→ fourteenth rune ←

[cupio]

[ There are a lot of people here. Clary watches them and tries not to get her hopes up. As much as she'd like to see her mom, Simon, Luke - she knows that life doesn't work out that way. Still, her smile is a little brighter when she flicks on the feed. ]

Okay, here's the deal. If you know me, come for coffee. If you don't know me, come for coffee. [ Tucking her hair behind her ear. ] Got it? Good.

Comments

[Video]

[gayspider]

Are you trying to get yourself killed by asking anyone to come to coffee with you?

[Alec will remember to say hello at some point.]

[Video]

[cupio]

Alec.

[ Her smile is bright, sudden. Even though they are not exactly friends, he's a familiar face. Jace will be pleased, she thinks. ] The coffee's not bad enough for murder. You could come and try it.

[killerstyle]

What if I don't know you yet, but I'd sure like to?

[ :3 ]

[cupio]

Totally acceptable.

[ What? She's only human. ]

[killerstyle]

[And he is, after all, extraordinarily good-looking.

...Also modest.]

I know.

[Grin.]

So, do you take your coffee the way you take your men?

[cupio]

[ She can't help it, her smile only shifts slightly into something close to a smirk. It's amusement through and through. ]

How do I take my men?

[killerstyle]

I dunno, I usually just ask pretty girls that to see what kind of answers they give. That's like the one line that I could never figure out, you know, why it works? Like sometimes you get, "oooh, I take 'em hot and rich", but then other times you get, "oooh, I take 'em boiled on the stove for about five minutes prior to consumption".

I mean, it's a great litmus test for spotting the really creepy ones, but you know.

[cupio]

I drink my coffee black. [ A beat. ] Like my soul.

[ He's charming, and Clary can't help but like charming people. Anyone who has ever seen her around Jace knows she's drawn to men who don't know when to actually keep quiet. ]

Am I creepy then?

[killerstyle]

[She may just find the good Mr. Finnick Odair positively magnetic, then. Not that he'd mind. Or consider it anything out of the ordinary, for that matter.]

Just the opposite, really. [He regards her thoughtfully.] If I had to guess--and I'm going to--I'd go with probably the "fixer" type? You and your black edgy soul probably go for guys who act put-together on the surface but have those deep reserves of damage inside that you want to get right in there and fix. Which means if I want to win you over, I ought to be entertaining and arrogant in equal parts, but with the occasional suggestion of deeper flaws lurking beneath, just waiting for you to get in under my defenses and pry back my shields to see what I'm hiding.

[gayspider]

[Alec is off, striding towards her.]

Magnus says people have murdered over glitter, I'm not taking any chance.

[cupio]

Wow.

[ She whistles, low and impressed. He's got her spot on. It's always gotten her into trouble. She can't help it, doesn't really want to. ] My boyfriend would probably agree with you.

[ But her smile is a little softer. Smoke and mirrors usually have something to hide, after all. ] So, mysterious and wordy stranger, are we going to have coffee?

[cupio]

Was Magnus the one who murdered people over glitter?

[killerstyle]

[Reading people is a large part of what him alive for the better part of a decade, once. Nowadays it's more of just a knack that will never quite go away--but on the other hand, some people are just easier than others.

Obligatory joke about spunky redheads here.]

Assuming your boyfriend's not going to take my head off for it. Is he the protective type?

[cupio]

Even if he were, I wouldn't let him tell me who I could drink coffee with. If he tried I might accidentally slip and punch him somewhere unpleasant. [ Spunky redheads indeed. ]

[killerstyle]

[The thing about people (but moreso, about being Finnick Odair) is that you can almost always find something to love about the person you're flirting with, if you go looking for it. He's used to going looking for it; it's what made him the best at this, because it made him ring genuine in the moments where he needed the other person to believe it most.

If he still had to do that now, it'd be that spunk and fire that he loved about this one. Johanna was the same way. Still is, probably. She's stubborn and willful and it would probably get her killed, back home, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't still love it in her while it lasted.]

Note to self: make sure to stay in the lady's good graces. Which means I guess I should start by getting your name.

[video]

[hischair]

Buy me a coffee and you'll own my heart, or at least my good opinion until the caffeine runs its course. Where am I heading?

[gayspider]

[By the Angel, Alec hopes Magnus has never done that.

He rounds the corner, and gives his grumpy reply to Clary in person.]

No, it was someone he was sleeping with, as usual.

[Alec doesn't know this for certain but it seems like a safe assumption.]

[video]

[cupio]

So what you're saying is I have to supply you with constant coffee? [ This has worked for her anyway, given her the confidence to talk to people she doesn't know. So she grins and tilts her head, showing the coffee shop through the feed. ]

It's off one of the side-streets near the fountain. Here, I think I can send you directions. [ Using complicated future tech to text a man who probably thinks this is outdated, oh well. ] Did you get it?

[cupio]

[ Alec, Alec, Alec. She frowns at that, confusion written across her face. ]

Have you two had a fight?

[cupio]

Clary. [ He's someone she might have been attracted to once upon a time. Now though, she just wants to get to know him. Isn't that the point of the City? To meet strangers and band together.

( Part of her still itches for a pencil to draw him though - that will never change. ) ] Clary Fray. And you?

[video]

[hischair]

Yeah, I did. [ Consider him en route. ] And no, thankfully. I think just the one coffee and your shining company will get me through today just fine.

[ Charming? Trying. Heck, if she's buying him a coffee, she's a goddess. ]

I'm Captain James Kirk, nice to know you.

[intelligently]

Is it good?

[gayspider]

[Alec shrugs.]

It's nothing. Magnus is just being...Magnus. And he isn't here.

[cupio]

It's hot?

[ A welcoming smile. ]

[video]

[cupio]

Clary, Clary Fray. I heard your name on the network the other day. [ So he's not just a visitor, that's nice to know. She guesses it must suck to have everyone go home again at the end of it. ]

How do you take your coffee? I'll get it in for when you get here. Then you can tell me if you like the City.