City Sidewalks (Open)

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

Josh sets down among the trees in Westchester Park, careful to avoid being spotted. Despite his powers being displayed on national television, he was inherently cautious about others seeing more overt displays of ability… like flight. It seemed like a good way of getting attacked with glass bottles and rocks.

Puppy barks excitedly, and runs around in a short circle before waddling back towards him, looking up expectantly. Josh can feel the little animal’s pure joy at being ‘libre’… whatever that is. Oh, right! Free. He shakes his head. The whole French-to-English thing was a little odd, but kind of fun. At least I can figure out what’s on his mind here and there.

He crouches briefly and fastens a little leash around Puppy’s neck. It begins to squirm a little, and whines slightly. Deal with it. We have to while in town. You get to run free all over the grounds at home… Josh grins a little, and catches a resigned sort of huff emanating from the puppy.

Finished, he straightens his light jacket, and the two of them stroll out of the park and down the street, looking in the downtown shop windows. As they pass a small tree-lined area, the puppy sniffs animatedly.

Having fun? He looks around. The weather was a little cold, but it was a surprisingly nice, sunny day for December. Satisfied, the pup begins to hop down the street once more. We really need a name for you, you know. It’s harder than it looks! They weave in and out of the pedestrian traffic.

[Tempero]

With it being a beautiful day, and his head having completely healed, Danny had decided to go out for a walk, yet again. Not that the injury on his head really did anything to stop him from lurking outdoors. It was just a question of how far he went.

And so he walks through the streets, idly looking at the shop windows and people around him, who flow in an endless flood of business, pleasure, and just plain walking.

His eyes drift wishfully towards each of the ice cream shops he passes, wondering what in earth is he going to do about his current "economic situation", or, rather, the lack thereof.

As he walks through the crowd, a towering beacon of friendliness with his 6' 2" and general aura of absolute friendly care, as some refer to it, he stands out, especially so because of the light green shirt which falls over the classic jeans, and even more so because of the wide smile he nurtures like some sort of pet.

And then he spots Josh. It has been a long while since the two met by the pool, and Danny has been itching to further the friendship, but with all the attacks and Josh's, "extremely awesome" in the words of some fans, participation in the said events, it was hard to get in contact with him.

So he lets his feet speed up and he is soon enough right next to the other mutant. "Hey, Josh!" his deep voice booms happily in the characteristic out-of-nowhere way of appearing he seems to have developed.

((If you had someone else in mind for this thread, or just don't want my charrie in it, please tell me and I'll remove myself. ))

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

The puppy looks longingly in through the window as they pass a butcher shop. Josh shakes his head. Not today. You know how expensive that place is? The puppy lets out grumble of annoyance. Besides, all the children are already spoiling you rotten.

> "Hey, Josh!"

Josh jerks his head around at the voice. Please, please don’t let it be paparazzi. The two of them had been attacked by photographers here and there after the start of their relationship, thanks to Warren’s status as the public figure of mutants everywhere. It had virtually disappeared until the official press release about the existence of the X-Men, where he, Warren, and Ororo had been promptly mobbed after the conference outside in Washington. Word was that there were action figures of the three of them in production. Someone at the Institute had put the stamp of approval on the idea, with their cut being funneled through channels to the school. Any future X-Men that became official were slated as Series Two, so he expected to see Bobby and Rogue show up soon. I think Storm’s keeping Logan in the bag for now… and I’d put money on Jake approving the action figure line.

Fortunately, though, the mind is a familiar one, though somewhat unexpected. “Hey, Danny! What are you doing around here? I didn’t expect to bump into anyone from school out here.” Josh musters up a grin for the boy. They got along fine, though Josh knew the guy was dealing with some problems stemming from whatever had caused his terrible claustrophobia. Ororo was working with him on that, right?

As the two of them move out of foot traffic, the puppy eyes Danny skeptically. “Sorry. Have you met him? He’s probably aiming for some sort of treat, the little mooch.” It barks indignantly at that. Josh rolls his eyes and fondly rubs behind the pup’s ears.

[Tempero]

Danny's smile lingers on his face, the typical friendliness he exerts almost always. He did not do so when he first met Josh, however. But it's understandable...I mean...I was the only one at the pool... he thinks, shuddering a bit at the thought of being alone anywhere, yet another irrational fear caused by the bullying. But one he learned to suppress. Now he only has problems of that nature when there is both absolute silence and no one around. Mr. Night...Kurt, and Miss Munroe had helped him allot. And still are.

"Oh, I am out and about a lot more now. I am most frequently at the mall, though." he responds, his feet automatically catching the same rhythm by which Josh is walking.

It takes him a couple of seconds, but then he notices the puppy, and crouches down, letting it smell his hand and then petting it lovingly. "He is very cute." he says as his left hand searches his pocket, the one which has become a source of joy for all pets and little kids, being filled with either candy, or pet treats.

Finally, he takes out a biscuit and hands it to the puppy. "I guess I will have to bribe him into liking me." he chuckles, glancing at Josh, and then back at the puppy.

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> "Oh, I am out and about a lot more now. I am most frequently at the mall, though."

“Oh, wow. So you’ve been working at your claustrophobia, then? Is it getting better?” It must be, if he’s able to spend time in the mall. As he rubs behind the puppy’s ears, its tail begins wagging madly.

> "He is very cute."

“Yeah… Warren and I found him on our trip to Paris. He kind of adopted us, really. I tried to leave him behind, but he snuck on the plane and we found him after takeoff.” Josh grins. “Everyone around the Institute seems to love him… and he’s got the little ones doing cartwheels for him.” Puppy barks contentedly at this.

>"I guess I will have to bribe him into liking me."

Josh is slightly startled to see the biscuit. He hadn’t been expecting Danny to actually have anything that the dog could eat. Where did that come from?

“Sure, you can give that to him. Make sure to break it up though… I don’t want him to get too excited and try to swallow it in one gulp.” Josh glances down at the dog, who’s taken interest in the contents of Danny's palm.

[Tempero]

>“Oh, wow. So you’ve been working at your claustrophobia, then? Is it getting better?”

"Oh, yes! Miss Munroe had been helping out allot, and then Kurt took over, and with him I slowly am getting over it...now I can actually go in between the bookshelves in bookstores without problem! Thank you for asking." he says, smiling as the puppy starts wagging its tail.

>“Yeah… Warren and I found him on our trip to Paris. He kind of adopted us, really. I tried to leave him behind, but he snuck on the plane and we found him after takeoff.”[/color]

"Oh, right! You two are dating, aren't you! I completely spaced that out. I forgot to tell you- congratulations!" he says, looking at the puppy, and then glancing up at Josh for a second, before returning to the cute puppy. He chuckles, observing the small animal's reactions. "I can see how he would be loved at the institute."

"Don't worry, I was planning on doing that. My uncle has been taking care of dogs all his life. I always stack up on the biscuits before I leave his house, if I run into any strays or something of the like. Or into a really cute puppy like this one." Danny explains with a light laugh as his hands break the biscuit up and give it piece by piece to the puppy.

"So what have you been up to lately? I haven't seen you since that one night. I have to apologize for the state I was in then...not at my best..."

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> "Oh, right! You two are dating, aren't you! I completely spaced that out. I forgot to tell you- congratulations!"

"Thanks! Our six-month anniversary is actually coming up pretty soon. It seems like we all went to that concert rave only a couple weeks ago." He and Warren had been through a lot together in the short time they'd been together. Speaking of...

"Have you seen Riley lately? Seemed like you two were about to hook up at the party." Josh grins, enjoying ribbing Danny a little. He seemed the the kind of guy who would become embarrassed at the comment, but the attraction between the two of them had been obvious even to him (and he'd been rather... occupied, at the time).

> "I always stack up on the biscuits before I leave his house, if I run into any strays or something of the like. Or into a really cute puppy like this one."

Josh blinks a little. "Aha, gotcha. Well, be careful. Not everyone is as friendly as 'Cerberus' here..." Puppy preens a little, looking satisfied with himself.

>"So what have you been up to lately? I haven't seen you since that one night. I have to apologize for the state I was in then...not at my best..."

"Not much, though I feel like I've been moving nonstop between school, the X-Men, and applying for college and stuff. Busy time of the year. What about you?" Josh looks at Danny. He could have sworn he'd talked to the boy several times since their first meeting. Maybe not. And... 'not at my best'?

[Tempero]

>"Have you seen Riley lately? Seemed like you two were about to hook up at the party."

Danny, quite understandably, blushes up to a deep shade of red, but then it all quickly fades back. "Um...no, actually, I haven't seen or heard from her since the party. I myself am not quite ready for...that kind of stuff...I will wait a little longer..." he mutters out in shorts, broken breaths, but then recovers fairly quickly, his hand still giving its full loving devotion to the cute animal in front of him. His other hand reaches up and brushes a snow-white bang out of his eyes as he finally stands back up from his crouch.

>"Not much, though I feel like I've been moving nonstop between school, the X-Men, and applying for college and stuff. Busy time of the year. What about you?"

At the mention of the X-men, there is the slightest of tinges of envy sparkling in his otherwise warm green eyes, but it passes away, leaving Danny in the hopes that Josh didn't see it. "Nothing really important. School, hanging out. Oh, and practice. I have been practicing a lot in the Danger Room, trying to get more control over my mutation. I think I am able to lessen the power of others' mutations now...but I need to first kind of...well, invade their mind, so I don't like it very much." he shrugs a bit, this time hoping that Josh did not hear the hope of some sort of acceptance or approval in Danny's voice. It was there for but a moment, almost invisible, but it was there, and that is the problem.