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 Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 11:41 pm
Adrian considered either setting his cell phone to silent or simply throwing it into a storm drain during his ritualistic walk to the coffee shop, perched conveniently on the corner of what he nicknamed Splatter Street and Viscera Avenue. Morbid humor, in all consideration, but he grew rather fond of the nicknames due to his occupational obligations to these common locations.
But Adrian found himself consistently distracted on this normally short and uneventful trek. Typically he greeted passersby with a practiced smile, maybe an added few seconds of attention for the strangers he found particularly attractive, and mentally patted himself on the back for being both the hottest person to walk Splatter Street and the most charismatic to boot. Even now he recognized a few faces as what he called Dailies, those choice individuals who he passed frequently: a woman in a curious red cowboy hat, with vibrant curls and an equally vibrant smile, or a man with horn-rimmed glasses and a marked lack of self confidence due to the balding spot on the back of his head, or a middle-aged man toting a briefcase overstuffed with papers, showing consistent signs of self-neglect and disorganization. He knew them all for their strange idiosyncrasies that cropped up in an act as simple as walking.
However, his focus continually drew toward the strange smell he suffered - something that clung to his clothes and skin from the moment he awoke. And as far as he could tell, he smelled of elderly man, of talcum powder and stale urine. But even when the blonde buried his nose into the sleeve of his jacket, the only smell gracing his olfactory senses was the familiar scent of worn leathers. Adrian frowned lightly, but the blonde refrained from additionally checking the brilliant red tank top he sported that morning. No one else needed to know of his concern for the stagnant scent of elderly death that plagued him.
The cleaner came into sight of his destination, the familiar and cozy coffee shop nestled between a pair of mom and pop establishments. The blonde combed his fingers through his hair out of frazzled habit; given the pungent intrusion on his normal routine, Adrian was unsure if the strong, wafting coffee might dispel the potential myth lingering in his nose. And even when he closed his eyes, if only for a split second, the haunting visage of the man sitting atop a stool lit against his eyelids with unconscionable clarity. If he so much as froze and remained with eyes closed, he could easily envision the disturbingly gaping mouth of the elderly man, and how he sat naked with veins bulging against his skin, blue and nonsensical in their patterned sprawling.
Death haunted him these days - if not in memory, then in senses.
But Adrian did not linger. He needn't stand around endorsing harrowing experiences when he had another day of potentially staggering workload ahead of him. Besides, he might yet receive a job stemming from some senshi activity, and that proved worthwhile to investigate while he could. Even without the body, if he could just gather a bit of evidence...
But Adrian pressed past the swinging glass door, determined to banish his morbid train of thought, even for a few meager minutes. Though, it helped that he entered the shop to the sight of a unique young woman at the back of a remarkably long line. On days like this, it helped to have a little eye candy to offset wait times. And the blonde took his place in line behind her, eyeing the manner by which brunette hair fell about her head and obscured her ears from sight. "Come here often?" He asked her, interested in striking up some idle conversation to stymie considerations for morbidity.-KA3D3- meeting at the coffee shop time! let me know if i need to change anything!
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Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 8:46 pm
Ophelia was still getting used to work. Who'd have thought she would ever end up working at a salon of all places. She was an A grade student, a musical progeny who used to have endless possibilities infront of her. She could have been a professor at university or a musical legend. Alas, she was now spending her days booking women in to get their hair done, sweeping floors and making coffee. Her uniform was a simple white blouse and a pencil shirt, very plain, very mundane - Like every other admin in the city no doubt. Her hair was back in a bun and her unkempt fringe was stroking her eyelids softly. It had been a while since she had felt presentable - At the moment her looks were the least of her worries, she had not been taking care of herself and as of right now Jett was not around to scold her for not doing so.
Every day she went out for a cup of coffee, usually to the Starbucks next to the salon, however it was shut thanks to renovations. Ophelia had to venture out to find another source of quality caffeine, she put her foot down, refused to drink the instant dishwater that was offered at her place of work, and marched out the door to undergo her quest. She could not return empty handed, but her lunch break was almost over and this was the only place he could find. Really? This was the best Destiny City had to offer? She was disappointed borderline outraged! What made it worse was the fact this line was insufferable and the wait exceptionally long. She looked at her watch, she was going to be late, the chances of arriving back in a timely manor were nill. Oh well, she could not function without her fix so going back empty handed would be pointless. Besides, she said she would return with quality coffee.
She could not swallow both her pride and instant dishwater at the same time. If she went back now... Oh her manager would not let her hear the end of it. She sighed and folded her arms, closing her eyes as if to materialize a drink telepathically. Her earphones were playing a song by Motionless in White, one of her newer discoveries, but quite catchy. Then the beat was disturbed and amber eyes drifted to find someone else had joined the queue. She tilted her head, one of the earphones falling out of her ear casually and dangling between her quite reasonable breasts, which her crossed arms seemed to prop up even more.
What did he say? She was sure he asked if she came here often... Hmm?
"Not really." She shrugged, her eyes looking at the counter. Five people infront of her. Oh boy, she hoped he did not plan to talk to her the entire time, she despised idol chit-chat, the amount going back and forth at the salon made her want to bash her head against the reception desk until she painted the roof with blood and brain matter. Bright eyes went to meet the mans, her hands resting on her hips as she decided it was only polite to engage him. If he was going to be standing behind her for the foreseeable future, she might aswell be pleasant - It would make their time together easier before she took her beverage and never interacted with him again. It was what normal people did, right?
"My usual coffee shop is having renovations done, so this is a new experience. Is the coffee any good?"
Oh dear, was she going to ask him about the weather next? It took all her will power not to roll her eyes, the blue bags under them a sign that she was over-worked. She had not been sleeping well lately, she had too much on her mind to find peace. "I hope so, it seems like a long wait to be disappointed with the result, don't you think."
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 8:30 am
Dressed in work clothes and looking ever agitated as she surveyed the line, Adriam surmised the girl must either be on a deadline or have work soon, but coffee proved too great a necessity to pass up. Whatever her reasoning behind visiting the place, she was trapped here now unless she wanted to run down to a convenience store for six-day-old coffee instead. Perhaps that was the reason behind her nonplussed reactions to him? Normally Adrian attracted a more eager audience.
Oh well, change of pace, maybe.
"Honestly? I don't know." Adrian ran a hand through the back of his hair and offered her a bashful smile. "Usually when I come here it's just after a job, and my nose is so loaded with chemicals that I can't taste a damn thing. This'll be the first time I'm actually tasting the stuff." Yeah, that sounded like a vote of confidence. "None of the other guys complain, but they have the same problem. Annnnd..." Adrian leaned forward slightly and closed one eye, examining the list from afar. "It's cheaper than Starbucks." Then the question became, are they paying for quality or quantity? Again, he couldn't be sure, but until he got another call, he might as well grit his teeth and give it a shot.
The rather gargantuan woman up front, with her exposed calves crumpled from fat and her feet wedged into too-small shoes with a roll of fat crowning the top, moved to the side to wait for her finished order. She curled her hair, obviously enough, topped off her purple and black outfit with green eyeshadow, and painted her lips red. Adrian didn't like to look at her because he remembered the smell of cooked fat at an old meth lab scene. That smell felt a trifle to the other caustic elements involved, but Adrian could still taste it faintly on his tongue. It smelled like bacon, and he hadn't eaten it since.
But Bacon Lady didn't notice his staring, or she just didn't care. Judging by the way she surveyed the growing line disdainfully, she likely considered them beneath her or figured they already embarked on their judgments of her character based on looks alone. And once they served her cups in cardboard fit to carry four, she clacked off toward the door. As she passed, Adrian recognized a smell of tangerines mixed with some floral scents. And he remembered wondering, as a child, if people got into their tubs and rubbed these pungent objects on themselves to smell like that. He asked his mother at the time, but she reminded him that if he wanted to stay close to God, then he wouldn't get too curious about those frivolous, vanity tools. It was her way of saying she didn't know.
He almost laughed, but it felt out of place. "So are you almost late for work or almost late to clock back in?" He finally asked the brunette in front of him. The impatience radiated off her in waves; despite his constant reminders that he hadn't gotten a call, he must've developed a little patience of his own through osmosis. Conversation at least lessened the impact of dragging seconds.
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 11:26 am
"Don't hold your breathe, we both might end up wishing we were loaded up with chemicals after this ordeal." Ophelia let a lazy smile fall onto her lips. She found the strangers attitude and general way of wording things mildly amusing, it was not often she found someone who's voice and demeanor did not grate on her instantly. The girl looked up to the list on the wall and then looked at the floor, fidgeting with her bag. She was always quite awkward and always played with things unknowingly when interacting with other people, especially those who she was yet to feel comfortable around. "That is very true." Her voice was very quite, but slightly warmer than it was before.
She did not really mind about splashing out on coffee, it was the only real luxury she indulged in these days. When she got home on a night it was all about cup-a-soups and instant noodles. Who had time to cook really? That is what she kept telling herself.
The woman at the desk had also not gone unnoticed by Ophelia, her amber eyes drifted over to meet the woman's quite substantial girth. Her golden orbs widened, repulsed and disgusted and quite frankly in shock. Someone man the harpoons already. Unable to look away she also stared, until the sent of the woman's perfume made her pull a face and forced her to turn towards the fresh air coming in from the door. Her mother always said if he had nothing nice to say, do not say anything at all. Some people made it harder to stick to that rule than others.
"Hmm."
Was her final verdict on the matter, then an older gentleman approached the desk. She could already tell this was going to be fun, it seemed that his eyesight did not reach the board, nor did his hearing reach the assistant behind the desk. She paused, a realization dawning on her.
She was a really ******** b***h at times. It was a good thing people could not read her mind or she would be in all sorts of trouble.
"I am on my lunch actually... an extended one, it seems." She sighed, not that she would be in much trouble. One of the things she resented about her boss was the laid back nature the woman exhibited, she was all sunshine and flowers.... When Ophelia started she found the books in such a state she felt like walking out the building and never coming back. It was her that was usually cracking the whip - making sure people were organised and supplies were stocked. How the place had functioned without her was totally beyond the young woman.
You know what, sod it. If she could take on senshi she could cope with whatever her boss threw at her. She took a deep breathe in, closed her eyes and let her shoulders relax, the death grip she had on her purse lessening substantially. She had chosen to no longer care. Instead she turned to face the man behind her, the only person in this building yet to offend her for some reason or another.
"So... You work with chemicals? On an industrial level or?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 8:47 pm
The line before them dwindled, as did the almost palpable prickly demeanor that the girl assumed so readily. It was relieving, really, aside from her strange need to occupy her hands while talking. Maybe she was a smoker. She smelled like one, at least. But it could've been the older gentleman behind him, who stooped slightly and held his cane tightly in one shaking, gnarled hand. The man constantly snuffled and wiped at his nose with a kerchief; Adrian recognized it because his knuckles constantly brushed against the back of the blonde's thigh. Now if it were his new brunette companion behind him instead...
By now they reached the tucked away table loaded with various coffee accoutrements - from insulators to cup tops and everything between cream and sugar, the coffee joint stocked itself well enough for those who loved their augmentations. "Since we're up to talking about work, it's about time we share names, hmm?" Adrian shot rhetorically. A small smile tugged at his lips, and his eyes spoke of the confidence he staked in his lead when it came to conversation. "Adrian Frost." But he was by no means cold, he used to say. Ridiculous as it was back then, most people found it charming - but his age at the time rendered him too innocent to warrant a verbal lashing for it.
"And now that that's out of the way, I can share a bit about my glorious job." His hand strayed to his hair and curled a tousled tuft behind his ear before rolling into his usual gesticulations. "I clean up after dead people. CTS decon, they like to call it. So as you might've guessed, I work with some pretty strong hospital-grade stuff, and some... not so technologically advanced tools." To say nothing of the shovel he often used for large gouts of gelatinous blood. "It's not exactly prestigious, but it pays well and I don't get AIDS as long as I'm careful." inwardly he recognized that AIDS was the least of his problems, considering the heavy toxicity latent in meth lab decon, but oversimplifying his job and its hazards lent a certain comfort. If others didn't react too badly to it, he could mitigate his fears accordingly.
"But I don't get to dress nice, like you." The blonde shrugged with a quick indication toward the girl's lithe frame, clothed in a manner that indicated both professionalism and an awareness of the aesthetic. "It's a shame, really. I'd look pretty good in a suit and tie, don't you think?" He flashed the girl a preening grin, but the old man brushed his knuckles against the back of Adrian's jeans again, which punctured his rolling mood. Suddenly simmering agitation felt a little more appropriate than self adoration, and his face reflected that change accordingly.
The barista called for the next customer, and called for the brunette impatiently. The chubby boy drummed his nailless fingers atop the table, echoing solid, meaty thumps to any patient patrons. "Ma'am?" He called indignantly. "Are you ready to order?"
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