The Lightning Squad discussion

A nice little italian cafe

((Is it okay if Nico works here?))

((sure))

Nico walked up to the café, she was luckily still a few minutes early for her shift. She opened the door and held it open for Joss. "They make a really good herbal tea here" She told him, smiling a bit, giving a wave to her co-workers.

Joss stepped into the café. "Thank you." He said when she opened the door for him. He raised an eyebrow. "I've never had herbal tea before." He said.

"Its good, I'll get you one on the house" She offered, wishing to share the goodness that was herbal tea.

Joss smiled at her. "You don't have to do that." He told her. Was herbal tea really that good?

"I'm doing it and you can't stop me" Nico said with a nod, going over to tell the girl working the counter what she was getting, before Joss could stop her.

Joss looked down at his feet and smiled. He'd never had a friend like that. He thought for a moment. Were they friends? He didn't really know how that kind of thing worked. Was it to early to call her a friend?

Nico returned a few minutes later with a cup of herbal tea "Here drink this, its the best drink I've ever had" She encouraged the male.

((Gtg bedtime))

((okay))

Joss nodded and took the cup. He held it in both hands letting the warmth travel up and down his arms. He raised it to his lips and took a small sip. A burst of flavor exploded onto his tongue. He took another sip.
"Wow. It's pretty good." He said. "Thank you."

Nico smiled at him "No one can resist a good cup of herbal tea" She said "Well I have to start my shift, you're welcome to stay if you would like" The black haired female added, before going and grabbing her apron.

"I can stay, if you want me to." He said. Joss looked around the café. "Do you think I could help with anything?" He asked.

"I could talk to the manager, I think we were going to be short staffed today" Nico answered her friend. She fully considered him a friend, or at least the closest she had had to a friend at least.

Joss smiled at her. "Cool. Thank you." He said gratefully. He wondered if he'd meet any other people like Nico. If so, then maybe this place wasn't so bad.

"Be back dude" Nico said, going off to talk to the manager who had become a close friend of hers. After talking to the manager she came back, going over to Joss. "You can help out with cleaning the tables as people leave" She told him, a smile on her face.

Joss nodded. "Alright." He said. "I can do that." Joss smiled at her.

Nico gave him one last quick smile, before she was needed at a couple tables. As she worked, Nico changed to a different much nicer person. She always became a friendly person when working, something of which her boss had always loved about her.

Joss leaned slightly on a nearby counter, waiting and looking for tables that were open or that needed to be clean. He watched as Nico basically changed her personality when she worked. He wondered if she liked her job.

Nico hummed as she got the order for her table. Each day she looked forwards to coming to work, because it beat sitting alone in her apartment, and it was a distraction from her school life. She walked back to the table, giving them their order before making her way to Joss, waiting to be needed once again.

"You seem to enjoy your job." Joss told Nico with a smile. He looked around the small café and at the happy people sitting at their tables.

Nico shrugged "It beats being at home" She said, while her smile was still in place but a sadness flashed in her eyes for a moment. She pushed away the thoughts of her family, they meant nothing to her, but she couldn't help but miss them sometimes.

Joss sighed ."I'd have to agree with that." He said under his breathe. In a little louder voice so that Nico could hear, he asked, "Why? What's bad about your home, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I live alone now" Nico answered him in a soft voice, she was a little unsure of why she was so willing to answer his questions, most of the time she would dodge questions and refuse to talk about her family. "If you insist on knowing more, I will tell you after work" She added, willing to share her story with him.

"...Alone?" He said. Didn't she have parents? What had happened? There had to be someone else she had. "And you don't have to tell me about your past if you don't want to. But I would like to know more."

"I don't mind telling you, you're one of the first people at the school to actually come talk to me and you're my friend" Nico said, before turning to take care of her costumers, hoping to get some good tips today, to hold her over until next pay check.

Joss smiled when she called him a friend. he had finally made his first friend in America, even when he'd been in the country for an entire year. Back in New York, the first place he went to when he moved, no one had really talked to him as much as Nico.

((I'm going to skip to after her shift))

As her shift ended, Nico counted out her tips. She had managed to make almost 50 dollars in just the one shift, a smile on her face as she slipped the money into her pocket. She waved to the lady working the counter as she grabbed her bag and walked over to Joss "Ready to go?" The icy blue eyed female asked.

((Okay))

Joss nodded. "Yep." He said. He wondered what time it was. He'd forgotten his watch at his house. "Do you know what time it is?" Joss asked Nico.

Nico looked at her watch "Almost 5" She answered, walking out of the café. She walked towards her apartment, ready to get back to her home.

Joss followed her out of the café with his hands in his pockets. "Okay. Thanks." He said. "...Can you tell me why you live alone?"

Nico sighed, running a hand through her hair "I left home a couple years ago because they never wanted me" Nico answered him, her happy front that had been up in the café now gone, only to be replaced with the same one she had out front of the school.

Joss looked down at the ground. "Oh...I'm sorry about that." He said. He knew what it was like to be unwanted. "Why do you think that they didn't want you?"

"Soon as I could take care of myself, they left on trips and avoided being at home. When the finally did come home I had already been replaced" Nico said, a bitter chuckle escaping her lips "I should have seen it come though" She added, more to herself.

Joss was silent after that. He kept walking alongside Nico. "Well....look at the bright side." He said. "Most of the kids I met in Ireland would kill to live without their parents." Including himself, but he didn't add that.

Nico glanced at him "Living alone has had its perks, but it gets lonely a lot" She admitted, preferring to talk about now and not her past any longer.

Joss shrugged then smiled at her. "I can keep you company if you want." He told her. Truth be told, he got lonely to, most of the time.

Nico smiled "I would like that" She replied. It was a nice feeling to have a friend, and to be able to talk about her life.

"Me, too." Joss said. "What do you do? When you're alone, I mean. It sounds like it could get kind of boring. Do you go to places around the city?"

"Not really, most of the time I stay at home reading or watching movies" Or training She thought.

"Cool." Joss said. "What kind of books do you read? Other than the Egyptian one."

"Anything that looks good" Nico answered easily and quickly, having been asked that on many other occasions.

"Hmm." Joss hummed in response. He tended to do the same when reading. Back in Ireland he used to live close to a library and usually spend hours there.

Nico looked at ahead as her apartment building came into sight. She often liked to walk home, it was a quiet walk, although some days she wished it was longer.

"So, where do you live?" He asked. Joss suddenly realized how creepy that sounded. "And not in that kind of way..."

Nico pointed at the apartment building ahead of them "There" She answered simply.

"Oh." He said. "Why do they let you stay?Don't they think you're to young?"

"I've had to pull a few strings, but the owner is okay with me staying so long as rent is on time" Nico replied with a shrug.

"Doesn't the owner wonder where your parents are?" He asked.

Nico shook her head "We don't talk about it, the deal is a need to know basis" The younger answered, looking at him.