Re: Milkshakes: Dietre / Noah
[When Noah returned with the milkshakes, he found Dietre A. hunched over on a curb in front of the diner. He gave the other man a sort of smile, but it was partially confused and partially empathetic. He was glad, upon seeing the pale face upturned toward him, that he'd been several feet away for whatever it was Dietre A. was thinking and feeling, because it did not look good and Noah had a really frustrating tendency, if it could be called that, of soaking up what the people around him were feeling. In fact, even just being right by the kid to deliver the milkshake created a pit in his stomach that felt like the black beginnings of something like despair. His mind was filled with hollow echoes, snatches of conversation between two men, something about a piano and doctors, and Noah was reminded that he hadn't taken any Xanax today.
He forced a smile, but it came off as genuine with ease of practice.] No problem. [He nodded them toward a bench, so he didn't have to make himself comfortable on a curb where the pull of whatever just-dumped memories Dietre A. was feeling was strongest.—He went to the bench and sat on it as Zeeglinda was given a dollop of vanilla milkshake. Noah sprawled on the old wooden bench as he slurped up chocolate shake. He glanced over and up when Dietre joined him, and he felt the shambling awkwardness creep from the man to him like a corpse he didn't want. His dark eyes flickered around Dietre to the front door of the diner, then back.] Like, to the diner? [At least there was some tenuous float of 'good vibes' in the air, from whoever(s). Maybe someone was on a date inside or maybe their gas station scratch-off ticket got them 200 free bucks. (Not a bad idea, actually... a scratch-off). Anyway, he smiled as he thought through the stilted emotion of the man beside him.] Yeah...? Not really. Kinda. I'm from here, so I've been here a lot of times in my life? Joan—[He gestured vaguely to the building behind them with his shake.]—has worked there since I can remember and my mom worked here for a little bit, so. Yeah. [He nodded and sipped his milkshake.
Noah dug around in chocolate with the straw then, before looking over to say,] But, like, we don't have to talk if you don't want to. Small talk isn't always easy, especially when you don't... feel great.