Late nights and coffee shops [open]

[second_son]

Demetri's only been back in the city for a day, but it feels like more. He's spent all of it in the makeshift town hall offices, getting the paperwork together for his proposal to the council the next night. The funding hadn't been easy to get, especially with the lack of strings that he had demanded. No oversight committee, no outside presence helping them dispense the grant money. Siren Cove business would stay just that, Siren Cove business.

There's more work to do, but he knows he should go home and get some sleep. But sleep is exactly what he doesn't want to do. With sleep comes dreams - nightmares more like it. Of all the things that have been happening in his town whilst he's been away, of everything that had happened in the months leading up to that. His brother being gone and the questions that had remained unanswered about Fabrice's attack.

He settles on setting up in a diner in the end. He has a beer at his elbow and a cooling plate of fries he's not really touched. Laptop open, he's playing with files without really making any changes or doing much work. It's a distraction more than anything, a reason to not go home.

Comments

[second_son]

“It’s okay. I mean, it’s not something I can forget.” Really not, with his father looming over his shoulder most of the time. He likes to make sure Demetri gets as much as the media attention as possible, even if the job would be so much easier working behind the scenes. “No, it’s fine. Honestly. I have this presentation tomorrow and I should leave it alone, but I can’t. Perfectionist and workaholic.”

[techwitch]

"Never felt like disappearing?"

Luke loves his parents, but there have been plenty of times when he didn't want to be their star. "Perfectionism chokes out everything else, right? Although I'm not allowed to speak about it, tech at least has a clear goal and a clear finish. Everything else just ..can be worked on forever."

He frowned. "I'm probably making none of this any better, sorry man."

[second_son]

He had felt the urge, but it's not something he'd admit to a relative stranger. Especially not here in Siren Cove. "It's fine. Honestly, I'm used to it. It's a pretty good life. I love what I do, I have a good family, how could I complain?"

[techwitch]

"Sounds familiar."

Luke hadn't planned on talking himself into the dumpsters, but there you had it. His little personal life's crisis.

"Hey, if you're happy, you're happy. I'm not here like an early ghost of Christmas present or something. Never mind me."

[second_son]

"You don't have any chains. Or was that the ghost of Christmas future? You're not my Marley?" He's smiling, leaning back against the booth. "It's fine. Honestly, it's fine."

[techwitch]

Luke grins. "You're going to test me on my knowledge of children's stories now? Heck, I'm doomed. You're skipping from your work, mister Thornton."

[second_son]

“Probably,” he says, laughing. It’s an honest laugh, for once, chiding himself at how distracted he’s become. “I should probably give up and go home.”

[techwitch]

"I think you should. I think we can all sleep safely even if you aren't around to fluff our pillows." He nods. "I promise, tomorrow will be there when you open your eyes and realize that there's still too much stuff that needs to be done."

[second_son]

"Alright. Alright, I give in. No more work tonight." He even goes so far as to pull out his bag, sliding the laptop and his notes inside of it. "It was nice meeting you, possibly again."

[techwitch]

Luke thanks the waitress for his order and starts combining his fries and chocolate shake in a way that some people thrown upon.

"Same, mi- is this a first name basis thing now? Because I can't imagine you to be that much older. But it was nice talking to you, and enjoy your night."

[second_son]

"God, please, Demetri. Mister Thornton is my father," he adds, laughing though there's no mirth in it. That's a person he doesn't want to be confused with.

"You too. And your shake and fries."

[techwitch]

"Okay, God Demetri", he winks before returning to his meal. "See you around."