2014.01.10 - Three coffees please

Coffee. Coffee was a wonderful thing for the teenaged crowd, providing that caffiene buzz that helped out with getting through the daily grind, without the illegality or cost of other things that might provide a similar dose of survival. It was a fairly busy business day on a fairly cold evening, but there were still empty tables here and there.
Terry was still recovering, himself, having gone out on a limb... had the limb snap, break, and fall. Into a 'pile of leaves' of sorts, but nonetheless, the young man still needed a pick-me-up. Which is why he was at the counter, having placed his order... just waiting on it to arrive.
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Coffee was vegan, right? 
 
At least 'lina hoped so. Just in case, however, she'd be going for the coffee without any additives. Having met Julie recently, she had given an invite to the other young woman to meet here, during the cool of this evening. At least the snow wasn't storming outside like normal. Although cold was less of a concern for Karolina than most. 
 
With her bracelet on, however, she /did/ get colder, and her dress reflected that. Hobo jacket - nice and warm, but it was a couple sizes too large for her, and thick and heavy - sweatpants worn under jeans, snow boots, and a scarf to boot. Stepping into the cafe - there was a bit of nervous tension for her. She didn't quite have a cell phone, being essentially homeless and all, so she couldn't text or anything. Standing by the side of the door, she does notice Terrance at the counter, and waves - torn between the choices of waiting where she was, or going to see him.
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Caffeine was what could be considered a launcher in the morning - even to Julie after a cold night. Since planes had been canceled throughout the last week (and her job as a stuntwoman delayed because of the same weather stuff that kept the planes down), she had stayed in New York instead of taking the plane on Monday. To get away from the family for once, she had decided to go out for breakfast - which brought her to the coffee shop to get her dose of caffeine. AS she entered she glanced over the offered drinks before she lined to order, deciding upon a white hot chocolate-mocha with what they call fairy dust-sparkles, but which indeed were just colorful sugar sprinkles.
Of course coffee was vegan - as long as it was served without milk and only sugar. When was K or Lucy be to arrive again? Taking a look to her clock, Julie pondered, looking around. No sign of sparkly rainbow colors, but then again, likely she would not sparkle at that moment. A pitty. Brushing through her strawberry blonde hair she eyed around once more, her eyes falling first on Terry at the counter, then on Karolina close to the door. She knew the one for sure, the other seemed to remember her of someone. Was it Lucy? "hey Terry." she greeted the one, eying the girl at the entry again before she lifted the hand to call a bit attention "Lucy?"
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While he'd originally left the Terminal in order to be alone for a while - there were members enough of the team to keep an eye on Eddie, and even the younger boy he'd been looking after still reminded him of the fact that he'd hit a roadblock in his path, so... not being there seemed a good idea. Still, being alone didn't seem like a possibility given how many people were around... so instead the boy clad in the usual black-on-black attire opted instead for the familiar as faces started showing up.
Karolina's seen first, and Terry returns her wave -- moments before leaning over and telling something to the barista who handed him his coffee. Naturally, he takes /his/ black. Once he pulls back away, he spies another familiar face in Julie... and points to her, then signals two fingers to the barista. Yep. Paying for both of their drinks, when they choose to order them. "Hey, Julie. Funny running into you again -- not /literally/ this time, thankfully." he offers to Julie first, being the closer of the two. Karolina's the given a wave as if to invite her over -- although the 'Lucy' part gets Julie an odd look. Did she mean...
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Karolina glances to the door when Julie calls out, taking a moment to make /sure/ that it wasn't just... you know. Another blonde haired cuteish young woman. "Yeah, I'm Lucy!" Karolina calls - but then she pauses a moment, glancing from Julie to Terrance, and then back again, a bit of crimson coloring her cheeks. "Without all the..." Karolina opens her hand, several silver rings on her fingers catching the light as she waves her hand in front of her face, open palmed. Oh, dear. Both people with secrets she wasn't sure she wanted to share with each other, or they could find out more about /her/ before she was ready. 
 
'lina didn't like keeping secrets nearly as much as she had to since she first began running away, and she was visibly more nervous due to this, chewing on her lower lip. 
 
"Hey, Terry," says Karolina when he steps over, glancing to the door as the darkly dressed teen approaches, before lowering her voice, as if to whisper to him, "You didn't /have/ to buy drinks. I guess I did share my pizza, but, Mol... my friend ended up just eating all of the rest anyways."
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Julie blushed lightly on the running into comment "Better not, as you hold a hot coffee in your hand. That might be actually painful." she remarks before she orders her coffee - sweet as she liked it. As eventually Karolina joined them she lifted her hand to the mouth in a similar manner as K did to wave, just her palm was facing her mouth to seem to cover a slight snicker but indeed try to signal silence "Without the Sparkles and such you use on chat. I guess it's easier to use Julie here rather than this stupid long nickname online." she mused, hoping that story would cover the probably wrong name up a bit. "So you two know each other? Must be a small city this New York." Obviously that was a little joke, considering the 8 million population of NYC and that she had been a citizen of it for quite some time of her life.
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"Fair's fair, ah, Lucy." offers the male, scratching at the back of his head lightly. Was his memory that bad? He could've sworn her name was... shaking it off with a shake of his head, he held up one finger and added, "Besides. You came over here, and I'm /probably/ not the best of company tonight... so consider it a double payback, of sorts." Pause. "...that was really good pizza, though." Terry's gotten it that way again, since.
"Yeeeah.... and then I'd feel even /more/ horrible than I felt about just running into you in the first place." ... and could've felt even worse had he not caught his landing. "Yeah, Lucy and I met a few days ago. She introduced me to the wonders of Veggie Pizza."
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'lina does eventually order her coffee, grilling the barista about the veganness of this or that. Eventually, she ends up with a normal ol' fair trade coffee with soy milk stirred in, holding it between her gloved hands as if to warm herself. "I'm not... really used to being cold, I guess. I was from California before this, and well. Normally, I'm in warmer places?" The lie told on her behalf caused her eyes to drop down and glance to the side, a little bit more awkward nervous touching her demeanor. 
 
"Yeah, we actually met in a pizza place. I was doing the retro arcade thing," she says then. A little bit of a smile manages to creep through her demeanor, and she corrects, "Vegan - not just veggie. It's good pizza that you can feel good about eating!" she enthuses. Although something Terrance said, "Oh? What's the matter?" she asks.
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"Well, seems like next time I need to pay the bill then. To keep it even." Julie answers with a slight smile as she looks out for a place to sit "How about over there? I met her on some NYC Chat where we discussed where to get a good chocolate or coffee which does not break the diets. You didn't told me you are vegan though. I might have mentioned that small Turkish restaurant at 15th/west with its awesome cinnamon tea then. Absolutely without any animal product in it." With a smirk she picked up her cup and went to sit down on the table mentioned a bit earlier. "California, huh? I tried to hit the plane there some days ago, but was stuck due to the weather. It's a bit crazy at the moment, isn't it?"
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"Vegan pizza," Terry echoes, nodding slightly. "The guy at the counter seemed to know what I meant when I was describing it to him, but I'll remember the term next time." Afterall... there /is/ a difference, and it'll probably make for simpler ordering in the future. To Julie, there's a chuckle. "Over there sounds good to me... has enough seats, which is the important part, right?" he adds, before walking over and pausing to pull out both of their chairs with his free hand, before takinghis own.
As far as what the matter was... Terry replied to that with a crinkle of his nose. "You sure you want to know the answer to that one?" In some ways, given the subject matter and company - his failure with women, two attractive women respectively - he's not sure he /wants/ to go into it, either.
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"Do you guys go out to eat a lot?" asks Karolina, looking from Julie to Terry and then back again. "But to be fair - we didn't really have the time to share that part. I... I know you're covering for me, both of you, but, um. We met in Central Park, not really on any chats," Karolina blurts out, apparently terrible at keeping some secrets, "And my name is Karolina. Lucy in the Sky is just what I use when I'm... well..." Karolina bites her lower lip. "... doing stuff," she says, glancing to the ground, then to the side then. "I'm sorry," she adds, seeming incredibly sheepish. 
 
'lina plops into a seat, kinda leaning forward a bit, face in her hands a moment. 
 
"Yeah," she says, kinda embarrassed and muffled sounding through her hands, "I do wanna know the answer to that one." Well, poor Terry would probably not have a shot at at least one of the women at the table due to /things/, but that didn't need to be mentioned out loud.
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"Not really, he run me over a few days before Christmas while we were in Lacey's. But you paied a tab, he did, so next is mine." is all Julie can answer to the question before Karolina bursts out with the truth on the meeting. The mouth open a bit she seems to think about what to say, rolling the name in her mouth once "Karolina..." With a smile Julie eventually adds "it doesn't matter, really. But I hope Terry here can keep a secret. I’ll be right back” she said before she left for the restrooms.
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"Fort Knox, here. No worries about secret keeping -- Lucy in the Sky, huh? Great song by a great band." Terry's a music nerd at heart. Which, knowing a bit more about the meaning behind the song than the average Joe might makes him regard Karolina a bit carefully for a moment... before shaking his head. No, she didn't fit /that/ type.
As for that thing that she wants to know... "Well... I suppose I can go into it then," he replies, taking a sip of his coffee and gazing down into the cup as he speaks. "I've got this friend, you see? She's... she's really great. Very sweet, positively gorgeous, and like a thousand times too good for a guy like me." He's thankful Eddie's not around to disagree with him on the last point. "Another friend talked me into asking her out, but..." a moment to stir the coffee. Yes, he's stirring black coffee. Keeps his hands busy. "...it didn't really go so well." Not as bad as /he'd/ thought, but... still disappointing.
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While not a true music nerd persay - 'lina /was/ a Beatles nerd. "You know about the Beatles?" she chirps - a bit excitedly. There was still residual sheepiness, but while Julie was away, she seemed to be regaining her composure just a bit faster. "And it is a good song. You know about the story behind it? About the woman Lennon wrote the song about?" she asks. A beat, she pauses. "...nevermind that, I suppose, haha. I can /really/ nerd out about the Beatles, though, if you let me. It's not hipster if they're really popular, right?" she says. 
'lina did notice the stirring of the black coffee, but paid it no mind for now, instead taking a sip of her own. "She didn't say yes, I take it," Karolina asks quietly. "Or worse, insulted you as she said no?" she asks.
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"Oh, yeah. I even have a few of their albums on LP." Terry replies, brightening up himself a bit. "Yeah, sure do. I actually did a couple essays back in high school on the Beatles and the meanings behind their songs... believe me, you're not the only one who can nerd out about John, Paul, George and Ringo." ...and /quite/ a few other bands if one lets him. "...and I think they'll always be at least a little hipster, no matter how popular they get."
"Not quite /that/ bad," Terry admits, crinkling his nose again. That one definitely struck a cord with the boy -- all of his problems started because of an insulting rejection. "She didn't even /technically/ say no... but she definitely didn't say yes, and I've got a feeling it's mostly just to spare /my/ feelings that she didn't say no outright. Like I said, really sweet girl."
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"/Really/?" Karolina says, the brightness in her expression and voice obvious. "You wouldn't believe how many of my friends just think I'm goofy about it. Their music, their songs - I dunno. I love them all. What's your favourite album by them?" Karolina says, a little bit of a grin touching her lips. Before she laughs - probably the first time in a while, although Terrance couldn't really know that. "It's hard to be hipster when our moms probably geeked out about them harder than we ever will," says 'lina, taking another sip of her coffee. 
As for insulting rejections? 'lina had one mostly crushing one in her lifetime. So she could understand that. "You felt as though you could really love this girl, and it hurts that she didn't feel the same way towards you?" she asks, kinda swishing her drink around a bit.
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"Mmhmm -- and I'm right there with you, a lot of my friends are nerds for other things... but I love my music, and you /can't/ love music without loving the Beatles." Terry replies, definitely happy to have found a kindred soul in that regard. "Favorite album? God, that'd be like asking me to choose a favorite child, I think... but my /favorite/ would probably be 'Beatles for Sale.' It was the first LP I got -- and it was one of the imports from before it was on sale here in the States." He's going to skip the comment about mothers, though. /That's/ one of his secrets.
"I'll... I'll be honest, Karolina. I'm not sure I'd know love if it got up, smacked me across the face, wrote it's name backwards on my forehead and forced me to look in a mirror." His experience in that department is a big zero. "What I /do/ know, is Kate's a very special girl, and when she decides she's ready, some guy's gonna be really lucky to catch her eye." Then looking up a bit, he offers a sad smile. "So yeah, it does hurt. I knew she was out of my league -- that seems to be my 'type', I guess -- but our friendship's strong enough to take the hit, and I'll get better eventually." ...well, he'll be more himself again, anyways. He's not exactly the eternal optimist!
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Karolina just about gushes, chasing down that with a bit of coffee. "You know what it's like to have favourite children?" she asks, though, a little bit of cheek in her tone. "But you wouldn't believe how jealous I am right now. I had a bunch of their albums on record - back in Cali. I bet all that's gone now, though - sold to some overzealous collector or whatever," says Karolina, kinda waving a hand dismissively, a sigh passing her lips as she shakes her head. 
Whether advertently or not, Terrance had revealed the name of his suitor, and it was a name that... held no meaning to 'lina, and she just kinda gives him a sympathetic look. "Or she values your friendship too much to lose it - she might be the sort of young woman who doesn't make friends easily with the opposite gender," says 'lina, "I know lots of girls like that." 'lina's problem tended towards the opposite. At what he says last, however, 'lina gives him a smile, nodding her head to him. "That's the spirit," she says, "There's /plenty/ of women out there. You just have to find the right one, right? And wade through a sea of rejection on the way there. I think everyone does that," she says. "Not that you're rejectable. But more like... uh... you know how it is. You gotta find the right one, and that takes chances, and time, um..." Okay, 'lina was being sheepish again.
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Terry shakes his head quickly. "No! Well, I mean sort've. My little brother was definitely the favorite when we were growing up. Heck, I even like him better." ... and it was nice to see him not to long ago, even if the boy didn't know Terry had gone to visit. That's how Terry sees his family these days, because his father definitely doesn't want to see him -- and even though his brother might like to, the last thing he wants is for the boy to end up like his mother did. At that point, he might definitely consider doing something drastic.
"Well... I can definitely say she doesn't have problems making friends with guys." Pause. "Although I might be the only one who, uh, swings her way. Y'know." Because at the very least, he knew at least four of said friends did /not./ He doesn't know about the others well enough to hazard a guess. "...and I'm... not exactly the type of guy who can go out and date just anyone. I... it's hard to explain." He had to cut himself off from saying that he has certain needs. Which would have sounded really bad. Especially when the needs he /has/ is someone who could take down the monster inside if it came down to it. Right now, there's been all of one person that's met /that/ standard.
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"I didn't have any brothers or sisters," says Karolina to Terrance, nodding her head at the rest of what he says. All that detail, however, 'lina couldn't quite get. Even if she might see hints of it on occasion in his features. Although the latter half of what he says... "What? You mean they're gay?" says Karolina, her tone of voice a little amused overall. Although she attempts to be kinda nonchalant about it, even as she kinda waves a hand a bit. "Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to be so um... blunt. There are just a lot of... um... gay people in New York, you know. Of all ages," she says, stammering just a bit, deciding to take a sip of coffee as opposed to putting her foot in her mouth any longer. 
 
Although when she thinks about it, any amusement in her features kinda fades away, leaving just a bit of a frown. "You have some girls that you like, some types - I think we all have our types, you know? It's something you wouldn't compromise on at all?" she asks. "Because I get the sense that it isn't a common quality that you're looking for."
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As the gossip went to the topic of ladies, Julie came back from the ladies room, a slight smirk on the face as she witnessed the last sentences. "I see you seem to enjoy yourselves and chatter about people?" she asked somewhat vaguely, although she had caught the words making friends from Terry and the mentioning of gay from Karolina "Isn't it always a problem to find someone you like and then speaking out to them?"
With a slight remembrance about her past crushes she adds after a short break "Or not falling for the wrong ones... You know, those with a sweet sell but rotten on the inside. Never let someone press you into something you do not want or to be someone who you aren't. No matter who he or she is - Friend, family, society... They shall not."
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"If you asked me a few years ago, I probably would've said you were lucky not to have someone share the attention. Now... not so much." He tries not to think of it too often, but it's times like these that he really misses the comforts of family. To the second part, though... "Yeah?" comes out very naturally. While superheroes may not have been something that Terry knew much about before coming into the city, the sexual orientation of a fair number of his teammates was /not/ a new thing for him to encounter. He's about to talk more when Julie shows back up, and a friendly wave is offered.
"Welcome back -- and... well. It's not so much about having girls that I like, I mean... there are a /lot/ of cute girls in this city. This table alone has 'Surf City' ratios. There's just... very few, I think, that I /should/ date... and it's, uh..." He frowns, letting himself dwell on the subject. Even Kate wasn't asked out until he was /sure/ she could take him out. "... complicated, but pretty important that I don't compromise on that. It's... really hard to explain."
Actually, it's extremely easy. Terry is a metamorph. Terry turns into what people fear most. Terry does not have control over his powers and put his own mother in an insane asylum as a result. Terry would never forgive himself if he did that to someone else he got close to... and Terry can't tell any of this to people that he thinks are just two perfectly normal girls. "I... I should get going, I've got work I need to get ready for, and... yeah. I'll see you girls around, okay?"
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Karolina splutters a cough when Julie reappears, a newfound blush dancing on her cheeks. "Well, yeah. I mean - when you find someone special - someone that you can like - I think that's when you should be wariest, I guess. Because it can go /so fast/ that you'll miss the little tells and things that should tell you that they aren't quite right for you, you know?" says Karolina, speaking quickly to cover her little slip. Although she shakes her head a bit. "I think the worse ones aren't the ones that are rotten in the inside, but the ones you think are so ... wonderful, and they are. And they turn out not to like you at all in that way," says Karolina, the blonde kinda lifting one corner of her lip in a little smirk, before she shakes her head. 
 
But Karolina's eyes go to Terrance anyways. "We don't know what we got until it's gone, it sounds like you're saying," says 'lina, nodding her head to him. "Surf City, like the Beach Boys," says 'lina, "Or California, depending on what way you're trying to go with that cleverness," says Karolina. Although she does nod her head, lifting her hand up to wave farewell to him, "Goodbye, alright? It was nice to talk with you again. Um. Say hi if you see me around, I guess?"
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Julie chuckles on the Surf City comment, eying to Karolina for a second "Even if we are packed up in winter cloth? Ok, we both have a leg in California of sorts, so I guess it counts. But what you mean by..." That was when he said he had to go. The question what he meant by complicated went unasked, instead Julie nodded. "Ok Terry, see you around. Just make sure you ask your dreamgirl or -boy and be honest about it, ok?" The boy came with a little wink to him, trying to tell that she wouldn't find it too bad if he was gay or play on both teams. After all love and attraction was something about the person, not just the gender. Even if it was a slip on Karolina's behalf with gay, it didn't matter to her too much.
"Sure Karo, being safe is good, but if you don't ask you can't be safe - so ask, because better safe than sorry, right?" Then Terry is almost gone and she sighs a bit "You think he will be OK? I did not got everything of the talk, but I guess he is in a pretty tight situation. But nevertheless, better not chatter about him when he is not here. That's rude." For a few seconds Julie galls silent, then she looks up to Karo "well, Where in California you used to live? I had worked in Hollywood the last months, but had my flat down in little Bangladesh. Price, you know?"
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"It's a dreamgirl. I'm pretty sure he's straight," says Karolina Dean, "He told me her name, too, but... he should probably be the one to tell you that, but..." Karolina says, giving a little bit of a sigh. "The whole point is that she turned him down. And that made him feel stupid, and not worthy enough to be her standards, and bleah bleah," says 'lina, taking a sip of her coffee. "I guess it is rude to talk about him, but I guess I just told you enough to tell you - I think he'll be fine," says she, bringing up a hand to brush through her hair a bit.
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