| Date: 10 December 2007
Characters: Jeanne Ames, Lane Williams Location: diner Link to IJ: thread #1210 |
 Jeanne didn't think this was where she had planned to be, but from the looks of things she could still find a cheeseburger to murder, so she decided she wasn't going to let it bother her just yet.
The type of food found in a hotel bar tended to vary quite a bit, so she looked around a bit more and there it was: an honest-to-goodness railway-car-replica diner. She went in and grabbed a stool at the counter, hooking her knapsack to her knee. Just as she suspected she could practically feel the grease building up in layers on her skin, and they had cheeseburgers and vanilla shakes and plenty of that bright yellow mustard for her fries. It also had those little jukebox selectors on all the tables and a few on the counter, and after she gave the waitress her order she started browsing through the selections. |
 "I think everything on there is circa 1950, so unless you're into Johnny Cash, you're probably not going to find much," the guy next to her said, pointing with a fork at the player. "Not that there's anything wrong with Johnny. I think they call it ambiance." |
| "Oh, it's not so bad," Jeanne smiles. "The ambience matches my milkshake." She pulls some change out from her jacket pocket, but can't find a coin slot. After a minute she shrugs and punches in D- and a moment later "In the Still of the Night" starts playing.
The waitress brings her order and Jeanne squirts a liberal amount of French's mustard next to her fries. |
| "That... looks absolutely disgusting." He observed her wolfing down her fries for a moment, smirking. "Which must mean it's either really good or you're really strange." He picked up the bottle of mustard and squirted a bit on his plate, dragging a fry through the thick yellow mess before popping it into his mouth and chewing. "Okay," he grimaced, "you're just really strange." |
| "Some of the best things in life are acquired tastes," Jeanne smirked. She picked up her cheeseburger and took a not-entirely-ladylike bite. |
| Lane snorted. "Guess so. Though really, there should be a cheat sheet on condiments. Or flow charts. I'd like to see a flowchart for sauerkraut and Tabasco sauce at least." He pushed his empty plate away and fished a few bills out of his coat pocket. "I'd tell you to enjoy, but it looks like you are." He tossed the bills by the plate, eyes on their reflection in the glass of the pie-case "Guy at 4 o'clock by himself in the red booth. Came in right after you, just drinking coffee. Can't keep his eyes off you - and I don't get a vibe like he's just going to ask for your number. I'd ask if you want me to stick around, but you look like you can take care of yourself." |
| "Good eyes, and yes, I'm good, thanks." She smiled around the french fry she was nibbling on, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. |
| He looked at her and tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. "You're sure? I'm really not trying to be a creep. You did open my mind to the possibilities of mustard." |
| She looked off into the distance and sighed. Looking back at him, she seemed to be looking less at his face than at the set of his shoulders. "It's not that I couldn't, hurt him. A lot. But with you around it would be a lot less likely that I'd have to. And I'm just not." She waved a hand around, "In the mood." |
| "Hmm..." he smirked, signaling for a nearby waitress and ordering a piece of pie. "Somehow I think I'd be a little afraid if you were in the mood for hurting." He leaned forward on crossed arms propped on the counter-top. "Am I right to assume you either know this fellow or have an idea why he's eyeballing you? 'Cause there are two ways to do this, you know. We sit, I eat some of that delicious looking key-lime and we seem to flirt for a little while until he loses interest. Or he's the type that isn't going anywhere until he gets what he wants and we all end up bringing the roof down. After I eat my pie, of course." |
| "I don't know this particular guy, but I know the type," Jeanne said, "and he doesn't strike as someone with a great deal of staying power."
She looked at the selection, and sure enough, there was peach pie. She ordered a slice and a cup of coffee. "So I think that sitting here for a while longer and seeming to flirt as we enjoy our, pie, sounds like a good plan." |
| He nodded. "Alright then. I'm Lane and I'm not going to shake your hand because that would look like the worst pick-up ever. What other random condiments do you corrupt innocent foods with? And is there anything explosive in your pack, there?" |
| "My pack is a veritable cornucopia of mysteries and wonders, but it is quite stable, I can assure you." She paused to enjoy a bite of her pie. "I'm Jeanne", she says, using the soft French pronunciation, "and I've been known to do some frightening things with Vegemite." She took another bite, washed it down with coffee.
"So Lane, do you find yourself patrolling for jerks often, or did you just get lucky?" The smile was in her eyes this time, but there was something else there as well. |
| "Well, Jeanne, it's very nice to make your acquaintance, with or without the explosives. And yes, I've been known to take out the garbage now and again, but not tonight. Just here for a bite to eat, seeing the sights. Which, by the way, have you noticed anything... odd... lately? Besides Mr. Nosy and the waitress' hair." |
| "You mean besides the general lack of people or things like litter to indicate that this is a place people actually live in?" |
| "Both." He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "I've seen some uncanny resemblances, too, in the people I do see." |
| "You mean like twins? Mmm." |
| "Or very, very close cousins. To tell you the truth, I'm starting to think something's very wrong. Besides the fact that I don't think I'm supposed to be here. I'm not sure anyone is." |
| Jeanne paused. It wouldn't exactly have been the first time her wrist comp hadn't exactly put her where she'd been trying to go, but when she let herself stop, this place felt wrong.
"I haven't seen that many other people yet, but I think you might be right." |