WHO: Claire Bennet and Noah Bennet WHAT: Some much-needed bonding over breakfast. WHEN: 9AM; the morning following this. WHERE: A diner not far from the Housing Complex. RATING: TBD STATUS: In Progress
The clock attached to the steeple at the church down the street was just beginning to chime, signaling forty-five past eight, as Claire stepped into the small diner that she'd chosen for breakfast. A quick glance around told her that her dad hadn't arrived yet, not that she expected he would. She was a good fifteen minutes early, mainly because she'd woken up earlier than planned and had been unable to fall back asleep. It had just been too quiet.
Picking a table that offered a view of the room yet was out of the way so they weren't the center of attention, Claire ordered a cup of of orange juice and turned her attention to her surroundings. It was odd, seeing people eating without the typical sounds one would associate with a meal. There were no clanging of forks against plates, no low murmur of conversation, no dinging of the bell above the door as someone came or went. It was like watching the world around here with the mute button pressed.
Claire was slowly but surely starting to hate it.
With a sigh that, obviously, made no noise, she smiled her thanks at the waitress when the juice was placed in front of her. After a quick note to assure the woman that she'd order as soon as her father arrived, Claire took a sip of her drink and once more glanced around. There was a slight frown on her face as she took note of the fact that even the locals were starting to appear worn down from the lack of noise. If someone didn't fix this problem soon, she hated to think what might happen. You didn't have to be all that empathetic to sense the undercurrent of frustration that could, at any given time, ignite into a blazing inferno of rage and violence. People needed to be able to express themselves and the longer they couldn't, the worse it was going to get.
Her thoughts stopped there, the sight of her father stepping through the door bringing a smile back to her face and forcing the darker worries away. This meeting wasn't about bad stuff. This was a chance to spend time with her dad, and see if maybe by removing their voices from the situation they might get along a bit better. The truth was, she'd missed the bond she used to have with him and hoped that somehow, someway, she could get it back again.
Determined to at least give it her best effort, Claire raised her hand and gave him a smile and wave in greeting.