(On the trail) Grabbing a coffee and clues

**Chrisie** · Jan 3rd, 2014 10:20 AM

Todd and Marty excitedly sipped at their coffees.

They'd tucked themselves away from the world in the warm and cosy Hipster friendly environment of Weatherstone's coffee shop and café on 21st Street...a place they are unaware nestles firmly in the Domain's Communal Feeding Ground.

Weatherstone's has the vital Wi-Fi, wooden benches and round tables. The café is decked out with art and the air is rich with the smell of warm roasted coffee and baked bread.

The shop is half empty and the baristas are fussing over the till and chatting about their next shifts.

A few of the Christmas decorations had already fallen down and the rest would probably be down by the weekend.

Todd, sitting now in silence, scowls at his croissant, takes a sip of his cappuccino and thinks about the clues they've assembled since they began this crazy venture!

While Todd scrolled through the images on his iPad, Marty nibbled at a cookie and looked towards the door...hoping to see Aileen.

Bigpaw and possibly David Regan Casitive too

**Aileen McFarlane** · Jan 4th, 2014 04:55 PM

OOC

Since she and Todd had agreed to have a further talk about 'urban exploring', Aïleen knew to come every so often to check on them. They were easy blood, of course, but beyond that they seemed involved with her Dreams somehow, and she wanted to investigate this as thoroughly as possible.

Walking into the coffee shop, she walked toward the men, and sat while smiling warmly at them. "Todd, Marty. Good to see you. How are you ?" she asked, while remowing her coat, and revealing the yellow top she had chosen.

Jan 4th, 2014 07:14 PM

There were always those who only existed in the fringes of the mind. David was one of these, half-forgotten on a table nearby. Leaning far to the left, David was staring at his moleskine, deep in thought about a fussy sentence that just did not seem to straighten itself out. His sense of smell was heightened, enjoying the warm scent of coffee and bread and trying to ignore the other scents that lingered below the surface.

An old cup of coffee sat ice-cold on David's right.

David found he liked to be amongst people. Either it was because he was easily lost amongst the masses, or the vitality of each person made him feel less dead, he wasn't sure. It helped him think.

So caught up in his work, the Mekhet missed Aileen's arrival until she said hello to a Todd and Marty; men David completely dismissed out of hand when they arrived. This caused David to perk up from his seat and scan the crowd for the familiar voice.

Bashfully waving towards Aileen, David waited for a silent signal of any sort. A signal that would answer the question that was at the forefront of his mind: was he welcomed to join her or, was Aileen busy?

-1 Blush of Life || Aus 1: Heightened Scenes (Scent).

**Aileen McFarlane** · Jan 5th, 2014 03:49 PM

Before Marty or Todd had the opportunity to reply, Aïleen noticed the man waving at her from across the room. David ? She couldn't believe it ! Had the man been following her, or were their fates so entwined ? Under normal circumstances, she would have rather been alone with those humans, but perhaps it was yet another sign of God's plan that he would put him there when she was following what might be a torpid Elder. Perhaps.

With a smile and a nod, she welcomed him to join her. Meanwhile, she turned toward Todd, and said. "Ha... there's a friend of mine. You don't mind talking of urban exploring with him, don't you ? The more..." and she gave him what she hoped to be a sweet soothing smile.

Jan 5th, 2014 07:19 PM

There was a moment, a ticking of mere seconds, that David was convinced that Aileen wouldn't invite him over. It made sense, after all, if they were vessels or contacts that she kept for herself. So, it surprised David when Aileen invited him over with a smile and an inclination of her head. David hesitated, making sure he got the signal right, before looking to the neat workstation that has erected around his cold coffee.

While carefully returning his materials back into his beaten leather satchel, David wondered why Aileen was at the coffee house. It was a question that held no answer, though Occum's Razor suggested differently, and passed through his thoughts like a glimmering grain of sand. After double-checking his table to make sure David didn't leave anything behind, he carefully walked to Aileen and the others; throwing the worn strap of his satchel cross-body. David's left hand held his coat-scarf combination and his right, tossed away the untouched coffee before finally joining the others.

David offered a quick, fleeting smile to Aileen and the duo of Todd and Marty and said a weak, “Hi.” Yellow was both a color of idealism and caution, and David thought it was fitting that Aileen was wearing it. David wore a pale pink Oxford shirt, with his sleeves rolled to his elbows.

**Chrisie** · Jan 6th, 2014 12:35 AM

Todd and Marty stood up. Some gentlemanly instinct drive them to stand in the presence of such beauty.

"Hi!" Todd said.

Before they knew what was happening, still under Aileen's spell, they nodded and clearly agreed to David's presence.

"Hi!" said Marty.

Todd nodded agreement.

If it meant accepting David or having Aileen leave; there was only one real decision outcome.

Marty said; "Hi! The more the merrier! Er...can I get you guys a coffee or something?"

The rich smells of the coffee and cakes swirled in the air.

Marty offered a hand to David, Todd was about to, but Marty had beaten him to it.

They were clearly sizing David up. Weighing him against their expectations and assumptions.

His meek demeanor left little for them to work with. But Aileen had proven herself a truly fine urban explorer and they were keen to let her take a lead.

**Aileen McFarlane** · Jan 6th, 2014 04:43 PM

With a grateful and bright smile to both fine specimen of modern clueless male, Aïleen made the introductions.

"Todd, Marty, this is David." she spoke to them first, mainly to assuage them about their importance. She then turned toward her Cousin, and reciprocated. Her gaze was still a bit more piercing than usual.

As Marty did the polite thing, she nodded in thanks, and replied. "That would be lovely, please. If I could have some green tea, please..."

And now it fell on her to be the center of the group, the one doing the talking. Not what she had expected by a long shot, and she refrained from wincing. Instead, she breathed more heavily than needed to maintain the pretense of being human, and tried to bring David in the loop. Sort of.

"Todd and Marty" a small nod was given to each "have been kind enough to introduce me to a fantastic hobby, which is Urban Exploring. And we met to debrief our latest sortie, and perhaps plan for the next..." the brune woman explained. "But I'm sure they'll be able to explain much more thoroughly than I could. Right, Todd ?"

Jan 6th, 2014 06:59 PM

David shook Marty's hand first, then Todd's, adding a “Nice to meet you,” to both. Aileen's piercing gaze made David shift self-consciously and he took his mind off of it by setting his coat and scarf down on a near-by chair.

“I've been working for the last few hours,” David says mostly to Aileen, but shifting the statement more squarely to all, “so, I think I've had too much coffee already; thank you anyway.” The book was coming along, if slowly because of the unexpected mountain of data David had accrued over two Academies. Still, it was a mountain that David was willing to climb for his desired result. He just hoped he wouldn't become Sisyphus. Settling into the chair, he breathed and glanced between the three others, wondering what it was he stumbled into.

It was a question that David didn't have to wait long to have answered. “Urban Exploring?” David asked, making sure that he heard right. He remembered that there were a few in the Minneapolis Academy who stole into St. Paul to explore the Highland Park Water Tower, risking the wrath of the Lancea Sanctum in the process. He supposed they did more than that, but Johan kept a stringent eye on his childe and so David didn't know more than supposition. Reaching up with a free hand, David ruffled his own hair turning his gaze from Aileen, towards Todd.

**Chrisie** · Jan 7th, 2014 12:38 AM

Marty nods and is put at his ease by Aileen. He simply cannot withstand her potent mix of brains and beauty.

With a smile he nods and makes his way to get the green tea and other things. Leaving a somewhat dazed looking Todd to take the field.

"Yeah...er...urban exploring. We...we sort of explore and investigate abandoned buildings and places. Take photos...that sort of thing." he says with inexpert caution and trying to catch up with events.

"We don't take anything. The motto is leave only footprints. Take only photos." he tries a smile.

"It's honestly more exiting than I'm probably making it sound." he adds with obvious embarrassment as his stumbling reply. "We...er...recently went to Folsom to look at an old bank." he adds carelessly. He immediately regrets his decision to share that, but the cat was out the bag now.

**Aileen McFarlane** · Jan 7th, 2014 05:19 PM

Sensing Todd's discomfort, Aïleen jumped to the rescue. "That's right, you get to see places you'd never thought existed before. It's like Modern Archaeology of a sort. When we went to that bank..." she said, purposefully not finishing her sentence, but broadening her smile widely, as if enjoying immensely the mere recollection. She looked at Todd with what she hoped was a praising and thankful look, and then turned back to David.

"I'm sure you would find it... enlightening, David." if there was the slightest emphasis on a word, it was only for her Cousin's ears.

(On the trail) Grabbing a coffee and clues

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