Vocabulary and other useful things

[Enid Geraint] It's a coffee/tea shop, a Starbucks-but-not. That's how these things go, isn't it? Enid sits at a table with her laptop and a mocha.

[Ashley McGowen] Ashley is, at this very moment, leaving her apartment for coffee. For a bookish shut-in, she certainly keeps odd hours. Perhaps it's exactly because she's a bookish shut-in.

This one happens to be her favorite, and as she walks in she has a cell phone held up to her ear - one of the sleek new Blackberries. She hasn't yet noticed Enid, between the distraction of the conversation and the fact that Enid is sitting on her left when she walks in.

"It was nice seeing you for Thanksgiving too, Bran." A simple social transaction, as devoid of feeling as the exchange of $1.79 and a Diet Coke at a gas station. Or, at least, it seems so.

Then there's hesitation. "...Yeah, we talked. She's a good kid. I'm trying to avoid rushing her decision, or she'll wind up just washing out in the end."

Another long pause as she listens to whatever the person on the other end says. She orders a cup of tea, lifting the phone away from her right ear just long enough to do so, before saying, "Sure, call me sometime. Nice to hear from you."

Then she hangs up and the phone slides into a pocket in her messenger bag, and she accepts her cup of tea, having a look around the coffee shop to try to find a seat.

[Jonathan Kincade] Jonathan had been busy with work and various other projects, so his presence had been scarce about town. But for now he had the time, so he left his apartment for town and soon found himself walking up a pathway to a coffee shop.

His eyes wandering over the current customers, chattering away as they consumed their beverages. His eyes fell on a young girl he had met a time or two before. He offered Enid a small wave and a smile in greeting. Making his way to the counter, he placed his order and waited for the large latte with four sugars to be placed in front of him.

Cradling the cup in his hand, he turned back to the coffee ship... it was surprising how busy it was for the time. So he headed in the direction of Enid, at least he knew her and maybe she wouldn't mind him taking up one of the nearby seats. "Hey there, Enid right ?... mind if I take a seat?"

[Enid Geraint] She's tapping at something on her computer which quickly gets alt tabbed and the top pushed down besides, and then she's looking at the guy talking to her - vaguely familiar, yes, but it takes a minute to place him and even then she doesn't remember his name.

He's old, after all.

"Yeah, I'm Enid. Go ahead, if you'd like." It has her attention up from whatever she'd been working on, at least. This means that she sees Ashley, and gives a little wave when the Hermetic happens to turn and look her way.

[Ashley McGowen] Ashley catches the tail end of the wave. Teacup in hand, she walks over to the teenager and the man she does not know. Ash, he would notice, is rather petite - she can't be much more than five feet tall - and slight, almost to the point of frailty. She's dressed in a black buttondown with grey stripes and a pair of jeans. Short dark hair that is fashionably mussed is probably her most noticeable feature; a tuft of it has a tendency to hang into her eyes and is constantly being shaken aside.

"Evening, Enid. Who's your friend?"

Ashley's eyes settle on the man for a moment (the left one, it seems, has some trouble staying focused, though it takes a moment to figure out what is "off" about it) and gives him a short nod. He's too young to be Enid's father, she's sure. "I'm Ashley."

[Enid Geraint] "He's . . . John, I think? We met once, maybe twice. Here, actually, but outside." Where Enid would likely be right now if it weren't for the cold and snow. Her laptop is, of course, now closed in front of her, and Enid hands Ashley a pretty red envelope with gold accents. "Here, this is for you."

That's with a smile, vaguely amused and wry.

"How've you been?"

[Ashley McGowen] "Nice meeting you in that case, Jon."

Ashley has not gotten a pretty decorative envelope in quite some time, to judge by her expression when Enid hands it over. It's a little surprised, a little amused and definitely wry. "Thanks," she says, opening it up.

She looks over at Enid while she does, unable to really watch the girl, Jon, and read the letter at the same time, so she settles on eye contact first. "I'm all right. Caught up with someone from my old circle of friends, that's really about it," she says, expressionless.

Then she turns her attention to the letter.

[Enid Geraint] It's an invitation for baking and socializing at Enid's house on a Saturday night, from 4pm until whenever, with all usual ingredients to be supplied along with munchies for the occasion, but any particularly special ingredients to be brought along, with any favorite recipes.

"Catching up is always nice," she says, and it's wistful; she doesn't have many people to catch up with these days. But then, there's brightening. "Mom's supposed to come home early this year. The eighteenth instead of the twenty-third."

[Emily Littleton] Oh it had been a day and a half. When Emily finally broke free of her academic pursuits, she needed some caffeine to help her calm down. It had been that sort of day. And so it is that she finds herself, yet again, at the door to one of the Mile's establishments with loose hours and decent cups.

The door swings open, and in rushes the bitingly cold night air. The twenty-something, finally wearing a proper coat, steps in and the door swings shut again. She's got a messenger bag slung across her body, crammed full of books and gadgets.

This time she looks around before she orders. Checking, no doubt, for a few familiar faces.

[Ashley McGowen] To her credit, Ashley keeps a straight face when she looks at the invitation, and then she folds it up and places it back in the envelope. Ah, to be seventeen again. "Thanks for the invitation, Enid," she says, her tone polite. "I think I'd feel a little out of place, though, being an old person and whatnot."

It's less harsh than she'd be with...well, most people, but hey, she likes the kid. And it's nice to feel appreciated.

"Does your mother travel a lot or something?" She hasn't yet noticed Emily; it might take her a few moments to place the face as someone she knows even if they had. They only were briefly introduced, after all.

[Emily Littleton] Enid. Enid is good people, Emily decides as she moves to the counter and thinks the better of anything with espresso. She orders a spiced cider, and a cookie. Because cookies are nice, and it gives her something to share.

Emily splits the difference in age between Enid and Ashley. She's in the latter half of her college years, but not quite ready for grad school. Carrying her snickerdoodle and her cider over towards a comfy chair, she happens to wander close-ish to their table.

Her drama-meter is in full swing, though, and she doesn't want to get caught up in anything shocking tonight. Enid, if she looks over, gets a smile. If it looks like she's welcome, she'll join them. If. If. IFF.

[Enid Geraint] "You're not that old," she says with a shrug. "And Emily's . . ."
Look at that, speak of the devil.
". . . here. Do people really get used to that?"

She honestly wants to know. She can't really imagine not being half dumbfounded when so many people of a similar persuasion show up in one place, all at the same time. It's weird to her - scheduling a practice or whatever is one thing. This is completely different. Regardless, another envelope, this one blue and gray, is held up and offered Emily's way.

"Ashley, this is Emily. Emily, Ashley. And that's John."

So yes, she's welcome.

[Ashley McGowen] "You do get used to it, after a while," Ashley says, turning her head a little so that she can face Emily. She stares at her stonily for a few moments before there's a light of recognition in her blue eyes. Well, blue eye. The left one doesn't really seem to register expression well for whatever reason - there's something off about it, perhaps nerve damage.

"I remember you, we met last week."

Then what Enid said sinks in, and she looks between the other three. "I take it we're all...?"

[Emily Littleton] "Evenin'," Emily said, nodding a bit to Ashley, and then Jon. She'd met Ashley, on that weird night at the Soup Kitchen. It felt like months ago, now. Awakened time must move a little differently.

"Yeah, at the kitchen. It was a bit crazy that night. Didn't get to say much more than hello," Emily's voice has an odd patterning to it. Like she's from everywhere at once. It's distracting, maybe even annoying to some. But Emily offers a warmer smile, not at all stony, to them all.

"Is tonight a better night, Enid?" she asks as she finds a place to sit and shrugs out of her jacket. There's the faint glimmer of a silver chain around her neck, but whatever it suspends is hidden beneath her sweater for now.

[Enid Geraint] Ashley asks and Enid just nods, then eyes the clock on the wall. "I just realized two things. One, I didn't answer your question - yes, Mom travels a lot. She was in Stockholm for Thanksgiving and is, I think, in Johannesburg right now. And two, I need to get home."

It's wry then, and given all her I'm a grown up posturing, a reluctant admission. "Curfew. But . . . yeah, Em, a bit better. Thanks."

[Jonathan Kincade] Jonathan had been having a softly voiced debate with a waitress that had passed him buy. Apparently they had gotten his order wrong. So the coffee is taken and Jonathan watches and waits till a new cup is returned to him.

Eventually realising that his name has been said numerous times, he turns back now to the small gathering. "Yes it's Jonathan.. and yeah been here a couple of times when Enid was here, Corran and Kage too if I remember rightly"

"Nice to meet you too" he eventually greets Ashley. extending his hand. He then offers the new comer a polite smile and a smaill nod.

Looking at Ashley with a raised eyebrow "we're all....?..more than we appear?"

[Emily Littleton] Curfew. Emily looked at Enid for a moment, and then remembered that the younger girl was still high school. Offering her a small, commiserating look, Emily took up the envelope and turned it over in her hands.

"Glad to hear it," she says. And then a smile to Jon as well. Emily settles back into her chair a bit, and runs one index finger under the envelope's flap. Curious to see what Enid has delivered in the way of mail, she briefly pulls her attention away from the growing gathering of...

"We're all caffeine addicts?" she posits.

[Ashley McGowen] "Good night, Enid," Ashley tells the girl, even as she takes a seat with the two older mages, after shaking Jonathan's hand. She crosses her ankles, bobbing the bag of tea in the cup for a few seconds before drawing it out and squeezing it.

"Yes," she says to Jonathan. "Glad you understand."

Emily just gets a glance out of the corner of her eye, and then she casts a wry look down at the cup of tea. "Well, I think I may be that too, but I was talking more about belonging to our respective philosophy clubs, so to speak."

[Emily Littleton] "Philosophy clubs?" Emily asked, with a genuine look of confusion on her features. She looked away to wish Enid farewell, but her gaze fell back to Ashley soon thereafter.

One hand rose toward her neckline, fingered the silver chain there lightly, and fell away. Emily looked from Ashley to Jon, and then back. "If I'm intruding..." she said, suddenly feeling quite the lame duck.

[Jonathan Kincade] He nods at Emily "Well that too, but it seems I was on the same page as ..." and then he realises he actually hasn't heard his current companies name "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't get your name.."

"No not intruding at all, I'm actually glad for the company. Been tucked away in my office all day. Good to actually talk with people."

[Ashley McGowen] "You're not intruding at all," Ashley says, though the look she's giving to the other two now holds some uncertainty. It can be so difficult recognizing other people for what they are without the aid of Prime - which, she supposes, she could use if she really wanted to.

Unfortunately, Ash is a bit unsure of how to conduct herself outside of a work situation, as becomes clear in the glances she keeps shooting them - whether a magical situation or one at her actual job.

"So do you, uh, work at the shelter?" she asks Emily, after a second.

[Emily Littleton] Given enough careful attention, especially from the sort of Awakened, aware minds that most willworkers possessed, Ashley could feel a quiet thrum to the hidden something on the chain around Emily's neck. It was calming, still, comfortable. It spoke to Home.

The bother with being new, was that you never really knew the social ground rules. The bother with being new all the time, wherever you went, was that you stopped caring so much about that.

"I volunteer, like Enid. Mostly weekends or holidays. It's better than being home alone for Thanksgiving," she said, matter-of-factly and without (much) self-pity.

[Jonathan Kincade] Just as he takes another sip of his coffee, Jonathan's mobile phone rings. Pulling the device out of his jacket pocket , he flips it open and then apologises "Sorry ladies, I need to take this.". He puts the phone to his ear "Hello Jonathan Kincade speaking. " a sigh "yes I guess so...the problem probably is in..." he lowers the phone and covers the mouth "I'm sorry but I think I'll take this outside, it was nice meeting you both so briefly. It looks like I'm being called into work though". Jonathan stands , somehow manages to pick up his coffee and proceeds to exit the room.

[Ashley McGowen] "Good night, Jonathan. It was nice meeting you," Ashley says, waving to the man before he walks out of the coffee shop.

She turns back to face Emily then, just giving a slow nod and searching for something to say to that. Ashley is not the volunteering type. Ashley doesn't even really -approve- of volunteering. "Don't have any family you can travel to see?" she asks, invariably settling on the more dangerous of the two topics.

[Emily Littleton] Emily liked volunteering, so long as it didn't detract from her academic goals or other interests. She also liked the bullet point for her future grad school applications. And, it supposedly made her feel warm and fuzzy. Or something.

Emily wished Jon a good night, too. The group was dropping like flies. And then there were two.

"Not really." Emily shrugged a little. "My parents are in Taipei right now." It was a little far away, and didn't exactly sound like home. "You might say I'm a bit of an orphan this year."

"How about you? Grand plans for the holidays?" she asked, and then looked down at Enid's envelope for a moment.

[Ashley McGowen] Ashley blinks, and tries to recall exactly where Taipei is. Somewhere in Asia, she's sure. Taiwan, perhaps. Cambodia? No. And normally she has such a good memory.

"I don't really have any, no," she says, after a moment. "I just moved here this summer from Boston, and all of my friends are back there. I suppose I'm lucky, though. It isn't very difficult to get in touch with my parents or anybody in Boston."

She shrugs. "I'm not really much of a holidays person anyway. I do the Christmas thing, but I have to admit I've never paid much attention to it."

[Emily Littleton] Taiwan. She was right the first time. Not that Emily would know, not that anyone would, but Ashley seemed the sort to go home and look it up now that this vexxing bit of knowledge had eluded her.

Em' could relate to that.

"I didn't either. Until I came here for college, and suddenly everyone at school has plans, or people to see, or what not." She shrugs a bit, too. "I feel a little weird some times that my favorite thing about Christmas is that campus is quiet!"

[Ashley McGowen] Ashley is indeed the sort of person to go home and look it up - and she probably will, judging by the slightly distracted expression she's still wearing. The Hermetic is not a person accustomed to -not knowing- anything, and it isn't really within her MO to simply ask.

"I didn't really have a normal college experience, so I'm afraid I can't relate too well," she tells Emily. "What are you studying at...the University of Chicago? Or are you an undergrad at Northwestern?"

[Emily Littleton] "I'm a third year, engineering at Northwestern," she replied. Emily was the take-things-apart and put-them-together type, and it extended far beyond gadgets and circuit boards. She liked to figure things out, break them down, build them up.

"What did you study?" Emily only half expected to hear something philosophy related, given Ashley's earlier comment. "And what was that about philosophy clubs?"

[Ashley McGowen] "I'm a graduate student at Northwestern's school of communications right now. My bachelor's degree was in sociology," she says.

Ash takes a thoughtful sip at her cup of tea before she answers Emily about the philosophy clubs. Her gaze rests for a few seconds on the necklace at Emily's neck - which definitely seems to have a certain vibe about it - so she's either someone who knows its value or just a very very lucky Sleeper. It happens sometimes.

Either way, she decides to just go ahead with it. "Traditions. Are you familiar?"

[Emily Littleton] Emily shook her head, no. Her cider had finally cooled off enough to drink without worrying about burning her tongue. She pushed the little plate with a giant snickerdoodle on it toward the middle of the table. College kids and graduate students shared food. It was a Tradition of a sort.

"Not really. At least I don't think so."

[Ashley McGowen] Being as direct as Ashley is may well get her into trouble someday - say if Emily had been, for example, a Technocrat. The Hermetic is arrogant enough, it seems, to either dismiss or simply not worry about the possibility. Or perhaps she's just one to take it easy and avoid worrying.

Right.

She does not partake of the snickerdoodle, just giving a polite shake of the head. "No thanks." She eyes Emily for a second and then nods toward the necklace. "Who gave that to you?"

[Emily Littleton] "It was my grandmother's..." She pushed back the urge to reach up and touch the locket, trying to heed, at least in passing, the warnings some of her other newfound acquaintances had given her. "When she passed, she gifted it to me."

But Emily didn't really understand how different it was, or why she ought to hide it. Not yet. "She said it would make me feel less homesick."

[Ashley McGowen] Ashley just looks back at Emily for a few seconds, searching the younger woman's face. "Really?" she says, in a tone that implies skepticism.

There's a long draught of tea as Ashley watches Emily, trying to figure out what to make of her, how to approach this. She's either asleep, brand new or very cautious. After a moment of impatience, Ash simply locks eyes with her, trying to determine the presence of another enlightened Will.

[Emily Littleton] "Really," Emily said, with a little shrug. She glanced down to break off a little piece of cookie, so she missed the onset of Ashley's intense attention. Looking back up, she was caught off guard by the scrutiny.

Emily was most certainly Awake. Her pattern seethed with unflavored energy, burning brightly to Prime-touched eyes. But the quintessential ebb and flow of her being had not taken on a resonance of its own yet. There was vast untapped potential there, but nothing to hint at which way she was leaning.

[Ashley McGowen] Ash finds herself, for the second time in several weeks, in the position of explaining the Awakened world to someone else - or so she thinks. It's unfortunate that the task falls to someone who is not really a people person. Much less someone who has no idea how to get along in the world without magic. Without all of the things magic confers upon her life.

"Do you know you're Awake?" she asks, in an attempt to see if she can manage to worm out of the explanation. If not, well, they'll be stepping out of the coffee shop in short order.

[Emily Littleton] She kept hearing that word everywhere, these days. (I do not think it means what you think it means.) Emily raised an eyebrow slowly, wondering if she was supposed to pin a sigil on her shoulder, or learn a secret handshake, or something. Then she nodded, tentatively.

"I've heard that word before. Few times over the last week or so," she said, sipping at her cider a bit, and watching Ashely cautiously. "Which means I'm not a sprite, and there are others..." Emily's gaze flickered up, and to the right. (Memory.) Then back to Ashley. She was thinking of Jarod, of Enid. Possibly others.

[Ashley McGowen] "There are others," Ashley agrees. "Me, and you've already met Enid. When she handed you the envelope it sort of made me wonder."

She leans back in her chair, eyes less intent now that the question has been resolved for her, sliding the teacup back and forth between her two hands on the table. "I take it this is all a pretty recent development for you?"