ArchivedLogs:Out for a Stroll

Out for a Stroll
Dramatis Personae Dakota, Fiona, Nic
In Absentia	2017-02-14 "Do you often walk in the park -alone-?"
Location <WES> Croton Gorge Park - Westchester
Situated on the east bank of the Hudson, this large park offers events year-round and a plethora of activities for nature lovers. With playgrounds, facilities for camping and swimming, boating and fishing, plentiful trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, cliffs for rock climbing, grounds for winter sports, and ample ground to just sit and enjoy the weather, these park grounds are a great place to relax year-round. The grounds are well-tended, and with a host of avian and herpitological life, early mornings often find animal lovers scoping out the grounds in search of a glimpse of some rare bird or lizard hiding in the trees or rocks as well. It's quite a nice evening considering the time of year, the sun is out, there's birds flitting about and the snow glistens as it melts. Nicodemus Montoya is out with Dakota, it wasn't the easiest task, she was a tough egg to crack. Nic assumed this was because she was trying to keep up her lack of friends for a reason to go home, either that or because it was Valentine's Day and there were certain implications to taking a girl out on Valentine's day... Nah that couldn't be it. He smiles over at the girl walking beside him "There see? Not so bad is it? A nice night, nice company, it's a great way to spend Valentine's Day, I bet you were just going to sit in your room." He grins and points a thumb at his chest "Well ol' Nic doesn't give up easy hun" He shakes his head a bit "I had to compromise though, no flowers, no chocolates or datey stuff." "Yeah, well, maybe you got lucky," Dakota counters, though the corners of her mouth threaten to form into a smile. "Or maybe I just got tired of you asking so much." Rolling her eyes, she does her best to keep up with Nic's longer stride. "And what's wrong with sitting in my room?" The short girl seems to have forgone her hat today, but she wears a navy blue winter coat and a pair of gloves. "But, yeah," she begrudgingly concedes, shifting her gaze to the side as some birds rustle in a nearby tree. "It's kind of nice." After taking care of all the Xavier's stuff lately (paperwork and all the /stuff/ going on makes her head spin!), Fiona is enjoying a nice quiet afternoon in the park... by herself... on Valentine's Day. Well, that's good enough, she muses... She wears a pair of jeans, her same old battered hiking boots, and a navy blue hoody; hood worn down today. The rather obvious mutant does draw some looks as she passes by but given her rather peaceful nature people seem content to leave her alone at least. Nic is still dressed for warmth with his dark red winter jacket, gloves, and grey and red striped toque, it was warm for New York, but not for California. He did actually dress up some for his -outing- with Dakota though it was hard to tell since he was bundled up, he had a blue, plaid patterned, button up shirt, which only the collar was at all visible, and crisp new jeans. "What's wrong with it is I can't see you there." He responds to the question "And we can't have that." Noticing the shorter girl is struggling a bit with the quick pace, he slows himself down to one that's hopefully more her speed. "Yup, it's real nice. I told you so." Spotting the dragon girl walking along on her own he smiles "Hey I think that's Fiona... you don't mind if I say hi do you?" He gives Dakota a second to object if she's going to, assuming she doesn't he waves to Fiona "Hey Fiona!" "What about the girls at your school? Did they all say 'no'?" Dakota teases of the boy, looking up at him with amusement evident in her eyes. "You -did- sound a -little- desperate with the 'Please Dakota's. And...thanks," she comments once their walking at the same pace. There's a slight furrowing of her brow, first at Nic. "Who's Fiona?" Then her gaze is directed towards the visible mutant. "Is she -red-?" The girl's voice has a hint of intrigue in it. Fiona turns towards Nic at the sound of her name, giving him a wave. At this point her horns would be visible and well her tail swishes about excitedly so that's probably visible too. "Oh, hi Nic!" she waves, jogging over to the pair. Suddenly she realizes what day it is and well... "I mean um... hey. Are you guys...?" she trails off, the question mark left hanging in the air. "Other girls?" Nic says with feigned offense "Why I've never spoken to another girl in my life." He chuckles and shakes his head "But nah you're the only one I asked." He considers how to answer the question about who Fiona is "Fiona is... well she's Fiona, I dunno a girl I met one night, I was kind of worried about her, but I understand she's going to Xavier's now so that's good. And yeah, not just red." He smiles towards Fiona when she comes up "Hey, you look like you're doing well, I'm glad, last time you seemed... I dunno not so great I guess." At her implied question Nic hesitates somewhat thinking how to answer "We're uhhh y'know out for a stroll together." The first part of the older boy's reaction manages to crack a smile on Dakota's face - whether or not Nic can see it from above is anyone's guess. However, the words that come from him next cause her to pause a moment in her step. "The -only- one?" she inquires, attempting to keep her tone flat. "Yeah, right." As Fiona approaches, the short girl seems happy for the distraction. Then, of course, she delivers her greeting with an unfinished statement. "Are we? Us? Uh..." There's a blush on Dakota's face as she trails off and Nic answers the question instead. "Yeah, just out for a stroll," come her tumbling words. "So, you're going to Xavier's? I go there. He doesn't." "Oh, well, yeah, I mean, I'm going to be. I just started. Well, I just finished the application process, I guess. I mean, the admission process. That kind of thing," she nods. Yup! So clear what she is talking about. "That's good, though. Going out for a stroll... walking is good for you, you know?" she shrugs, looking around at the park. "I like this park, though. It's a nice park. Much better than buildings everywhere..." When his companion pauses a step, Nic looks back at her, and seems about to respond to the apparent skepticism, but before he can Fiona has arrived and whatever he was thinking is left unsaid. He smiles a bit to himself noticing Dakota is also having some difficulty explaining the nature of their outing, and thinking he might have noticed a blush. With a nod he thinks he's followed along with what Fiona was explaining more or less "Great, so you have like a room there and everything? Going to start classes soon?" As the subject turns to the park Nic looks around taking in its sights again "Yeah it's real nice here... I'm glad there's a park like this close enough to take walks in, it's even nicer when I can convince a friend to come walk with me." "Xavier's has a forest out back," Dakota offers with a shrug as she shoves her hands into her jacket pockets. "And other stuff. They had a room for me all ready when I got here a few months ago. My roommate got there at the same time. She's a bit of a..." The fifteen year-old glances askance and shrugs again. "Your horns are cool." Apparently she has decided to return to short, simple statements. "Park's better than buildings, yeah. I like being outside. Trees are pretty great. And I really like snow." Then she narrows her eyes up at Nic. "Do you often walk in the park -alone-?" "I do! I didn't realize Xavier's owned that forest, either..." Fiona murmurs, "I don't know if they have a room ready for me or not. I've been sleeping in one of the guest rooms, I think... While we get everything sorted out. But I'm gonna start going to school again when the new semester starts..." she shrugs a little though. "I think they've got all the paperwork sorted out. I could use someone to show me around the place I guess though... It's pretty huge." Nic wonders if Dakota's slipping back into her 'don't make friends' mode as she returns to short simple statements, but he shrugs his shoulders at her narrowed eyes and question about the park "Well I guess jog, or go for a run would be more accurate than walk, gotta keep in shape y’know? But yeah, alone for the most part sometimes with Nadia… err that’s my trainer, yelling at me to go faster try harder and whatever.” He shrugs at that last part “Why you wanna come with? I could give you a call when I’m about to head out" The young man shakes his head at Fiona's needing someone to show her around "Wish I could help you there, but like Dakota said I'm not in the school you’re probably more familiar with the campus than I am.” "They didn't give you a tour yet? If you're already there, you should just go exploring. That's what I would do," Dakota remarks to Fiona. "Maybe you'll end up in our dorm. There're three beds. They said something about filling it at some point. Though it's fun to sleep in it sometimes." Then she looks up at Nic again. "Maybe I do. I didn't know you liked to run too. I usually run on the track outside or the gymnasium. Could be ... nice to go together?" It appears as though the short teenager is asking a genuine question of the older boy. "That way neither of us would be lonely is all I'm saying." She directs her attention to the other girl again. "You should ask Taylor. He's on the welcoming committee." "Nah, not yet. I'm supposed to maybe sit in on a class or something too but… I dunno. I feel a little weird about it. Aaand… I’m pretty sure that I want to go here anyway, so I don’t really see the point, I suppose. This Taylor person... you know him?" Fiona ponders, crossing her arms beneath her chest for a moment. "I dunno. Maybe I'll just wander around on my own for a while, get acquainted with the place. It would be nice... I don't get to spend much time alone anymore, anyway," she nods. “Well sure, I guess I like to run, it’s more of a requirement than a hobby though I guess, gotta do the roadwork. It’s more enjoyable in the park for sure, and would definitely be a hundred times better with you.” Nic smirks and teases playfully “Of course you could just admit you want to spend some more time with me” the taller boy then lets out a soft chuckle and rubs the back of his neck “Ehh well my after practice runs in the afternoon anyway, I don’t think you’d have much fun on the morning run… I wasn’t kidding about the whole yelling trainer thing… I’m just glad she doesn’t have a whip.” “Hey, even I met Taylor” Nic says to Fiona “Pretty good dude, he offered to us some nice beach spots, I assume when it gets a little warmer. He’s from California like me, just a stone’s throw from where I grew up.” He shrugs his shoulders “Of course that doesn’t mean you have to get a tour or anything, alone time is important, but someone that can tell you the best places to wind down away from everyone else might be good.” At Nic's comments about spending time with him, Dakota seems to have suddenly found the ground quite interesting as, head tilted downwards, her eyes seem glued to it while he continues speaking. "What if I do?" she asks without looking up, kicking at the ground with the sole of a boot. "What if I like spending time with you?" The short teenager lets out a huff of air. "I know you're just joking, but it's not nice to tease about that." There's a sudden gruffness to these words as though she might be trying to portray herself as having a different attitude on the matter than previously depicted. Then her eyes dart to Fiona and she lifts her head. "He's the guy with the tentacles. He reads minds, too. Really nice. Big smile. Lots of arms. Super tall." “I dunno, tall guy with tentacles and mind reading? Sounds like something out of a horror movie or a… um…” Fiona trails off, not finishing that last statement. “Anyway, I think… I dunno, maybe I’ll pass on that. I mean, even if he is super nice… maybe it’s easier to be nice when you can read minds…” She’s clearly not really sure how she feels about /that./ “Aaanyway, think I’m going to jet and let you two ah, enjoy the fresh air, I suppose,” she ducks away a little bit, giving a wave before disappearing back down the path from whence she came. “Well if you do that’s awesome” Nic says to Dakota with a smile “I like spending time with you too.” He waves his hands defensively when the shorter girl accuses him of teasing. “Sweetie, I didn’t mean to be mean, just sort of hoping I won’t have to beg ya to come out every time.” He grins “Running together would be great though, I’ll give you a call when I’m going to head out and Nadia won’t be on my case.” The older boy shrugs his shoulders when Fiona talks about the mind reading “It’s admittedly a little weird, I nearly jumped out of my skin when he spoke directly in my mind.” He gives a little nod in Dakota’s direction “Dakota thought I was a total weirdo at first.” He lightly scratches his chin “Maybe she still does.” Fiona’s announcement that she’s going to stops his thought “Oh right, I guess you were looking for a place to be alone. Ok, I’m happy to see you’re doing well. We’ll see you later!” He waves to the dragon girl as she heads off. There's a passing frown on the Dakota's face as she listens to Nic, eyes darting up and down his stance and across his face. When Fiona announces her departure, the short girl watches her leave with a suspicious look. "Take care?" she calls out after the red-skinned teenager. Pulling her gloved hands out of her pockets, she folds her arms. "It's not my fault you were acting weird, talking to yourself and all. And you -are- still a little weird to still be hanging out with me." There's a few moments of silence and her gaze drops. "What if I'd like to do more than running with you?" Her boot scuffs the ground again. "What would you do if I told you there’s a dance at the school? Tonight. Semi-formal. Nothing big. It's stupid." "Well that's not fair, I was clearly talking to Taylor... he just wasn't always answering out loud." He peers at the shorter girl "Why would hanging out with you make me weird? I like hanging out with you." He slips his hands into the pockets of his jacket watching the shorter girl as her gaze drops, his eyes widen when she asks about the dance "What would I do? Probably ask why you didn't say so earlier, then maybe scoop you up and head over there." He thinks about it for a moment "We're gonna go right? I mean... can I go? I know your school has really tight security, are outsiders allowed to the dance?" He furrows his brow "Should I run home and change? I don’t think I'm semi-formal. Are you going to wear a dress?" He looks back at Dakota "So... we're going right? Should we go change, and meet up for your not big, and stupid dance?" As Nic reacts, Dakota looks up at the taller teenager, widened eyes searching his face and a definitive blush on her own. "'Scoop me up'? You'd really want to go with me?" There's a hint of surprise in her tone - perhaps the girl sets her expectations low. "It'd be pretty dull if they only let Xavier's students go," she comments with a smile spreading rapidly across her countenance. "You really want to go? I didn't ask because I didn't know if I wanted to. I'm kind of afraid of liking you. The last time I liked someone, it ended badly. I don't know if you have to go home and change. I don't know what boys are supposed to wear to these things. I know what -I'll- be wearing, though." Though excitement is clearly written on her face, the girl narrows her eyes at Nic. "You'll just have to wait and find out." Her overall attitude seems to have become more relaxed after received the boy's answer; one might even dare say she appears to be elated. “Well scoop up might have been embellishing a bit.” Nic admits at Dakota’s reaction “And of course I’d want to go with you silly, why wouldn’t I?” He watches the shorter girl’s face as her smile grows and gives her a grin of his own “Liking me huh? Well it is always a gamble… I’m a little worried about liking you too.” Especially considering Dakota told him she might accidentally kill him “Trouble is there’s no way to know how it will end without ever starting.” He shrugs slowly “No pain no gain.” the teen says then quickly waves his hand “No wait, the other one, nothing ventured nothing gained.” He corrects himself with a nod “Hun I definitely don’t have any intention of hurting you, or things going badly, but I can’t tell the future… Anyway.” Nic says with a warm smile “I definitely do need to change… this stuff is fine for a casual date, but won’t cut it for any kind of formal. We better get changed and head over there before we miss the dance. Looking forward to seeing what semi-formal wear you’ve picked out” he says with a wink.