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Post by Alex on Jan 11, 2010 20:49:01 GMT -5
A cold wind whipped off the churning water in the harbor, jostling the docked boats and sending them tugging against their moorings with the clanging ring of their brass bells. There were few people out today in the brisk weather, and those that did dare the frigid cold did so unwillingly only because they had to. On the docks, a handful of fishermen were finishing securing their small boat, shouting orders in shorthand that only they would understand into the wind. They tossed loops of rope across the sails at one another, tying in the mast that bucked in the wind. In the chaos of their work, a small creature went unnoticed as it ducked behind the numerous crates stacked along the dock. Sitting up on its hind legs, the raccoon peered over the tops of the crates at the busy men, its beady black eyes tracking their movements. One of the men stepped off the boatdeck, a full pail of fish in hand. He hoisted the bucket and moved it over closer to the crates, setting it down and turning to face the boat. With a flick of its tail, the raccoon disappeared back down behind the crates, then reappeared slinking cautiously along the planks on the dock. Dark eyes trained on its target, the bandit creeped closer to the man with the pail. Upon reaching his destination, the animal's eyes lighted on its prize: the plain wallet wedged partway in the back pocket of the man's jeans. The raccoon made what could have been taken as a smirk and stretched up to its full height, tail out for balance. Its nimble paws fiddled with the wallet and managed to shimmy it out of the unsuspecting man's jeans. Having finally freed his prize, the raccoon darted off, the wallet gripped firmly in its jaws.
Returning safely to its stakeout behind the crates, the raccoon unfolded the wallet and peered inside at the contents. Pulling out a single dollar bill, the raccoon glared incredulously at the betraying wallet and turned it over to shake out any loose change. A handful of pennies, three nickels and a dime fell out and clattered across the dock. The man suddenly straightened up and turned to face the sound of falling change.
The raccoon's eyes widened and it snatched the bills up, dashing off the docks and up to the boardwalk shops before the man could catch him. Wandering to an empty side street, the animal sneaked behind a dumpster and peered out to ensure that no one else was around. Satisfied, the animal ducked back behind its cover and immediately shifted to its human form.
Coughing awkwardly, Matt stepped out and made his way back to the main street on the docks, pocketing the dollar as he watched the man down on the docks throw a fit. Though he felt like laughing at the heist he'd pulled, he was feeling far from chipper. Rather dejectedly, the male walked down the docks, pulling his scarf closer around his neck as he left the struggling fishermen behind. It was only about nine AM- too early to be out and about, in his opinion. But he had dragged himself out of bed at this ungodly hour of the morning for a reason. Something that he couldn't live any longer without. The very important cornerstone of his day-to-day life. Coffee.
Trudging along the docks, Matt grumbled to himself about being short in money. He fingered the dollar bill in his pocket, certain that a buck wouldn't be enough to cover a cuppa joe. Nearly whining, he found a bench and sat down heavily, leaning back with a sigh and clutching his head dramatically. Since moving here, he had yet to find a cafe that sold fresh coffee. He'd been getting by on his own coffee maker at home. That morning, however, he'd awoken to discover the tragic fate that had befallen his poor coffee maker. And, of course, his own wallet had been missing for the past week in the clutter of his apartment as he tried to resort through the boxes and junk strewn about the living space. Matt groaned and dropped his hands, glaring absently at the laudromat across the street.
"I just want coffee. No thanks, I don't think laundry detergent will do the trick."
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Post by Mr. Peace-and-Logic on Jan 23, 2010 14:00:07 GMT -5
Scruffy was not a man who liked the cold. In his opinion, the best seasons of the year were those that were warm, the sun shining brightly and the air pleasantly heated so that a short-sleeved shirt was more than acceptable. Thick winter coats, scarves, gloves, and boots were simply too heavy and cumbersome for the coyote shifter, and the biting cold of winter was a pain in and of itself. Regardless of his personal tastes, Scruffy was walking around the harbor area, trying his best to keep himself warm. He battled against the salty winds as he made his way down the street, heading in the general area of his workplace. The cafe wouldn't open for another half hour at least, but he had to walk from his apartment. He still had quite a ways to go.
As the whistling gales around him, freezing and stingy with the sand carried from the ocean, turned his auburn ponytail into a heavy whip, Scruffy found himself cursing the weather. He could put up with the cold if it was at least snowing - he enjoyed a snowball fight as much as the next person - but all the town had gotten for the past month was the drop in temperature. Not a snowflake in sight! It had made the daily walk to the cafe a living hell. Hugging his black coat closer to his thin body, he inwardly sighed. No use grumbling about it now, he thought, an unhappy frown settling on his face. Complaining will just keep me out here longer. With that thought and an inward sigh, he picked up his pace again, walking briskly towards the docks.
"I just want coffee. No thanks, I don't think laundry detergent will do the trick."
Scruffy stopped again, head snapping in the direction of the unexpected voice. On a rather dreary bench sat another male, rather lanky and tall looking, staring dejectedly at a laundromat. His jet-black hair swooped up into a cowlick that was being tussled by the wind. His scarf, like Scruffy's, was pulled up over his chin, but was a great deal tighter. Was he talking to me? thought the red-haired man, eyebrow quirked into a confused position. No, I don't think so. He's not looking at me, and he said it before I walked by. Studying the stranger's face a little more, Scruffy could see his expression. He certainly didn't look happy, that's for sure.
"Hey, kid," Scruffy suddenly said, pulling his scarf a little further away from his mouth so he could speak more clearly. The man on the bench had a line free face and bright eyes, despite their melancholy glint. There were sure signs that the stranger wasn't as old as him. "Talking to yourself is the first sign that you're losing it." A kind, lazy grin had creeped onto his face, to show the other that he wasn't serious. "Sounds like you're having a less-than-chipper day, though."
((Not the best reply, but it's the best I could do. OTL))
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Post by Alex on Jan 23, 2010 14:59:54 GMT -5
The addict rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear the tiredness from them. He was still tired, and even after splashing cold water on his face after waking up, he hadn't felt any better. He needed his daily dose of caffeine, and the habit that he had grown so accustomed to for these past years had made anything but a cuppa joe ineffective. Matt pulled out the dollar bill from his pocket again, wondering if maybe there happened to be a Miracle Shop that sold coffee for a buck.
He could feel his stomach growl and Matt mumbled unhappily, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on them. His dark eyes glared across the street at the laundromat-that-didn't-sell-coffee, wishing that it were some kind of shop that did. A cold blast of air whipped his face, and he ducked against the chill until it passed. When he looked back up, there was another person standing there, and Matt jumped in surprise.
""Hey, kid," he said, and Matt blinked in surprise. "Talking to yourself is the first sign that you're losing it."
"I'm not a kid," Matt mentioned indignantly, reaching into his coat pocket, and meaning to pull out his wallet. Upon remembering that his wallet, containing both his ID and his money, was lost somewhere in the mess back home, his features pulled into a deeper frown. The other man didn't seem to take notice, however, and tugged at his scarf, revealing a loose smile. "Sounds like you're having a less-than-chipper day, though."
Matt laughed sourly, dropping his legs from the bench and standing up. He came up just below eye level with the stranger, and met his gaze evenly. "So it would seem. And no, I'm not losing it. I just haven't had my morning coffee yet."
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Post by Mr. Peace-and-Logic on Jan 23, 2010 20:04:26 GMT -5
Scruffy resisted the urge to laugh when the man on the bench grumbled about his "kid" comment. It was horribly ironic; that was the exact reaction he'd expect from a real kid. The darker haired man moved his hand into the depths of his coat, but almost immediately frowned and withdrew it. What was that all about? Scruffy mused, only somewhat concerned with the odd gesture. His thoughts breezed past it almost as soon as the other man let out a bark of bitter laughter.
Suddenly, the auburn-haired man had to take a half-step back as the stranger lifted himself from the bench, drawing himself up to his full height. Now that he was standing up, Scruffy was a little surprised to see how tall he was. It was hard to tell exactly, but he couldn't have been more than a couple inches shorter than the ex-bartender. The stranger made eye contact with Scruffy, his irritation evident in his dark eyes. If at all possible, Scruffy's eyebrows shot up even further towards his hairline; not just at the odd eye contact, but also at the expression on the new man's face.
"So it would seem," the kid remarked, replying to the other man's friendly comment about his crappy day. "And no, I'm not losing it. I just haven't had my morning coffee yet."
Scruffy's grin grew wider as he unexpectedly laughed, genuinely amused. "Jeez, that's one hell of a coincidence," he said after he calmed down, smile still present on his face. "I work at a coffee shop. It's a little ways away from here, but I'm heading over there now. If you want to come along, I can show you where it is." He wasn't sure why he was offering to walk a complete stranger over to his workplace, but it seemed like the right thing to do. The kid obviously looked unhappy, and he had a way to cheer him up. "But first, I kinda want to know - what's your name?"
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Post by Alex on Jan 23, 2010 21:53:13 GMT -5
As he rose to his feet, Matt noticed that the other man took a surprised step back. Inside, the shapeshifter felt a small flicker of satisfaction. This guy (who called him a kid) obviously wasn't doing anything to improve Matt's mood, and it was starting to slightly grate on his nerves that he was standing around here doing nothing. Distantly, he knew it was just his usual morning irritability, but he recognized that since he couldn't take out his anger on the laundromat, he would have to resort to being rather unfriendly to strangers who figured that they could approach him while he was wallowing in his sorrow. Taking a mental step back, he knew that it was unfair. However, he didn't feel compelled to make sure that he was on the good side of complete strangers that he'd most likely never see again in his life.
And of course, by an ironic stroke of unbelievable luck, the stranger gave an amused chuckle, then explained. "Jeez, that's one hell of a coincidence. I work at a coffee shop. It's a little ways away from here, but I'm heading over there now. If you want to come along, I can show you where it is." It seemed that it was Matt's turn now to be surprised, and his dark eyes widened a fraction at the sudden display of kindness. A coffee shop? Well, the guy had said that it was a little ways from here...but a few blocks' walk was well worth it, when compared to the alternative. The blackhaired man let out the smallest of laughs, a delighted smile lighting up his face. If anything, he could at least get out of this wretched cold.
The other man's voice brought him out of his mind's sudden buzz of excitement. "But first, I kinda want to know - what's your name?"
He responded with a genuine smile. "Of course! I'm sorry that we didn't really get to meet before. I'm Matt. Last name withheld, due to the fact that at the moment, I don't know you. And you are?"
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Post by Mr. Peace-and-Logic on Jan 24, 2010 21:27:56 GMT -5
The dark eyes of the stranger opened wider at the mention of a coffee shop, giving Scruffy a small bit of satisfaction. The surprised look on the younger man's face was a lot better than his previous expression - it had been a little standoffish and irritated, as though Scruffy's presence was a particular nuisance. Now, the stranger seemed to appreciate the offer. Needless to say, the coyote shifter was felt just the teensiest bit helpful.
After a half-second or so, the younger of the two actually smiled. Again, it added to Scruffy's sense of triumph, as he seemed to have actually established friendly connections. "Of course!" the stranger exclaimed, responding suddenly to Scruffy's inquiry. "I'm sorry that we didn't really get to meet before. I'm Matt. Last name withheld, due to the fact that at the moment, I don't know you. And you are?" Scruffy smirked; he liked this kid. He has a sense of humor, once you get past the jerk part of him, the coyote shifter mused.
"The name's Scruffy. That's not my real name, obviously, but that's what everyone calls me," the taller man remarked jokingly, trying to get the kid to remain in good spirits. The walk wouldn't have been much fun otherwise.
Suddenly, a cold breeze swept past the two, swirling the edges of their coats and moving right through the fabric of Scruffy's coat. The man shivered and drew his arms around him; they REALLY needed to get going. He was chilled down to his bones, and it was far too cold to keep standing there idly. "We should get going," he said, trying to keep his teeth from chattering. GOD, he hated winter. "I'm going to be late, and it's freezying cold out here."
((ARGH lame.))
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Post by Alex on Jan 31, 2010 22:19:15 GMT -5
The stranger smirked when Matt introduced himself. He watched the other steadily, assuring himself that the only reason he had laughed was because Matt had made a joke. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. It had better be the reason why.
"The name's Scruffy. That's not my real name, obviously, but that's what everyone calls me," the older man replied in a cheerful tone. Matt relaxed. He couldn't possibly be making fun of him if his own name was Scruffy.
The younger smiled. "Nice to meet ya, Scruffy."
Just then, the wind picked up, and Matt was forced to pull his scarf up further over his chin. Dear god, it was freezing out here. He noticed that Scruffy was buffeted by the chilly wind, too, and was relieved when the older man suggested that they move on.
"Sounds good to me," he mumbled from under his scarf, more than ready to get out of this damned weather. Glancing down the street, Matt wondered how far the cafe-place was. Deciding that Scruffy would tell him when they got there, he went ahead and started walking, hands shoved in his pockets against the chill.
"So! How'd you get so lucky as to work at this coffee shop? And, if you don't mind my asking, how much does a cup cost?" Of course, the last question was the most important. The first was just to be friendly, and he could hardly care less as to the response. Matt supposed that Scruffy would realize this, but at the moment, he was pretty unconcerned.
OOC|| SCRUFFY was buffeted by the wind! It's super effective!
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Post by Mr. Peace-and-Logic on Mar 20, 2010 12:53:05 GMT -5
"Nice to meet ya, Scruffy," Matt said, returning the auburn man's smirk. Scruffy had noticed that, seconds before, the shorter of the two's eyes had narrowed ever-so-slightly in a very unfriendly way, but the expression had changed almost as soon as it had come. Scruffy merely wrote it off as unimportant, or even his imagination, and promptly forgot about it.
Feeling a twinge of gratitude to Matt as soon as he heard a muttered statement of approval, Scruffy immediately started walking in a brisk pace to his workplace. The sooner they got out of the biting, bitter cold, the better. He took a small glance over his shoulder, just to check if Matt was following. He was, just a foot or so behind, matching his speed easily. Looks like he wasn't the only one who was freezing. Luckily, getting there would take only ten or so minutes, with the way they were walking.
"So! How'd you get so lucky as to work at this coffee shop? And, if you don't mind my asking, how much does a cup cost?" said the younger man suddenly, breaking the short silence between the two. Well, silence was relative - they weren't speaking, but the whistling gales and crashing ocean insured that there was no way for it to stay quiet. "Oh, well, I got it when I moved here a while back," said Scruffy casually. "There weren't any bars around that I could work at, so I took the next best job." He vaguely wondered if Matt was actually interested in hearing about his job record, and highly doubted it. From what he had seen of the kid, he didn't seem like a very friendly individual. "And depends on what you're getting. A cup of regular coffee costs around a buck fifty."
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Post by Alex on Mar 20, 2010 15:16:03 GMT -5
Matt stalked along behind Scruffy, pulling his checkered scarf more snugly over his face. Feeling flushed back into his covered skin, and he raised cupped hands to try and warm the edges of his ears. Listening to the man's voice float back to him on the gusty wind, Matt took a few quicker steps to catch up.
"Oh, well, I got it when I moved here a while back. There weren't any bars around that I could work at, so I took the next best job." He just moved in, too? That was one hell of a coincidence. Then again, it was a large city- meeting up with someone who was new to the area shouldn't be that uncommon, with all the population coming and going. But still.
"You worked as a bartender, huh? I've spent enough time sitting on the other side of the counter, wondering what it'd be like to be behind the bar. Ever have to break up any fights?" As an afterthought, Matt wondered how likely of a chance it was that they came from the same place before moving to Shelpey. He cast a furtive glance in a passing store window, trying to catch a second look at Scruffy's face. No..he didn't look familiar. That was a bit of a relief.
Matt's moment of confidence sank as Scruffy named the price for a regular coffee. A buck fifty? The black-haired man mentally turned the single dollar bill in his pocket. Where the hell was his wallet when he needed it? "That doesn't sound too pricey. Thanks for letting me know." Sure, it was a fair price, but it was still too much for him on that particular day. Casting his eyes to the ground as he walked, he hoped to catch the shiny glimpse of dropped change.
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Post by Mr. Peace-and-Logic on Mar 30, 2010 17:41:58 GMT -5
"You worked as a bartender, huh? I've spent enough time sitting on the other side of the counter, wondering what it'd be like to be behind the bar. Ever have to break up any fights?" Scruffy glanced over his black clad shoulder, eyebrows raised in a surprised expression. Color me wrong, he thought bemusedly, as a lazy smirk returned to his face. Seems the kid wants to talk after all. He honestly hadn't been expecting the further interest, coming from the younger man, but he welcomed it all the same. "Nah, I wasn't the one to do that. We had a guy that'd toss you out if he saw signs of things getting out of hand. I just mixed the drinks," he remarked, hoping to continue the conversation.
Though Matt thanked him politely, and commented on the fair pricing of the coffee, Scruffy could pick up a heavy undertone of disappointment. He raised an auburn eyebrow, though the kid couldn't actually see his expression, and began wondering what it was about. Did he not have enough or something? That was really the only thing he could think of. Taking a quick glance at a reflective store window, the ex-bartender could see the dark-haired man behind him scanning the ground casually, eyes flicking to the side every now and again. Whatever the case was, and disappointment or not, Scruffy was just a little freaked out by the odd behavior.
"Oh, hey," said the coyote shifter suddenly, a smile forming on his face. His hand suddenly went up in the air, his pointer finger raised like he was going to point something out. "Special half-off discount just for coming along for the walk, kid. Going to work would have been really friggin' boring if you didn't." Though he didn't really understand why Matt had such a gloomy tone, he hoped that saving a good seventy five cents would brighten him up a bit.
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