Baby giraffe (Open)

[Lennox Bessette]

Pilot Ridge had grown old quickly, quicker than she'd like to admit considering the fight she put up to stay after graduation. Alas, most of the seniors in her class drifted off to the great beyond to attend universities elsewhere. But not Len, Len had stayed to pursue a different life around people like herself... and maybe that was a mistake since Vermont was BORING and it snowed a lot and when you didn't live in a dorm that meant a lot of shoveling. On the bright, her arms were looking fantastic!

The funny thing about the cold was when it was cold enough, as it had been, anything about freezing point felt like springtime.

So 40 degrees, blue skies, and no work meant it was time to get outside and actually breathe in fresh air and get some vitamin D. 

For the most part the paths along the lake were kept clean and salted. Perfect for testing out her new roller skates that she'd scored at the thrift shop three weeks earlier. Normally, she hated thrift shops. They played with her powers too much and made her feel exhausted by the end of it. But in this deficit of actual entertainment it proved to be a fun activity. She only walked out with good items, items that weren't donated by a family after a loved ones death. These skates had been abandoned a long time, so long that any significant memory attached to them, other than laughter and joy had been wiped away. 

So she strapped them onto her feet and started along the path. 

It'd been years since she'd done this and it was much harder than she imagined. Her knees shook and she looked a lot like a baby giraffe trying to takes its first steps. Maybe this was a shitty idea. She carefully moved her legs forward, baby steps, using her arms to almost swim through the air. She looked like a fucking idiot. 

[Idalia Tsavaris]

It was cold and there was finally a break from the below freezing temperatures finally. Idalia had left Ike with her parents to play with their dogs while she saw to her other 'baby'. The Pegasus was her boat and she hadn't seen it in a while since the freezing temperatures had made going out on the lake close to impossible and when she had gone out it was with frozen fingers and usually led to turning back to the dock to knock the ice off her oars. It probably should also be said that her poor little rowing single, though sheltered by a little lean-to, was still exposed to the elements. Ice wasn't that good for boats and she had a bottle of antifreeze in her bag as well as a small heater and rags to make sure her boat would skate the water just a smoothly as before. Only she would wait to test that until spring officially came around. She honestly would have brought Ike, her gigantic Great Dane, but she still didn't trust him to be careful around the boats.

Idalia was enjoying the fair weather. She enjoyed snow a great deal but there was a point where one was longing for colors other than white and gray. She was dressed warmly despite the slight warming, in Ida's opinion there was only so low the temperature could go before it was just plain cold. Not cool or balmy like spring to come, but cold. Frigid. Well, she supposed, at least it wasn't Alaska. They didn't see positive digits half the year. She walked down the path to the boathouse her chin dipping into her scarf and her knitted hat pulled tightly over her ears. Her jacket was thick and she had her gloved hands tucked in. She only wished that it were safe to put antifreeze on her hands, but she had a feeling that there was something biologically bad about exposing the skin directly to those kind of chemicals. She kept her eyes down and shielded her face from the wind. Something flapping caught her attention and she looked up to see a girl struggling on roller skates ahead of her.

It took Idalia a moment to understand that yes, someone was out at these cold temperatures on roller skates. The girl was definitely riding the struggle bus and was headed in the same direction as Idalia, however she was moving a lot more slowly as Idalia who soon caught up with the skater. "More power to you," the meteorologist joked, "I don't think I've been on skates in ages." She said as she made a wide pass of the girl, hoping that she would startle her, or throw her off balance, or otherwise cause problems for the intensely concentrating girl.

[Lennox Bessette]

Seeing another person out in the milder weather made Nox only want to show off more.... of course, to show off one would have to be at least proficient in the activity they were trying to impress doing, and she wasn't. She attempted to stand up straight, stride down the path only to scare herself and have to use a bench as a guide as a girl approached her from behind.  

To her delight, the pretty girl didn't roll her eyes or ignore her. The attention starved blonde smiled and laughed, "You should pick some up! The thrift shop had like eight pairs just waiting for new homes." She chuckled "Though in hind sight i'd recommend a helmet... but not from the thrift store." That'd be gross. "

Len grabbed onto the bench agains straightening herself out again. The girl looked familiar, "Have I seen you before?" 

[Idalia Tsavaris]

It had been a long hard winter and it wasn’t likely to end anytime soon so Idalia was glad for the break and was being to take advantage of it before she had to be a shut in again. The snow still glittered along the grass but the path was well clear and lightly covered in brine and salt to keep it from freezing and becoming a sheet of ice in the middle of the snow. That would have not been safe at all for skating without blades. Idalia quickly covered her mouth and the laugh that came from it. This young girl was about as coordinated on her skates as a newborn. Idalia would be the first person to admit that she would be in the same boat. At least there was the bench close by to catch. Admittedly part of the problem was that there was not snow on the path, that would have at least prided a little cushion, however minimal it was.

“You’re kidding!” Idalia said enthusiastically, “Oh I don’t think so, I would bust my butt on those things.” Idalia’s breath puffed out ahead of her as she laughed. “That would be so gross. I would probably need a full set of armor. Have you just started staking?” She asked curiously. Idalia remembered a time in the nineties when skating rinks had been very big. She had been quite a skater herself back then, but she hadn’t stepped foot in her skates since she’d been a senior in high school, she doubted they still fit and even more doubted that she could maneuver in them anymore.

Idalia flipped her hair over her shoulder as the wind blew it in her face. There had been a time when this had freaked Idalia out and she had tried to stay in, then she realized she didn’t care. She was just a normal person and she was relieved that she could be. She was fine with being recognized, but worship and dragged through the mud like some other news anchors, no thank you. “Probably,” she replied with a little smile, “I’m Idalia, I’m the Chief Meteorologist at Channel X. Nice to meet you.” She said and held out her hand in greeting.

[Lennox Bessette]

Lennox offered a chuckle when the other girl laughed about herself on skates. "Well I'm not doing much better.' She said honestly as she continued to cling to the nearest object of the moment, which for now was a friendly little bench, one who she had become incredibly friendly with.  The girls next question was met with an eager nod. "Yeah! I thought it'd be fun and lord knows Pilot Ridge is... surprisingly dull." She smirked "you'd never expect it being a town full of meta humans." She said as if the words meta humans were part of a ghost story adding a little flourish with her hands. It was no secret that the rest of the world for the most part were still in the dark regarding their existence and what it really meant. THey were freaks. They were Xmen first class and the world thought that they were either going to save them or ruin them. It was a pretty hefty burden considering their abilities were cool but in no way that powerful. 


"Ohh!" Lennox said clapping her hands together. "I knew it! Wow you're like a local celebrity." She wasn't trying to embarrass the girl but she thought it was cool. She always admired people on TV and often fantasized about it herself... though that was probably a lot of work and Lennox was never a good student... maybe she could be an actress... but then she'd have to eat less doughnuts.... struggles. 

[Idalia Tsavaris]

Ida laughed in return her eyes turning to little slivers as her smile widened. She shook her head. “You’re trying and that’s already better,” Idalia replied smoothly. She randomly wondered what life would be like on a roller derby team and quickly dismissed it. It would be painful. Rowing was painful but at least her injuries and the permanent damage was restricted to her hands which couldn’t be seen all that well on television anyways. It would not do to go into work with a black eye. Not at all. She laughed and nodded, “I don’t know I think quiet is just fine. I had just enough excitement in college, thank you very much.” Idalia laughed and smiled broadly, “Are you in school around here?” She asked curious about the girl and honestly why she hadn’t left if she was so bored. It was also very likely that she was either financially unable, had a good job, but then she was young as well so chances were she was either still in school, though Idalia was willing to judge her for college.

The forecaster’s face lit up red as the girl expressed so much excitement at seeing her. It still got Ida a little unsettled that people she’d never met knew her. It was something that didn’t seem to get easier to deal with and it definitely didn’t help that her parents were all too proud and so when she visited or went to church even more people knew her there. Idalia laughed and shook her head. “Hardly,” she waved a hand dismissively, “I’m just doing my job like every other person around here.” The girl was pretty, Idalia had no doubt if she wanted a place on screen she could get it somewhere, be it in news or even in weather. “I’m not the only one on the weather,” she winked, “I’m just the smartest.” She didn’t think she was the prettiest, not in the slightest. Ida would indeed claim smartest though, she was only a little arrogant.

It did give Idalia a little pleasure that chances were if this girl recognized her that she watched the news and thus the weather occasionally, which could be why she was out here now. It was little things like this that gave Idalia joy. Getting a forecast right was a rare phenomena and even when it was close she got attacked for it. Having someone enjoy the pleasant weather without sniping about how it was a whole two degrees cooler than she’d predicted. This girl was alright in her book. “I’m sorry, what’s your name?” Idalia asked, realizing that she didn’t get a name, and who knew, perhaps in the future Idalia could do something for this girl to help her in her own career.

[Lennox Bessette]

Excitement in college? Well that would be nice wouldn't it! Lennox's mind was already dancing around the idea of dropping out of college entirely and joining the circus... or the renaissance fair which she considered to be the modern day equivalent. She'd have her own show, of course, and wear a cute outfit and do stage combat or something cool.... or maybe she'd stand there and sell flowers and try to mask her deep southern drawl with a cocky accent of sorts.

"Me?" She said "Oh... yeah. I'm a freshman at the University." She explained with a shrug. 

Len laughed seeing how modest she was being, it was nice. "Yeah just doing your job." She shook her head "It's a freaking cool job. Way better than working the night shift at a coffee shop." She chuckled as she attempted to do a twirl on her skates, managing not to fall. "You're being modest. Yeah you're the smartest but also the hottest and everyone thinks so." She said with a definite nod. She didn't realize that she was embarrassing the girl or even possibly hitting on her... she never tended to notice those things as it was just in her nature to say it as it was and she had no problem recognizing when other people were hot and this girl was smoking. Plus she had a super cool job. 

"Lennox." She said putting a hand out to her. Normally she'd ask for the other persons name but she already knew the girl who stood in front of her. 

[Idalia Tsavaris]

Idalia smiled, she sometimes wished she was still in college, she’d thought things were so hard back then but she’d give anything to have just a little bit of free time now and again! “Oh good!” Idalia said with a bright smile, “What are you studying?” She was always curious about what the youth were doing and she hoped she someday met a young meteorologist so she could tell them how great and how terrible it was. There was meteorology at the University of Vermont but she didn’t get a chance to make her way over there too often. She honestly wished she did have time to get over there more often. Working with students was by far one of the most rewarding experiences of her entire career and she didn’t get to do it nearly enough.

Idalia laughed a little and felt herself flushing, a little with embarrassment and a little with pride. “Hey, some people like me rely on you guys being open until midnight!” She laughed assuming by the tone Lennox had a part time job or at least at some point worked at a coffee shop. At the beginning of her career it had been obnoxiously early mornings and now she had just shifted onto shift work, but then again as the chief she had to be there if anything significant was happening, which meant she usually got very little sleep and when she had a day off she spent a lot of it outside or in bed. Idalia giggled at the girls enthusiasm and reached out to catch her in case she were to fall. She shook her head, “Thank you, but…” Then the girl said something that floored Idalia.

Ida’s face flamed scarlet and she covered her mouth with her hands, “You’re kidding,” she said a laugh sneaking through her fingers as she shook her head. Oh no, she couldn’t be known as the ‘hot meteorologist’! She was flushed and shaking her head when the girl introduced herself and Idalia took a moment to recover. “Pleasure, Lennox,” she said taking the hand and trying her best to regain a bit of sense after that bomb drop. Idalia took it as a compliment as it was paired with her brains and especially since it superseded the physical but it still embarrassed Idalia and she would hope that she was known more for her forecasts than for the way she looked on television. She couldn’t get that off her mind and she needed to stop talking. She shrugged, “Oh well, so long as people listen, that’s all I care about.

[Lennox Bessette]

The whole 'what are you studying' question was included in the list of questions Lennox tried to evade. "Well my current status as an educational entrepreneur has allowed me the time to remain undecided until further notice." She said casually as if that meant anything other than she was a lost little kid with no direction in life or clue what path to take. 

The brunettes modesty was foreign to the blonde. She didn't understand why she was getting what looked to be embarrassed and flustered by the simple facts that she was a smokin babe! Surely she knew it! This was vermont for God's sake women with her features were hard to come by and the ones that were around were blue in the face thanks to the cold. 

"Yeah, they're listening to you." She assured her resisting the urge to give her a wink deciding it was best not to totally creep her out or get to forward. Yes, Len thought she was hot, and yes Len thought it'd be fun to kiss her, but no she didn't think that was a good idea. More so she wanted to befriend her, she needed friends as she could count the ones she had in the area on one hand and the first one was her demon boss. 

"So how long have you been in Vermont? Always been here or did the job bring you here?" God she hated small talk. 

[Idalia Tsavaris]

Idalia laughed lightly and easily. “There is nothing wrong with that,” she said her eyes alight with humor. So many kids now a day were so nervous about their future, and should be the job market was not the best. Some students just picked something and let themselves be miserable for four years to get a job that made them miserable just so they could make a lot of money. Idalia didn’t make a whole lot of money but she was single and it was enough for her and her dog. People always assumed those in college knew what they wanted to do, but no one really did, it was a sad but true reality. Some wanted to be doctors and found out they didn’t have either the stomach or the smarts, which was not to say they were dumb, medical school was just tough. Ida had a friend from years back who was a doctor and she had flawless grades and didn’t get in her first time applying.

The forecaster always joked that she wasn’t a doctor because she couldn’t do blood, which was about half true, the other half was that she could never hold as much information as those people did. Idalia blinked and got herself back on track, it was easy to lose track of time, especially if a vision interrupted and she was suddenly in the bright sunshine or night. Ida smiled and recovered enough to give a firm nod. “Good, always listen to your meteorologist,” she said just as firmly pointing a finger at Lennox to shoot her point home. She relaxed quickly and laughed a bit. Well, at least they were listening.

Idalia nodded, “Yeah, both my parents are from here, we moved back when me and a bunch of my sisters got recruited to Hammel,” she explained. Idalia had no qualms about telling people she was a meta human. She made it no secret that she was one and now that PUSE was out ruffling some feathers she’d been even more proud of the fact and what she did was she used more data on the news to back her up to prove that she wasn’t just hear because of her pretty face and her power. “I moved away for college and grad school, but I missed it, you know? So the job opened up and I applied,” she waved her hands as if to say, ‘and that’s that’. “Are you only hear for the University?” She asked. If so, why would she ever leave Burlington?