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Sofia arrives to pick up Ninette in the early afternoon. She's wearing a cream colored dress that has her shoulders bare without showing any cleavage, a pendant worn tied about her neck and an ivory ribbon tied into her hair. With her heels she approaching five foot six. The large handbag she usually carries is over her left shoulder and there's a thoughtful expression on the woman's face. She smiles sweetly when she's knocking on the door.
Arriving not too far from the amusement parks Sofia suggests the two of them walk on their way toward the park, if only so that they can pass attractions like the Nathan's Hot Dog stand and watch as the looming amusements are growing in the distance. There's a quiet effervescence to how the woman is acting tonight, something that is not quite a contrast to her usual quiet observation. Sofia is, as always, wearing her gloves. She doesn't bother dodging simple touches this time, however.
"How have you been so far this week? I've been looking forward to this actually. Promise you won't laugh when I completely fail at all of the games?" There's a serious lilt to Sofia's voice but the faint smile betrays her amusement.
*
Ninette, in deference to there being a beach, has brought a white bag with some room to it slung over her shoulder. There might be a bathing suit in it; after all, if there's a chill in the air, she won't be bothered by it. She's her usual self, though favoring Sofia with a warm smile. The people they pass get critical observation, however. She takes awhile to warm up.
"I've been well," she says, "and looking forward to this. Ooh, there's that hot dog stand." She speaks French with Sofia. It's far more comfortable than English. "I can't eat a whole one. We should share it." She then adds wryly, "I won't laugh. I never laugh."
*
"Then I think I've found a goal to pursue," Sofia responds in a musing tone, her brown eyes twinkling with playful mischief that isn't reflected in the rest of her face. That faint smile remains the whole while, and periodically she readjusts that large bag. If it was folded nearly Sofia could fit a bathing suit in there. She has, after all, used to keep her coat on previous meetings.
"I've been looking forward to his too. Very well! We'll purchase a preposterously sized sausage and see what the fuss is about…" There's a bit of a giggle to it. Sofia speaks French with Ninette as always. She simply defers to whatever language the woman might pick and proves her facility in all of them.
"I wonder if anyone will make a hot dog larger than this," the woman muses, arching a brow as she is approaching the stand. "Any preference on toppings? …Well. We are on Coney Island." Sofia will order in English with a bright smile and a nod, taking into account whatever Ninette tells her about toppings. A Coney dog is inevitable even if she has to order two after all.
"After this we need to find that dolphin I mentioned. For research purposes."
*
"Just a little mustard on my half," Ninette says. The truth is she would love all the toppings piled high, but onions? What would they do to her breath! Besides, a little mustard is good, too. "Yes," she says after the dog is ordered. "The dolphin, and one of those pastries they make with the funnel."
She looks around at the other people visiting Coney Island today, laughing, having fun. "Maybe we can go to the beach? I love the beach. It's one thing about Paris I would improve. Let there be an ocean."
*
"Ah, I understand. Of course," Sofia responds sweetly to Ninette's statement, nodding her head once as she does. "So, that's one dog with all of the toppings. Brown mustard," Sofia decides judiciously before flashing Ninette a smile. When the food arrives Sofia is holding the hot dog quite carefully in both hands and offering Ninette her half of it as they walk."I am a terrible influence, I am afraid."
Then they are walking and there's laughing and chatter. Sofia listens to it, soaks it up, shares her food with Ninette and seems content to observe people as they walk past. "The beach it is. I thought you might, given you… Never get cold. I miss swimming actually. When I lived in California and the Philippines the water was almost always warm so we would go swimming all the time. I agree, it's the one thing LA had Paris does not." There's another of those laughs and she shifts her weight slightly from left to right.
"I still insist on winning you a stuffed animal," Sofia announces then. "Or humiliating myself. Either should prove amusing. Bonne faire."
*
Ninette laughs, proving earlier self a liar, and she says, "I couldn't! It's too much." She takes her half and she picks at the toppings. It's piled way too high for her to dig in. Onions. So delicious. It's a strange difference, the way Ninette approaches strangers and the way she is with Sofia. For the former, her smiles are close-lipped with a cool regard. She rarely speaks to anyone.
"Oh, we'll definitely be playing games for those animals, but you first. If you win, I might give it a try." She glances toward the fairway. "Maybe we'll do that first? Do you see that big pink bear? Isn't it darling?" As she gravitates that way, she adds, "The beach will be better in summer, even this far North. Maybe we'll both get to swim then."
*
"I'll swim with you today," Sofia decides, shrugging her slender shoulders faintly as she does. "You'll just have to look after me if I turn out to be a fool and make myself sick." She nods then, turning her gaze on the bear in question and titling her head slightly to the left. She reaches up to brush brunette tresses away from her face despite the fact her ribbon keeps them from falling forward.
"It's beautiful," the woman agrees quietly. She shifts her weight slightly from left to right as she proceeds forward. "Alright. Let's see. It looks like a… ring toss game. Very well." Red lips are pursed lightly and Sofia seems to be studying the layout in front of her with care. "Alright. I'm first, you said?"
You even get three balls when you buy in. What a deal. Sofia is lining up her shot.
*
Ninette clicks her tongue and says, "If you get too cold, we'll get out. I can't let you get sick." She could take care of her, though; she used to take care of her papa when he'd get sick. The old man taught her how to nurture, his death taught her how to opt not to.
She walks alongside Sofia, judging the denizens of the fairway as they pass. "Yes," she says. "You must go first." Because if they're going to make fools of themselves, Sofia gets to start them off.
*
Sofia just laughs at that statement and nods a couple times. "I'm not going to make myself sick," she assures Ninette gently before nodding and stepping up to the counter and ordering the first set of rings to throw.
The encounter is a lesson in humility. Sofia manages to bounce one of the first three rings off the mouth of a bottle before buying three more for another try. After six consecutive misses, only one of which was even close to winning the pink bear grand prize, Sofia steps back and gives Ninette a brief nod. She is already retrieving three more rings. "Would you like to try throwing one or two?"
*
Ninette shakes her head quickly and says, "Oh, no. I would never land one." She's not being modest, at least in her own mind. She's pretty sure she couldn't do it. True to her word, she hasn't laughed, but she's smiling more than she has in a long time. "I'm sure you'll get it the next try."
She turns her attention to the man running the ring toss, and her smile dims, though it doesn't quite disappear. "Because I know it's not rigged." She tilts her head and regards the man, looking for a tell. But when she sees someone walking by with a smaller version of her bear, she turns her attention back to Sofia. "Throw again," she prompts.
*
Sofia takes a deep breath and nods slowly. She throws the next ring… And the next. Glancing shot. Glancing shot, bounce. Total miss. Now Sofia is scowling darkly at the array of bottles. the man smiles beatifically as he hands her more rings. The expression he wears is a mask; it denies showing tells because it never really changes. A lot of practice has gone into being a genial statue who takes people's money.
Now fifteen rings in Sofia's expression darkens a bit further. She glances at Ninette and then looks back to the man in front of hher. Brown eyes widen slightly before she breathes, "…Ah. I see how it is." Then she takes a deep breath before announcing loudly, "Sir! You forgot to give me my prize." Sofia points at the gigantic pink bear. The tall,dark haired man pauses for a second, blinks- and then nods. "Oh! Of course. I'm sorry. Here you are."
Sofia takes the bear, smiles beatifically at the man, then turns and hands it over to Ninette. "For you, princess." That, at least, is stated with a lot of genuine care. It emphasizes the fact Sofia is apparently mad enough to tremble faintly with it. Most people would miss it. Ninette is not most people.
*
Ninette smiles broadly at Sofia. "Well done!" she says aloud, in English, and she claps her hands together. "Masterful!" The good cheer cuts to ice as she shoots a glance at the man running the game, but then it's back in full force as the bear is handed down. She takes it in her arm and gives it a squeeze. Back to French, she says, "He's adorable." Cooing over the stuffed bear. "Thank you, Sofia." She pauses, then lays a hand on the woman's shoulder. She's thinking soothing thoughts. Also, ~We'll get back at him somehow.~ That's how she stays calm. She already knows she's going to make the bastard pay.
*
Mind to mind now Sofia replies, ~No. I took his bear. I just…! Sofia exhales heavily and then shakes her head a couple times,closing her eyes for a moment. ~He was thinking horrible things about you. About both of us. He was glad the game was rigged so we wouldn't get his prizes. He's actually upset right ow that we walked away with one but he'll be pretty sure for at least an hour that we won it fairly.~ Despite th fury involved Sofia is able to offer Ninette a bright smile and nod in response to the compliments. She walks a bit closer to the woman than before, perhaps finding some comfort in it. A hand is kept on the bar for a moment. Then against Ninette's, buried in pink fur. "Let's go swimming. Suddenly I'm less amused by the park. We can come back later and try the roller coaster, perhaps?" Another of those smiles follows as Sofia takes another deep breath and slowly calms herself.
*
Ninette glances back to the man, looking him up and down in a way one might find provocative if not for the thin veneer of disdain, as if to tell him look what you could have but never will. ~They always do. They're obscene.~ And her bitter. How many times has she fallen for a line or some grand declaration?
She pushes the thoughts from her mind and offers Sofia a small smile, tucking a lock of hair behind one ear. Speaking aloud again, she says, "Yes, let's swim. Then perhaps one of those funnel cakes after the roller coaster." She regards Sofia, her lower lip bordering upon a pout. "Don't let him upset you, Sofia. I know how they look at me. I don't care."
*
"Well that, and… Mmm. It was because you're French. And because my skin is darker than khaki slacks," Sofia relates without further inflection. She takes a deep breath and then nods slowly. "I'm sorry. You're right, why should I let that ruin our day? The beach is over this way. The bear shall have to sit upon the sand but he should be happy enough."
With that pronouncement Sofia is quick to hook Ninette's arm and pull the blonde along with her as she bounds- not too fast, but enthusiastically given her attire- toward the beaches, and the public restrooms nearby. It will at least be easy enough to get changed. "It's warmer out than I expected it to be!"
*
"He is nothing," Ninette says decisively. With that, she dismisses him. She then laughs as they begin to bound toward the beach. She's deft on her heels, as used to wearing them as she is. "Perhaps spring will finally come to New York," she says with delight. It does help not to stand out when there are others enjoying the weather.
She takes her sweet time changing. A lady never hurries. When she emerges, it's in a bikini, the bottoms navy blue and broad in the hips with two rows of buttons up the front. The top navy blue stripes, strapless, and gathered in the front with a pert red bow. She's got on sunglasses and a beach towel thrown over one arm. Her hair has been tied back in a ponytail at the base of her neck with a blue ribbon to match the navy in her suit.
The first thing she does is look around to see who is at the beach, what they're wearing, and if they're paying attention. She's not just paranoid. She's also fashionable.
*
Somehow, Sofia and Ninette match. The hair ribbons offset one another as do their bikinis. White and blue, in uts that complement one another perfectly . Sofia's hair is tied as well, though not into a pony tail, and it's obvious that she put a lot of thought into what she was going to wear today. The bottoms on her outfit are a bit more risque, but not by very much. It wouldn't be very proper.
When Ninette looks around Sofia does as well. To say that people are paying attention would be to understate the case. Two beautiful women do not often walk out in bikinis in the middle of spring. Not here, at least. Ninette gets a brief once over from Sofia who nods and then smiles, gesturing for the water and taking off in that direction at a run. Sans heels she is much more graceful than before. It isn't a race; she reaches for Ninette's arm and, if allowed, drags her along.
This is for both women, not just the Mentalist or the Ice Queen. Ninette isn't allowed to stand back and be aloof right now. Not without fighting the tide. Let people stare.
*
Ninette smiles at Sofia, her lips cherry-red as ever, a bit touched up in fact after the hot dog and general wear. "You're ravishing," she says with delight. "Let's go break some hearts." Because there is a lot of looking, but there's not going to be a whole lot of getting.
She takes the offered arm and runs with Sofia, and it's clear she's been keeping up on her exercise. She isn't falling behind or huffing and puffing, though she's still got a ways to go before she's in Sofia's league. The difference working for a super secret operation makes.
People do stare, and Ninette ignores them in favor of splashing her feet in the ocean and curling her toes in the sand. "The temperature is perfect!" she says. Cold, just how she likes it.
*
"You look astonishing," Sofia responds honestly. She might not be able to entirely help staring, but the smile she returns is just as luminous. They both have cherry red lips today, favouring the same colour lipstick as they have since they met. "I can already hear them shattering when they look at you," Sofia responds quietly.
After their sprint to the water Sofia stops with Ninette at the edge of it to let the waves wash against her shins. "P-perfect," she manages with a laugh, shivering enough that the chattering affects her speech. Sofia's response is to step in a little further, bare feet digging into the sand beneath her. She stays close to Ninette of course, those amber eyes thoughtful as they study the other woman's face for a moment.
"I could get used to this," Sofia admits conversationally. "It's much better when you have someone to bring along. Less… Melancholy. Though that has a place too, I suppose."
*
Ninette looks to Sofia and smiles, guileless as a girl again. "No, they're breaking when they look at you," she says. "Together, we'll destroy them all, poor things."
She steps in deeper, her feet sinking into the sand as the icy water washes around them. "You don't have to stay in," she says, "if it's cold." She gets a devilish glint in her eyes though, and she leans down to scoop up some of the ocean water in her hands. She only splashes Sofia around the knees, though. She's not entirely without mercy. "There is so much melancholy," she says. "Without a nice day, how will we appreciate it?"
*
The splash has Sofia spluttering a little bit. She pauses and then splashes Ninette back in a wave that would hit her in the abdomen and soak her bikini. The brunette is grinning as she is reorienting herself on Ninette. Another splash quickly follows the first. She's fairly adept in this sort of game, it seems. Ninette has other advantages.
"Then here's to a nice day," Sofia agrees, nodding her head. "Bonne chance!" She's a nimble opponent who had siblings with which to practice her water splashing. It will be an interesting game, even if being splash makes her shiver and teeth chatter. Sofia doesn't seem to mind in the slightest.
*
Ninette laughs as she's splashed. She splashes more, this time getting Sofia's bikini wet. She still holds back, not wanting to give the poor woman a chill. Which is such a change from her usual emotional palate. Ninette, an only child from a landlocked city, is quickly drenched and still splashing.
Of course, drenched is a good look for her. She's careful not to let her face get too wet. Bleeding makeup would be inexcusable, and she unbinds her hair so it falls sleek and wet down her back. "We should go lay on the beach," she says after awhile. "Your lips will turn blue." As for her, it might as well be a summer's day for all that she doesn't shiver one bit.
*
"I didn't bring a blanket," Sofia admits sheepishly. Her eyes are still glimmering with mirth, however. "And I think I can manage for at least a bit longer. We've hardly even actually swam." With that Sofia is moving lcoser. he water runs down her hair, causing brunette tresses to cling to the woman's neck and frame her face. Sofia does not usually wear a great deal of makeup and , it seems, she really was prepared for the water since any she did have is no currently present. Nothing runs, at least.
Finally, Sofia takes a deep breath. "I guess we can get out of the water if you really want," the woman considers, laughing even through the slight stutter the chill gives her. "And after we dry a bit we can see about your funnel cake. There's still so much more to see…" She takes a deep breath, slowly. "We could use up quite a few weekends this way if you'd like to see it all."
*
Ninette tilts her head as Sofia comes closer, sensing treachery, but only the splashing variety. She considers, glancing back out at the ocean behind her, then the beach. "Let's dry off. Next time I won't wear so much eyeliner. It will bleed if I go swimming." So she brought the suit but didn't intend to swim? Fashionistas.
She absently lays a hand on Sofia's shoulder to steer her toward the beach. "Besides, you'll catch a chill. Why don't you use my towel, and I can dry in the air. It won't bother me." It's a big towel, too. Not quite a blanket, but decent-sized. She drops her gaze to the sand around her toes and adds, "I'd like to use up a few weekends here."
*
"Mmm. I mean, I have a towel in my bag for drying off at least." There's a quiet laugh from Sofia and she is moving toward where the bags were left to retrieve just that. She doesn't change back just yet, instead wringing out her hair and then drying herself carefully. She's letting the rest of the water evaporate even as the shivering intensifies as a result. Finally Sofia takes a deep breath and looks around slowly. "Laying on the sand, hm?" She muses, tilting her head slightly as she does. Then she adds even more quietly. "Alright. Let's do this again next Saturday. We can come out here every weekend until you're bored with it. There are a lot more stuffed animals to win and other gigantic food concoctions to try…"
*
Ninette walks along with, though she's happy to let the droplets dry on her skin. What would be sharp, biting ice to others is just a pleasant coolness. She lays out her towel, and she says, "Yes, laying on the sand." Over a towel, apparently. "And watching the beach."
She looks at Sofia then, and her brow furrows. It's starting to dawn, but she wrestles with herself over it. She must be reading into things. It's just not a safe assumption to make. No, couldn't be. How would she feel about it if it were? Panicked is the first thing. To be fair, that's her reaction to affection in general. No, no, no. No. Everything's fine. "I would love to come next Saturday." Which is true. She is, if nothing else, having an incredible time.
*
Unbeknownst to Ninette Sofia is mirroring her potential panic. Did Ninette agree because she knows or does she fail to recognize and they are just friends? Will she ruin that friendship if she speaks? Better to say nothing…
Sofia's brows furrow faintly as well but then she smiles and moves to lay out on the blanket in the sun. "I grew up in jungle," Sofia notes in a droll tone. "I have a lot of experience sunbathing but almost never with sand involved. It itches." The amusement is clear as she makes that pronouncement. "And very well. I will keep next Saturday clear then…"
As uncertainty gets the better of the Filipino woman it becomes easier to get an idea of her thoughts, especially considering how she is mirroring Ninette's own concerns. She can't quite help being a bit obvious about it, perhaps.
*
"It gets everywhere," Ninette says, "but that's the price for getting to lay out in the sun." She ties her hair in braid she can put over one shoulder, then she lays back on her towel, propped on her elbows so she can still look around. The sunglasses obscure her expression somewhat, but her lips toy with a smile.
"You know," she ventures, "this is the most fun I think I've had since I was a little girl. Things have been difficult. I would say you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I know you've had an extraordinary time, yourself."