ic Well, this is Awkward

[TheAbsurdist]

Meechum's 1:30 PM, May 16th.

 

This was odd.    Very, very odd.  She checked her phone and made sure she had the right place.  Probably.

 

The restaurant was a good neutral sort of place, having enough options that there should be no problem with any dietary restrictions.  It was a safe gamble, and Corinne noticed it.  It was like her meeting with her father, but... more awkward.  She didn't know what Amir's ex was to her, but the lady was trying to be nice...  And she might know some things about this town that she'd like kt know.  Or how to deal with the attention her dad got, but then, she wasn't exactly a completely private person really.

 

Wearing her kinda sorta bucket hat, a denim jacket, a blue and black plaid shirt, with a pair of black pants, and teal sneakers.  Of course... that wasn't so different than a whole host of teenagers and twenty somethings.  What made her stand out was the height.  Taller than her father, and Agnus, she was a statuesque stunner, and even in a moderately busy place like Meechum's during lunch, she was more than visible.

 

She assumed Agnus was already here, because she was still navigating and learning the town, but she was looking for her, peering and surveying.

[Tiffany Korta]

As it happened Agnus wasn't at the restaurant, she'd been dealing with a small crisis back in London who'd have thought all those years ago that she'd be running a superteam alongside her business venture. So she'd just thrown on something after finishing her Vanguard business, of cause even then she looked pretty good in her white tee, blue jeans and short red jacket, all set off with a pair of blue Doc Martins. It would be churlish of Agnus to compare herself to the much younger woman, even the height, especially the height difference. What a change from when she was just a respectable 5'3".

 

"Hi, there sorry I'm late, I have a last minute problem back at the studio. I'm Agnus Stone, but please just call me Agnus." she was all smiles and natural charm "I'm sure you have many questions, but first I'm going to need a good strong drink."

 

[TheAbsurdist]

Was taller than her mother and dad, Harold.  Even, it seems, taller than Amir.  Now Corinne knew next to nothing about Agnus, other than what one could find with an internet search.  She didn't mind the music, though... the tabloid headlines.  Of course, in the time it took for Agnus to appear, she had gotten a seat, as she was used to this sort of thing.  Being a teenager in L.A.

 

Whereas Agnus knew the rough details of Corinne, teen.  Dancer.  Who raised her.  That she glassed her family's kitchen, so might has a future in the burgeoning field of super-powered renovations.  Finally those house flipping shows would be entertaining.  Some bits she didn't know, obviously, as Amir didn't know, and both Natalie and Harold didn't share, or weren't aware themselves.

 

Hearing her voice, Corinne stopped looking at her phone, and away from the headline from when Agnus and Amir broke up (Pop Star's Multibillion Dollar Mistake! read The Sun, with it's usual restraint and measure tone).  Her thumb flicked it away, and she pocketed the thing and rose up to her feet, offering a big, if crooked smile.  Though it was cautious, it was clear that she didn't know what to make of this.  Of her.  Or even herself.  "Hello I'm... well Corinne, but you knew that."  She shrugged expressively, spreading her hands in a helpless expression.  "I really don't know where I stand... On this.  Everything.  Sure... I mean, I can't drink or smoke any,,," She trailed off, before she sat back down, and sipped at her ice tea.

[Tiffany Korta]

"I know right it was kind of a shock when I first came here and found that I couldn't buy myself a drink." Agnus sat down and ordered herself a drink before carrying on.

 

"I know that with all the crazy going on you really don't want to deal with the crazy woman who dated the person that you've only just found out about." with so many lives she'd come across just about every version of scenario

"My teenage years were pretty crazy, I assume you Googled me, so I understand how weird they can be. And I thought you'd like a friendly face that you could talk too." she paused for effect before adding "And if not we'll have a pleasant meal and then go our separate ways no harm, no foul."

[TheAbsurdist]

"I don't know what to say... really.  I have a dad.  And Amir doesn't know what to say.  I can't say if that was worse...  Heh."  She laughed a little bit as she shook her head a little bit, and fidgeted with the menu as she looked at Tiff.  She looked at her, a little flatly.  Though not adversarial.

 

"I mean, I thought LA was weird, but it's nothing compared to trans-dimensional nemotode gods, or something."  Her lips quirking into a small smile as she looked at Agnus still.  She frowned, and on her it was a bit of an impressive display, because it was small, a bit reserved.  She was moving one leg back to and fro under the table as she looked at Agnus.

 

"My question is why though?  I mean...  Like, that you have good intentions, I don't think you're lying or anything... Just seems funny, I guess.  But I am a teenager, so... heh..."  She laughed and looked at the menu, "You aren't on some pro-biiotic vegan cleanse or anything?"

[Tiffany Korta]

Agnus gave a laugh that was as much nerves as it was genuine mirth at the teen's comments.

"Amir means well but he often hides that behind a lot of bluster. That means he's not the easiest to get useful advice from sometimes."

She paused for minutes a sipped her drink, disappointed that her enhanced constitution meant she couldn't rely on any Dutch courage. She was walking a fine line on just how much she would reveal about herself. No revealing powers before a second lunch, at least, was a good plan in her books.

"Look Freedom City is a crazy city, but if you can navigate its ways it's also an amazing experience. I might not live here full time but I know enough to be a half decent guide, and maybe eventually a kindly ear if needed."

[TheAbsurdist]

She furrowed her brows, in that way she looked like her father, a mannerism of his when he was scrutinizing someone or something.  Or annoyed.  Though it was clearly the former with the blonde teen.  She was sharp, sharper than the hippie front she had.  That much was clear.  It was hard to say what was the horse, and what was the buggy.

 

"No, more to it than that.  But... I mean, this has gotta be awkward to you too.  Right?"  She ordered a burger when the server came, lapsing away from the topic she'd just had with Agnus,  allowing them both to skip away from the topic.

 

"So, you know about my situation then.  And..."  She hummed to herself, as she took the lemon out of her ice tea and popped it into her mouth, biting down and sucking out the tart juice, making a face at it, one eye fluttering as the other went wide.  After a few moments she set the peel on her napkin.  "So are you, like, well, nevermind... I guess.  Any speeches you want to give me?  I dunno if I wanna do... the family business.  I wanna go to Julliard."

[Tiffany Korta]

"I wasn't ready to commit, and now he had you, and you know he's not one to do things by half. But it's fine now, we handled everything like grown adults."

 

Well maybe not completely over it, but enough that she could talk to a teenager and sound convincing. She picked at her salad as she spoke, she had to appear to be making an effort even if her powers also helped in this capacity.

 

"I've never been big on grand speeches, just good solid advice. If you want help with you dance I can probably put in a good word, it you want you can spend time at the studio and help out a little if you want. As for the rest, well I'm a good listener."

[TheAbsurdist]

"So... I don't know him.  I've spent five hours with the man.  I mean... I don't care about yours and his relationship, because I don't know you people...  It's not like I am a judge for that sort of stuff... I was practicing three to five hours a day apart from school work.  So free time was kind of a lie.  So no whatevers for me. And so I am not going to judge... just... hm, don't, like use me as an excuse?  If you don't wanna commit, don't commit.  I mean, better to kick someone in the heart, over stringing them along..."  She made a face, as if some distasteful memory surfaced up.  "I mean, like, you both aren't teenagers, at a performance high school, so it could be a looooot worse."

Corinne's luminous eyes regarded Agnus with a level of scrutiny of someone who grew up around the business of flim-flam. Harold was a producer after all, and her step-father, who was a great guy, even Amir had told Agnus such, had made sure that his 'daughter' would be prepped for a life of show business, if she went that route.

 

"I just need to find a good school here, I plan... planned.. I don't know... I want to go to Julliard..."  She trailed off, from her bacon and blue cheese burger, having a handful of sweet potato fries.  Corinne had an appetite  "We'll see.  Huh?"

[Tiffany Korta]

Agnus gave a little sigh and massaged the bridge of her nose, this wasn't going to be easy if Connie thought it was an attempt to get back with Asad through her. As the teen talked she worked her way through her salad considering her options, there was an obvious way to get her trust but it did mean revealing her true nature to Connie. But she remembered quite well the hours of practice she uses to do as a teenager, determined to make it in the business and without the benefit of someone decent like Harry to help her get started.

 

"Okay, so your obviously a smart cookie and can tell that I'm not quite on the level. And who would blame you for thinking it's all about Asad, he likes to think it's always about him!" she gave a smile at her own personal joke "It's not but I need to show you something to prove otherwise. And before I do I need to know that  can trust you to keep a very big secret."

[TheAbsurdist]

"He didn't say much about you... it was mostly 'I'm sorry' 'I didn't know'  'What can I do?'  So... I might get a car out of this.  Which... I dunno."  She frowned and then smirked a little bit, as before sipping at her tea and fidgeting with her burger and fries.

 

"I've met scuzzy people, other students back in LA, especially if we were trying out for a recital.  Ever had icy hot in your clothes?  I know you've been hit on by an exec, mum and dad... er... Harry, well dad for me.  But they are happy I am out of L.A., just like they're happy my brother isn't interested in anything like this."  She tilted her head and laughed a little bit, shaking her head.  "It's okay, you don't have to.  Enough food with get me to like you... don't have to... show me whats under the mask."  There was a glance back to Agnus, meeting her eyes.

 

"Only fair you trust me.  I am a teenage girl, according to sitcoms and movies, we are the main force of evil in the world, or something."

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Agnus couldn’t help but laugh at the teen’s comments, she was really going to enjoy spending time with the young woman. They had a lot in common and Agnus hoped she could teach the teen hero and thing or two.

 

“I assume you’ve done the Googling and read my Wiki article. I was a reality TV star not much older than you, that managed to lose everything before I hit my twenties. Believe most of what you read, I was a terrible, terrible person back then.” she wasn’t proud of what she’d done back then but she’d come to terms with who she is “So I’m more than aware of the pitfalls of the entertainment industry and if you want I could help you navigate through that world. And that one of the reasons I wanted to meet you, not just because you dad and me had a thing back in the day.”

 

She took and breath, and a sip of her drink, before carrying one with the big reveal

 

“It’s also true that I got shot trying to be heroic, and spent six months in a coma fighting for my life. When I came back I was changed, and not just from the fact of almost dying.”

 

With a little concentration, Agnus made her hand glow slightly.

 

“It’s not just the entertainment part that I can help you navigate!”

[TheAbsurdist]

Corinne said nothing, and she frowned a little bit, "Why do you all stress that?  I am, like, bad at that.  I am not someone who seeks out conflict.  I mean, they're already calling me a hippie."  She frowned a little bit, and then folded her arms across her chest, looking away from Agnus.  "I mean... like, I get it.  I get it.  I gotta be copacetic, and all that."

 

She sighed a bit, and took off her hat, and raked her fingers through her blonde locks.  The color changed a little, a bit of faded bit of blue to match her attire, it was subtle, but it Agnus would notice, though Corinne seemed completely oblivious to what she was doing.  "Sorry... just everyone keeps telling me that.  I guess I don't buy into noblisse oblige all of you guys are trying to sell...  This was an accident.  A fluke."

 

Another shake of her head, and hanging forward to get the hair to obscure her features.  "I mean, I just want to dance, not like background dancer for some pop star, but like the New York City Ballet, or the San Francisco, or the Bolshoi, or Paris Opera... those."

[Tiffany Korta]

 

“You’d love to meet my parent’s they only not true hippies because they were born too late.” she grinned at the younger woman “Truth be told you need to own it, whatever that it may be. Still, you have a while to get comfortable in your own skill.”

 

Agnus had gotten to the point that she was comfortable with the mantle that she’d been given, but she was well aware that it wasn’t a lifestyle for everyone, and one day it might leave even her.

 

“For some, like me, it is but it doesn’t have to be. If you want to do something else then more power to you, I don’t have the right to decide your future for you. But you need to learn how to control those powers so you don’t hurt anyone, after that you can happily leave them alone to dance your heart away.”

[TheAbsurdist]

"I know."  It was a curt response, but then, Agnus was heaping on what everyone had been telling her.  Not that she didn't blame them.  Though the people who should have been the most directly impacts had been the most... understanding?  Or something similar to it.  She frowned a little bit, and seemed... out of sorts.  Her exuberance faded fully, as she seemed to collapse in on herself.

 

She fiddled with a fork, moving it about, twisting and rolling it between her fingers.  "Yeah..."  She had turned sullen over this.  This was defining her now, and she felt like she had no control.  She wasn't Corinne anymore, she was some teenager wih powers, who happened to have a name.

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Agnus could understand exactly where Corinne was right now, she was pretty sure many supers went through the same thing she knew that she had.

 

"You a dancer right. So you practice and perform and it probably takes up a lot of you time. But you not defined by you dancing, yes you want to be the best dancer you can but you also can spend time happily doing other things. Like having a good meal with that crazy woman!"

 

She grinned, a paused she hoped was enough for the facts to sink in.

 

"Same with you power they might be a part of you, but that doesn't mean they have to define who you are!"

[TheAbsurdist]

Her fidgeting continued, as she gently beat the fork against the napkin in a rhythm.  "I... chose that.  I did not choose this, and everyone I've met, almost everyone... has been defining me by that.  I am surrounded by kids that are in this alien world... the teachers, everyone."

 

Corinne frowned and looked at Agnus.  "It's hard to see what you are saying as true, when everyone, everything, now is screaming the opposite."  There was a sigh, she wasn't one to pity herself, she was a good dancer after all, she got that way predicated on picking herself up, again and again.  "It doesn't seem right, or healthy."

[Tiffany Korta]

 

"Well duh, they're a school after all!" Agnus did a passable valley girl impression "It's a pretty good school for such things, I've been there a couple of times to help out." she wondered if the teen had an inkling of who she was behind the mask

 

"It's up to you to break away from things and do you own thing, that's what teen rebellion is all about. It's also a good idea to find out ways to enjoy your powers somehow. Do you fly?"

 

Agnus really hoped that she was saying something helpful, or at least allowing Corinne to blow off some steam.

[TheAbsurdist]

"Don't do valley girl, it sounds weird when you're British.  Like... uhm... I dunno any slang.  Slag?  Wait... that means something else... Like that one character from Little Brittain?"  She tried to pivot off, because she didn't want to talk any more about it.  She'd deal later.  After ice cream.  Or cake.  Both, also sounded good.

 

"No?  Sorta.  I walk on air?"  She frowned a little bit and shrugged a bit, "I don't really know... I've not done tests?  I am dealing with more regular school stuff, and getting into the FC Junior Ballet Conservatory.  I don't... accidentally, cause too many problems, so they don't seemed worried."  Corinne's response was guileless, though there was some stuff they hadn't told her, but once she was more aware and cognizant of her abilities, she already had a measure of control over them.

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Agnus gave a, mostly, mock bristle at the comment before adding herself.

 

“That’s from Bristol, nothing like my proper London accent.” she dropped into her thick East London accent sounding similar to Adele, there was no malice though and she gave a big grin before returning to her more tone down accent.

 

“If you want I can take you flying, there’s nothing quite like soaring up into the air and seeing the city below you. Also, lot’s of... interesting thing you can get up to away from prying eyes!”

[TheAbsurdist]

Corinne looked at her with the expression of not getting the reference point.  "I've never gone to England. So... I mean, that'd be like you, like, trying to figure out someone in the Valley versus like Beverly Hills, I guess.  Closest I got is my mum is from the slums in Auckland.  I guess.  She says some Kiwi slang, but... yeah."  She shrugged a bit, fidgeting with her hands still, idly drumming as a way to fixate on something other than the big mess she was looking at.
 

"I... um... can't fly.  I... interesting... what?"  Her brows knitted together as she tried to piece together what Agnus was insinuating.

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Agnus had the confidence of a hundred lifetimes plus the pretty full on life she was enjoying so far in this body so wasn't one to be embarrassed in the slightest, but she didn't want to get in trouble for corrupting a young mind.

 

"I have such tales to tell of aerial shenanigans, but perhaps the first meet up isn't the time or place to discuss such things. At least on the plus side, I wouldn't dream of telling you to wait until you older."

 

As smoothly as she could she quickly changed the subject to something that was, she hoped, a much better footing

 

"How is school going for you?"

[TheAbsurdist]

She frowned a little bit and she shrugged at the comments about aerial shenanigans.  Not that she cared about... sex?  Or whatever else it was Angus was referring to, she was a stranger, who had... dated?  Or whatever, with her father.  A guy she didn't know.  It was just just weird, and surreal.

 

"Probably not."

 

She nodded in agreement at that, and she sighed a little bit, as she looked to the side, "Uhm.  Okay.  Playing catch up, I have a dance academy lined up for the summer.  I suppose that's really it?  I missed since like... March on.  When it happened.  But I will be fine, it's little different than the performing arts high school I went to, and I have a roommate, which is new, but okay, I guess.  Seems like there is some drama, or something, between some kids.  I dunno.  Feels like it's the same like it was back in LA."  She pursed her lips and scrunched her eyebrows a little.

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Agnus had been pretty surprised herself when she'd found out about Claremont, on of the advantages of helping out the Ministry, and had even been allowed to visit once or twice in an official capacity.

 

"It seems to be a pretty good school, though personally I can't help but get a modern Hogwarts kind of feel. Or that you'd find it run by Patrick Stewart or something."

 

She'd like the headmistress when she'd stopped by, who had an excellent taste in teas and even recommended places in London to pick up some for some to try.

[TheAbsurdist]

"I get looks and talks when I say I don't want to be in spandex and all that.  But, then, I get looks at dance schools too for being too tall.  Same with gymnastics.  So... I dunno."  She shrugged a bit, and she laughed, a deep chuckle, to make her statuesque size.

 

"I guess?  Less blatant classicism, with parochial, colonialist leanings.  But, we'll see.  I just want to graduate and move on from there.  But that seems to have stumbling block."  Another laugh a bit, and then she stretched her arms above her head, as her brows up wide.  "Though my roommate seems like a real sweetie.  As for... the other topic, I mean, I wont have time for a boy friend or anything.  As whatever free time I would have previously will be absorbed by things."  She looked to Agnus, carefully, a little guarded, and looking like a teenager who was out of her element, because... well that was precisely true.