This board game cafe and speciality coffee shop is infused with the heavy aromas of high quality coffee grounds and the scent of old paper. There is a certain quirky charm to the cafe, adding to the warmth of the shotgun-style space. The right-hand wall is a facade of old brick, aged and mottled red, with a few picture frames contain cityscape drawings by local artists. The shelves that obscure most the wall to the left are home to every boxed board game known to man, meticulously organized in alphabetical order: even the classic 'Fireball Island', for those who remember it. At the front of the store, the cold counter displays a multitude of baked goods, the top of which is cluttered with smaller candies and cakes while blocking off the espresso machines and coffee brewers behind it. There are even a small selection of beers and mixed drinks available for those who want them. Next to it stands a carrel of coffee additives, after which the boutique opens up into well spaced tables and couches.
At the back of the cafe, there is a small hallway, and straight ahead, a door leads outside and is labeled as a fire exit. To the right are the bathrooms, and to the left, a staircase leads to an apartment on the second floor.
Compact is the word for him: wiry, maybe 5'6" in his beat-up black combat boots, with a sense of compressed energy and imminence like a coiled spring -- or a cocked gun. Never quite still for long, balance flowing through the balls of his feet. There's a striking intensity to his narrow blue-green eyes, the colour contrasting with his fair skin and spiky copper hair; just below the left is what at first appears to be a faint mole, but closer inspection reveals as a small, long-healed scar. His features are appealing, with high cheekbones and a good jawline, but it's the confident mein and roguish smile that most often seem to draw people in.
He's in old black jeans with a rip in one knee and the cuffs half walked off, with a faded black band t-shirt ('Anarchy Burger - Hold the Government', parodying the In-N-Out sign) under an open dark red hawaiian shirt. There's a couple leather-and-bead bracelets on one wrist and a length of ball-chain disappearing beneath his collar; his nails were apparently painted black some time ago, since they're starting to show chips. Late teens, most likely, and when he speaks it's in a mellifluous, southern-accented baritone voice.
Shaggy brown hair and darker brown eyes frames this young boy's face. Justin has a slightly tanned complexion with a hint of Puerto Rican from his mother's side, Caucasian from his father's. He has a fairly lanky build that could use a bit of bulking upas he is built like a high school track runner. He wears loose fitted 'destroyed' blue jeans, simple tank tops, and worn down sneakers that are about five months in need of replacement, and during the cold, a thick green military jacket from his Grandpa. He looks like your average, ordinary American young teen that plays outside and is fairly active. Tall at five foot ten, he is a few inches higher than most his age for now.
Thick honey-blonde hair, styled in a poofy set of curls, rings this pretty blue-eyed young woman's head. She's in her late teens, and her hair's currently left down, though it's occasionally pinned up. She stands about five and a half feet tall, and is a little on the thin side of things, though not to an extreme. She dresses mostly in informal styles, from ripped jeans and tank tops to the occasional sundress.
Currently, she wears the former, her black tank top emblazoned with a large sequined red heart, and her jeans so ripped as to be nearly indecent. About half of the heart's sequins are missing. Her feet are clad in red strappy lightly-heeled sandals that have seen better days. She wears little in the way of jewelry, just a black wooden bracelet, a stainless steel and rhinestone mood ring, and (probably fake) gold earrings. When she speaks, a fairly thick Southern accent is evident.
Standing at 6' exactly, this fellow appears to be in his early twenties. His blond hair is worn in a longish style, and is pulled back into a short pony tail. His beard is full, but kept neatly trimmed. A lightly tanned complexion compliments his otherwise plain looking face. Certainly not a model, but of a good stock. Light blue eyes tempered by a calm self assurance are perhaps the most striking of his features, though tiny crows feet reveal that he has perhaps seen more than his young age would suggest. He is dressed well, wearing a pair of dark colored designer jeans and a dark blue plaid shirt, the sleeves rolled up to bare his forearms. A pair of road worn Harley Davidson boots complete his outfit, the toes scuffed and the soles ground flat from the miles covered.
Val is is a young girl in her mid-teens, who has an angular face, high cheekbones, and a prominent nose. All softened by the faint chubbyness of youth. Her hair is shoulder length and streaked in a series of rainbow hues, everything from dark purple to a brilliant orange. Due to the Val's strong northern Italian ancestry, her pale olive-tinted skin darkens to a rich brown during the summer months. She stands an inch below five feet tall, which accentuates just how thin and petite she is. The young woman's figure is whip-thin, with the faint curves that identify her as female. Val smiles a lot, a friendly cheerfulness that is hard to ignore and is almost contagious in nature.
Currently, Val is wearing a summer dress that is rather flattering and shows off the fact that the young teen is now more woman than child. The upper part of the single-piece dress is black, sleeveless, and form-fitting. Just above the hips the cloth becomes loose, flowing, and comes to a stop mid-calf. The lower part of the outfit is a repeating Arabesque design, in pale reds, blues, and some gold. On her right wrist, Val is wearing a thin charm bracelet; there are a few birds, an old-style sun with a face on it, an egg, and a lippy-mouth. The Corax's neck is decorated by braided leather necklace with a large black opal pendant. Lastly, her fingers are decorated by a number of thick rings; some with a mirrored surface, others holding the luster of stainless steel. A black and white leather backpack with the image of a magpie sewn in to it hangs from her shoulders, always filled with something or another.
The door to the cafe opens, held in place by Felix as he gestures Lilah in. She smiles at him and heads on in, then takes his hand. Her eyes immediately go toward the menu, and she licks her lips as she notes, "They got CAKE. And BEER!" She sounds like she's in heaven just from that, but then blinks as she spots the board games. "What in the world..." and she's heading in that direction without ordering.
"Well, beer's awesome and everyone loves cake," Felix replies, sauntering after Lilah and letting her drag him by the hand toward the boxes, "but do they got =snakes=? 'cause beer an' cake I'm good at gettin' hold of already." He looks around the place with interest, taking in the decor and the other patrons, and doesn't as yet look TOO disappointed at the lack of reptiles, with or without terraria.
"They *do,*" Lilah says triumphantly, before she carefully pulls out a copy of Snakes and Ladders. "I have no idea how t'play any o' these, 'cept maybe Monopoly, but it's been forever. Let's do this one." Apparently she hasn't realized it's a children's game. Or doesn't care. "So. Beer. Snakes. Cake. Ladders. The evenin's shapin' up!"
Felix tilts his head at the box, eyeing it for a second or two before saying, "Well, it ain't the kinda snakes I had in mind. But sure, why not? I want the beer first, though. An' cake." He glances to the counter, considering. "A'right, you find us a good spot an' tell me what you want, an' I'll go get it."
"Mmmm, that sounds delicious," Lilah says with a nod. She then insists, "I do wish they had some real snakes up in here, but paper or cardboard snakes or whatever they got in here's gonna have to do." She grins, and starts threading her way toward a seat.
Felix interferes with Lilah's progress by tugging her back toward him while he still has her hand and stealing a kiss before letting go and strolling toward the counter. Not in any apparent hurry. He eyes the menu as he heads that way, though he switches from it to the food and drink that's more on display fairly quickly. "Hey," he greets the woman working there, flashing her a bright grin as he leans lightly against the pastry case, "How's it goin'? I'd like two of... those," he decides, indicating one of the nearest representations of available beer, "and... two slices of that, an' one of those. And that cookie." Chocolate cake, something sort of strawberry-shortcake-inspired-looking, and a chocolate chip cookie. All the best beer snacks.
Val makes her way to the front of the store, getting into line behind the Gnawer and the kinswoman. Running a hand through her hair, she looks over the Cafe, as she takes stock of how busy it is.
Lilah's eyes widen as she's tugged back, and then she grins, returning Felix's kiss. "Encourageable," she murmurs in an amused tone, and then does let his hand go, looking for a seat. She's still watching him for a moment as she moves, smiling softly, and that probably explains why her shoulder nearly collides with Val's as she steps away. She half-stumbles to keep from making that collision a reality. When she's caught her balance again, she exhales in relief, and blushes up a storm. "Sorry," she mumbles.
Val's head snaps back around as there is a near collision and the other woman stumbles. The collision is avoided in part by Lilah's actions, but Val steps out of the way with an ease and sense of balance that most fourteen-year-olds lack. "S'alright," the young woman replies with an easy smile.
Felix flirts with the counterwoman a little in a friendly and entirely plausibly deniable manner while she checks out his ID and gathers the order, though the presence of someone approaching behind him gets a glance. And then a second one. "Nice hair," he greets Val, with another bright grin. Anything else is lost in a laugh as Lilah nearly knocks into her. "Maybe we oughta've split up the duties the other way," he teases her.
Lilah runs a hand through her hair, thoroughly embarrassed and with cheeks still a deep shade of red. She clears her throat, clears it a second time, and then mutters, "Yeah, maybe," to Felix, before giggling with a shrug. "Aaaaanyway. Nice hair, like the man says." She reaches out to help Felix with the cake bit of the order.
<OOC> Val: Phone! Sorry!
Justin has arrived.
<OOC> Justin waaaaves.
<OOC> Felix debates whether to wait for Val. I'm just gonna set and not do a lot in this one. ;)
Felix is at the counter, getting beer and cake (and a cookie), while Val is standing in the line behind him. Lilah, carrying a box of Snakes and Ladders, has just avoided walking into her, and is snagging one of the slices of cake Felix is even now handing the counterwoman some cash for. Small bills and change, but that's not exactly unusual cafe cash.
<OOC> Val: Call from Australia. Gonna be awhile. Gonna have to handwave Val getting food and wandering back upstairs.
Pushing open the doors to the place is Justin. Tonight he is wearing a pair of baggy jeans that sag just below his ass, because he's gangster like that, a black sleeveless shirt to show off the guns, and a backwards Pirates hat. His chain wallet jingles against his right leg with each step he takes, ambling for the counter and spying Felix and Lilah. His grin brightens visibly. "Yo dawgs!"
Lilah grins right back as she hears Justin's greeting, and turns to look over at him. "We have cake!" she announces brightly, perhaps inviting Justin to have some. Speaking of cake, she tries to snag the second slice, as well. She steps away from the counter, balancing the slice(s) of cake on the box of Snakes & Ladders. "How ya doin'?" she asks, and starts hunting around for a seat.
Felix glances over to Justin's jingles and greeting, looking the guy over. "Yo, 'sup homie," he replies, briefly deadpan before grinning at him. "We DO have cake. Everybody loves cake." A slight pause, and he unfolds a finger from one of the beers he's holding to point at the slice Lilah just took from him, "That one's mine. I ain't sharin'. You wanna sit with us?"
"Doing a lot better now that I see your gorgeous face. Oh, and you too, Lilah." Justin says with a teasing twist to his words as he ambles over to them after snagging a slice of cake for himself and sneaking over some wrinkled bills into the tip jar. Flopping down into a seat with them he takes a quick look about the cafe before looking back to Felix. "I'm gonna need you to roll with us Coyotes for a bit. Shit is going down in the city." He drops his voice down lower. "And when I mean shit, I mean big time shit. Shit that is gonna suck."
Lilah settles into a seat, leaving a space beside her for Felix, and sets the pieces of cake down first, then the Snakes & Ladders box. She's all smiles at the two of them, particularly at the teasing, and then lets her smile fade at Justin's continued words. Felix's piece is set in front of the empty seat, and then she starts tearing into her piece, as though she's not sure if she'll get the chance to finish it. For now, she says nothing.
"Yeah, I get that a lot," Felix says airily, giving his head the kind of light toss that would make his hair bounce if it were actually long enough to do that, and he grins again, settling into the seat Lilah leaves for him and sprawling there comfortably. One of the beers gets set in front of her, the other in front of himself, and he puts down the strawberry-y cake and cookie next to the slice of chocolate cake Lilah was carrying. And now that he has free hands, he uses one for that cookie, absently stretching the other one out over the back of Lilah's chair. "Yeah? I can do that, I reckon. Y'all are pretty cool. So what's goin' down? Anythin' discussable over cake?"
"So, you know all about the Spirals and blah blah blah that are rolled up here, right? Take over the world stuff. Right now those assholes are being quiet." Justin says in a low voice meant only for their table. "So, the other day, Watcher and I was investigating some things. A number of homeless has started disappearing off the streets in a certain neighborhood and it got back to me. So we rolled up and was poking our nose about, found an old church. Found out the 'priest' was a vampire and he attacked us. He booked it when he found out we were fuzzies. Found a trap door under the altar and all the homeless there, chained to the walls, stripped of skin, that kinda fucked up shit. Then, we got attacked by an ass ton of vamps down there, tied us up with shadows and beat the fuck out of us until we blacked out and left us on the street. Gave us a message that shit ain't over and they're gunning for us and I needed to spread the word." He drums his fingers on the tabletop. "Which means your babe here should stay on the down-low if you get involved, because I'm sure they will be excellent trackers, especially at night. I told Slug already, who is gonna tell Emma, who if you don't know is an Athro of the Fenrir and an Ahroun. So you know shit is gonna get messy when she gets involved. But I still want us to take somewhat point on this. Hitting the streets, tracking down intel."
Lilah listens closely as she practically inhales her cake, her body tilting in a bit to catch more of what Justin has to say. She's seated next to Felix, and the two of them each have a beer and slice of chocolate cake, though Lilah's cake is already half gone. She can really pack it away! Justin also has cake, because everybody loves cake! As Justin continues with his story, her brows furrow. And when he's done, she nods her head, swallows a bite of cake, and asks very softly, "Y'all need anything from me? I'm guessin' not hittin' the streets o'course, but if'n you need your plants watered or somethin' fetched, I'm your gal. Or whatever ya come up with." Oh, and yes-- there's a closed box of Snakes and Ladders in front of them.
Felix listens, nodding to the first bit of Justin's story while he rapidly makes the chocolate chip cookie disappear -- except for the last bite or so, which he sets aside onto Lilah's plate before washing the rest down with beer. And then, chocolate cake time. He also has a slice of some other cake involving strawberries, but currently it's waiting its turn. The next bit of the story gets a quirked brow, which only rises further as Justin goes on. Especially around the time they end up left on the street. "No shit?" He shakes his head. "A'right, well. That's fucked up. Yeah, I'm in." He glances sidelong at Lilah, then back to Justin, "How down-low you thinkin'? You think they're likely to show up where we're stayin'?" A multiple inclusive 'we', there.
The rumble of a Harley can likely be heard as it rolls up outside of the cafe. The rider kills the engine and leans the bike over onto the kick stand before rising and walking over to the door of Snakes and Lattes. Pulling it open and stepping inside, the Silver Fang Ahroun perhaps cuts an appearance out of the usual for the establishment. He is wearing a black tank top which exposes his huge arms and well muscled chest. His long hair is pulled back into a pony tail and his beard seems to have been recently trimmed. After a cursory glance around the room, his eyes flicking over Justin and troupe, he moves further inside toward the counter where he orders a beer and a shot of whiskey. Any humans in his general vicinity likely find a reason to slide a little ways away from him.
"Oh, and they also burned the church down to the ground with the people still down below in the basement chained up, so there is that too. They wanted to make sure we knew they were bad motherfuckers." Justin says as he props his chin up in his hands as his elbows rest on the tabletop. "And I don't know. I don't know how they track. Slug is pretty confident he can track them down easy enough, but the gameplan would be to take out their dumbfuck humans first that will probably be guarding them 'with' silver because they aren't stupid, then whack them during the day when they're asleep." He rubs his brow slightly. "I just don't want her to get caught up in it and use her as collateral."
Lilah runs a hand over her mouth, not so much to wipe the crumbs from her lips (although that's needed) as registering her upset at what she's hearing. She glances over at Felix, then back to Justin, without noticing Marcos at first. "I won't get caught up in nothin' 'less y'all ask me to. I ain't the brightest tool in the shed, but I ain't the dumbest, either." She gives a reassuring smile. "Hell, if'n ya like, I *think* I could stay in a motel for a bit. I been workin' at Denny's."
"Yeah, well, me neither," Felix says dryly, and looks over their table as if checking for something, then the rest of the cafe. Whatever he was looking for, he probably didn't find it, but he DID notice the biker. A quick, assessing glance over the guy and then he flicks his gaze over to Justin, eyebrow lifting again, although this time just barely. A question. "Huh. So they burnt down their own place to teach us a lesson. Interestin'... Wonder what kinda shit they're doin' wherever they wouldn't wanna burn down."
Marcos downs the first shot, and then raps on the counter with his knuckles indicating another, which is promptly filled and then downed again. He shells a few bills out onto the counter and then turns with his beer and heads in Justin's direction, his heavy motorcycle boots thumping on the floor. Once he gets close enough he says, "What's up, kid?" For all appearances the other two at the table are completely ignored.
"Don't know if that was their hangout or their torture house, but they were having a good time of it. Shoulda seen 'em, all hypnotized and shit, whipping each other and peeling off their flesh. They had no clue where they were at. Fast, Strong, Mind powers and shadow powers. Watcher said one of them talked about them being in the Sabbat. Means shit to me. I don't know anything 'bout them except they burn real good in the sun and sticking a piece of wood in them is make-believe." Justin's shoulders shrug upwards. "Lily, just make sure you're working morning shifts and got a ride home, okay? No walking at night anymore, no solo shit." As he opens his mouth to give further instruction, he gives a jolt at the sound of the Fang's voice. "Uhh... hey Marco. Just you know.. chilling with my homies... " He trails off, then rubs his nose. "... hey, you seem like the kinda asshole that likes to punch things. You wanna kill a buncha leeches?" He gives an impish grin. "Seeing how you're in a war pack?"
Lilah purses her lips as she listens to Felix and Justin talk, particularly at hearing about the tortured people. She then sits up a little in her seat and nods to Justin's suggestions, saying, "No problem. I'll make sure." She glances to Felix, and then looks to Marcos as he shows up, clamming up for a moment. Once he's been addressed by Justin, though, she offers him a polite enough smile.
"I gotta finish doin' whatever to the Caddy," Felix mutters to himself, and gives Lilah a slight squeeze with the arm that's resting mostly on the back of her chair. "I'll walk you when you need walkin', doll, just let me know." The description of what was going on under the church gets a shake of his head while he polishes off another good-sized bite of his cake, and Marcos gets a more obvious considering when he approaches and talks to their tablemate. "Hey," he greets the man, despite the lack of attention in their direction, and to Justin, with a grin, "Wait, doesn't everyone like to punch things?"
Marcos acknowledges Lilah's smile with a nod of his head, and Felix gets a, "Yo," before his attention swivels back to Justin. "Leeches eh?" he considers this as he takes a deep swig of beer. He squeezes into the booth on the same side as Lilah and Felix, if it is a tight squeeze, the Fang will simply push his body on in there until someone gives. He sets his beer down on the table once he has gotten a seat and then says, "Wouldn't be the first time I have had a run in with those guys. But as a word to the wise, they are not always as easy pickings as some would have you believe. And the Sabbat are even worse. Had a run in with them in New York. The Camarilla are the other side of that coin. They at least try and keep the peace. Keep themselves hidden to not draw a ton of attention. The Sabbat just want to watch the world burn. There are some sick fuckers on that side of the ball. Why? You found some?"
Repeating the story back to Marcos, Justin slips his chin into the palm of his hand. "So, there you have it. Buncha shadowy assholes setting people on fire. Just as bad as any Spiral if you ask me, just without all the rapey parts since supposedly they got dicks that don't work." He tips a wink to the pair of Gnawers across from him. "Mine works though in case you need to know." Brow waggle. "I told Slug and Slug is telling Val and Emma. You should get in on that. I bet Thane would crap gold bricks in his pants to get a chance to whack them. He got history and beef with them from Pittsburgh."
Felix quirks a brow as Marcos squishes into the full side of the booth -- sure, neither he nor Lilah are notably large people, but there's still much more room by Justin. Particularly considering that Felix has been demonstrating the ability to sprawl casually across all not-technically-filled space in his immediate area already. "Y'know, man, given the options no one could blame you for preferrin' to get cozy with me, but Justin don't smell THAT bad. Today." It's not that hard for Marcos to get the space he wants regardless, given the slickness of your standard booth seat and the fact that he's got at least half a foot and who even knows how many pounds on him. He drags his beer and cake along the table with him, and then tugs Lilah to see whether there's room for her to sit in his lap between bench and table. Might as well get some benefit out of the situation, right? Justin's assurance gets a soft snort. "Can't say as it was particularly on my mind, but good t' know you're not gonna need me to turn over a pharmacy for ya."
<OOC> Marcos: Haha, Marcos is large
<OOC> Marcos: Strength 5, so he is a pretty big guy
<OOC> Felix is... not. ;)
<OOC> Felix: Yeah, that's why the pose went the way it did. ;)
<OOC> Marcos: Haha
<OOC> Felix reads descs. ;)
Marcos snorts and slaps the table as he says, "Damn kid, you were punching that bag in the garage and then already have gotten your ass kicked." He shakes his head as he takes another swig of beer and then looks toward Justin good naturedly and says, "Just kidding dude. The Sabbat are pretty rough customers. If there is a Lasombra involved, you could narrow it down pretty easily. Maybe not where they're sleeping but you could find where they are setting up their shop by night. Typically they like to surround themselves with powerful people... so I'd check out some high end clubs. Not like the ones that have techno night with those fucking glow sticks, but maybe a real high class cigar bar, the one where bad ass humans with money go. Or one of those high end dancing clubs that only rich people are allowed in, if you catch my drift."
Giving a snort over to Marcos, Justin mutters something under his breath in Spanish that does not sound very nice. "Yeah? Is that what you would do? You and Blitzkrieg should do that then. Us Coyotes will roam the streets and make sure the hobos don't get picked off and try and track down more intel. Then you and the big dogs and can go make a mess of things. Those guys fucked us up and made it look easy. It's obvious we aren't on the fucking shit up side of things and we need to work together more if we are gonna be a better combat pack." He wrinkles his nose. "Sides, we're explorers, that's our role. I just gave you some sweet intel, so you should get your dick hard about it and go get that glory, yeah?"
<OOC> Felix was dragged to grab dinner, has it now. Back. ::Reads::
<OOC> Felix also doesn't think anyone responded to him, so hey, this'll be short.
<OOC> Marcos: Did he say something to Marcos?
<OOC> Marcos: I thought he only said something to Justin about the bank
<OOC> Felix: He talked to both of 'em. First comment was to Marcos the crowder. Second was to Justin (and pharmacy, not bank). ;)
As it turns out, there IS enough room to stack, so Felix gets Lilah settled in his lap with one of his arms loosely around her waist, and gets comfortable, taking up the majority of what space is left once there's a Marcos over there hogging the rest. Then he just gets back to beer and cake. The suggestion of checking out the Really Upscale gathering spots gets a slight smirk, but baked goods beat chat for the moment.
Marcos nods his head and says, "I will say something to the guys about it. But for now, just keep your eyes peeled. They are dangerous. Especially if they are being that bold, then they must think they have enough muscle to not have to worry about us." He pushes himself up to his feet and says, "I'm going to head out. See you guys." With that he turns and has for the door.
Giving a salute across his brow to the large man, Justin turns back to Felix with a snicker. "That's Marcos of the Silver Fangs. Fostern and Ahroun. He's in Blitzkrieg the hummingbird war pack. They are sorta like the black ops pack here. They take care of the shit no one else wants to step in. They get in, get out, all quiet like. Throat cutters. Oh man, if they get involved then we need popcorn. It will be a good show."
"Later," Felix drawls, and doesn't bother adjusting his seating position again. Comfortable enough now, and still works fine for cake and beer, not that there's a whole lot of the latter left. Only a couple bites of the slice, too, but there's that other slice just waiting to be dessert. "That makes sense. The first bit, anyway." He glances after the guy, though he's already gone, and shrugs. "Sounds like it couldn't hurt, got that many of 'em to kill. And I do like popcorn." A quick grin. "We still get to hit things too, though, yeah?"
"Maybe, but if the big dogs get on board, we may not have to, which would kinda be awesome. I don't want to die and this is 'kinda' a prank, right? You know, for the vampires. They pushed the little pup around, now they gotta deal with the big bad wolves. I call it an easy win for the Coyotes. But we still need troops on the ground to put eyes on the rough hoods that they were snagging people from. Keep eyes on the news to see if we can find some trends." Justin takes a bite of cake finally, sticking it in his mouth. "You really wanna join our pack, like, for realsies or only part time? Cuz, uh.. the rest of us really like you."
"Well, I reckon I ain't in any hurry to die neither," Felix allows, "but I like a good fight and it's been a while since I was in a proper one. Y'know, not just with some asshole with a big mouth or something." He grins, now, and nods to the potential-prankishness of the situation, and the further needs. "Yeah, seems to me they're prolly not gonna just up an' quit havin' their fun just 'cause they lost their venue, 'specially when they trashed it themselves. I wouldn't do that 'less I had somewhere else to play." A slight pause, considering, and an honest, "Probably." The question gets another hesitation to think, but he does look rather pleased by the last comment. "I might," he says, "Reckon I like y'all so far too. Only, we weren't originally plannin' on stayin' here long-term-like. I ain't even properly met most folks 'round here, too. That said though..." A glance toward Lilah's face, then back to Justin. "We been thinkin' we might maybe stick around a while. I mean, more'n technically necessary to get goin' right again. So yeah. Assumin' we all keep gettin' on an' shit... yeah, I might." He can't help a slight smirk when he echoes, "'For realsies.'"
"Sweet dude. We'll let OhNo sniff you out then and give you the thumbs up. Just know he's gonna prank the fuck out of you to see if you can laugh at yourself as well as others. That or he may make you prank someone else. Who knows. I don't think he'll give a shit." Giving him a fist bump, Justin slides out with his cake and heads for the door. "I'm gonna let the others know. Thanks bro! See -you- later, Lilah." He blows a kiss to her before stepping out the door with a jingle.
When Felix glances to her face, Lilah gives him an encouraging smile, though she doesn't pipe up to say anything. Not yet, anyway. It helps that she's busy taking a sip of beer afterward. When Justin heads out, she shakes her head with amusement at the blown kiss. Once he's out of sight, she transfers said kiss to Felix-- by way of mouth. It's a brief kiss, skirting the bounds of public propriety nonetheless. And then she pulls away, grinning at him. "I'm glad they like ya," she says.
Felix fistbumps, and rolls his eyes slightly at the blown kiss. The transfer, though, he clearly appreciates, and tries to extend somewhat, skirting those bounds even more closely. They do get a stare from someone at another table, but they don't look terribly bothered about it. "...I'm glad YOU like me," he murmurs, and then in more normal tones, "And... yeah, me too. Hope that all works out okay." He lifts a hand to twine one of her curls around his finger. "If we're gonna stay a while... I mean, months at least... are you good livin' where we are, or should we be doin' somethin' else about that?"
Lilah certainly doesn't seem to mind the lengthened kiss, but she doesn't do anything to make it last any longer than that. She either doesn't notice the stare, or doesn't see the point in acknowledging it. She murmurs back, "'Course I do," before smiling at his words. When he twines her curl around his finger, her smile turns soft and, well, sappy. She ponders his question for a long moment, furrowing her brow in thought, and then says ever so decisively, "I dunno. I like all them books. But I also liked when we had more privacy an' suchlike. But I could easily swing either way."
"=Could= you now? Good to know," Felix teases, giving her his best leer, and then a light kiss on the shoulder. "Yeah, I know, you and the books," still teasing, albeit not the same way, "and there's people 'round, and it don't cost nothin'. But on the other hand, there's people 'round. 'course I reckon we've mostly been doin' pretty okay with that..." He shrugs.
Lilah smirks at that leer, shaking her head with amusement. She smiles at the kiss on her shoulder, though, and even the teasing makes the smile grow wider. She runs her fingers down his arm, and nods her head. "Yeah, that's true. We been doing real good, here." She kisses his cheek gently, and then asks, "How you feelin' about it?"
Felix rests his chin on her shoulder and considers. "Well. Which 'it'? Livin' space?" He finishes the last of his chocolate cake, and pushes that plate aside, pulling in the one with berries. Lilah gets offered the first bite of this one.
"Livin' space, Coyotes, how delicious this cake is, you name it," Lilah grins, and reaches back to run fingers down his cheek. Her chocolate cake is long since gone, but she happily accepts the first bite of the berry cake. She mmmmms happily, and leans her head to the side, so she can rest it against his.
"This cake is fuckin' delicious," Felix replies immediately and with conviction, before even having a bite of the strawberry one himself. He does not, however, appear to be disappointed once he does. He tips his head to rest more against hers as well, and doesn't =quite= alternate bites... he gets more of then. But she gets offered one at least every two of his. "Livin' space... yeah, I dunno. It's got real good points. More privacy wouldn't suck but it ain't like there's only a couple rooms or nothin'. It's... I guess it's kinda close to what I'm used to, really." This seems to be a mildly surprising realisation. "An' Coyotes..." He trails off, eating another bite of cake, and his expression is a bit hard to read, brow slightly furrowed.
A close look still leaves it a bit hard to read, honestly, beyond ambivalence. The bits she can definitely tease out are a pleasedness, a bit of excitement, a faint longing, and a sort of uneasy apprehension.
Lilah nods her head firmly to his cake review, and runs a hand along his side behind her. "If it's whatcher used to, we could stick with it. Ain't no call to go changin' things up if'n there ain't a need." She smiles just a tad, and then tilts her head as he goes quiet. She watches him for a moment, still with that slight smile on her lips. She doesn't press him for information, just waits to see if he'll add more. Her hand starts rubbing his side again.
"Well, bein' used to things don't necessarily mean they're the best things," Felix says, "but either way I reckon there's no hurry or nothin'. ...as long as we don't stop findin' enough privacy." She gets a toothy grin to go with that. He has another good bite of the cake, and chews it thoughtfully. More or less, anyway. He does not, alas, add more, for the moment.
"True 'nuff," Lilah says, and smiles over at him. She reaches over to brush a few fingers through his hair, and then has a drink of her beer. She's quiet while he's thinking, at least at first, but ends up saying, "You can talk to me, y'know. I ain't gonna make ya, or nothin', but ya could. If'n you wanted to."
Felix looks genuinely startled when she makes that offer -- maybe because of the offer itself, but it's also possible it just hadn't quite occurred to him there's something to talk about. "Well," he says after another bite of cake and a more focused sort of considering look, "I dunno." He doesn't appear to mean 'about talking to you', but it seems for several moments as if that's as far as it's going anyway. "You ever just... y'get that feeling like... you're missin' somethin', or there's some kinda..." He gestures vaguely with the fork, and looks faintly frustrated. "It's not even like somethin' ain't right, exactly, it's just..." A sigh, and he gives up on it, taking another bite of the cake almost as if it were the food's fault.
Lilah rests her head back against him, and listens as he tries to sort it out. When he's quiet, and chewing on that cake, she also seems to be mulling things over. She's silent for several moments, before saying, "I do get th'feelin' like I'm missin' somethin', but I'm usually right. Cuz I miss a lot, not cuz somethin' shady's goin' on." Another silence, longer this time, before she goes on, "Ya don't have to try an' work it out if the words ain't comin'."
"Well, I don't think anythin' shady's goin' on." Felix at least seems certain on that, and saying so leaves him seeming more like his usual more or less unconcerned self, if not 100% there. "Not about that, anyhow." He offers her a bite of the cake; there's only a few left. "What kinda things d'you miss?"
After listening to him and watching his expression, Lilah does take that bite of cake, polishing it off rather daintily. It's in stark contrast to her practical cake-inhalation of earlier. She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear, and gives a shrug to his question, seeming faintly embarrassed. "I ain't the best at readin' situations. I'll think someone's mad at me; nope, just havin' a rough day. I'll think someone's havin' a rough day-- nope, I've gone an' done somethin' to piss 'em off." She pauses, then adds, "An' then there's just... I miss out on nuances o' meanin'. Or like, I ain't all that bright, so solutions evade me. That kinda thing." She smiles faintly. "How 'bout you?"
Felix tilts his head. "I dunno, you seem plenty bright to me," he says, "'s one of the things I like about you." He punctuates it with a light kiss to the side of her neck, and settles back to eat the very last bite of the cake. "Don't think anyone else was wonderin' what that one dude was runnin' =from= until way after you. For example." A sudden grin, "What've you been doin' to piss people off?"
Lilah tilts her neck to the side at that kiss, oh so subtly indicating she wouldn't mind another, please and thank you. She blushes though, at his praise, and then laughs at that final question. "What *haven't* I been doin'?" she smirks, shaking her head lightly.
That gets a laugh in response, and an obliging second little kiss. "Bet I could start listin' answers to that an' get to midnight or more before I even ran outta shit =I actually did=," Felix says, affectionate and maybe just a tiny bit proud. "You ain't managed to piss me off yet, and we been hangin' out nearly all the time for..." He tilts his head slightly further, "...huh. A month, I guess?"
"Somehow I get the feelin' you always win at Truth 'r Dare," Lilah says with a smirk, and then a full-out laugh. She tries to tug him in for a kiss, and then goes thoughtful at his final question. "Huh. Guess it has been, yeah." She chews at her lower lip, going quiet.
"Well, I ain't never taken the forfeit," Felix replies, grinning, and there's more than a tiny bit of proud in that one. He's quite easily tugged in for the kiss, with very little consideration for the rest of the population of the cafe. So if there's going to be much, it'll have to be hers! When she goes all quiet and thoughtful, he finishes off the last swallow of his beer, and then watches her a moment. "Whatcha thinkin'?"
"Somehow I already knew that," Lilah says with a short laugh. She will indeed be the one to show a little consideration for the others, alas; when things start crossing that line, she pulls away with a little disappointed sigh. She has a drink of her own beer at his question, and then shrugs. "Was just thinkin'... y'know. I still ain't told my daddy. An'... y'know." She waves a hand vaguely, and doesn't go on. Still, her reddened cheeks are telling a story all their own.
You sense Lilah is embarrassed, but not in a sad or upset sort of way. It's more a shy, sweet sort of thing. He probably can notice her toying with her wedding ring, as well.
Felix, now that he hasn't got food and drink to occupy his other hand, uses it to toy with her hair a bit. The arm around her waist adjusts at some point in the kiss so that his hand's resting on her skin beneath the tank top instead of over the fabric, but at least it's in much the same spot otherwise. "Well... d'you wanna tell him? 'cause if y'don't, then don't, and if you do, well, then why not?" A small pause. "He's not gonna drive up an' shoot me or anythin', right?" It's almost entirely teasing.
Lilah leans back against him, and gives a soft exhalation of breath as she feels his hand on her skin. She listens to what he has to say, and then ponders how to answer it, visibly torn. "No, he ain't gonna shoot you or nothin'," she says, and at least THAT, she seems sure of. "Daddy's real nice. He weren't happy I was leavin' with ya, but... but he ain't a violent sort." She kisses his cheek before admitting, "I *should* tell him. I mean, he's gonna find out some way 'r other, better if it's through me. I just." A shrug, and then she smiles very briefly. "I'm just bein' a chicken, 's all. What's the worst't happens, right? He tells me off, I tell him off right back." Another smile, this time a bit more certain.
"...well, good, 'cause I don't much like gettin' shot," Felix says, and gives her collarbone a light nip where it blends out toward the join of her shoulder. Cafe inappropriate, but at least also quick. "Was he less happy you were leavin' or that it was with me?" he asks, "'cause if it was the first then well, you're just as left as you were anyhow. If it's the second then I reckon yeah, he might be less'n thrilled. But there ain't a lot more'n tellin'-off that works through phonelines either way."
Lilah shivers lightly at the nip to her shoulder, and then tilts her head at Felix, watching him for a moment. "He weren't happy I was leavin'. But he was less happy that I was leavin' with a semi-stranger. Felt like, y'know... I don't really know ya. Don't know what secrets might be in your noggin'. But I feel like I do-- know ya, at least. Don't much worry about the rest." She pauses, looking downward as her cheeks flush again. "Prolly sounds silly, given givens." She chuckles, shaking her head, her gaze still downward. "I reckon I should take care o' that phone call, huh?"
Felix leans his head up to kiss the flush on her cheek. "Don't think I got a lotta secrets in there anyhow. I'm pretty straightforward, all in all. An', yeah, if you wanna get it done, you prolly oughta make that call or else get real good at telepathy." He smiles, giving her a squeeze. "You want me sittin' with you or stayin' outta your way?"
"I like that about ya," Lilah says warmly, and lifts her eyes to focus on him. "I'm pretty straightforward, m'self. You ever wanna know somethin', you just gotta ask. I like that about us." Her lips lift in a small smile, and then she says thoughtfully, "I want you sittin' with me, but-- I think this is somethin' I gotta do by my lonesome." She runs a hand through her hair, and then gives *him* a squeeze.
"You thinkin' you wanna get it over an' done with?" Felix asks, fingers rubbing over the short portion of her side they've claimed for the moment. "'cause I reckon we could always look into the Snakes 'n' Ladders next time we drop by, if you wanna head home instead." He grins, "Although I dunno if I promise I'm gonna let you focus on makin' phone calls right away, if we do."
Lilah licks her lips thoughtfully, and finishes off what little is left of her beer. His grin is met with one of her own, albeit not *quite* so bright, and she decides, "I can live with that." Another kiss, and then she looks ready to leave whenever he's ready.