things that you want are given not won {Pheonix}

[Sinclair]

"What if we could, where would we go? If it felt right, would you let me know? I would meet you, would you meet me? Yeah, it's like our last chance for a first dance, you're a sunrise,"Chanted a young teen as he dripped melted chocolate from a wooden spoon onto a slice of orange. The room was alive with an alternative song, Would You Meet Me\ by Blue October, and of course Sinclair was singing it as he moved in a fluid, dance-like fashion across the room to get himself a water bottle from the fridge. Once he had it, he leaned back, resting his right foot on the closed refrigerator door, casually uncapping the water and taking a sip as he patiently awaited the 'hardening' phase of the slices of his orange on the plate across the room. It was a delicate process that couldn't be rushed; Sinclair would be the first to tell you that. And he didn't mind, he was patient in nature. It was well worth the weight.

The song had changed, but Sinclair didn't miss a beat, "Day to day where do you want to be? 'Cause now you're trying to pick a fight with everyone you meet. You seem like a soldier who's lost his composure," the song he sang now was more mellow in mood, but he didn't seem to notice or care that it was such a big change. It suddenly occured to him that he was still working; oops. It was a slow day and there were several other people there, but he was supposed to be working the counter and instead he was here snacking and singing. Haha, yeah, okay, so maybe he didn't' take this job seriously. Oh well. He rushed from the kitchen to make sure he hadn't missed anything significant, but he was pretty certain that the cooks would have came to alert him if anything too major had happened.

[Phoenix]

I'm sooo hungry. Please, please, please, can we stop for food? Allison asked.

It was a typical weekend. Allison and Paige walking down the street. They just happened to be passing the diner when Allison started on her hunger tirade.

Paige felt a small smile make its way to her lips. Okay, okay. I'm hungry too. She was a little bit, and she had been to the diner a few times. It was pretty good, so they might as well.

With a little skip of excitement, Allison hopped over and swung the door wide open so both girls could enter. They located a booth near the back and made their way over, sitting across from each other.

Sooooo.... Allison said, leaning forward with a big grin on her face, her red hair falling over her face.

Paige knew her friend had something to say, from the way she was acting, but she couldn't guess what. Or she was just trying to start a conversation up. Soooo what...?

Allison's eyes swivveled around the room. Looked like it was up to her to start the conversation. So, so what? I'm still a rockstar... She mumbled under her breath. Where's the waiter? I wanna get me some food into my hungry little belly. As if in on cue, her stomach growled. She patted it and looked down. Shhhh... it's okay... You'll have food soon.

Paige let out a quiet laugh. So dramatic Ally... She sat around and looked around. Don't worry, the waiter will be around soon. Be patient.

[Sinclair]

Oh, no. There were people. Sinclair put on his friendliest smile- it was actually quite convincing considering the ease with which he could seem sincere. He wasn't dressed like a normal waiter but he had the notebook and a pen tucked behind his ear. Maybe tucking it behind his ear was girly but hey, if he didn't have to hold it, he'd take it. He wasn't wearing the apron he was told to and he wasn't exactly the person you'd think of as a waiter. He was more likely to be in the spotlight than taking orders from others, but as long as it got him a few extra dollars in his pocket and gave him something to do for the day, he was going for it.

"Good afternoon, ladies,"Sinclair greeted politely, mostly as a standard way to alert them of his presence without seeming rude. It was a common trick, but it was also one of habit more than necessity in this instance. It also had a way of breaking the silence, initiating the ordering process. That was why he was here, after all. As to avoid rushing them, he refrained from jumping in with the second question of what they wanted to order.

[Phoenix]

It was almost as if he had been listening to their conversation because Paige had barely just spoken when she saw him approaching. there you go Ally. He's coming. She said, nodding in his direction.

Ally had just turned to look and he was there. He was smiling and greeted them politely. Heya! Ally said in with a big smile. From the way she spoke, you'd think they were old buddies, instead of a customer and waiter.

Paige didn't speak but she chose to watch and let Ally take charge.

Ally plucked the menu out from between the servette holder and the window. She quickly scanned the back in less then a second. Two cokes please. she said, looking back up at him, grin still on her face.

[Sinclair]

"Mhm,"Sinclair mumbled. He was told not to do that, but he did it anyway so that he didn't have to think too hard about talking, or what words he was using, while he was writing the number two and the word cokes as well as their price with a little x and a number two after it. It was really fascinating the first two times he did it, but now it was pretty routine. He looked up with the smile gracing his lips again.

"Alright, I'll go get them for you. It'll be just a moment,"Sinclair stated. He didn't want to write down the rest of their order, anyway, so even though it was a bit more walking on his part- back then forth more than once- he turned his back to them and walked toward the kitchen to fill their drinks. Rather than making the cooks do it, he'd handle it. And that's just what he did. He put ice in the two clear, plastic cups as he'd learned to do in that pointless training week- as if he couldn't figure it out. Then he filled it up and grabbed two wrapped straws, placing each one against the cup before grasping the cups in both hands. Ha, simple.

Sinclair set the cups on their table without much prompting; one in front of the first girl that spoke, and one in front of the second. However, it seemed rude to just drop the straws on the table so he held onto them when he set the cup down, then when the cups were out of his hand he extended both hands to offer a straw to each of the girls while saying,"There you go."

[Phoenix]

As soon as he was out of earshot Ally leaned over the table, a big grin on her face. So what do you think? She asked.

It was like this game they played. Always judging the waiter or waitress. Would the service be good? Did they seem nice? Rude? And if it was a male, did he look good?

Paige tucked her brown hair behind her ear as she let her eyes glance over at the waiter again before he disappeared into the kitchen. I think he's kind of cute.

Ally nodded. I agree. Ally scanned the menu, quickly deciding on what she wanted, just as the waiter returned with the drinks. Ally and Paige both took their straws.

So... Ally glanced at his nametag. Sinclair... my friend thinks you're cute.

Paige's jaw dropped and her cheeks instantly flushed with embarassement. Ally!

Ally looked over, shrugging and raising her hands up innocently. What? She asked, looking genuinely confused. I think he's cute too. Do you feel better now?

Paige forced herself to look down at the table, still embarrassed.

Grinning Ally looked up at Sinclair and winked. She's single. She whispered.

[Sinclair]

If Sinclair would have known that they judged him so, he probably would have quit on the spot on principle. He would have assumed that many high school kids did the same, and who wanted that? It wasn't that he wasn't confident, and it wasn't that he didn't know they'd do it if they saw him in school or on the street, but it still would have bothered him. As it stood he was oblivious to their previous conversation as he approached them again.

"Mhm,"Sinclair replied automatically, though he didn't particularly like when people used his name at work. It was kind of odd; why should they know his name when he didn't know theirs'? He wasn't going to ask, he was more curious as to why she was addressing him.

What did you do in a situation like the one he was in right now? He did what he did best; he went with his first reaction.

"Yeah? Huh,"Sinclair offered, but before he could come up with some clever, deflective statement, the second and more talkative girl said she thought he was cute, too. Well, what now? He glanced at Paige as she looked to the table, then to Ally as she stated that Paige was single. His expression shifted to one that revealed that he wasn't that amused by Ally. There was a complex bond at work here, one that they called 'friendship' that could withstand unnecessary things like this when they didn't go the way the other person wanted, but Sinclair didn't care. His sympathy was with Paige, even if she probably would forgive the chatty girl as soon as they left the diner.

Whatever. He wanted to comfort the embarrassed girl so he crouched a bit so he was more level with Paige, drawing his fingers lightly up to slide under her chin. Then, with a gentle amount of pressure he brought his fingers up. There was no way he was going to move her with the pressure he was putting on her, and he didn't want to. It was more of a suggestion than a move that would force anything she wasn't willing to do herself.

"Hey, don't worry, angel,"Sinclair insisted softly as he looked at her, hoping that she'd be able to tell that he wasn't taking it as seriously as she seemed to be."I'll take it as a c compliment."

[Phoenix]

Ally could tell both Paige and Sinclair were annoyed by her, but she didn't care. She continued to grin. She was merely stating a fact. Besides, where was the fun in staying quiet all the time? Sure maybe it was a little embarassing, but hey, it was entertaining at the same time. Besides, it wasn't like she never embarrassed herself. She found that being blunt was the best way to meet new people, or get to know strangers.

Paige briefly met Sinclair's gaze but she was still feeling awkward about the situation. She was sure her face was as red as a tomato. She appreciated Sinclair's attempt to try and repair what Ally had done, but at this point she was better off dealing with it once he had left.
Meanwhile Paige's little erm.... friend, Storm, was having the time of her life. Paige could hear her laughing as Paige squirmed around trying to get out of this awkward position. Oh shut up Storm!

Ally flipped the menu closed as if nothing had transpired. Well, I think I'm ready to order. What about you Paige?

Thankful her friend broke the awkwardness she looked at Ally and nodded. Yah.

Ally looked at Sinclair and when she was sure he was ready to take their order she spoke. Okay, a cheeseburger and fries please.

I'll just have a plate of onion rings please. Paige wasn't as hungry, but she still wanted something to snack on.

[Sinclair]

Sinclair wasn't used to that reaction, but hey, if she was looking up and not at the table his life was easier. He hated when people weren't looking at him because when they looked into his eyes he could see the truth behind their words and that was exactly what he did whenever communicating with a person. Sinclair didn't want to force the poor girl into anything, though, or to make it more awkward. He just wanted to shrink away and get one of the cooks to take them their food. Yeah, that was it, he'd just avoid them. This idea made him smile.

When Ally decided she wanted to order, Sinclair was relieved. He got up and tried to contain his excitement as he waited to hear her order. When she gave him the simple order, he wrote it down quickly. When Paige spoke it made him jump slightly and rather than writing anything, he looked up to watch her as she spoke, his mind seeming far away from the task at hand. Her order was simple, too, and he wasn't going to forget it so. . .He shook his head swiftly, reminding himself that he wanted to get away from these two girls as soon as possible. He wrote down 'onion rings' then looked up at Ally with a smile.

"Alright, it'll be out shortly,"Sinclair stated. That wasn't true; it'd be out whenever someone felt like walking it over to their table, but he was urged not to tell them that. So he didn't. Sinclair didn't say anything more before he had turned and walked away from them again to give the cook their order.

He returned after the food had been cooked. It wasn't his choice, and he didn't look quite as happy as he had when he'd approached them the other two times; he looked like a little boy who'd been told no and didn't like it. The cooks refused to take the food out, so here he was after arguing and dragging his feet. He set the food in front of them rather unceremoniously, then set the check on the table, too, in it's 'private' black little folder that concealed the price. He wasn't really supposed to do that, he was supposed to wait to see if they wanted anything else, but Sinclair just wanted them gone. Yet, he didn't move away from them. Instead he asked the question he had pretty much eliminated by giving them the bill already, which was;

"Anything else?"Sinclair's tone was genuine, even if his words begged sarcasm.

[Phoenix]

Neither of the girls said anything until Sinclair had left and was back in the kitchen.

Ally grinned at Paige. Don't be upset. It was just a joke.

Paige looked at Ally, a mortified look still pasted on her face. Some joke. I don't think I can ever come back here again!

Ally laughed. Not a loud and obnoxious one, but a gentle, teasing one, the kind that always made people smile, even if they didn't know what was humourous. Eventually Paige's face returned to a normal human colour shade and a small smile graced her lips.

Nah. You can still come back. I mean he's the only one you're going to feel weird around, but I have a feeling he's the kind who will just try and act like it never happened... She shrugged her shoulders to show she didn't care what he thought or did.

The two girls sat in silence while Ally randomly flipped through the dessert menu. She rarely ever bought desserts, mainly cause she was always too full, but she was like a little kid. She liked looking at the pictures.

Paige let her eyes swivvel around the room, observing the place. She came in here pretty often. At least once every two or so weeks. It hardly ever changed, but she liked to always take in every little thing to see if anything was at all different. As usual, she was having a heated argument in her head with Storm about nothing in particular. They butted er... minds, over everything. Literally everything.

Paige was so wrapped up in the argument she nearly jumped out of her skin when Ally spoke again. So have you thought about joining Xavier's? She asked while dropping the menu back into its proper place.

Paige shook her head. No. Yes. Not really.

Ally scowled in an exaggerated manner. Why not? Look, the place is perfect. I've looked into it. They'll provide shelter and they can help with potential and control... and they are probably crawling with telepaths, which means they can help you with... Storm.

Help with me? Pft, please. You're the one who needs help. Storm scoffed.
Storm... shut the hell up.

Paige sighed. Yah, it does sound good but it's just... I don't know. Telling my parents they're only daughter is a mutant is going to be weird. I mean, I don't know how they'll react. And what if telepaths can't help me? What if I'm beyond help. Then what? Besides... I can take care of Storm myself.

Ally rolled her eyes. Okay fine. But there's still a lot of other positives with going to Xavier's.... at least can we go there for like.. a day to test run? Then we can make a final decision.

Paige picked up a pack of sugar and twirled it in her fingers. I'll think about it.

Ally grinned. I'll take that as a yes.

Paige grinned and threw the packet of sugar at Ally, just as the doors to the kitchen swung open and Sinclair came into view. Ally had her back to the kitchen doors and didn't realize. Her arm shot up to catch the sugar pack before it hit her in the face. To Paige, this was perfectly normal. After all, Ally was blessed with the gift of super speed, but to anyone else, this would seem strange.

Ally laughed and tossed the pack back on the table. You can't hit me! I'm too- Sinclair was within earshot now. Paige kicked Ally from under the table and jerked her head in his direction.

Taking the hint, Ally didn't bother finishing her sentence. Sinclair placed the food on the table and asked if they wanted anything else.

Ally eyed the bill on the table. Well, seeing as you already brought the bill, I guess we have no choice but to say no. Although her choice of words could have been hostile, her tone was light and she was still grinning, giving it more of a teasing edge.

We're fine thanks. Paige said while Ally began munching away on her fries.

[Sinclair]

"Uh-hu-,"Sinclair agreed to Ally's words. He didn't seem that alarmed by it, though. He was watching Ally intently. Had his eyes deceived him? As he'd approached, Ally's movement seemed off. Like his eyes saw something unnatural but his mind couldn't process it. In a town of mutants, this wasn't out of place, but it still bothered him. The only variable left was how it was that he was going to find out what he wanted to know.

"What'd you just do?"Sinclair questioned directly. It seemed to be the only thing that mattered, and though it may not have seemed like a smart question to others, he'd be able to tell if she was lying to him. That was exactly why his eyes didn't stray from hers of his own accord. Now, his question wasn't very specific but he could only assume that she'd know precisely what he meant.

[Phoenix]

Ally directed her gaze over to Paige and they shared a quick look, and then she looked back to Sinclair. It was so fast that if you weren't paying attention, you would have missed it.

What? Ally asked, knowing exactly what he meant. He'd seen her move at an incredible speed, but she wasn't about to confess to that. She threw a package at me, I caught it, and tossed it back on the table. She gestured to the sugar packet on the table.

The way she said it made it sound like it wasn't a big deal. Of course she left out the fact that she had done so about 10 times faster then a normal person.

It's not like we're tossing things around the diner, so I don't see it being a big deal. She gave him a grin and then popped another french fry into her mouth.

[Sinclair]

Sinclair didn't like it much when she looked over at Paige; his expression shifted to anger. No, no, no, look at him! It was one of the worse things a person could do when talking to him, to avoid him in whatever way they could. He wanted to storm off right then and there, to be done with those foolish girls, but he held out and she looked back at him. The look of anger subsided slightly, even if he was still noticeably upset.

Ally's response didn't bug him; his anger didn't show any more than before. What she said wasn't a lie, so he didn't' get any feelings to clue him in, but it was obvious to him that she wasn't being quite as honest as she should have been. Oh well. He'd find out in another way then.

"Hm, well, perhaps you should have."Sinclair shrugged casually, then without warning he moved closer to Paige with what appeared to be every intent to attack her. He wasn't really going to touch her, but he was moving very close to her- like someone who knew better than to hit someone, but would pretend to so that the other person would feel the fear of the threatened action. In this way he could act like he was a threat, to coax her into doing what he wanted defensively. If she moved to stop him, he had her. If she didn't, well, he wasn't sure what would come next.

[Phoenix]

Paige didn't think much of what he said. Ally managed to make the story sound very normal, like nothing unusual had occurred. Then suddenly Sinclair was coming at her. She was so shocked she didn't move. She just stared. Really? What had she done. LET'S KILL HIM!!!

It only took half a millisecond for Ally to assess the situation. She jumped out of her seat and ran into Sinclair's side. All this took place under a second. Of course Ally had only been thinking with the instict of protecting her friend and not thinking about the public display of super speed she was demonstrating.

[Sinclair]

Sinclair felt the impact of Ally hitting him, and it shocked him. He stopped breathing, his eyes wide and immediately diverting to watch Ally as he was forcefully stopped from touching Paige. It surprised him so much that he couldn't stay on his feet; he fell flat on his butt, a bit dazed and yet, though it hurt, he was grinning madly.

"Ahh,"Sinclair murmured, though whether this was a sound of pain or a variant of a sound of discovery was to be questioned. Maybe it was both. It was definitely worth it- knowledge was power. It was satisfying; he'd known she was lying without using his power. How cool was that? He was happy about it, no doubt about it.

"I knew you were interesting."Sinclair added."But for the next time? Don't let me do something that stupid; that hurt. I wouldn't hurt a girl, and not at my place of work," The way Sinclair said it, it was like pointing out the obvious. Like he wished she would have figured it out herself, like it was common knowledge.