2019-11-25 - Filling In

The day before Thanksgiving finds Andi Johnson at The Waffle Shop. Her and her partner Rick had run patrol the previous night to a rather uneventful evening. The detectives were running patrols because they had volunteered for the week since there was a shortage. No shame in their game, they didn't mind it. Now though they are seated at one of the tables with a menu considering what to order. Andi is perusing it even though she knows what she will likely get. The waitress is hovering after pouring both a complimentary coffee. It's a cop thing. "I also want orange juice and I guess the pecan waffles. None of the whipped cream nonsense. Just pecan waffles and syrup. What about you, partner? I'll buy. Happy Thanksgiving." She gives a smirk.

Smiling momentarily as he listens to Andi's order, offering her a brief grin. "Sounds like someone's gotten to be the expert on the menu here," he remarks, before he adds, "I'll take what she's having," he offers to the waitress. "Happy Thanksgiving," he offers in return as well, smiling momentarily as he looks around the room for a few brief moments.

The clickity clack of Clarissa's heels can be heard on the tile floor as she makes her way in, seeming bored even though she's rudely speaking to her iPhone that is clearly on the speaker setting, "I don't really care if you think it's impossible, if you look up the contract you signed there's a clause in there about making the impossible possible, Michael. So take your Yale-negativity and make it work." She sits down at the counter near to Andi and Rick without really placing them and says to the waitress that's serving her, "Are the waffles here gluten free?"

"I may eat here a little too often. Especially when running patrols. Hey, any night you don't get shot is a good night." Her eyes drop to his shoulder then lift to his face again. "Have you called back home yet?" It's a more serious question than their usual joking banter. "You know your family will want to hear from you for the holidays." The two are in uniform since they were running patrol, but their badges identify them as detectives. The conversation over the speaker does get overheard, not intentionally, but enough to have her gaze flicker over her then land back on her partner. She doesn't say a word.

Rick chuckles. "True, not getting shot makes a night far better," he replies. The question makes him pause a bit and his expression grows a bit distant for a few moments, before he's very happy to use Clarissa's entrance as a distraction. Studying her for a few moments, and the phone conversation that it would be hard to miss, he looks back to Andi after a few moments, nodding at something.

The person on the other end of the phone, it sounds like a young man, stammers a few more excuses and Clarissa lets out a long suffering sigh, "Just do your job," then she hangs up without so much as a goodbye and frowns at the lack of gluten free waffles on the menu. It's then she actually notices Rick and Andi, grimacing a bit, "I always forget this place is basically a donut shop."

Andi isn't going to allow Rick to get away with evasiveness that easily and she tilts her head, considering him. "Family?" Questioning with that single word, reminding him, mostly just minding their own business. A brow arches as she looks towards the loud woman and she gives an amused sort of chuff sound. There's a come back just there on the edge of her tongue, it looks like she may say something before she remembers she's in uniform and just looks back to her partner instead. "So did you call them?"

"At least it's good donuts, right?" Rick remarks a bit lightly as he looks to Clarissa again. There's a brief smile and a nod offered to her, before he looks back to Andi, shaking his head with a bit of a sigh. "No."

Clarissa sniffs before replying to Rick, "I don't eat gluten or sugar when I can help it," although it appears she can't help it now and places an order for a waffle with strawberries and cream. Then because she apparently doesn't recognize social cues such as two people having a conversation that doesn't involve her she picks up her coffee cup and asks, "Are you two actually getting paid to sit here and eat or is your shift over?" Considering how many complaints Clarissa has in to the captain she has probably already memorized their badge numbers in case it is the former.

"You're in a surprisingly good mood for having worked all night, P." Andi shortening partner to the one syllable. His response to her own question gets that brow arch again. "Because of her?" She knows the story but not all of it. Enough of it. Her gaze goes back to Clarissa. "A diet wouldn't do you terrible." Lips twitching, she tilts her head a little. "Now see, ma'am, we're allowed lunches just like regular employees in the city hall. Just so happens breakfast falls under lunch category if break happens to fall in the mornings after working all night. As it is, our lunch break was at three o'clock in the morning. We got off at eight. Currently we're on our own tiime. How about you? Are you late for work on the tax payers dime?" Just flipping it around.

"See, I always enjoyed working nights. A nice change of pace, usually," Rick replies, before he shrugs. "Well, mostly it's because the closest family member these days would be some cousin or the other, I think," he replies, a bit quietly. There's a nod offered to Clarissa again as he listens, but he lets Andi answer this time.

Clarissa narrows her eyes a little bit and smooths down the blouse over her stomach, that bit about her needing to diet clearing landing, "I volunteer my time, thank you. The Historical Society is a volunteer venture and not funded by tax payers, working for the good of the city and its history. We're not even located in city hall any more, we have our own building in the old post office."

"When we're doing our usual detective jobs, I'll work any hours. On patrol, over nights are best. Stake outs aren't bad either." Andi stops talking as her food is delivered along with her orange juice and Rick's food also. The syrup is lightly applied, she didn't want much. "Yeah that's reason enough. You can spend Thanksgiving with my family if you want. Or there's that community one tonight. I'll have mine tomorrow with the fam so you're welcome over." She lifts her eyes after cutting a bite and catches that smooth over her blouse. "I was just kidding. Don't doubt yourself, you're gorgeous. Never let anyone make you feel not good enough. Especially another woman." She considers a moment. "Or especially a man too." She smiles a little more. "Sorry I'm grumpy. Just over tired I guess."

Rick nods a bit as he hears Andi's words. There might be a touch more syrup applied to his food, but not that much. "I was..." he begins, before he smiles, "That sounds quite nice, thank you. If your family doesn't mind, of course." There's a brief pause as he offers a smile to Clarissa, "She speaks the truth," he offers.

If anything, Andi's words of encouragement seem to annoy Clarissa all the more and when her waffle arrives she scoops the whipped cream off to the side, "Yes, well, with all the crime in this city I can see how detectives such as yourself might be working overtime. And it's only going to get worse when that casino opens. If you're already having trouble closing cases, you're just going to be more overwhelmed." She looks at the syrup selection and frowns, picking up one of the lighter colored ones and pouring a bit out. Like a teaspoon worth. Hardly a dollop.

"My mother told me to make sure I asked you." Andi confesses, "You know my mom and dad, they're excited. David will likely be there too." Her brother is on the city council. "They still have Krissy out of town in a safe place after the Gohl thing." She glances over to Clarissa and shrugs. "I'm not part of the casino case. I believe the Captain has that one."

Rick pauses for a few moments. "She did? Then of course I will have to accept that invitation." He nods a bit as he hears Clarissa's words, "True." He offers them both a smile, before he takes a bite of his food. "Ah, quite nice."

"That'd explain it," Clarissa mutters, clearly no fan of the Captain. Or cops in general! She has a few tentative bites of her waffle, but mostly appears to be eating the strawberries. As her phone buzzes she lets out another exasperated sigh and gestures to her plate, "Could you box this up?" Then she answers the phone, still on speaker apparently, to say irritably, "How hard is it to find someone that can carve an ice swan and then gold plate it!? Seriously, Michael..." Then she's stepping outside to at least not be completely rude and yell at her assistant while people are trying to have conversations.

Andi gets into her food even while Clarissa seems to be getting on to her assistant. With no shame, she looks at her partner. "No amount of money is worth being Michael." Her lips quirk and she goes back to eating. "I'm glad you're coming. It'll be fun."

Rick grins as he hears that. "No amount, hmmm?" There's a brief pause, before he shrugs, "I don't know..." He grins as he eats some more, before he smiles. "It'll be quite different from the last few years, that's for sure."

"I'm sure it will. You know, you could surprise her with a call." Andi tells him with a half smile, not thinking he would actually do it, but the reminder is there, just in case.