2013-01-30 Current Events Cafe

Harlem has always been a center of social change. In recent years, the surge of new mutants and their families has been most focused in this section of New York. It's here that many young mutants have been congregating, in small groups, to discuss the common plight of their lives.

It's here, quite often, that Erik Lehnsherr finds himself, as often moving through the crowds as with them. A favorite cafe has become The Green Brick, a small bistro that serves coffee and snack items. Erik sits apart from the crowds at large, enjoying a small booth all his own. Immaculately clad in a three piece double-breasted suit, he is clearly being given a wide deferment by the more youthful members of the cafe as he sups.

Janet isn't a mutant but she finds that she loves the vibe in this part of the city, Harlem having a particular vibe that leaves her a little bit happier than some of the other parts of New York City. She has taken to wander here when time allows, that being between bouts of working on concepts for a clothing line and doing the hero thing.

The cafe is approached and a table claimed but not before she goes to the counter and places her order. One mocha and a sanwich to stay.

Ollie has come to Harlem because he heard of the larger mutant population growing here. He had been at the parade the other day. He had seen it turn quickly into violence. He still has bruises and deep tissue injuries he is recovering from due to that, in fact. Now, he wants to come down here. He wants to hear the other side of the story. Ollie likes to fight for the little guy. This is a cause he knows nothing about so now he is here to learn.

He is dressed simply today. He wears a leather bomber jacket, complete with wollen collar folded down. A green long sleeved shirt and jeans can be seen too. He has his hands in his jacket pocket as he heads towards the cafe. He spots the cafe and thinks a hot chocolate on a day like today sounds good.

Mystique's disguise of the day is Melissa Hawthorne, an attractive and professional package with wavy brown hair, green eyes, and fancy, clingy black attire which really sets off the carefully balanced collection of silver jewelry which completes it. She's just now stepping out of the restroom, a smartphone already back within her hand as she continues to pursue news and rumors which have spawned off of the recent attack that took place during the Thousand Mutant March right here in New York City. There's lots of potential leads to be uncovered from that mess, including a few leads on individuals which might be beneficial to their cause. Work, as usual, for this woman as she quietly slips into the booth directly opposite of Erik. There's an upward glance over the screen of her phone, a sly but amused expression passing through her features. It has been a most busy, but profitable, week for them both.

Owen's a mutant but it's hard to tell when he's in his usual attire like he is today. Hood up and supernatural darkness shielding his face from view, the southern mutant is making a point to bump and brush people as he walks through Harlem on his way into the cafe. He needs to do it, draining little bits of life force from everyone he touches. But since that's not the only hunger he was to feed, he's on his way into the cafe to see about buying a sandwich.

The look Erik slips Mystique- a faint cocking of a silver eyebrow, and then a faint, but genuine grin, wry and deprecating- speaks volumes without saying a word. He nods at the woman and then gingerly sips his hot coffee.

Erik's eyes flicker to the sudden surge of new arrivals, recognizing a few faces here and there. Ollie gets a considered nod, as does Lurker.

"It seems we have visitors, my dear," Erik remarks to Mystique in a grandfatherly tone. "I think I recognize one of our new faces."

The leather wearing Oliver gets noticed by Janet, that first glance followed swiftly by a second. And then a third. The last lingers a bit before she pauses, her attention diverted a bit. "Looks like there is a shortage on tables," she offers the green-clad man. "If you'd like we can share this one."

Luck is truly with her as there's a table right next to where she stands, it sat at by her as means to claim it. Once seating is secured for at least her (Ollie just might turn down her offer) she looks around, noticing Erik and his companion and then Lurker. People watching is fun and a hobby she's all too happy to indulge in.

Ollie gets his hot chocolate and then turns around to look for a seat. He smiles as Janet speaks up and moves to sit down next to her. "Thanks. I don't know if we have met, but you look an awful lot like Janet Van Dyne. What are you doing up here in Harlem?" He settles back in his seat and notices Erik and Mystique/Melissa although he obviously won't recognize her. He pauses for a moment as he studies Erik. The parade had been mass confusion, but he looks like the man that had been on the float. Perhaps this trip to Harlem will bare out.

Sure enough, with the observation Mystie/Melissa turns around to look at the new arrivals. Yep, there is one familiar face in that crowd. A smile silently takes form, taking the opportunity to inform Erik "That one's met my friend Ivan." Or, rather, Lurker had met -her- as Ivan. It can get slightly complicated at times, but she does so enjoy leaving everyone around her on uneven footing. "Have you had a chance to speak to him yet? He seems to be a most peculiar sort." Translation: There's bound to be lots of ways in which they can put Lurker's particular talents to good use.

Owen steps off to the side of the line as he tries to decide on what to get. Taking out his wallet, he glances inside and sighs. Empty. "Damn," he mutters, stomach grumbling in protest. Looking around, the bundled up mutant frowns as he tries to figure out if there's anyone who's got a deep pocket he can pick for a meal. Heather gets a look and it noted more for being a prime energy drain target than a cash one. People with headphones and blue tooth are always the easiest to drain since they don't pay a bump much mind. He has to stop himself from doing a double-take at the sight of Ollie and Jan, recognizing them well enough. Just as he's about to head their way to see if he can...borrow...Mr. Queen's wallet, Lurker catches sight of Erik. He remembers him from the parade and the Mutant Action Center. Taking a breath, he shrugs and heads over. "Howdy, sir. Glad to see ya'll are doin' better after that nasty business at the parade."

A little gyrating, a little hip shake. The little bluetooth earbuds that Heather is wearing pipe some of her favorite tunes to her ears from that crazy phone she was given by Tony Stark. She's walking down the sidewalk, and actually spins about slowly as she moves. Somehow she manages to avoid colliding with anyone, but mostly that is because people see her coming and figure that if they don't get out of the way, they'l run right into her.

It's not that she has the sense of authority to make people get out of the way so much as common sense tells them that it might be a good idea to move. That is, until she smells the scents of food from the diner and looks up, "Oh hey, I'm here." she says to herself before reaching for the door handle, opening up and meandering her way inside, hands up near her head and moving to the music for a few more seconds as the song winds down.

Erik laughs softly at Mystique. "Your friend Ivan is such a charming fellow. Somewhat roguish, but I imagine that appeals to our younger members. Ah- it appears he's coming to join us. Splendid." He smiles at Owen beatifically as the young mutant approaches their table- but does not speak. Erik's apparently a man with a strong sense of propriety, and waits for his companion to introduce them properly before speaking to the younger man.

"Well, it's always a pleasure to be recognized by such a handsome man as yourself," Janet responds with first, her face going slightly red. There have been plenty of times when she's been recognized before but when the person in question is the (in)famous Oliver Queen she just has to take a bit more pride than she would normally. "I am just here to enjoy an evening away from the drawing table," she adds with a little giddy giggle. "And what about yourself, Mister Queen? What daws you to this borough?" Another glance is given to the trio of Erik, Melissa and Owen but then her eye is caught by Heather.

"Janet," Ollie says with a smile, "May I call you Janet? Sometimes it is good to get out of the ivory tower and put leather to the pavement. Couple things have caught my notice lately, and I was hoping to learn a bit more about them. So I ended up here." He is smiling towards Janet, but his eyes flick to Erik and his companions. He tries to not be too obvious as he tries to evesdrop a little on the conversation at the next table, perhaps trying to find that segway into the conversation. He notices Heather come up, and if their eyes meet he will greet his neighbor.

Is it weird to help introduce a fellow whom doesn't have any idea who it is that's making the introductions? Eh, Mystique has bigger concerns to worry about. Melissa smiles warmly to Owen and makes room at the booth, patting the spot upon the table right beside herself. "Erik, this is Owen. Owen, Mister Lehnsherr. Ivan's told me about you, I'm Melissa." And about a billion other people. "Join us, won't you? You look famished." If not for everyone else in this joint she would have called him by his 'proper' name. Time and place for everything, especially for those yet flying well under the radar.

Owen tenses immediately when Melissa uses his name. Random woman he doesn't recognize knowing things about him makes him nervous. But then she mentions Ivan. Owen lets out a little relieved breath and sits down carefully. "Pleasure tah meet ya, Miss," he says. Turning to Erik, he offers a gloved hand for bit of a proper introduction.

Well, her song ends, and Heather reaches up to pluck her earbuds out of her ears before stuffing them into her jacket pocket. She inhales the aroma of the pleasant foodstuffs and just grins. Noticing Ollie is -not- difficult, and she sends the guy a wave, "Howdy Neighbor!" she calls out before she bounces... yes, that's about the only word that describes her energetic nature. She bounces to the counter and grabs a menu. "Oh skip the menu." she mutters after half a second of skimming. "Just bring me steak and eggs, over easy please. I'll want three orders, but let's have'em in order, not all at once or they won't be fresh and hot when I get to'em eh?" she asks with a grin.

At the proper introduction, Erik rises and gently clasps Owen's hand in his. "Greetings, my young friend. Ivan recommended you most highly. Erik Lehnsherr, at your service. Please, won't you join us for lunch?" he invites the younger mutant. He glances at the socialites meeting at the counter, then spreads his hands and gestures at Owen, taking his own seat. "What brings you to Harlem today, my friend?"

Jan giggles a bit before reaching over, first to touch Ollie lightly on the arm and then to take her drink in hand, the scent wafting from it chocolate as well as coffee in nature. "You can call me Jan, if you'd like but Janet's fine as well. And what about yourself? How do you prefer to be addressed?" Heather's order is caught and boggled over but Janet at least has the good grace not to gawk or otherwise call attention to how she heard it save a quick glance. "It is nice to be able to meet you finally," she eventually says to the blond gentleman she's seated with. "I am surprised we haven't met before this. I do believe we run in the same social circles, after all."

"I believe we do although I have to admit, Jan, that I do have somewhat of a distate for the social circles. Usually a lot of old folks sitting around talking about how important they are or else talking about their golf games and what clubs they have which are bad code for something else." Ollie grins and takes a sip of his hot chocolate. "You can call me Ollie by the way." Heather does get a wave at being recognized. The hunter is in his blind now. His eyes look at the new comer to Erik's table, but can't get a good look at the kid's face.

Once introductions are concluded, Melissa selects a menu and offers it to Owen, smile included. "Order whatever you wish, dear. By joining our table you have agreed to not leave here hungry." That is, if the kitchen still has food left to serve after handling that one woman's appetite. Such high energy is already a peculiar sight, but three orders of steak and eggs? The only other person she knows that eats with such bravado has a figure that's much more rotund than attenuate. There's one to keep an eye on, because a woman like that? Can't be human.

Owen smiles behind the darkness. "Thank ya, Mr. Lehnsherr. Ah'm jus' Owen," he says. Not offering his last name. Part of the 'family' or not, he doesn't want any connection back to his old life. The menu gets a blink and Owen looks it over. "Ah dunno if Ivan mentioned it but...somethin' Ah have tah do for my...abilities. Harlem's a good place for it," he says. "Lot's of people," he adds. Heather gets Lurker's attention too. She's definitely a prime target for life force draining. So much energy is a tempting target, Owen wondering if he could get away with following her after lunch.

Well, Heather is a known face for anyone who watches TV, or looks at billboards. But she's a bit overdressed for how folks usually see her. She smiles at the waitresses boggling reaction to her order, and lays down her AMEX card. "I'm good for it, don't worry." she tells the waitress before settling onto a stool and starting to drum her fingers on the countertop, heels of her hands hitting her legs now and then, and then back to the countertop. That song is still in her head apparently.

Jan does know Heather, by sight if nothing else but with the conversaiton continuing to flow between herself and her tablemate she speaks to Oliver and no one else. "It can be like that," she confesses with a bit of a wrinkle to her nose. "But it is also a chance to do a lot of good if given the right circumstance. Like charitable parties and the like. Don't you go to those?" Her mocha is sipped from but otherwise ignored. Oliver is a lot more interesting than the drink is, even if he's distracted. Which she totally notices but does not call attention to.

"I tend to like to get my hands dirty rather than just write a check," Ollie says with a smile. "Probably should pay more attention to the business, but would rather be out and about. For instance, I was at the Mutant March the other day. Things got heated down there, but probably can do more being down there in the trenches then up in an office." He sits back and sips at his drink again. "Course, that is just me and there will be other schools of thought."

Fascinating. "It would appear that there is a celebrity among us today, as well," Melissa quietly observes to her table companions. It took a moment, but once she caught a proper look at Heather's face the rest just fell right into place. Hero sort. Definitely not human. Fortunately, Erik and her are here purely for social purposes and nothing more devious in nature. Oh--wait just a moment, now. A few select words from a nearby table become food for thought. Someone else that had been involved with the riot? Someone looking to 'get his hands dirty.' The woman steals a glance on the sly, mentally mapping Oliver out. She doesn't know this man, but finding people suddenly becomes a whole lot easier when she can simply make herself look like the person she's tracking down. Police sketches don't have a thing on her talents.

Back to Owen, Melissa returns that friendly smile. Then, speaking very quietly to the other mutant, she suggests "You'd do best finding someone else to hunt." Heather? Bad choice. Powerful, famous, hero sort. Bad combination, there.

"More than one, Miss," Owen remarks quietly. He gestures towards Ollie and Jan with a little nod. A little more looking through the menu and he decides on ordering a simple sandwich and soda. He jumps slightly at Melissa's suggestion, turning his gaze towards her. "Why do ya say that?" he asks. He'd need a good reason to avoid passing up such a good source of energy. If it'd keep the Bat from coming back out, he'd risk himself after all.

The first order of steak and eggs is placed before Heather and she beams to the server. "thanks!" she offers before digging in. If she has a mutant power, it's the ability to consume enough food for seven models, and not lose her figure. Anyhow, she's cutting up her steak, rubbing it around in egg yolk and chewing up bites with almost enthusiastic glee at this point. A glass of juice arrives and she sips at it now and then. Once her initial rumbling of the tummy are sated, she slows down and looks about the room again, spying Oliver again, and .... hey, isn't that... she inclines her head. Trying to get Ollie's attention (no, she really isn't subtle about it) she gestures at Jan and raises her brows, as if to ask... is that who I think it is?

"I totally understand. Well, at least I think I do." Truth of the matter is that Janet really hasn't done much of that sort of thing until the last several years, the ones leading up to her becoming an adult spent being fairly self-absorbed and self-centered. Not a lot of time was spent doing things for others unless it involved a party and a chance to show off her latest fashion creation. "I'd like to learn that. More than I have. I've tried but really don't feel like I've succeeded, you know?" She sighs, looking genuinely put out at herself. "Maybe you and I could go to the next parade or whatever together. You can show me what it's like to really do something for someone else." Heather's trying to get Oliver's attention is missed as she's not paying much attention to anyone, Heather and the others glanced at and listened to in little snippets and nothing else.

"Sure," Ollie says with a nod. "Be happy to take out to see a bit of the front line if you like. Course, it isn't always pretty. Got a couple busted ribs to let me know that. Had a beaut of a headache when I woke up too." He smiles up at Heather as she is coming over. He gestures for her to join them. "Got to be ready for it to get ugly quickly. Fast on your feet. Think you can do that, Jan?"

"Oh goodness, but I -am- behind on the times," Melissa says with an almost embarrassed sounding chuckle. "We've all chosen a prime location for a spot of lunch, haven't we?" An explanation to her warning, hmm. Once more pitching her voice low between the two, she offers "Because if she were to find out, I fear that she just may outclass you. If you go after such high profile targets you will eventually draw attention to yourself, regardless of your skills. This would not be a good thing for one whom commands the shadows, no? Know your targets, child. Looks are often deceiving."

Owen pauses, looking at Heather again. "She's high profile?" he asks. "Wait...Ah've seen her before," he squints Heather's way. "Dammit," he curses softly when he finally recognizes her. "Ah'm not worried about bein' outclassed but keepin' hidden is a good idea," he agrees with a sigh.

Before Oliver has a chance to confirm or deny that to Heather Janet gets a text. Whatever it is it must be important as she's quick to rise to her feet. "I'm sorry but an emergency's come up, Ollie. Oh, here." A business card is pulled from her purse and then handed over to him. "Please feel free to give me a call. That's my personal contact information so you'll be able to reach me there." She turns and waves to Heather and then gives the next table over a more thorough inspection, feeling safe to do so now that she's about to depart. "I'm not worried about taking risks, for what it's worth, Ollie. Anyhow, I must be off. Thank you for your company."

Ollie stands as Janet leaves. "Good to finally meet you." He tucks the card into his pocket. "And I'll get in touch." He smiles at her as she gets going. "No problem about the company. Always enjoy getting out and talking. Just a neat coincidence that I get to meet you today."

One can learn an awful lot simply by listening and observing. Melissa's juggling several things at once now, with the one named Ollie rating higher upon that list. As luck would have it, it appears that he's about to be by himself.

And then she remembers where she's seen that face before. It's easy to lose track of them when she's handled so many thousands of them over more than a century. "Speaking of knowing your target..." she softly says to Owen while watching the other man with care, getting a peculiar idea in mind. It wouldn't be any trouble for her, she can be anyone and everyone. It's the rest at her table that make her assess the situation with extra caution.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

When Ollie is well and truly by himself, Melissa smiles and passes a wave in greeting his way. "Hello, sir! Would you like some fresh company for a time?" Rich guy, wanting to get his hands dirty? This merits further investigation. Erik can be ticked off at her for this later if he wants.

Owen goes quiet, waiting. He stays silent as he watches Melissa. He tilts his head to the side as Melissa invites Ollie over, not sure what she's up to.

As Ollie is standing any way as Jan leaves, he looks over as Melissa addresses him. That was the table he had been watching so the prickles on the back of his neck go off a little. Still, nothing ventured nothing gained. He picks up his drink and steps over to the other table. "Hi," he says with a smile. "My name is Ollie. Good to meet you."

This time Melissa is on her feet as well, extending a hand in greeting. "A pleasure. I'm Melissa, and this is Owen. Forgive me, but if I'm not mistaken then I had overheard earlier that you were caught up in that nasty outbreak during the march the other day..? Would you mind sharing your experiences? The news always paints such a one-sided perspective on everything, it's impossible to get a proper understanding of what is taking place within this city."

It may not look like it to Owen, but she's already attempting to set things into motion for something much larger than a friendly happenstance conversation. No piece of information is useless. That she can try to make a strong first impression at the same moment is just another perk. And, if Owen decides to try and claim some of that energy for himself while she's got Ollie distracted, well...

Owen stands as well. He considers a moment before offering his gloved hand. Of course if Ollie takes it, Owen intends to borrow a little life force. Not a lot, just a few seconds worth so it probably won't even be missed. He hadn't noticed Ollie at the march, too caught up in the chaos so he is interested to see what the man has to say.

"Melissa. Owen." Ollie nods and smiles to both of them as he moves to take his seat. He takes Owen's hand and shakes it. While the tiny syphon of energy isn't much, Ollie is not just a regular guy either. He feels something strange for the briefest of instances, and there is a momentary frown on his face until he dismisses it and takes a seat. "I was there. Certainly not center stage or anything. I like to get out there and get involved in the causes though. Got a bit swept up during the attacks and rioting. Few bumps and bruises to show for it."

There's another piece of information. Melissa can assume that Owen is 'sampling' Ollie's life force, or whatever one was to call it. Regardless, the effort seems to have been noticed in part. Ollie here is an astute fellow. She has no trouble treading lightly, but her younger bat-like companion is a different situation. A potentially unpredictable one, at that. "From the sound of things, you would not be sitting at this diner if you had been caught up in the center of the action," she offers with both a look and tone of concern. "You're lucky to have made it out of there without receiving a more substantial blow."

The next stage is already laid out nice and neat for her. "'Get out there and get involved,' surely you don't mean resorting to fisticuffs? From what I gather, it was a chaotic mess, as riots so predictably are. What sort of thing would you have hoped to accomplish?" That 'getting his hands dirty' comment from before. What would this guy do, what is he capable of, which side would he choose to stand with?

Even Owen is providing a service right now, being so clearly ..different. That detail doesn't seem to be an issue. Ollie could prove to be useful, alright. One way or another.

Owen smiles after the sampling. Just a little bit more energy added to that reserve of keeping the monster locked up. He nods slightly as Ollie describes the experience at the march, his own a pretty bad one. He isn't mentioning it though, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that he was there. No need to point out the furry guy with claws that was teleporting around is right there now. He's a pretty quiet guy in general anyway.

"I was more off to the side really. I was on the outskirts of the crowd when it started so wasn't in the mess of things to get really beaten up, but still. Tried to help some folks, got caught in a bit of cross fire, and then got dragged out it later on." Ollie is seated now at the table with Melissa and Owen and sips at his drink once more. "And I don't mean getting out there and beating each other is the way to get involved. There are plenty of folks that do that. I was hoping to learn a bit more about the mutant cause which is why I was down there. Which is why I'm up here in Harlem now. I had heard the mutants were concentrating up here. Can't help a cause if you don't know about it. I like to think I stand up for the little guy, but yeah, once the riot started all you could do was try to get the innocents out of the way."

Having hung up her phone... it was just Justin, her -former- agent, trying to get into her good graces again... Heather kept eating while talking to him. Most of it was muttered things like. "What?" or "Why do you keep trying?" Heather just said at one point, "Oh look, a tunnel." and pressed disconnect before putting the phone on the counter, even while eating. Then she says, "Jarvis, add Justin to ignore list please." And the phone replies, "Yes Ms. Danielson." She smirks, "Stark makes a good phone, I'll say that." she says before she starts in on the second plate of food. Hollow leg? Legs? But then she hears about some riot thing and turns her head towards the others. "Wait a sec, I was out of town last week, we had a shoot in Bermuda. But... what riot?" she asks. Apparently, she didn't get much chance to watch the news or at least the -local- news and all.

Melissa hooks her eyebrows upward slightly upon hearing this bit. "You're wishing to help the mutants, then?" That would make her life quite a bit easier, what if he was already willing to push money in their direction without it needing to be stolen first. Oh, and now 'Ms. Danielson' caught wind of things as well. Melissa perks up slightly, smiles, and motions Heather on over. "Soon we will have the most popular table in town," she teases in a friendly demeanor.

Back to the discussion, and before Heather can join in, Melissa tells Ollie "I could not possibly begin to imagine how many would be so grateful for that level of support. If you're interested in learning more, I would be happy to provide some references? As it happens to be, I am very well connected within the community." And, soon enough, Lurker will have another opportunity to do his thing on an unsuspecting woman. Care to see what might happen?

Owen pauses at that bit of information from Ollie. He'd been edging his foot closer to the other man's with the intent of draining him a little more. But since he's helping mutants, Owen's unseen eyes flick towards Melissa. He'll give Ollie a pass for now, settling back down to watch and listen. When Heather mentions not knowing about the riot, Owen frowns. Still no comments though, Owen just waiting to see what Melissa is up to.

"Honestly, I would rather be hands on then just to write a check," Ollie says with him haw expression and shift of his body. "But I do have a couple questions first. Don't know if you can answer any of them. The guy you were talking to when I first came up looked familar. I was going to try and ask him a few questions first. Right now, I'm trying to get information. I don't want to be one of those folks who gives into the passing plate and then forgets about whatever cause I just donated to. If there is oppression going on, I want to see it stopped. Sometimes, you do have to misbehave for that, but you can't go full abandon either." He grins as he finishes his little speech. "If any of that makes sense."

Well, she -was- invited over. Heather takes the last bite of her second plate, and then stands up before saying to the waitress. "I'll take the next plate over there." she says, gesturing towards the popular table. Then she ambles on over and steps up behind Oliver. She leans in and places one forearm on his shoulder, "Making new friends neighbor?" she asks with a grin as she offers her other hand, the right one, to Melissa. After all, she's the one who invited her over. "I'm Heather." she offers, "Any friend of Ollie's here, as they say." she offers, "And I'm sorry if I was too busy to catch up on the news.... what oppression?" she asks. "There are tons of oppressed folks in the world. It sucks... which ones are we talking about?" She didn't hear a lot of details. No superhearing it seems.

Two birds, one stone. Melissa smiles in turn and nods in understanding. "Oh, but of course! Information is both the most powerful of allies and the most formidable of opponents, after all." With Heather's arrival she stands once more and accepts the offered hand, once more introducing herself simply as Melissa, then in turn introducing Owen. Sitting back down, her expression becomes more solemn. "There was an event within the city called the Thousand Mutant March the other day. Unfortunately, it did not turn out quite as well as many had hoped."

Melissa idly fishes around in her chic little purse for a business card for Ollie while getting Heather caught up. "I can get you in contact with Erik, directly. I'm sure he would love to speak about the matter, he does seek to educate. As for what happened during the march, I fear that Ollie here is much more in the know. I had not been present at the time, perhaps he could fill in the details for you better than I? Sadly, I do appear to be just about out of time, already."

Owen stands with Melissa again. He waits for the first handshake to be done before offering his gloved hand with an unseen little smirk. Should Heather accept the handshake, Owen will drain a nice little bit of life force from her. He's careful not to take too much and get caught but it's still more than he took from Ollie. It seems like Heather can spare it after all. He nods as he sits, letting out a small and sad sigh as the march is discussed. He glances at the business card and finally speaks when Melissa mentions being almost out of time. "Ah should be goin' soon too. Gotta see a man about a small debt," he says, voice quiet. Really he's just going to go find some unlucky thug or drug dealer, drain him into unconsciousness, and walk off with his wallet...but hey, no need to explain that.

Indeed, Heather shakes both offered hands, and she has no supernatural danger sense. She can read a situation and knows when things are about to drop into the pot sure, but this isn't an assassination. This is just.. Owen is trying to drain a bit of the energy she has in abundance. To those who could see the energy transfer, it's like a flood of power tries to power through a small hole. Like putting a tiny little nozzle on the end of a high pressure hose. Owen gets more than he bargained for... by about five times. But it doesn't really seem to either affect Heather or be noticed by her.

"Ah, the mutant thing. That makes no sense to me. Why anyone would blame them for problem when plenty of other folks have innate powers and abilities that makes them as if not more dangerous than any mutant. It's like someone specifically -wants- a group to be blamed for stuff that's everybody's fault. Some sort of conspiracy... because it literally has no basis in logic any other way." she offers. "I mean, I'm happy to help out, but folks need to start waking up and smellin' the decaf, y'know?" she asks.