This is my world (Kuni)

[Eloise Eaton]

Eloise had been unusually stressed the past half year: applying to schools and traveling for interviews and developing her portfolio and running her own small online "business"... not to mention the fact that her family life just got a whole lot more interesting. She hated that she was neglecting some of her friends because of it. She had spent plenty of time with Monroe and Adaryn, of course. Monroe lived with her, after all. He was her brother (still weird to think about). And he was dating Addie so she kind of just showed up sometimes. Not that Eloise minded at all.

Other friends got the shorter end of the stick, though. Particularly Kuni. It seemed that every time the boy texted Eloise she was particularly stressed or busy or out of the area. She felt bad that she kept turning down his offers to hang out or grab a bite to eat. She enjoyed his company, and worried that her multitude of 'No's would make Kuni believe otherwise. Which is why Eloise was adamant about taking Kuni on this little trip.

Every time Kuni said he'd never seen a big city, let alone New York, Eloise died a bit inside. Sure, she wasn't always a fan of large crowds and busy streets (too many thoughts for her taste), but there was certainly something magical and inspiring about the lights, sounds, and even the smells of the city. They weren't always pleasant, but Eloise had grown to love them. And because New York was only an hour flight, it seemed much more practical to take Kuni on a day trip to the big apple than to Paris...

Eloise, of course, was dressed to impress (as one always should in NYC), but also to walk through some winter weather. It was lightly snowing, which elevated Eloise's excitement. There was something about New York in the snow that made it all more magical. Her black and white plaid coat fell down to her knees, and her blonde curls fell effortlessly from her knitted black beanie. Her gloves matched her hat, and her feet were kept cozy by tall snow boots - an essential for North Eastern winters.

The flight had been easy enough for Eloise. Eloise had been a frequent flyer since the age of three, and harbored very little nerves when it came to flying. If anything her nerves came from the fear that Kuni may turn into a whale while they were thousands of miles above the earth. Of course, he had brought along a power suppressor, so Eloise was technically worried about nothing. Although, with how nervous Kuni seemed, Eloise wondered if there were ever any sort of failure with those kind of things...

So she was still quite grateful to get out of the flying metal contraption once they touched down in New York. She was excited to show Kuni everything she had been talking about. She hoped that it would give him a better understanding of her personality and her interests, too. "Are you excited?" Eloise asked, once they entered the cab which would take them to Times square - the first stop on their little journey. Already the buildings were towering over the vehicles below, but the dull city streets surrounding La Guardia airport would be nothing compared to the neon and LCD fueled times square. "What do you think so far?" Eloise asked, pretty sure the guy had never experienced anything even quite like what they had already seen.

[Kunikpok "Kuni" Arrluk]

Kuni, as usual, had just been going about his regular business, doing nothing all that exciting or spectacular apart from the occasional ocean trip to practice his training. He’d had his nineteenth birthday recently, which probably should have made him feel a little strange still technically being in ‘high school’, but he just smiled and shrugged it off. Yeah, he was a little slower than his peers, and his power was hard to train. He’d rather be here as long as he needed to be to be sufficient in both areas before he left.

Since he was naturally social, Kuni did have a good number of friends that he could spend time with. Some of them had graduated last year, but he’d been slowly getting to know others as well. That didn’t mean he didn’t stop seeing his older friends, though, like Eloise. Well, he didn’t get to see her as much as he would have liked, but he could understand that she was busy. She was an adult, after all, living on her own and dealing with all that adult stuff!

When she’d first made this offer to him… Well, he was excited, obviously, but also nervous. He’d barely been outside of Pilot Ridge, and only to other small towns (apart from the few larger ones he passed by when taking trips to the coast). What would It be like? Would he like it? Or would it be weird and horrible? Still, he’d agreed with enthusiasm, because a) yay spending time with Eloise! and b) he did enjoy new experiences… What could the harm be?

It may have been snowing when they’d gotten there, but Kuni was dressed like it was ten or twenty degrees warmer. He almost felt at home in the weather… Not so much the place itself, but the chilly-ness. It comforted him, even though he might have got the surprised look or two in his light jacket and casual jeans. He often had to strip the jacket off when they went inside, too – Americans in the southern 48 kept their buildings so hot! “You look nice,” he’d told Eloise with a friendly smile. She always looked very put-together and professional, he thought.

The flight, though, had been the worst part. Granted, Kuni went on longer ones to go home sometimes (although he still preferred to drive, even if it took much, much longer), but that didn’t mean he was comfortable on planes by any means. He was meant for land and water, nothing else. If not for the suppressor, he likely would have made the whole thing crash in his nervous state, as his ability tended to act up when he was emotional. Fortunately, they landed safely and all was well.

The first thing he’d done when they landed and stepped outside was to stand and gawk for several long moments. Everything was so… Gigantic. Kuni, though he was a big person, suddenly felt very, very small. “Y-yeah!” he stammered in response, feeling quite overwhelmed. He squeezed into the taxi beside her and peered out the window as they started driving. “Wow…” Kuni breathed to himself. He shook his head and focused back on his friend when she asked him what he thought. “I… I… I’m pretty speechless,” he admitted with a breathy chuckle. “Everything is so… Huge. I’d be tiny even if I shifted…” Granted, he still wanted to avoid that anyway. How would one explain a whale in Times Square? His eyes were still wide and awe-struck as he looked at Eloise. “I’ve only seen things like this on television… It was hard to imagine it really being real until now.” Kuni shook his head in amazement. “So um… What do you have planned?” he asked curiously. He was totally lost, of course, and totally relying on her expertise.

[Eloise Eaton]

Eloise thought it was kind of cute how awestruck Kuni was. How suddenly he felt so small, and how that clearly wasn't something he'd ever experienced before. It put a small smile on Eloise's face. If there was one thing she liked to do, it was give people an entirely new experience. To show them a part of themselves they didn't know was there. That's why she loved fashion so much, anyway. This had been much easier, since it seemed the tallest building Kuni had ever seen maxed out at 10 stories. She pulled him out of his trance by tugging him into the taxi, though.

"If you think these buildings are huge," Eloise started, "Wait until I take you downtown." She didn't have a concrete agenda, but there were a couple things that she knew Kuni should definitely see. Like times square, the empire state building, and central park - which she had a feeling would be Kuni's favorite part. He was definitely an outdoorsy type. She wasn't sure what else they would do, but there was always so many options. Eloise found it difficult to go to the city without finding something new and amazing.

"I figure we'll stop at times square, and walk through central park," Eloise started, "and yif you're feeling super brave later we can take an elevator up to the top of the Empire state building." The blonde leaned over Kuni and scanned the skyline before pointing at the building in question. The second tallest building that New York boasted. The new Freedom Tower, which was replacing the fallen world trade center 1, was much taller. However it was still in the process of being finished and no one but construction workers had been to the top.

"If there's anything you'd like to do specifically, let me know," Eloise said with a smile, unsure of exactly how much Kuni even knew about New York. She allowed Kuni to continue gawking at the large buildings while the taxi continued along the busy city streets. Eloise was also in awe of the city, but it wasn't nearly as new as if was for the native Alaskan.

Because of traffic, the taxi couldn't take them straight up to times square, so they exited the vehicle about a block away. Eloise actually preferred that, though. She wanted Kuni to see how crazy the place was as soon as they turned the corner at the end of the street. That was the funny thing about times square - walking toward the area, you wouldn't even know it was there. The connecting streets were slightly dull and dirty, and there was no sign of the incredible lights and hustle and bustle that awaited ahead. "We're headed right up this way," Eloise said, pointing toward times square. You could see a glimpse of a large electronic billboard between the buildings, but that was the only sign of anything spectacular.

[Kunikpok "Kuni" Arrluk]

Kuni’s eyes widened even more when Eloise informed him that these weren’t even the tallest buildings. “They get even bigger?” he asked, amazed. “How do they stay standing? Aren’t people worried about them falling over?” An architect is something Kuni would never be. He’d seen pictures of NYC, of course, but he’d never really been able to really imagine it in his head. It was just… Impossible for him to fathom, coming from a tiny tiny town near the top of the world. He didn’t care what they did, he was just along for the ride, and would likely be awed at every view.

“Sounds good to me,” he replied, not really knowing what she was talking about. He thought he’d vaguely heard of Times Square, though. “Why is it called Times Square?” Kuni asked, curious and innocent. “Are there a lot of clocks there?” When she mentioned going to the top of the Empire State Building, his stomach twinged a little nervously. He didn’t reply until she pointed out the building she was talking about, and Kuni gawked. “You can go to the top of that?” he breathed in amazement. He really wanted to see what it was like…. Even if he was nervous. “… Maybe later,” he agreed eventually. He wondered if it would be able to support a whale… But doubted it, because he thought something so tall would risk falling apart just under human weight.

He turned back into the cab and looked at Eloise as she spoke again. “Ah, well, I really don’t know anything about New York, so I think I’m mostly just at your mercy,” he joked quietly. “I trust your judgment.” He figured she would want to do some shopping or something, since he did know that the city was known for that, and that was totally fine. He just wouldn’t spend a lot of money…. Or even know what to buy besides a new tank top for spring or something.

Kuni got out as the car stopped along the sidewalk, following Eloise’s lead. The streets seemed crowded with people already to him, being so used to the quiet downtown of Pilot Ridge. He felt even tinier now, standing in the shadows of so many huge buildings, but he was still taller and broader than most people walking by. “Oh, okay,” he said softly, hushed into near silence by his amazement. He started following her to their destination, tilting his head curiously as he caught sight of the bright lights. When they made it to the Square itself, Kuni froze in place, completely overwhelmed. There were so many people and lights and noises and smells, his brain just stopped working for several long moments. He gawked around, looking like a total tourist without shame. Finally,”…. Is this real?” he asked, still staring. “Or am I dreaming?” He reached over and touched Eloise’s arm, as though suddenly uncertain if she was really there. “… I can’t believe… I’ve never… Wow,” he stammered. He likely wouldn’t move from the spot until she urged him to.

[Eloise Eaton]

Eloise opened her mouth, half expecting something smart to come out of her mouth regard times square and the naming thereof. "Actually.... I have no idea," Eloise admitted with a little laugh once she realized she hadn't a clue. "It doesn't have to do with clocks though.... as far as I know. And I don't really know how to make building's stand up either, but someone does and they get paid big bucks to figure it out," Eloise said. Engineers were crazy smart, and Eloise was certain she'd never completely understand how the towers stand so tall.

"I hope my ignorance of those topics doesn't change your opinion of my tour-guide capabilities," Eloise joked stepping out of the cab. She knew the important sites and experiences, but probably couldn't tell you much about the history of the city. She could tell you where all the outlets were, as well as the most glamorous hotels. She knew where fashion week was held and where she could purchase the clothes showcased there. She doubted Kuni would care too much about any of that though. So she decided to stick to some staples that she felt would leave a memorable image in the boys head.

And the first stop was definitely a good start. A smile stretched across Eloise's face as Kuni froze in amazement. The way he immediately froze, overwhelmed by everything around him, gazing at all the TV screens and people, it warmed Eloise in a way. Just the look in his eyes had already made the trip worth it to her. "As real as you and me," Eloise promised, nudging Kuni with her arm in response to his touch. She gave him a few moments to continue to gawk before tugging at the cuff of his jacket. "Come on," she offered, beginning to lead him further into the place. "You don't really get the full effect until you stand in the middle," she explained, pointing to the large concrete island in the middle of the roads, full of pedestrians rushing to get somewhere and tourists with selfie sticks.

"This is where some of the biggest stores and biggest Broadway shows are," Eloise explained, pointing to places as they continued to walk. "The Lion King is over there.... Wicked is down the street," Eloise wasn't even sure that Kuni knew what the shows were, but she continued. "There's a 3 story toy store and two candy stores that are two or three stories... I forget," the blonde continued, pointing behind them to the M&M and Hershey Stores. "All sorts of crazy fun stuff."