Owner	Pose
Billy Kaplan	Spring is in the air in New York City and Coffee of DOOM is packed today. Billy, who is a regular here, is sitting at a table with a steaming mug of coffee in front of him, a plate of peanut butter cookies, and a thick book that he's reading. Hanging on the back of his chair is a black leather jacket. Several customers and staff occasionally pass by the table greeting Billy by name. He looks up each time with a warm greeting for each. Friendly kid is friendly.
Kamala Khan	Spring has sprung, and yet _CRIME_ does not take the moment to reflect on the promise of a new year, and personal goals for growth. No, _CRIME_ (For today's story, played by a bunch of balaclava-masked men with guns in a stolen plumbing van) has decided to instead rob a bank. If only they had consulted their horoscopes and seen the line about how crime only pays in punches from Ms. Marvel! And so, now a short while later, typical teenager Kamala Khan is navigating the crowds of Coffee of DOOM, the nearest thing to an 'eatery' she can find. She'd look totally unassuming in her dark hoodie and tan cargo pants today, if there wasn't a familiar red and gold sash dangling out just behind her right hip. It might very well act like a flag as she comes to a stop near Billy's table, peering around for a menu that lists something other than coffee.
Billy Kaplan	Taking a sip from his mug of orange-liqueur infused coffee, he flips the page in his book. His sharp eyes scan over the page, drinking in the information. Then Billy adjusts his position in the chair, folding one leg over the other. That's when he sees the sash sticking out from under Kamala's hoodie. He's not one hundred percent sure of what it is, but he has a good idea. Billy Kaplan is more than a little bit of a superhero nerd and knows his superhero trivia. The teen's lips move as he very softly murmurs a small incantation just under his breath. With a small twist of one finger, the magic activates and causes the sash to pull up under Kamala's hoodie, out of view. Then he looks up at the girl and nods as one does when a stranger is standing close to one's table all of a sudden. "Hey," he says. "How's it goin'?"
Kamala Khan	Kamala lets out a soft little squeak, because she _totally_ notices her sash sliding back up into her hoodie... and tries to dart her gaze around and catch the culprit! ...Okay, 'culprit' is a harsh word, Kamala. What about 'samaritan'? And then there's a nod and a casual greeting. Eyebrows perk up, mouth falls open for a moment, and then Kamala's putting on her best cool disaffected teen face. It's terrible. "Heyyyy. Oh, y'know, another day in the big city." She looks back up towards the menus, "I mean, I kind of need like... a breakfast? Lunch? Brunch?" She frowns thoughtfully, "I kind of lost track of time, but I can't refuel entirely on coffee... it's uhh..." She clears her throat and mutters, "Kind of a bad idea." She grins bright, "You seem like you're a regular, any recommendations? I'm Kamala, by the way!"
Billy Kaplan	Billy closes the book -- the cover says Fascism by Madeleine Albright -- and turns in his seat to more politely look at Kamala. He chinrubs with one hand. "Hmmmmm. Nice t'meet you, Kamala. I'm Billy Kaplan. So, after your wardrobe malfunction, you have a...marvelous appetite." He winks playfully. "I probably spend as much time in Coffee of DOOM as I do at home. I'm pretty sure I've had everything on the menu at least twice." He lightly claps his palms together and rubs them quickly back and forth. "Okay, let's see what we can come up with. First, do you have any dietary restrictions? Vegan, lactose intolerant, nut allergy, stuff like that?"
Kamala Khan	Kamala groans out loudly... probably not at the heavy reading material. It's /probably/ the whole sash thing. Or the marvelous pun which is decidedly unmarvelous... and one she's made herself soooooo many times. She sinks down into an empty seat at Billy's table and hums out, hands cupping her chin, eyebrows lifting, "Well, no pork's the big one..." She sighs and shakes her head slowly, "I swear, that is like... the most tempting restriction. Bacon just looks and smells so /good/. But maybe it's the forbidden aspect that makes it tempting, right? Maybe it's _not_ that good!"
Billy Kaplan	"Oh yeah, no, bacon is fucking amazing," Billy says with a serious-as-a-blood-clot expression. Boy doesn't play when it comes to bacon. He tips back on the back two legs of his chair, holding onto the edge of the table for balance. "Okay well I'm glad I asked because I was gonna recommend the ham and cheese croissant. It's dope as can be." Rocking a little on his unstable sitting arrangement, he contemplates. "Do you like eggs?" asks. "They have these veggie mini-quiches that basically melt in your mouth. But, I mean, if you're *hungry* hungry they have a vegan chili that's really good. Billy isn't one to show off. It's not his style. But he has a piece of information on Kamala, and he doesn't like to be in a position to lord over anyone. So perhaps to even the score, the teenage spellcaster glances around to make sure nobody is nearby then he glances at the plate of peanut butter cookies on the table. He charges his words with arcane energy, turning the sentence into a small incantation. "Have some cookies if you want," he says, his words crackling with soft energy. Then the plate slides of its own accord across the table, closer to Kamala.
Kamala Khan	Kamala groans out and slowly slumps forward, face disappearing into her hands, voice filled with anguish, "I knowwww! It's... bewitching!" She sighs and then perks up, head tilting so she can peek over her hands, "Oh! Vegan miniquiches and chili would be great! I'm pretty hungery. It was a busy morning. I had to stop these bank ro- ...rolls! Bank rolls. At a financial office. Because... I... do... that! As a part time job!" Eyes dart around wildly. And since no one's paying attention to her, and suddenly cookies are sliding over, well... she's not going to resist magic! Or cookies! Or magic'd cookies! But, you know, she at least just picks one up for a sizable bite, and doesn't go full on Cookie Monster. "So, what do you do when you're not like, hanging out at coffee shops being all charming and helping out folks in need?" It's asked oh so casually, as Kamala takes another bite of cookie.
Billy Kaplan	"Well," Billy says, still rocking back on those rear two chair legs. "I'm a poli-sci major at NYU so that basically takes up a /ton/ of my time. But, you know, maybe sometimes I run around in funny clothes and help people in need," he says with a sly grin, saying that last bit a bit softer. "I still live at home, and I help watch my two little brothers. My parents are both doctors so they work a lot. And then there is my full-time job of keep a seat warm here." A server was hustling past when he said that last sentence. She smirks and ruffles his hair on the way by. "You ain't lyin', Billy. We're thinking about charging you rent."
Kamala Khan	Kamala groans out softly and stuffs the rest of her cookie in her mouth, chewing slowly... it's definitely not to buy time for her response of course. Only to snort out as the server chimes in and she swallows and gasps out, "Wow! Those _are_ good cookies! And hey, if I wind up enrolling at NYU now I've got someone I can bug for a tour, riiiiiight? I mean, you can wear your funny clothes if you need to count it as helping people in need." She flashes a broad grin and sighs out, clearly relaxing and sinking a bit further back in her seat. "So like, what level of.... help do you wind up doing? The whole Manhattan thing awhile back? Or like, muggers and bank robbers and stuff? Y'know, the workhorse uhh... helping.... of people!" Not crime fighting, not gonna say crime fighting out loud in public! Even if no one's really paying attention.
Billy Kaplan	Billy goes to lean forward to say something privately to Kamala but he seems to have forgotten that he's currently tipped back on his chair doing exactly what countless moms have chided countless children about for as long as there have been both children /and/ chairs. He almost plunges backward but manages to grip the edge of the table and pull himself back up. But the expression on his face is priceless. Putting his chair legs -- all /four/ of them -- down on the floor, he looks at Kamala with wide, surprised eyes and blurts out a laugh. Then he leans forward and whispers, "I'm Wiccan." I mean, it's only fair. He knows who she is. Most likely repeating over and over in his head 'Please don't say who's Wiccan. Please don't say who's Wiccan. Please don't...' he grabs a peanut butter cookie and takes a big bite. His cheeks and the sides of his neck are still flushed a little bit red with embarrassment from his near-fall.
Kamala Khan	Kamala's eyes go wide as Billy teeters and sways and... oh no! Teachers were RIGHT and she's going to see this finally kill someone! ...Yes, she has stretchy powers, but the sheer novelty of the situation makes her forget about them! Also, you know, Billy has arms and just steadies himself and leans forward to settle the chair down properly. Crisis averted. Her eyebrows go _high_ as he whispers out, eyes like saucers as she leans in and whispers, really more hisses out, "Oh my god! there's _so_ much fanfic about you! Don't... uhh... don't like... look it up with safe search off though. Pro tip." She nods solemnly. She grins, "Magic, right? Don't you normally... rock a cape? And one of those... head.. things? Am I thinking of someone else? I know Scarlet Witch has one, and Storm sometimes and... are they tiaras? What's the _deal_?" Eyebrows lift again. Surely, _the_ Wiccan has the inside scoop!
Billy Kaplan	Billy wrinkles his nose. "I used to wear one back before my costume and name change," he says. "But honestly I don't like how it looks." With a small shrug, he washes down his cookie with some coffee. "But having one on can really help to focus energy. It's hard to describe, like the sensation of something gripping your head can keep you grounded, especially when you're doing some really weird, far-out stuff." He gestures toward Kamala with a nod of his head. "What brings you into Manhattan today? Anything I should be terrified about?"
Kamala Khan	Kamala grins and shakes her head, "Oh, no! I was just doing some like, you know, shopping. New York's way better for it than Jersey, and I was going to hit up a movie or something, but then there were tires screeching and an alarm bell ringing..." She shrugs and sighs out, "Criminals, man. They just don't have any concern for people's plans." She laces her fingers together under her chin and huffs out, "I feel like I gotta... get more involved, right? Like, New York's got way more trouble going on than Jersey... well, Jersey City. Not more than Gotham, but uhh... I hear that Bat guy's pretty intense, sooo... New York it is! I keep thinking I should try getting an internship somewhere."
Billy Kaplan	Billy nods enthusiastically. "You definitely should." A slip of paper suddenly appears in one hand and Billy slides it along the table to Kamala. "Here's my number. If you ever need someone to show you around the city or you need someone to talk you, gimme a text or somethin. But I have to bounce. I'm tutoring tonight." He stands and pushes in his chair. "It was cool t'meet you, Kamala."
Kamala Khan	Kamala grins and waves with one hand as she takes the slip of paper and slides it into her hoodie with the other, "Yeah! I'll give you a call or text you! Y'know, so you can get mine! In case of cri-... uhh... you need to move a couch or whatever!" And then she's looking back towards the kitchen, because she's going to order her those mini quiches. Awwyeah.