burger flippiiiiin

[nyxus]

Who: Nyx & Anybody
When: Morning and Evening, end of May
Where: Pax Hamburgana
What: Working hard, or hardly working? Stop by for service with a smile! :D
Warnings: G. I will switch to brackets if you prefer that!


e a r l y.

The diner didn't serve breakfast, though understandably there still had to be someone there relatively early. Prep work needed to be done: goodies baked, beans boiled, dough kneaded, pickles sliced, and so on. Nyx wasn't really a morning person but he didn't mind taking the early shifts. One benefit was that he could play music as loud as he wanted to and sing along while he worked without worrying about anyone interrupting his (non-existent) musical talents.

This morning in particular a song with a heavy beat and danceable melody came on, which had Nyx not only singing along but dancing back and forth around the kitchen as he put together the ingredients for the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Personally he hated the taste of the pie, but it sure did smell wonderful baking. He was in a good mood, and entirely unaware that he hadn't locked up the diner after himself, nor did he hear any sounds of anyone coming in.

l a t e.

Nights like this reminded him of the bar he and Libertus ran back home. It was dark outside, there were only a few stragglers left eating or drinking, and the mood was super mellow. He was tired; it had been a long day. It had been a profitable day though and Nyx was pretty sure that Kaz Grumpyface Miller might even be pleased with the ledger. No new customers had come in during the past half hour and he began his nightly cleaning ritual.

Nyx might have not had the most spotless apartment but when it came to his job, he was meticulous. He loved the idea of every piece of cooking equipment from the stove to the spatula being shiny and glittering clean. There was something therapeutic about it. Or, maybe, he told himself that because going home alone to an empty apartment really sucked after awhile. Whatever the reason, Nyx was not afraid to use all the elbow grease he had to make sure the stove had not even a micro-atom of grease anywhere on it.

Comments

[ultravires]

Ardyn had, for the second time, come to find himself simply monitoring the Glaive. He stood there for some time entertained by Nyx’s animated morning routine of music, dance, song, all mixed into the preparation for opening the diner. Their truce was still intact, Nyx still harnessed the power Ardyn offered him and Ardyn did little to disrupt the Glaive’s trust. Though he wondered when and where the others might be; in truth, he waited for more to show up from Eos. They simply could not be the only ones here.

Yet, the only familiar pull on Ardyn was the presence of Nyx. He certainly had nothing against the other here, or on Eos really. Ardyn had meant what he’d said to Nyx, how impressed he was the stifled kings of old chose to grant the other with their power and yet how unimpressed Ardyn was for those past kings for laying dormant for so long feeding off the life of the worthy.

Nyx was worthy, but not of the dead kings, he was so much more. Ardyn wondered just what it might take for Nyx to see his potential.

[nyxus]

The song he was listening to was right in the middle, where the repetitive lyrics paused for a break down in the beat and Nyx was dancing along without a care in the world as he finished the dough topping on the pie.

Nyx wouldn't have noticed the creeper watching him if it weren't for the fact that he turned left instead of right to put the completed, raw pie on the counter next to him. He was visibly startled by suddenly seeing someone there. It was worse somehow that it was Ardyn of all people that had snuck up on him. He knew he had to blame himself because he wasn't paying attention but still... he blamed Ardyn. Just because.

"Uhh... hey!" Did Ardyn know where he worked here? As Nyx stared wide-eyed he tried to remember if he had mentioned where he worked. For the life of him he couldn't remember.

It didn't really matter now he guessed. Nyx gave an uncertain smile and finished putting the pie down no the counter so that he didn't drop it. His hands were stained red from cutting the berries and rhubarb, and he distractedly wiped them on his stained apron. "What are you doing here?" As an afterthought he reached over and turned the volume down on the dance music.

[ultravires]

Ardyn tilt his head with a soft smile to greet the other. He then removed his hat and held it between his fingers as he shifted weight between his feet. “I came to see you, … you are an unavoidable necessity, I’ve summarized.” He paused before continuing, “To stave that unsettling tremor beneath my skin for home.” For over two-thousand years Ardyn’s known nothing but Eos and his drive to put a stop to the unjust interventions of the divine and lack of. He could even argue he was an advocate for humanity despite what consequences followed him. He really thought of himself as leveling the playing field; and a great sacrifice meant that none other may need be shunned by the Crystal or Kings of Old.

“Do you not feel a significant amount of misplacement, here, among so many others.. learning of worlds that is not your own, yet collectively.. here, we are still so similar..”

[nyxus]

Ardyn did look out of place here. Nyx wondered if he looked the same to other people. He knew he felt it, he felt the truth of Ardyn's words. They had a truce between them but it still didn't make agreeing with him any easier. Nyx was having a hard time shaking the thought evil Empire when he looked at the other man.

And yet... something about the way he stood there holding his hat, made Nyx feel something. He wasn't sure what the feeling was, but it was something like... empathy maybe. He gave a slight sigh and rested both hands on the counter, the pie between them, as he stared through the window in the wall which separated lobby from kitchen.

"Misplacement. That's a good word for it. Yeah." After a moment he stood straight again and grabbed a clean towel to wipe his hands with instead. "Have a seat. You a tea kind of guy, or coffee kind of guy?"

{ late }

[frostedplum]

Things haven't been exactly easy as of late. With a number of them having brought in a foreign contaminant, Mei and the others are being looked at as possibly still infectious, despite the intermediaries trying their best to keep things calm. Mei had been laying low on Chioni, but the need for supplies had brought her over to Kauto to shop, and now she was looking for a late night meal before taking the last transport back to Chioni.

Stepping into the diner, Mei has the hood of her sweatshirt pulled up as far as it can go to hide the yellow-green tint to her skin from the decontamination showers she's been taking. Seeing no one inside, she breathes a sigh of relief, before taking note of the man behind the counter cleaning up. Maybe it's Nyx, who she'd texted with before, but she doesn't know how many employees Kazuhira has.

"Oh, sorry! Are you closed? The door wasn't locked." She starts backing up out the door, mainly to check and see if the hours are listed there.

[nyxus]

"Not yet. I can make you something, have a seat. We're out of the chocolate empanadas though." Nyx wasn't going to admit that he'd eaten the last one. The Strawberry Rhubarb Pie could go flung into space as far as he was concerned but those chocolate empanadas were freaking amazing. Whenever he was in charge of making them, a few always disappeared. If he wasn't careful he'd be getting a gut soon.

Nyx moved around the windowed barrier between lobby and kitchen, and picked up one of the menus in a holder. He then walked around the end of the long counter with its barstools as he couldn't guess she wanted to sit there and not at one of the tables or benches. "I don't remember seeing you in here before. The hamburgers are what we're mostly known for."

He smiled as he approached her with the menu. "Want something to drink while you look over the menu?"

[frostedplum]

Since Mei is alone, it'll feel awfully lonely sitting at a table, so she heads towards the counter and its barstools, setting down a couple of shopping bags before taking a seat and smiling shyly at him.

"It's my first time, but I said I would come. I'm Mei. Are you Nyx, by chance?" If not, well then she gets to meet someone new.

"I'll just have water."

[nyxus]

"Hey, Mei! Yeah, it's me, Nyx." His grin was big, and genuine. And he was also glad to hear her say her name first so that he would know how to pronounce it properly. "It's nice to see you. Sure, let me get you that water, hold on."

Even as he walked, Nyx was grinning at her over his shoulder until he disappeared around the thin wall. He could be seen a second later though through the window in the wall. A moment later he was back with two large glasses of water with ice. Nyx took a gulp of his own as he leaned with one hand on the counter and watched her.

"The Chicken Kara-age takes a little while to cook but everything else is pretty fast. Everything's made fresh. The boss insists on it." He grinned again before taking another gulp of water.

early!

[handofrapture]

The Big Sister is mostly a scavenger when it comes to food. She still hasn’t dropped the Rapture habit of picking up anything that looks unfinished and still-edible and either eating it or squirreling it away for later. It’s not an unreasonable habit to maintain, she thinks, given that she might return to Rapture any day now. Besides, other sources of food require communication and numbers, two fields that present a distinct challenge to her. She has money, but knowing how to spend it is another matter entirely.

So when she follows the smell of something sweet to a nearby restaurant, it’s instinct that draws her there, not any plans to buy. She almost turns around when she realizes that the aroma is coming from a business where she’d actually have to navigate a transaction if she wants to eat, but a flicker of irregular movement from the back of the restaurant draws her attention. It doesn’t look like anyone working, that’s for sure. Is it fighting?

Now driven by a different kind of instinct, the Big Sister nudges the door open and slips inside for a closer look. The movement is coming from the kitchen and, not the sort to understand the phrase “off-limits,” the Big Sister approaches it without hesitation.

The next time Nyx turns around, he’ll be faced with a rather startling sight—an extremely tall and thin humanoid figure with the face of a teenage girl, wearing what looks like rough twill coveralls. She doesn't look abashed at all at having been caught sneaking around. In fact, she openly stares at him in puzzlement. Perhaps even disappointment? At any rate, it doesn’t look like she knows what to make of his previously demonstrated “dancing.”

hugely nerdy fan of bioshock here <3 <3

[nyxus]

Nyx would later laugh at the memory of how startled he probably looked in that moment, but for the moment, there was nothing he could do about it. When he turned around he actually stumbled backwards a few steps in his shock, eyes wide-around, mouth agape, and an embarrassing little choked noise came involuntarily from him. His heart pounded in his chest and he stared for a good few seconds before he started to come back down to reality.

Except this was a startling reality he still wasn't sure was the really-real-reality. Nyx cleared his throat and ended up coughing softly as he stared. "Wh-- uh, you're not supposed to... be back here?" It came out as more of a question because what the hell did he even know? Maybe this being had reign of the whole city.

Now what was he supposed to do? Nyx blinked a few times and tried to get his wits about him. "Did you come here for some breakfast? We don't open for a few hours yet."

!!! you and me both :D

[handofrapture]

His frightened reaction actually gets a smug smile from the Big Sister. Far too few people here react to her with the fear she deserves. It also doesn’t add much weight to the chiding that comes afterwards. The Big Sister makes no move to exit the kitchen, her puzzled expression flattening to something like skepticism. There hadn’t been a locked door in her way and that tends to be the only kind of ‘KEEP OUT’ she understands.

The mention of food nets somewhat more comprehension. She turns her head towards the oven where the sweet scent is coming from, though she doesn’t take her eyes off the man. There’s no use telling her there’s no food. The smell alone is impossible to ignore.

[nyxus]

"Yeah, we don't serve breakfast. Uh." Nyx fidgeted with the apron string around his middle, that was looped around him and back to the front to tie off. At the moment the top half was secured around his neck too being as he was working on the baked goods which got flour everywhere no matter any precautions.

He wondered if she was human. Surely she wasn't human. She didn't look human. Then again, it didn't matter if she was or not. Nyx let out a slow breath, and he managed a slight smile.

"Okay, well. I take it that you're hungry? I could figure something out to feed you." Some soup maybe, as that was quick and easy to make. "Do you like soup?"

short tag bloop

[warandpeace]

early.

"You forgot to lock!"

A 'Hello' would have been nice, but that was what Miller greeted with as he strode in and took off his overcoat to hang up. Once again, wearing a nice outfit to go with the colorscheme of his diner. He was tugging down the hem of his vest as he strode into the kitchen to help with prep.

"Having any trouble?" he asked.

[nyxus]

Shit.

That figured. The one morning (?) he forgot to lock up during prep, Miller would show up. "Hey, Boss!" he called from the kitchen, only to turn and see Kaz striding in a moment later. He looked sharp this morning, wide awake, ready to kick some employee butt if need be. Nyx smirked. There was no way Miller was a father-figure to him, as much as he called his boss old that really wasn't the case. More than anything, he reminded Nyx of his commanding officers in the Glaive.

"No trouble. I'm just finishing up the pies for today. Did you come to help or just bark at me?" he teased with a smartass grin.

[warandpeace]

"Of course I did, but you do well and I'll compliment you, too."

He was already donning an apron to shield himself from cooking spatter and he double checked to make sure his growing hair was properly tied back. Then his beret was placed on his head.

There. Good to go.

"A lot of people have been trying the mochi-" at his coercion "-so I think we should prepare some extra. There's some red bean paste that needs to be thawed, a package of macha powder- don't grab the sencha get the macha -and the mochiko.

"I'm also thinking about making some deep fried strips that you can dip in a chocolate sauce but I've not played around much with that idea."

How has the morning gone, is probably the right thing to say from Mr. 'Get's Right to Work'. But he's not made it there yet.

[nyxus]

"You got it, Boss." Nyx took a few quick steps and then slid along the kitchen floor with unnecessarily wasted energy and he slid to a stop to fling the fridge door open. He pulled out the red bean paste, and also retrieved the macha powder and mochiko.

He brought these over to Kaz, then reached over to the radio to turn the volume down just a notch. "You had me at 'chocolate.' What kind of dough would you use?" It would be no surprise to his boss that he was a fan of chocolate, especially after the first time he tried the chocolate empanada. He had about had to excuse himself for the inappropriate noises he made.

"You don't mind the music, do you?"

late.

[alterplex]

Venom is well aware that by 'call him', Nyx meant 'on his TAB' and not 'in the middle of the night, knuckles against a glass door and demanding to be let in', but. You know.

Technicalities.

Reliance on technology is all well and good, but Venom's always been a fan of the legwork. Tangible, real interactions are things he can work with— things he can gauge and evaluate, write down in the lexicon of his always-expanding references to draw on. What he lacks, he can make up for by taking necessary and personal steps.

So here he is, doing the sensible thing and waiting for Nyx to open the door instead of, say, picking the lock and helping himself. He could, but he has a feeling that revealing holes in the diner's security isn't going to be great for morale.

Bonus: he puts both of his palms up in the universal sign for I come in peace. This might be ridiculous, but he's had enough people try to stab him on multiple occasions that the disclaimer seems necessary at this point in his life.

[nyxus]

Nyx assumed immediately that it was Miller. Then a second later he knew that was ridiculous as Miller would just unlock the door himself. Unless he forgot his key? No way, not the Boss he knew. Nyx poked his head around the corner of the wall which separated kitchen from lobby. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw who it was, with both hands in the air.

His immediate thought was that Ahab was getting held up or something! ...again reason kicked in a second later, as it didn't look as if anyone else was around, and the man was entirely capable of pummeling any mugger that was stupid enough to come at the giant. Nyx shook his head and a slow grin appeared on his face as he came around the counter and towards the front door. He gave Ahab a nod as he wiped his hands off on a towel, which was then tucked into his apron string.

Nyx unlocked the door and held it open for his midnight guest. "Hey, Ahab. Everything alright?"

[alterplex]

He waits to be let in before he takes a brief sweep of the diner. This isn't his first time here, not by a long shot, but force of habit still has him pivot subtly on his heels to scope his exits.

With that done, he finally nods in lieu of a verbal affirmation. If his silence is awkward, he doesn't seem to think much of it— he's content to let the ambient noise roll until it becomes too much of a burden to upkeep.

"Thought it might be better to come when things were quiet."

For Nyx's benefit, or for his? Venom doesn't specify, but he tips his head and makes eye contact with the younger man, expression open but searching.

"Tired?"

[full_of_bad_ideas]

Isaac had an uncomfortable chill at the back of his neck, it prickled his skin to the front of his neck and down into his shirt over his chest. He felt a hollowness in his chest where the cold dipped in like fog and poured down to the bottom of his gut. His eyes clenched and he pushed his hand forward, blindly, to open the door to the diner. He opened his eyes at the lift of his foot and quickly scanned around the room before he found a darkened booth in the back to sit at. He had a pair of overalls on, a tightened utility belt with a comfortable weight that made him feel securely attached to the ground. His work boots tied up over his overalls and were heavy in their weight as well. He had a vest half hidden beneath his navy blue hoodie, his hood drew up.

"...." His lips parted with a hushed tone, a mumble indescribable to anyone around him. Not that this place was full of anyone. In fact, it was nice and empty which made him a lot more comfortable. He didn't like crowds, especially when he was always fading in between reality and fantasy. Most of the time his fantasies were horror themed.

He had a long hard time reconciling the fact that he was truly here, in another world. Not that was impossible for him to conceptualize, it was just the fact that this world was not a part of any of the star systems he had been aware of. A fact that he shared with various others here as well. An indescribable phenomenon in which they all shared together.

Yet, his demons still haunted him.

[nyxus]

It seemed like a ghost had opened and closed the door. Nyx didn't know if his ghost was leaving, or entering, but he hoped it was leaving. He had peeked into the lobby but not seeing anything. A few moments later he got a cold shiver and his gut instinct was that the ghost had entered. Nyx put down his cleaning rag and walked further into the dining room this time and finally saw the man.

Excellent, not a ghost at all! "Heya. Sorry, I didn't see you there. Let me get you a menu." Nyx smiled, though the man wasn't looking at him, and he hurried back around the counter.

A second later he was walking over and he set down a glass of water with ice, and a menu. "The Chicken Kara-age takes awhile to cook but everything else's pretty fast. You want some tea or coffee? Horchata?" Nyx had his hands on his hips and was smiling down at his late customer, and he noticed the work clothes and hunched shoulders. Maybe the guy was exhausted after a long day at some crummy labor job.

[full_of_bad_ideas]

As if nothing had come to his attention, Isaac sat there staring at his hands propped up on the table. He was silent now, rather than his previous mumbling, he kept himself quiet as he delved deep into the darkness of his mind. He was aware he was sitting but he wasn't on the bench at a restaurant, he was envisioning himself on the bench of a train. A track train that moved about a ship deep in space. The tram buzzed and vibrated as it coursed through the ship like blood through a vein. He anticipated the clog, however, that would force him off the tram and back into the ship to clear the way so that he could once again travel to his destination.

First it was the medical bay, then toward the botanics station, then to the storage haul, then to the next compartment of the ship he would have to exit the train to attend to. Each station had significant maintenance needs in which he was alone to repair. All of these visits played out in Isaac's mind without too much movement on his near catatonic state of being. Isaac would sit like this for half a hour before he finally lowered his hands and looked up to his side. Some recognition then came to him as he became present in reality and his eyes restored from their previous empty stare to something more.

late.

[mund]

There are so many things about being on this planet that bothers him -- the distance from MACUSA is the biggest one, even if the lack of familiar faces around provides a twistedly strange sort of comfort.

It means they're back where they should be, doing their jobs in his absence. Even so, it doesn't entirely quell errant thoughts and a restlessness that Graves fills with near-constant activity, searching for things to do, things to distract him from the fact that he is essentially stripped of purpose, no matter how he tries to make one or another for himself.

He steps into the diner late at night, when the crowd thins and he doesn't have to bother with people. But it seems, from the way the young man seems to be industriously cleaning the stove, he'd come a little too late.

He pauses by the doorway, polite. "Are you closed?"

[nyxus]

The voice had Nyx stilling his cleaning rag and he poked his head out of the kitchen entry to see who it was, as he didn't recognize the voice. It wasn't someone he recognized at all, even from the network and he stared for just half a second before he gave one of his easy-going smiles and stepped out further into view.

"Naw, not yet. Go ahead and have a seat I'll bring you a menu." Nyx tucked the rag in his apron string and moved to the nearest sink to quickly wash his hands before he dried them on a clean rag, then came out to the dining room with a menu in hand. He also brought some utensils as he hadn't replaced the ones he had picked up earlier to put in the industrial dish washing machine (which he had coined The Beast after it gave his boss no end of trouble).

Both the menu and the utensils were set down in front of the guest and Nyx stood there and waited for the gentleman to peruse the drink options so that he could get that started. "Haven't seen you here before," he commented while he waited.

[mund]

"Thank you." Graves makes his order -- coffee, black, no sugar and extra strong, and the standard burger, before he neatly sets the menu aside. The younger man before him is clearly a conscientious worker, easygoing and friendly, and he smiles briefly. There's something oddly surreal about coming in for something this mundane when they're probably not even in the same universe as their own worlds before, and it's something Graves is still trying to wrap his mind around.

"No," he agrees. "I don't usually go for burgers." Nothing against them -- he just tends to have different food. "Today seems like a good day to try something new. This place yours?"