ArchivedLogs:Non-Energizing

Non-Energizing
Dramatis Personae Emma, Jack	2015-07-01 Part of the Buzzkill TP
Location <NYC> Central Park South
Central Park South is home not just to the park itself, but also to the Belvedere Castle, the Alice in Wonderland statues, and the Central Park Zoo. These areas tend to draw tourists like a magnet - it is, perhaps, for that very reason that places like Bethesda Terrace tend to attract more New Yorkers than not, if just to escape the press of tourism that infiltrates the whole city. It is early evening and while the sun has not fully set, the shadows are starting to stretch across the city, the buildings leaving their marks across the ground where they do not stand. Central Park is partially safe from that -- for the time being anyway, with only trees and the great Belvedere Castle marring the fading light. One woman sits on a bench in the bright daylight, dressed all in white, but the sunset tinges her clothes orange. She is reading, a clear plastic cup on the bench beside her, an iced coffee slowly melting the ice out of existence. She lifts it and swirls it around in her cup before taking a sip, then setting it down again. The page she is reading is turned. Another day of poking around, another day of no luck. Jack's continuing his investigation of the caffeine crisis and still not getting anywhere. Dressed in worn jeans and a red hoodie made of some nice light fabric, the invisible teen has his hands stuffed in his pockets as he walks through the park. Movement catches his eye and he glances up in time to spot Emme swirling her drink. He gives the cover of the book a curious glance before focusing on the coffee. It looks like coffee to him at least. Deciding it couldn't hurt to ask, the teen approaches the bench. "Excuse me, ma'am," he speaks up, trying to sound polite. "Could I ask you a quick question?" he asks, pausing a beat. "Other than that one, I mean." The title of the book is 'Le Rouge et le Noir: Chronique du XIXe siecle' by one of those one name authors - Stendhal. The cover is old and the words within are all French. Emma holds the book carefully, as if respectfully, but her eyes stop shifting over the lettering when Jack and his busy little brain hover close enough to become a distraction. She doesn't look up, however, until he speaks. When she does look up, her brows climb her forehead. "One generally ignores the introductory question for the sake of civility and expediency. There's no need to be quite so precise. Proceed. What is your question?" "Sorry," Jack offers, resisting the urge to rub the back of his neck. He's trying to hide the whole 'invisible' thing for the moment. "I wanted to know if that coffee you're drinking is as uh...non-energizing as everyone else's," he asks, nodding slightly towards Emma's drink. Emma shifts a hand from her book and tucks a few strands of hair behind her ear, letting it sink back to her book a moment later. She close the volume with a small ribbon between the pages, resting it in her lap. "Oh. Well, I'm certain it's fine," she begins, casting a glance in the direction of the cup. She looks back up a moment later. "Is there something wrong with the coffee in Manhattan?" "You haven't heard?" Jack is a little surprised by this. "It's like someone turned off all the caffeine in all the coffee. And soda and stuff too," he explains. "No one can get the energy boost and cafes and coffee shops aren't taking a bad hit. And whenever people bring in outside coffee and stuff, it stops being able to give a buzz to people too." "Did someone turn off all the caffeine, or did someone turn off our ability to feel caffeine?" Emma smiles sweetly as she takes her cup and lifts it up into the sunshine, looking through the upper layers of the liquid inside the clear plastic. "Has anyone looked at the chemical make up of our favorite beverages or taken samples of the blood chemistry of those who have recently imbibed?" She pulls the cup closer to herself and takes a sip. "I uh...don't really know," Jack admits. He nods to the next question though. "I heard people looked into the drinks themselves. The caffeine chemical is still there it just isn't working," he says. He makes a quick mental note to ask Dusk or B about testing blood later. "I haven't heard anything about blood tests though." "Well, it would be interesting to see at what point the disconnect begins." Emma's brows twitch upward in amusement before she sets the cup down. She stores the names away quietly, lips pursing slightly. She then smiles a little brighter. "Was that all?" "I don't think anyone knows exactly where that is," Jack shrugs. He has to wonder if Emma's from out of town if she didn't hear about this all before but he keeps that to himself. He nods though. "That's all. Thanks for your time, ma'am," he chimes. "Have a good evening," he offers, turning to continue on.