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Many of her coworkers seemed to hate the closing shift, but her? She found enjoyment it. There was a special feeling to being inside the cozy diner when there was no one else. The lights were dimmed and the locale had an almost eerie feeling to it. The way the snow fell outside the large windows leading to the street only made it better, though, she supposed she was biased that way; she'd always loved the snow. While she didn't enjoy the cold as much, winter had an almost magical look to it.
The way the snow covered the branches and glittered in any source of light it could find...
Wiping her forehead, she started gathering empty glasses and dirty plates as she walked from table to table and putting them into a tray. The bell above the door signaled someone entering. Shit, had she forgot to lock the door again?
"Sorry, we're closed!" She called out. She put the tray down and turned towards the door. "You're going to have to come back tomorrow."
Brodie was still growing used to this strange town. He ventured out alone this evening, realizing that with the amount of work he'd been putting in this week that he had forgotten to buy groceries. It would have been fine, had he realized this before he had opened his fridge in search for something to cook up for dinner. His stomach was now begging for relief, and he refused to seek it at a fast food chain.
A diner had caught his attention, eyes catching the lights that were still on inside versus any opened or closed signs. The pull of the door was all he needed to know that they were open, and he was already a few paces in before the unfortunate news came.
Bright blue eyes landed on the waitress as he wore a soft smile, trying to hide the disappointment. "Ah, my apologies," he replied, German accent coming through. He halted in his footing, but didn't make a turn for the door yet. "Do you know of someplace that is open at this time?"
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
She could hardly blame the guy for thinking they were open. She hadn't locked the door, after all. A smile formed on her lips and she offered him a shrug. "No worries." At least he was polite; that had become such a rare thing, it seemed. People were too occupied with what was going inside their own heads to pay others much respect.
"That depends on what you're looking for." She freed herself of the items in her hand and wiped her hands on her apron. It was late, but not overly so. "Most diners like these close around this time, but there's always gas stations and fast food chains." Neither of which was particularly good unless one were drunk.
Brodie couldn't hide the distaste in his features at the idea of fast food or purchasing a meal from a gas station. He shifted a hand out of his pocket, pushing up the sleeve of his jacket to catch the time. When had it become so late? He would do well to keep better track of these things, but the photo lab did well to mask any sort of time passing.
"I was looking for something a little less..." his head tilted to the side, as if he were trying to find the polite words to describe fast food. "processed." Daring to take another little step forward, bright eyes glanced around the interior of the diner, taking in details. "Would you have any other recommendations, by chance?"
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
Leaning against the cashier counter, the brunette laced her fingers together. She couldn't really think of any places, though, she was hardly the right person to ask. She rarely ventured anywhere that wasn't either of her two work places, home or the academy.
"Well..." She said, looking over her shoulder. She supposed it wouldn't do any harm, after all. "I still have some pancake batch and some bacon." She looked back at him. "Was going to make some for myself before I head home." She didn't have the heart to send him on his way. Foolish, perhaps, but ah well. If he he was a serial killer, she'd at least die on a full stomach.
Brodie honestly hadn't expected an offer for food once he had learned that this place had closed. At most, he hoped to gain some information on the best place to eat in town after a certain hour. There was still so much to learn. His eyebrows quirked upwards, hands pressing together as she squeezed his palms. "If it's not too much trouble," he replied with a smile. "And if there is enough for two, of course." By no means did he want to take any food away from her to feed himself.
Taking another step inside, moved towards the counter and reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. Fingers secured around a leather wallet as he pulled it out. "And I can pay you."
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
"Oh, no." She said, waving a hand at him. She circled the counter and moved to put the clean pan onto the oven. She turned on the heat before getting the bowl containing pancake batter and a sealed packed of bacon. "Don't worry about it. We always make too much batter." It was always better to make more than too little, she'd come to realize. Which always left some for whoever was closing to eat.
She looked at the wallet, head shaking. "This batter would've gotten tossed out anyways, so there's really no need." She offered him a smile as she put butter onto the pan.
It was nice too, to have some company. She rarely got to converse with people while working here. Not the way she did working as a bartender, anyways. "I'm Lux, by the way."
Getting a free meal from a place that was technically closed? Brodie misjudged this little town - or particularly, this diner. Though he doubted many would make such an offer. This woman seemed to be some sort of exception to the American attitude he had seen so much of already. Putting his wallet away again, the German smiled and pulled out a chair to sit in.
With his feet off the ground, the camera strapped around his shoulder slid off, finding a careful place on the table. Lux. It was an interesting name, drawing a nod out of him as he watched her as best as he could from where he sat. "Brodie," he introduced himself. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lux."
His palms pressed flat to the table, fingertips tapping idly against the wood. "Do you work here often?"
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
She watched him make himself comfortable from the corner of her eye. She found it somewhat odd how someone made themselves so comfortable so easily. While she did similar things, it was more out of naivety than anything else. He, on the other hand, didn't strike her as the naive type. Not that she'd ever been particularly good at reading people. Or understanding them. "You too, Brodie." She quipped cheerfully at him, putting some batter on the pan.
Lux pondered his question for a moment, brows drawing together. "As often as I can, though that doesn't really count for much." She spent most of her time bartending, after all, and that rarely left room to go here. "I spend most of my available work time being a bartender." She continued, explaining. "So I only take shifts here when that doesn't get in the way."
"What about you?" Her eyes immediately drew towards the camera. Was he a photographer? Or was it perhaps a hobby of his?
Intuition caught him on a lucky guess. Maybe because someone who worked here every night wouldn't forget to lock the door, or her friendliness towards someone who walked in when they were closing. Either way, he nodded at the response offered to him. "Bartending must be quite fun." It was the sort of job he'd never be good at. So much socialization and crowds. It wasn't entirely his scene, though he could have an appreciation for those who did it.
"I'm a reporter," Brodie explained, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. "I work for the local paper, but do freelancing for national companies." It was like he was selling himself, in part because it was the one sense of pride he had. "I've just moved here."
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
"Hmm, it's alright, I guess." Stacking one finished pancake after the other, she grabbed for another pan for the bacon. "It's good practice." It was. She'd never been much of a social butterfly, but being forced in a situation like that had made her better. She could, to a certain degree, now carry a conversation.
He was offered her full attention: She'd always found people who seemed to know exactly what they wanted to do with their life interesting. While being a reporter might not have been the most glamorous, it was still fascinating. "What kind of pieces do you usually write?" She didn't recognize the accent he carried and couldn't stop herself from asking. "Where are you from?" It didn't sound American.
It was an interesting answer. Brodie had to wonder what this woman meant by good practice. It was a topic of conversation he could work into later, filed in the back of his mind.
"I specialize in socio-political pieces." It was what his true interest held in, and where he excelled. It wasn't entirely something sought after in the newspaper industry, but gathering stories on real people always fascinated him. How they were effected by the changing world around them. To capture it, share it and represent it was an honor.
A small laugh escaped his lips, and he put a hand to his mouth before continuing. "German, though it is a little...off. I lived in England for quite some time, and it seems to have an effect on the way I speak."
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
Eyes widened at the piece of information she was offered. "Really? Like what?" Stacking the pancakes on two different plates and adding bacon, she placed both plates on the counter. Maple syrup, various jams and sugar was lined right next to the plates.
Rounding the corner, the brunette smiled. "German." She repeated. "I don't think I've ever met someone from Germany before." It wasn't surprising, of course, given how most of them was sent to St. Bethany or that Romanian school. Most of the Europeans she encountered had specifically decided to transfer to the school.
Usually the words socio-political put a glaze over eyes when Brodie described his work. It wasn't that what he wrote was boring - but a little hard to describe - and Brodie was much more eloquent with the written word over speaking. His eyebrows quirked up at the sound of interest in the subject, putting a small smile on his face, widening a little when the food was placed in front of him. "Thank you again for this."
"Not too many people here have, it seems." Brodie stuck out, or so it felt. Then again, that was normal for the boy who grew up as an outlier to the norm. He took a fork and knife, napkin resting on his legs before he cut into one of the fluffy pancakes.
"An example would be of n article I wrote on a woman who had voted for the current President, and then realized her husband of thirty years is going to be deported because his parents illegally immigrated to the United States when he was four." It was a somber subject, but he found it fascinating. "She hadn't believed that he applied to those they were deporting, because he was a businessman, and supported his family."
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
"Oh, don't mention it." She waved him off. She honestly didn't need his thanks. He was good enough company and if he didn't eat it, it would have gotten thrown away anyway.
Taking a bite of one of the bacon strips, she chewed it thoughtfully. His story had her raising her eyebrows. "That's awful." Though, she supposed it went to show how some people didn't think through their actions. Of course, she couldn't blame the woman and it was in every form awful.
