2019-12-12 - A Grizzley Warning

Kelsey was sitting in a window booth at the Grizzly. she was slowly working her way through a plate of bacon, cheese fries and a hamburger with a Coke.. Breakfast of champions! She is jotting down some things in a notebook in between eating. Her hair is pulled back and she's wearing a pair of dark jeans with a long-sleeve white top, a blue flannel over top of that. The weather was getting colder after all! The diner itself wasn't too crowded at this time of day, not yet. Just some local regulars scattered about.

Zach wanders into the diner, the man glancing around before he spots Kelsey. A smile spreads across his face before he ambles over that way. Making sure that he's well in view of her before he approaches, he offers a greeting nod. "Hey! Kelsey, right?" he asks curiously.

A rather large man eases the door open. His eyes briefly linger on the locks and hinges of the door, some strange observance of gearing specific to his trade. The flat line his lips are drawn into announce his assessment wasn't a rave review. Honestly, considering the Den's age and use, he seems to dismiss it. Par for the course. He spots himself a place at the countertop bar, after a brief look around. Zach is given a brief strange look as Leon steps by, eyes following to Kelsey, but neither of them seeming to dawn any recognition in his face.

Grabbing a discarded menu on the way, he clearly knows the drill. You'll be served when they deign to. Tossing the bear shaped folder down, he pulls off the self-branded parka he was wearing, revealing a fitted gray t-shirt and the evident ink on his arm. He was wearing work jeans, a few hand tools visible in the knee pockets, and the boot cut legs fell over a well-worn pair of Red Wings work boots. Tossing the coat down on the stool, he sits on it and opens the menu.

Kelsey peeked up as she heard someone coming closer. An upnod is given to Zach and to Leon, even though she only knows one of them. Swallowing her food, "You got it, Zach yeah? How's the B&B working out?" She asked, motioning for him to sit in the empty seat if he wanted. "Just stay away from the omelettes!" She calls a bit too cheerfully over to Leon as she sees he's perusing the menu.

Zach glances over at Leon as he comes in. The bartender also gives Leon an upnod with a faint smile before he takes the seat indicated. "What's so bad about the omelettes?" he asks curiously. "Or is that something that we don't ask either?" he considers curiously, leaning backwards.

Kelsey and Zach's nods had recieved a lifted hand, two fingers tapping his temple and waving away, the ghost of a friendly salute, good-natured. Both hands on the menu now he was looking, he returns, his voice raised just enough to be head workout bring rude, "You'd think after all these years they'd learn how to throw eggs on a grill." That's all the hint Zach gets. When a waiter shows up, eventually, he'd get some coffee, and Steak n'eggs breakfast, full complement of sausage and bacon. Carnivore, obviously. Oh wait, some hash browns too. Gotta keep it balanced.

"You know? I got no idea. Everyone, even Gina, " The owner - "Says to avoid 'em. So I'm not gonna take my chances. There are so many more exciting ways to kick the bucket than death by eggs." Kelsey mused, relaxing back in her seat. "Listen - cooking eggs is an art form. Not everyone's cut out for it." A bit of teasing in her tone - addressed to both men. "How's your job search going?" is asked to Zach.

Zach gets the full breakfast when the order comes round. Bacon, sausage, eggs, hash brown. If it goes on a plate, he'll eat it. There's a tilt of his head towards the other two. "Ah well. Guess I'll.. just not have them," he says with a shrug. "Job search? Yeah, going well. Got two. Picking up shifts at the Pourhouse and Two If By Sea," he explains.

The comparison, unarguable, is given a confirming grunt, "Look, all I'm saying is hire someone that knows a little more than finger painting for your kitchen, then." He jokes, tossing a look over his shoulder to Kelsey, drinking his delivered coffee black and settling in to wait. His phone appears, checking texts.

"Nice. I'll have to swing by one day - test your bartending skills." Kelsey mused, finishing off a piece of bacon. "Probably for the best to avoid them, yeah." Affirming about the omelettes. She picked up her pencil carefully, making a few additional scrawling notes on it. "Hey, I don't disagree. But, I dunno - I might be disappointed if they suddenly started advertising for the omelettes. Takes away the mystique and everything."

"Maybe one day a year you should only have the omelettes?" Zach considers, leaning back in his seat with a smile as he looks between Kelsey and Leon. "Zach," he introduces himself to Leon, even if the man's checking texts and not paying much attention to him right now.

"Leon." He answers, dipping his chin and pointing out the front window where his little NV200 was parked. Hebhad turned around in his stool, leaning one elbow on the bar and relaxing, sipping his coffee. "Got a friend who just started at the Pourhouse, too." He looks to Kelsey and can only offer the most theatrically noncommittal shrug. "At least it's a good idiot test."

"But one time could mean the last time I ever eat anything." Kelsey gave a fleeting frown. "Maybe if I see someone else eat one and not keel over." She decided, taking up another piece of bacon. "Or just stick with my bacon. I'm Kelsey." She offered to Leon as well since they were playing the brief round of name game. "It's a great idiot test. Who's your friend that started at the Pourhouse? I'll have to test their ability too."

"Not it," decides Zach, grinning at Kelsey, shaking his head. "I'll stick with everything else," he decides. There's a tilt of his head towards Leon, curious as to who this friend is.

"Maggi." He responds, lifting his cup both at the name and in demonatration, "Yae tall, blond." He shrugs, "She just pours me bourbons, tells me she can't cook. How that translates to mixing drinks, ehhhh?" Another little shrug, a wobbling of a flattened hand in the air. His breakfast plunked down with typical apathetic flair on the counter behind him, he turns around and sets to chowing.

"Oh come on Zach. Where's your sense of adventure?" Kelsey laughs as she stuffed another piece of bacon in her mouth. "Maggie. I'll keep an eye out. " She finally took a bite of her burger. "So what do you do Leon?" When the man had taken a break from his food.

"My sense of adventure ends at getting food poisoning," Zach says dryly, grinning over at Kelsey. "And I'd really prefer not to be out on my first couple of days in work," he decides, winking. "Maggi? I'll say hi to her next time I see her."

Not one to truly take a break from his massive plate, he sounds a bit muffled from food, covering his mouth with a fork-wielding hand. He answers, "Locksmith." He chews some, swallows, takes a sip of coffee, grunts graciously. "Fixing, keying, getting people into their cars or houses. Handsy work." He half turns, picking as he makes conversation, blue eyes flicking to the others. Clearly, he knew what Zach did, so he looks to Kelsey, "What about you?"

"Always good to know a locksmith. " She chuckled to Zach's comment about food poisoning. "That's fair." A little shrug of shoulders for what she does. "Little bit of everything. Mostly writing of various kinds. In the warmer seasons I'll do a bit of handy work myself."

Zach tucks into his food as Kelsey and Leon talk, the bartender eventually looking up to get a good gulp of coffee. "Now, Leon, you're not staying at the motel, are you?" he asks, blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Murder motel I keep hearing about?" He chuckles as he shakes his head before taking another sip of his coffee, "Nah, my place is over offa Spruce. Closed on it a couple months back. Perks of the vet. Easy to get predatory loans." He winces a little at the thought of his interest rate. Such normal concerns.

"I've been holding off on buying a place. Somehow renting makes me feel like I won't be in this damn town forever." Kelsey chuckled. "Spruce is a good street though. So, you coulda done worse!" She took another bite of burger. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who calls it the Murder motel." After the bite had been swallowed.

Zach grins at Kelsey. "Since I got here like six people have asked me if I'm staying in the murdermotel and told me never to stay there under any circumstances," he laughs, shaking his head. "But yeah, that's the one, Leon."

"It's a nice step up from the trailer park... Ok, but level with me." A piece of hash brown is tossed into his mouth casually, chewing a bit, "Why is it called the Murder Motel? And where is it?" I've never gotten the full story." He wipes his hand off on his jeans, "Also I need too know where not to take calls from at 2am." He adds.

"But I'll always be the first." Kelsey chuckled and then straightened up in her seat some. "A couple was found murdered there. And I think one other person too. Not sure if it was related or not." She elaborated. "It's that motel on the boardwalk."

Zach shakes his head. "Well, definitely never staying there. Or taking a booty call to," he says dryly, shaking his head. "though if I'm staying for a bit I probably shouldn't like.. stay in the B&B for ever."

Leon nods, picking up his phone like he need to add a note, talking slowly as he taps "No after hours calls to murder motel. Got it." It's dropped back in his pocket. Once more he makes that wavering flattened hand motion at Zach, "Ehhhh, yeah, probably the best plan. I mean... Cheap motels aren't always the best way to win a heart." He grins, "But fuck knows this town seems to drink its problems. And there's a lot of damn problems. Should be good tips for you."

"There's a lot of bigger houses on...Oak I think? Maybe some on Spruce. Either way - you could probably find a room in one of 'em. I live on Elm, which is near the trailer park. Not the best area to live in, but it's cheap." Kelsey flashed a bit of a grin towards Leon. "There's so many problems in this town it ain't even funny. Alcohol's the best medicine for that." Her phone started going off and she glanced at it briefly. "Ah, gotta take this." She slid out of the booth and moved a bit so she wouldn't be interrupting any more conversation.

"Oak and Spruce, got it," Zach says with a small nod. He smiles at Kelsey as she takes the phone call, glancing back to Leon. "Who said it's hearts I'd be winning?" he laughs, shaking his head. "Yeah, it does seem to be a... intense place, yeah?"

Zach's innuendo gives Leon a hearty laugh, the sound of a man who knew at least friends with that sort of mentality. "Alright, alright. Respecting the hustle." The phone he just tucked away starts to buzz and he takes it out, tapping through sonething first, a brow quirking, but his grin staying in place. He taps one last thing and lifts it to his ear, "Yeah, got the email... Thanks..." And hangs back up. He starts to pull his wallet out, dragging out money to drop on the counter, picking up his parka. "I mean, I grew up here, and I lived. But yeah. Anyhow, got a call to get to. Some lady locked her keys and dog in the car." He waves, "Good meeting you, Zach." He gives another little two finger half salute in Kelsey's direction on his way out.

Zach salutes Leon as he goes, offering a small wave to the other man. "Safe travels, man. I guess we'll bump into each other again. I'll say hi to Maggi next time I see her." He seems happy enough to turn his attention back down to his food after that.