Xaviers!

Now that Nika had determined it was unlikely that Jez would attempt to assassinate Katarina (...probably), she had given the A-OK for the two of them to grab lunch in Maldon, almost entirely unmonitored.

Katarina waited for Jez outside a diner in Maldon, dressed 'casually'.

...Of course, 'casually' was probably a bit of a misnomer here, as Katarina's idea of casual clothing for western college students was almost entirely derived from pop culture. And out-of-date pop culture, at that.

So Katarina, looking clueless that she was looking like Clueless in her argyle skirt, fuzzy crop top, mary janes and beret, stood on the corner waiting.

Jez was eventually seen rounding a corner at a moderate little jog. She was late of course, she was the type of person who despite her best intentions often arrived late even when making efforts to leave early. The young woman was dressed a bit more casually in a dark-grey school-themed hoodie and some tight skinny jeans. With her hair up the only thing that really popped with colour were her sneakers.

"Sorry!" Jez huffed softly, leaning against the wall of the diner while she caught her breath. "I mean, thanks for waitin' for me." as for what had delayed her, well she wasn't prepared to admit that just yet, so she attempted to steer the conversation away from that topic before Katarina got a chance to inquire.

"Ooh, you're looking snazzy today. I like the beret, very European."

"Well, regardless of what the people may say, we are in Europe, no?" Katarina said, doing another quick look around and wondering why no one else looked quite like her.

"Are you alright? You did not have to run all the way here..."

Jez nodded her head as she took a deep breath and tried not to double over so much. "Oh no. I - was just a - a block down..." Okay, maybe that's why she hadn't applied for the X-teams. Eventually she managed to get enough of her breath back to hold a normal conversation, though her cheeks were still flushed.

"We should go inside, your legs must be freezing out here."

"It....yes, I was not expecting to be outside for QUITE so long," Katarina admitted. "The sacrifices we make for fashion, no? Let's go inside so you can catch your breath."

"Sorry!" Jez sheepishly apologized again. The young woman held the door open for Katarina as a little compensation.

"...Are you sure we're in Europe?" Katarina asked, as they entered an odd, American-themed diner, complete with checkerboard floor and the sounds of Elvis squeaking out of an old jukebox.

Jez looked around the place in disbelief. She suddenly understood what it must feel like for a German to visit the Germany pavilion at Epcot. Elvis? Check. James Dean & Marilyn Monroe on the walls? Check. Coca Cola signage everywhere? Check. Route 66? Oh that's a big checkeroonie.

"This - I'm not gonna lie, this is kinda surreal right now."

"More than a little," Katarina agreed walking in in a bit of a daze. "This must feel right at home for you though, no?"

"Ah, it's, um..." Jez struggled to think of a way to describe how she felt. "It's definitely an English person's idea of what an American diner is like." Was that insulting? She certainly hoped it wasn't. "But I'm not gonna lie, being able to get a decent burger and fries would be pretty damn great right about now."

"Well, we shall partake of their burgers, and their fries, and see if they live up to your high standards.

Ooh! And milkshakes!"

"Oh God yes. I don't think I've had a real milkshake in YEARS."

When the server approached the pair Jez requested that they have one of the booths, as that was the real diner experience. She sat across from her new friend and looked over the menu.

"Do you wanna split an appetizer to start?"

"You are the expert.

...What constitutes a... 'loaded' nacho?"

"Oh that's a bunch of tortilla chips topped with all kinds of good gooey stuff, just a little bit spicy. Definitely something to share, a lot of places give you so much it's a meal on it's own." Jez glanced at the menu. "But it looks like they have smaller sizes, which is good."

"What kind of, uh, 'gooey stuff'? The menu seems to think you'd already be familiar, and they never served nachos at any of the offic...

....office. Parties. In the office. Back home," she caught herself.

"Oh you know. Cheese, refried beans, salsa, maybe some guacamole... if you think you might not like it but wanna try it, maybe we can get a one-person order. That way if you don't like it, I can finish it off and I won't be too full for what I'm getting."

Jez noticed Katarina's little stammer. "Oh... did you have an internship or something?"

"Yes! Yes, an internship. That is what I had.

That and some nachos now, as a starter. That is a good idea," Katarina said, trying (poorly) to dodge the subject.

"That sounds like a plan." Jez closed her menu and set it aside, already having decided. "So, do you know what you're gonna get for after the nachos?"

"Well, I think a burger and a shake is a requirement for an American theme, no? Is there something more American I should try?"

"Naw, I think you've got it covered."

When the server came back to the table Jez was the first to give her order; a bacon cheeseburger with the works, a half-side of fries and half of onion rings, and a strawberry milkshake to drink.

Katarina hesitated, and then ordered the same thing, substituting chocolate for strawberry, and glancing over at Jez for approval.

Jez gave Katarina a little thumbs up just as their server left to go put their order in. "I think you're gonna enjoy it. American food is kind of a mishmash and take on stuff from different cultures, but a cheeseburger and french fries are, like, the quintessential American dish.

"What's, like, the most common food in Symkaria? Like if someone were to say "Symkarian cuisine", what image pops into your head?" The girl leaned over the table slightly, to keep the conversation a little more intimate. They were in public after all.

"We are not a very rich country, so we do not have the same sort of five-star restaurants and the like. A lot of our great food comes from centuries of peasant tradition.

I'm quite fond of ciorbă, though ćevapčići is quite nice, too. Ooh, especially with some krempita for dessert. It's very nice."

Katarina leaned in as well, lowering her voice accordingly.

Jez thought about defending beef and potatoes as not being particularly wealth-based foodstuffs, but thought that it was better to let the conversation continue as it was.

"I have no idea what any of those are. I guess we're gonna have to go to a Symkarian restaurant next time so I can try 'em."

"Oh, um," Katarina said, hesitating all of a sudden. "Perhaps that...may not be such a good idea."

She floundered for a moment to come up with a reason why.

"You....would....find it.....not as good as the home country! Yes, that's it. They never can make it quite like they do at home, yes?"

"Well, that's true... but we're not in America either." Jez countered.

"Yes, but American cuisine is...how do I put it?...mass exported, no?"

"Well, yes. But so is Chinese food, sushi, Indian food, all that good stuff. I mean, no one goes to a Chinese place and expects to get truly authentic Chinese food, right?"

"I bet most Chinese people don't. Or they don't go to those sorts of restaurants."

"Well, if you really think that a restaurant wouldn't be able to do Symkarian food justice, I'm just going to have to settle for your home cooking."

Jez was teasing of course. Right?

"Um...yes. Home cooking? Alright. I can...yes, that would be...fine."

Katarina had never cooked for herself before, of course, but how hard could it be? And Jez surely couldn't see the flop sweat, right?

Jez's grin had a hint of Cheshire cat at the corners of her mouth. Either Katarina was caught out on her lie, or she was just enjoying how flustered the young woman had become.

"I'm only teasing. Besides, that's a lot to ask of someone you just met, isn't it?"

As the two had been discussing future dinner plans their server had returned. In the middle of the table they placed a reasonably heaping plate of nachos topped with melted cheese, sour cream, black olives, salsa, and other good stuff. They also gave the pair a couple of bread plates in case they didn't want to eat straight from the big plate, along with filling their water glasses from a pitcher. Jezabelle thanked their server before turning her attention back to her new friend.

"So, this is considered a finger food, and it can be kind of a messy one. Basically you serve yourself the toppings using the chip... kinda like when you dip bread in olive oil."

"I have to defend the honor of my country," Katarina demurred before the food arrived.

"Messy, you say? Well, I believe I shall try it as the Americans do, then," she said, reaching for a chip.

As she reached for it, her hand shimmered and glistened as it transformed into gold, her shiny fingers picking up a chip and trying (and failing) to scoop up significant toppings.

"Aww you don't have to take it so seriously. I can't even begin to pronounce them, but I'm sure that those things you suggested are absolutely delicious. The recipes wouldn't have stuck around for so long if they weren't, right?"

Jez took a particularly loaded chip from the plate but didn't comment on Katarina's portion; baby steps, it would be better for her to start off light. Of course the girl got some on the corners of her mouth, nachos were not meant to be prim and proper.

"Is that how you keep your fingers clean?" She asked, gesturing to the golden hue of the woman's digits.

"Hrm? Oh, yes at times -- easier to clean, right? The gold makes it nice and smooth; less cracks and crevasses," she said, examining her hand.

"It's nice to see that you're comfortable using your gift in public." Jez commented before she took another chip. "A lot of students aren't."

"That's really too bad, though I can understand why. I heard about the students who were...beaten up? At the bar?"

"Yes, that was very unfortunate." Jez said softly. "Which is why I and others try so hard to normalize it. Those of us who can walk around and flaunt our X-gene a bit but can take care of themselves, we kind of have to do it. So that the kid who can't hide his physical mutation, or can't defend herself, doesn't stand out so much. I mean, it wasn't too long ago that you'd get jumped in the streets for wearing a pride t-shirt. Nowadays most shops have some kind of little flag or sticker in their window year round."

"Things get better, slowly but surely, yes? That is why we are here?" Katarina smiled.

"Exactly. Just by being here, being visible, we're helping make things better. People are afraid of what is different. But when you see it every day, it's no longer different."

Jez gave up some of her niceties to delve into the nachos proper. These were not a prim and proper dish.