2019-12-11 - Who Bought What

It's around lunch time, and what better lunch to get than a giant coffee? Or a regular-sized coffee and a croissant, or whatever there is that's available. Lots of delicious stuff, clearly. Ciprian is currently in line to get something like that, though exactly what will not be revealed until it's his turn. He's scrolling through his phone as he waits, in deference to evil technology that is taking over the world. Or something.

Beth is currently sitting at a table waiting for Ciprian, who she is meeting for lunch, while he gets his lunch coffee. Also a slave to technology she is scrolling through email while neglecting the chef salad spaced in front of her. She does occasionally take a sip from her coffee cup, because caffeine>calories. Since she is close enough to still talk to him she asks Ciprian, "Do you think Amazon is unethical? Because I feel like Christmas options are either Amazon or driving to Tacoma."

When Beth actually speaks to him, Ciprian looks up, and because he's not completely rude, he puts the device away, turning to her as he waits. "Yes," he says, "but since Jeff Bezos has made it more or less indispensable for most people, I'll only judge you a little bit for using it." His tone is dry, but it is a joke. "Am I that late? I thought I was on time." Since she's already ordered.

There is a rush of excitement at the counter and several of the window sitting patrons as a green and gray truck rumbles into the parking area. A wipe board is set up behind the register, and there is almost a cheer as a favorite game begins. 'How Many Stumbles?!'
Thewlis Moore steps into the coffee shop, head down, jacket zipped with the collars up, beanie pulled down low as he shuffle steps to the counter and begins his attempt to place an order.

"You probably buy Ashira presents that were hand-whittled through free trade co-opts." Beth responds with a wry little smile that widens as she continues her teasing, "And you make sure all of the people involved in the process of sewing your button-up shirts are receiving a living wage." She shrugs a little, "I had an appointment with a family since they want to do a home viewing so I got here a little early." Her eyes flick to the window since everyone is rushing over there, and her eyes roll just a touch. "Jesus. Do these mouth breathers not have wifi?"

At the door, Lyric waves to Anne and Emma, a mom and daughter that lives in the trailer park. She's got one earbud in her ear, the other hanging down and she sort of be-bops inside and is on the way to the counter, singing something about resting in pieces when she notices Thewlis. "Hi Thewlis," she greets him, stopping so she doesn't physically run into him. "If you wanna go ahead an' sit down I'll order ya something." She noticed his bob and weave stumbling. Her attention on him, she's not seen the others yet though.

"I really, really don't," Ciprian remarks with a snort. However, he does add, "I whittle them myself from kosher trees I chop down." A brief smile flashes across his face as he says that, and he steps up to place his order. Coffee and a sandwich, the most generic order imaginable, before he turns to Beth again, starting that way. He passes by Thewlis and Lyric just as the latter speaks to the former, and he nods to them both a little vaguely, in the way one does when one is passing someone one doesn't know but is occupying space near one.

There is a -distinct- sudden dislike for Lyric from the wait staff and the people whom had been waiting foe the games to begin. Thewlis nods at Lyric, looking to her with genuine gratitude, he doesn't speak but he does allow a brief smile before he ducks and scuttles for one of the tables, moving like a five year old through the Bully Fields of elementary school rather than a man who has clearly worked hard labor all his life and would not be the most fun person to be punched by.
Ciprian's acknowledgement draws a flinch from Thewlis while the gravedigger tries to go unnoticed, but he offers a polite returns as he gets a seat.

Beth is glaring at those in the room, the disappointment evident in her eyes. "It's super gross to make fun of people for things they can't help, and reflects more on people doing it than that person." Finished with throwing her shade she picks up her fork and stabs it into her salad to take a bite. She snorts at Ciprian's comment, "Can trees be kosher? Do they have to not contain bacon?" She lifts a hand to wave to Lyric.

Lyric has never really cared much what people thought about her, she walks to the beat of her own drum, like her or not. "Coffee and a sandwich?" She asks him as he heads over to a table. As the other, nicely dressed man passes, she grins to him and offers a wave, friendly enough. She's wearing jeans and a football jersey with a gray and black striped hoodie over it and as she orders, she tugs the earbud out of her ear, still tapping her fingers on her leg as if the song is still in her mind. "That's all!" she exclaims after the order is finished. In the process of turning to check on Thewlis, she notices Beth and beams a smile, "Hi! I'm happy to see you again."

Ciprian does look a little surprised at the flinch from Thewlis -- again, it's a vague expression, though enough to be noticeable, certainly. His attention is caught by Lyric's wave, though, and it is returned, along with another brief smile. Beth's words draw his gaze back there, and his eyebrows raise as he looks from her, to Thewlis, to the apparently disappointed people. Now he's thoroughly confused, but what he says is, "Trees are kosher as long as you remove all the bugs that have many legs or very short legs. So I have to inspect it before I chop it down." He sits down, taking a sip from his coffee as his eyes sweep the room again, ending up on Lyric once more when she speaks to Beth.

Thew nods at the offer, "Lot... sugar. No cream... Club?" looking back to Lyric as he turns towards Beth's outburst. Part of him knowing it was in his defense, but the rest of him flinching at the sudden loud that forces him to curl up and hunch some.
Brows knit he looks to Beth next, nodding to her and giving a moment to shift his chair so that he can face more towards her from the island of his table. He looks back to Ciprian, briefly, and then drops his eyes back to his table with an apologetic look on his face.

Beth takes her phone from the table and her thumbs begin moving across it very fast before she puts it down on the table. She gives Ciprian a befuddled look when he describes the process of making a tree kosher, like she isn't sure if she believes him or not. "Wait...I feel really dumb for asking this, but is that actually true?" She smiles at Lyric when she is greeted. "Hello! How are you, Lyric?" A pause, "Have you met Ciprian Kosimar?" She nods to Thewlis when he nods to her, and then she waves a hand in invitation to join them.

Waiting at the counter, Lyric pays for the things and as soon as they are placed on a tray, she picks it up and carries it over to Thew's table, having a seat across from him. "A big coffee, lots of sugar, no cream, and a club sandwich." Her own, almost the same, a coffee, little sugar and lots of cream and a club sandwich is removed from the tray and she slides the tray across so he can use it himself. What Beth does gets her a smile, for taking up for Thew, she remembers her from the former night. And the time she told her about her mom. "I am great. I'm happy to see you again. Very much." Shaking her head, she smiles at Ciprian, "It's nice to meet ya. I'm Lyric Bates." Then offers a reassuring.. "Everything's okay, Thewlis. You got friends here."

Stefhan enters the coffee shop and pauses to order a simple cup of Joe. After paying for it and taking it, he turns around to see who or who may not be here. Most of the faces are unfamiliar but should someone offers a wave in greeting to him, he offers a friendly wave in return. The coffee remains in his hand though until he notices other magazines that attract his attention more. "I wonder if they do have the latest edition of Cyberworld here."

Ciprian takes another sip from his coffee, savoring the flavor -- or maybe the caffeine, who knows. "Actually, yes," he confirms, "it's true. Most insects aren't kosher. Only certain grasshoppers, and somewhat ironically, locusts." He doesn't sound like he's joking, though it's kind of hard to tell. His tone is still the same, in any case.

The introduction has him looking up, though, and he smiles. "Hi, Lyric," he says, "it's nice to meet you, too." He turns to Thewlis again then as well, and he punctuates Lyric's statement to the man with another, "Hi." Stefhan's arrival, too, gets a nod.

Standing, head down, Thew moves for Beth's table, following Lyric. "Hi... thu-uh... th-th... I. Appreci..." he sighs looking to the new face and in Beth's general direction before he's scanning the room for attackers. "People... mad. Ruined. F-f-hu-huu... fun." brow knitting. "I'm... I. Sorry. I'm. You didn't need. Tha-thu..." Thewlis shuts up then, settling into a seat, head ducking down low.

Stefhan looks over toward Ciprian and his assocites. Apparently, he did notice the friendly gesture and he offers a verbal, "Hello" before taking a seat. Unless deciding to go elsewhere, he moves to hold some 'techy' type magazines and reviews the pages out of curiousity.

Beth gives Ciprian a surprised look at this information. "That...seems like a lot. So that's like the dudes who wear suits and the hats with the curls, right? Like that serious?" She smiles back at Lyric again before she motions invitingly to their table as well when Thewlis comes over. She then says casually to Thewlis, "Of course I did, and if they have a problem with it they can take it up with me." Normally not a scary threat coming from a woman who looks like Beth, but being a mortician does make her scarier than she actually is. "Ciprian this is Thewlis Moore. Thewlis Ciprian Kosimar." Stefhan gets a polite nod of the head.

Lyric takes the tray wherever they settle and gives him his part of the food, unwrapping her own part of the sandwich. She doesn't try and speak for Thewlis or anything, but she does take a quarter of her sandwich to take a bite. "I'd invite you and your girlfriend to Karaoke night, but it gets super crowded," she tells Thew. When someone else comes in, she looks up and waves, all chipper mood-like and then another smile to Beth and Ciprian, since they are so close now. "Did you win anything at the auction?"

Stefhan sighs and stands up a moment. "Bad timing as always" he groans. Putting a large tip on the counter, he goes to leave, muttering something about certain magazines before going.

"I... well. I... Could. I." he lets the first response to Lyric's comment to him go as he fights to speak, coffee brought to Thewlis's lips for a concealed sip. "Muh-m-uh... Box... Dinner wuh... whi... Roh-rohhh..." he sighs and takes another sip of coffee, looking to Beth and Ciprian... "Muh-mih-Minerva's... rel-reh-rehl..." another sigh and his eyes drop.

"Yeah. That's not really something we do," Ciprian confirms with a little chuckle. "We're mostly just the basics at our house." He stands up then, going to grab the sandwich that's ready now, though he replies over his shoulder, "I didn't, but I benefitted anyway. I got some free babysitting, courtesy of Lawson Funeral Home." He gestures to Beth when he says this, as though that needed saying.

Once he's sat down again, his gaze moves to Thewlis, and the other man's last statement gets a nod. "Her brother," he confirms. "Older and wiser." Another smile crosses his face, fond despite the joking words.

The door of the coffee shop swings open, letting Yule step through with his white dress shirt and black slacks, the long woolen gray coat draping his form as he steps through the shop and up towards the counter. Cash is exchanged along with his order, and then the M.E. takes a few long moments to let his brown eyes sweep around the place before they came to settle on the caretaker. "Hey, Thewlis," A flicker of a smile graces his lips, a dip of his head given towards the man. "Meant to swing by your place when I got home. How are you doing?" His eyes sweep over, offering a nod towards the others, each recognized in turn, "Hey Ciprian, good to see you again. Babysitting? Great gift, yeah? I got in a small bidding war over a dinner, but the other man finally won it." At this? Yule's eyes cut back to Thewlis, offering the fellow a good natured smile.

Beth nods her head in confirmation when Ciprian mentions the babysitting. "Yeah, I got the babysitting as a gift to Ciprian, but what I really wanted was that mystery box. I was in a bidding war over it. I don't even want it, really. But I wish I could have found out what is inside." She then asks Lyric, "And what about you?" Her head swivels to look at Thewlis, "Wait, you got the box? What was in the box?!" She gives Thewlis an intrigued look as she waits for a description. When Yule comes in she lifts a hand to wave to him. "Join us?" She asks with an easy smile.

Looking up when she sees Yule, Lyric grins at him. "So did you look up the song? Or did you bring cookies?" There's teasing in her voice just before she takes a bite of her club sandwich, listening to what all was bid on and what all was won. "You won something from August? He's really nice, I like him. But don't let him set the couch on fire." A soft giggle from her before she looks at Ciprian, "You need a babysitter?" Though Beth gets the next question, "And you get to be the babysitter?" She laughs again, she'd seen the auction, she knew it was the bartender from the strip club that was offering it. Maybe. "Love is babysitting?" Just making sure. "I won Jaime. I didn't think I'd win him, but I did. Now I gotta decide where to go." She looks interested at the topic of the mystery box and the contents, so she also smiles at Thewlis. "Was it great?"

Ciprian looks up at his name, and he lifts a hand to Yule in greeting, replying, "Hey, Yule. Yeah, it's an amazing gift. Now I just have to decide where to go. The possibilities are endless and overwhelming." What do people without children do? WHO KNOWS?! Probably cool stuff all the time. "I have a daughter," he says as an aside to Lyric, "and it'll be a couple years before she can watch herself. Then, freedom."

However, he's distracted by Beth's words, and he looks back to her. "Wait," he says, "there was a mystery box?" It's his turn to look over at Thewlis, since it seems he's the one who would know what was inside it.

At first when Beth asks 'what's in the box' part of Thewlis clicks and he says clearly, "The severed head of Gwyneth Paltrow." half smiling to himself. Yule's approach causes him to raise his head. "Hi... Yule. Doin... I'm... I'm Ok." he moves a leg out, pulling up a pant leg to show blue socks with pickles on them. "There was a... Lamp, Vodka... old lamp, water pistol... Kitten poster."

"Hey Beth," Yule's head dips her way as his coffee is slid to him across the counter, the to go cup left on as he plucks it up, "I'd love to, but just got off work, and need to get home. A small bit of laughter comes rumbling from life at Lyric's questions, a glimmer of amusement flashed her way. "No cookies on me today. But I did listen to the song. Liked it. Reminds me of some of the stuff I remember from the 90s, yeah? What did you think of the auction?"

But he does approach, even if he doesn't move to sit down, those eyes shifting back to Thewlis. "Yeah? Had someone told me they were worried about you after the end of the jello match." It's a beat of a pause, his lips pursing in silent consideration as he gives a glance over the fellow, "But glad to hear you are all good."

Beth pushes her salad around with her fork, and nods her head seriously to Ciprian. "Oh yeah. I bid so hard on it." She waves her hands and mouths 'no' to Lyric when she says that. "Oh no. His daughter is cool and not bratty, but still no." She gives Ciprian a slightly apologetic look before she adds, "She probably doesn't need to know what a trocar is." She snorts in amusement when Thewlis says that so clearly. "Was it good vodka?" She nods in understanding at Yule, and glances to Thewlis at his question.

"Love is super nice and she makes the best drinks at the club." Lyric tells him. The clarity in which Thewlis speaks just surprises her and she laughs a little, not used to it. "It looks like a lot of fun things Thewlis. I'm glad you got it." As for what she thought of it, she grins. "I think I won a Jaime. I mean he's not the best looking Kelly apparently," she jokes. A few more bites of her sandwich and she looks back at Beth. "I took Emma trick or treeting at the Addington Park, but I never babysitted for a long time before. Not and got paid for it. I babysat lil kids alla time in the foster homes though." Doesn't seem to bother her. Her food holds her interest and she eats several more bites until just the edges of her sandwich are left. Nope, not eating the edges.

"Juh... It was... Juh-huh-hust... Svedka" At the probing of the auction night Thew's hand goes to his chest rubbing gently and he looks down at the table. "I. It. I was. I didn't mean. I was. I won't I won't... I. I'm. I was just. I." the stuttering coming rapid fire now as he hunches and begins trying to be small. "I won't. Again. Not. I won't. I'll. I'm sorry." he has a grimace as if he had been just struck. The gravedigger's hands remain wrapped around his coffee, which he is staring down into now, speech stopped and replaced by slow, deep, breaths.

"Cool and not bratty, I think, is about as good as you can hope for in an 8-year old, so I'll take it," Ciprian says with a smile. He doesn't seem to be offended by Beth's babysitting horror. "You have matching dolphin bracelets, I think that's good enough." Yule's statement about work gets a little wry chuckle, and he admits, "I should probably be getting back to that, myself." Though he doesn't move to leave just yet, instead takes a bite of his sandwich.

He's quiet for a moment while he focuses on lunch, looking from one to the other, though Lyric's words have him smiling a little bit. He looks to Thewlis then, but doesn't say anything more for the moment.

"Nothing to apologize for," Yule murmurs to THewlis, a small frown curling to the corners of his mouth at the reaction he causes within the other man. "If you get tired of your vodka, and want a change of pace, swing by some night again, yeah?" A low breath is pushed out, and then his eyes glance back over towards Beth and Ciprian, calling out. "I'll look to catch up with you two soon. Hope you find something enjoyable to do for your few blissful hours of free time with that babysitting." With his cup in hand, Yule's focus drifts last to Lyric, flashing her a faint smile when his first comment about the song doesn't get a reaction. "And you? Owe me an ornament still, I believe. I'll be keeping an eye out for it."

"Was that the pizza and striptease guy?" Beth asks Lyric a little teasingly. "As for babysitting I refused, but I had a built in summer job at the family business cleaning the viewing room between services." Cause that sounds like what a teenager wants to do for a summer job. She nods a little to Thewlis, "Well, that's a decent vodka." She seems to ignore Thewlis's reaction to Yule's question, trying not to draw attention to it. Instead she laughs a little, and pulls her suit jacket up to show off her bracelet. "Um dolphins are cool as shit." She then adds, "I managed to get $300 for the item I donated, and all I had to do was kind of imply a guy was ugly to shame him into it?" She makes a little face. "Probably not my best moment." She lifts a hand to wave to Yule. "See you around."

"I already bought your ornament, but I was coming by and you were busy there were a lot of people there that night so I figured I'd walk over later. I'll come over soon and bring it to you." Lyric tells him with a grin. "I guess babysitting isn't so bad. If the kids are older than diaper age." But as for Thewlis' trouble.. "Someone hurt him at the auction last night. Someone hurt him cause he was helping Sparrow to win. They did magic on him. It hurt him and scared him."

Something clicks again, Thewlis's eyes dull as he goes somewhere. "The man who auditioned for Sloth spent weeks getting malnourished to play the part, to look like he was starving in the bed. The casting directors joked he needed to loose 10 or 15 more pounds to get the role. So he did it. In two weeks..." he doesn't hear people talking about it. He's talking trivia, it's calming him down ad pulling him out of it.

It's Lyric's words that just has Yule staring at her a moment, before his eyes cut over to Thewlis, a twitch of that frown coming back once more. His mouth opens, something on the tip of his tongue, but instead he just gives a dip of his head to the others. "Enjoy your evening, yeah? Take care." His features crease with a look of concern one last time when he looks to the caretaker, but then he's moving, heading on through the door and back out to the street.

"See you, Yule. Have a good day." Ciprian lifts his cup to the other man, before he finishes it off. "Yes, Ashira agrees that dolphins are cool as shit." This gets a little wider smile -- since Ashira is, as we stated, eight -- but it fades as Lyric speaks, and he looks from her to Thewlis, his brow furrowing just a touch. He looks like he wants to say something, but whatever it is will have to wait because his phone buzzes. He reaches into his pocket, but it must be an alarm because he doesn't take the phone out, just stands. "I should get back to work," he admits. "Lyric, Thewlis. Nice to meet you. I'll see you soon, Beth." With that, he turns to head out as well.

Beth glances briefly at Thewlis when he states this trivia fact clearly. She looks a little concerned, but Ciprian's alarm reminds her she is also on a schedule. "Shit. I have an appointment to keep, too." She says, apparently still acting casual about Thewlis's coping mechanism, "I'll see you both later. Have a nice day!" She stands up to toss her salad than and heads towards the door.

"It's okay Thew, everyone leaves when we talk about magic. People like to pretend it doesn't exist, but it does. And then people get surprised by it all over again every time." Lyric sighs a little, but then smiles, "We know the truth." That said, she reaches for her coffee. "Speaking of losing weight, you should eat your sandwich. It'll be good for you."

Nodding, Thew picks up and starts to eat, chewing slowly. "Thank. Thanks..." looking to Lyric for a moment before his eyes are on his food again. "I. If you... Seen. Won't see... till spring... At your mama's grave... I planted climbing. Roses. Climbing. I planted... Climbing Roses." chewing down another bite. "Will... prune. So.... Name not covered."

"You did? Oh Thew that's the best surprise ever thank you very much. I can't wait till the spring. I want to take a picture of the roses. What color will they be? I like every color. I left a rainbow of colors there for her on Thanksgiving. On Christmas I will leave her a poinsettia. I hope it'll last at least till the new year." Lyric ate all her sandwich except the crust, so she's finished and just drinking her coffee now.

"Peach... champagne blush... Fading... edges. White bottom... Golds and pinks." munching away, Thew focuses now, brows knit. "Glad you like. You. Good. You're a... Good. Nice person. Mama... she. I think. Deserves." he smiles inwardly and runs a hand through his salt and pepper hair. "It should. I'm. Poinsettia. I'm. It's. I'm watching... It's tended. Don't worry."

"That'll be the prettiest colors. Mama will love them and I will love them too. Are you gonna have a Christmas tree? Are you and your girlfriend gonna have a Christmas together?" Lyric reaches out a hand to touch his briefly, not the one he's eating with. "Thank you for taking care of her grave. If there's ever anything I can do for you would you tell me?"

Entire body going tense at the touch, he is very still for a long moment. Thew bites his lip and takes a breath. "Its. I'm. Yes. She's... Her family coming. Will be. Big roast. You should come." at her other question he wonders, "Won dinner. With Roxy. Help me. Find a suit?" brow knitting. "Shes... She's. I think... Nice. She's nice." he frowns. "Didn't want... for. Didn't. Creeps to win. And. Don't want... Her. I should look. Presentable. People are.... she gets treated. Because she dances. Not fair. Seems decent person."

Seeing how distraught he gets with her touch, Lyric removes it, "We can go shopping. They got a lot of nice things at the goodwill, that's where I usually shop. It's fun mixing and matching. And you're right, I work with her and she's super nice. I'm glad you won the dinner with her, she'll be safe with you. I bet you'll have such a good time. I'll help you though, It'll be fun. You got my number don't ya? Cause I gotta go for now, but I will come by soon and we can go. Tomorrow maybe?"

Nodding, Thew actually reaches over to rest his hand on her wrist. "Sure. T-t-uh-tuh..." a breath. "Tomorrow." looking up at her briefly, before his eyes goes to the floor. "You. Yuh... Yuhr..." biting his lip so hard it whitens. "You're... nice. Very nice. I'm... I. I'm. It's not. I'm. Sorry I... make you. Feel... like... that you're... doing. That you're doing wrong." patting her hand gingerly before he jerks away as if expecting to be slapped. "Hard... It's... Hard. I..." brow knitting. "Thank you." he pulls out a card and offers it. "If.. if you... Nuh-nee-need muh-mine" the bit of cardstock reading his name, a number, and listing him as a handyman.

The touch surprises her, but Lyric doesn't pull away, she just tries to meet his eyes a moment but watches him look at the floor instead. "You're nice too, Thew. I don't feel like I'm doing wrong. I just feel like you're a little bit scared. I'm never gonna hurt you. I don't want to hurt you at all. Just know that, okay? No matter what I'll never hurt you. I wish no one ever did, because you're too nice." Reaching for his number, she smiles, "Thank you. If you ever need someone to talk to, or you ever get afraid of anything, call me or text me. Or if people are mean to you like people in here, let me know. I can come sit with you anytime."

Lyric inputs his number in her phone then texts him so he has her number.

Thewlis bobs his head, tapping back in his own phone as the text comes in... He even looks back down to it and taps away furiously, chewing at his lower lip at the idea.