"Best kinda influence, if you ask me." Mason says, with that everpresent half smile. "The kind that makes you smile, and wonder where you at. Best kind." Another couple of nods. "See, that's why I love my Trophy, I tell you what- Them Air-cooled engines are the best for goin' off the road." And indeed, there is often traildust on Mason's bike!
"Oh!" Katie suddenly starts as if she got stung by a bee, and something snaps home in her brain. "You have the Triumph.. shit, that's a sweet ride, I've admired it from afar many a time." Katie has suddenly warmed a noticeable notch toward Mason. She and he are standing over the counter, talking. He's got a bottle of the store's stock of ointment in his hand. Anything else he may have said is lost as she connects him to the bike.. apparently that's what he's famous for in her mind. Football? What's that?
The door swings open and Zoie is in a full run. "I'm totally not late! I was here fifteen minutes ago, I was just invisible." She sees Mason as her green eyes widen and she tries to stop. Sadly, she's in shoes with little traction and starts to slide towards the duo. This is only better by the fact that Zoie has today off.
Turning at the noise, Mason just blinks as he notices someone coming towards him. He squares himself a touch- and puts his arms out to try and avoid any kind of horrible collision, and still make sure the lady doesn't break a nail, or something serious.
"Zoie.. what in tarnation.." Katie says as she sees the incoming bombshell.. reaching out her hand to try and grab her by the arm and steady her.. hopefully stop her before she bowls into either herself or the soon to be paying customer. "Ya'll don't even work today."
Zoie almost slides into Mason and then rounds at the last moment to slide into Katie. "Katie-Kat!" She then blinks slowly to this as she looks at Katie. "I don't work.. today.." She looks back towards Mason and then lowers her brows. "Do you know me?"
"Should I know you?" Mason asks- his baritone voice laced with a Louisiana French accent. "I hardly know me, think its a bit forward to be askin' such deep questions when you first met me, Miss." The football player offers, with a half smile. He was well known, at least in name, around the city- and in particular on Campus. "I'm Mason Mathis. Real pleased to meet'cha." he nods his head and offers a hand.
Katie has half an arm full of Zoie, which probably isn't all that bad to look upon, ngl. Though Katie is far overshadowed in beauty by the golden girl. "Mason, this is Zoie.. Zoie, Mason. He goes to the college too, we've got the same major. I've seen him around."
Zoie looks at Katie with confusion now. "You are majoring in football too?" She smiles and looks at Mason. "I mean like you totally are a football player right? They tried to get me to go out for cheerleading because of the dance major thing, you know." She smiles a bit towards Katie and gives her a side hug before she moves over to give the woman room.
Mason just gives his normal half-smile, nodding. "Naw, petite belle, we both business majors." he offers, with a bit of a chuckle. "You're a cute one, ain'tchyah." he nods to himself. "I sure am a football player. Star halfback!"
"What's a halfback do?" Katie wonder, drawn enough into the conversation to wonder. "I've watched football.. we usually do on Thanksgiving.. though, I reckon, not this past year."
Zoie stares at Katie for a long moment. "Half of what a fullback does." The duh is implied before she gives a friendly smile towards Mason. "So what kind of business do you want to open then?" She would ask Katie, but again.. duh. "So which cheerleader are you dating?"
"A halfback makes things happen, Katie. I'm responsible for carrying the ball- making touchdowns! I'm the prince of the field- second only to the Quarterback." Mason answers first, before giving a chuckle. "Naw. I ain't datin' no one at the moment." he says over to Zoie. "I'm somethin' of a free agent."
Katie accepts both answers as simple truth, though a slight furrowing of her brow reveals she's trying ot understand where the Fullback fits into the Princely equation. "Sounds important," she decides, not hazarding any other questions. "I got a batch of soap to check on in back." A sideways look at Zoie, as if she suspects something of her.. but then she says. "Would ya'll mind pretending you're working and ring Mason up for me, please?" The other person working seems to be busy helping an old lady read tea cannisters. "Was nice talkin' to ya'll, if you're gone when I come back. Head on over to the Kiva and try the coffee. It's the best in town."
Zoie nods towards Katie. "Of course, Katie-Kat,..." She moves behind the counter and then smiles towards Mason. Then she giggles in a cute, almost childlike manner. "Isn't that an oxymoron? I mean if you have an agent, you aren't free. If you are an agent, you charge. So you are never really a free agent."
"That means I ain't got a team I'm playin' for, mon petite fleur." Mason offers the seemingly simple beauty a bit of French. "I'm single. Lookin' for greener pastures?" he asks a few times as he takes a few dollars out. "How much I owe ya'll for this liniment?" he wonders, holding up his herbal thing.
Zoie lowers her brows. "Greener pastures?" She moves over to ring up the purchase with an easy smile. "It looks like it is eight dollars and fifty-four cents." She offers forwards her hand to him.
Mason puts a ten-dollar bill in Zoie's hand. "You up for some coffee? I mean, it ain't like you're workin' today. And, I bet you know what the good coffee is." he says to her, with a half smile. "You look like a girl who's sweet on coffee."
Zoie laughs. "So you want me to go to work because I'm not working?" She looks towards Kiva and then back. "I could be tempted to coffee." She makes the change and hands over the receipt. "Do you need a bag?"
Mason gives a shake of his head. "I've got my backpack on the bike, I'll just toss it in there." he says as he takes his change and receipt. "And meet you for coffee next door, non?"
Zoie nods her head to that as she moves to get up and walk next place over. She smiles slowly and then skips into that direction.
And into the next door coffee house did Mason go, by way of the parking lot and his bike. His backpack is slung over one shoulder as he enters the coffee shop and heads on up to the counter, where a Non-Zoie Barrista is likely standing.
Zoie is currently chatting to that barrista. "Then I was like, why do I need the new partner, you know? I mean I didn't drop me." She laughs softly and then cants her head to one side. There is a chuckle when she is served a coffee that is more sweet and cream than coffee.
"Well, what's that you got there?" Mason wonders of Zoie, nodding to the barrista as he does. "Tea. Hot. With honey." he says, smiling still- always, the young man seems to have an easy half-smile on his face. "So, what brings you out this way, Zoie? Why study music here?"
Zoie holds up her drink. "It is something caramel thing.. I don't even know. They just make it for me." She leans in as if to whisper, "I don't think it has any coffee in it. They don't like me hyper..er." She grins and then leans her hip against the counter. "It was thought to be better that I get a new change of pace, you know? What about you, what brings you here? Football?"
"Yep. Got me a scholarship and everything- but, I'm also here for school." Mason says, with a nod. "Buisness, I mean- it ain't always easy. I have some problems with the math, sometimes." He grins, scratching at the back of his neck as he does, that grin soon falling into his lazy-half-smile. "Well, you sure do got a lot of energy, Ms. Zoie. Its like watchin' a hummin' bird. All over the place, but real pretty when it slows down a few moments."
Zoie gives a toss of her hair, it isn't a flirtatious thing. It isn't even a conceited thing. Her hair was just in her face as she looks him over. "I don't like math much. There is this young kid.. well I don't know if he is a kid, but he is like a total wiz at it." She sips her liquid candy and then moves over towards one of the seats at one of the tables.
Mason gives a bit of a smile- one that fades when his phone's alarm goes off. "Oh. I'm going to be late for some practice time." Mason says, with a quiet swear- a string of French- and some southwestern spanish thrown in for good measure. So, he turns to look Zoie in the eyes- grabbing a napkin down near her and writing down his phone number. "You're the tre belle fille, here. And I want to cook you dinner one night." he gives her a wink and walks on off. His bike is flared to life, that deliciously sexy Triumph roaring off into the night.
Zoie takes the number, not seeing this as anything more than a friend inviting her. Like Katie. She waves a bit and goes back to talking to the server.