The Perk, Friday Morning

[chosehumanity]

Mitchell arrived in Fandom fairly early because of the time difference. He'd given up on figuring out how the two dimensions slotted together in that sense, but today it seemed to be kind to him. Not that the time of day really mattered, when it came down to it.

He received a napkin from the barrista when he came in - "Man, you definitely had trouble shaving this morning, didn't you?" she'd asked, and he'd reached up with it and cleaned the rest of the dried blood off his face.

Now he was sitting on a chair in the Perk's small outside section, smoking over a cup of coffee. The shift in scenery was helping him calm down, but there was still a noticably thinky scowl on his face as he sat and watched the island wake up.

[[ open! ETA: references to domestic abuse in the thread with Kate ]]

Comments

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

Angua was waking up, or at least trying to, and so she turned to the incredible powers of caffeine to assist her along in the process. At least she'd started to feel a little bit better about things, almost in the clear from the effects of that bloody full moon, so she stretched a little as she got her coffee and then dully regarded the vampire as if only just then noticing him.

Of course, that wasn't the case. She noticed him when she'd turned the street corner. Thankfully, love of caffeine outweighed her hate of bloodsuckers.

"Wow," she commented oh-so-idly, "you look almost as bad as I feel."

Which actually didn't take much at the moment. Seeing a vampire looking that bad and not in the least bit polished and sleek was going to make her day.

[chosehumanity]

Mitchell looked up from his coffee by lifting his head... fairly slowly. He'd smelled her coming, yeah, but he hadn't felt the need to say anything.

"Thanks," he deadpanned, and took a drag of his cigarette before setting it down.

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

"Rough week?" said Angua, managing to hold back her cheerfulness so that only a little came through.

[chosehumanity]

"Something like that," Mitchell replied, studying her. "Try not to enjoy yourself too much." It didn't sound overtly hostile, because as grudging as she seemed to be about him, Mitchell liked Angua.

He just wasn't in the right mood to completely ignore it.

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

Well, it was true that she kind of had been a major bitch this week, but she had biology on her side. She shrugged she shoulders. "You seemed to survive okay," she pointed out, although there was a good possibility that she only pointed it out as a fact that she could use to keep herself from enjoying herself too much.

[chosehumanity]

"In a manner of speaking," he agreed, fidgeting with his cup. "So what's got you feeling bad, then? Rough Monday?"

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

"How'd you guess?" asked Angua dryly. "Thanks gods its Friday, then, eh?"

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

Hopefully the morning breeze would make Henry, even a sweaty Henry, a little easier for Angua to take than he normally was? Let's hope so, because he waved at her slightly. "It's been a while," he said. "Hi, Angua. How's police work?"

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

It helped, a little, but not much. The sweat just seemed to give all those shifting colours a distinctly manly sheen, dulling them slightly for the sake of masculinity.

But she still was able to lift a hand and wave back without even sneezing.

"Boring and dull as always," she said. "How's...what is it you do again? Teaching?"

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

"Librarian," Henry corrected, not sounding especially put out about it. "I tried teaching last session, but I think I'm happiest with the books. I've adapted to them."

Leaning back, he added, "Being a cop is dull here? Really?"

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

Angua gave a faint grin. "People say that a lot," she said, "but, yes, it rather is. Mostly paperwork and silly phone calls and animal disputes. A lot happens here, yes, but mostly all of it is entirely, annoyingly legal."

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

"So you're more like a mediator than a police officer," Henry mused, grateful he'd never needed to break into a building in Fandom. The police were probably bored enough to all be out before he could spring the lock. "Just like I'm half zookeeper some day in the library."

[colourfulscents.livejournal.com]

And then Angua remembered the conversation about him being a librarian.

"Oh!" she said. "Did you finally get an orangutan, then?"

Because everyone knew they made excellent librarians.

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

Henry was still in his workout clothes after his run, and there was the split-second thought as he entered the Perk that, really, he should just get a bottle of water today.

The drive for caffeine won out, though. It usually did. He spotted the scowling young man as he left the coffee shop with his drink in hand and, driven by a vague urge to be social to what he recognized as a colleague (even one who looked like somebody'd stepped on his puppy) aimed a slight, bland smile in his direction before taking a seat at a nearby table. "Morning," he said. "How's it going?"

Stupid question, yeah, but even Henry had enough boundaries that he didn't start conversations with strangers by asking what was the matter.

[chosehumanity]

And there were some things you didn't just throw at strangers - even when you weren't as secretive and possessive of his own affairs as Mitchell could be. So he took his time, sipping his coffee and setting it down, and flashed Henry no smile at all, but an expression that at least attempted to be sans-scowl.

"Fine," he said, "It's looking to be a nice day, isn't it."

God, he was defaulting to the weather - he had officially lived in Britain too long.

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

"Better than it has been, anyhow," Henry agreed. "I'm glad. I can take or leave the Southern summer thing."

The weather was an absolutely traditional choice of conversation-starter everywhere, really.

[chosehumanity]

"You're from the South?"

If anything, Mitchell was inexplicably grateful for the chance for good, normal, human conversation - which was to blame for the eager hint in his tone just then.

If he'd truly wanted to be alone, he could've stayed out on the street in Bristol all night.

[one-who-goes.livejournal.com]

Henry almost asked do I sound like it? before he realized it was not, actually, fair to expect Irish people to pick up on American regional accents. The thought crossed his face, though.

"Chicago," he said, shaking his head. "It doesn't get quite this muggy for quite this long. I meant here -- Maryland. It counts as the South to me."

[chosehumanity]

"Because it's south of where you're from," he said, sounding dryly amused by it all. "Clever. Though if we're using that as a measuring point, I'd say Chicago is 'the south' to me as well."

He shifted his cup around, letting his focus drift with it. "Never been there, though."

[vanillajello]

Kate had admirably refrained from bothering Mitchell for a few days, mostly because Chloe had said he'd sounded fine and she didn't want to seem too alarmed over nothing.

But now she had something of her own to share and besides, she'd been dragged out of bed at what she thought was an obscenely early hour for a Friday. Texting was her only joy while she had some ghetto cheerios for breakfast.

guess what i did in a gas station parking lot late last night.

If that sounded possibly dirty, she was doing it on purpose.

[chosehumanity]

There was a short, short spell of time where she got absolutely no response whatsoever.

Then: I'm fairly sure it's inappropriate for me to guess.

[vanillajello]

cowaaaaard.

Which was only to say she'd expected that response.

planet aid dropoff box. we gave all the alters' shit away.

[chosehumanity]

At least someone had good news.

That's good, he texted back, happy for the ability to do so without his tone giving anything away. Right? Your mother's healing.

[vanillajello]

i guess, she wrote, in the textual equivalent of a shrug. She was still sceptical. she hasn't altered out in about 3 months apparently.

[chosehumanity]

It's a start, he wrote.

Then paused, and added a :).

He might have been trying too hard.