~~ Slim To None <<<>>> OPEN <<<>>> Accepting ~~

[copious sage]

Vex was not accustom to using his powers. As matter of fact, his discovery of this new and awesome ability was the only thing that he was afraid of. He feared not his own men, the people of Salem, or the elects. His biggest fear was himself. Any man who didn't, was a fool.

At the moment his ear was buzzing with chatter, but there was not time to respond. Vex was too focused on the disgusting sight before him. Had he been wrong?

As another dark haired girl approached the cafe, he noted a device in her hand, obviously one pilfered off one the lazy shits he had hired to apprehend...not get apprehended. Lately, he had started to think it was time for him to take matters into his own hands. Things weren't looking so good, not back on the island and certainly not here. However, he couldn't jump to conclusions. It was possible she was a human, a kid out for some fun.

Vex would soon find out.

It seemed the girl had been watching knew her. As she came from the Cafe, to greet the newer girl and back in to retrieve some things. Hastily moving behind a building he removed his cape and dropped it over in a dumpster. He was dressed well enough, having been in three meetings with his father before hand. Vex clapped both hands together as a collection of sand and dust in the ally began swirling around him. And suddenly, his face was changing, his hair and eyes; he now had a new form. One younger, and much less disgruntled.

On the sidewalk the girls were walking. Hopefully home was the destination, at least for there sake. If found out some elect magic had been used on him by one of these girls, he would have no problems reaching into her chest and ripping out her heart. It bought back memories, murderous memories...and there was another, inside the Cafe. Vex saw him as he emerged from the shadows; Thomas. But the man fought the urge to kill and kept focus.

Suddenly, he broke into a run, as quick as he could, finding this body to be much easier to manage. Vex broke the girls, right through the middle and hit the pavement face first. He panted loudly, struggling to get up with two wobbling arms. Then he rolled over, clasped his stomach and laughed furiously. "Oh, these guards! I get them every time!" His blue eyes wandered upward. "Oh ladies! I'm sorry, was having a bit of fun around the corner, didn't see you there."

He sat up, now Indian style, a smile upon his handsome face. "The names Luke. Where are you headed?" Eyes narrowing just then, he inquired, "Messing with the guards as well I see! One of those...elect detector, right?"

[Ingou]

Renée Young ✂ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I don't know how I came to this
There is blood lust in my eyes
And someone in my mind saying
"I have forced you here
I'm hiding, right here inside you"

▼

Renée left Vex's office with a lazy wave of her hand. "Ruin my fun," she pouted quietly. Of course, she wasn't going to do anything too drastic, not unless she had to. She continued down the hall back to her lab, giving a gentle sway of her hips along the way as she read over the file of her target. The words on the pages didn't really hold her interest, but that was partially because she wasn't much of a reader; She was more of the take-action type.

When she reached the door to her lab/living quarters, the blonde fished out her glasses from one of the lab coat pockets and slipped them back on. Staring at the door in front of her and blinking numerous times for a few moments, the host looked to the paper in her left hand for a second before opening the door and entering her room. The first thing she noticed, when the over-head lights were flicked on, was that the corpse in the far corner of the room was gone, as well as nearly all traces of blood. That matter alone was a bit of a relief, though Renée rarely had to clean up those messes herself. With a sigh, she set the file in her hand on her desk, before moving to one of the cabinets near the sink. She sounds of her footsteps was half-relaxing, which was just what the woman needed tonight. She would be thankful to get a nice cup of tea while reading over her target, maybe even enjoy a pastry or two...

The tin she had taken out of the cupboard ruined her plans, however, as it was empty of her beverage of choice. There was a regretful sigh that fell from the female's lips, feeling mildly frustrated. 'I thought I still had enough in here for a cup or two.' She placed the metal box back in it's place, closing the door of the furnishing as well. "I don't think it would be too inconvenient to go out and get a cup of tea?" Renée mused out loud, the corner of her lips quirking just the barest. Without further thought, she retrieved a small set of keys from within one of her desk drawers, as well as a thin wallet. Next came her gun, a Smith & Wesson Model 59, which she tucked into the waistband of her skirt at her back. Her hand lingered over one of her spare magazine clips, but left them in favor of being less conspicuous; They would have been evident in the pockets of her coat, or anywhere else on her person. Except maybe her cleavage. That would have been too awkward, and just a bit improper.

She left the Capital building before she ended up not being able to catch any place open to serve her. The walk would be a bit unpleasant, but the prospect of having a nice, warm cup of tea would be a wonderful reward. Perhaps the tea house she enjoyed going to often would be open still? Renée could only hope! It was getting late though, wasn't it? This was only reaffirmed when she came around a corner just before her desired establishment, only to see the sign on the door flipped to 'close'. She could only groan in defeat.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

►Location: Capital Building, the streets XXXX►Company: Alone XXXX►Attire: Just The Usual XXXX►Mood: Wanting to unwind, deflated

[h ii g h V 0 L T A G E]

Gavin's eyebrow rose lazily as he scanned the room. What were these people laughing at? Couldn't have been Gavin, right? Or was it...hell, he didn't know. As the woman and the guy who had been guarding the door started speaking, Gavin blinked at their little conversation. "Hey...what are you guys talkin' 'bout..." Gavin asked, watching as the most female of the two walked toward him, and before he knew it, Gavin got popped right in the nose. His head flew back as he stumbled. Had he been sober, he might have got his footing and stayed up. With the room spinning like it was, he couldn't help but fall on his a**, his nose stinging.

"Oh...oh god...it's broken...I know it is. I don't see any blood but I can tell I'm bleeding..." Gavin said, sticking his hand to his nose. The bleeding had been delayed a good many seconds before it came out in droplets. It wasn't as bad as he made it out to be, but then again, Gavin was far more resilient than many gave him credit for. "Oh god...the world is going dark...I can't feel my legs..." Well, at this point, perhaps Gavin was just being dramatic. But hell if getting decked didn't hurt.

[Sagacious Novelty]

Ariadnae watched as the drunk hit the floor. Aden sighed heavily with frustration going over to pick him up, just beneath the arms and leaned him up against one of the bookcases. She rolled her big brown eyes as they laid upon someone at basement staircase. He wasn't a familiar face, nor was the second man who was passing by him.

Ayano had entered shortly before, she gave a brief grin, before reprimanding the intoxicated man with a sigh of frustration. "Your nose is not broken." Aria said simply, before continuing with the meeting. She unclenched her fist and sighed. It was lucky she had a pill or two today, or that poor guy would have exploded all over this room. It would take her days to clean up. And then there was a little thing called guilt. As much of a disturbance as he was, it was obvious he was for her anti-Vex. And that made him an ally.

"My friend, as you all know, left last week to go and gather intel. He is a spy and damn good one. I trust him fully. We should adjourn this meeting. I am afraid the crowd is starting to make me nervous." Ariadnae was strikingly lovely, besides the fact that she had some strange quirks, there was no telling that the girl was drugged most of the day. "We could meet tomorrow about the aforementioned plans."

Her attention shifted. "Aden, drive this one home. I don't want him running around in this condition." He nodded, looking nervous and unhappy.

Ariadnae walked over to Ayano and her friend. "It is good to see you. But I fear now is not the time for conversation. The plans for Vex's fort are still a go. I am waiting for Xavor to return however. I'm sorry." The woman offered the girl a smile. It was all she could muster up at the moment before beginning to usher the others out; eyes wandering once or twice to the last dark haired man who had entered the library. He gave her a strange feeling. There aura's, were similar.

[Minty Andee]

Cassandra June Marchesi
Location: Walking Home ♪ With: Alisa and Luke ♪ Action: Not thinking her brilliant plan all the way through

▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀

"Oh. Right. Sorry." Cass said, lowering her voice. Alisa excused herself to retrieve her things from the cafe. The DJ realized she had left all her equipment at Landshark. Again. Cass began fiddling with the dials on the detector once more and had a melody of beeps and squeals by the time Ally came back out.

She listened quietly as her sister explained while they walked home. Precognitive.

"That's poetic in a way. Mom looks into the past, I can manipulate the present and you see the future. We're almost like the Greek fates. Except I don't want to share my eye with you if that's okay." Cass spoke softly, trying to remember to keep her voice down, "I..."

Cass was interrupted by the arrival of a young man exploding into the space between her and her sister. He crashed face down onto the cement and erupted into laughter. Luke mentioned guards and the elect detector she was holding. Cass looked at the device with wide eyed horror as the full repercussions of her actions made themselves clear. She wound up and pitched the elect tracker as hard as she could. It sailed in an elegant arc until disappearing into the shadows of the nearest alleyway.

▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀

[Valzerix]

XXXXXXXXXXMaxwell LanningXXXXXXXXX

Maxwell woke up in the middle of the night wide awake. He sighed knowing this meant he wasn't going to be going back to bed anytime soon. He got up and walked into the bathroom to fix his hair figuring he might stop by and pick up a brand new pack of smokes since he was down to his last two. Max got dressed and and picked up his handgun sticking it in his coat along with slipping his switchblade in his pocket. Max never liked roaming the streets at night alone especially since he was an elect.

As he exited his apartment and made his way down the street he tried to think which gas station was close enough to his place so he didn't have to do any extra walking. The Library where he worked was probably the closest because just a block down from there was a gas station he normally stopped at before going home on some nights. as he was walking down the street he stared up at the moon and the stars just taking in the crisp air not really sure why he hasn't moved out of this city....could it be the books the fear of the guards chasing him down or just the fact he had a crush on the owner of the library. He sighed and shook his head as he was about to pass the Library. He noticed a few people leaving the library and just then a red head exited. He didn't know who she was but something compelled him to talk to her. "Hi." he said knowing this must be odd since it was late at night and some stranger was starting to talk to her.

[edit]

[TheLastofTheMissingPieces]

My life destroyed, consumed by a devil's flame.



Ayano nodded as Ariadnae addressed her. "Yes, I look forward to working with you again. I see your hands are full tonight, mine are as well. If you need anything my friend you know where to reach me." With that being said she stood up from her seat and headed toward the door. Before leaving she glanced the room once over remembering all the faces and eager elects that desperately wanted a change. No matter how ready she was, there was still a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach of how a war against Vex would affect the people of Salem. Her mind went back to her old friend Cassiel. It truly was a blast from the past. It was hard for her to overlook their differences, but she knew that nothing that happened between them would ever change the friendship they had acquired.

Lost in thought once more Ayano made her way out of the Library and back out onto the dark streets of Salem.The cool wind hit her warm skin and danced across her face pushing her hair back. She turned back only for a second gazing upon the building then took in a deep breath running her fingers through her long fiery red hair. As she continued on her walk she stopped seeing a young man in front of her only a few inches away. If her memory served her correctly, he was an elect and he worked with Ariadnae in the Library. Of course Ayano had never spoken with him before, but his face was definitely familiar. His name was on the tip of her tongue, just sitting there, it was driving her insane. It was not like her to forget someone's name. He had seen her coming and felt compelled to greet her as she walked toward him.

"Hello." Ayano responded in a pleasant tone. "You work in the in the Library with Ariadnae right?" Her face turned red feeling as though she may of creeped him out by knowing that information. However, she made it her business to know everyone, it was part of her job. "Excuse me, I'm a close friend of Ariadnae and I've seen you around here before. I'm Ayano... Ayano Kannagi."



Now and forever... the world will know my pain.




{With: Maxwell Location: Outside the Library Mood: Calmed }

[Valzerix]

XXXXXXXXXXMaxwell LanningXXXXXXXXX

[With] Ayano [Location] Outside the Library [Mood] Awake

Maxwell watched as her face turned red after asking if he worked with Ariadnae. "Why yes I do work with Ariadnae, she is my boss." he new her but couldn't think of where he met her and how she knew Ariadnae but then as he was thinking it all over she mentioned that she was a close friend which made things less odd of why she knew his place of work. "nice to meet you Ayano Kannagi. My name is Max, Maxwell Lanning." he said as he reached his hand out to shake hers. "I thought you looked familiar. So what are you doing here at the Library during after hours?" he asked since the place was supposed to be closed. He was unsure of what was going on and why people would be at the Library this late at night especially after it was closed.

Max waited for her answer as he pulled out a pack of Marlbros and pulled out a cigarette from the pack. He offered Ayano a cigarette just to be kind. "Hope you don't mind." he asked as he lit up keeping the smoke away from her. He figured if he was going to smoke in front of someone he might as well be kind about it. He smiled lightly as he checked her out quickly as he took a drag from his cigarette.

[TheLastofTheMissingPieces]

My life destroyed, consumed by a devil's flame.



Ayano listened and continued walking in the same direction as Maxwell. Her eyes raised to the sky seeing that morning would be upon them soon. At any second and the guards would be making their rounds once more as they often did every morning. "Ah, I see." Ayano said with a small smirk hearing Maxwell state that Ariadnae was his boss. He didn't know that she knew Ariadnae on a deeper level, that at this very moment they were plotting against the high and mighty Vex. If he didn't know why she was there then there was some reason that he didn't know about the rebellion meetings. Maybe Ariadnae did not know that Maxwell was an elect, or she was being smart about who she was putting her trust in seeing how some elects had turned to the dark side.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you as well Maxwell Lanning." She scratched the back her her head reading him over again, same vibe as last time, he was without a doubt an elect. After spacing out for a minute she cocked her head to the side looking down at the watch on her wrist. If she was even thinking about getting up for school tomorrow, she had better head home now. Her eyes shifted back up to him when she heard him ask about what she was doing at the Library after hours. It only caused her suspicions about him to grow. Could he be working for Vex and sent there to keep an eye on Ariadnae? That could very well be possible. "I could ask you the same thing." Ayano replied seeing how he was also wandering outside the Library in the middle of the night. "No thank you." She didn't smoke, but watched as Maxwell lit his cigarette. "Well if you or Ariadnae need help around the Library don't hesitate to ask." Ayano stated handing him her card. "Call anytime." She made sure he took it before walking off quickly. Well done Vex, well done, she thought to herself turning the corner and headed back to her house.

Maxwell didn't seem like a threat, but at this time she couldn't be to sure of anything. Her gut was telling her that maybe she was wrong and that she was just being paranoid because of what happened earlier tonight. All that didn't matter all her business cards had trackers in them and if anything funny was going on, she would know where to find him. Plus Cassiel had taken a card from her as well. When she was finally home she stepped inside and punched in the code to her alarm system. A rather larger yarn escaped her mouth as she trudged up the stairs and into her bedroom that was masked in candles. With the flick of her hand she lit the giant candle on the dresser next to her bed keeping the room dimly lit. Her body dropped to her bed and seconds later she was sleeping peacefully. A few minutes later her dog Grady burst into the room and cuddled down by her legs falling asleep as well.




Now and forever... the world will know my pain.




{With: Her dog Location: At her living quarters Mood: Exhausted }

[Valzerix]

XXXXXXXXXXMaxwell LanningXXXXXXXXX

[With] Ayano [Location] Outside the Library [Mood] Awake

Maxwell took a drag from his cigarette and then laughed. "well Me I was walking to that gas station just down the street since it's the closest one to my apartment and I know the place very well and they know me. I was going for more cigarettes...." he said as Ayano still didn't answer his question but he wasn't going to press matters as she handed him her card saying call her sometimes. "well have a good and safe night" he said as she walked off. He knew of some of the routes the guards of this town took so he wanted to get to the gas station and then get his a** back to his apartment before they would question him why he was out and if they had ever suspected him of being an elect he would be most likely killed.

He got the the store and as he stepped in the cashier smiled knowing him and placed his pack on the counter. "You are a dear." he said the lady behind the counter as he placed down the money and picked up his pack. He left walking toward an alley which he always cut back through since he could just slide across the ground faster using his earthly elemental powers to get home faster. Once in the alley way he looked around not seeing anyone and then just like that a pillar of stone shot out of the ground launching Maxwell through the sky. he loved the air flowing through his hair and fingers as he approached the ground he pulled out another pillar which the impact was softer since he lowered it as he approached it to cradle him. Max then heard some people yelling behind him. . .

[Starry Knight Anon]

Most of the crowd was focused on the altercation taking place up front. Climt took the opportunity to scan the faces and commit them to memory. Quite a few of the people here tonight were known and wanted elects, including Ayano Kannagi. It seemed the library was used often by the rebel elects and the leaders of the movement congregated here. This was huge. As long as the rebels didn't know that the guard knew about this place it would give them a massive upper-hand.

The dark-haired woman began speaking about a spy before adjourning the meeting. Climt watched her as she approached Kannagi. He took his time making his exit as he read their lips. This netted him another name, Xavor, likely the spy she had mentioned earlier. She also referenced plans for Vex's fort. He couldn't believe how lucky he was getting tonight. Usually it took months of intelligence work, hours camping outside of apartments and buildings and following people while they did the most mundane of tasks to even pick up a fraction of the information Climt had gathered tonight.

He considered his next move carefully. It would be nice to follow any one of the people leaving the library through the streets until he could confront them himself. Climt was still itching for a fight after being pulled twice. That would be a rookie mistake. The rebels were largely disorganized as far as the guard could tell, but even they would be able to piece together the fact that people went missing after the same meetings. Although the fact they seemed to have a plan in place for Vex's fort hinted the movement might be more organized than they were letting on. The rebels certainly had enough man-power to be a threat if attendance numbers at the library were any indication.

Watching Kannagi leave, Climt noticed the woman with the talkative fists glancing at him. The next time she looked his way, he caught her gaze and gave her his most winning smile. If too many new people made her nervous, Climt was going to have to get her to trust him. He approached her.

"If I had known the rebel leadership employed such beautiful women, I would have joined up long ago. Pleasure to meet you. Name's Thaddius, but most just call me Thad." He held out his hand. Getting closer, Climt noticed the woman's pupils were dilated, making her already dark brown eyes appear even blacker. The basement of the library was lit well enough meaning there was some other reason for it. Given her display earlier, it could be a concussion from a fight or possibly drugs. Neither of these would surprise him. Rebellions often went hand in hand with some of the seedier facets of society. The guards had busted more than one drug ring who's profits were going to supplying a rebel cell. It would be impolite to ask. Climt kept his gaze steady and his smile even as he waited for the beautiful woman to respond.

[Sagacious Novelty]

Ariadnea lifted her eyes, as she directed a few known members out of the library, and was startled to find that the newcomer had suddenly appeared right in front of her. He now extended a hand, paying her undeserving compliments. Of course he introduced himself, as well, but by this point she was curious. Despite the fact that she was on a great deal of antidepressants she was still a women of intelligence and something was not right with this man, regardless of their similar aura's.

Thaddius was well mannered, handsome, and smooth-- all qualities she had yet to find in any normal man. It was as if he was planning something. For his sake, she hoped he wasn't a spy, or the staff would be cleaning up insides for weeks.

The librarian drew in a breath noting that they were alone, all expect for Aden who normally waited at the bottom of the stairs to be sure she got to her car alright. "I like Thaddius better." A small smile played across her pink lips as the candles that lit the library flickered in her eyes. "And I am not employed, I am an employer. I own this place. My parents passed away and left it to me." She didn't know why she was telling him this, especially with the hunch she had. Still there was something flattering about the way he spoke-- the confidence in his voice. "And thank you, for the compliments, although I did not earn them."

Silence filled the room, once more.

"My name is Ariadnae. But most call me Aria. It's a wonder that you have never been here. Word of my meetings travel fast." The smile on her face faded slightly. "I can only hope that your heart," She placed a hand on his chest and patted it gently. "Is in the right place... Now. The library is closed and the meeting is adjourned. I'm tired and drugged. I need sleep." Ariadnea was honest, through and through, her voice soft and melodic; removing her hand the woman slipped past him trickling down the stairs. "It was nice to meet you. Aden will show you out." With that she started toward her car and eventually home to sleep.

[Her Malevolence]

↬Hear the sound. the ˚˚angels˚˚ come-screaming ﹛d o w n • y o u r • v o i c e﹜
↻ ι'vє, heard you've been B l e e d i n g ! ! ! Make your choice,
♩♪♫♬ They say you've been p-p-pleading, Someone (s)(a)(v)(e) Us
Heaven h e l p • u s now, come crashing down..

• • • • • • • • • •

Seeing Alisa head out of the shop all of the sudden worried Delilah but she figured the girl was simply getting some fresh air or something. Standing up from her seat, Delilah gave a small yawn before stretching her arms towards the ceiling with a content smile as she lowered them once more. "Wonder what must have caught her attention all of the sudden." She said before heading to the counter and behind the register, preparing the area should anymore wanderers happen to pass on by for something to snack on or drink. It wasn't too long after that Alisa returned to say that she had to leave early. Delilah simply nodded and waved to her before she left as she called out after the girl. "Alright have a good night. And be careful on your way home there a lot of crazies out at this time!" She watched as the door shut behind Alisa and hoped that whatever had happened wasn't something too serious and that everything would be alright. It had seemed rather urgent from what she could tell and it didn't feel very reassuring to know that.

"So do any of you want a few cookies? They were made not too long ago. We ran out of the first batch so we had made a second but you know how business slows as the day goes on. Now I'm left with all these cookies and what doesn't get eaten tonight I'm going to throw out because I'm not keen on selling them tomorrow. No one wants to buy yesterdays cookies ya know? They're free anyhow. I'll bring them out just in case you guys do want them." She said before heading on back and grabbing a plate of assorted cookies and placing them on the counter by the three and leaned her chin on the palms of her hands as she propped herself up on her elbows and watched them with a small smile. It was pretty dark out. Thank goodness there was at least some light emitted by the street lamps or else the walk home from the bakery was going to be a pain. Not to mention the small stop she'd have to make to drop off the manila envelope with the files in it. She could worry about that later though. For now she just wanted to enjoy the company she had.

• • • • • • • • • •



xxxxxxxxxx

{Out.Of.Cupcakes: > . < Ahhhh short post. Sorry. A little brain dead.}

[Frantic Search]

█ ` LOCATION: Confections Cafe
█ ` FEELING: Neutral
█ ` WITH: Delilah, Alisa, Thomas, Delilah

The woman replied back in a surprisingly formal tone, as if she were making an impression for the establishment. "Yes," Carmen agreed, nodding. "Ah, I should really come back to this place in the afternoon, then." Her eyes lingered around the nice tables and the small deserts displayed. She could take a break every now and then to come in. Carmen's dark eyes slid back to the girl, and since she did not seem to be wearing a name tag, the secretary went ahead and introduced herself first. "Oh! I haven't introduced myself. I'm Carmen," she added. The woman had interesting blue eye shadow, which matched the color of her eyes. It actually suited her well, and didn't look overdone. Carmen took notice of her last statement. Working at a cafe... you probably saw a bigger variety of people than you did at her own work place; other than her coworkers, all Carmen saw were people involved in crime cases getting hauled in. Salem had a lot of those, and a person didn't have to work where she worked to know it. "Must be interesting," she mused out loud. "People-watching." Then she corrected herself, "Must be an interesting job, I mean. I do see what you mean. You get all types of people in a cafe."

Just then, the cafe's assistant suddenly put down her mug and told the blonde woman that she had to go. And with that, she left the cafe and her bobbing figure disappeared across the empty street. 'I wonder what that was for.' Carmen's eyes temporarily moved to the window, but a passing pedestrian just happened to block the view. She craned forward just a bit, her high ponytail brushing forward across her right shoulder. By the time the man outside the window passed, the opposite side of the street was empty. Somehow, that assistant attracted her attention... she had been acting a bit jumpy since Carmen walked into the cafe. She would reserve her assumptions, as she really didn't need to get nosy into the affairs of people she had just met, but she got a small feeling from the girl... the girl made her wonder... was the girl an Elect? Looking at Thomas' demeanor, Carmen guessed that he had sensed it as well. And probably earlier, too. Although she felt that something was up, for the moment she would let it slide. Carmen looked at the blonde woman, whose gaze also lingered on the assistant for a moment before coming back to their company. Seconds after the assistant left, she followed up with an announcement of cookies, which Carmen reacted to with a nod.

"I'd love some. Don't mind if I do," said Carmen, taking a cookie from the plate and taking a bite. "These are really good! Mm, you have great advertising techniques," she jokingly complimented, "Expect me to come in with an order." She occasionally would bring some snacks to the brunch room at her department, and most people just took any food that was open on a table without a second thought to who brought it, as if there were a "free sign" propped up next to it. Carmen needed a place to unwind once in a while, and she normally just strode into any random cafe place. But maybe she would keep this one in her memory.