ONCE BURNED was made by MEL. Copying, altering, or stealing any of the site's content is prohibited. All of ONCE BURNED's characters are the original work of their owners and may not be replicated or stolen. All images and graphics belong to their rightful owners and ONCE BURNED does not claim to own any of them.
Lacing their fingers, the brunette returned the squeeze. There was many things left unsaid by the two, but it was better that way. There was certain things about her life the brunette didn't like talking about. One was her ability, while the other was her mother. Those were the two subjects she shied away from as quickly as she possibly could. The touch alone was as close to the conversation the brunette ever wished to go.
Letting go of his hand so that she could move to the liquor cabinet, the brunette made a face at him. She'd never understand why someone would willingly decide to drink something as terrible as tequila. It wasn't her job to decide, sadly. She could only comply with his wishes. Pouring the tequila and the first dark beer she could find, she slid it across the bar and returned to her position in front of him. "You're welcome, Dany."
"Are you staying for a while?" She asked then.
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
She noticed the change in his demeanor. How could she not? He was always smiling. Always goofing around and now, he didn't. She never liked it when that happened. A part of her desperately wanted him to keep smiling, but even she understood it couldn't always be so. "I know." She replied. "But I also wish he'd take care of himself too." It wasn't too much to ask for, was it?
Again, the brunette found herself laughing. "The grass is always greener on the other side, no?" Still, he had a point. A point she couldn't ignore; He had a dangerous job. As did her dad. They were both courageous and foolish all at once.
"But you're right." She agreed, looking down at her hands. She supposed she couldn't do more than be glad for the hand she'd been dealt and make the most of it. And yet, she couldn't stop wondering if she was making the most of it, or if she was wasting what precious time she had left.
"So." She said, clearing her throat. "What is your vice for the night?"
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
She wanted to stop it, but really, at this point it was inevitable: She rolled her eyes at him. "At least your ego's still standing firm." She drawled. Still, it had always been one of those things that she'd enjoyed the most about him. He had no shame and she envied him for that.
A laugh followed by another roll of her eyes. He was partly right, though; She always did have fun with him around and it never was quite the same when he was gone. "You summed it up pretty nicely, I'd say." She offered him a simply shrug at that, placing both elbows against the bar top and leaned her weight against them. Her expression grew more somber then and she pursed her lips. "Ah, well." What was there to say, really? She'd never had the most exciting life and while the people she knew went off having all these great adventures, she was here. Being a bartender.
"Dad's still working so much he forgets to eat and my brother's growing up right before my eyes." It was always easier to focus on the aspects of her life she, herself, didn't control. "So, yeah, boring." She issued with a laugh.
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
Had it not been for the bar being in the way, the brunette might have felt the need to throw herself at him. She hadn't seen Damian in a while, but she'd always enjoyed having him around, despite the way he often made her feel like she was fourteen years old again. An amused smile formed on her lips and she leaned forward, her attention completely captured. "Then I want to say thank you for noticing that I was noticing you, and for the notice that you noticed me back." She could already feel her tongue curling at the attempt.
If he was receiving any looks, the brunette didn't notice. A chuckle passed her lips at the nickname she'd spent so much time trying to stop him from using. It was a good thing then, that she was no sore loser, because it'd clearly stuck. "Ah, you know." She shrugged, putting a empty glass in front of him. "I keep getting hit on. With the worst pick up lines I've ever heard."
Of course, she'd come to enjoy them. She wouldn't tell him that to his face. "It's nice to see you, Dany."
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.
She wondered then; Was this guy a mutant?
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
A sigh fell from the brunette's lips then. She wasn't sure why he struggled so with getting to the point, but really, how bad could it have been? Clearly, from the blank stare she was giving him, she didn't get what he was getting at. Had it been anyone else, maybe it would have been easier. But even she couldn't tell what was running through the mind of the Irish.
"No, I don't." She stated simply.
She looked at him directly then. "Is this one of your pranks?" She asked. "Is there something I should know about, but don't?"
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.
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?
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."
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.
"Want some?"
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.
She felt a little bad for him, though.
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
Fingers let go of the bottle and accompanied by a small smile. "Alright." The smile only grew, mimicking the redhead's own. She couldn't much relate to having a stressful day at work, but she could very well relate to wanting to remove it all with a bottle of whatever was fancied at the moment.
It seemed like few people found her job appealing. She could understand why; It took a lot of patience to deal with some of the drunk people, after all. But it was also fun, and entertaining. She got to see a whole different person to most, both new and old faces. As if alcohol made them let go of all their worries and just be. "Oh, come on. It's not so bad." Her gaze immediately shifted to a guy who seemed to think what he called charm worked on a table filled with ladies, worked. "Well, sometimes..."
Her attention returned to the redhead and she offered her a simple shrug. "Slow night. I don't mind." She leaned closer then, voice hushed. "Besides, if it's listening to you, or him-" She gestured towards the drunk man hitting on the ladies. "-I'll take you anytime." She pulled back with a smile.
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
The hug was returned with familiarity; She'd never considered herself a particular physical person, though, there was some comfort to always be found within those familiar arms. As if all her worries disappeared, if only just for a moment. "It's fine." She was used to it, after all.
Her father's statement, while true, had the brunette looking away. Pursing her lips to stop the small smile from forming, she suddenly found the wall decor immensely interesting. The conversation shifted and Carter handled himself nicely. The brunette's attention was brought back and she offered a simple nod. That was all there was to it, just like she'd told her father.
"Right." She agreed, suddenly eager to change the subject. "I didn't know when you'd be here, so I didn't put the food in the oven."
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
It was a bleak way of putting it and Luxanna stared at the man. "Wow." She chuckled, turning her gaze away. "I like my version better." Though, she supposed it made sense. It wasn't something the brunette would like to think of, of course. That would make her job a whole lot more depressing.
"How else are you going to practice?" She asked him, head tilted. "I mean, if you get a complaint, just make another drink." It might not have been as black and white as she was putting it, but truthfully, the only way to learn was by doing. She'd been pretty crappy at mixing drinks in the beginning, though most people had been too polite to tell her.
"2:30 AM." She replied without missing a beat. It was the state wide last call order for the entire Oregon state. A little early, but it was nice getting home before 5AM. She looked at her clock then. "In just under two hours."
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
A sheepish smile formed on the brunette's lips when she got caught; She wasn't embarrassed, per say. She decided to simply be honest. "You're..." She paused, brows furrowing together. "Rya, right?" She knew the name was short for something, though, she'd never known what it stood for.
"Friend of Carter's?" She pointed at herself then. "I was his roommate at Bellefonte." She explained. She wouldn't mind the girl not remembering her. Few people usually did, considering how Luxanna's life at Bellefonte had consisted of hanging out with Jack.
