2455/Piering

Piering
Date of Scene:	14 July 2020
Location:	Chelsea Piers
Synopsis:	Three people converge over a game of bowling and discuss, travel, skills, and life.
Cast of Characters:	Mori Merritt, Johnny Gallo, Siobhan Smythe

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Mori Merritt has posed:
The Chelsea Piers are less of a run-down location and more of a commercialized mall of sorts. While the water is still accessible through a number of locations, this isn't the kind of place one might feel unsafe. Instead, it's full of activity of people having fun. Nearish to the docks and the water itself, Mori Merritt isn't really doing much. Her gaze is vaguely directed towards the structures and the people wandering nearby, but otherwise she seems to be in her own little world.

Johnny Gallo has posed:
Johnny Gallo was out of school, and that meant he was out of the house, trying to find something to keep himself entertained. He made his way to the Piers, jeans, a leather jacket, and a backpack over his shoulder. The handsome young man was looking this way and that, full of energy and excitement.

As he walked along, he kept his eyes out for any interesting stores in the mall, passing this and that shop front, not really seeing anything in particular he wanted to look into.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
Having come down to the pier just to enjoy herself, Siobhan has left her guitar behind but she actually found a fun little place to eat that also had Karaoke for people who wanted to try their hand. The little open front cafe was doing decent business and right now Siobhan was standing up at the front, finishing up a song with a smile on her face. She had already eaten but wanted to try her hand before leaving. Her hand wrapped around the mic as she looked at the crowd and idly sung.

"Dreams last so long, even after you're gone
I know, you love me
And soon you will see, you were meant for me
And I was meant for you."

She smiles to the crowd even as she looks at them with the final words slipping out and she lets out a soft sigh as she sings, "You were meant for me...and I was meant for you." And she draws out that last syllable before finishing and grinning as people clap and she hops off stage to head out of the place.

Mori Merritt has posed:
While Mori looked fairly lost to the world, the sound of singing seems to have gotten her attention. She looks around in confusion, searching for something before she turns to face where the stage was. She doesn't start clapping until /after/ the crowd does, as if somehow she'd forgotten to do it earlier. Straightening herself up, she turns towards the rest of the pier, beginning to slowly walk with the pace of someone who didn't exactly know their destination.

Johnny Gallo has posed:
Johnny Gallo had been bobbing his head along with the tune, knowing it without really remembering when he'd learned it. It was one of those common consiousness songs he supposed. He clapped idly as well, from outside the restaurant. "Not half bad!" He mentioned to no one in particular, but easily within earshot of those near the entrance.

Seeing Siobhan coming out, "Hey, burgers there any good? Sounded like they have a good band..."

About then, the next singer started with 'It's raining men' and she likely couldn't have caught one or a tune in a bucket.

"Or never mind... I think ice cream sounds good... I saw a place on up ahead last time." He said with a wink and a grin, then continued idly on his way.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A laugh as she looks over at Johnny and she nods her head, "I 'ad a burger just now." Her Irish accent sounds familiar to anyone who heard the music. The song having been song with a bit of one. She looks back at the singer up next and winces before laughing, "Well, as long as dey're havin' fun, dat's what matters." She nods her head and then looks back to Johnny and nods, "Dey do Karaoke."

She then looks ahead where he mentioned and hmms and considers following him to this ice cream when she spots Mori. She releases a soft little hmm before smiling to her and walking in a pace similar to the girl's and in the direction that Johnny went.

Mori Merritt has posed:
While they all seem to be headed in a similar direction, Mori starts to talk--although it's uncertain if she's talking to either of them, herself, or no one. "You know they used to launch those big ships from here back from the turn of the century? The Titanic was supposed to dock here. It's odd to imagine all those people knowing they were going to die and not knowing how to save themselves. They did the best they could."

Perhaps a bit of a morbid thought. "And now there are people shopping and bowling and ice skating. Strange how things change, and there's no thought for any of it. Out of sight, out of mind."

Johnny Gallo has posed:
Johnny Gallo laughed at Siobhan's comment about they're having fun. "Oh, I've no doubt, but, I'm too young to drink, and my ears work too well for... that." He waved his hands vaguely back at the cafe they were walking away from. He was about to say something else when Mori offered up the Titanic tidbit.

He glanced back over his shoulder giving Mori a good once over, "Yeah?... I saw that movie. Was totally enough room for Jack." He gave a shrug, "I mean, yeah. Turn of the Century? That was forever ago. I wasn't even born yet 20 years ago." He mused amusedly, kicking a bit of trash into a bin a few feet away. "Bowling does sound fun too." He offered, "If anyone's up for a match."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
"Well, I suppose dat's because people really aren't..." She pauses and gestures to Johnny, "What he said. No one around now, at least not many, would actually remember it. It happened before any of us." She nods again before she looks to Johnny with a blink, "Well, don't you just make friends easy." She laughs a bit, "Don't even know mah name and you are already askin' if I wish to play games wit' ya." She grins and shrugs, "And I don't know de first thing about bowling." She shakes her head and chuckles.

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori's attention turns to Johnny and Siobhan, looking mildly surprised as if she didn't expect anyone to respond. "I'm pretty sure none of us were there," she points out, though she's not always sure that's the case. She's met some interesting people before. "But it doesn't mean you can't think about it. What if someone on there /could/ have done something or /did/ do something. We'd never know. I'm sure they have conspiracy shows on that sort of thing, right?"

She gazes towards the water, squinting as if she's trying to see something before her gaze shifts back to the two. "I'm /really/ good at bowling. I don't know that it'd be fair." She does grin at Siobhan's words, though. "Very forward, right?"

Johnny Gallo has posed:
Johnny Gallo grinned a bit, "It's only easy if it works. If not, I'm left all on my lonesome again. Though, you don't know anything about bowling?... That's a shame. One of America's greatest past times." He chuckled and gave a nod to Mori, "That's true. There's the one about the time traveling tourist. Same guys picture shows up at almost every major disaster since photos became a thing. I saw a video about it on Youtube once."

He grinned to Mori, "Yeah? Really good? How about loser buys a round of ice cream?" He laughed as the talked about his boldness. "Risk not, want not. Fortune favors the bold. Miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take. Plenty of reason to just put it on the line, yeah?"

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A blink as she looks at Johnny before saying, "Not sure I would put it at dat level." She chuckles, "Still, all de same, I'm willin' to learn how to bowl if ya wish to show me how it is done." She nods her head and looks over at Mori before blinking at her words and then back at Johnny, "Well, can't say dat I haven't seen or met stranger. Could be a time traveller." She shrugs and then laughs, "We do have flying men who are bulletproof, after all, right?" She nods and gestures, "Lead the way to the bowling but I won't be in on any bets for a game I don't know."

Mori Merritt has posed:
"I could really use some food. I think it's been like 20 minutes," Mori comments, already thinking about ice cream. "I guess I could use some ice cream regardless of if I win or not." Johnny is given a quick look. "I'm not sure about time travel, but I'm sure there are people that do that sort of thing. But aren't there some kind of cosmic laws for time travelers?" She looks towards Siobhan with a bright smile. "I'm sure you'll pick up on it quick, it's all about a physics." As if that somehow made a difference.

Johnny Gallo has posed:
Johnny Gallo gave a nod to Siobhan, "Deal. You get ice cream either way then." He gave a shrug, "I only know what I've seen on the movies, and most of them contradict things one way or another. I mean, you have the predestiny theory, and the multiple time line theory, but, either of those may or may not be BS." He lead the way up near the end of the pier where the bowling alley was located, and held the door for the ladies. "Yeah, physics... I got a D in physics..." He mused.

He looked around inside, "Pretty sure they've got snack food stuffs here... Fried things no doubt." He offered for Mori. "You keep focusing on the past and the future, you're never really gonna live in the here and now, you know."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A smile and a nod, "I can take that deal." She states simply enough and follows after them even as she looks to Mori and arches an eyebrow, "Certainly not my area of strength." She chuckles and nods her head.

Mori Merritt has posed:
"Oh, I could definitely do some fried foods too. That sounds lovely," Mori says, carefully stepping inside with the opened door. She glances back towards the two of them. "Oh, I'm no good at physics either, but if you understand what the ball does and why it rolls the way it does, you can sort of figure out what you're doing wrong as you screw up. There's lots of screwing up involved."

She does, however, catch mention of the living in the present. "Yeah, that's easier said than done, though. I'm sure a timetraveler might get bored, and the rest of us... well, sometimes there are distractions. Not so many people can sort of be present in the present."

Johnny Gallo has posed:
Johnny Gallo chuckled, "They say blessed are the idiots." He stopped mid step, and then frowned, "That's what they say to me anyway." He chewed his lip thoughtfully for a second, and then the moment seemed to pass.

He went over to go rent a lane, getting all that taken care of before going to pick out a ball, meeting them at their designated lane a few minutes later.

"I'll go first, and you...." He paused, "I don't know your name. We'll need that for the score board." He typed in his own name as Johnny, and then let the girls punch in theirs as well. "I'll go first, and you can sort of see how it goes, sound good?"

He hefted his ball in hand for a moment, running his hand over the surface of it, before lining up, and letting it rip. The ball curved, juuuuuuust riding on the edge of the gutter, before cutting back it, and striking hard, right between the 1 and 3 pins for a near perfect strike. "Right then. Just like that!" He said happily, going to take his place, sitting and propping his feet up.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A blink at Mori and then she shakes her head, "Sounds too big for me." She chuckles and nods her head, "I don't tend to get bored with my own life and I'll stick to that. My time and life." She grins and then follows them in. She walks over with them to the lane once it is rented, taking her shoes over and setting them down before nodding, "I'm Siobhan." She states and idly types it into the machine before looking over at Mori.

It is pronounced Shih-Von but that doesn't look like what she typed at all. Either way, she looks over at Johnny to watch him roll the ball. She takes a step to the side to get a good angle and then she blinks at him before saying, "That is bowlin'?" She asks and shakes her haed, "Not sure how I feel about this but I'll give it a shot."

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori watches, an eyebrow slightly raised as she watches the ball. "That was impressive. Guess it's a good thing I actually have a real job now," she says, that mostly directed to herself this time. "Enjoying your own life is a good thing. Do it while you can." This time, the words are directed to Siobhan, though she grins at the name. "That is /very/ pretty. I'm just Mori."

She makes her way over to the score board to put in her name, marking herself down as 'Mori' before she moves to the lane to take her turn. "He's playing tricky. I'll try to show you something more normal." She gives Johnny a playful smile. "Sure you don't know physics?" But there she is, lining up her ball, a careful angle.

And she stands there. For a while, actually, perhaps waiting for the right moment. Briefly, it feels a little awkward, but then eventually, she drops the ball. It has a little momentum, rolling slowly down the lane with just enough speed that it looks like it might make it to the end. It does, actually managing to knock them all down with just barely enough force to cause the strike. She blinks for a moment, then steps back. "Oh, I got it? Right. Uh. Like that." She quietly shuffles out of the way.

Johnny Gallo has posed:
Johnny Gallo gave a nod to Siobhan, "That is bowling." He grinned to Mori and gave a shrug, "I don't know much about physics, but, I've always been pretty good throwing and hitting what I want."

He was quiet when Mori got up to bowl. Politely quiet. Bordering into awkwardly quiet. And then finally she dropped the ball. He was already making the 'aww... so close' sound, when it hit the pins, and they all tumbled over, one after the other. He laughed, and clapped, "Hey! Not bad!"

He looked to Siobhan to go next, and then looked between one and the other. "What brings you two to the pier today anyway? Summer is killing me. I needed to get out of the house. My roommate sucks."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
Standing up, Siobhan looks at the black ball she picked out. She looks back over at the others and then takes a breath. She had watched others in other lanes bowl, watched Mori do it, and watched Johnny do it. She hmms and figures she can try somewhere in between the latter two and see what she gets. Stepping up, she takes her ball and swings her arm back and aims right down the middle. She actually doesn't do half bad till about half way down the twist in her wrist shows that the ball is now spinning to the right and before it reaches the end she only ends up clipping three pins on the right. She smiles, "I hit some!"

She chuckles and looks bakc at the two, "Oh, and I'm just out having fun. Boring day." She nods her head as she walks back to the other two, "Seemed like a thing to do." She nods again and then sits back down, "I have heard of a game like dis back home called Long bullets." She nods her head, "Never got into it. Done on de road."

She then blinks, "Oh wait, do I go again?" She notices her name is still lit up and she walks over to get her ball even when she realizes this is the case and readjusts...only to over adjust and put the second one in the left gutter.

Mori Merritt has posed:
"Sorry about that," there's a sheepish smile from Mori as she looks over at the two when she sits back down. "I forgot what I was doing for a second." The mention of going to the pier has her looking even more sheepish. "Oh, uh, I guess I just felt like walking around here. It seems nice so I suppose I made the right choice." She does seem cheerful, at least, even if she seems slightly embarrassed.

She watches Siobhan as she tries again. "I think part of it is how steady your arm can be. I've had better luck when I go straight down, everything carefully lined up and not twisting the ball or anything. There's a lot of weird factors in a game like this."

Johnny Gallo has posed:
Johnny Gallo grinned as Siobhan went, and cheered as she hit the pins on the right. "Hey! Not a bad start!" He gave a nod that she should go again, and gave the, "Aww... Just a bit too far left. Keep it straight!" He offered helpfully.

"Long bullets? Do they play with like... Guns or something?" He picked up his ball, walking to the line, envisioning it for a moment like a dirt road in a movie picturesque version of Ireland his mind put together. "Just gotta keep it out of the manure, yeah?" He joked, and then let it fly. This time from left to right, the ball spun, toeing the line of the gutter, and then slamming between the 1 and 2 pins for another strike. "Yeah, tons of weird factors."

"Well, least we all found something fun, yeah? Could be worse. Could be still listening to the bad kayoke! That was you singing earlier, no? It sounded real pretty."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A grin at Mori and she nods her head, "Well, I have steady hands but not when it comes to flingin' heavy tings down a lane." She looks back at Johnny and grins, "Yep, was me singin'. It's somethin' I enjoy doin'." She nods her head, "I usually do it with a guitar but can't pass up a chance to sing even if my guitar isn't dere." She smiles even as Johnny throws another shot and she settles back into her seat a bit, "As for Long Bullets? I tink it's played wit' a smaller ball. And no, not on a dirt road." She smirks and rolls her eyes, "Ireland isn't some poor rural hovel, ya know."

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori does peer at Johnny as if trying to figure out his secret. He's clearly doing unnaturally well at this sort of thing. "I don't actually bowl a lot, I've just gotten a bit better at the finesse of things lately, so I'm better than I used to be. Bowling's a game that's hard to accidently hurt someone with, unless you drop a ball on your toe." Why she felt the need to mention the last part is anyone's guess.

She moves back to the lane to make her shot. There's no slow roll this time, and she doesn't wait a few minutes to take a shot. She just seems like she's bowling normally now. She takes the shot, the ball rolling and knocking all but two of the pins down. She seems pleased either way, moving to grab the ball again to finish off the pins successfully. Not bad, all in all, before she returns to her seat. "Ireland would be a neat place to visit. I've seen pictures where it looks so green. I used to think places couldn't actually be such vibrant colors, that people just photoshopped things to make them brighter, but I've since changed my mind on that."

Johnny Gallo has posed:
Johnny Gallo grinned at Siobhan, obviously something churning in his mind, "Right! It's a rocky road to Dublin!" He bust up laughing then, pleased with himself. "That's awesome though. I can't sing worth a lick. When I was mad at my dad, I'd stay in my room and sing along with the radio while I worked out. That'd piss him right off." He made a face at that, but, seemed comfortable as he lounged on the chairs talking and hanging out.

When Mori took her next shot, he waited quietly,a nd then she went normal like, and he was cheering her on again! "Hey! Nice shot! It is a good game to help with hand eye coordination. That's something I've always been good at." He eyed Mori with a wry smirk, "That's a pretty specific accident." He grinned and gave a wink, and carried on, "Right. Yeah, like those photos of New Zealand and like, the Scandenavian countries, with the... fe- ords and stuff, yeah? Those look fake, but, man if they don't look beautiful!"

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A smile over at Mori and Siobhan nods her head, "I assure ya, it's as green as can be. Honestly, it's beautiful. I only left cause beauty only gets ye so far." She nods her head, "If I want to really do what I like, I need to be where people are." She gestures, "And Dublin is big but it is nothin' like all this." She then looks over at Johnny and sighs, "Do you have any more ya wish to get out? Some Blarney Stone jokes maybe or something with clovers?" She smirks and laughs, shaking her head, "Anyway. I have been to some of dose places and dey are..." She sighs, "Very pretty."

Mori Merritt has posed:
"I'm pretty accident prone. So if something's gonna go wrong, it'll happen to me. I just fall into things and stuff," Mori shrugs. "Bowling ball is from actual experience." She grins, looking between the two of them. "Sounds like you need to expand your world view a bit. I'd like to travel more, but I'm kind of waiting for some health problems to clear up before I do that. Travel can be tricky sometimes, you know?"

She doesn't elaborate. "I've never tried singing, to be honest. Nothing other than things they make you sing at camp as a kid. I tend to stick to art. A little more my speed."

Johnny Gallo has posed:
Johnny Gallo shook his head to Siobhan, "Nah, I'm done, for now." He smiled, and gave a shrug, "Expanding world view?... Isn't that what your gap year between high school and college is for?" He gave a nod to Mori, "Same. Not the health problems, but, family stuff. Can be tricky." He agreed.

He nudged Siobhan, "You're up. Maybe find a song to think about while you're bowling? Help focus your mind. Couldn't hurt." He offered helpfully.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
Standing up, Siobhan walks over and takes her ball before she laughs, "Yeah, focus my mind on throwing some heavy chunk of rock down an alleyway." She shakes her head, "I really don't get dis game but sure." She walks up and takes another shot but this time she immediately gutters it and laughs, "Well, not as good as I hoped." She states, "But I get another shot." She shrugs and waits for hte ball to come back, "Singin' is only good if you want to." She nods her head, "Otherwise there's no point. You gotta want to in order to do it." SHe then takes up her ball again, "Me, I want to often." She laughs.

She then takes another shot and this one flies straight down the middle. Near perfectly and...splits the pins, leaving a 7 10 split and she sighs, "Thought that'd work..."

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori laughs. "Just don't spend your gap year unable to get out of bed and barely able to remember you're /in/ bed. Not something I recommend. I guess it's certainly a way to put your world view into perspective." She lets her attention fall on the ball as Siobhan takes her shot. "I think that's true of anything creative. If I didn't like my art so badly I don't think I'd be as good at it as I am. I want to do it, so I'm sketching and drawing and painting, whatever I can, wherever I can."

Johnny Gallo has posed:
Johnny Gallo gave a nod to Mori, "I'll take the into consideration, though, I don't spend much time in bed anyway, so, don't think that'll quite be my problem." He gave an 'oof' for the gutter shot, but was cheering the ball down the second shot, "OOOoh! Split! Oh man. That was awesome! Yeah, right down the middle is rough cause it leaves your ends open. Try stepping to the right just a tad, and aim between the first two pins on either side. Then you'll be rolling well!" He offered cheerfully.

When it was his turn again, he grabbed his ball, and ran his hand over it again. "Wanna see a trick shot?" He asked, glancing to the two of them, before he let it fly. It slammed into the gutter about 6 feet from the pins, and then bounced back out, hitting right in that same spot he favored between the first two pins. Unfortunuately, at this angle, it wasn't as advantageous, and he only picked up 4 pins. He made a face as he waited for the ball, "That was supposed to be a strike..." He told them, going for the tried and true curve ball to pick up the spare. He seemed almost pouting when he sat down again.

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A laugh at Mori and she smirks, "In Ireland, we'd call that a good time." She nods her head, "As for sketching? Dat sounds amazing. I'm no good at art. At least not dat kind." She nods her head as she looks then over to Johnny and hmms as she watches him. THat shot is fairly impressive even if it only picks up four, "Still pretty neat." She nods her head, "And ya picked it up. Dat's good, right?" She asks and looks to Mori as if for confirmation.

Mori Merritt has posed:
"Not quite as great a time when you don't recognize the people around you for long stretches of time, less fun when you're hopelessly useless," Mori does grin, though. "I certainly hope no one gets on a drunken bender /that/ bad." She gets up, heading over to take her shot. Once again, it's normal. Normal shot, half the pins knocked down with the first ball, half with the second. It's not bad... she's just not doing whatever she did the first time. Neatly, she plops back down on her chair.

"I've got some pretty amazing sketches. Some great people, some incredible scenery. I'd like to see places, though, for myself. Making art off a still picture isn't the same as seeing it in person. She nods in agreement to Siobhan. "Not bad at all. I think he's just mad he tried to show off and failed." She winks.

Johnny Gallo has posed:
Johnny Gallo huffed a bit, and muttered against, "Was supposed to be a strike..." He gave a shrug, and after not long the funk passed. "That'd be really cool, going out and seeing places. I've never even really left the city, except traveling for ball games." He looked to Mori, "That's pretty specific again. You don't seem hopelessly useless."

"That'd be really cool, having a talent like either of you... pretty voice, pretty pictures... The only kind of painting I can manage that's any good is painting the corner of the plate when pitching. And that's a dime a dozen skill. Mostly. I mean, I am pretty good."

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A look at the girl and then she nods her head, "I suppose and I do love lookin' at art." She chuckles at over at Johnny, "I'm sure you are good at somethin'. You are good at bowlin'?"

Mori Merritt has posed:
"I don't seem hopelessly useless /now/," Mori corrects. "But that doesn't mean I wasn't once. I'm just a little more functional now. I only left my keys at home once. Pretty good track record." She takes a moment to study Johnny. "Just because there are lots of people who do a thing, doesn't make a difference. You know how many artists are out there? But they aren't me. Some people like my stuff, other people like someone else's. You bring your flavor to it."

She looks back to Siobhan, then grins and looks back to Johnny. "She's right, you /are/ good at bowling. You could join a league or something, show off your skills. I bet there's some kind of league here." She looks between the two of them. "Besides, we aren't just /skills/, we're people. Way more important than any of that."

Johnny Gallo has posed:
Johnny Gallo thought about it as the two of them cheered him up, "Yeah. Maybe I'll look into it! Though, I have baseball, and wrestling to keep me busy during the school year." He grinned, "I'm pretty good at stuff. It's just not creative things like you two." He thought about the idea of not just being a set of skills. "That's true, yeah. I mean, more than the sum of our parts, right?"

Siobhan Smythe has posed:
A grin at Mori and she nods, "Yeah, dat's an idea. You'd be pretty good." She laughs and nods before shrugging and looks back at the alley, doing her turn and not getting much better before she shakes her haed and settles back in, "And dat's why I wouldn't take dat bet." She laughs, "I knew I wouldn't do well." She grins.

Mori Merritt has posed:
"Well, I'll happily buy the ice cream. It's hard not to at this point," Mori laughs. "But I've got an okay job now, so I don't have to worry too much about being unable to afford a cone or three." She looks between the two of them. "I just wasn't expecting to face a bowling pro here."

Johnny Gallo has posed:
Johnny Gallo chuckled, "Call me Almight Malachi, the bowling god." He gave a bow. "Hey, next time we can try darts... Maybe you'll do better at that?" He asked with a wide grin. "Come on, I'll show you were the ice cream place is. Oh it's soo good. They like, mix it on a marble slab right in front of you." He hopped up, ready to go return his rented gear.