greasy spoon [lulu]

[JOHN ELLIOT CLARK]

Late September 2027

Jack's head throbbed. He knew he shouldn't have had that last glass of firewhisky last night. But Mal had been off with some lass or another and Jack had felt rather lonely. Not only that, but his muse was absolutely out of control. He'd scribbled dozens of pages of broken apart song lyrics, none fitting the others but needing to be put somewhere. Jack looked back at the pages in the morning light, not finding the meaning originally transcribed. He guzzled a glass of water and took a hangover potion, but even that didn't quite fix him right up.

It didn't help that Jack had accidentally snapped his favourite songwriting quill in two late last night. Mal made fun of him for having a favourite one, but it just felt like an extension of his mind. The words rolled smoothly from mind to quill to parchment. He'd tried pens, pencils, markers and quills, but only the latter had stuck. With a groan, Jack resolved himself to shower and dress for the day. He'd get a new quill, and maybe treat himself to some sweets. He was weak for fizzing whizbees.

Ten minutes later, Jack emerged from the second floor flat in a warm crew neck and a pair of trousers. His head was spinning, and just as he was about to duck into the quill shop he lived above with Mal, the tantalising smell of pizza wafted his way. Like a dog on a bone, Jack was drawn into the pizza parlour. The slices gleamed with fresh grease, and Jack realised this would be perfect for his hangover. He approached the girl working the counter - pretty, probably at least two years younger than him, wearing a lot of eye makeup that likely held a wounded soul within - and smiled. "Alright? Can I have a slice of cheese please?" said Jack.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Late September 2027
Days at the pizza parlor were becoming monotonous. As much as she loved working a simple job and doing the bare minimum, she found her life lacking meaning. Lulu had decided to take a year off of school to decide what she wanted to do but she found herself wishing she was in school now because she was bored. Most of her mates were in school still. Life was passing by and all she had done since graduating was learn how to toss pizza dough. Her relationship with Arlo was strong, fantastic, actually, but she found herself bored because things were almost ~too perfect. Which she knew was fucked up. He was fiercely loyal, sweet, and oh so loving. At times when life got too easy, the snake had a tendency of seeking ways to fuck things up to add some spice.

An earbud dangled from her ear blaring some random indie song that helped her disassociate from the world. Lulu stood at the register staring off deep into space... Daydreaming that she sold all of her belongings to live on a beach in Spain. She'd already counted all of the tiles on the ceiling. 424 Tiles. Or was it 442.

A voice requesting a slice of cheese pizza snapped her out of it. The blondes eyes twitched under a curtain of bangs as reality seeped back into her existence, "Oh-yo-ho-hiiiya" she sang with a dreamy smile, clearing her throat as her manicured fingers mashed a couple of buttons on the register frantically pretending to work. The till shot out at her her stomach, flustered, she shoved it back, hard. "Fuck off." she grumbled. Her eyes widened to icy saucers, turning to the customer, "Not you." she promised with an angelic smile, tone lacking the hostility it carried seconds ago. "One sausage and cheese.." she recited his order back incorrectly with confidence.


JOHN ELLIOT CLARK

[JOHN ELLIOT CLARK]

The girl's sharp tone and bleating voice drove a spike into Jack's head. He wished he had more hangover potion. Or at least, a more potent one. Or maybe he should have just given the pizza a miss. After all, she trilled off a sausage and cheese slice, and the thought of eating meat made Jack's stomach churn unpleasantly. "Just cheese," he corrected flatly.

Jack scrounged in his pocket and felt for the coins there - did he have enough to cover for the slice? He should have stolen some from Mal's sock drawer, where he kept all the things he didn't want Mal to know about. "What's a pretty girl like you doing working in a pizza parlour anyways?" asked Jack, pushing through the headache and slipping on his usual suave self as he cracked her a smile. Maybe if he could distract her enough, she wouldn't notice that he was a few knuts short of the indicated price.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Lulu froze as the man repeated his order. She cleared her throat and ripped the remaining ear bud blaring tunes from her ear. ”Er. Sorry. One cheese coming right up.” she apologized quickly with a tense smile. Her fingers punched the buttons on the reg.

As the young man asked what a pretty girl like her was doing working in a pizza parlor, she noticed the suave smile and cool boy attitude seeping from him. Suddenly, it made her weak. She smiled, an attention seeker, always, especially flattery. Also it made her wonder….what was she doing? She was so bored and the days were starting to blend together.

Lulu held a straight face, icy saucers looking him up and down. “Living the dream..” she said sarcastically. That was a lie. Lulu noticed the smile as he scrounged in his pockets. She knew what he was doing. Well, at least he was cute. Since no one was watching the blonde waved dismissively, ”Its fine.” Lulu shoved over the greasy slice of cheese pizza and a beverage cup, ”Just take it. Here’s a drink cup, you look like you might need it.” she told him, not meaning to sound rude but she as trying to be helpful.

JOHN ELLIOT CLARK  

[JOHN ELLIOT CLARK]

Jack's reply had come back sharper than he'd meant to, and the tense smile the girl gave him in response made him feel an inkling of guilt. He rummaged in his pocket to scrounge up the appropriate payment, but found himself coming up short. His face remained smooth as he cranked up the charm, hoping the girl would let it slide. Under all that hair and eye makeup, she was actually quite pretty, thought Jack. It was easy to compliment her, to ask what she was doing here, working at a pizza parlour. He snorted at her response. "I can see that," said Jack with a smirk. Did everyone dream of pizza?

The blonde passed him the slice of cheese and a drink cup, for which he was eternally grateful. "Thanks, I do," said Jack. "Hangover potions aren't quite as effective in my old age," he added with a woe-is-me look at the girl. "Why don't you join me and make me forget my misery? Surely your dream can be put on pause?"" asked Jack, glancing around at the nearly empty parlour. "What's your favourite slice?" asked Jack, not genuinely interested but more keen on striking up a conversation with the girl than anything.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Lulu gave a quick glance around the parlour. Since school started up again, delivery orders were much more popular than walk ins. There was a flutter in her stomach at that tone he used with her. Instantly, Arlo’s adorable big eared head popped into her mind. But the reckless part of her shoved it aside, enjoying that taste of playing with fire. She always had a penchant for doing things she wasn’t supposed to do. That was dangerous on a day she was feeling bored. There was something about a Scottish accent...

As the young man asked for a chat, she smiled, almost agreeing without thinking twice, but he followed by asking what her favorite slice was. She knew he didn’t really care, nobody truly cared about that. Lulu no longer had a favorite: only “hate” and “whatevs”. Lulu rolled her icy saucers to the back of her skull, ”Oh. Puh-leeeze. Anything but pizza, hon. I’m only here because I want to support my uncle Jimbo's endeavors, but now I’m starting to despise pizza..” she sighed dramatically, truly meaning it with her core. Lulu was mostly tired of the smell of garlic.

The blonde slipped into the booth with a smile, sitting with her back against the wall and so that she was facing the door. She shrugged apathetically, "I'm just being dramatic, but it is a predicament." she explained with a chuckle before turning it on the young man with a more sultry gaze. "Soo- You look fit as fuck.  I bet you have a cool job because you're old.." she teased him, only because he called himself old moments before. Lulu ended with with an innocent smile, daring to bat her lashes. That wasn't how taken girls spoke..and she didn't even know this blokes name but a part of her found the mystery exciting.

JOHN ELLIOT CLARK

[JOHN ELLIOT CLARK]

Jack had thought it was a long shot that the girl would actually accept his offer to join him. It had gone down better than he had expected. She shrugged, and slipped into the booth with him and his pizza slice. Jack took a bite and moaned his appreciation, certain that he was seeing god or something the way the cheese melted in his mouth. "Fuck me, that's good shit," said Jack as he chewed and swallowed. He chuckled at her directness, how she distinctly disliked pizza now that she was working here to support her uncle. "A Blishwick then?" asked Jack, taking another bite of pizza. Was this heaven?

Smirking, Jack shot back. "I dunno, you seem pretty passionate about hating pizza," he teased, his eyes on hers. "What should you be doing with yourself instead?" asked Jack. He reached for the drink cup that he realised was empty, and sighed. He stood, quickly making his way over to the fountain for a diet coke before returning to the booth. As soon as he sat, the girl was layering on the compliments. His grin grew wider. Maybe this could turn into something a bit more fun than a random chat.

"Old, am I?" asked Jack, arching a brow. "Nah, I reckon you're just wee," he added with a smirk. "I'm... a musician," said Jack, leaving out that he was also attending LIFE and studying hit wizarding. A musician was what he really was, after all. The other things were secondary. He pushed away his pizza momentarily, summoning a market from behind the till. He took a napkin, and looked at the girl, then back to the napkin, scribbling out the words that had started in his mind. After a moment, he sat back. He'd written a verse of a song. She hardly sleeps. She hardly eats. She hardly breathes when you're in her breathing space. She brushes it off like she always does... and had run out of space on the napkin. The verse rattled around in his head though, despite the hangover that lingered. "I'm Jack, by the way," said Jack, taking back his slice and having another bite.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Lulu watched with amusement as the young man moaned in appreciation over the perfectly melted cheese pizza. That review alone made giving over a free slice worth it. ”Never have I seen such an orgasmic display over pizza.” she erupted with laughter, happy to have a distraction from her boring job. He asked if she was a Blishwick and she smiled proudly with a sweet smile, “Alive and breathing, in the flesh.” she batted her lashes. Uncle Jimbo had done a great job establishing a respected name in the magical world. She was proud to be a Blishwick. 

Her eyes nonchalantly watched the door to make sure no hungry customers walked in and had to wait for her to slide out of the booth. She thought about his question as he filled his cup at the beverage counter. Where should she be? Certainly not slinging pizza all day. ”I don’t know. Definitely not here. This gap year is complete shit.” she said more to herself, but perked up with interest as he started to write something on a piece of napkin with a pen he summoned from behind the counter. Lulu watched silently as words seemed to flow onto the greasy napkin, following by saying he was a musician and introducing himself.

”Hi, Jack.” she waved, ”I’m Lulu.” she erupted with a giggle. Musicians always had a way of doing that. She reached for the napkin as if it were some ancient artifact, inspecting it carefully. ”Did you just do that on the spot? Or…do you do that with all the lasses you talk to?” she asked with a playful grin, not really caring. She was impressed. Her icy blue eyes looked him up and down, ”I bet you play the guitar.” the blonde suspected slowly with smile. 

Mentally reminding herself she was probably getting too excited over this hot stranger. Her amazing, sweet, and lovely, boyfriend Arlo was waiting back at home after classes...that evening they had a night in planned watching some new 'Star Wars' series.

JOHN ELLIOT CLARK

[JOHN ELLIOT CLARK]

Qurirking a brow, Jack's retort was quick. "If you think that look was orgasmic, don't think you've really reached nirvana," said Jack smugly, wiping the grease from his face with a napkin. She mentioned that she was helping her uncle out and Jack astutely pointed out that she must be a Blishwick. "You're uncle is sort of like a nasty, corporate stain on the village," said Jack absently, glancing around the pizza shop. Jimbo had started opening up a number of chains, his most recent being Spellbucks. As if Starbucks needed a magical equivalent.

"Sorry," Jack added gruffly, though his sentiments were quite the opposite. "That was rude of me." He tucked away another bite of pizza, gazing thoughtfully at the Blishwick before him. "I thought that gap years were supposed to be about drinking yourself blind and travelling the world and eating questionable bugs in the tropics?" asked Jack. The thought had never appealed to him - mostly because neither he nor Mal could really afford to take a year off anything You had to come from a place of privilege to be able to take a gap year.

After a moment of silence, inspiration struck and Jack summoned a marker from behind the till, scribbling off a few lines of song that came to his head until he ran out of napkin. He passed the napkin over to her and offered his name. "Aye, I did," said Jack, confused. The words rattled about in his head still and he was itching to write more of them down. He thought about scribbling out the rest on another napkin, or getting out his phone and trying to do a voice note, but he thought he'd already reached his quota of rude by insulting her uncle.

"Lulu," Jack repeated slowly, drawing out each syllable like honey. It suited her - a bit different and quirky. "Only the lucky ones," he added with a smirk, catching her gaze. "Right in one. Am I that obvious?" asked Jack, leaning back against the booth cushion. "Or were you just admiring my hands?" he asked, holding one out palm up so she could inspect the calluses that littered his fingertips. He thought about dropping her a line about all the other things his fingers were very good at, but held his tongue. For now at least.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

There was a moment Lulu found herself staring and smiling with appreciation at the young man sitting before her in the empty pizza parlor. There was no doubt in her mind that he was handsome. Definitely the “bad boy” musician sort. Those were the genre of men she fancied the most, there was no denying there. 

Lulus relaxed expression fell as Jack told her that her Uncle Jimbo was a corporate stain on the village.

Her head tilted to the side, icy blue eyes narrowed as she shot daggers at him. ”Those are fighting words about my dear uncle Jimbo if I’ve ever heard em…” she stated vapidly with an eye roll, ”Psh. You’re going to diss the man after enjoying a slice on the house… Besides, my uncle is just an entrepreneur…entreprenuing…” she hung onto her last word with a chuckle, trying to convince herself that ‘entreprenuing’ was a word. Lulu shrugged with an air headed smile, ”Would you like to put a suggestion in the suggestions box?” she asked sarcastically as she gestured in a grand display towards the box hanging on the wall. It was obvious she wasn’t upset, she was more happy up have a distraction during the boring work day. ”You can draw a massive willy on it and I swear I won’t make a peep. Hell, I'll deliver it myself.” she promised.

Lulu was silent for a moment as she hung onto his words about how a proper gap year was executed. ”Well..fuck.” she deadpanned. There was definitely a lack of getting blind drunk and dancing on table tops. She hated that. Lulu sighed dramatically, wondering where the spice in her life had gone. ”Apparently, I’ve been doing it all wrong…” Lulu lamented as she grumbled to herself. She knew if she had just signed up for LIFE, at least she’d be able to see Arlo around school and her friends. Working sucked, suddenly everyone had expectations of her. She highly advised never working if the option was presented.

As Jack presented a callused hand toward her, she smiled while shaking her head at his question, ”You just sort of give that vibe I guess.” Lulu said cooly, suddenly feeling like she was engaging too much with this handsome stranger but she didn't want to stop. She was intrigued because he was a musician and she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the attention. ”That’s really impressive. You’re very talented to have a gift of throwing words on a greasy napkin on the spot. I wish I could do that, I can only sing and play the piano. So, are you like, in a band?” she asked him curiously, truly interested. Hell, she hoped no customers would walk in anytime soon because she enjoyed the distraction from working.

JOHN ELLIOT CLARK

[JOHN ELLIOT CLARK]

Jack chuckled. There was something magnetic about the Blishwick girl, even if her uncle was a grade A, money hungry arsehole. His cheeks flushed scarlet as Lulu called him out for greedily devouring free pizza from that grade A, money hungry arsehole. "If nothing else, I'm a hypocrite," said Jack with a shameful look down at the table top. But Lulu seemed to take it, like all things thus far, in her stride, and cracked a joke. "Think I'll pass this time. I've reached my quota of being a dick," said Jack with a smirk.

With ease, Jack explained that a gap year was meant to be just that - so drunk, it's a gap in your memory. "You absolutely have," he replied, his eyes roving over the fair planes of her pale face. "Much less responsibility and much more debauchery," he said with a grin. "My brother's a curse breaker. He's suggested a few key places to go absolutely mental. Maybe I could show you," Jack found himself suggesting, though he didn't regret the words that came from his mouth. If nothing else, this exuberant young woman would bring a light and the gift of inspiration to Jack. If he was writing songs about her in the first five minutes of meeting her, who knew what he could unlock with more careful study.

There was a strange hesitation to Lulu as he extended his hand for her inspection. "If only it was as good at making money as it is at making me happy," he replied solemnly. "Sing?" he asked, arching a brow. "Not in a band, but maybe you should play with me," said Jack, serious despite the teasing nature in his voice. "What sort of songs do you like to sing?" he enquired, his pizza all but forgotten.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Lulu frowned with a laugh when he agreed with her that she had fucked up with the misuse of a gap year. That caught her off guard slightly because she wasn’t used to people telling her straight like that. She had a lot of soul searching she had to do as of late. Maybe she could drag Arlo to one of those places to go ‘absolutely mental’, as the young man before her called it. Jack stated that maybe he could show her one of those places and she batted her eyelashes with a slow spreading smile, watching him carefully. Lulu knew she was playing on thin ice. ”Hmm. Maybe..” she agreed with an innocent smile, not saying silent like her stomach told her to. Lulu knew she shouldn’t even entertain this bloke but she was naturally thirsty for the attention. And boy did his tired blue eyes quench her thirst…

The nodded proudly when he asked her if she sang. The blonde puckered her lips thoughtfully at his question about what sort of songs she liked to sing. Suddenly she was drawing a blank, partly because she wanted to seem cool. What the hell was getting into her. She shrugged, feigning nonchalance, ”Anything and everything…well, actually, I don’t fancy wrock because its fuckin corny.” she corrected herself quickly with a laugh. "If you don't agree, I question your taste of music." Lulu teased him with a playful gaze as she thought about his question. ”I love that feel good chemical when harmonies mix with a sweet guitar riff. That sense of euphoria is just-” she let off a chefs kiss with her fingers  with an orgasmic eye roll.

”How about you? With the ability to write lyrics on the spot like that, I’m sure you have a good pair of pipes.” Lulu told him expectantly, already half expecting him to share that he liked to shred on the guitar and sing his heart out. He just had that sort of look to him. "Care for another slice?" she asked him, noticing the other had disappeared.

JOHN ELLIOT CLARK

[JOHN ELLIOT CLARK]

Though Jack semi seriously suggested Lulu sing with him, he was the sort of lad to go it alone. He'd worked pretty much only with his brother on previous songs, and that was mainly to get advice on drum lines. Jack had always been immensely talented, musically at least. It seemed Mal succeeded everywhere else. Though neither could keep a relationship if their lives depended on it. "Rock's corny?" asked Jack, arching a brow. Was she talking about the same style of music as him? "On the contrary. I think rock is the best genre, and not only because it's my strongest," said Jack with a cheeky grin.

Leaning back against the pleather seat, Jack surveyed Lulu. The dopamine hit that came from singing and writing and playing was second to none. The feeling of getting lost in his instrument, his mind wholly focused on relaying a story through a different medium. "So you like a sweet guitar riff but think rock is corny?" asked Jack, bewildered. "You're an interesting one, Blishwick," he muttered, wiping his fingers on the napkin that he hadn't written on. "Mostly I sing what I write. And I write what I feel," he answered simply. "And when I'm feeling lazy, I sing Oasis," he added with a laugh.

Lulu offered Jack a second slice, and Jack shook his head. "Nah, thank you though. I've scrounged up enough grease to get me through this hangover," said Jack. "I suppose I should let you get back to work, but I can't imagine you'll be properly productive with all your... waiting... customers," said Jack, glancing around the still empty pizza parlour.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

”Nooo!” she exclaimed dramatically, eyes rolled to the back of her skull comically at the miscommunication. ”Wrock. ’Wizard Rock.’” she explained in air quotes. Lulu chuckled, shaking her head in disapproval of what she was about to say. ”It's a group of goons belting their hearts out over goblins and Full Moons and whatevs. I agree that rock n roll is superior to all genres.” Lulu laughed full heartedly. Her previous comments sounded pretty ridiculous now.

At the mention of Oasis her ears perked up. Now he was speaking her language. That was one of her Top 5 Favorite Shower songs. As much as she knew she should allow this fleeting stranger to leave, he was also very entertaining and cute. It wasn't every day she got to chat with a  starving musician with a nice Scottish accent.

Lulu looked around at the empty pizza shop as he started to dismiss himself, declining a piece of pizza. ”Sure, you could leave, orrr, I can give you an exclusive performance of Wonder Wall..” she pitched with a dead serious expression. Hopefully Uncle Jimbo wasn't watching the cameras today.

JOHN ELLIOT CLARK

[JOHN ELLIOT CLARK]

Jack was completely floored by Lulu’s opinion. But she clarified after he went off on a tangent about how rock was superior to the other genres in telling a story, with so many different sub-genres. Indie rock, progressive rock, hard rock… he could go on. It was so all encompassing and what he considered to be the most inclusive genre of all. It was so universally liked, the fact that for even a moment Jack had entertained Lulu’s disdain was laughable. His hollow cheeks flushed scarlet. ”Oh, aye. I didn’t even think of that,” said Jack. ”They sound the same. The name,” he added in his own hasty defence. But he didn’t think they sounded the same in sound. ”On that we’re agreed,” said Jack with a smirk. ”Rock and roll will never die.”

Jack raised a brow as Lulu offered her very own rendition of Wonderwall. He had to school his face into a neutral expression. ”That your go to Oasis song?” asked Jack. In his very humble (but educated) opinion it was one of the band’s weakest tracks. ”I don’t suppose you can sing Oasis without a backing track, can you?” he added after a moment. ”Look. Why don’t I go and pick up my guitar and we can do it together,” Jack found himself offering. ”Or you could meet me after your shift. That would probably be the wiser thing to do. Don’t want Uncle A-hole getting his knickers in a twist,” said Jack. The opportunities were endless - and despite the fact that Lulu seemed like quite a sweet girl, Jack had the sense that she would offer more than just a musical companionship.

lulu anne blishwick