Luke's Diner [Tuesday afternoon]

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

Sookie, who had spent her morning tanning before heading into work -- bless you, sunshine, for making a reappearance -- felt like the new, beautiful location called for some themed specials.

Today's Specials
Cowboy Burgers
Colorado Cowboy Cookies

[the ocd was lassoed and hog-tied]

Comments

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

After Try Not To Die class, Toby had showered for like an hour. Not that he was really all that dirty, but he felt weird enough walking around barefoot to start with, dirt-caked feet would've just been gross.

Hopefully the diner didn't have a no shoes no service rule, he pondered as he stepped inside. "Hey, Sookie," he greeted.

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

If it had a rule like that, Sookie wasn't going to enforce it, anyway. "Hey, Toby!" she called exuberantly. "What brings you in?"

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"Boredom," Toby admitted. "There isn't much to do since my classes are all done for the week, so I thought I could come in and say hi."

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"Boredom and not pie?" Sookie asked, wide-eyed as she Vanna White-ed (it was a verb, shh) at the display case of desserts.

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"It does look awfully good," Toby replied honestly. He just couldn't actually pay for any of it.

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

And that waft of doubt -- and the tendril of thought that accompanied it -- was so familiar to the part of her that had never had any money. "On the house," she said, shooing him towards a booth. "Have a seat and pick your poison. Apple? Lemon meringue?"

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

For some people, pride might have kept them from accepting that offer, or at least caused embarrassment. Toby, however, had learned that sometimes survival was more important than pride. And while a slice of pie wasn't exactly life or death, he had no issues with having some for free.

"Lemon merengue sounds good," he said with a grateful smile. "That obvious, huh?" he added a little ruefully.

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"That you like pie?" she asked, carefully tactful as she went to get him a slice. "Who doesn't?"

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

Well played, Sookie, well played. Toby tilted his head in a slight nod, acknowledging the tactfulness of that reply even as he suspected otherwise. "Crazy people?" he suggested lightly.

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"In my experience, crazy people love pie," she said, tsking as she set the pie down in front of him. "So, consider that myth debunked."

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"To assume is to make an ass out of.. Mostly just me," Toby said a little sheepishly. In his defense, though he'd spent a lot of time having other people assume HE was crazy, he'd never actually met someone to whom that label could legitimately apply.

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"I've only met a couple of actually crazy people," she added. "And I didn't stop to ask them if they liked pie, but they certainly didn't tell me that they didn't."

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"I haven't met any," which was kind of odd, considering his closest confidante was actually a psychiatrist, but there you go. "So I'll defer to your knowledge," he added, digging in to the pie enthusiastically.

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"And you'd know just like I did," Sookie said thoughtfully. "Ain't any fun, by the way. How's the shielding going? Any progress?"

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"Not really," he admitted sheepishly. "Although, sort of related, I did want to ask you something..."

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"Oh?" Sookie asked, flopping into the seat across from him. It was clearly time for her break, okay.

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"I have a- friend back home, who's been, well, helping me with this whole... thing, as much as he could," Toby explained. "Could I- would it be okay if I mentioned you to him? I think he'd be really interested to know there's someone else like me out there."

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"Absolutely," she said with a nod. "Have you met any others? Or just me, so far?"

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"Emma?" Toby said with a shrug. "I don't think she has a very good opinion of me, though."

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"I love Emma, but she doesn't really have a high opinion of most people," Sookie assured him. "Don't be too hurt."

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"This whole having other telepaths around thing is still pretty new to me," Toby admitted. "I didn't know what to think," he added, smirking a little at the unintended play on words there.

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"It's more of how to think," Sookie replied, arching a brow. "Quietly."

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"Not exactly the sort of thing I've had a chance to practice," he pointed out. He didn't have issues with his own thoughts being read; it'd be a bit hypocritical given his own tendencies to use his particular skill when it could benefit him. He just hadn't known until a month ago that there were others who could read those thoughts.

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"Most of us stay out of each others' heads out of courtesy," Sookie offered. "Emma, not so much, though. Do you need to figure out how to block people? Both from getting in and from you hearing...y'know, everyone?"

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"I guess I should?" Toby admitted. "Ray- my friend back home- taught me a meditation thing that helps a little."