Dec 22 04:07:17 107 PA - Short Chat Over Coffee
From Chronicles
Dec 22 04:07:17 107 PA.
TRADEWINDS COFFEE SHOP
December 20th is a rather happy time for some, getting into the Christmas season and all. In fact, the weather is certainly demonstrating that not only is it going to be a White Christmas, but Mother Nature's going to be a complete bitch and just dump on as much snow as she can. Still, as most people are rather bundled, the older Gabriel is sitting off at a table in his usual garb. It's warm in the little coffee shop, but apparently the man either beat the snow here - unlikely, as it's been here for days - or he just tromps through it without complaint. Whatever the case may be, in this, the mid-afternoon hour, he's gazing somewhat unappreciatively at a mug of coffee, slightly deeper in thought that he may normally be found.
Rubidia stumbles to the counter, meekly asking for strong coffee with barely a whisper. Which doesn’t help the clerk, who only has normal hearing. Two more attempts gather similar results as the small girl seems to have trouble finding a manageable voice. Or maybe she know exactly where it is, but is afraid of it at the moment. "COFFEE! STRONG! NOW!!" She blushes fiercely with an apologetic look. Found it.
Oh yeah, a shouting woman in shiny clothes can't help but garner Gabriel's interest. His gaze instantly flips from possibly trying to expunge some kind of mental effort on his beverage, and to the counter, wondering if the server being yelled at is the same overly-helpful teenage girl that he had to trouble with an hour-or-so earlier. Ah, Rubidia. A happy look of recognition crosses his face, but there's no reason to begin conversing by shouting at the moment. He returns a glance at his steaming coffee.
The clerk probably doesn’t hear the barely whispered "Sorry" but does make Rubidia a nice large steaming coup of Joe right away. With a small smile she trades credits for the cup and turns to stumble into a table somewhere. Gabriel's table gets the appropriate and literal bump. "Hey there." She greets meekly, still showing little aptitude for vocals between whisper and yell your ear off.
Gabriel rises halfway to his feet, extending his arms helpfully. "Miss Rubidia... you look a little wobbly. Can I help?" He looks genuinely concerned, but also seem to have little problem listening in on the young woman's voice. His own cup off coffee seems to be momentarily forgotten. A nearby seat is helpfully pulled out as a potential landing pad.
Rubidia seems to make into the chair alright, gravity helps of course. She doesn’t spill any of her coffee though. No she is clutching the cup like it holds her very life-source and devoting all effort to preserving it. "I'm ok, just partied too hard." She whispers, giving Gabriel a slight nod of assurance before taking a small sip from the coffee.
The older man settles himself back onto his chair, gazes at his mug of coffee that continues to steam, blows across it, producing ripples, and then complains, "I don't know why they think that I want to drink something hot enough to scald by throat." Gabriel gives a little head shake and says rather humorously, "It's been sitting like this for almost -" he checks his watch "- half-an-hour now." Then he returns to what may be more important that thermal energy. "You partied a little hard, did you? Loud music and booze?" After a short hesitation, "Apparently there wasn't a nice young man to take you home."
"It's the cup." Rubidia manages quietly with a gesture to Gabriel's thermal cup. "People get coffee to go and travel across town, still want it hot and fresh when they get there. If you're not going anywhere ask for a chilled glass cup." She suggests, gesturing to her own before taking another sip. Each small sip seems to revitalize her considerably, which may be relieving. "No one knew the way to my home. Going to theirs was of questionable wisdom."
As Gabriel watches the young woman settle in to what might be described as a more "sober" attitude, he relaxes back against the rest with a smile on his face. He addresses two quick topics. "Chilled coffee is the other end of the spectrum. I see no sense in spending a dollar on a cup of hot coffee, then asking someone to put ice cubes in it. No," he traces the top of the big with his index finger, "just above tepid is good for me. Though I can imagine that a lot of people do come looking for some internal warmth." He inhales and exhales slowly a few times before stating, "Never a good idea for a young lady to be taken to someone else's place. People have gotten into lots of trouble that way."
"Trouble for them. Lot of people mate at solstive celebration. My culture practices communal parentage of offspring. So not knowing the father not always considered a problem. Leaves men with lots of freedom at these parties." Rubidia explains brokenly, still looking fairly dazed between sips.
The Kentuckian nods. "Winter Solstice. Wondered if anyone was going to notice." Gabriel shrugs. "It's hard to find people who recognize these kinds of things around here. At least, in my experience." However, the concept of what sounds to him as little more than a fuck-fest orgy is evidently a possible problem. "No marriage? No one even getting knocked-up and doing the right thing? Not the kind of men that I would particularly respect," he allows to trail off as his attention once more returns to his coffee.
"Marriage cause problems as often as not. Better to keep options open than invest in someone unworthy of respect. People change, better, worse." Rubidia replies with a shrug. "Friends better overall than husbands." She concludes before taking another sip and managing a sigh of contentment.
"Hmm," is a low grunt coming from Gabriel's throat. Not directed at anyone in particular, just let out into the ether. His coffee is sipped, even though by description at least, it's still too hot. "So.. lovely people like you live in villages. That's great, I grew up in what was basically a village, as did my father - Mom was rich though, at least she was before she eloped with my Dad. Anyway," he acknowledges that he's roaming off track. "You don't know who your father is? Or siblings? Why do the men get the perks, and the women put up with pregnancy and child-rearing? Doesn't seem right to me." He smiles, adding, "I raised a number of little girls."
"My father is the man who helped my mother raise me. I have a younger stepbrother they made together. An older stepsister made and raised with someone else. Always plenty of father figures home, eager to help the women and pass on themselves. Usually older, more mature, wiser." Rubidia explains, her speech slowly losing its broken pattern as her volume control returns.
The older man nods. Not in acceptance, but in some understanding and probably tossing it off as nothing that is his business, even though it's wrong. After another sip of coffee, Gabriel makes a deft attempt at changing the subject. "So, that voice of yours, those normally dulcet tones. A lot of loud shouting at this party you've just come from? You seem to be healing quickly." ooc Just a moment, Rube, I'm doing a little kiddie round-up. :)
Rubidia shrugs indifferently. "My tones are harder to control when I'm this tired. It's not really hoarse from shouting, but languid from the hangover." She explains and her clear tone voice verifies as she nears passable recovery with each sip. "This will push me through two hours of fast burning consciousness and then I'll pass out for twelve." She concludes with a weak smirk.
"You're looking for two hours of fast burning followed by twelve of nothing?" Gabriel smirks. "What's the occasion? Can't really say I've ever heard of someone looking to sped their time like that. Not combat, not work, not raising a family... that a strange way to break up time, Miss Rubidia." He sips at his coffee, which is beginning to cool. "Seriously, why do you need two hard-lived hours only to be out for half a day?"
"Because my head's pounding too hard for me to sleep without this intermission." Rubidia explains with a coy look. "Probably a good think solstice parties only happen twice a year. Took it easy this year too, only spent 2 days of the week long party."
Gabriel's question and statement is brief. "Amphetamines? Army handed 'em out to the infantry to keep 'em awake."
Rubidia says nothing in reply to that. Just forcing her eyes to speculate the older man as the coffee revitalizes her. Doesn’t look like she has any clue what he just said.
There's a soft sigh. With a thicker drawl, Gabriel asks, "How did you stay awake for two days? Most people - humans, of course - are well into the phase of uncontrollable muscle movement and the edge of hallucination." He smiles after a sip, closing his eyes briefly and saying, "Apparently it doesn't work the same way for your kind."
Rubidia says, "Oh it does." Rubidia verifies with a grin. "We just don’t let that stop us. Those of us attuned to earth can go the full week without a break, they have high endurance. I could go four days shining the whole time, but that gets pretty inconvenient for others. Its not uncommon for participants to take short naps during the festivities either.""
"Ah," is expressed with a simple rise of his chin. Gabriel seems like he may be on the verge of asking something else about the Solstice Celebration. It looks like it. It looks like it.... but no. The slow, sideways twitch of his head would seem to indicate that he's done with yet another topic that he will probably never have a very good grasp of. "So you, Rubidia. Child of the Light? Something like that, right? How do you get cold out in a Missouri winter? Seems like you might be one of the last people to get chilly." The older man chuckles a little. "Of course, most of these people -" a hand is waved to indicate the entire Kingsdale population "- are pretty easy to drive inside when the weather isn't sunny."
Rubidia raises her brow a Gabriel, looking to find the question out of place. "By not wearing my armor suit, and not blinding everyone on the street," She answers with a shrug. "I need a new look for this climate, something with better layers."
"Mmm." One of those odd noises of acknowledgment. "That would probably piss-off a lot of people." Gabriel raises a hand slightly off of the table. "I didn't realize that this was your first winter here. Or at least, I assume that it is, if you don't already have something to wear. Something modern and slim, something old and reliable like fur.." he shrugs a single shoulder in one of those statement/advice/questioning expressions.
"Sage is my beautician, we'll figure out something more suited to this hemisphere. Hair is over the top too. Went well in Japan, here its just crazy." Rubidia admits with a shrug before finishing the last of her coffee. "Well, time for those twelve hours of sleep. Thanks for the chat." Rubidia bids and is gone in a flash.
Gabriel rises to escort the woman to the door, or at least offer to escort her to the door, but when he finds her suddenly gone, only sighs and sinks back into his seat. After only a sip of coffee, he peers into his own reflection and sets the mug back on the table with a grunt. In his own slow, non-enhanced human manner, the older man makes his way to the door and into the snow, and despite the blowing cold of the evening air, doesn't seem to mind the temperature.
