The Perkolator

[courier-gavin.livejournal.com]

At 11:25, Jake showed up, ordered his coffee and went to sit down at 'his' table. He rummaged through his backpack for his sketchbook, and leaned back, sipping his coffee as he looked through the sketches again. He was waiting for Callisto to show up for her lesson, and intended to ask her for her opinions on the sketches he'd made of her thus far.

Comments

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

Cupping a strong mug of coffee, Callisto settled into the chair opposite. "Morning Jake."

[courier-gavin.livejournal.com]

"Heyah Callisto." Jake looked up from his drawings and smiled. "How're you today?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Great." Callisto leaned back grinning. "Had a sparring session with Aeryn yesterday, she is good. What about you?"

[courier-gavin.livejournal.com]

"Pretty good." Jake nodded. "Planning to spend the day sketching and maybe starting on some paintings, if I can round up some models." He pushed a sketch (http://pics.livejournal.com/courier_gavin/pic/000cyrzg/) towards her. "What'cha reckon? Would you pose for this?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

Callisto picked up the sketch "Hey, this is nice," Callisto raised her eyebrow. "Although I don't actually remember ever posing like that."

[courier-gavin.livejournal.com]

"Well..." Jake looked a little sheepish. "I made it in study hall. That day you were messing around by the pool table?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Oh! I see..." Callisto smiled and handed the paper back. "Yeah, I'd be willing to pose for something like that."

[courier-gavin.livejournal.com]

"Sweet." Jake beamed at her and sipped his coffee again. "I have a couple of other ideas as well, but that was the one I wasn't sure if you'd agree on. You got the time to do some posing today?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"How much time are we talking?" Callisto shrugged. "I'm free for the next few hours, but then I have Wrestling."

[courier-gavin.livejournal.com]

Jake tilted his head at her. "How good are you at standing still? Unless you're really, really good at it, a couple of hours would be far too much, dude."

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

Callisto snorted. "You'd be surprised, actually. Making a newbie hold a pose until their muscles can't take it anymore is a common endurance training technique back home."

[courier-gavin.livejournal.com]

"Really?" Jake gave her a surprised and pleased look. "Will definitely take advantage of that, then." He considered it. "Art lesson first, then an hour of posing? My place, maybe?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Really. It's arguably barbaric, but useful on occasion." Callisto sipped her coffee, then nodded. "I can work with that."

[courier-gavin.livejournal.com]

"Cool." Jake nodded back. "Hey, where are you from anyway?" He asked, pulling his backback up to search for his art book.

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Me? Thrace, it's a province in Greece." Callisto grinned sardonically "Or at least it used to be Greece, I think large chunks of are in Bulgaria and Turkey nowadays."

[courier-gavin.livejournal.com]

"...In what world?" Jake arched an eyebrow at her, wry.

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"This one, or one fairly similar, considering the fairly large time difference it's a little hard to tell."

[courier-gavin.livejournal.com]

Jake snorted. "Good point. Anyway..." He flipped through the book. "How about Edvard Munch this time?"

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

"Hey, you're the guy with the art book." Callisto grinned.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_wespryce/]

Wes strides into the Perkolator. Much to his surprise, they actually make a decent cup of tea -- bagged, true, but piping hot. He orders one, pays, and sits down at a corner table with a newspaper.

[lilah-esq.livejournal.com]

Lilah walked up to the counter and slammed her purse down on it. Still no sign of her undead assistant, Angelus was on the loose without an alibi, and the gremlins had stolen the coffeemaker.

She ordered a large cup of black coffee and was on her way out when she happened to notice the dark-haired teenager reading the newspaper. With a cup of tea. And he held his head and adjusted his glasses just like...Oh, holy crap. "Wes."

[http://users.livejournal.com/_wespryce/]

He looks up, startled. "Er... I don't think I know you?"

[lilah-esq.livejournal.com]

She fumed silently at the Senior Partners. They couldn't have given her a head's up on this? "Lilah Morgan. I'm a lawyer in town, with Wolfram and Hart."

She recovered quickly, though, and took a seat in the chair opposite him. She appreciated the irony of having to introduce herself to the boy who would one day grow up to become the man who beheaded her. "And you're Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, future Watcher."

[http://users.livejournal.com/_wespryce/]

*We are now well past deer in the headlights and into lemur in the headlights*

"How did you KNOW that?" -- he corrects himself -- "I... really have no idea what you're talking about." He begins to extend a hand, remembers that the lady shakes first, and converts the gesture into a vague half-wave.

[lilah-esq.livejournal.com]

Amused, she offered her hand. "You'd be amazed what I know about you, Wesley" she purred, as she crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair. "And you do, but that's okay."

[http://users.livejournal.com/_wespryce/]

His jaw drops. He leans forward and hisses "Did the Council finally open a cell on this continent? Father should have..."

[lilah-esq.livejournal.com]

Lilah snickered and took a sip of coffee. "You expect me to believe that you talk to your father on a regular basis? Or that he'd tell you anything if he did manage to pick up the phone?"

[http://users.livejournal.com/_wespryce/]

His jaw sets and he leans back in the chair. "What precisely do you want from me? This doesn't seem to be a social visit."

[lilah-esq.livejournal.com]

Still touchy on that subject, eh, Wesley?

"What do I want from you, Wesley?" She smiled. It probably wasn't completely pleasant to see. "So many things. But I just came in here for the coffee."

[http://users.livejournal.com/_wespryce/]

She's mocking me.

He stands. "I trust it will live up to your expectations. If you'll excuse me, I have an appointment." He turns.

[lilah-esq.livejournal.com]

Unconsciously, she reached out to touch his completely stubble free cheek one more time, then caught herself and lowered her hand. Her eyes may have visibly softened momentarily as well.

"Of course." She pulled a business card out of her purse and handed it to him. "For when your curiosity gets too much for you. You might also want to check out Caritas."

[http://users.livejournal.com/_wespryce/]

Even though he knows he's making a terrible mistake, he accepts the card. He thrusts it into a pocket and leaves as if the Library assistants were after him.

[lilah-esq.livejournal.com]

She smiled as he put the card in his pocket and hurried off. Her canary would be back.

And now, back to the office.