2012-08-05 Coffee Time

Sunday evening in the Village! People are coming and going in the city that never sleeps. Restaurants, bars, little shops, galleries. Into one of those places comes a blonde in a hat and wearing a jacket that doesn't really go too well with her overall ... outfit, if it can be called that. Heather's ducked inside to evade the photographer who's been following her around the last couple of hours, trying to get some sort of super candid shot. It's a local place... but Heather has no idea what the place she ducked into is. She's just hanging out by the door, peeking out and trying to avoid being spotted by that one particular guy. However, it is suspicious behavior for anyone else who's observing.

Perhaps fortunately, Anya Corazon isn't really paying attention to the folks around her. She's already inside the shop, sitting at a table with her backpack on the floor next to her sneakers, and her attention focused on a newspaper. An actual, paper newspaper. Her expression while she reads is troubled, but considering the paper is open to the story about the Ukraine... it would have to be, wouldn't it?

It was a quiet time again for Bruce Banner, working on his research again. He has kept himself near the door, as usual, just in case he needs to make a quick escape. There was much happening in New York, and he was at risk every second. He hopes being here is worth it. For just being with people puts them all at risk. But he might be close, so close, to making his BIGGEST problem go away. He is always looking to see who comes in, if it's anyone suspicious. Such things have kept him a step ahead, but at this point no one is thinking Bruce Banner is in Manhattan, let alone New York.

A coffee and some kind of muffin accompany Bruce's laptop on the table. He is still in his beard, but switched his shades for a blue cap; looks less suspicious. No sports logos; that causes conversation where none is desired. While here, he does see a young woman just hanging at the door. His curiousity is heightened, but she doesn't seem to be a threat. However, he notices she perceives something as a threat, which may come up soon.

Why is she even here? Rain's not too sure. She has a coke flavored Icee in hand and seems to be meandering towards the shop with a list of errands and chores in hand. Mercifully, the only thing unusual or extraordinary about Rain's looks are her eyes. She watches some fellow with a camera go by, looking confused. A shrug and Rain tosses the spent drink into a trashcan. She glances around, here and there. Hmm. Aside from a slight vaguely studentlike scruffiness, she's not too sticky-outy. Either way, her path brings her unwittingly towards the others, likely to check the shop out. She smiles politely at people in passing. Except, the doorway was about 6 inches over. Donk!

A tall, blond young man (Samuel) has a coffee in one hand and a phone in the other, obviously texting someone. The place is pretty busy, so he picks a likely looking place to sit for a moment. Nice girl, looking a little worried about something, sitting on her own. Better than some of the other options.

"Mind if I join you?" he asks Anya. He's got a lazy Kentucky drawl and he looks pretty harmless.

Clint is picky when it comes to his coffee. There are a few shops around the city that have decent stuff, even some more that are good. But when he needs THE cup of coffee that rules the entire Five Buroughs. Bam, right here in the Village. And so in his civies (a faded Gotham Knights t-shirt, jeans and a simple grey baseball cap), he makes his way in and towards the bar of the cafe. "Clint, you're alive!" The barista is trying to be funny, and Clint gives him the cursory laugh, secretly realizing just how ironic that statement truly is. Yes, he is alive. Just barely. Like always.

"Yep, alive and kicking. Now if I could get a cup of your dark blend, then I would be that much more alive," he says as way of order, sliding onto the bar and pulling his cap off, setting it on the table. He casually glances around the room, a force of habit for having to give every new locale a once over. Thankfully, no one seems to be wearing HYDRA uniforms, so he thinks he's safe.

Okay, it looks clear. Heather takes a deep breath and then... it hits her. That smell, the divine smell of coffee and pastries. Her stomach rumbles like a 13 year old boy's might after three days without food, and she is almost magnetically drawn towards the counter. Her nose inhales the scents slowly and she grins. It's that grin that might give her away... though it's not airbrushed or made up very much... and it's not on some magazine cover right now. But that's the same grin she's used many times on camera. She steps into line behind Clint and tries to be patient, she really does. Her eyes however track about the room now that she's evaded pursuit. Sometimes it's difficult to turn off her bodyguard training, she's looking for potential threats and such without even realizing she's looking for them. Then... her tummy rumbles again, right there behind Clint. How embarassing!

Anya blinks once and looks up at the young man who's approached her table, and for a split second, she looks very amused, like someone that's just been told a great joke. She's quick to hide it behind a bright smile and she nods, waving at the seat across from hers. "Knock yourself out," she replies, just in time to hear the thump of someone walking into the front of the shop. She casts a curious, concerned look back towards the door, her brow furrowing. "...uh, not literally."

Sam doesn't miss the thunk, he laughs as he sinks down into a seat next to Anya. "That's usually my line," he says, nodding at Rain. "I didn't know how bad it looked until just now."

Clint continues his scan of the room for a few seconds, stopping for a moment. He squints, glancing at someone near the door. It's hard to tell that, what with the distance and that baseball cap...but Clint KNOWS he's seen that face before. He furrows his brow, only to have his thoughts interrupted by the sound of someone's VERY hungry tummy rumbling at a rather noticable decibel. Clint turns his head to glance towards the talkative tummy and it's embarrased owner. "Skip breakfast?" he asks, offering a friendly enough smile before glancing back towards the counter, just as his coffee arrives. "Hey, thanks Joe. Quick question, any clue who the guy by the door is?" Joe looks over and stares for a few second but eventually shakes his head. "Naw, can't say I do...why, should I?" Clint is quick to shake his head. "Oh, no reason. I just...though I recognized him from somewhere, though he might be a regular here is all." Joe shakes his head. "Naw, sorry Clint, don't know the guy. Now that'll be 1.75, if ya don't mind..."

Bruce couldn't help but notice the commotion just going on. He sees a few people that he may have recognized from photos, but couldn't be so sure. With so many super-natural things happening in broad daylight, there were many pictures showing on the news, especially with the Daily Bugle and the Daily Planet. In fact, there was one person he did recognize... and if it's the same guy, he might be in trouble. They didn't make eye contact, so Bruce went back to calmly working on his computer; a very common scene. He wasn't worried about being harmed, but what would happen after.

The other thing he noticed was the grumbling of a stomach just near him. The girl that looked to be escaping was right next to him, and he noticed that she may be hungry. His muffin hasn't been touched yet...

Once Clint talks to her, Heather shrugs her shoulders and replies softly, "Well, not really. I have a rather... well, let's just say I can put it away." she offers with a chuckle that mixes with a bit of an embarassed blush. "The stuff here just -smells- so good." she offers and then the barrista is looking to her for her order. "Oh, right... I'll take a caramel mocha latte', extra foam. Big as it gets... half a dozen of those cookies..." she says, pointing at the big chocolate chip ones through the glass under the counter, "Then four of those bananna nut muffins please. That oughta hold me till dinner." Dinner?! It's getting late as it is isn't it?

Then she looks back to Clint and shrugs helplessly as she adds, "I'm a little peckish, yes." But her eyes did notice the guy's inquiry about the corner dude, and she takes a moment to check Bruce out in a nearby mirror or whatnot, just in case. After all, she may be seen to the world as a blonde model, but there really is a bit of a brain in there.

Well, that's what derp wonder gets for trying to read and walk at the same time. Rain rubs at her nose a minute, looking distinctly unhappy. Her purple eyes almost cross for just a moment. Deep breath. Right then. She turns a bit red when she realizes people saw that. ... Hawkward? She enters the shop, this time managing to make her way -through- the doorway... And filing in to line to order something. She looks to the fellow on the computer, smiles politely and does her best not to smash into anything else. Doesn't someone else usually do the smashing thing anyhow? Waitaminute. Wait, wait, wait. She spots Heather. Then her eyes go wide. She -recognizes- that face. "Oh. You're okay. That's good." She seems kind of impressed actually. What she alludes to? Nothing is said. She smiles faintly, though.

Anya flashes Rain a sympathetic smile once she's come inside before turning her attention back to... Sam. Yes. She folds her paper up and pushes it aside. "Walk into things often, do you?" she asks cheerfully, leaning back in her chair. "That's no good."

"You have no idea. Fortunately, I bounce." Sam stretches his legs out and looks around. There's not a lot of people watching to be had today, really. "Mind if I take a look?" He reaches for Anya's paper. He's been trying not to read about the Ukraine events. He was there in person, after all, but curiosity is eating him up enough that he can push aside the memory of bodies being crushed against his shields.

Clint's eyebrow raise higher and higher as he hears the woman's order come out of her mouth, sipping his coffee as he leans against the bar slightly. Once it's all out, he gives a low whistle. "That's quite a haul, you better be careful or you'll become one of Joe's favorites." He smirks a bit as the cafe owner busily puts together the owner, adding at a lower volume, "Besides, if you're going to be running around in your skivies on TV, best keep your figure." Yep, he recognizes her because hey, dude's known their underwear models. Still, he's not going to blow her cover because he understands the importance of trying to blend into the crowd. Also, he's a bit busy eyeballing the guy near the door. High school chum? No. Old mercenary partner? Not with a build like that...

'Great, more people staring.' Bruce did remain calm, however. It wasn't the first time he was looked at for longer than a simple glance, and he typically just let it ride out. Such things usually came to nothing. Usually.

If something were to happen, it would be in no one's interest. But no point in worrying, just enjoy your snack. And Bruce does so, taking a small bite as he continues his research. He had just got here, so his alarm won't be going off anytime soon.

"I wouldn't worry about.." begins Heather before Rain's voice reaches her. She turns her head towards her and shrugs again, "I'm a fast healer." she remarks simply. "Hence the fuel." she adds as the plate before her starts being stacked with all kinds of cookies and muffins. She hands a debit card to the barrista and grins sheepishly. "Becoming one of Joe's favorites doesn't seem to bad though." she murmurs towards Clint. Her mild flush acknowledges the hit of his words about modeling, and she pats her stomach. "Trust me, I work out like it's my job.... come to think of it, it really -is- my job to keep in shape." she adds. "So, what's up witht he guy by the door in the nondescript hat and laptop?" she asks, without really looking that way herself.

Rain smiles back faintly to Anya and Sam. She blinks at Clint and Heather. Either way. She is a bit impressed by his knowledge of women in underpants. Her eyebrows lift. Still, she seems somewhat curious about the fellow with the computer. Then a nod at Heather. "I see. That's good. I'm sorry I didn't do more. That weird guy kept grabbing me." She winces. Oooh, Rain. "... and I have no idea why people keep hitting me in the head." This universe conspires to give her brain damage. A shrug and a smile. "Glad to see you're well." She'll place an order when her turn comes up. It's very modest. A nice, chocolate drink and a muffin. But where will she sit then...?

"Most of it's soul-crushingly depressing," Anya warns Sam, though she passes him the paper all the same. "Not that this is anything new for the news, but... you know. Fair warning and all." She, at least, is oblivious to anything at all unusual about the man sitting near the door, and is paying him literally no mind. It'd be rude.

No one's brandishing weapons, anti-mutant sentiments, or large quantities of snow. Sam is totally going to relax and read about... atrocities. They're a little easier to handle in print.

"It's only depressing if you can't do something about it," Sam says to Anya. "If you can, then at least it's something to do."

"Wish I could tell you," Clint says, clearly distracted as he tries to casually sip at his coffee, reaching into his pocket to pull out his cellphone and page through a few things. "But look at that, I got an appointment I should have made yesterday. Good luck with staying in shape, the men of America are counting on you." And with that he grabs his hat, situates it perfectly on his head, grabs his coffe and starts to walk out of the cafe, holding up his phone to read a very important message from a very important person. He's certainly not taking a picture of the mystery man in the corner to run through any sort of imagine recognition software later. After he's totally not got any sort of photo at all, he makes his way out, making sure to open and close the door in such a way to avoid any personal injury to himself.

Bruce takes a small breath of relief. The man known as Clint Barton, or so Bruce thinks, is gone. He remembers seeing his picture a few times, in some S.H.I.E.L.D. related events. The others, they could be other things, but he wasn't sure. He doesn't recognize them all. But the most important figure is gone, so Bruce can relax a bit, with another bite. Not exactly healthy, but a person should indulge every now and then.

"Right..." remarks Heather towards Clint as he departs. She shakes her head and looks towards Rain, "Here." she offers, looking to the barrista and handing over her debit card again, "Lemme get that for you." she doesn't even know Rain's name, but she does know the girl did her best to try to help out the other day, despite not knowing that Heather doesn't even think she -can- die. "The least I can do." and then she turns and offers a hand to Rain, "Name's Heather Danielson, would you share yours with me so I can thank you properly?"

Rain looks thoughtful. She seems somewhat amused by Clint, looking over as he walks out. "... well, he's honest," She's an optimist, it seems. Clinging to hope's tattered banner. Or something. An owlish blink, her mouth opens and closes. "Oh. Oer, are you sure? Thank you." Then at being asked her real name, she goes red. "... sure, but don't laugh." She ... really doesn't like her name. She looks awkward, much like an octopus in spandex, then carefully accepts the hand. "Winter Moontree... just Winter or Rain is fine." Wince. "Um. No need to thank me really. You did most of the work," Beam. By that, she likely means healing.

Anya grins across at Sam and reaches for her nearly-forgotten drink. Poor thing. At least it was cold to begin with. "I suppose that's true. Some problems just seem so big, though," she notes with a sigh. "Where do you even start?" Faintly, she's aware of the conversation near the register, but she's pretty sure she didn't hear that name right. Hippies are extinct, right? Right.

Sam catches the name and takes it in stride. Kentucky. Backwoods. Where if you're lucky your parents name you when they're drunk. He's always been grateful his parents were into Bible names.

"You start where you can," he says, glancing over at Anya with a flash of a grin. "Little things. And build up."

The conversation was a bit far away for Bruce to discern, but that was not his main goal. Here, he had leads to follow up, but couldn't be at the same place twice. He is a bit surprised at how many coffee shops there are, and how so many have access to wifi. It's been a boon to him, but something like this can be a bit too much of a distraction. But better for him to be mobile than stuck in his hotel room. And it was always good to keep in check with the news.

Poor Rain. Saddled with that moniker and nearly completely willing to give her middle name. But the Silverwolf adds so much EFFECT to it, doesn't it? Regardless, there's a rather stunned looking Rain holding a drink and a muffin. Tasty blueberry muffin with crumblies! The formerly-homeless witch is eating well by her standards! She pauses. Time to look for a seat, as Heather seems to have an important call to take. "Okie dokey..." She lets it go at that. She turns and - hmmm. The tables seem full. She looks this way and that... bother man with laptop or the pair... eeny meeny. She looks at a loss.

"You can really only build up so far, though, can't you?" Anya asks, leaning forward to prop her chin up in her hand. There /is/ a third chair free at her and Sam's table, if Hat Guy doesn't look too neighborly. "I mean, eventually, you bite off more than you can chew, and that always goes so well."

"That's why you go with friends," Sam says sagely. "You balance each other out, back each other up. As safe as it -feels- to work alone, in the end, if what you're trying to do is help fix what's wrong, you can be most effective if you let other people in." He shrugs one shoulder. "Of course, that's just what I've seen so far, but it seems to hold."

Bruce is still at his table, still eating, still searching. Part of him missed the comroddery that he sees. But he knows he can't get too close. Anyone who is close enough will meet the big guy, and that will be no fun.

There's a polite smile to Anya and Sam in passing. Rain is going to not interrupt a conversation though, for now. Since Heather's still likely taking care of Top Secret Underpants Model business, Rain carefully, carefully - as if playing Minesweeper with real mines - makes her way over to Bruce. She smiles politely at the fellow. "Um." Crap. Curse you engineering student social skills! Some engineers got charisma and verve. Rain is not one of them. Awkward. C'mon. It's like flicking an empty lighter. She had words. Where did they go? Deep breath. "Hello." There we go. Rain's the greyhound in the race that gets distracted by the rabbit and just stares at it. Ahem. "Erm. May I sit here, please? And that's a neat looking laptop." And best of all, she didn't burst into flames.

When Rain goes by, Anya offers her another smile. Just because she doesn't know her doesn't mean she's not gonna be friendly, after all. "Not a bad point," she admits as she turns back to Sam, thoughtfully drumming her fingers against her chin. "Most of my friends arent into... activism." Yes. Let's call it activism, and not 'putting on costumes and getting into fights with bad guys.' "Maybe I need to make some new ones." Amazing ones.

"Maybe you should. Hi, I'm Sam." Sam offers Anya his hand to shake. He's peripherally aware of Rain speaking, mostly because her discomfort is palpable is he's used to socially awkward geeks--has a soft spot for them, even. Not that he misses his own geek terribly, or anything.

Bruce looks up, wondering about the source of the sweet voice. Well, any woman's voice would be sweet these days. He gives a small chuckle as he likens himself to a grizzled convict; not so far from the truth. Alright, getting distracted.

"Please, by all means." It does seem weird that she would be addressing him out of the blue, but a quick survey of the area showed him that... his was the only table with room. Funny that she would leave her friends, if they were, but better to just go along instead of acting a jerk. He found that to be the better path.

Owch. Actually, most folks here are strangers to Rain. The one familiar face has gone on Top Secret Panty Missions or something as far as she knows. Rain looks a bit abashed, maybe even apologetic. There's a faint smile. "Thanks. Sorry... I hope I wasn't interrupting." She seems a little curious about Anya and Sam's conversation, though, she has some manners and doesn't intrude. Besides, this is taking most of her social concentration to not totally blunder. She pulls out a chair carefully and sits, setting her drink and muffin down. "Um." Pause. "Oh! Yeah, I'm Winter, by the way. I appreciate the seat." Higher paths are pretty awesome. "Pleased to meet you."

"Hi Sam," Anya replies with a grin and a twinkle in her eye, reaching out to give his hand a firm shake. "I'm Anya. Very nice to meet you." Again. Not that he knows that, not yet. "So, what do you do, Sam?" she asks, letting it hang for a beat before she adds, "Grassroots political stuff? Soup kitchens?" She... may be messing with him. A little. A /LITTLE/.

Anya's voice rings a bell for Sam... sadly, he's not smart enough to know what bell it is. "Oh, a little teaching. A little helping out here and there. Nothing fancy." Nothing like throwing on a uniform, jetting halfway around the world, and helping rain hell on an army... it would be "fancy" if they'd gotten there -before- the mass graves were filled.

"Uhh... hi. David. A pleasure to meet you." Bruce is taken aback a bit. Eithe this person is real friendly, or real desperate for friends. Whatever the reason, he's not one to judge. Of course, he's not going to put up much of a conversation. He doesn't mean to be rude, but he is working intently. Of course, a conversation with a pretty woman is not always a bad thing.

Of course, depends on the woman.

It's not so much overly friendly or desperate, as ... /clumsy/. Wait. Was it too much? Not enough? She doesn't want to be an ice queen, but nor does she want to be overtly clingy. She looks a bit worried, eyebrows furrowed. Ah crud. "... pleasure's all mine. Sorry," She notices him working a bit. Time to poke at that drink and muffin then. Rain looks to Bruce, purple eyes peering over. She seems curious. But at the same time, worried. Hmm. Dilemma. For now, Rain is sitting across from Bruce, looking as awkward as a wombat in a tutu trying to perform the nutcracker. Anya and Sam are talking nearby. Hmmm. She looks like she's trying to figure out if she's talking too much, not enough... Too bad he's not a circuit diagram or a pigeon to set on fire. Then it'd be totally easy.

"Teaching?" Anya can't keep the genuine surprise out of her voice. She blinks at Sam, laughing lightly. "How old /are/ you? You look too young to be a teacher. Not that I don't approve!" she adds hurriedly, holding up her hands. "I think it's great! I don't think I'd have the patience."

Of course, that phonecall took all of Heather's attention. Minus the small amount that was taken by her stuffing a cookie into her mouth. She stepped off to one side and then looks a bit less... pleasant when she comes back from the corner. Anyone who was listening, might've noticed details like her... kinda getting upset on the phone, a negative tone of voice and all that jazz. She's almost trembling as she returns and picks up her tray as well as another cookie which is stuffed into her mouth as she casts her gaze about the room. Where... was... oh there she is. The model takes a breath, puts on a happy expression, and then strolls over towards Rain, "I'm sorry for being rude earlier. May I sit and share my stuff?" she asks, holding out the tray of cookies and muffins.

"Patience is my middle name," Sam says easily, waving off the compliment. "Actually, it's Zachery. But I'm pretty sure it should have been..." He trails off for a moment as Heather waltzes right into his line of sight, but he's looking slightly baffled, not ogling. He blinks and shakes his head before turning back to Anya with a smile. "...Patience. And I love kids. What about you?"

'More people? Why couldn't it be like this in high school?' Bruce resisted the urge to laugh, as he has quite the following. All seriousness, this may be a bit too much. But the biggest threat left, and he's keeping his anger in check. And these girls don't like any agents of SHIELD, or CIA, or whatever acronyms are left. But, enough of that.

"Go right ahead." He motions to the other free seat, wondering if being at these places are serving their purpose. Usually people left him alone... Maybe a fast food joint next time, if he could stand it. Then again, when you're on the run, you can't afford to be choosy. "Looks like there's enough room for all."

Poor Heather. Rain looks a bit sympathetic. But then she looks confused. "Huh? How were you rude?" She seems baffled. She looks to Bruce and smiles politely. Nope, mercifully Rain is not anything with an acronym. She sorts spiders for Loki, but she's keeping that quiet. "Thanks," She nods to Bruce. She also apparently doesn't really know who he genuinely is. He did give her a different name, after all. And she's no telepath. What does she do besides immolate pigeons? "Sorry, it's a bit crowded and I didn't want to stand in people's ways..." She looks thoughtful. "Um." Hmm. "But it's appreciated." Yup.

"Depends on how old they are," Anya tells Sam with an impish grin. She sees his attention wander but isn't curious enough to look herself, she's having too much fun. "A lot of kids can be really obnoxious. I know I was." Indeed, still is, in many ways. She /is/ seventeen. All teenagers are obnoxious, it's a fact. "Though my neighborhood might have just sucked for good kids, I don't know."

"I love 'em even when they're obnoxious. I miss my brothers and sisters." Sam says to Anya. He looks melancholy for a moment. "And home. And getting to ride the firetruck." The melancholy is gone as fast as it came and he gives Anya a bright smile. "Volunteer firefighter. I'm still really tempted to take it up full time. I mean, come on. The fire truck, am I right?"

Nodding happily, Heather flops down in the seat indicated while setting the tray on the table before her, "Okay, tell me I'm not stupid." she says towards Rain before looking to Bruce. "Oh, right, hi..." she offers with a grin. At least she doesn't seem all -that- interested in him. Then she says back towards Rain, "Like I was saying, my agent just called to tell me he thinks I should pose for Playboy. I had to tell him no for like thirty flippin' minutes!" And she flaps her hands upwards in frustration as she says that part, "Seriously, he's crazy." she adds. Of course, she hasn't learned to use her inside voice here yet.... so it carries. Likely -right- as a certain newcomer might be wandering in.

Bruce himself pecked at his muffin. They're so bad, but so good... This gave him a nice vantage to listen in, not that he's all that interested in girl talk. He did notice the whole... model thing, and couldn't help but take a good look at the new girl. She was a pretty cute blond, to be sure, and the body... But Bruce preferred brunettes... That aside, he had more work to do. The girls seem to be chatting on, so he didn't see a reason to jump in.

Aloke has indeed wandered in at what would appear to be the perfect moment. He was headed for the counter to order, pointedly trying to ignore the famous woman sitting with her friends who he obviously recognized. However, unfortunately, the effort of Not Paying Attention to her has compromised his ability to pay attention to his own walking. He trips over someone's chair, as they scooted back to get up, knocks them down and their ceramic coffee mug goes flying. Before he realizes what he's doing, Aloke grabs the mug and scoops it through the air to trap most of it's coffee back in the cup. He helps the person up, stammering a weak apology, and hands the mug back before returning to his counter-course, apparently hoping to fade into nothing by sheer force of will. Hey, it works for some!

That, and Rain is a-w-k-w-a-r-d around people. She tilts her head and blinks. "I don't have any reason to believe so," She shakes her head. Really. Rain doesn't figure Heather's stupid. She smiles politely and nods, listening. She tilts her head. "I see. That um, must be pretty tough. Although, a lot of people are pretty famous after getting into that magazine. But maybe not always in good ways. As long as you're happy with the decision, that's what counts. I'm sure he got the idea. I er, don't know much about modeling." She considers. Rain's having a hard time grasping that sort of decision. Most people just notice the purple eyes and figure she's got contacts. There's a polite smile to Bruce, too. She didn't forget! A wince as a fellow trips on a chair. "I hope he's ok-- I think he is..." She peers over.

Anya is just. Gonna. Focus on Sam. Yeeeeeah. "Firetrucks!" she says brightly, doing her best to ignore the conversation at the table behind her. "Yes. You are so right. With the... the ladders. And the hoses. And the sirens, you have to love the sirens," she says, very serious. She nods at Sam. Nod back, Sam, we're in this thing together. "If the teaching thing doesn't pan out, totally do it. If there is one surefire way to a lady's heart aside from liking children, it is saving kittens from burning buildings."

And, if Anya were not distracted by the brief bit of kerfluffle as someone trips, she would note that he seems like a pro-kitten guy. She is torn between wincing in sympathy and being more than a little impressed by the coffee-rescuing that ensues. Noooooice.

Sam can't help his chuckle at poor Aloke's display, even though he's impressed at the same time. "That was awesome... if that was me, there'd be a hole in the far wall," he says, without thinking about the implications of it. He was talking about fire trucks, that always makes him a little giddy.

Outside voice vs inside voice is it? Heather slows to a stop, her words literally just trailing totally off as her eyes note the coffee cup catch and tuck and repour routine. Her head inclines a bit and both brows raise. For a change, no words slip out of her lips, as they just purse a bit and her eyes blink once or twice. She's quite perceptive really, and quite... well struck speechless.

Bruce couldn't help but notice the commotion as well, at the guy with quite the entrance. But after seeing the guy was okay, he went back to work. No sense in getting into something that had nothing to do with him; at least, that's how it seemed now.

Rain's sort of at a loss for a moment. What just happened here? Her eyebrows are going to stick to her forehead if she keeps this up. She just takes a sip of her chocolatey chai drink of doom. She seems quietly curious about this David fellow, though, she's content as things sit. "Oh! Um, this is David. Sorry." Rain motions from Heather to David. "He's been putting up with me." She's a bit wry about that. "But it must be tough with a lot of modelling gigs," She considers. Still, the fellow who tripped warrants a periodic glance. Rain is also pro-kitten. Because with those teeny noses, fuzzy potbellies and general adorability, kitten armies could bring the cities to their knees with shock and d'aw.

Anya slides her gaze back to Sam and just grins. "Didn't realize you walked into things quite that hard, hayseed," she notes impishly. She does, however, shift to get up, hefting her backpack up and onto her shoulder. "I should get home. It's been really nice talking to you, though. I'll at you sometime," she promises, scooping up her empty drink so that she can throw it away. Of course, how she plans to tweet at him without his handle is anyone's guess, but she seems pretty confident about it.

Wait a minute. No one else Sam knows says that to him. And... he's blond but not outright stupid. "Who said I was walking?" Sam asks, on the verge of laughter. "You do that, I'll be waiting. Maybe we can go for Dim Sum." Okay, things are really looking up.

Bruce only thought it was polite to nod, and show a small smile. He then went back to work. What was it that he was doing, anyway? He made sure no one could look at his screen, not that anyone here would be guessing what he was doing.

Grabbing another cookie, Heather just shakes her head, "That guy's good.." she says in full-mouthese. She gets to her feet, leaving the tray of snacks there as she says, "I think I need to go email some folks before my agent decides to make a full press release to try to obligate me into something naked." Snorting, she heads for the door, stalking in kind of a purposeful way.

Aloke glances up at the departing celebrity shooting for nonchalance and instead just settling on Totally Obvious. Anyway, once the door shuts behind her, he's able to focus on why he's here. He picks up his coffee and takes to the cream and sugar counter. Lots of cream, lots of sugar. It would be impolite to say how much, but it's a lot. He stirs his supersaturated solution, and begins to hunt for a table, coffee in one hand, cookie plate in the other.

She smiles faintly. "Okie dokey. See you, Miss Heather." She waves. "Be well and um, good luck with the not naked thing." Rain seems compassionate. But man, she could stand the charisma to go with it. Unfortunately, Gotham and NYC PD are unable to locate the fellows who made off with it. Aloke gets a faint, polite smile. Rain watches Heather go, and boggles at the left behind snacks. "... um. Want some?" She offers to 'David'/Bruce. It's hard not to boggle a little at how much sugar Aloke uses, but she stays polite.

Sam gets up and gives Aloke a warm smile as he picks up a couple napkins on the way out. He completely gets the whole 'power-whoopsie' moment. On the way out, he gets his phone out of his pocket. -Hurry up and tweet, Anya, so Sam can see if he's right or not.-

Bruce takes a look at the treats, and then notices that his muffin is gone. But he's still got some room. "Uh, sure. Thanks. We can share." That last part was said nonchalantly, but he did mean it. He takes a cookie and chews on it as he continues his work. "Thanks for the offer. You sure your friend won't mind?" He didn't quite yet realize that she had to leave, and now realized it might have been rude to have started eating. But the young lady did offer, so perhaps it was alright.

These are the things that happen when you stare at your screen all day.

Aloke finally finds a little round table a couple tables over from where Rain and David/Bruce/DefinitelyNotTheHulk are sitting. He sets his snacks down, and pulls a sketch book from his shoulder bag, hangs the bag over the back of his chair, and produces a pencil from a jacket pocket. He sets everything out, settles into his chair, and takes a long sip of his coffee before flipping open the book and looks over what he sees inside.

Rain smiles faintly. She shrugs at Bruce. "She did offer them. I'm hardly an expert, but I think offering then taking back is usually sort of rude," She notes. "I can pay her back if it really comes to it," She adds. "I had some odd jobs I did," She is quiet on what those constitute. She doesn't seem too ruffled by David. More curious, actually. If a bit worried. She is sitting near Bruce aka: David for now. "Besides, if I ate them all, I'd probably kick myself for it later." She notes. She takes a sip of her own drink. She blinks, noticing coffee fellow pull out a sketchbook. Hmm. "But um, let me know if I'm interrupting... Most of the other people I was with in college ... we didn't talk much face to face..." Awkward. Dang nerds.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to be rude, but just busy with some work here." The girl does seem to be pretty lonely, just very talkative. Bruce decided to indugle, as she seemed rather harmless. Or at least, she didn't seem to have any ill intentions. "So, I guess I'll help you out with these," he said, motioning to the cookies. "But yea, please don't take too much offense. I just get into my work quite a bit." Bruce then kind of stares off. "Drives people nuts sometimes..."

Aloke glances up briefly from his sketch, takes an enormous bite of his cookie, and washes it down with his coffee-flavored sugar and cream solution. After another moment of studying the page in front of him, he picks up his pencil, begins to sketch.

"'s okay," Rain smiles faintly. "It's sort of ironic that when we're nervous, the words fall out or never arrive," She admits quietly. Rain is generally pretty harmless until provoked. She looks over and nods. "It's okay..." She accepts it for now, with a shrug. She glances over. Aloke is drawing. Curious! But he's a bit away and - hm. Oh well. Cookie! She reaches to take one. "You probably like your work. Only people who really like something concentrate like that," Munch. "Or artists really working on a piece." At least she's slowing down and being quieter.

"Hmm... I wouldn't say that I like my work, although I do. Let's just say it is... very important to me to get this done." Bruce found he had finished another cookie, and reached out for one more. "But I do appreciate the observation. Most think I would just be wasting my time..."

'Beep! Beep! Beep!' Bruce looked at his watch. 'Man, the time flew.' That alarm meant that his time of being safe was coming very soon, so he decided here to shut down. And this made for a convenient excuse. "Oh, sorry, but I have to be on my way. I got an appointment to run to."

Bruce packs up his stuff as he finishes the cookie he has, as well as the coffe he has. He'll have to find another place, which won't be hard in a city like this. "Thanks again for the cookies, and for the conversation. You have a good day!" Bruce nods to her as he leaves. At least, nothing to get angry about here.