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Note: Scene takes place on June 8th, 2020 before PSYCHEDELIC MURDER MYSTERY
Anneliese Kiel:
Having returned Ironside after putting the official declaration of her healer motley's formation on the Freehold notice board, Annie's taking time out to grab a bite to eat. In Maddy's, because the food is delicious, within her budget, and kosher enough. Right now, though, she's perusing the menu, trying to decide if she wants a change from her usual Green Forest omelette.
Little Fox:
"... going to be heading up to an AirBnB in Doylestown, because that's far enough away from the city that we won't be a bother, but also, close enough that if something happens, we can come back," Fox explains over his shoulder as they open the door and hold it for Mei. "So if you need me, you can call, and we'll be back pretty quickly."
Mei Lee:
Mei is right behind Little Fox, and listening. "I'm sure I'll be fine, mom," she replies in a tone that some masters might not brook in their apprentice, and does it with a smirk to match. "I have managed to take care of myself for all my adult life, you know. But have fun, regardless."
Leta Abbot:
Oh hey guess who also Leta is here because I can't make up my mind. She's in casual dress today - a t-shirt and jeans with high top sneakers and a flannel wrapped around her waist - and her hair's an unkempt mess. One headphone is in, her hands are in her pockets, and she's bobbing her head. Did she arrive with Fox and Mei? Who knows.
Anneliese Kiel:
Who knows? Probably Annie, since she was there already. She glances up at the sound of voices, smiling slightly when she recognises Fox and Mei. "Hey, you two. How have you been?" Leta gets a glance and a raised eyebrow.
Little Fox:
Fox crosses her eyes and sticks her tongue out at Mei. Most Masters won't do that, either, but this is Fox we're talking about. "You also weren't a magical baby for most of your life," the Thyrsus huffs back at the Obrimos, holding the door for Leta, too, who maybe arrived with them and maybe didn't, but has been included in their party as of now. "Oh, I'm good, Annie, thanks! Headed out shortly but came to get some dinner first!"
Mei Lee:
Mei raises a hand to wave to Annie and offers her a smile. "Hi Annie. Still worried, but there's not much I can do about things right now. You're you then?" She laughs and tells Fox, "I mean I kind of was, just a different kind of magic. But it seems to be relatively easy to stay out of trouble, as long as I don't go looking for it. I think I can manage that for one night. I'll probably just stay in and read. I've had a lot of opportunity to do that, right now. She looks around and then asks Annie. "Mind if we sit with you?"
Leta Abbot:
Leta sticks out her tongue at Fox, showing off her tongue piercing as she yoinks the second earbud out and drapes it around her neck so that it's hanging - the music is still playing loudly enough to be heard in the quiet points, but not so loud as to be annoying. "If this is your second time being a magical baby, at least you've experienced the basics and will know what to expect." Leta nods sagely - probably she wasn't paying too much attention, given her tendency to walk around with music playing and/or inebriated.
Of course, she'll be driving later, so. That means she's just being a regular space case - not a chemically enhanced one.
Anneliese Kiel:
"I am me, yes," Annie says, arching an eyebrow at Mei this time. "And no, I do not mind if you sit with me." She slides over in the booth to make room, even, glancing at Fox. "What are you heading up to Doylestown for? Just a night away, or?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
A new face emerged from the portal as Daniel made their way into the diner, the young Haunt well-dressed as tended to be his wont with a dark grey scarf wrapped neatly around his neck and the Blush in full force. Pale eyes scanned the room with a curiosity that hinted at it being the man's first visit, adjusting the strap of the laptop bag across his shoulder as he mulled over where to take a seat.
Little Fox:
"Just a night away," Fox answers with a shrug. "Going to go have some new experiences in Doylestown. Probably order some bubble tea and Chinese food and ... stuff!" Fox is unsubtle. She slides her skinny butt in to the booth and pat pat the seat next to himself. "It's good you're you, it might be awkward otherwise." Daniel gets a curious little look and a wiggle of their short fingers, and then when wait staff approaches, Fox orders blueberry waffles and a pile of bacon done very crispy and two eggs over easy.
Mei Lee:
Mei slides into after Fox and blinks at Annie as she replays the conversation in her head, then laughs and says, "sorry, that didn't make much sense, did it? I meant to ask how're you." She smiles at Daniel, orders the bewitched pancakes, and then tells Leta, "at least I have more control over it now. I used to wear gloves all the time because I never knew what I'd touch and suddenly get visions from."
Leta Abbot:
Oh, I'll show you unsubtle, Fox. "Yeah, probably really awkward. Especially if you're not a voyeur," Leta pauses with her mouth open, and you can hear the noise metal coming from her earbuds. Who knows, Mei was a private investigator... Okay, no, probably not. "Considering we're going to eat psychedelic cactus and fuck." She, of course, says this with a deadpan and then slides into the booth next to whichever unfortunate soul has enough space beside them for (1) tired goblin nightmare girl. "Huh. I guess this is probably a bit of an upgrade to that for - well, many reasons - but especially that."
Anneliese Kiel:
Annie chuckles quietly. "I am good, thank you." Glancing at the server, she puts in for a glass of water and the cobbler pancakes. "But no, I am not a voyeur." Beat. "What kind of psychedelic cactus? Do you know if it is safe to consume?" Yeah, she's definitely a medical student. Daniel gets an upnod. "Join us, if you are interested. Or do not, it is much the same to me."
Daniel Hawthorne:
Daniel nodded politely in kind, pausing mid-step at Leta's comment and giving her a curious look. Annie's invitation earned a moment of thought before he gave another small nod. "If you don't mind." The response came as a low whisper, hints of an old-school Boston Brahmin accent coming through.
Little Fox:
Every so often, someone says something that's even less subtle than Fox herself, and causes the Thyrsus to sort of briefly bluescreen. Beep beep. Fox's eyes go blank for a moment, and then he says, "... yes, that's true!" And then she blinks at Daniel and offers him a sharp smile. Truly, a sharp smile -- Fox's teeth are not human, but vulpine. It seems to actually be a smile though. "There's a chair!" And then he shrugs at Annie. "It's not toxic. 'Safe' is a matter of accepted risk. Taking psychedelics always has its risks."
Mei Lee:
"Everything has risks," Mei points out after Fox's words. "I mean, we walked through a magic portal to get here, which seems pretty risky. I'm not even entirely sure where here is. But it seems to be safe enough, too." She smiles at Daniel again and says, "I'm Mei. Boston?"
Anneliese Kiel:
"Fair enough," Annie shrugs. "If you know the risks and are okay with them, I am not about to try and stop you." She glances at Daniel, smiling slightly. "Anneliese. Annie to my friends."
Leta Abbot:
"Peyote has been a part of the spiritual traditions - and in some instances, medicinal practices - of several indigenous people groups in Mexico and the southern United States for hundreds of years." Beat. "We're not doing it for any religious or spiritual - or good reasons, though. Just exploring, and tripping balls. But yes, accepted risks." Thank you, Encyc-Leta-pedia Abbottannica. She turns to Daniel, and quirks an eyebrow at the newcomer.
Daniel Hawthorne:
Daniel moved to take the offered seat, not seeming to be put off by Fox's smile in the slightest; then again, he did know someone with a much larger array of teeth. "Daniel, pleasure." He perked up a touch at Mei's question, nodding in return. "Yes...not many here recognize it."
Little Fox:
"Exploring is a good reason. There's no way for me to bring back new experiences if I don't have new experiences," points out Fox, settling back in the booth and pulling one of her feet up under her butt. "Hi, Daniel. You can call me Naika or you can call me Fox. Either one is fine. Any and all pronouns, change 'em up, I don't care."
Mei Lee:
"I get paid to notice things most people don't. Well, paid." Mei shrugs. "Plus I watch a lot of movies. She/her for my pronouns. I've always kind of been curious about drugs," she admits to the two who are talking about that. "I've avoided them because of my career, though. I suppose if I lose my license I'll have fewer excuses not to try them."
Anneliese Kiel:
Annie shrugs again. "I definitely would not have, but then most European settlements in this land had yet to be founded, when I was Taken." Fox's reasoning gets a chuckle. "Makes sense. I have not taken many mind-altering substances, but I tried cannabis a while back. That was interesting." Another glance at Daniel. "She/her also."
Leta Abbot:
"While I agree with you, Fox, I assume most people don't consider exploration to be as important as we do." Leta turns to the server as they're passing, and she orders chicken and waffles with hashbrowns and cream gravy. Also a cup of hot water, and a black tea. "I recommend that you try them at least once regardless, Mei. Barring several fringe cases, I think most people should - but especially now that you can magically make yourself sober, or augment the results of a drug test, or..." The possibilities are endless, and Leta just waves her hand instead of continuing. She then offers that hand to Daniel to shake. "Abbott. She/her."
Daniel Hawthorne:
Annie's mention of being Taken and magically removing a hangover earned a curious look but Daniel nodded nonetheless before he took Leta's hand and shook it firmly. "He/him, on that front."
"Didn't go much farther than weed myself, but art school being art school I know a number of folks that indulged quite a bit."
Little Fox:
Humming quietly to herself, Fox pours cream into her coffee until it's quite pale, and then starts emptying sugar into it such that would kill a lesser creature. Lo, the Life Master, for he can abuse her body as much as they should like, really. And then she quietly starts stirring the coffee-sugar-cream mess, spoon tinking softly against the cup. "That's true. But exploring is important. It's the most important part of being alive."
Anneliese Kiel:
Annie blinks at Daniel's curious look. "Have you not been to Maddy's before? We can talk freely here." Beat. "More or less. Nobody is going to pry into your secrets, or those of whichever community you are part of if you do not want them to." She glances at Fox, then. "On a different note, I was wondering if you might be interested in participating in, or even helping to organise, a celebration of the High Holidays across our respective communities."
Little Fox:
"Yes, that sounds good! I would like that! I haven't done High Holidays in forever!" Fox chugs her coffee slurry, and then offers to Leta, "Can you get my food to go? I gotta take this call." Her phone is ringing, and she grabs her backpack and scoots for the portal.
Leta Abbot:
Leta's phone buzzes - playing the familiar brrrink! sound of being discovered from Metal Gear Solid. She looks down at the phone with a frown. "Shit," there's a small pause. "Fuck." Beat. "Can someone flag down the server and cancel my order, please - I need to handle this thing for work before I go on my small vacation." Beat. "Hopefully I don't have to take it with me..." She detangles herself from the booth, tossing her laptop bag over her shoulder. "See you in a bit, Little Fox."
"Well. That was awkward," Leta chuckles when they both finish speaking. "I guess we're leaving together, then. We can tell them to hold off, and pick it up to-go when we head out."
Daniel Hawthorne:
Daniel gave Leta's phone an amused look at the notification, clearly recognizing the sound, before giving the pair a nod. "Was good meeting you."
"No," he continued to Annie, "this is my first time."
Anneliese Kiel:
Annie definitely does not recognise the sound, but nods to Fox and Leta anyway. "See you around. We can talk more another time." She glances to Daniel, then. "In that case, welcome to Maddy's. Are you new in town?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Relatively...been here for six or so years. Only heard about this place recently, though." He finally moved to set his laptop bag down beside him, hanging the strap on the back of his chair. "Wasn't sure what I expected, but diner in the apparent middle of nowhere wasn't quite it."
Anneliese Kiel:
"Longer than me, then. I am still rather new to the city." Annie shrugs slightly. "Do you mind if I ask what brought you to Philadelphia?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Bit of a long story." He replied with a wry smirk. "I came into being what I am unexpectedly, and rather than remain under the cloud that formed from those events I decided to set up here. It's gone rather well thus far, though."
Anneliese Kiel:
"Fair enough," Annie nods. "Having things go well is always nice." She pauses as the server drops off her food, thanking them before returning her attention to Daniel. "Do you mind if I go ahead and eat?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Please do." He nodded, putting in an order for a cup of coffee for himself before the server heads off once again. "What brought you to the city, if I can ask?"
Anneliese Kiel:
"Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, bo're p'ri ha'etz," Annie recites fluently, before picking up her knife and fork, cutting a small section of her waffles, chewing it thoroughly before swallowing. "It was ...conveniently located, when I got back from my time Away."
Daniel Hawthorne:
He remained quiet as Annie said her blessing, nodding as she answered. "And that was a while ago, by the sound of it?"
Anneliese Kiel:
Annie blinks. "No? I only got back a few months ago."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"I meant the time away, in that case. Apologies. You mentioned something about the settlements here not being in place yet."
Anneliese Kiel:
"Ohhhh. Yes, sorry. It was a long time, at least over here. Less so subjectively, but things over there are often fuzzy."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"I see." Daniel nodded quietly. "I've heard of some of ours who have been in eclipse for quite some time, but not that long in one go."
Anneliese Kiel:
"Eclipse? I do not understand the term in context." Annie shrugs slightly. "In some ways, it being so long is better. No temptation to try and return to your previous existence."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Sorry, family term. We can go into an inactive state for periods of time. Some do it voluntarily to allow that time to pass while in others it's more forced upon them."
Anneliese Kiel:
"Ah, I see." Annie takes another bite of her waffles, considering him for a moment. "Do you mind if I ask what you do with yourself, when not hanging out in diners?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"I'm a clothing designer by trade, with a studio off of Rittenhouse Square. On the more unusual side of things I'm a student of our nature as a whole, finding what makes us tick and how we can use that to our advantage."
Anneliese Kiel:
Annie nods. "Very scholarly. I like it." She takes a sip of her water before continuing. "What kind of clothes do you design?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Couture, with stylings for all persuasions. More on the suit and dress side of things currently, but that's more because of what I've been commissioned for."
Anneliese Kiel:
"Fair enough. I might look into commissioning you sometime, then, if I strike it rich."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Look forward to it." He replied with a small smile, thanking the server when they came by with his coffee. He added a splash of cream and a decent bit of sugar before stirring everything in, taking a test sip and nodding with approval. "Better than I was expecting..."
Anneliese Kiel:
"I have not tried the coffee, but the food here is pretty good. I am not sure how they do it, considering the kind of reputation diners usually have." Annie shrugs slightly. "Being open all hours is nice, too, since it means I can grab a meal on my way home from work."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"One must wonder." He took another small sip before setting his cup down, looking back towards Annie. "Where do you work?"
Anneliese Kiel:
"Club Vertigo, over in the Gayborhood." Annie smiles slightly. "I would say to come by any time, but with your, ah, condition that may not be the best plan." She nods to the scarf covering his neck.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Ah...probably not, no." He replied with a small smirk. "That and not being able to be heard over the music and whatnot makes it hard to have a proper conversation."
Madeleine Chevalier:
Maddy appears out of thin air behind the bar with a slight change in the air pressure, like what was in the space she now occupies got displaced by her arrival. She's wearing a pair of pajama pants with kittens playing on them and a tank top, and as soon as she appears she looks around, taking stock of the place, and then she starts working on a pot of tea.
Anneliese Kiel:
"I can imagine." Sensing the change in air pressure, Annie glances around to see what caused it, before smiling slightly as her eyes land on Maddy. "Hey, Maddy. How have you been?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
That shift in the air had Daniel turning before Maddy properly appeared, the Haunt blinking in surprise at her arrival. Once the moment passed he gave her a polite nod, a whispered "Evening" wrapped in hints of an almost-British accent coming along with it.
Madeleine Chevalier:
Maddy looks over when Annie addresses her. Blink. "Oh, hi!" she says. "Sorry." She shakes her head. "I just woke up from a nap that went a lot longer than I expected it to." She finishes getting tea pot and leaves and water together, grabs a mug, and wanders over to their table. "I thought I'd nap for maybe an hour, and I think it was like... six. Hi," she says to Daniel, and she puts her things down to offer him a hand. "I'm Maddy. I don't think I've seen you here before, have I?"
Anneliese Kiel:
"That is usually a sign you are not getting enough sleep, you do realise?" Annie seems more amused than anything.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Been there before, although not in a while." He replied with a small smile, taking the offered hand and shaking it firmly. "Daniel, and no. First time here."
Madeleine Chevalier:
"Oh, I have no doubt you're right. I've just been busy, and it's easy to get lost about when you're supposed to be sleeping and awake, sometimes." When you're not staying in one time zone for even a full day at a time, she doesn't say. "Nice to meet you, Daniel. Can I get you anything?"
Anneliese Kiel:
"Fair enough. I am glad I do not have to deal with it personally." Fringe benefits of being a Spring healer and dating another: rarely exhausted. Annie takes another mouthful of her waffles while she waits for Daniel to answer the question.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"I'm good with this, but thank you." He lifted his coffee cup in a small salute. "Very good coffee, by the way."
Madeleine Chevalier:
"Good coffee is important to me. It's what keeps me going some days." Maddy sits down next to Annie and glances at the waffles to figure out which menu item it is. "How's your food?" she asks Annie.
Anneliese Kiel:
"Good, thank you." Maddy is probably familiar enough with the different waffle varieties her diner offers to recognise that these are cobbler, and not bewitched. "We were actually talking about how impressive these are, compared to what diners are more often like."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Don't have it often these days, so it's a plus to find a cup worth having." He took a sip from said cup, watching Maddy as she made herself comfortable.
Madeleine Chevalier:
"I certainly don't run this place like most diners. If I had to, I wouldn't even do it." Maddy makes a disgusted face. "I don't care at all about making money, which helps. I wish we could do away with it completely, but we can't, and I need to charge something because I have to pay my staff well, but at least I don't have to skim the value of their labor to line my own pockets." She blinks at Daniel a couple of times and asks him, "vampire?" It sounds like a guess, not a statement. "Or recovering coffee addict?"
Anneliese Kiel:
"Fair enough. Paying your staff well is definitely worth charging something." Annie smiles slightly, stretching her arms above her head, and oh look, she's doing the cheesy romcom thing where one comes back down around Maddy. Though moving slowly enough for the mage to get out of the way if she isn't interested.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Have to applaud you for that. I do my best to make sure the people that work for me get what they're due as well." He smirked as Annie went for the tried and true 'accidental' hug but said nothing on it for the moment. "Former, although previously the latter. Lot of around-the-clock work under my previous patron, as it were."
Madeleine Chevalier:
Maddy figures out what's going on half way through what Annie is doing and slowly turns to look at Annie with a puzzled expression, like she can't believe someone is doing this in real life. At least she looks amused by it, not offended by it? She also doesn't make an effort to avoid it. "Alright then," she says with a laugh. "That's a new one for me." She's smiling when she asks Daniel, "what kind of work do you?" Evidently him being a vampire doesn't bother her.
Anneliese Kiel:
Annie hesitates briefly at Maddy's puzzled expression, but then commits. She lets Daniel answer the question, though, since it wasn't aimed at her.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Clothing design. I have four others that work with me at the moment, along with my sister who handles more of the day-to-day logistics."
Madeleine Chevalier:
"Oh," Maddy says with a brief mental re-adjustment, since whatevers he might have guessed it wasn't that Daniel was a fashion designer. Maybe she didn't guess anything at all. "I hope my total lack of regular aesthetic doesn't end up bothering you too much, says the lady who showed up in her pee-jays." She glances at Annie and then scoots a little closer as she pours some of her tea, which is probably a little over-steeped now.
Anneliese Kiel:
"They are very cute, though," Annie feels compelled to point out. "I would love to have a cat, but the lease on the apartment does not allow for pets." She takes a sip of her water, then leans into Maddy slightly. "What made you decide to get into that?"
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Not at all, no. It's your place, after all." He replied with a small smile. "My great-grandmother was a seamstress and she wanted to pass those skills on. My older brother wasn't interested but I took to it, found I liked it and ultimately decided to make a career out of it."
Madeleine Chevalier:
"I have a cat at my cabin, but it just kind of decided to show up one day, and I feed it," Maddy says with a slight lean toward Annie. "I think I'm hers more than she's mine. I wish she didn't harm the wildlife, but what can you do? She is fixed, so at least she's not going to reproduce and make more strays that eat songbirds. Do you have examples of your work, Daniel? On your phone or anything?" A sip of tea.
Anneliese Kiel:
"Short of managing to convince her to become an inside cat, nothing, I suppose." Annie shrugs the shoulder Maddy is not leaning against. "If she is fixed then the problem will likely solve itself in time, though."
Daniel Hawthorne:
"I do." He took his phone from his pocket and pulled up the page for the studio, revealing the variety of men's and women's styles that they produced, all high-end and handmade. "Been active here in Philadelphia for about six years, and in Boston two years before that."
Madeleine Chevalier:
"I don't think she'd like that much, and I can't blame her. Who wants to be a prisoner, when you're used to a life of being free?" Maddy reaches out to accept the phone if Daniel passes it over, but she doesn't try to take it. "I don't know much about fashion," she admits. "My tastes are what you might call 'eclectic', meaning I usually go to thrift stores and buy on whim."
Anneliese Kiel:
"Not me, that is for sure," Annie shudders. "I do the same, honestly, but a lot of that is just being a student working a service industry job." She really needs to get a Darkling to teach her Light-Shy.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"I do that myself, even if it's just for accent pieces for my own work. It's surprising what folks will give away after wearing it once or twice." He offered the phone for the ladies to look over if they so wished. "There's one on [insert street for Atalo's place here] that I go by pretty regularly."
Madeleine Chevalier:
"I'm a dropout in the service industry," Maddy says, and she laughs. "And being a technodruid doesn't pay very well, it turns out. There's not much of a market for us in this economy." She looks through the phone for a few minutes. "This is really good stuff. Probably out of my price range, but so is Old Navy half the time." She offers the phone back. "I should get going, actually. I stopped in to get tea, since my stash at home is out, but I need to go take a shower and get some things done, now that I slept all day."
Anneliese Kiel:
"I honestly do not know enough about modern fabrics to tell what is and is not good quality, but I like the styles, at least," Annie says, smiling slightly, before glancing at Maddy. "I will see you around, then? I should probably get going myself. Work on essays and whatnot." Beat. "Unless you would like company in that shower?" Not being shot down has clearly made the Nymph bold.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Thank you." He smiled, a note of pride clear in his bearing as he took the phone back. "It was good meeting you; will definitely be back by."
The rather bold shot from Annie made him pause, smirking a touch as he looked towards Maddy to see where it landed...
Madeleine Chevalier:
Maddy answers the bold question with a laugh, but at least it's a delighted one. "Aren't you confident?" she asks. "It I didn't genuinely have some things I need to go do I might have said yes, but I'm going to be making it a quickie already." Given the wink, the choice of words was probably intentional. "Sorry to disappoint. Nice meeting you, Daniel. I hope to see you again." She slides out of the booth and grabs her tea-stuff, to bus her own dishes. "Good night both of you."
Anneliese Kiel:
"You miss all the shots you do not take," Annie offers, returning the wink, before sliding out of the booth herself, helping Maddy stack the dishes to be bussed before she goes.
Daniel Hawthorne:
"Nice try, at least..." Daniel replied with a small smile, lifting his coffee cup in a small salute. "See you around, I imagine."
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