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"... Hold on a sec, I didn't order a latte...?" Colby lightly poked the coffee cup, tossing the server an apologetic smile. The girl puffed her cheeks out in a flustered manner, checked the receipt before apologising a little too much and getting to work preparing the boy's correct order; Clearly she was new, and the early evening rush of post work and school customers was testing her freshly taken in training. As she hurriedly completed the drink Colby's gaze drifted across the small coffee shop, a throng of customers and conversations, the warming beverages a small reprieve from the winter outside. His eyeline however paused on the figure of a woman he was certain he recognised, sat alone, her head bowed and seemingly purposefully avoiding eye contact with anyone who passed by. Colby immediately turned away from her, again facing the counter as a rush of unease swept him. He knew her. Well, more he had been in her presence the once, but that one time had been quite illegal. He was certain she was the one who'd signed up first, who'd been so desperately eager to join their secret fold with shaking hands. What if she recognised him? Told his Dad, told Luxanna...? He furrowed his brow. Again, that seemed unlikely. What benefit was it for her to rat him out? The entire operation would have to shut down, and she seemed so strangely desperate to join... She didn't fit the usual burly guys trying to prove themselves, nor did she act like she was particularity confident... If he remembered correctly, she practically sank into the background of that meeting, as though she wanted to be as invisible as much as he had.
The young boy was taken from his thoughts by the placement of another cup in his line of vision, and a further apology from the coffee clerk. "... I still didn't order the latte though," He smiled brightly, only to have both drinks pushed towards him, the first mistake a means of apology. Well, it was a free drink. With a nod of thanks Colby took both, now turning to face the heavily occupied shop. There was little seating to begin with, and the rush had taken all save for one; And that was directly opposite and sharing a table with Miss.Mystery. For a moment, he considered leaving, taking both cups with him rather then risk her finding out exactly who he was; But instead, he paused, watching her. Why HAD she signed up? ... They'd likely be fighting each other at some point anyway... So, surely it made sense to build bridges? He took a deep breath, and dodging round tables, made his way over to the window table where she was sat. "... Um, hey," Colby grinned, holding up both cups. "SO. There's only one seat free, and I come baring means of payment for said seat. Server made my drink wrong, do you like lattes?"
Gwin Cooper
SOME OF THEM WANT TO USE YOU, SOME OF THEM WANT TO ABUSE YOU
Gwin had managed to push other seat seekers away with a simple stare with her blood shot eyes, which held within them a storm of weariness and rage. She was not in the mood to entertain anyone today, especially with the lack of coffee in her system; a drug habit and no job made for a very sparse bank account, and all Gwin could afford that morning was a luke warm tea. She didnt even like tea. But still she bared its bitter flavour, hoping to gain at least an bit of caffine to fuel her tired system.
The girl bowed her head, rubbed her eyes. If her visions got any worse, she wasnt sure what she would do. Weed had lost its use, and did nothing but dulled her headaches. She knew something strong had to work, but she was frightened; hard drugs werent a game, and she knew how fucked up she could be if she went down that path.
She let a stream of air escape her lips, before she was dragged out of her head and back to the real world. It took a moment for her to compute what the boy had said. A latte for a seat. She reckoned she could manage that. Silently she reached out and took the cup, pushed away her tea and gulped down the steaming hot coffee (though she did gasp a little due to its heat). It was only then that she regarded the boy and let her eyes explore his features. He looked familiar...
The woman, eyes bloodshot and bags under them so heavy they were more suitcases, reached out and took the drink without a word. Still, Colby had made his offer perfectly clear, so he assumed the taking of the drink meant he was free to take the seat. He kept a warm smile on his features as he sat down, folding one leg over the other comfortably as he settled in; Although a tad nervously... He was going on his own assumptions here that she'd have no reason to blackmail him if she DID find out what family he heralded from. He kept quiet a moment, taking a small tentative sip of his steaming coffee, waiting for some form of recognition from his companion; Perhaps she didn't remember him? She had been more keeping to herself then the majority of people present... Perhaps he needed to break the ice. "So... I'm going to start with a pretty lame question, but hey, gotta start somewhere, right?" He grinned, tapping his fingers lightly on his still held cup before placing it down on the table. "You come here often?"
It was a basic one, but hopefully it would serve to begin what might become an uneasy conversation. Maybe this wasn't a good idea... But then again, if he intended on throwing a punch her way, he- His train of thought came to an sudden halt at those set of words.
Throwing a punch her way.
A wave of guilt swept him, and his smile dropped, the boy hurriedly taking another sip of coffee; His brows knitting together uneasily as he dropped his eyeline. Remember who this is all for... A few bruises would be worth it if... If it saved Luxanna... On others, or on himself. Although he fully intended to avoid as much physical fighting as he could.
Gwin knew this meeting would end in a conversation; these types of things always did. It was like a shitty movie; two young people, in a cafe, one waiting to spill out his entire life story. Ugh. Gwin wasnt exactly excited about the whole senario which she had already played out several times in her head. She watched him sit though the steam of her coffee and through the weary haze. He really did seem familiar. Gwin tried to rake through her drug and pain distorted memories... WHERE THE FUCK DID SHE KNOW HIM FROM?
She leaned back in her chair, dark hair falling into her pale face, which was swiftly pushed back behind her ear. She gulped down a couple more mouthfuls of the hot coffee, and though it burned, it felt good. Like fire warming her cold insides. What a fucking stupid metaphore.
Gwin watched the boy take a breath, and she braced herself for the oncoming words.
"You come here often?"
Fuck it really was like a cheesy movie scene. But... he did give her coffee. Even she wasnt bitchy enough to deny him some brief words. "Not really. Cant afford it." She mumbled, swallowing some more coffee
Colby was unsure on how tactful he needed to be. Was it better to dance around the whole thing, or to simply come out right and ask? Colby opted at this point to take a moment looking the young woman over; She was pale, and not just skin pale. There was a touch of illness to her complexion, as though she was recently unwell or was becoming so. That overall concept wasn't aided by the heavy dark circles under her eyes, the clear lack of sleep showcased in her gaze. Colby's frown furrowed a touch further; He recalled the manner in which her hands shook as she took hold of that frightful pen, signing it with a slight quiver. If she was unwell, why had she thrown herself into such a violent situation as no doubt they would find themselves in? Perhaps the same reason he was... Desperation. His gaze widened as he reply came, short, to the point, but seemingly califying his assumption. Was there no more option for her then throwing punches for cash?
He remained quiet, his bright, sunny smile now only weakly displaying on his lips as he took a sip of his beverage and processed the small information. "... It is kinda pricey," He mumbled, less to continue the line of conversation and more just to break the silence as he mused on how to proceed. He took another sip, noting how she was swallowing her coffee down as though she didn't know when she was getting another. "... So. You, um. Happen by the Sliverlight?" He chose to go the slightly direct route, hoping bringing up whee they'd signed up would trigger her memory.
Gwin could feel his eyes on her. Or maybe it was paranoia? Who the fuck knew anymore. Cold fingers ran through her thick hair, letting heated air escape through her blocked nose. She hoped he wasnt scutinising her to much; she surely looked awful and gross at this point in time, and she was a rather self-conscience creature.
Silverlight?
Oh. Fuck. Yeah.
Thats where she knew him. Damn. Well, he couldnt exactly snitch could he? He had stuff to loose as well. Silently she put her cup down, though her long, thin fingers still wrapped around it. "Yeah." Was her simple reply, as she sank back into her chair
Although she didn't outright state it, it was fairly obvious by how she slinked back into her chair, her answer again as simple as her previous one had been that it had finally sunk in. Colby smiled wearily at her, before it dropped again, his expression a mixture of concern and unease. What now? She clearly was disenchanted with their conversation, likely wanting nothing more then for Colby to take his leave; And as stubborn as he usually was, he remained seated, lightly tapping his fingers against his cup; The warmth was heating his hands. "Yeah. Me too," He commented softly, again using a quick reply to cut the silence as he considered his options. He finally met her gaze.
"... The latte payment enough for a little talk, or, ya know, do I have to extend to a cake and large coffee?" He asked, managing a gentle grin, before sighing, bringing on hand to his hair and running his hand through it. "Just thought it was better we at least know a little about each other before we..." He trailed off. He still hadn't really considered the physical repercussions of his choice; His Family, of course he'd considered, but the idea of actually getting beat up... He;d been in fights before, just not a organised one. "Look, I don't want to pry, but you don't exactly look well."
Gwin wanted nothing more then for their conversation to be done. How desperate she was to crawl into her bed and bury herself beneath the covers, only comforted by cheap weed and the stirring thoughts of adventuring into more dangerous drug territory. Gwin lifted her gaze to meet his. She let his form shift out of focus, blurring into a vauge figure before her. Maybe it was a poor coping mechanism, but if she didnt want to listen, why would she make an effort to actually look at him?
The offer of more food or drink however did warrent her attention, and he shifted back into focus. Oh a cake. She looked down at her latte, before staring at him with a slightly less stormy gaze. "You can buy me one of those caramel slices and a cappucino. With chocolate sprinkles." She muttered lowly, sitting up a little and resting her elbows on the table.
He mentions that she looked ill. She lowered her head slightly. How did she reply? "I am ill." That seemed good enough
Colby half expected her to hiss some obscene comment at him and tell him to get lost, especially as he attempted to read her expression to guess her answer, the outcome of said assumption not being positive. She certainly looked as though she was going to kick him to the curb. Finally however, her surprising reply came and broke a grin across his lips. "You got it, M'Lady," He replied, perhaps a touch too brightly, but then nerves did that to him. He glanced over towards the short queue up to the counter, about to rise from his chair when caught a further murmured remark. So... She WAS ill. His smile faltered slightly, and he looked back to her with bright blue eyes.
"... Heh... I guessed as much. No offence," He spoke softly, his expression shifting back to one laced with concern. "... Is that why you're doing this?" He felt as though he didn't exactly need to be any more specific then that; She KNEW exactly what he meant. He then held up both hands defensively. "Wait, wait. I know, you need sustenance and a warm beverage before you start spilling the answers to deep questions to a stranger." He moved to stand up, pausing as he glanced back down to her. "My name's..." Again, a further pause; Should he really tell her his name? ... Well, it was unlikely she'd make any connection if he just gave her his first... That surely had to be fine? Knowing his name might get her to open up a little more. "The name's Colby."
Gwin Cooper
SOME OF THEM WANT TO USE YOU, SOME OF THEM WANT TO ABUSE YOU
Well. At least she was getting sustinance out of this conversation. She saw his smile faulter, and she let her dark eyes connect with his. He didnt understand what she meant by ill. She wasnt afflicted any disease. Her power was her sickness, and she was sturggling in everyway to deal with it. She had never spoken about how it affected her, how the nosebleeds, headaches, seizures, visions and pain affected her. Drove her to drugs and anger and a life she didnt want.
"I suppose it is." It was more to fuel her drug habit, but Colby was fairly right. "Im Gwin." She mumbled.
