Log:Jefferson's Past Time's Coffee Shop

2019/03/02 	 Kalwara Laurel Grimm Kelly Sid

1

Among the current customers of the coffee shop are a group of six heavily armed people seated at a table chatting and drinking. They are wearing paramiltary type uniforms with CBPA painted on the body armor on front and back.

Grimm materializes outside the coffee shop after catching up with her messages. She's been dimension-hopping to stay ahead of Empress V'han's legion after an issue of mistaken reputation. She just made the hop home when her phone buzzed with missed messages. A lot of them are from Forge wondering where she is, if she's okay, each increasing with urgency. Then there was the phone message about here.

Gabrielle Grimm is texting Forge back to reassure him she's safe and sound as she looks up at the coffee shop and sees the rift energies encompassing it. "Well...that's gotten worse." She puts her phone in her pocket and walks in.

Laurel smiles and waves from behind the counter. "Oh good, you got my message. Do you think you can help?"

Laurel says, "And would you like some coffee?"

Kalwara is exploring the city. So much is new and unknown to her. But she recognizes that the coffee shop is a place that provides food and drink. So almost on the heels of Grimm she walks in and looks around.

Laurel smiles. "Welcome to Past Time's. How may I help you?"

Grimm raises a brow as she looks around the shop, sliding her hands into the pockets of her black leather moto jacket. "White chocolate mocha with four pumps of juniper syrup. Venti. This is going to be a thing." She just knows it will. "What caused this?"

Kalwara moves over to the counter and Grimm and addresses Grim with an elven greeting, recalling the hero from the incident in the forest just yesterday.

Laurel starts preparing Grimm's drink. "Best guess is the whole Apostate thing. With everybody coming through here and all."

Grimm glances over at Kalwara and nods, not understanding the words. "You again. Is that how you ended up here, too?" She looks back to Laurel. "Yeah, Apostate did some considerable damage. Punching holes through the Veil like that."

Laurel nods. "I remember that you helped to repair some of that, which is why I thought of you when this happened."

Kalwara nods to Laurel as well. "I come from the A'kiri lands. By Elven paths." She informs Grimm.

"It's my wheelhouse," Grimm grunts as she studies the damage. "Probably should've fixed that bathroom rift ages ago, but some people had friends there and didn't have the benefit of be able to just hop realms." She looks back to Kalwara and nods. "Not familiar with the A'kiri. But the elven paths? I know a few. Thanks for your help the other day."

Kalwara says, "I am wa suri. It was my duty." After a moment's pause she continues, "Without duty I would have done same.""

Grimm starts looking around the room, studying the rift energies at work to find the edges of it. "Been patching holes through the multiverse for months now. Was kind of busy, sorry I didn't get back in time. Some people using my title have being getting the attention of Empress V'han, and now she has it out for me for "stealing" resources from her," Grimm uses air quotes.

Laurel gives Grimm her mocha, and refills the cups of the SWAT team.

Kalwara points to the menu up on the wall behind the counter when Laurel returns, "Cho-O-Late, please."

Laurel pours two cups, and gives one to the swordswoman.

Grimm sips her coffee as she studies the rift. "I might be able to confine it back to the bathroom again. But it'll take some time. This rift is big."

Kalwara takes the chocolate with a graceful bow and reaches inside her kimono, pulling out a handful of dollar bills wrapped around a credit stick issued by the Undermoon Embassy. She puts them on the counter, "Take what is right." she tells Laurel.

Sid has no idea about any rifts or anything. He's just in the mood for something sweet after a 'successful' trip to the meta-gym across the way. His stomach is already roiling away after hours of bouncing and leaping about- learning to control his built-in rebound-action.

He could also use a good sit. Holding his form together is tiring all on its own.

He's hoping the coffeeshop across from the meta-gym sees more than enough 'freaks' that his arrivial won't be too jarring for staff- or those enjoying their meal.

He's changed into his Humphrey Bogart's best, a warm trenchcoat with its lapels popped to conceal his face and fedora pulled low. The door chimes as he walks in.

Since Laurel started working here, this is only the second time someone has shown up with some type of cash...She separates the credit stick from the bills and taps it against the paypad, deducting the cost of Kalwara's hot chocolate. She tucks it back into place. "All done."

Laurel smiles, "Welcome to Past Time's. How may I help you?"

One of the CBPA SWAT team looks over, "Hey, hi there. Are you talking about closing this place off from us again?"

Sid is surprised by the strange 'decor' caused by the overlapping dimensional planes. He looks around and then looks to Laurel. "umm- I just... thought..." His stomach rumbles. "Oh- yeah. Just was hoping for something sweet. You know, to make sure my workout served no purpose at all." He chuckles nervously, searching in his pockets for his creditstick. "What's good here?" He asks Laurel.

"It's not -your- place, and not necessarily," Grimm says as she sips her drink again. "Just shrinking the passage and fortifying it so it doesn't spread further."

Laurel says, "Everything on the menu is good. What is your preference?"

Grimm raises her cup to motion around the whole shop. "This bleed effect could keep spreading if there's any more disturbances. It gets a lot harder to fix the bigger it gets. And instability becomes an issue."

The SWAT team leader smiles easily, "Never claimed it was our place," he points out. "We do have a legitimate interest in being able to get home. Plus," he salutes Laruel, "The coffee here is much better than we have back home. So I hope you can let us keep access."

Kalwara has no real reference to understand what is being discussed, so she sips the chocolate drink and listens.

Laurel asks the team leader, "Isn't there a regular gate used for trade between our worlds? Couldn't you use that to come here?

Grimm smiles and nods. "I'm not planning on trapping anyone, no worries. If something did happen, I could still get you back. I'm just trying to get it back to the way it was and more stable. Feel free to finish your drinks and meal. Like I said, this will take a while." She walks slowly around the shop to survey it. "Noticed anything...weird? Like glitching or flickering?"

The team leader pats his wallet pocket, "Yes. But that costs. Makes the overall cost of a cup of your wonderful java kind of high."

Grimm suddenly halts and shudders as her shadow sense feels over Sid's form beneath his coat. Jiggly and weird. The feel of it makes her skin crawl at a distance. "Waaughh, what the," she comments as she turns around to look towards Sid.

Laurel says, "I'm guessing there's also a question of passports and such?"

The team leader nods, "Probably. Never traveled that way myself. CB born and raised. Don't see the need to leave."

Laurel replies to Grimm, "No, nothing like that."

"Oh- well I'm not too picky. I was just hoping for something decadent. Chocolatey? Yeah. That sounds right." Sid replies to Laurel before glancing around the room.

Of course, just in time to see Grimm grossed out even through his 'diguise'.

"Something that might go good with soul-cripplin'..." He mumbles, tugging his coat around himself self-consciously.

Laurel says, "Extra-strength cocoa it is then." She prepares and delivers it to Sid.

Grimm's eyes widen in surprise as she sees what she's feeling. It's even worse than she realized. And then she realizes she's staring. She looks away quickly, rubbing the back of her head and mussing up her long black hair to pretend she totally -wasn't- staring.

Laurel, on the other hand, has seen all kinds in here: demons, aliens, animals, even an invisible girl.

On the other hand Kalwara has already seen sufficiently weird things in this city that what she can sense of Sid's nature has no effect on her. "Or you could have the co-o-late." She lifts the glass in her hand, "It's very good."

Grimm steps up to the coffee shop's front door, figuring that would be the best place to start collapsing the rift, from there back to its original source in the rstroom.

Sid smiles politely and taps his credit chip to the payment device and a tip. "Thank you very much." He says considerately before making his way to a corner seat, jiggling and bouncing with each step.

He lifts his cup to Kalwara and is good natured enough to play along with Grimm's illusion. He sits sadly and gazes out the window, lost in thought.

Laurel takes a sip of her own cocoa.

Kalwara watches Grimm, "You are magi suri?" she asks her.

"I'm not exactly sure what Magi Suri is, but probably?" Grimm suggests as she takes a final sip of her coffee and sets it on a table. She lowers her hands to her sides at hip level. A dark energy starts to surround her hands. "Only something more," she says as she works to warp reality to shrink the rift. It'll take time.

Kalwara nods, "Magi suri, magic touched. A user of magic. As I am wa suri, wind touched. Do you have healing arts? Those faerie archers wounded me." Her tugs on the kimono to show a shoulder with a small but deep puncture in her flesh."

Grimm chuckles as she focuses. "Magic and Elder Gods touched," she comments, though there's some bitterness at the mention of elder gods. "I'm afraid healing flesh and blood beings is beyond my dark gifts. I can heal things of shadow and darkness only." She takes a moment to glance at Kalwara's wound, wincing sympathetically. "I may know some people who can help with that, though."

Laurel says, "I am as well." She pulls a rabbit out of her cup of cocoa, then makes it vanish.

Sid tries not to listen in as he gazes out the window quietly but its hard not to eavesdrop.

He lifts his cocoa to his lips and takes a big glug, not even phased by its hot, steamy temperature.

He considers the flavor thoughtfully, pausing to savor it. He nods approvingly. "Its not love, but damn close." He mumbles to himself.

Kalwara readjusts her kimono.

Out and about. It's been years, but Kelly never ceases to wonder at her ring's ability to protect her from that big ball of fire that tries its best to burn her to dust every time she steps out in the rays it shoots at the planet. A nip taken from her flask, she tucks it away as she steps off the maglev and saunters along towards her destination. After all, she does love the scent of coffee.. and her nose works better than it ever did when she was human!

But the bounce in her stride blends well with her perky gymnast physique and all... so it's with a few eyes glancing her way that she turns to step into said coffee shop with a bright smile on her face.

Laurel smiles as the door opens, "Welcome to Past Time's. How may I help you?"

Kalwara asks for another hot chocolate drink, and this time knows to offer payment with the credstick.

Sam arrives at the coffee shop on autopilot, he's currently tinkering with a small device that looks almost like an earbud. He looks up as he walks through the door with a quick look around that suggests he's getting his bearings. Dressed in faded black jeans and an old worn blue t-shirt he radiates unkept, from his dishevelled hair to his scruffy old worn trainers." He speaks softly to himself as he looks around. "Ah right coffee."

Taking her own moment to enjoy the scents of the place, Kelly closes her eyes and inhales through flared nostrils. But then she feels the air move with the door opening. That makes her step off to one side to get out of Samuel's way. With a gesture, she indicates that he should move ahead of her. It's not like she can drink coffee. She just comes here to buy some and smell it.

Grimm focuses her magics on the entrance of the coffee shop, then pants and lowers her arms for a moment. She wipes her brow. "Okay. It's pretty big. I'll work on this later, after the coffee shop's closed. Less distractions." She reaches for her cup and takes a sip of her coffee.

Sid takes another sip of his coffee, turning his attention to the SWAT team members before Kelly and Sam's entrances catch his googly-eyes. His smile is mostly obscured by the popped lapels of his trenchcoat. He tries to hide his globbiness behind that and fedora hat but its more of a security blanket than a disguise.

He waves to Sam, this being the firsttime he's seen Sam outside of Omega Guard meet and greets or training sessions.

Wrinkling up her nose, Kelly shakes her head. That's an odd smell for a coffee shop. But she shrugs and lets Sam move ahead of her before she aims herself towards the counter. She's still trying to figure out whatever it is that is getting to her. But it's not so bad that it's going to make her focus on just that.