[color=silver][indent][indent][indent][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/WYMjV0Z.png[/img]   [img]https://i.imgur.com/jfQ8rcZ.png[/img]  [img]https://i.imgur.com/d3V0HD0.png[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/IhuV6Vz.png[/img]

[sub]A [@metanoia] & [@LovelyComplex] collaboration[/sub]
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There were days that whenever [url=https://i.imgur.com/1x7YkCm.jpg]Jade[/url] went to work and had to entertain (though not in the same way her co-worker friend Hailey did) the animals and old, fat bastards that the graveyard shift attracted when she was on the edge of being grossed out or close to punching them. On these days, Jade even had fun when the grotesque regulars tested her patience, but tonight’s shift was different. Plenty of those regulars were at Edge tonight and tried to charm their way into getting Jade to do what she seldom did and take a spot on the pole, instead of serving them cheap beer and surprisingly addictive wings. She didn’t do it, of course, but she didn’t play along. She just…didn’t do it.

And maybe she hasn’t really been in her usual playful work self for a while. Or at least not since Friday (it was technically sunday, right?) She has felt numb ever since then and not even the sight of the bouncer tossing those overzealous regulars like Uncle Phil did to Jazz could make her genuinely smile. She went through the rest of her shift until she got off at 5 and hopped on her harley shorttal, letting the wind of this surprisingly chilly Edenridge early morning hit her in her face, her golden locks flowing in the air. The only protection being the helmet on her head and the leather jacket she [i]always[/i] wore (a gift to her from her uncle).

Jade drove across the tracks and into the northside, not caring at all how fast she was going nor how loud her hog roared through the quiet streets. She kept going until she came to the ever-famous diner where breakfast was 24/7 (or at least it wasn’t relegated to certain times in the morning). It was one of her favorite spots to go to after work and especially when she needed a few hours to herself to just decompress.

As she pulled up to the parking lot, she chose a spot close to the exit, pointing her cruiser out to the road so whenever she would leave, she could just zoom the hell out. Jade had a backpack that she almost always carried with her. Part of her decompressing process was picking a mostly isolated part of the diner, taking out a book that she got personally from Poppy, and got lost in whatever story her sister recommended she read. The one she had this week was the classic Alice in Wonderland story. She knew it, but only the Disney version and not the original.

Shoving herself through the door and hearing the bell go off, the blonde absentmindedly scanned the diner. It was mostly empty, which made her half-smile because it meant choosing a place to be to herself wouldn’t be hard. Typically she went for a booth, but Jade didn’t see any prying eyes, or in the Northside’s case, any judging eyes (because of how she was dressed), so she chose a spot at the countertop near the middle of the diner.

“Almost like clockwork, Jade.” Brandon, the waiter who had the graveyard shift like Jade did looked at Jade with his usual smile. He was roughly a few years older than Jade and pretty average looking. White man with dark hair and nice, calm blue eyes. “The usual? Three chocolate-chip pancakes, two sausage links, and a double order of potatoes o’brien?”

Jade chuckled and smiled, if not enough to not make him worried. [color=e62020]“Don’t forget coffee. As strong as you can make it.”[/color] 

“You got it!”

After she got her coffee, Jade pulled out her book and picked up where she left off. [color=e62020]“Chapter 3…”[/color]

As Jade read her book, a couple minutes later the doorbell rang again and the woman with a strikingly piercing gaze made her way to the counter. After the dreadfully bad nighttime breakfast her brother made, one meal here was not enough. The Basilisk had spent an hour or so with her brothers here a little after midnight. She left for a little bit, but her craving had not been satiated. She loved breakfast. She also loved milkshakes and here she could have both. 

“Back again?” Brandon chortled, staring at the woman in a black jean jumpsuit, a white turtleneck, and a messy bun. “Looks like you changed! Did you get much sleep?”

Instead of immediately responding, the Russian woman sat beside a blonde bombshell reading a book. She glanced over, taking note of what she was reading before looking back at the waiter. [color=56877b]“No. No sleep.” [/color] She showered, sure, but sleep? She spent most of the night with her brothers and now it was a new day. She had work to do. 

“Usual, yeah?”

[color=56877b]“Of course.”[/color] With no hesitation, she answered, knowing exactly what she liked at this place. She never  changed. Once she found something she liked, loved even, she stood with it through and through. When her chocolate milkshake was pushed in front of her, she took a couple of sips. Glancing back at the girl, knowing exactly who she was, but not the other way around, she shrugged to herself and decided to start a conversation, [color=56877b]“Good book?” [/color]

Jade murmured to herself. It helped her get a better understanding of whatever she read, so she didn’t register the voice that beckoned to her until a few seconds after the fact. When she did, she shook her head slightly, breaking out of the trance-like state she was in. As she turned to the blonde sitting next to her, what she noticed immediately was how attractive she was. She didn’t know who she was, but Jade always could admire another’s beauty. [color=e62020]“Huh?”[/color] It took a moment and she laughed in a low tone. [color=e62020]“Yeah, I guess it is. Just at the beginning. My sister recommended I read this one. It’s nice so far.”[/color] 

Jade was slow to pick up on the details, especially when she was distracted. So it wasn’t until just now she realized the blonde sitting next to her was all clothed up in a jean assortment. Another thing she noticed was the chocolate shake. [color=e62020]“How’s the shake?”[/color] She asked the blonde stranger.

With her broken English, Anya gave a half smile, [color=56877b]“Delicious, you had shake before?”[/color] As she waited for a response, she started to sway her feet back and forth like a kid. This was the first time the Basilisk had an in person meeting with Charlie Taylor’s niece. Before Jade could say anything in response, the stranger gestured to the coat, [color=56877b]“If I forget, I like your coat. Very cool. Very nice.”[/color]

As she was about to answer the first question, suddenly the stranger sitting next to her commented on her jacket. That immediately brought a small smile to the blonde’s face. [color=e62020]“Oh…thanks.”[/color] Partly blushing only because she never had anyone bypass her appearance and actually and genuinely complimented her on what she was wearing with no second meaning attached to it. [color=e62020]“It’s…special to me. My uncle gave me this jacket.”[/color] It almost made her sad talking about her Uncle Charlie, especially since she wished he wasn’t in prison and instead could be out and about whenever he wanted. 

[color=56877b]“I know that feeling.”[/color] Anya slid her milkshake to the side and took a deep waft of the food being cooked. This was exciting. Breakfast was exciting. “We put love in item as if… we have person with us. I have something too.” The older blonde put her right hand in her pant’s pocket and pulled out a [url=https://nigelnorman.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/008-2.jpg]brooch[/url]. [color=56877b]“Mama  had little but this, this she kept. Her mom gave to her and she left with me. I like it. Pansy flower. There french word ‘penser’. It means ponder. It flower that helps sym-”[/color] she struggled trying to pronounce a word before deciding to change it, [color=56877b]“--comfort others when in pain and sad.”[/color] She gestured for Jade to observe it, allowing her to grab it from her hand. 

Jade listened intently as she talked about what her mother gave to her. She smiled a bit wider, finding a certain kindred spirit in how there was someone else that had something that a person very dear to their heart gave to them. The way she spoke about the broach, the meaning behind it, she often felt similarly about her jacket. It may not have had that kind of poetic meaning, but it was a thoughtful gift and she has never been seen without it on.

As she took the broach in her hand (of course with the permission of its owner), Jade felt it with her fingers. One thing she couldn’t help but notice was how authentic it felt. The material wasn’t cheap, or at least not like common swap meet items were. [color=e62020]“It’s a lovely broach. Your mother must love you a great deal to give you something so beautiful,”[/color] Jade said, handing the broach back to her diner friend. A small part of her envied that closeness she had with her mother. Jade only wished her own ever cared enough to do anything but get high.

[color=56877b]“This brooch is all I have left.”[/color] Anya smiled to herself, gently rubbing her thumb on the jewelry before pocketing it, [color=56877b]“Are you pancake girl? What kind of food you get?”[/color] No longer wanting to harbor on what was lost, the Basilisk redirected the conversation to idle but important things. Like breakfast. Breakfast was simple yet important. 

[color=e62020]“I…haven’t thought about food, to be honest,”[/color] she admitted with a short chuckle. It wasn’t that she wasn’t hungry, but she came to the diner just to get some reading in before she went home to her apartment. [color=e62020]“I mean, pancakes are good and they certainly hit the spot, but the french toast supreme here is to die for.”[/color] It’s true, Jade wasn’t really a pancake girl. But french toast? She could devour as much as her stomach could handle. [color=e62020]“Three thick loaf slices with whipped cream and syrup and a side of fresh, mixed berries.”[/color] Her mouth was salivating just thinking about [i]her[/i] usual. 

Brandon came in putting Jade’s food in front of her, which were chocolate chip pancakes, sausage, and potatoes. Jade’s coffee had been on the table this entire time but she had been so invested in the book that she didn’t notice it beside the milkshake. Anya’s half smile went into a smirk. [color=56877b]“That looks like pancakes, girl.”[/color] The older woman teased. 

Shortly after, Anya’s food came too. A big pancake with a bacon smile, chocolate chip hair, banana eyes, and a strawberry nose. [color=56877b]“Spasiba!”[/color] She thanked B-Rad, the Lord of breakfast. As she leisurely cut a piece of pancake off, she looked back at her acquaintance, [color=56877b]“Maybe I try French toast next time. You know this guy—”[/color] she pointed her fork with a pancake piece on it to the waiter, [color=56877b]“— He know my face and he make sure he make faces on my pancake. It make my day.”[/color]

“Honest gesture for a friend, Anya.” The waiter smiled at the Basilisk, he being one of the few people Kamensky trusted with her name. He knows when to say it and when to not. Based on how she talked and held herself to the girl next to her, amicably and kind, he knew it was safe to disclose it, “And damn, Jade, getting her to try anything different is an excruciating task. I gave up a long time ago.” 

[color=56877b]“I like what I like, happy pancake, happy me.”[/color] She took a bite of her pancake, making sure it was cooked just the way she liked it. When it was, she reached for the syrup. 

[color=e62020]“Can’t blame a girl for trying, can you?”[/color] Jade laughed and Brandon smiled back as she looked down at the pile of pancakes beneath her. She was hungry, sure, but she couldn’t stop herself from watching Anya. There was something about her that she couldn’t put her finger on, but something about how…authentic her joy was with something as simple as pancakes that made her smile. 

When she saw Anya reach for the syrup, Jade almost laughed. Not because of the fact it was syrup or anything like that, but more that Jade never had been a syrup gal. Sweet was good, but too sweet made her stomach rumble in every wrong way. Chocolate chips and butter was enough for her. So she took a bite of hers at long last and let out a delighted sound. She was still a french toast kinda girl, but even she couldn’t deny how delicious chocolate chip pancakes were. [color=e62020]“It’s good. Like really good!”[/color] She said with half of her mouth full of the big piece of pancake in her mouth.

[color=56877b]“I know. Best thing in this town.”[/color] Anya carefully watched Jade as she ate, curious of who she was as a person and all the things she liked. Having been in the shadows for so long, the Basilisk could feel a longing to have some normalcy. Perhaps that’s why she loved this diner. She was free. It was the one place she didn’t feel like she was in a cage and there was something about Jade that she couldn’t help admire. As much as Jade likes to cover things up deeply, she felt deeply about all those around her and the town she lived in. She also had a beautiful kinship with Penelope James. Anya Kamensky noticed and yearned to feel things like that. This interaction, as small as it seems, meant everything to her. 

In her pocket, her burner phone vibrated and she cursed under her breath, [color=56877b]“Derr ‘mo.”[/color] Brandon met her gaze, knowing it was time for the woman to go. Sighing to herself, Anya hopped off the stool, having only taken a couple bites of her happy pancake. Slipping her hand in her pocket, she pulled out two hundred dollar bills. 

Brandon shook his head in disapproval, “You really don’t have to do that much.”

[color=56877b]“No, no I do. This for me, Toast girl, and tip. You deserve this money and need it more.” [/color] Knowing this was a losing battle, Brandon took the money and kept the change. Anya turned to the girl who humored her this early in the morning and grinned, [color=56877b]“This was fun. I hope we talk more in the future.”[/color] Her burner phone buzzed again. Her grin turned sour as she clicked her teeth in annoyance. Picking up her phone, she answered it and started talking in full Russian. When she reached the door, she turned to look back at Jade and gave a goofy finger gun, an enticing wink, and a playful [color=56877b]“Kck, Kck,”[/color] sound with her mouth and tongue. And just like that, the Basilisk was gone.

“While she doesn’t always come here as frequently as she wants, if you want to see her again, early Sunday mornings are your best bet. Just like today.” Brandon tipped Jade. 

Jade didn’t know what it was about Anya that intrigued her so much. Was it the broken English? Maybe her child-like wonder about pancakes that was a delightful contrast to everyone else she met? Or maybe it was how she talked about her mother. Jade never had that. Her mother was…not a good woman. Somewhere in her heart, she wished things were different between them, wished that Whitney wasn’t an addict who didn’t care about her. But Jade knew better to let those thoughts plague her mind. 

In reality, Anya made her smile. She couldn’t recall the last time when she had been able to have a conversation with someone who didn’t see her as the stripper who performed at Edge, or the vixen from Edenridge High. Someone who actually saw [i]her[/i] in its purest form.

[color=e62020]“Sunday morning, you say?”[/color] The blonde closed her eyes and smiled. [color=e62020]“Guess I will see you Sunday, Brandon.”[/color] That was the last thing Jade did before she exited, hopped on her Harley, and went home, feeling like she had something to look forward to that wasn’t work or getting high. She couldn’t wait to tell Poppy about this.[/indent][/indent][/indent][/color]