Logs:Not From Around Here

Not From Around Here
Dramatis Personae Noah, Winona
In Absentia	2020-07-25 "Hope you don't mind being in a student film for a sec, otherwise I'm going to have to get that shot again."
Location <NYC> Harlem - Riverside Park
Situated on the Hudson River, Riverside Park is currently bustling with families enjoying the weekend. The previous day’s clouds have disappeared, leaving the sun out in full force, but between the wind off the Hudson and decent temperatures, it’s rather nice out. Available green space holds a multitude of blankets as people picnic or simply enjoy outside. Joggers and dog walkers pass frequently, while a crowd has already gathered around a performance at the amphitheater. A handful of excited children lead their guardians toward the public pool. The wind, as it shifts, carries various things—then, a mish-mash of excited voices and the smell of chlorine, now the faint bars of carousel music and a faint scent of Puerto Rican food. Seated on a bench between the playground and skate park are Noah and nearly 4 month old(!) Alex, diaper bag at his feet. Dressed in his usual plain t-shirt, jeans, work boots combo, Noah has Alex wrapped more to the side of his torso than the front of his chest now, letting her turn her head and look around with curious brown eyes. She’s dressed much more colorful than he is, in a dotted turquoise bodysuit with ruffled sleeves. “See the boat?” he asks as he points to the sailboat passing down the river, voice pitched to turn gruff quietness into more baby-friendly tones. He pays rapt attention to Alex’s answering babbles, before nodding. “Yeah. I’d rather a jon boat too.” The sound of wheels against concrete precedes Winona's appearance, the high rumble as she makes her way down the sidewalk. She has her camera, held low, in front of herself as she takes some moving footage. She stops and hops off of the board once she gets to the bench to sit down next to Noah to review the footage that she just took. Her hair is presently dyed and styled in dark rainbow swoop. Her board is decorated with a black eagle with a red and white starburst behind it, a circle with a cross through it at the bottom, it rests on the arm of the bench. Her tank top is in faded pink with the image of a stylized ghost at the center, and she wears an olive coloured jacket over it, as well as a pair of white, black and grey camo pants. She looks up from her footage and finally asks Noah from her place on the bench, "Do you mind if I sit here?" Noah looks up curiously as Winona takes a seat, but not near as curiously as Alex does. Peering over at her with big eyes, a chubby hand reaches futilely for rainbow colored hair. “No,” Noah oh so softly reprimands, gently pushing her arm down. “No grabbing hair.” He offers a small but apologetic smile to Winona. “Don’t mind, no. Do you?” The last is directed at the baby, who has not stopped looking over Winona and her colorfulness. The answering babble becomes a happy squeal, while chubby arms flap. His smile widens, a touch, somehow becomes sadder. “Gonna take that as an okay, too. You’re good by us.” Winona glances over and says to Alex, "Oh! Thanks for letting me stay here." She grins easily and her chipped front tooth is visible when she does look up to Noah to answer, "You have a real cute kid. And don't worry, babies like to stare at me, I've got one of those faces." She looks back at her camera and says, the hint of a Minnesotan accent as she speaks more. "Hope you don't mind being in a student film for a sec, otherwise I'm going to have to get that shot again." Alex smiles back at Winona, completely toothless. “She didn’t get any cute from me. That’s all her mama.” This comes with far more melancholy than a parent usually would answer with. Noah clears his throat, blinks briskly. “Naw, it’s fine,” he answers, letting his already audible Georgia accent thicken now that he knows he isn’t the only Outsider. “It a good shot? Seems like good weather to do that.” He nods toward the camera. "Well, her mama must be mighty cute, then," says Winona while looking down at the baby, though she bites her bottom lip as the tone of the words register. Her gaze turns off towards the skate park and she nods. "It's a really nice day for being out filming. I mean, for the kind of footage I'm doing anyways." She closes the screen back against the camera. "But it's a nice shot, yeah, for sure." A few strands of hair are blown out of her face. "Probably a good day for being out with her, too." “Any day out with her is a good one. She’s a charmer like that.” Noah smiles again, small and genuine, as another passing sailboat catches Alex’s wandering attention. She stretches a hand toward the water, talking excitedly in baby language. “Ba-ba-boat,” he softly encourages, adjusting the arm he has around her to let her reach the tiniest bit further. “Do you put what you film on Youtube or anything? If you use the shot with Alex and me, my... her mother probably would like to see it.” Winona raises her camera to film the boat as it is passing by, seeming to not really think too hard about it. "Yeah, it is a boat! You're a pretty smart kid," says Winona to Alex, showing a sliver of her teeth through her grin. "Oh, yeah, I put stuff up on Youtube. I have a second channel that is for school projects and other miscellaneous things. I dunno how long you'll be in the shot, but you'll both be showing up in the video at least." “What’s the channel name? If it’s alright to ask. Never been in anything before, I’m not sure how it goes.” Noah hopes he remembers whatever the answer is, with how overloaded his brain is with... everything. “I’m Noah, by the way. She’s Alex. Nice to meet you.” "My main channel is UncannyExplorer, and the channel where this might go is called Win2000. I put up more experimental videos or like, school videos up there," says Winona. She smiles thinly down at her camera when she lowers it down. "I don't mind sharing with people, I like when people watch my work. And... I'm Winona. Nice to meet you, Noah. You sound like you might not be from around here." “Win2000,” Noah repeats, nodding as he mentally files that away. “And UncannyExplorer. I’ll look out for ‘em.” He huffs a short laugh at Winona’s last statement, looking surprised after. It sounds rusty. Even Alex looks a bit surprised, before she laughs herself, louder and brighter. “Yeah, you might say that. I’m from Georgia. You?” he asks, looking over at Winona with some curiosity. “Somewhere midwest?” "Somewhere midwest, yeah. I grew up in Minnesota," says Winona. "I've been in the city..." She pauses to think a moment and shakes her head, "Almost a year now. It's been a mighty weird year, a lot of adjusting to changes." She looks back down to Alex and smiles and opens her eyes wider to encourage the baby to smile more too. "Guess it must have been the same way for you, though. How old is she?" Noah hums lowly in agreement. Weird year indeed. “There’s been more changes than I can keep up with,” he confesses. Alex smiles back widely at Winona and tries to tell her how old she is before he can, her chubby legs kicking excitedly against his side. “Hold on, wiggleworm, you’re gonna damage something,” he says, moving to unwrap the baby sling enough to pull Alex out and sit her on his leg, keeping one hand on her for support. “She’s almost four months old,” he finally answers Winona. “And going by that, I’d say I’ve been here... over a year and a half.” This answer comes with some surprise. “Hadn’t realized that.” "Time's been kind of-" Winona's eyes flick towards Alex, hesitating as she reconsiders her phrasing, "Messed up. A year and a half doesn't seem so long to be out here, though, it's a lot different. Big and there's lots of people all over the place. Stillwater wasn't like that at all... Been able to make some friends here, though, which is important for keeping sane. Miss being closeby to my family, though. Have you been able to make many friends since getting here?" “Time and everything else with it, seems like. I’d love to take Alex home to Georgia for a bit—Nahunta ain’t near like New York either, especially the land I grew up on—but with the state the way it is right now…” Noah shakes his head, seemingly about to say something before Winona’s question takes him by surprise. He falls silent, brow furrowing in sudden thought. His mouth opens, closes without a word, opens again. Closes again. Alex giggles at the sight, hands clapping. “Not... really,” he answers eventually. “It’s been. Complicated.” Winona's expression becomes sympathetic, her eyebrows furrow just a little as well. "Yeah, I imagine. New baby and everything... It takes a lot to look after them." She looks up at the sky thoughtfully, and leans back against the bench. "I've just met you, so probably take my advice with a grain of salt, but maybe there's some kinda new dad meetup you can go to? I don't know if that kinda thing exists, but I've started to just assume that if you can imagine something, it's probably a thing in this city." “No salt needed. Lord knows I can’t trust my own advice lately.” Noah’s attempt at a smile is a good one, but he doesn’t quite make it. “I imagine you’re right. It’s not a bad idea, thank you.” He quickly glances up at sun in the sky, eyes narrowing against the light, then to the horizon. “It’s ‘bout time for Alex to eat, and I’d like you to keep thinkin’ she’s always cute, so I better get her home.” He moves to wrap Alex back against his side. “Win2000 and UncannyExplorer, right?” "Yeah, I've gotta head back to the skatepark and get some more action shots," says Winona, opting now to get up to her feet and get her board back on the ground. "That's right, yeah, be sure to like and subscribe. I'll seeya round, Noah. Good luck with everything out there." She nods towards Alex, "And you too, bud, look after your dad." “Good luck with your filming. And everything. It was nice talkin’ to you.” While Noah picks up the diaper bag at his feet and stands, Alex reaches a hand toward Winona again. Her fingers open and close as she babbles something that may one day become a goodbye.