Ami pauses to look at Clark as she passes by, her arms full of books. While she can get most of these on her scanner, there is something lovely about actually holding and reading books that she can't quite get from the text alone. It takes her a few minutes to figure out why he's so familiar.
"You are helping with the rebuilding of the Conrad, yes?" she asks, her English highly accented. She shifts the books in her arms, attempting to adjust her glasses with her elbow. She wants to get a good scan on him.
Clark isn't actually paying attention to the people wandering directly past his spot, at least not until the stranger speaks up. He's been concentrating on finding specific heart beats around the city. Chicago is slightly bigger than Metropolis, much to his chagrin.
"Hmm?" He glances down, blinks once, and replays her question mentally. "Oh, yes. I'm doing what I can -- do you need help with those books?"
She's awfully --small isn't the right word, exactly-- petite to be carrying so many. Or it could just be his Kansas machismo asserting itself.
Small is close enough. And Ami's well aware that she has a habit of carrying more books that she should, necessarily. "Help?" she asks, shifting the books in her arms again. "Oh, no, I'm rather sure I'm fine."
And now she's almost positive she's annoying him. So she gives him a smile, wishing she could figure out just what is off about the man. "I really just thought you looked familiar," she says, taking a step back.
"Oh. If you've been hanging around the Conrad, then I probably am." He smiles, centering his full attention on her. She doesn't seem out of the ordinary, except for the books, which he may or may not try and read the spines off in curiosity.
The narration takes this moment to deny there is anything off about Clark. He's the poster boy for 'sweet and harmless' most of the time. But said narration digresses as something occurs to him.
"Are you one of the residents, too?" Clark means Wanderers, he's just trying to be nice about the term.
JD has been running away from something. It was a monster of some kind. He didn't stick around long enough to tell. There was teeth and claws, and he ran.
He is running and then he falls on his front right in front of Clark.
"YOU SHALL NOT FEAST ON ME, FOUL BEAST!"
JD flips around on the pavement and starts flailing protectively at... the empty air. Luckily, the monster has somehow disappeared or found something else to eat. He really hopes that he didn't make it up as some kind of illusion.
It wouldn't be the first time that he imagined a beast into an illusion and ran from it, but he had been hoping that he was past it.
He isn't really sure, but he's just glad that his body is still do not. JD sends Clark a tiny, bashful smile. "...Hi! I was just... out for a jog. A quick jog with no monsters or anything else. Good day for a jog! Nice... weather, we're having!"
... It's not every day Clark sees a man running away from absolutely nothing, then trip and flail around on the ground until he realizes he's attracting an audience. Not outside of Century Park in Metropolis, anyway. He'd dismiss it as just another day in the big city, except for the guy does look a little afraid -- or he did.
Huh.
He leans down and offers JD a hand in case he'd like some help getting up. "We all have those days." Like he can judge anyone else on potential crazy.
JD's smile widens a bit as he takes the offered hand and gets to a stand. It's a good sign that this person is not looking at him like he's insane or incredibly strange! Not that he would blame anyone for looking at him that way.
He has a tendency to come off a little... oddly. It's never his fault either.
We all have those days.
"Days that are good for jogging?" There's an innocent smile on his face, as he wipes his jeans with both of his hands and clears his throat.
"Yeah!" There's a squeak in his voice, but ignore that. It comes partially from the running and partially because Clark is very attractive, strong looking man. "I'm-- I am 100% cool, dude. Thanks. For the hand up. I'm... JD, by the way."
Clark is from Smallville; that tends to knock the shock factor right out of you except for the really mind-blowing events. Otherwise, the town would be an obvious hotbed of mental cases. Well, not that it already isn't, but they'd be more visible and not quite as well adjusted to stranger things happening on a weekly basis.
"Days where you trip and roll around on the ground." There's a lightly teasing quality to his voice, even as he steps back to give the guy some room. "Good, glad to hear it. I'm Clark."
Beat.
"JD? Wait -- you're the guy from my magic journal." Which won't sound at all weird, no.
Jo's still pretty pissed about this whole 'rift pulling people into a different world' thing.
She's gotten her act together, though, and currently she's all about research and learning the lay of the land. It's Chicago, but it's a different universe's Chicago, and she figures it would serve her well if she knew every inch of it.
Momentarily distracted, she nearly bumps into Clark. "Hey," she breathes out, looking up. "Sorry about that."
Clark glances away from the horizon he's studying and down just in time to step back maybe an inch, so she didn't slam into him and hurt herself. It still surprises him how many more people there are in this Chicago as opposed to his. Must be because there isn't a Metropolis in Kansas to counterbalance all the people in the Midwest.
"I'm made of tough stock," Jo assures him, stepping back when he does. Of course, she has no idea how much it would have hurt had she slammed into him.
It's all frustrating to her, the fact she had little choice in the matter. Finding answers was her priority, and she'd take what she can get.
Glancing up at him again, Jo asks, "You from around?"
Very few people have any idea that Clark is really a concrete golem masquerading as an ordinary farmboy-turned-reporter. Or something along those lines, of the hidden in plain sight variety.
"Good to know." His tone is mild, non confrontational. He shakes his head before answering verbally, not quite sure how to answer that without sounding naive, and eventually gives up on anything clever.
Comments 38
"You are helping with the rebuilding of the Conrad, yes?" she asks, her English highly accented. She shifts the books in her arms, attempting to adjust her glasses with her elbow. She wants to get a good scan on him.
Reply
"Hmm?" He glances down, blinks once, and replays her question mentally. "Oh, yes. I'm doing what I can -- do you need help with those books?"
She's awfully --small isn't the right word, exactly-- petite to be carrying so many. Or it could just be his Kansas machismo asserting itself.
Reply
And now she's almost positive she's annoying him. So she gives him a smile, wishing she could figure out just what is off about the man. "I really just thought you looked familiar," she says, taking a step back.
Reply
The narration takes this moment to deny there is anything off about Clark. He's the poster boy for 'sweet and harmless' most of the time. But said narration digresses as something occurs to him.
"Are you one of the residents, too?" Clark means Wanderers, he's just trying to be nice about the term.
Reply
He is running and then he falls on his front right in front of Clark.
"YOU SHALL NOT FEAST ON ME, FOUL BEAST!"
JD flips around on the pavement and starts flailing protectively at... the empty air. Luckily, the monster has somehow disappeared or found something else to eat. He really hopes that he didn't make it up as some kind of illusion.
It wouldn't be the first time that he imagined a beast into an illusion and ran from it, but he had been hoping that he was past it.
He isn't really sure, but he's just glad that his body is still do not. JD sends Clark a tiny, bashful smile. "...Hi! I was just... out for a jog. A quick jog with no monsters or anything else. Good day for a jog! Nice... weather, we're having!"
Reply
Huh.
He leans down and offers JD a hand in case he'd like some help getting up. "We all have those days." Like he can judge anyone else on potential crazy.
"You alright now?"
Reply
He has a tendency to come off a little... oddly. It's never his fault either.
We all have those days.
"Days that are good for jogging?" There's an innocent smile on his face, as he wipes his jeans with both of his hands and clears his throat.
"Yeah!" There's a squeak in his voice, but ignore that. It comes partially from the running and partially because Clark is very attractive, strong looking man. "I'm-- I am 100% cool, dude. Thanks. For the hand up. I'm... JD, by the way."
Reply
"Days where you trip and roll around on the ground." There's a lightly teasing quality to his voice, even as he steps back to give the guy some room. "Good, glad to hear it. I'm Clark."
Beat.
"JD? Wait -- you're the guy from my magic journal." Which won't sound at all weird, no.
Reply
She's gotten her act together, though, and currently she's all about research and learning the lay of the land. It's Chicago, but it's a different universe's Chicago, and she figures it would serve her well if she knew every inch of it.
Momentarily distracted, she nearly bumps into Clark. "Hey," she breathes out, looking up. "Sorry about that."
Reply
"Don't worry about it. Glad you're not hurt."
Reply
It's all frustrating to her, the fact she had little choice in the matter. Finding answers was her priority, and she'd take what she can get.
Glancing up at him again, Jo asks, "You from around?"
Reply
"Good to know." His tone is mild, non confrontational. He shakes his head before answering verbally, not quite sure how to answer that without sounding naive, and eventually gives up on anything clever.
"Recent arrival. You?"
Reply
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