<span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: times new roman;"><strong>Book Revue --&gt; Cafe next door<br/>Financial District/Downtown<br/>Wednesday Night -- November 10, 2010</strong><br/>Fate Turner (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=105330.msg4630243#msg4630243) -- Closing up...</span><br/><br/>Fate woke with a start and practically cracked the back of her head on the top of the counter. She could still hear the wailing of the end-test alarm ringing in her ears. No wait...<br/><br/>Blinking sleep out of her eyes, she realized that the ear-splitting alarm that had woken her wasn't just a figment of her imagination. Police cars rushed past, speeding through the slick but thankfully mostly empty streets, to god knows where. Shaking the last bits of sleep from her head, she could feel the beginnings of a terrible migraine. Staring down at the open pages of her textbook, a half-solved calculus problem gazed tauntingly up at her. A muttered, "Fuckin' derivatives..." before she promptly closed the book with a snap and stood up to stretch.<br/><br/>As she felt her muscles stretching and relaxing, along with the occasional pop of bone as she worked out the kinks from sleeping at her desk, she glanced up at the clock and was happy to see that it was time to close up shop. A quick tidying up of her desk, locking up the back room, and out the door she went. She never had to worry much about rearranging the shelves, managing to keep it neat throughout the day.<br/><br/>Pulling up her hood as cover against the rain, she locked the front door and stood under the awning as she squinted up at the downpour. What a day to forget her umbrella...<br/><br/>Her hoodie would probably be soaked through in a mere few minutes. Sneaking a glance next door, she noticed that Mark was behind the counter, presumably finishing up an order for the only customer at the cafe. A mechanical 'ding-dong' announced her entrance as she walked through the door and gave him a little wave.<br/><br/>"Heya, Fate!" He grinned, face having lit up upon her arrival. "The usual?"<br/><br/>"Yep, you know it." She was used to being welcomed nearly wherever she went, most people seemed to take an immediate liking to her. "By the way, you got an extra umbrella lying around? I don't think the driver'll be too happy if I'm drippin' all over the bus." Fate shot him a sheepish grin as she waited for her order.<br/><br/>"Hrm, don't think there are any extras but you can take mine." Sliding her large chai latte across the counter, he smiled at her. "Or you can let me drive you home."<br/><br/>A sip of the warm, spiced brew and she sighed happily. Her favorite. "I wouldn't wanna trouble ya." He was always trying to take her out somewhere, and she had politely refused each time. The guy was sweet, and he even gave her a little discount from her drinks, but that was about it. Leaning against the counter, she noted that the other woman was seated at one of the tables with her coffee. Changing the subject, she asked casually, "So what's goin' on tonight? Cops seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere."<br/><br/>Mark's smile fell by a fraction, but he quickly recovered. "Dunno. I'm guessing they're going to Devil Bat Cave. Maybe they found another body or something."<br/><br/>Devil Bat Cave had been on the news for days now, if not weeks. Along with the other 'discoveries' that had been made. The thought of what sorts of gruesome acts could lead to children mangled and dismembered to such an extent...her latte suddenly didn't taste so appetizing anymore.