ic Thinking of a Place

[TheAbsurdist]

Milennium Park, Chicago.

August 26th.  Around 1 PM

 

The Cloud Gate.  The g-d Cloud Gate.  It had been the big reason that Corinne wanted to come, well that and Sue at the Fields museum.  She looked upon it rapturously, her fingers gliding over the surface.  "It's... beautiful."  Turning her head, as she looked at Hannah, under from under her straw pork pie hat, before she went back to gazing at it.  She was dressed lightly for the hot, somewhat stifling Chicago summer.  A denim vest over her Joy Division Unknown Pleasures shirt, and a skirt that matched the vest, and a pair of canvas sneakers.

 

It was easy to tell that works of art could pretty much derail Corinne, as much as food could.

 

She had been slightly anxious, about asking Hannah if she could swing by for a weekend in Chicago.  Her folks had swept through, she was contending with getting ready for of the start of the school year, and she needed away from Freedom City.  From Claremont.  From that.  And, well Hannah was the closest thing she had to a friend.  She had a hard time gauging it, so Hannah was her friend.  That was that.  It felt good to have one, after being devoured by dance for so long.

"This is just... wow."

[Thunder King]

"It is pretty cool." Hannah admitted. She'd seen it before, numerous times. There was, however, always something about people seeing something for the first time that gave you a new appreciation for it. Art was something Hannah and Corrine had in common. That, and food. Hannah did like to eat. As her somewhat pudgy stomach reminded her on occasion. Why she couldn't be like seemingly every other girl like Claremont and have a flat tummy. She had no answer for that. 

 

Hannah was wearing a baggy t-shirt and a pair of long legged shorts. They really weren't all that flattering, but most of her wardrobe wasn't flattering. Few people paid enough attention to care. 

 

"Chicago is just, weird. I dunno. It's one of those things, you know? They call it the 'city of the big shoulders'. Well, by 'they' I mean one guy who wrote a poem about it. There's a reason we stick to the suburbs, though." She was grateful that Corrine was around. Usually. Her friend was somewhat flighty, but yet, she was sincere. Sincerity impressed Hannah most of all.

 

"Could get a hot dog. Ooo, or some pizza. Deep dish. Just filled with meat and cheese and sauce and all that stuff we're probably not supposed to eat."

Edited October 14, 2017 by Thunder King

[TheAbsurdist]

It was not something Corinne saw everyday.  And something that Hannah had seen from the 'flightly' blonde.  Corinne got distracted by things, it was true.  Pretty things, complicated thing, especially art, they fascinated her.

 

Hannah had seen her friend and roommate zone out enough times drawing, painting, dancing, or just listening to music.  She seemed to never really sleep, or at least she was up when Hannah went to bed, and when she woke up.

 

So she didn't hear Hannah's suggestions immediately.  Then there was a blink, as her surroundings snapped back into place, and she blinked.  Taking a few steps away, her hand leaving the statue.  "Foooooooood... Oh, I picked up tickets to a show later tomorrow, if that's okay?  For both of us..."  Her head still turned to look at the Cloud Gate as she walked closer to her diminutive friend.

 

[Thunder King]

"That sounds cool." Hannah smiled. She'd never really had many chances to truly experience Chicago, not like this. The city had an unsavory reputation, but she doubted there was much threat to either of those. Hannah was confident that her powers were more than enough protection.

 

"So, Chicago style pizza?" She asked. "I mean, it sounds treasonous to say that I also like the stuff I've had in Freedom. Pretty sure that borrows from the New York style, but I've had a craving for deep dish. They're huge and just stuffed with...stuff." 

 

She wasn't the kind of person to be judgmental about things like food, but she had to admit she missed some of the things she could get in and around Chicago.  

[TheAbsurdist]

She managed to tear herself away from the Cloud Gate fully, it spoke to her on a deeper, spiritual level.  After all.  Then Corinne wheeled on Hannah, and pounced, the taller, willowy girl hugged at her shorter roommate and friend.  "Yay!"

 

Was it for the food, or going to the show with her?  It was hard to say. Likely both.  She liked food and music.  The experience Hannah had thus far was the girl constantly having headphones on when she wasn't needing to listen, so it was no surprise she wanted to catch a show.  She hugged and lifted Hannah up off her feet for a moment, before setting her back own.  "Pizza!  I heard hey have like multilayered kinds of Chicago pizza, is that true?  Is there Pizza Cake?  I want five."

 

There was a faint grumble from her belly.

[Thunder King]

"How is it you eat way more than me but never gain any weight?" Hannah said jokingly while gazing down at her own tummy. "Oh yeah, you work out all the time. Yeah Chicago style is nice and layered. Lots of bad stuff. Meat and cheese and, mmm, I'm hungry. There are..." She glanced down at her phone, which she had been absentmindedly scanning. "Two places nearby, with a third a bit of a walk. Ready?" She smiled. "I don't mind walking if I'm going to eat that much."

 

This was a nice day, she decided. 

[TheAbsurdist]

Corinne hung onto her friend's shoulder, and just folded back on herself, her feet going to en pointe, knees bending ad she brought her self down and as her other hand swept up pressed the back of it against her forehead.   Adopting a comical swoon, where she rested none of her weight on Hannah despite the desperate clutch at her shoulder.  Knees finally buckling, and she arched her back further, becoming even more of caricature.  "You wound me!"

After a moment like this, she let go of Hannah's shoulder and collapse to the ground in a heap.

 

Then giggled from the floor.  "Not all the time.  I sleep, and go to classes!  And dance."  Bringing her legs up, she rolled back onto her shoulders, and then un-jack knifed hard, bringing her legs under herself moving her torso up as she sprung to her feet.

Spinning a bit, she canted her hips when she stopped, and looked at Hannah.  "To food!  If you've had any of them before let me know!  We'll go to the one you like best, otherwise... forward!"

[Thunder King]

"Giordano's is closest, and good." She said. She hadn't had Chicago style pizza in quite a while, and was looking forward to it. "I know you don't work out all the time, you just work out a lot. I kinda wish I had the drive for it." She looked down and was grateful for baggy clothing. "If I ate like you do, I'd, well, I'd be in trouble." She swayed her hands and walked with Corinne. Her powers, and her control over them, gave her a sense of safety she rarely felt. There was almost nothing in Chicago that could threaten her, so she felt at ease.

[TheAbsurdist]

Corinne made a face, "It only seems to have gotten worse.  I mean, there is dance practice, and that's anywhere from four to six days a week.  Plus the other school requirements.  Fortunately, I get out of art and and PE, to accommodate that but..."  She trailed off, already thinking about the pizza, her hand going to her belly, before she moved towards her friend and hip checked her roommate and friend a little as she stepped alongside Hannah.

 

"I mean, I should be complaining about not sleeping, or something.  Or that you're smarter than I am when it comes to, like, most things."  Of course Corinne didn't think about threats, she never really did.  Even being outed being the daughter of one of the richest men in the world, who was also a superhero couldn't be a problem waiting to happen.

[Thunder King]

Hannah rolled her eyes comically. "I mean yeah I do have good grades and I'm good at studying. You're just more athletic than me, prettier than me, more outgoing than me..." She shrugged. "It's okay, though, life's not a competition." She pulled out her phone and looked down. "Pizza is this way. Trust me, this stuff? Filling. Like, even you might not be able to eat a whole one. Maybe." 

 

She glanced down and sighed. "At least if I gained more weight I'd know where it went, you know?" She shrugged and kept walking. 

[TheAbsurdist]

"Do they have like Thai peanut sauce chicken pizza?  Or, hmmmm, Greek pizza?  Or... oh, oh, pineapple-pepperoni-peppers pizza?"  Her eyes lit up as she pondered the possibilities, never having had Chicago style pizza before.  Then she shimmied, and slide along the ground in an practiced motion.

 

"Well being bothered by on lookers kind of had to be fixed for the dancing thing.  And if you aren't out going then you don't get parts."  She looked at her friend and roommate, and then cupped her own chest, "Shah, mine would probably go to my thighs, none of the boys really look anywhere except your chest anyway..."  She scoffed, and dismissed such things.  Of course, if was strangely the one topic Corinne never really broached or seemed to be involved with.  Boys, dating, any of that.  Even if she seemed without anything resembling shame.  "I mean... I'd kinda want some weight there, but... it would make dancing really hard, yanno?"

 

So she pushed out her belly quite a bit, and hugged at it, rubbing it as she waddled along all frog like.  "Think it'd realistically end up here, huh, Hannah?"  Then she blew out her cheeks, and went cross-eyed as she moved ungainly, and started to do a funny voice, which was a b ad British impression, "Oi... fink be lookin' loike a spiiiii-dah, roight mate?"

[Thunder King]

Hannah had to giggle. "I'm not very uh, spidery. The chest thing...." she kind of coughed and blushed slightly. That was perhaps one area of her physique she was both comfortable with and uncomfortable with. There were advantages, and disadvantages. "Not like boys notice me anyway, you know? There are some advantages and...disadvantages to that. But I figure I'll meet someone eventually. Most of the students are just....really, really, really hot and I'm...not. That's okay, though. I'd much rather finish school then deal with boys, in that order."

 

She said this in a sort of sour grapes kind of wistful way, as if it was a mantra she said to herself at night and when boys noticed all the other girls. Yet her mantra worked, and she was okay with it. "I kinda just want regular pizza, but, we can totally order our own. I can uh, finish a whole pizza..." 

[TheAbsurdist]

She laughed a bit, and rolled her eyes a little, as she rested her hand on her hips.  "I am sure they do.  They're boys.  If you want one just go up and be all 'You, me, let's do this now.' "  And then she bit her lower lip, and scrunched her nose, squinting, before she put her hands at the back of her head, and then did did an exaggerated thrust.  Adopting an exaggerated Russian accent she followed it up with, "I must break you!"  Giggling she hip checked her roommate lightly.

Then she wheeled about and grabbed Hannah's as she moved to stand before her, eyes wide.  "Ohmahgawd!  Makeover time!"  She positively squealed at the prospect 

[Thunder King]

Hannah blushed and retreated slightly. "Um, no, no, no makeovers, please. I like being the quiet little mouse that everyone overlooks. I'm um, I'm okay with that. I could uh, never just, you know, walk up to a boy and go 'hey, let's do a thing', because I don't do...things, with boys. I'll um, eventually, you know. When some cute guy notices me off in the corner or something, but like...middle of the room, bold approach? No, no, that, that isn't me."

 

She realized that she was rambling almost nonsensically. The idea of being so bold was as alien to her as swimming through concrete or walking on the ceiling. It was antithetical to her nature. But, then, she sighed. "Um, a little makeover, might be nice, though." She reasoned that if she was destined to be noticed by some cute guy in a library somewhere, it might help to be cute. "Just, um, nothing way, way outside of what I'd wear. I don't wanna go a full Sandy from Grease here. I'd be okay with aiming for 'cute'." She smiled slightly. "Pizza first, though. Definitely. I'm starving."  

[TheAbsurdist]

GM

 

"Incomin'!"  The shout came, though it was minimally helpful for the impact adjacent next to them, sending the two young ladies sprawling from the shock of it.  The source of it remained there, hulking framed in cobalts and silver armored battlesuit as he stood over them.  His face exposed, behind a blue translucent face shield.  He lifted his left arm to them, a visible cannon like object aimed at them.  "Now, now sweeties, just lookin' for a business transaction, so no strugglin'!" he boomed at them with thick accent (British?  Australian?  Hard to tell after being knocked about), as the barrel of the arm cannon started to glow as if to prove his point.  His smile bright against his dark features, as he seemingly relished this.

After a moment a woman followed suit, her head tilted to the side as she was spinning a large staff in her hands.  On either end were large spheres, with outlines that glowed.  She wore something that was like a stylized qípáo, though it extended down one leg.  Her forearms had large guards on them, matching the technological appearance of her compatriot.  Her white hair at odds with her youthful appearance.  "Must you?"  A sigh escaped her.  "The taller one."

"I know, I know!" Keeping the weapon aimed at them, he moved towards them both, his free hand moved to scoop up Corinne.

[TheAbsurdist]

Corinne was thrown back, separated from Hannah from the force of the impact, and she struggled to get up.  Her head ringing, as were her ears.  As she looked at the pair over them, before she turned towards Hannah, croaking out her friend's name as she looked at her.  She didn't know what to say beyond that, or even if she was capable of such, holding her upper body up on hands, as she blinked, coughing a little bit.

Anger welled, but it was directionless, and the ringing meant she couldn't draw on it, she couldn't dive in to the power.  She made a sound as she stared the the smiling man in his armor.

[Thunder King]

In social situations, where she had to talk to people and communicate her ideas and feelings, she was known to retreat. This, however, was different. This was an attack. Anyone that lead attack first was not someone interested in talking. Hannah wasn't great at talking with people, she was more of an artistic soul. She loved to write and draw, she loved to listen to music. Her most recent form of expression was using her powers.  She assumed these two didn't think she was a threat. That was a mistake. 

 

Her force fields had been rigorously stress tested and could take a great deal of punishment, and that meant that while she could use her powers, she felt safer and more secure. So her powers flared up, the air around her shimmered with color, and Hannah glared at the two her attacked her friend, ready to throw down. 

[TheAbsurdist]

GM

 

The woman moved past the man, and Hannah as well, stopping to point her staff at the girl, especially as it flared.  "I'd recommend staying down, child, this really doesn't concern you, and I'd rather not have to hurt you." 

With that, she lobbed something under hand over to Corinne.  When it impacted her, tendrils shot out, and wrapped around her body, pinning her arms against her torso, as well as her legs together so she couldn't move.  She moved over to bound teen, and reached down to grasp the handle sticking out of the central object from which the bonds had telescoped out of, and with a small sound the woman picked up Corinne one handed as she watched Hannah.