Bones (Dakota, Damien)

[Lovely]

Name: Dakota Winters Aliases: Dak Age: 20 Species: vampire Position/Occupation: Location: Chicago likeness used: Alicia Whitten

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PIC HERE Name: Damien Aliases: Dam DOB: Species: vampire Position/Occupation: Location: likeness used: Jared Padalecki

[Lovely]

March 6th 2009
4:30 p.m.


The weather had been nearly as crazy as the people coming in and out of the shop throughout the day. The sun had hardly worked its way through the clouds to light the doorway let alone melt much of the ice on the street outside. It looked like the evening rush was going to erupt into biblical floods or at least a few more flakes, although Damien wasn't sure if those flakes would be falling from the sky or just walking in the door, hoping to warm up from the bitter chill outside while waiting for their bus, or be like the man who'd just left upset that the meat shop wouldn't sell him a cup of coffee. The guy probably needed the decaf, Dam considered, taking the mop up to the front again to sop up the boot-shaped prints that puddled in front of the door. He looked out through the blinds that had stayed down since early morning, peeking at the crowd that massed for the evening bus at the corner, watching the coffee man slice his way around the wall of shoulders to get on quicker. He shook his head and turned his attention back to swabbing the floor. He stopped a moment, frozen, his attention focused on something briefly. A smile curled at his lip and he began whistling as he took the mop to the sink in the back room.

Perhaps she was over reacting, but something about the way KC was acting, really bothered her and the fight had given her this strange and urgent feeling that she needed to get away from him. That's why she'd practically jumped out of the car when he pulled to a stop at the corner, Dakota's plan had been to catch the bus that was picking people up a short distance away. The icy sidewalk and the heels she was wearing didn't cooperate with her and she had to walk slower and therefore the bus pulled away without her. KC was livid, she knew because she could hear him yelling at her from beside the car she'd left. Not really thinking about it, she just ducked into the nearest open shop, looking around once she was inside to see where she'd ended up.

The echoing whistle in the back stopped once the bell on the door she came in stopped ringing. "I'll be right with you. Specials are on the hamburger board," he called out, running the water a moment. The chalkboard looked like an old fashioned diner burger with a tall space-aged looking milkshake bent and towering behind it as if waiting for Superman himself to come hurtling over it and the counter to serve the next customer. The offerings on it and in the glass-walled case spoke of sausages and lox, ground round and roasts with paper crowns covering the sharp, boney ends. The whole shop seemed to be a step back to the '50's, though the aroma of roasting chicken would filter its way from the modern rotisserie set into the back wall, the timer counting down to the dinner-time rush. He was only a moment, coming back to the counter, still moping his hands dry and reaching for a fresh set of gloves. The same smile that had tilted his lip broadened a little as he saw the girl at the other side of the glass. "Sorry you had to go through all that. How can I help you?"

The male voice made her tense slightly, why couldn't it be a kindly old woman and a tea shop.. not a.. she frowned at the display of raw meats. Probably better it wasn't some sweet old lady, that would just be creepy. "Go through all what?" She asked in a tone and with an expression that clearly said she had no idea what he meant. Dakota even went so far as to look around the shop as if she'd missed something that was supposed to happen. "Ah.. um.. I haven't decided on anything yet.." She tried to smile and act like she'd meant to come in here, not that she was pathetically hiding from her boyfriend and doing a bad job of it. She heard the squeal of tires and brakes on the street in front of the shop, followed by a loudly slammed car door. Her jaw tightened slightly and she took in a deep breath, her fingers curling into fists.

Damien leaned on the counter. "The day's been a little weird," he smiled, shrugging a little, but seeming understanding. The sounds outside pulled his gaze to the door only for an instant before focusing again on her. He appeared to be a college boy, probably the kind who just worked for his dad and put up with wearing the little paper hat for a few hours a week to pay off loans. The name tag would give her the advantage of his name if it mattered. "Take your time. I've got all night," he said, pushing slowly off the counter and starting to come around with a piece of chalk to add something to the board. He kept his eye on the door, though.

"Yeah.. you too, huh?" She said in reply to his comment of it being a weird day, she chuckled a little though she was still tense, most people wouldn't notice it. Her eyes flickered to his name tag and she smiled a little, nice name for such a handsome man. "Ah.. what would you suggest.. for someone who doesn't cook much.. who maybe wants to try?" The pleasant moment was short lived as KC yanked door open and stalked into the shop, a sneer of disgust on his face as he eyed the guy in the paper hat. Dakota sighed and shifted, making herself ready for whatever was going to come out of his mouth.

KC wasn't even sure why he was so angry, but he was and at everything. He stepped toward where Dakota was standing and reached for her arm to yank her away from the counter like he'd yanked at the door a moment before. "I know you're not flirting with the help after trying to ditch me." The glance he shot at Damien was one that said he thought the guy in the paper hat was beneath him.

"Chicken," Damien suggested flatly under his breath as the door jerked open and the cold air flooded in with a sweep of stupidity riding on it. He'd left the mop in the back, unfortunately. All he had was the chalk which had been snapped smaller in his palm as his own fist clenched around it. "Actually she was just ordering up a couple pounds of dog bones for her pitbull," he said, the smile curling back briefly. "Guess you needed to come in and pick out the ones you wanted, hm?"

"Shut up! No one is talking to you.. loser." KC snapped, giving Damien another disgusted look as his hand tightened around Dakota's arm.

Dakota kept her cool despite how much the grip on her arm hurt, she felt that she had been right ot get out of the car with the way KC was acting and continuing to escalate. She had no intention of leaving with him, even if she had to wait for the next bus to come by. "Don't take it out on him.. You're right, I tried to ditch you because you were acting like an ass.. and you still are. Now please let go of my arm."

Damien seemed to only take a mocking offense at the man's tone and accusation, almost as if he felt he was talking to someone else entirely, though only the three were in the shop. They were unseen from the street through the closed blinds, though a security camera whined quietly in the corner, keeping watch over the counter and the register they stood near. Once the man had hold of the girl's arm, though, Damien was no longer smiling, rather sighing with a roll of his eyes, then he seemed to take a step forward to grab the man's hand off her arm, but then there was a blur between the girl and the man who was being no less than an ass, who then seemed to land on his own backside as the blur whipped around and seemed to stop where Damien now stood.

Dakota was standing there in shock, probably nearly equal to that of KC who was suddenly on the floor. She'd have a bruise or two on her arm since he'd been holding tightly but it was like he'd been yanked away from her. She looked around the shop, seeming to search for something - whatever had cause the brief blur she'd seen as KC ended up on the floor. Her gaze fell on Damien, he was the only one there besides herself but it couldn't have been him.. it just wasn't possible. She felt a chill run down her spine and she shivered as she brought her gaze back to KC and moved to try to help him up. He was so angry that he lashed out at her for taking so long, as she grabbed one arm his other cocked back and he swung at her with a closed fist.

This time there was no mistaking the blur as Damien was suddenly leaning between the two and his hand met KC's, locking around the angered fist and pushing it back toward the floor or at least keeping him from swinging any farther out. "You really don't want to do that," he suggested, the faint grin flipping at the man beneath a molten steel stare that only KC would see in that instant. He spoke over his shoulder to the girl. "Next bus isn't for another twenty minutes, but I'd at least step back," he cautioned. Once he let go of KC, he was sure the man was going to whip up in a fury and flurry of spit and vinegar.

KC experienced some real fear in the moment when his gaze met the molten silver of Damien's, yet the fury rose up in him as well. He didn't understand it and wasn't trying to, following the instinct of his anger he kicked at the other man. "Go f*ck yourself, asshole. Don't you dare move Dakota!"

Dakota had little choice of whether or not to move since Damien put himself between her and KC while she was trying to help him up. It was move or be knocked off balance, she didn't go far though. Part of it was a small fear of the man who seemed to be defending her and the other was not wanting to rile KC up further. Yes, he was the one in the wrong but that didn't mean she needed to antagonise him when he like this.

His free hand grasped at the ankle as KC lashed out. The grip was not as kind as the one on his hand, gripping through the jeans and the boot underneath. "Awww don't tell me you're not going to listen when you're all angry, now. See, I really hate repeating myself," he warned with the thick layer of sarcasm and tighter clench on the man's fist, pressing the knuckles against each other. "You really don't want to do -that-. Let her go." He glanced to the girl now. "Dakota, huh? Nice. Go. Someplace safe... flag a cab if you need to, charge it to the store and give them my name."

"Ahhh." His hand and leg hurt from the grip that crushed them. Damn this guy was strong, was he on drugs? That had to be it, that must be the reason his eyes were screwed up too. "Hell no! She's not going anywhere.. She better not go anywhere." He almost growled the last out at Dakota like a threat, his eyes narrowing on her and his jaw clenching part in due to his own pain.

Dakota was grateful for Damien's interference but being told to leave and go someplace safe, made her have a strange feeling she couldn't quite put her finger on. As if she suddenly didn't feel safe and was afraid.. a creeping dread or anticipation that something very bad was going to happen. Her heart was beating faster in her chest and she curled her arms around herself, unsure what the right choice was here. She felt the urge to run, to flee really but it seemed so out of place with a mild scuffle between two guys. "I-I.. don't know if that's such a good idea... for me to leave.." What would happen if she stayed?

"Guess she's not going to listen either," Damien sighed, pushing the foot out of his hand to allow him to reach up to KC's collar and try to get the man to stand up, the other hand still gripped tightly on the fist. "Guess that means you're going to leave now, hm? Just you. Or, we all have a nice little chat with the police about how you tried to beat her up in my store."

Dakota sort of hmphed and turned her head slightly, pouting bit at the comment about her not listening. She wasn't try to cause trouble she was trying to keep it from getting further out of hand. The threat of the police brought her gaze back toward the two as KC was pulled up to his feet, he seemed to be cooperating which was a relief.

[Lovely]

KC was fuming but being held down like that and the pain from Damien's grip seemed to have temporarily subdued him. He glared at the meat boy and then beyond his shoulder at Dakota as he was pulled up to stand, finding himself a little unsteady. "Fine.. I'm going." There was a tone in voice that said he was far from over this. "I'll see you later." He promised Dakota with an unkind smile as he tried to yank his hand away from Damien so he could stalk out of the shop.

Damien let go with a shrug as if he'd hardly been holding on at all. In the camera's eye, the scuffle had been purely an intervened attack that KC would find hard to explain. "Watch your step... the ice and all," Damien said with a nod to the door. He was sincerely concerned, but more about KC slipping up further with the girl who was apparently a recent ex than whether he fell outside on the ice.

KC grinned at Damien now that he'd let go, a bit of that macho bravado coming back as he stepped away from the other guy. One step and he stopped, turning to let his gaze roll over Dakota, he knew where she lived and he'd be waiting when she got home. He had the urge to spit in Damien's face which he barely contained as he stormed out of the shop.

Dakota had a feeling she was going to have plenty of trouble from KC later and tried not to think about it too much as she stayed where she was, waiting and then watching him leave. The expression on his face as he looked her over before he left, made her wrap her arms more tightly around herself. This day was not turning out to be a good one at all.

"So Prince Charming doesn't take 'no' for an answer, huh? If I said that was the 'that' I was referring to earlier, would you believe me? Cuz I am really sorry you had to go through that. Can I get you something? Maybe a coat?"

"I don't know about Prince Charming.. that definitely wasn't him." She sort of chuckled, it was a nervous sound and her expression was part apologetic and part embarrassed for being around the likes of KC and for what had happened. "I might believe you.. probably would.. though I'd wonder how you could have possibly known about that."

Damien didn't look at her directly, still feeling the temper shining in his eyes. He turned instead and went behind the counter, reaching down into the cooler for a water bottle he handed across the counter to her. "I'd offer something stronger, but I don't have a license for that here. Are you going to be okay? I mean, you do have a place to go where he won't be, don't you?"

She intended to lie and say 'yes' or at least attempt to convince him she'd be fine and there was nothing to be concerned over. Yet when she opened her mouth the word "No." came out very clearly if a little softly and her head shook a bit. "I.. I mean.. I can go home, but.. he does know where that is.. so if he decides to show up.. Not - not that he will.." She took the water and played with the bottle as she stammered her way through her less than convincing reply.

"Dakota... It's really none of my business, but witnessing that and getting in the middle, sorta does make it my business now. If I let you go home and something bad happened to you...? No, you can't go where he knows you'll be. I can make some calls for you or something...," he offered, but didn't want to scare her worse.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, he'll go cool off and realize he was being ridiculous.. I don't know what sort of calls you'd make but.. I don't have anywhere else I can go.. so.. you know, don't waste the effort." She meant it as she couldn't afford a hotel and she didn't know anyone here, she'd only just moved. She reached up to run her hand over the back of her neck, trying to get rid of the chill.

[Lovely]

"Not a wasted effort if it keeps you from getting hurt," he smiled, leaning on the counter again and looking up at her now across a sea of colorful skewers. "What's ridiculous... is that he thinks he can get away with that shit. Please... can I help you out, one night?" He knew it wouldn't be one night, that KC would hound her until he got his way which was the kind of way that could lead to her getting severely hurt, not just scared and a little bruised. He glanced down at the skewers and the timer on the chickens buzzed. "Heh. Hungry? I've got an idea."

Saved by the buzzer, she smiled a bit as it went off and he asked if she was hungry. It saved her having to protest his help, since she didn't know him and wouldn't feel right having him go out of his way to help her. He'd already done way more than he should have had to and she would be grateful to him for a long while. "Umm.. yeah actually I am.. we were supposed to go to dinner.. hence the skirt and heels in this weather."

"Least I can do... You like chicken? Hot out of the oven back there, on the house. It'll just take me a few minutes to get them all out and get one cut up for you. Hm? At least have a seat? He's not coming back in here for a few minutes." He pointed out the two cafe tables to the side.

Her mouth opened but the protest didn't come out, instead she chuckled at herself and nodded. "Alright.. don't go through too much trouble, okay?" Since he already had with KC, she blushed lightly and motioned toward the tables to let him know she'd sit. With her water still in one hand, slowly started for one of the tables.

"Believe me, it's no trouble," he chuckled, heading to the back wall to shut the ovens down and pull the racks out. He went about his activity calmly, not really watching the door much, but listening for customers. He tried to keep her talking, perhaps allowing her to vent a little if she needed to. "So what does he do when he's not being such a fine pillar of society?"

She frowned as Damien asked her about KC, she didn't want to talk about him and found it strange that he'd ask about that rather than her. "If it's all the same.. I'd rather not talk about him or what he usually does."

Fair enough, he grinned to himself. "No problem. How about you?" The clatter of racks and pans was almost as brief as the blur had been, though these were the sounds of skill and practice with the equipment. He came back to the counter with the full pan that steamed the glass a little as he set it in place. Within another minute, he had a tray put together with a portion of the meat, roasted potatoes and green beans that had been quietly waiting in the steamer for the diners who usually came in with the next bus load. Everything was waiting for them and this tray was ready for her. He brought it over to her table with a napkin and fork packet all sealed in its plastic wrap. "Not the Ritz, but it's all fresh," he said, setting the tray down for her.

"I've never been there so it's all good." The smile was more genuine as she looked up at him, wow he was tall. She suddenly appreciated the saying 'tall, dark, and handsome'... wooweee! "Ahh.. are you going to join me.. or can you? I'm sure I've already caused enough trouble but if it won't cause more..?" She gestured to another chair and bit her lower lip as she waited to see if he'd accept.

"Sure, until a customer comes in at least. Promise you won't be offended if I get up, okay?" He pulled the chair back and sat across from her. "But please, go ahead and enjoy it. It's hot and it's freezing outside."

"Yes it is! Next time I go out to dinner, I'm wearing a snow suit." She laughed and shook her head thinking of showing up at a nice restaurant dressed up like that. Her fingers freed the fork from it's plastic wrapper and she scooped a bite of the food. "It smells delicious." She commented before tasting it and finding it even better.

[Lovely]

He beamed quietly as she started to eat but his attention turned to the door though it didn't open. "Excuse me a minute, sorry," he sighed. He got up again and was behind the counter when the door did open now as a mom with two snowy bundles in tow stomped in. The scene beyond the door was a wintery wonderland of heavy flakes now.

The woman came up to the counter and the kids were already hopping up and down in a squeal of giggles, chanting their vote for chicken over and over. She smiled behind tired but rosey cheeks, ordering the dinners like Dakota had, requesting them to go. Damien seemed to have the order ready before she'd even finished ordering it, or nearly, having the trays covered and set in a box for her to carry easily. They were out the door in moments, some of the flurry puffing inside as the door swung closed. If Dakota did leave, she was going to have an uncomfortable time getting wherever she was going. Damien waited another moment, wiping down the counter and leaving Dakota to her meal and her thoughts. Maybe she hadn't noticed, or maybe she had... The traffic was slowed by the snow, both on the street out front and the flow of usual customers to the door. Damien sighed and looked at the clock, putting the towel aside and coming back to the table to sit. "Glad you like it," he said, beaming again and trying not to stare while she ate.

He excused himself and looked to the door before anyone had even come in but when someone entered the shop a moment later, it was hard for Dakota to shake off the odd feeling. She did her best not to stare as he waited on them, her food was forgotten a moment and then her gaze followed the mother and kids out the door. It was snowing heavily and Dakota sighed, getting home was going to be 'fun'. She played with her food and finally took another bite as Damien came around the counter, preparing her fork with another as he sat back down. "Well it's very good, I can't help but like it." She flashed him a warm smile before taking the bite of food.

Damien folded his arms down on the table and leaned on his elbows. It made him seem a little smaller, but not much. "It's an ancient secret recipe," he winked. "Usually this place gets pretty busy, people heading home too tired to cook. Guess you're lucky tonight with the weather after all. Can I ask you something... that might be a little personal?"

"Yeah..." She sighed softly in agreement on the weather, she'd seen the snow when the lady and her kids walked out. Her gaze went to the door a moment and perhaps Damien would see the subtle longing in her expression. Her attention turned back to him at his question about asking her one. "Sure.. you can ask. I may tell you it's none of your business but I won't get mad at you asking."

He chuckled, his boyish cheeks rounding out around a kind smile. "Fair enough. Look, the weather is pretty bad tonight and it's not looking like it will let up. If you won't let me call you a cab, could I take you home? I mean... with me. I'm not a grabby guy and I'm not trying anything... it's just... I wanna make sure you're going to be okay."

His smile was sweet and she got the urge to reach over and brush her fingers over his cheek but kept her hands to herself and blushed softly. "I.. ah.. I don't know. I only just met you and.. well don't you have to be here awhile?" She was surprisingly tempted by him and almost simply said yes to his offer.

"A while, yeah, but not all night. Perks of being the owner, I guess. I can go home when I want. Think you could stand it being in here out of the cold for a little while? Or, there's a phone at the counter if you want to call a friend to come get you, but I just have a feeling you need to not go home tonight, okay?"

She had to stop herself from saying yes, she was attempting to be smart and safe but she had a feeling he was right about her not going home. What if KC didn't cool off? What if he escalated further? She sighed softly and stared at Damien for a long moment, quietly considering him and his offer. "Is it alright if I stay in here awhile and think about it?" She was going to say yes and it was pretty clear in her expression but she didn't want to come off the wrong way.

"Take all the time you need and the phone's there on that end if you need to call. It's going to take me a while to clean up and I'm sure there will be one or two more stragglers... mm maybe three," he said, glancing at the door again that stayed closed though the wind was starting to whip the flakes and ice against the glass now.

[Lovely]

"I'm not going to be in the way.. am I?" She bit at her lower lip, trying not to smile at him like some starry eyed teenager, she felt excited at the thought of spending more time with him. Maybe she was fixating on him with some kind of white knight fantasy or something? She almost laughed at herself for even thinking that but she was very drawn to him and that didn't usually happen with anyone.

"Not at all. I've got some books in the back. Probably not what you're used to reading or anything, but I wouldn't want you to get bored. I used to have a TV in here, but once all the news started getting bad all the time... just wasn't good for business, you know? Not this business anyway," he sighed, looking at the counter full of pristene, fresh meat. His attention turned to the door again but he stayed seated as if purposely trying to stay put and not jump ahead of the soon-to-arrive customer. The bells rattled and a man with a cane came hobbling in, looking around for Damien and smiling brightly with a wave for the boy. "That's Joe. I'll be right back," he explained to Dakota as if he'd told her a huge secret. He winked again and stood to help the man.

It was strange how he seemed to know people were coming before they got to the door.. The fact that other people felt so comfortable around Damien, helped to make Dakota feel more relaxed and trusting of him. She watched the man with the cane but didn't want to stare, so she turned her attention to eating some more of the food Damien had shared with her.

There was some banter between Damien and Joe with Damien speaking loudly for the man to hear him as he relayed the day's sports scores with a few references to some by-gone era, likely from a time when Joe was Damien's age. He seemed to know quite a bit about the old team players and Joe replied wistfully as he ordered up a hot dinner and grabbed up a few other items from the case. The banter stayed lively and the register rang happily, breaking the uneasy feeling in the air. Damien came around again to help Joe with his items and the door, making sure he made it out to the walkway unharmed. He stopped the man a moment and asked him about his way home, like he'd asked Dakota, making sure he'd be okay walking along the ice with the wind churning the snow over the street. Joe's cane lifted and pointed down the road as he explained his short walk with a smile.. he'd be fine. Damien was convinced enough to let him go his way and returned to the chair at Dakota's table. "He knew my dad when he owned this place a long time ago. As long as we talk about the Cubs, old Joe's always got a smile."

There had to be a catch... this guy was far too nice and far too sweet, plus he'd gone all 'rescue the damsel' when KC had acted up. He sort of reminded her of her grandfather.. or what he was probably like at a similar age and growing up in a different time, when chivalry was still alive and kicking.. Odd to find Dam attractive yet be reminded of that person. Dak smiled softly as she watched him from across the table. "So.. it's a family business then.. that's nice. Too many places are so.. impersonal these days."

"Eh, well it was. Dad died not that long ago," he said, seeming uneasy for the first time since she'd come in. "I mean.. it happens, but the family is really just me now."

"Oh.." Her face sort of crumpled, a slight pout pulling her lips down, the sincerity shining in her eyes as she apologized. "I'm sorry.. for your loss and for bringing it up.. I guess I wasn't thinking.. "

"And how would you have known, hm? It's okay, really," he said, looking up into the frown with a smile of his own. He wasn't offended, but it was clear he was still affected by the change. "He had a fantastic life, and I'll tell you, he was ancient.. seriously. I'm okay, but I won't be if you keep pouting," he teased.

She shrugged in reply to how she might have known, he was right but she still felt bad about accidently bringing up the unpleasant topic. "I'm not pouting... " She protested but she had been and she tried not to but putting on a forced smile wouldn't be convincing.

"Mmm hmm. It really is okay. So, think you want a book or two to thumb through? Hey, you might be in luck that I have a Cosmo...," he shrugged and seemed to turn a little pink at the cheeks as if he'd mentioned something more hardcore. "Recipes... I like it for the ideas."

[Lovely]

"Oh.. umm.. Are there good recipies in it? I don't actually read Cosmo.. Don't worry about it. I'll be fine.." The only real worry she had at the moment was that she might pester him too much while he was trying to work.

"I know," he said with the same amount of strange certainty as when he appeared to react to the door before it opened. She would be fine and he'd ensure that. He was making her nervous, though - not in a bad way, but it made him chuckle. He was flirting and hadn't meant to. It seemed natural with her and his realization deepened the pink into a more reddish blush. "That.. that you'll be okay, I mean. I'll just.. I'll let you finish your dinner while it's hot and start cleaning up. You like music?"

The blushing made him even cuter and she realized how easy it seemed to fall into a light banter with him, even after the awkward moment and the incident with KC. "I love music." She smiled now, it was warm and quite sincere. "Um.. if you need.. or want any help cleaning up.. I wouldn't mind giving you a hand."

"No no... no, it's fine," he said, almost horrified to let her lift a finger to help though it wasn't unappreciated. "I mean, thanks, but it's really okay. I'll be done before you know it," he said, considering if he shouldn't take his time instead of drawing more attention to the strangeness in his actions and definitely strange reaction and reflex. He would normally be done quite fast, but tonight, he considered the consequences of having an audience for that.

"Okay.." She held up her hands as if surrenduring though she was smiling brightly at him. "I'll just sit here and pig out on this very delicious food.. I mean if that's what I have to do to make you happy.." She teased him a little and gave a wink before she reached for her fork, in truth she was thinking she wanted more but of course she wouldn't ask for it. He'd already been nice enough to give her the meal free, asking for more just seemed greedy. "So.. what kind of music do you like?"

"The kind that goes with cinnamon apples for desert... with ice cream. I don't think anyone's going to want any tonight though," he considered out loud, tempting and teasing her with the idea of dessert while she worked on the dinner. "Let me see what I have in back. Take your time."

"Oh that's just mean.. teasing me with icecream after I've had a rough day.. If I knew you better I might bite you for that!" She was teasing him right back with one eyebrow arched up and a sweetly wicked grin curving her mouth in a delightful way.

"Never know, I might bite back," he shot back with a smile. He started off from the table again, pausing to ask her, as if it had been the most important thing ever, "One scoop or two, then?"

She giggled at his come back and shook her head slightly. "Never know, I might like it." She whispered at his back as he started to walk away, blushing at having said it, though she didn't think he'd hear her. He turned around and for a moment she was sure he had but then he asked about how much icecream she wanted. "Oh.. um.. I think today was definitely a two scoop day.. but you made it alot better.. so.. one and just a little smidge more." She held up her fingers to demonstrate the tiny amount.

"Two scoops coming up," he said, ignoring the 'little' bit she wanted extra. She'd had a rough time and he could certainly allow the splurge. He started off again, going behind the counter to start pulling the trays out of the case to cover up.

She was left to stare after him as her request and compliment to him went ignored, she really didn't want to indulge in two scoops and had been trying to sort of thank him for making her day brighter. "Okay then.." She whispered as she pushed her food around with her fork, trying to decide whether to be polite and simply accept the extra or to say something so he didn't waste the icecream. She took another bite of the chicken as she let him do what he needed to in order to close up.