Abnormal is the New Normal Who: Justin and Riley Where: Eatzy's When: Morning
It was Mrs. Haggerty's day off and Riley wanted breakfast that didn't taste like a third grade home ec disaster so he took himself down to Eatzy's. He knew Justin was sometimes around and he wanted to catch the guy for a bit of shop talk too so it worked out well that he had a reason to eat too. The past couple days since the full moon had been strange for him. Lia was a werewolf but she wasn't a monster. Sophia and he had bonded quite a bit but the little girl still had no idea he was her father. And there was the ever simmering pot of jealousy and frustration over Lia's every mention of running off to Micah to fix all her problems and answer all her questions.
It was good to get away from the ranch and maybe process a little of it. So he'd come in, sat at the counter, setting his hat on it and asked the waitress if Justin was in as he ordered. He'd have liked to avoid anything containing the steak he provided from his ranch, he ate so much of it at home as it was, but how would it look if he wouldn't eat his own product in public? He wished he had a pint of beer in front of him but it was too early for all that and the coffee was almost as good. He drank it black and felt it burn pleasantly down the back of his throat as he waited for his food and to see if Justin was indeed in the store.
Justin was in the back, staring at an inventory sheet, but not really seeing it. He was trying his best to throw himself into work to try and forget the fact that someone was haunting him, but he found he was making more mistakes than usual, which only heightened his frustration. Cameron, one of the newer waitresses, startled him when she appeared at his side to tell him someone out front had asked for him. Thanking her, Justin walked to his office to set his inventory sheets down before he wandered out front. The limp he'd had from his leg injury was completely gone, and there was no sign, to others at least, that Justin had ever been attacked by a wolf.
It was strange, in a way, to know almost immediately that it was Riley out front. He smelled the guy before he pushed open the door separating the kitchen and the front of the diner. It was the ranch smell, the physical labor, the hay. Justin relaxed a bit, because while Justin tended to be a hermit, or find annoyances with most people he knew, Riley was a decent enough guy. Justin bought a lot of his meat from Riley, after all, and they had always gotten on all right.
"Hey Pollard, how's it going," Justin greeted, reaching over to grab a cup and the pot of coffee to pour himself some.
Riley wasn't aware that Justin had been one of those attacked by wolves, but if he had, he may have asked the other guy about the wolf encampment and the full moon. Gain some perspective on it that Lia hadn't shared. As it was, he sort of wanted to not think about that as much as he needed to do it anyway. He looked up at the sound of his name and a broad smile spread across his features. He liked Justin. The guy was probably a good four or five years older than Riley and he was a good business man as far as Riley could tell. He ran Eatzy's well enough that it seemed to be relatively busy every time Riley came in or passed by. Seemed like the marks of someone with his head on straight.
"Castalia. Good to see you, mate. It's going, it's going. You?" He put his coffee down to offer a hand to shake.
"Same." Justin set the pot down into place and then closed the distance without step to shake Riley's hand. "Can't complain," he added, even though he could. Oh yeah, he could. But now wasn't the time, and Justin had a hard enough time opening up as it was, especially sober. Justin sipped his coffee as he took his hand back, studying Riley, then he spoke again. "How's the wife?" Because gossip traveled fast through the dome, especially when people were chatting over breakfast. Justin had heard plenty before. He heard a hell of a lot more now, even when he was sitting in his office. So of course now he knew that Riley's wife was the pretty blonde teacher with the kid. Who was also a werewolf, though he knew better than to come out with that bit of information when there were people nearby to overhear.
"Glad to hear it," Riley said though he knew that was often not the case. He might've said the same thing though there was plenty to complain about if he was talking to a mate and not a business contact. Riley's shake was firm and he pumped Justin's hand twice before letting go. The wife. Hairy situation. Literally. "She's good, mate. Have you met her? I'm sure she's been in here a fair few times. Best place in Delphi for pie." He sipped his coffee. "How's your sister? Will her night club be opening soon?" Riley had met Zania a few weeks back when she'd asked him about leather for drums. He wondered vaguely what had become of that project. He also vaguely thought a night club could be interesting but he infinitely preferred a rowdy night down the pub.
"I've met her," Justin confirmed with a small nod. Before he knew she was married, anyway, as she'd never worn a ring while in the diner. Justin had never hit on her, but he liked to look at the pretty ladies plenty. "She comes in for lunch every now and then, on her break from school. Apple pie with extra whipped topping. Always starts with the crust first." He grinned a little and leaned against the counter. "Zania's good, man. She's still working on the club. Bet she'll have it open before too long. Zania's hard to deter once she's got a goal in mind."
Riley smiled as Justin mentioned Lia's way of eating her pie. It brought a pleasant memory of dates in highschool and evenings in just after they'd gotten married. Before he'd gone off to war. It felt good to have a positive thing to hold onto about Lia right then. "That's my girl. She certainly has her own way of doing things." He nodded, draining his cup. "Zania seemed the type to get things done and with artistic flair to boot." He didn't really have artistic in his blood but he could appreciate people who did. "Real bright and colorful, your sister," he said pleasantly.
"Yeah, I guess that's one way of describing her," Justin said with a wry smile. "She can also be a huge pain in the ass." But weren't most women? The ones he had known, anyway. "It gives her something to do, though. Something to focus on. Things in Delphi have been getting a little hairy-" Oh god, that was really bad, and he knew it, but he smirked anyway, "--and there's a lot of unpredictability. Your cattle wasn't affected by the wolf attacks, were they?"
Riley laughed under his breath and smiled at Cameron as she set his plate of steak and eggs before him and refilled his coffee. He almost said what Justin had been thinking, that women could all be a huge pain in the ass but he figured it wouldn't do to say it right then as one served him his breakfast. "Too right," he agreed about the unpredictability. "No, surprisingly they were completely left alone. But I did lose two horses in an outlying paddock the night before last. So I'm guessing they're sticking around somewhere less visible than before. They were pretty brazen when they began attacking people."
"Sorry to hear about the horses, but the cattle is good news." Justin knew it could have been potentially devastating for Riley if he lost his cattle, given his job. He drank some more of his coffee, studying Riley and wondering if the guy knew his wife was now a werewolf. It was crazy and still hard for Justin to believe, and he couldn't recall seeing Riley at the encampment. "Very brazen," he agreed. "Got bit by one myself. I guess I was one of the lucky ones who survived."
Riley nodded, grateful the horses hadn't been ones he counted on for himself or his staff. They'd been new foals ready for breaking if they were needed, which they weren't. "Thanks, mate. Cattle are the most important so no harm, no foul really." He smiled and sipped at his coffee before cutting off a juicy bit of steak to chew as he thought of an answer. Sure he hadn't wanted to bring up werewolves but Justin seemed to have the signs so Riley tested the waters, his voice low. "Not many survived without complications. Did you get lucky?" It wasn't what he'd come here for but he had to ask.
Justin got what Riley was asking, and he delayed his answer by taking another sip of his coffee. Then he set the cup down on the counter, his eyes meeting Riley's. "Far as I know, no one escaped without complications. I know your wife didn't." Because Lia had been there, helping build cages. And she had been there on the full moon. And Justin wouldn't actually say it, but he had seen plenty of Riley's wife the next morning before she had thought to cover up what she could. Hell, he had seen plenty of everyone, but obviously none of them had been as appealing as a bare woman.
Riley shook his head seriously. "No. No, she didn't. Though she did manage to come through everything like champ recently." He was, in fact, proud of how she'd held up in spite of all his misgivings and frustrations with the situation. Had Riley known Justin had gotten an eyeful of Lia though, he might've been struggling to maintain some sort of business ethic while he talked himself down from taking a swing. It was just as well he didn't know because he liked the guy. "Looks like you got a clean bill of health too, yeah? Good on ya, mate. If you don't mind me asking, in general terms, of course," he said because somehow they'd managed to start this conversation without actually mentioning the precise topic but he wanted to know. "Was it terrible?"
It didn't seem like anyone at the encampment had trouble, as far as Justin could tell. Admittedly, he had gone into it thinking of the old movies he used to watch, where the man would shift and his skin would tear and he would scream in pain until the beast took over. But this had been nothing like Hollywood, and for that, he was thankful. "Nah, not really," Justin said, wondering if his wife had given him any details herself. "Barely felt a thing. Woke up a little tired, surrounded by a bunch of bare asses, but I survived." He smirked a little and picked up his coffee again. "Nothin' that can't be handled every month, you know? All the extra senses are starting to feel more natural too. I barely notice them anymore."
Lia had given him details but he wasn't sure he trusted that she'd given all of them. He didn't figure she'd tell him if she'd had excruciating pain or if something had happened to terrify her. Albeit she didn't seem to have been through any of that but what did Riley know? He'd never had an occasion to see Lia go through anything like that so he had nothing to base anything on there. He was grateful to hear someone else confirm what she had said though and he chuffed a laugh at the bare asses. "Must have been a real treat, that," he said and pushed his steak and eggs around his plate. "Well, at least it won't make you weepy and in need of anger management every month, yeah?" he quipped, insinuating a weak parallel between the full moon and PMS.
"Shit." Justin laughed, despite himself. "I'll have to give my sister permission to knock me out if I ever start to get weepy. Thankfully, I don't see that happening. Seems like everything's gone back to normal, other than the heightened senses. Definitely not as bad as I'd been prepared for." He was also able to pinpoint vampires, which was new, but that wasn't something you came out with in a public place, especially when you had no idea if the other person even knew they existed. "How's things for you, then? Besides business?"
Riley laughed along at the image of Zania with her fists up to knock Justin out. He was sure the woman had her moments but she hadn't come across as the sort to knock people out when he'd been talking to her so it was kind of funny to imagine. "Yeah, that'd be utter bollocks if you had to put up with that every month. I don't know how women do it without pulling all their hair out." He'd had a couple female boarders at one point who'd managed to sync their monthly schedule and the house was utter chaos thanks to their rampages. He'd wanted to pull all his hair out. "Things are good, thanks for asking. Met a girl who could walk through a counter and disappear. That was odd but then we had ghosts a few weeks back before the doors shut so I don't feel like I'm going too crazy. How about you?"
Ghosts. That prompted Justin's grin to fade as he remembered the incident in his house the night before. Fucking ghosts. "Things are fine," he said after a moment. "Pretty sure one of those ghosts has taken up residence in my house. Can't figure out who it is, as they won't show themselves." He took his head and picked up his coffee cup to refill it. "Never thought I'd be chatting about ghosts like it's the most natural thing in the world, you know? There's more abnormal fillin' up the dome than normal."
Riley picked up on the mood shift and a beat later understood it. He wondered if Ember had visited Justin too. She'd seemed the type to refuse to show herself while being a nuisance. Then, of course, any ghost might be the same way. Who knew? "Taken up residence? That's no good, mate. Should find out if there's a priest around here somewhere and get that exorcised or something." At least Ember hadn't stayed… that he knew of. He made a face at the idea she might still be hanging around somewhere in his house. "Too right. And what's abnormal isn't always as strange as it could be which is … not normal." He chuckled lightly.
For some reason Justin hadn't thought of that. He lifted a brow and stared at Riley before giving a small nod. "Yeah, maybe that would work. I never even considered tracking down a priest. Hell, I don't even know if one exists inside the dome." Maybe he would check the hospital and see they employed any. "Whoever she is, she's been messing with my head for awhile. But yeah, I'll see what I can do." He certainly wasn't going to lie down and take it. With his cup refilled, Justin nodded. "Abnormal is becoming the norm. You make sure to keep your family safe. There's been far too much death around here in the past few weeks. No one seems to want to talk about it, but it's there."
Riley couldn't imagine there being a priest in the dome. The one church was non-denominational and there wasn't even a pastor. He knew because he'd attempted to go and ask some advice for his grief at one point. It seemed like in the face of zombies, humanity had given up on God. At least in Delphi. "Maybe someone else could do it. I know there's a supernatural guru of sorts somewhere." He was thinking of Chiri. He'd never met her officially, other than to stand up on stage with her at the bachelor auction, but he had overheard talk. "There has been a lot of death. And a lot of violence. Believe me, I'm protecting as much as I can." As much as he was allowed anyway.
It was certainly an option, trying to exorcise the ghost from his home. Justin knew plenty of people in the dome, and he didn't think it would be an issue to feel around and find out what he could do. Justin knew it was horrible of him, on some level, but he was thankful he didn't have a wife or a kid. He had Zania, and Nic, and some cousins, but they could all take care of themselves just fine. Justin knew that pack mentality was becoming ingrained inside of him, but he found it hard to comprehend trying to protect people who were that close to him, the way Riley had to. "Well, doesn't hurt that your wife is... stronger than she used to be," Justin said, wanting to avoid the W word.
Riley was sure that Lia's physical strength still didn't surpass her internal strength. Which was why it bugged him so much that she was always on about Micah. What did she need him for when she was already so strong and resilient? What did she need him for if she had Riley? The simmering began a slow boil under the surface and he worked not to let it show on his face. He really wished he had a beer now. "No, you're right about that. And it doesn't hurt that she was already like a mother bear with her cub when it came to our daughter." He took a bite of steak and egg and chewed for a moment. "Has your business been affected any? Curfews and danger and all?"
It was a subtle thing, something Justin was still getting used to, but he picked up on the very slight change in Riley's heart beat. It wasn't too difficult to hear over the clinking of silverware on plates, and idle chatter going on around him. Justin wondered if he had hit a nerve with the comment on Lia being strong. "The curfew hurt some, yeah, but nothing I couldn't rebound from. The shitty weather tends to hurt worse than anything else." Justin sipped his coffee, sure he would be on a caffeine kick for the next few hours. Everything okay? You seem...hard to describe, since I can sense it rather than see it. Tense, maybe." It was none of his business, and he wouldn't blame Riley at all if he blew off Justin's question. Justin would have done the same thing.
"What is with the weather. It wasn't until recently that we got all of this craziness with the storms and what not. I'm glad I'm not a crop farmer! Bad enough I lost a head to a lightning strike." Maybe it was because Justin had actually asked or maybe it was because he really needed to talk about it with someone and get it out of his head, but Riley felt immediately inclined to simply spill out his frustrations over Lia and Micah. But he was stopped by the fact that Lia also came into this restaurant. Justin knew what she ordered so he'd obviously interacted with her. Riley couldn't paint her in a bad light like that with someone she'd have to face eventually. "Yeah, just a lot of stuff going on, I guess. It feels really pent up in this place. I got used to a lot more action what with the war and then the zombies. This, even with the abnormal stuff, is a lot more mundane." None of which was a lie but it wasn't what had his heart rate shifting faster.
Justin knew plenty of people who reveled in the mundane, especially after being outside the dome for so many years. He didn't want to mention to Riley that the guy might see more action if the body count continued to rise, or if there was more out there than just vampires and werewolves. And ghosts, apparently. It could become a hell of a lot more dangerous because of the mere fact that they were all locked. Shooting fish in a barrel, he thought. "You ever think of joining security?" Justin asked after a minute. He wasn't a fan of authority of any kind, but he could kind of understand where Riley was coming from. "Bet they could use some more people. And hell, maybe you'd see more action. Mundane, sure, but it'd be something else to do."
Riley hadn't thought about joining security. He'd thought he had enough on his plate with finding Lia and trying to be a family again in the face of the whole werewolf crisis. And there was the part where he didn't think Lia would like it one bit if he did anything that could potentially place him in danger. "No, mate, I hadn't. I'm not sure when I'd fit it into my schedule," he said but his voice was thoughtful, like he might actually be trying to figure out how to fit it into his schedule. "You have point there though. There'd be more action than cattle ranching, at least, in Delphi anyway. Huh." He finished the last bites of his breakfast and then began working on the tail end of his coffee. "You on security?" he asked curiously.
"You could always volunteer for smaller shifts, if it's something you want to do. But no, man, security isn't for me. I don't think I have the patience." That was a total lie as Justin had an infinite amount of patience. Or, he used too. Who knew how being a wolf might have changed him. "I know a few on duty though. If you want any contacts to talk to first, just let me know, yeah?"
Riley nodded, still thinking about it. Whole avenues of possibility felt opened by this conversation. It was just security. Maybe just small shifts of whatever. But it was something new and productive. Maybe Lia might even approve since it wasn't exactly running through the forest and hunting dangerous things. "Thanks, mate. Contacts would be good, if you have them." He pulled out his phone, preparing to enter information for himself to reference later.
Justin rattled off a couple of the men he knew who worked for the security. He even gave Riley Serge's name, just in case. "Maybe that'll help with some excitement," Justin said once he was finished. "If not, I'm not sure what to tell you. But there's plenty of unpredictability around you. You never know what's comin' next."
Riley nodded again and put his phone away. He'd met Serge but hadn't thought about asking the man if he could join security at the time. "Thanks again, mate. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you or your sister. Maybe I can work a discount or something if she needs a meat contract for her club." He fished out his wallet to pay for his meal with a slightly larger than usual tip for Cameron.
"Yeah, I'll let her know. I'm sure she'd appreciate that." He wasn't entirely sure of Zania's full plans for her club, but he would definitely mention it to her. Justin saluted Riley and stepped back to put his empty coffee cup in the dish bin below the counter. "See you around… tell your wife I said hey."
Riley picked up his hat and put it on, duffing the brim at Justin in friendly way. "Will do. Cheers!" Then he set off to another appointment. He might just stop by the pub while he was at it and see if an afternoon beer wasn't on the menu at some point.