I N V I C T U S

Without a doubt music was a soundtrack to her day to day, always playing in the background or in her ear in just about everything she did. Nell loved her playlists, she had well over two-hundred of them, curated for just about every mood, situation, piece of her past. That was all digital.

Records? The chef's collection was small. Too insignificant to even be labeled such a thing. It was the source of her current browsing, that shame that her shelf didn't display her devotion properly. Music just sounded better spinning under a needle.

"Well, that's a loaded question," he replied, his tone light and teasing. "But if I had to pick, I'd say any collection isn't complete without some Bob Marley and Tracey Chapman Their music just has a way of capturing the essence of life, you know?"

He paused, a hint of sentimentality in his eyes. "And of course, we can't forget about The Beatles. Classic, timeless tunes that never fail to bring back memories."

Orlando glanced at Nell, their shared history of a failed connection lingering in the air between them. These impromptu run ins with her were always...exhilarating, to say the least. "What's in your collection these days, Nell?"

He glanced back at the argument, a wry grin forming on his lips. "Nah, ss tempting as it is to play superhero, I think stepping in might just add fuel to the fire," he remarked, his tone laced with sarcasm. "Besides, we've got better things to do than babysit grown-ups throwing tantrums," he said, waiving off the antics of the other patron. "I'm glad I ran into you. How have you been? I've been meaning to reach out and check up on the both of you," He said, nosily peeking into her cart of grocery finds.

"I'm surprised the manager hasn't rolled up yet," Roman commented, "to rescue them and to also get another line working so there's not a full on crowd catching the scene."

For a moment, just a twitch in his leg, the restoration specialist nearly took action. What had stopped him was the possibility that his intervention could potentially cause an even bigger tantrum.

He leaned closer to Roman, a playful grin on his face. "You know, if this keeps up, we might need to start selling popcorn," he added, gesturing toward the argument unfolding ahead.

Despite the amusement, Orlando couldn't help but shake his head at the customer's behavior. "Seriously, though, some people just don't understand the concept of 'being a decent human," he remarked with a wry chuckle.

Shifting gears, Orlando turned to Roman with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "So, what's been up with you? Anything exciting happening in your part of the universe?" he queried, eager to steer the conversation toward lighter topics while they waited for the line to progress.

"Sorry for being late— the tour ran longer than expected. Who knew a school group would actually care about their field trip and have a million questions?" Ethan quickly removed his jacket and hung it on the back of his chair before taking a seat in front of the other, picking up the menu to glance through it. "Did you already order? I wouldn't blame you if you did."

It didn't take him very long to decide on what to eat, given the place was well known for their pizza, so he lightly set down the menu just a minute later before turning his attention back to the person in front of him. "How was your week? The highlight of mine was a kid asking if it was my job to wrestle bears. I'm surprised I don't get that question more, so it's always amusing when it pops up."

He leaned forward and focused on the menu again. "Haven't decided yet, but I'm thinking I'll keep it light," he replied, then after a few seconds thought fuck that and decided on a burger and double order of fries.

Orlando grins at Ethan's story, finding it both amusing and endearing. "That's priceless," he says with a chuckle. "Kids really do have a knack for asking the unexpected, don't they? Must've been hilarious."

Looking up from his menu, added, "my week was pretty standard - hit the gym, got out hiking. The usual. Not of that bear wrestling exciting stuff you got going on," he chuckled.