Coffee After An Appointment

[Enrique]

It had become something of a tradition for Enrique and Marta to spend the day doing fun things on the days of her psychology appointments.  They would go get lunch or some sort of treat or maybe go shopping at the GUM.  Enrique always let Marta decide, but it was getting to be where she would want to spend that time with friends soon - especially since she was making friends.

Marta had changed quickly in the last week.  Online school had been a good choice for her and going to Kallisti had been helpful as well.  That still surprised Enrique, but Marta was growing.  The other kids there had accepted her without question.  Then she had gone to a group session with them and Elyse's friend Hayden and her confidence had soared.  She still struggled.  The previous day she had a minor episode, but given that it was minor and her issues were becoming less frequent, she was healing a bit more.

Marta had wanted to go to the coffee shop she had seen Elyse and her friends in the other day, and of all things, she wanted coffee.  That was new too.  Elyse had informed him that Marta was showing interest in boys now too.  She just was growing up, and that would make things more difficult, but still, she viewed Enrique like a big brother. Marta ordered a cappuccino and sat down, Enrique sitting across from her.

"How is school going?" he asked her.  

"Fine - working hard and learning a lot.  Sterling helps when I don't understand things. It's easier with the smaller group and being with friends," she said honestly.  "Did you have fun the nights I was with Elyse."

Enrique smiled.  They had been enjoyable evenings. "I did - made a new friend myself." He and Marisol had a dinner date one night, but neither one felt ready for anything besides friendship and Enrique was content with that.

"Oh," Marta said with a mischievous smile. "Is it a girlfriend?"

"No it's not like that at all..."

"Ricky's got a girlfriend...Ricky's got a girlfriend..." she said in a teasing singsong voice. "I'm kidding! Glad you had fun!"

It was things like that that reinforced that Marta was changing.  She never would have teased him like that before.  Enrique was getting the idea that he was beginning to see what Marta would have been before her trauma.  Now that it was being dealt with, it was starting to come out.

[Marta]

Marta drank her cappuccino which was a new beverage for her. She found out what people liked it so much. It was delicious. Splash was underneath the table, just relaxing. "Elyse isn't doing well," she told Ricky, moving into a more serious tone.

Ricky looked concerned. "What's going on?"

Marta looked down, a little sad. "Apparently she's been struggling with...thoughts of hurting herself. I got to talk to her on the phone yesterday and texted her this morning. She's getting help, but not doing okay. You should send her good thoughts every once in awhile. I think Anna is staying with her now too." Ricky didn't know Anna except by sight, but he would be glad to know she wasn't alone.

Ricky nodded. "I will," he said after a moment, and she saw he sent a text - probably to Elyse.

Marta, now in a serious mood continued. "Ricky - why don't you hunt anymore," her voice was quiet. She knew what Ricky was, and he wasn't one of the bad ones who killed people like her, but she wondered why he didn't hunt monsters anymore.

Ricky sighed. "It's...complicated. I'll explain sometime, just not today."

Marta nodded. "I ask because I was in the dream and found a cave - and there is something bad there. I don't know what it is." Ricky gave her a level look. She wasn't supposed to go into the dream alone. "I think someone should check it out." she finished before he could interject. Ricky apparently still did work for the Atharim, it just wasn't hunting anymore. Maybe he could send someone out to look.

[Cade]

Cade got a cryptic message from his half-brother.

Meet me at the café you met the girls at.

The biggest part about it all was how did he know where he'd met the girls? And how was he supposed to know which girls he even meant. This was some seriously weirding Cade out but he went anyway. The weather was still blistering cold, he was certain that it was only getting colder.

He ordered a coffee and sat down unzipping his coat and tossing it over the back of his chair unceremoniously. It wasn't the same spot he'd been in before, he was closer to the door and flipping through his wallet as he waited for his brother.

[Nox]

Ashton had a basic content happy song in the folder with in an hour of Nox asking. He hadn't meant for the guy to do it immediately, but he obviously felt obligated. Nox would have to say something. He wasn't any of their bosses, specially Ashton and Liv's and they needed to learn to make decisions for themselves. He wasn't going to replace the Blackthorns and be their so-called master. They were free to do what they wanted.

"Sky, I need to make an on going play list that is subtle in my ear at all times for the shared folder with Ashton. The playlist shouldn't be put on repeat for the whole thing, I'll control it with the lens warriors. I want to be able to hear my other music and all other audio at the same time. Can you do that for me?"

Sky spoke in his ear. "I can. Any other conditions?"

"There will be once they are available for now we are just gonna get this one song on repeat until Ashton comes up with more for me."

Nox spoke to the AI like he did Sage. He wondered if Wicked was going to get jealous, or if he'd done it on purpose so he'd stop bothering him for what Sage probably thought was mundane stupid shit. Probably a little bit of both.

Lily cooed up at him as they walked the cold streets. He might end up getting a cab or taking the subway more with out the power. It was hard getting used to being without it. All the little things he used to do -- now were so much harder in the real world.

The café he was meeting Cade at was one of his favorites. Not because of the coffee or food, but because that's where he could see Thalia's work. He missed her a great deal and their lack of communication while she was incommunicado across the world was grating on him. He had so much to tell her. And then again now he didn't even feel that annoyance. Hey Sky, send Thal a text for me. The horde is gone. So is the power. I think I'm going insane. End text

"I shouldn't sent End Text?"

Nox rolled his eyes at the Sky's humor. "Sage has had way too much fun with you."

"Not as much fun as he hopes you have with me." She chirped back at him.

Nox pulled open the door and saw Cade sitting nearby and as he walked up to the counter noticed Marta and she waved at him. He gave her a friendly smile and a wave as he unzipped the puffy jacket so he and Lily didn't die in the now superheated room. God he missed the power.

Nox ordered a black coffee and went to sit down across from the blond who claimed to be his brother.

[[ Marta modded with permission ]]

[Enrique]

Enrique wasn’t a little taken aback that Marta had entered the dream - seemingly alone. Well not alone - Splash would have gone with her, but still, she wasn’t supposed to do that. She was stretching her boundaries and beginning to fully understand her powers. She knew Elyse often didn’t venture there. Elyse had mentioned nightmares she had experienced there. He wasn’t aware how much time Sierra spent there.

It was difficult for Enrique to face the fact he didn’t hunt anymore, and he really should tell Marta why, but he was afraid that she would blame herself. It really wasn’t her fault but it could be easily interpreted as that.

A man entered and Marta waved at him. He looked vaguely familiar, but Enrique couldn’t place him. ”That’s Nox,” Marta informed him. ”Its his building I go to in the mornings. He once came to your bar in Mexico.”

Then Enrique remembered. There was another man with him too, but that hardly mattered to Enrique. Elyse trusted him and Marta did too. Marta didn’t give her trust easily either. Marta looked at him, slight concern in her eyes, but Enrique knew her well enough that he wouldn’t push her on it. She didn’t want to talk about it.

”Tell me about this cave,” he change the topic to something she seemed to want to talk about.

[Marta]

Marta saw Nox enter and gave him a wave. Marta hoped he was better today than yesterday, but with all the scents in the coffee shop, she wouldn’t be able to differentiate between his and all the others. She wasn’t close enough for that. Marta was sort of grateful for that. His scent wasn’t bad; it was just…off. It made her want to shiver.

Ricky changed the subject, and Marta was okay with that. She didn’t want to discuss Nox’s odd scent with Ricky. The cave, a subject of some guilt for Marta since she wasn’t supposed to have gone to the dream, actually seemed like a more comfortable subject for her.

”Its was in the woods to the east of the city. I could probably point out the location on a map. At least close to where it was. There was something there. I didn’t like that place and neither did Splash. We left quickly…it just smelled…bad.”

Marta took a sip of her drink and Ricky looked lost in thought. ”You think it’s here too?” he asked.

Marta shrugged. ”I don’t know. Nothing came out to attack or chase us. I just think - someone should make sure. I was scared Ricky.” Ricky starts to think again, and Marta thought it might be good to give him some space. ”Is it okay if I get a donut? Do you want something.” Ricky nodded at her about getting a donut, but said he didn’t want anything for himself. Marta went to the counter and asked the nice lady there for a jelly donut and went back to her seat.

[Cade]

A man with a baby strapped to his chest sat down with him. There were other empty tables and Cade looked up and was about to say something when he recognized the man, but... when did the baby. Nothing he'd found had said there as a baby involved. Did he kidnap it?

"I didn't know you had a kid."

Nox chuckled. "I didn't know I had a brother."

Right to the point. "Yeah, neither did I. Well at least not on my mother's side." Cade held out his hand. "Kincaid Reece, but everyone calls me Cade since Kincaid is my father."

"Nox Durante. Cade, why did you seek me out?"

Cade laughed. "You really are blunt aren't you?"

Nox licked his lips and dropped his gaze like he was thinking. "Sorry. Yeah, direct is my typical MO. I could be a little more tactful, I suppose. Got a lot on my mind." Which didn't look to be the full truth, but he didn't want to talk about it so Cade wouldn't press.

"The why isn't really important yet. I have a reason, but I'm not just here for that. I have a brother I know nothing about. You are like non-existent before Moscow and everything I find here is viral videos and extraordinary abilities. I kinda want to know who you are now. After meeting Anna and Elyse, I get the feeling you are a good person to know. I have a lot of questions."

Nox tugged off the big puffy jacket and untied the bundle of joy from his chest and held her in the crook of his arm. She was so tiny. She looked healthy. He looked like he cared for her. He even smiled as she coo'd up at him. He took a long swig of his coffee and nearly spit it out. "Fuck that's hot."

It was coffee, of course it was hot. Something was off about this guy. But he didn't let it phase him for long as he turned his attention back to Cade. "I want to know the reason you are here. It won't affect how we proceed. You saught me out for a reason and it wasn't so we could catch up."

He really was blunt. It wasn't even a facade. He didn't try to hid it behind a smile or friendliness. "Uh. That's personal, but I guess. My son died of genetic defect and I wanted to know my family history. So I dug into my mother's past to find that she had lived, and that she had another family. I realize she's passed now, but I was hoping you'd know more."