Clara Oswald is going the long way round (alwaysbeenthere) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2020-06-08 11:11:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, clara oswald, david xanatos |
Who: Clara Oswald and Xanatos
What: Meeting
When: Recently
Where: TARDIS!Diner near the beach
Warnings: Should be low
Status: Log | Complete
The small beachside diner wasn’t the type of dining establishment that Xanatos would normally eat at. He was a firm believer in the idea that one should live the lifestyle they could afford, and as such, Xanatos rarely ate anywhere that didn’t end with a meal priced at more than most people’s paycheques.
But it was quaint, and Xanatos could certainly go for some food. He instructed his bodyguard to remain outside - if he wished, he could explore the beach and Xanatos would call him when he was ready to go - and while the man gave him a strange look for his choice in diners, he still nodded and followed his orders. Xanatos stepped into the diner, one hand in his jacket pocket, self-assured as he always was, and scanned the diner before choosing one of the red-and-black booths to slip into.
The beachside was always a good place to park the TARDIS now and again as it led to a lot of people coming and going. Beach goers and the like. Plus a nice view for those who chose their seats correctly. But for now, there was a lull so Clara had been in the control room, debating if she wanted to close up shop for the day or not. Which was when she noticed someone come in and the fact that the TARDIS almost seemed….tetchy. Not enough to kick them out or keep the doors locked, but enough that Clara could pick up on it.
“Interesting…”
No matter. Clara was always one to be helpful if needed and as she was currently in diner owner mode, went out with a menu - psychic paper of course which allowed for essentially whatever the person reading wanted to be seemingly on the menu. Or whatever they expected to be on it. One could never be sure.
“Hello. Can I get you something to drink while you go over the menu?”
“Thank you,” Xanatos said, glancing at the menu. If he was surprised by the dishes the diner offered - things he was more likely to expect in a Michelin restaurant than in a greasy spoon, he didn’t show it. He did allow himself a small, satisfied smile, however. “I think an espresso will be fine, if you have them. I don’t need more time with the menu, however. It all looks so good that I’m sure anything will be fine.” He closed the menu and held it out to her. “Surprise me.”
“One espresso coming up.” And again with the ‘surprise me’ type answers. One of these days, she was going to get a proper menu and stop relying on the psychic paper menus. But no matter, when in doubt she had her own ways of working around annoyances like this.
Heading to the ‘kitchen’, Clara went to the control panel to get some information on her current customer. A bodyguard for one, wealthy. Okay then. She could work with that. But right, one espresso and then she would use her observation skills/research to figure out what he might have seen on the menu and go from there. Espresso made, she went out and handed it to him.
“Here you are.”
“Thank you,” Xanatos said, bringing the cup to his lips and taking a sip. He smiled, a sign that he approved. “This is quite a nice little diner you have here. Retro, almost. Very charming. Have you been working here for long?” There was no one else in the restaurant, so Xanatos couldn’t see the harm in a little friendly chitchat.
A little friendly chit chat was half the reason she opened most days. Mostly because when one was essentially immortal? Well, things could get redundant. Interesting conversation when not investigating the weird or traveling through space broke up the monotony. So it was easy for Clara to fall into conversation with a stranger. Especially given she was figuring out what to surprise him with in regards to a meal.
“A little under three and a half years now?” Had it really been that long since she had given up on teaching because she no longer found it to fit her? It had kept her grounded in this world and maybe that was something she needed. Especially now. But really, so long? The passing of time was definitely strange.
“That’s quite a long time. You must enjoy it then,” he said. He couldn’t imagine spending such a long time in a job that he didn’t care for, though he supposed there were plenty of people who often did. “I imagine you must get to meet all sorts of interesting people, especially with your great location.”
It was always hard to explain since it wasn’t like the diner was full time or anything. It was pretty much whenever the mood struck that she wanted to have it open and see who all came in and what conversations she got out of it. Still, she just gave a nod at the comment about enjoying it. Especially the part on interesting people.
“That’s the main appeal, the people and conversations.”
Since well, the location itself would change. Again depending on either her mood, or the TARDIS deciding that she needed to be in a given area.
“Well, hopefully I can compete with some of your previous guests,” Xanatos said. “I don’t normally dine in friendly little diners like this, though maybe I’ll have to start making a habit of it. I’m David Xanatos, by the way.” Maybe she’d recognize the name, and maybe she wouldn’t; he never concerned himself overmuch over whether people would recognize him or his name.
“So far so good.” A bit pompous but Clara had dealt with Time Lords and all other sorts. So she could just go with it. Even if she did quirk a brow at the comment about friendly little diners. Definitely a bit pompous. Luckily he didn’t seem to expect her to know his name because the brunette certainly had no idea who he was, “Clara Oswald. Nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” Xanatos said with a small, knowing smile. “Did you live in the area for long before you began working here?”
Interesting, but no matter, “Oh let’s see, I moved here about five and a half years ago, so it has been the majority of my time since moving to the states.”
“Hopefully you can recommend some spots for me?” Xanatos asked. “I’ve only just moved here myself, and I’m still not quite familiar with the area. There’s the internet, I know, but it never has been very good at pointing me toward those places the locals like instead of just where all the tourists flock.”
“Sure, I’ll see what I can come up with.” Grinned some. Luckily Clara remembered the places she used to go to when she still had to actually eat and the like. Plus places she’d go with friends or Bucky even when she herself had no need of food herself. Walking to the other side of the counter, the brunette brought out a pad of paper to write down a few places when she heard a ‘ding’, meaning the TARDIS had chosen an option for whatever she was surprising Xanatos with.
Giving him the list, she smiled, “And there’s your order.”
Heading to the back, Clara quirked a brow at the option but shrugged. Sure. Why not. And back to the main dining area with the order.
“Here you are.”
Xanatos was eager to see what Clara had come up with, and was more than a little dismayed when she laid a large, red lobster in front of him, with a side of some sort of butter sauce on the side to dip or pour on top, laid on top of a bed of salad. He couldn’t help the scowl that crossed his face, or the way his fingers tightened on the edge of the table, his knuckles white.
He hadn’t noticed the lobster on the menu - wondered if it had even been there in the first place - and now he looked at it with something bordering disgust, remembering all the lobster and other seafood meals his father would feed him night after night in his youth, the parts of his daily catch that he had laid aside so that the wouldn’t have to spend what little money the had on food that his father hadn’t caught with his own hands.
It wasn’t Clara’s fault, of course. It was his own fault for asking her to surprise him, and Fortune’s for insuring that the one thing that Xanatos did not want to eat would be brought to him. No doubt Lady Luck was looking on and laughing; his luck was normally quite good, so he supposed he could forgive her for this one, small joke. He took a breath through his nose and forced his shoulders to relax, and then he picked up the lobster and skillfully began to separate it with his hands, removing the meat from the shell.
He would never understand why lobster had become so popular among the upper echelons of society, especially as there was no dignified way to remove the meat from the exoskeleton. He’d eaten grilled larvae in Ecuador and cockroaches in China with the air of curiosity and neither had been bad, but if he’d never had to eat another ocean insect again, it would be too soon.
“Thank you,” he said, though his smile had a slight strain to it. “It looks delicious. Do you use a local supplier?”
Oh, Clara noticed the initial reaction and she had to wonder just what the TARDIS was up to. After all, she hadn’t been the one to go through records and the like to get an idea on what would be a good recommendation for Xanatos, that had been the TARDIS. And given the sentient nature of the time machine, it was clear the reaction should have been known. But no matter. That was the risk of saying ‘surprise me’ with no parameters.
So instead, she would just go along with it.
“Of course.” As for the question, she nodded, “We do actually. California Spiny Lobster,” Rare in that most of the lobsters were exported to China, thus raising the price so despite there being lobsters, restaurants instead would buy from Maine because it was cheaper than buying the local lobsters. Random information Clara knew that she technically had no need to. But it was what it was.
Xanatos’ dad had always complained that spiny lobsters didn’t taste as good as fresh caught Maine lobsters, and they had less meat to boot - there was no greater luxury, his father would often say, than being able to sit down and eat fresh Maine lobster every Sunday - but right now, Xanatos was glad for it. He’d had enough Maine caught lobsters to last him a lifetime, and the less lobster meat he had to eat, the better.
He was a little relieved to find that the taste was, indeed, quite different than the lobsters he used to eat as a boy, with a much stronger seafood taste - not something he would enjoy eating, but he wouldn’t dislike it quite as much as the lobster from home. He still slathered it in the butter sauce to mask at least some of the taste. “I’m from the East Coast, so I’ve most often had the Maine variety of lobster. This is a nice change,” he said, washing some of the taste away with the rest of his espresso. “Perhaps I’ll have an American this time,” he said, putting his espresso cup at the edge of the table. He liked Americanos significantly less than espresso, but at least he would ensure he’d have something to drink after every mouthful.
Clara nodded some. She never had really been interested in lobster either, not knowing the difference in taste. Just that apparently the California Spiny Lobster was far more rare because of costs and thus going for Maine lobster. But because it was rare, it wasn’t like it was in many places in the area either.
Not like it mattered when it was probably just a one time incident. Even so, she had to play the role.
“Well, I’m glad to provide a bit of variety.” Not that it seemed he actually liked lobster but no matter. He was at least eating it. Still, she nodded at the request for an Americano. “You got it.”
Taking the espresso cup, she headed to the back and then came back with the Americano.
“Here you are.”
Xanatos took yet another bite, and washed it down with a mouthful of hot coffee, wondering even as he did so what he was doing. He was one of the most powerful men in the county, and though he wanted to make a good first impression to Clara, that was no reason why he had to eat the giant bug that was staring up at him from his plate.
“You’ll have to forgive me,” he said, shooting Clara a bit of a sheepish smile. “I’m not really a fan of lobster, to tell the truth. There’s no way you could have known that so I tried to make a go of it, but I just can’t do it in the end. Maybe I could get a slice of pie or something instead?”
So the TARDIS had either not known that or had definitely known that. And knowing how much a cow a TARDIS could be when it felt like it? Clara was fairly certain that it was doing the latter but one could never know for sure. Until information like that was given. Still, she did wince in sympathy. Even if he had said to surprise him.
“It’s fine. Sorry about the bust surprise. But pie I can definitely do.” Smiling, Clara headed to the back for a slice of pie and brought it out for him.
“Next time, I’ll be sure to be more specific,” Xanatos said. And then the pie was in front of him, and it was better than he was expecting. It may not have been the pie of a world-class French pastry chef, but better by far than the old diner pies his father had sometimes taken him out for.
“This is nice. Homemade, or store bought?” he asked.
“Always appreciated.” After all, some sort of frame was good on surprises. Then again usually it was just ‘what do you recommend’ that people asked. He just had to be all ‘surprise me’ and well...the TARDIS decided to be a right cow about it. She knew why the Doctor’s TARDIS didn’t like her at first. She didn’t know why her TARDIS had decided to do so to Xanatos, but that was putting way too much thought into it so she pushed it aside.
“Homemade.”
TARDIS made to be exact. But again, not something shared with people she didn’t actually know.
“I thought as much,” Xanatos said, taking another bite of the pie. He swallowed, and washed it down with another sip of coffee. “Well, Clara, with pie like this, I’m sure that you’ll be seeing much more of me in the future.”
She still had no idea why the TARDIS had decided to try and give him something he didn’t like but it didn’t seem like it had a lasting impression and she just nodded with a grin, “Glad to hear it.”