6539/When Rachel Met Madigan

When Rachel Met Madigan
Date of Scene:	12 June 2021
Location:	Katz's Deli
Synopsis:	Cole, Madi, and Rachel all gather at Katz for food, Madi and Rachel have NO business getting -all- that food to themselves.
Cast of Characters:	Rachel Summers, Madigan Belle, Cole Cash

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Rachel Summers has posed:
There came with hesitation, when it comes to using someone elses credit cards. There was always the issue of someone looking to see if her name was really Alex, and when they've asked for ID, she managed to finagle a lie or use her .. well.. inherited gifts to get what she wanted. It was a little nudge, something of a don't ask don't tell situation, and calm acceptance in taking the money that wasn't hers.

Today was somewhat of the same. It's been a while since Rachel has eaten anything substantial save for chips and a random grilled cheese. So coming there? It was a treat, the offices were done being cleaned and renovations/upgrades were complete.

So what does she do? Place the order for something so expensive, she is sure that her uncle would be swearing under his breath. The Birthday Box, two orders. Two orders of nothing but beef, cookies and bread. All of the good stuff that money that wasn't hers could by. She ordered it hot, which would take a while, so Rachel decided to indulge herself with a large coke and a paper that was taken from outside.

And a booth. One that faces the door.

Madigan Belle has posed:
The door is pushed open, with some begrudging effort, since well, Madigan's only got one hand to use while the other stabilizes her on the crutch. Then there's the braces, slowing her down, so it is a bit comical as she braces her back against the door, pushing it open, to get past the spring pressure that tries to keep the door shut at all times. Once in, though, she's grinning, big, wide eyed, looking around, "Whew..." She huffs a bit, breathing in a slight pant, before moving forward. Swinging her legs at her hips, letting the braces lock, then swinging the other one, and moving herself along at a smooth, albeit slow, clip.

She's got her ticket, she's up at the line for the cafeteria esque slide through order, and she's holding up the line. She's got one tray down, a second, a third, a fourth, and finally a fifth. There's a visual moment of contemplation, looking back at the trays and then quirking her mouth to the side, she visible shakes her head, and says, "Hmmm, no, to start, just five." Then she's sliding them through to order what she wants. It seems, something of everything, what can be put on her trays are done so, and what can't be, well, little numbered signs are given to her to put on her table.

It's the end of the line for her when things really come to a culmination, how is she supposed to get 5 trays of food, drinks, hot dogs, cookies, treats, and more to a table one tray at a time? Clumsily and slowly, and that's where we find her. Still holding up the line by looking around as to where to sit, and if her entrance is any indication she'll be slow. "Hey, red, you, the lady with the drink! You, no, not you, you couldn't carry nothin', lady who's all on her own. Excuse me?! Hello?! Lady? Can you help, please? Be a good Samaritan? Helloooooo?!" She's calling out toward Rachel's back at this point, since she's looking toward the door.

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole doesn't get to spend much time in New York nowadays, but today he had business in town and he is hungry. It is not the first time he has been in Katz, but perhaps the first time in months. Not that he expect them to remind him from decades ago, anyway.

In fact, he doesn't expect to be recognized by anyone. Until Madigan starts talking. Uh oh. Sure, there she is. "Hungry today?" He asks, smirking faintly. No 'hello' or 'fancy meeting you here'. He knows fate hates him, this kind of thing happens all the time. He wouldn't even be surprised if Harley is the next person through the door.

Rachel Summers has posed:
Rachel was comfortable; soda near by, paper already unfurled so that she could at least seem occupied or slightly entertained.. until..

"Huh?" Rachel looks up and over her paper, glancing around the deli and back towards the handicapped girl who apparently was calling her. "Yeah.. I guess." Rachel mutters, folding her paper to rest it upon her table. With a slide out of her booth, she turns in that awkward way to head towards the counter top to.. "Uh, why.. no. Are you expecting other people?"

As in, why couldn't she just come with her friends if she were..

"Nevermind. Where do you want to sit?" She asks Madi, picking up two trays with a glance around the deli. It was then that the other trays begin to lift from their place, creating an orbit of food that circles around the two women if they should move.

And what everyone else would see, those with lesser minds that is, is just Rachel and the young lady, two trays in tow.

She stops as Cole addresses Madi, mistakenly assuming he's speaking to her. "This ain't mine."

Madigan Belle has posed:
"You?!" Madigan questions and smiles big, "I've been meeting to hook back up with you and show you how much better I've gotten at shooting things. I mean, I haven't practiced, but I'm sure I'm better." She scoffs a bit at that idea, about 'how could it be any other way?' and speaks fast. Once Rachel gets her attention over in the direction, Madigan is distracted, "Great! A group effort. Hey, you already have a table, we can pile in there. More the merrier, right? Good good."

When the trays start to float, her eyes get pretty big, "Holy moly crapoli. Nice. You can totally lift things with your mind?" She's stunned, or surprised, and it causes a big grin on her face. "That's amazing, I wish I had mind powers, I mean, floating around or whatever would be great." She then gets to the question that was asked by Cole and then looks to Rachel, and quirks her mouth from left to right. "I'm always hungry, I mean, it is like non-stop, you know the brain uses twenty percent of your energy, and that's with a normal brain. With super geniuses I'm sure it's like waaaaaay more, I've never sat down and tested it, I could. I think that'd require help, you know, one person to cut the skull open, and to stick in the wattage calculator, and then do the conversions, and all that. Need at least a good sample population as well, just to... you know, have a control group. I love working in the brain." Speaking as she moves, rambling, "What's your name? I'm Madigan, all my friends call me Madi, and this guy is my personal trainer on how to shoot people."

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole arches an eyebrow to Rachel, and flashes a smile. Then listen mildly horrified at the stream of words exiting Madigan's mouth. "Oh, that is right. I am sure you are a crack shoot now. No need to get more lessons."

The flying trays get a surprised blink. Not many supers are so blase about using their powers in public. Still, Rachel's face doesn't ring a bell. So, "hello, I am Cole," because introductions are always a good way to start. "Madi has some odd ideas about... everything. I am not what she thinks I am." He shrugs hopelessly, trying to look harmless. Mostly managing. But his mind has psionic shields.

Rachel Summers has posed:
Yes, Rachel was a little bit free with her powers; and that's only because that no one else was really watching the three while Rachel moves. It seems that conversations were going on as normal. Nothing was amiss, people even walked too close to the orbit and narrowly escaped the wrath of the foodstuff that was on the trays. Diverting attention, easy. Explaining that, not so much.

Rachel heads towards her table keeping on ear on Madigan, the other upon Cole's responses to her, trying her best to not feel or seem embarrased because she really wasn't the one who was being talked to. But, Madi could go on for a minute, which gave Rachel time to set the trays down, at least close enough so that the woman wouldn't need to reach, then takes her spot once again, and then her paper. She didn't mind company, clearly!

"Oh, hey. Rachel." She says finally, then shrugs her shoulders towards Madi. "I can lift a house if I need to." Was she bragging? Yes! Cause how OFTEN does someone get to brag to another person who wasn't truly horrified at what you could do?

Madigan Belle has posed:
Madigan Belle has no psionic shields, unless you count the virtually unlimited trains of thoughts and predictive workings that are firing off all the time inside of her brain - and often quickly derailed. It might be confusing more than it is ... 'hard to read'. And at least some of the workings of her mind come right out of her lips, "Crack shot? Hellz yeah, probably better than you even, that's what I'd guess. I mean, there's so much theorizing with shooting, ballistics? Pshhaw, like, so easy to calculate."

Then to the side, she giggles a bit with wide eyes as she looks at Rachel, "This guy, Cole, he is like totally some kind of hitman, assassin, or ruffian. I mean, just look at him? Right? I mean, that or some kind of homeless mechanic... either way, totally hot." She then chuckles and shakes her head a bit, "So, what do you do, other than sport the MC1R while ... whoa, lifting a house?!" Madigan stops, her jaw drops as she stares at Rachel, "That's Amaaaaaaaaaaazing. Oooh ooh." She holds up a sandwich and says, "Can you grab all the pieces of this and separate it, re-arrange it and put it back together?!"

All of Madi's attention, as she sits, is now on Rachel, though one of her free hands is reaching out to grab a hot dog and as she's already unconsciously biting into it and chewing.

Cole Cash has posed:
"I just... was in the army," protests Cole weakly at the ideas he is some kind of hitman or assassin. Not that he has not been both, sometimes. Mostly for Uncle Sam. "I am not a homeless mechanic either. I just need a burger," and that is what he is going to get. "No lifting this house until after lunch time, please," he shoots at Rachel as he heads for the counter to grab some foodstuff.

By now he hopes Rachel has realized Madi is somewhat crazy. He will keep a ear on the conversation.

Rachel Summers has posed:
Uh..

Has Rachel ever encounted someone who was.. that chatty? Absolutely not. She wasn't hip on what to do with that, as most would either walk away mid-conversation, ask the person to slow down, or stare wide-eyed just like Rachel was doing now. She had forgotten all about the paper she had, and her order that they were feverishly working on.

"He.. doesn't look homeless.. but.. hot yea.." Rachel stammers out, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Remarking on someones appearance was a -quiet- thing to do! Not when the person was in ear shot, and a -stranger-! Holy. Cow. This girl was..

"Huh? You mean on a microscopic level? Ma.." Think Rachel. Think. "Nope." Was she getting the hang of dealing with excitable chatter boxes?

Heeelllll no.

Now, she was looking after Cole for some much needed help..

Madigan Belle has posed:
Cole, leaving, was something that distracted Madi as she looked over, "Hey, can you see if my order is ready yet?" As Madi was devouring some of her food already, there's just some things she was waiting on. And she was after Rachel, with a much bigger order, but wow, the time? I mean, to someone like Madi it's been -forever- since she ordered food and she's just been sitting here eating and talking, how much longer can she do this without dying of starvation?! She is lingering with her vision after Cole before adding, "He says he was in the military but he looks way too scruffy for me to believe that. I mean, most military guys are like, super clean shaven and whatnot, but he does have that... like, doesn't talk to me thing, that a lot of military folks do. They just sort of go quiet, say few words, and then leave." A big inward breathe, then a frustrated, furrow browed exhale.

Then the conversation shifts again, to microscopic levels and she pushes her lips together, taking the furrowed browed frustration straight to thoughtful confusion, "Huh, I didn't even think about at a microscopic level, and then you could take cheap food and make it into expensive food, then sell it at a stand outside of a restaurant and put them out of business. Interesting. Easier to just burn the place down, I'm sure, but it would be a much more..." She's pausing a second, then grins big, eyes bright again behind her glasses, "No, I meant like, just remove the food, parts, and shift them around." Too late, she's eating the sandwich, with quick bites in between words.

"What do you do for work? Money? Do you have a boyfriend? Girlfriend? Non-binary friend? All three? Do you like puppies or kittens more? I'm a kitten person, they ..." She makes her fingers go into a false claw like shape and then rakes the air, "are all Rawr, like, and whatnot. And apex predators are so cool. Even spiders, for their size, they are rather amazingly good at hunting. Do you hunt? I don't, unless you count monsters, like crazy ones, I met this devil one time and he was so great. I mean, I'd hit that, amirite?"

In between her bubbly interrogation the glasses wearing redhead is eating food, and poor Rachel is here all alone to suffer at the speed of Madi's questions.

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole returns a few minutes later. Fortunately (for Rachel) the military also taught him to pick the food quickly (or go hungry) in this kind of place. He just grabbed a burger with fries and beer, though. Like a normal person, and not a pack of starving wolves with the shape of a teenage redhead.

He might also come to rescue Rachel. Before the other girl makes her lift the building and drop it somewhere.

"Got some of your order, too," he offers Madi. "I can't believe you can eat that fast and never stop talking. It gotta be some kind of superpower."

Rachel Summers has posed:
"He actually fits the type." Rachel says, now looking after Cole. "Most of the militant types I kne.. know are just straight to the point and nothing else in between. In touch with their feelings? Nope." Now, Rachel was pulling up her paper again, now laying it across her lap so that she could flip idly through the headlines without obscurin gher vision.

For half a moment, Rachel doesn't seem to be paying attention to Madi; now skimming a few words, looking for something, anything to do. Or one of those old ads that are selling some sort of electronics she could tinker with..

"Huh? Oh, yeah.. I can do that."

And then the barrage of questions come, and Rachel answers them as such.

"I'm a private investigator. I get paid." No she doesn't. "No, no, no, no. I like both, I can't pick one." Speaking of apex predators, Rachel now looks up towards the ceiling just in case, then back down to her paper again, her leg now bobbing. At the mention of hunting, however, Rachel's lips purse tightly, her teeth near grinding as she finally bursts out to change the subject.

"Is Cole your boyfriend? He seemed happy to see you. You should persue that." The words were spoken hopefully in time for Cole to hear it, just so they could play off of one another.

Madigan Belle has posed:
"Wow, a private investigator?" Madi turns her head to Cole, "Did you hear that? I mean, Rachel here, she investigates people." A pause and then she gasps, "Are you here to investigate ME?!" A sudden pause, then she quirks her mouth to the side, "I swear, I paid for all that lab equipment, with my Uncle's money legitimately." A quick few breaths as she blinks, "He uh, knew about it, and everything."

Though the concern washes away quickly as there is another distraction. "What? No, gross. He only has two arms and two legs. I mean, like, as a booty call, sure, whatevs, but like as a real relationship? No way." She offers and shakes her head, smiling over to Cole with food in her mouth, swallowing just in time. "Huh? Why would you stop talking while eating? That seems so inefficient. Rachel says you should date me, I don't agree. I just wanted to put you down gently so you didn't get suddenly all excited or whatever." She slurps loudly up some of one of her drinks, whichever is nearest.

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole was listening, yes. "My ears are ringing," he comments. Good thing is almost impossible to make him blush. "The answer is no... actually the answer is Hell No. Madi is too young anyway. Like sixteen."

He knows she is not sixteen, but he feels some payback is needed for all the bizarre things she has said about him.

"Anyway. I made the mistake of accepting an outrageous amount of money to teach her shoot," he explains. "For some reason I didn't expect her to get tired in two minutes. I guess I got blinded by the money. But since now she is a crack shoot, there is no need to give her further lessons. And I guess I am an amazing teacher." He thumbs up, then takes a bite from his burger. "Private eye, hmm?" He looks at Rachel briefly, the smiles. "Didn't expect that."

Rachel Summers has posed:
"No no no no!" Rachel immediately exclaims. "I'm just here to get something to eat, I -swear-." Though, Rachel does have half the mind to investigate why her food is taking too long. It was a big order anyway.

Though, now that most of the attention was taken off of her, she couldn't help but grin. It was like messing with the students at the school; some were so outspoken with no filter that one just couldn't help it. "So you -want- him to have more than two arms and two legs.. gotcha.." Rachel grins. "Bootycalls are a sort of a relationship though.." As if Rachel would know.

"I think it doesn't matter. Chances are, you letting him down my subconsciously cause you to go for him, or at least want him to want your attention, and maybe.. just maybe.. he will try to persue you just to prove you wrong."

She's now picking up a fry from Cole's plate. She didn't even bother asking, but she was on a roll. "Give her ten years." Rachel says to Cole, believing about the age. "Pretty sure you'll be around her for that long."

Yes, Rachel could read fortunes and tell the future.

Not really.

But hearing Coles explanation, she nods. "Well, I could see that. But you know how that works out right? You pretty much have a student for life when you do those things. And maybe a wife." At the mention of her profession, she bobs her head, -now- taking a drink of her watered down soda. "Mmhmm.. ew..." She smacks her lips, then pulls away the cup to stare it down. "I'm .. gonna go get a refill." She stands from her seat, carefully manuvering away from the table to approach the counter. It was watered down and gross...

Madigan Belle has posed:
There's a pause, Madi furrows her brow, and she looks over to Cole again, "I am -not- six-teen. Jeez. You don't even know how to count, see what I have to deal with?" She looks over to Rachel and then looks back to Cole. "I mean, you are ollllld, so maybe everyone is sixteen to you. That's probably why you are developing that shake in your hand and are now unable to win at shooting matches, so you are looking for secret drugs that help you with your concentration, and lo and behold, where does that bring you?"

There's a pause, for dramatic effect, but it isn't terribly long because she's Madi, "To a chemist. Like me, and now you owe -me- a favor because I concoct some kind of special drug cocktail that makes you even better than me at shooting. I'd still turn you down though for ..." Looking to Rachel she grimaces, "Wife? Totally never getting married. Unless it is to some rich old man who is going to kick it in a few days. Then I might."

To the other comment, she's nodding her head, with food in her mouth, "Well, duh. More than two arms or two legs is pretty awesome. Or, like, you know, wings or whatever. Just, plain jane isn't that great." Turning to Cole, "No offense." And then back to Rachel but just to see her as she's walking away.

So, back to Cole, "You're -okay- as a teacher, I mean you didn't even have patience for me. You taught me all wrong, and you wouldn't let me have fun just shooting fast. Really... I kind of taught myself. Though I do want to learn how to shoot a bow, do you know how to do that? What about a rifle? Drive a car? Cook? Wait, no, scratch that." She chuckles, shaking her head, "I can just order food. That wasn't a good idea. 1 bad idea out of a few million, just today, isn't bad. How's your gun making racket going?" Slurp slurp.

Cole Cash has posed:
"I am sure you are sixteen in your heart, Madi, and forever," replies Cole, munching his burger. "You know who is not sixteen?" He points his thumb back. "That woman."

He is not even going to defend his (non-existent) teaching abilities. Because really, he doubts Buda himself would have the patience to teach Madi. Even if she let him, which she won't anyway. "How about you teach yourself to do all that with your genius brain? That seems to work better for you. And my gun racket... uh? Oh yeah. Just great."

He shoves some fries into his mouth as if he had figured out what Madigan was talking about. Safer that way.

Madigan Belle has posed:
After Cole and her talk back at each other, Madigan starts to work on getting up. There's still quite a bit of food but she starts to wrap up what she can, putting it into her backpack. She is well prepared for even some things that might drip or otherwise gross out her backpack. "Well, this was great, do you have a phone number Rachel? I already have Cole's, but that way we can stay in touch." She grins big and is already pulling out her phone. Either way, Madi will give her number to Rachel.

With a good amount of her food packed up, and still some of her order not present, she just leaves the rest of the food on the table that she can't take with her. Noticeably, any sweets she bought definitely are coming with her and not getting wasted, and she grabs her crutch to prepare for the long walk to her uber. "Uber Black? Woot, didn't realize I selected the upgrade, but I did, apparently. What's 90 extra bucks? I mean, seriously, what am I, poor? Why do I ever get normal Uber?" Realtime conversation with herself as she turns to start heading her way out of the deli.

Over her shoulder, "Hey Cole, you should really stop stalking me. It's creepy... I mean, I like it, but others might find it weeeeeird. Okay? Cool." trying to get the last word in.

Rachel Summers has posed:
Rachel was in luck, when she went to get her refill, her order was ready! Both of the large boxes were put into bags that allowed none of the juices from the meat to spill. It was just.. neat. Rachel was satisfied, near happy, hearing the request for her number and seeing Madi skedaddle..

"What ..?" Oh well. "Just tell her to come visit X-Factor investigations. You're welcome too." Especially if they both were looking for jobs..

Probably not though.

"Take care, Cole." And with that, Rachel leaves, especially leaving Cole with all of the food that he should probably take. It's free!

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole has long 'lost' the burner phone he gave Madi, but somehow he is sure he is doomed to see her again. "Sounds like a plan," he mutters at Madi's 'stop stalking me' comment. "Funny girl, Madi," he adds when Rachel appears.

But she is leaving too? Oh well, at least he gets the table for himself. He doesn't ask for phone numbers, no need since she gave the workplace. "X-Factor? Sure, I'll drop by some day. See you, red."