The Raven's Playground

[Tulon Winters]

Nevski had been thrown out of the 5th bar that night. He didn't feel the least bit tipsy, but apparently punching drunkards who spill that piss warm beer on them is "frowned upon in society". Feh, he thought, like I'm gonna stand by while people spill that piss on me...it's unacceptable is what that is. On a day like this, Nevski was glad that he was filled with vodka; it warmed his blood against the hurriedly falling snow that blanketed the concrete landscape of the city. He rolled the sleeves of his cobalt blue jacket down and breathed against his glove-clad hands He rubbed them together before shoving them into his large cargo pants pockets, knocking his knuckles against a small steel flask filled with vodka.

And so, Nevski went about his way down the sidewalk, his head ducked down low to keep some heat in. His mind wandered to his comrades that were stationed in Fort Briggs, all the pilots that'd been sent down there. He was left behind, even as the commander, and he still found no sense in it. He was a front lines leader, not a desk jockey. It just...pissed him off. So, if that wasn't bad enough, when he tried to walk in the next bar on his list, he was kicked out as soon as he put his foot in the door. The bars had sent out a watch for him to every bar in the city. Damn, he thought, where am I gonna go now?

A cafe. He saw the dimly lit little one across the street and started walking towards it like a moth towards a flame. He smelled coffee, cigars, and heard faintly the sounds of a live jazz band. Seemed like an ok place but he'd most likely be slipping some vodka into his coffee. He stepped through the doorway and was greeted by a slender waitress and was able to acquire the small booth by the window at the back of the cafe. It was velvet colored on the inside, gold fringe on many chairs and picture frames. It was really incredibly nice and the name was easy enough to remember. The Cafe Saffron was what the waitress introduced it as as she took his order. "Just a black coffee will be fine, miss. Or anything warm rather." So, there he sat, mingling among smoke, his piercing emerald eyes staring into the glittering gold of the soothing saxophone and his raven locks straightening behind his head as he shook out his head a bit. He waited for the end of the song so he could give his headache a rest, just a moment of peace before he headed back to his desolate headquarters.

[Nyx]

It was a rather cold day outside. Despite the fact shed been in Drachma for several years, she was, and always would be, a West City girl, and the difference between icy Drachma and nearly desert-like West City never managed to elude her. Don't get it wrong, she loved Drachma, especially the snowy areas, but eh... Well, it was still too cold. She should probably wear a jacket, but her wings tended to make that awkward for her, which was why she wore the types of dresses she often wore. With those, her wings jutted out from her upper back, unhindered by clothing of any sort. On the bright side, she didn't have to wear that uncomfortable robe she wore when in Amestris, so as to keep a slightly lower profile.

Temperature-related complaints aside, Nyx had a fairly good idea of where she was going. The Cafe Saffron; a nice little place, with pleasant music, and good cakes and tea. For all of the pain in walking there, it was worth it. She stepped into the front doors and found a seat in the crowded cafe, sitting across from a rather tall man, with long-ish hair. A waitress came by, greeting Nyx cheerfully, recognizing her as somewhat of a regular. "Mr. Schwarz didn't come with you today?" Shaking her head, she smiled at the lady.

"No, Aurel had other stuff to do today." The waitress nodded and picked up her pencil once more, with her clipboard.

"So, what'll you be having today, Nyx?" Pondering for a moment, Nyx glanced at the menu briefly, before smiling up at the waitress.

"Carrot cake and tea, please?" With that, the waitress nodded, jotted down the order, and scurried off again, to go fulfill other orders. Nyx turned to look at the man in front of her. "Hello, mister~ How're you today?"

[Tulon Winters]

It seemed that Nevski had a visitor. Nevski only heard the person though, his eyes were too occupied with the band and their instruments. It reminded Nevski back when he was in Basic, one of his fellow privates tried to teach him how to play guitar. But with his hands, it didn't work too well. He could play harmonica, though, but as he was about to try and remember WHERE he left his harmonica, he heard an all too familiar name. Schwarz. As in Aurelius Schwarz. As in "King of Drachma, giver of my job, gives me a paycheck" Aurelius Schwarz. Was he here? Nevski swiftly looked over to the person across from him. It was a little girl, no more than 14. Greenish hair, small slender frame, and wings. Wings. Wiiiiiiiings, yeah, definitely not human. But she seemed familiar.

Then the waitress said her name. Nyx. Now the image was complete, Nevski HAD seen her before. In passing of his VIP protection list, callsign Cupid, he'd seen her face. He perused her files closely. When protecting VIPs, the most important thing was to know them as well as they knew themselves. Their physical limitations, ability, health issues, so on. It was all important when dealing with snatch and grabs, security detail, and so on. So, he just kinda...stared at her...until he was snapped awake by her question. Nevski chuckled and shook his head, "Please, don't call me mister, makes me feel old. Nevski works just fine. Colonel Nevski Petrenko at your sevice. Well...not too great, but thank you for asking, Nyx. Pleasure to meet you." Nevski brought out his flask and raised it to her in a toast, then unscrewed it and knocked back a swallow. It warmed him right up, but his vision did get a little blurry and his headache got worse. Wasn't gonna stop him though. Never did.

[Guest]

"God damn it, it's so fucking cold!" Pierce muttered to herself.

Pierce was absolutely loathing this mission. Why couldn't Kelly have done it!? He was fat, so he could stay warm easier! She grumbled angrily to herself as she shuffled towards a warm looking cafe. It had to be better than being outside at the very least! And maybe she could find a decent cup of tea. Nice, delicious, and warm tea. Hell she'd even take black coffee for the sake of getting warmed up!

She pushed open the cafe door once reaching it and headed inside. The warm air hit her cold and rosy face, much to her delight. After tugging off her hat and scarf, Pierce glanced about for a spot. The majority of them seemed to be filled, shit. Her eyes wandered over to a tall and dark haired gentleman, ooh not half bad. Then her eyes fell on the kid sitting across from him. Probably his. Curse her luck. Screwing around with someone in bed might have actually made the cold a bit more bearable. But if he had a kid with him, that probably wasn't going to fly.

Pierce sighed and just leaned against the cafe wall, enjoying the music filling it. Maybe a table would empty and she could take a seat sometime soon. For now, she'd stand just to enjoy the warmth.

[Csilla Angelis]

{BUMP}

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