#danica:thread

          Danica winced as she took a hesitant step, a sharp pain shooting up through her leg the second she tried to put any weight onto it. This wasn’t good. So not good. She was too far from her family’s campsite to call for help and her cellphone had no service so she literally could not call for help. Help would not be called. Okay, don’t panic. So she thought talking a walk to clear her head would be a good idea. So she was hurt. It would take her a little longer to get back, but she’d make it. This would all be fine. “Ow... ow... ow...” The voice wasn’t quiet, though it wasn’t loud, and it sounded off with every step. How many more to go?

          Part of her felt like she should maybe continue her protest... but the other part didn’t care. The bottle was already open and it’d be nice to have a glass of wine that would probably eat her entire grocery bill for a month. “Yes, tell me why,” she said, egging him on with a hint of amusement in her voice. When he set the glass in front of her, she wrapped her fingers around the stem and pulled it a little closer. She didn’t care how he was going to try to justify this to his boss, he was so getting in trouble. Still, she found herself laughing at all the right parts and wondering in the back of her mind if this was a stunt he pulled with a lot of girls or if he just so happened to be bored tonight. Or... maybe she looked a little more pathetic than she realized. All possibilities. “I mean, I guess as long as this is a business thing...” she said with a snort. Dani leaned back in her chair, shaking her head with a smile. “But also, thank you. You’re not completely negating my hell-shift, but you’re making it a little better.”

          Danica stumbled sideways as she realized a car had stopped just shy of ‘bumping’ into her knees, made possible as she crossed the road paying more attention to her phone than traffic patterns. “Watch it,” she huffed angrily as if it wasn’t her fault at all. She shot a glare at the driver before restarting and getting herself to the sidewalk.

          Danica rummaged through her purse as she walked down the sidewalk, clearly not paying attention to her surroundings but also just deprived of sleep enough not to care. Coffee, she was heading for coffee. It was with only this thought in mind that she stepped off the curb and into what she assumed was a crosswalk.

          It didn’t take more than two seconds at the table to realize someone had been messing with her. It had to be a practical joke, right? There was no way someone this rude had actually asked for her. Not unless the practical joke was less joke and more cruel. “Sor-- I--” she swallowed hard, somehow assuming this woman would be one to tell her not to apologize. ‘It showed weakness.’ But apologies were her main form of communication at work. “Would you like me to get you anything to drink as you look over our menu?” she asked, hands going for the order-pad stuffed in her apron. “We have a wide array of red and white wines, as well as carrying Pepsi products.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, already scribbling on the pad with her pencil. “Might I also suggest the spinach and artichoke dip as a starter? It comes with fresh bread and it’s quite good.”