Shifter in the Night
To say Theo was exhausted was giving his state of mind too much credit. He'd been driving for nearly a day straight, and right now all he wanted was to get food in his stomach and then take the /longest/, /hottest/ shower at the first motel he could find.
Unfortunately for Theo, it was a Sunday morning, and the silence he yearned for was nowhere to be found in the local diner he'd chosen. He was too tired to try and find another place to go, so he waited patiently for a waitress to seat him at the only table available. Thankfully it was towards the back, against a window, and near an exit, so if the noise became too much Theo could make his escape.
After ordering the blackest coffee the house could offer, Theo leaned against the window and closed his eyes. He reviewed the hunt he'd just come from in his mind and the notes he'd taken afterwards. It was an easy sweep thankfully, a vampire was causing some trouble a state over and while Theo had hoped to have a day or two off, the call from Sheryl for this current job was urgent. A death that looked like a classic shifter case- and he was the only one in the area. God he hated shifters. Just thinking about trying to find it made Theo tired, but he tried not to get ahead of himself.
He needed to find a place to stay, and maybe a way to make some money while he was here. These cases could last a while if the thing was smart, and after looking up a few articles from the towns paper in the past couple months, he could see signs that this thing has been around for a little while. This was just the first time it'd become careless in a kill, and notes from the case that baffled those involved made perfect sense to Theo.
Theo crossed his arms over his chest and adjusted the lay of his blue flannel over his shoulders so it wasn't so tight. The chill of the morning would soon fade and he'd be able to take it off and leave himself in his t-shirt and worn jeans. He couldn't wait until he could just take his clothes off and shower...
“Um... excuse me sir....” Theo cracked his eyes open and smiled tiredly up at the young waitress who had shyly addressed him. Theo could immediately smell she was an omega like himself, and tried to give her a sympathetic smile. There were a lot of different smells happening in here, and he knew it could be overwhelming for someone just starting to take in scents of all kinds. Theo could remember when he started, and there were some days he had to isolate himself to prevent headaches.
“Yeah?”
“Well- I was wondering if it would be possible for one of our regulars to share your table? We just don't have room and won't have a table open any time soon....” She looked like she wanted to do nothing other than shrink in on herself.
Theo wanted to turn her down, but it might be the perfect opportunity to find out more about the town. A local sometimes had good ideas for work a drifter could pick up too.
“Sure, hun. I'm not waiting for anyone,” he gestured to the open chair across from himself, and when she disappeared back through the crowded diner Theo tried to make himself look a little less tired. The coffee quickly followed and Theo asked her to pour another for the local. If they didn't want it, Theo would happily drink it.
