Casual Encounters

Cast: date: '19 September 2012'
place: 'Hyde Park'
participants: 'Decker, Emma, Melanie'
synopsis: 'Decker, Emma and Melanie have a casual encounter at a park.'
log: "It's after dark in Hyde Park, and the area is quiet, the fog hanging on it like the caress of a damp blanket. It's a chilly night, but not precisely cold, the air still and quiet. It's a night where imagination can run wild, and Melanie Kreymer is doing just that. A slender, willowy blonde barely past her fresher year at university, with long straight hair left loose and neat, she walks the paths of the park, hands shoved in a gray woolen peacoat, her low boots click-clicking on the pavement of the path she travels. While her walk is not entirely aimless, it's not particularly fast, as of one simply enjoying the quietude.\n\nIt's almost sickening, really. She looks like she should be in school, almost. She's even practically skipping. SKIPPING. Who skips anymore!? Emma Wu, that's who! She's skipping because she happens to have gotten ahold of a limited edition Hello Kitty Lunchbox and backpack. Which make the imagery even worse, considering the somber, girlish dress. Equally carefree, it's questionable as to whether she should even be out. But she doesn't seem particularly worried for… whatever reason. Still, hearing the click of boots, she swerves off the paths and heads towards it. She's nothing if not impulsive, and so far, she finds people are 'mostly nice' to her. So why not go investigate. Those are hella pretty boots!\n\nHaving finished his final performance for the evening, Decker is busying himself with packing up the last of his equipment for the trip home. His backpack resting next to the folded up table he uses for his performance. Once he's gathered the last bits of props in the small pile, he starts to count the tips he's made over the day's performances to see if he's made enough for dinner tonight and breakfast in the morning. Ah… the life of a starving artist. His attention is pulled away from the task at hand as he hears the clicking of the boots nearby, an eyebrow raising slightly as curiosity sets in.\n\nMovement in the park - another person, her movements so totally at odds with the tenor of the night, draws Melanie's attention. That and - skipping in heels is no mean feat! Instead of judgment or annoyance, she watches Emma in absolute fascination as the girl skips towards her, a smile dawning across the girl's thin face, studying her up and down and opening her mouth to speak once the girl gets close enough. \"I thought I was the only one who liked the park best after dark,\" she greets in a high, slightly nasal treble. She doesn't seem to have noticed Decker yet. \n\nOne must always skip, especially in heels. She's had enough practice, at any rate. She quite immediately moves up into the 'personal space bubble' and begins chattering,\"Your hair is… so pretty… So verry very pretty! And those shoes! Hella awesome! Oh, they really are so wonderful!\" Her head tilts slightly in that somehow 'off' way Emma has of viewing people. The one that just maybe says she isn't quite seeing what most people should. Thus is the price of 'happy pills'. \"Plenty as likes the park best after dark. Few like it so for any virtuous reason. I scared some teenagers stealin' a hump over inna bushes. Theys got the wrong reason 'fer it. Not bad people. But still wrong reason. What about you.\" Already she's eying the man folding his table from where she stands. No attention span to speak of at the moment.\n\nThe two voices catches Decker's attention once more as he finishes with the task at hand, slipping the money back in his pocket. Looks like he's going to eat tonight after all. He gathers his belongings, slinging the backpack over one shoulder, the handle and tips of his swallowing swords visible from where they rest on the bag. He tucks the folded up table under an arm and starts to head home, which takes him in the direction of the two women. He offers them a nod of his head and a friendly smile as he draws close enough. \"Evening.\" He offers, his Iowan accent marking him as a non-native.\n\nMelanie's smile fades as Emma fairly bounces up to her, rattling away. A couple of blinks, and she tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. \"Er, thank you. I like them too,\" she responds politely, now looking the girl up and down. She sounds fairly normal for the area, her accent light. \"It's so cold, though … who would want to go off snogging in the park? There's loads of things you can do without freezing half to death.\" A light, uncomfortable laugh accompanies the remark, and there's definite relief as Decker walks up. \"Hi there. You like the park by night too?\"\n\nEmma is a little bit of a thick accent herself, though it's got an odd wispyness to the style of it. \"I doubt like has so much to do with it. I'm thinking he's more likely to fancy coin in his cup than a skip in his step. Though with his line, I'm sure'n he doesn't mind a clear dry day when he works.\" As to the issue of 'snogging',\"Don't think they're thinkin' so far ahead.\"\n\nDecker comes into the conversation about the point of hearing 'snogging in the park', but he refrains from commenting, starting to just walk past the two until he's addressed by Melanie which causes him to pause in his stride. His attention turns to Emma as she speaks, chuckling softly as he nods his head in agreement. \"The park is quiet during the evening, but she's right. A few bucks tossed in the case and I'm happy. The more the better to me.\" He offers a slight smile wondering if he stepped into a school questionnaire or something.\n\nSuddenly realizing that she might not be in the best of situation, Melanie's formerly poised and composed expression shows signs of nervousness around the edges. She doesn't bolt yet, though. \"Oh, I see,\" she says. And see she does. \"So you're a musician, then.\" She glances back at Emma just one more time. \"I can't imagine. I'd freeze. I'd much rather have a nice basement or something.\"\n\nEmma seems mostly unaware of Melanie's nervousness, though whether by design or generally flapy attitude is anyone's guess. \"IIIII… prefer not to imagine. I like all my clothes ON thank-you-very-much. Public nudity? Gauche. Really gauche. Basements… Well, at least they're usually pretty warm.\" Chipper to the end. \"You should play violin, performer-man.\"\n\nDecker offers another soft chuckle as he shakes his head, setting the table down and letting it rest against his leg. \"No. I'm not a musician. I'm an artist and street performer. I swallow swords and the like. I don't know how to play any sort of musical instrument. Sorry.\" He says with a slight shrug of his shoulders as he slips the second arm strap from his backpack over his other shoulder to keep it in place.\n\n\"Oh.\" Clearly slightly taken aback, Melanie hesitates. \"I'm sorry, I didn't mean any insult.\" A step or two away, and the blonde girl looks both of them up and down. \"That's pretty cool … but I really should be going. It's getting late. It was nice meeting the both of you…\" She doesn't extend a hand, though.\n\nEmma wiggles her fingers at Melanie as she moves to depart, then comments as an aside to Decker,\"Nice girl. A little off.\" She's one to talk!\n\nDecker waves off the apology and smiles. \"Think nothing of it. No offense taken.\" He says before she makes her departure and he offers Melanie a raised hand as a farewell. \"It was nice to meet you as well.\" He says before he looks back towards Emma and smiles slightly, nodding his head once. \"Yeah. But everyone is a little off in their own way.\" He offers, looking back towards the direction Melanie went before he looks back to Emma. \"So, what brings you out here at this hour?\" He asks, trying to make small talk.\n\nThe girl tilts her head at the question, then merely shrugs at the man,\"Weeelll… I the park. It's pretty. So I take it on my way to work when I can. It's a nice little shortcut to slip through, and frankly, who couldn't use the fresh air. You're out a bit late yourself. You should add a fire-eater routine. BAM. Night-time performance.\"\n\nDecker laughs softly at the suggestion, nodding his head. \"Well, you're the second person who has suggested that to me, so I guess I'm going to have to learn how to do it. It couldn't hurt, right?\" He says before he looks around the area for a moment then back to the girl before him. \"So, you're off to work then? What is it that you do?\"\n\nEmma lifts a shoulder to the man as if she had no particular opinion other than- \"Well, it couldn't hurt. Unless you swallow some gasoline or something else flammable. Or set yourself on fire. Or drop something heavy on yourself, or… Actually it COULD hurt a lot. Yes.\" A pause follows, and then she offers,\"I'm the desk clerk at a local youth hostel, actually. Just started, really. The Hollow Tree.\" She scratches her nose as if it were particularly itchy.\n\nDecker ponders her words for a few moments before he nods his head slowly. \"I suppose you're right. There's a lot that can go wrong, but I'm sure it's going to take me a bit to learn how to do it anyway, so there's not immediate danger I suppose.\" He says, offering a smile at hearing her place of employment. \"Oh yeah? I've stayed there a few times when I first got into town. It's a nice place.\"\n\nEmma nods emphatically,\"Oh, it's real nice. Inside, I think boss is a big ol' softy, but… Then again, I might be wrong. It's a good place though. Real clean, everything works, quiet most of the time. Frankly, it's a little boring sometimes, but the work… Keeps me on task, you know?\"\n\nDecker nods in understanding at her words. \"Yeah, well, I'm sure that when the tourist season starts up again, you'll be getting more busy that it is now. Then it shouldn't be quite so boring, but at least it's a sort of a break until it starts up again.\" He chuckles softly as he rubs the back of his neck. Being here for two years doesn't make him a tourist anymore, does it?\n\nEmma grins a little bit, flexing her shoulders as if to work out some sort of crick in them,\"I'd wager you're right. but… I'm not rightly countin' on it. Not my business whether it's busy or not. Just whether I do a good job. 'S all I care about. And I AM good at my job.\"\n\nDecker returns the grin and nods his head once. \"Well, as long as you're doing something that you care about and are good at it, then there's nothing wrong with that. Just like me. I love what I do even though I don't make shit from it, it's something that I like and I'm good at it.\" He says, offering a smile.\n\nEmma gets that weird look that makes it look like she's mentally very far away. And then she shakes her head and is suddenly attentive again. \"Um… I take lots of shit at work. I'm a desk clerk. It's sort of the job. But I get to put a nice desk between me an' them. It makes me feel safe.\"\n\nDecker nods his head slowly. \"I can only imagine. Get some pissed off guest and you're the one who has to hear it. That part of your job, I do not envy.\" He slips his hands into his pants pockets. \"At least I don't have to deal with that. Someone doesn't like something I'm doing, they just wander off. Nothing said.\""
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