84. FOURTH WALL video/action/whatever. GO NUTS. Backdated a little to the morning.

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Another day, another long shift at work. Heather doesn't really mind, though. It's one hell of a difference between the hectic stress of the job in the department store that she had last year. What a difference having SANE bosses can make, even if the job is more boring.]

[As the morning sun creeps higher behind the snowclouds and lights up the powder drifting down from the sky, Heather is seated at one of the stools behind the counter in the diner where she now works, and is making herself incredibly useful by balancing all the salt-shakers she can find on top of one another.]

[And then putting all those little sealed packets of sliced cheese she can find on top of THOSE.]

[It's a quiet morning, okay? Leave her alone!]

[Needless to say, one of the owners of the diner-- an old married couple-- spots his newest employee working on the Leaning Tower of Cheesa and just sort of shakes his head, sighing. Kids these days.]</sub>

Miss Mason, as much as I hate to stifle the budding artist in you, the soda machines need cleaning.

_{[Heather heaves an enormously-dramatic mock sigh as she gets up.]}

Ugh, finnneeee. You're just jealous of my deeply creative spirit.

You got me. I'm turning green. Dish-soap should be in the back.

<sub>[Having chill bosses is AWESOME. Heather had decided she liked having bosses she could banter with almost as soon as she got the job. She sticks her tongue out at him as she passes, on her way to the back door. And then she has an idea!]

[Pulling out her 'Gear, she hits the network button.]</sub>

HEY GUYS. Who wants to watch me CLEAN SHIT?

<sub>[Because clearly if she had to do boring things, it would improve everybody else's lives to watch her do them.]

[But behind her, the boss clears his throat meaningfully, and Heather rolls her eyes.]</sub>



Oh, that's just Danny!



_{[OOC: COME AT ME BROS. Feel free to assume that Heather is elsewhere if you don't feel like dealing with Danny-- 4th Wall is like CRACK: THE EVENT, so I'm happy to stick her wherever.]}

Comments

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Heather directs her mother-- well, she's practically a stranger, who's she kidding-- to one of the booths. Then she's gone for a few minutes-- finding her manager and explaining that she needs to go on break. For... you know. Reasons.]

[Then she comes back after a moment, with a cup of coffee. She puts it down in front of Jodie before sitting down, herself.]

[<8I wellp]</sub>

[adoptivemother.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[Takes it with a nod and then looks over at her. Still trying to see some trace of her little Cheryl.]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Sorry, Jodie... there's not much to see there.]

[The girl sitting across from her is clasping her hands-- much bigger hands-- on the table in front of her, brows peaked and mouth pressed into a thin, worried line.]

[.... Heather]

[Heather you're supposed to be explaining things]</sub>

[adoptivemother.livejournal.com]

......Cheryl?

[foolishwren]

Huh?


... Oh.

Oh, yeah.

Um.

Sorry.

I was just... trying to figure out what to say...

[adoptivemother.livejournal.com]

[She nods.]

Well.... why don't you start with something simple? How old are you?

[This should be an easy question.]

[foolishwren]

_{[FUN FACT: the only time Heather gets this shy is when she is talking to dead people from her past who never actually met her in this life. True facts.]}

I'm, um... nineteen...

_{[Technically? Twenty-six, counting Cheryl's life.]}

[adoptivemother.livejournal.com]

Nineteen......

[Amazing.]

[foolishwren]

Yeah, it's... been awhile.

[adoptivemother.livejournal.com]

A while?

[And then Jodie laughs with a warm smile.]

I can't believe I'm having coffee with my nineteen year old daughter. You're all grown up.

[foolishwren]

Heh, well, mostly, anyway...

_{[She pauses, twining her fingers together.]}

So... you believe me?

[adoptivemother.livejournal.com]

I don't see why you would lie about something like this.

[foolishwren]

I dunno... People lie about all kinds of things...

[adoptivemother.livejournal.com]

Well for the moment I believe you.

[foolishwren]

_{[... For the moment...]}

All right... that's... that's good, I guess...

[adoptivemother.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry.

[foolishwren]

What're you apologizing for...?

[adoptivemother.livejournal.com]

For all the confusion.

[foolishwren]

Heh, seems like if anybody should be apologizing for confusion, it should be me.

[adoptivemother.livejournal.com]

Well then.

Why don't you tell me a little about yourself and things. How is your father?

[foolishwren]

... Well... uh...

_[DEAD.]

He's... he's doing good.

We had some ... rough spots, but everything's okay now. We uh... travel a lot.