5329/Gluttony - with red hair

Gluttony - with red hair
Date of Scene:	24 February 2021
Location:	Rise N Grind
Synopsis:	Beautiful Dog
Cast of Characters:	Madigan Belle, Jack Temple

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Madigan Belle has posed:
It's an 80s themed cafe. That's cool. And there's lots of tables and neon colors, its a pretty bright and interesting place. Perhaps all the more so that at one of the tables is a woman who's got out a laptop, a tablet, some text books, and is also typing away on her phone. Somewhere in the grouping of stuff is a backpack mostly opened, a nintendo switch with bright colors on that, and some papers sticking out of the bag.

Even still, she has 5 cups of liquid in front of her, a small stack of dessert plates that look empty, 2 slices of cake, and a cookie nearly the size of her head. That's when the Barista calls out, "Maydi? Madi? Gan? Madigan?" The person behind the counter looks a little confused, but has 2 scones, 3 donuts and another coffee styled drink on the counter.

The red head is suddenly caught. She's got all this stuff out, and she's looking between her crutch, the distance to the counter, and back again. She groans, and looks up to the ceiling as she is starting to get the crutch strapped back on her arm. "Damnit, hey." She's trying to get the counter person's attention but the music playing and all the bustle prevents it. She will certainly have to get up and go get her order, and that seems like it will be a pretty big struggle.

Jack Temple has posed:
The tall young man with the brown hair had been standing there in the line, waiting for his own bearclaw and hot chocolate combination to appear. Idly looking at a pamphlet about coffee bean sourcing and how this particular franchise apparently takes the time to 'ethically source' their coffee beans from certain regions to avoid deforestation or something along those lines. He's only really passively reading it when he hears the repeated calls for someone in the shop. It's just enough of a racket that he can't really tune it out like he tunes out so much else.

Turning his head between counter and gorgeous redhead, he recognizes her predicament and mentions, "I can take that over to her," and scoops everything up and walks it over to Madigan's table. Setting everything down for her even though he clearly doesn't work here. "I got ya," he mentions.

Spinning in place, he walks back up just in time to snatch up his own order, and then, on the spot, doubles back and puts a hip near her table. Like he's wondering something, but he's blushing slightly.

"So, can I get a tip, or barring that, think I might sit with you?" he asks. "I'm Jack."

Madigan Belle has posed:
The struggle is real, for Madi at least, she is sitting there and as soon as she sees Jack pick up her stuff, she is getting full mouth opened, gaping, shocked, stunned, is this guy stealing her food? And then it is, not, and she brightens. Big smile, "Oh, thannnnks... and he's gone." She watches as you turn back to get your order, she's already biting into the donut, reading through some big thick book, her sleeves coming down over her hands from that just-too-long flannel she wears as thin outerwear. "Huh? Ohhnnh shhurh." She says, with her mouth trying to finish up her donut bite quickly while talking.

Waving in front of her, "Take a seat, just uh, gotta move some things." She's taken over the table, so she starts to reach over her laptop, then shuts the lid, closes a book, tucks her papers away and slides as much as she can over. Putting books on one another, and trying to consolidate her many drinks. "Sorry, just a mess. Working on my thesis is about as coordinated as ... well, this table. Jack. I'm Madigan. Madi, really, that's the nickname anyhow, no one calls me Madigan, except my Uncle." Pause, "So, why would you do that? I mean, get someone else's stuff for them?"

Jack Temple has posed:
Sitting down opposite her once she has cleared enough space, Jack actually helps her straighten things up in a passive way so that he has a wedge of the table's circumference to himself. He doesn't seem to mind, and only plucks a few napkins from the napkin holder to keep from getting his hands too gross.

"Thank you, it's a bit busy," he mentions and glances around at the many wannabe authors writing the next great American novel. Not looking too impressed with the way that they hog up many of the tables, though how he conveys that with a look, besides the arched brow and pursed lips is hard to describe. Turning his gaze back toward her at the question, he thinks about, and looks a bit confused. "Why wouldn't I?" he questions. "Pleasure to meet you, Madi. Madigan is an interesting name, what's the uh, origin of that?"

As they begin to talk, he starts to sip at his hot chocolate and eats his bearclaw, packing it away. Clearly a bit hungry.

Madigan Belle has posed:
Madi's eating the donut pretty straight forward, from the first to the last bite as she holds her other hand under the donut to catch and stray sprinkles. Those get tossed into her mouth at the end, before she brushes her hands together and then takes down a big chug of something in one of the cups. "Madigan? It's Irish. It means ... little dog. It's really not that interesting, added to my last name, though, it really makes for an awful joke. I'm a beautiful little dog. I guess. Though, in Irish, as you go back further, dogs, especially mastiffs, happen to have a meaning of strength really more than it the translation might... pretend."

"Jack, has some origins in Gaelic, as well, but from Scotland. And then wasn't really used as a first name until the French sort of stole it, but that makes sense." She stops talking only long enough to take another guzzle drink from one of her cups, a different one this time, before putting it down. Licking her lips she mmmms, "Pretty good stuff here. Anyways, oh, right. Yeah. So, the question ... why wouldn't you? There's tons of reasons not to. Takes energy, effort, you might be looked at strange, you could draw ire from others, your attempt at being nice might backfire and be seen as pretentious, I mean. Loads more reasons too, if you just didn't, it'd leave all societal expectations and actions intact. At which point, you risk nothing."

Jack Temple has posed:
"I like to think that the first Jack was an old mutant or meta, and that's where we get the Cornish folk tales," Jack mentions, it's sort of tangentially related to her talking about the origins of names, and the region. Sort of five thoughts away from it, but related in an abstract way. He doesn't seem so concerned as she is about crumbs. Sipping at his hot chocolate like it's a pleasant little snack, without a mind for the steaming scalding liquid inside.

Thinking about her own explanation of her name, he stares at her in thought. "Well, you are pretty, not sure how the dog thing really factors into it. Tenacity? I just met you and you seem tenacious," he admits.

The next topic she jumps around to, the question of why he'd helped her earns a little shrug. "I think someone could make those same value judgments about the people that just stared at their phones, and if it'd backfired, that'd be a reason to judge you for being ungrateful or unpleasant, not me, and if I was, they'd be, well, they'd be wrong," he calls it like he sees it.

Madigan Belle has posed:
There's a quirk to Madi's mouth. She puts her lips together and full on moves her as far right as possible, making her lips squeeze together some as she squints at you a moment, "I don't really know a lot about the Cornish Folk tales. Is that like, Jack and the Beanstalk? Jack jumping over candlesticks or something?" She questions with a little shrug. Next is more of her drink, as she holds it in two hands, kind of warming up her hands but then there's the slurping sound of it emptying. Setting that one aside, she grabs up another one, and holds it for the time being.

"Thanks. I was blessed with great genes for symmetrical facial feature distribution. Blue eyes is a mutation that has stuck around due to sexual preference, and red hair, well, I mean, come on? Irish. More than 5 percent of the world's red heads have Irish ethnicity. So, I had a better than snowball chance in hell of coming out pretty well situated in this era, at least. Born like a hundred and fifty years ago? No way. I'm way too skinny, didn't match up so well with the hardiness the west required."

With that, though, she asks, "So, Jack, what is it you do? I mean, I clearly ramble on and on, if I can get a paying job for that, I'll be set. I mean, teachers kind of do that, so do politicians..." A light hmmm comes from her as she looks to the side in thought at that idea, then a little shake of her head before looking back to Jack for his answer.

Jack Temple has posed:
"That's the one, there are several of them. Jack doing things by being clever or lucky, or quick. Slaying giants and the like," Jack tells Madgi as he watches her go through food and drink at a prodigious rate. He doesn't say anything though, and only silently hopes it's not because she has some sort of eating disorder. Not his place to get in her face about it though.

The comments about her appearance and her lack of hardiness earns her a slight nod of the head. He isn't sure what the correct response to that is. "Well, congratulations on the genetic lottery for nice facial features?" he questions with a little laugh.

"I'm a student," he answers, not mentioning that he's a high school student. She looks like a college student, and if he's going to flirt, he'd rather she not be immediately aware that he's only sixteen and a high school student. "Rambling for a living? If you're funny, you could be a comedian. Or if you're insightful you could be a radio host or host a podcast. Do you have any interests that people might find interesting?" he speculates.

Madigan Belle has posed:
"Boom, got it one." Madi grins and nods her head a few times, "I don't even study old folk lore, I must've picked it up in one of those cultural conversations and someone says something about something semi-related." And she seems kind of proud of herself, with her eyes getting a bit less than fully open, and her smile extending wide.

"Thanks! Yeah. Genetic lottery in... well, some respects. Am I right?" And she sort of motions her head over toward the crutch kind of hanging off her chair. "Not that I mind, really. I mean, we all have our things. And I'd definitely rather be pretty than mobile. I know, shallow, right? But pretty people get away with murder, everyone can walk. If anything, I could probably get away with twice as much murder..." She chuckles a bit, and shakes her head, taking another long pull from her coffee.

And that gives you time to tell her you are a student and ask your question. "A student? Where at? I'm studying my PH.D at Columbia University. I'm focused in on genetics, but in particular researching associated genes and their implications. I think people would find that interesting, right? Like, DNA talk and whatever. Some people do, at least, though video games, probably better, I'm kinda famous in the gaming world. Like, a little tiny bit, from years ago, in Japan."

Jack Temple has posed:
Jack smirks at her self-congratulatory high fiving, and offers her a hand to smack if she's so inclined to celebrate her guesswork.

"I mean, I don't know, but I think either group has their advantages, and either can be fixed with enough money, right? A person with walking problems could fix that with the right money and the right people helping, and an ugly person could always get hotter with a little money and exercise?" he guesses, shrugging. She seems like the sort of person who enjoys random conversations like that, so he indulges while he eats. Finishing off the last of his bearclaw in a few last bites.

"I'm uh, a general student, at my school," he answers. "I'm just in town to walk around town, get lunch, then I'll ride the train back. What are you famous for?" he asks, perhaps trying to change the subject before she asks questions about his school and 'studies.'

Madigan Belle has posed:
Smack. Yep. Madi is definitely a high-fiver, and will take you up on it, even if she has to lean forward a bit to do it. She chuckles some and then she hrms and quirks her mouth to the side. "Not, really. I have a genetic reason for having non-functional legs. So, although I could probably buy prettiness, I can't really buy working legs. Most issues aren't ... similar, but its cool. I'm pretty over walking well, or running, or what ever. I'm pretty lazy anyhow, so I'd likely waste the ability no matter how you slice it."

Though she does add, "But, there is something to be said about natural beauty. Right? I mean, there are things you can do. Pay for this or that, but can you get super clear skin? Smooth skin? Not yet. Soon, probably, but there's a handful of genes that lend themselves to such things. Smell, does the person reek or are they mostly non-odorous? Gene related."

A pause, at the whole 'general student thing'. "So, undergraduate work?" She is squinting a bit at Jack, eyeballing him now, looking him over. "Mmm hmmm. So, yeah. I won a tournament, in Japan, back in 2010. I was 8. So, it was kind of a big deal for that reason, but it wasn't like I won a lot of money or anything. I still have the shirt though... doesn't fit anymore. Maybe I could wear it as a crop top though?" She has the inspiration, "Hmm. Could do that. May have to adjust the sleeves to be a bit wider, but to be honest, my arms didn't get that much thicker. I'm not winning any lift championships."

Jack Temple has posed:
Jack, who has all of those things just sort of nods his head at her assessment. Those are good things to have, indeed. Rising to his feet, at her comment about a crop-top, he looks like he might want to say more, but instead of really getting into it, he just mentions, "You also probably grew a bit," and makes a hand gesture toward his chest, making a vague hand gesture to indicate the growth of certain other areas. "Say, do you think I could get your phone number, maybe we can hang out again sometime? I need to make it back for my train. And uh, yeah, it's undergrad," he confirms, feeling a bit awkward about lying. "Ah, I can't lie like that. I'm a high school student," he tells her. "That's cool about winning when you were a kid."

Madigan Belle has posed:
There's a pause as you ask her for her phone number, "Wow. Today is my jackpot day. Twice in one day." And she starts to grab at her phone then you say you are in high school. Looking up at you she quirks her mouth to the side, "I mean, I don't mind, like, hanging out and playing games or whatever. Or like, talk to you about girls or whatever. If, that's what you mean?" And she unlocks her phone and then puts in her name in a text message so you can send yourself a text with your number.

Jack Temple has posed:
"Yeah, like that," Jack confirms. He'll try to wear her down her hesitation later, and of course, will fail, but he can't not try. He's a relentless young man like that. Taking her phone, he puts in his number and hits the button to send. So that the two of them now have each other's numbers. "See you around, Beautiful Dog!" he calls out in a friendly way as he makes his exit.