A Smoothie From The Future

Participants:

xiulan_icon.gif tallie_icon.gif hiro_icon.gif magnes_icon.gif

Scene Title A Smoothie From The Future
Synopsis What starts out as a pizza delivery goes slightly off track
Date March 21, 2009

Chinatown

Though it's less than two miles square, Chinatown is home to some quarter of a million residents. Cramped, ancient tenements are the norm, though the fourty-four story Confucious Plaza standing at the corner of Bowery and Division does boast luxurious accommodations by comparison. Mulberry Street, Canal Street, and East Broadway are home to streetside green grocers and fishmongers, and Canal Street also boasts an impressive array of Chinese jewelry shops..


As is the norm, Chinatown is bustling with people. From every available nook and corner the calls of merchants, potential buyers and even the assorted chicken can be heard. It is, in short, a feast for the ears. It is also a rather pleasing feast for the eyes. Unfortunately, it is also a feast for the nose. And if anyone has /ever/ been around live chickens? They -know- what I am talking about. At any rate, the afternoon finds Xiulan perched on the stoop of her apartment building. Since she has ordered both pizza and rare inks imported from China? It only seems fair to save the delivery people time and meet them outside. Besides, it's a beautiful day, for New York, and being outside is refreshing.

It's work hours, which means a certain pizza boy is sporting a pair of silver-framed oval glasses. The smells are pretty terrible, but he's been in Chinatown quite a few times, and the smells are almost a welcome reminder that he's still alive, after the harsh past few weeks. He's skating along the sidewalk, dodging people as he holds the large box up defensively a few times, then skids to a halt in front of the woman's stoop. "Your pizza's here, 45 minutes! I made it myself, I hope you enjoy." he says with a smile, writing on the receipt on top of the box, then walks up the stoop to offer the pizza.

It's chilly but sunny so Tallie is wearing just a sweatshirt and jeans, new Nikes on her small feet as she dodges the people that jump out in front of her bike in order to cross the street. She stands out here in Chinatown as she is clearly not a tourist, due to the way she navigates the streets with ease. Her golden curls, today pulled back in a ponytail, reflect the sunlight, the loose little curls almost like a halo around her head and face. She skids to a stop and pulls the bike over the curb, glancing at the delivery boy and then the woman on the stoop, then the address on the apartment building. "Xiulan Song?" Yes, the first name is mangled, by the girl with the New Jersey accent.

Watching the pizza boy zip through the crowd stirs a wry smile to touching Xiulan's lips, the expression going so far as to crinkle the corners of her eyes as she rolls to her feet. By the time he's made it to her stoop, she's already fished cash out of the back pocket of her jeans. "You are here much more quickly then I thought you would be," she notes. The admission, mind, is uttered in quiet tones laced with a thick, albeit understandable accent. Regardless, the pizza is taken with an almost unnoticable and very perfunctuary bow and set aside while the cash is extended forward in it's place. Thirty dollars, more then enough, one hopes to cover the price of the pizza and a sufficient tip. "The change is yours." Pausing a beat, she blinks once, brows furrowing as she slants a glance at Magnes' face and asks. "You make the pizza, too?" Her query, however, is broken by the sound of her name, dark eyes sliding from Magnes to Tallie and finally to the bike. "I am Xiulan Song," she provides. "He," she adds with a tilt of her chin toward Magnes. "Is far too tall to be Xiulan Song." Yes, it was a joke. Yes, it was a lame joke. The fact that she knows that is clear when she clears her throat and attempts to pretend it was not said at all.

"Ah, yes, I make pizza too! I don't make all of it, but I usually make the pizza that I deliver." Magnes answers with a polite smile, usually able to hold it together around a female when he's on the job. Then another one comes, on a bike, and Xiulan makes her joke, which causes his cheeks to suddenly flush. "My name is Magnes J. Varlane." he blurts out for no particular reason. Awkward.
Tallie pulls out a package from her courier bag, and gives a nod toward Xiulan, chuckling. "Well, then, he doesn't get this, and you do," she says and hands the package to the woman. Her oddly colored, steely-blue eyes glance at the boy as he announces his full name. "You're a lawyer moonlighting as a pizza boy?" she asks, teasing him, since the name is so very ostentatious when announced like that. "You forgot the esquire on the end." She's apparently in a cheery mood.
At the impromptu introduction, Xiulan exhales a quiet laugh, one hand raising to cover her lips as she offers Magnes a more formally polite bow. "It is very nice to meet you, Magnes J. Varlane." In attempt to ease his obvious embarassment, she smiles a bit more quietly as she straightens and drops her hand back to her side. "I have never had the opportunity to meet a master pizza-maker before, was it a very difficult art to master?" See? He can puff up, now! From delivery boy to master pizza-maker in the blink of an eye. She does, however, have the presence of mind to take the offered package from Tallie, her eyes lighting at the return address on the label. "Oh, thank you, I've been waiting for days for these to get here." And, just as promptly the package is settled next to the pizza and a tip is fished out of her jeans and passed to the bike courier. "….Lawyer?" Ah, yes, she's just caught up with the conversation and is obviously confused. "Master pizza-make, delivery man, and lawyer? You must be terribly busy.." Or maybe she's not as confused as she pretends.

Magnes smiles at his tip, pocketing the money as he eases up at least a little, but his cheeks appear to be perpetually flushed. "A-ah, well, yes! Mister Panucci taught me for a whole year before he let my pizzas go out, and I had plenty of practice for another year after that. Now I guess I'm pretty experienced, I mean, I can do the dough twirl." He demonstrates with his hands, throwing up an invisible pizza. "And I uh, I'm, you know, not a lawyer…" he uneasily corrects, but tries to keep his smile.
Tallie smiles and nods to Song, a soft murmur passing her lips as she takes the tip and pockets it, heading to her bike as she watches Magnes explain his pizza-twirling mastery. Her eyebrows raise in amusement. "I think she was kidding, skate rat," she tells Magnes with a chuckle. "Most lawyers don't deliver pizzas — or make them — to earn a few extra bucks. Of course, maybe in order to make rent here, with the price of real estate as it is, maybe I'm wrong."
"Twirling dough," Xiulan notes quietly. "Is much more entertaining and dexterous then being a lawyer." At Tallie's comment, Xiulan flashes another smile, her hand unconciously raising to cover her lips as she bobs her head in a nod of agreement. "No doubt life would be far more relaxed if more lawyers made pizzas. At the very least, going to court would be more entertaining."

"I've met a few lawyers, while delivering. They're usually really busy, or if they're the really rich ones, they're having lots of fun. I don't think they'd have the patience for learning to make pizza." Magnes explains, because pizza is Serious Business. He watches Tallie as she approaches her bike again, he never understood the appeal of bikes, then turns to Xiulan again. "Delivering takes a lot of hard work too, you have to really scout the city so you have the best route, unless you want to give away lots of free pizzas." Tallie's comments only seem to make him flush more, for whatever reason. He's just an awkward rag-doll!

Tallie raises her eyes to the sky as the awkward boy tried to impress the pretty Chinese tattoo artist. "Yep. He's got mad skills, all right," she tells Song. She looks about ready to jump on her bike and escape when a Pennywise song, accompanied by a buzz, spills out of her courier bag. She rummages, coming up with a cell phone. She skims what's apparently a text message, then leans against the lamp post to text back.

"I could never deliver pizza then," Xuilan admits. It is as she reaches for the pizza box and flips it open (Large Pepperoni, Extra cheese) that she adds. "I have only been out of Chinatown once or twice. Pizza?" Extending the open box toward both Magnes and Tallie, she affords the pair a welcoming smile while reaffirming her offer with a dip of her chin. "I imagine it would take a very long time to be able to make your way around the entire city without getting lost." Slanting a glance toward Magnes, she adds in more curious tones. "Have you lived here your entire life?" Of course, Tallie's comment stirs Xuilan to cocking her head, her brows furrowing in confusion. "Mad? I do not think that he is angry." Pausing a beat, she slants a glance back at Magnes and adds. "Are you angry, Magnes J. Varlane?"

Magnes bashfully rubs the back of his head when Tallie compliments him, carefully reaching for a slice of the offered pizza as he shakes his head at Xuilan's question. "N-no, I mean, it's just English slang. 'Mad skills' means someone has a lot of skill. I've lived here my whole life though, and are you saying you've lived in Chinatown your whole life?"

The petite blonde smiles and shakes her head at the offering of pizza. "Thank you, no. I'm sure it's masterful and all, but I gotta get to to Greenwich and make my next delivery," she explains. "It was nice meeting both of you." Of course, she didn't tell them her name, so it's not been the most proper of introductions. She climbs back on her bike, and waves.

"Oh…" Filing 'Mad skills' away in her memory, Xiulan dips her chin in a nod before blinking once at Magnes. "My whole life? Oh! No, I grew up in Fuyang Shi in Fuyang Prefecture in China. I have been here for ten years now, however." At Tallie's farwell, Xiulan offers her a polite smile and quick, informal bow. "Very nice to meet you, as well." Setting the box of pizza aside, she slips one out for herself and returns her attention to Magnes.

Magnes, since he hasn't gotten a call for another delivery yet, just takes a seat on the stoop, keeping a few feet between them. Now that it seems more casual than business, his awkwardness becomes more apparently, especially with his constant staring at his skates, and averting his eyes whenever they make eye contact. "C-China? I've never been out of the country before. I could probably visit China if I wanted, but I don't really know the language."

"It took me a very long time to learn english," Xiulan admits. Taking a seat on the stoop, she makes a concious effort not to draw attention to her guest's akwardness. Instead, she draws the pizza box down between them and sets her liberated slice on the cover. "China is beautiful, really. You would like it, I think. I imagine, really, that it is a lot like the United States." Pausing a beat, she frowns faintly before shaking her head. "Well, barring political matters, of course." Wrinkling her nose, Xiulan rolls her shoulders in a slow shrug, her back rounding as she leans forward to settle her elbows on her knees. "Mandarin isn't terribly hard to learn to speak. Reading and writing might be more troublesome, really."

Magnes finally decides to actually eat, taking a small bite as she speaks. "In China, do they force people with abilities to register?" he asks, not exactly well-versed in foreign Evolved politics. "And I've never learned another language before at all, I wouldn't even know where to start." He turns his head to face her, though he still seems to have issues with eye contact. "Mandarin always sounds really fast to me."

Momentarily taken aback by the change in topic, Xiulan blinks once, the tip of her tongue darting out to moisten her lips as she lightly clears her throat and looks away. It is after a pointed moment taken to compose herself that she dips her chin in a nod and slants a glance back at Magnes' face. "President Hu Jintao declared that all children who test positive for the Evolved gene will be required to take part in compulsory military service and education. In China," she adds in serious tones. "Such things usually mean that one is never heard from again. I would imagine," she adds in tones that are considerably quieter in pitch. "That they are killed, or forced to do things untenable." A faint wrinkle of her nose is promptly followed by a shake of her head and a quiet smile. "Learning Mandarin would take time, but once you get used to hearing it, is not so much faster then spoken english."

"Seriously?" Magnes asks with a clear look of shock at China's politics. "And I thought Nathan Petrelli was bad…" He slowly shakes his head, then smiles again, he doesn't want to be a total downer. "Now I think I'm afraid of China." he says with a light chuckle peppered over it, only half-joking to keep the mood from getting too heavy. And why would he be afraid anyway?

"If you were evolved," Xiulan agrees quietly. "The wisest decision you could make would be to leave China." And despite her best efforts to hide it, there is a visible hint of melancholy in her eyes. "But, you are not in China, and all things considered, you have a much brighter future ahead of whether you are evolved or not." Mind you, her voice drops to a near whisper each time she mentions 'Evolved'. It is only belatedly that she cants her head and asks curiously. "Why do you hold President Petrelli in disfavor, Magnes?"

"Well, other than the fact that he's forcing Evolved to register, all of them, even the ones that aren't violent…" Magnes pauses, giving her a long look, the subject momentarily making him forget his awkwardness, and eye contact suddenly becomes possible. "I'm a pizza boy, but I know people, and, well… I know that Nathan Petrelli lied about Manhattan, for personal reasons. He's a selfish person, only out to protect himself and get more power."

"Don't we all lie at some time or another, Magnes?" Truly curious, Xiulan keeps dark eyes on his face, her head tilting as she offers him a reassuring little smile. "What more power can a man have then being President of the United States? It seems to me, and I admit, I could be terribly wrong in my comprehension of the matter… Even so, it seems to me that his efforts concerning registration involving protecting those individuals. Honestly, I have not, as I said early, been out of Chinatown and I do not know if it is true, or not. But how can protecting you from dangerous persons be considered oppressive? Surely," she adds in calmer tones. "You have no desire to be set afire, or worse?"

"But anyone can get a gun, and most people aren't murderers." Magnes calmly defends, not one to usually lose his temper over political views. "And you don't understand, Nathan Petrelli, he lied to protect his brother. His brother is really the one who blew up Manhattan, not Sylar. I've met Sylar and some people who know both Sylar and the president's brother." he explains, appearing absolutely serious about every word. For a pizza boy, he definitely gets around.

Xiulan does not know any of these names and that clearly shows both in her expression and the slow shake of her head. It is in response to Magnes' insistance, that she reaches over and lightly touches the back of his hand. "I do not think that you are being less then honest, Magnes. It was not my intent to make you upset, I assure you." At the mention of Manhattan blowing up, however, her expression darkens, albeit fleetingly. "How do you know this for certain?" she asks with a hint more intensity then she has shown so far. "And who are these people you speak of? Sylar? is a friend to you?"

Magnes shakes his head, cheeks flushing when she touches his hand, but he's otherwise calm, to reassure her of his not-angriness. "Sylar is who Nathan Petrelli, the President, says blew up Manhattan. He's not my friend, but I've met him before, and I know people who know him a lot better than me. He's not innocent, he is a killer, and he's probably the most powerful Evolved on the planet, because he steals powers. If he really blew up Manhattan, he would say so, he has nothing to fear or lose from admitting it. But everyone who's close to the situation says that the President's brother is the one who blew up Manhattan, Peter Petrelli."

Xiulan doesn't know what to say. Truly, she doesn't. And, for a long moment, she can only sit on the stoop blinking in quite earnest shock in response to Magnes. Composure slowly returns, however. At first, it is with a slow moistening of her lips and the lightest clearing of her throat. After a moment or two, it is joined with a slow nod of her head and the pizza box being nudged out of the way as she slides a hair closer to where Magnes sits. It is only once she has lightly curled her fingers around his wrist, if only to be certain that she has his attention, that she notes in tones that are deliberately hushed. "Such things," she notes with enforced calm. "Should probably not be spoken of on the street. If," she adds equally as quietly. "It is all true, this man might take exception to the sharing of his secrets. Honestly, Magnes, I would strongly advise that you make every effort to avoid be-" Pauing a long moment, she stares at him more intently, her brows furrowing further. "Surely you cannot be evolved?" Not and spending time with a power thief…. her mind cannot grasp it.

The blood rushes right to Magnes' head, from a combination of the wrist wrapping, and her getting closer. He tries very hard to keep his mind clear so that he can continue the serious discussion. "I never really thought about that…" he admits, voice dropping to a whisper. "I guess I should be more careful, I don't know what kind of people work for him." He only smiles when she asks if he's Evolved, and he doesn't give her a verbal answer, or even a nod, instead, her body begins to become incredibly light from the touching of his wrist. There's no obvious visible effect, instead she might begin to feel as if there's nothing holding her in her current position, if she were to decide to move. It's truly like sitting on the moon or something. "Does that answer your question?"

"Oh…" Well. Xiulan isn't about to release his wrist when she feels like she might float right off the stoop. Such being the case, her free hand reaches down in an effort to anchor her to the stoop, just to be safe. It is as she does so, that she can't help but laugh, her embarassed smile covered by a duck of her head that paints Magnes' shoulder with a brush of dark hair. "It answers my question quite well, yes." When she looks back up at his face, there is more then a hint of color stirring in own cheeks, a fact that encourages her to clear her throat and take a moment to look away. Composer, after all, is ever so important. It is when she looks back, still slightly pink cheeked that she adds in quiet tones. "You must not meet with this Sylar person alone, Magnes. There are," she says. "Far to few pizza-masters in the world to risk losing one so special as yourself."

"He doesn't know I have an ability, he's a strange person. But, I mean, if you're really worried…" Magnes can't help but indulge her concern, especially when she looks up at him like that, causing him to urgently straighten his glasses. Her weight goes back to normal, and he largely has no idea what to do in this situation, so he just tries to keep talking. "But, one day it might be my duty, as a future hero, to meet Sylar again…" he says, suddenly feeling the need to act a bit manly, as much as it may fail coming from him.

Relief is immediately apparent on Xiulan's features, so much so that she flashes a rare smile without raising a hand to conceal the expression. "Good." It is in response to the possibility of one day having to face Sylar in battle that she wrinkles her nose and offers a more serious nod. "Hopefully, should such an event come to pass, you will not find yourself facing him alone. I do not," she adds as an after thought. "Understand why you might have to face him, however. Did you not say that it was the President's brother who caused the explosion? Have you considered getting word to the newspapers?" Pausing a beat, she asks belatedly. "You have proof of this, I assume? Not merely this Sylar's word for it?" Noticing the straightening of the glasses, her smile softens and assures. "I have no doubt you will make a fine hero, Magnes. Particularly since you have managed to ferret out so much already." Another pause follows before she asks quietly. "Do you mind if I ask how much this man, Sylar, knows of you?"

"Well, I don't think I'll have to face him, but it's always a possibility. What I really want to do is make him a good person. Someone very close to him says that the reason he kills might be a side effect of his power." Magnes explains, staring down at her hand on his wrist again, then averts his eyes from it, which move to her eyes, an even more awkward thing to stare at, so he just ends up staring at the sky. "I wondered that about the people who tell me these things, but it's not really something I could prove. I mean, I'm sure someone else could, but I'm just a small part of all this. And as far as Sylar is concerned, I don't think he's someone you can simply arrest. He doesn't really know much about me, well, I don't think he does, he has my number. But, recently I learned that people seem to know who I am, I even met a guy who said he was supposed to assassinate me."
Public> Eliot whistles, just makes Zoe's life worse and worse and worse and worse.

"He has your…. number?" Taking a moment to translate that, Xiulan blinks once, dark eyes abruptly widening. "You gave this man your phone number? Your cellphone, yes? I mean, if it is your home number, he could use that to track you to your address, Magnes." That she knows that? Well, she's not making a big deal of that. It is at the last, that Xiulan is rendered momentarily speechless, her mouth opening and closing a few times before she clears her throat and moistens her lips. "Who… Who are you associating with that you have an assassin looking for you, Magnes?"

"Yeah, my cellphone." Magnes assures, he does have some survival instinct. He goes quiet at her question though, he's honestly not sure how to answer. "I really don't know, I mean, I meet a lot of people either Evolved or connected with Evolved, but it's like, I don't know how anything fits in. I can't even begin to figure out why someone got hired to kill me. I mean, I am just a pizza boy in the end."

"An evolved pizza boy who knows Sylar, knows the president is lying and knows the names of other evolved…." Falling silent a beat, Xiulan gives Magnes a long, pointed look, her expression serious. "I think it is high time you accepted that you are far more then just a pizza boy, Magnes." And, to emphasis her point, the hand on his wrist gives a little squeeze before drawing back to rest on her own knee. "Really, the only advice I can offer you is common sense. I am, as I said, very sheltered from the outside world here. Even so, it behooves you to take a long, hard look at your situation. Just from this one conversation, it is clear to me that you are being guided, for good or ill, either by fate or persons unknown, toward some measure of participation in the events currently unfurling before you. The only person, in the end of things, who will look out for your own best interest is you. So take stock, look at what and who you know and see how all the pieces of your puzzle fit together."

Magnes just takes a deep breath, suddenly laying back on the stoop as he slips into deep thought, gazing up at the few clouds in the sky. "You sure give a guy a lot to think about on the first meeting." he jokes, snickering while obviously trying to hide the weight of his situation. He'd really never given things that much thought. "I have two questions. What's your name again? And um, do you really believe everything I'm saying? Because I know it sounds a bit crazy, and I haven't even told you some of the really strange parts…"

Laughing quietly, Xiulan turns on the stoop to face his side, dark eyes crinkling at the corners. "Xiulan," she affords. "And yes, I believe you, Magnes. I am, however, curious as to why you would think it sounds crazy? We do have evolved in China, after all." Crossing her ankles, she tucks them on the step beneath her, her head tilting as she rests her elbow on the step above. "If I gave you any indication that I did not believe you, it was purely unintentional."

"You haven't, I guess it just sounds unbelievable to me, so I wouldn't blame someone for not believing me." Magnes says as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out an issue of 9th Wonders #14. Where does he keep getting those things? How many of them does he actually have? Who knows. He holds it out to her so he can look it over. "The guy in that, Hiro Nakamura? I learned a few days ago that he's a real person, so is Ando, but apparently Ando is dead. Lately I've been trying to find proof that Hiro exists, I saw him only once, and I don't know how to find him again. I had someone look up Yamagato Industries, and while the company exists, there's no record of Hiro Nakamura. Don't you think it's strange? You know, that these comic characters are real? And it's not just the name, the real Hiro controls space and time too, at least that's what they seemed to be saying."

Sitting up slowly, Xiulan takes the comic book and rests it carefully on her knees. For a few long moments she is silent, just flipping through the pages of the book before finally glancing back up at Magnes. "But you said there was no record of Hiro Nakamura at Yamagato Industries?" Frowning faintly, she gives a faint shake of her head, her nose wrinkling as she glances back down to the book. "I suppose he could have done something in the past in an attempt to protect his identity." Considering a moment, she finally gives a faint shake of her head, noting frankly. "Why do want to get in touch with him? Is he looking for this Sylar?" Nibbling her lip, she returns her attention to Magnes and asks pointedly. "Have you seen yourself in any of these books?"

"I haven't. See, the Hiro I saw was 'Badass Future Hiro', he comes from a few years in the future in one of the issues. So what I've more or less figured out is that these comics take place a few years in the past." Magnes explains, sitting up again so he can look too, though he makes no real effort to get closer. "I'm not sure how many years exactly, but it was before the Manhattan thing, I think, and that was before I became a pizza boy and stuff. But um, to answer your question, no, I've never seen myself."

With Magnes sitting up to get a better look at the book opened on her knees, Xiulan scoots close enough for them both to have an easy view of the pages. It is in response to his last, that she glances up and offers a quietly reassuring smile. "I wouldn't fret about not seeing yourself in the comic, Magnes. I mean, if this happens in the past, then you have years before the book gets to the present." Yes, she's desperately trying to make it all alright that he's not in the book. "Who knows, maybe one day another evolved pizza boy," Yes, she said another evolved pizza boy. "Will be sitting on a stoop trying to convince a girl he's just met that he isn't crazy?" It's a thought. And she's teasing, that much is clear from the pointedly impish grin she tosses in the wake of her words.

"Well, see, that's an old issue, years old, the creator of the book, Isaac Mendez, he's dead." Magnes' eyes suddenly widen with enlightenment, swallowing hard and boldly… reaching over into her personal space to turn the pages! "Maybe if I can somehow learn more about Isaac Mendez, I'll get some answers." Hey, he's a few years late on the 'Let's find Mister E-Sock' train, but he's getting somewhere!

"But, you said he was dead," Xiulan points out. "What do you expect to find out about him?" When he reaches for the pages of the book, she leans back out of his way, her elbows resting on the stoop above her. It is amidst the frantic page turning, that she points out quietly. "Wouldn't it be wiser to turn your attention toward making your own future instead of seeking out someone to do it for you? Really," she adds as she shifts and places a stilling hand on his arm. "He is dead, his books are written, what comes next is probably being chronicled by someone else, if at all."

Names spoken in public tend to attract attention. Isaac Mendez is one of those names. So it is that a dark-clothed and familiar looking Japanese man (thankfully having left his sword at 'home', wherever that may be at the moment) walks up behind Magnes where he sits. The man has a cup from which he calmly sucks strawberry smoothy through a straw. Briefly his eyes go toward the girl who sits with Magnes, but aside from that he goes to work staring at the back of the young man's head.

Magnes is occupying himself with the book for a while, not realizing anything strange behind him yet. "But you don't get it, this is Hiro Nakamura, if anyone can teach me how to save the world and be a hero, it's him. It's like learning that Superman exists, or Batman or something." he explains, before the hairs stand up on the back of his neck, and he looks behind him. "Oh crap! It's you! Look, hurry up!" he urgently sits up and points in Hiro's direction for Xiulan to see. Apparently he expects Hiro to just suddenly fade.

Considering her background, Xiulan has learned over the course of her life to be at least marginally aware of being approached. Mind you, the approacher sipping on a smoothy makes noticing ever so much easier. So it is that when she looks up, and she does look up, she is reduced to mere blinking for a moment before glancing back down at the comic book. "He doesn't have a beard in the comic," she points out. Hey, what would -you- say. At any rate, she is promptly and unceremoniously pulling Magnes to feet and nudging him in a polite bow of greeting. "Manners," she points out in a whispered aside. "Are important, Magnes." Especially when meeting 'Batman', apparently.

Hiro seems content to watch the exciteable young man and his friend for a moment still, calm as anything. Casually he looks over his shoulder, perhaps to make sure there's nobody approaching from his own rear, and then invites himself to pull up a seat and sit next to Magnes. Still without a word, Hiro sets his smoothie down on the table and reaches over to calmly take the issue of Ninth Wonders from Magnes before he asks, "Which one is this? Oh." The first one he saw. The one he took back to Tokyo with him to prove to Ando this was all real. With the manga laid out flat on the tabletop he casually slides it back toward Magnes and says, "Please try not to talk too loudly about Isaac Mendez in public. He still has art out there that hasn't come to pass yet. The wrong people get very excited about it."

Magnes just follows Xiulan's bowing instructions, the situation is a bit too shocking to protest, and then Hiro actually starts talking. "What are you talking about?" he asks, finally managing to say something, and clearly confused. "Come to pass? You mean like, tell the future?"

And to think, all this started out with the harmless act of ordering a pizza. Perhaps, Xiulan is forced to admit, her father was right to keep her safetly ensconced in Chinatown. Apparently, the world outside has gotten far stranger then she might have imagined. Enough so that it seems to be spilling over into her own tidy little existence. Course, Magnes' brain seems to be stuttering and she nudges him gently in the shin. "You should ask about the wisdom of associating with Sylar, Magnes. Or perhaps, about the President's brother." And yes, she is making a point to keep her voice low pitched. Pausing a beat, she belated glances at Hiro and asks, "Would you like pizza?" They have almost an entire pepperoni pizza with them.

"Mm hmm." answers Hiro to Magnes. That's what he meant by 'come to pass' all right. The Japanese man looks to Xiulan and says, "I wasn't trying to take your pizza. But I'm honored at the invitation so, thank you." He very studiously says nothing about Sylar or the President's brother. Or the President for that matter. Instead he chooses the slice he thinks is smallest and takes it. Pizza. Woohoo.

"Please tell us something, I have to find out about my fate, or destiny, or something, I don't know! You're like Batman, you can tell me what to do!" says the guy in the Robin shirt, completely neglecting the pizza in his hand. Then, Magnes eyes the smoothie, then Xiulan, then the smoothie again. "Is that… a smoothie from the future…?"
"

Oh…./lord/. Xiulan looks torn between expiring on the spot and bursting out laughing. Instead, she opts for stepping forward and leaning her hands on the edge of the table. Very seriously, she looks from Magnes to Hiro to the comic book and back to Hiro. "I understand that herioc naivete worked out splendidly for you, but I must, most respectfully ask, that you explain to Magnes why he should not be doing things like having chats with, or giving his phone number to, people like this Sylar man. After that? Feel free to wax back into the mysterious man from the future." Because frankly, she looks -nothing- like Ando and really, -really- would prefer not to be put in the position to have to follow Magnes around chanting 'remember, thou art mortal'.

Between the two of them, Hiro blinks several times and looks up. And looks around. Do you know what he's looking for? HE'S LOOKING FOR CAMERAS. Because this is about the sort of thing that would be set up on a gameshow back in Japan. He's seen a million of them and they're all just about this crazy. When his attention is back to the others and he's reasonably sure this isn't a joke, Hiro looks to Magnes and asks, "You gave Sylar your phone number?" As if that was the most galactically stupid thing he's ever heard of. "What're…are you insane?" He asks Xiulan, "Is he insane?" Hopefully she'd know.

"But he's not gonna hurt me or anything! And it was only my cellphone. He doesn't know I have an ability, so he has no reason to kill me, plus…" Magnes takes a deep breath, still a bit overwhelmed, and still occasionally eyeing the smoothie. Is that what smoothies are like in the future? And how far into the future? If only these questions were urgent enough to actually ask… "I explained to Sylar, and showed him a few books, about why his issue is likely similar to Galactus. I think he's probably having doubts about what he's doing, and he'll eventually change his ways. And anyway, you're not the only person who's a master of a fundamental force of the universe." he points out, apparently wanting to impress Hiro, because… well let's not question his reasons.

"No," Xiulan sighs quietly. "He isn't insane. He is a young man with a very heroic soul who has taken gifts as a sign that is he meant to do something for humanity. All in all," she adds in matter of fact tones. "A very noble and worthwhile pursuit. Granted, it seems to be have been sorely lacking in wisdom and cautious planning, as yet." And yes, she slants a pointed look at Magnes then can't help but smile. "He is," She notes as she looks back at Hiro and quite pointedly slids the comic book back toward him. "Very much like the hero in this comic book." And then Magnes goes on about Sylar not hurting him and she casts Hiro a pointedly entreating look. "Please, talk to him. I don't think I care to have another pizza delivery guy." See? Galactus… "Do /something/."

The more Magnes talks, the more worried Hiro looks. And a little embarassed. Because part of him can't help but think with icy dread, 'This was me, once.' It's almost got hiro speechless, because it's about all he can do to raise a hand and say, "Slow down. Let me see if I can help you a little bit." He holds up one finger, "I do not know your future. I do not know my future. I haven't looked. I'm not going to look. It's a bad idea." Holds up another finger, "This smoothie is from the past, not the future. As far as I know there are no smoothies in the future." How he can say that with a straight face amazes even him, because he IS jerking a chain there. Third finger, "Sylar is dangerous. I watched him kill his own mother. Anyone that would kill their own mother will kill anybody. Do not give this person anything of yours, not your phone number, not advice, anything." Fourth finger, "Who are you? I met you passing, we weren't introduced. I don't know who your friend is, and she's right. Good manners are important. I am Hiro Nakamura. Who are you?" They both know who he is, obviously.

Magnes' face just completely flushes, and he looks down trying to hide it from both of them. Xiulan really knows how to embarrass a guy! He doesn't even comment on a word she says, or look at her, he instead barely looks over at Hiro to respond. "A-ah, um, alright, but Sylar honestly doesn't seem that bad, I think he can change, someone told me that he might only be the way he is because of his power. And, my name is Magnes J. Varlane."

"Xiulan Song," is offered promptly and not without a fair measure of embarassment over having failed to say that sooner. She does, however, slant a glance at Magnes in response to his defense of Sylar, noting in quietly reasonably tones. "But this man actually /knows/ him and has seen what is about, Magnes. Listen, at least, to what he might have to say to you?"

If Hiro were going to argue with anyone about Sylar it wouldn't be a stranger. For all he knows this person IS Sylar in some complicated disguise. Perhaps using some stolen power of illusion. That possibility is not dismissed out of hand. "Also, I am not like Batman. I'm more like Barry Allen. Only without superspeed, and I don't need a Cosmic Treadmill." Had to get that one out there. "If you want to discover for yourself what Sylar is capable of, I will not interfere with your destiny. But if I ever see him again I will take his head from his body." Simple, direct. No qualifications to it. And Hiro tries the pizza. "Mm. S'good pizza."

"I won't go near Sylar alone, unless I just happen to come across him, or it's in a public place." Magnes decides to compromise, sighing as he watches Hiro eat pizza. Watching one of your heroes eat pizza is strangely disillusioning, even for a pizza boy. "Oh, um, I made that. But can I ask you to do something for me? And um, Xiulan, please don't be alarmed by this." He suddenly draws his hand back, makes a fist, then sends it on a collision course with Hiro's face.
"

"It is good, isn't it?" Slanting a glance at Magnes she indicates him with an upward tilt of her chin. "Magnes is a master pizza-maker." Of course, she's less then pleased with the 'not interfering with Magnes' destiny thing', that much is certain from the mildly disapproving purse of her lips. Course, Magnes' relents, at least partially and then swings a punch? Don't be alarmed? She's totally alarmed, so much so that she makes a squeak of dismay around about the time that Magnes' eyes turn a bright shade of very opaque fuschia. Now, on the upside, it's a very pretty shade of pink. On the downside, it's opaque and he can't see through it. So, he's effectively blinded, for the moment. And I say for the moment only because a split second later she rethinks her decision and takes it away. Yay! Sight again. Course, he was momentary blinded, which has to suck for the punching thing. Course, this is all happening very fast, time controller not accounted for, so it might go unnoticed. Or! Hey, maybe Hiro has developed the ability to blind his opponents? That's it, Hiro did it!

There's something to be said for having your guard up. When Hiro is in public, his guard is always up. Thanks to Magnes acting like he's been acting that guard is about half devoted just to what he's doing. Because in spite of what Xiulan said Hiro still thinks the guy is insane. Not to mention the punch from Magnes is telegraphed like whoa. Quite without any supernatural skills or powers Hiro raises his hand and snatches Mags by the wrist and turns, hauling Magnes over the table and half the pizza with his own punch. His own slice of pizza still hanging out of his mouth, Hiro brings his other hand down to secure Mags' elbow while he handily locks the younger man's arm up behind him in a bent armbar. The pizza gets spit out, to the side so as not to get it on Xiulan. "All right." he declares. "That's enough." He looks over Magnes' back toward Xiulan and says, "I apologize. I know he probably means well, but he needs to learn some very hard lessons."

"Ah!" Magnes yelps when he's secured on to the table, groaning from being held in an armbar. That was not the way that was supposed to go. "W-wait! You don't have to hold me down or anything, I just wanted to see if you'd do that squinty thing and stop time! Do you really think I'd try to fight a guy who controls time and space?" he asks, keeping his voice mostly low now, straining against Hiro's grip. He lowers gravity, sadly for both of them, being unable to control lowering weight for something unless he's also lowering it for himself. He's never actually tried this before, so he has no idea what the effect of lowering gravity and struggling against someone who's got him in an armbar will do. "That really hurts…"
Public> Blake has joined this channel.

Hiro does his thing, and while he's not Chinese, it's still more then impressive enough to stir a measure of appreciation in Xiulan. It's the apology that stirs her to dipping her chin in understanding, even as she turns her attention down to where Magnes is sprawled. "Are you alright, Magnes?" Of course he is, the takedown was done to restrain rather then seriously injure, she knows that. The response could have been /so/ much worse. Unfortunately, Magnes is still struggling and that does not bode well. "Just go limp, Magnes. Relax, you will be fine." Of course, she shoots a look up at Hiro that is clearly asking for confirmation. He -will- be fine, yes? "He isn't dangerous Mister Nakamura, honestly."

"It's supposed to hurt." Hiro says clinically, letting up on the pressure just enough to make sure nothing's going to get broken. He's already gotten to his feet to complete the maneuver and doesn't really want to hurt the guy, but something's got to get his attention. He gives Xiulan a nod that silently confirms what she's asking him. "Listen to me very carefully. You are being a jerk. Stop being a jerk. I am not here to put on a show or cause a scene, but what we are doing right now is definitely causing a scene. Now I will let you go and I want you to sit down and try to remember how you would feel if somebody tried to punch you in the face. I do not have to squint my eyes for anything if I don't want to." With that he lets Magnes go and backs away.

Magnes sighs, gravity quickly reverting when everything seems to be fine, then he takes his seat. "I'm sorry, I guess it's kind of like if you met Superman, wouldn't you wanna hit him over the head with a lead pipe?" he asks, his question one hundred percent serious. "I'm fine, but um, is it me or did I go blind for a second?"

Ahem. Rather then respond to the question, at least right away, Xiulan steps over and brushes her hand over Magnes' shoulder. While it might feel like a gesture of reassurance, she's actually making certain nothing was sprained or dislocated. It is at that, as she leans over and picks up his comic book, that she murmurs quietly. "That was me, my apologies." That said, the book is settled on the table and she glances between the two males. "If you will speak with one another calmly, I would be happy to go and fetch a pot of green tea."

"I felt a little weird myself. What was that?" The weight thing. Hiro noticed it but it became more apparent after it let up than when it first took effect. Somehow becoming heavier makes more an impact on him than becoming lighter. He remains standing, but inclines his head to Xiulan and says, "That would be nice but I shouldn't stay. Thank you though." People always start looking when someone starts tussling. And Hiro really doesn't like being looked at by lots of strangers at once. "Listen," he says to Magnes, "the man who took me to get you the other night. Talk to him. He can contact me by phone. If you arrange a time and place that you would like to talk, I'll meet you and answer your questions. But you have to stop acting on impulse like this. Think about what you're doing before you do it. All right?"

Magnes nods, cheeks returning to red as Xiulan brushes her hand over his shoulder. He apparently wants tea, and is a bit curious about the blindness, but he's unable to say anything to her yet. Damned throat lump! "A-ah, that was me. I'm uh, a gravity guy. I guess I'm the planet and you're time?" he asks, laughing at his question. Hopefully he can make the mood lighter again! "Oh, that guy who knows Abby. Alright, can you give me his number?" And finally, to the advice about being impulsive, he adds, "Yes sir!"

You could measure volumes in the sigh of relief that Xiulan exhales when Magnes agress with Hiro about being less impulsive. It is with a very heartfelt thanks that she inclines her head to Hiro in a show of thanks. "It was very nice to meet you, Mister Nakamura." Bestowing a gentle squeeze to Magnes' shoulder she steps away and moves toward the front door. "I'll fetch you some tea, Magnes, while the two of you make your arrangements." And with that said, she slips inside.

When Xiulan takes her leave, Hiro glances after her and tells Magnes, "Yes, the guy who knows Abby. I don't know his number. I thought you'd know. Or ask Cat. She knows me." He pauses, then jerks his head over his shoulder in the direction of Xiu to tell Mags, "She's cute. Ask her out."

"W-what?!" Magnes' brain is thrown for a loop. Time travel, girls who can blind for some reason, his own gravity manipulation, hell, comics that tell the future, all plausible concepts… but asking a girl out?! Truly Hiro Nakamura is absolutely insane! "B-but, I mean, we just met, er, not that, I mean, you know, the pizza, and, what?" he stammers, who knows just what he's trying to say. Did Hiro Nakamura, the guy from the comic books, really just say that?

It's so much easier to suggest it to other guys, that they should go make the first move. But with Hiro there's reason. "You heard me." he says, "Trust me. You have no idea how much time either one of you has left in the world. Make the most of it. She might be good for you." Taking one step back, Hiro fades into no longer being there. The nice thing about his ability is that when he does that it usually does the OPPOSITE of causing a scene. People that see it and notice tend to rationalize anything at all in their heads rather than admit they just saw a guy vanish before their eyes.

And, as Hiro fades out, Xiulan steps back out of the building with a tray bearing a steaming pot of tea, two cups and some sugar and lemon. It is as she sets it on the table and glances about that she asks, "He's left? Did you work everything out?" Slipping into one of the empty chairs, she goes about the business of pouring tea while affording Magnes the time to pull himself together.

"Sort of, this was totally surreal…" Magnes says with a sigh, hunching over while waiting for his tea. Hiro's words and his suggestion still ring through the delivery boy's ears. Does Hiro have future insight on these two? And what about Abby? What is going on! "What would you do if a time traveler might be hinting at things like future relationships or who you're gonna marry, then tells you to ask her out?" Yes, he's reading way too much into what Hiro said.

"Um." Xiulan really doesn't know how to answer /that/. Instead, she sets Magnes' tea in front of him and turns her attention to adding a bit of lemon to her own. It is only once she has her cup settled between her palms that she cants her head, smiles wryly and finally asks. "What are you talking about, Magnes?"

"O-oh, nothing! I was just wondering, that's all." Magnes stares into his tea, then takes a sip, staring into it. That's when, in a possible moment of insanity, he decides to say, "H-he told me to ask you out, but see, there's this girl I like, so I can't really do that. I mean, she doesn't like me or anything, but I mean…"

Blinking once, Xiulan raises her cup to her lips and takes a slow sip while she listens. When Magnes has finished stammering out his response, she smiles and gives a faint shake of her head. "It is quite alright, Magnes, you do not have to ask me out just because a man from the future told you to. I mean, frankly, I would prefer to think that if you intended to ask me out, it would not be because Hiro thinks you should. Not that I do not appreciate his suggestion, but even so."

Magnes looks over at her from behind his glass, realizing that this is the longest and most eventful delivery he's ever done in his life. "If I did ask you out, like, totally hypothetically, what would you say?" he asks, hiding his bashful expression behind the cup.

Still holding her own cup, Xiulan arches a brow as she takes another slow sip. It is as she lowers the cup part way to the table, that she notes frankly. "I would say that if you are only asking me out because Hiro told you to? You should start running. Otherwise," she adds as she sets the cup on the table. "I would ask where it was you wanted to go."

Magnes lowers his cup now, clearly surprised, straightening his glasses. "Wow, I hypothetically asked a girl out and she said yes! Awesome!" This, for him, is an accomplishment. "Oh, hey, how exactly did you make me blind?" he asks, voice a bit lower for this.

Shaking her head, Xiulan exhales a quiet laugh, her expression turning more serious the moment he asks about her power. It is only after she has glanced about the immediate area that she leans forward and answers in hushed tones. "No one, absolutely no one knows that I am evolved, Magnes. Please, be very careful about who you might tell?" She has reasons, after all, for keeping her secrets. She does, however, extend one hand, gesturing for his arm. "I am a Chromokinetic, here, I'll show you?"

Magnes is, well, he'd be surprised, but the immediate meaning of chromokinetic escapes him at the moment. Does she make things into chrome? Well, he's gonna find out soon enough as he offers his arm to her. "I promise not to tell."

"I would appreciate that," Xiulan admits. Curling her fingers around his wrist, she smiles faintly and glances up at his face. "Do you like dragones?" As she asks the question, her hand gripping his wrist, grows warm, the warmth staying just this side of painful. "I think," she notes as she tilts her head to oneside. "Green might suit you best." Her words are coupled with a faint prickling of his flesh and, when she draws her hand away from his wrist, there is a very small, very ornate tattoo of a Chinese dragon on his inner wrist. "Chromokinetic," she repeats matter of factly.

Magnes winces as she works, not quite sure what it is exactly she's doing. Then, her hand moves away, and there's a dragon on his wrist. "Holy crap! Is that… a tattoo? Like, it's a real tattoo?" he asks, half wondering if it's permanent, half thinking 'holy shit I have a tattoo!'

Grinning, Xiulan dips her chin in a nod as she leans back in her chair. "It is a tattoo and it is very real. Of course, I can remove it just as easily, if you prefer not to have your flesh adorned." Pausing a beat, she moistens her lips, lightly clearing her throat before adding. "Be cautious when you show it about? It would be better that you not mention my name, unless the person recognizes my work." Why? She doesn't say.

"I'm sorta conflicted…" Magnes admits, leaning forward to take a closer look at the tattoo. "I think it's totally awesome, but I'm not sure if I should have a tattoo. But, I don't really want an awesome piece of art to go away forever…"

Exhaling a laugh, Xiulan shakes her head, her smile quietly understanding. "Live with it for a few days, if you decide you would rather not have it, I can remove it and transfer the work to something else." She is very reasonable about such things. She does, however, roll to her feet and stretch slowly. "I am afraid I have to excuse myself, however, I have work I have yet to do." Gathering up the tea service, she takes a small white business card off the tray and sets in front of him. Upon the card it says - Xiulan Song - Green Dragon tattoo and her number. "Call me, if you like, or stop by, I am usually to be found in the area." Pausing a beat, she extends her hand, offering a politely friendly bow. "It was very nice meeting you, Magnes and I hope to have the opportunity, again."


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