killiansterling

[killiansterling]

Killian's eyes narrowed at the others' counter question, slowly looking over at him in horror. "Plain, obviously. Which monster would dip loaded fries in a shake? That sounds like an absolute crime." he sighed, shaking his head. "Done worse? If you think milkshakes and plain fries are bad I have got to know what worse is for you." he said.

Killian looked the other up and down. It was nice to have some conversation, even if he had very clearly disturbed the others' peace and quiet.

Matthias hadn’t been in Bun Intended long enough to feel like he belonged there, but it was the kind of place that offered exactly what he needed: something simple, something quiet. Tonight, he’d wandered in after a long day with no plans beyond sitting somewhere that wasn’t his couch and eating food he didn’t have to make. He’d ended up at one of the outside tables with his loaded hotdog and fries, half-lost in thought as he toyed with the paper wrapper.

The voice next to him was the first thing that pulled him out of his head. His brow lifted slightly as he turned toward the source—a guy who looked as drained as Matthias felt but had enough left in the tank to strike up a conversation. Matthias glanced at the milkshake, then back at his own fries, lips twitching in the ghost of a smirk.

“Depends,” he said, leaning back in his chair as if considering the question with the weight it deserved. “You’re talking just a plain fry or one of those loaded ones? ’Cause if it’s got cheese or something on it, that’s crossing a line.” He popped another fry into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully before adding, “But plain? Yeah, I guess I’ve done worse.”

It wasn’t much, but it was easier to talk about milkshakes and fries than deal with whatever had been clawing at the edges of his mind all day. For now, that was enough.

[killiansterling]

"Well your coffee certainly took a nosedive." he joked. "I'm fine, don't worry about it. Like I said I jumped in time. Working in a kitchen most days usually comes with the perk of fast reaction time, especially with hot liquids." he said, giving the other a dramatic spin to show he was unharmed by the coffee.

"That's a good attitude." he smiled. "Can you survive on whatever is left in the cup? I'm headed towards the brewed awakening now anyway so if you would like I can get you topped up again."

Medina steadied herself, her grip tightening on the cup as if to remind the world she still had control over something. She wasn’t the type to let little accidents rattle her, though today, her patience felt thinner than usual. The edge of the heel that had betrayed her was now free from the crack in the cobblestone, but her pride remained firmly wedged in the sidewalk. She looked at the man, her gaze flicking from his face to his shoes. No coffee stain, no burnt flesh—he’d managed to dodge the worst of it. She had to admit, she didn’t mind the reflexes. “I’m fine,” she replied dryly, with a slight tilt of her head. “But I’ve got a feeling my morning just took a nosedive.” Her eyes narrowed briefly at the cup now only half-full in her hand, the scent of the coffee’s rich earthiness still clinging to the air. She sighed, the frustration clear in the sharp exhale of air. “Don’t think my heel’s the problem, though,” she muttered, eyeing it as if it had personally betrayed her. She could have moved past it, let it go, but there was something in his tone that made her raise a brow. "You sure you’re okay? No… 'liquid casualty' or anything?" A pause, as though she was waiting for him to admit some minor spill. Her lips tugged into a smirk, the flicker of her usual confidence rising despite the setback. "Not exactly the start to the day I had planned, but I'm not about to fall apart over it."

[killiansterling]

Killian gave a light chuckle at her statement, nodding as he looked over at her. "Really? Are you the type to set kitchens on fire or the burn everything you touch type?" he questioned, an amused smirk on his face. "That's good at least. Let's hope I'm the worst thing to happen to you today, can only go up from here right?" he said. "Well I've been very productive so I count it as a good day."

"A little, if I'm honest." She chuckled in return, following him along the sidewalk as they made their way to bun intended. "I'd offer to help cook my own food, however you do not want me anywhere near a kitchen. I could probably manage the shake machine, though." Lis teased though, it was certainly true - she was a liability in the kitchen. "Well besides getting knocked down on my ass, it's okay I suppose." The blonde shrugged, though nothing about her days felt okay right now when she didn't know where her brother was. "What about you?"

[killiansterling]

"I like trying new things, but I'm also a sucker for routine." He smiled. Opening his water bottle and taking a sip. "How's your head feeling? Is the ice helping a little bit?" he questioned.

"That's very sweet of you, but still kindness should be a given especially in a situation like yours."

"I love to try new things. It keeps my life exciting and vibrant. Do you like trying new things?"" Atalanta sat beside him on the couch, holding the ice to her head as they spoke. It was strange to trust so quickly, but here she was, putting her life in the hands of a stranger living in a town with a reputation among hunters. Was it as dangerous as she had presumed? Maybe, maybe not. It certainly wasn't innocent.

She took the water with a smile. So much care is given to a complete stranger. No wonder her guard was dropping so quickly. Indeed, this man was one of the decent ones. "Thank you, and I think it's more about paying it forward, ya know?"

[killiansterling]

Killian raised an eyebrow at him, before giving him a nod. "I guess classic are classics for a reason." he leaned back in his chair, eyes darting over the road and the very few people passing.

He looked over at the other again, narrowing his eyes. He seemed busy, so Killian figured he should probably head inside soon, as to not bother the other with whatever he was doing.

"I know a thing or two, yes. Why?" he asked, looking over again. "And the name is Killian."

"Unfortunately I am a slave to tradition," he says, dipping a french-fry into ketchup. "Lesser substitutes accepted when location requires." Bite, chew, smile.

A finger snaps over to his napkin, wipes itself off, and then travels back to the old phonebook, turning the page and tracing the names down until he finds the one he's looking for. Leaning over to read, he scrawls the address onto the paper; tight chicken scratch crammed into too little space.

"You know anything about local politics, guy? Beyond french-fry etiquette I mean."

[killiansterling]

"That's good to know, I'll keep my eye out for you then." he smiled. "Sadly you will not be able to pull the 'I know the owner card' since my employees know that, well I know too many people. So, what is your favorite thing to order? Or are you one of those people that constantly order different things?"

"You aren't, I offered." he shrugged, as he got up and headed back to the kitchen. Grabbing two bottles of water, he headed back over, sat back down and offered her one. "Oh please, it was my pleasure. No repayment needed."

Atalanta held on to his arm with a smile as they entered. She was happy to have gotten the help she needed, if only for consideration. She would have been fine on her own, but it was nice to have someone who actually gave a damn. "you would have had it regardless, silly; I frequent the establishment already." She had to smile.

"I feel like I am intruding, but I do appreciate this. I did hit my head pretty hard. You have my gratitude. Is there anything I can do to repay it other than a few bucks for a meal here or there?"

[killiansterling]

Killian noticed the other's reaction, an eyebrow raising with a curious smile on his face as he looked at the other. He let out a short laugh at the other's reaction to discovering this beautifully tasty invention. "I know right? The sweet and salty combo is just too good." he smiled. "Hm that's understandable. It can become a bit much, but hey you tried it which not a lot of people do."

Killian nodded, "That's good, a lot of people seem adverse to trying new things these days. Not that that's a bad thing, classics are classics for a reason." he shrugged. He looked over at the other, giving him a grin as he nodded. "Sadly yes. Several people ended up sick, some bug going around which means I jump in, and while I love doing that. I am always reminded of why I worked hard to have my own business rather than work for someone. Because people can be so exhausting. Especially during rush hours."

Harley turned his nose up at the mention of chocolate - it's not that he didn't like it, he just didn't think he could drink a whole chocolate milkshake without feeling sick. Still, fries in hand he dipped the salty into the sweet of his strawberry milkshake and pushed the now tainted fries into his mouth, chewing slowly. "Huh, not too bad." He spoke once he'd finished his mouthful, chuckling as he looked towards the other. "Don't think I'd do it with every mouthful, but maybe nice enough to do for the last mouthful, y'know?"

"Definitely can't say I'm not up for trying new things." That would never be a way that Harley would be described, always trying new everything, this little food hack being one of the safest so far. Worst came to worst there, it was just a food combination he didn't like. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you're looking particularly exhausted. Long day?"

[killiansterling]

"Yes really, is it that surprising?" he asked, one eyebrow slightly raised with a smile on his face. "Oh I don't mind, feel free to eat however much you desire. It's my treat since it's the least I could do after this." he smiled, starting to walk in the direction of bun intended. "How has your day been? Besides an idiot running you over, obviously."

"I'll hold you to that, but I'm sure that I'll be fine." Lis replied, smiling softly at his kind offer. Medical expenses were definitely something she couldn't afford, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that. Some ice and some rest, she'd be fine. She perked up at the mention of bun intended, looking over the other, "Damn, really? Bun intended works great for me, thank you." Annalise smirked at the other, "I hope you know that I can eat, like, eat eat."

[killiansterling]

He tried to suppress his laugh, as he noticed what he had done, right this was not the time for jokes. Even though the other seemed to appreciate them. "I will take your continued patronage." he smiled. "Hm that's good, if you at any point feel wobbly feel free to hold on to me for stability." He offered as he started to walk in the direction of his home.

It wasn't long before they made it. He opened the door, let her in. And instructed her towards the couch in the living room as he quickly went to get the cooling pack from his freezer. Wrapping it in a towel he joined her on the couch, handing it off to her. "Hopefully you won't have too nasty of a bump after this."

"Graced? You flatter me." She laughed a little too hard, and it ended in a groan. As refreshing as his kindness was, she still took quite the blow to the head. "Seriously, you are too kind. I will owe you a huge favor for this, or maybe just my continued patronage of Bun Intended?" She teased the latter despite it being entirely accurate. "My head really hurts, but that's about it."

[killiansterling]

"I sure hope it does, if it doesn't go over and you think you might have hurt yourself more than you anticipated feel free to reach out. I will obviously cover any potential medical expenses, since this was my fault." he offered, giving her a smile. "Well I doubt I will be able to forget your name, I'm Killian. I own bun intended. So if you are up for it we can go grab a bite there, or you are free to pick any other place."

"The pain will go away with some painkillers, I'm sure. Don't worry." She spoke softly, though perked up at the offer of food. Whilst she usually wouldn't say yes, she knew it was that or the ramen she had in her cupboard at home; this had to be better even from the dodgiest places in town. "Well that sounds too good to turn down. I'm Annalise, by the way. In case you wanted to know your victims name." Lis teased, looking over the other.

[killiansterling]

"Ah not a man of adventure huh." Killian shrugged, looking over at him, watching what he was doing. "It's actually really good, it's a sweet and salty combo, and on top of that it can also be a hot and cold combo." he suggested. "So you don't dip your fries in anything besides heinz 57? There's so many better sauces out there."

Slouched in a chair, he wonders at the state of things when he's reduced to sitting in a poor man's imitation of a burger-joint that stinks like fucking moondogs when he could be literally anywhere else, but alas - he's got a rare craving for a burger and it's gotta at least be decent enough to fill that hole. A finger's guiding his eye down a list of names; some scratched off, others not. Some look like they've been scratched off multiple times. Beside that little sheet of paper is a phone-book he's managed to swipe-up somewhere; obsolete for sure, but some of the people he's looking for are severely behind the times. "No, why the hell would I do that," he asks, flipping a page in the book without turning his head away. "That sounds gross. It's a french fry. It goes in Heinz 57 and that's it."

[killiansterling]

"Hm lucky me then, catching you at just the right moment to be graced with your presence forever now." he joked, bowing his head at her for extra flare. "Oh please, I'm inviting you. It's my own choice." he smiled. "You okay to walk? Not feeling wobbly or something?" he asked, already offering his arm to her in case she needed it.

"Honestly, the opportunity to see me regularly exponentially increased when you took time out of your day to help me." Atalanta smiled thoughtfully. But yes, I have been a repeat customer." She enjoyed the conversation and the random acts of kindness. She was eager to make sure she was completely fine before parting ways. That was refreshing. "Your place is closest, but I hate to intrude and just invite myself."

[killiansterling]

"Yes, I'm sorry about that. I never really get distracted while running." he sighed, nodding his head. "Of course the one time I do, I actually end up bumping into someone, or well knocking into someone." he shrugged. "Are you sure you're okay? It looked like a pretty nasty fall and I had quiet a bit of speed. I'll ehm... well I can make it up to you, if you want. Food, my treat? As an apology."

"It's fine." She snapped, shaking her head at the fact that she'd been dumb enough to manage to get knocked down by a runner. Her hand moved away from where her weapons were stashed, but Lis was still on alert. She let out a deep breath, looking up at the other, her voice calmer now. "Really it's fine, I'm fine. No permanent damage. Just maybe have your eyes open a bit more next time, hm? I'll do the same."

[killiansterling]

"Oh so I have a chance to see you there huh? I sometimes help out, if you ever see me there gimme a sign, I'll get you a little surprise with your order." he winked. "Oh please, I love listening to people talk about what they love. It's-- calming." he smiled. "Yes, maybe we should save the small talk until we can ice that. So where do you wanna go? My place or yours?"

"Oh yes, Bun Intended is excellent, especially since I am lousy at cooking for myself." That and most of her free time was spent hunting down leads on her mother. She had little time to cook. It always ate on the run, and Bun Intended was her favorite. "You have been warned. My hobby is an obsession, and I will bore you to death if you give me the freedom." Atalanta laughed despite the massive headache she now had. "That fall really did a number. My head is absolutely busting."

[killiansterling]

"It's less basic than other names but still, my parents decided not to get too creative. All of us have pretty heard of names." he smiled. "Oh I know Artemis! Do not know much but I knew she was a twin and all that." he smiled. He used to like history in class, but it was never something he could fully focus on, same with geography.

"Oh please, I love to learn so you may keep spouting if you wish." he winked at her. "Oh that's not boring at all, I loved history in school, not that I can tell you much about it anymore but I did love it. I'm the owner of bun intended, not sure if you've been, but I highly recommend it."

"I like Killian. It's not that basic. Atalanta was a Hunter of Artemis. Her father abandoned her because she was a female and she was suckled by a bear. The Hunters took her in." Atalanta loved to recant the stories of ancient myth. She wouldn't admit that she believed them, not yet. Artemis was her focus, and she worked with the diety.

"Artemis is a fascinating goddess. Twin of Apollo and the child of Leto and Zeus. You don't want me to keep spouting on. I can do this all day. I am the director of Hellenistic studies. I teach primary on Ancient Greece. I know, boring."

[killiansterling]

"I highly recommend it. Especially if you have a chocolate milkshake, I love the saltyness of the fries mixed with the sweetness of the chocolate." he smiled, holding up his chocolate milkshake. "I'm not a fan of strawberry myself -- but it's sweet and salty so it's gotta be good. I think the fruityness of the strawberry will probably make it even better." he said, as he grabbed a fry and dipped it in his chocolate milkshake.

"Honestly sometimes you just gotta try stuff, especially food wise. I often get people asking is that good? Do you recommend it? Which, are all valid questions, don't get me wrong, but it's just everyone's taste is different. I always recommend fries dipped in milkshake, especially chocolate and people will look at me as if I have three heads, until they try it-- and then they like it." he chuckled. "It's the same thing with pizza, there's so many different pizza's and topping to put on it, some will love it- some will hate it. You know?" he looked over at the other, even after the exhausting day he still had an urge to just yap at whoever would listen, sadly for Harley he was sitting a bit too close which means he was now the target for Killian's exhausted ramblings.

He didn't often get hangovers, but when he was feeling even a little bit rough, he needed some good food to fuel up. Milkshake and fries usually did it, so he'd gone to Bun Intended and ordered his favourite flavor and two large fries with extra salt. It was the perfect cure, and the fries here were always perfectly cooked.

Harley didn't realise at first that the question was directed towards him, but once he did he chuckled softly. "You know what, I've never actually tried it. You recommend it?" He asked, picking up a couple fries and hovering over his milkshake. "You think they'll go with strawberry? Sweet and salt are meant to go together pretty well, so maybe those people are onto something."

[killiansterling]

"I am so sorry!" Killian yelled, quickly running over to help her up. "I genuinely didn't see you there, shit." he let out a frustrated sigh. Just his luck that when he decided to go for a run, which he hadn't done in a long time, that he got distracted and ran right into someone. "You hurt?" he asked, looking to make sure she wasn't bleeding from anywhere. "I am so sorry."

She had the wind knocked out of her as she was thrown to the floor, pain immediately radiating from where her back had collided. Annalise let out a soft groan, but she pulled herself up as quickly as she could and scowled at the other, "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" The blonde exclaimed, hand ready to go for a weapon if she needed it. Lis wasn't sure if it was an accident or the start of an attack, and fuck she'd been through far too much this past week to take any shit.