3736/Social Media, Social Meetings

Social Media, Social Meetings
Date of Scene:	08 October 2020
Location:	SoHo
Synopsis:	Nico reveals more of Vi's fortune that she hadn't mentioned. Friends are made.
Cast of Characters:	Nico Minoru, Viola Fiore

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Nico Minoru has posed:
She was wandering. She always wandered. It was something you did when you had no real place to call home and nothing better to do. It was what she did daily, simply walked the streets and tried to avoid any interaction with anyone. It was a lonely life, but one she had accepted and would never let on that she was unhappy. Truth be told, she longed for a purpose. She longed for conversation. She simply was not one to seek it

Her steps this day had taken her into SoHo, an area she seldom visited on purpose, yet today she was feeling a little adventerous. The people of SoHo often gave her questioning looks and gazes that made her feel justified in giving one back.

She settled onto a bench, findin gherself behind a woman of obvious high society, holding the leash of small drop kick dog. The woman gives her a raised brow and mutters. "Are you lost little girl? Do you need help finding your way home?"

Nico gives a feigned sweet smile and says in her dry sarcastic tone. "I hate your dog." The woman scoffs and stands up, picking up the dog and walks off shaking her head. "Street rat."

Nico smiles and steches out on the bench more, puling out her phone and proceeding to search the woman she had met before; a one Viola Fiore."

Her finger swipes across her phone, looking up insta-chat and face posts, anything she can find on the woman she had met the day before. She was clearly seeking information. After a while of searching she pulls a piece of paper out from her jacket and dials the number, letting it ring and waiting for her to pick up.

Viola Fiore has posed:
Viola Fiore has quite a social media presence. Not over the top, but definitely what you'd expect for someone who grew up with social media around them. There are pictures and posts, quite a lot of information that can be gleamed from her accounts.

A picture of her in cap and gown on the campus of Columbia University is only a couple of months old. So a recent graduate. There are a lot of pictures with friends. One ruggedly handsome young man appears in a lot, sometimes with his arm around Viola. He has a little bit of a sneer to his smile rather than the friendly smile that Vi has. Also her timeline suggests a rocky past with him, break ups and getting back together alluded to more than stated.

There are a few pictures of Viola at home, the surroundings suggesting her family must be fairly wealthy. A younger brother, and her parents. Pictures of Vi at the beach or out by the family pool. Horseback riding. Skydiving. Playing a piano. And of course, the pictures of food. EVERYONE has those. Right?

As Nico is viewing the photos, the screen moves to make room for a new picture, just posted. It's a picture of a vintage Casablanca movie poster. "Considering this for my wall," is the tag on it. Also, the geotag? Is right there in SoHo, at a gallery just down the street.

As Viola's phone rings, she answers it. "Nico, is that you?" she asks, obviously having entered Nico's information into her phone. "I was just telling a friend about you the other day!"

Nico Minoru has posed:
Oh this girl lied quite the life, it was what was going through her head as the phone was ringing. Graduating, vacationing, skydiving, a boyfriend...she led the perecr life in the eyes of the young transient teen and deep down she was both jealous and at the same time intrigued. "Um Hey. Yeah it's me. Lil ol' Nico. Just sitting here on a bench in SoHo and making people feel as uncomortable as I can. It's kind of fun." There is a small pause beore she continues speaking.

"I was doing some more thinking. You know about your reading. I didn't tell you everything. I mean...I didn't tell you everything I saw. I was wondering, I mean if you want if you wanted to meet up."

A man moves to sit on the bench beside her and she waves a hand and gives him a look as if to say (seriously buddy, find your own seat). "Are you anywhere near SoHo?" Nico from her stalking already knew she was.

Viola Fiore has posed:
"You're in SoHo?" Viola says into her phone. "I'm in SoHo too! And, wow, your reading kind of blew me away. I mean... I know how the whole, soft reading people goes? But I just didn't feel like that's what was going on," Viola says, speaking of how fortune tellers without actual magic read people to come up with things that seem related to a person they actually know nothing about. But not Nico.

"I'm at Randall's Gallery, on 14th street? How far away are you? I'm trying to make up my mind about something I want to get. Want to come over and give me your opinion?" she asks. Vi texts over the address. "I'd love to get together."

Nico Minoru has posed:
"How far away am I? Well, as soon as I find out where I am I can give you that answer." She rises from the the bench, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and just starts walking. "I am on my way. This is my kind of neighborhood. I fit in so well." There is clear sarcasm in her words. "I will see you soon alright. Not sure how much my opinion will matter, but I am always willing to give it. Bye."

As soon as she hangs up her phone she looks at the text, making note of the address then looks up to see where she is. "Randall's Gallery. 14th Street." A quite note of a sign and she find she is on 12th. "Two blocks. Easy enough." In a few moments she finds herself outside the gallery. As she moves to enter a couple is exiting, a couple who probaly spends most of their weekends in the Hamptons. The woman looks to her compantion and then to Nico. "Oh honey they do not have your kind of stuff in there."

Nico considers ingonronig it as she moves to step in, but she is Nico afterall and cannot help her reply. She looks directly at the man and waves with her fingers, winking. "Oh you didn't tell her did you? Shit. Have a great afternoon." She then proceeds to enter the Gallery, to the sound of the man being accosted and questioned.

Her eyes scan the Gallery and she quickly makes her way to Viola as soon as she is spotted; a safety net. "Hey. So what are we looking at?"

Viola Fiore has posed:
Viola Fiore is standing in a section that has some vintage signage and posters. There's a black and white Casablanca poster with Humphrey and Ingrid on it, the one in the photo that Viola posted saying she was considering. A few others from movies, including a Gene Kelley one from Singing In The Rain.

Viola's wearing fairly casual clothing, yet there is still a sense of expense and style to them when viewed collectively. An awesome purse, jean shorts rolled up at the bottom and a sweatshirt sized just right to be warm and fit her in a flattering way.

She turns as she sees Nico. The gothic-dressed Asian girl might seem so different from the girl of Italian heritage, yet no one would ever suspect Viola sees it that way as her face lights up. "You made it," she says, voice conveying happiness to see the other girl.

"Was thinking about getting this. I don't have my own place yet, staying back with my folks since I graduated, while I figure out what I want to do," she says. "But I love the classic look of it. What do you think?"

Across the gallery, one of the staff is noticing Nico's entrance, the man's lips set in a bit of a line. He watches, probably seeing if Nico is going to disturb the girl who seems like she's there to buy something.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico actually manages a small for the young italian girl, standing beside her with her backpack slng over her shoulder still, eyes fixiated on the oicture in question. "I like them. There is something about the classics that has never been captured since that. I love black and white pictures." She tilts her head to the side and examines the ones in question and being considered. "I have always like the rain. Walking in it. The dreariness of a rainy day."

She looks over ot Viola and notions to the Casablanca one. "They look to happy for my taste, but I am not you. I mean I myself would take the guy dancing in the rain...if not for the reason I have done that myself."

She turns her heads feeling hersel being watched, catching the glance of the staff member who has decided she deserves watching. She murmurs softly to Viola. "Don't worry. I get that a lot. I am used to it. What am I goin got do put a painting in my bag and walk out of here?"

She shifts her weight onto her other foot. "And that makes two of us, I don't have my own place either. Yay for freedom."

Viola Fiore has posed:
As Nico takes in the framed posters that Viola is considering, the Italian girl's own attention turns back to them as well. She gives a little nod and a smile at Nico's comments about them. "I like them both a lot. I think I favor the Casablanca one because either of them is likely to put a song in my head when I see them. And while I like both songs a lot, I think I'd rather hear Dooley Wilson singing As Time Goes Boy in my head, than I would Singing in the Rain. Not if it's going to become an earwig and stick in my head."

The gallery's attendant, wearing a tailored suit, drifts over towards the two women. Just before he arrives, Viola slips her arm around Nico in a way which gives the appearance of definitely being companionable, and perhaps just enough to make someone seeing it debate whether it's more than just that.

"I can't imagine getting something without your input," Viola says. The way her voice lifts in volume just a bit to be sure to carry to the man should make it pretty clear it's for his benefit.

She turns and seems to spot him there. "Hello Miss Fiore. Are you narrowing in on a choice then?" he asks her. Viola smiles to him and says, "Getting near to it. Need advice from my muse," she says, flashing a smile to Nico.

The man gives a nod and breaks out in a smile for Nico. "I hope you find a few things inspiring," he tells her. Viola smiles back to the man and says, "Perhaps two cappuccinos while we look, Edward?" She looks to Nico to see if that sounds good, or if she would like to amend the beverage. Edward seems to have found a better attitude about Nico's presence, at least.

Nico Minoru has posed:
The arm tossed around her is a bit of a suprise, but Nico quickly realizes what she is doing and immediatly plays along, tossinh her own arm around her new friend and trying to sound smart in front of the Edward. "Why yes Miss Fiore. I feel that this particular photo really catches the emotion of the film and it summarizes the overall feeling that the director wanted to leave you with. It speaks to me..so deeply." Her eyes then drift to the Singing in the Rain photo. "Pure happiness and joy in what is considered a depressive weather. It really shows how that no matter how bad things are, your joy lies within you and how you make the best of any situation." She looks to Edward and shrugs. "Do you agree Edward?"

As Viola places a cappuccino order with Edward, Nico is quite quick to correct her desired order. "Oh Edward. Make mine coffee. Black. I can't do sweet. It makes me have happy thoughts." She finger guns with a little click. "Thanks. You're a doll."

A squeeze of her arm to Viola and she nods. "Settled. Casablanket it is then."

Viola Fiore has posed:
Edward's response to Nico is an impressed look, and, "I couldn't agree more. So delightful to see the respect and thoughtfulness to older work like this." Viola has a smile with notes of pride in it as she gives Nico a fond look. One which probably only leaves Edward the more confused as to the nature of the connection between the two young ladies who seem so visibly different.

"One cappuccino, and one black coffee," he confirms and then heads off to gather them. Viola watches him go and then turns back to Nico to give the Asian girl a warm smile. "He actually is a kind of nice guy. Just kind of pretentious about the gallery. I've talked with him about a few things before and when you get him to open up, he's not nearly so stuffy," she says.

Vi looks back to the artwork. "But then the other customers probably /want/ stuffy. So it kind of breeds it. Let me get this when he comes back with our drinks, and we can go sit outside and talk?" she suggests. Edward returns quite soon with the aforementioned beverages.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico has not yet released her arm from around Viola yet, perhaps forgetting to do so, or perhaps because the physical connection is not something she has felt for quite sometime. "I've learned to bullshit my way into acceptance. You know make myself sound smart when really, there is just a guy dancing in the rain and two people who clearly are in love."

When Edward returns she accepts the coffee into her hand and gives him a nod in thanks. "Thank you Edward. You have a lovely gallery here. I am sure only made more lovely by your obvious knowledge and attention to fine details of a buyers needs and desires." She takes a small sip ans then whispers to Viola once more. "See.. It's easy."

She slowly removes her arm from the other girl so that she can complete the transaction and hold her cappucino at the same time. "I'll wait outside." She starts to walk to the door, pausing beside a woman looking at a black and white from the Wizard of Oz. "How much drugs was she on? I know right." She raises her cuo of coffee to Edward and calls out in the quiet and serious gallery. "Eddie. Thanks for the Joe."

Viola Fiore has posed:
Viola Fiore seems content to stand close with the Asian girl, arm about her as she continues looking at the poster. A nod confirms the Casablanca one is the right one for her. Edward does indeed seem well-handled. "Thank you..." he says, pausing as Viola steps in verbally to supply, "Nico."

"Thank you Nico. It's been a joy having you visit us," he says. "I hope you'll come back again soon." Viola lets her arm slip free of Nico at the same time to take her beverage and then make arrangements for its delivery. Apparently her address must be on file, and Edward is fine with billing her rather than making her pay it then and there.

Soon Viola is joining Nico outside then. There's a nice set of stone tables with benches. She moves over to one to take a seat, astride of the bench with one leg on either side so she'd be facing Nico more directly if she sits with her there. "That was fun," Viola says with a warm grin for Nico.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico takes a seat on the bench as well, assuming the same straddling position as Viola is. She always sits this way anyhow, so it is nothing new to her and it does allow her to face Viola more directly. "If you consider eatching my talk out of my ass as fun, then that was a friggin blast." She sticks her tongue out annd then takes a sip of her coffe, setting it down in front of her between her legs. "Hey, thanks for that. You know, making me feel like I belonged in there and even more so, making him think I did. You didn't have to do that."

Her backpack is slung off her shoulder and set on the ground beside the bench carefully. "I have to be honest with you Viola. I didn't really tell you everything yesterday. I kind of kept a few things to myself." She raises her glance to meet the other girls, nibbling her lower lip.

Viola Fiore has posed:
The Italian young woman takes a sip of her drink. Edward brought them real china, not paper cups. She sets the wide cappuccino cup down on the stone table and focuses her attention back fully on Nico. The comment about making her feel like she belonged gets a little wave of Viola's hand. "You did belong. You're my friend. And even if our taste wasn't 100% in sync? Talking about it helped me clarify how I felt. I wasn't kidding about you being my muse," she says with a smile.

"I do like decorating. Have always had a bit of a flare for it, people tell me," she says with a shrug. "So I like going through places like that. But yeah. You belong in there as much as anyone else. I mean... it's /art/. It's meant to inspire. And what you told me, didn't seem like it was just talking your way through. I get why people like art enough to pay for it what it ends up costing. Which unfortunately breeds the snob thing. But that doesn't change that it affects everyone, regardless of hairstyle or favorite color," Viola says. "You deserve that experience too."

Viola falls quiet then, going for her beverage as Nico brings up the reading from the boardwalk at Coney Island. She tries to keep any tension from showing. Nico referred to the journal of Viola's grandfather. Indirectly if not directly. There are things in there, about Viola as much as about her grandfather as it turns out. But more admission of crimes. She's considered if she should destroy it because of that more than once, even if he is gone now.

Vi takes another sip. "I've wondered just how much you see, how you go from a card to the things you said. What... what else did you see?" she asks.

Nico Minoru has posed:
"Oh is that what I am now? Your friend?" She smiles, something not often seen and looks up from staring into her coffee. "I'd like that. I don't have many of those. I guess it comes with the lifestyle. Here today, gone somewhere else tomorrow. Makes it hard to keep friends, you know?" The cup is raised and she takes a sip, gingerly setting it back down. "Been a while since I drank coffee from something without a plastic lid."

She is silent a moment, seemingly considering her words carefully before speaking. "The cards. It's all bullshit. It's an art. A mixture of observation and vagueness that your client is begging to latch onto. You read their reactions, you study their emotions. I can't read cards Viola. I am just really good at telling people what they want to hear."

She nibbles her lip for a moment, looking at he rnew friends eyes directly. "I can't explain it. It is like something was telling me what to say. Like you needed to hear it. I'm not normal Viola. Well I am...but..." She pauses and leaves it at that.

"You...exude conflict. Not outward conflict." She reaches out and touches where Viola's heart would be. "In here. It screams conflict. And I don't know why I am getting that feeling. It just won't go away. You are troubled and you don't know which path is right to resolve it."

She reaches for her coffee and takes a small sip, not lowering it just yet. "I'm sorry. Something isnside me....quite literally is making sure I know this."

Viola Fiore has posed:
Vi's head gives a little sideways bob and she smiles to Nico at the initial question. "Well, yeah," she says of Nico being her friend. "And I don't have enough of those either where I'm not better off for another one." There's a moment, Viola's eyes meeting Nico's. Giving her that soft smile. And then it's time for another sip of the warm coffee beverage, and for Nico to get into the fortune telling.

At first Viola seems to misunderstand as she thinks Nico is saying it was just reading her reactions. But then the Italian girl is told it was something more. Maybe Vi needed to hear that, to not think someone she'd just met could instantly get that deep into her head without there being something there.

The touch atop her heart makes Viola look like her thoughts are tumbling in her head. "There are..." she starts and then trails off as if not sure she has the words, or maybe not liking what she was starting to say. "You're right. It's kind of hard to explain," she says quietly, looking down. "Or, maybe it isn't, just it isn't something I'm used to talking about. Comfortable talking about." Viola looks back up, having to brush back the hair that had fallen to hide her face when she looked down. "Is it ok if I don't try to explain?" she asks, reaching over to rest her fingertips lightly on the back of Nico's hand.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico's eyes glance down at the hand that has come to rest atop hers, and it most cases that hand would be retracted and slapped across the face of the guy who just tried to be too forward; yet in this case her own hand remains. Eyes drift back up to meet the young girl across from hers gaze. "More than okay. You are looking at the queen of keeping one's emotions to themselves. Nobody needs to know what I am thinking or how I feel. WHat are they going to do to fix it anyhow?" Her free hand takes another sip of the coffee, speaking now from behind the rim.

"I can't believe I am saying this. If this leaves the bench I will take you down." There is a dry sarcasm to her words. "Jesus Christ. Alright. Here we go." She takes along breath and exhales slowly, her hand still beneath Viola's until she removes them. "You see all this? It's a shield. It's an excuse to not be bothered. An excuse to not share my feelings. And a great fashion statement that I will never change." A small smile is seen.

"Here is the thing. You are conflicted. It glows to me like a neon sign. And that confliction is never going to be solved by this..." She lowers the coffee and then raises her finger to lightly tap the young girl in the forehead. "Your mind is constantly telling your heart to shut the fuck up...because your heart already knows what path it wants to take, but the mind is not ready to start walking in that direction."

She pulls the finger back and tucks a strand of hair back behind he ear. "You heart just needs to tell your mind to fuck off."

Viola Fiore has posed:
At Nico's admission, and the threat especially, Viola breaks out in a warm grin. One that with that look in her eyes, suggests Nico can confide in the Italian-American girl. "We all have our shields," Viola confirms quietly. And then in a more conspiratorial voie, "And it /is/ a great fashion statement. You own it, Nico," Viola tells her.

She falls quiet then, listening to Nico. Her own hand is drawn back partway through finally, though mainly because Vi's hands seek each other out. Fingers grasping gently at each other. Grasping and releasing.

At the end, the pretty young woman gives a slow nod. "It's... even more than that," she says with a sigh. "But you're not wrong either, Nico. You're not wrong either."

Viola sits quietly for a few moments and then gestures to Nico with a hand. "Sounds like a friend to me," she says in a gentle, matter of fact tone. One with a little warmth.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Oh this just got a little too touchy feely for the goth girl and she tries to break that mood with a little humor and subject change. "I do own this. I make this shit look good." She rolls her eyes and places her palms face down on the bench, tilting her head and watching Viola for a moment before speaking. "Someday when you want to talk...you know how to find me. There are somethings about me that..." She pauses and reaches out to grab her new friend's hand.

"Come with me." She slowly rises from the bench and grabs her cup with her other hand. "I need to show you something."

If followed, Nico would lead her friend to a side alley, which is actually quite nice in this section of town, dragging her along until she found a spot where they were not visible to anyone else. "Now promise me you will not freak out..okay?" She then proceeds to kneel down pulling a small knife from her boot and gripping it in her left hand, her right hand gripping the blade. "Are you ready. You need to promise.."

Viola Fiore has posed:
Viola's laugh suggests she picked up well enough on Nico's response. She slowly nods to the Asian girl and says, "The same for you. Talk, spend some time together, or hey if you need a hand with something?" Viola confirms to her.

The other girl seems content enough to follow Nico's lead, if curious as well. She grabs her own cup as Nico leads her to the out of the way place. A tidy alley indeed. Kept swept and cleaned, back doors to various businesses for taking deliveries, but ones that care about how all sides of their enterprise looks to the outside world.

"Ok I won't freak out," Vi says. Though maybe it was a bit premature as the knife is pulled out. One of Vi's eyebrows goes up slightly, not really having been expecting something involving a knife. "Ok, I don't THINK I'll freak out," she amends with a soft laugh, though notes for Nico to proceed, even if Viola is a little more cautious now.

Nico Minoru has posed:
A quick nod is given to Viola and gripped blade is slid through her hand with a small wince, the blade showing some dark red staining as she squeezes her hand causing some blood to drip to the earth below."When blood is shed, let the STaff of the One emerge."

There is anothr visible wince shown on her face as a literal staff starts to emerge seemingly straight out of her chest and into her waiting han, gripped near the top. The staff itself appears to have a circular and hollow head, the shaft ornatly carved. There is a white light seemingly circulating and softly humming within the internal part of the circle.

Nico looks to the young beautiful girl and softly asks, "Ask for something. Not a gyro. I'l exlpain later." She nods to Viola as if to say everything is going ot be okay. "Nothing to big...or I am going to have to spill organs."

Viola Fiore has posed:
Viola had prepared herself for the chance there might be something like Nico cutting herself, involved. Though she'd really hoped it was for something else. A knife trick? Or... Viola hadn't really worked out what.

So there is just the slightest wince at the cut to Nico's hand. But when the staff starts to emerge, it's kind of hard not react more overtly. "Oh my god," she says, taking a half step back, Viola's eyes widening. She doesn't freak out beyond the staring with near disbelief.

"If you told me the coffee was laced with acid right now, I think I'd belief you," she says quietly. Viola glances up and down the alley, making sure no one else is there. "Ask for something?" she repeats. Viola pauses, her thoughts still stumbling over the staff suddenly emerging. "Ah... I guess... nothing too big? How about... a pair of earrings? Something you'd like?"

Nico Minoru has posed:
There is a smile given as Viola makes the suggestion. "Hold out your hand." She winks and then with a small breath she softly states. "Earrings." The staff starts to glow a bit brighter and a small streak of white light flashes toward Viola's hand. It does not hurt, she feels absolutley nothing at all, except the small weight of two pairs of earrings now resting in her palm. One pair are a set of black skulls, the other a set of perfectly round pearls. "You get first pick." The staff seems to settle back down, tho the light still remains within the circle.

The blood starts to slowly stop flowing from her hand, and she wipes it on her black pants. As soon as the blood is seemingly no longer present, the staff starts to dissipate into thin air, disappearing completely in a matter of moments. "I had to share that with you."

Viola Fiore has posed:
The surprise, worried surprised, turns into amazement as Nico is able to make the beautiful jewelry appear in Viola's hand. She reaches over to touch them and confirm that they are real. "How..." she starts to say, but then shakes her head. A question for another time?

"This is... amazing. And is this part of how you knew what you did about me?" she asks, Viola looking back from her hand, eyes looking deeply into those of the Asian girl. Viola looks back, seeing that Nico's hand seems to be improved, and lets out a little sigh of relief.

At being told to choose a pair, Viola considers. It's easy to see which pair is more like her, and which pair is more like Nico. But perhaps that's why Viola reaches down to the black skulls. "These," she tells Nico, looking back up and smiling over to her. "They will have more meaning to me," she says. "Help me put them on?"

Nico Minoru has posed:
Her hand is not completely healed and a closer look would see the clear marks of scarred cuts that have healed, but have left a sign of trauma. However, the blood has stopped flowing, just showing a river of read down her palm; the cut. "I have no idea how I knew that about you. I can only think that the staff wanted me to know?" She shrugs. "I mean it is technically inside me."

There is a small laugh given, a laugh that not many people ever here from the stoic and usually depsressed expressing teen. "Seriously. You want the skulls? Oh we are going to be good friends."

The knife is tucked back into her boot and she rises once more, plucking the skulls from the girl's palm, moving to stand at her side and lightly touching her ear, putting the first one in. The same thing is done with the other earring and then Nico steps back to admire the young attractive girl now with skull earrings. "Oh my god. You are such a friggin bad ass. Nobody is going to fuck with you know. You totally just went from Ponytail Princess to Backyard Sacrifice."

She then takes the pearls from Viola's palm and considers for a moment. "I am doing this for you..but just know they can't stay in. I got a rep yo." She offers them back to Vi. "Can you help me? I might even let you take a selfie to remember it. You post it to social media and I will personally see to it that...well..just don't do it." She smiles ever so sweetly, obviously fake.

Viola Fiore has posed:
Viola smiles as Nico puts the goth-themed earrings into her ears. She does wear them well, at that. Some people make their style and others it makes them. Viola is in the first group. She grins and pulls out her phone to take a look via the selfie cam. "Perfect," she says.

She turns to Nico then, brushing back the lush black hair and then inserting the pearl earrings. "Just between us," she agrees. "They look great on you," Viola says as she looks at her Asian friend, and then turns and leans in against her side as she holds out her phone to take the picture. "To dancing in the rain," she says and then snaps the picture.

One that won't be posted on social media.