Today was a pretty good day at work. She had friendly customers, she had some pretty darn good tips. That was especially true with the 150 dollar she got from a table of 10 earlier in the day. It nearly made up for her lost day due to her roommate passing away. But, as usual, the dinner time rush was dying down. It was getting slow, a steady customer here and there. It was the more relaxing time of her job. She was able to clean some tables, assist with the kitchen crew (even though they had a bit of a feud,) and even help out the other waitresses with their tables if they needed it. The only problem with it was that it got too slow. Her mind would start drifting and she'd find herself being waved down by the hostess or someone else.

She had a few stains on her apron on her dress - a guy ran into her carrying coffee. She was lucky it didn't burn her, honestly. Her apron was thick - annoyingly so, but she appreciated it more than ever after that incident. Who knew being a waitress could be a risk prone to job? Plus, the guy seemed to be really apologetic about it - he even gave her a 20. She couldn't complain there. She really wouldn't mind him coming back and spilling some more on her if it meant tips. She had no idea how she was going to get the stains out of it, so she already talked to her boss to order a new one for her. Luckily, her boss had one of hers at home that she would give Celeste tomorrow. In the meantime, it meant smelling like coffee and big, huge, brownish black stains on the front of the apron. A little embarrassing, but nothing too major.

In either case, she sighed as she leaned onto the counter next to the entrance to the kitchen. She surveyed the diner. She literally had no tables, but a few of the other waitresses had a couple people so she would occasionally check in on them when they were too busy gossiping or doing something else. Some people might have been upset by it, but she was pretty content with doing so. She needed to take her mind off things, anyways.

She had been through a lot over the past couple weeks - her roommate dying, school exams starting, trying to figure out what she wanted to do in college. She at least had some ideas now - political science, maybe. She definitely wasn't interested in health care anymore - she had no reason to go into it. Plus, she figured employers would probably get a little worried since she literally emits almost undetectable (but still detectable) amounts of radiation. It wasn't enough to harm someone, even if it was over their entire lifespan, but it still happened. Radiation tended to make even the most rational people to freak out a little. Whether it was the leftover thoughts of the cold war or the emerging debate on nuclear power, Celeste didn't really know. It was one of those things that just is what it is. 

Her mind drifted back to her job. It was going pretty well, all things considered. Her best friend worked here, she had a pretty fun boss to work with (minus the extensive cigarette smell that radiates from her all the time,) and she makes pretty good money - especially considering she's just a waitress. It wasn't a job she'd want for long time or anything, but it was something that was holding her over until that next opportunity came along. She sighed, yawned, and covered her mouth. She checked her watch. About another 45 minutes to go. Ughhh.

(OOC: @wheverr )

David's day was like any other he'd had in the last 2 months. He'd spent majority of it playing basketball with the locals, occasionally pulling away to grab a bite. By now he would've thought he'd have at least one friend, but that just simply wasn't the case. Something about constantly lying about his past just seemed to have that effect on his social skills.

Any how, it was getting a little late and David decided he'd grab some dinner before pulling into the shack of a hotel he called home. A diner caught his eye out of the drab and clutter of the dimly lit street. He awkwardly pushed on the pull door before ducking into the diner with an "I hope nobody saw that" look on his face. But surprisingly (and to his relief) the establishment was pretty much empty, say for a few customers here and there. 

Immediately he noticed the scent of syrups and oils and the vibrant striped furniture atop the retro checkered floor. Not unlike any other diner he'd been to in all honesty, but the warm atmosphere  and  the thought of having a hot plate after a long day made him feel a little more at ease. He plopped himself down at a roundtable in the corner and sunk his tall; and somewhat lanky frame into the leather seat. His singlet did little to cover up his sweat shined skin and he hoped that the diner would cover up the smell of his own B.O. He let out a sigh as he reached into his pockets to pull out the remaining cash he'd 'borrowed' from his brother. 

"$1347 exactly" he sighed to himself.

"Minus $40 for the room and $25 for the food and ... I need a job." His face flattened at the thought of 'working for a living', yet he cringed further at the thought of being homeless. It seemed like most of his money was being spent on food and hotel rooms; mostly food. At that moment his stomach began to voice it's frustration.

"Right, food" he thought to himself. 

Most of the waiting staff seemed to be preoccupied for the moment, so David wasn't surprised that he went unnoticed. Though one in particular caught his eye. A small girl with blonde hair who couldn't have been older than himself; stretched out an arm and let in a huge breath of air. She too seemed to be caught up in her own thoughts, showing mild distaste towards something in similar fashion to David a moment ago. "Maybe she's broke too?" David thought to himself chuckling a little.  This girl for the most part didn't look old enough to even have a job, but at 6ft'8 most people looked smaller to David than they actually were. He waved his hand in an attempt to catch her attention.

"Excuse me miss?" He proclaimed in as deep a voice as he could manage. 

Celeste was way too busy and she really didn't have enough time. She was trying to visit  her soon to be university soon. She needed to try to figure out what type of degree she wanted to go for. Political science? Medicine? Marketing? Well, she had already figured out a corporate setting wasn't a Celeste destination for her future. She was terrible at sales, marketing, and she probably wouldn't be that great at medicine, despite her initial hope of being a radiologist. Bah! Luckily, she could be undecided for a while and hope that she managed to take the right electives to eventually dive into the major she wanted.  

Of course, that was presuming she did well in school, anyways. What if she ended up being terrible at it? She has aced high school but university is a whole different ballpark. Plus, if she kept working, volunteering, and trying to do other stuff... Not to mention, she was really itching to create a baking club at Xavier's since Maya got it into her mind. 

>> "Excuse me miss?" 

She startled a little, her eyes wide as she glanced towards the direction of the voice. Oh, a customer? When did he even get in? She glanced to the hostess, who was off gossiping with Bianca, one of the other waitresses. She sighed and shook her head. They seriously needed to be retrained. 

She quickly walked over to the man... Boy? He didn't look like he was much older than her, if at all. But sheesh, he was tall. She could tell even though he was just sitting there. He was crazy tall. She wondered if he ran into things a lot... Celeste was fairly tall, at least she considered herself tall compared to others. Definitely not even close to his height. It was impressive, really.

She gave him a warm smile once she got near him. She pulled her pad and a pen out, "I'm so sorry for the wait... The hostess is a little, well, busy. I'm Celestina and I'll be your waitress tonight." She glared off towards her before looking back to the stranger with a warm smile. "How is your day going? Is there anything to drink you'd like?" She pulled a menu out of her apron and put it in front of him, "We have Coca-Cola products, lemonades, water, apple juice..." She thought for a moment. That was probably most of them. 

David smiled as she turned, the smile and wave always seemed to work. But at that same time, yet again something seemed to catch her attention as she glanced over at the other two women; absorbed in their own conversation. From the short distance, he could make out a sigh as she shook her head before approaching hastily. As she got closer David could see she was sizing him up; something he'd become used to, as him and his brother's had no problems drawing attention to themselves. But he too did the same to her.

It seemed like the closer she got, the less she looked like a woman and the more she looked like a girl. And a pretty one at that. But what on earth was she wearing? 
'must be a fashion statement' he thought to himself, before realizing that Halloween was just around the corner. 'maybe i should get one of those'. 

 "I'm so sorry for the wait... The hostess is a little, well, busy. I'm Celestina and I'll be your waitress tonight." 

She speared the other two with her eyes before turning back to him with a warm smile. He smiled in response spotting the heavy brown stains on her apron, must've been a long day. 

 "How is your day going? Is there anything to drink you'd like?"

"Great thanks," he replied. Classic stranger small talk.

She placed a menu on the table in front of David, pen and pad at the ready.

 "We have Coca-Cola products, lemonades, water, apple juice..." 

"Coke would be great!", he interrupted at the sound of the beverage, something he enjoyed a little too often since leaving home. Though at that moment, he could feel his brothers silently judging him from where ever it was they  were now. "... second thought, i think i'll just take a water. Tap is fine." Blurgh. Of all the beverages on offer at a Diner of all places, he had to choose that. 'You're here cos you're hungry David. You didn't choose to eat at a place called Wallflower Diner for the health benefits' he thought to himself. "- sorry, could you make that a large strawberry milkshake? and throw in like, a bunch of whipped cream. Like a whole bunch." He made a gesture with his hands, like an old man holding a fish he'd just caught; a rather large one. 

Celeste would have been more grumpy about the hostess and the other waitresses clearly neglecting their jobs if he didn't seem like a nice guy. She had good vibes about him, which was saying something since she usually didn't really care for people. Or maybe people didn't care for her? Oh well, she had a few select friends that she liked to associate with and she was fine with that.

Granted, the more she thought of her gossipy and lazy coworkers the more agitated she became. It didn't show expect for her glares, which they were oblivious too, but he probably noticed. He seemed like an understanding guy, so maybe he wouldn't look too much into her glares. It wasn't the most professional thing to do but she was a bit annoyed.

>> "Great thanks," 

She gave him a nod and a smile, "That's great to hear! Seems like a pretty nice day outside. I'm loving the autumn weather coming in now."

Once he mentioned coke, she began to write it down - but then she scratched it out. He wanted a water, tap was fine. They didn't charge for water, so she didn't bother writing it down. She was about to turn but then he apologized and asked for a strawberry milkshake - lots of whipped cream. He even made hand motions that made Celeste give a big grin and a nod, "Will do. More whipped cream than strawberry shake, got it." She wrote it down in her little notepad. She was joking of course and gave him a wink to make sure he knew she was, "I'll even bring you a coke - on the house." That was something awesome about her boss - if they had an opportunity to give a customer excellent service, her waitresses should take it. Plus, he made her day a little better with his motions. It was amusing and endearing how he expressed his want for a lot of whipped cream. 

With that, she turned and walked back towards the kitchen to get one if the kitchen people to make his shake - of course, with lots of whipped cream.

After a minute or so, she came back out with the Coke and put it in front of him and placed a straw beside it, "The shake should be finished in a couple minutes. So, have you decided on what you'd like to order? Or need some extra time?" Realizing her apron had huge stains on it, she turned a little red. Every customer that came she felt necessary to explain what had happened to her, "Also, sorry I look like a total mess. Got coffee spilled on me earlier. Luckily, no burns!" 

She said something about the Autumn weather, how much she loved it. For the most part, David couldn't agree less; Autumn to him meant only one thing. Winter was on it's way and with winter came snow. Just the thought of it was enough to make him shiver a little, he wasn't too fond of cold weather. But he offered up a smile anyway, best to be polite.

After his tiny fumble around with his order, he felt sure he'd be met with even the slightest sign of annoyance; from what he thought to be an already vexed young lady. But instead he got quite the opposite. She gave him a grin like that of a happy child's and nodded-

 "Will do. More whipped cream than strawberry shake, got it." She winked at David who chuckled at the sarcastic remark. "I'll even bring you a coke - on the house."  

David was caught a little off guard. After debating in his head before on whether or not coke was the right idea, the way the conversation played out in his head was-

'Oh that's alright, you don't have to but-', "Thanks". A simple thank you was all he could manage, the rest of the words just didn't feel like coming out. Similar to most of his conversations he found that more often than not, the right words would come up in his head; but then they'd just stay there. It was a habit he didn't have much control over, but thankfully today it didn't have a negative outcome in his social interactions. 

After a minute or so, Celestina reappeared with his beverage in hand, placing it in front of him with a straw. "Wow you weren't kidding? Thanks." He got to work, tearing the straw from the paper wrapped around it.

 "The shake should be finished in a couple minutes. So, have you decided on what you'd like to order? Or need some extra time?" David was about to answer before noticing the young girls head tilt subtly towards her stained apron. He could sense her embarrassment, her cheeks and face reddening slightly.

"Also, sorry I look like a total mess. Got coffee spilled on me earlier. Luckily, no burns!" 

David smiled in response "You don't have to apologize to me ma'am" he pointed out the sweat marks on the chest of his singlet. "Sorry i smell like a trash can." He giggled a little. He read somewhere that laughing at your own jokes was a sign of narcissistic behavior (not that he knew what the word meant). "Speaking of which, you wouldn't happen to have deodorant would you? if not i think i'll settle for a large cheeseburger, fries and a slice of pumpkin pie". He had a full on toothy smile at this point. Did he really just crack another joke AND ask for pumpkin pie? He hated pumpkins almost as badly as he sucked at social interactions. 'And did i really just call her ma'am?' he thought to himself. Something about this girl made him feel at ease; more comfortable. Maybe it was the grins and free drinks, maybe it was the friendly attitude, or maybe it was just puberty doing it's thing. Either way, small verbal exchanges like these made David feel more like his old happy self (although he was always somewhat distant). He really did appreciate times like these off the court, where he could just spout out randomness with a complete stranger. 'hell it beats talking to myself in a dirty hotel' he thought to himself.
 

Celeste noticed by his behavior that he may not have been as much of a big fan as Celeste was of the coming season change. She enjoyed the cooling weather, the cold air, the beautiful changes of leaves. It was probably the Canadian in her - she was really glad the Xavier's Institute wasn't in the American Southwest or any other hot, toasty, areas. 

Luckily, Celeste was a pretty happy, outgoing person. She wasn't sure how or why, really - she didn't have the greatest childhood nor was she raised by the nicest of people. She was always determined to be a perfectionist, to do the best she could in any situation, try her best to be liked by as many people as possible, and so on. She had learned over time, albeit slowly, that you cannot rely or keep hoping that just because someone does their best that it'll come back to herself. It wasn't wrong to try your best, and she always tried, it's just she no longer beat herself over it if she didn't. At least, most of the time. If there was one thing that she learned by trying to win her parents love, is that people are stubborn and it's better to move on than keep hurting yourself.

>> "Wow you weren't kidding? Thanks." 

She nodded at his thanks and once she returned, she chuckled at his comment. She wasn't kidding, not entirely anyways. Although, she decided to make another joke: "What? Where'd you get off thinking I was a jokester?" 

>>"You don't have to apologize to me ma'am. Sorry i smell like a trash can."

She laughed and shook her head, "I don't smell anything, thankfully. It could be that I'm just not close enough - the counter and the restaurant tend to drown out most smells. Either way, we don't discriminate on body odor here!" 

>> "Speaking of which, you wouldn't happen to have deodorant would you? if not i think i'll settle for a large cheeseburger, fries and a slice of pumpkin pie"

She chuckled, "Well, I have a spare in my deodorant but it's lavender Dove. I'm not sure if that's what you'd like to smell like." With his serious order ready, she nodded and began to write down a large cheeseburger, fries, and a slice of pumpkin. Once he completed his order, she gave him a smile, "And what would you like on the cheeseburger? Everything? That includes lettuce, tomato, pickles, some onion, and some mayo. All, nothing, or something inbetween?" She heard a loud voice call out, "Strawberry Shake! Lots of Whipped cream!" 

She put her finger up, "Oh, one second, let me go ahead and get that for you."

She skipped off to the kitchen and then brought back his strawberry shake with a tonnnn of whipped cream on it. She chuckled as she put it down with another straw. "It actually looks pretty good, honestly. Alright, and the burger? That gave you some time to think about it?" 

"What? Where'd you get off thinking I was a jokester?" 

David at first said nothing, but eyed out her costume in a jokingly condescending manner. "lord knows..." 

 "I don't smell anything, thankfully. It could be that I'm just not close enough - the counter and the restaurant tend to drown out most smells. Either way, we don't discriminate on body odor here!" 

"haha all the better for me."

'Oh thank god' he thought to himself. Her comment (whether or not she was being honest) helped reassure him that the rest of the Diner couldn't sense his presence. Not that he usually cared what people thought of him; having flunked most of his time in high school. He did however feel slightly self conscious about the way he smelt, as it was a way of offending the general public without even having to be seen or heard. It was a subtle, yet effective way to insight negativity from someone without even having to say 'hi'. Either way, this lady didn't seem to mind; or at least she was considerate enough to pretend she didn't.  

 "Well, I have a spare in my deodorant but it's lavender Dove. I'm not sure if that's what you'd like to smell like." David actually considered her offer for a moment. 

"Lavender's a lil' better than trash can, but i think i'll pass. I'd have a hard time explaining it to my fams. Thanks anyway." 

And no, David didn't magically reunite with his family. But the beauty of running around on his own, was that he could be anyone he wanted to be. He was never around long enough to form any substantial relationships with people, so they usually were none the wiser. He would be out of their lives just as fast as he came in; he assumed it'd be the same for this young waitress. 

"And what would you like on the cheeseburger? Everything? That includes lettuce, tomato, pickles, some onion, and some mayo. All, nothing, or something inbetween?" He was just about answer, before another voice piped up from the kitchen. 

 "Oh, one second, let me go ahead and get that for you." 

"No worries." With that, she disappeared into the kitchen to grab his beverage. 'she seems cool' he thought. She seemed like the kind of person his older brother would have in his circle of friends. Small, pretty, sense of humor. She ticked all the boxes. He swirled the ice cubes in his coke with the bright red straw, leaning his head on the window. 'i wonder where ya'll at...'. Thinking about his family, the  good times and the bad, tended to kill the mood for David. He'd keep telling himself, 'I had no choice. It was the right thing to do.' But his conscience would constantly poke at his brain. Did he run cause he was brave, or because he was afraid?

His train of thought was suddenly interrupted with the sight of a large strawberry milkshake, with an absurd amount of whipped cream. A straw was placed next to it. He turned to the gleeful face of the person who lay the items before him.  
"It actually looks pretty good, honestly."

He turned back to the shake, the thoughts of his family slowly fading to the back of his mind. He cracked a half smile.

"It does doesn't it."

"Alright, and the burger? That gave you some time to think about it?" Right, that burger. He was so caught up in his thoughts, he forgot all about it.

"eh... just throw in everything. I ain't too picky, just hungry." He jokingly rubbed his stomach in circles. Though at this point, his appetite had somewhat faded. His mind was just in a bit of a mess. He just wanted to get some food in him, so he could finally duck out and be alone with his thoughts.


 

>> "lord knows..." 

Celeste eyed him carefully for a moment. She then gave him a playful grin, "Hey, look, this is mandatory. I didn't choose this outfit." She motioned to her dress, "I try to avoid looking like I'm from 1956 but this place really makes it hard not too." She laughed. 

In either case, maybe Celeste just couldn't smell? She tried to see if she could smell him - she was the honest type, she would let him know if he really needed to get some deodorant. She could tell he had been playing sports, especially considering how sweaty he was, but she definitely couldn't smell him. She had smelled people, before, especially some of the older people who didn't bother taking showers anymore. She wasn't sure if it was because they physically couldn't or they were just like 'h*ll, I'mma die soon anyways why bother' kinda attitude.

On her way back, she noticed that he seemed lost in thought. Someone debating what to have on a burger didn't get lost in thought, at least no one she had ever come across. She wondered what his story might be. Granted, she thinks that a lot of the people that enter the tiny diner. What happened in their lives? Good, bad, in between, what made them who they are? What made herself who she was? It was some deep questions that popped up in her mind in the little diner. She was kinda weird, actually.

She nodded and gave him a smile, "Sounds good, lots of everything." She made the note into her notepad and right before turning to go, "Are you okay? You seemed a little caught up in your thoughts, for a moment." She gave a sincere smile. She always wanted to help people if she could, even if they mostly refused her offer.

She knew how hard it was to live in this world. She had no real family, a few close friends, and she had good and bad things happen to her since she moved to the states. It had been an exciting, wild, terrifying, fun ride. 

"Hey, look, this is mandatory. I didn't choose this outfit." He followed her hands with his eyes as she motioned towards her dress. "I try to avoid looking like I'm from 1956 but this place really makes it hard not too." She laughed.  David simply giggled in response. After playing 3 years for his high school's premiere basketball team, he'd become familiar with the idea of strict uniform regulations. Not that he himself was too content with it; it was difficult to find fashionable gear in beige and green.

She nodded and gave him a smile, "Sounds good, lots of everything." David noticed that she jotted his order down and was about to head off to the kitchen again. But before going she asked  "Are you okay? You seemed a little caught up in your thoughts, for a moment." His shot up to meet with hers; she gave her a look comparable to a frightened cat on it's hind legs, ready to flee. Her question seemed to come out of left field, 'am i that obvious?' he thought. She smiled sincerely, a comforting and inviting smile. She seemed to genuinely care and David had a lot on his mind. But he wasn't about to spew his life out to some waitress at a Diner; who knows what she might think about this whole 'mutant' thing? It wasn't a risk David wanted to take. But then again, he needed help. He was around two and a half weeks away from being homeless, he had no contact with his friends or family for months and he didn't have anyone by him to offer up some assistance. He was alone. He sighed.

"It's a long and boring story. Grab me that grub... and if you're keen for long and boring story's, i might even tell ya." he cracked a half smile. 

'Well there's that' he thought back to himself. Best case scenario; she wasn't keen for long and boring story's and chose to leave him to wallow in his thoughts. Worst case; she genuinely cared about what little David was going through and came back for an earful. Even worse; this lady and the rest of the establishment wasn't too keen on the whole 'mutant' thing.

She smiled. He was a funny guy. It was true, though. She had no choice in her appearal at work. It was this or find a new job. 

She kept a friendly smile on her face as she could tell he was caught off guard. She hadn't meant to catch him like a cat catches a mice but she was worried. Celeste was a naturally caring person and only wanted the best for people - even if that meant she could only listen and give some type of advice. She waited patiently as he contemplated telling her anything, running, or whatever went through his mind. She waited patiently with an encouraging smile, although she was about to apologize and go put his order in.

>> "It's a long and boring story. Grab me that grub... and if you're keen for long and boring story's, i might even tell ya." 

She nodded and gave him a smile, "Alright, let me get this put in and I'll be back!" She was happy to help, even if it was just as an ear to listen too. Some people people you can tell are good people and need a hand - David seemed like one of those people. Life threw unfair wrenches in their plans, in their lives and it could cause all sorts of issues. 

Once she got his order submitted, she had to help clean up a few tables that the other waitresses wouldn't do. Once she did that, she came over to check on him with a simple 5 more minutes and your food will be ready.

And finally, it was! She brought it over to him and sat it in front of him, "Okay, I'll be right back and I'll be ready to hear that long and boring story." At least he'd be able to get a couple bites to eat. Her shift was over, so she went to the back and changed into a sweater with jeans (it was getting chilly now, after all.) She came back out with a purse and a book bag and came over and sat beside David, "Okay, sorry. I can't wait to not look like I'm from 1954." She cracked a grin and then invited him to begin telling her his story. It was always interesting to hear about peoples stories. And especially if there was some way she could help or enhance their story, all the better.