(Untitled)

[ameliabroadway]

Who: Amelia Broadway, Sookie Stackhouse, Sam Merlotte
Where: Merlotte's Bar & Grill
When: Night, around 10 PM
Status: Complete

Amelia wasn't used to small towns - at all. But ever since she'd left New Orleans, she'd had no choice but to drive through plenty of them. She'd resisted the hunger pangs that had begun a few hours before - she wasn't eager to

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[trusookie]

Plopping a plate-full of burger and fries in front of a middle aged man, who gave her a toothy smile--which would have been real sweet, except his only thoughts were the realness of her breasts and how they would feel--Sookie made sure he had enough ketchup before swooping around a few tables to take another order from a small family, who smiled but had glaring thoughts about her consorting with a vampire.

She was a pro at this. After years of practice, Sookie had learned to smile, despite seeing or "hearing" the nastiest things coming from people's heads. Of course, it made her come off a little ditzy since she was always focusing on responding to anything but their crude mental comments, but she didn't care. She was only fueling their endless fire. And after meeting Bill Compton (and thoroughly enjoying the time she spent with him), they had plenty to think of her.

"Order up," she told Lafayette, who was grilling tonight, as she placed the ticket stub where he could see it. She pulled the pencil out of her hair as Arlene told her someone she didn't recognize was sitting in her section. Of course, she had hoped all night to see Bill, but a stranger was also intriguing. In a town so small, one could always tell when fresh meat appeared.

As she moved out of the kitchen area, she forced her guard up, not wanting to intrude on the stranger's privacy since they could very well just be passing through. When she saw the stranger was just a young woman, she felt a bit more relaxed. She wasn't sure what she would do if another vampire came into the bar. And as she had learned, not all of them were as nice as Bill.

Coming up to the woman's table, she said, "Hi there," she set down a menu and a set of utensils wrapped in a napkin, "Can I get ya somethin' to drink to start off?"

[ameliabroadway]

Amelia stared blankly up at the blonde waitress as she quickly evaluated her options. If she had been feeling like a good little girl, she would have just ordered a glass of water. Instead, she answered with, "I'd like a rum and Coke, please." If she'd been planning on driving any further tonight, that had just gone out the window. Then again, it looked as though all the local law enforcement in this little town was sitting right here in the bar, so what the hell?

Though she was never really fond of small-talk, Amelia gestured around the bar and asked, "Is it always so crowded in here?" She felt somewhat at ease in the crowd of strangers, but the sense of something - or someone - vibrating with magical energy was giving her a bit of a headache. Would an Advil go down well with a rum and Coke? Probably not, she thought irritably.

[trusookie]

"Comin' right up," Sookie told the woman as she scribbled the easy to remember drink order on her pad before she heard her speak again. She was surprised the woman even wanted to talk to her; she must really be from out of town. Most of the folks in town gave her their order and sent her on their way. The rumors about her potential 'ability' freaked them out, though most just thought she was plain crazy or dumber than a sack of hammers.

"It's 'bout the only decent place to eat in Bon Temps," she told her with a bright smile, "But, I may have a conflict of interest in the matter."

[ameliabroadway]

"It seems like a nice place," Amelia admitted, a small smile on her lips. It really did, for a bar in a middle-of-nowhere town like Bon Temps. Maybe that would be good for her, to try living somewhere like this. Nobody knew her, nobody knew who her father was... It would be nice to have some anonymity in her life for a change.

Shaking her head a little so as to clear away her cluttered thoughts, she continued, "It must be real obvious that I'm not from around here, huh?" The blonde waitress was nice, and it was refreshing to have a conversation with someone after spending the whole day cooped up in her car with only the radio to keep her company.

[trusookie]

"Well, I'll be sure to tell Sam Merlotte you think so," she beamed. It was always nice when out-of-towners appreciated Merlotte's bar. It usually meant that they would tell their friends, who would tell their friends, and they'd have more business than they knew what to do with. But, that was just fine with Sookie. She liked keeping busy since it helped her mind focus on something other than thoughts.

Sookie laughed lightly, "You may as well have a neon sign over your head. But, we always love new customers," she told her, "Frankly, it's refreshin' to see a new face sometimes. I get sick of serving the same ol' guys every night," she said, though her smile remained. Sure, it was partly a joke, but also rooted in truth. The men in Bon Temps left nothing to the imagination, even if she couldn't hear their thoughts. And having Andy Bellefleur in the bar every night scrutinizing her every move was pretty unsettling. "Where are you from?" she suddenly asked, glad to have someone who didn't think she was a kook to speak to.

[ameliabroadway]

"New Orleans," Amelia answered. "Been there since I was born." She hesitated, silently mulling over how to put her recent departure into words. "But I needed a change of scenery, so I've been on the lookout for somewhere new to settle down." In other words, I ran away from home like a stupid sixteen year-old, Amelia reminded herself bitterly as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Nobody needed to know the circumstances of her relocation, and she was crossing her fingers - and her toes for good measure - that she wouldn't have to go crawling back home with her tail between her legs. Anywhere but home would have been fine and dandy at that point.

[trusookie]

Sookie found herself feeling pretty relaxed talking to this young woman; so relaxed that her guard slipped slightly and she gleaned a few thoughts from her mind. But, of course, with her years of practice, she acted as though nothing was wrong, nodding along to her story. But, there was also something different about her thoughts. They hummed and had a slight air about them, different from the regular bar patrons.

"Oh, wow, I've only been to New Orleans a few times, but it was a real neat place," she said, not wanting pity to slip into her expression as she knew that the woman had run away from home, "Bon Temps is a real nice place to settle down. Seems to be a good get-away. I mean, it's so far from regular civilization that you feel like you're on small town vacation." After a moment, she said, "I'll get your drink." She didn't want to continue unintentionally intruding on the girl's thoughts.

[ameliabroadway]

Amelia watched the waitress walk away, then turned her attention back to the menu. She was starving, and her stomach was sure letting her know it. Besides, she needed a few moments to herself to digest all that she had heard. A "small town vacation", she thought, biting her lip as her finger roamed back and forth between a salad and a chicken sandwich. It'd be something new. Amelia was a sucker for trying new things, so this thought cheered her up considerably and made the thought of putting down roots somewhere far from home a little less dreadful.

[trusookie]

(OOC: Sorry for the delay in this. I was waiting on Sam. And then I had no internet for 2 weeks, eep! I hope you're still around.)

Returning to Amelia's table, Sookie set the drink in front of her, ready to take a food order. Sam's request was on the tip of her mind, but she knew she'd probably have to find out the old fashioned way. Most people didn't think about their own name that often. And if they did, they were probably pretty narcissistic.

"If you don't mind me askin'," she began, "What's your name? I'm just wonderin' since it's not often we get strangers in here. And well, we're such a little community, everyone knows everyone's name, so while you're here, you should feel like one of us."

She knew the answer would come verbally, but she lowered her guard with ease to listen in to anything added to the answer.

[ameliabroadway]

(OOC: No worries! :) I'm still here.)

Amelia took a small sip of her drink - she hadn't had a rum and Coke in forever, and damn, it sure tasted good - then looked back up at the waitress. She debated silently for a moment or two. Giving out her name would be polite, but she didn't know whether putting roots down right away would be wise. She did need someplace to stay, though, so it was only logical to get to know the locals and try to fit in. Well, as much as an obvious out-of-towner could fit in. "Amelia Broadway," she answered, smiling. "Mind if I ask for yours?"

[trusookie]

Amelia was a pretty name, Sookie thought idly. "I'm Sookie Stackhouse," she answered her, almost proudly. Being a stranger, Amelia had no idea the history and slight prejudice her family faced in this town. Jason, of course, was forgiven more easily since he was just a womanizer, but Sookie was, to the best of everyone's knowledge, just plain crazy.

At least their Gran didn't have any bad marks against her. But, when the town learned that her Gran approved of her consorting with a vampire, things might change.

"So, did you decide what you'll have to eat? Our cook, Lafayette, makes the most delicious burgers," she said, enthusiastically.

[ameliabroadway]

Sookie Stackhouse. It had a nice ring to it that Amelia liked, and she seemed to radiate a sense of well-being. Nothing particularly chaotic or tumultuous, which was a relief. Spending time in the city had shown Amelia the darkest sides of people, but this was like a breath of fresh air. Her witchly powers could be a nuisance sometimes - like the time she'd accidentally set her hair on fire - but they sure were handy when it came to separating the good folks from the downright rotten ones.

"A burger sounds pretty great right about now," Amelia confessed.

[trusookie]

"Great," Sookie replied genuinely, "I'll get your order up."

She sauntered away cheerfully, letting Lafayette know the order and did her rounds of her other tables, refilling drinks, clearing plates, and taking a couple more orders. When Amelia's order was up, she grabbed it and moved over to the girl quickly, setting it down in front of her, complete with an array of condiments.

"Sorry if I'm asking too many questions--it's just what I do sometimes, well, everyone does is," she said, "Do you know where you're stayin' yet? 'Cause there's a couple motels in town. Unless you're just passin' through."

[ameliabroadway]

Amelia stared happily at the burger, her stomach temporarily sated by the mere sight of it, and whispered something along the lines of, "Thank you, Jesus." It looked positively delicious and made Amelia thankful that she wasn't a vegetarian.

"I was thinking about spending at least the night..." Amelia replied, mulling over the possibilities in her head. "Though it might end up being a little longer than that. A few weeks, maybe a month or two..." She trailed off, biting her lip. "Are there any apartments for rent around here, or even just a bedroom anyplace? I'm not real picky when it comes to accomodations." Says the girl who grew up in a house five times the size of this bar... But Amelia ignored her inner sarcasm and reached for the ketchup instead, shaking it up as she listened to the pleasant hum of bar noise.

[trusookie]

Sookie almost let out a giggle at Amelia's reaction to the burger, glad that the girl seemed to be in a praying mood, if she was at all a Christian.

Raising her eyebrows and switching her mind to 'on', she listened to the young woman explain that she might be staying for quite a while. "Is it that bad in New Orleans?" she said, though her tone was teasing.

"I'm not really sure about apartments for rent, but I think Sam, my boss and the owner of this place, has some apartments he rents out. They might all be taken right now though. I'm not too sure." She paused, and moved over to grab that day's local paper and set it in front of her, "This might have something listed."

[ameliabroadway]

Amelia bit her lip, trying to come up with a just-vague-enough response to Sookie's question. "It has its good and bad points," she finally admitted, shrugging slightly. "The good just stopped outweighing the bad for me."

Glancing down at the paper, she continued in a more interested - and much less desolate - tone, "Sounds like your boss is a man of many trades. Think he'd have a minute to tell me if there's anything open?" She asked this hesitantly, noticing once again that the bar was in full swing tonight. He was probably up to his elbows in owner-business things, and Amelia didn't exactly want to drag someone away from their work unless it was something desperately important. Apartment searching didn't seem to fall into that category.