Grace

[Awareness!]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 5, 6, 9) ( success x 2 )

Ian

Bardo Coffee was one of the better coffee shops in the Denver area - or so the reviews claimed. The shop was on Broadway, a bit South of downtown proper and not terribly far from Washington Park. The coffee there was excellent, and the pastries weren't bad either. Both of these things were lost on Ian, who did not drink coffee or eat pastries. But he was there anyway, seated at a table by the wall beneath a large abstract painting. A Windows tablet was propped up on the table in front of him, and he sat back with one heel resting casually on the edge of his seat, his attention focused on the screen and on whatever audio was currently being fed through his bluetooth earbuds.

A cup of black tea sat curled in one hand, warming the skin of his palm. All in all, a very mundane pose to find him in.

Grace

There's better coffee at the office, because Kalen always manages to find the best of everything. But Grace was in the area, and the office is all the way across town. Besides, this way, someone else gets to make it for her.

She's wearing her coat today, and has yet to take it off as she strolls up to the register to order a large caramel frap thing, all ice and sweet, more of a desert than a drink.

Really, she wouldn't have to be open to the bend of magic in the air to notice Ian in the room. It's like a vision out of a menswear catalog wherever he shows up, like you could just cut a square out of the world with just him in it, and it wouldn't seem out of place. She stares. If he looks up, she'll give a little wave while waiting for her drink.

When it does, she strolls over to his table, wincing a bit at the Windows tablet. What is it with Clippy's minions infesting her life lately?

"Hey. What's up?"

Serafíne

Dan isn't especially, noticeable to mages.  Blends in with the hipsters, just a tall, lanky guy with a nice, full, blond, hipster bear.  Hard to tell the difference between hipster beards and Duck Dynasty beards but in Denver the nuances are obviously: he's in black skinny jeans and a red-blue-pink plaid button down with the sleeves rolled up, buttoned over a band t-shirt (someone you've never heard of, naturally.  his tastes is probably better than yours) with tattoos visible on his arms, colorful, one blending into the other.

He's not getting a table and there's a line just then, staggered because it is just one of those things.  People are not ants, marching neatly without stumbling into each other all over the forest floor.

And sometimes Dan sparks on awareness but tonight either that sense is turned off for him or he's just suppressing it.

See, that pile-up happens just after Grace retrieves her frap.  There's something malfunctioning behind the counter, or too many special orders at once.  Maybe he catches Grace's eye as she slips past him and gives her a quiet wave.  You know: acquaintances passing each other in line, that kinda thing.  He's intent on coffee and its ordering, is Dan.

For the nonce.

Ian

[Awareness]

Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (1, 1, 4, 7, 8, 9) ( success x 3 )

Lena Reilly

[[Pre-emptive Magedar!  Spec: Uncanny Instincts]]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9) ( success x 2 )

Ian

Grace's impression of Ian wasn't an inaccurate one. Today Ian's outfit consisted of skinny black deisel jeans, boots and a thin grey sweater that hugged his upper body and zipped up in an asymetrical L-shape. The high collar was left partly open, so that the edges of it fell away from his neck and collar bones.

As it happened, he was watching a movie. Depending on the angle at which Grace approached him, she might notice the lush colors and cinematography that were notable hallmarks of a Wong Kar Wai film. Either way, Ian paused it when she approached, glancing up from the screen as he pulled off his earbuds.

"Hey." He glanced over Grace's shoulder at the milling line, spotting Dan's familiar beard. If Dan happened to catch Ian's eyes, Ian would nod in his direction. A casual acknowledgment. Maybe he even glanced around a bit to see if Sera was in tow, but she wasn't, so a moment later his attention refocused on Grace.

"How are things over in Graceland?"

(Ha ha.)

Grace

As she headed back to Ian's table, her eye was caught by Dan and his waving. He got a smile, a little wave. She said hi. But then, she had a place to be.

She raises her eye at Ian, and his 'Graceland' comment, as though she hadn't heard that a million times in school. "I'm not a reincarnated Elvis. I think I'd know if I were."

She slides into a chair at the table, plopping her frappuwhatever down. "Graceland's good though. I met someone new recently. Jo. Kinda just ran into her at the DMV. New enough not to believe in fairy tales," she says, smirks.

Lena Reilly

It's not "cool" to like Taylor Swift these days.  Hell, it hasn't ever really been cool to like her.  But since when has Lena Reilly given a rat's ass about being cool?  That's the best part of freeing yourself from the bounds of societal conventions and pushing your boundaries; you very quickly learn that what other people consider to be acceptable just doesn't matter.  Be yourself, they say, and Lena's all about trying to do that.  She doesn't always succeed, but she tries.

And that's why she's bopping her way down the street in a grey jacket that rests over a grey T-Shirt with an vaguely anime-like drawing of Rogue surrounded by glowing playing cards with a banner that reads "Can't Touch This."  Her jeans are black, with her usual sandals dancing their way along the sidewalk.  Her hair is falling free and waving around as she half-sings along with that most famous of current pop stars that echoes through her headphones.

"I've been picking up the pieces of the mess you made, people like you always want back the love they pushed aside.  But people like me are gone forever, when you say goodbye!"

Yep, that's what not being cool looks like.  But she earns points for enthusiasm.

As she dances along toward the coffee, that feeling tickles its way down her brain and she smiles a little.  With a little side shuffle she hip-checks the door open, slipping inside as she pulls the earbuds out.  She gives a quick look around and gives a little smile and wave to Dan on her way toward Ian and Grace.

Serafíne

Ian catches Dan's eye okay and so does Grace.  So: he is noticed.  He is noticeable enough and the guy gives Ian the edge of a smile.  One corner of his bearded mouth.  There's some acoustic version of one of the new tracks from the new Decemberists' album and something about rhythm makes some part of Dan move unconsciously to it.  Just a staccato tap of his forefinger against the meat of his thumb as he waits.

Sera isn't in tow: not then, not now, not yet, but that line is one of those things and she must be around, maybe they can feel her outside or coming closer, if they are Feeling Things.  Her patience is far from legendary, particularly when she's still kinda coming down from whatever she was doing the night before, and she hasn't slept and she wants a drunk.  Last night Sera was wearing a cocktail dress seamed with rhinestones, crystals, diamonds maybe.  Tonight she's back to battered denim cutoffs, fishnets, combat boots.  An olive green military-style jacket, ragged so it feels all authentic, swings open over a slice of her torso, the suggestion of her own tattoos just visible beneath a lacy black and lime green bra.

Sera carries a brushed nickel travel mug with her into the coffee shop.  Gives Dan a Look because You Are Taking So Long, Dan and wanders over to Ian's table to wait.  Kisses Grace on the crown of her head.  Pulls up a chair without asking permission, gives Ian a look that is wry and hung over and still kinda rolling.  Leans over to inhale his tea, because she likes tea, Sera.

Offers both Grace and Ian the chance to sip whatever is in her coffee mug, and if either one accepts, I'll tell you what heavenly concoction they find therein.

Serafíne

(The curse of posting at the same time: edit.)

Dan's turning around to glance at the door as Lena comes in and she gives him a smile and a little wave and he lifts his chin in acknowledgment, blue eyes tracking her progress through the coffee shop as she dances through it.  Longer than he'd meant to.  Sera slips in after Lena, still finds her way to the table and everything else.  Offers everyone (Ian, Grace, Lena) a sip of her Drink, whatever it may be, but is also: still, pretty quiet.

Ian

"Mm, fresh meat," Ian teased lightly. "Don't send her my way."

(As if anyone in their right mind would actually think of him as a responsible mentor.)

There was a swirl of activity at the counter. The drinks were taking too long, and soon enough Sera appeared to check on the progress. But she wasn't the only familiar face to wander in through the front door, and when Ian caught sight (and sense) of Lena, his eyebrows went up.

"Hey you." This was offered to Lena with a broad, toothy smile. Ian had teeth that were too white and somehow a little too sharp and even when he was relaxed - even when he was smiling - the effect was subtly reminiscent of primal things. Sera offered everyone a sip of her drink, but Ian shook his head. He did, however, raise his own cup to his lips.

As the table began to feel crowded, he popped the stand on his tablet and put it away, sliding it neatly into the small messenger bag on the floor beside his chair. The headphones he left hanging around his neck, for now.

"Don't I feel popular." He winked at Grace. Half a flirtation.

Grace

She declines Sera's offer, even as she accepts her kiss. It probably doesn't have much coffee in it. Probably maybe it's straight whiskey or something. "Sera. Hey," she says, soft and quiet to match her friend. As Sera leans down, she'll likely feel that winged-ness that is new to Grace. Wings that are there thought they cannot be seen sprout from her back, passing straight through the real.

"She doesn't seem your type," Grace says, sighs. "I think I'm going to have to grab on to her and hold on tight before the Techs do."

Lena walks in, and that's a beat Grace hasn't felt in a while. Her head turns, and her eyes widen -- so many Mages in this place right now, even the sleepers must be feeling it -- this curiously thrumming cat with wings notion in the air. She waves at Lena, after a moment's concern.

And that concern? Why does this always happen? Mage convergences are weird like that.

"Lena! Hey!"

Lena Reilly

Serafine also gets a smile and a wave as she comes over to the table.  She turns her attention to the whole of the table once they're all converged.  "Hey, you guys.  Been a while."

She doesn't move to take a seat until Ian frees a seat, which is essentially a silent invitation.  She politely waves off the offer of whatever Sera's drinking and settles in.  "How have things been?"

Serafíne

"A-Okay," Sera returns, when Lena asks how things have been.  There's a drawl to her voice, like somehow the speed on the record player has been shifting lower, lengthening like there's a needle skipping the groove, but maybe that has something to do with Last Night or Tonight or whatever is in that coffee mug.  Look closer.

Languid.  That's the word for it.  The demeanor of woman who has not slept in more than twenty-four hours and is returning, moment by moment, sensation by sensation, to the confines of her body.

She sips her coffee mug.  Sips it with pleasure, sips it thoughtfully.

"I dunno," Sera interrupts, then, as Grace tells Ian that her new friend is Not His Type.  "Maybe some folks need to be with someone who isn't their type.  What the fuck's gonna happen to us if we don't challenge ourselves and everyone fucking else?  Just sit around sliding into complacency.

"Sides.  I bet Ian's great with lost little lambs.  If you'd only give him half-a-chance."

Ian

Ian put a finger to his lips in a silent hushing gesture at Grace's mention of the Technocracy. (Speak of the devil, after all.) An echo of his smile remained when he pulled his hand away.

"And what is my type, exactly?"

The Decemberists were playing over the speakers, which was perhaps to be expected in a Denver coffee shop. Before Grace could answer his question, Sera interjected, and you could actually see the muscle in Ian's cheek twitch with the effort it took him to hold back his laughter.

"On second thought..." There was a sharp gleam in his eyes. Deliberately predatory. But he dropped the act a moment later. "To be fair, I don't really have a fucking type."

(Oh but see, that was actually not true. It just depended on what variety of the word type one meant to imply.)

He made a gesture toward Lena, as though to include her in the statement. (Not like that, mind. They'd never slept together, or been in a cabal together. But she knew his habits about as much as anyone else at the table did. Probably a bit more. Or at least, she had known them.) "Life gets boring without variety."

A moment later: "By the way, Justin says hi."

(How the fuck did Ian know Justin?)

Grace

"Things are," Grace says in response to Lena. "How they got there is a great mystery." This is obviously Grace being silly, but hey...

"That's true. I mean, I'd probably still be scoffing at fairy tales or thinking I was batshit if it weren't for you guys having been there. Jo, she's got boxes around her thinking habits. I keep thinking of how to break them. Thought to show her the parallel worlds if only I knew how."

Oh yeah, coffee. She has some. It'll all melt soon if she doesn't get at it. So she slurps up some caramel.

"Things have been amazing, though, Lena. I met someone else recently too."

Lena Reilly

She grins a little at Ian's response to the idea that he might have a type.  She did rather anticipate a response like that.

"Having types makes for a dull way to go through life.  My type was always 'has a pulse.'  Everything else is negotiable, for the most part."  Which isn't to say she was ever particularly promiscuous (except for that little bit of time, but we don't talk about it).  But she never was one to think inside boxes, even before she Awakened.

"And I'm not gonna lie, Sera...I'd pay good money to see Ian mentor someone."  It's said with the tone of a good-natured tease, a sidelong glance given to him.

She nods her head a little in time with the folk rock...not normally her jam, but again.  She doesn't have a type and that goes to music, as well.  She looks over at Grace when she says she met someone else, brows raising in interest.

"Oh really?  Who?"

Jo Hamilton

[Do I know what yooou know...is there magic in the room?]

Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) ( success x 5 )

Serafíne

Dan's line Started to Move and he moved with it.  His order did not take long and as Ian is telling someone (Sera?  Lena? both?) that Justin Says Hi Sera is giving him a briefly sharper look, the arc of her gaze defining a motion like a scythe, for all that not very much about her seems bladed.

But then Dan's behind her and he has a tray in hand and he's murmuring something about the match and she tips her head back and submits to being cosseted and cozened and cajoled out of her sprawl.  She's walking slowly, s if the world were at once infinitely new and infinitely and there is that strange steadiness about her as she informs Ian, "I'd like to know how he's doing, sometime."

Low-voiced.  Her gaze briefly caught on her reflection in the window, some strange echo, contained in her body.  Some passing time.

Then she's up.  Dan's slung an arm around her shoulders, rests his chin on the crown of her head, and off they go.

Jo Hamilton

"Goooooooooood Evening Denver!"

Call it intution, caffeine-intake syndrome, Jo Disease, or whatever, but holy hell do they have targets painted on their backs. Sort of. It's more like Jo is actually paying attention today, and when she got a whiff of something familiar and strange in the area, she didn't balk at the concept of crashing the party.

"It's a lovely evening tonight, with fluffy clouds and a moon brighter than the lake that spawned Excalibur!" Jo was half leaned in, her hair a mess, and the dark liner having been smudged from...sleep? Rubbing it? Who knows, but she looks closer to a raccoon. She wears a black hoodie with DRESDEN DOLLS sprawled on the back of it, and a yellow smiley sticker right above her chest. The pocky she had been rapidly eating was pulled from her lips as she greeted the fellows.

"And boy have we got a selection for you. I'm Jo, and I'm your host for this evening!" Someone needs to lay off the speed.

Her sneakers squeaked as she bounced a little towards Grace, pausing to look after Sera as she wandered off. "Aw man, it's like... all the chicks just like run out when I'm walkin in. I don't like, smell funny do I? Hey Grace!" Jo hadn't learned Grace's dislike of people in her personal space, and thus had no qualms about stepping as near as she could to her and pulling the fabric of her hoodie closer. "Do I smell or something?"

Ian

Sera would like to know how Justin was doing. Perhaps another night, Ian might tell her. But tonight Sera had places to be. So Ian watched her go with a passing glance.

Lena would pay good money to see Ian mentor someone. Ian grinned, amusement showing in his dark eyes. He didn't attempt to defend his reputation. Perhaps he preferred that people saw him that way. (A bad influence.)

And then? In walked Jo.

Ian's eyes cut to her sharply, and he sat motionless for a moment. Then he said (to Grace.) "You're right. I take it back."

Grace

"Myself, in a mirror," Grace says to Lena, and would explain further if not for the exclamation of Jo stepping into the place. Speak of devils, indeed, Ian.

You've got to hand it to Jo, she knows how to make an entrance, and she buzzes with excitement as well as resonance. Grace can't help but smile at her. Hey, everyone, meet the new kid.

"Well, technically, everyone has a smell. It's not like, horrible or anything?" she offers, hopefully. "Not funny, surely."

Grace does not find Ian to be a bad influence at all. Ian's just Ian. She still cuts him a little sharp look. Jo's the new kid, right? Play nice. Or don't, as the case may be.

"Everybody, this is Jo. I was just talking about you, man."

Ian

[Per+Alertness -2 diff from Acute Senses - What DOES Jo smell like?]

Dice: 6 d10 TN4 (2, 6, 6, 6, 8, 9) ( success x 5 )

Jo Hamilton

[0.0]

Lena Reilly

The funny part of Lena's comment is she would be more worried about how Ian might deal with the student than she would about him being a bad influence.  She gives a little shrug and then looks over at Grace when she says she met Herself, in a mirror.

There is no explanation needed there.  Which is not to say that Lena understands, but she has an idea.  Grace has that different feel to her, and Lena makes no assumptions.  Even if that's not the case, sometimes cryptic things just can't be explained further.  Whatever the reason, Lena is glad for--

Stop.  Blink.

That's what Lena does when Jo bursts into the coffee shop hyped up on...whatever.  Lena isn't worried about what someone may be on or acting gregarious, but this is someone she doesn't know.  And this someone comes right over to their table.  Lena doesn't quite have the cool reaction to Jo that Ian has...no, she tenses.  It might not be obvious outside the table; she doesn't jerk away or the like.  But the way her shoulders and back straightens, the way she goes still...

Lena has personal space issues, you understand.  And trust issues.  And...well, other issues.

She doesn't calm, exactly, after Grace makes introduction.  She does put on a smile though and gives a little nod to Jo.

"Hello.  Nice to meet you."

Jo Hamilton

Hum. She hummed. The subtle movement of the fan as it pulses, spinning round and round inside of the computer case everyone forgets about. The hum just behind the ears, emanating from the electrical lines that flow down the street. Constant. Never changing. Ever present. A sign that civilization is around you. That was Jo.

"Right. Right. Jeez, semantics. I mean like I don't smell horrible right? Like a rotten fish or something? Cause I mean WOAH if I do. Where did I find rotten fish? Be like some body snatcher took me up and walked me all around Seattle or something. " Her lips curled back into a wide grin.

Jo turned on her heel, pushing the pocky between her teeth, giving it a quick SNAP, then crunch crunch. She lifted her hand up and flashed the others a brief  rock sign. "Me? Little ol me? Well TCHT no wonder I felt my legs tingling and my ears wigglin. "

"Whatchu you got? I'll get us some more. Cause I need coffee. LOTS of coffee. And.. Oh.." She turned to look at the menu and found herself distracted... "Are those donuts? LEMON BARS?"

Ian

"You smell like a 13 year old's birthday party. Way too much sugar. No fish. What the hell is that, some kind of novelty soap?"

Jo was standing across the table from where Ian sat, but he didn't actually need to be standing next to her in order to pick up on the details of her scent. Grace shot him a look that was as much of a warning as Grace was likely to give, and Ian... well. He just looked at her innocently. (Or at least, as close to it as Ian was capable of getting.)

Lena's response to the new girl's sudden presence did catch his attention though. Ian looked at her for a long, quiet moment. Whatever he was thinking wasn't broadcast on his face, but there was a minute softening around his eyes that might have been something like concern. He didn't say anything. Just tipped his head lightly to one side. (You okay?)

Grace

For once, it isn't Grace whose back stiffens. Look how casually she took Sera's kiss, eh? Look how much she doesn't mind Jo (and Jo's scent of 13 year old's birthday party for that matter).

Grace recognizes it for what it is, and ignores it, because it's what Lena would want her to do.

"I... Lemon bars are good!" Because hey, free food? Jo has become her dispenser of such things lately. Sucks to be Jo. Grace doesn't turn down freebies. Unless it's probably maybe straight whiskey.

Ian looking innocent has that sharp look evaporating into a crinkle-nosed smile. Well, that's new. Have honestly never seen that before.

Lena Reilly

She takes a slow breath and looks over at Ian when he turns his attention her way.  There's a brief little shrug and a smile, as if to say Yeah.  It's more of a Close Enough when her full reaction is taken into account, because okay would be a bit of a stretch.  But she's able to control herself and make herself be okay.  Pushing limits, right?  She isn't one to force people to constrain themselves for her, and if she's uncomfortable than it's her problem, not Jo's.  So it's something.

The attention of the whirlwind that is Jo turned elsewhere, she is actually able to adjust a little and adapt.  "So, I'm guessing you've been busy then," she says to Grace with a little smile, more natural than the one she gave just previous.

Jo Hamilton

Her nose scrunched, and Jo whipped her head to look at Ian in mocking, quizzical scrutiny. "Been to a lot of like 14 year old birthday parties lately? EH? Dude.. way to go all mighty-morphin-creeper mode." Her rail-thin hands were pushed into the pockets of her hoodie, the pocky having been eaten into oblivion...or that piece anyhow. "It's unicorn poop. It smells like sunshine, rainbows, and goodness." Her tongue pushed out from behind her teeth momentarily, and she gave him a wink.

"L.E.M.ON. BARS. L.E.M.O.N Bars." It was becoming a mantra that energized her steps towards the register. Had she noticed Lena's uneasiness? She didn't seem to show it. Maybe she was a bit obtuse, when it came to things like that

Ian

Ian gave a little roll of his eyes at Jo's comment. "You asked."

And as it turned out, the soap in question had an even more ridiculous name than he'd imagined. Which, well. Fitting.

He took a last sip of his tea and gathered up his things, sliding the strap for his messenger bag over one shoulder. "I'll catch you guys later."

And, with that? He was off to do whatever it was he got up to in the late evening.

Grace

"Oh yeah. Busy busy. Got the room of laser awesomeness almost finished. And then there's also Jo. And the me-thing. So, busy. But it's a good busy."

Jo goes on about lemon bars in line behind her, and Grace's eyes find the ceiling. Heh. Lemon bars. She gets worked up over everything.

"Bye, Ian. See you. Come by the place soon, I'll show off our training arena, okay?"

Elijah

[nightmares?

Dice: 5 d10 TN7 (3, 4, 6, 8, 10) ( success x 2 )

Kalen

[How awake are we?]

Dice: 7 d10 TN7 (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9) ( success x 3 )

Ian

It was around 1:00 in the afternoon when Grace, Kalen, Lena and Elijah got the text from Ian. And for once, it wasn't anything about some terrible danger or disaster. It was simply this:

Hey, my friend and I are trying to set up an impromptu soccer game at Crestmoor Park. Feel like playing?

He fired that same text off to a handful of other people, at least one of whom (Emma) texted back with a confirmation. Any positive responses would have been given directions and encouraged to 'bring a friend', which was likely how Alex ended up hearing about it. So it was about half an hour later when Ian and Jae-shin arrived at the park, dressed appropriately in soccer gear (Jae-shin had a thin green athletic shirt while Ian went shirtless) and kicking a ball around the field to warm up.

Emma showed up a few minutes later, and she waved at Ian from across the field as she paused to tie her hair up. Ian jogged over and tossed the ball at her chest, smiling when she caught it. "Hey you."

"Who's that?" she asked, nodding towards where Jae-shin stood.

"Just a friend. We train together a lot."

"Ah." There was a little smile at that, which Ian chose to ignore.

The weather was nice. It was sunny. Warm. A perfect day for a game, really.

Lena Reilly

Lena responded back with, I'll be there!  I'm gonna play cheerleader.  The woman isn't one for the kind of physical exertion that can lead to injuries, after all.  She has to be careful about that.  But she welcomes the opportunity to show up and hang out with some friends, especially when she's too damned good at making herself a hermit.  So her green Ninja motors its way to Crestmoor, the woman dressed in the usual green and black jacket that she wears when she goes out and matching helmet.  It may seem strange that a woman who is afraid of a little soccer-induced bruising is willing to zip around on a high-speed death machine, but anyone who knows a Cultist well would know how little their personal boundaries of "acceptably unsafe" vs. "too far" tend to make sense to anyone but themselves.

She steps off the bike and attaches the helmet to the back, unzipping her jacket as she walks over to reveal a T-Shirt that reads "GO TEAM (the one that currently has the ball."  She smiles a little bit, hanging back slightly and taking a lean against a tree as she watches for now.  More people here so far that she doesn't know compared to ones she does, and that means she doesn't impose herself yet...even if her Resonance does.

Elijah

There wasn't much dragging to be had. All Elijah had to do was mention that Ian said something about soccer and Jenn was there, carting her friend along in the civic and dressed ready forwhat was going to prove to be an actually athletic experience.

"I love soccer," Jenn announced.

Elijah, sadly, was not the kind of athlete that Jenn was. he was terrible at sports, he was largely unafraid of the fact that he was terrible at sports but practice made perfect and all that other stuff and it gave him an excuse to look at people while they were shirtless. Both partes were dressed and ready for soccer, and Elijah even bothered to not wear a vest this time. Which meant his pocketwatch was shoved in Jenn's purse along with a couple water bottles and some brownies.

"you've said that, like, four times," Elijah teased.

"Because I really, really, really, really love soccer," she said with a grin.

Grace

Ian's message came at a good time, yeah? It's a day when people desperately need some companionship and togetherness and all that bullshit that makes you feel human again after, say, talking to a Techocrat or dumping a Nephandus into his own Styx.

She responds back with an: okay. I'll try to drag Kalen with. No guarantees.

Because yeah, he needs to get out.

She met him at the office wearing a sky-blue tee that has a guy playing baseball on the front, with 'TOUCH DOWN' as the verbiage. It's the perfect shirt to go play soccer in. Which, let's say, Grace has not done since grade school, and even then she mostly stood staring off into nothing thinking about anything but soccer.

It's not really about the game is it?

Somehow, she managed to convince him that going and playing a sport in the outside would be at least tolerable. Maybe?

So they show up, Grace bright-eyed, if not exactly enthused about the whole sports aspect of the whole thing. At least her normal uniform of jeans and tee shirts is suitable for this.

"I think you aren't allowed to use your hands. Except sometimes. Like, the goalie can use their hands. And there are times when you throw the ball, but if you do that at other times you are in so much trouble..." Grace says as they walk.

"I think I'm just going to play it by ear. Not literally. Although maybe..."

Alexander

It’s a couple of days since they returned from… if a Sleeper should ask, somewhere out of town.  After doing a little gardening for a friend, maybe.  Either way, Alexander has been doing reasonably well.  Oh, there have been bad dreams about a certain black river, waking with soaked sheets from cold sweats, but he’s looking reasonably awake and with it.

He’d just been arriving at the warehouse to check on Kalen – he didn’t seem to be doing so well after their… trip.  Alexander had seem Kalen get a little twitchy around water before – he’d been worried that dipping his hand into the waters of the node was going to break it when he caught the reaction – but he didn’t know the reasons.

So here he is, arriving just behind Grace and Kalen.  He’d stopped off at home to change before heading over, and the lack of delay in his arriving probably says something about his driving.

Alexander?  Isn’t wearing anything particularly special once he changes out of his bike gear in the lot.  Blue trainers, black shorts and a red vest top.  There’s a rucksack holding it, slung over one shoulder, and he carries the helmet in the opposite hand.  He takes a couple of moments to look over the Ninja parked in the lot nearby, but follows the others over to the field.  There’s maybe a momentary pause when he sees Ian on the field.  They haven’t so much as spoke to each other since that night by the reservoir.  This could be interesting.

Kalen

Kalen had attempted to spend the day sulking in the library.  He had tried to insist that there were things he had to do.  Put together information on vampires for new Mages.  Research the locations of weapons for hunting the undead.  Research reanimation rituals.  Update their computer model of Denver with current events.  Historical events.

But Grace had started on him and then she'd been joined by Alexander and so Kalen has been dragged away from books into the sunshine.  He has played soccer.  He did attend school until he was fourteen, at least sporadically.  He knows...you kick the ball.  So he is convinced to come voluntarily instead of being dragged, which he wouldn't put entirely past either Grace or Alexander.

So he is there, listening to Grace explain a game he can't really explain any better, in a pair of loose grey pants and a white tee-shirt.  He does grab them bottled water, because of course he has that in abundance.  He lets them talk him out of excursions to buy things like soccer shoes or half of a bakery or coffee (who even brings coffee to a soccer game, Kalen?) or tangerines or whatever else he can think of as a stalling tactic because this game is in like five minutes Kalen just get in the fucking car.

Ian

Ian and Emma looked as though they probably moved in the same social and professional spheres. They were both beautiful. Both graceful and athletic in the way that dancers could be. They both had that same kind of untouchable air to them. Emma was tall and darker skinned, with long brown hair (now fixed in a loose knot atop her head) and large eyes. She had on dark blue athletic shorts and a black sports bra.

Jae-shin wasn't a dancer, but he wasn't exactly in poor shape. On the contrary, he looked as though he worked out on a daily basis. (It had, in fact, been his idea to have the soccer game.) He watched Ian and Emma for a moment before jogging over to join them. When he got there, he introduced himself to Emma in an accent that marked him as Korean, and the two of them held a brief conversation as Ian spotted Lena by the trees. It wasn't long before she was joined by the others, and Ian gestured to Emma and Jae-shin to join him at the side of the field, where everyone seemed to be congregating.

So it was that the group came together: seven mages and two sleepers. Jae-shin stood slightly behind Ian, rolling the ball skillfully between his hands. To those who could feel such things, he resonated like the depths of the ocean: Fluid and Abyssal.

"Hey," Ian greeted. He offered a smile to Lena, sweeping his gaze around to include most of the others present. Even Alex got a nod. "This is Emma," Ian introduced the two people behind him, "and Jae-shin." He didn't offer the latter's Tradition, because there were sleepers present, but Jae-shin nodded to the group in a slow, knowing gesture.

"I suppose we should pick teams," Ian offered, glancing around the group with an appraising gaze. Some of them were likely more familiar with the game than others. "Who wants to be captain?"

"I will," Jae-shin offered.

Ian eyed him for a moment, and something passed between them (some small spark of competition.) "Anyone care if I take the other one?"

Grace

It's just like Kalen to stall with the aid of tangerines and why they're a dire need. Nobody ever needed tangerines to play soccer, Kalen.

Still, it's nice to see that he's willing to be argued with. Nice to see Alexander is also arguing on her side.

Sometimes, along the path, you don't exactly stop. Never stop. It's always a help though, to make sure that you can continue putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes, it's other people who you allow to convince you of this fact.

Grace smiles at Jae-shin when she and her pod of Mages arrives. "Pick me last. I have a reputation to maintain here."

Lena Reilly

"Hey."  She says it with a little smile and looks around as she senses first Elijah, then the trio of Grace, Alex and Kalen.  She raises her hand to wave at them all, including the ones she doesn't know--Jenn, Jae-shin, Emma--getting comfortable in her position against the tree.

"Nice to meet you," she says, directed to Emma and Jae-shin...and Jenn too, once she gets within the vicinity.  Her introductions are made with a warm, easily friendly tone.  "I'm Lena."  Nice and simple, left there for the moment.  "Hey guys," is her greeting to the Awakened that she does know.  When the two guys step up to be captains she smiles and shakes her head.

"It's all you guys.  I'm just spectating today anyway."

Elijah

"I'll be captain if no one else wants it," Jenn said. She was a pretty enough girl with a messy haircut and a tattoo of an iris on one of her thighs. She had a tank top on, so only part of a unicorn peaked out over her shoulder.

"That's Jenn. Jenn? That's Kalen and Grace and Alex and Lena-"

"I've heard, like, a ton about you guys."

Alexander

Alex jogs over to join Kalen and Grace.  Ian gets a nod in return.  The jury is still out on the final opinion on the man.  Preliminary verdict: dick, but might be ok.  Lena gets a smile and a, “Hey!” in return.  Elijah, a nod and a wave.  Kalen?  A grip on the shoulder.

He’s about to introduce himself when Elijah does it for him.  “Alexander,” he corrects, giving Elijah a look.  He isn’t Alex to strangers.  But otherwise it’s smiles and nods for the others.

He shrugs when they ask about captains.

Grace

Grace rolls her eyes at the 'Alexander' comment, because oh God, can he stop being so uptight for five minutes? Something about cops and sticks up their asses huh? But she doesn't say anything. She's in too good a mood to spoil it.

Instead, she waves at Lena, who's 'just spectating' and why didn't anyone tell Grace that spectating would be an option here? She's likely to kick someone. In the head. Somehow. It's bound to happen, despite the unlikelihood.

"Oh, man, Lena has the right idea. Spectating on our excursion to sportsball? Should be just hilarious."

Kalen

Kalen rolls his eyes when Alexander catches his shoulder.  "Oh?  You think you're already forgiven?"  But there is definite affection in that tone, though he doesn't fit himself into Alexander's side or do anything cuddly.  He does shake off Alexander's hand, but only so that no fingers are smashed when he bounces his shoulder into Alexander's.  It's rougher than he is with Grace, but light enough.  Playful.

Look!  More people.  He waves to them, and doesn't manage quite the show of being social he put on for Alexander.  "Hey."  But they all get a smile and a bit of a nod.

"However," is all he says about teams and captains.

Ian

"I care," Emma responded to Ian's suggestion with a teasing loft of her brow. "Just because the two of you called us here, don't think you get to run the show. Besides, I'd like a female captain." At this she smiled at Jenn, the expression delicate and wry. Ian glanced between the two, then offered a little huff of laughter that seemed intended mostly for Emma.

"Fair point," he conceded, gesturing to Jenn. "She can have it." There was a quarter stuck between the laces of one of his shoes. Ian retrieved it and flipped it into the air. When he caught it, he pressed his hand down over it, glancing back at Jae-shin. "Heads or tails?"

"Tails."

Ian revealed the quarter on his hand. It was heads. "Jenn gets first pick."

And Jenn's first pick? Ended up being Ian. So when it came time for Jae-shin to select his first player, he surveyed the group for a long moment, then nodded to Alexander.

Back to Jenn, who unsurprisingly grabbed Emma for her team.

Jae-shin's next pick was Kalen. And Jenn went for Grace, who, as it turned out, was not going to be the last picked on this particular day (despite her reputation.)

That honor was left to Elijah, who got to join Jae-shin's team by default. When they were all grouped up, Jae-shin turned to his team and asked, "which positions would you prefer?"

Assuming Jenn did the same, Ian and Emma both offered to take offense.

Lena Reilly

She watches the back-and-forth picking with a bit of a smile, keeping track of who's going where.  The team makeups interest her; it's chemistry, or a recipe, or human dynamics.  It's connections splitting, forging, reforging.  There's a bit of a tilt to her head as she watches, and then they're done choosing and she grins.

"Unfortunately I couldn't bring my pom-poms with me on the motorcycle, but I'll throw out all the 'Go Teams' I can manage."

Alexander

And it’s almost like being back in the high-school gym again.  Alexander had been pretty good at the more physical side of high-school, so didn’t often have the honour of being the last picked when teams were being formed.  He walks over to stand near Jae-shin while the rest of the teams are picked.

“I’ll go offense.”  There’s maybe a flash of a smile as he offers.

Grace

Ohh, so now it comes to it, eh? Grace makes faces at Alex (I'm going to wipe the floor with you!) and Kalen (look out, punk, you're going down!) as she walks over to join the other team.

Which, hello Jenn. Nice to meet you. Have a pale nerd wearing a shirt that displays all of her knowledge of soccer.

"Hi. I'm Grace," she says to the others, before going to stare at the grass. They already kind of knew that, didn't they? "I have no idea what offense means? Uh. I know not to use my hands!"

Elijah

"Okay," Jenn starts, "who wants to be what? Offense goes and takes the ball down the field and scores, defense keeps their people from kicking the ball into our goal. Goalie is in charge of defending the goal. You might wanna be defense? Besides, it's okay if you're not super sure what to do because I've got a good feeling that our offense is going to rock faces."

Jenn said this all with the kind of confidence that came with being team captain, even if she wasn't the best player on the field she certainly tried her best to inspire some kind of confidence in Grace.

--

Meanwhile, there was the question of where it was Elijah was going to play. He looked a little like a deer in the headlights, because this was very much like high school gym class and that usually ended with him getting sent to the nurse because he faked an injury well enough that he didn't have to do pushups anymore.

"Dibs on defense," Elijah said, eager to avoid having to actually make his way down the field.

Kalen

Grace's look gets a little flash of amusement from Kalen, but no return challenge,  Jae-shin just gets a black look in return to his question.

"I may not have been into teams as a child.  You're going to have to explain."  That tone is flat, distant.  He'll try for Alex.  He'll try for Grace.  He cannot be bothered to try for strangers.  Even strangers he would otherwise take a stronger interest in.  "But I'll do whatever."

Ian

"You can be defense," Ian offered to Grace. "It's easy. Just hang out by the goal and when the ball gets close kick it back down the field, preferably to me or Emma."

And that left Jenn as goalie. Hopefully her skills would make up for her small size.

On to the other team...

Jae-shin nodded to Alex and Elijah. When Kalen offered him that look, Jae-shin regarded him for a moment quietly. "I apologize. I should have explained. The goalie protects the goal." He nodded toward the large white net at the end of the field. "He or she must stay within the boundary of the goal, but within that boundary they can do whatever they need to do to catch the ball, including using their hands. No one else may touch the ball with their hands but the goalie. Defensive players remain on their side of the field, and they help protect the goal. Their job is to get the ball away from the opposing team and back to their offensive players. The offensive players do most of the running. They try to take the ball to the other team's goal in order to score points."

After this explanation, Jae-shin considered the options. "If you think you can run, I can take the goal. If not, I can take offense."

Presumably they would be able to work out who went where by the time they all assembled on the field, because Jenn's team seemed more than ready to get going. Maybe Jenn had some suggestions for them, or maybe she'd wait and see how things went. Either way, when they were ready, Ian and Emma jogged out onto the field and took positions near the center line.

Ian

[Alright, in the interest of efficiency, I figured we could handle the mechanics of this scene as follows:

The field is 120 yards long. Each success on a Dex+Athletics roll equals a distance of 10 yards. (Meaning it will take 6 successes to get from the center of the field to the opposing team's goal.) So we will determine where players are located on the field based on their dice rolls.

All other actions (stealing the ball, blocking the goal, etc) are also Dex+Athletics. Easy-peasy. Most will be standard diff, but if you want to do something tricky then add one or two, as suits. We'll be rolling this like rounds of combat, with inits and declares.

Obviously we will not have time to play out an entire game (which would be like... 60+ rounds?) so I figure we'll just go until we have to crash and whichever team is in the lead at that point can be assumed to win.]

Grace

[Init +6!]

Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (8) ( success x 1 )

Elijah

Jenn: 5+1d10

Dice: 1 d10 TN7 (7) ( success x 1 )

Elijah

Elijah: 5+1d10

Dice: 1 d10 TN7 (9) ( success x 1 )

Ian

[Ian Init +7]

Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (4) ( fail )

Ian

[Emma +7]

Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (1) ( fail )

Kalen

[Init +5]

Dice: 1 d10 TN7 (6) ( fail )

Ian

[Jae-shin +6]

Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (1) ( fail )

Alexander

Alexander catches the look from Grace and pokes his tongue out at her before turning to the others.

[Init+6]

Dice: 1 d10 TN6 (5) ( fail )

Ian

[And the order is!

Grace: 14 (+6)

Elijah: 14 (+5)

Jenn: 12

Ian: 11 (+7)

Alex: 11 (+6)

Kalen: 11 (+5)

Emma: 8

Jae-shin: 7]

Ian

[Jae-shin: hang out in the goal, like you do]

[Emma: Go for the ball and run!]

Kalen

[Let Alex fight for the ball.  Get off and ready to take passes.]

Ian

[Who is going first?]

Dice: 1 d10 TN1 (3) ( success x 1 )

Elijah

{Jenn: Hangin' out at the goal, doobeedoo

Elijah: Chill out and wait for the ball to come this way. Block if necessary!

Alexander

[My ball, heading forwards!]

Ian

[Ian will run with Emma and wait for her to pass him the ball if she gets it]

Grace

[Stare at ball. Ooo ball.]

Ian

[Grace, Elijah and Jenn are holding action, so Ian's roll! Dex+Ath run-run-run]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 1, 2, 5, 5, 7, 7) ( success x 2 )

Alexander

[Run-kick-run-kick - Dex+Ath]

Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 6, 7, 7, 9) ( success x 4 )

Kalen

[Do not lose the ball and run]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 6, 6, 6, 7) ( success x 4 )

Ian

[Emma split her action so 1a: running -2]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (3, 4, 6, 7, 10) ( success x 3 )

Ian

[Aaand she didn't catch him so the second split is moot]

Ian

[New declares!

Jae-shin: still hanging out

Emma: Split 1a: run! 1b: steal the ball if she gets to it]

Ian

[Also, placement:

Alex, Kalen and Grace are all 20 yards away from Jenn's goal

Emma is 30 yards away

Ian is 40 yards away]

Kalen

[Run-run-run.  Watch this ball.]

Alexander

[Can I boot it in from here?  Let's give it a try.]

Ian

[Ian: run!]

Elijah

[Jenn: OMG block]

Elijah

[Elijah: Chill out at his end, soooo glad he's not Jenn]

Grace

[Stare at the ball and kick it back without regard to anything! Super focus!]

Grace

[Dex+Ath = 4!]

Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (1, 1, 3, 9) ( success x 1 )

Alexander

[WP?]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 4, 10, 10) ( success x 2 )

Alexander

[And evade?]

Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10) ( success x 5 )

Kalen

[Run-run-run]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 3, 3, 7, 9) ( success x 2 )

Ian

[Alex keeps the ball! Ian runs!]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (4, 7, 7, 7, 8, 9, 9) ( success x 6 )

Ian

[Emma runs! -2]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (5, 7, 7, 9, 9) ( success x 4 )

Ian

[Emma gets to Alex, second split steal! -3]

Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (3, 3, 4, 6) ( success x 1 )

Ian

[Emma has the ball]

Ian

[Positions:

Ian, Kalen, Emma, Alex, Grace = 20 yards from Jenn's goal]

Ian

[Jae-shin: waiting, waiting

Emma: Run with the ball!]

Kalen

[Let Alex fight for the ball, run after the ball and be ready for passing]

Alexander

[Split: Tackle Emma, Pass to Kalen]

Elijah

Jenn: PEOPLE ARE NEAR MY GOAL! D= Block if necessary

Elijah: Doobeedooo, so glad I'm not over there

Ian

[Ian will block Alex]

Lena Reilly

Lena actually knows the game of soccer quite well.  One of her many little things she never happens to have shared; she played soccer as a teenager in high school.  Her brother always told her that made her a bit of a cliche, but she didn't listen to him.  She probably should have paid more attention to him at various times in her life.

But we're getting off-base.  The point is, she knows soccer and she used to be a pretty solid center forward.  So she can follow the game well and she's enjoying watching her friends, and the people she doesn't really know, having fun together.  She cheers for both sides...whoever has the ball and whoever is defending, but more the attackers since that was her positional focus.  She gets almost as much fun observing as they probably have playing.

Grace

[Blocking Alex with Ian!]

Ian

[Ian blocks]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 3, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10) ( success x 3 )

Grace

[Blocking stuff! Dex+ath!]

Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (6, 6, 8, 8) ( success x 4 )

Alexander

[Steal the ball?  Dex/Ath -2]

Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (7, 10, 10, 10) ( success x 4 )

Ian

[Alex is blocked, yo]

Kalen

[Run-run-run]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 4, 5, 5, 6) ( success x 1 )

Ian

[Emma runs towards the other end of the field]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 7, 8) ( success x 4 )

Ian

[Alright, positions:

Emma = center-field

Kalen = 30 yards from Jenn's goal

Ian, Alex, Grace = 20 yards from Jenn's goal

Elijah = 40 yards from Jae-shin's goal]

Ian

[Jae-shin: block if necessary

Emma: run!]

Kalen

[Run after Emma]

Alexander

[Run!]

Ian

[Ian: run!]

Elijah

[Jenn: chill out, it's out of danger now

Elijah: OMG wait until you might not have to block again[

Grace

[Hanging out, waiting for need to defense again!]

Ian

[Ian runs]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 8) ( success x 3 )

Alexander

[Run!  Dex+Ath]

Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10) ( success x 2 )

Kalen

[Run-run-run]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 3, 4, 6, 9) ( success x 2 )

Ian

[Emma runs]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (3, 3, 8, 8, 9, 10, 10) ( success x 5 )

Ian

[Positions:

Emma: 10 yards from Jae-shin's goal

Elijah: 40 yards from Jae-shin's goal (Heather if you want to say Elijah moved to meet Emma last turn that's fine)

Ian: 70 yards from Jae-shin's goal

Kalen and Alex: 80 yards from Jae-shin's goal

Grace: back with Jenn at the other goal]

Ian

[Jae-shin: block!

Emma: kick the ball into the goal!]

Kalen

[Run-run-run]

Alexander

[Hold action]

Ian

[Ian runs]

Elijah

Jenn: "So, Grace, how do you know Elijah? Also: holy crap you are an awesome pick for soccer." (action: chill)

[Elijah, Shit, try and block!]

Ian

[Grace answers with something typically Grace-like and also chills]

Ian

[Ian running]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 4, 4, 5, 8, 10, 10) ( success x 3 )

Kalen

[run-run-run]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (3, 5, 5, 8, 10) ( success x 2 )

Ian

[Emma shoots!]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (4, 4, 5, 5, 8, 9, 10) ( success x 3 )

Ian

[Jae-shin blocks!]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 3, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7) ( success x 4 )

Ian

[And Jae-shin catches the ball!]

Ian

Here's the thing about sports: sometimes the game ends, and no one scores a single point. It doesn't happen often, but it happens.

So the afternoon wound on into evening and the players worked themselves into a sweat, but the score remained a draw. Each of them had their moments. Ian and Emma were excellent runners. Jenna and Jae-shin kept their goals safe even when it seemed sure they might miss. Despite their lack of experience, both Grace and Elijah pulled some great last-ditch defensive maneuvers. And Kalen and Alex worked together like they could practically read each other's minds. And Lena, of course, cheered them on like a pro.

It was a fun afternoon. The kind of cathartic release they likely all needed after the week they'd just had. And even though they ended the game without a clear winner, it still felt like a good note to close the day on.

When it was over, Ian and Emma bumped shoulders in this gesture of friendly comradery, and Jae-shin walked up to shake Jenn's hand as the captains officially called the tie.

"Good game," he said.

Because it had been.

Lena Reilly

Wednesday evening is generally an off-night for deejays.  With the weekend still a few days away, you really only get the hardcore clubbers who come out--those who either don’t have jobs to go to the next morning or who just live for the nightlife because there’s nothing left for them to look forward to.  For many who spin the night away for art and profit, Wednesday is a day to slack off and make a little extra cash before the bigger paydays of Friday and Saturday.

For Lena Reilly, it's more than that.  The woman treats any opportunity to surround herself with music as an experience to live and breath.  However she may treat the rest of her life, when the beat is on she's alive.  She's not quite Lena; she's DJ Halcyon, a little closer to her avatar and a little brighter in her Resonance.  She's more vibrant--more present.

Tracks, a nightclub that caters to the LGBTQ crowd, happens to be one of her favorite and least favorite places to work.  She loves it because this is her community.  This is her community, and these are her people.  And yet she hates it because she also feels, within her own community, as if she doesn’t belong.  It's the conflict within every Awakened person; they don’t even belong to the places they should belong to.

Tonight though, it's less of the hate and more of the love.  Or maybe it's just that she's queued in so strongly to the grooves and beats as she sits in the DJ booth in a silvery tank top with the big headphones around her head.  Her eyes are shut, but she's not without her senses; they spread throughout the area, taking in all of the energy both good and bad.  Life is both after all, and while she struggles with her own internal conflicts the external ebb and flow of positive and negative--yin and yang, hot and cold--is a tide that she never shies away from.

[And Per+Aware 'cause she's in the groove!  Spec: Uncanny Instincts]]

Dice: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 8) ( success x 3 )

Ian

[Awareness - I see you there]

Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 5, 5, 6, 9) ( success x 2 )

Ian

Wednesday nights weren't the most popular among the city's club-goers, it was true. But there were always those who made time to go out, even on a weeknight. People who had nothing better to do. People who needed a fix of some kind or another. And of course... those who just fucking loved to go out, regardless of which day of the week it was. Ian had his own reasons for being in Tracks that night, and admittedly Lena was only half of them, but when he'd noticed her name on the events schedule the decision became an easy one.

Outside the club, he could hear the pulsing sounds of bass humming through the air. A nostalgic pattern - he remembered the way Lena put beats together, and though these were new, they still carried her signature. Truth be told, it was probably the thing he would always remember most clearly about her. Much as she would probably remember him for the way he danced. It was how they'd always known each other, meeting up in places like these.

Once inside, he made his way up to the DJ booth, slipping through the small crowd of dancers on his way to the back of the room. He was dressed tonight in expensive dark jeans and a white t-shirt, with a leather cord tied around his neck and a couple of bracelets on his wrists. And when he saw Lena, he looked up at her and gave a playful little salute, as though to say Hey there, I totally found you.

The music was alive, and it tempted him into dancing; into falling back into the crowd and losing himself for a while. But then he wouldn't get to say hello, so for now he resisted.

Lena Reilly

The music is currently rolling through a mellow groove, casting a relaxed atmosphere across the crowd.  You can't go all energy, all the time...especially during the hot summer months when you could get some dehydration issues.  Add in the ecstacy that may well be floating through the crowds (Lena's no idiot) and she makes sure that there's plenty of time and opportunity for the dancers to ease the pace down.

It's more than just that, though...in fact, that's almost (but not quite) incidental.  The fact is that music has its own rise and fall, and you have to catch that rhythm and ride it the direction that it is meant to go.  That's what separates a wannabe DJ from a real one.  When you can feel the music and know instinctively where to go next...you know you have something.  And so a remix of Haim's "Forever" with ambient elements thrown in is keeping the crowd moving at a moderate tempo when Lena's expression suddenly shifts, even with her eyes closed, to a smile.

She knows that Resonance.  Even if it had been a very long time, she may have remembered, but she doesn't have to rely on it because she saw him recently, in his coma.  And so she's already stepping back, queuing up a few pre-made remixes with transitions before she opens her eyes, head orienting to face Ian.  She raises a hand to wave and then reaches out to let him in.

"So you finally decided to come around, eh?  Let a girl know when you're coming into town, why don't you?"

Ian

Not many people came to visit Ian's body while he was unconscious (while his mind was in that other place.) A few of the other dancers from the Colorado ballet had checked in on him once. It'd made them feel like trespassers, seeing him in such a vulnerable state. Ian didn't know that Lena had visited him as well. He did know that she'd gone into Bastion to find him and the others, because Grace had told him, but whatever he felt about that, it wasn't something he was likely to bring up in this setting.

Lena felt him before he arrived, and she smiled without needing to see his face. There was a certain impression one got that way. Like being in a room with a tiger. It could be almost jarring to look over and see that he was all too human (like the way those dancers had found it disconcerting to see him in the hospital.)

Lena looked at him and reached a hand out, inviting him into her booth. The music was mellow and fun and it made it easy to forget the last month, even if only for the present moment (because those things lived on under the skin.) Ian took her hand and stepped up into the booth, giving the turntables an appraising glance. If he were a different kind of person, he probably would have hugged her. But Lena already knew that Ian wasn't the hugging type. Instead he smiled this slow, beautiful smile, and reached up to touch the back of her shoulder, letting his hand linger there for a few seconds (a grounding contact, and a brief connection between their two patterns.)

"I didn't know you were here until Grace told me. Maybe I should have been looking harder."

Lena Reilly

That's probably part of why they got along well.  Ian's not a hugger and hugs are pretty much off the table for Lena.  Back in New York they would have been cause for the woman to lose her shit, though the little touch to her shoulder is perfectly fine; she seems more at ease now with light contact.  How does a woman who loves music and dancing exist in a nightclub without touching people?  Simple: she becomes someone else on the dance floor.

"Or maybe our friends are terrible at talking about their friends," she says with an accepting shrug and smile.  "Or I need to start actually being in contact with them.  That's not gotten any better.  I'm working on it though, so it may get better.  Or at the very least, I can feel better about saying I'm working on it."

She gives a real quick glance out to the crowd--nothing big, just checking to make sure no crisis.  It's not her job to care about the welfare of the clubbers, but she does.  While they're on her groove, she considers them hers, and their welfare is her responsibility.  And then she's looking back at Ian, tilting her head to the side.

"So how are you doing?  How's Denver and...well, everything about our people here...treating you?"

Ian

Our people, she said, and Ian glanced at her with this cool and enigmatic expression, like there was some part of that sense of family that he didn't identify with. But that was hardly a surprise, given his nature and the fact that he wasn't affiliated with the Traditions. (Ian never used that word: Orphan. He fucking hated it. Even though it was technically true in more than one way.)

The club looked different from inside the booth. Up here, a person could be a part of the pulse but also somewhat outside of it. It had its appeal, the view. Ian did like to observe things. And the music interested him. The technology. He walked over to inspect the equipment that Lena was using, mindful not to disturb anything.

"It isn't New York," he admitted. "But it has its perks. You know me." His smile returned for a moment: sharp and slightly devilish. Because yes, Lena knew him well enough in that respect. Ian found ways to keep himself occupied, wherever he was. Usually, if he wasn't working or training, those ways involved other people (other patterns: Life.)

He'd had a reputation back in New York. That had not changed when he'd moved.

"I met this kid you should hang out with, if you haven't already. Elijah. You probably know the locals better than I do, though. What about you? How's work?" He eyed the moderate-sized crowd like maybe he was remembering some of the golden days back in New York.

Lena Reilly

It isn't New York, he says, and she leans back against the wall, her head rolling back and her eyes rising to stare at the ceiling.  There's a faint curving of her lips, subtle and slightly wry, that comes along with the reaction.

"No.  No, it's not New York at all."  Her accent has largely vanished over in the few years since she left the city, but Lena is a New Yorker by heart and once a New Yorker, always a New Yorker.  Doubly so if you were born there.  It comes with all the glory and pain and excitement and tragedy that a New Yorker can experience, and nothing else is ever quite the same.  That doesn't mean it isn't good, or even better.  But not the same.

"Yeah, I hear you've been finding the perks."  It's not quite teasing and it's certainly not a barb.  It's warm and maybe a little tinged with envy.  "That's good...I'm glad for you."

And then Ian mentions Elijah, mentions the others in the city, and she smiles more openly.  "I know Elijah, yeah.  But you know Kalen so I'm willing to bet you're more connected to the city at this point than I am.  I've got a really bad habit of hiding in my hotel room over the last year or so.  Long story.  But Elijah's a good kid, from what little I've met him.  Eager, in a good way.  And a bad way.  You know how that can be with newbies."

Ian

I hear you've been finding the perks.

Ian might have tried to play innocent there, except the look didn't suit him at all, and Lena wouldn't have believed him anyway. (He'd been the one to bring it up, after all.) There was a tinge of envy in Lena's voice, and Ian's expression softened ever-so-subtly when he heard it. He didn't know, of course, of the things she'd been through since moving to Denver. That she'd been infected with another virus entirely; that she'd been held prisoner and effectively tortured and that she very well might have died. He didn't have this information to explain why she'd been so isolated. But he remembered enough about her to know why she didn't lose herself in other people the way that many Cultists did. One time, a long time ago, he'd told her that she didn't have to let it control her.

But what right did he really have to give her advice? Speaking from a place of privilege (where beautiful people just fucking fell out of the sky and landed in his bed.)

Eager. That was a good way to describe Elijah.

"He's not boring, I'll give him that."

Ian regarded Lena quietly for a moment, like maybe he actually wanted to ask her for that story (the long one.) But there was a time and a place for that discussion, and this wasn't it.

Instead he said, "Think the club owners will complain if I steal you for a song or two?"

Lena Reilly

There's a lot that Lena could tell Ian.  Not only about the Hydra virus and what it did to her (physically and emotionally), but about her trials and tribulations in the city over the past year-plus.  Her self-imposed isolation, her comeback, her second pulling away...it's been a cycle, much like her own beating Resonance.  There may well be a time and a place for that...

But that's not now.  She chuckles a little bit when he says that Elijah isn't boring, and shrugs.  "The best people never are."

And then he asks her if he can steal her away for a couple of songs, and she smiles.  "Not at all."  She turns and taps a couple more songs into the queue--quick moves, all done instinctually.  She doesn't think about her choices, because it's not something that should be rationalized.  And then she gestures with her hand.

"Lead the way."

They'll dance, and Lena will forget that she's a damaged--yet recovering--survivor of so much.  When she hits the floor, all of that fades away and she becomes what she was destined to be.  There, in the moment dancing with Ian, she's free.