2020-03-13 - Coffee Shop Banter

Coffee equals life, especially when you work as much as Bennie does. Sometimes it's that caffeine that keeps her going, especially when her lifestyle has taken such a dramatic change as of late. The blonde is standing at the counter, eyeing the menu she's read a thousand times as she bounces on her toes with the all important decision of what to order. "A mocha. Hot...no iced! Wait, you know what, maybe I'll have a chai? Shoot. Um. Maybe just an Americana today, but I need the sugar. And the flavor. Uhhhh..."

Behind Bennie, footsteps can be heard as Katherine, a regular at this point, shows up, her dark hair in a high ponytail, in skinny jeans and a cashmere pink cardigan, her winter coat hanging off her arm and her purse hanging off the opposite shoulder. She steps up to the counter to wait for her turn to order, noticing the indecisive blonde. “Choices can be hard. I’m a little more easygoing, I don’t really need sugar. I tend to go with their light roasts, black. Or if I’m feeling particularly needy, a solid shot of espresso.” After a pause, she adds, “I’m Kate.” She offers a hand to shake.

"But black is so booooooring." Bennie's head lulls back at the declaration, eyeing the ceiling as someone gives suggestions beside her. "You're probably just saying that so I stop holding up the line." She grins, then finally orders, "I'll take a peppermint mochachino, extra whip." She's dressed in her EMT uniform, complete with GHFD windbreaker, hair pulled up into a utilitarian - if messy - bun. She blinks aside as Kate introduces herself, hand instinctually going to shake. "Yeah, sure, we met at the diner. You were the bacon burger and chicken strip, vanilla and caramel shakes to go!" Otherwise known as Kate. "Bennie." That would be her own introduction.

“Oh gosh, I totally forgot. I didn’t recognize you from behind with this uniform on. I’m so sorry.” Kate looks genuinely embarrassed. “It was over a week ago, I can’t believe you remember the order, much less my name. My brain goes a million miles a second, I have to write everything down if I want to remember it. And I guess coming from a faster paced city life, I just expect people to forget me and move on. Still not quite used to the small town vibe.” She pauses and orders her regular black coffee, but hot, not iced.

"Wait until I start moonlighting as a Showgirl once the Casino opens. Then I'll really throw you when I'm dudded out in rhinestones." But the blonde is beaming a wide smile, no offense taken at not being recognized. "Don't worry, some days I can't even remember my own name, but some things stick. Wish it was more useful information, instead of all the lyrics to R.E.M. songs."

With a sigh, Kate laments, “If you think I have anything important in my head, you would be completely wrong. All work related things are recorded somewhere. And the rest? Well all bets are off on that.” She smiles, and when she finally gets her coffee, the dark haired woman offers, “Care to join me? I was just going to sit down and pretend to look busy. I’d rather have company though, unless you’re busy.”

"I had every intention of sitting my fat ass down and getting off my feet for a while, company sounds great." Of course Katherine's coffee comes faster than Bennie's own order, but it follows shortly after, and she takes it up between both her hands like a child keeping a treasure safe as she selects a table and frumps down. "So how'd your date go?" She asks conversationally before she sucks a dollop of whipped cream off the top of her drink, too hot yet to sip the liquid.

“I mean I kind of chickened out calling it a date when he asked me, since I felt it was a bit more of a ‘getting to know you’ phrase initially but I think I’m feeling a lot more sure about myself after about a week, putting myself out there again. I’m finally ready to date.” Kate walks over to join Bennie. “This place takes a bit of getting used to for a city girl like me. Exactly the change of pace I need. What’s your story?”

Bennie gives a sympathetic wince as she starts fiddling with her bun, taking it down from the crown of her head and popping the elastic around her wrist as she shakes out the waves. "Bad break up, huh? Had one of those recently. Thankfully we kissed and made up. With a lot of tongue." She grins, pulling around the tail of her hair and examining the ends, fidgeting as she pulls away a loose strand and lets it filter from her fingers to the floor. "Oh, I was born and raised in Gray Harbor. Lived here all my life. In fact, until recently I'd never even been out of the tai-county area. Big city, meet tiny town trailer park."

“Well I’m sure there’s more to you than that, Tiny Town. At least you found your way back to each other. All I have is heartache I’m just finally recovering from and meaningless drunk text messages.” Seeming genuine and sincere, Kate smiles a sad smile. “Meeting someone new was just what the doctor ordered though. So I guess it all works out in the end. If you grew up here, you might know him. Wayne Evergreen.”

"Drunk texts - fun. Meaningless - not so much. I mean, at the very least they could be good for some blackmail if they were unsolicited dick pics then you could rub his nose in it later and get him all flustered!" Bennie offers oh-so-helpfully as she takes an experimental sip of her minty chocolatey gift from the gods. "And then you could have shared them with me, and we could have a good giggle." As to the name of the new beau, her mouth twists up. "Hmm. Maybe? I mean, it may be a small town, but we still had cliques in high school, and people can still run in their own circles as adults."

“Nah, nothing worth sharing. No dick pics for blackmail or sharing unfortunately. Just words that have no meaning to me.” She gives a faint smile at Bennie’s idea of blackmail. “I just want to move on now that it doesn’t feel like my heart’s been crushed into a million pieces.”

Bennie’s response to whether she knew Wayne or not is met with a smile by Kate. “Thought I would ask just in case,” she explains, “It would have been cool if you knew each other but I didn’t expect it.”

There’s a pause before she asks, “I’m looking for ideas for things to do on a date. Got any recommendations as a local?”

Bennie flumps back into her chair, "Oh man, you are asking the wrong person. Before my One True, I was too busy working for actual dating. A hook up now and then, but that's it. Then when he and I got together, it seems like we rarely make it out of the apartment on a date night. Uh. There's bowling, the movies? Some fun shops and an art gallery to poke your nose in on. When it gets warmer though, you'll have more options. Swimming, hiking and the like."

With a chuckle, Kate responds, "I like asking locals for their favourite spots and recommendations, it's a habit I picked up from my parents." There is a pause as Kate considers Bennie's suggestions. "The art gallery sounds lovely. I'll have to put it on my list. Although now that you mention it, I cannot wait to see the beach and the boardwalk without all the snow. I can't wait for the warm weather to come around. I'm not really much of a winter girl." She's speaking in a casual tone but almost seems really envious of Bennie. She does say, "I've been so busy with work, I haven't really gotten the chance to make friends. And the last couple of times I tried was a bit of a struggle."

"Your parents sound nice." Bennie says based off that one little tidbit, perhaps because it seems like Kate has a relationship with them at all. "In small towns you just have to get creative with your fun, but it's probably no surprise that people turn to alcohol and making babies when they're lacking other inspiration." She's grinning but there is a wrinkle to her nose. "I'm afraid Gray Harbor is nothing but winter sometimes, but the summers can be ah-maaaazing. We don't get a lot of tourists, but the spill over from the surrounding cities is nice. New life, y'know?" The bit about the friends though has Bennie leaning across, hand briefly placed on Kate's. "Well, look. You've made one! I'd consider that a win."

With a playful chuckle, Kate replies, "I guess I have, Bennie." She adds in a teasing tone, "I'll have to write that down, in case I forget." Her face relaxes into a casual expression. "That's good because four months without a friend nearby has been a bit of a challenge. I tunnel vision on work and there's no one to remind me to have fun. And you seem like fun, so it works out."

"Oh I am sunshine freaking incarnate. Rainbows and unicorn farts. I will fun your face off. You know, if I can ever come up for a breath of air from work my self, but I just came off a stint of leave and I'm still playing catch up on my bills." Bennie makes a noise, a raspberry of her tongue vibrating between her lips in faux flatulence. "So what do you do, Kate? Besides clearly stalk me without knowing my name?" A joke of course, because it doesn't seem like the blonde could have a spiteful bone in her body.

"I love to go for runs, hikes, walks, exploring the outside world, especially here. The big city doesn't have much in the way of nature. I love parks but they're not the same in the city," Kate explains to Bennie, "I love watching movies and reading comics and watching movies based on comics."

Bennie's smile widens, which is nearly physically impossible, "I meant for work, sorry. But yeah, Gray Harbor definitely can fit the bill for those when it gets nicer. Just...heed the warnings of the locals when they tell you to avoid certain places in the woods or, like, the old Sawmill. You...might get a sense that they are more than urban legends?" She ventures, unsure if Katherine knows that her aura shines with a combination of colors caused by the glimmer.

Kate chuckles as Bennie responds to her, and the brunette sighs. "Sorry, yeah, work. Corporate Law. Not at all fun." She gets a bit serious when the blonde tells her to heed the warnings of the locals. Which in turn, reminds her that she completely blew off the last warning she received. Kate's had limited manifestations of her abilities and she has an even more limited understanding of them. "I've had warnings before...is it really as bad as they say?" she asks, curious for confirmation.

Bennie's shoulder lifts and falls in a shrug, trying to be as delicate as possible with this particular subject. "They call them cautionary tales for a reason?" Her voice lifts, hopeful that's a sufficient answer for now. "Corporate Law! I don't know, might not be fun, but it sure is interesting to the likes of me. Getting to see how deals are being made and broken. It's like a television show! Do you wear fancy suits and intimidate business men?"

Kate lets out a suppressed chuckle at the question of fancy suits and intimidating business men. "Well, I definitely wear the suits. I like to experiment with colours sometimes, but a classic pinstripe suit is my go to outfit. They don't call it a power suit for nothing. But for me, it's not about intimidating anyone, it's more about sticking to your convictions and standing your ground. The truth is, no matter what type of lawyer you're dealing with, we're all paid to be stubborn and fight for something until we're blue in the face."

"Man, I would be so bad as a lawyer. I'd be the first one to roll over and show my belly just to make everyone happy. Probably better I'm in the line of work I am, yeah?" Bennie takes one last drink of her coffee, polishing it off with a lick of cream from her upper lip when she's done. "I have to get going but you should totally take down my number and then text me so I have yours."

When Bennie suggests taking down her number, Kate hands her phone over to have Bennie put her number in. "Here, put the number in and we'll catch up." The winning smile Kate gives shows off her pearly whites.

Bennie thumb moves with the quick and sure dexterity of their generation when it comes to the tiny virtual keyboard, putting in her name as Bennie and the her surname as Bubbly Blonde so maybe Kate can draw the connection later if she forgets her name again, then adds her number in and hands the phone back. "We totally should! It was nice, and we could all use more nice." As Bennie gets up from her seat, she edges around the table and leans in to give the other woman an exuberant hug. "Text me!" She declares, before taking her used mug back to the counter so she can depart.

When Bennie leaves, Katherine immediately texts the blonde before she goes back to reading the comic she's buried in her paperwork.

(TXT to Bennie) Katherine : It was nice to make friends today. Now you've got my number too. <3