Owner	Pose
Helena Wayne	(Scene continuation from 7957) After the brief scuffle with a local gang, Helena manages to salvage some of her groceries and combine them into one bag (the one that wasn't crushed). While she does so, she looks up at her surprise helper. "I know this is gonna sound pretty forward of me, but where'd you learn to fight like that? Not on the streets. Military?"
Cole Cash	"I'd never say no to coffee, regardless the time of the day," replies the blonde man, helping pick up the salvageable bags. "Cole," he says as introductions. "Nice moves there, yourself. And yeah, I served. Are you in the army yourself?" Seems unlikely to him, given her way of dressing. Plus her fighting style was too... smooth. Even special forces tend to go for basic Judo or Krav Maga.
Helena Wayne	Helena Wayne rises smoothly, showing a level of fitness and poise that a skilled eye would recognize as being uncommon. Shifting the groceries to her left arm, she shakes her head. "No, actually. I studied martial arts privately." Must have been from multiple tutors, given the merging of styles. From her dad, of course. Batman. With a strong dose of acrobatics from her mom. "I'm actually sort of between jobs right now, myself." Having recently arrived in this dimension. But who's counting?
Cole Cash	Cole gives her an even glance. For a second it looks he will ask more questions, but then he nods. "Well, I guess you had some good teachers. Useful skills in Gotham, hmm? Ah, that must be the cafe you mentioned. Never been here before," he comments. "But then again, I am from Chicago. I have been living in Gotham just a year or two."
Helena Wayne	Helena Wayne nods in the direction of the coffee shop, flashing a wry smile of her own. "My parents could afford the best." she quips back. "I've lived -around- Gotham before, but not in the city." Not in THIS version of the city, at least. "So you're from Chicago and you moved to New Jersey? On purpose?" She'll give him a brief moment to get the door before reaching for it herself.
Cole Cash	Cole shoves the door open, holding it for Helena. He has manners on a good day. "I joined the army, travelled quite a bit," he semi-explains. He looks only about 30, so it is easy to miscalculate how much 'quite a bit' really is. "No point getting back to Chicago no, and Gotham is not as bad as they say. The rent is cheap and the food is good."
Helena Wayne	Helena Wayne's smile brightens a little when he gets the door, and she slips inside first. "Gotta agree with you that the food is good." she replies. For her part, Helena is at that age where she could be anywhere in her 20's. "I've found some really awesome Chinese places for take-out." She adds. Pausing, she clarifies. "I tend to get a lot of take-out."
Cole Cash	Cole will let Helena pick the table too, as he wants to guesstimate how much a 'civilian' she really is. He leaves the bags on a chair, and takes a seat in front of the young woman. "Take out, uh? Expensive tastes or just hate of cooking?" He asks with a smirk. No, he knows Chinese is not expensive for take out, he is mostly joking.
Helena Wayne	Helena Wayne's selection is tactical; near the back but with a good view of the front door. And close to the back entrance as a bonus. At least she gives him the chair with his back to the corner. The girl wrinkles her nose at the 'expensive tastes' comment, adding a bright smile. "I'm actually a decent cook..." Thank you, Alfred. "... but it's not easy cooking for just one." That, and she keeps some pretty weird hours. And eats on a lot of rooftops. "So what brings you to Gotham, Cole?"
Cole Cash	Cole expression betrays nothing, but he notes the 'tactical' choice. It leaves pretty clear to him Helena is not what she looks. That is fine, he isn't either, but it makes him a little wary. "Fair enough," although he cooks for one! Then again, not many like his food. "Gotham? Well, why not. I have skills I can put in use here. I like big cities. But New York is expensive, I don't like Metro, I hate L. A. and Washington is..." full of enemies, and bad memories. But he settles with, "just no, thanks."
Helena Wayne	Helena Wayne chuckles at that, settling and getting comfortable. The grocery bag is within easy reach, and she doesn't bother with a menu. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Gotham is sort of 'just right'. Or 'just wrong', depending." She shrugs, then adds. "But it feels the most like home to me." Pausing, she tilts her head a little and regards him more closely. "I've seen your skills, yeah. And Gotham has rumors of... vigilantes."
Cole Cash	"Oh, there are a bunch of those," replies Cole, checking the menu briefly. No Irish coffee? He will settle for a latte, then. "Don't look at me, though, I am a working man. I might help a lady in trouble sometimes, but I am not dressing up in spandex and go out looking for trouble." He shrugs, "I work in security, freelance. And if things are slow, I can make decent money as a gunsmith. But in Gotham things rarely get slow."
Helena Wayne	Helena Wayne tilts her head, giving a knowing smile and a nod at the denial. "Hey, I'm not suggesting anything." she replies quickly. "You work security and you're a gunsmith?" Her interest perks a little at that. "So just what IS your stance on the caped-and-cowled set, then?" Pause. "Asking for a friend."
Cole Cash	"For a friend?" Cole squints eyes, "are you a sociologist? I am going to feel horribly deceived if this coffee invitation was to do an opinion study or something," he handwaves. "I don't have an opinion, really. I mean, super-powered vigilantism? It is a First World problem. It sells newspapers, and only bothers people when they wreck some windows or their homes or popular landscape."
Helena Wayne	Helena Wayne chuckles at that, shaking her head. "Not a sociologist, I promise." she replies. "And I'm asking more for personal curiosity than anything else. Still trying to figure out public opinion as far as the vigilantes go. But I have to agree with you there. The Supers of Metro? Definitely not something we'll see in this neighborhood." A pause, then. "So do you work on just guns or other things as well?"
Cole Cash	"Oh, the top tier metas? That is a different kind of beast," admits Cole, giving the girl a lopsided grin. "I wouldn't call them 'cape and cowl'. They are more like forces of nature. You gotta live with them out there. Your opinion doesn't matter." "As for me," he continues, "I am not sure what you mean, I know ballistic weapons and I have the tools. What other things are you talking about?"
Helena Wayne	Helena Wayne leans in, resting her chin on one hand. "Ballistic weapons like, for instance, bows? Or maybe crossbows?" she replies. "I did a little shooting growing up, but I'm still pretty new in town. Not exactly like I can just go target shooting in some alley, of course."
Cole Cash	Cole shakes his head, "ballistic technically covers those, but I meant firearms. I have never built a bow or a crossbow. I guess it would be easier than a gun, but I doubt it would go well the first attempts." He gestures to the waitress. They should probably order something. Then he turns to Helena, "you are full of odd questions. Don't tell me you are planning to dress up and go to shoot at criminals in the night with a bow."
Helena Wayne	Helena Wayne laughs at that, shaking her head. "Shooting at criminals with a bow? This isn't Merry Old England and I don't do spandex." Kevlar-nomex? Different story. She looks over when the waitress arrives. "Just coffee for me, please. Sugar, no milk." She'll wait until he orders before continuing. "Like I said, I did some shooting when I was younger, and was hoping to maybe get back into it again." The grin returns. "But I don't suppose the Army issues many bows these days."
Cole Cash	"Hey, guys like Hawkeye are pretty impressive," comments Cole, smiling in response to her laugh. "Latte for me, no sugar," for the waitress. And a shake of head for Helena. "No bows as far as I know. I did some archery years back, but only for fun." It was 'fun' to shoot Daemonites with a bow. His mentor being an immortal alien ninja queen that had some odd ideas about training people. Usually involving living target that shoot back. Talking about bows, if Helena knows enough about them, is actually more relaxing. Cole knows enough to carry the conversation, even though he admits he wouldn't know how to start building one. Well, he could watch some videos in the Internet. Not the same. And before Helena leaves, he definitely will ask for her phone number.