Open RP Good to be back

[HockeyNerd]

"It's good to be back in Pittsburgh", Jack thinks as he passes the city limits sign. No one really understands why Jack decided this is his favorite place to spend his vacation, not even Jack understands it. Maybe it's the hustle bustle, after all the criminal life can be a lonely one, so maybe it's just nice to be consistently surrounded by people for two weeks. He's even made a few friends here over the years, a rare occurrence when you spend most of the year on the run, changing from one false identity to another. But here, at last, he can be Jack for two weeks straight with no questions and no fears. Of course it's fun changing from one person to another, planning and scheming, and dodging the police, why else would he spend most of his year doing that? Its easy to get caught up in that though, to get lost in the facades and forget the real him, lose his identity to the act.

And so here he is, on break. Normally He'd go straight to his condo and crash for a while, but he'd heard a lot on the news in the past year about some interesting meta happenings in the city and wants to know more. The news isn't always very trust worthy, having a habit of being biased or exaggerating details. So he decides to walk around for a bit and see what he can piece together, or maybe pick a good place to sit down and strike up a conversation.

Jack parked his green '95 F-150 in the lot near the condo complex. It wasn't a particularly remarkable truck by most peoples standards, but he'd gotten a handful of compliments from fellow mechanics and those older guys in the mid-west and the south who know trucks like a second language. Everyone knows the type. Typically in their 60s or 70s and sit in a diner most of the morning over a hot coffee, telling stories to whoever will listen. And when people do listen they usually walk away feeling a bit wiser. One of them is also probably making moonshine in a trailer in their backyard, and most of them are veterans of one or more wars. There's a group in Kentucky that Jack stops to see every time passes through the state. He reminisces about them for a minute as he gets out of his truck and makes sure everything is locked. He stops when he gets to his trailer with his bike. A red Tiger T-100 he rebuilt better than new, it is his most precious possession and needs to carefully make sure it's still securely strapped in and locked up so no one can steal it. Then he begins his walk.

Jack himself doesn't stand out much besides his fiery red hair and surprisingly memorable blue eyes. He has a fairly average build, though its clear he works out regularly, not to where he's sculpted, but enough to keep on the good side of "in shape". He walks for a while before he finds a nice park about a mile from his condo with some comfortable benches to sit on and wait for a passerby who feels like talking.

 

[Phoenix]

It had been three days since Sam had heard from Todd. In the past, that wouldn’t have worried her nearly as much as it did now. But now they had the forty-eight-hour rule. They would always, even if they were somewhere they couldn’t leave or had limited ways of contacting each other, find a way to let the other know they were safe. That they were out on a long patrol, or that Sam was tracking a predator, or that Todd was with Slate. With Slate. That was such a difficult concept for her to wrap her head around.

Last Sam knew, Todd had gone on patrol. That had been three full nights ago. The last time she had seen him had been New Year's night. Still, she tried not to worry as she continued her jog through the park. Since it was January, the snow was still thick on the ground, though none had fallen in a few days. Most of the spaces were cleanly plowed or well traveled enough that snow wasn’t an obstacle. For most of the winter, she’d been unable to go running. There was just too much snow, and while she didn’t need layers, and technically could have cleared herself a path with ease, other people would have noticed.

So finally, after weeks of being indoors, it was finally back in the low thirties and she could run outside. She was still wearing less clothing than most– a sweatshirt with a hoodie over it, a pair of leggings and warm capris– but she looked more normal now. She had made it three times around the park, trying to keep herself from breezing past other runners and walkers, and had yet to work up a real sweat. But, for appearance’s sake, she needed to take a break.

There was a bench, mostly empty except for one man. His hair was an even more startling red than her own. He looked like he might be in his twenties, maybe a bit older than her. As she got close, she changed her breathing, to something more akin to tired panting. She stopped a few feet from the bench and leaned over, putting her hands on her thighs to make a real show of it. Then, she flashed a smile to the man, and with a bit of a huff, she asked, “Hi! Do you mind if I sit for a minute?”​

 

[HockeyNerd]

Jack looks at the young lady who's approached him. He'd noticed her running, it wasn't hard with her vibrant hair, but he'd also noticed everyone else in this area of the park so he wasn't really keeping a particular eye on anyone. There is the older gentleman with his dog, probably here trying to ward off heart disease as long as he can, and seemingly doing a good job. There's the old veteran trying to keep up the physique he's had since his twenties, also doing a good job. There's the New Years resolutioner who is pushing himself, but also looks like he's regretting every decision that led to this moment, he probably won't be frequenting this park for long. And of course there are the Karens, three women running together, here for the gossip just as much as the exercise. He had expected to see a few more people here, this was a popular park from his memory, but then again it was January so most people aren't going out in the cold.
Jack gives the girl a good look now, a quick one just to size her up, but a good one. She's polite, asking to sit down, not just doing so. That's not something everyone would do. And it seems genuine, not just habitual learned courtesy. She was shorter, with a small frame, but she also seemed strong, he may or may not be able to take her in a fair fight (good thing his fights are rarely fair). She is also clearly pretending to be winded. A lot of people wouldn't have noticed this but when someone spends most of their time acting they get good at spotting it. Besides, she'd made it three laps and didn't have a drop of sweat on her face, so she is either stopping specifically to talk to him, which is unlikely as she doesn't have a motive he can think of, or she is simply trying to look the part of the average runner needing a rest. Then again, maybe she does want to talk to him specifically, as there are plenty of benches in the park and she stopped here. He still cant think of a motive, but he needs information anyway so he'll take it.
He looks up at her with a friendly smile, "Go right ahead, you seem to need the break anyway"

 

[Phoenix]

Sam smiled back, trying to keep her breathing fast and even to simulate exertion. She took a seat on the bench and huffed like it was a relief to be off her feet. She hummed in the back of her throat as she leaned forward, her long spirals falling over her shoulder from the high ponytail she wore them in.

After a casual moment of looking over the man, she gave him another twinkling smile as she asked, “Are you new? I run here pretty often and you’re a new face. Or are you just from the other side of the city?”

She stretched her arms above her, feeling the tension in her back and neck finally start to ease. Running was always something that could loosen her up when she was tense. And maybe talking to this stranger would take her mind off things for a bit. As she took her fast breaths, she tried to control her heat output, keeping it low enough to seem normal. Well, she hoped it was normal. It was always a gamble to guess what was a normal amount of heat output. Especially when exercising. People ran hotter then, but she didn’t. She always ran just as hot as she ever did, so stifling it to the right amount was a challenge some days.

Then, she straightened out, keeping her breaths deep, and leaned back against the wrought iron bench. For being metal in the winter, it was comfortable. Cold, even to her, but comfortable. She couldn’t help the way her leg bounced, however, with the anxiety she was desperately trying to ignore. It was like pushing it from her head had made it center in her foot, with tapped, tapped, tapped away.​

 

[Katpride]

Venus might have overestimated the strength of the sun. One would think she’d know better, being a scientist and all, but unfortunately she skipped past hypothesizing and theorizing in favor of going to the park today. Her calculations didn’t go much further than a glance at the weather report, and now, after almost an hour freezing her butt off on a park bench and trudging through a truly meager amount of homework, she’s forced to admit that she is pretty darn cold.

Sighing, she sets her pencil and clipboard aside and tilts her head back, rolling her neck to ease the ache of hunching over her work for so long. Her view of the sky - blue, cloudless, so much like a spring day if not for the temperature - serves to brighten her mood some, and she sets to the task of packing her things back into her messenger bag with renewed vigor.

Some walking will help warm her up! Then she can finish the rest of her homework, and change into her hero outfit, and run around even more! Oh, she can’t wait until the season turns and she can start her patrol in the daylight hours. And the summer, when she can start it whenever she’s done helping her mother in the lab.

She’s so caught up in her thoughts that she doesn’t notice when, while passing two people chatting on a bench, she readjusts her bag and her wallet slips out of a hole in the bottom of her bag. She just keeps walking, dreams of heroics dancing in her head.

The wallet sits on the sidewalk like a colorful leaf. It’s made of stiff pink cloth, with tiny buttoned pockets on the front. It doesn’t seem to contain much cash, or many cards, as it isn’t very bulky aside from the material of the wallet itself.

 

[HockeyNerd]

"I've actually been around here a few times before", Jack replies to the runner. "I stay in Pittsburgh once or twice a year for vacation. Don't ask me why its my favorite city, but there's just something special about it. I visited it on a job about 8 years ago, and it just kinda became a special place for me".
As he is speaking he notices a girl, probably about late high school or early college age, coming up the side walk. She had been sitting on one of the other benches working on something, probably homework based on her age. She wasn't dressed particularly appropriately for the weather, and it was clearly bothering her. As she walks past she drops her wallet, something his criminal side picks up on pretty quickly. He quickly runs several scenarios through his head as his conversation with the runner continues.

Stealing the wallet outright is a very bad idea with this young lady next to him, especially because she's some sort of meta, otherwise she wouldn't be so chill about the weather, no pun intended. Possibly something to do with heightened metabolism, or more likely some kind of heat related power given the warmth radiating off her. If he grabs it now, he'd have to call after the girl to seem normal, which wouldn't be awful, he is on vacation after all. Alternatively, he can leave it, pretend he didn't see it get dropped, play oblivious. Then he can grab it later and act like He's gonna return it, or wait until He's done talking and snag it then. No act necessary, just waiting. But that's boring and gets rid of all the thrill. The most fun would be option 2, but he is on vacation and he doesn't need the spending money right now.
"But vacation should be the time to be myself, a break from all the personas and masks, not a break from crime", He considers in his mind as the possibilities swirls and his thoughts intensify as he approaches his decision. Finally he stops to consider the risk factor: if he is caught and Jack Smith obtains a criminal record it could jeopardize his entire life...shit

Having mad his decision, he excuses himself politely from his conversation and picks up the wallet, calling after its owner.

 

[Phoenix]

Of course, she had noticed the wallet as well. She had even focused in on it for a moment, checking to see if the ID was clearly visible. Everything is buttoned away, though, so no chance of that. Sam was just about to stand up and retrieve the pink thing herself and chase after the girl when her bench companion did so first. She smiled, a little more genuinely, at the interaction. It was always nice to see someone doing something that was kind.

She bit her bottom lip a touch as she continued to tap her foot. It was hard to keep focused, now that someone wasn’t talking to her. She was actively fighting the worry. Maybe she shouldn’t, though. Maybe suppressing the worry was only going to make it grow. Maybe it was just going to make things worse. Maybe she needed to just embrace it and let it flow through her. What was it that Alice used to say?

“Listen, Sammy, you have to let the feelings find a way out. If you hold onto them, they just grow inside you. And then what happens? That’s right, you explode and melt paint off the walls.”

She almost laughed as she recalled her friend’s words. And for once, she wasn’t burdened with the guilt she felt in moving on and letting go. She wasn’t feeling as though she needed to be full of rage. Maybe, she really was finally healing. Would Alice have been happy for her? Sam liked to think so.

With that in mind, she took a deep, centering breath. The stranger had stepped away from her, which meant it was safe to do what she needed to. She let the breath out in a long hiss, and with it, a cloud of hot air dispersed away from her, spiraling up and into the air. Calm. Todd was fine. Wherever he was, he’d be home soon. She’d see him soon. She touched a hand to the center of her chest for a moment as she felt the knot begin to untangle. Then, she turned her attention back to the man returning the wallet.

It was still early enough, as the girl hadn’t turned around yet. Sam took a soft breath, and engaging the voice she used for classes at the gym, she hollered, “Hey! You dropped something!”​

 

[Katpride]

Brr. Venus really does wish she had thought to grab a hat. Or gloves. Her scarf and hair are insulating her neck well enough, but her fingers are frosty. She shoves them in the pockets of her puffy coat, hunching her shoulders a little against the wind. Oh, to be in her nice warm apartment. She can almost hear the kettle calling her name.

Wait, that isn’t the siren song of a hot drink. It’s a man’s voice, from behind her. She debates ignoring it, because she’s seen the kinds of men who call after young women and she doesn’t really want to deal with that out of costume. Then another voice cuts in, this one blasting through the chilly air like a foghorn.

Venus turns, her eyes slightly wide, and stares in perplexment at the figure standing behind her. Her gaze lands on her wallet in his hand, and she blinks, her shoulders lowering and losing some of the tension that had seized her. “Oh.”

She backtracks, honest confusion dominating her expression, and comes to stand by the bench. “Um. Thank you. Both of you.”

She nods to the man and the woman on the bench, then holds out her hand for her wallet, palm up. Her other hand clutches the strap of her messenger bag, and after a moment she starts to shuffle it around to the front so she can put her wallet back. “That’s crazy, I didn’t even notice I dropped it.”

As if to explain itself, her bag spits her pencil pouch onto her foot. She jerks her head down and frowns at the sudden appearance of the pouch, baffled. Her hands still as she makes the executive decision to stop moving her bag before it can decide to divest itself of more of its contents. “What the heck?”