Curiosity Killed The Cat

"I don’t think I’ll ever be int he mood for you,” he muttered to himself, eyes rolling at her quick response. He just wanted to pay her back for leaving her the other day at some salad restaurant - even though it had gotten her out of spending time with the old people of the cafe. Brown eyes flickered towards the mug she pressed to her lips, a brow raised as she slams it onto the counter. At her string of words, he blinked for a moment before laughing heartily. “Charles is nothing more than my roommate, sweetheart.” Letting out a breath of air, he rolls her eyes at her and decides not to say anything about the alcohol in the mug. “I’m sure it’s been like this all day, anyways. Last time I was here there was, what, five people in here? Your poor aunt. I hope she doesn’t rely on this place as her source of income.” Eyes wandered around the little cafe, ignoring her tone and the look she was giving him. In fact, he was just ignoring her and he was kicking himself mentally for coming out here in the first place. “Ugh,” he starts, groaning as he turned his attention back towards her. “It’s called be in tune with your body, which you obviously wouldn’t understand.” Eyes looked over her and gave her a bit of smirk before shrugging his shoulders. “You’re as equally irritating, sweetheart. I’m just giving you the same hard time you’re giving me.” Nodding his head, he raised a brow and watched her movements for a minute before turning away from her. Walking out the door, he turned left and crossed the street towards the liquor store. After a few minutes, he appeared right back at the little cafe and closed the door behind him. Turning the sign over to ‘closed’, he looked over at her and pulled out a bottle of patron and gentleman’s jack. “If you’re going to be drinking, sweetheart, you should do the good stuff.” Placing the bottles onto the counter, he leaned his hand on here and gave her a bit of a smirk. “You’re welcome. What’re we drinkin’ to?”

That's because you have crap taste. Clearly shown with that shirt-pants combo. (She replies with a feigned smile, quick to roll her eyes in response to his laugh. Raising an eyebrow at him, she leans her elbows onto the counter, a grin spreading on her face.) Oh, defensive. No need to lie to me, honey. I don't judge. Much, anyway. (She scowls at him, shaking her head swiftly.) Excuse you. Why would it be like this when I'm here? I'm a magnet for customers. Oh, shut up. If my aunt was so bothered, she'd be down here working for herself, wouldn't she? Instead of using me as a slave. (Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, she breathes out an annoyed sigh. But, she has to laugh at his protests.) 'Being in tune with your body'? Really? I never had you down as one of those airy fairy, hippy types. Then again, you do have the weird vibe so I should have guessed. (Giving him a look of disbelief, she smirks at him.) Please. As much as I may beat you effortlessly at everything else, no one could beat you with the annoyance levels. What with your stupidly smug smile and your irritating salad monologues, I think you've scored the trump card. (Just as she places the bottle down on the counter, she looks up to see that he's left. Her jaw drops, a scandalised expression upon her face.) Well, bye then. God, what a dick. (She only has a few minutes of peace, though, for he soon returns again, a little surprise showing in her features.She looks to the bottle, then the smirk, rolling her eyes to wipe away the subtle smile that threatened to creep in.) You're an asshole. You know that, right? (She comments, then smirks right back at him.) The most important day of the year, of course. My birthday.

(Al just takes a deep breath and uses all his will not to say something he might regret later. He had to stay composed, even if this girl was making it a difficult task for him). Being young is a good thing, Miss, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are not a mature person. If anything, it is a greater achievement to be mature at a young age. And- Excuse me? (he cuts off as soon as the blonde complained about people being ‘annoying’ in that place, clearly meaning him. A frown takes place on his brow as he looks at the girl with a level gaze) Forgive me, but it was rather hard to read that name tag from the entrace (he replies with forced courtesy, since the first time he’d addressed her as ‘Miss’ he had just walked through the door of the establishment). Well, Adelaide. I have to say I’d never been met with such hostility at a cafe -or any other establishment for that matter- in my life. So I must ask: Are you generally this confrontational to your costumers? Because I don’t imagine that can be good for the business. Or did I simply have the misfortune of stumbbling upon you during an off day? (he asks rather calmly, keeping the polite behavior throughout, but there was a cold undertone in his voice. As he speaks, he rests his hands on the counter. The back of his hands could draw attention because of the tattoos on them, but Al didn’t really mind that or ever tried to keep them hidden).

Being young is not a good thing. Being young means reckless and annoying. Do I look like a pre teen with acne problems to you? No. (Her eyebrows raise as he says 'excuse me', but she soon tilts her head to one side and plasters a fake smile onto her face.) You're excused. (She responds, with sarcasm laced into her tone of voice. When he begins ranting about the hostility of the cafe, the falseness of the smile quickly fades away and turns into a grin of genuine pride. Placing a hand to her heart, she looks at him as if he had just given her the biggest compliment in the world, rather than insulted her.) Thank you. No, I mean it. I always knew I was good for something. (She pretends to wipe a tear of joy from her eye, dramatically stating her feigned gratitude. Her act, though, quickly returns to her usual carefree attitude with one simple eye roll.) I'm only confrontational to the customers who show limited brain cell activity. Which, usually, tends to be at about 95 per cent of the people who walk through those doors. Business is just fine, though I thank you for your concern. (She briefly looks down at the tattoos on his hands, looking back up to him curiously.) Interesting tattoos. Bit on the tacky side, but what can you do?

Their last encounter hadn’t been one of the best ones - during their time at the salad restaurant, he ended up getting a call from Charles who was babbling about being entered into Project Play. Because of it, he ended up paying for their meals and left her in a frenzy to get back to his roommate and best friend. “Please, what’s there to gawk at?” He retorted, a snort leaving his lips as he moves over towards the counter. “I wanted to apologize for running out last time. My friend was, uh, I needed to go see him.” Shrugging his shoulders, he shoved his hands into his pockets and turned around, surveying the empty cafe. “This place really does get pretty dead, doesn’t it?” Spinning on his heels, he turned back towards her and raised his brow. “Oh, don’t give me that look. Would you really rather be here by yourself, or would you rather close the cafe and go get something you  want this time? I promise I won’t leave in the middle of it. Unless you keep giving me that face. That’s what gawking looks like, Addy.” 

(If Adelaide's pissed off expression could become anymore pissed off, it did so in the moment she heard Zach's voice. Turning her head, her eyes narrow on the figure and then dramatically roll at his question.) I'm not in the mood for you. (Is her only response, because really, she can't be bothered. Her intentions were to be a lonely sad drunk, and was she going to let him stop her? No. Downing the rest of the liquid in her mug, she slams it onto the counter as she returns her gaze to Zach.) Oh, please. Don't flatter yourself, sweetheart. Who am I to get in the way of the true love between you and your boyfriend? (She comments with a fake smile and a sarcastic laugh, turning her attentions back to pouring herself a new mugful of bourbon.) You see, that's what happens when it gets to closing time, genius. People stop coming. (She says in a patronising tone, taking another drink before she gives him an unimpressed look.) Actually, I would rather be alone than listen to you drivel on about the wonders of salad and healthy eating like some sad loser with nothing better to do with his life than eat lettuce. (She states, once again rolling her eyes before groaning with frustration.) I don't gawk. I swear to God, you are so irritating. (She sighs, pressing her fingers to the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes, until she looks over at him again.) I'm not in the mood for going out. But, if you're so desperate to stay in my wonderful company - I mean, I can't blame you, you're only human - you can turn the close sign on the door. Bourbon and I have a date, but you can third wheel, since I'm feeling generous.

(What an unpleasant and rude thing to say, he thinks, his mind forming several witty remarks. However, Al chooses to stay composed and keep his thoughts to himself after the girl snaps at him. He should stay composed and stay a gentleman). I’ve heard the espresso is quite good in this place. I’ll have one, please (he says, making a mental note to never come back to this cafe since apparently its custommer service wasn’t as good as its coffee). It’s the polite way to refer to women whose name you don’t know (he replies with a calm tone, though there was an edge of impatience in it. Was this girl always so angry about… everything?) And no, you look young to me, Miss. But if you would rather I use Mrs or Madam, I’ll happily oblige.

Of course it's good. I make it. (She states as if that's clearly obvious, before flicking her hair over her shoulder as she struts over to the machine, heels clicking with every step. She focuses on making the coffee, then places the mug in the machine to finish it off, before returning to the counter whilst it's preparing.) Young? I'm not young. I'm twenty two! I'm mature. Sophisitcated. Wordly wise. God, what is it with people in this stupid town and being so annoying? (She questions aloud, despite the fact the guy was right there to hear her. Finally she lets out a frustrated sigh, rolling her eyes at him.) I'm not married, and 'madam' makes me sound like the owner of a brothel. I'm not sure what you're into, but that's not my are of interest, pal. Why don't you just do it the old fashioned name and read my name from the badge, huh? (She dramatically points to the name tag on her waitressing apron.) Contrary to the belief of the morons who seem to be attracted to this place, that's what it's there for.

(Al stops dead on his tracks as soon as he entered the cafe. Either the girl was in an awfully bad mood or he’d done something wrong, though he was pretty sure it was the former) Correct me if I am mistaken, Miss, but the sign outside reads this is a coffee shop (he says with his usual polite tone, clearing his throat afterwards as she looks at the blonde) Are you closing or could I still order something, Miss?

(The glare doesn't weaken as the man makes his attentions clear, Addy's eyes narrowing on the figure and her eyebrows raising.) Well done. You can read. Congratulations. (She rolls her eyes, dramatically slamming her drink down on the counter and standing up straight like her aunt had told her to when serving customers.) Yes, whatever. Hurry up. Places to go, people to see. And none of them are you. (She folds her arms over her chest with a fake smile, though after a moment of thought the annoyed look reappears on her expression.) Wait. Miss? Miss? Do I look single to you?

(Though the other woman smiles, Adelaide does not, and instead folds her arms as she raises her eyebrows at her.) Talk? Seriously? You want to talk? Well, you're either too nosy for your own good or just have nothing better to do with your life than stick your nose into other people's bus- (She cuts herself off when the woman offers to help pack up, tilting her head to one side and frowning at her.) Why on earth.. (She begins to question aloud, yet she's not one to turn down free help and so shrugs her shoulders with a sigh.) Chairs need to be stacked on the tables. (She says with a nod, before sitting herself on the counter and finishing off the amber liquid in her mug.) God, this place is a bore. Just look at it. Why does everything have to be so fucking... beige? (She groans, dramatically tossing her head back and closing her eyes.) It's driving me insane. But, hey, at least if I go crazy I won't have to work in this stinking dump anymore and pretend to like people who I most definitely do not for minimum freaking wage.

{Lottie liked to think that she and Addy were friends. Well, they’d talked once, and Addy had been nice then. So, that was a sign of friendship. Right? Lately, Charlotte has really doubted her own ability to judge a good friendship. But, since she assumed she and Addy were friends, and she saw the girl sulking through the front window of the cafe, Lottie had entered. Freezing as Addy snapped at her, Lottie feels her eyes widen.} I-I’m sorry. I just… you looked sad. And… I was coming to see if you were okay. {Her nose wrinkles as she smells something. Alcohol?} Wh-What’re you drinking?

(Adelaide immediately sighs when she realises who it is. Lottie, not some random, useless customer from the streets. Plastering a smile on her face, she shakes her head.) Sorry, sweety. Didn't realise it was you. It's been a long day. And by long, I mean, I didn't even have time to touch up my make up at lunch. (The girl rolls her eyes at herself, before pushing her way through the counter doors and to Lottie's side. Truth be told, there was nothing the blonde wanted more than to be alone right now. But, the girl was the closest thing she had to a lead on her little supernatural case. That, and the rumours of violence from the past few days she'd received from her aunt, though she wasn't completely sure if they were real or if the woman had just had a delusion. So, she keeps up her smile, looking innocently down at her mug then back up again.) What, this? Oh, just a little tipple to keep me sane. Perfectly healthy. (An idea hits the girl, and for once the beaming expression becomes genuine. Leaning over the counter to grab the bottle, she holds it out to Lottie so she can see.) Want some? (Before she even gets a reply, she's already pouring a measure out into one of the empty mugs and handing it over.)

Ugh, shit.

Withdrawn?! I'm withdrawn? What the hell does that even mea- (Addy is cut off midway through her conversation with her bank on the phone, when she's slammed into by someone across the street. Giving Phoebe a death glare, her first priority was to check her own top to make sure there's no coffee on it - God forbid if there was. Her second is to fold her arms, giving the woman an up and down look before she rolls her eyes.) Yes, seriously. You seriously almost spilt whatever that God awful substance is in your cup all over me. Jesus. Do you ever look where you're going? I did hear there were people in the world with the attention span equivalent of fleas, but I thought that was just a rumour. Clearly, I was mistaken.

Cordelia Chase - Spirit Animal

[Pressing her lips together, Ingrid looks down at the counter, chipping at the side where the paint seemed to be coming off. She didn’t like confrontation and fighting, so instead of engaging, she just smiled politely] I know these dumb jobs can be sort of gruesome and long, I’ve had my fair share of crappy jobs, so…yeah I get why you’d be texting. [She shakes her head, taking the cup but doesn’t go. No one was in the cafe really anyway, it was such a nice day out] When do you get off? Hopefully soon, then you can go home, don’t have to deal with annoying customers…

'Sort of gruesome and long?' (Addy repeats with a look of disbelief, shaking her head at the girl.) Honey, you do not know what I have been through. I've had to clean toilets - with bleach. My hands have never been so dry. My nail polish gets chipped - every-freaking-day. I ripped my favourite skirt when I had to bend down to mop the floors. That's right, mop. This place is like a fucking prison. A prison for innocents. So, excuse me if the whole "service with a smile" act wears off after, hm, I don't know? Five minutes. (She rambles on sarcastically, an expression on her face as if she'd been forced to murder children for a living rather than waitress at a quiet cafe. Breathing out a sigh, she shrugs her shoulders.) A couple of hours. And believe me, if another human being tries to communicate with me after my shift ends, they will not get a very polite response. (Folding her arms, Addy looks over at the girl behind the counter, raising an eyebrow.) I didn't catch your name.

"… Because you’re employed here.” Shaking his head, he blinked a few times at her and leaned his head to the side. “I’m a stranger. Look at my physique, you should be afraid of someone like me.” Scowling as if to higher his chance of being intimidating, he wondered what happened to him. This time in the first timeline, most people ran away from him because of his outbursts and overall demeanor. Now there was some sarcastic girl thinking small of him. “And what things would you be? Peculiar would be a better word? Self absorbed? I’m normal - you should have met me a year ago, then you’d agree with that statement.” Raising a brow, he stared at her for a moment before laughing in disbelief. How could such an attitude be present in a person? “Well, sugar, do not go conforming to my standards of you not offending people.” Throwing her a fake smile, he shook his head. “Getting everything you want is when you take charge and demand people to give you what you want. Force. Not connections. I can walk up to your aunt right now and convince her myself to let you take over the diner and it’s not due to connections, it’s through authoritative thoughts, actions, and words.” Smiling genuinely about his words of wisdom and truth, he frowns as she mentions the quiches. “It looks… gross. You eat it.” He said as he returned, raising a brow at her. “Trust me, if I wanted to ‘woo’ you, it would be much better. It’s called boredom - similar to what you were relishing in there, princess.” Rolling his eyes as she fluffs her hair up, he lets out a light groan as he wonders what the hell he got himself into. “You really aren’t the one who makes the conditions around here, princess.” Rolling his eyes, he pushes the door open and shoves his hands in his pockets as he crosses the street, not bothering to look back to see if she was following him. If she left, then she left. If not, then he’d have to work on not pushing her to shut the hell up. “Here,” he mumbled, opening the doors of the place. “Oh, were you talking the entire time? I wasn’t paying attention.”

(Adelaide gives him an unimpressed look.) Details, details. (The unimpressed look intensifies, though she does take the opportunity to give him the up down body scan - hey, he did insist.) You clearly underestimate what a girl in stilettos can do with a well placed kick. (She says, giving a glance in the crotch direction with a broad smirk before looking back up to him. Though, she soon gasps at his description of her, a scowl forming on her face.) Self absorbed? Excuse you. I am the least self absorbed person I know. More accurate words would be beautiful, intelligent. Caring. (She says, as if this is the most obvious thing in the world. Her eyebrows raise at his next words.) What? You were even more annoying then? (She says with a fake smile and her usual sarcastic tone.) Don't worry, honey bear. I wouldn't dream of conforming to anyone. Especially not you. (She rolls her eyes at him. Frowning at him, she flicks a piece of hair over her shoulder.) Oh, I'm sorry. I thought we were living in the real world here. Because, sweetheart, I can tell you right now force doesn't buy you everything. If it did, I wouldn't be stood here right now, serving shitty coffee to shitty people, would I? No. I'd be back home, and out of this crappy weather. (She gives a look of disgust to the quiche.) You think I'm eating that crap? No thank you. (She gives him a scandalised look, before looking away from him with a fold of her arms.) As if you could woo me anyway. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm way out of your league. It'd be like a... donkey trying to woo a stallion. (She says with a smug smile, as she struts out of the cafe, throwing her apron over the counter as she leaves.) Yes, I am. You'll see. (She smirks, following him down the street towards the salad place. Who even opens a restaurant just for salads? Someone with too much time on their hands, clearly. Jesus, my standards have gone down hill. With a short sigh, she enters the building, though her eyes soon narrow on him.) God, you're an asshole, aren't you? (She questions with a less than warm smile, making her way over to a table and glancing at the menu.) You're paying for this, by the way.

O-Oh. {Lottie nods, as if she has any idea of what a hangover feels like. That’s what happens after you drink, right…? She blinks as the girl blusters off before she even manages to pay, and she glances over her shoulder at the growing line. When the girl returns and speaks quickly, Lottie’s eyebrows raise, but she smiles.} Well, thank you. I can pay, though… {When the girl takes the smoothie and begins to walk with it, Lottie follows with a quirked eyebrow.} Oh. Well. Thank you, but I was going t— {She was going to take a walk as she drank her smoothie, but as the girl begins to talk to her, she sits. Lottie can’t help that she smiles slowly. Is this a new friend? The straightforward approach is a but overwhelming, especially considering the girl’s initial attitude, but she won’t reject a new friend. So she smiles.} Nice to meet you, Addy. I’m Charlotte. But my friends — er… I like to be called Lottie. {She nods.}

No. No money. I refuse to take any. I insist. (She smiles brightly, placing a hand gently on Lottie's back to usher her along towards the seat. She purposefully ignores her when she begins to speak of other plans, instead just hopping into the seat opposite of her with a proud grin.) Lottie it is, then. I like Lottie. It's sweet. (She tilts her head to one side, flicking a blonde curl over her shoulder as she watches the younger girl.) So. Are you new in town? You don't sound like any of these village idiots. Let me guess - Hungarian? Polish? No... wait, German? That's it, isn't it? (She beams. That's right. Find a common trait between the two of them. Something she can relate to. Maybe it'll make her more likely to trust.) I'm from California. And, quite frankly, would give anything to be back there in the sun and the sea than this stinking hovel of a cafe. But, what can I do? (She sighs dramatically, resting her head on the palm of her hand.) What brings you here, anyway? Surely not a vacation, right? This would be the worst tourist destination - ever.