Pathological

Sana Kyeong | 24 | NYU Graduate Student | Waitress | Williamsburg, Brookyln "You were built solely for drifting away"

[jieunswifeu]

She had a mind like a box of fireworks and hands that played recklessly with matches. – Michael Faudet

[sanakyeong]

solxkim:

When Sana rolled her eyes at his answer, he shrugged. Silently communicating that he didn’t really care. Everyone liked money. If he had to be sober, he wanted money to just stare at. Make it worth his while. When she frowned at the mention of the new guy, he made a big show of grabbing a rag and bucket from beneath the counter. She looked like his mom as she stood in front of him frowning and arms crossed. He steered around her and kicked open the half door and strode to one of the tables. The slam echoed throught the empty diner. He slapped the rag on the tabletop and began to wipe in big circles as she complained. Sol shrugged. “Dunno. Might be because you get paid the most,” he said, “The manager probably thinks you’re even now, and if he quits then he’s not worth his salt. I’m still here and you’ve never been rosey with me.”

“Hey! What are you-” she began to protest as he easily turned her around, pushing her through the swing door and out to the (thankfully) empty restaurant. “We could have just stayed back there, pretended we weren’t at this place working” Sana spoke again, eying people walking outside of the restaurant, daring one to come inside. She purposely ignored the comment about her pay and instead let the first smile of the night snake its way onto her lips. Instantly her entire demeanor changed, overall present shifting like the chameleon she was; morphing her into the innocent and relatively sweet persona she put on for others when she was trying to get something out of them. “That’s completely false, I’m always rosey to you, you’re my number one favorite person to work with, Solomon”

[sanakyeong]

inkedvixcn:

“Wow.” The brunette said, jaw dropping as the curse tangled through the girl’s lips. She wasn’t shocked, per say, but rather proud of having a waitress like this so god damn early in the morning. “I think you might be the reason I come down more for night shift.” She said, leaning back to take a sip from her mug. The steam still tickled her nose, but she ignored it as she took a scalding sip.  “Thank you.” She paused, setting the drink back down. “It’s pretty popular in Brooklyn. This place has become more gentrified by the second. I used to remember what it was like in the Heights area. It was no where nearly as fucked as it is now.” 

“Usually only drunk guys in v-necks tell me that, so I’m glad to see I can make a good impression on the sober as well” Sana responded with a small laugh as she leaned against the counter. Her uniform was a vintage baby blue color, the manager trying to achieve a retro theme this week for some unknown reason. Sana wiped her hands on the skirt, looking back up at the woman as she mentioned gentrification. “No problem. And yeah you’re right, I wish they left all the glorified man-babies and white suburban college graduates looking for ‘adventure’ in Manhattan. How long have you been living in New York?”

[sanakyeong]

liviaxlee:

“I would tell you how I found California to be, but I’m not a fair judge of the people there,” Olivia said with a shrug. It was true. She found that the state, especially LA, prided itself on superficial. Tinsel town was a place of magic and the rest of LA didn’t seem to get the memo that they were average people. At Sana’s pause, Olivia smiled. She could see the gears turning in San’s head. The confusion followed by a chuckle made Olivia dig through her purse for a business card and a pen. “ “You tell me. Do I look like I tell jokes often?” she asked as she wrote down the address and date for the next casting day. At Sana’s question, Olivia shrugged. “Maybe for some brands, but not mine. Everyone wears clothes. Lots of people like fashion. I find it best to cater to everyone rather than a margin. People aren’t uniform. Art’s not, and fashion’s art.”

“Huh, we’ll oddly enough I’d probably trust your judgement of it over the opinion of anyone else that walks into this place at 3am” she said with another shrug and a scratch of her head. Even though Sana was convinced that Olivia was simply making a joke, her suspicions were raised. Not much could surprise the waitress, her life was a constant roller-coaster of the unexpected, mostly created by forces she couldn’t control so she was bred to roll with the punches. However, she was standing here like a deer caught in the headlights internally, something she tried and failed to conceal. “I don’t know... you seem more like the drunk pun-loving type than anything else” she answered, forcing the disbelief out of tone. The ding of the order bell saved Olivia from another confused eyebrow raise, the waitress walking over to the counter quickly to regain the air of coolness she always carried. Still she listened to the woman’s words, hating how much sense they actually made. Tofu dish in hand she returned to the booth, setting it down gently before speaking. “I guess you have a point, I mean personally I’m glad that everyone has to wear clothes.” CGI was technically art and so in turn Sana was an artist, just like Olivia. They had more in common than she originally thought. “If I show up to this thing, it’s not going to be like that movie Carrie where they dump blood on her, right?”

[sanakyeong]

elijahbeckett:

“How crazy does it get first thing in the morning? Is it like they haven’t eaten in a millennium?” He had his fair share of experiences with rush hour morning breakfast time - he wasn’t always in control of meeting times, and it didn’t always go his way when he ended up covered in coffee or cream cheese courtesy of whoever’s way he accidentally stepped into. He watched her move around absentmindedly, tired but not tired enough to sit still. His fingers tapped against the countertop of the booth, occupying himself as he started counting random objects just to keep himself awake. “Not always. I own a company, though, so it’s pretty much just whatever hours I need for the day. Sometimes it’s nothing and sometimes it’s twenty-four hours.” 

The waitress let out a knowing huff at his question, already internally dreading the crowd that was going to burst through the door in the next twenty minutes. “It’s like a god awful mix of drunk weekday club go-ers and angry early morning workers who haven’t had their coffee” she answered, shaking her head slightly as she snagged the cleaning supplies and plopped them into the empty bucket next to her feet. Sana paused now, eyes closing for a brief second as she sighed, fingers running through jet black hair out of habit. She had to mentally prepare for the incoming crowd and thinking about it prematurely only exhausted her. So instead she decided to focus on the man speaking, her eyes opening again as she listened intently. “Oh? Real entrepreneurial spirit, yeah? What does your company do? But hey if it’s a 24 hour job, just know this place is always open to satisfy artery clogging cravings.” 

[sanakyeong]

jakexryleigh:

“Oh come on, admit it! You missed me,” Jake said with a toothy grin as Sana groaned. He shrugged off the comment about throwing up in the bathroom. Him, Saoirse, and Silas threw up in the bathrooms at least once over the years. In Jake’s case more than once. The restaurant was just as familiar to him as the bathrooms in the back. At her silence, Jake tilted his head back, grin not budging as she scowled. The pleather squeaked when the waitress flung herself at the opposite end of the booth. Jake plucked up the menu at the end of the table, glancing over at the question. He tucked his chin into his hand with a little laugh. “Shame. You’re enough, but less is never more,“ he said with a shrug; he’d come back tomorrow to see his favorite cook if need be. "Yes and no. The tour had a brief break a few weeks back, but I still had some shows to play before wrapping it all up. Where have you been? Did you get that promotion you were talking about?”

“You only get an admission if you bring me a signed Jake Ryleigh t-shirt” she half teased, finally letting a smile make its way onto her lips. Sana eyed him curiously before poking the back of the menu, the laminated paper making its iconic wobble sound. “I though you’d have the entire menu memorized by now Ryleigh.” A few more pokes were granted before she dropped her hand, leaning back into the booth while listening to his explanation. “Excuses, excuses, sure they all love you out there but I’m the day-one-ish fan. I’ve been right here as always, running orders and scamming everyone into larger tips.” At his mention of the promotion her smile turned into a sly one, her body moving to sit up right as she spoke in an official tone “Say hello to the newest Co-Chair of the NYU CGI Graduate Program.” A fake bow was delivered before she dropped the regalness with a laugh. “Seriously though, how was it? Screaming, sweaty fans? Did you sign any boobs?”

[sanakyeong]

solxkim:

“Would you really? Then, who would you talk shit with?” Solomon said with a tilt of his head. He leaned down just enough to poke Sana in the center of her forehead. An uncustomary grin crossed his face as he stood up straight, eyes narrowing towards the kitchen. He snickered at the nickname they gave the fry cook. “I’m convinced he’s got something going on with the owner’s daughter and that’s why he’s still here,” Sol said without an ounce of shame; even if he whispered, Caleb would be listening, and Solomon hated tip toeing. “Mhm, she got caught with money from the register,” he said with a grin. People always talked about karma, but he could never resist a good story. Even if it was at the expense of someone else’s reputation. At Sana’s grin, he arched a brow, then returned her grin in full. The two of them working together was like bad meets evil; they possessed a certain innocent look, Sana more so than him, that allowed them to gossip with ease out in the open. People were usually too surprised to scold them. “Both. I love a good two for one deal,” Solomon shrugged, “And I need the money, and we both know drunk people either forget to tip or become goldmines – I also wanted to talk shit about the new guy who I was told you get the pleasure of training.”

Sana’s lips turned downward in a pondering frown, eyes flicking up to the ceiling as she took in his words. He was right, there was no one else who appreciated and reciprocated her petty and malicious gossip like he did; however she wasn’t about to admit that to his face. While their banter was quick and their sharp tongues even quicker, Solomon was one person she wouldn’t have a problem defending if need be. Before she could respond his finger pressed against her forehead and gloved hands swatted in viciously response, frowning briefly before sticking out her tongue. “Oh that’s way better than my theory” she responded with a laugh, pushing herself up from the ground and abandoning the solidified stain. Leaning against the bar chairs she watched Solomon clock in, rolling her eyes at his explanation for being there. “Well the bars close in half and hour so we’ll see if you’re going home with empty pockets or not.” At his mention of the new guy her frown returned, the small woman pushing herself up from the seated position to stand in front of Solomon with crossed arms; a comical scene. “How in the fucking world did I get stuck training the new guy? Did you say something to the manager? Because we actually need more workers here during the day and if I train him he’s gonna quit before the third day.”

[sanakyeong]

liviaxlee:

“I can imagine, but CGI and small cell animation both sound interesting. Are you looking to get into LA, or stay on the east coast once you’ve graduated?” Olivia asked. She liked asking people what they studied when they were in school because it felt like a glimpse into their personality. She didn’t say anything about trying to break into a industry. Olivia knew connections took time to tailor, and she didn’t know enough about NYU as a whole to assume that the program helped students build their networks. Columbia did not. Not when it came to design, which was why she never earned a degree in design. Instead, she went a more technical route. Not that it mattered in the end. As Sana asked her about photographing at the shoots, she shook her head. “Not quite. I’m usually present for the larger shoots to see how everything’s tying together – I only asked because I know a few freelance photographers and models,“ Olivia answered with ease, "I do recruit models every now and again, though. Have you considered modelling?”

“I’m not sure honestly. I’ve never been out there before, I’m wondering if everyone there is as shallow as they’re made out to be in movies” Sana answered truthfully, her mind wondering to the future and just how expensive it would be to move. New York was also an expensive place to live, but here she had her connections and the people she used like puppets; moving to the West Coast would mean building up her little black book from scratch. Still, it was at least two years off, so she had time to sort out her finances before hand. Sana listened to Olivia with genuine interest, a rarity for manipulative person she truly was. “Modeling?” she asked, eyes snapping back to Olivia perplexed. She paused for a long moment, the silence filled with bewilderment before a slow smile crept upon her lips. “Ohh... you’re joking right? That’s a good one, no one tells that good of jokes at 3am. I think my height alone excludes me from modeling, yeah?” Sana chuckled slightly, shaking her head with the thought in a manor that suggested that she was interested but genuinely perplexed and mislead.

[itsgsd]

same

[sanakyeong]

fallonrobinson:

“No, I eat at a normal pace. And with how starved I am I’m sure it’ll take me even less time.” She couldn’t even remember the last time that she had eaten, and as if on command, her stomach grumbled loudly, completely uninhibited by Fallon pressing her hand against it. She flushed slightly, fingers tapping out her normal anxious staccato against the plastic of the menu. She could hardly even control it anymore - the little twitches that she’d always had and couldn’t ever really quell. “Work. I’m a photographer, and we needed a night shoot. Luckily we wrapped it pretty quickly, it could’ve taken so much longer.” She had been at night shoots that lasted well into the morning and beyond - ones that ended only when the sun started peeking over the horizon. “It was fun, too, though, I love my job, I’m not meaning to complain about it.” 

At the sound of the woman’s stomach growling, Sana chuckled. “I’ll put a rush on your order then, first in line” she knowingly joked because the woman was the only one present. The waitress leaned against the other side of the booth, glad that she worked the graveyard shift because people were more lax about professionalism. She could lean as much as she wanted, and if they were expecting 5 star service, this dinner would be the last place to look. “Ah photography. What kind of things do you shoot? Mostly people, fashion stuff? Or like landscapes, like national geographic?”

[sanakyeong]

inkedvixcn:

“I did not miss having to work for two bucks an hour.” Before finding her way through nude photography, she worked as a waitress at one of the local restaurants. Rather than a mom-and-pop establishment, it was a corporate monster. Her employment there was short-lived in turn with skin that wasn’t quite as thick as the girl before her. “She’s not really paying her half.” Kat snipped, biting back saying anymore on the dilemma that was Sofie Gardner. Broadway’s princess definitely didn’t pay her bills on time, but rather blew a majority of her funds on a delicate white powder. She turned her head towards Sana with a gentle smile. “You see, I wish more people thought about that. Instead, I just get mom-shamers that like to believe that anyone can operate on no caffeine. Lil dude will just have to learn to love the buzz early on.” 

If memory served her correctly, Sana lasted on two dollars an hours for a solid week. After realizing that the graveyard shift patrons didn’t tip as much even though they were hammered, the then 19 year old went to her boss with a sob story and authentic tears to match. While scooping the coffee grounds into the machine Sana grimaced to herself, noting the pinched tone of the woman’s voice when speaking of her roommate, deeming it a topic unfit for the midnight hours. “Oh they can get fucked then” Sana called out, dropping her professionalism in a rare moment of authentic emotion. Somehow the woman didn’t seem like the type to mind a quick tongue, so instead of apologizing she brought the woman a large mug of steaming coffee. “Most of those people haven’t gotten off of their asses long enough to even know what interacting with a baby, no less a human woman, is like. And when it’s the mom’s doing it, well they’re either drinking heavily because their husbands are cheating, or they ran out of Xanax.”

[sanakyeong]

solxkim:

“You know, I’m shocked for the warning. Usually, I’d think you wouldn’t stop at an chance to see me break my neck,” Solomon said with a wry twist of his lips. It was never a smile. They weren’t those type of people. For that reason he’d never admit that he preferred working with Sana than any of the others. The others were too fake chipper all the time for his liking. The scent of pine sol overpowered the smoke that clung to his clothes. Sol was more awake when he had to come in at 3am to make the morning rush than he was for the day shifts. He blamed it on the days he sneaked into construction sites in the dead of the night. The adrenaline rush was the closest he ever got to feeling high. “So,” Solomon said as he stepped past the bucket to punch in his employee number. “Which cook is here tonight? It can’t be Diane since I heard she got fired two nights ago.”

“Oh shut up. If I would have known it was you I would have let you fall and you know it” Sana called out immediately after she recognized the voice. Sure enough, Solomon came strolling around the corner, his shoes dirtying up the floor she just mopped. Sitting back on her heels, Sana dropped the scrub brush and eyed her favorite coworker from afar, the grimace on her lips reserved just for him. “Our very own Creepy Caleb of course” she responded with a finger jab towards the kitchen, a glance not needed to know the odd man was already listening to their conversation. At the mention of Diane, Sana fought to keep her expression neutral as if she wasn’t the one who got the woman fired in the first place. “Oh really? I hadn’t heard.” It was a lie and he would be able to tell that it was as soon as her lips turned upwards in a signature mischievous smile. “Why did you pick up this shift again? You don’t torture me enough? Or do you just want to get in on berating the post-bar drunk crowds?”

[sanakyeong]

liviaxlee:

There was something about Sana’s demeanor that Olivia liked. She had a way of being expressive, a subtlety, that she found some of the best models possessed. Her mind drifted to a meeting yesterday morning. The board wanted new models. They always started looking about halfway through the a new calendar for the next undiscovered. She considered the business card in her purse. There were dates for casting calls and while very few got discovered on the street anymore, there was still an amount of magic to it. At the mention of work and freelance jobs, Olivia nodded. She remembered both well. “We’re not headed to work, but I will be soon. We went out last night, and I’m waiting to head home,” she said with a shrug of her own. “You said you’re a student, what are you studying? You mentioned freelance too, are you interested in photography?”

“Ahh...” Sana breathed out while busying her hands by folding dish towels. While some would be envious of Oliva’s lifestyle, Sana simply admired. The woman had built a solid foundation for herself, fashion would always be relevant that much was certain; styles could change but one could always adapt. Sana however felt some uncertainty with her career choice at times. Her artwork and creations were the only authentic part about her, so the doubt carried a much heavier burden than usual. “I study CGI and small cell animation over in the graduate program at NYU. Breaking into the business is tough” she admitted, her brow furrowing slightly at the thought of all those who only got jobs due to nepotism. She could get there, but it was a manipulation process that took time. “Photography? I mean it’s cool and all but I’ve never owned a camera other than the one on my phone. Do you take some of the photos of your clothes and the models or something?”

[sanakyeong]

liviaxlee:

“Bad for them, but good for me since I get to sit for awhile. Good for you, too since you won’t have to listen to it,” Olivia said with a grin at the waitress snapped off her gloves. She imagined the waitress, Sana as per her nametag, got subjected to countless of fights at this hour. Especially, if they were anything like Marcel who loved to get opinions from unwilling bystanders. Drunken couples all leaving the clubs just a few storefronts over seemed like a recipe for overheard arguments. She placed her chin in the palm of her hand, eyes glancing back to the window. By the way Marcel’s hands waved they would be there for awhile. Her feet thanked them for the fight. She considered the suggestions, eyes skimming over the pictures of the cake on the menu. “A tofu dish sounds great, then,” she said. A thud echoed on the window. Olivia shook her head in mild amusement. "Do you usually get scheduled for night shifts?”

Hearing Oliva’s words, Sana glanced back outside to the couple arguing on the street. It was when Olivia spoke again that she snapped to, eyes turning toward to look at the dish she’d pointed to; fingers quick to scratch it down on the notepad in her hands. “Huh that’s the first time anyone has actually taken that suggestion” she responded with mildly surprised tone as she walked toward the kitchen to place the order. Truthful she was grateful the men were outside, hearing their arguments would only make Sana itch to start one of her own. Turning back she leaned haphazardly against the counter, nodding at the question before responding. “I only work the graveyard shift honestly. Between school and freelance jobs it’s usually the only time I have” she added with a shrug. “Are you guys headed to work or something? Because most people who come in at this hour are either hammered or high out of their minds”

[sanakyeong]

elijahbeckett:

That was what had always drawn his sister to the city. She had been obsessed with the idea of living in a city that was always active, just the way that she was. Madeline had always been full of energy, whether it was for her dancing, or the sports that she played, or any of a thousand different things that she had done to draw Elijah out of his shell. She had been…vivacious. An energizer bunny filled with so much fire that it had felt like the entire world had gone cold when she’d died. “After all the years I’ve lived here, I guess it’s weird to still see different pieces of it.” He was convinced that New York was ever changing, ever shifting. New restaurants and shops popped open as quickly as they closed and were replaced by others, and he almost felt like he never saw the same street twice. Another things his sister would’ve loved. “I’m good with just pancakes, thank you.” 

There was a far away look in his eyes. Sana noticed it as she responded to his questions and it was present even when he spoke himself. It was a curious trait, signaling that either he was quite the introspective type, busy, or just spacey in general. She probably wouldn’t have the time to figure it out. “Don’t worry in...” she paused to glance at her watch before speaking again, “twenty minutes the early morning crowd will be upon us. And pancakes it is.” Slender fingers snagged the menu before she turned away; sure steps taking her to the kitchen where she relayed the order and then moved to clean up the mess she’d made while attempting to scrub the floor. “Are you usually out this early in the morning?”

[sanakyeong]

owen-day:

Owen’s eyes lit up a small bit at the mention of cake and suddenly he was craving. “Do you have chocolate fudge cake? Fuck- I’d eat a whole chocolate fudge brownie cake right now” he grinned, happy with his decision, closing the menu and moving it to the side. “Well maybe not a whole one” he hummed after a brief pause. “Definitely half though” he nodded. “Would you share half?” he raised a brow. Who in their right mind would refuse a chocolate fudge brownie cake at 3am. “Do you always work the graveyard shift?” he asked. He didn’t really want silence at the moment, he didn’t feel comfortable in silence, so he was going to do his best to keep this conversation going. 

“Oh we definitely have chocolate fudge cake, it’s out best seller” she responded in a matter-of-fact tone while scribbling it down on the black page of her notepad. A delicate hand reached out to snag the now closed menu, the waitresses eyes still trained on the customer who she was trying to figure out. He didn’t seem drunk, but he was something all right. Drugs or a immense lack of sleep were her top two answers to the mystery. The idea that he wanted half a cake wasn’t surprising, but his offer to share it definitely was. Internally she decided to nix the look of shock an instead make herself blush, the rosiness of her cheeks standing out instantly. “Hmm maybe... I just have to make sure the cook is still asleep so I won’t get in trouble” she whispered out the last part of her sentence before throwing a quick glance over her shoulder. Instead of answering his last question she walked away, placing the menu on the counter she passed before heading to the back to retrieve his cake. Once the monstrous half was plated she wandered back out, setting it down gently before revealing two forks, thought she was hesitant to sit herself. “My answer depends on you. If you’re a great customer then yes I am here working the graveyard shift always, 6 days a week. But if you’re a bad customer, nope I’m only here at this time once a week.” It was partly a joke and partly fact, most waitresses loved their good regulars and always wanted them to come back; and would be happy if the bad ones never came again.

[sanakyeong]

jakexryleigh:

Jake loved being home. Not only did he get to see Kat and Jonah, and all of his friends, he also got to return to his favorite hautes. In the past ten years, Jake liked to believe he became a regular at particular coffee houses and diners. Although, he did not believe he was a well-loved regular. Especially, when it came to a particular diner just a block over from his place. He stumbled into the place many a times plastered, and in some cases threw up in their toilets. This particular night, he was feeling good, but not completely out of his head. At the sight of the familiar waitress, Jake grinned. “Honestly, if I busted my ass here I’d consider it a worthy punishment after all the shit I’ve put this place through. I wouldn’t even sue,” he said, eyes searching towards the window leading in the kitchen, “Is Janey here, too?”

After her particularly deadpan comment came a familiar voice. Jake’s vibrato filled the silent room and Sana’s groan of displeasure followed suit. Swiftly she pulled herself to her feet, peering over the counter at the familiar man with suspicious eyes. If he was drunk this time she was going to kick his ass (or at least attempt to) and make him pay for it. With quick fingers she snapped off one of her pink rubber gloves before chucking it at him like she had many times before. “After all the times you’ve puked in our bathroom one measly fall isn’t enough” she clipped out in a harsh tone, the scowl on her face present for a few moments before it dissolved into a somewhat warm expression. Sana plopped herself down on the other side of the booth in which he sat, dismissing all the usual professional waitress rules for a friend. “Nah she has the night off. What, I’m not enough for you now? And where have you been? It’s been weeks since you’ve stumbled in here, I thought the tour was over at the beginning of the month or something.”