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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2019 23:45:13 GMT -6
Another quiet morning in Satan City to be had, at least as far as May had been aware. Chaos in this town usually didn't wait until breakfast was finished before rearing its ugly head it would seem. Though for the past two weeks it felt unnervingly quiet. Though here it was almost noon, and not a peep of those with malicious intent. May stood behind the bar of the coffee shop she had found employment with, cleaning a set of small glasses. It was just a simple part of the morning shift she had taken up as routine, after confirming interest to Mr. Sheng regarding the job offering she had been offered. Not exactly a dream job, but it was putting tip money in her pockets. She felt the closer she kept her ear to the ground, the more clues regarding Liu’s associates would turn up. He might have probably cut ties with the dangerous group, but May had a hunch that those kind of people weren’t the type to simply leave things cut and dry. The leader, that flamboyant pimp, was sure not to leave the vengeance box unchecked for his new year resolution. The best idea she had to go off of, instead of wandering aimlessly looking like some buffoon tourist. It gave her a much better use of her time than baby sitting her newest acquaintance.
The newcomer Oliver was a nice kid, but May found herself admitting she could only handle so much time with him on any given day. Perhaps it was how unaccustomed to city life he seemed? Perhaps it was his inexperience, lack of spent time among people different than woodland villagers like himself? She had never been to Jingle Village, but the way he described his stories, it sounded like a backwater place in the middle of nowhere. Though May feared she might've been too strict with him when she mentioned it, as she had yet to see him since earlier that morning. She cast a glance out the window, wondering where the young man had wandered off to today. May guessed he would rather explore the town, rather than stay cooped up here with the likes of her. The girl would let out a sigh as she finished the last of the glasses, moving on to start another brew for any potential customers that might come in. As of this time she had not seen Terryn, or Liu, for over a week. She hoped the Captain was having some luck with whatever had been ailing him, and at the very least that he was keeping out of trouble.
She found herself thinking back to the night she met Terryn, reflecting on how standoffish she had been when first he spoke to her. It wasn’t by any means how she imagined meeting him, in fact her ideals were more akin to silly fantasies more obnoxious than plausible reality. He didn’t exactly look much like the posters that had found shelter in her school locker, in fact he looked rather worse now that she thought back on it. Whatever the ailment was that afflicted him, the idea was starting to concern May more than she wanted it to. It wasn’t like her to dwell on the safety of others so much like this, though when it came to the captain, May was finding it a tad hard not to. Water continued to boil amongst the radio’s chatter in the background. All the while she stared out the window to a brilliant sky, the amber of her eyes illuminated by the rays of the sun creeping in the window. The sight uplifted her spirits if only slightly, her thoughts wandering aimlessly in a daydream over the events before the holidays. She should have said something to him.
Sit around, and hear your stories, wishing I were somewhere else. How I wish I could find the words to save this...
”I should have said something…” A sigh to follow, nothing more. Her thoughts shifted focus upon the events over the past several days, as the sound of a man talking over the radio could be heard. Helping show Oliver around the city, she didn't have a chance to catch herself up on the happenings. All that time spent playing tour guide had really kept her out of the loop with what was going on. The usual news, nothing ever good, which was something that she had come to expect as part of the routine. Mr. Sheng had advised her not to dwell too much on it, but she couldn't help feeling disheartened. With all the efforts that benevolent people like the Pride Troopers, and the SCPD continued to make on a daily basis, she wondered why things didn't seem to be getting better in town. "Guess we should be lucky the holidays were quiet," she mused out loud to herself, taking the kettle of boiling water off the hot stove. News regarding the pair of recently deceased security guards then came on the radio, the voice proclaiming there to be no developments regarding the identity of those responsible.
"Tch- go figure. New year, same old shit," she would state wryly, casting a disapproving look to the small talking box on the shelf. Returning her attention to her duties, she poured the hot water through the filter. The familiar gurgle would fill the machine, and within a minute the brown drips would begin to fill the glass pot below. May would lean back against the inside of the bar, eyes closing with a sigh, listening to the sound of the coffee being made. The audio of the man talking had ceased entirely, and gone on without her notice for a few minutes, until she finally realized what had happened. Opening her eyes to give the talking box a curious look, finding that it was still on, but nothing was coming out of the speaker. "What in the world?" she'd ask herself out loud. May would walk over to the radio, and pat it lightly with a hand in hopes to fix the reception. Static followed, before the broadcast would return shortly after.
May would cast the radio another disapproving look, concluding that Sheng needed a replacement of some kind the near future. Maybe she would head down to the old pawn shop off Satan Boulevard later to look for one. The report carried on to another story, possibly the more bigger and excessively covered one regarding the recently elected President. ”…whom will be sworn into office later this month…” She didn’t really care, nor pay much attention. May had chosen not to vote, finding that neither candidate was really in it for the people, which adequately met her expectations of politics. Shaking her head with disapproval over the news’ ability to cover what she felt was actual news, May tossed the dirtied rag in her hand onto the counter. The bell above the door would chime almost on cue, prompting the disgruntled girl to force a professional smile for the entering customer. Embarrassment vaguely evident in the tone of her voice.
”Hey, welcome to Bean of the Brew…”
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Post by Tebooleh on Jan 3, 2019 12:38:33 GMT -6
Tebooleh had been feeling rather strange all day by the time he walked into the coffee shop. For starters, he wasn't wearing his usual robes (thawbs) or the clothing he would wear underneath. Instead, he was wearing more "cultured" and "modern" clothes. An A-shirt underneath a grey, hooded sweatshirt (which he kept only partially zipped), and a pair of blue jeans. On his feet were some old sneakers that had been picked up at a thrift store. They squeaked whenever he walked on a smooth floor. He also felt like the pants were far too tight on his legs, and the whole outfit had almost no pockets or space for his things. But the outfit was a gift from the people that were hosting him while he stayed in the city, the son of an old friend of his father's and his family. They had insisted that it was how all the young men were dressed and that he had to "blend in" while he was there. Despite the fact that they were mostly right, he still felt ridiculous wearing the whole get-up. Yet he dared not refuse a gift given earnestly by a man that had taken him into his house as a guest "for as long as he needed".
Besides, it did help him blend in a bit when he walked around. And if he felt that people were staring too much at his third eye, he could pull the hood over his face. Though people still sometimes stared at him while walking around. Was it the beard? He'd tried to keep it trimmed short and combed neatly. Same with the mustache attached to it. It couldn't have been his clothing or his complexion. He'd seen plenty of people wearing the same outfits and plenty of men and women with olive-skin. Perhaps it was something with his jaw shape, though he'd always thought it was a rather strong jaw. His nose had a bit of a bend that showed it was once broken, but he felt that wasn't anything to gape about. Perhaps it was just obvious that he was a newcomer to the big city.
He also probably made it obvious as he gaped and stared at everything around him. He was used to small towns with a few shops and just enough people to keep themselves going. What he was not used to was being fully downtown in a big city during the day time. There were so many people walking around that he had to constantly keep an eye on where he was going. Otherwise he would bump into everyone, or get unwittingly swept up by the flow of foot traffic. Cars and flyers, both of which were rare and treasured possessions near where he lived, were all over and took up most of the air and road space. There had only been one television in his whole village, and it was only used for educational purposes. Yet in Satan City there were stores that had dozens of the things in their front windows, constantly broadcasting shows and films that Tebooleh had never watched. It was all so noisy and loud and fast!
Which is why, after ducking into a coffee-shop, Tebooleh took a moment to simply savor the peace and calm. He closed his eyes... then took a quick whiff of the air. The scent of fresh, hot coffee filled his nostrils, and he sighed as he smelled it. Then he opened his eyes, while his face settled into a "neutral look". For him, that was a furrowed brow and a tight little frown as he gave a glance to the menu, and then to the smiling cashier. Her smile was false and clearly an act, so he didn't return it. He also felt her power from across the room. She had a level of strength that was very rare among humans like themselves. He wanted to ask who had taught her, who had raised her to such a level. But he felt that would be impolite for his first time meeting the local coffee shop runner. He settled on a simple, quick reply.
"Hello."
While brewers and shop workers back home were more than willing to engage in conversation... He knew that had to wait until after the coffee was first ordered and served. He also did his best not to stare. The woman was pretty enough that she probably got enough of them. And more would just make her uncomfortable. He did his best to parse out the menu as he walked up to the counter. *Click-squeak, click-squeak, click-squeak, click-squeak* His sneakers made that annoying sound with every step as he approached. It only stopped when he finally arrived and began to rummage through one of the few proper pockets that he had (that being a zippable one on the side of his hoodie). All three of his eyes turned back towards the shop owner as he leaned in a tad, to show that he trusted her to make the coffee properly.
What constituted as proper personal space back home was, however, far different from what was considered a proper distance here. And the reasons why you would get close to someone were different. So despite his best efforts, leaning in close so that he was almost over the counter probably wasn't going to make anyone more comfortable. Especially with his furrowed brow and curt tone.
"I will take one small coffee. "Local brew". Black."
After he spoke, he put the zeni he'd been counting onto the counter. He'd done his best to calculate for exact price and sales tax on his way over. So the change should have been exact. Same with the small tip that he also deposited in the jar that was labelled for it. He thanked his lucky stars that his host had told him about what that jar was for before he made a fool of himself.
Then he turned and walked off with the same calm, measured step. So that he could get out of the way of whatever line might form behind him. And so he could find a table, preferably with a game board or a book provided. So he would have something to do while he killed some time in this small shop.
Tebooleh's Thread PL: 10,000
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Post by Carro Hofferson on Jan 3, 2019 22:38:33 GMT -6
HEREAFTER
CARRO'S PL: 50 | LEO'S PL: 78,000 (CAN BE SENSED)
Carro wiped his nose. He wasn't getting a cold, was he? Even LEO seemed a bit startled when the president let out a loud sneeze. Someone wasn't talking smack about him, were they?! Usually he was the rational one out of his friends, but even Carro found that old superstition with the whole "sneezing means someone was talking about you" coming to mind. It was probably just his paranoia, though, with the plausibility that a particular Majin was stalking him. He double checked to make sure his backpack was zipped tight, as to not reveal the signature orange shine of the five Dragon Balls inside.
"Alright, let's go down the list..." Carro opened his phone, tightening the scarf around his face and pulling on his hood. "Ledinjin and Thaw's situations? Check." He scrolled down a list on his phone. LEO just huffed again, flicking her tail. Some of the workers around the gas station Carro parked his mech at were staring in a mixture of awe and fear at the giant robot, but Carro paid no mind. "We got some good info from Nashua about the Kingdom, but I still think we should get in touch with the actual leaders..." There was a lot the President had to do, to say the least. "We've got to do more research to find a cure to Terryn's ailment, figure out when Sulfur's family is coming, annnnd take care of you-know-who so he doesn't get the you-know-whats."
"Let's just finish refueling. I'll get some coffee for me so I can stay conscious, and then we'll go update Chime." LEO just rolled her eyes, gesturing with a claw to the two fuel pumps plugged into her side. The gas price alone was going to be horrible, but the time it'd take to fill up the colossal mech was even worse with his tight schedule and matters of life or death.
"...Yeah, you're right, this'll be a bit. I'll go get some coffee, you can finish up here so we can kill two birds with one stone. Cool?" Another unamused glare from LEO was his only response. "Hey, you're the one with the appetite, missy." Carro backed away from the feline, never taking his eyes off her until he was on the other side of the street. With one more "I'm watching you" gesture, he turned his back and headed turned around a corner.
Thankfully, there was a shop close by. It was fairly small place, the smell of fresh coffee attracting the President from a block away. Still with his parka's hood hiding his giveaway orange hairdo to avoid attention about his new position, the small saiyan pried open the door, peeking inside. Slow day, it looked like. After closing the door behind him, Carro turned and rose a brow to see someone leaning a little too close to the shopkeeper, but he was quick to back off after making his order. He shrugged it off though- Carro had seen much stranger.
"I'll, uh, have a medium iced cappuccino, please and thank you. Keep the change!" Carro would ring as soon as the vendor was ready to take his order as well. The vertically challenged adult had to stand on his tip-toes to fully raise his head over the counter when speaking to slide his payment over, much to his frustration. Any day now, he'd be getting that growth spurt...
If there was nothing else left between his exchange with the human behind the counter, the parka-wearing saiyan offer a quick wave before taking a seat at a smaller table near a window. If he looked really closely, Carro could just barely see LEO's orange, domed head over the buildings. It was good to see she wasn't causing trouble...
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2019 20:57:10 GMT -6
The first person through the door was revealed to be a tri-clops, and one that certainly wasn’t convinced by the girl’s less than chipper greeting; a simple “hi” offered in return, nothing more. It wasn’t really anything that could manage to get under her skin, as May simply rolled her eyes, turning back to the boiling kettle at the sound of another chime at the door. Two customers or more if it was a crowd, a little odd considering it was almost lunch. The girl with the verde locks would flip the switch on the burner, and went to return focus to the rest of the shop. Though as May turned about, she was confronted with the most uncomfortable invasion of personal space, leaning back away from the first customer as he placed his order. She couldn’t help raising a brow at this, eyeing Tebooleh incredulously as she gave a less than comfortable nod in agreement.
”O-ok?” she managed before he retreated to a seat across the lobby. As May went to scribble down the order, as if there were any need, a voice came from the next person in line. ”Iced capp?” she repeated for clarification, minimizing her reaction to an order that otherwise would have warranted a scoff. The customer, while polite and evidently height challenged, was rather generous with the change which found its way into the tip jar. May scribbled down the order, despite what basic chemistry told her how awful of a drink for the kid it was. For starters, she knew hot, delicate milk foam and ice physically could not occupy the same space for more than a couple of seconds. As ice floats to the top of a cup, the only space where milk foam can exist relatively independently of the drink’s various layers, the two ingredients are immediately at odds with one another. She didn’t get a glimpse of his face, but something told May his parents wouldn’t be pleased over so much caffeine. Then again, it really wasn’t her problem to care about.
Despite the indulgence of the visiting customers, no one else had come through the door to capitalize on the slow day. Thus May used the opportunity to jump on the two orders as quickly, but efficiently as she could have managed under her grandfather’s tutelage. The simple cup of local brew was effortless, and soon found its way onto the counter in a mere matter of minutes. As expected the cappuccino’s temperature deviation between the two ingredients would break down both the fine lattice of dairy protein and air that comprised the foam, melting the ice, forming a displeasing layer of melted water that would be unable to properly reintegrate with the rest of the drink. The resulting layer was visually displeasing, though with any luck it did not taste as it looked: crafted by an amateur. After it was finished, capped with a plastic lid, and given a straw, May would grimace over her careful handiwork before setting it on the counter next to the local brew.
The girl took a deep breath, popped a piece of bubblegum, and began to tidy up the workstation in preparation for any more customers. The radio chattered on indistinctly, the reporter referring to a lack of updates regarding a situation out in Ginger Town of all places. Figuring it best to leave the pair be, May would try to focus on her tasks in silence best accommodating of her customers.
Tebooleh Carro Hofferson |
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Post by Tebooleh on Jan 7, 2019 2:44:03 GMT -6
Tebooleh stared out of the window that was next to his chosen table. He took a good sniff of the air as the coffee brewed. The smell brought back memories of his youth, visiting the village coffee-house with his father. There were always many elders there, spending their old age in leisure to smoke, drink coffee and tea, and play board games. Sometimes, they would deign to impart wisdom on the few children that had the patience to sit and listen. The young man had always tried to be one of them whenever he had the free time. While the rather short... child? Man? Person. While the short person in the parka made his order, Tebooleh just sat and listened in to the radio. Before the news of Ginger Town came on, there was a little instrumental interlude between segments. As it played, the tri-clops closed his eyes and listened to the flow and beat of the music. Ever so quietly, he began to hum and sing along with it. Rather than try to match the notes, however, he tried to harmonize with the simple little song. There were no words, just sounds that blended into the melody to make something just a bit more complex. The song really only last a minute or so, since it was meant to be a time-filler. However, the olive-skinned man didn't realize it had ended until a few moments after the fact. His singing continued without any accompaniment into the introductions from the current segment's voice. He silenced himself quickly after that, while secretly hoping that neither of the strangers had heard him. He dared not meet their gaze. Instead, he just kept furrowing his brow and studying the outside. He could have sworn he saw a big orange dome with triangular bits on top peeking from behind a building... But then he heard the clacking of a cup upon the counter. By the time he turned away from his finished order and back to the window, the dome was gone. He narrowed all three of his eyes at the spot. A few days ago, he might have just chalked it up to his imagination. But he had just encountered a creature that could hide its energy from his senses. It wasn't so ridiculous to believe that more might be out there, waiting. He resolved to keep his senses peeled for any sudden deaths or drops of energy, while turning to go and pick up his order. Once more, his sneakers squeaked and clacked against the floor in that slow, even rhythm. And once more he leaned in over the counter towards May. With all three eyes staring, all three of his thick eyebrows down, and his face too close for comfort. At least he'd brushed his teeth that morning. And perhaps May had the advantage of being a bit farther from him " Thank you." He threw some extra Zeni in the tip-jar, then turned. Once there, he situated himself comfortably... ever so slowly lifted the cup to his lips... and blew. After a few puffs of air, he took a quick sip and swallowed down the coffee. He smacked his lips, rolled his eyes up to ponder, and stroked his freshly trimmed beard. The tri-clops spoke again once he came to a conclusion. " This is good coffee." He did not say those words as if they were his opinion, or with any amount of enthusiasm. Instead, he spoke them flatly. As if it was a fact that the coffee he had just been served was well-made. Like that the Earth was round or that two plus two equaled four. He also didn't face May or Cappo as he spoke. He just stared out the window some more... But he made sure to speak clearly enough that the compliment to the coffee was heard. He blew over the surface of his drink and took another sip after he finished speaking. Which was perfect timing as the newscaster got to the Ginger Town story. " -still very few updates out of Ginger Town as to the identity of the masked man that destroyed the Goonjahber Group Warehouse in the town's small industrial district. A single video that's been making the rounds has popped up of a man in white robes and a wooden mask rising from inside the building, before blasting it with what appears to be a ki-based attack. This is followed by a brief meeting with a red, insectile alien that rises from out of the the street near the building. The two are believed to be accomplices of some sort, as the surviving workers from the warehouse report that a creature matching the description of the one in the video attacked and killed fellow employees. Both persons are to be considered highly dangerous, and we advise all un-trained citizens to avoid any contact with them. Conservative estimates put their power levels somewhere in the thousands... If anyone has any information, they are requested to call the following hotline, 555-" " Lies..." Tebooleh hissed, to nobody in particular, when the voice on the radio described "the masked man" and the monster as working together. Inwardly, he was thankful that he had left his tawb back at the home of his father's friend. He was also somewhat thankful that he didn't have the mask on him. It would make hiding away easier. @mayze Carro Hofferson |
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