Cafe~Cafe [open-all-time]

Tamiru found a table near the window and sat down to look through her pictures. She had gotten some very nice shots and she wanted to see which would be the best to submit.

She ordered a coffee and a cookie from a nearby waitress and was soon lost in thought. The anniversary was comeing up. Hibiki would be gone for a whole year now. She could almost hear his voice when she closed her eyes to stop the tears. She hated feeling like this. She just hated it.

She wiped her eyes and contiuned looking through her pictures.

Suki sighed. "Nothing is wrong. I just feel a bit sick." She said softly. Its just today marks 6 years since that horrible day... She thought solemnly. She looked out the window and frowned. Today was not her day at all. She usually just spent the day at home and did nothing but watch tv and cry. But today she was sitting across from her Fighter. She ran a hand through her pink hair and sighed once more. She always wandered what it would be like if that night never happened. Maybe the nightmares wouldn't be so bad. Suki looked at her Fighter and smiled weakly. "You avoided my question. What brings you here?" She asked trying to change the subject.

Evangi gently placed the back of her palm against Suki's forehead and held it there for a few seconds before removing it. Her eyes set focued on her sacrifice. "You don't seem to have a fever, if your sick maybe you should go back home and rest for a bit? I'll walk you this time if you like to make sure you make it home ok." She said softly as her eyes wondered around the cafe a bit, she notice it was beginning to get a bit more busier. She was becoming more anxious as more people walked in the front door, each time the tiny bell rang made her heart race a bit more. She leaned back into her chair and stared at her cup for a second trying to focus and not sprinit for the door infront of her sacrifice. She closed her eyes and took two deep breaths and then looked back at Suki, forcing a smile once more. "I knew I wasn't going to sleep nor get anything done at home. My mind was wondering and I really needed some coffee." I felt I did something wrong, so was trying to figure out what it was and try not to upset you again. Evangi placed the empty mug on the plate that now held only crumbs from her toast, and pushed it to the side. She glanced out the window and notice the sun was bright out, She pictured herself laying somewhere just sun bathing and it brough a smirk to her lips. She came back to reality when the young waitrest from before had returned and asked if she needed anything else. "No I am fine, thank you for your services, Suki do you want anything else from here?"

Suki looked at her now empty hot chocolate and sundae. "Nah." She said softly. She felt distracted for some reason. Suki looked out the window and watched a bird fly to a tree. There are still birds in this kind of weather? She thought giggling. She didn't know why she found it so funny. She looked at Evangi and smiled. "Lets go to the park!" She said excitedly. She felt like running around for some reason. She smiled brightly and began to sing a soft tune in her high soft voice. "I love to sing! Do you?" She asked happily.

Evangi jumped a little at Suki's sudden change in atitude and arched her eye brow. A smiled crawled on her lips as she noded "Yes I enjoy singing among other things." She looked towards the waitress and with a warm smile "I think we are done here, I would like the bill please and add anything she had orded to mine, I shall be paying for it." She dug into her bag as she finished that statement, digging around for her wallet. The young waitress noded and with a gentle smile she went off to find Suki's waitress to add the prices together.
Evangi placed her hands on the table, resting on her green army wallet, she didnt understand why Suki mood became lighter but regardless she was glad. "The park you say? There is still a lot of snow out but its pretty bright so I guess its fine. Once we are done here we can go is that fine with you?" She smiled again tilting her head slightly to the side and let out a small giggle as she listened to Suki's singing. " What else do you like to do besides singing Ms. Suki? Oh and here..." She trailed off as she dug out a small piece of paper and pen, she jolted down a few things on there and passed it across the table to Suki. "Thats my cellphone and my email address, if you ever wish to contact me for any reason. My phone is always on me and i almost always answer." Evangi rested her hand back on her wallet, as her fingers trimbled lightly, she wasn't use to being open to someone she barely knew but she knew it was fine since it was her sacrfice and more so She wanted to get out of the cafe, it was mid day and more people were showing up.

"Thanks!" Suki said smiling. She ripped a piece of a napkin off and wrote her own number and e-mail address. She smiled as she handed it to Evangi. Suki then put the other number in her cell before putting it in her pocket. She hummed briefly and giggled. Suki fiddled with her shirt and looked up. The cafe was getting crowded and she wanted to leave. Suki turned to Evangi and smiled. "Shall we go now?" She said giggling. She took a hair band from her pocket and put her hair up in a high ponytail. She stood up and flattened her wrinkled shirt. Grabbing her jacket, she stood by the table waiting for Evangi. Something caught her eye outside and she watched a bird fly by. She briefly wondered once again why it was here in such cold weather. Suki overheard a conversation between a couple. They said something about it getting even colder. She frowned her light jacket wasn't good in cold weather at all. She sighed and closed her eyes before opening them again.

Evangi nodded slightly as she placed a tip under her coffee cup and walked over to the counter to pay, still holding the piece of napkin with Suki's number and email on it. Evangi put it in her wallet after paying both their bills. She thank the cashier and turned and notice Suki's eyes closed. She watched her for a bit curious at to what the little girl could be thinking.
I wonder what made her mood change all of a sudden, excited to meet me, upset when she saw me in the cafe and now shes in a wonderful mood... Bi poler? Evangi giggled to herself, she didnt mean anything by it, just a simple joke in her head. She came up beside Suki and tapped her shoulder, "Shall we go then, to the park?" Evangi took a glance out the window and then back at herself and Suki "... we might need to stop by at one place though if you dont mind?" Evangi pulled out her tiny black cellphone, with a simple tug at a string that hung out of her pocket and she stared at the time. It was midday already, the sun was out but it seems to be getting colder. "Hmm, I think we have more then enough time, if we leave now" she smiled as she went for the main door, and pulled it open, the little bells ringing again but this time it was saying good bye rather then hello to anyone leaving.

Suki opened her eyes and nodded. She watched Evangi pay for the food then go to the door. She pushed through the small crowd to get to Evangi. She ran up to her and smiled. "I have to go to the bathroom real quick. Be right back She said smiling. She skipped to the bathroom and entered it. She walked up to the sink and stared at herself in the mirror. I wonder if Mom noticed I left the house Suki thought as she washed her hands. Suki then walked back into the dining area to join Evangi. She ran up to her and smiled. "I am ready to leave when you are." she said giggling.

Evangi left the cafe with Suki at her side, She pulled her arms close around her chest and shivered, the cold weither had hit her hard. A shiver ran from her feet, up her back and down her arms. Thought it was bright out, it was still very cold. Evangi turned to see if Suki was cold, she was more concerned about the child then herself. "Ms. Suki, are you cold?" She asked as she rubbed her own shoulders to keep warm. She had wish she had her jacket still, it wasnt much but she knew it might help her sacrfice a bit, Evangi sighed as she had forgotten she left it to a strange redhead she met at the park. I wonder what happened to that girl, I hope she's alright and isn't out in this weither alone. The image of the young redhead playing in the snow with the birds came to mind but the shivers she got from the cold brough her back to the reality.

Suki was looked up at Evangi. "I'm fine. Maybe we should go some place else. It is a bit too cold to be out right now" She said as her teeth chattered. Suki wanted to sit around a relax right now. She was cold and had a slight headache. She also wanted to spend time with Evangi. "Evangi-san, where was it that your wanted to go to?" Suki asked softly. Her body shook slightly from the cold and she slid her hands in her pockets in a weak attept to stay warm. Suki sighed and watched her breath puff out in a cloud. Suki giggled and blew air cause another cloud to form. She repeated the action.

[For some reason I thought we had a clothing store of some sort, maybe I'll make one.]
Evangi frowned in disappointment with herself, Suki was freezing and she felt useless. Evangi grabbed Suki by the hand and pulled her back into the cafe. Shivering herself she rubbed her arms to keep warm. "We need to get you warm, I thought I saw a simple clothing shop. Think you can handle a short walk, I don't think its far from here. You need a coat, so I figure we could get one for you, of course now would be the best time seeing thats its really cold." Evangi shivered again, she rubs her hands together and then har arms once more, feeling goose bumps. "Unless you know of a place near by, If you really want to go to the park I recommend we get some winter coats first atleast."

[let me know if you want me to make that shop, I'll do it when i get back from work, Evangi is looking for work regardless. ^_^]

Tamiru had finished looking through her potential photos quickly since she hadn't been able to find many that she could use. She had spent the rest of the time in the cafe looking out the window and watching the people that passed by.

' They all look so normal,' she couldn't help but think. Not that the thought made much sense but alot of her thoughts were like that now a days.

She sighed and looked back down towards her empty coffee cup. She had finished the drink a while ago but had gotten to lost in her thoughts to leave.

She set some money on the table to pay and a small tip for her waitress and left.


[ Tamiru has left City Centre and is going HOME]

Her eyes scanned the menu, looking from picture to picture, scanning the descriptions as she did what she could to block out the noise from the rest of the customers. As far as food went, she wasn't entirely certain what she felt like eating. However, the first thing she'd done when the waitress brought her the menu was order a cup of Jasmine tea. Unbuttoning her coat, she slipped her arms out of it, letting the winter wear rest on the back of her chair. Ah well...some pork ramen was as good as anything, and it had been a while since she had some simple comfort food.

Adolpha folded up the menu, passing it to the waitress as she gave her the order. As the young woman left, she snuck her book out of her purse, burying herself in the world of make-believe until her food arrived.

When Fera arrived at the city’s downtown area the place was in a transition of sorts. People were heading home from work, and early risers of the place’s night life were just arriving ready to hit the clubs and bars as soon as they opened. Soon the area would completely give way to neon lights and blaring rave music that was increasingly popular these days. Not that long ago Fera wouldn’t have thought twice about joining in on the fun, but now her mind was plagued by depressing thoughts.

As she strolled down the streets with her jacket pulled tightly around her Fera passed by quite a few places to eat, but after peering into them she deemed far too crowded for her current tastes. So she passed them by in search of a more deserted place. Which she found in the form of a small café like she’d originally imagined. The place looked quiet, and inviting all in one. Only a few people occupied the place, which was a definite plus in her eyes. When she opened the door to the place, a cheery bell rang out alerting the workers of a new customer, a few of them glanced up at her and gave small smiles before turning back to their appointed duties leaving Fera to pick out her own table.

She choose the one nestled in the corner, so that she could easily survey the room and still be able to glance out the window and watch people pass by outside should she choose to do so. Before sliding into one of the four chairs around the table, Fera slipped out of her jacket and laid in on the back of one of the chairs before setting down into the chair next to it. It was much to warm in here to wear the heavy winter jacket, the orange t-shirt she was wearing would be fine. The shirt not only completed her look of the secondary triad on the color wheel (with her violet hair, orange shirt, and green eyes she was the perfect example of one) but it also gave off a good view of the tattoo like marking written in elegant script on the inside of her left arm.

At the thought of the mark, Fera realized that it had started itching again. Though it wasn’t like before, this time it was more persistent, urgent even, though she didn’t have the faintest idea as to why. Was it because someone else in the café had a mark, like the red-head from the hospital had? No. It didn’t feel the same, this was different. She glanced over each of the patrons in the café trying to decide which one of them might be the cause of the strange sensation. At first glance none of them looked out of the ordinary, and it wasn’t till she looked over the room a second time did she notice a woman sitting by herself with her nose buried into a book. This particular woman held Fera’s gaze for quiet a few moments, and the sight of her made Fera want to get up and go over to her. As to why this spontaneous urge overcame her Fera didn’t know, and therefore resisted it. She wasn’t just about to waltz over to someone for no better reason than she felt like it.

Fera froze instantly as the blue haired woman glanced up and locked gazes with her. Great, she’d been caught staring at a complete stranger. Quickly she averted her gaze, but not before she saw the woman gesture her over. The first thought that popped into Fera’s head was, what could that woman possibly want? Fera already had her fair share of odd strangers for one day, and she wasn’t sure she could put up with another. Still it would be rude of her to simply ignore the woman. But before she could make a decision, her waitress finally arrived at her table and handed her a menu. As she glanced over the foods the café offered Fera discovered that her previous ravenous hunger had disappeared and most of the foods listed didn’t seem the slightest bit appealing. She had to eat something though, after all she’d come all the way here and was in no hurry to head home. So Fera settled on a simple blueberry muffin with a chai tea latte. With her order placed the waitress moved on to her other tables leaving Fera to turn her attentions back to the mysterious woman though this time she tried to be a bit more discrete in her staring. She still hadn’t made up her mind about whether or not to go over, a part of her screamed she should. But she still didn’t understand the reasoning behind such feelings, so she simply decided to wait a bit and see what the azure haired woman did next.

Well, that was just fabulous. However, she took a moment and analyzed the situation thoroughly. From this position, her name was barely visible. While the itching had subsided considerably, it still nipped at her mind, and her food was getting cold. First thing was first. Adolpha unbuttoned the cuff to her other shirt, rolling up that sleeve and then the other as far as she could. It was a risky move, and she'd done what she could to keep her status in this little game a secret. For any random person, it would appear to just be a tattoo. If another unit came and wanted to start something...well, she may have to take charge of the situation in a more forceful manner. She let out a soft sigh, knowing that this moment had passed.

Snapping her chopsticks, she set on her ramen, eating as quickly as she dared. Of all days to wear her white shirt... Chewing her mouthful, she slipped her book back into her purse, trying to keep an eye on her. Last thing she needed was to spook the girl or start a fuss. As many people as were in this city, it might take forever before they randomly bumped into each other again. She'd wait until they were both done eating. A full stomach made for a happier Adolpha, and a good mood would make this whole affair a lot more tolerable. Sticking her chopsticks through a bit of pork, she sighed a bit, going through any number of phrases, rehearsed or otherwise, to use for this first encounter.

To anyone passing by it would have appeared as if Fera was staring off into space, not really focusing on anything, not truly seeing anything she was looking at. But that was defiantly not the case, most if not all of her attention was spent on carefully analyzing the woman who sat a few tables away from her. Being the master of her own facial expressions that she was, it was nearly impossible to tell this though. From years of experience she’d learned to how to hide behind a carefully crafted mask of indifference, however it wasn’t truly impossible to decipher how she was feeling. For her voice always betrayed her. Not matter how hard she tried to prevent it, her tone always reflected exactly how she felt at any particular moment. Hiding it was simply not a skill she’d been able to achieve.

Her emotions at this particular moment were a tumult of different feelings. There was sadness of course, sprinkled with a bit of resentment and bitterness, then there was this new feeling that made her gravitate to the other woman and that left her feeling confused. Each of these feelings she carefully and meticulously broke down and stored away into the recesses of her mind, for that was just the way she did things. Fera liked to understand things, and contrary to her namesake did like organization to a certain degree. Mostly when it pertained to herself.

Her musings were cut short by the return of her waitress who placed her order neatly on the table in front of her. Fera first reached for the warm latte and used it to warm her hands before lifting it taking a small sip. It was a bit too hot to drink and burned her tongue and the back of her throat causing her to wince slightly, so she blew on it lightly and took another equally small sip before placing it back on the table and turning her attention to the large muffin. Fera’s appetite still hadn’t returned, but she forced herself to tear off a piece of it and eat it one tiny bite at a time. All the while her attentions never strayed from the golden eyed woman for long, and the mark on her arm never ceased to stop its incessant itching and it took all of her self control not to try and scratch it off.

Fera quickly settled into a pattern. Take a drink of her latte, take a peak at her mysterious stranger, take a bite of her muffin, and take another peak at the stranger. All the while her arm never ceased its itching, but she stubbornly refused to scratch it. Maybe if she ignored it, it would go away, but its itchiness never relented. And instead it only seemed to get worse to the point where it was nearly impossible to ignore. What was causing all this? Fera didn’t know, but somehow she felt it was related to the woman she’d been paying all her attention too. That seemed to be the most plausible explanation, and was much more appealing than it turning out to be some type of rash.

As time slowly seemed to tick by Fera finished her muffin and took the last sip of her latte. Which was quickly refilled by her waitress soon after. A quick glance at her cell phones clock told her that she’d barely been her half an hour. It had seemed much longer than to her and she still wasn’t ready to go home. No one would be home anyway. Her mother was still in a medically induced sleep, and her dad was probably still slaving away at his new desk job. His time was always divided between work and time at the hospital now a days. Which left Fera on her own most of the time, not that it really bothered her. She was twenty after all plenty old enough to be on her own. But it was still a large transition from the way things used to be. For the past eighteen years the three of them had always been together traveling all over the world, and now they were slowly drifting apart. Feelings of nostalgia filled Fera as she thought about such times, her expression gaining a brooding quality.

She quickly snapped out of her reverie when she heard someone speak to her. She blinked twice, at first confused as she saw her stranger standing at her table. When had she walked over here? But what really caught her attention was the tattoo located on the woman’s inner left arm, one that nearly perfectly matched her own. What did it mean? Green eyes remained focused on the mark for a few moments, then the traveled upward back to the woman’s face. “Sure why not,” she said with a slight frown. Fera disliked being snuck up on, even if it was her own fault for not paying attention. “And you’re right we do.”

A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her lips and dryly she replied, “And if it was?” Of course it wasn’t because of the woman, but instead from the fact that she detested surprises and this certainly qualified as one. Nonetheless the frown disappeared quickly as Fera regained her composure and was replaced by a raising of her eyebrow in question. Partnership? What was she talking about, some business deal? Or something more? So many unanswered questions filled her mind, and left Fera feeling irritated at her lack of knowledge about what was happening to her.

Inclining slightly Fera reached out and plucked the card offered card from the woman. Her green eyes took a few moments to scan it over before flickering back up. Lawyer? What did a lawyer have to do with her a struggling artist trying to find her place in the world? Did this have something to do with her mother’s illness, after all her treatments were expensive and bills tended to pile up now and then. But she was nearly positive that such matters had all been taken care of by the family’s health insurance. It had to be something else, the only question was what that something else was. Her answer came sooner than expected as the woman, Adolpha, spoke again.

Shock flashed across her face, then was quickly replaced by suspicion. That had certainly not been the answer she was expecting, and instantly she was weary. “Fera Evans,” she said as way of introduction before asking the first of her round of questions. “True name? Fighter? What does it all mean?” Fera didn’t even leave time for the woman to respond before she shot out another question, “And what the hell does it have to do with me?”

Fera had abandoned trying to finish her own drink and had at some point pushed it away to the side of the table where it sat untouched till a waitress walked by and picked it up. Her hands idly fingered Adolpha’s business card, she was feeling too restless to sit still. This was a lot for her to process in one sitting, but she tried to do so anyway. Carefully she mulled over Adolpha’s explanation. Her name-her true name- was Tameless, and it was this name that bonded her with Adolpha. The name that appeared on both their bodies was a testament to this. Fera wasn’t sure she liked the idea of being bound to someone she didn’t know, especially since she had no say in the matter.

Then there was the matter of Fighters and Sacrifices. According to Adolpha, she herself was the Sacrifice, while the elder woman was her Fighter. And as the Sacrifice she was to take the damage in place of her Fighter in these things called spell battles. The thought of being wounded made Fera wonder if she would be able to handle such a thing; after thinking it over for a moment she decided that yes she would be able to take it. If her mother could deal with the pain of dying then so would she. That is, should she decide to go along with all of this. After all Adolpha hadn’t exactly said that Fera had to. But what was stopping her from doing so? She knew it wasn’t because she was scared, maybe it was because she knew so little about what Adolpha was saying that made her hesitant. Fera thrived on being in control of her own life, and her ability to understand and comprehend matters that pertained to herself. But in the matter of less than an hour the world she’d created for herself had shifted. She could either ignore all of this and pretend none of it had happened and try to recreate some semblance of normalcy in her life, but could her life ever really be normal again? Her life hadn’t really been normal for nearly two years now, so what was one more change?

Her mother welcomed change with open arms, and rejected the boring mundane of everyday life. At the thought of her mother Fera suddenly made up her mind. She would do it. If only as tribute to the way her mother had lived her life, her mother would want her to tackle this new phase in her life with every fiber of her being and that was exactly what Fera would do. Nothing would deter her now that her mind was made up, perhaps this part of her nature is why the name Tameless was bestowed upon her. One who was untamable, wild, unable to be swayed.

With new steadfast resolve Fera finally spoke up, “I’ll do it,” the words were spoken firmly leaving no room for objection. “But first I have another question,” a wry smile tainted her lips as she paused. “What are these spell battles you were talking about?” Were they like magic casting battles she’d seen on video games? The thought of the professional looking Adolpha doing such a thing was something Fera found slightly amusing.