Water Gardens
The Gardens are.. huge, to say the least. The water burbles down the granite steps; mini waterfalls down to the catch basin in the bottom several dozen large steppes below the top. There are raised, dry granite blocks that serve a steps designed to bring the visitor down and into the middle of the water display, with mist rising off the blocks in a gentle, almost rain.
At the bottom of basin, there is a single plume of water that bursts up from the center, spraying light droplets, carried by the breeze.
Colored lights shine from the side blocks at night, shimmering through the flows of water, giving a vibrant, living quality to it. Closer to the pool, the colors are more vivid, more vibrant as there is less white light pollution from the top. The greens, blues, yellows all streaming across the surface to flicker and change, melding into new colors as they play against what visitors wear.
It's the first day of July. The summer. In Texas. If Buster Poindexter were here, he's be singing his one-hit wonder. The water garden is crowded, as one might expect, but unlike your traditional water park, there aren't any people screaming and throwing themselves around into the pools and under the waterfall. At least not yet. Instead, they walk and step, meandering their way along the terraces, over the steps, around the water that sprays and bubbles along around and under foot. One of those visitors, is a small, slender woman. Asian, by extraction, currently tiptoeing her way down the steps leading down to the center of one of the pools. Dressed both for the heat and for the water, it's a simple pair of short and a white halter top, and a pair of sandals, though those she's slipped off, carrying them by the straps in her off hand, as she gets to the bottom, flicking a toe at the top of the water, before she hops down into one of the small area where the water's pooled.
—-
Cinco isn't much of a waterpark sort of guy, truthfully. 'Family fun' isn't usually his style. And yet… here he is. He wanders along through the garden, hands in his pocket, a quiet, almost pensive look on his face as he watches the people. As he watches them pass, he notes the barefoot asian woman. His ears rise and fall faintly as he recognizes her face. That shifter that stopped by sometime ago to make herself known to the pack. One of the smarter shifters he's met, to be sure. Thus, she ears a nod from him in acknowledgement as he nears.
—-
Already much shorter than the dark-skinned man approaching her, the fact that she's down in the pool, up to just above her knees, and he's up on the steps makes it, for a moment, comically like Davie and Goliath. Still, she quick enough to recognize the familiar face, even if she has to almost bend over backwards to see it, and the sun is haloing behind his head, and to acknowledge the slight nod with a respectful one of her own, "Nin hao, Cinco. Hello. It's good to see you again."
—-
Cinco gives the woman a light nod. "Howdy, Ms Sun," he replies, stepping slightly to the side so as not to loom over her. "You're well?" He doesn't make smalltalk often, but he's tried to be more sociable of late. Admittedly, the red panda isn't exactly high on the Alpha's list of people his Beta should be sociable with, but Cinco's quickly becoming the 'public face of the pack'. So, he makes smalltalk.
—-
"Oh, I'm adjusting to life in Dallas very well, thank you. I am sorry I couldn't join you on your field trip of a few days ago. I'm afraid I am not the best at keeping up. I hope that no one took offense." It's really not a good idea to get anyone upset at you when you're not really…part of the family. "You're a little far from home. Do you come here often? This is the first time that I've been."
—-
Cinco straightens a little and looks about the park, at families passing, couples and singles wandering along the pathways and occasionally stepping into the water to cool off as well. "Nope," he replies. "First time for me, too." He gives another brief nod. "Don't worry none 'bout the… field trip. It was a success and the… family enjoyed it."
—-
"You should come in." Not that she really expects that he will. I mean, hello, manly man. Not, probably the type to frolic in the water. Not that Xiu Mei is necessarily frolicking, more like just standing, and flicking her fingers in the water churning around her, "I'm glad to hear that." And there's a moment when it's just rather awkward. She doesn't know the man at all. And it's not always the easiest thing, to strike up a conversation with someone who's a hair away from a complete stranger.
All channels have been gagged.
—-
Cinco would agree. The awkward moment grows and his smile, small as it is, becomes somewhat wry. "Thanks, but no." He's really not much of a wader. He doesn't have much else to say to the woman, himself. And so he stands there for a few more moments, silent. Finally, he inhales a breath and straightens his shoulders again. "Do they have places like this, back where you're from?" Wherever that is. China. UK. US. He doesn't know. "Where are you from?"
—-
"You look better that way." Xiu Mei offers, seeing the smile turn wry, as she moves to pull herself up from the pool where she's been standing. Any longer and her toes would have started to wrinkle. But once she gets back to her feet, she returns to the conversation, "I was born in Laos. But I grew up mostly in Thailand and then here in the States, in San Francisco. But yes, we do have places like these. I imagine creative architects build unusual places everywhere."
—-
"Yeah. I bet they do," Cinco agrees. "I never been outside of Dallas, myself." Not that he minds. His life has been enough of an adventure without ever leaving town. "What is it you do?" A beat. "If y'don't mind me asking." It's not particularly any of his business, really. She's not pack. She'll likely never be pack. But he's curious nonetheless.
—-
"It's too bad that there are so many people around. I could really go for a bit of swimming around." Ah well, is the expression born of the lift of her shoulders, as Xiu Mei steps onto the stones where Cinco's standing, "Want to head up away from the water? Looks like we have a couple of kids heading this way." But she doesn't abandon the conversation, despite the fact that she's trying to sidestep the pair who look like a couple of hellions, "From what I have seen of this city, I think you could spend your whole life here and never learn all of its secrets. I envy you that you will have the chance to test that theory." And she certainly doesn't seem to mind the question about her occupation, if for no other reason that Cinco is beta, and he has a right to know who lives in his territory, "I'm a cryptologist. A mathematician specializing in codes and code breaking."
—-
Cinco's head cants as he moves with her away from the children. Yes, yes. He's very good with the idea of avoiding the children. Children make him break out in hives. "A code-breaker, then? Huhn." The last is a thoughtful sound. His hands sit deep in his pockets as he walks. "It sounds interesting, anyway." He doubts it actually is as interesting as it sounds, though. Something about 'math' puts him off it. "So, how does that work?"
—-
Xiu Mei, being smaller and faster, and well, having been closer to the stairs, leads the way up towards the grass, and the less…sodden features of the park, "Well, it depends on the assignment. Sometimes I work for companies, trying to break encryption on their computers, or in their software. Sometimes they actually hire me to write codekeys for them. Every now and them I work with the police, or other law enforcement, trying to find patterns in crimes to help them solve them. I'm something of an independent contractor, so I pick out jobs that strike my interest."
—-
Cinco nods simply to her explanation. "It must be nice to pick and choose." Not, mind, that he doesn't have a certain amount of freedom in his own 'job', working for the pack. "Not everyone gets to do that." The kids start splashing in the water the small woman just left and, glancing back over his shoulder, Cinco finds himself glad he's no longer there. Ahead, he notices a vender station. "Hotdog?" he asks then. Reality of being a werewolf: food is a constant draw.
—-
"It is. I like the challenge of never really knowing what's coming the day after tomorrow. I'm not sure I'd be happy doing the same job every day." They finally arrive at the top of the green, and Xui Mei turns back, to face her companion of the moment, catching him looking back down at the children. "Missing your own?" She's no idea if he has them or not, but he's certainly old enough to have one or two, if he did. And if her human ears could perk up, they certainly would, at the mention of food. "With chili? Extra onions?" A flash of a smile, as she starts off in just that direction, "So what do you do then, when you're not trying to avoid the water?"
—-
Cinco actually grins at her enthusiasm for the awful junk food. "Absolutely," he agrees. "If they have 'em." He moves towards the vendor, now, reaching for his wallet. Not that he's any knight or gentleman to pay for the whole lot, just now. "I do a variety of things. Mostly… I help Donato." The Alpha. It keeps him busy, certainly. The line for the 'dogs isn't long. He orders a couple for himself, and steps to one side to let her order her own deluxe.
—-
As they walk, Xiu Mei reaches into her back pocket, pulling out one of those waterproof ID holders, into which she's slipped some cash and her ID. She certainly wouldn't have let the man pay for her even if he had offered. And truth to tell, she's grateful that he didn't. So as they walk, she's content to listen, and finally, when it's her turn, to order. She doesn't get two, but she does get one of the largest size they have. With everything. Even cheese, "It's funny, I've lived here for ever a decade, and I still find myself completely fascinated by american food." Not that any of the places where she's from don't have their own varieties of meat in tube form, but the american hot dog is iconic. "Sounds as though you have quite a bit of freedom in your line of work as well."
—-
Cinco nods, taking a bite of one of the loaded dogs he procured. He swallows it after a moment or two and then speaks. "I do," he admits. "I like it that way." Much as she does, no doubt. He grabs another bite or two, clearly enjoying the fast food. After he's swallowed again, he wipes his fingers on the edge of one of his napkins and then on the edge of his jeans. "How long ago has as it been since you moved to Dallas?"
—-
There's something very, just childish about Cinco wiping his hands on his jeans. And not in a sort of, 'Ew gross, get some manners', but more of a 'comfortable, no need to be so grownup' that's appealing to Xiu Mei. A woman who spends her life usually dealing with corporate suits with sticks up their hoohahs. "Have you ever considered what you might have done, if things had been different?" She bites into her own hotdog, taking it in small nibbles. if she actually tried to go to town on it, she'd likely end up with chili all over her face. Not cool. "Two months today, actually. Hardly any time at all."
—-
Cinco knew that she hadn't been around long, but wasn't sure how long it was between her arrival and her presentation to the pack. But, no. He's not one to stand on ceremony. He considers her question, though, as he begins to chew through his second dog. "No," he says then. "I never have." Because things aren't different. And he's not the sort of man to waste time pining for things that can't be. "My home is here. Always has been. Probably always will be." At least he's wise enough not to assume that the future is set.
—-
There's no sense of judgement, in Xiu Mei's expression, as Cinco asserts that he's never given it much thought, "I suppose it's part of being part of a family, isn't it? You have ties that you can't really break that easily. I guess that's something that being a singleton doesn't come with. Especially when you don't really fit in." As evidenced by the, well, lack of ability to participate in pack functions, "Being with my parents was the closest I ever got to that feeling. We're all the same kind, so we'd go out together, you know?"
—-
Cinco's ears rise and fall. "Perhaps," he says as she suggests the familial bond. "I wasn't that close to the… family as a boy." He gives her a faint smile. "And, if you had your parents, then you had more than I." That's more honest than he's been with most anyone else. Still, he doesn't give that much thought. "I was an adult before I really took any sort of a place among them." He gives a mild shrug. "So, you're one up on me. Are your parents here in the States?"
—-
"We only had each other. I mean, there just aren't that many packs, none that would really accept us, and where we were living, even the other singletons don't really associate with each other. But we're all the same kind. My parents…made sure of that." What she might have been, who she might have become, if left to her own devices, she'll never know. "You're still lucky to have them. Some never find a family." And then, a nod, as she finishes off her hot dog, and looking around. No soda, "I knew I forgot to buy something. You want one? And yes, they live in San Francisco."
—-
Cinco finishes his own hot dog and performs the same trick as before — wiping fingers first on his napkin and then on his jeans. His voice remains low as they continue to walk. "Do you have the ability to alter your kind?" He knows a lot of shifters do. Still, as she suggests soda he nods. "Good idea," is his response. Something to wash the dogs down. He moves with her toward the nearest soda vendor, such as may be found.
—-
Xiu Mei also speaks softly, knowing that even their attempts to keep things in 'code' might not be foolproof, "Well, I can be whatever I want to be, if I just put my mind to it. It's like my mother says, if you can see it, you can do it. But for example, while you were having the family get together, I was stuck with just the one." And Cinco already knows what that is, even if he's likely never seen her in the form, "Two large sodas please. I'd like a coke, if you have it." Just easier to order two at the same time, though Xiu Mei, following the pattern from the hotdog cart, puts down enough to cover hers.
—-
Cinco pulls out enough to cover his own drink. "For me, too, please," he tells the vendor. As they receive their drinks and pull away from the counter, back into the relative privacy of the causeway, he is freer to resume the conversation, voice still soft. "But, during other times, you can," he concludes. He nods to that, more or less understanding. Having only one form, regardless of time, there's only so far he can take it. "Do you? At all?"
—-
Xiu Mei is more than content to walk back towards the causeway, sipping at her soda as she resumes the conversation. "Oh sure. It's hard, when I'm being…myself, to be here. I mean, during my time of the month," how's THAT for a euphemism for a full moon shift, "I have to plan ahead. Buy special food at the markets, because I can't just go out and eat whatever I like." Bamboo, oddly enough not really big in Texas. And while red pandas can eat other things, well, it's just hard. "But the rest of the time, I can do whatever I want. And I try to do things that fit in around here. Like I did back in San Francisco. I mean, if I was myself around here, I think I'd end up in lockdown or something." No, Xiu Mei has no desire to end up in a zoo."
—-
'That time of the month' is a euphemism that makes most male shifters and 'wolves snort. The irony in the fact they can use it and get away with it isn't lost on any of them, no doubt. Cinco gives a simple, somewhat oblique nod of his head. "Yeah. Lockdown's not fun." Not that he's actually had a lot of experience there. But, if anyone might have… well, yes. He's it.
—-
"Maybe one of these days we can get together. I mean, if you'd be interested. Maybe I could visit the family, see if I would fit in. You should see my stand-up." She's actually very good at it, one of the upsides to being a red panda. Walking on two legs. For a few steps. And with that, the pair turn to find a place to sit, and perhaps to finish their conversation, before the other business of the day draw them back to their own lives.
