4154/Never Meet Your Heroes

Never Meet Your Heroes
Date of Scene:	17 November 2020
Location:	Patsy's Pizzeria
Synopsis:	Drake, Yaretzi, and Atlin are out on the town for pizza, when an awkward chatterbox crashes the party. Only he turns out to be Ant-Man!
Cast of Characters:	Drake Riley, Yaretzi Acama, Atlin, Scott Lang

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Drake Riley has posed:
Since things started to turn around for Drake, he hadn't really taken the time to explore the city. The urban sprawl he'd begun to get used to as a street urchin looks so much different now that he's viewing it as something other than a 'home' - the labyrinthine alleys and spray-painted paths his own concrete jungle. The difference of looking into a fishbowl or living in one, he might suppose. Even still, he had intentions to find some people he'd met along the way with limited success. That's his excuse today; get out there, try to find the ones left behind, do what he can for them.

Wandering the old haunt hasn't produced anything. Foot-traffic has lead him ultimately to pause here at Patsy's Pizzeria, a place which seems rather understated. He's fine with that; he's not trying to get noticed. Just dine, regroup, and consider calling it for the evening before the sun starts to go down. He's still got a couple hours before the sun vanishes over the toothy skyline, he figures.

One of the round tables is selected, and he makes his way to the nearest vacant chair. He can't be sure if it's order-by-server or order-at-register here, but figures someone will probably yell for his attention if it's the latter!

Yaretzi Acama has posed:
Yaretzi's just now coming into Patsy's, which is in the bottom-most part of the Taino Towers (where she lives), after school. It's her usual hangout, and the staff at least recognize her face. Her parents also don't mind her spending a few bucks on a slice of pizza and a soda -- as long as she's keeping her grades up, that is!

...and it's her grades that have Yaretzi coming to Patsy's. Her recent actions as Golden Eagle have taken some time out of her recent evenings, and she's almost fallen behind on her homework and studies. She's decided that, this evening, she's just going to hang out at Patsy's, get her homework done, read ahead a chapter or two for one of her classes, and THEN, if there's still time, maybe think about being Golden Eagle for a while.

Of course... this just happens to be the time of day when everyone's wandering in and looking for a table. That's how, when she's seeking a table for herself, that she ends up setting her backpack down on the same table Drake's just pulled a chair out at. "Whoops! Sorry! I didn't see you coming for this table! I'll look for another one!", she says, already looking around as she picks her pack back up -- but as she looks around, the expression on her face makes it clear that there aren't any other tables free.

Also, this one being one of the larger, circular, tables, it has the most free space for people to sit at, too. "Uhm...", she says. "I think all the other tables are taken, now... can we share this one, maybe?"

Atlin has posed:
After fighting Egyptian cultists and dealing with ancient gods, activities that were actually probably more 'Normal' than the Amazon would like to admit, Atlin was back in the midst of NYC and once more had wandered towards Harlem. She'd come to 'Man's world' to explore and experience culture, and so far the best part of it she'd found had to be the food. Sure the Amazon of Bana-Mighdall enjoyed some cultural exchange with Wakanda, but compared to the secretive nation the melting pot of America had been quite a reveleation.

It had introduced her to the wanders of Icecream and Pizza after all!

Despite the recent encounters, she'd still managed to hold true to the promise of not walking around town openly in her armor and bristling with weapons, that had been a little concerning for the population all! Instead the blonde was wrapped in rather simple black pants and a deep blue sports jacket. They might be borrowed clothing, but at least as she pushed her way through the doorway and towards the promise of food she didn't look like a medieval armed robber!

Scott Lang has posed:
     "Yes I know you want...no you can't...listen to the babysit...Cassie I'm hanging up now. Yes I still love you but I'm hanging up, I will bring home a pizza. No the pizza can't have sushi on it either. ByeIloveyou!" says Scott, his voice becoming increasingly loud and fast as he enters the pizzeria while speaking into his cellphone, trying to stay one step ahead of the hyperactive 6 year old on the other end of the line. With a slight sigh as he finally manages to hang up he looks around the busy restaurant and groans, glancing back outside as if to consider trying someplace else. But it's New York, dinnertime, there wasn't going to be an empty restaurant, and if there was it was probably because of a big fat D from the health department in the front window.
     "What kind of 6 year old likes sushi anyway? Who the hell even let her HAVE sushi? I'm not sure if I blame her mother for that one or one of the other weirdos I know now," Scott continues to mumble to himself, talking to himself apparently just something he does as he moves for now at least up to the counter, it seems intent on ordering a carryout for him and his girl. And maybe bribe a buck or two off his babysitter fee if he was lucky.

Drake Riley has posed:
Drake Riley had just managed to snag a seat, only for a bag to drop in nearby. He freezes momentarily, bright green eyes raised to the female in question. Both seem stunned, but it's her who speaks first. And after an instantaneous assessment of her personality simply from what she's shown, a bright, brief laugh escapes him. "Yeah, 'course. Feel free," he invites with a sweep of the palm. "You'd think this were the only place in town selling pizza with how crowded it is, though. What's up with that?"

All but wearing his 'HI I AM NOT FROM HERE' nametag, Drake twists in his chair to assess the clientele in question. Two more arrivals even after this new girl; but one's headed right for the counter, and the other possibly joining another group. Or so he'd hope for her sake, given the shortage of seating.

His focus returns to the girl nearby; she's about his age, he estimates. It's a little comforting. "Name's Drake," he introduces. "If we're gonna hang out for a while, you should probably know what to call me, right? So- yeah. Drake. Drake Riley."

Yaretzi Acama has posed:
"Nah. It's kinda always like this. Sometimes, it's slower on, like, Tuesdays... but it usually fills up and stays like this for a couple of hours on most nights", the girl says, before adding, "I'm Yaretzi", by way of returning the introduction. That's when a waiter stops by and just points at Yaretzi with a pen, to which she just smiles and nods, and the waiter writes down something on his pad.

"You had time to look at the menu, know what you want?", the waiter then asks of Drake. Quite obviously, the waiter recognized Yaretzi as a regular and the nod of her head was her asking for her usual. Of course, Drake being 'the new face', he's asking if more time's needed. "If you need some time, I can take your drink order now and take your actual order when I get back?", the waiter suggests -- clearly, the place is busy and the waiter's going to be busy, too.

Atlin has posed:
Scott's phone 'confrontation' and pleeding? It did indeed garner a look from the woman who'd entered before him, Atlin raising an eyebrow at the exchange. At least she now knew what Sushi was, a couple of months ago and that would have been even -more- confusing. Still, it wasn't going to stop her from placing her order; there was pizza at stake!

It didn't take long for her to request her sizable helping, nor for the drink she'd requested to be handed to her. Now for the important step of finding a seat to await her well-earned 'feast'!

Oh.

Only now as her eyes swept the crowded restaurant did the problem register, a distinct lack of seating and no familier faces to call on. Perhaps it was inevitable that her own steps brought her closer to Drake and Yaretzi's table. The woman who barely looked older than the pair of teens raises a hand, her accented tones immediately making her own 'Not from around here!' factor quite obvious as she speaks up.

"Do you mind if I join you? I wish to eat and there are not many places to sit."

Scott Lang has posed:
     Scott is lost in his own little world...not literally as so often happens but close enough as he steps up and places his own order. One far more than one grown man and a six year old SHOULD eat. But, well he could splurge once in a while. Which was all well and good till he heard how long it would take. "But I gotta be home for the sitter by..." Scott pausing to check the time on his phone and grimacing, shifting his weight back and forth a bit. "Alright, alright I think I can make it. Otherwise she's start charging by the minute!" he confides in the man by the counter who looks as absolutely enraptured by Scott's plight as he would watching the paint dry.
     Rather than a soda in a cup he's handed a 2 liter, obviously meant to be taken home with the rest of the meal. Instead though Scott uncaps it already, awkwardly swigging from it despite the odd stares it garners him as he heads away from the counter to hear his order. Maybe he had been paying more attention than he'd let on after all as he follows Atlin, plucking the bottle from between his lips with a loud 'pop' and 'ahhhh' sound to follow. "This the waiting section? Great," not waiting for an answer before he takes a seat himself, his larger bottle plonking on the tabletop.

Drake Riley has posed:
"Yaretzi," Drake repeats with a pleasant smile. He's naturally curious as to where it comes from, as it's certainly nothing as typical as 'Sarah' or 'Jane'. But before he can inquire, there's the waitstaff coming in to demonstrate just how common a face she is around these parts. It didn't go unnoticed.

As the proverbial gun is turned to Drake, his eyebrows raise. "Ah- well.." He pauses, glancing back to the exterior. It'll likely be dark by the time he leaves here. His search, at least for today, is over. He may as well enjoy this and bring leftovers back to the mansion. "A large mushroom." After a beat, he quickly adds, "I mean a large mushroom /pizza/. Not like, a giant Mario 'shroom." It didn't need to be specified, he's pretty sure. But a little levity couldn't hurt, right?

Atlin joins the fray, and Drake's gaze quickly lifts to her. It lingers a few uninterrupted seconds before he finally pipes up with, "Sure! As long as you don't mind?," he asks, defering to Yaretzi. She joined him first, she has veto powers.

And then they're joined by another one, this time completely at random it seems. "Wha- no, it-," he's already sitting there. Drake abandons his protest in favor of avoiding making an awkward situation moreso, and just eyeshifts to others.

Yaretzi Acama has posed:
After the waiter's taken Drake's order, for both pizza and drink, he heads off... and takes two other tables' orders on his way back to the register area -- he made no obvious reaction to the 'magic mushroom' joke Drake tried.

Yaretzi, however, giggles at the joke that was made. "No, no, I don't mind!", she adds, about Atlin joining. When Scott sits down, she just makes a sort of hand-wave gesture at Drake, then sort of side-nods her head as if to indicate the rest of the place; there really isn't anywhere else for the man to sit, after all.

"I've sat next to complete strangers here, before", Yaretzi adds, even as she's pulling out a textbook and a spiral notebook. "It happens when this place is packed and you're not with a group that takes up a whole table. Speaking of which...", she adds, "I'm Yaretzi." The last is directed, clearly, to both Scott and Atlin.

Atlin has posed:
Strangers hadn't been the most common thing when she'd been in her homeland, she knew each of her 'sisters' by name after all, but here in 'Man's world' it was a heck of a lot more common. She sips from her own drink, drawing from the straw with a thankful nod and then giving a smile. "I thank you for being welcoming," she speaks in those faintly exotic tones, only to blink at Scott's arrival and open her mouth to question for closing it again in silence. Was this meant to be a designated waiting area? There was clearly plenty she didn't know!

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," she attempts once more, gesturing with her free hand to herself. "My name is Atlin."

Scott Lang has posed:
     Scott had in fact half turned his chair away from the table to try and better watch the counter, as if somehow that might make his order done sooner, but as Yaretzi calls attention back to the table he glances back with a 'Huh?' and looks about again as if for the first time actually seeing the people there, Yaretzi's textbook in particular garnering his attention. "Oh shoot, hey I'm sorry, you kids having a study session?" only now realizing he may have made a mistake, and doubling down on it with another one as he now thinks not only are the other three a group, but they're all students in the same class. Not one to let facts slow his assumptions down he spins his chair back fully with a bit of a screech as it grinds on the floor. "Well I won't be here too long but I might be able to help. I work with a scientist," he boasts, as if working with one instead of being one confers some sort of genius.
     But oh how that isn't the worst of it. Sure thinking they knew each other was bad, sure thinking Atlin was a teen was bad, but Drake? Oh poor Drake as Scott smiles and holds out a fist clearly waiting for a fist bump. "And hey good on you man. I tell you what I couldn't even get two girls like this to even look at me your age much less meet me at a pizza joint. Only one, this girl named Becky, had a nose like a toucan, I'm telling you what. Yeah, good stuff dude. Tight. Right? Ya'll still say tight? Yeah ya do," Scott rambles on in his oversharing sort of way, and whether Drake actually gives him any semblance of a fist bump or not he does eventually withdraw his arm from across the table.

Drake Riley has posed:
Drake Riley is not a full-blown Mr. Brotato-Head, but it's a genuine, heartwrenching challenge to not complete a dap when offered. He's staring at the fist, and that stare only becomes more /ultra/ hard when Scott gives voice to his assumption. Yikes.

His fist bumps into Scott's. "I'll pour one out for Toucan Becky," he wryly sympathizes. Then, with a glance to Yaretzi, then Atlin, Drake adds, "Yeah, nah, that ain't it. Can't say I'm dating either of'em. But I /can/ say I'm feelin' pretty charmed for being the guy they decided to sit with tonight." After a beat, he adds with a playfully self-aware smile to Yaretzi and Atlin, "Nevermind that there's, like, literally no other chairs."

Then more directly to Atlin, he reintroduces, "Drake, by the way. Drake Riley. Rude-blunt question, but where're you from? Trying to place that accent...," he asks, eyes slightly uplidding.

Yaretzi Acama has posed:
Yaretzi laughs a little bit, even as the waiter is dropping off her order (a single slice of pepperoni pizza and a glass of soda) along the way to drop off a whole pizza at another table. "I'm just doing some algebra homework. It's easy. Thanks the same", she says, in reply to Scott's offer to help with the homework. Picking up the shakers, one at a time, she sprinkles dried pepper flakes and parmesan cheese onto her slice -- then she picks up a knife and fork and cuts a bit of the still-steaming slice off to put into her mouth. Fork and knife down, she picks up her mechanical pencil and starts at her algebra work. "By the way", she adds, after the pizza in her mouth is down, "... we all just met." She gestures at both Atlin and Drake with her pencil, before looking down at her notebook and scribbling down the next few steps of the algebraic problem she's working on.

Atlin has posed:
It might be semi-tragic, but Scott's exchange with Drake and assumptions was downright facinating for Atlin. Clearly 'akward dad' wasn't exactly something one encountered in an entire culture of warrior women!

Studying however? She shakes her head. "I came here to eat."

Another draw from her straw, the tanned blonde looks up at Drake's question, shaking her head. "It is not rude. I am from Bana-Mighdall."

An answer that was both truthful and likely completely unhelpful, what with the whole hidden city thing.

Scott Lang has posed:
     Some people would probably be moritified at making such a mistake. And had it been in front of the Avengers Scott probably would have felt at least a twinge of it. But it was still in his eyes just a bunch of kids he was sitting with while he was the..."mature" adult. "You don't have to worry about Becky, she got a nosejob, managed to convince three guys to marry her since then, doing fine for herself with the alimony," he keeps on oversharing as he tilts his chair back a bit and picks up his 2 liter once more, needing both hands to lift it effectively for a glug before he thumps it back down and lets a small burp. But he at least covers his mouth.
     "Yeah hey, algebra ain't bad. Got a masters in electrical engineering, plenty of math in there. And you learn to do it right believe me. Otherwise it hurts like hell and that's if you're luck..." trailing off as it finally clicks how Yaretzi ate her pizza, with a knife and fork. He quietly deadpans while staring at the neatly trimmed end of her pizza, "Every day some new evil works its way into this world. Good lord," a tsk following before he casts a sidelong glance at Atlin. "And that one, I'm not even sure if you're making a joke or not."

Drake Riley has posed:
Drake Riley lets poor Yaretzi handle the brunt of Scott's scrutiny, even though he might - MIGHT - totally agree with the elder interloper. Cutting up pizza? It's pure madness!

Bright green eyes have settled on Atlin, however, along with a curious headtilt. A few of those framing black bangs wafts over his eye as he studies her. "Bana-.. Mig.. Mid-.. what was that?," he asks again, the confusion sneaking into his voice. "Is that, like.. around Sweden? Or Scottland?" Geography wasn't his strongsuit.

Yaretzi Acama has posed:
Yaretzi uses the utentsils again, eating as she does her homework -- her attention being too much on that to notice how her 'sin' has the two guys looking at her. Of course, her fingers remain clean and un-greasy as she does her homework, too, so there's that. Two more problems done, and she puts down her pencil to free that hand to bring her drink up for a pull from the straw.

That's when both Atlin's and Drake's orders are brought to the table, set down before them, respectively, along with a 'check' for each order.

"Wow, you must be hungry!", Yaretzi comments at seeing Drake's ordered a whole pizza for himself.

Scott Lang has posed:
     "I'm googling it," Scott announces as he doesn't wait for Atlin to explain her exotic origins only to stop after he taps three letters. "I have no idea how to spell it. You know what it's fine, I couldn't find New Zealand on a map either and they made six movies about that place and its hobbits," Scott sounding entirely serious that the Lord of the Rings should be taken as a docu-series. Now he has a new problem more compelling anyway. Other people had their food before him. He starts to fidget in his seat more, looking back over his shoulder at the counter, back to Drake and Atlin's pizza, back to the counter. "You don't think they forgot my order do you? How long has it been? I got a sitter waiting for me..." he murmurs, sounding more like he's talking to himself again rather than to the group, more worry in his voice now than when he was in an actual fight.

Drake Riley has posed:
Pizza arrives!

Drake is immediately separating a slice from the rest of the pie, only to withdraw his hand with a light hiss. It's very, very hot. And while he's unwilling to disrespect the pizza with utensils, he's stuck waiting for it to cool a bit. So his attention turns briefly to Scott at first. "Yeah, I'm sure yours is coming. Or they lost track of ya. Lot've people in here."

Just as smoothly, his focus turns to Yaretzi again. She's met with a wider, indulgent smile. "Heck yeah. And whatever I don't eat is gonna go back home with me. Maybe I'll share it around. I dunno how many other people are into mushrooms."

Yaretzi Acama has posed:
Just after Scott's wondered aloud about his pizza, it's brought over and set down in front of him in its to-go box, with a ticket that has PAID stamped on the front of it.

"They're kinda jammed right now, but... well, there you go!", Yaretzi says, at which point she uses the utensils to 'sinfully' get another bite of her pizza to her mouth before picking up her pencil, once more, to do more of her homework. Two more algebra problems and she voices a 'Hah!' sort of sound, closing her book and putting it, and her spiral notebook, both away.

When Drake burns his fingertips, she grins. "That's why I start with a fork and knife. It'll be cooled off just enough, in a little bit, for me to pick it up normally the way pizza SHOULD be eaten!", she adds, carefully picking up the most-of-the-slide that's still on her plate. "... and it kept me from getting grease all over my school stuff, too", she adds, before taking a bite -- the RIGHT way, this time.

Scott Lang has posed:
     Oh the pizza box arrives alright. And then another. And then two smaller boxes on top of it, one marked 'cheesesticks' and another 'chocolate chip' being some sort of gooey mess of a dessert disguising itself in a pizza shape. Scott's face looks about the same as a child's on Christmas morning when they arrive, the stack almost hiding Yaretzi directly across the table from him. "Now we're talking! Right I gotta get home but first, you kids here all need a slice of some real pizza. Which is not fungus, or plain cheese, or...well pepperoni is fine but you all need a piece of this anyway. On the house, there you go." They might protest the stranger handing them all food but it won't stop Scott, the slices of pizza he doles out practically seem to appear out of thin air on their plates. Ham and pineapple. And he calls Yaretzi evil.
     "There you go, you all try some of that and tell me it's not the best thing you've ever had. Now, gotta get home to my little girl. Oh but one more thing!" Scott has another weirdly enthusiastic expression on his face as he stands up, not yet holding his pizzas but instead cupping his hands together as he lowers them to the center of the table and then pulls them apart. Left standing in the middle of the table are three tiny cheap plastic figures of, well presumably himself although in full Ant-Man suit. They may also be just old figures of Hank Pym. "Thanks for putting up with Ant-Man of the Avengers guys!" pausing a moment as if waiting for applause or ooohs and ahhhs. The Avengers might be known heavy hitters but he was still far from being a major famous component.
     Perhaps sensing his quota of awkwardness is running dangerously thin with the group he finally grabs his stack of boxes. "Ahem, right, well, you all enjoy those and uh, stay in school, don't do drugs. Atlin, Drake, Yahtzee, pleasure," he finally, mercifully ends it as he heads out of the shop, bumping into at least two people with mumbled "Sorry, sorry," before he fumbles outside where they can see him finagle his way awkwardly into a blue Honda Accord. The automobile of heroes.

Atlin has posed:
Atlin's own order wasn't exactly much smaller than Drake's, in fact Yaretzi's exclaimation had her pausing and frowning, a momentary concern that she'd committed some sort of faux pas. Apparently not given Drake's exuberence!

Finally, her attention moves from her slice to the announced Avenger, a tilt of her head and a blink given. "Is it customary for the Avengers to offer small totems of themselves? The one called Thor did not do the same when I encountered him. Perhaps he had ran out?"

Puzzlement plain, she shrugd her shoulders and bows her head. "It was a pleasure to meet you 'Ant-man'."

At this point? It seems she'd skipped (perhaps willfully) the explaination of her homeland's location.

Drake Riley has posed:
Drake Riley moues his lips at Yaretzi in a clear, chastised sulk. Though he's pleased to see her default to more normal-people traits and eat a pizza with her hands. He can understand her not wanting to get her homework greasy; he can afford her that much, at least. "Utensils on pizza is sacrilege," he teases, despite. "I'll take my scalded fingers with pride."

Scott, seemingly quite animated with his stack of food, pulls attention. He's left staring up at him as he stands, then blinks owlishly when pizza is doled out in front of him. Ham is okay. Pineapple, though? Really? That's gonna make the pizza taste like candy-

-wait. An Avenger? An actual one?

Drake's eyes widen, and an excited smile brightens his features. "No way, really? That's awesome!," he gushes unabashedly as he twists in his chair to watch him leave, suddenly awed. "Crap, and I didn't even know!"

Finally, he turns forward again with a mildly stunned expression persistently stuck to his face. "Can you believe that? A superhero, right here. That's so cool..."

Yaretzi Acama has posed:
"... did he just call me 'Yahtzee', like the old card game?", Yaretzi wonders aloud as Scott heads away from the table. She, also, eyes the ham and pineapple pizza. "Uhm... anyone else want that? One slice is usually enough for me, anyway...", she says, offering Scott's gifted slice immediately away. Whether she, being a teenager, really -does- have enough with just her one slice, or she's just trying to avoid pineapple on pizza... that's anyone's guess. She takes another bite from her own slice of pepperoni, before setting it down to wash it down with some of her soda.

That's when something else that was just said 'hits her between the eyes', and she almost spit-takes her soda before managing to swallow it. "Waitaminit! Ant-Man? Avenger! That was Scott Lang!", she says, jumping to her feet to look towards the door -- only to just barely catch Scott's actual exit from the place. "Ay, coño! I coulda got an autograph! Estupida!", she complains to herself, sitting back down and slumping a bit... though she does reach out to, before someone else can beat her to it, snag one of the Ant-Man figures for herself.

Atlin has posed:
Autographs were quite literally a foreign concept to Atlin, but the woman blinks a little at Yaretzi's exclaimation, taking another bite of her meal. "I do not thing you are foolish, after all none of us recognized him."

Amazon reassurance, the best she could manage!

The blonde continues her assault on her meal, but the exchange between the pair and the mention of heroes does earn a nod, a little smile of appreciation as her hand comes to rest at her cheek. "That has been one of the wonders of this city, the warriors and 'champions' I have seen. It's a magic all unto itself!"

Drake Riley has posed:
"/Right/?," enthuses Drake to Yaretzi. Though after her outburst, he's fairly confident he knows where her name comes from! So that's one question spared.

He absolutely snags a figurine. He even goes so far as to pick up the ham and pineapple pizza slice. That's how much sway superheroes have on him.

After taking a nibble, he redirects his smile to Atlin. "And you got to meet Thor. Freakin' /trip/, isn't it? I've never met'em. But that was like.. Norse mythology when I was growing up. And now, we get dudes called that anyway. Who might actually be that? I can't really be sure what the deal is."

Drake quells his chattiness with another pizza-bite, immediately noting the tangy sweetness of the pineapple. It gets a pause, but he continues on. It was from a superhero! "I dunno if I'll ever get used to it."

Yaretzi Acama has posed:
Teenager that she is, Yaretzi goes on to make short work of her slice of pizza and her glass of soda, stashing the Ant-Man figurine in her pack somewhere along the way. With all that done, she picks up her backpack and shoulders it, before heading for the register -- no one even left a ticket for her. (Must be that 'regular customer' thing, again!) After paying for her meal, she walks past the table she'd shared with strangers-cum-acquaintances, and says, "Nice to meet ya's!" to Drake and Atlin as she passes them on her way to the exit.

She -did- leave behind the slice of ham and pineapple, completely untouched.

Atlin has posed:
Atlin herself remained, the figure had been taken and the pizza slice? She bites into it. To refuse would have been rude, right?

The pineapple? Well, she hadn't been around the dish long enough to know if it was 'right' or 'wrong', merely different.

"Knowledge of the gods was a big part of our upbringing in my home," she agrees, "but the first time one sees them in the flesh before them it is...something else. And to see those like Thor working to protect others...well, it is inspiring."

Drake Riley has posed:
"I bet...," says Drake, more focused on the girl across from him than the pizza at this point. The more hints she drops about herself, the more intriguing it is. And, ultimately, he can't let his curiosity go. "Where did you say you're from again? Was it Sweden, or Scotland? Something like that?"

Drake attempts to dissuade any counters by biting into the pizza again. Chew, chew, swallow. "It's a pretty accent, wherever it's from."

Atlin has posed:
"It is a remote place," Atlin offers, her lips quirking to a smile. Seemed she enjoyed the coyness of the exchange just a little. "You're unlikely to find it on most maps, but that is part of why I came here."

Her hand, still wielding a slice of pizza, gestures around the room. "Everything is different, people, values, clothing...and the food!" Another bite, an actual sigh of delight follows. "This 'pizza' is not something I had ever seen before coming here. It is -wonderful-!"

Drake Riley has posed:
"Mmhm. Welcome to America. We do two things better than anywhere else in the world; food and obesity." Obviously, these things are related. But should she give him a look at that, he'll fire back a boyishly playful grin.

"So you're from somewhere that's, like, /really/ exotic, huh? Sounds fascinating. Love to hear more about it." He bobs the remainder of his own slice of pineapple and ham pizza, "If you're not in a hurry, I mean. I got nowhere else to be tonight."

Atlin has posed:
She laughs, perhaps it was a line she'd heard before, or maybe it really was the first time that comparison had reached her ears. Either way, she takes another bite of her pizza and shrugs, tilting her head.

"You have said nothing of yourself Drake, in my home to speak only of oneself would be considered rude. I'd hate to be seen as rude by people...a person I am breaking bread with. Or slicing pizza."

Drake Riley has posed:
'Breaking bread'. She has such a charmingly antiquaited way with words. It's like listening to a Shakespearian performer, but without the pretension.

"Okay. That's fair," acknowledges Drake with a determined nod. "Ask me something. Whatever ya feel like. I think I got, like, two questions out of you? Or was it just one?" Bright green eyes flit sidelong briefly in thought before returning to her. "Ask me any one or two things, then I'll take a turn." His chin uptilts. "What'cha got?"

Atlin has posed:
She blinks, but it seems the terms are accepted. Usually such things were games accompanied by alcohol, but she could certainly understand the apparent 'rules'.

"Very well," she begins, pausing to consider. "Are you from this city Drake? You seem comfortable enough here, but I have found there are many travellers that pass through."

Drake Riley has posed:
Drake Riley can see the sense of understanding before she vocalizes it, and he sits up a little straighter. There's really no telling what an exotic girl like this might ask, so it's best to be braced! Right? But the question she poses is fairly mundane; practically the same one he'd posed her. Fair enough.

"Nope," he replies. "I'm from the opposite end of the country. California. The ocean, beaches, warm sand, bright lights. It's really the beaches I miss the most, though." He raises the slice of pizza again. "I've only been here like... I dunno, a couple months?"

Atlin has posed:
First question wasn't particularly intense or confronting, really it was only just basic small talk and introduction. Perhaps she'd amp it up for the next? Either way she nods her head to his words, a little smile given before she nods. "I have never actually been to a beach," she muses aloud, the thought crossing her mind. "Bana-Mighdall is mountainous, it is very beautiful, but it is not easy to get to an ocean from there."

Seems he'd been here around about as long as she had, give or take a month (and possibly a few acts of vigilantism!), so the girl leans forwards at that, reaching for another sip of her drink. "And what brought you to this city then, if you miss your home so?"

Drake Riley has posed:
"Really?," asks Drake. His gaze flickers about her features, particularly noting the smooth evenness of her tan skin. But he doesn't explain his surprise. It felt like it might be rude to assume. Heck, she could be deeply Mediterranean. Though with blonde hair like that? Unlikely...

"Well, the beaches around here don't really compare to what we've got going on on the West Coast. And unfortunately, it's kind'a gotten really cold. But, hey. Maybe it'd be worth showing you what you've been missing, even if you can only just see it and not get in the water."

The question gets a pause, and Drake chews the thought over as much as he chews a bite of pizza to buy time. Once swallowed, he offers an earnest, "I needed to find myself." After a beat, he cants his head to her. "Does that make sense? I loved living in Cali', but I didn't feel like I belonged. So I came here. To- to try to fix that, I guess."

Atlin has posed:
The problem with coming from a race of superhuman blessed warrior women who'd once broken off from -another- secret island of warrior woman and whom had intermingled with gods...the logic of genetics was kind of messed with. Or perhaps her hair was simply dyed? Certainly that'd be the simpler answer!

His words and offer bring a raise of her eyebrows, but another shrug none the less and she attacks another slice of pizza. Halfway through and it didn't seem that she was slowing down. Clearly she wasn't without a healthy appetite, but the blonde still leaned forward to continue the conversation.

"Perhaps our reasons are not so different then, to discover through discovery?"

Her own question hangs, but she makes a gesture with a muffled 'mmmpf' of her next bite. A wave of her hand made it pretty clear, she was signalling it was his turn to ask questions.

Drake Riley has posed:
"Really?," Drake asks. The natural assumption there would be that she's an international student with NYU. And when she encourages the next question, that's basically what he comes back with. "So what do you do? Like, are you a college student? Are you here on a work visa dealie?" Technically he's asked more than two questions at this point, but maybe she won't behoove him this.

He lifts the remainder of the ham and pineapple slice and adds, "I'm glad I made the switch out here, at any rate," before popping it into his mouth.

Atlin has posed:
"I am on a...cultural exchange would be the words I think?" she offers, seemingly vague but far from inaccuarate. Her 'exchange' had just involved punching a few mob enforcers, heisters and the occasional cultists of an Elder God. That was America for you!

What did she do? That was a trickier question, but one she considered for a moment before a quirk of her lips follows. "A student, yes. And yourself? Are you studying here or have you found employment in the path of finding yourself?" A quick deflection, but she was happy to embrace the 'technically correct' of her answer rather than try to explain the complexity of her warrior culture and birth in a first meeting.

Drake Riley has posed:
Drake Riley nods slightly, bangs abounce in the motion. "I'm not a student, no. I'll admit, school was a little rough on me. Not eager to throw myself back into the grinder. But I'm getting kind'a.. trained, you could say? For a job?" He knits his brow. In all honesty, he isn't entirely sure how best to word it, himself. He's not particularly training for anything. He's helping out around a mansion to make himself useful while he lives with other freaks like himself, all while keeping his own personal dream alive of being something more.

"Main thing is, I don't feel so out've sorts now. And I'm finally moving in a positive direction. Know what I mean?"

They seem to've been vibing so far. Hopefully she'll keep that going and it can be his way out of giving details.

Atlin has posed:
"Trained for a job?" she questions, a raise of her brow clearly questioning further, if he'd offer more she'd listen, but he wasn't going to find her pushing further. More and more of her pizza disappearing, the 'Daughter of War' had clearly been very destructive on the dish. Setting aside her drink and folding her hands, the blonde woman gives a little nod and a quirk of her lips. "More than you might think Drake. Seems the change of coming here had been helpful to us both."

Eyes move, assessing the man who looked only a year her junior a little further before she cocks her head to oneside. "Did you have another question you wished to ask, or is the game at an end?"

Drake Riley has posed:
Drake Riley finds himself pressured! But thankfully, Atlin provides an out as she continues talking, and he breezes right past it as though it had never been said. Her comment does, however, get another lingering look from the teen across from her. If she knew what his life had been like up to this point, would she say that? If she knew what he even was, would she be talking to him? Being a mutant can be so isolating, and having experienced deep levels of personal betrayal stemming from his biology has left him extremely hesitant to volunteer too much further.

Her question gets a small, unassuming smile.

"Nothing relevant to wh you're in New York or where you're from, no," Drake replies. "What about you? Anything else you're curious about?"

Atlin has posed:
There was a few feelings they'd likely shared, moments and thoughts both had experienced in their life regardless of their vastly different backgrounds. Plus or minus quite a bit of martial training for one!

Down to her last piece after the impressive culinary slaughter, the girl shrugs her shoulders, a little laugh given. "Curious? Plenty. Most of the things in the city even, but for now I will cease my interrogating."

Drake Riley has posed:
Admittedly, Drake's studying of her face may not have been entirely for academic purposes. She's pretty, and he makes no apologies. Though with her laugh, he similarly chuckles and boxes up the remainder (read: entirety) of his remaining pizza. So distracted was he with the exotic blonde across from him that he barely got through the ham and pineapple slice he didn't order. So the rest of this? It's going with him back to the Xavier Institute.

"Ah, I wasn't complainin'. I just don't know if I'm interesting enough to justify a full-blown interview," he offers. He doesn't necessarily think that. He knows he's been through considerably more than the average person, and even now, his life is plenty tumultuous. "You, on the other hand, are plenty interesting. But I don't wanna bury you in questions, either!"

Atlin has posed:
"And I'm not exactly the biggest scholar. But conversation over a meal is good, it is one of my people's favourite things to do. One among many really," she offers a little grin at that, a mark of fondness perhaps as finally cleans her plate and sets it aside. A little shift, she makes to stand from the table, lifting her arms and stretching them high above herself to a soft 'pop' of her muscles. "Perhaps another time?" she offers, smiling a little. "I should be returning, and allow others to sit and to eat given how full this establishment is."

She moves from the table, standing beside the space and offering a little bow of her head. "It was a pleasure to meet you Drake. I hope our paths will cross again."

Drake Riley has posed:
Drake Riley mirrors her movement as she raises to her feet, scooching his chair beneath the table. "Hey, yeah. It was nice meeting someone from, ah.." He pauses. He'd already forgotten how to pronounce her home. "..from where you're from," he concludes with a mild wince. "And running into you again would be cool. Maybe if those gods are good to us, it'll happen." There's a mirthful perk of an eyebrow at her with that, as New York's population density and sheer size would make such a thing very challenging on happenstance alone.

After a beat, he leans over to collect the pizza box. "But yeah. I should be catching a taxi back, too. Look forward to whenever that next time is."