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What's this?! The second day in a row she's off of work? Or she's playing hooky. Gidge had gotten caught up on a lot of her stuff that she had been working on over time and it was finally going to come to fruition….and sooner than she thought. She deserved this time off and was going to enjoy it to her fullest. The brunette had decided to go laying out in the park and her shame was no where to be found as she was laying on her back on a large bath towel. She was sure she was getting strange looks as she had a bottle of champagne, some snacks and a glass next to her as she lounged in a pair of hot pink high waisted shorts that could be classified as hot pants at the least and a white frilly cropped tank top. Those white chunky heels she had on were for for now as she slowly rolled over onto her stomach and proceeded to pour herself a glass of champagne. It was brunch time somehwere in the world, right?
Luke Cage doesn't have a normal routine. Other than working at the bar nightly the rest of his days are pretty much free to do with as he pleases. Most the time that includes a workout of some sort or other, be that lifting the beer kegs he has welded to a pole as barbells, or running in the park. Today, it is running in the park. The large man is wearing typical workout clothes that consist of a pair of sweatpants and a jacket with the hood pulled up over his head.
As he pauses Gidget, or more to the point he passes a nice rear in a pair of pink hot pants, he slows letting out a low whistle to himself. "Sweet Christmas." He doesn't stop entirely, but it is obvious that his attention is no longer focused on where he is going, and a bicyclist screams, honking his little horn, as Luke almost bowls him over.
In her own world she would take a long sip of her champagne before she would hear someone yelling and honking a horn. As always during the day she had on a pair of oversized sunglasses but this time some aviators. Looking up she would pull them off to see Luke almost running someone over. Her brow would raise as she slowly pushed herself up to sit on her hip as she rested on arm. A laugh as she looked at him perplexed. "Luke?" She'd slowly stand up as she carried that glass over….she won't leave that behind! "Dude…what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Luke Cage apologizes to the bicyclist, "My bad, sorry man. Wasn't looking where I was goin'…" The cyclist mutters something about paying attention and bikes off, leaning Luke there shaking his head and rubbing at the back of his neck.
He turns as he hears his name being called, arching a brow and looking for the source of the voice. When he sees who it is, and more to the point what she is wearing, he lets out a loud belly laugh. "Gidge? Shit. No, no…not a ghost. Nothing's wrong. Just got distracted and wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
She would look at the cyclist and chuckled as she just turned those brown eyes back to him. A raise of her brow then as she slowly folded her arms across her chest then. "Well I'm glad seeing me is funny….." A roll of her eyes as she took a sip from her glass and turned, waving her hand as she started to sashay away. "And might want to keep your eyes open in this damn city. You might get taken out by a cyclist…or a rhino man….." Yeah….long story. She had just started to accept the tomfoolery in this city and that you never know what's going to come out of the woodworks.
"Seeing you isn't funny." Luke says, falling into step behind her. "Me almost running someone over because I was staring at your ass on the other hand…" He grins, "Didn't know it was you. Nice shorts." A stops, cocking his head to the side as he looks at her (behind) again. "Rhino man?"
She'd come to a halt as she spun around to look at him, her brow raised then as there was a look of humor on her face. "You were staring….at my ass and almost got ran over?" Gidget would let out a laugh now as she shook her head and continued back to her towel then. "Now you should know what my butt looks like by now…..don't know how you didn't know." A snort as she laughed before plopping back down in her spot and refilling her glass and pulling those sunglasses back on. "Yeah….I uh…..got caught up in the middle of something the other day. Ended up dropping my mom's old sewing machine on his head…."
"Hey, i've never seen it in hot pants before." Luke says in his defense, his hand raised in complacency. "I should have figured it out since that ass was attached to those legs, but I didn't get that far down."
He shrugs, a grin on his face as he moves to sit next to the blanket, stretching out onto the grass. "You…dropped a sewing machine on a rhino-man's head." Luke turns his head to stare at her for a moment, "Lady, you are just full of surprises."
"Well….there's a lot you haven't seen me in. You have only seen me in my work clothes….." Grinning she would shrug as she picked up the bottle and reached it over to him. "Want a sip?" As she laughed she would shake the bottle as if teasing him then nodded. "First of all….it wasn't on my list of things to do that. That Spider-Man guy was getting his ass handed to him a bit…he had some random help but he said the guy's face was vulnerable. Well…since they were by my apartment….I ran upstairs, opened the window….and dropped the machine on his head." Shrugging she'd smile then. "I mean…..it made sense to me."
Luke Cage chuckles, "True, true. Well, your work clothes and your birthday suit." He grins, reaching out to takes the offered bottle, lifting it to his lips and taking a sip of the bubbly. "Stunning heroics are rarely on my 'to-do' list, but they seem to happen enough. It's a crazy ass world that we live in. Spider-dudes and rhino-guys? Shit, I should put on some funky outfit and make a silly ass name for myself too."
Gidget would blush slightly at the comment but cleared her throat as she let it just roll. Sighing softly she would shake her head as she chuckled. "I mean I couldn't not do anything….what kind of person would that make me? Now I did ruin that sewing machine….good thing it was already broken." Laughing she would shake her head a bit then smiled. "And you? Silly name? I don't know….doesn't seem your style, dude. And don't knock them….some of them are trying to do good….no matter how silly their names or outfits might seem."
Luke Cage chuckles, "I wasn't knocking them, not really. Hell knows they are doing more than I am doing on a day to day basis. I just tend to keep my nose out of things, and they are off fighting the rhino-dude. Hell, had I been there I probably would have lent a hand with that guy myself. Make a fool out of myself and be some big damn hero." He shrugs, "Still, I don't shoot webs out of my ass or lasers from my eyes or anything."
She'd laugh then as she listened to him. "Webs out of your ass….that would be interesting…." She'd sip at her own glass as she shook her head then. "You are way too much. I can't….." Gidget would lean back on her hand as she raised her brow at him. "Didn't you know? Heroes are sexy to chicks. You might just pull them in at that rate…." Grinning she would wink before reaching over him to grab some chips from the bag of food she had brought. "Besides….I just happened to walk out my apartment when dude got tossed against the building next to mine. I went to see if he was okay and that's when that thing came charging."
Luke Cage chuckles. "Well, that's what spiders do, right? I mean, if the guy is spider man, I assume he shoots webs? Otherwise why call him spider man?" Luke shrugs a shoulder, taking another sip from the champagne bottle. "Yeah, heroes are sexy, but most the time they hide behind the masks so people don't know who they are. I'm sure they have reasons, but if I were to do it…I can't be pussyfooting around like that. I'd just have to come out and go 'Look world, this is who I am. Deal.'. Shit, might be good publicity for the bar.
"Well he doesn't shoot it out of his ass!" Laughing she would lean back on her hand and eat some of those chips now. "And yeah….do like that Fantastic Four crew….they don't care. I can tell you that Johnny Storm guy just loooooves the attention." A roll of her eyes then as she took a sip of her bubbly. "And it can be publicity…now if it's good or bad…that's the thing." Shrugging she would smile a bit. "I wouldn't tell the world. I may not have loved ones or friends to worry about but….shit….don't know if I'd want to get harassed."
"Well, how in hell am I supposed to know that?! I've never seen the dude." says Luke with a smirk and a shrug of his shoulder. "For all I know he wears a costume with no ass and shoots webs swinging around like that." He grins, "Now that would be a sight to see. Can you just imagine? If I was a bank robber, i'd give up in a hurry."
He glances over, bringing his legs up and wrapping his arms around them. "I wonder how bad the harassment would be? I mean, i'm just a guy living in Harlem, it ain't like I am saving the world."
"I'm done with you…." Gidget is dying laughing as she pretends to be packing up her stuff. "I can't get that damn image out of my head…." She'd just falls over on her towel laughing loudly as she drapped her arm on her forehead. "I'm so done with you….." She'd finally look over at him then and shrugged. "I don't know dude. I mean….if I had some of these crazy powers….I don't know if I'd live out in the open…." She'd push herself up on her elbows and smiled. "In retrospect…..I might. I'd quit my job….go work at a club somewhere so I don't bring my mentor issues to his brand. Then I'd just go balls to the wall. I mean I don't have anyone really. My parents can handle themselves….I don't have or really want kids…..I'm not seeing anyone. Why the hell not?" She'd grin then. "Might as well out with a bang so to speak. Life's too short to lead a boring life."
Luke Cage laughs, taking the bottle and tipping it back against his lips once again. "You never will, either. Next time you see him, or one of his little spider friends you are going to think about it and start to laugh. I guarantee it."
Luke winks, "I ain't got anything to worry about. I mean, I got the bar and that is about it. No family to speak of. Mom and pops are dead, so is Riva. They can't hurt me through them, not anymore." He somber a bit, then shrugs, tipping back the bottle. "Shit. They think a black man is scary enough as it is, can you just imagine if they found out about one who couldn't be hurt?"
"I hate you so much…." She'd laugh as she tried to shove him playfully but….nothing obviously. Sighing she would shake her head then closed her eyes. Hearing him then she would look over at him with a look on her face. Snatching that bottle from him she'd refill her glass and then set it down. She'd lean over and then gave him a hug as she laughed. "We can be weirdo friends together. You the indestructible one and me the weird loner chick that likes to make shit." Quickly she'd let go and then went to her glass of champagne and drank half of it quickly. "My mom thinks I need to make friends….I feel like people just end up letting you down to be honest…."
Luke Cage grins, "I know you do, but it that kinda hate friends share for each other." He winks, returning the hug. "See, weirdo friends. Everyone can use friends, Gidge. The trick is to make good ones. People, as whole, can't be trusted. I agree. It's the person you trust. Trust enough singular persons, then you got a group of friends that are much less likely to fuck you over."
She would chuckle a bit as she looked over at him then grinned. "I suppose so…." Glancing at her glass, she would finish the rest of her drink then smirked. She'dlook around a bit then leaned over to smirk. "Well…..I'll tell you a secret…." Gidget would smirk a bit then nodded. "Want to know why I've been so deep into my work for the past six years? Burying myself in my craft?" She'd lay back then as she adjusted those shades on her face and looked up at the sky then. "I was trying to be better than something and keep myself busy…."
Luke Cage lays down next to the blanket to look up at the sky, his hands moving to use as pillows as he rests his head against them. "How come? Were you trying to live up to someone's expectations of you, or was it to prove them wrong?" He turns his head to look over at her, "Is this an idle hands thing, where you were afraid if you gave yourself any wiggle room, you would end up falling by the wayside? So just kept driving yourself forward, no matter the cost?"
She slowly looked over at him and blinked before laughing. "…no." She'd push herself up on her elbows to look over at him. "I was engaged to a dude in the industry and he left me for one of the models we worked with." Gidget would laugh then as she laid back down. "After that I swore off men, sold the ring for a ticket to Europe, worked harder, met my mentor and came back here to do his bidding." She seemed rather at peace about it as she talked about. "Proved that men aren't worth shit…no offense. But then I heard recently that his little skank left him for some dude…..to which I laughed so loud I scared the office. Then I realized I was working too hard….to prove a point that didn't even matter. But now I'm where I wanted to be much quicker and it's time to have a life again….."
"No offense taken. Men aren't worth shit." Luke says in agreement. "Some men even less." He sighs, looking at the clouds for a moment then takes a deep breath. "I was married once." he says quietly. "Riva. She helped me out during a tough time in my life and things just took on a life of its own, you know? Then, almost as soon as I got through that shit and we got married, boom. Bus hit her." He is quiet for another long moment, "I bury myself in my own work there at the bar pretty much because it is the only thing I have left of her, it is in her name." Luke clears his throat, wiping at some dust in his eye. "So, yeah….there's that."
She was quiet and didn't say anything for a while. Gidget looked over at him for a moment then back to the sky before saying. "….life sucks….." Gidget was rather stoic as she said but just laid there in silence. "….I'm sorry." That's all she could say as she looked up at the clouds. "….I think I'm getting day drunk out here…..I better stop before someone tries to take advantage."
Luke Cage shrugs, "Life sucks." he agrees. He chuckles slightly, moving to peer over at her. "Take advantage, huh? You're right of course. Some unscrupulous guy could come along, ogling you in those shorts and think of all sorts of dirty things to do." He smirks, leaning back. "Unless you were riving the bus, you ain't got shit to be sorry about, Gidget."
She'd chuckle a bit as she looked back at him. "Ooooh…." She'd alugha as she closed her eyes. "Don't get me all excited….then I might have to go find some unscrupulous guy to take advantage of." Laughing she would shake her head a bit as she nodded. "Yeah but it's still…you know…." Going quiet she would yawn then relax as she sighed. "I….could totes use a nap….I should lay out here and get some sun….."
"Careful. If you fall asleep out here, you may end up getting burned." Luke says a he moves to sit up. "We wouldn't want that skin of yours getting all red." He blocks the sun from his eyes for a moment as he looks around, "And if you do pass out, you might wake up to the loss of a wallet, or worse."
She would look over at him with a grin then smirked. "Oh….? We?" Laughing she would sit up and then sighed a bit. "True…ugh….." She'd push herself up all the way and then started to pack up her things. "And I really don't feel like getting robbed. I just need….one more day of relaxing…." She'd look over at him then yawned. "Oh yeah…I need to get you in for a fitting of the suit….."
Luke Cage nods. "Just let me know when." says Luke, moving to help her pack her things. "Obviously when you are done with your mini-vacation. It's nothing that has to happen anytime soon." He stands, picking up any trash and crumpling it up into his hands. "Just give me a call when you decide to go back to work."
She'd stand up as she bent over to fold up that towel, chuckling a bit. "I just took a couple of days off. I think that I should go into the office today…." Slowly she'd stand up as she would lick her lips and pulled those shades down to look at him. "You know you can always drop in, dude. Don't worry about that. But I may….have to change. Apparently this is a distraction…" Laughing she would wink at him then. "And yeah…I need to get it done if you want to wear if for the event. That's in about….two weeks from today….."
Luke Cage chuckles, tossing the trash away in a receptacle. "Well, if you want I can stop by now. If you only have a couple of weeks I shouldn't delay your process…anymore than I already have, anyway. I can promise to behave if you would rather not go all the way home first to change." He winks. "But, I should probably go home myself. You don't need me showing up all sweaty from a run..
It's all picked up and she threw that towel over shoulder and picked up that bag. Letting out a yawn she would look around then shrugged a bit. "I just want to get it done for you. And I have a few other things I need to get done before then. I still need to make myself something decent to wear…." Licking her lips she would the grin as she smirked a bit. "It's up to you….not the first time I've seen you sweaty in my office…." And with that she'd start back to the trail. "It's up to you. Pop by….or not. Worse case….you'll just have to wait for me in my office if you beat me there."
Luke Cage shrugs, and just moves to follow her. "True enough." he says with a chuckle. "I guess there is no reason to delay when you put it that way." He reaches out and offers to carry he bag for her. "As long as your office isn't going to object, anyway."
Seeing him reach out for her stuff she would blink a bit. Gidget stared at his hands then realized. "Oh! Heh…thanks." Licking her lips she would hadn over her bag as she blushed slightly then shrugged. "I mean I'm sure they'll be more scandalized by me going into the office looking like I'm about to go go-go dancing." Gidget would just smile as she put that towel across her arms now and then looked around. "I don't know if I should get a cab or just walk it…I could use the exercise though."
Luke Cage chuckles, shaking his head. "No worries. I'm up for a walk, since my run got interrupted. Long as you don't mind a few uppity stares it should be nice and pleasant. It's not to hot out…and it's not a walk through the Kitchen. Just a nice leisurely stroll through the park, what could go wrong." He smirks, "Ok, aside from all that unspoken shit."
She would roll her eyes and then chuckled. "Cool. And I don't care. People can stare all they want….and if they say something they can shove it where the sun doesn't shine." Gidget would let out a giggle then sighed a bit. "And yeah it's a straight shot to work from here. Otherwise if we go to my apartment for me to change we have to go through the Kitchen as you put it. But I'm sure it'll be fine." Smiling up at him she'd nod then looked ahead as she streched her arms abover her head. "So to my office! Need to have you looking nice for that new designer."
Luke Cage nods. "Lead the way then, Gidge." He walks along next to her in his sweat pants and hoodie, trying to looks as un-intimidating as a large black man in a hoodie in the '60's can look. "So, what can you tell me about the designer? He/she have any personal quirks I should be aware of? Doesn't like being referred to by name? Don't look them in the eye? Doesn't want any yellow m&ms and only wants red and green? You know, weird shit like that?"
She would nod thena she led him to her office then. Yawning she would smile over at him as she seemed to think. A shrug then as she tilted her head while she explained. "They're pretty secretive…you know how Europeans can be." Laughing she would shrug. "I've never seen their face though. They like to wear a mask while at events…..dresses pretty over the top because…well…they can. They have the means and resources…." She'd grin then as she shrugged. "Other than that….they might show up late." Gidget would look back ahead then nodded. "But they're pretty chill…have an accent. I wouldn't worry."