Disregarding her musical tastes, the band Within Temptation was familiar to Rebecca. They from the Netherlands as well, though given her entire country would fit into New York State 3 times over that was perhaps more impressive to the people here. They were also from the same province, South Holland, and if she'd wanted to she could have taken a day trip by train and been back home for dinner.

All that said, Rebecca just really like the band. She didn't know if that was 'expected' of her—she had no idea what kinds of music people might assume she liked—but she was a major fan of metal, especially with other influences and with a special fondness for female leads. Their new album had come out yesterday, but she'd not followed the date and only realized when she saw it recommended on her YouTube.

Today Rebecca was finished working by mid-afternoon, so she'd decided to walk to the nearest park and listen to the new album on the way. It was easy for her to try to check out new material at home and get distracted; as much as she wished she could, Rebecca was not a great multitasker and couldn't recall the songs if she listened to them while preoccupied. Instead, she'd just listen on her commute. It also gave her an excuse to avoid the bus or, God forbid, the subway, which were horrible.

After finishing the last song, Rebecca realized that she'd made two mistakes. First of all, it was very cold; Rotterdam was actually quite mild in weather, a whole 5 C warmer than NYC today, and the current situation with the polar vortex and climate disruption meant it was a bit more frigid than she'd have liked. Still, she was enjoying herself, and the album, but it was not long enough to last the whole route. That also meant she had started more than 45 minutes from home and had more to go. She sat down on one of the park benches and brought up the map.

Damn. Rebecca groaned at the very long-seeming line from her location to her apartment building. It was another 20 minutes away. On the plus side, after a moment she checked and saw that she'd already be home if she'd taken a different path, so she could try that next time. Assuming she survived; she was worn out.

Rebecca considered her options, trying to keep her breath from fogging her glasses. She could just take a bus from here, but she'd have to stand up for that, and that was a lot of effort. On the other hand, the sooner she got home the sooner she could be warm and comfortable. Also less odds of literally freezing to death. With another groan, Rebecca set the music back on loop, then checked her phone for a nearby bus stop.

Okay, good news. There was one on the next block. Rebecca put her phone in her coat pocket, then stood up-

THUD

"Ah--!" The young man exclaimed.

The bump was unexpected, to say the least. Immediately, he apologized and look to see if this person was alright. They were just sitting there a second ago and suddenly they weren't and...the soup. Oh god, my soup. It was that exact moment he felt the warmth cheese, broccoli, and rosemary running down his coat. He completely crushed the plastic cup in his hand, out of slight fright. And now some of it was running down his favorite shirt, covering both the in and outside of the coat. Thankfully most of it was on his left arm and on the ground. Still, you could probably hear the internal screaming and despair for miles if you can read minds.

"I....good afternoon. Are you okay Miss?" He asked offering a non soupy hand.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few moments earlier.....

Tasty soup. Cheddar and broccoli, with a little rosemary thrown in. Rich was so proud of his confection that he decided to take a small portion out with him. It kept the cold away and was quite nice on the tongue. To be perfectly honest, he didn't really have anywhere in particular to go. He was just exploring. A boy and his soup against the world. After a while, it was decided that the park would be a good spot for his butt to rest. There were plenty of benches and nature to enjoy. He didn't always get into these sort of hippy-like moods but today was just going to be a good. He was super sure of it.

As the wind blew against his winter clothes, the sound of whistling could be heard with a slurp of soup going from a sealed cup to a pair of hungry lips. "Mmm." He said to himself, licking a bit of rosemary from the brim.

Taking in his surroundings, it seemed that the weather was definitely trying to be cold. Walking further he spotted a woman sitting on a bench. She didn't look to be enjoying herself. Understandably, considering where she was sitting. Perhaps he would throw a friendly nod or good afternoon her way. It wouldn't mean much, in the grand scheme of things, but it at least could maybe get the ball rolling on her having a better day. He clutched his nearly empty soup trying to keep it secured as he started to pass her by. He started to give a smile when tragedy struck.

Rebecca all but flew down the sidewalk, sliding on her butt over the icy ground. 

She knew it was her fault, not paying enough attention to her surroundings, but it was annoying nonetheless. Her earbuds had come out, though luckily she hadn't dropped her phone. These things seemed to get more durable every day but she wasn't taking her chances. Though she was a little sore, she'd be fine, nothing a hot bath wouldn't fix when she got home. That left...

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" The poor man looked almost distraught, and Rebecca could see why; she'd splashed some kind of soup all over him. Some had splattered on her coat, but she could deal with that. Nobody wanted to ruin a perfectly good meal, and she almost wished he was mad at her. It was like she'd kicked an animal; she felt so guilty.

Taking his hand and gently pulling herself up (he was quite strong), Rebecca looked at the spill and bit her lip. "I'm alright, but I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking. Uh, here, let me..." She started looking through her purse. She had no idea how much a cup of soup might have cost, but it was the least she could do.

She held out a five-dollar bill. That wasn't a lot of money-it wasn't like she'd starve without it-but it was the least she could do. "I'm really sorry."

As she stood up, he gave himself another look over. No real permanent damage other than the obliterated cup. That would need to be recycled now. No matter. The woman he accidentally shoulder checked was very apologetic, despite being the one with a possible bruised butt now. She seemed nice, which put Rich at a lot more ease than before. With the rifling through her purse, the young man spotted that some of the soup got on her as well. It was a messy situation all around, it seemed. When she offered the paper bill, he was still entirely sold on his idea to be kind. He wanted to bring her in, as a friend would.

"Keep it. I have a better idea. Forgive me, if this comes off as bold, but I'd rather put that 5 dollars to grabbing lunch with me. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to turn this little mishap into a beginning of a friendship."

His smile was small but it was sincere. She seemed so nice Rich would feel like a dunce if he did not try and be friends.

"Not to mention, it is me who unintentionally sent you onto your butt. So perhaps we both could use a good time to erase this series of unfortunate events. What do you say?"

Well this was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Rebecca certainly wouldn't mind an excuse to avoid walking home at the moment. It might get warmer later on, and if not she'd at least have had some food.

"That's very kind of you." She smiled at the man. He was certainly charming, in the way someone very earnest was.

"Do you have anywhere you'd like to eat? I haven't lived her very long, so I don't know any good places yet." Rebecca brushed her ponytail out of her face, the wind nipping at her nose and cheeks. She was probably very rosy looking, but with her complexion she most likely just looked chapped.

"That said, I'm partial to uh, Mexican? If you don't mind." There was food from pretty much every region of every country on Earth in this city, and Rebecca had been trying to, well, try a lot of things. Mexican food was...not common back home, and though Rotterdam had a place or two, it didn't really compare to what she'd had here.

Richard's smile only grew wider at her words.

"Actually, Mexican is one of my favorites." He said, beaming good vibes. "I know a couple places around, but I am sure that if you like Mexican that any of them will hit the right spot with you. Why don't we try--"

His hand went to his chin, as sounds of thinking of curiosity slipped from his lips. The city certainly had no shortages of ethnic food. Authentic or otherwise. However, this woman struck him as the type to really enjoy the atmosphere. The young man knew just the place.

"Got it." He said beckoning her a bit to walk with him.

They weren't walking in the cold very long before the little hole in wall was found. La Comida un Madre. A few people came out with leftovers and were laughing only to waft some of that fresh Mexican cuisine towards their nostrils. It was captivating to him. Grabbing the door, he held it open to allow her the full experience first. He had been here a couple of times, but the first time at a new place is always nice. Everything was made to feel real. Even the light fixtures had a certain Mexican flavor to it. They were sat at a booth at the window, which Rich seemed to enjoy. They were promptly given their menus and and silver ware. After taking their drink orders, the kind waitress took her leave. The first thing he did was grabbed a bunch of napkins and split them between them.

"Just for the soup, if you still need them."

After which he began dabbing at the spots so he didn't look for ridiculous.

Rebecca nodded and followed happily.

Grateful to get out of the cold, Rebecca was eager to sit down and order, though she wasn't really sure what some of the options were. She picked something familiar-a vegetarian quesadilla with cheese, peppers, and some other things. She hadn't eaten out in a little while, so it was nice to have the chance. Plus, she was meeting a new person, and that could be fun!

"Ah, thank you." Rebecca dampened the napkin with water from her drink and wiped the few spots of now dried and cold soup off of her coat. Once she felt it was mostly confident it was clean she set the crumpled napkins aside. She folded her hands in her lap.

"So, I don't think I introduced myself. My name's Rebecca, nice to meet you." She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about your soup."

The young man ended up getting a soda pop and a water. He tried to be healthy sometimes a little treat never hurt anyone. As she worked to get the bits of soup off her coat, he did the same.  Even unzipping his coat to get at the bits that slipped past his collar. He felt silly doing this, because it made him look like a messy bum. Nevertheless, Rich was having a good time out with someone new and getting some tasty Mexican. The chicken and veggies burrito, with french fries stuffed in, was going to be truly spectacular. With her formal introduction, he realized they never actually did exchange names. The circumstance of that made him smile back at her.

"Nice to meet you, Rebecca. I'm Richard. And don't worry about the soup. Accidents happen. This too shall pass." He said, lowering the pitch of his voice for a silly undertone. "Besides, if we had not bumped into one another, we wouldn't be here right now. Seems like a rather good trade, to me."

His hand moved to grab his soda to offer her a toast.

"To projectile soup and butt slides?"

Smiling, Rebecca toasted Richard back. She liked his attitude. In this day and age (and, arguably, most other days and ages) someone with such a relentlessly positive demeanor was hard to find, but was usually good company if you met such a person. She sipped from her glass and considered.

"So, aside from, I assume, enjoying soup, tell me about yourself? I can start if you like. I'm from Nederland, actually." Her accent, usually quite mild, was clearer when she referred to her home country by its Dutch name. "I've been in the city for a couple of months, now, about...huh, since September, actually."

She shrugged. "It doesn't feel that long, though, there's definitely a lot going on here. Right now I'm working as an intern at the Bronx Zoo, as a behaviorist." She could probably go into that work, what it meant, what she did, all that detail, but she had long been susceptible to monopolizing conversations about her passions and field, so maybe for another time. "What about you? Are you from here?" She took another sip of water.

...It did occur to her, that some might consider this a 'date'. She dismissed the thought-she had never met this man before. But then again, wasn't that how most first dates went? At the very least, she'd like to have more friends in the area, and if Richard proved to be as good company as he had been so far, then she would be happy to consider him as such.

...And she'd see where it went from there. That was all.

"So I have the honor of introducing a cute Dutch girl to a new restaurant? Score one for Kennedy." He said, chuckling and sipping his drink again.

Richard honestly didn't mind if she was one to take the lead in a conversation. It usually meant that they were open or at least didn't feel uncomfortable around him. As Rebecca talked about her job, he grew more curious about her. To be perfectly honest, he had no idea what a behaviorist did. Did she study behavior? Or does she train the animals? He didn't have a clue on that one. Still, once she passed off the word baton the young man obliged her inquiry.

"I mean, my story isn't particularly interesting when soup isn't involved."

The sarcasm was strong with this one.

"But no, I actually have pretty varied interests. I enjoy anything from sports to video games to playing piano and singing to writing poetry. At the very least, I am sure I can find something in common with just about anyone. As for my origins, I have been from New York my whole life. I didn't live in this city until a couple of years ago, and you are absolutely right. There is a lot to discover. I'm still trying to map everything out. Bright lights, bigger city." He took another drink of his soda.

"Job wise, I am a dish washer. Not particularly glamorous, but it's work until I land a job in my field of advertising."

Put of him wanted to tell her his secret, but it was far to early for that. No one should know that his real passion was music. Everyone wanted to be a rockstar, and he was just another dime a dozen dreamers. It wouldn't be very uplifting conversation.

"So what does a Behavior Intern at the Bronx Zoo do exactly? Do you get to hang out with animals all day?" The second question was lighthearted, but his interest was genuine.

...He complimented her. Rebecca maintained her composure well, resting her hands on the table while listening, but she was pretty thrown by what he said. She hoped he was not a mind-reader. Or at least, that he wouldn't read her mind and see how turbulent she was feeling. Given the mutant population in this city, that was a non-trivial possibility. For the most part she imagined they weren't inclined to telepath with passersby, but in a one-on-one...

Okay, that was enough frankly-problematic contemplation for now. "That is a wide range of interests. I play violin, though I don't have much time to practice. Otherwise I read or work, or sleep." She smiled, her tone light. "Sometimes I eat."

He was from New York State, but not native to the city. Rebecca had been surprised to learn how big the state was outside the city, which was mostly what she thought of when she heard 'New York'. It was especially odd given that, by American politics, most of the state geographically was of one party, but the population of the city caused it to outweigh the more rural areas. It was kind of weird.

Rebecca got the sense he wasn't particularly interested in discussing his profession, so she was happy to share some of her own experience! Hopefully without too much hogging. "What I do is study animal behavior, essentially. I want to focus on aquatic animals, but at the zoo I work with a few different types. Basically I want to learn what specific behaviors animals do, what makes them do it, what the purpose of that behavior is, like how it helps them survive, and how it evolved."

She paused, gauging interest. "I also work with some of the animals just to try to improve their moods, make sure they have things that make them more comfortable. Like, some animals get stressed by being in captivity because of behaviors they would do in the wild, so we need to know what behaviors we can enable to mitigate that."

That was a lot, but in all honesty it was pretty restrained for her. "I enjoy it. I love working with animals."

Rich chuckled warmly at her lighthearted joke. It was well-timed and helped him feel like he was being a good host. It was interesting to meet a violinist, as there was no recall to anyone else who played. As Rebecca took the conversation, the young man smiled. He even leaned in a bit to give her his full attention. Her job sounded very important, in all honesty. Anyone who sought to learn more about nature or just how the world works held his respect. A smile only grew wider as she talked about want to focus on marine animals and her love for the job.

"That's pretty stellar sounding. Save the whales and learn about them right? So I have to know: What is your favorite animal of all time? And what is the most bizarre behavior you have ever seen working?"

The waitress came out from the corner of his eye. She had food. The greatest moment in any restaurant was now taking place. The Walk of Fame. That soup was old news, compared to the food heading towards them. Rich took another drink of his soda, as the plates were placed in front of them. They looked and smelled amazing to him. Of course, his attention was still on Rebecca as well. Today was just one of the good ones. Grabbing a fork and knife, he dug right in.

Richard seemed really interested in what Rebecca was saying. That felt good; she was used to seeing people lose focus or get bored when she talked about her passions, but it still felt bad. She always tried to care about what made other people excited even if she didn't because it was only fair, and because enthusiasm was contagious. It made Rebecca happy when other people were happy.

"Well saving the whales is more conservation, but I care about that a lot too, of course." Rebecca could go on a completely different and even more complex ramble-one might even call it a rant-on the importance of conservation and biodiversity, and then she could tie it into the global warming crisis and how serious that issue was, and it would just be much less fun.

Instead, she'd focus on the other question. She smiled sheepishly at him. "You can't ask me that. That's like asking which of my children is my favorite." She chuckled briefly. "I must have a lot of children, then. Still, I do really like cephalopods. Octopuses and the like. They're very intelligent, most people know, and that's such an interesting thing when they're so different from people. But they're very good problem solvers and can definitely learn." 

Rebecca went quiet as the food arrived, picking up the folded tortilla and digging in. She tried to be a neat eater, of course, but she couldn't help spill some of the peppers from inside onto the plate. Messiness aside, it was very good, a bit spicy, and perfect for how awful and cold it was outside. She picked up one of the dropped peppers and ate it before looking up at Richard.

Once a moment arrived where he didn't have food in his mouth, she answered his question. He seemed interested, so she was happy to share. "One thing I've seen is some fish that like physical affection. Like, sometimes a fish will let a diver pet it like a cat. I believe it's because that can help remove parasites, but of course people assume it's because they're friendly."

She took another bite, swallowing and continuing. "It goes to show, assuming anything in this field is dangerous. In any scientific field, really. You have to really examine everything." Rebecca continued eating. She figured she'd said her piece plenty, and if he wanted to interject, she'd give him a moment to chime in.

The lights somehow capture the smoky sunset of Mexico. It was one of the reasons he loved coming here. Well there was that and the food was damn good. A taco with excellent salsa, a burrito with amazing beans, and some excellent guacamole. Who needed fast food chains? This was New York. He’d gotten real comfortable here even if he’d had to lay low after Halloween.

In dark denim with a few bracelets and a couple rings on his fingers, the long dark haired brooding twenty something flipped through a title-less book and occasionally checked his phone as he ate. He had contracts to choose from but it was nice to do a little reading too. Honestly he’d had to get used to it. It was so boring being normal sometimes.

Thankfully there was a Lunch Show too! Rebecca and Richard: Stranger Soup. At first he’d thought it a blind date but it sounded like they literally bumped into one another and decided to grab lunch together. That was the least New York thing he’d heard of since… well, since he got here. The fact she worked at the Bronx zoo was interesting; he’d hooked up with a girl from the zoo right? Yeah, that was a while ago… What was her name… It wasn’t Rebecca right?

They went from talking whales and octopi to the love life of fish. The girl was clearly Dutch and had an academic’s mind. Talking of parasites while eating tortilla sure made a test for the stomach. From his table a bit over yonder Warlock was watching to see if this ‘Richard’ lost his lunch at the conversation topic. Richard was a stocky local bloke, but seemed nice enough. Oof, but he was trying wasn’t he? This lunch was like 3 bites and 1 animal topic from putting Richard in the friend zone.

Soup was certainly off the menu. What the hell was so important about soup?

Her smile was infectious and it spread to him. To be honest, he felt like an utter doofus smiling back. It wasn't necessarily voluntary, but it was weird how she just somehow hit the right chords to make his happy come out. Rich wanted to investigate further, but first: Food. Not the kind all up on their clothes but the kind that would hopefully not follow suit. The woman was giving him free information about herself and the world around them. It was nice.

After eating a bit more, he spotted a man and his book. Stretch had thrown a couple looks their way, and now Rich ended up noticing. He did that sometimes to. Just looked about to see what might be happening around. The young man didn't too much more attention, as he had company.  Sipping out of his dew, chose to continue their lovely conversation.

"I didn't know about the fish thing, that's pretty cool. There was a video I watched of an octopus getting itself out of a jar. I used to think they were monsters because they looked weird as a child. Thank you for indulging my curiosity though. Science will always hold great mystery for me, because it is always on the forefront trying to figure things out. With evolution, you will never be out of a job." He gave an respectful nod to the obviously intelligent woman.

Soon their food was gone and Rich looked like hunger was a foreign concept to him.

"Tasty. I'm glad we bumped into each other. You are fine company, Rebecca. We should do this again, yeah?"

As the waitress came around with the check, he handed her his card. He made to pay for their meal.

"As a thank you for saying yes to my leap of faith."