strangetrip | [EP] Maria and Brad

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[EP] Maria and Brad - OTA

Maria decided to take a page out of Liz's book and waitress. She enjoyed the casual attire and lack of uniform. She liked she could make her own hours. She liked that she could take breaks whenever she wanted. If only real life could be like this.

She was still learning the ropes of the Madonna Inn. She knew her way around now, but the quirks of each person was still a mystery to her. Her fashion remained the same which was the 90s with hints of hippie inspiration from her mother. Today Maria wore jeans and a tank top. She brought an order out and placed it on the table. "Here you go. Hot out of the oven."

---

Brad was also at the restaurant. He was working on some writing he had started when he first got here. What was first letters to his mom and brother were now stories of the Inn. The creative writing class had always been one of Bradley's favorite classes. He found writing about the Inn and the events that transpired calming in an otherwise nerve-wracking place. As he went to write on the next piece of paper, one of his full ones flew off the table and drifted away. On that paper was the beginning of the retelling of the attack on the Inn.

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She smiled her thanks to the newer waitress and wondered how Liz got along with her new co-worker.

"Thanks. So how do you like working here?" She asked as she reached for a fork to taste the chicken pot pie.

"You know? It's not bad," She replied. "I'm used to locals and like, super weird tourists most of the time, so this is sort of nice. Plus there's way less use of the fryer here which means I have like, a way higher percentage of not smelling disgusting after a shift."

Michael isn't a cook, though. Maria missed Michael.

"So this is what you did before the Inn?" Jane asked her curiously. It seemed some people gravitated to what they'd done before and others tried something new.

"Yeah. I used to work at a diner." She replied. "With Liz, actually. Do you know Liz? Liz Parker."

Maria assumed that she must.The inn was small enough everyone had to know everyone else to some degree.

Jane gave a surprised laugh. "Well i guess that answers that question I had about how Liz got along with the new waitress." She smiled, "Liz is a friend. I'm Jane."

"Oh!" Maria said, then smiled. "Hi! Yeah. I'm Liz's best friend, actually. From home, anyways."

Maria extended her hand. She knew adults like this form of introduction.

"Nice to meet you." She said. "Oh! Jane. Jane. Right. Liz mentioned you."

Liz let Maria read her journal so she knew how Liz felt about Jane and her memories.

"All good things, I promise." Maria added with a laugh.

Jane shook her hand with a wry smile. "It's good to know it's all good and it must be really nice for Liz to have her best friend here." She might or might not have her best friend here. Or she supposed she should say Thor might or might not.

"And for you, it probably makes it easier to adjust to being here."

"Yeah. I mean, thankfully weird back home is super weird, so this place is a little easier to swallow," She said. "But Liz here makes it so much easier... actually, that's pretty much like back home too. Liz can keep calm usually when the weird stuff gets really bad."

Maria wondered how Liz did on her own here. She had a feeling even after reading the journal she didn't understand everything.

"Any tips, though?" She asked. "You know, for the new person in town."

"Being easy going helps a lot. There will be a lot of unexpected things thrown at you. It's a bit like living in a soap opera when people from the dead show up again or doppelgangers arrive." Jane gave her a wry smile, "pretty much just be prepared for anything, and alcohol helps."

She laughed suddenly.

"I think you're the first adult ever to tell me that I should drink," Maria said. "That's cool though. I mean, I don't know if I actually will, but it's nice to know I have the option."

Maria leaned against the table.

"I heard all about those other worlds too." She said. "I mean, they sound cool. Like mini vacations from a vacation.... you know, except with the occasional alien bomb or insert whatever drama suddenly shows up."

“The European Otherworld was really wonderful. Though the Space Station was just as interesting in its own way.” Jane had participated in a jail break with River and Dean which had its fun, despite probably never being able to show their faces. Luckily, none of the Otherworlds had retuned.

"I am so over space." She said with an eye roll. "Have no desire to visit there ever."

She tried to ignore the pang she felt about Michael. If it wasn't for him, she'd have an easier time with that sentiment.

"But Europe sounds cool." She continued. "I've always wanted to go to Paris. That place seems really romantic."

"I didn't get to Paris but Switzerland and Italy were great, especially Geneva and Milan." Jane smiled at Maria. "Did you have someone back home that you'd like to go to Paris with?"

According to her Jane Doe files she had Kurt Weller, but that was just a name to her.

Maria instantly thought of Michael.

"Yeah, actually. I do." She answered. "His name is Michael. Not sure he'd really appreciate any of Europe or see the romance of it, but he'd go for me anyways."

And that's why I love him.

"And I'll guess that there is someplace he wants to go or something he wants to do that you'll do because he wants to." Jane smiled. It was what you did in any relationship from lover to friend.

"It's nice when you have a give and take relationship like that."

"Yeah.. I mean, sometimes it feels like I need to remind him of that, but sometimes he gets it right." She said. "He's not really good with people in general so he sucks even more sometimes at being a boyfriend."

Maria still couldn't distance herself from Michael enough to not be with him. She was always pulled toward him.

"I don't have a lot of experience." Jane admitted. "I have some memories but most of what I go on is what I have at the inn." She paused, "and gut instinct or maybe it's just reflex memories. Either way, I probably suck at being in a relationship much more than your Michael."

"Wow.. well, I hope that's not true." She replied with a smile. Michael needs a lot of help in that area

"But Liz is here," she continued. "And that's all that really matters. I mean, yeah, I kind of wish my mom was here and whatever, but right now I just keep thinking of this place like a really long sleep over.... helps me not freak out."

"I think a lot of people think of this place like that, or one long vacation." Jane was probably the only one at the Inn that kind of hoped it didn't end. "It gets easier to settle and this feels like routine rather than something weird."

"I hope so." She said honestly. "I keep worrying I'm going to run out of lavender to de-stress me. Though the garden seems to have a lot, so that's good. But winter's coming, so I should probably start to horde it now."

"Lavender works on stress?" That was something Jane didn't know. "The spa might have some lavender stuff, too if you want to check there." She mostly used the spa's steam room, when she did go there.

"Oh yeah. Not only that, but depression, insomnia, and even helps with hair loss." Maria said confidently. "You'd be surprised what a lot of natural stuff does. Lavender's one of my go-tos, though. So I'll have to check the spa out... is there anyone who runs it?"

Jane had to think because there had been a couple of 'owners'. If she remembered, Stephanie was here and she still ran it. "Yep, her name is Stephanie." She then added, "but be careful, she gives really hard massages. They feel great, but she digs in."

"Noted." She said with a grin. "To be honest I've had like two massages and one was from a boy who totally was trying to get to first base with me, so anything is better than that."

Maria laughed.

Jane joined her in the laughter. "It is an effective way to get a girl to relax and it can be sexy if done well. To be honest, I use the sauna after a workout a lot more than the massage table."

[EP] Maria and Brad - OTA

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