Coffee, Tea, or Me? (Macie)

[Zebadiah Hayes]

Zeb didn't usually spend much time in the staff lounge. Though sometimes if he was lonely and things were quite he would pop his head in just for some conversation with his co-workers. But usually he just went back to his own apartment when he needed a break.

Still, last week he had run out of coffee and hadn't had time to run to the store so he had borrowed from the lounge. It was something that he did from time to time, but he was always quick to restock the supplies. Once in a while he would drop off doughnuts or some other treat if he had been out in the morning.

But today he was just restocking the coffee and counting himself lucky that not only did he had his own kitchen but the backup coffeepot in here as well in case. He didn't know what he'd do without his coffee. Speaking of which, he was working on his sixth cup for the morning and it was hardly even ten yet.

Even with all the caffine, mornings were hard on Zeb and he still wasn't up to paying good attention mode, so he almost bumped into Macie as they both headed into the staff lounge. "Excuse me, Miss Wyatt," he said, with a smile. The two had bumped into each other several times since she started working at Hammel and Zeb enjoyed seeing her around. Not just because she was a beautiful and kind woman, but also how great she was with the kids, particularity MoJo. He took a step back and held the door to the lounge wide open for her. "How's your morning going?"

[Macie Wyatt]

Macie usually only went to the staff lounge to eat her lunch. She hardly ever needed the microwave, because her lunch was similar everyday. A sandwich, a yogurt, some carrots, and some sort of sweet for dessert, but it was usually quiet in there, unlike when she ate lunch with Mojo in the chaotic cafeteria. It just made her think of being a student here and not knowing where to sit. She'd been quite the awkward teenager. She was always glowing and it didn't help that when she'd sweat, even that glowed. It had been highly embarassing.

But now she had her tablet to hide behind, then she had just hidden behind the poetry of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Sometimes she still did, although she often read it on her tablet. "Oh, no, excuse me!" she responded, as she really hadn't been paying attention. She was just concentrated on eating as she was so hungry. She smiled thankfully as he held the door open for her, going inside quickly. "It's going well." As well as a morning could go. She'd wrestled with her short hair that morning, as it had been sticking up everywhere and nearly forgotten her lunch, but she had it. "I'm planning on eating lunch a little early." She held up her dorky Hello Kitty metal lunchbox that she'd had for way too long. She vaguely remembered Zeb from her Hammel days, but he was a year or so older. Since getting to know him a little better now, she liked him, even if he always seemed to have a caffeine buzz. While she preferred green tea over coffee, she was no stranger to caffeine either. "How is your morning?"

[Zebadiah Hayes]

Zeb smiled and waved away her apology as he followed Macie into the staff lounge. He never minded bumping into pretty ladies, though he kept that thought to himself. He didn't think her hair looked at all out of place, though his own had his signature bed head look. Though there were time when he actually put some effort into getting his hair to look a little better, it was usually only on special occasions, or when the students parents were around and he didn't want them to think that they'd left their children in the hands of a hobo.

He smiled again at her lunchbox, though he thought it was more cool, retro than dorky. "I still haven't gotten past breakfast," he added, holding up his coffee mug. Though he did sometimes actually have more than liquid caffeine for breakfast, it wasn't that often. He'd get to lunch at some point in the afternoon when his stomach had woken up enough. "Got a busy afternoon planned?"

Zeb really hadn't known many of his peers as a student. Between preferring to spend time trying to catch up on sleep and most of the students thinking he some sort of nightmare-giving monster, he hadn't really made many close friends back then. Still he remembered Macie vaguely as a young student, and the thought made him smile.

"It's going," Zeb replied. He had made his morning rounds of checking up on students (either because he knew they needed a friend or because they needed a reminder of authority) and figured while most of the students were in class now was a good time to stop by the lounge.

"How's MoJo?" he asked. Though Zeb wasn't all that close with the young girl, he knew about her and worried about her like he did all his kids students.

[Macie Wyatt]

"I'm not so sure coffee is breakfast," Macie told him. She was all about eating balanced meals. She had a food diary app on her tablet. Not because she was worried about her weight, but more because she wanted to make sure she was getting enough nutrients. She was kind of obsessive about it. And Zeb's diet seemed to only consist of coffee at the moment. "You don't drink coffee on an empty stomach do you?" Caffiene on an empty stomach always made her sick. Was his stomach made of iron or something?

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she sat down the table, unlatched her lunchbox and began upacking its contents. "Not too busy," she said with a shrug. She had a few students to meet up with for training purposes and then Mojo to work with if she needed it. She was there whenever the girl needed her, mostly because she knew how cruel kids could be, especially when you couldn't commmunicate with them.

"She's well!" Macie knew the girl still struggled with making friends, but she was trying to help with that. "I really wish more people knew ASL though. I've thought about teaching a class, but I'm already so busy."

[Zebadiah Hayes]

Zeb shrugged. He was pretty sure coffee was breakfast. Sure, it wasn't exactly the healthiest of breakfast options. And if he found a student living on the same diet he did, he would be concerned. But for him it was okay. At least it kept him moving and functional. He laughed away her concern. "My stomach's used to it," he added. After all, he'd been drinking coffee on an empty stomach every morning since he'd been a student here.

He continued to smile at her when she tucked her hair behind her ear. He loved when women did those little almost unconscious gestures. It made them so genuinely and delicately beautiful. He looked away for a moment, focusing on his coffee. After all he didn't want Macie to get uncomfortable if she caught him staring.

"I'm glad she's doing well," Zeb said. "Though if you ever do teach a class, be sure to let me know." He really did wish he knew at least the basics. He had tried to learn at least 'Hello' and 'How are you?' in every language that the students at Hammel spoke. Though once he had asked a Korean student that and made the mistake of misleading the poor child that he understood the entire language. Still he felt it was important to try to communicate with the students in a way they felt comfortable. And it was good to know the basics. But ASL was a bit of a mystery to him. Though he had learned to spell out 'Zeb', those were the only three letters he had stored in his brain.