Spinach? Yum! Christophe - open tag!

[christophe]

Morning had been a complete waste of time and Christophe left the last classroom with a frown settled across his face. He'd learnt nothing what so ever and that the lessons were constructed very differently to those back in Paris as well as Vancouver didn't exactly help.

He drew in a deep breath and literally threw his books into his locker before making his way to the cafeteria. Maybe this afternoon would be better? That said, it wouldn't be hard to improve on his day so far.

He nodded to the boy called Evan who he'd met at the bowling alley. He would have sat with him but he was talking with another boy and he didn't want to intrude. Instead he found what looked to be the last vacant table and dropped down, looking with distaste at the meal before him.

Spinach salad. Hardly inspiring but at least he knew what it contained. More or less. The other offering of some kind of chicken substance probably had seen less meat than the salad itself. No, the nuggets had been discounted immediately but spinach? In a salad? He braced himself before taking a bite.

It tasted as bad as it looked. Tomorrow he'd bring something in for himself as that seemed one hell of a lot safer!

He pushed it to one side and picked at the bread roll, glancing up when he heard the chair opposite scrape back against the floor. "If you picked the salad, be warned," he said. "It needs a serious amount of dressing to hide the taste!"

[candacewitherspoon]

Candy entered the cafeteria that day dressed in a royal blue top with ruffled shoulders, denim knee legenth skirt and a pair of flat slip on shoes. She had gone and bought a bottle of water, since she had left her bottle at home that morning.

She looked around for a place to sit. The only place that wasn't too badly inhabited was a table where a guy was sitting. He appeared to be alone. She shrugged her shoulders and went to the table and started to pull the chair out when he spoke.

She smiled. "Thanks for the warning but I beat the system and brought my own lunch." She said as she sat across from him. She carefully unpacked her lunch which was a Cesar Salad, an orange and a granola bar. "After being in the school system for twelve years one just learns from experience."

She was about to take a dainty bite when she put her fork down. "I can't believe I did this, I sat down at your table and didn't even introduce myself. I'm Candace or Candy to my friends." She extended her hand to his.

[christophe]

"Candy... A lovely name." Christophe grasped her hand in his. "It suits you. I'm Christophe," he added with a friendly smile as he peered at her lunch. "I think I will do likewise for tomorrow," he said with feeling. The spinach looked downright unappetising. "Twelve years? Wow... I haven't even been here that many days!"

He leaned back in his chair to better survey his lunch companion. "So Candy... seeing as though you must know the area perhaps you can give me an idea of what people do for fun at the weekend... Not that my last weekend was anything but fun." Out with Llyria and then the bowling game. "But I am interested to know if any orca pods have been sighted off these coasts. Have you heard of such an event?"

He mentally crossed his fingers in hope. He missed his old life. His one in Canada.... although Paris also seemed a lifetime away. He yearned for the sea once more and the first thing that would change here in California was his lack of a boat. Of course, he needed to find that elusive job first.

"I have to admit I have something of an obsession," he clarified with a wry grin.

[candacewitherspoon]

Candy felt a slight chill go up her spine as Christophe spoke and took her hand. "I thought too much ahead and counted my preschool year in that, but I grew up in this school system, the food never surprises me any more."

"Fun on the weekends? I usually work or help my father with his paperwork but that's me. I guess it depends on what you like doing. There's amusement parks, the zoo, Griffin Observatory, I enjoy seeing Mann's Chinese Theater with the hand and footprints of the stars along with the walk of fame." One doesn't grow up in L.A. and not know about these things or at least experience at least once.

He enjoyed whale watching. "I think they have excursions on the Saturday and Sunday both, I've never gone but I know a few people that have gone and the enjoyed it." Candy wouldn't be rude and just leave him hanging like that. "Let me see what I can find."

Thank god for internet on the phone! She typed in whale watching into the search engine. "Here we go, Captain Kidd's Sea Excursions. Fifteen dollars for a four hour trip. I hope this helps."

[christophe]

The observatory sounded interesting. He'd spent a fair amount of time at the Observatoire de Paris-Meudon when he was back in France and had found it intriguing. Steeped in history, the Parisian observatory had been commissioned in 1667 by Louis XIV and played home to the famous Meudon refractor. All 33 inches of it.

He sat in silence as Candy checked her phone for whale-watching information. Not that Christophe particularly wanted to play tourist and far preferred the concept of taking a boat out for himself but the local experts who ran the trips would be sure to know the best locations to find a pod. For that reason alone he was fully prepared to part with $15.

"Thank you for helping me, Candy," Christophe said with a warm smile. "I will definitely pay a visit to Captain Kidd... *and* the observatory." He had to be sounding a complete geek as the things he found of interest probably would have formed the basis of the end of most people's 'to do' lists. "I think my weekend is already decided," he added with a wink.

He eyed the spinach salad once more, hunger getting the better of his common sense.

He took another bite.

"Mais non, it has not improved," he declared. He resigned himself to hunger for the remainder of the afternoon. "But I can't believe a girl such as you doesn't go out with her boyfriend at the weekend," he added with a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.

[candacewitherspoon]

"I was glad to be of assistance," Candy replied giving Christophe a warm smile. "I know the observatory is fun and its been featured in a lot of movies. I think it ranks up there with the Hollywood sign. Course if we believed what we saw there, then the sign could be seen from every window in every hotel room in the L.A. area."

"Be happy the spinach isn't cooked, it comes out like seaweed. I always think the school board is trying to punish us for some unknown reason." She rested her chin the the palm of her right hand.
She eyed her salad, knowing she wouldn't finish the rest of it. "If you like you can have the rest of mine, even have some homemade Caesar dressing for it!"

"I don't have a boyfriend." She confessed. "Not that I don't want one or anything. I just want to follow in the footsteps of my father and his career and well, a boyfriend might be a bit of a distraction." The reason was lame but also truthful and when most guys found out what her father did, they hit the road running.

Sometimes leaving skidmarks.

[christophe]

"You mean it?" Christophe said with a bright smile and a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Candy nodded and just in case she was poised on a mind change he picked up his fork and got to work on the remains of her salad. "C'est fantastique! Merci de sauver ma vie," he murmured. "Thank you, Candy," he added in clarification. "You have saved my life. This salad is really great!"

He took another bite, the spinach now well and truly forgotten. A punishment? Indeed it could easily class as one! He made a mental note to bring his own lunch in the future.

"As for not having a boyfriend." He shook his head. "That is surely a crime against nature. A girl such as you shouldn't spend her evenings alone. But tell me, what is it your father does that scares prospective boyfriends away? You mentioned helping him with paperwork and that doesn't sound all that frightening. Is he perhaps a 'truand'?" Christophe fought to find that word's English equivalent. "Mobster...?" he tried. Yes that was it. Mobster. "Your father is perhaps a mobster?" he teased. As an after thought, he hoped he hadn't struck the nail dead centre. If so then he'd just placed his boot well and truly in it!

[candacewitherspoon]

"Of course, please go ahead." Candy smiled at him. "I always pack extra in never knowing how hungry I'll be that day." Besides she did always carry a granola bar with her to take care of the munchies.

"My dad a mobster?" She laughed at the idea. "Its even worse, in some peoples opinions, he's a lawyer. What I do is alphabatize the files for him and I also study him as well. I want to follow in his footsteps when I'm done with school." She leaned on the table. "I've known this since I was little."

"Its just trying to decided which way to go, criminal law, entertainment, many paths to chose from."

Her speech was cut off by the rining of the lunch bell. "Another day, another lunch is gone." She packed up what she had. "Don't worry about the container of salad, I have more at home." She told Christophe. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, I hope we can do lunch again someday."

*wrap or tags to a wrap?*

[christophe]

Christophe continued to pick at Candy's unwanted salad as she answered his question about her father's choice of career. Of course, he'd been teasing her with the 'truand' comment and was relieved she understood it to be a joke by laughing. "A lawyer? That is a bad occupation in the US?" Christophe blinked in confusion. "In Paris it is very respected," he told her. "You have a good target in mind if you want to follow his path. Criminal law would be interesting I can't help but feel but as you say, the choices before you are vast. For myself I intend being a marine biologist. I love the sea and everything it contains..."

The bell rang out and interrupted their conversation and Chrstophe leaned back with a sigh of resignation. Geology. It could be worse and besides, that also meant environmental science. Christophe brightened instantly. His favourite lesson.

"Thanks," he said to Candy when she told him he could keep the rest of the salad. He could pick at it during class. "I would very much like to have lunch another day and from now on I will make sure I bring in my own!" No more risking other meals such as the spinach monstrosity.

He threw Candy a smile as she left and Christophe followed shortly afterwards. A very pleasant hour had been spent in her company and he snagged a piece of lettuce from the container as he headed towards his locker.

(wrapped and thanks, Les!)