757/Lunchtime at the Atomic Cafe.

Lunchtime at the Atomic Cafe.
Date of Scene:	25 March 2020
Location:	Gramercy Park Hotel
Synopsis:	Two auld acquaintances re-connect as the photographer takes pictures.
Cast of Characters:	Peter Parker, Sofia Maroni, Daniel Hastings

---

Peter Parker has posed:
The MEGAGAME EXPO 2020 was a smaller affair than last year. The Doxing Scandal of 2019 was still keenly felt, and no one wanted a repeat of last year.
The convention hall was booked, as were ten cavernous suites and the rooftop Terrace Restaurant. A few of the triple-A game companies were here, but many of the booths were populated with indie game developers, some of them with a willingness to put on a decent show.

A friend of a friend had offered to put someone up for the role of "Lorelei," the torch singer at the Atomic Cafe, one of the main locations of ROENTGEN WORLD, the post-apoc game where World War 3 happened in 1959, freezing the society in a permanent 50's vibe.
Right now, Bobby Franks was pacing. "Where is she?"
"She'll be here, sir." His assistant, Alanna, was being patient. It was a good two hours before the event was to begin, but Bobby was a chronic worrier.
"If she doesn't show, I'm going to pull you off the credits, I SWEAR..."

Sofia Maroni has posed:
Sofia Maroni arrives way early by her own clock, if not by Bobby Franks'. And she's already dressed for the part. It didn't take much for Sofia to dress up like a torch singer, especially since she's actually lived the part. The click-click of heels is heard behind Bobby, announcing her arrival. Trench coat with the collar flipped up, fedora angled just so, tasteful makeup and bright red lipstick, the blonde looks like she fell out of a Humphrey Bogart movie.

She isn't in a hurry, and whether she's working the walk or that's just a natural look for her is anyone's guess. Stepping a bit to one side, she ignores Bobby Franks and speaks directly to his assistant. "Hi there, I'm looking for Alanna. Is that you? I'm Sofia Marion, the singer."

Sofia unbuttons the coat while she talks, showing a classic red cocktail dress beneath. The color matches her lipstick. The hat is removed, leaving not a hair out of place.

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Hired by the assistant as a totally one off gig, Daniel has been standing around looking fairly bored and idly looking at the various displays. He's holding onto a tall 'gear bag' that has wheels on the bottom that looks most likely to be a case for an electronic keyboard and a nice one, too. The assistant is given an understanding look while the fretting Franks nets the occasional raised brow.

    Now when Sofia arrives? Daniel can't help but to do a double take. Certainly, she's classy in appearance and a fair looker but.. there seems to be something else to his regard. As if there's something familiar about her. "Miss Marion." He offers the greeting with a semiformal dip of his chin and a gentlemanly almost bow. One would think he'd have kissed her hand but for the fact that he's standing behind the assistant.

Peter Parker has posed:
Alanna steps up and smiles. "Sofia! Oh, thank God you made it!" She waves to Franks, who takes one look at her and just...pauses for a moment, his mouth dropping open. "Holy crap..." He says almost wonderingly. "...Alanna...make a note. You get a raise."
He smiles and walks over to Sofia, smiling broadly. "I thought Alanna was selling me empty bottles, but MAN...you are the whole package!" He pauses, then looks to Daniel. "Gofer! Get the play list from the sound tech!" He turns back to Sofia, still smiling. "Now, we have a number of classic songs, but we added a few Tom Lehrer ones, like 'We'll All Go Together When We Go,' as part of the Unreality perk. But I am told you might have some of your own songs?"

Sofia Maroni has posed:
Sofia Maroni smiles warmly at Bobby, slipping a discrete wink to Alanna. "Now Mister Franks, you haven't even heard me sing yet." she offers, smoothly. The blonde turns then, as Daniel approaches. "Oh, well hello there." Her gaze shifts to the gig bag, giving a quick assessment. "You're the keyboard player, then. Got a name?" Her gaze lingers upon Daniel as well, perhaps even knowingly. Of course she wasn't going by 'Marion' back then...

Her attention returns to Franks after he's snagged a gofer. "I'm good with any of the classics, Mister Franks. I do a lot of more modern covers, but anything by Ella, Frank, Aretha... Billy Holliday... even Nina Simone. All good, but my French is a bit rusty."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Now thankfully, Daniel is a competent musician. Competent enough to have already gotten the intended playlist from the assistant a week before the gig and practiced. So when Franks asks him to 'go fetch' the playlist, he simply lets out a soft sigh and unzips a pocket of his 'luggage' and pulls out a sheet of paper to pass to the assistant.

    As Franks goes on, Hastings gives pause and looks askance of the man, "Lehrer?" The tone is.. we'll go with surprised. "Are we poisoning pidgeons now?" At this point he's wondering what sort of gig this was. Thankfully Sofia begins waxing on about more traditional artists.. and 'newer' ones he's begun listening to and enjoys. Much relieved. "Have no worry, Miss Marion, if you like I can give you a quick coaching if he wants one." So sayeth the Quebecoi.

Peter Parker has posed:
Frank blinks as he is given the playlist. "Ohh...hrm. Okay. Not that one, but we got 'Wernher Von Braun,' 'Send the Marines,' and 'So Long, Mom.'" He hands the playlist to Sofia, then looks around. "Where's the goddamn photographer?"
"He sent a text. He's running late."
"LATE? Jeez, get dumped by the strongest blonde in the universe and your focus goes completely to Hell. CALL ME when he gets in."

Sofia Maroni has posed:
Sofia Maroni laughs softly, looking from Hastings back to Franks. "Oh yes, I'm pretty familiar with Lehrer's stuff. Not your typical club fare, but it works well for a gig like this." The singer pauses, then adds. "I'm sure we'll muddle through just fine."

Turning her attention to Daniel, then, her smile becomes playful. And when she replies it's in fluent French. <Are you offering to help me with my French, Mister Hastings? In certain circles a girl might be inclined to take that the wrong way.> She pauses a moment, then adds. <You seem familiar to me, somehow. Have we played together before?>

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Daniel is still giving Franks an incredulous regard. Thankfully, Sofia distracts him from the moment and he laughs, looking to her, <Please. Tell me he is not sincere and that he does not mean to have your melodious voice tender.. comedy. If you call it that.> He looks to Franks and smiles broadly. Nothing to be concerned here. <But surely, there's nothing so untoward in merely speaking the language of romance that one must make to assumption of liberty.> There's a chuckle as he looks back to Sofia, <But.. yes.. you are familiar to me as well. I.. cannot quite put a finger to it. Perhaps.. we could to a cafe after this.. person.. has finished wasting your time?>
    Daniel takes a deep breath then looks to the assistant, "Where am I setting up again? This is not exactly light."

Peter Parker has posed:
Alanna smiled. "You're all setting up in the Terrace Restaurant on the roof. We'll just have to get Parker up there when he shows up." She walks over to the double doors. "Follow me, and we'll get you set up."

The trip up to the Terrace is actually rather opulent. The main elevator is cavernous enough to handle a fair amount of equipment.

Alanna guides the two musicians over to the stage area. "You can set up here." She looked to Daniel. "We have a sound tech if you need one to do the checks."

Sofia Maroni has posed:
Sofia Maroni chuckles softly after the French exchange with Daniel, the blonde's face seeming to light up with the expression. <It's a paying gig, at least.> she adds, with a little shrug. <And yes, I would like a coffee very much. Maybe something stronger, if there's some Weird Al in the playlist...> Slipping out of her coat, the red dress has long sleeves but is backless, and she's pretty comfortable with it.

Coat over one arm, hat held in the same hand, Sofia offers "I can carry your music or something." But regardless, they all make it into the elevator and then up to the Terrace. She looks around slowly, taking in the room while moving to the stage.

"I'd like a mic check, please. But I think I like the acoustics here already."

The woman shifts her stance, bracing a little and drawing a deep breath and belting out a phrase. Acapella "They saaa-ay it's a MAAAN's world...." The tone is crisp and clear, carrying a whole lot like Aretha and ringing from the ceiling.

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Daniel waits at the back of the elevator with his rolling bag standing over him and whistling a jaunty tune of yesteryear until they are freed and he follows along behind the quartet. He notes where the sound techs set up the speakers and such and heads that way to unzip his bag and take out the stand for his keyboard. But then he sees a real piano in the corner and promptly zips it back up. Oh they can fuss at him for wanting the natural sound but damnit you just can't beat the real sound.. and it's a Steinway. He smiles... then starts rolling it over to where the sound techs had set up her mic.
    Seating himself with a flourish, his fingers begin dancing across the keys a little Fur Elise. It could well be the most commonly known piece of piano music ever but then he transitions to a little jazz Oscar Peterson with a flash of a smile to Sofia. With his fingers limbered up, he gives her a lifted palm, "So. What shall we first hmm?"

Peter Parker has posed:
There is a sudden commotion near the elevator, and then a teenage boy of about 18 stumbles into the restaurant from the elevator. He is looking around, blinking, then moves towards the stage area. He is carrying a beat-up-looking backpack, and a small camera bag to boot. He bumps against one table and winces slightly, but recovers quickly.

After all, it HAD been 20 minutes since the bullet grazed him.

"Hi! Sorry I'm late...I'm Peter Parker, the photographer?"

Sofia Maroni has posed:
Sofia Maroni flashes a grin over to the piano when she hears Fur Elise, her eyes bright. Yep, just a couple of musicians getting the feel of the place. He makes the transition and she nods with the rhythm, heels clicking slowly over the stage as she walks over to a mic. Using her fingernail, she gives the metal mesh a light scritch to see if it's on. The speakers chuff and rumble, so she leans in. "Check. One. Two. Check. Check. One. Two. Three. Good?"

Sofia turns towards Daniel again, right as a small whirlwind of energy bursts into the room from the elevator. She cocks her hip, one hand resting on the mic as she watches him.

Speaking into mic, her voice is heard throughout the room. "Well hello, Peter Parker the Photographer. I think the promoter was looking to cut off your head and drink your blood a moment ago, but it's all good now. We're all friends here." It's like she's opening the show already or something, her voice silky and smooth like a jazz DJ. "So why don't you sit down. Relax. Take a load off. Daniel, give us some Frank, if you would. Fly us to the Moon..."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Scramble scramble crash! Daniel's easy vibe just had a cymbal explode behind him as he winces at the arrival of Parker. Poor fellow. He waits the guy to get himself under control before he gives a nod and starts tapping his nails on the piano to get the rythmn going.. his left hand soon striking the deeper keys in the beat of the bass before his fingers begin to dance with the melody and an uplifting harmony he's improvising to go along with it.

    Once he's gotten into the music, Daniel forgets all about the awkward arrival of Parker and is soon following Sofia's verbal cues to keep pace with her variations. If anything, there's nothing else going on in the room but her and the music. He's not the focus of anyone's attention after all.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter blinks, but begins unshouldering the bag and backpack. He's slightly out of breath, but regains it ass he takes out two digital cameras with worn fittings.

But while he's here, he can test something else...

He puts a small sphere on the table, out of sight behind the camera bag. As he adjusts the viewfinder on one of the cameras, it rolls off the table, hitting the carpet with a soundless thump, then begins rolling towards the stage. It is a simple guidance program, but it is drawn towards the voice, and the tablet in the backpack lights up with the word RECORDING...

Sofia Maroni has posed:
Sofia Maroni looks from Peter to Daniel, hips rocking as he shifts the music and the tune changes. After a couple of bars, she launches into the song. Starting out light and bouncy, the blonde captures Sinatra's stylistics quite well. "Fly. Me. Tooo the Moon. Let me staaaay, among the stars..."

Does she notice the rolling sphere gliding towards the stage? Probably not. Arms up, she rocks and sways, just starting to get into the song when she looks over at Daniel once more. Still rocking while he continues to play. "Okay now, let's change things up a bit. How about a little bit of the Duke... who Don't Get Around Much Anymore." Stepping back from the mic, Sofia rocks with the beat as the tempo and tune changes, waiting for the intro.

Peter Parker has posed:
Wow. She's good. Like Celine Dion and Mariah Carey somehow had offspring good.
Peter blinks before he realizes that yeah, pictures. So he begins moving along the edge of the stage, taking careful pictures, making sure to frame her well, to make the background part of the character of the shot. There is a beep after two minutes in Peter's ear, and he crouched near the stage to get a good vantage point shot while picking up the sphere with a fingertip andd slipping it into his pocket.

Sofia Maroni has posed:
Together they shift from Ellington to Cole Porter to Basie, covering a dozen or so hits from the 40's and 50's with just a few stanzas of each. Sofia belts out the lyrics, causing the sound man to adjust the highs down just a tad. After about fifteen minutes she turns away from the mic and looks over at Daniel.

"Alright, I think that's good from my end. And nice warmup." Her gaze shifts to Peter, then. "How about you Peter Parker the Photographer? You all set?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Parker smiles. "Like taking pictures of Lady Liberty. The trick is letting the full beauty show through." He flips open the camera panel to reveal the small LED screen, then hands it to Sofia for her to see the pictures for herself. "I was hoping to catch that profile of the singer alone on the stage, holding up the entire performance by herself..."

Sofia Maroni has posed:
Sofia Maroni flashes that smile of hers, one hand resting on the mic as she leans on it a little. She cocks her hip, even. "Now you're flattering me." she offers. Reaching out when he hands over the camera, Sofia checks the LED screen and flips through the images. She looks from the screen to the photographer and then back again. "Say, didn't I hear somewhere that you were dating Supergirl or something? Bet she's pretty hot."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter's face start to look a little plastic. "I...guess you haven't read the New York Post. There was a situation at the house, and Supergirl said she couldn't have my death on her conscience if I got killed because of my association with her. So...it was a mutual parting, mostly."

Sofia Maroni has posed:
Sofia Maroni tilts her head at that, expression softening. "Well I did say 'were'... past tense. But I'm sorry to hear that. You seem like a really nice guy, and all." The blonde pauses, then, switching off the mic and turning towards Peter more directly. "Break-ups are only seldom completely 'mutual', in my experience. But that conversation works better over coffee, preferrably with brandy."

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter smiles crookedly. "I think I'm a couple of years too early for brandy. But a little coffee wouldn't hurt." He shook his head. "It's okay, really. I get where she's coming from. A superheroine like her, anyone she's involved with automatically join the Hostage-to-Be Club. And I'd rather not join that club if it would have me as a member."

Sofia Maroni has posed:
Sofia Maroni shifts away from the mic stand, walking to the edge of the stage with short, crisp steps. She descends the steps, then perches casually on the edge of the stage. "Yeah, I get what you mean. Nobody wants to the the 'damsel in distress'. Even if they're a dame." Dame? Who says 'Dame' anymore? Must be just getting into her role or something. "But coffee would be great, yeah. Maybe with dessert."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    It would seem that Daniel was quite happy to follow Sofia's lead through their little minuette of music.. even if it was more like twelve of them. When they finally break for a few pictures of the singer, he sits back and plucks at the keys lightly.. more like.. exploring the keys and learning the nuance of this particular piano with a half-tilted head. Eventually, he looks up from the keys. "Dames but never dolls, Miss Marion?" He profers with a bit of a grin. "I seem to recall.. a small vignette.. just outside of Lisieux.. where the crowd grew rowdy and.." Made a lewd request of the doll on stage. But he doesn't vocalize that. Instead, he looks to the photographer.

    "Mister Parker, think of it this way. If a woman of that power and self confidence found you attractive.. even if it didn't work out.. realize that the world is your oyster. You were paid the greatest compliment a man could be given. The willing devotion of a woman. That she only broke things off because she didn't want you hurt? That, my friend, is love. Fret not."

Peter Parker has posed:
Parker sighs. "Ah, to be loved so much by a woman that she won't associate with me in any way. I've already HAD that kind of love, it was all of high school and it was my research, notes, and completed tests they were in love with."

He stopped, then placed a hand on his forehead. "Sorry...sometimes my mouth says go before my brain says no."

Sofia Maroni has posed:
Sofia Maroni turns her head towards Daniel then a peculiar lift to her brow. The mention of Lisieux definitely has her attention, as does the piano player. More conversation is certainly required. "It's a long way from Normandy, Mister Hastings..." she replies in a lower voice, perhaps with a bit of a warning glance even.

The smile returns a moment later, when Peter talks of the girl who used him for school work. "Are you saying, Peter, that there are girls out there who wanted you just for your mind? And they say this is a man's world, indeed."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Daniel chuckles. "No.. I think he's saying that they wanted him to do their homework." He pulls the piano cover out and gently lowers it over the keys. "Still. If I recall some of those shots, you did kiss her. And there was genuine affection. I'm willing to bet she cried.. either when she broke up with you or after." He takes a deep breath then smiles warmly at the youth. "I should probably tell you.. you've had better luck with ladies than I have." A wink is cast in Parker's direction. "Much like yourself, I was a smart whip when I was young. But then well.. I focused on school.. and my career.." He shrugs. "I just do this so I don't go out of my mind." There's a doting sweep of the back of his hand over the piano.

    His eyes trail back to Sofia then and he nods. "It is. I haven't been in France in a number of years. Not since after Oxford. Perhaps we could work on your French." There's a faint laugh and he raises a staying hand. "Just minor things. Your diction was flawless.. at least when singing.. but your accent is all over the place. I couldn't tell if you were trying for Parisienne, Calais, Nice.." All USO stops. He shrugs.

Peter Parker has posed:
Peter chuckled. "My female classmates loved my mind only in the way that Electro loves banks - the attraction is based on what can be taken with the least amount of effort." He rubs his face. "No, I'm sorry...Supergirl wasn't like that. If anything, she's smarter than I am in a lot of ways. But she didn't like the idea of someone sending a bunch of homicidal toys to my home to get rid of me and my Aunt, and then get rid of Supergirl when she came over." He looks down. "Sometimes the most difficult choice...is the best one."

Sofia Maroni has posed:
Sofia Maroni's brown eyes sparkle and she leans back on one hand, giving Daniel a knowing smile and a soft chuckle. She listens, then, as Peter talks more about Supergirl, the relationship, and her concerns. Her expression softens, tone lowering so that it's just the three of them who hear the conversation. "We all have our difficult choices to make, as well as our own little escapes." The latter is accompanied by a glance to Daniel.

"Whether singing, or piano, or photography, it is nice just to live in the moment without worrying about the future. Or even the past." There is a pause, before the blonde scoots off of the stage. "I need to find a bottle of water before the show starts."