Zoie - Stolen Sweets/Log

"I got shit like that. Like /social/ shit. Like figurin' out how to work people." Cleo smashes the crumbs on her plate with her thumb, and when she's got a suitable amount accumulated, sticks her thumb in her mouth. "That's what life is about. You figure out how to survive an' you're good. An' the biggest part of that is makin' people see things your way. One way or the other." She looks at Zack over there across the booth, her voice loud enough for a private conversation in the midst of a crowded restaurant.

"More than just survivin'," Zack offers a bit of his ancient wisdom. "There's survivin' an' thrivin'. Survivin' can suck. A lot. But if you can be happy an' do somethin' you like while survivin', then yer all set." He washes down that bit of advice with a gulp of the glass of milk in front of him. The sun will soon rise.

It is one of those days where you just have to get away. Zoie is currently carrying a few books on dance and a small notebook. She moves easily through the door and looks around. Of course, upon hearing Zack's voice she meanders in that direction. "You are home!" It is offered with a happy bounce on the balls of her feet and a soft squeal. However, a blush soon flits across the tops of her cheeks and she looks towards Cleo. "Oh.. um.. I.. I didn't mean to interrupt, am I interrupting, it is so rude to interrupt. I do have manners I was raised better than that. I think I met you once, but I'm horrible at remembering. I'm Zoie, Zoie Croft." That last part just comes out in one rush of air.

Grown-ups are just full of advice, and it always seems to be the kind that Cleo doesn't want to hear. She pushes her plate away with a finger, next to the hot chocolate. Both of them sit so close to the edge of the table that it would only take another bump to knock them down. "It's still all about convincing people," she says stubbornly. When Zoie arrives, Cleo quietly waits for her to finish and then says, "Yeah, you were there that one night." So specific. "I'm Cleo. We're just here together by like accident, Damian an' Nathan were here earlier. But they left." Obviously, since they're not here anymore.

Zack gestures for Zoie to sit down next to him by patting the seat. "Take a load off. It's nice to see yer smilin' face, Zoie," he says with a smile of his own. "Me an' Cleo were just shootin' the breeze." And eating. There's about 2 bites of sweet roll left in front him as well as a glass of milk that's just about finished. "What're y'all up to?"

Zoie slides into that seat beside Zack. Then there is a confused look given to Cleo. "Why would I care if you were here by accident or plan?" It is filled of curiosity and not sarcasm. She gives a beautiful smile to the girl though. "I am glad that you are making tons of friends." Zoie points to Zack's other side. "Hey.. is that a signed autograph of someone famous over there?" Of course if he looks, she'll make an attempt to snatch his plate from him. Her eyes of green sparkle back on Cleo. "What are you convincing people of?"

Cleo narrows one single eye at Zoie's making-friends comment but carefully keeps the rest of her face neutral -- and then totally falls for the autograph thing, glancing toward where the girl is pointing. Irritated now, she grabs the stack of cardboard coasters on the table and begins to shuffle them. "Just convincin' 'em. We were like... talking about what-ifs, not somethin' that needs doin' right this second."

Zack looks more confused that tricked as he looks to the side for said autographs. "Autographs? What?" Finding none, and his plate snatched he looks back at the sad, empty formica. "Oh. I was done," he assures her. "Anyway, yeah. We was just talkin'. Nothin' real important." With that he gives Zoie a quick kiss on the cheek.

Zoie smiles to that. "Well I like what if's, what were they? Like if you totally ran off and married, or if you had a million dollars, or if you never had homework again." She says this with a look cast to her books and then back to the others. "Awww. You were? Pilfered goods taste so much better though." She does take a piece to pop into her mouth. The kiss causes her to blush lightly.

"Or what if Albuquerque got overrun by stray dogs an' everyone got rabies, or what if it turned out watched pots /did/ boil, or what if a sinkhole opened up right under this restaurant and /everyone died/." Cleo looks like she's relishing these fantasies. "Nah, there wasn't really like... a conversation around it. I can't even remember what we were talking about." She looks at Zack, like dude, the responsibility for remembering this shit is on you now.

Zack gives his shoulders a shrug. "I don't know. But a watched pot DOES boil. I remember as a kid I sat there for ten minutes just watchin' an' watchin' 'cause I was gonna prove them wrong. And it boiled. Felt like forever though, so maybe it's some kinda timewarp."

Zoie studies the two for a moment. "Well it is more that a pot boils when it gets to a certain temperature. It.." She stops herself and nods. "I mean... really, it boiled?" She then looks back towards Cleo. "What did you decide in these situations?"

"What? I don't know. A, we're all dead, B, shit boils, C, we're all dead but no one's got to dig any graves, so I guess that's a plus." Cleo keeps on shuffling coasters. "Who cares? I mean, that shit's not gonna happen anyway. Things are gonna go on like they always do an' nothin' cool is ever gonna happen in this town and all the bad shit always is." She seems angry, now, though where that came from is unclear. She puts the coasters aside and begins to pack up her things. "I should go home."

"If y'all ever wanna ride, feel free to hit me up," Zack offers in such a way that might indicate he doesn't expect her to actually say yes. "Y'all should come by the store sometime. I wanna show you my stuff," he adds. Next he'll be offering her candy to get in his van!

It's /Katie's/ van. Zoie looks between the two as she reaches for Zack's milk too. "Oh! Are you both leaving? I didn't mean to run you off." She gives an apologetic smile before looking over at Zack. "Your stuff?"

She offers Zack a fist-bump -- apparently this the Cleo seal of approval. Zoie doesn't get one, but she gets a smile and a wave. "You didn't, I got like... shit to do. It's the magical hour when I can climb in the window without wakin' anybody up." Then back to Zack: "I saw 'em. Those crystals. You know someone tried to take one when I was there? I was gonna jump him. /Pow/." The same fist-bump gesture is performed much more violently on an imaginary shoplifter. "Man, I thought you were gonna be like all woo crazy an' shit but you're pretty cool." And she's totally sincere, too! With that comment, Cleo turns and heads out the door.

Zack returns the fist-bump with a smile. "Yeah we ain't too crazy. It's the leather stuff that's mine. I mean, that's what I make." The answer is good enough for both Cleo and Zoie! "Anyway, catch y'all later, Cleo. Take 'er easy."

Zoie watches Cleo leave and then turns her eyes back towards the man. "Your friend is interesting. So how was your trip? I don't suppose you might um.. have free time to um.. maybe buy me dinner or um.. cook me dinner at your place?"

"She seems like a good kid," Zack says as he watches the girl leave. "I think she don't have a lot of good in her life, so I kinda wanna her to know I'm happy to talk or offer a hand if she needs it. We were talkin' 'bout growin' up, but I figured she didn't want to talk about it in front of a stranger. Hope you don't mind me bein' a little vague."

Zoie lowers her brows. "Were you talking to her about sex and all that or..." She doesn't seem to mind, just trying to understand. Her lips curve a bit. "Zack we are.. um.." Undefined. ".. you don't need to um.. worry about how I think of your conversations with other girls."

"Oh, I don't mean like that. I just meant how maybe I seemed like I was evasive about answerin' you what we were talkin' 'bout," Zack explains. "I mean, I -was- but not because it was somethin' I didn't want you to know 'bout. Just 'cause I think she wanted to be private. We were just talkin' 'bout jobs and stuff. Future things."

Zoie nods her head. "Oh, there is no reason to apologize to me, Zack. I mean you can be as evasive as you want. I mean.." She wrinkles up her nose in a kittenish fashion. "I wouldn't like you to //lie// to me, but you don't have to tell me stuff you don't want to." Zoie suddenly goes a bit redder. "I mean.. I'd like to maybe one day be like um.. you know your best friend and like um.. you confide in me and stuff, but.. it's okay."

Zack gives Zoie a smile in return. "You were askin' 'bout dinner?" he says with a tease to his voice. "I'd be more 'n happy to take you out. I don't think you want me cookin' though, unless you want mac-n-cheese. If I'm feelin' adventurous there might be some hot dogs cut up into it."