4734/First Meetings

First Meetings
Date of Scene:	24 June 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Echo, Zhao Lin

Echo has posed:
In the sparse cafe of the early morning, Maya Lopez is putting up a couple of posters. She's dressed casually today and talks to the store owner for a moment at the cash register before walking to the front door, where she begins taping a colorful poster. It is black, red and blue, a surreal swirl of color, surrounding the outline of a generic dancer jumping in the air. The poster gives details about the next dance recital Maya Lopez is giving. The cafe has a few tables and chairs, which the owner wipes off before she starts making some coffee at the serving station.

Zhao Lin has posed:
It's only been a few days since Zhao Lin started showing up on properties surrounding the University, and it's been months at least since he was last seen around Greenwich Village. All the same, the feline-man seems to be back, and currently he finds himself laying in an alleyway between the local cafe and it's neighboring business. He groans as he sits upright, one hand lifting to wipe at his face. His free hand reaches around behind him, searching for something blindly. It finds his hat first, which he deposits atop his head, but then he goes back, in search of his gourd canteen. "There you are," he says aloud, talking to the canteen and not anyone in particular. He picks it up, opens it, and takes a drink of the clear contents by pouring it into his open maw. After having a drink, Zhao Lin unsteadily pushes himself to his feet, and stumbles towards the street, lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the daylight for a moment. He stops at the mouth of the alleyway, leaning against the corner of the building with his free hand, while the other pours another drink into his mouth. He wipes his mouth on his sleeve, while at the same time casting a sharp glance around. Not seeing anything he considers an outright threat, Lin turns and walks past the window of the cafe, where Maya is putting up her posters. He comes to a stop in front of the window, swaying unsteadily on his feet. His tail twitches back and forth behind him in an effort to help find his balance, but it seems to be doing a poor job of it. The leopardine man squints as he peers at the posters, mumbling to himself in Cantonese as he reads it, right on the other side of the window from Maya but without yet seeing her.

Echo has posed:
Maya Lopez finishes taping the poster to the inside of the window and then opens the door to go outside and tape another. The bell rings as she steps outside, but she doesn't pay attention to it. She sees Zhao Lin standing there so she says, "Hi," she tells him. She tapes one of the paper posters to the sidewalk sign right undereneath where it says, "Fresh Coffee, All The Time!". She gives Zhao Lin a second glance as he stands there and stumbles around dumbfoundedly, "Are you alright?" she asks him, because she's keen on observing.

Zhao Lin has posed:
Zhao Lin appears, perhaps, more intoxicated than he truly is. Despite his uneasy swaying, when he twists about to face Maya, it would be easy to see how clear his eyes are. He presents her with a broad grin, though it's brief as he's found people feel threatened by the many sharp teeth he possesses. "Hello," he replies jovially, taking a few unsteady steps towards her. He stops again, swaying, and he pauses to take another drink from his canteen. He hiccups after he swallows, and then grins at Maya again. "I am doing quite well," he tells her. He has a thick Chinese accent, and despite his swaying his eyes stay focused on her while he talks. "Thank you for asking," he says to her, before turning his attention down to the posters she was taping up. One of the leopard-man's furred brows arches over his eye. "Is that your dance... Uh... Recital?" He slurs the last word a little, and then turns to lean his back up against the window lightly.

Echo has posed:
Maya Lopez looks at Zhao Lin strangely for a moment as he takes a drink and talks to her, then she pauses. She nods and then a small smile quirks up onto her mouth, and she holds up one of the colorful posters in front of her, "Yes, sponsored by the University," she explains helpfully. The colorful poster wrinkles as she moves closer to offer it to him, "In one week," she adds. She pauses again as she regards him and his disheved appearance, "You look like you could use a coffee, huh?" she wonders.

Zhao Lin has posed:
Zhao Lin's free hand lifts to scratch at the back of his neck, and he gives a low rumble in his throat as he considers the offer. "Coffee? Hmn. Perhaps just one cup, I am trying to cut back." He does take the poster from her, which he folds up and tucks into his shirt. "I am called Zhao Lin," he tells her, both hands coming up to meet fist against palm, and he bows politely. It isn't a deep bow, just a quick one as he's introducing himself. "Master of zui ba xian. You must be..." He glances towards the poster again, searching for a name. "Maya?"

Echo has posed:
Maya Lopez motions to herself as she stands there, "Maya Lopez...Master of the Dance Fu. It's performance dance," she explains with the quirk of another smile, "Come inside, coffee is best in the morning," she explains. She turns from him and walks to the front door, which opens with another sharp bell sound. She heads inside and the owner has brewed up the coffee by now, because she's preparing for the early morning coffee megarush. The smell of coffee wafts through the entire place, mostly because it's not really that big. The owner has already prepared a cup off coffee in this pink paper cup for Maya but she takes it and turns back to offer it to Zhao Lin, if he comes inside.

Zhao Lin has posed:
Lin takes another drink from his canteen when Maya turns away from him, before grinning and following her inside. His movements are unsteady, his body swaying like he's off-balance a little as he follows her to the counter. He takes the cup of coffee, and takes a sip from it. He winces. "Hot," he states, huffing out a breath to help cool his mouth. Zhao Lin sets the cup down for a moment, offering a smile to the cafe's owner. "I know many styles of gongfu, I do not think I have ever heard of 'dance fu'," he tells Maya, "I am curious to see it now." He flashes her another friendly grin. "You say you are a master of your style?" His brow raises again, a curious expression given to the woman beside him.

Echo has posed:
Maya looks at him strangely again as he takes her joke literally, "Uhh, technically I guess it's really postmodern dance," she explains to him. She motions him to sit down and wait for his coffee to cool, so she has a seat at a table and motions for him to do the same. The owner of the coffee shop looks uneasy with the Cat Man in her coffee shop but seems to acknowledge him politely because Maya does, as she uses her mysterious power over the shop owner to allow the strange Cat Man to drink some of her coffee. She walks back to the register. "It will be busy in an hour. It's the best low-budget advertising chance," she explains.

Zhao Lin has posed:
Zhao Lin nods his head with a look of understanding. "Aaah, I see," he says, as he follows her to the table. He sets his coffee down there instead, and slumps into his seat, almost falling out of it as the chair moves out from under him with a loud screech of the legs on the floor. He coughs and straightens himself up again, before getting settled. "I should go before then. I am certain the shop owner would not be pleased having me around during her busiest hours." He picks up the coffee to take a drink of it again. "Thank you for the coffee," he tells Maya. He pulls the lid off it then, and adds a bit of sugar, and a splash from his canteen. There's a pause, and lifts the canteen a bit, a silent offer to her if she wants to try it.

Echo has posed:
Maya Lopez lifts her hand and declines the offer of the booze in the cantine, "It's alright, finish your coffee," she tells him, "The shop owner knows me. It'll be alright," she adds to comfort any of his thoughts about what might happen. "I'm going to put up some more posters across town at another shop I know," she comments, just as the shop owner places another cup of coffee in front of her too, so she can join in on the coffee drinking fun.

Zhao Lin has posed:
Zhao Lin chuckles softly, glancing at the cafe's owner briefly before she leaves the two of them to talk. "She knows me as well," he says, "I have lived around here for some time. Trouble seems to follow me anywhere I go." He takes another sip of coffee, now that it's cooled off a bit. "Are you from around here?" he asks, curiously. His tail twitches a bit, the length eventually draping across his lap. He takes a moment to clip the canteen to his braided belt, as well. "I do not recall seeing you before... But so many come and go frequently because of the university, it would be easy to miss someone."

Echo has posed:
Maya Lopez hmms, "I've only been here for a while," she comments, "I'm from...the midwest," she explains a little sadly, though dismisses it as she adds, "Dance frees me," she explains softly. The owner calls to Maya but she doesn't answer, so the owner walks over to tap her on the shoulder so Maya recognizes the owner wants her. She takes a message from her and nods as she looks up to see what she's saying. She then looks back at Zhao Lin, "Do you really like dance?" she wonders, if he's putting her on for free coffee or something.

Zhao Lin has posed:
Zhao Lin waits as the owner brings the message to Maya, glancing at her again before turning his attention back to the woman sitting opposite him. He shrugs his shoulders, settling back in his chair with his coffee in his hands. "All things are just an extension of gongfu," he says, "Dance has gongfu." He nods to the cafe owner. "Making coffee has gongfu." Out the window he nods to someone walking down the street. "Even walking has gongfu. It is all about the practice of the body and the mind becoming one through perfection of your art." He interlaces his fingers as he says it, to emphasize his point. He grins to her. "So, yes, I like dance, though I am not so skilled at it as others." The leopard gives Maya another smile and a wink, meant to suggest she's probably a better dancer than he is.

Echo has posed:
Maya Lopez nods absently to what Zhao Lin says and doesn't seem to understand a word he's saying, "Interesting," she comments, "A philosophy? Sounds like my kind of thing. I have some other athletic interests too," she adds. She lifts the small little paper up and says, "I have some..business today, so I should go. Maybe I'll see you around."

Zhao Lin has posed:
Zhao Lin rumbles low in his throat, and he nods his head. "I am certain you will," the leopard tells her. He lifts the coffee cup again, smiling to her. "Thank you again for the coffee," he says, in no hurry to depart at least until he's finished his drink. "I am staying at the dorms at the University, if you need to find me. I am not always there, but if you wait around for a bit I would be certain to find you."

Echo has posed:
Maya Lopez scoots her chair back and says, "Stay and finish your coffee," she tells him. As she says that, another person walks in to get his morning coffee, and he looks at the Cat Man strangely before going to the register. "I sometimes go through there," she tells Zhao Lin, "I have to go uptown. Take care," she says and heads out.

4734/First Meetings

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