it was tedious waiting for good news . cersei waved the waitress down for a refill on her coffee , before biting into the warm slice of apple pie . had the events of the last few days not have passed as they had , she would have simply ordered takeout , rather than ever be spotted at the diner , it was simply not a place she would risk staining her clothes . but it was important for her to be seen , to keep anyone wanting to grab for power in check . she was not a superstitious woman , usually , but cersei was anxious to receive the phone call passing on the condolences that robert had passed , so perhaps something sweet in her mouth would bring about the sweet news she was desperate for .
she had once married robert , stars in her eyes , with hope for a future where the reigns of power would be in their hands . it had taken him just a few hours after the exchange of their vows , for her to realize that things would always be cold between them . she had also realized one other thing that day , with the utmost clarity . cersei did not want to share power , not ever . despite the reigns of the lannister syndicate being in her hands , her thirst for more had her eyes set on her husbands now . although no stranger to how leaders were chosen , she would be damned if she let someone steal what belonged rightfully to her son .
it was the sound of the bell ringing as the diner door opened , that pulled her from her thoughts . the practiced look of exhaustion spread across her face with ease , as she raised her coffee cup to greet . “ please don’t tell me your hoping for a quote for a newspaper or what not , i’m afraid i will have nothing new to tell you . if roberts condition had changed for the better , you would have found me screaming it from a rooftop . ” before she tossed his body off .
Working late wasn’t much of an anomaly as far as her job was concerned, not when they were all so dedicated in getting the convictions. She would happily pour countless hours into work if it meant that they got the results that they needed. It was especially true given that she was doing everything that she possibly could to distract herself from the grief. But there was always a drop in morale when everyone began to get hungry and she had volunteered to go and get them their much needed energy boost.
Upon entering The Diner she’d had a soft smile on her lips, one that was both genuine but also one she had been ensuring that had been in place lest anyone dared to think that she was closed to breaking. But for all she was well practised at keeping it on her lips, it threatened to waver as she was greeted by none other than Cersei Lannister. She was far too poised to let her dislike show, even though a gentle fury began to burn in her veins. Soft, smooth words left her lips - a simple explanation as to why she was there. “It’s my turn to get milkshakes and dinner for everyone.”
Part of her was tempted to leave it at that, especially when it wasn’t as though she owed the other woman anything. But for all she might have currently been holding the other woman responsible for the death of her mother ( the presence of gold and squid ink made it difficult not to point the finger ) but she never had been able to be heartless. Expression softened slightly as she wondered when the last time was that someone had asked about Cersei’s well being or if it had simply been an endless barrage of questions about Robert. So for a moment she set aside her need for retribution and revenge. “I was sorry to hear about Robert but how are you?” Perhaps the saying was true and she would catch more with honey than vinegar, though she suspected a woman like Cersei would hardly divulge all her secrets simply because someone had been polite.
