Who: Constance and Gamora When: Friday, 6th January - Noon Where: Local cafe What: A coffee-lunch meeting Rating/Warnings: Low/None Status: Complete
Constance was looking forward to meeting Gamora, it was always good to make new friends and she sounded like a very interesting woman. California was the only place outside of Europe that Constance had ever been so she was hoping Gamora wouldn’t mind telling her about Hawaii. She wasn’t going to mention the dreams yet, after all it had taken Constance a little while to start having hers after she arrived so until somebody else mentioned it she generally didn’t say anything.
Entering the cafe she smiled at the staff before finding a table, she liked this place. It had a homely feel to it but they had table service and everybody was nice. And, of course, the food was good.
Gamora wasn’t used to nice. Not with people, anyway, who always seemed like a whole other species from her entirely - she felt so foreign, so alien trying to connect with others, but since moving to a new place she thought that it would do her good to give it a really decent effort. Having lunch with someone she recently met online was a prime way to get out of her comfort zone - it was her making an effort, anyway.
Her analytical and tactical nature had her assessing her surroundings as soon as she walked in - the decor was ‘cute’ and ‘charming,’ well-lit and chic yet also with a rustic air and very welcoming. She noted where the exits were and the fire alarms, also taking note of the general location of those in her vicinity - and there was someone she presumed to be Constance, at a table.
Heading in that direction, she adjusted her black blazer with gold, military-inspired buttons (very professional, and she was of course armed underneath), and attempted something of a smile - hopefully her face didn’t crack. “Are you Constance, General Manager of the Versailles Hotel?”
Constance laughed, “I am indeed. Which means you must be Gamora, formerly of Hawaii and rather suspicious of friendliness?” she teased a little but her bright smile was open and honest as she held out her hand. “I’m glad to see you didn’t have any trouble finding this place, it’s one of my favourite places” she admitted. It helped it wasn’t too far from the hotel and they did take away food when needed as well.
Well, yes, Gamora supposed that summed her up rather well. She chuckled huskily and shook Constance’s hand, her grip firm and confident yet not too crushing. Breaking a potential new friend’s bones was not a good way to start things off. “That would be me,” she concurred.
Taking a seat at the table, she slipped out of her jacket and hung it over the back of her chair, then plucked a menu to see what was available. “I did, I found the place alright. It looks pleasant,” she said, with a glance around. “I am still somewhat surprised at how large Orange County alone is. There are more people here than the whole state of Hawaii.” Definitely could make one feel rather lost in the crowd.
“Really? That must take some getting used to. There’s more here than the UK I’m sure but London is so crowded that it doesn’t seem such a big leap to me” Constance admitted, “I’d love to hear more about Hawaii though, I’m afraid I don’t know much at all. This is the furthest I’ve ever travelled”
Since this was apparently a coffee-lunch date (well, Gamora hadn’t been sure how to word it, so she assumed that both would be appropriate? Maybe not at the same time, but) when the server stopped by she ordered herself a hot cup of joe (black, like her soul, if you happened to ask) and a water, just to have on the side. Deciding on lunch was going to be something different. Perhaps she’d go for something not-healthy for once. Like a slice of cake, and that was it.
“It is - “ She paused to think of how to best describe it. “Aloha is a word but it’s also a culture, which tends to be very important there. Compassion and love and respect for your fellow neighbor,. It’s also a lot slower in Hawaii than anywhere else, I have discovered. People just do not have that same sense of urgency on an island. Living on an island can also feel isolating too, being surrounded by water - I think some people, when they move, aren’t expecting island fever to be real.”
Well, that was a lot. She usually didn’t talk that much in one sitting.
Constance ordered herself a drink as well and then settled in to listen to Gamora, “Well most of that sounds wonderful if I’m honest” she said, “The values sound like ones we should all be living by if people could only remember that. And a slower pace would do everybody some good I think. I can understand the isolation though, I imagine it can be quite a shock moving away especially to somewhere like America which is so huge” Even Constance found that and the UK was already fairly fast paced and full of people.
It was true, North America - the portion of the United States all clumped together - was ridiculously huge. Gamora definitely hadn’t seen all of it. “It is pretty large, isn’t it? I like to travel but even I haven’t gone anywhere I want to yet.” She didn’t see how you could, unless you didn’t have a fulltime job. Or traveled for work anyway.
“Volcano insurance is popular in Hawaii too,” she gave a bit of a laugh, a quiet one. “Properties are listed by whatever Lava Zone they fall into. If there’s an eruption, sometimes there’s damage. The food is also good - you learn to love spam in Hawaii.” Funnily enough, though it was used pretty creatively, which wasn’t something she saw around here. “Shave ice is a staple, and so are malasadas. So basically sugary fried dough. How strange I never see it on menus elsewhere.” Didn’t they love fried food on the mainland?
Now she was hungry, and screw it. She was sinking her teeth into a burger today.
“It’s massive. I remember reading somewhere that you can fit the whole of the UK into California three and a half times. Just California” Constance said, remembering how crazy that had seemed to her at the time.
“You know I never even thought about the volcano” she said, “I can’t begin to imagine living with that as a possibility all the time” then she chuckled when Gamora mentioned spam, “Now spam is something we have in the UK, can’t say we love it that much as a nation though. I am however loving the sound of sugary fried dough, oh I’m glad we’re having lunch I’m starving now all this talk of food” she grinned glancing down at her menu.
“It’s mainly the spam musubi - so like spam on a block of rice, wrapped with seaweed. That’s sold everywhere, even in 7-Eleven,” Gamora shook her head, however even she had to admit that it was pretty good when you were hungry and in need of some trashy food. “But there are fancier spam dishes too. Now with all this talk of food, I think we should definitely split a dessert at least,” she grinned.
Everything smelled good - she definitely caught a whiff of fresh bread and pastries, so she could only imagine what kinds of cakes and things this place had.
“But what else about you?” She was curious when it came to her lunch companion. “You have managed to settle into the OC alright?”
“I am definitely on board with that idea” Constance said, she’d never been one to watch what she ate too much. She was who she was and that was it, she didn’t go crazy but she didn’t deny herself much either.
“I’ve been lucky actually. My friend Anne, who owns the hotel, has been with me so we’ve had each other to rely on but honestly it’s surprised me how nice everybody is. Like I said on the net it really does feel like a community here. I’ve already made some lovely friends”
That was encouraging, at least. Gamora felt like she was being exposed to a whole slew of different experiences - from nice people, to odd dreams, to entering some kind of pocket dimension that defied typical laws of nature. Which - you’d think she’d be more perturbed by it, but she was trying to remain calm and roll with the punches.
Most anything was better than being back with Thanos.
She ordered her burger - cheese, lettuce, tomato, some type of fancy aioli - and took a sip from her coffee, warming her hands around the cup. It felt nice, even in the calmer winter that seemed to have settled over the OC. “Is managing a hotel always what you wanted to do?” she asked.
Constance was doing fairly well when it came to rolling with the OC strangeness too, it was a small price to pay to be in such a nice place and nothing terribly bad had happened so far. Just some very weird things. Like snow. In California.
Constance ordered her lunch too, a burger like Gamora but with added bacon, everything was made better with bacon. “Actually I started out working in a care home looking after older people towards the end of their lives but my boss saw more potential in me and put me through college so I could get a qualification in hospitality and management” Constance had been very lucky and very aware she’d been lucky. She tried not to take it for granted.
It was true. Bacon made everything better, Constance was very smart with her burger order. “Oh,” Gamora seemed surprised at the subsequent explanation. She couldn’t help it - that seemed like such a difficult job. And here she thought her job was difficult, basically just being her father’s lackey until she managed to find her own way a little better. “That must have been hard to do. But it is necessary. I think of living for so long and then having no one to take care of you...it’s depressing.”
Well, that was like a raincloud over the table. Leave it to her to bring one of those, and she smiled sheepishly, hiding a little behind her coffee cup (like it was even possible - it wasn’t). “Sorry, I tend to be kind of a downer on occasion.”
“Oh not at all. You’re absolutely right, it is a depressing thought but that’s why the homes are there. To look after those with nobody else and bring them a little comfort at the end, or at least the good homes are” Constance said, “But it’s a very long way off for either of us, who knows what could be possible by then” she added more cheerfully. There was never anything that would keep her down for long.
“Yes, you are right - I hope to make it that long,” Gamora nodded, and who knew what the future held. Her career choice wasn’t the most safe, but she was skilled and careful, and she looked after herself. Maybe one day she’d end up married with children and then grandchildren, who could actually come and visit her in any old folks home.
She would try to stick to less depressing subjects for the remainder of their lunch date - maybe she could learn a thing or two about developing a rapport with friends that didn’t have to do with doom and gloom. Or guns.
Plus, there was dessert coming later. So that? That tended to help out most situations as well.