#*para: 004

SAMANTHA EVANS

There were a few places that Sam had found in New York where she felt like she truly belonged no matter what was going on in her life. There was the soccer field, the far seat on the couch that had the softest cushion and best view of the TV, and Carmine Street Comics. It was the last place that had an extra spring in her step and a trembling fear in her bank account. Every week, like clockwork, Sammy made sure she stopped in to pick up her pull list as well as anything else that caught her eye. Growing up poor, Sam wasn't able to buy as many comics as she would have liked, and she was more than making up for it now that she was on her own. It was one thing she never failed to splurge on every chance that she got. Strolling inside and seeing the counter already occupied with someone else making their purchase, Sam took the opportunity to stroll around and see if she could spot any hidden gems that she hadn't already rooted out on other visits. If given the chance, she would have gladly spent hours hanging out looking at everything and would have still felt like there was more she'd missed.

REGGIE CLIFFTON

As a kid, Reggie wasn't the type to stay indoors much. She loved being outside and there were few tv show or movies that kept her entertained enough when there was daylight burning. However, reading was another story entirely, especially that of comic books. Being a kid who genuinely enjoyed learning made her a bookworm in some ways growing up, and comics were a weakness she had in terms of forgoing novels for books with pictures. Something about their style and stories kept her interested all throughout the years, and that didn't stop when she got to New York. If anything, it made it worse since they had so many comic book stores. While Reggie had a running monthly subscription at Midtown comics, she would take the weeks inbetween to check out other stores for their selections. Which was how she landed at Carmine Street comics, kneeling on the floor as she fingered through their vintage comics and picking up a bigger selection than she had planned for. Usually Reggie was good at being decisive on what was needed and what was able to be trimmed out, but this was one of the rare things she couldn't do it with. She could at least cut herself off though, which she was going to do by standing up after at least twenty minutes of being on the ground going through boxes. It felt like she was coming back to reality, and nothing made that more obvious than when she turned to her side to go towards the register and saw Samantha Evans there. At first Reggie thought maybe she should just go the other direction and avoid the blond altogether, but then Sam's eyes landed on her and there was no running now. They were both aware of each other and it couldn't be ignored. So Reggie figured she might as well face the situation head on with a simple, "Uh hey."

SAMANTHA EVANS

Rounding the corner and heading down an aisle to head to the back, she was convinced that's where the good stuff was usually hidden, Sam froze when she spotted Reggie pop up in front of her like a plastic mole in a whack-a-mole game. One minute she wasn't there, and the next she just appeared, and maybe worst of all, they'd locked eyes. There was no way Sammy could quickly duck behind a display and claim she didn't see the girl, and if she was being honest, she knew she owed her an apology. She'd acted like a dick to her online, and no matter what Sam's thoughts on Dani's strangely close friendship with Reggie were, she knew Reggie hadn't deserved her attitude. While she knew she should apologize, her pride held her back from diving right in, no matter how guilty she would feel about not doing it later, she couldn't make herself. "Hey," she said back instead as she tried to ignore the growing awkwardness and instead focus on the positives. Sam loved spotting people she knew shopping for comics, especially when it was people she hadn't known were into them at all. "I didn't know you came here," she said as she noticed the rather large stack of comics that Reggie had gathered for herself. "I mean, I'm surprised I haven't seen you here before."

REGGIE CLIFFTON

Reggie really didn’t know what Sam thought of her, but just last week Reggie herself thought she was a pretty cool person. She was a Star Wars fan, liked Captain Marvel, and was a pretty damn good goalie— they were all things Reggie could respect. Even if Sam seemed unsure of Reggie, Reggie figured it had to do with the situation of Reggie/Harper/Spencer. It wasn’t until Dani told Reggie that Sam felt a certain sense of jealousy around Reggie that she began to feel any real uneasiness. And besides at Showers games from afar and a Battle of the Bands, it wasn’t as if they were around each other a lot. Certainly not this close. As Sam continued the conversation though, Reggie tried to get her shoulders to be less tense. Ever since getting an angry Nicola on her case in public out of the blue, Reggie had been oddly aware of it happening again elsewhere. But she wanted to be past that since life had improved by quite a bit since then. Mostly, anyway, “Oh. Yeah.” Reggie started, never being great at socializing in the beginning though she had become much more friendly in the last few years. She could be friendly here though, right? “I’ve got a monthly subscription over at MidTown, so I go there mostly.” Reggie replied, letting the statement be a way for Sam know she wasn’t trying to step on a place that was maybe “her” territory. She already had that kind of experience with Spencer and Acup, “But between picking them up I like to check out the other shops. See what New York has to offer since they’re all so different.” It was clear that Reggie was genuinely there for the fun of it, finding joy inside of the printed pictures and word bubbles. And Sam probably was too. So perhaps they could reach a common ground somewhere if they both allowed it, “Find anything good?” Reggie asked, her chin motioning towards what was in Sams hands.

SAMANTHA EVANS

Sam nodded her head, knowing that no matter how much she loved this place the most, she'd checked out other places just to see what they had too. Comics were comics after all, no matter where you got them from. "Oh uh," Sam turned over the couple comics she'd picked up already as the question caught her off guard. It shouldn't have given where they were and how curious she was about what Reggie was reading, but she wouldn't have blamed her for turning and walking away. She deserved as much. "I got the Howard the Duck with Gwenpool's first appearance and a couple issues of Fables. I've read them already, but I left them back at my parent's place. It's probably dumb to get them again, but I really like 'em." Talking comics was a sure way to get Sam's mind off of just about everything. All she'd done was explain the few books she'd picked up, and she already felt a million times less awkward. The genuine interest was written all over Reggie's face, and it made it a whole lot easier to let go of everything else, even just for a minute. Noticing the large stack that Reggie had, Sam glanced at it to see if they had even more in common than she knew. They had comics obviously, but that still included a whole lot of different types. "Ducktales woo hoo," she sang when she read the top title on Reggie's stack and the theme song automatically trigger in her head. "You find some other good ones?

REGGIE CLIFFTON

Reggie had no idea exactly how trying to engage with Sam would do. The two seemed to always be on different pages, and it was strange to consider them actually landing on the same one. When Reggie tried flirting with Sam weeks ago, she seemed to get insulted. When Reggie joked with her, she got snark. But as Sam gave genuine answers to Reggie's question now, it seemed like they were taking a step in the right direction. Reggie smiled at that prospect, and Sam's comic choices, "No, it's not dumb. I have more than my fair share of doubles. Especially if I find one in way better condition than the one I already own." Reggie shared, finding she was completely understanding where Sam was coming from and not overthinking it. However as Sam went to mention Duck Tales and sing part of its iconic jingle, Reggie's face went to confusion. Then her eyes darted down to see her stack had an issue of it right there on top and she let out a little chuckle. Reggie liked comics a lot, but Duck Tales were one of the goofier titles she would splurge on. It wasn't filled with bad ass women kicking ass and instead was filled with cartoon ducks going on adventures which had a sentimental value, "Oh uh, yeah. There was a first edition down there, can you believe that?" Reggie questioned, her tone playful but clearly surprised by the find, "Have you uh, ever read the comic series or were you a strictly a fan of the cartoon?"

SAMANTHA EVANS

"No way! Nice find," Sam said with genuine enthusiasm in her voice. First editions were always good to stumble across, so even though she hadn't been the lucky one, she was quickly able to share in the joy. With Sam, her emotions were written all over her face no matter the mood. She would have been a terrible poker player, so as the tension eased, so quickly did her body language and whole attitude. "I've strictly been a cartoon girl on that one. Is it any good?" she asked even though Reggie it seemed pretty obvious that she was a fan considering she'd been happy to snag a copy.  "I'm always looking for new stuff to get, and everyone knows that stuff from when we were kids is way better than anything ever. That's just a fact." Sammy shifted her weight and leaned her hip against the row of bins containing more comics than even she could get through in her life. "It's not like how they updated Scooby Doo into a whole apocalypse thing is it? Because I'm still not sure how I feel about that one yet."

REGGIE CLIFFTON

With both of the girls being soccer players, it was common to feed off the energy of whoever was near. It was the best way to anticipate an opponent but it stemmed into the everyday for Reggie. She had always been guarded but it had kicked itself up by many notches in recent years. Still, it wasn’t impossible for the genuine Reggie to come out, and it became a little more obvious that she was around as Reggie matched Sam’s body language. She let her backside rest against the opposite side of the isle they were chatting in, keeping an engaged posture all the while. It was a swift movement as Reggie went right in to continuing their conversation, “Nah, DuckTales hasn’t been in publication for years. There’s only the new cartoon now, which isn’t half bad.” Reggie offered, her knowledge clear in the subject but casual in tone, “My mom collects comics from the Donald Duck Universe. She has since she was a kid, but lost a chunk during a move. So I keep an eye out for the replacements. But... I started collecting the DuckTales series myself too.” Reggie admitted, the talk of comics being easy to get caught up in for someone even as closed off as her, “Theyre definitely no Scooby Doo Apocalypse though. I’m waiting till that run ends before I give it a shot. I’m either gonna love or hate it.”

SAMANTHA EVANS

"Your mom's into it?" Sam asked with all surprise and no judgement. "That's so cool. My mom used to like helping me find ones I wanted, but she never read any herself. I mean, I did always tell her about them, so maybe it's second hand reading. You should tell me some of the stuff you're missing, and I can keep my eyes peeled." Realizing exactly what that would include, mainly talking to each other again, on purpose, by choice, Sammy second guessed herself. "I mean, if you wanted. I'm here weekly anyway." She hoped it made the offer seem a little more ordinary, but she wasn't really sure how successful she'd been. The complete and total mood changes every time she and Reggie spoke weren't exactly laying out the clearest picture of who she was after all. She wouldn't have been surprised if Reggie was waiting for another switch to flip. "So uhm, I'm sorry about the other day," she blurted out impulsively like she did most things. It worked for her temper and jealousy, but also with regret and remorse. "I shouldn't have been like that, no matter what I was feeling. I mean, you  only told me you liked my shoes." Sam looked over at Reggie with a self deprecating smile on her face. "I should have just said thank you, so thanks. I know it's late, but I did appreciate it."

REGGIE CLIFFTON

Sam's offer to assist Reggie in finding comics didn't result in a face of confusion, but rather surprise this time around. As Sam backtracked slightly afterwards, Reggie could tell that she was just as unsure about where they stood as she was. Somehow that made things a little easier to gauge, "That'd be really cool of you, Shower Power. If you have a collection you're working on, like your second Fable one, I can help out too." Reggie offered, metaphorically extending a hand out in this agreement. It was a good step, and even someone as pessmistic as Reggie could see that. Especially as she got an apology from Sam, which truthfully, Reggie never considered she would get. At the time Sam's attitude didn't make sense, but once Dani explained the situation to Reggie some days later, it had. And Reggie was perfectly fine never addressing it, as she truly didn't want to be between anyone's relationship. More so now that she was trying to figure things out with Harper, "Oh, uh," Reggie stumbled, trying to figure out how to give a reply. Dani had mentioned Sam was a truly honest person, and that was clearly true even when she wasn't trying to be snarky, "It's cool, dude. Really. We're cool." Reggie nodded to make it even more clear that bad blood wasn't there. Reggie never had a problem with Sam, and if Sam felt comfortable enough to hopefully not have one with Reg, that was better for them both in the longrun, "As long as I can compliment your shoes freely now anyway, because I am still Marvel-ing at them." Reggie playfully added on, purposefully making the same joke just to see if Sam would find it any funnier this time around.

SAMANTHA EVANS

Sam smiled at Reggie's return offer, and saw it as the returned olive branch that it was. It was appreciated, and after the way that Sam had acted, more than a little undeserved. The more they talked, the more Sam reluctantly realized that Reggie was a much better person than she'd been given credit for. Sammy could even see why Dani would be such good friends with her, and while she would never fully understand their dynamic, the friendship part of it made more sense. At the mention of her shoes, Sam glanced down at the red and blue sneakers that had barely left her feet since she got them. This time the comment received the smile and soft chuckle that it deserved. "Thanks," she said with the same honesty and appreciation. "I love them, and that is a pretty good pun." Sam rubbed the top of one of her shoes on the back of the leg of her jeans to clean the top back to their pristine condition. "It was pretending like I didn't Carol-t all." Puns weren't Sam's strong suit, the before said statement being a solid example of that, but as her defenses disappeared, she was more open to being her dumb self. "I should probably get back to it," she said as she vaguely gestured towards the rows of comics that waited for her to sift through. "But it was cool running into you. I'll keep my eyes peeled for those Duck Tales."

REGGIE CLIFFTON