Booze, grub and late-night conversations [Post-FMB/open]

[Phoebe Minola]

The joint Phoebe had in mind to take everyone was a western-style pub-diner establishment in the eastern part of the Queen's Arch district, within walking distance of the mall. It was called "Finlay's" and owned by a pair of twins named (surprise, surprise) Ian and Edmund Finlay, a couple of British ex-pats who knew what Mosaic was missing when they opened their place.

It was spacious, warm and kind of home-y, in a soothing kinda way that felt like exactly what they all needed after their ordeal. And the establishment kept what Phoebe amusedly called 'Greek Hours': It was open until the wee hours of the morning, which suited them all perfectly.

Phoebe pushed open the wood and glass door first and entered. The place had just the right atmosphere: it was not very crowded and the music had taken that nice and calming kind of house and low-key jazz turn that makes you feel like relaxing and having a drink. There were plenty of open tables and booths for them and she could see Ian Finlay himself chilling at the bar and chatting with a couple of patrons. He was a big guy with a shock of messy blonde hair streaked with gray on his head. The place was nicely lit by those faux Tiffany lamps with the stained glass that Phoebe was always partial to. There were a few large ones hanging overhead and one unique individual one hanging over each booth.

She made her way to the biggest booth in the back, sliding into the plush, aged cherry-red seat with a sigh of relief.

"Well," she said at last. "Here we are. Get comfortable, order food and drink and chill. We've survived. And, uh... I imagine some of you have questions."

[Ayakura Alisa]

I had followed Phoebe as she said there was a nice place supposedly not too far from here where we could chat. Judging from the presence of others at the time it seemed a good deal of people had a bunch of things to discuss. On that note I clearly recall Kyle, the barista I saw the other day making that exquisitely great coffee, in the battle too. It appears that he managed to awaken sometime between my time of meeting him and the current moment. I would not ask. It was not my place to ask. My business was with Phoebe and her relationship with the human Shadow known as 'Gin.' What did she know? Why was she so intent on keeping him tucked away in safety? He clearly did not seem to be too cold and calculating enough to be a major threat, but... Everything was going to be useful for my investigation.

I followed Phoebe in as she opened the fancy doors to the establishment called "Finlay's"... It seemed alright. I've been to similar places. But this was alright. I silently followed Phoebe to the biggest area in the back and sat in the innermost part of one of the plush seats. Whichever one was closest to the wall. I wanted to lean against the wall if it was possible. I was wearing my basic kimono gear at the time - there wasn't any time to be fancy or to be particularly dressed for the occasion, after all. Sighing, I realized others may have their questions too, even as Phoebe invited the opportunity to talk. I would save my part for last.

"Phoebe, you can save my piece for last," I said to her. "I need to discuss things with you privately. Though, for the rest of you folks," I continued. "I can assist in clearing up some things. I've got a good deal of firsthand experience under my belt, though I am investigating the presence of the sentient Shadows with human forms. By the way, this does serve fish 'n chips, right? I missed that stuff. When I was a kid. Takes me back."

[Ringo Shiro]

"Well, here we are. Get comfortable, order food and drink and chill. We've survived. And, uh... I imagine some of you have questions." Ringo followed Phoebe into a kind of dinner with the small group of those that were present for the battle that they just got out of alive. Ringo wasn't sure if he should keep holding on to his sword all things considered but he had no place to hide it. How ripped up his cloths are from the fight didn't exactly help. He sat down not too far from the group.

"I'll just take a lemonade and....hmmm..." Ringo wasn't really familiar with western dishes and he was only familiar with dessert because of his job. "And whatever Phoebe recommends me." Ringo propped his sword up against the wall and dug through his pocket for his wallet. It was a miracle that wasn't damaged during the fight. "I'll pay for my share of course."

[Kyle Shibata]

Kyle yawned as he crossed the threshold of the joint after the others. He was dead tired but he was also starving and if there was one thing he was never going to question Phoebe on, it was food. She always knew the best places for grub and booze. So when she took off with some others, he was happy to follow. The joint was pretty nice too, looked like an American bar or diner. He hadn't been in such an establishment in ages.

He dropped into the booth they'd selected with a groan of relief that could be likened to the grunt of a happy-ass bear. Oh yeah, that was good. Nice to feel your butt take all the weight instead of your legs.

When the waiter turned up, Kyle already knew what he wanted. "I'll have a big lager, don't care what brand. And I'll have a doubled-up burger with cheese, bacon and mushrooms, hold the onion, but add cajun sauce for the fries."

Yeah, he was starving. With that taken care of, he looked around at the others at the table. The other guy, he didn't really know but he'd put up a damn good fight back there and that was good enough for Kyle. He stuck out his hand at him. "Kyle Shibata. Nice to meet you. Good fighting back there."

Then he looked at the other person present. A chick. He hadn't seen much of her performance back there but there was something... really no-nonsense about her. Phoebe looked downright glad to see her and she didn't mince her words one bit, either. She was straight to the point. Kyle liked that in people. He was itching to question Phoebe about the Shadow business too but he could wait till later for that. He just studied the other girl. As he looked at her, he suddenly remembered where he'd seen her before. It was a couple months ago, at the bookstore. He'd made coffee for her, shortly after Phoebe first got her Persona, if what he recalled about her timeline was correct. Huh. Fancy that.

Not bad-looking either, he thought suddenly and was surprised at himself.

[CJ Jackson (TechChris)]

CJ walked into "Finlay's" looking over-dressed for the establishment. It looked like just the right place to relax after a long day of work (or in this case, a long night of attempting to fight Shadows, getting knocked out and dreaming about school and evil fish oppressors). He quickly spotted the booth where Phoebe and everyone else had taken a seat, and he moved to join them.

"Hi, Phoebs," he said as he took a seat, "Kyle. Evening, everyone. I'm CJ, the guy that spent a good chunk of tonight unconscious. I see I'm not too late to order something. I'll have what Kyle's having! That sounds tasty."

With that settled, he proceeded to take his tablet out, then slid out the pen and held it like a notebook. He looked at the other people there. Kyle, he already knew, due to the strange job they did together. The others, not so much. His attention was captured by the lady with the differently-colored eyes, who had just announced that she was willing to answer questions on something that truly intrigued him, something that Phoebe had not discussed before: sentient Shadows with human forms.

"How much do we know about these Shadows with human forms? Do you know what, if anything, they're after? And what about the ones that helped us during the battle? Should we consider them allies?"

[Ayakura Alisa]

Another man stepped in. Called himself CJ. Said he spent a good chunk of the night knocked out. Not that I can blame him. If I were not as strong as I was, I probably would've been in the same state too, or close to it. He began to look at me, and so did Kyle. He probably only remembered me in passing, but I remember faces very well when I see them. It was part of my job, after all. Remembering details. Soon, CJ inquired about the sentient Shadows. I guess this was going to be a very popular subject of discussion amongst us, it seemed. I suppose we were all used to the notion of Shadows being aggressive and not quite as intelligent as human beings. But we were proven wrong.

"Hello. I'm Ayakura Alisa, for those who don't already know or recognize me. Currently, data on these Shadows with human forms is scarce. I'm planning on mounting a full investigation on them. I've crafted theories as to what they want... But I need conclusive evidence to support them. I believe they most likely have their own agendas and their own desires, just like human beings. After all, Shadows appear to originate from the human emotional sphere," I said. "The Shadows that helped us during the battle probably have their own reasons for helping us. We cannot consider them allies just yet."

I looked at Phoebe. "The tiger kid. Gin. He kept trying to convince us that he was on our side. Or at least, that he wasn't against us. The Shadows we have encountered thus far have not displayed this kind of behavior. That is why I wish to investigate the human-form Shadows in more detail. As far as I'm aware, Phoebe and Gin have some sort of relationship. I noticed it during the conclusion of the battle, as well as during the battle. That is what I must ask you about, Phoebe."

[Tristan Carter]

Tristan finally wandered into the restaurant. He had been forced to make a stop before coming here; he had doubted that he would be served if he had walked in with a scythe. He approached the table, hearing what the topic of the conversation was already. He sighed. How could they start without me?

With a bit of an irritated look on his face, Tristan slid a chair over to the group. He got comfortable, and started to wait for the waiter to return. However, while he was here he might as well engage in the conversation. "So we're already on to that? Heh, I figured everyone else was as tired as I am when it came to them." He looked around the table, and saw a few people that he had yet to meet. He recognized two of them from his first full moon battle; one seemed to be newer to the whole thing. Extending his hand, the student introduced himself.

'I'm Tristan Carter," he said, "resident cynic of our new allies-slash-Phoebe's pet tiger. Nice to meet you three. Two of which I'm glad to see made it out of the school okay from last month. Looked like it was going to crumble any second."

He started to smile grimly and turned to Feebs. He wasn't going to avoid the elephant in the room just because she's paying; he will, however, put it far nicer than he would normally. "And speaking of your pet, what in the fuck are you doing on a first name basis with a goddamn shadow? Don't you know better than that?" He started to shake his head, unsure of what to think. "Phoebe... You've seen what they've done, but you're still going to get friendly with one? I'm not going to say that I'll ever understand. At the same time, you do need to explain yourself. I mean... What the hell?" 

With his rant completed suitably, Tristan started to choose something to eat; he was still going to pay attention to whatever was said. If Phoebe didn't throw him out on his face, that is.

[Vice Ysal]

"Triple Cheeseburger. Dunk it in cheese and bacon, don't hold back on the condiments and put everything in it. As unhealthy as possible…and toss in some red iced tea if you have any." Those words had been uttered quite a while back and Vice wasn't really all that surprised to know that his order had yet to be given to him. Triple cheeseburgers always took their time being prepared, even in fast food restaurants those usually got served last after everything else. More and more people also began to file in from the battle that had ended not too long ago, and all of them Vice took note of. Soon enough however, the heavy stuff had began to be exchanged and something about the blunder that happened on the other side when the group had been separated during the battle. Whatever it was, Vice was pretty sure that it had been detrimental enough given how a lot of the people he knew seemed to make a big deal out of it.

Thankfully though, some of the other Users that he had explicit trust in dealing with the situation was present and he was sure that they handled it well enough to contain any kind of harm to the most of their abilities. Still, when the ramblings finally turned into discussions, Vice had strayed nearer to the centre of the conversation and eyed the participants of it. Alisa was there, so that was enough of a guarantee that everything here would at least have some kind of evidence to back it up--he doubted the investigator could get away with faking information…and with how deep everyone was in now she'd just make it harder for herself. It was Tristan, someone that Vice expected to lash out, that made his irritation known. He couldn't fault the User, he was still a kid after all, but nonetheless. Walking up to the teenager, Vice grabbed the young man's head and gripped it. It wasn't enough to be painful, but it was enough to remind Tristan to cool his head down before anything stupid happened again.

"Just continue with what needs to be discussed. With recent events, being too candid with our information may be detrimental. They could be listening after all."

[Phoebe Minola]

Phoebe gulped. Yeah, it was inevitable. She placed her order quickly to get it out of the way. "Uh... I'll have the chicken fingers platter and the lettuce-rocket-balsamic salad. And a big Cuba Libre," she said quietly to the waiter.

Alisa seemed to take the matter of Gin and the sentient Shadows better than the rest. Tristan was angry, Phoebe could hear it in his tone. Obviously he would, after what had happened when his Persona changed. Fortunately, Vice seemed to add a measure of balance to the situation. CJ knew the rough details about Gin - he'd been there, after all - so he would probably back her up too. Kyle... well, she expected quite a bit of shit from him, but at least he had the decency to not do it in front of others. Frankly, she had no reason to be secretive. It was out now and if anyone was going to turn against her, they'd do it anyway, even if she tried to explain.

So she felt it was best to get it out of the way.

"No, really, it's okay, guys," she said and shook her head. "It's in the open now, that I'm on speaking terms with a sentient Shadow so... it's best for me to come clean about it. I don't want anybody second-guessing me in an upcoming battle. Tristan just... just please, don't call him my pet. He's not my goddamn pet. I don't know what he is. That's the gist of the thing. I don't know."

She sighed and her shoulders drooped. It was still too fresh but she had difficulty revisiting the memory of her Awakening and the mess that spawned it. The heart-ache, the uncertainty, the utter loss of her convictions and the subsequent freaking out she experienced was hard to cope with.

"The fact that a Shadow turned out to be someone I know, even a little bit, came out of nowhere for me," she said bluntly. "One moment I'm fighting a huge tiger-like Shadow that can hurl high level dark spells at me that hurt like hell... the next I'm holding my hammer over one of my students, ready to smash his head like a watermelon."

That's really how it had been. Sudden and absolutely terrifying. Phoebe stared at the table. She actually took off her glasses so she couldn't see everyone's gaze very well. She just stared at the blurry wooden surface.

"I had evidence of the world gone upside down right in front of me. A Shadow that was also a human. Imagine how I felt. My Persona... well, she shattered. I felt her break into tiny little pieces, too sharp to pick up and put back together," she said with grim calmness, as though giving testimony in court. "In those seconds I was pretty sure I was going to lose my mind. Then... well, let's just say Hypatia emerged from the broken pieces of my Persona and I made a crazy decision. I let Gin go because I knew him. I just couldn't bring myself to finish somebody I'd spoken to and taught and spent time with, even if the feeling was one-sided and I knew what he was. He looked as scared as I was, anyway. I...felt sorry for him."

Suddenly she propped her elbows on the table and put her face in her hands. "I screamed at him that I'd change my mind if he did anything bad like hurt someone and that I was responsible for him now and then... then I ran away. I couldn't deal with it. The truth is, I'm a coward, guys. I really am. I couldn't face what I'd just done and I ran away. CJ was there, he can verify it..."

She sat up straight again and put on her glasses. "I suppose Gin felt he owed me one, hence his behavior tonight." she said at last. "I haven't spoken to him since the events, until tonight and I don't know what's going on in his head. Or what he wants. But I intend to, if I can. I don't know what I'll find out but... at the very least, I'll try. Everyone can think what they want about me. It's okay. I don't know what others would've done, in my shoes. I did what I felt was the right thing and I have to live with it."

Woo, that felt better. She actually needed to get that stuff off her chest, it seemed. Even if it brought about everyone's ire, she felt better with herself.

[Ayakura Alisa]

It took me a while to process everything that Phoebe had said, but unfortunately I could not wean out any concrete answers from what she said. She seemed more content with pouring her heart out over the incidents. Which, to be honest, I found no problem with. However, my questions remain mostly unanswered. I would have to conduct further investigation. Then again, I would have no problems in doing so.

"Pull yourself together," I said to the downtrodden Phoebe - she was clearly troubled, even if her disposition may have improved after getting her inner turmoil off her chest. I was definitely not satisfied. "Take this time to calm yourself. I'm not done with you yet, but I'll let you go for now. Rest assured, I will not be leaving this case. I will go to the school and enroll as a student myself if I have to, despite having already finished my university education about 4 years ago." I continued, making sure to keep my voice calm and soft, as to avoid making myself sound like a colossal bitch.

"You, kid," I said, facing at the boy who called himself Tristan. "That is no way to treat someone who clearly is in a state of turmoil. Leave it be for now. I'll get to the bottom of this on my own if I have to. Roll with the punches." I had noticed Vice come in amidst this, I simply acknowledged him showing up with a quiet tip of my brow.

[Ringo Shiro]

"Uh... I'll have the chicken fingers platter and the lettuce-rocket-balsamic salad. And a big Cuba Libre," Phoebe didn't recommend something for him...Ringo guessed that he was having what she was having then?

"What she's having." Ringo did wonder what a rocket balsamic salad and a Cuba Libre is. However the waiter seemed to arch an eyebrow at Ringo. He wondered why.

Ringo watched as Kyle and CJ enter and introduced themselves. Ringo waved hello and kept their names in mind. Seeing as how they knew Phoebe, it would do him some good to get to know them seeing as how they're allies in this fight against the shadows. CJ asked a question that has been on Ringo's mind.

"How much do we know about these Shadows with human forms? Do you know what, if anything, they're after? And what about the ones that helped us during the battle? Should we consider them allies?"

"Hello. I'm Ayakura Alisa, for those who don't already know or recognize me. Currently, data on these Shadows with human forms is scarce. I'm planning on mounting a full investigation on them. I've crafted theories as to what they want... But I need conclusive evidence to support them. I believe they most likely have their own agendas and their own desires, just like human beings. After all, Shadows appear to originate from the human emotional sphere, the Shadows that helped us during the battle probably have their own reasons for helping us. We cannot consider them allies just yet." Ringo is suddenly reminded of that sentient tiger like shadow that appeared to help. "The tiger kid. Gin. He kept trying to convince us that he was on our side. Or at least, that he wasn't against us. The Shadows we have encountered thus far have not displayed this kind of behavior. That is why I wish to investigate the human-form Shadows in more detail. As far as I'm aware, Phoebe and Gin have some sort of relationship. I noticed it during the conclusion of the battle, as well as during the battle. That is what I must ask you about, Phoebe." Before Phoebe could speak, someone else entered.

'I'm Tristan Carter," He began. "resident cynic of our new allies-slash-Phoebe's pet tiger. Nice to meet you three. Two of which I'm glad to see made it out of the school okay from last month. Looked like it was going to crumble any second." Ringo watched as he smiled and turned to Phoebe. "And speaking of your pet, what in the fuck are you doing on a first name basis with a goddamn shadow? Don't you know better than that?" Ringo's hands clenched to a fist. Yes he wasn't sure what to think but he despised the way this boy saying his words. "Phoebe... You've seen what they've done, but you're still going to get friendly with one? I'm not going to say that I'll ever understand. At the same time, you do need to explain yourself. I mean... What the hell?"

"Oi..." Ringo was about to get up, taking off his kotes so in the theoretical situation that his fist collides with Tristan's face he won't do too much damage.

"No, really, it's okay, guys," Phoebe began before any conflict could begin. Ringo looked over at Phoebe. "It's in the open now, that I'm on speaking terms with a sentient Shadow so... it's best for me to come clean about it. I don't want anybody second-guessing me in an upcoming battle. Tristan just... just please, don't call him my pet. He's not my goddamn pet. I don't know what he is. That's the gist of the thing. I don't know." Phoebe sighed, her shoulders dropping, Ringo wasn't sure if he was going to like the direction this story is going to go. "The fact that a Shadow turned out to be someone I know, even a little bit, came out of nowhere for me, one moment I'm fighting a huge tiger-like Shadow that can hurl high level dark spells at me that hurt like hell... the next I'm holding my hammer over one of my students, ready to smash his head like a watermelon." Ringo honestly can't imagine how that must've felt. He can only really feel sad. Ringo can't imagine pointing his blade at someone he cared about. Phoebe took off her glasses.

"I had evidence of the world gone upside down right in front of me. A Shadow that was also a human. Imagine how I felt. My Persona... well, she shattered. I felt her break into tiny little pieces, too sharp to pick up and put back together," Shattered?! Ringo wondered how such a thing would even work. Since Personas are a reflection of one's self so to speak, how in the world would this affect the user? "In those seconds I was pretty sure I was going to lose my mind. Then... well, let's just say Hypatia emerged from the broken pieces of my Persona and I made a crazy decision. I let Gin go because I knew him. I just couldn't bring myself to finish somebody I'd spoken to and taught and spent time with, even if the feeling was one-sided and I knew what he was. He looked as scared as I was, anyway. I...felt sorry for him." Phoebe placed her elbows on the table and her hands on her face. "I screamed at him that I'd change my mind if he did anything bad like hurt someone and that I was responsible for him now and then... then I ran away. I couldn't deal with it. The truth is, I'm a coward, guys. I really am. I couldn't face what I'd just done and I ran away. CJ was there, he can verify it..." Ringo wanted to say something...but really what can he say? He doesn't know what she was going through. He could hardly imagine what it would be like to find out someone he cared about is a shadow.

"I suppose Gin felt he owed me one, hence his behavior tonight." Phoebe said after straightening herself and placing her glasses back upon her face. "I haven't spoken to him since the events, until tonight and I don't know what's going on in his head. Or what he wants. But I intend to, if I can. I don't know what I'll find out but... at the very least, I'll try. Everyone can think what they want about me. It's okay. I don't know what others would've done, in my shoes. I did what I felt was the right thing and I have to live with it."

"Pull yourself together," Alisa said. "Take this time to calm yourself. I'm not done with you yet, but I'll let you go for now. Rest assured, I will not be leaving this case. I will go to the school and enroll as a student myself if I have to, despite having already finished my university education about 4 years ago." Ringo had a temporary mental train crash as he imagines Alisa in a school uniform. "You, kid," Thankfully Alisa speaking to Tristan snapped him out of such thoughts. "That is no way to treat someone who clearly is in a state of turmoil. Leave it be for now. I'll get to the bottom of this on my own if I have to. Roll with the punches."

"Phoebe..." Ringo began. This time placing himself not far from Phoebe and talking in a lowered voice. He didn't want to speak too loudly after that. "I can't say I know what you're going through and I'm still trying to take in the concept of sentient shadows. But I think you did the right thing. I mean, yeah it was bad he tried to harm you but there is no cowardice for appreciating sparing a life. If you brought that hammer down, we wouldn't have another ally...okay even if he healed one of the shadows once with that one attack but...well..." Despite Ringo's positive intentions he was collapsing on his words. He scratched the back of his head. "...oh just never me." Ringo turned over forward waiting for his order.

[Kyle Shibata]

Kyle frowned. Phoebe had told him the bare-bones of her experience with the Shadow in the outskirts, but she'd never mentioned just how much of a horror show it had been for her. She hadn't said a word about how freaked out she'd been. She never said her Persona shattered -- what was that supposed to mean, anyway? Kyle could feel every scrape and bump and attack on Sitri on his own body and he couldn't imagine what a Persona shattering would feel like. How'd she manage to keep that all in for two weeks? How the heck had she gotten up every day to come to work and keep her smile on and be the usual goofball?

Where'd this butterball get the fortitude to soldier on, keep it all in and take every attack the Shadows threw at her and not go down?

Heck, he wished he was like her sometimes. He always ranted and snarled when he got worked up. But then again, given the reactions her story was getting, he saw why she may have kept it a secret.

Tristan's attitude really pissed him off. He liked Phoebe enough to care about her feeling like crap. He got off his seat just enough to reach over and grab Tristan by the arm in a harsh grip.

"Tristan, shut your trap," he snapped. "You don't know -- none of us does. We weren't there. Phoebe's not a moron. Whatever she did, she had a reason for it, even if it was kinda stupid. She really doesn't need you bagging on her and if you got a problem with that, you and I can step outside right now and I can re-arrange your face, no axes or Personas involved, got it?"

While he was glaring at Tristan he felt eyes on his back and glanced over his shoulder. Phoebe was giving him a panicky look of 'ohgodpleasedon't' and he realized that he wasn't helping her case. Phoebe had poured out her story because she needed to be heard, not because she was looking for trouble. She was already in hot water with some people.

"Sorry, Feebs," he muttered and released Tristan's arm an then sat down.

He was glad that this Alisa girl was sticking up for her; kicked his esteem of the girl up a couple more notches.

"...You need any help with that stuff, you call me," he said quietly.

[CJ Jackson (TechChris)]

CJ didn't put a single note down. Seemed like this Ayakura lady had no real information for him.

"Right... If your investigation leads anywhere, would you let me know?"

He flinched when Ayakura started grilling Phoebe about Gin. He already knew about about it. He was there with Phoebe, after all, when Gin revealed himself... He groaned when Tristan snapped at Phoebe. As if she didn't have enough to worry about with the grilling...

There it was. Phoebe's big revelation. It took all his restraint not to give her a big hug right there and then.

"I was there," he said, "Everything that Phoebe's told you is true... except for one thing."

He got up and looked Phoebe in the eye.

"Compassion isn't cowardice, Feebs. Shadow or not, that was still a kid in your class. You handled it better than anyone could. You did the right thing and you should be proud."

He looked to the others and smiled.

"Besides, I'm pretty sure that what Feebs did and what happened tonight are correlated. Shadows with human forms can be reasoned with, and can be allies. Of course, this is just one incident, so I can't say it proves my theory. We'll just have to wait and see."

[Tristan Carter]

Tristan listened as Phoebe explained what had occurred between her and Gin. He felt really bad about what he had said as soon as she had explained that it had shattered her Persona. He had experienced something similar when Ifreet came to be.

When he saw the child's corpse... Pyro Jack had exploded into a ball of raging fire and blinding light. He had felt it rip through his soul, so he was able to understand exactly what Phoebe had went through.

He was about to apologize when he felt slight pressure on his head and heard Vice speak to the group. Then he was accosted on all sides about how he had flipped out on Phoebe. He considered yelling at them about how he knew nothing about what had happened until now, but decided against it.

What he said instead was: "I understand you all jumping to her defense. Trust me, I do." He then looked directly at Phoebe. "I even understand what happened. However, here's what you guys don't understand: Phoebe knows exactly why I freaked out; none of you do. Kicker is, I don't plan on letting you know."

He finally decided on food to order, then looked back up at Phoebe. "I can respect your decision," he said. "That doesn't mean that I agree with you. You're a good person, though, so I know you wouldn't have done it without good reason. That said, I apologize for losing my cool." He started to smile a rueful grin. "Just don't do something this stupid ever again, okay? At least not on something where I may end up having to help in cleaning up the mess."

[Layla Amare]

Wait, crap.

That was the thought that stopped Layla on her walk back to her apartment, and got her to turn straight around and run back in the opposite direction, back towards the shopping center. She dodged around the area where the fight had taken place, where cops had already showed up and started questioning everyone still around. No, she didn't have time for that. She had a restaurant-slash-meeting place to find. As she ran, she went through her pockets to make sure she still had the business card that the snake lady shadow had given her. She did, good. Now where was the place. She'd probably already lost them, but...oh, no, wait! She caught sight of an older man who had definitely been at the fight, walking into a place called Finlay's. If that wasn't the place, then she could at least ask him to see if he knew where they went.

But no, that seemed to be the place. Layla spotted the lot of them at a booth within easy sight of the door, and Alisa was among them. Good. She had only planned on showing her the card and being on her way, but as she got closer she could tell they were already talking about something very relevant.

"I don't know about 'allies'," she said, approaching and addressing the man she had followed in. "But they're capable of their own thoughts and desires rather than acting solely on predatory instinct and yes, some of them can be reasoned with." She pulled the business card for Isaac Strazos out of her pocket, adding "Others, though, not so much. I ran into one who was using humans as subjects in experiments and attacked me on sight when I walked in on it." She turned to Alisa, setting the card down in front of her. "And that's why I'm here. I wanted to give you this while I still remembered it."