[u](Collaboration Post Featuring Major Ursa as Knox, YoshiSkittlez as Ruby and Ghost Shadow as Henry)[/u] He couldn’t remember when he had finally gotten used to waking up early like this. To fall into routine, to follow a routine. To wake up early...even on a day off. Wake up at 5AM or earlier, jog for almost an hour around town, take a shower, put on clean clothing, pick up the newspaper… Knox stepped into the diner took a look around, newspaper in hand. The usual occupancy here or there, nothing to get excited about…taking only a second more, letting his eyes adjust to the change in lighting, the man let out a tired sigh before taking his usual seat at the booth by the window. Setting the newspaper onto the table before him, he skimmed the contents of one page, and turned the page to skim the other. From his window seat…sun up, and brighter still. How Ruby got talked into taking the morning shift...again, was beyond her, though she supposed she could have blamed the stranger that rolled into town earlier that morning for breaking her head-strong thought process of going out with Gus, the town's tow-truck man. So here she was, wiping down the table that had just been used by an early-morning couple, practically bending over the entire table to reach the other side rather than just walking around the table, feeling the looks of appreciation from the handful of men in the diner that were getting quite the view as she attempted to wipe up a 'really tough stain' which caused her to linger just a bit longer. The door to Granny's Diner opened once again, and Ruby looked up to see an early-morning regular walk through the door to take his usual seat in a booth. Wiping up whatever was left of that 'stubborn stain' on the table she tossed the dirty rag over the bar counter and into the sink before making her way over to the coffee maker. She filled up a mug with the black liquid and called to the cook in the kitchen to get going on some cheesy fries before heading over to Knox with the cup of hot coffee in her hand. She placed it on the table in front of him and greeted him with her usual, perky smile. "Black coffee, just the way you like it!" She said bouncing on the balls of her feet twice and folded her hands together to rest against the tiny little apron that might as well have not been there, as it was obviously more for looks than practicality since it was tied at her waist and only went down to the bottoms of her shorts, which really didn't leave much to the imagination. "Your fries are on their way, anything else I can get you Knox?" Feeling the weak material of the newspaper between his index finger and his thumb, he turned the page and almost just groaned to himself when he saw the next page covered in ads. Right, life, it had a funny way of breaking you out of your morning trance of reading and boredom just in time for coffee. His coffee was placed on the table before him, and without missing a beat; he plucked it up and drank it down the very next moment. Whilst doing so, he appreciated the combination of rich (meh, enough) bitterness of the hot liquid, and simultaneously cast the waitress a quick glance. From what her name tag displayed, her name was Ruby, the grand daughter of the diner’s owner. From what her uniform revealed, not the most practical girl, unless fishing for hefty tips was her main aim in the waitressing game. The more attractive the waitress, the better the tips. But no, Knox was no stranger to her…but, they’d never spoken much. He wasn’t sure how he felt about her using his name so casually. Setting his now empty coffee cup onto the table, he drummed his fingers over the surface of the table, his eyes staring straight into Ruby’s, “My fries and a refill on my coffee is all I’ll need, thank you.” "Coming right up!" Ruby chirped, and took hold of the empty coffee cup in her hand and walked back over to the coffee pot still brewing hot on the machine, making sure to sway her hips side to side in an almost exagerated manner as she did. By the time she had returned with his refill, the cook from the kitchen called his order ready and Ruby went to the window to go and pick it up. She returned to his booth and set the fries down on the table in front of him, getting a good whiff of the greasy basket of cholesterol and trans fats almost making Ruby turn her head away to keep from smelling it. How anyone could eat something like this so early in the morning was beyond her. Coffee, she could understand, but a heart-attack on a platter...that one she would scratch her head over later. His head snapped up when he caught the whiff of [i]his[/i] cheesy fries, and he watched Ruby as she brought it on over. With it being set before him, the number of potato sticks arranged on the plate covered in the cheese (sometimes cheese sauce, sometimes melted cheese), the whole thing practically wore a halo and little wings as he stared down at it. Heavenly. Taking the fork into his hand, Knox got two particularly good looking, cheese covered fries and brought them into his mouth. Crunchy fries and smooth cheesy goodness, the anticipation of such a breakfast was what made it earlier to rise in the morning. Even a guarded sort of man like him could enjoy a simple treat like this. A thoughtful expression crossed her face for a moment as she looked down at him, the gears in her head obviously turning as if debating on doing or saying something, however just after a few moments, Ruby took the initiative and slid into the booth seat across from him and folded her hands together, letting them rest on the table. "You don't work today right?" She asked, the only way she knew this of course was by routine. She had been serving Knox's 'regular' almost every day for as long as she could remember, and some days he stayed longer than others, in no rush or need to get to work on time. Forking up some more of the cheesy fries, though carefully, Knox chewed quietly and slowed just a bit when he realised that Ruby hadn’t just turned and left. No, instead, she was seated across from him. Listening to her question, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and drank down more black coffee, before giving her his answer, “On paper, today is my day off…” "Good." Ruby adjusted herself in her seat to make herself more comfortable. The diner was still practically empty; the morning breakfast rush wouldn't start for at least another ten minutes, so she had time. It was strange though, for as long as she could remember, Ruby had wanted to do this very thing, but something always seemed to get in the way, preventing her from doing so. Somehow, for some reason, today was different. She took a good look at his face; he was older than her...not considerably, but enough to sit on the boarderline of the type of men she usually liked to hang out with. She couldn't count how many times she had looked at him in the past, at least once a day when he came in for his coffee and cheesy fries, but this time, when Ruby opened her mouth to speak, her words caught in her throat as she seemed to notice for the very first time...his eyes. They had made eye contact before, countless times, but this time...this time was different. They held a sense of...knowing in them, something that struck Ruby...familiar? It was like having a word on the tip of your tongue, but instead it was more like a thought on the tip of her brain. She quickly cleared her throat, and continued to talk, dismissing the strange...interruption in her mind. "So, you've been coming in here every day for as long as I can remember. You order the same thing, and you get here the same time. I'm starting to think that you don't know to really live; your life is so predictable! Why don't you meet me at the Rabbit Hole later, after my shift; we can share a few drinks and I can try to chip away at that rough exterior you put up. I even bet that I can get you to smile by the time the night's through." At that, Knox just gave her the blanket look, before continuing on to quietly eat his fries and drink his black coffee. This woman was easily a number of years younger than him, and yet she seemed certain that she had a better understanding of him than he himself did. Unfortunately, he wasn’t one to take the obvious bait, besides… “I already have prior arrangements for this evening.” An all-important date with hospital sign-in logs, watching surveillance cameras for any anomalies…no better way to spend the day off… … … … “…Only a few drinks.” Ruby's lipstick red lips turned up into a white smile. She would have called him out on having 'prior engagements' if he hadn't accepted, but his 'few drinks' rule kept her from doing so. The front door of the diner opened, and by instinct Ruby looked up to see who it was and noticed the newly familiar face of the stranger who had rolled into town just a few hours ago. Henry stepped through the door, his face expressing a curious interest. A pair of Walkman headphones over his ears. He reached into the folds of his coat, pushing what could only be assumed as the 'stop' button on his tape player before removing the headphones. He took in the atmosphere of the restaurant: it had a cozy, almost retro feel to it. The floors were a simple tile and the walls decorated with obscure images and scenes, giving the building a feel of mystery to it. He took his coat off, hanging it on the rack just next to the front door, wearing a simple dark gray Henley shirt underneath. He gave a simple nod of greeting and a smile to Ruby who was making conversation (most likely flirting) with a rather melancholy-looking man who was eating...a mess of cheese and french fries on a plate. Henry raised his eyebrows but said nothing, instead stepping up to the counter, where he took a seat. He began whistling to himself, tapping his fingers on the counter surface in a slight beat; his behavior peculiar, but not abnormal. Ruby looked back to Knox and nodded, sealing the 'date' she had set up with him and non-verbally excused herself, getting out of the booth and headed to Henry. She walked behind the counter and folded her arms, resting them on the bar inbetween herself and the new visitor and bending at the waist slightly, just enough so that her half t-shirt was dropping down, giving a clear view of her chest. "I wondered when you'd find this place." Ruby said to him with a smile. "Anything specific I can do for you Henry? Pancakes? Crepes?" Henry let his eyes dart down for a split second when Ruby bent over, but otherwise didn't react except for the smile that seemed plastered onto his face. "I think I'll just have some eggs and bacon with toast, please. Coke to drink." He ordered, his fingers still rapping against the countertop as he spoke. "Coming up handsome." Ruby nodded and got up off of the bar to relay the order to the cook while getting an empty glass to fill with the soda. Ruby had to wrinkle her nose again as the filled the cup; just like cheesy fries, who could drink soda this early in the morning? She returned to the bar and set the soda down in front of him, her smile returning. "Should be about ten minutes on those eggs." She informed him. "So, how are you liking Storybrooke so far?" "Oh, it's a nice little town so far. People are a bit aloof, but-" he leaned in a bit, "I've always been a charmer." He finished with a smirk, quite confident in his ability to make friends. Ruby gave a sideways smile and raised her eyebrow, as if to say 'really now?' "Town seems a bit off the grid, though. It was only by chance I managed to find it." He added in a more conversational tone. Ruby just shrugged. Storybrooke had always been that way; it was a little town, and little towns were hard to find, right? "Hey..." She said leaning over the bar again to get closer to him. "Knox and I are headed down to the Rabbit Hole after my shift later for a couple drinks." She said, vaguely gesturing towards Knox since Henry couldn't possibly know who he was just yet. "You should join us, get to know some of us 'aloof' folk." Henry's eyes leered over to the melancholy man with the heart-attack-on-a-plate, adding the name 'Knox' to memory. [i]'I'll have to find out who he is later...'[/i] He thought to himself before speaking again. "Oh, that sounds lovely. You know where I live." He responded with a wink. "Even if I didn't, I could follow that good smelling cologne of yours anywhere." Ruby replied with a wink back and then once again pushed herself off of the bar to go to the register where she printed up Knox's ticket for his cheesy fries and coffee.