ArchivedLogs:Caffeine and Baby Steps

Caffeine and Baby Steps
So...mutant powers are kinda weird. ^_^
Dramatis Personae Iztali, Corey, Hanna, Felix
In Absentia	9 May 2013 Lots of strangers + coffee shop!
Location <NYC> Evolve Cafe - Lower East Side
Tucked down an alley, this out of the way coffeeshop is easy to miss if you don't know what you're looking for. Unassuming from the outside, its inside makes up for it -- spacious, with abundant seating and plenty of plush couches and cosy armchairs along the room's edges. The coffee is good, the prices are cheap, and there is a definitive alternative vibe to the room, from the music they play to the art that hangs on the walls. The real draw to this place, though, stems from its client base -- one of the very few businesses in the city that is welcoming to mutants, Evolve has become widely popular as a hangout with that crowd, and it is quite common to see them among clientele and employees both. At night, the thump of music can be heard from above, coming from the adjoining nightclub of the same name that sits over the coffeehouse. The day has been plagued by a constant, steady drizzle that simply will not make up its mind whether or not it wishes to be rain. While at least it is not cold, the day is beginning to pick up a chill as it grows long in the tooth, the sun preparing to set in short order. It is the kind of day that asks for jackets and warm beverages. To which end, Iztali has actually come to a public establishment. She is curled up in an armchair, in one of the corners that is arranged to facilitate conversation amongst small groups. It is not a busy day at the coffee shop, and as such, there is no group in said corner yet. Just the young Hispanic woman in a blue Columbia hoodie and grey slacks, with her dark hair gathered at the back of her head in a haphazard sort of bun (with a pencil shoved through it). She is reading from a yellow hardcover book entitled ‘Final del Juego’ in sharp red lettering, intermittently sipping from a cup. Wearing a windbreaker to keep the worst of the drizzle and winds from soaking him, Corey makes his way into the establishment. Unzipping it to show the plain white tee shirt and blue denim jeans beneath it, he steps to the side of the door to look around. "Ah well. Didn't expect it." He says to no one in particular as he heads for the counter, ordering one of the froufrou sugar and mostly creamed coffee drinks with whipped cream on top. Standing to the side to watch the establishment while he waited on beverages, he relaxes against the drink pick up counter space. It is May. Why is it still cold and raining in May? It is cold, drizzly days like these that make Hanna question her choice to put down roots in New York City. Nevertheless, it is time to get out and about in the city as it were, dreary weather and all. To that end, the bubbly Polynesian woman has tailored her attire to what one would expect for mid to late fall, rather than the mid Spring that it is currently - she wears a brilliantly pink light wool double breasted trench coat, the buttons contrasting in blue with yellow flowers at the centers of each one overtop a vintage style wiggle dress in deep blue, paired with cream colored tights and a pair of simple black flats. The coffee shop catches the woman's eye, and she heads in to the place, curious about the other offerings this city had in the way of coffee and such beverages. She folds her clear umbrella (with rainbow polkadots) up as she steps through, taking a moment to look around and take in the ambiance of the shop. Hanna stares at the menu for a few moments, before ordering a cappuccino, with a touch of honey, and a double shot of espresso, as well as one of the biscotti from the counter top, just because. With a contented smile on her face, and baked good in hand, she heads towards the pickup area to wait patiently for her beverage. Felix enters the front door, somewhat in a hurry, probably due to the fact he does not look appropriately dressed for the rain. He brushes his sport coat and shakes his head a bit to remove some of the excess water before pausing to look around the room, just like somebody who is visiting this place for the first time. After which he heads over to the counter, presumably to order a nice hot cup of coffee. There is a book and a tablet of paper tucked under his coat. Perhaps it is the rain, perhaps something else, but he seems to be a bit on the grumpy side at the moment. He takes his place in line behind the two other people that are already there. Chocolate brown eyes peer up over Tali's book as each new person enters, tracking their movements just until they reach the counter to order. Then they slip back down to study the open pages of the book. Intermittently, a black-gloved hand turns to a new page. The other hand, similarly black-gloved, reaches for the cup from time to time to bring it to her lips. The cup earns a disappointed look and a little sigh, one assumes due to its contents. Accepting the beverage of diabeetus-causing from the waitress, Corey gives her a smile, and blinks seeing the two others waiting for their drinks. "Ah, sorry. Let me get out of the way. Enjoy." He smiles warmly to each as he raises his own cup in salute before sipping from it. Letting out a soft sigh of contentment, he starts to wade his way into a spot, giving a smile to the up-glancing lady as he sits at his own table, unaware of the health benefits he is providing to those in the area. A brilliant smile crosses Hanna's face as she nods to Corey when he steps out of the way, her eyes perhaps seeming to flash a brighter golden color as she smiles. But that may just be the lighting in this place. Her relatively simple beverage is up surprisingly quickly, and she nods in appreciation as the beverage is served in an appropriately large ceramic cup with saucer, not those crappy throw away cups that ruin the foam levels. Having her biscotti and beverage in hand, she looks around the shop for suitable seating opting for one of the plush, comfortable looking chairs back near Tali's table, but not close enough to be a nuisance. Or so she would assume. Oddly, it takes her a few moments before she actually sips her beverage - first setting it down and examining the amount of foam, the warmth, and testing to see if a stir stick falls over in the foam. Content with her testing, she settles back with a contented sigh, and takes a sip of her coffee drink, smiling contentedly at that, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opens them, they seem to have settled to an almost indigo blue color, for anyone looking close enough. Felix waits patiently for his drink while he fidgets with the book and notepad, probably checking to how wet they got. He gives a little not of acknowledgement to the man raising his cup, then a very puzzled look crosses his face, eyes following until the man passes the person already sitting in the shop. There is a very confused look on his face now, as he does a double, no, make that a triple take, looking back and forth between the two. While he may have noticed the third person standing here, just next to him, he seems to be completely oblivious to the fact that she already received her beverage or that his is now ready. A loud thud comes from the book that has fallen out of his hand and landed on the floor, at which time he realizes that he has been staring and turns to receive his drink. He stands there for a moment before turning back around and walking to the seating area, checking to see if he is now being watched. Tali offers a closed-lip smile and nod in response to Corey’s acknowledging her existence. Hanna receives similar treatment when she sits nearby. But then there’s a sudden retort of book hitting floor and Tali /jumps/, startled. She may be little tightly wound. The movement nearly causes her to drop her own book, instead resulting in her closing it hastily and hugging it to her chest as if it were a fragile thing she had nearly broken. Felix is not being /watched/ so much as wide, dark brown eyes happen to be upon him. Because he is where the sudden loud noise originated. Watching the other lady with her oh so intent coffee investigation, Corey watches with some amusement. Jolted out of the reverie by the sudden thud, his head darts to look at the fellow. With the recovery of tome and beverage, he smiles that there wasn't anything broken in the process. "Hey there you alright?" he asks with a light concern was the man goes into the seating area. His gaze passes over the other inhabitants briefly as an aside, since the man he addresses has a bit of a paranoid look on his face. Hanna's eyes fly wide open at the sudden sound, the irises nearly neon yellow for a brief moment, and she takes a deep breath, setting the coffee cup back down on the saucer. She closes her eyes again, taking a few deep breaths as though centering herself. When she opens her eyes again to look back at the man who dropped the book, causing such a clatter, they are back to a normal brown color. After a few moments, she takes a long pull from her coffee drink, pondering curiously as she looks around. When the gloved woman jumps to her feet, Hanna looks back towards her, raising a well groomed eyebrow, "Miss? Are you alright there, sweetie?" Her voice is kind and friendly, tinged with what sounds like sincere concern. "All good." Felix raises his book just a bit, as if indicating a silent 'Thank You'. "My apologies to everybody." Still a bit shaken, perhaps from the noise of the book drawing attention, or maybe it is from whatever he observed, he takes a deep breath and looks around the room one more time. There is a look of embarrassment on his face, and then acknowledgement as his scan comes across Tali. He walks as if on rose pedals over to her. "Sorry to startle you like that, Columbia College, right?" The tone is his voice is gentle, he seem genuinely apologetic. An observant person would probably note by now that the cover of his book is titled 'Linear Algebra - Teachers Edition'. Tali retreats back into her chair, her slight frame curling into it and her hands clutching her book in a fashion reminiscent of a child crawling into a rocker for story time. Safe space. Her eyes are still wide, flicking from Felix to Hanna when she is addressed. "I'm...yes," she replies with a sheepish smile. "I was just startled. By the noise. It has been...noisy." Her speech is not precisely accented, though its melodic cadence and pure vowels imply that English may not be the language she has spent most of her time speaking. But...noisy? From one sudden sound? Then Felix is speaking to her, and Tali's gaze slides back to him. "It is...quite all right. Simple accidents are to be forgiven." Look, she has even managed that half-smile again, for his benefit! Her brows begin to knit, however, as he asks about Columbia. How would he...? A downward glance reminds her of her hoodie's advertisement. Oh. The smile shifts into a broader grin, near to laughing at herself. "Yes. I am a doctoral student there. I am also fairly active in research, and TA a few classes." She might have gotten her fingerprints all /over/ that institution... Nodding to the fellow as he said everything was fine, Corey settles into his chair more comfortably. "Ah, well all’s well, then." Sipping his coffee, he glances over towards the group of three, trying not to too obviously listen in. He is here to relax and people watch after all. Smiling a little as Tali and the Teacher get to talking, he closes his eyes, listening to the world around him. Hanna keeps her eyebrow slightly quirked at the woman's explanation, and ultimately shakes her head, returning to enjoy her slightly cooled coffee drink, sighing slightly. She closes her eyes again for a moment, losing herself in the drink. The robust, curvy woman is simply enjoying her coffee, taking in the atmosphere around her as she does so, occasionally opening her eyes to look around the shop - a distinct attempt is made to not listen in on the conversation between the teacher and student. Academics had never been Hanna's particular point of interest, to be fair. Cupcakes are more fun. Felix makes sure not to block the conversation line between the two women. He smiles at the mention of doctoral student and begins to relax a bit, perhaps even in a bit better spirits since when he first entered. "I just finished my dissertation defense there." Looking at the seats, he seems to be pondering where to sit, perhaps politely waiting to see if he will be invited to sit with Tali. It does not look like he would be offended if declined. "What is your area of expertise?" Tali glances at Corey when he speaks again, but only for a moment as it seems he is intent on resting his eyes. Felix requires more immediate attention, with his ongoing conversation. She nods at his revelation of his own association with the college, growing relaxation revealed in her releasing the too-tight grip on her book. “Congratulations are in order, then. If all goes well, I should find myself doing much the same soon enough. My timing depends upon a bit of fieldwork, however, so…these things will work themselves out on their own schedule.” His glance to the seat is interpreted as a request for permission, so she gestures toward it with a gloved hand by way of invitation. “Please, make yourself comfortable. I am with the anthropology department, focusing in archaeology and Mesoamerican studies.” So…not likely to have crossed paths with the mathematician in an academic setting. As the curvy woman separated from the educationally interested, Corey's eyes opened a little more as he raised his hand in a small wave. Kindred spirits in helping others at least it seemed, he slid out of his chair and went over to say hello at least. "You certainly seem entranced by the coffee. Are you some kind of critic perhaps?" He smiles to her, the question more joking than of great concern. "Or just someone who really needed caffeine after a long day?" Hanna's eyes open again as she is addressed, having settled back to a pleasant golden brown color, much similar to the warm coffee she cupped in her hands. "Hm?" she says, curious that someone had noticed her, "Oh. I actually just opened a bakery of my own in Manhattan. I was curious what other things this city had to offer, as far as coffee goes. It is nothing like it was back home, but this is likely the best that I've had since settling down here, I suppose." She idly pokes at the plastic wrapped biscotti she had purchased, the plastic crinkling a bit with the movement, "Their baked goods leave something to be desired, to say the least." Hanna offers a pleased smile, and an introduction, "I'm Hanna, by the way. Lovely to meet you." Felix takes quick note when the other man switches tables and engages the other woman in conversation. "Felix Kuznetsov." he says as he sits down and offers his hand in a gesture of friendship. "Err, Dr. Felix Kuznetsov that is." Smiling warmly as he corrects himself, probably not used to the new title yet. "Theoretical mathematics." he adds, as if almost forgetting to mention it. "While I have not studied either of those subjects, they are nonetheless quite interesting." Whatever had him frustrated is not long gone, he seems much more friendly and relaxed now. Hanna and Corey are kept peripherally in Tali's awareness, but they seem to have cordoned themselves off a bit. "Iztali Choben. But most call me Tali. Particularly here, where my given name is more unusual." Her eyes flit back and forth between Felix's hand, where it is waiting, and her own, where it rests in its protective glove on the arm of her chair. Flit. Flit. She may be trying to decide whether it is ruder to risk touching the man or to fail to engage in this societal convention of greeting. "Nice to meet you, Doctor," she offers instead, with a smile that is intentionally broadened to seem cordial. Perhaps the hand will just go away on its own, without bruising feelings. "I likewise have not dedicated much time to things mathematical, aside from where it served as a stepping stone to other studies." "I'm Corey, a pleasure to meet you Hanna." Smiling, he inclines his head and stands with a hand against a chair for comfort. "Yeah, New York has a lot of caffeine sources. I've heard there’s a Starbucks across the street from a Starbucks somewhere around here. I work at one as well, its called Montague's. Though I don't own it or anything, just sandwiches and coffee really, outside of doing the dishes." He shrugs as he describes his duties, not really worried about his place in the world. "This place is pretty nice though, plenty of interesting sorts. Course you can say that about most places in this city. It can be rough though, not being a native to New York though. It’s...different." "Thankfully," Hanna says, taking a long pull of her coffee, "New York also has a great number of people, many of whom are quite fond of coffee and baked goods, and not so fond of waiting in lines. So there seems to be plenty of room for all." She smiles contentedly, apparently quite pleased with her situation, looking Corey over as she sips her drink, "I grew up in the restaurant business - my mom ran a cafe back in Hawaii, and when I was old enough, I opened a bakery. It's always been sort of my thing, baking, and bringing a smile to people's faces. And, heh, from what I've heard, this city could use a few smiles, of late." The baker woman shrugs and offers a bit of a grin, "I'll have to check out Montague's - always looking for good places to grab a bite." Following Tali's eyes as they flick back and forth, Felix is unoffended that his gesture is declined and retracts the offer, accepting the pleasant smile in its place. But, he seems to be pondering why this is, not in a bad way, more like trying to figure out the mystery. "What is your book about, I am unfamiliar with the title." He leans back into his chair and takes in the aroma of his coffee before enjoying a taste, he needed this, the quiet and relaxing atmosphere that is. Tali reaches for her cup, sipping from it again, possibly just to occupy her hand with something. At least Felix seems to be taking things in stride... "It is a collection of stories, so the 'about' is less clear than, say, a novel would be. If they were to have a theme, I would say it is...somewhat existential. The nature of reality and identity." A playful sort of grin darts its way across her lips. "I should, perhaps, warn you that I double majored in Latin American literature as an undergrad." "Heh, you can say that again. The city could be prescribed a dose of Zoloft and I doubt it would do much good. Ah well, always nice to meet someone else trying to spread a little good cheer." Smiling to her, Corey glances over towards the wall clock, and nods. "And if you show up there I'll make sure to say hi. And I'll see if I can find your bakery sometime then." Finishing off the rest of his cooled down coffee, he wipes his mouth off with the back of his hand. "Unfortunately, I get the early shifts, so I need to see about getting some things done. Have a good day." Inclining his head to her, he glances over to Tali and Felix. Giving them a small wave as well, he heads for the door. Hanna finishes off her coffee in one gulp, idly licking her lips as she finishes the last gulp. "Same here, just about to be heading out. Bakers have to rise before the sun in order to get all the goodies and suchforth ready for the day, so I need to be heading back home and all that jazz." She smiles kindly to Corey, "It was lovely to meet you. I suppose I'll see you around the city some times." Rising and stacking her coffee cup back onto the saucer before straightening her dress out after sitting so long, Hanna gathers her things, and bundles herself up for the prep to head into the chill rain. "Here's hoping for some warmer weather in the near future. This chill is horrible." She bobs her head in farewell to the two academics chatting away, and heads for the door, depositing the cup and saucer at the counter. It isn't until she's out the door and on her way that it is obvious she left the sadly prodded uneaten biscotti still in its wrapper on the table. So not worth it. Felix returns the friendly gestures, waving to Corey and Hanna as they leave for the night. "Ahh, philosophy then. I have some interest in that actually," he says, taking another sip of his drink. "I will have to look that book up to see if there is a translation available. After all, one can never have enough books." He chuckles to himself, as if acknowledging some private joke. Tali sends a wave of farewell after the departing pair, not interrupting their conversation as they make their exit. When the hand returns, a finger runs along the title on the book. “/End of the Game/, it is, in English. Some of the translations the author, Julio Cortázar, has done himself. English and French as well, so you may take your pick. There are many collections of his short stories that tend toward similar themes. Often in the magical realism genre.” She laughs outright at Felix’s assertion about quantities of books. “I tend to agree…though my apartment may not, soon enough.” "You’re lucky if you think you have an apartment, then. I am sure the library moved in to my space over the last nine years." He chuckles again. "English is good, obviously. Russian would be better, but not necessary." He does have speak with an obvious, but light, accent, which may have been missed earlier for whatever reason. "I definitely like how this book sounds. I will have to order myself a copy on Amazon when I get home." His eyes flick around the room quickly, and then at the glove covered hands, as if wanting to ask a question. But, then takes another sip of his coffee instead, apparently he would rather be polite and let it go, at least for the moment. “Hm!” Iztali is laughing again, her tension unwinding enough to leave the book resting in her lap. “I would not go so far as to call it a library. I have seen too many impressive specimens to submit my collection for the title. I am certain it is enough paper densely packed to warrant some form of fire hazard, however.” She notes the direction of Felix’s curious look and shifts her weight a bit in her seat. "I am sure you will have acquired quite the collection by the time you have finished your degree. And it does not stop there." Felix is obviously averting his gaze, and it is very easy to see that he is probably still trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together in his head. He is not so good at hiding such things. "Well, I must be off myself. I am standing in for one of the professors tomorrow, and it looks like the rain has let up enough to not get soaked again." Aware of his own inabilities, and that they are making Tali uncomfortable. He is clearly well intentioned and does not like making this nice person uncomfortable. As downs the last of his cup of coffee, he takes up his book and stands, politely waiting before departing. “If I collect much more enthusiastically, I will need to move to larger accommodations,” Tali jests lightly, trying hard /not/ to be uncomfortable but failing from sheer novice status with…this particular puzzle. “Yes, preparing for class is important. I should let you get to it.” She pushes to her feet, to be polite in bidding Felix farewell. “I will probably head off soon enough, myself.” There is only so much Public Space to be tolerated in a single sitting! Baby steps. “It was nice speaking with you.”