Sophie's Dinner

Dorian was panting when he finally pushed his way into Sophie's. He had to park a few streets away and had sprinted to the diner in hopes of still making it on time. Breathing hard, he checked the clock, then fisted his hand and brought his elbow in, a motion of success and victory. Right on time. He strode quickly to their favorite booth, one row over from the window seats but still facing the glass so they could see outside. The waitress stopped by to drop off a small glass of orange juice and a smile, to which Dorian gave her a bright one of his own. She blushed before hurrying off but he took little notice, gulping down half his juice and letting out a satisfied sigh. It was too close for comfort, Tilly was such a distraction!

Two exact minutes after Dorian was seated, a red-haired man in khaki pants, a pale blue button-up and a deep navy sports jacket walked in and headed for the exact same booth with a passing wave to the waitress and a smile to his boothmate. "Morning, Kay! You look...sweaty. What the hell?" Cash Wicker raised an eyebrow at his friend as he sat down and set his briefcase beside him, looking genuinely confused at his friend's appearance. "Something happen to your bike?"

The curly haired man in the booth froze and stared at him, aghast, hand on his chest. "Don't even joke," he breathed as if what Cash had said could make it come true. "No no, nothing like that. Just had a surprise visit this morning and it made me run a little late. I wouldn't miss our dates for the world." He smiled his trademark bright, charming smile at his companion before taking up his cup again. "What's on the docket for today?" he asked before taking another sip.

Cash's lips quirked briefly at the word "date" before he let out a drawn-out sigh. "Confidential~ You know this, Kay." He steepled his fingers on the table and leaned forward a bit with a smirk: "That said...private detectives and paranoid spouses just make my job too damn easy~" He gave the waitress a grin as she dropped off his coffee without needing to his needing to ask and immediately poured two packages of creamer into the mug.

Dorian crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward a bit as well so they could lower their voices, an intrigued smile on his face. "Oh do tell, Wick. Twenty questions? Is it a man or woman? Which face do you wear today?" He paused and looked around to see if anyone was listening before leaning a hair closer, his voice dropping to match. "Was it with his brother?"

"There is no brother." Cash waved dismissively at the last question as he took a drink. "But there is a handyman~ Well...my client moved out so...was? Eh." The redhead shrugged. "And isn't my face good enough? Must I ever wear another?"

"Were it up to me I would see this face every day," Dorian countered and reached out to gently brush his fingers under Cash's chin. He chuckled and settled back into his seat again. "A handyman? Sometimes I wonder about people. I think we can all be adults when we're single and having fun but man... when you're married-" He shook his head in disappointment. "Well, I guess a piece of paper doesn't change who you are though. Once promiscuous, always."

Cash choked on air for a moment before clearing his throat once Dorian removed his hand. "C'mon Kay, you know I'm ticklish there...And there's a first time for everything~ Apparently she's a fan of the 'eye-for-an-eye' philosophy."

"No wonder they can't see what they're doing is stupid," Dorian muttered, tilting his cup in his hand so the bottom kept contact with the table only in one spot that slid around the bottom rim of the glass. He refrained from adding that he liked tickling Cash for the face he made, when his cheeks tinged pink almost to match his hair. He might be arrogant or self centered sometimes, and a horrible gossip, but Dorian thought of him as a sweet strawberry, whether the lawyer liked it or not. They'd met only a few years before when Dorian had to testify to a woman's failing marriage when the husband accused him of being the cause of his life's infidelity. What had he said? Something about forcing himself on her? It was utter nonsense, he hadn't even touched her! Not in that way anyway. It wasn't his fault she got the wrong idea. Cash had helped him out and to thank him Dorian took him out for coffee. He'd considered the two of them friends ever since, though it probably two the two or three phone calls asking him out again to actually solidify it. "When's your next day off?"

"Eh. Keeps me in business~" Cash winked at Dorian's commentary. There was another gulp of coffee before he let out a thoughtful hum, seriously considering the other man's question. Paperwork, paperwork, even when he was not needed at the office, his life was paperwork...eh... "Day after tomorrow? Barring surprises, of course. Gotta have a chat with a judge this afternoon, and their yea or nay will probably be the deciding factor."

"Well I hope for whatever gets you the day off. I know they're rare for you but do you want to go out on the boat with me?" Dorian asked, sitting forward in his seat again, elbows once more on the table. "I haven't been fishing in a while, and I just kind of like the open ocean. I like our mornings together but we haven't really hung out in a long time, Wick." He grinned teasingly. "I miss my friend. 'Course, I understand if you'd rather spend the day without me, do something you actually enjoy."

Ah~ The salty smell of the open sea~ The gentle rocking of the waves~ Cash really would enjoy a nice, relaxing day on a boat. Even dealing with slimy, squirming mealy worms could not lessen the experience, in his eyes. Getting slapped by a desperate salmon's tailfin like last time, on the other hand...eh. "I'll bait the hooks and you'll net the fish?" Cash offered with a smirk, his eyes glinting with excitement.

"Oh my dear Wick, I would do all the work for the pleasure of your company!" Dorian gushed then laughed. "I'm so glad you'll come along. It'll be nice, just the two of us. You won't have cell signal, remember? Are you going to be ok? I feel I distinctly recall someone calling it an early day because he couldn't read his email..."

Cash sputtered indignantly with an exaggerated grimace. "It was an important client! The alimony was huge!" He protested before slouching into his side of the booth and sipped his coffee, apparently pouting. "This one's nearly done, anyways. Shouldn't be too exciting." The redhead shrugged before smirking. "Careful I don't take you up on that offer, by the way~ I'm mostly there for the boat, not the fish."

"Not at all for my dazzling company?" Dorian retorted, giving Cash a pout of his own. "So cold hearted, you just use me." He didn't actually seem terribly offended, if the way his mouth slid into a grin was any indication. "You might receive an email, or a call, from a new client while we're out there you know. Maybe somebody richer than you've ever represented before." Dorian reached out and snatched Cash's hand not holding his mug, holding it with both of his. "Is money more important to you than me?"

"Are you trying to talk me out of this?" Cash asked with a playful tone while he eyed the curly-haired man suspiciously. "It's not like I'll be out of touch for an entire week! New clients often have to wait for me to be done with a meeting, first, anyways."

"Oh, so, I'm just a meeting then." Dorian laughed again, giving Cash's hand a little squeeze before he released it. Cash could be cold but for some reason he seemed to like Dorian and he was pretty grateful for that. He liked the lawyer after all. "Maybe I should flirt with more middle aged women, drum up some more business for you. Would that be a good business arrangement? Jade would probably be scary angry about it though. Maybe if it was just the husbands then."

"I would say 'yes'...but if we overuse that pretty face of yours, an angry spouse might break it. I couldn't live with myself if that happened~" Cash winked at Dorian, his entire face tinged pink at this point before he cleared his throat again. "So...uh...you and Jade, then?"

Dorian was about to comment how that shade suited Cash when he caught the last question, making him frown. He nodded. "Yeah, but if things keep going the way they are, we won't have to worry about jealous spouses and we'll have to worry more about jealous soldiers. My pretty face might not stay this way much longer, Wick. You'll have to hold the title of most beautiful man in Athens Harbor for me. For all that is good and holy, don't you dare let DeLorme take it from you."

Locking gazes with Dorian, Cash gave the most serious expression he could muster as he agreed: "Never." Then his eyebrows furrowed in a worried way. "Soldiers? I take it Jade has another suitor? Sounds like a mature fellow." He rolled his eyes as he drank his coffee.

Dorian nodded to accept the promise before he explained. "Military training changes people, or so I hear. This guy is proof of it though, Wick. The way Jade talked about him, I expected him to be angry at me, I didn't expect him to-" He paused, making a face, then cleared his throat to dismiss it. "Imply such unsavory things, in front of her no less! Some friend he is. I'm just hoping it's more shock than it is truth, otherwise that guy is going to break my nose. Or my arm, from what he said yesterday. He's going to make me a regular Humpty Dumpty, emphasis on the 'dumpty'. Jade's too nice, I don't think she'd keep seeing someone if it was causing this much chaos. I'm just hoping today he'll be better. Pretty sure he's hooking up with a cop anyway so I don't know where he gets off telling Jade who she can and can't be with. He has literally zero right."

Cash snorted as he set his mug down on the table. "He had zero right before he got a boo. No ring, no claim." He hummed for a moment, scratching his scarred arm through his sleeve for before continuing in his "lawyer voice". "Experiences of any kind can change people. Sad to say that for better or worse, neither Jade nor her friend would be the same people they were after being separated for a period of time. If he's grown to be the violent sort, than that's just who he is now, regardless of who he was before."

"I think that implies he can change to be calm again as well." Dorian took a drink as he thought about it, then set his cup down again. "Or calmER at least. We'll see. It's only been a day. What about you? You still don't have a ring and, being who you are, I'd think you above all others would make a good husband, valuing what it is and all. Just not found the right person? No one with skin thick enough to endure your coldness?" he teased at the end, giving the other man a fond little smirk.

"Sounds more like an inference than an implication at this point, but if you and Jade want to be the 'there is good in everyone and everything will be alright' couple, who am I to burst your bubble." Honestly, for all Dorian talks about his fri-...girlfriend's sweet and trusting demeanor, the man could be just as optimistic about human nature. "Well, you know the saying: All the good men are taken...or straight." Cash gave his friend a sardonic smile before shaking his head. "'Sides, with my workload? How would I meet someone? I imagine other divorce attorneys do so though their work but..."

Dorian smiled and leaned his chin on his hands. "Wick, if I didn't believe in the good in people, we wouldn't be friends, now would we? You know, you have such a bad reputation but you're such a good guy. Somebody's going to be very lucky some day when they get your heart." He smiled at the lawyer affectionately, then frowned. "Unless, that is... it's a coroner. I mean, not sure that's lucky. But I'm sure it won't come to that!" He waved one hand in front of Cash's face as if to say 'don't think about that!'. "Come what may, you'll always have me," he promised.

As he listened to Dorian's little speech, Cash's smile gradually became more genuine and a happy flush appeared on his cheeks. Then he snorted at the mention of a coroner. "Ah, geez. What a sweet moment~" The redhead snickered and shook his head with a grin. "Means a lot, though, Kay. And if you ever need me, just call. I mean, might take a bit to get back to you, but I'll make time."

"Oh, well, let's just hope I'm not dying and in need of an ambulance or a serious romp in the sack, or something like that that requires immediate attention," Dorian replied with a serious pout, nodding his head at Cash. He smiled and looked at his watch. He picked up his glass again, finishing the juice inside then pulled out his wallet and dropped a few dollars on the table, waved to the waitress, and stood. "I gotta get to work. I liked seeing you again, Wick. I'll see you again tomorrow?" He leaned over and stole a kiss on the man's cheek and chuckled. "And I look forward to the boat. I hope for a favorable decision from the judge."

Cash's face turned bright red at Dorian's response but his grin remained in place, knowing that the curly-haired man was just teasing. "Yeah, yeah, don't keep your girlfriend waiting too long. Inattentiveness is the first step to needing my services~" A wink was his only answer to the kiss. "I'll tell you first thing tomorrow if we're on for fishing."

Dorian smiled and clapped a hand on Cash's shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. "I look forward to it." And with that, he headed out to BotO The Marina.

Cash spared himself a few moments to finish his coffee before setting down a few bills himself and grabbing his briefcase. With a nod to the waitress, the lawyer started his day, walking out to BotO Streets of Athens Harbor.

---

Alex came in with Val, and got a seat at a booth. "So your graduated this year. Do you have any plans?" Alex asked with excitement.

Valerie shrugged, "Just keep working, I guess." she said. She didn't have the money for college and she already had a job. Her mom needed her help with bills

"Oh! Well where do you work right now?" Alex asked feeling a bit bashful for assuming she had plans for her summer.

"I'm a receptionist at the funeral home." Valerie told her, "I've been there a few months."

"Oh. Well that has to be quiet the intresting job. If not a bit depressing." Alex said a bit cherry, "I work at the Tattoo shop in town... I'm also the receptionist, but I do art to! They just prefer the guys more right now because there better known.

"Its very depressing." she admitted, "But it pays better than minimum wage." When Alex mentioned the tattoo parlor her face brightened a little, "That sounds like an awesome job."

"I really love it." Alex admitted. "As soon as I get 62 more hours behind the machine, Jessie is going to let me start paying for the final chair. Then I'm a full artist!" Alex was so excited to think she had pecked away at 250 hours for just over a a year and some change. It was all going to pay off soon. "Do you think you would like to work there? They need a day time girl at the desk..."

Val shrugged, "I don't know... I mean, I graduate in a week and then I could work days, but I'm lucky to have the job I have. I would just worry about switching jobs and then not being able to stay. I guess if they paid better..." If they paid better it might be worth the risk.

"they pay better than minimum, but people in town will start looking at you funny... Like your the problem with Athins Harbor." Alex paused a bit smiling. "I kind of enjoy it. It makes my mothers skin crawl."

"They look at me funny anyway." She said, gesturing to her clothes. Though that wasn't the only reason. She frowned for a moment, "You really think they would hire me?" she asked

"Yep. They have been looking for a new girl, and I think maybe it will help you meet some cool
New people if you like." Alex then smiled brightly. "Also... You can play the game with the clients if you dress like that. The game is called 'where the ink.' " Alex was hopping she would ask.

Val frowned and cocked her head curiously, "I don't have any tattoos." she said

"Either did I when I stated, the thing is you don't need one." Alex smiled. "I made the shop a lot of fun before I first got one that was covers by my cloths... I had my first tattoo at thirteen. My father bought it for me." Alex had a cute smile on her face over it. "Maybe I can give you your first one.

"Thirteen?" Val looked shocked and then uncomfortable at the suggestion of getting one herself, "I dunno, I don't think I have any ideas for something I think I can live with the rest of my life." She admitted

"You don't have to get one to work there." Alex winked. "The guys will just want to help you make the pretty skin even more attractive, but if you doc house to get one remember that you will age one day, and skin drops." Alex had a way of making it sound cute

Val nodded, "That's another reason I'm not sure if I want one or not." she said, "I dunno, maybe I will apply. I guess it can't hurt to See if the pay is better."

Sophie walked up and asked. "What can I get for you two girls?" Sophie was one of the few people in Athens harbor who really didn't judge anyone for there looks. "Oh I was woundering when you two gals were gonna meet up." She added with a smile.

"Hey Sophie! I'll take a hot vanilla shake, and whatever Val would like." Alex then smiled to Val. She did have a strange attraction on Val... Like the way she liked Adela, but she liked Val for a different reason... She couldn't quiet put her finger on it.

"A chocolate shake, please." Val said softly, smiling.

"Comin right up ladies." Sophie said as she went to get them there refreshments.

"Well... I'm going to be honest. I'm happy I found someone that I can talk to... Well someone my own age I guess is more accuret." Alex had a cute smile. She could not help her smile.

Val smiled, "I don't have very many friends." she admitted, "It's kind of nice to find another girl who's kind of outside the social norms."

Alex wondered how far outside the social norms she was... Alex after all was a bit father outside than even most. Still a friend was nice. "So what do you do around town for fun?"

Val shrugged, "There's a place in the park with a bench that's pretty secluded, I like to sit there and read or write." she said. It wasn't much, but it didn't cost anything.

Alex smiled brightly. "Maybe we can go do that togather some time? I allways have homework to do, and I don't like to just sit in the house." Alex said with a smile.

"Sure." Val nodded, "It's a great place to do homework, nice and quiet." and best of all, No Tim.

Alex was so happy to have met Val. She was not sure how she never met her before though. Alex then went on. "So what are you up to after we have a shake?" Alex asked with a bit of a smile on her face.

"Work." Val said, "I have to do a little paperwork and help set up for a viewing tonight." She said

"Oh." Alex said a bit unsure what to make of that. "Umm until you go to work. Do you want to hang out?"

"Sure." Val said, "Do you not have anything going on tonight?"

"Nope. It's my night off. So I'll be free..." Alex then went on. "So if your free after work... Maybe we can hang out or something." Alex was a bit hopeful.

Val looked uncertain, "Probably not." She said, "Mom will want me home for dinner." There was no way she was inviting someone back to her mom's appartment, especially not someone she was hoping would be a friend.

"That's fine. We'll just exchange numbers and then we can go ahead and hang out later right?" Alex said with a smile. "If you have family stuff I get it. No big deal!" Alex was a bit sad to think she was not going to be able to hang out with Val tonight though.

Valerie nodded, "We only have a land line," She said, pulling a piece of paper out of her notebook and writing down the number, "But if I'm not home my mom will make sure I get a message.

Alex nodded. "Good! I'll make sure we get back togather after this." She was woundering if she had come on to strong. Or if she had something to hide, but at any rate she was enjoying Val's company.

Val smiled and tore the half of the paper with her name and number off and slid it to Alex. She had elegantly flowing cursive handwriting. Then she set her pen on the other half and slid it to Alex so she could write her own number.

Alex smiled at her hand writting and her own writting was artistically done as she wrote her name as if she was painting it, and then added her number. She then kissed the paper witch flowed with the writting as if it was a tattoo. "Here sweety." Her sweet smile across her face.

Val cocked her head, her eyes confused when Alex kissed the paper, "What's that about?" she asked, a small, amused smile on her lips

"I'm an artest..." Alex but her lip nervously. "I just thought it would be. Ya know... Cute..." She smiled a bit then took the number she was given and entered it in her phone, and took the paper and put it in her purse. Maybe she was comming on a bit to strong, but the smile Val gave her made her want to try just a little harder.

Val shook her head, smiling, and looked at the paper, "In that case, very artistically done." She slipped the paper into her bag and returned her pen to its place

"I'm really happy I came out for a walk today." Alex said as she smiled at Val looking into her eyes. She was a bit lost in Val. It was a strange attraction. Maybe it was because she was a social out cast as well. Or that she was just sweet.

Val smiled, "Me too." she said softly. She shut the clasp on her bag and turned back to Alex, pausing, confused by the look on the girl's face. "Tired?" she asked, her eyelids looked heavy like she was sleepy

"Oh! Umm..." Alex smiled a bit as she blushed deeply. "No. Just a bit... distracted."Alex said then went on. "Day dreaming." She was smiling at Val as she spoke. "Are you having a good time?"

Valerie nodded, she did a fair amount of daydreaming too. "Yes," Val said 28th a faint smile, "Thank you for the ice cream. Are you?"


BotO Athens Harbor
Blood of the Olympians