2024-12-31 - 30% Tax

Theo wanders into the diner around ten am. It is obvious that he literally rolled out of bed, got dressed, and came here. It is a good thing that the diner is on Crescent Island, or the man would have been a mess trying to travel by ferry somewhere else. He is in a green and white striped sweater that looks like someone took a hook to it to give it a snagged look He has the bed hair for it. He did make an effort to tame it as there is a stretchy green headband in his hair as if to prevent his curls from getting into his eyes. He's got to see, after all. He has dark blue jeans and white platform loafers on his feet, which makes him a little taller than his height. The reality is it was the first pair of shoes he found on his way out.

Taking a glance around to see who is all here. He does ask one of the other servers where Gabriel usually serves and nods his thanks as he goes and sits in the section of said area. He likes to people-watch, and that is what he is doing right now.

That's the beauty of an employee establishment-- it's made for the ease of the employees! That includes walking distance from the apartment complexes.

Gabe's been here since the wee hours of the morning, bustling around and serving breakfast to hungry engineers and performers alike. They're dressed casually in their uniform, which really is just a white apron with Nora's embroidered on the left side. Underneath it they're wearing a loose, heather gray cable-knit sweater and black skinny jeans with suede Chelsea boots. A little name tag is clipped to the apron that reads: GABE. A smaller THEY/THEM sits right under it.

They head over towards Theo carrying a metal carafe of freshly brewed coffee. "Morning," Gabe smiles, giving the carafe a little wiggle. "Can I interest you in a medium roast?"

Thank goodness for small favors. Also, Theo does not have to put much effort into what it is he might want to eat to start his day. So here he is. Ta-da!

Theo grins as he takes a few minutes to watch Gabriel do that serving thing until he sees them approaching his way, and that smile shines right in the direction of that coffee pot. "Please. I need it. I still feel like I could have slept another couple of hours." Pushing his cup towards the carafe, he said, "Busy day or the usual?"

Hazel's eyes look around the area before he settles back on them. "I figured I'd make an effort and stop in while you were working. I'll try not to distract you too much." Laughing to himself when he says that.

Gabriel tips the pot into Theo's mug and fills it up with steaming coffee. There's a little dig into their apron, then they produce a handful of creamer cups. Sugar packets are already tucked neatly into the condiment trays on each table. "Late night? It hasn't been too bad here. The morning rush already passed since most people need to get in to work around five or six." They glance around and nod. It's true, only a handful of people right now. "Lunch will get busier."

They look back over at Theo and offer him a half-smile. "It's cool. Let me put in your order first and then I can come back for a bit." Gabe reaches into their back pocket to produce a little notepad, then pulls a pencil out of the blonde depths of their hair. "What'll it be?"

There is a grateful look given to Gabriel when they pour the coffee, and Theo can smell the aroma of the coffee. "I guess it is time for me to taste test this." He was not lying when he said he only really drank coffee at the coffee shop/bookstore. He must come here later in the day when the need for coffee is not that strong. He takes the creamer when it is offered to him and starts to dump some of it in his cup, bypassing the sugar.

"Yeah, insomnia was kicking my behind. Stared at my ceiling for a little bit, then went to my balcony and hung out there for a little bit. This place is quiet when most of us are asleep." He laughs about that. Gotta find the humor in things. That seems to be his philosophy.

There is a face made when Theo hears around five or six. It is a good thing that his shows tend to be evening ones. He can live with that. Nodding at the talk of lunch as he glances about when Gabriel does.

"Sure!"

Theo says a little too enthusiastically, but there it is. "Umm, I will get my usual." His usual is chicken fried steak over an open-faced biscuit with white country gravy, a side of scrambled eggs, and wheat toast. He knows what he likes. "Thank you, Gabriel." Once he is done reciting all of that. Finally, sip at the coffee once it has been cooled with the creamer. He's got some interesting quirks.

"Just remember, if you hate it, it'll cost twice as much," Gabriel muses with a lopsided smile. Obviously that's not actually true and they're just giving him shit. The amusement settles into something more neutral at the mention of insomnia. "Does that happen to you a lot?"

They smirk at the face but are now pretty aware that Theo likes his sleep.

"One usual," Gabe says as they scribble all that down onto the pad. "Coming right up." With a little tip of their head, they shuffle off to the kitchen passthrough window and put Theo's order in, then do a turn about the diner to refill coffee and clear some tables. It takes about five or six minutes before they return to plop down on the seat across from Theo, one hand lifting to rake through their messy hair. "How's it going?"

A roll of eyes when Gabriel tells him the meal will cost twice if Theo hates the meal. Honestly, it is one of his favorites. That is why he keeps ordering it, and that lopsided smile tells him that Gabriel knows it, too.

At the talk of insomnia, he says, "Oh hmm... it's gotten a lot better. So, instead, I try to combat it by going to bed late. I figure if I go to bed exhausted, I'll stay asleep, and that seems to work for the most part." Theo does like his sleep when he can get it. If he gets six hours of sleep, he considers that golden.

Theo is sipping his coffee when Gabriel leaves to place his order. He is watching as the other moves to do so and how they keep busy with the coffee and clearing tables. After the first look, he is scanning his phone. He's probably looking at social media or whatever texts he might have gotten.

When Gabriel comes back, he puts his phone back in his pocket so he can give his attention to them. "Not bad. Surviving." Giving a small grin. "You looking forward to the end of the year? Any big plans? You gonna go to that event they will have at the amphitheater?"

"Yeah that's usually what I do too. Might as well make use of the time if I'm going to be awake anyway." But overall, yes, insomnia sucks. Off Gabe goes to do work things, then returns to let the other server carry some of the shift for a bit.

They shake their head a little at big plans, though make a sort of noncommittal noise at the event. "Possibly? Big parties tire me out. Crowds tire me out. And two so close together..." they're talking about the ball of course. "But I'm trying to branch out and meet people so I should go. I'll see how I'm feeling when it starts. What about you?"

"Yeah, me too." Theo agrees with Gabriel. "I think sometimes I go to places because I feel like it is expected of me." He attempts to explain. "I find that afterward, I just want to crawl in bed and either just bed rot or take a nap. I don't know if it's related to my magic or what, but it is a lot, and I just feel dead to the world afterward. But at the same time, I don't want to disappoint people, so I just do it. "I mean, I went to the ball because I didn't want to disappoint Esme. I kinda wish the ball had not been on my birthday. " He does not know why he's just spitting this all out to Gabriel, but there it is.

"So yeah, I'm gonna go. I do enjoy the fireworks, and it will be nice to be a part of the audience instead of the performer." He snorts and picks up his cup again.

"Yeah?" Gabriel tilts their head in idle curiosity. "Which places? Who is leveraging these expectations on you?" The description of wanting to bed rot sounds familiar enough to have them nodding casually. "Yeah sounds like what being an introvert is like. Tiring. Unless I guess your magic is always on? Is it...always on?" A thread of concern lingers in there. It's not hard to empathize with wanting to do literally anything else on one's birthday. "Would Esme really have been disappointed? Are you dating or something?"

Now that Theo has ten thousand questions to answer, Gabriel leans back in their seat comfortably. "We don't have to dress up so that's a plus."

"Just life in general," Theo tells Gabriel. "There are days where I don't even want to go get out of bed because I know I have a crowd to entertain."

He shows the copper bracelet he wears. "Jett gave this to me. Told me it would keep me grounded. But Diana thinks it's too much of a security bracelet for me." He laughs when he shares that and shakes his head. "It may just be me. The people pleaser part of me. Trying to not offend anyone or trying to anticipate what their emotion might be in it."

Nodding at the talk of Theo's magic being always on. "It's uhhh....." He is trying to figure out how to explain it. "I am not actively trying to figure out what you are feeling with my magic, but I can feel the residue of strong feelings." He squints. "Does that make sense?"

A slight shrug of shoulders, "I know she was excited to go as that is all she would talk about. And I guess I was letting others talk me into it. Like Huck. He was the one who told me I shouldn't disappoint Esme. No, Esme and I are not dating. People seem to think we are. But it's not that kind of relationship. I know I am comfortable with her, and we talk. We have really good discussions about life and the like. I don't know if that makes sense." He now fidgets with the stretchy headband in his hair as if to give him something else to do besides drinking coffee.

Taking in a breath and letting it out, "Yeah, that will be nice. And that whole ball thing? I had intended to just loiter by a wall or something. I know how to mask, and I know how to act in public usually, but yeah, it is tiring."

Gabriel scrunches up their nose at that. "Guess not all performers are extroverts. Huh. Well I'm sorry to hear that, Theo." Their gaze dips to the bracelet Theo shows off, a muted smile appearing for a flash of a second when he reveals Jett gave it to him. But then it's right back to that casual neutrality. "So what'll happen if you stop pleasing people? The world's gonna cave in? Or maybe...nothing will change and those people will just have to learn they can't push you?"

There's a slight squint to the whole empathy magic bit. "I think so? Maybe that's why you're tired all the time then?"

"I'm not judging," they add flatly, "but you were both dancing and attached at the hip so that's why I assumed. If you're just besties, that's fine, but then she wouldn't give you shit for not doing to a ball on your birthday? Again, big third party here, but maybe consider telling people how you feel?"

A bell dings by the window. Order's up. Gabe stands and pauses for a second, listening to Theo's last bit. "Masking's overrated," they snort, then gesture to the kitchen. "I'll be right back." It only takes a minute for them to return with Theo's breakfast and a bundle of silverware rolled up in a napkin. Both get placed on the table, then Gabriel sits down again. "Seriously. Stop masking. It'll change your life."

"Nope. Not an extrovert." Theo shrugs as he hears that from Gabriel. "No worries. But thank you, anyways. I appreciate it." Theo catches that muted smile when he mentioned Jett and his brow goes up slightly in thought. Maybe he's processing something. He does remember seeing his roommate and Gabriel doing that dipping in the ballroom balcony. "Yeah, probably. I guess. I don't know."

"Oh that would make sense. I didn't think about my magic that way. It could be a whole energy sucking kind of thing." Theo muses out loud about that.

"I am not dating anyone, actually. I like the idea of dating. But when I try to talk about it or extend my hand out in an invitation, I have gotten rejected. So, that is a little hard to bounce from. Or people only see me as some random hook-up, and I am pretty sure I can't be that either." A wry smile is seen when he says that. "I didn't even try any of that back home but made some attempts here." Waving his hand outwards. "Failed miserably."

A glance to Gabriel, "I had contemplated asking you out after your shift, but I have also come fully prepared for rejection." He smiles, "To brace myself, just in case." He doesn't know if Gabriel believes him or not, but it's out there. What his intention was for coming to breakfast when Gabe was still working. "See? I just told you how I felt. Is it working in my favor?" His brow comes up when he asks that, and he looks in Gabriel's direction.

When Gabriel comes back with the goods and the silverware, Theo says quietly, "Thank you." He smiles when told to stop masking. "If I did that, there would be a lot more anger and punches coming from me, I think. Then I'd be the one that would be talked to in not doing things like that if I didn't want to lose the job."

Gabriel picks up on those maybe being too probing of questions and decides to pull back a bit on their strange brand of life observation. "Take it a day at a time, then. Like, all of it. The magic, doing stuff for other people."

They study Theo curiously as he explains what his dating situation has been like, nodding here and there with an uptick of brows at the end. "Yeah rejection sucks," comes the blunt platitude. "But you have plenty of time to figure it out, yeah? No rush on...things. You literally just turned twenty-one." It looks like they might say something else when Theo reveals the true nature of his visit today. Their jaw snaps closed, a look of mild surprise on their face. "You came prepared for rejection?"

But...the ding...and the food. Theo will need to wait.

They rest both elbows on the table, leaning forward a bit with their chin tilted up enough to look at Theo down the line of their sharp nose. "What do you have to be so angry about?" Are they...just not going to bring up the whole asking out thing?

"I am trying," Theo assures Gabriel when he hears that advice from the other.

"Yeah, twenty-one. I know I don't have to have my whole life figured out at all. I kinda don't want to anyway. I just want to live and see what happens while I do the life."

A grin as Theo watches the expression on Gabriel's face, the way their jaw snaps closed, and then the mild surprise that soon follows. "Yeah. I did. Because I am pretty certain you see me as a kid. As you said, I just turned twenty-one. How old are you anyway? Twenty-Five?" Giving them a curious look when he asks that. "I have been told you ask a person out when you are interested in knowing more about them and go from there." People love to give Theo advice, and he tries to follow it.

"Do you ever find yourself so angry or sad or whatever, and you don't know where it is coming from? So you need an outlet? I'm the kind of person that just takes in all the information that is given to me. Until one day, I sometimes feel like a volcano, and then I sort of just pop off. Like if you were to shake a soda bottle well and try and open up the top, and everything goes everywhere. I tend to hold on to things. I am trying to get better at that. That is likely where the anger is. Just life, people, emotions. All the above."

He does catch on that Gabriel doesn't answer him, and he doesn't push it. At least they are talking.

"You're pretty certain I see you as a kid?" Gabriel repeats that with a dry sort of amusement. This time their eyes narrow just a tiny bit. "What else are you pretty certain I'm thinking?" As for their age, they extend a finger and point upwards. As in keep going higher. They remain quiet for a bit, listening to Theo explain what makes him angry.

"I have, yeah," they agree softly. But that's all they add to that subject in regards to themself, especially on a morning shift at work. "Might I suggest taking up boxing? Archery? Pilates? Something to...channel some of that. So you leave the walls alone." Gabe then sighs and leans back, raking both hands into their hair.

"Theo," they start off a lower voice since there are plenty of coworkers around, "honestly? I got here three weeks ago. I haven't even been fucked up by magic yet. I'm not in any place to start something serious or that rhymes with relationship. And I hate to be the asshole that tosses another rejection on your pile, but, that's what I'm dealing with right now. I'm still here though, and we can get to know each other and hang out. And I'm absolutely going to overcharge you for your breakfast." They crack a grin at the end there.

"No, not certain because I am not poking into your feelings," Theo says pretty matter-of-factly as he looks at Gabriel. "You might be interested in my roommate more than me. He's nineteen, in case you didn't know." He laughs when he shares that. Not seeming bothered about anything that Gabriel is telling him. "Uhhh hmm, maybe twenty-nine." Yes, he's still wildly guessing. Watch. He got that wrong, too.

"I do mixed martial arts with Jett. But maybe I will pick up running or something. I don't even know if we have a boxing gym around here." Funny he says that when he just mentioned mixed martial arts. Maybe the roommates improvise outside or something.

Hands go up in surrender, "I was only asking for one date. I was not asking for a relationship or anything. I like your vibe. You are interesting to me. So, figured I would try and see if I could get a bite." Shrugs. "At least I tried, right?" He throws a wink at Gabriel as he looks at his plate of food. Starting to cut up the chicken fried steak.

"Three weeks? Bet it has been an interesting time of sorts or something. I remember how it was. If I can be of any help in adjusting, let me know, alright?"

Another glance at Gabe before he takes a bite of the chicken fried steak with that white gravy on top. A smirk when his mouth is cleared, "Fine. If you insist."

"Great. Love that. Keep not doing that," Gabe huffs out a laugh. They barely wear their emotions on their sleeve as it is, it's pretty apparent they'd hate to get poked in the feelings without being asked first. But then that next line comes out and they actually laugh. Like a real sound, barked out in surprise. "I might be interested in your roommate?" they repeat incredulously. "Why do you say that?" This is suddenly an extremely funny turn to the conversation by the looks of their sheer amusement. As for the age, they give Theo a thumbs up. "Bingo."

They shrug a little, "whatever helps you?" Whether it's MMA or running. "Expel the demons, Theo."

Blue eyes zip to those upheld hands, then back out at the diner. This is about as much gesticulating as they're comfortable with during work. "What's the point of one date if one person just said they don't date?" There's no bite to it, just a flat delivery as always. "Yes, you did try."

The smile returns, albeit brief, and they start to stand. "If you see 30% tax on your bill, don't be surprised. That's the you asked me how old I am fee." There's a point back to the front of the restaurant. "I gotta get back. See you around?"

"If I were to ever poke into your feelings." Theo starts out. "I'd ask. Because I think it is rude if someone comes in with their magic and there has been no warning. I already had that happen to me once and I hated it. I would not want to do that to you. That would not be cool. That isn't how I do things. Once I figured out I had magic that is." He makes a soft heh sound. "I mean just an observation. What I saw at the ball. That is all." He shrugs. Another long look when Theo guesses right in how old Gabriel is. "Naw. Really? I don't believe it." But if Gabriel says it is true he will even if he says he doesn't.

"Fair," Theo says to Gabriel when they speak of expelling the demons.

"Sure thing. Nice seeing you again, Gabriel." Theo lifts his coffee cup in a salute when duty calls and Gabriel has to get back to work. He has to get back to eating this big breakfast and finding a way to burn it all off. Still, at a young age where that is possible.