— mind / matter

Brayden felt like he needed a kick in the butt to get his day going so that's why he relied on Java Junction. It had easily became one of the most important places for him since arriving in Windsor Bay. As he was in like, waiting his turn he was scrolling through his phone. He already knew what he was going to get. He then saw the counter empty and walked up. "I'm going to get a cold brew with cold foam and three pumps of peppermint mocha with an extra shot of espresso please." He then looked behind him and saw someone there and then mentioned, "I'm also going to get what the person behind me is getting." He said as he stepped to the side to allow the other move up to the counter to order.

he'd barely registered the coffee, but he'd caught the way the barista smiled at him patiently, like she was waiting for him to make up his mind. with a look towards the other and a clear path paved, he offered a kind smile of his own and stepped up. "i'll take a triple espresso, soy milk. iced, please." when he ordered and the other had paid, zaid stepped to the side and waited to capture the other's attention with a grin still on his mouth. "i appreciate that. next time, it's on me." after a beat, he offered his hand, a professional habit. "zaid."

      at  the  time  it'd  felt  so  powerful  to  have  garnered  the  attention  and  attraction  of  an  attorney.  especially  given  that  she  was  a  small  town  woman.  he'd  been  a  man  moving  up  the  ladder  in  the  law  field  with  a  power  suit  and  power  tie  and  she'd  been  foolishly  mesmerized.  "wouldn't  it  be  more  fun  if  your  part  was  a  surprise?"  the  brunette's  brow  lifted  as  amusement  twinkled  in  her  eyes.  "don't  worry,  you'll  love  being  the  only  man  amongst  a  bunch  of  women  in  the  forest."  in  some  respects  this  may  have  been  a  case  of  the  enemy  of  my  enemy  is  my  friend  but  the  veterinarian  had  always  enjoyed  zaid  when  they'd  crossed  paths.

"i'll  bet  you  would  and  truthfully?  i  don't  blame  you.  i  actually  don't  have  to  imagine  the  kind  of  joy  it  might  bring  you."  there  was  something  to  be  said,  it  was  a  winning  feeling,  to  know  your  competition  was  so  pressed  about  you.  unfortunately  her  disdain  had  kenna  venturing  another  glance  as  her  ex  strolled  carelessly  away  with  the  woman  he'd  broken  up  their  family  with.  "it's  because  you  scared  him.  he  was  so  stressed  about  your  rise  right  when  he  finally  felt  he'd  made  it."  that  amused  her  so  much  her  cheeks  dimpled.

when  he'd  started  complaining  about  the  younger  now  district  attorney  she'd  become  curious,  but  now  talking  with  zaid  that'd  only  grown.  "you  know  he  never  wanted  me  to  come  and  see  him  in  court.  said  it  would  be  a  distraction."  she  hadn't  believed  that  but  in  her  role  as  supportive  wife  kenna  respected  the  boundary.  all  bets  were  off  now.  "i'm  gonna  take  you  up  on  it.  it'll  be  a  christmas  gift  to  myself."

finally  she  turned  her  back  without  taking  another  glance  as  the  ex  escape  unscathed,  not  hit  by  any  cars  or  flying  objects  down  the  street.  "we  shall."  the  brunette  gestured  ahead,  a  smile  on  her  lips  if  they'd  been  thinking  the  same  thing  about  coffee.  "with  the  year  over...  how  are  you  holding  up?  was  it  a  good  one?  have  good  things  ahead?"

he wondered if the woman had built her own opinion about him from the stories weaved off the man's vile tongue. he'd always had a thing for the dramatics in the courtroom, and zaid could only assume it stretched into his home life too. "oh, it brings me a lot of joy," he teased, stressing the word a lot for his own dramatic flair. when she continued, zaid nipped at the inside of his cheek and nodded. it wasn't arrogance that had left him making that assumption that she'd now confirmed, but it was the only possible motive that made sense. "i always thought that maybe that was the case." after a beat, he spoke again. "i'm sorry, by the way. that you had to hear him bellyache about work-things." about him, he wanted to say, but didn't.

his brows lifted again and so did the curve on his mouth. "please, come by and be my guest. i'd love to give you a gift that keeps on giving." he knew what it felt like to sit behind that oak table with a person looking to you to spare them of the fate that courts would or wouldn't give them. he knew the pressure behind, but he'd never let it make him cruel. not in the ways the other man had.

he nodded towards the cafe that sat within view before he turned to catch her eyes once more. "tough question," he admitted, forcing a long breath from within his lungs before he continued. "the year itself was not bad, but it left plenty to be desired. it just made me realize what i want in the year to come." inside of work, outside of work, there was plenty about the life he'd created for himself that he wanted to do differently, do better. "what about you? think you'll be doing things differently this year?"

an order in at the first truck, tyler didn't push to pay when zaid seemed pretty certain that he wanted to foot the bill, he collected some napkins from a dispenser for the ready when their order would be called. they were polar opposites yet he enjoyed zaid's company thoroughly. what had actually amazed him was how much the attorney kept coming around and entertaining him. maybe he'd also convinced himself that if he could win zaid over then maybe he'd be able to secure protection for prudence and himself when his family was arrested and federally indicted.

"actually, you know what, i'm not ready to support two people just yet on my income. so, for the time being, keep that measly little day job of yours and i'll let you know when it's sugar daddy time." for only two months in tyler had done fairly well in establishing business in the new location. "but we can start with the lessons anytime. especially if you're buying all the food. oh, and i've been meaning to ask..." their order was up and he waited until zaid returned to finish, their first set in his hand, "what's your place like? where you live. it's only a matter of time, big guy. better tyler proof it now." he couldn't bug his sister all the time and so help him that he got lonely sometimes and wanted company.

following a few big bites of food and swallowing it down he grinned at zaid and shrugged almost bashfully. "listen to you, getting so sweet on me. everyone thinks you're this big tough scary guy but," his head was shaking a little, "you're really just this big teddy bear, aren't you?" was he avoiding any possible talk of criminal behavior? absolutely. tyler was also being tyler and he could rarely help himself.

he'd barely registered the other's touch, but when he did, he didn't flinch beneath it or make any effort to pull back. "your guy, huh?" he held tyler's steady gaze, a brow popping as he didn't dare fight the tug at the corner of his mouth. the younger man was someone he wanted in his corner, someone that he felt like he could trust, even if he was still learning the other, still getting to know the man beneath the humor and that devilish grin that probably worked wonders. "first off, i have a tailor for that and secondly, i can keep up."

despite the intoxicating mix of smells that came from each of the trucks, his focus always pulled back to tyler. he drew in a playful tsk and shook his head slowly, like there was an ounce of real disappointment somewhere in the gesture. "you went and got my hopes up for a second." his smile dropped a bit, but it took on a curious curve instead. it was the comment on lessons that drew him in, but it was the ask about his place that made a surprised laugh roll off his tongue. "my place?" it still didn't feel like home, had too many boxes that sat untouched, and had far more space than he needed, but it was his. "if you want to see my place, you can. i don't know if you'd rather wait until it's a little more... mine, but you're more than welcome to come over." he wondered what tyler-proofing it meant, but he figured he'd learn.

zaid covered his mouth after a bite, half afraid he'd either spit or choke on the rather large chunk of food he'd taken in. it was amusing, really, to think that anyone could see him as scary, even more amusing to know that anyone could see him as a teddy bear. "that so? what makes me seem like a big tough scary guy? it's the suits, right?" that, and he knew the natural expression he wore was far from inviting. still, it hadn't been enough to scare the other man away.

another laugh spilled naturally, this one fuller. "it's so annoying when people follow basic road laws," he taunted, eyes rolling as he took another bite of food and hummed in approval. "i grew up in new york, but my family and i went to jersey a lot. needless to say, it's not something you think about until an attendant is shutting your door and demanding you stay inside." he smiled at the memory, one that he recalled from the backseat of his parent's car.

he was already feeling a hint of fullness, but he'd accepted a challenge and wasn't looking to back from it. "you can't teach everyone everything." he wondered about the man's sister, if she was as charming and as funny as he was. it seemed likely, but he knew how siblings could differ, knew that he and his own sister were more different than not. "you know i can't." his smiled softened, because as much as he wanted to lay it all out, there was still a professional boundary that he just couldn't cross. "can't we start with something else?" as the question landed, so did his name for their orders. "maybe something less... that."

That was true, he wasn't. He was kind, even if he didn't have to be. He could treat this just like yet another case.. and Yara, wouldn't blame him. She couldn't even imagine how emotionally exhausting it must have been, case after case, investing and fighting for every family like it was his own. Still, she was thankful. More than words could ever describe. She traced the rim of her mug with her fingertips and half smiled at him, sadness washing over her features. "I don’t know what real is anymore." Yara whispered, "Everything just feels like survival mode, like I’m walking around half-waiting for the next thing to go wrong. But Em.. I don't know what I'd do without her. She keeps me sane." And somewhere, deep down, even that carried its own guilt.

Truth to be told, Yara wouldn't call herself strong. Some days were harder than others, but what else could she do? How long could she stay in bed, feeling like she was going to rot there? There was no time for that. The reality was that Lylah was gone, and now Yara was responsible for two more people besides herself. The honesty that followed, though? That's why she appreciated Zaid; he never sugarcoated things. A change of venue. Of course. Of course, they’d try to say Windsor Bay was too small. Too biased. Her jaw clenched at that, not in anger at Zaid, but at the fact that someone could suggest what happened to her sister didn’t deserve justice here, where it happened. Where Lylah lived. Where she died.

"It's not your fault." Yara whispered, exhaling deeply and doing her best to hold back the tears. "What do you think it's more likely to happen? Like.. What happens if they win that motion? If it gets moved? What does that do to the case… to us?"

the attorney looked to his watch, another bad habit he instantly regretted. it wasn't a move made because he cared what it read, it was a move forged by his nerves and fear of crossing the professional boundaries he'd worked so hard to set in his line of work. it was important, but none of that seemed to matter as he looked over at the woman who'd suffered so much loss and now looked to him for answers.

"i know." he appreciated that acknowledgement, that she wasn't putting weight on him that shouldn't be there, but it didn't drain him of the guilt he felt or the responsibility he knew he had. "i won't say that it's impossible, but it's not likely. not when this place is big enough to have an acceptable jury pool." he let that set for a moment before he shifted in his chair and spoke again. "if they win, it gets moved to another venue. we'd give the prosecution all of our findings and they'd take over the case and charges."

zaid reached for his mug and took a long sip from it, welcoming the warmth of the tea within it. "we're fighting the motion. right now, we're waiting for the judge to make a determination. right now, the important thing is that you're taking care of yourself."

The boardwalk opened up ahead of them, lights reflecting off the water, voices drifting in and out like background music. Marlowe breathed it in. "So," she said, tilting her head, "if you had to pick, no pressure, what's the thing you miss doing just because you liked it?"

when she continued on, zaid nodded slowly as every word landed square on his chest. "see? that's the part i have a hard time wrapping my head around. how am i supposed to enjoy the small things when there's so many things waiting for me back at the office?" he nipped at the side of his cheek and blew out another breath, this one meant to steady him.

a single brow raised at her question and his head lulled to the side slightly. what did he miss? it felt selfish to think about, but it was a fair question. "honestly? i don't even know." it had been a long time since he'd let himself enjoy anything. "i miss going out and not thinking about what's waiting for me at my desk."

"Fancy," she smirked, her gaze finally snapping back to his. "I always say the devil is in the details, and your tailor clearly has a very good relationship with the devil."

She let out a soft, breathy chuckle at his joke. "I’m sure you know all the best 'workarounds' to get the most out of people." Her brow arched, genuine curiosity cutting through the banter as he mentioned the legal drama. "But you can't just drop 'the McDonald’s case' and leave it there. What happened?"

the attorney exhaled a quiet chuckle and nodded. "i'd say they're close. makes sense as to how they're always getting things done so quickly." he ran a steadying hand over the front of his shirt, smoothing away wrinkles and creases that weren't there.

"it's all about presentation. who can make the most appealing case and all that. i've gotten good at it." he supposed it was why the district attorney's office had come knocking. after so many losses to him, it made sense to invite him to the other side of things. when she asked for more details, zaid's brows lifted in surprise and his smile widened. "she spilled their coffee on herself and sued them for their lack of warnings on their menu and cups. she also cited excessive heat as a factor in her burns. she sued for them to pay for her medical bills and they refused, so she took them to civil court. she won, but they settled for a little over half a million."

      at  least  there  was  a  grin  on  his  face,  a  look  of  amusement  rather  than  horror,  because  kenna  wasn't  entirely  certain  she  could  handle  the  judgment  without  completely  losing  her  shit.  this  wasn't  the  first  time  loose  lips  sank  some  ships  with  her  colorful  commentary,  mostly  said  to  ease  her  own  tension  and  rage.  better  said  than  done,  right?  "you're  volunteering  to  carry  the  cauldron  deep  into  the  woods  the  next  full  moon?  that's  so  generous,  thanks."  cheeks  dimpled  further  and  tinted  with  some  color,  the  brunette's  gaze  disclosed  gratitude  that  the  district  attorney  appeased  her  dark  humor.

the  sound  of  her  fingers  snapping  cracked  into  the  space  between  them,  stitched  with  the  moment  of  her  lips  pressing  into  a  line  and  hers  eyes  closing  as  her  head  shook.  "i  suppose  i  should  be  happy  for  you  that  i'm  alone  on  that."  misery  loved  company  and  all.  when  her  gaze  reconnected  with  his  the  expression  she  carried  was  still  lighter  than  what  her  comments  would  impress  upon  someone.  "don't  reduce  me  down  to  telling  you  all  the  shitty  things  he's  said  about  you  to  get  you  to  further  empathize  with  me."  the  cheating  ex-husband  had  despised  zaid  hassani's  rise.  "this  is  a  safe  space  to  hate."

as  his  expression  lifted  and  he  teased,  kenna  too  felt  herself  getting  lighter  with  the  playfulness.  the  brunette  had  been  fully  prepared  to  be  chastised  for  her  saying  the  bad  thing  out  loud.  "maybe  you  could  invite  me  into  the  courtroom.  i  could  even  sit  on  your  side.  have  a  front  row  seat  to  his  humiliation."  hands  in  the  pockets  of  her  coat,  kenna  took  a  step  closer.  "can  i  buy  you  a  coffee?"

"mmm," he challenged, features twisting into a doubtful look. "i don't know if that counts." even if she made light of it, a coping mechanism at best, it didn't make the man's wrongdoings any better. maybe he didn't understand how deep the betrayal went, but he knew that she hid it well, better than most would, at least. "i'd love to hear all about it. makes me happy to know i left such a big impression on him that he had to take it home." it wasn't the only thing he'd managed to take home, but zaid left that petty remark sitting on his tongue. not to spare the other attorney, but to spare the woman he'd burned.

his new position had been an interesting role to play and the other, probably caught up in the mess he'd made, had made it easy for him. "be my guest. he's not on his best game lately. makes it fun." then again, he wasn't sure the man had ever been at his best, but that wasn't another note of judgement that zaid kept to himself.

her question left his smile widening. "i was going to ask you the same thing," he admitted, bottom lip catching between his teeth as he nodded. "but since you beat me to the punch... yeah. i'd like that." he didn't look back at the man who'd been at the center of their conversation, even if he was curious to know what all the other had said about him. "shall we?"

When he suggested the pizza spot, Isabella nodded and said, “We can walk, I don’t mind.” She then learned that he had actually moved to Windsor Bay a couple of years ago and settled, “Nice, that’s promising. I’ve only been here for a few months and am debating whether I wanna stay long term or not.” A lot of factors to think about, but Isa would rather focus on the present. “So what made you want to become a public defender?” she curiously asked.

his brows lifted when she handed over her phone. he was surprised, but relieved by the forward offer all the same. it meant that he couldn't shy away from her after the night was over. "alright then. a deal's a deal," he assured, typing in his name and number. after, he sent himself a text, a simple, but classic smiley emoji and then offered the phone back to her. "there you go." it wasn't often that he looked forward to things, but he couldn't deny that he was more than excited to see another text come through from her, one that wasn't sent by his own hand.

when she agreed to walk, zaid bowed his head in acknowledgement and fell into step at her side. "can i be honest? it's not for everyone, but i guess it just depends on what you're looking for." it was a slower way of life, but close to enough to bigger areas that one could escape whenever they wanted and have a safe haven to return to when the busy city buzz got to be too much.

her question made him tip his head back slightly and exhale a laugh into the cool air around them. "i was eager to dive in and they were hiring. i didn't have any fancy connections to private firms like some of my classmates did, so it was a starting point." the pay wasn't great and neither was the work load, but he'd turned down private firm offers along way. "and then i just stuck with it. it felt important and it's hard work, but it was worth it." he glanced down at her, his own curiosity building. "what about you? what do you do for work?"

OA Zidan — FBI 7.02

      despite  his  assurance  kenna  still  stepped  out  of  the  way.  it  was  probably  a  good  thing  her  attention  had  been  pulled  away  from  the  cheater  and  the  woman  he'd  left  her  for.  she'd  been  standing  there  wishing  some  fairly  awful  things  that  no  doubt  would've  resulted  in  some  possible  bodily  harm.  the  veterinarian  took  in  the  expensive  looking  suit  and  dress  shoes  that  had  a  shine  to  them,  and  even  if  it  were  just  a  sidewalk  the  brunette  felt  underdressed  in  his  company  in  worn  blue  jeans  and  boots.

"it's  ok.  i  actually  don't  mind  small  talk  and  truthfully...  a  distraction  is  probably  a  good  thing  before  i  try  and  find  if  i  have  the  power  of  witchcraft."  a  smile  tucked  into  the  corners  of  her  mouth,  dimpling  her  cheek  as  she  looked  up  at  him  with  hopeful  eyes  that  he  understood  she  wasn't  being  completely  serious.

"i  was  definitely  lost  in  a  moment  there."  petite  shoulders  rose  and  fell  into  nonchalance.  "you  ever  see  your  ex  and  the  person  they  cheated  on  you  with  and  destroyed  your  family  across  the  street?"

her question, rhetorical at best, left him drawing in a long breath like it was something he had to think about. one satisfied with the passing beats for dramatic effect, he exhaled and shook his head slowly. "don't think i have, but," he offered, voice dropping an octave lower, "i have seen an asshole that i hate sharing a courtroom with across the street."

he raised his brows as he stood taller, a playful sign that'd only tried to make the air lighter. "if you want, i'll go out of my way to embarrass him more than i usually do. it'll be fun. i'll tell you all about it too," he teased, hoping that he wasn't overstepping.

At his question, she nodded easily and fell back into step beside him. "Sure, that's okay with me." After a beat, she added with a faint, playful tilt to her voice, "I wasn't aiming for anywhere either, just somewhere that isn't inside my own head for a while."

Her cane tapped softly against the wood as they moved forward into the stretch of boardwalk lit by warm, distant lamps. "Consider this a shared detour from whatever we're both pretending isn't weighing on us tonight."

with every step, the ada felt something loosen within him. it was a relief to not be walking towards a courtroom or his own office where an old mahogany desk sat with stacks of paperwork that he wasn't sure he'd ever get through. "sometimes our heads are the worst place to be." for him, it was more often than not, but for one rare occasion, his mind elsewhere, partly thanks to her.

he took a bite from the sandwich and blew out another steady breath. "alright. this may sound insane, but i can't tell you last time i had one of these." it was nothing more than a sandwich, but his meals were all premade or leftovers from the meal kits he'd prepped the night before. "forgot how good something so simple can be."

snapping his fingers he pointed at zaid, letting him know that he'd nailed it. with a couple of steps he was beside the older man and voicing an order. everything was always paid in cash so he offered some up to cover their orders and stepped aside to wait. "it's tride and true. proven." he shrugged. "still works. i'm smart enough, brilliant actually, to know not to fix something that isn't broken." a ticked his head in a 'come on' fashion, "stick with me, buddy. watch, discover, observe. you'll learn a lot."

the attorney brushed off the other's offer, waving it off gently because it was the least he could do. that, and who was he to play outside of the teasing role that tyler had given him? "it's on me." in record time, their oder number was called and zaid was stepping up to collect. one truck down, a few more to go. "right, right. should i just go ahead and quit my day job? let you show me the true way of life?" his tone was flat, but the glimmer in his dark hues gave away just how much he was enjoying the exchange.

"you're impossible. you know that, right?" he hadn't mentioned the man's name in the office, but he had listened for it, somewhat dreadful, somewhat hopeful in wait. if there was trouble brewing, someone in the district attorney's office knew about it long before it ever reached their desks.

when it came to the next truck, zaid did a sweep over the menu and plucked an item off for himself. "you sure that's just not your driving?" he laughed, the sound low and sweet, like a man who thought he was funnier than he actually was. "i think that's a start. not burning down one's apartment." he wasn't the best cook himself, but he'd learned a thing or two over the years. "i'm good. the job keeps me busy. i'm lead on a big case. can't talk details, but it's draining me." for once, the mask slipped and zaid let someone else see the exhaustion he couldn't manage to escape. "other than that... it's good."