4286/Chilly Day at the Park

Chilly Day at the Park
Date of Scene:	02 December 2020
Location:	Washington Square Park
Synopsis:	Roy runs into Drake in the park off the campus of NYU. They talk a little bit about east coast vs west coast and future plans.
Cast of Characters:	Roy Harper, Drake Riley

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Roy Harper has posed:
It's early December and despite the chill in the air, there are people wandering through Washington Square Park on their way here or there -- to the NYU Skirball Theatre, or Kimmel Center, or the residence halls. Roy comes out of one of the residence halls and takes the front steps two at a time to hit the sidewalk in front with a thud, then casually strolls across the park in the direction to the fountain that is not running for the winter.

He's dressed in a pair of faded jeans, dark red chucks, and a dark red hoodie. A backpack is slung over one shoulder, and he fiddles around in it to pull out a bag of swedish fish and pops one in his mouth as he goes.

Drake Riley has posed:
Some people are hiding away in their homes from the bitter New York winter. Drake would be normally. In fact, he kind of wants to. He's a West Coast native, where the weather is considerably more relaxed than it tends to be in the blustery Big Apple. But it's hard to sit idle when in New York City; there's so much of it to explore!

Not to mention the need to find a couple individuals who made an impact on him during his tumultuous first steps here in the urban jungle. No luck there insofar, though.

Today sees the teen wandering into Washington Square Park, hands stuffed in the slate blue parka he wears. Conveniently, his path leads directly to the inactive fountain, lips pursed a bit. "And here I was hoping it'd be like frozen over," he asides conversationally to Roy upon arrival. "Seen a couple like that." Such a thing is a novelty to him and his balmy roots!

Roy Harper has posed:
"Little small for skating," Roy replies as he comes to stop by the empty fountain and hops up on the edge of it, balancing on it as he makes a slow circuit around its perimeter. "There's a whole rink over at Rockefeller Center," he grins a bit idly, holding out the bag of swedish fish in Drake's direction after grabbing another couple and popping them into his mouth.

He seems pretty comfortable in what he's got on, but he also has a couple of layers under that hoodie and has been living in the area long enough that he's become accustomed to its winters.

Drake Riley has posed:
"Nono, not for /skating/," Drake replies, "I mean just a frozen fountain. You know, icicles and stuff. Probably Hades on the pipes, but it looks cool." Pictures of it look cool, anyway. The smaller ones he's seen around have looked neat, but a bigger fountain would be neater. Stands to reason, right? Come to think of it: "I've never been skating. I'd probably look the opposite of cool on that." Despite it, he's grinning at the idea.

Oh! Swedish fish! He absolutely takes one.

"S'your name, dude?," he asks. "Local?"

Roy Harper has posed:
"Probably would bust the pipes," Roy agrees as he surveys the fountain. "Which is why they usually turn'm off in the winter." He grins a little crookedly. "Not that it doesn't look cool. There's some waterfalls and stuff that freeze over that look pretty neat, too." He laughs and says, "Nobody looks cool their first time skating. That's why you've gotta go more than once. Preferably the first time in a place where no one knows your name." He's grinning and so mostly kidding. "Roy. Sorta yes, sorta no. I go to Happy Harbor and am just out on a day I've got no classes visting a friend." He nods in the direction of the residence hall he had come out of. "You?"

Drake Riley has posed:
Drake Riley barks a quick laugh, "If I tell you my name, I'm breaking that rule about first-time-skating!" But he doesn't seem to take that particularly seriously, as he immediately follows with, "Drake. Definitely not a local. Or- I guess I am now? But I'm not a native. Cali-transplant." He finally pops the fish into his mouth. Fruity! Chew-chew-swallow. "Happy Harbor? Dude, that sounds like a daycare. But I'm.. like.. a hundred-point-five percent sure that's not what it is."

Roy Harper has posed:
"It would be if we were going skating. Are we going skating?" Roy asks, both brows raised a little bit in amusement. He gives a nod when Drake does provide his name and explains his non-native status. "Me either, technically. But I've been around her for a while now." He nods in a sort of general all-around-here direction before snorting. "It's the name of a town, and a private boarding school. So I guess not too far off." He rolls his shoulders in amusement, obviously not taking offense.

Drake Riley has posed:
"Guess not. It's too small, right?," Drake muses, recalling the original comment. "It's the name of a /town/, too?" That's a bit of a surprise. He's heard of worse, but it's still a little odd. "In this state? Or..?"

He has no real interest in Happy Harbor outside of its goofy Chuck-E-Cheese name, but it makes for a fine conversation piece. "And is that where you're originally from? Happy Harbor...sville?"

Roy Harper has posed:
"Yeah, not too far from here, actually," Roy shrugs then chuckles, "No. Just finishing up my senior year there, then .." he trails off and gives a shrug of his shoulders. That's still an open question as to exactly what he's going to do when he's done with high school. One that he's been dodging to some degree. "Guess we'll see after that. You go to school around here?"

Drake Riley has posed:
Drake Riley's mirth dims at the obvious indecision, and a sympathetic nod follows. He's been there. Heck, he lives there. Forget Happy Harbor, this is more relatable.

"Nah. I finished highschool before I came out here earlier this year. Got some people pushing at me to do the college thing, but I just...," he pauses with a small frown, and his hands jam into his parka. "..I'unno. You look forward to being done with something for so long, the idea of jumping right back into it ain't exactly appealing, y'know?"

Roy Harper has posed:
"Yeah," Roy says in answer to that. He does know. "I mean, I'm not done yet. Gotta get through to the summer, then I will be. But they want you to apply like.. last year, and I didn't. I didn't even figure I was going to graduate. So, now that it's kinda looking like I might do it, I don't know what to do about that, really." He tucks the bag of swedish fish into the front pocket of his hoodie and then rocks a little bit back and forth on his heels, continuing the slow walk along the rim of the fountain. "I mean, if you can take some time to think about it, why not, right?"

Drake Riley has posed:
Drake Riley nods quickly, "Yeah, exactly. You're your own man at that point, for sure. Make your own decision on it. 'Sides..." He lifts a foot to prop onto the edge of the fountain and leans into it, stretching as he talk. "...with Youtube'n stuff, there isn't a whole lot college can teach you that you can't get for thousands of dollars less. 'Specially if you're more interested in like a trade."

After a beat, his head turns to shoot a wry look towards the other male. "Lot've guidance counselor talks," he explains. That's how he's familiar with the rhetoric. "Pushing towards college when I had zero plans on going."

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy nods, "But now you are?" He nods toward the campus, perhaps curious if that might have something to do with why Drake is in this particular park. "I think if I was going to go, it'd probably be back in Starling.. since that's where I live. When I'm not at school." He slides his hands into his pockets as he pivots and makes a turn to come back around the fountain in the other direction, coming to stop in front of him.

He grins a little crookedly. "Yeah, sounds like you've been given one or two speeches." It's not judgment, just a little bit of amusement. "There's a lot of ways to learn things and yeah, it depends on what you're going to do." And he's very much not sure what he's going to do. That much is clear.

Drake Riley has posed:
Drake Riley is in the same boat, and unapologetically. He has no idea what to do with himself academically. But in truth, he has little to no interest in it. His focus lies elsewhere. "Nah. No idea. I came out here to expand my horizons, if you don't mind me using that heavyhanded hippy talk." He pushes off with the foot against the fountain again, standing upright. "And hey, it worked. Hate how cold it is here, and the beaches aren't even /close/ to what I had on the other side, but it's just different enough. Uproot, transplant, new perspective."

In reality, he bailed on a bad situation to find other freaks like him. Mission successful. He's currently trying to settle on what the Hell he's doing for an income, as that's a question he doesn't have an answer for just yet.

"I'm just trying to figure things out right now. If you can hit the ground, totally centered, and know exactly what you want, power to ya. But that's just not how it worked with me."

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy laughs at that and shrugs his shoulders, "Doesn't matter to me. Nothing wrong with expanding horizons." Then he grins crookedly and says, "Yeah, you're not going to find those kind of beaches unless you head way further south. Though in the summer it's not too bad. There's a beach over by the school. It's nice for running on even if it's not good for swimming this time of year." He pauses. "Until it snows."

"Yeah I don't think I've ever really known what I want, exactly, generally, or nonspecifically." His smile is a bit rueful. "I mean, some things, sure. I've got stuff I like to do. But nothing career-wise, you know? I like to fiddle with stuff, make stuff, mess around with computers, programming, electronics. But do I want to do that as a job?" He squints and shakes his head, "Not really."

Drake Riley has posed:
"Hah. Nerd~," Drake teases, completely lacking in venom. "Nah, dude, if you do that? Big money in that field. Not a bad hobby to push into. And they say to do what'cha love and find someone who'll pay you for it, right?"

He gives a broad, animated shrug before stuffing his hands back into his parka.

"At least you've got a heading, sort'a. And that's cool!" Drake, however? Not so much. His last few years were spent either honing supernatural abilities or engaging in criminal shenanigans. Neither of those seem lucrative. And rather than let the focus turn to him, he quickly pivots back to the beaches: "California's gonna hate me if I cheat on its beaches."

Roy Harper has posed:
"They also say don't turn your passion into your job or it'll kill your passion, or some shit like that," Roy laughs, not seeming to mind being called a nerd. "Yeah, I suppose. I've got a possible something. Maybe I'll take up fixing bikes or something mechanical. People are always needing stuff fixed."

"Wouldn't want NYC calling up LA and being all, yo, did you hear? I heard Drake was loungin' on the beach in Miami. You better ring him up or you're not ever gettin' him back." The voice he affects is a weird NYC accent, not quite accurate enough. It's one thing he hasn't managed to pick up while living in the area.

Drake Riley has posed:
Drake Riley nods quickly. "Stuff always breaks. Gotta fix'em." He hasn't heard the rebutt on doing what you love, though. That's a new one to him. He doesn't press it.

"New York beaches are like that over-classy lady with the huge coat and pencil dress, know what I mean? She's got that weird cigarette holder stick thingy and a purse-dog. You know being with her is like a status symbol." He gestures vaguely to the side, "But California's beaches are that playful chick who casually wears a bikini and wants to hang out to game'n stuff. Predictable, but not high maintenance and way more chill." He nods stoutly to his own assertion.

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy can't help but laugh at Drake's comparison of the two beaches and raises both eyebrows "Is that how that works?" He shakes his head just a little bit and says, "Wouldn't know, man. I'll take your word for it." He hops down from the side of the fountain then and says, "So, you've seen the not so frozen fountain. What else were you planning on checking out today? Just sight-seeing?" He pulls out the bag of fish and takes another couple, offering it over.

Drake Riley has posed:
Drake Riley absolutely takes the swedish fish. They're like gummy bears, but tougher and swedish.

"That's West Coast guru-ism, right there," Drake nods in an extremely self-aware, sagely manner. "But, uh, yeah. No. Maybe?" Drake glances to the fountain, then back to Roy. "Is my 'HI I AM NOT FROM HERE' nametag showing that hard?"

His shoulders shift forward, hands pulling the parka tighter about his person through the pockets. "I've got a couple places I might hit. Wanted to check on some things." That is to say, check for certain people. "But otherwise, I got nothin' going on today."

Roy Harper has posed:
And "red" flavored, because who really knows what that flavor really is, after all?

Roy snickers and shakes his head just a little bit. "Just a little bit, man. But don't worry. It fades a little with time."

He nods though when Drake says he's got a few places to hit and things to check on. "Well, don't let me keep you if you've got stuff to do. I was about to go find some lunch that isn't a bag of sugar. There's a pizza place not far from here." He nods in that general direction. "If you need food, feel free to come along. If not, was cool meeting you."

Drake Riley has posed:
Oh, a pizza place. That could be nice. He might run into the person - or people, rather - who invited themselves to sit with him. At least one of them seemed like a regular at the establishment. Despite, however, he shakes his head. He needs to focus on doing what he intended to! It's getting colder out!

"Maybe another time, dude. Been nice finding that New Yorkers are a little more relaxed than, uh.. well, what rumor suggests." He grins impishly. "But then, you're not a native either, right?"

Roy Harper has posed:
"Some are, some aren't." Roy grins with a light shrug of his shoulders. "Depends on what sorta mood you catch them in and where." He gives a nod though when Drake has things to do, and so he takes a step back, lifting a hand in a little salute of a wave. "You take care, man. Good luck with the settling in and sorting out what comes next."

Then, he turns and heads off in the direction of the Pizza place down the street to warm up and grab a slice before continuing on his way.