Of Plates and Politics
A/N: Hey, everybody! This is a birthday fanfic for arashi wolf princess, requested by vampygurl402. An AU Carter and Zia fanfic, so happy birthday arashi wolf princess! Please enjoy this fanfic, and review and favorite if you like it!
It's an ordinary Saturday night at the diner. A simple, quaint diner on the corner of Harrison and King Charles street. Containing food, a bakery and a simple bar for those who are in need of the alcohol. Owned by a couple by the name of Jessabelle and Lee Preston, they were a sweet family, with a baby girl and a boy. Jessabelle is the main hostess, training waiters and waitresses, while Lee is the head chef, coming up with the southern style dishes that customers enjoy. A quiet place, most of the time, to the exception of the busy Friday night. But tonight is Saturday. Amongst the deep red walls, most tables and chairs were empty. Booths that were pressed against windows were void of people, and the waiters and waitresses lounged about in the kitchen.
It's quiet, for the exception of the woman who sat alone at one of the tables in the center. She plays with her iPod, humming to herself softly, as she takes another sip of soda that she had asked for before ordering her food. Dark locks are straightened and reaches the tips of her shoulder. A simple beige dress, nothing particularly fancy, and a gold scarab necklace around her neck. Her bright eyes were lined with dark gel liner, and a touch of gloss on her lips. She's stunning, in a quiet, subtle way. You would remember her eyes.
"Er, ma'am? Y-Your order."
Zia Rashid looks up at the waiter who holds her food. A broad shouldered, African American boy, about 18, perhaps. Just two years younger. She sets down her iPod into her canvas purse, a smile purling on her lips. He lowers the food onto her table, a hot steaming order of a thick cut, roasted piece of filet mignon, paired with green salad and a pile of fries to decorate the empty corner, fried to perfection.
"Oh, yes. Thank you! Thank you...er..." She looks towards his upper left shoulder to find his name tag, but she finds the gold plated pin is upside down. She giggles slightly, and the boy pales, his shoulders tensing as she did.
"What? What is it?" The boy asks, alarmed. He sets down the tray to look over his shoulder, turn around, running a hand through his hair, "Did Sadie put a 'KICK ME' sign on my back or something? Oh, god, she is going to pay..."
"No, no..." Zia laughs, shaking her head. She stands up, to find she is nearly his height. Though she isn't the flirtatious type, she smiles and gently curves the gold pin so it's re-aligned properly. She sees his dark cheeks go slightly pink as she does. "The pin is upside down...er...'Carter Kane'."
"Oh, really? That was it?" He asks, raising his eyebrows, and looking down at his name tag. When he sees it properly re-aligned, he laughs, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, thanks, I guess...enjoy your meal."
"I will 'Carter Kane'...that's a nice name." She begins cutting into the steak, having an easy grip on the steak knife that was brought along with the meal. "Has a nice sound to it. Better then mine, anyway."
Much to her surprise, she finds Carter taking a seat across from her, the ketchup bottle and the little packets of sauce being moved aside so he could meet her eyes. He leans forward, crossing his arms. It's here she notes the easy athleticism of Carter Kane. Broad shouldered, muscled arms, and a handsome, carved face. He is quite good looking. "And what's your name, then?" He asks, "Must be a good one."
"Zia. Zia Rashid."
"Pretty name. But you're definitely more then a pretty face and a name, huh? Like, I'm half-convinced you got a sword in your bag, but I don't really want to know, do I?"
"I've got a pocket knife, but close enough."
She laughs as he pales, and leans back in the chair. The diner was still quiet as ever, but she's worried she'll get him trouble with the chefs in the kitchen. She takes a french fry, biting into it quietly, and swallows it as he awkwardly shifts around in his seat. For once, Zia hates the fact the diner is so empty tonight. Usually, that is why she came here this particular night. She usually hated the loud sounds of a restaurant, she couldn't hear herself think. But tonight, her thoughts were just a bit too loud, a bit too demanding of her. She stares down at her plate as she continues to eat, and forces down another chunk of steak.
"So, Carter, how long have you worked here?"
"A couple of months. I just graduated, actually."
"So, you'll be planning to go to university, then?"
"Actually, I'm trying to raise money at the moment. I want to study in Egypt. My Dad, you see, he was an Egyptologist. He decoded hieroglyphics, and I want to do the same...I know, it sounds stupid..." He looks down at his lap, as though ashamed by his dream, "But it's something I really want to do, you know?"
"Yeah, actually." Zia takes a long sip of her fizzy soda, the fizz burning the inside of her throat slightly, but she continues, "People scoffed when I told them I wanted to be a lawyer. People are idiots, still, saying women can't be good lawyers and all, but I'm studying away from home. I just finished my second year in university, so I'm just waiting for the third year to start."
"Yeah? What university?"
"Harvard."
Silence.
"You. Are. Kidding. Me."
"Nope, not at all!" Zia laughs, as she leans back into her own chair, "I'm working for my J.D, but at the moment, I'm just here, back at home. Relaxing. Until the new school year starts."
"Oh god, I am unworthy of your presence,"Carter pretends to fall dead onto the ground, making Zia laugh, "I am unworthy! Unworthy!"
"You are plenty worthy, Carter, believe me."
"I am?"
"Of course."
Her lips turn into an even brighter smile, and with that, Carter returns it.
"So, Carter, who is this Sadie you were talking about?"
"Oh, my sister. She works here with me, but she's a right pain in the ass. Flirting with the new guy, Walt, poor guy just keeps falling over when he sees Sadie."
"She sounds interesting."
"She's more then interesting. She's crazy. Insane. Man, when we were kids..."
The pair keep up conversation all night, no one minding the fact that Carter hasn't returned to the kitchens. They share similar interests, similar values and though there was a two year age difference, the both of them felt something they hadn't felt in a long while. Laughing, sitting and talking there, the two felt like they were back in High School, with their friends. The days of lesser worry, the days when the world just felt a bit too small for you, unaware of the days to come where a woman would be called out for wanting to be a lawyer, or a boy is belittled for his dream of wanting to discover the past and bring it to life again. How is it, two souls of hardship managed to meet in that diner, and feel something new again? Something bold, something brave, something so beautiful? But it was. That night was the night Carter Kane met Zia Rashid, a woman of her own accord. In the kitchens, the waiters and waitresses bustled around, and the owners lounged in their offices, and they were alone, to share something new. A brand new story? Maybe one will begin soon.
Later, as Zia went to pay for her meal, it was with great courage that Carter asked to see her again, and with a quick nod, and a peck to his cheek, she had agreed. Carter watched, stunned, as she went to her motorcycle in the parking lot, threw on her helmet, and waved goodbye as she head down King Charles Street. Zia Rashid was someone he wouldn't forget, and Zia knew she would see Carter again very soon. Who knew when their story had begun, and who knows when it will end? But they both knew that night, over plates and politics, they had found someone who made them feel like surviving this world isn't enough. That they have to share it with someone who will carry them through.