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Post by kyla on Apr 25, 2010 21:12:01 GMT -5
When Kyla entered the restaurant it was after 4 AM. There were a few others sitting scattered at the tables, most had the look of early risers, mail men and the like but a few were as bedraggled as she felt. Her band played a gig that night until a little after two, and then she'd gone straight to check on a tip she'd received about a poltergeist. It turned out to be a very active, extremely vengeful ghost. She moved stiffly, her back and head hurt from where she'd hit the wall. It turned out that dishes weren't the only thing a poltergeist could throw if it was mad enough.
Kyla managed to out think the thing and now and protection spells tied up in neat little bags were tucked into the walls through out the house. The ghost had gone kicking and screaming but it had gone. She dropped her guitar case behind the hard wooden chair and dropped onto it. She stared vacantly at the menu printed on the place mat while she waited for someone to come and ask her what she wanted to eat. She was semi-hopeful it would happen before she dropped from exhaustion.
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Post by dru on Apr 25, 2010 21:54:06 GMT -5
Screw eight' o clock classes. They were the devil's invention. And screw not being able to sleep more. It just made everything harder. Dru had been up since two thirty this morning, trying and failing to sleep. Now she was sitting in this damn restaurant, eating her eggs and trying to study. Well, at least it gave her another few hours to cram.
Dru had a final exam this morning, one of the most important of her college career. It would tell her whether or not she'd be getting her Biology cohort or not so it was necessary to make a good grade. She supposed she should be thankful for the extra time. Instead she just grumbled to herself about how she'd rather be asleep.
Shoveling another bite into her mouth, she flipped the page of her text book and chewed slowly, oblivious to anyone else in the building.
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Post by adam on Apr 25, 2010 22:30:41 GMT -5
Money didn't come easy, especially when you're not exactly the "hire-able" type. That's not to say that he was jobless, he worked for some mom and pop shop in town doing clean up. Not exactly what he wanted to do, but he had to pay the rent somehow. And rent was basically all he was able to pay for.
Still, Eli managed to scrounge up enough money doing some odd work around the town to get a decent meal. It wasn't like he was going hungry but he was starting to feel the effects of not having anything really stable. And really, he shouldn't complain. He had an apartment (does it really matter that it's part of a complex that used to house one of the largest meth chains in the city) with running water and electricity. He was lucky to have that or at leas that's what his Opa would say to him if he were still alive.
He picked at the sandwich in front of him for a while, the hunger he felt going into the restaurant quickly diminished when he remembered why he didn't come here. The food was less than stellar. Diner food, what did he expect? No, what he could really go for was a cigarette, something that was completely out of his budget at the moment.
Scanning the room, he checked out the other locals. People up at this time of night had to smoke. It was like an unwritten rule or something. Leaving his latest novel behind on the table, he got up and approached a woman on the other side of the diner. While his pride should have been complaining about begging, his addiction was telling him to just suck it up.
"Hey." He mumbled, his voice slightly accented. "Can I bum a cigarette?"
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Post by kyla on Apr 25, 2010 22:52:56 GMT -5
Kyla looked up when someone approached her table hoping that she was going to get to order. She felt like her belly was trying to gnaw a hole through her backbone. She was always starving after one of her special jobs and sometimes it seemed like she'd never fill full again. Instead of the waitress she'd seen leaning in the window to the kitchen, giving the cook a nice look at her assets, there was a kid standing there. Some guy that looked like he was too young to be out without his mommy. Despite that she was already digging in her jacket pocket. Hell it wasn't her issue, if some 10 year old wanted to smoke. Where ever his mother was, she wasn't it. She pulled a pack out and offered him several. Kyla noticed him frowning at the brand and she laughed.
"Beggars can't be choosers, kid" she said studying his face from behind her fall of dark hair. It wasn't a stylish fall of hair, just something she did to keep people from staring. "Christ how old are you anyhow?" Kyla frowned still holding out the cigarettes. He looked so young it made her 21 feel ancient.
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Post by dru on Apr 25, 2010 23:13:50 GMT -5
Dru had long since looked up from her book to watch the interaction of two of the other patrons in the restaurant. Her eyes flickered up from the page and back to the two and their pack of cigarettes. Boredom must have been setting in. Normally it was easy to ignore the people around her. And it had been up to this point. At least she'd been able to ignore the horn-dog cook and the waitress, but now she couldn't help but watch the blond boy and dark haired girl. They were interesting and some childish part of her wanted them to talk more and get together. A romance comedy style love affair to remember. Yeah. She definitely needed sleep.
Taking another bite of her eggs she closed her text book and directed her attention toward the room. She let her eyes wander around it, checking out some of the other patrons before letting her attention return to the boy and girl. She just hoped they wouldn't notice her watching. Trying to find someway to people watch without being suspicious she picked up her pen and began to doodle on a napkin. She found herself drawing atoms and took pleasure in the fact that at the very least she would know that part of her test.
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Post by adam on Apr 26, 2010 22:22:18 GMT -5
Eli could feel his cheeks burning when Kyla started giving him the third degree about his age. It's not like it was a new conversation but didn't mean that he enjoyed it at all. He always looked younger than he was for as long as he could remember. At one point, he considered dying his naturally blond hair to something darker in hopes of appearing older and more mature. He never did it but he was starting to reconsider. He fumbled the cigarette between his fingers. Yeah, he was a bit of a snob when it came to what he smoked. If he was going to kill himself, he was at least going to do it with something good. Menthol were not good. Maybe he could trade once he got outside.
"22," he finally muttered, figuring the least he could do was answer her question no matter how nosy it was. He pat around in his pockets for a few seconds before looking around the room again. Something didn't feel right, he could feel it on the edge of his senses. Then again, he was becoming increasingly more paranoid. It had been sometime since he even got a whiff of whatever it was that was hunting his family. It was unusual. A small part of him hoped that perhaps the news of his grandfather's dead had gotten around. He was ready to be out of it...whatever it was.
His eyes caught hold of another girl's across the room before quickly diverting back to the women in front of him. "Uh, thanks."
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Post by kyla on Apr 27, 2010 6:35:06 GMT -5
"22" Kyla blinked at the boy...rather man...in front of her. 22, he was a year older than she was. Kyla felt her cheeks heat and she tried to see the young man in a new light. He didn't really look 10 of course but she would still put him on the wrong side of 18 if she didn't know better. It didn't occur to her that he might be lying, it was too stupid a lie. She shook her head and chuckled.
"Sorry," she said and motioned at an empty chair, "you might as well sit down, I smoke in here all the time. No one cares." she handed him her lighter and dumped the little fake sugar packs out of their holder. "Ashtray," she explained. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and Kyla frowned. Eyes narrowed she glanced around the diner, but when she saw the girl at the far table trying to be subtle in her staring Kyla relaxed.
There was nothing supernatural about being nosy. She had to stop being so jumpy. Kyla grinned and winked at the young woman. Another blond, she wondered what the world was coming to that everyone seemed to think that was the best color for their hair. She sighed. Well at least emo boy had gone for blond instead of being predictably black. She glanced back at him, it was a nice job with few roots. He must work hard keeping it up. She didn't say so, of course, she didn't really like her foot in her mouth despite how often she seemed to keep it there.
The waitress finally appeared, interrupting her thoughts. Kyla sighed gratefully, she was starving.
"The steak and eggs, scrambled with cheese, homefries and grits four slices of rye toast." she said without looking at the menu. The waitress popped her gum as she wrote without looking up. Kyla grimaced as the sound rubbed her nerves the wrong way. The waitress wandered away and Kyla took a drink of the water the girl had left on the table for her. She turned her attention back to the young man. She flashed a tired smile at him.
"Kyla," she said holding out her hand, "Sorry for being rude, it's been kind of a long night. Low blood sugar makes me bitchy."
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Post by dru on Apr 27, 2010 20:13:50 GMT -5
Dru startled a little when the boy caught her eyes and she freaked out more when the dark haired girl winked at her. She'd been caught. Settling into her embarrassment she flipped her book open again and began to eat a little more, glancing up once or twice to make sure the pair wasn't watching her now. They had to have been talking about her, right? Had it been more subtle a move she probably would have switched chairs. She hated being watched, even if she loved doing the watching.
Humming to herself, calming her small bout of nerves, she tried to find something she could concentrate on. Instead all she could hear was the soft crack of bubble gum and hushed voices. After throwing another glace at the pair she shut her book again and sighed. Her plate was empty now and so was her glass. She had a few options. She could leave now and go back home. She could order more food, or she could quit being such a creeper and go introduce herself to the others. Dru fished out a few bills and dropped them down on the table. She stood up and shoved her book into her messenger bag and then let her gaze flicker between the couple and the exit. With another little sigh Dru shouldered her bag and moved to the table.
"Hey! Can I join you two?" Dru asked, biting her lip and gripping an open chair nearby.
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Post by adam on Apr 29, 2010 20:56:26 GMT -5
He considered the chair for a minute and then looked back up at the girl offering it to him. It wasn't natural for people to be so friendly, especially with stranger at this time in the morning. Nonetheless, he found himself sitting slowly, guess it wouldn't hurt him to be a little more social. "Yeah, thanks. Name's Eli," he mumbled moving the sugar ashtray closer to him before lighting up. There was some magic that went along with inhaling the first drag of a cigarette, an instant reaction in which his nerves calmed and his body visibly relaxed. Smoking was bad, but so was stress; he made his choice.
When the waitress finally made her round, he ordered a cup of coffee. The cigarette was an amazing substitute for real food. "Hungry?" he questioned, was it too early for breakfast? Too late for dinner? Eli was about to comment on just that thought, but the girl from across the restaurant asked to join them. Might as well make a party of it. "Yeah, sure." He motioned to a seat.
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Post by kyla on Apr 29, 2010 21:54:26 GMT -5
Kyla shrugged. It was fine with her if the girl joined them. It was weird though, the three of them coming together like that. She didn't know why she'd asked Eli to sit and she couldn't help but wonder what had caused blondie to join them. The hair on the back of Kyla's neck stirred again and she shifted in her chair. It wouldn't be so odd, this banding together if the others were somewhat sensitive as well. She hummed a little under her breath but it didn't help. the feeling that something was wrong wouldn't leave, it made her back itch just between her shoulder blades as if something was staring at her. She resisted turning to look at the wall behind her. It wasn't unusual for her nerves to continue to jangle with the aftermath of an intense hunt.
That had to be all it was, they were in public and granted it wasn't the biggest crowd in the world but it should be enough to dissuade any unnatural creatures from acting up. The waitress brought Eli's coffee and her iced tea. Kyla breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the cool glass to take a drink. The sugar in the drink seemed to help as soon as it hit her system. Thankful for the way it dulled the edge of her hunger, she set the glass on the table.
"So what are you guys doing hanging around a diner this time of night," she glanced at her watch and smirked, "or morning I guess."
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Post by dru on Apr 30, 2010 9:05:21 GMT -5
"Thanks." Dru muttered and sunk into the chair she was holding, dropping her bag by her feet. She waved off the waitress as she asked if Dru wanted anything. "I'm Dru," She responded to Eli with a nod. "Pleased to meet you." She turned to Kyla and shrugged. "Insomnia and a test later. Studying. You?" Dru broke into a little smile and settled further into the chair, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
She was curious as to the other's answers but she also felt more than a little awkward. She wasn't used to interacting this freely with strangers. She soon reasoned that she knew their names (she'd overheard Kyla's) so they weren't fully strangers. Still not knowing who they were was a little unsettling. However, she didn't allow herself the time to dwell. She would start regretting her decision to introduce herself if she did. Dru leaned forward, making herself focus. At least they might be interesting if they were out this late. She was determined to listen well enough to find out.
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Post by adam on May 1, 2010 22:42:03 GMT -5
"Just finishing the last of my jobs for the night," Eli added a shrug before becoming very interested in his coffee cup. This was strange. Plenty of open tables and yet they all sat together. Guess it was how normal people made 'friends' or something but damn. To top things off, the coffee wasn't actually very good. Stale at the very least and tasted like it had been sitting on the warmer for a few hours at least. He sighed softly to himself. "What about you?" He looked towards Kyla as he spoke. "What brings you out so late. You don't look...the night dwelling type."
His thoughts were interrupted by a howl in the distance. Eli visibly tensed, his hands wrapping tighter around the cup of coffee. His eyes shifted from Dru to Kyla as he waited. And nothing. Probably just a stray hungry dog. He really needed to learn to take a chill pill. "As I was saying..." his sentence was cut off by another howl, closer and louder.
"Fuck. Fuck. I have to go." He scrambled to his feet, his chair being knocked to the side as he attempted to get mobile as quickly as possible. He let his defenses down and now they were closer to finding him than they ever had been.
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Post by kyla on May 1, 2010 23:20:33 GMT -5
The sound of a dog howling in the distance set Kyla's teeth on edge. Only one sort of dog had a howl that cut through the night like that. The guy across from her tensed but she was careful not to react. Her fingers itched to feel the solid wood of her guitar in her hands. She didn't need it for what she did, not any more, but she would never get past feeling more secure when it was in her hands. The howl came again, closer and Eli jumped to his feet sending his chair clattering to the floor. His face was white and he looked about to jump out of his skin. Kyla frowned. What the hell would a guy like him know about Hell hounds? When they didn't howl a third time, she relaxed a little. They were only howling, and had not caught the scent of what they were after. There was no mistaking the bray of the hunt.
"I play in a band." Kyla said as she walked over and picked up his chair. She was humming under her breath. the music gave her focus, helped her to draw in her power. She wanted to touch Eli, to calm him as well but he looked like the slightest provocation would send him for the door so she held back. She could smell her dinner cooking in the kitchen and her stomach growled. Too bad it looked like she wasn't going to eat any time soon. "I had some after hours work down the road. Makes me hungry." she glanced between Eli and Dru. "Are there a lot of dogs around here?"
Kyla moved unobtrusively between the door and the others in the restaurant. Those hounds couldn't be coming there, why would they? It was better to be safe than sorry. she rubbed her damp palms on her jeans, gathering her thoughts. She'd expended a lot of energy on the ghost and wasn't sure what she had left. She doubted she packed enough punch to take on a hell hound if she was fresh and prepared.
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Post by dru on May 1, 2010 23:43:30 GMT -5
"Are you Ok?" Dru blurted out as she looked between Eli and Kyla. One of her hands was fidgeting with the strap of the bag by her feet, as if to pick it up, the other was wrapped around the chair she was sitting in. After a moment she dropped the strap but continued clutching the wood. Her eyes shifted between the two. "There are some dogs." She murmured meeting Kyla's eyes and answering her question. Her eyes landed once again on Eli and his frightened figure.
To Dru it seemed like several minutes passed. Finally she decided he just must be afraid of dogs. Kyla was acting pretty chill. She only stood up to fix Eli's chair. Nothing really seemed to be wrong. Not unless she had missed something. Maybe Eli was just being weird.
"They can't come into the diner, Eli. Dogs would have a hard time opening doors." She tried for calming and teasing, knowing it always helped put her at ease. "You're safe in here." She smiled a little and let go of her chair; turning back toward the table. "You should stay." Dru stated. She hoped he would stick around but she was little worried now about what else would set him off. If a dog's howl made him that scared then what other things bothered him?
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Post by adam on May 2, 2010 15:15:57 GMT -5
Dru's words were of little comfort to Eli who couldn't help but notice that he was being pinned in. What the hell was going on there. He looked at Kyla suspiciously. Was she one of them? Was all of this an elaborate stunt to get him where they wanted him? His heart rate increased, his body on edge but he refused to let her know that he caught onto their little game.
"No. I'm not afraid of the dogs." His voice was shaky, less confident in his words. It wasn't the dogs he was afraid of, it was the people behind them. His grandpa used to tell him stories about the people who controlled the dogs, how they would torture and torment those they caught. They were after him because he was blood and people like that wouldn't stop until they got it.
Swallowing down whatever fear he had left, he sat down again. Uneasiness still filled his demeanor and he was ready to run at a moment's notice. He always carried a gun on him and he found himself unconsciously reaching towards it, making sure it was still there. He never had to use it before. He had some training but not with real targets. Hell, he wasn't even sure if the gun was loaded. It stayed on his body at all times but when it came to use...well it was practically useless.
"What kind of band?" He studied her case, guitar he reckoned (or at the very least, he hoped that was what she was carrying).
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