2749/Seeking The Barista Cat Of Doom

Seeking The Barista Cat Of Doom
Date of Scene:	02 August 2020
Location:	Coffee of DOOM
Synopsis:	Good drinks, good company, new friends, and cats. Today was a good day at DOOM Coffee.
Cast of Characters:	Rachel Summers, Joan Wright, Mori Merritt, Albert Rothstein, Cecily Winters, Eddie Brock, Naria Shepard, David Corriea

---

Rachel Summers has posed:
    Coffee in New York is something of a necessity these days. Rachel is still dealing with trauma. And when anyone asks what trauma, she'd respond, .. you mean which of the several traumas?
    But she steps into the coffee shop, pausing to let her eyes slide over the room. She is feeling a bit... hesitant at the moment. But she steps to the side of the door in case others are entering. She is drawing upon a trickle of her power to conceal the facial markings... scarification and all on her face. She hates those things.

Joan Wright has posed:
While the concept of the coffee house is indeed interesting, that it encourages patrons to stay there for hours does have the drawback in that there are very few seats available. To then up and say cats were going to be brought in to the location has just made it more difficult as a new breed of patron comes out of the woodworks. Looking for cute little fuzzy wuzzy critters to force them to buy a second cup of coffee by knocking down the first.

It has definitely been an eventful week. Mutant town is back so emergency workers of ALL types are getting a lot of hours in. Not only are the people being tended to but so are the buildings. And so, Joan is a bit further from her home than normal which means having to rely on local establishmnts for sustenance. Which, after switching to a more dining appopriate attire at the office, brings her to her DOOOOOOOOOM.

Coffee of Doom that is. A rather interesting tweet discussion bringing up barista cats being brought to this chain has perked up her interest and on a whim, she has looked up this place and decided to check it out. Upon popping in here however, it appears she's not the only one who thought of doing such a thing.

"Oh bother."

Mori Merritt has posed:
Coffee shops tend to be a second home to Mori. Beverages, usually a nice atmosphere, somewhere to sit and a table to work where she doesn't look out of place. This coffee shop, however, has /much/ more of an atmosphere. There's a lot to see and hear, but it's pleasant and not overly stimulating. She's found herself a table already, her bookbag at her feet, though her sketchbook is on the table, a set of colored pencils threatening to roll off the table should she bump it too much.

While she's already put in an order, she doesn't seem too concerned about waiting for it. Instead, she's drawing something with the pencils. Is it a barista cat? Who knows.

Albert Rothstein has posed:
Albert Rothstein has been helping out with some of the repairs in Mutant Town, volunter type stuff. So after a long day he pulls up parking his '70 Cougar outside, but seeable from the windows. The large man will climb out of the car and walk in. He has concrete dust on his shoulders and hands from the days work, he is brushing off as he steps inside looking about.

Rachel Summers has posed:
    As people sort of pour in, Rachel slides further from the front door. For someone with such ungodly levels of power, she's really kinda skittish and trying to avoid confrontations right now. She approaches the counter and says softly, "Just some green tea with honey please." She says as she sets a wrinkled five dollar bill on the counter.

Joan Wright has posed:
This is Joan's first time being to the shop and so she ends up doing what most probably shouldn't. Gawk at the architecture instead of reading the menu. As such she has ended up being hustled out of line as the damage control employee is currently looking to the pillars and the woodwork. Granted, this is not very appropriate period work for New York but, the level of craftsmenship...

She feels a touch on the back of her shoulder and she turns, looking to a little cat pawing at her from the one of the seats.

She bites back a small squee. "If there were some LEGOs here I'd think I was in heaven."

Cecily Winters has posed:
    Cecily is a known quantity at coffee shops. The white-tailed fox-woman can be found all over New York city, when she's not stuck in the office anyway. She's rarely at home anyway, and tends to prefer to be out and about in town. It takes her a little more effort to get in to this shop, though, needing her weapons permits to get in armed. She's got her shoulder holster, and her own book bag. She hasn't quite looked the establishment's patrons over yet, more intersted in some of the magazines at the moment.

    Of course, anyone who knows her can spot her a mile away with those fluffy tails and her professional attire. She hasn't gotten in line for tea yet.

Albert Rothstein has posed:
Albert Rothstein will head towards the counter waiting patiently for his turn to order jumbo coffee and a half dozen or so pastries. He pays for it and looks around for a table he can sit at. He will look to Mori "Pardon miss, you ok, if I share the table with you?" He will ask.

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori isn't quite looking when Albert wanders her direction. So when she's addressed, she looks up in surprise and bumps the table in front of her just enough to send the colored pencils rolling along to fall on the floor. She sets the sketchpad down, leaving the drawing visible on the table for anyone close enough to see. It's part landscape, some kind of savannah, perhaps, while the other half the drawing is some intricate architecture, though it doesn't look like anything you'd find in New York. It probably resembles a weird mix modern art with antique sensibilities.

Scooting out of her chair a bit to get the pencils, she shoots a glance towards Albert. "Oh, that's fine, there aren't a lot of tables available right now anyway."

Rachel Summers has posed:
    Once she has her tea, the redhead Rachel steps over to a seat to place herself on it. She's watching the room... trying to block out the flow of thoughts from others that keep trying to flow into her brain. She hates hearing big crowds all broadcasting to her.
    Lifting her tea, she sips at it, still not talking to anyone and looking ... not so much fearful as just overly hesitant. She's so annoyingly withdrawn right now. She is basically PTSD with feet.

Joan Wright has posed:
.oO(Heeeeey Mr. Kitty! Or are you a girl? Oh there's not an easy way to tell without being rude so Heeeey Kitty! Aren't you the cutest little thing?!)Oo.

At the moment, the things going through Joan's mind right now isn't indicative of the level of education she's received. Right now it's focused on the little kitty that's pawing at her. It takes all her energy to internalize all her squees.

Right, so where was she? Coffee! Looking to the line, she hops back into it.

.oO(Ok. Coffee and something to eat. Ooh do they have sandwiches here? They do! Hmm.)Oo. Depending on the quality of the food, this might become her new favorite place to eat- near an embassy.

Albert Rothstein has posed:
Albert Rothstein will squat down to help retrieve the pencils. He sets the one he has on the table, and will check the sturdiness of the chair before having a seat. "Thanks I'm Albert by the way." He says in introduction "Sorry to startle you."

Cecily Winters has posed:
    Joan might feel a brush of something warm and fluffy, as Cecily gets in line. One of her tails decides to invade personal space for a momentary rush and the vixen sighs. "...my apologies, I don't always have -complete- control over them..." she gives an apologetic smile and shifts on her feet to try to wrangle the three fluffy appendages waving about behind her. "...at least I don't get them stuck in doors anymore, mm?" she manages a soft laugh.

    SO many people. Her ears are perked, and then they swivel to and fro, picking out random words from a myriad of quiet conversations, not latching on to anything in particular or even able to pick anything out from the din. The joys of enhanced hearing.

Mori Merritt has posed:
"Oh, no, that's fine, I just get distracted easily, I should have seen someone coming." Mori settles in the chair once the pencils are on the table again, offering a smile as she gets herself fully situated. "Ah, I'm Mori. Nice to meet you Albert." The pencils are lined up a little closer to her sketchpad so they don't fall, though she tucks the sketchpad back towards her so she can keep drawing.

Rachel Summers has posed:
    Green eyes flickering over the room, Rachel sips her tea once more. As her attention slide about, her senses move along with it. There is something in the room that makes her twitch. She's not sure what it is, but something is making her left eye twitch.
    She sets down her teacup, empty now.. and gets up from her seat. She begins moving through the room, heading towards the back as if planning to partake of the... facilities.
    She half-closes her eyes as she goes and lets the sensations of the room wash over her as she moves along.She -is- maintaining her focus on the glamour (which is totally telepathic, not magical... so if anyone can sense subtle uses to tweak perceptions to make folks just not -see- something purely cosmetic... let me know!)

Joan Wright has posed:
Joan turns her head as she feels something soft, face brightening at the thought of a nother nearby cat pawing at her. The tail that is not attached to a cat gets a momentary look of confusion before Cecily speaks up.

The younger woman looks to Cecily, smiling "It's alright. And the door thing sounds painful. I'd hate that." She glances to see there's apparently more. "How many of them do you have?"

Albert Rothstein has posed:
Albert Rothstein offers a smile and says "Interesting piece your working on," He comments on the picture and as his food and drink are brought over to him, he makes sure to keep them away from the artwork not wanting to take a chance of messing it up.

Cecily Winters has posed:
    "It's extremely painful..." Cecily confesses, offering a sideways smile. "...having them pulled hurts a lot as well. I had to be very careful the first... well. I've had to be careful since I got them but it was worse during the first few months..." she sighs.

    At the question, she glances over her shoulder, carefully pulling the long lengths of silky white fluff up and into her arms. Three black tips dangle and twitch from her arms. "....three. For now. I only had one when I first got... all of this... It's safe to assume I'll have nine, eventually, if this runs its course."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock tends to hang out at much more downscale locales, the kind of greasy spoons where they clean the table with the same rag and where you can hear the grease sizzling on the griddle over the counter. Where the waitresses have names like 'Flo' and 'Geena'.

Still, Eddie's got a little bit of money at the moment, having sold a couple of articles this week, and he's in the mood for pastry. His telepathic signature is, indeed, fairly weird, with two disparate psychic signatures in his mind, one of them distorted and inhuman in its configuration.

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori smiles, then shrugs at the sketchpad. "Yeah, it's just a thing. Maybe someone will like it and turn it into real architecture. I'm not sure. It's hard to make it more detailed... but I'm doing my best. Could be a sculpture somewhere, I bet." She twirls a pencil between her fingers, giving a polite smile to the wait staff as her tea arrives. "I don't really sell my art at all, though. It's kind of a personal thing. I do commissions, but this stuff stays with me, mostly."

Albert Rothstein has posed:
Albert Rothstein smiles a bit and nods his head "I can understand that, I have done a few custom car rebuilds, but the one I did for myself I would never sell. " He motions to his pile of pastries "If you would like one feel free to grab one." He offers to her "You ever tried working with clay or something making the statue yourself?

Joan Wright has posed:
"I could imagine. The area you need to move around in gets bigger and you're used to a smaller turning range..." Joan's voice dies away as Cecily warns of more tails to come. "Nine?! Oh- How are you going to sit down in a bus seat?"

Yep. There's a Kitsune in front of her with fuzzy tails and her concern? Public transportation.

Cecily Winters has posed:
    Cecily is the sort to use public transit more than driving herself, actually, so it's a -very- valid concern. The vixen just sighs. "I usually just walk or take the train, or a taxi," she says gently. The armed fluffball seems to be on the same wavelength as the other woman, at least, in terms of priorities and concerns.

    "Though I admit people do tend to... avoid me at times..." her ears wilt and she shrugs. Still plenty of mutant wariness around, likely, and she's very, very obvious in her ... additions. "...so having two seats on the bus all to myself isn't outside of the realm of possibility... But this is my city, so I don't mind walking. I get to see things happen as they happen, too."

Mori Merritt has posed:
"Clay? I've /tried/ clay, but it's kind of tricky. I've done some painting, but my sketches are sort of what I do best. I can get details in there I find hard to do in other mediums. I get... well, I get pretty frustrated when I can't get out what I really need to on the page, so I stick with what I've actually got some skill with." Mori /happily/ grabs for a pastry when they're offered, taking a moment to take a bite before she continues talking. "So you do car rebuilds? That's pretty cool. Must be fun and pretty satisfying."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock pushes in a little bit just to get to the pastries, "Sorry, we're a little hungry," he says casually, grabbing about four pastries and putting them on a plate. He's wearing a black leather jacket and a Pac-Man t-shirt underneath, his body lean and muscular.

If the kitsune is obvious, he'll pause and take a long look, putting a large danish into his mouth as his selves have a short discussion in his head.

//EDDIE WHAT IS IT?//
<<I don't know.>>
//CAN WE DEVOUR IT?//
<<No.>>
//BAKED GOODS WILL ONLY SUFFICE OR SO LONG. WE NEED MEATS AND INNARDS.//

Joan Wright has posed:
Joan's eyes wide, as she frowns at the sad ears "That. Stinks." She assesses, "Well. I can't speak for them but I think your tails are pretty and I'm guessing the next six will be as well. I think that guy agrees as well."

Joan gestures over towards Eddie who got caught looking at Cecily.

Giving a decided nod, she makes her way further down the line. Man this place is popular.

"Did you come for the cats?"

Albert Rothstein has posed:
Albert Rothstein nods and says "I work on most all types of engines, but old cars, and helicopters are my favorite." He admits. I can see how not being able to get things the way you would want them is frustrating." He hmms and says "Maybe hire someone to make something from one?

Naria Shepard has posed:
Caffine and Rave don't seem like the most instinctually intelligent mix. Already the 'bluenette' was living up to her namesake, pretty much embodying a 'sugar rush'...but that wasn't going to stop her today! A streak of glowing blue light traced between (and over) buildings, between cars and around people until finally with a 'flash' the young woman wrapped in a rather simple hoodie jacket and shorts stopped short of the door and stepped into the shop. With the activewear she looked like she'd simply been out running and that wasn't far from the truth. She'd just been running near the speed of sound!

Announced by the door, Rave herself might look a little underdressed compart to some, but she makes a beeline for the counter, eyes alight and a grin on her features as she spots the familier figure (and tails!) of Ms. Winters.

Cecily Winters has posed:
    "Ah... thank you?" Cecily blinks, not used to having her tails complimented. It happens, but not always from adults. She gets a lot of smiles from children though! She smiles at Joan, then blinks, looking back at Eddie and lifting a brow. There's a shrug, though, and she moves up in the line. "I'm used to being stared at, honestly..." she says quietly. "And no, not here for the cats. Here for some tea, actually. I'm usually more of a green sort, but I know they do a wonderful black tea as well..."

    Of course, her ears lift at the sound of yet another person entering, but for the moment, she isn't looking behind her. Rave will easily catch the foxy woman off guard! Ah distractions.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock doesn't seem bothered by Joan's direct approach, a bit of glaze on the corner of his mouth as he assesses the woman in front of him.

"Nope. Pastry," he says. "Also just curious. Latveria has an interesting reputation," he says.

"We didn't mean it badly," Eddie adds to Cecily. "Just curiosity. Nothing wrong with being different. Often its preferable."

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori smiles, though it's a little sad. "Happens a lot, I'm really terrible at explaining things to people as well. Lots of frustration if I can't get across what I want to. Good thing I'm not a teacher or anyone actually /needing/ to explain things. I can just quietly get frustrated at my sketches on the side." She laughs slightly at the idea of having someone make something. "I think I'd get frustrated there, too. They wouldn't get it right either and I wouldn't be able to explain how they got it wrong. It's kind of like..."

Mori leans forward. "Say you've taken apart an engine. You know where all the pieces go because you're the one who took it apart. Then someone comes in to rebuild it and you watch them put the pieces in the wrong place... or /almost/ the right place but you've forgotten the words for all of the parts so you can't explain what they're doing wrong or why." She takes another bite of her pastry before adding. "So it's like that. It's not just art. They'd have to get it /right/."

Joan Wright has posed:
Yes. Joan. IS. An Adult. With a room in her house dedicated entirely to LEGOs. When Eddie counters her initial assessment, her smile weakens a bit before it recovers at the mentioning how being different is preferable.

Joan steps back at the flash of blue light in surprise, looking to the newly entered Rave. "W-?"

Albert Rothstein has posed:
Albert Rothstein looks over and nods his head a bit to this and says "I can see where that would be frustrating, but at least you have your art then. You said you do commisions?

Naria Shepard has posed:
Distraction taken! It's not always easy for a girl with glowing blue hair to sneak up on someone after all. The sudden "HA!" loudly announcing her probably doesn't help as she suddenly 'jumps' on Winters, a quick 'hug' given almost obnoxiously and probably a little startling. Not the most advisable thing in many cases, but at least the speedster could probably react to dangerous reflexes a little better than most.

"Ms. Winters! I didn't know you where here! That's awesome!" excited tones shift, along with her gaze towards Joan & Eddie, her hand raised in a little wave. "Hi! I'm not cutting, just saying hello!"

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock jolts a bit himself at Rave's sudden arrival, the flash of light and the rapid movement almost stirring the beast within him. Beneath his clothes, ribbons of shadow briefly spread acros his torso, the black showing through the thin fabric for a moment before being re-absorbed into his skin.

He stuffs the rest of the Danish into his mouth, chewing only briefly before swallowing hard, "Hello to you, too," Eddie says, turning his attention back to Joan, "Any other questions?"

Mori Merritt has posed:
"Yeah, sometimes I do things if people ask. I've got a photographic memory, so I'm really good at taking something someone can show me and making an artistic version of it. It's nice for detail work, I appreciate things with a lot of detail," Mori nods again, taking a sip of her tea. "I've got one or two people that buy things regularly, but that's about it right now. Art's a fickle career." She does, however, glance over at the appearance of Rave, raising an eyebrow just slightly, but at least she's not startled enough to upset the table. That seems to become a habit lately.

Cecily Winters has posed:
    "No offense taken," Cecily nods to Eddie in response, then she gestures to his mouth, "...you've got a little..." she nods to the pastry case, subtly. Then smiles at Joan, blinking at the sudden start from the woman. "Hmm?"

    She would turn around, quickly, in most circumstances. But even the vixen's near-superhuman reflexes are nothing compared to Rave. Her ears lift and her tails floof out suddenly, and she's got a girl on her back! She stumbles forward slightly, putting her foot in front of her and steadying herself. Her face immediately turns stone, and her voice goes into something far more professional and cold. "Miss Shepard..."

    ...then she smiles, standing straight, and turning to return the hug. "You know I like to wander, dear, even if I can't go anywhere near as fast as you. Did you want a drink?"

Albert Rothstein has posed:
Albert Rothstein hmms and nods his head a bit to this and says "If I get to open a garage like I have been thinking about maybe I will get you to do an engine or something I could hang in the front of the shop.

Joan Wright has posed:
Joan looks to how Rave is hanging off of Cecily, giving a slow nod, "I gathered that. Just, I was surprised." Hearing Eddie speak to her again she blinks, turning to look back to him. "A-" She pauses, looking to the bit of glaze, "Do you know you got a bit of..." She mirrors Cecily's motion from earlier.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Two gestures is enough to get his attention and Eddie smiles, "Apologies," he says and then his tongue slides out of his mouth, slipping along the corner and scooping up the sugary smear with a surprising thoroughness, showing at perhaps disturbing amount of dexterity in the process. Maybe he's just gifted.

"Did we get it all?" he asks.

Mori Merritt has posed:
"Actually, I could do something really neat like that. If you took one apart and let me watch, I could likely get all the details precisely," Mori points out, then nods a bit. "I could certainly do something like that. It'd be fun, I think." She lets her eyes slide over to where Rave has ambushed Cecily and she smiles slightly. "Well, that's cute."

Albert Rothstein has posed:
Albert Rothstein looks over and chuckles a bit "It is good to have friends, don't know if I have any that would pounce on me, but good friends are a nice thing." He hmms and says "You have a card I could call ya about setting up a time, the next time I need to rebuild an engine?

Joan Wright has posed:
Joan is quiet. Unsure to what she just saw.

Blink.

Blink.

"Yes." She finally answers, "I think we got it..."

She tilts her head, "Is your last name Simmons by any chance?"

Naria Shepard has posed:
"Sure!" Drinks were good, in some ways she -had- cut in line after all. Still, the greeting of 'Ms. Shepard' gets a little frown from the woman, crossing her arms under head chest and tilting her head. "Rave," she corrects lightly, offering another smile towards Joan and Eddie. "I'm Rave and..." a pause, she blinks and looks to Eddie. "Did you know you ha- Okay good. Yeah. Glaze."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock shakes his head at Joan, "Brock. Eddie Brock," he states. He promptly starts to devour another donut, seemingly unconcerned about his freshly cleaned lips, showing a relative fearless abandon in the way he shoves it into his mouth. Whoever he is, he isn't much ashamed to be himself, that much seems clear.

He points at Joan for a moment before finally managing to swallow, "Didn't get your name."

Cecily Winters has posed:
    "You know I have to tease you," Cecily says quietly. "I'm not on the clock right now anyway. Well," she finally lets go of her tails and pats her shoulder holster, "...you know I'm always on duty but..." She sighs, ears wilting a little. She gives Rave a gentle squeeze and pecks her on the cheek, leaving a little smudge of dark lipstick. She glances around at the tables, seeing where Mori and Albert are sitting.

    "Oh!" she gestures towards them, "See if they've got a few more seats? And tell me what you'd like." Her gaze sweeps back to Joan. "...both of you. Drinks are on me. Pastries, too." She seems to not be making note of Eddie's... displays. But, as he said, different. She's seen some things, and she's not perturbed at all by the tongue or the other oddities she might have been imagining.

    "Always good to see familiar faces," she says quietly, lingering near Rave, one of her tails affectionately coiling around the girl's waist.

Mori Merritt has posed:
"You're in luck. I just happen to have my 'card' right here." Mori proceeds to pull a pad of sticky notes from her bag, scribbling her name and number down before peeling the sheet off and offering it to Albert. "One day I'll have something more professional, I'm sure." She tucks the sticky notes away. "I don't really get a /lot/ of business but I do consider the business I get to be pretty good quality. Mostly businesses who need some kind of art for things."

Albert Rothstein has posed:
Albert Rothstein nods his head and will take the sticky note and put it in his wallet. He finishes his pastry, and says "I hate to get ya card and run, but I need to head and take care of some other business. It was a pleasure meeting you Mori.

Joan Wright has posed:
As Eddie points out that he is not a Simmons by providing his real name, Joan gives a nod. "Oh." Dang it. That would have explained SO much.

And in the course of providing a name which she did kind of ask for, there was the reminder to the other half of the requisite exchange. "Oh! Joan. Wright." Sorry Eddie, No Bond like itroductions from her end.

As Cecily offers to get her drinks, she shakes her head. "Oh no I couldn't..."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock cocks his head, "Do you know a Simmons that we remind you of? You've aroused our curiosity," he says. He doesn't seem self-conscious about his pronoun usage.

"Nonsense, nothing wrong with a few drinks," he says. Not that they do much for him, but energy is energy and alcohol can burn hot and bright inside his belly. "We'll take anything, honestly. Not picky. Although we are fond of those little umbrellas."

Naria Shepard has posed:
Leaning into the tail half-hug, Rave herself gives a little shrug of her shoulders, her eyes sweeping over the room and spotting Mori's handing out of cards before it's back to immediate company. "I could go for a hot chocolate," the bluenette adds, grinning a little. "With a marshmellow or two. They do that here right? It's not too fancy?"

Eddie's choice of 'We' is a little odd...and completely missed apparently as she grins. "They are pretty fun."

Cecily Winters has posed:
    Cecily quirks a brow at Eddie. "...this is a coffee shop..." she says to him, bewildered. "I don't think they do alcohol or little umbrellas?" she offers, then looks back to Rave, nodding. "A cup of sugar with extra sugar, yes..." she grins.

    Then Cecily reaches out to pat Joan's shoulder. "Nonsense, grab a seat and tell me what you want to drink. No sense in all three of us standing in line anyway, right?"

Mori Merritt has posed:
As Albert heads off, Mori adjusts the pencils on the table before taking a sip of her tea. She does glance towards the group in general, offering her free hand up in a tiny wave. She's clearly more than happy to have her table invaded. Regardless if they head her direction or not, she glances back at the sketchpad in front of her, squinting as if trying to determine if there's more she's missing.

Joan Wright has posed:
Joan looks over to Eddie at his question, "Oh I was thinking of Gene Simmons. Rock Star. Does the..." She sticks her toungue out as far as she can, to demonstrate, which is not that far at all. She closes her mouth. "...thing."

She glances between Eddie and Rave as they put in their drink preferences before Cecily repeats her offer.

"...Hot chocolate does sound good..." She says aloud, relenting. She nods, "Ok. I'll do hot chocolate. But... If we run into each other again later, I get you YOUR drink."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock laughs a little, "Oh, that Simmons. We don't think there's any relation, although you never know," he says. He even does a bit of Gene's signature pose, opening his mouth and lolling his tongue out, "Although ours is definitely longer than his."

Reminded that it isn't a bar, Eddie shakes his head, "Right. Sorry. We keep strange hours, get a little turned around now and again. Mocha espresso would be good. A double."

Naria Shepard has posed:
Wow. Eddie's tongue-demonstration just gets a blink, a little raise of Rave's eyebrows in suprise.

"Huh. Metal."

Uncrossing her arms from where they'd rested she isntead folds her hands behind her, clasping behind her behind as she looks about. "So bigger table then? If you guys don't mind me sort of 'inviting myself' and all. How about...?" Rave begins, only to spot the waving Mori once more. Bingo! Invitation seized, the neon bluenette was headed for the space.

Cecily Winters has posed:
    "She's a friend," Cecily nods to Mori, letting Joan and Rave know. Eddie too! If he's going to join the party. "Right then... two hot cocoas, one with marshmallow... and a double mocha espresso for the royal we," she smirks at Eddie. There's a nod to Joan, and a playful wink. "As you wish, dear. It'll be a date~"

    Her tail gently pats Rave on the backside, "Now go sit, you lot. I'll place the order. Save me a chair, please."

Mori Merritt has posed:
In preparation for the incoming crew, Mori slides her pencils back into their pouch and deposits them into her bookbag, which she tucks further under her chair to avoid it getting trampled as soon as the group drifts her direction. The sketchbook, too, gets carefully shut, though she doesn't entirely tuck that away, it merely rests close at hand as she sips her tea.

Joan Wright has posed:
Joan's eyes widen as the display this time is much more prominent. "...Wow. I'll take your word for it. I'm not about to go measuring."

With their drinks taken care of by Cecily, Joan follows Rave over towards the indicated table to where Mori is currently situated. Based from the past exchanges she seems ok with them joining along but best to check again, "Hi. Do you mind if we join you?"

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock nods, "Wouldn't expect you to. Not many people walk around with a tape measure and, if they do, even we would think that was kind of weird. And we have a very high standard for weird," he says.

//EDDIE ARE THESE FRIENDS?//
<<We literally just met them.>>
//WE WOULD LIKE FRIENDS EDDIE//
<<Try not eating them then.>>

Naria Shepard has posed:
Butt patted, butt seated, Rave was already sitting herself down before Joan had even asked Mori. Not the greatest at patience, this Speedster. Reclining back, the blue-haired girl finally lifts a hand, offering toward the woman whose space she'd just invaded...with invitation at least. "I'm Rave...I don't -think- we've met, have we? Ms. Winters has a -lot- of friends out there and even I have trouble keeping track."

Mori Merritt has posed:
"I don't mind at all," Mori says, scooting so that there's plenty of room at the table for the lot of them. She does her best to tidy up before offering a smile, like a hostess welcoming everyone to her home. As Rave settles, another smile is offered in her direction. "Oh, no, I'd have remembered the blue hair. I remember everyone." She accepts the hand. "Mori, it's nice to meet you, especially if you're a friend of 'Ms. Winters'." She grins at the formality.

Cecily Winters has posed:
    Cecily shoos everyone off to the table, knowing Mori well enough that she's sure she won't mind the invasion, and takes the drink order. A few moments later, she's approaching the table as well, carrying a very fancy numbered tag to put on the table so the drinks can be delivered. No need to wait at the counter, after all, and the shop is bustling enoug to where it might be a little bit.

    She places the tag somewhere conspicuous, and then moves up beside Mori's chair. "Wonderful to see you out and about and in good health, love," she leans down and hugs the woman around the shoulders, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Rave might recognize the affectionate familiarity that Cecily has with the girl, as she treats the neon speedster with similar warmth and contact.

Joan Wright has posed:
Joan tilts her head, back to Eddie as she bites her lip. "Well, actually...I work with a construction company so I tend to carry one with me a lot." She pauses, "Just, not right now. I changed before I came here."

Joan takes her seat, glancing to the group and upon realizing that she didn't REALLY introduce herself to anyone but Eddie, her face flushes a little. "Joan." She offers, smiling to both Mori, Rave, and the approaching Cecily. "I just met all of you so, there."

Eddie Brock has posed:
The voice that comes out of Eddie's body at first is brutish and somewhat snarly, "We are Vennnnnn--" he starts to say and then closes his eyes and shakes his head, "Eddie Brock. I'm Eddie Brock," he says.

//WHAT ABOUT ME?!?//
<<They're not ready for you. I'm barely ready for you.>>
//WE KNOW YOU LIKE US EDDIE DON'T PRETEND//

Eddie will shake any offered hand, his own skin quite warm, almost feverish. Rapidly, he grabs another donut and stuffs the whole thing into his mouth, chewing thoroughly, "Rlly gud dnutsss."

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori offers a bright smile in Cecily's direction. "Good to see you again, I'm happy to report no major incidents since I last saw you." There's the slightest bit of a tone to the word 'major' as she says it, but she brushes it off and continues on without a thought. Eddie is given a smile as he stuffs his face. "Maybe I should order more donuts. They /are/ pretty good. I've kind of forgotten how many I've had today. Couldn't help it." The part about forgetting how many she had is probably a lie.

Naria Shepard has posed:
The little affection was clearly noted, but Rave instead seems unbothered. After all, she was waiting on food and drink...but after Eddie, well, apparently it was open-season by the speedster's logic, for she was suddenly holding on for herself, taking a small bite with an audible 'Mmmmn!' of agreement. She'd given her name, hell the girl would probably have already snapped a 'selfie' for her social media if she hadn't been distracted by the promise of sweets and the new introductions of people.

"Ven is kinda a cool name though, right?" she comments between mouthfuls. "Like, it'd work as a stagename for an EDM performer or something. Sounds kinda...I dunno. Neat."

Hard to hide a verbal slip from a speedster!

Joan Wright has posed:
Hearing the sudden change to Eddie's voice Joan jerks her head back to look to him. The aborted phrase does make her a little curious and with Rave's comment, she feels that it is ok to figure it aloud as well. "Maybe Vendor... or perhaps Ven.. " Ok think of something "-Diesel fan?"

Eh, sounds close enough.

Hearing her phone beep, she glances down, fishing it out to display an extremely short message '911 CI STRUCT'. Muttering a curse, she pushes her chair back. "I've got to go. Work emergency. "

Pushing the chair back in, she pauses to look at a random server. "Um. He can have my cocoa. I'm sorry." Giving an apologetic smile, and a brief scritch for a nearby cafe cat. She scoots on out.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock swallows slowly, "Venom. It's...complicated," he says.

He raises a hand to say goodbye to Joan and takes a deep drink of his coffee when it arrives. "Not that big on Vin Diesel although I do like the Riddick stuff," he says.

They could relate way too much to the monsters in the dark, after all.

Cecily Winters has posed:
    The same affection and familiarity afforded Mori is turned to Rave as well, and Cecily kisses the neon girl's temple before taking a seat. She smiles at Joan as the woman takes off, "Right, be safe out there. You owe me a drink," she says with a nod! Mori still owes Cecily a sandwich, too!

    The fox settles in her seat, though, as drinks arrive and other introductions are made. Like the rest, she quirks a brow at Eddie, then shrugs. "...we've all got something. I can call you Eddie, or I can call you Venom. It's your choice," she says gently. Her hands reach for her tea and she lifts the cup to her lips, exhaling a quiet sigh. It looks more like a tea latte though, with the tan color and the scent of honey rising off of it.

    After a long sip, she nods, "Cecily. Cecily Winters. Security consultant."

Mori Merritt has posed:
"Yeah," Mori echoes Cecily's sentiment. "We've all got our complicated." She pats her closed sketchbook as if that somehow explained things. "We can call you whatever you've got a preference for." She takes a sip from her tea. She turns her head to the right abruptly, as if she'd heard something, then slowly turns back to her tea. "Yep. Complicated," she mutters.

David Corriea has posed:
    David enters. He had been in a martial arts class and he was going to the coffee shop for something to drink. He looks to the various people and he remains silent, watching the foxy woman for a moment before bringing his attention to the server. In major cities he was often distracted by his own senses, while not possessing any real superhuman senses except his electrosense, he had to focus to get his brain above that constant alert of electricity around him. "Coffee please, six sugar, six cream." He says calmly as he gives the server his attention.

Naria Shepard has posed:
Venom? Rave shrugged. As far as she could figure it was probably a mutant or meta name. The bluenette was hardly going to complain given her own choice of introduction. Lifting her drink to her lips, there was a little sigh of delight at the taste of the hot chocolate before she shrugs, tilting her head to the side. "I mean, I'm not -too- complicated," she offers, a grin suggesting a note of humor. "I'm a neon rainbow of awesome...that's pretty much it."

With a wink given, the girl with the luminescent hair sits back, another large gulp of her drink taken.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock nods, "Eddie is fine," he says. He looks over his shoulder at David's arrival, but nothing in his resume lets him detect that sort of thing, so it's brief.

"W...I'm a journalist," he says. "Freelance. Not super glamorous, but it pays the bills." Meanwhile, in Eddie's head:

//WHY ARE YOU MAKING US SEEM BORING?//
<<I'm not. I'm being normal.>>
//NORMAL IS BORING.//
<<We need to keep a low profile. Do you know how many people we've killed this month?>>
//NO WE DO NOT COUNT COUNTING IS ALSO BORING.//

Cecily Winters has posed:
    "Eddie it is, dear," Cecily says kindly, returning to her tea. She smiles at the group gathered. Two dear friends. And one new one. It's always a nice day when she's not getting shot or stabbed, at least. Good tea and good company. "What sorts of stories do you cover?" the fox asks Eddie, curious. She has a... tumultuous relationship with journalists, considering her work, but she's at least interested in what he might be covering.

Mori Merritt has posed:
"I mean, neon rainbows are pretty complicated color-wise," Mori points out, then smiles. "Maybe I'll have to draw one." The sketchbook is given another gentle pat under her hand. "I think your hair would be hard to capture on paper." She wrinkles her nose a bit, then takes a long sip from her tea to ensure she's getting to it before it gets cold. The mention of journalism gets another smile from Mori. "Hey, it doesn't have to be glamorous if you like doing it, right? If you're paying the bills /and/ you enjoy doing it? You're beating out half the world's population, I'd say. Not all of us are so good at that whole bills part. God, food in New York's way more expensive than you might think..."

David Corriea has posed:
    David gets his drink and he begins to sit by them. He drinks his coffee and studies them. He looks to Eddie and nods to the man, as if he knows him but he doesnt.

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock purses his lips, "I used to be on the crime beat, a couple of years ago. Now I'm more in the strange and unusual business. But then, I myself am...strange and unusual," he says.

//THAT WAS LAME.//
<<Bite me.>>

"I like writing. The investigating can be exciting. A bit of adrenaline rush. We like a taste of action sometimes," he says.

Naria Shepard has posed:
Rave sips a little more of her drink, not intending to comment about Eddie's career. She wasn't one to judge, a student, performer and otherwise outed metahuman vigilante. Instead she simply downs more of her drink, leaning lazily against Cecily with a little friendly nudge. At least she was being quiet, even if it was only for a moment or two!

Cecily Winters has posed:
    One of Cecily's tails coils lazily around Rave's waist, while another sees if it can drape over Mori's lap. The fox seems cozy. Again, good company, good drinks. She looks up as David approaches, noticing the glance over Eddie, but shrugs. If they know each other, that's on them.

    She quirks a brow at Mori, though, "...do I need to bring you some food, love? You know I'm happy to have some groceries delivered... or at least come make you dinner..." she offers, before returning focus to Eddie, having been the one who asked her question in the first place.

    "Oh? Maybe you saw me before I.. well..." she lifts a free hand, idly stroking one of her own ears. "I used to be NYPD..." she smiles gently, "...then I became strange and unusual, too. Seems we sort of attract each other around here, hmm? And nothing wrong with a taste for action. I still get into it, quite deeply."

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori grins sheepishly, idly petting the fluff of the tail that winds up in her lap with one hand, the other holding her tea cup. "I'll be fine, just been using all my food up a lot faster than I expected to lately. Sometimes a girl's just got to eat." She shrugs, glancing back to Eddie. "That's pretty cool, though. Investigating and whatnot? Wish I was better at that kind of thing."

Eddie Brock has posed:
Eddie Brock looks steadily at Cecily, "Used to be, huh? Always an important distinction. I used to be a lot of things myself. But now things are different," he shrugs. "Way of the world. Especially this world where neighborhoods get ripped from the ground and aliens fly overhead to clash with gods. With all that bright light, there are a lot of deep shadows. You never know what lives in them."

He downs the rest of his coffee, "Unfortunately, I have to deal with some business myself. Nothing like a deadline. It was nice meeting you all."

//WE WILL MISS YOU.//
<<Stop it.>>
//ARE YOU SURE WE CAN'T EAT EVEN ONE? THE BLUE ONE MIGHT TASTE INTERESTING.//
<<C'mon, we'll head down to the subway. Gotta be a mugger or two down there.>>
//CAN WE GET A FAT ONE THIS TIME? I'M TIRED OF SKINNY MUGGERS.//

Cecily Winters has posed:
    Cecily frowns as Eddie dashes off. Always something. "Well, and then there were three... I can think of worse fates than being surrounded by pretty girls," the fox says with a laugh. She feels something at her leg, an at her third tail. There's a cat rubbing up against her shin, and batting at that tail. She can't help but laugh. "...and kitty makes three... it's a lovely day." She smiles at Mori, "Just take care of yourself, love? You know I'll help feed you if you need a home-cooked meal."

Naria Shepard has posed:
Drink lowered, or in this case mostly drained, Rave leans lazily into the tail at her waist mostly to reach out for the cat and give a good offer of a scritch to the critter. "Definately," the blue-haired girl speaks to Cecily's comment, a glance towards Eddie's fleeing and then finally past the fox to Mori she gives a little grin. "Trust me, I know the feeling! All the lightspeed running stuff works up an appetite. But maybe you should join us up for a pizza sometime!"

Mori Merritt has posed:
"I appreciate it. I know you don't have to." Mori rubs the back of her neck. "But I might take you up on that at some point." She does get up to her feet to head out, scooping her sketchpad into the bag before shouldering it. "I'd be more than happy to join up for a pizza. I'm /always/ game for food. I'll catch you two again soon, 'kay?" She points at Rave. "Make sure she stays out of trouble," she says with a nod in Cecily's direction. Because obviously /that/ was how the dynamic worked. With a final wave, she heads off.