a friendly face

Who: Elle and Danny
Where: One More Round
When: Midday

Balancing a tray of drinks on one hand, Elle carefully weaved her way through the tables to distribute them. While she had definitely become more agile when moving about the floor, she didn't have the same confidence and fluidity of the more seasoned staff. Provided that all the glasses remained on the tray, arrived with a reasonable amount of content actually left in the glass and were delivered with a smile, Elle considered it a job well done. The fact she hadn't been fired yet must have meant that others thought she was doing an okay job too. Doling out drinks might not have been the pinnacle of achievement but she still felt a sense of pride.

She started humming a song under her breath, something from a musical. She couldn't remember which one exactly. She thought that maybe she should consider that a sign that she had seen far too many and smiled to herself. With a new sashay in her step, one in keeping with the nameless tune in her head, she did a tour of the bar to keep an eye out for anyone who might be looking for their next round.

Danny had spotted Elle as soon as he walked into the Round, but that was standard. He’d only lightly frequented this place, but once he found out she was here, he dropped in more often just to keep an eye on her. His cohorts had left, beat cop night shifters who only had one or two lef tin them before going to bed, but he loitered a little longer, guarding Elle as if he had some claim to her outside of their tentative friendship. As she made her round he leaned out of the shadows of his table and caught her eye. “What do I have to do to get another,” he asked pushing the empty glass towards her.

She hadn’t noticed Danny before. If she had, Elle would have come over to say hello sooner. She regarded the majority of the patrons as nice in their own way but he was one of the nicer ones. Eyeing him, she touched a fingertip to her lips so she appeared to be deep in thought. “Hmm... That’s a tough question...” she said slowly. After a moment she grinned. “You could always try smiling. And tipping. Both are very good incentives.”

Danny couldn’t help but smile, even if the look didn’t quite fit his features. He seemed more at ease with his permanent scowl. “Have I ever not tipped you well?” he asked trying for playful though it came out ‘not gruff’. “How are you holding up kiddo?”

Whether the look suited him or not, it pleased Elle and she gave him a satisfied nod. “You’ve always been pretty generous,” she agreed. “But it never hurts to give people a reminder.” That comment was topped off with an overly sweet smile. “Things are good. My roommate Shannah and I have adopted a cat. He just appeared so we took him in. How about you?”

He tugged at the already half loosened tie, hating it. He hated being dressed up for work. “A cat? You always are taking in strays hmm?” Danny felt like one of her strays even if she hadn’t actually taken him in and he’d taken to trying to protect her himself. “I’m alright. Another day, another drink.”

“Something like that.” His choice of phrasing had been quite apt, actually. She did try to tend to whoever or whatever needed it as much as she could. “He’s small and alone and I don’t want to think about what would have happened to him if we’d left him out on the street.” It sounded like a justification, like she needed to provide some kind of reason for doing what she thought was simply the right thing to do. “I’m not sure if that really convinces me that you’re alright,” she chided gently. “It must be the tie getting to you, right?” she added as a bit of a joke.

Danny wondered if that was how she felt about him, alone and not sure what would happen if she left him out there on his own. “Sounds like a lucky guy,” he said. “Just make sure you don’t start taking in stray guys.” He tried to seem stern about it, but at the same time not like he was bossing her. “It probably shouldn’t convince you if I’m alright. It’s probably not a good sign. But no, the tie is not helping. I kind of miss my uniform.”

Elle blinked at him a couple of times. “No. No stray guys,” she said, playing along with it. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a fidgety movement more than anything else. Quickly shifting into a smile, she regarded him for a moment. “I like the tie. It’s very smart, and that’s never a bad thing. You’ll get used to it. Think of it like a badge - one that shows how you’ve risen through the ranks.”

Danny had no idea why she was blinking at him like that and wondered what it was he’d said wrong. He wasn’t really that great with these sort of things. “I hadn’t thought about that. You might have converted me on the tie.” He glanced down at it again, smoothing it this time.

“See, it all depends on how you look at things. Every cloud and all.” Of course, that was easy to say when you were someone who not only saw the silver lining but actively searched for it and ignored how grey the cloud itself might be. “Now we have that sorted, is there anything else you need converting to?” The way she asked was light but the question itself wasn’t. She was concerned about him the same way she was concerned about everyone else. As he’d said, always taking in strays.

Danny watched Elle, giving her another smile even if it didn’t fit him at all. “How about converting me to being okay with you working here? I’m still not sure how I feel about this,” he said, glancing about at the riffraff that tended to frequent the Round even in the afternoon.

“It isn’t all bad,” she answered, looking pointedly at him. “And it’s never going to be better if everyone who thinks they’re decent and so shouldn’t venture in avoids it.” The more she thought about how to explain herself, the more she started to frown. “Some people come here because they want to have a good time. A lot of people come here because a drink is the best friend they have. A drink isn’t going to be too busy for them, judge them or ignore them altogether. It’s always there. So I want to be there too. Maybe then they can find a better friend.”

Danny let out a little sigh. She’d essentially just described him, the drunk with no real friends outside of his wife. Before he let himself think about it he reached for Elle’s hand. “If anyone can be that friend it’s you,” he promised. “But if any of them give you trouble, call me first. I’ll take care of it.” With his free hand he reached into his suit jacket, producing a card which he pressed into her palm. He meant it. He’d take care of it first with his fist then the law. Being a cop had a few perks here and there.

She closed her fingers round the card and nodded. “Thank you.” It felt good to know that someone was watching out for her but at the same time she wasn’t entirely sure if she’d follow through on the offer. It was ambiguous enough to make her wonder exactly what taking care of it would entail. Then there was the issue of her father. If something did happen and he got wind of it, that would be it. No more apartment with Shannah. No more being out from under his wing. All concerns she didn’t want to have so she replaced them with a smile. “As long as you remember that if you’ve got any troubles, there’s someone here looking out for you.”

Danny had a similar thought, thinking of how he didn’t want to burden her with his problems. She didn’t need to know that even though things were good with his wife now, they could always wind up on thin ice, nor did she need to know about his concerns with work. And those were just the troubles he could actually pin point. They said nothing for the worries that seemed to plague him constantly, those that lead him to drink even though he couldn’t put them into words. “I know. Thank you,” he said instead, opting not to tell her he wasn’t worth her time and instead just taking the help where it was offered. He wouldn’t do more than chat with her when there was a chance, but it was good to know.

That seemed to be enough for Elle so she gave him a nod. “Everything always works out okay in the end,” she told him breezily. There was plenty of evidence to the contrary but Elle clung to that belief. Like letting it go would be letting a part of herself go. Suddenly she laughed softly and shook her head. “You know, I’ve been stood here and I haven’t even asked you what you wanted.” She stood poised as if holding a pad and pencil. “What can I get for you, sir?”

Danny chuckled and pushed the glass back towards her. “Just a beer is fine,” he said. “Last one I promise.” Even though she didn’t quite know how many he’d had, but it was still more than he should have at lunch. He wanted to believe her, that everything was going to work out, but it felt like it just kept getting worse. Nothing ever really got better.

“A beer it is.” She dutifully went off to get him his drink and returned a few moments later with a fresh glass filled with cold beer. As she set it down in front of him she told him, “Consider it on the house.” She could stretch to buying him one beer, particularly if it was going to be the last of the evening.

He watched her go, shaking his head a little. She didn’t need his saving, not with that cheery smile of hers but Danny couldn’t help it. When she came back he gave her a chastising look for buying his drink but nodded anyway. “Much appreciated,” he said taking a sip.

The look was met with a light shrug. “Anything for my favourite customer.” It probably sounded like patter but he was definitely one of the patrons she liked more than some others. He might have been gruff on the outside but Elle was sure that he wasn’t so bad on the inside. He was a cop after all, and she imagined that meant being kind of rough around the edges.

Danny assumed it was patter, but it was nice to hear anyway. Grinning he raised the glass in mock toast. “Always nice to hear from my favorite waitress.”

Elle pointed at him, specifically she pointed to his mouth. “Ah, see, I knew you had it in you,” she teased. Then the hand dropped and her face fell, going into a slump. “Though that means I’ll have to try and think of more ways to compliment you. You might not want to come around for a while.” The grave expression lingered a second before she broke into a grin of her own.

She’d had him there, glass half back down to the table as she slumped wanting to get up and help her, willing to do almost anything, but then she grinned. He gave her a bit of a look then shook his head. “No need to compliment me,” he said catching himself before he reached for her hand again. “Trust me. I’m content just to see you smile.”

She tried to look appropriately sheepish at his look but there was an ever so slight tinge of amusement to it. “Sorry if I frightened you.” It was sweet, really. And still a little funny. Letting out a big breath, she nodded in playful relief. “Phew. That was a close call.” To add to the contentment, and to make it absolutely clear that she was only joking because a niggling worry that it might take it personally had set it, she flashed another beam his way.

Trouble, that’s what this girl was. But Danny had found himself in the habit of trying to save people, girls especially. He had an entire city full of damsels in distress that he could save. “Close enough,” he teased, taking another long pull on his drink, enough to finish it in record time. Once he was done he set it aside getting up and pulling out his wallet to leave a few bills on the table. “Stay safe,” he warned her, giving in to his instincts and touching Elle’s cheek briefly. “Call if you need anything.”

“Don’t worry,” she insisted, the knee-jerk reaction of someone who was used to reassuring people that everything was perfectly fine. Touched by his concern, she followed it with a sincere nod. “I’ll be careful. Really.” Or she’d try to be, anyway. Elle didn’t so much go looking for trouble as not realise it might be brewing until she found herself in amongst it. “Take care of yourself, Danny,” she added softly.

“I will,” Danny promised, ignoring the blatant ways he didn’t take care of himself. He just assumed she meant in the line of duty. Don’t get shot again. That sort of thing. He gave her a softer smile, the one that fit him best, and then turned headed out of the bar.