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Aroma Cafe Monday, January 28th, 2013 3:52 PM Eliza sat in the corner of the coffee shop, taking in inspiration and trying to avoid distraction as long as possible. The small cafe in Lincoln was one of her regular after-school hangouts. It was one of the holdouts of the Seventies, aimed at encouraging art and expression in a part of the city with a reputation for gang warfare. The theory had been that it would be better for people to take it out with their voice than their fists - and, for more than a few, it had worked. The Aroma had a reputation for the "passion" of its clientele - that's when some people want to say "anger" but be real polite about it - but said clientele was an incredibly mixed bunch. More than a few students from Freedom College made their way down here and made it a regular hangout. Today, Eliza was working on her homework - notes towards a term paper, math problems, and another poem for her Creative Writing class. She wanted to get as much done as she could before Sharl showed up. She didn't know what was going on with him. They made a habit of talking regularly on the phone when they couldn't arrange to get together, and Eliza was used to Sharl being out of contact. His school often meant that there was some field trip to somewhere exotic and out of cell reception. But after the last jaunt, he'd been the one to call first, and he'd seemed... nervous. Somewhat excited, too. Said there was something important he wanted to talk about, and in person. So she waited, trying to focus on the necessary to make time for the important.