In reply to Lesleigh Ebongrove (msg # 11):

Jason takes the broom in his hand, gingerly at first then with growing tightness as they start to grow higher. He had thought this would be like flying in a plane. The main difference between this and a plane was that you had a incredibly good view of the ground as it grew farther away from you.

He was also curious if it worked like a moterbike, in that you would gain most of your turning power from leaning.

He resolved to stay as still as possible, despite Lesleigh's assurances.

As they rise above the trees Lesleigh picks up the pace and sharpens their ascent. Soon it'd be hard to talk without shouting, but the view of the ground increasingly far below is quite something as Moorhaven rapidly passes by and disappears from sight. It's hard to gauge without prior experience, but Jason might figure they're flying about as fast as a sportscar and have sufficient altitude that even if somebody looked up and saw them, they might not be sure what it was they saw.

Maybe ten minutes, maybe twenty passes, and what is most likely Boston comes into view. Lesleigh slows down and takes them in a wide arc around the city, steering clear of it while still allowing them to admire the view. She looks back over her shoulder again to see how he's doing, grinning from ear to ear herself.

In reply to Lesleigh Ebongrove (msg # 13):

Despite being prepared for the ascent, Jason still gasped as the broom darted rapidly upward, his knuckles whiten around the broom handle but as Lesleigh levels out and the glimmerinf vista of the city comes into view and his eyes widen, his jaw dropping slightly as his previous anxiety is forgotten.

Lesleigh slows the broom such that they could converse, although the wind at this elevation still blows pretty strong at times. "Pretty, isn't it? A year ago, you could have told me that such a place exists, and I'd have bluntly stated that you must be a liar. And there's lots of cities, just like this, all around a world so big that I'm having trouble putting it right in my head," she says, taking a more thoughtful tone than usual.

Jason continuies staring at the brightly lit city below him, the entirety of Boston stretching out like some great glittering hive. Somthing about Lesleigh's words caught his attention though,"A year ago?"

Lesleigh nods and ponders what to say for a moment, staring at the city.

"A year ago... A lifetime ago, seems like, whenever I ponder it. I was living in my blood family's house... I'd never gone outside, not once, not to go to school or play in a park. After I taught myself to read by listening to my sister studying, all I had to read were old journals and grimoires, books full of incantations and formula for potions. Sometimes I would see people outside of the window, and in the journals, they would talk about other people, so I had some idea of what the world outside was like. Well, some idea of what it was like as of the most recent journal which ended in the early nineteen hundreds with something about a war that I haven't learned about yet on Mama's iPad," she slowly says, picking through her words.

Then she twists a little at the waist and looks directly at him. "What is it about you that makes me feel like talking about this kind of thing, I wonder? I don't really talk about it much with Mama, much less the boys."

In reply to Lesleigh Ebongrove (msg # 17):

Jason didn't have an answer for her. He was trained to be a good listener, but more for baroed orders than whispered confessions.

Even though he had no reference for it Jason understood what she meant. There was somthing about Lesleigh that put him at ease as well.

He shrugs but his voice is thoughtful as he stares at the glowing Boston skyline."I don't know...I went through somthing similar..." He starts before hastening to add, "No where near as bad as you but...maybe it was just because I never felt trapped?" He chews the inside of his cheek then shrugs again. "Maybe I'm just good at listening."

"Hrm... Could be. Well, puzzlin' on it won't amount to much but making me feel melancholy some more, so, how about I really show off for you? Moorhaven isn't so far from here that flying as fast as a car doesn't get us here pretty quick, but there's a place I'd like to see with my own eyes about thirty minutes from here at my top speed, give or take. Interested?" she says, an impishly expectant slant creeping into her grin.

In reply to Lesleigh Ebongrove (msg # 19):

Jason refused to let himself be ruffled, keeping what he hoped was a cool and nonchalant expression on his face even as his hands gripped tighter around the broom, squeaking slightly as his knuckles whitened.

"Sure." He said, but it may not have come out as strongly as he wanted.

"I won't let you fall off, Jason, don't worry. Here we go," she says before she starts the broom moving again. She takes her time accelerating as they come around in a wide arc, picking up even more as they slowly ascend to a good cruising speed well above the tallest buildings in the city. It isn't long before Boston has faded over the horizon.

After about ten minutes, Jason discovers that the land below has been replaced with the Atlantic Ocean.

Some ten minutes more go by and Lesleigh starts taking them down until they're racing along close enough to the water that they're creating a wake like a speedboat without actually touching the water. This close, Jason has a better grasp of their velocity than provided by the simple force of the wind trying to rip him away from the broom. And then he sees it.

Lady Liberty in all of her finery lit up against the backdrop of the night sky.

They slow down and gradually spiral closer, delight writ large across Lesleigh's face.

In reply to Lesleigh Ebongrove (msg # 21):

Jason feels his stomach somersault as Lesleigh swings the broom down, that odd mixture of strangled elation that always comes with a sharp descent. A laugh bursts from his mouth as Lesleigh they straighten out, the cool spray of the ocean whipping up around them madly.

His face is partially shielded from the surge so when he first glances at the statue it's from a side long glance but he's soon enraptured by one of the worlds most recognisable landmarks.

Any fear or trepidation lingering has vanished in his awe.

"She's beautiful... It was worth flying two hundred miles to see her. I don't know about you, though, but I'd sure like to get off this broom for a bit. Are you hungry?" Lesleigh says, turning at her waist to look at Jason better.

This guy sure makes some good faces when he isn't pretending to be a rock.

In reply to Lesleigh Ebongrove (msg # 23):

Jason nods absently but his attention is still squarely focused on Lady Liberty, the spotlights below it casting her angles and features into sharp relief.

However he soon snaps out of it, giving a firmer nod. Although he had almost acclimatised to the unusual mode of flight the mention of getting his feet on the ground was to good an opportunity to pass up.

Lesleigh smiles at him for a moment then turns to look at the magnificent landmark for a little longer, and then they slowly turn and fly toward the city, rising in height rapidly so they have a good view of the terrain. Without a word of small talk, Lesleigh finds a place to slip down to the ground unobserved and brings them into a large park so they can dismount the broom whilst hidden between the trees.

"Should I, um, should I wait here while you get something, do you think? I have my glasses but the broom is kind of, um, kind of strange to be rambling with... Or, um, or I could hide it here, um. What do you think?"

In reply to Lesleigh Ebongrove (msg # 25):

Jason pauses midstep, drawn by the smell of the late night, boardwalk food calls him. He turns around.

It was a good question actually...It was unlikely someone would swipe the broom, but not impossible and it would be a long journey back to Rainsford if they lost it.

He pauses for a moment, frowning as he ponders the problem.

"Do you want me to carry it?"

"N-no, I'd at least be able to pass it off somehow if I carried it. Ah, I should have brought a pointy hat. Then I could tell anybody that asked that I'm a witch and they'd just laugh," she says, laughing softly.

She pulls her dark glasses out and puts them on her face. "I guess I can just carry it," she says, proceeding to take hold of Jason's arm with her empty hand.

A warm comfortable feeling washes over Jason as Lesleigh leans into him. Jason's heavy foot falls echo across the wooden jetty, contrasting Lesleigh's whose dainty steps are almost silent in comparison.

The smell of salt spray mixes with the scent of sweet pastries and salted savories. The whole boardwalk bathed in warm light from the various stalls and storefronts on the boardwalk.

He nods at such a front, a small plate night food place with a set tables outside, overlooking the whole of New York bay.

There's a neon sign above the door, glowing softly as moths float around it.
"Giuseppe's"

On the walk from the park to the restaurant that Jason indicates, Lesleigh does a frankly poor job of pretending to be blind. Every window display, crowd of people, or fancy signage attracts her rapt attention. She gradually grows more comfortable leaning into him, which serves in part to negate the overwhelming difference in the length of their strides.

When they stop, she looks the restaurant over carefully and says, "This looks lovely. And they have heaters, so we can eat outside in comfort."

In reply to Lesleigh Ebongrove (msg # 29):

Jason pulls one of the aluminium seats out for Lesleigh before taking his own place. The restaurant didn't appear to be super high brow, more of a small family run place but the food smelt good and looked to be decent value if nothing else.

Jason peers at his menu, the space between him and Lesleigh filling with a noticable,  but not uncomfortable quiet.

After an appropriate amount of time, a woman wearing a maroon apron with the restaurant's name emblazoned on the front walked up, panic and pad in hand.

"Hi, welcome to Giuseppe's, you guys ready to order?

Lesleigh had accepted the seat and briefly scanned the menu before putting it down again - it would blow her cover if she was reading it, after all. The broom is tucked beneath the table by the time the server arrives. There's an awkward moment of indecision and then she says, "I um, I'll just have a salad, please. I don't eat very much."

"Okay. Would you like chicken with that...?"

A rapid series of questions and answers later, Lesleigh finishes her order of a salad with grilled chicken and a small side of breadsticks with a soda - to which she seems to be especially looking forward to. The server smiles and says, "You must have been looking forward to this."

"Yes!" Lesleigh says, before turning sheepish at the volume of her response and the server's friendly laugh.

She leans down closer to Lesleigh's height and says, "Well don't be shy now. Is this your big brother treating you?"

"No, I, um, this is, um, I'm older than I look and he, um, he is..."

"Goodness, I'm sorry. I hope I haven't spoiled your date," she says as she connects the dots. Lesleigh turns pink from ear to ear and remains silent while the server turns to Jason and says, "Well then, what can I get for you?"

In reply to Lesleigh Ebongrove (msg # 31):

Jason stares at the menu slightly before choosing the surf and turf. He briefly considers a milkshake before wincing, the previous suger filled abomination still fresh in his mind.

He frowns slightly as Lesleigh blushes, the stuttering girl in front of him clashing with the self assured, confident young woman he'd seen berate Talberon and whisk him half way around the USA.

He gave a smile which he hoped was more encouraging than nervous and searched his brain for somthing to say.
"Have you ever...done this before?" He asks, gesturing around him.

"N-Not exactly. We ate dinner out in the yard a few times during the summer when it was warm enough. I've never eaten in a restaurant before. Have you?" she says, fidgeting a little with her hands in her lap while the server takes their menus and such.

In reply to Lesleigh Ebongrove (msg # 33):

Jason likewise fiddles with his hands, locking his fingers and staring at his thumbs as he twiddles them.

"Uh...No...most of my meals are pre cooked ration packs or whatever slop they serving in the mess hall." Jason looks up suddenly and hurries to provide context,"My...family is kinda...military?" Jason suddenly felt a pang of guilt as the smell of the fresh food wafted in from the backroom.

He thought of his team...

His family.

Should he really be out here, about to enjoy what smelled to be a great meal,with this strange nice girl? He felt a knot in his stomach as he contemplated his own selfishness, a worried look flickering across his normally stoic face.

"Oh... Oh, I see, that's why you didn't know if you could talk about them before," she says, nodding along with it to reinforce how that made perfect, total sense, yup, definitely.

Where had the companionable silence gone? After giving up on her fidgets with an exasperated gesture, Lesleigh turns somewhat in her seat and says, "I'm sorry, I didn't, um, I didn't mean to invite you on a date and not call it a date." Still pink from ear to ear she makes mollifying gestures with her hands so rapidly that they're rather unlikely to have their intended effect. "I mean, I honestly didn't mean it as a date! N-not that I wouldn't want to go on a date! I, um, I mean, um..."

She sigh that she heaves next could very well have let her soul escape with it, and she physically deflates, leaning forward slightly with her head hanging.

Good job making everything complicated for no reason, me! Christ Jesus hoppin' on the cross like a pogo stick...
This message was last edited by the player at 03:44, Tue 08 Oct 2019.

In reply to Lesleigh Ebongrove (msg # 35):

Jason hurries to reassure Lesleigh, trying to snap himself out his own guilty funk as he watches Lesleigh become more and more flustered.

Jason tries to placate her but Lesleigh's words are coming a mile a minute and he can't get a word in edgewise until she breaths out and by then he didn't trust himself not to blurt out somthing that wouldn't just make things worse.

Jason fights the urge to squirm in his seat, the silence was truly palpable now and he felt the desperate need tondispell it despite his lack of anything decent to say.

Lacking any other ideas, Jason reaches out and gently places his large hand on Lesleigh's.
"It's fine...I'm enjoying myself."