After a very long day of business Genesis decided to treat himself to a coffee to stay awake a little longer. Although he was exhausted he decided to find the nearest coffee shop for some much needed caffeine. He began walking down 5th avenue where there were a vast number of shops. He saw the coffee shop on the corner.

He started walked toward the shop and grabbed a newspaper along the way. He made his way for the entrance and walked inside. He could smell the very rich smell of coffee grounds. He found the nearest table and plopped himself down. He opened his newspaper and began to read. A few minutes later one of the employee approaches him and asks for his order.

"Can I get a large cup of coffee black with pinch of sugar please"

The barista nodded and grabbed a mug. She headed to coffee pot and poured some coffee. She then walked toward Genesis and handed him his drink..

It was rather warm for the winter day, Kamarile decided to head out and go to the Lakeside Park & Coffee Shop. She takes a leisurely stroll around the park, watching other walk, play, and enjoy the day. She knew this was the place to come to relax. She had found a family, and was now going to try to be the best member of that family she could possibly be. She meandered around until she found the coffee shop. She gets in line to order. It is amazing the variety the the shop offers. Once to the counter and she was asked for her order, she responds "I would like a cup of hot chocolate, and a cheesecake with strawberries on top."  Once the order was up, she found a bench under a couple of trees that she could people watch as she worked on her cheesecake and hot chocolate. It was interesting to watch people get close to the pond and act liek they were going to push one another in, especially with how cold it is. If someone had pushed her in the water in this weather, they wouldn't be living much longer. That is the one thing she hates about being up north, is the cold weather.  

Bebe was walking and enjoying the nice weather when she happened upon a little coffee shop.

Coffee sure does sound great right now, she thought to herself. 

Walking in, she looked around and thought how sweet and nice it looked. 

Making it to the counter, she said, "Hello! I would like a cup of coffee."

She was last minute hit with the urge for sweets after looking at the menu and seeing cakes. 

"I'll also take a piece of sponge cake, please," she added. 

After she paid and then received the coffee and cake, she took it to a small table right outside the coffee shop so she could eat, drink, and watch the people and birds. 

Raphael was having a hell of a time in the Motor City. He had originally come in to visit a few old spots, but found himself losing a bit of cash gambling, which cause a bit more drinking than normal, and the morning sun did not help his headache. He always found it better to get outside in the fresh air than to stay in a hotel though, so to the park he went.

The aroma of the coffee from the lakeside shop was too much to ignore, so he got himself a hot cup, and decided to throw in the extra couple cents for the breadcrumbs for the ducks. After all, Detroit wanted to gobble up his money, he might as well give the place what it was asking for. He didn't make it all the way to the lake though before he found himself admiring the serenity of the wishing well first.

"Well, couldn't hurty right?" He mumbled to himself as he flicked a penny inside and made a wish. Of course it wasn't going to help at all, and he knew that, but it didn't hurt to keep optimistic.

As he wandered his way toward the lake and stuck a hand into his pocket to retrieve some crumbs, he kept a lookout for a good spot to perch, maybe a nice railing to lean on, or a bench. He'd give it up if someone else cam along, but for the moment, the empty bench only a few yards away had his name all over it.

There was so much to do today, so much on the agenda. Ever since taking this new position out here in Detroit, Ksenia was basically all but nonstop. Which could be partly why her cocaine addiction had spiked... there were only so many hours in the day and she couldn't really afford to sleep. The fact of being so busy wasn't such a bad thing, keeping her busy did good for keeping her out of trouble. Even though her being in this organization could get her into some serious trouble if she slipped up.

It was a slippery slope but one that she managed to handle rather well then again she could have been a little bias in that regards.

Not that she needed the coffee but more so wanted it, Ksenia stopped by the coffee shop along side the lakeside park. It was a place that she had yet to visit up until this point. The place itself was quaint, it wasn't very big but had way more options than most places in this city. Unfortunately, she wasn't interested in anything more that a strong black cup of coffee. Something that would give her an immediate jolt before she could get her hands on a little bit of that white powder.

She had finished up the last little bit she had a few hours back and needed to get some more. It was on the agenda but first it was time for this cup of coffee. There was a brief hesitation, she did have things to do but the lake drew her in. She could spare 5 minutes and drink the coffee out by the water, right? It was a thought that ran through her mind, nodding to herself when she decided it was a good idea.

Paying no mind to her surroundings, Ksenia made her way down to the water. Walked a bit around it until coming onto a bench, still oblivious to her surrounding, she took a seat. Resting her left arm on the arm rest while holding the coffee in her other, the heat from the contents still radiating outwards through the paper.

Taking in a deep breath of the chilly air, she muttered to herself. "So much to do, can't sit here long Ksenia, just a few minutes."

Raph barely noticed the woman approach. He was too deep in thought about what he was doing here and when he was getting back. There were always a few things to do, but never an overwhelming amount. The coffee helped to center him as well, but his stomach started to growl from not having been fed this morning. That drew him into trying to think of what he would have for lunch. He's passed by one or two places that might do well enough.

Then again, there was a local that just sat down next to him, he could always ask her. As he looked over in her direction to take her in, he first noticed her sunken eyes. She was tired, clearly. Maybe she wanted to be left alone?

Raph shook his head at his own thoghts. Nobody who wanted to be left alone sat next to a stranger. She was quiet though, might have been deep in thoughts, might have just been shy. Either way, he needed something innocuous to approach a conversation with. If he jumped out with "Where is a good place for lunch?" She might think he was trying to ask her out. He wouldn't mind, by the looks of her, but that's not what he was after and it sure as shit wasn't how you started a converstion. As she took in a breath he reached into his suit pocket, and produced a handful of crumbs. It got the attention of the ducks, but he held them out for the woman.

"Care to feed the fowl?"

He asked in a muted tone before he took another sip of his coffee, hopefully she was open to talking at least.

The sound of his voice caused her to jump, spilling a bit of the hot coffee on her hand. An act which caused her to blurt out an obscenity, a word that she frequently used but one that wasn't necessarily acceptably spoken.

"Fucking hell!"

It wasn't really his fault... well yes it was, even though she didn't see him, if he hadn't of talked she wouldn't have felt the scorching coffee on her skin.

Placing the cup on the bench next to her, Ksenia wiped her hand on her pant leg, getting off the bit of coffee that resided upon it. So now she had a tingling hand from the coffee and a wet spot on her pants. Such a great start to the day... sitting down on this bench now seemed like a major inconvenience. 

Directing her attention on the man, with a nasty look upon her face, he was holding out his hand. A palm full of crumbs sat on it. "Care to feed the fowl?" He asked once again... assuming that was what he asked the first time around.

"Uh, no..." She replied, catching a glimpse of some of the ducks waddling their ways towards the bench where she sat. Craning her neck in their direction and with both hands shooing them away... "get... go..."

Ducks, well more so geese, she wasn't a fan of. It all stemmed from an incident when she was younger, something she tried to forget but was never able to. So to sit here and feed them, yeah that wasn't going to happen.

Still feeling his presence, she turned back to him. "Can I help you?" She spoke in a snippy attitude.

Raph took the crumbs in his hand and tossed them in a direction as far away from the woman as he could, watching as the ducks chased the food he turned back.

"Sorry about the coffee, but yes, if you're willing I think you might just be able to help me."

He took a sip of coffee, and then reached into his jacket to produce a handkerchief, offering it to the woman.

"I was hoping that you were a local. I'm from back east you see, and am here on business and was thinking about somewhere to find something for lunch. Do you happen to be from Detroit? Might you recommend something?"

He put his cup of coffee down then and he placed the handkerchief on her leg and took out more breadcrumbs. The ducks had begun to make their return and clearly they were and annoyance to the young woman, so he tossed some more, further away yet again.

Her eyes shifted onto the piece of cloth he had placed onto her leg. It was rather forthcoming of him to do such a thing and it wasn't something that she was rather fond of. She didn't know him, didn't know where that cloth had been and had no ambition to use it. Which was noted when used her fingers on her opposite hand to flick it off of her onto the bench besides her.

"I'm not from here, I don't know... sorry." She spoke once again in her snippy tone.

She didn't mean to come across bitchy but it was just in her nature. Even her friends caught some sort of attitude, the few that she actually had and considered friends.

"There's stuff over there." She pointed across her body in the direction of Bricktown.

Raphael nodded at her answer as he glanced in the direction of the city she had gestured toward.

"Yes, I gathered as much." He stood then, taking the remainder of the breadcrumbs from his pocket and tossed them once again as far as he could. He turned back toward the woman then and shrugged.

"Doesn't seem very fit to leave a woman alone if she's not from around here. I'm going to buy a paper and then I'll be back, can I get you anything? A new cup of coffee perhaps? Maybe a few napkins?"

He tried to be as pleasant as he could. Clearly the woman was on edge after having scalded herself, but he was doing his best to be understanding. And if she was lone that was worse. He certainly didn't want to leave her here by herself.

There it was, the whole savior card... He obviously didn't know her at all, didn't know that she could handle herself quite well. He was trying to be the knight in shining armor, he clearly picked the wrong person for that.

"No" She wanted to comment further but bit her tongue. Hoping he would just go, so she could get up and leave without having to engage further. Keeping her attention forward, trying not to glance towards him. He just stayed put, making her turn her attentions fully onto him.

"What?"

Raphael spread his hands in a defensive posture and took a full step back.

"Nothing. I just thought that, since you weren't from here and neither was I, it would be nice to have some company is all. Lonliness doesn't have to be experienced alone sort of thing. I'm gonna go buy that paper. Do you mind if I come sit back down here? I do actually like the view."

He didn't hide the annoyance in his tone back at her this time. He was trying to simply be kind, and for someone who wasn't even a local she sure acted like she had not only owned the park, but that he was encroaching on her space. She was the one who came and sat at the bench he was already at!

It took him a moment and a breath before he started toward the coffee shop again, not fully waiting for an answer. Clearly the woman wanted to be left alone. So he'd go get his paper and wait by the wishing well, with a clear view of the bench till she left and then go stake his spot back out again. No harm no foul.

He'd paid for the paper, and made his way back to the well within a few minutes.

"So much for a wishing well huh? Did you curse me this morning instead?" He playfully kicked at it before tossing in another coin. "Here's hoping you beliebe in second chances."  Before settling by leaning against it and opening the paper to peruse. You never did know what kind of tips you could gather from reading the articles. People never seemed to remember to keep their names out of shit. Even when they tried.

She didn't say anything else to him, just let him talk until he finally got the hint and left. Truly he was just trying to be nice, he didn't seem like the type that was trying to work some other sort of angle but still his requests were a bit odd. Really who asks a stranger if they want to feed the ducks, those nasty vile creatures they are.

Truly it could have been her fault... she could have just bypassed the bench and went off to do her business.... She could have told him that she was from around here but then again that could have furthered the questions. Sure she lived here now but really she wasn't from here. She was still learning the area but she did know enough of it to get around.

Regardless, she stayed on that bench and waited for her coffee to cool a bit. Only until then taking a sip, trying to decide on her day. For some reason though, she couldn't not keep looking over towards that man. There was just something about him. She didn't know if it was good or bad but there was just something that kept drawing her attentions onto him.

Raph was, in his own mind at least, a patient man. But something about the fact that the woman was just sitting there, sipping at her coffee, and glancing up at him every now and again, made him think she was toying with him.

It was irritating.

More than once he had to take a breath, and focus back on the paper. He hadn't even gotten all the way through. He was cherry picking articles that sparked his interest. He skipped over one about the unemployment lines. Everyone knew about those and how terrible they were, and how often they would run out of food, or money, or both.

He read a bit about the baseball leagues, both the big ones had decent games recently and Chicago seemed to be doing alright.

Then he looked up again to see her still sitting there. He grit his teeth trying to find a reason to walk over, but failing to do that he dug his head into an article about the Yellow Cab Company in New York possibly expanding out west an dhaving some heavy competition in Chicago, meaning they might be expanding into Detroit instead and how that would create an economic boom and jobs here. Course if he was a man from Chicago, he'd jump on that and get his own cabs up here quick as he could too, it would be cheaper to operate from Chicago to here than New York. But he wasn't a man from Chicago, he was from Philly.

As he finished the article and glanced up again, she was still sitting there. Which meant he had no choice but to wait patiently, or to approach her. He'd already pissed her off once, and he was done with the paper by this point.

He made his way over to the bench, making sure not to be quiet about it, even going so far as to clear his throat when he got within a few feet.

"Sorry to bother you again. Just thought I would leave this here for someone else to use. Really no other place to leave it." He place the paper down on the bench then and then started to walk a bit closer to the lake. It was nice, not huge, but nice to just watch and listen to.

Too bad there was nowhere to sit and take it in.

She wasn't much a reader, the only reason she ever picked up a newspaper were for the cartoon comic strips, her favorite being Peanuts. There was just something about those group of kids, the dog and that bird that made her chuckle every time. So to her delight when he set the paper, she reached directly for it. She probably should have hesitated a bit more but that function in her brain just didn't connect in that moment. 

Immediately she flipped through the pages until she came upon it. Took a few seconds to give it a look over, causing her to chuckle ever so slightly upon completion of it. She folded it back up and tucked it between the slats wood, this way it wouldn't get blown away with the next gust of wind. She picked up her cup of coffee and took another sip off of it, directing her attentions forward towards the lake. 

Not intentionally looking at him but looking in his direction, it was kind of hard not to since he was basically standing directly in front of her just up a bit towards the water. His body language looked a bit dejected, perhaps he was out of crumbs to feed the ducks? Or perhaps he was just looking for a bit more out of his morning.

Feeling like she needed to say something at least in response to him leaving the paper, she muttered a few simple words. "Thanks for the paper." She wasn't sure if he heard her, as he just continued to look forwards. She wasn't going to repeat herself, she said her peace and that was enough.

He'd been daydreaming as he looked out over the lake for longer than he had intended. At least, that's how it felt when his conscious mind drifted back into the park from the big ballroom overlooking Lake St Claire. It had been a long time since he'd gone dancing. He needed to find somewhere.

He glanced back toward the woman. She might...

He shook his head. He had to remind himself that she wasn't from around here. She wouldn't want to go dancing, and she didn't know anywhere that might have his style anyway.

He did smile at her though, and wave before starting back toward the path that would lead him out of the park.

"Hope you have a nice day miss. Sorry again for before." He said simply as he passed by the benc on his way to leave. He stopped himself though before he made his way toward the exit and briskly jogged over to the wishing well. He took out a full Silver Dollar that time and tossed it in.

"Sorry to you too, for doubting you." He whispered into the well before giving it a pat. Making his way toward the exit, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked up at the greying sky. It always seems to be greying here, not quite raining, but never properly sunny. Always greying.

Amidst the urban hustle of Detroit, Felix yearned for a respite, a moment of tranquillity to mend the frayed edges of his busy life. With determination in his stride, he made his way to a serene lake tucked away from the city's clamour. There, a solitary rowboat awaited him, an escape from the demands of his routine.

As he rowed away from the shore, the sounds of the city faded, replaced by the gentle lapping of water against the boat's hull. The sun's warm embrace kissed his skin, and he cast his fishing line into the calm waters. With each cast, he felt his worries dissipate like ripples on the lake's surface.

Time seemed to slow as Felix immersed himself in the rhythm of his surroundings. The art of patience became his companion, as he waited for the gentle tug of a fish on his line. The solitude of the lake offered him a space to reflect, to untangle the complexities of his thoughts and aspirations.

The distant skyline served as a reminder of the world he temporarily left behind, while the tranquillity of the lake and the Ivory lighthouse beckoned him to stay present. The tension in his shoulders began to release, replaced by a sense of peace he had been yearning for.

When a tug on his line finally came, Felix's heart quickened. As he reeled in his catch, a sense of accomplishment surged through him – a reminder that even amidst the chaos, he could find moments of simple joy. The fish glistened in the sunlight, a symbol of his perseverance and the reward of taking time for himself.

With the sun beginning its descent, Felix rowed back to the shore, his heart lighter and his mind clearer. The lake had provided more than just a fishing expedition; it had gifted him a chance to recharge and reconnect with the natural world. As he returned to the city, he carried with him a renewed sense of balance and a memory of the stillness he had found in the midst of Detroit's bustling energy.

It was late Monday afternoon. The week had not started as it should. His boss was not going to be happy about how the day had turned out. Thankfully Grosso was still in Detroit, walking a long the streets think about how he would break the news to his boss. 

The day, and week, has started out with such great plans. He had taken the plane to Detroit before the weekend and spent all weekend planning hist master crime. He had reached out to known associates from Philadelphia and a couple of locals. He had planned, discussed and felt like it would work. It had to work, he failed the last couple and his boss had already told him he was not happy and wanted results. 

Grosso even planned a smaller crime than usual just to be able to get a result in. But it did not go as planned. He failed to torch a business and instead he had been running around the city hiding from cops and others interested. 

He finally felt like he was in the clear when he saw the coffee shop across the street. He stepped inside and the fresh smell of coffee reached him. He knew coffee would not calm his nervous but he needed his brain to work. He had to work out how he would explain his latest failure. 

He had ordered himself a nice espresso and when it was done he took it towards the window overlooking the lake. He decided to stay inside as he saw many kids run outside playing near the water. 

As he took a sip he started planning his talk with the boss and thinking of his next steps. 

Fluffy always enjoyed good establishments with nice views, but unfortunately for the patrons of those shops not for the right reasons. As he was enjoying the property of the coffee shop, he was annoyed that foul smell was super annoying but i mean the location was a amzing. There was a nice flat rooftop, basking in the sun. Firmly caught in a stead breeze sweeping of the lake and making the trees rustle like musical instruments. That was like the perfect conditions for a wonderful nap spot he thought to himself excitedly. Let's hope the roof wasn't too dirty or crowded by fucking pigeons, ooohhhh those motherfuckers were always a sore spot in his eye. Their lack of any grace, their loudness and their insistant pecking his tail when he was in a nice deep slumber and he'd have to kill a pack of 3 just to show them an example of not to fuck with this kitty.

As he appraoched the building, he tried to glimpse the conditions up top, but there was nothing to see, he wondered how did they heat the building if there was no chimney??