16610/The Birds and the Dinos

The Birds and the Dinos
Date of Scene:	09 November 2024
Location:	New York Public Library, Manhattan
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Blue Ranger, Raven

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Blue Ranger has posed:
Billy Cranston stepped off the elevator onto the upper floor of the New York Public Library, the cool quiet of the space a welcome contrast to the noise of the city below. The towering shelves of books stretched on either side of him, their spines worn and faded from years of use. He wasn't here for a specific book... this trip was more about the experience, the chance to get lost in a place of knowledge and history. A little escape from the fast pace of life back in Angel Grove.

As he wandered down the aisles, his fingers lightly brushed the spines, feeling the texture of each one. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, maybe something to occupy his thoughts for a few hours, or just a moment of peace. The overhead lights cast a soft glow, and the hushed atmosphere seemed to absorb the noise of the city, making him feel like he was a world away from the chaos that defined much of his life as a Power Ranger.

He found a small table tucked in the corner by a window, overlooking Bryant Park. The view was framed by the library's grand stone columns, and Billy took a seat, pulling out his tablet and checking his messages briefly. Nothing urgent. He smiled slightly, the weight of his responsibilities back home pressing only faintly on his shoulders for the moment. New York was a reminder that there was still so much out there, things he didn't understand yet, and things he might never know. But that was okay.

Raven has posed:
     Raven sits quietly atop a tall bookshelf in the quiet corner of a public library, her attention locked on the worn paperback in her hands. Instead of her usual cloak, she?s dressed in casual street clothes a dark, oversized hoodie with the hood pulled halfway up, casting a subtle shadow over her face. Loose black jeans and scuffed combat boots complete her low-key look, blending her seamlessly into the background.

     Her violet hair, peeking out from under the hood, falls in soft waves around her shoulders, framing her intense yet serene expression. She?s entirely absorbed, her gaze focused on the words as she tunes out the soft whispers and shuffling footsteps of the library patrons below. Nearby, a few curious onlookers glance up, intrigued by the unusual sight of someone calmly perched high up in the stacks, but Raven pays them no mind, lost in her own world above the rows of books.
    

Blue Ranger has posed:
Billy settled into the small corner table, the view of Bryant Park stretching out before him. He powered on his tablet, glancing through a few unread messages, but found nothing pressing. His eyes, though, kept wandering back to the bookshelf in front of him. Something about it felt... off. He couldn't put his finger on it at first, just a subtle disturbance in the otherwise quiet, orderly space.

As he scanned the shelves, his gaze caught something unusual at the far end. A figure perched atop a tall stack of books, sitting with an almost unnatural stillness. The first thing that stood out was her posture, rigid, yet balanced in a way that seemed at odds with the casual environment of the library. Billy's mind immediately went to a variety of possibilities: contortionist? Acrobat? Or something else entirely. But it wasn't just the way she sat that caught his attention; it was her appearance.

Her attire was unremarkable in its casualness, yet somehow didn't blend in with the typical library-goers. She wore a dark, oversized hoodie, the hood partially pulled up to obscure much of her face. The violet hair, just visible beneath it, was the next detail that grabbed his focus. It was striking against the backdrop of her otherwise muted clothing. Billy quickly ran through a series of possible identities in his mind, none of which made sense in the context of a public library in New York. She seemed too... out of place. But also completely at home. His instincts, sharpened over years of experience in combat situations, didn't sense any immediate threat, but there was something intriguing about her, something that didn't quite line up.

Billy leaned back slightly in his chair, trying to be discreet, his curiosity piqued. The figure was absorbed in a book, but that wasn't what unsettled him. It was the way she seemed to shut out everything around her, as though the world below, and even the library itself, were irrelevant. It wasn't typical behavior. Most people, even the most focused readers, would at least glance around occasionally, aware of their surroundings. But this girl didn't. She was locked in her own world.

He couldn't help it, he had to understand. His mind raced with potential explanations: telekinetic? Maybe some kind of enhanced agility? His scientific curiosity got the better of him. He turned his attention back to the screen of his tablet, but his thoughts remained tangled around the figure above him, trying to process her presence logically, as though she were just another puzzle to solve.

Though he tried to focus, the question lingered: who... or what... was she?

Raven has posed:
     Raven looked down, catching sight of Billy?s gaze as it lingered, observing her as though she were an anomaly in a laboratory. Her violet eyes narrowed slightly, a subtle glint of annoyance mingling with intrigue. She?d sensed his curiosity from the moment he?d noticed her on top of the shelf, like a prickle at the back of her mind. People rarely looked twice, and fewer still stared.

     In a low, calm voice that carried a hint of dry humor, she finally spoke. " You know, if you?re trying to figure me out, you could at least be a little less obvious about it." She turned another page without lifting a finger, her eyes flicking back to the lines of text as if she hadn?t just addressed him.

     A slight pause hung in the air before she continued. " Curiosity can be useful, I get it. But... poking at things you don?t understand can have consequences." Her tone was gentle, but there was a coolness to it, a quiet warning woven into her words.

     She looked up again, meeting his eyes with an expression that was hard to read, somewhere between guarded and amused. " I?m just a girl reading a book, Billy. Nothing more." She raised a brow, adding a faint smirk, almost as if daring him to think otherwise.

     Then, with a shrug, she leaned back, as though settling in to test how long his interest would last. " Unless, of course, you?re the type who needs to see everything with your own two eyes. But some mysteries are better left unsolved."

Blue Ranger has posed:
Billy was taken aback when she spoke, his mind immediately racing to process what had just happened. She not only noticed his gaze but also knew his name. He hadn't seen her before, and there was no reason for her to know anything about him, at least, not from anything he could immediately identify. His first instinct was to dismiss it, but the calm certainty in her voice suggested otherwise. She wasn't guessing. She knew who he was, and that alone made her a puzzle he couldn't ignore.

His thoughts shifted quickly into analytical mode. How could she know his name? Was she tracking him somehow? Maybe some kind of advanced technology or surveillance system? Billy ran through possible explanations, his connection to the Power Rangers, though covert, wasn't exactly public knowledge, so how could she have access to that information? Maybe it wasn't technology. Maybe it was something else. He had dealt with strange phenomena before, but this felt different, more personal. And that unsettled him in a way he didn't quite expect.

The words she spoke about curiosity and consequences only added to the intrigue. It wasn't just a warning; it was a subtle challenge. She was testing him, seeing how far he'd push. Billy could feel the familiar pull of scientific curiosity in his gut, the urge to investigate and dissect whatever didn't fit the mold of the ordinary. He could tell she wasn't a typical person, her poise, her ability to shut out the world around her, all suggested a level of awareness or ability he didn't fully understand. And that made her more intriguing.

Despite the hint of danger in her tone, Billy couldn't let go of the puzzle. She was right about one thing, some mysteries were better left unsolved. But he wasn't sure this was one of them. There was something about her, something that demanded answers. And though he could hear the warning in her voice, Billy didn't back down. His instincts told him that whatever this was, it was far from simple. And he had never been the type to walk away from a question without at least trying to find the answer.

"I am... curious," Billy said, his voice deliberate, the words did not come easily to him as he tried to make sense of the situation. "It's not every day I see someone perched on top of a bookshelf in a library. There's something..." he trailed off, the words sticking in his throat as he tried to assess how far to push. It wasn't often someone caught his attention like this. "Some mysteries, as you said, shouldn't be solved... but if you don't mind me asking, what's yours?"

Raven has posed:
     Raven?s gaze remained steady as she observed Billy, her expression unreadable. The library?s dim light gave her pale skin an almost ethereal quality as she slowly descended from the top of the bookshelf, her movements graceful and deliberate. When her feet touched the ground, she folded her arms, her face partially shadowed by her dark hoodie, but her intense violet eyes still visible and unwavering.

     She took a step closer, her voice soft yet resonant, as if speaking louder would disturb the balance of the quiet space around them. ?You ask a lot of questions for someone who already has answers," she said, her tone edged with a hint of amusement but layered with something far more serious. "Curiosity can be dangerous, Billy. You and I both know that.?

     She paused, letting her words sink in before she continued, her gaze never leaving his. ?But if you must know... some people exist between worlds. Not quite here, not quite anywhere else. Call it a? quirk of mine.? Her lips curved into the faintest of smiles, one that didn?t quite reach her eyes. ?Or a curse, depending on who you ask.?

     Raven looked away briefly, glancing at the rows of books surrounding them. ?You?re drawn to the unknown; I can feel that. But some things aren?t meant to be understood fully. And some doors?" she let the words linger as she turned back to him, "?are better left closed.?

     Her eyes softened, but a shadow of warning remained. ?So, Billy... are you still sure you want to open mine??
    

Blue Ranger has posed:
Billy's mind raced as Raven descended from the shelf, her movements almost unnaturally smooth and controlled. He scanned her posture, her agility, trying to find a logical explanation. He didn't see any tools or devices that would have helped her balance in such an unnatural position, and that made him more curious. Could she be using some form of telekinesis, or was it something else? The scientific part of his brain started firing off theories, quantum anomalies, gravitational manipulation, but he quickly pushed those aside. There was no clear answer, and that unsettled him more than he cared to admit.

When she spoke, her words were layered with meaning, and Billy couldn't ignore the underlying message: she was aware of his curiosity and was actively warning him to back off. 'Some people exist between worlds,' she said, and the phrase stuck with him. Between worlds? His mind raced through the possibilities, dimensional travel, parallel realities, or maybe even something metaphysical. It didn't fit anything in his immediate knowledge, and that was both thrilling and dangerous. He wanted to ask more, to probe deeper, but the subtle caution in her voice gave him pause. He had learned the hard way that sometimes, some mysteries weren't worth solving.

Still, his scientific instinct couldn't fully let go. He wasn't one to back down from a challenge, especially when it came to understanding something outside of the ordinary. But the way she had framed her warning, that some doors were better left closed, reminded him of the times he had dealt with forces beyond his control, forces that brought more harm than answers. He took a breath, considering his next words carefully. "I'm still curious," he said, his voice shaky. "But I'll be careful." The temptation to push further was there, but part of him knew he had to tread lightly, or risk stepping into something far more dangerous than he was ready for.

Raven has posed:
Rachel Roth Sighs as she looks at him and holds up a hand a globe of dark energy forms before she slowly twirls it around her hand then poof it's gone " Not all power has a science connections.. but given the energy inside you of " She looks at him " You might understand some things are not of this world.. or even any of the worlds of this dimension " . She pauses a moment and thinks

     " You've seen it on tv .. like you they fight things that don't belong or even some that do but with to harm or take advantage of others " She shrugs her shoulders her face still rather stoic .