250/Coffee Calms My Nerves

Coffee Calms My Nerves
Date of Scene:	03 March 2020
Location:	Maggie's Diner, Gotham
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	Harvey Dent, Lois Lane

---

Harvey Dent has posed:
Harvey Dent falls onto a stool at the counter of Maggie's Diner, reaching up to rub at his tired eyes. It's late as hell, and he's only just eating for the first time today...and it's practically tomorrow!

Harvey shrugs out of his suit coat and drapes it over the empty stool on one side of thim, though most of the stools are empty. It's a classic old diner, with a checkered floor, a row of booths and a counter, specials on a chalkboard, and pies under glass. Without even saying anything, the young lady behind the counter sets a cup of steaming coffee in front fo him, along with a dish of creamers, as if he is here often. he gives a wordless, thankful smile and begins to pour a few into his cup.

    he Press Conference was actually for the mayor, regarding continued repairs and renovations from the earthquake and devastation that had happened many years ago. Many areas of the city could still be qualified as 'third world countries', however, and people wanted to know what the man was doing about it. Dent, the 'Golden Boy of Gotham' (So-called for his reputation of going after corrupt politicians, cops and anyone without fear, along with his optimistic attitude and determined attitude) had fielded a couple of questions following his new election-win, as well. Most of the questions, though, were on whether or not the wealthy Bruce Wayne was one of his donators during the election. The press there seemed to care more about local celebrity gossip then they did the slowly dropping crime rate.

Harvey reaches into the pocket of his vest and withdraws a pair of glasses, placing them on. He spends a moment glancing down at the menu as he uncuffs his shirt sleeves, and rolling them to the elbows of his surprisingly muscled arms. He glances about the diner briefly before returning his tired eyes to the menu, his stomach audibly growling.

Lois Lane has posed:
It was practically on the way home, so Lois made a stop at Maggie's Diner. It beat trying to cook something at home, especially since she was pretty sure she was liable to forget something in the oven should she try cooking whe she got back. Stepping inside the diner, she peers at the specials for a moment before glancing around the rest of the diner.

It's a brief moment as she doesn't quite recognize the man with the glasses on, but after a squint and a bit of a closer look her assumptions prove correct--indeed, that was Harvey Dent from earlier. Heading in his direction, she slides into an unoccupied seat next to him as she folds her arms and rests them on the counter.

"I'm sure glad it's not me up there who has to answer all those questions. You surviving over there?"

Harvey Dent has posed:
He glances over briefly and offers a tired, but warm smile when he sees somebody has slid into the stool beside him. He looks back to the menu, though, only double-taking when she speaks to him. He chuckles a bit and nods, reaching up to brush his fingers back through his dark hair. "I have to admit, the press conferences aren't the part of the job I enjoy. But...it's part of it. People need to know what's going on, right?" He turns towards her and offers a hand. Unlike what one might expect a man in his position, he has the rough hands of a boxer, and not the smooth ones you might expect from a former prosecutor.

"Seems like you know who I am, but...just to be polite...I'm Harvey." His voice is pleasant and smooth, and his smile carries the easy charisma that helped carry him along in the polls to unseat the storied and long-standing (And famously evil and corrupt) D.A. before him, Loeb.

He glances back at the waitress, briefly. "Hey, Sarah, can I get the meatloaf? Replace the mashed potatoes with extra steamed veg? Also...you keeping those grades up?" She rolls her eyes but responds warmly, before she glances towards Lois, waiting for her order as well. Harvey turns back to Lois, sipping his coffee.

Lois Lane has posed:
"People do need to know what's going on," Lois agrees, leaning on her arm a bit. "So at least you're getting things done instead of leaving them in the dark. I prefer being the one asking the questions rather than answering them. Tricky game of cat and mouse."

Her gaze moves to the waitress. "Cup of coffee and a slice of whatever pie is your best." There's a deep, tired sigh before Lois looks back, though if she's actually tired that was the only indication. She's as bright-eyed as always. "So, equally as politely, I'm Lois Lane, reporter from the Daily Planet in Metropolis, and I'm here for the pie. I'm off the clock now. Mostly. Never really off the clock."

Harvey Dent has posed:
Harvey Dent grins softly. "Why is a Metropolis reporter slumming it across the water with us, hmm?," he asks, his tone teasing. He works slowly at his coffee, the man taking his time and not appearing to be in a rush. "Pull the short straw in the press pool?"

Soon enough coffee is set in front of Lois, along with a surprisingly great piece of apple pie. It isn't much longer before meatloaf and a pile of steamed veggies are set in front of the D.A. He picks up his fork and sets into it with a purpose.

He glances up eventually and looks over to her. "I know that name. Lane. You did that exclusive with Luthor, didn't you?"

Lois Lane has posed:
"I'm 'slumming' it because the truth has no borders," Lois says simply, lifting her cup of coffee and bringing it to her lips. "Believe me, there is no short end of the stick for me. I usually find my own leads, write my own stories. I make the interns draw the straws these days."

She sips from the coffee for a minute. "I got Stark. Luthor... I really ought to talk with him, but I can't stand him sometimes. The way that he basically spits on Superman's memory really gets under my skin." She looks around and finds her fork, going for the pie.

"If you wanna know the scoop about why I'm over here, I was mostly peeking around to see if Bruce Wayne was going to throw his hat in with the other billionaires and make a whole party of it. That and sometimes something falls into my lap when I'm over here. Not literally."

Harvey Dent has posed:
Harvey Dent nods to that and winces. "Stark. Right. Sorry." His brow furrows a bit when he listens to her, and he glances down at his empty plate, pushing it aside. "Superman was a hero. He..." The man shakes his head. "Anyone who talks badly about Big Blue? That tells you everything you need to know about them in my opinion." It would make sense that man as notoriously idealistic and uplifting as Dent would look up to Superman. It all sort of fits.

He grins softly and shakes his head, glancing over. "I've known Bruce for awhile now. President? It isn't really his style, honestly. Not that I can speak for the man, of course. But I'd be damned surprised if that happened."

Lois Lane has posed:
"I've butted heads with Luthor for a long time, but to insult Superman? In the middle of a presidential campaign announcement and use that insult to /launch/ it?" Lois shakes her head. "It walks all over what Superman stood for." She looks into her coffee. She cuts off a piece of pie with her fork and eats it in silence for a moment.

"Good to know I shouldn't snoop about for any presidential leanings. I'll just look for the drug smugglers or something while I'm out here."

Harvey Dent has posed:
"It'll draw the bigot vote," Dent says softly after a moment. "And I'd love to say that isn't a sizeable one, but..." He shakes his head as if to clear the thought from his mind, and the man turns back towards her. "Well, we have plenty of those. Crime is still up there around here, but...it's also down from this time last year. Not the kind of thing you often see in our local news, though. Fear sells papers. Or...is it 'gets clicks'?" He shrugs at that and lifts his coffee for a sip.

"Not a dig at you, by the way. More at the way things tend to run -here-."

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois rolls her eyes. "I feel dirty just thinking about it. He'll get votes alright." She snags another bite of her pie before continuing. "Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm still fully aware just how rampant crime is." There's a pause as she thinks of something. "Falcone. He's in your neck of the woods, right?"

She looks into her coffee. "I ran into something, kind of literally, might be able to nail him for some drug smuggling."

Harvey Dent has posed:
"He's involved in an ongoing case, so I can't really discuss him in detail but...yeah. The Roman is absolutely in my neck of the woods. Metropolis specializes in supermen and psychic talking gorillas and such. We specialize in old families with bitter rivalries, low morals, and automatic weapons."

At this point his phone rings. He plucks it from his pocket and frowns at the number showing.

He presses it to his ear. "Officer Montoya. Can I help you?" He nods slowly as he listens to whatever the woman has to say, and he rises slowly to his feet.

"Be right there." he hangs up the phone and shrugs his coat back on. "And speak of the devil, Ms. Lane. Sorry, but I need to get going."

Lois Lane has posed:
Lois offers a smile. "Well, I guess I know what office I'll be sending this information to. You might need some officers to check it out. Good chance of someone getting shot otherwise." She looks back down to her pie. "Good luck with the case, Harvey Dent," she casts a glance in his direction. "You catch wind of a good story, feel free to send me the tip."

With that, she looks back down at her coffee and the last bits of her pie.

Harvey Dent has posed:
Harvey Dent grins a bit and nods to that. "I'll that in mind, Lois Lane." He finishes sliding his coat on and he adjusts his tie, making sure it's tucked into his vest. He pulls out some cash and drops it by his plate, offering the girl behind the counter a wave. The terminally tired D.A. turns and makes his way out into the night of Gotham City, leaving the plucky reporter behind.