7340/The Talk(tm)

The Talk(tm)
Date of Scene:	12 August 2021
Location:	3rd Floor -- Palm Tree Apartments
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	John Stewart, Beatriz da Costa

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John Stewart has posed:
It's almost like a repeat of the previous day, except this time his motorcycle cargo rack has two locked down bags on it. The muffler keeps the noise from being too harsh, but Beatriz can still hear that familiar motorcycle as it stops in a parking place near her home.

John is wearing the same biker jacket, but this time he's wearing mostly grey colors and sunglasses, his helmet is locked on the rack before he steps up to the house and rings the ringbell, a bag in each hand.

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
If there's one thing you can say about Beatriz it's that she's very tactile. Well, OK. Brash. And tactile. Loud, brash. And tactile. Passionate, loud, brash. And tactile. You get the idea.

Hearing the sound of the bike, she's already waiting at the door when he rings, swinging it open before the second chime has even died out and hugging John in welcome. "John, nice of you to drop..."

That is, of course when she notices the bags, pulling back to let the man in to put them down without having to carry her (albeit smaller, lighter) frame on top of those.

"What's in the bags?" she asks. She narrows her eyes, peering at them. "You brought some stuff over to do a proper barbecue?"

John Stewart has posed:
"Clothing." John cheerily informs her as he places them down, then stands up, turning to her as he places his hands in his pockets. "I don't know how long you're going to be like that, but I got your measurements from a scan and I thought these would help." He smirks at her, "I could go get some barbecue if you like? I didn't know you had a craving."

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
"You didn't know? I'm Brazillian, John!" Beatriz laughs merrily. "BBQ is life! I have the full pit set up in here just so I can do proper churrascaria! Good you didn't bring stuff for it 'cause I got all we need."

She looks at the bags and smiles.

"Was very thoughtful of you, John. You bring some for yourself too? I got spare toothbrush and stuff, but only man's clothes I got is an old flannel shirt that I won't ever give up 'cause it's a great minidress for around the house, and a bathrobe that I don't even remember how I got it."

She eyes the bags again, then looks down at herself. And the very baggy clothing she's wearing. Because it's made for her adult size, and she hasn't ... grown into the parts that bag. Yet.

"Mind if I change now, then we drink and eat and talk and have a fun day?"

John Stewart has posed:
He nods, "Take your time. I'm off duty and in no rush." John replies as he moves to sit down. "I've been catching up on music." John pulls out a pair of bluetooth earbuds and puts them in, then pulls out a smartphone and hits play.

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
She takes him at his word, laying out every piece of clothing. "You bought me underwear too!?" she calls out, amused. "How you get the cup size so right without cupping?" Mixing and matching a few pieces, she tried on several outfits until settling on one that ...

Well, let's just say there's a reason why she could sell photos of herself with tourists to make a living as a teen and leave it at that.

"You like?" she asks, coming out and spinning in place once. "You got a good selection there. Cover everything from morning to night, at home and out in town. How much did it cost you?"

She sits on the sofa next to him.

"I hope you listen to some salsa in that mix there. No better music than what come from Brazil!"

John Stewart has posed:
"The ring is very accurate." John vaguely states, one of the earbuds coming out as he listens to Beatriz. "I'm a freelance architect in my free time. The Corps gives local currency, but I get paid a /lot/ more as an architect. I'm not hurting for money at all." John explains, leaning forward as Beatriz walks out and shows off. "Looks good, they fit well." John compliments.

Then, he lowers the volume as she sits next to him, "I'm listening to all kinds of stuff. If you have suggestions-" His right index finger moves up and taps the earbud, -"I'm all ears."

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
"Your ring can scan my music player? I got lots of good music in there. In FLAC even! Takes a lot more disc drives but plays better when you turn up the volume. So clear compared to the stuff for the earbuds. Make you feel the music not just here..." She taps John's forehead, just above the bridge of his nose, "... but also here." She rests her hand against the middle of his chest.

"Best music not just heard, but felt. In head and in chest and in heart."

John Stewart has posed:
"I don't know what sort of music I actually like these days." John shrugs a bit as he looks down to Beatriz, "but I'll keep that in mind." He pauses and puts the earbud away into it's case. "I can scan just about anything on Earth... but we can discuss that later."

His right hand comes up then to tap her hand on his chest, "Any idea what's going on with this yet?"

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
Bea glances at the hand on hers, glances up at John's face, looking a little confused. "With your chest?" she asks. "You got breathing problems? Doesn't your ring deal wi..."

Her brain eventually catches up with her mouth and shuts it down.

"Oh! You mean you and me and ..." She grins. "Well, we only went on two dates, but they were both pretty fun, no? You askin' me out for number 3 already?"

John Stewart has posed:
A brow raises in a curious mix of amusement and 'really?' "The body switching." John clarifies, before he laughs, "If I tried to take you out on a date like this, pretty sure the police would want to arrest me."

Then, he taps his chest, "I exercise regularly. I have no breathing problems whatsoever."

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
"Oh, right!" Bea sighs and removes her hand. "This size thing. I thought we had it worked out. Shazam changes, I change. But then he changes and I don't change so I don't know what's going on anymore."

She looks down at her elfin self.

"I looked exactly like this at 15. I was on beaches, taking pictures with tourists for money. Rolling them for their cameras to sell if they tried to do anything more than take pictures..."

She looks at herself critically. "I don't know why. Lots of people look better than me, but I was popular enough I could make a living. I don't know why whatever this is that did it picked that time though. I never wanted to go back to that. I did what I had to do because I needed to make money. I mean this is like stupid movie with person wishing for their old self and getting it to learn lesson that now is better than the past. But I didn't need a lesson."

She looks up at John. "I don't know why, or now when, this happens. I gotta ask Shazam what he knows. He's got some weird deal going on to get his powers and maybe they know something."

A sad smile crosses her face. "So I guess no date #3 until this is fixed, right?"

John Stewart has posed:
"I know the situation, so I wouldn't mind... but if I go anywhere with you, the best I could offer is pretending to be your father. Poorly." John shakes his head, "Sounds like you have an inferiority complex." His right hand moves up to cup her chin. A light caressing touch, "everyone thinks there is someone prettier or handsomer than they are. It's probably true, too... the problem is when you let that sort of thinking define your life."

He leans forward to kiss her forehead, before leaning back. "I am who I am. I am as handsome as I am, no more, no less. I've accepted you and I'm pretty sure that we've established that I found you attractive from our first date." John smirks, "so you don't need to worry about keeping me."

Beatriz da Costa has posed:
Bea tries not to smile and fails. So she does the next best thing. She hits John. Not hard. Just to go along with the chiding tone of voice. "You just say that 'cause you like me spending the night," she says, eyes dancing. Then, more seriously, "But this right now is a bit creepy, right? You'd have to act like my father out there. Probably feel like my father in here."

She takes a deep breath.

"So you know what that makes me? Motivated to fix this ..." Insert long string of Brazillian curse words. The ever-helpful ring translates it as a detailed speculative discussion of some unknown entity's sexual proclivities with a noted grain of scatology. "... problem. Because I liked our first date a lot. Better than our second. Let's not try that whole flaming out at Mach 4 thing again. Did not work as date."