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Having taken up a job bartending at the Stonewall Inn Restaurant in Grenwich Village, Mon-El of Daxam was adjusting to life in the city which was very different, and truthfully, more his speed than the tiny town he'd crash landed in in Upstate New York. This afternoon finds him sitting on a bench outside the place with a drink in one hand and a container of fries in the other, taking a bit of a break out in the warmth of the sun, watching people come and go before he has to go in and work later.
Lara's usual activity is flying about the city, usually a bit above the tallest building in the area. In this part of town, she's about two stories up… but still plainly visible from the ground as she flies along at a sedate pace, watching and listening as she seeks a chance to do some good for someone. Her costume has some shiny metal parts, and those occasionally catch the sunlight just right to catch the eye, but it lacks a cape. Still, the sky is nice and blue… and her costume is primarily black, so she stands out readily against that background.
It's probably the flicker of the sun against the metal glint that catches his eye as he looks up, catching a glimpse of the woman flying over head. Brows knit together and he looks for a moment, surprised. Well, that's new. The fries forgotten for the moment, he tracks her progress as she moves overhead, studying her, and then the people around on the street to see if he's the only one noticing this or not.
Other people notice Lara's passage, too — someone flying about, patrolling the way she does, just isn't a very common sight. Some people find it off-putting, others find it frightening, some find it exciting, and some shrug it off. Still, when the screech of tires sounds as someone brakes hard to avoid hitting a child that's run out into the street, the sound of the mother's cry is far too late… but a blur of black, red, and silver comes out of the sky… and Lara's suddenly got the car in the air, flying it up over the head of the child as she slowly cancels out its momentum. The child's mother hurries the child back off the street and away from the situation, and the driver of the car, startled by the child's sudden appearance in his path… and then startled again by suddenly having his vehicle hoisted off the ground… sighs in relief as his car's set back on the street, with no harm done.
As the driver of the car she lifted up pulls away, Lara steps to the sidewalk and off the street, happening to end up right next to the bench on which Mon-El sits. Clapping her hands together as if to knock dust off them, she looks to where the frightened mother is hurrying away with the child. The only thanks she received was a quick one from the driver of the car, but the woman still looks pleased with herself, for having saved a life.
It's not often that Mon-El feels particularly moved to intercede on the part of the humans of this planet. He's still sorting out how he feels about them, in general — but there's something about a child in danger. In a blur, he leaves behind his drink and fries on the bench, but by the time that he gets to the mother and child, Lara's already got the car in the air and he comes to an abrupt, though swift halt nearby, looking, for a moment, a little uncertain about what to do at this point. And so, slightly flustered, he mumbles a sort of "You're safe now, go ahead, everything will be fine," to them and casually whistles a little, sliding his hands into his pockets, and strolling back toward the bench as though that hadn't just happened. When Lara lands, he reaches down and picks up his fries and drink and offers her one. "Nice save."
It's as she's stepping to the street that Lara realizes that someone -else- helped out, too. "You… moved as I did", she says to Mon-El, seeming a bit surprised about that. Then the man's offering her food, and she smiles and, obviously happy, accepts — and takes only one fry from the pack. "Thank you!", she says, although it's probably more for the french fry she's putting into her mouth than for the compliment about the rescue.
Mike Matthews takes another one of the fries and pops it into his mouth. French fries are among one of the things he has found he enjoys. There's a momentary pause, and he considers for a moment lying about it, but then, she watched him do it. There's no point in it. And so he shrugs his shoulders and says, "Yeah. I can move pretty fast."
"Clearly so", Lara says. "Thank you for helping prevent the accident", she adds, holding out a hand as if for a handshake. "That was very nice of you. I do hope it doesn't have any negative impact on you that you've openly done so…?", she adds, in a quieter voice, so that it won't carry. There are, after all, at least a few people still looking their way, pointing at the woman they saw fly down out of the air to pick up the car. Perhaps her obviousness helped to keep Mike from getting much notice. "I am called Supergirl", she concludes at a normal speaking volume.
"Sure," Mike says when she thanks him, even though he didn't actually manage to do anything useful. When she offers a hand, he reaches out and takes it to give it a firm but friendly shake, which might hurt for a normal mortal, but wouldn't affect Lara at all, all things considered. He then glances around and says, "I think most folks were looking at you. I'm.. still getting used to concealing what I do. I've been told its best to have a cover." When she introduces herself he says, "I'm Mike Matthews," raising his voice when she speaks at a normal volume, his own raising just a little bit higher than is entirely necessary, drawing a few looks.
Lara clearly realizes he's overstressing the name he gives, and arches up an eyebrow. She squeezes back when he squeezes her hand harder than a normal person could. "You're… fairly strong, as well. If I hadn't happened along, you'd have been able to lift the car away?", she says, the last clearly a question.
"Probably," Mike admits, seeing no particular reason to conceal this fact at this point in time, though he keeps his voice a little bit lower. Extending the fries out to her again in offering he says, "Though I've been told I shouldn't do that out in public. But then, I see people like you on the news doing so in front of people. Is it the suit? If I had a suit could I do that out in public?" This is one of the finer points that has been lost on him.
Lara seems to hesitate a moment before accepting another fry, but she does, anyway, popping it into her mouth. "If you have need of secrecy, something with a mask", she suggests. "I have no such need, and wear no mask", she adds, verbally pointing out the obvious lack of such a part of her own costume.
"So why do you not need a mask but others do?" Mike asks with some curiosity. This is the first time he's met another with abilities like himself in the city, and so while he seems to have her attention — out come the questions. He takes another fry from the box and eats it while he studies her with open curiosity.
"I have no secret to protect… no family, no resources. I am just me", Lara replies. She does look around, at the few people who are standing around staring. "… although if you wish to continue to converse, perhaps we should seek a change of venue?" The suggestion seems to be completely about the conversation — she seems entirely at ease with being looked at.
Her answer seems to give him a bit of pause, and he considers this for several long moments. Though when she suggests a change of venue, he nods and motions toward the Inn. "I'm going on shift soon. We could talk at the bar? This early in the afternoon, there aren't many people there." There are no people there. Not for a few hours yet. Mike glances around, and then throws the last of the fries into the trash before starting to move in that direction.
Lara reaches out, quickly, to stop him from throwing away the fries. "It would be a shame to waste such delicious food…", she says. "If you no longer wish to eat them, I will not refuse the remainder."
When she reaches out to stop him, he pauses, and then hands the container over to her easily enough with a grin. "Sure. You're welcome to them."
"Thank you!", Lara says with a bright smile, taking the box and the fries that remain inside it with herself and she follows him into the bar proper. "… while I actually have no need to eat… I very much enjoy doing so, especially when the food is so tasty!", she explains, before popping a fry into her mouth.
.~{:--------------:}~.
"You don't need to eat?" Mike asks her, both brows going up a little in surprise at that. He still needs to eat. In fact, he quite likes eating. The food is not the same, but he's found a number of things he quite enjoys. "I love to eat. They don't like my growing potsticker addiction," he points out with a faux-whisper as he looks in the direction of the kitchen. He heads on over toward the bar and steps behind it. "Do you want something to drink?" he offers. There are some people inside eating lunch, but the room is sparsely populated and there is no one at the bar.
"No, I do not", Lara replies. "I cannot ask you to purchase a drink for me, but the offer is appreciated", she adds, as she sits herself down on a barstool — already, she's getting looked at by the others who are there. These folks, though, are mostly unaware of what happened outside just a bit ago, so their looks have more to do with how she's dressed than anything else.
"Well, you didn't ask," Mike points out, "I offered. So all you have to do is accept." He grins over at her and gets out a glass and waits to see what she would like. "It's just a drink. I make enough tips. I can afford it." He doesn't seem to much notice the looks, but then he doesn't usually get them. He has no suit, and by and large he's kept his unusual abilities mostly under wraps.
Lara is quiet for a bit. Mike's natural charm -is- clearly getting her to relax more than she normally might do. "… there is a drink that I have had before. I am not sure it exists here… do you have 'root beer'?", she asks, after a bit of hesitation. She continues eating the fries, too, one at a time… as if actually and truly savoring each one.
"Yes. And I'm fond of that as well. Have you had it with ice cream? They call it a float. I have never seen the drink float, however, no matter how many times I have made them," Mike observes with a slight shake of his head. He then goes about fetching the rootbeer and bringing it over to set down in front of her.
Lara's eyebrow arches up, again. "I've had a float before, yes… those are quite good, although I've rarely heard someone wonder about the name as you do", she comments, as she picks up the bottle of soda to take a sip from it. The taste of the drink makes her close her eyes and smile, as if she's not enjoyed that flavor in a long time.
"Why is that? Do they usually float? Perhaps I'm making them wrong," Mike considers this new piece of information. These and many other great mysteries of life, does he ponder as he sets about making sure that everything is in order for his shift. Glancing over and seeing that she's enjoying the drink, he seems pleased with himself.
"They are made by floating ice cream in the soda", Lara explains, still smiling. Leaning forward, she quietly asks, "You aren't from Earth, are you?", when his movements behind the counter bring him close enough that she wouldn't have to project to be easily heard.
There is a light that dawns when Lara explains the mystery of the float, and Mike grins, a broad grin, as he says, "Well that makes much more sense. I knew that I couldn't have been making them wrong." How could he have ever thought otherwise? Though the quiet question that she asks makes him squint at her a little bit. "How did you guess? It's because I'm not wearing glasses, isn't it? I've heard glasses help."
"No Earthling familiar with a float would question whether or not they actually float", Lara explains about her guess. Then, at the other question, her eyes widen and she sits straight up on her barstool… then laughs, bringing a hand to her mouth. Before Mike can even start to ask what was so funny about that, she's already waving one of her hands in a 'nevermind' sort of gesture.
Mike Matthews smiles at the laughter, laughing a little bit himself, not because he gets what is funny, but because it's sort of what he thinks he should possibly be doing in this situation. Yes, very funny. Clearly joking, his expression says. Clearing his throat he goes about filling the drink order from one of the servers, setting the glasses onto the tray. He does seem to have some skill at making drinks, however, having no problem rapidly choosing the right alcohol to mix and dispense. This is something he's had practice at.
Her laughter subsiding into just a bright smile, Lara takes another sip of her root beer, then pops another fry into her mouth, just watching as Mike works. When he's done, the server moved away from the bar, she asks, "Where -are- you from?"
Mike Matthews studies her for a moment and then says, "A planet called Daxam. It was rendered a wasteland. I crashed here not too long ago," studying her expression when he answers.
Lara sits straight up again, her eyes once again wide. This time, however, she's not laughing… she's just flat-out surprised. She's quiet for a while, even when her initial surprise wears off. Finally, she leans forward again to ask, "… it was destroyed… when Krypton exploded?"
"As far as I know," Mike says when Lara seems to recognize his world, and its sister world as well as their mutual fate. "The fallout was destroying the city when my pod launched. I don't know what happened after that. I drifted for some time before I ended up here. But I'm not sure how it could have survived." There's a certain grimness that settles over his expression, remembering, perhaps, those last few moments as his home receded into the distance.
Lara quiets and nibbles on a fry, although not with the same enjoyment as before, when a servers comes to the bar with an order for a drink. When that's done, she says, "… I'm… partly kryptonian, myself. One parent of Krypton, one of Earth." After a moment, she adds, "They aren't with me anymore." It's not untrue, at the very least… and it does hurt just as much how and why she's not with her family as if they'd died — maybe worse, the way things are working out, actually!
There's a slight shift in Mike's posture when she mentions being partially Kryptonian, but then, she's also partially of Earth, and she didn't react badly when he said where he was from, so while he remains cautious, he doesn't back away. "I'm sorry," he says, sincerely, "I'm not sure whether my parents are alive or not. I believe that they died on Daxam, but I'm not sure what happened."
Lara nods. "I go by Supergirl… but my name's…", she hesitates a moment, then says, "I'm Lara-El." She keeps her eyes on the bartop, and after speaking, reaches for her bottle for another sip of her root beer.
"I'm.. familiar with the House of El," Mike admits, studying her features. He reaches for his own drink, but considering that he'd already finished it, his straw just makes a dry slurping sound and he clears his throat before setting it off to the side. "Well, it's.. nice to meet you, Lara-El… Supergirl."
"If you're really of Daxam…. 'Mike' isn't your real name. May I ask?", Lara queries, reaching for another fry — only to find that they're all gone, now.
He'd perhaps planned on just conveniently not mentioning his name, but when she asks outright, he doesn't seem able to avoid it, and since he'd been honest thus far he says, "Mon-El," and then after another slight pause takes a slow breath and says, "Former Prince of Daxam."
Lara sits up, but not in a 'OMG! He's the prince!' sort of way. Sitting straight up, she extends her hand, once again. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mon-El", she says, saying his name in a way that indicates she finds it very interesting that it's so similar to her own. She's… though it's definitely not any sort of kryptonian way of doing it, formally greeting after an introduction. If he reaches for her hand, she'll reach past his to grasp around his wrist, instead… the way warrior women of Themyscira would grasp one another's arms.
When she doesn't seem to automatically look down on him, and instead extends an arm in greeting, he is momentarily surprised, but then that charming smile slides right back over his features and he reaches out to go ahead and clasp her wrist in return, giving a firm, solid grip, and then releasing her afterward, "It is good to meet you, Lara-El." Then there's a slight pause before he says, "It's nice to meet someone else.. that isn't from this planet."
"There are others like us in that way", Lara replies, though she says nothing else about who else she's met, so far. She does return the smile he gives her, not at all immune to his charm. "Now that I know where to find you… shall I return to visit with you more often, perhaps?", she suggests.
"I'd heard that there were other unusual people in the city, and some they call mutants. There is a lot of talk about it in the news," Mike says as he glances over to one of the folded up newspapers that rests on the end of the bar, then back toward her. "I was hoping that I might find others." He then nods and says, "You're welcome here any time. I wouldn't mind talking some more. And the fries and root beer are always on me."
That he's willing to buy her root beer and fries makes Lara smile brightly. "Thank you very much!", she says. "I hope, someday, I might be able to return the favor. At this time, however, I… find myself without any personal resources to speak of. If you have need of me, I am presently enjoying the hospitality of the Asgardian Embassy." As she says the last, she picks up her bottle or root beer, to drink from once again after she's spoken.
"Asgardian Embassy," Mike repeats to himself and then nods. "I suppose I can find that easily enough. There are many Embassies in New York? There is also the United Nations here as well, from what I recall. I've been reading some of the tourist information." He leans back against the counter comfortably while they talk, the last of the lunch crowd drifting out and the lull before the dinner crowd commencing.
Lara asks for something to write with and, on a napkin, sketches out the general area in which the Asgardian Embassy can be found, indicating which way to go from the bar to get there. "If you go to visit me there, just present yourself at the door and give them my name. If I'm there at the time, they'll fetch me to the door", she instructs. "How often are you here, by the by? Certainly, you aren't here at all times of day…?"
Mike Matthews laughs and says, "I work from 4pm to close Wednesday through Saturday nights, though I work a few extra hours on Saturdays. I'm not here all the time, though sometimes it does feel that way." He then looks over at the napkin and takes it once she is finished writing on it, tucking it away into his pocket. "I'll come by and visit sometime," he promises.
Lara nods her head and gets to her feet, draining the root beer from the bottle. Setting the bottle back down, she says. "I hope to meet with you again, soon. It really has been a pleasure meeting you." She gives a sort of half-bow, from the waist, as she says her parting words.
Mike Matthews gives her a bow of his head in return, a warm smile flickering over his lips. "I look forward to it, Supergirl. Fly safe."