281/Rubies and Amethysts

Rubies and Amethysts
Date of Scene:	04 March 2020
Location:	Palm Tree Boulevard and Post Road
Synopsis:	Amy and Leonid meet and get to know each other a little.
Cast of Characters:	Leonid Kovar, Amy Winston

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Leonid Kovar has posed:
Leonid Kovar was using his powers relatively casually, to help some people in a small neighborhood. A superhuman battle had created some damage in the region and Red Star, perhaps hoping to help keep the reputation of metas up in the current, tense period, was doing his part. He easily carried large pieces of rubble to a large truck, tossing them in while people from the neighborhood drove them off when they filled up.

He takes a break, taking a slap on the back from an old man, "Is no problem, Henry. I am glad to help," Leonid says. He makes his way to a nearby food truck, getting a drink for himself and taking a few long swallows from a glass bottle of Coke. "I think that I may need another," he says.

Amy Winston has posed:
    Amy's kind of new in town. Not so new that she hasn't registered for school and had time to worry about homework and stuff like that. But, new enough that exploring the city is something she's been working on in her spare time. Being the Princess of Gemworld, even long distance, means her spare time is even sparer than it used to be.

    Today, however, is one of those rare days that she has a goodly portion of it to herself. She's been walking around, taking note of things that could come in handy -- like the fact that she could take Parker for rides in the park, as long as she keeps him on the bridle paths, and other things of interest... Like food carts, and good-looking guys who lift huge chunks of debris into trucks with their bare hands.

    When Leonid moves toward the food truck, Amy doesn't duck her glance away in shyness. She smiles at him if he notices her, but redirects her attention to the food available. "Mmm, lemme have whatever that is," she says with a point of her finger at some food she's unfamiliar with. "A lemonade for me, and another coke for this hard-working young man," she says, smiling and nodding her head toward Leonid. She's already pressing her card into the food truck vendor's hand as she looks back to Leonid and says, squinting one eye in a thoughtful expression, "Lemme guess. You're a volunteer firefighter?"

Leonid Kovar has posed:
Leonid Kovar laughs, "Hard working young man? You do not strike me as middle aged. I think, perhaps, that we are close to the same age," he says.

"I am not a firefighter, although that is a noble profession. I am merely one given certain gifts and I try to use them to help people. Sometimes it is fighting against those who do evil. Sometimes it is moving a bit of rubble that is too heavy for normal person," he says.

His Russican accent is more than noticeable, pronounced but not showing a lack of proficiency. It will likely fade with time and familiarity.

"Leonid Kovar, at your service, although I am also called Red Star," he says. "May I have the pleasure of your name in return?"

Amy Winston has posed:
    Amy smiles easily at the reply, lifting a shoulder casually as she replies, "You can't always tell how old someone is by looking at them, but I thought it was safe to refer to you as a young man, just as I'm a young woman. New adults, I think, is the most recent term for people our ages."

    Accepting both her card and the food and drink from the vendor, she offers Leonid his coke and eyes her food with interest. It's a pulled pork slider with a small side of coleslaw and cornbread, in a semi-thick, folded paper basket. "Nice to meet you, Leonid Kovar, I am called Amy Winston, hereabouts," she smiles and, juggling her held items a bit, she offers him a hand to shake. "It's really kind of you to help out others. I, too, am a do-gooder, so it's always nice to meet someone of like mind."

Leonid Kovar has posed:
Leonid Kovar orders a rather gargantuan salted pretzel with little dipping tubs of mustard and nacho cheese, alternating between the two, "If I may join you?" he says, nodding towards a small picnic table not so far away.

"My father has always taught me that doing good with my powers is the only way to justify their existence. I think he feels a bit responsible. Although I have never regretted gaining my abilities, I know it was a great risk and he was afraid, at first, that something might go wrong," he says.

He takes a seat carefully. "You say you are a do-gooder? Does that mean that you make sure to recycle or do you mean it in a more active way?"

Amy Winston has posed:
    Amy sits down at the picnic table, not even bothering to make sure the seat's clean -- she doesn't seem fussy in that way, anyway. She settles her food down and places the napkins next to it, waiting for Leonid to get comfortable before she replies. "Both, really. I'm kind of a magical princess? It's no big deal, except that it definitely helps when I need to battle the forces of evil," she smiles, taking a bite of her slider. She appears to enjoy it!

    "Did your father experiment on you or something?" she asks. Then, she holds up a hand, "That is to say, I would never pry into your personal business. I'm just a girl whose curiosity can get the better of her, at times. So, feel free to say, 'My, what a lovely day it is.' As a way to avoid the topic altogether, I mean." She smiles winningly.

Leonid Kovar has posed:
Leonid Kovar blinks for a moment as he swallows his pretzel, "A...magical princess? Like in the Japanese cartoons?" he says, dubious but curious at the same time. The girl is princess pretty, that's certain enough, but it seems so strange that something like that should be a real thing.

"Ah, no, but I was helping him with his work when it happened. My father is an archeaologist and we found an alien ship on a dig. It changed me. I was a little spindly before. Now I am," he says, and then casually flexes a massive bicep. "And you are free to pry into my business if you like. I give you permission," he says with a smile of his own.

Amy Winston has posed:
    Amy laughs and nods, "Pretty similar to an anime magical girl, yes. I became a teenager and then it became that age-old story of the evil faction trying to overthrow your homeworld, even though you didn't even know it existed until the point at which you have to overcome your ignorance about all such things to protect it and its people?" She grins at the insanity of it all, the idea that this sort of thing, which is usually mocked as a tired trope in fiction, actually happened to her.

    "Oh," she says, putting a hand to her chest. "You were just being a good, helpful son, and look where it got you. Super buff and primed for helping the less fortunate with all of their rubble-removal needs, and then some." She tosses some of her pale, golden blonde hair off of her shoulder in a dramatic way and says, "Be careful with that permission. I did warn you that I'm a girl of unnaturally high curiosity." She grins at that, sipping from her lemonade.

Leonid Kovar has posed:
Leonid Kovar nods, "Well, they say that there is truth in every fable, every legend. You, then, are that truth. I am sure many little girls would like a doll that looked like you to put on their shelf and play with to fight the injustices of their evil teddy bears," he says.

"I try and be a good and dutiful son. I do not always succeed. My father is a man of peace. He does not like me fighting. But I think, sometimes, you have to stand up for what's right. And punch wrong directly in the face."

He meets her eyes steadily as she says she's so curious, "I am not afraid of you, Magical Princess. I can handle whatever it is that you dish out, I think. When I first came, they tried to put me undercover, to make me pretend I was not as I was. I refused. It created complications with my visa, but I do not wish to live a lie, just to make others feel more comfortable. I am a good man. The just and the innocent have nothing to fear from me."

Amy Winston has posed:
    Amy finishes her slider and works on her sides as she listens. She can't help but laugh, covering her mouth with a napkin to avoid any potentially embarrassing side-effects from that laughter. Composing herself enough to swallow, she nods her head, "I suppose you might be right, but I hadn't thought about marketing a doll version of myself. Maybe, one day." She grins and sips at her lemonade, her food finished.

    "It's still possible to be a good, respectful child to one's parent or parents, and still disagree with them. Being of different minds doesn't make you a bad kid. Sometimes, people just disagree and that has to be okay, because the other side of that coin is an ugly thing." She pauses and nods her agreement. "I don't believe people should have to hide who they are, especially if they would rather simply be themselves. I hope to spread the ideology that it's okay to be yourself, as long as doing that doesn't harm others. 'Course, people want to nitpick that to death, but I think the spirit of the message is clear enough, if you're not a troll or jerk," she says, her lavender eyes sparkling with the fires of conviction.

Leonid Kovar has posed:
Leonid Kovar chuckles, 'It might be a lucrative marketing idea for you, if you ever have need of funds. Not that I expect you do. Princess and all that."

"My father's ideas mean well. They are ideas for a world I do not think we yet have. I would like it if things were as simple as he wants them to be. But there are many in this world not as kind or as reasonable as he. They do not always respond well to the turned cheek. They see it as only another place to strike."

"And I am not a troll or a jerk, I assure you, printsessa."