Bean Scene Cafe
Bean Scene is a small coffee shop and cafe that caters primarily to a younger crowd. The cafe has always been at least a year late in joining any given fad, and in the past it's been done in western-style, set up as a beatnik hangout, a go-go disco, a fern bar, and once even attempted to cash in on breakdancing. A plaque has recently been placed above the door, and says, "No fad is dead until it appears to Bean Scene".
Case in point, the cafe has a grungy feel to it.A grey brick facade has been placed over the walls, the flooring looking more like a worn down metal grid, complete with old sewer grates every few feet. Tables and chairs set about the cafe are quite casual in appearance, made of metal meant to look rusty and splattered with multi-colored paints. Metal street signs hang from the wall amid images of garage bands. Behind the counter is a black chalkboard displaying the available items and costs.
Mid-afternoon, the brief period between classes and work. While it's a bit out of her way, now that her car has been fixed, Hope doesn't mind making a pit stop at the Bean Scene. Time to fuel up! Granted, she could get coffee at the food court in the mall, but nothing half as good as what she can get here. The sun is shining through the windows, making the coffee shop look a lot more bright and cheery than its decorations deem it should be.
Once she's out of here and in her car, she'll have to remember to call the new facility to find out what happened the other night to cause her sister to break curfew. Perhaps she was visiting a neighbor and lost track of time? Could happen, but she would hope that the facility pays better attention than that.
—
Ivan is a busy, busy bee. When he enters the Bean Scene, the man is already balancing three separate entities, reading off of a clipboard found in his hand and speaking enthusiastically into the Bluetooth headset attached to his ear all the while making corrections on the chart. "What? Alright, alright. I'll do it, okay. I'll be there in a bit, Smith. No need to get your damn panties in a twist. Alright. I'll grab you a latte too - it looks like another long day for us." With a sigh, the man lowers his arms, shutting off the cellphone feature and tucking his paraphernalia away.
It's only then that he catches sight of what has become a familiar face. At first, he freezes, his features contorted into an expression of slight confusion, but before long be bites back his trepidation and steps forward. "Hey! Hey, Rose. I ah…" Here he breaks into that broad, charming smile, all warmth and amiability. "I didn't think I'd get to see you so soon again."
—
Suddenly, there's the potential answer to her question. Hope spins, giving him a stern look. "Just how /often/ have you been seeing my sister, Mr. Fontane?" Her foot taps the floor impatiently as the line moves up another patron. He should know by now that she's not Rose, and that Rose? Well she's not really /Rose/ either. "For the record, her name is /Faith/. Calling her /Rose/ just perpetuates her mental instability."
—
Ivan is taken aback, and the funny bit is that he actually does take a step back. Physically. His eyebrows arch before furrowing, and his jaws clench slightly. Oh, right. It's the bitchy sister. "Ah. The other Miss Tyler, then. It's good to see you…haven't changed a bit." He speaks, careful to revert back to a position of neutrality. "Oh? Well, for the record, I do know that her name is Faith, and I strongly disagree. She asked me to call her Rose, so that's what I'm going to do." Beat. "You ever stop to wonder if it's the pressure and the oppression of being treated as a mental patient that leads to instability? People blossom with opportunity, you know."
—
"You ever stop to wonder if we asked for your opinion, Mr. Fontane?" Hope folds her arms over her chest, just /glowering/ at the man. "Considering that she does have a very severe mental condition, what exactly are you doing out with her in the middle of the night?" Okay, sure, she's making an assumption, but she hates being told that her sister is being treated unfairly, especially since she's going above and beyond on Doctor's orders to make Faith a lot more comfortable in the new facility than she ever was at Green Oaks. "So, for the record, I do not care one iota for what you disagree to. If you continue to cause her to break curfew, I will get a court order banning you from the facility, and a restraining order banning you from seeing her." Pausing to take a breath she forces herself to be calm lest she make more of a scene than she already is. "Do I make myself clear? There's a reason why she's not supposed to be out at night. A /medical/ reason, that was set into place by her /doctor/. It's not some attempt on my part to keep her from the world, and I really wish people would just start respecting the fact that she needs real /medical/ attention despite moments of lucidity."
—
Ivan narrows his eyes as he inspects Hope, looking her over from top to bottom in a clinical sort of manner. After a moment, there is a deliberately trying sort of exhale from the man. "Has anyone ever told you that you are an exceptionally unpleasant person? Quite judgmental to boot, too." The man offers, tucking the clipboard underneath an arm and shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Unfortunately, he's stuck behind the doppleganger until he manages to grab that latte he had promised his associate. "And again, I respectfully disagree. What she needs is to be treated as a person, not a medical experiment."
—
If he thought Hope was irate before, now? Well now he's going to bear the full brunt of her ire. "I would be far less unpleasant if people would just begin to leave her alone. She is not a medical experiment, but a medical patient, with strict guidelines so that the doctors at the facility can ascertain if she's ready for more responsibilities. The more people surpass these guidelines without their permission - which can only be obtained by contacting her medical proxy, the less chance she has of getting out of the place at a reasonable rate!"
Oh, he's gone and done it now, full scene mode. Hope has actually spun to face him fully. "So you may respectfully disagree as much as you wish, Mr. Fontane, but the fact of the matter is, you people are causing her more duress than helping her! Had you, and those vile creatures just /left her alone/ in the first place, things would not have gotten as bad as they did at the Green Oaks facility. Further harassing her is not bringing any peace to my family, which has already been through /enough/ at the hands of Satan's children! Now you bring her out, into the night which harmed her in the first place, putting her in the potential path of further harm? For what? So that you can have your way with a mentally unstable girl? Men like you should be locked up, and the key thrown away for a very long time."
—
Oh, God. Here comes Hurricane Hope, looking to uproot everything and make her presence known. People are staring at the two now, leaving Ivan out of sorts and a bit frustrated. Green eyes dart from here to there, before he lifts up his free hand in the air, as if attempting to ward the irate woman away. "What? Miss Tyler, I have to ask you to keep your voice down, please, least you make a public spectacle of you and your family." He begins uncertain, but ask he speaks his words grow in determination. "Listen, I don't know what goes on in that little head of yours, but I would appreciate it if you kindly stop spreading those slanderous lies. I have not, and will not, take advantage of anyone, nevermind your sister."
With a scoff, the man steels his expression and stares forward, appearing at least marginally irritated. "Had I left your sister alone, she could have been dead by now. Or, have you forgotten? That it was out of the kindness of my heart that I helped your family out, in its time of need? I appreciate the fantastical situation you're in, I really do - but don't you dare lump me in with the vampires who bit her."
—
Considering that Hope has not advanced on him with anything but words, his gestures may just get a few odd looks from the other patrons. As he speaks, the line moves up again. Four to go before she can get her drink and head to work. "It is hardly making a public spectacle out of myself. The words are definitely not as slanderous as you would have everyone here believe. I was told when she checked in late, and the security footage shows you on the premises at the same time. Or are you planning on claiming coincidence?"
Forgotten, hardly. But then she also hasn't forgotten that the man was all over her sister when she opened the door to his apartment. "Had you /all/ just left my sister alone from the get go, she would have not been out on the streets to begin with. Had you /all/ left her alone, she would not have fallen prey to a vampire. Considering, Mr. Fontane, what your goal is in working with the mayor, you may as /well/ be lumped in with not only the vampires who bit her, but vampires as a whole. I have no doubt that somewhere in your twisted male mind, you figure that by doing them a service they will grant you an unnatural and eternal life, and that goes against everything that He teaches."
—
"Lower your voice. You absolutely are putting your personal situation out there, for every one of these fine people to hear. And yes, they are slanderous because you've perverted the intentions of the situation. I repeat. I have absolutely no intention of…" Beat. "…taking advantage of anyone. I don't know why you've set it in your mind that I'm such a devious person, but I promise that there have been no reprehensible, nefarious deeds on my part."
Speaking of forgetting - he has forgotten her stance on the vampiric issue. Standing back, his inspection of her turns speculative. "So. You're discriminating against me on the policies of my employer? Really?" Letting out a sigh, he lifts his fingers to massage his temples. "Mhmm. I almost forgot that about you. Rationality has no place in your world then. But, it doesn't matter. I'm just here to get my coffee and run - I'll be out of your hair soon enough."
—
"My voice is low," Hope hisses at him. "You are the one that keeps raising your voice." She can be extremely adamant without yelling shrilly, thankyouverymuch. "Unfortunately, these fine people are already aware of my situation, or have you not picked up a paper recently? Pictures in the newspaper tend to make them recognize you and remember the article." Shrugging, she flips her hair over her shoulder. Nefarious deeds or not, she will never believe he is entirely on the up-and-up due to his associations.
"Rationality has every place in my world. It is those without the ability to rationalize what the living dead mean to /Human/ society that set me off. By trying to provide these creatures with rights, you are defiling the Human race." At least the conversation has switched from 'stay away from my sister' to 'God hates vampires'.
—
Ivan crosses his arms over his chest, looking unconcerned, almost dispassionate. "Huh. Funny. I'm pretty sure I've heard that before, the whole 'defiling the Human race by chasing equality' thing. I'm sure I heard it multiple times, justifying the Jim Crow laws, the banning of gay marriage, all that rot. And you know what the sad part is?" He glances her over, before sighing. "I don't even think you realize the irony of the situation. The fact that a couple decades ago, you as a woman were in the same place that this society happens to be. I don't think you're a bad person. You just don't know any better."
"One day…one day maybe, everyone will be equal, and free, and the world will be a better place. I have to think so, otherwise I don't know why else I'm on this world. But until then, excuse me, please. I just want some caffeine."
—
Hope has an opinion on same-sex marriage as well, but considering that so far as she's aware it's banned in the state of Texas, she's not going to make a big scene about it just yet. "Human equality is one thing," she says simply, leaving sexuality out of it for a moment. "Allowing bloodsuckers to have the same rights? To practice medicine on someone who may be bleeding to death? Do you see no issue with this? What about interspecies marriage? Do you think we should deny the sanctity of marriage that God meant for us? It says 'til death do us part, not 'til death do us marry. God never intended for us to marry /after/ death." Sure, the focus was still on marriage a little there, but at least she wasn't focusing on the homosexuality aspect of it.
"One day we /will/ be free. It will be the day He blesses the world with his Holy Light, and smites the vile creatures down."
"NEXT," comes the call from the barrista.
"If you will excuse me," Hope says coolly to Ivan, "I need to place my order so that I can get to work. Please stay away from my sister. You may think that I am mean all you want, but if our parents find out that you are keeping her out after curfew, I am going to be the least of your worries, and I doubt your boss would enjoy your name being dredged through the legal system."
—
Ivan looks weary. He is tired, and uncomfortable, and though his attention remains stubbornly upon Hope, he does not speak. There is no way to win this battle, there is nothing for him to do. The only way he can leave without messing up the situation further is by ignoring it.
And so that's what he does. He waits for her to disappear, grabs his coffee, and then runs off himself.
