The Station Net Comedy Club

[Phoenix]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

<Taranto> Greetings and welcome to station net cafe
<Taranto> My name is Taranto, and I am your gracious host
<Silhouette nods apprehensively
<Taranto> we have tried to turn the old station house in to a one stop shop for all your needs
<Seiji nearly jumps out of his chair in surprise. "U-uh.. Thank you.."
<Taranto> It is a pleasure to meet you both, new to the city?
<Silhouette> Fairly
<Seiji> S-somewhat..
<Taranto smiles a welcome " I have not had the pleasure of meeting you before, is there any way I can be of assistance?
<Silhouette buries face behind computer and barely whispers "no thanks I'm fine"
<Seiji slides his gaze between the greeter and the other patron uncertainly, a tentative smile on his lips. "I'm... fine as well, thank you."
<Taranto notices the seeming anxiety and remembers his own of not so long ago, Backing up a few steps to give room, he lowers his voice a bit.
<Silhouette feels her throat drying
<Taranto> Well if you have any questions at all, I or my staff would be happy to help you. Along with the computers, we have an assortment of other amenities as well
<Taranto> As well as a working arcade
<Silhouette glances at Taranto .... "Arcade?"
<Silhouette> ... which way are those?
<Seiji glanced between the two again with a quiet flicker of interest.
<Taranto> the arcade is in the front room, to the east of the entrance foyer.
<Taranto> at present we only have one game, but hope to soon be adding a second
<Phoenix stepped through the door and immediately spotted Taranto. Of course she knew Station Net's owner on sight, not that she'd ever really said more than a handful of words to the man. The redhead eyed those gathered around the terminals suspiciously as she made her way towards the side room. Just as she stepped by, the toe of her boot caught the leg of Seiji's chair, knocking it with far more force than her skeletal frame should have been able to muster. "Sorry!"
<Taranto> there are also bubble hockey and billiards tables
<Seiji looks down at his hands, moving his lips quietly. He crossed one hand over the other as if trying to figure out which way was east. Marvelous sense of direction, yup. He yelped as his chair was knocked over, sending him flying across the floor and landing in a tangled heap near the terminal behind him. "...Ow..."
<Silhouette jumps at the sudden sound and ends up moving slightly too fast to be normal
<Taranto nods his head to the queen of duelz, ''greetings phoenix''
<Silhouette> I'll go check out this game of yours *slinks off quickly*
<Phoenix grimaced at the man on the floor, reaching down to quickly right the chair before offering her hand. "I'm... such a klutz. Are you alright?"
<Silhouette peeks around corner from arcade to watch the people crowded at the table
<Mora stepped into the building - she always came in here most of the time, it was across the way from Honeymead Library. The building she happened to own, as she stepped through the doors barrier she noticed Taranto, and gave him a wave. Only to find see Phoenix a moment later, and offered her a wave also.
<Seiji rubs his head, taking the hand up with notable hesitation. "It..It's alright, really. I'm used to it," he laughed sheepishly, getting up with a slight stumble as he straightened.
<Silhouette begins playing Commies from Space and as the game begins, she begins getting angry at the pace and swears at the machine each time she's hit with a missile- her volume increasing slowly.
<Taranto smiled a greeting to Mora as he stepped to the door of the arcade pointing out the working game to the fledgling female.
<Phoenix pulled the man to his feet as carefully as she could manage, knowing full well by the warmth of the man's hand in hers that blood still coursed through his veins. Guilty conscience. She swallowed thickly, noting Mora's entry and finally returning Taranto's greeting with a sheepish. "Hi... I didn't mean to beat up your clientele." This sounded strange coming from someone all of 90lbs, but of course the other vampire would get it. "Let me buy you a drink? Coffee? Tea? I'm Nix, by the way."
<Taranto> I am not sure if the barista is in today, but maybe something from the bar?
<Mora made her way over to the ritual table, and placed the palm of her hands against the table as she peeked at Phoenix and the little human.
<Seiji rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, a little flustered at the sudden situation. Then again, he wasn't really in the position to turn down something free, especially free consumables. He nodded a little bit in answer, glancing between the two. "A-anything would be nice...thank you..ah! But.. It's really unnecessary!" he added quickly, trying not to look too eager, even holding up his hands in expression.
<Silhouette bangs loudly on the arcade in anger, accidentally denting the side without realizing. "Come on I dodged the ******* big ship!!"
<Seiji jumped visibly at the sudden shout, stifling his own squeak with a barely concealed cough.
<Phoenix> "Dude, I kicked you out of your chair. That's kind of a dick move on my part... get whatever you want and I'll pay." The redhead paused, fishing around in her pocket and although she came up empty of cash, the plastic held promise. "Taranto, get him whatever he wants. On me." She offered a thin smile to both Taranto and Seiji before slipping past the terminals as she'd originally intended to join Mora in the far room. The crafting bench was her destination, however.
<Seiji sagged his shoulders in a tinge of relief, before bopping himself on the head with his palm and calling after. "I'm Seiji, by the way!" perhaps a tinge louder than he intended, earning a faintly awkward flush in answer to a few stares he'd probably gotten from his outburst.
<Taranto nodded, "My pleasure Phoenix," he sent a telepathic comment to the vampire behind the bar, as he turned to the young female, whispering softly " the inside is reinforced, worry not"
<Silhouette rage quit the game and noticed the dent in the side of the machine. She could feel herself tensing and her esophagus rubbing. How was she going to fix this? She'd probably end up having to pay for it! Thoughts flooded her and then suddenly turned to thoughts of how thirsty she was becoming...
<Taranto> Taranto stepped up to the young woman at the arcade came, sensing the increasing unease in her, "Step this was please" The lithe mystic lead the female into his office, where he kept a few stray humans for just such an occasion
<Silhouette looks uneasily at the people in the office

[Seiji (DELETED 6165)]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

<Silhouette> How... how did you know?
<Seiji glanced uncertainly at Taranto again. An awkward pause. Ordinarily he was used to being kicked out of places like these for not being able to purchase anything, and now someone was offering to pay for anything he wanted? His stomach grumbled at the thought, battling with a mix of pride and guilt. He watched as Taranto left to deal with the angry gamer, uncertainty deepening. Now what? He fidgeted on the spot a bit, then sat reached to fix his chair and sit down again, fiddling with the keys. Food could... probably wait then. Right? Right..
<Taranto> ''It was not that long ago...I was like you, the thirst is hard to control at first, but it must be controlled''
<Taranto> The waitress from the back barroom came out to take the order of the lavender haired male at the terminal
<Phoenix would of course pay when asked; in the meantime, she went about tinkering with the stash of computer parts and various other gadgets she's smuggled into the building.
<Silhouette> You're a vampire too!? How many are there in this godforsaken city anyway? Sil exclaimed possibly a little too rudely. "Sorry, It just seems like everywhere I go there's ... more"
<Seiji jumped, again. Jumpy he was indeed. After a minute he nodded to the waitress, ordering something simple and, more importantly, cheap. Once the waitress left he'd clack at the keys, giving a careful look around before ducking forward, fixed on the screen. A few minutes passed, then he quickly tugged the USB out and slid it into the pocket of his patchwork coat with a small sigh.
<Taranto nods to the woman, "I am" then nodding again he said "there are many of us"
<Taranto> I have to get back to the rest of my customers, you are free to feed here, but do not kill
<Taranto walked back to the main computer room
<Silhouette nodded and drank from one of the.... people.. and let the warmth of their blood calm her nerves.
<Seiji was nibbling at some kind of little cake thing carefully, taking small bites even though his expression looked as if he wanted to eat the whole thing in one bite.
<Phoenix> Once she was finished her tinkering, the redhead slipped the sensor alarm she'd managed to craft into her bag, tucked away beneath a romance novel, an oversized wallet and a few other inconspicuous human items. Making her way back into the main room, she eyed the cakelike... thing Seiji had ordered with unabashed disdain. "Really? That's what you picked? Get a ******* sandwich or something. I'm quite positive my bank account will survive your appetite."
<Seiji choked on the piece he'd just swallowed, coughing and spluttering until he finally managed to force it down his throat, staring up at Nix in bewilderment. "U-um..o..okay.." he coughed again, trying to hide some of the pitchyness in his voice. Purely nerves.
<Silhouette wiped the remaining blood from her mouth. As the human remained in a confused stupor, she followed out where She watched Taranto leave. The awkward person she'd shared a table with at first suddenly had food and sadness spread through Silhouette as she remembered the taste of sweets. The woman who'd kicked his chair seemed to be making him get more food. Were they fattening him up?
<Taranto> Taranto appeared as Nix spoke, and turned back towards the bar whispering orders to the waitress, who a moment later returned with a "Dagwood" and chips
<Phoenix squinted at Seiji as he choked, those honey brown eyes glancing between the cake and the man with obviously. It wouldn't be the first time she'd indirectly choked someone to death, and that hadn't turned out well. Now she had Simone as a childe, doing... whatever the hell it was Simone did. "Don't like... die... it's just a food..." As the waitress deposited the sandwich with admirable speed, she handed off her visa and flopped down across from the Choking One, waiting for her receipt.
<Taranto received the card stepping to the cash register, nimble fingers danced the keyboard before swiping the card and returning it with a receipt, "no signature necessary, Ms. Altaire"
<Seiji managed a shaky laugh at the comment, only to choke slightly again at the sight of the monstrous food item. That was -food-? That thing looked ready to eat HIM! He went a few shades paler, his voice pitchy and undisguisable so with anxiety. "U-um.. I really d-don't think I could possibly..." he faltered.
<Silhouette watches as a giant sandwich is delivered to the quiet guy. She began walking past the table, intent on using an emptier one, although she wanted to stay close as she enjoyed people-watching
<Phoenix accepted the receipt with a grin and then sized up the sandwich. It was the size of her head, but... well... "Doggy bag?" she offered.
<Taranto smiled, ''we have to go containers, do your best,''
<Seiji sagged in defeat. He lifted his hands, sort of hovering them in the air. How did he even pick it UP!? He sort of moved them around before finally sliding a hand underneath and one on top, then putting it back down again. He sized it up a few times, then carefully slid out a piece of cheese from the nightmare. The sandwich wobbled and quickly he stabilized it with a hand, sighing in relief and eating the cheese with the speed of a snail.
<Silhouette fought a giggle as she watched the interaction with the sandwich, eventually having to bury her face into her arm as the guy pulled a single piece of cheese out. People watching certainly was an excellent hobby sometimes.
<Phoenix pretended to engross herself in something on the computer, but really, she was watching Seiji handle that monstrosity of a sandwich. It said a lot about a person, how they chose to go about eating a massive sandwich, right? With subtle flicks of her eyes, she watched the wibble and the wobble of the layers of... whatever they'd stuffed in there. When he finally managed to free a slice of cheese, she couldn't help but blurt out. "You'd be good at Jenga."
<Seiji jumped as the silence was broken, accidently bumping the sandwich. With a muffled yelp (his mouth full of cheese) he tried to catch it, and succeeded. By catching it with the back of his head as he accidently face planted into the table, hugging the bottom slice of bread and a few other pieces.
<Silhouette desperately tries to not laugh and takes to accepting the roaring laughter in her mind, although for some reason it feels like the sounds of her mind were leaking... like they were on a trip to someone else’s head. Oh no... surely she couldn't... would someone really hear her brain laughing??
<Taranto smiled " you can break it down into smaller sections" This evening was turning out quite interesting
<Phoenix gave up on all pretense of not-staring when Sandwich Tower nearly toppled. But Seiji caught it... with his head? Was this reality? Those honey brown eyes flicked around the room, glancing from Taranto to the woman who really looked like she wanted to do something. Laugh, cry, Nix wasn't sure, but definitely something. Finally, she settled on Taranto with an accusing glare. "This is some kind of prank, isn't it?"

[Taranto]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

<Seiji lifts his head, causing bits of cheese, fish, pasta, and whatever else was in that monstrosity to tumbled down onto his lap, the chair, the floor.. Pickles tangled in his lavender locks, an egg slid down his cheek, and he fished a fish out of the back of his coat. Staring at it, he sighed, taking a bite. Well... waste not what not, right? "It's...good.." he offered with a sheepish expression. "Sorry.."
<Taranto smiled "he looked hungry...."
<Taranto> it is on the menu
<Silhouette noticed the woman who'd been watching the sandwich fiasco glance her direction but as the sandwich toppled onto the clumsy guy’s head, she laughed out loud. it hadn't happened in forever. Not since before her turning. She hated laughing as she was prone to snorting if she giggled too hard... but she remembered Liam comparing her laugh to music. How embarrassing, she thought as her laughing died down.
<Phoenix flicked her eyes to Taranto. "I think the menu's actually on him..." came the deadpan response before her attention returned to the man covered in Dagwood, looking rather pained by the whole situation. "Er... you've got a little something... everywhere..." Yes, she'd been about to point out a pickle in his hair, but then... that was just the tip of the iceberg.
<Taranto brings over a bigger plate, silverware, a few towels, and a to go package
<Seiji shrugged weakly. He wasn't unused to such situations. Well..food was a new thing to be buried in actually, but it wasn't the oddest. Besides, it was still evidently edible as he picked off another pickle from his head and popped it into his mouth, flashing a sheepish and somewhat cheesy smile accompanied by a weak laugh. "It could be worse...I could be buried in ashes again..." he tried for a weak joke, remembering a time his own clumsiness had wound up with him in deep trouble with a local funeral director and several distressed families. Realizing how terrible his own joke probably sounded, he quickly looked off to the side, tearing a piece of bread into smaller parts and slowly chewing on one. He took his time working through the sandwich, more time than a normal person would take, surely. Murmuring a quiet 'thank you' to Taranto, he did his best to put what had survived of the sandwich back together, using the towels to clean off a few large splotches of various condiments from his face and body.
<Silhouette choked on further laughter, and then, deciding she couldn't handle the comedy skit appearing before her, slung her pack up to the side of her shoulder as she passed the table- a mistake as she felt the backpack knock into one of them. with Sandwich man's luck... it was probably him. With her luck... the extrovert.
<Phoenix felt her eyes widen at the mention of being buried in ashes. All she could picture was one of her kin collapsing, dead, and the body crumbling to ash before it even hit the ground. Lips pressed into a thin line, she studied the man in front of her. He couldn't be a hunter, could he? He didn't have the demeanor, unless this whole act was meant to soften them up before the attack. Suspicion darkened those honey brown eyes as she leaned forward, elbows propping on the computer table to watch the man across from her. "So you killed someone?" Obviously, she didn't care if he thought she was a freak - he'd either understand or he wouldn't, and she'd have her answer.
<Seiji ducked his head forward as something smacked into the back of it, giving him a face full of the sandwich pile. He lifted his head again, two tomato slices over his eyes and a mouth full of bacon slices grinning back at Nix. Spluttering, he coughed the latter back onto the plate and peeled the tomatoes off his eyelids. Thank goodness he had the sense to blink before his face had made friends with the platter.
<Silhouette> I am so sorry!! Sil nearly screamed at him but as his face came up from the platter, she dropped her backpack on top of him as she succumbed to another fit of laughter. What was happening to her?
<Phoenix literally felt her jaw drop at the face plant. She sat there in mute horror, watching the scene play out. No... this definitely was not a hunter... this was something else entirely, and she really had no clue what it was.
<Seiji had just lifted his head up and cleared away the food from his face when the nightmare pack from hell came down again. His face slammed back into the food, followed by a muffled, frantic grunt as he tried to shove the thing off of him.
<Taranto stood there amazed....he would have to hire these two for Friday night comedy skits on the stage in back
<Silhouette panicked and tried to lift the pack but slipped on some sandwich ingredients that had fallen to the floor and also landed on the poor guy. Honestly it seemed like this was no one's night...
<Seiji now apparently had a pack roll off his head, over the side and onto his foot. He bit back a pained whine, only to grunt as another weight piled onto him. He rolled to the side, curling in a heap over the fifty pound pack, a stranger now draped over him and the now empty chair. He seemed to just accept defeat at this point, the fae that haunted him probably giggling up a storm at the havoc they'd no doubt had a hand in.
<Phoenix stared. There was nothing else to be done, she simply stared, gaping at them like a fish out of water. What could she possibly say? This was probably the most hilariously awkward thing she'd seen in a long time, especially now that the woman seemed intent to batter Seiji with her pack, even though she seemed to have the best intentions. "I... have no words..." she muttered under her breath, reaching up to scratch her head in literal bemusement.
<Silhouette scrambled clumsily up, grabbing the guy under his arm and lifted him from the ground "I'm sorry.. I'm so so sorry." Her eyes searched him up and down ensuring he was in one piece.
<Seiji grunted faintly, shaking his head a few times. He was bewildered further by the fact he'd just been picked up by someone so slight in form, but he chopped it up to his own unhealthy lack of eating, the thought further buried under -pain-. Pulling a forced smile, he shook his head weakly. "I-It's alright, really.." he laughed, rubbing the back of his head only to flinch as fingers brushed a forming series of bumps there.
<Silhouette> I’m Sil...houette she paused wondering if she should leave her name short..but continued anyway. "Do you, uh.. , need an ice pack?"
<Phoenix was glad that this Silhouette was actually trying to take care of Seiji, but this getting knocked over twice in less than an hour was... bad. This guy clearly needed help and lots of it. With a sigh, Phoenix fished a pen and a scrap of paper - an old receipt - out of her bag and jotted down her number. "Look, guy, you clearly need help... Call me if you get in trouble." To Silhouette, she offered a smile. Telepathy was a wonderful thing, and she appraised the woman before flinching. Vampire. The redhead spoke directly into the Quartermain's mind. "Your sire I'm sure hasn't been of much use since you've been turned... Do contact me if you need help with anything. Those new to this life shouldn't be left alone" Of course it was an assumption, but her opinion of Sundial's mental capabilities was rather dismal.

[Silhouette (DELETED 6077)]

--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--

<Taranto watched quietly from the sidelines, as it were. It seemed that things were slowing down a bit, and a slow smile quirked the corners of his lips
<Seiji smiled a little less unnerved. For the moment, Nix's previous query and the sandwich had been forgotten. "Seiji," he replied, offering his own name easily. "And uh..it's fine...I'm pretty sturdy. Sturdy as a roc- ow..." He tried to boast, gesturing to himself, only to accidently bump himself in the side of the head with his own hand during a self gesture, causing him to flinch. He glanced over at the offered number in a puzzled manner, but accepted it. He'd never been offered a number before. Then again it wasn't like he had a phone or anything to call it with. "Er...thankyou..." The whole 'you need help' comment sort of went over his head.
<Silhouette heard a voice in her mind and startled. Her eyes slipped to the only other woman and her jaw dropped as she nodded as she simultaneously giggled at the failed gesture from.. Seiji.
<Phoenix nodded right back. Satisfied the pair had the resources they needed to at least get themselves out of a sticky situation should one arise - though frankly, she was more worried about the human than Silhouette. "I'm Phoenix, by the way." With a wink to Taranto, the emaciated creature collected her bag, pushed herself to her feet and made her way out into the cold.
<Seiji puzzled over the two sharing a moment he couldn't fathom, then the number he carefully tucked into a pocket after checking it for holes.
<Silhouette gave up on any prospect of using the computers after all this commotion and fished into her backpack for the extra inactive phone she kept with her. She opened it, typed into the screen and then handed the phone to Seiji.
<Taranto> Taranto looked the two new customers over, then stepped forward. "You are both welcome here anytime, and if you have any needs, please, please, feel free to ask for me when you are here.
<Silhouette> There's already a number in there if you wanted to destroy businesses some other time. She ducked her head down and scurried out the door with her pack looked back only once at the disaster as she turned to walk down the sidewalk and let the door close
<Seiji fumbled the phone he was handed, nearly dropping it in surprise. He glanced back at Taranto, then down at the mess of sandwich. After that whole nightmare, he had just been handed a free phone, two numbers, and an invitation to return. He opened and shut his mouth, gaping openly. Was this a trick? Was he about to get punched in the face? He instinctively flinched in response and stepped backward, only to trip over his chair and land in a clumsy position that he was, quite possibly, stuck in, legs dangling over the chair.
<Taranto smiled and offered a helping hand, "It was a serious offer, I would be glad to help you if you need it...I was once in a similar situation."
<Seiji hesitantly accepted the hand up, visibly uncertain. "A...similar situation?"
<Taranto> A stranger in a strange place? in need of a helping hand?
<Seiji> couldn't help a faltering smile creeping onto his lips. "Yeah.." he agreed. "Thank you." It'd had been the first time in as long as he could remember he'd felt a budding sense of friendship, and now he'd had three in a single instance. The thought was kind of dizzying.
<Taranto> most things you need to do, you can find here, and the only thing that cost money is lessons and food. You are welcome, and welcome here, anytime
<Seiji stared at Taranto for a good minute, his eyes faintly watering at the offer. Quickly he looked away with a cough, hiding what some might refer to as a childishly emotional display. Th-thank you..." he repeated with sincerity. "Ah..um..lessons? May I ask what for?"
<Taranto> "we offer computer lessons, and some crafting and ritual lesson. Occasionally we have job opening as well and hire in those that need work.”
<Seiji pinched a slightly puzzled expression. Even a tinge nervous. Ritual? Like the uh..occult? Eheh..." A shiver crept up his spine nd he shook his head slightly. "A job? Really?"" He couldn't help the tinge of hope in his voice.
<Taranto> "Aye a job, if needed. Well there are many religions in this corner of the world, some practice differently than others, I have tried to make the Cafe available and useful for everyone. "
<Seiji gave an understanding nod. Makes sense," he agreed, although he still had a slight chill at the thought he tried to brush away. "So um..wh..what kind of work is it?"
<Taranto smiled "At the moment the job is clerical, but it is not all filing and typing, it would involve working with our computers, and occasionally helping out with customers"
<Seiji brightened further. "R-really? Um..when would you be hiring?" he coughed, trying still not to get too overexcited, and failing miserably. "Are there...any special requirements?"
<Taranto chuckled at the combination of excitement and nervousness "Nothing special, just do your best"
<Seiji blinked sharply in surprise at Taranto's choice in wording. Beaming he bowed clumsily. "Thank you, thank you! I will, I swea-" he broke off as his foot slipped on some discarded lettuce, causing him to face plant. Again.
<Taranto motioned for one of the staff to come clean up the parts of the sandwich which had made it to the floor, pointing to a seat he sat down opposite of the lilac tressed human. "Sit down, rest, breath deep. The applications are online, and easily accessible. Why don’t you fill one out now?
<Seiji nodded eagerly, uncaring of the multiple bumps and bruises he'd gained for the day. "Yes! Right! Right away," he agreed, bobbing his head like some sort of eager puppy. It took him a minute to actually absorb the information though. "O-oh! Right!" He quickly turned, fingers flying over the keys as he set to work. With an odd level of focus, he seemed to drown out the world around and dig his way through the world of the net, tracking down the required application in minutes at most.
<Taranto smiled as the clumsiness drifted away as the man’s fingers hit the keyboard, he was sure he had made a wise choice
<Seiji finished the application quickly enough, just sort of staring at the screen for a prolonged moment. A soft smile settled on his lips. A job. A real job. No more stealing for survival. The thought was warming.
<Taranto stood and offered his hand "Welcome aboard, I am sure you will do just fine"
<Seiji managed to narrowly avoid tripping over his own feet as he stood, shaking the other man’s hand with a grateful smile. "Thank you...you have no idea how much this means to me."
<Taranto just gave a soft smile, "You might be surprised"
<Seiji released the man’s hand, pressing it to the back of his neck sheepishly. "Where do I start?"
<Taranto> Tomorrow at six pm. I am usually here in the evening and will get you going, then once you are comfortable I will move you on to the day shift
<Seiji bobbed his head eagerly. "Okay!" He went to check the time...only to remember he didn't have a watch.
<Taranto> if you need a place to stay, there is place you can stay here in relative safety
<Taranto tells him where the stairs are
<Seiji blinked sharply, and for a split second had to resist the urge to throw himself at the others feet. Had this been an anime, there would be the classic anime tears. "You're really..too kind to me...thank you.."