It's getting dark. (Aria)

[tristan]

Bright lights. That was a trademark of this place, and it doesn't disappoint. It wasn't even that late and Times Square was lit up brighter than it had been during the day. There were cars jammed in the street and way too many people trying to walk through traffic. Tristan watched all of this standing in front of a McDonald's, which he had just come out of, and he was still holding his drink. It was pretty much just a cup with ice in it right now. He shoved it into a garbage can next to the door and tried figuring out what he was going to do now.

Forcing his way through the crowd on the sidewalk, Tristan now stood on the edge of the curb. He was able to cross the street without a problem, since traffic had been stopped anyways. He started to stroll along the sidewalk, trying not to get shoved into the street by passing people. He now found himself staring up at a giant, cracked, neon sign of a Coke can. Tristan looked down for a second at the people and tried cutting through into an emptier part of the plaza where most of the vendors stand.

He came out of the flood of people on his feet but he had been knocked around a few times. Glad I was here to get in the way. He thought looking back at them. Tristan looked over towards the vendors. He wanted something but wasn't sure as to what.

[Sara]

[shadow=red,left,300][glow=red,2,300]Aria Wren[/glow][/shadow]

Aria had lived in New York for most of her life. At first, when she'd moved there when she was five, she'd been deliberately difficult about it. She'd accidentally caused havoc in her old city, Boston, one day at a pool when she's panicked and emptied it of water within no more than a second or two, causing several swimmers in the deep end to crash down to serious injuries. That was when the rumours started, though no one but her mother knew for sure that it had been her. But then, her parents split up and she, her mother, and her brother had moved to New York. Aria had hated it. Or, she'd wanted to. She'd inisited she didn't know what all the fuss was about. New York was just as good as any other... beautiful city.

In time, she'd just given it up. Now she loved the city, and so that was why she spent most of her spare Friday nights there. Well, even the ones that weren't spare. She was hardly going to stay at Solstice and do homework when she could be here, happily anonymous in the throngs of people. Aria liked that - here no one knew about her power, no one knew what she had done, what she could still do. To them, to herself, to anyone, really.

A few bands were playing nearby, but Aria didn't like any of them, so she pointedly kept her iPod earphones in, listening to "The Denial Twist" turned way up loud. She would listen to what she wanted to listen to, no matter how rude it was. Plus, it wasn't like anyone noticed or cared. Aria knew from experience that on nights like this, in crowds like this, it was literally every man everyone for themself.

[tristan]

Tristan lifted his hand up to scratch his forehead. He wasn't sure exactly how he'd made it here but he did know that he would have to get out somehow. It just seemed like everyone was converging on this one spot. There was nothing to occupy his time. No one to talk to, nothing to really listen other than car horns and random conversations. Tristan just stood in the middle of that plaza and stared up at the signs. Well, that didn't seem like too much fun to him, so he took his attention back to the streets. Maybe he could go back into that McDonald's. Tristan started moving towards the throng of people on the sidewalk. As he started moving in, he felt someone bump into him and he could hear music playing lodly nearby. Not like street bands or anything, but like it was coming from headphones or something.

[Sara]

[shadow=red,left,300][glow=red,2,300]Aria Wren[/glow][/shadow]

Continuing along the crowded street, Aria switched songs on her iPod, glancing downwards, not really looking where she was going. She shouldn't have been surprised when she walked headlong into someone, but living in her own world as she did, she was surprised.
She glanced up, flustered. "Oh, shit," she exclaimed, taking one earphone out. "I'm sorry."

She didn't recognise him until she glanced at him a second time. Then she realised he was one of the guys from Solstice. She looked at him again, cocking her head to the side, trying to remember his name. She was pretty sure they had an English class together... and maybe Algebra.
"Hey, I know you," she said. "It's, uh, Tristan, right? You're at Solstice. I'm Aria Wren." Taking out her other earphone and pausing her iPod as she shook her hood off her dark, rather snow-sprinkled hair, she reached out a slender hand to shake.

[tristan]

Tristan looked at the girl for a second. She did look familiar. Maybe they were in a History class or something. "Hey Aria. I think we have a class or two together at Solstice. And yes, it is Tristan. He lifted his hand up to lightly shake that of Aria's.

It seemed strange that two students at Solstice would run into each other in New York. Especially when they didn't go to the city with each other. What are the odds. He hadn't even noticed that there was actually snow coming down. It'd be hard to notice since it would just cover people and never touc the ground. "So, what are you doing out wandering New York City by yourself?"

[Sara]

[shadow=red,left,300][glow=red,2,300]Aria Wren[/glow][/shadow]

Aria smiled at his words, glad to have someone she knew here on the crowded New York streets that were so full of people but devoid of company. "Oh, I always wander," laughed Aria. "I'm a fairly restless person. In this case, I love the city, and I love being away from Solstice. It's a win-win." She hoped he wouldn't ask why she didn't just visit her family. Yes, her family lived in New York, but she didn't exactly like to visit them. They looked at her like she was an invalid; someone to be cared for, kept content, but never actually to be talked to as an equal. Her mother had been more sympathetic, but the others just kind of looked at her with a combination of awe, pity, and fear. Aria hated it.
Refocusing on the present, Aria continued to walk through the crowd, falling into step with Tristan. "What about you?" she asked him curiously.

[tristan]

"Win-win, huh?" Tristan asked. He could see how that worked out. The city was a nice place to be, especially later. Tristan didn't live in the city before coming to Solstice. However, he spent just about every day there, mostly doing a lot of people watching. It was a good way to pass time. Tristan hadn't even realized that his feet had kept him moving. It was probably good that he did keep moving, and he noticed that Aria had managed to keep up with him.

"What about me? Well...I guess I was just wandering the city. You know, looking for a fight." He smiled a little after the last statement. Tristan couldn't remember why he came out earlier, but he did know that he had someone to talk to know.

[Sara]

[shadow=red,left,300][glow=red,2,300]Aria Wren[/glow][/shadow]

Aria peered around the darkening streets. A good deal of the crowd was retreating into night clubs, while others were emerging from restaurants, teens in groups of threes and fours, families with kids in snowsuits, pushing and shoving. Aria grinned at the suddent temptation to join them, falling into the snow. She used to get quite a lot of that as a kid, as she came from a skiing family, but was a pretty crappy skier herself... she'd fall over countless times, and her mom and stepdad would always force her to keep skiing 'til after lunchtime, when they'd finally just let her relax and have a snowball fight or something... whatever sort of ruckus she felt like kicking up that particular day.

Listening to his words, she responded with a bit of a laugh."Looking for a fight, is that it? Well you've come to the right person," Aria joked. Shaking her head, she quieted, assuming a mock-serious expression. "Uh-oh," she said. "Should I be afraid?"

[tristan]

Tristan saw the serious look on Aria's face and smiled. "Maybe. Although, I don't think these nice people would appreciate it." Tristan didn't seem to think that anyone was actually paying attention to the two students. Then again, there weren't that many people outside anymore. It appeared as though they were all disappearing. Everyone was going inside, and the only ones that appeared to still be out side were leaving.

Tristan raised his hand for a moment and looked at it. He couldn’t feel the cold as muc as most people probably did, but he didn’t want to show it in public. ”So you’re afraid? Why would that be? It could be because I’m just that intimidating.” Tristan smiled a little more.

”So, it would appear everyone else is heading inside now. Maybe they’ve got the right idea, since its apparently cold outside.” Tristan looked down at his hand and was seriously considering ligting a flame, but wasn't sure if he should reveal it to the people. Then again, why would they notice, they'd think he was a street performer or something.

[Sara]

[shadow=red,left,300][glow=red,2,300]Aria Wren[/glow][/shadow]

"Oh, yes," said Aria, chuckling, "I'm terrified." She realized that she really could make quite a spectacle of herself in public when she wanted to, though she hadn't used her power in to any horrific consequences since she was five. But she couldn't resist imagining the reaction of all "these nice people" as Tristan put it, if she were to suddenly start shooting flames at random passerbys. Probably all think they were going crazy, poor fools. Or they'd just run around insanely, thinking this was some sort of school shooting-type incident gone way out of preportion... plus, it wasn't at a school.

"Apparently cold, is it?" she said. "I don't really feel the cold... I don't know why... I'll be outside in a t-shirt in like two degree weather, and eveyone else will be freezing their asses off, while I'm fine as can be. Must come with my power - the fire, you know?" The mention of her power made her curious about his. "I can manipulate and absorb fire and water," she added. A fair trade was a fair trade. I'll tell you mine, you tell me yours, and all that.
She paused. "But inside still definitely doesn't sound bad. Any good places you know?"
After a few hours of roaming the streets at will, alone with her thoughts, Aria was in an outgoing mood, which gave off the impression that she was more of a bubbly person, while really, she was usually quite serious. She hoped he didn't think she was talking too much.

ooc; Just for clarification, I meant two degrees celcius, not fahrenheit. Even Aria's not crazy enough for that. lol xD

[tristan]

Tristan raised his eyebrow. He wasn't exactly sure as to what he could do yet, but he was sure it could be pretty sweet. I wonder how much I can actually do and I just don't know it. Tristan looked at his hands again. Maybe he could 'light up' a city. That wouldn't be a good thing, now would it? He definately couldn't do it now, but maybe one day.

"Cold? Yes, I would think at 2 degrees, it would be cold." Tristan said looking back to Aria. He had left out commenting on her power. That was convenient for him. "Really? Manipulate Fire and Water? Guess that would come in handy in a lot of situations." He wasn't going to tell her his power. Tristan felt like playing a game and get her to figure out what his was, even though it shouldn't be to hard.

Tristan looked around at all the places that surrounded Times Square and the streets around it. He couldn't really think of anywhere. Smiling he spoke again, "Well, your choice. I'm up for anything. As long as it isn't McDonald's."

ooc: I'm clarifying mine as farenheit, and sorry for sub-par posts.

[Sara]

[shadow=red,left,300][glow=red,2,300]Aria Wren[/glow][/shadow]

Aria laughed wryly. "Would come in handier if I could control it better," she said. She began to say more, but stopped herself. She should know better than to stand here explaining her secrets to a complete stranger just because she was lonely. Plus, she didn't want to alarm him. I'm not dangerous or anything, but you know, If I'm terrified or really angry, my power is more of an instinct. But don't worry, I don't get pissed that easily... except for lately, since I'm still bitter about being sent to Solstice in the first place, and the reasons for which I was sent... Aria rolled her eyes. In reality, she couldn't imagine being that open to anyone, that flippant about everything she'd kept to herself for so long now.

Instead, she ran her hand through her long dark hair, looking around at the possible places to eat, or to at least go in and get warm. "I agree about the McDonald's, though. Ugh, I hate that stuff! I had a friend that loved the food from there, and I could never understand why." Aria shook her head. She didn't want to go anywhere too expensive, though the Indian Food place looked delicious. Aria could be a real glutton when it came to Indian Food, but she determinedly steered herself away from the direction of that particular restaurant.
"Aah... let's just go to this place," she said, nodding towards the place closest to them, an Italian restaurant that wasn't too fancy, and not at all expensive... you just lined up, ordered and got your food quite quickly, then found a table. Most people considered it crap until they'd actually tried it, and Aria for one found it quite good. She'd discovered it when she was with her friends one fall afternoon when they were here listening to their favorite band. It wasn't Indian food, but then again, it wasn't McDonald's either. Plus, it reminded her of the good times she'd had with her friends, so all in all, she couldn't complain that she now had someone new to share it with.

[tristan]

Tristan shook his head a little. It seemed like it was starting to snow a little. Maybe it was a good idea to get inside. Tristan didn't want to be out in the snow. He really didn't like being out in rain or snow. There was just something about it that bugged him. Aria had said something but stopped before Tristan could catch what it was. He guessed that it probably had something to do with her power. Tristan gave a short laugh at Aria's comment on McDonalds. Guess that could be a problem, since Tristan did enjoy the stuff. "Well, that's why I suggested we don't go there, but that was because I was there earlier. I had a feeling you were the kind of person that wouldn't like it."

Tristan looked over towards the restaurant that Aria nodded to. He'd never been there, mostly because he didn't usually enjoy italian food. There was something about that just didn't sit right with him. He figured he could try something new. It seemed like it would be a good experience. Since it was right there it made everything easier. It also seemed as though the restaurant wasn't too crowded, so thats a plus. Tristan grabbed the door and held it open and gave a small gesture.

"After you."

[Sara]

[shadow=red,left,300][glow=red,2,300]Aria Wren[/glow][/shadow]

Aria was faintly irritated as he said she didn't seem like the kind of person to like McDonald's. She hated generalizations, but she figured she shouldn't be so picky. She was in a good mood, and she didn't feel like picking a fight about something so petty.
”After you.”
She smiled at him. ”Thanks,” she said, as she entered. She hadn't been here in awhile, and the mouth-watering aroma brought back a swarm of good memories. ”The good thing about it, is that even if you generally don't like Italian food, you can always just order a slice of pizza – everyone likes pizza.” She hoped he did too, otherwise what she just said was going to sound kinda stupid.
There was a small lineup, but Aria wasn't really bothered. When it was their turn, she asked for some calaloni, then turned to Tristan. ”What about you?” she asked, as the grumpy-looking waitress tapped her fingers impatiently. She obviously would much prefer to be out listening to the bands or dancing at one of the clubs than working this crappy late shift, and Aria couldn't blame her. She was glad her family was rich enough to afford expensive schooling for her even though she'd never worked a job in her life – except babysitting, but that didn't count. Aria felt a twinge of guilt, but quickly shook it off. Opening her purse, she rooted through it for her wallet, glancing up at the menu, but already sure of her choice, which had always been a favorite.