Round here, we're carving out our names. Round here, we all look the same.

[archangelet]

Chicago's never been a quiet city, since it became a city at all, and today is no exception. Things are happening, people are doing things.

Steve is in the Coffee Shop. He just got out of a meeting with a loan officer and a guy with a building to lease out. They're both supernatural folks themselves, so they're a bit more appreciative of the

Comments

[callinallfreaks]

Huck doesn't do stuff like reading. Reading is for people who...are better at it. Not that Huck will admit that. She's just a movie and TV enthusiast, really.

Which begs the question of why she's at the library in the first place. The answer? Sneaking onto the internet. The journals are all very well and good, but she's got mundane school friends too.

There aren't a lot of other people on the steps of the library when she comes out, and she can't help but notice how that girl just...looks really unhappy about something. It's not really her business, sure, she knows.

But she's going to plop down on the steps next to Maria anyway. "'ey," she says. "Y'alright?"

[weallendupalone]

Maria looks up, startled, and instantly answers, "Yeah, 'course." Which is... so very believable, but it's one of those instincts, right?

...Right?

[callinallfreaks]

Huck half-smiles at that, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees. "Sure y'are. Y'ain't very good at lyin', y'know," she says.

Then shrugs. "Guess I wouldn' wanna tell a total stranger what was buggin' me, though. Name's Huck." She'd offer a hand, Maria, except she's not that polite. And a teenager, which means one has to keep one's air of mysterious coolness or something, and handshakes are definitely not cool.

[weallendupalone]

Maria makes a face. "I can be. You just... startled me, is all!" She can totally lie! Her dad had no idea she was involved in saving the world for a long time.

"Maria. I just miss my friends is all. They're back in England." In... another universe. But that's too complicated to explain.

[killwithmymind]

Nagi has been wandering around in the Gauche for a while because he's restless again. He supposes his body has gotten used to a certain amount of exercise or something, because he's certainly not violently unhappy or anything.

The sounds coming from the training room draw his attention, so he takes a look inside. He's naturally quiet, what with being small and all, so of Tay doesn't notice him right away, he'll just lean against the wall near the door and watch her for a bit. He likes how her movements make the room seem fuller.

[isntalwaysevil]

Given that Edward doesn't sleep like a normal person, the only time he really lets Henry out is when he needs to not be conscious anymore, especially after Henry epicly failed at not being made of utter fail. Henry takes what he can get, however, and he took advantage of Edward's snoozing to visit that forger everyone talks about (even though he has moral hang-ups about her operation and told her so and she proved to be snarkier and more vindictive than Edward). Long story short, he now has teaching credentials- he always wanted to be a teacher and, well, given that being around children tends to block Edward out completely (or, so he thinks- it sure as hell works for Edward). Plus before he was sort of forced into AJ Sun, he kinda wanted to be a teacher.

And when you combine Henry walking down the street with his head in the clouds and Rose and Cassandra having mostly internal debates, it stands to reason that they might, well, bump into each other. Literally.

[fantasticrose]

And bump they do, as Cassandra makes a disparaging remark about Rose and her reluctance to show off her assets, and so the first thing out of their mouth is, "Watch where you're going, you--" which is almost immediately cut off by Rose shoving and smiling apologetically (and pretending that first thing didn't happen).

"Sorry, didn't notice you there, you all right?"

[isntalwaysevil]

Henry's first response is to just flail and apologize a lot. "Sorry. I wasn't actually looking where I was going. Mind wandering and all, which is really dangerous in a city like this, but I'm from LA, and... Yeah, I'm all right."

He composes himself, tries not to think too much about the fact that this girl sort of had a completely different reaction at first, because Henry has had it with people being operatives or whatever around him.

"Are you okay?" He asks, after a brief pause. Awkward Henry is awkward, but in an endearing way. You know, the same way nothing that Edward does is endearing at all.

[fantasticrose]

"Yeah," Rose responds, tucking her hair behind her ear, in an unconscious motion that really calls attention to the "W"-shaped scar on her cheek. "Just... shopping for my wedding dress! Having a bit of an argument with... myself."

As if I'd be anything like you, you... chav.

If that's the best you can do, Cassandra, you might want to consider a new career path or get a better dictionary.

[akablackkitty]

Marshall has invaded a local Radio Shack and is now making his way back to the Kashtta with a bag full of interesting toys to go with the collection of interesting toys he has scattered about his office. He stops, however, when he notices the fliers and finds himself tracing them back to their source.

"Hey," he says, trotting over to Dusty with a big grin, gesturing vaguely to the fliers. "Thanks for the, uh, support. Speaking purely as a, well, you know, I gotta say when people stick up for us, it... Feels kinda good."

Hey, if she's going to all this effort, it's only nice to make sure she knows that she's appreciated.

[please_see_me]

Dusty glances up sharply, and quickly breaks into a wide smile. She likes helping.

"Well, it would sorta be silly for me not to," she admits as she lets her wings out. They're... kinda obvious. "I can't do anything cool like give speeches, like my girlfriend does, 'cause the muggles can't see me."

Beat.

"Oh, um, that's what I call the normal people. Like from Harry Potter!"

[akablackkitty]

Oh hey, wings! Pretty wings. "Oh, so you're a, uh, Children's Angel? The first angel I met was a Children's Angel, actually." This is probably for the best, considering Marshall. "And, yeah, well, most of the big plans involve a lot of, uh... Things that eventually devolve into violence. This is... Nicer."

Things like the riot kinda make Marshall a bit twitchy and, well, he knows how big, public speeches can go.

If it's at all possible, Marshall's face brightens more. Fellow dorks, unite! "Yes! Big fan of Harry Potter. We only had up to the, um, fourth book where I came from, so it was really exciting to just wander into a bookstore and SURPRISE! The last three." He bobbles his head a bit. "There are some perks to being a wanderer, I think."

Marshall is a really simple sort of person, really. And adorably so.

[please_see_me]

Dusty makes a little squee noise. "Omigod, and Mrs. Weasley and Neville in book seven, are you kidding me? It was so cool!" And then she remembers the rest of the conversation.

"Oh, and, yeah, Children's Angel. Only since last December. I grew up in Woodbridge?" Just in case he knows his Chicago suburbs. "But I live in the Conrad now 'cause the people back home can't see me."

She's not dwelling on that, though. NEW FRIEND. NEW FRIEND TO GEEK WITH.

New friend who could totally teach her to hack computers. That would be fun.

[ornobodywill]

Mac is actually sprawled across a park bench on her back not far from where Toph is sitting, staring up at the sky and wishing to God that she was back in the army and not here. She's not one to mope and it's not that she hates Chicago, but... Well, it was more her thing being in the middle of a battlefield all the time and hanging out with her squad

[heartheearth]

See, the nice thing about being Toph is that people don't sneak up on you, normally. So she's not really all that surprised when Mac speaks to her, even if she wasn't expecting what she said.

So she gives it a few seconds of thought, then grins.

"Cool. Can I come?"

[ornobodywill]

Mac rolls over on her side and props her head up. "Wouldn't have mentioned it, otherwise, and, honestly, every time I go near a kid in this city, something attacks me anyway, so I might as well beat it to the punch." She shrugs. "Also, you look like you could use something to beat down on as much as I could."

They speak the same language. The language of BEATALLANDSUNDRYTOHELL. It is the best language.

[heartheearth]

The best. Toph grins, and it's more than a little predatory. "I could use a few somethings to beat down on. I don't think one will last long enough."

Smug? Self-confident? Whyever would you attach those words to sweet helpless little Toph?

...yeah, okay, even as sarcastic narration I can't say that with a straight face. I'll just build this fourth wall back up again...