15886/This place is popular.

This place is popular.
Date of Scene:	12 December 2023
Location:	Cafe - Greenwich Village
Synopsis:	Girls night out for various faces.
Cast of Characters:	Firestar, Quake, Ghost Spider, Wasp (Pym)

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Firestar has posed:
Angelica doesn't get this way much anymore, but when she does she likes to stop in here and have a quick meal. Sitting back towards the corner in the room, she looks like several sleepless nights are getting to her, but the smile on her face as she studies the screen in her hand indicates it was worth it.

She takes a drink of coffee and mutters softly,"To take the bus, or spring for the privacy of a cab. I think I earned the peace."

Quake has posed:
Work. Home. Cafe?

She really preferred home. And because of the secure network it was actually better than SHIELD. After all, she pulled in favours. Ahem.

But, she really has to get out of the regular hum drum of her life. After all, there were only cats at her home. And work? There were still problems there.

Skye sat back in the room, with her back to the wall. Agent. Letting her coffee get cold. Eating a chocolate bar. And surfing the web idly. Every now and then she looked over the cafe, and returned to her work.

Ghost Spider has posed:
Gwen gets around an awful lot. Because of the crime fighting. Crime doesn't stick to one borough! Though she usually tries to stick to Manhattan for the ease of swinging, though sometimes the mood for parkour hits and you want some nice mid-level rooftops to run and leap across.

Which is why Gwen wanders into the cafe with a slightly excited pace of breathing like she just stopped in from a light workout, her understated leggings and slightly oversized t-shirt just add to the appearance as she waits in line for her turn to order.

And while she waits, her eyes wander until she spots Angelica and flashes a grin and a little wave.

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
The Red Room seek her here. They seek her there. But they can't catch the mysterious Unstoppable Wasp! Mostly because she flies around with insectile wings rather than using public transport.

The Russian super genius sets down outside the cafe, wings retreating into her backpack (thankfully it's New York so no-one even spares her a second look except maybe to say a rude word), and she skips into the cafe. With so many potential GIRLs to recruit she's often going from place to place. And it's important to stay hydrated! Which means the biggest mug of espresso they can provide. Maybe some cake too. Because she's got to keep her brain energised so she can do science work on the go.

She's wearing about as much GIRL branded clothing as is possible. Bomber jacket, T-shirt, and possibly socks. Although it's hard to see those with the jeans she's wearing. Her eyes scan the room for hostile agents. But really her attention is focused on the coffee. So much she practically walks into Gwen before she notices her.

Firestar has posed:
Movement at the door gets Angelica's attention, her eyes moving to see Gwen coming in and waving. She smiles and waves, then motions her to come to the booth,"Hey you. Come have a seat."

She noticse Nadia's arrival and smirks,"You too Nadia. Come on over and save them tables."

She looks to Skye a moment and nods her way if she looks up. At her own table, she might not be inclined to join, but the invitation could be extended. The place is a little crowded.

Quake has posed:
As it happens, Skye looks up at that exact time. And there could be no mistaking the 'come hither' look. Of course, Skye chortled at that. She wasn't that kind of girl.

At least she hasn't been so!

Still, what the hell.

Taking her tablet, and her coffee she switched tables. And immediately a group of girls snapped up her table and sat down. She had better have made up her mind, or be heading home..

"If you don't mind?" She nods towards Angelica's table. "I gave up mine."

Skye was decked out in dark colours: Jeans, shirt, leather jacket. The usual.

Ghost Spider has posed:
Gwen almost speaks /over/ the barista to order her complicated coffee order that really is more sugar and flavorings than coffee, and is probably enough calories for an average person's daily intake. But an average person didn't fight Rhino earlier or whatever!

Spider sense doesn't do much to stop Nadia from getting up close, because she's not a threat, and Gwen grins brightly at the super genius, "Hey! Fancy running into you here!"

And then once her brief wait is over and she can begin consuming precious sweet caffeine, she sways and sashays her way to join the growing group at Angelica's table, "Heyhey! Fancy running into /you/ here too! ...If one more person I know walks in I'm going to think there's some sort of mind control beacon..."

She sounds like she's /probably/ not entirely serious.

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
Where Gwen is going for super sugar Nadia is going for caffeine. Sweet sweet caffeine. She's got a at least a few caffeine molecules on t-shirts back in her necklace. The barista may not have done 'nothing but espresso until the biggest cup is full' before and it's certainly not on the menu. But that's what she's ordering!

Is this wise?

No, no it isn't. But oh well!

"Hey Gwen! And Angelica too." She recognises Skye but doesn't want to blow her cover. "How's everyone going? I managed to find another super scientist for the gang. Doctor Fairchild. Her biceps are bigger than my legs it's sort of amazing."

The slice of carrot cake she got was boxed up. That goes into her backpack for later. Giving a brief glimpse of those insect wings.

Firestar has posed:
Angelica give Skye a wink and moves in a little to make room for her. She takes a moment to gather a few books into her bag. Semester over, but she still has books on hand that look like college material. Over achiever maybe,"How are you?" she asks Skye.

She looks at the the other two and waits for them to get over her way,"Hey you. Been a minute." Angelica tells Gwen,"I mean, mind control beacons are possible I suppose. Could just be I am still reaping the good fortune of surviving Philosphy with an A as opposed to an F. I hated that class. The final was a single essay question. The professor must have liked my answer."

She glances to Nadia and nods,"Doing beter now.Doctor Fairchild sounds like an interesting addition. I look forward to meeting her."

Quake has posed:
"Skye. Thanks." She sat with her back against the wall, again. "Actually, I caught your look inviting me. The girls would be thankful if they knew. Busy place? I haven't been here before."

With Angelica present, Skye doesn't turn on her tablet.

But she does notice Gwen. And more to the point, Nadia - who, like her, doesn't act like she knows her. Yet.

"Do you know each other from University?" Casting her eyes around.

Ghost Spider has posed:
Gwen laughs softly and bobs her head at Angelica, "It has! Perils of the lifestyle and all. Never enough time to do everything in the day!"

She clears her throat at Skye's question about how her and Angelica know each other, eyebrows perking a little in a quiet question to Angelica.

"Oh! We've got a mutual friend, so we know each other through that..."

Oh, the joys of secret identity.

Nadia's announcement of a new GIRL scientist gets two eyebrows raised, "Oh! She sounds impressive! Another thing I need to make more time for, dropping by to help out around there."

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"Well," Nadia says. "If you shrink something small enough then time actually behaves really interestingly. Seconds feel like days. You can get pretty much as much as you want in." She shrugs. "But practically speaking it's easier just to have a sleep and do the rest the next day." She blinks a few times. "We'll all members of a research lab. It's called the Genius in Action Research Lab."

Did Gwen know Angelica was in GIRL? It doesn't sound like it. But then she's busy doing spider-things. And like she admits she's not round as much of late!

"We're pretty close to opening. I hired a reformed cat burglar to test our security too. She picked out some flaws in the system I've been addressing before we get in any expensive materials in."

Firestar has posed:
Angelica considers Skye a moment and smiles again,"I thought we might be a little more appealing company than have those girls circle your table trying to annoy you away. I'm Angelica."

She glances to Gwen and nods,"Friend of a friend makes us friends over time." she agrees with her,"WE haven't talked aboutb GIRL though. It's been a minute since last we saw each other."

The mention of the cat burglar gets Angelica's attention and she raises a brow,"Wonder if it's one known by the mutual accquaintance Gwen and I share." she muses,"I am hoping to get by the lab now that winter break is in full force."

Quake has posed:
Skye raised a brow. Then laughed. "Pretty good guess. Though I don't tend to go out much myself."

Nodding to Nadia, "Do you need someone to test your net security out? I happen to know a kick ass hacker. She might be willing to do it for a friend."

Ghost Spider has posed:
Gwen Stacy perks her eyebrows up and hums softly, "I mean... it's gotta be, right? Like, sure, /a catburglar/ might be some other one... but /reformed/? They can't reform that often..." She flashes a little grin to Angelica. And then a bit more of a 'We're gonna talk about this security expert' gaze at Nadia.

She gasps out, "Oh! Look at that! Another possible recruit! I mean, everyone needs a badass hacker, right?"

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"She was very professional. Although I should have been more specific in what I wanted leaving to prove she'd got into my office," Nadia says with a laugh. "She thought it'd be funny to leave underwear."

A shrug.

"In terms of computer security I've had some tests done. But anything allowed online is public facing. The internal systems are all air gapped so they can't be accessed without being on site." She grins at Skye. "But feel free to tell your friend to stop by at GIRL. If nothing else they can hang out with a bunch of computer enthusiasts."

Firestar has posed:
A wink and Angelica tells Skye,"I get lucky sometimes. I got a good grade on the dreaded final so I thought I'd go two for two." She smiles at the idea of a hacker checking security.

A nod to Gwen and she agrees,"Reformation is a lot like alcoholism. There's a lot of mis steps along the way." She returns the grin Gwen offers.

Looking back to Nadia, she nods listening to the potetial recruiting,"Left underwear. That does sound like something she might do. Excellent at what she does, but it's still something she's done and might do again. Assuming I am thinking of the right person and I'm not asking names, just sounds very much like what I know of her."

Ghost Spider has posed:
Gwen Stacy laughs softly and nods, "Well, especially with catburglars. I imagine the thrill of stealing things is far more than the thrill of... behaving yourself. After all, even if you get caught, around New York it just means a high stakes race across rooftops."

Eyebrows pop up and she eyes Nadia slowly, "Okay, it /better/ not be a different burglar than the one I'm thinking of, or my entire view on burglars has been skewed this entire time..."

Wasp (Pym) has posed:
"Oh. Well I picked the best thief available," Nadia says with a frown. "I needed someone capable to finding faults with Avengers grade security. And she did a very professional job." She blushes a little. "I was extremely happy with the service she provided."

She has been pretty quickly draining that huge coffee. Soon she'll be able to hold her wings and the caffeine jitters will let her fly like a hummingbird.

"I better set off though. You can both check out the results of the security test back at GIRL next time you're free!" She grins at Skye. "Sadly your friend won't be able to view that without getting onto the air gapped servers."

She springs up and heads for the door. "Hate to drink and dash but I have to drop some material with a potential GIRL, then get all the way to Titans Tower, and my wings have a limited top speed." A pause. "For now anyway. Something to work on!"

Firestar has posed:
Angelica smiles and admits,"I mean if you want to test security nohting but the best is undersandable." She waves to the other woman as she departs,"Take care."

She looks at Gwen and shrugs,"If we're thinking of the right person we'd be hard pressed to argue she'd be the best at the job. Just have to watch out because now she knows the systems and the layout of the building. Hopefully reformed is accurate."

Quake has posed:
Skye winks back to Angelica. "I didn't finish high school. I had a rough life you might say. Lived on the streets for a long time."

Nadia gets a nod. "If you would like, I'll try." Yes, she is the hacker. "Consider it a challenge."

She winks at Gwen, as she wanders off.

..Then there are two.

"Yeah, I am a hacker. And before you wonder, yes I have been in jail. Yes I have been on the run. And no, I do not work for the bad guys." So no Hydra. She picks up her coffee and drinks.

Firestar has posed:
A nod and she admits,"It sounds like you did have a rough time of it. I had a home, such as it was. Better than nothing at all."

A nod and she admits,"Hacker sounds like it could be interesting, especially if you find yourself in jail as well. As for your work? I don't judge. I've been accused of keeping with bad guys a time or two. Once it was true I just didn't know it."

Quake has posed:
Skye shrugs. "It was what it was. Some part.. actually, it sucked. I was a foster kid, who didn't work out. The best time was when I lived at an orphanage, I met a boy who was older." Matt Murdoch. "Though I wasn't there for any time. Eventually I was put in a group facility." Worse than a group home. "And that was that. I'd had it, and ran away before I was 16."

"Yada yada. Eventually SHIELD caught up with me for a recent hack, and they gave me the choice to work for them, or spend the rest of my days in a maximum security prison. They made a really good argument."

Of course she is sarcastic.

"Turns out, once I got over my hissy fit, I kinda liked it. I'm good at what I do. And yes, the jail time, if you've been paying attention, came after that."

Firestar has posed:
Angelica watches and listens, trying to not get lost in all the twists and turns. She shakes her head and admits,"By sixteen my dad had lost interested, my mom and grandmother were dead, but again at least I had a place."

Since they are all in the sharing mode, Angelica admits,"I ran into trouble with the Hellfire CLub. My father sent me there to go to school and grow up correctly. Unfortunately, that place isn't the happy go lucky school people imagine. Not even close."

She smirks at the sarcasm,"After I left to go to Canada, I wasn't thrilled either. Once I got over it, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I miss that bunch, but it is surprisingly good to be back in New York."

Quake has posed:
"Canada? I had some.. hrm.. training time up north." Training time. Yeah, right.

"So you must have grown up on the other side of the tracks, then?" Skye had heard of the Hellfire Club - they put the millionaires to shame. "Funny thing what we find out in the end that we were grateful for."

Firestar has posed:
"Training. Had some of that myself." Angelica admits,"There's a private school up there with a similar foot print to Xavier's School here."

"Wrong side yes. We didn't have a lot so that's where I slept. It wasn't so bad, but it wasn't great either. I was glad to go to Canada, getting away from everything down here for a while."

Quake has posed:
"Ah. The wrong side. Welcome to the club. Only I ran around with activists. Too bad that some of them weren't actually on the side of good. Well, as good as someone who breaks the law can be. I still don't know how SHIELD found me."

Skye shrugs.

"When I was in Canada, I was out in the wild. Away from anyone. Trust me, one was better for everyone." She looks in her coffee mugs and makes a face. "Cold. Go figure."

Firestar has posed:
Angelica chuckles,"Going to NYU now, scholarships and the help of a very good friend making sure I don't have to worry about housing at the moment. I have a place and a mission. I could have stayed in Canada though, but plans."

Shaking her head she admits,"The cold never bothered me a lot, well not in general. My ex boyfriend decided it would be fun to lead a snow ball assault on me. He was lonely for several days after that. Got that stuff down my shirt and pants. That was a bit much."

Quake has posed:
"I had to learn how to not throw snowballs," Skye says cryptically.

Then firmer. "Actually I meant my cold. Cold." She shakes her mug. "Then again, I regularly have my coffee get cold when I work. Which is all the time. It's the ritual I engage in."

Firestar has posed:
Chuckling softly Angelica nods,"Snowballs are fun in moderation, but he almost covered me with an avalanche of them. His partner in crime escaped unidentified. So there's that."

"I haven't ever been a fan of the cold. I can take it a lot hotter than most people are comfortable with. So I guess it all balances out in the end."

Quake has posed:
"Avalanches, you say?" The way Skye said sounded like she understood avalanches intimately. More than.

"Oh? You're a fan of heat? Like fire, heat, or something more?"

Firestar has posed:
"Oh give me the summer sun over the cold." Angelica replies with a wink and then takes a sip of her now cold coffee. She nods to a passing waitress, indicating a warm up when she can,"Winters were fun with my mom and grandma, but as I got older, especially after they were gone, it just sort of lost the fun."

Quake has posed:
"Didn't know my parents. Though I have since met my father. And my mother.." Skye shrugs. "I looked for a time, but she wanted it to be on her terms. So I stopped looking. Got a cat from the ordeal. I'm not sure who won that one."

Firestar has posed:
"I know my dad, but I am a great disappointment for reasons I don't want to go into." she admits,"At the suggestion of a father figure who was more of a father than my bio dad, I have pretty much stopped reaching out."

She gets her refill and settles into easy girl talk when that's the case and is pretty smart so able to at least hold her own in whatever conversation Skye might bring up. Probably not computers, but most other things.