Not a Date

Participants:

magnes_icon.gif xiulan_icon.gif

Scene Title Not a date!
Synopsis Magnes takes Xiulan to the top of the statue of liberty for an undate.
Date May 5, 2009

Starts in Chinatown, ends up atop the statue of liberty!


It's early in the evening, and Magnes has completely ignored Minea's clothing advice today, because he wants Xiulan to see his personality! He's never gotten the impression that she thought he was immature, so he's not shy at all about wearing his Deadpool colored shirt, though admittedly it's not a bad looking shirt, considering it has no emblems or writing on it, one would have to be a comic fan to get it. He's worn a simple pair of comfortably fitting dark blue jeans, and a pair of moderate quality black sneakers. He refuses to wear expensive shoes on his off time, due to sometimes awkward roof landings.

So here he is, in front of Xiulan's shop, knocking on the door despite it possibly being open. He's even holding a box with some leaf green gift wrapping!

The moment the door opens, a smile graces Xiulan's lips, dark eyes crinkling at the corners as she steps out to give Magnes a one armed hug designed not to crush his box. "Just let me lock up," she murmurs as she releases him and pulls the door closed behind her. "It's been a /slow/ week anyway, so closing up isn't going to kill me." Out comes a key and the shop is locked up securely, or as securely as anything can really be in Chinatown. It is as she turns around and pushes dark hair off her face that she cants her head, glances at the box and smiles wryly. "So do we need to stop for a delivery? And where are your skates?"

"I still skate, but I don't really wanna depend on them to use my power anymore, even if I use it a little better with them. I'm getting used to it." Magnes explains as he holds the gift out to her, smiling. "This is for you, my gifts from Japan. Go ahead, open it."

Inside, if she chooses to open it, are a few thick Chinese translated (From Japanese) romance mangas, and an illustrated book on Japanese tattooing history. "I thought you might like those."
ORDER: It is now your pose.

"For me?" Blinking once, Xiu's smile softens as she takes the box and very carefully goes about the business of unwrapping it. Once it is opened and the books are revealed, her smile broadens, dark eyes twinkling as she leans and brushes a kiss over Magnes' cheek (unless, of course, he dodges). "This is so sweet of you, Magnes, really." Shifting the box in her hands, she pulls out the book of tattoos and thumbs through a couple of pages before carefully closing it. "This will definately come in handy," she admits. It is as the boxed books are settled beneath one arm that she cants her head and asks, "So what is on the agenda tonight?"

"Well, I was thinking, you're probably used to Chinese food, so, I thought you'd like to have a picnic." Magnes' cheeks light up when she kisses him, but he doesn't dodge, he instead turns around and hunches for her to get on his back like many months before when they delivered pizza together. "There's something I've always wanted to do with a girl, and since it'll probably be a long time until I have a girlfriend, I've decided to do it with you, just this once."
ORDER: It is now your pose.

Xiulan's laugh is warm as she shakes her head, one hand resting on Magnes' shoulder as she steps up to hop onto his back. "You know, you have to get a better way of doing this, Magnes. Makes me think we should get a saddle." She does, however, wind her legs around his waist, the arm not craddling the box wrapping loosely about his shoulders. "I have to admit, I kinda of miss the skates. They gave you character, you know?"

"You think so?" Magnes asks in a considering tone. Maybe they'll come back, he never thought of it that way! Grasping Xiulan, then quickly running into an alley, he leaps into the air. WOOSH! They're soaring quite high across the buildings, one of his pizza delivery leaps, not his casual ones. It's almost as if they're flying, but they quickly begin to descend on to a large roof again. "Hold on tight! I really think you're gonna like this."

The kast time Xiulan was airborne, her plane was shot down and she was shot by Humanis First. Of course, Magnes doesn't know that, so he'll attribute her yelp and the tightening of her legs around his waist to excitement, or a more mundane fear. Fortunately, she manages to push the unpleasant memory aside, a burst of laughter spilling from her lips as they hit the roof. "If I could do this, I don't think I would walk, again." The admission is made as she carefully tightens the arm around Magnes' shoulder, dark hair tickling his cheek as she rests her chin on his shoulder in order to get a 'bird's eye' view of the next leap.

"I feel like Superman from the movies, with you here." Magnes makes another running leap, her weight apparently not an issue for him as he purposely takes her over the lights of a busy city street. He basically takes the most eye pleasing route he took the time to map out in his head, and soon they're jumping high above the water.

This is the largest leap, and it's hard to tell where they're gonna land until there's a light clank. The surface is green and coppery, and in front of them is a checkered picnic blanket and a simple wicker basket. Their view is of the horizon of the city and plenty of sea, and it'll quickly become clear that they're definitely on the Statue of Liberty's head.

Slipping down off Magnes' back, Xiulan retains a hold on his arm. For a moment she is both breathless from the leap and stunned with the realization of where they are. Breath returns with a husky laugh as the tattooist releases his arm and turns in place, one arm raising to shield her eyes as she gazes out at the cityscape arrayed before them. "Magnes… this is…" Shaking her head, she's beaming as she turns back to face him, dark eyes obviously shining with delight. "This is just breathtaking," she admits in tones that hold a fair measure of awe. It is as she glances at the picnic blanket that her smile softens, a few careful steps taking her to a seat upon it's surface. "I can guarentee you that you have definately struck on a stellar location to take a girlfriend."

"This is what I imagined doing with you, when I was considering a date." Magnes sits on the blanket across from her, opening the one large lid of the basket. Inside is revealed to be two warm plates of pasta, forks and all, apparently having rushed to get everything set up perfectly. "I made it from scratch, I thought you'd like it. It's clam pasta, just, without the shells, since unlike Mister Panucci, I think it's gross to serve them with the shells."

Accepting the plate and fork, Xiulan settles it on her knee while taking a moment to enjoy the fragrance. It is as she looks back up at his face that she notes in warm tones. "You are doing it with me. Well," *cough* "You know what I mean." Lightly clearing her throat, the tattooist gives a faint shake of her head as she picks up the fork, carefully gathering up a mouthful of food and taking a bite. Again, silence follows as she savors the taste, a soft sigh finally exhaled through her nostrils. "You're acting like I ran off and got married, Magnes. Richard and I are dating, we're not joined permanently at the hip." Setting the fork atop the plate and the plate atop the blanket, she settles her weight on one hip, dark eyes seriously and steadily watching her companions face. "We can still do things together. Until you find the girl that makes your heart go pitterpat. And even then, presuming she's not the insanely jealous type, we can still go out and do things."

"I know we can do things, but, I don't know, Abby gets angry when I do things that seem romantic, while she's not actually interested. Sometimes I don't even know when I'm doing something romantic and she thinks it is." Magnes is oddly not in a bad mood when he explains, he's rather calm, slowly eating his pasta as he watches her. "I thought all girls got angry when they did crazy stuff like this, when the girl isn't interested. But I guess that says a lot about me, doing things even when I'm sure it'll make a girl angry."

"Do I look like I am angry?" Canting her head, Xiulan offers Magnes a quiet smile, her expression serious as she reaches over and lightly touches his hand. "You are who you are, Magnes. There is no shame in having a romantic soul. I think Abby was just worried that if she didn't get angry you would misunderstand the situation." Reaching for her fork, she spears another mouthful of pasta, chewing and swallowing before speaking again. "She's a gentle soul, you know that. Abby wouldn't want to hurt you, even accidentally. But, still, that doesn't mean that all girls get angry. You really shouldn't have that in your head. I mean, when you meet the right woman for you, you'll know. In all honesty, it will probably happen you least expect it, too. You just have to be careful to not let distractions compromise you in the meantime." Speaking of which. "And you have to be much more careful about what you get yourself into. You -know- that Magnes, I know you do. I just don't understand what you are doing at the moment. Or who, for that matter, you are doing it with. And /that/ scares me, and gets me a little angry."

"I still don't understand a lot about women, and I lied when I said I've only kissed one girl. I stayed the night at a woman's house, I was protecting her, and when I woke up she was on top of me, tongue kissing. So, I jumped out of the window." Magnes' cheeks flush, because that was possibly not one of his proudest moments, but he wants it out there in the open. "What I'm doing may be a bit dangerous, but as long as you don't mention it, to anyone, even though I haven't told you much, then I'll be safe. Talking about it is the only thing that could put me in any real danger, I need you to remember that. Soon we'll all be free, I'll make sure of it, I just need you to trust me, I need one person on Earth to have faith in me. Can you do that, Xiulan?"

"Magnes, I -do- have faith in you. But at the same time, -you- have to understand that you are not alone in wanting to make things right. There are lots of people out there who are fighting the same fight. People who can help you." Drawing in a slow breath, Xiu pushes the food around on her plate, a faint frown touching her lips as she slowly shakes her head. "The people who want us all dead are dangerous, Magnes. Heck, most of the people who pretend to want to help us are dangerous. And alot of them are /like/ us. Really, I think you would be much happier steering toward the Justice League rather then doing the solo 'Dark Knight' thing." Apparently, someone has brushed up on her comic book knowledge. "Have you stopped to consider how I will feel, or how Abby will feel if you get hurt because you insist on doing all this alone?"

"Do you know what Phoenix is? I asked Abby to get me in contact with them. I have a plan. It's a very complicated plan, and I haven't worked out all the details, but it'll work, it can't fail. But I need people to keep quiet, that's the only way it'll work, you can't talk." Magnes picks up a clam on his fork, taking small bites out of it before sliding it competely into his mouth, keeping a calm yet serious tone. "I'm in a position where I can make huge changes, but it'll take some time. Xiulan, I may get hurt, but that'd be true no matter what path I take, I'm prepared for it. The moment I realized what my abilities could truly do, I knew my life would never be normal. And since Tokyo, I realized there's a good chance I won't live to see the results of what I do, but I'm gonna try."

"I have heard about Pheonix," Xiulan admits. Course, the rest of what Magnes has to say stirs her to sighing quietly. "Magnes, you can't think like that. Thinking like that leads to trouble, people will get hurt. You will get hurt and depending on who these mysterious people are you are working with? Other people could get hurt, as well. Have you talked to Hiro about this?" Oh. wait. "Why aren't you focusing your attention on finding Hiro? I thought he was your mentor?"

"Kimiko sent me back to America, she said it was best that I didn't stay there. I tried to talk her into letting me stay, but she insisted, and I trust her. She's also my mentor." Magnes reaches over, bolding moving to touch Xiulan's cheek in a comforting manner. "I had to make the best of my situation. If I didn't work for these people, I was going to probably disappear forever because of what happened in Tokyo. It was either work for them, or disappear." Well, they didn't say that, but he guessed. "Don't tell anyone any of this, I mean it, it's dangerous, I can't risk anyone thinking I've told someone anything at all. I'm making the best of this situation, I'm not letting them control my life."

Xiulan sighs. It's one of those sighs that makes it clear that she is aware she is talking to a brick wall. "Be as careful as you can be, please. As for not telling anyone. I will tell one person, but it is someone I trust and someone who can help you if things go sour." And from the look in her eye, it's clear that she's not budging on that score. "But know this Magnes, if you end up getting yourself killed, I am going to end up having a lot of people killed." Heck, she'll find a way to turn the Triad on whoever this mysterious organization is. Failing that, there is always Fedor of the many weapons. "And I am deathly serious about that, Magnes."

"I want you to know one thing, Xiulan." Magnes starts to scoot closer, moving his plate with him so he can be right in front of her face. "If I had a choice, if I didn't screw up in Tokyo, if they weren't going to make me disappear, I wouldn't have joined them. And, I really really don't want you to tell anyone, that could get me killed, but I'll just leave that for you to remember, maybe you'll change your mind."

He seems almost afraid when she seems so determined to tell someone, but his fear quickly turns to confusion at her warning, looking right up into her eyes. "Y-you can have people killed?"

Xiulan actually laughs, although it is a gentle sound. "I wouldn't say /that/," she admits. "I do, however, know alot of people who can make that happen, Magnes." Rolling her shoulders in a slow shrug, she sighs and as she sits up, one hand combing dark hair back off her face. "None of us are innocent anymore, Magnes. You are out trying to do something to put an end to all this, why shouldn't I be?"

"I like to think that you're one of the few innocent people left." Magnes says with disappointment in his tone, though it's hard to say why. "But I guess that's too much to ask, I guess none of us are innocent in one way or another. I've had every bone in my body broken, I was a terrorist for a few days, and now, I don't know." His hand travels, fingers attempting to go into her hair. "I want something to hold on to, let me have this one delusion of you?"

That is a lot to ask. Particularly since Xiulan knows it is a lie. Rather then disappoint him, however, she dips her chin in a single nod of accord, a soft smile touching her lips as she leans in and brushes a light kiss to the corner of his lips. "I care about you, Magnes," she whispers against his cheek. "Please don't ever think that that isn't the case." A sigh whispers against his flesh as she draws back again, dark brows drawn down in an unconcious forrow as she reaches for her fork and pushes at the pasta. "And for what it is worth? Compared to most out there, I am relatively innocent." Of course, she's killed a man with her bare hands, but that was self-defense. Fortunately, she doesn't mention that, it would hardly make things better.

"You know, I did think it was kinda strange that I thought a tattoo artist was squeeky clean." Magnes says with a bit of forced humor, not a fan of the thick air between the two of them. "But you know what? I'm being stupid. I shouldn't be jealous over whatever you do with Cardinal, I shouldn't be jealous of anything. We're alive, we're safe right here in this moment, and you're you, you're Xiulan, you'll always be Xiulan, I won't let my imagination or my bitter regrets mess up a good thing."

"Good, because that would be a shame," Xiulan admits. Glancing up, she offers him another quiet smile, her wait shifting as she stretches out on the roof top. "Besides, I thought you liked Cardinal? He really is a good man, you know." Relxaing on her side atop the blanket, Xiulan rests her cheek on the palm of one hand, dark eyes crinkling at the corners as she studies Magnes' face. "There really is no way to talk you out of doing this is there?"

"I don't trust him, and coming to terms with jealousy doesn't mean I'm not jealous anymore." Magnes answers with a light sigh, though visibly more calm as he begins to place his plate back into the basket, staring down at her. "And it's not that you can't talk me out of this, it's just that there's no safe way out of this. I sold my soul for my freedom, and now all I can do is make the best of it. I'm really sorry, Xiulan, I'd quit in a second, I really would, but there's no way out right now, it's not my choice."

"You could always disappear for a while. They can't kill you if they can't find you. Heck, I could make a black man with very little effort, Magnes. A new identity? Pfft. I can get you all the I.D. you need. Even start up cash if you have some singles on you. You do -not- to need to do this." She does, however, roll to her feet, moving to gather up the blanket and fold it neatly. "Really, if you need to disappear or change who you are, that is easy as you please."

"But I don't want to disappear, Xiulan, I don't wanna run, I don't wanna hide, that's not being free. I could have ran, I could run right now, anywhere in the world, but that's not being free." Magnes takes her plate and places it into the basket as well, picking up the basket while she handles the blanket. "And anyway, they're tracking me, they know where I am all the time, so, yeah. I really didn't wanna talk about this today, I had a completely different motive for bringing you up here."

"Alright," Xiulan concedes quietly. "But if you change your mind, or need to take that route, you let me know. Heck, even Spiderman had a secret identity, Magnes." At his last, Xiulan blinks once, her head canting to the side as she regards him curiously. "Oh?"

"Yeah…" Magnes stops looking her directly in the eye, his boldness quickly fading as his gaze locks on to his shoes. "I s-sorta, um, thought that if I took you on a great date, y-you'd, well…"


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