The Corner Den

Crosby Street…

It was one of the quieter streets of the city. There wasn’t much traffic here, though it was a decent enough tourist spot. It didn’t have the draw of Time’s Square, but it certainly had a charm to it between the apartments and small businesses that ran here. With the sun setting beneath the horizon of the city the street was basked in a fading golden light and a pleasant coolness that offset the humid day.

It was here that Sam found himself on this lazy Sunday, a day of heroing behind him now. The day was spent handling patrols around the city and early morning training with Melody. It wasn’t a day that was particularly different or difficult compared to others, but he felt exhausted. He had actually managed to stop a relatively serious crime during the afternoon, a bank robbery by a meta. He even got interviewed by a reporter before making his escape. He never cared for that kind attention, but they made it hard to escape them afterwards.

Of course, there was also the police report that followed and that alone would be enough to put him down for the rest of the day. He was used to the paperwork, but it was still a drain on him. And then the questions with obvious answers. It was all so hecking draining.

It was days like this that Crosby street was just what he needed. He didn’t even need to drop his hero attire or the black coating to his skin. People here knew him for the most part, but they were chill. The kind of folk who would thank him but not really push into details or ask all the complex of questions. It was the perfect place to just unwind after a long day and take it easy. Of course, he had a specific location he liked to visit here.

The Corner Den. It was a light night café, popular with college students who did work. They had a live stage where they put on jazz music and coffee that could wake up a coma patient. The pastries weren’t half bad either. More importantly, they didn’t mind Sam, or as they knew him, Odd, coming in and relaxing for a few hours. They even, occasionally, threw him a free cup of coffee. Joe, the owner, had a soft spot for Odd after he helped his son get out of trouble with a gang he had fallen into. Sam had helped everyone in that gang break out of the lifestyle and be more productive to society, but specifically he had helped Joe’s son.

As he entered he was greeted by Joe’s laugh and warm pat on the shoulder. “Odd, my boy! I saw you on the news earlier. Doing our city proud, boy.”

“Oh, it was nothing. Just my job, sir.” He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. “My usual spot open?”

“You know it, Odd, come on. I’ll get your favorite roast brewing. First one’s on me.”

“Thanks, Joe. I’ll probably be here for a bit, so keep the pot going.”

Joe laughed at that and left Sam to go to his table. Letting out a relieved sigh he moved through the room, giving a few nods and waves to regulars he had known, and then plopped himself down right on the bench, letting his head fall to the table, exhausted…

Griffin's body soared through the air before colliding with the hard asphalt under him. "And stay out, freak!" The large musclebound man turned back towards the door, abandoning the lad who laid crumpled up in agony from having the wind knocked out of him. He slowly moved his hand to begin propping up his upper body, then began to work on getting his legs back underneath him. Not even a few seconds later, a book came flying out the door, smacking him in the head and toppling him back to the ground. "And don't forget your shit!" A similar voice yelled out, before the door slammed shut. Tears rolled down Griffin's face as he hobbled back to the sidewalk, after being assaulted with the sounds of car horns. He waved his hand up, apologetically "Sorry..sorry..i'm moving, i'm moving." He moved his way further down the road, to avoid angering the shop owner any further before finally slumping down against a rough brick wall.

The youngster curled up, covering his body partially with his wings. The feathers fluttered in the wind, tears beginning to soak the ground beneath him as Griffin trembled in not only sorrow, but anger. Small embers began to spark across his body, before he finally took a breath, pushing the violent thoughts out of his head. Finally, he peered up, looking around at the folks who seemed to be staring at him, now all looking frantically in other directions.

Rowan hated New York. There was something about the city that exemplified his very disdain for the species of Humanity, something that offended him to the core.  Max, the spotted cur however was wagging his tail with the same level of excitement that always radiated around him. “Rowan Rowan, can I have a treat?” The dog questioned in the language all animals seemed to speak, tongue hanging out and eyeing him questioningly, tail wagging quickly.

”Yeah,” He frowned, removing a small strip of jerky from a satchel, letting the dog snap it up followed by a few seconds of affectionately licking at his fingers. Well, he knew how to show gratitude for being fed.  The young half-fey didn’t get much attention from those walking past him, save for small side glances which likely assumed his mental state. Only crazy people talked to dogs, right? Luckily they couldn’t see past the glamour he weaved over himself.

Now that would have lead to more questions.

The dog scented the air, acting as his nose for blight within the area. Anything that would have needed cleansing, that would have needed to be done away with. Humans likely wouldn’t have even thought that an issue but they were lost within their time of modern conveniences. Not that he’d allow himself to walk into any of the modern buildings as of yet, feeling a strange apprehension just from looking at the concrete and steel monoliths. As if some unknown monster lurked within them.

“Nu uh, none of that bad stuff.” Max told him, still wagging his tail at him excitedly. The sound of shouting and something else drew the attention of his canine friend and like a bullet he shot off. Running around the legs of a few people and he followed as soon as he noted where he was going. The spotted dog stopped before what looked like a down male, large red wings folded against his back. He sniffed at his face a little and began to lick at his cheeks a little, which Rowan saw no real issue with. A few glared at the winged male, though they said nothing.

He knelt down, green eyes scanning over the seemingly inhuman male. ”Are you hurt?” he questioned, scanning for injuries but seeing none from the cursory glance.

The door of the cafe opened up, however there was nobody seemingly in the doorway. Much of the patrons were of normal height, so when the 3' 6" humanoid porcupine girl pushed through the door, the people didn't notice her right away. Her boots tapped the floor lightly as she began to make her way deeper into the establishment. The odd creature would make sure to keep her distance from any other humans hanging around the place, honestly waiting for someone to grunt in disgust or throw her out.

Lauren grasped the seam of her gloves, pulling them lightly to make sure they were sitting properly on her palms and knuckles. A once over in the cafe, and Lauren found a nice secluded corner to recede to as she waited patiently for either a warning, or a waiter. This place wasn't just somewhere she picked at random, but somewhere that seemed to tolerate the more strange and unusual patrons. As she settled into her corner, she placed her small satchel on the seat next to her, keeping her favourite flask nearby, just in case this place didn't serve alcohol.

Lauren noticed that the big guy knew the hero, so to speak. It could have been simply notoriety that proceeded him, though honestly he didn't look all that fancy. Odd.... what a strange name for a hero. The little porcupine would pull out her phone, pulling up a little information on the so called hero that was relaxing in the cafe after his long day. Her eyes scanned over the various videos and comments about this character, watching how he works and how the people of the city admire him. The black skin is like a mask all in it's own.

"Black skin..... shite, that's fucking creepy. I can see why they call him Odd, now."

She couldn't help but chuckle after that comment she made to herself. There was something funny about a guy who turned black, coming to a cafe to drink coffee, who's owner is named Joe. This whole place is starting to feel like a joke. Regardless, he seemed to have a cool portal power. That would be something if she could utilize that power for a gizmo.... though she'd need some spare parts. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. For now she waits for service, or at least acknowledgement of her presence in the cafe.

It had taken a few moments for Sam's coffee to arrive, but when it did, he wasted now time sipping it down. He didn't seem all that bothered by the heat of it, not flinching at it. Was he not burned by the heat? Or was he just used to it? It was hard to tell based on how he enjoyed it. As he drank, though, he would reach to his pocket and pull out a flip phone. A dated thing, but he navigated it well and with impressive speed. He returned a text on it and slipped it back away. Strangely enough, that was probably what most people here thought was the most odd about him, that phone, no one else seemed to mind his...appearance.

Of course, he was so enamored by his coffee hadn't noticed the new strange individual who had entered the Corner Den. After a long day like this, he just sort of wanted to relax and rest his senses. It was something he still had to work on, being ever vigilant. If there was an issue he'd be able to act quickly, but noticing strange events before they happened...that was something he had to train himself to do when he wasn't patrolling. Though, that's not to say others in the Corner Den didn't notice the small woman.

Joe, while at first having missed her, eventually did spot her. He moved over to her with that same bright and cheery smile he had. He was never one to discriminate against anyone, regardless of any race, affliction, or power they had. Everyone was welcomed in the Corner Den. Everyone. No exceptions to this. Well, maybe thieves. But he was also forgiving. Liked to give second chances when he could. Regardless, gave her a nod. "Well, hello there! Welcome!" Before he had moved over he did pick up on that glance towards Odd and while he didn't hear it, he saw her mouth move as she made a comment about him. "That's Odd, a local hero, and a personal favorite customer. I'm sure he'd love you. He loves people with powers." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "If you want to join him I'm sure he'd welcome the company. If not, sit wherever you want and I'll send someone over to help you." He gave a nod and turned, moving back to the main counter as he checked on someone else's order. It was a casual place. Laid back and perfect for anyone looking for a good place to chill out, escape the problems of the world.

After what felt like an eternity of solitude, Griffin felt a warm wet..fleshy thing slap against his cheek and roughly move up towards his eye.. Confused beyond belief, he looked up, only to realize it was a dog. He smiled shyly, reaching out and scratching dog behind the ear with one hand, and stroking the back of his neck with the other. Animals were always such wonderful company, never caring what you looked like, what you were..maybe how you smell, depending how long it has been since your last shower; but beyond that, they were always there for you. His ear twitched at the sound of a voice, his heart dropping for a second before he could comprehend what they were saying. His eyes met with what seemed to be a normal human teenager, before they darted towards the ground, as if it were against the law for him to do such a thing.

"Yeh...yeh i'm okay. I just tripped and fell, nothing too serious..been a long day." Griffin began to stand up slowly, wincing as he put weight on his left knee, but doing his best to hide his pain. "Sorry if I worried you at all, I'll uh, be on my way." He began walking as normal as he could manage away from the young lad, clutching a book to his chest as if to comfort himself.