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Mar 13, 2019 10:48:08 GMT
Post by Heather Sutherland on Mar 13, 2019 10:48:08 GMT
It'd been a while since Heather had felt the need to go out in the early hours of the morning for a hot beverage. Typically, she tended to do that at home and get a lot of her work done in that environment, because it was quieter than trying to do those things at the library. But this morning her flatmates had stumbled in with friends drunk and yelling, fresh from a club in town. She wasn't typically one to engage in clubbing as an activity, too many people in a cramped space and too much energy for her.
But as a result of their outing, and the subsequent party that seemed to be forming in their flat, she decided it was probably a good idea to get out and maybe do some reading, or a little coursework. She certainly wasn't getting back to sleep anytime soon, and she definitely wouldn't be getting any work done in this environment. So instead she got up, got dressed into some jeans, a band top and a jacket and headed out into the crisp early morning with a book and her laptop. The sun was just coming out and there were a combination of people out on the streets near the campus, some were stumbling home from evening escapades, others were groggily making their way to work or the library.
There were a fair number of café's here and there, as with most cities, and several that were close to, or located somewhere on campus. And a handful of them were just opening around now. Heather made her way to a nice quiet one, not too far away from the library, and gently pushed her way inside the door, glancing to see she was not the first patron of the morning, there were two or three other people in here, all reasonably young and mostly coming here to do work it seemed.
The café itself had been mostly furnished with worn looking wooden furniture, and a combination of comfy chairs and sofas. There were even a few beanbags here and there, and some artsy decorations on several of the walls. It really went and ran with that rustic hipster vibe. But Heather didn't mind, it was cosey and she could relax, or concentrate here without too much trouble. She made her way to the counter as another patron was doing the same.
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Mar 14, 2019 17:12:15 GMT
Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2019 17:12:15 GMT
Night shifts were never easy in a hospital, doubly so for a student specialising in emergency surgery. If he wasn't patching up drunks or treating idiots who kept trying to swim in the freezing cold river on a bet it was something more serious. Portland was hardly a crime capital but it was always on the doctors to put them right. Thankfully so far there hadn't been any triage situations in his time there but even then he'd already seen more than one victim in one way or another.
Thankfully it hadn't been the worst he'd seen and while he didn't relish having to stay awake for a lecture that morning it did give him time to get a change of clothes, a shower and some fresh air. Trading in his scrubs for some comfy jeans was a godsend. Now he just had to get the one thing that would keep him sane for the next few hours. Lots of coffee, preferably strong and something warm to eat. Which of course he didn't have any left at his flat. Roommates could be awesome. Or they could use up all your valuable foodstuffs the one time you really couldn't be bothered to find a shop to stock up.
The solution was obvious. Portland was many things and cafe mad was one of them. Some of them were even reasonably priced, had decent menu options and, crucial, had free WiFi. It didn't take long to find one of the better cafe's in the area and Artair was quickly set up in a quiet corner going over case-files they'd been assigned, with the pure ambrosia that was a double espresso. Oh and bacon. Of course there was bacon. In this case paired with brie and toasted to perfection in a sandwich press. True it wasn't the healthiest breakfast he'd had but it'd keep him going long enough.
Not too long after polishing off the first round he figured he might as well get another quick one in before he had to leave, heading up to the counter just as someone else was entering. She was familiar looking but then most red-heads were to the Scot. Not many people shared the hair colour so it tended to stand out more. Still, he had more important things than pondering genetics so he gestured for the newcomer to go first. "After you lass," he voiced softly, "I'm in no rush."
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Mar 14, 2019 21:31:11 GMT
Post by Heather Sutherland on Mar 14, 2019 21:31:11 GMT
As the other patron approached the counter, Heather realised that she was picking up something like exhaustion from him, and relief. She glanced at him subtly, or in a way that she hoped was subtle, trying to take in his build and clothing. A little taken aback at what she saw, she blinked a little. He certainly looked like he wasn't from around here, and when he spoke her suspicions were confirmed. Heather hadn't heard much of Scottish accents recently, but they were very common around her family school, she even known a handful of teachers with variations on the accent.
She stood there, idling for a moment before picking up on the twinge of awkwardness from the barista behind the counter, wondering when they were going to have to serve one of the two most likely, and she blinked out of her little daydream. Blushing a little she cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, thank you!" She stammered a little.
She blinked and smiled a little to herself, gathering her thoughts a little, chiding herself for reacting in such an awkward stammering manor. "Pardon me, It has been a while since I've heard another accent from the UK, sorry for the gawking."
Moving swiftly onward to skate over the awkwardness, and not dwell on what felt like budding laughter in the server she rounded on him with a smile. "I'd like a breakfast tea, please." She handed over payment, and stepped lightly to the side, smiling at the Scot she'd just encountered, allowing for more conversation, but also letting him get what he came up to order.
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Mar 15, 2019 17:37:21 GMT
Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2019 17:37:21 GMT
One eyebrow immediately went up at the accent. Find someone else from the UK was a rare enough thing but one who happened to have an upper class English accent? That wasn't normal. It wasn't fake either, or just an affectation, she was the real deal. Half way round the world and he'd run into a blue blood.
"Nae problem," he replied easily, eyeing her reactions a bit more closely now. Artair wasn't much of a one to believe in coincidences, not with his history. So yeah, it might have been a little bit paranoid but he wan't to make sure she wasn't playing him. Running into a pretty red-head, who just happened to be from the same place as him and they run into each other in a small place with only a few patrons. It was a little to convenient for his liking.
For now though, he'd play the part. Get a feel for her motives. Who knows, she might just be some rich lass on holiday. "I can imagine, pretty uncommon to meet one of us round here. And don't worry about the gawking, I get enough of that with the hair that I'm used to it."
After she'd ordered he got in his own fresh coffee order in and turned back to the girl."But where are my manners," he grinned offering a hand, "Names Artair." Glancing to the barista he added some pastries to his order and handed over some cash. "But what brings someone like you out here, no offence but it's hardly the most interesting city in these parts."
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Mar 26, 2019 21:43:02 GMT
Post by Heather Sutherland on Mar 26, 2019 21:43:02 GMT
Immediate intrigue? Well, she supposed she ought to not be too suspicious, it wasn't like she hadn't met the occasional person from around the isles in the US before. And to be fair, most people weren't expecting a typical Buckinghamshire accent from other Brits that they stumbled upon. Still though, experience had told her to be cautious so she'd be careful with what she said, even if her intrigue was pushing her to pursue interaction with the Scot.
Heather felt a mild, immediate diffusion of tension at the comment. "Yes, and I'm quite well acquainted with that reaction myself. Mind you, there are plenty of University students in the area with dyed hair, or very flashy outfits so it only really occurs when I'm in the city proper." She supposed he might have had a more immediately strong reaction to his accent too. Her accent was quite soft, but Scottish accents were definitely more punchy than a lot of areas of England were. She personally thought that there was quite a melodic tone to them, which she quite enjoyed.
She tried to shake off her internal stammer as she reached out and shook the man's hand, putting on what she hoped was at least a friendly smile, if not a welcoming one. "It's a pleasure." she replied, in what she hoped at least sounded a sincere tone. "I'm Heather."
She made sure to keep close attention to his shifts in emotion during the interaction, just incase he was up to something. Shrugging in response before adding "Honestly, I liked the University, that's about it. The city has a lot of culture to it to, if you know where to look."
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