[Maddison Lancaster]

"I figured it out
The bigger the river (the bigger the river)
The bigger the drought (the bigger the drought)"

---

Sundays were always the busiest day of the week at the small restaurant Maddie worked at. The after church crowd was really a mixed bag, some of them were generous and kind when they got there, and some of the others seemed like it took all of their patience to sit through a sermon. Maddie couldn't complain too much though. Even the customers who were cranky generally tipped a bit better on Sunday, and it was her most profitable shift all week. It was also the longest.

To say that she was happy that it was approaching closing time would be an understatement. Maddie was sitting at a table in the back, close to the kitchen, working on her side work. Tonight it was rolling about a million rolls of silverware. She had a couple bins done already, and was working on the third. She kept an eye on the tables she had left, but they had been sitting for a while and were all mostly finished up with their meals. One table had just received their food, and the door chimed to announce a new table coming in.

It was only Maddie, the cook, and the manager left in the building. They were the closers on Sunday. The manager sat the new table as Maddie finished up the roll of silverware she had started. They were still open for another hour almost, so it wasn't too late to get another pop of customers, but she did hope that wasn't going to be how the night went. She waited until the manager walked into the back before getting up to greet her new table.

"I'm Maddie, I'll be your server tonight." She introduced herself with a smile on her face. "Can I get you started with something to drink?"

As she was waiting for the drink order, she noted the feeling she was getting. This customer was gifted. That wasn't the unusual part. What was unusual was the fact that while she waited, she couldn't feel it anymore. She did her best to keep her smile, but she was pretty sure that a look of confusion crossed her face before she could stop it.

---

Tag Noah St Cloud
Note: Please let me know if you want me to change anything!

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostname"]noah st. cloud

[break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]Just as a flower does not choose its color,[break]
we are not responsible for what[break]
we have come to be

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]

It was laziness that brought him there. Truly, Noah was perfectly capable of cooking his own meals and even had the ingredients waiting at home to do so, but he simply couldn’t be bothered sometimes. Faced with the momentous task of making a meal for himself after a long day of sleuthing, he’d ducked into the first place that looked like they sold food, more than happy to slump into the window booth he was led to. It wasn’t a big deal or anything hugely unusual for him, and it wasn’t like his bank account would complain. There was no real reason not to dine out.[break][break]

The experience only deviated from the norm once he met his server.[break][break]

The light sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears and he lifted his gaze to meet whatever employee had been sent over – a petite brunette with big green eyes and a smile at the ready. He reflexively grinned black, propping his elbow on the table and settling his chin in his palm as he looked up at her.[break][break]

And then… as she introduced herself in that amicable yet scripted way servers often did, he felt something. An odd sensation that tickled like a feather in the back of his mind, sort of similar to when he could tell he was being watched or followed. An awareness. Or an instinct, maybe. Not compelling him to do anything in particular, just letting him know something was there.[break][break]

Immediately, he was on the alert. Unusual feelings were most commonly gift-related but nothing had been done to him as far as he could tell and a quick scan of the room implied nothing supernatural had occurred seconds ago. The only obvious change since he’d walked through the door was that he suddenly felt very aware of her presence.[break][break]

He swallowed his disappointment, ready to dismiss the feeling as a weird coincidence or maybe even a symptom of hunger, locking onto her as a provider of food. Yet confusion abruptly tugged at Maddie’s expression, mirroring his own sudden perplexity and reigniting the intrigue. Did she feel it too? Did she feel changed somehow?[break][break]

“Hi there, Maddie.” He maintained his smile, amused and interested, though he allowed a quizzical arch to his brow in silent question: you okay? “Are you a Madelyn? Maddison? Madonna?” He hummed thoughtfully, looking down at the menu laid beneath his drumming fingers. “I have a feeling you’re a Maddison.”[break][break]

Usually he wouldn’t trouble himself with talking to servers. He’d simply order his food and let them do their job, especially if he was alone. But now there was a potential mystery to unfold. A reason to want to prolong their interaction. His mind whirred, playing with the idea of inviting her to sit with him and wondering if her boss would allow it or if she’d even be susceptible to his particular brand of charm. Servers generally had to be polite and, well, serve. But how much could he use that in his favour before he was kicked out for ‘harassment’? [break][break]

He raised his eyes to hers again. “I’m kinda in the mood for milkshake – do you do milkshakes? Honestly I haven’t been in here before so I’m a bit clueless about your menu.” Making a show of glancing around the room for other staff, he then leant towards her with his voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. “What do you like? And be honest with me; don’t just recommend the stuff they tell you to. That’s cheating.” His eyes narrowed playfully, a hint of mischief glittering within them.



[break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Maddison Lancaster

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[googlefont=Mr Dafoe:400|Roboto:400,400i,700]

[Maddison Lancaster]

"I figured it out
The bigger the river (the bigger the river)
The bigger the drought (the bigger the drought)"

---

It was clear from the way this customer moved, the way he studied her, that he thought he was a charmer. He probably was. It only took the quickest of assessments that he seemed like the type whose charm's she would fall for. He was handsome, and had an effortlessly air to him. His looks combined with the easy confidence he seemed to exude is exactly what would normally make her swoon. However, the confusion that she was feeling now was enough to put her guard up.

Maddie couldn't be certain, but she thought she saw a puzzled expression on his face as he looked at her.When he began guessing at the full version of her name, and Maddie let her smile spread. He got it with his first definitive guess, and she couldn't be sure if it was just luck or if something else was going on.

"You guessed correctly." Maddie revealed that he was right, and she leaned lightly against the opposite side of the booth from where the customer was sitting. She was trying to figure him out. She knew that she was taking more time at this table than she normally did, so she was grateful that it was later and the night had slowed down. She gave a quick glance around to make sure none of her other tables were looking for her.

"If you want a shake, we have chocolate, vanilla, mint, oreo, or strawberry, caramel, or peanut butter. You can pick vanilla or chocolate for the base." Maddie listed off the flavors they had. Most of the flavors were syrups, or for the oreo they just used crushed up cookies.

He mentioned that it was his first time in the restaurant, and asked for her opinion on what was good. She got that question frequently, and had her standard answers, but none of them were usually what she would actually order. She generally tried to sus out what the customer seemed like they would like before answering, or just let them know what specials they had.

"We have most of the standard americana options. But you want to know what would I order?" Maddie leaned over slightly and motioned to the menu. "May I?" She didn't actually wait for an answer before taking the menu and opening it to the breakfast section. "Well, I usually order a breakfast skillet, the Santa Fe skillet." She pointed to the skillet, which was grilled cubed chicken, bell pepper, onion, pepper jack and monterey jack cheeses, over a bed of seasoned potatoes and topped with two eggs.

"So, what'll it be?" She questioned, standing back upright.

---

Tag Noah St Cloud

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]Just as a flower does not choose its color,[break]
we are not responsible for what[break]
we have come to be

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]

Noah beamed, pleased as always to be right, but he knew he’d need to do more than guess her name correctly if he wanted to win her over. [break][break]

Should he flirt? Bribe her with the promise of a hefty tip? Perhaps he ought to ask her outright: do you know what you’re making me feel? It would sound like a line and a cheesy one at that. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem; cheesiness tended to earn laughs or an amused eye-roll if nothing else. But if she reacted negatively (either because he was right about a gift being involved and she got spooked or because she was simply unwilling to humour him), she might pass him over to the employee who'd sat him at the booth, making it a little more complicated to solve the mystery. [break][break]

Maddison reached for his menu. Noah's fingers twitched. It would be so easy to grab her wrist and he wondered if touching her would reveal anything – if perhaps the mystery-feeling was a power that was activated by skin-to-skin contact, like Tawny’s. [break][break]

He resisted the compulsion (just in case the gift was touch-activated and something unforeseeably disastrous occurred) and continued to smile at her as she informed him of her usual order and asked what he wanted.[break][break]

Rather than answer her right away, he hummed again. “How long has your shift been? Have you eaten?” He tilted his head, squinting at her thoughtfully. “If I were to – I don’t know – order myself two plates of your recommendation and find that it’s too much to finish on my lonesome, would you... maybe... be able to help with that?”[break][break]

Imagining she’d refuse, he hurried to argue his case. “It’s pretty quiet,” he pointed out. From where he was sitting it looked like only a few other tables were occupied, and they had food in front of them already. Would they need that much more attention from her? He couldn’t imagine a whole party of people would barge in so close to closing time either. Surely, at the most there'd only be one or two stragglers like him. “If you think your boss wouldn’t approve, I’m sure we could find a way to be sneaky about it.” He gave her his best puppy-eyes, brows lightly sloping together. “And I hate eating alone. It’s a little sad, don’t you think? And I bet you could tell me all sorts of fun stories about weirdo customers.”



[break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Maddison Lancaster

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[googlefont=Mr Dafoe:400|Roboto:400,400i,700]

[Maddison Lancaster]

"I figured it out
The bigger the river (the bigger the river)
The bigger the drought (the bigger the drought)"

---

Maddie shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she waited for the customer to answer what he wanted. There was clearly something strange going on, and it made her uncomfortable not knowing what it was. She didn't like to be surprised or blindsided. When he did start talking again, it wasn't the answer she was expecting. It wasn't unusual for her to get hit on at work. She'd heard a lot of pick up lines, and most of them weren't unique. But something felt different about this.

"No." Maddie shook her head. "I couldn't help you with that. But... I could bring my work out here and sit at this table." Maddie motioned to the empty table next to the booth. It was close enough that she could try to figure out what was happening, without being too close. Besides, as much as she wanted answers, she knew that he manager would throw a fit if she sat down with a customer.

Maddie still had several bins of silverware to roll left, anyway. Normally she brought it out to the very back table towards the end of the night, when the manager went to do food counts and office paperwork at the end of the night. It kept her out on the floor to greet customers and take payments when they were ready to leave. It wouldn't be too unusual, it would just be a few tables closer to the front.

"What'll it be?" Maddie repeated her previous question.

"And, yes, I do have a lot of stories about weirdos." Maddie didn't add that this was starting to make that list. Weirdos weren't really what she wanted to discuss anyway. She wanted to know how he felt gifted, then didn't. Was he hiding for some reason? Did he think that she was some kind of threat to him? She couldn't figure it out without asking him, but it was too awkward to just come out with it right away.

---

Tag Noah St Cloud

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]Just as a flower does not choose its color,[break]
we are not responsible for what[break]
we have come to be

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]

As the word no left her lips Noah resisted the urge to frown, instead arranging his expression into something playfully despondent while he tried to think up a way of changing her mind. It was unnecessary, however: he barely had a moment to consider it before she offered to sit at the adjacent table instead. [break][break]

The upwards quirk returned to his mouth. Success! He hadn’t scared her off. And yet… He eyed her curiously, allowing his hand to lower from his face to rest on the table. She didn’t seem especially eager about her suggestion. Not blushing and tripping over herself and smiling the way someone interested would. Surely, if she didn’t want to be near him she would have refused point-blank and left it at that. So why hadn't she?[break][break]

Something was definitely going on. He knew it and she knew it too. There was no other reason she would offer a compromise; she couldn’t be that desperate for a tip.[break][break]

“That would be nice,” he mused. “Maybe I could help you with whatever you’re working on? While we wait for the food, at least.” Though, he had no idea what helping her would entail. His own stint as a waiter lasted only a few days during college before he grew bored and stopped showing up. It had been more of a favour to a ‘friend’ than an actual job he wanted, and he really hadn’t done much outside of taking orders and delivering plates of food.[break][break]

Again Maddison asked him what he wanted and he smiled wryly, feeling that her final remark about weirdos might be a little pointed. He’d normally pair a milkshake with some sort of burger and fries combination but he supposed it wouldn’t hurt to mix it up a bit, especially when she'd been kind enough to share her favourite with him. “I’ll have the Santa Fe skillet and one strawberry milkshake, please.”[break][break]

While he waited he would simply… keep an eye on her. Watch her walk off to give his order to the kitchen staff, see how she interacted with other people – if she did at all – and watch her do whatever task she’d decided to bring over. He would perform a test, too: push away the feeling so that the gift (if it was a gift) would slip out of him, and then see if upon her return the gift would fall straight back into his lap again.





[break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Maddison Lancaster

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[googlefont=Mr Dafoe:400|Roboto:400,400i,700]

[Maddison Lancaster]

"I figured it out
The bigger the river (the bigger the river)
The bigger the drought (the bigger the drought)"

---

Watching the customer's shift in expressions so far, Maddie was starting to wonder if he wasn't just a weirdo who was trying to flirt. It didn't make sense, though. She'd been hit on by customers more times than she could count, and this was different. There was something strange going on, and it wasn't just someone not wanting to eat alone. The people who truly didn't like to eat alone would usually just call in a to go order and come pick it up, so she didn't think it was just that either.

What if he thought that she was the weirdo? She wondered if he was somehow cloaking or hiding his gift, if he knew she could tell when she walked up and hid it? Did he think she was a threat to him? Maddie ran through the possibilities as he spoke, offering to help her with her side work.

"That's really not necessary..." She didn't want her manager to see a customer rolling silverware with her and start asking questions. She needed her own answers, she didn't want another complication trying to explain why she was having a customer help her with her work.

He ordered the Santa Fe skillet after all. Maddie didn't bother writing the order, and she held her hand out for the menu. "Alright, I'll get that put in for you. I'll be back in a couple minutes with the shake."

Maddie walked back toward the server station next to the kitchen, glancing at her other tables as she went. No one seemed to need anything at the moment, so she went and keyed the order into the touch screen computer. She was on the side of the restaurant that had the shake station, so she grabbed the metal cup and began making the shake. It only took a moment to mix it and pour it in the glass, topping with whipped cream and a cherry. She disappeared behind the door to the back and came out with ice water, and brought the water and shake to the table.

"I figured you'd want a water too. Most people usually do." She explained as she set both glasses on the table. "I'll be back in a minute." Maddie could see that another customer was ready to pay and leave, so she walked away again to go take care of that, before disappearing in the back again to gather the silverware bins and move it out to the table near her intriguing customer.

---

Tag Noah St Cloud

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]Just as a flower does not choose its color,[break]
we are not responsible for what[break]
we have come to be

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]

She refused his offer to help with her side work, trailing off in a manner that he took to mean he was making her uncomfortable. Ah. Maybe he needed to back off a bit. It was possible he’d gotten a little rusty in the art of charming strangers, being far more focused on people (or rather, a person) he already knew.[break][break]

So he sat back and thanked her as she took his menu, simply keeping an eye on her as she headed off to relay his order to the kitchen. The feeling – the strange awareness he had of her – faded as she put distance between them. His brow quirked. Huh. Interesting…[break][break]

There was still something in the back of his head, though. Distinctly gift-like in its oddness. He studied the table intently and occupied himself with listening in on other customers’ conversations, until finally he was able to ignore the feeling enough to push it completely away. Gone. It was gone. He couldn’t get it back no matter how hard he tried and the realisation had his lips curling upwards again, his gaze excitedly shooting towards Maddie as she approached with drinks in hand. [break][break]

“Thank you,” he purred as she set the water and shake in front of him. It took a second, but – there. The feeling. Back again. It was a gift. It had to be a gift; there was no other explanation. She left again and he eagerly awaited her return, forcing himself to stare out the window and people-watch for a while in the hopes it would speed up time. He had so many questions. What was it? Some kind of sense for other people? For living beings in general? Maybe it was something completely different. An aura, of sorts. Maybe he was having an effect on her. Something that he simply couldn’t recognise. And maybe he would have the same effect on anyone else who got close enough.[break][break]

Sitting down at the adjacent table as promised, Maddison began rolling up silverware. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting but it made a lot more sense than her sitting there with a laptop. He desperately wanted to accuse her of being gifted and launch into question-time but… he was going to have to hit her with some small talk first. Warm her up a bit. Suss out who she was and where she came from, and whether she'd bolt if he brought up what he really wanted to talk about.[break][break]

“Have you worked here long? Lived here long? You sound like you could be local, but I don’t think I’ve seen you around.” Granted, it was incredible luck that he'd met her at all. The city was full of other people to be distracted by and he’d only been living there for a couple of years himself. Despite living in the same state, the chances of them crossing paths had been low from the start.[break][break]

With mock suspicion and a teasing lilt to his voice he narrowed his eyes at her again. "See – I have this theory: I think the people who were born here know where all the cool hidden bars and stuff are, and they don't tell the poor lowly newcomers like myself. Is that why we haven't met before? Are you in some sort of secret society?"[break][break]


---[break][break]

OOC: sorry for the long wait! I’ll get around to replying to the Eve/Maddie thread too eventually – my Eve muse is unfortunately low rn >.<

[break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Maddison Lancaster

[newclass=.NoahLpostingbox]background-color:#fff;color:#8d9295;text-align: justify; width:450px;padding:25px 45px 45px 45px;font: 400 13px Roboto;[/newclass]
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[newclass=.NoahLpostingbox a]font: 400 13px Roboto !important;[/newclass]

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[googlefont=Mr Dafoe:400|Roboto:400,400i,700]

[Maddison Lancaster]

I figured it out
The bigger the river, The bigger the drought

---

When she came back with the drinks, Maddie could feel it again, extremely briefly.. A gift. He most definitely had one. But once she was close to him, it was gone again, she couldn't feel it anymore. Her ability to sense other gifted had never acted this way before, and she had several questions and more than a little concern about what his power was, and if this was going to turn into more than just idle chatter with a customer.

"Of course." Maddie let a smile play on her lips as she set the strawberry shake and glass of water down on the table in front of him. "Be right back." She assured, before slipping to the back once more, to grab the silverware and supplies she would need to finish rolling up the silverware that would be used for the table settings.

So many possibilities swirled around her mind as Maddie was making her way back out into the dinning room. Who was this guy? Did he know what was happening? Was he a threat? She considered just refusing to follow through with the offer to sit at the neighboring table and complete her work, but she wanted too many answers to do that now.

Maddie didn't say anything as she set up and got to rolling silverware tightly into the napkins, securing each roll with a paper ring to keep it together, then dropping it into the waiting bin. She was quick with this, doing the repetitive task as mindlessly as anyone who had years of practice with it would do.

It didn't take long before the curious customer across from her began asking questions. Just the regular sort of icebreaker questions, of course.

"Well, I've worked here a couple years. And yes, I am a local. Lived here my whole life." She confirmed his inquiry, and dropped another packet into the bin without looking. When he went out about locals knowing all the cool places to go, it seemed innocent enough at first, Maddie started to nod. Then he asked if she was in a secret society, and she froze for a half a second, her hand hovering above the next fork she was about to pick up. Even through a playful tone, she felt like that was the real question.

"A secret society?" She smiled, and resumed her work, grabbing the fork and dropping it onto the waiting napkin. "Well, I couldn't answer that question for a perfect stranger, now could I?" She looked at him, trying to keep the tone as light as he had, but not sure that she was successful. "I suppose if I knew your name, you wouldn't be such a stranger though. And besides, you already have my name, so it's only fair."

As she dropped the next packet, something dawned on Maddie. She felt stupid for not thinking of it before, not even considering it. If he was doing something to mess with her gift sensing, couldn't she just stop him? She let the power negation seep out of her. Normally, the other person wouldn't know until they went to use their gift, so she carefully watched, resuming the rolling process, while the sensation of another gift in direct proximity came right back to her.

---

Tag Noah St Cloud
Note: Please let me know for any changes, especially if I got anything mixed up with the way his gift was working!

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]Just as a flower does not choose its color,[break]
we are not responsible for what[break]
we have come to be

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]

The irony wasn’t lost on him that he, a member of Blackstorm, was teasing someone else about being in a secret society. It was meant to be a joke; intended only to encourage her to laugh and lower her guard. Yet she faltered, her hands pausing in their task for the slightest moment, and he perked up like a dog hearing a distant whistle. [break][break]

What if she was in Blackstorm too? Perhaps a newer recruit that had slipped past his radar? Or what if there truly was a secret society for Los Eurosian locals and he’d uncovered it with a thoughtless joke? That would be hilarious. Something to keep him busy for the next few weeks. Although – what if she was part of the Sector? Weren’t they technically a secret society? [break][break]

Two Sector agents knowing about him was more than enough – one being unable to speak of him, the other being trusted not to. A third would be tempting fate. He’d rather not have his name stamped across a file and added to their database. Rather not have anyone sniffing around his home or tracing his movements, asking about his employment status and inheritance… [break][break]

He dismissed the theory. It seemed unlikely that Maddie would be working with them; what were the odds that a Sector agent would need to work shifts in a restaurant?[break][break]

She continued the joke, pointing out that she couldn’t possibly tell a stranger if it were true, and he met the comment with a solemn, understanding nod although his eyes remained bright with interest. “Hmm, I suppose you’re right… wouldn’t be very secret if you did now, would it?” [break][break]

She asked for his name and he winced at the realisation he hadn’t given it to her. Rookie move. In his excitement and confusion he’d forgotten basic social etiquette. [break][break]

“Oh, sure, sorry – manners.” He cleared his throat before giving a tiny wave, making sure to adopt an smile that was appropriately abashed. “Hi. I’m Noah. I’d shake your hand but someone decided to sit on the other side of the world.” To illustrate his point he lent his chest on the table and stretched his arm across the surface, reaching for her with his face pinched in anguish as if he were unable to stand and his life depended on making contact with her.[break][break]

After a second or two he sighed, sagging back into his seat with a pout. “It’s no use, it would take me hours to travel all the way over to you – or to grow arms long enough to reach across.”[break][break]

And then the feeling was gone.[break][break]

Noah blinked. Lips parting as his brow creased. He shot her a wide-eyed look. “Did you just–” [break][break]

He closed his mouth, forcibly stopping himself from blurting anything too incriminating. His stare dropped to the table, his mind whirred. Did she… take her gift back? He’d felt it, slipping away like water running through his hands. But how? Such a thing was impossible. He hadn’t forgotten it. Hadn’t brushed it aside and returned it himself or pushed his gift to its limit and ran out of time. No one had ever been able to snatch back their power like that without physical intervention or his say-so. [break][break]

More than just the absence of her gift, he felt as if something else was missing – like he had a phantom limb or his skin was somehow thinner than it used to be. He felt… disarmed.[break][break]

Was it permanent?[break][break]

“Maddie…” he began slowly. Softly – just in case anyone was trying to listen. “I don’t mean to weird you out, but uh–” He lifted his gaze to her once more, far more cautious and imploring than before. How was the best way to phrase his thoughts? The way he saw it, his only options were being vague and creeping her out or being direct and potentially startling her away. Neither would be good if she’d done something to take his gift. He very much wanted it back, and was doing his best to stay calm in the face of potentially not having it back. He licked his lips. “I think, maybe, we might be… alike.” [break][break]

Would she understand? Perhaps she would pretend not to and – really – how would he be able to tell if her confusion was real or not? There was still a chance that he was wrong and the strange sensations he’d been having were just a coincidence. The result of hunger or a sudden sick bug. Or perhaps she was completely unaware of what she’d done; a gifted who didn’t know it. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d had to give someone ‘the talk’. [break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Maddison Lancaster

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[googlefont=Mr Dafoe:400|Roboto:400,400i,700]

[Maddison Lancaster]

I figured it out
The bigger the river, The bigger the drought

---

The very idea of being a part of some sort of secret society was, in itself, funny to Maddie. She couldn’t imagine the type of zealots who joined up in those sorts of groups. She knew that they were real, and there were probably more of them around than she could fathom. But she always imagined it would be people sneaking around in dark rooms, working toward some obsessive goal, led by tyrannical leaders. Not something she had any interest in. She would play along with the absurdity of the joke though.

What did give her pause, however, was that she was gifted, and that was a secret, for the most part. She knew some people were fanatical about finding gifted people. Some worshiped them, others hated them and thought they should all be executed. Mason had told her stories he heard, things he came across at work. She didn’t know all that much about it, but she knew that it could get dangerous for the gifted if they weren’t careful. She didn’t get the feeling that this guy fell into either of those categories, but you never really could tell.

Maddie couldn’t help but to laugh as he bent himself over the table, acting as if she were miles away. ”Well, Noah, it’s nice to meet you. And sitting over here, I can see you while we chat, still get my work done, and not have to turn at a weird angle or anything.” Also, it meant that she wasn’t within arms reach if there was something worse than just a weird coincidence.

When Maddie used her power negation and could again feel the gifted presence again, there was a definite reaction from him. He had to have felt her stop whatever his power was. She watched as he started to ask, but cut himself off. Was he worried that she was a threat? Was he trying not to expose himself to her? At this point, he had to know that she knew. Now it was just going to be the tip toe around until one of them came out with it directly.

Maddie waited for him to process, still rolling the silverware without really paying attention to it, instead continuing to watch Noah’s expression as he worked it out. People reacted very differently to her shutting down their gifts. Some people freaked out, others were just curious how she did it. Mason always told her it felt weird when she did it to him while he was actively using his ability, but he had gotten used to it over the years. Some people never seemed to notice. Either that, or they just didn’t show a reaction.

When he started talking to her again, his words seemed hushed and cautious. She didn’t blame him for choosing what he said carefully. She would have done the same, if she’d had to. ”I believe you are correct about that.” She confirmed his assessment that they were alike.

”So now I have a question… How did you hide it?” She’d never had anyone hide their gift from her before, and him somehow hiding his gift was the only reasonable possibility that came to her mind right away. But she couldn’t figure out how he would have known to do so. Aside from the times she gave off some physical tell that she’d noticed, no one even knew she could feel their gift. She knew that she’d had a reaction when she got to the table and could no longer sense him, but had she had some reaction before that point? It didn’t make sense, but nothing felt like it made sense right now. Maybe he could fit the pieces together and complete the puzzle.

---

Tag Noah St Cloud
Let me know for any changes.

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]Just as a flower does not choose its color,[break]
we are not responsible for what[break]
we have come to be

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]

Maddison agreed, in a way made him feel safe in assuming there hadn’t been a miscommunication and she knew exactly what he was talking about. Good news – because he was right. Bad news – because he was right. She’d done something to his gift.[break][break]

She seemed relatively calm though (and why wouldn’t she be? They were in a public place with a bunch of eyewitnesses and he’d been neutralised), so he supposed that was a point in his favour. If she’d been panicked by his prodding he may have been unable to negotiate for his gift back. As it were, he could also assume she knew what she'd done and she wasn’t some oblivious baby-gifted with no clue how to reverse it. [break][break]

The question she posed to him was unexpected. [break][break]

“Hide it?” he echoed, amused despite his lingering discomfort. His gaze swept over her, wondering if he’d missed something. Was she using some sort of illusion or makeup? Covering a physical mutation that would have easily identified her as being gifted? “My ‘party-trick’ isn’t a visible–” [break][break]

It suddenly dawned on him. The awareness he had of her. The way it had faded when she moved away and strengthened when she came close. He leant forward in his seat, eyes a little wide and rounded in wonder. “Was that what that feeling was? Can you feel when someone is – like us?” [break][break]

It was almost too good to be true. If his guess was correct… she was perfect. Exactly the kind of person he'd hoped for and noncommittally daydreamed about. Someone he wanted – no, needed – to get close to. With her on his side, they could find every last gifted person in Los Eurosia in no time at all. And then maybe they could start looking outside of the city too – Hell, they could go across all fifty states if she was willing. But even if she refused, couldn’t he just… visit the restaurant? Figure out her shifts, swing by and snatch up her gift when she wasn’t expecting it, then go on a mad dash around town until he met someone who triggered the sense?[break][break]

Ah. But that was assuming he'd be getting his gift back.[break][break]

“And now you’ve done something to stop me from ‘hiding’,” he concluded. Two gifts to play with – lucky girl. “Have you borrowed it?” He smiled slightly, tipping his head. It would be the first time he’d met someone with the same ability as him, and he struggled to decipher how he felt about the concept. Apprehensive, perhaps, while his own was out of action. “My gift, I mean. Have you borrowed my borrowing? Seems like an odd thing to have two of – would you mind giving it back, please? I won’t take your gift-sense again. Pinkie promise.” He leant his elbow on the table, holding up his little finger.
[break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Maddison Lancaster

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[Maddison Lancaster]

I figured it out
The bigger the river, The bigger the drought

---

It was apparent that Maddie had the wrong guess as to what had happened. She wasn’t sure if Noah was confused or amused by her questioning. Either way she felt like she was missing some piece of the puzzle of what was happening when he began to answer and then paused. If he hadn't hidden it, what did he do? How had her own gift cut in and out like that? There were so many questions, but she was going to wait before bombarding him with them.

”Wait… you didn’t already know that?” She tilted her head slightly to the side. If he hadn't known that she could sense him, it made even less sense that he could have hidden his own gift somehow.

Maddie glanced at the table in front of her. At the turn in their conversation to their gifts, she had forgotten about the silverware, paused the constant motions of pluck, roll, drop. Now an incomplete roll was still sitting on the table in front of her now. She let her hands go back to their repetitive task, thankful it didn’t take too much concentration.

”Oh, right…” Maddie was about to stop her negation, let it dissipate away, but then he asked if she borrowed his gift. That was a strange question, though she supposed it wasn’t any stranger than her asking if he had hidden his. He went on to repeat and ask if she had borrowed his borrowing, and the pieces started to click together. He borrowed gifts. He must have borrowed her sensing. Maybe he didn’t realize he’d done it at first? It definitely explained a lot of the weirdness in their interaction so far.

Before she could explain, she heard a bell ding from the kitchen. His food was prepared. ”Um, hold that thought. I’ll be right back.”

Maddie got up and went to the kitchen quickly, grabbing Noah’s order and getting it on a tray to bring out. She was mulling over the details of their back and forth so far, and it really did make a lot more sense now. She was relieved that he wasn’t some weirdo, and almost more so that he hadn't known about what she could do before. It felt safer, less likely that there was something unsavory going on.

Once she had everything together, she brought out Noah’s order and set the food down in front of him. While she was doing that, two of her tables were getting up and heading to the register. Of course, now, when she was waiting to explain. She glanced around and her manager was nowhere to be seen. Either he was counting food in the cooler or he had gone to the office, either way it left her alone in the front and responsible for the register. ”Sorry, be right back.” She set the tray down on an empty table and went to the register to cash out the departing customers.

It only took a couple moments, and then Maddie came back to the table. ”Okay, I didn’t borrow it, but before I explain that, do you need anything else?” She motioned to the food. She didn’t want to sit down just for him to need ketchup or hot sauce or something else. She did let her negation fade while she waited, though.

---

Tag Noah St Cloud
Let me know for any changes.

[Noah St Cloud]

[nospaces]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostlyric"]Just as a flower does not choose its color,[break]
we are not responsible for what[break]
we have come to be

[break]

[attr="class","NoahLpostingbox"][break]

A bell dinged and Maddie excused herself – but not before indirectly confirming she could sense other gifted.[break][break]

Noah dropped his offered pinkie back to the table and watched her go, equal parts frustrated and excited. The potential… Not only for the fun of learning and trying out different abilities, but for the possibility of becoming stronger. He’d seen other gifted push their powers until they grew. Perhaps borrowing a large enough variety would be the pressure his own gift needed to evolve.[break][break]

Maddie returned with his order and he thanked her as she set it down in front of him, yet before she could begin explaining what she'd done to his power, a bunch of other customers chose that moment to get up and head to the register, drawing her away from him once more.[break][break]

He restrained himself from whining. From grabbing her hand before she could leave and playfully complaining how unfair it was and would she please just sit with him instead? Alas, being in public and trying not to annoy or embarrass Maddie, he couldn’t allow himself to ‘make a scene’, as his mother used to say. He had to be good. Best behaviour. He reached for his milkshake and sulkily took a sip before turning his attention to his food.[break][break]

Should he wolf down as much of it as possible while she was away? So he had his mouth free to ask questions when she returned? Or should he should pick through the meal slowly to prolong the time he was allowed to sit in the restaurant, in the off chance her manager would kick up a fuss about him occupying a booth? Maddie was swift, though, and he wasn’t kept waiting for long, which implied to Noah she was efficient at her job or (hopefully) as eager to continue their conversation as he was.[break][break]

She asked him if he wanted anything else and he shook his head quickly, feeling his gift flood back into him as he did so. Not that he could pinpoint what his gift felt like in the way he usually could others; he simply no longer felt so vulnerable, and the lingering tension in his shoulders eased away as consequence.[break][break]

As for her gift, he could feel it in the air around him and made a conscious effort to keep it out, to keep it in her possession. Strange. He’d usually only do such a thing for enhanced senses – but then, he supposed that technically her gift was an enhanced sense. He would let her keep it for the time being regardless. Maybe he could take it ‘to go’ when he’d finished his dinner.[break][break]

“No, no, I’m fine. Though –” he grinned – “are you sure I can’t buy you something? A drink or something to eat? Just for being cool?” He gave her a knowing look, recalling her previous rejection. “It doesn’t have to be now.” Maybe he could convince her to give him her number. Or take his. Or go somewhere after the end of her shift so they could speak a little more freely. [break][break]

Picking up his knife and fork, he looked down at his plate and shook his head in wonder. “I can’t believe you can just – sense people like us. That’s amazing,” he breathed. He sent her a quick, awed glance. “You’re really special, you know that?”[break][break]

“Anyway, thank you for giving my gift back,” he said as he started cutting into his meal. Manners were important. “But uh, if you didn’t borrow it…?” He trailed off, raising his gaze again to look at her expectantly.
[break][break]

[attr="class","NoahLPostTag"]Tag: Maddison Lancaster

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[googlefont=Mr Dafoe:400|Roboto:400,400i,700]

[Maddison Lancaster]

I figured it out
The bigger the river, The bigger the drought

---

Once she was done with everyone else who needed help, and Noah indicated he didn’t need anything else at the moment, Maddie sat back down in the same seat she had been in previously. She smirked when he asked, again, if he could get her anything, tacking on that it didn’t have to be then and there. It wasn’t a bad idea. She already had a ton of questions, and he was sure he did too.

”Well, maybe..” She didn’t give him a straight answer yet. She would wait to see how this conversation went, before deciding if she would take him up on the offer. She was excited by the thought of gaining more insight into his gift, though. It wasn’t every day that she actually got to talk to someone about their gifts. More often than not, it never even came up. It wasn’t like she could walk up to strangers and demand they talk about their gifts. Hell, some people didn’t even know that they were gifted. Over all, it was safer for her to just keep her mouth shut and not mention anything at all.

As he began eating, Maddie went back to rolling up the silverware. He called her gift amazing, and her special. She wasn’t sure it was really all that special or amazing. She couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t use her gifts to help anyone. Not like Mason did. Mason had useful gifts, amazing gifts. Maddie always felt like her own gifts paled in comparison.

”It’s not that special.” She shook her head, then glanced around to make sure no one else needed her attention, and that no one was paying attention to their conversation. ”So, what did you mean by borrowing? Like, did you actually borrow it, you could feel it?” How did that work? If he hadn't known she was gifted, how would he borrow her gift sense? And why would he think she borrowed his gift?

”I, um.. I can cancel them out.” She answered his question, dropping another completed roll of silverware in the bin, then pausing. ”I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who could borrow them before.” She couldn’t tell the nature of the gifts that she sensed, so it wasn’t like she would have known if she’d sensed someone with his same gift anyway.

---

Tag Noah St Cloud
Let me know for any changes.