3226/Simple Afternoon in New York

Simple Afternoon in New York
Date of Scene:	03 September 2020
Location:	Washington Square Park
Synopsis:	Chess games, free vegetables, and some anti-mutant bullies being cruel to a pixie. Kind words and the good doctor save the day, and future friends are made!
Cast of Characters:	Karolina Dean, Robert Marksman, Megan Gwynn

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Karolina Dean has posed:
    The end of summer, at least in terms of the calendar year. September is upon the city, and students are getting back to classes or roaming the campus. It's a warm afternoon in Washington Square Park, a steady flow of scattered foot traffic keeping the area a little busy but not crowded. There's a slender blonde student carrying a basket, conversing with a small group, handing over a cloth bag with a bright smile.

    "Make sure you eat them within a couple of days! Ripe tomatoes don't keep forever and they taste the best if you have them sooner than later," she explains, smiles still in place, waving as the others go on their way each with a little bundle of produce.

    Karolina glances around, sliding the fingers of her free hand through her hair, the silver of a medic alert bracelet shining in the sunlight.

Robert Marksman has posed:
The chess tables draw different types mostly middle age or older but there are some younger people there as well/ Robert is one of the younger ones and may look a bit out of place looking more thug than chess master. He is playing against an older man, and the two seem to be chatting friendly with maybe a bit of smack talk at specific moves "Joe you know, you move that piece, just slowing down the end." The old man chuckles a bit "Cocky as ever." He replys

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Argh, she is Soo not looking forward to school again, even if it means college instead of highschool. Soo naturally Megan was hoping to get in some last minute shopping (and partying) before next week. Too bad she stands out like a sore thumb as she hovers through the air, bright pink hair flashing in the sun, off set nicely with her short green dress and those black biker shorts underneath -a necessity for a flier-but it attracts the attention of some mean bullies, and they laugh and point at the mutie, hurling rocks at her.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina rests the fingers of her other hand on her basket, cradling it close to her as she looks around a little more, seeing if there's any familiar faces back from summer break she can share vegetables with. She even glances towards the chess tables, smiling, glad to see so many people enjoying them in the sunlight. She's not so into it herself, but finds the enthusiasm and competetion interesting. She starts to take steps towards them, to see if anyone has finished their games that she can share with, when she spots that bright pink hair.

    Pausing mid-step, she glances skyward, side of her mouth upturned. Pretty girl, pretty hair, and flying! Bold girl. She appreciates the sight for a moment, then her expression darkens when some of the less civic-minded park goers begin tossing stones. Her fingers ball into fists briefly, her smile turned to a frown, and she starts walking towards them.

    "Hey!" she shouts, raising her free hand, waving her fingers, "Stop that! What did that poor girl do to you?" She has no plan, really, just a need to see someone not get hurt, and to diffuse the situation. Or at least get the bullies to scatter.

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman hears the commotion and looks over and Robert and Joe both start to stand. Robert looks to the other man and says "I got this." He will tell the older man, and he starts to walk over as well. Seeing the young lady standing up for the other girl he does smile. He walks over next to her and takes a moment to look at each bully in turn, the huge man just cracks his knuckles eyes hidden behind his shades.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn squeaks as she gets hit by rocks, lots of rocks. She does her best to shield her face but gets hit all the same and ends up crashing to the ground in a crumpled, bloody heap. Fortunately, before the bullies can finish the job, the two people step forward and approach the bullies. They're gathering quite the audience by now and while some may not like mutants, there are also police nearby who probably wouldn't tolerate such violence. They smirk at the lady and the big man and decide not to take their chances, turning tail and running. "Hah, next time you won't be so lucky, squirt!" they jeer before fleeing the scene.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Of course, Karolina isn't fast enough to keep the girl from getting hurt. Or even catch her. Though the sound of cracking knuckles from the taller man does actually get her to step slightly away from Robert. "Thanks..." she says with a long sigh, looking just a little deflated after the rush of adrenaline. "I can't believe they'd just try to kill someone in the middle of the park like that..." she sounds genuinely sad, shaking her head as she kneels down.

    She fishes around in her basket, bracelet jingling softly, and pulls out a bottle of water and unwrapping some of her vegetables, bringing the cloth they were in to douse in water and hand over to Megan. "Are you okay?" she asks, probably to an obvious answer, "Did they hurt you badly? Did you know them? What's WRONG with people?" she lets her emotions get the better of her at the end and clenches her eyes shut for a moment.

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman will step up as well. He looks the girl over if anyone is paying close attention they may notice a slight red glow behind the shades. He uses his penetrating vision to look Megan over making sure she does not have any broken bones or serious injuries. He offers her a hand and says "Lets get you to a seat and make sure your ok. I'm a doctor." Yup the thug just claimed to be a Doc. "Dr. Marksman, but you can call me Robert."

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks slowly, groaning softly as she climbs shakily to her feet.."Oooh.." she peers around warily, all covered I cuts, scrapes and bruises, but no broken bones or any serious injuries thankfully. Still, several scrapes and small open wounds might sting, could get infected too if she doesn't get all cleaned up soon. "What a bunch of jerks! I can't believe those guys!"

She smiles faintly at Karol as she offers the cloth and smiles faintly as she takes it to wipe off the dirt and blood from her face and a nasty scrape on her arm, "Thank you, I appreciate it. I'll live.." she sighs, but pauses to stare up at the big man, "Ummm you're a doctor? Really? Ahh, I think I'm okay, just a few scrapes but thank you..Phew, serves me right for thinking I could enjoy a nice flight, huh.." she smiles sheepishly.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina gives Megan what's perhaps a surprisingly knowing look, "I know the feeling.. sometimes.." she says, winking, then standing back up. The blonde nods to Robert, "A doctor? Oh thank goodness. But... if she says she's rlgith..." she shrugs her shoulders a little, looking down at Megan again, then back up to the taller man.

    "Karolina," she greets, her smile slowly returning to her face again. It does halt, though, unfortunately, "...where do those guys get off doing something like that? Just because someone's different..." she still has a 'defeated' sort of body language going, hooking her basket on her arm and fidgeting with her bracelet unconsciously.

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman looks to the two ladies, and says "I have a first aid kit in my car, how about you sit down for a bit, and I'll go get it while you get your bearings, a few of those places would be better off bandaged to make sure you don't get an infection." He does look over to her wings checking them for holes but not touching without permission.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks slowly at Karol. "Oh yeah...? You get that treatment too?" she peers at her thoughtfully, still holding the cloth wrapped around her bloody, bruised arm, wincing at the pain. "Ooh.." Megan is afraid to ask any more though, and leaves it at that. "I..I'm used to it, honestly.." she shrugs.

Still, Robert does have a point and she nods and smiles weakly, glancing around for a bench. "Oh, umm...Sure. Thanks!" thankfully her wings are pretty tough and aside from a bit dirty from the gravel she crash landed in, they're no worse for wear.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina really does look perfectly mundane, even if just maybe supernaturally pretty. If Robert focuses his thermal vision on her, though, he might find her a lot 'brighter' than usual, even when her powers are being suppressed. "People are cruel," she says softly, sympathetic with Megan, and offers her arm.

    "Come on, I'll help you get to a bench, you can keep the water and the cloth. And well let RObert help you out, okay? And if you like anything I've got in my basket, I'm giving them away to people here. My harvest is a bit much for just one person," she says, trying to cheer things up, even if she's got a persistent expression of concern for the girl.

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman will jog off and after just a bit, he is coming back with an honest to god old fashion Doctor's Bag. It looks old but well cared for. He will come over to the two, and says "Just glad I drove today." He will move to a place where he can see Megan's wounds better, and opens the bag, the interior seems to have a nice supply of modern medical supplies

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn seems to shrug it off like nothing. "Ahh, it's okay, really! But thanks again!" she nods though, following Karol to a nearby bench and is grateful for the cool, refreshing water as she is offered, taking a nice long sip.

Ahhh..That's better. Her formally Grey, slightly wilted looking dragonfly wings seem to glitter with light pink light, fanning a few curious stares from bystanders. She's in. no hurry to hide her obvious mutations it seems.

She peers at the basket and chuckles, "You've already helped out more than you needed, and I'd feel bad imposing more than that.." Peering back at Robert, she giggles a bit, "Ooh you weren't kidding about the doctor part. I had you pegged as a football linebacker. Or something!"

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Nonsense," Karolina says with a happy smile, eyes on those wings as they start to glitter again, adding more brightness to her expression. "I've got tomatoes, zuchinni, and even a couple of pears... oh! A couple of cucumbers too.." she says cheerfully. "I grow a lot of things, but I can't eat all of it on my own.... so I'm always happy to share so it doesn't go to waste.." she urges gently. "So take what you like?"

    The basket has a few cloth bags in it, as well as the aforementioned fruits and veggies inside. She smiles up when Robert returns, then laughs quietly, "Never judge a book by its cover, right?"

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman smiles a bit and says "I played a little but skipped a few grades here and there, so did not get to play a lot " He will offer to her "This may hurt a bit" He will tell her and carefully cleans the deeper wounds, perhaps even using a couple butterfly stitches of medical crazy glue here and there, but he gets the worse spots cleans and taken care of.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn ooohs, peering into the basket, "Woooow, you really grow this stuff yourself? That's sooo lush!" Well in that case..She beams, reaching for a sweet, juicy pear. "Thanks!" she takes a bite and is surprised at the sweetness. "Mmmmm..."

She squeaks a bit though as Robert works on her wounds. But it's just a brief sting here and there, "Phew, thanks, wouldn't want it to get infected. If I knew they were packing rocks, I would have worn armour.." she chuckles a bit, "Skipped a few grades huh? You must be super smart.."

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "I do! There's only so much room on my rooftop, though... so I got these super cool miniature fruit trees... they don't have deep root systems and they don't get super big, but they still yield good fruit... Strawberry season is over though..." she pouts just a little. Then frowns again when reminded of the bullies. "You'll... be okay, right? People like that ought to be arrested. It's not even just intolerance... it's assault..." she huffs quietly, closing her eyes for a moment. "At least some more helping hands were around, that could have been really bad..." she looks up, a grateful expression forming on her face as she watches Robert work.

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman works quietly letting the girls talk for now, and when asked he says "Well, I took after my dad I guess, he started our company." He finishes up, and says "Take some over the counter pain medicine, cause your gonna ache for a while." He offers her his card "Call me if you have any problems and can't get to your normal doctor."

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn ooohs, "That's super cool! I wish I could see your rooftop garden, I'll bet it's really pretty.." she shrugs and smiles, seeming to take it all in stride, "Nah, they just caught me off-guard. Next time the won't be so lucky." she grins and winks.

She glances at Robert and smiles, taking the card. At least the gash is stitched and the wound cleaned up. Still stings but won't get infected now. "Thanks, and thanks for this too!"

After a moment, Megan climbs to her feet, "Although I should really go, meeting a friend at the mall...Hey! For your trouble, I wanna give you this.." he pulls out a couple packages of gourmet jellybeans, the good expensive kind. "It's not much but it's all I have..Maybe we'll meet again and I can return your bandage to you.."

Megan is not about to get targeted a second time though and this time she pulls off her short jacket, hiding her wings flat against her back so they do t slide through the pre cut holes when she slides the jacket back on.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Oh! I live in the Greenwich Lofts," Karolina points towards the visible industrial buildings-turned-apartments nearby. "You can see it from above pretty easily. Just let me know you're coming before you stop by?" she invites, smiling broadly. "Take care of yourself, okay? Your wings and your hair... they're beautiful..." she says sincerely, sounding like she feels blessed to have seen such a thing. The real Megan, as it were!

    Then she looks to Robert, offering up her basket. "...I was on my way to the chess tables... do you or your friend want any produce? I've still got plenty left~" she says cheerfully.

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman looks over the basket, and says "I would not mind a bit, could use in my salad later." He looks over to Megan and says "Well you have my number and just give me a call, and maybe we can meet again, but returning the bandages is ok." He offers with a smile and to Karoline "You play?"

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn ooohs, "Soo lush! Can't wait to see! By the way, I'm Megan, nice to meet you both!" she smiles and waves before she hurries off, soon vanishing from sight.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina gives a cheerful wave with her free hand, then looks back at Robert. "What would you like? I can pack some tomatoes and a cucumber in a bag for you?" she offers, though shakes her head at the question. "I never learned how to play..." she confesses. "...I was always more interested in music and cooking and agriculture. My parents never were into games anyway..." her expression darkens slightly, then returns to warm and cheerful.

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman nods, and says "A tomato and a cucumber or two would be nice thanks." He motions for her to sit at the table, and says "Would you like to learn, I can teach you the basics if your interested." He offers and says "My parents wants us to work in both physical and mental wats to be well rounded, I guess."

Karolina Dean has posed:
    With a bit of trepidation, Karolina does sit down, then bundles some tomatoes and a couple of small cucumbers in a cloth bag. "Here you go. Reusable. Biodegradable," she says kindly. "And... I... suppose I could try?" she tilts her head to the side. "Weren't you in the middle of a game already though?"

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman looks over and motions to Joe who has started a new game with someone "Joe knew I would be a bit, and we can come back to our game some other time, besides, it is not often I get to teach a lovely lady how to play Chess." He smirks a bit, and says "In it basic form it is a game of strategy." He will show her each piece and their names.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina glances over, seeing that the other fellow had picked up a game in Robert's absence. "Bit cutthroat around here..." she says with a soft laugh, then looks on as things are explained to her. "...that is..." she frowns. "...remarkably complicated. I really prefer checkers... it's the same thing but also a lot more straight forward.." the girl frowns.

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman chuckles a bit and says "Well, I believe they have them as well, if you would prefer to play checkers we can." He looks around and finds them as well. So you prefer things that are straight forward, so if this is a bit of a way to get to know you and maybe ask you out, I should just ask you out?"

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Straight forward does make things easier," Karolina nods in agreement, "though as a doctor I doubt you'd be surprised at how complex trying to balance fertilizer ratios to local water acidity with the right potting soil can be..." she says with a wink. She's not a dumb blonde, after all. She just chooses her battles. And the suddenness of Robert's other proposal is a battle she's taken completely off guard by.

    "A--ah... hold on a second. Ask me out? Oh, no. No, sorry. I'm sorry. Thank you for helping out but..." she stands up quickly, cheeks turning pink, free hand with her jingling bracelet pressed to her chest. "It's not -you-, I just.." she lowers her voice, as not to embarrass Robert or herself. "...I'm just not attracted to men, I'm sorry."

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman looks to her and offers her a smile, and says "That is ok, it is ok to say No Karolina, " He does not seem upset at all "I did not come help just to try to ask you or her out, I came over to help. You seem a nice person so I thought why not, perhaps we can hang out as friends sometime then. I still think you seem to to be a good person, and think you would be someone I would like to know better, even as just a friend."

Karolina Dean has posed:
    The reassurance seems to relax the woman, and she sighs, shoulders slumping. Karolina shakes her head, "...you just wouldn't believe how many guys don't take no for an answer... it's just as bad out here as it was in California..." she sits back down slowly, rubbing her forehead. "...it's why I live alone. I mean, yeah, it gets lonely sometimes, but I've got classes and studying to deal with, too. And my garden is like taking care of kids all on its own.." she laughs. "I could use more friends."

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman nods and offers her a smile, and says "Well if anyone gives you grief for telling them no, give me a call, and I will teach them a few manners. " He sets the checkers out, and says "Will admit, I was wondering if I might not have a chance but thought would give it a try.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "I'm... really quite capable of taking care of myself... but having more friends that can offer a hand never does hurt," Karolina says with a nod, still smiling. "And no, you never know until you ask, or try. But thank you for being kind about it..." she eyes the checkers. "Maybe I'll give a more earnest attempt at chess sometime, promise."

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman nods, and sets out the checkers, and says "So tell me more about things you enjoy?" He will let her take the first move.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina takes a moment, then moves her piece, "Mmm? Not a lot to tell... I mentioned California... I was born in Los Angeles. But it's a lot slower here than Hollywood, and I just.. need some space to do my own thing. Plus..." she smiles, "...as far as stuff I enjoy? It's... wonderful being here, close to central park. And strawberry fields..." she sighs. "...I grew up with music, and I fell in love with the Beatles so.. this is kind of a dream come true for me."

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman nods, and says "Well maybe I can show ya around sometime, I grew up here, and live here in town, so have gotten to know it pretty well. You going to college? And do you play music?" He will ask her and motions one of the cart guys over for a bottle of water and a hotdog "Want something?"

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "I've been here for a few years, actually," Karolina smiles. "I just haven't been in school full time for all of it..." she explains quietly. "I do get around though, even if I haven't seen everything the city has to offer. I've got my own little circles here and there but I do spend a lot of time on my own..." she smiles. Then momentarily wrinkles her nose at the cart. "...only if they've got vegan dogs? They have to if they're rolling around on campus like this..."

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman chuckles and will pay for her dog and drink and thanks the man "Never could do the whole vegan thing, but aint going to give those who do grief. " He will continue a bit, and says "I'm a bit of a car nut myself, I have always like seeing how things worked, and helping them work better if possible. I guess might be why I am specializing in cybernetics.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Again, a slight darkening of her expression. "...you can thank my parents for the vegan thing... growing up in Hollywood with famous actors will do that. But, it stuck... and I like how it makes me feel. No weird stuff. And what I eat doesn't hurt someone else, so..." she smiles, taking the food, "Thanks!" She starts to eat, sitting back and listening to Robert talk about his own obsessions. "Complex machinery is your thing then?" she asks, genuinely curious. "Explains the chess then too, doesn't it."

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman nods his head and takes a few bites, of his hotdog, swallowing some soda, and then wiping his mouth, and adds. "Yea imagine it does, and the medical side came from having to spend some time in the hospital when I was younger, and seeing people trying to help one another and their dedication

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Not enough people seem to want to help one another... so I try my best to, when I can..." Karolina smiles, sipping on her own water now. "We all do what we can to make the world better, yeah? One person at a time?" she nods. "...I just hope people like those bullies get the message before it's too late for them..."

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman nods, a bit, and says "People are going to hate people who are different than them cause of fear and jealousy. It is something I have had to learn the hard way myself, well the hard way for those who wanted to mess with me. I am a lucky one I guess, just my size keeps all but the most determined ones at bay.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    There's a look of confusion, Karolina's head tilting. "Hmm?" she looks Robert over, squinting a little. "...forgive me.. but.. why would anyone want to mess with you?" she asks, perplexed. "You're a big guy, and a doctor, too. I think those two things alone make you pretty much immune to being messed with..." she offers casually before nibbling on her food some more.

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman will look around and seeing none looking at him, he will lower his shades to let her see the red glow of his eyes. He will let her get a look before putting the sunglasses up. He did squint a bit at the light of the area. "That give you a bit more of an idea?"

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina's eyes widen for a moment. "Oh! ...oh...." she gives a gentle, knowing smile. "...like I told Megan, you can't judge a book by its cover, right?" she asks. Always a hint of kinship with someone... different. She nods, giving her bracelet another fidgety little tug, sliding it around her wrist. "...well, then the two of us understand such things in the same way, I would hazard a guess?" she asks, taking her next checkers move.

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman 's brow raises a bit and says "You as well?" He does look down to the bracelet, reading it if she has it in a position where he can. "Have you spent much time is bushwick?" He asks her, and says "I work at a clinic down there for some volunteer work.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina's bracelet is a standard medicalert bracelet. If the tag does flip around with her fidgeting, Robert will likely be able to see that it's marked with a penicillin allergy. "No, I haven't.... I do try to help out there sometimes, though, bringing some extra food..." she gives a small smile. "I'm glad it's back... those invaders... that was horrible..." she exhales a long sigh, remembering the whole 'thefting' of Bushwick that wasn't even that long ago. She doesn't really confirm much else, if anything, about her true identity or powers though.

Robert Marksman has posed:
Robert Marksman nods, and says "It is good to see things getting back to normal some what there now." He agrees. He will put the veggies in his medicine back after putting them inside a second bag. "To make sure things in there are kept sterile." He explains of the bag. He offers her one of her cards, and says "Give me a call if you want to hang out sometime or learn to play chess?" He offers with a smile

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "And I should probably get back to passing these out... I'm sure there's some students around who spent all night studying -and- skipped breakfast..." Karolian says with that radiant smile again, moving to stand up. She takes the given card though and drops it in her basket. "I'm not hard to find around here! Just look for the hair~" she gives it a little toss, the long, golden locks quite prominent. "Thank you for the snack also. It's appreciated! Take care of yourself, ok?"

Robert Marksman has posed:
:nods, and says "You too." And he is off, if she watches will see him heading to a 56 Chevy convertible, putting the bag in the passanger seat, and heading to drive off.