A Morning Stroll

Who: Alec and Marian
When: Wee hours of the morning
Where: Nighthawk's/Boarding House

It was not often that the mills closed. Sure there wasn't anything being made on Sundays, but the mill was still technically open. However, with all the breaking pipes due to ice, Alec had been forced to shut the mill down, send the workers home.

Which meant that he went home. Alec managed to sleep for a little while, but woke up in the middle of the night and had spent the past five hours sorting through files, re-organizing said files. Cleaned his room (which lasted all of two minutes). Reorganized the room, and a myriad of other things until finally he couldn't stand sitting around in the house.

So despite the still terrible weather, Alec headed out into the night towards the one place he knew would be open. Nighthawk's, lights albeit dimmed a little, stood out like a beacon on the empty block and he headed inside. It was warm, surprisingly not empty (then again, Nighthawk's was always busy to some degree). He scratched at the stubble on his cheek, face red from the cold, and nodded to one of the girls at the counter and took his usual spot -- a booth in the corner -- and blew on his hands as he waited.

Somehow the Nighthawk had stayed open despite the horrible weather. The lights were a little dimmer, but the grill was still running and the people were still coming in. Probably more of the middle-of-the-nighters than usual because other places had to close down. When Alec came in Marian was actually in the back, taking one of her allotted tiny breaks to catch her breath after running around through most of the evening. She actually heard the giggles before she'd made her way into diner proper. Kit, another younger girl who worked with them grabbed her arm when Marian got close. "He's here," she practically squeaked at Marian. There was no doubt whom they were talking about, and Alec Ravenwood was hard to miss, even without the gaggle of giggling girls noticing his every more. "He's in your section again. It's like he knows or something," Kit told Marian sounding more than jealous.

"He sits in the same place every time he comes in," Marian told her trying to get the other girl to hush. Still, even if Marian wasn't interested like the other girls were, it was hard to ignore the fact that he was both rich and handsome. Smiling to herself she thought of Zhen and how her friend had pointed out how healthy silly dreams were. Even those that involved being swept off her feet by the rich and handsome guy at the diner. Tugging her arm loose from Kit's grip she moved quickly to his table, pulling her notepad from her apron to take his order. "Hi," she told Alec sweetly, flashing a pretty smile. "Do you know what you want to drink?"

Alec was oblivious to the giggles that were in full force in the back of the diner. He was just busy rubbing his hands together to get them to warm up. So when Marian came to his table, he didn't think about what her co-workers might be saying about the soft, pleased smile that appeared on his face. He did in fact know that this was her section that he sat in, although it was a coincidence that this booth happened to be in it. "Oh, the regular," he said, his voice low and rough, but kind, a hint of a New England accent still fresh in his voice after all these years. "You've done something new with your hair?" he asked, noticing that her lush black hair seemed shinier, her skin glowing.

"Regular it is," she said nodding and scribbling on her little pad. A lesser waitress would forget everyone's "regulars" but not Marian. She knew them all. When he asked about her hair, her eyes jumped back up to his in surprise. It was one thing to be a good waitress, it was another thing to be noticed. "Um, not really. Different shampoo?" she offered, reaching up to tug at the edge of a curl. It had lost most of its luster from the night at work, but she supposed it still looked different from every day.

He noted her surprise and wondered if no one else had complimented her on how nice she looked. That was unacceptable. While Marian always smiled, there was something even more genuine about the surprise that she had on her face when she looked at him that he found that he liked even more.

And... that train of thinking wasn't a good train to take when the lady in question was nearly half his age. "It looks nice," he said. And... you sound like an idiot. "How's your night going? What with the weather like this?"

Marian flushed the tiniest bit, but covered it with a big smile. "Thank you," she said appreciatively. "And things aren't too bad, it's warmer in here than out there. Plus the power is working. What more can you ask for?" In reality she was exhausted, but she was willing to gloss that over.

"True enough." He hesitate a little bit, wondering if he should ask. "When do you get off of work tonight? Or a break?" he quickly added, his smile a little sheepish now. "I just, you're very good to me all the time and I'd like to get you something to eat."

Alec had no idea how lucky he was that he had Marian for a waitress and not Kit, or someone else. "You don't want to sit here long enough for me to get off work." Marian flashed another smile, covering up the awkwardness of the situation. Plenty of customers had flirted before, none seemed as genuine as Alec did, but there were still limits. "I'll get your coffee," she told him before stepping back behind the counter.

He winced, inwardly, realizing that perhaps Marian had taken the invitation the wrong way. He opened his mouth to say as much, that it hadn't been an attempt at flirting or anything untoward but he was met with her back and a flip of her black hair and was left waiting in the booth.

Marian shot a scolding look at the giggling girls behind the counter, but it eventually dissolved into a smile which just gave them another fit of giggles. She rolled her eyes and found a mug, filling it with coffee and grabbing the extra sugar container, heading back towards the table. "There you go," she told him putting it down in front of him and pulling out her pad again. "You want food too or just coffee tonight? "

Alec was a quiet man in general, but he always felt like a shy teenage boy around Marian and he avoided looking at her as he began pouring sugar into his coffee. "I don't want you to think I was trying to imply anything unethical," he said. "And I apologize if it seemed that way." With the way this city was, and with what he'd seen other waitresses do, he wouldn't blame her for thinking that he was trying something.

She smiled again, leaning a hip against the edge of the table, but far enough away from him that it was still appropriate. "It's okay," she told him. "Although it is nice to hear that your intentions were only the very best. Back to the original question, hungry?"

"A burger and fries is fine," he said awkwardly, looking up at her. "Medium rare. Everything on it." He caught the sound of a giggle and his eyes immedietly went over to the kitchen's serving window, just in time to see two girls dart out of view.

Marian's eyes had drifted that way as well as she let out a little sigh. "They think you're cute," she explained sweetly as she wrote down the order on the pad. He probably already knew that which was why she didn't really have an issue with telling him.

Alec raised an eyebrow at Marian, taking a sip of his coffee. "Is that what those two girls do whenever I come in?" he asked curiously, a smirk-y kind of smile playing on his face. "I was starting to wonder what was going on with the strange sounds. Starting to think you had ghosts." He grinned at her, relaxing as they moved focus of their conversation to something that was quite amusing.

If he only knew how often they acted that silly. Or how many of them there were. Still Marian knew that tonight she'd probably let herself join in on the giggles. Maybe after Alec left she'd tell the other girls about him offering to buy her something to eat. They'd all muster up some fantastic daydream about that one. Zhen would be proud. "No ghosts," she reassured him. "Or at least no giggling ones. Let me put this in and then I'll get you a refill on the coffee." Marian left the table, sticking the order up in the window, calling out to the cook, and then went through the kitchen doors to tell the other girls they were caught before she headed back.

"Do they bother you about this?" he asked when she came back, genuinely concerned that he might be causing her problems in her workplace. That wasn't something he'd want happening if any of the attention he paid her was having adverse affects. It wasn't fair to her.

The girls had been appalled that they were caught then immediately launched into questions about his reaction and Marian had to shake them off with a smile. She'd stopped by another of her tables to refill coffee so by the time she was back his he actually did need the refill. "Bother me about what?" she asked pouring the warm liquid into his mug. Marian had a good idea what he was talking about but she wanted to make sure before she answered.

"Sitting in your section every time I come in," he said bluntly. "It's a good view of the whole place." Alec smiled a little bit. "And old habits die hard. But if it causes you problems, I don't want to do that. You're a hard worker." He had said as much to the diner's owner, hoping that it would help Marian's position at work. Hard work needed to be commended and Marian was the hardest working waitress on her shift.

"You sit in the same seat every time you're here," she told him. "It's just lucky for you you're in my section every time." Marian smiled again, moving the sugar container towards him once she was done pouring. "But no, no trouble." Again, he was lucky, the other girls would be fawning all over him and eventually he'd probably get tired of that. "Your food should be up in just a minute."

Alec shrugged, pouring sugar into his coffee again, less as it was a refill. "When do you get off work, anyway?" he asked, although he already knew but of course didn't say as much. "If you won't let me get you breakfast, at least let me make sure you get home okay? With the weather and what's been going on in this city as of late..." He glanced over at the kitchens, smirking. "Maybe it'll give your friends more to giggle about."

Marian hesitated. She didn't want to push it, but he was right about more than one thing. Plus it would still be dark when she got off work, and it was less than ideal for walking home in. She glanced back up at the clock above the door to the diner, then back to the doors to the kitchen. "My shift's not over for another hour, when the morning girls come in." It wasn't a yes, but it was giving him a time frame of how long he'd have to wait. Maybe it would be too long and he'd just change his mind.

Another shrug and he took a healthy swallow of his coffee. "Alright," he said, clearly not bothered by the time frame. And it wasn't about being able to walk a pretty (much younger and pretty) girl home. It was about her safety, after all. Alec didn't even know if she had anyone at home waiting for her. He'd wanted to offer before, but was never sure. He'd seen a young man with her from time to time. At first he thought it was a boyfriend, but considering the sporadic visits, he'd figured it was her brother.

She really hadn't expected him to be so fine with waiting, but she kept the confusion off her face. The cook yelled from the window and dropped a plate there, which gave her an excuse to leave, even if for just a moment. "I bet that's your burger," she said with another smile, then darted off quickly to check. The disadvantage of working at the diner was that there wasn't a door to hide behind when she needed to just breath. So instead she just ducked out of sight behind the counter, seemingly looking for ketchup, but really just catching her breath, trying very hard to figure out what was going on.

He hoped that he hadn't frightened her again, but she seemed alright and so he offered her a small smile when she left and stuck with his coffee has his companion. It was alone that he started berating himself for acting like a creep. He didn't want to be a creep and he didn't want to scare her. She didn't seem nervous or anything, but he just wanted to be nice. To be... well, maybe they could be friends. Not that they had to go to movies or out drinking together or something. A friendly face. It wasn't as if he hung with the 'old crowd' any more. Most of them had gone. Prison. Drunk themselves to death. The mob...

It took Marian a full thirty seconds before she could stand up again. Her bubbly exterior had melted a little at the thought of being around someone she wasn't used to being around outside of waiting on his table. Eventually though, she did gain her composure, grabbing the nearby ketchup bottle and picking it up along with the order. The cook gave her an odd face, but she waved the bottle at him with a smile and he just nodded, smiling back. Another deep breath and she headed back towards Alec, setting his food down on the table. "Burger and fries, medium rare, everything on it. And ketchup. Need anything else?"

"No, this all looks great, thanks," he said with a smile. He realized that she hadn't given him a proper 'yes' to his offer to walk her home, but she hadn't said no. So he wasn't sure, really, if he should stay or not, but he would wait for her unless she told him not to.

Alec shrugged off his jacket, rubbing at the tattoo on his arm that was bared by his sleeveless gray shirt. Normally he was in a suit shirt or long sleeves when he came into the diner, but that night he just hadn't bothered to change out of his nightshirt. Along with the tattoo, his arms bore several scars. Some small, some larger.

"Great, just yell if you need something." Marian had leaned a little to check his coffee cup, figuring out where on her coffee rotation he needed to be when he took off his jacket. Usually when he came in he was dressed for work, even in the middle of the night, but tonight she guess the shirt he had on was more for sleeping in than going out. It was hard not to notice the ink on his arm or the tracing of scars, but Marian still did her best not to stare. It was a little strange to her. For someone who normally dressed in a suit the marks didn't fit. She couldn't help but glance up to his face, slightly confused.

Alec didn't notice her looking at first, applying liberal amounts of ketchup to his burger and fries. After putting his burger back together though, he noticed her look. "Um...?" He was confused but wasn't sure what he should ask.

Marian shook her head, giving him an embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," she started, sounding a little flustered. "It's just...your arm. Did you get those at the mill?"

"Oh." Alec glanced down at his arms. He'd forgotten about the scars. "No, not from the mill. This one is from a bullet graze." He pointed to one just below his tattoo. "The others are your run-of-the-mill ones you get in basic training. I was in the military for awhile. Got back from overseas not very long ago." He thought of the vicious scar on his thigh from the shrapnel and shook his head before he could think too much about that whole event.

The whole idea was so interesting that she almost sat down across from him just to hear the stories. "You were shot?" was all she was able to muster before she spotted someone trying to catch her eye. She'd slacked off a moment, getting distracted and now her tables needed her. "Oh, I have to," Marian said, motioning towards there rest of the room. "I'm sorry." Then she dashed off again, grabbing the coffee pot and moving around her table, smiling and nodding, clearing plates and leaving checks.

Alec chuckled softly to himself when she dashed off and quietly went about eating his dinner. Or breakfast. Midnight snack? Either way it was good, the diner getting a little busier as the hour wore on. Not as much as usual, of course, but he noticed a few more of the regulars venturing out. None could resist Nighthawk's. So he ate slowly while the minutes ticked by until the end of Marian's shift came up. By then, he'd finished his food and was sipping a take-away mug of coffee while he waited for Marian to finish up.

She waited patiently for the manager to clear her to leave, tips collected from the evening already tucked in her bag. After a few minutes of him bustling around in the kitchen he finally noticed her and waved her off. When she came out, wrapped in her coat and scarf, she was surprised to see Alec still there. Sure he'd eaten his burger as slowly as possible, but she had short of half expected him to leave before she left. Still she had to pass him on her way out. Unsure of what to say she just smiled at him politely.

Alec didn't seem bothered, greeting her with a smile and tossed a little salute to her workmates peering at them before following her out into the cold. "Which way?" he asked her, zipping his green jacket up and shoving his hands into his pockets.

He was following her home. Or walking her home, whatever. Marian was more than a little surprised, shooting a look through the dingy windows of the diner to see more than one shocked face. Though if she actually looked at her own reflection it was pretty similar. "Um, this way," she offered, starting towards the boarding house. At least his hands were in his pockets. She knew if he touched her she'd probably shut down, and that would be hard. He was being nice, just like Zhen or Roy, and it's not like the girls were wrong in thinking he was cute.

He kept a respectable amount of distance between the two of them, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable because yeah, even though they knew each other in the diner, walking her home was a whole different story. All Alec wanted was for her to get home safe. "I was shot by a German sniper a few years back," he said after awhile. The city was quiet, everyone seeking shelter and the ice made everything glitter in the working streetlights. It was like some quiet wonderland.

Marian was relieved when Alec spoke, because she wasn't sure what to say to him, not to mention walking in silence brought that uneasy feeling a little closer to the surface. "In the war?" she asked, curious.

Alec nodded, looking at her. "I was doing some recon with another squadmate. Place wasn't as empty as we hoped." His mouth quirked up in a bit of a smile. A bit of gallows humor, he supposed.

The smile she gave him was appropriate, even if she didn't think it was a very funny. "Was it scary?"

"Sometimes," he said, which was true. Sometimes it was scary but after awhile it just became another way of life. "Most of the time it was moving from one place to another. Liberating towns, that sort of thing."

"I think it would be scary all the time," she told him. Still, Marian was curious. She'd barely even left the Eidolon City limits, let alone see other parts of the world. "Where else have you been? Besides Germany?"

He exhaled slowly, tilting his head back to look up at the cloudy sky. "In Paris you can see all the constellations," he murmured. "You can find your way home by them. In Austria, the women bake fresh pastries each morning that are so soft and buttery they melt in your mouth." The women did too, but he didn't mention that. "And there's fields of flowers as far as you can see."

"Paris," Marian ask as her eyes growing wide. "You've been to Paris?" She remembered pictures of the Eiffel tower from school. "Is it really as beautiful as they say?"

A nod and another smile down at her. She looked pretty, with her eyes all big like that. Alec looked away though, not wanting his mind to go down that path of thinking. Too young. She was too young. "It is. The Alexander bridge? Edged in gold. Notre Dame is in the direct center of the city and the bells are the sweetest sound, like the angels themselves are ringing them." He glanced down an alley as they passed, making sure nothing was going to come out at them.

"Edged in gold? You're kidding. Why would anyone edge a bridge in gold," Marian said, trying not to read to much into him breaking eye contact with her. She moved just the tiniest bit closer, not close enough for him to touch her, but close enough to enforce how interested she was.

"Napoleon," Alec laughed. "Emperor Napoleon. I'm pretty sure it was him who made the decision. France has been ruled by a bunch of... self-absorbed, effeminate men who have to show off how grand they are by building things. I think that comes with being a monarch." He was surprised when she moved closer to him, unsure of why she was doing that. He didn't move to rest his hand on her back, unsure if that would make her nervous or uncomforatble but he did look back at her with a smile.

"That just seems ridiculous," she said, shaking her head a little. Who had that much money that they could just waste money like that. It was almost ridiculous. Granted she was also a girl who rarely had enough money to eat the whole week.

"Oh, it is," he agreed. "But there are people out there that would put their countries in debt to make their capitals and their palaces look pretty." He fell quiet after that, unsure what to say next. It was the longest conversation he'd ever had with Marian. If it could be called one, but Marian was clearly pretty shy and he was talking about far-off places that he'd never return to. "Maybe after this damn war is over, you might go see it."

"To Paris?" Marian's voice was skeptical. "I doubt that." Wow, that sort of dream would make Zhen proud. She'd have to get on a boat, and...Just thinking about it made her a little dizzy. "I don't think I'm much of a traveler." Since she couldn't even afford bus fare.

"Well, you never know," he encouraged. He noticed that about a lot of the people who lived in the city, no matter what walk of life they came from. No one ever seemed to want to leave. Sure, they talked about places that had been but the future? No one seemed to think about it. He didn't either, a long time ago. "Even if you're not much of a traveler, is there anywhere in the world you've ever wanted to go?"

Marian flushed a little, looking away. "No, actually." He had to have noticed by now that the state of the city around them hadn't changed from the mediocre neighborhood that the Nighthawk was in.

He had noticed that the neighborhood wasn't a particularly ncie one, but to him, that didn't seem to be a reason why you shouldn't have dreams or goals in life but he didn't say that, not wanting to offend her at all. "Really? Well, I bet you would absolutely love Versailles. It was a palace built for the king back in the 16th century." He was pretty sure it was the 16th century. "It's like a storybook castle. You'd love it."

"You've seen it then?" she asked turning the conversation back to him. It was easier on her if they didn't talk about her, then she didn't have to focus on her own shortcomings. "What was your favorite place?"

"I haven't," he confessed self-consciously, feeling as if he'd disappointed her. "It's in the south, near the wine country. And my favorite place?" Alec frowned. "Well, when I was over there, there were morter shells and Axis soldiers doing bad things. I wasn't really able to enjoy the scenery as much as I would've liked. Not to say that there weren't times that were enjoyable. There were but if I were have to revisit a place? I'd like to see London."

Remember the part about the war Marian? she asked herself, feeling like a complete idiot. She flashed a little embarrassed smile. "Why London?"

"My family's from there," he said simply. "Well, not my parents. My... great-great-great... I think that's what it is -- grandparents came over here from England. We still have some distant cousins over there so I think it might be nice to see them." As far as he knew, no one had died in any bombings but even so. "London isn't a very exciting place. Nothing like Paris or Rome or somewhere like that. I just hope that they'll still be there some day." He smiled at her gently, noticing the embarrassment in her own smile and wasn't sure why she was feeling that way.

"That sounds nice, reconnecting with family and such," she said, thinking, much to her dismay, of her own family. Marian clung to the happy memory of Roy, grinning and carrying the typewriter case with the bow. That he didn't think she was a failure. Just the idea helped her hold on to the sweet smile she gave Alec. "You have family in town though right?"

Alec was pleased to see the smile on her face. A genuine one that seemed different from the other smiles. He wanted to comment on it but he didn't want the smile to go away and he had a feeling that if he inquired, it might. "I do. Two older brothers, a sister, and my parents. All sort of scattered around. Andrew, my oldest brother, his wife is expecting a baby soon so things are exciting. For them, anyway. Mina does... multiple things." He frowned at that. His sister was married and flighty, an eternal child but her husband seemed content enough. "And Ben, well. Ben is Ben." A shrug and he looked back at her. "You have a brother, don't you?" he asked then realized what that sounded like."I just have seen you with a guy sometimes when I'm at the diner," he tacked on, trying to make sure he didn't sound like a stalker. "And you two look a bit alike."

Alec's explanation of his family reminded Marian of hers, only the ideal situation she wished they were in but was hopeless to even help with. Again she struggled against the sad feeling beneath the surface, but managed to maintain her composure. "That's nice, that they're here in town," Marian said, wanting to ask if he was married, but he didn't wear a ring, someone would have noticed that. She had to think for a moment about what he was asking her, and finally settling on Roy. "Oh, yes. That's Roy. I've got other siblings and cousins as well, but Roy I'm closest too." And most days I can't even bear to look at the others.

"It's good to have. Someone that you can be close to. All the brothers I'm close with, well, I can't really talk to anymore. Hold onto your Roy." He missed his brothers. He hated not being there with them, fighting the fight. Alec rubbed his right thigh absently, cursing the injury that had taken him out.

Marian missed that by brothers he meant brothers in arms and not his family. "Why wouldn't you be able to talk to them anymore?" She'd never admit it to Alec, but she wondered if he felt the same way as she did, like he'd let them down and now was just too ashamed to talk to them anymore.

And in turn, Alec didn't realize that she hadn't understood. It wasn't her fault though. He was used to referring to the army as his brothers. "It's not easy to get in contact with them. I can't ring them up on the phone so I write letters. I worry about them. They're fighting without me. I can't be there to take care of them. Make sure they're alright." He felt shamed. He still felt guilt at the deaths of his squad mates. They told him it wasn't his fault. The land mines were everywhere, but he still... there still should've been more that he could do.

She didn't answer for a moment while she thought the situation over, and it took most of that time before it dawned on her that he wasn't speaking of Andrew and Ben, but rather an entirely different set of people. Military folks, she guessed. Still, Marian could empathize. She knew how it felt to worry about people you were close to, and knowing there was so little you could do about it. Almost instinctively she reached out a hand to touch his arm, but then pulled it away at the last moment.

If Alec had noticed her hand, he didn't say anything but he did smile at her gratefully. It was nice, being able to talk about this. He hadn't been able to talk about it with anyone since he'd returned home. "This your place?" he asked, nodding to the boarding house they were approaching.

"This is it," she told him slowing to stop at the stoop of the boarding house, digging in her coat pocket for her keys. Once she found them, she couldn't help but hesitate, unsure of what exactly it was she was supposed to do next.

Alec ran a distracted hand through his hair, regarding the boarding house curiously. "I suddenly realize that I haven't properly introduced myself, you know, besides gossiping behind the counter," her said with a little grin and held out his hand. "My name's Alec."

Marian hesitated just slightly, then put her hand in his, caught off guard at how much larger it was than her. "I already knew who you were Alec Ravenwood," she teased a tiny bit. "But I'm Marian. Marian Grady."

He didn't pull anything like some guys would with a pretty girl. He shook her hand, small and curiously calloused inside his before letting go. "There's something, hold on." He reached up to her ear, as if he was going to get something off her head but produced a white business card instead. Cheesy, maybe, but he just wanted to keep her smiling. "In case you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call me. I'm always free to provide a safe escort home."

If he had actually touched her she might have shut down, but he hadn't so when he handed off the card she met his eyes with an amused smile, taking the small card in both hands. His name was printed there, nice and neat, and address which she guessed was the mill although she didn't know the street that well, and then a phone number. "Thanks," Marian said sweetly, looking like she might call, even though she knew she wouldn't. "And well, you know where to find me now as well I guess." Part of her wanted to lie to him, telling him she had a boyfriend, but what would the point. She wasn't going to call, and she assumed he wouldn't come by the house looking for her. No, next time they saw each other she'd be his waitress again and all would be normal. In the end she just smiled, starting up the stoop, but still watching him over her shoulder. "'Night Alec."

"Take care of yourself, alright?" he looked at her with genuine concern, not wanting anything bad to happen to her. Would she ever call him? Maybe, more than likely not but he felt better knowing that she had his number in case anything ever came up than something coming up and her not having it. But then, she had her brother so... Alec gave her another small smile. "Night, Miss Grady."