2012-11-28 Ahh, Tourists...

Fall is fading, closing its eyes and leaning back to sink into a well-loved chair as its mildly cold nights give way to sharper, darker ones. This evening is struggling to stay standing, as the sun sighs and sinks away. Workers, eyes half closed, sigh and drift homewards. This is a place of such contrast, where tradition and whimsical landmarks battle for one's eye. Still, tinges of shadow and dust undercoat everything, leaving a softly grey sort of aura and taste to it all. Mercifully, the area has been spared the blare of remixed Christmas tunes pumped out by the latest icons, spared the lights and... given a sort of peace as a result. It's chilly, but not too.
The sidewalks are mostly empty, aside from a few stragglers. Among them is Lunair, a messenger bag over one shoulder and holding a small box. She doesn't seem to stand out too much, aside from her thousand yard stare and slightly stiff expression, as if she had trouble shifting emotions as an old car shifts gears. Walking along, she stops, to watch a bird cross the sidewalk on foot. Stare. "Should you not be flying?" It's an odd sight, to witness someone talking at a bird, puzzled.
Even in Gotham, there are coffee shops on almost every corner. It's certainly a night to get something warm to drink and Dick Grayson has done just that. Sure, he could go back 'home' and have something made with fancier coffee and probably fancier equipment, but...well, it's an independent coffee shop and he's happy to support it.
Stepping out of the cafe, drink in hand, he pauses as he notes thte woman speaking to the bird. "You know, they sometimes hop around, too. They can't fly all the time, just like we can't be walking all the time."
There's a car rolling down the street, a van that looks like its seen better days. The sides are dinged, one door is a matte black that mars an otherwise beige exterior, and there's a crack in one of the read windows. The insides probably aren't that good either, as demonstrated by the fact that halfway down the street it lets out a gasping wheeze and rattles to a curb near the coffee shop.
It's Norm's head that pokes out the window, a scruffy mess of red hair with a dour case to it. He looks a bit ridiculous as he leans out the driver's side window, twisted so far that he might flop out of the thing as he tries to get a glimpse at the side of the vehicle.
Coffee is important! It is the life blood of many a night worker, waking the masses from sleep cut short by that cruel overseer, the alarm clock. Lunair is contemplating the bird. She smiles and looks up. Though, it's a bit odd. But still a smile. "I know, but ... I think I'd feel bad if someone accidentally kicked him," She considers. "I think I would fly over the sidewalks and hop along the quiet parts," She shrugs and smiles. "I hope I didn't seem mean." Quirky. Very quirky.
But she pauses, and looks over her shoulder as a van rattles up. She quirks her eyebrows, mouth falling open a little. Uhm. Hmm. She waves a hand at the fellow. "..." Hesitation. "Uhm. You have a foot before you hit the curb." a glance back to Dick Grayson.
Richard Grayson does just blink at Lunair for a long moment before he looks to the bird. He takes a few steps towards it, as if to frighten it into flying away. He then looks over to the van, watching it carefully as vans could be just vans, or they could be full of Joker-minions intending on robbing banks and shooting folks. When it looks like the van is just a van, he relaxes a tad and looks back to the woman.
"Oh-uh. Thanks." Norm's head bobs back and forth, and the window rolls up. The car doesn't really do anywhere, though. After a second the doors open and both Norm and a man of the Asian persuasion exit the vehicle. Not quite Joker material, but they'd fit right in in a buddy cop film. After a second of speaking clipped Chinese Norm sort of shrugs and scoots away as the other man moves to inspect the car.
Which means Norm has nothing to do. Except stare at the other two people on the street who he's drifted next to. "Um. Hello." An awkward little bob of his head follows, and then he proceeds to take up space.
Lunair looks a little awkward, glancing down to her box, then watching Richard step towards the bird. The bird kind of fluffs up... turns its head... and HOPS at Richard. You wanna mess with Pesto!? It bobs its head, but then it sort of flutters off, feeling he gave Richard the ole what for. Most avian displays are just that- displays. It's really a little anticlimating. Lunair, for her part, just kind of blinks. She looks to Richard, then the van. Huh.
"Um. Hi there." She offers quietly. She seems direly undersocialized, but friendly. She's /trying/, though it's something like watching a walrus attempt to sing a bit from the Pirates of Penzance. No one's sure what's going on and there's a walrus in the middle of it. "I apologize if I startled you. It was just a bird," She considers. There's a polite smile to Norm, too.
Richard Grayson doesn't seem to be frightened by the bird as it fluffs its feathers at him but he seems satisfied as it flies off. He then offers a polite nod to both of them, "Hello". He does seem rather adept at social situations as he nods towards the van, "Everything all right with your car there? Need a tow or anything?"
Norm spends a second looking at the bird, observing the avian flap off triumphantly into the night. Even the birds in Gotham are rough. He turns his attention back to the two people when he's spoken at, offering a lopsided smile over at Richard. "What? Oh. No, don't worry, Mr. Yang will take care of it, says it happens all the time. I thought we should have taken the car that hadn't been driven through the garage door three times or whatever. But what do I know!" The man shrugs a pair of large shoulders. "Oh well. Um. How are you? Two? It's a...lovely night." He has to glance around rather visibly to confirm this.
Hmmm. Lunair smiles a little, still amused by the bird's antics. She watches the two for a moment. She keeps the box close and looks thoughtful. At least there's attempts at reaching out to people. "Oh... er." She furrows her eyebrows at the van, seeming a bit surprised the thing is still going under such abuse. She rubs the back of her head. "I suspect it could use a bit of love," She nods. She seems surprised by the question, blinking at Norm. She smiles. "I am well enough, thank you. Though, I fear if I've met either of you, I have forgotten your names."
It isn't the strangest confrontation he's had in Gotham, but it's up there. Dick glances between the two, "All right then..." and he takes a sip from his to-go cup. It gives him a few more seconds to think of what to say, "Yes, it's a lovely night." When Lunair mentions names he can jump right on that, "Oh, I'm sorry. Richard Grayson. A pleasure to meet you both."
"Well. It's just a car," Norm mumbles. "It's not, like, Speed Buggy." It could pass for the Mystery Machine, if someone painted it. And hit a few stop signs. When it comes to introductions Norm starts a bit, as if vaguely embaressed. "Oh. I'm Norm. I'm not from around here, so you probably don't know me. Gotham wasn't really on my bucket list of places to be." He does add, "It's lovely to meet you both." He doesn't offer to shake, however. In fact, he's rather intent on keeping the long sleeves of his jacket behind him.
Hee. Lunair is odd, but she seems genuinely friendly. Or at least, trying to be. "It's alright. Pleased to meet you both. I'm Lunair Weir." She bobs her head politely. "And hmmm..." Speed buggy, huh? She doesn't push the subject of handshakes for now. After all, she does have a box in her own arms. "Norm and Richard, then." Yup. She pauses. "Gotham doesn't seem so bad. At least, if you stick to the right parts. Everywhere has little dark places, though..." She notes quietly. She seems oddly comfortable with it, which might be something unnerving in and of itself. "Still. I honestly don't live here," She admits. "I just... was shopping..." Normal is a goal she's yet to reach, but mercifully, being normal is not an olympic event just yet.
"Gotham by daytime isn't so bad," Dick admits, "But be careful at night. It's...being worked on." That's sort of all he'll say about that. It's no secret that Gotham has its own vigilantes. He's not entirely sure how to continue the conversation, "Do either of you need...directions or anything? I'm sort of a native and I'm happy to help."
"The other night I thought the neighbor was getting robbed. There was this guy with a bag, and he had some kind of thing in his hand and he was pointing at the neighbor. He was just delivering a pizza. So...maybe it's not really that bad? I felt really bad about tackling him." Norm offers this helpfully, pausing and chiming in, "Well, actually, do you know where, uh, the Crowling Construction company is?" Should one know such things, it's probably not that hard to remember the modest office building.
Oh dear. Poor Norm. Lunair stifles a giggle. "Aw. I'm sorry. You meant well, though, yeah?" She tilts her head. She looks to Richard and nods. "That's true. And I'm good for now. I'm honestly kind of crashing in hotels, until I decide where I'd like to stay," She admits. "I just felt like exploring a bit." She pauses. "I don't, but-" That might be something Richard can answer. "Do they have an aquarium or anything like that in town?" She taps her chin. She's /trying/. But ... as Freddy Mercury might say, ... so close.
Richard Grayson actually starts to laugh at Norm's story, but he pauses, suddenly unsure as to whether or not that was a joke. Pulling out his phone with a gree hand, he pokes some at it before getting an address for the company, "Oh, ok. I know where it is." He'll give directions to the address even if he doesn't exactly know the building. At Lunair's question he grins, "No aquarium, but there's a museum."
"Oh, yeah, I meant well." Norm smiles sort of sheepishly, shrugs again. "Ah well." The poor pizza guy will never forget the wrath of crab hands! Norm bobs his head reverently, glancing from phone to Richard, to phone again. Oh, the wonders of technology. "Great. Thanks. How long have you lived here?" And after he comments absently, "Fish are okay. I like the ones that puff up, I hear they taste good when you make them the way that doesn't kill you."
Poor Norm. Lunair looks sympathetic. She watches the two for a moment. There's a smile at Richard's grin. "Ah. Well, that's alright. Museums are nice, too," She nods. She is quiet as Norm commends on fish. Her expression shifts to one of amusement. "Fugu? Fugu are kind of cute," She considers. "I think I'd like to keep some, but..." She hesitates. "What kind of museum is it here? Or is it lots in one?" She's awkwardly trying to converse.
"I haven't met any thieves who smelled like fresh pizza," Dick admits before he answers, "About twelve years or so." Since he stopped travelling with the circus. "I tend to prefer puffer fish in their natural habitat. I'd rather not eat food that tries to kill me." He turns to Lunair, "It's not really any specific theme, I guess. Antiquities..."
"That's a long time. And I agree." Norm nods between the two, digesting information for the moment. The man tinkering around with the van shouts something, which gets Norm's attention. He shuffles over to exchange a few quick words, probably about directions. Once that's done Norm slinks back over, though he has nothing to add immediately.
Lunair pauses. "That is a pretty good amount of time," She considers. She nods at that. "Puffer fish are pretty neat." Lunair smiles faintly. "Pizza bandits, what awful people." This is a bit of wryness on her part. She looks over as Norm returns. "And oh, I see. That's alright. I was just curious since... I had seen parts of the Metro." Pause. She's getting a bit of a better feel for the ebbs and flows of conversation. "Thank you for letting me know." She nods. She genuinely seems to appreciate it. "What parts of the city do you think are interesting?" That's a general 'you'.
Richard Grayson blinks at Norm as he goes to check on the car, but he does turn back to Lunair, "Well, about half my life. I know folks who have been here longer." As far as interesting parts of the city, well, Dick will suggest some of the safer, more trendy parts. "Just be careful," he adds to both when Norm rejoins them, "When you're out at night."
"I'll try to be." Norm responds. "It doesn't usually go that well." The man smiles briefly. "Anyway. We think it's fixed, so we're going to go. I'll probably never see either one of you again, but it was very nice meeting you. If you're even in New York and need someone to build a building you can all me, I guess? Anyway. Good night!" He almost waves, but seems to think better of it before he scurries back toward the car.
"I see," Lunair smiles. She takes note of his suggestions and nods. "It's always wise to be mindful at night, though, even if you're somewhere peaceful. People have accidents, too," She notes quietly. She seems to be less stiff and distant than before, even letting her smile linger. She tilts he rhead. "It was a pleasure to meet you. I was looking at places in New York. Um. I'll keep that in mind," She rubs the back of her head, "I'm not quite sure I'll need a building for a bit, though. Be well, and have a good evening." She waves to him as he goes. She looks a bit baffled, but - genuinely amused. Either way, she looks to Richard and nods. "Thank you. I hope I haven't kept you too long."
Richard Grayson offers a wave to Norm, "Good night, good luck!" He then looks back to Lunair and returns her smile with one of his own, "You haven't. I was just getting some coffee, it's totally fine. I'm glad you weren't spooked by the bird. I bet if you dropped some crumbs, it would have been your best friend." 
Norm pops into the car, and off they go. It seems to go much better this time on the whole, just a faint rattling as they roll on down the street and in to the dark.
Lunair lets her smile linger. "Nah, most birds aren't too scary. I just didn't want someone to step on him. I like to feed birds, but I have to be careful. If they get fed too much, they stick around people more," She considers. "Maybe if I see 'im again. Still, he seemed kind of brave to bob at you." She remarks. "And that's good. I appreciate it." She is quiet for a moment, trying to balance her speech out. She looks to the setting sun then back to Richard. "I appreciate the directions, too. Do you keep birds?" It's an odd question, but she catches on. "That was - sorry." Sheepish.
"Even the pigeons here have attitudes," Dick offers with a grin. If she seems to have an issue with speaking, he doesn't press her or tease her about it. "They're already used to people being around, but I understand your reasoning. No, I don't keep birds, but I do have a kitten. You don't need to apologize for asking that."
"That makes sense," Lunair smiles wryly, just about grinning. "And aww, a kitten." It is hard not to d'aw at a kitten, for their powers are cosmic and mighty. "It was oddly timed." Then her phone beeps. "Oh. I should get back before they think I've checked out of the hotel," She frowns. She doesn't seem too happy about that. "Thank you. And it was a pleasure to meet you." She nods. A little wave. "Have a good evening." She will meander along, as quietly and oddly as she came.
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