The diner was small but surprisingly spacious. The lighting was soft; softer than you might expect. There were booths along one wall, all back to back, and a few tables spaced out evenly. The stools at the bar were slightly frayed with age but seemed to hold most of their original padding; the same could be said for the booths.There was only one member of staff out front working the night shift with, at least, one unseen worker out in the kitchen.

The layout meant that Axel knew of three relatively easy exits and two slightly harder, more brutish, ones. He had headed over to the only booth with a solid wall behind it and was sitting facing the rest of the diner. He held a hot cup of coffee in his hands, trying to absorb the warmth.

By the time the bell over the dinner door rang again, Axel was on his third cup and the contents had become lukewarm.

The man that entered looked like he’d stumbled out of the Matrix. He wore an all black three-piece suit, hair slicked back up onto which he pushed his sunglasses. He probably couldn’t stand out more if he tried. He approached the bar, where the kid on staff seemed to be in awe.

“Could you get me a cup of coffee,” Matrix man paused and leaned in a little closer to the kid, “Daryl?”

Axel saw a slight blush appear on Daryl’s cheeks. He finished off the last of his mug and placed it down with a resounding thud. “Another for me too, if you don’t mind, kid.”

Daryl snapped his head around. “Yes, sir,” he looked back around at his second customer and added, “right away, sir.”

Matrix smiled at him and gestured to the booth where Axel was seated. “I’ll be sitting over there with my friend.”

“O-okay,” Daryl said flustered. He turned and busied himself with making a fresh batch of coffee, muttering to himself all the while.

The stranger approached and asked, “would you mind if I joined you?”

Axel smiled up at him. “It seems like you’ve already invited yourself,” he said gesturing back at the bar where Daryl was tripping over his own feet. Axel raised his eyebrow incredulously.

“Ah, yes,” the stranger said. “I guess that is true.” He slipped into the booth as he spoke and then offered Axel his hand. “My name is Harrison.”

Axel nodded and reached out to shake Harrison’s outstretched hand. “It’s nice to meet you Harrison, I’m Axel but you already knew that.”

“Indeed.”

Daryl choose that moment to approach their table with one fresh mug and a pot of coffee. He placed the mug down on the table in front of Harrison and poured till the man gave a slight nod of his head. He turned back to Axel and started to pour another helping into the mug held out to him. He stopped pouring without prompting. The kid was a fast learner.

“Let me know if you need another top-up or anything else,” Daryl said with a small smile, “I’ll be just over here.”

The two men watched him leave before turning back to face one another.

“You’re training most definitely shows,” Harrison stated.

Axel didn’t like the way he seemed to be appraising him. “I’m starting to think you might know more about me than you let on.”

He gave a broad smile that showed too many teeth. “Have you not considered that I do indeed know everything about you?”