3692/Campus Connections

Campus Connections
Date of Scene:	05 October 2020
Location:	NYU
Synopsis:	A typical Thusday, in which Karolina obtains a scroll of summoning for a demon named Levian, and meets Rave, whom invites them both to a concert.
Cast of Characters:	Karolina Dean, Levian, Naria Shepard

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Karolina Dean has posed:
    It's mid-afternoon, a run of classes has just finished. Students stream out of one of the smaller classrooms, one that often smells wonderful. It plays host to cooking classes of many types, depending on the day. From historical cuisine, to ethnic offerings, to today's sign which suggests it's showcasing a weekly vegan studies course. Some students are carrying disposable grey plates out with them and plastic-looking forks.

    One of the girls leaving is wearing some snug bellbottom jeans and a pale green sweater vest. Her long blonde hair is free to the breeze and her feet are wrapped in brown sandals. Rainbow bracelets accentuate the silver medic alert band she's got on, too. A bookbag is over one shoulder, and she's holding a plate with a fork, idly nibbling on something vaguely resembling hash browns. "The hard part is keeping the cauliflower from getting it all soggy and overcooking it too much, too.." she pauses, conversing with a pair of other students before they wave and depart.

    Karolina smiles, taking another bite before glancing around the area.

Levian has posed:
Being on Earth has been a challenge, but it's at least become easier to navigate without getting chased off by some random person. There's a few important rules to keep in mind.

1. Keep the third eye closed most of the time, since some people might assume you're a mutant, and some humans are apparently racist about that.

2. Don't sniff people.

3. Don't follow people.

But right now he's at least sniffing the air, as his hunt for a job has led him to the NYU campus, where he's now distracted with new sensations. He immediately starts walking over to Karolina, though tries to show some caution.

How to seem non-threatening?

He slides his hands into his jacket pocket, walks up to Karolina with his head down (Humans response to submissive gestures, right?), and then says, "Your food smells good."

Nailed it.

Naria Shepard has posed:
Among students at universities, seeing a young woman with blue hair isn't particularly strange. Those locks being luminous and glowing in broad daylight though? Less common. Still, for all her 'outed meta' status and social media presence, even Rave still had to go to class now and then! Of course, she still was dressed partially like she might be headed for a show. Her usual shirt had at least been swapped for a more simple dark blue tank top under a slim black jacket, but the pleated black skirt and colorful leggings wouldn't have looked out of place among plenty of the fans among the crowd her shows attracted.

Still, trust a speedster not to be one to waste time. With a stack of fliers under her arm she'd gone about sticking up poster and handing out the colorful promotions of her next gig's venue.

It was only a matter of time before Karolina and Levian found themselves in the bluenette's sights!

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina smells... interesting. Not only does she smell like whatever delicious cauliflower-based concotions were being cooked today, she smells... decidedly NOT human. She smells like, to a super keen nose, like fires and plasma and the stuff stars are made of and cumin. Yep. She's not looking at Levian when he comes over to her, though, and blinks at his voice, turning her head with a bright smile.

    "Doesn't it!" she exclaims happily. "Do you want to try some? There's tons of extra in the classroom still," she stabs her fork towards the door she'd just exited. "I can get you some if you want! It's a focus on breakfast foods, and alternatives to certain things."

Levian has posed:
Levian gives Karolina a long stare when he's close enough to get a good whiff of her scent, though he tries to be subtle, given how other people have reacted to him entering their personal space. He just stares at the food and pretends to be sniffing that instead.

"Oh, I would like to try that, yes. By the way, I hope this doesn't sound strange, but are you a demon? You smell like one." Okay, so, he still hasn't mastered not sounding weird, but he did make the effort.

Then he looks over at Rave, as if he didn't say that, and calls over to her, "Hey, are you hiring for a job?"

Naria Shepard has posed:
Well, Karolina -does- smell good, but Rave's sense of smell wasn't quite so acute as other superhumans. Still, as her 'normal' human speed approach continues towards the pair, the sudden addressing of her just after she'd overheard a question about someone being asked if they were a demon does make her stop. Huh?

Even for Rave it took a second before she processed what she was being asked, looking down at the fliers she held pressed against her midriff and giving a little laugh. "Oh! No! I'm inviting people to come check out a show that's happening this weekend," A smile, practiced but not necessarily false filling her features. She -did- love what she did after all. Those faintly glowing eyes flick to Karolina, expression alone inviting her into the... invitation. "Music, lights, fun people and a fun place. It's going to be awesome!"

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Am I a... what now?" Karolina blinks. She looks a little confused, but shakes her head, "Ah, no... I'm not..." She glances down at her bracelet, making sure that it's still on and hadn't somehow come off, revealing her. "No, no demon. I'm Karolina. I'm a student here. And sometimes I assist in teaching the cooking class on vegan day..." she says as she makes her introduction.

    Then Rave approaches, that shock of blue hair and glow visible anywhere. Not that Karolina's actually coversed with her yet. Differnet classes and all. She blinks at the look she's given, but she does put her fork down and reach out for the flyer, taking one. "Oh! Not usually my kind of music but it could be fun!" she says with her bright, happy expression returning in force.

Levian has posed:
"I see. Hu--" Levian pauses. Saying 'human music' would be //weird//, he has to get better at fitting in... "//Earth// music is very interesting, I especially enjoy that you have heavy metal too. I would be interested in hearing more music." He holds his hand out for a flier.

"Is this some sort of contract?" he asks, looking it over carefully.

"Oh, I apologize. So, you're called a vegan? Interesting. You definitely have an elemental scent. I suppose that's the nature of vegans. I've never met or heard of them before." He holds his free hand out to Karolina. "My name is Levian." He pauses, as his usual introduction is probably a bit strange. A better introduction, a more human one... "Levian Everyman."

Naria Shepard has posed:
"Earth music?" Interesting term, but she gives it a shrug none the lest. Moving on was easier after all! The flier is offered, happily handed to Levian before she blinks and shakes her head. "Contra-...No, it just tells you about a place you're allowed to go for fun and entertainment if you wish to. It gets people's attention, you know?"

Was her foreign or something? Weirdness was weirdness and generally the bluenette was fine with it, but still...sometimes it caught someone off-guard. Back to Karolina and simpler things, there's an eager nod from Rave as she gestures to herself. "It -will- be fun, I've got some awesome new stuff and the place itself looks awesome. You'll have a great time!"

Karolina Dean has posed:
    It's bewildering for Karolina. "Human... music..?" she asks, then smiles. "Oh! You're just not from around here?" she asks, giving a playful wink. She knows aliens. She is aliens. There's secrets. "I'm into a lot of music, myself, but I do have certain favorites.." she nods, then takes Levian's hand. After putting her flyer in her other. Now she's holding a plate, a fork, a flyer, and some food. And, briefly, Levian's hand. She's REALLY warm.

    "When is it?" she asks Rave when she lets go of the hand, not having had much time to glance at the flyer just yet.

Levian has posed:
"I'm from very far away. I like your heat." Levian says in a manner that could be misconstrued as some new youth slang, though he's being quite literal. "I still want to try your food. I'm hungry. Your food doesn't smell like a dead animal. I've heard of such things before, but I didn't know it was real. It always seemed like fantasy."

Then, looking over at Rave, he's nodding. "Yes, I understand. I went to a place called Purgatory once, but it wasn't actual Purgatory, it was a place called a club. There was a chocolate smoothie, it was a drink more delicious than Earth water. You have to try it."

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Yes, you must be from very far away..." Karolina says, still smiling. "Don't worry, I won't give you away," she then assures. Then she offers her plate. "It's a breakfast hash brown made with cauliflower. You can do some tricks to make it work and also be less soggy. They're problematic because they're not as gluey as potatoes are, so when mashed and melted they sort of... liquify..." she explains, or tries to.

Levian has posed:
"I've heard of some of those things before, though I've never seen them." Levian reaches to take one of the hashbrowns with his fingers, then drops it into his mouth, chomping it down.

He stands there for a moment, processing the flavor. "This taste is new... things that aren't meat are fascinating. Does the Vegan race typically eat non-meat food? You mentioned that you were helping. There are so many flavors... I have to hurry and find a job so that I can try more food."

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "No no, I'm.... vegan isn't a race. It's a diet, and a lifestyle... vegan food eschews anything that originates from animals... so no meat... no eggs, no dairy products... It's all entirely plant-based. Honey is a grey area but there's other syrups and sweeteners out there, too," Karolina explains, bouncing a little on her toes, clearly excited to be sharing this information. "But, well, you can always come here on Thursdays... the classroom specializes in vegan recipes..."

    She looks around, and finds that most of the other students have moved on. "I'm... not human either, though. Nor demon. I'm.... something else? But don't worry about it. Differences make people interesting, and special."

Levian has posed:
"I see. Strange. Why wouldn't you eat meat? Is this like how humans don't like to eat each other, but taken to a different level? Though you're..." Levian considers, as she mentioned 'not outing him', he does a bit of mental math. "Not from here either. Very strange. I would like to learn more about you, I find you very interesting."

"No, not human." he agrees. "But you're similar to me. Can you smell it?" He offers his hand to her, in case she wants to smell.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    The blonde offers a shrug, "My parents got me into it... and, by the time I was making my own choices, I figured out I liked the food so much I just didn't want to change my habits? Besides, growing up without ever having meat or milk or eggs... I'm not sure if I could even properly digest it.... stomach microbes or something..." Even she isn't sure what'll happen.

    "But anyway..." she blinks, politely declining to sniff. "I... don't have a sense of smell -that- well developed, but thank you..." she says gently. "There's lots of people not from Earth around, though... like Supergirl and my girlfriend, Starfire..." she beams proudly.

Levian has posed:
"Starfire, is she also a fire being?" Levian suddenly wonders, blinking out of curiosity. "I'm still learning about friends, I'm still not sure how it works. Friendship sounds similar to demon pacts where one doesn't get anything of value from the pact, but they help each other sometimes. I'm not sure if I have girl friends or boy friends or any of those yet."

"I need a way to contact you. I suppose I could simply follow your scent and find you again..." He looks around in deep thought, then slides his hand into his jacket. "You have a good soul, I know it isn't corrupt. So I want to give you something that will allow us to meet again easily."

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Well, no, she's not. Kind of?" Karolina pokes her chin and shrugs. "...well, take your time. Friends are really special. And then... romantic partnerships are even more special..." she smiles, even if the verbage about demon pacts has her confused. She starts to reach into her pocket, though, at the contact business.

    "I can give you my phone number, we can text or..." she pauses, "...my.. soul..?" she asks. "Oh... um... what've you got for me?"

Levian has posed:
"I don't have a phone, I'm still not sure how they work, and I've found that I need a job for that too." Levian instead seemingly pulls out an old parchment scroll from his jacket, and holds it out to her. "There are instructions here. If you follow them, I will appear."

He tries to keep it subtle, pretending that he simply pulled it out. Though there was clearly a poof of smoke and a bit of fire in his jacket for a second.

If she reads the instructions, it's some kind of magic ritual, written in whatever her native tongue is. It lists various ingredients, most of them fire related, like charcoal and wood. And one has to burn those in a particular way, before uttering a personal secret, or some kind of personal shame, it's difficult to tell from the wording.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "This is... incredibly complicated..." Karolina says with a laugh, looking the parchment over. "...and I wouldn't want to accidentally sign some kind of contracct... do you just want to meet here again after classes in a couple of days?" she asks, though does slip the parchment over the flyer, and rolls them up together. "...I guess I could do this on my roof though..." she muses aloud, exhaling a sigh.

    "...promise you won't take my soul or kill my flowers or anything? Because I will be very not nice if that happens..." she warns, though it's surprisingly gentle in tone.

Levian has posed:
"This is simply for summoning, contracts are much longer and involve making a deal." Levian assures, as if she was asking a perfectly reasonable question. "But yes, we can meet here." He looks to the students who all seem to be leaving classes, and then up at the sun. "After classes, yes. And then I can learn why you smell like me."

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Oh, well..." Karolina seems to take it in stride. "In that case, I'll just... use this at my place...and if there's any problems, I'll toss you off the roof!" she says with a laugh, and a bright smile. Yep, totally normal. "Hey, I've got a lecture I need to be at. I'll just... use this tomorrow, or something. If it's convenient? How does this work? Do you just appear if I do the thing? I don't want to catch you in the bathtub or anything..."

Levian has posed:
"I will appear, yes. And I may be taking a bath, but I don't see why it matters." Levian shrugs, then nods. "Tomorrow, then." he agrees. "And if I break my word, you can throw me off of a roof. It'll hurt."

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina nods! "Of course it'll hurt. Breaking word hurts. Trust is important, especially if you're to learn how to make friends," Karolina nods, her speech impassioned, her tone warm, and her smile radiant. "See you tomorrow, Levian! And you'd better be wearing pants!"