WHO: Brooke Kwon [SISTER] & David Kipling [GOLIATH]. WHAT: One rattled friend checks in with another. WHEN: I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE. WHERE: The Cold Stone Creamery. STATUS: Unfinished.
KIPLING: As far as hangouts for cleaners went, you’d be hard-pressed to guess that the Cold Stone Creamery by Cleveland Park was one of David Kipling’s favourite haunts. He had a carefully-structured week revolving around 24-hour organic restaurants and late-night coffeeshops -- anywhere he could hole up in the back with a book, enjoying the music and people-watching without being disturbed.
Spending time with Brooke Kwon, however, meant developing another sort of system -- and they both happened to possess a sweet tooth. Icecream Sundays (pun not included) had become a regularity between the two friends, and despite the fact that he was technically on-assignment, today was no exception. Before walking into the chain, Kip ground out his cigarette on the sole of his boot. He looked like a walking reed, all tall angles and a jerkily-moving head casting back and forth for the woman he was to meet. He was hidden behind large sunglasses, but still recognisable by shape and his tousled dark-blonde hair.
BROOKE: Brooke Kwon and David Kipling were an unlikely pair of friends, that was for sure. While notoriously friendly, Brooke was more than a little wary when it came to Cleaners - field agents might be killing people, but at least they weren’t killing good people, and their missions weren’t all kill-based - but for Kip she made an exception and let her guard down. It was nearly impossible not to, truth be told. Cleaner though he might have been, there was something about Kip that reminded her of a child. A bizarre sort of innocence that transcended his job.
Brooke had never been one to dwell on this sort of thing, though, (she liked assuming the best of people, never mind what her father always told her about optimism being her Achilles heel) and took their friendship in stride. She’d just finished purchasing their ice cream when she saw Kip walk into the Coldstone, one hand reaching across to take her giant cup of Chocolate Devotion from the bored-looking teen working behind the counter, and one giving Kip a brief wave.
KIPLING: And she always remembered his favourite flavour. That was one of the benefits to having a friend, Kip decided. Socialisation didn’t come easily for him -- it never did, in fact -- but once he’d finally reached this hard-won state, he slowly found that he rather enjoyed it.
“Hullo,” Kip remarked upon cheerfully joining her by the counter. He accepted his wafflecone and slipped a five-dollar bill into Brooke’s jacket pocket in one smooth motion. The Pie Who Loved Me. Stunningly appropriate.
“I’ve been busy. How are you?” he asked as they maneuvered their way to a booth. Blunt and direct, but then again, he rarely knew how to pad himself out with extra tact.