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Summary: Dax and Laurel eat at Panera and discuss various things.
Date: March 31, 2009
Soup & Sandwiches
Rating: G
Broadway is home to the arts as well as the more artistically inclined. The area houses the mass majority of gay culture as well as counter-culture and serves as a more modern, culturally liberal neighborhood. Several small shops and curios line the well-paved roads as their signs flicker with a light neon glow to advertise their wares. Also along this stretch of streets is several delis, fast food joints and some hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Local bookstores, gas stations, pet supplies and other such businesses line up against the sides of the sidewalk. Several more upscale apartments reside here as well as some more modern-style housing.
A few one or two story homes fill the smaller parts of the neighborhood. The air here is fresh and clean as deep skies of blue paint across the decorated horizon in hues of vermilion and golden glow. The streets here are well maintained as very few potholes or cracks line the sidewalks and roads. Several trees and flora dot the area along the streets as their thick, wooden, bases are surrounded by protective black, iron bars to help keep them safe. Some alleyways squeeze in between several buildings as remarkably they remain semi-adequately clean from debris and other various trash. A few stray bums can be found within the area as well as they linger along some of the more crowded street corners and holding up their cardboard signs asking for help and support.
Some of the more regular fast food joints and big-time restaurant chains fill this area as well. The local Starbucks, McDonalds, Panera and other mass corporate food joints can be seen here also. The scent of fresh food, bakeries, flowers and other pleasant scents mix oddly with the faint hint of car fumes though nothing too overpowering. Several smaller cinemas also fill this area as they often feature independent films of various sorts. Soft, lights fill this area whether day or night as a gentle halogen glow pools on over the streets from the lamp posts above.
The night is quite nice, warmer than it has been recently. The sky is just beginning to turn from orange to deep red as Dax walks out of a local pet shop. He's carrying a bag of various objects which jingle as he adjusts the bag. The man stops and checks his watch, realizing the time and not really wanting to head home and have to make something to eat. He looks around, trying to decide if he wants to eat at Panera or that little Mexican joint on the corner.
Mmmm, corporate fast food. Laurel's out and about looking for some grub as she peers around and runs her fingers through her hair. She stretches her arms into the air while beelining towards the Panera, feeling in the mood for some sweet baked deliciousness, passing by Dax on the way. She doesn’t recognize him, so she just passes by, still in her own little world.
Dax decides that he really doesn't want to have to wait all that long for his food. Also he doesn't really want to pay for it. Panera is thus the best choice for him. He heads toward the door and enters behind Laurel, pulling his sunglasses down off his forehead to cover his eyes as he does so. Strange for someone to put their sunglasses on when they enter a building…Oh well. He sighs when he sees the line. The line of five people. "Oh bloody hell. Why are there so many people in this city?" He asks to no one in particular, though he is right behind Laurel in line, so it is possible she will think he is speaking to her.
"Cause people like to fuck and make babies.." Laurel quips, deciding to be a bit of a smartass. She doesn’t even turn around with her remark as she steps forward to the counter asking for a bread-bowl of baked potato soup, a soda and a chocolate thingie majig.
Dax makes a huffing noise and crosses his arms. "Well I'd wish they'd stop…At least the ugly ones. That'd cut things down by about eighty percent or so…" He looks around disapprovingly at some of the patrons before stepping up to the register and ordering a tuna sandwich and a Dr. Pepper. He gives the cashier an annoyed look when she mentions that the soda fountain is behind him. "Yes, well. I thought you'd want to know…For statistical purposes."
"Ugly people need luvin too.." Laurel continues as she runs her fingers through her hair while stretching as she waits by the counter for her drink. She peers towards Dax now, canting her head to the side, "Oh you're that guy…with the headache thing.."
Dax smirks at her comment. "Yes…well they should get fixed first." He pretends to fish around for his wallet as the cashier hands him a buzzer and tells him his total. He lifts up his sunglasses to look at the girl behind the counter. "How much was that again?" As the girl looks at him her face goes blank and she just hits the CASH button. He puts his glasses back in place and heads over to wait by Laurel. "Hmmwhat? Erm…Yup! That's me!" He just now recognizes her…kind of. "Um…Lana? Lorna? Laura! How've you been?"
Lana would be her in Smallville. She just stares for a few moments and lets out a soft chuckle under her breath as she shrugs her shoulders, not seeming to mind being forgotten. "The last one is kinda close, it's Laurel.." she says, reintroducing herself while extending her hand towards him. "You were…Chris? Johnny? Something like that?"
Dax nods "Oh, right. Like the plant." Now that he has that mental association between her name and a plant, he is less likely to forget her name…but probably still will several times. "Yes, you're pretty close, too. My name's Dax." He shrugs, "Well…Me last name is Dax…And that's what people call me." His buzzy-thing starts buzzing as his sandwich is pushed up on the counter. "Ah, wonderful." He grabs his plate and turns to fill his soda cup. "You eating here, or rushin' out?"
Hers starts vibrating as well and she collects her food. "Well I guess I could stick around if you are.." she replies with another shrug of her shoulders while collecting her food.
Dax shrugs. "Eh, I figured I'd eat here. my sandwich will become less soggy and destroyed if I eat it right away. And Dook-Dook will be fine for a little while longer. I told him I'd be home by six, but I don't think he actually knows what time it is…or what I'm saying." Dax completely leaves out the part about Dook-Dook being a ferret. He turns toward an empty table near the windows. "This good for you?"
"Dook-Dook?" Laurel just stares at him for a few moments as she follows towards the empty table. She continues to wait for a response as she eases into her chair and starts taking a sip of her soup. Nomnomnom.
Dax sits down and puts his bag by his feet. It makes a slight jingling sound as it slides to the ground. "Oh yeah, Dook-Dook is my ferret. I suppose I could have explained that before I started talking about him as though he were human." He shrugs and takes a large bite out of his sandwich. He then frowns, takes off the top layer of bread, and begins picking off the tomato. "Bah…Forgot to have them take off the useless parts."
"I kinda figured it was a pet, either that or a Micronesian.." she says with a hearty laugh, taking more of her soup while shaking her head as he takes apart his sandwich. "Boys.." she says in a dismissive manner.
Dax shakes his head as he removes the last of his tomatoes. "No, ferrets are not native to Micronesia. They were domesticated from the European polecat in Egypt several thousand…Oh…You were joking, weren't you?" He looks up at her for a moment before reassembling his sandwich. "Yes, men do things like remove the tomato from their sandwiches. As a result we live slightly shorter life-spans than women and have to suffer less time in nursing homes. So I guess it just means that we plan better, eh?"
"I guess, I know I'm not living in a nursing home. either my kids will take care of me or I'll still be as fit as a whistle!" she chirps brightly, taking in more of her soup while crossing her legs to get a tad bit more comfortable.
Dax gives Laurel a skeptical look. "You have kids? You look a little young. And what if your kids decide to abandon you after you are diagnosed with progeria?" Pay no attention to the fact that progeria is a genetic disorder that Laurel has about a negative ten-thousand percent chance of getting…He's just making hypothetical conversations.
"No kids, but I will have kids.." she says firmly and resolutely as she gives a dismissive wave towards the progeria statement. "They wont abandon me, or I'll kick their asses.."
Dax smirks at the girl. "Ah, but in doing so you may break a hip. You'd better take it easy when you're older. Me? I'll be running my nightclub down in hell. Comfy and not worrying about the kids I never had." He takes a bite out of his sandwich, seemingly much more satisfied now that there is no disgusting fruit inside of it.
"Well, whatever floats your boat I guess. Nice to see that you're thinking you'll be in hell. From my guess, that means you're either one of the gays or you've had an abortion.." Laurel cants her head a little as she peers towards him. "And part of me doesn’t think you've had an abortion." Wow, tactless ain’t she.
Dax chuckles and waves a hand dismissively. "Aw, can't it be both? But yeah, luckily I've avoided pregnancy so far. I do happen to be one of them gays, though. Work as a DJ out at Club Seal (we'll pretend this is a local gay bar)." He shrugs. "I'm probably going to hell because I'm a terrible person with no remorse for humanity, though. Rather than because of my genetic predispositions. That just wouldn't make sense."
"Terrible or not, if you were Catholic you could just confess on your deathbed and be a-okay.." she says with a quick thumbs up before taking another slurp of her soup, enjoying it quite a bit.
Dax shakes his head and waves a hand. "Bah, who has time for that? I plan to die in a freak accident anyway, so it would be hard to confess before hand. Also I don't want to go through the whole thing where you have to go through all the steps to join the club. Er…confirmation? Is that it? I forget, couldn't be the godfather for my buddy's kid because of it. Oh well. Guess I can't wear a striped suit and have people killed."
Laurel shrugs her shoulders once more, crossing her legs to get a tad bit more comfortable as she starts ripping some of the bread from her breadbowl. "You are an odd one.." she says matter of factly.
Dax smirks. "Eh, some people think so I guess. Haven't figured out why…Might have something to do with the whole 'confusing' thing I do." He shrugs "Eh, oh well." He takes another bite of his sandwich, it's now nearly gone. "You know, speaking of which…" He looks around real quick but no one seems close by. "You know I do the whole 'looky-look' thing, and Tyrone does the 'Explody' thing. But I don't know that I've heard if you do anything unique." Dax really has no reason to suspect…other than the fact that she seems not to mind spending her time with mutants.
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To be continued…
