recolle | So... (Closed)

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So... (Closed)

WHO: Chloe & May
WHERE: A Fish n Chips place
WHEN: Backdated to the day before Founder's Day
WHAT: Lunch!
WARNINGS: hah, no.

Chloe was standing at the entrance to the fish and chips, leaning against the door and waiting for what she currently assumed was going to be a somewhat burly fellow. She was still fairly new to social media. They didn't bother with such things at vineyards in the lee of the basques. WiFi wasn't a priority out there, so she'd only had a couple years to get used to the notion of twitter. Memes were a bit confusing a times.

So, she was about to be disabused of her previous notions about who this 'May' was. Ah, but it was an excuse to make use of this strange app. She needed to make new friends and get out there more. It would be good for her, that and she also needed something to eat. A hopefully pleasant combination.

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May, on the other hand, showed her colors with her order. Fried everything. Shrimp, fish fillet, french fries, and of course the aforementioned hushpuppies. And a diet coke. Of course.

"Nah, I'm not an actual pirate. But I do own a boat, and I use it for all kinds of jobs. Right now I'm in something of an off season, so I make ends meet by taking odd jobs." She wasn't about to tell a woman she just met she made most of her money fleecing people.

Hush puppies were at least ordered, though Chloe clearly found something more in the 'sauteed' sort of category while the two of them placed their orders, choosing tea to drink. She looked over at the girl and smiled as the two of them talked.

"Ah, I see. Yes, while there is ice on the bay, or snow on the ground, it is not the best season for that. I am a florist, myself. Quiet usually, this time of year, but as soon as Founder's Day is done, Valentine's will be upon us." And that was, without question, one of the biggest holidays for her, both personally and professionally.

"Ah, so you're in the flower racket, huh? V-day brings in a lot of suckers. You're gonna mint, if you're willing to put in the work," May chuckled, sipping from her drink as it arrived, and probably not realizing it was likely rude to refer to someone's job as a 'racket'.

"I don't really do v-day myself. Always seemed like a waste of money."

"I would not call it a racket, but yes. I sell flowers," she said, pouting some when she heard her put it that way, shaking her head. "And of course. It is one of my favorite holidays, sharing with people as they look for a way to express their love. The perfect arrangement can be the way to show someone your feelings."

She shook her head, leaning forward and putting her chin on top of her knuckles, a little impish smile there. "It is over-commercialized, but do you not believe in true love?" Oh yeah, there was a true believer right there.

"Of course I do! I'm a big fan of the l-word. Love is what makes the world beautiful when it's at its ugliest. Love saved my life! So of course I'm a big fan. I just don't like stuff that wastes money. Girl's gotta eat."

"Ahah, well. It is not so bad if you are the one receiving the flowers," she said, raising a finger "Or are you the sort to expect to buy them in a relationship, I wonder? Still, I can understand the finances. It has become very much an expensive thing at times."

"Though I can't say no to chocolate. I will wreck a box of chocolates, even drug store quality, you feel me? I will destroy that, like a wild animal." Probably not the most romantic imagery...

She laughed, shaking her head and looking mirthful. "It sounds like you don't mind the romance of it all in general. You just aren't a fan of going bankrupt to do a date?" She winked. "That just means being creative. There's a lot of inexpensive ways to do that, and destroy some chocolates in the process."

If anything, she was pretty sure quite a few people liked creativity more.

"Well, there's also another important matter of v-day feeling cheapened by the idea that there's only one day to celebrate love. Love should be a year round celebration!" May had a whole hushpuppy in her mouth at this point, so her impassioned speech probably sounded a bit silly...

She grinned and nodded vigorously. "I don't think of it as a one-day thing. Just a special occasion, though I suppose that you do have a point there. It is not so bad, as long as love is in your heart year round, right?" She had the decency to pop half of hers into her mouth only once she'd finished talking.

It was... dense. Not bad, just dense, like a lump in the stomach.

"That's what the greeting card companies WANT you to think, man. Also, whaddya think? About the hush puppies, I mean. Pretty awesome, right? Soft and buttery on the inside... mmm mmm!" May pat her stomach before tossing another one into her mouth.

"They are very rich," she said, smiling. "It reminds me a touch of the Talo bread, only fried. Bread like this we used to make baked back home. Ah, but the Americans, they do like to fry everything, yes?"

She smirked. Well, she lived that close to the Basque and spain, and frying was definitely not the preferred method of cooking where she grew up. Still, it wasn't bad. "Where are you from, if I may ask?"

"Right here in town. Born and raised, for whatever value 'raised' might be worth," May shrugged, now working on her shrimp.

She was onto her fish, taking a few bites and chewing thoroughly before swallowing. "I see, so you must know the town well in that case. It is very different from where I grew up. So much more lively. Do you like it here?"

It seemed a bit of an odd question to ask a native, but she was curious. Not everyone loved the towns they grew up in, after all.

"Well, I've never had aspirations to leave, if that's what you mean. I appreciate the freedom I have here...," May seemed to calm a bit, thinking about what she truly thought of the city she called home.

"I don't feel like... I'm bound in. Like this place as infinite possibilities, like a blue sea, blue sky, meeting at the horizon all around me... If that makes any sense."

"I think that it does, after a fashion. This place is your home, but if home became too unpleasant, you are not bound to it. Still, you like your home, so why not stay?" She hazarded, trying to pin it down a little. She looked up towards the ceiling and then nodded to herself.

"Well, that, and you wouldn't want to live somewhere without the ocean at hand. But that is the sailor's life, no?"

"I didn't just mean literally. I mean like... figurative possibilities. Opportunity never seems far away. If a girl like me who started with nothing can survive and make it, anyone can at least try, so long as there's someone to show them the way." Like she had with that man.

She took a bite and chewed thoughtfully, looking over at May with a curious and sympathetic eye. "The American Dream, as they say. The idea that anything is possible. It is why people come to this land, no?" She sighed softly to herself and smiled. "But you say that you started with nothing. Were you an orphan too?"

"That's a little awkward to ask someone you just met, iddnit?" Though May couldn't help the use of the word 'too', despite her casual deflection.

"A little, but something you said made me wonder," Chloe said, glancing to the side and shrugging. "I just know that it can feel difficult at times as an orphan, even if you're adopted young like me. I was very lucky to have a mother like mine."

"Well, why don't you tell me a little about her?" Anything to get the topic away from their apparent shared background. She didn't really like thinking about it, especially in a friendly situation like this.

"My mother is very special to me," she said, happy to burble on about her. "She's a very generous, kind soul, who lives apart from all the troubles of the world. She's very concerned about others, but she lives a simple life. She owns a vineyard near the foothills, and we used to always work in the fields there. I grew up knowing how to tend plants with her. I wish that I could be as strong a person as she was."

"She sounds super nice. Like a Disney mom or something," including being talked about in past tense, but May didn't comment on that, or make any assumptions out loud.

"I'm kind of that way about my old man. He taught me everything I know."

"You know, I never thought about it, but yes. She's a bit like something out of a fairy tail. A very warm one, without beasts in castles and the like." Thankfully, those assumptions would be off. She was just using the past tense out of habit more than anything else. Her mother was fine.

"Oh? What is he like? A sailor like you?"

"Jack of all trades, actually. But would you believe me if I said he made most of his fortune gambling? I live pretty well off of his savings," another implication of past tense. "Though I should proooobably clarify he's in prison, not dead," but at least she was clearer about it.

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