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Post by Bri on Oct 9, 2023 23:29:38 GMT -6
Insomnia. Perfect. Of course it hit her now after a long day of work that left her with annoying bee stings on her right hand and arm after a stupid mistake when tending to the hives. Normally she could manage but tonight wasn't one of those nights. She tried to read, sing, do anything but even the snacks in her fridge couldn't distract herself enough to make her tired or at least forget the stings...until the idea of fresh pancakes hit her and before she could think twice she was in her truck and headed into town, parking in front of the diner and being seated. Why it was open so late she had no idea but she wasn't going to complain as she glanced through the menu, trying to decide which pancakes she wanted.
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Post by Kiersten on Oct 9, 2023 23:36:45 GMT -6
Jeb heard the bell ring above the diner door alerting another person had joined the sleepless people of this town. He had his head buried in his arms, feeling his stomach roll a little, but he knew he needed food to help. He’d done cocaine for the first time in a long time, and it was a mistake, his brain wouldn’t shut up now, and he was sure he was going to vomit if he moved the wrong way. Which was why he was hiding in his arms, glad that Diane wouldn’t disturb him till he was ready.
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Post by Bri on Oct 9, 2023 23:44:45 GMT -6
Riell was content to have her late night meal by herself when she spotted a familiar mop of curly hair in a near by booth, the owner of said hair not looking all that...well. She frowned a little bit as she watched him, thinking about their previous interaction, obviously the guy smoked weed but she had a hunch he did more than just that. Like her drive spurring her here she was up, meandering over to the booth Jeb was at and leaning against it, "you doing okay over here?"
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Post by Kiersten on Oct 10, 2023 0:09:57 GMT -6
Pancakes, some scrambled eggs with toast, and maybe some bacon and hashbrown. He felt his stomach growl as he thought about food and sat up, coming face to face with a chick. “Um, hello.” He said, coming out of a slight fog in time to hear the last bit of what she had said. He stared at her, trying to remember who this was that sat before. “Um, over here? Over there.” He joked, laughing at his lame attempt at humor, but when he was high, his humor was broken.
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Post by Bri on Oct 10, 2023 0:34:11 GMT -6
Just seeing his eyes and hearing the way he spoke made a few red flags flash in Riell's mind as she looked at Jeb, a small frown pulling down at the corners of her mouth. "Hi Jeb and I meant here as in where you're sitting." She said, taking a seat across from him, not wanting him to be left on his own so quick. She may barely know him but she knew the risks drugs could pose and didn't want to anything to happen to him when she could be there as support. "Any idea what you're going to get yet?" She asked kindly.
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Post by Kiersten on Oct 10, 2023 18:11:32 GMT -6
Jeb stared at Riell, the words ‘Here, where you’re sitting’ slowly floating into his mind. “Oh yea, I am sitting here.” He laughed, the darker feeling he had been dealing with faded slightly, though he knew it would come back eventually. He looked down at the table for a few seconds, trying to push through the thick fog in his brain as he searched for the answer. “Pancakes, always pancakes.” He mumbled, a small smile on his face, mirroring the one he always remembered his mom wearing. “Pancakes?” he asked, lifting his eyes up to Riell.
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Post by Bri on Oct 10, 2023 19:53:16 GMT -6
As he spoke Riell looked over Jab, concern flickering in her eyes as he spoke. "Yeah, and I'm sitting here too." She said with a nod, leaning back a little as he mumbled about pancakes. "Pancakes sound great," she nodded with a soft smile, "and maybe some eggs? And bacon?" She asked, thinking that if he ate a little maybe it would sober him up but with her not knowing exactly what he had taken, it was all guess work.
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Post by Kiersten on Oct 10, 2023 21:19:54 GMT -6
Jeb nodded his head, hearing the words, but they didn’t stick to his brain. Eggs? He’d been thinking about making some scrambled eggs. He looked towards the kitchen and smiled. “Diane should be coming out soon.” A few seconds later, she stepped out from the kitchen and towards their booth, eyeing Jeb then Riell, then back to Jeb. “Usual?” she asked him, and he responded by nodding before she turned back to Riell. “And for you miss?”
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Post by Bri on Oct 10, 2023 22:22:33 GMT -6
Riell raised an eyebrow, apparently even under the influence he still knew the diner well enough to have their timing down. It was a little impressive...a little. She offered Diane a smile, "I'll have the chocolate chip pancakes and hot cocoa please." She hoped Diane wouldn't be too suspicious of her, she did mean well by interacting with Jeb, hoping that she was being overly cautious and that the night would go off without a hitch.
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Post by Kiersten on Oct 11, 2023 17:18:05 GMT -6
Diane took down her order before screaming out the order to her husband. “Usual deadbeat meal, and a couple of flaps with spiders!”
Jeb chuckled, “Spiders,” he shook his head, a huge smile on his face. “Are you afraid of spiders?” he asked, looking down at his hands as he fiddled with the wrapped silverware placed on the table. His mom had been terrified of spiders, his dad would rescue her by rescuing them, but those days were over. “I know you.” He said, narrowing his eyes at her as he finally remembered they had met once before, but his muddled brain as still trying to remember her name.
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Post by Bri on Oct 11, 2023 18:39:36 GMT -6
Riell jumped a little, having forgotten about the weird way the waitress put in orders but turned her attention back to Jeb. "They don't scare me, but they do creep me out a little," she smiled gently, having encountered many since moving into her place and working the land. She hoped that the idea of spiders while in this state wouldn't freak him out but so far he seemed good. "Yes, we've met before, I'm Ri-Riley." She almost stumbled, giving her real name but managed to catch herself.
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Post by Kiersten on Oct 13, 2023 17:17:07 GMT -6
“Davids gonna make the chocolate chip look like spiders,” Jeb mentioned with a chuckle. He always loved it as a kid, screaming laughing and pretending to devour the spiders as if he was an anteater. “I don’t like big spiders, so I never want to visit Australia.” He wasn’t sure about traveling to a place with one that could eat birds. He felt like his brain suddenly shut down, the air going out of it like a tire at the thought of a giant spider the size of his head. He tilted his head suddenly, the strange feeling in his head as replaced with confusion. “Ri-Riley? Like……. Like the auto shop?” He asked, the theme song for the place popping into his head, making him chuckle softly as he sang it to himself. “Oh, oh, oh, oh Rileeeeeey’s.”
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Post by Bri on Oct 13, 2023 21:00:45 GMT -6
"Oh, very spooky." Riell laughed a little, thinking that would be cute. She went quiet as she listened to Jeb, leaning in slightly as she saw his mind travel elsewhere, "hey," she said softly to get his attention but then he was talking again and singing that theme song making a genuine smile gross her face. "Yeah, like the auto shop." She chuckled softly and shook her head. "But I'm just a homesteader and have nothing to do with car repair."
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Post by Kiersten on Oct 14, 2023 18:15:05 GMT -6
“Damn, my motorcycle is acting up,” Jeb shook his head and pouted, “Could have used a discount.” He chuckled, suddenly drumming on his desk, one of his favorite songs, Master of Puppets by Metallica. “So that means you came back to this fabulous dinner. Finally.” He sighed sarcastically as if he was relieved. Even though he was a little shocked, no one else had come back.
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Post by Bri on Oct 14, 2023 22:25:46 GMT -6
Riell laughed, shaking her head, "sorry about it, I have no connections to that." Though she still held some very...thin connections to the world of her old life that she kept up for the sake of friendships and keeping an eye on certain people that held places in her heart. She tilted her head as she listened to his fingers, recognizing the song and smiling. "Well of course I came back, it just took a bit of insomnia to get me out of the house." She joked, "it's not like I can work in the dark." Her mind did stall on the word finally, sure he was just joking around but something about...the idea of someone potentially waiting for her or looking out for her made something shift in her chest.
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Post by Kiersten on Oct 15, 2023 8:40:37 GMT -6
“Ah, the life of an insomniac,” Jeb slowly nodded his head, knowing he dealt with it too, mostly because he liked being up at night versus during the day. He frowned, “Why would you want to work? Just enjoy life.” He sighed, though it wasn’t long before a plate of pancakes as set before him. “Ah yes, sustenance.” He grabbed his fork and stabbed the stack as he watched another plate of food placed before him.
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Post by Bri on Oct 15, 2023 17:31:14 GMT -6
"Mmmhmm," Riell nodded, smiling when their food was placed before them and immediately drenched her pancakes in syrup. "Why would I want to work?" She repeated, "I need something to do in my spare time," she joked, cutting into her pancake and popping a bite into her mouth, unable to stop the little sigh the escaped her. "Seriously, the best pancakes I've ever had and I've had a lot of pancakes in my life."
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Post by Kiersten on Oct 15, 2023 18:08:22 GMT -6
“Yeah, but why work? Not something fun?” Jeb couldn’t imagine doing anything but working, his brain shutting down at the thought, he was definitely lazy. He took the fork out of the pancakes and started devouring the scrambled eggs and hash browns, nodding his head, “Yes, these are the best and everyone should be eating here.” Although he hated the idea of it being so busy, he couldn’t get in.
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Post by Bri on Oct 15, 2023 18:47:02 GMT -6
"I find it fun most of the time," Riell shrugged, still having fun working on the farm but she still made music every once in a while but kept it to herself, "but that's probably because I get to do whatever I want and no one can talk back to me." She joked, taking another bit of her pancakes, nodding a bit. "As long as it doesn't get crazy crowded then more people should eat here for sure." She agreed, it would be good for business but she'd hate to have to deal with a crowd of people all the time in such a small place.
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Post by Kiersten on Oct 15, 2023 19:11:15 GMT -6
Jeb narrowed his eyes at her, “I don’t trust someone who likes to work,” he slowly put his forkful of food into his mouth, watching her carefully before going back to concentrating on his food. “I can’t believe it’s not popular yet.” He shrugged wondering where everyone else could be at four in the morning.
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Post by Bri on Oct 15, 2023 19:37:41 GMT -6
Riell held back a snort from the look on his face, trying not to singularly laugh and choke on her mouthful of food. She spoke after she swallowed, "why? That means it's always easy for me to be found." She joked before taking a sip from her hot chocolate. She hoped that with his continued eating he'd be able to sober up enough to make it through the rest of the night, if they were lucky he could avoid having a bad trip all together but she knew anything could happen. "Maybe some day it will be popular." She told him, "until then we get to enjoy the peace and quiet."
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Post by Kiersten on Oct 15, 2023 20:00:21 GMT -6
Jeb finished off his eggs and hashbrowns and moved onto his plate of pancakes, “Always liked peace and quiet,” he mumbled just loudly enough for her to hear, knowing sometimes the quiet was too quiet, though at the moment, he felt perfectly calm. “Were the pancakes the only reason for the come back?” he asked, feeling a tick at the back of his neck that had him wanting to dip into his pocket for another pill.
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Post by Bri on Oct 15, 2023 20:25:52 GMT -6
Riell continued to eat as Jeb seemed to move past the conversation of work, not minding all that much. "Me too." She agreed, these last few years being the only ones where she felt any semblance of it. She tilted her head as she considered his question, smiling a little. "No, they're not the only reason." She told him and took a bitte of her hashbrowns, not wanting to make herself look like a fool and give too much information unless he asked.
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Post by Kiersten on Oct 15, 2023 20:55:16 GMT -6
Jeb chuckled, a smile appearing on his face, “Let me guess, Davids a hot ticket,” He teased, pointing his fork towards the kitchen where you could just see the chefs working on other orders behind the stoves. “He’s married, sorry to burst your bubble.” He sighed, shaking his head, but his smile was big on his face.
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Post by Bri on Oct 15, 2023 21:23:32 GMT -6
Riell looked towards the kitchen and laughed, shaking her head, "well darn it, how'd you know?" She joked, her lips forming a pout when he said that David was married. "Well darn it, if he's married than what chance do I have?" She teased, glancing out the window their booth was against to see that the only light was from the stars and lamp posts.
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Post by Kiersten on Oct 15, 2023 22:02:16 GMT -6
Jeb stared down at his pancakes as she looked over at David, words coming out of her mouth that he couldn’t hear. He watched the syrup he had poured on his pancakes, pool at the top before overflowing, falling slowly down the edge and he couldn’t help but feel like the world was slowing down. “Whoa.” He whispered, as he felt his head move very slowly to look out the same window Riell was looking out of, only he didn’t just see the stars and the light from the light post, he saw shadows of humanoid things waiting for him. “Shit.” He muttered under his breath as he felt himself begin to shake as if he’d been dunked in freezing water.
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Post by Bri on Oct 15, 2023 22:12:22 GMT -6
Something in the way he spoke made her stiffen, Riell looking over at Jeb as his eyes seemed to go vacant. "Jeb?" She asked softly, her gaze tracing over him as if she could find whatever was freaking him but deep down as she stared at him she could almost feel that moment...when it had happened to her. She'd had a few bad trips in her life time but that last one, the one that had thrown her into getting help, that suck with her. She slowly reached out, resting her hand on his arm, "Jeb? It's okay, I'm right here." She tried to coax him.
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Post by Kiersten on Oct 16, 2023 20:59:02 GMT -6
Jeb didn’t feel like he was on Earth anymore, like he’d been dragged to an alternate universe or another planet, and he didn’t like it. His eyes darted as the shadows seemed to grow closer to the diner, and he felt the urge to run, but he jumped when something grabbed him. “Fuck.” he stated, ripping his arm away instantly, his eyes still glazed over as he stared down at the table here his arm was.
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Post by Bri on Oct 16, 2023 21:27:28 GMT -6
Riell let him pull away, her eyes filling with worry. "Hey," she said a bit more firmly, "it's okay, we're at the diner eating pancakes." She tried to get him to come back from reality but she glanced away, looking for Diane. When she spotted her she quickly waved her over for the bill and a couple boxes. She wasn't sure what it was that was triggering him but she didn't want him to lose it while here. "But we can go somewhere else, somewhere better."
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Post by Kiersten on Oct 16, 2023 22:04:40 GMT -6
Jeb could hear someone talking, but in the moment he didn’t recognize anything or anyone. He continued to stare at the table, worried that if he looked up, those shadows would be right outside. “Go… Somewhere else.” He heard those words, he understood what that meant. “Yes?” He asked, unsure if that was the right decision, as if this was just a video game and the right choice would get him the reward.
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