2021-05-12 - Hanging With the Raisin Girls

No amount of chilly drizzle or threatened thunderstorms is going to keep this blond firebrand from enjoying one of those blended cappuccino drinks. NO WAY! It's been a long ass day and her perfect haired is frazzled and she just wants an abundance of sugar and espresso and this is an easy way to get a ton of both. So weather be damned!

Here comes Cassidy. She's dressed down in well fitting jeans, simple flat and a large white shirt that may be loose but under it is a black sports bra that isn't letting a thing give anyone any ideas.

Kass comes banging into the shop, chased in by the start of the rain, skirting in juuuuuuuuuust ahead of the first wave of true rain, messenger bag held over her head to keep herself as dry as possible. Looking for all the world like some high schooler in an oversized hoodie (has to be a guy's) from another school in a place far away from here, a pair of ragged cutoff shorts, and a pair of Chuck Taylors made of 'off-white' vulcanized rubber with a blaze orange sole. Letting the bag bang down against her hip, Kass runs a hand through her hair and offers a lopsided grin, "Hope you brought an umbrella. The downpour chased me in here. Guess I'm picking up some desert to bring home!"

Cassidy is just now sliding into an open table with her very large blended ice drink. She looks at it like it's a pirate's treasure and sucks down a healthy sip. The sigh is one of pleasure and relief mixed with discomfort as she places the back of her hand to her forehead to wait out the near instant brain freeze.

Then someone is speaking! She looks over to the voice and then she looks out the window in the storm. "Fuck..." she reaches down for her phone in her bag and starts to unlock it. "I'll have to Uber home and the driver better have an umbrella."

"Yeah, I may have to call someone for a ride myself. Not sure if I want to try and run all the way home in that." Kass stares out the window and shakes her head before heading to the counter and ordering a large hot chocolate, extra marshmallows, and gets a couple pints to be kept in the freezer until she's ready to head out. Claiming her cup, she goes to join Cassidy, sliding in with a grin, not waiting for an invitation. "Hi. I'm Kass. I think we may have met briefly somewhere? I can't remember, but you definitely look familiar!"

With her lips on her straw and icy blended goodness traveling toward her inner being (and maybe this is how she keeps her heart and soul so well and frozen - stranger things have happened), Cassidy slides her devastating blue eyes to Kass. One can imagine at this point there is some database of names and faces that starts scrolling identities rapidly through a large computer monitor in her head.

She leans back - matte pink lips breaking from the straw and leaving a stain. "The Pourhouse. When the helicopter pilot tried to ask me out and some nutty janitor tried to steal my phone. While I was shutting the boys down -" as she is wont to do "- you made some unnecessarily rational point about business cards."

The attorney for the state tilts her head and tsks lightly - but it's a friendly and playful tsk - "You need to have a girl's back next time."

"That's right! Now I remember." Kass gives a nod before chuckling and sipping at her cocoa. "I didn't want to mess with your groove. Besides, I'm... utterly horrible at social anything. Spent a lot of time in places where there wasn't exactly normal social interactions so... still trying to learn all these weird social conventions and rules." Shaking her head, she sighs, "Sometimes I think its hopeless, I'm truly a lost cause... but I keep trying anyways!" She takes another sip and looks to Cassidy, "Don't you have some like.. big important job, too?"

"There's nothing to learn it's all a bunch of bullshit," Cassidy imparts with a whispered lean. She sits upright plays with her straw. "Mmm...Well, I work in the district attorney's office..." and yes. I am way too good and important for this town. (That part isn't spoken)

With a wary eye to the storm, Cassidy sighs and engages the other woman further. "What do you do? You look like you're in college."

"And what's your name, bytheway? I'm Cassidy."

Laughing lightly, Kass sends an amused glance towards Cassidy, "Hi. I'm Kass." As she mentioned just a few moments ago. Sipping on her hot cocoa, she shakes her head, "I work at Platinum. Waitress and Events Planner. I have absolutely no idea what I would do at college. And.. well, I don't really want to leave the area. I'm awkward enough here, let alone trying to go somewhere else." Tucking a lock behind her ear, she grins, "I've had people tell me I should be an artist full-time but I never figured I was good enough for all that."

"What's Platinum? Is that a jewelry store?" Cassidy asks before taking another drag from her ice drink. Mmm... She shakes her head and releases the straw, "No. Because you said waitress. So it's probably a strip club."

Cassidy runs her tongue over her teeth behind a closed mouth. "That sounds like a shitty job. Maybe you should do what those people suggest instead." She's not really malicious about any of this. It's like she's reading a court record. These are just the way things are. See? They aren't opinions.

She holds out her phone and leans into Kass and sticks her tongue out. SELFIE! She sits back up, "What's your last name? I'm going to put this emoji on your contact name." It's the red backpack one. She looks at Kass and waits, thumbs ready, for the last name.... "and phone number?"

"Cabaret, but yeah, pretty close. Its not bad, I like the people I work with. Clientele could be better, but the bouncers are good at making sure there's no physical contact between girls and the customers." Kass lifts a shrug and sips again at her cocoa. "Besides, I wouldn't know where to begin. I just paint things that I like. Or sometimes I do chalk drawings, or spraypaint murals..."

She glances up, wide-eyed, just in time for the 'click' of the camera, not having expected the selfie moment in the least. She still looks a little shocked when Cassidy asks for her last name, then cringes a touch. "Hughes. Kassandra Hughes." She seems braced, as if expecting for Cassidy's demeanor to change completely now. Still braced, she rattles off her number and looks towards her.

(TXT to Kass) Cassidy : 👽

(TXT to ) Kass : 🤠

Cassidy taps on her phone to enter the deets and then sends a text to Kass' phone as a means of sharing her own number. "Yeah, well, you're not going to get the well mannered rich at a place like that in this town with all their fancy airs and fancy clothes..." she laughs at her emoji choice for the text message.

The phone gets locked and tossed in her bag. "Well you probably won't make any money as an artist in Gray Harbor." wow. "But go do artist-adjacent things, like painting store windows and commissioned signs and things like that which would give you the freedom to do your own stuff and probably spark the creativity more than serving plates from the corned beef buffet to horny men."

She smiles. This is her being nice. The advice is free!

Saving the contact when the text comes in, Kass chuckles at the emoji received and sends back one as well. Pop culture references. She slips her phone away again and shakes her head, "Commissions are exactly the opposite of being able to do my own stuff. That's being paid to make something that someone else wants made. I could never do commissions, it kills creativity and inspiration faster than anything. You can't put art on a schedule, doesn't work."

She turns the mug in her hands and chuckles, "Actually, I do a full bodypaint job on myself before every shift to make sure I look like something or someone else every day. Sometimes there's wigs involved... sometimes just paint. But its pretty fun."

"I know what a commission is..." Cassidy says flatly. "The point was..." she shakes her head and flutters her hand, "Whatever. It's fine." She takes her iced beverage and up shoots more of that icy blend. "Mmmm..mmmhmmm" she sounds off with a lack of interest regarding the body paint as she's drinking. The straw is eventually given a break.

"Sorry, we're just not going to agree on strip clubs being fun, cool or interesting in any way..." It's followed by an exposed teeth, sympathetic look with her brow raised that says, 'sorry - just the way it is'.

She hears the buzz of her phone and reaches down to pick it up. She looks at Kass' reply text and snorts. "That was a great movie." The phone gets tossed back into the bag.

"So what else do you do?" With interested, shining eyes and a restful closed mouth smile, she waits. Blink. Blink.

"Well thankfully we're not expected to agree on everything, otherwise I would be fucked in terrible ways," Kass lets out a laugh, shaking her head and stirring the melting marshmallows into the hot cocoa a bit more. She flashes a grin as the reference is caught and gives a nod, "I like Daniel Craig."

The question catches her off-guard for a moment and she has to looks down at her hands, "Oh I do a little of a lot of things. I'm pretty handy at general repairs, I like to read a lot, I'm getting certified in CPR and First Aid. Sometimes I go to trivia or karaoke nights... haven't in awhile, but sometimes I go." Her gaze lifts and she offers a half-smile, "What about you? What do you like to do?"

The front door opens again, the little bell over the door announcing the arrival of the dark haired man who ducks under the door frame as he passes through. His leather jacket has been zipped most of the way up, and shows a large, unsightly lump at his pectoral level. The opening to the jacket he's shielding with a small bag, a baby bag to be specific, keeping the few bright red hair tuffs that peek from his open collar from getting wet from the outside drizzle, sacrificing his own dryness.

Everett pauses just inside the door and combs the fingers of his empty hand through long hair, then shakes it out. Even still, a strand of ebony hair clings to his forehead, both equally wet.
"Ah, Ian--" Everett starts to say. His deep voice stops the moment Everett lifts his head and notices he's not alone. There's a long look at them. Long enough for his face to fall and then he remembers he's still standing in the doorway and casts his gaze towards the kitchen window. Lowering the baby bag, he gives it a shake once its by his hip, his other hand pulling the zipper down, exposing the source of the red tuffs. A pale skinned, redheaded child is clung to his chest in a baby sling, happily dozing.

Once he's made himself at home, he imposes further, traversing the dining area and helping himself behind the counter and through the kitchen doors.

And who should wander in at that moment but a tall copper blond in black -- jeans, turtleneck, Italian leather jacket; not a single drop of colour on the man but a single silver stripe in the scarf around his neck. He has a certain 'lost wet puppy' look to him thanks to the god-awful weather outside -- and no umbrella. Very clearly somebody in pursuit of less rain and possibly something hot to drink -- and definitely taking advantage of the big frame of Everett while he walks in. Shelter against the rain is shelter against the right, right?

"'Ello," the man says to everyone and no one, and heads counterwards. "I don't suppose I could badger someone for an espresso or anything else that contains caffeine?"

The door to Sweet Retreats opens with a jingle of it's bell and a familiar face enters. Kailey is wearing a colorful tie-dye purple and pink baby sling in which there is a baby. She waves and smiles cheerfully at the waitress and giving a delighted, "Ravn!" In greeting the Dane in front of her. Moving in to give him a one-armed hug about the shoulders. "How's your head, hon?" She asks. Within the sling there is silence as this baby is also fast asleep. She leans to look past Ravn and spies Cassidy. "Oh! Hey there," She greets as she moves past to kick the baby bag over to a table by Kass and Cassidy. "Hey Misty, can you get me a hot cocoa with marshmallows and I'm betting Ravn here wants a coffee," She winks at the man as she settles into a seat and stretches.

Cassidy brushes Kass' shoulder with her hand and gives it a little push, "Oh I /love/ karaoke."

Then the door is open and the observant blond looks to see who it is. A quick glance over the tall dude with the bump in his jacket and she whispers to Kass with a lean, "I bet it's a baby..." and then it is a baby. And Cassidy winks to her compadre at the table.

Then the next one to enter is Ravn and Cassidy sits up a bit straighter and sends any errant hair from in front of her shoulders to behind her shoulders with one deft shake. She's about to say something that is no doubt snarky, somewhat disparaging, and cute all at the same time to the Dane, but then she's distracted by Kailey who gets a bright smile and a finger wave.

"Oh great! We'll have to meet up sometime when they offer it at the Pourhouse again, then!" Kass offers with a bright grin, rolling with the push and coming right back around.

The number of people that suddenly troop into the sweets cafe has her eyes widening, especially when she takes note of the first one. "Uh... hi Ev. Cute kid." Then there's another man, and his question gets a laugh and a flick of her hand towards the counter, "I'm sure they can oblige?" And finally a girl... and another baby! "Jesus... I lay low for a few months and suddenly everyone is spawning..." Blinking, she offers a smile up towards Kailey before stirring her hot cocoa and taking a biiiiiiiiiiiiiig drink.

Voices carry from the back. Not only is Everett's voice not particularly soft, but the cook in the back is being defensive. At a time, Ian seen gesturing with a deep, baffled shrug, armed with a spatula in his right hand while he backs up and into view through the kitchen window through which food passes.

The noise in the back calms down seconds after, then Everett's spotted looking through the kitchen door windows. You know the type, so the wait staff don't walk into each other before opening a door. His expression is sour and quickly passes from view as he opens the door to the apartment upstairs and takes the stairs two at a time.

All the quicker to make his escape.

The expression on Ravn's face as he is Kailey-glomped isn't quite as gleeful as you'd expect from a bachelor getting glomped by an attractive woman. He doesn't move away per se -- but he watches every movement like a hawk, in the fashion of somebody who considers the risk of this suddenly turning into a shower of fire to be very, very real. He's probably not a natural hugger.

"I promise that I'm not pregnant," he murmurs and edges towards the counter where indeed, coffee might happen. A worried glance at Kailey, so fresh out of hospital. "How are the -- burn wounds?"

The man offers a small wave of a gloved hand to everyone else inside as well -- a familiar face and one who isn't, but then, even Gray Harbor has eighteen thousand people in it, and even Ravn Abildgaard doesn't profess to knowing them all. "Awful weather, isn't it?"

"I'm doing well enough I can wear Mew in a sling, so that's a plus," Kailey says with a relieved kind of smile. "I was missing snuggling my bug," A tender hand goes to cup the bulge of the sling. The sleeping babe doesn't stir. But the noise from the back has Kailey turning in her seat to peer at the back. And when Everett does that turn around to head upstairs she quirks a brow.

"Huh...wonder what that's about," Kailey muses as she turns back to have Misty delivering her a cocoa and a big old cup of coffee for Ravn. "Cassidy, did you hear the Pourhouse is doing another karaoke soon?" She turns back to the other two women. When Kass smile at her she smiles back and notes the cocoa. "Oh! Have you tried the chocolate covered marshmallows here? They're, like, my favorite thing," She says chipperly and turns back to wave at Misty again.

"Hey, can you grab four of the dark chocolate dipped strawberry marshmallows for us please," Kailey apparently has some say here. Being the owner's partner and all. Doesn't help she is usually super sweet about it, smiling brightly at the waitress. Luckily there aren't that many other customers to take care of, so she goes about getting the marshmallows. Which are 2 inches on every side and dipped in the way that there is extra chocolate drops on the bottom and sides. The inside is faintly pink with actual pureed chunks of strawberry.

"Oh are they?" Cassidy turns to face Kailey, resting her elbow on the back of her chair as she does so - partly because she can punish Ravn with her eyes for not giving her a more effusive greeting.

"You know...Last time I went to the Pourhouse they took over an hour to get the quesadillas out and if I'm going to karaoke I can't wait that long for food." She shrugs with a movement that gives her hair a little bounce. "So I think I'll probably sit this one out."

The tiny blond then turns back to sit properly in her chair and suck the life out of the icy blended cappuccino she's been drinking. (It's huge, bytheway. Like 32 oz huge. That's why it's not gone yet)

Kass continues to stare at all the.. nice... going on. Apparently not used to such effusiveness, she retreats a bit more into the booth and cups her cocoa to stare down at it so she doesn't say anything... wrong. She looks up at mention of another karaoke night, grinning, "Oh awesome! I'll have to stop by at it then." Cassidy's declining of the mention has her looking towards the woman, then chuckling. "You could eat before going?"

Ravn is gives a quick smile and a twiddle of fingers in a greeting before she looks back to her cocoa and offers that same flickered smile to Kailey, "Thank you, I'm just trying to warm up on the heels of that storm. I'll try one if you want?"

August is not a common face in Sweet Retreat. He'll get special gifts for employees, gift cards, etc., but that's infrequent. Here he is, though, stepping in and looking around to see who's present. Ravn, check. Kailey, just who he wanted to see. ...Kass? He remembers her, takes a second to study her for changes before moving on to--

...Cassidy.

He blinks, flicks a veiled look at Ravn. It doesn't last long. He approaches Kailey, saying, "Hey," including everyone else with a glance. "Thought I should check up and see how," his eyebrows go up, "you and Everett are doing." He clears his throat. "You know, after ah, all that weirdness the other day." Where he was a bear, and Everett was Conan, and Kailey was...something.

Something passes between the two men; Ravn returns August's look with one of his own that clearly communicates oh God, not this again. Then he accepts the strawberry with a bright 'thank you!' and finds a stool by the counter to sit on, running his sleeve across his forehead -- which honestly doesn't make him look any less like a bedraggled puppy. Bloody weather.

"Glad to hear it," he tells Kailey. "My arm's still smarting, but Kinney works miracles, not going to lie. Fusses over me like a mother hen too, probably would break my other arm if I didn't subject myself to suitable treatment. Hello, everyone, new face too. Name's Ravn Abildgaard."

Kailey makes a soft tsking noise at Cassidy and says, "You'll be missing out. I hear it's truth or dare as a theme." A pause to offer her thanks to Misty as marshmallows are delivered by Misty. Then her eyes turn to Kass. "I don't think we've met. I'm Kailey," And since they are too far for an easy handshake, and she is burdened by sleeping child, she waves at the red head instead.

Taking a sip of her cocoa she makes a soft noise and nods agreement with Kass' assessment of eating before hand. "Besides," She licks cocoa from her chin as she lowers the cup. "The mozzarella sticks are where it is at if you want food. Never been cold on me once. Same with the chicken fingers. Every place is gonna screw up now and again, you probably just were the unlucky one that time. Also, it isn't for a few weeks." So she may change her mind.

As the bell jingles and announces August's arrival her head swivels. The man is given one of her brighter smile and she calls out a friendly, "Hey there. You want a chocolate covered marshmallow too? My treat!" Then she pauses. Her head cants to the side and the smile falters slightly. "Uhhh...yeah...I mean...I feel okay but like..." She scrunches up her face and takes another sip of her cocoa. "Everything I've drawn since then has been crap. Like...no inspiration or...I dunno. I can't picture anything right and it is driving me nuts. How about you, bear?" It could be nickname and for a second her smile returns and there's a teasing note in the word.

August and Ravn get their secret silent exchange all to themselves...This time.....This time....As Cassidy is too busy reaching for her phone and taking a selfi...no..She's using the front facing camera as a make-up mirror. She drags her thumb down the corner of her mouth once from that. Then the phone is in the usual texting position. Thumbs tap out a quick one. Phone is tossed back into her bag.

The icy beverage of blended espresso goodness is depleted. Cassidy takes a couple of empty gurgling draws on the straw to make sure there's only air left inside that large plastic cup. Then the lid comes off because there are a few errant clumps that need to be straw-spooned into her mouth.

After this whole production Cassidy decides, "Okay. I'll think about it." - about the karaoke at Pourhouse.

(TXT to Kass) Cassidy : 💀mozzarella sticks🤮

"OH, ah... Kass. I'm Kass," its offered to Kailey with that brief smile before she reaches for one of the marshmallows, pulling it in and looking at it before shrugging and dropping it into her cocoa. She stirs it and looks up at a familiar voice to smile at August. She looks largely the same as she did the last time she was out and about, perhaps a little less overtly twitchy. Her phone dings, prompting her to pull it out and look at the text, snorting a laugh and clearing her throat before tucking it back into her pocket.

She sips on her cocoa and lets her eyes jump around between all the people, safely ensconced in the booth and tucked neatly into a corner. Darting a glance towards Cassidy, she flashes a grin and goes back to her drink.

As Cassidy didn't notice his silent exchange with Ravn, August feels no need to push his luck on that topic. "Truth or dare, huh? Well as long as there isn't another bar brawl. Not sure how that applies to karaoke, though."

He mmmms at the marshmallow offer. "Alright. One shouldn't hurt my girlish figure." He goes to fetch himself a napkin, settles on a stool at the bar. The nickname gets an amused smile; the description of her drawing problem dispels it. More than just that; August stills, staring at Kailey. "You're having trouble drawing." He looks, in all honesty, that's what she's said has scared him somehow.

"Not really surprising that you might be a tad fatigued after sustaining that kind of injuries," Ravn tells Kailey, oblivious in turn to what is passing between her and August.

He receives his espresso from the waitress and rewards her with a lopsided smile before turning back to his fellow patrons (and quite likely trying to work out why exactly the ADA is glaring at him). "Good to meet you, Kass. Are you new in town, or have we just not happened to occupy the same space previously?"

Heavy boots thudding along the ceiling signal Everett's not-so-waif frame descending the stairs to the apartment above. They can practively be followed while he descends the stairs perhaps quicker then he ascended them after he's realized he left two things together he maybe ought not.
When the apartment door opens, Everett cranes his neck to look through the kitchen door windows once more, his hair mussed, but damp instead of soaked, and missing his leather biker's jacket, and the bundle beneath.

Clearly, he ate the baby.

He disappears past all but X-ray vision, through Ian, the evening cook gives clues. A quieter talk, Ian passes something over, then silently, Ian nods his head, looking down, his expression a little sheepish.

When the kitchen door opens, not a moment later, Everett ducking under the door frame again armed with a plate and a cup. He approaches Kailey, and puts both objects down. The cup containing coffee, the plate has three chocolate dipped bacon slices arranged like an asterisk.
"Three. Like I promised," Everett says down to Kailey, holding up the same amount of fingers. See, gorilla can count. He then notices August, the newer arrival and up nods in acknowledgement, before turning his attention back down to Kailey, noding to her bundle, "Want me to take her upstairs too?"

Kailey's smile kind of slides away from her face one corner of her mouth at a time. "Yeah...it kinda sucks. I have the mural to start on and I'm coming up with something a four year old might fling on a wall..." She reaches up and rubs the back of her head. "Maybe I've just been over doing...ahhh...myself as you say Ravn. But I've never had art block this this..." She picks up her own marshmallow and takes a bite. It only briefly restores her happy.

Looking up from her marshmallow back to August it is her turn to look worried. And she stills in lifting her cup and tilts her head slightly. "Bear, what's the matter?" She asks after a seconds pause. Everett's reappearance and presentation of bacon and chocolate has her blinking in startled surprise.

"Thank you?" Kailey says uncertainly as she turns to look up at Everett with a raised brow. "When did you promise this?" And as she asks she is moving to carefully remove the sling, and it's sleeping package, from around her neck. Passing Morganna off to the biker with all the care one would expect.

"What's your name?"

It's spoken crystal clear and is as direct as a laser. Even if he's turned and facing the other direction, there's no doubt it was directed straight at August, and there's no doubt in Cassidy's mind that he received it. And if the man does look at the diminutive blond in the booth with Kass, it will be only to find a diamond piercing blue gaze leveled right back into his eyes.

(Maybe she's just really upset about Glenn. August probably gets that a lot.)

August cuts a sort of warning look at Ravn, gives a minute shake of his head. "Remember when I texted you?" An eyebrow goes up. He'd like to be oblique, because that conversation was only half about him waking up in a crater in Firefly Forest. The subject of the rest of it is sitting in a booth with Kass, and he'd rather not tip her off.

Not that this spares him. He gives turns his attention to Cassidy, half-smiles. "Roen, Ms. Bennet. I run the garden shop and local arborist business." That's all she gets for the moment, because Kailey's asked the million dollar question.

He sighs, takes to studying the floor. "I'm...not sure yet. But something's off with me too, and given, you know," he looks up at her, winces, "maybe we need to all sit down and talk about it." And now there's Everett. August returns the up-nod. "Woods, hey. Have you noticed anything...off, since we got back from our...puzzle quest?" It's the only way he can think of describing it which (maybe? hopefully??) won't prompt weird questions from Cassidy.

Glancing up from her drink, still just idly stirring it more than drinking, Kass looks to Ravn and lifts both brows. "I was born here, but, uh... I was... gone. For about ten years. Up at the asylum. Been back for... a year? Maybe a little less? Little more? I'm not great with time." She clears her throat and tries a smile that fades quickly, "I don't get around much these days. Mostly just... work, then home. Grocery shopping. Karaoke sometimes. Not recently though."

"Oh, that'd explain why we've never bumped into each other before," the copper blond replies, with a small lopsided smile. "I'm pretty new in town myself -- came in last fall on my way to Portland. Never made it to Portland, obviously."

The man does have an accent that readily identifies him as not a native speaker -- it's the kind of accent that wishes it was proper British BBC but doesn't quite manage to get there. Probably some other kind of European. Why he seems to think he should recognise everyone in town is anyone's question.

He does catch the look from August. It gets filed away under 'I need to ask about this later' -- after all, if the man wanted to discuss the other half of that conversation in public, he'd probably just do so.

Accepting the package gingerly from Kailey, Everett takes the time to pull his hair from under the sling after putting it over his head and braces the baby high against his chest. He steals a few precious seconds looking down and poking the baby presumably gently when she doesn't fuss, under her chin then along the infant's right cheek where he stops when that causes the brunette to stir.
"Be right back," he murmurs, to Kailey to be sure, but he doesn't draw his focus away when the baby balls a fist and strokes her own cheek, all the way down to her cupid's bow, to put her lips on her knuckle and lay immobile again.

"Auggie," Everett replies to August, a prior nickname Kailey used to call August. Maybe not so much to his face. He lifts his head because that helps the thinking process, but as he's only kinda started that timeline, and Everett being Everett, not particularly the most observant of neanderthals, turns his head back down after waking his brain to give his head a little shake, purse of his lips and offers the other man, "Nope."
Then again, would the tough guy voluntarily share a weakness of his too. "Maybe it was 'cuz I killed the, you know," the other room occupants get a brief glance, "thing. With the, you know. Breath." Stuble, Everett. Like a brick.

With a throaty soft noise, the thug retraces his steps, getting between Cassidy's deathray glare briefly while he cuts into the kitchen, opens a door, and retraces his steps again. His stay isn't as long as the first time. Returning back to their table, Kailey and he. As he slides into his seat, Everett puts a device on the table. White. Single antenna. Single speaker, red light. Everett favors a sip from his coffee cup, looking around once again to catch up with what's going on, leaving the baby monitor on the table.

But the troublemaker can't help himself, not for long anyway. He frowns and points a beefy finger to Cassidy while looking at Ravn, "Say. Wasn't she your date, for that thing. You know. You were in the paper together." Everett offers this to Cassidy, "You two make a great looking couple."

Kailey purses her lips when August asks Everett about anything being different. Probably racking her own brain to see if she's noticed anything. But she apparently comes up blank and shakes her head. "It kinda sucks. Like...my art is how I make money," She grouses before lifting her cocoa to take a full gulp. There is a suspicious look slanted at Everett. "Yeah...that puzzle room was something else. Good thing they use pinatas for the thing to fight," Someone is quick thinking, tilting her head subtly towards Cassidy in the booth. She clears her throat. "You checked in with anyone else? They feeling particularly weird? Maybe there was...uhhh...mold or...something..."

"Well I am pleased to meet you, Roen." Cassidy seems satisfied enough with that.

But...(when Everett is finally out of the way) August would find that her gaze hasn't flicked from him a millimeter. "You know - there are only two types of people who I've never met before that call me 'Ms. Bennet' before I introduce myself." She gives a brief moment under an inscrutable, professional gaze to let it dawn on him what those two types might be. Just a beat, really, before she smiles slowly with a professional warmth and says, "...And one of the types is just well-mannered men who read the papers."

Her buzzing blue eyes slide away from August to Ravn, to whom her slow wink might as well be a slug to the chest. And it's made all the more confusing - she's sure - by what Everett just interjected. Best believe she's going to leave the answering of Ev's question up to the esteemed President of the HOPE Foundation International.

Her matte pink lips part ever so slightly to suck in a quick breath and then she bounces back in her seat to face Kass. "I got this new app. Check it out! It lets you mix and match the different parts of celebrities. So you can have, like, Ryan Reynold's face with Denzel's chest and Napoleon Dynamites legs..." she nudges Kass with her shoulder and giggles as she shows off the final result (which she of course had saved earlier).

"Possibly. Also sounds like we run in pretty different circles, Mr.. uh, Mister." Kass nods to Ravn with brief, polite smile. She darts a glance between the other three, looking once or twice like she wants to say something, but each time just biting her tongue and focusing on stirring her drink. Clearing her throat and looking up with a smile when Cassidy talks about a new app? "Oh yeah? That sounds like its going to be... yup, that is terrible." But she laughs, shaking her head at the ending picture. "How many do they have on there? Like... can you do Seth Rogan's chest with Clint Eastwood's head and Terry Crews' legs?"

August looks back to Cassidy. He's not a man easily unnerved, not even now, with weird shit happening to him in ways he'd not anticipated. "And some of them might know the Acting Chief of Police. Or, you know," he shrugs, "both."

He snorts as Everett Woods, of all the people, calls him 'Auggie'. "Could be, yeah," he says, frowning. Not at Everett's description of the Dream--August's was hardly better--but rather at the supposition that by killing the final enemy, Everett was spared any oddness. "You're the first two I had a chance to ask. So, that's...maybe two of us." A grimace. "I'll call Diana and James, see how're they're doing. The, ah...mold might've gotten them too."

He's just about to bite into that chocolate marshmallow when Everett...says that. Boy is he glad he's not been actively eating it, he might have choked. Instead, he stills, slowly looks to Ravn, waiting, intent.

Ravn's eyes go almost comically wide a second as Everett declares Cassidy his date. He sets his espresso cup down, grateful that he had not just sipped from it lest he spray the damn thing all over the counter, and looks at the other man. "Uh. No. Sorry, I wasn't even attending whatever that thing was, I just came by with some paperwork for Rhys Evans. I'm not really part of the Tux and Evening Dress at the Casino crowd -- I spent the winter in the trailer park, for fuck's sake. I tutor history students online to make rent."

If there is such a thing as a successful tag team trolling effort, Cassidy and Everett have just managed it between them.

When August inquires about Diana and James, Everett can't help but look a little mischievous, the smirk that develops on his face spreads wide. Noticing that there's still bacon left, he steals one and breaks it in half, along the chocolate line. It's the sans chocolate portion that he keeps, eyeing Kailey while he takes a small bite and chews for far too long before his mouth clears.
Did he do something to them? Hide their bodies in the place that shares his name? Tee hee.

His self-pleasure only widens at Ravn's expression, especially with so many people watching for it. "Oh," Evertt glances towards the blonde whom Ravn shared the photo with before turning his focus back on Ravn, "So you were just in the right place at the right time. Lucky you. Tell you what, if you do date, stop by." Everett nods his head towards the kitchen, "I'll have them make something special for you."

Picking up his coffee cup, Everett hides the remainder of his canary eating grin behind the porcelain as he takes a sip. He's so about to get a kick under the table, but worth it.

Kailey has deleted their OOC comment: Kailey just kind of gets wide-eyed as she looks between Ravn and Cassidy. Then to Everett. There is clear confusion on the young mother's face at just what is going on for a second. Then she rolls her eyes and just sighs, shakes her head, and kicks the large man in the shin. Then bends to take a tentative bite of her chocolate covered bacon. "Still don't know what you mean about you promised me this..." She mutters before taking a bite. She chews with a thoughtful expression. She doesn't spit it out, but does set the strip back down on the plate and washes it down with another gulp of her cocoa.

There is a sudden sound over the monitor. ~"Maaaaaaam. Mama? Daaaaaa?"~ Comes the curious calling of one Morganna. Which instantly has Kailey's attention turning upwards, as if she could see through the ceiling. "I got 'em," Kailey tells her partner as she shoves back, taking cocoa with her. Leaving the monitor behind as she slips through and into the kitchen. "Hi Ian!" Can be heard before she head upstairs.

Unlike Everett you can't hear her stomping around like an elephant. But the door opening is heard on the monitor along with a babies happy squeal. "Ssshhhh, your brother's still sleeping," Kailey can be heard to say in a soft voice. "You hungry? Yeah you are, ow, ow. Hey, hold on," Then there is a click as the monitor upstairs is turned off. Lest she say something by accident that should stay between her and the baby. Like how scrumptious she is. Om Nom Nom.

Cassidy looks back at August for all of half a second with a 'thanks for playing, but...' sort of look - you know the kind us ladies sometimes do. It's gone in the blink of her eyes, attention now on Kass when those lashes raise back up. "Come on, I'll pay for your Uber. Where do you live?"

The DA stands and grabs her purse. It slides down to rest by the handles in the crook of her arm. "Byeeee" she kisses her fingers and waggles them to Ravn (who else). Normal smiles for everyone else (except August, because she already dealt with him). Then she's buried in her phone setting Uber details.

Before Kass really had the chance to agree to this, Cassidy is already several steps away. There's just a confidence in her that the redhead will follow. I mean.... She told her to, didn't she? And they're besties now, aren't they? That's how these things work.

"Hm? Oh! Uhhhhhh... over by St. Mary's? Just like, a block or two... I can give you the address. And thanks." Kass hurries to gather her things since apparently they are leaving now! She slides out of the booth and rushes to the counter to get her ice cream, shoving some money onto the counter as a tip for the nice thing, then hurries along after Cassidy. Hood on the hoodie goes up and she clutches at her bag and hurries out into the rain.

August hides his smile for Ravn's reaction around a bite of chocolate marshmallow. "Damn, Woods, that's really not half bad." He meets Cassidy's eyes, expression bland, even bobs his eyebrows. The Diana and James joke, though, that gets a roll of his eyes. "Don't make me take back my compliment about the marshmallow."

He watches Cassidy and Kass go. "Well." He finishes the marshmallow, gives Ravn a long, thoughtful look. "I'll give you an hour to text him. That's as long as my media blackout lasts." He tosses the napkin in a trashcan. "I have to get to the shop, Devlin and Conner and I are...going to try something. I'll get in touch with you after, yeah? Thank Kailey for the marshmallow for me."

As he's moving towards the door, he adds over his shoulder to Everett, "And let me know if something weird happens to you." Then he's gone.

"I have no idea what's going on," Ravn murmurs more or less to the room in general, even as it's emptying and no one's listening. "I haven't been on a date since 2014. It's... really not a thing I do."

He gulps down his coffee and moves doorwards too. At perhaps higher speed than is strictly necessary. If the Dane's expression says something like, I'm just going to go home and hide under my bunk and in fact never leave my boat again, it's entirely coincidental.

Watching Kailey taking a bite of the other half of the bacon he's left, Everett's hunched over, to rub his knee shin after the small disturbance that kick caused. He's still not stopped grinning though. Not until the monitor goes off and he starts to rise before Kailey calls she's got it. Watching her rise, and especially leave, Everett's head tilts until the swinging kitchen doors obscure his view, causing his attention to return to those around him. Ravn especially, though Kass is given a long look when passing in front of his field of view.

At August's compliment, Everett smirks wider. He waits for the door to close before supplying, "Well, it's not like I tried to take their keys with me and abandon them in that place forever and all-time or anything." He nods at the ask to thank Kailey adding, "The only thing weird that's happened to me is my life."

Poor Ravn. Everett's smile widens as he gets to his feet. The last customer, he can finally lock the door and check on what's going on upstairs. "Ravn, buddy, that's exactly how true love feels. You never know what's going on. All I ask," Everett clasps Ravn's shoulder, to help Ravn find the door, "is you name your first after me." Everett pauses.
"Or Mister Poopybottoms. That'll be ok too. Night, dude."