Participants:
| Scene Title | Chocolate, Coffee and Cops |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | The Nite Owl once again serves up a reunion along with its cocoa and coffee. Naturally, conversation turns to recent and future crises. |
| Date | June 30 2010 |
The Nite Owl is a survivor from ages past - one of those ancient diners with huge plate glass windows, checkerboard linoleum floor, and a neon owl over the entrance that blinks at those entering. Inside, there's an L-shaped main counter, complete with vintage soda fountain and worn steel stools. All of the cooking is done on the ranges ranked against the rear wall. The outer wall is lined with booths upholstered in cracked scarlet vinyl, tables trimmed with polished chrome. Despite its age, it's been lovingly maintained. The air is redolent with the scent of fresh coffee, vanilla, and frying food.
The diner is finally back in full business. Elisabeth is glad to see evening patrons lingering over dinner and dessert. She bets the owners are too, and she shoots a smile toward the woman waiting on the counter. Sitting in a booth near the kitchen door, she sips from her coffee cup while she relaxes — or at least tries to — and waits for word on a meeting. Her blue eyes slip across the assembled personages, mentally cataloging.
Slipping through the door - letting in a waft of the cool evening air - Ygraine peers around the Nite Owl as she makes her way towards the counter. The slightly faded flag of the United Kingdom painted across the back of her leather jacket might not be the most politically correct of decorations, while the city gears up for Independence Day celebrations, but she seems cheerful enough as she homes in on the board listing the day's offerings of caffeine and other delights.
A semi-familiar face slips in the door and Elisabeth watches her for a long moment. Then she says quietly, "Hey, Ygraine." Her ability allows her to send the sound to Ygraine's ears without shouting over the other diners. And she waves so the woman can see where it came from. There's a gesture of invitation to the table, and Liz drinks her coffee while she waits.
Ygraine starts slightly, looking around a touch wildly before latching onto that wave - and grinning broadly. She nods as she finger-waves back, dallying only long enough to collect a steaming mug of cocoa and a slice of something chocolatey before she picks her way through to Elisabeth's booth.
Slipping into the seat opposite the policewoman's, she smiles warmly. "Hello there. It's good to see you again." She sounds happily sincere, cradling her mug in both hands. "I… how are you?"
"I'm good, thanks," Elisabeth replies with a faint smile. The words are perhaps belied by the subtle sense of weariness that hangs about the blonde, but she seems pleased to see Ygraine. "How about yourself? I haven't seen or heard anything of you in … forever, it seems like."
Ygraine chuckles softly. "I… bailed out, just before the weather got too bad to escape. Moved up-state at first, to be with the wife's parents - then took them over to Britain when the storm got even worse. Was a nice holiday, but I do feel guilty for… skipping so much of what happened."
A somewhat sheepish look, as she takes a careful sip of her drink. "Not that I've any delusions about having been likely to be any more than another burden on the city's resources…. It… must have been Hellish, for the emergency services."
Elisabeth grimaces. "You were better off out of town. It was a fucking mess," she tells Ygraine bluntly. Around a sip of coffee, she comments mildly, "I'm glad you spent it with family. Emergency services here were damn near completely overwhelmed. There weren't a lot of places in town that had heat. We are still recovering bodies from some places."
Ygraine winces again and nods. "I can imagine", she says softly. "And… I'm sorry. It's not as if the city hasn't been through more than enough already…. I… hope that you came through it all okay. Especially after… events earlier in the year."
There's a quirk of an eyebrow at Ygraine and she asks, "Which events?" She's not entirely sure which of the rather Bad Things <tm> the other woman heard about!
Ygraine squirms uncomfortably, unsure whether she's raising a topic she shouldn't - or has blundered into a whole menu of badness. "I… well. You were in the news. Unless I've forgotten your surname. If so, I apologise all the more", she says awkwardly.
Ah! Elisabeth smiles faintly. "The arrest," she says, certain what's being referred to now. "It was a ruse," she reassures Ygraine. "I was the target of an attack and we used the arrest to set a trap." It didn't go well at all, but that's neither here nor there now.
Ygraine winces again, but seems wholly unaware of the unspoken final thoughts. "I'm very glad to hear it", she says warmly. "I… was rather startled. And worried. I… hope that everything's sorted out now."
Elisabeth nods slightly. "Things are …. as sorted out as they get these days, yes," she says with a smile. Taking a sip from her coffee cup, she murmurs, "Norton'd have a stroke at the turn things have taken. There are days that I'm …. glad for him. For the fact that he got out."
Ygraine looks symapthetically worried, before sighing and nodding slowly. She takes a long sip of her own drink before venturing another reply. "I… hope that he's happy", she says cautiously. "He seemed nice. I was never at all sure that I got to see the 'real' him, but… he was smart, and seemed kind at heart."
With a brief shrug, the blonde says, "He drops a line once in a while. Seems to be doing well, I guess. If what he tells me so carefully is true." Elisabeth smiles. "So tell me what you're going to be doing now." Becuase if Ygraine is only just getting back to town, there's a crap-ton going on. "Were you here for the mass visions?" she asks.
A quick shake of the Briton's head. "No, I wasn't. Got back… less than forty eight hours after it. I have the impression I'm glad to have missed it. No one who's told me about what they saw seems to have been having the slightest bit of fun…."
"Yeah, I'd say that's an understatement. And I think the Ferry's going to be … busy. And it would behoove them to be cautious too." Elisabeth tilts her head, then says, "When you check in, make sure it's with a house head that you trust. There've been leaks in the network," she informs Ygraine.
Ygraine winces once more. "I had someone telling me that her vision was "happy" and she felt guilty about it - because she was merely dealing with a broken arm, in it, and was getting helped to flee the burning building she was caught inside…."
Elisabeth nods and says, "Good. It's good to know that in spite of what we've gathered was going on around it that some people's were … at least somewhat positive. Riots and crises bring out the best and worst in people, Ygraine. You know it as well as I." She shrugs. "We'll work it out." Hopefully they can head it off. A little.
Ygraine looks deeply worried, cocking her head. "Yours must been truly horrible", she murmurs worriedly, before clearing her throat. "Sorry. Ahhh. Yeah. The… I've been in touch with the Sailing Club. It's safe to say that people are… worried. Some more so than others, of course. A few seem to see it as a grand challenge."
There's a soft snort. Of course some of them do. Elisabeth simply shakes her head, her opinion of that happenstance she keeps to herself. "Just be careful, okay?" She smiles at Ygraine.
Ygraine nods quickly. "Jen'd murder me if I got myself killed", she jokes weakly. "I… yeah. I do try to be. Sounds like you might have more reason to be worried about, however. Is… what's been put together about the day the visions showed?"
Elisabeth shakes her head slightly. "Only that it was something big. Major riots, things burning. That's all I really know. I haven't heard that anyone's found or reported a vision that gives a hint to what actually starts everything."
"But… no sign of an organised enemy? I was worried it was another doomsday cult, or something." Not that Ygraine's anywhere near up to date with those, admittedly. "I… sorry. From being delighted to see you, right onto future misery and disaster. Right ray of sunshine, aren't I? How are you doing?"
She shakes her head slightly. "No… everything I've seen and heard indicates a lot of disorganized rioting. I just don't have any answers, Ygrain," Elisabeth replies regretfully. She sips from her coffee and then says with a faint smile, "I'm actually pretty good." It's a little white lie, but the other woman doesn't need the details of the kinds of things Liz is dealing with. Still…. oddly enough, it's not entirely a lie. Some things in her life are going quite well. "Spending a lot of time on the base, which is something of a detriment to the guy I'm seeing, but …" She shrugs. "What're you gonna do?"
Ygraine looks both intrigued and pleased, smiling gently as she cocks her head. "You do look rather tired. But I'm glad that you're with someone, in spite of that…." A slight shrug. "As for me? Doing part-time couriering again, while I figure out what to do in the longer term. Running errands for people isn't quite the civic service it was when I first came back here - the city as a whole is simply working better in most ways, and there's less of a desperate need for people to help the basics to happen."
Elisabeth nodnods immediately. "Well, I'll keep in mind that's what you're doing," she tells Ygraine with a grin. "When the business gets off the ground, we'll keep you exclusively in mind for our courier needs."
Ygraine blinks in surprise even as she laughs. "Business?", she asks, clearly intrigued. "And would the 'we' involved be you and your fella? Or am I leaping to bad conclusions?"
With a shrug, Liz replies, "Several of us. We're opening a security firm." She smirks faintly. "He's got a record… and a pardon. Figure he can turn it into business experience."
Another blink, then a soft laugh. "I have the impression that you should have quite a lot of knowledge in the field, yes", Ygraine agrees, a wry smile lifting one side of her mouth. "I'd offer my services, but I loathe guns, which is probably a bit of a draw-back to security work over here…."
"Most likely," Elisabeth agrees with a laugh. "So there's a couple of ex-cops and an ex-con and we're going to see if we can make it work out." She shrugs with a wicked twinkle that takes away the exhaustion in her face. "Time'll tell."
"I'm glad", Ygraine says gently. "You… look as if you could really do with a change. Though it's probably horribly rude of me to say that, come to think of it."
Elisabeth laughs. "Just haven't been sleeping too well. And I'm really just a silent partner in the firm. I'll be staying on with FRONTLINE for a while." There's a job that needs doing and she's uniquely qualified. "But thank you."
Ygraine ducks her head. "You're welcome. On the off-chance that there is anything a bilingual bicyclist can do, please do let me know", she requests with another smile. "I… there's far too little opportunity to really help people as it is. Almost everything seems so… unmanagably huge."
"I'll keep it in mind," Elisabeth agrees with a smile. "Believe me, I understand what you mean." She definitely gets that feeling a lot. Sort of like drowning.
Ygraine nods sympathetically once more, then cracks a swift grin. "So… can I tempt you with chocolate cake to take your mind off things? I promise to talk of nothing but cake and other distractions for a while, if you like…."