OK, so she might be a little early to meet Astrid but she wanted to make sure she had everything ready for their date. Their date! It was still so weird to think the two of them were actually going on one but here she was. Waiting. Wondering. Really, really hoping her nervousness didn't make her throw up because seriously, could she get through one interaction with the winged angel without looking like a fool?

Usually she would dress like she normal would for a date, but today she'd actually put in a little effort. The skinny jeans were relatively new and rip free, the t-shirt a simple one with a nerdy design on the front. Granted it wasn't much but it was more than she usually did and, well, she didn't exactly have much fancy clothes. Maybe Allegra was right, she could do with some nicer clothes.

Holding hands when they left the bar had been and Alice had been reluctant to let go when they just walked and talked, but she did. Eventually. Today though, today she was not holding back if they wanted to hold hands, she was damn well holding hands and if, heaven forbid, her raven wanted to test out a little kiss, well who was she to say no. More accurately, she wouldn't be able to say no because damn was that girl so cute! Oh God and those feathers, the idea of running hers hands down those wings was overwhelming.

Right, going through the checklist might help calm her down and focus her mind. After their talk and a few revelations about favourite foods, Alice had gone out of her way to find so decent recipes including grapes, as well as a decent amount of french style cooking to round it out. Pretty proud of the results, she did want her date to enjoy it, nothing felt better than being able to share good food you had made with someone you like.

Going through the basket and checking each item off a mental list, she had a fresh made cheese and onion quiche, curried cashews, pear and grape salad, some fresh bread from a bakery with some jams and pate (so she cheated a little) and a lovely tomato and caramelised tart. Not bad for only a couple of attempts and the sparkling juices she had to wash it down would go very nicely.

But the real treat was dessert. Chili, chocolate grapes with cream and a pair of lovely strawberry tarts. Those she had practiced a lot and gotten them pretty much perfect. Finally all those years cooking with her mum was paying off.

So, with butterflies going haywire in her stomach, she found a slightly more private spot, not to far away from the path to be completely unseen and waited. although maybe a quick text would be good, just to give some directions. Snapping a quick pic of herself and the area, she sent it out to that number she had gotten so easily along with a little text.

Found a great place, now if only a bird could come and join me for lunch?

Long legs dangled from a tree somewhere in the middle of central park. The winged mutant was waiting on something as she sat, her dress splayed out over the bark that she picked at absentmindedly.

Astrid had been a happier camper of late, although a little more of a nervous one. She had switched up her usual ensemble of high heels and poofy skirts a bit to Doc Martins and poofy skirts, so in general, she was a little less grouchy. She also had something to look forward to, but it also made her more terrified than anything else in the world.

She had a date. It wasn’t something that Astrid had ever planned on saying, and she doubted that anyone that knew her would have expected it to happen. She wasn’t really dating material, but somehow, she had found a beautiful girl that liked her for some reason. All she had to do was not screw it up.

They had agreed on a place and time, an interaction made much easier by a text translator. She had also been studying up on her English so that conversations would be a little easier. All she had to do was wait for Alice to let her know that she was ready.

Eventually, her phone buzzed, and Astrid was so excited that she nearly dropped it. The text was complete with an adorable photograph of Alice at the area. Astrid took a moment to stare at it before she scrolled upward. It was hard to believe that she was a real person. Nervously, she typed out a quick reply before taking off of the branch. She was only a little ways away from the spot that they had picked out, so the flight over was very short.

Coming!

By the time that Alice would receive the text, Astrid would already be touching down on the ground. She landed with even better balance than usual, thanks to her flat, comfortable boots. She grinned at the girl and her picnic in front of her, all too excited about what was about to happen. She almost felt like a normal teen, obsessing over a great love and going out with friends and such. It was… strangely comforting.

”Hello,” she greeted, her voice shaky. She sat down on the picnic blanket next to Alice, unsure of what to do with her limbs. She tucked her legs away so that they didn’t disturb the food and then picked at her fingers.

Almost immediately after sending the message she regretted it, it was so corny and cutesy, why had she done it. This wasn't her, she was the tough punk girl with an image of being a stone cold b---- and now she was nearly as giggly and stupid as any other sorority girl fawning over a guy.

All of it didn't matter as soon as a familiar, graceful figure set down in front of her timed almost perfectly for the text alert to go off. Little bit moot now, it was pretty obvious Astrid had turned up for the date. Hard to miss her tall form and huge wings folding up behind her. Oh god and that smile! Turned the butterflies into pigeons, at this rate she wouldn't be able to eat anything from how nervous she was.

"Hey you, that's got to be the most memorable start to a date I've ever had," seriously what girl had a chance to compare to a dark winged angel landing in front of you, then casually joining you for a meal? None, that's who. This would probably go down as one of her all time best dates and it had only just started.

Losing focus a little staring into the raven black eyes, they were here for a reason right? Food! Food was the reason, she really hoped it was good. Making stuff for a date could be hit and miss if you gauged things wrong but from the election available, Alice was pretty confident something would catch he dates fancy.

Pulling out a par of small plates and some cutlery from the basket and passing them over she began describing the dishes slowly, pointing each one out and explain what was in it. She knew it was a little tough for the girl to understand her sometimes but she was making an effort to use simple English, while trying not to sound condescending. Not an easy feat with her stupid posh accent but maybe the warm smiles and occasional nervous look did the trick. Not like it was an act, she was so giddy to be out on a picnic like this.

For all her exterior it was kind of her favourite date idea and being able to share that experience with someone this cute was kind of awesome.

"Just go for whatever you want, don't hold back on my account." Anyone who went out with Alice inevitable lost any feelings of wanting to not eat much to appear cute. When you have to eat every hour, judging others for how much they eat doesn't enter into it. Plus it must take a fair bit to fly like that.

OK, simple stuff, nice conversation and NO FLAILING. She could do this. "How've you been then? Anything exciting happen recently?"

Astrid couldn’t help but smile as she sat down. Alice was so pretty and so… well, everything, that it was hard not to be happy and giddy around her. Things that would have made her puke a year ago suddenly seemed so much better to her. Like picnics and sitting with someone on a date.

Her legs were crossed under her, but her arms seemed too long and gangly for her to know what to do with. The hung awkwardly in front of her as she picked at her hands absently. It gave her something to do with them rather than just placing them in her lap awkwardly.

The food looked amazing. Astrid was a bit of a grazer, so she was always hungry. She’d been eating more while living at Honeycomb, but she still had the homeless mindset where she would eat more than her share in fear that she wouldn’t get her next meal. She didn’t want to start eating before Alice did, though. Even she knew that doing so would be considered rude.

>>"Just go for whatever you want, don't hold back on my account."

Her grin grew at that comment. ”Thanks,” Astrid breathed. She went straight in for the quiche first and took a piece for herself. She didn’t offer Alice one, as her table manners left more than a little to be desired, and instead took a bite right away. It was one of the most delicious things that she had ever tasted. ”This is good,” she complimented, her mouth still a little full.

She set her piece down on a plate and grabbed a tart next. Again, it was magnificent. The girl could cook, too. For a first date, it was going really well. Astrid had no idea how on earth she managed to do that.

>>"How've you been then? Anything exciting happen recently?"

Astrid sat for a minute while she chewed and translated the question in her head. After swallowing, she replied, ”I am good. I am practice my English,” she said proudly. Sessions with Jude had been going well and she had been listening to audio tapes and watching videos to subsidize her learning. Without school or faction responsibilities to fill her days, she had quite a bit of free time on her hands.

”How are you?” she volleyed back. Her manners were slowly improving along with her English.

A broad smile light up her face to see Astrid digging in so eagerly. She must have been pretty hungry and it made her large eating habits a little less conspicuous. Well, that and seeing a girl with an appetite was a lot more attractive than she was used to although it might have something to do with the person attached to the big stomach. "Thanks, I thought you might like some food like this."

Okay girl, the googly eyes and cute looks were all well and good, but there was food not on a plate. Piling up a small selection of things and taking a few bites, she was damn impressed with the results. Heck if becoming an engineer didn't work out she could always be a chef.

Between one bite and the next and only half staring at Astrid as she worked through some food along with the question, it was hard to miss the fact she was crushing hard. How had see even met such an adorable person, let alone snag a date in the park with her. Seriously with the pale skin and long limbs she wouldn't look out of place on a runway, in fact she'd probably steal the show with those wings worked into the look.

And she'd chosen to go out with her, Alice. The lost little rich girl. New York, rocked. Running away from home was officially the best decision ever and no amount of anxiety was going to change that.

"That's awesome, although promise me you'll keep your accent. It's very pretty," blushing a little, she was proud of how easy that had come out. Getting used to complimenting the french raven should probably be a good plan. She did plan to do it often after all.

Then she had the question tossed back, quickly have to swallow a mouthful of salad to answer. "I'm doing awesome. Got a little job with an internet group which will look awesome when I want to go to university." Managing to maintain eye contact and even giving her companion a grin, "Also been really looking forward to today." Oh God it was so embarrassing to act like this but it had to be said. There were to many feelings bubbling up to try and suppress them.

"It's been a while since I've had a date, to be honest, and I couldn't imagine a better one to be one."

Maybe Nessa would be up for some flirting lessons because right now she sounded like page one of the most cliched romance novel in the world. Any more cutesy and she'd be on the level of a daytime teen soap opera.

What the heck? Alice was too cute, and now she was complimenting her. Astrid was more than glad that she had taken more time to listen to and memorize English words, since she wasn’t sure that she would have understood what she was saying otherwise. She held the tart up to her face and giggled into it, amused by the notion that her accent was cute. No one had ever told her that before; just that it was annoying or hard to make sense of.

But dear lord, what was she becoming? Sitting on a picnic blanket with a pretty girl, giggling into her tart like some lunatic. She hardly recognized herself anymore, but she… loved it. She loved it and she wanted more.

She listened quietly and ate a bit more food as Alice recounted her recent adventures. It sounded very mundane to be working somewhere, but Astrid smiled anyway. She sounded like she enjoyed it, at least. Astrid wasn’t sure that she would ever have a real job. Then again, she hadn’t thought that she’d ever go on a date, either…

More than anything, she wanted to be supportive of this girl, though. She had no basis on which to form this relationship, but doing so felt natural. ”That is cool. Where is it being?”

University was also a big deal. It meant that Alice was smart enough to aspire to such things. Astrid quietly envied her for having such big aspirations. There were only a few things in that world that Astrid was suited for, and she had already discovered them. The only place that she could go was further into the black, right?

>>"It's been a while since I've had a date, to be honest, and I couldn't imagine a better one to be one."

That comment made Astrid blush and look down. She ate the last bite of her tart and then put her hands down in her lap, smoothing out her skirt. She felt so girly and unnatural, but she sort of liked the feeling. It wasn’t empty, like so much of what she felt otherwise. She would still be the same Astrid (probably), but it couldn’t hurt to embrace this new side of herself, could it?

”I am not being on the date before,” she admitted quietly. It was her first time in that sort of situation. Ever. She looked back up at Alice with wide eyes. ”This is being right, yes?” she had no idea whether or not she was doing anything correctly.

Compliments worked. Pretty well if the grin on her date's face and the sudden giggling tart was any indication. That was one bit of knowledge to tuck away for future use, after all who was she to deny the world that adorable sound. A monster, that's who.

"It's a few minutes away from the Greenwich Village, so right near the gay heart of New York. Makes it feel even more comforting." A plan was in her head, if she did get a job there, would she be allowed to bring Astrid by for a visit? That'd be so cool, although maybe not the most fun for the french girl. She didn't seem the gaming type and being surround by a bunch of caustic nerd could be a little annoying for normal people.

Wait, did she just think of Astrid as normal people? No way she was normal, she was awesome. Normal sucked, it was the outcasts and strange ones that were the most fun.

Raised a fair question, did she have any friends who were 'normal'? About the only one she could think of was Allegra and as sweet as the girl was, there was no way she was introducing her to anyone she dated. At least for a while. Poor girl would get scared off by someone with that kind of big personality.

Alice was slowly figuring this out, finding the right things to say and getting into a bit of a rhythm, so of course her raven had to say something so innocent and adorable to just cut her legs out from under her. So not only had she only just discovered she was gay, found a girl she found cute for the first time and held hands with her, but this was her first date ever? The pressure to make it memorable kind of felt immense but she was doing fine so far. Freaking out wouldn't help.

"Astrid, you're doing completely fine, I promise." A little more than that if the Brit was being honest, she seemed a natural at setting a girls heart pounding, "We're just here to have some fun, eat some nice food and enjoy the nice weather together."

Reaching over and giving her pale hand a little squeeze of reassurance, "Don't worry about doing everything right the first time. There's plenty of time for more dates in the future," the sincerity in her voice would be hard to miss. No one knew how to date the first time round and honestly, there was no such thing as a perfect date. To her, that just made them better, made them human.

Everything about that situation was new for Astrid. She was hanging out with someone without expectations, in a public place where she didn’t have any ulterior motives. Sure, she hung out with Jude sometimes, but they had a thing going; she would make him food if he taught her English. Both of them actively denied that they didn’t mind the other’s company. 

There, on the other hand, Astrid was sitting with someone that she really liked, in a way that she didn’t ever think that she would, and she didn’t feel bad about doing so. She liked it, and there wasn’t even that large of a part of her that wanted to go hit up a convenience store on her way home. The urge was still there, but it was very quiet in comparison to other things.

Other things like the nervous feeling that she had in the pit of her stomach. She’d finished two tarts and moved onto some bread and pate, which tasted very similar to something that she might have had growing up when they got lucky at the orphanage. She didn’t feel even a little bit bad about eating that much food, because Alice was digging in as well. 

Thankfully, Alice had made it clear that there was no pressure on their outing. They were just going to sit and enjoy their time together, and, best of all, there would be more chances to make up for any screw ups that she might have. The teen gave her a wide smile after swallowing a piece of bread, imagining more times that they might have like that. She liked that idea a lot.

The best part about everything was that Alice was holding her hand now. She had given it a little squeeze, which sent shivers through Astrid’s whole body. She flipped her hand over so that Alice’s could rest gently on top of it. It just felt natural. ”I would… like to be spend minutes with you.”

She smiled at the thought and took another bite of her bread before she thought back to the earlier conversation. ”What is ‘gay heart of New York’?” she asked, cocking her head at the phrase. It wasn’t something she recognized.

Yep, perfect day. She was on an awesome date, eating awesome food and holding hands. No way to top it now, she could happily sit there was the rest of the time, hand in hand just enjoying the day. A picnic had been the best idea.

Not that it stopped her polishing off even more food, savouring in the rich tastes and light textures. Had food was a great way to eat loads without people really knowing how much you were actually packing away. And it made her companion happy. That was the best part.

And then Astrid just had to ramp up the cute even more, saying she'd want to be with Alice for minutes. It was obvious from context she was being sweet and lovely and  it just made Alice so happy that she thought that way. There was so going to be more dates after this, she had nailed this one so well and her french raven was hitting every note perfectly, like some savant at making girls hearts flutter.

"It's the place in New York where some really important things happened in our history. It kind of helped change peoples view of gay people. Before that, we were hated for being us." Hard to imagine a world like that, where it wasn't just the occasional bigot but the norm to be reviled for not being in love with someone of the opposite gender. Sure she got the weird looks and the odd comment but not like, being afraid of being arrested for just living her life.

"It used to be illegal to be gay, we'd be arrested for having a date like this. Thanks to events that happened in the village, and world wide people changed, we were free." To live, love and have lunch with pretty french girls in the park.

It's why she loved the idea of working near there so much, it was why she was here, now, enjoying something that was totally normal. Better, most people thought that way as well, they were just another couple.

Was it possible for a moment to be perfect? For the world to align so well that nothing could seem off or wrong? Astrid would have said no until that moment. Until that perfect moment, when she was eating french bread and holding hands with a pretty girl in a park. She wanted it to last forever and ever so that she could relive it each time, but even she knew that that wasn’t possible. All she could do was savour it while she was there.

The gay heart of New York was a place, not an actual thing, like Astrid was picturing. It was a place that had been instrumental in change and helping people see that being gay really wasn’t a bad thing at all. Really, it sounded sort of amazing. Astrid’s head drooped slightly as she thought about it. It sounded scary to be persecuted for loving someone. Sure, she could probably handle it, but she didn’t want to have to. She was glad that it wasn’t so much of an issue anymore.

People had fought for her to have that right. Really fought for her. She’d fought before, but never with a real purpose. It almost made her feel guilty that she’d never really thought about using her powers to do something other than survive and work for herself. She pushed the thought down, though - she didn’t want to ruin the moment.

”Wow,” Astrid said quietly as she moved onto dessert. ”They are being kill people so we can be the date?” It made sense. To fight was to kill, right? So if they’d fought, then they must’ve killed people. Astrid wondered who exactly they had needed to kill to rid the world of bigotry.

She wanted to know who she could go after to do the same thing.

What!? Kill people? How on earth had she gotten there? "Erm, well not exactly. There were some riots, fires got started people got beaten but I don't think anyone died. It mainly got people to group together, make a bigger voice and start making noise." It was awful that the serious gay rights movement had to come from violence, but it worked. Some serious political activist groups were formed because of the events of that night, it sparked a world wide fire in the hearts of a lot of people. Made some serious differences too.

Giving her a steady look, "they mostly got the rights we have now by protesting. Pointing out whenever the police were beating people, showing the world what it was like for us." God was it bad, she'd seen some of the pictures. Some people got hurt bad.

Was it weird she was telling Astrid this stuff on a first date? Maybe, maybe not, but if she wanted to know Alice was going to tell her. Plus, it meant they were hanging out for longer so it was kind of a win-win in her book.

Taking a quick drink to wet her throat and wash down the last morsels she'd finished off, she was thoroughly pleased with her performance so far. They'd had a nice meal, she'd taught her date some LGBTQ history, all while their hands were linked. A fact Alice was trying very hard to act casual about and for the most part, it was working. Treating it as just something extra to the conversation helped.

"People started taking notice though, after that. Bigger and bigger groups started bothering the government and soon, they couldn't just ignore them anymore. Turned out it was easier to shut us up by treating us like people, than smacking us about. Go figure." The whole situation was stupid from her view, was acting with some human decency too much to ask? Like really.

"I'm glad it happened though, as bad as that's to say. Without all that I couldn't be here enjoying the day with you and frankly that would just be criminal." The joke was delivered lightly, masking some of her own nervousness. 

No one died? Well, that was a shame. It was Astrid’s understanding that things were always more fun when people died, but perhaps Alice didn’t share that sentiment. It was just a shame, because everything else about her was so perfect. It wasn’t a deal breaker by any means, though. There were too many good things about Alice for her to walk away or get angry at that point. Maybe, one day, she would even come around.

She nodded along to what Alice was telling her politely, even though it seemed a bit tame to her. She’d seen worse treatment of people, but she wasn’t about to say that. It had been a big deal to people in the past, and it was a big deal to Alice, and now they got to have a date. That was what mattered.

”You are being… protest?” Astrid asked. It made sense that Alice would have been there if she knew that much about everything. Or, at least, it made sense in her head. School was something that should have been attended.

What she was saying about the LGBTQ community actually sounded a lot like a different community to Astrid, though. It was a weird thought that she had put together. Mutants were prosecuted in the same way as they had, only they still were. Sure, for the most part, mutants could walk freely in the streets, but things were still different for them. The was a lot of prejudice surrounding having a mutation, and people could be cruel. Astrid knew that for a fact.

”We are being do same thing as mutants?” she asked curiously, crossing her legs to get more comfortable on the blanket. The food was quickly being picked away, but she wasn’t planning on going anywhere. She still had a hand to hold, after all.

Silently, she wondered what her parents, whoever they were, would have thought of her. They had abandoned their mutant daughter, and now she would be their gay mutant daughter. 

Was Astrid disappointed about their being no deaths? Alice wouldn't sweat an outright violent bigot getting their just desserts but she wasn't a fan of just wholesale murder. Proving them wrong was just so much better. Then they had to live with that fact, know they were on the wrong side. To her that was the best kind of revenge. Plus, well, a good chunk of the people agaisnt open gay relationships were closeted themselves and using it as a way to fit in with everyone else.

Oh and just your bog standard crazy religious people. The ones who took the bible as literal from start to finish, they usually cropped up in those debates.

"Me? God no this was like forty or fifty years ago now. I mean, I've been to a couple of protest back home when we were passing the whole gay marriage thing and I went to pride one year but all that stuff was sorted out long before I was born." Maybe even before her mum was born now that she thought about it. Weird to think that the 60's were nearly......sixty years ago.

That was just wrong.

Were they? The mutant rights movement had been gaining steam recently but it wasn't that long ago the country had pulled the registration act c--- and the internment camps. Not to mention the Meta Bots still went mental every now and then. "Yeah, in a way. It's not as far along as other movements but mutants are already becoming normal, if that makes sense." Normal in the sense they could walk around a decent amount of the city relatively safely.

"Honestly there's even bigger issues with our rights. There weren't exactly gay people randomly  blowing up a city block by accident or setting buildings on fire. There's just more fear and stuff around mutants." Sighing, it was sad. She could kind of understand some peoples points of view, it was really scary what some people could do, there were like walking bombs.

Hard to condemn the public wanting some kind of safety guarantee about them.

Astrid nodded blankly along to what Alice was explaining. If all those things had happened so long ago, then why were they still an issue? Why did Alice still have to go out and fight for rights? It just didn’t make sense to her. 

Still, it was nice to know that legacies really were a thing. Sometimes, it felt like there really wasn’t much left for Astrid to do in the world. She’d lost her purpose when Ragnarok had died out, and it had been a difficult trek back to the mindset that she’d been in when she’d first arrived in New York City. Even with a period of self-discovery and some mindless crime, she wasn’t sure that she would ever be able to get back to the place she was before. Too many things had changed and shifted, leaving her without any solid ground to form goals on.

>>"Honestly there's even bigger issues with our rights. There weren't exactly gay people randomly blowing up a city block by accident or setting buildings on fire. There's just more fear and stuff around mutants."

Astrid nodded along to Alice’s answer about mutants protesting their lack of rights. It made sense, really. There was a lot more going on with mutants than just people being stupid about it. They were… dangerous. Like Astrid was dangerous. Quickly, a shameful thought swept through her mind. She really hadn’t been helping the mutant image very much with all her crime and killing. Sure, it was helping her legacy, but was it helping her in the long run? It certainly wasn’t helping her ability to live her life normally. Or to live it with other people, like Alice.

But since when had that been what she wanted? All along, her one thought had been to become like Isabel, the infamous murderess. She’d wanted to be like her. She had to wonder, though - what had Isabel actually gotten for all her trouble? Was she happy? What had Astrid gotten for all her trouble? 

Alone. She’d gotten alone and lonely. None of it pieced together like it used to.

Quickly, she looked away from her date, her mind conflicted. She liked Alice, but she was confusing. She was quickly changing how the world looked, and Astrid wasn’t sure if she liked it. Anxiously, she stuffed another bite of food in her mouth and then looked down at her hands. ”I am being danger,” she admitted. It wasn’t a question, it was a fact. It didn’t really pertain to the conversation, but it was what was going on in her head. Maybe Alice wouldn’t like it, but it was the truth, and she didn’t know how to deal with it.

Well, that was kind of understating it. Astrid's power was pretty nasty looking at it from the outside, the whole stabby wings could certainly be intimidating but that didn't matter to Alice. The girl was nice, to her at least, and her crystals were beautiful. So what if they were dangerous, Alice had never felt anything remotely like fear while hanging out with her french friend.

"I, well yeah I guess you are, but then everyone is. Kind of." God that was not the best way to start, come on Alice, you can do better! "Not that I think you'd hurt me or anything," she added hurriedly, "but it's kind of a people thing. Humans are pretty good at the whole violence thing, mutants just have a few different ways to go about it." In her eyes it wasn't the mutants who were the really scary ones, it was the people running military's or controlling the nukes of the world. Now they, were dangerous people. Not that they had any registrations acts forced on them.

Putting her plate aside and laying down on the blanket, pretty happy with how the day was going, "It's what we do that matters, not what we are. That's what I mean I guess. I just don't see a reason for mutants to be sorry for being different, even if those differences might be dangerous to others." It's not like they looked up really tall or muscular people for being better at fighting than everyone else. Or put restrictions on anyone who had learnt a martial art. All Alice really wanted to do was be able to live like anyone else. And cute girls. Those were helpful too.

It had been a weird date, good but the conversation had been really heavy for a first date. It was just, easy to talk to the other girl with her. Which should be odd, but wasn't. Which was even odder because of it.

Why did things like this have to be complicated? Couldn't she have like a relationship bar or something to help her deal with all the normal people interaction stuff?