Who: Aiden and Brian
When: Early afternoon
Where: Mya's Diner

In a much better mood than he had been over the last couple of days, Aiden entered Mya's with the intent on getting a cup of coffee, some food, and something to take back to Shannon until the two of them could, as much as he was loathe to think it, go grocery shopping. His gaze swept around the diner as he walked inside, keeping an eye out for any familiar faces. Walking to the counter, he sat on one of the stools, ignoring the empty booths and tables. He didn't need the space and he felt sitting at the actual counter might mean he'd get better, and faster, service so he could get in and out in a decent amount of time.

Sitting at the counter meant he got service straight from the source-- with Domino out, Olivia gone, two servers quit, and Marlowe still recuperating, Mya's was severely short-staffed. Brian was all they had to cover kitchen, counter, and dishes. Not that he did the dishes by himself, roping the other server and busboy into helping.

The lunch crowd rush had been over when Brian got there, thank god, so when he picked up the torch, it was mostly to pick up the pieces and clean up. The sight of a customer in the middle of it brought him right out of the kitchen, grinning at the distraction from messy counters and stacks of dishes. Owner's prerogative: leave the cleaning to his employees while he handled the food. "Hey there. What can I do for ya?"

Aiden glanced up briefly at the guy before returning his gaze back to the menu in front of him. "Coffee... fresh, if you have it." He looked up again. "Got any specials today?" Maybe a 'Happy to Be Alive Cheeseburger' or somesuch.

"Since I've been sucking down coffee as much as the customers, and we're just done with everybody at lunch wanting coffee, you're in luck," Brian chuckled. "New pot's on the boil. We're a bit low on the specials, though." They were rather in need of a few supplies, honestly, that hadn't been able to make it in with the whole vampire thing. "If you like breakfast for lunch, we've got some pretty good pancakes and I've been told I make mean hashbrowns. If you want regular lunch, a BLT's the best of the best from the lunch menu, in my book." Better, though, he had tons of pancake batter and potatoes, and a BLT he always had ingredients for. "I can make do with anything you order, though," he added with a confident sort of grin. He wasn't a good cook for nothing; he'd figure something out, if need be.

He considered that, thinking it was probably too late in the day for pancakes. "Throw in some fries and I'll take that BLT," he decided with a wry grin, wondering if he was allowed to smoke in the diner. Probably not. He gave a quick glance around the diner. "You guys tryin' to catch up on business?"

"Like everybody," Brian agreed, heading over to the other end of the counter to get the guy a mug of coffee. "Though being one of the few places still open after everything, even counting grocery stores, has its perks. You missed the lunch crowd." Lucky guy, else he'd probably wind up with frazzled rather than pleasant.

"Too bad," Aiden said wryly. Aiden doubted he would have had a lot of patience being around a bunch of hungry people. Or even just the crowd itself. "I suppose it would have it perks. People have to eat, right? Doesn't look like this place got touched all that bad during the last few nights either. You guys have any trouble around here?"

"Some bastard broke the window in the back," Brian shrugged, "but otherwise they pretty much left this place alone." Mostly due to wards and blessings, but that wasn't something one made public knowledge. He set the fresh coffee in front of Aiden and grinned. "Guess they didn't much like the angel on the sign, or something."

"Angels tend to have that affect on some people," Aiden told him, a touch amused. "Guess you could consider if a guardian angel if you wanted. Not many places went untouched since last week." He took the mug of coffee and lifted it to take a sip. For some reason it reminded him of Delilah. Coffee and pie. Comforting things. Shaking his head, he looked back up at Brian. "Olivia still work here?"

The idea of a guardian angel in their sign made Brian chuckle. They had a bona-fide angel, if only anybody knew it. He had started or the kitchen door to start on the sandwich when the guy asked about, of all people, Olivia. Brian stopped to give him a curious look. "Yeah, thought she's out of town right now... You know her?"

Aiden smirked a tiny bit behind the coffee mug before taking another sip. He nodded as he set the mug back on the counter top. "Yeah, I know. Just curious to see if she was still in town or not." Though if she was gone currently, there was a good chance she wouldn't be coming back. "Know her dad. Well, knew her dad." He smiled at Brian. "Think you could make that bacon a little underdone for me, mate?"

Knew her dad. Was this guy a hunter, too, or just a random family friend? Brian had no idea, not at all experienced in picking out hunters-- or he'd have figured Manhattan out ages ago-- but now he was wary, turning his back to head into the kitchen so the Irish fellow couldn't see it, at least until he got his expression appropriate for bread and lettuce. "I never could understand why people liked limp bacon," he chuckled, continuing the conversation through the open window from diner proper to kitchen "But we cook to order, here. So you knew her dad?" And apparently knew he was dead, too, given "knew".

"Crunchy bacon has no flavor," Aiden pointed out, reaching over to grab an abandoned newspaper left a few stools away from him. He drew it to him and glanced at the boring headline, pausing before he actually answered Brian's next question. "I did. We met a few times last year." He turned the newspaper, sweeping his gaze along the articles to look for anything interesting. "Decent guy." He didn't know if Olivia knew her dad was dead or not. Didn't really care either.

"I never met him," Brian said-- the honest truth. Though if he really was a decent sort, he felt even worse. Brian had always envisioned your typical "bad guy" in the stories his dad would tell-- and though he knew, as an adult, that he'd been a perfectly normal person, he'd still never exactly considered his moral standing. He was a hunter, and hunters killed people; that's all there was to it. Of course, at the time, Brian had never killed anyone, either.... Shaking that thought away, he continued, "Though she thinks highly of him, at least." Or thought? Did the tense change when thinking about a dead person? Hell...

This is just great. Random diner customer comes in and unknowingly guilt-trips the owner. Get a grip, old man. Brian tossed a couple strips of bacon into the frying pan and it heated up with a sudden sizzle. "So what's your name?" he asked over the cooking-sounds and the dish-washing sounds, behind him.

Aiden glanced up at Brian briefly. Obviously Olivia had talked about her dad, or he and this guy wouldn't be having this conversation. Aiden had liked Marcos. The guy had paid Aiden a hefty price to find Olivia and bring her home. Had even let him keep the money when Aiden had failed in doing so. Not many people would have done that, but he'd been a hunter, so he'd known that the effort was usually worth the payment alone. Sometimes. "Yeah, I bet she does." It was said sarcastically, but he moved on from the topic easily. "Aiden Quinlan. Yourself?"

"Brian Peregrine. And don't go dismissing Olivia like that. Girl was devastated when she found out." Probably didn't help that she'd been all set to go home and make things right with him, when he'd told her. He flipped the bacon off-- well before he would've wanted to eat it; shit was still floppy-- and started putting the sandwich itself together.

A slow smile spread across Aiden's lips as he finally pulled his attention completely from the newspaper. Peregrine. No shit. He almost laughed, but felt he might get his BLT spit in if he did. Instead he shrugged and went for his coffee again. "Girl should have stopped running and stayed home if she cared so much. Just my thoughts, though, what the hell do I know?" He shrugged and took a sip of coffee. Peregrine... the name had made it's way around. It wasn't often that a hunter and his target ended up taking each other out. Even if Peregrine hadn't died taking out Marcos, some hunter would have tracked the bastard down and finished it off for Ferreira anyway. Those who were loyal to the cause, and to one another. Aiden? Not one of them. Unless there was a paycheck involved. He assumed Brian was of some relation. You couldn't make this shit up.

"Sometimes you need time to see that," Brian said non-committally, giving the head of lettuce a quick glance-over to make sure it was still fresh before pulling a couple leaves off for Aiden. He missed the smile for the moment, busy working and regretting and, really, unaware his own father was apparently more famous than he'd thought. "I just wish she'd had a chance to see that sooner. It's never how you'd want it, having to let someone go without making things right." Would his dad have wanted to, if he'd expected to die? Would he have come clean? Probably not. Ugh.

"Yeah, I guess. Though it sounds to me like time got her nothing but regret. Life's too fuckin' short, man." Aiden believed that fully. It's why he took advantage of every opportunity. Why he didn't care if he put his life at risk on every hunt. He fully expected to die young someday and he was going to do it his way. "So what do you do? Mourn for someone who you didn't seem to give a shit about when they were alive? 's not very fair to them, is it?"

"The dead don't care," Brian pointed out. "Even if some part of them does stick around to notice, I figure there's more cause to be happy they were loved, even if they weren't sure of it in life. Maybe especially if." He came back around, limping slightly, and set the finished sandwich and fries in front of Aiden, smiling. "And if this guy was as decent as you say, he probably wouldn't want her to be sad, anyway, even if she is."

Aiden wasn't too sure of all that, but he didn't say so. He just wanted his sandwich. Grabbing a fry, he popped it in his mouth. If you showed you didn't give a rat's arse about someone in life, Aiden didn't get why they got to mourn in death. He knew for a fact that when his da finally died, he was going to rejoice. The day couldn't come soon enough. "He might still be alive if it weren't for her. So... yeah but if she's sad, let her be sad. People mourn, you move on. Can't spend your life on what ifs and regrets because the next thing you know, it's over and that's all you've got." He smiled at Brian and picked up his sandwich.

"You're not one of the laid-back types, are you," Brian chuckled, a bit weakly. After all, he was pretty damn sure that Olivia being around had nothing to do with his dad being killed. He doubted it would've made the hunter and more or less careful going up against his dad. "You enjoy that, and I'll get right back to you with the bill."

Chuckling, Aiden shook his head. "I can be, if I want to be." He said nothing further, but bit into his sandwich. He probably knew more about the situation than this guy did. He assumed so anyway, but Aiden wasn't one to start spouting off details of what went on behind what most people believed to be true.

Brian left Aiden alone while he ate, heading over to first greet another customer who came in and get her a glass of iced tea, then settling at the register to ring the sandwich up. He preferred keeping busy, and the young lady didn't bring up death, grief, or estranged employees, so she was a friendly distraction right there. When the Irishman-- the hunter? Brian didn't know-- was nearly finished he came back with the check. "The bacon cooked all right, I hope?" he said with a grin before setting it down.

"It was perfect, thanks." Aiden took the check and set it next to his plate, not bothering to look at the price. He paused midchew and winced before swallowing. "Shit, I need to order something to go for my sister. Think you can add that on there?" He nudged the check back toward Brian. "Sorry, mate, the conversation sort of distracted me from my purpose."

Chuckling, Brian picked it back up. "Sure, man. Easily done. What does your sister want?" And now Aiden would be here longer. Which could be good... or bad. Brian tucked the check into his apron pocket and and headed back to the kitchen to get started, once Aiden decided what he wanted, exactly.

"Dunno, actually." He probably should have asked. Aiden finished up his sandwich before wiping his hands on his napkin and glancing over at the menu. What did his sister usually eat? Shit, he was observant in every other aspect of his life but his personal one. "Uh. Chicken salad, I guess? Fries. Maybe a slice of apple pie to go with it?" If Shannon didn't want it, he'd just go out and get her something else.

"Apple pie I have plenty of," Brian said with a smile, now from the kitchen. "Chicken salad, fries, and pie-- comin' right up." He even had the lettuce still out, already. He snatched it out from under the busboy's trying-to-be-helpful hand-- "Sorry, Amos, still need that,"-- and got to work.

After a moment he spoke up again. "So how did you know Olivia's dad?" It was a casual enough question, but the answer would be very informative, he hoped.

Aiden was already pulling out his wallet to get money out to pay for the meals, thankful that he was able to get in and out in a decent time. And the food had been good as well. Much better than the greasy fast food shite he'd subjected himself to for so long. Looking up at the question, Aiden rested his wrists on the counter, still holding his wallet and cash. "I met him a few times. We knew each other through some mutual acquaintances."

Well, that was distinctly uninformative... Oh, well. He supposed he oughtn't have hoped for something like "I knew him from work", which would've been a dead giveaway. "Should I tell Olivia you came by, when she gets back?" Brian asked. "She'd probably like having another friend in town." Or, well, have Mya tell her... Though maybe it'd be a way to try and talk to her, make an attempt.

Chuckling, Aiden shook his head. "No, it's all right. I doubt she'd want to know I was around." And friends was the very last thing they would consider one another to be. "We don't really get along." He tapped his wallet on the counter and waited for Shannon's food.

"Ah, all right then." Somehow, Brian was not terribly surprised. Maybe he would try to contact her, anyway, to ask if she knew what Aiden did... if she'd tell him. She wouldn't want him to get killed or captured, just because she was mad at him, would she?

Bah, it wasn't important. It wasn't as if Brian advertised what he did. Not exactly. Not unless you were looking closely, anyway. And nobody knew about Mya... or Domino. Or Marlowe, for that matter. He was getting paranoid. Shaking his head at himself, Brian got back to work, and left Aiden to his thoughts while he did.

Aiden wasn't one to give more information than he was asked. Especially about certain aspects of his life he'd rather keep to himself. Especially to some guy who knew Olivia. He didn't need it getting around town that he was a hunter. Especially a merc. Very rarely did anyone trust him solely for that. Still, Aiden eyed Brian curiously, wondering if the guy had something to hide like most of the people living in Marquette. Angel? Demon? Psychic maybe... or maybe he was just plain old vanilla, like Aiden. Would be interesting to find out.