Owner	Pose
Firestar	Sitting at a table, Angelica is reading a book and sipping her coffee. For those paying close enough attention will see she is making notes from a teacher's edition of a Physics curriculum book. She doesn't look old enough to be the teacher, but even still, there is something about her that says she's confident enough that she probably isn't a cheating student either.
John Connor	Coffee shops were a risk. It was a social gathering. Lots of people coming and going, queues, crowding, and so John Connor generally tried to avoid them. But he also needed to eat and drink. Ignoring hunger, and subsisting on a 7-11 diet was not an option. He had come into this coffee shop, as normal, mundane, and average as any other one, and had to line up. He was behind a man in a red tracksuit with grey accent lines, and ahead of a woman in a turquoise summer dress. He kept his head slightly down, angled his face away from the bulk of the crowd. He could see the redhead reading the text book, and with nothing more to do, saw the title of her book.
Firestar	She doesn't really notice too much about the others in the area. She does give the place an occasional glance, but mostly she just works. Reading, taking notes, and sipping her coffee. John does have a certain...presence about him so she does finally take notice of him for a moment. If their eyes meet so offers a polite smile, but doesn't draw attention to herself or him otherwise. Dedicated girlfriend she may be, but it has helped her shake off the shy a bit. Not enough to say anything, but hey...smile.
John Connor	John was single, and making eye contact with a cute girl, who seemed to be about his age? Yeah, that was going to illicit a smile from the young man. He didn't know her situation. Hell, his own situation was complicated. But he at least didn't 'know' that the redhead was a cyborg. The not knowing meant that it was likely she was just a regular girl. And that was nice. Moving in the queue, he was next up. Except the guy in front was ordering for his crew. So many sandwich orders, each read off from a list, and having to be made right there. This was going to take forever!
Firestar	Angelica shakes her head, giving the man a look of pity seeing he is trapped in queue hell. She takes a drink of her coffee and looks back to her book again. She frowns at something and is soon back into working mode. She takes up a pen and an iPad and starts to tap the screen. She checks the time and then does some more gentle tapping on the screen,"Can't wait for actual classes to take while preparing for a class to teach." she mutters to herself. She doesn't sound regretful, mostly just psyching herself up.
John Connor	It got worse. The man in the tracksuit had a second scrap of paper with yet more orders on it! It got so bad that they pulled someone off of the drive through window to help with the in store orders. So that helped. But in time, he would get all 14 sandwiches, and drink orders. It was so bad that one of the staff members had to help him carry out the drinks in cardboard trays. But he did tip well, and on his way out said, "sorry about that, kid," to John, and said 'miss' to the girl behind him. When John finally reached the front, perhaps out of frustration, he said, "coffee, black, with a plain bagel and plain cream cheese."
Firestar	She looks up again, seeing the man finally arriving to the counter. Seeing the other huge order she winces at that mess. A smile touches her features again when he gets frustrated and delivers the brisk and curt order. She takes another drink of her coffee and shakes her head at the man's plight.
John Connor	John did say "thank you" when he received his order, as a courtesy, and had already forgotten the mammoth order. But now he had to find a seat. Or head outside. Looking at how crowded it was inside, he began to head from the order desk towards the door.
Firestar	There aren't many seats to be had really. If he wanted to make his way towards the outside again he might find something. She continues to take notes and without looking at him she says,"The seat is empty. You can have it if you like." Her pen indicates the seat across from her. She isn't overly forward, still massed behind her books and such things, but at least friendly enough to let him sit if he wants too.
John Connor	It wasn't very often that he was approached by a girl, so hearing Angelica's offer of the seat across from her, he paused on his way out. He contemplated the risks. He was always thinking about the risks. But he couldn't just live in a box. That was no life. He wouldn't be the man he was supposed to become if he did that. And so he set his to go bag with the bagel down on the table, along with his coffee, and then reached for the seat, pulling it back. It made an audible noise as it scraped against the tile. And he sat down. "Thanks, I'm John," he offered, it was fine to give a real first name, plus it matched the alias in his identification.
Firestar	She turns a page and starts to read another page as he sits down. Not an uppity sort, when he settles and makes conversation she looks up from her fort of books,"Hello John. I'm Angelica." She is friendly, but doesn't instantly off a hand to shake because, well a lot of reasons. Some of it is new person and she is pretty shy. The rest is anyone's guess."
John Connor	He nodded his head, "thanks," and he began to bite into his bagel. She had been nice, and he wasn't going to press for conversation with a stranger that didn't want to. When he took a sip of his coffee, he regretted getting it black. He probably did that in protest. He would have preferred cream and sugar in it. He made a little face that showed how bitter it was without the extras.
Firestar	Maybe she notices his face or maybe she just understand the aggravation. Two packets of sugar and a small container of creamer are offered his way,"This place's coffee is a little too hardcore to drink black friend." she offers, hand palm up.
John Connor	He noted the offer of the creamer and the packets of sugar first, then that she had already forgotten his name. That should have been a good thing. He was trying to keep a low profile, but it was still a bit disheartening in the moment. Accepting the packets, he broke them open and poured them in, then the creamer. He re-attached the lid, held it away from her books, and gave it a gentle swirl to help mix them together. "Thanks."
Firestar	Her hand is warm. Maybe a little too warm, but nothing that is likely to raise an alarm in his head. She closes the book and withdraws her hand. It's not easy for her, but she finally does fall into a more social mode,"So tell me John. What brings you to this little happy corner of the outskirts of New York?" She didn't forget his name, she is just mindful of when and how she uses it.
John Connor	It was summer. So the warmth in her hand wasn't that unusual. Everyone was warmer than usual. The air in here, despite the air conditioning, the air outside, and some people didn't dress for the weather. "Outskirts? I never really thought of it that way. It always just seemed like, more of New York." He was actually from Metropolis, but you could drive from New York City to Metropolis without ever leaving urban, or at least suburban areas. "What about you, studying for your next class?"
Firestar	She shrugs and replies,"I don't know that there is an outskirts in this city really." Taking another drink of her coffee, she pauses the words. After that she continues,"I teach Physics at Xavier's Institute." she supplies the answer,"I am also starting serious degree work at NYU in Physics as well. I've had...a considerable amount of experience with it so it just seems right."
John Connor	She didn't look old enough to be a teacher. Some people just had really great genes. He tried not to stare, but he did take in, trying to wrap his mind around the idea that she could be qualified to teach at a school already. But he didn't dwell on it, taking another bite of his bagel, chewing, swallowing, and then speaking. "Impressive. So," gesturing to the books, "is this teaching, or studying, prep?"
Firestar	She is young. He's not wrong about that. She looks at him and smiles again,"It sounds more impressive than it is." she tells him a little shyly,"Right now I am not sure I am not setting myself up for a nuclear disaster." She looks at the books again and then tells him,"This is getting ready for my first class I am teaching in the fall. Still have to deal with teenage boys and the fact I am close to their age. One or two already thought it would be a good idea to shoot their shot, but they settled down pretty fast."
John Connor	"Well, if you're going to do that, try to be a Three Mile Island, rather than a Chernobyl." Yeah, he knew the history of both events. Funny, most people didn't talk that much about Fukushima. He chuckled at that, being a teenage boy, and he had thought about uh, shooting his shot, as she said, but he held off, and saved himself some embarrassment. "Yeah, well, they'll mature in time. Most guys get really close to getting it right by the time we're forty."
Firestar	She smirks a little when he mentions the two well known meltdown areas. A nod and she replies,"I will try to keep that in mind yes." she assures him,"Having a girlfriend makes them a little worse." she admits,"Having a 7'2", 325 pound boyfriend makes me a little...less appealing."
John Connor	She would have to mention that she had a girlfriend as he was between bites, and add in the 7'2", 325 lb boyfriend, right as he had taken another bite. It was a miracle that he didn't cough up a lung at that one. As there was a mixture of swallowing, gasping, and laughing at the same time; never a good combination. He tried not to cough on her, using a napkin to cover it, but once he recovered, he took a sip of his coffee to help wash it down. "That sounds... complicated."
Firestar	"That is complicated." she tells him with a smirk and a quick wink,"We make it work well, but it takes a special kind of relationship to try it. I won't tell you it isn't wrought with traps, it is worth it if you are strong enough." That's about as forward as she gets and she takes another drink of coffee. Sometimes it is fun to play, but in the same breath she is still more introvert than extrovert.
John Connor	Nodding his head, he was too polite to ask for more details. For all he knew, she was messing with him, and she was really single. But he had no reason to disbelieve her. She was a perfect stranger. "Well, er, uh, I'm glad it's working out for you." He took another slow and careful sip of his coffee, just in case she said anything else to make him laugh.
Firestar	A nod and she lets him have a pause,"Thanks." she tells him politely and sips her coffee again,"So what about you. You have a pretty young lady on the line?" Trying to be conversational can be, at times, complicated for her. She is giving it her best though."
John Connor	"Uh, no, well, there's this one girl, kinda, it's complicated, but, a different kind of complicated than your complicated." How to explain that he was currently sleeping across the hall from a beautiful 18 year old girl that was really a cyborg that his future self reprogrammed and sent back to be his protector, and he kind of got the sense that they were more than just friends in the future. Talk about messing with one's head.
Firestar	"Friend. You are involved with a woman. Nothing about that is ever uncomplicated." she teases lightly. Finishing her coffee, she sets the empty aside,"That said, if you are still around after complicated that might mean she is worth the complication."
John Connor	He thought about her words. Cameron was going to be a presence in his life, whether he wanted it or not. But what kind of presence was largely up to him. He liked her, she was a friend, he confided in her, and he, well, he was eighteen years old. She looked the way she did. It wasn't hard to understand why he would have unorthodox thoughts. And it was so confusing that she seemed to know him so well, future John. He finally had to admit, "she is." But clearly, there was so much more to it.
Firestar	"Just keep that in mind and you'll be a good companion." she supplies to him,"We're complicated, but there are a few for sure things. Make sure she never feels like she's the only one in the game." Enough of the unsolicted advice now and she motions to a passing waitress to get a refill.
John Connor	Naturally, he thought about asking about hers, and how she and another girl were companions to a guy, or she and another guy were a companion to a girl. He couldn't wrap his mind around that one. Two person relationships were hard enough, but three? "We're all complicated, even the ones who don't look it. There's always more, below the surface." He had by now finished his bagel, and was working on the rest of his coffee.
Firestar	Angelica thanks the waitress that fills her cup and then she sets about doctoring it up to drink,"We're all complicated." she agees with a nod,"It's what makes us human I suppose." She knows she is complicated, but it's up to him to ask if he wants to know since she isn't offering."
John Connor	Oh, he wouldn't ask. That wasn't John. He didn't like to pry. He was so private about his own life, he naturally respected the privacy of others. It was nice to meet someone new though. And with his food and drink consumed, and no one having attacked him, or sought him out, he was ready to leave. "Right, what makes us human..." that part hit a bit closer to home, as human as Cameron appeared, she wasn't, technically. Though he sometimes did wonder. Did she have the memories of a human? Was she just that good at learning? And really, was a processor, ram, and storage, all that different? Humans and machines were at high levels, more alike than they were dissimilar.
Firestar	He is probably wise for not asking as she has been fairly forthcoming, but there is probably a line. After another drink of her coffee, she asks him,"So what do you do for a living John?" She asked once and he didn't respond, but it's not like she is pushy so much as just curious to know and make conversation not about her for a while.
John Connor	"Oh, I'm still a student, but no, I'm not shooting my shot with any of my teachers, or other people's teachers." He remembered the earlier part of the conversation. It was nice being able to tell the truth, and not a partial truth. "Of course, most of my teachers are guys, or a lot older than you," he smirked at that thought.
Firestar	"Easier that way. You catch less trouble." she suggests to him,"You might get away with it, but it will haunt you sooner or later." she explains to him. The mention of them being men makes her chuckle softly,"Another good reason for sure."
John Connor	It was tough. He was making a new friend. Yet he was so guarded. It was good having his mother, uncle, and Cameron, to confide in, but it did get frustrating only able to really open up to them. They weren't his own age, or close to his age, even if Cameron looked it. Technically, she was probably like 3 or 4 years old, however long she had been reprogrammed in the future. "Oh, I don't look for trouble. Enough of it finds me on its own," one of the rare, absolutely true things he had said. And it haunts him. "I do hope things work out for you and uh, your people." He didn't even know what to use to describe her boyfriend and girlfriend.
Firestar	A nod as she listens to what he tells her. It isn't easy to make friends and the two of them seem to be getting on well enough,"Yes. It's difficult to put a name to it." she tells him,"Relationship seems to be the best way to quantify it." A soft chuckle as she backs up to what he said before,"Trouble has a way of finding us all. That is for sure. Smart to avoid it as much as possible."
John Connor	He knew that his mother would be wondering about him. Or worse, Cameron might burst in at any moment. All in all, he kind of wished it would be his uncle. He had the most tact. But he had also lived the longest in the normal world of the three of them. "Well, it was nice meeting you Angelica," he had thought about asking for her number, or giving his own, so that he might contact her again, but that was troublesome, and she had two people she was dating, so he didn't want to give off any impressions. He stood up, picking the drink container and the wrapper his bagel had come in.
Firestar	"It was nice to meet you John. Take care out there." she replies. She might have offered a number, but not this time. She does have to keep up things in her world and a new friend is nice, but let's get to know him a little better first,"If you find your way near Xaviers I might be there. Folks are a little imtimidating, but nice enough. Be seeing you."
John Connor	Xaviers wasn't really the most descriptive of terms. There was a High School in the Chelsea area of Manhattan called it. There was the College of St. Francis Xavier. There was the Xavier Mission. Xaviers on the Hudson, Xavier Gifts, Xavier Creative House, Xavier Hall, Xavier School of Dance, and so on. But it was something he could look up. At least he had her name. Anjelica plus Xavier. Student or teacher. He wasn't sure, but she said she was working on her degree, so probably a masters at least. Yeah, that's the way John's mind worked. Someone told him something, and he was analyzing it to death. It made him really fun at parties. "Yeah, intimidating, like a 7'2", 235 lb guy, right?" He shook his head, grinning, "it was nice meeting you," and he would head off, disappearing into the crowd, and out the door.
Firestar	She chuckles as she studies him for a moment and then the comment about Jimmy's size. She shakes her head and if he's observant he'll see Xavier's Institure of Higher Learning on her bag that she carries the books in.