15749/The Twinnings (not the tea)

The Twinnings (not the tea)
Date of Scene:	29 August 2023
Location:	Candle, Booke and Belle
Synopsis:	While closing up the Booke, Billy Kaplan visits to speak to Gabby and Hellboy. Drinks are had, and interest in joining the JLD is expressed by Billy.
Cast of Characters:	Gabby Kinney, Hellboy, Billy Kaplan

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Gabby Kinney has posed:
The sun was startin to wander down toward the lower end of the sky. It had caused a good amount of foot traffic that usually came by the shop to surge momentarily while shifts were changing and other shops were closing down, but that also meant less actual people popping into this one. The door had been left open to get in some of that fresh (kind of fresh?) evening air as well as to let out some of the heady scent of candles, incense, and tea that permeated the shop constantly. There was a little table set up just outside the door declaring what the free tea sample of the day was, and there were even a few little paper cups left to try out the teapot that resided there.

The free samples was something Gabby did when she was running things. It kept her busy, allowed her to sample a bit of the tea herself, and it seemed like a great way to get business. With things winding down for the evening she's currently starting to put things away though with the speed of someone who had no where to go and nothing to do tonight. Sometimes, that was a nice change of pace.

With broom in hand she pauses near the doorway to give a little sniff and wrinklle of her nose. "Ah. It's 'pumpkin spice' time at the coffee shop down the way. I never really got the hang of that one," she mutters with a shake of her head. Leave it to her nose to catch a whiff of that this far away.

"Too sweet even for me."

Hellboy has posed:
Hellboy had crashed there last night in the upstairs, easier than taking the long trip back to his hideout. He was more or less a free agent to do as he pleased these days, unless SHIELD/WAND really, really needed some monster put down. The JLD had become, if not his family, at least his circle of friends.

He comes downstairs to the smell of coffee, avoiding the pumpkin spice with a proverbial ten foot pole, "Please tell me you got a pot of jet black coffee tucked away somewhere so I don't have to drink that, babe," he says to Gabby.

Billy Kaplan has posed:
It has been a minute since he was last here at the Candle, Booke and Belle. But the weather is gorgeous tonight and it's his last week of freedom before the new semester starts up, so the young spellcaster went for a walk. And it led him here. "Oh boy," he murmurs aloud when he sees where his feet brought him despite the fact that he had no idea he would end up here. "This can't be an accident."

He opens the door and peers around the shop. "Hello," he says with a wave. His gaze falls first on Hellboy because, well, you can't not look at a seven foot tall demon first. "Hey, man," Billy says with another small wave. "Um. Hi." Yeah, what do you even say to Hellboy?

Next, his gaze moves to Gabby. A nod. A small glimmer of distant recollection perhaps? "How's it goin'?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney glances over her shoulder to give the much taller demon that came down a grin. Apparently his presence here wasn't a surprise or anything new to her--Hell, she was the one that recruited him for the JLD in the first place. The request of coffee gets a gesture to one of those tall stainless steen decanters that you can pull the lever for to get a cup.

"Filled it up about fifteen minutes ago, should still be steaming hot for you, Red. There *are* flavor syrups over there if you want, but I'm not about to add that in to an entire pot." Her weight leans on the broom a bit as she speaks.

The little chime of the door and that ripple of sensation of someone coming through the barrier causes the hair on the back of her neck to prickle. Just a bit. The barrier was still in 'allow friendlies' mode since that was Nettie's spell. It was just one of those sensations that was starting to grow familiar.

"Welcome to the Booke, what can I --" Gabby starts as she turns only to blink quickly at the face of the individual there. It only takes a second for her own memory to click into place. He was the spitting image of Tommy after all, just a dark version to Tommy's silver hair.

"Oh! Hey, it's been ages. Nettie's out right now, but if you need anything I can probably help. Or..." she jerks her thumb over her shoulder toward Hellboy. "I mean, we got backup. What can I do you for, Billamus?"

Yes, she knew it was Billy, but the friendly 'warping of names' was a thing she picked up awhile ago.

Hellboy has posed:
Hellboy mutters under his breath, "Flavor syrups. Bunch o' Willy Wonka bullshit. This is coffee, not ice cream," he says. He knows it's a lost cause, but he's allowed to be crabby. Hell, he killed a bunch of giant crabs just a week or two ago. He can never get a decent day fishing at the beach.

He doesn't know Billy but Gabby seems to recognize him, so that's cool enough. "Call me Red," he says, gesturing in salute with his cup, steaming and bitter the way he likes it as he takes a long swig.

Billy Kaplan has posed:
"I..." He tips his head to one side as he peers at Gabby with a curious smile spurred by the 'Billamus' thing. He seems at once confused and amused if the expression on his face is any indication. "Okay," he exclaims. "Billimus it is. I don't really /need/ anything, I suppose. Honestly, I'm not sure how I ended up here. I just went...I dunno...walking and here I am."

To Hellboy, "Nice to meet you, Red. I'm Billy." He raises both eyebrows and peers at Gabby for a moment. "Or Billamus, apparently?" He gestures toward Hellboy's coffee. "And you and I are of the same mind. Coffee should only be drunk black and strong."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney responds in the utterly mature manner of sticking her tongue out at the grumpy demon before resuming her clearly more wide-awake grin from before. "That works too. Sometimes people end up where they need to be for no apparent reason at all. It's one of those things I'm learning to 'just go with' when it comes to this line of work." Gabby gestures further in, inviting Billy to enter completely.

"Help yourself to a cup then. There's a *ton* of mugs and cups and saucers and stuff behind the tea sampling counter. Nettie's better at picking out ones to match the person than I am. I'm just cleaning up so we can change over to 'night shift' kind of."

Hellboy has posed:
Hellboy fingerguns at Billy, which is quite a massive gun given the oversized Hand of Doom that makes it, Hellboy's trademark giant fist lifted easily up in the air. He leans back against the wall, wearing a wife beater and a pair of trousers, his spade-tipped tail poking out the back and wrapped around one of his legs as he sips.

"So what you're tellin' us, Bill, is that we shouldn't count on you for any perception based tasks."

Billy Kaplan has posed:
A small grin lights up Billy's face at Hellboy's comment. "Nice," he says as he pours himself a steaming black cup of coffee. "Solid burn. I walked into that one." He takes a deep sip of the hot liquid and nods approvingly.

"Maybe my dancin' shoes led me here because I had it in my mind to talk to you guys about, you know, your club." Maybe he doesn't know how much he can say here, even with no customers in the shop? Caution is often a good starting position in such circumstances. "Nettie and I have done some training a few times. She's been helping me control certain abilities so I don't accidentally detonate the solar system." He sips more coffee with an absolutely serious expression on his face. He doesn't seem to be exaggerating, or at least he doesn't /believe/ he is exaggerating.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney resumes her sweeping while the guys breifly bond over coffee. A few quick swipes has the dust of customer footsteps out the door, and she leans the broom against the wall to step outside. Just long enough to pull in the little table with it's tea samples which she nudges to the other side from where she'd leaned the broom.

Hearing the rest of Billy's remark she gives a simple, "Ah ha," and turns to flip the sign on the door from 'Open' to 'Closed.'

"Nightshift it is," she declares clapping her hands together to dust them off unnecessarily. "Training is good. I'd prefer the solar system not get detonated, I kind of live here. And my alt-dimension self has seen destruction of that so she'd rather not go through that again, kthanx," she utters with a little sidelong jerk of her head that seems as if she didn't actually mean to make it. It's breif, and then gone.

"JLD, at your service. You interested in joining up?"

Hellboy has posed:
Hellboy chuckles, "Gabby's the captain around these parts, I'm just the heavy lifting. And the heavy shooting. And the heavy chopping into little bits."

"On the one hand, it's a good crew full of talented people with, uh, let's say colorful personalities. On the other hand, we stay busy. Which means that there's almost always creepy crawlies or evil sorcerers or skeletons or crab people or...y'know...stuff. Eldritch stuff. Magical stuff. Things I get to kill."

He side-eyes Gabby, "Alternate dimension self? You been world jumpin' in your spare time? I need to hear that story."

Billy Kaplan has posed:
"I /am/ interested," Billy replies to both Gabby and Hellboy when Gabby asks if he's interested in being a part of the JLD. "Keeping busy is good for me. I..." The reality bender pauses and peers upwards as though trying to figure out how phrase it. "...tend to end up in the most trouble when I'm idle. I'm in school full time at NYU, in fact the new semester starts next week. But that still leaves me a /lot/ of free time to end up...in bad situations."

He gestures in Hellboy's direction. "So what's the deal with the heavy stuff?" He playfully flexes one skinny arm. "Need a sidekick?" He flashes a smile in the demon's direction.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney lifts a hand to press fingertips against her forehead breifly. "Little situation with some elder gods trying to break into our dimension by convincing a lot of us to work for them. It's why the last leaders of the JLD bounced abruptly last year after everything..." Her face scrunches, and she drops the hand away to wave the thought off. It was a long, long story after all.

Crossing over to where they are she pauses to snag herself a mug with a picture of a bee over the word 'happy'. SHE puts cream in her mug, then pours some coffee, without any concern for how the boys might consider her choice of beverage.

"Okay. So breif run down of us, then. At least as long as I've been with the JLD there's been three leaders, and that's where we are now, too. I took over when the others left because no one else was really ready, willing, or able to step up at the time." A sip of her coffee comes as she considers. "I convinced Nettie to come out of retirement to help, and Sara to be our third. And in spite of ... Everything... We don't always fight."

"I mean it does happen a lot," she adds with a sigh, "But we also try to stop things before they happen, or help out supernatural or paranormal critters that just want to be left alone. Kind of try to keep things balanced and running smooth."

Hellboy has posed:
"Don't let her downtalk herself. She's a damn fine leader. Nettie's plenty bossy, but it's Gab's team, far as I'm concerned," he says. He may be a bit loyal to the diminutive mutant clone warrior girl.

"We're all still alive, which is probably the best endorsement for how good we are. Cause I been on a few of these squads over the years and I gotta tell ya, the mortality rate is, uh, not great. Seen a lot of good folks get gobbled up over the years. RIP," he says.

"Okay, I think I know what this coffee needs. Booze."

Billy Kaplan has posed:
Billy listens intently as Gabby describes the team's hierarchy. He has this way about him of making people feel like what they are saying is important to him...because it is. "Well a little fighting is good, I bet. I'm not sure I trust people who never fight. I have two little brothers and when they start acting all super nice to me, I know I'm screwed somehow."

When Hellboy describes his past experiences and the mortality rate of supernatural squads, Billy is respectfully quiet. He has no context with that, so he doesn't interrupt Red or try to add an opinion.

BUT...when Hellboy mentions his idea for improving the coffee, Billy holds out his mug. "Yes, please!"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney leans back against the counter crossing her legs at the ankles. The coffee mug is held in both hands and she sips at her sweet concoction perfectly happy with it. Hah. "Eh, I know teams. I've always worked with a team, so that's what I bring to things." In spite of her explanation she does find herself grinning at Hellboy's apparent praise. "Nettie brings her expertise, and given us a place to hang our hats. Sara's got ahold of the police and authorities in case we need that. It's a good mix."

"Oh yeah, we do fight, just saying sometimes that's not *always* the best way to handle a situation. Not saying don't do it. Sometimes it's *very* necessary," she agrees with a solemn nod.

She's just about to take a sip when Billy requests alcohol too, and she blurts out, "You're not old enough---" Then she pauses, squints, and lifts her gaze upward. "Wait. Shit. You *are* old enough, Tommy just had his birthday back in July so you're also..." A long sigh is let out slowly.

"If you guys want, but I'm not holding anyone's head if you overdo it."

Hellboy has posed:
Hellboy shakes his head, "Drinkin' laws in this country are a damn tragedy. Gotta be 21 to drink, but you can go to war at eighteen? What a bunch o' crap," he says.

He gets out a few potential liqueurs of choice, putting Irish whiskey in his own. He tastes it, smacks his lips, then adds some more and sips again until his eyes go wide.

"Mmmmmmmmmmm, like bitter kerosene. Just the way I like it," he says.

He takes a seat and settles his massive weight down carefully, 'Teams are good. Support, different skills at hand, somebody to drag your carcass away if you get splatted."

Billy Kaplan has posed:
When Gabby initially erroneously declares that Billy isn't old enough to drink, the magic-user raises one eyebrow with an amused expression. But as her explanation continues, a warm smile lights up Billy's features. "You know Tommy?" he asks with a little surprise and a lot of...gratitude? "I'm glad he has friends. He gets stuck in his own head too much sometimes."

Then Billy helps himself to some whiskey -- not Hellboy-levels of whiskey, just about a shot's worth -- and tops it off with some fresh coffee. He lifts the cup in a salute to Hellboy before taking a drink. "THAT is what I'm talkin' about," he exclaims.

"I did an op last year with the Avengers. It was...intimidating. Captain Marvel was there. Black Widow. Captain America. Black Panther. It was BONKERS."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney sips from her coffee while the others doctor theirs up the way they want. At Billy's question of knowing Tommy she glances to the side. A bit guilty, almost? Then looks back, and then over to Hellboy. The reply is apparently thought over before she speaks again.

"We were dating. For the past year or so. Me, and Tommy and our girlfriend Bunny. Work..." Her fingers tap against the side of her mug thoughtfully. "Work kept me a bit too busy. We split up recently. Still friends," she hastens to add quickly. "Just wasn't quite... working."

It's HER turn to now eye the whiskey bottle.

Hellboy has posed:
Hellboy sips his boozy coffee, "And I'm guessin', cause of the birthday thing you mentioned, that Bill here and Tommy are related. I ain't exactly Sherlock Holmes, but I can follow the plot now and again," he says.

"Still friends doesn't always mean everything's easy or okay, dollface. You can feel your feelings. Feel 'em even better with a bit o' the ol' Irish," he says, sliding the bottle her way. "Hell, some of my exes want to drag me to hell and feed me into the pit. Literally. Which is silly. I'm a demon. I'd be fine. Just a nice swim for me."

Billy Kaplan has posed:
After finishing his coffee, Billy finds a sink of some sort to rinse his cup and set it down in. "Thanks for the coffee and the shot of whiskey," he says. "I need to get home. It was cool to meet you, Red. I've seen you on the news and such, but it's a whole different thing to meet you in person."

He finds a pen and paper and writes down his cell number. "I'm real interested in joining JLD, Gabby. Here's my number. Shoot me a text if there's a meeting or something, okay?"

Then Billy steps back so he's not near anyone. "Goin' home, goin' home, goin' home," he intones. With each repetition the arcane energy in the room can be felt accumulating. Then, he is simply gone, and there is a tiny pop as the air rushes in to fill the void that his body was just occupying.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney takes the slip of paper and watches as Wiccan just.. does his thing. "Damn that'd be handy," she utters under her breath while slipping the paper away into her pocket for now. She'd make use of it after all.

Once he's gone she nods at Red, informing, "They're twins. Seperated at birth by magic to have different parents--I don't even get it all, but they're definitely twins," she concludes with a chuckle as she reaches for the whiskey bottle to turn it over in hand contemplating. "Eh. Tempting but it does me no good," she decides finally setting it back down with a shake of her head. "If I'm lucky I feel a little buzz for a bit... but then that's it."

Hellboy has posed:
Hellboy grins, "Well, if this stuff doesn't work for you, I bet Nettie's got somethign special stashed away that'll work for you if I dig it out."

"C'mon, I'll put on an old movie and pop some popcorn and you can at least watch me get tipsy. You ever seen the Maltese Falcon? 'The stuff that dreams are made of'," he says, doing his best Bogey impression.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney snorts a bit at that response. Pushing away from the counter she heads for the back, pausing only to throw a friendly punch at Hellboy's arm. "You're on. Just watch where you put your tail this time," she teases lightly before vanishing into the back rooms.