11464/Just another ordinary day

Just another ordinary day
Date of Scene:	11 May 2020
Location:	Salem Center, Westchester County
Synopsis:	Kitty and Shannon go out for coffee. People are still jerks in public. Jeremy makes his appearance. Kind of.
Cast of Characters:	SpyderByte, Shadowcat, Nightingale

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SpyderByte has posed:
It's a beautiful May morning in Salem with a crisp temperature that will at some point rise into the seventies. Birds are chirping. The sun is out. Sky is blue and filtered with just a touch of clouds in the sky. As usual, life is busy as people go about their lives, heading to work, checking out stores, or going to school.

Outside City Hall next to one of the coffee shops is two large bright yellow school buses with METROPOLIS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT written across in bold black letters. It appears that a field trip is currently going on. Being that it's early, City Hall isn't open just yet and there is quite a crowd inside the coffee shop, filled with students of all shapes and sizes eating breakfast, drinking coffee or just chatting to each other.

With any type of school situation, you have your cliques. The Jocks. The Goths. The popular Cheerleaders. The Nerds. The Geeks.

Then there is Jeremy. He's sitting at a table by himself in front of a sleek black laptop. He's hunched over the green LED keys, staring at the screen. He's dressed in a black shirt and a pair of jeans, worn sneakers. His hair is shaggy and a solid black that drips over his face with hints of brown at the roots.

As everyone engages in social behavior, no one pays him much attention, or any mind. Not even the teachers. They probably forgot he was even on the bus to be honest. He doesn't even have a coffee, or a sandwich next to him. Just a cup of water.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pride is doing her own field trip, what with recent events. This involves her setting out strict rules for escorting students off campus. Or.Student in this case and she's asked for additional pairs of hands. Still, she's taking this very seriously as she looks around Salem Center. She's even got her hat on, the winged, tail twitching one mind as Kitty waits to cross the street by Jeremy and the school buses.

Nightingale has posed:
     Where there was shopping, there was the need for fuel. And where there was a coffee shop, there was fuel both potable and edible to be had. And where there was coffee, there were likely to be two ladies on a mission. Or at least one on a mission. How thrilled the other was to be along for the ride was perhaps up for debate.

     One of said ladies, an angel-winged teen, was caught in the crush at the back of the coffee shop. The buses outside must surely be somehow related to the fictional TARDIS, she mused, to have held so many inside each. She's dressed in light blue jeans, a pale blue silk tunic top with 3/4 length sleeves, white wedge sandals, and a little brown leather bag tied at her belt. Her long, pale gold hair is loose and flowing down her back, with one solitary ice blue braid dangling on the left side of her face, with its characteristic three silver beads on the end.

     She turns to glance at Kitty, and pinches the bridge of her nose. "If you fed him dairy," she mutters, "He's gonna clear the place out."

SpyderByte has posed:
The poor baristas look to be overwhelmed as they continue to work through each order and try to accomodate each request. Some of these Metropolis kids have some complicated orders. No one wants a straight black coffee. No. Everything has to be a skinny non-fat double whip quad shot almond milk no sprinkles, etc, etc. It's exhasuting.

Through the rumble of different conversations, someone from the Jock table finally catches sight of the two new comers. One that is wearing a weird snake with wings for a hat, and the other girl 'with' wings. The conversation shifts almost immediately as eyes across the room are drawn to them, staring. Some are lifting up phones to snatch a few photos.

"Like... Oh. My. Gawd. Becky. Look at her wings. Like.. /wow/." One of the preppy girls drawls out with a bit of a snotty tone. "Pff. Mutants. She looks like a chicken. Also, what the fuck is that /thing/? You can't put that thing in a cute sweater."

"Riiiight? At least my poodle is super adorbs. Oh! Did you see that pic I put on Insta last night of him? He is wearing a croooown!"

Jeremy continues to stare at his computer, intense, eyes narrowed and focused as the conversations around the room hum and buzz.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty wants to ruin those phones as she waits by Shannon with a groan, watching them all and isn't okay with the squealing over everyone. Nope. Nope. Instead. She's focusing on that delicious coffee and shuffles forward a bit. "Not a bad idea given how bratty people act" Kitty muttters to Shannon, "I mean, can you believe they're squealing over us? I asked Mr Howlett to come along with us however but....but....." Kity trails off, she's silently praying Wolverine behaves if he does show up and not get angry and shred folks. Phones. Not folks, but Kitty wants coffee right now, as she adjusts her jacket and zips it up a little more, watching the line then tirning her head to talk to Shannon.

"So what're you going to order? Please tell me itt's something more than chickory coffee or it has almonds, right?" she inquires.

Nightingale has posed:
     Anti-mutant talk was nothing new to Shannon. As long as it was just talk, she had no problem letting it simply roll off her back. Her only reaction was to simply smile at the snooty preppy girl, and incline her head in a nod of greeting. Let them look at her wings. She really didn't care. Who knows, maybe they'd see not all mutants were out for a fight. She wasn't out for confrontation--just some coffee and shopping.

     The line is long, but at least when it comes to her turn at the counter, her order is simple. "Chicory cafe au lait please, miss, and if there's any beignets that'd be wonderful." Service professions were thankless ones, especially in a crush like this one. What could it hurt to be nice?

     Kitty's remark about Lockheed had her giggling softly behind her hand. "I could slip him some creamer and watch the mayhem, you know." Wait. Logan, in a coffee shop? With snooty kids disparaging one of his charges? Yeah. That was a recipe for trouble.

     Let the games begin.

SpyderByte has posed:
"Hey baby! Did it hurt? When you fell from heaven!?" One of the football players call out with a laugh, then high fives his buddy with a loud palm on palm slap. That was a solid one! BAM! "Niiiiice. That one stung bro. Woo!" He picks up his coffee and gives it a long chug.

There's a round of laughter from the group before they go back to their buzz and conversation. Of course, having an obvious mutant in the shop, maybe two, is going to dominate the topics at hand. There is continued glances their way, followed by another round of pictures being taken.

"I'm gonna photoshop that bitch with batwings. Or maybe a rooster." One girl says with a smirk as she glances down at her phone, then tilts her head. "The fuck? Where did all my pictures go? Like.. I had.. like thirty thousand pictures. They're gone! OH, shit."

"Huh. Mine too. They're all gone. Are you using a Samsung?"

"No, I have an Apple."

"Apple fucking sucks!" Another guy calls out as he launches his own photo app. "YO, mine is gone too!"

Jeremy quietly tucks his own phone off to the side next to his computer, though he only glances now and then towards the commotion. He is hunched down, invisible to the room. One by one it seems that everyone in the room has suddenly lost their photo galleries. Except Shannon and Kitty if they were to look.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty called it, chickory coffee. Score one for the guiding hand for the school. She's not caring her photos are possibly gone. Nah she uses phones for, and this is a novel idea. Calls!

Kitty checks her phone and photos, nope, hers are safe as she settles her phone back into her jacket. Having ordered, Kitty looks pleased with her coffee and smiles to Shannon.

"Beignets. You're sharing, right?" she asks giving the snooty kids a look, but it being more of a look over everything. She could really go for a beignet right now...

Oh yeah and a spot to sit. Shee could say something to the kids but...they're already trying to work out what's up with their phones. Kitty's not caring. She's got coffee and mord more important things to worry about.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon's lips curl upwards in something akin to a smirk as the hubbub about the technical snafu buzzes about amidst the patrons of the coffee shop. She does take a quick moment to check her phone, though, and lets out a sigh of relief. It is returned to her little black bag with no fanfare. While she's waiting for her order, she glances about the room, pale azure eyes taking in each and every single person in the room.

     And only one seemed to be unaffected by the case of the mysterious vanishing photos--Jeremy, hunched over in his corner, in a bid for invisibility. She lofts one brow and almost grins at him, dipping her head almost imperceptibly by way of thanks. Yeah, she'd seen this sort of stunt before.

     It's the sort of thing Bean would have pulled.

     Bean, a technopath.

     Wait. No way. Could this kid be...?

     Kitty's query distracts her, however, and she grins openly at her. "Of course, beignets are made for sharing. But first..."

     Oh, she could be evil. Positively evil. While waiting for her order, she gets her phone out again and sets it up for a selfie--making sure to include the snooty preppy kids at their table in her shot.

     Oh, my.

SpyderByte has posed:
As Shannon lifts her phone upwards to take a shot, a message pings across her screen: << Don't do it. Blonde girl's father has political pull. Very rich. Personal lawyer to DA. It's not worth it. Pretend your stuff is missing. They may think you are to blame. It's better to be a sheep than a wolf in this moment. >>

Jeremy is still hunched in front of his laptop, his eyes glazed over and staring at the flickering images on the screen that reflects in his glasses. He doesn't move much, just a shift now and again in his chair. That is until he pulls a hood over his head from his jacket, then leans down to rest his chin across his arms.

As the girls continue to stare at their phones and tap away furiously, one of them, a brunette, bursts into tears. She is sobbing about how she lost photos of her mother who passed away last year. Another of the jocks slams his phone down on the table, cracking the screen. The emotions are running hot right now. Teenagers.

"Class! It's time to go!" One of the teachers steps into the room, his voice loud and commanding attention. "City Hall is open and our tour guides are waiting! Get your stuff!"

There is a rumble amonst the group as they begin to shuffle upwards to their feet, grabbing jackets and backpacks, heading for the door. A couple start to shoot glances over towards Shannon and Kitty.

Jeremy is slow to move as he finally lurches to his feet, taking his time to close the lid to his laptop and slide it into a bag. He is a skinny thing. A twig that can snap in half if you just breathe on him wrong. He keeps his eyes down at all times, submissive, staring at the table, his feet, the floor.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty looks around with a puzzled look and is just waiting on her order. The joy of simple orders? They are quick, easy and oh yeah, they are simple too, none of this throw a dozen darts at the menu, roll a few dice to work out how manyy drinks you order, sacrifice a stuffed goat to the gods of Starbucks and caffeine while dancing around in underwear malarkey for Kitty. Just....straight black coffee, waiting for that.

She shakes her head at Shannon. "I swear, every time I go outside of my room, weird things happen" Kitty mutters and looks around, giving a friendly nod to Jeremy, to her, he's just another customer, probably been typing up a term paper or...or something?

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon only gives a very subtle nod, and a heavy sigh. "Damn. Lost those photos of my folks from New Year's!" Her phone is put away into her little brown bag and sealed away. Yeah, now she was pretty sure that kid was a technopath. That was /exactly/ the sort of thing Bean had pulled, on more than a few occasions.

     She can't ignore the girl in tears, however, her own eyes misting over as she listens. She gives up her place in line, approaching quietly. "I'm sorry to hear about your mother, miss." She offers the young brunette a tissue, and a light smile where she can. "She must have been a very special lady. Sounds like you love her a lot."

     A brief glance is offered in Jeremy's general direction, a plaintive look. Surely this girl's memories of her mother might somehow be preserved? Kitty is given a distinct 'no kidding' sort of look by way of reply.

SpyderByte has posed:
As he shuffles along with the rest of the group, Jeremy doesn't spare a glance over towards Kitty and Shannon. Not once. He is just keeping his head down low, watching his feet as he moves. His backpack hangs low down along one shoulder, one shoe untied with broken laces.

The crying girl lets out a loud snarl towards Shannon, her eyes blazing angrily. "What-ever. Like you fucking care, you /freak/. I bet you did it!" Her mascara is running down her face, eyes red, her voice raw.

One of her friend's grabs her arm and gives her a tug. "Come on, don't talk to it. She may blow the place up and kill us all. It's what they do after all."

"Hurry up, Statton!" One of the jocks gives Jeremy a push from behind, sending him stumbling forward quickly a few steps as his shoulder crashes against the cashier counter, causing him to wince. His head ducks quickly, fear flickering in his eyes as he picks up the pace and makes his way quicker out the door. "If you start crying, I'll break your arm again. Remember last year?"

It seems that Jeremy definitely remembers last year as he steps outside and wheels to the left away from the crowd, watching the others pass him by so that he can take the rear.

By now, the girls has walked away from Shannon, nose up in the air as one tries to console the other. "Like, you can totally take new pictures you know. You can take them of my mom."

Sniffle. "I guess."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon sighs lightly, stepping back away from the girls. She had done all she could do. If they could not see past the ends of their own turned-up noses, she was not going to raise a ruckus over it. The jock, however, gets a very cold look from the winged teen, and she shakes her head.

     That was one break she would not mind healing one bit, if she ever got wind of it.

     Turning to Kitty, she mutters softly, "I hate bullies." She runs her fingers through her hair, and sighs deeply. The mystery message on her phone had spoken more than the words on the screen--/Choose your battles/, it seemed to say.

     This was neither the time nor the place to fight this particular battle.