Welcome home honey, hope you'll stay a while...

[ankhete]

Exie watched the afternoon rain run off her windshield as she sat at the rest stop on the side of the highway, small hands balled into fists, and rage colouring her fair features. She was sick and tired of running, of being chased from town to town when a feed went wrong. It was a never-ending, 400 year saga; a battle she wasn't sure she wanted to keep fighting, or even win.

Shaking her head, Exie willed her face to it's natural ("human..." she thought wrly)colour, and looked down at the crumpled bit of looseleaf on her passenger seat.

"Marlene, Silver St. and Boulder. Bridgeport"

Bridgeport; Exie had heard of it, but had never had cause to venture to the area, believing it to be a yuppie coastal town guaranteed to bring her more trouble than she was already in. She'd heard differently after this last incident, having spoken to one of the other working girls, an integrated were (were what, she wasn't certain of), who'd come from the town. Nika'd said that if anyone could point Exie in the right direction, it'd be Marlene. She said that the town boasted a decent sized Supernatural community for safety, a large enough human population for feeding, and the ideal size to hide under the radar, and avoid further troubles.

Dragging a manicured hand through curly brown hair, Exie started the engine of her little Toyota, flipped on the wiper blades, and drove the winding highway into the modest seaside town.

Pulling into the town, Exie was hesitant to continue. From big city life to this tiny town, it was a marked change in tune. Frustration and exhaustion wore out, and Exie pulled into the parking area of the first cafe she came close to, a cozy looking place called "Linda's", and tugged the keys from the ignition. A hot cup of coffee to settle her nerves, and maybe some information on the town, and then she'd head off to find this Marlene character. Taking a deep breath, and grabbing a discarded newspaper, Exie bolted from the car and into the door of the cafe, grabbing a table snuggled in the back, and breathing a sigh of utter relief.

[Clairice-Sarah]

I need a new car, Laurel sighed as she walked through the rain to work. Thankfully this time the wind didn't have the strength to take out her umbrella. Well, since writing off her Honda, she'd been saving marginal amounts of her paycheck in her New Used Car Fund and Laurel hoped that, come winter, she could get something.

She'd make sure to park it as far from her apartment building as possible, too.

"Hey Linda," she sighed as she entered the shop, winding her umbrella up and making a beeline for the back. "I'll be out in five." Laurel returned with her hair in a ponytail and looking significantly less wet. She donned a brown apron and refilled the espresso machine.

"You look tired, Laurel," Linda remarked, sitting back against the counter.

Laurel shrugged it off. "I had a bit of a late night last night. Not a fan of the cold weather, either." Rain meant a quiet shift, which meant of course, that Laurel would undoubtedly have to find something to clean all night in order to stay awake. "Is your daughter coming in tonight?"

Linda shook her head, "Nope, as usual. Do you mind closing alone?"

"Not really...it'll be quiet anyway."

"Right, well, be careful walking home. If the weather gets worse, just take a cab, alright?"

Laurel offered her a smile. "Thanks, but you don't need to worry. I'm sure your little ones are waiting for you to pick them up. I can handle it."

A woman she'd never seen before entered then and went straight for a table in the back. There were three coffee shops in town and regulars of one didn't usually head for another. With nothing to do, Laurel locked the cash register and walked to the table, taking a seat across from the stranger.

"Hi, I'm Laurel," she said with a smile, extending her hand. "Welcome to Linda's, if you've never been before. Don't you just love monsoon season?"

[Nox]

In a quiet corner in a cafe called 'Linda's' a tall, lean and pale man is seen nursing a mug of coffee. Even at a distance you can see the contents of the mug seems to be boiling, the surface is an opaque black substance that looked like it could very possibly melt your eye brows off. He drinks it, taking silent sips and paying no mind to the scorching heat of the liquid.

Brooding over his drink, Nick looks out the window. (damn, why does it always rain) Nick frowned. His thoughts are interrupted as the door of the cafe opens and a dark haired woman enters. She quickly takes a table in the back a few feet away from him.

A quick flick of the eyes, so fast only someone actually looking into his blue-grey eyes would notice the movement. He briefly notes that he doesn't recognize her, (but then again i haven't meet every one around here) came the though.

The shift changes and he notices another barista, a blond and bright young woman. He's seen her work here before, and notes she always did make his drink right, as dark as it can possibly get with no extras. (He goes back to his previous thought and quietly curses the rain.

[ankhete]

Exie's green eyes flickered up to the smiling waitress, and returned her friendly handshake.

"Is it always like this?" her light accent catching the longer syllables, "I thought maybe just an off day?" Her eyes twinkling, the ghost of a smile on her still-damp face, Exie relaxed into the soft bench and let out another sigh.

"You will forgive my rudeness, I am Alexandrya, but please, do call me Exie, other name is a bit long." Exie mentally cursed herself for stumbling over her language in her frustration. "I'm afraid I'm a bit new, um, what is there in Bridgeport? It seems so much smaller than the city."

As she waited for the waitress to sift through her question, she caught a chill down her spine, and shifted her eyes warily around the cafe. There, tucked into the opposite corner, she caught pale eyes sizing her up. Her breeding never failing her, nor the tricks of her trade, Exie offered a tight, polite nod to the young man, before returning her gaze to the waitress.

"I'm sorry for all the questions, if it's too much trouble, I can poke around, but a coffee would be fantastic, seeing as I need to take the chill out of my bones."

[Clairice-Sarah]

"Nice to meet you, Exie." Laurel didn't at all seem bothered by the accent. "Well...if you've ever been to a Starbucks, we work a little like that. The whole menu is up behind the counter." She pointed. "But we can customize it however you want." Laurel glanced around the cafe, not that she didn't trust her customers, but just out of habit. A couple of teenagers skipping class sat in the front corner, talking quietly and giggling over a cellphone. Laurel had no problem with them, they were always skipping algebra or something. She didn't remember.

The only other was the tall, pale man standing off to the side. The blackest black coffee guy, Laurel recognized. Funny how routine everything seemed in a small town. Back home she only recognized friends, family, and coworkers.

She sat straight in her seat and glanced out the windows to the rain outside. "In Bridgeport? Well...not a lot. It's a pretty quiet place. I'm not very much of a adventurist so I'm really no reference." Laurel laughed. "I came from a big city too. If you like the coast, it's really nice by the north end of the city. Good for photography. But this isn't a high-energy place. It took me a while to get used to less traffic and bustle."

She stood. "Excuse me for a second, I'm just going to make my rounds."

Laurel moved to the two teenage girls to offer them her usual "Shouldn't you be in school?" remark and teasing, before walking toward Nick.

"Everything good?" she asked him pleasantly.

[Nox]

Slightly startled at being spotted, all he could think of at that moment was green. She nodded before he could drop his gaze, and then turned her attention back to the barista.

Blinking, he quickly turns his eyes back to the storm. The cafe's quiet and mostly calm atmosphere made it easy overhear the ladies as they briefly chatted what's here. Her reply to the barista confirmed his suspicions that she is from outta town and a city girl too. Her accent strongly hinted that she is foreign, but from were specifically Nick has no clue.

He pondering why someone like her would come to this dismally wet place, the area's alright i suppose, i just wish it didn't rain so damn often.

His last endeavor in learning to fly was a fiasco. A few days ago he found out that his feathers absorbed moisture like a sponge, the problem was he only finds out this important fact after he jumped off the roof. It had started to rain just while he was getting the hang of it. Stupid flash storms. Turns out wet feathers don't carry weight very well. Subconsciously he rolls his left shoulder still bruised from bumpy landing/crash, it ached but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. He was lucky that nothing was broken, just bumps and bruises and he didn't want to contemplate what would have happened if something did break...

his thoughts were cut short by the barista, Laurel he remembers, asking him a question.

"Everything good?" she asked him pleasantly.

With a nod he replies "Yeah, came in before the storm hit. Just waiting it out now." His expression is calm, Nick isn't really one for smiling much.

[ankhete]

Exie's face flushed in embarrassment as Laurel explained how the coffee shop worked. She hadn't even noticed the menu or the neat little counter when she'd entered, simply sought out the quietest table for a moment's peace.

"I am so sorry, of course I should have noticed the menu. It's been a..." Exie took a calming breath, "long day. Yes, very long." She stood up and made her way to the counter as Laurel moved to speak to the young girls at one of the other tables, and perused the menu. Fairly simple compared to the elaborate yuppie coffee shops in the city, but still enough to entice the younger clientele.

As she got engrossed in the menu, and continued to uunwind, Exie failed to notice that she had allowed her guard to drop, and had also failed to notice the elaborate black scroll pattern creeping along the skin of her exposed calf. Unconsciously, Exie rubbed one high-heeled foot against the opposite calf, and set to rummaging through her over-sized purse for her wallet, waiting for Laurel to make her way back to the counter.

[Clairice-Sarah]

((ooc: I'm sorry for the lapse in being here...life stuff happened))

"Of course," Laurel replied, "That's how I feel about most of my shifts, lately." Maybe it was her - or maybe he was like the other residents around here - never very cheerful, but she felt put off by the fact that she never could pull out a smile from him. She bit her lip, and when she didn't seem to get any more reaction out of him, she moved back to the counter.

She paused mid-step, tattoo...was it? Laurel blinked, before realizing she was blatantly staring at the woman's leg.

This is like the green eyed boy probably, Aldo, she thought to herself, and me. And Monty.

Laurel let it go. If she said nothing, that meant no questions could be directed toward her. This explained the ringing in her ears, something she thought was the weather, but maybe not... "Decided yet?" Laurel asked. "I'm a fan of hot chocolate myself. Today's special is our raspberry mocha." She gestured to the chalk sign behind her. "And all the tea is arranged in those boxes over there."

[Nox]

((No problem XD life tends to do that.))

Nick nods again before she leaves.

He turns his attention back to the storm when something catches his eye "hmm city lady, has some ink..." he was about to look away when he noticed that the tattoos actually seem to move. His eyes widen just a bit. "well now, thats interesting..."

He saw Laurel pause but doesn't say anything "I guess she saw it too"
As she takes the lady's Exie's order he contemplates. "Explains why she's here." he continues to think. The tats look kinda similar to the markings that appear on his skin when he shifts back or looses consciousness but not quiet. "Newbie...probably lookin for someone. Marlene maybe? She'd be her best bet. ah dang i'm not exactly the welcoming wagon."

He remembers his first nights in Bridgeport were not exactly pleasant. Had a couple of close calls with some of the more 'exotic' members of the city those first few nights. "then again she could be 'exotic' herself..." It wasn't until he actually had an incident with that damn apple before Marlene found him. He shudders a little at that particular memory Damn apples, never again.

He sighs and waits for Exie to order.