ArchivedLogs:Caffeine And Love

Caffeine And Love
Dramatis Personae Charlie Torres, Tag
In Absentia	14 March 2015 '
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. It is /raining/ but at least it's warm. At least it's warm...from the standpoint of people who have been trapped in a particularly cold and snowy winter for months on end. The rain gives Charlie enough of an excuse to be wrapped up from view. A black hoodie is pulled up over her head, on top of a floppy wool hat and loose-long brown hair working to hide her also long ears. A green and black scarf coiled around her neck also half-covers her face as if the day were more bitingly cold and her hands are both gloved and shoved into the hoodie's pockets. The remaining of her visible clothing consists of a pair of dark green, loose-fitting corduroys and what appear to be truly oversized work boots. She checks the name on the place and eyes the interior from a window before finally pulling the door open and making her way into the line. A soft puff of a 'huh' against her scarf greets the appearance of multiple /visible/ mutants tucked here and there at tables, talking in small groups, even behind the counter. Hardly has the door closed than does it burst open again to admit a small figure, dripping wet and breathing hard. He wears cargo pants patterned like verdant tall grass, a sky blue hoodie dotted with white, fluffy clouds, and beneath the hood his brilliant yellow hair flops across one eye. Perhaps it is because of this that he almost collides with Charlie, but he spins out of the way at the last moment and dances around her. "Oh!" He flashes her a bright smile. "Sorry, I'm not cutting ahead of you or anything, go ahead." "Hey, watch it!" serves as Charlie's reflex reaction to someone getting too much up in her personal space. The offer of an apology is almost /confusing/, pulling her up short, head tilting at the /ridiculously/ colourful figure. "You trying to be a landscape or something?" The question comes along with a rather skeptical face...or at least really skeptical eyebrows. The hare-girl hasn't gotten quite comfortable enough to peek out of any of her layers. "The rain started picking up, so I ran," Tag explains, bouncing up onto tip toes and dropping down again. "Didn't keep me dry, but sometimes it's just sort of exhilarating to run in the rain, you know? Possibly I should cut down on the caffeine a little, buuuuut..." His magenta eyes dart to the chalk board. "But, peppermint mocha is the drink of the day! Can't pass that up. Yeah!" He perks up, gesturing at his outfit. "I'm kind of...going for Spring, you know? It's an /optimistic/ look at this point. Are you cold?" "Kinda messing up your sunny look, I guess." Charlie's shoulders shrug up, bunching the fabric of her layered tops. "Pfft, /possibly/? Yeah, seems like it. You bouncing already, not even got the coffee in you yet." Those brows lift, this time, briefly confused by the question. "Cold? Oh...oh not. Really. I'm just not used to...being /out/...in places like this, you know?" She tugs at the scarf, freeing it from her admittedly furry and long-toothed face. "We don't got places like this where I came from. Or...I don't guess a whole lotta places got places like this, huh?" "I'm kind of permanently hopped up on caffeine. Was out Doing A Thing and wanted more." Tag's hands form exaggerated air quotes. "Ohhhh, right, that's...gonna suck in the summertime, yeah?" He bounces up and down a few more times. "Not too many places have anything like Evolve, but New York's a good place to find places. Check out Happy Cakes if you're ever in TriBeCa, it's a full-on bakery that's mutant-friendly." Even while he's saying this, he starts eyeing the dessert case with obvious desire. "I mean, not that the cakes here aren't /fantastic/, it's just a smaller selection. I'm Tag, by the way. Where you from?" “Wouldn't be the first person I've met kinda lives that way,” Charlie gives in with a little tip of her head. “It always does. Kinda...built t'handle heat, but it don't work when you cover all up, you know?” Her already impressively wide doe-eyes widen further at the mention of more safe places. “It's gonna take some getting used to. A big difference having so many of us in one place, I guess, huh? Some of my friends tipped me off to this one as a place to stop. Figured I should get to know the area a little.” Pausing, she puts in an order for a cinnamon roll and a two-espresso-shot coffee with cream. “Charlie. Just came up from Baltimore this week.” The girl pays in cash before stepping aside to wait on her order's delivery. "Welcome to New York." Tag grins wider, his entire person literally turning a few shades brighter so that even the damp blue sky looks almost pristine again. "Glad you missed the winter, huh? I guess you probably caught some of it even down that way. Oh hey, can I get the special mocha, a lemon blueberry cupcake, and....um...one of those huge chocolate cookies?" He digs out a rainbow wallet and pays for the order. "Thanks!" Turning back to Charlie, he looks a bit more thoughtful, almost calm. Almost. "There's some places that are friendly to physical mutants, but honestly...there's also lot of hate. A lot of hate people aren't afraid to act on. I get a pass on that most of the time, but I see it, you know?" "Thanks." The width of that grin is enough to gain a hint of a smile from Charlie as she leans against the counter. "Winter actually works for me, if I gotta go out in public, anyhow. Um, man, you're glowing. You know you're glowing? People up here are crazy-colourful. You a landscape. Met someone the other day running around looking like a church window. Everybody all colourful and glowing." A little grumbly sound comes from the girl's throat. "The hate part I'm used to. Why else would I run around wrapped up like a mummy all the time? Been doing that to go outside for always." "I do glow sometimes, though not like--" Tag glances upstairs, though the nightclub has not yet opened for business tonight. "Have you met Jax? /He/ glows. You hang around here enough, you'll run into him. The proprietor is his kid." He looks thoughtful suddenly. "Funny story, I painted a friend's wings up like stained glass recently. Pretty proud of that one, it's probably going in my portfolio." Leaning against the counter beside Charlie, he shakes his head. "I mean like yeah, there's bigots everywhere, and some of those bigots are gonna be violent everywhere, but ever since zombies this city's been...well, tons of people died, and we make easy scapegoats." "I ain't had a chance to meet much of anybody just yet, no. Still wet-paint kinda new. Staying with some friends and pretty much been sticking with them so far." Charlie tugs her gloves off and shoves them into her pockets, furry brown hands reaching out for her coffee and pastry when they arrive. "You say wings? Think maybe we're talking on the same guy. Said someone dyed up the whole of these crazy-huge wings of his, not even an hour to do it." A rough breath puffs out of the girl's nose, a little bunny-twitchy with the motion. "Bigots and violent bigots gonna find their excuses, zombies or no zombies. Scapegoat for the bad weather, they in a mood to act on it. Might not even bother with an excuse, they don't like your face." "You'll find your feet, just give it time." Tag grows even brighter when his coffee arrives, though perhaps his clothes drying have something to do with the look, as well. "I'm guessing you're talking about Dusk, but if you're not, I'd sure like to meet that doppelganger of mine who's also developed a skill for speed-painting wings. Him and his girlfriend are my most loyal body art clients. You should come round Harbor Commons sometime, we throw the best parties, and no one'll bother you about how you look." He sips at his drink, wincing at the temperature. "Yeah, can't argue with that. Say!" The last word, abruptly cheerful again, only sounds a touch forced. "You like dancing? There's a nightclub here, too, I was just gonna hang around until it opens." "Pfft, feet are one damned thing I don't never need help finding." Charlie lifts her own mug to her lips to sip, though hers has had more time to cool. "Yeah, him, that's the guy. Would need a copy-you and a copy-him if I was talking about someone else, wouldn't I?" The girl hmms softly at the offer. "You make a habit inviting people you've just met home? This place is a /lot/ different than I'm used to. Getting all the inside tips on the parties." Her shoulders tense a little, glance dragging down to her pastry. "Was gonna go sit and eat this stuff, at least. Dancing is good, but I ain't never... Club? Lotsa people, all close together, half-dressed, and drunk? That ain't never sounded like a recipe for not getting into a fight for me." "I was thinking less house parties and more of our...neighborhood parties, I guess." Tag picks up his plate and transfers it to a nearby table, nodding for Charlie to follow. "But yeah, I often offer to party with people I barely know. Sometimes I never seem them again, but sometimes they become great friends. And very, very occasionally they drag my ass home with them after I fall over drunk." He peels the paper from his cupcake and attacks it with aplomb, tilting his head thoughtfully while he chews. "It's one thing if you're just not comfortable on a dance floor, but you're worried about people picking a fight over how you look... Okay, someone might try to start something, but they won't get far here. They'd get kicked out like nobody's business." "Still..." Charlie does follow at that nod, making it over to the table and setting her plate and mug down before flopping into a seat herself. "Brave soul, you letting people you don't know cart you around when you're messed up. You're small, though. Lightweight? Take the risk just to be able to unwind sometimes, I guess." Her head shakes slowly. "Don't know /how/ I'd be on a dance floor. Just never tried it. It's really like that, though?" Instead of digging into her cinnamon roll, she pauses, brows dipped down in deliberation. She tugs her hood down, loosens her scarf, and even pulls off the hat from over her long ears. Her furry fingers stay gripping the hat as her eyes dart left and right, muscles bunched as she assesses what response there is. "I don't usually /plan/ to get fucked up." Tag snickers, and flickers of orange, red, and pink flash through his hair. "But yeah, lightweight, and there've been times in my life when I wasn't eating enough, or was on other stuff. Learned my lesson, though, now I always eat before I go dancing." He watches Charlie's hesitant unveiling, even darting an occasional curious glance at the other patrons. "If you get looks, it's probably cuz you're new. You gotta understand, the owners are both mutants, and one of them is like a little blue shark guy." “Yeah, the not-planning is the lightweight part getting you,” Charlie answers with her own bit of a snicker in return, once nothing /dire/ happens from her uncovering. “Eating is always a good plan, you got food to eat.” Leaving the hat in her lap, she picks up a fork to break a piece off of her pastry to eat, as if in demonstration. “Shark-person? Man, that seems harder to pull off than all...'least I got a mammal. Skin must dry out all the damn time. It's good they been able to carve a space like this just...out here. Middle of the fucking city, that's ridiculous.” Her chin lifts in the direction of...pretty much Tag's head. “So that's your thing? You change people colours?” "Yeeeeah, steady employment has helped that whole 'eating' business a lot." Tag runs a hand through his mop of flame-colored hair. "Shane, he's pretty amazing." And then, abruptly, the sky on his hoodie transforms into a whirling firestorm centered around a blue flame heart over the left breast. "I change /everything/ colors." “That can be hard sometimes, yeah,” Charlie agrees with a nod, happily stuffing cinnamon roll in her face as if all the more pleased that there /is/ food to stuff there. “You always okay being this obvious or is it just 'cause you're here? Always wonder with folks who got the choice of going under the radar, you know?” Tag stuffs the rest of his cupcake into his mouth, wiping away the small trail of blueberry preserve from his chin. "Oh man, this is so good!" He blinks at Charlie. "Obvious? Ah, right. Um, yeah, I guess? I mean...I usually not to do it when cops are literally watching, but other than that, I'm pretty blatant." "Uh, you got a little..." Fuzzy brown fingers wiggle over Charlie's chin until Tag wipes away the blueberry. "And you do...okay with that? Just walking around out there? Lo siento...asking so many questions about this but it's just. My friends I'm staying with, we're kind of isolated, so. It's different there, too. I never imagined this place or anything like this. Not for real." Tag takes a long gulp of his mocha. "People yell at me sometimes? And I've had to run from the cops once or twice, but it was for trespassing, not walking while mutant." He shrugs. "I have some serious advantages in that department, though. Even if I'm throwing shade all over the place..." As he speaks, the balled up wrapper of his cupcake turns vivid metallic purple. "...it's not necessarily obvious /I'm/ doing it, right? I'm pretty slippery, even when I do get caught red-handed." He holds up his right hand and waggles scarlet fingers, a goofy smile spreading across his face. "So you and your friends, you like a collective or something? Where you based?" "That's...pretty advantageous, yeah." Charlie takes a long gulp of her own coffee. "Oh man, you did not just. The pun thing isn't an all-the-time if people hang with you, is it?" There might be half a snort of maybe just a little amusement sneaking in with the question, though. "Just...family, really. Outside the city." Not a lot more information seems to be forthcoming. "You always lived around here?" "Guilty," Tag holds up his hands, the right one returning to match the rest of his skin. "Punning is a big part of Chinese humor and just...normal communication, even. It's a language full of homophones, so double- and triple-entendres are pretty common." He props an elbow on the table and rests his chin in the palm of his hand. "Family, huh. My birth family's from China, moved here from Shanghai when I was a kid. Had a lotta trouble with my parents, so I sort of...drifted around for a while. My family of choice though, best thing that's ever happened to me." "Mmf. Good thing I already kind of like you, Rainbow Brite. Don't know how much of that I can take otherwise." Charlie's lips twitch a little as she delivers that sentiment, though. "I don't know much about no Chinese stuff. Parents are shitty, on average...guess that's true no matter where you're from. Family got nothing to do about who fucked to make you show up, though. It's all about the...yeah, choice. Like you're saying. People you want to be with actually want to be with you. Got each other's backs. Keep each other fed. There's the real love." "Right on! You know where I'm at. I mean my birth sister, she's always stuck by me, but that's choice, too." Tag nibbles at his cookie a little, then puts it back down. "She just moved into the Commons, actually, which is great both for having her nearer to me and farther away from dear old mom." He bounces a couple of times in his seat and raises his coffee. "Here's to the real families." "That's a blessing. But you're right...it ain't the birth part that was important. Might be how you /met/, but she's family 'cause she /got/ you, yeah? I had an uncle was the same way for me." Charlie looks a little curious at the repeat mention of the Commons. "Sounds like you all got a whole /gang/ holing up there. It's good. Safety in numbers when you can have it. Community, even." She'll lift a glass...or well, mug...to that, too. "Caffeine and love, now that's /some/ kinda toast."