about her and his head tilts to the side, "There's an easy remedy for that you know. And to be fair I figure it's not hard to get you to talk about yourself." His lip twists up and he leans away in case she might be of a violent mindset in that moment.
    But then she confides her wishes and he listens, gaze tilted to the side, hazel eyes holding hers. He crinkles his nose at her wish to be someone other than herself but he does bite on the article angle, "If there is, you need to let me know. I'll totally read it. Repeatedly."
    Then she finishes speaking and he gives her leg a small squeeze, "Not so dumb. But telling. You know..."
    Alexander's eyes slip to the side thoughtfully as he tilts his head, "You could always come to college with me. We could take the same classes and just goof off the whole time. That would be pretty cool."

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea cry-laughs at the comment about reading any gossip/society piece over and over, reaching over to gently swat at him. "They'd make you out as some mystery man, and me, well, you'd be just another."

Still, the support is nice; it's really the first time she'd actually gotten to say those words to anyone, and it's like a weight is lifting. She feels a little better, and it shows in her manner and mien. Her eyes are a little brighter, still a little moist, but okay. The smile is reflecting again, and she shakes her head a little ruefully.

"I hate school. I almost didn't get through high school. Mother had to ride me to do it. Then Ollie. If I said I wanted to go? They'd have me locked up in a hospital somewhere." Her head shakes again, and that ghost of a smile still plays, "As long as you're around, I'll be a bad influence and encourage you to goof off."

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "You know, influences are sorta two-way streets." He makes a face at her and rubs at the place on his arm where he was swatted as if it oh so wounded him. "Sure you might be a bad influence on me, but I could also be a good influence on you." His lip twists up as he looks askance, gaze distancing. "Though, to be fair, I'm usually the one being a bad influence on someone else, somehow."
    He then turns to her and uncurls a hand, "But seriously, I sorta floated through my last year of school. A lot of it is not that big of a deal. Could help each other some if needs be, and we can develop an elaborate system of sign and body language so we can cheat during tests."
    His smile returns as he looks back at her, "Brilliant. But it'd also give you something to do in between opening a club and beating people in the park who dare to displease you." Again he rubs at his wounded shoulder.

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea laughs at the thought that Alex is the //good// influence, and shakes her head while pulling her feet back. "That's a pretty sad state of affairs for me, then, huh? There's just no hope. Might as well just jump off the Brooklyn Bridge." She's kidding! Really!

"Seriously, though. That'd be funny, but you know what?" Thea perks a little as she wraps her arms around her shins, her feet lying flat on the fountain's edge. "Let's do that anyway? 'Cause, well.. you never know?"

Finally, Thea swings her legs over the dry side, and look as if she's collecting her things. "I don't know what I'm doing, so that club is going to take everything I know, plus. I mean, you know. I need Alanna's help. And Ollie's. But I have to prove I can actually do something." That trust fund may not be around forever!

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    A slight smile touches his features, "Alright, and sure the club sounds like a good thing." He sees her gathering her things and then reaches down between his legs to take up his backpack, now a little more gentle with it than normal considering the wishball within. He slings it over one shoulder and tilts his head toward her. "If you need help with the club thing then give me a call. I can... I dunno, give it my blessing or something."
    Alex's lip twists up, since that's something he's never done. Given a blessing. For a moment his eyes distance as if pondering if he could actually do something like that, then he gives a small mental shrug and looks back.
    "Are you heading out?" He turns to the side and leans halfway off of the fountain stoop, one hand resting upon his knee. "Thank you for the graduation gift." He tells her, being sure to hit that proper polite society note in their interaction.

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea smiles again, and nods. "No ghosting me. Not after that." She has the courtesy to look disappointed, and she is, but, "I gotta go. It'll take me a little while to get home, and I think Ollie has the doors alarmed." She doesn't have the gift bag to handle anymore, so her hands are pretty much free.

Once on her feet, though, she steps in to give him a hug, if he'll accept it. "You're welcome. And when I have the warehouse emptied out, we'll take a walk through it. I'll show you stuff and you can shrug at me."