Always Cheerful (Charlie)

[Charlie Davis]

Charlie grinned, “Dogs are a generally reliable judgment of character, yeah. Riley’s a cool guy. And Wayne is a very smart dog,” He declared this with no small measure of pride. Having no children, and being away from his sister and her family, Wayne became Charlie’s family, as it were. It was a little geeky, but Charlie was a sociable animal, and he needed some kind of company more or less all the time. Wayne was all too willing to accommodate.

“Oh good,” Charlie let out a little huff of amused relief, “There’s only so much fanciness I can handle anyways. We seem to be of the same mind when it comes to food. I always get sad when they serve the little bitty portions. That’s not a meal! It’s like… a preview.” He shook his head in slight disappointment.

Charlie listened aptly to her talk about Morgan. His brow furrowed a but when she mentioned her son having troubles in town, but he didn’t press. This was a social thing, not a work thing, and so pressing further would just be rude. He filed it away to the back of his mind and continued listening. “I’m glad everything is working out for your son now,” He said sincerely, “He sounds like a smart guy. Probably a lot better than my history teacher. He was so boring.” He shook his head a little, remembering his old crusty high school teacher.

“Oh! Yeah, that’s right.” He rummaged around in his pocket to produce his wallet, “That’s Will and James, they’re twins, starting college. And that’s Janet. She’s 13. Lizzie chose to have kids a little later in life.” He explained, “She’s older than me by two years. They’re great kids. They chose to stay in San Francisco when I went wandering around the country,” He joked slightly.

“Thanks much,” He nodded to the waitress before helping himself to a slice himself. Taking a healthy bite, his eyes widened enthusiastically. “Oh wow, you’re right,” He mumbled, forgetting his manners, “This is fantastic.” He swallowed before laughing lightly at Elaine’s joke, “Don’t think I can let you do that, ma’am.” He tried to put on a Stern Face, “’Fraid that’s breaking the law. And my boss would be upset if I allowed it.” He grinned again, “Although this pizza is almost worth it.”

[Elaine Tonaya]

"Wayne, huh? Is he named after anyone, or did you just like the name?" It wasn't the usual sort of dog name, a type which actually described the dog, like Curly, Panda, or even Brute. "I've sometimes thought about getting a dog, but since I'm at the shop all the time it just doesn't seem fair. I wouldn't want to leave a dog alone at home for too long."

Elaine laughed at Charlie's description of fancy food. "Like the advertisement for a movie. Some people think that having just the little bit of a movie is enough to know the whole thing, and some of us would rather have the whole meal. And dessert."

It was nice of him to listen to her ramblings about Morgan, and he even seemed concerned. She did appreciate that he didn't push anything, though. It just didn't seem right. "Yes, he is a wonderful teacher, from what I've heard. Most of his students seem to like him, in any case." And those who didn't like him, well, they weren't always the best of students anyway.

"They look like great kids," Elaine said, looking at the pictures. "And it's so great that they still have lots of time to see what they want to do. Maybe someday one of them will come traipsing around the country, too. I hear the travel bug kind of runs in the family." It had never really run in her side of the family, but it definitely seemed to hit some harder than others.

Briefly Elaine grew serious as she was reminded that she was sitting with a police officer, but it was only for an instant as she recognized that he was still willing to joke with her. She smiled back at him. "Oh come now, you surely don't expect little old me to be able to do anything. In case you didn't notice, 'Little Tony' is not as little as he claims. No, I think the only way to get the recipe out of him will be to use persuasion. Do you think I could buy him off with flowers? Or maybe offer to trade in one of my recipes for the shop?"

She finished off her pizza and went for a second slice. "Do you have a favorite food?" she asked Charlie. "I know it's a silly question, I don't even have one myself, but is there anything specifically that you just really enjoy?"

[Charlie Davis]

Charlie nodded, “He is named after the great John Wayne. The cowboy movie star.” The last part seemed unnecessary for him, but alas, not everyone nowadays was very aware of who John Wayne was anymore. “It’s true,” Charlie agreed, “Sometimes I feel bad too, leaving Wayne all by himself. But we go on jogs and walks when I get home from work, so that hopefully keeps him busy.” Wayne was surprisingly low maintenance for a Great Dane. Which wasn’t to say that the dog didn’t still keep Charlie busy, but not as much as he could.

“Some people are crazy,” Charlie said with amused authority, “Also dessert always. That is how you eat a meal.”

“That’s great,” Charlie said, taking another slice of pizza, “Takes talent to be a good teacher. He sounds like a smart boy. Probably had a good mother.” He flashed Elaine a grin. He had no doubt that the woman was and had been a very capable mother. She just seemed very motherly.

Charlie laughed slightly, “Maybe. Maybe one of them will end up over my way. That would be nice.” He really did love his niece and nephews. They were the kids he didn’t have.

Charlie laughed louder at this. “Well, you never know. It’s always the quiet ones,” He grinned, completely unserious, “Never know which one is secretly planning a heist on an unsuspecting pizza shop.” Charlie laughed some more, “I am sure you could charm him into revealing his secret.”

“I don’t have a favorite food either,” Charlie agreed, “I just like food. Which makes Thanksgiving one of my favorite holidays, actually. What’s better than a holiday about food and family?” Charlie was a cornball. But he was an earnest one.

[ooc: sorry for the late, Pen <3]

[Elaine Tonaya]

"Ah yes, John Wayne. Do you know, I have a friend who was an extra in one of his films. He played one of the Indians, and now he drives trucks for a living. Whenever he comes through town he stops by to get flowers and steal my cookies." Elaine loved all the people who came into her store, especially people with fun stories to tell and interesting backgrounds. "It sounds like you care about your dog very much. If you're worried about him during the day, you might also consider a dog sitter or something, though I suppose you've already considered that."

She blushed slightly at the compliment and waved her hand in the air. "And maybe he's just brilliant all on his own. I'm just glad he turned out so well, despite any mistakes I made." And she had made some, many in fact. She still sometimes suspected that Morgan was a little strange because of it, not that she'd ever admit it.

"I haven't practiced my charm in years," Elaine said. She gave a fake sigh. "I just don't know that I'd be able to pick it back up again. But I suppose I could go back through my closet. What do you think, should I wear the waist-high skinny jeans, the platform shoes, or the off-the-shoulder sweater?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Do you know, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays as well. And Christmas. But it's always nice when I can get the whole family together for a big rowdy meal and lots of good conversation. Christmas is even better, because I get to give presents to everyone and see the joy on their faces. And then I can send everyone out into the snow for a snowfight while I enjoy a hot cup of cocoa by the fire."

[Charlie Davis]

“Really?” Charlie was impressed, “Wow, that’s amazing. He’s lucky; that’s quite an opportunity.” At Elaine’s comment about Wayne, Charlie nodded, “I did consider a dog sitter. I haven’t been here long enough to really know who to go to. I might put up an ad, do you think that would work?”

“Brilliant family in general, then.” He smiled as a compromise. He didn’t say that he didn’t really think that Elaine was capable of damaging mistakes. He was no psychic, but he was a fair judge of people, and it didn’t take a genius to see that Elaine cared.

That was nice.

Charlie laughed, “If this is you without practiced charm, you must be a force to be reckoned with otherwise. I think you’re very charming.” He laughed at her comment about wardrobe, “Honestly, you’re pretty enough to wear anything in the world and make it look better.”

…That was probably a little much. Charlie winced inwardly; it was true, Elaine was a very, very pretty woman with a bright smile and good conversation. But he had just met her, and she had no way of knowing he was just naturally this earnest. Trying to salvage the situation, he held up his hands slightly and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. No funny business, I swear.”

Charlie laughed, “Oh, what? You don’t snowball fight? I bet you’re the secret weapon. Strike when everyone’s least expecting it.” Charlie Davis: giant dork.

[>.> sooo I totally thought I posted here. And then I didn't >.> I LOVE YOU D:]

[Elaine Tonaya]

"I would definitely suggest an ad. I'm sure there are some of the young locals in town who would be happy to have a job. I would suggest talking to one of the students at the school, but they have class during the day, so I suppose it wouldn't work very well. If you like, I can keep it in mind and talk to people who come in to the shop. I can spread the word around quietly and see if anyone is available for that sort of job."

Elaine blushed at the barrage of compliments. She wasn't really used to getting a lot of attention from men before--usually she was just the "mother" or the "good friend." And honestly, it was kind of...nice. Even mothers like to be reminded, every once in a while, that they can be beautiful on their own as well.

"No, no, it's fine," she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear and smiling at the table. "I know you were just being honest." She could smell it on him. He wasn't a flirt, just trying to say something to get on her good side. But his earnestness, well, he practically reeked of it.

"Every once in a while I join in the snowball fight," she said with a small grin. "But I'm not a very good shot. The only way I manage to get anyone is to sneak up behind them and shove snow down the back of their shirts. Which I do, on occasion, and then try to run back to the house before they can get me back. I'm afraid I'm rather a wuss when it comes to snow. But most of the time I just stay in the house. It's a chance for me to relax after a hard day putting together the event. Not that I don't love it, I do, but the wind-down is sometimes just as nice as the actual holiday."

She finished off her pizza and sat back in her chair. "Goodness, I'm stuffed. Too bad, because this place also has the best gelatto in town. If you still have room, I really recommend trying it. The lemon was always my favorite, but they have a nice variety."