An Air of Time (T-M) (Guardian-Angel - Amalgamator)

[Amalgamator]

(Out of Character: The date, the time, and the other observations are just for reference, in case Jane checks the weather forecast over the specific area where Morpheus is. Just use the date and time when skipping time and weather conditions if necessary.)

[6/25/2012 – 12:00 – New Moon]
[Weather Conditions: Cloudy, 53°, 90% humidity, 0% Chance of Rain, 1018 millibars]

The powerful rays of the sun sleepily hid behind the clumps of dark fluff in the sky. Seagulls shot by the clouds quickly, screeching and desperately flapping their wings to swim through the air as they were accustomed to doing. The clouds overhead camouflaged them from the eyes of unwary humans below, and combined with the occasional present, the little stealth bombers helped to weave gross stories for years to come.

A figure on his way to the golden gate bridge wearing an unzipped fleece hoodie covering a fiery shirt, worn jeans and a mat of bed-ridden, unkempt hair only narrowly avoided finding a present of his own as one sped down to the ground before him. The situation opened his eyes just a little wider and interrupted his train of thought about kittens versus puppies as pets, leaving him to piece together how a white splatter suddenly slammed to the floor before his eyes. Of course, being the tired man that he was, it did not take long for Morpheus to remember where he was, San Francisco, home to tourists, scientists, and seagulls. Before the light breeze stopped flowing, the figure was moving again.

Various runners, bikers, walkers and drivers passed by, car radios blaring music of sorts, bikers and runners leaving drops of sweat on the otherwise dry sidewalk, and other various disturbances one must get over to live in the city. Morpheus was at home. Walking along the busy streets offered him opportunity to refresh his mind, to remember ideas he had forgotten days ago and to think them out to the extent they offer. No amount of seagulls or irritatingly slow walkers would separate him from this opportunity, nor did he take annoyance in these everyday occurrences in the first place.

As the San Francisco Bay shouted out the sounds of its inviting, salty water to his right, Morpheus walked along the earthquake-shaken sidewalk, his eyes focused on the rusty red bridge in the distance. The 1.7 mile walk took a long time, but the man had packed a cliff bar, crunchy peanut butter, so he assumed that he would survive his stomach’s shouts until he reached the other side. The south parking lot was unquestionably full as the scholar passed by, his light footsteps rhythmically continuing as he swiftly walked up towards the staple of the city. Morpheus walked to the east sidewalk of the gate so as to not piss off the bikers, and as he walked, thoughts continued wafting across his mind’s eye.

Before long, Morpheus found the word ‘death’ echoing through his mind once again. Passing a photographer on his left, the scholar’s expression turned solemn as he imagined gravestones and air rushing by from a fall. The thoughts and images were potent in his mind, his eyes and feet subconsciously keeping him moving as he passed other tourists, the eerie fog and sudden cold piercing through his thin fleece hoodie. The cold was always colder over the Golden Gate Bridge.

After awhile, Morpheus awoke from his day-dreaming thought discussion and noticed that tourists were not passing by as frequently. After stopping and trying to count heads behind and ahead of him along the sidewalk, Morpheus decided that the bridge was void enough for him to stop and enjoy the view. Resting his elbows on the railing and overlooking the disappointingly foggy view of the area, the scholar frowned, death continuing to stream into his mind. ‘The issue is not that I will die, the issue is that I do not know when.’ ‘Does death follow life, or do they coexist.’ ‘I wonder…’

With various thoughts forcing a tired, painful frown across his face, Morpheus leaned on the railing more, resting his chin on his fist as he watched the inviting waters below. He was not much of a swimmer, but the white caps of the windy waters below looked strangely inviting as of the moment. The figure flinched suddenly when he realized what he was really thinking, but quickly returned to his depressed complexion as he reassured himself that he would not bring himself that low. ‘ The world was full enough with crazies and jumpers already, so adding another would not help matters. All the same, I wonder what it’s like…’

More time passed as Morpheus overlooked the bay, his eyes darting to boats, jet-skis, birds, and even the tiny buildings in the distance, when he could make them out through the fog. Pedestrians passed by him without a word, too busy with their own lives to disturb the man as his noticeably depressed eyes looked down and out, eyeing the situation on the middle ground. An odd conclusion came to his mind suddenly as a seagull flew by, making him sag just a bit more as he thought, ‘Who would care?’

[Guardian Angel]

"I really should invest in a bike.."

Buses and street cars whizzed past Jane as she scurried along the sidewalk, weaving her way through the crowds of busy people and street side venders, trying to make it to work in time. It was a typical Monday afternoon with the sun high in the sky, just a few cloud scattered about, and a gentle breeze playing peek-a-boo through the tall buildings. She hurried onward, her reflection in the storefront windows a blurred figure, towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Just on the other side was the cafe shop she worked at on afternoons, selling coffee and homemade treats to the locals. The foot traffic was sluggish today and at this rate, Jane was sure she would never make it.

She stopped at a cross walk and tapped her foot impatiently against the cracked pavement, the traffic flying by causing a wind to pick up and blow against her, sending her red hair in a frenzy around her face. Slightly annoyed, she attempted to swipe it from her face and smooth it down before the signal changed. She scampered across the street, jumped the curb, and took off at a light trot down the sidewalk, the bridge looming just ahead. She moved with her head up, cocked to the side to see the view of the bridge up ahead, and her arms swinging by her side, her fingers subconsciously twitching. It was a nervous habit she developed during her long hours of school while trying to think of ways to remember all of those horrible formulas.

A man stepped out of no where and Jane stumbled sideways, nearly tripping herself and the gentleman. "Excuse me." she told him, her hand automatically reaching out in a friendly gesture to right him as he gripped his coffee tightly in one hand. He gave her a sour look and continued on his way. Jane looked back at him confused, but pressed on. The people here were always so rude. Jane had hated this city from the day she was able to comprehend the do's and don'ts of life. She hated the loud noises, the smog, the busy traffic, and most of all, the people. No matter where she went, someone was fighting, someone was yelling, someone was in a hurry. With a grunt, she headed over the bridge, her mind racing with all of her preparation she had to do once she got to the cafe. "My boss is going to kill me!" she moaned, clutching her messenger bag to her side.

In a pair of dark denim jeans and a light purple T baring the logo of her work, Jane looked like a typical teenage girl. Or, like a teenage girl who cared more about getting an education and taking on life than a beach addicted goon with blond hair. The wind seemed to pick up a little as she moved along the sidewalk on the bridge and it toyed with her hair. It messed with her bangs, and tugged at the white bow holding a section of her hair back. She whimpered and tried to adjust it. After a couple futile attempts, she gave up. Good thing she kept a brush packed in her bag, she was going need it once she got to the cafe. "Your shoe is untied, miss." came a voice. Jane looked at an elderly man leaning against a light post with a sign in his hand. "Oh! Thank you." she told him with a smile. She handed the homeless man a couple dollars and dropped to one knee to lace up her black converse.

A car horn blared behind her and as she stood up she turned look and see where it came from. A white SUV hurried down the road and as it passed her line of vision, it revealed the opposing side of the bridge. Jane squinted against the sun, bringing her hand up to shield her eyes, and saw a young man standing against the railing. It was a normal thing for tourists to stop and stare, but something seemed a little off about this guy. Jane was always one to help others, it was something she felt good doing. She bit her lip as she weighed her options. She could ignore the young man and get to work near on time or cross the road to check on him and be late. With a grunt, she retraced her steps to the cross walk and hurried across the street. She walked briskly towards the young man, keeping his fleece jacket in view, and ran through things to say to him. Was he a jumper? Was he crazy? Was he new? Did he just enjoy the view? Jane frowned but continued on.

Only a few paces away, Jane stopped and stood there awkwardly. There were less people here and a lot of seagulls. Oh, another thing she hated about this city. The screams above her head made her paranoid that one of them would leave a little present on her hair. She glanced up occasionally, her eyes glued to the swopping white birds above. "Excuse me..?" she found herself saying, moving a few steps closer to him. She crossed her arms over her chest and bent her head some to keep the wind from attacking her face too much.

[Amalgamator]

Footsteps echoed in the young man's mind, cars zooming by on the rusty red bridge, the blood-curdling screeches of the birds above all weaving to form a symphony of annoyance. Morpheus lost his train of thought after a few seconds, cars and birds still cackling off noise, but no footsteps. The young scholar felt that he was being watched, but he ignored it and continued staring at the mesmerizing waters below.

<"Excuse me?"

Morpheus heard a young lady ask, her voice soft in the breeze. The scholar turned his head to where the voice came from and saw a lady about his age, metal lining her lip and her ears along with flowing red hair. He paused for a moment, silent in anticipating a question from the woman as he stood straight up, leaving one arm resting on the railing as he looked at her, his tired eyes and smiling lips betraying each other. After this moment, he responded with a half confused, half interested tone.

>"Hello, miss."

Almost instantly after saying this, Morpheus noted that the woman seemed to be cold in the breeze, judging by how she was hugging herself and how she was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. With the wind and the lack of sun, Morpheus could understand how one may regret such clothing choices on the long walk across the bridge. Thinking he would try to be gentlemanly, Morpheus continued, already grabbing a sleeve as if to take off his hoodie.

>"Are you cold? Do you need a hoodie?"

[Guardian Angel]

Jane found herself suddenly nervous when she spoke and quickly wished she hadn't. He didn't turn around right away, making Jane think he hadn't heard her above the cry of the seagulls or the gentle roar of the wind. Was he deaf? As she was about to turn away, pretending she had never said a word, he shifted and she straightened up, looking alert. He turned to face her, leaving an arm resting on the railing of the bridge, and when their eyes met, Jane couldn't help the flare in her cheeks. She prayed that it looked like wind burn.

"Hey there.." she said, bringing her hand up to swipe away more stray hair that had fallen into her face. God this wind is annoying.. she growled inwardly. She shifted again, shuffling her feet a little bit in the awkwardness of the situation. Who just randomly approaches people in a remote location on a hunch? Oh, Jane does. She bit her lower lip, her tongue playing with the metal piece on the back of it that held her ring in place. She bent her head again as the wind moved through, stinging her eyes, her tears blurring her vision. At least the boy was facing away from the wind.

She was about to ask him why he was lingering in the spot where he was when he spoke first. Jane had noticed the sudden change in his eyes, the expression change in his face. It went from a confused, sleepy state to a look of concern. She stood up straight again and raised her hands, waving him off. "No, no. It's alright." she promised him, pulling her strap back up onto her shoulder since it had slipped. She took a few more steps closer to him so she was out of the way if any one were to pass by. "Why are you standing here? Are you new to the area?" she asked. Jane closed the distance between her and the railing and gripped it tightly in her hands. She had a fear of height and a fear of water. Two things that were present at the moment and made her fairly uncomfortable. She did her best to appear otherwise.

[Amalgamator]

(Out of Character: I will use the following symbolism in my responses: '>' means a character is talking to you, and whenever you see '>>' it means you must make an important decision. '<' is a quote of what you did, and '<<' is a important decision you made. Lastly, I will use [text] for extra information. If you do not do this, I will not care at all, but emphasize your important decisions in some way. I will reserve further messages for comments and concerns.)

The expressions on the lady's face betrayed a certain degree of annoyance, curiosity, embarrassment, and reluctance. Of course, the young man only noticed her 'craniofacial erythema,' remembering another annoying page of his anatomy and physiology textbook as he spoke. He understood before she opened her mouth that she was not the type of girl that would quickly accept gifts from strangers, so he comfortably adjusted his hoodie again as she sharply inhaled. Morpheus' eyes followed the lady's head as she straightened herself out and responded to his question with a few quick words.

<"No, no. It's alright."

With this said, the lady adjusted the strap of her mail-bag, diverting the teen's eyes to the lady's shirt for a few moments as he absorbed a few more details. Morpheus had seen employees of a cafe wear purple t-shirts exactly like the one the lady before her was wearing, however he did not remember the name of said cafe, and the lady's shoulder strap was covering what might have been its name. The biology major's eyes quickly shifted back up to the lady's eyes as she walked over to the railing beside him, holding onto the cold, smooth steel herself her jade eyes piercing holes in Morpheus' concentration.

The man had not realized at that moment that he had been standing in the same spot for over a half hour, the hints of discomfort from the lady's expression reminding him of this. The fact that a completely random person had stopped and was now standing next to him, possibly pausing in thought to develop a conversation, brought melancholy back to the young man's eyes. Memories of his orphanage returned to the front of his mind, happy, confused, angry memories, thoughts and complaints, friends and enemies. Morpheus saw the deep green of lush apple trees and of grapes from behind a dirty car window.

Something was different about the lady, but Morpheus could not put his finger on it. She had an oddly comforting expression, even though her eyes betrayed discomfort. Before she continued, Morpheus clenched both his fists extremely tight, popping a few joints out of habit, then relaxed, leaning onto the rail again with both his arms as the lady inquired her thoughts.

<"Why are you standing here? Are you new to the area?"

Morpheus looked away from the lady after she spoke, deciding to give the question a bit more thought than was necessary. One could always speak simply, yet the scholar was in a deep-thinking mood, and could not bring himself to mindlessly utter a few less-than-useful words. His hazel eyes were drawn back to the mesmerizing waters below as another undulating gust of wind rushed by, its tendrils lifting the man's hood like a puppet. Thoughts of falling came to mind, darkening Morpheus' eyes and leaving a disconcertingly calm frown on his face as he inhaled for his response, hypnotized by the blues and whites below.

>"Its a great view, isn't it?"

He paused for a second, taking another deep breath as he held back a tear, looking over at the buildings in the distance.

>"I come here to collect my thoughts, to burn time. I lived here all my life, but...people can live their whole lives an' still miss out on things like this. The little things."

With a sigh, Morpheus looked back at the waters below, his eyes unfocused as he became lost in thought once more, distracted by his memories. The teen saw the cold, granite rock garden of death in the back of his mind, the cold breeze shooting right through his heart as he stood against the railing. His breath was rhythmically slow and his figure still, not a twitch nor adjustment as he thought. The dreamer almost forgot about the lady next to him, the second after he spoke feeling like an eternity of white noise and the rush of falling, falling down, down, down through the wind, towards the inviting, deep-blue waters below.

[Guardian Angel]

(alright.)

Jane held the railing tightly with her small hands, her knuckles turning white from tention and the chilly wind scrapping across her skin. She grunted softly and stared out at the ocean ahead of her, her jade colored eyes scanning the horizon, looking for nothing in particular. Occasionally she would find herself squiting, trying to relieve her eyes of the tears that kept forming due to the wind. She let go of the railing long enough to wipe away a few tears that had slipped from of her lid and were slowly tumbling down her cheek. She flicked away the water and resumed clutching the bar for dear life. Damn wind... she mentally whined, closing her eyes against it. She leaned forward and rested her torso against the railing, the bar flush against the spot just under her boobs. She found herself chewing her lip again, nibbling on the metal as she thought of something to say while he stood beside her in silence.

Jane turned her head to look at him as he turned away, looking back out at the churning waters below them. She turned away too and tossed her head, freeing her hair from the corners of her mouth and from across her face. She blew out a couple of times, trying not to spit it out. If she felt more comfortable with the bridge and the water below, she might be standing more relaxed like the young man and would have removed the hair the way any normal person would. For some reason this made her pale cheeks flare again and she hunched forward some more. She stared down at the wild waters below, watching the white caps topple over each other and rise else where. There were boats in the harbor, some cruising along and others riding the waves. Jane always wondered why people even rode those things. What if they broke down out in the middle of the ocean? Who would help them?

Jane's fear of water was due to a childhood incident involving her old brother and a summer lake house. Flashes of sparkling, dark water and the sounds of laughing echoed in her mind. She winced and tried to think of other things. A boat whizzed by beneath them and another memory blinded her. She was standing on a wooden dock with two of her sisters and her older brother. They were playing a game and whoever lost had to jump into the cold water. Jane lost but refused to jump. The young woman froze and shook her head profusely, praying that the memory would dissipate and he would say something. Say anything at all!

"Its a great view, isn't it?" Oh thank God! Jane immediately turned away from the water and gazed at him, focusing on anything to distract her from her nightmare. With one hand still holding the railing, she searched his face with her wild eyes. She found a strange calmness there, something rather unsettling. A little ball of nervousness suddenly wedged itself down in her gut and she quickly responded, "Uhm yeah. If you like this kind of thing." she told him, adding a soft chuckle at the end of it. She turned away again, suddenly feeling as though she had said the wrong thing for he had fell silent again. She studied the gulls diving down towards the water and back up again until he spoke and she tuned in. "The little things.." she repeated and gave a satisfied nod.

Again, he fell silent and this time, it didn't feel right. Even though the young man was standing right next to her, he seemed a million miles away. Jane found herself trembling for unknown reasons and struggled to get a grip. The look in his eyes seriously scared her. It was a crazed, yet calm look that made goose bumps raise across her skin and it wasn't on the wind's behalf. Jane found herself racking her brain for anything to say, anything to distract him from whatever thoughts were clouding his mind. She remembered him staring curiously at her shirt not too long ago and glanced down at it. "Hey, I work at Sugar Cafe on Sutter street. Its just over the bridge. I was actually on my way there. Maybe you could come along? You look like you could use some company.." Jane reached out and touched his arm gingerly, hoping she had his attention.

[Amalgamator]

The lady's warm chuckle echoed through the young man's mind as he stood there, his eyes locked as the lady beside him shivered slightly, left unnoticed. The waves and the white crests, bowing back and forth repeatedly left an image in his mind, undeveloped eyes looking up at a figure wearing sand-blasted, disintegrating blue jeans. Another gust shot by, forcing him to blink a few times, returning him to reality as the cold stranger beside him echoed his words, only a second of time having passed.

<"The little things..."

Her voice trembled the slightest bit as she finished, a powerful shiver shooting across her body as she gripped the railing for dear life. Morpheus looked over to catch her eyes, but his eyes wandered over her arms and chest once more. All generosity aside, even as a biology major who was not going on the pre-medicine route, Morpheus could tell that she was way to cold for comfort and/or phobic of something about the situation she was in. Before he got the chance to offer his hoodie again, his eyes shooting back to hers, the lady glanced down at her shirt and continued speaking, Morpheus' eyes following hers as she spoke.

<"Hey, I work at Sugar Cafe on Sutter street. Its just over the bridge. I was actually on my way there. Maybe you could come along? You look like you could use some company."

The lady then lifted one arm and gently rested her hand over his elbow, as if to add emphasis to her point. The scholar's eyes shifted immediately after she touched him, his hazel eyes observing her face, morphing from his disturbingly calm frown to a melancholy smile. He felt he coldness of her hand through his hoodie, the lack of blood from her deathgrip on the railing adding to the emphasis of her wind-wrought redness. The dull fog of thought still coated his eyes with mystery as he chuckled softly, pulling his arm out of his right sleeve, then his left as he took off his hoodie, talking all the while.

>"I knew that shirt was familiar. I was a little lonely, so some company couldn't hurt, but I'd like it if that company wasn't being hurt by the cold too."

With this said, Morpheus gripped the hood of his fleece hoodie and offered it to the lady, his calm, melancholy gaze still searching her eyes for emotion, his own expression hiding his nervousness at the gesture. The lemon-mint deodorant Morpheus used and the lavender laundry detergent smell from his collared shirt vaguely seeped into the hoodie, the fleece only thick enough to block out the wind and not keep in nice smells. The hoodie itself was very well worn, but also noticeably clean due to Morpheus's sensitivity and appreciation for both cleanliness and the nice smell.

An obese, suited man who happened to be walking by harumphed at the two, probably imagining an assumptious criticism on romanticism as he continued on with his busy day. A C.H.P. car shot by a second later, its siren crying out at its maximum volume as it chased a white van across the bridge. Morpheus flinched towards the railing as the speeding car passed by, having not paid heed to the siren as it approached. The figure caught himself with his free arm, having only moved a foot, then he righted himself with the faint hint of a blush as a relatively strong gust shot by once more, forcing him to blink a few times.

>>Will you accept Morpheus's offer?

[Guardian Angel]

Jane returned her hand almost reluctantly to her side after she had lightly gripped his elbow upon explaining where she worked. The cafe was of the simple kind by day and exotic by night. During the day, one could enjoy a hot cup of joe and cheese danish in a modest setting. It was cool and it was chic with modern furnishings that still gave you an at home feel. The walls were decorated with lively pieces of art done by locals and the furniture was hand crafted by an infamous artist that Jane yearned to know the name of. It was a well kept secret by her boss.  It was her boss discovered her love of art and offered her a little extra with her check if she painted some work for the place. In her down time, that was how she spent most of her time at home. That was part of the reason Jane loved working there. It was like a home away from home.

But it was after her shift was over, did the cafe really come to life. During the evening hours until 2am, the cafe becoming somewhat of a lounge. They offered live music, finger foods, a full bar, and wine tasting. This was all off limits to Jane due to her age, but sometimes, if she was lucky, she was allowed to stay a little while and help set up for the evening. She cherished these fortunate times since that meant she didn't have to return home right away.

His hazel eyes met her's and she held the gaze, aware that he was removing his hoodie. When he spoke, she blinked and looked just past him as to not make eye contact. It was a serious flaw of her's that she needed to work on. Jane offered a slight smile, her pink lips curving upwards, and said, "I wouldn't mind some company myself." While facing him as he took off his hoodie, her eyes watching the swift and agile movements of his upper half, the sun decided to appear out from behind a cloud and enveloped the duet in a little sunshine. Its rays danced across her face, illuminating her eyes and picking out some of the gold flecks within her irs that she inheritated from her father. When he offered his hoodie, his arm extedned towards her, she looked down, her long lashes brushing her cheeks, and reached out to take it. She had to admit she was cold.

"Thank you." she told him, turning it upside down to find the bottom. She slipped off her bag, setting it on the ground before her so it leaned up against her shins and the strap pooled around it. She slipped her arms inside of it and then lifted it over her head, careful as to not upset her bow. It was a little loose, but warm enough, his body heat still trapped within the fleece lining. She patted it down in a few places and then looked back up at him smiling. Everytime she moved, Jane got a whiff of his natural scent that clung to the garment. It was a pleasant smell, something along the lines of lemon and lavander. It reminded her of a tea they served at the cafe. Bending forward, she picked up her messenger bag and hoisted it back up onto her shoulder again.

A pudgy man wandered by, scoffing at the two of them. Jane shot his backside a grimace and rolled her eyes. No doubt he was thinking something about the two, assuming something totally wrong. It amazed her how people could judge someone so quick without even knowing their story. For all the gentleman knew, the two could have been related. She shook her head and looked past the young man as a white van came whizzing past, blasting them with chilly air. It was followed by a cruiser with its light flashing and its sirens blaring on full blast. By the time the two vehicles were out of sight, Jane's ear was ringing. Out the corner of her eye, she saw him flinch to the side and grab the railing. She pretended as though she didn't notice, but she cuoldn't ignore the faint blush to his cheeks.

"I'm Jane." she offered with a genuine smile and an out stretched hand.

[Amalgamator]

With the question posed, Morpheus's hoodie floating in the air, hiding his hand within its folds as he held it out, the gallant rays of the sun peeking out from a crack in the sky to emphasize the moment. Just inside the iris of the lady's enchanting eyes were golden sparks of light, reflections of the sun also part of her unique biology. Morpheus couldn't help but relax his eyes as the enchanting moment ended. The lady reached out, still looking away from his eyes, and accepted his offer with a quick formality.

<"Thank you."

Morpheus watched with an amused smile as the lady slid the fleece zip-up sweater over her head, finding her own system for donning the protective layer of warmth. The lady took another second to adjust the hoodie after fitting her arms through the sleeves, inspiring another amused smile from Morpheus as he noted the poor fit. He could not deny that the red-head looked cute in the tattered navy-blue fabric, but he left it at that and adjusted his gaze as a portly man walked by. The lady seemed to note his passing with more enthusiastic distaste than he was likely worth.

Of course, a second after the portly man passed the two, a moderately close siren suddenly shot into existence and a white van shot by too quickly for its own good. A C.H.P. car shot by in hot pursuit, however by the time Morpheus realized what was going on, he had already jumped away from the road, eagerly gripping the railing once more as his ears rang from the violent disruption. Blaming his slow mind, the scholar once again brought to mind the term 'craniofacial erythema' as he felt the annoying and partly embarrassing sensation in his cheeks, righting himself once more.

The scholar's eyes were still filled with his mixed expression, half happy and half lost in thought, however death no longer occupied his mind. The lady in front of him did not seem too different from other college chicks, beside her shyness, but something about her willingness to provide company struck a chord in his mind. As he set about trying to define the emotions circulating within his mind, the lady offered a greeting, an outstretched hand, and a welcoming, pleasant smile.

<"I'm Jane."

Two words. Had this 'Jane' been any other of Morpheus's friends, anyone even on the campus of Berkeley, he would have slyly encouraged her to make her first impression more 'profound.' Of course, not wanting to seem like a jerk to the only lady who happened to spare time to talk to him out of the blue, the scholar returned her welcoming smile with a genuine grin and bright, playful eyes, her outreached hand with a firm, almost professional handshake, and a melodic, perfectly enunciated response.

>"My folks named me Morpheus, but some people call me Morv. Now, shall we get morvin'?"

After his introduction, he released Jane's hand with a sly smile and rested his arm at his side. His playful eyes unfocused for another second, lost in thought as he gestured for her to lead the way with a quick step forward and a slight forward wave of his hand towards the sidewalk. His awful pun was almost ingrained into his brain with all the times he had used it and heard it used, and what better way to introduce himself than by trying to lighten up the mood? Even as a deep thinker, Morpheus understood that other people could talk more easily when he cast a lighter mood than his norm. The tiniest evidence of depression still lingered in the corner of his eye, but his well-practiced smile hid the previous remnants of his odd calmness.

[Guardian Angel]

The lady's warm chuckle echoed through the young man's mind as he stood there, his eyes locked as the lady beside him shivered slightly, left unnoticed. The waves and the white crests, bowing back and forth repeatedly left an image in his mind, undeveloped eyes looking up at a figure wearing sand-blasted, disintegrating blue jeans. Another gust shot by, forcing him to blink a few times, returning him to reality as the cold stranger beside him echoed his words, only a second of time having passed.

<"The little things..."

Her voice trembled the slightest bit as she finished, a powerful shiver shooting across her body as she gripped the railing for dear life. Morpheus looked over to catch her eyes, but his eyes wandered over her arms and chest once more. All generosity aside, even as a biology major who was not going on the pre-medicine route, Morpheus could tell that she was way to cold for comfort and/or phobic of something about the situation she was in. Before he got the chance to offer his hoodie again, his eyes shooting back to hers, the lady glanced down at her shirt and continued speaking, Morpheus' eyes following hers as she spoke.

<"Hey, I work at Sugar Cafe on Sutter street. Its just over the bridge. I was actually on my way there. Maybe you could come along? You look like you could use some company."

The lady then lifted one arm and gently rested her hand over his elbow, as if to add emphasis to her point. The scholar's eyes shifted immediately after she touched him, his hazel eyes observing her face, morphing from his disturbingly calm frown to a melancholy smile. He felt he coldness of her hand through his hoodie, the lack of blood from her deathgrip on the railing adding to the emphasis of her wind-wrought redness. The dull fog of thought still coated his eyes with mystery as he chuckled softly, pulling his arm out of his right sleeve, then his left as he took off his hoodie, talking all the while.
>"I knew that shirt was familiar. I was a little lonely, so some company couldn't hurt, but I'd like it if that company wasn't being hurt by the cold too."

With this said, Morpheus gripped the hood of his fleece hoodie and offered it to the lady, his calm, melancholy gaze still searching her eyes for emotion, his own expression hiding his nervousness at the gesture. The lemon-mint deodorant Morpheus used and the lavender laundry detergent smell from his collared shirt vaguely seeped into the hoodie, the fleece only thick enough to block out the wind and not keep in nice smells. The hoodie itself was very well worn, but also noticeably clean due to Morpheus's sensitivity and appreciation for both cleanliness and the nice smell.

An obese, suited man who happened to be walking by harumphed at the two, probably imagining an assumptious criticism on romanticism as he continued on with his busy day. A C.H.P. car shot by a second later, its siren crying out at its maximum volume as it chased a white van across the bridge. Morpheus flinched towards the railing as the speeding car passed by, having not paid heed to the siren as it approached. The figure caught himself with his free arm, having only moved a foot, then he righted himself with the faint hint of a blush as a relatively strong gust shot by once more, forcing him to blink a few times.

>>Will you accept Morpheus's offer?

(Didn't he lift it over his head too? I forgot it was a zip up one, to be honest. Since you said he was pulling his arms free, I just figured it was a regular kind of hoodie. And i need to edit my last post.)[/i]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With her hand still out stretched, Jane waited for him to grasp it and tell her his name as well. For a moment, it felt like ages before her said anything and her hand was growing fairly cold again. She wanted to tuck it up into the sleeve of his hoodie where it was warm. Jane was about to make a pathetic joke like, "Don't leave me hanging!",but she thought it would ruin the mood and make her appear as a creepy and weird girl. So, she just continued smiling until he reached out to take her hand. His hand was cool in hers, just the faintest warmth lingering beneath the skin, and she smiled at how firm it was. She wasn't one on giving them, but if he felt it necessary to shake her hand as if they were closing a deal, so be it.

"Morpheous, huh? Like the greek God of sleep and dreams." she commented, releasing his hand and quickly tucking her own back into the warmth of the sleep. Another joke came to mind and she debated whether or not to share it. It someways it might have been a compliment, but if his parents didn't actually name him after that God, the joke would be a waste. She just smiled and tugged at her bag strap out of habit. The bag wasn't really falling off of her shoulder, it was just something Jane had found herself doing often.

"Nice little pun." she said with another smile, a slight giggle escaping her as she thought about it. Morpheous stepped back and gestured with his arm for her to lead the way. "Oh, right!" she said hurriedly and started down the sidewalk again, resuming her path to work as she was earlier. Only this time, she wasn't alone. It was kind of nice having someone to walk with her, someone to actually talk to about things. Another smile spread across her face again as she heard him fall into step beside her. She wanted to strike up a conversation again, but wasn't sure if she had said too much already. She wasn't much of a talker, to be honest. She enjoyed writing down her thoughts more than sharing them.

[Amalgamator]

(Out of Character: I said it was a fleece zip-up hoodie a couple times before. In my bio:
-...Usually unshaven and only barely masked with cologne, Morpheus tends to relay a sloppy appearance of well-worn jeans, a dull collared shirt with a orange, red, yellow and black fire design on his shirt evidently faded from years of use, a brownish-green pair of steel-toed, low-heel hiking boots, and sometimes even a Navy Blue and Gold fleece zip-up hoodie, again, well worn and even slightly torn around the hood and the hem...
And in my first post:
-...A figure on his way to the golden gate bridge wearing an unzipped fleece hoodie covering a fiery shirt, worn jeans and a mat of bed-ridden...
I did say that he pulled the hood off of his head, however I only mentioned him pulling his arms out of the sleeves otherwise. I apologize if I confused you.)

As the scholar shook Jane's hand, he once again felt how cold her hand had become. He supposed it was because of his slow response to shaking her hand, but it was still concerning. After another pleasant smile on her part, Jane decided to pose a comment about his name, surprising him with her insight.

<"Morpheous, huh? Like the Greek God of sleep and dreams."

She retreated her hand back to her sleeve instantly after the hand-shake, then tugged at her bag strap slightly, attracting Morpheus's eyes to the quick movement for a split second before he looked her back in the eye. Before the scholar could note the connection, Jane quickly added another comment.

<"Nice little pun."

She smiled delightedly and giggled after saying this, evoking a flattered smile from the scholar as he gestured for her to lead the way. Again, before he could open his mouth, two more words shot from Jane's lips, almost inspiring a chuckle from Morpheus. A breeze happened to blow by as she spoke, causing the scholar to hide his now thoroughly chilled hands in his jean pockets. The birds overhead seemed to be flying off in some other direction, based on the sounds they made, but a few stragglers still dangerously loomed overhead.

<"Oh, right!"

With this said, the smiling scholar walked alongside Jane, the sidewalk wide enough for at least three people, and quickly thought up a point for discussion. The first thing to come to mind was her favorite color, but simple topics led to simple answers. After a second of thought, a few steps, and a blaring car horn, Morpheus posed a thought with his melodic tone, looking at Jane every few seconds, then back to where he was walking. A person slowly approached from in front of them, passing on their left without a word as he slowly went about his business.

>"So Jane, are you a fan of literature? The only other people I've heard that from are literature majors."

The coast approached in the distance, about a half mile away from the pair as they continued walking. As time had passed, fewer people and far less cars were passing by the two. Morpheus had forgotten that he had left a cliff bar in his sweater's right pocket in the heat of the conversation, but his hunger pains nearly reminded him.

[Guardian Angel]

Jane continued walking along the bridge sidewalk with Morpheus on her right side, the side the water was on. She liked to stay as far away from the water and the railing as possible. Even when she was walking alone, she would go through the hassle of walking on the side that the street was on just to avoid having to look at the water. She glanced sideways at the ocean to her right and shivered. Even from where she walked, she could still make out boats and people on jet skis riding the waves, enjoying their lives and going about their day without a care in the world. She often wondered if she would ever get over her fear of water. She sometimes found herself thinking about the white sand beaches and the clear tidal pools that were home to many creatures. She enjoyed exploring and marine life was one thing of interest.

Jane turned back forward just as a man was heading their way. He looked to be in a hurry and wasn't paying much attention to the two teens moving in his direction. Jane politely slowed her pace and moved to the right, stepping behind Morpheus so the man could pass undisturbed. When he had moved on, Jane resumed her place beside the young man and continued to look about her, now focusing on the rising coast ahead.

Out the corner of her eye she could see him occasionally glancing at her. She smiled to herself and was thankful for the wind this time. It blew her red hair wildly around her face like a fire ablaze, obscuring her red cheeks from his line of vision. Jane could still see through sections of her hair and found herself studying his face, searching for some sort of emotion. She could see the gears shifting in his head, the intent yet soft focus of his eyes, and the spontaneous movement of his lips, telling her that he was thinking. Then he spoke and Jane was thrilled to cease the silence.

"Do I like literature?" she asked, the corners of her lips curving upwards into a smile. "I love literature. I read every chance I get. When I am needed, I help out at a book store not far from house stocking shelves and I volunteer to read to the children on Saturdays. I prefer fiction to non fiction and I cannot stand horror. Steven King and Dean Koontz will not be found in my personal library, althought I do find Edgar Allen Poe rather interesting. Above all, I love Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is my all time favorite. I guess that means I enjoy British Lit a lot.." They had finally seized a topic that Jane could relate to and she wasn't going to pass it up. "But novels like The Scarlet Letter, Huckleberry Fin, Of Mice and Men, and A Wrinkle In Time are all past time favorites. I plan on going to college next year for some sort of degree in literature and something in creative writing. I write on the side as well." She took a moment to catch her breath and suddenly felt self conscious. Did she really just rattle on like that? The sad thing was, she could have kept going.

Jane turned to look at him and gave him an apologetic smile as she went to reach into her pocket of the her jeans for her phone. As he hand lifted away the bottom on his hoodie, she heard a crinkle sound like that of a wrapper. Taking her phone out to check the time and passing it to her other hand, she reached into the pocket of his jacket and withdrew a cliff bar. She smiled at it and then up at him, handing it over. "Ya know, I could hook you up with something at the cafe. It would be on the house if you are hungry." she told him, putting her phone back. If they moved a little quicker, she just might make it on time.

[Amalgamator]

The bio major seemingly could not decide between watching the San Francisco Bay, the approaching land, or Jane. With each step, his body bobbed rhythmically up and down like a plastic buoy or a moored boat. Whenever he looked at Jane, her hair undulated about in the wind, whipping and licking pointlessly, like a fire, but cold and more brownish. The lady did not take long to respond, in fact, she did so eagerly.

<"Do I like literature?"

Her face morphed delightedly into a smile, shining with delight at the word. It was clear to Morhpeus that he had chosen the right subject by the smile on her face and her eager tone of voice. Before the scholar even had time to respond with a quick 'yes,' Jane was talking again, enthusiastic about the subject as ever Morpheus had seen. As she spoke, the scholar made special note to look at her more often, only looking ahead to make sure he was not going to crash into anyone.

<"I love literature. I read every chance I get. When I am needed, I help out at a book store not far from house stocking shelves and I volunteer to read to the children on Saturdays. I prefer fiction to non fiction and I cannot stand horror. Steven King and Dean Koontz will not be found in my personal library, although I do find Edgar Allen Poe rather interesting. Above all, I love Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is my all time favorite. I guess that means I enjoy British Lit a lot."

Again, Morpheus was about to interrupt with a quick point, however Jane caught her breath and continued before he even had the time to think one up. An entertained smile enveloped his face as she continued talking, wondering how he would respond to all of her information.

<"...But novels like The Scarlet Letter, Huckleberry Fin, Of Mice and Men, and A Wrinkle In Time are all past time favorites. I plan on going to college next year for some sort of degree in literature and something in creative writing. I write on the side as well."

With her response complete, Jane offered Morpheus an apologetic smile, almost apologizing with her eyes alone, and looked away, reaching into her pocket in search of something. In conversation, embarrassment usually leads to distractions. Yet another reminder from his psychology textbook. The scholar chuckled slightly at the thought and quickly responded in a mellow voice, ignoring the crinkle sound in her pocket.

>"Well you certainly know your books! I was always faintly more interested in mysteries, like all of Sherlock Holmes and Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allen Poe. Riddles and puns are always fun, and poetry has its vices as well. I'm not a great writer or poet, but I enjoy science, so I decided to take a biology major."

While the scholar was still talking, Jane pulled out a cliff bar, reminding him of its presence. I should have eaten that already, no wonder I'm hungry! he thought, smiling humbly at the writer as he finished talking, accepting the food, placing it into his own pocket as she looked at her phone. She began speaking soon thereafter, placing her phone back into her jeans, her voice barely loud enough to mask the sound of Morpheus's growling stomach.

<"Ya know, I could hook you up with something at the cafe. It would be on the house if you are hungry."

After saying this, the scholar nodded at her and tried to think up a clever pun to respond to her generous offer. Thoughts of being hooked up onto a house came to mind, however he could not figure out how to combine that with her words. After a second of his eyes shooting off into the distance ahead, Morpheus finally figured one out and decided to make an attempt at being funny once more.

>"You're too kind! Not everyone hooks me up the first time we meat!"

After a second to pause, Morpheus covered his face with his hand and shook his head with a sigh, disappointed with himself. I could have done better. he thought, smiling apologetically at Jane as he continued speaking.

>"That was awful, I'm sorry. food sounds wonderful right about now."

With that said, the scholar matched Jane's walking speed and looked straight ahead at the slowly approaching land, thinking about what the Sugar Cafe would be like. Morpheus had remembered seeing Sutter st. on a street sign when driving through an intersection on his way to a Joe's Coffee place, and once he even drove along the street because of wrong directions. In his memory, Morpheus even remembered seeing the Sugar Cafe, but not the sign, just the employee t-shirts. The purple of their shirts reminded him of plum skin, and he loved plums.

After a few seconds of walking, as another woman was passing by, a seagull decided to drop her a gift, leaving an unpleasant white stain on her black t-shirt. As the pair passed her, she let out an audible sign of disgust and viciously searched her purse for a napkin, not daring to look up in case another present was waiting. Morpheus turned to see what had happened, however he already knew from the sound alone. With an immature smile, the scholar continued walking along, his hunger momentarily dulled by the event.

The two were likely only a fraction of a mile away from shore, and could easily make out the various buildings and tiny people walking around in the distance. The clouds had dispersed, in part, and the sun continued to just barely peek out at a few various spots in town as the wind died down slightly. The closer to shore the pair got, the warmer and less windy it became. Seagulls were just as menacing no matter where they stepped, but Morpheus was clean of 'presents' so far.

[Guardian Angel]

Jane looked over at him as he started to give her a response after her rattling just a few minutes prior. Deep down she wished she hadn't spoken so much. Most guys didn't like a girl who talked too much, it was considered annoying and that was the last thing Jane wanted to be. She frowned slightly, just the corners of her pink lips slipping down to form the cutest of frowns. But, maybe Morpheus was different and enjoyed the company of someone who could hold a conversation. She didn't get the chance to talk much with people since she rarely found someone interested in the subjects she loved, but when she did, she could talk that person's ear right off.

Morpheus told her that he enjoyed mysteries and the occasional poem. Poetry was on one thing she didn't find very interesting. Sometimes she found one that she could easily connect with and would be obsessed with that poem and the poet for days. After that, she typically abandoned it all together and resumed her usual readings. Biology huh? she thought, wrinkling up her face some. As he talked, she studied his face again, mostly concentrating on his eyes and watching the way the sun played with the hazel coloring. It made her smile. "Science is one thing I have never liked. All throughout school I loathed the subject and struggled to pass the courses I was assigned to take." she told him. She clasped her hands together and cracked her knuckles. "If I ever need help this up coming year, can I count on you for help?" Jane suddenly found herself asking.

Her cheeks flared again and she quickly looked away. She purposely started grabbing hair and pulling it forward so it clumped together on her shoulders and hid her face. She had just met this kid not more than 20 minutes ago. Did she really think he would want to be her friend once the evening was over? Stupid girl.. she groaned inwardly and dropped her head, staring at the ground as they walked.

Jane heard his attempt at another funny pun and she smiled, this time with her teeth.It was a rare thing that very few got to witness, but it was a sure bet that if she gave you a toothy grin, she liked you. His joke even got her to giggle. She covered her mouth and and her eyes became a squint, the harder she laughed. Morpheus even went out of his way to apologize for such a lame joke, but Jane waved him off and shook her head. "No, no. It was funny, honest." she told him, removing her hand from her face so he could hear her clearly. "I like it that you can be funny."

They continued walking, their bodies somewhat close due to the fact they had to be on the right side of the sidewalk to leave room for the opposite flowing foot traffic. Jane happened to look up just as a woman was passing by and a seagull happened to target her. Jane covered her mouth again as her eyes widen in surprised. The bird left a nice white gift on her black shirt. She turned around to look at the woman who fumbled with a napkin and muttered indecencies under her breath about the birds and their crap. Another giggle escaped her.

[Amalgamator]

The wind blew softly as the slowly warming air passed over the naked arms of Morpheus, a college student who was happy for the slow change in temperature. His companion seemed warm and cozy, possibly too much so, in his hoodie, however he was beginning to feel the effects of the cold Pacific drafts. After stepping on an innocent gravel pebble, Morpheus was reminded that the inserts in his shoes were decaying into rot and that he would need new ones very shortly. As he realized this, however, Jane decided to respond with a fairly short pause.

Despite having frowned immediately following his response, Jane’s slightly smug face now had a smile as she stared into his eyes as a cat would watch a shiny pair of car keys dangled from the hand of an owner. “Science is one thing I have never liked. All throughout school I loathed the subject and struggled to pass the courses I was assigned to take.” Morpheus raised an eyebrow after hearing this, surprised that his friend had such a surprisingly contrasting education. Jane playfully clasped her hands as she caught her breath, cracking her knuckles for a second, then reaching into her pocket as she continued, “If I ever need help this upcoming year, can I count on you for help?”

Morpheus was even more surprised at this. If having a random lady walk up to you and decide to offer you lunch wasn’t enough, now the lady was asking for help with her homework. Had his room-mate been next to him, he would surely be chanting, ‘say yes! Say yes! Say yes!’ in the most annoying voice Morpheus could imagine. The thought almost altered his train of thought, however Jane’s blush caught his eye as she reached into her pocket and re-directed his thought tangent back to their conversation. “Uhh…” Morpheus started, his thoughts interrupted as she quickly looked away, pulling her hair over her face to hide her blush.

While still looking away, embarrassed at her sudden friendliness, Jane offered Morpheus a cliff bar from the pocket in the hoodie. I forgot… Morpheus thought, smiling sheepishly as he accepted the bar, taking a deep breath as if to speak. As always, right as he was about to speak, Jane seemed to get her words in first. “Ya know, I could hook you up with something at the café. It would be on the house if you are hungry.” She pointed out, still looking at the ground, as if ashamed by her previous question. Morpheus felt as if the situation was awkward enough, and as such, the best course of action was to tell a pun. As a few seconds of silence flew by, Morpheus shot ideas through his mind in a rabid attempt to make a pun.

Luckily, a good enough pun came to mind rather quickly. Without thinking, Morpheus began to tell his pun, smiling slyly while doing so. “You’re too kind! Not everyone hooks me up the first time we meat.” Before he could note Jane’s reaction, his conscious reminded him of how stupid puns were and he looked down, ashamed of himself for the poor joke. Covering his eyes with his hand and shaking his head dramatically, Morpheus quickly apologized by saying, “That was awful, I’m sorry. Food sounds wonderful right about now.” The sound of giggling caught his ear immediately after he stopped, a wonderful, bubbling sound which shot chills up his spine.

Morpheus shivered slightly and instantly looked over at Jane, a slightly confused look on his face. Jane was laughing at his joke, and even smiling with all 32 of her pearly whites. It took her a second to stop laughing, in which time Morpheus smiled, relieved that his pathetic joke had worked. As Jane spoke, Morpheus chuckled slightly, amused at her words. “No, no. It was funny, honest,” she reassured him, facing him directly at last, “I like it that you can be funny.” Morpheus made a quick, theatrical bow to Jane after hearing her compliment, then said, “Sir Morpheus the humorous at your service,” with a gag grin. After standing upright again and catching up to her once more, Morpheus continued, “In all seriousness, I am glad you enjoy my silliness, and if you ever need my help in Biology, I’d be glad to help.”

As Morpheus was speaking, a woman in a black shirt passed by and got a present delivered onto her right shoulder. Morpheus noticed Jane giggling again, so he looked over his shoulder to see the lady searching her bag for a napkin hurriedly, uttering talk comparable to sailors. An immature, amused smile formed across Morpheus’s face as he looked back ahead of himself, barely containing a chuckle as he continued walking along. He would have made a pun, but as his friend had told him once before, ‘too many puns can get you frowned at.’ The sidewalk beneath the companions changed from the simple black asphalt of the bridge’s sidewalk to the standard, heavily cracked grey concrete of normalcy. The toll gate at the entrance to the Golden Gate bridge was quickly approaching them as they continued walking along the changing scenery.

[Guardian Angel]

(they have been walking on this damn bridge too long now ..)

By now, the two had reached the inner city, leaving the bridge in their wake, and were heading down streets in the direction of Sutter and her work place. The city was much warmer now that the sun had shifted in the sky and they were at a lower altitude since they were no longer traversing the bridge. While they had been walking, Jane had managed to unzip the hoodie, wriggle out of it and hand it off to Morpheus. "Thanks again for letting me use it." she told him with a smile as he took it from her. She fixed her bag upon her shoulder once more and hurried down the busy sidewalk towards the street corner of Sutter and Mayberry just ahead.

Their brief time on the bridge had been eventful, if not exciting. Jane still wasn't sure why Morpheus was standing all alone on the bridge, but she had a faint idea. She kept this to herself for the time being and decided to bring it up later when they were more alone and possibly even more comfortable with each other. She was thankful that she hadn't walked away when she thought he didn't hear her, for if she did, she might not have met such a great guy. From the way he spoke, he seemed intelligent. As if his major wasn't a large enough clue. They had witnessed a high speed chase, been ogled by a grumpy passerby and happened to see a woman receive a present from a seagull. She was entertained by his witty, yet dry sense of humor and was pleased to know that he would help her with any science homework she got this up coming school year.

[Amalgamator]

(Thus why I pointed out the toll booths.)

Morpheus walked through the busy street with his companion, conversing every now and then about their surroundings, or the occasional question and the slight response, his eyes never fixing on anything around him for more than a second as he moved through the familiar city streets. The two passed the occasional beggar and street vender and managed their way through the various lines and groups of lackadaisical pedestrians. Morpheus felt a resemblance to the street people, but could not put the feeling into words.

After hardly any time at all, Morpheus spotted a 'Sutter St.' sign hung over a traffic light, following alongside Jane as they turned onto the less familiar street. Morpheus could see the sign for the Sugar Cafe up ahead, as did Jane. Suddenly, Jane unzipped the hoodie and with minimal effort wriggled out of the cloth, then handing it back to it owner with a sincere, "Thanks again for letting me use it," her smile attracting Morpheus' eyes once more. Even with a piece of metal sticking out of her lip, she still had a pretty smile.

Morpheus offered a pleasant smile and grabbed the sweater, messily shoving his arms back through the sleeves to put it on, not even bothering to zip it up. The two sped up after the exchange, making headway to the cafe. "So that's it, huh?" Morpheus said, debating whether or not he would make a pun about the place. It took no time for him to figure out that he could make a better joke later, thus he silenced himself for a moment as they paused in front of a crosswalk, yet another intersection in front of them. Two relatively plum gentlemen in casual outfits stood behind them, chatting about yesterday's cricket game, each man exchanging annoyingly pessimistic comments about his team.

[Guardian Angel]

Jane stood staring up at the red light with a blank gaze, her green colored eyes glazed over and almost unresponsive. She enjoyed her job, but by the looks of the amount of people mingling about behind the cafe's windows, it was going to be a very busy evening. "Yeah, thats it." Jane told him, answering his question from a few moments back. From the outside, it was modern with glass windows from ground to about 3/4ths the way up the front wall. Thin, silver lights hung in the front window and the building had a faint purple glow to it. The sign, extending out from the building, was lit up in purple neon. Jane shifted her gaze over to the cafe and stared at it, wondering what time she was going to get out tonight.

As cars whipped past the small group gathered on the corner to cross, Jane became aware of a couple of men behind her jabbering about cricket. Out of all the sports she was uninterested in, cricket was among them. Actually, she grew up hating the game due to her father's obsessive passion with it. Her upper lip raised into a snarl as listened to them, mentally noting the truth in their words. Her father had watched the game yesterday, making sure that the TV was loud enough for the whole apartment to hear. She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced over her shoulder at them, her eyes narrowing in disgust. "The sport belongs in England where it came from." she muttered to herself. Her foot began to tap impatiently against the sidewalk as her temper slowly began to flare. She just wanted to get to work and forget about the world around her for a couple of hours. One of the men said something that made them start to quarrel and Jane flew around to face them. "Cricket is a poor man's sport." she spat and then whirled back around just as the light changed.

Reaching out, she grabbed onto Morpheus's arm and tugged him across the street. She wanted to get away from the two fluffy men and their obnoxious talk of cricket as fast as she could before she went insane. "I am sorry about that." she offered to her partner, her eyes cast downward in a sheepish manner. It wasn't often that her temper got the best of her, she was usually mild mannered. The cafe was straight ahead and Jane could already smell the sweet smell of coffee.

[Amalgamator]

Morpheus stood silently at the street corner as a line of Volkswagen Beetles edged by, an annoyed Honda Civic honking profusely at the cars for maintaining their slow pace. The scholar watched the procession with moderate interest, ignoring the ‘chaps’ behind him as he waited for the green ‘thumbs up’ in the pedestrian crossing signal to light up. At his mention of the café, Jane responded with a quick, “Yeah, that’s it,” and hazy eyes, not that the scholar saw them. His eyes were still fixed on the Honda Civic as it shot into a parallel lane and finally got its opportunity to pass the Beetles.

The silver lights and the purple sign offered an almost club-like atmosphere to the cafe, from what Morpheus could see. The windows were up-to-date and the lights were plenty bright. The scholar could even see one of the plastic floor mats he saw other cafes use, the kind with the business name on it. With the number of people wiggling about around the building, it seemed to be a happening place too, leaving Morpheus with excitement of what was to come.

Still waiting on the light, Morpheus looked over at Jane to see her arms crossed over her chest, her face somewhat flustered. He would have asked what was wrong, however Jane seemingly read the scholar’s mind and dictated, “The sport belongs in England where it came from.” Morpheus chuckled to himself after hearing this point, looking up at the cross-light as he continued waiting, standing more-or-less upright as his eyes unfocused, his mind falling off into a series of thoughts.

The lights changed, various cars stopping and starting around them, but the cross signal was still unwilling to allow them to cross as they waited. Morpheus turned to Jane and noticed her becoming more and more flustered by the second as the sound of her tapping foot got more frequent and more violent. Morpheus turned to look at the two gentlemen as they continued their conversation, saying, “My, I daresay Durham will win England the Ash this year.” The other quickly chuckled and responded, “Nay, Nottinghamshire has a far better bowling average. Durham can bowl not a barn door!”

At this, Morpheus raised an eyebrow, then flinched as Jane violently spun around, spitting the words, “Cricket is a poor man’s sport,” into their faces as she stopped. Immediately after this she turned back around, Morpheus and the two now-silent chaps staring at her as she did thus. The light changed before anyone could get a word in, and Morpheus found himself being dragged along the street, barely moving his feet in time to stay upright. He looked back to see the cricket chaps shrugging off the insult and continuing with their chatter.

“What was that about?” Morpheus wined, confused about his companion’s harsh expression. “I am sorry about that,” Jane replied, slowing back down to a normal pace with a sheepish, floor-focused gaze as she apologized. Morpheus then inwardly felt slightly awkward at having had a woman drag him through an intersection. After Jane was done speaking, the scholar instantly commented, “Were those cricketers were bugging you? I wouldn’t think one could dislike a sport so adamantly.” After saying this, the scholar realized that he had made a pun, and rolled his eyes slightly, walking ahead a few paces to get the door to the café for Jane.

He gripped the sleek handle of the Sugar Café’s entrance door and managed to open it effortlessly. The hydraulics were tuned improperly, thus the door was slightly heavy, but such was a standard in California. A handsome, sharp-cheeked hipster-like man shot through the door immediately after, accidentally stepping on Morpheus’s foot as he did so. The scholar clenched his jaw in annoyance, but his boots had metal toes, thus he only felt pressure on his instep.

The guy waved at a waitress through a window as he continued on, further ignoring his inconsiderate behavior as he bumped into a woman passerby, causing her to drop a hand-mirror. The woman looked angrily at the man as she bent down to pick up her belonging, then continued on her way, indifferent.

[Guardian Angel]

Jane glanced over at Morpheus when he attempted to make another pun. She fought the urge to roll her eyes, instead grinding her teeth. "No, its just that growing up my father used to watch the sport on TV and we had to watch it too, even if we had other things to do." she told him as he grabbed for the handle to the door. "Hey!" she suddenly cried as a young man brushing passed them, stepping on her partner's foot and bursting through the cafe. The two of them moved through the door while Jane kept her eyes on the hipster, watching as he upset a woman who dropped her hand mirror. "Managment oughta do something about that guy." she mumbled, looking over at Morpheus.

Weaving through the throng of people, the scent of coffee and tea permating the air, Jane lead Morpheus towards the back of the cafe to the "Lounge" section. There were fewer people there since this section wasn't technically open until the late evening hours. The duet had managed to make it to the cafe just ten minutes before her shifted started. Back on the bridge, Jane was sure they would be late, but traffic had moved smoothly for once.

Setting her bag down on a booth bench, Jane glanced around her, admiring the soft glow of the silver lights above head, hanging over every booth. It bathed the lavander walls in a golden hue and gave the Lounge a relaxing aura. Jane reached into her bag and grabbed her little black apron. She tied it around her waist and the proceeded to put her hair up in a high pony. She took out her bow and then put it back in near the pony tail instead of the side of her head. Now her bangs flowed freely across the right side of her foread and eye. She gave Morpheus a smile and reached into her bag once more to get her name tag.

[Amalgamator]

"No, its just that growing up my father used to watch the sport on TV and we had to watch it too, even if we had other things to do," Jane responded, satisfying Morpheus' pun/question as the two made their way over to the cafe. A few people passed by as Morpheus awkwardly sped up to get to the door ahead of Jane, hoping to be a gentleman and open it for her. The scholar reached the door successfully, and after opening the door, a hipster-like man carelessly shot out of the cafe and stomped on Morpheus' foot on his way to the sidewalk.

"Hey!" Jane cried, noticeably annoyed at the hipster's petulant behavior. Morpheus nodded in agreement, following Jane into the cafe, watching her eyes as they locked on the hipster, her annoyed lips leaking out the words, "Management oughta do something about that guy." Having no idea as to how management worked in the establishment, Morpheus kept his words to himself and simply nodded, leaving the door to close on its own accord as he followed his companion. A wall of coffee and sweet scent assaulted Morpheus's senses as he waltzed through the room, his eyes quickly shifting from Jane to the floor, then to people, then to any other interesting attribute of the vintage place.

The two arrived in a lobby room after passing through another door, the likes of which Morpheus was unable to open for his companion in time, and after another short distance, the two stopped next to a booth. Morpheus sat down and relaxed against the wall, propping up his boots on the table as he did so, intending to be indecent as he relaxed, further looking around the room as he continued to absorb the environment. The walls were a soft lavender, the tint illuminated by silver lamps above, glaring softly at the inhabitants of the room with their unchanging complexion.

Jane placed her bag on the seat as Morpheus watched, preparing herself for a day's work by donning a black apron and pulling her hair into a tidy pony tail, leaving some hair over her right bang free as she set in a bow. The lady was quick and efficient with the process, as if she had gone through it many times. With her hair tidy, she reached into her bag one more time, smiling over at Morpheus as he sat there, watching her intently. Morpheus smiled back, pulling the cliff bar out from his pocket as he thought deeply about the aura of the room. Was the purple meant to convey royalty or hospitality? Nobility or friendship?

All the same, the lobby was, indeed, quite empty. The few men and women in the room looked to be staff, however they did not all wear the shirt or the apron that Jane wore. The lights were filtered well enough that as Morpheus looked up at one of them, ripping the wrapper of his snack in half, the light did not burn out his retina as most other fluorescent lights did. The scholar usually presumed that it was fine for the sun to damage his eyes, but man-made lights should not be bright enough to do the same in such a setting. His presumption was apparently shared by the engineers of the establishment, hence he sighed, relaxed, and took a bite of his peanut-flavored cliff bar, shooting his eyes back towards Jane.

[Guardian Angel]

(Ill reply eventually, promise. Happy Birthday, btw.)

[Amalgamator]

((Muchos gracias. Take your time, I can wait.))

[Sponsored content]