2019-05-10 - Tinder Roulette

Baylee is not from around here. It might not be as openly obvious that she's not from around here since she's not saying anything, but maybe the general look manages to give it away. A slightly drugged out look, tattoos, general doesn't give a shit attitude. Which she seems to be mostly directing towards the stack of pancakes in front of her that is being violated by the fork she's stabbing into it.

Other than Baylee there doesn't appear to be anyone else in there, and the hour is off for most people anyways, early afternoon. Firmly between reasonable lunch, and old peoples dinner.

Geoff makes his way into the diner, pushing open the door and making his way to sit at the counter a space away from Baylee. The man has obviously seen his fair share of trouble from the way he holds himself as if to preemptively ward off any incoming fights, to the instinctive way he glances about the room before fully stepping in. Offering a grin to the waitress he says in an accent that all too clearly marks him as a local "Hey could I get a burger and a coke? Thanks." glancing down the way to Baylee he dips his head "Afternoon."

"Hey." The single word doesn't really give away where she's from, it's not until she elaborates on that hey with a follow-up question. "You ever feel that the cooks in a place like this get whip lash?" England. She's British. It's very clear the more she talks that she's not just British, she's some sort of posh British. Despite the fact she looks like she doesn't have enough to pay for her pancakes. "Breakfast...dinner...dinner-breakfast."

Geoff chuckles at that "Yeah they must, then again I always assume to be a short order cook at a diner you had to have this unwavering love of breakfast foods to be able to serve them all day." As the coke is set down in front of him he lifts it up to take a sip from it "Well breakfast and pie, I've never been to a diner worth its salt that didn't have a pie it bragged about."

"Been to a few that shouldn't have bragged about their pie." Bayle offers, then she shifts her fork to her other hand before she reaches out towards him, "Baylee, just got to town the other night." She indicates the diner with a look around, "So they have good pie here?"

Geoff reaches to take Baylee's proffered hand in a firm hand shake "Geoff, it's a pleasure to meet you Baylee." glancing towards the waitress who is obviously not eaves dropping as she busies herself beside the counter he makes a show of considering the pie the question "Well...It's okay, then again I grew up eating the stuff and still grab the occasional slice nowdays, so I'm a little bit biased there."

"If you've not died, and still eat it sometimes..." Baylee makes leaps towards concluding, "Then it can't be that bad." She glances down at the pancakes that are half eaten in front of her, pushing the plate away from her, "Which pie would you say was your favorite, Geoff?"

"Apple." Geoff answers easily enough "As quaint as it is, you really can't go wrong with apple pie." As his burger is put in front of him it's clear this isn't the standard burger that's on the menu, more something the man has ordered enough times that it's simply become rote "Besides, now that you're in 'merica you're kind of obligated to try the apple pie, it's what we're known for."

"It's one of the nice things that you're known for." Baylee points out with a laugh, unashamed of saying there is something about America that isn't nice. "But I'll try the apple pie, then." She glances towards the waitress, smiling at her, "Could I get a slice of that apple pie then? With..." She glances at Geoff, "Isn't it ice cream?"

"Oh it's definitely ice cream, vanilla ice cream." Geoff confirms before taking a big bite from his burger and chewing it with obvious relish, swallowing before continuing on "If I brought up our penchant for bringing 'freedom' to mysteriously destabilized middle eastern countries with bountiful oil reserves, some might say that was a /bad/ thing." This is obviously offered tongue in cheek before he is digging into his burger once more, an errant gesture going towards his plate as if to offer a fry to his impromptu conversational companion.

"Ice cream, then." Baylee glances towards the waitress to complete the order, "Apple pie with vanilla ice cream." She then rests her elbows on the counter before she glances over at him, "You mean the evilness of Imperialism?" She laughs faintly at that, nodding very, very slowly at him, "You're right, that is generally speaking a pretty bloody bad thing...But Queen and Country, right? Just like you are all...freedom and pox blankets, right?"

Geoff snorts and says with no small amount of amusement "The pox blankets was kind of a one time thing, now it's more god, guns and country. Ya know, Freedom." actually taking a moment to study Baylee, he looks her over with a clinical interest before asking with an arch of his eyebrow "So what brings you to our small town? I assume you're passing through and didn't get suckered here through online dating."

"No, I didn't get suckered here through online dating." Baylee replies, and anything else she might have to say is held in check while that pie and ice cream is set in front of her. She reaches for her fork, spinning her plate around before she pulls her phone out, taking a moment to actually take a picture of it for Instagram. "Not passing through, though, either. Settling in...going to open up an office here." She glances over, "How is the online dating scene here?"

Geoff seems intrigued that someone who needs an /office/ would come here for that "Now you got me hooked, what exactly do you need an office for? Massage Parlor? Tax agent? Payday Loans?" taking a fry he tosses it into his mouth and munches on it "The dating scene around here is all of shit, if I want to avoid someone I went to high school with I gotta expand my radius by like a hundred miles."

"I don't think I'll need to worry about running into anyone I went to high school with." Baylee is at least cheerful about that, somewhat at his expense, probably. Then she starts to carefully eat the pie, and ice cream, looking intrigued for a little while before she snorts, "I don't think a massage parlor needs an office, just a floor that can be hosed down. But I'm a P.I."

Geoff laughs at that "Now I can't help but imagine setting up a portable massage station at the coin op car wash." gesturing with an errant fry he nods his head "Wouldn't have been my first guess, but there's good money to be made by a pi if you don't mind people clamming up around you. Small towns don't really like outsiders sticking their nose into their business....Then again small town and everyone seems to know everyone else's business half the time anyways."

"You going to clam up around me now?" Baylee wonders with a laugh, finishing about half the pie before she slides it over towards him, "I've had my shots, so you won't catch cooties. Big city, outsider cooties." She is obviously not worried about people clamming up around her, for whatever reason.

Geoff shakes his head at that "Nah because then with my luck we'd match on a dating app and then we'd have to go out on a date and it'd just be awkward." polishing off the last of his burger, he follows it with a gulp of coke "See really, I'm just looking out for myself by keeping up the conversation." gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb he mentions "I got a chair down at the best tattoo shop in town, if you were thinking of getting any new work done, I'm your man."

"All because you clammed up? Maybe." Baylee replies with a snort, leaning against the counter, reaching for her phone to look at it, checking to see what apps she's got on her phone, "Mmm...Might have to download one. Seems I deleted them all once upon a time." She then tosses the phone down, "You got a portfolio of your work?"

Geoff wobbles his head "Not on me back I got it back at the shop." digging out his phone he pulls up the gallery and slides it down the counter towards Baylee "I got some pics of my more recent works on there." The phone does indeed contain his most recent works on there, while he does have talent and there's no bad works among them, he's probably not going to be getting his own tv show anytime soon

"Maybe I'll drop in sometime." Baylee says after scrolling through the photos, then she slides the phone back towards him, "Not sure what I'd get, but who knows...It's like once you get one you can't stop."

"Right? I'm still looking for the right pieces to fill out my sleeves, I know I want them just haven't found the bit that clicks for me." Taking his phone, Geoff slips it into his pocket "So besides snooping and tats, what kind of hobbies do you got chica? "

"Just the usual sorts of things." Baylee replies, reaching for her glass of water, taking a sip from it before she shakes her head, "Movies, dancing, clubs....looking for people that'll help me move bodies. All that sort of big city jazz."

Geoff nods sagely at that "Really you've got to take care of those bodies asap and get them moved or else they just have this tendency to pile up and then you got an even bigger problem then." tipping back his coke he finishes it off, and crunches on an ice cube "I think it's also more then just big city jazz there."

"Might be." Baylee agrees with a laugh, "But bodies do tend to stink. I hear." She shakes her head, turning her attention back to her pie, pushing around a slice of apple with her fork, "Thankfully I've never had to deal with one in person."

"Yeah, I've been lucky to have avoided having to deal with any bodies, stinky or otherwise." Geoff adds as he leans in against the counter "Other then the odd dear during hunting season."

"Never had to deal with a deer..." Baylee replies with a shake of her head, taking a final bite of the pie before she firmly pushes it away from her, leaning her elbows on the counter, "So other than shooting Bambi and tattooing, what sort of hobbies do you have?"

Geoff clears his throat and says "I should probably make it clear I haven't been hunting in a while, due to small details and all that jazz." taking a moment to think, he drums his fingertips against the top of the counter "I guess recently my idea of a good time has been barbecuing, playing games, and playing tinder roulette to see what the most disastrous date I end up with is." with a wolfish grin he shares "Had one not too long back, got compared to her recently dead cat and then I was left there to try to comfort her as she balled in the middle of dinner with everyone looking at me liked I'd punched her or something."

"Like her dead cat?" Baylee looks impressed by that, her brows lifting before she shakes her head, twisting around in her seat to look at Geoff, "Alright...No. I got one that is ten times better than that." She actually pops her knuckles, like she's about to really get into something, "So I had this one date once, totally posh bloke, right? Nice pictures, you know? So I get to the club, and I'm looking amazing. And in walks this guy that was like..." She pauses, then gets to her feet, and she's tall, but then she lifts a hand up to her chest, "Came up to here on me...and had the voice of Mickey Mouse."

Geoff winces at that description of the poor bugger "Fuck, he should have at least been wearing platform shoes or..." here he narrows his eyes to scrutinize Baylee "Please tell me he was and you ended up on a date with an oompa loompa." eyes alighting with a sort of devilish glee he asks "Did he also have a bad spray tan, please tell me he did."

And in walks this guy that's a few inches taller than her, instead. He's also wearing slightly frayed blue jeans, a white T reading 'WWJD' in big letters and 'For a Klondike Bar?' in smaller ones beneath, a very red and very Hawaiian shirt as an overshirt, a white polar fleece hoodie with the head decorated as a bear's head complete with ears and eyes and nose, a traditional biker jacket, and Docs. So you know. Stylin'. The hood's hanging down the back right now, because come on, he's indoors. He's also walking in time with the place's current music, and looking around the place like he's never been there before. Which he hasn't.

"No, no spray tan, and as far as I know he wasn't wearing platforms." Baylee replies, dropping herself back onto her stool, legs crossing, "But it was the worst thing. He kept wanting to dance, right? Like...seriously, at least have some kind of decency to not try something like that. But I drank on his dime for the night, so whatever." She shrugs her shoulders, attention shifting towards the newest arrival in the quiet diner, "He also had good blow, so that helped soften the entire terrible night."

Geoff shakes his head at that "That is...Just wow. Okay so I think I got one better." swivelling now to fully face her, Geoff launches into his story "So meet up with this girl who claims to be real into the outdoors, hiking, camping all that fun stuff. We hit it off and she actually seems pretty sane, so we then get to date number two, it goes well. For date three I ask her to my place for steaks and and netflix, because clearly I'm all class." Geoff says with a deadpan expression, pausing for a moment before continuing "So things are looking good like the nights going to be fun, she's a bit drunk, I'm a bit drunk, and then she makes a joke about cannibalism...It's a bit off, but you know I just chalk it up to the booze....But she keeps making jokes like that and eventually asks what I think it'd be like to /hunt/ someone. It's at that point it hits me that she has issues that cute ass can't make up for. So I did the only thing a man can in that situation. I got her black out drunk, ordered her an uber and sent her back to her place."

The waitress doing the seating gives the new stranger an only slightly odd glance as she bustles over; his glancing around pauses at the bar, head tilting as he briefly studies Geoff and Baylee. The hostess gets a brilliant grin and, from the gesture and fact that she waves him that way, a request to sit over there. Which is what Aidan does, slipping onto the stool beside Baylee and turning that grin on the pair of them. They can almost certainly sense in him exactly what he spotted in them: that particular glimmer. "Evening!" he greets brightly, with no particular accent to suggest where he's from. Except the US. That's probably safe. His eyes fall on Baylee's plate, "...oh, hey, pie." He's apparently caught at least part of that cannibalism thing, as there's a glance toward someone a couple booths over eating what appears to be fair-sized ribs, and then, "She definitely doesn't work here, right?"

"The most exciting prey to hunt or something. I've heard this line before. In fact, I heard there is some sort of whole underground festish sub-reddit or some shit for it. Don't google vore." Baylee shakes her head quickly at him, then her attention shifts towards Aidan, offering him a once over, then a laugh, "I bet if she did he wouldn't be here ordering pie."

Geoff shakes his head solemnly "Nope, if she worked here I wouldn't touch the food with a ten foot pole for fear that I'd wake up naked in the woods with my ear tagged." gesturing off into the ethereal distance he says "Last I checked while facebook stalking her to seen when she inevitably gets caught for being a serial killer she'd moved to the midwest. We should all be safe."

"The most dangerous game," Aidan says with a nod to Baylee, "...except I'm pretty sure that's actually landmine hopscotch? Or, I dunno, nuclear Battleship. Gotta be something that explodes, anyway." There's enough of an 'oh, that makes sense' look to their joint assertion re: not eating here if she did that it might actually be genuine, but Geoff's phrasing gets a laugh. "Good, glad I'm not in Cleveland. Not just 'cause she's out that way, but I mean, doesn't hurt." He takes up the menu, flipping it open, and as he does there's a flicker of something in his expression, an almost warning flick of a glance off toward the side neither of them are on, and he twists slightly on his stool. Though that might just be in order to see the pair of them better, and to rest his forearm along the edge of the counter as he peruses the offerings.

"That is Facebook stalking for a good reason." Baylee points out to Geoff with a laugh, reaching for her water to pick it up, taking a sip from it as she glances around, then she sets it down, "Just hopefully there isn't anyone else like this girl around here." She then glances towards Aidan, her expression amused and challenging when she questions, "So what was your worst Tinder date of record?"

Geoff gestures to the passing waitress to get another coke as he settles in to to listen to the other man's experience "I'm betting you've had a hell of one, probably involving at least two squad cars and maybe a k9 unit." as the new coke is set before him he flashes the waitress an appreciative smile and looks back to the other two.

Aidan pauses at the question, and there's another small laugh at the part about squad cars -- but it's the kind with a faintly uncomfortable edge. "...actually," he says, a bit sheepishly, and takes a fleeting glance over his shoulder before looking to them again. "So, for a while I was doing tech with a touring theatre company, so we stayed some kinda sketchy places sometimes. And it wasn't Tinder, but I ran into this girl at one of the shows, and we hit it off, and went out to a club, had some drinks, it was pretty good, actually. Except then she said, you know, that hotel's kind of bad, why don't you just stay with me tonight? Well, I mean... yeah, obviously." He gestures with the menu in an equally 'yeah, obviously' sort of way.

"So we get there. And there's squad cars. Like, four of them. No K9s, though. But police tape. All around the entrance to the building. So she starts half-panicking, and they don't want to let her in, not until they've investigated, and-- it turned out the guy who lived across the hall from her had been murdered. Also he was her ex-boyfriend. Who another neighbour said she had a big fight with that afternoon... So I ended up going back to the hotel after all 'cause she ended up going to the police station..." He looks thoughtful. "I still dunno if she actually did it. I figure no, though, because c'mon, who tries to bring someone home to across from a murder they just did? But she /was/ both scared and pretty damn pleased he was dead."

"That's fucked up." Baylee points out, rather bluntly, to Aidan when he finishes up the story, but then she spreads her hands out, "But wait. I know exactly why someone might actually bring someone home across from a murder they just did. Reasonable doubt, alibi....all kinds of shit." She lifts her shoulders a bit, smirking very faintly, "If I was covering up the fact I'd just murdered my ex I would go out of my way to make it look like I'd moved on."

Geoff shakes his head slowly "That's fucked up, I wonder how she killed him." taking a gulp from his coke he points out to Baylee "See you're devious, I bet you even have plans for how you'd kill the bastard that you've thought up." Bringing his hand up he shares as a faux secret to Aidan "Be careful around this one, she'll use you for free drinks and blow then ditch you once you're done being her alibi."

"Joke's on her, I don't have any blow," Aidan says cheerfully, though at least it's a little less cheerful when he allows, "Yeah, it was kinda fucked up. But... that's a point. I wasn't a really good alibi, though; the cops didn't even tell me not to leave town. So I did, 'cause, touring." He looks to Baylee, "So if you do it, plan ahead, I guess? Pick someone who's gonna be around and maybe get a couple dates in first." Thoughtful again, "Kinda wanna look that up now and see what happened. Only I never got her last name." Which reminds him, "Oh, right. Hi, I'm Aidan." A glance at the menu. "And I'm definitely getting pie. And... waffles." He lifts a hand to get the waitress's attention so he can order. Maybe it was a bit careless, because the fork next to him nearly falls off onto the floor; the way his hand moves to catch it before it can is pretty deft, though, considering. He sets it back where it was without comment. Not on that, anyway. "So how /would/ you get away with killing an ex?" This appears to be to both of them.

"Yeah, hit Tinder, or Match.com....something that has a papertrail to it, mind, they'll need court orders for digital records, but if they're really investigating you, they'll do it. So lay a trail, always pay for dates and alibis in credit, never cash. Make sure that you're seen being happy, dancing, kissing, holding hands...big romantic gestures if you can string one along for a while." Baylee replies with a nod, "Then set up something so that they die when you're not there. Poison, or a gas explosion....don't pull the trigger or something when they can pin the time of death on you and you don't literally have an alibi. Just got to be sure that you're alright with collateral damage in some of those cases, because even going full Hollywood and setting up some gun in a closet you've got to get the evidence out...which'll still cause a bunch of questions and risk of being caught." She then smiles at Aidan, "Baylee."

"I wouldn't." Geoff says rather plainly "Not going to risk anything that'd put me back in the clink, not even for a moment man. Even if it meant I had to endure a harpy of an ex. Which I guess the preventative measure there is avoid folk who'd make your life hell." clicking his tongue he muses "Though if they had to go missing, wait till they had a major argument with someone else so there were multiple witnesses to that then do it in an untraceable enough manner. All you got to do to beat the jury is create reasonable doubt that anyone else could have done it."

"Well, neither would I," Aidan says, and gives Baylee a smile in return, "...and probably Baylee wouldn't either, but if we were gonna, that sounds like a decent start. Paper trail of being over them, time it when they've pissed off other folks, make sure you're nowhere in the vicinity. Then gas explosion." That last bit possibly shouldn't sound chipper, but probably just means he's not taking it seriously. "But you'd have to use credit before you started establishing your intentional trail, and who wants that getting watched? Plus, what if they just come back as ghosts and make your life miserable or something? At least living people have other stuff to do with their time. Doesn't seem worth the risks." The waitress looks at him askance, arriving during that, but takes his order, checks the others' drinks and overall contentness levels, and bustles back off.

"That's also a good move." Baylee points out when Geoff mentions waiting for them to have a fight with someone else, "Always make sure that you're not the only suspect." She probably isn't taking this conversation seriously, at all. Right? Instead she just smiles in amusement at Aidan, "A ghost?"

Geoff digs into his wallet and tosses some cash onto the counter in front of him before sliding from his stool "Well it's been good to meet you two, but my lunch is over and I got a client I gotta meet in about thirty." offering a lazy salute he adds "I'm sure I'll see more of you guys around soon enough." and with that he is striding from the dinner with an easy going confident gait.

"Later!" Aidan replies, lifting a hand in farewell to Geoff, and watches after him a moment as he strides off before returning his attention to Baylee. "Well, if someone murdered you and you had the option to hang out and make them pay for it a while, wouldn't you?" he says, "...I mean, I dunno, I might not if I had something better to do, but I think I'd probably be pretty pissed off if someone killed me." A cup of coffee arrives, along with apple pie and ice cream just like hers, and he thanks the waitress brightly before digging in. He does, at least, have some table manners, and if he doesn't entirely avoid talking while eating, he does at least keep from displaying anything. "Also, I like your," he should maybe be careful about specifics here, "outfit."

"I'll drop by to see that portfolio sometime." Baylee promises Geoff as he takes off, spinning herself around in her seat to better face Aidan, settling her elbow on the counter to rest her head on her hand. "Maybe. I'd like to think that I'd have better shit to do, like I might go and haunt the Queen for a while, see what she gets up to when no one is looking. Or Prince Henry...he's still rather fine, despite his age." When he mentions her outfit she glances down, then back up at him, smirking faintly, "Oh? What about my outfit do you like so much?"

"...true. He's not that old, though, is he? Wait, I'm thinking Harry, is that the same guy or do you guys have more princes lying around I didn't notice?" Aidan takes a small bite of the pie, and once he can adds with an edge of something nearly smug, "Probably wouldn't be able to do anything but watch and pine, though. Still. It would be kinda interesting to know what a Queen gets up to when she thinks she's alone. Maybe she watches reality TV in her underwear and eats peanut butter banana sandwiches. Or does witchcraft."

His fork settles against the pie a moment as he looks her over again and replies in a 'since you asked' sort of way, "I like the combination, but also the tank and bra, with the heels, and I've got an overshirt kinda like that one, actually. But it all kinda feels like it fits you." He probably doesn't mean in sizing, even if that's accurate. Well, except the jeans.

"Henry Charles Albert David, otherwise known to the public as Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. I hate the name Harry. It sounds like some shrew wife needs to be screeching it from the other room. So I refuse to use it, and no one can make me." Plenty of people can make her, honestly. "But yeah, him. I'd totally perv on him in the shower. And I'm not sure, but I wouldn't put witchcraft past her, she's never going to die."

There is a nod, of course the tank and bra. She doesn't at all seem like she is surprised by this being part of the thing that he seems to like. "Thanks. I like your...." She pauses, then looks him over again, "Shoes."

Aidan doesn't need to look down and check what shoes he's wearing; the remark gets a decidedly amused-seeming snort, even if there's also a sharper little sidelong glance as he takes another bite. It's not quite in her direction, though, and when his attention clearly is back on her a breath later, it's gone. "Y'know," he says, gesturing at her with his fork, "there's this thing people say about damning with faint praise? You don't actually gotta come up with something back. It's okay to stop at 'thanks'. Or, like, if you feel you really gotta, you could like my hair. I think it's my most popular feature." He takes another bite, then shrugs: "I guess Docs are pretty likeable, though. And comfy as all hell once you break 'em in. ...'Prince Henry' makes me think of the Eighth, though. And then it's all Herman's Hermits in my head."

"You've got fantastic hair, and I actually do like the shoes." Baylee points out with a laugh, leaning in his direction, lifting one foot to show off the heel she's wearing, "These are not comfortable, but I can run in them. Those look comfortable, and I could run in them...You win on the shoe front." She then reaches out, giving his jacket a tug, "And I like this, too. But the fleece hoodie, it's alright...and that Hawaiian shirt is just very out of place." She then leans a little closer, and to the side, head tilting as she lowers her voice, "And you can also just say you like my tits. I think it's perfectly acceptable in the situation."

Aidan leans to take a better look at the shoe when she lifts it. "I... am pretty sure I couldn't run in those," he decides, as if it actually required the consideration, "I think I'd break something, I just dunno if it'd be the heel or my ankle or whoever I accidentally grabbed onto when I started falling. ...and thanks." She gets the brilliant version of the grin again. "I mean, you're clearly wrong about the shirt, but still thanks." He leans in a little, mirroring hers, and a glance flickers down to her chest before he replies in an equally confidential tone, "I really do like that kinda gauzy effect with the whole red and zebra thing. But, since you mention it, I also do like your tits." Hey, she said it was acceptable!

"Thanks." He did tell her to just leave it at a thanks, right? Baylee can take the advice, although it's done entirely on purpose as she straightens back up, "I went through a phase where I was pretty into neon green and pink, but I'm mellow in my old age. So I've opted for the red zebra print." She points towards the shoes again, "Plus it matches these." She leans back against the counter, resting her elbows on the edge of it, "You from around here?"

The neon green and pink gets a tilt of the head, and Aidan looks her over again. "It does," he agrees, failing to stop looking amused in response to that accommodating 'thanks'. "It wasn't the '80s, was it? 'cause if your age was that old, I'd have to check how you reacted to garlic or crosses or something." That's a compliment, honest.

He shakes his head, then pauses, thinking it over as he finishes another bit. "Yes and no," he says, "I was born here, but I haven't been here since I was, like, three. So kinda, but not in any useful kind of way. Just got here a couple days back. You?" Last bite of the pie, which is apparently the waitress's cue to bring the waffles by. Or that's luck. Ice cream on those, too, and after a moment, maple syrup as well.

"It was not the 80s." Baylee replies with a laugh, shaking her head, "Not even the 90s. But there is an amazing club scene back home, and the neon is still very in with the right crowds." Or the wrong crowds, as the case might be depending on how you look at the situation.

The question about if she's from here causes her to laugh, looking at him incredulously, "No. London...mostly, but I went to boarding schools, so I can say also that I've experienced the wonderful countryside." Her tone declares that it is not, in fact, lovely. To her. "I just got here...first night was a little rough, but I'm at that B&B until I can find a landing spot."

"'cause blacklight?" Aidan asks, "I've been to some like that. Not in England, though, I've never actually left the country. Well, no. Technically continent. But that wasn't very long." He looks faintly confused at first by the incredulity and the start of the answer, then seems to more or less catch on. Or possibly to decide he doesn't care that much. "So also just a couple days?" he asks, "I found a trailer park. It's pretty not bad. I can show you where it is if you're aiming for longer than B&B time?" Offer or invitation, whatever. "How come you left London for Gray Harbor? It's kinda more toward that wonderful countryside side of things... Though, I guess not so much the boarding school part."

"I've not been in London for a year or more." Vague. The vagueness of someone purposefully not keeping track of how long since they'd left home. "I'm planning to stick around though...so..." She tilts her head, then laughs at him, "Not going to show up to find police tape and a need for an alibi are we?"

Evidently that is a big, giant yes on the offer or invitation. Whichever it is. "Couple of days though, yeah."

"Sure as hell hope not," Aidan replies, "Though, I guess I can't be sure whoever lives across from me now doesn't have a homicidal ex. So no promises, all I really know about them is they have a whole row of potted plants pretending to be a hedge in front of their stairs. ...it looks kind of good, actually." It stays cheerful, more influenced by the agreement to the whichever it is than the potential Horrific Murder that could theoretically be awaiting. But, you know. Probably isn't.

He falls quiet a moment, suddenly distracted, though eating another fair-sized bite of the waffle and accoutrements might manage to cover for it a bit. When he finishes the bite, he asks, "So aside from finding a place to live, what've you got in mind? Whatcha planning to do, and why here?"

"I'm a P.I." Because that is a totally believable occupation, right? But she says it like it is, even if it sounds a little right out of the movies. "As for why here? Not sure." That is also a painfully honest answer.

"I figure why not here? At least until I get bored and move on, but so far...there seems to be a lot worth sticking around this shit hole for." No offense was probably meant to the locals. While he continues to eat his waffles she straightens up, starting to settle her tab at the very least.

Aidan turns his head from where the waffles (probably) had drawn his attention a moment back to her, one brow arching. "For real?" he asks, though at least it sounds like 'yes' is an answer he's likely to accept. Maybe faintly impressed? "'cause that's kind of awesome. Maybe I oughta be hiring you, except I'm mostly broke so, you know, maybe not so much." And yes, it seems he'll accept 'why not here' for moving to a small town and presumably starting up a business there. Why not there, apparently. He goes through the waffles fairly swiftly, including the part where he tries adding in one of the small packets of marmalade on the counter; it would appear the verdict is 'good with ice cream and waffles, maybe less good with maple syrup', but he eats it either way. "Are you investigating anything yet?"

"Yes." It's a yes! An amused one as he rushes right ahead with the idea that he needs to hire her, "Do you have something that you need to hire me for, though?" She wonders, tossing the money for her pancakes and pie onto the counter, turning around to watch him as he works on finishing his waffles, "I am willing, at least, to consider alternative payment. If you can suggest an arrangement that we're all in agreement on....and no, not investigating anything yet. But I'm sure before to long I'll be following some fat slob around while he cheats on his wife."

Aidan considers that likelihood for the space of another bite. "Well, I hope he's at least cheating on her with someone hot, if you've gotta watch?" What the correct well-wishes are for that situation, he has no examples to model on, so that's what ya get. "Anyway, I was adopted," he says, "and I'm kinda curious who from. I know I was born in that hospital," a small tip of his head in the general direction of, indeed, the hospital, despite his overall lack of familiarity with the town, "but they did that thing where my birth certificate has my adoptive parents on it and..." He shrugs. "It's not that big a deal, really, but I'm kinda curious. I mean, I could run into one of 'em buying groceries and not even know. As far as alternative payment... well, I guess it kinda depends what you need."

"Aaaahhh." Baylee draws that sound out for a long moment, nodding, "Yeah, that makes it a bit of a mess to delve into, but there are ways to try and find out who they might have been. At least your mother, if your father wasn't there it is harder to pin down outside finding her, and asking her...and hoping she tells. Or rumors. But yeah, you can hunt down information like that. No problem." She then smiles a bit, starting to get to her feet, "We can work that out, if you are wanting to hire me. You done with your waffles?"

Aidan lifts a finger, and polishes off the rest of his waffles like someone who has at some point been in situations where he had to beat other people to doing it. It's still acceptably neat and presentable, just fast. And the bites might be just verging on 'cut that in half, young man'. But it means he's done fairly swiftly, pushing the plate slightly away as he drains the last of his coffee, and pulling out his wallet as he stands afterward. "Yup," he says, now that it's true, and after a glance at the bill that's been discreetly dropped by, leaves some cash to cover it, tip included.

The wallet's slid away again, and he makes a chivalrous sort of arm gesture toward the door: "Shall we?" Any effect it might have created is somewhat spoilt by the quiet clatter of his fork managing to fall off the counter behind him, as if it were making up for him preventing it before; his eyes flick ceilingward in exasperation and he turns to scoop the thing up and put it back on the plate, muttering something under his breath. Then he turns back to start toward the door. "Did you drive here?"

"I did not drive." Baylee shakes her head at that, but she does at least take the arm, before...and then after, that pesky fork decided to fall. Again. It's weird, but silverware falls, so she doesn't think it's so weird beyond a bit of clumbsy happening. She pulls her phone out, "I can call an Uber I bet."

Assumeing there is Uber in this place. It's a fear she hasn't yet had to face.

"I did," Aidan replies, brighter again, "...drive here, not call an Uber. I mean, that would probably work too, but then I'd just have to call another one later to get back here, so you might as well just ride with me." Entirely logical and surely entirely comforting. He has an old van; that probably is too. But it's a decently-cared-for and entirely functional thing, and it gets them to the trailer park with absolutely no offers of candy or puppies and only a minimum of singing along to the radio. It could be worse.