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bakerstreet2015-01-27 07:58 pm
itsababysock) wrote in bakerstreet2015-01-27 07:58 pm
(no subject)
Oops. It happens to all of us. In a hurry, kind of drunk, too tired – for whatever reason, you've sent a text to the wrong recipient and it's up to you to do damage control.
¤ Post with your character. Name, canon and any preferences in the subject line.
¤ Others choose one of the options below and reply to your character with a text message that wasn't intended for them.
¤ Communication or miscommunication ensues?
¤ Profit!
1. talk dirty | "baby, you were such a stud yesterday"
Texting is a great way to make your partner spend the rest of their meeting thinking about exactly how steamy action was last night... Unless you sent it to the wrong number, of course. How to explain that one?
2. those dates | "Don't forget lunch at 2! :-)"
Easiest way to arrange meetings, confirming them or just saying thanks for a good time is by cell. Even easier? To screw it up when the invitation reaches the wrong person... Or perhaps your mishap lands you an entirely new date!
3. anger management | "OMFG, you really are an asshole!"
They’ve pissed you off royally, so someone deserves a piece of your mind. Poor recipient, having to put up with a dressing-down of that magnitude. Especially if it wasn't actually intended for them.
4. my condolences | "Jane, I'm so sorry about your aunt."
Someone lost a relative, got broken up with or didn't get the grades they'd hoped for, so you quickly text them your heartfelt sympathy. Let's just hope that the recipient actually has lost their aunt...
5. well done | "I heard about it from my mom. You go, girl!"
They aced their exams, just got published or they had a baby. Something definitely deserving of your congratulations. Hopefully the one receiving it will appreciate the recognition of something they probably didn't do.
6. auto correct | "Dad says we're having pussy tonight."
A completely ordinary message. The concert was amazing, you're running late... Autocorrect just happened to change one little word into something completely different. Something that’s even more difficult to decipher for the wrong recipient.
7. wildcard | "ok"
Want another scenario, something combined or something completely different? Knock yourself out!
Reposted from here
no subject
Now go to sleep, I hear you're supposed to get some crazy rowdy homeless men during your shift.
[She's weird, he decides, but in a good way. Like, complicated. Jaded but kind, mean but good. Then again, he could be totally off base, but he thinks jaded kind mean good-hearted attractive waitress with a rough past is probably the best combination of stuff he ever heard.
He gets there before her, hours before her, because she works nights and it's still early evening, and where else does he have to go? The waitress on duty gives him a hard and pointed look as he lugs in boxes, but he takes a booth in the back corner facing the door and shoots her a charming smile. When he pays in advance for his coffee and leaves a few dollars extra for the tip, she seems to warm up to him.
He digs his laptop out of his shoulder bag after a few minutes, because people are less likely to suspect he's a homeless guy taking shelter in a diner over night if it seems like he's working. Truth be told, he probably will try and get a few hours of work in tonight anyways, after he gets a few solid leads on housing, but for now he immerses himself in page after page of listings, scribbling down prices and phone numbers on a notepad that gets the occasional coffee splash.]
no subject
[ this is probably one of the weirdest thing she's ever done. which is saying quite a lot because she's done some weird things to keep a roof over her head. or maybe it's so weird because it's definitely not something emma swan does. she doesn't invite strange guys to her place of work. but there is just something about his situation that she can't let go of. even after her many attempts at putting her phone down to sleep and not care about him.
despite the fact she isn't even sure he is going to show tonight, emma spends just a few extra minutes in front of the bathroom mirror. if he's got it in his head that she is attractive, well she could at least try to live up to it a little. instead of just showing up for work with her golden curls pulled back in a pony tail, hoping she looks unattractive enough to get left alone.
it's ten fifty-five when she is finally shoving her purse into her locker. no sooner had she put on her apron ( a lovely, frilly white and red number) that anna is talking her ear off about some guy in the corner booth. he's been here for hours drinking coffee, working on his computer. there are three boxes stacked in the booth with him, what could that mean?
it takes ten minutes before emma can get the brunette to finish talking, so they can properly change shifts.
before making her way into the dining room, emma peaks at him from the kitchen. well, he wasn't wrong about his face being a good one. for a guy without a home he doesn't look too shady. maybe this won't turn out to be her worst idea ever.
on her way out she grabs a new cup of fresh coffee. she loves anna, but she is pretty sure the younger girl hasn't gotten him a new cup in the whole time he's been here. besides it will be a good ice breaker, because suddenly she is feeling less then confident about having to spend the whole night serving him. ]
So, I hear you're a pretty good tipper. [ she places the new cup down in front of him with little ceremony. her name tag may read 'swan,' but she is confident that he'll know who she is. she is even slightly smiling at him, which is more than a lot of customers get. ]
no subject
Lost track of people, until a voice rips him from apartment listings, and he actually has to double-take to make sure he's seeing her right. His lips part for a second, a brief second, because... yeah, attractive definitely belongs on that adjective list, wow.
And then a grin spreads over his features, unabashedly pleased. Looks like optimism's paying off.]
I'm probl'y the best tipper that's been in here all day.
[He agrees mock-seriously, though he can't quite chase the amusement from the quirk in his mouth. He shrugs nonchalantly, settling back in the booth to cross his arms over his chest and study her.]
What can I say? The service is great. Employees really go above and beyond in this joint.
no subject
I hope you saved enough money for us poor souls on the graveyard shift. Especially those of us who didn't get a lot of sleep because they were going above and beyond this morning.
[ there's no bitterness to her voice, no matter how easily it would have been for her to string those words together with bite behind them. no, her lack of sleep this morning may mean she is going to have an actually decent shift tonight. which would be her first one ever. ]
Did you want something else besides coffee?
[ if only she could stand here and talk to him. she actually missed his constant stream of texts once she was back up and getting ready for bed. but no she's at work and probably should try and act like a waitress. if she gets too friendly with him too early someone is going to notice. she isn't really the make friends with customers type. ]
no subject
Odds are someone that good looking that knows as much about his situation as she does isn't going to go for him anyway, he's a dork but he's not delusional. But whatever, right? If he's stuck in a diner because he got manipulated out of his apartment, screw it, right?]
New apartment might be nice, but I guess you guys don't got that on the menu.
[He responds, a kind crinkling to his eyes.
She's got a job to do, though, and believe it or not he didn't come here just to try and pick her up. He didn't come here to get in her way or get her in trouble, so he shakes his head.]
Nah, no, seriously, I'm all set here. I'm good, just- pretend I'm not even here.
[Meaning she doesn't gotta come back every twenty minutes and make sure he doesn't need a refill or whatever, she doesn't have to wait on him. No treading on her polite offer by being an inconvenience and a jerk, right? Besides, she already brought him a fresh cup of coffee, which he wraps a hand around appreciatively.
Considering everything that happened today, he figures things could be a whole lot worse. It's not like it's the first time he's been out on the streets anyway.]
no subject
No, but I can tell you which ones are absolute shit and not worth any amount of money. Jot a few down and I'll tell you if they're okay.
[ he's gotten this far, she isn't about to let him stumble into another bad living situation. in fact she probably lived in a handful of the low rent apartments in area. she's got pretty intimate knowledge.
with that said she pulls back to gather his emptyish coffee cup and any scatterings of trash that are about his table. now it really is time to pretend to do her job, especially when he seems to be releasing her from his company for now.]
Well, if you change your mind, I'm Swan.
[ of course he already knows her first name. but hopes that he'll get the hint to call her by the name on her name tag. the thought of strangers knowing her first name just unnerves emma a little bit. it's weird, she is fully aware of that, but it makes her feel better. some customers try to get too personal as it is.
with his empty cup in one hand she disappears back into the kitchen. the door to the kitchen being conveniently right next to his booth, which wasn't planned at all.
she doesn't come back every twenty minutes either. there is a pretty steady stream of customers for the next hour. she has her hands full with trying to keep up with her section of tables, and keep the smile painted on her face. really she isn't as bad at it as she makes herself out to be. there are even a couple of older customers she is genuinely nice to, slipping them something extra or anticipating a need she doesn't bother to do with some of the others in the diner.
it takes a whole hour and half for her to show back up at his table, a fresh cup of coffee and a plate of cold fries balanced carefully along her arm. even if she hasn't stopped by until now, she sure has been looking his direction every so often, even giving a smile or two when she passes by. ]
They really are cold, but if you put enough ketchup on them, they aren't so bad.
[ she places the cup plus the plate of fries carefully around all the things he has scattered around the table. ]
no subject
Instead of saying as much, he just nods seriously. ]
Yeah, I will.
[ He agrees, scooting his notepad a little closer again.
Swan. Gotta be her last name, he figures, and yeah she does seem like the call me by my last name workplace distance type. Emma Swan, he muses thoughtfully. It's a good name.
To Neal's credit, he doesn't stare at her while she works. Nobody wants to have that guy just sitting in the corner staring at you while you bus tables or talk to people, it's rude as hell and twice as creepy, and he's got work he's supposed to be doing. He meets her eye when he catches it, but other than that he spends of his time with his head ducked, bent over his laptop, one hand tracing his lips absently as he searches through listing after listing.
Most of them are terrible, totally out of his unstable price range. Some of them are great, some of them are sketchy as hell with no interior photos, so he figures it's a good thing he's got a woman on the inside, who seems to know what she's about when it comes to low rent housing.
When she resurfaces near his table, he quickly moves to shove aside scrap paper and clutter to make room for both her and the gift she comes bearing.]
You're the best, seriously. If you're goin' for some kind of award, I'll vote for you right now.
[He informs her, brow knitting earnestly. After a beat of hesitation:]
I, uh- I don't guess you get any kinda break soon? Don't mind sharing.
[He nods to the plate before them.]
no subject
I don't think your one vote is gonna get me employee of the month.
[ she is not a model employee and emma knows that. honestly she doesn't give a damn because this job is only a mean to an end. one day she'll just walk out of here and never look back.
he isn't the only one with hesitation over his offer. emma looks from him, to the plate, then glances back at the clock on the wall. she weighs her choices for a moment, but who is she kidding, his company would be better than being huddled in a booth all by herself later.]
It's a little early, and I got a few tables. You think you could be hungry again in another hour and a half?
no subject
He can see her hesitate, he can see her debate, and it feels like some kind of personal victory for him that she finally agrees. His fingers curl around his pen a little more tightly, and he settles a little farther into the booth behind him. ]
Pretty sure I'll be hungry for the rest of the night, if that's a requirement for getting you to sit down for a couple'a minutes.
[ He answers, because evidently he can't seem to manage to open his mouth and not flirt with her. It's like trying to control a runaway train at this point, he's not even a little subtle about it. He can only hope he's coming across as charmy rather than skeevy, but considering he's a recently evicted loser she's taking pity on, he's not so sure where that line lies with her.[
no subject
That is almost working for you.
[ her smile though says it is definitely working for him. if only for the fact he hasn't hid his situation from her. true there could be so many thing he is hiding from her. but he is pretty much homeless and yet he still has the confidence to flirt with her. she likes that. it's so different from her own personality that it's refreshing. and for one she thinks, why not. ]
I'll be back in an hour and thirty. Drink your coffee slow.
[ because she really won't be back until then. before she heads back to the kitchen he does get a smile, it's a small one, but it's genuine. because why not?
it's more like two hours later when emma finally gets rid of her last table. at this point she thinks she has never been hungrier or more ready for a cup of coffee in her life. but she treated those last few customers with more grace than normal, it helps to have something to look forward to.
this time when she shows back up at his table, it's with two cups of coffee, one plate overflowing with hot and crispy fries, one plate with a cheese burger cut in half. ]
I hope you're still hungry.
[ she unloads her the tray of food before sticking in the booth in front of his. there isn't a lot of people left in the diner, the booth will hardly be missed. after the food is all situated between them she slides in the booth opposite of him, not caring if she has to share it with a box of two, there's still room for her. ]
So, have you found anything promising?
no subject
Who steals a stolen car. Jerks.
One by one as her shift gets later, people start to file out and aren't so quickly replaced. Overnight shifts at a diner have their downtimes, even if they're never really vacant in the city that never sleeps. He's happier when things get a little quieter, a little less hectic, when he gets fewer stares for taking up an entire booth with a couple of boxes and a laptop plugged into the diner's outlet.
By the time Emma's back again, Neal's got a comprehensive apartment list shoved off to the side of his workspace, and he's adopted a pair of headphones. His coffee's gone cold and forgotten in favor of doing work- real work, actual job work, not just apartment search work. Work that he immediately abandons when she joins him at the table again. The headphones get set aside and he shuts his laptop with a snap, pushing it toward the window.
Frankly, at this point, she could probably get away with throwing those boxes out the window like his landlord did considering how nice she's been to him so far. ]
Yeah, actually, think I got some good stuff.
[ He says, brow wrinkling as he pushes the pad of paper forward. Most of that flirting and grinning is subdued now in favor of serious actual conversation, because as nice as this has been, he really doesn't want to be legally homeless for more than a day or so. He plucks up a (hot, not terrible, definitely more edible) french fry and shoves it into his mouth. ]
I was really lookin' at that one-
[ He says, pointing to one on the middle of the list. ]
One bedroom, kinda small, but they actually got pictures of the interior and they don't look like someone grabbed 'em off of a stock website, so. What do you think?
no subject
That's actually a pretty decent place. Not far from my apartment, it's not a terrible side of town. You should go look at it.
[ she slides the pad of paper back in his direction with an approving smile. grants he has had hours to shift through apartment listing, but it takes some knowing to uncover a decent place like that at a good price. emma knows that from experience. ]
The stock photo thing makes me so mad. I don't understand what they think? You're not gonna get mad when you see what a dump it really is? I could have decked one guy for that once.
[ you can tell it's her own personal pet peeve. and that she probably really would punch someone over wasting her time like that. emma just doesn't have time for that kind of shit in her life. especially over something important like finding a place to live. ]
no subject
Think I will.
[ He agrees with a nod, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. Obviously not right now, it's the middle of the night, but as soon as he can reasonably justify calling the renter he'll definitely do it. Which is probably not gonna be until after her shift's even over, sometime around eight or nine maybe, and talking prices with this guy after thirty hours without sleep's gonna be rough. He's gonna end up blowing most of his cash on last minute coffee, he can already tell.
He huffs in agreement and annoyance. ]
I don't know, I don't get it either. I think they figure if they can just get you down there it's like some kinda blood pact or something. Maybe they think if you're desperate enough to believe you can get a place like that for like four hundred a month, you're desperate enough to take what they actually got, I don't know.
[ He slides the pad back toward himself, reaches out to absently circle the listing with his pen. ]
I just gotta get through a couple more hours 'till this guy's up, see if I can get by without a reference. Go from there.
[ Hopefully he'll take a check, because Neal's payment's supposed to hit the bank the day after tomorrow. Well, considering it's almost- Jesus- five a.m, actual tomorrow. He slumps forward, crossing his arms on the table and resting his chin on them.
Sitting around is tiring work, turns out. His eyes flicker up to look at her again, studying her face.]
Thanks, by the way. F'I didn't say it before. You're a big help, kinda outta nowhere. You're a good person, Emma.
no subject
[ emma shrugs. in retrospect, though, she wishes he had decked the guy, he was a creep. not every girl can handle herself like emma can. hopefully her verbal lesson had been enough.
she picks at a couple of more fries before grabbing half of the cheeseburger. with her half safely in hand she nudges the plate in his direction. as hungry as she is right now it's too late in her shift to be eating so much. that and he probably is much hunger than she is. ]
You'll probably be okay without a reference. You got that confident thing.
[ hell he's gotten her to do things in the last twenty four hours that almost no one has been able to. she isn't exactly the kind of person to trust a strange man. especially one she met through texting.
she can feel him looking at her which is enough to make her a little uncomfortable, but what he says next makes her very uncomfortable. no one says things like that. no one calls her a good person. emma can't even remember that last time someone said something so nice to her.
in her seat emma shifts, visibly uncomfortable. her gaze can't quite meet his anymore. she just holds up a hand in between them, hoping that the physical distance will help her put a mental one there. ]
It's not a big deal, you don't have to go that far with it. It's just what people do right?
no subject
I can imagine.
[ He says, only half joking. She seems like the type who could, seems like the type to hand some asshole a lesson or seven if she lost her temper. Not that he knows her well enough to get an accurate picture of what she'd look like angry, but he figures it'd look good on her, just like everything else seems to.
He huffs at her, the way she balks at the compliment even as she offers him half of her own lunch, like she just doesn't get how ironic that is, and it's hilarious. It's great. Fingers wrap around the offered half a sandwich, because what is he gonna do, turn that down? He might be charming but he's not stupid, you get what you can when it's given freely.
She reminds him in that moment of a girl he knew as a kid, but that's a story for a different time.
Instead, he just shooks her an amused look around a mouth full of food. Covers his mouth with a his hand to block his mouth so he can say: ]
I may have a confidence thing, but you've definitely got an anti-compliment thing. I just said you're a good person, I didn't write you a poem, you can take that one. You help a person, you earn it.
[ He abandons charity-food for a second, fingers wrapping absently around a napkin and twisting it from either send.]
Lemme pay you back. After I get this apartment squared away, after I get moved in, let me make you dinner sometime.
no subject
she exhales a short laugh, picking at her sandwich for a moment. not only did he compliment her, he saw through her. it's been a long time since she's felt like anyone has seen her at all. ]
I think you're the only member of the 'emma swan is a good person' club.
[ she does give him a bit of a smile before reaching for her coffee. maybe just maybe he managed to melt her a little bit. which is good for him considering what he asks next. of course she knows it isn't just pay back. the way he smiles at her, flirting with her all night, no it's more than payback.
why not? why not one dinner? what is it going to hurt? probably everything, but what the hell. ]
As long as you promise not to give me food poisoning. And you don't settle for some dump.
no subject
He smiles, a wide and pleased look that stretches across his face earnestly. ]
I promise, no food poisoning, no leaky ceilings. It's a deal.
[ He settles back again, squishing the napkin in his fingers into a ball absently.
It's a deal he'll make good on, too. When her lunch break ends and her shift wraps up, he's chugged just about as much coffee as he can manage to keep himself functioning. The sun rises slowly in the diner, and shortly afterward he makes a phonecall to the landlord. The guy's up, seems to appreciate that Neal's ready to take care of business promptly, and when they hang up, Neal gathers his things. Tosses out the trash and leftovers, neatly stacks the dishes he's collected, folds up his laptop and stacks his boxes.
He leaves twice the amount of his check on the table, because the service really earned that tip, and heads up to the counter to catch her attention before he departs. Just in case she changes her mind on dinner, he wants to at least say goodbye before he goes. ]
no subject
It's a deal.
[ she looks at him one more time, the smile still lingering on her lips before she goes back to her sandwich. it hasn't been such a bad night so far after all.
by the time her break is over the diner is starting to steadily pick up business. as much a she wants to linger at his table a few more times, there just isn't a moment for it. occasionally she drops off a new cup of coffee, collects the old, but there is never time for more than an exchange of smiles.
her mood is quite good for the end of a shift. usually about this time she is pretty sullen, tired, ready to go home and forget that other people exist for a few hours until she has to be back here again. but this morning isn't so bad. there are even smiles for a few of the customers, it reflects in her tips. this really hasn't been such a bad shift at all.
when he catches her eyes at the counter, emma is finishing most of her side work up. once her last table leaves she's free. she can't help the way her lips quirk up in a bit of smile, but she tries quickly to squash it. play it cool. ]
Are you heading out?
no subject
Yeah, I'm uh- I'm headed out. Gotta go see a man about a horse.
[ Or a house in this case, to butcher the expression a little. Apartment. Same thing, right? He's exhausted as all hell, but considering the way his day's been going he thinks he might be on a good streak. He's got confidence it's gonna go well. He really thinks it will. Which means he really thinks he'll see her again, soon.
You don't just meet people like this every day, right? The fact that he got her out of everyone in New York has to mean something, doesn't it?
So he smiles at her, something genuine and tired. ]
I'm vacating your booth. Rent's on the table. Tell my waitress she did a great job, she deserves a raise.
no subject
Already?
[ there's a bit of surprise that crosses her features before she turns to look at the clock above her. well, it isn't that early anymore. probably a reasonable business hour for the rest of the world. as for she is just ready to go home and get some sleep. ]
I guess it's not the early anymore. Well, you let me know if you get that horse. Just don't be upset if it takes me awhile to answer. I'm putting my phone on silent this morning.
[ the likelihood of her remembering to do it is actually pretty slim. even greater is the likelihood that she'll leave the volume up so she can hear about his apartment. obviously she'll never admit to that.
when he smiles at her she can't help but reply in kind, with an equally genuine but tired smile. it's been a long night, but it's been the best night she's had in recent memory. ]
I'm sure her boss will get right on that. Though, I don't think rent is paid until she collects on dinner. So don't forget.
[ truthfully emma totally expects that he is going to forget. or rather just not ever talk to her again at all. just like everyone else.
but she hopes that won't be the case. for the first time in a long time. ]
no subject
I won't forget. No way.
[ He assures her, then straightens himself up. Taps his fingers against the counter twice, just a really quick absent gesture, and then nods. ]
I'll see you later, Emma. You just wait.
[ He points seriously, heading back toward his stuff. It's the start of something good, he can feel it. He gives her one last wave before his hands are burdened with really too many boxes, and then he's out the door. He's got a bus to catch. ]
no subject
I'll see you later, Neal. Good luck.
[ not that he needs it. emma is sure he'll have that landlord wrapped around his little finger fives minutes into the conversation. which means she'll probably be seeing him again soon. so hopes she'll be seeing him again soon.
no, she actually does believe that she'll see him again. maybe for once this is going to be the start of something pretty good.
she watches him leave, waving back when he waves to her. this is probably the friendliest her coworkers have ever seen her be with anyone. she is going to get shit about this for a month. but it's worth it.
emma doesn't go back to finishing up her side work until he is out the door and out of sight. part of her really hopes he gets this apartment. not only for his sake, but because she wants to see him again soon. ]