Loaded for Bear (IC)

[GranspearZX]

June 30, 2011

Marcus wasn't exactly the most musically inclined person in the world. He knew what he liked, and he'd listen to anything at least once. Dislike of mainstream music often lead him to scour the internet for bands, and most of his favorite artists were considered 'underground'... to the point where most of his phone's music was stuff he'd downloaded from sites specializing in free mixtapes. His friends knew his tastes pretty well--well enough, in fact, that Julie had actually started suggesting places.

"There's this guy out there called Ezekiel Irons," Julie had said. "I think you'd like his style."

At first, Marcus was reluctant, but arguing with Julie usually didn't get him anywhere; she knew things he didn't, and she'd never tell. Sketchbook in hand, he found himself standing in front of a local coffee shop in Bayview, staring at it from across the street. Irons wasn't an entirely uncommon name, but he didn't really know a whole lot about his family outside his parents. He barely remembered what his mother looked like, and when he'd visited his father on Father's Day, family never came up in conversation.

Maybe it should have.

Marcus shrugged and crossed the street, heading inside. If nothing else, there was the promise of decent music.

[Quinn]

Zeke checked his mouthpiece and saxophone again, blowing a few notes as the usual lunchtime crowd started to file in. He'd gotten lucky a few weeks back busking near here, and the owner had given him a shot at this weekly "open music day". Play a few tunes, pull in some customers, and he'd walk away with all the coffee he could drink, donuts he could munch, and fifty Benjamins for an hour's work.

He wasn't due to start for ten-fifteen minutes yet, though, so besides checking the instrument he was pretty much stuck sipping from a mug and people-watching as folks walked in and out. The Fastest Fighter Alive leaned back in his chair, then blinked and looked about for a moment as he thought he spotted something eerily familiar. He cast his eyes left and right for a few, but couldn't quite place the sensation; so he returned to his coffee.

[GranspearZX]

Despite its close proximity to Claremont, Marcus couldn't recall having ever been to this coffee shop. He'd passed by it a couple of times, but he rarely spent a lengthy amount of time in Bayview. He got a considerable amount of use out of his metro card and the old, beat-up car he used; using the latter was cheaper than gas. As he walked in, the few errant notes of the saxophone drifting out the door reminded him of just how infrequently he could really relax.

It seemed that nothing had started yet, but the musician in the room was fairly obvious; the sax was a dead giveaway. The Beast Rune was eerily quiet, leaving the shapeshifter to his own thoughts for once. Rather than lament the sudden mental silence, he found himself a seat nearest the performance area. Leaving his sketchbook on his chosen table, he ordered himself the largest coffee available and three donuts, then returned to his seat, taking another glance at Ezekiel.

There was something off that he couldn't quite place. It wasn't a bad feeling, exactly, just an unusual vibe...