Participants:
| Scene Title | Stalling for Amazing |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Elaine and Linus get out of Siann Hall and talk about life, friendship, and Shakespeare. |
| Date | September 11, 2010 |
A Random Diner, New York City
It would be fair to say that neither Elaine or Linus have had the best of weeks, so Linus suggested they get out of their normal routines and head somewhere off the beaten path for a bite to eat. That's where they find themselves, seated in an old mom & pop style diner in the Bronx, waiting for their waitress to return to take their food order. She already stopped by and returned with drinks, but Linus wasn't ready to order his food. He mulls over his menu, distracted from the choices by conversation. "I don't know, Elaine. Do I want sausage or bacon with my eggs?"
"Bacon," Elaine insists. "It's just better. You put bacon on anything and it's better. Can't put sausage on everything… therefore bacon is superior." She grins, and nods towards the menu, sipping from her glass of water. "See, decision made!"
"Yeah, but I like sausage better. And I'm not going to be putting it on anything.." He reaches up to scratch at some stubble on his chin, brown eyes still scanning the menu as he speaks. "I'm going to go with sausage. Ties go to eater's choice." He grins, shutting the menu to start putting sugar and creamer in the coffee that is slightly steaming beside him. "You know, I don't need coffee. I just really like it."
Elaine sticks her tongue out. "Well, fine. Eat whatever you want. I don't care." She grins, tilting her head a bit to the side as she sips from her water a bit. Her own coffee's a bit too hot at the moment. "Caffeine does a lot for me… but I have it more than I really need, just cause. It's kinda nice. A treat. You know. Everyone 'goes for coffee' in the mornings and stuff. It's routine, too. In England they do tea, and Germany likes coffee… just kinda a cultural thing. I just think it takes good… once you cut the bitterness down. Black coffee… blech."
"Yeah. Definitely. I can't stand it black. I like my cream with sugar and coffee." He stirs the coffee he's prepared to mix it up, then sets the spoon down beside the cup. Lifting it up, he gingerly blows on the steam before taking a sip and setting it down. "Yeah. That's good. Hot, but good." Then, the waitress walks back.
"You two lovebirds ready?" She pops a bubble of the gum she's chewing, looking back and forth.
Clearing his throat, Linus turns a bit red. "Uh.. we're not.. an item. I'll have the eggs and sausage, with a side of toast please."
"French toast. And hashbrowns, please." Elaine orders, then glances to Linus. "Apparently we look like an item. Guys and girls can't sit alone in a diner without being an item." She looks back to the waitress, cheerfully. "Thanks." She offers before focusing back on the table and the task at hand… waiting for coffee to cool enough. She proceeds to add sugar. "You have to put the sugar in before the cream, you know. Won't dissolve correctly if you don't."
"Ooooh. Hash browns. I love hash browns. Why didn't I get hash browns?" Linus looks quizically over at his table mate, though the look is more a faux one. "Trust me. I had lots and lots of late night cram sessions when I was in MIT. Before I had my power, I did need coffee. And I drank a lot of it. I know how to make it just the way I like it." He leans back some in the booth, getting comfortable. "I don't think we look like an item."
There's a small giggle. "Well, if you want some of mine I might be willing to part with some, in exchange for some toast." Elaine's coffee is stirred, peering down at her cup. "I don't think I'll have to worry too much with my classes, unless I procrastinate. Considering how easy it is for me to pick up languages… I doubt I'm gonna have a lot of late nights from that."
"Yeah, I'm sure you'll have no problem. Besides, you're a bright girl anyway." Linus smiles, moving one hand to hover near his coffee cup while the other taps on the table, the tips of his fingers rising and falling in rhythm to some song in his head. "Hash browns for toast, huh? I think I'll take that trade."
Her coffee is raised to her lips as Elaine leans against the back of the booth. "Well, I see your compliment and raise you one. You're pretty bright yourself. The whole, video game testing thing is kinda cool, but… you could do anything you wanted. People from MIT are smart. Are you really just that into video games?
Linus smiles faintly, but then lets out a sigh. "Thanks. I may be smart, but I've never been particularly apt, either. I know a lot, and I'm good at things.. I'm just not driven, I guess." He frowns, shaking his head. "It's not about loving video games. It's an easy job that I can do, and it doesn't make me want to slam my head against the wall when I wake up in the morning. Basically, I'm stalling."
"Now that I can respect. I couldn't just throw myself into a job I didn't like. I'd go nuts. I'm lucky I got the job I did… it's a dream, and it pays decently, and… it works. I'm doing something I enjoy. I'm not in exactly the right job, yet… I'm not doing enough, but… my boss is great and I'm sure he'd give me a great recommendation when I need to move on to a different job." Elaine states, taking another long sip of coffee, holding the mug with both hands. "So do you have a dream, or something? Something you want to do with your life, or are you stalling to figure it out?"
"Hey, there you go. Your life isn't so bad after all, huh?" Linus offers Elaine a comforting smile, leaning forward to lazily punch her arm. "We were getting all worked up over nothing. Before, I mean. I really think we'll do something amazing. Maybe not together, of course.. but I guess that's what I'm stalling for. Something amazing."
"Well, not bad in some ways. Still not perfect." Elaine smiles back over at him. "Well, stall for something amazing. I think that's more than good, don't you think?" She grins. "I think we've got potential for good things. At least, I hope I do. I'm pretty sure in your case. You'll find exactly what you're looking for eventually."
Linus lifts his coffee cup to take a sip as the waitress comes by with the food. She sets the plates down, checks if everything is okay, and then saunters off to another one of her tables. Linus waits for her to leave before speaking again, picking up his knife and fork to start attacking his eggs. "You really think I'll do something amazing?"
Elaine smiles. "Yeah, of course I do. You've got a lot of potential. You're a really good guy, Linus, you'll go far." She reaches for the syrup, pouring some slowly onto her french toast. "They always say nice guys finish last… but I think you're a great guy, so the saying doesn't apply whatsoever, got it? You'll find something amazing to do. I totally believe it. You're a great friend, for one, and that's pretty amazing."
Halting his egg cutting for a moment, Linus sets down his silverware to take a drink from his coffee and hide his face in his mug as he turns red from Elaine's compliments. Finally he sets it down, and goes back to preparing his eggs. "Well.. I don't really know what to say, Elaine. I think you're pretty great, too. I know you'll do great things as well."
The redhead grins broadly. "Thanks! I think I might just believe you on that." Elaine carefully cuts up her french toast, taking a bite of it. "Anyways, I'm glad you at least know that where you are right now is just temporary. People get so caught up thinking that this is where they'll be for the rest of their lives."
Linus begins eating as well, stabbing a sausage with his fork before lifting it for a bite. He chews politely, waiting to swallow before speaking. His elbows aren't even on the table! Manners are a wonderful thing. "You should believe me. I don't lie unless I have to, and I'm not exactly in a pressure situation here." Another couple bites before he continues. "So since you are able to tell my future, see any pretty ladies in it?"
"Well, as someone who knows languages… French is the language of love. So… you should go to France or something." Elaine laughs, taking another bite and finishing it before she speaks again. "I'd try to send someone nice your way, but I'm afraid I only hang out with lesbians these days." She snorts. "God, I guess I need to get out more."
"Well, when it comes to girls I'm friends with.. half of them are lesbians." He takes a bite and thinks for a minute, looking up in thought. "No, wait. More than half. So I feel you on that one." He takes a drink from his coffee, washing down the food. "You need to get out more? I'm the king of needing to get out more. And hey, we're out right now."
Elaine smiles. "Well, I guess then we've just got odd taste in friends. I'm a bit of a homebody, really. Which isn't so bad, it just means… you have a small social circle, that's all. I promise, though, the second I see some nice girl who isn't a lesbian, I'll put in a good recommendation for you." She sips from her mug. "And look at us! We're getting out. No one can say we don't get out now."
Linus raises his coffee mug in a sort of faux toast, nodding his head. "Yeah. We are get outters. People who get out." Setting the mug down, he reaches over to stab a forkful of Elaine's hash browns before shoving them in his mouth. As he chews he slides over a slice of his toast, then swallows. "There you go. A slice of toast, and I got my hash browns."
"That's not a fair trade. You had one bite." Elaine takes the toast from him, buttering it carefully. "Have more. I insist. I am a fair and generous tradeswoman." She proceeds to add jam to her toast before biting into the crispy piece.
"If you insist, m'lady tradeswoman," Linus says with a bit of a chuckle as he goes in for more hash browns. "You know, I'm actually pretty glad I registered, now that I've had some time to think it over. I can go and practice and train my ability at the Suresh Center, and I don't have to worry about getting caught and thrown in jail or anything. I know Robyn worries that people might come after me or something, with my name out there. I worry too, but.. I think I made the right choice."
Elaine giggles. "Robyn. It's funny, she's always Quinn to me, even with how close we are. It's just… her thing." She looks back over. "That's cool that you can go train and stuff. Everyone talks about training their ability and I just go 'uh huh' and read books for my ability."
Linus chews his food and swallows, taking a drink before leaning back into the seat. "I know. She told me most people just call her Quinn, but I like calling her Robyn instead. Maybe I just like to be difficult." He shrugs with a bit of a smirk tugging at his lips. "Who knows." He's silent for a minute, looking out the window at the morning commuters. "I'd give anything to be able to do that. Not have to worry about training and practicing."
"No… it's nice. I'd call her that but… I'm just used to calling her Quinn. I dunno… maybe she needs an awesome nickname." Elaine murmurs, then goes back to her toast, nibbling lightly. "Wanna just swap abilities or something?"
"Yeah, that's just what I need. My name is already Linus, and I'm already a pretty huge nerd. Being a language nerd on top of that? That is so what I need." He lets out a contented sigh, full of food and coffee. "And yes, you are a language nerd. Everybody is a nerd about something. Whether they admit it or not.. well, most people don't."
Elaine chuckles. "Magnes wouldn't have dated me if I wasn't a little bit of a nerd. And I'm really into literature too. You'd think I'd date a bookworm, not a comicbookworm." She states, pursing her lips "Ah, well. We're all nerds about something." She takes another bite, stretching her arms a bit.
Linus raises a brow, nodding. "I'm a bit of a literary geek myself. I read a lot, anyway. I could probably recite Hamlet word for word for you, right now." He leans forward some, pushing his finished plates aside to rest his arms on the table. "To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?"
"I'd be more impressed if you were able to quote Sonnet #116." Elaine smirks, looking back over at him. "Less famous, only slightly. Most people don't know the sonnets by heart. But careful, I'm a big fan of Shakespeare."
"Well. Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments," Linus says with a wink before swallowing down the rest of his coffee. "Or you know, something like that." He bends forward to reach into his back pocket for his wallet. "Don't worry about paying for anything. I've got it."
Elaine's eyes widen a little. "You might have to pick my jaw off the floor now, Linus." She shakes her head a little, but she's clearly pleased. "You didn't strike me as much of a Shakespearian nerd, but… I'm proud. You just became that much cooler." She peers over at him. "Are you sure about that? I mean, you don't have to. I do have money."
Linus chuckles, shaking his head. "Well, I'll pick up it up for you. The floor is pretty dirty, don't want it laying around on that." He schooches out from the booth, throwing a few bills on the table as a tip. "I'm an all over nerd, I guess. And.. hey, look. I know I'm not your boyfriend or anything, but I still think that I should pay. It's.. call it a gentleman thing, alright?"
"Alright. Don't let me interrupt your gentlemanly ways, then. I'm all for gentlemen being gentlemen." Elaine smiles as she scoots carefully out of the booth. "Thanks. I appreciate it. I'll bring you some kind of baked good sometime soon in exchange."
"Good. It isn't very ladylike to interrupt a gentlemen." Linus leads Elaine to the check out counter, opening his wallet and handing a card to the lady behind it. "Credit, please." He waits for the transaction to process before sliding his card back into the wallet, then the wallet back in his pants. He heads for the exit, pushing the door open for Elaine to walk through. "You do make good cookies."
Elaine smiles, stepping outside. "Usually Magnes is the one that cooks, but… I don't know. I kind of like baking. I'm thinking of trying a cheesecake next, but they're challenging. So… I'm being experimental and seeing if I can overcome the odds and make a good one. I'll bring you some, provided the results are edible."