14605/Early Morning Run Ins

Early Morning Run Ins
Date of Scene:	16 November 2022
Location:	Fontainebleu Antiques, Yonkers
Synopsis:	A story in which Nick and Henri run into each other. Literally.
Cast of Characters:	Phantasm (Drago), Hellequin

---

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Wednesday has a bad rap. It's in the middle of the work week which makes it not quite the ideal time to take a vacation day. But for those who go against the grain when it comes to their errand days and times of rest, Wednesday becomes an ideal time.

This is where we find one Nick Drago. Even before the chaos that has taken hold of his life for over the past year, Nick's work schedule was far from typical. And so are his days off. Wednesday has become his preferred day to knock out the shopping trips and he especially loves the somewhat short lines that happen in the off peak hours of the stores he frequents.

Judging from the bag advertising a certain breakfast place and the cup in his hand, Nick has enjoyed one such short line there recently. But errands are still needing to be done so the musician takes his food on the run.

So to speak. He's walking and taking careful sips of the hot beverage as he goes.

Hellequin has posed:
It's still hours before lunch time, some call it morning, some call it wee hours - all is a matter of perception and sleep habits. For Henri, there are /no/ sleeping habits, unless you consider a cat nap here and there as sleep.

But one of Henri's daily habits, if not sleeping, is eating. And each morning, once he comes back as Henri, the antiquarian steps outside his store to collect his special delivery of the day: real butter croissants imported daily from France. They are so precious to him, that the man waits outside for the delivery to make sure no one dares steal his precious box of French goodies.

There is no saying what could happen to this miscreant. Especially at night.

As he glances around the street to spot the delivery man as soon as he would come close, Henri de Fontainebleau spots another man. One the antiquarian might consider as a possible-to-be friend. The minstrel, Nick Drago. A friend of Willow, who was also instrumental to the rescue of the Frenchman's paramour.

Is it this thought about his love that brings a smile on Henri's face? Or is it that as Nick approaches, the antiquarian positions himself on the sidewalk in a way that will most likely cause a collision with Nick? Yes, the Frenchman has some remaining humor in himself, and startling people is something he loves to do. Even by daytime.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Be there some magic influence from Henri himself or the underlying sense of distraction overcoming Nick this week, Henri's desire to be a wall in Nick's path to progress is soon realized. As the musician takes a moment to take another sip, the subtle movements end up being missed. It is by sheer luck that the musician levels the cup before impact with the other body is made. The avoidance of coffee down the front of Nick's face and shirt is the limit however as the cup ends up getting knocked out of hand, falling towards the ground. "Shit!"

Hellequin has posed:
Right, the smile remains on Henri's face, at least for a moment. He probably miscalculated that Nick would be /that/ oblivious to his surroundings.

"Bien le bonjour, Nick. You might want to improve your environmental awareness at some point," Henri offers, staring at the outcome of his little game. "And shit it is," the Frenchman adds, stepping back as if the spillage was some sort of dangerous chemical, "The thing you were drinking is closer to purine than to coffee. Would you care to have a really good coffee? I just made fresh one."

As he keeps glancing around, Henri finally spots the delivery man - it's always the same, and always on time. The twenty dollars he receives as a tip on delivery might explain why the man tries his best to be punctual with the Frenchman.

Holding the box of croissants as if his life depended on it, Henri waves a hand toward the door to his store.

"You are welcome to partake my humble morning meal, minstrel."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As the cup splashes it's dark black contents on the sidewalk. There is nothing but a series of dark brown droplets highlighted by the white material of the cup to tease the musician of what could have been. Nick gives a disappointed sigh before the voice draws his attention away from the lost drink.

Nick blinks, glancing to the front of the shop. Oh. Right. This is where the shop was.

He looks back to Henri, giving a tired smile. Part of the expression can be blamed upon the Frenchman's earlier behavior, "Morning, Henri. Yes, coffee would be good. Sorry for running into you, it's already been a bit of a week."

Nick stoops down, loaded down backpack shifting as he picks up the dropped cup. "I didn't get any on you, did I?"

Hellequin has posed:
"Pas du tout," Henri replies, not seemingly concerned by a few droplets of coffee. Who knows, maybe he buys a new shirt everyday anyway? "But do come in," he adds, leading the way, precious box in hand, opening the door and entering the shop.

Inside, the antiquarian walks directly toward the back store, where a small kitchenette has been arranged: a small table, two chairs, a tiny counter top with sink, and a very expensive espresso machine.

If Nick remembers the last time he visited, he would notice some changes in the store area, where the displayed medieval weapons have been removed and replaces with the finest tapestries. There is even a vase with fresh flowers by the cashier.

Not giving any attention to such details, Henri enters the small back store, placing the box of croissants on the table, opening it and smiling happily. That done, the antiquarian starts to prep a couple mugs of fresh coffee.

"A bit of a week," Henri repeats, visibly thinking. "What is a bit of a week?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick pauses, not understanding the words being said but based from the way its said, he assumes that to be a no. Cup picked up, he tosses it into a nearby trashcan before he steps into the open shop. The new decor does register, and for a moment he looks to one of the tapestries on display.

He doesn't linger for long as he follows Henri to the back room. As Henri preps the coffee, Nick takes the time to slide off his backpack, setting it gently beside a chair, taking care to position it away from foot traffic.

The question gets a bit of a smile. Language barriers all around it seems. "A bit of a week." Nick repeats, "Probably not the best expression but, not a calm week. Not a normal one. Busy. Weird. That type of thing."

He looks back to the doorway that leads out to the main shop area. "Did you end up coming across some new tapestries?" He pauses, "Well, not NEW new, but new to this store, new."

Hellequin has posed:
Finishing the coffee prepping, Henri glances sideways at Nick. Yes, this is a strange expression if any, but again, every language has it own idiomatic expressions.

"Oh, yes, the tapestries are all original ones. Of course. Cream? Sugar?" Henri asks, as he places the mugs on the small table. "There has been some, hrm, external influence on the shop lately. An influence that thinks that the overly display of weapons of individual destruction and annihilation lacks finesse. So, to please such influence, I decided to display more gentle items."

Cream pot and sugar bowl are placed on the table, and Henri sits down.

"So, tell me about your bit of a week. The weird part seems the most intriguing. Demons, sorcerers, witches? Anything I can help you with?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
When asked about how he likes his coffee, Nick shakes his head at the listing. "I usually don't add those to coffee." Nick admits, sitting himself down. He reaches over to the mug closest to him. "Compliments to the one who made the call." He responds, "They look nicer and it does set you apart from other shops that may deal with a similar time period."

He takes a sip of the coffee. A brow lifts momentarily before he takes another sip. The cup lowers. "I'm not sure what I can share as it involves someone else," Nick admits, "But I think I can give a vague summary. Vampires and ninjas. The vampires are dead and the ninjas...Well, they're human I think."

Hellequin has posed:
As for him, Henri adds a dash of cream to his coffee. Then comes the croissants, and the antiquarian slightly pushes the opened box toward Nick, as an invitation to help himself.

Sipping his coffee, Henri nods. And seems a bit disappointed to hear that the vampires are gone and the ninjas are humans.

"Not to be, you know, picky and all on what you say. But theoretically, the vampires were already dead before they were destroyed. In any case, good riddance. But tell me, how for Heaven's sake would you be with vampires and ninjas? They don't usually work together."

While Henri still often clings to his Medieval views and ways, he is aware of what ninjas are. Namely, killers by trade.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Well... Dust. They turned to dust." Nick amends, "Although, if we REALLY want to get technical there are traditional vampires with souls and some types of 'vampire' that are actually living beings but draw upon different types of energy, like emotions."

He looks to the offering of the croissants and reaches over to take one. "Thank you." Eh, he can eat what he bought later. "They weren't working together." He replies back, "Separate days, but one led to the other."

Nick thinks back to the flowers and then to Henri's previous statement of an external influence. He pauses. Did Hen- "The one who pushed for the tapestries. Have I met her?"

A bit presumptuous to guess on the gender but considering what he knew of the shop owner- Sure, Henri may be starting to open up a bit more to new concepts, but he somehow doubts he opened up THAT much.

Hellequin has posed:
The antiquarian seems amused when Nick describes the different types of vampires.

"Oui, oui, indeed. The likes of Angelus - pure abomination, trespassing between good and evil. And the other kind? Leeches. Parasites." The Frenchman sips some of his coffee, adding, "You live a dangerous life, for a minstrel. Although, it is true, you possess some special gift." And with that, Henri proceeds to eat a croissant, one bit at a time. God forbid that you should take a bite of a croissant!

At Nick's question about the influence, Henri frowns momentarily, more in thoughts than in disapproval.

"Oui, you did. Heloise is back in time, so to speak. In this time. She first stayed in Normandie, and after a while, she accepted my invitation to live closer to me. And maybe closer even. But the matter of marrying a dead man, who is mostly ethereal at night, slaying miscreants, poses some challenges." Henri shrugs at that, not seeming overly concerned by the challenges. "We will manage."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Well, all things considered, one could say that I was born into a dangerous life." Nick admits, "Fighting led to my rhythm. I was eighteen when I was introduced to music. Likely what saved me."

Nick watches the way in which Henri breaks apart the roll but doesn't say anything. He's more interested with the answer being given. The confirmation of Heloise being back in Henri's life does get a smile. "Good to hear that you two are reaching out to each other." He comments, not seeming at all surprised to her being in the present time, "Challenges aside, I think it is very nice you two have a bit of a second chance with each other."

He looks down to the roll, breaking off a piece to pop into his mouth.

Hellequin has posed:
Henri is attentive to Nick's mention of when he was introduced to music. The Frenchman can't but to quote, "La musique adoucit les moeurs, music soothes the soul."

And with that, a second croissant is taken from the box, and is eaten in the same fashion.

Henri seems lost in thoughts again, for a moment. There seems to be diverging thoughts battling within the man, and some hesitation.

"Yes, I guess you could say that, a second chance. I am trying to make it right this time." Then Henri pauses to finish the second croissant, and uses that time to change the topic.

"We are going to a Gregorian chant event before Christmas, here at the Archbishop's Palace in New York. I can invite who I want to come along. Would you like to join?"

Right, it seems that the /influence/ has decided to work on Henri, and make him more civilized. Maybe he's been taught to try to know people before judging and killing them. Who knows?

"I will also extend the invitation to Willow."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The quote gets a quiet nod of agreement as Nick chews his bit of Croissant. Another sip of coffee is taken as Henri reflects upon his newfound second chance. The mug lowers as the invite is extended.

"I would, yes." Nick replies, "Supposing it's not Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve when it occurs. I've already promised those times to New Hope. I'm sure Willow will appreciate the invite as well."

Because Who DOESN'T want to get their Gregorian chant on?

Nick Drago has posed:
Wednesday has a bad rap. It's in the middle of the work week which makes it not quite the ideal time to take a vacation day. But for those who go against the grain when it comes to their errand days and times of rest, Wednesday becomes an ideal time.

This is where we find one Nick Drago. Even before the chaos that has taken hold of his life for over the past year, Nick's work schedule was far from typical. And so are his days off. Wednesday has become his preferred day to knock out the shopping trips and he especially loves the somewhat short lines that happen in the off peak hours of the stores he frequents.

Judging from the bag advertising a certain breakfast place and the cup in his hand, Nick has enjoyed one such short line there recently. But errands are still needing to be done so the musician takes his food on the run.

So to speak. He's walking and taking careful sips of the hot beverage as he goes.

Hellequin has posed:
It's still hours before lunch time, some call it morning, some call it wee hours - all is a matter of perception and sleep habits. For Henri, there are /no/ sleeping habits, unless you consider a cat nap here and there as sleep.

But one of Henri's daily habits, if not sleeping, is eating. And each morning, once he comes back as Henri, the antiquarian steps outside his store to collect his special delivery of the day: real butter croissants imported daily from France. They are so precious to him, that the man waits outside for the delivery to make sure no one dares steal his precious box of French goodies.

There is no saying what could happen to this miscreant. Especially at night.

As he glances around the street to spot the delivery man as soon as he would come close, Henri de Fontainebleau spots another man. One the antiquarian might consider as a possible-to-be friend. The minstrel, Nick Drago. A friend of Willow, who was also instrumental to the rescue of the Frenchman's paramour.

Is it this thought about his love that brings a smile on Henri's face? Or is it that as Nick approaches, the antiquarian positions himself on the sidewalk in a way that will most likely cause a collision with Nick? Yes, the Frenchman has some remaining humor in himself, and startling people is something he loves to do. Even by daytime.

Nick Drago has posed:
Be there some magic influence from Henri himself or the underlying sense of distraction overcoming Nick this week, Henri's desire to be a wall in Nick's path to progress is soon realized. As the musician takes a moment to take another sip, the subtle movements end up being missed. It is by sheer luck that the musician levels the cup before impact with the other body is made. The avoidance of coffee down the front of Nick's face and shirt is the limit however as the cup ends up getting knocked out of hand, falling towards the ground. "Shit!"

Hellequin has posed:
Right, the smile remains on Henri's face, at least for a moment. He probably miscalculated that Nick would be /that/ oblivious to his surroundings.

"Bien le bonjour, Nick. You might want to improve your environmental awareness at some point," Henri offers, staring at the outcome of his little game. "And shit it is," the Frenchman adds, stepping back as if the spillage was some sort of dangerous chemical, "The thing you were drinking is closer to purine than to coffee. Would you care to have a really good coffee? I just made fresh one."

As he keeps glancing around, Henri finally spots the delivery man - it's always the same, and always on time. The twenty dollars he receives as a tip on delivery might explain why the man tries his best to be punctual with the Frenchman.

Holding the box of croissants as if his life depended on it, Henri waves a hand toward the door to his store.

"You are welcome to partake my humble morning meal, minstrel."

Nick Drago has posed:
As the cup splashes it's dark black contents on the sidewalk. There is nothing but a series of dark brown droplets highlighted by the white material of the cup to tease the musician of what could have been. Nick gives a disappointed sigh before the voice draws his attention away from the lost drink.

Nick blinks, glancing to the front of the shop. Oh. Right. This is where the shop was.

He looks back to Henri, giving a tired smile. Part of the expression can be blamed upon the Frenchman's earlier behavior, "Morning, Henri. Yes, coffee would be good. Sorry for running into you, it's already been a bit of a week."

Nick stoops down, loaded down backpack shifting as he picks up the dropped cup. "I didn't get any on you, did I?"

Hellequin has posed:
"Pas du tout," Henri replies, not seemingly concerned by a few droplets of coffee. Who knows, maybe he buys a new shirt everyday anyway? "But do come in," he adds, leading the way, precious box in hand, opening the door and entering the shop.

Inside, the antiquarian walks directly toward the back store, where a small kitchenette has been arranged: a small table, two chairs, a tiny counter top with sink, and a very expensive espresso machine.

If Nick remembers the last time he visited, he would notice some changes in the store area, where the displayed medieval weapons have been removed and replaces with the finest tapestries. There is even a vase with fresh flowers by the cashier.

Not giving any attention to such details, Henri enters the small back store, placing the box of croissants on the table, opening it and smiling happily. That done, the antiquarian starts to prep a couple mugs of fresh coffee.

"A bit of a week," Henri repeats, visibly thinking. "What is a bit of a week?"

Nick Drago has posed:
Nick pauses, not understanding the words being said but based from the way its said, he assumes that to be a no. Cup picked up, he tosses it into a nearby trashcan before he steps into the open shop. The new decor does register, and for a moment he looks to one of the tapestries on display.

He doesn't linger for long as he follows Henri to the back room. As Henri preps the coffee, Nick takes the time to slide off his backpack, setting it gently beside a chair, taking care to position it away from foot traffic.

The question gets a bit of a smile. Language barriers all around it seems. "A bit of a week." Nick repeats, "Probably not the best expression but, not a calm week. Not a normal one. Busy. Weird. That type of thing."

He looks back to the doorway that leads out to the main shop area. "Did you end up coming across some new tapestries?" He pauses, "Well, not NEW new, but new to this store, new."

Hellequin has posed:
Finishing the coffee prepping, Henri glances sideways at Nick. Yes, this is a strange expression if any, but again, every language has it own idiomatic expressions.

"Oh, yes, the tapestries are all original ones. Of course. Cream? Sugar?" Henri asks, as he places the mugs on the small table. "There has been some, hrm, external influence on the shop lately. An influence that thinks that the overly display of weapons of individual destruction and annihilation lacks finesse. So, to please such influence, I decided to display more gentle items."

Cream pot and sugar bowl are placed on the table, and Henri sits down.

"So, tell me about your bit of a week. The weird part seems the most intriguing. Demons, sorcerers, witches? Anything I can help you with?"

Nick Drago has posed:
When asked about how he likes his coffee, Nick shakes his head at the listing. "I usually don't add those to coffee." Nick admits, sitting himself down. He reaches over to the mug closest to him. "Compliments to the one who made the call." He responds, "They look nicer and it does set you apart from other shops that may deal with a similar time period."

He takes a sip of the coffee. A brow lifts momentarily before he takes another sip. The cup lowers. "I'm not sure what I can share as it involves someone else," Nick admits, "But I think I can give a vague summary. Vampires and ninjas. The vampires are dead and the ninjas...Well, they're human I think."

Hellequin has posed:
As for him, Henri adds a dash of cream to his coffee. Then comes the croissants, and the antiquarian slightly pushes the opened box toward Nick, as an invitation to help himself.

Sipping his coffee, Henri nods. And seems a bit disappointed to hear that the vampires are gone and the ninjas are humans.

"Not to be, you know, picky and all on what you say. But theoretically, the vampires were already dead before they were destroyed. In any case, good riddance. But tell me, how for Heaven's sake would you be with vampires and ninjas? They don't usually work together."

While Henri still often clings to his Medieval views and ways, he is aware of what ninjas are. Namely, killers by trade.

Nick Drago has posed:
"Well... Dust. They turned to dust." Nick amends, "Although, if we REALLY want to get technical there are traditional vampires with souls and some types of 'vampire' that are actually living beings but draw upon different types of energy, like emotions."

He looks to the offering of the croissants and reaches over to take one. "Thank you." Eh, he can eat what he bought later. "They weren't working together." He replies back, "Separate days, but one led to the other."

Nick thinks back to the flowers and then to Henri's previous statement of an external influence. He pauses. Did Hen- "The one who pushed for the tapestries. Have I met her?"

A bit presumptuous to guess on the gender but considering what he knew of the shop owner- Sure, Henri may be starting to open up a bit more to new concepts, but he somehow doubts he opened up THAT much.

Hellequin has posed:
The antiquarian seems amused when Nick describes the different types of vampires.

"Oui, oui, indeed. The likes of Angelus - pure abomination, trespassing between good and evil. And the other kind? Leeches. Parasites." The Frenchman sips some of his coffee, adding, "You live a dangerous life, for a minstrel. Although, it is true, you possess some special gift." And with that, Henri proceeds to eat a croissant, one bit at a time. God forbid that you should take a bite of a croissant!

At Nick's question about the influence, Henri frowns momentarily, more in thoughts than in disapproval.

"Oui, you did. Heloise is back in time, so to speak. In this time. She first stayed in Normandie, and after a while, she accepted my invitation to live closer to me. And maybe closer even. But the matter of marrying a dead man, who is mostly ethereal at night, slaying miscreants, poses some challenges." Henri shrugs at that, not seeming overly concerned by the challenges. "We will manage."

Nick Drago has posed:
"Well, all things considered, one could say that I was born into a dangerous life." Nick admits, "Fighting led to my rhythm. I was eighteen when I was introduced to music. Likely what saved me."

Nick watches the way in which Henri breaks apart the roll but doesn't say anything. He's more interested with the answer being given. The confirmation of Heloise being back in Henri's life does get a smile. "Good to hear that you two are reaching out to each other." He comments, not seeming at all surprised to her being in the present time, "Challenges aside, I think it is very nice you two have a bit of a second chance with each other."

He looks down to the roll, breaking off a piece to pop into his mouth.

Hellequin has posed:
Henri is attentive to Nick's mention of when he was introduced to music. The Frenchman can't but to quote, "La musique adoucit les moeurs, music soothes the soul."

And with that, a second croissant is taken from the box, and is eaten in the same fashion.

Henri seems lost in thoughts again, for a moment. There seems to be diverging thoughts battling within the man, and some hesitation.

"Yes, I guess you could say that, a second chance. I am trying to make it right this time." Then Henri pauses to finish the second croissant, and uses that time to change the topic.

"We are going to a Gregorian chant event before Christmas, here at the Archbishop's Palace in New York. I can invite who I want to come along. Would you like to join?"

Right, it seems that the /influence/ has decided to work on Henri, and make him more civilized. Maybe he's been taught to try to know people before judging and killing them. Who knows?

"I will also extend the invitation to Willow."

Nick Drago has posed:
The quote gets a quiet nod of agreement as Nick chews his bit of Croissant. Another sip of coffee is taken as Henri reflects upon his newfound second chance. The mug lowers as the invite is extended.

"I would, yes." Nick replies, "Supposing it's not Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve when it occurs. I've already promised those times to New Hope. I'm sure Willow will appreciate the invite as well."

Because Who DOESN'T want to get their Gregorian chant on?