Characterization Corporation

Nyhior noticed a name tag on the right side of the lady's smock, pausing to stare at it for a moment as he read it and managed to come up with several ways to pronounce it, at the same time making sure to at least blink in the process to make it a litle less awkward. He then faced her and, deciding on a pronounciation that seemed logical, said "Yaveet, can you make me a coffee, for this money if you want?" he looked at the little squirrel witch, only a bit alarmed by the fire she had produced, and then at the blueberry scone in her hand.

"And also... what the squirrel eats, instead of change, if you want." He asked, feeling like he had phrased his sentences oddly but not knowing how to say them differently and being unable to omit the 'if you want' bit at the end, feeling like it would have sounded too much like an order.

The clockwork nodded. "Every little bit," he said, then reached up and adjusted his hood, debating how to explain the next part. "Humans fear what they don't know and can't understand. So if they cannot understand how a clockwork act like a human, then they would fear it, hate it, or destroy it." He leaned back into his chair, the remembered something and leaned forwards again. "I need my money back."

Something in the man's words seemed familiar, and made her feel like maybe she shouldn't have shown off quite so much. That seemed silly, though - it was obvious that these were nice people. She shrugged and stuffed the last of the scone into her mouth, making it incomprehensible when she tried to say, "They usually seem nice to me."

At his request for money, Willow tilted her head and swallowed, then pointed to the money on the table. "Dat?"

Yvette's smile widened at his enunciation of her name and she had to bite back a laugh. "It's Ee-vette," she corrected him, then nodded at his request. "Of course, coffee and a blueberry scone." His unusual way of phrasing things was part of his charm, she thought, as she went off to make the coffee and warm up the scone.

The scone took about thirty seconds to warm up for him, and she handed it over to him in exchange for the money. And then she set to work making the coffee, deciding to add a shot of espresso since he seemed a little...worn down. Maybe he was just reserved, but, a little extra caffeine never hurt anyone, right?

When it was done, she handed the cup over to him. "Careful, it's pretty hot," she said. Then pointed at the end of the counter. "Sugar and cream and stirrers are there if you'd like any." Her palms tingled again and she rubbed them against her smock.

The man looked to where she pointed. "Yes. I didn't notice you had out it down. I apologize." He took the money, pocketed the change, and folded the money before doing the same with it. He gave a glance over at the food being sold, it had been a long while since he had tasted anything, he actually missed the consumption of food he once needed to stay alive.

He paused a thoughtful moment. "What did you buy?" He asked, "How does it taste?" He figure that although he could not taste anything, it did not mean he could not remember the tastes.

Willow merely giggled at the man having missed when she'd set the money down, though he had seemed a bit distracted after she'd hugged him. He really did remind her a lot of her "master" in his manner.

She licked at her fingers, hoping some trace of flavor might yet remain, then looked up. "Uh? Didja want some? Ya told da lady no, so I t'ought ya din't want some."

The child smiled, her eyes closing, and hugged her knees beneath her tail. Rocking a little side to side, she cheerfully told him, "I's blueburry bread. Jus' blueburries is better d'ough, but i's yummy."

Abruptly, she leapt up and grabbed for the man's hand, and asked excitedly, "Hey, wanna play, mister Knight? Bet I c'n hide an' you can't fin' me!"

Clock sighed inwardly. Yes, it was strange to ask, but some things seem less strange when they bring back the old memories of a past life. "No," he clarified, "I was just curious. I cannot taste things anymore." When the girl suddenly jumped up and grabbed for his hand, he instinctively pulled it back. "Excuse me?" He asked. He was very surprised by the energy in this one. Then again, she was a child. "I don't think we can play a game like that here," he told her, looking over to Yvette for her answer.

Yvette grinned at the polar opposites of Willow and Clock at the table and leaned forward on the counter, catching Clock's look for...help? "If you must play, I prefer you take it outside. Too many people in here, and I'd hate to have you get hot coffee all over yourself." Besides, there weren't too many hiding spots in a coffee shop that were accessible to the general public.

She glanced back to see how Nyhior was getting along, and then grabbed a towel and wiped down the counter yet again--mostly for something to do since her shift wouldn't end for a few more hours yet. "There's a park not far from here," she added suddenly, "maybe a block or two away..." In case the squirrel girl needed a place to run off all that energy. "You might meet some interesting people there too."

It wasn't so much how the man pulled away as something in his voice, just for an instant. The girl's ears lowered, she moved back just a little, and for a moment she looked as though something had spooked her. Even after the woman offered a suggestion on where to play, the overflowing excitement has ceased.

Looking back from the woman to the the man who'd given her money, her face remained just slightly tilted down, but she still had a warm smile as she asked tentatively, "Will you come play? S'okay if ya don' wanna... I's not hard ta move, is it?"

Clock never caught the behavior he indirectly caused. Help was exactly what his look was for. He felt relief when the lady said no, then a tinge of betrayel when she mentioned the park. The man paused for a moment and thought. Then he stood with ease. "I move unite esily," he said, using the moment as an example. The blue haze was brighter under his hood as he looked down at the girl, if ine looked carefully they may be able to see a tad bit if actual light peaking through the bottom of the hood. "I will go with you," he said, "but I make no promises on fun and games."

((When leaving the shop I'm assuming we are leaving this thread? Does this require the creation of a second thread now?))

((Yeah--feel free to start a "playground" RP. I have a few kid-characters I can throw that way. ))

Catching the flash of blue from Clock, Yvette frowned briefly. He didn't seem any more human than the squirrel-girl, though she had to hide a smile at his reluctance to play along. Perhaps when they arrived at the park, there would be more children there to play with.

Meanwhile, she'd get back to work cleaning up the shop and seeing that everyone had their drinks refilled or topped off.

Willow tried not to laugh. She truly, honestly tried - but one a tiny smile managed to break through with a shot snicker, she gave up, put on a mock pout, and said in a low, teasing tone, "Okay, mister grumpy-knight-pants."

With that, the little girl prompt burst into laughter, nearly stumbling over her chair in the process. She'd have made another grab for his hand, but it had clearly bothered the man the first time, so she refrained. Instead, she simply smiled at him, tilted her head, and stated plainly, "I like ya anyway. Yer pretty."

She whirled around then, raised a hand into the air as if to command an army to charge, and loudly declared to all, "TO PLAY!"

And without another word, the squirrel child marched out to find the park. She hoped someone would come, especially her new friend; but even if no one did, it was no fun being in a place where no one could play. Better to freely play alone than to be in a stinky no-fun place!

Well, it actually smelled quite good... but it was the principle of the matter!

Nyhior went to the end of the counter and dropped a good amount sugar into his coffee. He hadn't been exposed much to sugar when he was younger, but he definitely loved the stuff. It generally made him feel happier, somehow, and he could never get enough of it.

The coffee was really hot, and Nyhior held it carefully as he walked slowly towards a lonely table in the corner, a nice distance from everybody in the shop that made him feel more comfortable. He watched the scene with the little squirrel girl and the man who she'd decided to call a 'knight'. If he were someone else, he would probably have smiled at hearing the word. He doubted the other man was a knight, or at least, not the kind that Nyhior knew... the kind that Nyhior was training to be. The word 'play' also had an invisible effect on him. While other kids ran away from each other in mock fear, he had been running, climbing, and making other escapes in true panic and terror. His feelings about the concept of play were a mix of slight confusion as to why kids enjoyed being afraid or even just pretending to be afraid and regret that he did not have the opportunity to experience such an activity.

As all this went on inside Nyhior, he must have seemed to only be staring at his surroundings nervously and nibbling, then taking large bites from his scone and sipping shortly at his coffee as he did so. Despite the bitter memories, the sugar and coffee filled him with a small spark of happiness, and perhaps a slight, very faint smile could have been visible on his lips as the little girl charged out towards the park.

Different people were likely to notice one of two things about the apparently teenaged girl first as she walked in. For some, it would be her clothes - black, color-splattered, and perhaps a bit tight, with some netting peeking out in places and distinctly bare feet. For others, it would be her sour mood, which eased only a little upon her entry. There was still too much light, but this place had darker windows than many of the others, at least.

Stupid daylight. Stupid well-lit town. Stupid boring people. Stupid... stupid! Sure, she didn't bother changing much anyway, but it was always more interesting to at least have the option.

She scanned the room, looking for something to entertain herself with.

((Just a little warning: gaining Taryn's attention may result in much annoyance for your character.))

Yvette blinked at the latest customer, but her demeanor didn't change. A lot of people weren't at their best when they needed a cup of caffeine to wake up; she had been on the receiving end of a few lectures from people in various stages of caffeine withdrawal and mostly had learned to hold her tongue and not take such things personal. Likewise, she'd seen a variety of different clothing options enter, but this one took the cake, reminding her of a nightclub.

She offered a smile and a greeting. "Hello, welcome to the Half Calf. Can I get you something to eat or drink?" Maybe she would start carrying spare socks or flip-flops in the back for those who were determined to go barefoot around here.

Taryn's eyes shot to the woman who's spoken, and she let out a small snort. The woman wasn't the most interesting-looking person, but... often it was the least interesting people who proved most entertaining. She grinned.

"Well, hello!" she said sweetly, then crossed to the counter with a mix of dancing and hopping. The girl bent forward, flopped her arms onto the counter top, and rested her chin on her hands. Batting her eyelashes at the woman, she said, "Y'know, you're a pretty lady."

Now, how would it be handled?

Yvette had encountered many things, but this was a first. She flushed a little, embarrassed by the teen's sudden proclamation. "Uhm, thank you, so are you. Do you mind if I ask why you're not wearing shoes?" She pointed at the girl's bare feet.

"Don't like 'em," Taryn said simply, all the while openly ogling the woman before locking eyes with her. So far, she still had so very many ways to play with this one. Her tongue poked out, slid over her top lip, and vanished again. "'Course I don't mind, though. You can ask me anything you like."

Yvette broke the eye-contact abruptly, a shiver working up her spine. She wasn't sure what was with this teen, but she had the feeling she was prey in the eyes of a predator. "Then, is-is there s-something I can get you? Coffee or, a pastry?"

Whatever her rehearsed lines were, those went out the window. She didn't like being the center of attention--never had. Which was why she worked as a coffee barista. The only center of attention was based on the fact she brought the caffeine to people and then it was over.

She hesitantly looked back up at the teen, almost afraid to make eye-contact again, but with effort she did.

Taryn giggled. "Y'know, you're cute. But no... I don't bother to eat much. Though, I think I could eat you up."

This time, as she grinned, her teeth appeared somehow sharper. She stood up, stretched, turned, and managed to bend back enough to lay her head back on the counter, cradled in her hands.

"I think you don't like me, though," she said with a pout. Her teeth appeared perfectly normal once again. "Why is that? Am I ugly? Do you hate those who are different? Perhaps your soul isn't as pretty as your face."