15179/Magic: After hours

Magic: After hours
Date of Scene:	04 June 2023
Location:	Cafe - Greenwich Village
Synopsis:	At a cafe in Greenwich Village
Cast of Characters:	Petra Emreis, Iron Fist, Colleen Wing

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Petra Emreis has posed:
The worst part about hunting a shapechanger? Some of them were essentially human. Still motivated by the same wants and needs, still good or evil as anyone might be. Unfortunately, when one turns out to be a serial killer who was murdering people and then turning into the victim to complete the next crime? Well, that fell hardily into the evil pile.

A silver bullet was classic, but decaptiation by a silver sword? Well, that was even more classic...though it was much messier and more work.

One quick shower and change of clothes later? Petra had pulled over at the 'Cafe' bar and strode in in her jacket and jeans, the dark haired girl settling in at one of the booths and giving a protracted exhale of effort.

Iron Fist has posed:
Shape shifters were difficult to detect in a crowd. Up close, it was easier. Just because someone's shape changed, didn't necessarily mean that their scent did, or their accent, or body language. Context always mattered. What someone looked like, their face, their hair, their skin, their clothing, that was just the surface level, the first glance. What a person really was, lay beneath all that, and would make it evident. A shape shifter that was trained to be a social chameleon on the other hand, well, that was so much harder to discern.

Take Danny Rand for example. He wore a black collared shirt, the top two buttons undone. He had blue jeans on. He wore socks. And he wore shoes. But these clothes no longer felt comfortable to him. He was so much more used to wearing loose clothing that would not constrict his movements. He was also unfamiliar with these kinds of social interactions.

He was in the queue to make a purchase, and yet, he was fidgeting with his hands. His eyes kept wandering to watch the people. The noise was uncomfortable for him, that low murmur of people talking, each in private conversations. He did not belong.

Petra Emreis has posed:
Being abnormal wasn't an immediate death sentance around Petra. Certainly, she'd known some hunters who had been like that, but...well, most of them were dead centuries ago.

Even so, she knew how to spot someone being well...weird. As she placed her order for her drink the shakey, twitchy mess that was Danny was definately getting a lift of her gaze from Petra herself.

Colleen Wing has posed:
Colleen, on the other hand, is a city girl through and through. Sure she wasn't raised one, but she'd made the adaptation part of her persona while she was recruiting for the Hand and kept it even after leaving that "august" organization behind, turning to fight alongside the weirdo mess, Danny.

The door to the trendy cafe swings open with too-great speed as she rushes in and looks around. Spotting Danny she waves and grins, making a beeline for him (and using some pretty slick moves to dodge the moving traffic between her and him as if it wasn't even there) before slipping alongside.

"Sorry I'm late. Traffic was a bear. The bus got stuck."

She doesn't look like she belongs, really, in a trendy place, looking more ... not working class? not quite, but definitely more street than boardroom or fashion catwalk.

"Did you order yet?"

Iron Fist has posed:
On a bad day, Danny Rand could come across as an addict going through withdrawals. The rest of the time, he was subtly off, not the kind of thing that everyone would pick up, but a keen observer would notice his discomfort. Since returning to New York, people like Colleen Wing and Luke Cage had helped him to adjust.

In open spaces, and small crowds, he came across as very zen. But in crowded places like this coffee house, with the questionable capacity limits, he began to wonder if he had come into the wrong place to buy an apple juice and a chocolate chip cookie.

When Colleen joined him in the queue, he immediately felt a wash of calmness wash over him. She gave him so much strength, simply by her presence. "A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise." Yes, he just quoted Winnie the Pooh.

"No, but I'm sure that they'll write Aileen, Caroline, or Jessica, on your coffee order."

Petra Emreis has posed:
She was staring, that much was true, but at least with her glamor up she was some random attractive woman with dark hair and eyes rather than some white-haired girl with a scar on a cheek.

Colleen's arrival? Well, detail there was going to be drunk in just as much. Nuance of interaction, movement, form as much as Danny had been. People watching was a hobby for some, but it was a centuries-forged habbit for Petra as she awaited her own drink.

Colleen Wing has posed:
Colleen snugs an arm around Danny's waist, briefly, as she goes up on her toes to kiss his cheek. Well, the jaw below it. She then slips forward to the line to make the order. Apple juice. Chocolate chip cookie (two). And a short espresso. Yes. Short. No, not a latte. Not a cappucino. She likes coffee flavour, not milk fat and lactose flavour. Short as possible. It's got to come out like coffee syrup.

She has this argument with every new place. The trendier the longer. But she gets her way. She'd be a veritable Karen if she weren't unfailingly polite.

One odd thing, though, as she slips into the line, she sweeps her eyes over the crowd, passing Petra by, then sweeps them back and stops on her. Just long enough to signal: I see you. Then it's on to the argument over her coffee.

Iron Fist has posed:
The arm around his waist, even if fleeting, was more than welcome. A clear sign of a close relationship. The kiss to his cheek confirmed it, and the way he regarded her, his eyes, his cheeks, just those micro body language, it all painted a picture. They were a couple.

He watched her place the order, and explain her desire. If the thought had occurred to him, he'd probably have bought a franchise chain, and instruct them to make coffee just the way she wanted, if the board wouldn't tell him 500 reasons why that would be a bad idea. So, sometimes it was good that it hadn't occurred to him to just buy some. Besides, it was amusing watching her go through this rigmarole at every new place.

If he had noticed Petra, he made no indication. Danny was kind of weird that way. On the one hand, everyone thought he was oblivious. On the other hand, he had an annoying habit of noticing the smallest detail when it mattered most.

Petra Emreis has posed:
One didn't have to be an expert to spot a relationship with such an obvious display of affection before her, but it did at least confirm it for Petra who despite herself did afford a little smile, right at the moment that Colleen made a point of meeting her gaze. Now that shift in body language was subtle, but very much interesting.

A light lift of her mug to the pair in greeting and she remained in her booth, taking her beverage in both hands for a small sip.

Colleen Wing has posed:
Hand training says go at it crabwise. Let the target believe that the eye contact may have been random. A mistaken identity. Just an innocent pause. Then proceed as if nothing had happened. Go off to a table. Laugh and talk with the SO. Don't even send another glance that direction except in passing while looking at something else.

The Hand can bite the big one.

Colleen collects her purchases (for "Jolene" apparently; what is it with baristas and weird names?) and heads back to Danny, handing him his apple juice and the bag with the cookies before taking his elbow and making a beeline for Petra's booth, slipping in opposite her (and likely leaving Danny *very* confused), asking, after she's settled in, "This seat taken?"

She pats the seat beside her for Danny to join her.

Iron Fist has posed:
Danny, as the dutiful boyfriend, remained at Colleen's side, right up until she went to collect 'Jolene's coffee, but she quickly returned, slipping her hand around his elbow. He took the offered apple juice, which was in a plastic bottle. He would be led to Petra's booth, which surprised him. He gave a glance from Colleen to Petra, but wasn't as confused as Colleen might have thought. He was assuming that Colleen knew the woman, and he would soon be introduced. But when it didn't come, then he became very confused. Taking the patted seat beside her, he would extend a hand, introducing himself as, "Danny Rand."

Petra Emreis has posed:
A little tilt of her head as she was approached, but she seemed to keep her cool as she removes her feet from the booth in time for Colleen to slide her behind into the booth.

A sip from her mug and she lifts a hand to gesture to the other woman to take the seat. "Feel free," she offers in her own faintly queen's english accent. Then Danny was joining them and offering the hand to which she extended her own. "Petra," she offers lightly, no surname given.

Colleen Wing has posed:
"Colleen." She's not giving more than that, turning her attention instead to Danny. "Give me one of the cookies, Danny?" she asks, as if choosing to sit down in a booth already occupied when not necessary to by virtue of crowding was a perfectly ordinary thing to do. "So how was the board? Prissy as usual?"

Nope. Not giving an inch here. Let Petra make the move.

"Had a new student today. Troubled kid needing discipline in his life yadda yadda yadda. You can tell he's looking to learn so he can lord it over others. Gonna be trouble."

Iron Fist has posed:
Taking two sides of the paper bag, Danny ripped it into two, creating two makeshift plates. Ripping a bag isn't that impressive, but managing to rip a bag containing two cookies in two, without sending either one flying, would take luck, practice, or greater coordination and skill than most people. Either way, he slid half of the bag towards Collen, where it would collect any crumbs as she ate it. "Here you go," he said casually as if he had just handed it to her.

Sighing, as he unscrewed the cap on his apple juice, "prissy, yeah, that about covers it," he agreed. Though he seemed excited at the troubled new student, "passion such as that makes for great students, if you can help him to walk the right path." Cookies and cookie cutter wisdom, how efficient of him. He did not seem to be giving Petra much more than the shake, his first and last name, and oh yes, the smile.

Petra Emreis has posed:
Well that was...interesting, people sitting down at your table and then soon enough ignoring you was odd. Still, she takes another sip and then looks between the others. Looking towards Danny, there's a tilt of her head before she blinked. "Board. Financial or regulatory?" she questions lightly.

Colleen Wing has posed:
Victory!

"Directors," Colleen says with that tone of voice that suggests she's annoyed at someone daring to interruptt a private conversation. (For those in the audience not keeping up, she sat down at Petra's table, not the other way around. It's hard to keep track of that, I know, given the way Colleen is acting.) She turns her attention back to Danny.

"I know the kind, yeah," she says, then pausing to sip her espresso. She rolls her eye subtly at the taste. Ten times as expensive as the little place run by Gio just down from her dojo, yet not even a tenth as good. Trendy places really are there to separate fools from their money. And since she paid for hers, she's one of those fools.

"If I catch him early enough I can turn him down the right path. But if he's been going down the wrong path too long ..." She shrugs helplessly. "I don't know if I can catch him in time before he winds up in jail for something big. I lose half my students to easy street and jail."

She sighs, puffing out her cheeks a little on the exhale.

"Sometimes I wish I had your cushy job."

There's a little twinkle in her eye, like this is a private joke.

Iron Fist has posed:
Danny had not ignored Petra. He had simply responded to Colleen's comments. It was just as... interesting for someone to not say a word after shaking someone's hand and making introductions. Danny looked pained at Colleen's tone of voice as she explained he had met with the Board of Directors.

He listened, nodding his head, and would have said more, but the subject changed, and so, he said, "oh, you can have it, as far as I'm concerned. Is tomorrow too early a start?" And then to Petra, he said, "I own Rand Enterprises." Ordinarily, his name carried weight. Though his face wasn't nearly as well known, as he didn't do publicity. He didn't do interviews. For the most part, he had let everyone do their job.

Petra Emreis has posed:
Interesting. Petra wasn't exactly the most up to date with corporate high-life, but it did help when one had a name that was on the side of the building. Interesting.

Colleen however? She reminded her of two of her teachers rolled into one. A strict individual, and a certain sorceress that she glamoured herself to look more like the daughter of.

"Suprising then, to find you here."

Colleen Wing has posed:
"Oh, I'm sorry," Colleen says, directly addressing Petra for a change, and not in passing. "I assumed with the way you were watching us that you knew one of us, and since it wasn't me, I'd presumed it was Danny."

She looks askance at Danny, then looks at Petra again. "Was I mistaken?"

She sips her coffee again and takes a bite of the cookie. This, at least, seems to pass muster.

"Nice. Just the right amount of chocolate."

Iron Fist has posed:
Another confused look from Danny. He had been the one to introduce himself to Petra, with Colleen introducing herself afterwards, and not by him, but perhaps it did hold water. Still, he wasn't sure. With an embarrassed look, "We may not have known each other when we sat down, we do now, and that's really what matters, wouldn't you agree, Petra?" Sometimes he thought that Colleen would be the social death of him. As for why he was here, "everyone needs to eat, drink, and socialize." He was still trying to work on that last one.

Petra Emreis has posed:
"Perhaps I was just tired and looking at varieties of eye-candy," Petra muses softly before shrugging her shoulders with a little chuckle, but she does nod at the last comment from Danny. "This is true, it is always nice to have someone to talk to."

Colleen Wing has posed:
"OK," Colleen agrees, "then let's talk. I'm Colleen. I'm a kendo instructor. We're here because I foolishly believed you could get a good espresso in a place like this."

Yeah, the espresso is weighing heavy on her soul. Though she takes another bit of the cookie and visibly relaxes.

"And sorry for coming on so strong, but it was a bit spooky being watched for so long, so I figured I'd get it out on the open."

So she HAD noticed before making eye contact. That's surely a data point for Petra...

Colleen looks across at Danny and insecurity visibly enters her face as she looks him over. "I mean I get it. He's good to look at. But it was a bit unnerving is all."

Iron Fist has posed:
Nodding along as Colleen goes over the details, he wanted to say that she was far more than a mere kendo instructor. She knew so many forms of martial arts. She was also an amateur detective, and a superhero... turned cage fighter, okay, so many that last one's not something to brag about.

Still, he supported her with his positive energy and body language. Right up until she flattered him, which made him blush slightly, and he felt mildly uncomfortable, "Okay, well, uh, thanks." And he took a long sip of his apple juice. The very definition of F... you money, and he's drinking an apple juice.

Petra Emreis has posed:
"I'm Petra," she offers again, a little grin given and a wave of her fingertips before coming up to point at herself. "Another low-key academic. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Colleen Wing has posed:
Colleen's face is having none of this. She's not saying anything but her eyes are saying for her: *You're an academic like I'm a New Jersey Shore Housewife or whatever that damned show was called.* "Charmed," she says. Then genuine curiosity fills her face and voice.

"You wouldn't happen to know where one can get coffee that doesn't taste burned, would you? In this neighbourhood I mean. At home I know exactly who to hit up."

Iron Fist has posed:
Oh, Colleen would never be a New Jersey Shore Housewife. Danny could afford to live on the east side of the Hudson River. "I thought coffee was supposed to taste burned. It's so bitter." And perhaps that's why Danny never developed much of a taste for it. He was not bitter. He had every reason to be, but he was not. Still, he offered back, "the pleasure's all," a sideways glance at Colleen, "ours. I'd love to hear more about your journey, what brought you here today, your hopes, your dreams, who is Petra." Okay, he seemed genuinely interested, without a hint of sarcasm there. He balanced Colleen well.

Petra Emreis has posed:
"Depends how much time you have, and which version of coffee you prefer. I am afraid you'd be hard pressed to find some of the international options here."

A little tilt of her head, another sip of her tea and faux innocence on her features before looking at Danny. "But then, I'm sure you already knew that."

A beat, his questions had her leaning forwards, resting on her elbow. "Me...and yet surely, the millionaire who has coffee and travels dressed like a pauper, with a warrior woman on his arm. Surely there's a story there..."