Xander Harris (twicethefool) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2016-09-09 10:55:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !completed gdoc, !log, ~2016 september, ~25 points, ~~~reyna ramirez-arellano, ~~~xander harris (twicethefool) |
WHO: Xander Harris and Reyna Ramirez-Arellano
WHERE: Just outside Starbucks
WHEN: Tuesday, September 6th
WHAT: A meeting
RATING: PG
STATUS: log; completed
Reyna wasn’t much of a coffee drinker; she wasn’t even much of a tea drinker. Like most demigods, she struggled with ADHD when she wasn’t in the midst of battle, and caffeine tended to make it worse. While Reyna was much more disciplined than most demigods about it, she still tried to stay away. That wasn’t to say that the other people in her household stayed away, though, and having seen the coffee bean supply low, she took it upon herself to pick some up. She was just about to open the door when a woman pushing a stroller came out. Reyna’s fast reflexes took her out of the way, but the woman wasn’t so lucky. She gasped and swerved - bumping into the door and knocking the cup of coffee out of her hand. Hot coffee. Baby in stroller. Reyna didn’t hesitate. She thrust out her hand, knocking away the cup. The coffee spilled over, scalding her, and she let out a hiss of pain. But she’d accomplished what she needed to: the baby was safe. His mother thanked her profusely, but she waved it away. She wasn’t interested in thanks; she was more interested in some ice, right about now. *** Xander was right behind the woman with the stroller and watched the whole thing happen helplessly, wishing there was something he could do to help. Once the woman and baby were gone, he ushered the young girl inside and helped her to a table nearby. “That looks painful,” he said. “Let me get you some ice. Sit tight.” He headed up to the counter and got a cup of ice and a clean white cloth. When he got back, he sat down and put the ice in the cloth, bundling it up and holding out his hand. “Where’d you get splashed?” he asked. If there was one thing he learned while fighting vampires and demons with Buffy, it was first aid. *** Reyna had weathered worse injuries, but that didn't mean this one still didn't hurt. The young man’s aid, then, was quite welcome. “Here,” she said, indicating the spot, which had gone red against her brown skin. It was in an awkward enough location that she wouldn't be able to reach it without some kind of contortion, so she accepted his silent offer and extended her arm to him. “Thanks,” she said. “That was quick thinking.” *** “I have some experience with thinking on my feet,” Xander remarked, placing the makeshift ice pack against her arm on the red spot. After a moment, he realized that he was sitting here practically holding hands with some girl whose name he didn’t even know. “I’m Xander, by the way,” he said. “That was some pretty quick moving on your part to make sure the baby didn’t get splashed.” Her reflexes made him wonder if she was something other than garden variety human but he wasn’t going to ask. *** “I have some experience with quick moving,” Reyna said, echoing his reply. “It comes with being a legionnaire.” She normally didn't give that piece of information on a first meeting, but there was something about him that made her think he'd take it in stride. The fact that they were sitting there practically holding hands didn't bother her; he was helping, and the ice felt good against her heated skin. She was in no hurry to pull away. “I'm Reyna.” *** Xander wasn’t entirely sure what a legionnaire was, but if it meant she was able to protect a small baby from being harmed, then it couldn’t be a bad thing. “That kid was really lucky you were around,” he said. She was cute and apparently badass which was pretty much exactly his type and he offered her a friendly smile. “You should let me buy you a cup of coffee as a reward.” *** Reyna smiled back. He had a nice smile, friendly and uncomplicated. Reyna didn’t have a lot of that in her life, and it was refreshing to see it. “Thank you, but I don’t drink coffee,” she said regretfully. “I was just picking up some beans for my housemates. Maybe you can make a recommendation for me. I don’t really know the difference between the blends.” *** “Oh, I’m not an expert or anything,” Xander admitted. “I like mochas which are more sugar and chocolate than coffee. So if your housemates like the real stuff, then they won’t like what I suggest.” He was a little disappointed that she turned down the offer because he was enjoying their conversation. “Do you like brownies?” he asked. “Because they have really good ones here.” *** “It’s okay, I’ll just ask the barista,” Reyna said with a shrug. She’d seen various starbucks bags in the cupboards; she didn’t think they were particularly attached to any particular blend. At least she hoped not. Worst case scenario, she’ll offer it to Methos. He’d have ways to use it. “I do like brownies, though,” she said, smiling a little. She wasn’t sure why he was being so nice, but he did seem determined to give her some sort of reward for her good deed, and she wasn’t too proud or contrary to turn down a free dessert. “I’ve never had one here.” *** Xander smiled back. She was really cute and hopefully not a lesbian like the last girl he’d foolishly hit on. Not that he had any issues with lesbians in general. He just really needed to learn not to hit on them. “Are you okay here for a minute if I go up to the counter?” he asked, glancing down at the ice pack he was still holding against her arm where the hot drink splashed her. *** “Sure,” Reyna said, reaching to take the ice pack from him. The worst of the heat had been drawn off, and she could manage with just dabbing at the injured area. She watched him as he headed for the counter, curious. Years of battling monsters who hid themselves under benevolent disguises had left her suspicious of people who were immediately helpful, but she tried not to let it make her cynical. And Xander seemed sincere enough. She just wasn't sure what his deal was yet. *** Luckily, the line wasn’t long, so Xander was able to get them both brownies and himself a mocha pretty quickly. When he returned to the table, he set one of the treats in front of Reyna and offered her another awkward smile. “So, um, how long have you been in Madison Valley?” he asked. That seemed like a good place to start getting to know her. *** “Thanks,” Reyna said, giving him another smile. He seemed nervous when he shouldn't be - she hoped - and she wanted to put him more at ease. “I've been here for almost a year now, I think. I came around Christmas time. How about you?” *** Oh, wow, she’d been here a little longer than he had and yet they hadn’t managed to cross paths yet. “I got here in February. Right before Valentine’s Day. So I guess about six, seven months?” It was hard to believe that so much time passed. “Weird that we haven’t met before now,” he said. “Although to be fair, I don’t really do much other than work at Pole Position.” *** “I don't really get out much either,” Reyna admitted. “I train, I go to school, and that's about it.” It sounded a little sad, come to think of it. Reyna had never been overly social like Hylla was, but she'd had friends and spent time with them outside of their studies and training. Maybe this was a sign she had to get back to it. This was a good start. “What's Pole Position?” *** “Oh, we sell DVDs and video games and stuff like that,” Xander said. “It’s a cool place to work, especially since I get a discount.” And he was a geek who liked to collect DVDs and video games. “What kind of training do you do?” Maybe he wasn’t so far off the mark about her being like Buffy. *** “Melee, armed combat and calisthenics,” Reyna rattled it off smoothly. “The basics.” Well, to a demigod daughter of the Goddess of War, anyway. So yeah, like Buffy. “Have you heard of…” she paused, trying to remember. “Warcraft? It's a game, I think. Someone told me I might like it.” *** Xander lit up when she asked about the game. “Oh, yeah, that’s an awesome game,” he said. “If you like combat and stuff, you would probably enjoy it.” And if she considered melee and calisthenics as the basics, he was guessing she had some kind of military background. “Do you want to play some time? I have the game at home.” *** Reyna hesitated, but not for long. She'd been meaning to check out the game but hadn't known where to start. Here was someone whose job it was to know about the game. He would make a fine guide. “Okay,” she said, smiling. “I'd like to give it a try.” *** “Cool,” Xander said. “I’ll message you so we can arrange a time as soon as I get my new work schedule.” Speaking of work schedules, he glanced at the time and winced. “And I’m really sorry but if I don’t leave right now I’m going to be late for my shift today. Are you going to be okay?” *** “I’ll be fine, thanks,” Reyna assured him. “Go.” There was enough authoritative dismissal in her voice to indicate that she wasn’t just saying it to let him off the hook. “Thank you for the help, and the brownie. I’ll talk to you later, Xander.” *** |