Ever since he had arrived at Atlantis, Pierce had eaten breakfast at Snoozle every single day; and sometimes even went for a snack after work. There was something about that place that just called him. Probably the food, because it was damn good. And Pierce appreciated good food. So when the manager — Emilia was her name, wasn’t it? — showed that picture of those pistachio biscuits, Pierce couldn’t resist himself. He had to try them.
He walked into the building, taking his sunglasses off, and headed to where the dark haired girl he knew was the manager was. “Are there any of those delicious pistachio biscuits left?” He asked with a smile.
Emilia flashed the bloke a smile as he came up to the counter with his question. “Of course. I save some just for you,” she assured him, retrieving a colorfully decorated box from behind the counter and presenting it to him.
“Are you a fan of pistachios or do you just love biscuits?” she asked him.
“That looks delicious,” Pierce said with a smile as he saw the box with the biscuits in it. “Not the biggest pistachio fan, but I do love biscuits,” he admitted. Biscuits, cake, cookies... give him any of that - or more - in any shape or form and he’d eat it. “But I have a feeling you can make anything taste good.” He hadn’t tasted anything he didn’t like since he first started eating there.
Emilia wasn’t given to bragging, but if there was something she was confident in, it was her skill in the kitchen. She gave him a smile and didn’t bother to deny he was right. “If that’s not true, I guess I’d be in the wrong career,” she teased. Snoozle was a place that focused on breakfast, but she’d run both a bakery and a tapas restaurant before arriving in Atlantis. Food was definitely a specialty for her.
He grabbed the box gently and opened it, taking one of the little biscuits from it and popping it in his mouth. Delicious didn’t even begin to describe how good it tasted it. “You’re definitely it the right career,” he said once he swallowed. “This is delicious,” he smiled.
“Thank you,” Emilia replied, offering another genuine smile. She didn’t bake for the sake of praise, but it was certainly nice to hear that appreciation. “I’m glad you like them.”
Gesturing toward one of the tables, she led him in that direction so they could sit down. “You’re new to Atlantis, aren’t you?” she asked him. “How are you finding it so far?”
He glanced to where she gestured and followed her to one of the tables, sitting down after she did. “I am, yeah,” he said with a nod. “Strange, not gonna lie,” he admitted. The whole place was a little crazy at first. “But I feel like I’ve been given a second chance so it’s certainly nice to be here instead of back in the real world.” Where he would be dead. “So I’m not complaining too much,” he chuckled.
Emilia nodded. “That makes sense.” She knew people decided to stay here for a lot of different reasons and that for some people it really was a second chance to get life right. This was a fight that affected everyone and sometime that could inspire a change. Maybe it was naive of her to believe that, but she still liked to think it was true.
“And what are you planning to do with your second chance, Mr. Pierce?” she asked him, offering him another warm smile.
Pierce tilted his head to the side as he thought about Emilia’s question for a moment. What did he plan to do with his second chance? “I haven’t really thought about it, to be honest,” he answered. “And please, call me Pierce,” he said with a smile.
“I guess I plan to enjoy my life as much as possible,” he said after a few moments. And stay away from Laura, he added to himself.
“Enjoying life is important,” Emilia agreed. “And Atlantis is a really good place to do that. There’s so much to do here. Good food and drinks, sports, sightseeing.” That was actually a part of why she liked running Snoozle. Eating was one of the best things in life and she loved being able to provide the people of Atlantis with such good food.
He nodded. “It does seem that way,” he said. “I have been able to see quite a lot of the town in the short time I’ve been here and I like what I’ve seen so far,” he said with a smile. “And what I’ve tasted,” he added, taking another one of the biscuits and eating it in one bite. “I’m gonna have to watch my weight around this place if you bake this well,” he joked, laughing softly.
Emilia smiled genuinely at that comment. She knew she was a gifted chef, but it still made her happy when someone enjoyed her cooking so much. She was glad to have been able to touch his day with something she had made.
“I’m glad you like them,” she said before adding teasingly, “luckily Atlantis has a pretty good gym to help you work off those extra calories.”
“I’m gonna become the most well known member of that gym if I keep coming here and you keep feeding me like this,” he chuckled. And he knew he would keep coming to this place for sure, so maybe hitting the gym wouldn’t be such bad idea. Specially with his sweet-tooth.
“You always liked to bake?” he asked curiously.
Emilia nodded. “My family’s Italian. We all grew up in the kitchen, but I guess I loved it even more than my siblings. After I finished Hogwarts, I went to culinary school and opened my own place when I got out. I worked as a field agent in Atlantis for a while, but this feels like a better fit for me. I love being able to bake for people.”
Smiling at him, she asked another question about him and they kept talking for a while, just getting to know a bit about each other.