Bucky Barnes (itwasstillme) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2017-05-09 19:52:00 |
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The move had gone far smoother than he’d thought it would. Of course, wrangling his younger siblings into helping him pack had made things go quicker. The cross country trek wasn’t that bad either. But he was definitely glad to be here now. Of course, most of his belongings were still in the boxes, but he was unpacking bit by bit. Clothes came first, then dishes and other such things for the kitchen. Everything else was in the ‘when he got to it’ realm of things.
Needing a break from unpacking, Bucky decided to walk around the area a bit, get used to what was here. He hadn’t shaved in a couple days, and he scratched at his cheek as he walked, dressed in a plain white shirt, jeans and an unbuttoned flannel shirt. He also still wore his dogtags on a chain around his neck. All in all, he was comfortable, and that was what was important.
He walked around for a while before he started thinking about grabbing something to eat or drink. That’s when he spotted a diner. Intrigued, he stepped through the door, and was a bit taken by the decorations. He smiled a bit in approval as he walked up to the counter and turned his sight on the woman behind it.
“Pretty nice place you have here.” He settled himself on a stool.
Clara remembered the moving thing and then how annoying unpacking could be and the need for the break from things. True she didn’t have to worry about that anymore. Her flat was set up, even though she spent most of her time in her TARDIS. And it was Orange County, breaks were always necessary even from mundane tasks. It was one of the reasons she would open up her ‘diner’, to give distractions. That and it was always interesting to her to see who would come through the doors. True, most of the time it was quiet and there weren’t many people that would come in. Sometimes though, people did come in.
Today was yet another quiet day, and so while she was dressed in the TARDIS blue waitress dress, hair up, Clara was leaning against the back of the counter as she read a book. At least until she heard someone speak up.
Closing her book, she looked over and smiled in greeting.
“Well thank you.” It was definitely set up in a unique way that seemed almost out of place Orange County. But it worked. Okay and the fact the chameleon circuit on her TARDIS was also busted. Placing the book down, Clara turned and leaned on her arms as she faced Bucky.
“So can I get you anything?” True there wasn’t time for him to look at the menu, but there was always the whole water or coffee thing that people tended to want first thing when they came into a diner.
“Coffee, please,” he responded with an easy smile. Bucky had an easy-going demeanor most of the time. At least when he wasn’t overseas or otherwise in the army frame of mind. “I like the retro aesthetic.” In a very odd way, it felt homey to him. Why? He couldn’t actually say, but Bucky had always liked movies and TV shows from the 40s and 50s. “How long have you been open for?” He was curious. And if it was good, he’d definitely have to come back in future.
He was going to need to spend a while learning the area, and where the best places to eat were. Though of course, Bucky’s first priority was finding a job. He didn’t know if he’d be deployed again in the relative future, but he’d like to keep himself busy in the meantime.
Bucky started to look over a menu. “So, what are your recommendations?” He asked. He liked getting recommendations when he was eating somewhere new.
“One coffee coming right up.” Returning the smile, Clara turned to where the coffee pot was and set it to make a new pot of coffee. Not like she usually drank it as she preferred tea but if she had to finish it off once her guest was gone, she would. As for the aesthetic, well it wasn’t like she could just say the TARDIS chose the disguise so instead she grinned over her shoulder. “What can I say, it seemed very...American. As for how long I’ve been open?” That was a question wasn’t it? What with how she basically played waitress on a whim depending on how bored she was. “I’d say about half a year?”
It was hard to calculate, and not just because time ran differently for her now that she was frozen in time and didn’t need to sleep and tended to only because she had nothing else to do at times.
Ah and there was the coffee. Pouring a mug, she placed it in front of Bucky before contemplating the question.
“Well, you can never go wrong with a proper burger.”
“Definitely very American.” Her accent hadn’t gone unnoticed. “Half a year is a good amount of time. You must get all sorts of people coming through here.” Little did Bucky know just what his statement implied when considering Orange County as a whole. In time, he’d come to understand it, but he was a new arrival here. The oddities had yet to reveal themselves to him. Or for him to find them.
Even if he was currently sitting inside one of said oddities, but he didn’t actually know that either.
“Thank you,” he said after receiving his coffee. He took a drink of it, tending to prefer his coffee black. Side effect of the army. He then smiled a bit dashingly at her. “True enough. You’ve sweet talked me into a burger.” A good American food there. Bucky couldn’t resist a good burger, just like he couldn’t resist a good steak now and then.
“You have no idea.” It was amusing to Clara because she was all too familiar with Orange County and the people who showed up, as well as the things that happened which could be quite… interesting. Then there were her dreams which did still repeat even though there hadn’t been anything all that new besides some of her adventures with Ashildr before going back to Trap Street. Still, no use to scare the poor bloke.
And he was a flirt. Clara had an eye for that sort of thing, and she obviously was one on her own so she wasn’t even thrown for a moment at the smile, instead returning it.
“I have been told I am quite good at sweet talking people into things. However, I assure you that you won’t be disappointed.”
Grinning a bit cheekily, Clara headed to the back to ‘put in the order’ before coming back with a plate of proper chips (well fine, fries given the theme of the diner) to share. Because she was nice like that.
In time, Bucky would definitely come to understand. But for now, he was blissfully ignorant of what really went on here. Perhaps he’d eventually wish he had remained ignorant, but it wasn’t something he could do anything about.
And then she was a flirt and he liked that. Bucky was a natural flirt, and always enjoyed when others would flirt back. Male, female, it didn’t matter to him. If they flirted back, he’d simply flirt more and see where things went from there.
“Well then, I’m glad to be on the receiving end of your charms,” he responded suavely. He waited patiently for the food, sipping at his coffee. Thus far, the move had been a very good thing. New people, new places, he needed that. Sometimes it was hard to break out of the army mindset. “Now, that definitely looks and smells great.” He complimented when Clara returned with the food.
Suave. Very suave. Clara could certainly appreciate that, it kept things interesting which was always important.
“Well that’s a relief. I would be quite put out if you weren’t.” Winking, that was when Clara moved to the back for the chips since it would actually take time for the burger to supposedly be made. And who didn’t like sharing a plate of proper chips? Exactly. Real proper pub/diner chips.
“Always glad to hear that. You need chips when waiting for a burger I find.” Picking up a chip as the plate was now between the two, Clara leaned against the counter and tilted her head to side some.
“So. What brought you out this way if you don’t mind me asking.”
Bucky was rather suave and charming when he wanted to be. Sometimes he was overly so, but he tried to keep it somewhat in check. Unless someone he was talking with responded well. Which she certainly seemed to be doing thus far.
He took a fry off the plate, smiling at the terminology. He didn’t ‘correct’ her, he well knew what she meant. Besides, Bucky had been abroad enough to know some cultures had different words for the same kind of food. He didn’t naysay any of it, even if English terminology sometimes amused him.
“I just moved here from New York. I’m trying to learn my way around. I was out for a walk, spotted your diner and now here I am sharing fries with very good company.” He grinned.
The joys of a TARDIS? Clara could travel to different places and experience those different cultures. Still, even as she tried to remain in the ‘theme’ of the diner, some things just would always remain the same. Such as chips, or saying biscuits instead of cookies, sweets versus candy and other such differences. Habit and all.
“Cheeky.” Grinning at the comment about how Bucky was now sharing fries with very good company, Clara continued on with the conversation, “Good way to learn your way around a new area, though.” Clara had done similar when she’d first shown up. That and unpack and get ready for a new term. It had been a lot, then fathers showing up. It seemed like forever ago even if it’d only been a few years. “Anything in particular bring you to the Orange County from New York, or just a need for a change of scenery?”
Clara could certainly understand that bit. That and running away. But that was neither here nor there.
Bucky chuckled at the cheeky remark. He tended to get that a lot. It was difficult for him to keep those sorts of comments to himself when someone else was flirting back. He didn’t intend for it to lead anywhere, he just liked the company and banter.
“It is, and it’s also exercise.” From the way his shirt hung, it was obvious he was rather fit and muscled. Bucky did exercise regularly, lifting weights, running on a treadmill, walking, things of that nature. “Change of scenery mostly. Nothing against New York, I love it there, my family’s there, but I just needed something different. Especially after serving several tours of duty in the Middle East, I needed to get out of New York.”
He didn’t precisely like the distance from his family, but he needed the change. Despite the boxes still needing to be unpacked in his apartment, he felt that he could relax a bit more here. Which was definitely a good thing.
Life had a funny way of working out, what you did or did not plan didn’t always happen that way. Life went into offshoots or things grew that were unintended. Though it would be criminal to not make comment on him and exercise.
“Exercise is a good thing, and you clearly do exercise.” What? She had eyes.
Then there was the fact that it seemed Bucky was… a soldier. Of course he was, because it would be as though Clara always found herself inextricably drawn to soldiers. She nearly missed the whole needing something different part given the fact that she once again was feeling herself drawn to a soldier.
“Sometimes you just need that change, it happens.”
“Ah, you noticed? Thought I was more subtle than that,” Bucky joked. Of course he knew he wasn’t the subtle sort, but hey, he could be playful and joke about himself. He had a healthy sense of humor.
“Yeah, change is sometimes necessary. So far, so good on that front.” Really, he could adapt to most anything, but sometimes it was the surroundings that needed to change, not the person themselves. “So what brought you here to the former colonies?” He was curious about her. He thought about making a joke about Brexit, but decided that wouldn’t go over too well. He didn’t know her well enough to joke about something like that just yet.
“Hard not to, and maybe I’m just very perceptive.” Quirking a brow flirtatiously, Clara grabbed another chip as he went further into how sometimes it was necessary to have some form of change. Though, she probably shouldn’t have been surprised for the conversation to switch to why she had moved. It was pretty obvious what with her accent and all.
Yeah, Brexit was still too soon, even with the mess that was Trump. No, that took a different level of knowing someone before those particular jabs could be made without causing offence.
“About the same, just wanted a change. There was a job opening at one of the secondary schools here, so I took it before deciding I wanted something different from teaching. Which is how I started the Diner.”
More or less. Being a teacher was all well and good, but she had needed a change, especially with her side job with the Agency and her general feeling of not doing much and needing something more.
“Perhaps you are. I like perceptive,” Bucky returned with a smirk. Already he was liking Clara. Flirty and could keep up with him on that front.
Taking another fry, he listened, smiling a bit. “From being a teacher to running a diner. I bet you were a great teacher, though. But sometimes, things just need to change.” Sometimes Bucky got restless, and felt like he should be on another tour of duty. But at the same time, he didn’t want to get completely sucked into military life. He knew it wasn’t a guarantee that he would come back alive, and he preferred being alive.
“So are you enjoying having a diner and interacting with people? Seems like it could be a little more challenging than wrangling a classroom of teenagers.” Well, depending on the day, of course. Teenagers weren’t the easiest people to handle sometimes.
“Well that’s a relief.” Because flirting was fun and well, it was nice when her powers of being perceptive were appreciated. And there was a definite connection in the flirtation that was going on that Clara was enjoying.
“I certainly hope I was a good teacher.” And she was, she could teach the Doctor things after all. But that? That was something to be left unsaid as it was not exactly easy to explain because of the dreams. “But yeah, needed the change since apparently moving across the pond wasn’t enough.”
That was a big enough change, especially between London and California. But when it came to feeling stuck in a routine of teaching? More change was needed.
“I am. Don’t have to be quite so proper which is nice.” Clara was pretty open in how she communicated with people, even working at the Diner which was supposedly a job where she had to make nice with people. But students? That was different. “And yeah, teenagers can be a handful at times. Luckily most of them were focused since it was an AP class.”
“Moving across the pond is definitely quite the change. Things are quite different here than they are in England.” There was a distinct difference between Americans and English people. But Clara seemed more than able to hold her own here. Though measuring Bucky against Americans wasn’t a completely fair thing to do.
“Not so proper? But what happened to the age old truth of the customer always being right?” Bucky teased, a twinkle in his eye. There was an obvious difference between interacting with students and interacting with customers.
“What AP class did you teach? If I were a teenager, I probably would’ve been in your class.” He meant it in the having been an excellent student. Bucky had not been the stereotypical jock. He excelled on the playing field and in the classroom.
“Guess it’s a good thing I run the place, no one to fire me if I step over a line.” Grinning, Clara finished her chip. There really was a difference between interacting with students and customers. Besides, sometimes she took a flirting a bit far, which was currently the situation but it was going over well, so really, what did she care right now?
“Well that would have been disappointing. Can’t right flirt with a student. Though as for what subject, English. Which led to discussions on proper spelling, as well as debates with the administration because some of the books I wanted to look at didn’t fit their specific ‘criteria’ even though it was still analytically looking at stories.” Which also had something to do with why she left, not just the feeling of being stuck.
“Lucky you,” he responded. “So clearly that means if I wanted to give feedback on your service to your boss, I’d be talking to you. Well, I better give you a good review!” Bucky could take flirting a bit far himself, when the opportunity presented itself. And at least right now he wasn’t being smacked for doing just that.
“Very disappointing,” he agreed. “Ah yes, the good old English-versus-American ways of spelling. Frankly I’m flexible on that.” Bucky had traveled abroad, he wasn’t such a stickler for how things were supposed to be spelled. How they were pronounced, on the other hand, might be something he’d poke at her in jest. “It was bad enough dealing with the so-called ‘banned’ books as a student. Seriously, books are books, let students read and expand their minds a bit.”
“Yep. I am the boss.” It was a nice feeling. True Clara had always needed to feel in control of things, and this was just one way of having that sort of control where she might not get it as a teacher. “And I do appreciate good feedback. Obviously.”
Shaking her head in amusement some, Clara shrugged, “Let’s just say getting into a grading trance meant I would go on autopilot for spelling which led to some confusion when I first started here.” And then there was the comment about books. “Exactly! I was wanting to explore the themes that cross books and how they form us by looking at children’s stories, but they weren’t ‘advanced’ despite the aim. Rubbish if you ask me.”
And a quick look to the clock…
“Let me go get that burger for you.” Since it was about the right time frame that a burger would be made. Pushing herself away from the counter, Clara headed to the back to where a burger would be waiting before coming back and delivering it to her customer.
“Here you go.”
“So far, you are going to receive excellent feedback.” Bucky said with a wide grin. And she was. Although one could argue she was already getting the feedback with the way he was flirting.
“Now, see, clearly those people were just thinking too much inside the box. Who cares if teenagers are reading children’s books? They’re reading and thinking analytically about them, trying to tie them into a larger theme. That’s what really counts. Sometimes it seems people don’t want kids using their brains.” Which was the worst thing. It was one thing that kept Bucky from being a dumb jock, he liked challenging his mind and working hard at whatever he did, not just working hard at one aspect of his life.
“Thank you,” he said when she brought the burger out. “That’s definitely an excellent looking burger.” He smiled before he took a bite of it.
Well yes, it was true she was already getting the feedback given the flirtation that was going on, however it was all in good fun so she just grinned. “Always good to hear.”
And he had brains, which was definitely attractive. All things considered, that was more important, not that flirtation at a diner meant anything. But intelligence and looking at things in different ways made conversation all the more interesting and it was much more stimulating. “Exactly. Bloody test culture. I swear.”
Still, that was that and then there was burger delivering and she just grinned in pride. Okay so the TARDIS basically had all that part covered and she’d done nothing. But still. Her diner.
“Excellent.”