9518/What's Good About Metropolis

What's Good About Metropolis
Date of Scene:	07 January 2022
Location:	A Metropolis Park
Synopsis:	On a exploration trip to Metropolis, Carin meets Nia and the two have lunch together.
Cast of Characters:	Carin Taylor, Nia Nal

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Carin Taylor has posed:
    It's a crisp, chill winter's day in Metropolis, with scudding clouds partially obscuring the sun and leaving shafts of light and shadow playing over the tall building of downtown. Light shimmers off the globe of the Daily Planet in the distance from time to time. At least there's no snow coming, just a bit of overcast. And still plenty of people out getting their Fridays in order, some out for a meal, some heading home a bit early, or getting coffee to stay late. There's a park not too far away where a series of food trucks have been set up for those interested in either, or a Starbucks down the street for those who really need their specific caffeine fix.

    Among the group in the middle of the park area is an unusual figure. In that she's dressed in a Chicago Bears hoodie and ripped jeans, rather than a local sports team, with an I Heart NYC hat on under the hood that's pulled up. It fails to completely cover her crimson hair where loose bangs poke out, or the very pale complexion she has that suggests either she's never seen the light of day or she's naturally albino...which is odd because her eyes are a fairly vivid green. Which go with the huge green lightning bolt tattooed over the right side of her face.

    She seems to be looking between the various food carts, as if trying to make up her mind which she wants to go for.

Nia Nal has posed:
    "You want Hot Dog Samurai, trust me," comes a girl's voice. Nicole steps up beside Carin and glances between the various trucks, pointing at one. A cartoon mascot samurai with a hot dog katana stands triumphant over a fallen burger. The young woman is dressed in a a pair of slacks and a cute beige sweater top, along with flats. A purse is over her shoulder, and a lanyard is around her neck. 'NIA NAL', along with 'DAILY PLANET' are visible on it, along with an absolutely terrible picture of her smiling.

    "I come here like, once a week on my break to get one." She looks over at Carin and pauses, then. "Oh, sorry. That was totally weird, wasn't it? Sorry. You looked like you were trying to decide. I like your...face." She stumbles that last bit and sighs, glancing back towards the food trucks. Stupid Nia. Stupid.

Carin Taylor has posed:
    The girl jumps a bit at the sudden commentary, just a bit. Timid little thing, perhaps? Or just on edge. She turns to face Nia as she arrives, listening as she cocks her head. "Um, n-no! Not weird, and, I was, um, trying to figure it out, yeah." she admits, her voice carrying the dulcet tones of a native Chicagolander. "Do they do a good bacon wrapped dog? Or chili dog?" she says hopefully, her eyes glancing down at the lanyard. "Um, Nia, right?"

Nia Nal has posed:
    "Nia, yeah. I usually get the Wasabi Dog, but yeah! The chili dog is insane. It's all good." She flashes a friendly smile and steps over into the line for the mentioned vendor. She waits for Carin to join her, if she does. "Nia Nal. Nia. It's nice to meet you. You're not a local, for sure. Well, neither am I, actually..." Her accent is West Coast, for sure. "What's your name? If you don't mind me asking."

    It's a break rush right now, and the line for any vendor is considerable. Nia doesn't seem to be in a rush, though, as she smiles at the girl.

Carin Taylor has posed:
    "Insane in that it's super spicy? Or is it more, like, stew chili with beans an' veggies an' stuff?" Carin says uncertainly, following after a slight hesitation as she also joins the lines. "N-no, I'm just...kinda visiting today." she admits. "I don't think I ever got to visit Metropolis before, so it's just what I've seen on TV or in movies or stuff." She tilts her head, tapping her chest. "Um, I'm Carin."

Nia Nal has posed:
    "Nah, it's 'Hot Dog Chili'. Whatever that means. Tastes great. I mean...I haven't had a lot to compare it to, though...so...take my opinion with a grain of salt." She grins ruefully and shrugs. "Carin. Cool. Yeah, I get you. I was raised in a smaaaaaaall town. Went to college in Gotham, which was my first big city. Now -that- was an experience." She laughs softly and shakes her head. "But I like Metropolis. It has problems, of course. The usual ones in a big city like this, but..." A shrugged shoulder. "...It's home now, I guess."

Carin Taylor has posed:
    "Well...worth trying then..." Carin decides after a moment of thought. "Gotham, really? That must be kinda a change between here and there." She steps forward, shivering a bit as a cold breeze blows through the area as she sticks her hands in her hoodie pockets. "And you work for the Daily PLanet? What do you do?" she wonders curiously.

Nia Nal has posed:
    "Night and day, really. It's crazy. But...there's good people in Gotham, too. Not everyone fits the stereotype, you know?" She smiles softly and glances back at the line, shuffling forward when it moves. "MMetropolis has some rough areas, too, but even then they are like Gotham. But Metropolis has more...uh. Well, it has different issues." She stuffs her hands into her pockets and she shivers at the cold breeze. "Mmmmhm. I'm a reporter. Well, a cub reporter. That means I don't get the cool stories and I have everything to prove, still. Pretty fresh from college."

Carin Taylor has posed:
"Um. Well. I don't really know the stereotypes for Gotham versus Metropolis. I mean, other than the Bat guy is in Gotham." Carin shifts from foot to foot. "But I kinda got memory issues, so...yeah. Kinda why I'm exploring, wanted to see if I could jar anything loose here." She nods at the explanation, smiling shyly. "Sounds kinda neat though. Does that mean you gotta do like society stuff or like...whatchamacallit. The local....interest things?"

Nia Nal has posed:
"Gotham is rough and scary. Metropolis is shiny and perfect," she replies with a lopsided grin. Her eyebrows arch at the mention of the memory, and she looks very interested. "Oh, wow, that's so interesting..." She is clearly curious, but she tries not to pry, instead turning back to the line. They're getting close to the front now. "Sometimes. Society. Lots of LGBT stuff, which I -really- don't mind. A lot of fluff pieces. I got to go to a comic convention last year. That was actually fun."

Carin Taylor has posed:
    "What's interesting?" Carin says, her brow furrowing as she gets an uncertain expression. She wouldn't think to call her memory loss interesting....frustrating, maybe. "Oh? Conventions like that do look neat. Um, why do like LGBT stuff to report on?" The line continues to move forward inexorably, if not very quickly, as people give their orders and get their food, stepping away as they do.

Nia Nal has posed:
    "I...sorry. I'm curious by nature. I didn't mean anything by it. I meant your memory loss. But...that sounds really callous and I promise I didn't mean it that way. Suddenly they're at the front, and the girl is fishing out a cute pink and white wallet with Supergirl's shield on it from her purse. "Here, lunch is on me. Welcome to Metropolis." She puts in her order, a Wasabi Dog and a bottled water, and then steps aside so that Carin can place hers.

    Once food is ordered and a number ticket is handed over, she looks over to the girl. "Oh. I'm trans."

Carin Taylor has posed:
    "Oh! Oh, y-yeah, that's..um, interesting, I guess, the memory thing." Carin stammers a bit, though she pauses to rummage through her pockets from some crumpled bills, pulling them out, then pauses as Nia offers to buy. "Are you, um, sure? I don't mind..." she offers, then blinks a bit at her. "Hmm?" at the last part. Not in a thrown off look, more a confused nto sure if she hear or at least did not understand the comment look.

Nia Nal has posed:
    "Yeah, I'm totally sure." She waves off the attempt to pay with a smile. She's hardly rich, but she can afford something like this pretty easily. She tucks dark hair behind her ear and finds an untaken edge of cement surrounding a copse of trees, and she sits on it. She pats the spot next to her. "Was that 'hmmm' because you didn't know I was trans...or because you don't exactly know what that means?"

Carin Taylor has posed:
    Carin doesn't object TOO much...it's not like she's got a lot of spending cash with her after all. But she gets her chili dog and follows over to perch next to Nia, sitting crosslegged, then getting a flush. "Um, the...latter? Thing. Yes. I mean, what the word means."

Nia Nal has posed:
"Oh. Right." She laughs softly, and there's nothing mocking in the tone. She sounds almost relieved. "It means I was born in the wrong. I was physically male at birth, and I lived as a boy until I was about seven. Since then I've lived as a girl. I take medication so my hormones are different. I've also had, well." She shrugs a shoulder. "Surgeries. To right the wrongs and make me...me. There are a lot of us."

Carin Taylor has posed:
    Carin istens, blinking slightly as she processes it. "So trans is...being the wrong gender than the one you feel you should be?" she says slowly after a moment, as if she's unsure ifs he's going to offend somehow. "But you're a girl and...I should treat you as a girl, because that's what you are. Right?"

Nia Nal has posed:
    "Pretty much, yeah. It's...deeper then that? But that's a good basic explanation, sure." She smiles softly. Nia nods, then, her smile warm. "Yes, exactly. I mean, that's the dream. Heh. Plenty of assholes don't see it that way." She shakes her head and then stands as their numbers are called. She walks over to get the little cardboard boxes the hot dogs are in, plus any drinks, and she walks back over.

Carin Taylor has posed:
    Carin takes her order from NIa as she gets back with her drink, setting the latter next to her on the concrete and starting to unwrap her hot dog. "...okay." she says, nodding. "...I totally wanna ask more things, but it'd be kinda rude, so as long as I got the basics it's fine then." She nods firmly. "I'm sorry about assholes though. I get them, but it's more cuz I look weird."

Nia Nal has posed:
    "Hey, ask away. If it's not coming from a place of being a jerk. I can usually tell the difference." Nia winks and then picks up her hot dog. The chili dog -is- very good. Her own hot dog seems to have various japanese ingredients. She takes a big bite and lets out a very pleased 'mmmmmmmm.'

Carin Taylor has posed:
    Carin takes a good sized bite from her chili dog, careful not to spill any as she chews, lost in thought while she considers that. "No, I'm just dumb." she decides. "But I guess if you don't mind...um, so like, cosmetic surgeries where they...uh, remove and add stuff?"

Nia Nal has posed:
    She nods to that. "Mmmhm. Well, they're more then cosmetic. They're important. A lot of trans folks can't get the medical assistance they need. There's a lot of reasons we have the highest suicide count..." The girl trails off and takes another bite of her hot dog. Her cheeks flush a hint at the spiciness. "Mmmf. Hot. Yum."

Carin Taylor has posed:
    There's another nod from the other girl, her brow furrowing slightly as she takes another bite, chewing and swallowing, then reaches over to take a long draw from her diet cola, before setting the cup back down. "I didn't know you could do stuff like that...so I can believe it's hard to do." she says, nodding a little. "Suicide?" She frowns at that, then nods a little. "It sounds really hard."

Nia Nal has posed:
    "Didn't mean to bring the convo down. But yeah. I'd be lieing if I said otherwise." She takes a break from the hot dog so she can sip some more water. "I'm luckier then a lot. My parents were supportive from day one. Well, my dad struggled for a few weeks, but he came around." Nia glances over at the other girl.

Carin Taylor has posed:
"N-no, it's fine! I just...um, I didn't wanna push if you don't wanna talk about it either." Carin says, tilting her head. "But it's good your family was....was..." Her speech slows for a moment, as she starts blinking for a moment, her eyes going far away. The hot dog box she's got starts to slide out of her fingers.

Nia Nal has posed:
She reaches out and catches the box. "Whoa! Hey, you okay?" She sets the box aside, furrowing her brow a little. She reaches out and gently rests her hand on Carin's shoulder to steady her if she topples.

Carin Taylor has posed:
    She does lean slightly against the touch, starting to breath a bit faster, wobbling in place, then her eyes refocus as she she lets out a sharp gasping breath, her eyes widening for a moment. "Oh. Ohhh." she whispers, closing her eyes for a moment as she grips her thighs, squeezing then releasing her fingers, trembling slightly.

Nia Nal has posed:
    Nia looks really concerned. She leans in a bit, still holding her up with her hand on her shoulder. "Hey. Hey, cutie. Are you okay? Do you need some water?," she asks, sounding worried. She holds up her bottle of water in her other hand. She watches Carin closely, looking concerned.

Carin Taylor has posed:
"I'm...ah..." The pale girl licks her lips, taking a deep breath. "S-sorry. Sorry, I just...ah." She breathes out a bit shakily. "M-my memory is...it's like...um." She closes her eyes, rubbing her face. "It's like...there, but my brain doesn't know how to get to them, y'know? But sometimes I get, like...flashes of memory, when I think of something connected. Not always, but..." She shivers. "...that wasn't a good one."

Nia Nal has posed:
    "No reason to be sorry. Stop apologising to me," she says softly. If she lets her, Nia puts an arm around her shoulders to give her a comforting hug from the side. The hand stays there, though. "That sucks, really. Can I...get you anything? Take you somewhere?"

Carin Taylor has posed:
Carin seems to tense up a bit at the touch, then slowly relaxes with what looks like an effort of will. She smiles weakly. "Sor-...um, okay." She smiles weakly. "You already bought me lunch, mean, that was nice enough. I'll be okay, it was just...jarring, you know?"

Nia Nal has posed:
    She senses the tenseness and removes her arm without a word about it. She smiles softly and nods. "I could tell. I have these kind of...waking dreams sometimes, so I get it. Trust me. Most of them are -not- nice. If you don't mind telling me, what was this one about?" There's that curiosity again!

Carin Taylor has posed:
    The pale girl is quiet for a moment, looking down at her hands as she wrings them slowly, nervously. "Uh...I saw...I think he was...my dad? And he was...um. Hitting me. And stuff." she manages after a moment. "It feels like he was my dad. I don't know. I don't remember his name or anything or...or where that was or..." She gets a frustrated look. "My memories suck."

Nia Nal has posed:
    "I'm so sorry," Nia says softly. Her voice and expression are pained, but she saw the way touch bothered her earlier, so she doesn't use it. Just eye contact and a gentle voice. "Whatever the whole memory is...you didn't deserve it. You were a kid. Honestly, it sounds like your better off -without- some of those memories." Her smile is warm.

Carin Taylor has posed:
    "Yeah." Carin mumbles, then takes another deep breath, leaving it out. "Everything I remember just kinda sucks, anyway. So far. It's kinda why I came here though, I though, maybe being in a new place, I'd remember more stuff." She stirs a bit, looking over. "You said, um, you have bad daydreams? Like...a mutant thing or something?"

Nia Nal has posed:
    She doesn't responds to that at first. Eventually she shrugs a shoulder. "Just...just dreams," she lies. "I have narcolepsy and it bleeds into everything." Okay, THAT is true, at least. "So, if I -do- suddenly fall asleep, please don't think you're boring."

Carin Taylor has posed:
    Carin smiles a bit more. "Okay. Will keep that in mind.' She mmms. "That sounds rough though. Do you have to have meds for it and stuff?" she wonders, picking up her drink and taking a sip from it. She doesn't go for the hot dog though, apparently her appetite has left her.

Nia Nal has posed:
    Nia's own hot dog is ignored as well. She nods a bit. "Yeah. They really messed with my appetite, though, so I stopped taking them. I don't drive, so it isn't that dangerous. Good thing the city has a really good transit system, right?" She grins softly and drains her bottle of water. She tries to toss it into a nearby bin and winces as she misses.

Carin Taylor has posed:
    The cup bounces away...then there's a blur of motion and suddenly it's reversed course back into the trash, with Carin in a slightly different position next to her. "I guess, um, falling over if you fell asleep on your feet would be bad too."

Nia Nal has posed:
    Nia blinks and then glances between the bin and the girl. Then again. "Uh." She chews her lip a hint then looks back to Carin. "I've gotten a concussion before, but I'll take that over the appetite thing, trust me on that."

Carin Taylor has posed:
"Yeah, I mean, growing girl and all that! Gotta eat." Carin smiles shyly. "As long as ya got a handle on it, y'know. An' your bosses don't give you trouble over it or somethin'." she shrugs her shoulders slightly, squirming a bit under the look from the bin to her.

Nia Nal has posed:
    "I get shit sometimes, but...medical condition, you know? Only so much they can do." She rises to her feet and offers a hand. Noting the girl's nervousness, she purposefully does not mention the weird blip or the bottle. Nope. It's like she saw nothing, even though her mind is racing.

Carin Taylor has posed:
    Carin takes the hand after a moment, picking up her drink and the remains of her hot dog as she gets to her feet. She's got a fairly strong grip, really. She reaches over to toss the hotdog. but holds onto the drink she's still finishing for the moment. "That's cool. I mean, not that you've GOT the medical condition, but that they're good about." she clarifies.

Nia Nal has posed:
    "No, no. I get it. So, where you staying while you're in town?," she asks curiously. She's not doing a good job of hiding the concern she still feels for the girl, but she's trying to act casual about it with an easy smile.

Carin Taylor has posed:
Carin is trying very hard not to acknowledge that curiosity is a thing, and not doing a great job of it! "Um, well, it's more a day trip kinda." she temporizes. "So I wasn't planning on staying too long? I hadn't really thought of getting a hotel room or something here anyway." she admits.

Nia Nal has posed:
    "Ah! Alright. Just wanted to make sure you weren't stranded." She smiles and then her phone beeps. She pulls it from her purse and eyes it with a small wince. "I need to get back for the rest of my workday. It was really nice meeting you, though..."

Carin Taylor has posed:
    "Um, sure! WAs nice talking with you. Um, if you wanna talk more I could, um, give you digits? I mean. Or text." She rummages in her pocket and pulls out a cheap cellphone. "I mean, only if you want, it's cool if you don't...' she promptly adds, expecting rejection for some reason.

Nia Nal has posed:
    "Oh, for sure! Yeah, that sounds good." She spends a moment making sure numbers are exchanged, and she shoots a 'Hi, I flirt a lot. Hope you don't mind. <3' to her via text before she pockets her phone. "It was awesome meeting you."

Carin Taylor has posed:
    Carin flushes as she looks down at the text, typing just OK and a smiley, before nodding. "Yeah, it was cool meeting you too. Have a great rest of your day!" she says, waving. "I'm gonna go check out more of the city then..."

Nia Nal has posed:
    Nia waves and then turns, hurrying her way off to work! Somebody needs to get her boss coffee, afterall!