James Grayson
Reptilia2
European Adder Vipera berus[P:0]
Posts: 19
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Post by James Grayson on May 12, 2012 15:24:16 GMT -5
Another busy day in Midtown Miami, and the shopaholics were holicking their shopping. Or at least, throught Grayson to himself, they looked as though they were making a right hollicks of it. The tall man observed one woman as she staggered past with an armload of bags, all toted proudly as though they meant something other than a distinct lack of taste.
Then again, the man making the judgements about taste was dressed, as usual, as though he'd walked off the set of a 1980's horror film.
Enough people-watching, Jim, he decided. Time to find some food before your temper goes even further south than it already is. The tall man wasted no more time, heading for the closest reasonable-looking (with presumed natives in the seats) restaurant.
'LA HACIENDA - CUBAN FOOD A SPECIALITY', the sign over the door announced. Ah well. If he was going to live in Miami, he was going to have to get used to it. Truth be told, he was even looking forward to it - after all, it was a change from the standard. Maybe he could try one of the things those bloody books kept rambling about.
Hmm. Not many empty tables. Aha, there was one - looked like the only one, as well. Grayson folded his coat neatly and dropped it on the seat next to his, then tucked himself into the corner to wait for the waitress. It wasn't so much that he welcomed company, more that he preferred having his back to the wall. That, of course, left three more seats available for anyone else who wandered in...
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Edgar Christopher
Reptilia2
Nile Crocodile Crocodylus niloticus[P:0]
How cheerfully he seems to grin, How neatly spreads his claws...%\0\%
Posts: 18
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Post by Edgar Christopher on May 12, 2012 23:23:53 GMT -5
Lunch. Right. Lunch. Uh. Edgar had actually forgotten to grab lunch the previous day. He wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. Not before an important workday. He'd found himself in Midtown like he usually did near the middle of the month, just there to browse and see if anything caught his interests. It wasn't often a successful journey. In recent months he'd stuck to one tailor, and that tailor was Downtown.
Nothing had particularly stood out that day either. So, straight to the food it was. It was kind of ill-advised to slide into a restaurant in a busy part of town at lunch, but hey. Believe it or not, he liked people. He sort of remembered a time during his university days where he shared a table with three other folks. It went well. Honestly, he should have stayed in touch, they were nice.
He scanned the tables, looking for an empty one as he entered. He wasn't going to sit alone that time, then. And... ha. A familiar face. That was an understatement. Carefully, he'd tread over. Sometimes you just hand to treat approaching a person like you were walking into an active minefield.
"I... apologize for potentially traumatizing your realtor the other day," Apologize? For that? It was hilarious. "Mind if I sit with you?"
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Yuume Souryuu
HomoSapiens7
Human Homo Sapiens[P:0]
%\1\%
Posts: 18
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Post by Yuume Souryuu on May 12, 2012 23:42:01 GMT -5
It figured really, that the one time she decided to try a bus route to her work (though thankfully outside the work schedule or she'd have some explaining to do!!), she would get hopelessly lost. Actually, it more than figured. It was her fate to have terrible luck with transport until the end of days.
That didn't change the fact that she had wound up standing at a bus stop staring at a smart phone map with narrowed eyes while staring at street signs. And at a bus schedule that said she now had a full hour to kill. (whyyyyyyyy-)
In the end actually, she was wandering the streets instead of waiting at a bus stop for an hour, as a few of the people choosing to wait there themselves were more than a little unnerving in nature.
And hell, she'd take getting MORE lost over being stared at with eyes-that-undress any day really. (R-Really, why did they do that-) In short time however she was getting hungry, her stomach reminding her of this rather clearly, and with a sigh she began looking around for a place to eat.
One of which was... Right... Beside her. Um.
Two steps in and she found herself swallowing uneasily. Oh... O-Oh dear this place was a bit busy wasn't it... More or less full tables, or at least tables that did not seem very inviting at all, with only one seat available.
Maybe the phrase 'three is a crowd' was coming to mind, or the fact that four was a terribly unlucky number. Regardless, she found herself nervously walking over to a table at the side, which appeared to be taken by a pair of strangely similar looking fellows. "A- ano-" She swallowed. "Forgive me for intruding. But would it be alright if I took a seat here..?"
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Kaiser Kittes
Mammalia1
Maine Coon Cat Felis Catus[P:0]
The sunshine smiles...%\0\%
Posts: 21
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Post by Kaiser Kittes on May 13, 2012 0:05:28 GMT -5
Kaiser, as per usual, was mindlessly wandering the streets. He knew the area to an extent, he'd been here a handful of times since his Aunt worked around here. That's actually how he ended up in his situation. He rode in with her today...not wanting to spend his time in the house again. The boy wasn't much of a homebody, he'd rather go out and start an adventure on his own. The boy was humming a song he had heard on the radio prior but was soon interrupted by a grumbling sound coming from his stomach.
"Guess it's lunch time." He said with a laugh. His blue eyes scanned the area. "No, no, no...ohhh that sounds interesting." The boy walked into the restaurant, and it seemed it was the lunch rush. 'Crap. No where to sit...' Kaiser looked around for an empty seat...and he soon found one, just one. It seemed the table was filled with adults though and if his parents taught him anything it was not to bother the grown ups. Another rumbling sensation came from his stomach. He could always turn around and pick another place to eat...but he was already here. 'I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask'
The small boy walked up to the table. 'Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea.' He kept with it though. He was starving and he wanted to eat here. He stood silently in front of the table for a few moments. "I...er...I don't want to be a bother...but it seems there are no other available seats here. Could I-" 'Manners Kaiser.' He reminded himself. "-escuse me." He corrected himself. "May I please join you for lunch?"
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James Grayson
Reptilia2
European Adder Vipera berus[P:0]
Posts: 19
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Post by James Grayson on May 13, 2012 2:04:03 GMT -5
Grayson looked up when the first shadow fell across the table, and physically started when he saw it was the same man who'd been at the apartment complex, the man who looked just like Grayson in a wig and cut off at the knees. Either that, or Grayson had been cloning himself and forgetting to leave notes.
"Not at all," the Englishman said, recovering swiftly and gesturing towards the empty seats. "And no need to apologise, good sir. It was hilarious, and definitely not your fault that a fool over-reacted." He winked, then looked up to see the next arrival. This restaurant was starting to go from 'busy' to 'very busy'.
"Help yourself, my dear," Grayson said to Yuume, with another polite, elegant gesture towards the empty seats. And then a fourth. Damn it. Politeness said, "Of course," while the territoriality said 'That chair belongs to my coat'. But coats weren't people and couldn't reserve seats, and Grayson shifted his coat to his lap rather than have someone sit on it.
Grayson looked around the others at the table with a hint of a smile on his sharp features. "Seems like an interesting group," he said, his English accent very much in evidence. "I assume the place has gone from 'very busy' to 'argh, no seats left'? I'm James, by the way. Delighted to meet you all."
Thank goodness, there was the waitress. Now to see what the others ordered before he did the same.
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Edgar Christopher
Reptilia2
Nile Crocodile Crocodylus niloticus[P:0]
How cheerfully he seems to grin, How neatly spreads his claws...%\0\%
Posts: 18
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Post by Edgar Christopher on May 13, 2012 7:25:19 GMT -5
Or it could be the other way around, Edgar's family seemed to get taller with every generation, and if time travel was possible... Never let the man think when he's running on caffeine and a prayer. His thoughts tended to range from just plain weird to 'if cannibalism is so wrong, why are we made of meat' under those circumstances. The unfed wanderings of his mind never really ended up in very pretty places, that was for sure.
As the other two approached his eyes narrowed a bit, and his ever-present sharp grin managed to get a bit sharper. Human, and another shapeshifter. Some sort of cat. He knew the general 'cat' smell well enough by that point. They weren't asking him anything so he slid out of his own jacket, took a seat, and stayed quiet until spoken to.
"I'm glad I'm not the only one who saw the humour in it. I've lived here since around the start of this lovely new phase in evolution, still love seeing the reactions to my particular strain."
There was a slight purr to his voice as he spoke. It wasn't there voluntarily, normally his tone wasn't much above a harsh whisper when he wasn't actively thinking about it, so a purr lowering his 'media' voice wasn't altogether that bad. Time and practice had blurred the evidence of his own heritage down from specific regional dialect to 'oh, I didn't know the BBC had offices in Miami'. As much as he'd prefer the Beeb, he hadn't gotten that far in his career yet. Not that they had headquarters in Florida anyway. ... Not that he was aware of, at least.
He'd wait yet again, for the other two to introduce themselves. Might as well get the 'bookend' thing out of the way so they could move on, right? Edgar hadn't made his mind up on food yet either, he was blinking at the menu and trying to figure out what was would get him through a workday comfortably. Uncomfortably, if one were to watch his eyes, he wasn't just blinking with one set of eyelids. Ah, the gentle sideways sweep of the nictitating membrane. He'd been swimming that morning, and forgot to force his partial shift back. Kind of like forgetting to take out a pair of contacts before you slept. Only stranger.
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Yuume Souryuu
HomoSapiens7
Human Homo Sapiens[P:0]
%\1\%
Posts: 18
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Post by Yuume Souryuu on May 13, 2012 15:14:49 GMT -5
"Thank you very much," she responded, bowing a little before taking the seat without the coat. Soon enough, another arrived at the table and she blinked.
Oh. That boy from the Starbucks- "Ah... Kaiser..." As another gave permission, she nodded. "I see no problem myself..." Looking to those she was sitting with, she continued. 'James' ah..? Well then. "Aah. Pleased to meet you- I am 'Yuume Souryuu'," the woman stated, again bowing her head somewhat with the introduction.
Crowded indeed... Her eyes briefly passed over the lot of them, pausing on the shorter of the lookalikes. Was tha- ...She blinked a few times, before mentally shaking it off and focusing on the conversation. She needed to get used to this... Much more.
Also she'd have to make sure to wash her hands and such after, just in case. The world might have said the disease had quelled, but she'd rather not catch it after...
Right! Well. "Aah... It is indeed quite busy... I would hope that reflects in the quality of food as well," she added calmly. "If it is this popular, then one would think the food is well worth what it costs." ...And within her budget. Though really, given where she entered from, it probably wouldn't cut into her wallet too much.
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Kaiser Kittes
Mammalia1
Maine Coon Cat Felis Catus[P:0]
The sunshine smiles...%\0\%
Posts: 21
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Post by Kaiser Kittes on May 13, 2012 16:12:07 GMT -5
"Yuume." He said with a smile to the young woman. "It's a pleasure to see you again." He nodded to the man who took his jacket off the seat, allowing him to sit. "Thank you so much." He said nodding to that man, James. The boy sat down in the chair and scooted up to the table. He was feeling awfully awkward sitting here, being the youngest at the table. Hopefully these folks would be much more pleasant than that other girl from the coffee shop. Come to think of it, James looked familiar as well...he was the guy at Starbucks! So he knew two of the three people at the table.
"I'm Kaiser..." He said as he nodded to the men. "I think busy is a bit of an understatement." The boy said as he picked up a menu. So many things to choose from. Not a good thing for Kaiser, he was quite indecisive...especially when it came to food. "Hrmm." What to eat? What to eat? There was always the safe bet and just get a burger, that could work. Or maybe he could have a Cuban sandwich. Those were always really yummy. That's what he would get, mind made up. Kaiser looked around at the food on the other customers plates. "Everything sure looks good." He said with a smile directed at Yuume. "I'm sure it tastes just as good!"
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James Grayson
Reptilia2
European Adder Vipera berus[P:0]
Posts: 19
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Post by James Grayson on May 13, 2012 17:05:58 GMT -5
Grayson actually chuckled at the memory of the realtor disappearing in a blur of red. He'd honestly not realised the man could even think about moving that fast. The nictating membranes got a look, though, and a raising of eyebrows followed by a definite blink ensued. Just in case Aggie hadn't noticed, an attempt at silent communication that his crocodile was showing.
And then the Japanese-looking girl turned out to actually be Japanese. "Konnichi-wa, Miss Yuume," he replied with a duck of his own head. "And I'm afraid I've just used up all my Japanese." He hadn't, quite, but he'd had it drummed into him from childhood that you always greeted people in their own language if you could. Hopefully had had used her surname instead of her first name, but she might have switched them around for the natives.
And then to Kaiser, a nod. "Pleased to meet you, Kaiser." His nostrils twitched. Mammals. Hopefully the crocodile with the extra eyelids was smelling reptilian enough for both of them. Educating a kitten wasn't on Grayson's list of things to do today, and making a scene in front of this many people was never clever.
"Well, it looks busy, and full of locals, so it should be good - or that's the theory, at least. I'm just hoping I like Cuban food." He smiled, that smile showing canine teeth that were on the larger side of the standard human distribution. Not outside the bounds of probability by any stretch, but definitely... noticeable. And - maybe it was the imagination, the angle of the light on those sharp features, but that smile didn't quite warm his ice-blue eyes as much as it should have, either.
The waitress circled again, waiting in a holding pattern at the right distance to catch a signal without being obtrusive.
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Edgar Christopher
Reptilia2
Nile Crocodile Crocodylus niloticus[P:0]
How cheerfully he seems to grin, How neatly spreads his claws...%\0\%
Posts: 18
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Post by Edgar Christopher on May 13, 2012 18:13:45 GMT -5
"And I'm Edgar. Nice to meet the rest of you as well."
Oh! Oh, he caught that blink. And he blinked a bit himself, forcing everything back to... just about normal. The grin settled down into a... well, it was hard to tell if it was a smirk or a smile. There was just something rather off about it. Was it a touch too wide? Was he smiling that wide before? He wasn't, he couldn't have been.
"And now that we've been introduced, I'll have the boliche, white rice as a side, and even though this is my third today and therefore probably very unwise of me... a cup of coffee, black. No sugar."
He didn't quite look up as he ordered. Didn't have to. The wait staff in this part of town were excellent that way, from what he'd heard. Yeah, he was probably reptilian enough to cover them both. He didn't exactly make a conscious effort to hide it, even though he could go days without even mentioning it. It was just part of who he was. Like his hair colour. Or eye colour. Even though uh. That wasn't his natural hair colour. Or eye colour for that matter, his blue-green had changed to a more olive tone over time.
"It's pretty good if you know what you're ordering. And at least busier spots can be interesting sometimes? Tends to toss people together, at least."
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Yuume Souryuu
HomoSapiens7
Human Homo Sapiens[P:0]
%\1\%
Posts: 18
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Post by Yuume Souryuu on May 13, 2012 20:11:03 GMT -5
"Ah-" Japanese! She didn't expect that at all; and the right term as well, though that could have been a mere matter of the fact that they happened to be sitting for lunch really...
Regardless, she smiles slightly. "Quite fine- I didn't expect it- your pronunciation was perfect as well, I'm impressed."
There's a nod/bow toward Edgar to acknowledge the introduction- and while she's feeling a little inwardly uncomfortable about the way he's smiling, it's still a smile, she decides. It could be far worse.
She herself winds up holding a smile at the coffee comment; she can relate to that, really.
But yes. Cuban food. "I have to agree," she admits in response to Jim's comment- "This will be my first time trying cuban food in any way..." She looks over the menu, mentally pondering her options while listening to the others. Crowds making interest?
She agrees- not likely in the same way mind, but 'interesting' does not always mean the same thing after all. "It certainly does," she finds herself saying in response to Edgar's comment on 'tossing people together'. "I didn't expect to be sitting with someone I knew, admittedly..." Ahahaha...
It's a little odd that part, seeing how she's met two of the three she's sitting with...
As it is, one more glance at the menu and she has her order ready. "I will have... The chicken empanadita," she decides after a moment, "As well as a 'batido' to drink." They're apparently similar to smoothies, so... Well, it's better than having a coffee for the moment. And she isn't too sure about tea...
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Kaiser Kittes
Mammalia1
Maine Coon Cat Felis Catus[P:0]
The sunshine smiles...%\0\%
Posts: 21
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Post by Kaiser Kittes on May 13, 2012 21:00:58 GMT -5
These two men were odd. Just their mannerisms seemed off to Kaiser, maybe it was his feline instincts? He brushed it off though and looked over the menu another time just for safe ordering. The waitress was back. After the others ordered he finally spoke up. "Um...I'd like a Dr. Pepper and the Cubano please." He said with a smile as he placed his menu down and looked at his lunch companions. Could they be shifters? There was always a good chance that they were. Hell, most of the people in this place were probably shifters! He just hoped they didn't want kitty for lunch.
"So...er-" What was there to talk about? It wasn't that he wasn't used to taking to adults, no, seeing as he had made friends with many of his Aunt's friends. "It's a nice day outside huh?" Really Kaiser? Talking about the weather. One point to Kaiser for rediculous small talk. Hey, it did its job though. He said something at least. "I find it absolutely amazing...I love living here. Not as hot as Texas but still warm enough to make me want to go outside." The boy said looking at the three. They're probably going to think you stupid Kaiser. Well, maybe not Yuume...but he wasn't sure about the other two.
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James Grayson
Reptilia2
European Adder Vipera berus[P:0]
Posts: 19
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Post by James Grayson on May 14, 2012 12:45:18 GMT -5
"I'll have another one of what he's having," Grayson told the waitress (who had shown up when Aggie started ordering), jerking a thumb in the other adult's direction, "But with three sugars in the coffee please." Zen ordering. The art of having what the man who sounds as though he knows what he's doing is having.
If he just ordered pineapple rings on a meat pie to see whether anyone else would too, Jim, you're going to look very silly. You... hmm. I wonder if that's how Hawaiian pizza happened?
The waitress murmured a soft, Spanish-accented, "Thank you," then took her leave, heading for the kitchens; Grayson relaxed a little as she departed, though not completely, then inclined his head to Yuume and offered her a faint smile.
With blinking-at-Aggie done with, Grayson seemed to have stopped blinking at all.
"I understand that in Miami it's either a nice day outside or the sort of weather in which you might see a house flying past," he remarked to Kaiser, drily. "I'm told that the palm trees come in either pom-pom or flat, depending, although I'm not quite sure whether I believe that one. Either way, it's ludicrously hot outside, and I assume that means 'it's nice'?"
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Edgar Christopher
Reptilia2
Nile Crocodile Crocodylus niloticus[P:0]
How cheerfully he seems to grin, How neatly spreads his claws...%\0\%
Posts: 18
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Post by Edgar Christopher on May 14, 2012 18:57:48 GMT -5
Edgar stopped grinning once again in order to smirk. It was a happy little smirk, nothing all-together menacing. Not at that moment anyway.
"Well, weirder things have happened, miss."
They certainly had. He chuckled and briefly tapped out a short rhythm on the table, waiting for his turn to speak again. He was used to ebbs and flows in conversation and waiting for a turn to speak. He was trained to do just that. Speak, wait, speak again.
"And I hope you're not a vegetarian."
Directed at Jim, obviously. Edgar had a habit of tilting his head to listen and respond. There was jest in his voice. A little joke between omnivores, if you would. Though he was more on the... slightly extreme end of that scale. He had to grin again at the weather conversation.
"Miami's got some of the most beautiful lightning I've seen in a while. I'm more fond of the storms than I am the heat."
Don't mention the job, don't mention the job... too late.
"Luckily I'm the one that gets to cover the on-location stuff when the weather turns sour. I don't think they'd trust anyone else with that much danger about."
Oh, Edgar. He did think storms were a riot and a half. Then again, sometimes they were quite beautiful. Lightning was pretty, thunder close by felt fantastic when it vibrated through your chest cavity, a sharp whistling wind was music at it's most raw and untamed stat- yeah he liked storms a bit too much.
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Yuume Souryuu
HomoSapiens7
Human Homo Sapiens[P:0]
%\1\%
Posts: 18
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Post by Yuume Souryuu on May 14, 2012 21:30:31 GMT -5
A smile from Jim admittedly, was not expected. Nonetheless it gives her at least a shard of confidence in what she's doing in this place, so while her expression can't really be called a 'smile', it's certainly not an upset expression. More the sort one would have when they weren't feeling anything in particular- which is at least better than what she assumes she looked like the last time around...
Regardless, as Kaiser speaks and Jim responds, she finds herself nodding in agreement, the gesture applying even to the comment Edgar makes. "Aah," she begins. "The storms are much preferable in my opinion. I would not call the heat 'unbearable', but it's certainly not something that even a year here will allow me to entirely adapt to; the Tokyo area was quite mild, admittedly..."
"Your job sounds quite interesting, if you don't mind my saying," she politely adds, evidently speaking more to Edgar now. "I would imagine you've seen a few varieties of lightning if you're the one they turn to for this." She probably doesn't like storms nearly as much as Edgar, really.
...Quite frankly she likes a wall of glass between her and a rainstorm.
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