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Hercules has a large table to himself. He has piled upon it literal piles of pastries. Croissants, donuts, eclairs, horns, bagels. What appears to be a cake with frosting at the center of the pile. You can get quite a haul here, it seems, when you pay with an ancient Greek gold coin.
"Come, my mortal friends, partake of the bounty of the Prince of Power! My flaky, golden-brown treasures are yours to partake! Let them melt in your mouth!" he proclaims to the bakery at large. Who wouldn't want to eat a donut from a musclebound, shirtless man on a Wednesday morning?
Sunny is only just entering the bakery when Hercules begins his grand proclamation and invitation to share in his wealth of pastries. She grins to herself as she notes the startled looks his booming voice receives— people clearly there to enjoy a quiet breakfast before moving on with their day, suddenly accosted by a bombastic individual with a healthy tan and a ruddy glow to his cheeks. Gosh, he sure is handsome! Many of the patrons seem to be appreciating that, as well, she notes.
Never one to be overly shy, especially in a situation in which she knows no one, Sunny steps up to his table and smiles brightly. "Hello, I'm Sunny! It's very nice of you to share your food with everyone. My, what a selection," she says in admiration, her hazel eyes drifting over the piles of bready goodness. She settles down into a seat at the table and picks up a chocolate-infused croissant. "Oooh, I know what'd be perfect with this; milk!" she exclaims with wide eyes. She flags a waitress down with a waving arm and orders a large glass of it for herself, and one for Hercules!
Hercules is in the middle of stuffing a twelve inch long chocolate-stuffed Bavarian cream horse into his mouth. Why are they making donuts in the shape of a horse? Why not?
"I am pleased to share!" he proclaims to Sunny, "My, but you're a radiant creature! Enjoy to your heart's content, although beware, I am told that many mortals have difficulty handling eating so many sweetstuffs," he says.
"The lady speaks truth! Barkeep!" he says, calling to a plump elderly woman behind the counter. "Flagons of cream, frothy and cold!"
Sunny's pretty face pinkens a bit in the cheeks as Hercules compliments her, dipping her chin a little. "Thank you, good sir," she says in a fancy fashion, waving her croissant-holding hand in tight concentric circles. What a nerd! "I appreciate the warning, but I've never really suffered from that affliction, thankfully! Perhaps I know when to cut myself off, though I have been stuffed to the gills, before," she grins amiably as she takes a big, hearty bite of the croissant.
Sunny is often accused (though generally out of earshot!) of being an overeater, due to her rather zaftig figure. So, seeing her bellied up to a table full of such treats is probably garnering her some unfavorable attention. However, she seems completely oblivious to that negativity as she smiles warmly to everyone who looks in her direction, inviting those who are sitting alone to come join the table.
There were strange marketing ways out and about today, especially given that it was for sweets…but Ne was no stranger to strange or sweets for that matter. This part of town was a little further from mutant town, and so a simple illusion covered her more unnatural eyes and haircolor with green irises and raven locks respectively. Even so, for her physical 'shroud' there was no eliminating that oddity completely. Wrapped in her black skirt and top regardless of the weather, the young woman walked with her parasol slung over her shoulder twirled lightly by her gloved hand. Lured in by scent as much as any yelling and declaring of baked virtues, the young woman gives a silent tilt of her head, a raised brow of curiousity while she draws near to the pair and the proclaimations.
Hercules clearly doesn't mind drawing attention and anyone who were to consider giving Sunny any flak for her figure or indulgence would likely be on the receiving end of a rather seroius thrashing from the son of Zeus!
"I am told that moderation is a virtue, yet I have never quite found myself so inclined," he says. "Today, at least, give freedom to your hunger. Let Hercules stuff you!" he says. As Ne approaches, he gestures towards the bounty of food before them, "Zounds, a shade from the Elysian Fields approaches! Eat, spirit, and be nourished!"
Sunny laughs as Hercules preaches the gospel of indulgence, and looks around in amusement at the various shocked expressions of the people nearby. For whatever reason, Sunny has taken to this loud-spoken, kind-hearted individual and his social awkwardness doesn't seem to affect her! She finds him funny, and handsome, so it's not hard to enjoy being around him as she helps herself to some cream-filled bon bons, taking a big drink of milk.
As Ne nears, Sunny waves an encouraging hand— her mouth full, she uses her presentation-model skills, using her free hands to gesture enticingly to all of the pastries to be had. Once she's swallowed, she dabs at her plush lips with a napkin before she smiles in greeting, "I love your parasol! It's lovely." Not your typical greeting, but her face is so kind, her eyes warm and sparkly!
Shade or spirit? Ne is certainly small and pale enough, but she doesn't look starved. Even so, their's a slight twitch of her brow at first although it's hard to distinguish if such a gesture is one of irritation or mere confusion. Even so, the sweet-tooth wins out and she lets her head fall the other way, making her hair spill over the shoulder while she sweeps her parasol around in a single fluid motion, leaving the shade held in both hands horizontal at her hips behind her back. A nod of thanks to the currently feasting Sunny, there's a slight hint of a smile before she looks back towards Hercules, a raising of one hand and rubbing her fingers together with a questioning expression making it pretty clear she was asking the price of the sweets before delving in as eagerly as Sunny had.
Hercules raises a hand dismissively, "You have no need of coin, milady! The Son of Zeus has already proclaimed these foods for all, paid for with the treasures of Olympus herself," he says.
The old woman comes over, having added another large glass of milk, this one for Ne and placing it carefully at the edge of the table, the massive mound of baked goods making it difficult to find room without spillage.
"Many thanks, barkeep," he proclaims to 'Ethel', according to her nametag. "I still maintain you would not regret adding mead to your offerings. No one eats like a drunkard!" he says, having no sense of licensing or the idea that not everyone wants to drink booze at any hour of the day. "The two of you are pale moonlight and bright sun, quite a contrast between you, and yet both sup today in this city of wonders. Truly, this modern world has its glories."
Sunny smiles brightly at Ethel as she brings yet another large glass of milk and gestures with her half-empty glass, whispering that she'd like another, whenever she has a moment. She feels guilty asking Ethel to get another glass of milk, buuuuuut… she's also helping Ethel with her terrible arthritis, and that's a sort of payment! Sunny's healing aura is affecting practically everyone present, in fact. Aches and pains, illnesses both known and undiagnosed, injuries and all…are being gradually taken care of by Sunny's mere presence!
In fact, when Sunny notices that Ne doesn't speak, she takes a closer 'feel' of the girl. Canting her head slightly, she examines the feel and shape of Ne's lifeforce and, finding very little 'wrong' with it (aside from, perhaps, a bruise or scratch that anyone might have at any given time)… She figures Ne must have other reasons for not speaking. Her pattern is definitely /advanced/, showing that she's more than merely human, but she's not damaged or lacking the ability to speak! "Son of Zeus," she murmurs in a spaced-out way, her thoughts still lingering on Ne. Until she realizes what that means. "Whoa, that's amazing," she says, her bright hazel eyes widening. Actually Hercules! "I mean, you said Son of Zeus and all, but it's starting to sink in!" she laughs at herself.
Aside from a few 'differences' from the average human, Ne would indeed seem perfectly healthy. She'd put a lot of effort into maintaining her physical ability and the young mutant's gifts did offer a few advantages even beyond that little shroud of her more unnatural features. A shrug of those slender shoulders, the silent girl isn't going to refuse the free treat even if she does seem to have a slightly disbelieving expression at Herc's proclaimations of his identity, or indeed Sunny's instant acceptance of the same. Taking a small bite of one of the sweet pastries however? The expression is replaced with one of joy. For all the changes she'd had since her days surviving on the streets? She'd never quite gotten over the enjoyment of good food.
A glance to Hercules, she nods her thanks, but still not a word is spoken.
Hercules smiles, "I am amazing, indeed. You haven't even seen me turn the course of a river or carry a hard of cattle across a mountain pass. Although I imagine maidens such as you awaiting me when I step away from the battlefield, the sweat of effort cooling on my brow. Perhaps with pitchers of sweet milk!" he says, taking a long drink of his glass and leaving his mustache a bit frothy.
"Woman, you speak not. Are you shy? Under a curse? Was your tongue cut for impudence? My father always favored that punishment, but he's a bit of a horse's ass, king of the gods or no!"
Sunny's eyebrows lift high at the picture Hercules paints, wherein she might be waiting for him at the foot of a mountain with milk. WOW. She laughs and shakes her head, "I might look like a milk maid, but I'm a California girl and I've never even seen a cow up close. I meant that it was amazing that someone I learned about in school is, well, sitting here, giving me free food!" she grins.
Oh, Sunny. She does tend to take people at their word, figuring…why lie? What would it benefit this hairy, booming man to claim he was a figure from mythology in the middle of a pastry shop? Maybe he's not a demigod, but she's seen some amazing things lately— witches, mutants, and more! So, why not? Still, she's pretty sure Hercules' questions will be met with more silence, for whatever reason. She smiles and turns her attention to her breakfast, selecting a cinnamon roll, this time!
Herc certainly was…direct. But strange was a pretty wide valley that Ne had spent a lot of time in, so perhaps she wasn't one to judge. Instead the question of curses and her silence brings Ne to shoving the rest of her sweet in her mouth, puffing out her cheeks almost comically while she digs into her jacket, coming out with a small and now battered notepad. A little movement to lean her parasol against her frame and she scribbles three words in responce that answer everything and explain nothing: <I don't talk>
Helpful as her communications might be, the woman now furrows her brow a little as she's forced to put effort into chewing and dealing with the food she'd shoved in her mouth, glancing sidelong again at Sunny before there's another quick scribbling on the notepad. It was a good thing someone had finally got her that thing!
<Prove it> she writes, offering the page up to Hercules. Here's hoping he can read English!
Hercules twists his mouth a bit, "Cally Fornya. I have not seen this land yet in my exploits. Perhaps I should make the journey. This New World is vast, indeed, and if this mighty land of yours as other creatures such as yourself, t'would be well worth the quest!"
He peers at the words that Ne has written down, the magick of the gods, thankfully, translating, for it's certainly not as if Hercules himself ever sat for a lesson in English. "Ah, proof. You ask for proof. Give me a minotaur to slay! A mountain to shatter! An army to break asunder with the power of my fist. For no lesser feat could possibly prove my name. But you do not have to believe me, mysterious woman, although I hope you would not eat the pastries of a fraud!"
Sunny's eyes are wide as she watches the back-and-forth between Hercules and the silent Ne. She eats at the cinnamon roll as one might eat popcorn at a movie theater. Why does Ne think Hercules is a fraud? She takes a big drink of milk and pats at her mouth with her napkin. "So, you don't think he's really Hercules, the Son of Zeus?" she asks Ne, looking sideways at him.
"I mean, there's /definitely/ more to him than meets the eye. He's incredibly powerful, from what I can sense," she whispers, leaning closer to the petite young woman. "His pattern is very complex and very…" she pauses, seeming to search for the right word, "…intricate? Like, most humans' patterns are fairly complex, but also simple in a way— they follow a very similar pattern, all slightly different due to being individual to each person, but… /Your/ pattern is slightly different to that of most humans'… And, his is even /more/ different than that," she says, using her hands to try to express herself better, forming grids with her fingers, lacing them together, and similar movements.
Well…give a man what he asks for…
Swallowing the last of her treat with an audible gulp, Ne's smile takes on a more mischievious tint as she tilts her head to the side and suddenly, impossibly, a large creature seems to leap out of the very air itself. Huge, furred, and almost perfectly an example of a Greek Minotaur from text even if it were not the reality the demi-god may very well of encountered. Yet for all its charge, there was only sight and no sound, no roar or thundering of cloven feet. Yet it was there for all to see for those few moments before it coiled for a leap at the man and then…vanished, leaving nothing but a thin film of frost where it had stood and a faint neon-pink glow in the young mutant's eyes for the smallest of moments.
Of course, noone could 'fight' this illusion-formed creature, but were this man simply playing a con of ego? He and most sane people would probably run. Regardless of result, nor how many people may well have been startled to terrified, Ne leans forwards with an expression of pure innocence, reaching for another pastry. Sunny's talk of her 'pattern'? That just earns a shrug with that same 'who me?' expression.
Hercules leaps to his feet in a moment, interposing himself between the silent creature and the women under his protection - not to mention the Olympian mound of donuts.
"SORCERY! Foul beast, you'll lay not a finger on these maidens whilst the Prince of Power stands athwart you! Come and take the beating your tick-infested hide des—huh?" he says, as the monster suddenly disappears, leaving Hercules standing, fists up and a bit mystified.
He looks around warily, "Some dark sorceror, I think, has been listening in on our words. I apologize, I realize I have not learned your names. My stepmother says I have the manners of a goat. She usually implies something about my actual mother in the process. Then I imply something about her face. Then she sends a monster to try and kill me. We're still working things out."
When the minotaur appears from nowhere, Sunny gives out a sharp, shrill yelp of surprise-terror, her chair's legs screeling against the floor as she instinctively moves to get away from the creature! She /may/ have tinkled herself. Just a little. Her cheeks are ruddy with embarrassment as the minotaur disappears and leaves Hercules hanging with his fists balled and ready for punching. She clears her throat and rights herself on her chair, mopping up spilled milk with her napkin. YES! The milk spilled in her lap! That's what happened. Phew.
She casts a reproachful expression to Ne, feigned innocence and all, as she mops up the milk with her sodden napkin. She doesn't know /for certain/ that Ne made the minotaur, but she does know that Ne's probably a mutant and that could've been a mutant power! So, she doesn't outright accuse, but her eyes show she's speculating.
Poor Sunny's reaction does garner a little sympathy, but one would never see it on Ne's face. After all, she's too busy with the donut she'd just lifted. Placing it in her mouth, the treat is held lightly between her teeth while she tucks her notepad into her jacket and then reopens her parasol in a single sweeping movement, a movement that's paired with the shattering of her illusion that hid her more unnatural features, revealing that pink hair and faintly glowing mismatched eyes. Before her, two letters hang glowing in the air for a moment, a supernatural introduction with the letters 'Ne' left hanging airborn for a moment before fading into little more then puffs of mist.
A bow of her form, almost overly formal in its depth, then her hand removes the donut from her lips, a small bite taken from the ring.
A wink, a little 'salute' with the sweet to the pair and the icecream-colored mutant simply vanishes into the air, gone in a sudden flash of light and a chilly breeze.
Hercules stares for a long moment at Ne's exit, his brawny arms still flexed ready to brawl with any bestial adversary that might suddenly reappear. When she leaves her two letters in the air and vanished from sight, he twists his face in a quizzical fashion.
"Ne?!? What does that mean? By Cronus, I find myself slackjawed and flabbergasted,' he sighs.
He looks down at Sunny and picks up another donut, popping his mouth, "I am sorry for any part I played in this mess, milady. Truly, you have been the soul of kindness and good humor and I regret if you have been any way upset. If you would like to be comforted with bedsport, I would be most pleased to oblige!"
If Sunny wasn't shocked by Ne's very impressive exit, she's certainly left open-mouthed-gaping at Hercules' offer to comfort her with 'bedsport.' At first, the agape expression is one of confusion, then one of shock as she puts two and two together. "Oh, my!" she laughs in her embarrassment. "You certainly come from a very different culture, Hercules," she says, clapping her hands to her pink cheeks. "While I am very flattered and grateful for your offer, I'll have to pass for reasons that would likely be best left to the imagination, putting aside the fact that we're barely acquaintances," she smiles, still trying to clean up the aftermath of Ne's (?) feckless use of her mutant power.