2012-11-29 Coffeehouse Conversations

It's a beautiful day in the neighbourhood, a beautiful day for a... complete and utter lie. Truth be told, as far as days go this one was pretty miserable. It was cold, cloudy and just barely above freezing to the point where an umbrella was a decent idea... but it could be just a waste of carrying capacity if the thermostat dropped a couple more degrees and sent the threat of rain to become a threat of snow. It was the kind of day where nobody wanted to be outside unless they had somewhere to go, and only until they got there.
It was for that reason that Terry had holed himself up inside the Perk-U-Up Coffee Shop, seeking a bit of shelter after a day of travelling the streets and delivering messages here and there for his employer. It was a living, and it had paid for the nice thick coat that covers up his normal clothing, as well as the cup of coffee that sat in front of him for the occasional sip of attention. Compared to how life had been going over the past... couple of years, really? This was good. This was normal. Normal, was good.
It's New York in Winter. Even the pigeons are wearing little coats and carrying tiny umbrellas while grumbling and waiting for transportation. Rain tends to like the rain, but even this is a bit much. Still, there are chores to do and places to check in on. While there's no Bad Advice Siren or hellpigs or what have you, it's always wise to keep your eyes out. She doesn't even really fly in this sort of weather - not that she would fly openly on her broomstick. An inquisition would probably ensue. She has a scarf on instead of her usual bandana, though, hilariously, it's a blue one which really sticks out against her black coat. Harvey the imp isn't with her for now. She had things to do(TM).
And maybe some tea or chai along the way might be nice. She even debates a pastry. For now, she decides to head into the place, zipping neatly towards the line. She smiles politely at people in passing, her violet eyes a bit watery from the cold. Still, there was a curious glance to folks around. Rain cannot hide her magical aura - if one can sense such things, though she pauses, looking curious.
Magical auras, instant conversation starters! ... well, as long as one can detect them. Terry's own senses for detection lean more towards pursuits of the mind -- or minds would be more accurate. Other peoples', to be perfectly specific. Not that he tries, but if he did his attempts would be rewarded with the mental equivilant of keyboard mashing for the most part... at least, unless the brain he was probing had fear on it's forefront. Like that one fellow who'd almost managed to chase him from his seat. A tax cheat, fearful of an upcoming audit. Terry didn't know how it made sense, but parts of him were preparing to recite tax code verbatim at the man and demand receipts for his charitable donations.
Thankfully, the man was getting his coffee to go, meaning the teenager could keep his to stay. Truth be told, he's quite contented minding his own business - sitting alone at the little table (with one of the few open seats left!) with his drink. Time and again, the little bell at the door would chime to announce a new customer had arrived to challenge the skill and patience of the baristas, and Terry's eyes would flicker up in a bit of interest. When Rain comes in, she's one his gaze lingers on -- most notably for that scarf. His employer's very fashion conscious afterall, so striking apparel has started to catch his eye. Not that he has anything close to a fashion sense -- at least not yet. Still, he's not speaking up just yet. He's not the most sociable type in the world, afterall.
It's true! Rain has a slight idea of unusual magical things in an area, but she's hardly a mine detector. She does have a mind, despite all arguments and evidence to the contrary. She is unaware of the man who tried to chase Terry from his seat, nor the almost battle averted by coffee to go. She gets her chocolatey chai and turns around, only to find that fate, cruel fate, has cursed the Dire Introvert with a crowded cafe. Ah nuts. Her mishmashed apparel might make someone cringe - although blues and blacks are an interesting mix, even if the blue is a lighter shade. She passes by a person or two, hunting for a table. She stops, avoiding getting a chair to her guts.
Hmmm. Bummer. She furrows her brows. Rain looks a bit lost, and concerned. She brushes past Terry's table, smiling apologetically. "Sorry... trying to find one..." She frets a little, as if interaction were akin to being sent down a hall full of legos barefoot. There's some guilt. She's gonna have to ASK for a seat. Oh, the horror! "Um."
Considering that Terry ran with the goths and emos in high school, he's more likely to approve of the attire nonetheless. Black and blue, to commemorate the bruising of humanity's soul in the day to day transit... or something like that. However, there was something becoming very clear to the boy as the cafe got more and more crowded... his table's status as a one-seater wasn't going to last forever.
The threat of company increased tenfold as someone spoke to him. Brown eyes flicker briefly and the apology is responded to with a polite nod. Then there's... waiting. The dreaded 'um'! Inside, there's a deer in headlights look. This isn't like when Kate had asked him for a seat, he knew her. This was a random stranger walking up and um'ing directly at him. There's silence for several moments before he blinks his eyes and looks straight up at the woman. "... do I have something on my face?"
Rain likely ran with the nerds, but sometimes the goths were okay with the nerds. Poor Terry. Rain is trying not to sit there, but a death glare from a hipster stops her from moving on. She's stuck between a hipster and a Terry. Rain frets a bit. She really is aware of how awkward invading is. But there's a pause. She takes a deep breath. "Well, actually, depending on how one defines the structure of the face, it would likely be your nose," She smiles faintly. Leave it to an engineer. "I'm sorry. I'm looking around for a seat. I don't want to just invade," She admits. She genuinely seems unhappy about the idea of intruding.
"If you see one... that'd be awesome," She frowns. "But if not, would asking get me chucked out the window?" She asks. "Because I ... didn't bring a helmet."
The response catches Terry offguard - and briefly crosseyed as his eyes try and seek out the intruding nose -- just to see if there's anything on it, and he even rubs at it briefly to make sure there's not when he realizes he can't actually see it very well. Once that's done, however and the true request becomes irrevocably clear, there's another couple moments of silence before he responds. "I don't see one, no... and I'm afraid I can't afford to chuck anyone out a store window on /my/ salary, so I think you're safe for now."
His delivery is pretty deadpan, but there's a slight chuckle as he extends a hand to the open seat. "You can sit, just no life stories or scary movies, 'cause that's not a couch, this" jiggling the coffee cup in his hands a bit. "... ain't a notepad, and I ain't a shrink. Those guys are overpaid enough as it is to have someone else do their work."
Rain looks apologetic. She smiles faintly. "Thank you," She nods. She is polite enough to know that asking a fellow introvert to sit is a pretty big deal. She's thoughtful, just incredibly awkward. She tilts her head. "Well, that depends on if you could say I provoked you into throwing me out of the window. In which case, I suspect you'd be fine," She notes quietly. "Not that I'd want that..." She holds up her free hand. She will carefully take the seat, looking to Terry.
"Um. Do people normally do that?" An eyebrow lifts. "It would sort of weird me out to give my whole life story to a person I didn't know... and I guess kind of rude, because information can be a burden, too," She considers. A shrug and a smile. "I can do that. Thank you. I go by Rain, by the way," Note that she doesn't say it's her name. But something- she kind of tilts her head at Terry, furrowing her eyebrows. There's a definite look of there's /something/ about that dude across her face. She hides it by frantically taking a sip of her chai.
The first part of Rain's commentary brings a couple more blinks of surprise from Terry. "You must think you're pretty pleasant company if you're giving me tips on how to avoid paying for the window, Miss. Either that, or you don't think I look strong enough to do it." he replies. There's a slightly friendlier tone in his voice, though. She's proving herself the former so far, he'll see if that continues. To the latter, however...
"Not really, no." he shakes his head slightly, head dipping down for a sip of the coffee. "It doesn't happen normally, but it /has/ happened before, and I'd rather it not again so I figure, best to be upfront. It was that or hold up a sign that says 'Stranger Non-Fiction not welcome here', and I've already got to carry this," tapping the courier's tube at the side of the table. "Most places as it is." If she's looking at him curiously, well, Terry's not thinking too much about it right now. He's fairly accustomed to strange looks!
"I don't know... if I deserve to be chucked out a window, it seems unfair to make someone else pay for it," Rain points out. She smiles and sips her drink. She seems a little amused, but mostly glad his voice seems friendlier. She glances down, violet eyes less watery than before. She tilts her head, listening to his comment about stranger non-fiction. She hms softly. "I see. You're a courier then?" At least she's kind enough not to call him an errand boy or a messenger, right? "That or you like tubes," She considers. "They are kind of an elegant shape - certainly a sturdy structure. I liked them in the shop, anyway," She fiddles with the little cardboard cup holder around her cup.
She is odd, but friendly. "What should I call you, then?" A peer over.
"Rain." he acknowledges belatedly. To those who know him better, it's a sign that someone's moved out of his prickly, 'let me snark at you and see if you go away' exterior and into acceptance. "I'm Terry. You're probably the best person here to share a table with, so there will be no window-chucking tonight." A compliment? Well, it could be taken that way at least. "...and yeah, I'm a courier. Have been for almost a month now. It's not the world's most glamarous work, but I could be doing worse things. Like /customer service./" With a cringe he jabs his thumb towards one of the baristas. The one wearing the big fake smile that looks like she loves her job, but in all likelihood probably does not. "Or worse yet, be unemployed." Pause. "No, her job's still worse than that."
"Terry," Rain replies, with a little smile. She doesn't seem to mind or notice. But she does appreciate him being at least polite. "Thanks. I appreciate it," She nods. "And that's fine. Some people enjoy it for the whole not being shackled to a desk, mop or register," She notes. She looks sympathetic to the poor barista. "I think I'd enjoy making drinks, but it's the customers that get you," She notes wryly. She sips her drink and looks thoughtful. "I enjoy helping people, but I'm not sure retail counts as helping," She admits. "So... yeah. Sixth circle of hell and all, this one," She pauses. "At least it's not the one with fire. Would you like a pastry or anything in thanks?"
"My thoughts exactly. I like coffee, I like drinking coffee, but people who drink coffee? Not my cup of tea, for the most part anyways." he can think of a couple exceptions -- if he was truthful about it, most people that don't drink the super-fancy coffees were at least tolerable. "You do retail, then? I'm sorry. Black Friday must've been awful." he cringes at the very thought of it. After a moment he's about to respond to her offer of thanks, mouth opening... when his watch starts beeping at him. "... as good as that sounds, duty calls. I'll catch you around sometime though, alright?"
"That's true," She offers quietly. "And oh no, I don't. But I enjoy helping - I just don't think I could handle doing retail," Rain clarifies. She smiles. "That sounds good. I shouldn't keep you from your work. And yes, Black Friday was awful period. Almost died," Sigh. Whether she's figurative or literal... it's hard to say. But there's definitely something meaningful to it. Maybe it's a hint and she's watching his reaciton. "Stay safe out there. I almost got run over earlier."
Terry's brows both arch at the comment regarding Black Friday. "Yeah, they're pretty rough out there when deals are at stake, heh. Makes me thankful for the internet." He leaves that at that, though -- he was smart enough not to go outside on the blackest of days. "...and thanks, I'll try!"
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