The House of Dawnbreaker

[JA-394]

In his usual spot, by one of the windows overlooking the street, sat Copperhead, who was in a bit worse shape than earlier. Being out in the air was bad for him, actually. It stirred up his allergies. Anyway, he had a cold one at his table, an empty one at that, and was visibly shivering despite his heavy outfit.

"Hey Tyson, gemme another Colorado!" he vocalized over the music.

"Sure thing, Copperhead," replied Tyson Hellkins from behind the bar. An average-sized, muscular, and short-tempered man who was going bald despite his age of late 30's, (Dark brown hair, by the way, not red) fetched a Colorado Cool-Aid from the cooler and came over to Copperhead and sat it down in front of him.

"You alright, man?" he asked Copperhead, one of the few people who took the time to converse with him and not immediately brush him off as a prude.

"Bah, just that time-o year," Copperhead replied, picking up the beer with a trembling hand and taking a sip, "Looks like you got some new customers."

"Yeah... Hey!"

Tyson's manner went from worried to prude-ish in an instant as he stalked over to the newcomers, Copperhead shaking his head at them as if to say, 'I'm sorry' in the background.

"Welcome to the Oversight Cafe, can I get ya anything?"

[Rattler]

On the road to Nulsa was a blue sports motorcycle. It had a few dings, but it ran just fine. Its rider pulled off for a moment and came to a stop before pulling off the helmet, releasing unruly shoulder length red hair. Her hair could almost pass her off as a brunette. Almost.

"Ok... lets see," she said as she checked a small map. "Few more miles and I'll be there. Gonna get some good pics on this trip."

After slipping the map back into her backpack, Jennifer Joyce smiled, thought about getting a taco when she got to Nulsa, and put her helmet back on. It wasn't long after that she was back on the road.

[Tyler294]

"Well uh..." Karl hesitantly started to say, not sure how restaurant protocol went, "We need a table... for five of us... and drinks?"

While Karl was talking, another person entered the cafe behind the group that was still standing in the entryway, being a bothersome roadblock to any patrons trying to get in or out. He slipped around the five without word and headed toward another table along the wall, not to far from where Copperhead was seated. Already at said table was a male alien of unknown origin in a blue jumpsuit and a half-human, half-Zabrak, poncho-wearing woman with absurdly long, poofy brown hair. The latest arrival joined them at the table and after a greeting, the three began to speak of some sort of mountain trip in hushed voices.

A teenaged human girl with jet-black hair approached the table and took some drink orders, before passing by Copperhead's table. She had a perpetually tired look to her, though today seemed worse than normal. She greeted the repeat customer with a faint smile as she passed.

"Hi Copperhead."

[JA-394]

Copperhead nodded to her.

"Raven," he said.

Tyson took a look back for empty tables, and saw two of them he could mash together across from Copperhead.

"Sure," he muttered, going over to said tables and placing them together and moving the chairs, seven total, in place.

"You're gonna have to order. I can't read minds," he responded to Karl.

"I recommend the Colorado or the Tennessee," Copperhead spoke up, "Colorado if you like it old-fashioned, Tennessee if you like it smooth."

[Tyler294]

"Um... the Colorado I guess?" Karl replied, before taking a seat once Tyson had finished rearranging tables.

The folks at the table nearby seemed slightly annoyed that people were moving in so close to them.

[InyriHalon]

Mirri eased up to the bar. "Can I get a Louisiana?" She threw a wink at the guy who had just ordered. "I like it spicy."

[JA-394]

Tyson shot the folks at the nearby table a look then said, "Raven, take care of her," referencing Mirri as he wrote down 'Colorado' on his pad.

"Anything else for you fine folk?" he asked, stumbling a bit on the word 'fine', as though he dreaded having to say it.

This whole thing had Copperhead's full attention now, though it probably shouldn't, since his ability to hold was getting worse by the second, evidenced by the bottle shaking rather violently as he tried to drink it, which he seemed oblivious to.

[Tyler294]

"Yes, sir." Raven replied unenthusiastically, before going behind the bar and filling a glass with a "Louisiana", then pushing it in front of Mirri.

Karl evidently had his attention elsewhere and didn't actually notice Mirri was looking at him.

//Coin flipped on that, got a no.//

[InyriHalon]

"Thank ye kindly." Mirri saluted the bartender with her drink, then took a sip. "Hmm, not bad." She turned to the man at the table. "How do ye like yours?" The man had the look of a fellow traveler about him, though not the same sort of traveler as she. He was more the gets-glared-at-until-he-leaves-town-and-the-dust-settles-behind-him sort.

[Tyler294]

"I uh, don't drink alcohol often." Karl replied, "Once in a while I'd get a little whiskey or moonshine, but usually only when it was cold outside or I was sick."

Perhaps noticeably, perhaps not, Karl was reserving the seat directly beside him, as if he was holding it for someone specific.

[InyriHalon]

"So what brings ye to the lovely town of Nulsa?" She inquired, leaving the bar and taking the seat he was so courteously holding for her. "Business?" She waggled her eyebrows. "Pleasure? What's your story?" She hummed happily to herself; so many stories in this town.

[DeadJim]

After watching the two, a smirk emerged on Ada's face.

"So Karl, are you married?"

[Tyler294]

Karl's demeanor changed when Mirri took the seat, however.

"Hey, my sister was sitting there." he scowled indignantly, holding up a "just a minute" finger to Ada.

[InyriHalon]

Mirri's eyes widened to a near-impossible degree. "Oh, dear, is the poor lass microscopic? That happened to a friend of mine once; he got inhaled by a leprechaun and got sneezed out, never to be seen again. If so, I apologize for squashing her; it was most unconsciously done. I assure ye, I didnae see her."

She stood with exaggerated care, inspecting her erstwhile seat carefully. "Wee lassie, are ye all right?" She bent her ear as close as it could get to the chair without touching it. "I cannae hear anything. I think I've killed her for sure." Her accent thickened in her distress.

The troubadour's peculiar behavior had garnered a great deal of attention and no small number of snickers, but she did not appear to notice.

[JA-394]

Copperhead suddenly dropped his Colorado, his condition having deteriorated to such a state he couldn't hold it anymore.

"Dammit!" he swore under his breath as his beer spilled on the floor. He quickly reached reached into his coat and retrieved an adrenal and with a trembling hand injected himself in the neck with it, his condition instantly stabilizing, then looked around, hoping no one had noticed.

[Garyn Dakari]

    A certain weasel-like animal had noticed, and it was sitting on a table near him staring at him with the most judgmental eyes one could imagine on a creature that size.

[Tyler294]

Karl just stared at Mirri.

"You're mocking me, aren't you?"

Raven was facepalming from the bar, both at Karl/Mirri and at Copperhead. Especially Copperhead, since she'd be the one having to clean up his mess.

[InyriHalon]

"Why on earth would ye think such a thing? Truly, sir, I am verra concerned. Yer sister could be dead, or dying, or..." Her hands flew up to her mouth in horror. "What if she's stuck to my skirt?" She twisted around to peer down at her backside. "If she's truly microscopic, then I'll never get her off. And this was my favorite skirt," she mourned. Her hair looked like it was beginning to develop streaks of verdigris, looking for all the world like copper just starting to oxidize.

She turned her attention away from her posterior and looked at Karl with an expression as innocent and sad as a lost puppy's. "Oh, sir, I am terribly sorry. It is an awful thing to have a sister sat upon. I had a sister, a wee, pixie creature, who was sat upon by a troll. He was verra upset; 'twas dreadful."

[Tyler294]

"My sister is a ghost." Karl deadpanned.

[Garyn Dakari]

    A table away, Quintin's head perked up at that.

[InyriHalon]

"Oh!" Mirri beamed. "Well, that is a relief, 'cause one can neither squash nor kill a ghost. I can usually see ghosts, though, so that's why I didnae guess it right off. She must be a very strange manner of ghostie for me to not see her." She frowned a little, then smiled again. "What is her story?"

[Tyler294]

Karl looked rather uncomfortable right now, given he'd largely been mocked and avoided in his hometown because of the ghost, among other reasons. He cast a nervous glance across the group at the table with him, before replying:

"She's my twin who died as a baby, but she came back to keep me company as I grew up."

[InyriHalon]

Mirri let out a low whistle. "Weel, that is a verra unusual sort of ghostie. Mayhap I cannae see her because she is more a part of ye than she is her own creature. Or mayhap she just likes hide-and-seek." She waited a moment, then elbowed Karl. "Well, are ye going to introduce me to the lass? It tain't polite to sit on a body and not even ken their name."

[JA-394]

Copperhead was staring at the scene unfolding in front of him, not trying to hide his doing so.

[Tyler294]

"Her name is Ari and she says hello... and that she's happy to have her chair back." Karl replied after a moment.