"Well, here we are. Welcome to the Two Whales Diner."
"Where they give special service to two whales whenever they eat here." Max quipped with a smile.
Chloe snorted as she settled back comfortably in their booth. "Close but it's actually called Two Whales' because you're gonna end up the size of that if you don't eat at anywhere else."
"And it's too late to back out now. Once you've had a taste, you'll never be getting breakfast from any other diner. You won't even be able to look at cereal without seeing Joyce's famous waffles!" Max leaned forward excitedly and she sounded like she was almost drooling just from the mental image.
Kate giggled at her friends' antics. It's not exactly her first time here but it was her first time with Max and Chloe and them hyping it up. She could tell just how fond they were of this place as they strode in like one would walk into a home, safe and welcomed. They looked out of place among the truckers, fishermen and other regulars, and yet at the same time, they fit in more than anyone else.
If Kate would reimagine this scene, she would draw themselves with bright colors that wouldn't outshine but rather complement with the surroundings. The diner would be colored with warm undertones, the kind of warmth that wasn't alienating but rather was a slow and reliable burn. When she thought that this would make a lovely photo op for Max, her friend did just that as confirmed by the flash and the whir of her camera. And Chloe just looked like she was enjoying herself with their company. She's not one for art but rather living in the moment and Kate thought that in itself is an experience and its own art form.
"Max, I can hear your praise even from the kitchen. Always the flatterer." Joyce said when she walked to them with coffee on hand and a beautiful smile on her worn out face.
"It's not flattery if it's the truth." Max said with her eyes sparkling with mirth and when Joyce just gave her an amused look, she toned it down a bit with a shy batting of eyelashes. "Okay so I may have used more metaphors than usual but it's called poetic justice."
"Pfft! Yeah, right! Poetic justice would be if a whale falls on this diner. Maybe two, depending on how they land." Chloe guffawed louder when Max elbowed her.
"Now don't drag the whales into this. I know it's a well made sign but it's not meant to attract whales unless they suddenly decide to leave for land and have something to eat that isn't fish. Until then, I'm obligated to serve only human customers." Joyce scrunched up her nose at her daughter knowingly. "No matter how much they eat like a pig."
Even Kate snorted at that although unlike Max, she was polite enough to hide her laugh behind her hand. Chloe herself didn't look offended at all and took it in as if it was praise. "I think you got your animals confused. I'm more of a "wolfing down" kind of eater."
"I agree with Chloe here. Have you seen her eat? She doesn't even chew, she just breathes the whole plate in!" Max backed her up and Chloe raised her fist for a celebratory fist bump but Max did it with a devilish smirk. Chloe knew in that instant that Max had only helped her up just to drag her ass down. "If she's anything remotely related to a pig then just look at her room instead. It's an absolute pigsty."
"I stand corrected. I'll keep that in mind when me and my daughter will talk like civilized people at home later." Chloe groaned at this but didn't object too much so that's the end of this discussion or whatever that was. Joyce then turned to address the new crew member. "And who is this lovely lady right here? A friend of Max? I'm sure that Chloe wouldn't associate herself with an upstanding model student that easily."
"Hey, she's my friend too!" Chloe argued back and she wanted to say more but Max was looking at her smugly and so she pulled back. "But yeah, she was friends with Max first."
"Kate Marsh. Friend of both Max and Chloe." Kate introduced herself with a shy smile which grew in confidence the more she spoke. "It's nice to finally meet you, Joyce. You're lovelier than what I've been told of."
"I see you've been talking with Max then." Joyce quipped.
"Just a bit." Kate sheepishly admitted. "I've heard only good things about you, both from Max and Chloe."
"Well it's good to hear that my daughter doesn't gripe too much about me especially not when I serve her free breakfast." Chloe just rolled her eyes and Joyce ignored her altogether. "You look like a nice kid. As much as I want you to be a good influence to Chloe, I'm worried that hanging out goes both ways."
"A nice kid? Are you serious, mom?" Chloe reached out over the table and placed a hand on Kate's shoulder with a proud grin. "You're looking at a saint. She's like an angel only without wings."
"As in a person." Kate amended her, her cheeks were flush with embarrassment.
"As in a really good person." Max seconded with a smile. "Don't worry, Joyce. I'm here to make sure that Chloe doesn't drag poor Kate into any more trouble than legally acceptable."
"Well you haven't broken my trust yet." Joyce winked. "Except for that wine stain incident."
Max instantly flushed and Chloe just hollered beside her despite being the partner in crime. "That was just one time!"
"Wine incident?" Kate asked curiously.
"Oh, man that was gold! We were kids and we got our asses drunk on mom's wine. We were so wasted that we threw up on the carpet. Yup, good times." Chloe reminisced all too fondly.
"No, we didn't." Max insistently objected with a glare. "There isn't even a wine stain in your story!"
"Duh, it's called subtext." Chloe rolled her eyes at Max' accusation. "We were shitfaced so of course we'd spill the wine at some point."
"Chloe, if you keep talking I will make you shitfaced only without alcohol." Max winced at her language and murmured a quick apology to Kate. "We accidentally tipped over Joyce's wine. We scrubbed for days and we couldn't get the stain out. To this day, it's still incriminating evidence on the carpet. That's it. That's the whole story."
Max looked at Kate as if pleading for a response. Meanwhile, both Price women watched on expectantly with similar amused grins. She faintly took note of just how much related they looked like right now. Their grins were dazzling bright and infectious so much in fact that Kate couldn't help sporting her own playful smile. "Right... If you say so then I'll believe in your story, Max." She winked at her.
The booth broke out in laughter with the exception of Max groaning. Joyce was the first one to recover. "Adorable and funny. I can see why anyone would want to be in your company. If I didn't already have Chloe then I'd be happy to adopt you."
"Ouch, Max. You're not mom's favorite anymore." Chloe feigned hurt for her best friend as she patted her on the shoulder in a show of sympathy.
"Shut up, Che." Max shoved off the hand and rolled her eyes. "I'm sure Joyce still has plans for me."
"Max, you're already like a second daughter to me. There's no competition there." Joyce said warmly and then winked at Kate. "And given time, you might want to consider my offer at being the third."
Kate was positively beaming. This was more than just the usual polite welcome. She felt accepted already. "I'll think about it."
"I'm sure you will." Joyce nodded in approval and then regarded the whole booth. "Now I know you three didn't come here for lip service so what'll it be?"
They ended up ordering different meals but it was mostly due to Chloe's insistence. Kate was going to order what Max was having but Chloe came up with the idea of sharing bites just so Kate could taste half of what's on the menu. Max joked that Chloe just wanted to eat off everyone's plates to which the punk did not deny.
Once the food came, true to her words, Chloe wolfed down her bacon omelette so fast that Max had to chide her before the food could become a choking hazard. It seemed that Kate had taken over the manners for all three of them since Max was surprisingly eager in her meal as well. She gently wiped Max's face when sauce dripped on her chin.
The meal was far from a quiet affair. It wasn't like the dinners she had at home where her mom insisted that eating was like talking to the Lord. It was like praying and just like everything else involving the Lord, it had to be carried out with utmost grace and reverence. But this was no graceful meal. Their heads weren't bowed and their hands weren't fixed to small movements. Instead they were loud with chatter and messy with spills. If her mother could see her now then she would have been frowning or scowling in disappointment but Kate could not find it in herself to do anything but smile.
Kate was not talking to only the Lord but she was also talking to her friends. And she found it quite the enjoyable experience to have them talking back in carefree volume and not in hushed whispers. It was different and she thought that she did not mind the change. In fact, she welcomed it in open arms. She hadn't known that breakfast could be this loud or fun and she's always open-minded to learning. Kate stared at both Max and Chloe with certain fondness. The breakfast was their idea and they still have a whole list to check through.
Breakfast may be over but their day was just beginning.
Regarding prompts:
So I'm currently taking lis prompts on my tumblr shsl-shipper-gamer-fangirl (I know it's long shhh obviously I make terrible life choices) and my goal is to write 2 per week and post 1 here every week. There's not much any restrictions regarding ships (or lack thereof) or genre. Whatever goes, I'd like to see how flexible my writing is.
Drop by a prompt there if you're still stuck in time with this fandom!