Logfile from Brass&Steel. It's in the middle of the day, and the club is far from full. There are a few lunch guests and a few oldtimers relaxing and listening to the canned music, but otherwise it's empty. Zach has just started on his lunch and is happily busy with a Real Hamburger and a beer. Enter Cosmo. He steps inside and pulls his hat off. He's wearing a stylish new leather coat that reahces halfway to hia calves. It's still new enough that it makes that distinctive creak of leather as he walks. Spotting Zach, he moves in his direction. "Good afternoon, Zach. Mind if I join you for lunch?" Zach beams up at him. "Cos! Good to see ya man! Sure you can join me, but you better hurry 'cause I have a head start!" He grins and pushes a chair out for Cosmo with his foot. Cosmo slips out of his coat and hangs it over the back of the other chair at the table. He drops into the chair and smiles, waiting for the waitress. "Excellent. And how are you doing today? Besides hungry?" He orders a chicken sandwich and a beer as well when the waitress arrives. Zach smiles and lifts his burger. "I'm okay. I'm worried about Harriet, though. I had to leave her alone in the vincinity of a less than nice being.." He frowns and sighs. There's a hint of sadness about him too. Cosmo takes a slow breath, moving in stride. "I presume you mean Lucien. That is...unfortunate. But she's strong." He pauses. At least, he hopes she's strong. "Which brings up several matters that we need to discuss." Zach shakes his head and after swallowing his food he enlightens Cosmo, "Not Lucian, he slunk away long before I had to leave. It was one of Lust's local bitches." He nods toward Cosmo's coat and indicates his own trousers. "Seems you've been to her store too?" Not a particularly tall man, perhaps five and a half feet or so in height. Dark hair cut neatly, going to grey at the sides and indicating he is perhaps in his later thirties or early forties. Wrinkles at the corners of his brown eyes also indicate his age. His thin, sharp face gives him a serious demeanor. He is clean shaven, without a touch of facial hair. There is a faint scar in the cleft of his chin. He wears a suit. It is a simple, conservative cut. The suit is black, white shirt and a black tie. The clothes fit well on his trim form. Black wingtips complete the look. The cufflinks are silver with obsidians. "Ahh. So Ms. Harris is one of Andre's little whore's." Cosmo shakes his head. He spots the waitress approaching with his beer, and goes quiet. Once she's out of range, he resumes. "I was curious about that. The reason I went to her shop in fact." Zach says, "It is by now a well established Rite of Entrance in this MUSH to buy some garment in Sarah's shop. :) And we've all done it without it being planned! :)" Zach says, "IT just happens. :)" Cosmo chuckles. Cosmo says, "Everybody loves leather. :)" Zach nods! :) Zach sighs heavily and buys himself some time by taking a big drink of his beer. He looks uncomfortable and sad. "You wanna be careful with her, bro. She's a Punisher...and by now brobably Distincted too..." as he utters the last bit, anger creeps into his eyes and he clenches his jaws. Cosmo takes a sip, approaching the subject carefully. That, anger in his brother's eyes perhaps explains Lucian's comments. "I suspected as much. That causes me to wonder if Lucian is a servant of Andre's as well. He showed up in the shop the night I purchased this garment." He looks down and studies his beer. It's his nature to judge. But he's played the game on earth frequently enough to understand about things too. Zach straightens up and squares his shoulders. "I always have and I always will give free love. It's part of what my lot does. I can't honestly say I regret the nights with her, but the fact that she was using me and trying to mess with one of Creation's most sacred rites angers me. Eventually the Great One showed me what she really is and..." He quietens then, still looking angry and sad. "Such a fucking waste! No pun intended.." Zach says, "It there is ever announced a new Archangel of Love, Zach will be first in line to sign up with that one. Creation is good, but Love is even better! :)" Cosmo takes another drink of his beer. He chooses his words carefully. "I understand your anger, brother. Love is a wonderful thing, when done freely, it is a wonderful trading of sensations and emotions. It is an exchange in which honesty is more important then others. I don't condemn you for what occured. I do condemn her for trying to corrupt something sacred." He looks you in the eyes for a moment, a smile appearing. He's definitely no Dominican. Cosmo laughs. Zach meets Cosmo's eyes without flinching and without shame. He holds that look for a while, taking comfort and joy in just being able to talk with a brother again. "You show a great understanding for what some of our brethren would somewhat mistakenly call 'corporeal pleasures', my friend." He smiles then, and the clouds start to move away from his eyes. "Maybe it comes from having a mercurian Boss?" It's not really a question, more of a mirthful musing. Cosmo considers that for a moment, a good point for the waitress to deposit his sandwich. He takes a bite and chews some more. "Quite possibly. That, and I think we in Trade understand the importance of all the Words to the cause, better then many others. I do not partake of such often, myself. But I understand it's emotional and psychological value to humans. We have to fight the war on every level. That means showing humans the proper ways to love one another." He takes another bite of his sandwich, savoring the taste of it. Of course, it would be better if he'd killed the chicken himself. But it'll do. Zach nods. This sounds reasonable. He finishes the hamburger, then wipes his mouth with the napkin and leans back on his chair. "To get back to that overgrown tapeworm.. He ain't Andre's. I'm ninety-five percent certain that he's Factions. I've read him good and deep and he takes great pleasure in dividing and hurting people. His greates achievement ever was to instigate an armed conflict between students somewhere." Cosmo ahhs at that revelation. Still chewing on a bite of the sandwich. He dabs at his mouth with a napkin, getting up a bit of mayonnaise. "That would make sense. He seems to enjoy attempting to start arguments." He taps a finger against the table. "And I suppose that explains how he was able to force Harriet to take his opinions as her own for a while. I imagine it was quite a disappointment to him that it eventually drew me closer to her." He smiles a little at the memory. "Do you think we can get him to redeem? Or should we just send him to visit his heart?" Zach raises his eyebrows and twitches angrily at the mention of Lucian forcing his views on Harriet. The bastard! Then he shakes his head. "No," he says flatly. "No chance. I've tried, I've made the Offer more than once, but he is utterly cold, deafened and blinded to the Truth. He takes great pleasure in his work. I've been scouting him out for months, trying to find the optimal way to remove him. Trying to be....subtle.." he spits out that last word in frustration. Subtlety makes everything much more difficult blast it. Cosmo gives a little nod of his head. He's angry. If he were in celestial form his wings would be rattling dangerously. "I have come to the same conclussion." He pauses for more food. Chewing slowly. "Have you heard of a drug that goes by the street name of ... 'Special K' I believe it is. The proper name is Ketamine. At high dosages, it will render a person unconcious in seconds if injected directly into the bloodstream. If we can lure him somewhere, we can knock him out and have him at our mercy." Which means; none. Even in service to Trade, 'kites aren't known for their mercy. And the predatory smile that stretches on Cosmo's face indicates he is no exception. Zach smiles the smile of a predator. "You thinkin' of bringing him into the Tether and watch him fry when he tries to Descend? I've already been up against him, but he managed to go celestial on me before I could finish him off. He's a corporeal wuss, but in his true form he is very powerful." He starts twirling his fork with experienced finger. Cosmo tries to look innocent of any such intentions. It does no good however. "That thought had occured to me. Render him unconcious and haul his carcass into the Tether. Chain him up in the basement and go to work on him, wake him up the rough way. He'd either wind up with a destroyed vessel staring at the wall near his heart. Or he'd try to go celestial and..." He takes a savage bite of his sandwich to indicate what he thinks will happen. "Harriet is willing to help. Perhaps we can get her to lure him to the park one evening. We'll be waiting for him. We'll rush him at the same time. Of course, he won't see me coming..." Zach chuckles at that. "Aw hell... Ethereal Form?" he mutters under his chuckle. Cosmo gives a little nod of his head at that. A smile forming. He loves that song. "I have found it often surprises even more powerful opponents. They always expect us to simply come screaming at them with a flaming sword." He takes a drink of beer. "Which reminds me. The tapeworm, I like that, believes me to be a Power. I do not think we should disabuse him of that notion." You paged Cosmo with 'By the way, Harriet sent me the log of what happened after I left you, her and Lucian. That was a fun read! I'm extremely pleased to note that I seem to be contagious. Or rather my Cuddliness Superpower is. ;P'. From afar, Cosmo laughs! Well, Cosmo is, in his role, rather standoffish. He also understands humans enough to know they sometimes need hugs, and he's affectionate to other angels. :) Zach snorts an amused laughter. "I totally agree! It must be your Cool ways that confuse the slimy shoe-string. Anyways, I like your plan - apart from the torture bit, that is. I prefer to torture prides rather than vessels. Hurts worse, especially if you take pictures and manage to send 'em to Kobal's guys." Cosmo gives a nod of his head. "I have taken an oath not to waste resources. I intend to discover from him all that I may." He pauses, rubbing his chin. "I'm trying to think like a Power though. Do what one of them would do in this situation. Perhaps the threat of torture would be sufficient. And a quick dispatch once i learn as much as possible?" Zach nods his acceptance. "That's okay. As long as I get to dress him up as a drag queen ballerina and take my pictures." He grins wickedly. "And if it takes griveous bodily pain to make him talk, then I'm not about to interfere. It's your Tether and information /is/ important," he says calmly. "I just don't agree with needless cruelty, even to demons. And I most certainly do not think it'll be good for his soul - like they thought back when they burnt people at the stake." Cosmo makes a distasteful face, his nose wrinkling. "No, sorry if I gave that impression. I prefer to make my kills clean when possible. Quick and quiet. I'm not one for needless torture, even of the infernal either. I take no pleasure from that. I need to clear things with the seneshcal, of course." He finishes off his sandwich. He wipes his hands over his plate to get rid of any crumbs. "And, speaking of inflicting hardships, I need to talk to you about Roger." Zach brightens up. "Oh yeah! He told me about your idea, and I've been kicking myself for not having thought about that myself. It's so flippin' /obvious/ that he'd be happier with Stone as long as the Sword doesn't claim him..." There's an unspoken 'Like they bloody well should!' hanging in the air, perhaps visible for a split second in Zach's bright, green eyes. Cosmo gives a nod of his head. "Unfortunately, the Sword seems to have too few of their people on the ground. And I think it would be better for the strained relations between Trade and Stone if I can arrange for a soldier for them. I have a contact with them, but I wanted to speak with you since he's your recruit." He lets out a little sigh. "And I need to warn Roger that they will test him. Perhaps even harshly." Zach ahs at this and drains his beer. "Yeah, you better do that. And if you need any help just say so. I've made contact with one of their Soldiers, and there's no negative vibes between me and them. No politics. Oh, and Roger ain't /my/ recruit per se. He was recruited by an angel of the Sword before I came to town. He was present at that angen summoned the Commander and saw the Bright Lord with his own eyes. Commander gave his angel a dagger and vanished. A few days later the angel left and hasn't returned. He hadn't even brought Roger into the Symphony yet. So I finish the job.." Cosmo ahhs softly. "He mentioned another angel, but not the details. That explains things though." He finishes off his beer. He uses his napkin to wipe his lips and smiles across the table. "I'll have a chat with Roger, make sure he understands what he's in for, then call my Stone contact and set things up." Zach seems slightly annoyed as he tells Roger's story, but it doesn't last long. "Roger is the first Soldier I've brought into the Light," he says softly. "It was awesome... He's such a good guy, even if he's a bit lonely. Dude needs a girlfriend. A /real/ girlfriend.. Another one of Andre's servants, a leech, had been toying with him before I found him." Brynn enters from the street. Cosmo gives a little nod of his head at that. "Yeah. He is a good fellow. In fact, when I first met him, I was almost convinced he was one of us." The two are sitting at a table, chatting quietly. "He certainly seems to attract attention here, but it tends to be the wrong sort." Brynn says, "So that's the infamous red leather pants." Zach grins and acnowledges this.:) Cosmo laughs. At your table, Zach sighs and inclines his head in agreement. "And since he's known to them they're not going to ever leave him alone. He is definitely better off with Stone. There's always the chance that I might be ordered to move on, and to be honest - he ain't no Creator by any measure, and /definitely/ no Windy." He grins and his eyes sparkle with mischief. Zach sighs and inclines his head, saying something to Cosmo. Then he grins a bright, mischiveous grin. Brynn steps inside. The ground doesn't quite tremble as she enters the club, nor does fire appear in her footsteps, but while it isn't much of an entrance, it works nonetheless. And it puts less strain on her sfx budget, too. She takes a look at the interior, letting her eyes wander across it. At your table, Cosmo shakes his head a little amusement sparkling in his own eyes. "No. And I don't think he fits in with Trade either. He seemed to like the idea of working with Stone. They'll harden him up a little, but I don't think he'll break, no matter what they throw at him. And, as I said, it may improve relations somewhat." He folds his hands across his stomach. Clearly thinking to himself. Cosmo grins in return to Zach. He replies with a soft comment of his own, then leans back in his chair. Hands on his stomach as he thinks quietly for a moment. A relatively striking figure of a young woman she is, standing exactly 5-foot-8-inches tall. While possessing fairly attractive features - ice blue eyes, topped with dark, sharp brows, the left having a small knife scar through it. Sharp cheekbones, a smallish nose, her Germanic heritage showing strongly in her features, creating an almost feral-looking girl. Her head is crowned with a short, garnet hair, the color of a fiery sunrise, while her skin is somewhat pale, having the tone of someone who spends a good deal of time inside. Her thin lips, untouched by lipstick, have a hard quality to them, and aren't exactly the sort to purse and pout cutely. Her body is... well, a body. She seems to be relatively slim, perhaps due to exercise - she's fairly muscular, although she doesn't exactly look like someone that lives on steroids and heart medicine. As for her womanly shapes, she's slightly underendowed in that department. Currently, she's wearing a mid-thigh level leather jacket with several pockets. Hardly skintight, it's relatively loose, but covers her up nicely. Moving lower, she wears a pair of mildly worn, oh-so-gawthic black jeans, and, moving lower still, a pair of worn, slightly dirty Nike sneakers that might have been white once, but are now grey. Her hands are covered by a pair of thick, tight-fitting leather gloves. Aria enters from the street. Cosmo and Zach are seated at a table, talking quietly. Zach relaxes back on his chair, and hooks one arom over the back of it. He streches out his long shanks and sighs contentedly. Letting his gaze wander around the room he spots the red-head and raises his eyebrows in mild appreciation. "Wow.." he murmurs to his friend as he allows his eyes linger on her to take in the whole woman. Aria is a young college student, around 18 years of age, perhaps 19, who wears a conservative buttoned shirt and a knee-length grey skirt. Her hair a contrast of vibrant red and falls down to the middle of her back. Very long indeed, and it's finely combed so that stray strands are rare. Her eyes are an ambient blue and her skin is slightly tanned, but it seems like the tan is slowly fading away. For footwear, she wears sandles alone, showing her toes to all. Brynn is standing not too terribly far from the doors, scanning the interior of the club. After a while, not long, she notices an empty table, and makes her way towards it. Cosmo turns to look the same direction as Zach is. Observing the redhead a moment. A smiles creeps on his lips. "I wonder if she remembers me?" He says to his companion. His fingers adjust the lapels of his suit coat. His eyes staying on the redhead. "I don't know her name, but I somehow imagine you'll have no trouble finding that out." He follows her with his gaze as she walks to her table. Aria walks in a little after Brynn. She suspiciously looks this way and that and then relaxes a bit ... and then tenses up again as she looks around wildly for Brynn, and finds her heading to the empty table. She takes her time trying to get to her friend's table, 'trying' to look normal. Cosmo pages: Two redheads. One each. :) :) Zach chuckles softly to Cosmo and is about to answer when he spots a somewhat familiar form slipping in after Brynn. "Oh hey, lotsa red-heads in here today. I've met that kid before I think, briefly." And being himself he smiles and lifts a had in a friendly greeting to the ladies. Long distance to Cosmo: Zach grins. Ni-ice.. :) Nopefully none of them is Gabriel.. :P Cosmo pages: Aww. Comeon now. You know a night with Gabby would be hot. :) Brynn has just placed her palm on the back of a chair when she spies the raised hand, for good or ill, and pauses for a moment while her eyes dart back to Aria. Mimicking Zach, she returns the greeting with a raised hand. Then? She pulls the chair out, and takes a seat. You paged Cosmo with '1) She's the First Ofanite. It won't last as long as a whole night. 2)She's Divine Fire. That's bit too hot even for us 'kites. Larry or Dave might be okay, but we're smallfries. (At least after a tryst with Gabe.;)'. From afar, Cosmo laughs! Cosmo pages: It'd be a helluva twenty minutes though. :) Cosmo pages: Course, i always figured Marc and Novalis have something going, so maybe I should look for a Flower. Long distance to Cosmo: Zach laughs. "The hell of it is - it's probably worth being fried!" :) Long distance to Cosmo: Zach might know a Flowerchild.... ;) Aria blinks and waves to Zach, nodding deeply, "Hey there.", she smiles, apparently remembering Zachy from somewhere, it seems. She then pulls out a seat, smooths out her skirt, and glances once more to Zach and Cosmos. "So have I. Briefly." Cosmo watches Aria as she follows after Brynn, giving her a friently wave that is half salute as she moves through the crowd. He watches them closely for another moment, then looks over to Zach. "You're going to go talk to them, aren't you? And I'm going to have to follow you..." Especially after he gets a return wave. He knows his friend. Cosmo pages: Oh dear. :) Zach is the very picture of wounded innocense. "Shocking! How can you even think such a thing, Cos? Why on earth would I be going over to talk to two beautiful women? Now that'd be totally out of character for me," he claims as he stands up. "You want anything from the bar, Cos?" A big, warm smile spreads all over his face. Aria blinks as Zach stands up from the table. She looks back to Brynn, "Nice place, I guess. At least, I like the music. It's really nice.", she says. Brynn hears Aria, so naturally her eyes wander to Zach. Ooh. Pants. She looks back to Aria, leaning back in her chair as she asks, "Friend of yours?" Now that she's inside, the cold is no longer a problem, so she goes about removing a glove. "Good coffee, too," she remarks. Cosmo stands up from his own seat, carefully moving his chair back into place. "How silly of me to think such a thing of you, my friend." He adjsuts his suitcoat and seems ready to follow Zach. "Why don't we see if they'd like something to drink, then we'll both go to the bar." Zach sniffs. "I'll have you know I'm a chaste and virtous man, my besuited friend." Then his face cracks up in a huge smile again and he makes his way over to the ladies. It's a roundabout way of getting to the bar, admittedly, but since when did that bother anyone? "Hello there ladies," he smiles to them and nods an extra nod of recognition to Aria. "We were on our way to get some refreshments from the bar, can we get you something as well?" Aria chuckles at Brynn and says, "Well, ye...", she looks back to Zach and says, "Um, well...", she glances quickly to Brynn before adding, "A water, I guess, if you insist I mean..." You say, "With or without bubbles?" Cosmo just rolls his eyes a bit at Zach's protestations. He stands a little behind and to the right of Zach, a faint smile staying on his face. Following Zach's lead in this particular situation. Brynn looks up when Aria and herself are addressed, listens to Zach's question, and allows a mildly thoughtful look to appear on her face. It remains there for a while. "Sure," she says, having reached a conclusion. "Coffee would be nice." Aria says, "Without bubbles.", thoughtfully, "I could never harm the little critters." Zach beams a warm and friendly smile at them. "Unbubbly water and a coffee comin' right up then. Is there any special way you prefer your coffee, miss?" he enquires of Brynn. "Warm," Brynn states unhelpfully, but smiles faintly nonetheless. She then looks over at Aria, watching her in silence. Cosmo gives the two a little nod. He definitely remembers the pair from their breif encounter in the electronics boutique. He studies Brynn for just a moment, then heads toward the bar. He leans over to whisper something to Zach as they walk. Cosmo whispers "I'm afraid you are on your own with these two. In this body, I'm old enough to be their father." Aria smiles, "Thank you, Zach.", she says before looking to Cosmo, "Nice to see you again.", she adds belatedly, probably. Zach nods another cheerful smile to them, and makes his way to the bar together with Cosmo. He chuckles at Cosmo's comment and mutters something back as they arrive at the bar. There we requisits coffe, water, and more coffee and whatever Cosmo is having. Zach mutters to Cosmo, "But... stylish old man..." You whisper "But such a handsome and stylish old man..." to Cosmo. Cosmo has a coffee as well. Surprise. He glances at Zach again, eyes moving sideways in their sockets. He just gives a soft snort to the comment. He leans against the bar as he waits for the drinks. He walked off just before Aria's comment. But that's alright. Brynn looks down at her hand. Ah, yes, she never did get around to removing her second glove. She does that now, pulling it off her hand, and placing it beside the other on the table. She rubs her left hand briefly, then switches to the right. Finally, she takes the gloves, and put them into her pockets. Oh, and then she leans in to whispers something to Aria. Brynn mutters to Aria, "Spoken to... lately?" Aria blinks and wondders who Brynn is referring to for a moment. She glances to Cosmo and Zach, and then leans in to whisper back. Curse these College Girls and their secrets. Zach pays the bartender and collects his own and Brynn's coffee, picking up some sugar and milk in case the lady would like that. A gentleman should always think ahead. Right? He nods for Cosmo to take the glass of water and returns toward the ladies. Cosmo grabs the water and his own coffee. Going for straight black. He walks back to the table and gives the glass to Aria. "Here you are, Aria. It's good to see you both again." He remembers her name at least. He leaves the chair nearest Brynn for Zach. Brynn nods at whatever Aria said, then glances up when Cosmo comes with Aria's water. Still, that doesn't stop her from whispering something in reply, impolite though it may be. Brynn mutters to Aria, ""Have you... anything..." Aria winces as Cosmo keeps on whispering, not sure what 'other friend' is off the top of her head. She takes the water and says, "Thank you. It's nice seeing you.", she repeats, just in case, before adding to Brynn, "Um, you mean...?", she pauses, and then adds, "Haven't seen him." Zach places the cup of coffee in front of Brynn. "Here you are, miss." The beverage is scaldingly hot, black as sin and the aroma rising from it is very, very rich. This is the good stuff, obviously. "May we join you two, or would you rather we left you alone?" he asks politely, seemingly ready to accept any option. Cosmo doesn't seem bothered by the continued whispering. He just holds onto his coffee mug and waits tos ee if they'll be invited to join the ladies, or head back to their own table. Steam rises from his mug in little curleyques that disappear. Brynn offers Aria a nod, seeming a tad pleased with her answer. When Zach gives her the coffee, she reaches for it without hesitating for long. "Thanks. Sure, I don't mind." Apparently, she doesn't need the milk nor sugar; she raises the cup to her lips, and drinks a fair share of it, probably burning her tongue and whatnot. She doesn't seem to mind too terribly much, though. Aria nods to Zach and Cosmo, smiling, "I don't mind at all, thank you." Zach sets his own cup down on the table with a happy grin and then zips over to their old table to get Cosmo's coat and his own jacket. He hands the coat over to its owner and drapes his jacket over the back of the chair. Then he extends his hand to each of the ladies in turn, offering a handshake and introducing himself. "I'm Zach, Zach Ellis. Nice to meet you - again, in your case," a twinkly grin to Aria. "I understand you've met Cosmo here?" he nods toward his friend. Cosmo drapes his leather coat over the back of his chair before settling in. He waits until Zach finishes the handshake thing, and then follows suite. "Cosmo." He offers to Brynn, and as a reminder for Aria in case she's forgotten. He does stare at the more outgoing of the two. That was a large amount of hot coffee to drink in a big gulp. Brynn puts the cup down on the table again, nodding to the two. "Brynn," she confides, and extends her hand to Zach, accepting his and giving it a firm shake. "Nice to meet you, too," she says, eloquent as ever. Aria shakes Zach's hand as well, and nods to Zach with a smile, "Met him a couple times, actually.", she says, looking back to Cosmo, "Are you alright, Cosmo? It's been a while, I think?" Cosmo sips his coffee at a much more sedate pace then Brynn swallowed hers. "A pleasure Brynn." He smiles over at Aria. "I'm doing quite well. Thank you for inquiring. Did you get to speak with your math professor? I recall the last time we spoke you were having a bit of trouble with a calculus class." Zach has plopped down on his chair after shaking hands, and goes on to aquaint himself with his coffee. It's the same as the one his got for Brynn, and he sniffs it contently before taking a sip. "So Brynn, are you a student up at the College as well?" he asks politely. "Yeah," Brynn admits with a nod. Her hands close around her cup, but she doesn't raise it. Apparently, she's satisfied with merely warming her hands for the time being. "I'm Aria's roommate," she adds, determined to fill their brains with useless information, just because. Aria 's eyes widen briefly and she hastily says, "Y..yeah, it's all okay now.", she sips quickly at her water so she can easily avoid looking at anybody. "Ahh, well, that's good to hear." Cosmo studies her, watching her expression as she focuses on her water. "I hope your other classes are going well." Zach tilts his head a bit and smiles over to Aria, noting her discomfort. Then focuses back on Brynn. "Roomies eh? So what are you studying then?" Perhaps Brynn is aware that Aria is ill at ease as well; she turns her head to look at her for a moment, but offers no word of comfort, nor even a smile. She looks back at Zach. "This and that," she says without much interest. "I'm hoping to join the Kangaroos." This time, her voice sounds a tad more present, hinting that she finds this more interesting. Again, she raises her cup, but this time she doesn't drink nearly as fast. Aria blinks a little, setting down her drink as Brynn mentions kangaroos. Kangaroos...Indeed....Indeed.... "I like kangaroos.", she says thoughtfully, looking to Zach, "Art, mostly.", she then nods to Cosmo. Zach, being Foreigh RL, needs to ask this: Is Kangaroos something that an American, or at least a KC resident would/should recognise? And if yes, what's it mean? :) Cosmo doesn't recognize it either... Cosmo tilts his head to the side. "Kangaroos?" He inquires, a little confused. "Is that a sorority of some sort?" He turns back to Aria then. "Are you thinking of joining as well?" Brynn says, "UMKC sports team." Aria Dies. Really? Brynn says, "Really." Aria changes my pose then. Aria blinks a little, setting down her drink as Brynn mentions the Kangaroos. Yes...The Kangaroos. They will one day realize the power of a true Kangaroo. Indeed. "...Our sports team, actually.", she says with a soft sigh, and then nods to Cosmo to answer his question, and to Zach she says, "Art mostly..." Cosmo lets his pose stand. Cos isn't a sports fanatic. :) Zach ahs and smiles, settling back on his chair with that precious cup of coffee. He crosses one leg over the other. "Allright! That sounds like fun. What kind of sports do yo do?" "Basket, volleyball," Brynn says with a smile. First after answering Zach does she give herself time to consider Cosmo's second question, since it wasn't directed at her. Her smile grows quite a bit, and she finds herself watching Aria, waiting for her reply. And gymnastics. Brynn has a gymnastics scholarship so she's going to become a psychology major. She looks to Brynn, and blinks at her. Aria says, "er. That was Aria" Zach says, "Was that something Aria said? Or do we not know that stuff yet? :)" Aria says, "It's a bad joke of Aria's player since..." Aria says, "uh..." Aria coughs Aria also adds to Cosmo as her player realizes, "No, I'm terrible at sports." Zach blinks. She ought to be right up Zach's alley then. "Collegiate atheletics are an admirable pursuitbut they aren't for everyone, I suppose." He pauses to take a sip of his still warm coffee. "Plus, I imagine your art takes up a great deal of your time." He chances a glance at Zach. Then back to Aria. Aria says, "nothing ^_^" Zach sips his coffee and flicks a glance around the club before focusing back on the conversation at hand. "Team sports, eh? I can dig that. I can dig arts as well," he then confesses and looks over at Aria. "Which arts do you plan to focus on?" AutoJudge: Cosmo rolls: 6 + 6 = 12 . Check die: 1 Zach says, "GAH!! :) :)" Cosmo whews. that could have been bad. You paged Cosmo with 'Don't DO that man! Or at least warn me first so's I can find a table to hide under. :)'. Brynn spends a moment just enjoying her coffee, drinking it slowly. She watches them converse, because that is what she'll do. Verily. Aria tilts her head at Zach and says, "Er, well, mostly painting, really. That's what I like doing the most. I think Harriet will help me with sculpting sometime, maybe, if I can convince her to.", she grins, "Maybe just a lesson sometime so I can get a clue about it." Zach beams at her and nods emphatically. "If that's Harriet Davis you mean, you're all set. She loves encouraging younger talents. Not that she's all that old herself," he adds with a chuckle. "Right, Cos?" "Exactly. Harriet is extremely talented, and I'm certain she'll be glad to help you work on developing your skills int hat medium. She's the genrous sort." Cosmo smiles at Aria for a moment. Definitely a good idea to get her to be friends with Harriet. "She's been quite successful in her own right." Brynn looks from Aria to Zach, from Zach to Cosmo, and finally back at Aria again. Again, her features suggest that she's considering something, or maybe thinking about sushi. She doesn't say much of anything, and merely holds her cup in her hands, raised a bit over the table. Aria chuckles a little, "Well, we'll see, I guess.", she looks to Brynn, "...You alright, Brynn?", she inquires, though she really has no right and she sips more water. "I couldn't go to her show." Zach will let Brynn answer. :) "Yes," Brynn claims, then drinks from her cup, finishing her coffee. "I''m fine." She lowers the empty cup. "Aww," Zach exclaims. "That's a real shame. I was at Harriet's show and it was really cool. Her pieces are so beautiful - and it was a damn good party!" He notices Brynn's empty cup. "More coffee, Brynn?" Cosmo sits quietly for a moment, simply smiling at Zach's enthusiastic talk of Harriet's work. Lost in thought just for a moment. Brynn looks down at her cup. Yep, it's certainly very empty. She nods to Zach. "Sure." Aria finishes her water and sets it down. "I'm sorry, I wish I was there... If I could have gone, I would have.", but something happened. Or did it? Zach nods to Aria and gets up and makes his way to the bar. There he convinces the bartender to hand over a pot filled with that wonderful brown amrosia known as coffee. Cosmo comes out of his little fugue as Zach returns with the coffee. "Fill mine as well, please." He offers his mug. "Are you both from KC? Or did you just come here for college?" He looks from one girl to the next as he asks his question. "No, I'm from Celio," Brynn explains with a small shake of her head. "But the university seemed pretty good." And then she waits, watching Zach and the coffee pot. Roger has connected. Roger says, "mind if I join the scene?" Aria won't mind if you arrest Brynn :D *innocent!* Aria shakes her head, "I'm from California...Lafayette.", she explains, she looks towards Zach. Brynn doesn't mind at all. Brynn baps Aria. Roger grins Roger says, "what's the scene?" Cosmo , Aria, and Brynn are sitting at a table drinkign coffee and chatting. Zach is returning from the bar with a fresh pot of coffee. Roger wanders into the club, letting the door slam behind him, not that the sound is much noticed in the loud room. He glances around before heading to the bar to get his usual beer, Zach takes in the hopeful faces of the caffeine slaves and comes to the rescue. He gives Brynn, Cosmo and himself generous refills. "How 'bout you Aria? Would you like some coffee? I can go get you a cup?" Aria shakes her head for a change. Refusing coffee? Madness. "Nah, I'm fine Zach. But thank you.", she glances to Roger, smiles a bit, and then looks to Brynn and whispers something quickly to her before waving Roger over. Cosmo takes a grateful sip of the dark coffee once he gets a refill. "Thank you, Zach." He too spots Roger and throws up a hand. Seeing Aria doing the same, he chuckles. "It really is a small world, isn't it?" Roger grabs his beer and turns around intime to see two people hailing him. With a grin he walks over "Hey there, what brings you here? Brynn listens in silence. When Aria finishes, she turns her attention away from Zach, looking towards Roger near the bar. She nods. "Right," she says in a low voice, and reaches for her cup. "Thanks," she says, remembering about the refill. Zach lights up in a big smile as Roger enters his range of vision. "Hey man! Wazzup?" he calls as he brings the pot back to the barkeep, then returns to floomp down on his chair. Cosmo smiles up at Roger. "The usual. Just enjoying a drink." He raises his coffee mug in salute to Rog and gestures to the table. "Have a seat, join us. Do you know Brynn?" As the police officer obviously knows Aria. Roger plops down next to Cosmo and grins "How's everyone tonight?" Aria smiles at Roger, "Well, Brynn does.", wryly. "Actually, I like the music here, I guess, but I can only stand coming during some hours, y'know?", like when the place isn't full of noxious fumes. Brynn drinks her coffee, and rather swiftly at that. She's good at it. Aside from that, she merely studies the newcomer. Roger smiles at Brynn and holds out his hand "I'm Roger Freeman, I don't belive we've met before" Cosmo lets Roger get himself introduced before speaking to him. "I'm doing well. As a matter of fact, I'm glad you're here. I need to take you to lunch soon,to talk about that transaction we discussed the other day." Zach leans back to enjoy his coffee and watch introductions being made. Aria glances to Brynn, and then leans back a bit, slumping a little, just listening to the music now. Aria isn't really the talkative type, apparently, unless it involves paint or music or coffee. And eventually... "Transaction? Oh...sorry." Brynn puts down her cup. Not that she necessarily want to, but, alas, sometimes manners are more important than caffeine. Sometimes. She accepts his hand, and gives it a firm shake. "Brynn," she says, then, because the stars are right, adds, "Amsel." Roger looks over at Cosmo, interest lighting up his face "Oh? Great! Perhaps we can talk about it later this evening." He turns back to Brynn and smiles "Nice to meet you." Cosmo turns to Aria. "Just a business deal. I doubt it would interest you." That's as close to an explanation as he is willing to offer. Once Roger and Brynn get aquainted, "Probably not. I have to be somewhere shortly. Lunch tomorrow?" He inquires with a hopeful tone. Zach grins to Aria. "Cosmo's a money-guy, he does finances and occult stuff like that." Aria chuckles and says, "I won't be doing many dealings with him then.", she jokes before looking up as if to the stars. Interesting. They aren't even viewable what with the roof there. "You too," Brynn says with a hint of a smile, then goes about drinking her coffee, listening to people talk and not much else. Roger grins at Zach "Occult? That's new." Zach twinkles a mischiveous smile at Roger. "Well economics is esoteric, mysterious and deep stuff. I don't understand much of it. And Cos'll probably see the finer points of mechanical engineering as equally occult, eh?" Aria laughs at that, shaking her head. She doesn't speak, but looks back up to the ceiling. Roger takes a swollow of his beer and grins at Aria "How's school going? Cosmo turns to Aria. "Just a business deal. I doubt it would interest you." That's as close to an explanation as he is willing to offer. Once Roger and Brynn get aquainted, "Probably not. I have to be somewhere shortly. Lunch tomorrow?" He inquires with a hopeful tone. Roger looks disapointed "Ah well. Anyways, I can be around tommorow. Lunch would be great" "Do you know where Bo Ling's is at? I'll meet you there if that will work." Cosmo offers to Roger. He glances at the girls. "Apologies, ladies. But I did need to take care of that before it slipped my mind." Of course, he doesn't seem the type to forget. Roger nods "Yep, the chinses place at the trade center. Cosmo just gives Zach a little smirk. "Economics are not occult. I won't bore you with the lecture though." He grins a little and something sparks behind his eyes. "That reminds me, we never have discussed a motorcycle for me." Roger eyebrows shoot up "A motorcycle. You don't really seem the type Cosmo." Brynn gives a small shrug, and drinks s'more of her coffee. Not nearly as fast, however, nor as much. She watches Aria watch the ceiling, plotting evil. Aria idly plots to kill everybody, destroy the world. Well, probably not since a good punch could kill her. She looks back over to Brynn and says, "How is it?" Zach chortles and taps his coffeecup with a finger. "Well we've both been busy, buddy. Going bike shopping requires time. We'd better make some plans if you want one." Cosmo chuckles at Roger, indicating the leather great coat on the back of his chair. "You wouldn't think so, would you?" He grins over at Zach. "True on both counts. I don't think I want any of those...what do you call them, the ones that you practically lay down on? Crotch rockets?" Roger eyes the leather coat "Nice, where did you get it." "Crown Royale." Cosmo offers. Then he explains further by adding. "The price was fair. I'll say that much for Ms. Harris." "Good," Brynn says to Aria. "That... whatever she was was right about that much." Roger raises an eyebrow "Who;s that? Aria blinks and scratches the back of her neck lightly, "Huh? Who?", she asks. She looks to Roger, biting her lip a little. Zach studies Cosmo to try to divine what kind of biker type might be hiding beneath the impeccable suit. "Hmm... No, you're not the type for one of those little babies. Nor would I say that you're really a chopper type. Hm.. Maybe a gold wing? They're so big you can have a party on 'em, they run smooth like silk, go pretty fast and they're bloody expensive." Roger grins at Aria "I ment, who's Ms Harrris?" "Roberts I mean." Cosmo offers. He turns to Zach and then raises his brow. "I'm afraid I'd be a little too short for a Goldwing. Though they might be worth a look. Perhaps a Moto Guzzi or a Beemer." From afar, Cosmo has a BMW R1200c IRL. :) Zach then blinks and watches Aria and Brynn in some confusion. The biblical prophets were pretty obscure and cryptic in their outbursts, but apparently they were just wannabes compared to these two ladies... Indeed. And verily does Brynn turn her head towards Cosmo, and Yea does she speak. "Nitro. Nitro is the way to go." She smiles as she says this. Cosmo lifts a brow at Brynn. "Are you suggesting I equip my motorcycle with Nitrous Oxide?" He seems...dumbfounded at the idea. He can just see a large cruiser with a NOx tank on it. "I'm not planning to take it to the drag strip." Roger falls quiet among all this talk of motorcycles and simply enjoys, the company, his beer and the music, Zach boggles quietly at Brynn and smilingly shakes his head. "Now that'd be quite the sight. Hmm..." He gets a speculative look in his eyes. One can almost hear those cogs starting to whirr in there... "Interesting thought, actually." He looks absently out into the ether and starts pushing his cup around in circles lost in Very Interesting thoughts. Roger eyes Zach "What's an interesting though?" Cosmo just looks horrified at the idea of a nice, sedate touring motorcycle jacked up on steroidal NOx. "Roger, tell Zach that Nitrous Oxide is illegal for street vehicles before he gets any odd ideas." Roger nods and gives Zach a Sern Look "Nitrous Oxide is illegal to attach to your bikes." Too late! Zach has already pulled out a small notebook and a pencil from his jacket and is beaming down on arcane doodles. Doodles that soon form a rather complex nightmare of machinery built for mayhem. /If/ it ever gets built... Roger leans over and pokes Zach "Zach, Zach, remain calm, let's not get carried away here." Cosmo just watches Zach creating notes for a monster machine. He smiles a little. He'll probably sell more of them then he can build. "Too late Roger. I'm sure Zach will keep any such machines on the track." Zach blinks and looks up at being poked. "Huh? What? Oh yes, of /course/. Wouldn't /dream/ of doing anything illegal me. Nope. Not I." He smiles extremely innocently. Clearly he is Up To No Good And Your Mama Warned You About Guys Like Him. Roger gives Zach a disparing look "Don't make me alert the Highway Patrol about you." Zach objects to being singled out like that. "Hey man! You should be respectful to your elders! I must be...what, like four or five years your senior. Show some respect man!" He grins to Roger. Roger clucks his tounge "Naah, you're not my superior or anything." Cosmo chuckles at the two and sips his coffee. Brynn tilts her head lightly to the left, watching Zach not entirely unlike a scientist that has just seen her creation come to life and lumber towards the village (which she wasn't all that fond of anyway). After a while, she drinks some more of her coffee. The random fluctuations in time and space forbid that it should become cold. Cosmo glances at his watch and sighs. He takes a final sip of his coffee. "Brynn, it's been a pleasure to meet you. And Aria, I've enjoyed seeing you again. Unfortunately, I have to be going." Roger looks over at Cosmo and holds out his hand "Hey too bad. But I'll see you tomorrow man." Cosmo gives Roger's hand a shake. "See you at Bo Lings tomorrow." He gives the man a pat on the shoulder. He slips into the long, leather coat. Then offers his hand to Zach. "Nice meeting you too," Brynn says, lowering her cup to say that. And because it's empty. Cosmo says, "Thanks for the scene, everyone." Zach clasps Cosmo's hand firmly. "See you later, Cos!" Aria nods to Cosmo, "Nice seeing you again, Cosmo.", she looks to Zach and then winces visibly, "Try not to get arrested, Zach.", she says softly. Zach says, "Thanks for the rp!" Cosmo pops his fedora on his head. with a last wave he heads out of the club and toward his sedan. [Public] Cosmo says, "Night all." Zach grins to Aria and winks. "I have no plans involving getting arrested, hon. I fully inted to stay out of jail." Roger grins "I hope those plans don't involve staying out of jail by not getting caught. Zach drinks up his coffee and smiles naughtily at Roger. "I swear I have no idea what you are talking about, Roge. Are you insinuatin' anything?" Ada slinks in, looking unimportant. Aria shakes her her head silently, stifling a laugh. Ada is about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with hair dyed all the colors of the rainbow that hangs to her shoulders, and blue eyes. She looks to be in her late teens or early twenties; her body is slender without being skinny, her curves understated, her fingers long and tapered. Her skin is pale, her lips a light pink, and her nose curves upward ever so slightly. She is dressed in a white t-shirt, without a logo or brand, tucked into a brown-and-black broomstick skirt. Her multicolored hair is caught up in a short ponytail, and her wristwatch is matched by a silver bracelet on the other wrist. She wears woven sandals, dyed the same color as the skirt. Small round wire-rimmed glasses obscure her eyes. Roger gives Zach an innocent look "Who me." He grins at Brynn and Aria "Can you belive he;s accusing me of insinuating somthing about him" Brynn smiles wryly. "Of course not," she says, because it's the popular thing to do. Verily. Aria shakes her head, "No, that would just be shocking, I think." Roger needs to head out for a little while Ada stands in a corner and observes. AutoJudge: Zach rolls: 5 + 4 = 9 . Check die: 5 Roger has disconnected. Zach hasn't managed to spot Ada. Obviously the shock of being suspected of planning Illegal Stuff has clouded his vision! Aria doesn't notice Ada either, instead looking back up to the ceiling, apparently finding something interesting with it. She listens to the music too. Nice music, really. Ada arches her eyebrows at Zach sitting with two young women, and starts making her way over to the table. Brynn looks down at her empty cup, most likely toying with the idea of having another cup, even though it'd mean she'd be unable to get any sleep later on. But it's so tempting! Zach smiles to Aria. "Do you see anything nice up in the ceiling?" He glances up as well. Aria says, shaking her head, though still looking up there, "I see nothing yet... That's why I'm still looking.", she says vaguely. Ada crouches behind Zach, her chin resting lightly on his shoulder. "Boo." Zach starts and turns to see.... "ADA! Baby!" He breaks into a huge, huge happy smile and promptly collects Ada onto his lap and into a big hug! Ada smiles and hugs Zach gently. "Who are your friends?" Brynn watches Aria for a while, but eventually turns her attention towards Zach and Ada. And the coffee pot. She reaches for it, intending to give herself a refill. At least a half cup. Zach gestures smilingly to the other two seated at the table. "This is Brynn and Aria, they're students up at the William Jewell and roomies. Just met 'em. Ladies, this is Ada and she's a computer wiz, among other things." Ada smiles. "Brynn, Aria, it's nice to meet you." Aria scratches her head, "A computer wiz...", she says softly. "Well Ada...", she stands up and nods slowly to her, "It's nice to meet you." Brynn nods, accepting this bit of information, and simply extends her hand towards Ada. Ada takes the profferred hand and leans down over it, kissing it gently before releasing it. Zach shifts a bit to make himself and the enlapped Ada more comfortable. "What've you been up to lately, Ada?" Ada says, "I just got back from an adventure. My father asked me, on the spur of the moment, to go with him to a symposium in Japan, and on the way back I decided to take a backpack trip through France. It's been a fairly eventful three weeks." Aria sits back down, glancing to Brynn, wondering just how much coffee she's going to drink. Brynn pauses for a moment. And another. She looks at the back of her hand, and doesn't say a whole lot. Zach beams at Ada. "You did? That's way cool! So... didya get to try the out-doors life thing? Catch any fish?" He grins teasingly at her. Ada wrinkles her nose. "Do you *know* how they catch fish in France? Ew!" Aria headscratches, "How do they catch fish in France?" Ada mimes with her hands. "They scoop them up out of the stream with a neat, and then - bap! - smack' 'em on the head with a stick!" Aria blinks, "So they don't asphyxiate them as they do here?" Zach chortles and huggles Ada. "And how had you planned to catch your fish then?" Brynn watches her hand for another while. Finally, she reaches into her pockets, pulls her gloves out, and begins putting them on. Ada says, "With a line and hook, of course! I guess I'm just used to that... scooping them up and whacking them on the head seems so barbaric." You say, "And then what, honey? You need to bap 'em on the head anyway, you know. Just letting them die slowly is a bit cruel, right? So headbash or break the neck - that way they die quickly. No suffering and stuff." Ada sighs. "It just seems weird." "I'm heading back," Brynn announces, looking over at Aria. "Coming, or will you find your way back by yourself?" Aria stands up, "Well, I guess I'll go with you since I can't let you leave alone all the time.", she grins a little and then nods to Ada and Zach, "I'm sorry, but I guess we're going. Nice to see you both." Ada stands as well. "Have a good night. It was pleasant to meet you; I hope I haven't offended you, Miss Brynn." Zach smiles up at them. "Allright, take care now girls. It was nice meeting you." "Right. Nice to meet you both," Brynn claims, rising to her feet. "And thanks for the coffee," she says with a look down at Zach. That said, she looks over at Aria, and gives a nod towards the door. Then? She heads towards it, moving at a relatively slow, casual pace. Aria chuckles, "And thanks for the water.", she looks to Brynn, nods back to her and follows her outside. Or tries to. Maybe Zach will aim a poisoned dart at her neck. Zach waves goodbye with a smile and watches them leave. And so Aria and Brynn left, and they were blissfully, blissfully happy for ever and ever and ever. Brynn hops OOC. "Thanks for the RP." Zach looks up at Ada with a bemused smile as the girls walk out the door. "Those two are way weird and then some. I like them!" Zach says, "Likewise! :)" Aria hops OOC too ;), thanks :) Ada smiles quietly and shifts into one of the chairs 'round the table. "I'm glad to hear it. You need some friends." Zach laughs softly and shakes his head. "Well thank you for noting that I don't have a life, hon. I do have the odd friend, you know. Just recently made a new one too. Guy named Cosmo. He's great even if he wears nothing but neat suits." Ada quirks her eyebrow. "I just meant... never mind." She gets up quietly. "I didn't mean to break up your discussion. I'm sorry. I'll see you around, okay:?" You say, "Heyheyhey.. What's wrong? Why the hurry?" Ada shakes her head. "I just need some fresh air, love." Zach looks around to see if Sarah's anywhere near... Ada says, "I scared them off, and I didn't mean to. I'm sorry." Zach shrugs. "I don't think you did. They're just strange, and they've been in here for quite a while. You need to stop appologising for existing, it ain't healthy." Ada shrugs and hunches her shoulders slightly. "I can still apologize for doing something wrong, though, right?" Zach drapes an arm around her and pulls her close. "Sure you can, sweetheart. I'll be sure to tell you if I ever spot you doing anything wrong. My nature makes me uniquely fit to do this." Not that a certain Cloaked Being would agree, but he ain't here! Zach kisses her gently on the head. "I love you, Ada." Ada nuzzles into Zach's embrace. "I love you, too." She looks up. "I *missed* you." Zach says, "Eee! It's half past blippin' five ay em here! I need to find the bed. Where the heck did this night go?!" Ada says, "Go to bed, sweetheart. I'll see you around, okay?" Zach beams quietly down at her as they walk out from the club and into the KC evening. "I missed you too, honey. There's a lot of stuff that's been happening here while you were away. Why don't we go over to your place and you can tell me all about your trip, hm? And get a good cuddle?" he adds hopefully. Ada says, simply, "Okay." Ada says, "Good night, you." Zach nods! Assume that Zach will tag along with Ada and engange in Massive Cuddling, Snuggling and Creation Rites. :) He's all hers. Ada will do. Is going to bed too. Zach says, "Night! Take care now. It was nice seeing you on da grid again! *huggle*" Zach says, "Sleep tight and sweet dreams!"