2014-08-18 Prelude to a Dinner Date
This scene is rated Everybody
Warning: N/A
2014-08-18
Players: Ember Drake Cara
GMed by Random Acts of Spongebob
Title: Prelude to a Dinner Date

A good nap can do wonders for the energy levels, even for someone who doesn't technically need to sleep. Ember almost missed her scheduled danger room session, but managed to wake up in time (no need to sleep = forgetting to set an alarm on her phone) and has spent the rest of the day shifting between the library and here. She's serious about finishing her last year of high school as quickly as possible. She's got her attention on the math text in front of her, taking notes as she reads.

And so, training happened. Defensive maneuvers, something they both probably could use, and offensive power usage. The latter, they've already exhibited on the streets. Some together, some not. But with the air cleared-ish, Drake had actually allowed himself to have a little fun with it. But make no mistake - it was a workout.

Thus, freshly-showered and changed, Drake peeks his head into the study. Spotting Ember, he slips into the room and comes to stand next to her. He's silent for a few seconds, followed by a modest, "'Sup?," and askance glance in her direction through still-wet bangs.

"Studying. Want to get out of school by Halloween." Ember can't help the slight stiffening of her back at Drake's approach, but that's just childhood reflexes and goes away almost before it starts. She doesn't have to actually turn her eyes towards Drake to look at him, and he knows it, so she keeps her primary attention on the text and notes.

"Take a long enough shower? I know the hot water doesn't run out here, but there's a limit to how long one can consider it some 'innocent me time'."

"Now, now. Keep it Christian," chides Drake, allowing some long-overdue mirth back into his voice. "I've been thinking about Halloween, actually. Thinkin' about seeing if the Professor might let me put something together." The thought is incomplete, but he doesn't pursue it. There's something else more heavily weighing on him.

"Been thinking about something else, too. You still got that stone Loki gave you?"

"What? Now you want me to dig out the pleated skirt?" Ember finishes writing out the equations she was copying from the text and closes it. At the question about the stone, she lifts her right arm and moves it around a bit. "Wouldn't have a working wing if I still had it. I used it shortly after our meeting with Xavier. After you left, I checked with him about whether or not I should trust it. Then I did."

"You mean you got one of those and I haven't seen ya wear it? Heck yeah, break it out," counters the male.

Drake turns around, propping his hip against the nearby table as she moves her arm around. "I figured you got better pretty fast, but I was actually hoping you didn't use it yet." His head tips back, gaze cast up to the ceiling. "Ahwell. Doesn't matter. Something'll give."

Blue eyes (color of the day) roll in Ember's skull, "You were told about the pleated skirt, the whole catholic schoolgirl thing, back when Kitty and I took you shopping." But at the next remark, Ember's curiosity is piqued now. "Are you alright? Or is it someone else?" She thinks for a minute, "I might be able to get another one if I ask the right people. Farisa, maybe."

"Psh, I figured you two were just screwing around. Girls do that when they're trying to mess with someone, I hear." Drake tilts his head back down to return that smirk. "No, it wasn't for someone else. I know you were hesitant to use it, but if it could.. stop.. whatever's happening to you, then I figured it'd be be worth finding out as much about it as possible. And since I know Thor, who better to ask?" With a roll of his shoulder, he adds, "Glad you're not broken off anymore, at least."

"Ten years in the Cedar Valley Parochial School System. I don't kid about the pleated skirt." Ember slides the chair back and takes the book over to a stack of other texts while listening to Drake's reasoning. She pauses and lets out a long breath. "The stone I used fixed everything that was wrong with what's left of my organics. The parts of me that are still working are at their peak. For now. Turns out the magic healing stone wasn't a miracle after all." She shrugs and turns back to face Drake. "But at least it didn't kill me all at once."

Drake offers an upturned thumb with a weak smile. "Thank God for small favors, huh?" The hand drops again, as does the smile. "Like I said, something's gonna give. How.. fast.. is it going? Do you know?"

Ember's aura unfolds from within, sheathing her in its tight glow. "Six months, maybe eight before I'm down to just my bare vital organs. Assuming nothing happens to speed it up, or that my core doesn't go all at once." She shrugs. "It's a rough estimate, really. And since the core of my power is absorption of light, I can't turn it off."

"Right, right…," nods Drake. "And you talked to the big, fuzzy doctor, right? Has he done any tests with ya?"

Ember inhales to respond, and then pauses with an expression that's a mix between mild surprise and a bit of shame. "No. I… have to /live/ the time I've got left. I'm too afraid that they'll stick me in his lab until it's over."

Drake blinks at that response. Traces of a grin tugs at the corner of his lips, and he strolls closer to her. "/Please/ see the Doc. If he tries to keep you cooped up for too long, I'll break you out myself. Promise."

Ember nods slowly. "I'll talk to him." She shrugs and tosses her notebook into a bag. "I'm done with my studies for the day. Doctor Hank's office hours aren't until tomorrow morning. You hungry?"

Drake glances to her bag, then back to her eyes. "I could eat. What'd you have in mind? If you wanna go out, I find this restaurant in Little Italy that's kind'a nice. Nice, but not formal."

Ember's bag doesn't seem to have much in it. Just the note book and some pens, really. "Eh. I'm not really feeling a trip into the city today. Want to enjoy a stomach that isn't rebelling as long as I can, so maybe soon. But for tonight, let's keep it in-house. Maybe see who else is around for supper?"

Then with the timing of a rumbling stomach, Cara cracks the door to the study and peeks in with a single amber eye. Seeing two figures in the room she hesitates, not sure if she should walk in or not so she pulls out her phone and finally does something she has yet to do. Text's Drake. [R U N the Study]
"In-house is good, too," says a very accomodating Drake. "I could-"

Suddenly, his pants are abuzz.

"Sec." Drake dips a hand into his pocket and plucks out his cellphone. After skimming the message, he gives a toothy grin and quickly scans the room. The door is cracked! Suspicious, Drake hurries to the door and nudges it on open. "Cara?"

Ember nods as Drake gets buzzed, taking the time to shoulder her bag and adjust her aura so it's less visible but still supporting her body to avoid sapping her strength. Then Drake heads to the door and opens it with Cara on the other side. "Hey there," she says to the new girl with a quick smile. "You hugry? It's about dinner time and the kitchen's always stocked."

"I guess you are in here." Cara notes to herself, slipping the phone into her back pocket. "And hello to you too, uh, Ember, was it?" She asks, looking over to the second figure in the room, a hand moving up and brushing her hair over her ear. A tick of hers. Then looking back at Ember then to Drake, "I am hungry." She answers the question without an extraneous words, as is her custom.

"Lurker," teases Drake. He shoots a quick glance back to Ember before going to nudge at Cara's arm. "Then let's get moving!" Should she hesitate to begin, he'll helpfully give her a few more nudges before setting into his own stride, kitchen-bound.

"Alright then, let's pack some calories." Ember leads the way down the hall to the kitchen, then starts peeking into the various nooks and cupboards. She smiles to Cara between peeks. "Yeah, I'm Ember. Good to meet you officially." To Drake, she shrugs. "Alright, it's been weeks since I've eaten last. Any idea what all was in the last grocery run?"

Cara gets a little snappy when Drake starts to push her but that dissolves into a smirk as she gets the hint and follows the light manipulator. "Nice to meet you too." Cara says softly following in and making her way to the countertop stool but not working on her own food just yet, she waits and lets the other two do their things.

Drake shakes his head as he breaks away from the group. "Didn't involve me. It was fine by me, though. God knows I would've run into yet another costume creep on a rampage. They're /everywhere/ out here." A cupboard is opened and his neck cranes, examining the contents. "You girls want something hot? Cold? Something fast?"

"Truer words and all that. Just a couple nights ago I helped do in a demon on the upper eastside. I had just gone over there to check on the damage Loki did on his last… episode." Ember considers the question about food, then shrugs. "Hot and fast is my mood. With ice cream in roughly mountain-sized portions. So are you cooking, Drake?" She slides into one of the barstool seats at the breakfast counter and gives the lad her best feminine smile. Anyone seeing it has permission to laugh.

Cara once again goes gravely silent and peers at Ember with shocked eyes and whispers almost inaudibly, "You were there?" She wants to fight against this fear and looks down at her hands and thinks about what the teachers have said, she breaths and tries to put her attention on that task solely. She doesn't respond to Drake's question though for a moment she had a witty response that now is forgotten and a continent away. In her nose, out her mouth, in her nose, out her mouth.

"Hahah, cooking, yeah. S'cute. Last time I tried to cook something, it came out demanding welfare and voting rights." Drake about-faces and leans against the counter, gaze settling between Ember and Cara. "Hotdogs?," he suggests. "I saw some Pop-Tarts up there, too. Bet they have some instant noodles." Suddenly, he nods. "Noodles are my thing for tonight."

As he moves towards the refridgerator, he continues, "So we're up to demons now, huh? I should probably be weirded out by that, but screw it." As he starts past Cara, her careful breathing catches his attention. "You okay?"

Cara forces herself to respond. She's normal, she's alright, "I'm fine." She says between her breaths then focuses on. "Something I just have to work through." Cara explains slightly/vaguely. Then looking over to Ember then to Drake, "I'll eat whatever is made, I'm not picky."

Ember hears the whisper, but not quite what was said. But taking a close look at Cara she remembers. "Yes. I was there." She keeps her voice as low as Cara's was since it's obvious the new girl isn't quite up to talking about it. "I was in black with my face hidden." Speaking up, she slides off the barstool and nudges Drake to one side. "Fine. You do noodles. I'll fire up some pizza if that works for folks? Take about twenty minutes. But I'm not kidding about those mountains of ice cream. I'm taking every chance I can to eat that while I can."

Drake studies Cara's face a couple seconds in silence, then simply nods at her. From there, his attention sets back to the search at hand. Sure enough, instant noodles are present and accounted for. As soon as he retrieves a box, Ember nudges him aside. "Make sure there's some variety to that icecream! ..And what toppings are ya talkin'? Regular ol' pepperoni?"

Cara seems almost content to watch but she's also having a miniature crisis, and she's thinking about standing up and leaving just to keep from bringing Drake and the other girl down. They seem to be so chipper. "I'm sorry." She notes, not feeling too hungry suddenly, but desperate for air as she keeps maintaining her breathing.

Ember digs through the freezer and pulls out a stack of frozen pizzas with various toppings. "We've got pepperoni, supreme and…" She stops when she looks to Cara and sees the panic behind her eyes. It's a look she's seen often enough in her own reflection. "Nothing to be sorry for, Cara. Something like that… it's frightening. Especially if it was the first time you'd ever seen something like it." She hands the pizzas to Drake, "Here. Toss one in the oven. Get the temperature right and no worries."

She shifts over to stand next to Cara, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. But… Drake and I have been through this sort of thing a few times ourselves."

Drake looks from the box to the noodles, and back again. With a melodramatic sigh, he sets the noodles aside. "Another time, mon ami. Another time."

As Ember talks with Cara, he heads for the oven and scans the instructions. Confident he's got a handle on how not to ruin the food, he turns the dial and shoves the pizza into the oven. Preheating is for wusses. "Whatever you're comfortable with, Cara," he notes over his shoulder. "This is a stress-free zone."

"I know, and thank you. Both of you." Cara replies, worry in her voice but she's coming around. "I-i think I should just go lie down." She says, standing up and moving towards the door. "Maybe dinner another time?" She asks the two but her attention is on Drake.

Ember gives Cara's shoulder a squeeze as she moves away. "In your own time, Cara. We're neighbors. As long as you're not a photophobe, my door's always open, figuratively speaking." She ducks over to take a quick look at the oven and turns the heat down from 'solar corona' to merely 'damned hot' while Drake's back is turned.

Since she doesn't have to be facing Cara to watch her, she notes who she's looking at when she mentions dinner later. "Well, this pizza won't take too long to cook. I'll send Drake up with a plate and some of that ice cream?" She phrases it as a question, but in reality it's a scheme.

Drake turns to face Cara as she talks, frowning a little. "Well, whatever you need to do to feel better. Like she said, we're neighbors." The question posed, however, earns a stunned blink. The cogs are turning. "Ah, err, sure. Sounds good," he replies, voice a little softened.

And then Ember pipes up. Drake's gaze snaps to her, then back to Cara. "O-or that. You know, whatever you'd like."

Cara does like to play a little and she just grins before she leaves sight and heads up to her room.

Ember's grin is the kind that's been compared across history to a particularly satisfied feline. She pulls a bottle of tea from the fridge and slides back into her seat at the breakfast counter. "So…" She says to Drake after Cara has gone out the door. "What else have I missed?"

Drake squints after Cara as she takes her leave, then clears his throat softly. Ember's presented him with a distraction! The reply comes rapid-fire: "I met Spider-Man. Bailed'em out of a tricky situation when a giant rhino-dude was about to smash'em. And Captain America showed up, too. That was crazy. Did I just get asked out?"

Ember's expression never slips as Drake starts to babble. "Spider-Man, really? And yes, Captain America was there as the demon fight, too. I tag-teamed with him on the kill shot. Also a big guy who keeps a monkey in his pocket." Her eyes twinkle (because she can do that for real) and her eyebrows waggle. "Yes, you did just get asked out. What do you think about that?"

"…A monkey?," asks Drake. "The guy who sold me a flower had a monkey. Had a fuzzy face'n stuff. Little sensitive about his height, but seemed alright."

Eyeshift.

"I dunno. No one's ever asked me out before. Truth time? Never been on a date."

Ember shrugs and shifts back a bit, "Well don't look at me. I was put under house arrest long before that would've become an issue. And to be honest…" She shrugs and does a check on the pizza, "I've never really wanted to."

"I was always busy, and hanging out with my group. Nothing.. y'know.. romantic ever came up." Drake moves aside to lean against the counter again, watching Ember. "Never met someone you had feelings for, huh?"

Ember shakes her head as she starts poking through the deep freeze for every kind of ice cream that doesn't have a resident's name on it. "Nope. Met a lot of folks I thought I'd like to know better, but… it was always just… I don't know. Nothing sparked." She grins over her shoulder, "Kittys tried pairing me up with you since you arrived."

"Well, someone'll come along sometime," Drake starts, only to hitch at this turn of information. "She has? See! I told you! I told you she wasn't into me!," he laughs. "And, hey, we're friend-zoned. It's cool, things are good this way."

With a smile, Ember starts to take out the pizza from the oven and get it sliced up for folks. "I just don't find anyone attractive that way. Maybe I'm wired differrently. Grab the plates and one of those small service carts from the closet behind the pantry. You'll need it to take things up to Cara's room." For her part, once the pizza is sliced she grabs some bowls, some ice cream and a small cooler into which goes some of the ice cream.

Drake automatically fetches plates, arranging them neatly for Ember's convenience. The cart takes a moment to find, though. Those weren't exactly common in his household. "You might be. But hey, as long as you're happy. That's what matters." Once everything is settled and Cara's dealing with icecream, Drake sidles in beside her with a bemused smirk. "So~, you think I should go after Cara now, hrm?"

"I think you should bring a new friend some dinner while she's feeling down." Ember sets the cooler with the ice cream on the lower shelf of the cart. "That will keep for a couple hours, I think." She proceeds to arrange the plates w/ pizza on the cart with utensils placed very precisely. It almost seems automatic to her. Then she snags some chips and a can of fruit cocktail from the pantry, opens both and puts chips on the plates by the pizza slices and the fruit cocktail in a couple small bowls placed on the cart. "There. Grab a couple somethings to drink, take the cart upstairs. Her room is right by mine. Knock on the door, be a friend. You're interested. She's interested. Don't push."

"Oh, that's such a neutral answer," scoffs Drake. He continues, "Anyway, cut me some slack. I said I've never been on a date, not that I don't know how to be a friend." Though as soon as he says it, he frowns. "…not… counting what happened earlier." The perk drops right out of his tone. "Ember.. I really am sorry I didn't get what you were saying. It was at the boathouse, wasn't it?"

Ember doesn't call him on the obvious spot for a comeback. Olive branches and all. She just quietly nods, "Yes. I was trying to show you how perception is reality. Seeing is believing, and all that." She pauses briefly then shrugs, "It's the main reason I haven't gone to Doctor Hank. There are only four people alive who have seen what I really look like. But as soon as something becomes seen, it can't be unseen. No matter how I wear myself after that moment, no one who's seen my real face will see anything but that."

"And of course I gave you a neutral answer about Cara." She does what she told him to do and snags a small variety of bottled drinks to place on the cart. "It's the only kind I'm qualified to give. Now shoo! There's a new face upstairs that needs her protein."

Drake heaves a sigh, regardless, having put himself through the wringer over it repeatedly whether or not she opts to. He takes the cart in hand, but delays leaving. "You still need to see Hank. Try everything you can to get this thing fixed." At that, he starts to exit the kitchen with a simple, "I'm goin'."

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License