DC: 2012-02-28 - Someone Likes Birds

A black Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing circa 1959 whips down the streets of Metropolis, darting in and out of traffic. Behind the car, and falling farther back steadily are a pair of SUVs crowded with photographers. With squealing tires, the beautiful old sportscar whips around a corner, then jerks around another, drifting into an alley. The driver quickly slides the car to the other side of a dumpster, parking so that it is hidden from the main street. The SUVs race past, the crowd of papparazi inside searching for the black car. Once they are past, the driver gets out, shutting the door behind her. She sighs and smooths her hair into place before walking out of the alley onto the street.

Kendra has the look of a tourist today, a digital camera of her own dangling from her neck. It's an SLR, better than the basic point-and-shoots. She's in a hoodie, grabbing the camera to snap a shot of the Daily Planet when the sound of the car catches her attention after a click. Turning to watch, a brow arches upward. "Damn, nice ride," she murmurs to herself in admiration before watching the end result of the paparazzi zooming by. "Idiots." That leaves her turning back toward the alley, not far from it at all by the time the woman is moving out to the sidewalk.

The woman who steps out of the alleyway surely isn't old enough to drive that car. Though, if Kendra is one for gossip mags, she might recognize the apparent youth as Penny Porter, crazy billionaire determined to give away all her money. The whole 'kid' thing is heightened by the fact that she's wearing clothes that don't fit her. What might be a very nice pantsuit is hanging off her body as if she grabbed something in the store without even checking to see if it was the right size. It is also wrinkled like she slept in it...repeatedly. Her hair is pulled back tight and she's got a fedora over it to keep the frizz down. Pushing at her glasses Penny nearly runs right into the tall Kendra, well, she does, unless Kendra does the avoiding. "Damn them. Damn them. They need to stop bothering me. Don't they know I've got better things to be doing than getting my picture taken." mutter mutter mutter.

Unfortunately for Penny, gossip mags are not part of Kendra's standard reading fare. All the same, it's difficult not to pick up bits and pieces just from conversations that are overheard. She's watching all of this with an expression of mild amusement, sure to weave to one side in time to keep from being walked into. "Makes you just want to punch a face or two in, doesn't it?" she comes up with after overhearing the griping. Here she is with a camera of her own, though the reaction is nowhere near what someone trying to get a picture to sell would have.

Penny snaps out of her mutters to look up. Her hand instictively rises to ward off the camera when she sees it, displaying chewed nails along with remnants of a fine manicure. "Yes. Yes it does. But that only feeds the idiots. Not that driving crazy through downtown Metropolis is any better Penny. I am sure they loved every moment of that. Oh yes they did. What were you thinking?" She stops herself and looks up at Kendra's face sheepishly, "Sorry. I'm not really crazy. Don't take my picture." Her eyes light upon the hawk pendant and she instantly smiles, "Oh. I love your necklace! That is fine work." She reaches down to pull her ill fitting pants up, then starts stuffing the mannish dress shirt into it.

Kendra points the camera toward Penny's feet and takes a shot that way, just in the general vicinity without looking through the viewfinder. "Don't worry, I'm not a celebrity chaser. Guessing you must be if you're trying to do the incognito thing, though. Just to be helpful, it kinda makes you stand out even more." Sarcasm with a smile, green eyes hinting at the mischief in the words. "And yeah, speeding around like that also draws some attention." When the pendant is singled out she makes a 'hmm?' sound before glancing down. "Oh, right. Thanks. Just saw it recently and something made me get it." She adds, "Kendra."

"Incognito? Hmm? What? Are you saying I appear to be in disguise?" Penny looks down over her suit, and towards the shoes that look to be Italian leather. Very nice, though there is a high likelyhood that they are mens. "I love this suit." She straightens her tie as much as possible, given the fact that she's misbuttoned the shirt, so the collar is a button off. When Kendra introduces herself she stops playing with her tie and offers her hand, "Penelope Porter. Penny. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Kendra. If your locket has no sentimemental value...you don't suppose you would consider selling it would you? I adore raptors."

"Yeah, unless the whole men's suit, oversized pants and all that is the norm," Kendra answers, sounding skeptical without being mean or nasty about it. It's as if she seems to get it, assuming her hunch is correct. "Anyway, gotta go with what you like, right?" The hand is accepted, giving her full name a moment later. "Kendra Saunders. Same here. And like I said, you don't have to worry about the photo thing. It's a hobby." A moment later she shakes her head, turning the offer down. "Sorry. Not for sale. I didn't say it has no value to me but I could tell you the place I got it from." Her head angles toward one side at the mention of adoring raptors, a sign of curiosity. "You don't say."

Penny once more looks at her suit and tugs at it a bit, "Well, I like the shoulders and it isn't too long in the sleeves. Hardly oversized I'd think." It is horribly oversized. "Mmm. Well. Perhaps a bit. I should send it to a tailor. I do suppose your right Kendra Saunders." She starts rummaging her pockets and brings out a dictation device, "Note to Penelope Porter, Penny. Do send that Italian suit to a tailor. It fits improperly. One Kendra Saunders pointed this out on the street. Quite embarassing for you." She stuffs the recorder away and says, "Quite good of you to point it out to me Kendra Saunders. Yes. Quite good of you. Photography is a fascinating artform and a science yes? Such a miracle that has been written over by the digital age. Like that thing you have there. Purely digital. The miracle of film no longer involved." She shakes her head sadly then switches gears, "I am going to have a very painful migraine shortly if I don't ingest some caffeine. Would you care to join me? Human contact increases the enjoyment of consumption at times, and this is one of those times. Plus, I like you Kendra Saunders. I knew it instantly." She taps the amulet, "Your charm let me know I liked you. Yes. Kindred spirits. Not the sort of thing someone would wear if I didn't like them. Yes."

Somewhere along the way, right around the time the recorder's being put away, one of Kendra's hands funds the back of an ear and rubs at it a few times as she squints. "Guess that helps with remembering specifics," she remarks, partly under her breath but still audible as typical goings-on continue around them. "I'm taking courses on film and photography. Kinda found out I like seeing things through a lens. You notice more stuff that way." The camera is nodded to when the lack of film is pointed out, then she tucks it away in a small bag she's brought with it, slung over a shoulder. "Human contact increases..yeah, yeah. Coffee? Soda? Sure, and you can just call me Kendra, you know." She's probably wondering just what the deal is but she's keeping civil about it even if her tone is briefly short. "I dunno about the kindred spirits thing, but that's cool. Like I said, I'm not really sure about.." Headshake. "Nevermind. Let's go."

Penny nods repeatedly, "Oh. Yes. I don't have my papers with me. I tend to take notes. It helps. I can get rather busy." She pauses and looks down at her shirt as she goes back to fussing with her tie and as she looks down she curses, "Oh crap." She sounds a lot less scatterbrained when she curses, "Look at that. I must look the complete idiot." She undoes her shirt and starts rebuttoning it as she walks, apparently unconcerned about doing so in the middle of downtown. "I don't think I've talked to anyone but my computer in days. You get out of practice you know. Do you like to fly Kendra? You may call me Penny of course. No one calls me Penelope but myself and the lawyers. I love to fly. That's why I like raptors of course. All birds really, but I believe it is the raptors that guarded the gates of knowledge when it came to flight. The most elegant forms. Inspiration was found in their wings. Dreams."

"Yeah, I was gonna point that out sooner or later," Kendra offers helpfully, gesturing to the improperly buttoned shirt. Maybe more later. Squinting for a moment as Penny does the only real thing she can if she wants to fix it right that moment, she instead turns to look down the sidewalk for a place. "Getting off the computer once in a while is a good idea, yes," she agrees with that, but a general frown and look of uncertainty follows at the questions about flying, birds, and so on. Especially after the mention of dreams. "..yeah, something like that," she answers evasively.

"I have dreamed of flying my whole life you know. I guess everyone knows that about me, what with my family putting those pictures of me jumping off the roof with my homemade wings into all the papers. Still...there is nothing like it you know. Nothing. Parachuting gives some of the joy. Have you ever parachuted? It is exhilirating, but hanggliding is more miraculous. I will take you hanggliding sometime Kendra. If you want of course. But of course, you do right? The pendant doesn't lie." She points across the street, "There we go. Retro Coffee. That looks perfect." That said, she heads across the street without looking for crosswalks and with a minimal check of traffic.

Kendra's expression, eyes included, hint at further awkwardness with the way the conversation is going. Why? "We'll see," she says in a very non-committal way. "I've flown before, though. You know, planes. Things like that." A finger scratches at her cheek, frowning as she shakes her head to the parachuting question. "Haven't done that, no." Eyes shift downward as she fingers the pendant afterward. It's not a very large thing but it's become a focal point. "It's just a pendant," she insists, moving along before a horn interrupts her thoughts. The driver winds up flipped the bird by her.

Penny stops at the other side of the street to pull out her phone. She checks a message then puts it away. "Hmm? Oh. Well, if you don't want to then we shant. Of course. I'm sorry. I am sure you're not interested in me prattling on about raptors and flight. I tend to be rather overflowing on the subject." She yanks open the door to the coffee shop and steps inside without looking back. A perfect chance for poor Kendra to escape her craziness.

Pilot enters Retro Coffee - Metropolis and leaves.

You enter Retro Coffee - Metropolis.

Kendra could just move on, but the things she's left to think about are drawing too many parallels for her to just ignore it. A hand catches the door before it shuts and she heads into the place that looks like they've stepped into a much older place. "Never said that," she notes. "Just got a lot of stuff in my head right now and you're triggering some of it in a weird way. Have to think about it."

"Oh? Well. That is a good thing. Never bad to have your synapses firing off." The tiny woman steps to the counter and orders, "I would like your largest cappucino, with four extra shots, and two...no, three shots of caramel and one of chocolate. I'll also try...those turnovers. Three of them. And that. Is that carrot cake? I'll have that too." She digs out a wallet to get some cash, dropping it onto the countertop. "Here I am prattling on and you are lost in thought. Get whatever you want. My treat of course."

Kendra continues to wear a frown, a mildly annoyed look coming and going. Difficult to tell just what it's for. "Just had a lot on my mind lately, that's all." It's a partial truth but it doesn't sound like she's eager to go into a whole lot of detail. "Thanks." For her, just a black tea is ordered along with some sort of fancy brownie. Nothing special, nothing excessive. "Maybe you can tell me just why the pendant stands out so much to you. It's gotta be more than just the flight thing."

Penny notes the frown, then takes all her goodies as they are brought from under the counter. Her change is left behind as she heads for a table with the first load, then she walks back to get her coffee. "Hmm. Oh. Well...I love raptors. I love birds. I love everything having to do with flying Kendra. I can't say why. I always have. It's in my blood." She digs her phone back out and flips through some pictures, then turns the phone around to show the scandalous picture she mentioned before, her up on the roof of a house, with a giant set of bird wings strapped to her arms. She looks to be all of five, but given how young she looks now, it is hard to actually be sure of the age. "I used to have an aviary you know. But then gave it up, sent all my birds to better homes."

Kendra takes a seat across from Penny once they've got everything - just one trip for her. The brownie is one of those messier ones with fudge that are better dealt with by using a fork. "I have to admit, I like them too. Sometimes I have..dreams about them." That's not a strange admission, at least. The photo is given a closer look and she finally has to ask, "That was, what, ten years ago or so? You look like someone a cop would pull over to check for a license, and there you were in a car like that." She shakes her head at the last. "No, I didn't know," she comments with a touch of sarcasm. "Had to let them go?"

"Do you? Oh. I adore my dreams of being a bird." Her arms drop to her sides for a moment, the fingers splaying out like the wintip feathers of a raptor. She stops herself only a second into her revery, right as her eyes start to close. She shakes her head and brings her hands quickly back up to the table, grasping her coffee cup with both hands and taking a few sips. "That was...twenty years ago? A bit more. I am afraid I don't look my age." She pauses and looks across the table at Kendra, "You don't know me really? Well, that is refreshing. I own Porter Aviation. So, yes, flight is in my blood. As for the birds, well, the Aviary was nice enough, but really, I didn't spend enough time here in Metropolis. So I had the birds moved to various places. Some were released back into the wild. The rest are leading happy lives. I visit them when I can of course."

Kendra rests an elbow against the tabletop, hand at her mouth and chin as she listens, watches, brows furrowed throughout much of this. A brief nod as the age is gathered, plus an amused sort of sniff through her nose. "I'm not getting into all of my dreams - no offense - but the aviation thing is neat. Makes more sense now. I know there's something about all this that sticks out to me but it's hard to put a finger on it. I'm sure the birds are happy though, like you said." Her demeanor continues to border on uncomfortable along with curiosity, a messy jumble of thoughts possibly going through her head right now given her expression.

Penny eats ravenously between her gulps of coffee. She darts from item to item, tearing away little bits to pop in her mouth then moving on to the next flavor, "Well, yes. They seem to be. Part of me wishes they'd all managed to go into the wild, but the grim reality is that even the luckiest of those will have shorter lifespans." She shrugs, "But still, better to live in freedom. I inherited the hobby from my grandfather. He hunted with them. But I never got much of a taste for the country. And riding on horseback...no. Not at all." She stuffs a collection of patry into her mouth, working at it while contemplating Kendra. "Well, I wouldn't expect you to share your dreams with me. You don't even know me at all. I expect that it is a test of patience to be sitting here. I doubt I am making much sense. Rarely do when my migraines are on the horizon."

Kendra's pace with tea and brownie is slower, though she drops in a comment, "You're going at all of that like you haven't eaten in days." Just a quiet nod to the unknown but suspected fate of the birds, a low laugh following. "Not big on riding horses either, nope." Then comes a roll of the shoulders, shrugging as she says, "It's making me think about some things over the past few months. That's all I can say. Cryptic, I know." All the same, a distant look settles in.

"Oh...well. What day is today? I am sure I ate some pizza...no, that wasn't..." she gets lost in thought herself, pulling out her phone to check the date. Then she stuffs it back into her suitcoat, "It's a bad habit. Not eating. But as for horses, they don't like me for whatever reason. Which is fine by me. They are pretty and all, but I'd rather walk." After devouring about half of her food, she starts tearing it into bits left on the try between sips at her coffee, "Hmm. Well. I am glad to help if it is indeed a help. And I am grateful for you sitting with me. You have a pleasant face, even though you seem to frown a great deal. That no doubt is due to all the thinking however and I am hardly one to be able to say a thing about being lost in thought."

Hopefully Penny isn't psychic. Please don't let her be psychic. "You must keep a busy schedule," Kendra deadpans, covering herself by digging into the brownie a bit longer as an excuse to sit there and listen. "I'd rather fly, wings spread, looking down on the city below with everything sharp to my eyes," she says, still with a distant tone to her words as she lapses back into..some other place. There comes another frown. "That was one of the dreams," she adds more quickly than necessary, then a "Yeah" to the last few things Penny's said. Her attention shifts to stare out toward the street.

"Pretty busy yes. Not nearly enough time for my studies and my hobbies. Not with this bedeviled and bedamned court case." She sighs and rubs at her temple, knocking her fedora cockeyed. At the description of flight Penny nods rather enthusiastically. "I would much prefer flying everywhere I go if possible. Feeling the wing caress me. It is so much more elegant a way to move. Beautiful on so many levels. No clunk clunk clunk, like Frankenstein." She sighs, catching herself as she starts in straightening her arms out once more.

(FTB, numbers exchanged, etc.)