Open [The Bean] New Experiences, In Every Sense of the Word "New"

[Acinonyx]

1st Summer, 514 AV Opening the door to this place was the best thing Acinonyx has ever done in his life. The fresh smell of caffeine tip-toed towards him, aerated his nostrils and filled him with warmth, comfort, belonging and that sudden urge to drink some of that good old coffee. The business was certainly busy for such a small shop, four out of the five tables were taken or partially taken. The natural chatter of everyone talking amongst themselves was lively and added to the feeling of family. Perhaps the only disappointing thing was the disrepair of the walls, that one window... the whole shop really. But Aci thought it quaint and irrelevant right now. Aci did not actually know what this place was called, his parents, bless their souls..., never took him here and the sign outside was completely illegible, not that he could read anyway. He then wondered why he hadn't been taken anywhere at all by his parents. Maybe they were a little over-protective, after all, they had not allowed him to bond with anyone during his first few years of life. Realising that he had not explored Syliras at all, Aci vowed a mental vow that he would take the time to visit anywhere and everywhere in this city. Striding forward just one step and Aci had tripped over one of the legs of the chairs. A slight tumble and some stares were all that were of consequence. Nevertheless, Aci managed to hold himself high as though everyone were watching him and he needed to represent himself as strong. Plunging another step into the sea of furniture suddenly seemed like a bad idea. He's agile, but not that of a limbless octopus, so Aci turned his sails around and decided to go for the clear-ish path to the left of the shop to reach the counter. Aci walked over to the owner of the shop, who abruptly pointed to the sign placed on the counter. "Um, I'm sorry, I cannot read..." Aci had to mumble. Ah, perhaps this is why I was never taken anywhere. Mayyyyybe this isn't the best thing that I've ever done in my life... The owner replied, with an expression mixed of surprise and mockery, "Tea or Coffee?" "Oh, I'll have a coffee, please! What kinds of coffee do you have?" Aci said, with a fixed look in his eyes in response to the perceived mockery. The owner was about to hand over a menu, then recalled and retracted before saying, "The two main coffees we have are common coffee and exotic coffee. Common is 3 silver miza and exotic is 3 gold miza." "Ah ok, I'll take a common one, please." "Sure thing," the owner quickly jabbed without much room for conversation. One minute passed and a hot coffee was served. As soon as the drink flowed between his lips, Aci revelled in blazing delight, the coffee a fabulous flavour that massaged his tongue and cheeks. "This is brilliant!" He exclaimed. This is definitely the best thing he had ever done in his life. And that includes killing that ridiculously fast deer. The owner seemed to respond immediately and pounce on Aci like some poor soul who had walked into a trap. "Well, I make this particular blend using these special beans here," he pointed behind him to the shelf, "and they are special mind you, just because they're the most commonly sold, don't make them no less special." Aci tried to interject, "Ah ok, but-" "You know, I once tried to mix these beans with that of the exotic beans, a weird convoluted flavour emerged and ohohoh, wasn't it..." The words seemed to merge in Aci's mind as he lost interest. Trying to maintain eye contact as best he could to seem polite, Aci pulled his face away from the vacuum that was the coffee enthusiast to seek out help, tossing out lifelines with the very expression of his face. This is the most absolute worst thing I've ever done in my life...

[Athaera]

Thirst drove Athaera to making her way to The Bean, a coffee shop she'd seen a few times before, but never actually visited. She walked up to the counter, waiting in line behind a young man. She looked over the prices, and decided on some tea.

As she looked around, seeing that the place was rotting away, with cracks on the walls and the only window had boards crudely plastered across it. But as she looked around, she noticed that the tables were almost full. Ugh... I'll have to share with someone, she thought. But with such seemingly good business, she was surprised it needed so many repairs.

The drone of conversation and chatter buzzed in Athaera's ears, and she wondered what was taking the person before her so long. She tapped her foot impatiently, overhearing the man at the counter listing the options. Doesn't he know how to read? she silently asked of the man in front of her. As she waited, she pulled out a few silver Mizas.

The person at the counter, an older man looking to be in his late sixties, had begun rambling on about the coffee beans, and Athaera saw the person she was waiting behind was bored and uninterested, so she stepped up to the counter, interrupting the elderly man and shoving the guy she was waiting behind out of the way. "Sorry," she whispered, then directed her attention to the man running the place. "I'm kind of in a hurry, so can you get me a tea?" she demanded of the man, though that was a lie. She attempted a sweet smile, though she knew her red eyes were probably giving away her annoyance. He listed off the options, and she replied with a simple, "Lillian Root, please." She realized that she'd said that a little too sharply, and brought her mouth up into a friendly curve again. She tossed three silver Mizas onto the counter. As the man prepared her tea, she got a better glance at his face.

He looked quite clean, the complete opposite of his cramped shop with the illegible sign. His grey moustache was neatly manicured, along with his hair. His clothes weren't crinkled at all, and he looked like he spent quite a bit of time in front of a mirror, grooming and perfecting his look. It was evident he took much care in his job, the way he took care making the tea and the organized jars of leaves on the shelf behind him.

She took a sip of her tea, and quickly backed away, not wanting to get into any form of conversation. This caused her to trip over a chair leg, stumbling but luckily not spilling her drink. A few drops did splash out, though.

[Acinonyx]

Being shoved out of the way wasn't exactly the lifeline Aci had been expecting, he found that it angered him a little inside. That aggressive behaviour is not something a polite person would do, it doesn't matter one bit if they were in a hurry. On the other hand, this stranger did whisper sorry. Back to the original hand, she was rather direct and sharp to the owner. In addition to these rapid changes in character, this girl displayed a sweet smile after the request alongside her flaming red eyes. In just five short seconds, Aci's impression of this stranger was one whole contradiction, and he didn't know what to make of her, besides the fact that she was the same size as him. She seemed pushy but she also shut the owner up with said pushiness. Aci decided to attempt to say thank you, in order to further judge her, but before his mouth could open, she tripped on a chair leg, just as he did when he walked in. Just a moment of sympathy flushed through Aci. The owner seemed not to care about the few drops of spilled tea, they joined the rest of the disorderly decorations of the shop and made themselves at home. Quickly turning his back to the counter, so Aci didn't have to endure a moment more of coffee talk, he released his grip on his coffee, leaving it brewing on the counter, strode forward and tentatively placed his right hand on the girl's left shoulder, to try and turn her around since all he could see of her now was the short, neatly cut hair covering the back of her head. He was going to see how she acts based on his verbal challenge, because right now, her whole character appeals to Aci. Like a puzzle. Her not so straight forward behaviour was fascinating, at least to Aci. Upon doing so, he also noticed that along with similar height, they were both similarly built. That could be bad for Aci, since if the stranger's act of impatience was a permanent feature, a fight could be looming over them, like a storm-cloud ready to explode, and if she is as athletic as she looks, he would have a hard time running away in his human form. It could also be good for Aci, since he could fight her and have a realistic chance of winning. She looked young, so chances were he would win. He dismissed these extreme thoughts as immediately as they knocked on his mind's door on the premise that they were unlikely, she'll just walk away or something. "Hey, not all of us here like to be pushed aside you know."

[Athaera]

Athaera regained her balance, feeling eyes boring into her, probably including those of the man she'd been waiting behind. She heard a clunk on the counter, like someone was setting something down, and a hand on her shoulder. She turned around sharply, prepared for comments of sympathy and the like, but instead came face to face with the same person she'd shoved earlier. She got a better look at him now, and saw that he looked like he was wearing eyeliner, and had the general vibe that whispered "Cat." His eyes were also quite catlike, and it took Athaera a moment to realize he was a Kelvic. This was another race she'd heard of somewhere, but wasn't sure where. He looked a bit older than her, but she was probably

He had freckles scattered across his tanned face, and short-ish hair with a fringe in the front. He looked quite strong, and was a little taller than him. She saw his hazel eyes dashing over her face and body, probably looking over her, studying her. Her eyes faded back to a neutral grey, and she saw that he looked nervous, as if she was going to hurt him.

His comment seemed a little rude to Athaera, and she felt her eyes begin to glow their malevolent red again. She bit her tongue, attempting to surpress the anger, and began to count down from ten. It was a technique she'd come up with, but never actually tried.
Ten.
"Sorry," she began, "It's just... you seemed to be getting bored, and I don't like waiting..."
Nine.
She lowered her voice so the man at the counter couldn't hear. "I wasn't actually in a hurry, I was just thirsty."
Eight.
"Sorry for shoving you, that was rude," Athaera said, feeling her eyes fade back to grey. She stopped counting, since she didn't really need to anymore. It turned out her technique worked, and she made a mental note to use it more often.

[Acinonyx]

Wow!! Her eyes!! Aci had never seen anything like it. That shift in colour from the glowing red to the neutral grey was magical and unheard of. It was like a fire being dampened, like the anger inside of her was tamed. That same suppressed anger rose again, giving a little life before dying again. Magical was certainly the right word for it. Aci was encapsulated in its wonders. His own eyes widened a little out of astonishment. "Sorry," she began, "It's just... you seemed to be getting bored, and I don't like waiting..." The words sounded like murmurs being drowned out by the ever busy chatter of the shop as they drifted through his mind. For a brief moment, Aci was staring at her eyes with those widened versions of his and his mouth opened to match. He was brought down to Mizahar when her lowered tone of voice pulled his attention back and his facial expression managed to change back to neutrality. She wasn't actually in a hurry, she was just thirsty. She also apologised about shoving him. "Oh that's OK, I guess... umm... Would you mind me asking...?" Aci felt his arm reach up over his head, his hand scuffled the back of it out of comforting instinct, before promptly retracting back down by his side. Come on, Aci, do not appear weak, you are a predator, never show weakness. Be cool... He was being very genuine with his response, though perhaps not expressing it as well as he intended. He was truly grateful for her apology, and the manner in which she responded with indicated that she is not insane at least. So he had that going for him, which was nice. He relaxed a little bit upon realising this. With a nervous chuckle followed by a half smile that clearly showed his awkwardness, Aci continued, "I'm sorry, um, I've never seen anything like that... What's the, uh, deal with... your eyes?" With that, his natural hunting ability beckoned his hand to whip around the back of him to grab the cup of coffee with precision, while his eyes remained in a semi-trance, hypnotised by the now dull eyes of the girl. One big gulp and a sigh later, Aci thought to himself, Why did you do that? That was completely unnecessary. Way to show your confidence, buddy. You take that coffee like you mean it. Damned idiot...

[Athaera]

Athaera saw the kelvic staring at her eyes, and assumed he didn't know about Vanthas, or at least didn't know their eyes changed color. She was tempted to explain, but stayed quiet, assuming that he was probably going to ask anyway. She took a sip of her tea, blowing her hair out of her face. His mouth was wide open, and he looked kinda funny.

After a moment, he stopped staring at her eyes, and replied to her. He was mumbling, and the way he moved his hand up to the back of his head showed that he was nervous. Athaera smiled in an attempt to make feel a bit less awkward, and some green began to swirl in the grey, since she found his awkwardness funny. Then, his hand moved back down to his side, as if to disguise his shyness.

"Oh, my eyes? I'm half Vantha, our eyes change color based on emotion," Athaera explained, "Kinda annoying, because everyone can see how you feel."

The Kelvic seemed like he wasn't very experienced in the ways of the world, which wasn't too surprising, since he was only three or four years old. "You don't get out much, do you?" she asked.

Athaera realised she should probably caution the guy. "Also, I wouldn't recommend sneaking up on people from behind. Might get you a black eye." Most people were like horses in that sense, they would hurt you if you snuck up on them from behind. She had been tempted to at first, but her bad reflexes had kept her from punching him.

As he grabbed his coffee, the Kelvic kept staring at her eyes, as if he didn't want to miss their changing color. "I'm Athaera, by the way. What's your name?" This was an attempt at subduing the awkwardness between them, but she wasn't sure if it was going to work.

[Audric Undal]

An Unexpected Run-In Audric hated liars. He hated them with everything in him. They were annoying and they always caused trouble in the worst ways. Now, to Audric, not telling the truth is not the same as lying. Bending the truth is a different thing entirely. Just lying because you are in a bad spot, well, that is just honestly selfish. At least come up with a good one if you are going to lie. The Bean was well-crowded, and had a deep aroma that would beckon in anyone from outside. A nice homey tavern with expensive drinks that Audric would never pay for. The last time he paired alcohol with caffeine, he did not sleep for weeks. Audric never visited The Bean very often, but he found himself having to do so today. Practically running into the tavern from the outside, Audric flew across the tavern towards an elderly man seated alone. In one quick flash, a single coin dropped from Audric's hand and slammed onto the table the elderly man occupied, as Audric seated himself in one of the wooden chairs. His skin pale white and gaunt, he did not have time to yell before Audric took the older man's hat straight from his head. Plopping it ontop of his noggin and winking at the elder gentleman, Audric hunched over while sitting, hoping to appear incredibly inconspicuous. Oddly enough, not many people in the tavern really noticed nor cared. Only a few seconds later did the door open suddenly to 3 younger men. Sweating and breathing heavily, they scanned the room quickly before cussing and leaving in a huff. After a few seconds, Audric cried out in happy success and took the silly hat off of his head. Some people gave a look to the sloppy looking man, but most just looked away in disgust or boredom. Looking at the elderly man, Audric flashed a happy grin and shook his hand. Words could be seen being exchanged between the two but soon, Audric left him to approach the counter. Dressed in a tight, brown leather jerkin, Audric's hair was messy, unkempt and desperately needed attention. Soft, blue eyes scanned the various customers, and his toothy grin continued beaming across the cafe. He exchanged few words with the "barkeep", who he apparently knew from somewhere, and ordered some drink he probably was not going to drink. Turning from the counter, Audric held the hot drink close to his chest and took a deep breath before his eyes fell on the two younger people meeting for the first time. Watching them both, Audric was both intrigued and rather bored at this moment. Perhaps he had found something to do as of right now.

[Acinonyx]

Aci was still staring blunderingly when green emerged from the grey and assured his curiosity. This time, he reacted in a much more subtle way... by taking yet another swig of coffee, which was now finished. "Half... Vantha..." Aci stuttered the foreign word out of him. Athaera, as she introduced herself, gave a brief explanation explaining her wondrous eyes. So they change colours based on emotion, eh? This was news to Aci, he felt a slight surge of excitement through his brain. To him, this was exactly like a puzzle, his first impression of Athaera had not let him down. "No, I don't get out much at all, really... I mean, I'm only three years old, and my parents... they were very protective of me..." A sudden air of disdain revolved around Aci upon mention of his parents. But he dare not go into that right now. "Anyway! Would you mind me guessing which colour means what?" Aci asked, then continued on anyway without allowing time for response. "Red must mean anger, right? Does green mean amused? Or happy? And grey... does that just mean normal? What other colours are there? What do they all mean?" As all of the questions fired off from his mouth like arrows from a team of archers, a smile encroached, getting wider by the second. His interest was the water breaking through the damn that was his social inhibition. Athaera's attempt to subdue the awkwardness was clearly working, Aci felt she could be friendly, but reserved a cautioning fact still in the back of his mind for a dark side of her. Although, true to her word, her eyes would give off her emotions and it would be far easier to detect than from anyone else, which to be honest was a little disappointing to his puzzle solving side, it was just there on a silver platter, but no matter. "Oh, I'm A-" The door snapped open suddenly, catching the attention of Aci outright. He reflexively turned to the potential danger with alarming reactions, slightly crouched in that hunter's stance. Swiftly eyeing up the three newcomers gave him the impression that they were no good. Sweating. Panting. Their eyes were scanning. Looking for someone. Aci decided to join in their gaze from his perspective but could not find anyone out of the ordinary. They cussed and left, after reaching the same conclusion as Aci. The brief rush of adrenaline still coursed his blood and still will, just in case it's needed, as his body had learned through his many chases. Aci turned back to Athaera and was going to continue conversation, when his ears pricked at the sound of a victory cry. Obviously less potentially harmful than a door slam, he turned again nevertheless and saw a scraggy man approaching the counter. Again, Aci quickly scanned him for information. His unkempt appearance matched the surroundings and he had soft blue eyes. There was little chance of those changing colour. He seemed to know the place, he showed familiarity. Out of all these things though, it was undoubtedly clear that he was the one those guys were looking for. Which meant he carried danger in his footsteps. Hmmmmm... Aci thought suspiciously. The newcomer looked up from the counter and their eyes met. He seemed happy in tone, yet Aci remained neutral and stood fast, remaining wary of any antics that could unlikely happen. Am I feeling paranoia... Aci quickly dismissed the thought, but couldn't conjure up anything to say to this guy. He just stared. He was good at doing that.

[Athaera]

Athaera saw the kelvic was quite amazed by her eyes, and he continued to stare. It was making Athaera a bit uncomfortable, and she fidgeted a little. She smiled, he was just a little kid age-wise. There was nothing to worry about. In reality, she was comforting herself more than she was acknowledging him. His build was a little bigger than hers, and he could probably have her leave with a black eye and some bruises, especially in his kelvic form... probably. "Yeah... You don't know what a Vantha is, do you?" she replied to his stuttered echo.

Athaera's thoughts were confirmed when he said he was only three and his parents had been overprotective. "At least you actually have parents," she replied. Then, as he began guessing the various colors and linking the emotions to them, she was surprised at how accurate he was. Yes, red meant anger, gray meant neutral, green was happy or amused. Athaera nodded as he listed them off, then when he asked about the rest, she hesitated, but replied, "Purple is excited, blue is sad, and yellow is scared." She wasn't sure if she wanted to trust him with this fact, but it was too late.

The Kelvic was about to say his name, but all he got out was "A." She glanced where he was looking, taking another sip of her tea. Three men scanned the room, possibly knights, though they didn't look like it. They swore under their breath before storming out the door.

Athaera glanced around to see what they had been looking for, but nothing looked strange, except for the man at the back of the room, who made a yell of triumph. She gave A... whatever his name was... a strange look, but he was still looking at the man, with his messy appearance. She pulled her hood off, realising she was sweating from the heat. Yes, the man who had walked in was probably some sort of criminal, but then again, The kelvic looked a bit paranoid of the man, and she tried to get his attention. He was staring at him, probably a side effect of isolation. "Um... you never actually told me your name, also, what's your Kelvic form? Just curious."

She was actually interested in this guy, even if he didn't want to tell her anything, she was curious. This was the first time she'd actually socialised with a kelvic properly.

OOC2222 Characters.

[Audric Undal]

Staring is rude The two were talking happily until Audric seemed to ruin it. Staring usually did that though. Watching the two of them, Audric continued to until Aci looked directly at him. Awkward. Who just stares at people? Rude almost. Staring back, Audric smiled like an idiot, but honestly, did not know to react. Did he wave? Blow a kiss? He was still hungover from last night honestly. The attractive woman continued her conversation with him, but still, he stared. Maybe he had not heard her? Deciding that blowing a kiss may come off odd (Not to mention the young fellow was not Audric's type) Audric instead decided to wave and continuing to grin. It was still adamantly awkward, but still, what else was he going to do? Deciding to finally break the staring contest, Audric looked back at his drink. Steamy, hot and disgusting since it carried no alcohol, Audric wondered what to do with it. It was rather expensive just to throw it out. Taking a deep breath and smelling the enticing aroma, Audric took a look around the room while the two in front of him conversed. Was he still staring? This man really had no manners apparently. Ignoring the two for a moment, Audric continued to scan the room for any beauties beside the one in front of him. Fleeing from the bed of one was annoying at best, especially when she had incredibly protective brothers guarding her. Seeing no women that even fit the bill, Audric turned to the couple still talking. Were they dating? Siblings? Married? Strangers? This was exciting honestly. Making sure not to look directly at them, Audric tried to listen to them, but found it was almost impossible to in this room. Perhaps he could get closer? Deciding to slowly scoot towards their general direction, Audric made sure not to look suspicious. He was failing miserably at that.