Nov 24 17:54:25 107 PA - Meeting a Brand New Face in Town
From Chronicles
Nov 24 17:54:25 107 PA.
TRADEWINDS COFFEE SHOP
Early evening, already dark as midnight in the winter months. The Tradewinds Coffee Shop is but one refuge of light and heat in the cold winter. A few people sit and drink coffee, but none compare to the giantess using a couch more like a chair in the back and collecting the ignored stares. Her coffee is quite large but still small in her hands, she handles it delicately when she takes a sip as she reads a pamphlet on Kingsdale.
A short, dark-featured man with hair that is definitely into the beginning-to-gray stage walks into the coffee shop, the little bell at the door making a pleasant chiming noise. Gabriel looks around, the expression on his face one of interest. Perhaps he's never been here before. In fact, based on his expression, probably a very good bet that he's never been here. Of course, he also out-ages most everyone here by about a decade, at least. Kingsdale is often a young city, after all. The scent of coffee clearly tickles his face, but the sight of a giant woman with a reptile wrapped around her arm certainly does not go unnoticed. It may be inappropriate to stare as he makes his way to order, but he stares anyway.
Valeriya drains her coffee in her third sip and looks at it disparagingly, unimpressed. His a slight sigh she shifts to rise and get a refill, her pet adjusting to the movement with agile scurries. Despite her bulk she moves gracefully, no hint of clumsiness about facilities designed for smaller people. A few strides and she gets in line behind the graying man. Catching his stare she grins. "Hi there."
The man answers the greeting in what is perhaps an odd way in this day. Not only a very polite, "Good evening, miss," but also with a very thick Kentucky drawl. Of course, if anyone in this world recognizes such a thing as a Kentucky drawl and not just a severe speech impediment is anyone's guess. Gabriel does manage to go through ordering a cup of coffee, taken black, nothing in it at all, which might make one wonder why anyone would pay significant money to go to a dedicated coffee shop for a cup of coffee. However, with cup in hand, he turns and approaches the large woman. "I'm sorry, miss, I've never been to this place, and I'm told that there's a big rush coming this time of day. Wanted to grab it while I could." He gestures to the coffee cup. "My name's Gabriel. You two enjoying the evening?" Apparently the reptile is acknowledged.
The reptile hisses at Gabriel, appearing insulted at being acknowledged by some southern hick. Valeriya shrugs and shakes her head slightly. "Don't mind Spitz, he's temperamental at the best of times. I'm Valeriya. Wouldn’t know if there's a rush coming or not as I arrived in town twenty minutes ago. Though considering what I've sampled of their servings it is not much to rush over." She offers in return as the line moves ahead.
"Twenty minutes ago? Touche. I've only been here for, oh, maybe going on three months now." Gabriel looks into his coffee, apparently dismissing the annoyed Spitz. After all, he just saw a gentleman with a talking bird last night, so how weird is a hissing lizard compared to that? "Anyway, nice to meet you, Valeriya. That sounds like a Russian name," says the older man with a chuckle. "But somehow I'm guessing that it's not."
"Not to me. Maybe it was for the pirate I got it from. But that's ancient history now. It's just an identity and serves well enough. Should it stop doing so I can just take another." She muses lightly before gesturing to Gabriel to signal he is next to order. "Three months is long enough to get settled I would think. What do you do here?" She asks casually.
Gabriel chuckles softly. "What do I do? I try to set things right. It's the kind of job that makes you feel good, but it doesn't really pay the bills. Can't exactly jump in to help someone expecting a reward before you cross the slippery slope of simply being a rifle-for-hire." He then shrugs. "So, I end up doing a lot of menial stuff for the merchants up at the Plaza. You want to know more, I'll ask that you get to know me better first." The older man sips at his coffee, his face clearly expressing that it's far too hot. "You?" comes the monosyllabic question.
"Rifle for hire, and ok with it. Setting things right is the slicker of slopes if you ask me. Everyone has a different notion of whats right. Who do you side with?" She asks as she moves up to take her refill.
The older man offers a wide smile. "I side with the concept of good and just that God created me with. Every beating heart of man and woman knows what right is. What matters is whether or not they listen." Gabriel seems to catch some movement out of the corner of his eye, something outdoors in the night that has now descended. The coffee is glared at momentarily, then set on a conveniently nearby empty table. "Sorry, Miss Valeriya, but I have one of those menial merchant jobs to attend to, and this stuff is too horrible to make me procrastinate," he says, motioning to the offending cup. "Hopefully I'll run into you and your lizard again." It probably goes without saying that she's hard to miss.
Valeriya nods, and looks to sympathize with the sentiments on the coffee. Even Spitz seems to his his agreement. "Ok, see you around then Gabriel."
