City of Shadows Mux City of Shadows Mux

Wishing
"when I was a little girl I had big dreams."
Players Fiametta, Javi	August 08, 2022 Fiametta and Javi meet and discuss various things, including a friend in common.
It is evening, but the pleasant weather probably means there are still people enjoying the clear summer evening and dragging their feet at getting home before they need to prepare for their next morning. And of course, those who like to find--or make--trouble have more time to find it, unrestricted by such time constraints. And then there are still others, like a certain flame haired young woman, who linger and people watch. She's not trying to be stealthy, even though she's resting in shadow. Her eyes gleam just a little in the low light, as she watches the fountain's display. The colorful light show paints across her skin, pale enough to be a canvas for it. She's leaning up against one of the garden planters, one foot on the ground, the other tucked underneath her. Occasionally her gaze flits over and is captured by a passerby, tailing them visually for a few heartbeats. But her eyes always return to the dancing water sprays until something else next captures her restless attention. Some people are dragging their feet, some people are enjoying the evening, some people are people-watching...and some people have come to the fountain to throw a coin into it and make a wish. Apparently, anyway, because that seems to be what the person who comes up to the fountain not //too// far away from Fiametta is about to do. He has a sort of resigned, vaguely long-suffering look in his face -- such as it can be, anyway, since he's only in his mid-twenties, so can he really be that resigned or long-suffering about anything? -- but he's also smiling. "Okay," he murmurs. Very low. So low that it //might// not be heard. It's definitely not to anyone around, because by all appearances he's here by himself. "Let me know when, yeah?" The movement nearby definitely garners her attention, though at least first she tries to not let on that she's watching. Luckily, the young man seems to be quite distracted. The resigned smile is also perused, her head tilting just so as if to puzzle it out. She looks a little younger than him, though there's something uncanny about her eyes as well, her expression strangely detatched, except for that gleam in her eyes. When he speaks, she leans forward just a little, craning her neck as if to look into the water when he looks. Does she think that he's talking to someone /in/ the fountain? Who would entertain such a possibility? For a moment, she squints slightly, and looks behind him, and then herself. Seeing no one, yet, she tries to keep quiet, really she does. But she simply can't help it. A few moments pass, and then she whispers, "When!" Yes, Javi is quite distracted by whatever it is he's doing. Wishing, probably. It's Serious Business. He definitely has a coin in his hand, and he's turning it over and over between his fingers in an absent way as he waits for...well, whatever it is. The stars to align? The wish gods to send him a sign? Someone to literally say, 'when?' If it's the latter, he's in luck. Kind of, anyway, because he may not have actually been waiting for //this// person to say it. He's actually started to toss the coin //right// as she says it, and it's timed well (or ill) enough that what might have been a smooth flip with his thumb against his forefinger ends up in more of a fumbled drop into the water. But it makes it in, so it's probably good enough. Javi himself turns quickly toward the voice that he clearly did not expect -- and a little sharply, too, like he's actually been surprised. His eyes widen, and he lets out a startled laugh, a thing that he tries to rein in at the end into amusement, but doesn't quite manage to land. "Oh, thanks," he says. "Right, nice one. We got it, yeah?" Very smooth, all of this. When she sees the coin actually flip, and catches the tail end of his expression that seems to be wishing very seriously, she pushes off her planter, looking for a brief moment like she might just try to prevent her playful word from escaping, or recapture the coin, or whatever strange thought might be going through her head. She stands there, somewhat awkwardly, the fingers of one hand lightly curled as if they were preparing to snatch something, her expression mildly horrified for a moment or two. She isn't one who can hide them well, it would seem--or at least she doesn't try now. She's silent for a span of heartbeats that probably almost edges up into uncomfortable, before she breaks it with a quiet "I'm sorry. That was not very kind." The former does sound genuinely apologetic--but the latter seems more of a detatched observation rather than a continuation of the apology. And then she studies him, very solemnly. "It might not work, if I retrieve it for you and you try again." Fiametta looked at you. Javi also seems to have the sort of face that doesn't hide much. As soon as she apologizes, his expression shifts from awkwardly feigned amusement to genuine concern, and he holds his hands out toward her to stay her from doing anything, if she'd planned on it. "Oh, nah," he says, almost before she's even finished with the last observation. "It's all good. It went in, right? Think it's fine." Then, he smiles -- a real one, bright even in the relative darkness of the evening. "To be honest I dunno how they're supposed to work, but I can always come back and do another one." Less worried, maybe, that the wish has been potentially voided, and more that this stranger has just seen him talking to himself. Or any number of other things. He doesn't actually share that. "You here making one, too?" he asks after a moment, tilting his head toward the water with its wide variety of coins. The redhead rises on tiptoe--though thankfully she doesn't go diving into the fountain basin--as if to make sure, then looking back to him and nodding solemn. "It did. Or seems to," she agrees about it going in, though some of that solemnity softens at the brightness in his smile. It draws a smile to her dark blue eyes first, flickering to life there first, before her lips catch up. She moves to the edge of the basin then, settling there after having left her planter perch--studying the glimmer of all that metal and perhaps their disturbed reflections for a little longer. "No," she answers him finally. "Wishes can be a little dangerous, you know. Even if they come true. Depending upon who is listening, sometimes." She looks up at him, a little sadly, though her smile still lingers. "You'll be careful though, won't you?" Does Javi think for a second that she might jump in to check? It's possible, judging from the way his eyebrows raise as she looks inside. Of course, she's looking in at that moment, not at him, so he has time to fix his face a bit before she looks at him again. By the time she does, he's just smiling again, settling on his face all at once instead of gradually like hers. It's tempered by curiosity when she goes on, and his head tilts to the side as he studies her more closely, the movement a little sharp again. However, it doesn't stop him from assuring her, "Oh yeah. I will. Kinda not...really mine, anyway." He doesn't explain //that//, either, though at least the vaguely embarrassed apologetic look that suddenly crosses his face seems to say that he knows it's a weird thing to say. Instead of clarifying, he sticks out a hand toward her to shake. "Javi." Perhaps the young woman is unusually accepting--or simply unusual. She seems to take his admission that the wish wasn't for him seriously. "As long as you trust who you're carrying wishes for," she says after a long moment of that comfortable or unsettling (depending upon how much one might be used to it) quiet. "You must be a very interesting person, to have someone else but their wishes into your hand," she admits. She doesn't even look remotely apologetic--maybe she doesn't know that what she's saying is weird too! When he extends his hand, however, she doesn't hesitate--taking it and giving it just the right amount of shake. Even for the summertime, her hand is perhaps surprisingly warm to the touch, though surely her pale skin would show if she had a fever. "Fiametta," she introduces herself. "It's very nice to meet you, Javi." Javi doesn't necessarily mind the silence, but he also doesn't leave it completely empty. He doesn't break it with speaking, or any noise -- instead, he shifts a little throughout, leaning from foot to foot or sliding a hand in and out of his pocket. Small movements, nothing too distracting, not like he's uncomfortable but more like he can't stay completely still for very long. He nods decisively when she replies, though. "I do," he confirms. He leaves that there, but maybe only because her next words have him letting out a laugh, about equal parts amused and delighted. "Really not," he continues once he's composed himself. Interesting, that is. "Just, like...convenient." Whatever that means. But now that Fiametta has not only not called him out on his weirdness, but added some of her own, he seems to feel he's on firmer ground. And anyway, he's distracted from the business of wishing when she accepts the shake, though. His gaze drops to her extra-warm hand, then lifts back to her face, shifting to a closer study again. Checking for that fever, maybe? But no, she seems fine, so he opts not to worry about it too much. "Nice to meet you, too," he says as he lets go. "That's a cool name, I like it." And, since she isn't here to wish, he looks around briefly, then asks, "People watching? Pretty good place for it, I used to come here all the time to hang out. They got concerts and stuff on the weekends sometimes, too. Pretty nice." "Thanks," she says of her name, for a moment flashing a bright grin, though it's not wholly directed at him. "I like your name too. It sounds like another one I like a lot." It buoys her a little, out of the strangeness. "Yes. I don't come here very often--or at least haven't. But I saw the fountain sprays chasing each other earlier today, and thought it might be nice to see them lighted. But you're right. It's a very good place to people watch. A little more peaceful than others, too. At least tonight." Fiametta nods at the mention of the concerts. "I think I've heard about that. Or some of the festivals. I've not been to any of late, but maybe it's time to check it out. Usually my entertainment of choice is indoors. But there is something about being under the sun or stars. So open." "Oh, thanks," Javi echoes, brief surprise at the compliment chased quickly by another mirrored grin. "Yeah, there's a ton of Javiers around." He's clearly misinterpreted the name that his is like, but to be fair, there probably are plenty of Javiers in Chicago. He turns back to the fountain when she describes it with another sharp tilt of his head, and he watches it for a few moments before he laughs again. A little quieter this time, but no less delighted. "It does kinda look like they're chasing each other, huh." Like he's just noticed it. It's his turn for a little silence while he watches, but soon enough his gaze pulls away again and back to her. "Yeah," he agrees, "right? It's like...I dunno. Feels really fun when you're just hanging out or walking along or whatever and all of a sudden there's music happening." "That's dangerous," Fiametta laughs, of suddenly music happening. "An invitation for dancing to break out, before you quite know what's happening." Though truth be told, that thought seems to genuinely delight her. "Javier. That's a nice name too," she mentions. "Some are better than others," she suddenly mentions, and hopefully the conversation shift isn't too jarring, because she's off and running with it. "Look, Javi. That one." She points to one of the sprays at the far end of the basin. "That one looks like it's very lazy, and bellyflops to get the other ones nearby to scatter." As the spray and light show continues, he might be able to make out what she's talking about--the fatter stronger spray does shut off for a minute, only to go in a burst, after which there's a swirl of others seemingly shooting up nearby as soon as the water from the first hits the pool. "Maybe I will have to look up what music is playing soon," she admits. "I know someone who could probably stand to get out and enjoy some. I'm not sure if he'd dance, though," she says, thoughtfully, really mulling it over. "But even him thinking about it would be a win. Even if he pretended not to." "Well, yeah," Javi replies. "But that's a fun part too." The grin gets, if possible, even wider. It suddenly can't be contained fully by his face anymore, spreading outward to light his entire affect. Apparently he is a fan of outbreaks of spontaneous dancing. His attention is brought easily back to the fountain, and he //does// seem to be trying to see what she sees. Either he actually does, or he's perfectly willing to be convinced, because eventually he nods. "It does," he agrees, and for a moment his gaze shifts again, not to any of those spouting jets of water, but to a seemingly empty space in the air somewhere to the side of it. "Right?" It's a little late, and oddly placed, to be connected to the agreement. But he leaves //that// there, too, turning back to her and focusing on the rest. "You should," he agrees. "Definitely do it. You want him to dance, bring him to Ruido Fest. Nobody's gonna be over there and not be moving a little bit." However, he adds a little more seriously, "I dunno what kind of music you like. But there's classical stuff here, too. More, like...chill. But still good. Think there's something happening next week. What is it?" He reaches for something in his memory, and again his eyes shift to the empty space in the air, but it does seem to help him remember. "Right, Tchaikovsky. Sleeping Beauty." The name sounds a //bit// off. Like he's not sure of the pronunciation, even though he does seem to know what he's talking about. "Ruido Fest," Fiametta repeats, as if committing it to memory. "I'm still not sure if that will be enough, mind. But it's worth a shot." She seems to crackle with amusement still. But when asked what music she likes, while the smile softens from mischief to a gentler tone, at least it remains. "I've only started to learn the classics in the last few years," she admits. "But yes. There's something to be said for them. I'm used to things with a little more in your face rhythm, but that's for work. But in the right place it can be for fun too." She studies him then, curiously. "You like to dance also, Javi? Is that what you do?" It would seem that she seems to take his restless energy and shifting but evocative expressions the mark of someone who /could/ be a performer. "For fun, if not what pays your bills?" She watches him, though perhaps drawn by his own attention, her gaze flickers to the spaces around him too--almost as if expecting to see something, though there's no indication that she does, and after a moment her eyes rest more fully on him. "You should try it. Plus, you know, it's fun. So maybe you guys'll like it anyway." Javi is very set on that, at least, especially when she reveals her taste. "Oh," he continues, brightening up again, "then you'll //definitely// like it. Even if you don't get him to go, you should go." When she turns it back on him, his eyebrows raise, and a moment later he lets out another laugh. "Nah," he says. "I mean, yeah, I like to go out dancing, but not for a job. Kinda just doing whatever right now, nothing serious." He pauses, before he amends, "Taking a class 'cause I'm tryna be a EMT, but I'm not that far yet. I'm liking it, though. What about you? You like to dance? What do you do?" He doesn't give her space in between to answer, but he does seem interested in them all. And he has stopped looking at empty air now, which could be taken in many different ways. There's certainly nothing obvious there. Maybe he's just distractible. "You can only push so much," Fiametta concedes. "Though maybe he'd like the peoplewatching. A little. Even if he didn't really dance." She laughs then, more robust than a giggle but still quiet in tone. "He's got his own things to do, though. So I might just come by myself anyway." She nods as he mentions doing whatever works, for right now, a shadow of empathy passing over her features, and a knowing glimmer in her eyes, as if she's no stranger to catching as catch can. But when he mentions studying to be an EMT, her dark blue eyes widen a touch. "An...EMT?" she echoes, quiet for a moment more and narrowing her eyes to study him briefly, before her eyes widen again. She doesn't laugh out loud, but it dances in her eyes bright and not at all mocking. "Do you like...petting unusual fish?" she asks, totally out of the blue. But even she seems to think it's a long shot, whatever reason she might have asked such a strange question. "I--kind of am doing whatever right now too, though not taking classes. I've been travelling this summer, but soon I'll have to find the right club to work at. It's not as good of money as it used to be," she shrugs. "But as long as it's enough, it's enough, you know?" "Mm hmm, yeah." Yes, this is all very accurate, and Javi can easily agree with it, too. He's paying attention through it all -- but when she gets quiet again, he blinks, and that buzzing energy that slips out here and there in quick, sharp movements is suddenly laser focused. That may be answer enough, but after a moment he adds to it. "Unusual like what? Like the rays?" He nods, his eyes cutting to the side as he reaches up to rub a hand over the back of his neck. This time it isn't like he's looking at something specific, but with brief but sudden discomfort at the very close hit from this stranger. "Yeah, I go over to Shedd sometimes to do that. They got a ray touch pool there. Usually kids, but I never really got to do nothing like that when I was a kid so I like to do it now, you know?" It's more rambling than is necessary, and he seems to realize it, because he cuts off any further explanation to focus on what she says to him, instead. "Right, yeah." More agreement, if a little vague now. "Totally." And then, because he apparently can't help circling back: "How'd you know I do that? You see me there or something?" Fiametta shakes her head slightly, perhaps suddenly shy for a moment, as she considers. "A friend of mine mentioned meeting someone who was an EMT there," she admits. "I was a little suprised. But he didn't say student," she says thoughtfully. "And there are lots of EMTs in the city, I'm sure." If anything, she looks a little sheepish. But then she looks him over again, quite steadily. "I hope that it was you, though, if it was. If you can be trusted to carry wishes, then you're something quite special," she says solemnly. It's not looking with /approval/, necessarily--that would be perhaps condescending, and her tone is anything but. Some of the smile returns, less bubbly, but perhaps with a touch more warmth. "I understand, though. About wanting to visit places that were closed to you, earlier. Sometimes it's not always what you made it out to be, when you were on the other side of the doors. But the places that are even more than what you thought...that's something to treasure." "Uh..." It's more difficult to see at this hour, but there are still those dancing lights from the fountain, plus street lamps and things like that. There might be enough light cast from them to show Javi's suddenly darkening cheeks. He has to laugh despite the embarrassment, even though he //also// has to look away again. "Mighta been me," he admits. "Really not that special, though. To be honest I was aiming kinda high with that one but I figured what the hell, right? Took a shot." He shrugs, spreading his hands out wide at his sides, remarkably sanguine about the potential of having shot and missed. He doesn't say who it was, though. Maybe he's trying to save some plausible deniability. Instead, he focuses on the end, and it allows him to settle a little bit again. "Yeah," he confirms, "like that. Like when I moved here the first thing I did was hit Six Flags. I was fucking broke as shit, too, what a dumbass." But the memory of it softens his smile, and he's finally able to look back at her again now. "Where do you go now that you couldn't go when you were a kid?" "Why do you think you were aiming high?" Though her question is gently spoken, there's no sarcasm in her wide and luminous eyes. "Or why would you think you shouldn't? And what makes you think that there's not a chance?" She seems genuinely confused for a moment, though at a realization that seems to come over her in a literal lightbulb moment--it could only be more clear if one really did materialize over her head--and one that could of course, be very /wrong/, her features turn from startled to very gently amused. "Oh. Well--we aren't /that/ kind of friends," she laughs, softly. But there's warmth that infuses her tone, seemingly unbothered by that. "But there's many kinds of special in the world, Javi," He's probably not looking at her, but there's a thread of sadness in her voice as she studies their reflections in the fountain pool, broken and shimmering. "I know that's not always a good thing. But sometimes it has nothing to do with what /we/ see, but what others see. It's hard to accept the sparks that are positive, though." There's an acceptance of that as well, a quiet sigh that for all its brevity, seems to be weighed down with far more years than her face would seem to be able to take credit for. "I still haven't been," she laughs, of Six Flags. "But I don't know. Life's better when you're not a /smart/ass all the time, I think." But then her own smile quiets, though it doesn't flee. "I first went to Navy Pier," she explains. "Luckily, I was enough of a tourist that no one batted an eye when I rode on the carousel. And I've been to the University campus a time or two. It's a strange thing to want to go stroll around now. But when I was a little girl I had big dreams. Sometimes it's fun to remember them." "Oh, you know." As if that should be enough to explain what he meant. Javi clearly seems to think it does, though just in case it does //not//, he gestures vaguely to himself, and then equally vaguely out toward nothing in particular, which...doesn't actually explain as much as he imagines. He is not looking at her at the moment, no, though his gaze does get pulled back for the lightbulb moment. His eyebrows raise, but a moment later he laughs again. "I mean, that too," he admits, though he might be a little pleased to hear it, even if he's still not sold on his aim. "But yeah. Who knows, I guess." He takes another moment to study her, especially at the sigh, as if he could discern something there that is not obvious at first glance. Whether he does or not, he moves on, too, and her first choice seems to please him just as much. "Oh man," he replies with a nod, "that's a good one. And a nice view at the top of the ferris wheel." He hesitates, taking another second or two to watch her, before he adds, "You should go do 'em now, too. Any you didn't do yet. Make this guy take you. Big shot corporate lawyer." That cannot be anything except an admission of //who//, which he obviously knows, but it's accompanied by another of those bright, open grins. "Who knows," she repeats, with fondness, that seems to for the moment extend to the young man himself as well. It's not a physical touch, of course, but there's a momentary radiance in it, even if it fades back down to a whisper. Though she might well understand the dance of uncertainty in regards to such things, there's also a detatchment there, too--like it's a comfortable academic understanding rather than a deeply personally felt one. Though given her spoken occupation, there might be many ways to interpret that lack. But when he mentions the ferris wheel, she turns towards him, leaning in such a touch so she can whisper conspiratorially, "I had /three/ cotton candy puffs." she whispers. "One for who I was, one for the present, and one for--something else." There's a momentary flicker, but it doesn't dampen the pleasant memory. And she laughs as their bigshot corporate lawyer. "Slowly but surely," she agrees, of making Razi come along for some of them, wrinkling her nose just a little at Javi in a playful way. "I'll leave the grabbing of slimy and wriggly things for fun to you two!" Whether she realizes that could be interpreted in lots of different ways or not, is anyone's guess--there's still the gently playful tone to her voice, her grin drawn out by his for a moment, her eyes flashing cheekily. But then she rises to her feet, gazing about at the darker, quieter park now that the light show has died down. "I'm glad to have met you, Javi," she says softly. "I hope it won't be the last time. It's going to be very hard for me to /not/ be smug about how right I was that you are cute, but I'll try. Hopefully /your/ lawyer doens't get as grumpy as mine does when it's confirmed yet again that you were indeed right about something." She does look rather pleased with herself, and offers the young man a wink, before gathering herself up to go. Javi doesn't miss when she extends the feeling briefly to him, even if it's quick. It has him turning toward her again, not quite straight on but enough to note, and it softens his smile again, whatever the shift a moment later. When he speaks again, though, it's to address the cotton candy. It's surely very shocking that he should want to address //that//. "Nice." Before he can say anything else about it, she's going on -- and here again the laugh that follows is a little too loud, nervous as well as amused, though there's plenty that, too. Luckily for him, he doesn't have to come up with too much else, because his face has heated up again. He ducks his head, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck, but he's still grinning. "Really nice to meet you, too." That, at least, is both the truth and also safe to say. "Me, too. I'll see you around. Hopefully." No further mention of lawyers or whether or not she was right about anything she's just said, but even though he's looking down it's read easily enough in his profile, and posture. He lifts a hand to wave, adding, "Night," before he turns to head off in the opposite direction. Before he disappears, he murmurs, "Shut the fuck up, cabrón. I'm cute as hell." But if she hears it -- she may not, as he's not very close now -- there's no way to imagine he's talking to //her//. It's said in the same way as he'd told the air to tell him 'when.' Quiet, unmistakably fond -- and if one listens closely enough, with a little thread of sadness of his own.