Logfile from Brass&Steel. You step inside. Kathy's Bar and Grill Off-white walls, decorated with photos of regular guests and the occasional state or county limits sign from somewhere else in the country. A picture of Jesus Christ, complete with beatific smile and halo, is hung apart from these other decorations near the swinging door to the kitchen. There is the smell of beer, coffee, and grease, in various combinations depending on the time of day. A jukebox plays blues, soul, and country tunes in various combinations that are likewise time-and-clientele-dependent. The tables and floors are chipped and cracked, but homey. Waitresses in flannel and denim mill about dropping down beers and burgers and coffee and pie on the tables of truckers and bikers who want to catch a quick meal or a quick buzz before passing out in their rigs or heading home. The overall effect is one of Early Modern White Trash; while the folks here may possess a civil sheen of politeness, do not ever mistake them for intellectual or cultural giants. Contents: Henry Obvious exits: Out Zach waves! Henry explodes! Henry just looked at you. Zach says, "Ooops..." Henry says, "Nice desc." Zach gets the hoover to clean up the mess. Zach bows. Thank you. :9 Kathy's Bar and Grill Off-white walls, decorated with photos of regular guests and the occasional state or county limits sign from somewhere else in the country. A picture of Jesus Christ, complete with beatific smile and halo, is hung apart from these other decorations near the swinging door to the kitchen. There is the smell of beer, coffee, and grease, in various combinations depending on the time of day. A jukebox plays blues, soul, and country tunes in various combinations that are likewise time-and-clientele-dependent. The tables and floors are chipped and cracked, but homey. Waitresses in flannel and denim mill about dropping down beers and burgers and coffee and pie on the tables of truckers and bikers who want to catch a quick meal or a quick buzz before passing out in their rigs or heading home. The overall effect is one of Early Modern White Trash; while the folks here may possess a civil sheen of politeness, do not ever mistake them for intellectual or cultural giants. Contents: Henry Obvious exits: Out Huh? (Type "help" for help.) Henry says, "Consider the Vaputech UltraSuck (tm)!" The man standing before you is somewhat short and slender, standing at 5'5" tall. His hair is light brown and longish, pulled into a ponytail. His eyes are a gentle blue. In fact, 'gentle' seems to be the operative word for him. His mannerisms are calm but friendly, almost never raising his voice or making extraneous hand gestures. He is presently wearing a dark purple long-sleeved shirt underneath a tan bomber-style jacket, along with black slacks and white sneakers. Henry is sitting at one of the tables, idly sipping on hot chocolate, an expression of supreme contentment present. Zach chuckles and get IC.. The door swings open, thus allowing a tall man in leather and wool to enter the joint. His long legs take him to the counter, after a quick scan of the crowd. He nods pleasantly enough to a few of the regulars, but seems preoccupied. Taking a seat at the counter, he smiles his most charming smile to the waitress who smile back and produce a big cup of scalding hot coffee. Henry looks over at the newcomer, raising an eyebrow not unfriendily,. Henry says, "Would you have any OOC objections to me resonating on you? Henry is an inquisitve type. :)" Zach says, "Go ahead:)" AutoJudge: Henry rolls: 3 + 1 = 4 . Check die: 3 Henry poots. Success, but not by much. Lemme check the book. You paged Henry with 'But page such questions and the following OOC conversation if there are more people around. :) It's that secrecy thing again. :)'. Henry says, "Sure. I usually do." Henry says, "Mercurian resonanse, CD 3: Use-name, geographical and cultural origins, major interests." Zach recieves the coffee gratefully, as it's bloody cold outside today. He turns his head to take another look around, there was someone who greeted him that he hadn't seen here before, right? Right. He nods to Henry, almost quizzically, then apparantly remembers his manners and smile. You paged Henry with 'The subject's name is Zachary Ellis, most people call him Zach. He comes from Winner, SD and is a skilled and consumate mechanic. He is also very fond of playing the guitar and cooking. And women. Big fondness for women. Cultural origins is smalltown Mid-West.'. Henry nods, smiling to the newcomer. "Morning." You paged Henry with 'And for the record: I'm glad you're here. Mercurians are rare indeed on this here MUSH! :)'. Henry pages: I was told. Especially Happy Shiny Mercurians (tm. Ak for them by name!). What a nice, friendly young man! Zach nods back and slides off his stool to make his way over to Henry's table. "Hello there, friend. Don't think I've seen you here before? Name's Zach." He offers a handshake with the non-coffeeholding hand. Henry accepts said hand. "Henry. A pleasure to meet you. I'm new here actually." His voice has a trace of an accent. French? "Likewise," the tall leathered one answers. "Mind if I join you, Henry?" Henry says, "Not at all!" Henry smiles readily. Quite sunny this early in the morning. The current time in Kansas City is 10:56 AM, Thu Jan 30, 2003. Zach plops down on a chair opposite the young man and sips his coffee. He winces as he burns his mouth on the evil liquid, but twinkles a smile in return to Henry's beam. "So where you from, kid? I thought I heard a trace of French melody in your accent?" Henry says, "Quebec, actually." Zach ahs. "Allright! The most mysterious and secretive province of Canada! I've passed through a couple of times, and I liked what I saw." Henry smiles, "It is a lovely place, though here is not without its' charms. Zach nods to this while having another, more careful, sip from his cup. "True that. KC sorta grows on ya, I guess. So what brings a Canadian down here then?" He seems genuinly interested and friendly. Henry says, "My parents thought it would be nice if I saw more of the world and so they suggested I get involved in a college exchange program. I thought it was a wonderful idea." Henry says, "Technically true, if you change the particulars. :)" Zach smiles and regards the kid in front of him. Nodding pleasantly he says, "Very good idea that. You've been lucky with your folks! So how do you like it here so far?" Henry says, "It is... fascinating, really. So many people, so very complicated, but, I think, a wonderful experience taken together." Zach chuckles. "Hey now, Kaycee ain't all that much bigger than Quebec now, is it? Or maybe you aren't from the city?" Henry says, "No, not the city. A small town, quite nice. A different experience." Zach mms and relaxes back on his chair, nursing his coffee. "I know, it's different worlds in some ways. Well, welcome to Kansas City anyways. I hopw you continue to enjoy yourself here, Henry." Henry sips his chocolate, "As do I. I try to enjoy new experiences. Zach is getting this really eerie feeling of preaching to the choir, in a manner of speaking. It's a goood eerie feeling though, so he smiles to the young man. "A very sensible attitude. Travelling and seeing the world, meeting new people and experienceing new things is really quite a treat." He takes a good swig of his hot drink. "More people should do that," he adds as an afterthought. Henry nods, smiling faintly. "I think in many ways it is fear that keeps them. They look at the world and they feek alone, not realising that they never are. And in so doing they hide from the rest of the world, something they never can get away from." Zach blinks and looks impressed. "Dude! That's deep that is. I mostly thought it was lack of money and not enough curiosity that keep folks from travelling. But you may have a point there, kiddo." Henry smiles self-conciously, "It's something I've thought about. Fear keeps people apart. It is a sad thing." "Yeah, it is. Couldn't have said it better myself! You're wise beyond your years, Henry. Keep that up and you'll go places." Zach gets a philosophical, almost far-away look in his eyes. Henry chuckles at that slightly, for some reason. "I've heard it said, though I always wondered about that statement." Zach shrugs and grins lopsidedly. "Hey, it's a compliment. But if you're one of them buddhists who go for all that reincarnation stuff, then maybe it ain't. If you've an ancient soul in there, then I guess the wisdom ain't 'beyond your years' as it were." Henry smiles, "I merely wonder about the idea that wisdom is something gained through time. I prefer to follow more ecstatic traditions myself. The perfect moment, as it were. Zach chuckles and sloshes his coffee around in its cup. "The perfect moment, eh? Well, there's quite a lot of those around, if you just manage to notice." Henry nods again, "Exactly. Perfection in anything. A perfect sigh, a perfect catch, a perfect night of bliss with someone you love, and my personal favorite," he raises his mug, "Perfect hot chocolate." Zach beams and raises his cup in a toast. "I can sure drink to that my young friend. Here's to the perfect hot drink." Henry raises his glass once more, then drains the mug. He smiles apologetically. "As much as this is truly enjoyable, I'm afraid I must go. The scholastic path calls me, and she is most insistent. It was a pleasure meeting you, Zach." Zach nods smilingly. "Likewise Henry, likewise. If you contine to hang out here, we might cross paths again. So long!" Henry stands, waves, and leaves, whistling an unfamiliar tune.