16997/Coffee Bean Hymnal

Coffee Bean Hymnal
Date of Scene:	23 January 2024
Location:	Holy Grounds
Synopsis:	A group meet for coffee and discuss their lives. Nothing interesting here!
Cast of Characters:	Kenesha, Johnny Storm, Phoebe Beacon, Bart Allen

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Kenesha has posed:
Kenesha glances around the old church with a faint smile for the sight of the original stone walls and the pew-like couches, chuckling and shaking her head, "Now this causes a bit of a philosophical question... this was once a church but clearly no longer. Did something heinous happen here that de-sanctified or unconsecrated the holy ground... or did the Church simply sell off the building and now it's the only coffee house in town where vampires and demons can't tread?"

She glances to Johnny and lifts a brow at him, "You do pick the most interesting places to take me, I have to give credit for that. Now. It looks like they do mainly coffee and tea.. but I'm hoping they'll also have some fruit juice of some sort? Or perhaps a sparkling water? I don't really drink coffee, and I've been part of too many cultures where tea is something carefully prepared and shared in ritual, ceremony, or is otherwise held in high regard to simply have soem college kid brew it for me." She offers a shrug and a wry grin, "A bit snobbish, perhaps, but I've learned to take tea seriously."

Why are Johnny and Kenesha here? Because Kenesha challenged Johnny to bring her somewhere she hadn't been before, that was interesting! Given the givens, he's succeeded remarkably well.

Johnny Storm has posed:
"My guess? And this is totally an uneducated guess that has no information that is factual." Johnny already has ordered a coffee, while he glances around. "See, you didn't say you needed juice or sparkling water. So high maintenance." He teases Kenesha's lightly. Dressed in a dark sweater, blue jeans and a pair of boots, he might be hard to miss as the same Johnny Stage of stage and screen and Fantastic Four, but he's trying to be incognito!

"So this is my guess. This was totally a church, right? And then, there was Batman. And Batman discovered that the church was a front of converting chior boys into evil little vagrants and that the head priest in charge was taking all the money they stole and became all fat on ill-gotten goods. And then Batman and Robin came in here, exposed the priest and the next thing you know, we're in a church that totally failed and now the priest is selling coffee to pay back his debt to society for the crimes he committed. But he may also be the evil Holy Grounder, infamous for his dark humor and bitter crimes!"

"Or something like that. Gotham is weird." Accepting his coffee, he gives a wink to the barista as he moves to find a table to sit at to settle in while Kenesha makes up her mind on what she wants.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Ah -- typically if a church isn't used as a place of worship, it's desanctified -- the process typically means they take the altar, any relics, the main cruciform in the case of most Christian churches, iconography and typically stained glass windows and a dismissal of the Holy Spirit or resident representative through a farewell prayer --" someone pipes up, this someone happening to be clad in a pair of gray wool leggings with a knee-length pleated skirt, white shirt and winter jacket, her hair bound up in a hair wrap in gray with thin green stripes through it, nose ring replaced by a small stud from the last time Johnny saw her, and she gives a friendly wave to Kenesha and Johnny.

    "I'm afraid Batman had zero to do with this one, Mr. Storm. More economic depression, if I remember right." she gives a pleasant smile, and sips her oatmeal milk cinnamon latte.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen is following Phoebe in, today he is wearing his brown kakis that say Gotham Zoo on them. From the smell of soap and general cleanness, it seems the young man has not been into work yet today. He looks over and says "So, what do they do with that stuff when they remove it?" He asks Phoebe.

Kenesha has posed:
Laughing over Johnny's suggestion as to how the church became unsanctified, Kenesha shakes her head and grins at him, "It is, but I don't think it's *that* weird, Johnny. I know most religions have a sort of... ritual or rite or means of unsanctifying a location... but it's curious, with places like this. Then again, I ceased paying attention to the numerous splits in 'types' of Catholicism and Christianty long ago. It became ridiculous."

Then someone is providing an actual answer, and that makes Kenesha smile as she turns to greet Phoebe, "Thank you! Excellent answer, too. Dr. Kenesha Jones, a pleasure to meet you, Miss..." She offers a hand out towards Phoebe, then flushes when the barista clears her throat to get Kenesha's attention. "Apologies, one moment." Turning back to the task at hand, she scans the menu, "Ah, I'll have the raspberry sparkling water, please. Thank you." Paying up, she'll step aside and look to Johnny with a half-smile, "I did tell you that I'm unaffected by things like caffeine, so I don't really drink coffee. Though admittedly, I probably should have mentioned something about the tea."

Looking back to Phoebe, she smiles, "Please, join us." Her gaze moves briefly to Bart, the smile firmly in place, "Both of you. It will be nice for us to have some company." THen she's collecting her fancy water and moving to join JOhnny at the table he picked out.

Johnny Storm has posed:
Johnny effects what would be considered a yawn. Mainly because it's a little boring, but it's what they're interested in, so he follows along regardless. A sip from his coffee. "Oh, there's probably still plenty of both around. Spirits and all that. But don't mention magic around Reed, good gosh does he get long winded about how magic is just science that hasn't been discovered yet. Nerd." A smrik at that. "You believe in magic, right?" he suddenly realizes he's never asked Kenesha that question and it's suddenly important!

His attention swiveks to the voice that spoke up and a smile blossoms on his lips. "Twice in a week, Phoebe? I feel honored!" he teases warmly as he turns the table to open a spot for her to join in the conversation. "Kenesha, this is Phoebe Wayne, we met a couple of weeks ago at an art auction. It got a little heated. A shame about the sprinklers going off." A saucy little comment to his tone as he swirls his finger around the edge of the cup. "Phoebe, this is Kenesha Jones, she's the one that keeps me hot under the collar. Phoebe is active in archeology and art of the Egyptian times. It's very fascinating!"

Bart's arrival gives a wave. "My guess? They send it to other churches, put in storage, or they have a really big rummage sale. I don't know for sure?"

And then back to Kenesha. "While caffine may not effect you, my dear, it does me and I need my cuppa Joe to get going in the morning. So sparkling? That's for you and vampires. Not that I'd complain if you bit me." It's not even good in the morning and the flirt is on.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    It only gets boring until you get into graverobbing. Then it's a hot take.

    "Dr. Jones, a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. Thank you for the invite." she gives a small smile but doesn't offer a hand to shake (but does lift her coffee again), and chooses a seat across from Johnny. She does give a raised eyebrow and a purse of her lips at the question of believing in magic.

    "Really unfortunate about those sprinklers -- especially after the police found that some of those artifacts on sale came into the country through illegal channels. I hear the organizer got set in a bit of hot water." Phoebe replies to Johnny with a small grin.

    And she gives a soft 'hmm' sound, looking over to Bart "This is one of my friends, Bart Allen. He's a veterinary student and also works at the Gotham Zoo."

    "As for what they do? Johnny's got the right of it, mostly. Depending on the group they could transfer it to a different place of worship, or keep it in storage. Some cultures burn to return what was holy to their God-slash-gods." Phoebe explains, "And some they move to newly built structures to consecrate them, though I'm sure. Dr. Jones could speak to other cultures processes better than I." she gives a small smile.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen does offer his hand in a shake and gives a firm, but not squeezing shake, maybe a tad over energentic, but an ok shake. He looks over and says "I will join you guys in a moment." As he goes up to make an order at the counter.

Kenesha has posed:
Kenesha lifts a brow at Johnny and chuckles softly as she sips from her sparkling water, "Johnny, I am wearing Seven League Boots and a Tesseract Tote that makes Mary Poppins' carpetbag look like mini backpack. Of course I believe in magic. I have tools and programs designed specifically for hunting down dangerous magical artifacts and ensuring they don't end up in bad hands. That's who I got into archaeology in the first place. Originally, I was more of an anthropologist."

She'll move the offered handshake to Bart when Phoebe doesn't accept, returning his handshake with her own before withdrawing once more to give a smile towards Phoebe, "The pleasure is mine, Miss Wayne." She turns towards Bart and smiles, "You as well, Mister Allen. And the best of luck with your degree, there are not enough veterinarians in the world, we could certainly use more of them." Looking back to Phoebe, she lifts both brows, "Which Dynasty do you specialize in, or do you prefer a more generalized view of Ancient Egypt? It can certainly be interesting to step back fromt he specific Dynasties to take a look at the overall time period and how Egyptians evolved across it."

Johnny Storm has posed:
Johnny lets out a breath and grins. "Whew. Susie would lose her mind if I bring in a science nerd and Reed manages to convince you to try to disprove magic." he teases easily, before his attention turns to Bart and there's a handshake. "S'up. Johnny Storm. Just Johnny, if you want? Work with animals? That's awesome!"

And then back into the other conversation, because he may very well have ADHD, and it shows. "Really? Stolen items? That's a shame, I'm glad they were recovered! I bet they were steamed about it." See, he can do that too, but like land wars in Asia, he is not gonna get bogged down in a pun fight with Phoebe. He's heard the rumors.

And Kenesha offers a great distraction, so he will set here and sip on his coffee, it's much safer that way. Slrrrrup.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Oh, definitely a generalized view ranging from predynastic upper Egypt to the collapse of the Dynastic system and its decline in thirty be-cee-ee, and how the mythology of Egypt affected the empires around it, their relationship with Nubia, you know... typical med student passing interests." she sips her coffee.

    "So you hunt down dangerous magical artifacts? Sounds... kind of fantastic." she reflects. "If you believe in magic, I mean."

    "Oh, I'm sure they were pretty steamed. The dealer's in jail, past interactions are being examined and a list of buyers has been sought by the court with warrants. I'm sure it'll be in the back pages of some newspaper, or the Daily Bugle's going to stretch for some gynmastics to blame a spider."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen comes walking back over with a quadruple espresso. He also has a plate that has each type of the four plates each with one of each of the three types of cakes on them "I figured I would offer some food, and when you guys don't work, I will take to work with me. " That or more likely he will eat them on his way there "Thanks, working with the animals is a really fun thing."

Kenesha has posed:
Laughing, Kenesha shakes her head at Johnny and smiles, "I've even told you about hunting magical items, that's how we met, and you still thought I might not believe in magic?" Leaning in, she brushes a kiss to his cheek and murmurs, "Still sure you want to hear all my stories? You can't seem to remember the very first one." There's a sly smile sent his way before straightening and taking a swallow of her water.

"Mmmmhmmm... well, if you ever want to know more about it, I'd be happy to share some of my publishings and findings. I believe your.. adoptive aunt? has already received some of them. Kate Kane, she's a cousin to the Wayne family if I remember correctly? She'd requested some of my unedited papers I'd written. So you might be able to get them from her as well." Kenesha offers to Phoebe with a quick smile before lifting a shrug, "It's certainly more fun than sitting in an office, at least for me. I can't stand being cooped up all day, I have to be out there, digging in the dirt, exploring the hidden corners of the world."

Looking back to Bart, she smiles, "Oh thank you! That's very kind, but perhaps only half a slice for me? I had a large breakfast."

Johnny Storm has posed:
"Hey, we all have a little magic in us, Phoebe." Johnny points out with a wink as he sips from his coffee, "It's just a matter of finding a way with yourself or someone else to express it. But once you find that spark, don't ever let it go and do all you can to flame it into your passionate fire. That's real magic, if you can find that."

"And hey, with arrested dealers on the pages, the social affairs of the Waynes and other associated society can go under the radar. Which I am just fine with it. Until I'm not. It depends." A shrug of his shoulders as Bart arrives with the plate. "Oh man, that's awesome, thanks. And don't worry about Kenesha not eating her share, I'll make sure to take care of it for her." A wink at Kenesha and a little playful nudge with his shoulder as he takes another sip from his coffee. "So, what's your favorite type of animal?" he asks Bart, before his attention sliiiides back to Kenesha.

"You've had your whole life to know your story, I've only heard it once. Little unfair?" he asks teasingly. "Maybe I just want to hear it again and listen to how it rolls off your tongue and bewteen your lips, hmm?" comes the response, an easy little chuckle that rises from him. But most of the talk is between Phoebe and Kenesha and well above his intelligence.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Ah, Kate and I aren't close. I'm kind of the black sheep of the family." Phoebe recounts, her hands folding against her lap a little bit as her shoulders tense.

    "I'm sure I can find copies though through school. I'm in the pre-med biology track. Bruce seemed excited to have an MD in the family, and I might as well use my good fortune at being adopted into the family to help others." she states, segueing "Which is why I'm a patron of the Gotham Childrens' Works. Refurbishing playgrounds and park spaces, building up clinics, and the pet project of a low-security facility so that families don't have to try to venture to Blackgate."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen hmms a bit and scratches his chin a bit and says "I like most all of them, but I think right now, I am enjoying working with the big cats, but I really like the Giraffes but that is biased as we had one born right after I started there.

Kenesha has posed:
"Aw, Johnny, you say the sweetest things. Even they're being said to someone else," Kenesha reaches over and squeezes her fingers around his briefly. Sipping from her sparkling water, she looks to Johnny and grins, "You were there for it, it isn't just my story, it's yours too." Teasing him right back and without hesitation, chuckling after.

Shaking her head at Phoebe, Kenesha offers, "The unedited versions never got published, so they wouldn't be in any school's records. If you want to give me an email, I can send them to you. Unfortunately, scientific journals and magazines alike tend to want any one piece to fit within a certain number of pages. And since I haven't really taken the time to look into publishing it all into a book, that means they largely end up just sitting in my files." Settling back in her chair, her legs cross as she sips from her raspberry water again and smiles, "But I'm always happy to share them with anyone that wants to read them."

Kenesha smiles at Bart, "Is that Jeffrey? I visited right around when he was born, adorable little guy. Though I imagine he's very much larger now." She flicks a glance to Johnny and chuckles, "And if Johnny wants the other half of my slice, he's welcome to it."

Looking back to Phoebe, she offers a softer smile, 'I understand completely about being the black sheep of the family. My parents are both very... militant, and my father added in a heaping helping of politics. And I followed neither of them, which has really strained the relationships in later years." Glancing to Johnny, she smiles faintly, "Thankfully, someone has been giving me better options lately."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I'm afraid that I don't always se love and affection as magic. The right chemical concoction in the blood stream can simulate it. I've seen it enough on club floors to know that half the time it's platitudes powered by biological urges." Phoebe states with amusement in her voice. "Being adopted repeatedly times kind of gives you a dim outlook on stuff like that." Phoebe explains, "... but you're right. When you find the right person where that bond's strong? It probably feels like magic. And not just, y'know. The human need for pack-bonding." she reflects as an explanation for feeling like a black sheep.

    She does listen about Jeffrey, her favorite giraffe, who she has definitely not snuck apple slices to at various points at night. Nope. Definitely not Phoebe.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods and says "Yea thats him, he is a fun guy to hang around, we spoil him a bit perhaps." He admits. He looks over to "Luckily there is also good friends, and if your really lucky you find someone who fits into both catagories."

Kenesha has posed:
"That's not love. That's lust, and hormones. Love is a choice. You can try to fake it, but it always comes out sooner or later. Actual, real love is difficult. It takes work, compromise... and it has to come from both sides." Kenesha lets out a small sigh and rubs at the back of her neck, "And I hate to say it but being adopted doesn't give you a monopoly on shitty parents. Or lack of familial love. Both of my parents claim to love me, then both routinely go off and show just how little they actually care about me at all. It sucks. But it doesn't mean that love doesn't exist. It just means that I'm not going to get it from them. Neither are you. So what? You find your family. Make one for yourself. Be what you want out of life." She shrugs, "Or be constantly disappointed and bitter until the day you die. It's all your choice."

Flashing a grin at Bart, she nods, "I can see why. There's something special about the babies born in captivity.. you can connect with them more easily, they weren't born with that mistrust of people that most animals have in the wild. Not that that's a bad thing, mind, that instinct keeps them alive. But for Jeffrey, he got to grow up around people, and that's great for him." She motions to Bart and nods, "There's that, too. Good friends can be better than blood. I often hear the phrase 'blood is thicker than water'... so few people seem to ever remember the *whole* of that saying. The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. The family you choose is often better than the one you were born to."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe's eyebrows knit, and her lips press into a tight line.

    "I would like an apology. I never said any of my parents were 'shitty'. I said /I/ had a dim outlook, and I don't feel like I owe any further explanation to a stranger." she states as she tilts her head back and drains the rest of her coffee. "I'm not bitter. I'm incredibly fortunate, and I'm constantly reminded of it. Even if I do not show affection to my friends, even better than love they have my loyalty. I suppose that is my choice. Just like this one."

    Phoebe turns to Bart "I"m going to head back and work up my labs. I'll see you later." and she turns to Johnny "Mr. Storm, always a pleasure to see you. Dr. Jones -- best of luck in your future endeavors. Dimensionally incongruent bag and all."

    And Phoeb goes to gather her things and take her leave of the awkward conversation.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks over to Kenesha and Phoebe. He frowns a bit, as he ponders what to say for a moment, and decides on "You do show your friends affection Phoebe, there are a lot of ways to show affection and as just one example, your cookies show it but there are others." He looks over to Kenesha to see if she is going to say anything before commenting on parents.

Kenesha has posed:
"And I never said you had any. I said you had no monopoly on shitty parents, or lack of familial love. Now, I apologize if that upsets you, but you just went on a diatribe about how 'love' is nothing more than biochemical response that happens on a dance floor, and how being adopted has given you a dim view of love. I never asked for an explanation, just like I never asked for you to dump your personal feelings all over at least one stranger in the middle of a coffeehouse. But you don't then get to play the injured party after opening yourself up to response with said diatribe. If you don't wish to hear opinions or responses, then I suggest you leave your own opinions to be shared strictly amongst those you call friends, and not in front of strangers." Kenesha rises up as well and lifts a shrug, "You made your choice, Miss Wayne. That was the consequence of it. Please do enjoy the rest of your day."

Glancing to Johnny, she smiles, "Finish your coffee, love. I'll see you back at the apartment." To Bart, she smiles, "It was a pleasure to meet you, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the day." Making like she's tipping a hat, Kenesha will turn and stride away.