2939/Drinks Coming In Hot!

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Drinks Coming In Hot!
Date of Scene: 16 August 2020
Location: The Coffee Bean
Synopsis: Talk of music, fires, and bad days PLUS a display of fast reflexes
Cast of Characters: Michael Hannigan, Ben Reilly, Barry Allen, Cole Cash, Rachel Summers




Michael Hannigan has posed:
It is a pleasant evening near the Empire State University campus and The Coffee Bean is enjoying an uptick in patronage. Topics of choice hover between assignments, best and worst professors, music releases, a dorm fire that miraculously did not result in any deaths, Magento, Long Island, Presiden-

... There's just a lot of chatter.

Seats are at a premium here. And even with sharing, a lot of tables are full up which makes Mike's acquisition of a recently freed up table with extra seats all the more miraculous. In front of him, a coffee and a in his hand, a pen. The musician is looking down quietly, tapping the paper with his pen as he frowns in thought.

Ben Reilly has posed:
The bells on the door clang around as the wood slams against the hinge. Ben, Ben Reilly--although he doesn't know the last part of it, has just spent a day painting for cash. It's all under the table and all very illegal, but it's a way for him to get income while he tries to figure out who he is and how he got here. He's spent a week now, trying to figure out more about why he had a backpack full of what looked like knock-off Spider-Man equipment and how he ended up in that dumpster. It's a lot for a kid to think about.

Coffee should do the trick.

He grabs a cup and a seat before sitting next to Michael. "You mind if I..." he says, looking across to the man.

Barry Allen has posed:
Barry doesn't often come to New York, but he had to take care of a bit of business at the nearby Empire State University campus among other things. Slipping through the door to The Coffee Bean, he takes aa quick glance around the place, then heads up to the counter to put in an order. He's wearing a pretty casual shirt and tie outfit with a white badge hanging around his neck that has some sort of law enforcement symbol on it.

Order placed, he takes out his old iPhone and quickly hammers out a couple of texts before slipping the phone back into his pocket.

"Barry." The barista calls out. Hearing his name, he accepts his coffee and then sits at a table near to Mike and Ben, offering the two men a friendly nod as he does so.

Cole Cash has posed:
Meanwhile Cole has not even bothered to try to find a seat. The college crowd is very much not his style. The coffee, however, he found acceptable. And after a sleepless night of rather questionable activities, he needs it. In fact, he is asking for a refill (negotiating for a refill) when Barry arrives.

Okay, fine. He will pay the full price. New Yorkers have lost the taste for a good round of haggling. Sheesh.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike glances up as he hears someone addressing him. Pen lowering, he gives a slight smile, "Nah, go ahead. I'm not using it." With his head up, he sees Barry giving a nod towards them and reflexively returns the gesture.

He glances back to his newfound table-mate. "Long day?"

Ben Reilly has posed:
"Appreciate it," Ben replies as he takes a seat and brings the cup of coffee up to his lips. "Yeah, it was a long one." He could be talking about work or he could be talking about the time he's spent in the library trying to read up on the exploits of Spider-heroes. Ben also gives an upwards nod to Barry as the other man sits nearby. He has yet to notice Cole as he enters, but that is simply a matter of time.

Barry Allen has posed:
Barry takes a sip of his coffee, then puts the cup down and looks over at the table with Hannigan and Ben, perhaps noticing something that's piqued his curiosity. "Hey, couldn't help notice you're doing some writing. You a screenwriter or novelist by any chance? When I lived in Central City, you'd sometimes catch sight of folks hanging in coffee shops trying to catch their big break. I hope you find it, man." He smiles, a genuine smile, with no hint of sarcasm or anything else.

Rachel Summers has posed:
    Things are going on. People doing things. A redhead does her best to enter without drawing attention. Her whole demeanor is to try to not be noticed. The fact that she is using her power to glamour and hide her burns, scars, etc.
    Either way, she steps in through the door and approaches the counter. She is working extra-hard to not hear the thoughts of the crowd that are pressing in on her mind. "Green tea please. A touch of honey." she tells the barista.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Hmm." Mike sets the pen down, closing his notebook. "Need to vent?" He asks, lifting up his drink to take a lingering sip from the cup. It's good coffee after all.

Pale eyes look over to Barry as he addresses him. He lowers his cup, an smile forming on his face. "I'm not a novelist or screenwriter." He admits, "but I make an alright amount songwriting."

Ben Reilly has posed:
"Not sure you'd believe me if I told you," Ben says with a laugh, more like a chuckle. But when its the first one you've had in a day you tend to dwell on it. "Songwriting? That's cool. What kind of music?" he asks.

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole is pretty aware of everyone in the shop. It is a good survival trait to make a quick recon (and find the ways in, ways out and likehood of people being armed - low). Downtown Manhattan is much nicer to the places where he lived most of his life.

That is maybe why when a rather good-looking redhead steps in, and everyone else seems to ignore her, he does notice right away. But that is not why he sees the brands on her face. And for a second, he does stare. Only for a second, as he goes back to his usual vaguely amused and indifferent stance.

What also surprises him is no one is starting. Those tattoos are a rather bold statement of... something. He can't figure out what.

Barry Allen has posed:
"Songwriting? That's cool, the last time I had to do anything like that was for a high school class where our teacher made us write poems in the style of the Canterbury Tales. Had kind of a, thing to it. Can't really remember too much about it though. Feels like that was forever ago." Barry smiles and takes another sip of his coffee, glancing around the room once more and this time making note of Cole and Rachel.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Never know, Might believe it. I've seen a lot of odd things." Oh the things people will dream... Mike gives a bit of a grimace to Ben's question regarding the type, "It kind of varies, honestly. Sometimes you start off aiming for one genre and you come up with something that suits a different one."

He looks over towards Barry, "A set rhyming scheme? Iambic pentameter?"

Ben Reilly has posed:
"I'm not sure I believe it," Ben says absently as he he cups his hands over his coffee and, for the first time, notices Cole and Rachel. For the first time this week he's stopped to actually notice the world around him rather than his own plight. It could be therapeutic.

Rachel Summers has posed:
    Tea is prepared and slid forward to the meek Rachel. Why is she meek? Well I am glad you asked! She really just prefers to exercise control and not let that bubbling raw power deep down inside her rise to the surface. The Phoenix may scare her enemies, but it terrifies her to no end. There are times when she feels like just a passenger, watching this entity destroy others using her body to do it. Who wouldn't be scared of that?
    But as she passes her green eyes over the room, she can feel the buzz of almost subharmonics coming from thoughts that are carelessly being broadcast. Except... one person who seems to be sending out -nothing-. She lifts her teacup and takes a sip as she eyes the blonde guy over there. (That's you Cole! Yep!). Lifting a brow... she shrugs her shoulders before the full implications occur to her and she begins moving that way in slow steps.

Barry Allen has posed:
"Something like that, I honestly don't remember what it's called." Barry says to Hannigan, shrugging. "Besides, I was always more interested in chemistry and criminology." He takes another sip of his coffee and glances around once again. "So, you guys come here often? This is my first time here, coffee's pretty good and this place has a nice atmosphere to it."

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole sips from the coffee and notices Rachel look. That gives him something to think. He has met psychics before, of course. They usually notice him before he notices them, since he is nearly psyblind.

Not completely, though. He closes his eyes and concentrates briefly. Now he can sense the minds around him. Which is not very useful since no one is hiding. It is a good trick when ninjas are stalking you, though.

Girls with mental defenses do not ping at his mind-sensing, though. So, he smiles at Rachel and salutes with his coffee cup, moving forward to meet her.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike shrugs as Ben expresses his doubt. To each their own. As the two guys talking to him glance off to the same direction. Mike feels compelled to follow suit.

The cup lifts up, musican sipping the contents as he is trying to determine the interest in the other two. Maybe they did something earlier that he didn't catch but the others did. Hmm.

He glances back to Barry as he asks. "Normally I come here to get a tea after vocal training but sessions got canceled this week due to the dorm fire so, coffee this time. And you're right. This is good."

Ben Reilly has posed:
"Just been a long week," he replies to Mike as if putting a cap on his offer to vent. "Dorm fire?" he asks Mike quizzically. Was he in a hole? Yes, probably. Well, not a hole but a dumpster. It's complicated.

Rachel Summers has posed:
    And so it is that Rachel finds herself approaching Cole. Yep. She is curious. And then... as she opens her mouth to speak.. that's when it hits her. When she makes the connection. She can't hear his thoughts. I mean if she wanted to, she believe she could force through any shielding of the mind, but... if she can't hear them passively...
    Her free hand comes up to her face, and her eyes go wide. It means that her low-level glamour would -not- have pierced through that shielding. And she inhales sharply before her right hand wavers, sloshing tea over the edge of the cup. The heat of it scalds her finger, and she drops the cup as she winces.

Cole Cash has posed:
And Cole grabs the falling cup, with some very good reflexes. "Hey, you dropped this," he offers with a faint smile. "Are you alright? You seem, ah... surprised," maybe he is the first other psychic she meets. Probably not if she is from New York.

No comments about the facial marks. He is curious, but not that blunt.

Barry Allen has posed:
"A dorm fire? Oh man, that's unfortunate." Barry shakes his head. "I live over in Metropolis, so it must have been buried in the Planet somewhere. I hope no one was hurt, seriously or otherwise." He puts his coffee down and is about to lean forward to ask some more he happens to turn his attention at that very moment to Rachel, and he watches as the cup falls from her hand.

He's ready to channel the Speed Force to grab the cup and put it on a nearby surface but Cole's reactions are quick and he lets out a soft sigh. "Nice catch!" He calls over to Cole.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Yeah, earlier this week." Mike answers, giving a nod, "Dorm building caught on fire. One of the larger buildings. But, no fatalities fortunately, nothing major injuries wise either. Probably didn't merit much coverage with all the other things going on this we-."

Mike's head turns suddenly, as Barry calls out to the two, sure enough, the same couple from before. Judging from how high off the ground the cup is being held in Cole's hand. A brow raises as he gives a slight nod of approval. Based from Barry's comments and that, it would have been impressive. He looks to Cole curiously.

Ben Reilly has posed:
"Crazy," Ben says, shaking his head at the thought of a dorm fire. Luckily there were no fatalities. His head turns sharply as his senses give off the slightest tingle when Rachel fumbles with her tea. Ben's body jerks inwardly and he's shocked as to how Cole was able to grab that cup, but also as to what his own body just did.

Rachel Summers has posed:
    The cup was caught and Rachel stands there looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Her eyes flicker down to the cup, and then back up to Cole's face. She mutters, "Thanks.. sorry." before she turns to start walking off towards the rest of the room. Then...
    She pauses, closes her eyes and sighs before turning back and reaching out for the cup that is now only about half-full of tea. "Thanks again." she adds meekly. She hates when strangers see her face for what it really is. She hates it more when -she- sees her face of course. But still...

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole tilts his head, noticing Rachel apparent distress, but not the cause. "Of course, you are welcome," he nods at Barry in acknowledgement, pegging him as a sharp observer. "Maybe you should sit down," he suggests to Rachel. He was going to offer to find a table when his cellphone starts buzzing. "Ah, I have to take this one. Excuse me," he heads for the street at quick pace.

Barry Allen has posed:
Barry looks back to Michael and shakes his head. "That's a real tragedy any way you look at it. People likely lost items that had cherished memories or real value that they can never get back." He looks to Ben next and asks, "Are you okay?" There's a brief glance at Cole who seems to depart, and then he's standing and offering Rachel a seat. "Well, he probably had an appointment but he wasn't wrong about taking a seat and collecting your thoughts. Why don't you join us for a bit?"

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike's eyes follow Cole as he heads out momentarily before popping over to look to the flustered woman. He glances to Barry as he makes the offer and looks back towards Rachel, offering a nod of agreement to Barry's suggestion.

"Plenty of room." He adds in.

Ben Reilly has posed:
Ben scoots his chair away slightly in order to give Rachel just a bit more room to sit in should she decide to join them. He watches Cole leave with interest, but doesn't say much. Instead he simply keeps sipping at his drink.

Rachel Summers has posed:
    Standing there, holding the half-cup of tea... Rachel watches Cole depart. She silently just... stares. "Refill." She mutters before placing the cup on the counter. ""Can I get a refill?" She asks as she fishes a five dollar bill out of her pocket and places it on the counter. She has her cup refilled and she looks back to the others and nods.
    Then she turns to approach Barry's table. "Hi." she says softly. "You sure it's okay if I sit there?" she asks.

Barry Allen has posed:
Barry offers Rachel a smile, "Of course. No one will mind. My name's Barry by the way, Barry Allen from Metropolis." He says it loud enough so that Mike and Ben both hear it as well. "Just one of those days huh? We've all been there." He smiles again. "Anyway, it's good to meet you, good to meet all of you really."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Ah introductions eh? Mike lifts up a hand in a wave. "Mike Hannigan." He offers, giving a nod to Barry, Rachel, and Ben. "And taking a seat's fine. We only need one each person after all."

Ben Reilly has posed:
"Ben," the young man with dirty blonde hair replies. He's not trying to be rude, but he genuinely does not know his last name. So for now he's just Ben.

Rachel Summers has posed:
    "Rachel." says the red head softly. Three guys and a girl at a table in a coffee house. What could go wrong? Well, it's not like Rachel is worried about her own safety. She's more worried about the safety of anyone who might try anything with her.
    But she moves closer, sits down... and places her cup on the table. Then she places her hands in her lap and demurely waits for a moment.

Barry Allen has posed:
"Nice to meet you Ben, Mike and Rachel." Barry says with a smile. Perhaps luckily for Rachel, she might notice that there's a plain, gold ring on the ring finger of his left hand. Oddly there's another ring on the ring finger of his right hand but this one has the faintest marks of a lightning bolt. Taking another sip of his coffee, he nods, "So out of curiosity, Mike do you work with other creative types often? I'm often stuck in a lab so it's hard to really see a whole lot, though I do get the chance to blast a lot of tunes while at work."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Oh yes, I also perform music and occasionally act. We actually finished up a miniseries mainly shot in the Metropolis area that's set to come out on Netflix September 5th. Although that'd be under my stage n-"

'Doo de dooo doo Dooo de dooo dooo Doo de dooo dooo dooo'

Mike blinks up as a familiar sound reaches his ears and he gives an apologetic smile, shifting to the side as he reaches into a pocket "Sorry."

'Doo de dooo doo Dooo de dooo dooo Doo de dooo dooo dooo'

A rather beat up looking Nokia is pulled out. Screen smashed with just the corner that displays the message icon being visible. "F-" He glances up to the trio giving another apologetic look as he gets up, grabbing the notebook and pen to shove it into a pants pocket before grabbing his coffee. "I should probably get this. Bye guys."

Turning, he presses a button and starts to head out, not noticing as the tiny notebook falls out of his pocket, slapping onto the floor. "Hey Wade. What's going on?"

Ben Reilly has posed:
Ben gives a nod to Rachel and Barry, "Nice to meet you as well. As Mike gets up to walk away, Ben notices that the notebook has been left behind. "Hey, you left your..." But it's too late. Ben gets to his feet. "I'm gonna go track that guy down," he says as he picks up the paper in his hand.