Raining inside (p)

[Deleted]

Each day she would rise early and practice three hours of dance, eat breakfast, take a shower, and then whatever she felt like it that involved the outside world and nature. Which for Katrina was the norm. So you could imagine the girl being pretty ticked off when she looked outside to find it raining. Which meant she should stay inside. Talk about dampening the mood huh?

Frustrated, phone dead meaning she couldn't call for her friends to hang out. And her housemate was gone off at work which left the blonde....bored. What could a girl do if not the normal routine? Read a book? No that would make her too sleepy. Do extra Dance practice? Not likely. Katrina hated being off schedule. So instead she changed from her work out clothes and pulled on a red long sleeves dress that came up to mid thigh and black tights with matching combat boots before grabbing an umbrella and headed outside.

Night as well go get coffee right? Relax at Starbucks or something. Maybe take a walkin the rain afterwards. Either way the young dancer made her way out of her shared flat and headed towards the corner where her favorite little coffee shop was located.

Happily getting there with no delays and hopped inside. Shaking her umbrella out she settled into a booth near the door. Her gaze glancing around the area. She was in no hurry to go grab something. New environment was good

Bryson Kyle Pierce

[Bryson Kyle Pierce]

Bryce didn’t usually have time in the middle of the day to do squat. He was lucky if he wasn’t assigned three cases, have to go out to each to collect evidence and then manage to find the time to go back to the lab to begin analysing his findings. His days were longer than people often thought, especially when he stayed behind most days to actually get some work done but he loved his job nonetheless. Most times, he was lucky to grab something to eat at a vendor as he was rushing around to do this or that. But today he had some spare time to kick around and fill with however he pleased. Soon enough he would be back doing what he was paid to do and forgetting he’d had the spare time in the middle of the day.

It was rare but when it happened, he usually called up Devon to see what she was up to, if she was free; which was equally as rare. The girl worked more hours than he did and he used to think he was a workaholic! But he loved how dedicated she was, even if there were personal reasons behind it all. It made even more sense after he’d been let in on the secret and it made him appreciate her drive more than ever. Bryce only wished she would lay off beating herself up for it all. None of what had happened had been her fault and he understood her need to solve the personal case but he’d read the files, too. And it would take more than just her to get things done. Lucky for her she had the greatest boyfriend of all time. Though these free times in the middle of the day were rare, since finding out about Devon’s secret, he’d been filling that time with helping her out, going over all the evidence once again. He was finding new things but there wasn’t a lot he could tell her to help her; not yet anyway but hopefully soon.

Today however, Bryce needed to grab some coffee that didn’t taste like sludge. Instead of taking his work truck, Bryce decided to walk the few blocks to the nearest Starbucks, texting Devon the entire way and thinking up what he would grab when he got there. On the way back to work, he would stop in the deli across from the lab but while he was grabbing a peppermint hot chocolate, he’d want something sweet to go with it. He was thinking maybe a brownie when he stepped through the doors and settled in line, not paying the least bit of attention to his surroundings.

Tag || @vortex
Words || 449
Clothes || To come!
Music || I'll Stay Me ---Luke Bryan
Notes || - - -

[Deleted]

Katrina liked to think she could read people easily. Of course she was no professional but living on the streets taught et a few things when it comes to the people to trust. You had to look for the signs. Kat liked to sit around in her spare time watching people. Of course TV worked too but it wasnt as good as the real life people around her.

She noticed one of the customers that had come in and decided to study him. Narrowing her eyes slightly she watched his interactions and the way he did things. She could tell by the brief glance at his face, the subtle look of tiredness that he must have just got off work or he didn't get off from work often. She wondered briefly what he did for a living. She understood New York was a busy place, the place that never slept.

Smiling slightly she found herself staring and quickly snapped out of it and looked away awkwardly. How rude of her to stare like that! Bringing out her phone the girl opened up a note book app and began to type furiously at the keys.

[Bryson Kyle Pierce]

Bryce didn't outwardly show he paid attention to his surroundings. He was paid to notice things after all. But when he was off the clock he tried to ignore the outside world. He preferred his little bubble that consisted of arguing for twenty minutes about which take out place to order from before having a ten minute non fight over the show they would watch. The TV show Bryce wasn't ever overly concerned about but the food was a big deal. And Bryce was stubborn enough to fight for something he was craving. He could easily admit to being "such a girl" when it came to food. When it was his turn, he had a smile on that lit up his face as he approached the barista. He was a regular and didn't have to give his coffee order, it was given to him! But since he wanted something sweet he joked around with the girl behind the counter about how wrong she was and laughed when she gave him his close to Christmas pick and that he wanted something sweet to go along with it and make it two because he'd clocked the girl by the window.

He paid, tipped well because he knew how crappy the pay at a place like Starbucks was; like those who worked at bars, they lived on their tips. He had a well-paying job and he had his inheritance so he could easily leave the extra ten dollars. It wasn't much but he knew that smiling face was working hard to pay her way through NYU and could use all the extra money she could get her hands on. He was happy to help. There had been a time when he himself might have been in her place. Thankfully for him, his parents had set up a college fund for him, just in case he chose not to go to the college his father was a professor and instead decided to go to an out of state school; which in the end was exactly what he’d done. But he’d gotten through that first year on his father’s dime, technically. Any of his children, because he was faculty could attend the school tuition free. Bryce had taken advantage of that his freshman year but then decided he didn’t want to be stuck under his father’s thumb for another three plus years.

With his drink and brownies in hand Bryce moved through the tables of the coffee shop until he found the blonde by the window. Without even bothering if it was okay, he sat across from her. "You got caught." He said idly as if it was completely normal and they did this all the time. As if it were completely normal, Bryce pushed the extra brownie across the table before opening his own and taking a bite. The barista was right; it was exactly what he'd been looking for. He would have to go up before he left again to get something frivolous to tip her a bit more for her excellent telepathy skills. The girl should go to Coney Island and work a booth there; she would probably make a fortune and have school paid for within six months! Of course then Bryce would miss her psychic ways for picking out goodies for him and that just couldn't happen. He told her enough times that he would miss her when she finally said she was done with Starbucks.

Tag || @vortex
Words || 576
Clothes || To come!
Music || I'll Stay Me ---Luke Bryan
Notes || - - -

[Deleted]

Katrina's eyes snapped up from her phone to stare at the dark haired guy she had been watching earlier as he sat down across from her. "Guess I wasn't so sneaky huh?" She gave a rueful smile. "Sorry 'bout that. The staring I mean." She clarified as she locked her phone and set it on the table in reaching distance.

"You know it's only polite to ask permission to sit t the same table as a stranger." She offered teasingly with a small smile. "Of course New York isn't really the place for politeness." She chuckled softly and extended her hand across the table. "Katrina Devereux." She introduced herself with a kind and friendly smile.

[Bryson Kyle Pierce]

Bryce’s entire job was paying attention to every detail no matter how small and insignificant it first appeared. There was always more than met the eye and Bryce was the guy that found it. He should have been digging up more dirt on Devon’s case but there was only so much he could do before he just had to wait for the machine’s to work their magic. “You would have gotten away with it if it had been anyone else.” Bryce admitted with a grin as he lifted his drink to his lips to take a sip. It was still hot enough to scorch and Bryce loved it that way. It also reminded him that he needed to pick up some things for their next date night. He’d forced Devon out for their last one, even if it had only been to grab Chinese and catch a movie in an actual theatre. So this date night was one they would spend curled up on the couch with a collection of movies or television shows to watch and twenty minutes fighting the pros and cons of Chinese, Thai and good ol’ pizza.

The CSI brushed off the apology with a wave of his hand. He wasn’t interested in apologies or any such thing. He got looks all the time and though he noticed them, he didn’t care about them anymore. He didn’t generally approach people anymore when he caught them looking in his direction, especially since they could be looking at anything around him. But this girl had been looking at him, he’d known it the second he clocked her. “It’s whatever.” He said, sipping at his drink. He’d gotten a decent enough look at the girl when he’d been standing in line and then at the counter while he’d been joking around with the baristas. But sitting across from her, he could see more. She’d had a hard life, probably thought she was hiding it well but Bryce saw it all. She was pretty, slim, a figure he’d attribute to dance or a ton of gym time. “That would be the nice thing to do and you’re right this is New York so what makes you think I’m a nice person?” He asked curiously.

He was probably one of the nicest guys in the city at the moment but he attributed that to the fact that he wasn’t really from the city. He’d lived there long enough and visited so frequently he should have just moved permanently earlier than he did but well, he’d been far too young and the train ride from Connecticut wasn’t that bad. It gave him the time to get whatever homework he’d pushed aside until the last possible minute. “Bryce Pierce.” He said, introducing himself as he shook the hand she’d extended. “Are you going to eat that brownie? If not, I know a starving student who could probably benefit from the sugar rush.” He said with a grin. He’d purchased the second baked good specifically for this blonde girl but if she wasn’t into brownies, the barista could use the sugar rush.

Tag || @vortex
Words || 518
Clothes || To come!
Music || I'll Stay Me ---Luke Bryan
Notes || - - -

[Deleted]

She smiled a secret smile at his question. How did she know he was a nice guy? "Experience." Was all she said after a moment. Indeed experience helped. Kat met alot of false people and she found it easy now to pick out nice from not so nice.

"It's nice to meet you Bryce." She replied before looking down at the browning and blinked in surprise. "Oh." She mumbled. She hadn't known he got the brownie for her. "You really are an odd man has anyone else told you that?" She asked with a small smile. "It's ok. As much as the brownie is tempting; I'm sure that student you mentioned deserves it more." She smiled.

"Sooo; curiosity why did you come to sit with me? If you noticed my staring I'd have thought you'd have either left or sat somewhere else. Yet you did the exact opposite." She raised a brow.

[Bryson Kyle Pierce]

Bryce could have answered his own question easily enough. He didn't have the hard looks of a born and raised New Yorker who'd seen too much in his young life. He'd lived in a huge house on a massive piece of land, he'd wanted for nothing but his parents affection. But he had also never rebelled the way most kids did. He had never run away or stole from anyone, he'd just chartered planes and took his friends on trips, he bought expensive things for them and he made sure his nanny, the only adult who ever seemed to care about him and his brother, was well taken care of. Even now that he didn't need her, he made sure she didn't have to work, he visited her every chance he got and he spent his holidays with her, not his family. His brother was the same way thought now he had a family of his own and they usually invited their nanny there instead. "Now that's a story." He said understanding there was more to that single word answer. He was paid to notice the details after all.

The CSI was routinely doing things like this. Maybe not buying complete strangers brownies but he did routinely start up conversations with people. It was in his nature to do so. "My girlfriend frequently tells me I'm a strange one. I pay no attention to her when she says it." He admits with a chuckle. It was a conversation he and Devon had quite often. And every time it ended the same; with Devon telling him he was strange and with him relenting on whatever their argument started with. Nodding his head, Bryce turned in his chair to yell over at the cash "Wren! I have a brownie with your name on it." He called and laughed when the redhead behind the counter perked right up. He was a regular for that particular Starbucks, he knew everyone who worked there and all their habits. HD knew Wren was working at Starbucks part time while she was volunteering with the park services to care for the horses. She was a rich kid like himself but he hadn't known that until much later. She was so down to earth and friendly that finding out she was loaded had been quite the shock. Still, it didn't stop him from buying an extra brownie for her because they were her favourite. Just like it never stopped him to add things to his order for the rest of the group working that day. He could afford it and too often they looked like they needed the pick me up.

Why did Bryce sit across from this girl? It was probably as much a mystery to Bryce as it was to anyone watching them. He didn't know her and would probably never see her again unless she was st one of his crime scenes of showed up at his lab. But something about her said she needed company and Bryce was all for giving people what they asked for. "I'm the type who generally does the opposite of what people expect of me. I should have turned tail and booked it back to work or down the street a bit further to pick up the Christmas gift I have on hold for my girlfriend but instead I'm here, talking to you because you look like you need an ear. Am I wrong?" He asked, knowing it could always be a possibility. But he was usually right about these things. Of course, he'd been wrong before and calmly apologized and walked away but he didn't think he was wrong about this one. So, he smiled and took a sip of his drink and waited.

Tag || @vortex
Words || 625
Clothes || To come!
Music || I'll Stay Me ---Luke Bryan
Notes || - - -

[Deleted]

She chuckled at him. "Yes you can say its quite a story." She mused shaking et head. Her eyes following the man's towards the cashier and gave a soft smile. "You seem pretty popular here no?" She offered glancing around. "It's good to see that NY isn't such a dark place." She frowned thinking about something before her frown turned into a smile. "Oh you have a girl friend? That's sweet!" She grinned. Despite being single herself she loved the thought of being with someone special and she loved hearing stories of other people who where in a relationship.

"Hey at least being strange makes you unique yeah know? I mean if you didn't have your quirks and such then you'd be like every other old man or lady on the street." She hummed thoughtful.

His answer to why he came to sit actually gave the blonde a thoughtful look. "In a way I suppose so." She glanced at him. "Your very attentive Bryce. Do you mind telling me what you do for a living? Or are you seriously that smart?" She asked

[Bryson Kyle Pierce]

“I love a good story.” Bryce said, smiling softly. He was a scientist first and foremost but he was also a cop. A good story helped to solve cases, catch killers and right wrongs. So maybe saying he loved a good story was a bit of an understatement but that was what he thought. He’d said as much to Devon and his brother when he was in the middle of a particularly difficult case. But Bryce loved his job and wouldn’t trade it for anything at all. Not even if Devon got on her hands and knees, begging him to quit. She wouldn’t do it for him, and he couldn’t do it for her. That was one of the reasons they got on so well. They understood each other and what the job meant to them.

Bryce smiled, turning his back to the cash once again. “You could say that.” He agreed but kept it at that. It was hardly a secret he made this Starbucks his twice daily stop. He usually had a couple texts when he was ready to walk out the door from his colleagues asking him to pick up their orders as well. It wasn’t usually an issue for him unless he had spent the night at Devon’s and was up and out earlier than usual. “I do, yes. She’s incredible.” He said, smiling fondly. Those days he was already at Starbucks and usually waiting on his coffee order when the texts started buzzing through. If they rolled in before he was leaving, he got whoever was on cash to ring them through and added a pretty tip for the trouble. He hated being a bother and should have learned after the first time to wait for the text messages before he ordered. But he still hadn’t yet.

“Did you just call me old?” He asked, putting as much shock as he could muster behind his question. He was teasing of course, but it was always fun to get other people flustered. Making Devon stutter was a rarity so he took what he could get when it came to shocking her but with others, it was far easier to get them riled up and he did as much as he possibly could. “I’m seriously that smart.” He said quickly and deadpan. He didn’t have to think about it because one, it was true. He had noticed everything before he’d ever decided to become a cop. It was just a helpful trait to have with his choice of career. “But seriously, I’m technically a cop.”

Tag || @vortex
Words || 428
Clothes || To come!
Music || I'll Stay Me ---Luke Bryan
Notes || Sorry about the delay with this reply!