It's after dark on a Saturday night, right in the middle of the bookshop and coffee house's grand re-opening. As a result there are quite a lot of people lingering around enjoying the old and new experience, some returning customers from the previous time it was opened ten-twenty years ago, mostly new ones. As a result the staff is getting a lot of overtime, the usual roster discarded for now to keep service going.
The weather outside is appropriately autumnal, wind and rain and thick clouds obscuring the thin waning crescent moon. Water tiptaps against the glass of the patio, and there's a breeze of cool damp air whenever someone comes in or out of that area. The hot red embers of a few stubborn smokers can be glimpsed as well.
Inside, Heloise is standing by the bar with a mug of steaming something, watching the crowd. The air is fragrant with so many good smells, it's hard to tell what are real and what is her perfume. Hot espresso, hot black tea, freshly roasted cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg, peppery paprika beef, sugary ripe melon and figs, rich dark chocolate, freshly baked apple cake, apricot preserves, plum brandy, golden dessert wine, something aromatic and dark green and herbaceous.
He showed up before the doors even opened really, waiting patiently outside and fiddling with his phone as so many people do while waiting. The man in a second-hand long coat and walking with a cane came in once the doors opened and pretty much immediately went to get lost in the books. He traveled many dimensions, becoming lost in the worlds of Gor, Barsoom, and Hyperborea for a while. He fought his way out of Feudal Japan, into Mordor, and across the Fire Swamp of Gilder. He assisted an important research expedition for Miskatonic University, then had a warming chat with Death on Hogswatch night.
Now Tennyson navigates the stairs down into the lower level coffee shop, navigating them easily rather than demean himself by using the ramp provided for disabled access. His leg still works, just not well. He makes his way patiently to the counter, there to ask for, "Cafe chocolat, please." He's already fumbling out a black leather wallet covered in little embroidered silver stars in preparation to pay.
Arnaud makes his way down the spiral staircase very slowly and carefully, holding up people behind him. But that is because he is obviously hurting and favors not hurting more over bumbling down it like he normally does. He's holding a somewhat worn book in his hand, his expression amused as he runs a hand over the cover. Then he holds it behind himself, to the short woman walking behind; Five. "Here. I bought you this upstairs." The book is Firestarter, by Stephen King.
He pauses at the bottom and sniffs the air, sighing contently. "I could come here just for the scents." He upnods over at Heloise and steers the way towards the counter to get an order in for whatever Five wants, and regular coffee for himself.
Ah, the evening hours. No finer time for the barely-employed to seek out the creature comforts beyond the borders of the nearest bar. Given that Sonny is a bartender by trade and often finds work doing just about everything else, he certainly has made room in his head and his heart for the joys that is a bookstore. Passions run like a fine wine down a drunk's chin and he's brought a straw, far from too proud to leech a little leftover literary lustfulness to top off his tank.
Today's fashion choices lean in on the idea of a hoodie plus jeans plus shoes is coverage enough to join civilized society, and he even wore matching socks, not yet sure as to why nor how. With a cheery, dimpled smile, he's in the ebb and flow of clientele, edging his way toward the barista next to open and gives a wistful sigh, a freshly-purchased book in his left hand and a crisp-ish ten-dollar bill in the other.
"Hot cocoa, anything like extra chocolate added to it, that'd be swell," he says, then deploys his dimples to maximum effect. It's not a sporting choice, that, as it is his best feature. His odor is that of a mostly-clean hoodie, a faint hint of spilled beer and a one-month sobriety chip. Still, he's upright and looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Ah, Spring.
There's a notable shift through the crowd of people, as Faith steps through the door. She's managed to avoid the rain, and made her way down the spiral staircase swiftly. People stop their conversations as the hooded Nosferatu nears them. They glance away from her, and wait for the vampire to pass as she scans the room from behind her shades, making her way towards the bar once she spies the owner of the establishment, not a care in the world about her effect on the people.
For once, she's actually pretending to life, her face still pale but not so deathlike as usual. It makes her slightly more animated as she steps up to the bar. "Good evening, Ms. Heloise," she greets in her soft tone, her voice fond, "And congratulations."
Following Arnaud inside, Five doesn't seem as hurting as he is but moves with the soreness one might have by sleeping the wrong way. A little more stiff than normal but still carrying about her day (well evening) as normally as possible. There's a warm smile as she inhales all the wonderful scents of the store, no wonder the owner always smells so nice herself! Looking over toward Arnaud at the offered book, the mortal can't help but laugh a bit. "That's me!" she says quietly to him, the sound of the crowd able to quiet her words enough to not be overheard easily. "I'll have to find one for you too." But, not at this exact moment. Instead, she's looking around at all the familiar faces. With a nod toward Arnaud to follow, she steps over toward Heloise as well. Faith of course gets a light smile but well, she can't help with that spooky feeling she always gets around the woman. Then to Heloise, "It's finally all open! Everything here is so awesome," she compliments with a grin. From the corner of her eye, she spots another familiar face. Sonny! The Changeling gets an inviting wave over.
Turning to face the vampire, Heloise looks very pleased, dimples showing as she gives her a sweet, close-lipped smile. "Good evening, Ms. Faith. It is very good to see you as always, I hope you are doing well?"
She reaches out to brush the other woman's shoulder affectionately, a bracelet on her wrist revealed as her cuffs pulls up slightly with the movement: brilliant gleaming white metal set wirh sparkling clear and blood-red stones.
As Five calls out she bows her head, her dark eyes sparkling. "I thank you for the compliment, I am very pleased with how it all has turned out. I was fortunate enough to acquire some excellent staff as well."
Tennyson is served a wonderful concoction of espresso with melted dark chocolate and sugar, spices, two colors of creme de cacao and whipped cream with grated chocolate on top, melting into the hot brew. Sonny is served European style hot cocoa, made with real chocolate, thick and hot and bad for you, a bar of chocolate neatly on the side of the cup. Arnaud gets a black coffee strong enough to fuel a truck with.
Without much delay, Sonny is simultaneously dunking the bar of chocolate into his beverage, leaving the tenner on the counter in the tip-jar-shaped-like-an-owl, and smiling with a wave aimed in two directions; smile for Heloise, wave for Five. A breath later and he's coordinated himself enough to dislodge from the counter area and thus make room for more patronage to claim the frontage in question, easing his way to a place to stand near-ish to Five. "Hello again!" he says, already grinning. "Not since the Irish bar, and it's.." He furrows his brow. "Five." He's decided that's her name.. or gonna work for now until corrected.
"I am now very curious what book you think would suit me," Arnaud admits to Five. He nods thankfully at the staff as he gets his coffee, curling both hands around it and sniffing it almost reverently; it's just how he likes it. There's a thumbs up given to Heloise and then he finds a seat somewhere, studying people with half-lidded eyes. He gives Faith the usual two-fingered salute, then turns an open stare at Sonny as Five greets him. There's an incredulous look at the short woman and he just shakes his head; of course she knows him. Is there any super in this city she has NOT met? Spotting Tennyson and his cane, he focuses on the walking aid - his gaze turns unfocused for a moment, like someone spacing out. Maybe it's the runes and he's trying to read them. Then he suddenly slaps his own cheek rather hard and sits up straight.
With his drink in hand, Tennyson takes a second to inhale the scent of it, then realizes he can't smell that well. Not that he's stunted in that way but we're not talking about bloodhound senses here. Oh well. He turns to get out of the way of the people behind him and casts a look around the room. A couple of faces he knows from Allthings, a general sense of Something as per usual, but it's not that kind of a setup. He fixes Faith with a Look that isn't particularly nice but it's also not the sort of look that means anything. Just some kind of recognition there. Then he's looking for a place to sit. That place ends up being one where he can watch all the people and make no show of hiding it!
"Of course," Faith says with a tilt of her head, leaning into that touch and catching the glimpse of shiny metal at Heloise's wrist, a slow little smile appearing for a moment, as she lingers near the taller woman. An affectionate, if brief, touch returned, the vampire is clearly pleased as she looks the place over, considering the others. "It is all finally open," she agrees with Five, glancing around. "And well done too, I think." Her hand lifts to give Arnaud a distracted sort of gesture, a wave of some sort, and she follows his gaze to watch Tennyson a moment. The Look doesn't seem to bother her in the slightest.
"Yup!" Five confirms with Sonny regarding her totally normal name. "Nice seeing you here! The owner here is super nice and awesome," she tells him with a small nod toward Heloise. Although she doesn't comment on it, she /does/ catch the look she's given by Arnaud. A note tucked away to be looked into further later. Turning her attention toward Heloise. "What would you recommend? I want something warm but sweet," she requests of the Winter with a curious grin. There's a nod to Arnaud before she says, "Whatever first drink he wants too. I'll pay for it." There's a playful look toward him.
"We have a lot of options for hot and sweet," Heloise dimples back at Five. "Do you want something with chocolate, or do you prefer something fruity? Alcoholic or non? My favorite in the coffee specials is Mediterranean, in coffee cocktails I like Coffee Nero, my favorite tea is the Mountain Rose and my favorite tea cocktail is Palinka Nights." There's something a little playful to the sparkle in her eyes, teasing with the many options.
Her hand is still on Faith's shoulder, long slender fingers moving in an idle casual caress. Her nail polish for the occasion in a semi-sheer dark crimson with an ombre effect turning it snowy white at the tips, matching the bracelet beautifully. "I was a little worried towards the end," she confesses quietly, "as things kept causing some unexpected small trouble. But I suspect that happens with any undertaking like this." She nods to Sonny as he approaches, and takes a sip of her drink. It looks and smells to be the mentioned rose tea, petals floating on top.
"Hot and sweet," says Arnaud and looks at Five. Nothing in his expression suggests this is some cute joke or an attempt at romancing her. "Somehow, I knew you'd wanted that." He rolls his head and losens up some tension, like psychos do. He sips his black coffee and looks between Heloise and Faith in unashamed curiosity.
"It's always the little things you didn't think of," Faith says conversationally to Heloise, with a small nod. "But these last few weeks, I had no doubt that you would rise to the challenges." Her dark glasses regard Five at length. "You are looking much better tonight, Ms. Five. It seems you are recovering rather well?" There's a thin smile for a moment, and she doesn't particularly notice Arnaud watching her there with Heloise, instead looking Sonny over and asking Five, "Who is your friend?"
Angling his head slightly, Sonny brightens slightly at Five's words, then turns to face Heloise. "And a bright, shiny 'hello' to you," he says, raising his mug in salute to her, then he's looking to Faith. "I'm Sonny, and a fellow enthusiast." The book is held aloft as if it were proof he's smart enough to be literate and to ward off ideas contrary to that. "I'm going to find a seat and dislodge the muffins in my pockets." Because of course he's carrying a pocketful of muffins. And with that, he's looking for a table, ideally with several open seats.
Glancing at Arnaud, Five gives him a bit of a playful smile. "Seems like the perfect combo for a cold evening." There's a thought that pops up as she gives a glance toward Sonny. Returning her attention to Heloise, she adds, "How about that Coffee Nero? What kind of alcohol does it have in it?" she questions purely out of curiosity's sake. While she waits for said drink, she lets her gaze slip back to Faith. There's an appreciative but nervous smile given to her fellow hoodie enthusiast. "Much better," she tells her, her tone reflecting her expression.
From his seat, Tennyson watches the visiting as it proceeds. Back and forth, this and that, a little flirty energy there, a little curiosity there. Meanwhile he lightly brushes fingers across the top of his cane, taking an occasional sip from his drink and making a small 'mm' of appreciation. Finally he looks to get Heloise's attention and asks, "Miss? What portion of this drink is alcohol?"
That pleased look returns to Heloise's face at Faith's words, and she bows her head slightly again. "You are most kind." Over to Sonny then, she raises her own mug of tea, dimples showing. "To you as well, sir."
Over to Five, she gestures towards one of the nearby menus. "Coffee Nero has Galliano in it, it's an Italian herbal liqueur. It is sweet with a very complex, layered flavor. Mostly vanilla and anise, woodsy and herbal notes like juniper, lavender, cinnamon..." She moves her shoulders in a languid shrug. "In your drink I think you will mostly pick out the vanilla, with some je ne sais quis, the espresso and dark sugar rather takes over, and then the double cream softens everything together."
To Tennyson then, considering him for a moment before she briefly waves the barista over for a quick discussion, straightening back up. "You had the Cafe Chocolat, sir? It has dark and white creme de cacao in it, chocolate liqueurs." Her dimples show again. "If you wish to have more chocolate to go with the chocolate, we have a cake with almond jam and walnut filling with choolate on top."
Looking downright crestfallen at a missed opportunity, the melted chocolate bar in Sonny's mug is given a forlorn look and he sighs, having heard what was said by Heloise to Tennyson. With a raising of his eyebrow, he makes a course correction, aiming himself to arrive at Tennyson's table, and he's a bright, happy-looking man in a dress shirt maybe three years older than it should be for public relations' purposes. "So, hi," he says by way of introduction. "A fellow enjoyer of the finer things in life: chocolate and fiction."
He then angles his head, looking at the title in Tennyson's possession and he brightens even further. "See, that's just serendipity." He then taps his own book: Skeleton Crew, also by Stephen King. A thick anthology of the spooky and ooky alike. "May I join you and we can geek out over.. well, yeah?" Those dimples again.
Bright, shiny 'hellos' have Faith kind of staring at Sunny a moment, though her expression remains neutral with those mirrored shades in place. "Hello, Mr. Sonny. My name is Faith." Her head inclines slightly, a polite gesture to match her polite voice, at the displayed book, before she looks back to Five. "Good. I am glad." Arnaud does get a sidelong glance as well, finally considering him and his potential injuries he's struggling with. "What about you, Mr. Arnaud, are you recovering well?" She wonders quietly as she lingers at Heloise's side while she explains her menu.
"Right," Arnaud replies to Five, as if everything she says is the right way of things. He's shifting uncomfortably on his seat and looks around - there's so many people here. All over the place. Doing people-things. He slurps coffee noisily and starts rocking on the chair, restlessly; Faith saves him potentially doing something out of poor impulse control by asking that, and the two airborn feet of the chair slams down onto the floor again. "No, I feel like crap," he tells her. "Not bleeding though, so I'll be fine in a few days." He gives her a thumbs up, lackadaisically.
Tennyson's face does a complicated dance where he seems to war between a grin and a grimace, finally settling on this almost Jack Nicholson look where he asks, "What if I wish to have more liqueur?" It's only once he makes that quip that the seated man with the cane eyes Sonny, who's approached him. "Oh hello. I do like chocolate, and also fiction. Fiction gives me a nice relaxed feeling that at least those things aren't real. Mostly. Have I seen you at the 'things? You look a bit familiar."
"Nope," Sonny says, his smile barely losing any wattage. "I avoid.. 'Things', because it's entirely possible that something very bad could happen, and I know some of my folk may react on the dramatic side." He chews on a chunk of muffin drawn from his pocket, as if it were a normal place to store a snack without even a basic wrapper for it. That hoodie of his is likely 12% crumbs by now. "And if that's the case, others whom I don't know, it could get even more, y'know, traumatizing." He angles his head, looking back to Five, Faith, Heloise and Arnaud, then back to Tennyson. "Everyone's a different genre. I'm 'missing persons'-themed fiction." Those dimples, though.
"I haven't read it yet!" Five exclaims of her own book, which she is holding onto very closely because it's a prized possession now. "I'm totally down to discuss more once I've finished?" she suggests to Sonny with a curious grin. Looking over toward Tennyson, raising her brow at him. Of course, any talk of 'things' goes RIGHT over her head. "What kind of fiction you like? Have a recommendation?" she wonders. After taking a sip of her drink, she gives a glance at Arnaud, noticing his discomfort growing in this setting. There's a moment where she pauses, reaches her hand up hesitantly and goes patpatpat right on his head.
"You can of course have additional shots, for a fee," and Heloise gestures towards some other menu that details the prices for those, her body language and facial expression perfectly pleasant to Tennyson. "If you are looking for something stronger in general, the Coffee Gates has Cointreau, Kahlua and Chocolate Cream liqueur in it, along with espresso and double cream." She takes a moment, thinking. "In tea cocktails, Palinka Nights is made with hot apricot brandy infused with black tea, with cinnamon and apricot pieces, so it's very high proof. The rose martini is tea infused vodka and herb infused tokaji wine with pomegranate juice and two kinds of bitters, also high proof."
She leans against Faith after this explanation, having another sip of her own non-boozy tea, closing her eyes briefly in the rose-scented steam billowing up from it.
"I think that counts as recovering well," Faith notes simply for Arnaud's benefit, perhaps frowning a little at his rocking on the chair, inclining her head just slightly. "Let me know if there are any further complications." She does kind of stare at Five and that patpatpat gesture, an arm slipping around Heloise in a lazy gesture as the Fairest leans against her. But her attention focuses on Tennyson and the mention of Things, the Nosferatu studying him further from behind those shades for a few long moments.
Arnaud's mouth opens in a somewhat slack-jawed expression as he is patted on the head. He barely notices Faith's reply because of it. Either or, it works; he stops fidgeting and sits up more properly, drinks more coffee, and looks at Sonny who is talking about books in some attempt at Peopling Properly. "Hi. I'm Arnaud. Friend of Five's," he introduces himself and holds a hand out to shake even.
"Ah." remarks Tennyson to Sonny, nodding along. "I'm probably one of those 'For Dummies' books." Which might seem strange. He gives a simple nod to Heloise and adds for her, "Of course I'd pay. It's just the first time here and all that. I'll have to figure out what my drink of choice is." For now though he seems to like the cafe chocolat well enough though. He keeps drinking it! Then he matches looks with Faith and tells her loud and clear, "Oh please, like you don't know." Drink from cup.
Accepting the offered hand, Sonny has a firm, dry grip, and that smile never falters. "Pleased to meetcha," he says, then glances to Tennyson following the outburst aimed at Faith, scrunching his nose in confusion at the strange choice. With a subtle shrug, Arnaud's hand is released and he bounces his chair over two hops, making room at the table, clearly having cleared this idea with the original owner, Tennyson, or simply not caring to ask. "I'm Sonny," he says, by way of introduction to Tennyson. "That's Five. Her name is .. literally, it's 'Five'." He doesn't elaborate, just takes a drink from his cup of hot cocoa and.. the chocolate bar wedged into it falls over, having melted, leaving him with a scorch mark-like proof-of-passage on his fingers as the remnants of it fall to the floor, despite his high-speed gymnastics routine to prevent it. The look on his face mirrors those of Titanic passengers at seeing the lack of useful escape crafts, or boyfriends about to sit through three hours of watching a foregone conclusion unfold on a date.
"Hmm?" Five had been a little distracted trying to figure out how to comfort her friend Arnaud that when she hears her name from Sonny, she momentarily thinks he's addressing her. "Oh!" The mortal sheepishly looks back to the others as she realizes some introductions are being made. "Yes, Five," she confirms with a nod toward Tennyson. Of course, she totally doesn't pick up on anything between Faith and Tennyson. She certainly /does/ catch Sonny and the mess, which she's quick to grab some napkins nearby and offer out to him. "Does everyone have a favorite book?" she wonders as she glances around the gathered group.
"I have no idea what you might be implying," Faith says plainly at the loud mention towards her, finally stepping away from Heloise's side as the hostess is called upon to answer more questions and suggestions from other arrivals to the coffee shop. She moves over to be closer to the conversation rather than be shouted at across the room. She does note the tumbling sweet falling from the drink, a slight twitch of her lips into a smirk. She glances to Five, shrugging a little. She doesn't have a book, nor has she asked about anything to drink either. Instead she's just helping herself to a spot right there at the booth Tennyson has claimed! Now there's Nosferatu at the same table as him. "So tell me, what is it that I know?" Her elbows are on the table, and hands clasping together.
Arnaud watches the Chocolate Bar Incident with interest. It makes his focus better cause something interesting happened. He wiggles fingers in a little wave to Tennyson as introductions are thrown around. "Nice walking...thing. Stick," he calls out to Tennyson; he has a French accent, and he clearly doesn't remember the word 'cane' right now. Otherwise, his English is excellent. "I don't have a favorite book. Should I?"
For his part Tennyson seems quite happy to allow anyone else to sit with him. There's not even a sideways look when Sonny and Faith have a seat, and he tells Sonny, "Thanks for the intros. I'm Tennyson. Reed." The slight pause between the names he leaves, only thinking of the last name as an afterthought. The name itself is uncommon enough, and known among the Accords. He looks across at Faith as she joins the space and says to her, "Love the shades. I do that myself a lot, but mostly in the daytime." Then for general ears, "This really is a nice place. I like the atmosphere."
"Aww," is all that Sonny can say, although he does give a grateful expression to Five as he accepts the proferred napkins, making use of them. Clearly, he's used to cleaning up messes and the leftover remnants of the chocolate bar are unceremoniously dumped into a nearby trash bin as he settles back in his chair, eyebrows furrowed before he exhales, draws in a deep, long breath, then looks to the discoursing pair of Faith and Tennyson. "Are you two exes?" he asks, raising his eyebrows in confusion and concentration. Maybe not a deep-thinking sort, although his tone conveys: if so, he'd like to help with the next stage in the tragedy of their romance. "I mean, if so, I can, like.. get a new table or.. whatever."
"Thank you," Faith says in regards to her shades, her voice polite and otherwise kind of lacking in emotion. "Sometimes I wear them during the day too, Mr. Reed." She grins after a moment, and then glances at Sonny, inclining her head and perhaps looking a touch awkward for a moment. "Uh, no. I've not met Mr. Reed properly until this evening, myself."
There had been some curiosity at the interaction between Tennyson and Faith after Sonny asked if they were exes. Five tilts her head slightly as she watches the others. Looking back to Sonny, she says with a grin. "Hey! I have a phone now," she tells him, obviously an offer for her number should he want it. Finishing off her drink, she sets the cup aside.
Nisha has been here the whole time, but she's been here in the background. She's an employee, and she's been behind the counter making drinks. For those that -have- met her, they've probably never seen her looking quite so put-together. Turquoise hair is bound up in an artfully messy bun, and she's wearing a lacy white blouse and well-fitting black pants. Now, though? It seems she's been released from her shift! She's got some sort of coffee in hand, and she's waving to the familiar figures of Faith, Five and Arnaud as she starts to make her way over.
Arnaud slaps his hand down hard on the table suddenly. "I got it. Tintin!" he tells Five triumphantly - he pronounces that like 'TanTan', the French way. "I liked those books when I was a kid. I wonder if they got copies here?" He glances up. "I will go look for them." He shoots to his feet and abandons his coffee in favor of searching for Les Aventures de Tintin; he passes by Nisha and upnods at her. "Beer soon," he tells her because he owes her. Then he's heading up the stairs - not very fast, cause it hurts - but off he goes.
Tennyson lifts his cup to Faith as if toasting her response, clearly understanding the idea of her little joke. He doesn't ruin it by putting words on it. Instead he remarks after Arnaud leaves, "I'm pretty sure this place would have Tintin. The collection is extensive. And no, Sonny, we're not exes." He seems to find that whole idea amusing. "You're not in the middle of anything. I'm just being an ass." His eyes catch Nisha then because BLUE HAIR and he spends a moment just openly watching her. Maybe he thinks she's hot?
At the reply from Faith, Sonny seems to be satisfied and looks to Tennyson, and raises his chin up at the man. "Cool," he says, not quite elaborating, then looks over to Five with a subtle smirk. "So, yeah, I do have a favorite. It's this one, because they don't have my actual favorite-favorite." To this, he gives a brief, dismissive shrug and sets his book into a better alignment with the design of the table, and realizes: he's just smeared chocolate over the outer edge of the book's front cover. Exhaling hard, he looks crestfallen, then simply leans in, placing his mouth on it. It's a strange choice, yet - well, it works, because he's up a moment later, wiping his lips off with the back of his hand. "Decorum be damned, really." He sips hot cocoa and ignores criticism.
Faith glances at Arnaud and his sudden exclamation, looking over the way and inclining her head. She watches him carefully make his way up the stairs, but her gaze ends up on Nisha as a result. She inclines her head in a polite greeting to her. "Evening, Ms. Nisha. The opening seems to be a rousing success, no?" She says with a thin smile, glancing back at Tennyson just a moment. And then Sonny. There's a resigned sort of look about her. This is her fate, yes, the polite monster in the midst of this behavior. Almost like it's where a Nosferatu belongs.
"You have the coolest hair," Five compliments of Nisha as she makes her way over, smiling a bit as she peers over the blue locks. Givng her number to Sonny if he wants, the mortal stands up. Pulling her hoodie back up over her head, she gives a look toward Faith momentarily. "I'll catch you around later?" she questions with a light raise of her brow. Then to Tennyson, "It was nice meeting you!" Gathering up her book, she gives a little wave of her fingers to all before she wanders upstairs!
"Thanks!," is offered brightly to Five, along with a little wave as the short woman heads off. "It's been amazing, Ms Faith! I'm glad I could be a part of it." Nisha's genuinely excited about the opening, and she glances to the remaining three. "Mind if I join you all?" Tennyson gets a friendly smile, but it's Sonny that really attracts her attention. She's perhaps studying him a touch more closely than is strictly polite?
"It was nice meeting you, Number Five. Can't wait to meet the others." offers Tennyson in farewell, glancing after Five when she leaves. He watches Nisha once she sits and then pries his eyes off of her. Directed attention back to Faith, "Is that look of sadness or disappointment? Seems like one of those. You know, I'm much more pleasant after I've had a few drinks."
At seeing the departure of Five, Sonny is up on his feet, the book he's purchased, Stephen King's 'Skeleton Crew' is left on the table. "Take my seat," he offers to Nisha, smiling brightly. "I'm going to make a quick stop and a wardrobe change. Don't mind me." He pauses. "My name is Sonny. That's .. Ms. Faith, Mr. Reed." He indicates Faith and Tennyson with polite gesturing. "I'll be back shortly." And he's off, walking towards the upstairs, feet moving with some degree of alacrity.
Faith just gives Five a slight nod of agreement, watching her also depart, and gives a thin little smile for Nisha. She's glad for the distraction there, it seems. "I'm glad for you, and for Ms. Heloise. And please do join us," she shifts in the booth to ensure there's room for Nisha, before peering back across the table at Tennyson. "Perhaps you are at that, Mr. Reed," she says, her lips twitching into a small smile, something self-deprecating in it all. "But perhaps it is both."
"It's great to meet you, Sonny! I'm Nisha." She beams that bright smile at the other Lost, and then settles into the vacated spot in the booth. "..Do you think I scared them all away?" She looks from Tennyson to Faith and back, her voice low as if she's talking about a conspiracy. "He left his book, but will he -really- be back?" She's joking, probably!
"Perhaps!" Tennyson finally finishes his drink after sipping it to death, declaring once he sets the cup down, "That was worth it. A nice little treat. Not good enough for a real drinking session but a sort of liquid candy." Deliberately he reaches out to take the abandoned book and declares, "He will not be back." Sinister smile.
"Oh, if anyone scared them it's far more likely to be me than you, Ms. Nisha." Faith says with a small smile of her own, leaning back in the booth and watching as Tennyson sneaks that book aside. "I would assume his favourite book at the least might draw him back." She shrugs though! It's clearly not her problem.
Returning from points upward, Sonny bounces down the steps on the balls of his feet, arriving at the bottom before he gives a sweeping scan of the interior and looks back to the table he so recently left; now, he's wearing a hoodie tied around his midsection as opposed to the traditional manner, and his shirt, rather than the button-up, is replaced with a t-shirt indicating his allegiance to the KISS Army - and it looks to be a fairly solid vintage model, no less.
"Hi, again," he says, dragging a spare chair toward the table, and his eyebrows are furrowed instantly. "Who took my book?" He looks downright crestfallen yet again. It's the chocolate bar incident repeating itself. "Man, can't leave a book in a bookstore." Again, he draws a deep breath, exhaling slowly afterward, still a touch morose, despite the smile on his lips.
"You were wrong, Mr. Reed! The best possibly outcome." Nisha grins to the man, and then to Sonny. "He declared you wouldn't be coming back, and then claimed your book for his own." She's a bit of a troublemaker, apparently. "Heloise would be incredibly upset if your book -actually- got taken after you'd bought it."
As if nothing happened, Tennyson puts the book back on the table and lies cooly to Sonny, "I was protecting it for you." He doesn't miss a beat, and doesn't look sorry. Then he tells Nisha, "I was not wrong. I was differently correct." He has all the attitude of a housecat, really.
Faith just leans back in the booth, gaze lowered slightly, letting the shadows of her hood and the sunglasses both hide most of her face as she watches the discussion between Tennyson and Nisha, and Sonny coming to reclaim his book. There's a small smile there on her lips, visible a moment. "It seems you were wrong to me," she decides after a moment.
"Oh," is all that Sonny says at the revelation provided by Nisha, then he turns to face Tennyson directly. "That's one idea, sure, yeah," he adds, then he smiles - although it never reaches his eyes. If anything, his eyes may have strangled that smile on the roadside of his cheeks, and then returned to being an amazing facial feature again. "I thank you for your decency in returning the book, and I wish you well with removing the stain from your jacket." Then he takes a somewhat healthful sip of his hot cocoa, eyes bright, and gives a brief, powerful 'spurt' of it directly at Tennyson's jacket sleeve. Wiping his mouth, he raises his eyebrows. "I believe the term is 'differently swallowed', Mr. Reed." Oh, he has such fun.
Whatever Nisha might have been about to say, she's too busy staring, and laughing at Sonny's antics. At least she offers Tennyson a napkin?
That just causes Tennyson to frown. Then he casts a dark glare on Sonny and stares at him solidly for a long moment. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asks levelly. Clearly he's not talking about just the spitting, since that's already done. "Do you really think that was a measured response to a good natured joke that cost you nothing?" There was at least some cordiality to him before but it's pretty well gone now. If anything he's taking it very poorly indeed. Maybe he should've had a lot more to drink first!
Faith does look up slightly at that action from Sonny, her expression set into that neutral sort of mask once again. Composed, even if the shifting of her gaze betrays her surprise at it all. She is very much not getting involved, keeping to her shadows and watching with Tennyson's reaction with an intense interest. Maybe now there's a little smile, almost hopeful at the thought of Something happening.
The infuriating nature of an always-smiling man becomes obvious when Sonny speaks. "You are, it seems," he says, "Once again, 'differently correct'." He angles his head toward the stairs. "You see a book, I see the end result of two painful, hard weeks of labor that you won't be doing. Jobs you, I'd wager, can't perform, and for people who wouldn't enjoy your 'humor'." He gives a subtle shrug. "I'm as close to poverty as I can be and still be a patron of a bookstore. If it wasn't for the free drink, my beverage of choice would be water tonight, like it was last night." He shakes his head. "The idea of a 'joke' involving theft from the destitute, if it's your brand of 'humor'." Then he stops the smile. "Then, well, yes. I *am* doing this, because people who have nothing, quite literally, have nothing left to lose. Want a reason to use a second cane?" He doesn't blink. That kind of eye-watering visual contact is hard to maintain and he does not flinch. "You picked a fight with a stranger. Don't expect what may pass for 'moral high-ground' today."
Nisha sighs as things turn serious, and the levity drains from her features like someone pulled the plug to a bath. "I think, perhaps, that we should either agree to let this one go as miscommunication and-or misunderstanding, and be more careful with each other in the future, or-" She pauses, reluctant to even suggest the next bit. "..this should move outside. I'm not on shift, but we strive to make this a civil, -safe- space. Jokes and pranks are one thing, but malign intent should remain outside." Nisha's frowning, and it seems partially to be a frown at herself. Wolfish ears are laid back, raccoon tail drooping somehow despite her sitting in the booth. She is definitely no longer having fun.
"Treasure what little you do have while you have it." responds Tennyson in a whisper, watching Sonny in stillness. His eyes close slowly and when he opens them again they focus on Faith. "Because this is a place protected by civility we respect under the Accords, I will do nothing. Please advise Heloise that I find her hospitality extremely lacking." Then he looks back to Sonny and stares for a moment, then sighs after Nisha offers her own words. "Allow me then to apologize for playing a joke upon you that was poorly received."
Faith's gaze stares somewhere between the two of them as the discussion turns less than jovial, listening and watching them both. She takes it all in, filing the moments away for whatever future reference might be needed. "We Respect the Landlords," she says pointedly at both Tennyson and Sonny, inclining her head. "I can pass this on for you, Mr. Reed, but Ms. Nisha here might be the more appropriate one to direct your complaint to." There's a glance to Nisha, and a slight nod at her words. She seems to have some slight approval of her handling at the situation!
Seated at the table by the stairs leading up, Tennyson, Faith and Nisha are seated with Sonny, who seems to be focusing his attention on Terryson alone. Furrowing his eyebrows, Sonny shakes his head, frowning slightly. "You get caught out being an asshole," he says politely, "And your recourse.. it's threats?" He tsks softly. "An interesting, and bold, strategy. Couldn't help but notice that theft is politely excluded from actual crimes against strangers." Then he looks to Nisha, raising his eyebrows further. "Color me intrigued at that development, because I will absolutely be exploring the precedent, if this is to be permissioned behavior." His expression darkens, and he exhales slowly, losing some of the flush to his skin. "Your apology is as meaningful as the punishment being ignored. Before a joke is born, it's done between friends." He smiles, and it looks.. pretty close to genuine. "If we're friends, both of us can sleep easily, every night of the week. If not.. well." Those bright, shining teeth are such glorious things, his perfect smile framed by cheekbones dimpled almost to the bones, aiming all of it at Tennyson. "Do you want to be friends, Mister Reed?" Then he chuckles. "No need for formalities if this is just.. two friends having a spat, after all."
"How's everybody doing?" Rachel asks, sticking her nose into the conversation in much the same way that a grizzly bear might nose into the open door of a butcher's shop. Except a grizzly bear wouldn't be quite so cute in her denim shorts, ankleboots, tank-top and sports bra. Nor is one likely to be sporting her modest makeup, jewelry, and wildly decorated messenger bag. Her eyes are bright with interest as she steps into the group's social space with absolute confidence. She tosses a glance to Faith, familiarity in her expression, and then glances over to Nisha. "Oh hey, glad to see you got the job."
Poor Nisha. The chimeric Lost is clearly not having a good time, as she looks from Tennyson to Sonny and back. Finally, she speaks up once again. "The fault lies with me, and my declaration that Mr. Reed took the book for himself. I am not Heloise, so I'll inform her of my misdemeanor as soon as she is free." She pauses, looking to Rachel with just a ghost of a familiar smile. "Thanks, though it may not last long." In fact, Nisha's starting to rise from her seat.
"I Respect the Landlords." says the sorcerer in response to Faith's words. "We may be friends when we're even." replies Tennyson quietly where he sits. Slowly he closes his eyes and reopens them to look at Nisha. The look he gives her is one of those lopsided ones that people give others who are saying something one finds ridiculous. He then sits back and seems to completely reset from the whole thing, as if nothing at all happened, because now Rachel is here being cheerful and friendly. He looks to her and offers a pleasant smile. "Good evening to you."
Faith does consider Nisha for a long moment, her expression thoughtful. She keeps those thoughts to herself for a moment, though as Sonny and Tennyson speak, her attention drifting over to Rachel. There's a polite nod of greeting at the familiar Lost. "Good evening." She greets from her shadowy space, hood drawn up. Tonight, she's actually mimicking life, and not appearing as dead as she normally does, though it doesn't really help her appear less weird. Just a little less corpse-still. A little more idly animated. "I'm glad to hear it. Ms. Nisha, I do not believe you have any reason to claim to be at fault here. Let it remain as it is, between these two."
There's a bright, shining look in Sonny's eyes as he sees Rachel and his smile widens outside of the view of Mortal-ish eyes; to the Lost, it's a grin splitting his head almost comically. "Hello," he says, introducing himself. "I'm Sonny. This is Ms. Nisha, that's Mr. Reed, who thought stealing my book was 'funny'." From out of his pocket he removes a muffin, then extends it to Rachel. "A welcome gift, because I like your eyes." He angles his head and draws a deep breath. "Reminds me of a great day I had last summer." Then he removes his hoodie from where it is bound around his waist, leaving it draped over a chair, though not the one he was seated in as he rises to his feet. "By all means, have a seat. I have to put another three bucks into the parking meter." He then makes a polite-ish departure for the upstairs.
Rachel looks almost dissappointed that whatever conflict she'd attempted to bull her way into appears to be resolving itself. Before she can get in on any of the juicy gossip, too! She archs a brow at Nisha's self-assessment, then glances over to Faith, curious. Finally, Sonny provides some answers, and an introduction. She tosses a glance back to Reed, both eyes arching now, as she accepts Sonny's muffin as if it is her due, "Well who am I to refuse an offered baked good?"
She watches Sonny go for a minute, then looks back to Reed. "I'm Rachel." She raises the muffin to her mouth and takes a bite.
Nisha seems heartened a little bit by Faith, looking over to the Vampire with a faintly grateful expression. All in all, though, she's still.. not sulking, but.. wallowing in her own assumed mistakes and disappointed in herself, and the tension at the table. "It's good to see you again, Rachel." For now, Nisha's picking up her coffee again for a long, comforting sip.
"Hello Rachel." greets Tennyson with a cordial nod. He then gets to his feet, which is quite the production actually. His left leg and hip clearly trouble him, and it's with the use of a cane that he manages to stand. "I'll get out of your hair. One lying soul-rapist trying to reap my emotions is quite enough for the night. And Madam Heloise's hospitality is well and truly stained by that one. Fortunately for him, I've sworn off of cursing people. But I will be spreading the word. Lady Faith, Lady Nisha..." Farewells given to the two others as well as he begins the journey up the stairs.
"Indeed, it is good to see you once more, Rachel." Faith echoes. "I hope you've been well?" She asks politely as the moment seems to die down, watching Sonny depart once more for a moment before she looks back to Tennyson, inclining her head slightly at the words that come from him. A hand lifts, and all she offers is, "Madam Faith, if you wish to be so formal," she corrects. It's a polite correction, and perhaps a bit odd, but it's somehow Important to her. As he's departing, she does glance to Nisha. "I don't feel you need take any responsibility for either of their actions. You handled yourself well."
The words Tennyson uses make Rachel frown. She watches him go, then lookss back to Nisha and Faith. "That is some pretty charged language he used. I get the impression I came in at the tail end of something." The request for details is implied, but Rachel is kind enough not to ask outright. Implications can be ignored, after all. She sits down at the spot Sonny cleared for her. "Classes have been kicking my ass. Plus, y'know, the holidays."
"I think you should bring your complaints to Heloise before you come back here, Mr. Tennyson, and perhaps not badmouth her establishment before you speak with her. " Nisha watches him rise, and watches him go without offering more than that. It's just a suggestion from a sad trashpanda, but it verges on her kicking him out.
"It was," Faith notes for Rachel thoughtfully, perhaps a small amused smile at her very mundane talk of classes and holidays. It's just not something the vampire can really relate to. "I am not quite sure what happened, truth be told. He stole a book left behind by Mr. Sonny, though returned it afterwards, and this was responded to with some juvenile antics involving spitting a chocolate drink upon Mr. Reed." She makes a face. Clearly Faith does not really approve of either of them. "Ms. Nisha did well to try to handle the situation, but I am not sure where all the hostility came from." She glances at Nisha curiously.
The mention of spitting a drink makes Rachel's face pinch. She clearly doesn't find that very appropriate either, though her understanding of the situation is notably incomplete. She glances over to Nisha, as if wondering if she has anything to add.
"I told Sonny that Mr Reed had declared he wasn't coming back, and claimed his book for his own, which I probably shouldn't have," Sheepish, there. "..and I couldn't help but laugh when Sonny spit hot chocolate at Mr. Reed's sleeve, but I think that was surprise more than anything? It couldn't have helped." Nisha frowns, but gives herself a little shake out of it. "Neither of them behaved well, neither of them -listened- to the other's side. It shouldn't have been so.. hostile." Borrowing Faith's word, there. "I don't know either of them, so I can't say if it was out of character.."
"No, I don't know them either. I had heard of the Reed family but not a great deal." Faith exhales a breath, glancing between the other two women. "Though those final words make me wonder. Are you able to tell if Sonny attempted something like that at all? I'm not sure how Reed would know either, mind you, but it would be good to know if he was leaping to conclusions or ... not."
"... Only if he'd been drained completely," Rachel says quietly, after taking another bite of her muffin. "We have a word for doing that, and it leaves some obvious symptoms. Symptoms our man there wasn't displaying. But like I said, it's charged language, because that kind of behavior is frowned upon pretty strongly in our community." She shrugs, "But if you don't go that far then no, there's no real sign. You can look for someone trying to provoke a particular emotion, but even among ourselves it's not a very visible process."
"Sonny smelled of new flowers sometimes. Anger isn't the emotion he'd go for, I don't think." Nisha doesn't sound all that certain, and even glances towards Rachel for a bit of confirmation-- as if Nisha thought the other to be the more experienced, or knowledgeable. "I'll be talking to Heloise, but.. Ms Faith, would you maybe give your more impartial view, as well?"
"I see," Faith says with her thoughtful tone once more, hands clasping together upon the table as she listens to the careful explanations. "Flowers? Hmm." -She- doesn't get the reference obviously, just looking from one Lost to the other again. "So perhaps he leapt to a conclusion and decided that he was getting played for that purpose, but doesn't have knowledge enough to know what he's talking about. Or, he's a very skilled manipulator." Faith shrugs. Either of these things could be true. "Of course, Ms. Nisha. I will make myself available to explain what I observed."
Rachel holds up a hand palm down and rotates her wrist so it waggles back and forth as Nisha looks to her for reassurance. She glances back to Faith, "Could be both. Could be neither. But if he the guy goes around talking about being 'soul-raped' it's gonna raise some eyebrows. There might be some questions that get asked. Assholes co-opting the boundaries we police for each other definitely sucks, but it's better than not policing those boundaries at all," she adds with a shrug.
"I think I will do my best to avoid Mr Reed, if I can." Nisha's still frowning, not liking.. any of it. "He could be both of those things, honestly, and I have no tolerance for manipulation." Even if she's fairly easy to manipulate.
There's a nod of agreement from Faith at the suggestion that it could be both, fingers idly fidgeting. "There's a few ways all of us could take such accusations, I suppose. Perhaps I'll keep an eye on him, though I have no idea what he is capable of at the moment. Maybe it would be best just to avoid him." A pause, and she shrugs. "We shall see. I hope you're right, Rachel. It always seems like everything is so close to reaching some kind of breaking point."
"Because it is," Rachel says casually to Faith, with a shrug. "You make the best decisions you can. And you hope your neighbors do that too. And their neighbors, and theirs, and so on, and the world keeps turning because generally most people want to have a decent life. So good decisions tend to marginally outweigh ones that will plunge us all into the abyss. You know, one time we were on the edge of all-out nuclear war? And it was stopped by one man in a Russian bunker saying, 'hold on, this doesn't seem right.'"
Nisha's fallen silent, listening to the other two talk while she just kind of.. stares off into the middle distance. "I'm sure Heloise will want to find out more about people causing trouble on opening night-- and how much more trouble they may cause in the future."
"Yes, I remember." Faith says quietly to Rachel, considering. "But what we have here in Chicago is still so far, just an anomaly. I am hopeful, but unconvinced. Any night now, something will happen and before we know it our coins will be worthless and everyone will close ranks. Hopefully some friendships will remain." She shrugs in turn, glancing to Nisha. "I am sorry that your opening night was disturbed by this, but it is a minor thing in comparison to the success, no?"
"Society is always pretty fragile," Rachel seems to agree with Faith, though it doesn't seem like it bothers her much. "Something something, three meals away from starvation," another shrug. She glances over at Nisha, "Hang in there."
"Thank you both," Nisha says genuinely, but it's followed with: "I think I'm going to go. It's getting late." The time of day probably has little to do with it, and Nisha doesn't even try to make the little excuse sound less hollow than it is.
"You are probably quite right," Faith says with a brief smile for Rachel, teeth flashing. Something about starvation amuses her in the moment. She doesn't really seem bothered by the eventual decline of the Accords so much as simply resigned to it as an inevitability. "Of course, Nisha," she says with a glance there, gesturing. It -is- probably getting rather late. "I hope your evening improves from here on."
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