Buttermilk Pancakes and Sweet Tea

Kai smiled when Emma Jean laughed. She was right, he didn't really say hi, just talked about it. Still, it was better than jumping right into something. He laughed too with her impersonation attempt. It was hardly good, but he didn't say so. "I dunno, late morning?" He attempted to answer her question as to what time it was. Leaning against the wall where the phone was connected, he continued smiling right up until she told him to hang on. He had not missed that male voice in the background, and he seriously doubted it was her father. He felt his lips pinch together before he was fully aware that he was doing so, and when he was aware he ran a hand over his face to get him to stop that.

He nearly held his breath as he waited for Emma Jean to finish talking to whoever she was with, and told himself mentally that he was being a bit of a prick. He wasn't sure why, but he did not like it that Emma Jean was waking up with some guy. Then again, he might not be some guy. Maybe she had a boyfriend. After all, he didn't really know Emma Jean as much as it felt like he did, which was entirely confusing in and of itself. Kai's hand came up to the key, wondering if it was already working on him like his Nana had said. Not good, and he promptly clamped down on all of those feelings and put a tight lid on it.

When Emma Jean finally did get back onto the phone, he was smiling again. He had absolutely no reason not to, and he knew it. "Yeah, you're welcome." He even managed to chuckle. "Guess your boyfriend slept in too?" It was not said in malice or even jealousy, even if he was feeling just a smidge jealous. He knew for sure she was over at someone's house though, or else her parents surely would have woken her up to get to work if she had slept in. Now that he had a right to be a bit ticked off about. Kai felt like he did, anyway, considering he had invited her over and she had said she was too much in trouble and, not to mention, grounded to come over.

"Anyway, Nana left home early today and I thought I might check to see if you were working and come over to browse the comics." He didn't quite feel like doing that anymore, but he figured he would feel better after a run anyway and he wasn't so creeped out by those scarecrows since he had the key now. He was previously going to try just opening a door somewhere near town and walking the rest of the way, but hew as definitely taking a run now. He could always use a door to get back to the house. He was already running the phone to the end of its cord so h could reach his Nana's note and a pen, flipping it over and writing one of his own to let his Nana know where he was in case she got back before he did.
 
"Grey's not my boyfriend." Emma Jean said, a little too quickly. "But if my parents ask you, which they won't, he is." How was she supposed to explain this all without sounding like a lunatic? Bah, like it mattered anyway. He knew already of her manic rants on the phone so this one wouldn't hurt.

"Lemme explain, okay?" She took a deep breath, and then launched into her diatribe, speaking quickly. "Remember I said I had that dinner with the Petersens that I was being forced to go to? Right well, turns out Grey was being forced too. He hasn't told his parents that he's gay yet, and they assumed he liked girls. And my parents assumed that I would like him, and basically it was a night to 'try to get our kids together, cause aren't they cute?' Grey's a basically perfect guy was far as parents are concerned. Honors, a football player, incredibly attractive if you like the whole Dirk Squarejaw, all-American boy thing. So my parents were hoping he could straighten me out, since apparently I am the 'bad girl,' which I've never been in eight lifetimes, so I consider it a triumph that I'm someone different this time around. Anyway, they were willing to let us go into town last night after dinner under the guise of a movie date. My parents broke their own rules and ungrounded me so I could go on a proper date with a proper guy. I mean, seriously? Basically, Grey was my chaperone, since he's responsible. He texted his parents at least three times last night to tell them where we were, which was the movie theater. All three times."

She paused for a moment, covering the phone with her hand while she ordered a to-go coffee at Lucille's. She stayed silent, saying "Hi," to Kacee, and then took her coffee, sprinting out of the door to hurry to the comic book store. The rest of her rant was spoken quietly, but no less hurried.

"Then we had this brilliant idea to use one another for mutual benefits. I've corrupted him, really. I'm pretending to be his girlfriend to get his parents off his back until he has the nerve to tell them that he likes guys. In return, he's getting me the keys to the police impound lot. Wayne, his older brother works there. I want to search the Charger again. There's gotta be something in the trunk which will give some idea what the Company is after, right? I mean, why would they want me? If I should, I dunno, run into traffic while they were after me, their search would be reset, and they would have to wait seven years. Unless they've forgotten that part."

She took a breath as she reached work. Monroe was waiting, with his arms crossed over his chest, and about three guys stood around the racks, apparently anxiously awaiting Emma Jean to come aid them in their comic choices. She held a finger up to Monroe, who was about to complain about her being late. He'd eyed her suspiciously when she came in either noting the deviation from her normal attire, or wondering why she was on the phone. She was, after all, barefoot, with high heels in the hand that held the coffee, in a short little summer dress that looked very country, not very geek. She moved the phone away from her mouth. "I'm going to finish this call," she said to Monroe. "If you speak, I will tell all of them," she motioned to the boys at the racks, "that I'm on the phone with my exclusive boyfriend who has already asked me to marry him after graduation," she threatened and then disappeared to the back. "Anyway," she said, coming back on the phone, "we got back to Grey's house right at curfew which was midnight, and Mrs. Petersen offered to let me stay over, since it was late, and said she would call my parents and let them know. Grey was all for it, cause having a girl spent the night pretty much solidified the lie we'd cooked up. I slept on his floor, by the way. Wasn't bad, considering it was a floor."
 
Kai wrinkled his nose a little when she asked him to lie to her parents should they ask, even if they apparently wouldn't. He figured he would even on the off chance that they did ask, but like Emma Jean he doubted they would. He'd never even met her parents before, and there would be no reason for them to come asking him questions on that account.

"Alright." He answered, both to her asking about her parents and if she could explain about the situation. She probably did not owe him an explanation, but she wanted to and Kai wanted to hear it so he wasn't going to stop her from doing so. He was quiet throughout her story, even when she stopped to order a coffee. He had to admit, Emma Jean getting a little excited about her being different and 'bad' was kind of humerus and even, he had to admit, cute.

When he heard her speak to, he assumed, her boss like that he had to admit that maybe she was a little bad. It was a bold and rather rude thing to say, especially to your boss, but it didn't exactly bother him. She knew what kind of power she had there and used it, that was all. Had Kai been a more aggressive and hot-headed kind of guy, he would have thought Emma Jean was lying about all this sleeping on the floor and helping a gay guy out thing, but he wasn't. He simply accepted it as truth. Why would she lie about it anyway? "Okay." He answered simply. He was also a lot less upset, and he could feel himself calm down a bit. He would keep things short then, since he knew she was at work now.

"Sucks about sleeping on the floor though, even if it wasn't bad. Anyway, I don't know that you should check out the Charger again." He said. "Seems to me they might want you to. If they're after you they probably want to keep you alive just for the reason of the search being reset." He pointed out. If Emma Jean was in The Company's grasp they could simply keep her alive to ensure the key stayed active and ready for the taking. He didn't know how they'd get it from that point, but an insurance policy was smart. He rubbed at the side of his face a bit.

"Do you think I should take Jude with me, or let him stay here?" He questioned suddenly, switching topics. He was indecisive about it, since Jude had defended the house when the key could not. He also felt better, however, when the dog was with him while he was out running.
 
"Of course they want me alive. Which is why it wouldn't hurt to look." She said with a little sarcasm, then then sighed. "But if you really don't want me to look at it again, I suppose I won't. Your opinion does mean something to me after all." Her voice was serious. For a moment. "It doesn't mean we're going to go buy curtains together or something okay?" She laughed a little, and then poked her head out of the back room. She was taking entirely too long on the phone. Monroe would be livid, and with everything else that was going on in her life, she could not afford to lose her job as well.

"Take him with you of course. Wait where are you going? And where's Edith?" Emma shook her head, and then, knowing he couldn't see her. "Never mind that. If you are set on coming here, which I'll assume, then...just be careful okay?"
 
It would hurt to look if they nabbed her there. Emma Jean in The Company's hands would work out brilliantly for The Company, he was certain. He smirked about the curtains and then shrugged. "Pick horrible ones then, don't blame me."

When she asked about where he was going and where Edith was he shook his head. "Guess you weren't listening to me when I asked you if you were working today, and that Nana went off earlier this morning." He remarked. "Anyway, yes I'm going to go to your work and, Nana went to the senior home. Although shes probably at the hospital now. She had to drive one of her friends there because his wife had to go there." He relayed. "Anyway, I'll see you in a while." He hung up then and then wandered upstairs to get changed into something more suitable for running. He was wearing the key around his neck like his Nana usually did, and he tucked it under the tank top he'd put on.

He'd taken a lot more lighter clothing from his room back when he'd went through the door, including about ten more tank tops and several more shorts, both running and casual. He slipped into the sorts too and then grabbed his book bag to pack some water, Jude's bowl, and everything else he thought he would need. Coming back downstairs, he hoped it was alright to leave. Nana had said not to without the key, which he had, so obviously she was okay with it. He just felt uneasy leaving the house without protection. Especially since he was taking Jude.

Thinking no more about it, he started out the door, Jude following behind him. His leash was in his back pack because he knew Jude wouldn't run off and then started down the road and towards town at a fairly fast pace. The sun was already blaring and hot on his skin, but he just pushed through it.
 
Emma stared at her phone for a few minutes after hanging up, and then poked her head out of the back room once more. Monroe was trying to be a manager, and manage the three guys who had already come in. Good for him. A little independence could go a long way. She glanced at her phone again. She hadn't remembered Kai saying anything about Edith before. She briefly wondered which friends Edith was visiting and then remembered that Edith had only had three that she would drop everything for: Walter, Anna and Nancy. So, it was Anna that was in the hospital. Emma Jean bit her lower lip and then punched in the number for the hospital. A quick phone call wouldn't hurt too badly, and Monroe was doing fine on his own...

"Anna Miller's room please." She said to the receptionist. "It's her...granddaughter, why? Really? But I thought...No, no thank you. I must have been mistaken. Thank you. You too."

She emerged a few moments later, wearing a tight lipped expression. Monroe sighed heavily when he saw her, immediately retreating to the back room. Her face bloomed into a bright smile, and she sidled up to the three guys who were still waiting around. She flirted a little, and then peered out of the window. Hurry up, Kai. She thought, before glancing back to their selections, pretending to be overly interested in Iron Man. Again.
 
It took Kai a little while to make it to the comic store. He made better time than he had the first time he ran into town though, partially because he knew better as to where he was going, and partially because the road was a long stretch of corn fields and even though he had the key he didn't like those damned scarecrows. Jude kept up with him easily enough. That was one of the many things he loved about Jude. Even in his old age he was up for a long run right beside him.

Once he got into town Kai slowed up a little. Once more he was covered in sweat but before he'd left this time he had made extra sure he'd put enough deodorant on. He sighed and pushed his hair back as he jogged the rest of the way to the comic store. He stopped before he went in and pulled his book bag around to his front. He did not tie Jude up this time. The comic store was tiny and he could keep an eye on his dog in case anyone came around thinking he wasn't supposed to be there. He took out Jude's bowl and put it down, filling it with water. Jude instantly went to lap at it and then Kai came inside, drinking the rest of the water that hadn't fit into Jude's bowl. He had a few water bottles in there.

He was grateful for the comic shop being at least mildly cooler than outside. Sometimes it was honestly hard to realize just how hot it was out there. And it was a wet hot. At least when it got hot where he was from, it was dry and not so horrible. Spotting Emma Jean, he gave her a small smile but didn't go over to her since she was entertaining some boys. Instead he just browsed and waited, although he wasn't intending on buying any comics today. What with everything that had gone on since the last time, he'd hardly had time to read Doc Savage.
 
The boys had already decided what to buy, and were hanging near the register without paying yet, insistently buzzing around her like sand gnats. They were trying to goad her into coming to some party thrown by some guy that she knew only because everyone knew the names of jocks around here. She refused, they pressed, throwing around a bunch of reasons why she should come. She cited her grounding, but they tried again, knowing that a simple thing like being forbidden to leave the house (or the house of her "boyfriend") wouldn't stop her, because she was Emma Jean, and she had a reputation to uphold as the one girl in Podunkville who didn't care for parental limitations. It was true, a little. She didn't have three illegally acquired tattoos because she always did as her parents wanted.

Finally Kai came in, jingling the bell on the door, and Monroe finally emerged from the back room. Emma Jean breathed in relief, because at last there was another potential customer. Emma was wasting her time with these three when there were sales to be made. Monroe told the three to buy or get out, and Emma nearly ran up to the slob of a man and kissed him for saving her from accepting an invitation to a party just to get rid of the guys. Nearly. Monroe hadn't done much but his job, so it was Kai's impeccable timing she decided to thank for saving her instead. Besides, kissing him would be a better alternative.

Emma Jean colored a deep red that matched her hair, and for a moment, felt very flustered, which was odd for her. But she shook it away, the thought and the flush, rang up the three who begrudgingly left the store, and sauntered to Kai. "It's about time." She said, leaning against one of the racks. "I nearly had to sneak out to a party." She looked him over and shook her head. "Running in the summer will kill you." She smiled a little, and then her smile fell away and her voice got lower. "Anna isn't in the hospital. You said Edith went to get Walter and take him there cause Anna was in the hospital right? She's not, I called."
 
Kai was milling about the independent comics when Emma Jean came over to him. That hadn't taken her long at all. He looked up at her with a smile and then raised one eyebrow when she mentioned a party. "I think running here in the summer might kill me." He agreed with her, but specified. "You know up north its not this horribly hot. This is like Satan's playground down here." He informed her. Of course it got hot up north too, but not like this.

The smile that was on Kai's face from his joking slowly slipped off of it as Emma Jean told him about how she had called the hospital. He just stared at her for a moment, getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. It could be that his Nana had just used it as a cover to slip off somewhere, or it could be something much worse. He chewed on his lower lip as he attempted to figure out what to do. "What... gave you the idea to call?" he asked. It hadn't occurred to him to do it, after all. "I mean, she didn't say that to me, she left a note. Found it on the kitchen table when I got up." He added. Something couldn't have gotten into the house while the key was there though. Which meant Nana had to have gone somewhere and was covering it, right? "Where else could she have gone?" Kai was worried, and it was obvious.
 
"Because I would have gotten a call too, if Anna was there. And I didn't." She glanced around, deciding that Monroe wouldn't listen in to her conversations anyway, and continued. "Walter and Anna were my...Alma-Ann's parents. Edith started looking after them when she died, when they were beside themselves with grief, because Gregory and Walter were good friends once...and...anyway, once I found out they had been put in a home, I got Edith to put me on their contact list too. Said I was a granddaughter, and they don't check those things." She hesitated, sighing heavily, as she tried to sort it all out. "I don't know. Maybe with Miss Nancy, but why would she leave a note saying she was going to pick up Walter..."

Emma crossed her arms over her chest, chewing her on her bottom lip. "I don't like it. God, I wish she carried a mobile with her like every other person on the planet." She said in a frustrated tone, and then turned back to Kai, glancing to his neck. "You have it, don't you? The Key?" It was a stupid question. Of course he did. She could feel it like a pulse thrumming against her skin. It'd been a while since the Key had been so close that she could reach out and touch it if she wanted. She and Edith didn't usually spend a lot of time in close contact because it had such a magnetic pull over her. Emma was reaching out, but suddenly became aware and snatched her own hand back, spinning away from Kai with an irritated grunt. "I have to..." She sighed, closing her eyes, but didn't turn around. "See if she's home. Maybe..." She shrugged, slipping her hand into her pocket to retrieve her phone. "I'll call Nancy and see if Edith's been around okay?" She glanced back to Kai over her shoulder, offering a half smile before she walked off behind the register again.
 
He gave Emma Jean a questioning look until she explained why, exactly, she would have gotten a call about Anna. That suddenly made a world of sense. Alma-Ann and Anna. He shook his head a little. It didn't make much sense. He was also thinking that this town was way smaller than he first thought, and he'd first thought it was probably the size of a penny. It seemed that everyone here was related though, or in some way had something to do with someone else. He licked his lips a little.

"I don't like it either." He agreed with Emma Jean. He nodded when she asked if he had the key. "I do." He answered verbally also. Glancing out towards Jude to make sure no one was bothering his dog, he looked back at Emma Jean again only to see her reaching out to him. Or, more specifically, the key. "E-" Before he finished even saying the first part of her name she seemed to realize what she was doing and turned away from him. He was quiet as he studied the back of her head as she worked through what it was she had to do.

When she figured it out, Kai nodded. "Maybe call Anna too, if you can." He suggested. If she wasn't at the hospital than hopefully she was still at the home too. If his Nana was out... joy riding or something, he was going to be pretty upset. What with everything else that had recently come to being, he couldn't handle his Nana disappearing. As Emma Jean walked off he sighed and pulled out another water bottle to hydrate himself and hardly even bothered pretending to look at the comics anymore.
 
Emma Jean shrank down behind the register until she was kneeling on the floor, out of Kai's sight. Did she just--? Yes, yes she did. Almost. She looked at her hand, squeezing it into a tight fist and shook her head. This was getting quickly out of control. It had been a while since someone other than Edith had the Key, and she could scarcely remember how the other 'hers' handled it. Edith kept all of the 'hers' at arm's length, and that seemed to work, but she wasn't sure that Kai was too keen to do the same. Edward hadn't been. Neither had Edward's grandfather. Those didn't work out well.

She dialed the Home first, and got got the receptionist. Midge, was in her mid-forties but was stuck perpetually in the 80s. She could almost see her bleached blond hair and bad makeup when Midge answered the phone in her nasally valley-girl type voice. Anna and Walter weren't able to come to the phone, since they were with the nurse, but they were both just fine, and had no visitors today. It bothered Emma that Midge didn't bother to ask who Emma was until she had divulged all the information. Not that the Company would be interested in the former parents of the Guardian. Right?

Nancy had said the same thing. She hadn't had any visitors. And she must have asked Emma four times who she was looking for in between regaling her with a stories about the latest medical issue or about the crazy mockingbird who kept swooping at her fat old tom-cat.

She called Edith's house next, on a whim, but of course, no one picked up, because Kai was here, and Edith...was...elsewhere.

Emma sighed, looking at her phone and called the hospital once more. This time she asked for Edith, though her mouth was dry and she could scarcely get out the words. But she wasn't there either.

Finally Emma Jean picked herself up from the floor, dusting off the back of her short dress. She glanced to Kai and shrugged her shoulders. Then, deciding that that wasn't enough, she took a breath and went back to where he was. She stopped a few paces from him, further away than she had been before. She could still feel that pulse on her skin, but kept her hands tucked behind her, clasped together. "She's not there. And not at home either." She smiled a little in spite of that, gnawing feeling that something was terribly terribly wrong. "Maybe she's on the way home?" She said hopefully.
 
Kai didn't do much while Emma Jean called people. He looked down at his own cell though. It had reception only in town, and not much elsewhere. Which was a problem when he was running but hopefully wouldn't be too big of a deal. Unlike Emma Jean, he didn't have anyone to call to check on his Nana. She was taking care of that for the both of them. So he just slipped his phone back into his pocket rather than in his bag where it had been. Just in case. He didn't think his Nana knew his number, but... just in case.

He waited impatiently for Emma Jean to come back, and when she did he frowned. "I don't think so..." He answered. He didn't know why he didn't think so, but he didn't. He fiddled with the hem of his tank top. Where could she have gone? She'd never even been to the home and Anna hadn't even been taken into the hospital. He shook his head, turning a little from Emma Jean as he tried to think things through. He quickly realized that he couldn't do this on his own and turned back to Emma Jean.

"I don't know my Nana as well as you do." he said. "Is there anywhere ELSE she would have gone? Some place she wouldn't want us knowing she went to?" He asked. "She couldn't have been taken from the house, I mean, the key was there even if she wasn't wearing it... so she HAD to have written that note herself but..."
 
Emma shook her head slowly as she mentally ticked off the places Edith would have gone. There wasn't much on her list, and everything was crossed off the moment she thought of it. The Home, hospital, Nancy's were all a wash, Lucille's...but it wasn't quite near lunch. Church, if it were Sunday. Perhaps the park, but it was hot as hell, even in the shade. The Reservoir wasn't an option because Edith had sworn not to go back when Emily died.

"Unless she went to the Gate, but she's never been there without the Key..." She sighed a little, putting both hands to her forehead as she thought. And thought. And all this thinking wasn't good. She was hungry, and coffee on an empty stomach wasn't good either, and the worst case scenarios that her mind immediately came up with didn't help the nausea. She raked her fingers through her hair, closing her eyes and when she opened them, she looked back to Kai. "I don't know. I haven't any idea where she would go. And she's without the Key, which worries me far far more." She heard Monroe shuffling about, and instinctively drew closer to Kai so that Monroe couldn't overhear. "I don't want you going back to her house alone." She lowered her voice even more, leaning to whisper in his ear. "Unless you make a door, which I won't recommend out in the open. So you might have to come home with me. Think about it, okay?"

Emma backed away suddenly, picking up a random comic from the rack as she saw Monroe crossing in her periphery. "I'd recommend this one." She said, her voice back to that sickly sweet southern accent, her face belying the concern she felt.
 
The gate? The one to where Emma Jean was from? He had assumed that the gate worked much like a door did, and that you had to either get to it with the key or draw it with the key. It was weird to think that it was an actual, physical gate anyone could get to. He frowned.

"Where is it?" He asked just as Emma Jean said she didn't know where she could be. As far as he could tell, the gate was their best bet. Kai wanted to check there, but then Emma Jean drew closer to him. He bit his lower lip. He didn't necessarily have a problem with not going home by himself. He simply nodded as Emma Jean told him to think about it. Instinctively he took the comic she handed him afterwards.

"Thanks." Kai answered, but it wasn't about the comic. As soon as Monroe was out of sight he put the comic down, having no intentions of buying it. Instead he fished his phone out of his pocket and texted Emma Jean. 'Ill be at the diner.' Kai didn't want to talk to her again in case he got her in trouble. Then he left the comic store. The diner was not that far from the shop. He collected Judes water bowl and then walked with the dog towards the eatery. He wasn't hungry, but he figured he could get a drink and hang out there until Emma Jean was done with her shift.
 
"I'll show you on my lunch break, which will be...soon. It isn't far." She told him in a hush before darting off to see to actual work-related things. She'd responded to his text with a 'K,' and then put her phone away after Monroe glared her down.

Emma paced after Kai left the store, flitting from one display to the next as she straightened and re-shelved and organized. Busy work to keep her mind off things. Like the Gate. And Edith's apparent disappearance from the face of the earth.

He wanted to go to the Gate to look for Edith. Edith had been to the Gate twice, once when Annabelle showed her the Gate, and once more to look for Alma-Ann when she had gone "missing" for those four days. She doubted Edith would go now without the Key, without cause. It was a long shot, it was grasping at straws, but that was all that Emma Jean had right now. She would take him, because he wanted to go. It was just... she hadn't been there since 1938, when she had gone with Edward. One of those times going back to Ianusia "didn't work out" she'd told Kai about. She'd died there, right on the threshold of the Gate, in Edward's arms.

Suddenly, she felt that this was a very, very bad idea. Why on earth did she even mention the bloody Gate?


Kacee was taking an order at one of the booths when Kai came into the diner. She watched him a moment, her face growing red without it meaning to, and the overwhelming shyness hit her like a ton of bricks. Not again. Perhaps it was because he was new. She wasn't nearly as useless around the other boys in town. No...scratch that, she was.

"What?" She stared at Mrs. Donovan with a dumb expression, which cleared as she remembered just what she was supposed to be doing. Taking an order. Answering the question that Mrs. Donovan had asked, which was something about the chicken on the salad. She gave the woman an embarrassed smile as her hearing was suddenly repaired and then replied, "Fried." Mrs Donovan scrunched up her nose, but then ordered the salad anyway, handing back the menu to Kacee.

She tore off the order from the pad, placing it on the carousel, and then went to Kai's table. She was red again, and her voice didn't seem to want to work. She eked out a barely audible, "Hi" foregoing the usual "Welcome to Lucille's; My name is Kacee; Our specials are..."
 
Kai was glad that Emma said she would take them. He left Jude outside the diner again, wishing he could come in. He could use the dog's companionship right about then. Instead he slid into a booth and looked out the window. Jude was directly in front of the window looking right back at him, tail wagging slowly as he sat there and waited for Kai. He had no clue of Emma Jean's death at the gate, and mostly his mind was occupied with his Nana.

When Kacee came over to him and said hi he looked over at her. He'd hardly realized she'd even come to his booth. "Oh, hi." He said back, finally taking his bag off of his back and putting it down next to him instead. It was heading close to lunch time by then, but Kai had lost his appetite. He felt awkward sitting there without ordering something though. "Can I just get a strawberry milkshake, please?" he asked. He wasn't going to say anything else, but then decided that if his Nana had come through town Kacee might have seen her. The diner was pretty centrally located, and even if she'd just seen a glimpse of her out the window, it would behoove him to ask. Hopefully.

Just before Kacee walked off he reached out to catch her wrist gently and stop her. "Hey, sorry, but, have you by chance seen Edith around today?" He used his Nana's actual name since he wasn't certain that Kacee knew she was his Nana. It would cut right to the chase anyway. "If you haven't, that's alright, she just said she'd be out today and I forgot to ask her something. She doesnt have a cellphone, you know." He downplayed the fact that she was missing. If this had something to do with The Company he didn't want to tip anyone off that they were looking for her, or make anyone worry.
 
Kacee froze. She looked from her wrist where Kai had grabbed it, back to him and then down again. Her face grew bright red, and her mouth dropped open. "I-I..." she stammered and then shook her head quickly, and pulled her wrist free, nearly pummeling into Emma Jean as she stepped into the diner.

"Whoa, Kase. Slow down, darlin." Emma Jean said with an bemused grin.

Kacee couldn't handle the double embarrassment, and darted off to the kitchen as fast as her legs could carry her.

She raised her brows a little as she spotted Kai and slid into the booth across from him, careful to smooth her dress down before she did, and crossed her long legs under the table. "What'd you do, ask her out?" Emma Jean said with a little laugh, leaning back against the booth. "You should. She'd probably faint. Or die on the spot. Never mind. Don't want to send her to an early grave." Emma stopped talking a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. Yes, she felt her was her duty to make light of death. To laugh at it, rather than ran away screaming. She was going to say something else, but Lucille came over with Kai's strawberry milkshake, setting it in front of him before wiping her hands on her apron.

"I swear that girl...Kacee insisted I pass this to you, even though this isn't high school." She said, in mock admonishment, taking a piece of paper from her apron and set it in front of Kai as well. The paper was one of those tear off receipts, written in Kacee's too perfect loopy handwriting with the little hearts to dot her 'i' and 'j.' Sorry. I saw her truck on the road to Woodbury when I came in at 6. hope it helps.

Emma looked at the paper and then cocked her head to the side, giving Kai a look that clearly asked 'what-the-hell-is-going-on.' "Hey there, Em." Lucille said. "The usual for you, hun? Hold the ketchup, extra bacon?"

"You know it, Luci." She smiled brilliantly. "Hey, have you seen Edith around?"

Lucille shook her head slightly. "Not today." She said with a bit of a frown. "Something wrong?" She asked, looking back and forth between Kai and Emma. Emma shook her head quickly, looking at Kai while she spoke. "No. Kai just missed her leaving the house this morning is all."

Lucille nodded, glancing back to Kai, but didn't seem convinced. She hovered a moment, but when Emma merely grinned up at her, she got the hint and took off back to the kitchen to give Frankie the order.

"I have an hour, and I'm starving so we can go after we eat right?" Emma said.
 
Kai honestly hadn't meant to freak Kacee out like that. His eyebrows raised in surprise as she practically ran into Emma Jean without even answering his question. He still looked a little surprised as Emma Jean sat down in front of him. "Hi..." he said while Emma Jean teased him. He shook his head when she asked him about if he'd asked her out or not. Kacee seemed nice, even if she was really, really shy. He wasn't interested in asking anyone here out though, when he wouldn't be here except for the summer. "All I did was ask her - " Before he finished Lucille had come over to them.

"Thank you." Kai said as she sat down the note and the milkshake. "Its not her fault." He told Lucille. "I may have scared her a bit on accident." Even though most normal people would not freak out if someone grabbed their wrist. He didn't say mention that though. When Emma asked her about his Nana and she said she hadn't seen her, he didn't say anything. He did shake his head when she asked if something was wrong, and once she'd left he looked back at Emma Jean.

"Thats alright." He answered about eating first, even if he'd really rather just go now. He slid the note over to Emma Jean to look at. "Is where we are going that direction?" he asked, not mentioning the gate in specific. He knew that Emma Jean would know what he meant.
 
Emma shook her head a little, raising her brows. "She said she saw the truck heading for Woodbury, not necessarily Edith herself." Woodbury was an hour away, the nearest thing to a "city" there was around here. Which brought a lot more questions to mind. Like, was Edith really going to Woodbury? And what for? And if she was, why didn't she just say that rather than leave a vague message about Walter and Anna? And why didn't she take Kai too? And if it wasn't Edith in the truck, who was it?

Emma leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, her hands clasped. She sighed, setting her head in her hands and closed her eyes. "It's not. It's...near the Church." Of course it was. Church was the center of town after all. But she was unspecific about where near the Church it was. "If she went to Woodbury, she's probably not there." It was a last ditch effort to avoid going to the Gate. But she would have to show him sooner or later, wouldn't she?

The clatter of dishes nearby got her attention and she breathed in the greasy goodness of one of Lucille's giant bacon cheeseburgers before opening her eyes. Heaven on earth. Nearly. She dropped her hands, digging into the burger like she was famished, and sucked some coke to wash it down. She was halfway through in moments, before she sat it down and pushed it forward to Kai. "I feel weird eating like a pig in front of you. Here. Have some. Make me feel less awkward."

Emma was ready to go, whether he ate any or not. She finished off her coke, and dug into her purse to pay for the meal and the milkshake and left enough to cover Kacee's tip. She had still not come from the kitchen, and Lucille took over her tables, but that didn't mean that Emma was going to let her go without.
 
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