fluxscape | OPEN - I can see clearly now the rain is gone

Entry tags:

OPEN - I can see clearly now the rain is gone

Who: Shadow Moon and OTA
Where: Snowflurry Avenue Books, Phoenix Rising, Pour Judgment and the market
When: Current
What: Catch all
Warnings: Possible language. Will update.

Snowflurry Avenue Books

The barista who is about a foot bigger than the rest, usually wearing short sleeves that cling to his sizeable chest and biceps under the uniform apron, is Shadow Moon. He can be found at Snowflurry Avenue when not at his other job with Phoenix Rising at the Metroplex.

Yet his size doesn’t seem as formidable when in an apron, busy putting together a variety of drinks. He easily will offer a smile when people are kind and isn’t loud in conversation. Not overly chatty, Shadow often observes to make the appropriate small talk.

“How can I help you?” he would ask if someone unfamiliar approached, otherwise the same friendly smile would greet those familiar. Shadow would appear to keep his nose in a book if not actively working behind the counter but quietly observe the surroundings regularly.

Phoenix Rising (The Metroplex)

Being a boxing instructor, Shadow arrives at least half an hour before his student to prepare by checking equipment and/or warming up by getting a light workout in. He would get a real workout in once a day and watch some of the other classes from time to time.

Pour Judgment

In the evening after dinner, he was one of the bartenders who works until closing most nights. There are kids in the establishment until about nine who Shadow would watch with amusement. Most of the staff also watches after the minors but a certain zealous security guard rarely ever looks amused.

Shadow has a gentle approach when striking up conversations. Usually he would use a simple line after observing the person sat in front of him, picking up on a mood or demeanor. Anyone who didn’t seem up for conversation were left alone but served no less than any other patron.

The Market
Need someone to reach that item off the top shelf? Shadow would be glad to help, keeping a friendly expression unless given reason otherwise. Shopping was something he usually did with Lydia but surprised her from time to time and this was one of those. He might glance a little long over the selection of flowers or something nice if they can be found.

"I'm sorry," he'd immediately utter if bumping into someone or even if they walked into him (maybe he had stepped out from where he stood without looking). Shadow was a little softer than a wall but not by a big margin. Hopefully nothing fragile was being carried when the collision took place.

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"You guys let kids in your bar?" Jayne looked somewhat incredulous as he sat down at the bar, focusing on the tall bartender who was standing behind the counter and looking around with an amused look on his face.

It wasn't like Jayne had a problem with kids running there but it was a strange sight to see. He tapped his finger on the bar, looking at the man. "What's good in this place?"

Edited 2021-07-16 03:22 (UTC)

It was rare that he came face to face with someone his size. Yet the man reminded Shadow of someone even bigger although he wasn't sure why exactly the stranger made him think of the seven foot leprechaun.

"Most of them live with the owner so it's an easy way to keep an eye on them," he answered earnestly. "They're out of here by nine. Security sees to that."

Shadow finished wiping down the area and hung the bar rag underneath the counter then brought his attention back to the man. "If you like a dark ale, the stout is pretty good. For something harder, the whiskey's strong. Or if you like drinks that aren't straightforward, I'll make you a rum runner."

Shadow stands out, that's for sure. Malcolm knows that he's dating Lydia, the girl he spoke to at Pour Judgement, who also happens to work at the book store. They're an interesting couple, one that Malcolm would not necessarily have put together if he hadn't seen the way they were eying each other.

He's on his break at work and he sits down at the coffee counter. This job isn't so bad. For someone who likes to study people, he doesn't always like talking to them. People ask him where he can find certain books sometimes, and he does his best to help them, but most of the time he's reshelving and reorganizing. It's quiet and it gives him time to think.

"Vanilla latte," please, he says with a slight smile. "Not too much vanilla." Malcolm likes sweets, but if he eats too much of it he'll start to feel sick. That's, unfortunately, how he is with a lot of foods.

Jayne was completely unaware of the fact that he was being compared to a seven-foot leprechaun even though it was probably the nicest thing he had ever been compared to. He remained blissfully ignorant while he leaned against the bar, his brows lifting before nodding. "Guess that makes sense."

He really didn't have a problem with the kids hanging around since he had already spied the guy near the entrance yelling at someone about it. Plus it didn't seem like this guy would let it happen either.

"What's a rum runner?" He had been ready to order some whiskey but now he was intrigued by the last drink mentioned.

"Hey! How's it going?" he asked after a nod, acknowledging Malcolm's order. The man had been polite to Lydia which Shadow appreciated. In fact, nothing seemed disingenuine about him at all to Shadow who smiled politely back.

The latte was made with careful measurements. Shadow was expedient yet careful, a little of his like of math shining through while putting together a not too sweet vanilla latte. "It's madagascar vanilla. I can use the regular stuff, if you don't like it but it's more aromatic than sweet."

He wasn't quite finished making the coffee but explaining the process as he worked.

Jayne might think differently of the comparison if he ever found out about it. Sweeney might have been a god and king once but died alone rather than remain a slave to Odin. ...Shadow didn't know anything about the man in front of him but naturally thought most would aim for a better life.

"It's like sitting on a beach with a warm breeze blowing, sun shining on your face and clear ocean sending waves to crash at your feet." It was poetic but better than explaining coconut rum, banana liqueur, grenadine with pineapple and orange juice. He waited with hands resting casually on the bar top.

Malcolm tends to be genuine, as long as he isn't interrogating a potential killer. Then, whatever means of deception he has to use is on the table if it means he'll get a confession. He also doesn't tend to talk a lot about his childhood. Not talking about it means that he doesn't have to lie.

Honestly, the person he lies to the most is himself.

"Madagascar vanilla is good," he replies. "Thanks."

Malcolm watches as Shadow makes the coffee. "Have you been busy today?"

If they had a conversation on what Malcolm's abilities were, Shadow would be fascinated. He didn't have a like of law enforcement but someone who studied behavior wasn't your average jaded, racist cop. Nothing about the man had struck Shadow that way. He felt easy around Malcolm.

"It happens in spurts but not too bad today. ...Are you just starting or finishing a shift?" he asked. Maybe he hadn't been scheduled at all. Shadow hadn't had much time to sit and get to know his coworker. Maybe this was the day, given how slow business currently was.

He definitely doesn't consider himself the average cop. The FBI fired him because his methods were somewhat unconventional. He got results though. At least Gil could see his potential and got him hired on at the NYPD.

"On break," Malcolm says. "I've got 3 more hours after this. It hasn't been too bad today. Not too many customers asking me where to find things."

The job is better when he doesn't have to talk to too many people.

"Ah, break. You know, I'm kind of overdue one. Mind if I sit with you?" he asked after Malcolm informed him of his workload. Shadow should have known but if he wasn't keeping an eye on potential cafe customers, his nose was in a book.

"If you want some time alone, I understand. I fully confess to being a bibliophile." He continued to hold a friendly grin. "Best thing about working in a bookstore."

Lydia might feel otherwise if they didn't get a bigger place. Or more shelves.

"Not at all," Malcolm says, sliding over a bit so that Shadow can join him once the coffees are made.

"I love books as well. I've been slowly acquiring a collection here, but it doesn't compare to my collection at home."

He reads all kinds of things, though gravitates towards books about human behavior and criminology, for obvious reasons.

Shadow sported a bright smile when Malcolm accepted his company. He took a seat, taking a bottle of water with him to sit with.

"Usually I'd ask what books but in this place, it seems like a good idea to figure out where people are from. Some really don't want to learn about the future while others are all too happy to get spoiled. And then there are those who aren't from Earth at all."

"Never heard of a drink that can do all that but it sounds real good," Normally he would just drink alcohol that burned on the way down and sometimes felt weird as it settled in his stomach but in a good way. Truth be told, he almost missed Kaylee's moonshine.

"So you're a big one," He states suddenly a moment later, still grinning. "How big are you?"

He nods and sips his coffee. Well done, as usual.

"I'm from New York, 2020," Malcolm tells him. "What about you?"

Admittedly, Malcolm's been curious about Shadow. Just his name alone is enough to make him wonder where he comes from. The man has an air of mystery around him.

"Yeah? I was in Beacon Hills before ending up here. --August 2020. It's where Lydia's from. I... I didn't have one place growing up. I was born in the states but my mom raised me all over Europe. We came back to New York when I was fifteen turning sixteen. She developed an aggressive form of cancer and I've traveled through most of the US since."

There was a lot more to Shadow than that but enough to give a good foundation on where and when he was from.

"I've gotta admit... I wasn't a fan of the Big Apple under the circumstances. Hope you don't hold that against me," he concluded with a crooked grin. Malcolm didn't seem like the type to be unforgiving but Shadow opted to be safe than sorry by being upfront.

"Coming right up," he told the guy once he'd said the drink sounded good. It took a minute or two of mixing ingredients which seemed to be the same amount of time for the man to come up with a question to ask him.

Shadow smirked. "I'm six four. Just a little above average." It was a question that he'd been asked before more than a few times.

"Huh," Jayne nodded slowly, taking that in and looking mildly intrigued. It wasn't often that he met someone who was actually taller than he was though it wasn't by much. "I'm just a little over six three myself."

"Where you from?"

By the time the man asked his question, Shadow set the drink in front of him.

"A little of everywhere. I was born in the states, raised through Europe. Came back to the states, specifically Brooklyn New York, when I was fifteen. Traveled out west because I wasn't a fan of the city and arrived to Haven from Beacon Hills circa 2020."

He leaned over the bar top with his palms perched on the edge closest to him. It was an open and attentive posture, leaning in to show his interest in the conversation.

"I don't," Malcolm replies with a nod. "Our perceptions of places can be affected by the events that have occurred there." Which is probably why he feels like he can't breathe whenever he goes into the basement at his mother's house.

"Your name is curious," Malcolm finally asks. "I don't think I've ever heard anyone called that before."

Moving around as a child could mean that he's a military brat, or that his mother was unsettled. A Bohemian lifestyle. That might explain the name.

He smirked when Malcolm asked about his name. "My mom says that I followed her around so much, she didn't know what else to call me."

While there was amusement in his tone and expression, Shadow was genuine--if Malcolm could read that kind of thing. It said something that he could speak of a painful moment in his past yet return to a happier memory rather quickly. Shadow had more fond moments with his mother than bad.

"She was anything but conventional. ...I have to think that single parents tend to be that way, having to fill the role of two people."

It was a thought that stung a little personally, having not known Lydia was pregnant from their night together and not learning he'd had a son until Leo was over a year old. Shadow let his eyes fall then took a drink of water.

He smiles at the comment, then grows more serious as Shadow's face does. Malcolm expects that he's thinking about growing up with his mother, maybe something that happened when he was a child.

"I get that. My mother raised me alone after I was about ten," Malcolm replies. "Well, not quite alone. We... had a nanny."

Growing up with money makes a huge difference, and he's not blind to that fact.

"Nanny? Really?" The question was rhetorical, acknowledging what Malcolm said. Shadow held a little amusement. "I had a babysitter at best when my mom wanted to go out."

It shouldn't have been a surprise that Malcolm came from well off. The man didn't give an uppity air about him but did appear to take care of himself. He seemed more in league with Lydia, carrying himself in a refined manner ...for lack of a better description.

Yet it seemed Malcolm was more like him, growing up with someone other than family to to care for him whereas Lydia had both parents and grandparents.

"Was it just the two of you?" Shadow questioned gently. An actual inquiry this time that he asked with a soft smile.

"Yeah," he replies, his tone knowing, expecting to get a response of that kind. Malcolm doesn't brag about growing up with money, but sometimes it's obvious when he describes his childhood. He absolutely still benefits from his family's money, at least back home. He's without it here, though he's still doing his best to keep up appearances.

"I have a younger sister too. Ainsley." Malcolm drinks his coffee to hide any pained look that might be on his face. He's worried about her.

With a nod and look of realization, Shadow responded to hearing that Malcolm was an older brother.

"Now that explains it. I couldn't put my finger on why you don't seem like the type to be wealthy but you have a little sister that I'm guessing you looked after," he uttered through a friendly grin.

Not that every man with money acted entitled or misogynistic but neither were qualities that Shadow or Lydia had seen in Malcolm. The latter had voiced liking their coworker which naturally endeared him to Shadow.

It was easy to see that Shadow was open to talking, but Jayne looked confused as he tried to track what the other man was saying. Mostly because none of what he was saying made sense to him.

"What planet were you on?" He asked curiously before he caught the date, leaning forward a bit. "Are you from Earth-That-Was?"

"Are you profiling the profiler?" Malcolm asks good-naturedly. "Yes. I looked after her a lot."

Malcolm looked after her when she was a child and even still as an adult. Ainsley had done something unspeakable before Malcolm came here and even in his panic he was already trying to figure out ways to fix it. He hopes that with whatever is happening at home, his sister is okay. It's been one of his biggest worries about being in Haven.

"Ha, no! Of course not!" Shadow laughed earnestly. The good natured question tickled him. He hadn't even thought of that.

Although he'd been on the wrong side of the law, his crimes weren't the kind a profiler was used for. Shadow conned and stole in the past. Life circumstances had gotten him to turn over a new leaf. Long story short, he had a genuine interest in Malcolm's expertise. Maybe that came with having a megalomaniac for a long lost father.

"Let's hope Jerry is right and time's just standing still until we get back."

It wasn't that Shadow had read Malcolm's mind, however, he did have a way with people. Feeling. Empathetic. He'd been able to read most people which is why Shadow had been a good con man. At least, until his father had other plans for him.

Yet what he'd said wasn't just because Malcolm left behind someone that he looked after but also who Shadow and Lydia were without.

"I don't wanna miss anymore time with my son," he said with a sad smile.

For what it's worth, while Malcolm isn't exactly a fan of crime, murder is the one that really angers him, especially senseless murder or serial murders. It's hard for him to justify murder, which is why it makes what Ainsley did all that more horrifying for him. Being a thief isn't the worst crime in Malcolm's eyes though.

"You have a son?" Malcolm asks. "I'm sorry that you're apart from him." It must be difficult. His time apart from his own father was difficult, even if Martin did that to their relationship himself.

His head dipped in a nod, still holding the sad smile. "Lydia and I have a son. Leo. He's one. ...One and a half," Shadow uttered with a brighter grin. It was impossible not to smile when talking about his son. "It's complicated but I just found out about him and met him before all this."

A heaviness spread over his shoulders. "A family is all I've ever wanted in life. I only had it for a day before Haven happened to us. It was the best day I've ever had," he admitted to Malcolm with a sad smile again. "Can't wait to see him again."

It probably wasn't the break from work that he expected. Shadow straightened up from the slumped position and took a sip of water, trying to reset himself.

"How about you? What was life like before Haven?"

Malcolm shakes his head. "I.. can't even imagine what that must be like." He has no children of his own, and his relationship with his father is fraught, to say the least. Any good father would want to be with his child though. Malcolm hopes that they're able to get home for Shadow's sake.

"Well." He was being framed for murder. His sister had just killed a man in their mother's home. "I was working as a consultant with the NYPD."

"Most days, I try not to. Doesn't really work," he uttered quietly. Shadow looked at the pictures of Leo daily. He and Lydia were torn on whether or not it was better to be without their son. They'd heard of the dangers before Haven, worse than the current setting.

The conversation thankfully turned to what Malcolm's life was before Haven. Shadow arched a brow. "Consultant? Like a PR rep or...?" Hopefully it wasn't too personal a question.

"No, as a profiler," he says. "I worked with a homicide team run by a mentor of mine, consulting on their cases." Malcolm takes a sip of his coffee. "Not everybody wants a profiler to join their team, but I think ultimately they appreciate my insights."

Malcolm can be an acquired taste. He didn't have the most tact when he first started working as a profiler, but he's gotten better at it.

Shadow looked impressed. He gave Malcolm a nod. "Never thought a police department would use a consultant for murders. They're smart to use a profiler. Did you help them solve a lot of cases?"

Malcolm never came across negatively to Shadow. The profiler was unique, to say the least but with a good energy--for lack of a better description. Shadow usually had a feeling about people. His intuition was shaken a little by his wife's infidelity, eventually discovering that he hadn't been wrong; she had loved him but had a tendency to be self-destructive. Moreso with Shadow not around.

"I mean, not to toot my own horn, but yes, I have." Malcolm closed a lot of cases at the FBI. That was never their problem with him. Instead, they found his methods unorthodox and sometimes unpredictable.

"Profilers aren't always wanted," he continues, "but I could argue that they're always helpful and needed." Malcolm smiles and drinks his coffee.

"Look, when it comes to saving lives, I'd hope the authorities would put their egos aside and use your help. ...Tell me about some of the cases you've solved! --If you don't mind," Shadow had immediate said when Malcolm finished speaking.

He hadn't been into crime stories but enjoyed a good murder mystery novel from time to time. Currently, Shadow had just started to read A Beautiful Mind that had been sparked by his like of math. Malcolm was much more interesting.

"Earth that was?" he questioned innocently. Shadow straightened and continued fluidly. "I'm from Earth. The year was twenty twenty-one."

He curiously looked at Jayne and waited for his response. It was the first that someone had asked what planet he'd been on. Shadow had heard some speak of different galaxies but hadn't met anyone who was from somewhere other than Earth.

He laughs a little at that request and shakes his head. Technically, he solved the case of the girl in the box, but everything that happened around it is still kind of raw for him to talk about.

"Okay, one case I worked recently involved a dead body that was so perfectly preserved that the man looked like he was still alive. He was posed sitting on a couch, looking normal except for the fact that he was cold and didn't move. Based on some of the evidence at the scene, I theorized that we were looking for a necrophiliac." He shrugs. "I was right."

Just some casual necrophilia talk over coffee, no big deal.

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OPEN - I can see clearly now the rain is gone

Pour Judgement

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Snowflurry Avenue Books

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