The voice next to him was the first thing that pulled him out of his head. His brow lifted slightly as he turned toward the source—a guy who looked as drained as Matthias felt but had enough left in the tank to strike up a conversation. Matthias glanced at the milkshake, then back at his own fries, lips twitching in the ghost of a smirk.

“Depends,” he said, leaning back in his chair as if considering the question with the weight it deserved. “You’re talking just a plain fry or one of those loaded ones? ’Cause if it’s got cheese or something on it, that’s crossing a line.” He popped another fry into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully before adding, “But plain? Yeah, I guess I’ve done worse.”

It wasn’t much, but it was easier to talk about milkshakes and fries than deal with whatever had been clawing at the edges of his mind all day. For now, that was enough.

Killian's eyes narrowed at the others' counter question, slowly looking over at him in horror. "Plain, obviously. Which monster would dip loaded fries in a shake? That sounds like an absolute crime." he sighed, shaking his head. "Done worse? If you think milkshakes and plain fries are bad I have got to know what worse is for you." he said.

Killian looked the other up and down. It was nice to have some conversation, even if he had very clearly disturbed the others' peace and quiet.

"Well your coffee certainly took a nosedive." he joked. "I'm fine, don't worry about it. Like I said I jumped in time. Working in a kitchen most days usually comes with the perk of fast reaction time, especially with hot liquids." he said, giving the other a dramatic spin to show he was unharmed by the coffee.

"That's a good attitude." he smiled. "Can you survive on whatever is left in the cup? I'm headed towards the brewed awakening now anyway so if you would like I can get you topped up again."

Killian gave a light chuckle at her statement, nodding as he looked over at her. "Really? Are you the type to set kitchens on fire or the burn everything you touch type?" he questioned, an amused smirk on his face. "That's good at least. Let's hope I'm the worst thing to happen to you today, can only go up from here right?" he said. "Well I've been very productive so I count it as a good day."

"I like trying new things, but I'm also a sucker for routine." He smiled. Opening his water bottle and taking a sip. "How's your head feeling? Is the ice helping a little bit?" he questioned.

"That's very sweet of you, but still kindness should be a given especially in a situation like yours."

A finger snaps over to his napkin, wipes itself off, and then travels back to the old phonebook, turning the page and tracing the names down until he finds the one he's looking for. Leaning over to read, he scrawls the address onto the paper; tight chicken scratch crammed into too little space.

"You know anything about local politics, guy? Beyond french-fry etiquette I mean."

Killian raised an eyebrow at him, before giving him a nod. "I guess classic are classics for a reason." he leaned back in his chair, eyes darting over the road and the very few people passing.

He looked over at the other again, narrowing his eyes. He seemed busy, so Killian figured he should probably head inside soon, as to not bother the other with whatever he was doing.

"I know a thing or two, yes. Why?" he asked, looking over again. "And the name is Killian."

"That's good to know, I'll keep my eye out for you then." he smiled. "Sadly you will not be able to pull the 'I know the owner card' since my employees know that, well I know too many people. So, what is your favorite thing to order? Or are you one of those people that constantly order different things?"

"You aren't, I offered." he shrugged, as he got up and headed back to the kitchen. Grabbing two bottles of water, he headed back over, sat back down and offered her one. "Oh please, it was my pleasure. No repayment needed."

"Definitely can't say I'm not up for trying new things." That would never be a way that Harley would be described, always trying new everything, this little food hack being one of the safest so far. Worst came to worst there, it was just a food combination he didn't like. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you're looking particularly exhausted. Long day?"

Killian noticed the other's reaction, an eyebrow raising with a curious smile on his face as he looked at the other. He let out a short laugh at the other's reaction to discovering this beautifully tasty invention. "I know right? The sweet and salty combo is just too good." he smiled. "Hm that's understandable. It can become a bit much, but hey you tried it which not a lot of people do."

Killian nodded, "That's good, a lot of people seem adverse to trying new things these days. Not that that's a bad thing, classics are classics for a reason." he shrugged. He looked over at the other, giving him a grin as he nodded. "Sadly yes. Several people ended up sick, some bug going around which means I jump in, and while I love doing that. I am always reminded of why I worked hard to have my own business rather than work for someone. Because people can be so exhausting. Especially during rush hours."

"Yes really, is it that surprising?" he asked, one eyebrow slightly raised with a smile on his face. "Oh I don't mind, feel free to eat however much you desire. It's my treat since it's the least I could do after this." he smiled, starting to walk in the direction of bun intended. "How has your day been? Besides an idiot running you over, obviously."

He tried to suppress his laugh, as he noticed what he had done, right this was not the time for jokes. Even though the other seemed to appreciate them. "I will take your continued patronage." he smiled. "Hm that's good, if you at any point feel wobbly feel free to hold on to me for stability." He offered as he started to walk in the direction of his home.

It wasn't long before they made it. He opened the door, let her in. And instructed her towards the couch in the living room as he quickly went to get the cooling pack from his freezer. Wrapping it in a towel he joined her on the couch, handing it off to her. "Hopefully you won't have too nasty of a bump after this."

"I sure hope it does, if it doesn't go over and you think you might have hurt yourself more than you anticipated feel free to reach out. I will obviously cover any potential medical expenses, since this was my fault." he offered, giving her a smile. "Well I doubt I will be able to forget your name, I'm Killian. I own bun intended. So if you are up for it we can go grab a bite there, or you are free to pick any other place."

"Ah not a man of adventure huh." Killian shrugged, looking over at him, watching what he was doing. "It's actually really good, it's a sweet and salty combo, and on top of that it can also be a hot and cold combo." he suggested. "So you don't dip your fries in anything besides heinz 57? There's so many better sauces out there."

"Hm lucky me then, catching you at just the right moment to be graced with your presence forever now." he joked, bowing his head at her for extra flare. "Oh please, I'm inviting you. It's my own choice." he smiled. "You okay to walk? Not feeling wobbly or something?" he asked, already offering his arm to her in case she needed it.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that. I never really get distracted while running." he sighed, nodding his head. "Of course the one time I do, I actually end up bumping into someone, or well knocking into someone." he shrugged. "Are you sure you're okay? It looked like a pretty nasty fall and I had quiet a bit of speed. I'll ehm... well I can make it up to you, if you want. Food, my treat? As an apology."

"Oh so I have a chance to see you there huh? I sometimes help out, if you ever see me there gimme a sign, I'll get you a little surprise with your order." he winked. "Oh please, I love listening to people talk about what they love. It's-- calming." he smiled. "Yes, maybe we should save the small talk until we can ice that. So where do you wanna go? My place or yours?"

"Artemis is a fascinating goddess. Twin of Apollo and the child of Leto and Zeus. You don't want me to keep spouting on. I can do this all day. I am the director of Hellenistic studies. I teach primary on Ancient Greece. I know, boring."

"It's less basic than other names but still, my parents decided not to get too creative. All of us have pretty heard of names." he smiled. "Oh I know Artemis! Do not know much but I knew she was a twin and all that." he smiled. He used to like history in class, but it was never something he could fully focus on, same with geography.

"Oh please, I love to learn so you may keep spouting if you wish." he winked at her. "Oh that's not boring at all, I loved history in school, not that I can tell you much about it anymore but I did love it. I'm the owner of bun intended, not sure if you've been, but I highly recommend it."

Harley didn't realise at first that the question was directed towards him, but once he did he chuckled softly. "You know what, I've never actually tried it. You recommend it?" He asked, picking up a couple fries and hovering over his milkshake. "You think they'll go with strawberry? Sweet and salt are meant to go together pretty well, so maybe those people are onto something."

"I highly recommend it. Especially if you have a chocolate milkshake, I love the saltyness of the fries mixed with the sweetness of the chocolate." he smiled, holding up his chocolate milkshake. "I'm not a fan of strawberry myself -- but it's sweet and salty so it's gotta be good. I think the fruityness of the strawberry will probably make it even better." he said, as he grabbed a fry and dipped it in his chocolate milkshake.

"Honestly sometimes you just gotta try stuff, especially food wise. I often get people asking is that good? Do you recommend it? Which, are all valid questions, don't get me wrong, but it's just everyone's taste is different. I always recommend fries dipped in milkshake, especially chocolate and people will look at me as if I have three heads, until they try it-- and then they like it." he chuckled. "It's the same thing with pizza, there's so many different pizza's and topping to put on it, some will love it- some will hate it. You know?" he looked over at the other, even after the exhausting day he still had an urge to just yap at whoever would listen, sadly for Harley he was sitting a bit too close which means he was now the target for Killian's exhausted ramblings.