Skip the whiskey and pass the coffee

[roadhouse_mama]

Who; Ellen Harvelle & anyone. OPEN
What; Staying awake at the Roadhouse
Where; The Roadhouse
When; Very late evening June 10th
Rating; pg-13ish?
Status; Ongoing, open. Talk to Ellen, talk amongst yourselves

Comments

[casaeroticafan]

He was more making rounds than anything else - checking up on certain, key members of the Underworld's population.

Under the guise of seeking out a slice of pie and a cup of coffee resembling caffeinated syrup, he slipped into the Roadhouse and shot a cocky smile in the direction of the establishment's hostess. The smile quickly fell into a frown, which he quickly attempted to cover with a smirk. He strutted up to the bar and leaned over it far enough to smack a loud, damp kiss to her cheek. To offset the playfulness of the smooch, he slid his hands over hers and gave a gentle squeeze before sprawling across one of the stools.

"How's it hangin' toots?"

[roadhouse_mama]

The presence of family as well as that of her regular customers went a long way towards helping to offset Ellen’s general state of restless anxiety. She was still a jittery, upset mess, but keeping her attention focused on others was the best she could do to cope with the situation.

Gabriel’s entrance, complete with the smack on the cheek and the subsequent sprawl that seemed to require the removal of at least three key vertebrae, elicited a wearied but affectionate smile. The archangel was quickly working his way towards becoming one of a select group of her favorite Roadhouse regulars. Her movements slow and deliberate, Ellen poured him a cup of coffee (she didn’t quite trust shaky hands to handle much else) and slid over the sugar for him to dive into.

“It’s hanging. It’d be a little better if we could sleep.. but we’re managing for now.”

Barely.

[casaeroticafan]

He accepted the coffee with a grateful noise, snagging the sugar and dumping in enough that just looking at the brew could give a lesser being diabetes. He took a sip and savored the thick, syrupy sweetness of it. He didn't require sleep - or the pick-me-up of caffeine - but he still appreciated a good cup of joe. He directed his attention back at Ellen, concern making a vague wrinkle in his brow. She looked like she'd gone a round with some pretty nasty nightmares, and he was regretting his decision to quit with the dreamwalks. As it was, he was tempted to reach out and touch her with his grace - to smooth over the frazzled edges of her energy.

"Need anything?" he asked, kicking his feet up on a nearby stool. "I can manifest a mean white Russian, and you look like you could use something to take the edge off."

[roadhouse_mama]

She leaned her hip against the bar and watched him dump a positively indecent amount of sugar into his coffee with a vague smile. At the offer, she shook her head slowly. “As good as that sounds, I can’t. If it took the edge off, I might fall asleep. None of us can. There’s..” she trailed off, well aware of how ridiculous it sounded. A fear that something was out there. A vampire lurking in the shadows, or some other monster ready to snatch her away from her loved ones again. Her rational mind knew that nothing was out there. But waking up from terrifying nightmares to long, shallow cuts along her arms kept throwing that rationale clean out the window..

“It’s not safe,” she continued lamely.

[casaeroticafan]

"I know."

He knew it wasn't safe, but still. He had to offer, didn't he? He'd taken an interest in her wellbeing over Jo, and that meant he had to take a continued interest in her wellbeing over other things as well. In all things - be they his duties as Trickster or Anchangel - Gabriel was consistent. He downed the rest of his coffee in one go and set the mug carefully to the side.

"Looks like you'll have to be eased and comforted by the powers of my conversational skills alone."

[roadhouse_mama]

Ellen produced a slice of French Silk pie for the archangel, her smile warming a fraction. Since her arrival in the Underworld, she'd worked hard to make the Roadhouse a safe place for the residents and for the ones that were quickly becoming part of her extended family. She'd done it all without thinking, never expecting that such care would be reciprocated. It was.. a nice feeling.

She poured herself another cup of coffee. "Engaging conversation and coffee? I can't think of a better way to spend the evening."

[casaeroticafan]

Gabriel made a surprised, pleased sound. French Silk - the pie that melted on the tongue and left the sweetest of chocolatey aftertastes. His work with the fork was very slow and deliberate; he wanted to savor each small bite he took. He leveled Ellen with a look that was grateful and satisfied - a look that quickly morphed into something wry.

"How about conversation and coffee in a world where your dreams aren't trying to kill you?" He paused, lips twisting in a faux-frown. "That might take the fun out of life, though."

[roadhouse_mama]

She inclined the cup in his direction as he dug in. It was one of the reasons she enjoyed spending time in the Roadhouse kitchen. To see the sheer look of pleasure on people's faces as they dug in. The food was simple, but most days that was all they needed.

"I don't know about the rest, but that's the sort of fun I could do with a little less of now and then."