nexus_crossings | (no subject)

"That's a really good question, kid. I'm not sure I have someone who's really overprotective of me except if you're talking about who I'm currently dating right now. That would be Lucifer the uh---devil himself. He protects a load of other people mostly his angels so I don't think that counts as hampering as such? I love that he cares for me and wants to tuck me under his wing. Yeah, bad pun I know."

He took a breath and sighed a little.

"As for back home with my Avenger buddies? Sometimes Banner can hamper me and hen peck me like a mother hen about safety concerns and other such stuff. That being me being reckless and disregarding most rules set out. He cares but he can be such a grandma at times."

Right? Tony smiled and wondered what had the young woman asking such a question in the first place.

"How about you? Got a over protective boyfriend or the like?"

Ray looks at him a moment. Naw this guy couldn't be talking about the same Lucifer she's heard stories about from John. Though she does chuckle a little at the pun. "My older brother makes worse bird puns trust me."

She rubbed her arm a little.

"Two older brothers, my boyfriend who is five years older, my mentor, an adopted uncle born on another planet... Yeah a few people look out for me back home and we'll, tend to forget I am more than capable of handling things on my own." She tucked hair from her face. "They're more protective of me than my younger brothers, and it's a little annoying, more so since they keep pushing for me to do something safer than the family business."

Edited (Oops on phone) 2021-07-20 10:30 (UTC)

She might find someone hanging out on one of those rooftops, albeit not a very high one. It's quieter up there, less people to bother with. Deeper shadows the taller buildings cast to hide in. The young man the teen finds if she goes looking won't appear too much older than she is. A few years, roughly, but it's hard to pinpoint.

There's something....not quite right about him. Maybe the way his clothes sit on him. Maybe in how close he watches. Her, and others.

"I'd go around them." Direct confrontation leads to fights that children are very rarely equipped to win. Kinda comes with the territory of being dependent on their parents. It feels like it's been an eternity since Josh has thought about the last argument he had with his own. He almost misses it.

Almost.

"Provided you aren't ssshit at lying." That lisp might just be a tic but it only adds to the eerie nature of the man sitting in the darkest shadow he can find.

Ray had noticed him, and as much as she would rather be up there, she was taking her male counter part's words to heart: try to blend in, and relax more.

Though when he shows himself she doesn't even step back. If he had startled her, she may have struck out, but there was no need. "I do that I may be a bit more dark side than I'm willing to. I mean they mean well, but it's in my blood."

The lisp had her give a faint grin it was cute. "Better at it than my brothers."

He's not great about looking at her straight on. Tries to keep to where she can only see him from a profile best as he can.

"Bullsssshit." Joshua rasps. If she's even thinking that way she's good enough to rot teeth. "Everybody needs a bit of....freedom. Once in a while. Getting away don't make you bad." Brothers. Good. Someone's looking after her. They better damn well be. They don't know how lucky they are to have the chance to.

"Don't do anything wrong with that freedom, and there ain't no harm in it."

She's used to that sort of action from Two-face, at least when Harvey's in charge. Though when he curses she almost laughs. She still needs to hear that from time to time, after all she has a different training than her brothers. Yay for being displaced from her original world.

"And there's the problem. My kind of fun usually involves someone getting hurt. Which is why I want to go into the path for a job I'm trying for. Would allow me to focus it on people who deserve it."

She notices where her gaze falls, but Jill doesn't say anything. There's a lot to see here and it doesn't hurt to be aware of your surroundings. Jill, too, has her eyes fall above and below; she's aware of any escape or entrance routes even outside buildings. She has to be. You don't keep tabs on that and it might be how you meet your end.

She folds her arms together and lifts one at the elbow, gesturing slightly as she talks.

"Talk to them. Challenge them if you have to. You want that freedom, sometimes you have to prove it to them. If you get upset or frustrated it becomes a reason for them to keep going, they treat it as being over-emotional or irresponsible. You have to be level-headed and talk it out." Jill always has given good, rational advice. The problem was that she didn't always take it, herself, unfortunately. "Suggest a limited time period of that freedom. You know, a trial or test-run. If they need reassurance, ask them what would make them feel safer and make it clear that you need space. You seem old enough to make your own decisions, but don't rely too much on age for that -- you'll always be younger than your elders and some will use that against you."

It's not untrue, of course. Jill doesn't exactly like it or want to think the worst of others, but emotions weren't always logical when it boiled down to friends, family, and the people you cared for.

Ray does pull up short at the woman's actions. The way she holds herself, the stance screams that the woman is ready for action if needed. Maybe a threat, but Ray will shove that out of mind for a moment, she's trying to act civilian after all, see baggy hoodie, jeans, screams typical kid here!

"Tried the proving it bit for the last year." She's careful not to whine, that only seems to work on her mentor, besides she hates using it. Even if her counterpart uses it in joke at times. She's not her counterpart. Though she doesn't say more, even though for the last two years, she's been doing that, playing the game their way, and they still insist she should opt for something out of the field she's been training most of her life for. Hypocrites... "My mentor tends to start us training at a young age. I'm younger than my counterpart was when he started, and the others just get younger each time he realizes he's no good on his own." She knew it was probably another reason, after all her training before, well, it worked to help the youngest of them in check so far.

Jill definitely makes a point of seeming like she's ready for a throw down at any moment, yet there's still something relaxed and personable about her. Maybe a little forced, but it's there and clearly meant to show that she's not ready to throw down with present company at the very least. Jill isn't sure what to expect in general from people at this point here, so while she doesn't expect entirely normal, there's certainly no suspicion of anything out of the ordinary until revealed to her!

"Sounds great." Commiseration, although it's clear Jill likely hasn't had to deal with something like that in a long while at her age. But who knows? Protective people come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. "I can understand that. Admittedly, I started training for the Army based on my own desires but people ahead of you -- family, or surrogate types -- tend to especially be protective of you if you're a woman, you know?"

She's not sure what to make of the younger and younger statement, though. Her first thought is indoctrination, but her second is to laugh something like that off. It could be a lot of things for a lot of reasons, compounded by how the world she comes from happens to be. It's a fine line between prying and just talking about it.

"I guess I'd just keep making my case. And proving where and when you can that you can handle yourself -- listening to them helps, though. Generally, I'm the one on the side of being the worrywart, though." She offers a hand, fingerless gloves protecting the majority of her skin; the fingertips are a little rough. "Jill. I haven't seen you around here before, but I do tend to keep to myself, ha ha."

Ray was doing her best 'harmless' stance at least, most people outside of Gotham fell for it, though she had already decided, keep an eye on the woman, but that she probably wasn't as much of a threat as say a rose bush in the botanical gardens. Ray had a funny way of classifying threat levels, but Gotham was one of those types of cities.

"In a way I didn't have that much of a choice. Not my mentor's doing, he just helps make sure I don't get myself killed. All I wanted to do before was the family business, put on a show and entertain masses with death defying stunts on the tightrope or trapeze. But I get the whole issue with being a woman. It's part of why they baby me so much and I really hate it."

"Rayan, and I just got here. Quieter than I'm used to, but most places are." She shakes Jill's hand, her hands are rough, and her grip's firm, with some strength behind it.

Harmless stances only work with Jill when she's dressed in heavier civvies or compression gear; anything that disguises muscle and her frame. Unfortunately, despite the compression gear, the style of it gives away something militaristic about her. It's a sense you can't escape from the looks of it, even if she's not in traditional fatigues or drab colors that blend in with the background. The blue and light khaki helps in being approachable to some degree. It still suggests authority, however.

"That's fair, though. I won't say it's entirely fair, but if I had a daughter -- probably about your age, I'd say -- or niece or something like that, I'd probably be worried sick." But she lifts her brows at mention of circus-like antics. "I'm something of a gymnast, myself."

Jill doesn't carry on with much more information than that, but her build does suggest it. Strong legs, toned arms; thicker than most women but not too pumped. The legs, though, are a bit different. It's clear they're powerful.

"Pleasure to meet you, Rayan." Jill clasps more than shakes. It's a militaristic gesture that echoes a repetitive nature, that she's done this before and frequently in the exact same way. "I don't suppose you've heard of the BSAA? Biohazard Security Assessment Alliance?"

"My parents encouraged the whole trapeze bit, I was up on the wires when I was learning to walk." She was still proud of that. "The other part, only comes into play when I tend to go into certain areas of town. Though really I do tell them where I'm going to be on the safe side."

"And I took you for at least a runner, another Parkour runner maybe? Have a brother into the sport, it's fun to go running with him."

The action gets noted in Rayan's mind, Jill has to be some military outfit. Though the group mentioned she quirks a brow. "No, though I don't know every little sub group in the government back home."

"That's probably the way to do it to be most effective in learning, right? Sort of like teaching a language when you're young." She learned more languages as she got older and she wishes she'd started in her teens instead, but there hadn't been much offerings in her podunk little midwestern town when it came to learning them. "I understand that, too. Everywhere isn't safe and parents, siblings... elders in general, they're going to fret."

Which doesn't make it fair she supposes.

"I can manage a bit of that, but it's not a strict or specific hobby. For me it's Savate, Muay Thai, and Wing Chun, though I wrestle and do run. I pride myself on my speed, actually." She says it like she's impressed that she was pinned down. It's not terribly hard to do so, but it's rare she meets someone that will bring it up. Or, at least is similarly interested in things.

"My apologies. I guess it's the easiest way I've come by to know if someone comes from the same place as me. It's an anti-bioterrorism organization I founded and am a spec ops agent with." It gives her some trustworthiness, too. The same way you'd trust someone who helps people in your own world, although not everyone are in their jobs for altruistic reasons. "We're not affiliated with any government, though I'm American and from the North American branch -- if "America" means anything to you, of course."

Rayan will just leave out she knows a few languages, yay for growing up in a travelling circus. "It also tend to freak normies out. I may have showed off at the private school I'm in. Freaked out the PE teacher climbing without a safety line up into the rafters of the gym freehand." She chuckled a little at that. "Was the first day, and apparently the principal forgot to inform them my past. My second older brother cracked up, and little brother is horrified still." She was a little proud of that though.

"Ah, though oh, impressive collection there." She is impressed! "Speed and flexibility usually are good to have in dangerous spots." Oops, a bit of her costume persona peeking? Maybe.

"It's alright, though, an outfit like that, I'm surprised we don't have a unit in my town. Gotham ring any bells? Pop's hometown. I, don't really have one, a hometown that is. Born in Haley's circus, We were halfway between a week in Eastern Europe, and heading west for a show in Wales. Though most my life has been State Side." She grinned. Prefer Chicago pizza to New York's." And yes she's sure if Dick heard her say that he'd insist they weren't related.

As long as she’s looking up, an answer will come from one of those rooftops.

Minoru, taking a break from a parkour run, is sitting on the edge of a roof of one of the local shops. He had to laugh a little to himself, as that was fairly close to something he just went through.

“Try to reassure them that you’ll be okay.” He shrugged. “But just accept that they’re gonna worry because they care. You can’t stop them from worrying about you, just like they can’t stop you from doing whatever it is you do.”

"I can handle the worry... it's the babying that sucks." She smirked a little. "Soo, how's the view up there? Because as much as this place is nice, I hate feeling grounded."

She had seen a few decent ways to get up, even mundane, but hey, what's the use of having awesome agility from training, both formally in the circus and then with the league, she took a small running start and bounced up off the walls up to the roof with him.

"Oh, is a better view."

“You and me both!” He laughed about feeling grounded. If there was something Minoru could climb, he was on probably already on top of it. And in a few short moments, so was his newest friend.

He didn’t reach out a hand or anything. He didn’t need to. As soon as he saw her running start and the way she pushed off the wall, he knew she was going to make it up. It’s easy to spot another traceur, even if they don’t call it that. (And yes, that was exactly how Minoru got up there too.)

“Nice wall run!” He grinned. “They know you can do that and they still baby you? Must be an age thing. Because it’s definitely not an ability thing.”

"Oh they know. I'm the second former circus brat they have in the family." She grinned. "And that, that was easy." She sank to the rooftop stretching a little.

"They've seen me do more actually. Yay for being raised on the tight rope and trapeze." She sighed a moment. "Friends call me Ray."

“Nice to meet you, Ray. I’m Minoru.” He offered a friendly nod in place of a more pronounced bow.

“I’m a freerunner. Always have been, much to my parents’ dismay.” When he was younger, a day probably didn’t go by where his name wasn’t followed at least once by ‘get down from there!’ “It gets easier the older you get. I made it all the way to Stage 3 in the American Ninja Warrior Finals this year, and they didn’t bat an eye!”

As a freerunner, most of his skill was in running, climbing and jumping in an urban environment. He had some acrobatics mixed in, but had never done anything specifically circus-related. He was immediately interested though. His face lit up when Ray mentioned it. Trapeze sounded fun!

“Think you could teach me some new tricks?”

"Minoru, got it." She looked out over the mostly empty street.

"Parkour is kind of a game with me and my siblings. We race over the rooftops in the city, some of the most fun I have nightly. Annoys Pops when me and my oldest have to be cooped up in the house. We tend to leave barefoot prints on the ceilings, that's not as fun cleaning up later." Hearing where he placed though she grinned brightly. "Okay that's something I've wanted to try, just worried that I'd have an unfair advantage since one of my sparing partners is Amazonian." Oops maybe slipping who she was, but hey it's not like he'd get to her world or that anyone was there.

"I'd have to see what you have first to see if I can, though, I'd be willing to try it." She watched him a moment. "A lap around the square here? Would be a decent show of abilities. Make it a friendly race?"

Her story definitely took Minoru back to the days he too was under someone else’s roof. He couldn’t help but grin. He didn’t leave as many footprints on the ceiling as he messed up shingles on the roof, but the annoyance level for his parents was basically the same.

“Don’t let the whole Warrior name fool you, there’s no fighting.” He didn’t know why having an Amazonian for a sparring partner would make any difference. “It’s just a huge obstacle course.”

And speaking of obstacle courses…

“You’re on! That sounds like fun!”

He hopped to his feet, shaking himself loose. He hadn’t been up here too long, but a quick stretch never hurt. The plaza and the square surrounding it were full of obstacles - from roofs to jump across, walls and railings to balance on, trees and light poles to climb, way too many chairs to do way too many things with. Win or lose, Minoru was excited for the challenge of running with somebody new.

Well when you happen to have a foster parent who has a mansion, and a butler, you're going to abuse the space in the building on rainy days when you're banned from going on patrol because of broken limbs or bruised ribs.

"I still train with an Amazon, and well he's only half alien, still, I think it would give me an unfair advantage to most athletes." She grinned. "Training with them allows me to think a little more outside the box." Like trying to avoid cars and other various large items that are getting thrown. Not to mention you know being a costume. As much as she wants to, she wouldn't sign up officially for it.

When he jumped up she did as well. Stretching she grinned. So here's the starting gate and ending gate, one lap and can only be on the ground four steps total?"

How far out of the box could one think and have it not be unfair? Training with a half-alien was akin to cheating?? Minoru hadn’t thought of it like that…

The Diamond Dogs had invited him to train with them, and Jack was definitely half-alien. They’d practiced together before, went free-climbing together. (And did laps around Balthazar’s bar and right up the stripper pole, much to the angel’s annoyance as well.) Was that cheating?

Simply by being in the Nexus, did he have an unfair advantage? Was his finish… illegal?

It took Minoru a minute to respond, now very obviously distracted. “Four times? Right… Gotcha. The plaza is lava.”

Was he guilty of cheating?