Encounterlogs
Elis Odd Encounter Sr Lark 250414
Eli, navigating through the unfamiliar streets of Haven under a gloomy sky, encounters a strikingly ethereal woman who urgently pleads for his assistance. Despite Eli's natural anxiety and confusion, he is somehow compelled by the woman's piercing gaze and tearful plea to confront Robert at The Red Bean coffee shop. The task? To demand the repayment of a debt owed to the mysterious and commanding "Queen of Cups." Eli, ill-suited to the role of enforcer and visibly shaken, ventures into the cozy establishment only to find that Robert, the warm-hearted barista, is ensnared in a desperate situation of his own. The façade of charm and the easy Sunday atmosphere shatter as Eli, under a supernatural compulsion and wrestling with his conscience, delivers the ultimatum to a terrified Robert, who reveals a tale of debts accrued for dearly personal reasons.
The situation escalates as Eli, torn between empathy for Robert's plight and the invisible chains of the Queen of Cups' bidding, attempts a clumsy intimidation that culminates in a dramatic outburst, leaving the Red Bean's patrons in shock and Robert in a state of despair. Eli's confronted with the harsh reality of his actions, which starkly contrast with his inner turmoil and reluctance. The return to the Queen of Cups proves to be a bitter moment of compliance as Eli delivers what he has managed to extract. His apologies and the evident emotional toll of his actions underscore the conclusion of an encounter that blurs the lines between victim and perpetrator. This odd confrontation in Haven leaves Eli grappling with the repercussions of his unwilling entry into a moral grey zone, under the shadow of manipulative forces beyond his understanding.
(Eli's odd encounter(SRLark):SRLark)
[Sun Apr 13 2025]
On Buckthorn Lane
It is afternoon, about 50F(10C) degrees, and the sky is covered by dark grey stormclouds.
(Your target has been mind controlled by another into acting as their agent in a crime, compelled to perform a robbery or assault for this other agent. It is up to their allies to arrive and stop the crime and try to uncover the criminal.
)
Eli was going for a walk, looking at his phone as he lets the GPS guide him around Haven proper. He still doesn't seem to know the exact layout of things, here and there, or the specific shops that he might be looking for.
It's a mild Sunday afternoon in Haven, and despite being the start of Spring, the sky is overcast with dark gray clouds threatening possible rain. Now and again, there's a sunbeam that shows through the clouds, but the sky is heavy with a sense of foreboding. As Eli walks along upon the sidewalk there's the sound of a flurry of staccato steps, and suddenly, only a few feet away, is a young woman, crying audibly.
As Eli would look upon her, however, he'd notice how strikingly beautiful she is. Ethereal almost. With golden blonde hair, with a slight curl, she's dressed normally in a blouse, skirt, and flats. As she hears Eli approaching, her head raises and her striking blue eyes meet his. Her cheeks are wet with tears as she beholds him, those watery beautiful blues seeming to tremble almost as she asks Eli, her voice soft and pleading. "I need your help. Please, please, will you help me?"
Now, Eli is a fairly anxious person in general, so the fact that someone is actively calling out has a lot of his hairs standing right on up. It didn't seem like he was expecting anyone for that matter, and he jumps - just a bit, looking up quickly, head swiveling to find the person. "Um...." he says to the woman, "Uhm.. what's up?"
There's a pause from Eli now, as he breathes in. It's three long breaths, followed by what is about a second quiet.
One look is all she needs.
Her beautiful blues meet his oceanic ones and suddenly, those tears stop. Her voice is firm and strong, unlike a moment ago as the beautiful stranger issues out to Eli.
"At the end of the street is a coffee shop. You are going to find the owner, Robert, inside, and tell him that his debts to the The Queen Of Cups has come due. And you will do everything in your power to secure the payment, which you will bring back to me.'
She reaches out a hand to stroke Eli's cheek, purring to him. "Now be a good boy, and fetch my money.""
One look is very bad in Haven, and Eli gets hit with that look.
"Coffee shop?" Eli asks a little bit of confusion in his voice. "Right, um," luckily for him the map is still up and he walks over to the woman. "Sorry, I.. um, can you show me where it is? I can do that, I just don't know where the coffee shop is."
The beautiful woman oh-so helpfully points out the coffee shop on the map on Eli's phone, and then points down the block. "The Red Bean, just over there," she clarifies for him. So, so helpful, this one. She smiles at him, her lips coated in a siren red lipstick. "I'll be waiting, darling," she purrs to Eli, with a wave of her hand and a smirk upon that cruel smile.
When Eli would finally arrive at the coffee shop in question. Nestled upon the quiet corner where the brick sidewalk meets a line of trees, The Red Bean radiates warmth with a crimson door painted by hand and flower boxes bursting with the newest plants emerging for the springtime. The smell of fresh coffee and espresso drifts from the open window. Inside are a bevy of small tables and mismatched chairs that add to the local, quirky charm. A handwritten chalkboard lists seasonal drinks with punny names. There are already a handful of neighborhood regulars inside whose chatter fills up the air. Far from busy, there's a relaxed, homey atmosphere to this cozy community coffee bar.
Through it all stands a man of average height with brown hair and brown eyes. Working behind the bar as the barista, he sports a nametag, one of those white stickers bordered with blue that says: Hello my name is... with the word Robert scrawled with black sharpie in the middle.
Robert the Barista spots his new customer and waves Eli in, his voice booming. "Hey there! Welcome to The Red Bean! Specials are on the menu over here, but I can customize to your liking to. What do you want today, my man?"
Eli inspects the Red Bean with a very curious look when he enters, walking straight up to the counter. There's a little pause, and Eli having maybe watched one too many movies - as subtly as he can - slips a hand into the pocket of his bomber jacket, holding out his finger like he's got a gun in there. "Hey," he say to the man named Robert. "Your debt to The Queen of Cups has come due," he says - voice a little shaky, but not stammering. Maybe he's a new guy to a crime syndicate or something, or he's being sucked into a world of crime he doesn't want to commit. Who knows? He could also just be very, very bad at his job. Regardless, he continues on. "And you... need to pay up. Now." He tries to sound forceful.
The various patrons having their Sunday afternoon coffees pay Eli no mind. After all, he seems to be just another customer. Right?
Robert the Barista greets Eli with a big smile, seeming very much like the type to greet all his customers as friends with an open heart. But as Eli utters that name. That name. His smile freezes. And Eli would be able to see that sunny disposition, a once radiant smile that reached Robert's eyes, even, shift. The color drains from his cheeks, the corners of his mouth falling as his smile collapses, a little bit at a time and then all at once, replaced with wide eyes and a silent, breathless look of horror.
Robert the Barista finally finds his wits. Pale and shaken, he moves from the counter, taking off his apron and instructing another barista to take over. He takes a few steps towards Eli and ushers the young man into the back office of the coffee shop, locking the door behind them.
Robert's handles tremble and there are tears in the corners of his eyes as he begins pacing, avoiding Eli's eyes. "Look man. Look. I can't- I don't have the money. I swear to God. The Gods. To everything. I swear she'll get paid back. I don't want to mess with her, or her kind. But I just need a little longer. Like a month. A few weeks, at least. I promise I'm working on it, I promise. I just - FUCK!" He grabs his hair and then slaps his hand upon the door in frustration.
As Eli is ushered into that back room he doesn't unstick his hand from his jacket pocket, still training the 'gun' at the man in what Eli thinks is a threatening way. It might be threatening, if the youth himself didn't seem to be an absolute nervous ball of energy about to explode.
Is his happy place going to work here? He really should have more therapy sessions if he's going to be a better criminal.
"I.. um," he states, pausing to exhale for three, long breathes. "You need to pay." He states then, trying to hide all the emotion in his voice (and failing miserably at that). "She says it's time. Now."
Robert turns his gaze to Eli, his brown eyes filled with a wild anguish as the barista paces over to him, poking him in the chest with a hand, that gun under Eli's jacket be damned! "She's got you too, doesn't she? In her claws? You made a bargain with her too, didn't you?" he accuses. It's the desperate ramblings of a desperate man trying to buy himself time, to buy himself a plan. "Look. If you made a deal too, you know how she... is. How much she can fuck with us. I'll have the money in a month, I just need more TIME. Tell her that, will you?" Robert steps back, those brown eyes glancing towards the 'gun' underneath Eli's jacket. "You're just a fucking kid." he blurts out. "Just like my brother. I borrowed the money for him you know, to pay for his treatment. I didn't- I didn't think thing would end up like this..." he bemoans, getting to his knees in front of Eli. "Please man, don't hurt me. Don't hurt my customers, this coffee shop's the only way I can pay her back and I just need a little bit more time. A little. Please. Please tell her."
Eli watches all of this with a mild look of horror on his face. One on hand something is probably supernaturally compelling him, forcing him to be on here, on the other hand Robert's pleas and cries have an emotional aspect on Eli. There's an obvious turmoil in his face, the way he reacts, the way he looks to Robert.
He was told to do whatever to take the money, "How much do you owe?" Eli whispers carefully - perhaps the Queen Of Cups should have been more specific in her requests. "Is.. is it a lot?"
Robert is no fool. Those brown eyes take in the expression upon Eli's face, and there's a note of recognition. A look of sorrow and resignation that crosses his own face in response. These are two men at the mercy of something greater, something more dangerous, something threatening. And they two are no more than leaves in the wind, subject to a will that cannot be controlled, nor harnessed.
"Twenty thousand dollars," Robert replies, flatly. "I have... I have most of it, but I'm short around six thousand. Like I said, I've been hustling. I've been working every second of the goddamn day to raise it all. I've even moved out of my apartment, sold my stuff, and having been living out of my car. Taking showers at the gym," Robert's voice cracks. "Not that she cares, I guess. But you're not like her, right man? We-we're not so different. You and me? She'll destroy me man, if you can't get me more time. So fucking, please."
Robert holds his hands up, literally begging in supplication at Eli's feet. "Please tell me you'll ask her for more time..."
Eli doesn't seem to know what to do here. "Ummmmmmm..." he starts up. "Okay, um," he tells the man. "I guess...." he lets his hand drop - probably a stupid move - because he doesn't have a gun, no weapons on him. Eli isn't a hardended criminal, or a criminal at all. He's a teenager suckered into doing the bidding of someone else. There's a lot going on Eli feels like he's about to burst, and his technique doesn't seem to be working all that way. It's sporadic, here and there.
"I.. um.. I can try," he tells Robert. "I.. think maybe if you give me some of it? I.. I can.. try to make a deal for you? Or.. well, get you more time.." It's a wistful sort of guess, maybe a pipe dream. "I can't promise anything though.."
It seems that Robert has forgotten about the gun. Whatever The Queen of Cups seems to be threatening seems like much, much worse of a fate than being shot. The relief is palpable upon his face. "Thank you man, thank you. You are a godsend. One month. I swear to God, whatever Gods are out there, I'll have her fucking money man. Just try, that's all I ask, try." He quickly rises to his feet and unlocks the door, ushering Eli out.
As Eli is ushered out, he stops in the door of the Red Bean, giving it one last look before trudging off to meet his fate of failing to complete his task.
The Queen of Cups stood waiting just a little ways down the block where Eli first met her. She looks expectantly upon him, those beautiful blues ticking over his form judgmentally. "You have the air of failure about you," she says, bluntly, those beautiful blues offering nothing but ice as she glares at him. "Speak now on what transpired, or else."
"Umm..." Eli begins quickly, and as hastily as possible when he returns to address The Queen of Cups. "He.. um said he needed more time," he explains looking down at his feet. "I... um, well, I was wondering if you could maybe make an exception for him?" Clearly Eli has nothing really to offer this woman, he's just hoping that she'll somehow just let it go? "Maybe I can offer you something for him?"
The beautiful woman seems to tower over Eli, suddenly. Her shadow elongating over the sidewalk as she looms over him, reaching over to tap Eli upon the side of his head. "You stupid little egghead. What sob story did he tel you this time?" she sneers down at the young man. "Was it the sick brother? Or the mother in the hospital?" The Queen of Cups leans downwards to hiss into Eli's ear, a seductive, commanding whisper. "You've been lied to, my precious little egghead. He's a degenerate gambler on the last of his nine lives. He's done terrible, terrible things in the name of needing to pay back those debts. Those coffee beans have blood on their hands." She grips Eli's chin, looking into his eyes once more with her beautiful blues. "Go back and get me what I am owed. And if he has not the money to pay back his debts, you'll wreck havoc in his shop until he understands the severity of things. Until he understands that the next time, The Queen of Cups will not send an errand boy."
Eli just watches in slight horror as she suddenly towers over him. His gaze is angled downwards, right up until she grips his chin - forcing him to look up at her, and meet her gaze. That's when the problem arises once more.
There's a slightly bolstered sense of confidence egging him on now. "Okay," he tells her, and turns back around, marching off to do the task at hand.
Back in The Red Bean, Robert is back on duty, but visibly shaken. When Eli returns, he looks hopeful, walking over towards the young man and whispering, "What did she say??"
"She said," Eli replies a little shaky again, "That you lied to me.." he mutters. "Just give me the money," he says, "And this'll be over."
There's a look of anger now upon Robert's face, his expression turning sour. "I told you! I don't have the money! I just needed a month! Get out of here before I call the cops!" he hisses to Eli, trying not to make a scene.
Eli shakes his head at Robert, and walks over to a table where customers are standing - using his arm to just brush everything off the table. There's a look on his face as he does it though, it seems apologetic. "She's coming," he says in a eerie sort of way, walking back over to Robert. "Unless you give me it now. She won't send an errand boy next time." Eli glances at Robert, hands shaky.
The customers protest; it's a couple, there for a nice Sunday afternoon coffee. "Hey what the fuck!!" one of them shouts at Eli. A mocha and an oat milk latte go crashing onto the ground, the glass and ceramic shattering with the sweep. Robert goes pale again, holding out his hands. "HEY! HEY FUCKING CHILL MAN!" He shouts, "Look, I'll give you what I have and I'll have the rest soon, I fucking promise, just - just don't mess with my shop or my customers!" He rushes over to behind the barista counter, pulling out a locked box, his hands shaky as he pulls out a collection of weathered bills that have been held together with some rubber bands. He grabs a take-out bag and shoves the cash inside, bringing the bag to Eli. "HERE! IT'S ALL I GOT FOR NOW. NOW GET OUT, PLEASE. PLEASE!" he begs, his expression stricken, and desperate.
Eli looks at the bag with a grimace - taking it with shaky hands. "I'm.. I'm sorry.." he tells Robert, like it means anything ans stalks out in what can only be described as a depressed sort of walk.
The Queen of Cups awaits Eli, watching him curiously. "You have it then?" she asks, spying the bag.
Eli hands a bag to the Queen, looking down at his feet as he does so, shuffling a little awkwardly. "I guess," he says quietly.
"Wonderful! Good job, little egghead." She doesn't comment on the bag being light a few thousand, instead, she waves off Eli and begins to walk away.
The situation escalates as Eli, torn between empathy for Robert's plight and the invisible chains of the Queen of Cups' bidding, attempts a clumsy intimidation that culminates in a dramatic outburst, leaving the Red Bean's patrons in shock and Robert in a state of despair. Eli's confronted with the harsh reality of his actions, which starkly contrast with his inner turmoil and reluctance. The return to the Queen of Cups proves to be a bitter moment of compliance as Eli delivers what he has managed to extract. His apologies and the evident emotional toll of his actions underscore the conclusion of an encounter that blurs the lines between victim and perpetrator. This odd confrontation in Haven leaves Eli grappling with the repercussions of his unwilling entry into a moral grey zone, under the shadow of manipulative forces beyond his understanding.
(Eli's odd encounter(SRLark):SRLark)
[Sun Apr 13 2025]
On Buckthorn Lane
It is afternoon, about 50F(10C) degrees, and the sky is covered by dark grey stormclouds.
(Your target has been mind controlled by another into acting as their agent in a crime, compelled to perform a robbery or assault for this other agent. It is up to their allies to arrive and stop the crime and try to uncover the criminal.
)
Eli was going for a walk, looking at his phone as he lets the GPS guide him around Haven proper. He still doesn't seem to know the exact layout of things, here and there, or the specific shops that he might be looking for.
It's a mild Sunday afternoon in Haven, and despite being the start of Spring, the sky is overcast with dark gray clouds threatening possible rain. Now and again, there's a sunbeam that shows through the clouds, but the sky is heavy with a sense of foreboding. As Eli walks along upon the sidewalk there's the sound of a flurry of staccato steps, and suddenly, only a few feet away, is a young woman, crying audibly.
As Eli would look upon her, however, he'd notice how strikingly beautiful she is. Ethereal almost. With golden blonde hair, with a slight curl, she's dressed normally in a blouse, skirt, and flats. As she hears Eli approaching, her head raises and her striking blue eyes meet his. Her cheeks are wet with tears as she beholds him, those watery beautiful blues seeming to tremble almost as she asks Eli, her voice soft and pleading. "I need your help. Please, please, will you help me?"
Now, Eli is a fairly anxious person in general, so the fact that someone is actively calling out has a lot of his hairs standing right on up. It didn't seem like he was expecting anyone for that matter, and he jumps - just a bit, looking up quickly, head swiveling to find the person. "Um...." he says to the woman, "Uhm.. what's up?"
There's a pause from Eli now, as he breathes in. It's three long breaths, followed by what is about a second quiet.
One look is all she needs.
Her beautiful blues meet his oceanic ones and suddenly, those tears stop. Her voice is firm and strong, unlike a moment ago as the beautiful stranger issues out to Eli.
"At the end of the street is a coffee shop. You are going to find the owner, Robert, inside, and tell him that his debts to the The Queen Of Cups has come due. And you will do everything in your power to secure the payment, which you will bring back to me.'
She reaches out a hand to stroke Eli's cheek, purring to him. "Now be a good boy, and fetch my money.""
One look is very bad in Haven, and Eli gets hit with that look.
"Coffee shop?" Eli asks a little bit of confusion in his voice. "Right, um," luckily for him the map is still up and he walks over to the woman. "Sorry, I.. um, can you show me where it is? I can do that, I just don't know where the coffee shop is."
The beautiful woman oh-so helpfully points out the coffee shop on the map on Eli's phone, and then points down the block. "The Red Bean, just over there," she clarifies for him. So, so helpful, this one. She smiles at him, her lips coated in a siren red lipstick. "I'll be waiting, darling," she purrs to Eli, with a wave of her hand and a smirk upon that cruel smile.
When Eli would finally arrive at the coffee shop in question. Nestled upon the quiet corner where the brick sidewalk meets a line of trees, The Red Bean radiates warmth with a crimson door painted by hand and flower boxes bursting with the newest plants emerging for the springtime. The smell of fresh coffee and espresso drifts from the open window. Inside are a bevy of small tables and mismatched chairs that add to the local, quirky charm. A handwritten chalkboard lists seasonal drinks with punny names. There are already a handful of neighborhood regulars inside whose chatter fills up the air. Far from busy, there's a relaxed, homey atmosphere to this cozy community coffee bar.
Through it all stands a man of average height with brown hair and brown eyes. Working behind the bar as the barista, he sports a nametag, one of those white stickers bordered with blue that says: Hello my name is... with the word Robert scrawled with black sharpie in the middle.
Robert the Barista spots his new customer and waves Eli in, his voice booming. "Hey there! Welcome to The Red Bean! Specials are on the menu over here, but I can customize to your liking to. What do you want today, my man?"
Eli inspects the Red Bean with a very curious look when he enters, walking straight up to the counter. There's a little pause, and Eli having maybe watched one too many movies - as subtly as he can - slips a hand into the pocket of his bomber jacket, holding out his finger like he's got a gun in there. "Hey," he say to the man named Robert. "Your debt to The Queen of Cups has come due," he says - voice a little shaky, but not stammering. Maybe he's a new guy to a crime syndicate or something, or he's being sucked into a world of crime he doesn't want to commit. Who knows? He could also just be very, very bad at his job. Regardless, he continues on. "And you... need to pay up. Now." He tries to sound forceful.
The various patrons having their Sunday afternoon coffees pay Eli no mind. After all, he seems to be just another customer. Right?
Robert the Barista greets Eli with a big smile, seeming very much like the type to greet all his customers as friends with an open heart. But as Eli utters that name. That name. His smile freezes. And Eli would be able to see that sunny disposition, a once radiant smile that reached Robert's eyes, even, shift. The color drains from his cheeks, the corners of his mouth falling as his smile collapses, a little bit at a time and then all at once, replaced with wide eyes and a silent, breathless look of horror.
Robert the Barista finally finds his wits. Pale and shaken, he moves from the counter, taking off his apron and instructing another barista to take over. He takes a few steps towards Eli and ushers the young man into the back office of the coffee shop, locking the door behind them.
Robert's handles tremble and there are tears in the corners of his eyes as he begins pacing, avoiding Eli's eyes. "Look man. Look. I can't- I don't have the money. I swear to God. The Gods. To everything. I swear she'll get paid back. I don't want to mess with her, or her kind. But I just need a little longer. Like a month. A few weeks, at least. I promise I'm working on it, I promise. I just - FUCK!" He grabs his hair and then slaps his hand upon the door in frustration.
As Eli is ushered into that back room he doesn't unstick his hand from his jacket pocket, still training the 'gun' at the man in what Eli thinks is a threatening way. It might be threatening, if the youth himself didn't seem to be an absolute nervous ball of energy about to explode.
Is his happy place going to work here? He really should have more therapy sessions if he's going to be a better criminal.
"I.. um," he states, pausing to exhale for three, long breathes. "You need to pay." He states then, trying to hide all the emotion in his voice (and failing miserably at that). "She says it's time. Now."
Robert turns his gaze to Eli, his brown eyes filled with a wild anguish as the barista paces over to him, poking him in the chest with a hand, that gun under Eli's jacket be damned! "She's got you too, doesn't she? In her claws? You made a bargain with her too, didn't you?" he accuses. It's the desperate ramblings of a desperate man trying to buy himself time, to buy himself a plan. "Look. If you made a deal too, you know how she... is. How much she can fuck with us. I'll have the money in a month, I just need more TIME. Tell her that, will you?" Robert steps back, those brown eyes glancing towards the 'gun' underneath Eli's jacket. "You're just a fucking kid." he blurts out. "Just like my brother. I borrowed the money for him you know, to pay for his treatment. I didn't- I didn't think thing would end up like this..." he bemoans, getting to his knees in front of Eli. "Please man, don't hurt me. Don't hurt my customers, this coffee shop's the only way I can pay her back and I just need a little bit more time. A little. Please. Please tell her."
Eli watches all of this with a mild look of horror on his face. One on hand something is probably supernaturally compelling him, forcing him to be on here, on the other hand Robert's pleas and cries have an emotional aspect on Eli. There's an obvious turmoil in his face, the way he reacts, the way he looks to Robert.
He was told to do whatever to take the money, "How much do you owe?" Eli whispers carefully - perhaps the Queen Of Cups should have been more specific in her requests. "Is.. is it a lot?"
Robert is no fool. Those brown eyes take in the expression upon Eli's face, and there's a note of recognition. A look of sorrow and resignation that crosses his own face in response. These are two men at the mercy of something greater, something more dangerous, something threatening. And they two are no more than leaves in the wind, subject to a will that cannot be controlled, nor harnessed.
"Twenty thousand dollars," Robert replies, flatly. "I have... I have most of it, but I'm short around six thousand. Like I said, I've been hustling. I've been working every second of the goddamn day to raise it all. I've even moved out of my apartment, sold my stuff, and having been living out of my car. Taking showers at the gym," Robert's voice cracks. "Not that she cares, I guess. But you're not like her, right man? We-we're not so different. You and me? She'll destroy me man, if you can't get me more time. So fucking, please."
Robert holds his hands up, literally begging in supplication at Eli's feet. "Please tell me you'll ask her for more time..."
Eli doesn't seem to know what to do here. "Ummmmmmm..." he starts up. "Okay, um," he tells the man. "I guess...." he lets his hand drop - probably a stupid move - because he doesn't have a gun, no weapons on him. Eli isn't a hardended criminal, or a criminal at all. He's a teenager suckered into doing the bidding of someone else. There's a lot going on Eli feels like he's about to burst, and his technique doesn't seem to be working all that way. It's sporadic, here and there.
"I.. um.. I can try," he tells Robert. "I.. think maybe if you give me some of it? I.. I can.. try to make a deal for you? Or.. well, get you more time.." It's a wistful sort of guess, maybe a pipe dream. "I can't promise anything though.."
It seems that Robert has forgotten about the gun. Whatever The Queen of Cups seems to be threatening seems like much, much worse of a fate than being shot. The relief is palpable upon his face. "Thank you man, thank you. You are a godsend. One month. I swear to God, whatever Gods are out there, I'll have her fucking money man. Just try, that's all I ask, try." He quickly rises to his feet and unlocks the door, ushering Eli out.
As Eli is ushered out, he stops in the door of the Red Bean, giving it one last look before trudging off to meet his fate of failing to complete his task.
The Queen of Cups stood waiting just a little ways down the block where Eli first met her. She looks expectantly upon him, those beautiful blues ticking over his form judgmentally. "You have the air of failure about you," she says, bluntly, those beautiful blues offering nothing but ice as she glares at him. "Speak now on what transpired, or else."
"Umm..." Eli begins quickly, and as hastily as possible when he returns to address The Queen of Cups. "He.. um said he needed more time," he explains looking down at his feet. "I... um, well, I was wondering if you could maybe make an exception for him?" Clearly Eli has nothing really to offer this woman, he's just hoping that she'll somehow just let it go? "Maybe I can offer you something for him?"
The beautiful woman seems to tower over Eli, suddenly. Her shadow elongating over the sidewalk as she looms over him, reaching over to tap Eli upon the side of his head. "You stupid little egghead. What sob story did he tel you this time?" she sneers down at the young man. "Was it the sick brother? Or the mother in the hospital?" The Queen of Cups leans downwards to hiss into Eli's ear, a seductive, commanding whisper. "You've been lied to, my precious little egghead. He's a degenerate gambler on the last of his nine lives. He's done terrible, terrible things in the name of needing to pay back those debts. Those coffee beans have blood on their hands." She grips Eli's chin, looking into his eyes once more with her beautiful blues. "Go back and get me what I am owed. And if he has not the money to pay back his debts, you'll wreck havoc in his shop until he understands the severity of things. Until he understands that the next time, The Queen of Cups will not send an errand boy."
Eli just watches in slight horror as she suddenly towers over him. His gaze is angled downwards, right up until she grips his chin - forcing him to look up at her, and meet her gaze. That's when the problem arises once more.
There's a slightly bolstered sense of confidence egging him on now. "Okay," he tells her, and turns back around, marching off to do the task at hand.
Back in The Red Bean, Robert is back on duty, but visibly shaken. When Eli returns, he looks hopeful, walking over towards the young man and whispering, "What did she say??"
"She said," Eli replies a little shaky again, "That you lied to me.." he mutters. "Just give me the money," he says, "And this'll be over."
There's a look of anger now upon Robert's face, his expression turning sour. "I told you! I don't have the money! I just needed a month! Get out of here before I call the cops!" he hisses to Eli, trying not to make a scene.
Eli shakes his head at Robert, and walks over to a table where customers are standing - using his arm to just brush everything off the table. There's a look on his face as he does it though, it seems apologetic. "She's coming," he says in a eerie sort of way, walking back over to Robert. "Unless you give me it now. She won't send an errand boy next time." Eli glances at Robert, hands shaky.
The customers protest; it's a couple, there for a nice Sunday afternoon coffee. "Hey what the fuck!!" one of them shouts at Eli. A mocha and an oat milk latte go crashing onto the ground, the glass and ceramic shattering with the sweep. Robert goes pale again, holding out his hands. "HEY! HEY FUCKING CHILL MAN!" He shouts, "Look, I'll give you what I have and I'll have the rest soon, I fucking promise, just - just don't mess with my shop or my customers!" He rushes over to behind the barista counter, pulling out a locked box, his hands shaky as he pulls out a collection of weathered bills that have been held together with some rubber bands. He grabs a take-out bag and shoves the cash inside, bringing the bag to Eli. "HERE! IT'S ALL I GOT FOR NOW. NOW GET OUT, PLEASE. PLEASE!" he begs, his expression stricken, and desperate.
Eli looks at the bag with a grimace - taking it with shaky hands. "I'm.. I'm sorry.." he tells Robert, like it means anything ans stalks out in what can only be described as a depressed sort of walk.
The Queen of Cups awaits Eli, watching him curiously. "You have it then?" she asks, spying the bag.
Eli hands a bag to the Queen, looking down at his feet as he does so, shuffling a little awkwardly. "I guess," he says quietly.
"Wonderful! Good job, little egghead." She doesn't comment on the bag being light a few thousand, instead, she waves off Eli and begins to walk away.