ArchivedLogs:Creepy

Creepy
Dramatis Personae Corey, Doug, Selene
In Absentia	2014-01-13 '
Location <NYC> Busboys and Poets - East Harlem
A quiet, artsy spot nestled away on a side street in East Harlem, Busboys and Poets combines cafe and bookstore in a way a Starbucks tacked on to a Barnes & Noble could never achieve. The food is a solid, multi-national cuisine menu that caters to all kinds of dietary choices, and its fair-trade tea menu is extensive. Its weekend brunch tends to draw a large crowd, but there is ample enough seating both at tables and on its many comfortable armchairs and couches that at other times of the week there is never a wait. The walls are adorned with the work of local artists, and tucked in among and alongside the couches are rows upon rows of books, with a definite slant towards the political and the bohemian. The rain has stopped, finally, leaving New York cold, but drier. The combination of the (mildly) higher temperature and the clear weather has most of the cabin-crazed out and moving around the city in droves. The only place they don't seem to be congregating today are in the coffeeshops, who will likely report an uptick in 'to-go' orders. The lack of patrons taking up residence was perfect for Doug, who's commandeered a fourtop for his own use, and spread out accordingly. Dressed in jeans and a button-down white shirt under a blue sweater-vest, the teenager looks almost professional as he works. A mix of college text books and technincal manuals litter his table around his open laptop, in addition to a well-nursed cup of coffee and a plate that probably had a hamburger on it at some point. They're going largely ignored as the blonde taps away at his keyboard, as is the fact that the restaurant-slash-bookstore is starting to slowly fill up around him. Making his own way into the shop, Corey seems more interested in books as he heads for the shelves rather than coffee right away. Wearing a hunter green hoodie zipped partially up, over top a grey teeshirt and a pair of jeans, he seems to be going for a relaxed look if nothing else, or he just grabbed whatever was clean from the laundry pile. Looking over a lined yellow page with some hand scribbled notes over it, he skims over the shelves looking for a book. Frowning as he doesn't seem to find what he's looking for, he starts to head to the coffee section to grab something to drink for the way home when he sees Doug. Recognizing the man despite the more professional looking attire he was wearing, he offers a wave to the other fellow. As Selene enters the shop herself, she's heading for the coffee part..AND THEN STOP. She's completely turning towards Corey, his power just HUNGERING HER. Sensing all the life, she bites her lip, hungered even though she has recently eaten. She's dressed in a black peacoat, trousers, and boots, and is heading towards Corey's direction, ignoring her goal of obtaining coffee. Selene hasn't even performed her scans on anyone else, Corey's just. BECKONING FOR HER. Selene begins scanning him, as she speaks, calmly. "What book were you looking for?". As Corey waves to Doug, Selene's also sending a brief surface probe on him as well, and then beginning her probes on other people, but still focused mostly on Corey's delicious life scent. Doug doesn't see Corey at first, wrapped up in his work as he is. When he does look up, his gaze seems a bit distant for a moment before he spots the other man waving at him. He offers a grin, and a wave in return, tipping his head a bit to take in the other man. "Hey, stranger!" When Selene approaches him, he wrinkles his nose, his momentary thrill-happy quashed by the reminder of the big man's unavailability. There's a bit of curiosity about the woman, and her clear brashness in speaking to Corey, but it fades as he starts typing again, pushing his mind to his work. As he engages the computer, his thoughts take on a staticky buzz, and suddenly his mindscape is full of lines of code that are probably indecipherable but clearly are some sort of communication. Of a sort. Corey smiles at the wave back, then blinks as the lady comes up to question him. His eyes pass over the woman, his thoughts parsing through a moment of confusion before he settles on polite friendliness. "Oh, do you work here ma'am? I was looking for a book for my class. Just figured I'd support local business first." He holds up the slightly crumpled paper to her showing an anatomy text book and isbn. "I hadn't seen it, so I figured I'd just order online." He offers a slight shrug, and his mind goes back to the friend he had seen. "Thank you for your help though. I appreciate it." Offering another smile, he starts moving over towards Doug. When Corey nears his table, Doug seems to sense it, and he looks up. The lines of code in his head disappear even as Selene withdraws her contact, and he offers a wide grin for the older man. "Hey, Corey," he says, and moves a few books to clear the space directly in front of him while he keeps his gaze on the other man. "Haven't seen you in a while. Glad to see you came through all right." He doesn't say through /what/ -- it's pretty much a given what he's referring to. Selene's approach is likewise noted, although there's a narrowing of the teenager's eyes as he watches her come closer. "Who's your friend?" Pausing before he takes the cleared space, Corey looks back to the woman as she continues querying. "Oh yes, for my classes. Emergency response stuff." He offers her a smile, though his mind runs questioning a moment on why she's interested, but he doesn't drop the polite friendliness. He does however pull out the seat that Doug has made more available, and gives the man a nod. "Yeah I made it. Ended up volunteering with some of the groups helping out. Safer for me, and volunteering and all was good for me. I like it, and well, natural talents as it were." Selene is now pulling an ability scan off Corey, to see what she's dealing with. After getting it, she's more intrigued, but now understands more or less why his life force is so appealing. A mental voice enters Corey's mind, no noticable source or exact sound to it. << Your life force. It smells delicious. >>. At the same time, Selene is heading to the coffee part of the shop, ordering herself a single black, before talking back to Corey. "Hmm, sounds like a very good thing you're doing, you'll probably help a lot of people. I've unfortunately never done such a thing, though volunteering sounds like it could be fun. I'm Selene.". She's just standing and drinking her coffee, close enough to speak. "Nice to meet you." "Oh, yeah," Doug says, nodding his head. "You're studying to be an EMT or something, right?" He grins, and leans back, his frame relaxing noticeably as Corey settles himself. "It got kind of hairy in my building, too," he nods. "But I didn't get out and do any actual volunteering. I just sort of hid out, and tried not to die." His grin disappears, replaced with a tight line pulled to one side. When Selene introduces herself, the blonde's gaze shifts back to the woman, and she's given another long look before he nods. "Doug," he says politely. "Charmed, I'm sure." It's said without any attached emotion; exactly the sort of polite social response one gives a woman of Selene's clear status. Then he's turning back to Corey, offering the man his full attention. "So aside from surviving and being a big damn hero, how have you been?" "Well trying to at least. Classes got a bit disrupted by ya know," Corey gestures to the world, "hairy as you said. And well, your place was better off in hiding there. My place is a cheap slum, and well when I came back to it the door had gotten chopped off the hinges or so." He seizes up a moment, his body language shut down though his eyes were wide open. <<Hello?>> He passes his gaze over the others for a moment, blinking before he visibly tries to relax. His mind counts down from ten as he nods. "I'm Corey. And its not really a big damn hero, just realizing where my talents lay, and trying to make up the time already lost on it." << The scent. The life force. I want to feast on it all. I want it to become mine. >>. The bland voice calls forward again, as Selene nods to what Corey is saying. "'Big damn hero'? What exactly did you do during the apocalypse that is so amazing, Mister Corey?. I was bunkered in my penthouse, so I can't be called a hero, sadly.". She sighs, taking another sip of her coffee. << Life force. Your life force. Give it to me. >>. Though she doesn't show it with body language, Selene is enjoying this little game, but plans on leaving shortly for plans. "That's quite horrible. Did you get the door replaced, atleast?" Doug's brow furrows when Corey seizes up, and he leans forward with a concerned look. "Hey, you okay?" he asks, looking over at the counter as if that might magically summon the waitstaff. When the other man begins to relax, so does Doug, and he exhales heavily. "Dude. You totally blanked out there. Scared me." He leans back, then, and frowns in Selene's direction. "He was out helping people," he explains for the woman. "Which, as you pointed out, is more than you or I did. So he's /kind/ of a big damn hero." His expression for Corey is mildly apologetic. "I was only teasing, anyway." His shoulders roll in a shrug, and he winks at the older man. "Well, half-teasing." <<Go Away>> Corey thinks back as he clenches a fist under the table, before another exhale, though the pause is there for Dougs eyes. "I don't know. But no, its not heroic to help people. It's compassionate, but I'm sure some people would just as gladly say that one helps others for their own benefit." He offers a smile, but its not showing in his eyes. "Just depends which philosophy one holds to, utilitarianism, deontology, consequentialism or the like. We do what we do for the reasons that we do it. It fills a need, just like eating or drinking does, no?" << Life force, life force. Delicious delicious life force. MAKES ME HUNGRY. >>. The voice continues to taunt and taunt, as Selene nods, still having her mainly bland expression. "I'm not one for philosophizing, sadly. Anyways, I must run. Nice meeting the two of you.". She tips her head, as the voice shouts again. << HUNGRY, HUNGRY. >>. It's still shouting even after Selene's left the store, but stops after a few minutes, once Selene is completely out of range. Doug raises an eyebrow at that brief pause, but he doesn't acknowledge it, opting instead to take part in the conversation he offers. "You were helping people during zombies," he points out. "Which is a /little/ bit heroic. Whatever your motivation. And it was good of you to do it." He nods at Selene as she takes her leave, and offers a polite smile. "The pleasure was all ours, I'm sure," he says in a tone just as bland as the woman's expression. "Have a good day." He waits until the woman is out of the shop before he turns back to Corey and offers a bemused grimace. "Dude. What was /that/?" <<Get thee behind me Demon!>> Corey's mind shouts, cycling through the twenty third psalm in his head, a look of concentration on his face. He barely registers the woman leaving, though he lets out a sigh when the creepy thing in his head diminishes. Only then does he realize that Doug is there looking at him. "Something was wanting to eat me. Like Sam and Dean, Supernatural kind of eat me. I mean, with everything the way it is, why not demons?" He lets out a sigh shaking his head. "I mean, you didn't hear it, and the lady didn't notice anything either.... Or were you not referring to that as /that/..." He looks embarassed and shakes his head. Doug's bemusement turns to concern at Corey's response, and he frowns deeply. "Wait. Something was wanting. To eat you?" He looks around the shop, furrowing his brow. "In here? That can't be good." Corey's postulation as to what it might be gets a snort of an almost-laugh. "Probably more a mutant than a demon. Maybe someone playing a joke." He seems a little tense, though, and he shakes his head. "I was talking about that lady," he clarifies. "She was kind of weird, even for a society chick." "Yeah something was wanting to. Or was saying it wanted to, up here," Corey says tapping his head. "I didn't see anything, but yeah was creepy." He frowns, and blinks looking a bit sheepish as Doug talks about Selene. "Er, it happens now and then. Ladies or guys wanting to help me out and sticking around abit." He runs a hand through his hair, chuckling a little awkwardly. "She didn't leave a number at least? So maybe she wasn't really serious." He shrugs and sighs a bit deflated. "I don't really feel like being out though after whatever it was. I think I'll head for home, somewhere quiet. Don't want to freak anyone else out if whatever it was comes back." "Ugh," Doug says, wrinkling his nose. "I'm getting a little tired of creepy. I'm looking forward to some old-fashioned /pleasant/, if it ever comes." His tone says he doesn't think this is a big possibility. When Corey explains about Selene, Doug's grin turns a bit sly. "I bet that /does/ happen a lot," he murmurs. Then he straightens, and digs for his phone. "Speaking of numbers, let me get yours," he says. "We can hang out sometime or something." When the digits are secured, Doug nods sympathetically for Corey's need to go. "Hey, I understand," he says, leaning back in his chair. "I hate that feeling after creepy stuff happens. I'll call you later." He watches as the other man leaves, and then shakes his head with a chuckle as he turns back to his work.