Photosynthesis Boy

Participants:

cat_icon.gif quinn_icon.gif

Scene Title Photosynthesis Boy
Synopsis Quinn comes seeking advice.
Date September 6, 2010

The Rock Cellar

A comfortable place, located in the basement of 14 East 4th Street. The red brick walls are covered with memorabilia from various icons of rock and places in rock history, creating a feel similar to that of a Hard Rock Cafe.

The left wall has two bars separated by swinging doors which lead to and from the kitchen. Directly across from the entrance is a two foot high stage with all the equipment needed for acts to perform there. The right wall has three doors marked as restrooms: two for use by women and one by men.

Thirty square feet of open space for dancing and standing room is kept between the stage and the comfortable seating placed around tables which fill the remainder of the Cellar.

The lighting here is often kept dim for purposes of ambience, and when performers are onstage the place is loud enough to make conversation difficult. Just inside the door is a podium where location staff check IDs and stamp the hands of those under twenty-one with a substance visible under UV lights at the two bars and by devices the servers carry. On the podium's front is a sign with big black letters that just about explain it all: If You Don't Like Rock 'N' Roll, You're Too Late Now!


Mid afternoon is always a bit of a rush for Robyn Quinn, but today in particular it's a rather hurried day. Such is to be expected when one has to go from one work shift to another, and find time for a very important stop in between all of that. But an important stop it is indeed, and Quinn's made sure to work out her schedule for the day so that she has more than enough time to make sure it happens, even if it means being a little late to Tartarus that evening - Melissa'll understand, she's sure.

The Rock Cellar was becoming a place she was frequenting more and more commonly lately, or at least that's what it felt like. Between meeting a few people, having lunch, and even a few Not A Date dinners, she'd come to really enjoy coming by. Not that it would have been hard in the first place. But this afternoon, her trip to the restaurant/venue is more about a sort of business than anything else, and the sense of purpose she strides in with makes that more than clear to onlookers. Eyes scan over the crowd and patrons, hoping to spot the woman she sought - Cat. Truthfully, she wasn't sure who else to go to for what she had to talk about, so it seemed like as good a bet as anything else.

Finding Cat in this place, if she's present and one seeks her, isn't hard. Her backside occupies a chair at that customary table by the wall in shadows, letting her observe the interior and what occurs without drawing attention to herself, though the fact of it being customary in part defeats the design. There isn't any food before her at present, just a glass of some dark liquid. Probably cola, given the absence of a creamy head which would indicate stout.

On spotting Robyn, one hand lifts as if to beckon her over and for good measure a passing server is dispatched to aid in guiding the Irishwoman.

Quinn doesn't quite spot the beckoning hand, at least not until the server reaches her and her headphones are pulled down from her hears, the sounds of The New Pornographers mingling with the ambient sound around her. Guided over thusly, she gives a small wave to the other woman as she approaches, a bit of a smile on her face. "Hey," she remarks as she approaches Cat's perch, her phone drawn from her pocket and her music turned off. "Just the person I was lookin' for! If you're not terribly busy at the moment, there's a few things I was hopin' t' talk t' you about. Hate t' interrupt anything, though."

"Not at all, Robyn," Cat greets in reply, one hand indicating a seat across from her while the other reaches for the glass. Near her left arm is a book, the cover saying something about English to Greek and Greek to English. Probably a dictionary. Brown eyes settle upon the lightmaker.

"What's on your mind?"

Quinn phone is set down on the table, headphones remaining snug around her neck. "Well, that's good. I hate kinda droppin' in on people, but I didn't know when I'd be able t' come by and…" She trails off waving a hand dismissively. Her smile widens a bit as she looks out into the restaurant, and then back to Cat. "Well, remember how our last talk here was? About music, an'… other matters?" Mostly the Ferry, but she's still never sure exactly where she can come up and say it out loud. "Here about both t'day. Hopin' t' use your studio a bit soon, if able, an' I wanted t'… talk t' about someone, an' you were the first person I thought t' come to."

"Do I remember?" Cat asks with a mild grin. Her voice has a bit of 'hello, have you met me?' tone to it, lightly teasing. Attention is Robyn's, the panmnesiac curious as to the subject. "I'm listening," she prompts. Then the glass is lifted, its contents partly imbibed.

Quinn blinks, as if needing a moment of recognition, and then chuckles, shaking her head. "Fair enough!" she replies mirthfully, relaxing a bit in her seat. "Well… I met someone the other week. Friend a' Magnes', actually, though much too socially nervous t' be nearly as much trouble." She shakes her head at the end, letting out a long sigh. "Anyway, in gettin' t' know him, I've learned some things that…" She glances back out the restaurant again, and then leans back forward just a little bit. "I think it would be best t' at least introduce him t' some folks from the… Sailing Club, I believe is the proper public term I keep hearing?"

The sailing club. Someone's been spending time with Ygraine, this much Cat can tell. Her head cants a bit to the left. "Who is he?" she asks. But beyond that she doesn't use words, the better for letting Quinn tel the tale she believes is unfolding.

"He's a guy about my age, named Linus, plays video games for a livin' or somethin' like that," Quinn begins, leaning back. "He's evolved, an he does stuff with… solar energy, I think it was? I've seen 'im glow, seen 'im melt a car seat, seen 'im warm himself up…" Quinn trails off again, grimacing. "He knows that somethin' like that could be really dangerous. An' he doesn't want t' register 'cause of it either. I was… kinda hopin' we could put him int' contact with someone who might be able t' help him out. Like… leanin' more about his ability so he knows how t' control it or somesuch."

"That's one I've not seen before," Cat remarks quietly, "he draws power directly from the sun? Interesting. I have to wonder, is it needing to understand his ability the man needs, or a place to practice with it safely so he can learn control?" The mind is clearly at work, formulating a battery of questions which would lead to her own understanding of what Linus does.

"Yeah, seems like it. I almost jokin'ly called him Photosynthesis Boy the other day, but apparently it fits more than I thought." There's a worried look on Quinn's face as fingers drum on the table. "So yeah, it seems like he gets ability from the sun. Like Birdman. Or Superman!" One of the few comics references she knows, even if it's somewhat inaccurate. "But went with him int' Midtown the other day, where Colette took me t' practice my ability. We didn't get much done. He's pretty scared about his potential."

"Too afraid to even practice?" Cat asks. "Does he spend most of his time indoors, away from the sun? It'd be effective in restraining the ability, but it's no way to live. Running from himself won't help if a stressful situation comes and he has no practice in managing his talent."

She lets out a slow exhale. "As with so many people, fear is the greatest obstacle. It's wise he respects what he could do, but not so much that he lets the ability rule him, instead of ruling it."

"I don't think he really gets out much, no. Not t' sound, like… mean." Quinn shrugs, propping her elbow on the table and leaning down on her palm. "He tests video games for a livin', an he's kinda… socially awkward. He was at the club I work at the other week and fainted after someone bought him in our date auction, and… he wasn't really comfortable with me until he found out some things about me." She sighs a bit, looking up at Cat.

"I think he just got overwhelmed the other day. He does want t' learn how t' control things better, so he doesn't accidentally hurt someone, I just think he'd be comfortable with someone helpin' him out. Someone who certainly knows more about things like abilities than I do." Her finger taps against her cheek, the Irishwoman looking thoughtful.

"Which would be why you come to me, and my massive memory," Cat replies with a nod. "Where would I find him? I think the trickiest part of this will be inspiring Linus to have confidence. What was it about you that put him more at ease, Robyn?"

After taking another drink, she's quietly speculating further, her demeanor businesslike. "What were the circumstances when you saw him glow, melt things, and raise his body temperature?"

"Siann Hall, in the Bronx," Quinn remarks, fingers still tapping on her cheek. "Not far from Gun Hill, it's where Elaine an' Magnes live now. An' I also came t' you because I thought you might be able t' recommend someone in the Ferry he could talk to. I wasn't sure if you'd actually want to or not." She tilts her head a bit, looking upwards. "He glowed when he was first showing my his ability - it was just his hands, though. The meltin' was… we were in Chinatown, with some moron got us an' some author he knew shot at an' he got really pissed off. The warmin' himself up was in the subway ruins, cause he was cold…"

She sits up a bit, a hint of a blush crossing her face nervously when she realises what the last of question of Cat's she has left to acknowledge is. "Well, um… I figure he's only awkward around women that are actually interested in men," she remarks. "Once he realised that wasn't the case, it was almost like he was an entirely different person."

Silence is kept as the Irish one speaks, painting the verbal picture of Linus and his demonstrations as well as the man himself. "I see," Cat muses, "I doubt he's gay, that would show more as being entirely uninterested, unless he's trying to fake being straight. It could match to his desires for women, making him nervous until he realizes he doesn't have a chance at all, that he doesn't need to worry about making an impression or seeming cool."

Moving onward, she considers his ability. "So when he glowed, that was entirely under his control, I think. Start and stop at will. When he made something melt, that might have been a controlled action, but given his fear of potential and the violent situation it sounds more like an uncontrolled response. Warming himself up, this also may or may not have been voluntary."

As an afterthought, maybe, she adds "I might work with him, or look for someone who can help. But I'm also giving you some suggestions on how to assist the man. He already knows you, after all."

That actually gets a little bit of a laugh from Quinn. "He's definitely not gay. It's… yeah, once he knows he doesn't ahve to make an impression, he's fine. I think he more less said that t' me himself. He was nervous around Elaine, too, until he found out she was seein' Magnes."

Sitting up more properly, she offers a short nod to Cat. "I think warmin' himself up was something he did after thinkin' about it. He was asked if he was cold, an' it came from there. Followin' up on the whole solar energy thing an' all. The car seat he melted… yeah, that's not what he was goin' for. Afterwards he was freakin' out because he could have killed the kid drivin' if he'd been aiming a few inches over and he never meant t' do that. That's one a' the big reasons he's worried, I think."

Her head tilts, quirking an eyebrow at Cat after a moment. "Well, I had planned t' keep helpin' him, so that appreciated. I… he seems set on gettin' someone more… he said "professional" t' talk with, but I've been helpin' him, an' Ygraine went with us to Midtown the other day, since she's been helpin' me out some too."

"We don't really have a person or group of people who help train others as a full occupation," Cat provides, "though perhaps we could, or should. Generally, it's done collaboratively by people much as you've already done. And by talking among each other, sharing ideas, and putting them into practice. If someone's really fortunate we've got another person who does the same or similar things. In his case, we don't."

After taking another drink, she opines "Sounds like the application he was aiming for during the violent encounter needs practice, until he can do it at will without trouble. He seems to have general control over when it's on or off, specific applications under and fine tuning under stress are the issues. I wouldn't call myself a professional power trainer, but I'm fairly decent with breaking things down methodically and coming up with applications. Like getting photos made from my memories."

Quinn gives a slow nod in response. "I still don't know a lotta things like that, so I'm glad I came t' talk to you about it." She rubs her cheek a bit, slouching in her seat. "Hopefully, he'll get more comfortable as we work on it. I know not t' push him to far about it, at least. Particularly not when the first thing he seems t' think about when someone mentions potential is solar flares." Eye close for a moment, and she lets out a relieved sigh. "If you know come across anyone knowledge about that thing besides yourself, pass it on t' me. All the help we can get'll be nice."

Threading hair back behind her ear, she shrugs. "Yeah. It seems like he's got a base hold a' it, which is good. He's just… he's not like me. I like usin' my ability an' think it's cool. When he got overwhelmed the other day, he said he didn't want potential. He just wants t' be Linus. Not the first time he's said somethin' like that. Just need t' get him past scared and more t' understandin', I guess."

"It's not an uncommon thing, people developing mojo and not being comfortable in their own skin," Cat agrees. "I had an easy road of things in that regard. What's not to like about being in college, Ivy League, and suddenly being able to remember everything all five senses picked up on?" She flashes a spreading grin.

That gets another laugh from Quinn. "Kind like bein' an' aspirin' musician an' DJ and finding out you don't need t' outsource for special effects if you ever get famous, I imagine." Quinn's grin almost matches Cat's. "Lord, that must have been nice," she says with another little chuckle, a more serious expression returning to her face afterwards. "I really appreciate your help with this, Cat. I'm sure Linus will too."

"Anytime, Robyn," Cat offers as fingers reach for the glass again. "I'll come knock you up or ring sometime soon about meeting with the man." Especially given Quinn not having said where to find him.


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