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

[lightgunhustler]

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.

Comments

[lightgunhustler]

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."

[honesta]

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."

[lightgunhustler]

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."

[honesta]

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.

[lightgunhustler]

"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."

[honesta]

"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.

[lightgunhustler]

"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."

[honesta]

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."

[lightgunhustler]

"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.