Survival Of The Fittest

She expected Vincent to join her, after all, she'd beckoned him over. But when he sat next to her, she couldn't help but jump. She winced inward, as if bracing for a blow before slowly looking up at Vincent. Her expression was blank for a few moments before a small smile spread across her face. God, was it good to see him. Just the sight of the face of his was enough to lift her spirits, if only a little. The fact that she still had a bit of a crush on him helped a little too. For a few fleeting seconds, Monty and his cigarette was the furthest thing from her mind. Well, until the burn flared to life again, as if to remind her it was still there. She cringed, ducking her head slightly as she did.

After a second, when the pain subsided, she looked over to Vincent, now seated next to her. Her smile was gone, though she wasn't quite so far into shock as she had been, but the chances of her smile returning were slim to none. Her hand clenched into a fist in her lap, if only to hide to tremble in her hand. After a few seconds of eye contact, she looked away, her eyes falling back to the table.

"That...bastard...Pondsworth." She said, her voice nearly as quiet as Alice's normal tone. "I called him something, I can't remember what, but when he replied, I kind of exploded. I was pissed at the way he always messed with me, everything he does to make me miserable." A pause, while she took a breath. "He called me a whore, or slut, or something, so I slapped him. He fucking burned me with his cigarette." Her voice raised as she finally looked away from the table and up to Vincent, straightening in her seat as she did.

"He fucking held me there while he pressed his goddamn cigarette to my neck!" By the time she finished, her voice was just short of shouting and she was a little short of breath, but her attention was focused on Vincent. If anyone else was paying attention, she didn't care. "And there was nothing I could do about it. I tried to break free, but..." Her voice broke, and she seemed to slow. She bowed her head again, looking away from Vincent. She hunched in her seat before lapsing into silence. After a minute, she spoke. "Sorry to make you miss out on whats-her-name, Sierra."

Josie took a moment to look back and see her change and receipt on the counter. She put the change into her wallet, then shoved the piece of paper into her pocket. "Thanks," she told Charlie as she held the piece of cake. Her voice sounded a little stiff and forced; she was focused on Sierra and Vincent. Then she realized that the short girl, Cassidy, was talking to Vincent. Josie's eyes narrowed even more.

She glanced over at Sierra and her face softened. Was Sierra...embarrassed? Josie realized that maybe she had said too much. Maybe she should have kept her mouth closed and this made the red headed girl feel very guilty. She stared awkwardly down at her white tennis shoes with their neatly tied laces.

The sound of Sierra coughing caused Josie to look up and pat her friend lightly on the back. "Hey, are you okay? Should I order you some water-" But Sierra had excused herself to the bathroom and left. Josie felt a little abandoned but it suddenly clicked. Sierra probably wasn't going to the bathroom and obviously, she should follow her.

Josie and Sierra were connected at the hip after all.

"Hey, I'm gunna get this to go," Josie told Charlie, reaching behind the counter to grab a styrofoam box. She plopped the cake down inside, returned the plate to Charlie, then turned back to leave. However, her eyes trailed to Vincent.

Maybe Vincent wasn't so bad. He hadn't been mean to Sierra at least and he did compliment her candy. "You're definitely the feisty type. I bet you could go for hours. Maybe some day, luv."

"Yes. Maybe some day," Josie said simply, turning and leaving The Alibi with the soft clip-clap of her shoes on the tile flooring. She had no time for riff-raff between herself and this Vincent fellow.

((Josie Vernon continued elsewhere))

Charlie watched as Josie left after Sierra, a look of disbelief plastered onto his face. He couldn't believe this. Josie steps up to keep Vincent away from Sierra, and immediately gets snared in his trap herself? What was WRONG with the girls around here?! Were they not aware of who they were talking to? Did they not recognize Vincent's M.O.? They had fallen right under his spell.

And Charlie had watched it happen right in front of him. And he hadn't done anything to stop it.

His shoulders slumped down to his sides as he watched the girls disappear into the crowds of the mall. I sure hope they know what they're getting themselves into, he thought silently to himself. Looking over his shoulder, he stared longingly at the door to the employee area. Come back soon, Nat...I need a serious break.

I wonder if she has a spare smoke...

((Aaand we're back for the summer. Sweet deals.))

Natalie yawned lazily as she waltzed back up to the counter, the feeling of the smoke spreading from her head to her toes. That had to be the earliest she'd gone on a break yet. Not that she had a problem with doing that, as long as no one minded. And Richard rarely did.

Charlie, on the other hand, was looking a little frazzled. Aw, man. She'd barely been keeping track of time while she'd been out there - how long had she left him to defend the register from hordes of attacking customers on his own? Natalie had half expected Richard to have stuck around to work the register for a while while she wasn't there, but it looked like all the desserts were unloaded and he'd gone back in his office - probably fallen asleep again. It was a wonder anything ever got done around here. "Uhhh... sorry about that, dude, I was cravin'. Things didn't get that crowded when I was gone, did they?" Taking a quick look around, it didn't seem too bad - a bunch of people had left, Andrea and that really sweet girl with the Duck Tale or whatever among them. There were one or two new people, but things still looked relatively slow for now. Thank god...

Well, if there weren't a ton of people ordering stuff, she might as well people-watch for a while. Too bad she couldn't draw on the job. But she already was barely doing anything... Resting her elbows on the counter and her head in her hands, Natalie idly scanned the restaurant, letting Cassidy's guitar playing keep her calm. She stared for a while at the pair of people in one corner - Vincent, someone she'd seen around quite a bit, not to mention heard a lot about, but never really talked to, was comforting... um... some girl... whose name might have been Victoria? Whoever she was, she looked pretty shaken up. Was her makeup running? Oh, jeez, that's like, straight out of a movie or something... Poor chick. Everyone seemed so stressed out all of a sudden.

...Fine, okay, maybe it was partially her fault that Charlie was, but... ehhh... Maybe she should try to calm him down or something.

"Hey, uh, can you help me tie my apron again?" she asked Charlie, not snapping entirely out of her daze, but enough to at least tilt her head towards him, "I can't tie knots to save my life. And uh... what's up? You look kinda upset."

Cassidy finished her song and heard the music change from The White Stripes to The Strokes. She started playing a song with an actual baseline, but had to concentrate over the sounds of Victoria and Vincent's conversation. The sounds of her guitar managed to blend into the background music pretty well, regardless. Then came this bombshell:

"He fucking held me there while he pressed his goddamn cigarette to my neck!"

Cue the off-cue note. "WHAT?" Cassie exclaimed, leaning over her chair and staring at Victoria. "Are you alright? Did it leave a mark? Let me see!" It didn't occur to her that Vicky might want to keep the incident private.

((I know I'm breaking post order, but since the thread has died I'm peacin' out.))

Natalie had continued to people-watch for the duration of the time she spent working. Even when she did actually help a customer she stared blankly at them the entire time, noting the way their jaw was shaped, the many different noses she came across, the way their eyes sat and their eyelids moved as they narrowed in confusion at the cashier gaping at them. She couldn't help it, it was just a force of habit from drawing faces. Maybe she should give some of those hamsters in her painting human faces. That would be pretty hilarious.

Her observing aside, however, the afternoon had passed without much event, besides the fact that Richard finally woke up for an extended period of time to help work the register. That always made things easier for both her and Charlie. Besides the fact that it meant there was yet another person to take care of things while Natalie made a third and fourth cup of coffee (and a result, several trips to the bathroom, as well), Richard's childishly energetic attitude helped to keep the two of them in high spirits as customers of varying degrees of rudeness vied for their attention.

"So, what's tomorrow's schedule looking like? Natalie, you're working again that day, right?" He asked hours later, after the customers had mostly cleared out and closing was imminent.

"Yeah," she sighed, "Another afternoon shift. What else is new..."

"Ohh, don't sulk at me. You barely did anything today, even by your own standards. I know I let you guys get away with a lot, I don't want to have to be the nagging boss or whatever, but even I've got some standards to uphold. You know I could start taking that coffee out of your paycheck?"

Natalie didn't respond, just sighed again.

"Natalie."

"All right! I'm sorry, jeez. I'll be more focused tomorrow, I've just got other stuff on my brain."

"Other stuff, ohhh! I apologize! What could POSSIBLY be more important than working here?"

Phew. He was back to joking around again. "I dunno, art stuff, I guess. I've been on cruise control ever since I got the acceptance letters..."

"Ah, how could I forget, Minnesota's painting prodigy's finally going to be exhibiting somewhere other than here!"

"Hey, I wish. Just because I'm going to SVA doesn't mean I'm automatically going to be getting a gallery in Chelsea or something. I'll probably be one of those starving artists..."

"Which is exactly what you would want. The transformation into a total hipster will be complete!"

Natalie laughed, but noticed that Richard's tone was becoming a bit more subdued. She cast a glance over to the register, which he was shuffling through. He didn't return the eye contact. "Yeah, pretty much."

"...So you're decided, then? It's not going to be MCAD?"

"...No. I need to get out of this state, and I mean, New York City's the center of the art world and all that, and I pretty much got a full scholarship what with my financial situa-"

"Right. Don't forget to clock out, okay? And lock the freezer while you're back there? I think I left it open all day."

With one last sigh, Natalie did as she was told. This was at least the third time Richard had done this - not leave the freezer open, not even he was that careless THAT often, but hassle her about her college choice. She usually deflected his attempts to persuade her otherwise by claiming she wasn't actually sure yet, but truth be told, Natalie had decided pretty quickly that SVA was the school for her. But Richard didn't need to know that now. He already seemed upset enough thinking that she had only recently come to the decision. Did he need employees THAT badly?

After undoing the clusterfuck that was the knot holding her apron together and hanging it up, she tapped Charlie on the back and draped an arm over his shoulder. "Let's blow this pop stand, sugar," she said in a mock-dramatic tone before playfully pushing him away and sauntering out of the cafe.

"See you tomorrow!" Richard called after them. "Peace out!" she responded.

...I'm gonna miss you, too, man.

((Natalie Williams continued in Flaws))

((This is kind of a timeskip, but if anyone that still has a character here wants them to stick around after this, just act like Natalie was working there all day.))

Charlie held one hand over his mouth, stifling a yawn as he stared out over the cafe's interior. After the huge influx of customers at the beginning of his shift, things had mellowed out and business had slowed to a reasonable level. He had still been frustrated about the whole ordeal with Vincent at first, but as time passed he had let it drift to the back of his mind, replaced with happier topics like the computer waiting for him at home, or Andrea's curvaceous figure. Letting these thoughts swirl around in his head as he milled about his job in a half-dazed manner, the afternoon few by without further incident.

Now, hours had passed, and evening light was beginning to seep through the shopping mall, bathing the outside area in a light orange tint. Tilting his head to the side, Charlie cringed lightly as his neck made several light popping noises. Tilting it the other way, a few more followed suit. Shaking his head a few times, Charlie hummed lightly to himself in satisfaction. Good as new. Shifting his weight off of the counter, a groan escaped his lips as an aching sensation radiated through his legs. This job may have been easy, but after standing up for hours on end, his legs were ready to get out of there. Undoing his apron, he made his way into the back room and stashed it away, before clocking himself out and grabbing his backpack.

As soon as he stepped back into the cafe, he felt something drape over his shoulders, making him flinch in surprise. However, a quick glance to the side assured him that it was just Natalie being a flirt. "Let's blow this pop stand, sugar," she said in a ridiculous tone, as she gave Charlie a light shove and made her way out the front door. Charlie couldn't help but chuckle a little. That girl sure was something else. Looking over at Richard, Charlie waved as he made his way out as well.

"See you later, Chief."

And with that, he was gone, making his way at a light jog to catch up to Natalie.

((Charlie Beckwith continued elsewhere))

After the situation with Victoria, Cassidy focused on following the songs on the radio, occasionally covering the guitar instead of the bass when there she couldn't discern one. She barely noticed anything else until Natalie announced her intentions to leave the cafe.

"Yeah, I think I'll call it a day, too," she said to no one in particular. She stretched her legs and packed up her guitar, then stepped out of the cafe. "Same time tomorrow," she mumbled after stepping out into the mall at large.

Truth be told, hearing about Monty's horribleness kind of took the wind out of her sails. She didn't know what Monty's deal was; maybe he was just lashing out at people because he was spoiled. Or maybe impoverished, she didn't know. It was hard to justify cigarette branding, though. Treating Victoria like a common cow, that just wasn't right...

Cassidy's mind turned, eventually deciding to wander around the mall some more. Just because Natalie was gone didn't mean the place was closing down just yet. The night was still young, as they say.

((Cassidy Wakemore continued in Roses Without Thorns))

Victoria sat there, slumped in the chair, waiting for Vincents eventual reassurance. After a minutes silence, she glanced up. She ignored Cassidy, giving her a brief frown before looking away. She wasn't going to talk about what happened to a perfect stranger, even if she did already know what had happened. She could be excused for losing her cool and raising her voice. She was on the verge of a meltdown right now.

Granted, it wasn't as bad as it was in the parking lot. Like Alice, Vincent had sort of a calming effect on her. She considered him a close friend. Cassidy, however, wasn't a close friend. She wasn't someone that she trusted enough to talk about this sort of thing with. Things had goen wrong here, despite Vincent's presence, and she needed to get out.

When her cell phone vibrated, she jumped. Instantly, she felt embarrassed. It was that damn Pondsowrth. He'd shaken her, scared the hell outta her. She removed her phone from her pocket and read the text message. Bounce must have felt good enough on her own, because it seemed Alice was suddenly available. Like she mentioned, she liked spending time with Vincent. She even still had some lingering feelings for him. But right now, she needed Alice's level-headed and calm nature because she felt like a break down was right around the corner.

She looked back to her hand, clenched into a fist to hide the tremble. She felt weak, pathetic, worthless, and she needed someone to make her believe she was wrong.

"I-i gotta go, Vincent." she stammered, looking up briefly before standing. She shoved her hands into her pockets, hunching over as she pushed her chair in with her knee. "Some other time, okay?" After a moments hesitation, she leaned down, wrapping her arms around Vincents shoulder, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Vincent." She straightened briefly before sinking back into the hunch, her hands falling back into her pockets. "W-whenever your free, hit me up, we could hang out." A quick half-smile and she turned, leaving as soon as she arrived.

((Victoria Continued in Meltdown))