entrancelogs | [OPEN/EVENT] Your dead end dreams don't make you smile;

Entry tags:

[OPEN/EVENT] Your dead end dreams don't make you smile;

Who: ~~Jo Harvelle~~ Beth Williams & you!
Where: Throughout Storybrooke, most notably the diner and the cemetery.
When: October 24th - 28th
Rating: PG
Summary: Stuck in a dead-end job in a small town with no family to call her own, sometimes a little forced hope all you have to get you through.
The Story:

October 24th

School had never really worked out for her. It wasn't that Beth wasn't smart; she'd gotten through high school easily and even went on to give college a try, but something about it had never been a good fit. She was too indecisive, unable to focus on any one thing or sit still long enough to put what she was learning to good use, and after three semesters of struggling to find the right niche, she'd decided to call it quits. She tried to remind herself of that every time she wanted to complain about her job, to remind herself that she'd chosen waitressing as a stepping stone to-- well, to be honest, she didn't know what else.

But something. There was something beyond Storybrooke, and aside from Charlie and a few other friends, there wasn't much to keep her here. Out there? Out there were possibilities.

That said, there were certainly worse jobs to be had. She actually liked working at The Pie Hole most days. Fred was a nice guy, decent if a little on the maudlin side, and the girls she worked with were both interesting personalities in their own right. The fact that they lived in a town about the size of a dime meant that most customers who came in were nice and gave a new meaning to the term 'regular' with how often they stopped in, though occasionally there were a few gems that either Beth or Andrea decided needed some coffee spilled in their lap by accident.

She'll be at the diner from early morning until late afternoon, after which she can be met walking home to the nearby apartment she shares with Charlie.

October 25th & 26th

She'd been looking for any trace of her father for years. He'd vanished when she was little, so long ago that she could barely remember his face, but she'd still made regular attempts to track him down. After so many years with no luck, a small part of her was almost ready to give up. If he wanted anything to do with her, he would have gotten in touch by now, wouldn't he? Nobody had ever told her the story of why he'd left, but it had been years since there had been anyone around to elaborate. She'd been on her own for ages now -- longer than seemed possible now that she thought about it, given her age, but it was what it was. She was used to being alone, but sometimes she still hoped.

Something was different today. Her interest in finding him was suddenly renewed, thanks to a particularly vivid dream she'd had the night before. Most of it was hazy, indistinct, but she remembered one thing with clarity: her father walking through the front door while she was still in pigtails, scooping her up into his arms and twirling her around as he hugged her against his chest, like he hadn't seen her weeks. That moment had been lucid enough that she swore she could still smell the leather of his jacket when she woke up, and the scene continued to haunt her as she went about preparing for her day. It wasn't imagined, was it? It was a memory, a memory of someone who had once been too happy to see her to just up and walk away for no reason. Someone who had loved her, once, even if things had changed.

It felt worth giving the search another try.

Throughout both days, Beth can be found working the day shift at the diner, though evenings are a different story. There isn't much to do in a small down like Storybrooke, if you ask her, but the evening of the 25th will find her at the library, looking through public records -- "for research," if anyone asks. Afterwards, she'll continue her project at home, most likely asking Charlie for her assistance.

October 27th & 28th

Beth had made an effort to stick to her usual routine after things changed, but it was difficult. Whichever set of memories was real, she couldn't tell -- both were so clear and felt so genuine that it seemed impossible to tell them apart, especially when she considered the sudden existence of ghosts and demons and everything in between when she'd never believed in them before. She'll spend most of her time trying to go through the motions and talk herself into believing that her Storybrooke life is the real one, but there's one memory in particular that will prove her wrong when she allows herself to dwell on it.

The afternoon of the 28th will find her in the cemetery. The death of her father causes her heart to ache far too much for it to be something she'd just imagined, but separating her Storybrooke memories from all the rest is still an overwhelming undertaking. A part of her knows that she won't find his headstone here, that there had never been enough of him left to bury anywhere that she could actually go and visit, but something about walking the rows between the grave markers feels right, even if she's searching for a name that she knows can't possibly be there. He may not be here, but maybe this is the closest she's ever going to get.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's date night in their household.

For Beth, obviously, since Charlie's prospects haven't been so hot lately. Ever since her last girlfriend, she's kept the dating on the DL. When her friend came home and told her she had herself an actual date, with a doctor no less, she definitely came through on best friend duties. Even if the whole ghost hunting thing was on her mind.

"So." She starts off as soon as she walks through Beth's door, giving her roomie time to have a shower. "Where are you guys going?"

Charlie plops down on the bed, giving Beth an expectant look. Hey, she's gotta live vicariously through someone.

Date nights had become rare for both of them, for wildly different reasons. It was just Beth's luck that most of the time, she tended to take a shine to young men who couldn't be bothered to give her the time of day -- sure, they liked her well enough, but they were never the types to stick around and actually ask a girl out. Most of them wanted to skip all of the formalities, which usually brought her interest in them to an abrupt end.

She exhales, grimacing at herself in the mirror before turning to face her roommate, still dressed in jeans and a teeshirt and having focused herself on getting hair and makeup handled first. Of course Charlie is full of questions; she would have done exactly the same thing if the situation were reversed.

"I'm not sure? Dinner, I know that, but we don't have a whole lot of town to go out on around here. I probably should have asked. I was too busy being-- you know." She waves dismissively. Flustered, that was the word. "Guess I'm kind of rusty?"

"I totally get it." Charlie might be more inclined toward the ladies, but she still has eyes. Hot Doc is hot, even if his family is a little notorious for various reasons. "He's kinda intense, right?"

She's not really spoken to the guy that much, but Charlie can't help and be excited for Beth. Her friend deserves to go out, let her hair down for the night (in a manner of speaking).

"So, how'd he ask? Was it over a slice of cherry pie?"

"Yeah," Beth admits with a tight smile, "Very." Attractive, naturally, as she and Charlie had both pointed out on various occasions -- Charlie might play for the other team, but she was still an objective sort of girl. It came up now and then. "He's very -- focused."

She wasn't sure how else to explain it, but he seemed to have a way of singling people out when he spoke to them. If she were anyone else, she might have found it intimidating, but Charlie had been right-- 'intense' was probably the best word for it.

"Coffee," Beth corrects her, amused. "But otherwise straightforward. He actually seemed-- nervous?" That part had been surprising.

She nods, understanding completely what Beth means. There are a few people around town who are like that, actually, and for Charlie she kinda avoids them. They do a great job of making her feel like she's on the spot, and that's not a comfortable feeling at all.

"Okay, that's pretty adorable." She tries to picture it in her mind, grinning as she imagines Eli as nervous. "Probably means he's super into you. I bet he's been doing the whole yearning from afar thing."

"Yearning?" That gets two raised eyebrows in reply, skeptical as she pauses halfway through putting one of her earrings in. "I don't know. Seem like the yearning type to you?"

She's not even sure what would define the yearning type, but she imagines dark cable-knit sweaters and poetry books would probably be involved. She clears her throat, shaking her head dismissively, trying to keep another smile from pulling at her lips but not quite succeeding.

"It's probably just going to end up being the one date. He's a doctor," she points out, as though either of them could possibly forget it, "It's probably some experimental phase. Maybe an early adulthood rebellion."

She doesn't sound convinced, herself. It probably has something to do with the fact that they've spoken every day for as long as she can remember-- but some part of her is still having trouble reconciling herself to something actually happening after what felt like years whatever it was they'd been doing before.

"No idea. If he seemed nervous, maybe he is." It would be cute if that were the case, anyway.

Beth's next comment has Charlie frowning, just a little bit. For all that Charlie doesn't know Eli except in passing, she does know Beth, and anyone would be lucky to be with her. Charlie had nursed a tiny crush on her in high school, one that has since faded, but even then she knew Beth was awesome.

"Hey, you stop that kind of talk. What does him being a doctor have to do with anything?" Beth better not be thinking that she isn't worth being with a doctor, that just Isn't Gonna Fly with Charlie. "Just go out and have fun. Don't even worry about any future things, enjoy yourself."

Basically, Charlie says Relax.

Thankfully, Charlie didn't have to worry about that particular line of thought too much. If there was one thing Beth wasn't lacking, it was self-esteem -- her concerns, to be honest, were more about common ground than anything, and at the moment she was worried about running out of conversation topics before dinner even came.

She smiles tightly instead, pushing those worries of her down and to the back of her mind. "So try not to think so damn hard about it?" she asks with a raised eyebrow, vaguely amused. She helps herself to a seat beside Charlie on the edge of the bed, just for the time being.

"You're better at this than I am. The relaxing part," she points out, her smile hitching up higher on one side. "Good thing you're my cheering section."

"Just go with the flow." Charlie makes a smooth wave motion with her arms. "You guys have known each other for how long? Don't even think of it like a date. That's a word that'll make most people nervous anyway."

Turning to angle herself to face Beth a little better, she grins. "Not that I've been on a date in forever. Much easier to be all 'don't worry be happy' about things when I'm not the one going out for a hot night on the town with McHottie."

That's his nickname and she's sticking to it. Also, she may have recently marathoned Grey's Anatomy. Neither of which are the point.

"Do I need to give you a lecture about curfew?" Charlie teases, elbowing Beth just a little.

"I'll keep that in mind."

It was worth remembering, really. It wasn't like they were strangers. Far from it -- but formality and expectations had been added into the equation, and that was what made it seem like so much more of a leap than it actually was.

She grins, leaning over to nudge Charlie with her elbow. "Want me to ask if he knows any cute nurses who are feeling lonely? Bet he'd be happy to set you up. And no, I'll stick to curfew. No worries, mom, I'll be home long before the car turns back into a pumpkin."

"If you're willing to help a sister out, I would totally be down with a setup." Even if she's teasing, she's still serious. Charlie's not gonna be too picky, since there is a lack of options around the town for her anyway. "Just put in a good word. Talk about how amazingly smart and talented I am."

Slapping her hands down on her knees, she pushes herself off the bed. "I'll leave you alone to get dressed. You want me to keep him waiting at the door so you can make a grand entrance?"

She is the truest friend.

He's been feeling a little off all day. The highlight of everything was asking Beth out on a date for later in the evening. The rest of Eli's day was blurry and fully of things he couldn't quite explain. He almost pulled a door completely off it's hinges. It only hung on by the bottom one. He practically ran inside just thankful no one was near him to watch it happen. His head started to pound around lunchtime and he excused himself to the bathroom to splash some water on his face. He gripped the sink tightly and while looking in the mirror his eyes did something he never imagined possible. Black veins appeared and for a moment he swears he saw fangs. He shut his eyes and begged for it to stop. It was a welcome relief when he opened them to find himself back to normal.

He had a surgery around one that got a little dicey as well. The entire time Eli stared down at his patient with the open wound and all he could think about was sipping the blood from him. His stomach even growled loudly and he explained to the nurses that he had just skipped lunch. He finished up and practically flew out of the OR and decided he'd be taking the rest of the day off. Things were getting too weird for him. He just hoped he was coming down with something and wasn't having a nervous breakdown.

He ignored Rachel and Nick on his arrival. He sped into his bedroom and didn't come out until it was time for his date. Now standing in front of Beth's door with the most terrified look ever and clutching flowers he doesn't feel confident. He doesn't know if it'll happen again, but he's praying this goes like he planned. He knocks and waits.

Beth is pretty sure it's proper etiquette to wait at least thirty seconds to a minute before answering the door, something about keeping it from looking like you had nothing better to do but wait by the door-- but she had never been the type of girl who subscribed to all of those unwritten rules, and even if she had been, she was just nervous enough that any amount of stalling seemed like a terrible idea.

She's all smiles when she pulls the door open, having shooed Charlie off to her room just moments before to avoid any off-color comments, and there he is, standing there with flowers like no man she'd ever opted to go out with before. The mechanic she'd dated a few months back never would have bothered.

"Hi," she greets him, though her smile fades just the tiniest bit as she notices that he looks-- off, somehow. "Are you okay?"

He flinches a little when the odor flies open and he finds her standing there. He blinks twice and then swallows hard. It's easy to play it off like she just surprised him when he manages to find a smile that stretches wide across his face. Just seeing her face does make his heart stop hammering away in his chest though. He can feel his racing pulse coming down to a more manageable level. He feels the tension start to ease from his body and lets out a heavy sigh.

"Hi." His voice is softer than he intends at first, but he quickly clears his throat and speaks louder this time. "I'm okay. You just--startled me." He finally extends his hand that's holding the bundle of flowers for her to take. "You look very beautiful, Beth." She looks different than what he remembers in the diner. Not bad different. She's beautiful in the diner, but right now it's a different level. "Do you wanna put these in water? I can wait here if you'd like."

Startled him? She couldn't see how; whatever was off seemed to be more than that, but he recovers quickly and she can see him starting to relax, which makes her feel more at ease in turn. She smiles warmly, gingerly accepting the flowers and holding them carefully in front of her to keep from bending them.

"Thank you." For the compliment as well as the flowers. "They're really lovely -- I'll find something to put them in." She takes half a step back from the door before she pauses, considering the offer she's about to make. There's every chance Charlie will sneak her way back into the main room to sneak a look and maybe ask a question or two, but it's worth risking it to keep from being rude.

"You don't have to wait in the hallway. Come in-- just for a minute."

Eli nods and then steps into her apartment with a smile. He turns to look at her as she closes the door. "I made reservations, but they're not for another thirty minutes. So--we're not in any rush or anything. Promise." He takes a look around again before looking back at Beth. "So--where's Charlie?" He asks with a knowing grin. He's grown familiar with the fact that mostly wherever Beth is you can bet that Charlie isn't too far behind. Either that or it's the other way around. He doesn't even mind if Charlie is lurking in the back somewhere and can probably hear every single word that comes out of their mouths. Plus if he's being honest he's almost certain he can hear a thumping sound in the distance. He thought it was someone moving around at first, but it's too even and steady. It reminds him almost of a heartbeat.

She smiles, almost nervously -- of course he'd noticed that. Most people did. Even when Beth was working, Charlie made a habit of popping in throughout the day to get herself fed. Really, they were both the closest thing to family that the other had in this place. The nosiness was just another part of that.

"She's not far," Beth admits as she walks towards the kitchen, beckoning for Eli to step in and make himself at home. The apartment's not much, but it's a decent amount of room for two people, busy and packed full but still noticeably neat. "No doubt if you're here more than a minute or two, she'll want to interrogate you."

She sounds almost apologetic. Really, anything Charlie asked wouldn't be that invasive, but Beth knew she was looking at being grilled for full details when she got back.

"You made reservations?" She smiles at him before disappearing behind the open doorframe that leads into the kitchen, opening the cupboards to pull a vase down from the top shelf, home to mostly decorative things that didn't see much use. "Fancy."

Eli is actually surprised that Charlie hasn't appeared already. Which leads him to believe that perhaps Beth insisted that her friend stay hidden for his arrival. "I suppose I can hold up to an interrogation or two." He doesn't mind being peppered with questions. It's not like Eli talks about himself a lot. The town knows as much as Nick is willing to share when he's drunk and rambling. The legacy of the Michaels siblings is not something that he really appreciates it, but at least Rachel makes an attempt not openly embarrass them. Though her behavior regarding Eli's affections for Beth were not exactly stellar. She couldn't understand why her brother would be after a "diner girl".

Eli follows her towards the kitchen and stops right in the doorway to watch her look for a vase. "Yes. I uh--I was hoping it would impress you. But I fear it makes me seem more pretentious than anything else." He smiles and ducks his head. "I like your apartment. It's very beautiful."

His family was, quite honestly, cause for concern. Beth didn't know them all that well, but in a own this size, everyone knew everyone else to some degree, and she was pretty damn sure that his sister openly disapproved of her. They'd never dated, but there had been something latent between them for so long that she couldn't remember when it started, and occasionally, other people noticed. She was positive that Rachel Michaels had noticed enough to say something off-color, but he was here anyway, and she felt that said a hell of a lot.

She smiles at him again, over her shoulder this time as she fills the vase with water from the tap, setting it down on the counter before carefully letting the flowers come to rest in it. "I don't think it makes you look pretentious," she tells him matter-of-factly. "But you don't have to worry about trying to impress me."

Shouldn't it have been the other way around, all things considered?

"Thank you." She rejoins him a moment later, the flowers taken care of. "It's not much, but it's home." She and Charlie managed to live comfortably between the two of them; Beth found her attachment to the place resurfaced every time she thought about actually leaving someday. Funny how that worked. "Just don't brag to the other customers. Most of our regulars don't get to follow me home. You'll probably make them jealous."

His little sister has never had the best taste in men. They've always been either very manipulative or childish to the point that he wondered if they even knew they were in a relationship with Rachel. For once he wanted his sister to find a man that wasn't doing everything in his power to make Eli and Nick hate him. Perhaps then she'd stay out of Eli's affairs as well. Specifically his romantic ones that centered around a certain diner waitress that grated on Rachel's nerves. Like she believed Beth would sully their family name. As if Nick hadn't done that already with his drinking and buffoonish behavior.

"That's gonna be hard to do. I think most men have been hardwired to want to impress the beautiful woman." Eli doesn't even really notice this as an out of place compliment. He just sees it as something that needs to be said. Something she's probably heard a hundred times over from anyone who has eyes. Do people usually not walk around openly calling women they're on first dates with beautiful?

Eli smiles wide and bows his head for a moment. He nods slowly. "I'll be sure to keep it quiet. I really wouldn't want Mr. Evans to take offense that you accepted my dinner proposal, but you wouldn't even do the man the honor of marrying him." He did so love to listen to Mr. Evans propose marriage to Beth from his corner booth with his waffles and bacon.

"Difficult programming to reroute?" Beth asks with a smirk, entertained by how open he is about that particular brand of hardwiring. If only it were actually true. Eli had better manners than most; most men she'd flirted with or taken the time to see in the past had fallen a little short in that area, and their attempts to impress had been incredibly subtle, if they'd been there at all.

"You definitely don't want him catching wind of it. There might be a swordfight involved. He's asked me every week for the last forever," she agrees, that smile of hers turning just a little bit grim. They certainly appreciated all of their regular customers, but some of them were more eccentric than others.

She reaches for her purse, sliding the strap over her shoulder as she looks past him towards Charlie's room. "You know, I think we might just be able to escape Middleton Inquisition."

"The trickiest kind." He's not against giving a woman a compliment. Especially one that's like Beth. He doesn't attempt to do it in vulgar ways that a lot of the men in this town attempt. Calling a woman hot or smoking never suited him. He always felt crass and didn't care for it. A word like beautiful was classic and he never saw any reason to stray away from it for sexy.

Eli chuckles softly and nods. Mr. Evans was sweet and always asked Eli about the hearts. Eli once told him he was a surgeon. Mr. Evans automatically assumed heart surgeon and now it's all that he can ask Eli. He lets it go though. He doesn't correct him. He simply says the hearts are still beating with a smile. "I'll be sure to brush up on my sword fighting techniques."

He does a quick glance where she looked and nods. "Then we should probably get going then." He moves back in the direction of her front door. Once there he pulls it open for her.

"Good. You should definitely be prepared." It's a flippant remark, appropriate considering how ridiculous the image the thought of anyone swordfighting in Fred's diner was, but she smiles openly at him as she heads to the door on her heels, stepping out into the hallway a moment later to wait for him.

"I'll probably get questioned later," she reasons aloud, finding herself more relaxed than she'd imagined she'd be. "If there's anything that you'd like me to keep off the record as the night goes on, you'll have to let me know. Can't leak your secrets to the press."

Eli follows Beth out into the hallway and pulls the door shut behind him. He pauses and goes quiet for a moment as he attempts to think of anything he might want to stay between them. He's honestly got nothing. Plus he knows Charlie. He knows how tenacious the girl can be. He knows that when she wants to be aware of something she'll push and prod until she gets what she wants. Which has Eli shaking a hand at her. He didn't think it'd be wise to leave bits out only to have her come to him later.

"Actually." He pauses to smile. "I often find myself listening to Boyz 2 Men when I'm alone." Which is not entirely untruthful. At some point in his life he had been very into them. He was interested in all kinds of music though. "But you probably shouldn't let her know that bit of information. I'd hate for it to get around town."

"I'll keep that one to myself," she promises, biting back a laugh. "But anything from here on out is fair game."

It was all in fun, anyway. Gossip probably wouldn't touch on anything personal, but it was the inevitable follow-up to any date, something universally accepted among friends. You just didn't keep everything to yourself; that was just unfair.

"It's a beautiful night to be out," Beth remarks as they emerge from the building, carefully adjusting her purse strap on her shoulder. Most things in Storybrooke were within walking distance, which meant you learned to appreciate the town's ambiance over time.

Not bringing his own lunch to work is a bad habit, and Michael scolds himself for it. It's lazy, for one, and laziness is a trait he abhors in anyone, but himself most of all. It's more expensive, too, and a lot worse for him than the fare he usually puts together for his meals.

An ego of his magnitude, however, always finds justification for his actions. He's a busy man, and there's definitely more important items on his to-do list than making lunch in the evenings. Spending helps the local economy, too, and he knows that the waitresses here rely on tips to make a living. It's a shame they've been here as long as they have, he thinks. Beth, the one who usually mans his preferred table, doesn't seem unintelligent - but he supposes some people just aren't meant for greater things. Everyone has their place in life: some are kings, some are pawns, and some wind up waiting tables well into their golden years.

Michael slides into a seat at 'his' booth. It's by a window and gets a nice bit of natural light, but never enough that he has to shield his eyes from the glare.

There are regulars, and then there are people like Michael, people who come in so frequently that Beth and Andrea often wonder if they've ever seen the inside of a kitchen. Generally, she's not complaining. Most of them are pleasant enough; most of the rude customers have the good sense to feel some shame about their behavior and go elsewhere.

It's no surprise to see Michael slide into his usual booth; Beth had him pegged as a creature of habit long ago, and he's never done much of anything to make her think otherwise. Really, that's the case with most people around here-- change is unheard of. People go through their day-to-day lives without much variation, and most people seem to like it that way.

She smiles as she approaches his table, pausing beside it as she pulls her pencil from behind her ear. "Hey there. The usual today, or are you thinking of shaking it up a little?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[OPEN/EVENT] Your dead end dreams don't make you smile;

26th AT HOME AW YISS

OH MAN GIRL TIME

the best time

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

26th. Evening.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

October 24th || At the diner

no subject