2020-10-11 - Out On the Town

Cecil sits at the formica bar with a cup of Earl Grey tea, steeped within an inch of its life. He's in jeans, a t-shirt with a flannel shirt over it, and hiking boots. His hair looks like he just woke up, but it usually does, and his coke-bottle glasses magnify his eyes. He's perusing a menu, glancing up every once in awhile to case the place, like he's waiting or looking for someone.

Niall shoulders open the door. He's in his off-duty duds, which means he too is wearing a flannel shirt and jeans, along with a park-issued jacket and a gray beanie. He looks tired, but grins when he spots Cecil. "Heya. You order yet?"

Justin makes his way in and heads up to the counter, sliding into a seat and smiling over toward the server who returns it and holds up two fingers. He holds up two in return. Eventually a cup of coffee arrives with scrambled eggs and two orders of bacon. Breakfast for dinner seems to be the order of the day. He pulls out his phone and taps out a quick return message before tucking it away next to his elbow. He's in a pair of jeans and hiking boots with a light grey sweater on over a plain white t-shirt beneath.

Cecil smiles broadly as he sees Niall. "Not yet," he says. "Just the tea." He inclines his head politely to Justin, then tells him, "I could swear I've seen you somewhere before." He sets the menu down in front of the seat empty beside him, a wordless invitation to the park ranger. "I'm thinking about eggs. Eggs and sausages."

Niall tugs off his hat and ruffles up his hair. Then he sits next to Cecil and goes for the menu. He eyes Justin's plate, then looks to Cecil. "Well, I guess that would make me a total rebel if I ordered a hamburger or the salisbury steak, ay?"

Justin smiles a little over at Cecil and says, "I get that a lot." He then offers a hand and says, "Justin. Nice to meet you. The eggs are amazing. Just don't get the omelets," in warning. There's a smile offered to Niall as well in greeting. He then chuckles and says, "Be a rebel. Eat what you want. Don't conform to the meals around you."

Cecil shakes Justin's hand and says, "Cecil. It's nice to meet you. I think I may have seen you at the beach." He gestures to Niall and says, "This is Niall. He's a wild card, as you can see." He grins at Niall. "You're unmanageable. Next you'll be wanting something like pie not ala mode."

"Hiya," says Niall to Justin after he's introduced. Then to Cecil he goes, "Oy," then flicks the menu. "Don't pie-shame. I'll have my pie dressed however I want it, thank you." And then, "I could combine the ideas and get a burger with an egg on."

He considers for a moment and then Justin says, "Oh.. at the festival, with the.. wreaths." He opts not to mention the strange nature of the event, but hey, the wreaths were.. well, mentioning a wreath isn't that odd, is it? "It was pretty wild." He then smiles to Niall as well in greeting and chuckles, "Or he could go completely rogue and get eggs and sausage and pie for dessert. With no a la mode."

Cecil says, "That's right, and after the wreaths, I came here, met up with Niall, and we got thoroughly pissed. I feel like something has come full circle, here." He takes a sip of his tea, then says, "A burger with egg on might be good, and I don't mean to pie shame, I'm just saying the ala mode is just how it's done. But it's all right. We'll still be friends whatever you do."

"Wreath festival. That sounds very ominous and cult-y," says Niall. He peruses the menu. "You've never had a burger with an egg? It's marvellous." And when it comes time to order? "A burger, egg on, with bacon. Hash browns instead of fries." The waitress looks at him like he's grown a second head for a moment, but then decides she doesn't care and writes it down anyway.

"It was.. different," Justin says with a slight shake of his head. "But.. not all that ominous. I sent out a wreath thinking of someone that I was hoping would return home, and they did. So, I'm totally taking credit for it even if it had nothing to do with it." He smiles a little bit wryly and then nods approvingly for Niall's order. "That sounds pretty good." His own order of scrambled eggs and bacon is dipped into as he grabs a slice and crunches into it.

Dahlia slipped into the diner wearing a pair of stylized ripped jeans and a black hoodie. Emerald eyes perusing the current patrons as she wandered over to where Justin and Co were. "Evening everyone." She flashes a grin, giving Justin a hug from behind and a kiss to the cheek before snagging a free seat beside him and tuning into the conversation. "It was that big bonfire party thing that was going all all week a while back." She vaguely remembered seeing some wreaths there. Unless there was some random out of season Christmas celebration that happened!

Dahlia wouldn't discount it. She turns her attention back to the person behind the counter, "Can I get a chocolate milkshake, pretty please? Extra whipped cream?" Batting her lashes. She was probably not getting any extra whipped cream.

"I'll take eggs over-easy and sausages, with hashbrowns," Cecil says, "Please." Then he says, "It wasn't all that culty, I don't think. I released a wreath in the water thinking of my da, and my sister emailed me out of the blue the next day. We haven't spoken since his funeral." He offers Dahlia a smile and a little wave. "The more I think about it," he tells Niall, "the burger with egg on it sounds good."

"Only mild cultiness? A dab of cultish behavior?" Niall folds up the menu and slides it aside, folding arms against the countertop. "I suppose that's better than the alternative in this town, ay?"

"Hey Dahl," Justin says and wraps his arm around hers when she hugs him, tipping his head into the kiss and grinning as she sits down next to him, leaning over to bump his shoulder against hers. "How's it going? Bacon?" He pushes his plate a little closer toward her as he lifts his cup and takes a sip of his coffee. Bacon and chocolate totally go together. Don't let anyone tell you differently. He smiles a little wryly at Niall and says "It could be worse, yeah."

"This town is a damn nightmare some times." Dahlia agreed, easily accepting the bacon. "My name is Dahlia, by the way. I don't think I've met either of ya before." She offers another grin before taking a bite of the bacon and sighing contentedly. Chocolate and bacon do go together. It's only natural! "How's everyone's day been?"

"Cecil," Cecil says to Dahlia. "Pleased to meet you. This is Niall." To whom he says, "It could definitely be worse. That was a good night for me, wreath-weirdness aside. One of the few times Olivia has managed to get me out of the house into something social. Besides, I rather like the beach. Under certain circumstances. It's not as great when work calls me there, but you could say that of any place."

"Hiya," says the lanky Kiwi. Niall lifts a hand in greeting to Dahlia. Then his phone makes a chirrup sound. He pulls it out and frowns at it. Then he says to the waitress, "Hey, can I get mine wrapped up, please?" Then to Cecil. "Sorry, just got a message from work. Gotta pop in and take care of something. I'll have to give you all a review of the diner's egg-on-burger situation another time."

"It's not much of a beach with all the rocks and all, but then, I kind of like that it makes it quieter than most other beaches," Justin says when Cecil mentions the bonfire night again. He grins at Niall and says "Let us know how it is. We'll expect a full report next time." He then says to Dahlia, "Good. Needed to get out of the house, though. Spent nearly all day working and finally realized I hadn't eaten anything. At least I remembered to feed Caleb."

"See ya." Dahlia waved to Niall and looked to the remaining pair. "It was a fun night. Really good music too." She mused. A thank you to the server when her shake came. No extra whipped but at least it was chocolate! Dahlia took a sip, making a pleased noise. She gave Justin a little nudge. "Am I going to have to start setting alarms for you to remember to eat?" She asked, only partially teasing. Looking back up towards Cecil, "What sorta work do you do?"

Cecil tells Niall, "Text me. I can't impress upon you hard enough how little of a life I have, and I have to know." He winks at the Kiwi, then he tells Dahlia, "I'm a forensic entomologist. I look at bugs at crime scenes, then take them back to the lab to look at them some more."

"Maybe," Justin chuckles. "It was easier when you were around the house." He makes a sad-face at her that is probably a half-hearted attempt at a guilt trip but it breaks too quickly with a smile. "No, I remember most of the time." He picks up another piece of bacon. "See? Eating." He then glances over at Cecil and says "Oh yeah? That sounds.. fascinating, and yet.. not something I want to know any details about while eating. But, still pretty fascinating."

"Well, once this kitten situation gets figured out, I'll be around more." She assured him with a grin. "I don't trust the little devils by themselves at all. Declan's home with 'em now. I just got off from Firefly. Figured I'd stop in here before heading home. Turning out to be a good idea." She picks up a spoon to take a bite of the shake that way as she looks to Cecil. "A bug scientists huh? That's . Yeah, what he said. Interesting." Dahlia mused. "Why bugs?"

"There's a kitten situation?" Cecil asks. "I have a pair of cats, still sort of kittens." He nods then to Justin. "Yeah, it's not very good dinnertime conversation." His own food arrives, and he tucks in. "I chose bugs because, as a kid, I liked them. Beetles, especially. Then, when I found out they can be used to solve murders, that was it, really."

Justin nods his head at Cecil and says, "That's a pretty good use of a childhood fascination -- solving crimes." He grins and takes a bite of his eggs, adding a bit of salt and pepper and tucking into them as he listens to them both. He nods to Dahlia and says, "Any closer on a solution? What'd Declan end up naming the third one, anyway?"

"I s'pose when you get to do what you love, it ain't ever really work huh?" Dahlia pondered. She eyes Cecil for a moment, curious but also maybe a little reserved on the kitten subject. "What sort of cats are they?" Not asking the real question she wanted to ask just yet. She rattles off the name of the third kitten to Justin. "No closer really though I did talk to Javier...he's gonna look into seeing what he can do. He's reluctant. I think, which is understandable but..we'll see."

She might have said more but her phone started going off. Her brow furrowed as she pulled the phone out and checked it, hoping it wasn't a kitmergency. "Ah I gotta take this." Not a kitmergency but still needing her attention! Slipping off her stool and giving Justin another kiss before walking outside to take her phone call.

Cecil takes his phone out and brings up a picture of a pair of cats cuddling on a couch, one is a ginger tabby and the other is a torbie. "Here they are," he says. "Theodore and Esmerelda." They're pretty cute, around a year old, and Cecil looks at the picture with dopey affection.

Justin nods his head to Dahlia and says, "Well, let me know what he has to say. I'll come over and help you look after them some, tomorrow." He smiles when she gets up to go and steals a kiss before she heads out before turning back toward Cecil, leaning over to look at the pictures of the cats. "Cute," he says. "I have a dog. His name is Caleb." He does not immediately whip out a picture of the pup, though, lifting his coffee and taking another swallow from it.

"That's a good name for a dog," Cecil says. "What kind of dog is he?" He tucks his phone away and starts in on his food again, eating neatly and politely. "If I had the time for a dog, I'd get one, but I'm at the lab at all hours. It wouldn't be fair. The cats don't mind as much."

"My ex-boyfriend named him," Justin chuckles. "But I liked the name, so it stuck. He's a Rottweiler/English Mastiff mix. He looks more Rottweiler, though. Minerva found a box of puppies abandoned outside Firefly forest and I decided that I needed to adopt one of them. The house was pretty big and lonely at the time. He's a great dog. Dahl doesn't even really like dogs all that much and he's grown on her," he grins.

Cecil whistles lowly. "So he's going to be a big boy," Cecil says. "Too bad about the abandoned pups. I can't believe how cruel people can be. My cats were abandoned, before they came to the shelter I got them from." He's quiet a moment, then admits, "I just came out, recently. I suppose. I guess. I don't know many other men who've had, er, boyfriends."

"He already is a big boy. He's not the little pup with the big feet he was when I first got him," Justin laughs. "But he's really well behaved, smart, and good company." He nods "Yeah, it is too bad but I know all six found homes within two days -- so they were all well taken care of." He grins when Cecil admits that he just came out recently and says, "Hey, that's awesome. Coming out can be a scary thing when you first do it. I've had both boyfriends and girlfriends since I was in my teens so.. it's been a while for me."

"I had a wife," Cecil says, "but I never really dated, period." He laughs a little. "I don't know if it's really coming out if I haven't told anyone, really. I came out to myself, I guess. I thought I could do both, but blokes just feel right. I came here from Texas, so it's a lot different here. Safer. When you work with the police in a place like Texas, you don't talk about things like that." He takes a drink of his tea. "So score a point for Gray Harbor. No one seems to mind."

"Well you just told me, so you came out to me," Justin says with a grin and lifts his mug of coffee in a salute. "So, congrats on coming out." He then nods when Cecil goes on to talk about Texas, expression growing a little more serious. "It's a sad fact that there's still a lot of places in this world where you can't feel entirely safe being who you are. I grew up in L.A. and my folks were famous so.. everything I did was kind of public knowledge. I just kind of went for it since people were going to find out anyway. And people had opinions on literally everything I ever did anyway, so why not that, too? You know?" He grins then and says "Yeah, this place has enough problems that who you prefer to sleep with is pretty minor on people's minds, I think."

"When I grew up," Cecil says, "I was already bullied for being baby-faced, for being a nerd. I couldn't risk adding being gay to the list. Then I grew up and convinced myself I'd outgrown it." He shakes his head. "One failed marriage later, here I am. It just feels nice to tell someone." He smiles at Justin and raises his teacup in response. "Too right about there being enough problems in this town. Preferring men is downright pedestrian to the stuff we see day in, day out."

"I realized pretty early on that I was attracted to both girls and guys pretty equally. It was more the personality, the smile, the ability to talk for long hours about whatever, and to be on the same wavelength that attracted me and it didn't matter what gender they were," Justin says as he leans against the counter, folding his arms in front of him. "I've had a few serious relationships, but I've never been married. Right now I'm seeing Dahl and her boyfriend Declan. That's... kind of a first for me, but it just kind of happened and it feels right, so I'm going with it." He takes another sip from his coffee.

"That's nice," Cecil says. "I like that, being attracted to one's personality regardless of gender. It's a lovely sentiment." He looks a bit dreamy-eyed. Then he says, "I loved my wife dearly, and we had a, er, you know, intimate life together. But I was always thinking about blokes when I should have been thinking about her." With some delight, he says, "You're dating a couple! Oh, that's exciting. Good for you."

Justin laughs a little at Cecil's reaction and says, "Yeah, I mean. I'm happy. They're both great." He finishes off his eggs and then takes another swallow from his coffee. "Well, I'm glad that you're figuring out what you want and need out of life and are finding the courage to be out about it. That's a lot of great steps, there. So, here's to us." He lifts his mug for a clink with Cecil's tea cup, and then drinks to him.

Cecil clinks his mug with Justin's and takes a drink. "To us," he says agreeably. "I'm glad that things are working out with you and yours. I've always been a bit of a sap about romance. The idea of it makes me happy, even if I'm not the one reaping the benefits. I see so much of the bad side of humanity, you know? It's nice to see the good."

"Yeah, I'd imagine that you get to see a lot of the ugly side of things. By the time bugs are involved, that's uh, pretty final," Justin says with a little bit of a shiver. Not that he's against talking about bugs, but probably not over eggs and bacon. He finishes off his eggs and then picks up another strip of bacon. "So what about you? You got someone?"

"I can do other forensic jobs, like blood spatter analysis, but that again isn't going to reveal the world's best people," Cecil says. Thankfully, he doesn't elaborate on blood spatter. He perks up a little as he says, "I can also do forensic spectronomy, for finding drug residue and whatnot, that's a little bit on the lighter side." At Justin's question, he says with a wry smile, "Eh, there's someone I like, but he's a bit shy."

Justin nods as Cecil elaborates on the different things that he can do, listening with interest. He chews on his bacon and grins a little. He knows what blood spatter is, so there's no need for elaboration there. Spectronomy, though, he looks quizzical until Cecil explains what it is and then he nods, "That's pretty cool." Then he smiles and asks, "Does he like you?"

Cecil says in a coy, light tone, "He doesn't not like me." Then he takes a sip of tea and admits, "He's not out, but that's all right. That's the kind of thing you have to decide for yourself." From his silly grin, the situation, whatever it is, seems to make him happy. He doesn't have a poker face. "I'm not exactly a club-going, rainbow-flag-waving pride marcher, myself."

Justin smiles and says, "Well I'm glad that you and your not-quite-but-sortof guy are happy. That's the thing that's important. You'll figure out your way through that at your own pace." He seems confident of that, and supportive without prying at all. He doesn't ask for details or try to find out who the guy is. He just gives a nod of his head and says, "I mean, neither am I. I've been out most of my life but it's just part of who I am."

"It just makes life easier not having to worry about it," Cecil says. "I don't talk much about my personal life at work so I doubt anyone knows, but I don't hide it either. Maybe someday my not-just-friends guy will come out, or not. Knowing who I am is the important bit." He sighs softly. "I envy you though, mate. You've had all your life to be authentic. I wish I hadn't been so scared. But, well, Texas."

"You do not sound Texan," Justin points out with a little bit of a grin. "But yeah, I am fortunate that my folks were completely accepting, that most people pretty much embraced it, and those who didn't really didn't cause major problems for me. I'm very aware of how fortunate I am, on pretty much all counts." He then grins, "Well if your not-just-friends guy ever wants to come out to people who are safe, let me know. I know quite a few folks around who are more than comfortable and accepting." He smiles, and then settles back a little with his coffee.

Cecil laughs and says, "I'm from London. I've been in the US for about ten years, is all." He thinks for a moment, then admits, "I have no idea how my mum would take it." He smiles at Justin. "I'll let him know. I think it's great that your family has supported you. It's hard enough in the world without having to go it alone. Especially when things are a bit weird all around."

Justin, on the other hand, does still sound like he's from California every so often, though he's adopted a kind of more midwest neutral over the years. "My folks are pretty fantastic. They're great people, funny people. They're the kind of people that make you want to be someone they'd be proud of, not because you're afraid they'd be disappointed in you, but because you feel like you have to be to live up to how cool they are." He chuckles. "I'm not sure that I've managed it, but they still seem to like hanging around with me."

Cecil says wryly, "My parents are very English, and not cool by any stretch. My mum can be funny once in awhile, but my da never had a sense of humor. Always so serious." He gestures to Justin with his teacup. "You seem pretty cool to me. Your girlfriend's very pretty, and you're dating her boyfriend, too. I don't think anyone who isn't cool could pull that off. Me, I've never been cool, but I don't mind. I'm good at what I do. But you? You're cool."

Justin lifts both of his brows as Cecil proclaims him cool and then laughs, "I'll take your word for it. I'm mostly a nerd that sits in his office and programs all day and has to be reminded to eat. I'm not sure how cool that is." He glances off in the direction Dahlia went and says, "She is, yeah. But not only that -- she's been my best friend since I was in my teens. We've been through a lot together. She's been there for me, and me her." He chuckles then and says, "And he's pretty hot, too.. and a genuinely nice guy, and good at what he does. Has his own construction business. And he's really good to and for her." His expression is fond, softened a little bit as he thinks about the both of them. "And.. I should probably go relieve them both of kitten duty for a bit." He chuckles, finishing off his coffee and rising to his feet. "It was great to meet you, Cecil and I'm sure I'll see you around. Oh, here.." He grabs a napkin and writes his cell number down on it and slides it over. "Keep in touch, yeah?"

Cecil grins. "I'm very happy for all three of you," he says, "and it was good to meet you, Justin." He takes the number and says, "I absolutely will. Be well, Justin. We'll have to do this again."