Zoie - Golden Dragon

From Masq
Date: Setting:

IC:  10/27/2008
RL: 04/25/2011

Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant -- Albuquerque

 The interior of this quiet, inexpensive Chinese restaurant is actually quite small, but the owners have managed to pack in an impressive number of tables anyway. Ornamental arch-shaped wooden screens herd visitors inside, ushering them toward a young hostess waiting to seat the guests. The screens are carved with intricate oriental patterns and scenery, and prominently feature proud golden dragons at the top. Colorful paper lanterns hang from the ceiling of the restaurant, and the walls are painted a bright, lucky red. Some inexpensive but pretty Chinese brush paintings hang framed on the wall, featuring birds and trees and text white people can't read.

 Everything in the restaurant is clean and tidy, but it seems to have seen better days. Some of the paint on the pagoda facade out front is fading and peeling, and the menus look like they were probably produced sometime in the mid nineties. The menus are in Chinese as well as English, but the food is not from any particular single region of China and seems catered to American tastes. You're in New Mexico, what do you expect?

(Places are available here. Type .COOKIE to get a fortune from a fortune cookie!)

Obvious exits:
Out <O>

Cast:
Log:
"Hmm, spare ribs.." Katie locates them on the menu and nods to herself. Then Terrell surprises her and she looks up across at him. "Your Momma came to visit? Naw, Annie ain't mentioned that at all. How'd that go? Good, I hope."

Terrell grins at that suggestion. "Sounds like we'll have ribs, and I want the orange chicken." He offers before leaning back. A glance to Darling. "Thanks for the suggestion." Then back to Katie. "Um.. as well as to be expected? She stormed off after awhile."

"And the egg rolls." Katie says, pondering the menu as the waiter waits. "I'll have the Kung Pao Chicken, that looks good. And a Coke, Pepsi, whatever ya'll got." A look over to Darling again. "Yeah, thanks!" Then once the orders are placed, she's back with her attention on her tablemate. "Stormed off, huh? Does that mean you win?"

The pair at the other table get a thumbs up from Darling before she looks back to the remains of her dinner. There's not a lot left, but she sets her fork down and picks up her drink instead. With that to sip on, she looks out the window to watch life go by in the street. And probably see Zoie on the way in.

The door opens and Zoie enters with a shift of her weight from one foot to the other. She looks around the place and then at her clothing before she smiles. A finger is lifted. "Um.. just.. one." ' Terrell hands the menu over after ordering and then looks to Katie a moment. There is a ry laugh from him. "I wish. Would that mean you won with your own mother?" He just shakes his head afterwards. "It will take time, but I am hopeful."

"I reckon I wouldn't know," Katie says, nodding her thanks to the waiter for the delivery of soda and the eggrolls. "But, at least maybe she's dealing with it, even if she did storm off like you said. How did Annie take it?"

Zoie waits for a seat. Oddly it is harder to be sat when there is only one of you. So she stands at the door and sort of just looks around the area. Awkward.

"You will have to ask Annie. It was... unsettling. Mother can be... intense." Terrell offers while reaching for his water. Then he looks around the area a moment as more people seem to flood in. A glance is given back to Katie once more. "I owe you an apology, miss Katie."

Terrell and Katie are sitting together. Darling is at a different table. Zoie is waiting to be sat. No one else has posed in yet. It's Tuesday night. You know what that means. There's nothing good on television. The refrigerator is bare. It's Chinese Night. Awww yeah. Zack saunters through the front door, pausing to let his eyes adjust to the interior and get his bearings. Finding himself behind several people near the door, he moves from foot to foot trying to see past them to, presumably, find his party already seated.

Darling's cell phone rings, and at first she doesn't seem to realize that it's hers. Cause honestly, doesn't everyone have a Battle of New Orleans ringtone? Or maybe she's just grooving on it too much to interupt right away. She does though, and finds herself compelled to text a reply. It's not like she's all that interested in eating anymore nor is her completely absent tablemate(s) keeping her entertained, so the distraction is welcome.

Gareth walks in with Liane. He's wiping his face. He looks back at Liane. "...I dunno. This is a bad idea. And I don't even think you can /bring/ other food in to this place." He looks around, an extremely dubious look on his face, like he's ready to step back out. His face twitches, and then he looks back at Liane. "Vanilla? /Really/?"

Katie is sitting at the table with Terrell, and she seems surprised at what he has said. She lowers her voice in reply, picking up an eggroll off the platter and placing it on her plate. Sweet and sour is added, so it can be dipped in tasty goo. Whatever she says back to Terrell, is said in a lower voice.

"N-n-n-nonsense, it w-will be fine. And it's o-one of the most p-p-popular f-flavors! I c-c-couldn't risk not inc-c-cluding it." Liane says. Then she's looking around the chinese food place, looking about curiously for those she knows.

Zoie turns at that familiar stutter. "Liane.." She almost sounds relieved as she moves over towards the girl and her companion. "I um.. thanks again for the introduction the other day."

Terrell lowers his voice to Katie a moment before his gaze catches sight of Liane. A smile forms upon his face when he sees her. "Seems the rest of the party is showing up."

Katie answers Terrell quietly, then notes the rest of the arriving invasion. She waves, to catch their attention.

Zack realizes he's right behind a pack of people HE KNOWS! "Oh howdy," he offers with a wide smile. "Good timing, huh?" he decides before he notices Katie's hand-waving. He sends a wave back in her direction. "Oh, Zoie, right? That's Katie. She's the brains of the operation. Y'all should come over an' meet her."

Gareth hmms. "Maybe you can find someone to give it to," Gareth says to Liane. He shifts uncomfortably by the door. "I dunno. Maybe this was a bad idea." When Zoie speaks to Liane, he turns and blinks at her, then steps back a sec. Distractedly, he says to Zack, "Hey, man." He then stops. "I dunno," he admits. "I'll be right back. Gonna go have a smoke." And then he slips out.

It's a Terrell! Liane's reaction is immediate when she sees him, a small untensing, a smile forming. "It w-w-was nothing. D-do join us, l-let me int-t-troduce you to m-my husband, Z-zoie." And then Gareth is leaving, and Liane's happy faise looks a little troubled, but she nods, before looking over at Zack. "W-we should g-go j-join them." And then Liane is making her way towards the other table, to give Terrell a smooch on the cheek and sit down next to him.

Katie waves to Gareth as she sees him too, and then Zack, "Howdy, ya'll!" she calls, lest they had missed the wave. "We already ordered some appetizers and stuff. The waiter should be back around in a jif."

Terrell smiles to Katie and nods his head. "That was a rough evening." He agrees before reaching up to cup Liane's cheek as she kisses him. "Hey, love. We can share a plate. I ordered the ribs and orange chicken. I certainly will not eat it all. I had a late lunch."

Darling realizes, belatedly, that she's making her cellphone keys a little sticky and pulls a suitably unimpressed face. Damn you tasty but sticky spare ribs, damn you all to hell. The phone gets dropped on the table and a napkin picked up. As she cleans up, she leans back in that window booth that she somehow managed to claim all to herself, despite it clearly being able to seat like six of her, and watches the crowd swell. If the hostess isn't staring daggers at her from a dark corner, she really should be.

Zack gives Gareth a pat on the shoulder as the fellow makes his excuses for a smoke break. "Y'all want me to order you anything to drink?" he asks the fellow before making his way towards the table. As he heads over he spots and waves to Darling. "Howdy, Barbie," he offers to the woman hogging that huge table to herself!

Zoie chews her lower lip when she sees Zack. "I.. I don't want to interrupt her meal." Zoie actually blushes slightly as she's acknowledged. She then looks towards Liane and Gareth. A step is taken towards this 'Katie' person. Zoie starts to smoothe out her clothing.

Gareth tips an invisible hat to Katie. "Be right back," he explains, watches Liane move to the table, frowning at the librarian when she has her back turned to him, and spies Darling as well. He waves to the table-hog, then steps out, phone in one hand, tapping out a text to someone with his other hand - which has his cigarette pack in it.

"Howdy, Annie. I heard you had one of your in-laws visiting," Katie remarks, seeming semi interested and looking at her like she expects to see some sort of change. Then Zack's herding Zoie her way, and she looks at the pair. "Howdy, who's this?" she wonders, though not unkindly.

"Hey there, cowboy." Darling will answer back, lifting a hand during and directing a smile to him, Liane and then off towards the disappearing Gareth. She's friendly. She's even smiling at least until she looks back down at her cellphone. It ends up in a pocket shortly thereafter, because out of sight, it can't annoy her. That's a good thing.

Zack gives Darling a one-second gesture as he turns back to the other table. "Katie, this Zoie. The one who's application I showed y'all. She was innerested in workin' in the coffee shop. Funny coincidence, huh?" he gives a friendly smile back to the young woman. "Zoie, this is my sister Katie. An' this is Terrell."

Zoie looks between Barbie and Cowboy for a few moments and then back to Katie. "I.. I don't need to um.. interrupt your meal. I um..." She blushes a bit and looks towards the side.

"Oh, don't worry about that none. You're a friend of Annie's, right? Nice to meet you. Come on and sit a spell and join us." Katie offers amiably enough, giving Zack a smile, and then Zoie a long look. "You should come on by the shop late morning. I should be back from class by then."

Terrell motions to another chair. "Welcome, Zoie, have a seat." He offers and then looks back towards Darling again. "You may join us as well, if you wish." Stranger. He's then smiling as Katie offers the same thing.

"Eggr-r-rolls as well? I d-d-do like those." Liane says, smiling at Terrell in that fawning newlywed sort of way. Get over it already, woman! Then Katie is talking and Liane makes a rather... 'bleh' face. "Y-y-yes. She's...q-q-quite a ch-character." As the table's potential patrons grow, Liane inches closer to Terrell. To make room. Really. Sure!

Darling scoots over to the edge of her seat like she means to jump across the aisle and join the gang at the other table - but she doesn't. Instead she takes a little money out to pin under her glass, pats the phone in her pocket to make sure it's still there and picks up her complimentary fortune cookie. She must know her fate... what ever the slip of paper says, it makes her laugh to herself. When she finally stands, she takes it with her.

Now that he's done his social duty and conducted introductions, Zack takes a step or three over toward Darling's table. "Hey Barbie. I ain't seen y'all in a while. How y'doing? Still singin'?" he wonders as his hands find his pockets.

Zoie smiles a bit and slides into the seat. Her eyes move over the others. "I.. I am just interested in um.. well a um... job of course yes." The words singing draws Zoie's attention to Barbie.

Terrell places a hand on Liane's knee and then reaches for an egg roll for himself. He'll stay quiet now that the party has grown.

"Well, we do have some openings in the coffee house. I'm sure unless you're some sort of axe murderer, you'll probably have a spot if ya'll want it." Katie says, with a grin toward Annie. As if anyone who has axe murderer friends, it'd be her. "I'm sure Annie will speak for you, right?"

Ha! Liane rests her head on Terrell's shoulder. Arm, really. He's a tall dude, and poor Liane isn't very tall. "It's r-r-rather nice working for the K-k-kings." Liane remarks. "Exc-c-cept all the p-p-people. Really, being a s-store clerk or b-barista wouldn't b-be so t-t-terrible if it wasn't for the f-f-fact that you have to int-t-teract with people." Liane murmurs, getting her own egg roll and dipping it conveniently into any nearby duck sauce. At Katie's words, Liane smiles and nods. "Oh y-yes. Of c-course. J-just not very l-loudly." Was that a joke? Liane's mouth is too busy chewing on an eggroll to give away whether it was or not!

"Sure am, just not at that there Pizza Palace." Darling nods as she straightens her back and rolls her shoulders a little. Too much sitting for too long, clearly. "How you doing?" She follows up with, before lifting her hands and pull the strip of paper out taut between so that she can share her fortune with Zack.

Zack looks down at the shared strip of paper between him and Darling and laughs. Then he looks up back into the woman's face. "Dynamic. That works," he says, amused. "Blue works too. Anyway... I'm doin' pretty good. Stayin' busy at the shop mostly. Tryin' not to cause too much trouble." He glances over his shoulder toward Katie, sending her a little smile then back to Darling. "Besides Joel, you were the best part of the Pizza Palace," he assures her.

Zoie smiles. "I haven't killed anyone yet." That causes her smile to fade a bit and her eyes to get a bit haunted. Actually, for a few seconds, she's checked on out on them. Her smile is brought back to her lips. "I could make coffee or um... you know... clerk stuff." Her eyes move over to Terrell and rest on him curiously as she sees how Liane acts with him. "Are you her husband?"

"Oh yes, that's the husband.. Can't you tell with how he glows with charm and beauty?" Katie asks Zoie, with a grin. Though she doesn't seem to be mocking either, he can live up to the hype! "Well, as long as you don't poison nobody while on duty." Katie answers, then takes another bite of her egg roll and observes the interaction between Zack and Darling, eyebrows rising.

Terrell's smile widens at Zoie's question. "I am, yes. Liane and I have been handfasted for... several months now. Are you a friend?" He responds and then glances to Liane a moment. "Must be if Annie is gloating about you."

"M-m-married." Liane corrects. "S-s-simply a bit of an odd one." She's blushing, however, and looks over at Zoie with a smile. "Y-yes, T-terry's m-my husband." She sounds so happy about that, too. Well, /look/ at him! To Terrell, however, she turns her brighter smile at. "Z-zoie's family and mine t-travelled in s-s-similiar circles. We've s-s-seen each other around and ab-b-bout New Y-y-york."

Darling neatly folds her fortune in half and presses it into the palm of her hand, like she might do a spiffy magic trick and make it vanish. Only, that never happens. She's just holding onto it. "Aw, well ain't you a charmer." She smiles at Zack, working those dynamic and also blue eyes of hers with a teasingly over the top flutter of her eyelashes. "Shame you ain't causing trouble, cause I sure love a good mess of that."

"Well, there's trouble an' there's Trouble," Zack replies with a light laugh. One can practically hear the capitalized T. It's a long-practiced skill with many hours spend in front of the mirror, no doubt. His eyes follow the fortune into Darling's hand, ready to see the magic trick that doesn't happen. "An' both of them ain't always fun."

Katie hmms to herself, and then looks back across the table to the snuggling Liane and Terrell. The food they've previously ordered starts to show up, and Katie finishes off her egg roll to make room in front of her for the Kung Pao she ordered. "Smells good," Katie says, with some hope that it will be good.

Zoie shifts her weight a bit. "Well.. I mean. I clean and stuff too. I don't have to .. I mean really I just need anything for school." She eyes the food for a moment, but then smiles politely to them. "He is a handsome husband." She says that with no flirtation on her soft voice.

"That's a matter of opinion, son." Darling intones, but she really lacks the stern, parental gravitas to pull it off entirely. "I like trouble of all kinds. I don't discriminate." She's real open minded that way. Crazy, and open minded. The fortune disappears into her pocket, but only because she puts it there, with her hand. There's no magic involved. "It's too bad I can't stay and get you into none. Maybe next time, cowboy."

"Thank you." Terrell offers to Zoie, and then fills his plate full. "So the coffee shop?" He asks looking at Annie.

"How 'bout you give me yer number so we don't just have to get lucky," Zack replies with a smile, returning his attention from the pocketed fortune back up to Darling's face. "Runnin' into each other ain't the most reliable way to find you." His hand extracts his el cheapo phone, and he holds it up, ready to save her number.

And he's so modest, too! "R-r-remember? I t-told you I w-was s-switched from the Ap-p-poth-thecary to w-working at the c-c-coffee shop exp-p-pansion. In the k-kitchen. And Z-z-zoie's applied f-for a p-position at the c-coffee shop as well." Liane doesn't fill in her own plate. She simply grabs a fork and swipes a piece of chicken off of Terrell's plate, not bothering to straighten from using him as a comfortable pillow. "Mm. Th-this isn't t-t-terrible." Liane says, sounding quite pleased. So she steals another piece of chicken! To Zoie, a glance. "It's n-n-not terribly d-d-difficult."

"You'd be serving coffee, tea, etc, and cleaning up as needed, running the register, all the usual stuff. You'll also probably gain ten pounds with Liane making you taste test everything," Katie warns of all the downsides of the job. "And it only pays minimum, but hours are flexible for school, so there's that." The younger King pretends not to be watching her brother's attempts to collect Darling's number, but she probably is.

Don't watch, Katie! GOD!

Kings are a package deal... oh yes...

Hot.

Zoie turns her eyes to just watch Zack now. The verdant coloring is rather open to see if he gets the number or not. Then she looks him over and Darling over. It's like she's making odds in her head of him getting it. "I am not good at gaining weight. My um.. metabolism is too high."

Darling steps right up close to cowboy Zack, if only to tap her number (or a number) into the phone. Of course, since she's inputting it from an upside down perspective, it takes longer than it would have taken to just tell him so he could have keyed it in himself, but whatever; It's a fun game. "There, dial me incase of trouble, or want of." A little smile appears then, one that grows somewhat larger as she leans around Zack to wave at the table gang. "Bye y'all." With that, she makes to depart.

Zack keeps his eyes on Darling as she punches in the number to his phone. A lopside smile rests on his lips as she makes her leave. "Doesn't leave me much choice," he decides, amused. "Y'all take 'er easy, Barbie," he says his farewell as he slides the phone back into his pocket. "I know that you will."

Katie watches Zack get Barbie's phone number, like a boss! Maybe she's proud, maybe she's mortified, but whichever it is it's behind a blank expression. She picks up her drink and takes a sip, and watches the wedded lovebirds titter off into the dark. To Zoie she says, "That's good then. You should be a perfect fit. Come by tomorrow like I said, 'round 11, and we'll do the formalities and get the paperwork done."

Zoie looks around the area. Her cheeks actually hint pink as she was most obviously looking. "Okay.. 11. I can try to get there by then. I.. I don't think I have classes. Should I bring anything or where something?"

Now that the hard work of getting numbers is done, Zack heads back to the table with Katie and Zoie and pulls his phone back out to waggle at Katie, grinning ear to ear. "Huh? Huh? That was pretty good, huh?" he looks for validation of smoove skillz. Then he plops down next to the girl and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. Katie, that is. Not the new employee.

Katie gives Zack a hug as he sits down next to her, and she grins at him. "You were pretty smooth. She didn't stand a chance. Now her number is yours, and it'll never escape!" Unless she put it in wrong, but who would be so cruel? "I didn't know you knew her. She used to work at Pizza Palace?"

Looking back at Zoie, Katie adds, "Nah, you don't have to wear anything special or anything. If 11 don't work, just let me know. I don't have my next class until 2 tomorrow."

Zoie nods her head and then starts to stand up to give the siblings some time on their own. "I um.. I should probably go then. Thank you for um.. for the opportunity."

Leaving the talk of Darling at the wayside for the moment, Zack turns to Zoie as she makes her getaway. "Oh, sounds like good news. I guess I'll be seein' you tomorrow in the shop," he says with a smile. "I usually stick to the apothecary side. I don't know jack 'bout coffee."

"No, you should stay," Katie says as she gives Zack another kiss on the cheek. "Keep Zack company, ya'll haven't eaten yet. I actually have to get going, didn't expect dinner to run this late. I have to get to an appointment."

Zack lifts his eyebrows and as Katie makes her getaway. "Oh, alright. I'll bring the leftovers home," he promises the younger King. Then he returns his gaze to Zoie. "Yeah, y'all might as well stay. I can't eat alla this. An' don't relish the idear of eatin' alone."

Zoie chews her lower lip a bit and then nods as she sits down. "Thank you for inviting me. You could call your um.. the girl if you want." She touches her hair lightly before looking back at him with a smile. "So um.. Zack.. what do you do for fun?"

Zack sticks his phone away, with the new number. "Oh, I'm not gonna call Barbie yet. Maybe in a couple days. You know, I don't wanna seem too eager an' such." He lets Zoie into the psyche of the male mind! "Anyway," he starts filling his plate with various samples of food from the order. "For fun... Let's see. Me an' Katie have some dirt bikes we like to ride around on. That's fun." He uses his hand to 'rev' the engine on his invisible motorcycle. "Hangin' out with my friends. You know, I think I'm turnin' into a homebody. I work so much when I get time off I just wanna relax an' veg."

Zoie nods her head to this as she eyes the food and takes some of it. "I haven't found a lot of things to do around town really. I should .. probabl make some friends." She smiles in a beautiful manner. "Maybe I can also do that when I'm working for you guys. I really do appreciate the offer."

"The coffee shop's new an' it seems pretty popular. I'm sure you'll meet a ton of folks," Zack assures the young woman. "Plus you'll meet all kinds of folks at the univeristy. Anyway, I suspect y'all won't have too much trouble meetin' folk. I mean look how many you met just tonight?"

Zoie nods her head to that and then chuckles. "it just takes me a bit to warm up to people, you know?" She starts to take a bite of fried rice and then chuckles. "Of course, you don't know." Zoie nods her head. "I do meet a lot of them in my dance classes."

"Oh, yeah I ain't never been -too- shy," Zack has to admit. Clearly. "But I understand. Different folk are insecure 'bout different things. But you got such a pretty smile, you keep that up, they'll do all the work," he decides with a smile of his own. After dealing with his food he asks, "What kinda dancin' do you do?"

Zoie turns a bit pink across the apples of her cheeks. "Oh.." Then she shakes her head and offers. "All kinds. I'm a dance major, so you name the dance, I can do it." There is a chuckle. "I like the latin dances better than the others, but all of it is pretty good."

"I ain't much of a dancer," Zack has to admit, but he doesn't seem particularly bothered by this fact. "Girls always seem to love doin' it though. Why is that? I mean, you see a pack of 'em all dolled up ain' goin' out dancin'. Seems like it'd be good odds for a fellow who could go with 'em," he laughs lightly and continues into his food.

"Most of the time they are going out like that to get men to notice. Why is it that men only notice girls that are bad for them or if they are in a group?" Zoie offers back to him in a volley before she studies him. "I could probably teach you to dance if you wanted. It might impress Barbie."

"I donno... Maybe some kinda herd mentality thing or somethin'," Zack guesses, putting his lack of education to the test. "Or like you see 'em all together an' can instantly compare 'em, whereas if they're alone, you only can compare 'em in yer mind." He gives his shoulders a shrug. "Donno 'bout bad girls 'cept maybe guys think they're more likely to get lucky. They prolly assume they're easier. Innerestin'," he decides with a nod. "Anyway... Yeah I donno 'bout Barbie. I don't really know her all that well. I know she's some kinda singer. I think rock 'n roll. How do you dance to that?"

Zoie smiles. "You jump around a lot. You know they play it somewhere in this town. There's a club. We could totally go and you could show me your moves. When I'm done laughing then, I'll show you how to do it right." She nods her head. "Probably. I mean.. that's the important thing, right."

"That's my understandin' anyway," Zack says with a laugh of his own. "The important thing is dancin' right. Don't have fun!" he waves his fork at the young woman, teasing. Chopsticks are out of his skill level, it seems. "I don't think I got anythin' to show you at all. I got -no- moves. I ain't been to a dance since ... eighth grade? Somethin' like that. An' it was all line dancin'."

Zoie grins. "I can line dance." Her smile grows at the laughter as she leans forwards a bit. "I'm sure you have moves. Afterall, you got the woman's phone number. A man with no moves cannot do that, can they?" She does use chopsticks, like a pro!

"Oh well, THAT kinda move. But that's different," Zack says as he give his fork another little wave. Then it's back to using it for its primary function: eating! "Arguably a better kinda move, but a different kind. I mean, what's the worst that's gonna happen? She'll say no, an' I'm no worse off than I was."

Zoie smiles. "I wish I was more like that. Though I suppose girls are meant to be persued." She tucks her hair back behind her ear. "I am neither the girl guys approach nor the kind that approaches men." Zoie chuckles. "Maybe we can trade off. I'll help you dance and you can help me with guys."

"Oh, I'm sure guys are interested in you," Zack assures the young woman. "I mean yer beautiful. But maybe you get shy when they come up to you an' think yer not interested? Or sometimes guys think, 'she's outta my league' or 'she's too pretty to be single.' Which usually ain't true. Which is why I say, what's the harm in askin'."

Zoie smiles a bit. "Maybe. I'm not really worried to be honest." She gives a soft smile. "I just don't feel comfortable around them most the time." She takes another bite of food. "So why a coffee shop, are you just that into coffee?"

"Well, we have the apothecary, but people were always comin' in an' wanting to try our tea out. But the shop isn't a real restaurant or cafe. No place to sit. Not really set up fer that kinda thing. I mean, you need food licenses an' such," Zack starts to explain, waving his fork for effect. "Then the shop next door closed down, we took up the lease an' opened 'er up. Figured we could sell pastries, make a comfortable little place. Sell coffee. An' our tea too, instead of just free samples. An' seems to be workin' so far. I don't drink coffee but from what I hear there ain't many little coffee shops in town. So I guess we got kinda lucky."

Zoie nods her head. "I'm more a tea drinker. I love the smell of coffee, but it tastes bitter to me." Green eyes widen. "Oh! I mean I don't mean I want to um.. I won't sell it. I'll totally tell everyone you have the best coffee ever."

Zack laughs again, "You don't need to tell me. I don't touch the stuff neither. Unless it's in icecream form. Then it's delicious... But yeah, I'm about tea. We mix our own blends too. I'll have to show you the selection when you come tomorrow. There's somethin' for everyone."

Zoie nods her head. "There are only a few teas I don't like." She smiles softly. "I just neve got into it much and I've never had it in ice cream." There is a soft chuckle before she tips her head. "I fear I'm just boring."

"Never had coffee ice-cream? I'll have to get you some sometime," Zack decides as he waves the waiter over for the check. "Why do you think yer borin'? 'Cause you don't like coffee? I hope that ain't the rule these days..."

Zoie chuckles. "I'm not glamorous. I'm not a party girl. I met a guy at a club and talked about string theory with him. Jacob doesn't call anymore and I think I bored him off." She shrugs her shoulders. "I'm more content to be around books than people. As well I have the worst sense of humor. It will sound funny in my head but either I'll forget the punchline or it won't be funny out loud."

"What's string theory?" Zack has to wonder as he pulls out some cash for the food and gets the leftovers boxed up to go. "Oh hey, have you met Gareth? He came in with Annie but then left before comin' to the table."

Zoie nods her head to that. "I have met him. He was with you when I um.. well I saw him. He was at the shop. Why do you ask? String Theory is the idea that.. well it's a long thing. I'll explain it when we have more time?"

"Yeah, you'll have to tell me 'bout it later I think," Zack agrees. "I gotta get goin' I think. I'm s'posed to help Katie with inventory tonight. I'll see you tomorrow though," he says with a smile.

Zoie nods and waves her fingers. "Thanks for the talk, Zack."

"You too, Zoie," Zack says in return, still smiling as he gets up to go.