Break from being Bound: Nico diAngelo

[basic_powers]

The door opens from the closet, into the living room of a rather modest corner apartment. A worn and well-used couch has been made up into a makeshift bed with pillows. The coffee table has a few comicbooks scattered over it's surface, along with the small TV and two video game systems. Two bikes lean against the wall and one can just see the island counter for the kitchen through the corner of their eye.

"Mi casa, it isn't much, but you can hang out for a few days." 'Beauford' says, edging around his temporary tenant. "Bathroom is right down here, and my room is right across from it."

Comments

[basic_powers]

"For the coast and town in general? Yeh, we get a lot...most of them hang around here." Which is why as he's getting onto the old-fashioned streetcar, Beauford has to squeeze past some people who should but ARE wearing spandex shorts and sporting fannypacks. At least he's pushing out space so that Nico can sit at a window while he stands.

[the_ghostking]

He nods.

Luckily Nico's used to crowds, so at least claustrophobia isn't an issue.

But not staring has never been something Nico was particularly good at.

So there might be interested looking around at the people around them. They're certainly not particularly any different from what he's seen in his own world.

[basic_powers]

Most citizens of this 'verse are good old average joes, most of which are people on holiday taking the streetcar for photographs of various places, the Pike Place Market, the ports, the beautiful buildings and storefronts.

It's another 50 minutes of spending time in a car with slack-jaws from Idaho, before their tram pulls to a stop on a hill..and just at the bottom of the hill, one can make out the aquarium

[the_ghostking]

Oooh.

Nico doesn't spend all that much time around the water, but the Aquarium building looks pretty cool.

And admittedly, the waterside is kinda nice.

"We're here?"

[basic_powers]

"Yup," He's grinning like a monkey, because, obviously, it's going to be just as much fun seeing Nico get some joy out of today.

Once inside, it's another moment of buying tickets before Beauford hands over a map pamphlet which shows where the exhibits and cafes are.

"Where to first?"

[the_ghostking]

Nico looks through the pamphlet with a very intent focus.

Actually, he's really just trying to make sense of the letters. Reading has never been one of his strong-suits. Damned dyslexia.

"Uh -"

Randomly, he picks one and hopes it isn't going to be something lame like dolphins or something.

[basic_powers]

You want dolphins, you go to Sea World.

Here it's the sea lion, seal and otter exhibit, with both above water and below it viewing areas to watch the animals dart about in the water. Bonus, it's feeding time and you get to see the animals take off after anything that's put into their enclosure.

[the_ghostking]

Well, that's plenty good enough for him.

Anyway, it's pretty much awesome he gets to see any of this right now.

(Or maybe ever.)

It's not like his world allows him much free time these days.

So, he's admittedly enjoying himself a whole lot. There may even be more smiles than he's smiled for months.

[basic_powers]

After the feeding here is done, Beauford's just going to drag Nico to the Underwater Dome.

Which is to say, he gets to see the skates and sharks from underneath, along with some other cool things before a PA system announces that the aquarium will be closing in 30 minutes.

"You want to hit the giftshop on the way out or head straight for the pizza?"

[the_ghostking]

And cool things they are!

Admittedly, he's learned a lot about wildlife and water animals, plants and environments. This is probably the most he's learned (aside from survival training) in a looong time.


"Actually, I am kinda starving," he admits.

And really, he hasn't exactly got anyone to get gifts for.

[basic_powers]

"Pizza it is then."

And a walk up the hill, another 2 public transports later and another walk after..they're in Downtown and the sun is setting.

"Alright, neat little place here serves every kind of pizza. Sushi, alligator, squash, along with your regular standbys." And thus points out the neon sign above the street. "Peccadilio's. They also do greek and italian food decent."

It's Thursday night, so it's not too busy around the pizzeria, and not that long before a waittress leads them to a booth with menus. By now, kinda starving has probably morphed into really starving with all of the smells around them.

[the_ghostking]

If anything, the walking and transportation give him the chance to see the city a little better than an escorted car-ride would.

And it gives him the chance to talk to Beauford, see the sights and sounds, and feel more free than he has in a long time.

Here, no monsters are out to attack him because he's a demigod. No one's whispering promises of seeing his sister again. No one's whispering anything.


In the restaurant, after being seated and giving his menu a quick glance: "Alligator?" he repeats, picking out the one unlikely word.

[basic_powers]

"Alligator." It's on the creole pizza, and he did mention the odd pizzas this place had coming up to it. "It's an interesting flavor...if you really want to try it out we could order a small on for you, and large spicy seafood for me."

[the_ghostking]

"Good interesting, or bad?" he asks.

Because he is curious.

But uh - if it tastes awful, he'd rather be spared.

[basic_powers]

"Kinda fishy tasting, texture was kind of like steak. Wasn't bad, but I think you need to aquire a taste for it...how does deep fried mushrooms and cheese curds sound for an appetizer?"

[the_ghostking]

He makes a face at that.

Okay. That does not sound appetizing at all.

"Uum ... maybe I'll try something else. But the appetizer sounds good."

Can't really go wrong with mushrooms and cheese!

[basic_powers]

"One extra large spicy seafood for the both of us then...with diet cokes." That's all he needs for confirmation before handing off their menus to the waitress.

When she arrives back it's with a bowl of breadsticks and their ordered drinks.

"So what do you think of Seattle so far?"

[the_ghostking]

"It's really cool," he says honestly. "I've never even been to the Seattle in my world before."

But it can't be as great as this one, anyway. This one has superheroes fly overhead.

[basic_powers]

Beauford's lived with superheroes flying overhead for his whole life.

"Yeh, it's a great town." Not that big with the superhero set, which was half the reason he moved here. "I mostly like the libraries and the historical sites. Big geek for history."

[the_ghostking]

"Sounds like someone else I know from my world," he says thoughtfully. "I ... guess I'm always around history, it doesn't really interest me anymore."

More accurately: history has - more or less - become his present. It's hard to be excited about it, particularly when it involves your family.



[ooc: sorry about the massive delay! My brainspace isn't always cooperative. :\ ]

[basic_powers]

"I always thought of history being about people. And a person can be very interesting to get to know, even if it's only through the pages of a book." This line of conversation is halted, in favor of the appetizers arriving.

Mmhhhm. Let the devouring and belching begin.
[no worries, that happens to everyone at least once.]

[the_ghostking]

Appetizers!

Nico's stomach had been on the very cusp of growling for food, so the waitstaff have good timing.

Without needing to be told twice, Nico grabs some food to eat.

[basic_powers]

And suffice to say, the conversation is mostly about the food, since right after those appetizers, comes the pizza, with shrimp and mussels and lots of good cheese.

So the hour passes, and since the pizza is a large one, Beauford asks for a to-go box. Tonight's leftovers are going to be tomorrow's breakfast.

"Now for the main event...it's another couple of blocks, but the blacklight mini golf awaits."

[the_ghostking]

Mmmmm. Leftovers.

Nico has pretty good experience with leftovers; it happens to be a staple of his earlier childhood. (Well, the bits of it that he remembers.)

By now Nico has cheered up considerably, partially reverting back to his regular old ten-year-old self. Maybe all he needed was a break away from the dark problems and family issues he'd been dealing with at home.

Maybe Milliways was exactly what he needed.

In any case, he wipes his mouth and nods.

"Awesome."

[basic_powers]

Milliways has this way of bringing someone exactly what they needed, in a form that they wouldn't want right away, doesn't it?

Sure enough it is a bit of another walk down several blocks before they get to the neon-lit arcade, which has much more than just the underground pirate mini golf. The first floor is a room comfortably packed with arcade games ranging from your standard fighter, to a few fantasy games based off of trivia questions, and a few foreign games scattered in between.

And suffice to say, the underground minigolf is hilarious. Praises to the guys who rigged the pirate statues up with the cheesiest dialogue this side of Disney.

And there's just enough time to finish their game and a few others before catching the last bus back to a stop just a few blocks from Beauford's apartment. It's actually really quiet in the neighborhood now, after dark like this.