@amber_is_in_a_loop
(I HAVE THE POWER OF THE SPOILERS!!! OOH IMPORTANT QUESTION: What do you think of Captain Jack?)
(I HAVE THE POWER OF THE SPOILERS!!! OOH IMPORTANT QUESTION: What do you think of Captain Jack?)
Alice carefully sat down, attempting to remember the last time she'd been to a cafe or restaurant not to work, but to eat.
"Thank you for this, Isobel. You didn't have to."
Isobel shrugged, an eloquent movement. “I wanted to.” She reached up to tug at the bow in her hair, smiling a little. “So, how are you?”
"Fine! Not great, but fine." She memorised the way Isobel moved, from her graceful shrug to her invisible blink. "This isn't the first time I've experienced a setback, so I'll get through it," she laughed slightly bitterly.
The shock of how different Alice was acting still hadn’t worn off, rather was heightening slowly. “That’s something, at least,” Isobel said, hands playing with a lock of hair.
"Yes. It is." At that moment the waiter appeared. "What can I get you girls?"
Alice gestures for Isobel to go first, looking down at the menu.
"Could I please have the avocado toast? And some liquorice root tea?" Isobel folded her hands in her lap, glancing at Alice.
"I'll go with the pulled pork burger and some lemonade please." The waiter jotted it down and left. "Enough about me I guess," Alice smiled. "What classes do you take?"
"History of English Literature, Creative Writing, European History, and Algebra," she replied, brushing her thumb over the knuckles of her other hand repeatedly, as she did when there was a lot on her mind.
"That sounds interesting," Alice said distractedly, catching the sutble movement of Isobel's hands. She looked preoccupied.
"Isobel. Are you OK?"
"Hm? I am, why wouldn't I be?"
Isobel met her eyes, perplexed. How did she–? Anyways, it wasn't as if anything was wrong, her mind was just a little too crammed right now.
Alice looked her in the eye. "You look worried. Look, if I'm having any negative effect on you whatsoever I'll get out of your sight. Honest."
“What? Not at all!” Isobel promised quickly. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind, I usually meditate to calm myself but o forgot today.”
Alice nodded. She stayed silent until the drinks arrived.
She took a long gulp of the sweet lemonade an savoured the taste. It'd been so long since she'd had anything sweet.
Isobel sipped her tea, savouring the aftertaste. "Are you a tea or coffee drinker?" she asked, to make conversation.
Alice thought about it. "I don't think I've ever had coffee…" she admitted after a moment.
Isobel blinked, mildly surprised. “It smells better than it tastes. Bitter. But it’s nice.”
Alice shrugged. "I'll take your word for it. I have no interest in trying it." She fell silent again, unsure of what to say. She bit down on her lip, gazing out towards the kitchen– she was suddenly famished.
A waitress came out of the kitchen bearing a tray with two plates on it, headed their way. She placed their meals on the tables, wishing them a good lunch and retreating. Isobel lifted the avocado toast to her mouth, taking a neat bite.
Alice stared down at her burger. She gingerly picked up her cutlery and cut a bite off of it. She lifted it to her mouth and let the spice melt on her tongue. "Oh my," she sighed happily.
“Enjoying your meal?” Isobel took another bite, licking a smudge of avocado off her lips. The toast was light but filling, healthy but with a pleasant taste.
Alice nodded distractedly, busy trying to figure out how to hold the burger without everything falling out. She swallowed another bite, and within another 10 minutes had finished the burger and half her side of fries.
Isobel looked up from her half-finished toast, blinking in astonishment when she saw Alice’s mostly empty plate. “Wow, you eat fast. You must’ve been hungry!”
Alice smiled guiltily. "It's actually mostly because I always had to eat fast back home so the others wouldn't beat me to my dinner."
The remark made Isobel pause for a second. “Competitive siblings?”
Alice froze. She bit her lip and mentally slapped herself. You're not allowed fucking slip ups, Alice."Um… Close enough."
Something clicked inside of Isobel’s mind when she noticed the way Alice froze up at her question. Abuse, maybe? Trauma? Hallucinations? “Were you the eldest sibling?”
Alice burst out laughing. "Who said anything about siblings?" She shook her head. "And no. I was far from the oldest."
Isobel furrowed her brow confused. "A second ago, I asked if you had competitive siblings and you replied yes. I was an only child, so I don't really know what brothers and sisters are like."
Alice blinked, thinking about it. "Wait… No. Right." She shook her head to clear it. "No. I said you were close."
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