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There was something different about a Starbucks in New York and a Starbucks back home in Seattle. Maybe it's because the air in Seattle was permantly permeated with a espresso infusion? Either way, it didn't actually matter as what Kaithala was really craving was a double shot espresso light, something her assistant manager Sanna made rather well. Still, she couldn't transport her bookshop across the United States so cornerside NYC Starbucks would have to do.

Vitaliy was back in disguise mode. After the fiasco at the diner, Kai was a little more weary of people. Not so much because she was afraid of them seeing her child, more because she didn't want to get arrested for knocking some stupid person out. So he was in his jeans and socks, a black shirt, and a fuzzy cap pulled over his head with holes for his ears cut out. As long as he didn't move them very often, it made a fair pass at just looking like one of those fleece hats that were made with ears. The hank of rope was back around his mid section and running underneath his tail. A fact that Vitaliy was not happy with.

Taking her go-cup of not-as-wonderful-as-Seattle coffee, Kai stopped just outside the door of the building coffee in one hand and Vitaliy nestled in the other arm... this was a recipe for disaster. Serious disaster. Re-thinking her plan, she nabbed one of the tables sitting outside on the sidewalk. Setting Vitaliy down on the table, Kai spied another woman with a stroller, and a curiously skin colored child. Frowning, Kai took the seat where she'd have the best angle to watch them. Maybe the sun was playing tricks on her.

Meanwhile Vitaliy was entertaining himself by chewing on his own tail. "Vee, don't do that, you're going to be real sorry when you actually get to the muscle." Kai chided as her boy continued to gnaw at his own appendage.

Kai gave a startled bobble as one of the children in the stroller began tossing what looked like animal crackers onto the sidewalk. Well, it wasn't really that strange was it? Children did odd things all the time right? Curse her lack of child rearing knowledge. And was that? Could those be? No they couldn't, that would be insanity.

Casually, except not, scooting her chair, she tried to get a better view at the child. Yes, yes those were horns, and a rather interesting colored skin tone as well. Kai had little doubt that she was looking at yet another child from Rethe Phonne. Probably another two, dear god this was just the week for it. Unsure about wanting to strike up conversation with the apparent mother, Kai sipped her coffee frowning at her child.

Vitaliy on the other hand was still nigh cheerfully chewing on his own tail, that is until he finally bit hard enough to pinch his own muscle. Giving a quick shrill bark, he promptly let go. Well that was NOT fun. Twitching his tail a bit to try and shake off the pain he set his roving yellow eyes wandering in the twins' direction. That one was throwing something at him, taking it as a sign of threat, he hunched down on all fours and let out a low growl.

"Hey no, easy kid." Kai patted his back almost nonchalantly, it was getting to be less and less stressful and more and more normal to watch him behave like this. "What'd we say about growling at strangers? We don't do it. We keep our strange and neurotic feelings to ourselves until we can properly vent them when we're home." Her sterling parenting skills were obviously shining through. Still, it would be okay to introduce herself, and really she probably should try and get to know some of the other parents... especially if they were going to have to unite against the media at any time.

Smiling, Kai gave a friendly wave to the mother. "Hi, cute kids." See friendly, not completely socially awkward... well... maybe it was. Ugh, she wasn't trained to deal with these kinds of situations. If something like this occurred at the store, she'd just send Sanna to deal with it. "Gift from an orb?" She asked friendly like but rather bluntly.

Kai gave the woman a friendly smile. Oh dear, this wasn't exactly the best of starts probably. There was obviously a feel of apprhension in the air and really she couldn't blame her. The first few weeks with Vitaliy had been a study of the state of constant panic. "Oh he's fine." Kai gave a quick and hopefully reassuring pat to Vitaliy's back. "Vee here just has to..."pausing for the right word... "adjust to meeting new people, especially younger kids. He's not a bad kid though." Well as long as she was there for him to run to when he was scared.

Okay, she was learning to be a tolerant woman... but that little girl's laugh was just creepy as hell, but at least she looked happy. Masking her shiver as best she could she took a look at the other child in the stroller. They were twins? Huh... she hadn't even been aware that the orbs could produce twins. Taking a moment to thank her lucky stars that she hadn't been saddled with two kidlettes, she frowned. The other kid was not looking so happy about this meeting, actually it kind of reminded her of Vitaliy's response to having to be stuck in room with Amy. "Vitaliy, here's some new people for you to meet, isn't that nice?" Practicing the tried and true formula of stroking Vee's neck, the boy calmed slightly. "So you have twins, how's that treating you?"

Quieting his growls, Vitaliy stayed hunched in his position though. He didn't like the odds... there were two of them and the blue one there vibrated the way his mom did when the reporter had walked in. No matter her reassurances, he knew, KNEW, that at least one of them was looking for a fight. "Play nice." she whispered in his ear and had him whimpering. But what if that other one started throwing projectiles like the clapping girl? And speaking of which, what was she so happy about? Ominous.

"Me? No, I'm from Seattle, I'm just visiting... a friend?" It was kind of weird to explain why she happened to be in the city. "Sort of, doesn't matter, but no, I'm a firm west coast native. Where are you from?" Kai smiled and sipped her coffee as she watched the mother lift out her twins. Well they were an interesting duo! And look at those head wings. It reminded her of the boy who had the wings on his ankles. Maybe that was normal for the children who didn't come from animals? "Oh, sorry, by the way, I'm Kaithala, pleased to meet you." She smiled and reached out a hand. "And this is my son Vitaliy."

Leaning back, she drew on her very small knowledge of baby small talk. God she sucked at this, hardcore. "So, ever feel like you should've taken the blue pill?" Fail. Open mouth, insert foot, stick a fork in her she was done. Laughing at her own stupidity she tried to correct herself. "I just mean have you run into many situations where you get some negative responses? Ugh, I mean, for example, I had a pretty gross run in with some media with Vee here." Why did babies make her language skills dry up like crusty bread?

Meanwhile, Vitaliy was eying that red one wearily. She kept moving her hand at him the way the deer one had before, and the way his mom had made him wave at Amy. And that blue one was doing something to his hair... maybe he was reaching for a projectile? After a quick nudge and the look from his mom though he shifted his eyes back and forth on the girl one and waved a little clawed hand.

"A traveling circus?" Wow that was cool, how come everyone had neater jobs than her? Not that she didn't love the bookstore, lord knows that she did, but it certainly wasn't as exciting or as exotic as working in a circus. "How is that? Especially with kids? Does it get extra tiring having to move all their stuff along with you?" Of course she'd said that she hadn't had the twins long, maybe it was really just a very recent development?

Brushing back a stray strand of hair, Kai leaned back in her chair. "Listen if someone named Rodney Macaline ever approaches you about your kids, do yourself a favor and turn around and walk away. He's a greaseball putz of a reporter who is trying to ride sound orb children story to fame and he's not afraid of exploiting children to do it." Okay well maybe not all of that was true, but it was certainly how Kai felt on the matter. "He's the one I've had trouble with recently."

What was she doing? The red one was now moving her head wings and Vitality had no idea what that meant, she made a happy noise so he didn't think it was a threat, but maybe it was a clever ruse to make him lower his guard. Ears twitching by sheer accident he yipped a bit to try and warn her off being a threat, but really the sound he made could be taken several different ways. And then the blue one let his hair loose, was that what he was mad about? Vitaliy didn't know as Kai had never done anything special to his hair except put the detestable headband on it.

"I'm pretty sure he said he works for the New York Post, or some other local newspaper, so it's just around here that I'd be worried. Though I'll bet after a time every reporter around the corner is going to be trying to get a scent on these stories." Kai huffed out a breath with a disgusted look, "I know it's their job to report and all but it makes me sick knowing that my kid's just a tool to them." Scooping her drink off the table, she took a long sip. "Sorry, unpleasant-ness still there about it. Moving on."

"I wish you the best of luck with the moving, I really do." Kai smiled and saluted the girl with her cup. If either of her kids was half as much trouble as Vitaliy was while traveling, she certainly had her work cut out for her. Though Kai was beginning to get the feeling that she hadn't really met anyone with quite the same predicament as herself. No one else was base enough to break their orbs... Brushing the thought out of the air, she returned her attention to Cassie. "Do any of the other performers had kids around the same age? I imagine it'd be hard to have kids on the road like that but wouldn't it be nice for your kids to have some playmates." Look at her, talking like she actually knew what it was she was swaying. Why was talking about children so difficult for her?

Vitaliy was not in the mood for that blue one. And if he could get down from the table crawl all the way to the other side, get up the stroller and into his face he would've shown him just how not in the mood he was. For now he merely propped up on all fours as well, snarled and bared his teeth, tail twitching furiously. And he didn't like the way that red one was trying to be nice, she must've been the bait! Trying to make him think they weren't threats when they really were!

"Vitaliy," his head snapped back to look at his Alpha, surely she would put a stop to this. "Don't make angry noises, try and be a well behaved nice boy for once." What!? She was always siding with the enemy. Letting out a quiet whine he stared at her, and by stare I mean his eye darted around her face without focus. "Vee, you listen to me." With another pitiful whine, he plopped down on his butt and let his tail and ears droop sadly.

Okay that was entirely unfair then. This girl had a whole network of people to help her with her kids, and not just other people, other people who also had kids. Immediately Kai felt like she needed to find one of these support groups for herself. If only there was a way to make Vitaliy feel safe with other people, than she'd be able to get a baby sitter or a day care, or any manner of other useful normal parent tools. And if she could do that, maybe she'd get to go out on dates again. Ah sex, how she missed you.

"Well that's a nice set-up you have then." Kai punctuated her words with an assenting nod. Digging deep for anything she could remember Searenity saying to her, she repeated what she thought she'd heard, "Kids at that young of an age need a good community of friends. It leads to a really good social development." More than likely Cassie already knew all of that, but as was her usual, children and talk there of made her flounder.

Also, after saying such 'sagely' words it reminded her that she needed to get Vitaliy some friends so he could be come socially adjusted as well. Though given the boy's personality there was pretty much a popsicle's chance in hell that that would ever happen. Still, he'd yet to actually physically hurt another child, so that was... not a step in the wrong direction, wasn't exactly a step forward either.

They were tricksy, yes they were. Look, the blue one was playing dead to make him think that it'd be okay. He had their attack plan alright, but he couldn't do anything about it, since his alpha was making nice with their alpha. Ears and tail twitching he kept his eyes darting between the two other children waiting for them to strike. Tilting his head back slightly he let out a lonely howl.