10865/The Cat, the Fox, the Wolf and Burgers!

The Cat, the Fox, the Wolf and Burgers!
Date of Scene:	22 April 2022
Location:	Big Belly Burger's
Synopsis:	Burgers are had and Thomas finally has a lead on the missing Mutant girl.
Cast of Characters:	Belinda Gutierrez, Thomas Blake, Saeko

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Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
The nature of a place can be told by many things: culture, attitudes, geography

And storms.

THe city farthest north with wet and heat and rain, the weather can dance from sublime to beastly in moments; the sheer mass of the buildings protect from the worst of the rain, which leaves it to fall straight down instead. In all its torrential, miserable, brutal glory.    
    
"Madre dios!" comes the complaint, announced to the uncaring sky. Slogging along after classes, Belinda trudges to the one sanctuary away from vile weather, miserable people, and the odd arrays of muggers that (literally!) try to steal lunch money. "Air condicion, air condicion-- anything for an air condicion!"

Thomas Blake has posed:
There are others seeking respite from the rain. A tall man with a powerful build obvious, even under his duster. His ginger hair is slicked back in the wet. The bad people give way as he approaches, hyenas making way for a lion. His green eyes scan the other predators and then he focusses on the burger joint. Food. Food is good. This comes close. The rain and heat is barely noticed. In fact he turns his face into the rain, as if being given a blessing.

He comes up silently behind Belinda and reaches one large gloved hand out...

"Here sweetie, let me get that for you." One gloved and massive hand opens the door for the teen. A ghost of a smile graces his scruffy face. He's almost charming. Actually, very charming if you're into his type. Trouble.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda tenses at the sudden apperance of THE HAND!

"I--" she begins, glancing back with eyes wide in surprise. "AH, grac-- ah, thank you," she remembers, glaring up at the leaden sky again. She ducks through the opened door, sighing relief as the rainfall slack from her shoulders, vanishin with the welcome appearance of the roof.

"It is not quite what I imagined a place up here to be," she says, smiling ruefully-- shaking herself off with a quiet rue! (And flying rain droplets). "But the food is... mostly tolerable? And lots of it!"

Saeko has posed:
Food is indeed good...and Saeko had to admit that one of her favorite improvements in the centuries she'd seen was the food around here. Burgers and fries were simply neat, and it was one of the first offerings mortals she'd grown personally close to had offered her. Beside, she wanted a milkshake.

Stepping through the doorway a moment after the pair...or at least, that was the only place she could have logically come from as she stepped out behind the pair.

Of course, she wasn't in her full kitsune glory, her more foxy features hidden away to leave her as a normal albeit startlingly beautiful human woman.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake 's smile broadens. "Have you ever been to Gotham? tis is a mild drizzle. I'm from there, and I've lived on the Serengeti. There are stretches where you would be glad to drink the water from an elephant's footprint. So I suppose I've seen it all. I am Thomas, and this is Saeko. And yes the food is good... judging from the lack of seating." He looks about for seating and other things.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda Gutierrez giggles quietly, nodding as she exhales in long relief. "Is that like the Great Plains?" she asks, hunting for a moment before pointing out a table. "There. It is the only one left, so--"

She turns, offering her hand with a smile. "Belinda. I am afraid New Mexico does not get quite the rain here, though I never imagined it-- well, rained up here! just fog, and drizzle, followed by cursing the sky and everyone wearing umbrellas." Stepping aside, she leads the way through the gathering, weaving towards the identified table. "Is Gotham like many of the cities in the North? All I heard was that it was dark, and laways over cast, and full of gargoyles for birds to lurk on and broody angsters with too much time to spend in costumes."

She pauses, glancing back. "The Batman story is just that, si? A story?"

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake finds the seating, cutting off a gaggle of scrawny teen boys to plop in and claim it. "Gotham is often overcast but otherwise as you describe it. The Batman... is very real. Almost too real -some would say. Sorry for sitting first, I had to claim the seating." He slides over to make room for Saeko. "There are a lot of gargoyles. The angsters lurk on them too. Gotham also has great coffee. They were into the whole Grunge scene way before it was even called grunge. Soooo, what can I get you ladies? It's on me." He gives a wink to Saeko, inside joke? Maybe?

Saeko has posed:
Well, Thomas had definately noticed her, it looked like they'd arrived together...so that worked. Crossing her arms lightly, the apparent young woman bows her head in greeting before a light giggle on her lips before she glances back to Thomas. "Oh no, many of the stories about Gotham are completely true, from what I have seen..."

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
"So they have ghosts?" Belinda asks, sliding into the seat with eager delight. Someone else paying for meal-- oh, the poor soul!

"Spooks and spectres and other bumpy, creepy, spooky things?" She raises her fingers, waggling them mischieviously. "I'd heard that the Ghostcatchers were going to set up shop there, only they could not find an unclaimed gargoyle to schedule lurking from. They were all taken."

Teasing. Never-ending!

"You are from Gotham too?" she asks Saeko, trying to pretend not to be jealous. Jealous. Clothes and hair and jewelry and all the wonderful, perfect things that glamours decieve eyes into seeing! Mmmmph.

Saeko has posed:
"Oh no," Saeko laughs, stepping forward as she walks toward the counter. Her 'human' guise was dressed rather simply, but simple still meant jeans that fit perfectly, a tank top that fit her form perfectly and offered that perfect ratio of modest-to-enticing neckline....but the disguised Tenko looks over her shoulder to continue her answer. "I'm from somewhere else..."

Nice and vague, it seemed Saeko was content to place her order.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake gives a snort and laugh as he gets up to get some goodies. "Let's see, three triple bacon cheeseburger meals... now what... oh, okay what would Belinda want? Psst... go back to Belinda... that guy third booth over. Trouble. My crook sense is tingling. Also Belinda might wonder why you're dry. Sorry." He flaps his arm over the Tenko, scattering some water on her... which makes her even prettier.

"Women must really hate you at times."

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda does not hate. Hate leads to Jealousy, or something, and-- well, already there! "Somewheeeeere...?" The girl asks, leaning forward onto her hands as she gazes with the Patented Wide-eyed Stare. Focused attention now-- must know all the things! "Somewhere exotic, foriegn, far-away like...." She pauses, breathless.

"Canada? Is maple syrup really their official currency? Dogsleds everywhere to school and work and back? Mounties with radar guns to chase after all the criminals? Oh, and politeness in everything? Even the criminals apologize before robbing you!"

Saeko has posed:
She probably could have manifested such an illusion, or just simply be convincing that she had dried up...but Thomas decided to splash her. Subtle. The fox gives a little squeek of suprise before exhaling a breath and shaking her head before turning back towards the booths and leaning down, attempting to catch Belinda's attention with a smile. "Tell me...what is it you wish to dine on today...?" Apparently the questions about canada were ignored entirely. Maybe divine knowledge didn't cover that sort of humor.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake says, "I'm going to pay for that, aren't I?" to Saeko's retreating back. He hates when she's gone, but likes to watch her leave. When she's walking anyway. He notes shady McShady pants cast a glance in their direction, well Saeko. Cool. Could be a lead. He waits for Saeko to return, seeing her lean over to take Belinda's order. He kind of tunes out the people on the line waiting. Saeko had a millennium of practice leaning.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda grins for a moment more, smile fading to a gentler mirth. "Something with extra spice," she explains, settling back with a brief sniffle. "Home did not... the city is so much..." She waves her hands helplessly, sighing at last. "..so much everything! It clogs the sinuses with cars everywhere, and the smells--" She bite sback urther words, grimacing sheepishly. "...It is not like home at all," she says, pursing her lips. She finally lets the question of 'Where in the World is Saeko From?' go, glancing instead to the B.B.B. menu. "I have not tried their Spicy Chicken Sandwich yet." She grimaces, shaking her head. "They never put enough peppers on the sandwich, and always use those meek little dream-of-being-a-real-spice peppers."

Nostrils quiver briefly as a customer gets their order nearby-- one of those near Shady's friends, with his carton of beef and bacon and other meaty things on two pieces of toast pretending to be a sandwich.

Saeko has posed:
"Spice," Saeko repeats with a nod, a little giggle on her lips and a nod. Certainly, she'd had her own experiences with 'Authentic' traditional food from the land she'd walked in her earliest centuries, so she understood the potential 'let down'. Belinda would have to chance and perhaps endure it!

Moving to make her way back to the counter she makes to continue the order the clerk had seemingly found the patience to await in the wake of the vixen's winning smile.

If she was aware of the 'Shady' criminal sort (other than those she knew)? She didn't seem to be offering much of a hint to it.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake feigns indifference as he slips an arm around Saeko's enviably slim waist. He steps to the side as the full order is entered and gives the vixen a kiss on the neck. "Imma pay for that, aren't I? Notice the guy in the booth to our left? The one looks like... me but not as handsome? he's buying food and drinks for his friends who are all below drinking age. Something wrong there. Maybe after you get your milkshake, you lure him away? I mean, who could resist?" He head nuzzles her. Then... remembers it's a public place. And he's working. And Saeko is more dignified than that.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Chalk one more thing up to be envious over! Belinda exhales gently, averting her gaze with a gentle grin. 'Accidentally' glancing towards the Shady Squad with a careful eye. "So, up attending school," she continues to explain, returning her sight to the couple with only a faint, brief blush. "Got here just before all my classes started, so I haven't been around to see everything yet. The Statue, the buildings, the Grand Park--"

She counts off her fingers, drumming them together with a thoughtful expression. "Can I ask what brings ya'll-- you-all-both, up here? Vacation, or business, or mix of the two?"

Saeko has posed:
A little chuckle at the embrace, Saeko does indeed turn her head to look towards the pointed out group before shrugging her shoulders. A little lift of her hand and she traces her thumb across her bottom lip, a little flicker of blue light almost imperceptable but hinting at the small trace of 'Fox Magic' being utilized het not showing off any immediate effect.

"I like to travel," Saeko offers in explaination, settling herself down comfortably with a lazy little stretch, "as for here...well I wanted a burger..."

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake sets the food down. He reaches into he pocket and slowly, for effect, removes a small bottle of Tabasco sauce. He sets it in front of Belinda and shrugs. "African food is pretty hot. Sometimes I need to wake up the old taste buds."

Then he gets some sign from Saeko and quickly gets up to let her out. He grabs a quick kiss on her way. "She does that a lot. She's on call. Belinda, do you know that man over there? He seems very... generous."

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda Gutierrez affects a studious attentiveness for the Tobasco. /Hot sauce/. The stuff of joys!

"I think I have seen him a few times around the school," she explains carefully, utterly nonchalant as she adds a dash-- a dollop-- a gushing burst of the stubborn Tobasco on her burger. "But never in a 'creepy stalker' kind of way. I thought." She pauses, turning the bottle back over, setting it down on the table. "Gracias, thank you very much. But when he was there...."

She pauses, grimacing as she redresses her sandwich. "I was always moving between classes, never took time to really observed what was going on between the buildings, at the crowd outside the school." She frowns, gazing over to Thomas. "Is that something I should be doing in the 'big city'?"