9738/Pho Gotten About

Pho Gotten About
Date of Scene:	20 January 2022
Location:	Pho Gedda Bout It
Synopsis:	Jimmy and Carrie meet and realize they know a few of the same people!
Cast of Characters:	Jimmy Hudson, Carrie Kelley

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Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    The cellphone's display offered no answers.
    It sat there beaming its luminous image of an antique clock slowly ticking away the minutes of life while around it the world continued unabated. There were servers wandering hither and yon, people getting seated at their tables, customers lounging and laughing and meeting others. But the baleful features of that clock just continued to slowly advance pixel by pixel.
    "You ever see that Michael Palin series, Connections? I think it was Michael Palin?" A conundrum that could be solved if he touched that phone before him, but to do so would on some level make the events of the last hour and some more real and something he'd have to acknowledge.
    "No, I haven't. Would you like another Singha, sir?" The bartender asked with a smile, polite, even as she cleared away his empty and made sure his glass of water was topped off.
    That did not deter James Hudson, however. Who had been there for entirely too long. "Oh just it was a show that showed you how you got from one invention to another. A lot of fun." A beat, then he nodded. "Sure, please. And thanks." As to the beer.
    Which set the tender off on her way to get him another.
    It left him there to ponder the phone yet again while the steady murmur of the crowd continued around him. With a hint of resignation he swipes the phone to life. And still finds no messages meant for him. Save for one suggesting he change his phone carrier. His nose crinkled slightly.
    "Mmm," He says with distant ambivalence. Then proceeds to google Michael Palin.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie had not missed the cold of Gotham. Nor the dreariness that seemed to cling to the very sky sometimes, but she'd decided that things had been weird long enough and she needed to get out more. Plus, celebrating her birthday late was becoming a bit of a thing, so a proper lunch would be good. Pho was something that she loved and she didn't have a problem eating alone.

She'd stood at the door for a moment waiting for one of the hostesses to seat her and she'd greeted them with a hundred watt smile as she was lead to a seat that wasn't far from Jimmy. "Do you have anyone else joining?" the server had asked. Carrie had given a shake of her head, "No ma'am, just me." she told her as she'd ran a hand through her wind swept hair to try to smooth it out. She removed the leather jacket she wore and draped it over the back of the chair before settling in to look over things and wait for drink order to be gotten.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    Not too terribly far from Carrie's table, right there at the bar is a tall man with a stern look to him. He had that weathered way about him as if the cold harsh weather outside was fitting if only because it presents the perfect backdrop for someone with that... rugged aesthetic.
    A glance was given sidelong as Carrie was shown to her seat, but the man's eye was drawn back as the bartender came back with his Singha. "Thank you," He murmurs as he lifts his eyes and then he adds. "It wasn't Michael Palin." Since that google search turned up naught. The tender, however smiles politely as she turns to tend to another.
    Though it isn't long before the maitre'd steps by and looks between the two of them. Smiling politely she clears her throat and says, "Begging your pardon, but we may be over-booked for lunch. Would you both be inclined to share a table perhaps?"
    Which has Jimmy looking up, and then toward Carrie and back to the hostess as he says lightly. "Sure?" With a slight hand gesture as he looks toward her as if to get her permission first.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie was in the middle of looking at menus and about to check her phone to see if she'd missed any chatter going around, so the sudden voice asking if she minded sharing a table makes her take a moment to look up.

A look towards Jimmy.

A look back to the empty seat across from her.

She offers a smile that reaches those green eyes of hers, "I don't mind company if you don't mind sitting with a stranger, sir." she tells the rugged looking gent. That might make the maitre'd feel a bit better. She straightens up a touch and flips her phone over so it doesn't distract.

She does untangle her goldenrod colored scarf from around her neck while the man gets seated.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    There, problem solved for the hostess and she'll be able to get more people seated faster. Excellent. Soon her plan shall be complete. With a smile and a nod she extracts as she acquires a second menu for the man, which she drops off only a few moments later.
    "I don't mind," He says, a little bit of an accent to his words. Canadian? And maybe something further West or South. Hard to pin down. "Being strangers can be a temporary thing."
    As he says that he smiles and adjusts his seat a little to the side, to give more room for the wait staff to get by since he's a bit long-legged. Then his own blue eyes meet the emerald of her own and he says with an easy smile, "I'm James Hudson. Jimmy to my friends."
    He extends a hand in that casual way one has when sitting at a table and offering the semblance of a shake if not the entirety of one.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"They are pretty popular and with the current weather I can see why they may be over booked." Carrie chuckles at that as she watches Jimmy get seated. She makes a note of his accent and puts a pin in it for now. She'd come back to it later.

She rests her hands easily on the table as he gets himself settled, he was a little taller than she was, so she tries to make sure he's got leg room.

She reaches out to take the offered hand and give it a rather practiced handshake, "It's nice to meet you, James. I'm Caroline Kelley. Friends call me Carrie or Carr though." she tells him. He'd probably be able to tell those fingers had been broken at some point and feel the scars on them. "Sorry to pry...but were you waiting for someone?" she asks. She didn't want to be in the middle of a weird situation if he was.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Yeah," James says after the last few words she gives are uttered. Which on instinct has him looking toward the door and then checking the clock on his cell even as he tucks it into the pocket of his jeans. He's not exactly dressed up. Warm, with a t-shirt and a black sweater, but the sweater looks like it's been used for a few years to keep out the cold. "Used to work over at Rutgers and a friend told me he wanted to meet to share some scuttlebutt..."
    He looks back and smiles at her a little wanly, "But he was supposed to swing by about an hour and some ago. No word yet, hope he's okay but..."
    His lip curves up a little more, "If I'm being honest he's always been a bit of a flake. So here I am."
    Then he gives a nod, "And yourself, Ms. Kelley?"

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie gives a soft frown at the news that he'd been stood up, but she doesn't vow vengeance. She was sure if the guy was really worried about it he'd have already left. "Hopefully he is alright. I know all about flakey friends." she chuckles. "And sadly I've been on the receiving end of flakiness before. It sucks, but stuff comes up." she admits with a bit of a look to him.

"Soooo, how about I buy you lunch? Just to try to make up for it." she offers with a bright smile. Come on, who could say no to that?

"Oh me? Nah. I'm just having some Pho before heading back home and doing some finals. I forgot to call anyone to see if they wanted to have some Pho, but, I seem to have found someone to share the time with." she grins.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    Those deep blue eyes meet hers as she makes her offer to buy the meal and there's a brief moment of appreciation twinned with a touch of amusement. Then he lifts his voice and murmurs a warning, "That's mighty kind of you, but if you start pickin' up the tab for this guy's failings then that's gonna be quite an investment of time and money."
    Of course that's not a no.
    "How about you help me choose what to get and you steer me to the best choices, and if they're good then I'll pick up the bill?" That said he gives a nod, "I think I've only had Thai food once or twice, to be fair. So you'd be doin' me a favor."
    There's a smile as he takes up his napkin and unwraps it, setting it in his lap before he meets her gaze. "So you're in school?"

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie gives a bit of a laugh at his warning, "I've made investments on little known information before, why not keep up the trend?" she asks him. "I just thought it would be nice to have it when the day was being a bit lackluster was all." she tells him.

His words are listened to and she gives a nod to him, "You have yourself a deal." she tells him. "If you like things, you can pay. If you hate it, I'll pay." she grins to that. "I love Thai food and I am happy to guide those that haven't experienced it that much." she points out.

Her smile brightens a bit, "Yeah, finishing up my bachlors and then moving into my Masters probably in the fall." she explains.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Alright then," James pronounces, their bargain well and done as he then closes up his menu with a look of satisfaction, "My fate is in your hands. Be gentle."
    He takes another sip of his beer and then tilts his head, "Should we get a pitcher? Is that something they do here?" As he turns his gaze sidelong toward the bar. But then she speaks to her schooling and that gets his focus.
    "That's good, what's drawn your passion?" He asks that, a casual way to inquire about someone's major without being so blunt about it. From his bearing and approach it might seem like manners have their own weight of regard for him.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie gives a smile to him, "I will do my best not to lead you astray, James." she tells him with a bit of an amused look. She was sure this was going to go into the book as a weird day. The mention of a pitcher is something that makes her give him a curious look, "That I am not sure of. I don't drink a lot really." she offers with a chuckle. "I'm sure they'd make one though." she offers.

He eyes dip down to the menu again, scanning for a moment to see what she can point out to him. Meat might be a good idea. Not vegetarian.

When he asks what caught her passion she gives a grin, "Computer Programming." she tells him. "Technology is a fun thing and ever evolving. Helps keep me on my toes and continuing to learn." she admits.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    A hand lifts and he waves off the idea of a pitcher, "Depends on the occasion. Normal dinner is fine, but meeting a new person in a strange setting with spicy foods. Well," He gives a nod, "Need something to cut the heat. And I've heard Thai food can be kinda crazy."
    But he seems content for now with the bottle. His focus is more on her than the menu, and as she relates what she's doing with her life. "Oh no, IT?" He shakes his head and murmurs, "I think that makes us natural enemies." Though he confides such a heart-breaking confession he then elaborates. "I'm an instructor, Phys Ed."
    His nose crinkles a little as he takes a sip of his beer then sets the bottle down with a faint glassy clink on the tabletop. "It's like the laws of nature if we meet at the watering hole we have to fight or something like on the veldt."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"Maybe a pitcher another time then." Carrie offers easily. She didn't seem to mind the situation they found themselves in. "Feel free to drink, I'm above age and I don't mind others doing it. I just need to keep off of it until after tests are done. Then I'm going to drink away the sorrow." she muses.

She gives a curious look to him when he says they are natural enemies, an expressive brow quirking at that, "I mean, I get to the gym and work out as well as like computers. I know that makes me a proverbial unicorn, but come on..." she motions to herself. "I'm not chugging sugary drinks and just sitting all the time." she chuckles.

"Where do you teach?" she asks him curiously. "I don't think I've seen you around Gotham University or other schools that I know of." she admits. His comment of fighting earns a deep chuckle from her, "Mmm, I'd surprise you in a fight I think, James." she winks at him, her green eyes twinkling impishly.

"So you want something spicy, hmm?" she asks him. Whether she's referring to the food or a fight is not asked.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Ahh finals blues. I remember." James says as he tilts his head to the side a little nodding with that slow memory of pain from such a time. James is not a stupid man, but he is also not the smartest that's fair to say. And studying and him? Never were they friends.
    But then she counters with her comments about the gym and working out which has him smiling a little wider, his eyes slipping to the side and lowering as he nods. Then he looks back up with one eye partially scrunched, "That's true. That's true. You do look like you keep yourself in shape." Which is fair. He's not a saint. He did notice the subtle tell-tale hints to her fitness and physique. The hint of roughness in her handshake. The definition in her neck and her compact frame. "I'd say..."
    His head tilts the other way and he looks into those emerald irises smiling the while as if seeking the truth behind that window into her soul. "You're a gymnast? Or perhaps a fencer?" The callouses might lead him down that path.
    "Oh I teach at Xavier's across the river and upstate." He gives a nod in that direction. "About a year and some now. They're good folk."
    But then she teases him about a fight and he laughs a little shaking his head as he looks away as if he's not about to touch that. Which makes his cheeks actually color a little when she presses home with that spicy comment, though mebbe that's just the beer. She's quick, and has wit to her.
    "Spicy is good." He says as he leans on the table now and meets her gaze, perhaps taking his own turn to be vague and tease just a touch.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie gives a chuckle, "Yeah, but last round of finals thankfully." she comments to him. She does give a smirk when he agrees that she looks like she works out and the smirk shifts into a smile. She looks a little amused at what he's about to guess.

"I do a lot of parkour. Though I guess that's akin to gymastics in some circles." she admits. "I think I've fenced once, but it wasn't bad." she smiles to that. His comment of teaching at Xavier's earns a quirk of an eyebrow, "That's a very niche place to pick up a job." she admits with a bit of an appraising look to him. Was he a mutant? They'd find out!

She doesn't ask how he got the job. Maybe because digging is rude. Teasing however is fair game! And the redhead gives a chuckle, "We'll get you something spicy then, James." she winks at him. Then she's leaning forward a touch and pointing out a particularly spicy beef pho dish, "You might like this." she whispers to him.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    Without even looking at what she's pointing out he's already smiling and says, "I'm sure I'll like it." The way his eyes hood a little, there's a hint of a smoulder there. A small rumble and edge of electricity if their eyes catch when he's leaning over to ostensibly look at that menu.
    Just a small moment as his nostrils flare and he takes in the scent of the moment, the restaurant, the food, that sudsy scent of the beer, and more. Before he finally looks at the menu and nods.
    "That looks good." But then he seems to recall what she just said and he answers "It's niche, but it's a good school. Sort of fell into it. I have family there. So..." His lip twists up a little as he confesses, "So that helps."
    Then he leans a little closer to look at the menu, perhaps only seeing it then for the first time. "What are you getting?"

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie gives a warm smile to him as her gaze meets his, "I'm sure you will." she tells him before she's settling herself back into her seat. She blushes a little, her cheeks tinging on the edge of rosy pink and it wasn't from the thawing cold. She looks at him though as he speaks on having family at the school.

"I know some people that have gone to Xavier's. They take good care of their people." she gives a nod to this. "Makes me wonder who your family is though." she admits. "Having family around helps a lot." she states a bit wistfully. Probably a dead give away that she does not have family around.

"I'm getting beef and mushroom, I haven't had it in awhile so it's a little treat." she tells him with a smile.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    That was the thing about gingers, they had that strawberry red complexion of a blush. It's endearing. But James smiles and politely looks away even as he takes another sip of beer. "Oh you do?"
    She knows someone at Xavier's and curiously enough there's no suspicion in his voice, perhaps more a hint of hope in some way. Because if she knew then... well, there would be less need to dance around the facts of things. Which she might well sense is something he is not too entirely good at.
    "Who do you know if I may ask?" He then smiles as the server arrives to take their order. He'll lean back to let Carrie take point in he ordering though he'll mention a wish for some water if it's convenient.
    Once the server departs he looks back to her, "We don't have a ton of people at the school, a few hundred and some all told." So chances are they'd know each other.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"I do." Carrie nods to that. "Though I'm not sure if she'd be upset with me if I told her secret, but if you are a teacher there." she squints at him. She wasn't sure if it was okay, but, she felt like he wouldn't randomly pull Xavier's out of a hat. "My friend Laura goes though. Or well...I hope we're still friends. I've been out of town for a few and I sucked at keeping communication up." she admits.

"I don't want that to be a thing that I keep doing." she adds. "I'd like to stay put, finish school and go on with life." she states as she settles the menu down and looks to him. She orders her food and then makes sure that James gets his water and things.

"Hopefully you like the food." she grins a bit.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Laura," He says at first, then he catches that subtle squinty-eyed look of hers and for a moment he laughs a little. Which might not be the reaction she's looking for, really. If any. But he says, "You uhh," A lift of his chin is given as he murmurs, "Look very cute when yer lookin' all suspicious."
    But then he gives a nod as he claims that glass of water, taking a sip for a moment and then chewing on a few small chunks of ice before he looks back toward her. "Does she have any sort of... habits that are out of the ordinary?" His lips twist up a little.
    "Or tendencies or maybe..." He lifts his chin a little and then sets his water down precisely back in the small circle of moisture from which he picked it up from. "A certain temperament?"

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie gives a laugh at his comment of her being cute when she looks suspicious, "Hey, I just don't want some weirdos trying to haul my friend off. It would be pretty dicey I'm guessing." she admits. "But thank you, I try not to look incredibly suspicious all the time." she offers.

His question on whether she has any habits makes her look at him funny, "I mean...you teach there, shouldn't you know that?" she offers with a chuckle.

"I think you're just pulling my leg, Jimmy." she points out with a bit of a huff as she picks up her drink to take a sip.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    Crinkling his nose at her, James leans to the side and says, "I do know, but I'm seeing if yoooou know. I am super spy." He says with a nod of solemnity as if he were serious. But then he scritches his chin thoughtfully and murmurs, "Though I understand a desire to not like, give up secrets." Considering she has quite a few of her own that she holds dear. But James not quite as much.
    He looks around the table and hrms then makes a face to himself. He leans forward and takes up one of the small knives on the table amongst the silverware at one of the empty seats. He undoes the little wrapper and pulls out the knife and lightly touches it to the tip of his index finger. "Alright, so. If it's the Laura I'm thinking of."
    He says with some calm as he then draws the knife a little roughly over the pad of his finger and he grimaces, the skin cutting and a blood droplet welling up. "Then she's... my half-sister? Ish." And as he makes that small confession he holds that finger down and a little between them, the torn bit of flesh wells a little, then small bits of skin reach out, tiny tiny pieces sew together close, and fill in until the small injury is knit shut. He wipes at the blood droplet with the napkin and says.
    "So yeah."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie leans forward a little and whispers, "You'd be a horrible super spy..." she chuckles to that. "Or not. Maybe you're one of those good looking plants and then you murder everyone and walk out." she adds. That makes her look around for a moment. She wasn't paranoid, no.

"Yeah, that's her." she looks amused. But the news that Laura is his half sister-ish makes her curious. Him slicing open his finger has her giving him a shocked look, "Hey...you don't have to do that." she frowns. But then she realizes why he did it. "Do you guys have the same father or mother?" she asks him.

"Well, we have one person in common at least." she smiles to him. "I'm guessing the other Kinney's are also related to you then." she nods.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Father," He says as to how they're related, then his eyes narrow a little as he murmurs, "This is so weird." As if the coincidence was but then he gives a nod, "I was raised by some of his friends, I feel a little bad because Laura, Gabby. They both went through tough times, me..." He shakes his head, "I had a relatively normal life."
    Until.
    Though he doesn't elaborate. He does ball up that napkin and tucks it away, perhaps careful about that for some reason. Then he tilts his head back, "How did you come to be in her confidence and all or to know about this?" He doesn't mention what 'this' is but she likely knows.
    But the he circles back around lips twisting wryly as he murmurs, "And good looking plant? Like a handsome venus fly trap? You're weird, Carrie Kelley. Charming. But weird." Though his smile is a warm thing, albeit teasing.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie gives a nod to that, "Well...that is either fate or some weird luck." she admits. "And we share some of the same friends. She likes pizza as well." she chuckles. "Having a relatively normal life is a bit of a blessing, Jimmy." she admits.

She rolls her eyes a little at him, "I meant like spy plant. Like they do with agencies and stuff. A plant to get information." she chuckles softly. Maybe he wasn't a spy! "But I'll take charming and weird and call it a win." she nods to this with a bright smile.