Roleplaying
2004 Archive
2005 Archive
Seminars
| When: | 14 January 2005 ("Good Intentions" TP Event) |
| Who: | Alvira, Edmonds, Elizabeth, Ellen, Genevieve, Hadrian, Merle, Oreniel, Remy, Sandra (NPCed), Sunday |
| What: | A bag lady appears to have a love affair with the rain -- and with changing the color of liquid in her cup. It's just the beginning of a series of Symphony changing events! |
Downtown - Austin
The downtown of Austin is well-maintained and not too hard to get around in for a large city's downtown. The streets are frequently lined with trees, many quite large and with several predating the city, such as the last of the Council Oaks, Treaty Oak; poisoned by vandals in 1989, the tree still lives, and some say that it is now a symbol of Austin's resiliance.
Downtown Austin has many places to go and things to see, ranging from historical landmarks like the Capitol building and the Governor's Mansion, to museums such as the Bob Bullock Texas State Museum. It also has the usual and more modern stores and businesses of any modern city, skyscrapers included. Nearby is Town Lake, along the Colorado River.
The weather man lied, a surprise? Probably not. But regardless, the clouds overhead look like they could start letting out rain any second now, but so far it hasn't happened. There are still people walking about in Austin, given the temperature is still a crisp 21 degrees out (69 degrees for you Fahrenheit users), but all of them seem almost lax. The city's had an almost lackadaisical feel to it of lately.
Alvira is wearing a long coat over a cut above her usual informal clothing, headed out of a restaurant from an early breakfast. It looks a bit too new and stylish to be standard college-age wear, but overly generous relatives and frowned-upon business transactions are possibilities that keep it in the realm of affordability. She's got a styrofoam take-out box clutched ahead of her, ready to slip it under her coat if the weatherman actually gets it right.
Elizabeth is at Fado's, sitting at a table by the window. Her drink sits neglected in front of her as she leafs through a xeroxed article, scribbling notes onto a pad of paper.
Edmonds is walking down the street, headed towards the bus stop. Umbrella tucked under one arm, briefcase held in the opposite hand, he appears the very image of a corporate drone headed home after a late day at work.
The whine of airbrakes can be heard as one of the buses that frequent the restaurant laden street makes its proper stop. The hind door opens, and from inside, a small figure emerges, but not after first hopping down from the elevated seats in the rear, hooking a hand around one of the vertical support bars, and spinning her entire form three-quarters of a circle while she continues to descend, to the point that Genevieve hops smartly out onto the sidewalk. A binder, stuffed with doodle-strewn sheets jutting out at bizarre angles, is clutched to her chest.
Remy walks down the street himself, towards the popular Irish restaurant that he's come to know and enjoy since coming to Austin. An eye is turned up to the weather, but from one arm hangs an umbrella. Looks like someone was prepared for inaccuracies in the weather forecast today. His coat bulges slightly in the shape of a book, well-protected against any sudden inclement weather changes. He adjusts his direction slightly as he makes his way around the slower members of the crowd, and adjusting further for the inevitably traffic flow around the just-arrived bus. His expression is calm and collected, with the faintest of smiles on his slightly lined face.
Edmonds twists the angle of his head slightly to check the bus number. With a sigh and a very slight shake of his head, he completely fails to burst into a panicked run for the bus. Either it's not his bus, or else he's got no desire to deal with the current press of people. Juggling umbrella and briefcase for a moment, he checks his watch before turning towards Fado's with a quite mutter to himself.
Merle hops up to her feet, and looks over to Remy's coat. She then walks towards the fellow and calling out to him, "Hey there! What book do you've got there?" She asks pleasantly, though perhaps rudely and suddenly. She pushes her glasses up, even though they are already up, as a habitual gesture.
The creaking of a wheel that is in severe need of some oil can be heard getting louder. The creak is mixed with a loud whine from the metal rubbing against each other. The cause? A semi-hunched over woman pushing a shopping cart full of bags of stuff. This part of the city isn't usually home to many beggars, after all City Hall tries to keep the area it's in nice and tidy. So she's a bit out of place in her multiple layers of dirt covered clothing.
Oreniel glances up briefly at the wave but doesn't pay much additional attention besides a return greeting at the apparent stranger. He chews at his lower lip for a moment, and shrugs a bit, moving on, taking out the crossword to glance at when he pauses at a crosswalk, before resheathing it as he happens to coincidentally take the path that leads past the small restaurant strip.
Genevieve then does a double-take to the skies, and the umbrellas in other people's hands. There were rolled up ponchos and rainhats galore! Apparently they knew something that Genevieve didn't. Balling up one diminutive fist, she scrunches up her face and barks out a challenge to the skies. "I think all y'all aren't coming down because you're chicken! I'll you on, all eleventy bajillion of you! I'm not made of sugar! I just eat it, I'm not going to melt!" To emphasize the gesture, she hops up and down a few times, sneakers scuffing on the sidewalk. And then...
Eek-Reek-Eek...
"Yow," Genevieve utters to herself as she claps a hand over her left ear and casts a glance towards the bag lady. "Oil, black gold, find some now! I can take you to McDonald's and buy you an order of fries, that'd do it!" She appears oblivious of the others.
It begins to drizzle.
Elizabeth nibbles on the end of her pencil as she flips to the next grainy page of whatever article she's reading. Jotting down a few quick notes, she absently reaches for her foofy girly drink, oblivious to the weather conditions just outside the window.
Alvira ohs, stopping in her path at the odd tableau forming in front of her. Bag ladies are one thing, but this is a tad extra surreal, and as the pitter-patter of little raindrops starts to obscure the world, she sticks the food inside her shirt so it's secure, and then puts up her hood, walking close to the seen-before Genevieve, but not saying anything yet, head turned slightly to the side, curious.
Edmonds sighs as the drizzle starts, shuffling his briefcase from hand to hand and pulling out the umbrella and snapping it open. Both Genevieve and the homeless lady get a long considering look as he stops just outside Fado's, curious to see what the young woman is shouting about.
There's a mumble of a few words from the older lady as she feels the drizzle hit her hands. She shakes a fist in the air as if angry... but when she raises a hand, she's smiling widely. She reaches into her cart and pulls out a neatly folded up garbage bag and unfolds it; and promptly puts it on over herself -- holes ready cut out for her arms and head. A moment later, she reaches in and grabs her big cheap plastic 64 oz. cup and sets it in the cart so it can collect water. She seems completely oblivious to everyone around her as she pulls her cart in front of the building next to Fado's.
Sunday looks up at the sky and pouts at the clouds, as if such an action would quell the rain. With a sigh she pulls her lab coat collar over her hair, exposing her thighs and brown shoes to the environment.
With quick motions, the librarian opens his umbrella, protecting himself from the expected drizzle... He looks to Merle with a curious gaze as he smiles. "It's a present from an associate of mine. The Book of Kells." But Genevieve's defiant shouting also draws his attention, as he steps over to the two women, one jumpy and the other pushy. "You may not melt, but it is best to remain insulated from bad weather. May I offer the use of my umbrella? Both of you should be able to use it well enough to keep the majority off. My hat and coat are sufficient for my own comfort." He holds it out for the use of Genevieve and/or Merle, should they choose to.
Ellen steps out of a shop somewhere nearby. Standing under the awning, she holds out her hand to catch some of the falling raindrops, and decides that it would be a good idea to use her umbrella, too. Popping it open and lifting it over her head, she steps out, heading toward the area where others are randomly gathering.
Oreniel shakes his umbrella out one-handed as the press of people halts him temporarily before Fado's amongst the group of people, eyes passing briefly over the group, but he arrives late, shaking the umbrella for emphasis as rain drops fling off, "How much rain did the weatherman predict?" he asks, having arrived for the last bit of Remy's polite offer.
Genevieve loses her marbles at the misting mess that begins to descend. "DRIZZLE?!?! Is this the best you can do?! I can't hardly feel it! YOU HIT LIKE A GIRL! See that lady with the cup? She's collecting your brethren, and is going to -EAT- them!" at that point, she then emits a heavy sigh, and hangs her head, "Dammit, I miss the ocean." That appears to come out nowhere, but Remy's offer catches her attention. She turns and looks up at him winsomely, raising one hand to smear wetness -- either from eyes or the precipitation, it was unclear -- across her cheek. "That's nice of you. I... don't think she minds too much," in reference to the rain collecting lady.
Edmonds glances at Oreniel, as he's part of that small gathering of people. "He didn't. But then, weathermen lie - so my office has umbrellas for us to use on those days when 'clear and sunny' means 'showers'." He nods up at his umbrella, which does indeed bear the markings of one of the local office complexes.
Sunday blinks at the shouting young lady, taken aback by the outburst against the weather. Half aloud, half murmuring to herself she ponders the idea of weather control and the implications it could have for biogenetic research.
Edmonds goes back to watching Genevieve, mildly interested despite himself.
Merle waves a hand, "Rather not, give it to someone else," she says, wrinkling her nose a bit thoughtfully. "'Interesting, haven't heard of that one yet.", she shrugs her shoulders and looks to Genevieve and then turns to look after the lady she, to be honest, just noticed. She watches or a few moments before adding, "None," to Oreniel, "Isn't it great?", getting wetter, she glances up at the sky again. "Guess a lot of people are happy to stay out and get soaked. Huh."
Alvira snorts, very unladylike, and tightens the coat around her, nodding approvingly at the resourcefulness, before shaking her head and seeming older. "Miss? I'm sorry... but if you don't mind... I'd like to be able to hear the thunder if this gets any worse."
Elizabeth reaches for her glass again, only to find that somehow, it has been emptied of syrupy pink goodness and only a clutter of ice cubes remain. Well, the ice cubes and a couple of maraschino cherries fro garnish. With a sigh, she sits back in her chair and sets the article aside for a moment, glancing out the window at the gathering crowd.
There's a twitch to the woman's face for a moment as if she's concentrating on something as she stares at the clouds. "O'lord, yeh've been nice t'me lately. Some more rain wou'd be good right 'bout now." There's something almost reverential about the way she makes the request, a deep respect despite her lot in life.
Spotting a couple she's met -- Remy, Oreniel, and Genevieve -- along with a few she hasn't, Ellen strolls in their direction. "Good evening, everyone," she smiles. "Albeit a wet one." She watches Genevieve and the bag lady with mild curiosity.
Sure enough, mere moments later, the drizzle becomes a steady rain.
Oreniel smiles faintly and says, "This is hardly soaking weather yet... it's rather refreshing now... Thankfully we're not somewhere like Chicago or New York, where this would be dangerous on the walks." He sighs, momentarily, shifting the umbrella back after a glance behind so he can see the sky. "Besides, we can always use a little more rain... Good evening, Ellen."
Edmonds regards the old woman and arches his eyebrow as her request coincides with an increase in the rain. "Coincidence," he mutters softly to himself.
Sunday balks openly at the woman's praise, her doe-eyes might be wide behind her glasses. It's difficult to tell, however, the rain streaking down her glasses. She pulls her coat tighter to her and heads for a nearby awning.
Standing across the street at a small coffee shop frequented by the government officials from down the way, is Hadrian. He seems to just be standing in the doorway to one side, as to allow those who want out into this drool weather a way around him, though he's paying no particular attention to anything.
A soft flicker of pity crosses Ellen's face, as she watches the old woman pray.
Sunday eyes the tall stranger in front of the coffee shop door. "I hope you don't mind if I share this space with you? It's a bit, um, wet."
A soft flicker on wonder crosses Ally's face as the woman's prayer is, to all apparent senses, answered. "Always nice to see Him working on a more personal level."
Merle looks up at the sky, looks towards the window and, sure enough again, spots Elizabeth. She throws the woman a brief wave and then gestures for her to come out into the rain too! She doesn't seem to think Elizabeth actually will, but hey! It's worth a shot! She doesn't seem to pity the woman, she asked for it! She does give a glance to the lady, however, a brief one without much thought to it.
Genevieve pauses for a moment, and then looks over towards the staring group, the whites of her eyes visible. "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" she asks, before pouting slightly and skittering under the umbrella offered to Remy. A mildly confused look crosses her face as she looks at the reverent lady. And then, "Hey, that's the guy that wants me to work for him," not directed to anyone in particular.
"Not at all," says Hadrian as he leans against the side of the door he was near. "Rather horrible weather but it'll be a benefit for the long run. I take it you don't care much for this type of weather yourself either?"
Elizabeth raises her eyebrows at Merle's wave and she eyes both the crowd and the weather. Finally, with a shrug, she packs up her papers and notes into her briefcase and heads out the door. Casting a dubious glance at the drizzle, though, she stays under the building's awning ask she asks acidly of the crowd at large, "What is this, a convention?"
Sunday says, "I don't mind the weather, so long as it, well, um, minds me, I guess. If it let me know in advance it'd be raining, I'd be dressed more appropriately."
Remy blinks in mild surprise as the rain coincidentally seems to respond to the woman... But discards the idea for a moment. People have a habit of getting what they ask for, regardless, it seems. He glances to Ellen and nods in greeting, allowing Merle to answer for Oreniel, whom he also nods to. Returning his attention to Genevieve, he grins. "And what about yourself? Content to stand in the rain?" He ahs as she takes the proffered shelter, and blinks. "That guy? Who would that be?" He glances around for a moment, looking at the crowd.
The old homeless woman, Sandra for those wondering, smiles wide as the drizzle becomes a rain. And after a few more moments, rains a bit harder still. She reaches down to her cup and looks around briefly at the group of people. She turns to face the wall and hunches over more than usual. If one is observant, they'll notice a faint flicker of light against the wall for a moment before the woman turns around. She's now drinking her open cup a few sips every minute or two.
Genevieve jabs a finger towards Hadrian. "The tall one. Dressed darkly but sexily. He was TOO nice to me..." She squints some towards Hadrian. "At least he wants me to just draw for him instead of being a French maid or something, gyah. D'you know how many times I GET that?"
Hadrian says, "Yes, it'd appear that the local weather men just ignored all the signs, or just got caught off guard by a freak weather front." Hadrian's equally unprepared for the weather. After all, it was only a 10 percent chance of rain today... what were the chances it'd rain more than a minute or two?
Sunday ponders aloud to herself "Hmmmm... plants sense the changes in their environ, perhaps there's a possibility for research." She turns to the tall stranger and offers a free, if somewhat damp hand, "By the way, as long as we're sharing a doorway... I'm Sunday."
Edmonds stands off to the side, out from under Fado's awning, content to let his umbrella take most of the rain. He glances inside the pub for a moment, and then back as the woman turns away and there's that flicker of light. As the rain increases, he shakes his head. "Odd."
Oreniel looks at Genevieve and his adam's apple bobs momentarily. "No, and I'd really rather not..." Timing on this means he misses anything out of the ordinary happening involving water and cups before turning back around. "Good evening to you as well, Elizabeth... it seems to be an evening for coincidences."
"At least she's getting some water," Ellen murmurs as she watches the old woman. She blinks slightly as the light flickers, as if wondering if she saw it. Then, she arches an eyebrow as Genevieve speaks of the French maid offer, and offers a nod to Elizabeth. To Oreniel, she smiles softly, "So, how have you been, Orion?"
Hadrian's hands are firmly in his pocket as he looks over at Sunday. He stands and leans slightly in a greeting gesture but doesn't remove his hands. "Hadrian," he answers the unspoken question, "You'll have to excuse me, two fresh cuts on my hands."
Elizabeth perks up a bit as Genevieve says "sexily" and cranes her neck a bit, looking for whoever elicited that comment. Her attention is diverted by Orion, however, and she says dryly (perhaps the only person here who can use that adverb, as she ventures not from beneath the protective awning), "Evidently, Orion. Say, have you managed to get me that reference? I'll be more favorably inclined towards your business if I receive it in a timely manner."
Edmonds catches the word 'business' out of a nearby conversation, and since the woman seems to merely be drinking from her cup, he turns most of his attention to trying to catch the thread of conversation that just got hinted at. He keeps his umbrella up, the cuffs of his pants the only part getting damp from all the spatter as rain hits the sidewalk around him.
A mischievous smirk is on Sandra's face as she takes another drink from her 64 ounce cup, this time a much longer one that empties a third of it. She seems to almost loose her balance there for a moment as she sets it back to collect some more water, though not empty yet. If you're at the right visual angle, you'll see the liquid inside is a shimmering red.
Sunday nods to Hadrian with an understanding smile, "Oh, I know all about cuts. Just a few weeks ago, I was working with a molecular microscope and... well, I know about cuts."
Merle gapes for a moment. Elizabeth is actually heading out! "It almost looks like one," she says to Elizabeth, "But I'm not a part of it," she stuffs her hands in her pockets and glances again at Sandra again...though she doesn't say anything until she steps on over to Elizabeth. If there was something she was planning to answer with to Oreniel, she must have forgot about it. "That's pretty interesting," she murmurs to the woman she called out.
Alvira spots the flicker herself, and mutters, "Well, someone's working on a personal basis anyway," to herself and huffs. She stares at Genevieve for a moment, "You okay, then?" she asks, finally, and then, with a strange expression on her face, asks, "Or is there some streets where you've drawn I should avoid?" Hadrian finally spots Genevieve in the crowd but doesn't move over to them, merely nodding in her direction. "Oww, I can imagine what a horror of pain that must have been. I take it you work with the U.o.T?"
Sunday says, "Well, my offices utilize their labs. I suppose you could say I'm on loan until more space is available." Sunday looks excited, "Are you a scientist, too?"
"Alas, no. I didn't have the aptitude for such a profession." Hadrian's face takes almost an apologetic look to it as he smiles slightly and shrugs, "I'm in politics myself."
Oreniel spots Elizabeth coming up to talk about business on a rainy night, and sighs, "Truthfully? Better five minutes ago?" more to himself than Ellen. He answers Elizabeth then, hands raised, looking a tad depressed "I'm as surprised as you are at the delay, but it WAS before my time last it was popular and I'm looking for an appropriately complete work to try and repair our business relationship."
Ellen's eyebrow arches noticeably as she glances at ol' Sandra. Quietly, she steps a bit closer to catch a peep at the liquid. Yup, red. Her eyes flick to Oreniel and those near him. "Looks like she brought some kool-aid mix," she quips. She goes quiet as Elizabeth and Oreniel start discussing business.
Edmonds sighs as the business chatter goes off in a direction that's difficult to glean anything from by eavesdropping. He catches the comment about 'Kool-aid' as he moves past those gathered under the awning and blinks, glancing towards the old woman. Flicker. Rain responded to... He shifts direction, moving directly towards Sandra, reaching into a pocket. "Excuse me, ma'am?" Out of his pocket comes a clean, crisp $5 bill. "I couldn't help noticing you seem a touch down on your luck - perhaps this will help." He offers the bill to her.
"What is interesting, Merle?" Elizabeth asks the sturdier woman. She snorts at Orion. "Some business relationship we have," she scoffs. "I'd think that if you valued my custom, you'd make an effort to encourage me to order flowers from whatchamacallit - the place where you work." She then glances back at Merle with an abashed "Sorry. You were saying?"
Alvira can spot it, barely... more as a flash of color that's out of place in the grey rain than as anything specific, and her mouth thins a bit. "Looks like, yes..." Ally agrees with the other woman, who's also familiar from more exciting events. "That will rot your teeth, ma'am," she calls out, a tad louder.
There's some muttering from the bag lady, Sandra, as she moves to stand on the other side of her cart, her back to the street now. Her cup is filling, diluting the contents within it. She finds another cup and moves back around, setting it next to the other as she takes it and drinks some more of the "kool-aid". She seems to get a tad bit giggly as the liquid tickles her throat before muttering some more a bit more loudly. Just as she finishes, Edmonds walks up, "Oh no deary, I'm fine. N'ver take any pounds for n'ting. Not m'way."
Seconds later, the rain seems to subside a bit to a heavy drizzle from the harder rain a moment ago.
Genevieve looks at Oreniel the same way a dog might look quizzically at an odd sound. The moment passes, and she wrinkles her nose slightly at the sudden celebrity status of the lady. "Hey, I was yelling at the sky too, y'know," she breathes out, before she finally ahs the sense to eventually toddle over towards one of the local overhangs. She's a tiny bit closer to Hadrian and Ellen, yawning a bit.
Oreniel folds his arms, "I do value your custom, but you wanted an accurate work... and I DO try and provide appropriate information, yes?" he smiles tightly.
Edmonds tucks the bill back in his pocket at Sandra's refusal, taking a moment to get a good look in the cup. Yep - red. He regards Sandra for a moment, considering before giving her a bright smile. "Well. I certainly won't force it upon you." He gives the bag-lady a stiff-small sort of bow, before glancing at Alvira and the others gathered about. He steps away from Sandra and moves back to a semi-sheltered spot in front of Fado's - the awning's still a bit packed.
"A few things," Merle admits, "Like everyone congregating, like you mentioned, but I think also that neat trick that lady pulled off. I couldn't do that. I didn't even see a kool-aid packet," she smiles at Liz, "You'd think it'd be less busy during a downpour, even a brief one. Seems like the skies are having trouble making up their mind."
Alvira whistles, apparently to herself at the woman's comment, and then steps forward, arms still tight to her coat, before relaxing as she gets closer.. and as the rain lets up, she pulls the doggie bag box out of her coat, proffering it forward. "Well, ma'am, this isn't exactly Imperial or Commonwealth, but it's still warm." She smiles, faintly... with ratchets up half a notch at getting a better glance at the red in the cup.
Ellen blinks slightly again as the old woman speaks. "Pounds? We use dollars over here, ma'am," she says with a gentle smile, then watches as Alvira offers Sandar her leftovers. Her gaze flickers over to watch Oreniel's not-too-happy discussion of business.
"What trick?" Elizabeth asks Merle quizzically. "I didn't see anything." Quite possibly because her attention was on other parties, such as Orion. Speaking of whom, she answers quickly, "Appropriate? Well, at least you try. But do try to remember that there's a bit of a timeliness issue, as well? A girl's got to have some standards."
Sunday chuckles, "Politics? Well, that's almost a science unto itself!" Sunday does a quick double-take to the conversation beyond the coffee-shop awning. "Did she really just say 'pounds?'"
Oreniel twists around... but he's a bit farther away, and it's been really quiet, really. He turns back around, "I AM aware of what comes up next month, yes. But it's a different matter with having a set of greenhouses than a set of good bookshelves on this particular order."
Remy quirks an eyebrow as he notes the red liquid. Hmm. Quietly observing the situation, he simply stands there for a moment. It looks like some others have decided to offer the poor woman their charity, and he doesn't want to crowd her. He's more than happy to keep the rain off Genevieve for the moment. Kool-aid? Hmmm... Genevieve's response sends him glancing after Hadrian, who's noted and filed away before he returns his attention to Genevieve. "I wouldn't know, actually." In response to her question about the maid offers.
There's a shrug in the hunched over woman as she drinks some more of her "kool-aid". "Now now, pounds, dollars, loonies? Tis all the same in the end." There's a twinkle in Sandra's eyes that show she's quite amused at the correction, "Useless things for complex control o' not'ingness." There's another mutter as she leans over and puts a lid on the cheap plastic cups. And sure enough, the heavy drizzle becomes a light drizzle.
"I do believe she did. Odd to see a Briton here in the middle of the States." Hadrian is however not watching the old lady, he's observing the group nearby her.
Merle says, "The whole water being red now thing. I'm probably just jumping to conclusions again.", she smiles a little sheepishly. She looks on over to the woman, and curiously adds, "Then what's useful?" to Sandra. Not really a challenge, but there's clearly curiosity in her voice.
Sunday follows Hadrian's gaze, "Oh, do you know those people?" She looks ashamed of herself for a moment, then regains a bit of her composure. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
Genevieve thinks for a second. "I... suppose not. I wonder who I would have to talk to in order to find out." Could she seriously not know? She raises the abused pad, "I have drawings," she says to anyone nearby.
Alvira sputters, box dropping down a bit, but still outstretched. "Oh, come now..." she says, eyes glinting a bit, "I can't believe you'd call all," she waves around, taking in Downtown, "this just 'nothingness', or without value." She hugs the coat with another hand, despite the lack of rain. "Even if it's in getting luxuries... nice bread, red meat, good wine..."
Water? Red? Elizabeth glances around, finally spotting the Kool-Aid. "Eh, whatever," she says with a dismissive shrug. She gives Orion a firm nod, then and says crisply, "Fine. You would know better than I the schedule." She then sidles over Genevieve-wards.
Oreniel huffs in relief and wipes water off the back of his head from improper umbrella holding in the course of the conversation. "I will see about getting it to you. This week, perhaps?" he calls, then sighs.
"Ol' of this? Yea don't need monies for this... if people just learned to help each other and use what they needed to get by well without hardship." Sandra smile never waivers as she shrugs off the commentary. "Useful is what yea have inside yea... yer heart and faith."
Hadrian shakes his head, "Not at all. Just curious why they're all standing around instead of going inside where it's not so rainy."
Edmonds watches as another bus drives past the stop, and checks his watch again. With a sigh, he moves under the awning, collapsing his umbrella and shaking the water off of it. "Excuse me." He heads towards the door, excusing himself as he makes his way through the press of people.
Ellen's eyebrow quirks some more at Sandra's strange reply; then, her gaze narrows slightly as the rain seems to respond to Sandra's action. She listens more acutely to the woman's words. "True, ma'am," she nods quietly. "What is inside us is most important, for it is the source of the rest. But money is often quite convenient."
Sunday smiles a near-smirk that seems almost contrary to her character, "DNA mutations, do you think?"
Alvira points a finger over at Ellen. "You, I like..." she declares, though the profound intonation clashes a bit with the grin. "Give it a pair of hands to go with a heart, and then you're getting somewhere... but really, human civilization's a record of, despite the current crowd and circumstance, of trying to get in as far from the rain as possible."
"Oh, if only it was something detectable by DNA scanning..." Hadrian is about to say something further, perhaps politically incorrect, but stops himself and shrugs with a small smirk which hints to what he was about to say.
Sandra says, "No no, yer not understandin'. All of this would be possible without it." This time Sandra shakes her head but still has that ever present smile, "An'ways, I'm sure yea all have better things to do then mess around with me." She leans down, her face obscured, but a muttering can be heard and the drizzle outright stops this time. "Thank ye," she says softly."
Merle sighs, "Rain rain's goin' away... Well, whatever," she agrees with Elizabeth, but she continues her conversation with her anyway, "It's pretty surprising that you're in such a good mood over everything." She adds as she brushes her hair back with her hand now that it's all drippy and droopy from the rain.
Sunday watches the others with an almost knowing look. "You might be surprised at what levels of information can be provided with enough scrutiny."
Edmonds vanishes inside the pub, clearly not interested in the conversation outside.
Oreniel sighs and shakes his head at the conversation... the woman seems to be holding her own, and his own business is done. "Ellen... have a good night, but with the rain letting up, this is my chance to continue, I think..."
Genevieve steps out onto the sidewalk, and flails arms in the air. "Dorothy, Dorothy! I'm melting!"
Sunday notes the movie plagiarist with a small amount of interest (intent?). "Oh, yes, much can be told under direct scrutiny."
Sandra looks up from her drink as the group begins to disperse, some of them moving out from the awning covering. She's smiling still as she leans over and mutters again. A mischievous streak? Oh yeah...
Because it suddenly starts to come down as a torrential downpour, soaking everyone outside the edge, and even drenching the legs of those under it from the wind buffeting the rain around.
Sunday shrieks unpleasantly and hugs the wall almost as tightly as she pulls her white coat against herself.
Edmonds is nice and safe and dry. Indoors. He glances out the window while moving to take a seat at a booth and smiles a faintly relived smile before reaching into a pocket and pulling out a cell phone.
"Good night, Oreniel," Ellen nods to the man. She then smiles back at Ally, nodding, "Civilization developed as a resistance against natural constraints, one might say. It is better to be able to choose whether to be in the rain or out of it." She then blinks a little, again, as the rain stops apparently right on Sandra's cue. "How do /you/ think the world should be run, then, ma'am?" she asks with a smile. Then comes the downpour. Even with her umbrella, Ellen starts to get soaked, and she hastens toward the shelter of the awning.
Elizabeth sighs, and reaches out to tap Genevieve on the shoulder. "You know, you could always go into the pub where it's nice and dry," she suggests to the shorter woman. "And, uh... what were you saying earlier about a sexy guy and a French maid costume? I didn't quite catch-- Ack!" The heavens open, and she lunges back into the shadow of the door to Fado's, cringing away from the sheeting downpour.
Alvira yelps as the food container gets blown open by a blast of wind and subsequently flooded as the water goes from fine to hideous in a second. "I know MY choice," she yells and discontendtly dumps the food in a public trash can before running for an awning, giving the retreating Sandra another glance before reaching its safety and shivering momentarily.
Genevieve bats eyes at Elizabeth, utterly failing to put two and eighteen together. "Ehn, he said mean things about Tyrr," she pouts slightly. Even as Elizabeth retreats, Genevieve SQUEALS, and slaps her arm and hand across the middle of her chest, before bouncing around in the monsoon. Her rather short hair begins to spike in a rather uncontrollable way. "Rain's cool. It should go faster."
There's a chuckle that comes from Sandra as she sets her cups out again and begins to push her cart away from the group and down the street.
"Well, this is just bordering on the insane now. I think the weather men need to head back to get some refreshers in meteorology classes." Hadrian takes a step back into the shop more so than he was a minute ago. "Unfortunately I need to run out now through this."
Merle says, "You're not a witch, Genevieve, I think you're safe." She smiles as the rain comes down again. "You don't like getting wet, Liz? Aww...", she wiggles a finger at Elizabeth before she steps right on out again from under the awning, and watches after Sandra with a scrutinizing look before adding, "Sheesh, a little bit of rain and swoosh, back and forth..."
Oreniel yelps as the downpour goes up, and grimaces... "THIS is more than the plants really need... what is going ON today?" he asks of the world at large... and pauses for a moment, then shrugs. "At this point, I was ready to expect an actual answer to that..."
Sunday wishes Hadrian good luck through the weather and actively contemplates heading into into the cafe. "Well, it was nice meeting you, politician, despite the circumstances," she notes as she opens the door to the coffee shop.
Genevieve produces a banana from out of nowhere, and makes squeaking noises like a dolphin. "Squee..." As if remembering something, she gives it a discouraged look, before repocketing it, despite the voluminous ocean of rain in which it could have played.
Edmonds watches the downpour through the window as he speaks softly on his cell-phone. After all - being noisy in a restaurant is rude.
Remy is taken completely by surprise at that one, becoming completely drenched form the instant downpour as the umbrella was shielding Genevieve, not himself. Looks like the librarian miscalculated again! He steps quickly, shielding himself and working on keeping the umbrella over Genevieve as much as he can. He offered to let her use the umbrella, and that offer stands until she's out of the rain! Sandra is let to leave as she will as he chases Genevieve around... And begins breathing heavily in efforts to keep up. This is tiring! "Perhaps... It'd be best if... we got into some shelter?"
Ellen shivers a little, under the awning, as the rain keeps pounding down. She glances at Ally. "I think I've seen you before, once. It was at the Library. When... someone was stealing a book, actually." She chuckles a bit, wryly, at that, then smiles more genuinely, "My name's Ellen."
Elizabeth smirks at Merle before answering, "Actually, I adore getting wet - but not /this/ way!" She edges back through the door into Fado's, brushing hastily at the water that has beaded up on her suit. "I'm so glad that wool repels water," she remarks, before heading back to old table.
Alvira raises a dripping hand up, shaking her head to get rid of the droplets that had slipped under her hood. "Ally Xu... THAT was a bit more exciting than this, of course, but perhaps as odd as tonight's weather." Ally watches the artist lead a poor drenched man on a merry chase for a moment before continuing smoothly, "Though I've been known to be wrong on occasion."
Turning on one heel in the middle of the sidewalk, Genevieve pops her mouth open, before clapping it shut as she realizes that she did indeed have a shadow through thick and thin -- rain. "Oh, hi!" Absently, she proffers the banana to Remy, a few brown patches on it from bruising. She's not holding it at a very flattering angle.
Merle removes her glasses and shakes them a bit, "Huh," she comments, speculating on what ways Elizabeth likes to get wet. She rubs her forehead, "Shucks. I saw a TV show called Ellen I think," she doesn't seem inclined to step inside, though her sudden good cheer is ironically evaporating.
Remy waves a hand, shaking his head as he works on catching his breath from chasing the bouncy and unnervingly energetic Genevieve. "No thank you... I'll be fine... But did you want to... get in out of the rain? I'd hate... to see you come down with some... sickness from this."
"Nice to meet you, Ally," Ellen smiles back. "In less dangerous circumstance than before, at least." She chuckles, then glances at Merle. "I don't recall such a show, but then I don't watch a lot of TV," she smiles.
Genevieve then zips under the umbrella to practically wrap herself around the man's arm. "That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me all day," she coos out. "I'm resilient, though," she assures him. "Stay nice, at least?" She pulls away as if considering rambling off onto some other adventure.
Edmonds remains, for the moment, safe and dry. In Fado's. He watches the people outside through the window, picking up his newly delivered drink and taking a sip.
Alvira nods at that, and watches the activity. "Amen to that... but I think I'm going to head out before we get blizzard conditions into effect..."
Merle says, "It was canceled," halfheartedly, "I think I'll get going myself.", she walks away, apparently deciding to move off elsewhere.
Remy chuckles for a moment. "It's good to be nice to others." As she pulls away, he arches an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" He sighs, finally recovering from all the running around. "Did you want to borrow my umbrella for wherever you might go? It's still raining, after all."
Genevieve chirps out, "I'll be fine!" She then zips away.
Remy shrugs, handling the umbrella himself as he turns away, calling out after her, "All right! It was nice seeing you!" Farewell delivered, the librarian turns to head for the dry Irish goodness of Fado's.
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