ArchivedLogs:Escaping the Noise

Escaping the Noise
Dramatis Personae Hive, Sage
In Absentia	2014-02-26 '
Location <NYC> Montagues - SoHo
Montagues harkens back to the day when SoHo was filled to the brim with artists, with its mismatched furniture, all plush and decorated heavily with carved wood, but remains trendy enough to keep its newer patrons by making sure that furniture is clean, in good repair and inviting. The antique tables all have been reinforced to seem less creaky. The real draw of the cafe is the smell: fresh roasted coffee mingles with perfectly steeped teas. Spices from crisp pastries mingle with the tang of clotted cream but don't overwhelm too much the scent of chalk on the menu boards. It's the late afternoon. Clear outside, but still rather cold. Sage is currently waiting in line at Montagues. Place has a good amount of patrons right now, though it's certainly not packed. She's watching something on ATHENA, humming softly. Sage is dressed in a plain black hoodie, grey jeans, and a pair of converse, along with her glasses, ATHENA. The door opens with a slow push; Hive trudges in more slowly still, only semi-bundled against the cold. Fleecey-warm hat pulled down over his ears though his tatty canvas jacket looks kind of inadequate for the cold, as do his duct-taped-together shoes and threadbare jeans. There's a scarf wound around his neck, bare hands shoved into his pockets as he trudges his way slowly into line. "... Oh. I know you." Recognition comes slowly, his eyes narrowing on Sage. "S'that interesting?" Sage pauses at the voice behind her. "Hello, Hive.". She doesn't turn to look at him, but this is usual for her. Her mind is focusing on everything in the room at once, and doing it rather flawlessly, along with her video. "What are you talking about?". "About your --" Hive waves his fingers towards Sage's glasses. "Your -- your." He makes a quiet disgruntled noise, digging the heel of his hand against his eye. "Space. Thing." "How were you aware what I was watching?". This is actually more amusing for Sage than upset. The screen is quite hard to see, afterall, it placed firmly on her eyes. Line moves up. "Yes, it is a documentary. I have not seen it yet so I downloaded it this morning before classes." "I read your mind." Hive's voice is offhand-dry, his answer given so casually that in other circumstances it might seem like a flippant /dismissal/ of the question. He shuffles forward when the line does, resting a hand against the back of a nearby chair in passing -- this would /also/ seem casual if not for the hard grip of his fingers, the heavy way his weight slumps against his arm. "What's it you teach, again?" "Ah.". Sage nods simply, but Hive will definitely notice active psionic defenses pulling up as things are being shuffled back into her mind. A small glance at Hive and back. "Are you alright? I teach Computer Science and I run the Mock Trial club at the Institute." "Not on purpose," Hive adds absently. "People just tend to think loud. Whole damn city's loud as fucking hell. -- Oh. Nerd squad. Right. B probably likes you, then." His brows pull together. "-- Alright? I dunno. I'll be alright after some gorram caffeine. Few more hours of work to get through, y'know?" Sage nods. "Sebastian is a very bright student. He has quite a future ahead of him, I would say.". Line moves up again. "The city is quite noisy, yes. I do not share your powerset but I do have similar problems that someone like you might have. Crowded places give me a range of migraines, nosebleeds, and seizures." "That sounds like a /pack/ of no fun." Hive grimaces, staying leaning where he is when the line moves until the person behind him clears their throat rather pointedly. He pushes himself upright reluctantly, shuffling a few unsteady steps forward. "Yeah, I can relate on the migraines front." His grimace deepens, and for a moment it seems like he might add something else on this topic but then just shakes his head. "-- I hope he's got a future ahead of him. This fucking country these days you never know. One of the most goddamn brilliant people I've met -- and I know a lot of brilliant fucking people -- and half the time all anyone looks at is that he's blue." "It is not fun.". Sage is second in line now. "Tony Stark seems to see his potential, even if he is an arrogant bastard.". Sage tilts her head, replying. "People are bigots. They always have been, they always will be." "I imagine most billionaires are arrogant bastards." Hive says this with an amused smirk, head shaking slightly. "Either it's how they got there or -- fuck, man, I'd be arrogant as fucking hell if I had billions of dollars to --" He stops here, reconsidering his words: "... shit nevermind I'm poor as shit and I'm already an arrogant bastard." He snorts at Sage's last reply. "Depressing. But. True." Sage advances into the front of the line, ordering a coffee. "You think very highly of yourself, Mr. Hive.". A mental tiny grin, which fades quick. "This was a pleasant conversation, thank you.". And then she's off with her drink. "I told you," Hive answers cheerfully, flicking his fingers towards himself in indication as he sidles up to the counter. "Arrogant bastard." He lifts his hand to his head, touching two fingers to his forehead in a casual salute to Sage as she heads off. "You have a good one." There's more of a smile on his face than there was before, as he orders his coffee.