ArchivedLogs:Mainline Sugar

Mainline Sugar
Dramatis Personae Rasa Eric Jack
In Absentia	2015-07-04 Part of the Buzzkill TP
Location <NYC> Evolve Cafe - Lower East Side
Spacious and open, this coffeeshop has a somewhat industrial feel to it, grey resin floors below and exposed-beam ceilings that have been painted up in a dancing swirl of abstract whorls and starbursts, a riot of colour splashed against a white background. The walls alternate between brick and cheerfully lime-green painted wood that extends to the paneling beneath the brushed-steel countertops. There's an abundance of light, though rather than windows (which are scarce) it comes from plentiful hanging steel lamps. The walls here are home to plentiful artwork available for sale; though the roster of prints and paintings and drawings and photographs changes on a regular basis it has one thing in common -- all the artists displayed are mutants. The seating spaced around the room is spread out enough to keep the room from feeling cluttered. Black chairs, square black tables that mostly seat two or four though they're frequently pushed around and rearranged to make space for larger parties. In the back corner of the room is more comfortable seating, a few large black-corduroy sofas and armchairs with wide tables between them. There's a shelf of card and board games back here available for customers to sit and play. The chalkboard menus hanging behind the counter change frequently, always home to a wide variety of drinks (with an impressive roster of fair-trade coffees and teas largely featured) though their sandwiches and wraps and soups and snacks of the day change often. An often-changing variety of baked goods sit behind the display case at the counter halfway back in the room, and the opposite side of the counter holds a small selection of homemade ice creams. A pair of single-user bathrooms flanks the stairway in back of the cafe; at night, the thump of music can be heard from above, coming from the adjoining nightclub of the same name that sits up the stairs above the coffeehouse. July 4th means a busy day, both for the club upstairs of the Evolve cafe, and for the other members of the New York Police Department. The afternoon is just preparation, though -- the beginning of a very long day. If the grass and dirt stain up the left side of his uniform is any indication, Eric's day has not been a short one, and it is certainly not near to over. Standing in line for coffee, Eric looks tired. Bags under his eyes, one eye half-closed tired. He lifts a hand and stares up at the menu, blearily. "Can I have a mocha? With... four shots of espresso?" He hesitates for a moment, eyebrows furrowing. "Better make it five." After yesterday, Jack had almost forgotten about today's holiday. He's in a pretty energized mood as he enters Evolve. In jeans, a lightweight hoodie, and some comfortable sneakers, he heads over to wait in line. Taking his hood down along the way, the invisible teen blinks a few times when he spots Eric ahead of him and offers an unseen smile. "Hey," he greets, waving a sleeve. "You do know that it's not going to help and you're just going to end up with a full bladder," Rasa replies, a skeptical look pulling at hir features as she takes his money anyway. "But sure. One quintuple mocha. You want that in a triple large cup? Otherwise you're not going to get a lot of milk in your mocha. Just espresso and chocolate syrup." Ze waves a larger cup, reading hir marker to scribble his drink information on it. Ze is wearing a bright red tank top with a few scrolling black tattoos that seem to move like ink in water. Ze lifts hir other hand and waves to Jack. "I can pray." Eric mutters, darkly. "All I can do is but pray that the gods of caffeine will have mercy on my poor, innocent soul, and give me consciousness. And a full moon tonight, on top of the fourth. Christ, please, caffeine gods, have mercy." Eric glances back and blinks blearily at the empty sleeve. His forehead wrinkles slightly, head tilting to the side as the gears in his head grind together. Clothes + Body = Person. Clothes - Body = ????. "Uh. Oh. Hi. Hi Jack." Eric gets it, eventually. "Hi." He turns back to face Rasa, pouting. "And a cinnamon bun." Hearing another familiar voice, Jack leans slightly to the side and perks up when he spots Rasa. Another wave is offered before Jack catches the talk of caffeine. He winces a little and rubs the back of his neck. "Hopefully things will be getting better on that front..." he trails off. "Maybe sooner rather than later," he adds. "Busy day?" he asks Rasa next. "Hey, where the caffeine fails, the sugar content should help push you over the edge." Rasa returns Eric's change to him and turns to hand the cup over to the barista and turns to get his cinnamon bun. "Oh? You know Jack? Jack, you haven't gotten yourself arrested recently, have you?" There's a pause where Rasa considers what hir former classmate just said and takes a deep breath. "Wait. You've cracked the case?" "The case?" Eric blinks, confusion spreading across his face. He tugs out his wallet again, glancing at the bills in it. "Uh. Oh. I already paid, didn't I?" Eric picks up the coffee and takes a deep, deep sip, ignoring the burning sensation in favor of the sweet, sweet sugar. "It's been one of those days." He lifts the mug in a salute, picking up the bun in the other hand. "Arrested? Case? What's going on?" Jack laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thankfully no arrests. We've just met here before," Jack replies, stepping up to the counter. He shakes his head in reply to Rasa's question, pauses, and pulls his hood back up. "No, not cracked," he replies. He glances to Eric and lowers his voice before answering. "I haven't cracked anything but I think I might have a...lead on what might be causing the caffeine troubles." "Yeah, you paid. Sorry. It's the lack of caffeine," Rasa slides the plated cinnamon roll closer and rest an elbow on the counter. "A lead, how wonderful. If you can blow this thing wide open, peacefully, then I think the city will sigh a breath of relief." Ze gives him a wink and then straightens up. "Glad to hear it was a peaceful meeting." "A lead? On what's causing the problems with caffeine?" Eric blinks several times, and his eyes focus on Jack. "Tell you what. You point me in the right direction, and I don't think there's a single member of the law enforcement community who would investigate them getting shot and killed, no matter how much they hate me." Eric's smile lilts to one side, tearing a piece of the cinnamon bun off with one hand and plopping it into his mouth. "Forget peacefully -- no caffeine means some bastard's gotta die." "Peaceful is what I'm hoping for," Jack confirms. "Me too," he adds about the meeting. Eric's reaction has Jack shifting awkwardly. "Uh...I'd rather avoid shootings," he mutters. "Especially since I'm not sure if this is going to be a dead end or not yet." "Come on, settle down. What if it's someone who can't control themselves. Helping them out is more important in the long run," Rasa chides, hir brow furrowing and gaze growing dark. "I need caffeine like the next person, but violence is not the answer." Ze bites hir lip then looks to Jack. "Can I get you anything? You know, food or beverage wise? I could help you talk to the person too, maybe." "Violence is definitely the answer," Eric mutters, eyebrows furrowing together. "This whole city is going to grind to a complete halt if we can't wake up sometime soon." Eric takes a sip of his coffee and then stuffs more of the cinnamon bun into his mouth, greedily. He takes a chaser of coffee and lets out a long sigh. "If caffeine doesn't work, I'll just need to keep mainlining sugar all night." "Oh," Jack nods. He glances up at the menu quickly and then places an order for a smoothie. "Thanks, Rasa," he says, A sigh then comes from the teen and he gives Eric a look. "I'm not...if it comes to it and we have to get violent, sure. But if we can solve things without anyone getting hurt, I think we should try," he says. "I know things are bad...and that's why I'm trying to help figure everything out," he explains. He's quiet a moment, glancing around to make sure no one's listening in before speaking again. "I think a kid might be involved. Maybe a mutant but...I don't think it'd do anyone any good if it gets out that a mutant is causing all this if that's what it turns out to be." "Really? So we lose the moniker 'the city that never sleeps.' People will adjust to life without caffeine. Shit." Rasa rings up Jack's order and turns to fetch the smoothie for him a moment later. Ze grabs a straw and puts it on the counter, hands gripping the edge when they are free. "Maybe it's some asshole creating a fucked up electrical field or by products from a new experimental substance at one of the universities. Or maybe someone is trying to frame mutants." Ze doesn't sound as if ze believes it hirself. Eric rolls his eyes and shakes his head. He leans back against the counter, glancing back at Rasa with a mischevious grin on his face. "No, shit. I figured it was a human somehow making all the caffeine stop working." He raises an eyebrow at Jack. "What else would it be, if not a mutant?" He takes another bite of his cinnamon bun, chewing it thoughtfully. "Talk about a terrible mutant power, man. Shit. I gotta tell you, if it is someone who is doin' this all on purpose, I'm gonna visit high holy fury on their asses." Jack fishes his wallet out of his pocket as Rasa rings up his order. He hands hir the cash and makes a thoughtful noise. "That's some things I considered too. Some kind of technology maybe," he says, not sounding too convinced either. "There might be a line to visit all that fury," he remarks with a little chuckle. "Yeah, well." Rasa draws in a deep breath and grabs a wash cloth and starts wiping down the counter first, then gets out from behind the cash register and starts bussing a couple tables, carrying the dishes to a waiting tray on a cart. "Just... try not to kill the wrong person, yeah? It's probably better that way." "Considering how much caffeine is in my blood, I'll do my best, but no promises." Eric's smile is a teasing one, but when he straightens up to drain the rest of the hot coffee with a wince, his posture sags slightly. "Man, I'm going to be happy when this is all over and I can go back to enjoying my god-given caffeine. Until then... onwards and upwards." He lifts his mug in a salute to the two of them and grins, grabbing his cinnamon bun in one hand and carrying his dishes over to the cart with the other. "God speed, you two. Happy fourth." "Don't worry. I'm going to try to avoid even getting close to hurting anyone. Definitely no killing," Jack replies with a nod. "Good luck," he offers to Eric, lifting his smoothie in a little salute. "I'll see you later too," he offers to Rasa, preparing to head back out as well. Rasa raises hir free hand and gives a little wave. "Happy fourth."