[IC] [Willy & Hailey] Practically Just Some Pigtail Pullin'

[Sugar and Spite]

The morning started out just as any other. Wake up, do the morning regimen and then off to the local Starbucks. Why? Because you see folks, it's just what little miss Evie Clarke does. She lives in her 4th story apartment and she writes her column for the local newspaper. Borning? Yes. Does she like it? Not all the time. But, oh well. All she ever had really been was a small girl in a big town doing her best to make it.

Taking the bus to the coffee place, the girl would be there at the busiest point of the morning. Waiting for her turn in line, her laptop bag would be slung over her shoulder with leisure as she checked her phone for new messages. "Oh, heya Evie. What'll it be this morning," asked the cashier.

"Give me a tall, iced, caramel latte, non-fat, and add whip, would you Jasper," she responded.

As usual, he would make the coffee and have it ready in just under 3 minutes. That was something that she could give Starbucks -well at least this one anyways- was that it had good service.

[WilsonTurner]

Bernard Benson Browning woke up and panicked to reach his alarm clock, just like any other day. After crawling halfway across his room to the hiding place he put his alarm the night before- he won't be able to stay awake after shutting it off otherwise- he went about his normal morning routine. Stare blankly at the wall, get dressed, stare blankly at his breakfast, eat breakfast, et cetera, on and on like the past three weeks.

He trooped down the stairs of his third floor apartment, and headed off to the local Starbucks. Why? He couldn't make decent hot chocolate with his Keurig anymore- it broke from overuse. He took care of websites for many of the local businesses, and did their logos and newspaper ads, using it to sustain his dream of becoming a writer. If only he had a muse to really inspire him to actually write something.

He decided against the bus; he always woke up earlier than most, and always took the time to walk to wherever he needed to go. Big town, but it didn't take more than fifteen minutes to get from one side to the other on foot.

And then the line of Starbucks. He sighed a little bit; he supposed taking the bus would've allowed him to be before the morning rush. Either way, he stood in line, and stood in line, and everyone ordered simple things.

And then the person in front of him, and he couldn't help himself, speaking out with an accompanying goofy smirk- "You're not gonna have it decaf either, are you? Or maybe add some nuts? Marshmallows? Oh, you could add some chocolate syrup."

[Sugar and Spite]

Taking a sip of her coffee after taking it from Jasper's hand, the girl would hear a voice asking her quite the rude question. Turning to see who had spoken, she would realize that he had quite the smirk on his face as well. "How I like and order my coffee is simply none of your buisness, dear sir. And for the record, you're describing a sundae, not a actual latte, minus the decaf part, that is. Shows how much you know."

Turning away and walking to her usual table in the far right corner of the restaurant right in front of the window. Nuts in a latte? Wow. She shook her head while taking the laptop out of her bag. She needed to finish the column before tonight, allowing the editor to go over it and publish it into tomorrows paper. Glancing once more at the man that had spoken to her, Evie didn't know why she felt so offended, she just did. Continuing to write as her fingers raced over the keyboard, she would be enveloped in her work, if only for a moment.

[WilsonTurner]

Bernard frowned, suddenly unhappy. He wasn't serious about it, and based on the cashier's knowing smirk, that guy had known he wasn't serious and was laughing at him for being taken so. So, disgruntled and feeling a little guilty, he ordered his hot chocolate- it didn't escape his notice that whipped cream and some nuts were added without him saying- and then hesitated as the man brought it back over. The cashier arched and eyebrow, and Bernard decided to order a small plate of a half dozen random, varied pastries.

And now the cashier was watching him with less amusement and more interest, as he made his way from the counter, after paying, and to the young woman's small table.

He stood next to the chair opposite of her, and apologized.

"I'm sorry miss. I didn't mean to come off as a little rude, just... a little playful, I suppose. To be fair, I can't even stand the taste of coffee. If you'll allow me to sit, I'll share my recently purchased pastries with you. And, again, my apologies for being a jerk."

[Sugar and Spite]

Due to the simple fact that the man was last seen outside at approximately twelve pm on Sunday afternoon, the local authorities suggest.." Great. And he was back. Listening to what he had to say, Evie pursed her lips. An apology was nice, she supposed. Then again, people could be tricky. Then again, that's why she avoided them at all times. Well, at least as much as she could. She raised a eyebrow in suspicion, leaning back in the chair, her arms now crossed.

"Fine," she said with a sigh. "I guess I did over react. Besides, you apologized and that's something most wouldn't do. I'm just stressed trying to write this stupid report and what-not. Anyways, go ahead and sit."

[WilsonTurner]

Triple-Bee quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing immediately in response. He pushed the tray of pastries towards her, gesturing for her to take one. Meanwhile, he took a sip of his hot chocolate and drew out his phone, responding to a couple texts before setting it down on the table, notably asleep.

"So, miss nameless, need any help? I'd like to think I have a good head on my shoulders, even if only for doing accurate Google searches, you know?"

He took one of the pastries- a little no-hole donut-looking thing, glazed with fluffy crust and chocolate icing- and took a bite, his grunts of appreciation (sliiiiightly overdone for her benefit and to encourage her) and nods of happy approval enough to say that he really quite enjoyed it. Shaking off his fingers a little, he wiped the crumbs off the table and gave her an apologetic, messy, crumb-laden smile.

[Sugar and Spite]

Evie quirked a half smile in a shy sort of way before finally giving in and taking one of the pastries. Taking a bite, she would realize that they didn't really taste all that bad. Sure, she had never ordered any personally, but not all that bad. Could be better, she supposed, then again, she was a perfectionist. All that aside, she decided to respond to his question.

She sighed. "Well, for starters, people call me Evie. Um... nothing really to help with. I mean, if you want to help me write a cover article for tomorrows newspaper about the murder down on twelfth street, then please, by all means, go ahead." Realizing that the comment could be taken in a somewhat rude way, she would try to right her wrong.

"I'm sorry, I'm rambling again and I really don't mean to be rude, just little ol' busy me is all."

[WilsonTurner]

Bernard took another bite of his pastry, taking a moment to gather his thoughts and think up his response. He knew something about the murder, from the people that muttered about it here and there and the one person in town that had a blog that Bernard took care of posted something about it.

"You're fine. I didn't exactly start us off on the best of terms, so I think you've got a little leeway to be snappish at me."

So he piped up about a snippet or three that he had heard- apparently the back door's lock to the victim's home had been superglued open a couple days earlier, and the victim had been unable to fix it, but left it, only filing a report with the local police. He added in the tidbit about the victim's pug also being taken, and the dog collar being left behind.

Then he popped in the rest of his pastry and, once he was mostly done chewing, "That help any?"

[Sugar and Spite]

Listening to what the man had to say, Evie sat up in her chair, now sitting up straight as her fingers began to race along the keyboard as she typed down the information. Her boss would be interested in how she had gotten the information, but that was a question that she would worry about answering later. After all, she was just supposed to write the report and get it in. She didn't have to list her sources and all of that other unnecessary stuff.

Finishing up the last snippet of typing from the information that the man had given her, she would realize that she now had the full two pages needed. Of course she had to use some useless fluff here and there, but people loved the stuff.

Taking one more of the pastries for herself, she would respond before popping it into her mouth. "Actually, yeah. Great information. I now have the required entry length or whatever." The girl looked up at him with a sort of smile. "Thanks for the help, stranger."

[WilsonTurner]

"Ah. My apologies- my name is Bernard Benson Browning. The few people I know call me Bee, or Triple-Bee. Or any variant thereof."

He shrugged, and carefully extracted a fruity looking pastry. Taking a bite and chewing slowly, he watched Evie finish up her work. He returned the smile with one of his own, content and relieved that he made up for his rude remarks earlier. Leaning back a bit, he checked his phone for a brief moment, before setting it to sleep again, and turned his attention back to Evie.

"So, Evie, that's a nice name by the way, do you usually come here in the mornings? My own coffee machine, which I used only for hot chocolate, broke, so now I need a new fix. I'm guess this is the place to get it?"

He dipped his pastry into his hot chocolate, and took an experimental bite. Apparently liking it, he dipped it even more, and took a larger bite, obviously burning his mouth in the process. Obvious, in that he was mumbling, "Ow! Ow! Owie!" and trying to take deep, somewhat covert breaths.

[Sugar and Spite]

"All three parts of your name starts with the letter B? Crafty parents, if I may say." Turning back to her laptop once more, she would open up her browser -Google Chrome, of course. She refused to use anything else- and log into her email, sending the writing to her boss. Once she was done, she would shut it and push it over to the side, away from the beverages, of course. No need for an accident with technology and liquid today. Hearing his question she would shrug her shoulders innocently.

"Thanks. Honestly, I can't say. I mean, sorry about your machine and all, but I've actually never ordered hot chocolate from this place before. I've heard they do, but that's just by other people's opinions, of course. You could ask the clerk, but Jasper practically agrees with anything, the poor boy." Seeing his little experiment and hearing his ow's, Evie would try to stiffle a laugh.

"You okay, Bee," she asked, the hint of a laugh in her voice.

[WilsonTurner]

He shrugged, trying at a grin and failing because of the burning. He solved his problem by stuffing the rest of the pastry in his mouth, trying to alleviate the burn through ways that he doesn't even know.

Fanning his mouth and failing to alleviate his pain, he just waited with pastry held gingerly in his mouth, waiting for the pain to fade. After a minute or two, it finally did, and Bernard started slowly chewing his pastry. After maybe half a minutes' worth of chewing, he swallowed the last bite, and promptly coughed a bit.

Wiping his mouth, he mumbled, "Yeah, sorry about that. Not the brightest idea I've ever had. 'Think I'm good now, though, thanks for asking. Please, go ahead, laugh all you want."

He paused, then, feeling a bit awkward. He came over to apologise; that being accomplished, he wasn't entirely sure what to do.

[Sugar and Spite]

Evie couldn't help it. Even before she had his so called permission, the girl lost it and started laughing uncontrollably. "I'm sorry, Bee," she said, trying to catch her breath. "I... shouldn't be... laughing... but if you... could see... the facial.. expressions," -she took a deep breath- "you would too."

"You're welcome, by the way, but really, I am sorry for laughing." Having nothing else to do and not wanting another pastry, Evie would begin to tap her fingers on the table in slight boredom. "So, is the Keurig just crap, or did you actually get your money's worth?

[WilsonTurner]

Bernard was slightly relieved at her laughing and inquisitiveness- it felt as if a guy trying to make conversation with someone he didn't really know was somewhat creepy, while if it were a lady trying to make the conversation, it was somehow okay and alright. So, he allowed himself a small, welcome-to-my-world smile, and replied amiably enough.

"The Keurig's worked since college, and has proven its usefulness when people want coffee, and I have no idea how to make it any other way. But yeah, all the hot tea and hot chocolate I've needed since college has been fulfilled by that wonderous little device. I just don't wanna spend more money, now that they've 'improved' it and likely made it crappier by trying to cut costs. And it's not like the device has had its fair share of problems- I've had to get it fixed too many times. It's just now breaking down for good."

He shrugs, and goes on, saying, "Besides, it's nice to get out and tell myself it's not because I want to, but because of hot chocolate. Gives me an excuse for myself, so to speak."

He raised his cup for a drink, before freezing just before, and he gave it a suspicious, narrowed stare, slightly overexaggerated for Evie's benefit. He slowly set it down, and pulled the top off, letting the steam rise and the heat escape, before continuing.

"And you? Are you getting your money's worth with your man-operated coffee shop?"

[Sugar and Spite]

"Eh, that's what they do. Slap a new color on the box, add a few extra buttons and tada, they can charge you a extra hundred bucks." She simply nodded at his next comment and smiled at his exaggeration. After all, sometimes she had to force herself out of the house, so, perhaps she understood the 'excuse for myself thing' in all reality.

"Man-operated? You make it sound like they're my slaves or something," she said with a joking tone. But yes, I definitely have got my money's worth. I mean, not only do they have great coffee, a wide assortment of pastries, a nice atmosphere and a nice comfy couch that I occasionally sit on when I write, but, they have free wi-fi. Plus, Jasper is friendly, as well as just about any other person you can find behind the counter. And then there's the situations like ours when you can find a decent conversation or two." Evie paused for a moment. "And when and if it does break, I don't have to pay for the repairs."

[WilsonTurner]

Bernard couldn't help but smile at her description of the man-operated building-sized coffee maker. But... he had to agree with her. They were all valid points, and he didn't exactly want to spend that extra half hour in the United Supermarkets looking for the right K-cups. Or buy a new machine.

"I think I'll take your word for it, Evie. I guess you'll see me around here more often, then."

Pulling out his phone, Bernard checked the time.

"Alllrighty, then. We've been here for... I dunno. Half an hour? Ain't got a clue. Time flies or stills for me when I'm not paying attention. But now I know what time to show up. Who knows, you might need help with another article."

He gave her a grin, and then asked, "If you wouldn't mind the company, of course.

"Free pastries are part of the package?"

[Sugar and Spite]

"Half an hour sounds about right. Time slips away from the best of us. She returned his smile. "Very true. I sometimes get stuck quiet a lot. Having some company could do me some good, though I'm not sure I'll eat the pastries every morning," she replied, letting out a small chuckle.

Evie picked up her laptop from the table, getting down off the chair herself before holding her hand out, perhaps one of the friendliest gestures that she had made towards the man thus this far. "It was nice to meet you, Bernard."

[WilsonTurner]

Bernard replied in kind, reaching out to shake her hand with a pleased smile.

"Nice to meet you too, Evie. And noted- pastries twice a week... I'd say Mondays and Fridays. Unless you want some any other time of the week, in which I'd be happy to oblige."

Of course he wouldn't mind buying a pretty woman something sweet. He still had his hot chocolate, though, and a plate of pastries, so he wasn't getting up to leave. So he gave her a wide smile and a wave.

"Talk to you later, friend."

And that was that.

~~~ About a month later ~~~

Hot chocolate, the Friday half-dozen of pastries, Evie, and her coffee (Bernard still didn't like coffee), at their usual table.

Normally he started off with a friendly good morning and maybe asking her if she was adding nuts or marshmallows this time, despite knowing full well that she never did, but he was so perturbed that he couldn't manage it. Instead, he stared blankly at his favorite pastry (three were his three favorites, the other three were Evie's three favorites), and slowly put it down- which was unheard of, because he usually ate all of them.

Finally, he simply said, "I fried my microwave last night. With my hand."

Last night, he was heating a cup of water, so he could steep some tea and read it along with a book. Except when he touched the metal side when opening the microwave door, the microwave popped, electricity had fizzled from his hand into the microwave, and the microwave died, utterly and completely.

Looking at Evie, he asked, "I touched my microwave, and I, I dunno, electrocuted it? Or something? I don't even know. I touched it and stuff popped and I was perfectly fine and my microwave was utterly dead. I opened it up and half the circuits were melted."

[Sugar and Spite]

Evie, as usual, was glued to her screen, multitasking as she talked to Bernard and wrote her articles. This, of course, had become part of the routine over the last month or so as Evangaline had stopped thinking of the man less of a friendly acquaintance and more of a slight friend. It was only at the moment when he stated that he had practically blew up his microwave and how, did she place her eyes upon him.

"Oh, Bernard, come one now. You're just pulling my leg. You can't be serious." However which way she acted, Evie couldn't help consider this a coincidence. Just last night she had set a towel on fire in the bathroom by mere accident. Not that she had a lighter or anything. The only way that she got the fabric put out was by throwing it in the sink in a panic and running water on it. But see, the woman didn't believe in coincidence. Something, everything, happened for a reason. What reason this was, she had no idea.

[WilsonTurner]

Bee stared evenly at Evie, having never been more serious in his life. Immediately, of course, he wondered if he'd be so serious whenever, if ever, he proposed to someone, but he shoved that random thought out of his head and continued on the more pressing topic at hand.

"Evie, I wish I was. Dead serious, I am. Look."

Carefully, he extracted his phone from his pocket, actually using a napkin to prevent him from touching anything conductive on the surface. He held it up to face her, and pressed the menu button- the screen lit up, requesting a password. The top read that there were several notifications, 78% of battery, and the current time and date. Then, with some amount of care- he wasn't actively sucking energy out of anything, but wanted to be sure- he managed to pop the battery out of the back of his phone.

He held up the battery, and gently tried to focus on it. He wanted to drain it, not ruin it, after all. After a moment, he felt a certain... resistance fade away, and he could feel the energy fooding through his fingers and to his hand, arm, body.

Once he couldn't feel any more, he carefully replaced the battery, making sure it snapped in properly, and then turned the phone towards her.

Being very sure of himself, he pressed the button.

Nothing happened.

"I'm pretty sure I didn't use a magic trick to switch the battery. About 98% plus 2% sure."