ArchivedLogs:Pointers

Pointers
Dramatis Personae B, Dylan, Rasa
In Absentia	2014-11-01 '
Location <NYC> Riverside Skate Park - Morningside Heights
Tucked between Riverside Drive in Morningside Heights, and the Hudson River, the Riverside Skate Park is a mecca for skaters of all ages. The fenced in area is ringed by trees, and the park itself is actually manned by a city attendant during daylight hours. Skaters must sign a waiver before using the facilities, but anyone can come in just to watch. Also, Friday-Sunday food and drink vendors often circle the park, or come inside to sell their wares. Inside, the park is packed with skate trick elements. Many can be daisy-chained together in complex routines; ramps, jumps, rails and curbs. There is also a competition-sized half-pipe wide enough to support several riders at once. All of the trick elements are sturdy, and well built, because the city doesn't want to get sued. Skate on! It hasn't been the nicest of days, a little too damp and a little too chilly to really make long outdoors pursuits /ideal/. As such there's not a large crowd in the skate park, which is /probably/ just how B likes it. Less people means less staring -- well, usually. Even with the small numbers, though, B has amassed kind of a bundle of spectators at the moment. For once, though, this has less to do with hir gills and blue skin and more to do with her /board/; it has no wheels and instead a double row of small glowing circles on its underside. Rather than the familiar rumble of wheels on concrete, ze moves with a low humming noise -- hovering a good half a foot /off/ the ground. Outside of the blue skin and lack-of-wheels, ze looks much as many other girls around here look. Brightly metallic paint-splatter styled leggings underneath a knee-length sweater dress, chunky wristcuffs, silver Chucks, a slouchy orange knit cap pulled down over hir spiky hair. Ze is, at the moment, hovering on the precipice of a halfpipe, looking juuust a little bit uncertain before finally tipping over to let the hoverboard glide down the ramp. Rasa has opted for rollerblades today. They are far less impressive than B's hoverboard, but ze is okay with the lack of attention from the spectators. Still -- ze is at the skate park with the hoverboarder, so ze does garner some notice, trailing behind B at a safe distance, lingering at the tops of ramps until hir former roommate is far enough away to see where B and avoid collisions. Hir style is to mainly enjoy the ride, not attempting any of the jumps or turns that more experienced skate park devotees are prone to. Ze has also opted for purple, this holiday weekend. The short fur that covers skin is a light lilac in places, with a deeper plum where it grows long enough to be pulled into a pony tail at the back of hir head. Hir helmet is white, while hir jacket is a silvery gray designed to keep the dampness off hir torso. Legs are wrapped in bright yellow, though hir limb joints are padded with protective gear. Ze stands at the top of the half pipe, tail twitching left and right nervously, not motivated to follow B this time until ze is sure ze manages this sharp incline. Whoooosh, the board zooms down the curve of the halfpipe, shooting up over the lip on the other side. The board spins, 360 in the air -- almost perfect except for the part where B actually has to /land/ it. Thiiis doesn't go so well; on the return ze topples off the board (/not/ wearing protective gear as Rasa is), sliding down to the base of the halfpipe in a tumble as the board glides much more neatly to coast down beside hir. "Erk," comes a muffled groan from the pile of sharkpup. "... whoooooops." Rasa gives a wince and slides down the side of the half pipe slowly, grinding hir wheels at an angle to keep hirself under control. When the time is right, ze drops to hir knees, the sound of metal against the ground rings through the air. Hir legs swing out to one side as ze comes to a halt, scrambling the last few feet to B's side to look hir over. "Eeeeesh. You hurt bad? It kind of looked amazing until, well, the end." Hir brows crease together as hir head tilts, looking for anything that needs immediate attention. B slowly unfurls, lying in a (very colorful) heap at the base of the halfpipe. With the chilly grey day there's not a /ton/ of people in the skate park but the ones who are there are largely gathered to spectate here -- /not/, actually, because of the blue sharkpup and hir purple-furred companion, but because of the /hoverboard/ still floating in the air beside B. A hoverboard that ze's evidently just taken a spill from, but ze's got a crooked smile on hir face as ze looks up at Rasa. "/How/ amazing did it look?" There's definitely a stiffness to hir as ze rolls back to hir knees, but ze doesn't seem all that broken. "Maaaybe kneepads would be in order." "You heal quick, B, but it's still going to cut into your skating time if you get hurt." Rasa shakes hir head as ze gets to hir feet, tugging hir fingerless gloves a little lower on hir hands after hir quick stop. Some of the paint is gone on hir knee pads, but they don't look too scuffed. Ze glances back up the half pipe and then down at hir friend and smiles. "Pretty damn amazing. You're pretty much guiding a free fall. How fast do you think you got? Faster than you thought you would?" It is just a matter of chance that the old golden cadillac happens to pull to a stop beside the skate park. The passenger side door opens up and Dylan is practically ejected from it. A man who might bear a slight facial similarity - very slight - leans over the passenger seat. "Alright smart ass, since you think you're so damned big for your britches, you can find your own way back to that fancy-smancy school of yours... but don't think that we're done talkin' about this.. cause we ain't. And if those ponies don't win, then you'll wish that you had ended up in jail by the time I'm done with you." As Dylan leans down to pick up the backpack that is hurled at his feet, the car peels away. He slides one of the straps of the backpack over his right shoulder, as his attention is drawn to the small gathering. With nothing better to do at the moment, the waif-like teenaged boy heads on over, maybe there will be someone at least moderately entertaining doing something. B struggles back to hir feet, dusting off the shiny paint-splatter leggings ze wears. Ze smoothes out hir sweater-dress, straightens her knit cap, and climbs back onto the hoverboard. It had powered itself down, settling onto the floor of the ramp, but with B atop it again it hums back to life, pushing back into the air to hover half a foot above the ground. "It gets kind of insane speed. You want to try?" Ze is gesturing Rasa after hirself, gliding along to move out of the halfpipe. Ze is about to turn to head towards the top again, but pauses, nostrils flaring with a familiar scent in the air. "... Huh." Enormous black eyes turn towards Dylan curiously. "You met Shane's roommate yet?" "Ohhh. Yeah. I'd like to try. Just... not on anything quite so steep. Have to work up to stuff, you know. Plus, not much of a boarder yet. Haven't gotten used to the feel of my feet not acting independently, you know." Rasa gives a little push on hir rollerblades and starts following after B, hands clasped behind hir back while they move slowly. When B starts sniffing, hir body stills - though the skates keep rolling. Ze glances at hir when ze speaks, hir shoulders relaxing moments later. "Dylan? Yeah. Saw him at dinner. We talked a bit," ze offers, turning hir head to match the direction hir friend's is in. Hir eyes turn a shade of amber as ze focuses on Dylan as well. Ze lifts a hand to wave. Okay, so a hoverboard is not easy to miss, but B and Rasa are pretty much impossible to. Dylan shakes his head slightly to himself and offers a slight smile to the two, before heading over. There is a very freshly formed bruise on his left cheek. He gives a slight chin nod, "Hey, wassup?" His eyes can't help but to gravitate to the hoverboard, like most of the people staring. "How's it goin', B?" He looks over at Rasa, "And Rasa, right?" His heavily Jersey accented voice shows his uncertainty about the name. B has a good deal of bruises -- though on blue skin it might be harder to tell, darker purplish spots splashed across hir skin, looking older than the spill ze just took. "Hey, Dylan." Hir voice is soft; the greeting comes with a soft smile, too, self-consciously closed-lipped. "I'll trade you, then. Your wheels for my board." Ze slides down off the edge of the board and back to the ground, toe pressing down on its lip on hir dismount to flip it up onto its end so ze can grab it. "It's, um, it's going. I'm just -- testing my --" Ze waves a hand towards the hoverboard. "We can start on the flat. Ground. Part." "Yo. Dylan." Rasa nods, an eyebrow raising at the recognition, despite hir new color. Ze starts veering off toward a bench, needing to sit to get hir roller blades off. "Having a bit of high mobility fun." Ze gives a little hop to turn backwards, still gliding toward the same bench. "Flat ground is probably for the best. Does it lean in any particular direction? What should I look out for?" Dylan shakes his head, "Testing? Like you made it?" Not waiting for a response, he reaches up and rubs the back of his neck, "Man, does that place make me feel dumber than normal." He slides his fingers into the front pocket of his jeans, up to the knuckles as he watches the two, not quite joining them fully, keeping a slight distance - one that is barely noticable to the casual observer. "You're not dumber than normal, I'm just --" B stops here, blushing deeply and shaking hir head. Ze moves over to the bench, plopping down beside Rasa. "... I'm not normal. There. But, um, yeah, I -- made this. I'm hoping to work out a few -- things. So it can go on the market. -- It leans how you lean," he adds to Rasa, "but it's pretty sensitive so should watch out for leaning /forward/ too much or --" Hir hand makes a whoooshing motion through the air. Rasa snorts softly. "B's pretty much a genius. Don't try to compare. We all kind of feel idiotic in comparison. Hir brain just... works that way. S'alright. Ze's still a sweetheart. Doesn't let it go to hir head." Ze starts unlacing hir gear, stepping out onto the damp ground after ze has removed hir socks. They are black with many orange pumpkins. Content to go barefoot, ze offers the footgear to B, socks hanging out the tops for hir use. "Yeah, see? I did need some pointers even if I wasn't exactly sure how to phrase it." Dylan smirks slightly, "No, I am dumber than normal.... I just meant that pretty much everyone makes me feel exceptionally dumber." He shrugs nonchalantly, "Hey, I'm used to being dumb. I'm kinda okay with it... I mean not everyone can be... well a genius." He quiets up and watches the two exchange opportunities to break their necks. "Okay." B takes the rollerblades, starting to pull them on. "You seem really, like, /set/ on --" Hir brows furrow, black eyes flicking up to Dylan. "I don't know. Being down on yourself?" Rasa stands and stretches a little, hir brow furrowed at the exchange of words. "Setting the bar really low is one way to avoid being noticed," ze mentions off hand, hir lips pulling into a grimace after. Ze stuffs hir hands in hir pocket as hir tail lashes low behind hir, displeased. "Doesn't make for good conversation though. So. Tell me. What's one thing you're good at?" Dylan looks at the two and says completely ernestly, "Nah. Just being realistic." He arches a brow as he looks at Rasa, "Um... dice... cards... " He chuckles slightly. "After that... picking pockets, but I'm suppose to be being reformed and legit." "Well -- theoretically, but harping all the time on how much you don't fit in doesn't avoid notice, it just --" B's cheeks darken, gills fluttering briefly before ze shakes hir head. "'pologies. You okay?" Hir attention has shifted from Dylan to Rasa, eyes dipping briefly to the lashing tail. Leaning down, ze straps the rollerblades on to hir feet. "Supposed to be?" "Realistic. Okay." Rasa sounds like ze doesn't believe him. "Have you tried your hand at magic? The sleight of hand things? What about music? You any good with an instrument? Do you sing? Do you like TV, or movies? Or would you rather read a book?" Ze takes a deep breath as ze looks to B, calming a little, hir purple fur starting to turn blue. "I'm just cranky. I'll be fine." A slight frown turns the corners of Dylan's lips downward, as an emotional wall is almost immediately built up around him. "You're right, B. I have been a bit whiny. I'll work on that." He shakes his head, "Nah... that's the kind of stuff that would get you beat up in my neighborhood, the magic stuff. As for tv and movies, like to watch 'em... never really given music any kind of try... And as for books... that's really not my thing...." He smirks slightly, "I excel at getting into trouble... and sometime getting out of it. Now, enough about me... I want to see this hover thingy in action." "I didn't say that," B replies apologetically to Dylan, "I just --" Hir gills flutter again, and ze sets the hoverboard down on the ground, nudging it towards Rasa. "Just, you know, climb on. And say 'yip-yip.'" This last part may or may not be true. An easier smile does creep onto hir face at Dylan's answer, though. "See? Getting into trouble is pretty much the official pasttime at our school. You /will/ fit in." "Yeah. Detention is just boring, now that they've told the teachers not to do it in the Danger Room." Rasa gives a shrug and pulls hir hands from hir pockets. "Also, here's the thing, you don't actually have to go back to your neighborhood, you know. Ever. You can just stay at the school and do stuff that's interesting to you. All those other people can go fuck themselves." And with that, Rasa steps onto the board, hir toes spreading as ze gets a feel for the surface. Then, casual as you like, ze leans just a little bit forward to see if it will go with out kicking off. "Yip. Yip." Dylan looks over at B, "Hey, don't worry, I am not offended... and if you didn't mean it, it doesn't mean that it's not true." A slight grin does ease across his lips, "Fair enough, B." He looks over at Rasa, "Easier said than done... I don't think I could just walk away from my old man, not even if he would let me." He watches Rasa step up on the hoverboard with honest interest. "Family trouble?" B glances just briefly to the bruise on Dylan's cheek, brows rumpling slightly. "Those are always -- complicated." Whether it's the command or the feel of Rasa leaning on it, the board lifts up from the ground, starting to glide forward in the direction ze leans. B watches this with more apprehension than anything else -- maybe not entirely reassuring gien that ze made the thing. And now seems to be concerned it may explode or something. "You do have to want to get away. It's essential to the process." Rasa is still irritated, streaks of green appearing across hir blue fur and a sharper yellowness filling hir eyes. Hands ball up into fists as ze takes a few really deep breathes and focuses on hir exciting new ride. Ze's hovering! Drifting with the greatest of ease - though slowly for the time being. "And it shuts off if I step off? SO if I jump free, it won't break?" "Every family is different. They all have their problems." Dylan pauses. He looks over at Rasa, "Sorry, this is obviously upsetting you... subject change... So look at you... all Back to the Future 2." Subject change for his sake as much as Rasa's. "I thought that's what high school was for. Helping give you a route to go to --" B shrugs, straightening on the rollerblades and wobbling slightly before standing properly. "Well, wherever. College. Jobs. Life. /Away/. -- Yeah, it powers itself down if you get off it. Uhm." Hir cheeks flush again at the movie reference. "I'm hoping it'll be /my/ ticket to --" Ze shrugs a shoulder. "Something. You think it'll sell?" Rasa grumbles something as ze starts to attempt a slow turn, arcing across the ground of the skate park just at the bases of the ramps. Ze turns back toward the other two. "Well, it turns better, because I'm not trying to push solid wheels against the unrelenting ground." Ze lets hir hands relax as the brighter warmer colors of hir body begin to fade into cooler shades. "It'll sell, hun. Just... for how much? Hell, I'm sure any well off Back to the Future fan would shell out a couple grand, if that's all it cost." Dylan shakes his head, "I'm sure any little rich kid will beg Mommy and Daddy to shell out how ever much you choose to sell it for. "Funny, I thought high school was about being forced into social groups whether you like it or not, scarring you emotionally for the rest of your life, and teaching you things you'll never really use in real life, like Shakespeare or European history." A slight impish grin stretches across his lips indicating that he is at least partially joking. "It turns pretty smooth, yeah." There's a note of pride in B's voice with this, a small bounce that -- sends hir skittering forward, now that ze is on rollerblades. "A couple grand? Oh gosh. I was thinking more like a few hundred. Like a decent bike maybe? I don't want it to be /too/ badly out of -- range. For more normal people." A smile touches hir lips, too, a paler shadow of Dylan's though there's amusement there too. "I don't know there was a whole class on drugs. I'm pretty sure some people in our class could use /that/ knowledge in real life." "Our school is anything but normal. I've learned plenty. Stuff that'll keep me alive, too." Rasa shifts hir footing a bit and starts to lean a little more, gathering a bit more speed, but continues hir easy loop around the more level surfaces. "Don't worry, B. This'll sell. This'll probably sell really well." Dylan smirks over at B. "Touche." He nods in agreement with Rasa, "Yeah, you can make an absolute mint on this, B. You can pretty much just name your price and people will pay." He rubs the back of his neck with his hand. "Well, I think I'm gonna start back towards the school... I'll catch you later, I guess. Have fun with your flying skateboard." B's gills flutter slow and gentle, hir smile widening. "OK. I'll see you back at school, 'kay? Enjoy your Saturday." It's only a bit quieter, eyes flicking back to the bruise, that ze adds: "-- And stay safe." Ze follows after Rasa, a little speedier now as ze gestures across the park. "C'mon. I'll show you a couple tricks."