Taking A Stroll

Participants:

adam_icon.gif amy_icon.gif

Scene Title Taking a Stroll
Synopsis A stroll through the park, involving hats, sunglasses and meditation.
Date May 28, 2009

Central Park

Central Park has been, and remains, a key attraction in New York City, both for tourists and local residents. Though slightly smaller, approximately 100 acres at its southern end scarred by and still recovering from the explosion, the vast northern regions of the park remain intact.

An array of paths and tracks wind their way through stands of trees and swathes of grass, frequented by joggers, bikers, dog-walkers, and horsemen alike. Flowerbeds, tended gardens, and sheltered conservatories provide a wide array of colorful plants; the sheer size of the park, along with a designated wildlife sanctuary add a wide variety of fauna to the park's visitor list. Several ponds and lakes, as well as the massive Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, break up the expanses of green and growing things. There are roads, for those who prefer to drive through; numerous playgrounds for children dot the landscape.

Many are the people who come to the Park - painters, birdwatchers, musicians, and rock climbers. Others come for the shows; the New York Shakespeare Festival at the Delacorte Theater, the annual outdoor concert of the New York Philharmonic on the Great Lawn, the summer performances of the Metropolitan Opera, and many other smaller performing groups besides. They come to ice-skate on the rink, to ride on the Central Park Carousel, to view the many, many statues scattered about the park.

Some of the southern end of the park remains buried beneath rubble. Some of it still looks worn and torn, struggling to come back from the edge of destruction despite everything the crews of landscapers can do. The Wollman Rink has not been rebuilt; the Central Park Wildlife Center remains very much a work in progress, but is not wholly a loss. Someday, this portion of Central Park just might be restored fully to its prior state


Adam didn't tell Amy what they were going to be doing today. In fact, he hasn't been the most present person ever since they got back from Japan. He still checks up now and again, but hasn't made a lot of time. Until today, he told Amy to dress comfortably and that they were going for a trip and eventually, they end up in Manhattan in the outskirts of the Central Park, along the avenue where vendors who sell various knick knacks and tourist souvenoirs have reinstalled themselves since Times Square is no longer…well, habitable.

Amy had been busy, nonetheless. Fighting off jetlag, talking with her parents through her cellphone as well as just generally enjoying being back home. That said, spending time together with Adam always seems to put her in a weird sort of mood, and this time is no exception. Indeed, she is often seen with a slightly worried look on her face while at other times, she seems to be enjoying herself and her friendship with the man. Today, the latter was the case. Of course, nothing will put her in a good mood better than a stroll through what parts of Central Park that remain green and beautiful. For Amy, dressing comfortably means dressing in her usual garb; sneakers, jeans or cargo pants(jeans today) as well as a simple hoodie, or t-shirt if the weather allows. "To be honest, I'm glad at least this much of Central Park remains fine…" she says, making conversation.

Adam nods distractedly, "Yes." he says, "It's very nice…one of those few bastions of nature left in the concrete jungle." then he pauses at a hat vendor. He considers the man's wares carefully and then picks up a beach hat, certainly something more fitting for a windy bright sunny place than New York City. Still, he says, "Come here." and puts the hat right upon her head. "Oh, that's adorable." he says as her youthful features are framed by the floppy hat.

Amy never really was much of a hat person, and blinks a little when that hat is placed so suddenly on her head. Another blink, and her hands come up to correct the hat, trying to make it sit more comfortably upon her. "You think?" she says, having a bit of trouble keeping her hands away from the thing, as they keep itching towards it. "I always kind of thought hats like this don't go too well with my choice of style. Or lack of it, if you will…" She smirks a little.

Adam shrugs a bit, "Who cares. You look adorable, it frames your face perfectly." he turns to the vendor, eyeing for a moment and asks him, "Where are you from?" when the answer of "Kenya" is given in a deeply accented English, Adam lights up. He starts to speak in a foreign language. Slow, broken, but attempting. The other man lights up as well and begins speaking quickly. It's readily apparent, however, that Adam is no match for the native, but the man laughs and eventually, "Alright my friend, alright. 10 dollars for the hat." Adam agrees and pays the man before he moves on. He turns to Amy, "I've been learning some Swahili." he explains.

Amy corrects the hat a little more, while watching the haggling duel go on until Adam turns back to her, a bit of wonder in her face. "So I noticed. Must be a big help to know many languages, right?" she says, while offering the man an impish grin. "One of my goals has always been kind of silly. I someday want to learn a third language just for the cause of being trilingual. I was thinking either Spanish, Mandarin or maybe Japanese."

Adam nods approvingly, "It's always good to know as many languages as possible. In fact, I plan on learning Spanish and Mandarin after I get a good grip on Swahili." he pauses, "If you want, I can always teach you some Japanese. Though, there's this computer program I've gotten recently called 'Rosetta Stone', it's amazing. It's almost as good as total immersion." before he stops at a cart with sunglasses. He pauses and tries on a pair of mirrored shades, turning to Amy, "What do you think?"

Amy's eyes light up a little when a mention of a computer program. Seems such thing is always of interest to her. Or at least, nearly always. She pauses when Adam turns to her with the shades on, tilting her head to the side. "You'd look great in the right pair of sunglasses, I think," she comments. "I'm just not sure what -would- be the right pair." She pauses. "I'm not so good with this kind of stuff, but this pair looks good enough to me." She seems uncertain, and eyes another pair of sunglasses. She takes them, holding them up. "Or maybe this pair."

Adam hmms, putting the glasses back on the table. He takes the first pair of sunglasses and looks into a scratched mirror available for customers. He hmms and then turns back to Amy, "These are better?" he asks her dubiously.

Amy tilts her head a little, shrugging a little. "I think so," she says, casually. "But I'm no expert on such things and letting me decide might very well be the biggest fashion mistake of your life." She grins at that, offering a little of herself by making fun of her own fashion sense. "What's most important, to me, is that they are comfortable… and, I suppose, that they don't look extremely out of place."

Adam considers for a bit, looking in the mirror. He tries on the third pair offered and shakes his head, "No, not these." then he looks about the table and hmms, picking up a pair of bright yellow sunglasses which huge rims that cover most of the eyes and higher cheek bones. Suddenly, he plops them on Amy's face, "There, how's that?"

Amy eeps when those sunglasses are placed upon her, a slight frown appearing on her lips. "Ahh, nah. These are definitely not my style, I don't think." She takes them off, eyeing them with a bit of disdain and places them back where they belong. "If I was to get a pair, I'd…" she looks among the available ones. "It'd be one like this." She picks out a rather slim pair of shades, perfectly rectangular in shape except with somewhat softer, rounded edges. The frame is as black as the glasses themselves. "These would be my glasses of choice. For both myself, and you."

Adam hmms a bit as he considers, "Alright." he says as he picks up another matching pair and puts them on as well. He looks back at Amy so she sees them on his face and he looks on hers. Then he turns to the man. The glasses are 10 dollars each. He informs the man, "Thirteen for both." after a bit of haggling, they settle on fifteen for both and then he puts his arm around Amy's shoulder in a decidedly father like way and leads her along, "So now we match."

Amy once again watches Adam's haggling with interest, never having been quite able to do so very well herself. With both herself and Adam in those shades, they do match - a little. When Adam holds her like so, Amy blinks, her lips pulling a little in a confused way. Of course, only the lip movement is actually seen, due to the glasses. "I suppose we do," she says, lightly, only a slight crack obvious in her voice as her brows furrow, briefly. "So what now?"

Adam hmms, "Well, what would you like to do today?" he questions, "Go to a museum, catch a show?" he pauses, "Eventually, we'll have to talk about your training. I'm going to teach you to meditate and focus. Then, we'll work on increasing your ability to push yourself and your power."

Amy ponders this for a moment, deep in thought. It takes a small while before she answers, her closing. "Well, I wouldn't mind watching a movie or a show," she notes. Another brief pause, before she once again speaks, "The training idea sounds good to me, also. Do you think that, by meditation, I could learn to further my ability?" she asks, pondering. "It would be nice to be able to generate water reliably, at least. Since it isn't always available…"

Adam shakes his head, "Not by meditating alone." he says in response, "But the meditating will help focus your mind for when you train." he reaches up and pats the hat a bit, moving it about, "What you have to understand, is that your power works by pushing yourself. Meditating helps you get in the right frame of mind. But I'll get you there. One day, you might even be able to turn into water. But, that'll be a long time from now."

Amy nods softly, "That sounds like a good plan to me," she says, scratching the back of her head a little, as if embarrassed or thoughtful. "It'll certainly be interesting to see what I can accomplish with my abilities," she adds, smiling softly. Indeed, she seems quite excited at the prospect of developing in that area. "Anyway…" she says, going back to the now. "How about that movie? Or something else? I don't know."

Adam nods, "To the movies it is. Let's go, Toto."


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