After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
Wednesday March 14th
The sound of chatter filled the air, music lost in the background as most of the tables in the establishment were filled with costumers, the till was full and the boss was happy. Then again he always seemed to be, just as costumers always seemed to flock within the Nova Café’s walls, the only difference recently was that the costumers were most casual then the previous stiff upper lip and more private clientele. As far as the luck blessed bartender was concerned this was a change for the better, more people were willing to sit and talk with her at the bar instead of acting as if they held the secrets of the world within their minds. Abigail Ashcroft appeared normal enough as any teenager working her way through collage, but she was far from average. Unknowingly a mutant with a lucky streak gamblers often dream for, Abby was a street smart teen with an eye for the extreme, a hunter of hunters and unafraid to go where danger lurks in order to catch her villain.
Jerold Whitlock, Nova café’s owner and head key element to the Viper Club which lay behind the café façade, found the boisterous youth and took her in, giving her work and additional training despite her family being aware of her unusual lifestyle and offering her assistance or hiring help to better increase their daughter’s survival while out on her hunts. The attractive man still in his prime was a father figure to them all, and saw each girl as a daughter for him to guide through their lives, which ever path they took, whatever their talents were. Another girl who worked at the café that day was Katie Brooks, a young rising famous singer who was taking the streets by storm and raising up her own collection of avid fans. The gorgeous young blonde was making her way to the stage as Abby wiped down the polished yellow hued wooden surface of the bar, the light tones of the café giving a positive uplifted feel to the atmosphere.
On top of being a singer Katie was also a rising actress and young star, unlike a few others of Jerold’s girls Katie was human and no extraordinary talents of any kind other then her astonishing looks, her phenomenal voice and her realistic acting that caught the attention of anyone who watched her. The red head behind the counter found herself able to talk with the rising star as if they were just two normal teens, which was nice, especially since some of the girls were too consumed with improving themselves to have time to be sitting back and just talk.
At least busy days went faster, Abby didn’t have the longest shifts but she still didn’t find bartending the most thrilling of jobs, especially when she was leaping across rooftops and and launching herself at thugs and vampires. Being just after one in the after noon meant few people were staying at the bar though, they’d come and collect or order things, even though there was a floor waitress, some people just didn’t bother waiting around and went up to the bar themselves, especially in the busy times. A business across the street was having lunch in the café so it was backed with a few people who knew each other.
It was hard for Abby to be a bartender sometimes, often people didn’t notice it, but there was one thing that really did set her apart from every other average person, and that was her hearing was almost gone. Most of the time she had her white headphones in her ears, the cord running down the back of her t-shirt so not to be in her way, but it helped give her an excuse as to why she didn’t hear a few requests that might be called out from off to the side somewhere. A keen eye had to be kept on the people around the bar, and Abby usually danced along quickly to her music so that people would feel the need to signal her. Most of the time all Abby had to do was read whatever the waitresses gave her, so it wasn’t so bad, but she was stubborn and made no complaints, even though Jerold and some other girls were starting to figure there may be something wrong with her hearing, others just thought her rude for constantly having her music on.
A group of four from the bar got up and left, offering a friendly wave to the young woman who smiled back as she dropped their money into the till. People found it easy to relax with Abby, her casual dress style often made her the target of a few young men, but Abby rarely was more then just friendly back. Today was simple, stylish but nothing more then a slither of her toned stomach could be seen, wearing white sneakers, nice fitting dark shaded jeans and a long sleeved white fitted top with a hood, grey designs scribbled over the front with speckles of silver and pale gold, the sleeves a pale yellow along with the hood. When light hit Abby’s hair it seemed to turn orange instead of reddish, it was currently tied up in a pony tail to help keep it out of her face as she worked. Other nights she could be wearing dresses or low V cuts, it all depended on her mood. With only one other person at the bar, and he had his head down looking half asleep on the bar, so Abby began restocking the bottles on the shelves behind her, something she couldn’t do while people were around since it was easy for her to miss what they said to her. After everything she faced, all the dangers Abby managed to take on and handle smoothly enough, holding a conversation with her eyes off her companion’s lips was becoming more and more difficult.
The melodies soon began and Katie sang into her microphone, nothing more then a distant mumble in Abby’s ears, though she had turned on her MP3 player so that she had something to listen to while everyone listened to Katie sing. The clutter of glass bottles went unheard as Abigail began reaching up to switch empty or almost empty bottles with fresh replacements.
TBC: Ben Grant.
Sorry, not the greatest, I got really stuck and then did a lot of editing so it’s a little choppy here and there I think.
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
Ben Rodgers wandered into the Nova Cafe after debating with himself if he should even enter. The place used to serve only the upper class of society, and while Ben could carry on a conversation with such a crowd, he felt much more at peace in the blue collar hard working group. Ah what the hell. I need something to eat anyway, thought Ben as he dismounted his motorcycle. As his work boots hit the ground, he took a worn brown backpack and put it on his back. With the blue jeans and black t-shirt, he looked like he could have been going to a college, with his muscles looking as if they belong on a football field or weight lifting competition.
Wow, Ben thought to himself as he stepped in, They wern't lying when they said the place had started catering to normal folks.
As Ben started to look around the place, he noticed some security cameras, very discreet and disguised, but there if you knew what to look for. He also noticed a few guys that looked like security. He also noticed the beautiful singer on the stage. Wow, she is actually able to sing and doesn't rely only on her looks, was Ben's mental apprasial, Most people in this day and age would use such beauty to glide through life without putting anything back into the world.
Ben settled on the bar as the best place to sit, mainly for the mirror at the back which would afford him a look at the whole room. As he got closer to the bar, the barmaid caught his attention. While she was definitly striking and attractive, that wasn't what riveted him. She walked with grace and balance, as if she could move in any direction at a moments provocation. Her hands also drew Ben's attention. The set of her knuckles was wider than it should be, and there was some evidence of calluses on the striking areas of her hands.
This woman was a more than a simple barroom brawler, she was a warrior.
This thought intrigued Ben as he sat at the bar and studied the girl, patiently sitting and waiting for her to ask what he wanted to drink.
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
Movement off to the left caught Abby’s attention, seeing Jessica emerging from the back room with a tray full of food and a smell which caused Abby to feel a twinge of hunger. A computer wiz and graphic genius, Jessica was both a hacker and an artist when it came to computers, she could do anything with them and rumor had it that the brunette was working her way into a special department in the C.I.A’s secret intelligence. It impressed Abby to listen to the girl who spoke of the wonders of technology like most teens did towards the male models sweeping the community by storm.
The moment of distraction towards the green eyed waitress was enough to ensure Abby missed the arrival of the other man who was roughly her own age. A smile passed between the girls but they continued on with their work without a moments pause, Jessica assuming that Abby was already serving the young man and not once considering he had been overlooked. The one thing that really saved Abby a lot of the times when she had her back to the bar and people waited or called out too far away for her dimmed hearing to pick up, was the mirror on the back wall, with only the bottles themselves obscuring most of the view. When her green speckled blue eyes peered at the reflective background it had been to watch Katie, who moved along to her songs in a way that had most of the ways too distracted to keep their attention on whatever topic they were discussing between each other. The glimpse of a person could have easily been missed since her own body blocked out most of his body from her view, but the arm and half a glimpse of his face was enough to get her attention as Abby paused while her hands were up over her head, one with a full bottle of scotch and the other remove the almost empty one.
"Oh, hey there." Smooth, certain, and acting as if overseeing her costumer was just an innocent mistake anyone could make, Abby slid the bottle into place and turned around to face her new customer with a pleasant smile. Swift fingers removed the white cord head phones from her ears and let them fall down her back, slapping her hands together afterwards and then wiping them on the side of her jeans to remove the feel of dust which lightly covered them. "What’ll it be?" There was a positive flare in her attitude, though there was a mental smirk to herself as Abby pictured her mother telling her off for the way she just spoke. Although Abby wasn’t sure if the guy had called her or not, the fact she removed headphones would give a reason as to why the nighttime prowler hadn’t caught his order. More then once she had been told off by a costumer for wearing her head phones, them going on about how she should devote her whole attention, one of them actually told Jerold about their disapproval, but the owner was always so biased with his girls that it was hard for him to see a fault in such harmless things, though he had a suspicion that the headphones served another purpose and wasn’t one to pry as long as his girls appeared to be handling their problems.
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
Ben smiled as he noticed that the young woman had used the mirror in a similar manner as he had to see what was behind her. She had even noticed after he had positioned himself where most of his body would be hidden behind her form. Oh hey there. What'll it be? asked the girl.
Man, I've been out of contact to long forgeting that I'm supposed to order something, thought Ben to himself.
Outloud, he said I'll take a beer. I don't care which brand as long as it's wet.
Inside, Ben was wondering about all of the extra security precautions. He was also curious about the bartender. It wasn't that unusual for bartenders to fight some, but this place didn't have the normally rough crowd that required a bartender to get physical. Ben also was wondering because he was curious about the local situation. He didn't know yet which areas of town were the worst, who all of the players in town were, and who could be a potential ally.
If Soldier was going to try to make a difference in this city, it was information that Ben needed to help him sort out the sheep and goats in this city. He also needed to talk with someone familar with the types of beings in the dark, because he needed to know if what he saw a few nights ago could even exist. Ben had faced more than his share of super powered beings, but even the darkest of them had a shred of humanity to them. The two creatures he had fought last night though, they were just entirely without anything human about them. It was as if they had existed to leech away hope from there victim.
Heck Soldier, it isn't as if you can't take care of yourself if the workers of this place get violent. In any case, they don't have the criminal underworld vibe on them, but the place obviously doesn't have this much security for no reason. It might be that the proprieter of this establishment might be fighting the same fight I am in a more covert role. In any case, it doesn't hurt to ask nicely. Ben thought.
So Ben smiled, hoping that if he read the entire situation wrong that everyone would mistake his question for a joke, and asked what was, to him at least, an obvious question, By the way, is the crowd really so rough in here that the extra security is needed? I mean, it is a little unusual to hire fighters as bartenders and to have hidden cameras covering most of the place.
Well, I guess I'll either figure out something about this place or be escorted outside.Ben mused to himself. Well, there might be one worse option if they have weapons under the bar to deal with those who ask to many questions.
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
*Brandishes post* Sorry I wasn't on yesterday, brilliant me forgot to think of the fact I had no money to come online to post it XD
One of the perks with being a bartender was that eventually you got to see most of what this city had to offer, from the more reputable clientele to the gutter trash you’d rather blissfully ignore. Everyone had their uses at one time or another, that’s what Jerold had taught all of them, and working for him for the past three and a half years made it easier for Abigail to deal with unexpected costumers as if they were just another stepping stone in her daily work life. This guy didn’t give off any bad vibes, but over the last few years Abby learned that charmers could be the deadliest of enemies, it was starting to get more difficult to see the good guys from the bad ones. This new man seated before the huntress was easily capable of handling his own in a fight, a gym goer for sure, or at least put himself through the regime needed to shape his tall broad body. Abby was sleek but decently built herself, yet she never strolled into a public gym and tore away the hours, so the young woman was aware that there were other things one can do to keep themselves in shape. Though as of yet Abby never met someone naturally built like that, like the occasional mutant whom seemed unable to gain an ounce of fat on them no matter the effort in trying.
"I'll take a beer. I don't care which brand as long as it's wet." Replied the brown eyed youth before her and Abby just flashed another smile. Dry beer is out of the question then, eh? Thought the worker with mild amusement, very close to have saying it out loud but instead got distracted with Jerold who was off in the corner talking to the two guards. They were a tightly ran place, and with all the important girls Jerold had in his care as well as the at times high clientele, he didn’t want anyone getting the notion they could walk in here and stir up trouble. They were at an odd angle so Abby couldn’t read their lips but she knew that Jerold was telling them off standing out so sourly in the establishment, it couldn’t really be helped but not everyone felt comfortable with the big guys looming over them. Sure everyone loved them around when things were ruff but other times the poor guys just for the occasional awkward glance. They were nice enough and knew just what to say to the younger generation, both in a positive and negative way, depending on what they wanted to get across. They hadn’t gotten used to the public opening and they still stood stiff with eyes of hawks off in the background.
The bench along the wall where Abby could work with more bench space, which also had the coffee machine sitting on it off to the side, was a long cooler, the glass doors letting people see the beer mugs being chilled inside, along with a few bottles off to the side. Abby slid open on of the doors to grab a mug and then chose one of the beers from the tap, the tapped beers were the more popular kind so it was less chance of him getting something he didn’t like. With the glass slightly tilted, all of Abby’s motions swift and accurate, from bending down with her back momentarily to the bar she stood and turned to place the mug under the nozzle of the tap an instant later.
"By the way, is the crowd really so rough in here that the extra security is needed? I mean, it is a little unusual to hire fighters as bartenders and to have hidden cameras covering most of the place." The choice of topic was definitely a rare one as far as starters go, anyone who knew what Nova Café really was would be a whole lot more discreet and anyone who didn’t know would just be oblivious in most cases. With her right brow slightly raised and an amused smile playing across her lips, Abby switched off the tap and placed the frothy beer before her curious customer.
"Never can be too safe right? The camera’s are to make sure we have faces to go on if anyone comes in here and starts something, it is New York, and this is a bar. At night we double as a youth party down stairs as well." And kids were known to bring all sorts of things to a gathering and it was a strictly controlled and monitored place, highly popular because of the live and popular bands that came, especially for the group of youngsters who’s parents were with tight leashes on them and wouldn’t let their kids just run amuck unsupervised. "Think of Billy and Bob as large ‘Do not disturb’ signs, you’d be amazed how cooperative a ruffian can be when facing them, the bar is mostly filled with girls, just a detour for any knuckle head who might come in." There was a playful look in her expression as she talked, her voice casual and her eyes unwavering from Ben’s own, even as she served another mug of beer for herself. "And I’m a single woman in New York, being fit is a survival tactic used by many a girl." The truth, every ounce of it, just not exactly chock full of details to better explain herself, she was single, and woman did stay fit in general, they always tried to protect themselves in some way and it wasn’t uncommon for Abby’s generation to take self defense. It wasn’t like she denied being a fighter, but admitting that she ran around at night dusting bedtime story spooks was hardly something she’d be bringing up.
"I’m sure someone like you can understand the perks involved when you know you can protect yourself," Abby took a sip from her mug, glade that she was standing across from the man so that her eyes didn’t have to drift down to his lips while he spoke. It didn’t go by unnoticed that this young man had some obvious experience in things, his hands definitely had a story to tell and his eyes and posture all told her that he could handle himself in most situations. He wasn’t afraid to walk into a bar and throw around questions others may think twice about, but the Viper Club did too many great things to have their identity threatened by any one. The longer it could remain a well guarded secret, then the better off they would be, after all, an immune system can’t develop antibodies if the intruders remained unnoticed to the body. It was hard enough getting the young talents to where they needed to be (and the Viper Club worked with both male and female, it was just Jerold and the talent agency that were female orientated). Corruption was not tolerated in the Viper Club, anyone Viper found having abused their power or potential is stripped from the ranks, and depending on the crime it could even become fatal. As of yet it hasn’t happened, at least nothing was made public to the Viper group council, the organization was sometimes rumored to be becoming the new shadow of something very much like the CIA, only the Vipers really were working for the people, not just the government. But then again, everything starts off with good intentions, it’s time that turns things around and allows people to stray off course.
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
Ben quietly sipped his beer while considering the smiling bartender's answers.
"Never can be too safe right? The camera’s are to make sure we have faces to go on if anyone comes in here and starts something, it is New York, and this is a bar. At night we double as a youth party down stairs as well." This answer made sense, but the type of cameras being used seemed a little high tech for simply keeping track of trouble makers. A old quote concerning the roles of liberty and safety from Benjamin Franklin also popped into his mind for some inexplicable reason.
"Think of Billy and Bob as large ‘Do not disturb’ signs, you’d be amazed how cooperative a ruffian can be when facing them, the bar is mostly filled with girls, just a detour for any knuckle head who might come in." Now that was something Ben could believe since both of them had the size of a small mountain. Looks as if their faces are made of mountain stone as well Ben thought.
"And I’m a single woman in New York, being fit is a survival tactic used by many a girl." This answer made him raise an eyebrow, cause Ben knew from experience that the added toughness around her knuckles didn't come from a gym. It was pretty similar to his, and he knew exactly where the extra tissue came from: healing wounds on a hand after hitting something a lot harder than a heavy bag.
"I’m sure someone like you can understand the perks involved when you know you can protect yourself" As soon as Ben heard this, a small smile came on his face as he ruefully though If only you knew.
Learning how to protect himself had come at a young age. Back then he had thought it was foolish to learn so much about fighting, but the truth that people who can only be called evil, not misunderstood, not needing sympathy, but evil, rose up and looked him in the face. They took his parents from him, and he had spent the rest of the time learning more and fighting evils and injustices. Nothing had unnerved him since he had already seen who was argurably the most evil human being on earth. For several years, Ben had traveled and fought fights that he thought needed fighting. He had started thinking that there were no enemies that he couldn't handle on his own. Until Columbia. The thought made Ben rub his ribs on the left side in remembered pain.
Keeping these memories inside, Ben said in a lower voice to keep from being overheard Being able to protect yourself isn't much. Many people are willing to fight for themselves. It's when they are willing to go head to head against the monsters of humanity for others that their charecter can be adequately judged. Few are willing to shake off their apathy long enough to make a difference in such a war.Edited by: Hank at: 9/14/05 10:47 pm
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
Femanine eyes lifted from the white froth swimming atop the golden liquid, turning from an observent bar tender to an observent warrior summing up her compatition... or her ally. Nova Cafe may be home to female talents but that doesn't mean they're against their male counterparts. Jerolds reasons for looking out only for young woman were his own, and he never took advantage of them, at least not to their knowledge and they trusted him enough to believe that. There were a few oddballs out in the streets doing what they thoght was best, just like there were a few misfits tearing down all the good work people tried to do.
"Yeah well, I think some people just don't see what's out there until it walks up and smacks them over the head." Although her words were serious, Abby gave a wink with another sip of her drink, after all, if her friend hadnt been attacked... Well then Abigail would be just like all the other rich girls wouldn't she? Just like everyone else really, lost in her own world, unaware of what was really going on around her, oblivious to the dangers and walking through life only seeing what people wanted her to see.
"You'll be surprised how many people fight their own fights here, our city is the proud home to crime fighters like DareDevil, the Fantastic Four, even an oldie like Spiderman if you don't believe the hogwash the Bugle spits out about him." Obviously Abby wasn't one of the Bugles fans when it came to their spin on Spiderman, even if he was old and rumoured to be retiring now. "Besides, not everyone can handle what New York has to throw at us, or the rest of the world for that matter, sometimes those 'few' are the only things the rest of the people have to fight these wars they're faced with. Sometimes people just don't realize that until it's too late." Another swing of the beer allowed it to reach her lips and spill down her throat before she dropped it down and wiped her hand on her stomach, ridding it of any lingering moisture from pouring the drinks before. Once it was brushed over her clothes she held it out to the stranger with an encouraging smile.
"Name's Abigail by the by, much prefer Abby though." All these years under Jerolds care, she wasn't about to leap out any one spilling forth words of wisdom, but that didn't mean she wouldn't make an effort to get to know the guy a little more, after all, allies were always nifty to have around.
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
"Yeah well, I think some people just don't see what's out there until it walks up and smacks them over the head." came the serious reply to Ben's comments. He rasied his eyes from the surface of the bar to look this young warrior in the eye, trying to gage the spirit within her.
"You'll be surprised how many people fight their own fights here, our city is the proud home to crime fighters like DareDevil, the Fantastic Four, even an oldie like Spiderman if you don't believe the hogwash the Bugle spits out about him." This made Ben smile, considering that the Bugle always blamed Spider-man for the most idiotic of problems. Ben was waiting for the day that the Bugle managed to tie Spider-man into strating both World War Two and global warming.
"Besides, not everyone can handle what New York has to throw at us, or the rest of the world for that matter, sometimes those 'few' are the only things the rest of the people have to fight these wars they're faced with. Sometimes people just don't realize that until it's too late." Ben agreed with this to a degree, but he had been refering to the mass of people who refused to hold their leaders accountable for their actions. Ben knew that this was mostly due to the general level of apathy in the nation. He had yet to think of a way to shake the people out of it.
"Name's Abigail by the by, much prefer Abby though." The offered hand shocked Ben for a second. He was to used to not trusting many people, and most of them had been friends of his family for several years.
Reaching his own rough hand across the bar, Ben smiled and said "Mine's Ben. Nice to meet you Abby."
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
"Mine's Ben. Nice to meet you Abby." Being just over twenty, it meant Abby didn’t have a whole lot of life experience aside for what she got herself mixed up in, and so it’s no surprise she’s always more comfortable talking about crime fighters and any ‘wars’ going on in the streets. From rival gangs going at each other on the streets to predatory monsters looking for their next meal, Abby had her opinion on all of them, she had some inside info and gossip on all things related, but ask her for advice on the best hair dresser or clothes store in town and she’ll draw up a blank. Unless her parents happened to mention something about their fond outing trips, Abby was usually out of loop with high society and didn’t really take pleasure in the common things most girls her age did. Somehow spending hours in a mall just didn’t have the same appeal like riding horse bare back across her estate or testing out any new arsenals on her enemies.
A strong yet friendly grip too his hand before Abby released it, being taught growing up that it was impolite to have a weak handshake, always look at the hand and lighten the grip only if there were rings (to avoid hurting the other person) and if there weren’t that it was more respectful to have a slightly firmer grip. A mischievous grin lightened the red heads features as she responded to Ben’s previous words.
"You’d be amazed how many people start off with a ‘nice to meet you’ and end up with a more common ‘oh, not you again.’ " There was a wicked twinkle in her eye as she poured what left over beer was still in her mug down the drain, ducking down out of sight and popping back up with a plate of peanuts. "Peanuts?" Although an offer she just left the small plate in front of him, always complimentary on the bar, unless Doritos was preferred, or a serving of carrots, cucumber and celery if the person was health conscious. Another drop down out of sight was made as Abby remembered to check that the fridge wasn’t getting too cold, a problem they had the last few days and it was never fun having frozen beer bottles being returned.
"Call for you Abby," A girl from the kitchen came out with a slender dark red mobile, holding it up and waving it a little, Abigail just stood up with a dish of cooled carrots and cucumbers to begin cutting up new serves. "Abigail." The phone was slid across the smooth wooden counter and Abby caught glimpse of it with surprise and looked over towards the kitchen girls retreating form. A hand scooped up the phone and placed it by her ear, her shoulder holding it in place as Abby continued cutting.
"Yeellow?" A moments pause was given to listen to the voice on the otherside, which turned out to be her mother calling about staying out of town for a few days and asking if their daughter would mind or not. "Sure, you two have fun. I’m be sure to eat.. yes I’ll be sure to do that to. Don’t worry about food, mum, we have a kitchen here, mum.. this is why you two don’t go out enough, you fuss too much. Look, look see I’m eating right now," A carrot was piece was placed between her lips and chewed, "See, boy am I full. Have a nice time, tell dad to put aside his work and have some fun to." The young woman finished off the call with a playful kiss and hanged up, stabbing a cube of cucumber with a tooth pick and placing it in her mouth as well before continuing on with her chopping.
"Hrm." Swallowing what was in her mouth, Abby picked up a bottle of water she had to the side, drinking eloquently from the bottle and then placing it back down. "So, what brings you here anyway? Sight seeing?" Referring to the backpack he had brought in, most people didn’t really lug around large things like that unless they were on the road, then again he could just be doing some chore or another…
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
Ben appreciated the strength of Abby's grip. He also liked the smart remark she had for his admittedly bland statement.
He also had a few of the peanuts she offered. He didn't mean to listen, but it was a little hard not to when someone was talking on the phone right in front of you. Ben was surprised that she almost missed her phone. She seemed to have fast enough reflexes, and the other girl had clearly told her that the phone was coming.
"Yeellow? Sure, you two have fun. I’m be sure to eat.. yes I’ll be sure to do that to. Don’t worry about food, mum, we have a kitchen here, mum.. this is why you two don’t go out enough, you fuss too much. Look, look see I’m eating right now, See, boy am I full. Have a nice time, tell dad to put aside his work and have some fun to."
Ben thought that it was nice to see that Abby got along with her parents instead of having the usual angst and rage against them that most people of their age did. He wished that his parents were still around to talk to like that.
"So, what brings you here anyway? Sight seeing?" Abby asked while indicating Ben's backpack.
"Some of it is visiting some family friends. Some of it is taking care of some business. Part of it is convincing my godfather that I'm still in one piece. He heard that I had a few broke ribs and was convinced that I'd almost killed myself."
Ben's godfather Clint was closer to the truth than he'd realized. There really wasn't any way to plan for having a drug lord transform into a thirty foot long, hulking dragon, complete with flame breath. Worst part of that day was when the guy had slammed Ben in the chest with his tail. Ben hadn't thought that he could get out of that one.
In a quiet voice, Ben said "As for my backpack, it's equal parts family legacy, inheritance, destiny and curse. Everything in there is liable to either keep you alive or wind up getting you killed. Its pretty much everything that I have left of my parents."
"The business end of why I'm here is that a few days ago I found some creatures trying to kidnap a mutant girl. Or I'm assuming mutant, considering she had orange skin. Anyway, I had some friends test some of the blood off of these guys, and they weren't human, mutant, or extraterrestrial. They looked weird, sort of like a seven foot tall cross between a lizard and a bug. They could also take a lot of punishment, but when they went down, there bodies burnt up but left blood behind. I managed to gather that they had some others of them in New York, and I decided that I should check it out."
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings"Some of it is visiting some family friends. Some of it is taking care of some business. Part of it is convincing my godfather that I'm still in one piece. He heard that I had a few broke ribs and was convinced that I'd almost killed myself." Although a serious remark and taken with the knowledge of that, Abby still couldn't help but smile a little. Break a few ribs and the world falls down around you, at least my parents know I'm not out to kill myself.. even if it does seem that way at times. Abby couldn't help but remember the first time she was hurt beyond the ability of just laying in bed for a night to recover, it was just good that she was so active in dangerous sports that the family doctor wasn't one to ask too many questions. She was close enough to the family to know that they wouldn't be responsible for the injuries but wise enough to know which ones weren't from simple falls. After all, the doctor didn't care how bad a fall was, it never left bite marks or claw gashes like she'd seen on Abby over the years. All their doctor could do was try and tell Abby how dangerous her activities were become and that it was time to slow down. Yeah, right. Abby mused to her self half heartily. Like that'll happen any time soon.
"As for my backpack, it's equal parts family legacy, inheritance, destiny and curse. Everything in there is liable to either keep you alive or wind up getting you killed. Its pretty much everything that I have left of my parents." Seemed like a lot of important things, if not fundamental. Not that I'm one to talk. After all, even the wrist band Abby was wearing had a concealed weapon it, her shoes had concealed blades, and her bag? ha. Warring gangs could eat their hearts out with the toys Abby kept safely stored away in her own secure locker.
"The business end of why I'm here is that a few days ago I found some creatures trying to kidnap a mutant girl. Or I'm assuming mutant, considering she had orange skin." Mutants. Ironic that a mutant herself, Abby still felt as if they were just things people read about, sort of like vampires, only coming out if you really know where to look for them. The mention of orange skinned girls however caused a slight surprise to flicker in her eyes. Sure girl, you face the furry and fanged but a girl with odd coloring strikes you as odd. Sheesh."Anyway, I had some friends test some of the blood off of these guys, and they weren't human, mutant, or extraterrestrial." Aliens? Another brighter glimpse of surprise briefly etched its way into her intent expression. Why not? I figured I would be beyond surprises, apparently I'm not."They looked weird, sort of like a seven foot tall cross between a lizard and a bug."Well, I've seen giant preying mantis crawl out of sewers, how unlikely are lizard bugs? Still, it concerned her, instantly assessing the likely hood of their dietary habits. Perhaps they were carnivores, but that didn't really say they fed off humans.. They girl could have easily stumbled over their nest or something they felt a need to protect. Then again they could have thought 'yummy' and been after her for that reason alone. "They could also take a lot of punishment, but when they went down, there bodies burnt up but left blood behind. I managed to gather that they had some others of them in New York, and I decided that I should check it out."Burned up? That lessened the possibility of them being some freakish off breed of mutant lizards.. which sadly enough Abby wasn't drifting off into flights of fancy saying that, New York really did have it's own subculture of humanoid lizards. Running around the sewers the last three years has made her privy to a few oddities. So much for sewer crocodiles. came a sarcastic thought as she remembered the old tales of people flushing alligators and crocs down their toilets and having them turn into giant sewer dwellers.
"Wow. Orange girls, giant lizard bugs and all that before getting half way through your first mug o'beer." A tease, but not a shrug off, no hostility or attempt of shooting him down. "Inhumans... burning flesh, don't you read comics? Best to check out the supernatural section in the library, ain't much else left other then them." Abby's voice was still strong, although a tad softer despite her certainty in what she was saying, hinting it was anything but a wild goose chase she was sending him on. "You'd be amazed what information you can find in the proper bars, with the right street cred you could milk out any string of info you want. Even ETs home address." An impish grin lightened her features, picking up a pen and a pad of paper to scribble down an address.
"If you're every in the area down town, check out this place, BlockRose Bar and Inn. Tell my pal Klo that Abby sent you, he'll give you a drink on the house, if he acts if he doesn't know me, give him a nice hard slap to jog that rusty memory of his." Sending him to a demon bar didn't seem wise, but hey, two seconds in there and he'll know he ain't in Kanses any more. Hopefully people won't send him on the trail of the lizard culture Abby ran into the previous year, thank god they respect good warriors, all she had to do was fight one. Ok, so 'fight' wasn't the word Abby could use, she was pummeled bad but managed a few lucky shots that permitted her to hobble away a free woman.
"What can I say, I'm a sucker for mysterious men." The paper was held out for Ben to take, though she placed it down in front of him and tapped her finger on it. "This isn't a place to take your girlfriend, the food sucks and infestation there is demonic." Hint. Would he catch it? Didn't really matter, again he'd have a hard time missing the oddball regulars. It was very hard to mistake a demon bar for a mutant bar, no matter how bizarre a mutant may look, they don't give off the sense of dread demons do.
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
Ben couldn't blame her for the comic book comment. In the abstract it seemed to be the most idiotic story anyone could conjure up. Yet instead of calling the big security guards over to escort him to the local asylum, Abby had given him a contact and a place to find information at. He also picked up the hint of demons from her statement, which was the direction he had been heading anyway in his mind.
Lets see, bar full of various nasties like vampires and demons, all of which look at people like we look at steaks. Odds are all of them wil want to kill or maim me. Sounds like fun. Ben thought for a second, and picked up the piece of paper. Wonder what kind of setup the inside of this place is. Might need to call up Clint, maybe show him that I can actually take care of myself.
Thank you Abby. Do you know when would be a good time to show up? It sounds like it might be fun. Ben said with a wild gleam in his eyes.
There was a reason he wanted to know this information. It could help him plan out his approaches and stratgies once he was inside. And Ben was willing to bet that Abby would at least know something. Edited by: Hank at: 9/17/05 4:50 am
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
To be honest Abby was perhaps a little glade to see she wasn't the only one who walked into a demon bar with a glint of something eager and untamed in her eyes as she knew exactly what she was walking into and still walked with her head held high. It appeared he assumed she had been there before in person, as if he was seeing through her disguise but not pushing her to come right out and admit it. Just like she was with him, playing the innocent could only last so long, especially when it became clear she knew more about these things then the average mall goer.
"Tsk. What would a young lady be doing in a slump like that?" It was amusing really, because Abby was often running into problems which were solved by heading on down there. Any demon seemed to have their price, the skill was figuring out what that was. "Well ok, admittedly it is a fun place to let loose in when you have one of those rough days. It's quiet during the day time, around 2 to 4 in the morning it picks up the most customers." Quietly she watched the young man, her head lowered as she continued to slice the carrots but her eyes lifted to study him. "The girl.. did you find out why they tried to get her?" When innocents were dragged into things then Abby had a tendancy to take it personally, to fight as if the person had been someone close to her, even if she never sees a face or hears a name. Just like in her youth, the very reason that drove her to become a hunter of the hunters.. she couldn't stand it when others were getting hurt and there was nothing anyone was doing to stop it.
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
"Tsk. What would a young lady be doing in a slump like that?"
From the look in Abby's eyes, Ben thought that she realized that both of them could see through each others public facades.
"Well ok, admittedly it is a fun place to let loose when you have one of those rough days. It's quite during the daytime, around 2 to 4 in the morning it picks up the most customers."
Ben filed all of this information in his head, to evaluate a little later to see how he could use it. He wasn't sure if he should try to get some information during the day or if he should wait until night when his prey would most likely be there. Either way, it didn't matter to Ben. All he needed to know was that these things were taking people that most of society didn't care about, and he had to do something to stop it.
Abby looked up with a sudden intensity and asked "The girl... did you find out why they tried to get her?"
The look on Abby's face made Ben wonder if something like this had happened to someone she knew. Ben was a little cautious considering that his business was often one of secrets, but he couldn't see any harm from Abby knowing since she had already shown him some trust by giving him information.
"From what I could get out of them, there boss was wanting them to abduct mutants for some important corporation. They wanted some mutants to use for experimentation, with this tribe of creatures getting the rejects. They said that they could do whatever they wanted with the ones this corporation didn't want. They really didn't know much about the actuall corporation or who was in charge of it, and I would normally put it down to brain damage but I don't think they had much brains to begin with. I think that they knew who was in charge of the corporation, but were to scared to tell me." The thought of continuing mutant experimentation made Ben's blood boil. Ben knew that most people today would denounce the Nazi's, but as long as it is the scary mutants being rounded up and experimented on, most people didn't care about it. Just thinking about it made Ben's blood boil, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the brass railing around the bar, not realizing it until he heard the brass creaking under the strain. Ben looked down and though Not again. The brass handrail had a few dents in it now. Well, this might be hard to explain. Wonder if bars come with some sort of patron-grabbing-a-piece-of-furniture-to-hard insurance.Edited by: Hank at: 9/18/05 2:36 am
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings"From what I could get out of them, there boss was wanting them to abduct mutants for some important corporation."Corporation? Now why does that ring a few alarm bells? Because they had recent issues in Harmony, issues that only a certain group of the public are aware of, the ones who knew what lay behind the facade Harmony had and saw the thriving supernatural community within it.
Ben went on to explain about how they wouldn't, or couldn't, tell him about who was head of this corporation, though Abby wasn't going to be foolish and say she had no idea as to what he was talking about. There were rumors, horrible ones, ones you just couldn't ignore. It would become apparent she was not the only one who found such tormenting abuse a painful ache in the core of the soul. A brow raised in surprise again, this time surprise at her not so ordinary costumer, Abby may be involved in the abnormal but she still didn't see every day people with out of the normal abilities.. at least as far as mutant powers were concerned. Sure she had her daily dose of extraordinary girls, but that was different, Katie for instance couldn't bend steel with her voice.
You're a mutant. Thankfully the words didn't spill from her lips, but they were spoken in her eyes neverless, no judgement, just honest surprise from someone who didn't have a great deal of contact with them. Do you want to stop what's going on? Retribution for what is happening to your kind? 'Your kind' how naive Abby was, unaware that they were both bearers of the x-gene, unaware that she was more familiar with the presence of a mutant power then she believed.
"Sounds like you'll be heading for trouble." Abby finally managed to say, not really sure on what else other then asking if he needed help, but she couldn't, she couldn't just ask to tag along and risk the cover of the Viper Club. "This might come in handy." Motioning with her pen for the paper she had handed him earlier, Abby turned it over and began writing down a number on the back. "Call it when you need something, anything. I hear it's helpful for any needs, even for ordering the best chinese." Ok, so it was her mobile number, but he didn't need to know that, once he called it her mobile could located his position and she could be there, or if not her then someone who works for her... The joys of being rich.
"You got a place to stay?" He did mention a relative, didn't mean he'd be staying with this relative, anything she could do to help would be greatly appreciated.
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
Ben had braced himself for the usuall outcry of "there's a mutie!" even though he wasn't sure if it was true in his case. He had been born with his abilities, but he had inherited them from his father, and genetic testing had proved that if his father hadn't volunteered for the experiment that gave him his powers, Ben would have been born as a normal man. He guessed calling him a mutant depended on how close you wanted to draw the line, since he had been born with an artificial serum changing his body instead of getting it injected later on in life like his father.
It occasionally led to situations like this, where most rational people would come to the conclusion of mutancy. Didn't bother Ben much, considering the fact that either way he had his abilities and strove to use them to ensure that every one had the ability to enjoy the old standards of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. In a sense, Ben was a patriot that often disagreed with his government, but not the ideals it was supposed to represent.
This incident also showed Ben that he needed to work on controlling himself better. All he needed to do to pass for normal was to tone it down a little, but occasionally he forgot.
Looking at Abby, it was obvious that she thought he was a mutant as well. That didn't bother Ben since she wasn't freaking out and screaming to kill the mutant freak like a lot of folks would. It was also obvious that his story had enraged her to, even though she was trying to control it. He could understand that, considering his own reaction when those creatures had told him of their plans hadn't been very pretty.
"Sounds like you'll be heading for trouble. This might come in handy." As Abby wrote a number on the back of the paper she had given him earlier, Ben was wondering why she seemed to be eager, as if she wanted to volunter but something was holding her back. Either this place she's sending me to is worse than I thought, or she's trying to protect sombody or something. "Call it when you need something, anything. I hear it's helpful for any needs, even for ordering the best chinese." Looking at the number, Ben couldn't help but think that it looked suspiciously like a cell phone number. he guessed that whoever had the phone was probably on the move a lot, and it could be a tracphone, making tracing the account near impossible.
"You got a place to stay?" This question visibly startled Ben. After what she had seen him do, she was still willing to aid him in finding somewhere to sleep. Definitely proved that she wasn't scared of those with super human abilities.
"My godfather is coming into town tomorrow, and I got here a lot sooner than I thought. There are some people I know that I could stay with, but they would insist on going with me tonight. They would make good help, but those that are in town aren't exactly known for their skill in supernatural situations." That was true enough. Ben couldn't think of any reason to call up Dr. Pym since his abilities wouldn't be needed unless the roof needed to be ripped off. Tony was in California, he had no idea where Natasha was, calling T'Challa to make a transatlantic flight seemed foolish, but on the other hand waiting a day for his godfather Clint seemed dumb when lives were on the line. In any case, Ben knew that he was better than them in close quarters hand to hand battle, and he had a feeling that that was what it was going to come down to. Though he would freely admit that T'Challa could come really close, and Ben would be feeling the effects of going against him for a week. "I got the feeling that I'm on my own tonight. Kind of my own fault for showing up early. Guess that I could stay at the place where I work out at."Edited by: Hank at: 9/19/05 5:39 pm
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
There was a friendly laugh, soft, amused, almost like a 'been ther, done that' reply to his statement of sleeping at where he worked. A hand brushed some loose fringe hair behind her ear as Abby began to speak.
"Hey, it's up to you, I'm just a know-it-all bartender who likes getting her hands a little grimy." There was a pause as she thought for a moment, recalling something she heard a few times. "Hey, come to think of it, there's a hotel which specializes in all things freakish, you come back later I might have an address for you. If anyone knows what problems you're facing, they ought to." Demon hunters, quite literally actually, they were said to be demonic demon hunters, at least most of them. But they fought the good fight, and on top of that, the Watchers hated them, what more of a reason to love'em did Abby need?
"Do me a favor though, the unnatural isn't your only problem, we have anti-mutant groups galor around here and they don't need more then you just being friendly with one before they rain hell down on you. We also have fractions who recruit anyone they see, in any way possible." Some were ok, they let you decide for yourself, but others, Abigail had heard terrible things about what some others would stoop to in order to get new members.
"Anyway, if you change your mind there's a free room on Pennyworth Ave, the place is called Paradise Inn. Place is clean, foods nice, they even have windows and locks on their doors, pretty nifty eh?" There was always problems with run down hotels and filthy Inns, the amount of times Abby had to crash with someone in a place that was rotting half way to hell made her cherish the small well kept places like pebbles of gold in a dirty river. Besides, if someone was going to be fighting her fight, she had no qualms keeping them close enough to reach, but far enough to give them their space. Never hurt making new friends, in a war allies were all you had to really get you out of trouble, even if at times Abby acted as if she was invincable. Didn't mean she believed it.
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time GatheringsSounds a lot more comfortable than what I has planned. I might have to take up that offer. Ben liked this idea a lot more than sleeping on the floor somewhere. Adverse living conditions didn't bother him much, but everyonce in a whle he liked to sleep somewhere where he could wake up and feel like a human being. He also found it a little funny that Abby was worried about some seperate faction attacking him. He hoped that it didn't show on his face.
I also appreciate the warning about the factions in town. I'm sorry about the handrail, and I appreciate you not taking up the usual battle cry of "evil mutie!" . It is a little odd when people say that to me, since I'm not really sure if I'm a mutant or not.
Ben was thinking about the hotel Abby told him about while he said this, wondering if it might be a safer source of information. On one hand, Ben liked knowing as much as he could about an enemy before engaging them in combat. But his instinctive reaction was to barge in the bar Abby told him about and stop everything in there from hurting anybody else. Abby's comments about various factions also showed the young warrior that there was a lot of work for him to do within this city. Ben was about to ask her some more about these factions whenever his cell phone beeped, indicating that he had a message. His phone looked a few generations ahead of what anyone could purchase commercially, which was quite true since it was a Stark Industries prototype. The message portion showed Ben that it came from one of his mother's old friends in SHIELD. It seemed to be nothing else than a picture from an airport security camera, showing a tall Hispanic, muscled like a bodybuilder with long hair, walking to the exit in a business suit.
Why does news like this show up right when I've been having a nice afternoon? Is it some sort of cosmic karma that has followed my family ever since WWII? Or is it the biggest case of wrong place wrong time in human history?
This was bad news, but considering that the message told him that nobody knew where this man had gone, and since there were no warrents out for his arrest, it was only the blindest of luck that SHIELD had captured the photo. This meant that as bad as this might be, it was still secondary to Ben's immediate goal of investigating these monsters. Yet Ben didn't know if he could tell Abby about this threat in the city, Because it was well beyond her abilities to handle. Hell, Hernandez is beyond any single person's ability to handle. But how can I warn her of what this guy is without putting her in more danger? Even more important, what is he doing here? Normally he is happy to flood this country with his drugs while sitting in the background. He isn't the type to directly get his hands dirty for fear of getting caught.
I think that I might ask around the hotel you mentioned as well. I might go and work out a little first though. A friend of mine set up a place in an old warehouse pretty close to Pennyworth Avenue for people with unique extracurriclar activities. I could set it up where you could use the facilities there as well. When would be a good time to come back for that address?
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings"Sounds a lot more comfortable than what I has planned. I might have to take up that offer." And he was most welcomed to, Abby already supplied the place with a steady low budget income, along with a handful of other places, that enabled her to stay for free when she wanted and of course any friend or favor she had was always taken seriously by the people she helped keep afloat in the city slumps.
It never took long for people to realize there was a strong desire to help in Abigail, as with all her family that put their riches to good use and were for the most part kept out of the media save for their charity publicity stunts to help third world countries or other such needy charities that thrived off publicity.
"I also appreciate the warning about the factions in town. I'm sorry about the handrail, and I appreciate you not taking up the usual battle cry of "evil mutie!" . It is a little odd when people say that to me, since I'm not really sure if I'm a mutant or not." Well, it didnt bother Abby since Jerold and any number of girls could pay for the damage with just a snippet of the cash in their back pockets, so to speak. Jerold was used to his place getting banged up a little, his girls tended to become targets for a lot of reasons and there were people out there dumb enough to try and take them on in their own sancturary.
Such thoughts were disrupted as beep was very vaguely heard in the fog of dim noises just starting to get out of her reach. For a moment she thought it was heres and peered down, but she had a music chime and vibration during work only the vibration on at night.
"I think that I might ask around the hotel you mentioned as well. I might go and work out a little first though. A friend of mine set up a place in an old warehouse pretty close to Pennyworth Avenue for people with unique extracurriclar activities. I could set it up where you could use the facilities there as well. When would be a good time to come back for that address?" A brow quirked at the propasition, though Abby had more then just her fair share of training places there was something intruging still about going to other peoples areas, it offered her an insight into them without exposing her tender secrets.
"Sounds fun, but I'll warn you, I'm always shy on the first date." Another light tease, showing that Abigail perhaps survived a stressful day with humor rather then sour solitary moodswings. "I'll work on it tonight, how about you come for a midnight binge and I'll see what I have for you then." That gave plenty for hours for her to hit the streets and scrouge around for what she needed and hopefully offer plenty of time to get back here. And as was Abby's custom she always liked to know where exactly she was sending people so maybe she'd have an hour or so to at least scope out the place before sending her patron there.
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
Midnight sounded like a good time to Ben. That would give him some time to check some sources, get a little work out in, and check in on his recent news involving Hernandez.
Midnight sounds good. Anything I need to prepare for before hand, or should I just show up? This was a fairly serious question for Ben, since supernatural threats were pretty uncommon for him to tangle with. Normally he fought with random supervillans, criminal both high and low, and various terrorist cells both within and without the United States. For doing all of this, he had managed to keep a pretty low profile with most people in govenrment doubting his existance.
Which was just fine to Ben. Animity gave him a prety good defense against anyone with a grudge against him.
Re: After noon in Nova Cafe: Lunch time Gatherings
Considering what Abby came prepared with she had an extensive list of what he should bring, but by the sounds of things he wasn't all that familiar with what he was dealing with. Abby picked up a mat, placing the thick cloth over the handle bars which were damaged as if it were nothing more then a show for decoration.
"Nah, just bring a smile positive comments and my boss will be happy." She smiled as she spoke, having full intention on getting into her back up supply and at least giving him something he can use aside from bare hands. "Till then you take care and have fun." A wink was offered as she finished speaking, her smile unfaultering and her mood still up despite the topic. If she let it get down then there it was hard for her to find the strength to lift it up again.
A hand in a pool of cash meant that sharing was never a problem for Abby, if someone needed something she could offer then why not just give it to them, she could always get another one. Of course there were limitations and restrictions on some things considering their dangers, and risk of walling into the wrong hands was a great detour. The better toys one got it meant hte more she trusted them.
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