Logs:Better People

Better People
Dramatis Personae Akihiro, Tabitha
In Absentia	2020-10-16 "Am I not just REALLY fuckin' high or something?"
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 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. Evolve is lively as ever despite the rain falling on the cold city streets, the cafe filled with numerous voices and smells, each one gnawing into Akihiro's brain as he waits for his turn at the counter. He's dressed conservatively today, a dark blue London Fog jacket and a pair of black dress pants. When it's finally time he places his order with a polite smile, pays more than what's owed, and heads over to the arm chairs. "So, how're you feeling?" he asks as he passes one of the cups to a small blonde before taking a seat. Tabitha is oddly quiet, shoulders slouched and head hanging softly from her neck. Dark circles lay under her eyes as for once -- she's dressed down -- wearing one of Kitty's hoodies and a pair of ripped leggings. Her hair is unruly and practically a bird's nest of loose blonde curls. She takes the cup and holds it with both hands. Her bare nails tap the side of the cup. "I dunno, man... what the fuck AM I supposed to feel? I-I feel hungover, angry, hungry, depressed, fuckin'--" She dismisses that thought with a shake of her head. "Shit's so fucking stupid, man. Fuck the police, fuck -- fuck New York -- fuck EVERYONE. So fed up...." "It's a goddamn shame things haven't changed any." Akihiro sighs softly and stares down at his cup. "I'm not sure how else you're supposed to feel. It's fucked." His empty hand clenches into a fist, his nails biting into the soft flesh of his palm. "Next cop I see's getting punched in the mouth. " "Y'know, back in Cali, I used to blow police stations up." She chuckles to herself at the memory. "Kitty put a ban on blowing shit up, otherwise I would... well, yeah." Tabitha takes a sip of her coffee, staring blankly in front of her. Bounce, bounce, bounce. Her leg can't sit still. "I think... I think I have that catholic guilt, y'know? Cause I'm a piece of shit but I'm still alive, so maybe -- maybe I should stop being such a prick." She sounds frantic as she speaks, taking another sip of her coffee. "Or is that survivor's guilt? I don't remember. I don't think it's either." "Maybe both?" Akihiro shrugs and finally takes a swallow of his matcha. "I've lived a long time being a piece of shit." A slight pause, "I don't think you're a piece of shit though." Tabitha smiles, giving him a small shove of her shoulder. "Thanks." She sighs. "All the people in my life are like -- ten leagues better than me. Kitty is in NYU, doing smart things. Flicker was Mormon so, no better than that. Sylvia was... well, you get my point, yeah?" She shakes her head, groaning with a rub of her eyes. "Talking hurts my brain... just," she waves her hand at him, "talk about something. I need a break." "The first time I held a sword I was three." Akihiro's gaze settles on the wall, but it's more like he's staring through it. "The samurai were disbanded almost eighty years before I was born, but my adoptive father insisted on continuing the legacy of Clan Takemitsu. I learned how to ride, to shoot the bow, to wield both the sword and spear, as well as the arts. The servants and their children didn't care much for me, but that was alright because father and mother did. For a while anyway." He's quiet for several seconds before continuing, "I left home at thirteen and found my way to Canada, where my birth father was from. Gruff son of a bitch named Logan, most people know him as The Wolverine. I didn't find him there, instead I found the man that trained him for the second world war." The neutral expression on his face changes into something decidedly more sour, his nose curling up. "Five long, bloody years later I'm fighting in the Vietnam war for the Americans under a fake name to finish up my training before I'm ready to move into the world of espionage and strictly off the record special forces work. " He lowers his voice even more, "I killed the Queen's second cousin. The Irish claimed it, I'm pretty sure. " She nods along absently with a distant look in her eye as her leg continues to bounce. The click click click of her boot's heel is the only sound Tabitha produces. Only around the mention of Logan does she tune back in to the present. Her brow furrows, confused, but she stays quiet and takes a long sip of her coffee. "Right," says her at the end, "okay. Before I... comment, on. That. Just --" She finally faces Akihiro. "Is this really happening? Am I not just REALLY fuckin' high or something? 'Cause, if all that's real, I-I think I... I don't really know WHAT to think. You've been alive for like, ever. You're some kind of super assassin, and the son of Wolverine. Killed the QUEEN'S second cousin..." A beat. "I would say you're just fuckin' with me but it's waaaaay too elaborate for it to just be that. Y'know? You're like some, some ancient John Wick dude. Or, maybe like that movie -- The Old Guard? Probably more like that." "I'm only seventy-four." Akihiro says with a shrug. "Is that the movie where they kill his dog? I didn't make money, but yeah." He takes a swallow of his tea before continuing, "I can't change the things I've done, just try and be a better person going forward." "I'm not really sure how to feel about it either. I should be a retired eighth dan, and instead I'm out clubbing and getting into fights." "Yeah, but, you're a cool seventy-four year old. You get a pass." She chuckles. "I think we're all trying to be a better person. And hey, good people can have fun too, right?" Tabitha gives him a small shove. "I don't know about cool." Akihiro reaches over and gives her arm a squeeze. "I just don't want to end up like Logan. I can't say I really blame him though; he's around a hundred and sixty years old. He's gotta be a tough son of a bitch to still be around." A light flicks on behind his eyes and the corner of his mouth turns up, "I want to fight him. I bet even rusty and an alcoholic he'd put up one hell of a fight." Tabitha straightens her back, taking another long drink of her coffee. "Can't blame 'em, but, I get it. I don't think any of us want to be our parents no matter how good they are. My dad was a piece of shit, my mom was... I don't know, we were both fucked from the start." She sets her cup down with a sigh. "Honestly? Do what you want, man. You're immortal, you got all the time in the world. So why not beat people up? Fight your dad? Go clubbing? Shit -- I'm doing all that and I ain't immortal. So just -- do what you want!" She raises her hands dramatically. "Fuck if I know how to be a good person! You got time to be anything -- good person, bad person, whatever the fuck. So just -- do it all! And when you run out of things, just... I dunno, pick the stuff you enjoyed the most." Tabitha lowers her hands as her head falls into her hands with a groan. "I think... I need a nap... protest is later, want to have energy for that, you know?" "You've got a pretty damn good point." Akihiro sinks down into his chair and nurses his tea. "Definitely, get what you can, it's gonna be rough out there. You know they're going to use any excuse they can to gas us."